B'Stilla

When I have a free day in the kitchen, my menu is often comfort food driven.  As much as I love classic American comforts like mac and cheese, chili,rotisserie chicken, and potpie, I also enjoy seeking out new comforts.  Easier said than, done, however, as part of the comfort of a lot of comfort foods is that they do not often require a big trip to the store, or a long list of ingredients. There are often not enough hours in the day for home cooked meals, let alone comfort food full of foreign ingredients

#teamdarkmeat

top dusted with sugar and cinnamon

My new job has afforded me a wealth of new holidays, including Veteran’s day. I had no plans for the day because I didn’t even know I had it off until a few days before, so I had the entire day to do as I pleased as I had assumed I would be at work.  Besides going for a run, the only thing that I really wanted to do was cook. I had time to go to the store and pick up new ingredients and not take shortcuts, how lovely.  Anyone that enjoys food, and more importantly cooking, knows there is no greater comfort than spending a day without rush or pressure in the kitchen.

This recipe appeared in the most recent issue of Saveur.  Saveur is one of my favorite places for finding new foods from different cultures because the accompanying articles are beautifully written and outline in detail the cultural significance of foods.  They often include meals that are served in regular homes, not just restaurants or for purposes of luxury travel bloggers.

When I came across this recipe, it was like Alexander Siddig was standing next to Ryan Gosling (there was a roast turkey recipe in the issue that as also a contender for the day) and I decided I would rather have a bit of fun and go with the former.

I purchased my first jar of Ras el Hanout for this recipe. A Moroccan spice blend, every blend is a little different. I contemplated making my own blend, as I had a lot of the spices on hand, but I also looked at the date on a lot of those spices and ended up completing a purge of my spice basket before I started cooking (I couldn’t believe how many times some of those jars had moved with me).  Ras el Hanout translates to “top of the shop”, and is very similar to curry. It can contain upwards of a dozen ingredients, including clove, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and fenugreek.

the filling

I followed the Saveur recipe pretty closely as it was the first time I made it and I always try to do it unless I find comments online that consistently say double this, or reduce that. I did double the ras el hanout, and added a little extra saffron and red pepper flake, because I more or less always double the spices. Also, I just want to say, with all the “skinny taste” and weight watchers crock pot recipes out there that call for boneless, skinless breasts, or extra lean ground beef, nothing feels more bad ass than walking into WF and purchasing a 3.5 lb package of bone-in, skin-on thighs (again, I was feeling more Siddig than Gosling on this day).  #teamdarkmeat.

finally got a piece of the pie

http://www.saveur.com/article/kitchen/not-so-humble-pie

The B’Stilla was elegant, and a stunning centerpiece for the table especially once it was dusted with sugar and cinnamon. I would make this again for a special occasion, when I want to treat a friend… or for Alexander Siddig. 

                                             

Basic Behavior

Pumpkin has gotten a bad rep over the past several months as an epidemic of basic has smothered the 18-30 year old female demographic.   Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin baked goods, and afternoons spent instagramming pictures of pumpkin patches are some of the most recognizable symptoms of the basic disease.  Once just something that got carved a few nights before Halloween and left for raccoons to ravage after, pumpkin has taken center stage this fall as the gateway drug to basic.

This should not come as a surprise. Each fall, gourds get their 5 annual minutes of fame, and as social media has evolved, gourds have been bestowed with layer upon layer of photo filters and #fall #autumn #happy #warm hash tags.   As a cousin to pumpkin, butternut squash can also be a symptom of the basic disease, and what basic bitch doesn’t love a bowl of butternut squash soup with half smoked gouda grilled cheese? (on multigrain, of course)

I know Ebola is all anyone can talk about these days, but my recent trip abroad brought to light just how far the basic monster has spread it’s claws. In Stockholm and Copenhagen, not only did I see multiple gourd displays, but also I had to stop and take a breather when I almost caught myself taking a picture of some young Swedes taking a picture of a gourd display. The opportunity to take an insta of and insta abroad was so enticing, visions of a viral insta and brilliant caption flashed through my mind, but I caught myself in the act, and calmed myself with two small sips of my $8 cappuccino.

mis en place

Despite it's basicness butternut squash soup is very good --- but I really had no desire to get a blender dirty . On my one day of unemployment before my new job started, and as I recovered from jet lag, my goal was to do as little as possible but also be able to tweet that I had a productive day off.  Also, the refrigerator I returned to contained six kinds of mustard, 4 eggs, an avocado, and smoked salmon, so I knew I had to go to Whole Foods, and I also recognized I needed to give thought to what I was going to eat for the week.

