I've just returned from five days of visiting family in and around the very hot Sacramento Valley. While I re-size and organize my photos, water the garden, prune the berry canes and catch up with weeding, I give you this image of the divinely delicious green gazpacho that my brother-in-law, Kees, made for us. This recipe appeared in last Wednesday's (July 12th) New York Times Food Section. Unfortunately, I can no longer access the recipe on line and am hoping that Kees will see this post and send it to me. More photos and travel commentary to follow...
We're leaving tonight for another five days on the road and I won't be cooking or blogging during that time so I thought I'd leave you with a photo of the "gray beasties", who will be "taking care" of the house while I'm gone - in their own special way... During my absense, go over to Eatstuff, where Clare holds court on Weekend Cat Blogging, as cute a round-up as you'll ever see. And check out Sher's What Did You Eat? blog where I'm sure will soon be another photo of and philosophical comment by Upsie.
My "girls" are littermate sisters, 14 months old, named Sybil (white snip on nose) and Lillith. A year ago May, I went to our local Safeway and never made it into the store. Waylaid by two children, sitting outside the store next to a box of kittens, who told me their uncle said they couldn't come home until all the kittens were given away. These two were the last females left and I couldn't resist. Now they rule the house and completely charm us everyday with their antics. This photo was taken as they were looking longingly at the great outdoors through a window. It's the only way I could get them to hold still for the camera.
But it just as easily could have been the balsamic-blood orange reduction sauce, into which we dipped grilled figs, cantaloupe and garden grown cucumbers, or the fantastic mango, tomato, fresh mozzarella and basil salad drizzled with a blood orange vinaigrette.
As they have for the past few years, my sister and brother-in-law came over from Chico this last weekend, to attend the Blues by the Bay Festival in Eureka and spend long leisurely hours with us so we could catch up with one another. This is a real treat for all of us; Cynthia and Mark get out of the Sacramento Valley heat and we all get to enjoy great blues at our small-but-mighty festival. The Festival runs both Saturday and Sunday. One evening we'll dine out and for the other we'll cook at home. Our culinary preparations of last night are the subject of this post. We ate ever so well and it was such fun cooking with my sister! The steelhead (see note below) came to us courtesy of our dear friend Norm, who goes fishing on the Klamath River each fall with a group of very fun "fisher-guys", to quote my son Jeffrey's childhood vernacular. Norm and his buddies stop at our house for breakfast on their way back down to the Bay Area and he leaves us with a gift of steelhead, just out of the water. I've been holding it in the freezer for a special occasion, such as the one this weekend provided. The fish plate is made by a friend and local potter, Marty Schwartz. It's a high-fired piece that can withstand oven roasting temperatures, then goes to the table for a visual treat.
Steelhead with herbes de Provence and fresh basil Ingredients: 2 boned steelhead fillets (if you're lucky enough to have a handy fisher-guy around) 1 1/2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence A few pinches kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes 8 large fresh basil leaves, stemmed and left whole Olive oil for the baking plate or roasting pan
Preparation: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub a thin film of olive oil on the plate or roasting pan, large enough to hold both fillets. Wipe fillets clean and place in pan, skin sides down. Sprinkle the Herbes de Provence over both fillets on the skinless side only, pat lightly to adhere. Lightly sprinkle each fillet with kosher salt and a few grinds of good black pepper (my favorite is Tellicherry). Sprinkle the cubed butter over the fillets and lay the basil leaves over the top, pressing down lightly. Bake in oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until flakey but moist when stuck with a fork. (If you can't get your hands on steelhead, rainbow trout would be a good substitution. It would be best to have your fish monger remove the bones for you to make eating it more pleasurable and less work.)
Blood Orange Vinaigrette Ingredients: juice from 2 blood oranges, about 1/3 cup champagne vinegar to bring the liquids to 1/2 cup 1 teaspoon sugar Very small pinch kosher salt A few grinds good black pepper 2 teaspoons red raspberry vinegar, such as Kozlowski Farms , my favorite (optional) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preparation: Pour the blood orange juice into a glass measuring cup. It should measure 1/3 cup. Pour enough champagne vinegar into the measuring cup to make 1/2 cup total liquid. Add the sugar, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. At this point I added the raspberry vinegar to soften the taste just a bit. (You may or may not need to do this, but having red raspberry vinegar in your pantry is not a bad thing at all.) Whisk in the olive oil but do not try to emulsify. This should remain in a "broken" state, in that the vinegars and oil will separate. Whisk again just before drizzling over the salad.
