Fennel & Endive Gratin

Late winter is a great time for the comfort of a gratin, for the satisfaction of tender roasted vegetables topped with cheese and breadcrumbs. In this one, the sweet fennel bulb sits in happy contrast to the slight bitterness of endive; the mild creaminess of gorgonzola dolce is set off by the crunch of the breadcrumbs. Serve this alongside some roasted pork, crack open a bottle of Vermentino or Pinot Gris, and enjoy the sound of the rain on the roof!

Fennel & Endive Gratin
Serves 4 - 6

2 large or 4 small fennel bulbs
2 large or 4 small heads of Belgian endive
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock*
5-6 ounces gorgonzola dolce
2/3 cup coarse toasted breadcrumbs (freshly made breadcrumbs the size of peas are best; use less if your crumbs are more finely textured)

Set oven to 450.

Trim away any coarse leaves from the fennel bulbs. Quarter the bulbs (or cut into eighths if they're large) and cut away the fibrous core. Cut endives in half lengthwise, keeping the stem ends intact on each half.

In a sauté pan, warm 2 T of olive oil. Add the fennel and cook, stirring and turning as needed until it begins to turn golden, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and fresh pepper, then add 1/2 cup of stock, cover and cook until very tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes. Transfer to gratin dish and cover with foil or a towel to keep warm.

Warm remaining 2 T of olive oil, add endive and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and fresh pepper. Add the remaining half cup of stock, cover and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes.

Combine the endive with the fennel bulb in the gratin dish. Give it all a good healthy cracking of fresh black pepper, top evenly with little dollops of the cheese, and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake 6-8 minutes until the cheese melts and breadcrumbs are golden. Serve immediately and enjoy!

* Recipes like this one that call for a cup of stock are one reason I really like the Savory Creations product: each little packet of concentrate makes one cup of stock, so I don't end up with extra stock languishing in the refrigerator. Plus, they taste really good.

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Boiled Kale & Stale Bread Soup

Although it sounds like something served to tragic little orphans in a Dickens novel, this soup is wonderfully soothing and flavorful. Adapted from Judy Rodgers' marvelous The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (W.W. Norton & Company, 2002), it's very easy to prepare and relies on just a few inexpensive ingredients. The boiled kale develops an earthy, satisfying flavor enlivened by the red pepper, the bread adds velvety substance, and a bit of Pecorino Romano brings a feral saltiness to tie it all together. If you wanted to go one step further with this, you could top your soup bowl with fried egg dusted with smoky pimenton. Serve it up with a good Zinfandel and you've got a great meal for a rainy winter night.

Boiled Kale & Stale Bread Soup
Two servings

8 oz Lacinato Kale (curly kale would also work)
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t dried red pepper flakes (or more if you like)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
water
2-3 cups stale chewy peasant-style bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
Freshly cracked black pepper
1-2 oz Pecorino Romano

Wash the kale and drain. Slice the leaves crosswise into ribbons about 1/8" wide, leaving off the tough stems at the bottom.

Over medium-low heat, cook the onions in the oil in a 4-quart saucepan until they're translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the pepper flakes and garlic, and stir while cooking for about a minute. Add the kale, and stir about 5 minutes until it wilts. Add enough water to cover the kale by 1/2" and bring to a simmer. Salt to taste, cover and simmer gently until kale is just tender, about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add a bit more water if necessary to keep kale covered. Taste for salt.

Bring kale to a full boil and stir in bread pieces. Remove from heat and let sit covered for about 10 minutes. Add several good turns of fresh black pepper, and ladle into soup bowls. Top with freshly grated Pecorino Romano and enjoy!

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Spicy Lime & Cucumber Paletas (a.k.a. popsicles)

Lately, Tim & I have been making fresh fruit paletas for dessert on these hot summer nights. A paleta is a Mexican popsicle, and this one is our favorite. It starts with a pop of chili heat, quickly cooled by cucumber and brightened by the lime -- it’s a festival of flavor! Once you have the basic idea, you can use this simple recipe as a guideline for making paletas with whatever juicy fruit you have on hand. Cantaloupe and mint, pineapple, ginger and cilantro, peach, black pepper and lavender: you can add savory spices or keep it simple and sweet, as you wish. We like these very much – and hope that you do, too!

Spicy Lime & Cucumber Paletas (a.k.a. popsicles)

Makes 6 paletas.

1 1/4 pounds cucumbers (about 2 large)
1/6 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 small dried chili pepper, crushed
1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Set aside a piece of cucumber about 1-1/2 inches long; chunk up the remaining cucumber, peels and all, into 1 inch pieces and puree them in a blender or food processor until smooth. Strain the pulp through a fine meshed sieve into a bowl; use a wooden spoon or spatula to press as much liquid from the pulp as possible. It’s okay if some pulp gets into the juice. You should have 1 ¼ cup juice. Set this aside.

Peel the remaining piece of cucumber and cut it into little matchsticks. Set these aside.

In a small saucepan, mix the lime juice, sugar and dried chili pepper together. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and forms a syrup. Set aside to cool.

Mix together the juice and lime/chili syrup. Stir in the chili powder, cayenne and salt. Stir well and then pour into your popsicle molds, leaving about half inch at the top. Add a few matchsticks of cucumber to each mold and close up the molds with sticks in place. Put in the freezer until solid (2-4 hours).

Run a little warm water over each mold to loosen the paleta, then run outside into the sunshine and enjoy!

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Raspberry Flower & Orange Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is one of those desserts that I love, but always thought would be difficult to make. It's actually quite simple, though: you only have to be careful measuring the gelatin and not overheat the milk. This recipe is adapted from one by Alice Medrich (Pure Dessert, Artisan, 2007) that is richer. Using half-and-half rather than cream creates a panna cotta that is tremulous and soft – it feels so light in the mouth, and the milky simplicity is subtle, clean and refreshing. The Raspberry Flower honey is delicately floral and the orange zest adds just a hint of brightness. You could use any honey that you enjoy and pair it with some other flavor (like lavender honey with lemon zest) if you like. It needs to chill for several hours, so it’s best to make it a day ahead. Enjoy!

Raspberry Flower & Orange Panna Cotta
8 servings

1 ¼ cup whole milk
2 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
3 cups Half & Half
1/3 cup Raspberry Flower Honey (we love the one from Branches)
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt
Fresh raspberries for topping (optional)

Put the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Leave it undisturbed for 5-10 minutes.

Warm the Half & Half, honey, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring now and then to help dissolve the honey. When it is just steaming hot, add in the orange zest, stir and remove from heat. Add the milk/gelatin and whisk well to dissolve the gelatin. Pour the mixture into a bowl and chill it by setting the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice water. Stir occasionally until it thickens a bit. (Be careful not to let any of the ice water slosh into the milk.) It should chill to 50 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

Pour the mixture into 8 ramekins or small cups. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours.

Serve the panna cotta in the ramekins or cups, topped with a few berries if you like. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Escarole & Gruyere Salad

While we’re waiting for the tender spring greens to appear, here’s a lovely salad from Janet Fletcher’s terrific book, The Cheese Course (Chronicle Books, 2000) that features escarole – endive’s not-quite-so-bitter cousin, which is available all winter long. The tender, pale leaves make a velvety backdrop for the slivers of nutty Gruyere and soft crunch of walnuts. For a more colorful version, you could mix radicchio with the escarole.

Serves 4 to 6

Vinaigrette
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons walnut oil
1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ c walnuts
2 heads escarole, pale heart only, trimmed
1/3 pound Gruyere, trimmed of any rind and cut into matchstick-size pieces
¼ cup minced Italian parsley

To make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, vinegar, shallot and salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for 30 minutes to allow shallot flavor to mellow. Taste and adjust the balance as needed.

Preheat the oven to 350. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet until fragrant and lightly colored, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Break any large pieces up by hand.

In a large salad bowl, combine the escarole, walnuts, Gruyere and parsley. Add enough of the dressing to coat the salad lightly; you may not need it all. Toss well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss again. Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Dried Fruit Compote & Fourme d'Ambert

A creamy blue cheese pairs beautifully with fruit compote for an easy, festive cheese course. This recipe is nice for mid-winter since it doesn’t rely on fresh fruit. The concentrated sweet and tart flavors and firmness of dried fruits provide interesting contrast, and the jewel-like colors are very pretty against a blue veined cheese. You can use almost any dried fruit – cherries, apricots, pears, plums, figs, and raisins are especially good – just be sure to have a variety of colors and sizes.

