The Candy Man Can!

Sammy, Laura Rebecca and I asked you to take a piece of culinary history, sprinkle it in sugar and create a wild sugar-soaked retro celebration. And over the course of October, you delivered in spades.

Take Pie Lady Brittany from Seattle WA for example. First out of the gate, Brittany covered it with chocolate and a miracle or two, offering us us the Whoopie Pie: a 1920's-era New England chocolate sandwich cookie she found in Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. The whoopie pie holds a special place in my heart as one of my mother's favorite confections from *her* childhood. Thanks for joining us Brittany!

Next up is Deb from Wisconsin, who devotes her entire blog Vintage Recipe to recipes of the retro variety. In Sammy's honor she stretches her baking muscles and offers us Lemon Cherry Treats, an adaptation of a recipe she found in the 1962 edition of The Art of Making Good Cookies, Plain and Fancy. They look like a perfect lunch box addition or after school snack on a blustery rainy winter day.

Naomi of Straight into Bed Cakefree and Dried in the United Kingdom gives us gluten-free retro sweet treats with her raspberry and pomegranate studded Ballymaloe Tarts. She found these 'real food' pastries topped with fresh seasonal fruit in Jane Grigson's English Food, published in 1974. Your hostess is looking forward to recreating these in her kitchen soon, employing pomegranates as pictured and perhaps a persimmon or two.

Checking in from her One-Walled Kitchen in Phoenix, AZ, Julie offers two tasty alternatives to refined sugar desserts. She reaches back to the disco days of 1978, opens Rodale's Naturally Delicious Desserts and Snacks, and dishes up two desserts that replace sugar with honey: Peanut Butter Pudding and Biscuit Tortoni. Having mastered the luxurious pastry cream of the Bostini Cream Pie, I'm eager to try out these much more calorically reasonable creamy confections.

KJ from Canberra, Australia, the brilliant mind behind A Cracking Good Egg struggles a bit with a sticky sweet treat: Turkish Delight No. 1. She sources her recipe from the CWA Cookery Book and Household Hints and has a bit of trouble with the candy's custom to cling to every surface with which it comes in contact. I can't possibly summarize her story in three sentences nearly as well as she relays it. Go. Read her saga for yourself. We'll wait here...

Her hometown of Quebec, Canada provides just the inspiration Liz of Bits and Bites is looking for. She turns to Canada's answer to Julia Child and the "dean of Canadian Cuisine" Jehane Benoit's, consulting her 1955 publication celebrating the cuisine of Quebec. The result: Liz has found a new go-to pastry recipe in a book she's carted around for years but failed to cook from until now -- and an absolutely yummy looking Sugar Pie.

Gigi, the hostess with the mostest at Gigi Cakes, makes her home in Pasadena, CA and takes us back to the first half of the twentieth century with her contribution: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. Her recipe is the 1925 winner of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company's annual recipe contest. Today we know the Hawaiian Pineapple company as the mono-syllabic Dole. And like several of the contributions to RR9, she's found a recipe that stands the test of time.

Peeking out from behind curtain number 8 is Melynda of The Things that Make Us Happy Make us Wise, whose Marguerites don't leave her with a lot of faith in the tastebuds of our culinary predecessors. With the observation that they "look like camel poop and taste like a sandstorm" Melynda wins my admiration for her way with words and the unofficial first place award for the most creative description in this round.

Theresa takes a break from blogging about vintage fashion at Vintage Style Files to share her experience with a retro recipe for Raisin Bon Bons. In response to our call for sugar-soaked sweet treats, she turns to Family Circle's 1972 Illustrated Library of Cooking's Dessert Edition section on candy making. Theresa thinks she'll make these again, next time selecting a chocolate that can stand up a little better to Florida's heat and humidity.

In Pittsburgh, PA Laurie of Quirky Cupcake celebrates the success of her hometown heroes the Pens with a Fresh Apple Cake from her grandmother's favorite cookbook: The "Green" Huntsville Heritage Cookbook published in 1967... and discovered yet another recipe worthy of repeating. This "perfect fall cake" packs powerful fruit flavor, is "moist, sweet and comforting" and "keeps for days."

Melody of Fruit Tart ponders the life of the fantasy stay-at-home-mom watching soaps and popping bon bons (none of which accurately reflects HER reality), checking in with some brightly colored sensational looking Bon Bon Cookies. She takes her inspiration from Betty Crocker's 1963 Cooky Book, experimenting with flavors and fillings to create cookies that double as eye-candy.

Moon represents one-third of the creative genius behind Peanut Butter Etouffee and offers her grandmother's groovy Sugar Pie in homage to Sammy Davis Jr. Her uncle calls it a "Vaseline Pie" ... I think it looks delicious, and delightfully, deliciously, sinfully 1970-something.



"ShannieCakes" Shannon from Corvallis, OR shares a childhood favorite of hers AND mine: the Chocolate Mayonnaise (Cup)cake. She says it's a southern thing and how the recipe made its way to my mid-western grandmother remains a mystery to me, but it's neat to see that someone else out there enjoys the moist cakes it creates as much as I do. I can't wait to try it topped with Shannon's salted caramel butter cream. Because there's not much that doesn't taste better smothered in caramel...

Gretchen Noelle of Canela y Comino in Lima, Peru channels her inner eight-year-old with her contribution to our sugar celebration: Snickerdoodles. She provides a careful history of the Snickerdoodle's emergence on the American cookie scene -- including several period recipes, one from the turn of the 20th century, closing with the recipe as she submitted it to the Peck Family Cookbook back in 1980.

