Posts from January 2021

Take 5, Traditional or Eclectic Cheese Platters from A Field Guide to Cheese by Tristan Sicard

Take 5, Cheese Platters via A Field Guide to Cheese (Artisan Books, September 2020) by Tristan Sicard.

Traditional

Traditional take 5 cheeses

Or Eclectic

Eclectic take 5 cheeses

(*Excerpted from A Field Guide to Cheese by Tristan Sicard -Artisan Books- Copyright © 2020. Illustrations by Yannis Varoutsikos.)


Follow the Scent of Cranberry ­Ginger Upside ­Down Cakes from Baking at the 20th Century Cafe by Michelle Polzine

Follow the scent of these Cranberry ­Ginger Upside ­Down Cakes from Baking at the 20th Century Cafe 'Iconic European Desserts from Linzer Torte to Honey Cake' (Artisan Books, October 2020) by San Francisco baker extraordinaire Michelle Polzine all the way to the kitchen.

Cranberry-­Ginger Upside-­Down Cakes

These cakes have a warming, homey quality that fits perfectly into the Christmas season. With lots of spice from fresh ginger, bitterness from blackstrap molasses, and brightness from tart cranberries, the cakes produce a smell while baking that will surely put you in the holiday spirit (even if you’re like me and can’t have a Christmas tree because your crazy cats will break all of your antique ornaments). Just the batter baked on its own—without its cranberry-­caramel topper—makes a damn fine cake, and it’s practically healthy with the good amount of iron from the molasses.

Be sure that all the cranberries have popped and deflated before you pour the batter over them; if they are not fully popped, the berries will lift from the bed of caramel, up and into the cake. Serve with Meyer Lemon Cream if you like.

Makes 8 to 12 individual cakes, depending on the ramekins you use

Cranberry Ginger Upside Down Cake from BAKING AT THE 20th CENTURY CAFE

Ingredients

For the Caramel

½ cup (99 grams) sugar

4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter

2 cups (210 grams) fresh cranberries

For the Cake

½ cup (99 grams) sugar

½ cup (118 milliliters) grapeseed or vegetable oil

¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons (222 milliliters) blackstrap molasses

1 tablespoon honey

½ cup (118 milliliters) boiling water

1 teaspoon baking soda

One 2½-­ounce (71-gram) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (about ¼ cup)

1¼ cups (150 grams) all-­purpose flour

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter eight 8-­ounce (237-­milliliter) or twelve 6-­ounce (178-­milliliter) ramekins.

Make the caramel: Heat the sugar in a medium heavy-­bottomed saucepan over medium-­high heat. As the sugar begins to melt at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to pull the melted sugar into the center, then continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is a deep reddish-­amber color. If at any point it looks grainy or clumpy, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter; the mixture will foam vigorously.

Divide the caramel among the ramekins, then top with the ­cranberries. Set the ramekins on a sheet pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries are popped and deflated. Remove from the oven and stab the cranberries with a fork to ensure that they’re fully popped. Return the ramekins to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let the ramekins and caramel cool completely before proceeding. (You can pop the ramekins into the fridge to speed the process, or even do this step a day ahead.)

Make the cake: In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, oil, molasses, and honey. Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a measuring cup, then pour into the sugar mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cloves, and cinnamon, then add to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in the egg until the batter is homogeneous.

Divide the batter among the ramekins. Bake until the cakes are puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack set over a baking sheet for 5 minutes, then run an offset spatula (with its tip pointed outward, so it doesn’t cut into the cake) around the edge of each cake, turn out onto the wire rack, and let cool completely. (Or, if you are making these cakes ahead, let cool completely in their ramekins—do not turn them out—and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When you’re ready to serve, warm the cakes in a 350°F/175°C degree oven until the cakes and the ramekin bottoms are hot, then invert onto plates.)

COVER. Baking at the 20th Century Cafe

(*Excerpted from Baking at the 20th Century Cafe by Michelle Polzine -Artisan Books-. Copyright © 2020. Photographs by Aya Brackett.)


Angling for A Triangle Stamp, Isle of Man Post Office and Year of the Ox, 4 Stamps by Jay Cover, January 7

Angling for a triangle stamp, Isle of Man Post Office marks Year of the Ox with a collection of 4 stamps created by Jay Cover.

62p Chicken and Ox Stamp

Looking for link-credit for illustrator Sei Koo for recipe I recently shared led me to creatives site It's Nice That where I discovered the stamp collection.

4 stamps released to the public today, January 7 in 4 prices: 62p, 158p, 244p and 322p.

(* Illustration from Isle of Man Post Office website)


Easy Vegan Version of Indian Dish, Saag Tofu Recipe from Pantry to Plate cookbook by Emily Stephenson

Easy Vegan version of Indian Dish, Saag Tofu recipe from Pantry to Plate (Chronicle Books, October 2020) by Emily Stephenson.

SAAG TOFU

Here’s an easy and vegan version of the very popular Indian dish. Depending on how your pantry looks, this dish could end up several steps away from the inspiration—a coconut, kale, and tofu curry— but it still makes for a hearty meal served with Plain White Rice. If you like your dish a little saucier—this is pretty thick— you can add an additional half can of coconut milk (but I opted to not have half a can languishing in the refrigerator).

