A Perfect Batch of Rice- 1978

Yes, I know I used this picture before... I probably should have taken some other ones.

I think everyone has culinary things that they are anxious to make. Some people are afraid of bread baking, some people hate candymaking, other people fear the mashed potatoes turning into a gluey, terrible mess.  None of those are my fears- I can make some kickass candy, my mashed potatoes are fluffy and delicious, and I've made a loaf or two of bread in my time. 

But rice, oh, rice. The bizarre thing is, I can make a decent risotto- it's one of my favorite things to make. But give me a pot of regular rice, some water, and you will find yourself with either a pot with a burned bottom of rice, or a pot with almost completely raw rice, that once the lid comes off when I check it, never seems to cook through.  I attempted rice on several occasions, until I finally threw my hands up and gave it up.  Rice was something I ate at other people's houses, or with my Indian takeout. 

I knew I'd have to conquer my fear of rice, because there are several recipes in the cookbook.  The good thing is, the first one I started with is pretty idiot proof.  You bring rice to a boil, in chicken broth, add some herbs and butter and onions, and then put the whole kit in the oven. when it's done, out comes creamy, delicious rice- it's excellent- a very close cousin to risotto, and it was an excellent bed for the Salmon in Foil that I made the same night. 

Maybe I don't need to fear the rice! 

Salmon and Tomatoes in Foil- 2001

On the night that I made the Pots de Fail, I also made a dinner that was not Epic Fail. In fact, It was the opposite of fail, because it was pretty all-around delicious.  

Some of the best recipes are just assembly. You make a foil packet, in to which you put oil, salmon, basil leaves, and cherry tomatoes (I used grape, which were excellent) top with salt and pepper, and then pop into a very hot oven for 8 minutes, and when you're done, you have a fragrant, delicious piece of fish, with tomatoes and basil.  The fish was excellent, and I was happy about that, but the best part of the dish for me was the tomatoes. They were soft, and almost sweet- they just kind of melted in your mouth. I kind of want to see of that would work If I just cooked them in foil on their own.... something to try this week with the leftover tomatoes. 

Definitely a make-again recipe! 

Classic Rum Punch - 1984

When I was looking through the cookbook for things to make for the dinner party that I was having, I was looking for a simple cocktail that I could serve. As I flipped through the chapter, I paused on many things, but decided that Rum Punch looked pretty delicious. With four ingredients, it is certainly easy to put together.  You start by putting a cube of ice in a glass, some demera sugar, the juice of half a lime, and two ounces of rum. You stir and then drink. The sugar does not melt right away, so as you're drinking, it has this delicious quality of being a bit overly rummy at the beginning, but as you drink, and stir, it becomes sweeter, and more limey, somehow, so when you are at the end, all you can think about is how you want another. 


Have you guys seen the scene Mary Poppins where she's giving the kids the medicine after they got caught in the rain, and hers is rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrum punch?  That's how I say rum punch in my head. And now that I've tasted one ...(or three), I believe that Mary Poppins might have been a bit of an alcoholic.  That's okay though, I don't imagine it's easy to be a nanny, you might need a couple of these after a long hard day minding children in London. 

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrum  Punch! 

Roasted Cauliflower

Some of the dishes in this cookbook are ones I've made before, (over and over and over again)  It feels like kind of cheating to make them for The Project, like I should save them until I need a break from some of the crazier stuff in the book.  Oh well, some days you just need to eat roasted cauliflower for dinner.  This is one of my favorite things. I think I like roasted cauliflower (when done well) more than french fries.


It is so easy too- toss the florets in olive oil, salt and pepper them, and roast on a cookie sheet. Ta-da! excellent side dish to whatever you're having.  Some people sprinkle on cumin, or curry powder, or pimenton, but I like mine plain. 


Make this now- it's a healthy respite from the pounds of starches you've been eating!

Pots de Creme-1970

There are no pictures of failure.

