Chipotle Chocolate Chip Cookies
(one of my favorite recipes for a dark and smokey chocolate treat)

2 Cups AP Flour
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Chipotle Powder

(mix all dry together)

2 Sticks Butter softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

(cream butter and sugar then add remaining ingredients)

Add dry mixture to wet then add in chocolate chips

11.5 oz package chocolate chips

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes

Enjoy and watch the heat!

Chef Rick Ryan owns Doris and Dixie

My latest find in cookbooks is Judith Jones’ The Pleasure of Cooking for One.  I picked it up at Rabelais in Portland this past Wednesday on my food and art tour day there.  Rabelais is a must on my Portland excursions.  They have the best selection of food, wine, and cookbooks I’ve seen anywhere and the folks who own it couldn’t be nicer.  Contact Rabelais via their website, or you can order it from clicking the Amazon link to the left.

If you’ve seen the hit movie Julie and Julia, you probably already know who Judith Jones is.  She is often credited with discovering Julia Child being the first to recognize what a tremendous pioneer she was for the American culinary world.  She has also published a collection of memoirs/recipes called The Tenth Muse, which has just found its way onto my reading list.  She references a few of the recipes from The Tenth Muse in Cooking for One.

Since I usually cook for just Dan and I, this is refreshing book to read with scaled back portions and lots of thought put into making things easy and time effective.  She even gives advice about what sorts of pots and pans to use for the recipes which are smaller than those commonly found in kitchens.  There is also a sense of practicality that many cookbook authors today are too often unconcerned with.  This book is not about photography and flashy techniques.  It is about honest, simple, good food that is nourishing and uses readily obtainable ingredients.

Another great feature of the book is that it includes advice of what to do with leftovers.  Jones often suggests one or two options to spin out more meals by stretching out what’s not eaten on the day the meal is served and the cleanup done.  She advises that you save everything – chicken livers and gizzards, meat drippings, extra salad dressing, and even a few tablespoons of cooked spinach.  This is the way I do my weekly cooking, so it’s nice to have so more ideas to play with, of which there are many in this book.  It’s a Yankee mentality that I have learned to embrace living here in New England.

The writing is personal and she makes a point of not giving precise measurements.  She feels that cooking should be intuitive and a skill that must be cultivated and learned over time.  I like the way she talks about making bread in this respect.  Her point is that various flours absorb different amounts of water and the only way to tell if a dough has enough is to touch it yourself.  I understand that this point can be frustrating for a novice cook, but like most things worth doing in life, cooking good food takes lots of patience, practice, and experience.  You can tell from her descriptions that these recipes are all things she has cooked many many times and are dear to her heart.

I can’t recommend this book strongly enough to you.  If you cook for yourself or just you and a loved one, it is a must have in your library.  You’ll be inspired to create meals that you can take pride in, even on a Tuesday night.  As Jones writes, “Cooking is a comforting form of relaxation – something that is needed in our busy lives… I wouldn’t miss this pleasure for anything.”

I’m not a chef, but I’ve played one in a bar.

Here’s my recipe for red beans. I also have a recipe for a crazy cocktail featuring a home-made espresso infused bourbon.

Elizabeth

Red Beans and Rice

Oh, I know, people look down on the simple, homey food stuff these days. Everything has to be macerated this or “scented” that. Yeah, I get it. I do it at times when i’m feeling all hoity-toity and looking to impress some visiting dignitary. Usually, I just whip up something that I would like to eat.

Being Southern and having a little love affair with Blue Runner red beans, I sometimes crave red beans and rice. Recently, I decided to tweak my recipe and the result was tasty.

Here’s how it goes:

16 oz. Small Red Beans. One can choose to use canned or dry, in this instance, it’s more about the rest of the mix, not this part. 1/3 of them should be pureed.
2 Quarts chicken stock (I prefer homemade, but boxed works)
2 Bay Leaves
2 Oz Salt Pork thickly chopped or 1 Ham Hock
1 tsp Cumin
1tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp pepper
1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1/3 Cup of the following, very finely diced:
Celery
Green Bell Pepper
Onion
Sugar, but only in the event of a salty emergency (2 good tricks in the event something seems like a good idea at the time but, after melding of flavors, becomes an exercise in tastebud fortitude: something too salty can be modified with sugar and vice-versa, something that’s too spicy can be brought down a peg via the addition of potatoes, beware of the starch they’ll leach however)

Now, to the good stuff.

