Boxcar Kitchen

Far from perfect but still pretty good

esther — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:48:00 +0200

Over the winter I picked up a copy of Joël Robuchon's Tout Robuchon. It is kind of laid-out as one of those "if you only have one cookbook in your kitchen, it should be this one" books. It is page after page of French classics - a type of encyclopedia of modernized traditional dishes. I figured I couldn't go wrong with that, so I bought it even though there isn't a single picture in it.

The first recipe I made out of it confirmed my good judgment. I used Robuchon's quiche base to make a porcini, spinach, bacon quiche. It was heaven. I have never had such good quiche in my entire life. There was nothing watery or curd-like about it. It came out firm and custardy. In fact, it was so delicious that I barely even thought about all the cream that went into baking it.

The Far Breton was my next stop and it left me asking for more. A far is a traditional dessert from Brittany and its batter is a cross between a flan and a clafouti and is often garnished with prunes. A good far is better than good. The prunes baked into the eggy base are soft and sweet and comforting. I admit that I didn't follow the recipe to the letter because I didn't have any prunes but I was still pretty disappointed with the rather lifeless base. I did however, manage to polish off the thing but I don't think I'll be making it again.

With a tied score - one good recipe to one not so good recipe - the only thing left to do is to keep the test-kitchen fires burning. Next on the list is Robuchon's famous purée and I have a feeling it will be just as good as at the Atelier.

Far Breton adapted from Tout Robuchon by Joël Robuchon

140 grams flour
120 grams sugar
4 eggs + 1 yolk
25 cl milk
25 cl heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum
optional : 200 grams prunes or two medium apples

Generously butter a square baking dish or individual ramekins. In a large bowl combine the flout (sifted) with the sugar. Form a well and add the eggs and yolk. Beat with an electric mixture until the batter is silky and then add in the milk and cream little by little. Finish off by adding the rum. Pour the batter into the molds and then add prunes, sliced apples etc.

Bake at 180° C (350° F) for 30 minutes

Puttin' on the Ritz: Le Délice

esther — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:38:00 +0100

In October, to celebrate my 30th birthday, some friends gifted me with a baking class at the Ecole Ritz Escoffier. The hub was perfect in choosing a 4 hour-long Saturday afternoon class dedicated to chocolate. (Yeah!) The combination of spending an afternoon with a real-life pastry chef in a veritable professional pastry kitchen at on of the most prestigious palaces in the city was enough to make me swoon. The only hitch was the wait. The class was scheduled for January which meant three long months of perusing their website and obsessing about what we might bake.

The day finally arrived and it it was one of those unseasonable warm days that have made up the majority of this winter season. With just a light jacket and the sun on my shoulders, I took the bus along the Seine to the Concorde and then walked up rue St. Honoré. I cut through a marbled shopping gallery that spills out on the Place Vendôme and came face to face with the Ritz. As I crossed the threshold of the main entrance I couldn't help but have one of those "I can't belive I'm here" blasts of happiness.

There were 10 of us in the class and we were split up into two groups which meant that we really were able to be hands on and not just silent observers. Each armed with a plethora of utensils and crisp white aprons we got down to business. Our chef was relaxed, easy-going and really interested in answering questions and teaching us just as much about technique as about the recipe we were preparing. The dessert in question was Le Délice or The Delight: a Sacher spongecake layered with chocolate mousse (saturated with a simple syrup) and a pistachio crème, covered in a chocolate ganache and painted with cocoa butter.

The best part though was all the little "pro" hints that make baking at home so much more interesting. For example, instead of using cake pans you can use rings which de-mold a million times easier. If your cake bakes in the shape of a volcano it means that you've overmixed. Although I'm sure that never happens to anyone. You can use a pair of square dowels set on either side of your cake to act as a guide when cutting it into cross sections. When making chocolate mousse, you can add your sugar as a boiling simple syrup to your egg yolks which gives your dessert a longer lifespan. When making a dessert like The Délice, which has a caramelized cream center, you freeze it before assembly. Cool, right?

Now, the only thing I need besides a kitchen torch, a 10 pound bag of Valrhona 70% chocolate, and an airless paint sprayer for the cocoa butter finish is a spot in the Ecole's 6 week-long pastry program this summer followed by a champagne toast at the hotel bar!

Le Délice

Sacher Spongecake
5 1/3 oz almond paste
2 oz confectioners sugar
3 1/2 oz egg yolks
2 oz whole eggs
drop of vanilla extract
1 1/2 oz flour
1 1/2 oz cocoa powder
5 1/4 oz egg whites
2 oz sugar
1 1/2 butter

Whip the almond paste, confectioners sugar, yolks, whole eggs and liquid vanilla. Sift together the flour and cocoa and then delicately mix into the almond mixture. Whip the egg whites and sugar and then add the butter. Combine the two mixtures delicately and pour into a 2 1/2 in high circle. Bake at 375°F for 45 to 50 minutes.

Pistachio Caramelized Cream
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
5 2/3 oz sugar
12 egg yolks
3 1/2 oz pistachio paste

Boil the milk with the pistachio cream until the paste is dissolved. Add the cream to lower the temperature and then mix with the yolk and sugar. Pour cream mixture into rubber molds. Bake at 225° F until the cream is firm and doesn't wobble. However, make sure that the cream around the edges doesn't boil. Once baked, remove from the oven and cool. Place the creams in the freezer until hardended and then remove and remove from molds.

Note: The pistachio cream is divine on its own. Pour it in little shallow dishes, sprinkle the top with sugar and then caramelized with a kitchen torch.

