Required Eating

Local Harvest

2011-05-08T20:08:00.001-07:00

I recently attended a local sustainability festival. It was an event called Sierra Green Days and it featured local vendors who apply sustainable practices to their businesses. There were farmers showcasing their organic produce and products (I highly recommend LouLou's Garden), there were recycled products like a woman who makes baby items (bibs, hats, and neckins) from recycled cotton fabrics called Grubgear, solar energy companies, holistic healers, and of course food vendors like me! I was selling among other items, pizza made from my special recipe crust and topped with simple balsamic roasted tomatoes, feta cheese, locally grown organic fava beans, and locally grown organic green garlic from Taylor Mountain Gardens.

The process of preparing for this event was very meditative. I shelled fava beans for several hours, thinking of the local farmers who grew them and sold them to me. How they had been plucked from the plant just a day before, and the unparallelled freshness. To me, favas are the condensed flavor of spring, so green and sweet. Well worth the trouble of the double shell. The scent of green garlic filled my kitchen in stages, first pungent and mouth watering as it was sliced and washed, then billows of a mellow aroma with a hint of sweetness almost similar to leeks as the prepared product cooked slowly in the pan with only olive oil, salt and pepper. I thought how just an hour before, they had been gathered in a sack, still clumped with bits of warm earth clinging to the roots. I made my best effort to honor the integrity of each ingredient as it was in it's simplest and freshest state.

At the event, the sense of community was prevalent, and bound the grower, cook and diner together by the sharing of the final product. I pointed across the lawn area to the place where the Taylor's had their booth and explained to my customers that they could meet the folks who grew the produce I was using by stepping twenty steps to the left. It was an earth to table moment that lasted all weekend long and hearkened back to my youth in the valley where we snapped beans off the stalk for our dinner, and waited for the moment before the peaches, heavy with nectar, fell off the tree to harvest. I cherished every minute of the process from prepping these high quality ingredients to the moment I handed the plate of food to friends old and new. It was a celebration of season, honest work, simplicity, sustainability, friendship, love of earth and community.

Challah at Your Girl

2011-04-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, many years ago, I cooked in a very good restaurant in Oakland called The Autumn Moon Cafe. Sadly, The Autumn Moon is no longer there, but the lessons I learned while there have really stuck with me. I worked under the great Chef Kerry Heffernan who taught me so much about both cooking and life. She was the kind of Chef who was tough and commanding in the kitchen, but would nurture ideas and experiments to help her young chefs grow and develop their style. I am forever indebted to this woman, she was instrumental in my growth as a Chef and person. But I digress, at this restaurant, we specialized in some Jewish foods as well. We made fluffy matzoh balls in clear broth with carrots, parsley, and noodles every day, prepared Passover Seder dinner annually, and always had challah bread on hand. All these things were made according to the taste buds of the co-owner Wendy Levy. The recipes were based on the flavors her mother had created for Wendy when she was growing up in New York. When I left this wonderful place with wonderful food and wonderful people, those flavors truly stuck with me. I began to search out recipes of my own for those marvelous flavors. My most desired recipe was the perfect loaf of challah bread. I love it. It is a rich, eggy bread that is wonderful with just about anything. My search for this perfect bread led me to a book called "Love and Knishes: An Irrepressible Guide to Jewish Cooking" by Sara Kasdan. This book is one of those cookbooks which comes with anecdotes and I must say that though dated, is quite charming and my copy is worn and dogeared. When I made the challah recipe listed in the book, I knew my search was over. Over the years I have made some minor adjustments to suit my tastes, but never strayed far from the original recipe. I have used this bread for the best french toast in the world, sandwiches, with poached egg, bread pudding, or just by itself with a bit of butter. No matter how I prepare it, it takes me right back to that small kitchen in Oakland and that feeling of family. I hope you try this recipe, and the book! I highly recommend both!