In a large (3+ Qt.) saute pan over low heat, add a few teaspoons (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) of extra virgin olive oil. Add the salt pork to the oil and allow it to cook until the pork becomes crisp and nicely browned. At this point, add the diced pepper, onion and celery to the mix. That’s called the “Holy Trinity” in Creole/Cajun cooking. Cook the mixture until the mixture basically melts down to a puddle of soon to be tasty, beanie goodness. At this point, add the bay leaves and garlic, cooking on low for 5 min. and then add the rest of the seasonings, withholding the vinegar. Add half of the stock and turn the heat up to medium-low. Add the beans and begin the slow process of cooking the beans down. This is the boring part, usually I grab a sip of bourbon while waiting. Allow the beans to simmer until it’s reduced by half and add the remaining stock to the mix. This is also the time to add the vinegar and remove the bay leaves. Simmer until the mixture has reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat and serve over rice with a side of andouille sausage and a bottle of your favorite hot sauce.

This will make enough to serve a group of 4-6, depending on individual appetites.

Geaux Saints!

Truffles are probably the single most sought-after and expensive vegetable in the culinary world.  Traditionally, attempts to cultivate them have borne good, but not great results, although I understand that farmers are getting better and better all the time.  There are many many varieties of this little fungus that grows under ground, but two are commonly used in haute cuisine: tuber melanosporum and tuber magnatum, or the black and the white truffle respectively.

Truffles historically have been widely regarded as aprhodisiacs.  The Greeks and Romans were truffle crazy in their hedonistic societies.  Brillat Savarin, the great 19th century French gastronome, relays a story of a virtuous maid succumbing to a suitor after dining on truffle stuffed pheasant.  No doubt today, the smell of truffle from across a dining room gets many a heart palpitating.  I must confess that it is torturous for me to serve them to people – we usually shave them right at the table where I work.  This never fails to make me feel dreadfully ravenous.

Lore, legend, and commonly held beliefs about truffles are that people who forage for them use pigs to locate them under several feet of soil.  They usually grow among the root systems of certain types of trees – different species of truffles like different types of trees.  European truffles prefer oaks, and North American ones often grow under fir trees.  The reason pigs like them is because the chemical compound that makes truffles smell so delicious is the same compound as one found in boar saliva.  This drives the lady pigs wild and makes them want to root up the truffles to get at that sexy boar smell.  I am not making this up!

The only problem with all of this is that pigs, like humans, also like to eat truffles.  Therefore modern truffle hunters have trained dogs to locate them just as effectively as the pigs, only the dogs don’t tend to eat the truffles.  Goats have also been used with some success.  New experiments are even being done with machines designed to detect them in ways I can’t understand.  The market demand for them is such that people are willing and able to invest significant amounts of money into finding new and more efficient ways of tracking these little love nuggets down.

What you should know about truffles on your Valentine’s Day date:
The summer version of the black truffle is actually a different species, although it is commonly referred to by the same name.  The inner flesh is pale in comparison to its winter counterpart, however.  These are less aromatic and usually significantly cheaper than the winter black truffle.  These are the kind that you can readily find canned or jarred in gourmet shops and sometimes more upscale supermarkets.  If your date springs for these you’ll know that he or she is at least very sophisticated, don’t feel obligated to go out again if you’re not into it.

Winter black truffles are a little more common in restaurants though expensive to offer regularly.  These are sometimes referred to as Perigord truffles, and as you might guess, the best ones are usually from Perigord in Southern France.  Huge black truffles can sell for as much as the white ones, but usually they are a bit less expensive.  These are OK for a first date, but you should at least kiss goodnight and make an anticipatory remark regarding your next date together if all goes well.

White truffles are the rarest and most prized for their aromas.  It is widely thought that the best ones come from around the town of Alba in Northern Italy, the height of the season usually taking place in late November through December.  If you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating them, you’ll know how wonderful and delicious they are.  They are also outrageously expensive and can sell for as much as $2000 a pound depending on the time of year.  It is possible but extremely rare that the season could last through February.  If so, don’t order them on your date unless you plan on putting out in the near future!

From a culinary perspective, truffles are a pretty exciting ingredient for a cook to use.  The probability of creating complex and interesting flavors is high if using the simple components of fat and heat.   Heat makes the volatile compounds that carry the truffles scent evaporate into the air so that you can smell them even better.  Truffle essence is also extremely soluble in fat making them ideal candidates for risotto and even incorporating them into cheese.  Grains and spirits will also take a truffle scent when stored together.  The possibilities are limitless for the imaginative cook.

One thing is for sure.  These little fungi are amazingly delicious.  In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, see if you can find a place to eat them, or even buy them at your local gourmet shop and prepare something special for your loved one.  They are delicious on scrambled eggs, stuffed into roast chicken, shaved onto buttered pasta, or sauteed with asparagus.  Give them a try if you haven’t had them before and your nose, mouth, and significant other will be happy you did.  Bon appétit and Happy Valentine’s Day!