The last of the plums - A short story in scones

esther — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:28:00 +0100

If long hours at work, the inkling of winter weather and the many days of grèves (strikes) aren't reason enough to keep you holed up at home on the weekend, then I don't know what is. Hibernating is exactly what I have been doing, spending weekend after weekend, snuggled up on the couch reading cookbooks and browsing blogs. Lately, it’s been all about the kinetic energy. And although I didn't manage to get myself out to the market to scour the shelves for cool new ingredients, I did manage to move my slippered feet into the kitchen and whip up something simple and hearty.

Basically, I was in the mood for a treat to go with tea and I had a fresh bag of oatmeal and a bowl of plums sitting on the counter. Not really divine intervention, but inspiration nonetheless. A lot of times, scones are filled with dried fruit: raisins, cherries, currents, apricots. Why not use fresh fruit instead? I attempted a bready version of a granola bar. The experiment just so happed to work out and a half hour later, we were back on the couch enjoying warm scones and hot tea.

Oatmeal Plum Scones

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar

5 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 heavy cream
1 large egg
3 fresh purple plums
1/4 cup almonds

3 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

Spread the rolled oats out onto a cookie sheet and toast in the oven. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Cut in butter and then blend in heavy cream and egg.

Pit and dice the plums. Chop the almonds and add both to the batter.

Lightly flour the work surface and turn out the scone batter. Add in flour if it is too sticky. Form into a rectangle. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and roll up to form a long log. With the string, cut the dough into rounds.

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes.

Make about 1 dozen scones

Jelly and a Real Job

esther — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:46:00 +0200

...are two things that I have started waking up to on a regular basis.

Raspberry current jelly is a family favorite. It was always the first flavor opened and very often the last one hoared in the back of the pantry to be opened only in the throws of winter. The combination of the sweet tart fruit on warm toast was enough to blow away any February storm.The soft pop of the lid was a reminder of warmer days, grass growing between your toes and the hours spent crouched on the ground scouring for fruit that always seemed to multiply by the minute.

Although I adore almost everything current, I do not have a passion for picking them. Tedious, is how I would describe a current harvest and little green worms always seem to make their way into my picking bowl. Currents are best when they are shiny red in the sunshine in a bowl, already removed from the bush. So when my dad called me to tell me that he had sacrificed his Saturday afternoon in the yard picking currents for the Greater Raspberry Current Jelly Good, I was excited and relieved.

Since I wasn't going to be back for a few more weeks, my parents cooked the berries down , pressed them and froze the juice. The actually jelly process was like the passing of the family torch. Prior to this, I had only been on the eating end of things but this time, I was the one hunched over the stove in 80 degree weather - an alchemist of sorts- surveilling the rumbling red fruit under the watchful eye of my mother.

Raspberry current jelly

5 cups current juice
1 1/2 cups raspberries
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 pack sure gel

jelly jars
lids and rings

Begin by sterilizing the jars in a hot water bath. Once the water has boiling for 10 minutes, remove the jars from the water. Turn them upside down on a clean towel. Wash the rings and soak the lids in hot water.

In a large pot combine current juice, raspberries and the sure gel. Stir the juice until the mixture begins to boil. Add the sugar. Continue stirring the jelly until it comes to a rolling boil. Once the jelly reaches a rolling boil, cook for one minute. Remove from heat. Foam will have formed on the top of the jelly and it should be skimmed off reserved for eating.

Begin filling the jars. This step needs to be done quickly because the jelly starts to set right away. Fill the jars, place the lids, and screw on the rings. Turn the jars upside down on a clean towel. Leave the jars until cooled; they should seal themselves.

Share the smaller jars with only the most deserving friends and hide the others in your panty. Bring out on a gray and tired day for a dose of pleasure.

Chestnut honey panna cotta with homemade fig jam

esther — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:50:00 +0200

Panna cotta has been wheedling its way to the top of my "to make" list for a while now. Originally, I planned on a lime panna cotta dressed with summer berries. But after my first attempt following a very, very bad recipe off epicurious.com, my craving for citrus and custard was thoroughly squelched. Usually, I read the comments and check the ratings religiously when I try a recipe off a website. And more often than not, I end up taking into account a least one insightful person's advice. Somehow I spaced out on that step for the panna cotta recipe. It was not until after the fact that I sat in front of the computer nibbling on some very dismal results that I discovered the many disappointing critiques.

Needless to say, panna cotta dropped a few notches from the number one slot. I wasn't able to come up with a recipe that brought something new to the panna cotta table, so I just decided to let it lie. So lie it did.... until I began to peruse the cache of treats brought back from our vacation in Corsica this summer.

One of my very prized possessions is a jar of chestnut honey. At 8 euros a jar, I decided that I didn't want to use it in just anything. The flavor is strong and woody unlike any other honey and I really wanted to spotlight it. Smooth, creamy panna cotta seemed like the perfect vehicle for the bitter honey. This time, I didn't bother with a specific recipe. Instead, I did a compilation of recipes, hoping that this time I would end up with something soft instead of rock solid cream.

The final product was exactly what I was looking for. I was nervous when I unmolded the panna cotta from the vintage tin molds I got from my mother for just such an occasion. After just a mini dip in a bowl of hot water, the cooked cream slipped out of its fluted casing without a glitch. I knew that the consistency was right even before I tasted it because when I shook it, the panna cotta jiggled and looked like it was about to burst, but never lost its shape.