Breadchick Mary treats us to the classic of all classics, Mamie Eisenhower's No Fail Fudge. Who in the United States hasn't enjoyed this marshmallow fluff inspired treat? Mary's a self-proclaimed expert on fudge, claiming Mackinac Island, Michigan as perhaps the fudge capital of the United States. Her childhood nickname for tourists, "Fudgies" had me giggling to myself as I read her post.


Speaking of fluff, check out Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness' neon pink cake -- her contribution to both our Retro Recipe Challenge and Marye's much acclaimed Boobie Bake-Off. She consults the Favorite Recipes from Irvington Kitchens, a 1938 publication of the Irvington (IN) Union of Ladies' Clubs for inspiration, chosing the Delicious White Cake and Buttercream Icing -- then tinting them pink with icing paste.

And lastly but not leastly, my tribute to the American bicentennial celebration, autumn, and all things soaked in alcohol: Drunken Apple Pound Cake. Which the Tribune claims -- since it's made with corn oil rather than solid butter or margerine -- is a-okay for people on a "newfangled" low-cholesterol diet. My, how very far we've come...


There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Seventeen celebrations of sugar (and sugar substitutes). Thanks to all of you who took the time to participate in RRC 9.

Hungry for more? Burn off some of the calories you've consumed here... run, don't walk back over to Naomi, from Straight into Bed, Cakefree and Dried. She's hosting Retro Recipe Challenge #10: Story Book Food.

Technorati Tags: Retro Recipe Challenge

NaBloPoMo 2007

Last November was so much fun, I'm doing it again.

Nope, not the cruise (although I'll be in Denver at the end of the month, it's business not pleasure).

NaBloPoMo. A personal commitment to post something to my little corner of the internet every day in November.

Just to prove that in the throws of the holiday season, as I prepare professionally for an Oracle upgrade, a tighter integration into our parent company and a leadership role in a Six Sigma project, I haven't lost my creative genius or my grasp on my personal life. This space is, after all, my recreation.

Wish me luck...

Technorati Tags: NaBloPoMo 2007

Retro Recipes Coming Soon...

For those of you waiting for the Retro Recipe Challenge Round Up, hang tight. I'm working on it, but life and work are intervening as they often do. You'll see it late on the 31st or early on the 1st, I promise!

Halloween-ie Bostini

As we segue from October to November (just *where* has 2007 gone?!?) it's time again for another installment of my trials and tribulations cursing a blue streak about misadventures with flour, sugar, butter and eggs: the Daring Baker challenge.

October's challenge: the Bostini Cream Pie. A twist on the traditional that pairs a rich vanilla custard with an orange-infused chiffon cake and then covers it in chocolate glaze, Mary of Alpineberry chose her favorite restaurant dessert to challenge and inspire us.

As I gathered the ingredients together -- more than a dozen eggs, close to a quart of heaving whipping cream *plus* a healthy dose of whole milk, a half a pound each of sugar, butter and chocolate -- I was pretty sure this one was going to be rich and opulent. And hey... with 3/4 cup of orange juice, it's healthy too, right? Gotta have that vitamin C!

The chiffon cake batter came together quickly and easily and soon the scent of baked orange permeated my kitchen. Because we're closing in on Halloween and the predominant colors in this dessert fit that theme and I've got a pumpkin shape cupcake pan I rarely get to use, I chose to make Halloweenie Bostini in pumpkin shapes. While I lubricated the pan well with oil and flour, my mini pumpkins still tended to cling to the pan for dear life. I worked with them patiently and ultimately got them all out with minimal damage (to them OR me), but I think this pan lends itself far better to a heavy battered confection. Since the recipe makes *far* more than twelve cakelettes, I used my silicon muffin pan for the remaining batter -- and these I was able to extricate without issue.

While the cakes cooled, I tackled the custard. Again, a fairly straightforward preparation. Over the course of the month several of my fellow Daring Bakers commented that the custard (really a pastry cream) didn't set firmly enough to slice it or pipe it to good effect, so I didn't even try. In hindsight, I think I could have. John's contribution was to stir the cooking custard to coat the bottom of a spoon, and at my instruction he may have gone overboard here - the end product was a firm, velvety voluptuous creamy custard base.

This recipe makes a LOT of rich (and caloric) individual servings. I think there are 14 in my refrigerator. And we have no plans to entertain soon. So I've stored the chocolate glaze in a squeeze bottle, brushed the pumpkin cakes with a bit of Cointreau so that they don't dry out and we're assembling them 'to order'. We tried one last night and these go to eleven -- a good thing, given the caloric content. They make a beautiful presentation, and I'll probably make them again when I need an impressive go-to dessert for a larger group.

For those of you inclined to try it out for yourself, you can find the recipe here. And hundreds of other highly creative interpretations here.

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Bostini Cream Pie

We, the people...

1976.

The United States spent the year in bicentennial celebration. Speeches were delivered. Fireworks detonated. Flags waved. The School House Rock team created catchy cartoons designed teach American children their history in a way they understood between episodes of Scooby Doo and Dyno Mutt, Dog Wonder:

Hey, do you know about the U.S.A.?
Do you know about the government?
Can you tell me about the Constitution?
Hey, learn about the U.S.A.

In 1787 I'm told
Our founding fathers did agree
To write a list of principles
For keepin' people free.

The U.S.A. was just startin' out.
A whole brand-new country.
And so our people spelled it out
The things that we should be.

In 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected 39th president of the United States. A first class stamp cost 13 cents. Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl. Cincinnati won the World Series. Montreal won the Stanley Cup. Dorothy Hamill captured American hearts on the ice (and inspired teenage hairstyles for years to come). Nadia Comaneci stole the stage with seven perfect tens. Your heroine turned 8 years old.

