Sometimes loss can hit in completely unexpected ways… The last time I made these cookies, I had to go recipe hunting (I hadn’t made them in years). I wasn’t worried though, I would just call up Sis; she was bound to have it. That’s when it hit… an intense wave of loss. Sis had been taken from us a few years before… calling her, touching her, hearing her - these were all no goes. [For the over curious, the man responsible is enjoying a long period of captivity in a government facility.] Anyway, it took a few days to gather myself enough to recall where I had slipped a copy of the instructions… for reference, it’s in Mom’s copy of the Betty Crocker Cookie Book (I just checked my copy). And now I’m posting a copy online… just in case.
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Drop Cookies
A crumbly cookie with little spread.
In mixer, cream 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter (the original called for shortening).
Add 1 egg and beat until light and fluffy.
Add 3/4 cup sifted flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder; stir until just mixed.
Stir in 1 cup rolled oats, 1 cup chocolate chips and the optional nuts (walnuts or pecans)/(raisins or dried cranberries), 1/2 cup each.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough on greased baking sheets about 1 inch apart (they do not spread much).
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
‘Foodie,’ love it or hate it?
I love it… I love its irreverent lowbrow tone (‘gastronome’ and ‘epicure’ are a little more highbrow). I love how it slips easily into common usage - like eating! As I see it, the joy of the term is its openness and how it encompasses the entirety of food culture. It’s the same reason ‘American’ is beautiful and other identifiers redundant (African-American, Asian-American, European-American…). I understand wanting stronger clan identity but me, I am an American foodie ;)
What food is…
When you are feeling cheerful, food is playful.
When you are feeling hungry, food is satisfying.
When you are feeling playful, food is fun.
When you are feeling adventurous, food is novel.
When you are feeling moody, food is subdued.
When you are feeling down, food is comforting.
When you are feeling up, food is carefree.
When you are feeling rushed, food is fast.
When you are feeling leisurely, food is sedate.
When you are feeling casual, food is simple.
When you are feeling formal, food is classic.
When you are feeling exhausted, food is delivered.
When you are feeling victorious, food is celebratory.
When you are feeling celebratory, food is fine dining.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, food is undemanding.
When you are feeling romantic, food is tantalizing.
When you are feeling sad, food is heartening.
When you are feeling sated, food is beguiling.
When you are feeling serious, food is fulfilling.
When you are feeling happy, food is buoying.
When you are feeling frumpy, food is perky.
When you are feeling frustrated, food is calming.
When you are feeling fat, food is light.
When you are starving, food is nourishing.
When you are ill, food is bolstering.
---
So long as you can feel, food is real.
What food is…
When you are feeling cheerful, food is playful.
When you are feeling hungry, food is satisfying.
When you are feeling playful, food is fun.
When you are feeling adventurous, food is novel.
When you are feeling moody, food is subdued.
When you are feeling down, food is comforting.
When you are feeling up, food is carefree.
When you are feeling rushed, food is fast.
When you are feeling leisurely, food is sedate.
When you are feeling casual, food is simple.
When you are feeling formal, food is classic.
When you are feeling exhausted, food is delivered.
When you are feeling victorious, food is celebratory.
When you are feeling celebratory, food is fine dining.
When you are feeling overwhelmed, food is undemanding.
When you are feeling romantic, food is tantalizing.
When you are feeling sad, food is heartening.
When you are feeling sated, food is beguiling.
When you are feeling serious, food is fulfilling.
When you are feeling happy, food is buoying.
When you are feeling frumpy, food is perky.
When you are feeling frustrated, food is calming.
When you are feeling fat, food is light.
When you are starving, food is nourishing.
When you are ill, food is bolstering.
---
So long as you can feel, food is real.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Guacamole method, not recipe
Ideally, guacamole is the perfect combination of just tart with a garlicky bite in a rich base of creamy avocados. But after years of making my own guacamole, I’ve determined the secret to great guacamole is less the recipe and more the assembly technique - the garlic and other aromatics must be finely chopped so their flavor and texture completely melds into the creamy chunks of avocados. Crunchy chunks of raw garlic do *not* make for a pleasurable snacking or dining experience.
Guacamole starts with firm ripe Hass avocados - they give slightly under pressure. But don’t buy ripe avocados because they are often very bruised. Instead, buy hard fruit that are heavy for their size (heavy fruit have smaller pits). Let them sit at room temperature until ripe (or speed up ripening by storing them in a paper bag on top of the fridge); ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Guacamole only requires three ingredients: avocados, lemon/lime juice and salt. All other ingredients are optional.