The few green cardamon pods compliment the strength of the honey without masking it. The addition of a quick fig jam and a few drops of chestnut spread elevated this dessert to a zen master level. Honey and figs - a flavor marriage as old as the Romans can never go wrong.

1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chestnut honey
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 Tbsp water
4 green cardamom pods
vegetable oil

4 ripe black figs
4 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp water

1 tube chestnut spread

Combine cream, milk and honey in a heavy saucepan. Crush the cardamom pods and add. Cook the cream over medium low heat until the cream just begins to simmer, stirring constantly. This takes about 15 minutes. Remove the cooked cream from the heat and let sit for about another 10-15 minutes. Strain the cream to remove the pods.

In a small bowl, add the gelatin to the water. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

Grease each of the individual tins with vegetable oil.

Add the gelatin to the cream over low heat until completely dissolved. Pour the mixture in the tins. I left mine in the refrigerator overnight.

For the jam, remove the skins from 3 large figs. Chop up the red fruit and combine with water and sugar. Cook the fruit down over medium heat until it has thickened and a rustic jam has formed.

To serve, quickly dip eat tin in a dish of hot water and turn out onto serving dish. Each panna cotta should be served with a dollop of fig jam and garnished with a few dots of chestnut spread.

Makes 4 individual desserts.

Nissa la bella

esther — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:15:00 +0200

So how do you top off vacation in Corsica? A week in Nice is just about all you need to ease back into life on the continent. I'm spoiled; I know it.

Vieux Nice is one of my all time favorite places to go for a couple different reasons. First of all, it is one of the only places in France (other than Corsica) where you can pretty much be garanteed real summer weather and it is always relaxing - almost like vacation at home but better. Once you start visiting a place regularly, you really get to know it and then you're not hounded by the guilt of trying to get out to visit every single monument, park, or restaurant. I also love how 'floaty' (salty) the water is too. The Mediterranean makes me feel like an Olympic swimmer which is something that I am most definitely not.

I've got my Nice pattern down pat: pizza, ice cream, beach and scooter. It sounds like I could carry out this routine just about anywhere but it truly is all about location. The best thin crust or 'real' pizza, like we call it, can only be found at the Bar du Coin in Vieux Nice. Measuring in at three to four times the size of my head and boasting a crust only 1 milimeter thick, these pizzas are a feat of nature. Once the last bite is dutifully washed down with a final swig of rosé, the only thing left to do is to head to Fenocchio. The treck goes without saying. By the time you've finally decided which flavors you want (out of the gazillion that they offer), I often find myself renegociated for a third scoop. This year, lavender and dark chocolate was one of my best combinations.

And since it is the Côte d'Azur, the only way to prepare for the next day's food festivities is to hop on a scooter and tour around the coast trying to get a peek at the innumerable million dollar villas that you can only live in in your dreams. It doesn't really matter though; the beaches are better anyway.

Giving in to the three scoops: fig, violet and mascarpone

A little refreshment and break from the sun

The end? Already?

Napoleon, wild pigs, and brocciu

esther — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 12:13:00 +0200

Sorry for the radio silence but it's summertime and I've been out wandering the world.

I just recently spent about two weeks roaming the south of Corsica (as you may have already guessed) and it was absolutely amazing. The first half of the trip was spent lounging and roasting on the various beaches that sprinkle the southeastern coastline. With the not so existant summer we've had this year in Paris, I was happy to more than catch up on my daily doses of sunshine. My favorite beach was Pinarello and the number 2 spot goes to Rondinara for its breathtaking bay and herd of capicious cows. We sought shelter from the sun and hearty local dishes in Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio.

As we left the coast towns behind and made our way to the mountains, I had no idea that the best was yet to come. The roadtrip itself was worth the trip alone. We hurtled our way up the steep and narrow backroads never knowing what would be around the next corner. More often than not, we were met by a troup of wild pigs, a herd of lazy cows, or just a lonely horse out for a stroll. Corsica's free range approach to raising livestock is one of its greatest charms. Zonza was our base camp and we would end our days of hiking there at the local café, sipping 1€ pastis (51 je t'aime) bumming tips off the locals.

Corsican flag at the Porto Vecchio Sunday market

Pecorino, tomme and bruccio are the most common cheeses

Most local producers grow or produce organic - like these peaches

Beignet de brocciu - doughnut filled with brocciu and lemon peel

Mango Tatin

esther — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:04:00 +0200

Well, I thought that I was onto something with this one, but apparently my so called stroke of genius wasn't genius after all. So I guess that leaves me with just a stroke...whatever that means. It's somewhat deflating to come up with a really great recipe idea only to discover, after a two second Google search, that about 40 billion other people have had the same idea. I didn't do my research until after I made up this recipe so I might as well share it.

My very unique and personal inspiration for this mango tart tatin came from- yes, you guessed it- mangoes. Pretty creative, right? But these were not just any mangoes! I was hit by a stomach rumbling bolt of inspiration while I was riding home on the bus, munching away on a bag of dried mangoes. Sure there are lots of different kinds of dried mangoes, but after relentless testing, I can honestly say that N°12 Just Mango is by far the yummiest. They are my newest addiction and can be found at the Grande Epicerie or at my favorite lunch spot, Cojean.

What is so great about these particular dried mangoes? To start, they have the perfect consistency: leathery but not tough and plump without being gummy. Like the name indicates, it's just mango: no added sugar or strange crystallization. And because the drying process is natural, each piece is unique. My tatin idea came from one particular slice that happened to be more dried than the others. The sweet slightly burnt flavor immediately made me think of caramelized fruit which is the staple of the tarte tatin. The mango tatin is a funky take on the time-honored dessert that will convince even the most diehard traditionalist.