There are so many recipes floating around the internet for macaroni and cheese these days.  It seems that this humble and classic dish is receiving more attention than average of late, and for good reason, in my opinion.  It’s delicious, filling, simple to make, and easy on your wallet.  I happened to have most of the ingredients lying around this week, so I figured, why not?  It’s so easy to warm up when I get home late from work and pretty much just involves adding a little shredded cheese to melt over the top and then letting it bake in the oven for a half hour at 350˚… et voila!  A meal fit for the most discriminating connoisseur.

For this variation, I used some of the most beautiful leeks I’ve seen in a while that I bought on my trip to the market.  It’s rare that I see ones with so much of the tender sweet white part that I couldn’t resist buying three of them.  I used some to make a sauté for my chicken dinner last night, some went into stock, and I still had leftover.  So, with the beautiful pasta that my mother sent me from Fresina’s back home, I came up with the idea for mac n’ cheese.  I love the sweetness of the leeks which is nicely balanced out by the nutty and herbaceous quality of the Gruyere.

Here’s the recipe:

Leek and Gruyere Mac n’ Cheese

2 cups cooked elbow pasta
1/2 cup leeks, carefully washed and roughly chopped
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup Gruyere, shredded for the sauce
1/8 cup Gruyere, shredded for the topping
Salt and pepper

1. Bring milk to a simmer in a sturdy sauce pan.  Add leeks, onions, bay leaf and allow them to steep for about twenty minutes, flavoring the milk.  Do not let the milk come to a boil.
2. In another sturdy sauce pan, melt butter and whisk in flour to form a roux.  When the roux stop bubbling it is ready to combine with the “flavored” milk.
3. Strain the milk into the pot with the roux, whisking carefully to incorporate evenly.  Bring the sauce to a low boil.
4. Melt the Gruyere into the sauce and taste for seasoning.  Correct with salt and pepper if necessary.
5. Pour over cooked pasta into a casserole dish so that the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.
6. Top with the 1/8 cup of Gruyere and bake in a 350˚ oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

For re-heating, you can prepare this recipe up to step 5 and keep it in the fridge like I did this week.  Just increase your baking time by five to ten minutes and you’ll get the same results if you’re cooking the mac starting at fridge temp.

With wine: I like the zip of bubbles with the leek and Gruyere flavor.  My standby is Segura Viudas Cava, the house wine of The Majestic.  If you’re looking for a white, try a Washington state Semillon.  L’Ecole 41 makes a fantastic one that I have been recently reminded of.  For reds, I would go right to a hearty, velvery Italian red made from Primitivo and Negroamoro.  I recently had one from Promessa that retailed for around $10 and was juicy and delicious with a light tannic backbone.  There was plenty of soft fruit to balance out the “oniony” flavor of this dish and enough body to stand up to its richness.

Bon appétit!

1lb slab bacon
1qt veal stock
1/2 cup maple syrup
1tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. start an appropriately sized pan on medium high heat. make sure it is large enough both to fit the bacon and allow the bacon to be covered with the stock.
2. when the pan begins to get warm lay the bacon in so the fattiest side is down. the fat will begin to render and as the pan heats it will start to caramelize.
3. when the fat side has browned nicely, flip the pork belly and caramelize the other side
4. when both sides are browned, add the veal stock, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla.
5. let this simmer uncovered on low heat checking frequently after an hour or so. if the liquid reduces too much add a little water and cover.
6. the pork will tighten up and then become very tender. before it starts falling apart remove from pan and chill overnight.
7. save the glaze, it might be the best part!
8. slice it thin and use it on EVERYTHING! or take the chefs route and warm up a big slab of pork belly and serve over lentils.

enjoy!

Driven by my success with the pork loin “a la diable” last week, I continued to experiment with Turmeric and it’s subtle floral notes and beautiful golden color.  As part of my weekly shopping and menu planning, I picked up some raw peel-and-eat shrimp for a good price.  They come with the shells on but veined.  I poached the shrimp and reduced the cooking liquid to get it ready for a sauce.  I held the shrimp in the poaching liquid to intensify the flavor overnight in the fridge. All I had to do tonight was make the sauce and cook the pasta. I gave the whole thing a little dash of spice with some Tabasco sauce and a tang with mustard in the “diable” style.  The results were delicious and we ate up every bite!