Dried Fruit Compote & Fourme d’Ambert
Serves 6-8

1 pound assorted dried fruit (if any are large – like pears – cut them into bite sized pieces)
2 cups white wine (avoid anything aged in oak)
1 cup water
¾ to1 cup sugar (if your fruit is all sweet, use the lower amount)
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 whole cloves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon kirsch
Lemon juice (optional)

3/4 pound delicious blue cheese

Bring the wine, water, sugar and spices to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Starting with the lightest color fruit, poach each kind separately until it is tender (don’t let it get mushy!) Depending on your fruit, this will take anywhere from two to fifteen minutes per kind. Taste the liquid between each fruit – when the spices start to stand out, remove them before adding the next fruit. After all the fruit has been cooked, continue to simmer the liquid until it is reduced by a third. (This is why you need to remove the spices when they start to be noticeable. Otherwise, when you reduce the liquid, the spices will dominate the dish.) Let sit until cool, then stir in the kirsch. If the flavor seems a little flat, add a squeeze of lemon juice. Pour over the fruit. Serve alongside a lovely blue cheese like Fourme d’Ambert, Colston Bassett Stilton, or Peña Corado.

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Fig & Anise Bread Pudding

This is recipe is based loosely on Marion Cunningham’s Coach House Bread & Butter Pudding, but as Luan knows, I am prone to recipe improvisation—sometimes with success.

My version (not as rich as Ms. Cunningham’s) is built around the Pearl Bakery’s Fig & Anise Panini—with flavors to compliment this tasty bread. It’s a good use for day old Panini, and a perfect Sunday breakfast for this lovely fall.

Butter a medium size soufflé dish or casserole. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees,

3 Pearl Bakery fig & anise panini
Butter
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/3 brown sugar
1 tbsp. molasses (preferably black strap)
1 cup milk

Start by removing the crust of the panini with a bread knife reserving the figs that stud the crust. Slice the panini in half lengthwise, top each with butter (as generously as you’d like). Cover the bottom of the soufflé dish with half of the panini (butter side up), cutting the pieces as needed to fill any holes. Dot the layer with figs reserved from the crust. Add a second layer with the remaining bread.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar and molasses. Heat the milk just until it is about to scald (I do this in the microwave), and beat into the egg mixture. Pour the hot mixture over the bread and carefully push the bread down into the milk a bit so the panini sponge up the liquid. Set the dish into a water bath (a larger pan, filled halfway with boiling water). Carefully place the ensemble into the preheated oven. Bake 30-35 minutes. The pudding is done when the bread on top is browned and crusty and the custard is set.

Serves 2-3.

Note: This recipe can easily be doubled/tripled to feed your posse.

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Fall Onion & Bacon Tart

Don’t you love fall? When the leaves are turning, it’s blustery and cool, and scarves feel wonderfully cozy. Ah! This Fall Onion & Cheese Tart seems perfect on a cool night: The sweet, soft caramelized onions play against the slight crunch of smoky bacon; the earthy, nutty cheese rounds out the flavors and cracked pepper gives it pop. Add a simple salad, some good crusty bread, and a good Pinot Noir or Syrah – and enjoy life!

Fall Onion & Cheese Tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling
3 slices good bacon (Neuske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon is de-lish!)
1 big onion, thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar
1 cup milk or Half & Half (or cream if you’re feeling indulgent!)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Generous pinch of salt
4-5 ounces mountain cheese (use a good full flavored cow’s milk cheese like Spahn, Fontina D’Aosta, or Gruyere), grated

Cut together flour, butter, and salt in a small bowl with a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles an uneven, coarse meal with some pea-sized butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and blend (gently!) until incorporate. Squeeze a little in your fist. If it crumbles, add a little more water, blend in and squeeze again. Repeat if necessary, but don’t work the dough too much or it will be tough. When you’re satisfied, press dough into a disk about five inches across, and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll out dough so it will fit in a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Press it into the pan and up the sides, and then pierce it with a fork. Freeze 10 minutes. Line it with foil and fill with beans or pie weights and then bake crust 10 minutes. Take out the weights and foil and bake until it’s starting to turn golden, maybe 10-15 minutes more. Pull it out and let it cool while you make the filling.

In a medium skillet, sauté the bacon over medium-low heat until it’s crisp and has rendered its fat. Pull out the bacon and drain on paper towels. Raise the heat to medium and sauté the onion in the drippings with a pinch of sugar until they’re deep golden brown (15-20 minutes). Spread the onions over the bottom of the crust, break bacon into bite-size pieces and sprinkle over onions. Top with grated cheese. Blend together the milk, eggs, salt and pepper, then pour into the crust.

Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool tart on rack for a few minutes and then remove pan sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Tim's Spicy Wings

There's one day a year when eating chicken wings isn't appropriate: February 11th, Gallus Domesticus Solidarity Day. But there are 364 days a year when chicken wings are yummy and fun to eat! Tim likes his wings hot, spicy, and dunked in good blue cheese dressing. His recipe uses Sriracha chili sauce to drive up the heat and Rogue Creamery Oregonzola to cool it down. Throw in a few stalks of celery for snap and it's a party in your mouth. You'll want to have big napkins on hand -- Tim's Spicy Wings can be messy (like so many good things in life!)

Tim's Spicy Wings
Makes about 10 servings

The Wings:
4 pounds chicken wings, wing tips cut off and remaining wing cut into two piece at the joint
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Sriracha Chili Sauce*
1 tablespoon Tabasco (optional)

Either preheat oven to 400 degrees or start the charcoals on the barbecue. Toss the wings, olive oil, salt and pepper together until wings are coated. If using the oven, line a couple of baking sheets with foil and spread the wings out in a single layer. Bake for 50 minutes, or until wings are golden. If using the barbecue, spread them evenly over the grill and cook, turning at least once, until cooked through and golden.

Just before wings are done, melt the butter and stir together with Sriracha in a large bowl. Add the Tabasco sauce if you want to kick the heat up even more. When the wings are done, put them into the bowl and toss well to coat.

The Dressing:
4-6 ounces Oregonzola (or another zippy, full flavored blue cheese)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Put all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well to a fairly smooth paste.

No, it's not a low fat recipe. But it's a good one, and sometimes you just gotta eat the good stuff. Sorry Gallus Domesticus!

* You can find Sriracha sauce in grocery stores that carry Thai ingredients. It comes in a plastic bottle with a rooster on the label, and is a terrific condiment to have on hand.

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Tuna & Cannellini Bean Salad

Ah, summer! It’s time for easy meals that are a snap to put together and don’t require turning on the stove. This Tuna & Cannellini Bean Salad is one of our favorites. It takes about half an hour to put together, but only a few of those minutes require actually doing anything. Add some crusty bread, a glass of wine, good conversation – and you have yourself a fine summer meal. Enjoy!

Tuna & Cannellini Bean Salad

½ medium sweet onion
14 oz can of Cannellini beans, drained
Salt
small can of olive oil-packed tuna (use something good like Arroyabe Bonita Tuna from Spain)
1 – 2 Tablespoons nicoise olives, pitted
Extra virgin olive oil
Wine vinegar (use a delicious fruity one, like the Pinot Grigio Vinegar from Robert Bauer/Josef Reiterer)
Black pepper, freshly cracked
Salad greens (arugula is especially nice)

To prepare the onion: peel it and slice into very thin rings. Cover the rings with cold water in a small bowl. Squeeze the onion with your hand for a couple of seconds, then let go. Repeat this squeeze & release several times. The water will get cloudy – you’re milking out the onion juice that makes raw onion too sharp. Drain the water, squeeze the excess out of the onion, the cover again with cold water and repeat the whole process two more times. Then cover the onion with fresh, very cold water again and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Squeeze as much water as possible out of the onion – you might want to put them into a dish towel and wring out the excess.

Put the beans and onion into a bowl. Salt liberally and toss. Drain the tuna and add it to the beans in large flakes. Add the olives, and drizzle all with olive oil. Sprinkle with vinegar and black pepper. Gently toss the whole mixture several times, taste and correct your seasonings. Serve on a bed of greens. Yum!