For delicious homemade guacamole:
1. Start with ~1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice in a large bowl. Add ~1/2 teaspoon salt (always start conservative with salt because more can be added later). [Optional ingredients (use in any combination): 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chop; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped scallion - any part; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chop chives; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots; up to 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow onions; finely chopped hot peppers to taste.]
2. Cut 2 to 4 avocados in half. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh into prepared bowl. With blunt (butter) knife, roughly cut up avocado pieces in bowl. Now stir contents of bowl with a large spoon until avocados have broken down into a chunky mash (can also mash with a fork but stirring with a spoon is easier).
3. Optional: stir in 2 or more tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and/or flesh of de-seeded tomatoes.
4. Taste and add lemon/lime juice and salt as needed to balance flavors.
5. Guacamole is most often served with tortilla chips. I prefer toasted homemade sourdough bread. Yummy any way!
Notes:
-Some recipes call for black pepper… I don’t like the gritty texture of ground black pepper against creamy avocados. Use finely ground white pepper instead and some combination of fresh hot peppers.
-Roasted pureed hot peppers are better than finely chopped fresh hot peppers - they are hard to chop and they can leave a burning sensation on skin. Another good option is hot sauces - try it on a spoonful of guacamole (step 4) before saucing the whole bowl.
-A quick cheat: stir store bought salsa into mashed avocados
Update: I had some wonderful guacamole at a holiday dinner. The ingredients included lime juice, cilantro leaves, red onion, tomato, salt and a mild prepared South American pepper sauce (the name escapes me). I would substitute a roasted mildly hot pepper - use whatever is readily available at your local supermarket. This is a use guide to pepper intensity. [I tried it with 2 large avocados and about 1/4 of a roasted poblano pepper. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.]
Guacamole starts with firm ripe Hass avocados - they give slightly under pressure. But don’t buy ripe avocados because they are often very bruised. Instead, buy hard fruit that are heavy for their size (heavy fruit have smaller pits). Let them sit at room temperature until ripe (or speed up ripening by storing them in a paper bag on top of the fridge); ripe avocados can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Guacamole only requires three ingredients: avocados, lemon/lime juice and salt. All other ingredients are optional.
For delicious homemade guacamole:
1. Start with ~1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice in a large bowl. Add ~1/2 teaspoon salt (always start conservative with salt because more can be added later). [Optional ingredients (use in any combination): 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chop; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped scallion - any part; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chop chives; ~1/2 teaspoon finely chopped shallots; up to 2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow onions; finely chopped hot peppers to taste.]
2. Cut 2 to 4 avocados in half. Use a spoon to scoop out flesh into prepared bowl. With blunt (butter) knife, roughly cut up avocado pieces in bowl. Now stir contents of bowl with a large spoon until avocados have broken down into a chunky mash (can also mash with a fork but stirring with a spoon is easier).
3. Optional: stir in 2 or more tablespoons of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and tender stems) and/or flesh of de-seeded tomatoes.
4. Taste and add lemon/lime juice and salt as needed to balance flavors.
5. Guacamole is most often served with tortilla chips. I prefer toasted homemade sourdough bread. Yummy any way!
Notes:
-Some recipes call for black pepper… I don’t like the gritty texture of ground black pepper against creamy avocados. Use finely ground white pepper instead and some combination of fresh hot peppers.
-Roasted pureed hot peppers are better than finely chopped fresh hot peppers - they are hard to chop and they can leave a burning sensation on skin. Another good option is hot sauces - try it on a spoonful of guacamole (step 4) before saucing the whole bowl.
-A quick cheat: stir store bought salsa into mashed avocados
Update: I had some wonderful guacamole at a holiday dinner. The ingredients included lime juice, cilantro leaves, red onion, tomato, salt and a mild prepared South American pepper sauce (the name escapes me). I would substitute a roasted mildly hot pepper - use whatever is readily available at your local supermarket. This is a use guide to pepper intensity. [I tried it with 2 large avocados and about 1/4 of a roasted poblano pepper. Definitely worthy of a repeat performance.]
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Three favorite cookies
Two chocolate and one sesame cookie.