I settled on a root vegetable curry.  Post consuming multiple pastries a day on vacation, things needed to be turn around diet wise but I wanted something that was actually going to be filling and warm because it’s just that time of year. 

soft and golden and spiced

I bought the butternut squash already peeled and chopped up because it seemed like the right thing to do on a day like today, and it really was not expensive. This recipe used one cutting board and one pot, except I toasted my spices so that got a small frying pan slightly dirty, as well as a mortar and pestle. I topped the stew with toasted cashews and served it with a seed bread I got at Meyer’s Bageri in Copenhagen. It would also be good with Naan, or topped with yogurt. I made this up as I went along.

Basic Root Vegetable Curry

3 gloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs of fresh ginger, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

½ large head of cauliflower, chopped

1 potato, cut into one 1 inch pieces

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 cups stock (chicken or veg)

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs curry powder (pick your favorite)

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

½ cup half and half

Toasted cashew pieces for topping

Note about the spices -  I like a lot of spice. I always add more than what recipes call for.   If you are not so into the spice, maybe cut each of these back and taste the curry while it simmers to perhaps add more. I probably used a bit more than what is listed above, but I was not measuring. Also, I used whole coriander, cloves and cumin and toasted all the spices together for a few minutes in a fry pan before grinding them all together with a mortar and pestle. Using ground is fine, too.

In a couple tbs of butter and oil, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and celery for 10-15 minutes until softened and golden.  Remember to season with salt and pepper at this point, too. While this is happening, measure out all your spices into a small bowl to combine. Add the tomato paste, spices, bayleaf, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the stock, and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Add all the chopped vegetable and bring back to a simmer over med-high heat.   Once simmer is reached, turn the heat down, and let curry go at a lower simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through. If you chop the vegetables in larger pieces, they may need to cook longer. Remove bay leaves. Add half and half, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with toasted cashew pieces. 

Basic product

Keep it Simple, Stupid.

“Sometimes simple is better.” That’s what my mother texted me when I told her the Velveeta dip I put out for my friends for our first night at the beach last week was a hit (I sent her a pic of the empty bowl).

I think she is right, and historically, my mother has proven herself as the queen of simple, elegant food. No laundry lists of ingredients, no fussy cooking instructions; just good food. Of course, one’s ability to do this happens over time, and there are extensive periods of trial and error and major cock ups along the way, but eventually you just know what do and when in the kitchen and you can put together a whole lot without a lot.

Over the past couple months as work hours have increased and many weekends have been spent out of town, I have been veering towards simple---one could even say beyond simple.

 I always bring something to get together. I cannot bare showing up empty handed. More bottles of wine have been purchase en route to soirees than I would like to admit lately, but I refuse to show up empty handed.

In high school, we had an out of bounds play when the ball was under the basket called K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid). As complex as series of screens can get, this was a run across the paint, set a screen, and then open up and show your hands. Someone always got the ball, and 90% of the time, that someone scored.

Here are some of my favorite K.I.S.S items to bring to a party, that I have also brought to parties over the past couple months:

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – Cook shrimp tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper in an oven at 400 degrees for 7- 10 min (depends on size of shrimp). Serve with cocktail sauce (prepared horseradish and ketchup).

Chocolate Chip Cookies – always a hit. Get fancy and put some ice cream between them. My favorite recipe is here : http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014826/quintessential-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

*Tip: Milk chocolate chips. I prefer dark chocolate, in general, but the crowd goes wild over milk whether they are secure enough to admit it or not. Be bougis. 

Pimento Cheese Dip – block of cheddar, block of monterey jack, jar of pimentos (drained), couple tbs mayo, a pickle (chop it up first so you don’t end up with huge chunks) tbs Dijon mustard, tsp hot sauce, salt, pepper. Blend cheese, mayo, mustard and hot sauce to desired consistency in a food processor. Add pickle and pimentos and pulse a few times. Season to taste.

*Tip: Serve with a STURDY cracker, or, spread on pieces of cheap white bread, cut off crusts, and slice diagonally for a tea sandwich. Does not take long, but do this before putting in fridge or it will be very difficult to spread on flimsy bread. 

