Amuse Bouche

Peony and Sushi

 

I thought I'd put a photo here of the very happy Japanese peony that greets me every morning in the front garden.  I really wish i remembered it's name so I could buy another or planted it out back where I could enjoy it more.  It really is such a happy, riotous colour combination.  They close every night and reopen in the morning.

Sure, there has been cooking around here, ma po dofu, char siu ribs, dry fried green beans, tonight is a cauliflower gratin with some scored and seared duck breasts, sprinkled with my house spice mix and glazed in ginger marmalade and pepper jelly, but I haven't really had the time to photo and write anything up, life continues at a feverish pace and this time of year the garden competes for my time as well.
The tomatoes are going bonkers in the upside down grower as well as in the earth grow boxes.  in the garden bed are a few kinds of peppers, some zucchini, a few cucumber, some cape gooseberries, and a section of herbs with a few kinds of thyme, lemongrass, rosemary, basil, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, chives, cardamom, Vietnamese Coriander and sage. I would tell you about the Brussels sprouts, but it would seem that the future braise took an interest in them this week DESPITE my leaving him plenty to eat.

I've been trying to get some new chefs on board, all the new book titles selected, some new classes designed and today I spent the day here plotting a sushi workshop.

Don't worry, I had one of these by my side as well.

D.S., you know who you are, I owe you a lengthy email in response to your several recent ones, which, by the way, always bring a smile.  I promise it is forthcoming, and your roses are indeed looking spectacular.  This week was made doubly challenging by my three days of jury duty.  I was chosen for a trial and it was really interesting to watch the process from the inside out.  I really liked the judge and if I ever had to be in that situation I would want him on the bench.  There were a few interesting twists and turns involving gender changes and language translations, but in the end we decided the defendant to be not guilty and sent him on his way.

I'm sitting now awaiting husbands return from perambulations with the puppy, all the windows are open, the braise is eating the cauliflower I left for him, the blue jay's are snacking on the meal worms I picked up saturday, the cardinal is in the bird bath, the night blooming jasmine is heavy with blossoms and ready to bust, I have a cheesy 70's mix on shuffle and a cocktail in hand, when the troops return dinner is on. What a shame it can't be June all year long.

Sweet Home

Karen over at Verbatim tagged me to participate in the Dancing Deer "Sweet Home" Initiative and really how could I resist?

Dancing Deer’s Sweet Home Initiative raises money for scholarships to help educate homeless women and end family homelessness. As a part of this initiative, our CEO, Trish Karter, will be riding her bike 1,500 miles from Atlanta to Boston, visiting family shelters in each city to raise awareness about this issue. She’ll also be recording stories from the women she meets along the way, asking them about their experiences. One question she’ll ask them are what foods remind them of home. (See more here.)

I come from a family that talks about lunch WHILE they are eating breakfast and any time we gather food, the finding it, the cooking it, the smelling of it, the harvesting of it dominates the conversation.  Since I met and started cooking for my husband I have incorporated many of the foods that he misses from his home, never as good as his Mom made them of course, but I do try,  Smelling and tasting things that remind us of home can make us feel connected to a time and place that may never happen again yet they make us remember and feel connected in ways a photograph just can't replicate.

There are family staples like Grandma's 'Oyster Dish" we make every Thanksgiving, the Fairy Banquet Pudding that gets broken out around Christmas time with Great Grandma Dora's Chocolate Sauce.  I make husband steamed puddings like Spotted Dick and Sticky Toffee Pudding, or his favourite Jam Roly Poly or simple liver and onions.  Growing up my Mom made this dish called affectionately "Chicken with Glop" and the smell of dried oregano, peppers and tomatoes brings me right back to Chelmsford, MA circa 1977. Grandma's Rhubarb custard pie and our Fiddlehead Fern Quiche every spring, My Mom's baked beans in the fall, My dad's Chicken Cacciatore, My cousin Fuzzy's Stuffed Calamari at Christmas when we all gather for the La Vigilia, these are the things I remember and love.  They are the things that bring me home again.

What is it for you?