Mango, Cherry Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Fresh Basil Ingredients: 2 ripe mangos (organically grown if you can get them) 1 basket organic cherry tomatoes 1 carton small, fresh mozzarella balls (about 16 balls) 4 large leaves fresh, organic basil
Preparation: Peel and slice mangos from pit. Cut cherry tomatoes in half from stem to bottom. Arrange on a platter with the mozzarella down the middle. This can be refrigerated for about 1/2 hour at this point. Just before serving, stack the basil leaves one atop the other then roll up together, beginning along the length of the leaves, cigar-style. With a sharp knife, slice the rolled up basil cross-wise into thin strips, starting at the leaf-tip ends. Sprinkle the basil strips over the salad ingredients and drizzle with the blood orange vinaigrette.
As I was prepping the blood orange vinaigrette, my sister sliced some of the left over orange rinds into thin strips, then covered them with about 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar. I think we were both having the same thought when one of us suggested making a reduction sauce out of it. We weren't sure if it would be a better accompaniment to the fish or the figs, but the idea sounded wonderful and it turned out beautifully. Delicious as it was, per Cynthia's suggestion, the next time I make it I'll include a small amount of blood orange juice with the balsamic.
Balsamic Vinegar and Blood Orange Reduction SauceCut thin strips from one of the juiced blood orange rinds and place in a small, heavy saucepan. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar over the top, stir to blend and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer gently until the sauce is reduced by 1/2. Be careful to not let this burn as it will turn bitter. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.
Here's the most artfully composed pile of compost scraps I've ever seen, courtesy of sister Cynthia. A note about steelhead: While closely related to salmon, they are actually ocean-going rainbow trout. To read about them, click here and here. Lastly, but in no way least (ly), with the use of both herbes de Provence and the fresh basil, I submit both the roasted steelhead and the mango, tomato, mozzarella recipes to Weekend Herb Blogging over at Kalyn's Kitchen, one of my favorite food bloggers.
Because the KitchenAid performed better than I thought it would in comparison to my new Sunbeam. And now I'm embarrassed that I dissed it so badly. After putting my new Sunbeam mixer through the hoops of creaming butter and sugar to a fluffy, pale yellow state of cloud-light readiness (cookies anyone?), which it did admirably, I then pitted it against my mighty KitchenAid Artisan Mixer to show you the superiority of the Sunbeam's butter-creaming ability. During which, in the name of full disclosure, I took photos. Here are the results:
The butter on the left plate was processed in the KitchenAid Artisan Mixer, the one on the right, in the Sunbeam Stand Mixer. After being so sure (and with an admittedly cocky attitude) that Sunny-Boy would prevail, I have to admit that the Hunk (that's the KitchenAid) actually turned out a lighter, fluffier and whiter creamed butter - by just a smidge. I still had to work harder to get the Hunk's superior results. Just as I stated yesterday, I had to stop the machine, lower the bowl and scrape the contents up from the bottom of the bowl to get them to incorporate into the whole - numerous times. This is probably what had colored my overall dissatisfaction with the Hunk in the past. Sunny-Boy, however, did all the work by itself even though it took about one and 1/2 minutes longer to achieve results.
And I'm beginning to feel and sound like a Cooks Illustrated article, so I'm going to end this quickly. Suffice it to say, instead of throwing the KitchenAid across the kitchen, as if I could, it and my new Sunbeam will live happily side by side, doing the jobs for which they are best suited. And I will never dis the Hunk again.
Be honest. There've been times when you've gotten a bit testy when using your professional stand mixer, right? When you wanted to cream butter and sugar and have it be as light and fluffy as it used to be when you used a plain ol' everyday mixer? When you wanted to scrape down the ingredients without either losing a finger or having to stop the machine, lower the bowl, scrape in the small space allowed (being sure to get the stuff off the bottom of the bowl that never seems to get incorporated no matter how many times you adjust the machine), raise the bowl, turn the machine back on and 1 minute later repeat the process? Doesn't it make you just a tiny bit ticked-off? As in, if it weren't so heavy, it could get heaved across the kitchen?
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't like my professional stand mixer. It's just that it's such a pain in the neck to use for those simple techniques like whipping cream, frothing egg whites, creaming butter with sugar, and mixing ingredients for, say, a cake instead of four loaves of bread.
If you understand what I'm getting at, then you'll understand why I'm so excited today. My new Sunbeam Mixer just arrived. That's right, a Sunbeam. You know, the one your mother (and grandmother) used to have. Only this one is bigger and stronger (450 watts) with more beaters and two mixing bowls. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you say, why is this so exciting? Because I'll actually be able to properly cream butter and sugar. And I'll be able to scrape the sides of the bowl while the mixer is running without fear of the skin on my knuckles being shredded. And I'll be able to lift the beaters and extract the bowl without going through more than those two simple steps. And I'll be able to lift it from its appliance "garage" without spraining my wrists.
