Apple Flower

Pastry dough

1 ½ cups flour

1/2 t salt

2 T  sugar

6 T unsalted butter cut into ½-inch dice

2 T Crisco

3 – 4 T ice water

Make pastry dough. Place flour, salt and sugar in food processor bowl.  Pulse to mix.  Place butter and Crisco around bowl and pulse until mixture resembles coarse corn meal.  Sprinkle 3 T ice water around bowl.  Pulse briefly.  If mixture has not begun to come together add 1 more T ice water. Mix again until dough will stick together.  Stop processor. Take out mixture and pat into a round disk on top of a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap around disk and refrigerate for at least ½ hour.

Roll out to a 12-inch round.  Place in a 9-inch pie tin.  Crimp edge.  Place aluminum foil and pie weights in shell and prebake 12 minutes at 400 degrees.    Take shell out of oven and remove pie weights and aluminum foil.  Prick shell with a fork to prevent the bottom from rising and return to oven.  Bake until dry, about 5 minutes.  Cool.

Apple filling

5 large yellow delicious apples

juice of ½ lemon, divided

1 cup sugar, divided

4 T apricot preserves

2 T butter cut into ½-inch cubes

Peel and core apples with a round corer.  Slice apples in half vertically. Slice apple halves thinly into half moon shapes.  Sprinkle apples with lemon juice and sugar as you work.  Chop end pieces and one whole apple into a dice.  Mix dice with 1 t lemon juice, 1 T sugar and 4 T apricot preserves.  Spread this mixture in bottom of pie shell, but leave excess juice behind.

Arrange apple slices on top of mixture starting at the outside edge, overlapping them.  For the center, peel and roll up a 10-inch long and 1 1/2 –inch wide strip of apple cut from around the circumference of an apple.  Dot top with butter and sprinkle with 1 T sugar.

Bake in the center of oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes or until edges of apples are browned and juices are bubbling up.

Quotation of the Day

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four.  Unless there are three other people.

Orson Welles

Arctic Char: Luscious Weeknight Supper

Arctic Char, Roasted Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli

Tonight’s dinner was just so satisfying, delicious and prepared in such a flash that I had to put it up on my blog.  Arctic char fillets have become one of my favorite fish entrees.  They are mild, flaky, brown nicely and don’t fall apart when you flip them over. Since I was short on time,  I made them the simplest way possible browning them on both sides in a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet.  I first pulled out the pin bones with my trusty needle nose pliers and salted and peppered them.  I figure roughly 6 ounces per person.  My husband made some tartar sauce (mayonnaise, chopped pickle and chopped shallot) while I cooked, but just lemon wedges would suffice.  I served oven roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and steamed broccoli alongside.

My method of roasting the potatoes is to cut them into wedges unpeeled and toss them with enough olive oil  to coat them evenly in a large glass measuring bowl.  Add salt and pepper  (and rosemary, if you like) and toss them more.  Then just spill them out on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Quotation of the Day

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be engaged in lightly.  M.F.K. Fisher

Macaroni and Cheese revisited

Macaroni and cheese you say?  How tres ordinaire.  But there is a crisp chill in the air and I don’t know about you, but I say comfort food is my plat du jour.  Yes, I know that you can no doubt find a recipe for macaroni and cheese on the back of a pasta box, but as with all food favorites, there is a palatable version and there is an ethereal version.  The best macaroni and cheese I have tasted is the Croton-on-Hudson, NY  Umami  Cafe’s award-winning white truffle oil laced dish and, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,  the restaurant Zee’s creamy version.

I have put together the best features of both and added, what I think is the crowning feature, an abundant crusty topping of buttery fresh breadcrumbs.

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups coarse crumbs from good quality bread, crusts removed

5 T butter (divided)

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely minced

3 T all-purpose flour

1/8 t smoked sweet paprika

2 t Dijon mustard

1 quart whole milk

½ t freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. elbow macaroni or corkscrew pasta

4 cups cheese, grated   (combination of sharp cheddar, gruyere and colby)

½ cup finely grated Parmegiano reggiano

(white truffle oil optional)

Lightly sauté the breadcrumbs in 2 T butter and set aside.  Sauté shallots and garlic in 3 T butter in a 4-quart saucepan just until translucent.  Add flour and stir over medium heat for two minutes.  Add smoked sweet paprika and mustard.  Slowly add and stir in milk. Add pepper. Grate cheese on grating disk of food processor or large holes of box grater.

Cook macaroni 2 minutes less than package directions instruct.  Set aside ½ cup of cheese mixture for topping. While macaroni is cooking, add remainder of cheese to milk mixture a little at a time, stirring constantly.  Taste for salt.  You may not need any as the cheese is salty. Stir well-drained macaroni into cheese mixture and pour into an oven-proof casserole dish.  Sprinkle reserved cheese over macaroni and then the breadcrumbs.  Bake covered in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes until there is a light crust on top. Guests can sprinkle a few drops of white truffle oil on top if they like.

Hampton Holiday

Corey Creek Winery

Halloween is here

Finally returning to my blog after a lovely trip to the Hamptons, Long Island, NY where my son Chris’ girlfriend Diana invited my daughter Patricia and her boyfriend Walker and my husband Michael and me to her Easthampton home. The weather was beautiful, raining only one day and Sunday, October 4 was so warm, bright and sunny that a number of swimmers enjoyed the ocean waters.  Let me share some of the photos I took and  a few of the terrific dishes Chris and Diana made for us.