And on November 3, 1976, the Oakland Tribune published my contribution to this month's Retro Recipe Challenge. I figured a cake studded with apples (and doused in their alcoholic derivative) was the perfect homage to another American hero of sorts: Johnny Appleseed.

Apple Pound Cake
originally published in the Oakland (California) Tribune, Wednesday November 3, 1976

3 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups corn oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups finely chopped pared apple
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup applejack
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg (in a medium bowl). In large bowl of an electric mixer, at medium speed, beat together oil, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture until smooth. Fold in apples, pecans and raisins. Turn into greased and floured 10 inch tube pan (I used a bundt pan).

Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for ten minutes. Remove from pan and cool.

Combine applejack, apple juice, brown sugar and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Prick top of cake with a fork. Carefully spoon the applejack syrup over the cake. When it is cool, store it in an airtight container.

Urp. A couple of days earlier, and this would have been a worthy contribution to Andrew's edition of Sugar High Friday.

Bon appetit!

The full School House Rock version of the preamble to the United States Constitution in all its glory:


Technorati Tags: Retro Recipe Challenge | Key Ingredient: Apple

Magazine Monday...

Six o'clock already, I was just in the middle of a dream...
I was kissin' Valentino by a crystal blue Italian stream...
But I can't be late 'cause then I guess I just won't get paid...
These are the days when you wish your bed was already made...

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
My I don't have to run day
It's just another manic Monday

Actually, technically, it *is* Sunday. A lazy, hazy autumn Sunday brunch. But we're celebrating everyone's favorite Creampuff's latest event: Magazine Monday so the song lyrics fit.

The premise here is that a lot of us have food magazines with "to try" recipes piled up around our homes waiting for "someday". Ivonne plans to align these stars a little better in her kitchen by declaring Monday's magazine days -- selecting a recipe from a magazine, preparing it and blogging about it. She's invited her readers along for the ride.

With regular subscriptions to Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, Eating Well, and a handful of others, I'm in the same boat Ivonne is. So Magazine Monday will be a semi-regular feature here as well.

My first contribution comes from the October/November 2005 issue of Eating Well Magazine, and capitalizes on seasonal ingredients occupying my refrigerator this week.

The article is called "All Hail Kale". The author calls kale "spinach on steroids"... flavorful, hearty in texture and full of nutrients. At 36 calories per cup, kale provides a healthy dose of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese, serving as a good source of the B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, copper, iron, lutein and zeaxanthin. It's easy to prepare: remove the tough ribs, tear, rinse, steam slightly and then follow the recipe's instructions.

Kale and Potato Hash
adapted from Eating Well, October/November 2005

8 cups torn kale leaves (I didn't measure, just used the bunch I received in my CSA box)
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 medium shallot, minced (I used red onion)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked shredded potatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Place kale in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover and microwave until wilted, about 3 minutes. drain, cool slightly, and finely chop.
2. Meanwhile, mix horseradish, shallot, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Add chopped kale and potatoes, stirring well to combine.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat. Add the kale mixture, spreading into an even layer and cook, stirring every 3-5 minutes (returning mixture to an even layer after each stir) until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown and crisp (12-15 minutes total).

Nutrition per 1/2 cup serving: 240 calories, 12 g. fat (2 g. saturated fat, 8 g. monounsaturated fat), 0 mg. cholesterol, 30 g. carbohydrate, 6 g. protein, 5 g. fiber, 244 mg. sodium.

We enjoyed the hash topped with an egg fried 'sunny-side up'.

Resources Used:
Kale from Farm Fresh to You CSA

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Magazine Monday | Recipe | Key Ingredient: Kale

Celebrating Sustainable Seafood

October is an activity-packed month.

Pink ribbons appear everywhere in the month of October, promoting Breast Cancer awareness around the world. In the United States we celebrate Columbus Day--Latin American countries call it Dia de la Raza or Dia de las Culturas-- commemorating the discovery of the Americas in 1492. And at the end of the month, many western nations celebrate Halloween in accordance with their own cultural traditions. From a food-loving perspective, October is National Seafood Month in the United States. Jacqueline of Leather District Gourmet is taking a bit of poetic license, calling it Sustainable Seafood Month and hosting a delightful event around it.

Jacqueline explains her event: "Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to fish/cook sustainably and we'll all eat better, longer." She's afraid it's not catchy. I found it compelling.

One fifteen minute session with the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website and one thirty minute conversation with my local fishmonger later, a healthy fillet of wild-caught Alaskan halibut was on my dinner menu.

According to the aquarium, Pacific halibut are bottom-dwelling groundfish. Primarily found in the coastal North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, they migrate hundreds of miles from shallow coastal waters to the deep, open ocean to spawn in winter. Afterwards, most return, year after year, to their same coastal feeding grounds. In Alaska, fishing for Pacific halibut is strictly limited to the bottom longlining method, which causes little habitat damage and has low bycatch associated with it.

My fishmonger confirmed that the halibut I'd chosen had been caught off the coast of Alaska using the longline method, stored at near freezing temperature for its trip to California and butchered and filleted four or five hours before I walked in the door.

Now the big question...what to do with it? I'd bookmarked this recipe for Sesame-Crusted Yellowtail and hadn't gotten around to trying it yet. I had most of the other ingredients on hand, so I decided to use the halibut as a more sustainable substitute and served it with a simple mixed green salad. It turned out amazing... buttery on the inside, crispy on the outside. It's a long ingredient list, but mostly staples in my kitchen. It's easy to assemble and plates pretty enough for company. It's now on my short list of go-to seafood recipes.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Sustainable Seafood | Key Ingredient: Halibut

Retro Confectionary Reminder...

Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for this month's sugar-coated Retro Recipe Challenge is quickly approaching.

Details for submitting your contributions can be found on this post.

Then check back on Halloween for some serious cavity-inducing historical confections and the stories behind them.



Technorati Tags: Retro Recipe Challenge

Great minds think alike

Remember when I mentioned I portioned part of my bun dough off for another project?

Let me step back a bit and explain...

About a week ago, Inge of Vanielje Kitchen posited a variation on the upcoming September challenge: sticky buns made with lavender and apples.

Little did she know she was reading my mind; that's precisely what I had in mind as my contribution to this month's They Go Really Well Together.

It all started in the heat of the summer when I went searching for single serve springform pans. I found them... and $50 US in other kitchen supplies I didn't know I needed when I walked into the store.

Including an adorable bottle of lavender extract. A bottle I've spent three months staring at trying to figure out how to employ.

When I saw the recipe for the cinnamon bun fondant I had a lavender-scented epiphany. Apple horns. Seasoned with vanilla sugar and crushed dried lavender. And drizzled in fondant flavored with my extract.

See... I NEEDED that bottle of extract! REALLY I did!

In the end, my sweet roll test audience was torn. (In an exercise in extreme will power, John and I limited our midnight snacking to the single bun that leads Sunday's late night post and packed the rest for sharing with friends tonight.) Most loved the comfortable warm familiarity the cinnamon buns. But everyone who made the stretch was amazed that the lavender, vanilla and apples really DID play well together. Marce... Inge... thanks to both of you for the inspiration you provided; this one is a winner.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Events | TGRWT | Key Ingredients: Apple, Lavender, Yeast

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice?

When first learned of this months' Daring Baker challenge, I had a feeling the double entendres would fly on post day. So far today, Barbara's title and Stacy's are among my personal favorites. A latecomer to the party again this month, it's been my great pleasure to leave various iterations of "nice buns!" on ninety-some blogs as I wait patiently for MY dough to rise. Curious what my brothers and sisters in baking are up to? check them all out here.

I had a bit of a scare with the dough. I carefully measured all of the ingredients by weight, creamed the butter, salt and sugar, blended in the egg and lemon zest. So far so good. Then I added the flour, yeast, and milk and patiently waited for my dough to form a ball. Okay, perhaps *not* so very patiently. Five minutes later, no ball. John agreed that the dough was too wet, and we added approximately a half cup more flour before it came away from the sides of the bowl and formed a ball. Switched to the dough hook and let my mixer do its magic. Ten minutes later I had exactly the silky smooth soft dough I'd heard about from those daring bakers who didn't wait until the last possible second to bake their buns.

I spent the two hour proofing time reading other cinnamon roll reports and drooling over the accompanying photographs... hoping my midnight snack buns turn out half as tasty as the others look.

Once risen, I divided my dough in half, dedicating half to a future project and half to cinnamon bun goodness. We were offered the choice of cinnamon and sticky. I opted for cinnamon because I'm picky about nuts in baked goods, and I've been making my grandmother's sticky bun recipe since I was old enough to stand up and hold a rolling pin; choosing someone elses -- even if it is very good -- feels tantamount to sacrilege. Bun assembly was fairly straightforward, and I stashed them in the 'fridge while we headed out to a Sunday afternoon football party with John's high school friends. We'd proof them the final time and bake them when we returned -- a true midnight snack!

At 10:30, after two hours in a proofing oven, my buns had risen to glorious heights and were ready for baking. Heating the oven to 350 took no time at all, and we were quickly enveloped by the scents of sugar and spice and everything nice...

Eighteen minutes in the oven and my buns had baked to a delightful golden brown. I assembled the fondant while they cooled a bit -- choosing to halve the recipe since the most often repeated 'complaint' among the bakers was that it produced an excessive amount. I then transferred my cinnamon scented bounty to cooling racks and drizzled them with the sugary goodness. I'll admit that we didn't wait an additional twenty minutes to bite in, or I'd never make my midnight deadline and my coach would turn back into a pumpkin. Cinderelly? Cinderelly? Bippity Boppity Boo! Oh...Er... oops... sorry, wrong story.

These were absolutely worth the wait, and I'll definitely be repeating them in different forms and flavors. Just sweet enough to be satisfyingly sinful, without they cloying heavy sugar aftertaste of many commercial versions.

This month's adventure into the world of baked goods has been brought to us by Marce of Pip in the City. She's posted the recipe from Peter Reinhart's Bread Baker's Apprentice in all its glorious detail here.

Resources used:
King Arthur unbleached bread flour
Clover-Stornetta Organic butter, whole milk
Penzeys' Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Key Ingredients: Yeast, Cinnamon

Recaculating route...

Every once in a while, it occurs to me how much I've grown in the year and a half since I set up camp in my little corner of the Internets. I've joined a formidable group of men and women from around the world drawn together by our obsession with passion for goodies constructed of flour, sugar, butter and eggs. I've made some wonderful friends near and far in the process. I've honed existing skills and developed new ones, sometimes formally and others more casually. And I've had a blast along the way.

One of the surprise benefits are the various monthly events, and their ability to stretch my creativity and widen my comfort zone. Because by nature I tend to be a recipe follower. In the kitchen (as on the road) I have the confidence to create anything your heart desires (or take you anywhere you want to go)... as long as you provide a detailed, end-to-end, step-by-step set of instructions. Which before blog I would adhere to with almost a religious vigilance.

