I don't suppose there's anything worse, in the Atkins-dominated empire that prevails today, but could there be anything better than an onion bagel, toasted to perfection, with chive cream cheese and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice? Hm. I thought not. Saturday, May 21, 2005 »0 comments
Green Glass Goblets
Every meal is a sacred rite. What other human activity do you get to spend an hour with the people you love most, your friends and family, daily? Not everyone has that luxury, after all.
So make the everyday a little more festive, with these water goblets. Instead of your assorted tumblers (if you're like most middle-class families, they're probably odds and ends you've collected over the years), these are an elegant but practical alternative (unless you have young children, I suppose). They're not crystal, and they're not formal, so it's ok to ding them up a bit. They add a touch of elegance without going overboard. (And they have something of a chalice-y thing going on, don't they? Like water unto wine. Hmm... this "religious rite" metaphor is running away from me...)
You can find these everywhere, actually. I bought a couple on sale at Target a couple of years ago, at $1 each. I use them to hold my makeup brushes. : ) Thursday, May 19, 2005 »0 comments
Some Sorta Mexican Food...
Today, I made Mexican. I know it's only vaguely Mexican, as I tend to think along the lines of French cuisine, but it's inspired by the culinary savoir-faire of my roommate at school, who is Mexican. She cooks things much spicier, while I like my food light and fresh. I depend upon herbs for flavor, she, spices. So they taste vastly different, but it's still all good. I like how the elements are brought together separately, and they can be combined in endless variations. I like to wrap 'em all up in tortillas (warmed on a hot pan), but obviously it's up to you.
1. beef ground beef green peppers, hot, minced fine 1/2 small onion, chopped 1/3 fresh cilantro, chopped generous dash of pepper Mix ingredients together in a bowl (the barest splash of tequila is interesting, if you want to get fancy), and cook in frying pan on high heat. Be sure to stir often to break up the chunks of meat. That's it. The onion-and-cilantro thing is my innovation to cut the greasiness of the meat, but you may prefer it otherwise. Add more pepper for more heat, and of course you can try other variations of herbs and spice as you see fit.
2. beans 2 cans of pinto beans shredded cheddar cheese Pour beans into a small saucepan, on medium heat. Stir often, mashing as you go (you don't have to have a smooth paste, but most of the beans should be mushed). Add the cheese as the paste thickens—I like to use a good handful of cheese, since I love cheese, but add less, if you like. The rest of the shredded cheese, presumably, you'd use to top your tortillas, of course.
3. tomatoes fresh, very ripe tomatoes, diced smidgen of salt, just a smidgen fresh cilantro, chopped There's nothing in the world so great as fresh tomatoes and cilantro. I love it. Don't be afraid to be a little rough with the tomatoes, a little bruising allows the tomatoes to absorb the flavor from the cilantro (the salt helps with this, it's not actually there to add flavor). I love cilantro, so I use a lot.
4. salsa I just buy it. For lots of heat, I like green chili, rather than the more familiar Tostidos or whatever that brand is. For regular not-so-spicy-as-hell salsa, Green Mountain Gringo makes fantastic salsa (which I prefer to eat with chips, anyway; why waste a good salsa on something that hides the flavor?). I like mango salsa, too, from... hmm... I forget the brand, but I'll get back to you.
5. shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, etc. Pretty self-explanatory. I prefer to mash my avocadoes myself, as store-bought guacamole tastes funny to me.
6. tortillas The trick is to warm them first, by searing them (this is a very quick process) on a hot frying pan. Just delicious.
Fin: Wrap them all up and eat! Monday, May 16, 2005 »0 comments
Honey Semifreddo
This is a recipe from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer, which is a good read. I rather enjoy this smooth, velvety, honey-flavored ice cream. I'm not generally a fan of ice cream—my favorite flavor is mango, then after, green tea—but this is just right, and really unique. Of course, it's not really an ice cream, according to Nigella—and she's quite right, as this stuff tastes ghastly completely frozen. It tastes best almost frozen, but not actually frozen. As I've only tried this a few times with uniform results, here's a bit of experience from Nigella: "For some reason, sometimes I end up with a block of uniformly buff cream, and at others I'm left with a honeyed, resin-coloured stripe along the base." In either case, it's delicious. I've got a few variations on her recipe, as I don't find it very practical to have a block of melting cream on my hands. I prefer use wine glasses or custard cups instead of a loaf tin. I also like to layer the honey, pine nuts, and semifreddo, and the effect is quite eye-catching and delicious.