Want more? I'll be able to add wet ingredients without having them splash all over my kitchen. And the beaters will get to all the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl without me having to stop the damn machine and incorporate that bottom layer (by hand) into the rest of the mix every two and 1/2 seconds. OK, I know I'm exaggerating here, but, and be honest, when you want to mix simple things, don't you reach for the hand mixer instead of the "big guy"? Sure, it'll turn out bread dough like nobody's business, but for finer mixing that begins with the creaming of butter and sugar, give me a Sunbeam.
My ex-mother-in-law gave me this little early 1950s cutie many, many, oh so many years ago. It worked like a champ until a few years ago when the motor started overheating. And because I treasure it's sweet nature and old fashioned demeanor, I lovingly placed the little Sunbeam in the cupboard to live out its days and bought a big KitchenAid stand mixer.
Right from the start the "big guy" and I didn't get along very well. Mostly for the reasons stated above. But I persevered, thinking I was just experiencing a steep learning curve. It was when I realized that I reached for my hand mixer more often than not, that I started thinking the relationship with the big guy just wasn't working.
At first I thought it might be that particular stand mixer, so I went out and bought another one, brought it home and set it up to cream butter to a pale yellow, cloud-light consistency. This had become my litmus test. I was anxious. I was excited. And it failed. Disgusted, I returned it to the store. And, except for my little hand mixer, I went without a trusty Sunbeam. Until today.
Now this glorious creature is sitting on my counter. Will it be all the things my 50s mixer was? And more? Already it lifts its head sweetly and locks into place with a barely audible "click". The simple touch of a button unlocks it easily. Lifting it is a breeze. And there it sits, waiting to take THE TEST. Tune in tomorrow to see if it passes.
Wishing you all a happy and safe 4th of July. We're having Beach Night tonight instead of the usual Wednesday and I've got to get into the kitchen to cook. Photos to be posted later.
Here's a food blogging dilemma I recently experienced. Two weeks ago I decided I wanted to cook up a dish using edamame. I'd even thought up the main ingredients I would use. Besides edamame, I would add grilled corn, red bell peppers and sweet onion, for starters, plus something warm to give it some zing.
One week ago while shopping, I spied a bag of frozen, organic shelled edamame. Ah ha! said I and tossed it into my cart. Knowing I was going to make this for a block party we hosted last night, I noodled on the recipe and ingredients as the days passed. I even told Clay about it.
Three days ago, I was straightening up the kitchen table (where the new arrivals of my cooking mag subscriptions sit until I read them) and saw that I hadn't read the July issue of Fine Cooking yet. Eschewing tidying up for a (long) moment, I promptly made a cup of coffee, sat down and thumbed through it. Imagine my surprise when, on page 72, I spied MY recipe for an edamame saute.
Now, I say this is a dilemma because I'd planned to post this as my very own, original recipe. I thought it up, right? But now that I know it's not only not original, it's in Fine Cooking, how can I claim it to be mine? Evidently I can't. Not exclusively anyway. You're just going to have to believe that I came up with it on a separate but parallel wave-length - which I firmly believe happens to cooks, chefs, food bloggers, etc., more often than you might guess.
This is a low fat, heart-healthy combination of fresh veggies and comes to you from the collective conciousness of me, Fine Cooking and fine cooks everywhere who've had similar experiences. Add a piece of lightly marinated, grilled salmon and you'll have a well rounded, delicious dinner.
Edamame Vegetable Sauté Ingredients: 1 tablespoon good olive oil 1 teaspoon butter 1 10-ounce bag frozen, shelled edamame (about 1 1/2 cups) 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced small 1 red bell pepper, diced small 1 ear fresh white corn, kernels cut from ear 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped fine 1/8 teaspoon (more or less, depending on your tolerance) cayenne 1 small fresh tomato, cut into medium dice Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste White wine vinegar (optional)
Preparation: Place olive oil and butter in a pan over medium high heat. When butter has melted, add the edamame and stir to coat. Add the onion, stir and saute about 5 minutes. Lower the heat if the veggies start to brown. When the edamame are tender-crisp, add the bell pepper and corn and saute another 4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. The edamame will stay somewhat firm to the bite. Stir in the oregano and cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. I stirred in about a teaspoon of champagne vinegar to give the flavors a boost. I think you could do the same with lemon juice, but start out with very small amounts and adjust to taste. Gently fold in the diced tomatoes just before serving. They will have a fresh cooling effect on the cayenne.
Oh, and next time I'll take a well-deserved tip from Fine Cooking and use fresh jalapeno pepper instead of cayenne. Finely diced.