If I wasn't sticking to a standardized titling system with the name of the recipe and the year, I would have titled this post "Pot de Fail" 

When I read Julie/Julia,  she talked a lot about her "mutant gelling handicap"  not getting things to set.  At the time, I laughed at it, and said, to myself (smugly) "I'm a good cook! how hard can it be to make a custard from scratch?"   The me of 2010 wants to go back in time and kick me of 2008 squarely in the shins.  So I made the recipe first last night (I was making a whole dinner, that the other components of turned out AWESOME, Will post about them later this week) because I knew that it had to set in the fridge.  I whisked the eggs sugar and salt, I heated the cream, I put it on the double boiler, and slowly added the cream, and I stirred. And I stirred. And I stirred. Once it got to the point where it was covering the back of the wooden spoon, I pulled it off the heat, and set the bowl into one with cold water, stirred in the orange and Grand Mariner, and poured it into my small ramekins.  I set it in the fridge, and began to bumble about, preparing the rest of the dinner.


  A little bit before we were about to eat, (two hours after they had gone into the fridge, I checked them, and they were still soupy.  Heart sinking, I resigned myself to dessert failure, but thought that it might be salvaged by just serving them as "dessert soup!"  because, come on, how bad can orange and cream be?  We finished dinner, and I brought out the ramekins, (still not set)  and we dipped our spoons into them... and tasted.  In the beginning, you tasted cream, and orange, and then it was followed by a hit of salt, that made it quite unpleasant.  I tasted yolk, and salt. I don't know if the error was me (mistakenly using the wrong measuring spoon) or if i used the wrong kind of salt (I used kosher salt I keep on my counter)  but the result was... unpleasant. 

Julie soldiered on and had a few more tastes, but I was done.

The good part was, I had some chocolate covered crunchies in the fridge, and was able to use those to redeem dessert.  That, and the rest of dinner was really excellent:  Salmon in foil, and Perfect Batch of Rice, and I made another batch of the butternut squash soup, which was awesome. 

Can't win 'em all.

Butternut Squash Cider Soup- 1993

This recipe is fantastic. light, and just creamy enough, with excellent butternut squash flavor and a real flavor of apples which was surprising to me, I think I assumed that the squash would bowl over the cider spices, but it's not true at all. You can really taste the apple in the soup.

 

You start by sweating shallot and garlic in a saucepan, and then steaming the butternut squash with some chicken stock, blending (I used my immersion blender)  then blending in sour cream, and apple cider.  you serve finely diced granny smith apple on top, and it provides a really nice texture contrast with a bit of tartness.

 

This recipe has been making the rounds as a starter for Thanksgiving, and if my family was the kind that deviated from our traditional meal at all,

 

I made the soup and it was a little thick- I should have thinned it out some- but this recipe, like a bunch of the ones I've made before, is one I want to make again and again (this is not helpful, seeing as I still have over a thousand recipes still left. in the cookbook.

 

(I still have some butternut squash leftover, so I'm making it tonight as a starter for dinner)

Two Day Brown Butter Madelines- 2001

I have been doing more frowning in the kitchen,  When a recipe is not the way I imagined it would turn out in my mind's eye (mind's mouth? that sounds weird)  I tend to furrow my brow and think about it. Is it something I did wrong?  Was the room too hot/ batter not rested enough/did my butter not brown all the way?  I am frowning now, even as I am writing this.  Another problem with some recipes is that I've never had them before.  With, say the Corn chowder- I know what I like with Corn Chowder, and I can pinpoint X and Y.  With something like Madelines, which I've never had...  it's harder to put my finger on the problem. Or in fact, if it is a problem at all.

I think part of the issue is I was expecting it to be more like a cookie.  But it's not a cookie, so much- it's much more cake-like.  I also thought that the flavor of the lemon would be much more pronounced.  Tasting them right out of the oven, they seemed kind of bland.  Good with tea, though.  I was bringing the leftovers to work, and I thought that they needed a flavor bump, so i made a lemon glaze (with lemon, confectioner's sugar and lemon zest, and dipped the tops in that, and allowed them to dry overnight with the glaze.  That seems to fix the flavor issue- they've got a lot more flavor now-  But I worry. is it just because I don't appreciate muted and toned down flavors? hmm.  Something to think about.