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Pasta All'Amatriciana

Here's a simple, delicious recipe for an Italian classic. Although there are lots of recipes for Pasta All'Amatriciana floating around, most have been adapted to use bacon or pancetta since guanciale has not always been easy to find. And though bacon is indeed tasty, the other ingredients are so few and simple that the smokiness of the bacon can simply overpower them. Now that we have guanciale from Salumi Artisan Meats in the shop, enjoy this easy dish in all it's deliciously porky glory!

Pasta All’Amatriciana

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 pound guanciale, thickly sliced and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (or other full flavored pecorino)
1 pound bucatini (or spaghetti)

Start a pot of salted water to boil for pasta.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet, then add onion and garlic and sauté until onions are transparent and just starting to turn golden. Add in the guanciale and continue to sauté until it starts to brown. Roughly chop (or crush in your hand) the tomatoes and add them, juice and all, to skillet. Cook for about 15 minutes – until the sauce starts to smooth out and the flavors concentrate. Add the chili flakes and some salt. Stir in about 1/3 of the grated cheese to thicken the sauce a bit more. Salt to taste and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, cook your pastas until al dente. Drain and then add into the sauce in the skillet. Stir gently to combine over low heat until hot. Serve in warmed bowls and top with more cheese. Yum!

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Patrick's Indian Cheese: Panir & Chenna

Tim & I love making Indian food at home, and have a couple of well-worn cookbooks. But we almost always skip over the recipes that call for panir or chenna – those milky, mild flavored cheeses that are used in dishes like palak panir or rasgulla – because it’s hard to find these cheeses. But we’ll skip them no more! At the April meeting of our Do It Yourself Cheesemakers group, Patrick Barber (a local urban homesteader) demonstrated making panir from a recipe he adapted from Yamuna Devi's The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. It’s really simple to make – the only ingredients are milk, acid and time – and it’s fun because you’re actually making cheese! And the only thing that’s better than eating cheese is eating cheese you made yourself!

PANIR and CHENNA / Basic recipe By Patrick Barber

Equipment
Heavy stainless steel stockpot with lid
Stainless steel colander
Large stainless steel mixing bowl (or another stockpot)
Butter muslin or cheesecloth
Kitchen twine
Slotted spoon (Stainless steel)

Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk (raw, pasteurized, or homogenized, but not ultra pasteurized)
1/2 cup acid agent: white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, strained lemon juice, or citric acid solution.

Method
1. Scald the stockpot and colander with boiling water. Soak the butter muslin in hot water, wring it out, then drape it over the colander and set the colander over the mixing bowl.
2. Pour milk into stockpot and turn heat on high. As the milk heats, measure your acid and have it ready.
3. When the milk is at a full foaming boil, lower the heat to very low, and slowly pour in the vinegar while stirring the milk slowly in one direction with the slotted spoon.
4. At this point the milk should separate into lumpy curds and pale yellow whey. If this doesn¹t happen in 30-¬60 seconds, add more vinegar until the curds separate out.
5. Turn off the stove, cover the pot, and move the pot to another burner. Let sit for 10 minutes, while the curds further separate from the whey.
6. Spoon out the larger curds and place them into cloth in the colander. Then pour the rest of the curds and whey into the colander. You might want to do this in the sink in case the mixing bowl is not big enough to hold all the whey.
7. Gather up the ends of the muslin and twist gently to release any excess whey in the curds. Run the ball of curds under lukewarm water to rinse off the vinegar, squeezing and twisting gently while you do so.
8. Use the kitchen twine to tie the muslin and suspend it, either from a cabinet handle or a spoon laid across the cooking pot. Hang the curds over the cooking pot and let them drain to the desired consistency.

Notes
∙ Butter muslin is a re-usable cloth good for draining the whey from soft cheeses. It is available from www.cheesemaking.com
∙ This recipe can be successfully doubled or halved.
∙ Your choice of acid will affect the texture and the flavor of the cheese. Lemon juice results in a delicately flavored, subtly textured cheese. Vinegars create a harder curd, and the apple cider vinegar lends its unique flavor to the cheese in overtones. I tend to use lemon juice for dishes like matar panir and chenna; apple cider vinegar is nicer for strong-flavored dishes like rajma. Experiment and see what you like.

Panir or Chenna?

After you have followed this recipe you have two choices. You can make panir, a firm cheese, or you can make chenna, a soft cheese with a consistency similar to chèvre.

If you would like to try both recipes, split your curds into two portions after you have completed step 7, and make panir from half and chenna from the other half.

To make panir: Let the curds drain for a minimum of 4 hours, or as long as overnight, until very firm and dry. Remove the cheese from the muslin.

To prepare and cook with panir:
Panir is generally cubed, fried in oil or ghee, and then used in Indian dishes like palak panir (greens and panir), matar panir (peas, mint and panir), and rajma (spicy red beans and panir).
To fry it, cut the cheese into one-inch cubes. Heat a thin layer of oil in a wide pan. Add the panir cubes in batches, so they do not crowd the pan. Cook over medium heat, carefully turning the cubes until they are browned on all (or nearly all) sides. You can turn them with tongs, but sometimes they stick so I also keep a metal spatula handy. At this point the fried panir can be used in the above-mentioned Indian recipes. It can also be used just like tofu in a stir fry, or get creative and cook it with what you¹ve got to work with and the spices of your preference.

Cubed, fried panir can be stored in a freezer for up to 6 months.

To make chenna: Let the curds drain for about 1 hour or press them with a weight for 20¬45 minutes. At this point the cheese will be soft, moist, and somewhat crumbly. Remove the cheese from the muslin and place it on a working surface such as a large cutting board or clean countertop. Knead the cheese firmly, pressing it forward and smearing it flat with the heel of your hand and then gathering it back up into a ball. Do this for 10 to 20 minutes. The cheese will change from a grainy, crumbly consistency to a smooth consistency that easily forms a ball.

To prepare and cook with chenna: Once you have kneaded the chenna to a smooth texture, you can add some salt, fresh ground pepper, and/or minced fresh herbs, if you like. Mix the flavorings in well by kneading the cheese a few more times. The cheese can then be formed into rounds or put into a small dish and used as a spread for crackers or sandwiches. Chenna can also be flavored with Indian spices, formed into small patties, and battered and fried into pakora.

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Curry Coconut Marshmallows

I've never been crazy about marshmallows -- they just seemed like puffy sugar with little else to recommend them. But when we did our chocolate fondue dinner for Valentine's Day, we agreed that marshmallows are perfect for dipping. The only question was how to make them interesting? Meredith (who's also the pastry chef at Carafe when not working here at the shop) gave me her basic marshmallow recipe and I started playing around. What I learned is that marshmallows are a fabulous little conveyance for spice and texture. Think of them as a sweet neutral canvas for splashing with vibrant flavors and enticing textures. This recipe uses a sweet, spicy curry powder to add zip to the soft, pillowy interior and then coats it with a hot, slightly crunchy coconut.They're not especially tricky to make and you can use the basic recipe to invent your own tasty little treats. (Meredith makes very addictive lime zest and sriracha marshmallows, as well rose-scented ones covered in crunchy pink sugar.) Go wild! Get creative! Have fun! Bring me some!

Curry Coconut Marshmallows

2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup water (plus more for gelatin)
12 sheets or 2 packets plain gelatin
6 egg whites
1 vanilla bean, split and inside scraped
The above ingredients are the basic marshmallow. Those below are for the adventure.
1/2 teaspoon Shiba's Sweet Spice curry powder (or other sweet curry powder)
1 cup shredded coconut
1/8 cayenne (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt

You'll need a candy thermometer, a mixer (a freestanding one is especially good) and a half-sheet pan or a 11" X 13" pan.

Line your pan with parchment or a lightly oiled silpat mat.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups sugar and 3/4 water to boil. Cook it to the soft ball stage (118 degrees centigrade). Soften the gelatin in a little bit of cold water. Just before the sugar syrup gets to temperature, whip together in a large mixing bowl the egg whites, tablespoon of sugar, and scraped insides of vanilla bean to soft peaks. With the mixer on medium-high speed, carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites (avoid splashing it onto yourself -- it's really hot!). Add the softened gelatin*, then sprinkle in the curry powder and continue to whip until the mixture is cool -- 12- 15 minutes.