Serves 4

Saag Tofu

Ingredients: 

One 14 oz [400 g] block firm or extra-firm tofu, drained (see page 120)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, preferably yellow, peeled and chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

One 1 in [2.5 cm] piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

11/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, depending on your affinity for heat

One 14 oz [420 ml] can coconut milk

1 lb [455 g] frozen spinach or kale, thawed

1 lemon or lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions:

Cut the tofu into ½ in [12 mm] cubes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until it shimmers, then add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring often and lowering the heat if the onion starts to burn, until the onion is soft and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the coconut milk, spinach, and tofu and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat so it simmers steadily and cook, stirring only occasionally, until the tofu has warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve hot with lemon or lime wedges.

FRESHEN IT!

Instead of the red pepper flakes, chop 1 fresh green chile (like a serrano or jalapeño), and garnish the final dish with 1/4 cup [10 g] of chopped fresh cilantro.

Pantry To Cover

(* Reprinted from Pantry to Plate by Emily Stephenson with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020- Illustrations © Sein Koo)


Entertain, Yourself, Relaxed Cooking with Stuffed Artichokes from Miss Maggie's Kitchen by Heloise Brion

Entertain (Yourself?) in these still Covid times...

Here's to relaxed cooking with Stuffed Artichokes from Miss Maggie's Kitchen Relaxed French Entertaining by Heloise Brion (Flammarion, September 2020).

Stuffed artichokes

Serves 5

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Stuffed artichokes rizzoli1024_1

Ingredients:

5 globe artichokes
3 lemons, preferably organic
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (10½ oz./300 g) bread crumbs
Leaves of 3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
Leaves of 3 sprigs fresh basil, chopped
1½ cups (5¼ oz./50 g) Parmesan, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

  1. Cut off the base and the top 1¼ inches (3 cm) of each artichoke and remove the tough outer layer of leaves.
  2. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from 2 of the lemons. Set the zest aside and pour the juice over the artichokes to prevent browning.
  3. Steam the artichokes for 20 minutes and let cool.
  4. Meanwhile, juice the remaining lemon, then sauté the garlic in a skillet over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the garlic begins to color, stir in the lemon juice, bread crumbs, parsley, and basil.
  5. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the lemon zest, and remove from the heat.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4). Remove the inner leaves from the center of each artichoke and scoop out the chokes with a teaspoon.
  7. Stir the Parmesan into the bread crumb mixture, then stuff this filling into the cavity of each artichoke, packing some between the leaves as well. Sit the artichokes close together in a single layer in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the artichokes are completely tender and the bread crumbs golden.

       Serve hot or warm.

For more from the author, visit her Miss Maggie's Kitchen website

(* Reprinted from Miss Maggie’s Kitchen by Heloise Brion -Flammarion, September 2020- Photographed by Christophe Roue)


Vehicle Loose Handbrake Led to Discovery of Fuel Tank at Risk of Bursting, Concierge Mondays Number 1

Since March 2005, I have been serving travel tips, food recipes and the like.

In one of my irregular chats with a good friend, Ramon Ray, a few weeks back, he asked me if I ever pondered blending in some of my concierge life.

The idea came back to the fore so I decided to bring it to life. Here is the very first of my Concierge Mondays.

While driving back a client's vehicle I had picked up after a minor repair, back in 2015, I heard a rattling noise.

I stopped and looked under the vehicle and noticed the handbrake cable close to the ground.

I went straight to my mechanic to get this fixed. This is the kind of minor thing that could turn into a headache if you were unlucky enough to have that loose cable caught in a branch or a piece of metal on the road and ripped something off the car underbelly.

That was not the end of my surprises.

After mechanic put vehicle on the lift, he called me right away to show me large scrape on nothing less than the fuel tank.

Car fuel tank 2015

I found out later  that vehicle had run over a hidden cement cinder block during a recent snow fall.

Nobody at the time had realized the damage done. 

Thankfully, I caught it in time to prevent fire or worse.

Fixing that damage as well as the radiator (and more) turned into a gift that kept giving.

Fuel tanks and handbrakes for Concierge Mondays #1


You Can't Wear that Bonnet of a Galette des Rois from Lenotre Epiphany Cakes 2021 designed by Camille Ortoli

You cant' wear that bonnet of a Galette des Rois from Lenotre 2021 Epiphany Cakes selections on January 6.

It was designed by Camille Ortoli who I guess is the same artist best know for her Designer Papier creations.

Bonnet galette des rois lenotre camille ortoli

Galette des Rois comes in 3 versions, Chocolat, Dried Fruits and Candied Citrus.

For more mouth watering, check Épiphanie : Les plus belles galettes des rois 2021 on Elle-A -Table (December 18, 2020)

The article is in French yet even those whose French is halting can enjoy the visuals of the piece.

Learn more about the January 6- Epiphany tradition, read Having an Epiphany on January 6 with Galette des Rois, a French Treat (January 2010, from our pages).

(* Galette des Rois image from Lenotre Facebook page)

 


Putting A Stamp On Portuguese Food, Pastel de Tentugal, A classic from the 16th Century

One of the things that stayed with me from a July 2018 visit to Portugal is stamps.

I had bought a few too many stamps that were not used as airport clearing for flight back was a little slow.

Pastel de tentugal

So I brought back Portuguese food memories, exhibit # 1 is 'Pastel de Tentugal' or Pastéis de Tentúgal.

History has it that they were created by Carmelite nuns in the town of Tentugal (Coimbra district) in the 16th century.

Want to try your hand at baking some check this Pastel de Tentugal Recipe from Milly's Kitchen