 I won't tag anyone directly, but a few reminisses I would like to see belong to The Sour Dough, Chez Christine and What I Cooked Last Night.  Everyone is welcome to partake in the comments box.  I love a good food tale.

The Annual Dinner Party - With an homage to Maine

Right now I am in the final day of prepping for our annual end of year gathering.  Mom and SD are here from VA and are out today visiting SD's daughters and grandkids. 
I am in the final throws of prepping.  Still need to make port reduction sauce for the duck, vol-au-vent cases for smoked salmon and creme fraiche.

Here is the breakfast Coffee Cake

Cooling is my pithivier.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie pies are assembled. 

The lobster salad is made for the appetizers atop buttered gridded challah.

There are marinated olives in fennel orange and lemon. 

My vacuum machine arrived Friday and I will be setting up the duck breasts soon in their little pouches for their bath in 56C water.

 There is still celeriac and potatoes to peel, leeks to clean, and raclette to grate for the gratin. The playlist on the ipod is ready.  Sparkly things are chilling, bottles of red stuff are breathing, Now I just have to figure out how to get 8 people around the table and then 4 of our friends from the lake will be coming down from their winter homes in Somerville and NH and we will all reminisce about warm days and lazy cocktail cruises.  I hope you are all similarly ensconced in wining and dining with friends and family.

Later we'll talk about the newbook my wonderful Brother in Law sent me for Christmas...I can't wait.

Take a breath, Take a Deep Deep Breath**

How long it has been! I just wanted to come and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, if you celebrate and a general Happy Holiday if you do not. Life has been ramped up to 11 around here lately and I barely have time to cook dinner every night never mind take any pictures. the immersion circulator has been AMAZING, and I have been having a great time trying out different things. Duck breast, I can assure you will never be the same cooked any other way. In fact I have gone loco enough to have ordered this and it will be arriving on my doorstep Friday just in time for my dinner party on Sunday.

I'm excited to cook for friends, but I have one no pork, no beef and one no duck, no venison, nothing exotic.  SIGH.  I think duck will win and I will just have to make something separate for the no duck guest. 

I hope wherever you are tonight you are with friends and family, eating well, drinking and cheering in the spirit of the season.  Husband and I are off to my cousin's for La vigilia and I am looking forward to the stuffed calamari as I do every year.  There will be about 50 screaming Italians wildly gesticulating, 20 kids running around hopped up on sugar and the promise of Santa yet to come, there will be swearing and singing and Elvis, there is always Elvis where my cousin Johnny is concerned, he has never left the building. The photo on the top is my cousin Fuzzy's son and a future Elvis lover as you can see.

Cousin Johnny (8 days older than me and not about to allow me to forget it), who is also head cook tonight, has always sung and more importantly he has always been an enormous fan of Elvis. Years of family gatherings always, ALWAYS, included a Karaoke segment long, l-o-n-g, before anyone stateside knew what karaoke even was. One of his teachers was one of the guys in a local group called Boston Rockabilly.  He finally went in the studio with them and made a CD called "ode to a king".  This is my crazy Elvis lovin cousin Johnny doing my favourite track on the CD, Little Sister.

So as I leave to celebrate Christmas with my crazy family, I'd like to wish the best to you and yours. 

Buon Natale!

**Lyrics in the tilte are David Gilmour from On an Island.  They have been swimming around my head the past week.

Menu for Hope

 

It's that time again.  Chez Pim and a revolving group of bloggers are hosting the annual Menu for Hope fundraiser.  Again this year the money is going to the UN World Food Programme the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.  Last year donations raised form Menu for Hope totaled over $100,000!  This year the East Coast prizes are being hosted by Jaden at Steamy Kitchen and as always the donations are being collected by Firstgiving.com so you can be assured that your donations are being handled in a safe manner.

Won't you help?  Buy a raffle ticket, heck buy 2, buy them as gifts, give them as stocking stuffers or maybe you can win one of the great prizes on offer this year.  I asked create a cook if they would help out and this is their contribution. Don't make us look like the girl at the prom with no date, BUY SOME TICKETS and give generously.