My co-workers seemed to like them though, which is always a good thing.

The best part of the experience though, was using the Madeline pans.  I scored them at a garage sale for $1 each- easily my most awesome garage sale score.  I hadn't ever used them before this, and I had definitely been meaning to.

Coming up this week:  Butternut Squash Cider Soup, Roasted Cauliflower, Perfect Batch of Rice, Baked Mushrooms



Basic Corn Chowder

I am going to say up front that I took some liberties with this recipe.   I did not have corn on the cob, (and it is DEFINITELY not the time of year for it, so I subbed it out for canned corn. I know. terrible) The recipe has you take the corn off the cob, and then make a stock out of the corn cobs that is the liquid in the chowder.   I am going to re-make this recipe again in corn season, because I think making the corn stock would be really good,  However, it was rainy, and cold, and miserable out, and I wanted some delicious and creamy corn chowder.

The recipe also has variations for making the corn chowder with bacon and cream, instead of milk, And since I overbought cream for the chicken fricassee... and had leftover bacon from when I made the risotto, I thought, might as well!  If you have the book, I suggest, (as it is suggested in the headnote of the recipe) to do these additions, because I think the soup would suffer mightily without them.

Usually when I make corn chowder, I add carrots, and celery, and ham, so that there are a lot of elements going on. This was a stripped down version of corn chowder- Creamy,  with bits of potato, and bacon and corn.  I served it with some crusty bread, and  It was a good match for the night- it was cold, and rainy and gross outside. 

I feel like I should reserve judgement on this recipe, because I didn't make it from the corn stock, and I don't know if my substitutions affected the recipe. But I will say this- I am not a fan of thin broths, and even though this one had a lot of cream in it, (and therefore was tasty)  I much prefer a thickened, heartier broth.  It feels weird, but for the first time, I think I prefer my version of corn chowder.  I had leftovers for lunch today, and it re-affirmed my... ambivalence?  To the recipe.  it was good (I mean, bacon, cream, potatoes and onion can't go much wrong) but I think I will have to make it again in early fall when there is still fresh corn around.

Mrs. Raymond Schenk's Pumpkin Cake - 1980

This time of year I have pumpkin on the brain.  Sweet, spiced pumpkin.  I really liked this cake because it was simple, easy to put together, and tasty.  It wasn't too sweet, and had a nice crumb.  I subbed out crasin for the raisins in the recipe, because I didn't have any raisins on hand, and I think I would definitely do it that way again (I might also add some chocolate chips)

I don't know who Mrs. Schenk is, but she sure makes a delicious cake.  This recipe calls for a tube or bundt pan, but lacking one of those (I need to seriously start hitting some thrift stores to get baking supplies) I made mine in two loaf pans. That worked out though, because I brought one to work, and one to my theater company, so they could both enjoy some pumpkin goodness.

I think this would be a nice addition to thanksgiving dinner- especially for those people who like a more mellow dessert- this isn't too sweet, and is good with a cup of coffee.

Pumpkin, Sage, Chestnut and Bacon Risotto - 2003

Look at the title. Those five words are so awesome. Wait, look at the title again. Pumpkin, Sage, Chestnut and Bacon. Plus Risotto, which I love.  There is a link to the recipe here.

I was making this dinner for Glee Tuesday, which my friend Julie (and Paul, but he was busy this evening) come over and we watch Glee and eat dinner, drink wine and hang out.  They are going to be Project participants for a long while, so I wanted to start with one that I knew Julie would like.

I swapped out butternut squash for the pumpkin, because even though pumpkins are available this time of year, I prefer butternut in savory applications.  The recipe said I could!  You start by roasting the butternut squash in the oven, for 40 minutes, until soft,  and then laying pieces of bacon over them, sprinkled with chestnuts, and sage. You then cook the whole thing until the bacon is crisp, and take them out of the oven.

Then you start making the risotto- which is a fairly standard risotto recipe- and I am pretty familiar with making risotto, it's one of my favorite things. when the risotto is done, you stir in half of the finely chopped squash in, then bigger chunks of the squash, and on each serving you put diced bacon, sage and chestnuts.