Put me behind the wheel of a car in unfamiliar territory and I still lean on "Vera" my trusty Verizon-provided GPS virtual goddess to get me there, patiently 'recalculating route' if I make a wrong turn. But in the kitchen the Sugar High Fridays, the Donna Days, the Presto Pasta Nights and even the whole Daring Baker experience have pushed my limits, helping me to spread my wings and look at a recipe as a set of guidelines rather than a rigid rule book, resulting in some creations that -- while they might not have been the vision of the recipe author -- are an interesting combination of the best of both of us.

Take this Cooking Light recipe for Fresh Corn Tart with Chipotle Cream for example. Pre-blog I would have followed the recipe literally, and probably come out with something pretty good. But a carbon copy of the magazine version. Instead, I evaluated the published ingredient list and improvised a bit:

For the Cream:
1-8 oz. container sour cream
juice of half a lime
3 chipotle chiles, minced, plus a tablespoon of adobo sauce (we like our food a little spicier than Cooking Light generally instructs)


Yes, there's more cream than we'll need for the tart. But it will taste great with a bit of cheddar atop a baked potato...

For the Tart I decided not to dirty a dozen measuring cups:
1 whole medium onion, chopped
2 whole seeded poblano chiles, chopped
half a package of leftover pork chiorizo
6 ears of corn
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of water (give or take)
salt (eyeballed at about 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 cup dry polenta (this I DID measure)
a chunk of leftover chipotle cheddar cheese, grated
Liberal amounts of Penzeys Salsa Salad Seasoning and Ground Chipotle Pepper

I added the ingredients for the cream directly into the sour cream container, stirred well with a fork, tasted, mixed a little Salsa Salad seasoning in, tasted again, declared victory and stashed the cream in the fridge while I tackled the tart.

The biggest chore there was preparing the corn; it took about 20 minutes to clean the cobs to my satisfaction. I'm not sure how much waste the Cooking Light version would have generated; my cobs were clean and the result was probably twice "3 1/2 cups". Good think my cast iron skillet's industrial size...

From there I chopped onion and peppers, again producing a greater volume than strict adherence to the recipe would have allowed.

I spread a couple of drops of olive oil across the bottom of my heated skillet and got to work cooking the onions to a nice golden color. Added the chiles and continued to saute until they browned a bit and released a soul-satisfying fragrance.

I had pre-cooked my sausage while I was shucking corn, and I added it at this point. Added the garlic and the corn and because of the volume, I probably cooked it another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure a nice, even light-brownage. After transferring the mix to a big bowl, I mixed in the Penzeys seasonings, tasting occasionally until I was happy with the balance.

I followed the polenta instructions as published (without realizing it) -- I've been making polenta since I was about 6 years old so there's no lack of confidence there. I tossed a handful of the grated chipotle cheddar and sprinkled some of the Penzeys seasonings into the polenta before lining the skillet with it to create the tart "shell". Layered on the cheese and the corn mixture and baked at 450 for 35 minutes (cheese melted, edges crispy but not blackened).

I served this over a bed of lettuce dressed lightly with a chipotle vinaigrette. Yum.

Because this creation was loosely inspired by "Donna Day" and her sister events, I've chosen it as my contribution to Hay Hay, it's Donna Day - Equal Opportunity Tarts, hosted this month by the dynamic Sarina Nicole of TriniGourmet.

Resources used:
Organic corn and poblanos, chipotles and cheese from Whole Foods
Garlic & onion from my CSA
Clover-Stornetta organic sour cream
Penzeys Salsa Seasoning and Ground Chipotles

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Hay Hay, it's Donna Day | Key Ingredient: Corn

Eat it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, Do Without

One of the advantages of last month's Operation Bug-Begone is an increased awareness of exactly which foodstuffs abound in my pantry. I discovered that in addition to 7 different varieties of flour and 11 separate olive oils, I have nineteen tins of imported Italian tuna, shoved in the corner of a cabinet after Nona Sylvia's last trip to the old country.

So when Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness announced that September's Leftover Tuesdays Edition #8 was a call to rummage through the cabinets, counter top, refrigerator and come up with a creative meal, I knew exactly where my focus would be. A weeknight dinner comprised entirely of leftovers centered around a forgotten pantry item: the tuna panini.

I started with a leftover hunk of kalamata olive bread. Sprinkled it with a little grated asiago. Mixed the tuna with a chopped red onion, olive, and roasted bell peppers. Spread the tuna mixture over the bread and topped it with a wedge of avocado. Ten minutes of prep, two minutes per side on my grill pan with a sandwich press and dinner is served.

I paired it with the last few ounces of a bottle of Pinot Grigio we'd opened over the weekend.

Resources used:
Kalamata Olive Bread from Della Fattoria
Callipo Ventresca (Belly Tuna) in olive oil
Stevenot Winery 2006 Pinot Grigio

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Tuna

One last wave at summer...

Summer is fading into fall here in Northern California. It's getting dark a little earlier in the evening, and 100-degree "Indian summer" days have given way to crisp cool nights. Rain is in this weekend's forecast. Apples, pears and figs have replaced peaches and plums at the farmers' markets.

I was pleased when Ivonne chose to honor the fig in this 35th edition of Sugar High Friday. I love fall fruits -- *especially* the unctuous fig -- but like many of you I don't have a lot of experience cooking with them. I enjoy slicing them over a harvest salad, stuffing them with goat cheese and wrapping them in pancetta, and I've even experimented with a yummy savory torte that often makes our autumn open house menu. But Ivonne was looking for something sweet, so I couldn't lean on any of my old standbys. I'd need to expand my horizons and come up with some new way to fall in love with the fig.

I looked at a lot of recipes. I thought about scones. I perused a half dozen different interpretations of fig tart. I briefly contemplated preserving the bounty for posterity in the form of fig jam. But in the end, I took a step back toward summer, choosing a riff on Fine Cooking's Fig and Anise Ice Cream as my contribution to this month's event.