Working quickly, spread the mixture evenly into your pan. Wrap loosely and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Mix together the coconut, cayenne and salt in a bowl.

Use a knife to cut the marshmallows into 1" cubes, and gently toss them with the spicy coconut mixture. Shake off the extra, and keep the marshmallows in a closed container. Store in the refrigerator. They'll keep for several days -- unless you eat them all sooner.

* I used the gelatin packets in a couple of tablespoons of water. They'd nearly solidified into a rubbery mass by the time I was ready for them, so I just added a bit more water, broke it up as much as I could, and then stirred that into the sugar syrup just before adding it to the egg white mixture. I don't think that's the proper way to do it, but it seemed to work just fine.

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Burrata with Truffle and Prosciutto

Looking for a delicious, elegant appetizer that you can put together in a snap? This combination of flavors and textures is really lovely: The Burrata is silky and creamy, the Prosciutto is tender, sweet and salty, the gastrique adds a soft tang to the earthy aromatics of the truffle. Add some dried figs and almonds for more flavor and texture and you'll be saying "Shazam!"

Serves 6

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Burrata (approximately 8 oz)
6 slices of Prosciutto (Jamon Iberico would be otherworldly here...)
12 dried figs, sliced lengthwise (Calmyrnas, Black Mission, or a mix are nice)
1/3 cup marcona almonds
A drizzle of Black Truffle Oil (or shavings of fresh truffle if you've got it)
Fresh ground Black Pepper

Make a simple gastrique by heating the sugar in a small heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until it melts and starts to caramelize. Carefully stir in the balsamic vinegar (it may sputter and pop) and continue stirring until it thickens to a nice syrupy consistency. While it is still warm, taste it with a bit of fig. if you want it a little sweeter, add a bit more sugar; if you want it a bit tangier, and a few drops more vinegar. Once you like the flavor, set it aside.

On a serving plate, put the Burrata in the center. Surround it with slices of prosciutto, rumpled prettily. (Don't get too anxious about this -- just crumple the slices loosely around the Burrata and it will be pretty.) Put the figs and almonds around the edge of the prosciutto and spoon the gastrique over them. Slice the top off the Burrata to reveal the creamy bits inside. (Save the top for yourself. At midnight, eat it on toast with chestnut honey. Don't tell anyone you have it.) Drizzle truffle oil over Burrata and prosciutto. Top with a few grinds of black pepper. Serve with sliced baguette or thin, crisp crackers. Shazam!

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Hoppin' John ala Español

Every New Year’s Day at our house, we expect to hear from one of more of the Schooler clan, checking in to wish Luan and me a Happy New Year. But the salutation is just a pretense to ensure that we are fixin’ or eatin’ our black-eyed peas. You see, the Dobbs and Schoolers are Texas folk and one does not let the first day of the new year pass without eating some peas: black-eyed peas.

We have tried various recipes to fulfill this traditional dish, but our favorite is a Hoppin’ John that comes from a little cookbook titled, without irony, Beans by Sandra Gluck (Collins Publishers San Francisco, 1995). We have adapted this recipe, ala Español, to fit our tastes and the Foster & Dobbs pantry (ingredients we carry are in bold). Get thy peas a-soakin' and have a Happy New Year!

Hoppin’ John ala Español

¾ cup dried black-eyed peas
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 ounces Fra’ Mani Spicy Italian Sausage, diced
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
¾ cup Arroz Bomba (Paella rice), Texmati, or Basmati rice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
¼- ½ teaspoon Hot smoked Paprika (to taste), El Rey de la Vera Pimentón Picante
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Devs Olive Oil (a great Spanish oil from100% Arbequina olives)
4 teaspoons Gran Capriete Sherry Vinegar
2 bunches arugula, tough stems removed

Soak peas overnight in water (be sure that the peas are well covered). Drain, pick out any shriveled or broken beads (or pebbles), and rinse.

In a medium sauce pan, combine the peas with fresh water to cover by 3 inches. Bring to a boil and skim any foam that forms on the surface. Stir in the garlic and bay leaves, reduce the heat, and simmer partially covered for about 40 minutes or until the peas are tender. Note there is a direct relationship between quality of your peas, their freshness, and cooking times. The older the dried peas, the longer the cooking time. Keep an eye on your peas, adding water if necessary, but cook until just tender. Drain (reserving the cooking liquid), discard the bay leaves, and set the peas aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat, add the sausage, and cook for about four minutes. Remove the meat from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onion to the saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened (7-10 minutes). Add the bell pepper and cook five minutes more. Stir in the rice, thyme, pimentón, and salt. Cook a few minutes.

Add water to the reserved cooking liquid to equal 1 ¾ cups and stir into the rice adding the sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost done. Stir in the peas and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from heat, stir in the olive oil and vinegar. Arrange the arugula on plates or pasta bowls and top with beans.

Serve with a nice Tempranillo Reserve or Garnacha.

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Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Currants & Pine Nuts

This is a classic, Southern Italian dish that Tim and I love in wintery months. Orecchiette pasta is shaped like little cups (the name means "little ear") where the currants, nuts and cheese can nestle. The Garum (or anchovies) brings a salty, savory richness that plays against the sweetness of the currants. Try a light, dry white wine like a Pinot Grigio with this dish, pop in a Louis Prima CD, and pretend you're on the Amalfi Coast!

Serves 2

1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1 inch florets
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons (plus more to taste) Garum, or 2 anchovy fillets
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt
1/2 pound orecchiette
1/8 cup bread crumbs
2 ounces grated Pecorino Romano

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Meanwhile, soak the currants in the wine until they are plump (about 15 minutes) and toast the pine nuts over medium-low heat until they are fragrant and golden (maybe 5 minutes).

Blanch the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water until they are firm, but fork-tender (4-5 minutes), and drain.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. If using anchovies, add them to hot oil and mash with a wooden spoon until they dissipate into oil. If using the Garum, add it to the oil and stir quickly. Add the blanched cauliflower and give it all a good stir to coat evenly with oil. Cook until it's just starting to brown, then stir in the pine nuts, currants and their liquid, and the crushed red pepper. Taste the sauce, and if using Garum, you may want to add a bit more at this point -- the salty, fishy flavor should be present but not overwhelming. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is evaporated (4-5 minutes)

Meanwhile, add the pasta to boiling, salted water and cook until al dente (16 - 20 minutes, or more depending on the brand you're using.) While it's cooking, toast the bread crumbs in a small skillet, stirring until they're brown.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with the cauliflower sauce, the reserved water, and 1/8 cup of the grated cheese. Serve in warm bowls, and sprinkle a tablespoon of the toasted bread crumbs. Pass the extra cheese and breadcrumbs separately. Eat up!

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Michael Recchiuti's Fudge Brownies

Mmmmmm, chocolate fudge brownies. Better yet, chocolate fudge brownies as Michael Recchiuti thinks of them. This recipe is from Michael's book, Chocolate Obsession: Confections and Treats to Create and Savor. Not a cake, not a candy, these dense squares are a bit of each. Their fudge-like texture needs sugar but the sweetness is offset by intense unsweetened chocolate , some melted into the batter and some left in chunks. They demand a high quality chocolate to really shine. Be still my beating heart...

16 brownies

5 ounces 100% unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided in half
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces.
2/3 cup (3-1/3 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Madagascar Bourbon
1-1/4 cups (9 ounces) granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Melt 2-1/2 ounces of the chocolate with the butter in a medium stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until they are smooth and combined.

While the chocolate is melting, line the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with parchment and liberally coat the paper and the sides with flavorless vegetable oil.

Sift the flour and the salt together.

Hand whisk the eggs and vanilla together, then whisk the sugar into the eggs.

Whisk the egg mixture into the chocolate.

Mix the flour and remaining 2-1/2 ounces of chopped chocolate into the batter with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven until the top gives slightly to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the center still has some batter clinging to it, about 30 minutes. Don’t overbake.

Cool on a rack, then refrigerate until cold.

Run a table knife around the edges of the pan and slide the brownies, still on the paper, onto a work surface. Cut into 16 2-inch squares.

Store airtight at room temperature.