The key to making these 'boxcarkitchen style' is to let your caramel go until it is really nice and dark. It's important to remove the caramel from the heat right before it is almost too dark, stir the butter in right away and then quickly pour it into the pans before it hardens.

Mango Tatin!

100 grams sugar
2 Tbsp water
25 grams salted butter
1 ripe mango
1 puff pastry crust

Peel and slice the mango lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Then cut the mango crosswise on the diagonal.

Combine the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is completely melted and then leave it alone. Once the sugar starts to color, stop everything else and watch the caramel. Shake the contents once in awhile but do not stir. The color will change quickly and you really need to pay attention. Otherwise your dark caramel will turn into a burnt caramel.

When your caramel is one shade lighter than you want, remove from heat. (The caramel will continue to cook once it is removed from the heat source.) Stir in the butter and spoon into the tartelette pans immediately with great care!! (I'll reserve my burn stories for a later post).

Align the sliced mango on top of the caramel and cover with puff pastry.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 200°C.

Remove the pans from the oven. Let the tartelettes cool before turning them over and out of their pans. Otherwise all the caramel will run off.

Makes 6 tartelettes.

Chicken noodle of the future or Neo-noodle soup

esther — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:45:00 +0200

Everyone knows that chicken soup has healing powers. It's a fact based on years of scientific research and old wives’ tales. I know that the warm chicken broth and slurpy noodles that my grandmother prepared (straight out of the can) made my snuffled nose and general allover terrible feeling almost worth it. I got to thinking about this lately because I've been bogged down with a terribly autumn cold in the middle of July, thanks to the never-ending rain here in Paris.

Traditional chicken noodle soup is good and comforting but it's well...traditional. On a healing power scale from 1 to 10, traditional chicken noodle doesn't hold a candle to this Asian inspired recipe. Not only do you have the steaming goodness of a delicious chicken broth but you also get an energizing sweat inducing kick in the pants from the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and red Thai pepper. You are warmed up and cleared up immediately or your money back guaranteed.

The other advantage is that it only takes 20 minutes to throw together. I managed to squeeze it in between my morning and mid-morning couch napping sessions in front of the TV. By the time you are finished preparing the vegetables, the broth is already simmering and infused with really intense flavor. It is as close as you can get to non-instant instant soup and it definitely beats the can of Campbell's.

Hint: I have developed a secret technique for the noodle stage of this process. I don't cook the noodles in the broth because I can't stand when they get that overcooked nondescript texture, especially the day after. Instead, I prepare the noodles separately and dress them with a little oil. Then you spoon the broth over the noodles as needed so that they maintain their form.

Neo-noodle soup! (based loosely on this)

6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 chicken breasts
1/2 sweet yellow pepper
1/2 medium size zucchini
3 small carrots
2-3 cloves garlic
2 stalks fresh lemongrass
1 1/2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 red Thai pepper
1 package cellophane noodles
1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil

In a large pot combine chicken broth and water. Set to simmer and add the chopped garlic, grated ginger, lemongrass cut lengthwise, and 1/2 Thai pepper. Be sure to remove the seeds from the pepper since that is where all the heat is. It is easy to gradually increase the heat but you can't get rid of it once the pepper is infused. Test the flavor along the way and adjust to taste.

While the broth is coming together, finely chop the bell pepper, julienne the zucchini and slice the carrots. The flower technique depends on how sick you really are. Cut the chicken breasts into thin strips and then add everything to the broth. Cook for a few minutes or until the chicken is opaque. Cover and remove from heat.

Place the cellophane noodles in a separate bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain and dress with the sesame oil. Mix well so that the noodles don't stick together.

Serve the noodles, top with broth and vegetables and garnish with fresh coriander, lime, and more pepper (if you dare).

A rhubarb idea

esther — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:31:00 +0200

This clafoutis recipe has been a long time coming. It has taken me almost an entire year to finally figure out a recipe that I like. I started out last July by attempting an apricot clafoutis. I imagined sweet apricots melting into a nest of custard-like cake. The end result was disappointing. It tasted fine (maybe a little too sweet) but the consistency was a total failure. The clafoutis was decidedly more cake than custard and it didn't have the melt in your mouth quality that I was looking for.

I decided to give the dessert another try when Betsy asked for recipe ideas for rhubarb a few weeks ago. I'm so jealous of everyone back home that is inundated by rhubarb. Here, I could only find it at the market for a week or two then SWOOSH it was like it never even existed. I asked for it at almost every stall and I pretty much got the same answer everywhere, "Oh, no. We don't DO rhubarb." Well, I do DO rhubarb and was thrilled that my trip out to our local pick-your-own yielded a rather large almost untouched patch of rhubarb goodness.

My second attempt with a different recipe from the internet turned out to be another failure. This time the clafoutis was egg-y and too much like a flan but my patience paid off with a third attempt! I used my original recipe from Jean-Luc Petitrenaud as a starting point. I cut out most of the flour and replaced it with cornstarch, used light heavy cream instead of milk, replaced the double cream with light crème fraîche and added some almond extract. The extract gives the tart rhubarb a wonderful warm undertone without adding sweetness.

Bon appétit Betsy and Salinda!

Another current obsession is rhubarb compote with Greek yogurt, or pretty much on anything for that matter.

Rhubarb clafoutis!

400 grams rhubarb (about 2 cups)
@@75 grams sugar (1/3 cup) @
25 grams butter (1/3 cup)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp light crème fraîche
125 ml light heavy cream (5/8 cup)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp almond extract

The standard measures are approximate but work, I hope!