I'm not a fan of anise so I did a little improvising there, choosing cardamom and clove to impart a bit of a fall flavor. And I used my grandmother's trick, swapping mascarpone for the creme fraiche the recipe requested. Because recipes are just guidelines, right? My revised ingredient list included:

2 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 cups organic whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
8 cardamom pods, crushed
1 teaspoon cloves
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup mascarpone

I pureed the figs to a fluffy pink texture and then cooked it to a wonderful jammy goodness. And every time I combine cream and eggs over heat, I thank Shuna for her careful instruction in all things anglaise.

I had plenty of down time while my base chilled in the refrigerator. An hour and a half, to be exact. You'd think I could have used some of that time to study the instruction manual that came with the ice cream maker attachment I haven't used since *last* summer.

You'd think wrong.

I *did* look at the manual. I actually watched a video on Kitchen Aid's website that showed how to assemble the equipment. This isn't rocket science. You'd think I'd have retained it long enough to get the apparatus up and running.

I repeat, you'd think wrong.

I screwed up the assembly. So my delicious gelato base is still... gelato base.

Lucky for me, Shuna's curriculum included some troubleshooting, so my base is back in refrigeration and we're going to try this again tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Resources used:
blend of organic brown turkey and black mission figs from Hamada Farms
Clover-Stornetta organic whipping cream
California Wildflower honey from Marshall's Farm

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Sugar High Friday| Key Ingredient: Fig

Who can take a sunrise...

...Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc'late and a miracle or two?
The Candy Man...
Oh, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

I'm honored to announce that Laura Rebecca has invited me to host the latest iteration of her delightful Retro Recipe Challenge. With Halloween approaching in all its sweet-centered indulgence, we're celebrating sugar. We've chosen Sammy Davis Junior as our spokesperson for Retro Recipe Challenge #9: The Candy Man...

Who can take a rainbow
Wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?
The Candy Man...
The Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

So don't just sit there singing along... join us! Dig out your old magazines and cookbooks. Flip to the dessert section. Find a recipe that speaks to you in the language of sugar. Make it. Photograph it. Blog about it. And send me the details...

Who can take tomorrow
Dip it in a dream
Separate the sorrow and collect up all the cream?
The Candy Man...
Oh, the Candy Man can
The Candy Man can
'Cause he mixes it with love
And makes the world taste good

Are you in?

Let's take a little closer look at the guidelines: First, we're primarily interested in recipes published before 1980, but we're flexible. Ideally, your blog post should cite your source (even if that's grandma's recipe box) and share your experience with the recipe. You're welcome to use the Retro Recipe Sources Laura Rebecca provides for inspiration. Pictures are lovely, but optional.

Next, send me your contribution, including a link to the post, your name and location before midnight PDT on October 26. Send it to dolores dot ferrero at gmail dot com. Look for a sugar soaked round up the round up on October 31.

The Candy Man makes everything he bakes
Satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes
You can even eat the dishes...

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Retro Recipe Challenge

Fascinating...

I found this over at Fer Food.

I'm not sure what it says. About the criminal mind. About justice. About the American diet. About me. About anything.

But I found it fascinating.

One tardy tart...

By now many of you have read fifty-some stories detailing the saga of the Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart. A bit of bleeding aside, our experience wasn't terribly dramatic.

The shortbread crust came together quickly and without incident. I had the advantage of the collective Daring Baker experience to draw on, so when it crumbled a bit as I pressed it into the tart pan I didn't panic. The result was sensational; I will be adding this crust to my tart shell arsenal.

Have I mentioned how much I love that my guy enjoys the kitchen as much as I do? John agreed to help me tackle the caramel. When he learned that the "dry method" was a challenge for all but the professionally-trained among us, he decided to take it head on.

This is where the minimalist recipe left us the greatest room for error. The instructions read: "In a saucepan, caramelize 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar using the dry method until it turns a golden caramel color."

Google "homemade caramel, dry method" and below fifty some blog entries dated August 29, you get a handful of other hits. Each offers advice on how to make a perfect caramel. No two sets of instructions match. Some say stir. Some say leave it alone. Some make dry caramel using damp sugar.

In the end, John winged it. Stirred the sugar until it melted, turned up the heat slightly until he had a color and a texture he was happy with, then mounted the cream and butter.

Like many of the other Daring Bakers we baked the tart for twice the published duration, then let it cool overnight before adding the mousse component.

And it was in making the mousse that things got a little dicey. John's chopping the chocolate block for melting, and the dialog goes something like this:

J: {expletive} Didn't need that fingertip anyway.
J: Honey, can you come here a second?
D: What happened?
J: Cut myself chopping the chocolate.
D: Do you need me to bring a band-aid?
J: How about a tourniquet?

That got my attention. In the end, the wound wasn't serious (although it still smarts), but the bleeding was profuse. We were able to contain it and move ahead with the mousse, and managed to proceed through the remainder of that task without incident.

I'd found a bar of dark chocolate with hazelnuts that I thought would make a nice decoration tying the components together and I drizzled a bit of dark chocolate sauce over the top of that.

In an ongoing attempt to prevent these monthly challenges from turning into a steady program of weight gain, our taste-testing audience for this culinary experiment were the attendees at a Saturday square dance party. So I can tell you that this travels beautifully and presents well on a buffet. We served it sliced into brownie-sized squares. How did it go over? Nine people asked me for the recipe. I think we have a winner here.

You can find the recipe on Patricia's post or Veronica's. Veronica and Patricia chose this month's confection from Eric Kayser’s Sweet & Savory Tarts, a tome that's found its way to the top of my wish list despite the author's brevity with recipes. Curious how the other Daring Bakers fared with this challenge? Check out their results through the Daring Baker Blogroll.