Warning: These chocolate cookies are not for the faint of heart; they produce intensely dark, practically bittersweet, chocolate cookies. They may not be to your taste. For less intense chocolate flavor, replace dark chocolate with milk chocolate and leave out the espresso powder *or* better yet, find a different recipe.
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet magazine:
Chocolate butter cookie
In the following order (gives chocolate a little time to cool)
(1) Melt 10 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate (50-90%). Use microwave, double broiler or its equivalent.
(2) Cream together 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) softened unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar. Add 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional); beat to mix.
(3) While creaming butter, sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (up to 2 cups is possible), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
(4) Add 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder and melted chocolate to creamed butter; beat thoroughly to mix.
(5) Add sifted flour mixture and stir until just combined (over stirring can activate gluten which toughens cookies).
(6) Shape dough into logs; wrap in plastic and chill for 2 or more hours.
(7) Bake 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices on ungreased cookie sheet at 375°F for 12-15 minutes.
Notes: Cookie made with 1 1/2 cups flour will have lighter crumb and sliceable dough. If use 2 cups flour, cookies will have a denser crumb and cannot be sliced… I cut cookies out of rolled out dough and *carefully* transfer them to baking sheet. They can also be rolled into balls and flattened on baking sheet.
****
Adapted from Flo Braker’s Pain d’amande Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Almond cookie
(1) Place into a large saucepan: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 1/3 cups sugar (demerara or brown sugar), 1/3 cup water, 10 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate (50-90%) and 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional). Warm over low heat until just melted; stirring as needed. Transfer to large bowl of a stand mixer and stir in 2 cups of sliced almonds.
(2) Sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
(3) When liquid mix has cool enough (lukewarm) (an easy way is to add almonds straight from refrigerator), mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
(4) Press dough into parchment or wax paper/plastic wrap lined pan (need paper/plastic ‘handles’; otherwise very difficult to unmold) and chill several hours (up to 1 week).
(5) Bake 1/8-inch or thinner slices on parchment paper lined baking sheets for 8 minutes at 325°F; then turn cookies over and bake an additional 8 minutes.
Note: Untoasted almonds are preferable. The long baking time is sufficient to toast almonds in cookie dough.
---
adapted from same source as above (note higher flour proportion)…
Sesame Cookies
A particular favorite with young children.
(1) Place into a large saucepan: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 1/3 cups sugar (demerara or brown sugar) and 1/3 cup water. Warm over low heat until just melted; stirring as needed. Transfer to large bowl of a stand mixer and stir in 2 1/2 cups of sesame seeds and 1-2 teaspoons lemon or lime zest (optional).
(2) Sift together 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
(3) When liquid mix has cool enough (lukewarm), mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
(4) Press dough into parchment or wax paper/plastic wrap lined pan (need paper/plastic ‘handles’; otherwise very difficult to unmold) and chill several hours (up to 1 week).
(5) Bake 1/8-inch or thinner slices on parchment paper lined baking sheets for 8 minutes at 325°F; then turn cookies over and bake an additional 8 minutes.
I had also tried poppy seeds in place of sesame seeds - the cookies were chalky and not particularly appetizing. Stick with the original almonds or try sesame seeds.
Warning: These chocolate cookies are not for the faint of heart; they produce intensely dark, practically bittersweet, chocolate cookies. They may not be to your taste. For less intense chocolate flavor, replace dark chocolate with milk chocolate and leave out the espresso powder *or* better yet, find a different recipe.
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet magazine:
Chocolate butter cookie
In the following order (gives chocolate a little time to cool)
(1) Melt 10 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate (50-90%). Use microwave, double broiler or its equivalent.
(2) Cream together 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) softened unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar. Add 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional); beat to mix.
(3) While creaming butter, sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (up to 2 cups is possible), 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
(4) Add 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder and melted chocolate to creamed butter; beat thoroughly to mix.
(5) Add sifted flour mixture and stir until just combined (over stirring can activate gluten which toughens cookies).
(6) Shape dough into logs; wrap in plastic and chill for 2 or more hours.
(7) Bake 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices on ungreased cookie sheet at 375°F for 12-15 minutes.
Notes: Cookie made with 1 1/2 cups flour will have lighter crumb and sliceable dough. If use 2 cups flour, cookies will have a denser crumb and cannot be sliced… I cut cookies out of rolled out dough and *carefully* transfer them to baking sheet. They can also be rolled into balls and flattened on baking sheet.