Challah

(Sabbath Bread)

1 pkg yeast

1/4 cup warm water

5 cups flour

2 tsp salt 1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 egg, beaten

warm water

Glaze: 1 egg yolk diluted with 1 teaspoon water, poppy seed or sesame seed optional

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

Sift together dry ingredients

Add oil

Add softened yeast and beaten egg

Mix thoroughly, adding just enough water for a smooth kneading. Knead well

Place in a large bowl and cover with a towel allowing to sit until air pockets form at the top

Knead again, then cover and let rise until doubled in size

Divide dough into three equal parts, and roll each part into a strip

Braid the strips together and place on a baking sheet until doubled in size

Brush with diluted egg yolk, and sprinkle with seeds

Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or until golden brown

Enjoy with friends!

CookieCakePie Monster

2011-04-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

I first became aware of the cookiecakepie when my friend Jenn made a cakepie and posted pics on Facebook. I was intrigued, and of course, also hungry so I went in search of some recipes for a cakepie of my own. I Google searched Cakepie and found a couple of options which looked interesting, but then I found the stuff of legends. The cookiecakepie was hiding in one of my favorite blogs, Cakespy. Here is the link to the Cakespy post: http://www.cakespy.com/blog-old/2009/5/27/triple-threat-the-cookie-cake-pie.html I knew once I read through her recipe and the story accompanying it that I had to try this monster out for myself. I made a few modifications to fit my family's tastes, but I knew that once my kids found out about this beast of a dessert, just the novelty of eating a cookiecakepie would delight them.

First of all, I mixed up a batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. I was using a pre-made pie shell for the sake of convenience and ease because this was definitely a recipe I was making with my kids. My instinct was to pre-bake the crust, but I resisted and followed the rest of the directions as given. We pressed the cookie dough into the pie shell, topped it with some chocolate cake batter (with enough left over to bake a half dozen cupcakes...bonus!!!) and popped it in the oven. It took about 45 min at 350 degrees, and when I took it out of the oven, the kids marveled at how it baked up. It was hard to let it cool without taking a little bite, but we managed.

The final step was frosting the thing. I decided that if I frosted it with buttercream, we might all suffer from sugar shock at the table mid-bite which would not do, and at the very least, bedtime would be a challenge, so I decided on some softly whipped vanilla cream and fresh sliced strawberries. It was just right to cut the super sweet body of the cookiecakepie, and we all swooned at the first bite. It was a hit! I highly recommend making this not just for, but with your family! In fact, if you do, have a bite for me!

Baking Blitz

2011-04-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

I have been frightfully absent from this blog, dear readers, and for that, I am so sorry. I have been buried under an avalanche of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter for the entire winter. Really. At the beginning of fall, I decided to spend my spare time this winter honing my baking and pastry skills. This objective was very well received by family and friends alike, as they knew that the spoils of my efforts would likely require some taste-testing, and consumption on their parts. Oh how right they were. I began with one baking project per week. I tested recipes for cupcakes, cakes, cookies, played with icings, molded fondant into shapes, and my kids had the best birthday cakes on the block.

As this complete envelopment wore on, I fell into a groove of baking, and my husband and children began asking, with a sugary gleam in their eyes, "What is for dessert tonight?" instead of "Are we having dessert tonight?", I was becoming known as a reliable source of sweets. I developed my recipe for vegan cupcakes which my husband declared "Better than the real thing!", and I piped buttercream until my hands cramped.

Now that Spring has sprung, and my busy season is just around the corner, when all my baking time will be reserved for clients, I am feeling somewhat changed. I think baking is a certain kind of magic. It makes life sweeter for the baker as well as those for whom the baker is baking. I learned so much more from this experiment than expected. Like to be more patient as I waited for the French macarons to form a shell prior to baking. I gained a renewed sense of the joy that sharing brings when I arrived at a friend's home with a surprise cupcake delivery. As I kneaded the fondant, I was reminded to be more pliable in life. I built trust in myself and my abilities, knowing that the buttercream would come together although it always looks like it is beginning to break at one point during mixing. I was taught that although life can become overwhelming, and unpleasant at times, a smile can nearly always be coaxed out of the worst day with the simple bit of flour, butter, and sugar.