Beer Batter Bread

Beer batter bread slices

3 cups bread flour

1 t baking soda

3 T dried rosemary, crumbled

3 T dark brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 bottle room temperature beer

½ cup melted butter

Mix dry ingredients.  Add beer all at once.  Mix.  Batter will be lumpy.  Put half of butter in a 9-inch cake pan with 2 inch sides.  Add batter.  Put the balance of the butter on top of mixture.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (For a crunchy top, sprinkle on one T raw sugar before baking.)

Diana's beer batter bread

Braised Short Ribs

4 lbs. meaty short ribs

2 T olive oil

flour as needed

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

8 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 scant t thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups dry red wine

4 cups beef stock

Beurre marnier made with 3 T butter and 3 T flour

½ cup dry sherry

Brown short ribs on all sides in olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven.  Remove ribs.  In the same Dutch oven, make a dark roux by adding the same amount of flour as you have fat in the pot.  Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour in wine and beef stock.  Bring to a summer and return ribs to pot.  Simmer for 2 hours or longer.  Thicken sauce as desired with beurre marnier.  Add sherry and simmer for one minute longer.  Serve sauce over ribs.

Beet and Goat Cheese Napoleon

8 medium size beets

1 small bunch basil

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 T white wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic

1 t salt

¼ t freshly ground pepper

8 oz. goat cheese

Heavy cream as needed

Roast 8 medium size beets in a 350 degree oven until they can be easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes).  Rub off the skins with your fingers and cut them into ¼ inch slices.  In a blender combine basil, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  Mix goat cheese with heavy cream until spreadable. Spread goat cheese between three slices of beets and top with one tablespoon basil oil.  Serve as an appetizer.

Chris' braised short ribs

Chris' beet, goat cheese and basil Napoleons

Chris' pumpkin in the light

Chris' pumpkin in the dark

Indian corn

'Lunch' lobster roll restaurant

Pumpkins at farmers market

House resident Pete the praying mantis

This is a quiz. Guess what's pictured here. A few photos above provide a clue.

Quotation of the Day

Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn. -~Garrison Keillor

An Indian Feast: Inspirations and Delectables

Madhur Jaffrey

True, Indian cooking can take a bit of time and call for special ingredients, but it’s all worth it in my opinion.  If you don’t already have Indian ingredients in your pantry, now is a good time to experiment.  (Ingredient sources at the end.)

While I was on a list for two years waiting to study with James Beard, I  noticed that his 12 th Street townhouse was the venue for a number ot other cooking classes offered by such venerable  master teachers and cookbook writers as Madhur Jaffrey.  In my interview with Karl Jerome which he conducted with Beard student wannabes, he had recommended that I might like to take her class while I was waiting.  I knew very little about Indan cooking except that I loved it and here was my opportunity to study with the best.  Karl was right on target in touting her virtues.

There was the petite Ms. Jaffrey wearing a gold-threaded sari welcoming a dozen students in her lilting syncopated Indian voice.  What wonderful dishes we made—lamb vindaloo, moong dal, cauliflower with ginger and Chinese parsley, the puffed pooris, chutnies and mulligatawny soup, to mention just a few.  Each has a story. Mulligatawny soup, for example, rich with spices, was so loved by the British colonialists that when they departed India, they requests containers of those spices to take back to England.  Then, of course, we made our own garam masala, the combination of heady roasted and ground spices used to season many dishes.  There are a number of garam masala combinations and all of them so much more fresh and aromatic when you make your own.

I think what I took from her classes more than anything was the importance of selecting, roasting and grinding one’s own spices, skills applicable to every cuisine.  The difference it makes to a dish in freshness and piquancy is unmistakable

I soon learned that Ms. Jaffrey is a famous Indian actress as well as the author of more than 15 books on Asian cookery. The following recipes are adaptations drawn from her teaching.

Fried Eggplants

These crispy eggplant slices make a great side dish or appetizer.

4 small oval eggplants about 4 inches long

4 T peanut oil

8 whole fenugreek seeds

½ t whole fennel seeds

¼ t whole cumin seeds

½ t black onion seeds (kalonji)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 T fresh lemon juice

Rinse and dry eggplants and slice lengthwise into flat ¼ -inch slices. Don’t peel. Place peanut oil in a skillet heated to medium. Put fenugreek, fennel, cumin and onion seeds in skillet.  Fry about 10 seconds.  When they begin to change color or pop, put in the sliced eggplant, only as many as the skillet will hold in one layer.  Fry in batches on both sides to a golden brown.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt, black pepper, cayenne and lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

Kheema with Crispy Onion Garnish

Kheema sauteing

kheema with crispy onion garnish

1 medium onion cut into very thin slices

4 T peanut oil

2 bay leaves

4 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 piece fresh ginger, about a 1-inch cube, peeled and finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1T ground coriander

1 t ground turmeric

1 T ground cumin

2 T plain yoghurt

2 T tomato sauce*

2 lbs. ground lamb**

¼ t ground mace

¼ t ground nutmeg

1 t salt

¼ t cayenne

Cut onion rings in half and separate.  Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and fry until they are dark brown but not burned, about 8 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve.

Put bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon in skillet.  When the bay leaves start to darken, add the finely chopped onions, ginger and garlic.  Fry and stir for about 10 minutes until the onions darken to a golden brown.  Lower flame and add the coriander, turmeric and cumin.  Continue to fry and stir for 2 minutes.  Add yoghurt and fry for another minute. Add tomato sauce and continue frying another 3 minutes.

Add the ground lamb.  Fry and break up any lumps until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Finally, add the mace, nutmeg, salt, cayenne and ½ cup water.  Stir, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour. Stir from time to time.  Remove cinnamon,  place in serving dish and scatter browned onions on top.  Serves 4-6

*Can be made from tomato paste in a tube and water.

**Can also be made with ground chuck.