Chilly Morning, Hot Cereal

It was 27 degrees this morning when I took the dog for a walk.  For some of you, you'll scoff at my calling that cold, but here in the south that is cold.  It was wonderful to come home to some hot cereal that my husband put on to cook last night.  This is super easy if you have all the right ingredients and a small crockpot.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Quinoa
• 2 Tablespoons Bulgar Wheat
• Take a 1 cup measure, put in 4 Tablespoons 10 grain hot cereal mix, fill the rest of the cup with Quaker Oats (not the quick cooking variety)
• 2 1/4 cups water

Optional toppings to accompany -

• Assorted dried fruit or nuts
• Brown sugar or another sweetener
• Milk
• Dash ground cinnamon or allspice

Preparation

Mix all grains and water together in a small crockpot (one that has a 4" or 5" diameter).  Cook for ~3 hours. You'll have to play with the timing to determine how your particular crockpot heats. Some may cook the cereal faster than others. You can also put in different grains such as triticale, red quinoa, barley, etc. If you want to make it the night before, put the crockpot on an electrical timer (like the one you use to turn your lights on/off while on vacation) that will come on about 3 hours before you want to eat it.

Toss whatever dried fruit and/or nuts on top and add sugar to taste. If you like, add milk and/or sprinkle ground cinnamon or allspice over the top before serving.

To clean your crockpot, soak it in cold water until the stuck-on cereal lifts right off.  Then clean with warm soapy water.

Easy Fish and Veg

Ever have the need for a dinner that is healthy and not difficult to put together?  How about roasted vegetables and fish with lemon and herbs in parchment?  For the vegetables take whatever you have (potatoes, onions, zucchini...) and a 13x9 dish with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom.  Chop vegetables in 1" or less sized pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 degrees, stir every 1/2 hour until cooked as you like.

For the fish, place on a large piece of parchment - enough to completely enclose and seal.  I like a hearty white fish like cod or halibut for this, but salmon works just as well.  Season the fish with sea salt, a little olive oil and a little white wine or vermouth.  Cover fish with some fresh herbs (e.g, tarragon, italian parsley, or thyme) and slices of lemon - meyer lemon is great as it's sweeter than regular lemon.  Enclose the fish in the parchment and seal. Place on a baking sheet and bake with the roasting vegetables  for the last 10-15 minutes depending on the type and size of the fish.

 

You can even eat the meyer lemons and their rind along with the fish.  Delicious!

German Baking Tradition

For the last several years, a good friend and I have been baking traditional German holiday sweets in preparation for the festive holiday season.  Why German?  Well, she is German and I love German baked goods such as Lebkuchen, Printen, Christstollen, etc.  It's a great day of baking for hours and hours.

We usually make 3 or 4 different recipes from a German cookbook.  My friend translates them as we go and we're off and baking.  Lebkuchen is always a must. After that we try out a new thing or two each year, and one or two from the past.  This year's new item was Speculaas cookies. I had this wrong when I originally posted this - I had called them Springerle, which is the southern German version.  Speculaas is the northern version. My friend, Nina, had gotten beautiful carved wooden molds to use for them, including this beautiful Saint Nicholas.

This year we also made Printen, one of my favorites from in and around Aachen, Germany.  This recipe calls for a special chunky sugar - see the picture below.  This type of sugar is hard to get in the US, so you can either leave it off or use the more common sugar sprinkles you find in this country that are clear crystals, or perhaps use nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) instead.

 

Aachener Printen

Ingredients

• 250 g. dark honey
• 65 g. brown sugar
• 65 g. butter
• 375 g. flour
• Grated lemon peel of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon each of cardamom, coriander and cloves
• 3 teaspoons baking soda (original recipe calls for 7 g. Potash, which is not available in the US, but if you get it mix it with a little water until all lumps are gone)
• 100 g. chunky sugar sprinkles, in Germany you'd purchase "grümmel" (see picture above)

Preparation

Melt honey, brown sugar and butter together over low heat in a saucepan. Cool slightly and add rest of ingredients.  If using potash add after dough is mixed and knead into it.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.  Roll out dough and press the "grümmel" onto to the top (roll lightly with rolling pin to press in evenly).  Cut into 3x8 cm strips.  Put on a greased baking sheet sugar side up and brush top with a little water.  Bake 15-18 minutes at 175-190c (or in convection oven at 170-180c).  Cover with chocolate, if desired.  These need to sit for several days or more before eating.  You can store them in an air-tight container with a piece of bread, an apple or something that will give off some moisture to soften the cookies if you like them chewier rather than hard. We are still eating them several weeks later and they are wonderful.

Happy baking to all my readers!  Thanks for another great baking year, Nina!

German Baking Tradition

For the last several years, a good friend and I have been baking traditional German holiday sweets in preparation for the festive holiday season.  Why German?  Well, she is German and I love German baked goods such as Lebkuchen, Printen, Christstollen, etc.  It's a great day of baking for hours and hours.