Gratitude Pie

2010-11-24T21:17:00.000-08:00

Today I am grateful for my Father in law. He is a traditional man of strong values, is soft spoken, entirely loving and unconditionally supportive. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and so I bake him pies. As I mix up my special supremely buttery pie crust, I think of him. I am pouring all of my gratitude into this pie. I want it to be chock full of sweet, juicy thanks. I want it to radiate from his plate as I serve his slice. Nothing pleases me more than to bake and cook the special treats my loved ones enjoy. For Dick it is always pie. Tomorrow it will be blackberry, which I understand is a pie from his childhood days in Indiana. I hope it brings him happy memories of carefree days playing in cornfields. I hope it makes him think of his youth with his many siblings, teeth stained purple from ripe berries. I hope he remembers his mother and the pies she made for him. I hope he knows that the pie means "I love you".

The Fruit of Love

2010-09-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

For me, figs are the fruit of love. When I was little, my Mom encouraged my love for the short-seasoned fruit. She fed them to me when she was able to forage for them, barter for them, and occasionally find them at the fruit stands in our small valley town until we planted our own tree. She taught me how to identify the large dark leaves and spot the small velvety purple fruit hidden behind them. She taught me to pick them when supple, but not yet wrinkled. We ate them in the deepest heat of September, their honey-molasses sweetness was cloying on our tongues, the pop of the tiny seeds gave a satisfying crunch. Figs remind me of the richness in life.

Much later in life, I knew my husband was the man for me when he began courting me with figs. One day, after dating for several months, he showed up with a shy grin, and a small rumpled paper bag in his hand. Without ceremony, he set it before me, said he loved me, and left me to my surprise. I opened the bag and found my favorite Black Mission Figs. They were warm from the sun, and perfectly ripe. I inhaled their lightly sweet aroma, cracked one open and marveled at the beauty of the color palette, deep purple, to chartreuse, merlot flecked with pale yellow seeds, breathtaking. I ate that fig slowly, savoring the flood of memory, the delightful tickle of simple pleasure, the sensual texture on my tongue. I was head over heels.

Over the years, his gift of figs have come in green plastic baskets, recycled plastic bags, bare handfuls, small cardboard boxes, and on fine china. They have come in various stages of ripeness, and varieties like brown turkey and kodota. But for me, the best ones come in a rumpled brown paper bag, accompanied by a shy smile and they are the intense Black Mission variety. He brings them to me from all over, wherever he finds them, but my favorite are warm from the sun, and soft to the touch.

Salt to Taste

2010-09-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

At a recent dinner party I hosted, a friend asked if she could provide the appetizer course. I of course, gladly obliged her this and checked it off my "to do" list. When the night of the event arrived, and so did my friend, she brought with her such an array of edibles, I was at once surprised and delighted. What she brought was something new and exciting to me!

My friend, who is a photographer, had recently done some work for our local spice haven, The Spice Tin ( www.thespicetin.com ) and had a wide variety of salts left. Now, I am a drawn to their smoked red chili bacon salt like an addict is drawn to crack, and have been known to carry a small bag of it in my purse, so this "salt tasting" thrilled me!

Laura laid out small dishes of salts ranging from habanero salt, to truffle salt, vanilla salt, and the natural salts like Himalayan pink salt, and a very fine gray salt from the middle east. She brought us vehicles such as jicama, pear, caramels, potatoes, sausage, and steak, so many I cannot even remember them all. We dipped and delighted at the interesting and delicious combinations we could create with the simple changing of salts. The powdery gray salt was light in flavor, and almost floral. The spicy and smoked salts added complexity to dark chocolate, and the citron salt made raw pears really pop. The entire experience was so social, experimental, and fun, the main course was nearly an afterthought. We grudgingly put the salts away at the end of the night, shaking them into their tiny Ziploc bags, maybe putting a pinch or two of our favorites in our pockets (was that just me?). A new dimension had been added to our dinner which prompted conversation of food (naturally), but of also geography and world politics, of religion(normally taboo), and of warm friendship. It was a night to remember, and for that span of time, we friends were bound together by such a common ingredient as salt.