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wash and then cut the rhubarb into cubes. Mix about one tablespoon sugar with the rhubarb and place in the oven while it is heating up. Let it cook until you are ready for it. This will release some of the excess water.

Melt the butter over medium/high heat. The butter will start to foam and turn golden brown. Remove immediately and cool to room temperature.

Beat together the eggs, heavy cream, and crème fraîche. Mix in the sugar, cornstarch, flour, browned butter, and almond extract.

Butter the molds and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Remove the excess liquid from the rhubarb and place the fruit in the molds.

Pour the batter over the fruit until it is almost completely submerged.

Bake for 40 minutes or until nicely browned and puffy.

Makes 6-8 individual servings.

This spinach never gets old

esther — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:03:00 +0200

Lately, I've been getting a little overwhelmed by all the food that seems to be invading my kitchen. I envy those people who can bake and cook to their hearts content and then load everything off on their families. I always seem to be left with enough food feed 10 armies when there is only just the two of us. And since I'm not the one leaving the house every morning to go to work and I feel very guilty throwing things away, I tend to be the one making the real sacrifices by polishing off whatever seems to be left over from the previous day’s baking adventure. I've tried to cut serves 6 to 8 down to serves 2 but it is honestly a major pain in the butt. I started doing a lot more individual portions which helps but in the end it just saves me the effort of cutting another slice. I try to give things away as often as possible but I somehow still always find myself faced with the same problem.

My new resolution is totally radical. I'm going to try to (gulp) make healthy food and maybe (dare I even attempt to say it) make fewer yes, FEWER baked goods. As a result, I've been going crazy with salads lately. They are perfect for dinner especially when you considering that we don’t usually sit down to eat until 9pm.

I have been non-stop craving this particular spinach salad for the last three months or so. It is a staple on my mental weekly menu list. Somehow the mix of baby spinach, grilled vegetables and cheese never gets old and always hits the spot. Sometimes, when I have it on hand and need something more than just veggies, I add warm orzo. This last time, I changed things up and added some bulgur which seems to be quite the trend these days.

Now I'm off to attempt two single serving rhubarb clafoutis with as few eggs and as little cream as possible. We'll see how that goes... Oops, that's a baked good isn't it?

Spring Spinach Salad!

1 small bag of prewashed baby spinach
2 small or one large chicken breast
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium zucchini
1/2 yellow onion
10 sun-dried tomatoes
1 poivrade*
1/2 cup cooked bulgur
handful black olives
pecorino cheese

In the morning prepare the marinade of fresh garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and black pepper. Add the chicken and keep refrigerated until about an hour before you start to grill. Parboil the artichoke and reserve for later.

Begin by grilling the chicken and then the halved artichoke. While the grill is going, fry the sliced zucchini and onions in some olive oil. Set the bulgur to simmer in 1 1/4 cups salted water. This takes about 20 minutes. Slice or chop the rest of the ingredients.

The key to the salad is keeping the warm ingredients warm. Prepare the salad in individual bowls and finish off with curls of fresh pecorino cheese.

The sundried tomatoes, zucchini and chicken are so flavorful that you don't even need to dress the salad. Sometimes, for extra zip, I add just a splash of high quality balsamic.''

Makes 2 dinner size servings.

A poivrade (also know as the violet de provence) is a small very young artichoke. They are often sold in bouquets.

Semolina Cake à la fleur d'oranger

esther — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:54:00 +0200

Very rarely do I read a recipe and say to myself, "Wow, that looks really complicated for no apparent reason ; I think I'll give it a try." But this is exactly what happens when you are faced with yet another rainy Sunday in May, a freshly purchased bag of semolina flour and a Monthly Mingle birthday to celebrate.

The previous week, I had found a great Oriental grocer near the marché d'Aligre on my way to a friend's house. Paris is chock full of Middle Eastern/North African mom and pop shops but this one was particularly impressive. Shelves stacked from floor to ceiling with spices, conserves, and sauces covered the walls and the center of the shop was dedicated to everything in bulk. Dozens of fat, perfectly aligned bags full of flours and dried legumes were meticulously arranged. I quickly spotted the almost 10 different grades of semolina and immediately thought of a cake - an orange water semolina cake. I chose the second finest mill of flour and I was stunned when the owner weighed out EXACTLY 500 grams of flour with one scoop and a tiny flick of the wrist. I was so happy walking away with my 50 cent bag of flour. I was going to make a cake, a semolina orange water cake just for Meeta.

I decided to use a slightly snooty Food and Wine recipe as my launch pad. I've never used so many dishes to make a cake before. I did ended up changing the recipe quite a bit but I stayed true to the structure. Even though I ended up using milk and light cream and less butter than called for, I still thought the cake was a little oily. The original recipe was for one large cake and it was completed with a center layer of raspberry preserves and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. Since I made individual cakes, I tried the jam but found that it detracted more than anything from the cake. It was kind of like eating a high end jelly donut. The cakes were so much better plain and fresh from the oven. The semolina flour added a nice crunch to the outside and the inside was dense, steamy and perfumed by the orange flower water.

Happy Birthday Monthly Mingle!!

For the pastry cream:
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup light cream
2 Tbsp. orange flower water
2 egg yolks
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp flour
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp softened salted butter
1/2 vanilla bean

For the cake transformation:
5 Tbsp. salted butter
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. orange flower water
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup finely ground semolina flour
4 egg whites

Bring the milk, cream, and orange flower water to simmer with the vanilla bean in a saucepan. In a separate bowl whisk together the yolks, sugar,flour and cornstarch. Remove the vanill bean and whisk in the milk mixture. Return to heat. Continue whisking until thickened. Add the butter, pour into a dissh and let cool to room temperature.