****
Adapted from Flo Braker’s Pain d’amande Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Almond cookie
(1) Place into a large saucepan: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 1/3 cups sugar (demerara or brown sugar), 1/3 cup water, 10 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate (50-90%) and 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder (optional). Warm over low heat until just melted; stirring as needed. Transfer to large bowl of a stand mixer and stir in 2 cups of sliced almonds.
(2) Sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
(3) When liquid mix has cool enough (lukewarm) (an easy way is to add almonds straight from refrigerator), mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
(4) Press dough into parchment or wax paper/plastic wrap lined pan (need paper/plastic ‘handles’; otherwise very difficult to unmold) and chill several hours (up to 1 week).
(5) Bake 1/8-inch or thinner slices on parchment paper lined baking sheets for 8 minutes at 325°F; then turn cookies over and bake an additional 8 minutes.
Note: Untoasted almonds are preferable. The long baking time is sufficient to toast almonds in cookie dough.
---
adapted from same source as above (note higher flour proportion)…
Sesame Cookies
A particular favorite with young children.
(1) Place into a large saucepan: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, 1 1/3 cups sugar (demerara or brown sugar) and 1/3 cup water. Warm over low heat until just melted; stirring as needed. Transfer to large bowl of a stand mixer and stir in 2 1/2 cups of sesame seeds and 1-2 teaspoons lemon or lime zest (optional).
(2) Sift together 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
(3) When liquid mix has cool enough (lukewarm), mix in dry ingredients until just combined.
(4) Press dough into parchment or wax paper/plastic wrap lined pan (need paper/plastic ‘handles’; otherwise very difficult to unmold) and chill several hours (up to 1 week).
(5) Bake 1/8-inch or thinner slices on parchment paper lined baking sheets for 8 minutes at 325°F; then turn cookies over and bake an additional 8 minutes.
I had also tried poppy seeds in place of sesame seeds - the cookies were chalky and not particularly appetizing. Stick with the original almonds or try sesame seeds.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Blackberry or raspberry swirl cheesecake
When I was a child, our local markets would sell cheesecake by the slice… fragile slice of cheesecake in clingwrap with no base. It was sweet and smooth and richly luscious on the tongue. I loved it. Then someone told me cheesecake was easy to make - just follow the recipe on the box of graham cracker crumbs. They were right, it was easy but I quickly overdosed and lost my taste for the stuff. Then I was served a sour cream free cheesecake… yum! The search was on: I tested every sour cream free cheesecake recipe I found in the library (this was pre-internet days). The best was Craig Claiborne's Classic Cheesecake. I’ve since modified it by swirling in blackberry or raspberry juice but it’s delicious with or without the fruit.
Crust:
1 packet graham crackers (of three in box) rolled into crumbs, ~ 1 cup cookie crumbs (vanilla wafer crumbs work also)
1/2 stick of melted butter
Berry Swirl:
1 pint fresh or frozen berries, thawed
Batter:
2 lbs. Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 eggs
Move oven rack to next to last lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 350°. Grease the sides of one 8 or 9 inch round removable bottom or springform cake pan.
For crust: thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press evenly into bottom of pan.
For berry swirl: discard moldy berries and break up berries in a food processor or blender. Strain pulp through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds. Want 1/2-3/4 cup berry juice.
For cake: beat cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice with standing mixer, scraping sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until completely smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated to avoid adding air to the mix.
Pour about 1/3 of the batter into pan. Swirl pan to level the batter. Evenly distribute about half the berry juice on top of batter (use squeeze bottle or ziplock bag with snipped corner). Repeat with another third of batter, retain about 1-1/2 tablespoons of berry juice. Pour in remaining third of batter. With last of berry juice, randomly place individual drops of juice over batter. With toothpick or skewer, draw through each droplet of juice for attractive swirl.
Wrap bottom of pan with aluminum foil (place square of foil on counter, place pan in center and lift corners of foil to fold/crush foil over sides of pan). Have about 2 quarts of hot tap water ready to pour. Place a larger deep pan (I use a 13x9 inch pan) onto oven and gently place prepared foiled wrapped cake pan inside. Carefully pour hot water into outer pan to about 1 inch deep.
Bake until top of cake is lightly golden brown and center jiggles when lightly shaken, about 1 ½ hours.
Lift cake from water and cool for 3 hours on a cake rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before unmolding.
Serve as is or with any remaining berry juice.