If you are interested in spices, or salts, please do visit The Spice Tin in Murphys CA or online at www.thespicetin.com

A Cup of Tea, Not exactly A Piece of Cake

2010-08-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite people was having a birthday. Now this person is one of impeccable personal taste, a veritable food and beverage dictionary, and with her self pronounced "life-sized sweet tooth", making an ordinary cake for her would be absolutely out of the question. I needed to make something new and special. It had to taste amazing, look flawless, and be as unique as she is. Have I mentioned that I have a baker who usually does all of the specialty cakes for me? She is talented and does beautiful work, and I have been training with her to be able to expand my knowledge, experience and abilities, and so we can double our cake output. But the idea I cooked up for my friend is more than I had tackled solo as yet. Because my friend sips more tea than could fill the Boston Harbor, I would make a teacup cake. Delicate, feminine, and beautiful, just like she is. I was confident that it would go off without a hitch.

I began with a recipe. My friend and I had recently taken my kids to the lake for a picnic and she had brought some orange cream soda. She mentioned how much she enjoyed the flavor and there I had it. Creamsicle cake. Orange cake layered with orange curd and vanilla butter cream. Now I just had to develop that little recipe and that would be easy...or so I thought.....

My first test cake had burned edges. But it was still completely raw in the center! I threw it away and began again, modifying the liquid content, tweaking this, adjusting that. The end result was nearly identical to the first, but the top puffed up and cooked like a souffle. I pulled it from the oven, proud as punch until it collapsed around the raw batter center like a sweet smelling orange volcano. It was not pretty. The third try, I smartened up, or so I thought and adjusted the oven temperature, moved racks around, and tried yet another test recipe. This time, I got a fully cooked cake, which was dense, but moist and tasty. Unfortunately, it also had the HUGE crater in the center that the second cake had. I called my baker, and we brainstormed quantities, and ratios. We decided the sugar content was too high, and the water to fat ratio was off, so we came up with a recipe that we thought would finally address all the problems. We were right. The cake came out beautiful and perfect for slicing and filling. Moist, sweet, orangey tasting, and perfectly baked all the way through with no crater! I sliced it and filled the layers with the sweet-tart orange curd, and the creamy vanilla butter cream. I carved it into the desired shape. Relief hit me like a wave, and I felt confident as I moved on to the next phase.

Fondant. I think fondant can be so beautiful, but it must be done flawlessly. Perfectly rolled, manipulated so nothing looks like you just stamped out some play-doh with cookie cutters and slapped it on a cake. Now, in my company, we make fresh fondant for each cake. It tastes like a sweet melt-in-your-mouth cloud, and looks like a smooth, freshly fallen blanket of snow on a cake. I had done fondant work before, mostly decorations for my favorite cupcakes, but had not had the privilege of rolling and laying on a cake. It would be a challenge, I thought, but I do love a challenge. I made the saucer and handle ahead of time and let them dry. What fun it was! How beautiful they were! I couldn't wait to do the body of the cake!

I tell you, I rolled that fondant onto the cake twice and ended up with cracks, folds, and flubs. It was not the newly fallen blanket of snow by far. I consulted my baker again. We determined the problem, fixed it, and on my third try, it rolled out and practically formed a fine alliance with the cake all by itself. It was just as I wanted it to be. Smooth, wrinkle and dimple free, ready to adorn with the embellishments. This part went fast. The trim was added. The flowers were molded and cupped, attached without issue, and "tea" was painted onto the top of the cake to make the cup look full. I placed the cake on my pre-made fondant saucer, attached the handle, and held my breath that my friend would like the cake as much as I did.

When I delivered it to her, she beamed and squealed. She loved it entirely, and waited two days to cut into it! The teacup theme was perfect, and the flavor of the cake was right up her alley. I couldn't have been happier to have made a cake, from batter to fondant, completely personalized for my dear, sweet friend. It was a learning journey, incredibly valuable and rewarding. I can't wait for the next cake challenge!

Neglectful Nellie

2010-08-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

I need to address the fact that I have been an irresponsible blog owner. I have neglected my blog and let it waste away out on the interwebs for far too long. A fragmented shadow of it's intended self. I have no excuses, life has just gotten the better of me. I will try to be better, I promise. ; )