It was really, really good.  The finely chopped squash melts into the risotto, which turns it to a bright orange yellow color. I was worried that the bacon would overpower the dish- but it didn't- it just lent a nice saltiness to the whole mix.  The chestnuts were so excellent. I've never cooked with them before- and they were almost meaty in texture.  Definitely one to make again.

Carmelized Brown Butter Rice Krispies- 2007

I love Rice Krispie treats, as do many members of my family. In fact, I've even made a whole triple layer "cake" out of Rice Krispie Treats for my sister for her birthday.   I've made a similar recipe from Smitten Kitchen earlier this year, which was also really good.  It also involved less butter than this recipe. This recipe? It is buttery heaven. 

This recipe is amazing. It takes the standard, bake sale Rice Krispie treat, and it knocks it out of the ballpark. It knocks it from Camden Yards ten minutes away, to my apartment.  I gave half of the batch to my sister to take home, and took the other half to work, where my co-workers demolished them in a matter of minutes.  This recipe is easy too- it only takes a couple extra minutes than regular Rice Krispie treats.  I think i could have even taken the butter a little bit browner, but I was impatient and wanted to get them done to get the rest of dinner on the table (I made these on the same night as the Beet Tzaziki and Chicken Fricassee)

Chicken Fricassee- 1968

Chicken Fricassee, pasta, green beans

 

This dish is rich- not something that you'd want to have every day, but definitely something that is a good, homey, Sunday dinner kind of meal.  It was pretty easy to put together, I halved the recipe (since there were just two of us for dinner)  and since I couldn't find any 3lbs chickens that were already butchered I grabbed 3lbs of chicken thighs, which I think are the best part anyway.  The recipe worked really well. I think I was a little more organized this time, and had read through the recipe a bunch of times before I got into the kitchen.  I set up the mis-en-place before I started, which was good, because a bunch of ingredients to into the pot at once, then the lid is put on, and it goes into a 400 degree oven to braise.  

 

I pulled the pot out of the oven, and put it on the stove, took the lid off, and (all with potholders)  and began to skim of the fat that had collected at the top of the dish. I added half of the cream, and then went to put the lid over by the sink, and without realizing it, grabbed the handle on top of the lid with three fingers of my left hand. I yelled (really loudly- and scared the cat)  and immediately ran my fingers under cold water, kicking myself for being such an idiot.  You see, this is not the first time I've been burned in the kitchen. It is not even the first time in the last three weeks  I've burned myself in the kitchen.  A few weeks ago I was the recipient of first and second degree burns on my chest/front from boiling hot water (woo!)  Note to self: BE MORE CAREFUL.   After cooking the rest of the dinner one handed, with an ice cube wrapped in a paper towel, (thank goodness that most of the dinner was done at this point)

 

I was going to make Perfect Batch of Rice with this dinner, but realized once I got home that I only have one pot that can go from stovetop to oven.  So Perfect Rice will have to be another time.  I made some pasta to go with, and steamed some green beans.   As I began do dig into my dinner (one handed) to the dinner, I realized that the burning fingers were worth it. Creamy, and velvety, the tarragon stands out, and the hit of lemon at the end really rounds out the flavor.  It's not a meal I could make every day- that much cream would be extremely detrimental to my health- but for a sunday dinner, or special occasion, I think this dish really works. 

Beet Tzaziki- 2006

I love beets. It's not a surprise that this is one of the first recipes that I picked out of the cookbook, because it combines many things that I love: dill, greek yogurt, garlic.  The dip comes together pretty easily- The recipe instructs you to boil the beets or roast them, but I took the shortcut of the pre-packaged steamed beets from Trader Joe's because they are A) tasty and B) always in my fridge. I think the next time I make it though, I might cook the beets myself, because I think, in this dish, it would be okay if the beets were a little bit undercooked- with a bit of a crunch. With regular tzaziki, the cucumber is usually a little bit crisp, giving a foil to the creamy yogurt.  That wasn't so much the case here with the beets. 