Shrimp Pasta a la Diable

1/2 pound shrimp in the shell
1 cup cooked angel hair pasta

for the court bouillon:
1 cup dry white vermouth
3 cups water
2 stalks celery roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
2 Parmesan rinds
6 peppercorns
1/4 cup salt
2 sprigs taragon
2 sprigs thyme

for the sauce:
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 to 2 teaspoons Tabasco
1/4 cup sliced scallions

1. Prepare a court bouillon by combining water, celery, onion, peppercorns, salt, parmesan rinds, thyme, tarragon, and vermouth in a sturdy sauce pan.  Bring the ingredients to a simmer and hold for about 20 minutes to maximize the flavors of the herbs and aromatics.
2. Add the shrimp in the shells and cook just until pink.  Remove the shrimp and peel, saving the shells.  Set the shrimp aside and add the peels back to the poaching liquid.  Reduce by half and reserve 1 cup of the poaching liquid for the sauce.
3. Heat EVOO in a large skillet until the oil shimmers.  Sear the shrimp until slightly browned and remove for later use.
4. Sauté shallots and garlic in the skillet until shallots are translucent but not brown over medium high heat, about 30 seconds.
5. Add butter and flour to the pan and whisk together to make a roux.
6. Add 1 cup poaching liquid to the pan and bring to a boil.  Add cream, turmeric, mustard, and parsley, and Tabasco to taste.  Simmer the sauce until it has thickened to the desired consistency. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. 
7. Toss the cooked pasta in the resulting sauce and plate on warmed pasta bowls.
8. Place the seared shrimp on top.  They will be heated by the pasta and sauce.
9. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve immediately.

With Wine:  Try and dry full bodied white like and Alsace Pinot Blanc, or a Vermentino from Sardinia.  The red apple flavors will balance out the subtle spiciness of the sauce and the weight of the wine will hold up to the cream sauce.  For a red, try a Grenache based Southern Rhone like a Gigondas, Pinot Noir from New Zealand, or a Cru Beaujolais for a similar effect.

Bon appétit!

I was in the mood for pizza last night, but I didn’t want the usual take out that always leave me with heartburn.  I think the acid in all of that tomato sauce plus the cheese they use does a double whammy on my tummy.  Though delicious, my resolve to avoid fast food steered me away from the commercial route.  My work week is also gearing up today, so I wanted to have some things in the fridge that I could go to during when I get home to warm up.  As usual I ventured up a few blocks to my local market and picked up some things to cook.

I was inspired by some nice looking Portabella mushrooms and prosciutto, so I picked up some frozen pizza dough and decided to have a go at it.  The results were pretty tasty.  I put a lot of love into the mushrooms and used Gruyere cheese instead of the usual Italian mix.  There was no sauce per se, but I rubbed the dough with olive oil for flavor and so it would crisp up nicely in the oven.  I put the prosciutto on last because I don’t really like the way it tastes when it’s cooked and it sorts of melts over the hot flatbread anyway.  You could also easily make this vegetarian by omitting the prosciutto altogether and it would be delicious.  Portabellas have such a rich flavor that they are quite satisfying on their own even for a meat eater.  Here’s the recipe:

Mushroom Flatbreads with Prosciutto

1 bag of frozen pizza dough
1 pound Portabella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup white vermouth
1 tablespoon picked fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450˚.
2. Grease a sheet pan with olive oil and work the pizza dough into two balls and roll them out flat on the sheet pan.  Flour your hands before so the dough doesn’t stick to you or the sheet pan.  Toss a little salt on them for good measure.
3. Sauté mushrooms over medium high heat with olive oil in a large heavy skillet.  Work in small batches so as not to crowd the pan so the mushrooms will brown instead of steam.  Salt as you go to help eliminate water.
4. Add the onion toward the end and toss until translucent.
5. Add the herbs and vermouth and cook until the wine is completely absorbed by the mushrooms.
6. Spread a layer of Gruyere on each flatbread.
7. Spoon the mushroom sauté out evenly onto the flatbread and top with another layer of Gruyere.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes depending on how well you like your crust done.
9. Garnish with ribbons of Prosciutto and a little more chopped parsley and black pepper.

With Wine: I drank Arona Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  It’s grassy citrus notes complimented the rich earthy flavors of the mushrooms well, and the saltiness of the prosciutto brought out the lovely tropical fruit and grapefruit flavors of the wine.  It should retail for around $10 at your local shop.  If you’re in the mood for a red, try a Chianti Colli Senesi or a young Rioja.  Either would be delicious.

Bon appétit!