Cupid's Cupcake

2010-02-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Valentines day is a Hallmark holiday. I know it. It is all about selling cutesy cards, chocolates, and diamonds and it kind of disgusts me. BUT, it is a grand excuse to make CUPCAKES!!! This year I am making cupcake-grams and they are so darn cute if I do say so myself. I began with a pink cake base, I mean, who can go wrong with that? You are all already are familiar with my love of pink cake. Then I whipped up some fabulous strawberry buttercream (which made me swoon) and thought I'd just top it with a fresh strawberry. Simple, delicious, pretty. Then, I was leafing through Martha Stewart (who else?) and saw some chocolate filigree.....and immediately decided to add them to my cupcakes, hearts of course. As I was assembling my first batch of these little beauties, I reflected on the wide variety of cupcakes I have made for clients over the last year, and it seems I have developed quite a cupcake obsession. Lemon Lavender, Carrot Cupcakes with spiced nuts, Red Velvet, Rose Petal, Dark Chocolate with toasted almonds, and Cherry Cordial, just to barely scratch the surface. Baking each small treat is like a gift to myself. They are beautiful, and I just can't seem to get enough. I love how each little cake is detailed, the swirl of icing, the adornment, I relish crafting the most minute detail. I feel as though these individual cake-ettes are tiny works of culinary art I create out of passion. It seems the cupcake fever is catching too, because I have been asked to make these Valentines cupcakes for daughters, husbands, wives, sisters, babies, girlfriends, Mothers, and even have clients ordering them for themselves! Imagine the decadence of having a cupcake delivered to yourself for your own enjoyment! How fabulous! These edible gems are made with so much love, that it almost hurts me to part with them, and I guess that is what this holiday is all about, right?

The Great Potato Casserole Cook Off

2010-02-02T21:02:00.001-08:00

We all have them. You know what yours is. It may be a jell-o mould, or a tuna bake. We all have old recipes that we make from time to time which we secretly love. Mine is my sister's version of my Grandmother's tater tot casserole. It is disgustingly delicious and unbelievably unhealthy. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or all three, but only about once a year. So, my friend Laura (a potato-phile) and I were sitting around one day and our topic of conversation meandered to this recipe. I boasted about it's down home goodness, and she countered with a recipe of her own. At that moment, we locked eyes, and knew we were headed for a showdown of the best kind! We decided to take our recipes toe-to-toe and invite our friend Lisa to join in the frey to mix it up a bit. To our surprise, Lisa had no such recipe hidden away in her ancestral pantry, but she was up for the challenge, and went foraging through the Internets for her contender.

The rules of the challenge:

1. The dish must be primarily comprised of a frozen potato product

2. The dish must use a potato product which is not used by any other competitor

Simple, right? I seized the use of tots immediately, feeling confident that it would give me an edge. Laura chose home fries, and Lisa tried a crafty move, attempting to use fresh sweet potatoes, but we squashed her attempts at health at once, reminding her that fresh potatoes, while tasting delicious, would automatically disqualify her. We agreed on a time and place for the showdown, and each went off in search of ingredients.

I had my recipe in the bag, or so I thought. I phoned my sister, thinking her recipe was my ace in the hole. She had made it for me a few times, and it was always good. She said she would give me the recipe right away, but it was more of a guessipe because she didn't measure, and had just kind of thrown components together according to what tasted good to her. She must have also used memory, because my Mom swears this is based on my Grandmother's recipe. I jotted down her approximations and rushed to the inner aisles of my local grocery store.

Back at home, I assembled the unappetizing looking ingredients, layering carefully, then "smooshing" as my sister had instructed. It burbled away in the oven as if in caution. Laura's casserole boasted an armour of buttered cornflake topping, and Lisa's was cloaked in high falootin' gruyere cheese. We assigned the husbands and children their roles as judges, and proceeded to serve our own brand of potato pleasure.

We sat at the table and ate. Each bite brought comments of family reunions, holiday meals, old recipes and dishes shared and some lost. We enjoyed laughter, complimented each other on our crafty use of broccoli, bacon, or cheese. The husbands had seconds, and thirds, the kids made silly votes for all of us, and then scampered away to play. The potato dishes had brought us together for such a night of mutual enjoyment and joviality, we completely forgot about the stiff competition which had spawned the event. We stayed up late, enjoying the night, the food, and one another.