[Luan's note: Try not to eat them all at once. ]

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Caramelized Onion, Gorgonzola and Walnut Pizza

It’s autumn! The leaves are starting to turn, the nights are cool, and the air just feels different. And richer, heartier foods are suddenly very appealing! This pizza recipe is one of our favorites and it’s terrific for this turning season. The Gorgonzola provides a salty snap in counterpoint to the sweet, jammy richness of the caramelized onion, and the walnuts bring an earthy crunch to this elegant, uncomplicated pizza. Serve with a simple salad of well-dressed greens and a nice zinfandel, syrah, or even a chianti. Mmmmm.

Makes one 15-inch pizza

Dough:
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
Shy 2/3 cup of warm water (about 110º)
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fine cornmeal
¾ teaspoon salt
About 1 ¾ cups unbleached white flour (you can replace ½ cup of this with whole wheat flour if you like)
Additional flour for rolling

Topping:
4 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Shy ¼ pound of Gorgonzola Piccante
½ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar and set aside in a warm place for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and cornmeal in a 1 quart bowl. Add the yeast mixture and salt, and mix well. Gradually add the flour, making a soft, workable dough. Turn onto a floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle additional flour on as necessary to keep dough from sticking to the surface, but add as little as possible. Put dough into an oiled bowl and flip over so the surface is coated with oil. Cover and set aside in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk (about an hour). If dough completes its rise before onions are finished, punch down and let it rise again.

Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet and add sliced onions and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook gently over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, until the onions are browned and caramelized.

Preheat oven to 500 º. If you’re using a pizza stone, put it in the oven when you turn it on.

Roll out the dough on a well floured surface. It should make a 15” circle, about 1/8” thick in the center and slightly thicker at the edge. Put the dough onto an oiled pizza pan or a well-floured pizza peel.

Gently spread the onions over the dough, and dot with Gorgonzola. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top. Put the pizza into the oven.

After about 5 minutes, sprinkle the walnuts over the pizza and return it to the oven for another few minutes. Total baking time is 8-12 minutes. When pizza is cooked, garnish it with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Let it rest briefly then slice and enjoy!

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Chocolate "Khari" Ice Cream

I have to admit, when I first saw the ingredients of the Vosges Naga Exotic Candy Bar, combining chocolate, curry, and coconut flakes, I was intrigued but skeptical. One taste and I knew that chocolate and curry could indeed be friends. Of course, chocolate and ginger has long been one of my favorite combinations, so why not curry? Here then is my riff on the Naga bar, Chocolate Khari Ice Cream (Khari is the Indian word for curry--thought to be derived from the Tamil word, Kari).

1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)
3 cups half and half
3 teaspoons sweet curry powder
pinch of cayene powder (or more to taste)
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
7 oz. Felchlin Grand Cru Chocolate (chopped)
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (optional)

Combine the coconut milk, half and half, and spices in a 2 quart sauce pan. Over medium heat slowly bring the mixture just barely to a boil. Remove from heat.

Combine the egg yolks and sugar, beat until well mixed. Add a small amount of the hot milk to the egg yolk/sugar and mix until combined. Wisk the warmed egg mixture back to the milk in the saucepan. Simmer on low heat until the custard just coats the back of the spoon. Do not over cook. Remove from heat and wisk in the chocolate until it is completely melted and the color is uniform.

If the custard seems too thick, stir in a 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk to thin the custard a bit and temper the richness.

Transfer the custard to a glass or stainless steel bowl that's just big enough to hold the lot. I like to set this bowl in an ice bath (a very large bowl filled part way with ice and cold water) to quickly bring down the temperature before I put the custard in the refrigerator. In any case, cool the custard for at least four hours or, for best results, over night.

Freeze the ice cream according to the instructions on your maker.

Pair with a Warre's Tawny Port, homemade ginger snaps, and Nitin Sawhney. Enjoy!

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Peach Toast

There's nothing like a great peach, is there? When you bite into it and the sweet, juicy flesh bursts in your mouth -- it tastes like sunshine! But if you end up with a peach or two that's less than perfect -- or maybe one that was perfect a few days ago -- here's a great way to enjoy it anyway. The warmth of the ginger sugar brings out the sweet peach flavor and the butter makes it even better. This recipe also works well with nectarines, apricots, and other stone fruits.

Peach Toast
makes 3-4 slices

Preheat the broiler.

1 peach that is less than perfect
3-4 slices of good bread or baguette
3-4 teaspoons Heritage Palm Sugar with Ginger (from Big Tree Farms)
2 T sweet creamy butter*

Peel the peach if you don't like the skin. Cut the peach into thin slices, and array the slices onto the bread. With a fork, press the peach into bread so that it covers the whole surface. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of Ginger Sugar per slice of bread ( less if the fruit is very sweet) and dot with bits of butter. Put the bread on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until the toast is golden.

Sit outside in the lovely morning sunshine and enjoy!

* The Reggio Butter that we carry -- which is made with the cream skimmed away when Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is made -- is wonderful for this.

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Farro & Pecorino Salad

Farro is one of my favorite grains. An ancient strain of wheat, it looks a bit like brown rice and has a delicate nutty flavor. You can use it in soups, risotto, as a bed for poached eggs, and grain salads. This salad is one of our favorites -- easy to make and always delicious. Throw a couple of sausages on the barbecue or hardboil a couple of eggs for accompaniment, and you're ready for some scrumptious summer eating!

Makes 3-4 servings.

1 cup whole grain Farro
Salted water

4 ounces good aged pecorino (Romani, Toscano, Tuada, Lucano -- any one of these would be great), cut into little cubes
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
a shy 1/4 cup oil cured olives, pitted & chopped roughly
handful of basil leaves
6 tablespoons (more or less) of good, full flavored olive oil
salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Cook the farro in the salted water at a bare simmer until just tender. Drain well and spread on a baking sheet to cool.
Gently combine the farro, cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Drizzle with olive oil -- start with about 4 tablespoons, let it sit a few minutes, taste and add some more if it seems dry. Tear basil leaves and fold into salad, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

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Beets in Orange Vinaigrette

I love little baby beets! And this vinaigrette with sherry and orange brings out the sweetness they have without becoming cloying. Makes a yummy side for grilled salmon or chicken.

2 ½ pounds small beets
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup sherry vinegar
Zest of 1 medium orange
2-3 tablespoons orange juice
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Boil the beets in abundant salted water until they are tender (about 20 minutes).
Mix together remaining ingredients to make a vinaigrette.
Drain beets and cool under running water. Peel and slice into thin rounds. Gently toss in vinaigrette. Arrange on a platter and serve. Lovely with Bucheron or other fresh, milky cheese.

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Now that’s a Tuna Sandwich!

Spring has finally arrived! And with warmer weather, I love to make this terrifically flavorful sandwich and find a spot in the evening sun to enjoy it. Delicious pungent Gaeta olives mashed with capers and lemon make a lively pesto that plays off the savory tuna, and both are encased inside a crunchy crust of good bread. If you have a Panini grill at home, terrific! If not, just use a couple of skillets (see below) to create the same effect. While the sandwich is grilling, put together a simple green salad with a mustard vinaigrette and you’ve got a meal!

Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Black Olive and Caper Pesto
Makes 3-4 servings

For the pesto:
1 cup Gaeta Olives (or another intensely flavorful, not too salty black olive), pitted
2 tablespoons capers
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 cup peppery olive oil

For the sandwiches:
6-8 ounce very good quality canned tuna, preferably Spanish
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cava or champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 baguette or 3-4 ciabatta rolls

1. Pre-heat your sandwich grill. If you don’t have a Panini maker or a George Foreman grill, use two heavy skillets (or a skillet and a griddle). One skillet will need to fit inside the other. Preheat both. The smaller of the two will be used to sit on the sandwiches, press them together and cook the top side. (If your top skillet isn’t heavy enough, you may need to put something like a brick or another pot of water in it so it will press the sandwich flat.)
2. Put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend. Pesto should be a bit chunky.
3. Combine the sandwich ingredients together in a bowl and toss well.
4. If using baguette, cut it into 6-7 inch pieces. Slice the bread open. You may want to pull out some of the center – this sandwich is best if the bread makes a thin case for the tuna and pesto. Spread 2 tablespoons of the pesto on the bottom half of each bread serving, and top with 1/3 cup of the tuna mix.
5. Grill the sandwiches until brown and heated through, about 3-6 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(A tasty variation on this sandwich is to use pickled jalapeño peppers instead of the capers.)