Resources Used:
Horizon Organic whipping cream
Farm fresh eggs from the fine folks at Vino Noceto winery
Valrhona milk chocolate
Rapunzel Organic Swiss Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts

Technorati Tags: Daring Bakers | Sweets | Dessert | Chocolate | Caramel

HEALTHY Fair Food?!?

In Texas it's the Fried Cookie Dough. In Minnesota, it's Mac & Cheese on a Stick. Indiana is frying their Twinkies trans-fat free. And they're frying soft drinks in Colorado.

At state and county fairs across the United States, food vendors shove a stick in just about anything edible, drop it in a deep fryer, and sell it to hungry fairgoers at premium prices.

Your heroine is no stranger to the fair food phenomenon.

One of my fondest summertime memories is sharing a corn dog and a coke with Grandpa as we waited in line for the ferris wheel.

And I'm no stranger to the funnel cake.

So while I headed to this year's county fair anticipating a caloric and dietetic disaster, I was pleasantly surprised to find a new relatively healthy new fair food obsession: mango on a stick. For four bucks I walked away with one of the sweetest, juiciest most succulent mangoes I've ever experienced. Sure, it probably prompted a spike in my blood sugar. But it provided some nutritional value with the sugar rush. And as I considered the artery-clogging options I'd passed up, smugness settled in.

Technorati Tags: Fair Food

You've got Mail! From Australia!

The package arrived at my doorstep during the height of "Battle Bug" (a war we're still waging against a few hearty stragglers). A delightful little box all the way from Australia.

I wasted no time clearing off the first available horizontal surface and diving right in! (Sadly, I wasted way too much time getting my goodies posted here, and for that I extend sincere apologies to Cin and Stephanie.)

First out of the box, a generous jar of Wattleseed. Hmm... Wattleseed? Wattleseed: according to the Internets, an Aboriginal spice blend made popular by a pioneer in native Australian foods and used to add complex flavor profiles to sweets and savories. A little more web surfing reveals some must-try recipes: Wattleseed Pavlova and Emeril's Wattleseed Ice Cream.

Next up, a handful of chocolate bars... two adorable Cadbury "Caramello" Koala Chocolate Caramel bars and two bars of Ccoca Rhapsody's Nut Cove -- roasted hazelnuts, pistachios, and caramelized sugar covered in organic fair trade milk chocolate hand-crafted in Melbourne.

From sugar we turn to caffeine, in the form of Byron Bay Coffee Company's Classic Roast. Rich and smooth with hints of chocolate, it's been a hit at my breakfast table.

G'day mate... if I ever find myself visiting the land of Oz, I know what I'll get if I order a sanger and a tube of amber fluid. thanks to a handy dictionary of Aussie slang.

As summer fades to fall and I'm searching for an inviting book, a cozy blanket and a warm cup of soup on a chilly weekend afternoon, I now have Jacques Pepin's memoir The Apprentice waiting on my coffee table. It promises to be a story of strength and determination, growth and transformation... sprinkled with some soul-satisfying recipes.

And then there are the Tim Tams. These are clearly Australia's contribution to that small collection of foodstuffs (marcona almonds, pimentos di padron, Girl Scout thin mints, Caramel Sin) that I consider culinary cocaine. Cin suggests the Tim Tam Slam: "bite off (nibble) diagonal corners and use biscuit as a straw to sip your tea/coffee (make sure it's not too hot). Quickly place entire biscuit in mouth and wait for explosion." We haven't been able to try the Tim Tam Slam because we can't stop eating them straight out of the package. Another trip to the Internets reveals that these lovelies come in multiple flavors. For which there are recipes. A few more minutes with Google and I have a source for the entire product line in Texas. My uncle lives near San Antonio. I see a road trip in my future...

Thanks to Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness for hosting this installment of Blogging by Mail, and to Cin of My Favorite Things for sharing a little bit of Australia with me.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event Blogging by Mail

While the rest of you were making caramel tarts...

...John and I spent the weekend battling what the friendly folks at Orkin affectionately call "pantry pests" -- little bugs that found their way into my kitchen in a bag of pastry flour or a package of pasta -- and have made themselves quite a happy home. Four rolls of paper towels, two sponges, two bottles of 409 and a half gallon of bleach later, the shelves and drawers are clean and ready for their Monday appointment with the Orkin man, the island is a mountain of salvaged foodstuffs, and the dishwasher is poised for a week of overdrive as all of the dishes will need to be re-washed before I can put them away when the fumigation is complete. That'll teach ME to re-wrap dry goods before putting them in the pantry.

Stay tuned... my blogging by mail bounty, the chocolate caramel tart and a feature on 21st century fair food are on the 'back burner' while we banish the bugs...

Introductions, and answers...

Well congratulations folks. You recognize yourselves! Thanks for joining in and playing along (even those of you who weren't aware you were part of the game.) You've become the friends I've never met. Kept me company on hot sleepless summer nights and cold rainy afternoons. Introduced me to new restaurants, wines, kitchen gadgets, market vendors, local resources. Made me pause and think about what I feed my family and what that says about me.

Now allow me to introduce you to each other...without further ado: the answers -- the authors.

Number 1: a professional writer, amateur foodie, avid traveler and all-around bon vivant.

I grew up an Italian-American adjacent to the city by the bay... but I've grown to appreciate it in a brand new light through Sean's words and DPaul's images. Sean's introduction to Hedonia reminds me of a personal ad -- the only personal ad I've encountered that's encouraged me to linger a while, pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine, and join in the conversation.