Here are our recipes:

Hashed Brown Potato Casserole

2 lb package frozen hashed brown potatoes (cubed kind)

2 c sour cream

2 c shredded cheddar

1 stick butter, melted

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 package bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces, cooked & drained of fat

2 cups cornflakes, mixed with 1/4 c. melted butter

Place potatoes in a colander to thaw and drain. Combine sour cream and melted butter. Mix well. Add green onions, cheddar, and bacon. Mix in potatoes. Turn into a greased casserole dish (14x10). Sprinkle the top with butter covered cornflakes. Bake uncovered at 350 for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Do not assemble more than 2 hours before cooking. Serves 8 generously...

Potatoes with Leeks and Gruyere
From Bon Appetit, April 1999
Serves 12

2Tbls butter
1 lb leeks, thinly sliced
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs
2 lbs frozen shredded potatoes
3 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 12 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, saute until tender, about 10 min. Transfer to a large bowl.

Blend cream cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg in processor. Add milk and eggs. Process just until blended. Transfer to bowl with leeks. Add potatoes and Gruyere. Stir to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.

Bake potatoes until cooked through and top is brown, about 1 hour. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, refrigerate. Rewarm, covered, at 350 for about 25 min.

Tater Tot Casserole

1 pkg tater tots

1.5 lbs sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1.5 Cups diced ham

1 Cup chopped broccoli

2 Cups grated cheddar cheese

1 container of salsa

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place frozen tots in a 13x9 baking dish

Add diced ham and chopped broccoli

Mix soup and sour cream together and spread evenly over top of dish

Top with Grated cheese

Cover and bake for about 45 min

Uncover and bake until golden on top

Provide salsa as an accompaniment

Serves 10

* do not allow potatoes to thaw before cooking

In Praise of Braise

2010-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

The slow cooked meal is like foreplay and follow through. You spend the day going about your business, thinking of it. It teases you with a slowly building aroma as it bubbles with anticipation in your oven or slow cooker. It is gentle, and reminds you of the eventuality that you will be eating well at the end. In this season of chill, where sunshine is sparse, the slow cooked meal warms you throughout the day and shores you up against the frigid night. Boneless beef short ribs are an ideal example. A perfectly braised short rib dish is a delicate balance between sweet, savory, infused with aromatics and the braising liquid can be reduced down to a silky, supple sauce. The beef is so tender, it practically melts on the plate, and surrenders to the gentle pressure of a fork. It is well partnered with an unctuous bed of whipped potatoes laden with butter and cream and a hunk of crusty bread to sop up the stray puddle of juices. At the end of a slow cooked meal, you should find yourself full, content, satisfied beyond belief, and quite possibly in love.

Having Cake and Eating it Too

2009-12-29T14:11:00.000-08:00

Birthday Cake can be a very personal thing. As a caterer, I have found that people approach birthday cake in very different ways. There is the wrapping paper cake, which is all about the design of the cake, meant to impress guests with it's looks, the brown paper bag cake which is all about pleasing the vast majority of guests by supplying them with a very standard and agreeable flavor of cake, and the full on fantasy cake, which is my cup of tea. My birthday just passed and every year I want the same pink cake. Pink cake is the little princess fantasy cake. Pink cake, whether it be cherry chip, strawberry, whatever, just pink, pink icing, rolled, tinted marzipan is always pretty with a little luster dust and some moderate piping, and garnished with a maraschino cherry, or some marzipan cherries, or sugar flowers, the main element of import on this cake, is the pink. It is fluffy, sweet, and packed with artificial colors. It is over the top, and every little girl's fantasy. It is my deepest birthday craving. It makes me feel like a princess, and that, my friends, is a supreme feeling for a Mom of four. Encompassed in that cake is every blown out candle wish from girlhood, every Lolly Dolly, Pretty Pony, Sugar Fairy dream come true, and I can't get enough. I don't crave and eat this birthday treat for the flavor, I crave it for what it symbolizes. It tastes like shiny glitter, and lollipops, and pretty frilly dresses, and tea parties, and playing house, and sun bonnets, and sugar and spice and everything nice. That is why I love pink cake.

Traditions Rooted in Us

2009-12-22T20:39:00.001-08:00

This season of hustle and bustle is just rife with tradition, no? I am about to embark on one of my own. Each year, I recreate a special recipe for my Dad. It is a very simple recipe that his Mother (Alicia Linda) used to make during the holidays. I really didn't know Alicia, but everyone who did loved her. My Dad kind of adored her. He gets all soft in the eyes whenever she is mentioned, and each year, I strive for that look when he opens this gift from me because it means I have given him a sweet treat, and a warm memory all in one crunchy little package! Very rewarding! I've been making these for about 14 years or so, and everyone who tries them thinks they are scrumptious. I hope you do too!