Crust:
1 packet graham crackers (of three in box) rolled into crumbs, ~ 1 cup cookie crumbs (vanilla wafer crumbs work also)
1/2 stick of melted butter
Berry Swirl:
1 pint fresh or frozen berries, thawed
Batter:
2 lbs. Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 eggs
Move oven rack to next to last lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 350°. Grease the sides of one 8 or 9 inch round removable bottom or springform cake pan.
For crust: thoroughly mix graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press evenly into bottom of pan.
For berry swirl: discard moldy berries and break up berries in a food processor or blender. Strain pulp through a fine mesh sieve and discard the seeds. Want 1/2-3/4 cup berry juice.
For cake: beat cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice with standing mixer, scraping sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until completely smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated to avoid adding air to the mix.
Pour about 1/3 of the batter into pan. Swirl pan to level the batter. Evenly distribute about half the berry juice on top of batter (use squeeze bottle or ziplock bag with snipped corner). Repeat with another third of batter, retain about 1-1/2 tablespoons of berry juice. Pour in remaining third of batter. With last of berry juice, randomly place individual drops of juice over batter. With toothpick or skewer, draw through each droplet of juice for attractive swirl.
Wrap bottom of pan with aluminum foil (place square of foil on counter, place pan in center and lift corners of foil to fold/crush foil over sides of pan). Have about 2 quarts of hot tap water ready to pour. Place a larger deep pan (I use a 13x9 inch pan) onto oven and gently place prepared foiled wrapped cake pan inside. Carefully pour hot water into outer pan to about 1 inch deep.
Bake until top of cake is lightly golden brown and center jiggles when lightly shaken, about 1 ½ hours.
Lift cake from water and cool for 3 hours on a cake rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before unmolding.
Serve as is or with any remaining berry juice.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Fruity dessert sauces
A guide to fruity sauces for everyone but particularly good for novice cooks to start cooking by taste and without a recipe. These can be used in many ways including…
-pancakes
-waffles
-crepes (my favorite)
-ice cream
-un-frosted cakes… some good ones include Deborah Madison's Poppy Seed Cake and endless variations of yogurt cake (just go here and here and search for yogurt cake for ideas and recipes)
-bread, rice or tapioca pudding
-biscuits (recipe(s) in earlier post)
-plain yogurt
A big part of modern diets consists of processed foods, most of which are ready to eat convenience foods… prepare them according to the instructions and eat. Their flavor profile is fixed so the only change consumers can make is to add more seasoning. In a real sense, these foods have trained consumer tastebuds to prefer the flavor profile of processed foods. This means that cooking by taste is a completely foreign concept to novice cooks. The notion of changing flavors of something in a pot by adding a pinch of this or shake of that can be intimidating. What if I put in too much salt? Oh sh*t, I added too much sauce! It’s not always possible to compensate for over seasoning errors.
That’s what makes these sauces good for new cooks: it is almost impossible to ruin them. The process involves cooking the fruit and adding lemon juice and sugar until the flavors taste balance. The goal is that sweet spot where the bright acidity of the lemon juice and fruit contrasts perfectly with just the right amount of sweetness. If you overshoot that balance with too much lemon juice, add a little sugar to adjust the flavor and vice versa. Should it be necessary, the flavors can be adjusted at the table. It’s easier to control added sugar so when in doubt, err on the tart side.
These are sauces I make regularly depending on what’s in season (often what I find on sale). Start with the basic fruit, lemon juice and sugar. Once you are comfortable with these three, you can seriously substitute ingredients (balsamic vinegar or lime juice in place of lemon juice; honey or brown sugar instead of white sugar, maybe a touch of molasses); play with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice… start with tiny amounts and work up gradually); amp up flavor with extracts, zests or liquors, again start small and increase gradually).
Note: Suggestions of cooking temperature are all to avoiding scorching. These sauces are sensitive to scorching because of either high sugar or consistency (thick sauce is more sensitive than thin). These sauces are an excellent way to use overripe fruit.
---
Cheater’s sauce
any fruit jam or marmalade
lemon juice to taste
Commercial jams, jellies and marmalades tend to be very sweet. To make a fast dessert sauce, spoon some amount of jam into a small saucepan and warm over low to medium heat. The key is to avoid scorching the sugar. Stir in lemon juice until your desired balance of sweet and tart is reached. For a thinner sauce, add water, a little at a time until the right consistency is reached. Bring sauce to a simmer remove from heat. Serve warm or cold.