Oh, and let’s not forget – Velveeta Dip.

1 block of velveeta, cut into chunks. Add cheese to sauce pan over medium heat. Melt down, add  just over 1 cup (or more) of salsa (or can of Rotele), and hot sauce as you wish. Stir and continue to melt to desired consistency over medium heat. 

French Toast Casserole

Saturday and Sunday mornings are ripe with executive function for metropolitan young women. Wake up to the alarm or not? Spinning or a “walk” on the river trail? Yoga pants from off the floor or wait, whose essential chinos are these?

No matter what decisions one has to make on a weekend, the most stressful has to be brunch. Sweet or savory? Forget regretting that last round post quick debit card statement review and bone dry Brita pitcher on the counter, when your brunch entrée arrives and all you can do is oogle  your dining partner’s omelette next to your stuffed French toast,  you finally know the feeling of true devastation.  

Sure, one can always order a savory brunch app pre-banana pancakes, or maybe even put a sticky bun in a to-go container post shrimp grits, but what we all really want is the best of both worlds---at all times. That side of bacon is great, but god knows it never comes on time, and if often forgotten altogether by a harried server, indifferent to the critical nature of the sweet or savory conundrum (after all, everything is cooked on the same flat top).

I find the most successful weekend brunches are often at home and not in a restaurant. Endless mimosas and prix-fixe are great to cure the hungover bottomless pit, and hey, who doesn't like waiting in line for an hour dehydrated and famished from the previous evening’s festivities, but brunch is a prime opportunity for easy home entertaining.  It’s so easy to go continental—no oven, no pots, no pans---anyone can unfold the brown paper of a bagel bag and put a knife next to a tub of schmear (although the cryovac packs of lox can be tricky). There are also a number of dishes that can be prepared the night before and just have to go in the oven in the am.

I trend towards sweet at brunch, but I definitely need a few bites of savory. My mother passed on this recipe for French toast casserole and served with some sort of breakfast meat. To me---c'est parfait!

overlap is fine and I think it makes the best chewy,moist bits.

It seems like a lot of liquid....

This needs to be put together the night before and sit overnight.  I’ve made it twice recently --- once on a ski weekend and another for a pre-day drinking brunch with some g/fs. It was very well-received both times and my bestie’s husband went so far to say it was the best brunch he has ever had (until K makes it for him herself :) ).

I’m sure you could add things to this--- slices of banana, nuts, chocolate chips, and raisins--- all come to mind. I like it just the way it is, though, with a side of sausage (breakfast sausage).

...but it all soaks up overnight!

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of Challah bread, cut diagonally into 1 inch thick slices

8 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups half and half

2 tsps of vanilla extract

¼ tsp ground cinnamon (I like nutmeg, as well)

¾ cup butter

1 1/3 cups butter

Pinch of salt

3 tbs light corn syrup

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the slices of Challah in the bottom of the pan, they will likely overlap, this is fine.

Mix the eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla, salt and cinnamon together. Pour over the Challah bread, cover the pan, and let chill overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 350. Heat the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat just until it starts to bubble. Pour evenly over the bread before putting the casserole in the oven.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot.

Cheese Boards

I have possessed an affinity towards cheese and crackers for a long time. One of my favorite snacks as a kid was Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar and Ritz crackers. Carr’s water crackers with cracked pepper spread with cream cheese was also a go-to.  Auntie C always had port wine cheese spread, which is delicious on most anything (especially Snyder’s hard pretzels).

I don’t know at what point my taste in cheese went beyond the kind that has manufacturer’s coupons and is often the subject of a 2 for $3 sale.  My Dad loves some stinky cheese, and there was often the odd piece left on a cutting board post late night-snack or pre-leaving for a restaurant on a Saturday. At some point I discovered the wonders of brie, goat cheese, Port Salut, and Taleggio, and seeded whole wheat flat breads, rye crisp breads, and brioche toasts became the preferred mode of cheese transport to mouth.

Our generation is lucky that good cheese is so readily available. Walk into any local grocery store and there is bound to be a “gourmet cheese” case, and even the corner store (albeit in my yuppy neighborhood) carries DiBruno. Fine foods hubs like Eataly and Dibruno turn shopping for cheese into a Disney-like experience, rich with samples and animated employees eager to turn you into a $24.99/lb fromage addict. 