Alicia Linda's Spiced Walnuts

1 C sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 C evaporated milk

2 tsp water

11/2 C walnuts

1 tsp vanilla

Toast and cool walnuts.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, cinnamon, and water in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and bring to 236 degrees or the soft ball stage

Add vanilla and nuts

Stir vigorously

Immediately spread in a single layer onto parchment, breaking up large clusters

Allow to cool completely

Try to stop munching!

Empanada Mama

2009-12-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

So I have this great client. We met when she was looking for a caterer for her wedding, and I happened to be a fit. Working with her is always a breeze. Her philosophy is that she hires people she trusts to do a job, and she lets them do it. Who would have thought?! So anyway, since then, she has hired me to cater, most recently a Cuban themed party. She wanted a variety of dishes, and flavors for her guests to enjoy. This was thrilling to me because my experience with Cuban food was somewhat limited, but the flavors are ones that speak to my own Latin American heritage, so I dove in to see what I could make. One of the dishes I settled on was Picadillo Empanadas. I made them (they are delicious) and documented the process so I can share the experience and the recipe with you!

Empanada Dough

3 3/4 C flour

1/2 C ice water

1 pinch of salt

1tbsp sugar

6tbsp lard

1 1/2 sticks of chilled butter cut into small cubes

To make this dough the right consistency, it must sit overnight in the refrigerator, and must not be too dry.

In the bowl of your food processor, combine dry ingredients, lard and butter.

Pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

While the machine is on, slowly add ice water until dough forms together in a ball.

Wrap tightly in plastic, refrigerate overnight.

Picadillo Filling

1lb ground beef

1/2lb bacon, chopped

1 yellow onion, diced

2 bell peppers, diced

1tbsp chopped garlic

1/2 C sliced green olives

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dry oregano

salt to taste

In a heavy saucepan or casserole, saute onions, garlic, peppers, set aside

In that same pan, brown the beef and bacon together with spices, then add sauteed vegetables and olives

Cook over medium heat for three minutes, then add vinegar.

Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes

Empanada Assembly

Begin by gathering the following: your picadillo filling, a rolling pin, biscuit cutter, a small bowl of water, a pastry brush, a fork, two cookie sheets lined with parchment and prepare an egg wash

Roll your empanada dough to about 1/16th of an inch thick (thin)

Using a 3in biscuit cutter, cut out discs until you are out of dough. (this recipe should make about 4doz)

Take one empanada skin, brush it with water, put 1/2-1/4 tsp filling in the center of the skin.

Fold one half of the skin over the top, and press edges firmly with your fingers to remove excess air.

Crimp edges with a fork to create a seal.

Place on cookie sheet.

Repeat

Once all of your skins are used, generously brush the tops of your empanadas with egg wash but do not allow the egg wash to pool anywhere.

Bake in a 350degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden

Enjoy!

For Linda

2009-12-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

I lost a dear, sweet friend today. We grew our friendship over the past few years through food. She loved to eat my Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese with hunks of bacon, pizza with sausage on it, anything with sausage on it. She loved to drink Capri Suns, and would buy them for my children when we visited so she could share in the treat. She asked me to cook sacred food, celebration food for those she loved, for Passover, Sukkot, Chanukah. She shared herself and her traditions with me, and I cherish her memory. I am honored to have cooked for her.

Fantasy Meal

2009-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

Part of what I love about my job is that people come to me with their deepest, most secret food fantasies and ask me to make them a piece of their reality. Part of the fun can be recreating a food memory from childhood, or helping someone revisit their European honeymoon. I never get bored. People build a life which includes culinary bricks. They stack Grandma's pot roast on top of merguez sausage, on top of chicken noodle soup and PB&J sandwiches, on top of menudo on top of well, you get it. Life is a series of meals which tell a story. My youngest child will always be reminded that her first solid meal was cassoulet.