We usually make 3 or 4 different recipes from a German cookbook.  My friend translates them as we go and we're off and baking.  Lebkuchen is always a must. After that we try out a new thing or two each year, and one or two from the past.  This year's new item was Speculaas cookies. I had this wrong when I originally posted this - I had called them Springerle, which is the southern German version.  Speculaas is the northern version. My friend, Nina, had gotten beautiful carved wooden molds to use for them, including this beautiful Saint Nicholas.

This year we also made Printen, one of my favorites from in and around Aachen, Germany.  This recipe calls for a special chunky sugar - see the picture below.  This type of sugar is hard to get in the US, so you can either leave it off or use the more common sugar sprinkles you find in this country that are clear crystals, or perhaps use nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) instead.

 

Aachener Printen

Ingredients

• 250 g. dark honey
• 65 g. brown sugar
• 65 g. butter
• 375 g. flour
• Grated lemon peel of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon each of cardamom, coriander and cloves
• 3 teaspoons baking soda (original recipe calls for 7 g. Potash, which is not available in the US, but if you get it mix it with a little water until all lumps are gone)
• 100 g. chunky sugar sprinkles, in Germany you'd purchase "grümmel" (see picture above)

Preparation

Melt honey, brown sugar and butter together over low heat in a saucepan. Cool slightly and add rest of ingredients.  If using potash add after dough is mixed and knead into it.  Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.  Roll out dough and press the "grümmel" onto to the top (roll lightly with rolling pin to press in evenly).  Cut into 3x8 cm strips.  Put on a greased baking sheet sugar side up and brush top with a little water.  Bake 15-18 minutes at 175-190c (or in convection oven at 170-180c).  Cover with chocolate, if desired.  These need to sit for several days or more before eating.  You can store them in an air-tight container with a piece of bread, an apple or something that will give off some moisture to soften the cookies if you like them chewier rather than hard. We are still eating them several weeks later and they are wonderful.

Happy baking to all my readers!  Thanks for another great baking year, Nina!

The Catbird Seat Review

Oh my, oh my, oh my - if you live in Nashville, you finally have an opportunity to partake of an amazing tasting menu.  The Catbird Seat, from the owners of Patterson House, is a new small, 32-seat dining option. Although you might be hard pressed to get reservations within the month, it is an experience.  This isn't going out for dinner, this is truly something different, and we finally have it here in Nashville, with all the southern charm that makes the experience unique to living in the south. The owners, chefs and beverage manager are wonderful. They make delicious, remarkable food and they warmly welcome you and explain each course and matching beverage as they place them in front of you.

The food was great, and the paired drinks/wine were fascinating.  I highly, highly recommend you get the drink/wine pairing rather than just a bottle of wine. For some of the food/drink combinations I truly wondered how they figured out, out of all the beverages and combinations they could make, that that particular combination worked.  Given the unusual creations, they have a very astute and well-drunk (is that really a word that connotes the right message - I'm looking for the equivalent of "well-read") beverage manager.

Timing between the 9 courses was perfect. I was never wondering when the next course was coming and never felt it was there before I was ready. I was satiated when I left, but my runner husband was sad it was over and still wanting more.

Here is a picture catalog of each course:



The second taste was served with a cocktail that included Cocchi Americano, dry Reisling, and carbonated Rhum Agricole.

Served with a E. Dupont Cidre Bouche from Normandy France.  It was so earthy that it paired exceptionally well with the food, but I didn't care for it on its own. However, others at our table loved it both with and without food.

 

The optional fourth taste for those who wouldn't eat eggs - Octopus in its own ink sauce

The kimchi cod was probably my favorite taste.  Kimchi was pureed and dried into a ribbon wrapped around the cod, which was perfectly cooked.  If you read my post on Spanish food trends you will remember my disparaging comments about avocado with fish.  It just didn't work in the dishes we had in Spain, but the dab of avocado here perfectly off-set the spiciness of the kimchi.  This was served with a 2007 Robert Weil Reisling from Rheingau, Germany.

The duck was served with a 2009 Monfiore Gewurztraminer from the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

This was probably my second favorite taste.  The beef had reportedly been cooked for days.  It was incredibly tender, and the little piped dollop of truffle cream was amazing. This was served with a 2006 Domaine de Durban Beaumes-de-Venise, France.  We had visited this very winery last summer and loved their wines.

This was an explosion of flavor with curry, shitake, apricot and parsley in an eye-pleasing presentation.  Who doesn't love that bowl?  This was paired with a Belgian beer.

Another amazing presentation.  The drink on top was a blend of Lucky Bucket Certified Evil, Sherry and Madeira.  I could have been satiated here, but no there was more...

Here were flavors and textures that continued to melt in your mouth.  This was paired with a Royal Tokaji.  Then we finished up as we began - with oreos - this time sweet coffee and cream oreos.

Here is the menu they present us at the end.  Awesomeness!  If I haven't convinced you yet, I would be stunned...make your reservations now!  If you don't live in Nashville and plan to visit - make your reservations well ahead of time!