I love putting together cheese boards, both large and small. When I host, if I am cooking the main and the dessert, I tend to pick one kind of cheese and put it out with some crackers and prepare crudités.    If I am a guest, however, and elect to bring a cheese board, despite my anxiety about making sure I appear on time for appetizers to be set out, I am thrilled with the prospect of heading to the cheese case and putting something together.

A really good cheese board can be put together for $15 - $20. A really good cheese board can also be put together for $40-$50. I tend to hover around $30, although lately I’ve started to feel that is sometimes slightly too much to spend and that I should put more of an effort into pulling that number down to the $20 range. 

To me, a good cheese board has at least 3 kind of cheese, a hard cheese (ie. cheddar), a semi-soft/semi-hard cheese (gouda or havarti), and a soft (ie brie). There are also at least two kind of crackers.  I always have one plain, light cracker, like a water cracker, then maybe something slightly jazzier, like a mini-toast or something seeded.  I also tend to add “something else”, like olives, charcuterie, a fruit spread, or nuts.

Here is a more extensive list of cheeses, by firmness:

Soft – Brie, Camembert, Saint Andre, La Tur, Delice de Bourgogne, Boursin, D’Affinois

• My favorites: La Tur ($11-$13 each), D’Affinois ($7-$9 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? Brie – Trader Joe’s Unripened Semi-Soft is $2.99 this month for a 4 oz piece, President Brie is always ~$4 at Target                 

Semi-soft or Semi-hard – Havarti, Goat Cheese, Fontina, Stilton, Taleggio, Mozzarella, Port Salut, Armenian string cheese, Morbier, Cotswold

• My favorites: Armenian string cheese ($6 each), Drunken Goat ($7-$9 per decent hunk), Costwold ($4-$6 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? Goat Cheese at TJ’s $2.50 for 4 oz, or $4.50 for 8 oz, Dill Havarti ~$3-$4 piece at Target

Hard – Cheddar, Asiago, Edam, Colby, Feta, Provolone, Gruyere, Manchego, Comte

• My Favorites- Feta ($7-$8 for the big piece of good quality), Manchego ($7-$8 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? CHEDDAR Whole Foods Foods Seaside is $5 for a big hunk and pretty much everyone likes cheddar, Cabot is in most grocery stores and is about $3 a block

Remember, a lot of things can go on a cheese board besides cheese and crackers!

• Fruit spread - anything from the same cherry preserves you spread on your toast, to a homemade compote can add color and variety. 
• Fresh fruit - grapes are probably most common, but why not some fresh cherries in season, or slices of crispy apple, or pear?
• Mixed Nuts - just a small bowl will do. A lot of cheeses have a "nutty" flavor, and the nuts will only enhance that between bites.
• Olives - sort of a no brainer. don't forget to put a little bowl out for pits.
• Pate/Cornichons/Mustard - quite the trifecta of deliciousness. 
• Charcuterie - slice up some chorizo medallions, or even just tear up some pieces of a good deli ham or salami.

Also important --- know your audience. If your guests aren't really into strong flavors, save the stinky stuff for later, and stick with safe bets like cheddar, mozzarella, and goat cheese.  If your guests are really into food, maybe treat them to something special, like La Tur, or a higher end goat cheese with dalmatia fig spread a unique cracker. Having a huge meal? Maybe only put one kind of cheese out, and focus on lighter apps like crudite and dip, or just small bowls of mixed nuts and olives.

Finally, there really are no rules. My sister and and brother in law served a platter of pate, cornichons, mustard and a special spreadable Latvian cheese for their friends before an afternoon of watching football, Budweiser, chili, and wings.  I like putting together a very french cheese platter even when I'm serving a very Italian meal. It's up to you, your budget, and who you are with. 

If you are at a grocery store with someone behind the cheese counter, don't be afraid to ask for a substitute within you budget. There is a brie and cheddar at every price point, and if you like something that is a little beyond your wallet, figure out what the next best thing is--- the best way to do this is to ask. Never hesitate to ask for a sample, either! If there is a cheese on sale that sounds interesting but you have never tried it, never a better time to try it than before you plunk down $10 for a medium size piece.

I understand B Franklin said beer is proof God loves us, but I am pretty sure cheese is in the evidence bag as well.