Begin by folding the softened butter into the prepared pastry cream. Add the lemon zest, juice and orange flower water. Continue by whisking in about half the sugar, the flour, semolina, and baking powder until the batter is smooth.

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into the batter and then fold in the rest. The batter should be smooth but not over worked.

Pour into individual cake molds and bake at 175°C for about 25 minutes.

Makes about 12 mini cakes

Brown buttons sur la Croisette

esther — Mon, 28 May 2007 12:51:00 +0200

Although this month has been short on posts, it hasn’t been short on much else. My sister and her husband came to visit from San Francisco and with them they brought my brand spanking new Pentax K10D. My first ever digital reflex, YEAH!!! After spending an all too short visit running around Paris making sure that my sis got to taste the very best of everything (alas the list is WAY too long), I settled down to business. For the first time in my life, I am one of those people that actually read the manual and the hub is oh so proud of me for it. Honestly though, there are so many buttons and special features on this camera that I sometimes think K10D is smarter than me. The next step is to tackle my development software that is already humming away happily on my laptop. I am totally spoiled.

These brown buttons were the subject of my first "photo session" with the new equipment and I felt like such a paparazzi. Something delicious will soon happen to these beauties; I promise. I did realize though that I wasn't quite sure what brown buttons actually are and after a quick search, I learned that brown buttons, cremini and portabella mushrooms are all pretty much the same thing. I'm probably the last person on planet earth to figure this one out but, better late than never. Cremini mushrooms are immature portabellas- baby portabellas. And apparently, the only difference between them is another 48 - 72 more hours of growth. Again, this is most likely common knowledge but I was flabbergasted. The other good news is that now I can finally stop complaining that we don't have portabellas in France and pull out some favorite recipe.

Poire pressée à la menthe

esther — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:33:00 +0200

In my opinion, Paris is one of the easiest cities to escape. Just a ten minute walk from my house in the 16th is the Bois de Boulogne where I'm surrounded by green. And with just a little bit more motivation and a ten minute drive, the Parc de St Cloud is at your fingertips.

We headed out there a few weekends ago for the afternoon and after a few hours in the gardens, we stopped at one of the many cafés that are hidden throughout the park. And lucky for us, we happened to picked the right one. After tasting the some of smoothest fresh squeezed orange juice, our waiter advised to try the fresh pear juice. The first sip was a revelation and before I knew it my frothy ice cold nectar was gone. With a final audacious slurp of my straw, I let out a sigh of happiness which persuaded the two elderly ladies sitting at the table next to us to giggle and ask what it was that we were drinking.

Needless to say, as soon as we got home I got out my never been used juicer attachment and hooked it up to the food processor. I added a little bit of mint from the window box and pressed it with the fruit. Last week I was still able to find some nice firm organic pears from Argentine but it looks like my new favorite habit will have to wait until this fall.

Poire pressée à la menthe

4 or 5 pears
small handful mint leaves
ce cubes
2 straws

Wash the pears and cut them into quarters. Be sure not to use pears that are too ripe. A pear that is still green actually extracts the best juice. If the pears are ripe or too ripe, you will get too much flesh and not enough juice. Using a juicer or the juicer attachment of a food processor, squeeze the pears and the mint together. The key to this refreshing drink is lots of ice and of course, a colored straw.

Five spice sweet potato muffins

esther — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:09:00 +0200

I am totally not a Bangles fan but ever since I started pulling this post together I have been not stop humming Manic Monday, only in my head it's Muffin Monday. Maybe it should be this event's theme song...or maybe not, and maybe I should just put some music on to get this out of my head. So yes, it's another Muffin Monday and this time Elena has made a shout out for unusual and unique muffins: Muffins that make you go Ohhhh!

This theme was actually pretty hard because I can't even remember the last time I had an Ohhhh! muffin. I guess I'm a pretty run of the mill, boring muffin maker. Not to say that I don't have some mouth watering recipes, because I do. My last entry being one of them. But to use something in a muffin that doesn't normally belong in a muffin? That could be serious cause for a major baking disaster. Although my cooking and baking range is pretty wide - Indian, Asian, European, American, I lean towards classic. I don't usually go all crazy and I tend to respect, for the most part, the simplicity of my flavor pairings. So finding something unusual but still really tasty and uncomplicated was a challenge.

Needless to say, I am really pretty happy with what I came up with: Chinese five spice and patate douce. I love saying sweet potato in French because it is such a cool word and really makes me happy. Hence the saying, ''ça donne la patate" perhaps??? Anyway, I made a first test batch by just kind of throwing strange amounts of things together. I did do some internet research beforehand and to my surprise, sweet potato muffins already existed! I chose to start with raw shredded potato because I didn't have the energy to cook it down and I thought it might end up to pumpkin-ish. The oats add some texture and the sugar and the potato caramelize and melt into the batter which makes for a dense but not too dense and very moist muffin. The five spice and nutmeg turned out to be best friends with the sweet potato and they will continue to get together on a regular basis, at least in the muffin pan.

Five spice sweet potato muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. five spice
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
6 Tbsp. salted butter
2/3 cup tubinado sugar
1 egg
5/8 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup shreddded sweet potato

1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. butter

Sift together oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, five spice, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg. Alternately mix in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk.