---
raspberry and/or blackberry sauce
~1 cup juice from fresh or frozen berries (I don’t like the seeds)
~1/2 cup sugar
0.1-0.5 oz good quality dark chocolate* (optional; I’ve never tried milk chocolate)
lemon juice if needed
Rinse and discard spoiled fruit. Cook over medium in a saucepan until berries soften and remove seeds by pushing berry pulp through a fine mesh strainer (or possibly a food mill). Heat juice in saucepan over medium heat, add a little less than 1/2 cup sugar (and optional chocolate*) and stir to dissolve sugar. Taste. Add sugar, a heaping teaspoon at a time, until desired balance is reach. If too sweet, add tiny amount of lemon juice until just right. Bring sauce to a simmer and remove from heat. Serve warm or cold. Good in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
*I like the berry flavor to dominate so less chocolate; add more if you want more chocolate flavor.
---
Blueberries and/or strawberries and/or plums (I think kiwi would work too.)
any combination or amounts of these fruits
sugar
lemon juice
Wash and hull strawberries. Slicing is optional; I tend to aim for similar size pieces. Rinse and pick over blueberries. Cook berries in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice per pint of fruit to start. (Unlike raspberries & blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums are sweet with minimum tartness so it’s important to add a little acidity). Add about 1 tablespoon of sugar for each pint of fruit. Bring everything to a simmer and turn the heat to low; stir to avoid burning. Taste sauce and add sugar or lemon juice as necessary; much of this depends on the quality of the fruit. Serve warm or cold. Good in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Note: A simple fruit sauce involves these ingredients without cooking. Just prepare the fruit as above, add lemon juice and double the sugar and let the mixture sit at room temperature for half an hour. Don’t keep for more than one day in the refrigerator.
---
Mango notes
-Use ripe mangos, they are juicier.
-Mangos are stringy so it’s best to cube and cook them into a simmer before straining the pulp through a fine mesh strainer or food mill.
-Mangos can be incredibly sweet so taste first, adjust lemon juice and add sugar as needed.
---
Apricot notes
-option 1: Roast apricots as described here. Let them cool a few minutes for ease of handling. Break up into whatever consistency you like… cut with a knife for a chunky sauce or puree with a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice to taste
-option 2: Wash and dice apricots; discard pits. Cook over medium heat, stir to avoid scorching. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste. (Honey and cinnamon are good with apricots. Also optional are toasted almond slices.) Again consistency is up to the cook; puree after cooking for a smoother sauce.
Note: Mango and apricot are good together.
---
apples and/or pears
-Cheat by doctoring up purchased apple sauce with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon… and stir in a little butter (optional)
-Fresh: Peel fruit and slice (like apricots, smooth or chunky depends on how size of fruit chunks and how long it’s cooked and post preparation blending). Saute in a little butter over medium-high heat; a little scorching is okay to caramelize the sugar in the fruit or brown the butter. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste. (I’ve tossed in left-over fresh cranberries; no lemon juice, add sugar)
---
bananas (not my favorite fruit but the method works)
Similar to apples: cut to evenly sized pieces. Saute in butter over medium-high heat; a little scorching is okay to caramelize the sugar in the fruit or brown the butter. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste.
---
Lemon syrup: cook lemon juice over medium high heat. Add sugar to taste. (This is lemonade concentrate. To taste test, spoon a little into a glass with water.) Optional, add some toasted poppy seeds.
Though I haven’t tried them, I suspect grapefruit or blood orange juice would be good this way.
---
Try this and let your imagination take off. Enjoy :)
-pancakes
-waffles
-crepes (my favorite)
-ice cream
-un-frosted cakes… some good ones include Deborah Madison's Poppy Seed Cake and endless variations of yogurt cake (just go here and here and search for yogurt cake for ideas and recipes)
-bread, rice or tapioca pudding
-biscuits (recipe(s) in earlier post)
-plain yogurt
A big part of modern diets consists of processed foods, most of which are ready to eat convenience foods… prepare them according to the instructions and eat. Their flavor profile is fixed so the only change consumers can make is to add more seasoning. In a real sense, these foods have trained consumer tastebuds to prefer the flavor profile of processed foods. This means that cooking by taste is a completely foreign concept to novice cooks. The notion of changing flavors of something in a pot by adding a pinch of this or shake of that can be intimidating. What if I put in too much salt? Oh sh*t, I added too much sauce! It’s not always possible to compensate for over seasoning errors.