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Bresaola with Lemony Greens

Bresaola – an air-cured beef that is similar to Prosciutto but much leaner – and fresh cheese make this salad something really special. It's simple enough to put together for a week night dinner, but pretty (and tasty) enough to serve when entertaining. The sweet, slightly salty flavor of Bresaola plays beautifully with a milky young cheese with a little tang. Set those flavors alongside fresh greens dressed with a zesty lemon olive oil and life is good. Very, very good.

For 4 servings:

16 very thin slices of Bresaola
2-3ounces of young cheese such as chevre or Robiolina Cremosa
A few handfuls (about 4 ounces) of spring greens or baby arugula
Scant teaspoon fresh, minced tarragon (skip this if using arugula)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil pressed with Sicilian Lemons
20 Castelvetrano olives
Finishing salt such as Fleur de Sel or Maldon
Fresh ground black pepper

Wash and dry the greens. Drain any brine from the olives and pat them dry; toss them with about a teaspoon of the lemon olive oil. Smear each slice of meat with about a teaspoon of the cheese, fold over, and press lightly to close. Drizzle the greens with the remaining oil, add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and toss. Divide the greens between 4 plates and sprinkle with the minced tarragon (if using). Array 4 pieces of the Bresaola pockets and 5 olives alongside the greens. Enjoy!

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Fear not the Soufflé! (but mind the pre-heat)

From my experience making a soufflé is far simpler than some recipes and stereotypes suggest. If you can get the four basic steps just right (or even close enough) you can make a soufflé: 1) Separate the eggs, 2) make the béchamel base and add the yolks and flavorings, 3) beat the egg whites, and 4) fold the egg whites into the base. Once you have this process down—improvise.

Speaking of my experience, not all my soufflé attempts have been successful. As a young man (long before I met Luan), the soufflé was my go-to dish when trying to impress a date. Some dates called for a savory soufflé and for others a Grand Marnier soufflé was more in order. I cannot explain here, Luan may be reading.

In any case, on one particular evening my date and I were in the kitchen enjoying a glass of wine and chatting as I put the finishing touches on a soufflé (savory if you must know). This was our first date, and she was properly impressed. As I slipped the assembled soufflé (complete with a buttered waxed paper collar) into the pre-heated electric oven, she asked, won’t the collar catch on fire? Posh! Was she questioning my wherewithal in the kitchen? Of course the collar won’t catch fire—unless you neglect to turn off the pre-heat function which uses the broiler to quickly heat the oven. In this situation, a soufflé collar will ignite within a minute or two, enveloping your lighter-than-air soufflé in ash and the kitchen in greasy black smoke. We ate out.

PS: For Luan I made a Valhrona Chocolate Soufflé, with a soft pudding-y center

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Cheese Soufflé

For the sake of brevity, this recipe assumes a basic understanding of the steps. If you need a bit more guidance or if this is your first soufflé, James Beard's Theory & Practice of Good Cooking (Knopf 1981), from which this recipe is adapted, has an excellent primer.

Tim’s hot tips

1. The eggs must be a room temperature. Don’t even think about using a cold egg.
2. If you don’t have a copper bowl, add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the whites before you begin beating.
3. Don’t over-beat the egg whites. We are not making meringue! They should be shiny and moist—just thick enough to hold a soft peak.
4. Resist the temptation to open and close the oven –its not the slamming of the oven door that causes the soufflé to fall, but the cool air rushing in will do you no favors. If your oven heats accurately, rely on the cooking time (and experience) to tell you when the soufflé is done.
5. Don’t use a collar.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter
4 eggs
1 extra egg white
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup hot milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg

Your choice of cheese…
½ cup grated sharp Cheddar: Fiscalini Bandaged Wrap (CA) or Montgomery’s (England)
OR
¾ cup grated Comte or Gruyere
OR
¾ cup grated Rogue River Blue

Grease a 1 ½ quart soufflé dish with 1 teaspoon butter.

Separate the eggs.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook until the roux is frothy. Wisk in the hot milk, cook and stir until it just comes to a boil and the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Quickly stir a few tablespoons of sauce into the yolks before adding the warmed yolks back in to the sauce. Wisk the béchamel until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the cheese. Transfer the base to a large mixing bowl.

Remove the top racks of the oven, leaving one rack in the center of the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 375º. For God’s sake, if you are using an old electric oven turn it to bake once it reaches temperature.

Beat the egg whites until they just hold soft peaks.

Immediately fold the egg whites into the béchamel. Turning the bowl a quarter turn at a time, gently fold the sauce from the bottom of the bowl up and over the whites. Your basic turn and fold technique. Do not over mix, it’s okay if there are a few little bits of egg whites still visible.

Gently transfer the soufflé into the prepared dish and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the dish in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes. If, like me, you prefer your soufflé a bit creamy at the center, remove the dish at 30 minutes. If you like a firmer center, bake for 35 minutes. Serve immediately with a green salad and a good baguette. Pair with a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc (match your wine selection to the cheese you used). Bon Appétit!

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Mmmmmm, Cheese Fondue!

What could be better than enjoying fondue with family and friends? So convivial -- all that spearing and dunking! (And isn't there some tradition requiring you to kiss everyone at the table if your bread falls into the fondue?) One of the wonderful things about fondue is that it can accomodate a wide variety of cheeses. This recipe works best with mountain-style cheeses, which usually have a firm texture, a fine-grained paste, and melt beautifully. I like to use 2-3 different cheeses and mix and match them according to what I have on hand. The following amounts will serve 6-8 people, but you can adjust it to accommodate your group.

1 clove garlic, cut in half
2 cups dry white wine (Riesling is good; avoid wines that have a lot of oak on them.)
2 lb. cheese, shredded (use any combination of Comté, Appenzeller, Tarentaise, Gruyere, Emmenthaler, Pleasant Ridge Reserve, Fontina Valle D'Aosta, Raclette, etc.)
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. kirsch
1 tsp freshly lemon juice (or a good quality white wine vinegar)
freshly ground nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
dash dry mustard
cubes of some good firm bread
steamed or roasted vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower
a good crisp apple is good, too

Rub the interior of the fondue pot or flameproof ceramic pot with garlic, and leave it in the pot. Place the pot over medium heat and add the wine. Heat until it is almost but not quite boiling. In the meantime, toss the cheeses together with the cornstarch. Gradually add the cheese to the wine, one handful at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition until the cheese melts. Add the kirsch and lemon juice and stir well. Add the nutmeg, pepper, and dash of dry mustard. Stir.

Remove the pot from the stove and place on its stand over a heat source. The heat source should keep the fondue quite hot, almost simmering. Serve with bread, vegetables, and apple.

Enjoy!

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Recipes for Le Junque Food

Do you have a recipe for something that’s kind of like junk food – only really good? I mean the kind of food that’s just right for munching while watching a ball game on TV, or an easy late-night snack when a friend shows up on your doorstep with a six-pack and a sorry tale? Or maybe something you like to eat when you’re home blissfully alone and a ‘well balanced meal’ seems so… unnecessary? Don’t we all have some delicious, dirty little secret recipe? And wouldn’t we feel better if we shared them? One of our favorites follows. If you have one too, please post and share!

Potato Chip Nachos

Kettle Chips Krinkle Cut Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
Point Reyes Blue cheese, or any good strong blue
Hot Sauce (Busha Browne's Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce is tasty -- and hot!)

Spread the potato chips on a baking sheet. Put a little bit of cheese and a few drops of hot sauce on each one. Place under a hot broiler briefly until the cheese melts – it doesn’t take long, so keep your eye on it. Eat ‘em up!

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Luscious Onion Soup

Spring is coming soon, but there will still be some cold, wet days before it really arrives. Last week I made Soupe À L’Oignion from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1961) on one of those cold evenings. It takes a couple of hours to make – though it requires little attention for most of that time – but it’s so rewarding! The long simmered onions make a luscious, deeply flavorful broth that’s topped with chewy, cheesy croûtes. Ooo la la! (I think that’s French for ‘yum!’)