A Summer Cocktail in Winter

Fall and winter are frequently times of heavy food, deep red wine, and rich desserts.  But, every once in awhile it's nice to have a light meal and summer-like cocktail.  One such combination is Thai Sweet and Sour Shrimp and a "Florida" gin-based cocktail.  The two together evoke the feel of summer on the beach with waves splashing on the shore and sun-drenched fruit in each and every sip and bite.  Here is the recipe for the cocktail from Mr. Boston's.

Florida Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1/2 ounce Gin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kirschwasser
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Triple Sec
• 1 ounce Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preparation

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Go ahead, have two..'tis the season for indulgence after all.

Cookbook Review: All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book

Who can resist picking up and perusing a book entitled "The Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book"?  Not me, and since its the baking season, bring it on.  There are 17 chapters with over 250 recipes in this tome and every single one looks delicious; however, these are not for the faint of heart. Along with solid advice on cakes, cookies, bars, pies, and puddings, author Julie Rosenberg also classifies cookie types exactly as they should be - just check out these chapter titles: Chewy Crunchy, Crispy Chompy, Cakey Cookies, Sandwiched Together.

My perusal resulted in a desire to hop on a plane to head to Boston to visit her bakery in person.

Since I don't have that opportunity, I am going to start baking from this book today. First up - Ginger Shortbread from her Crispy Chompy chapter. After the initial crispy chomp, I expect a melt-in-the-mouth experience coupled with a pungent sweetness from the two kinds (!) of ginger. My expectations were right on. One thing to note, if you can find baker's cut crystallized ginger about 3mm size, this will make the recipe even easier since you won't have to chop the cyrstallized ginger, which can be tedious since it always wants to stick to the knife. One thing I might do post-baking is to dip them in chocolate - who wouldn't love that?

Here is the recipe:

Ginger Shortbread

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons 
all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon 
(lightly packed) light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger

Preparation

• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a small bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and ground ginger together in a medium-size mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture is fluffy again, about 
45 seconds. Scrape the bowl.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface. Work the candied ginger into the dough with your hands.
• Divide the dough in half. Place two 16-inch lengths of waxed paper or plastic wrap on a work surface. Shape each half of the dough into a rough log about 10 inches long and 1K inches in diameter, and place it along one long side of the paper. Roll the log up in the paper and twist the ends like a hard-candy wrapper.
• Refrigerate the log for 1 to 2 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using your hands, gently roll the wrapped dough back and forth on the work surface to smooth out the logs. Refrigerate again for 4 to 6 hours.
• Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap the logs, and cut them into slices that are a generous L inch thick. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies until they are golden and firm to the touch, 28 to 30 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets.

Makes 60 cookies

It's the holidays - if you need new inspiration for your holiday baking - pick up a copy.  Go ahead, give yourself an early Christmas present!

The Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book (Workman Publishing; December 2011).

Spain - beautiful food

The Spaniards know how to create beautiful things and plated food is no exception.  Here were a few of our plated dishes. The fig sauce on the first picture was amazing.  Hadn't thought of doing something like that, but I'm going to have to try it!
 

Spain - food trends

There were two food trends in Spain that I just have to remark on.  First, the cupcake craze has made it there.  Sigh.  Cupcakes have never been part of the baking culture in Europe.  They are a distinctively American innovation.  Both Barcelona and Valencia had cupcake shops, very similar to those found in the US.  What is it about cupcakes?  I have somehow missed the appeal of this now dated sensation.  Maybe its the fussy liners you have to peel off or that the frosting to cake ratio is just wrong for my taste.  I'm sure Spain is welcome to our American food culture, after all McDonald's and Starbuck's are on every corner throughout Europe, but I so value what makes their cuisine unique that I always find it jarring to discover American cultural trends infiltrating their country.

The second seeming trend was avocado with fish.  We found this to be a weird combination.  The first time we encountered it was seared tuna with guacamole and soy sauce.  The second time was an avocado and prawn bake.  Neither was pleasing.  I'm not sure why it doesn't work, but I know it's not one I'm going to try out in my kitchen.

They haven't given up on all of their culinary identity, though. Paella, jamon, manchego, and tapas abounded.  Yay for tradition!

Spain - the land of Jamón

Thanks for all your inquiries about our trip to Spain.  It was fantastic!  I had the opportunity to visit two markets, one in Barcelona and one in Valencia.  They were both amazing.  The Barcelona La Boqueria market, right off grand "Ramblas" boulevard was filled with typical products from the region - mouth-watering cheeses, fruits and vegetables - as well as jamón and more jamón.  Jamón is the spanish version of ham and nothing like the american version. Jamón Iberico is the most famous of them all and well worth the effort to find it.  Of course, with a little chorizo (a spicy cured meat from Spain) and manchego, one of the most common (and delicious!) sheep cheeses from Spain, you're good to go.  The perfect wine for jamón?  A rioja, of course.  One of our favorites is the Bodegas Lan Rioja Crianza.

 

Now that we're back in the States I'm going to have to spend some time drying out from all the jamón.  Next post I will share with you some of the beautiful and delicious meals we had, including some very artistic plating of food!