That’s what makes these sauces good for new cooks: it is almost impossible to ruin them. The process involves cooking the fruit and adding lemon juice and sugar until the flavors taste balance. The goal is that sweet spot where the bright acidity of the lemon juice and fruit contrasts perfectly with just the right amount of sweetness. If you overshoot that balance with too much lemon juice, add a little sugar to adjust the flavor and vice versa. Should it be necessary, the flavors can be adjusted at the table. It’s easier to control added sugar so when in doubt, err on the tart side.
These are sauces I make regularly depending on what’s in season (often what I find on sale). Start with the basic fruit, lemon juice and sugar. Once you are comfortable with these three, you can seriously substitute ingredients (balsamic vinegar or lime juice in place of lemon juice; honey or brown sugar instead of white sugar, maybe a touch of molasses); play with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice… start with tiny amounts and work up gradually); amp up flavor with extracts, zests or liquors, again start small and increase gradually).
Note: Suggestions of cooking temperature are all to avoiding scorching. These sauces are sensitive to scorching because of either high sugar or consistency (thick sauce is more sensitive than thin). These sauces are an excellent way to use overripe fruit.
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Cheater’s sauce
any fruit jam or marmalade
lemon juice to taste
Commercial jams, jellies and marmalades tend to be very sweet. To make a fast dessert sauce, spoon some amount of jam into a small saucepan and warm over low to medium heat. The key is to avoid scorching the sugar. Stir in lemon juice until your desired balance of sweet and tart is reached. For a thinner sauce, add water, a little at a time until the right consistency is reached. Bring sauce to a simmer remove from heat. Serve warm or cold.
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raspberry and/or blackberry sauce
~1 cup juice from fresh or frozen berries (I don’t like the seeds)
~1/2 cup sugar
0.1-0.5 oz good quality dark chocolate* (optional; I’ve never tried milk chocolate)
lemon juice if needed
Rinse and discard spoiled fruit. Cook over medium in a saucepan until berries soften and remove seeds by pushing berry pulp through a fine mesh strainer (or possibly a food mill). Heat juice in saucepan over medium heat, add a little less than 1/2 cup sugar (and optional chocolate*) and stir to dissolve sugar. Taste. Add sugar, a heaping teaspoon at a time, until desired balance is reach. If too sweet, add tiny amount of lemon juice until just right. Bring sauce to a simmer and remove from heat. Serve warm or cold. Good in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
*I like the berry flavor to dominate so less chocolate; add more if you want more chocolate flavor.
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Blueberries and/or strawberries and/or plums (I think kiwi would work too.)
any combination or amounts of these fruits
sugar
lemon juice
Wash and hull strawberries. Slicing is optional; I tend to aim for similar size pieces. Rinse and pick over blueberries. Cook berries in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoon lemon juice per pint of fruit to start. (Unlike raspberries & blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums are sweet with minimum tartness so it’s important to add a little acidity). Add about 1 tablespoon of sugar for each pint of fruit. Bring everything to a simmer and turn the heat to low; stir to avoid burning. Taste sauce and add sugar or lemon juice as necessary; much of this depends on the quality of the fruit. Serve warm or cold. Good in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Note: A simple fruit sauce involves these ingredients without cooking. Just prepare the fruit as above, add lemon juice and double the sugar and let the mixture sit at room temperature for half an hour. Don’t keep for more than one day in the refrigerator.
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Mango notes
-Use ripe mangos, they are juicier.
-Mangos are stringy so it’s best to cube and cook them into a simmer before straining the pulp through a fine mesh strainer or food mill.
-Mangos can be incredibly sweet so taste first, adjust lemon juice and add sugar as needed.
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Apricot notes
-option 1: Roast apricots as described here. Let them cool a few minutes for ease of handling. Break up into whatever consistency you like… cut with a knife for a chunky sauce or puree with a blender or food processor. Add lemon juice to taste
-option 2: Wash and dice apricots; discard pits. Cook over medium heat, stir to avoid scorching. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste. (Honey and cinnamon are good with apricots. Also optional are toasted almond slices.) Again consistency is up to the cook; puree after cooking for a smoother sauce.
Note: Mango and apricot are good together.