It is really tasty. The beets give the dip a sweetness that is offset by the garlic and dill, and the lemon brightens it up.  My sister said that it would make a good spread for a sandwich, and I bet that she's right. (plus, imagine the look on your co-worker's faces when you pull out your hot pink sandwich!)

English Tea Cart Wafers-1992

I got my cookie mojo back with these tea cookies, but they require a little trial and error.  In the headnote of the recipe, Amanda (is it weird to say Amanda? Amanda Hesser seems very formal.) says that this recipe takes a few times to get the proportions of cookie right.  The recipe also calls for a cookie press, which I don't have, but says that you can substitute a pastry bag with a tip.

I mixed together the ingredients, and put half the dough into the piping bag, and began to pipe out what I assumed to be three inch sections (still needed for the project: a ruler)  and once I had piped them out, put them in the oven to bake.  They were pretty big, significantly bigger than the suggestion of making them finger sized,  so when they came out of the oven, I piped the next batch out, and then sliced them in half.  That, proportionally seemed to work a lot better than the whole logs.

Once the cookies came out of the oven and cooled, I put together the chocolate glaze (using Ghiradelli chips- which I recommend!)  and dipped half of the cookies in the glaze and set to dry.  I  spread the other cookies with homemade raspberry jam that my mom made , and then sandwiched the cookies together.  I think if I make these again, I would take the extra step to put the jam in a piping bag and pipe it  on, because the  spreading method caused the jam to come out of the sides of the cookies a little too much.

They are really, really delicious. I love raspberry and chocolate combination, and the shortbread style cookie was really good as well.  Of the two cookies I made yesterday, they were the hands down winners.

Chocolate Quakes- 2002

 This recipe did not want to work for me.  I was going to a tea party for my friend Michelle's birthday, a  potluck, so I decided to take two kinds of cookies, that I thought would go well with tea.


The first batch I made, I mixed it all up, and then when I put it into the fridge to chill, then went to clean up, I tasted the batter on the whisk attachment for my mixer, and it became instantly apparent that there was an excessive alcohol-y rancid taste. I sniffed my bottle of vanilla, and cursed loudly. It appears the vanilla had gone off. I didn't even know that could happen!


I dumped that batch, and began again, melting, mixing, and stirring, and thinking that it didn't seem to make that much batter.  I am used to making large batches of cookies (my chocolate chip make 5 or six dozen)  so I chalked it up to the recipe yielding less cookies.  I put it in the fridge to chill, and then went to do the dishes, and realized that instead of the half cup measure that THOUGHT I was using, I was in fact using the 1/3 cup scoop. Annoyed, I tried to measure out (by eye... )  the remaining amounts of sugar and flour that the recipe needed.  Leaving that in the fridge, I began to make the other cookies that I had planned for today.


I contemplated making another batch of the cookies today, but I think I may try them again tomorrow night- My sister is coming over for dinner, and she can take the leftovers with her.


So I coated them in sugar, and baked them off, (I overbaked them, I think- the luck continues) and they look pretty nice.  I took them to the party, and people seemed to enjoy them, I think it went nicely with tea. 

The Book.

So up until this point, I have been using recipes from the book that I have found online, because my book was coming from Amazon. And because the USPS sucks on a regular basis (I think my apartment complex got a new mailperson, because they usually leave packages in the rental office, instead of driving me insane with the notes about delivery attempts. And having the most inconvenient branch hours ever. Okay, end rant about the USPS)

So, I got home today, and my book was waiting for me! VERY EXCITING. I have spent the evening on and off looking at it, flipping through the chapters, making notes to myself, and putting in post-its for things I want to cook right away.

Right off the bat, I know I want to make the Pumpkin Black Bean soup. I am excited about the Salad chapter, especially the Fennel and Blood Orange salad and the Rosemary and Feta Salad (plus any salad with beets. I looooove beets- and it appears Amanda Hesser does too, because there are a lot of delicious looking beet recipes in the book.