Dinner Cooking Party at Create a Cook  Prize code: UE18

From create a cook. One cooking party for up to 6 guests at create a cook in Newton, MA. (Valued at $400.00) We supply the chef, the menus, the ingredients, the professional kitchen, a set table, and all the clean up you just bring the wine and 5 of your friends and we have a party! You and your guests can help determine the theme of the party (Asian, French, Italian, Vegetarian, American or Chef’s Choice).  Winner must be willing to travel to venue or can give the gift in kind to a local friend.

If you want to have a great night out with friends, this is all you need to do.

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at Chez Pim
2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.
3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.
For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone

Finally - I passed!

Not sure if I mentioned it here or not, but ever since I finished at CSCA I had considered taking the CCP (Certified Culinary Professional) exam with the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) but forces conspired against me. 
I filled out the 15 page application, collected all my data, passed it on to the powers that be to approve it and then life got in the way.  I had wanted to take it as close to my final exam as possible so all that STUFF I had crammed into my brain would still be fresh and available for recall instead of tucked in the dark recesses of my musty aging brain.
Finally the man called me and said he had another applicant ready to sit the exam, was I ready?

OH GOD NO was what I thought, but YES OF COURSE I AM was my answer.

I broke out my old flash cards rejigged my brain to recall a long list of small sauces, the wines and cheeses and charcuterie BY REGION for France and Italy.  Brushed up on my Asian ingredients and terms, read Harold and Shirley, Michael and Root.  When we ran errands on the weekends husband would ride shotgun and quiz me on my Servsafe sanitation and flashcards of Baking and Basics and Italian and French.
The week before Thanksgiving I headed over the library at CSCA and cracked the test open and wrote for 2 hours.
Tonight I got the call that I passed the exam.  I'll get my final numbers later, but I'm just so pleased it's OVER.
So as a reward I bought myelf this tonight....and I can't wait to play with it.
Now, will someone please kindly just buy me this book please so I can start the fun??

Thanks!

Thanksgiving around here

This is it fellow cooks, the day we salivate over and await all year.  The day to break out those recipes we've been dreaming of making.  A day to splurge on ingredients.  And often a day to have those famous and not so famous family recipes.

Every year my Grandmother (that's her up there with her dog Butch) would make far too much food.  There was the bird, mashed potatoes, mashed turnip, gravy, cranberry relish, oyster stuffing, creamed onions and on and on.  But the one thing we all waited for were her scalloped oysters.  1 pint of oysters with their liquor, 1 pint of half and half, 1 pint of crushed oyster crackers, 1 small onion, grated, 3/4 cup melted butter.  Stir it up, season with salt and pepper dump it in a shallow dish so there is a wide surface area so that crunchy bits can form bake at 375 for 25 - 35 mins. Serve with a side of Lipitor and enjoy.

Gran would try to serve that as a first course, this is after the appetizers mind you, and then all of those dishes you see mentioned above followed by 3 or 4 pies generally mincemeat, pecan and apple and sometimes Fairy Banquet Pudding, I'll have to show you that one sometime..A WWII recipe if there ever was one involving mini marshmallows.

Since Mom and I both love those oysters dearly we have learned over the years that it is far better to serve these around Thanksgiving instead of on the day so that they can be savored as dinner on their own. I had them last night, Mom is making them Friday night.

As for husband and I we have the 5-hour roast duck in the oven right now.  The original recipe is over here, this is our favourite, foolproof way to cook duck.  This time I filled the cavity with garlic confit, thyme, marjoram, rosemary and marjoram and the skin has been salted. 

I've settled in with the timer for my once an hour flip and it should be ready by 7:00.  There is a tray of yukon gold, cippoline onions and sweet potatoes ready to roast in duck fat and there are some green beans that husband topped and tailed that will get blanched and then cooked with loads of garlic until they are crispy.  I'll make a gravy for the duck and a pear and ginger crisp for dessert.