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apples and/or pears
-Cheat by doctoring up purchased apple sauce with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon… and stir in a little butter (optional)
-Fresh: Peel fruit and slice (like apricots, smooth or chunky depends on how size of fruit chunks and how long it’s cooked and post preparation blending). Saute in a little butter over medium-high heat; a little scorching is okay to caramelize the sugar in the fruit or brown the butter. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste. (I’ve tossed in left-over fresh cranberries; no lemon juice, add sugar)
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bananas (not my favorite fruit but the method works)
Similar to apples: cut to evenly sized pieces. Saute in butter over medium-high heat; a little scorching is okay to caramelize the sugar in the fruit or brown the butter. Add lemon juice and sugar to taste.
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Lemon syrup: cook lemon juice over medium high heat. Add sugar to taste. (This is lemonade concentrate. To taste test, spoon a little into a glass with water.) Optional, add some toasted poppy seeds.
Though I haven’t tried them, I suspect grapefruit or blood orange juice would be good this way.
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Try this and let your imagination take off. Enjoy :)
Friday, November 8, 2013
Food tenets
From a very young age, I’ve always preferred home cooked meals to eating out. Fortunately my parents are excellent cooks and willingly indulged me. (They are also awesome gardeners and I score quite a harvest on my visits.) But from them, I’ve developed a fairly simple approach to food… avoid fake food. Here’s an easy rule of thumb… if an ingredient is listed by chemical named rather than common name, it’s probably an additive and not inherent to any food in animal or vegetable form.
What this means, practically, is that I avoid processed foods and cook most of what I eat from single component ingredients. I have several simple cooking techniques which can be applied to a variety of ingredients and that gives me huge menu repertoire to draw on. I don’t generally bother with organic ingredients unless they make a difference in flavor (and cost is still an issue). I do prefer organic cooking fats (oils, butter, high fat dairy) because many agricultural chemicals are fat soluble but that’s often determined by budget.
Don’t expect an endless series of recipes because I don’t cook with recipes. I often have a variety of foods on hand and assemble meals depending on my mood. For example: boiled potatoes can easily become potato salad for lunch and hash browns for dinner two days later; crepes can be eaten with raspberry-chocolate sauce or lemon poppy seed sauce for breakfast or late night snack; cooked grain becomes a salad with any vegetable and/or cheese combination I have dressed with olive-oil/lemon juice or sesame-oil/lemon juice mix.
In terms of serving portions, this works for me:
-breakfast: anything goes, quick and small portion (often pastry-ish… homemade scones or basic unfrosted cakes)
-lunch and dinner: 1-2 portions of starch (no more than 1 cup of grain or 2 sandwich sized slices of bread); 2-4 tablespoons of animal protein (cheese, meat, eggs); no limits on whole fruits or vegetables; no limits on vegetable protein (beans, tofu). Fat is not a concern because I control how much I use when I cook. I also don’t like sweet drinks and desserts are for special occasions.
Oh! I forgot… eating mostly whole or minimally processed foods is also better for farmers and farm workers (they get a larger portion of these food dollars).
What this means, practically, is that I avoid processed foods and cook most of what I eat from single component ingredients. I have several simple cooking techniques which can be applied to a variety of ingredients and that gives me huge menu repertoire to draw on. I don’t generally bother with organic ingredients unless they make a difference in flavor (and cost is still an issue). I do prefer organic cooking fats (oils, butter, high fat dairy) because many agricultural chemicals are fat soluble but that’s often determined by budget.
Don’t expect an endless series of recipes because I don’t cook with recipes. I often have a variety of foods on hand and assemble meals depending on my mood. For example: boiled potatoes can easily become potato salad for lunch and hash browns for dinner two days later; crepes can be eaten with raspberry-chocolate sauce or lemon poppy seed sauce for breakfast or late night snack; cooked grain becomes a salad with any vegetable and/or cheese combination I have dressed with olive-oil/lemon juice or sesame-oil/lemon juice mix.
In terms of serving portions, this works for me:
-breakfast: anything goes, quick and small portion (often pastry-ish… homemade scones or basic unfrosted cakes)
-lunch and dinner: 1-2 portions of starch (no more than 1 cup of grain or 2 sandwich sized slices of bread); 2-4 tablespoons of animal protein (cheese, meat, eggs); no limits on whole fruits or vegetables; no limits on vegetable protein (beans, tofu). Fat is not a concern because I control how much I use when I cook. I also don’t like sweet drinks and desserts are for special occasions.
Oh! I forgot… eating mostly whole or minimally processed foods is also better for farmers and farm workers (they get a larger portion of these food dollars).
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