We serendipitously stumbled on Lüke today at the end of our little afternoon excursion to New Orleans.  It’s John Besh’s little gem of a brasserie located withing walking distance of the French Quarter and on the St. Charles street car line.  We discovered on our walk up to Herbsaint only to find that it was closed on Sunday.  It was our second restaurant strike out of the day after Central Grocery.  Thank goodness Lüke saved the day for us.  Actually, it turned out to be the culinary highlight of our afternoon.

Once inside Lüke, I felt like I had been transported back in time forty or fifty years.  The pressed tin ceiling and black-and-white hexagonal tiled floors felt like old New Orleans, and the place seemed to favor locals.  It was quiet when we arrived around 5:15, but was beginning to fill up just as we left.  It was refreshing since we had just ventured out of the Quarter, a very touristy and crowded part of New Orleans.  We weren’t even all that hungry after our late lunch of Muffalettas and bubbles, but I couldn’t resist the charcuterie plate when I spied it on the menu.  I have a hard time turning down any sort of cured meat delights!

I was overjoyed when the charcuterie arrived that we had opted to order a little food to snack on.  It included a rabbit and duck rillette, truffled foie gras mousse, hog’s head cheese, paté de campagne, venison sausage, fennel marmelade, anise flavored pickled watermelon, and of course, mustard, cornichons, and toast.  Chris and I were both really impressed with the sampler and it was amazing how quickly our appetites returned once we started tasting the delicious bounty that was set before us.  It was a wonderful statement on how great classic charcuterie can be when made well and everything on the plate was a home run for me.

Chris and I also sampled some whiskeys from their extensive list.  Chris had an Eagle Rare Bourbon, a favorite for both of us.  I ordered a Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye, one I’d never heard of.  Turns out it’s a release from Buffalo Trace, which produces some really great Bourbon.  It was intensely spicy and had a long finish, but it was also nicely balanced out by caramel sweetness from prolonged oak aging.  I loved sipping it, and it went great with the bold flavors of the charcuterie.  I’m not sure that it has made it up to Boston yet.

The ladies, Mom and Melissa, both opted for dessert instead since we didn’t have any at lunch.  Mom’s Gateaux de Basque was a delicious dense pound cake topped with fresh Louisiana strawberries and creme fraiche.  Mellisa chose a spectacular bread pudding with candied pecans and caramel topped with vanilla ice cream.  I loved that neither dessert was cloyingly sweet.  They were a fitting follow up to the magnificent savory flavors of the charcturie that we had just finished.

What a great spot!  I can’t wait to return to Lüke and will keep it in mind for my next trip to NOLA.  I’m eager to try more from them when I have a better appetite.  It would be a great spot to stop for lunch before starting a day of sight-seeing downtown.  Wonderful food, service, and atmosphere to be had all around.

King Cake is a staple of Louisiana Mardi Gras culinary fare that we look forward to every year.  They are made from a basic yeast dough and rolled up and filled with anything from cinnamon to lemon cream.  My favorites are usually filled with cream cheese.  There is always stiff competition among bakeries competing for the best king cake every season.

The tradition behind king cake involves burying a small coin of plastic baby inside the cake.  Whoever discovers the surprise is obligated to bring the next king cake.  They are enjoyed starting after apiphany and up until Fat Tuesday signaling the end of Mardi Gras season and the beginning of Lent.

This morning, we woke up to a sliced king cake set out on the table from LeBlanc’s Grocery here in Zacharay, Louisiana.  My mom got it for us to have for breakfast.  It was festively decorated with purple, gold, and green icing and filled with chocolate cream.  It was delicious and I ate four pieces!  It was a nice welcome home and a delicious way to start the day.

Emeril Lagasse’s King Cake Recipe: from Foodnetwork.com

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
4 to 5 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees)
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup finely chopped candied citron
1 pecan half, uncooked dried bean or King Cake Baby

Glaze:
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Purple, green and gold sugar crystals
Directions

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Combine the warm water, yeast and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside to a warm place for about 10 minutes. Combine the 4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg, lemon rind and add warm milk, melted butter, egg yolks and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place the dough in a well-greased bowl. Turn once so greased surface is on top.

Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours). Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with the citron and knead until the citron is evenly distributed. Shape the dough into a cylinder, about 30 inches long. Place the cylinder on a buttered baking sheet. Shape into a ring, pinching ends together to seal. Place a well-greased 2-pound coffee can or shortening can in the center of the ring to maintain shape during baking. Press the King Cake Baby, pecan half or dried bean into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Cover the ring with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the coffee can immediately. Allow the cake to cool. For the glaze: Combine the ingredients and beat until smooth. To assemble, drizzle cake with the glaze. Sprinkle with sugar crystals, alternating colors. Cut into the cake and hope you do not get the baby.