The ingredients for this cassoulet were given to my husband and myself as a birthing gift from Scott and Rachel. We saved it through that spring, summer and fall because cassoulet is a meal best eaten in bitterly cold weather. It warms the body and the soul. So when the snow flew in the air, I flew to the kitchen and began the process. Cassoulet is a process. Soaking beans, braising duck legs in fat, chopping, simmering, the French are masters of layering flavors. Cassoulet is a meal that takes time and a lot of love to prepare. We invited guests (my parents) to share this indulgent feast, and were all consumed with slurping, savoring and sopping up the cassoulet with the baby on my lap when she reached out and grabbed a hunk of duck off my spoon. Now, I love duck with all my being and was conflicted. Should I snatch my favorite bite from my baby's chubby mitt, or should I delight in the fact that she reached for it? Well, before I could process the thought, she was gnawing away at it and grinning like a fool in love, so I knew that she was a baby after my own tastes. It was a bonding moment. I will never be able to eat cassoulet again without thinking of her sweet face and satisfied smile after we shared that first dish. I have since concocted my own fantasies about the two of us flying off to France some February years from now, seeking out a small, poorly lit bistro, and sharing this story with her over some nice braised duck, flageolet, sausage, and pork belly bathed in that rich, supple gravy.

If you are in search of a good cassoulet recipe to follow I can recommend two.

First, of course will be Julia Child's recipe in which she refers to the dish as

"French Baked Beans"

It is on page 399 of MTAOFC (Mastering the Art of French Cooking) vol 1

She offers several variations on the dish and is of course painstakingly precise in her rendering of this classic, yet rustic dish.

Second is in Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook Page 212

I have eaten this dish at Les Halles and it is superb, in fact I have eaten it there on more than one occasion. If you visit New York, I recommend you do the same. I have used this recipe at home as well, and it has turned out flawlessly each time.

Get Thee to the Library!

2009-12-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

I have known these people through their writing, and through that writing, they have touched my life.

Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch

Go ahead and skip Julie and Julia.

Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, both by Ruth Reichl

A heart tale.

The Tuscan Year by Elizabeth Romer

No, not Under the Tuscan Sun, that drivel.

The Making of a Chef and The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman

Blood, sweat, and duck fat.

Plenty by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon

Reminded me of my childhood and how out of hand and greedy this world has gotten.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

Talk of secret food desires...juicy...

A Year In Provence by Peter Mayle

Read in my youth, inspired me to the kitchen.

Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey

Tales of mango and mulberry. Tart, sweet.

Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain

Met him in my SF days with my first Chef, then went to eat duck and noodles in Chinatown.

Hidden Kitchens by Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson

A gift from my husband before my own "hidden kitchen" existed.

Luna Feeding My Soul

2009-12-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

This is my first blog post. I had it all planned out. I'd been thinking all day as I cooked my way from 8am to 10:30pm. I took photos and thought I'd write about these cute little cupcake bites I'd made inspired by Bakerella.com It was a whimsical start, and I had some good quips. Then, I ended my day making tamales. It had been a process, roasting meats, making the red and green gravies, using my great grandmother's recipes. The more tamales I made, the more I thought about my Great Grandmother Luna.

I barely knew her in life, she died when I was very young. I know she was indigenous to New Mexico, that she lived there her entire life on the soil of her ancestors, worked hard, and was a good Christian woman. She wore turquoise jewelery. I know that she once killed a boy in her car, she could not have helped it, he ran directly in front of her, but she could never sit behind the wheel again. I know that she made tamales, and that she taught my mother how to make tamales and red chili gravy, who then taught me, and that I make and share today.

Every year, when I begin my own process of making tamales, I think of this woman who I barely knew, but who lives on in my roasting of chilies, onions, garlic and pork shoulder. I pay homage to her as I float test my masa dough and spread it on the moist corn husk. As the aroma from the steam fills the kitchen, it seems as though her spirit is dancing around me. Immersed in these thoughts, It became clear to me that in writing this blog, I wanted to explore the relationship between people and their food, how the cooking and sharing of it connects us to the earth and one another. How food can bind a family in tradition, revisit a long gone childhood, make people fall in love, heal physically and emotionally, help to teach culture, tolerance, and cultivate communities. Because this is what is important about food to me.