My love of soup is pretty legendary (I love to make it, and to eat it. but especially the making of soup- I find it familiar, and comforting.)  I can't wait to make the Carrot and Fennel soup, and Pho! ( I love pho, and would have never attempted making it before this.  plus, butternut squash and cider soup sounds amazing.

The vegetable chapters look great, and Shredded Brussels with Bacon and Pine Nuts is coming up first, and chilled sesame spinach, and Eggplant Involtini (I'm going to wait until my mom comes down to make that one, because she loves eggplant)  I love that there is a whole chapter devoted to potatoes, corn and Legumes, because as an Irish girl, I am very dedicated to my potatoes.  The chicken and seafood recipes look awesome, and I am looking forward to making brisket and short ribs.

And the appetizers! Oh, the appetizers.  Fried Olives, Spinach Dip with Chipotle and Lime,  Cheese Balls!  Plus Gougeres, and Scotch eggs,   I think that the Appetizer chapter may be my favorite.  The Cheese Straws that I've already made have definitely were fantastic.

There are too many desserts to count that I can't wait to make, and my family should get ready, because they are getting candies from the book in Christmas Baskets this year.

It is obvious that this book was put together with a lot of care and thought, as well as a great sense of humor. I like that there is a recipe index at the beginning of each chapter, and then when you get into the chapter, they are organized chronologically. I am already planning my decade themed dinners.  

 Having the book in front of me makes the project a seem a little more daunting than I originally thought, but I'm setting my course, and beginning this crazy journey.  Right now it's 12:20 am, and I need to stop flipping through the book, but I've got time tomorrow, and I'm going to formulate my plan.  First up this weekend:  An appetizer, a vegetable, a cocktail, and a Main Course for Sunday night dinner with my sister.

Those of you that have the book, any suggestions?

David Eyre's Oven Pancake- 1966

One of my friend Katie's favorite breakfast foods is a Dutch Baby, sometimes called an Oven Pancake, or a German Pancake.  She's talked about it a lot- her cousin makes them for her, and I kind of knew what she was talking about, but I didn't quite get the appeal. It's a pancake? That you cook in the oven?  Okay.... but I am still waiting for my book to come, (insert rant about the USPS and how they LIE about how they attempted to deliver my book because: NO BOOK AT MY HOUSE)  and I was looking for book recipes online that I could do.  I figured for Glee Tuesday (two friends come over to watch Glee every Tuesday Night. ) I'd make breakfast for dinner.  A little pancake, a little bacon, and If my friends were in the mood, some Gin Rickeys. 

My friends however, since it is a repeat night, made other plans. So I scrapped the cooking of the bacon, and made the pancake for myself.   It was delicious, and I am not sad at all that they weren't here, because I didn't have to share any of it.  Light, and crisp, and buttery, and eggy.  The sugar and lemon on it were great, and my second piece I had with some raspberry jam, and it was heavenly. 

My camera doesn't do it justice, but it looked so SO awesome in the cast iron skillet. 

I am hoping the leftovers will be tasty toasted a little in the morning.  I bet they will! 

Gin Rickey- 1958

Can I tell you how excited I am that this book has a comprehensive Collection list of cocktails?   I am VERY happy.  I think that will be helpful as I forge my way through the giant book. I always like to try new drinks, and sidestepping the fact that it could get expensive,  I am looking forward to this part of the book a lot.

Gin Rickey Ingredients (minus the simple syrup)

I knew from the beginning that I was going to like this drink.  My favorite drink is a Gin and Tonic, and that's my default order whenever I go anywhere.  I used New Amsterdam Gin, which is my go-to inexpensive gin (although I bet a Gin Rickey would be delicious with Bombay Sapphire) 

My juice glasses are these canning jars, which I love, and I thought it looked nice in the glass when it was all put together: 

I really liked the flavor of this drink. With a G&T, you get a lot of the taste of tonic, and while I like tonic, the simplicity of the gin, the lime and the seltzer with the slight sweetness from the simple syrup was delightful. 

I may have had two, on a work night. Time will tell if I regret that choice in the morning. (I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to drinking)