Peel the sweet potato and then shred it in a food processor on the smallest setting. Squeeze out the excess liquid and add to the batter.

In a bowl add all the crumble topping ingredients and work together by hand.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full and top with crumble.

Bake for 15 minutes at 400° F (200°C)

Makes 8 large muffins.

Violet blackberry tiramisu - SHF #30

esther — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:08:00 +0200

I have one word for this Sugar High Friday- YUM. The Flower Power theme for this month is right up my alley. Whether it is peppery nasturtiums in a salad or on fish, jasmine meringues, candied violets, or jasmine gelée, using flowers in food is creative way of stepping a dish up a notch or two. Anything with violet is my absolute favorite.

When I was little my mom had one of those pretty French tins of violet candies that she kept in a little drawer by her bed stand. I remember quite vividly the first time I ever tasted one. I think my initial reaction was one of surprise and maybe even a little bit of something like, "Yuck, it tastes like perfume!” But after the initial surprise, the "Yuck" slowly developed into a "Yum". From then on I would sneak one every now and again, carefully opening the pretty flowered tin to pop a little egg-like candy in my mouth. Today, I can't get enough of that intense flowery perfume taste.

When I first started thinking about a dessert using violets, I thought about pairing it with raspberries like my current yogurt obsession but I wanted something a different and I really wanted to go more monochromatic using the blue-ish crème de violette as my base, hence the blackberries. The addition of almond extract in the cream brings the whole dessert together. The earthy sweetness of the almond is the perfect bridge between the perfumed violet liquor and the woodsy blackberries. I think that this is honestly the first time I have ever impressed myself with a dish. I mean, I share a lot of recipes but I think this one is my best so far and I highly recommend giving it a try. And although there are several different elements to prepare, the technique is simple and everything goes together quickly.

I think violet, blackberry and almond will be my new fetish trio. I think it would make a great perfume too actually.

Individual violet blackberry tiramisu

3 dozen ladyfingers
crème de violette
200 grams mascarpone cheese
50 grams sugar + 1 Tbsp.
2 eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 cups (approx.) fresh blackberries
1 Tbsp water
1 sheet gelatin
6 metal cylinder molds

Begin by putting aside about 6 whole blackberries per individual dessert. Reserve 2 for decoration and cut the other 4 in half lengthwise. Cook down the remaining berries (about a cup) with the water and 1 Tbsp. sugar over low heat. Soak the gelatin in a dish of water until it softens and then add to the berry compote. Once the gelatin is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool to thicken.

Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until it turns white. Continue by whipping in the mascarpone cheese and then the almond extract. Beat the egg whites until stiff and then gently fold into the mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate while you prepare the other steps.

Soak the ladyfingers in the crème violette. The ladyfingers should soften with the liquid but still hold there shape (infused by not soggy). Place three soaked ladyfingers side by side and then, with a cylinder mold, cut out a circle. You’ll need two circles per individual tiramisu.

To assemble the tiramisu, begin with a layer of ladyfingers followed by a layer of almond mascarpone. Arrange the halved berries on top of the cheese and then continue with another layer of ladyfingers followed by a layer of blackberry compote. Finish off with a final layer of mascarpone.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove the tiramisu from its mold with the help of a flexible knife just before serving. Decorate with remaining blackberries. Serve with a cup of perfumed jasmine tea.

Makes 6 individual tiramisu

Creamy lentil salad

esther — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:55:00 +0200

I L-O-V-E my food blog. I might even love it more than the actual food I make. The time I spend musing about what to cook or bake and the research that goes into it are some of my most enjoyable and creative moments. But no matter how much it inspires me, there is always the inevitable slump. No matter how much I love my perfectly arranged kitchen, my not so organized cupboard of goodies and my cheery Sunday market, there comes a point in time when I want absolutely nothing to do with them, when I'm not feeling the vibe.

Luckily for me and even more luckily for those that I feed, this slump is usually relatively short lived and is smoothed over in part by trips to my neighborhood Picard when the going really gets rough. But more often than not, inspiration comes in the form of a telephone call to my sister or my mother. The "So what are you guys having for dinner?" question is usually the third or fourth one out of my mouth after asking how everyone is doing. As I listen, I then proceed to go about my kitchen, checking the fridge to make sure I have the ingredients or similar ones necessary to make the described dish. I'm a shameless copycat cooker.

This salad is the result of one such conversation with my sister over Easter weekend. I had gone about making a special dinner on Sunday and I was totally drained of ideas come Monday. My sister's version was much more interesting than this one and it was filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley and feta. I didn't have any of these things and couldn't bring myself to walk the 10 measly minutes to the store to get them. Hence, the changes.

Regardless of the short list of ingredients, this lentil salad or the slumpy salad as I started calling it came of pretty darn good. I completed the four unglamorous steps of pour, drain, dump and chop in between commercials and then served it with slices of organic smoked salmon. Simple, light and easy; even borrowed inspiration can be delicious.

Creamy lentil salad

1 cup lentils
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
2 large cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. tahini
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ras el hanout
2 handfuls arugula
Salt and pepper

Pour boiling water over the lentils and let sit for about 30 minutes. After, drain the water and rinse the lentils. Add the lentils and garlic to a large pot of water to cook until the lentils are soft but not mushy. Drain the water, reserve the garlic and let the lentils cool.

In the meantime, prepare the cousous by pouring about a cup of boiling water over the half cup of grains. Cover and let sit until all the liquid has been soaked up and the couscous is tender. Fluff and add to the lentils.