Simple, but they are all things we love.  We eat turkey all the time, turkey cutlets, turkey roulade, turkey tenderloins, so when husband requested duck I was all too happy to oblige.

The sky has that heavy steel grey snow feel, a fire is going to be lit in the living room and my annual tradition of watching the Grinch and then It's a Wonderful Life will make Thanksgiving complete. 

I hope that you are all similarly happy and healthy with good smells eminating from the kitchen and loved ones all round to help with those dishes.

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving?

The evil one

Husband and I headed over the Chestnut Hill mall today to buy a knife I wanted from Stoddard's and possibly to pick up an adapter so I can listen to my ipod at my desk at work.
As we approached the packed parking lots and the hovering people waiting for someone to vacate a spot I commented to husband that it was obvious that the economic downturn hadn't yet come to Newton.
We followed rock star and the professor with long hair and jeans as they waltzed down the middle of an aisle oblivious to the grill of my truck adjacent to their baggy asses and then swept into their newly vacated space.
We headed in to Stoddard's which was empty save for the salesperson and commented that the mall seemed to be heaving.
It would appear that the antichrist of cooking, abuser of acronyms and promoter of all things complete in 30 minutes was upstairs doing a signing of her new book and the queue was over OVER two hours.
Can anyone tell me who would wait in line OVER TWO HOURS to have Rachel Ray sign a cookbook for them???
Please people...tell me why.
Sadly, my knife also was out of stock, but the apple genius boy found me a cheap way to connect my ipod to the machine at work...so that was a bonus.  As Genius bar boy and husband exchanged witty repartee at the close of our transaction husband asked whether a Ray gun would be required to kill her.  Drum roll and groans inserted here.

Currently making Miso Duck Ramen Soup and Tori Kara Age and listening to Joni...Pass the Manhattan.

Rachel ray: Stock in a box??

I'd like to apologize in advance for the picture below. 

If your eyes start bleeding or the urge to scream NOOOOOOOO overtakes you, please seek medical attention immediately.

Yet another pure argument for Ruhlman's side that if you can't or don't make it yourself, USE WATER.

Oh people, how far have we sunk?

A day off??

It's a gorgeous October day in New England. Temps in the mid 70's, sunny with a light breeze the trees are beginning to change all around and I have the day off.  Did I spend it outside in the gorgeous fall air?  Did I head to the beach for a last walk on the sand and a simple end of summer fling with some fried clams and sand between my toes? Did I go to the local pumpkin patch for a sip of mulled cider and a peck of apples?

No, sorry, I didn't do any of those things. I was here, in the sun at my kitchen table with all the windows thrown open and my itunes on shuffle catching up on the three stacks of culinary reading that were threatening to break the back of my kitchen table.

There were several months of Saveur, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooks Illustrated, Gastronomica, the new Alinea cookbook, Food and Wine and a little tome about Korean food and I'm chock full of ideas.

What would you say to a class once a month in the evening with some wine and the latest recipes out of Gourmet as a cooking club?
Maybe you'd like a class that allowed you to decide the one or two things thing that you always wanted to make.  Each week we would tackle 1 or 2 of your recipe challenges and make them together.  Someone else would shop, set up, clean up the mess, and all you had to do was take home the spoils?
Or what about a cookbook club?  We could base the recipes for the month on a particular chef or cookbook and nail the most challenging ones together.
In the end you don't mess up your kitchen, you hang out with some friends, drink some wine, learn a new technique or two and take home the spoils in the end.

Or maybe, given our current economic situation we could base our cooking repertoire on frugal dining with style.  Can you shop and prepare a great meal for the same money the average food stamp recipient receives?
Are you looking to stretch your dollar further? Then maybe a class on how to cook based on Asian cultures with a small amount of protein stretched wisely with rices, grains, legumes and vegetables to make an meal that makes economic sense and nutritional sense is he ticket.

Anyway, you tell me what you'd like to see for a class, I'm up for any and all suggestions.

Right now I'm off to a pot of mussels with saffron, smoked paprika and sherry and the first episode of the American version of Life on Mars.  They had better not mess it up!