Number 2: There are a lot of traditions associated with the coming of the new year, whether it’s the Western New Year that we ring in on January 1, the Chinese New Year (this will be the year of the Cock) which lands some time in February, or even Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in September or October. I’m American, and ring in the new year at midnight on December 31 with lots of champagne, hugs and kisses all around, and pretty much all kinds of other decadent debauchery.

And then there's Sarah, living The Delicious Life in Los Angeles. Part social commentary, part confessional, neatly wrapped up in 'deluscious' restaurant reviews delivered with delightful doses of pop culture, humor and sarcasm. And it all started here.

Number 3: In a busy kitchen a sharp knife is your most important tool. With continual use, it dulls, but much like watching yourself slowly age you don't realize it's gotten quite as dull as it has until you find yourself using massive force to cut an onion. It's time to sharpen.

I don't think it's any secret that I am obsessed with intrigued by the restaurant industry, in how things *really* work in a commercial kitchen. Thankfully, there are a handful of blogs out there that satisfy that jones. The Knife's Edge is one of my favorites. Haddock takes the time to explain the pros and cons of taking reservations, the challenges of balancing budgetary issues with employee morale, offers some sage advice to his dining public, and in the process sharpens your mental edge by getting you to think. His is a story worth reading from the beginning.

Number 4: Bienvenue a Welcome to! This simple title is enough to sum up my destiny...

When I visit Helene's Tartlette, I find myself flooded with mental images of beautiful homes dotting the French countryside, juxtaposed with the action-packed but warm-and-welcoming Midwest American kitchens where I spent many summers of my youth. We've never met, but we've shared Sunday breakfast and Gateau St. Honore and many, many things in between, if only virtually. I'm grateful our destinies have crossed and that she's welcomed me at her kitchen table.

Number 5: Let me start off by saying that I can not spell and my grammar is horrible (thank you public school…I can say that since I taught school for 9 years…public school).

That being confessed to the six people who will read this, I shall proceed. My goal here with my blog is undetermined at this time. I will mostly write about food, share recipes, restaurant reviews as well as cookbook reviews…. but I admit from time to time that the subject of ice hockey just might sneak in.

Peabody really defies introduction. She's developed quite a reputation in my office... any time I bring sweets or snacks to share, everyone wants to know if "it is a Peabody." Spelling and grammar be damned! Just keep providing crowd-pleasing, no-fail recipes -- and the tips, tricks, and stories that go with them. :)

Number 6: There are some moments when I almost believe that the New York Times Dining & Wine section reads my mind.

She lives and works in Brooklyn, arguably one of the food-Meccas of these United States. Yet Cathy's quite passionate about NOT eating out in New York. And not out of some bizarre misguided (or even well-founded) sense of self superiority, but for some very interesting reasons. She seems to be living quite well on not-takeout. And I LOVE the cost calculator and the brownie points! And it all started with a New York Times article on gazpacho...

Number 7: While running this morning, I passed a long hedge and noticed a violent disturbance in the leaves. Then I heard fluttering overhead. To the west, an ominous shadow of a flying bird on the pavement followed mine. I ran and ran and it cawed and cawed, and the bird shadow stayed exactly five feet behind my fleeing shadow. My eyes widened as I anticipated that horrible moment when the shadow would gradually grow bigger and bigger until it finally merged with mine, and I’d see nothing but crimson clouds from a bloody eye-pecking orgy that would put a damper on running ever again, not to mention staining my shirt so thoroughly that I’d have to resort to presoaking with Tide detergent on laundry day.

At the very least, I anticipated that the bird might crap on my head out of spite and/or entertainment and/or target practice. It didn’t, but now that I’m out of danger, the thought of a tiny poo shadow falling from the bird shadow and landing on the head of my running shadow makes me giggle uncontrollably. Hee hee. But nothing happened. The bird left, perhaps assured that I wasn’t trying to eat its chicks or its food, and my head and shoulders remained poop free. That’s when I noticed squashed black splotches on the ground under the trees.

Mulberry season has begun.

I love the way Bon Appegeek's Annie approaches food -- and life: "Does a healthy eater write about rice cakes and celery sticks? No way. Nothing is more exciting to a semi-retired glutton than the pursuit of forbidden excess." A consummate story teller with a natural curiosity about all things edible, Annie serves up some righteous recipes with a healthy dose of sarcasm; she's got a unique style that simultaneously makes me laugh *and* makes me think. And a healthy respect for Hitchcock. Or Mulberries. Take your pick.

Number 8: I swear to God, I'm gonna' get fired and I won't have anyone to blame but the coalition of S.F. food bloggers. They have gotten me addicted to their damn food blogs. I read them all day. They're like my coke, but without the 80's music in the background.

The "shibby" Garrett of Vanilla Garlic routinely reports on the greater Sacramento area food scene, expanding my list of "must tries" in his part of California. His cupcake recipes rock! And he's always good for a laugh...even if he's got some strange vendetta against his neighbors to the west.

Number 9: Shortly after I graduated from university I moved to a small town perched high in the mountains of central Japan. The name of the town literally means high or highest mountain and it is surrounded by breathtaking peaks, many of them capped in snow year round. I arrived in October, just in time to witness the flaming autumn foliage. Soon, however, the leaves had fallen off the trees, the days turned bitterly cold, and winter was upon us.

Rather than repeat myself, check out my thoughts on Tea & Cookies on this post. Then go read her from the beginning. You won't be disappointed.

Number 10: sometimes things aren't always what they seem - often...they're much, much more.

Her photography captured my attention. Her recipes intrigued me. Her stories drew me in. And her soul refuses to let go. She's Tami of Running with Tweezers, and over the months we've spent together, she's offered all of this... and so very much more.