For 6-8 servings

1 ½ pounds (about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar (helps the onions to brown)
3 tablespoons flour
2 quarts beef* stock, or 1 quart stock and 1 quart water
½ cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
3 tablespoons cognac
Rounds of hard toasted French bread
1-2 cups grated cheese (use a Mountain cheese like Appenzeller, Comté, or Fontina)
Olive oil

In a heavy bottomed 4 quart covered sauce pan, cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil for 15 minutes over a low-medium heat.

Uncover, raise the heat to moderate and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned an even, deep golden brown.

Meanwhile, bring your broth to a boil in a separate pan.

Sprinkle in the flour into the onions and stir for 3 minutes.

Blend the boiling stock into the onions. Add the wine, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer partially covered for 30 – 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Correct the seasoning.

While the soup is simmering, put the rounds of bread (sliced ¾ to 1 inch thick) on a baking sheet in a preheated 325 oven for about half an hour, until it is thoroughly dried out and lightly browned.

Just before the soup will be served, stir in the cognac and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Cover soup with rounds of bread, sprinkle with grated cheese, and drizzle on a little olive oil. Put under a hot broiler until the cheese is melted and a little brown.

Bon appétit!

* We only had vegetable broth on hand when I made this and it worked just fine. The long simmered onions make such a rich broth that you won’t miss the beef.

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Simply Delicious: Onion Scented Tomato Sauce

When we’re in the mood to make Italian food at home, we usually look to Marcella Hazan for guidance. This lusciously simple sauce from her 1992 cookbook Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Alfred A Knopp) is one of my all time favorites. It couldn’t be easier (put 4 things in a saucepan and stir it every so often) and the results are always good. The sweetness of tomato and onion slowly cooked to melting and rounded out with butter makes this a delicious, comforting sauce for gnocchi or pasta. In summer it’s delicious made with fresh tomatoes, but this time of year use good canned tomatoes – like the ItalFoods San Marzanos we have at the shop. (They’re the real thing, not San Marzano-style tomatoes that you find some places.) Top it with a little parmigiano-reggiano and enjoy!

Onion Scented Tomato Sauce

2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes (see preparation notes*) or 2 cups canned imported San Marzano tomatoes, cut up with their juice
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
Salt

Put either the prepared, fresh tomatoes or the San Marzanos in a saucepan with the butter, onion halves, and some salt. Cook uncovered at a very slow but steady simmer for 45 minutes, or until the fat floats free from the tomato. Stir occasionally and smash any larger chunks of tomato with a wooden spoon. Taste and correct for salt. Discard the onion.

You can freeze any leftover sauce you might have. (We rarely have leftovers of this sauce because I will eat it by the spoonful, unencumbered by pasta or gnocchi, until it is gone. I can’t help myself.)

* For fresh tomatoes: Blanch them for a minute or less in boiling water. Drain them and, as soon as they are cool enough to handle, skin them and chop into coarse pieces.

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Grits & Greens

There’s something very appealing to me about simple, hearty fare on a cold and rainy night. This recipe from Anson Mills is a terrific marriage of the sweet, mellow grits and well seasoned greens that are flash wilted so they retain their vivid color and peak flavors. A little garlic and red pepper adds a gentle bite, and a splash of vinegar lifts and brightens the other flavors. This dish is a classic accompaniment for pork, but I also like it with a nice chunk of a good sharp cheese, like Fiscalini Bandage Wrapped Cheddar or Ossau Iraty (a sheep’s milk mountain cheese from the French Pyrenees).

Anson Mills Grits are made from heirloom corn varieties that are allowed to ripen and dry on the stalk in the field, and are nothing like that pasty, cardboard-tasting stuff that generally passes for grits. They taste like corn – sweet, delicious corn. They do take longer to cook than other grits, but the reward is substantial. If you presoak them overnight, they’ll cook in about 50 minutes. If you forget to do that, it’ll take about 90 minutes.

The Grits
1 cup (6 ounces) Anson Mills Antebellum Coarse White or Yellow Grits
2 1/2 cups spring or filtered water, plus additional to hydrate grits during cooking
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Put the grits in a medium sized, heavy saucepan and cover with water. Stir them, and then let them settle again. Skim off any chaff that floats. Leave them covered in water overnight. (If you didn't soak them, just proceed.)
2. Bring the grits to a simmer over medium heat, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for the first 5-8 minutes until the ‘first starch’ takes hold. (The ‘first starch’ is when the smaller grains have swollen enough to hold the larger grains in suspension.) Meanwhile heat 2 cups of water in a small pan, and keep at a low simmer.
3. Cover and cook the grits over low heat, stirring every ten minutes or so. Add a bit of the hot water (maybe a third of a cup at a time) whenever the grits get thick enough for the spoon to stand upright. Cook until the grits are creamy and tender, and hold their shape on a spoon – about 50 minutes if you presoaked them, about 90 minutes if not. Add the salt halfway through the cooking.
4. When they are tender and creamy, stir in the butter and pepper, and more salt if necessary.

And the Greens
1 pound young collards, beet greens, chard, kale or other tender greens
(with spinach use 2 pounds)
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Good quality cider or wine vinegar

1. Wash the greens well and drain them in a colander. Trim off and discard the tough part of the stems if using collards, beet greens or chard, then strip the leaves from the remaining stems. Keep the leaves whole. Trim, then dice and reserve the stems. If using kale, strip the leaves and discard the stems; keep the leaves whole. Set aside.
2. Just before the grits are done, heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven over low heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a small dish and set it aside. Increase the heat, add the reserved stems of collards, beet greens or chard, cover the pot and cook slowly until tender, tossing once or twice, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook until wilted, tossing frequently with tongs. (For kale, add the leaves to the pot and cook until wilted.) Stir in the salt and pepper flakes. Return the garlic slices to pot and toss well. Sprinkle with vinegar and serve the greens with hot grits as side dish.
Serves 4 to 6.

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Baked Manchego Tomatoes Provençal

When tomatoes aren’t in their glory (as in winter when their flavor is, shall we say, weak) you can still enjoy them by slowly concentrating the flavor they do have over low heat. This recipe, from Paula Lambert’s The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide (Simon & Schuster, 2000), focuses their flavor to a sweet intensity enlivened by the balsamic vinegar’s acidity and topped by the savory, salty chewiness of browned Manchego. Mmmmm.

Serves 8 as a side dish.

4 large tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 ounces Manchego*, grated (about ½ cup)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut the tomatoes crosswise into halves. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the garlic into the pan and place the tomatoes cut side down on the garlic. Do not crowd the tomatoes. This step may be done in batches if necessary. Cook the tomatoes, shaking the pan occasionally so they do not stick, for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are caramelized and browned on the cut side. Peek gently at the cut sides of the tomatoes with a spatula to monitor the color change. (Be patient. At first the juices come out of the tomatoes, then they cook away, and finally the tomatoes begin to brown.)

Remove the tomatoes and place them, browned side up, in a shallow ceramic or glass baking dish just large enough to hold them snugly in one layer. Sprinkle with the herbes de Provence, salt and pepper. Pour the balsamic vinegar and water into the skillet and cook for several minutes over low heat, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce the liquid by half. Drizzle the liquid over the tomatoes.

Place the tomatoes in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the Manchego over the tomatoes. Return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes longer, or until the cheese begins to brown. Remove from the oven.

Serve warm or at room temperature, and enjoy!

* Use a well aged Manchego like a Curado (aged 8 months) or Reserva (aged 14 months or longer) for this recipe. You want it to have enough bite to stand up to the intensity of the tomatoes. If the cheese is too young or mild, it will disappear behind the other flavors. A fine, raw milk Roncal would also be a tasty choice.

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Tim's Truffles

Each year during the holidays, Tim makes chocolate truffles. I know I'm biased, but I think these little nuggets of chocolaty goodness are divine. Try them -- they're creamy & delicious, they're simple to make, and they'll make your friends swoon!