In a food processor combine the reserved garlic, tahini, lemon juice and spices. Pour over the lentil couscous and refridgerate.

Remove from the refrigerator about an hour before serving. Mix in arugula and salt and pepper.

Makes about 4 side servings

Thinking spring

esther — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 20:34:00 +0200

With the warming weather comes a desire for all things fresh and green. On one hand, I know that the very early delicious produce that I'm finding at the market, as well as the afternoons spent sitting in the sun at sidewalk café with a Perrier citron are both part of the negative effects of the ever increasing global warming. I keep reminding myself that these are bad things but yet I am enjoying them oh so much.

And along with my need to eat fresh and green comes a desire for the most simplistic dishes. When it's been months since your last stalk of asparagus, you really want to enjoy it in its purest form. Also, my time allotted to make something interesting for dinner has decreased since my visits to outdoor cafés has increased exponentially.

The only thing that needs real preparation is the asparagus and the positive point is that you can make it in the morning or even the night before and let it sit in the fridge all day long while you are off doing more important spring things. We devoured this fresh vitamin filled salad served with crusty Poilâne bread and big pieces of Tomme after our weekend without vegetables spent in the mountains.

Spring asparagus salad

12 stalks of asparagus
12 cherry tomatoes
1/2 Dutch cucumber
1/2 avocado
5-6 young fresh carrots
4 handfuls oak leaf lettuce
3 cloves garlic
juice from one lemon
4 Tbsp. olive oil

Parboil the asparagus in a large pot of boiling water. While the asparagus is cooking, fill a bowl with cold water and a tray of ice cubes. Quickly transfer the asparagus to the water to stop the cooking process. Remove from the water and dress with lemon juice, olive oil, and pressed garlic.

Let this marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours.

Slice, dice or shred the remaining vegetables as desired. Arrange all the vegatables and use the asparagus marinade for the dressing.

Makes 2 dinner salads

Mountains of cheese

esther — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:21:00 +0200

Good cheese is more than just good cheese. It is transcendental. There are those who appreciate a creamy Mont d'Or or a prickly Epoisse and then there is us. We belong to the group of religious cheese fanatics that crave the stuff, constantly. My young years were spent devoted to cheddar and in particular, to my love of really, really sharp cheddar and peanut butter sandwiches. Once I came to France, the flood gates opened. It was as if I had come home. The hub is even more devout than I am. I think that if he had to choose only one thing to bring to a desert island it would not be cheese; it would be a goat so that he coulld have a neverending supply of chevre. When we lived in New York we would loiter around the cheese counter at Dean & Deluca so much that I think we began to made the employees uneasy. We were like hungry lions encircling a herd of unsuspecting antalope.

This past weekend we were some of the lucky few who were able to take a few days off and head up to the mountains for four lovely days of skiing. The weather was unbelievable and the pure mountain air was a welcome change from Paris. Not only was there snow but we even had an overnight storm and woke to the most delicious dusting of powder. And there was sun, lots of sun, and I have a very sunburned nose to prove it. There are two equally desirable things about spending a vacation skiiing in the Alpes: the skiing (of course) and yes, you guessed it, the CHEESE.

In the span of only four days and three nights we managed to gorge ourselves silly on a Fondu and a Raclette. I don't know what motivated us more to get out on the slopes early each morning. Perhaps it was the very idea and not so distant memory of how much cheese we actually ate for dinner the night before or the knowledge that if we got out there and skied all day, we could eat just as much the following night.

This Tomme de Savoie is the only piece that made its way home with us because there is a point at which even we cannot go on.

Lemongrass black sesame cookies

esther — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:11:00 +0200

My first idea for this month's Waiter, There's something in my...Easter Basket being hosted by the Passionate Cook, was to do some sort of rabbit dish. I had quite a good chuckle over it all by myself while I was doing the dishes. Unfortunately, since the demise of my dear Dodo lapin, I'm still in a lavender state of mourning and couldn't bring myself to do it. I love rabbit but felt morally compromised eating it when I had one as a pet. It's just not right eating your family member's cousins and even though he is no longer with us, I haven't found the courage...yet. But, I really really really do hope someone else will make a rabbit based dish because I think it's hilarious. Yum, yum.

Anyway, these lovely little things have been on my list to make for awhile and they fit perfectly with the theme. They are my verision of Easter grass! Every basket needs it and why not make it edible. These cookies are perfect in their original form and represent what an Italian cookie should be. They are mild and light with just the right crumb. My addition of lemongrass was a godsend (I think I'll double the quantity next time) and instead of regular sesame seeds I thought black ones would take the Asian touch a step further. Unfortunately, I discovered at the very last minute that I had eaten the entire bag of black sesame seeds that were in my pantry. Who goes through that many anyways?? So instead, I toasted regular sesame seeds as called for in the recipe and used some poppy seeds that were pretty happy to get in on the action.

Lemongrass black sesame cookies

adapted from Louisa Cappucci's Sesame cookies

2 cups black sesame seeds
4 cups flour
1 Tblsp + 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 stalks finely grated fresh lemongrass

Begin by toasting the sesame seeds in a heavy weight skillet. Once they are done set aside until the end.

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Finely grate the lemongrass with a Microplane. Add to the creamed mixture.

Once the butter mixture is light and fluffy beat in one egg at a time.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Chill the dough for about an hour or more.

Roll out the dough in ropes and cut into 1 inch logs. Dip the cookie in milk and then in the sesame seeds.

Bake for 12-15 minutes at 160°C (325°F)

Beware!!! Makes 9 dozen cookies