1 egg 4 egg yolks ¼ cup honey for flavoring, plus extra for serving 1 pint heavy cream pine nuts, toasted
With a whisk, beat the egg and egg yolks with the honey in a bowl, in a double boiler over gently simmering water, until the mixture is pale and thick. Whip the heavy cream until thick—it should form gentle, rolling peaks—then gently fold in the egg and honey mixture. Throw in a few pine nuts into the custard cup or glass, then drizzle a little honey on top. Add a dollop of the semifreddo mixture. Then the pine nuts and honey, again. Layer custard and honey and pine nuts until half full (it's rich, and quite sweet), sprinkle some pine nuts on top, and pop it into the freezer for two to three hours. When the semifreddo mixture is almost frozen, take them out and serve. "If you've got some dark, syrupy—indeed, honey-colored—[dessert] wine to drink while you eat this, so much the better."
This recipe is available on public domain sites, so don't worry, I'm not ripping her off. Thursday, July 08, 2004 »0 comments
Green and Orange Sushi
It's interesting to note that "sushi", in fact, does not have raw fish. People do conjure up raw fish whenever "sushi" is pronounced, however, what they are actually thinking of is "sashimi". This recipe is borderline, by using raw fish eggs, but I consider it sushi as it does not use raw fish flesh.
It's the most delicious thing ever. I could just munch on this forever, and never get sick of it. It's quite easy to make. You don't need any involved equipment, just your fingers, and possibly a mixing bowl. The ingredients may be a bit tough to find, but both seaweed and fish roe are available at any oriental market. Yes, you could eat it with wasabi and soy sauce, but I do not recommend it, as there is quite enough flavor as is, and the addition of condiments would disturb the delicate palette of flavors. The trick is to cut the seaweed into manageable sizes (Thus making "nigiri", or individual sushi. The large rolls that are cut into individual pieces are known as "maki"): about two by four inches. Or two by five. Or three by five. You get the general idea. Beyond that, all you have to do is spoon the ingredients in, and eat! This is a great communal meal, as you can place the ingredients in bowls in the center of the table and let everyone go at them. And preparation is a snap.
2 cups cooked white rice 1 tablespoon sesame seeds salt to taste sliced avocado (I usually eat up a half, on my own) orange fish roe (they're impossible to mistake, as they're bright orange and tiny) seaweed (nori)
Mix the rice with the sesame seeds and salt in a bowl. On a piece of seaweed, place a spoonful, approximately a tablespoon, of the rice mixture, on one edge of the seaweed (I usually place it on the shorter edge). On top of the rice, add a slice of avocado and a dollop of roe. Roll the rest of the seaweed up, and you're done! This is enough for one serving, or at least, to feed me. Thursday, April 29, 2004 »0 comments
Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Salad
This recipe was shamelessly stolen from a local restaurant, Vinny Testa's, in Lexington, MA (I believe there are other locations). It's a fantastic salad with chicken or pasta, fresh and crisp and very interesting. Because of the gorgonzola, it does not need salad dressing, but if you must have one, look for a very light, mild vinagrette.
1 head romaine lettuce, torn one green apple, sliced ½ cup halved walnuts ½ cup gorgonzola, crumbled
Arrange lettuce in a flat bowl, the add, in this order, feta, walnuts, and lastly, apple slices. This serves approximately four. Tuesday, December 02, 2003 »0 comments
Golden Vanilla Cake
This is a lovely cake that always impresses. It's not fancy, but thus universally pleasing. Not as heavy as sponge cake, but not as ephemeral as angel cake. True angel cake, after all, uses whites, not yolks. This cake tastes best in a deep pan, and I like to pair it with whipped cream (which I usually whip up myself, being partial to unsweetened crème fraiche without the aftertaste of preservatives) and fresh fruit, as I don't generally like icing.
1 ¾ cups flour 1 ¼ cups sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 1 ½ baking powder 12 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup hot water softened butter, to grease the cake pan
It's useful to have the ingredients on hand, so prepare the correct amounts and grease the pan before you add the hot water to the egg yolks—the crucial moment after which you must work quickly. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, and set aside. Measure out sugar and set aside. Beat yolks, adding the boiling water gradually. Continue beating for five minutes, until the yolks have foamed up and stiffened (use an egg whisk). Add in sugar gradually. Then, gently, so as not to loose the foam, fold in the flour mixture into the yolk mixture. Add the vanilla. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake at 325°F for 60-65 minutes or until golden brown. Thursday, August 21, 2003 »0 comments