500 grams very good dark chocolate*
1-1/3 cup cream
4 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Cocoa powder

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Put into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Heat the cream and corn syrup until it is almost (but not quite) boiling.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate, and let stand 2-3 minutes. The stir until it is smooth and glossy.
4. Add the softened butter and stir again.
5. Chill for at least an hour. (It’s okay to chill it longer, but if it gets too cold it can be harder to work with. You might need to leave it at room temperature for a bit, until it’s easy to scoop.
6. Use a spoon or melon ball scoop to make little balls, about ¾ -1 inch. You can roll or pinch them into shape, but they needn’t be perfectly round or smooth.
7. Put cocoa powder into a little bowl and roll the truffles around until they’re coated.

Keep the truffles cool until they’re all eaten. If you keep them in the refrigerator, you will want to set them out for a bit before eating them – they taste best when they’re at room temperature. Ideal storage is about 60 degrees, so the coldest spot in your basement is preferable to the refrigerator.

* Either the Felchlin Arriba (72%) or the Pralus Fortissima (80%) work very well. We carry both at the shop.

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Delicious and Beautiful: Colston Bassett Stilton with Port-Glazed Pears

This recipe is from Janet Fletcher’s lovely book, The Cheese Course (Chronicle Books, 2000), which offers many delicious ways to serve cheese. For this desert, pears rest in their Port poaching syrup and turn a rich garnet color. Serve them halved, sliced and fanned with some of the ruby syrup and a slice of Stilton alongside.

1 cup Warre’s Ruby Port
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
4 strips lemon zest
2 ripe but firm pears
1½ to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 to 8 ounces Colston Bassett Stilton cheese

In a small saucepan, bring the Port, water, sugar, and lemon zest to boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. While the mixture heats, peel the pears. Add the pears to the simmering liquid, setting them on their sides. Cover with a round of parchment paper that just fits over the pears, tucking it around them. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Lift the parchment and turn the pears over in the liquid so they cook evenly. Re-cover and continue cooking until they are just tender when pierced, 10 to 12 more minutes. Remember that they will continue to cook as they cool.

Transfer the pears with a slotted spoon to a refrigerator container. Simmer the poaching liquid over medium heat until reduced to ½ cup. Let cool completely, then add the lemon juice. Pour over pears, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Turn the pears in the syrup every couple of hours so they develop a deep burgundy color.

To serve, cut the pears in half lengthwise and core with a melon baler. Put each pear half on a cutting board, cut side down. Thinly slice lengthwise, leaving the slices attached at the stem end. Gently press on the pear to fan the slices. Put a generous tablespoon of Port syrup on each of 4 desert plates. With a metal spatula, transfer a pear fan to each plate, placing it over the sauce. Place a slice of Stilton on each plate.

Serves 4.

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Bresaola with Persimmons

With the entertaining season upon us, it’s handy to have an arsenal of appetizers that you can whip up in minutes. This one is so simple that you could start it when the door bell rings and have it ready by the time your guests have taken off their coats. The ingredients are delicately beautiful together on the plate, and the subtle sweetness of the persimmon plays well with the rich, smoky-salty flavor of Bresaola.

Bresaola is an air-dried beef – sort of like a Prosciutto but much leaner. The one we carry at Foster & Dobbs is organic, and cured with salt, garlic, black pepper, coriander, cinnamon & clove. Choose Fuyu Persimmons that are richly orange and just beginning to give to the touch – like a slightly underripe peach. (Avoid using the Hachiya persimmons that have to be very, very soft to be edible.) Use your best balsamic vinegar and olive oil to bring these simple ingredients together for a lavish party of flavor.

Bresaola & Persimmons with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar*

For about 4 servings:

1 medium Fuyu persimmon
5 to 6 ounces thinly sliced Bresaola
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar
1 fennel bulb, trimmed (optional)

Carve out the stem end of the persimmon. Slice a thin wedge of the fruit and taste it. If you like the texture of the skin, leave as is; if not, peel the fruit. Cut the persimmon into very thin wedges, removing any larger seeds (if there are any).

Spread the meat and persimmon on a platter or plates, somewhat overlapping. Drizzle with oil and then finish with balsamic. If you are using the fennel, cut crosswise and then into thin sickles and scatter them over the plate. Don’t feel that you need to use the entire bulb.

A delicate sprinkling of fleur de sel and a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper will help all the flavors pop.

Enjoy!

* This recipe is another from one of our favorite cookbooks, Judy Rogers’ The Zuni Café Cookbook, published in 2002 by W.W. Norton & Company.

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A Tasty Recipe: Celery-Fig-Walnut Relish with Idiazabel & Salami

One of our favorite cookbooks is Judy Roger’s The Zuni Café Cookbook. Zuni is one of San Francisco’s many superb restaurants and everything Tim & I have ever eaten there – or made from the cookbook – has been delicious. Here’s one of our favorite dishes that works well as either an easy appetizer or as a light meal.

Celery-Fig-Walnut Relish with Idiazabel & Salami

12 walnut halves
4 dried Calmyrna figs
1 stalk celery
1 T. pomegranate seeds (optional)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Grappa*

Idiazabel (a Spanish sheep’s milk cheese that is lightly smoked)
Salami (Fra’Mani Toscano is ideal)
Crisp radishes (optional)

Heat oven to 300.

Spread the walnut halves onto a baking sheet and warm for about 5 minutes. Then bundle them into a rough kitchen towel and roll them against the fabric to remove the slightly tannic skins. It’s fine for them to break into small pieces as you do this. The fresher your walnuts are, the more easily the skins will come off. Pick the walnut pieces out of the remaining skins and break into smallish pieces. (You might have about 8 pieces per half nut.) Discard the skins.

Slice the celery into thin crescents. Cut away the stem of the figs, and chop into pieces about the same size as the walnuts.

Toss together the walnuts, celery, figs and pomegranate seeds (if using) and drizzle on just enough olive oil to coat. Add a couple of splashes of Grappa, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes for flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Cut the Idiazabel into triangular pieces and fan them onto serving plate. Array the salami beautifully. Scrub the radishes and trim their tails (though if their leaves are still nice, it’s pretty to serve them with their tops intact). Either mound the relish on the plate or put into a little bowl. Adding some crusty bread and a little frisee and vinaigrette salad makes this into a nice light meal.

Eat it up!

* You can substitute cognac or brandy if you don’t have any Grappa on hand.

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Gnocco Frito with Culatello

Gnocco Frito is Parma’s classic antipasti featuring Culatello. Small rounds of light dough are deep fried and topped with very thin slices of culatello. The heat from the gnocchi almost melts the meat. This recipe comes to us courtesy of Armandino Batali at Salumi. Buon appetito!

Gnocco Frito with Culatello
(makes 15 pieces)

2 T. dry yeast
¼ C. warm water
1 C. flour
Pinch of salt
2 T. butter (softened)
1 T. mineral water (sparkling)

In a large bowl, combine the yeast and warm water and leave it a few minutes before mixing in the flour, salt, butter, and mineral water. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest one hour in a warm place.

Heat several inches of oil to 375º in a deep pan. Meanwhile, roll out the dough, cut it into golf-ball sized pieces, and fry a few pieces at a time until puffed and golden brown. Drain on paper towels, cover with thin triangles of Salumi Culatello and serve at once with a nice fruity Italian red (ideally Lambrusco di Sorbara).

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Ultimate Chunky Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 ¼ C. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ C. butter (one stick at room temp)
1/3 C. sugar
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
½ C. Cream-Nut Natural Peanut Butter
1 egg (at room temp)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 -1 ½ cups chopped Felchlin Grand Cru Couverture, chopped in chunks of about ½ to 3/4 inches
½ C. coarsely chopped peanuts, fresh roasted peanuts.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugars, and peanut butter in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually mix in flour (I do this by hand). Stir in chocolate and peanuts.

Drop dough in small golf-ball-sized balls onto ungreased baking sheet. Press down to flatten into small circles.

Bake in preheated 375º oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are set but centers are still soft. Do not over bake. I tend to pull the cookie on the shorter time (in my oven around 8 minutes)—there is enough residual heat in the cookie for it to finish baking on the wire rack. Let cool for as long as you can stand it.

Enjoy!

Roasting the Peanuts
Okay—you can used store bought roasted peanuts, but I prefer raw organic peanuts that I roast myself. Spread the peanuts in on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in a 300º oven for about 20-30 minutes. Watch the peanuts carefully, you will need to shake the pan or stir the peas to keep them from scorching. Allow peanuts to cool completely before using in the cookies.

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