Food Blog:
Cook In.
Eat Out.
Miss Tenacity.
New Mexico.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Thursday, December 30
Spirits.... Lifting....
I'm trying hard to be perky, really. But waking up late and missing my workout just got things off on the wrong note this morning. Bad coffee to follow and a general post-holiday queasiness (mental and physical) just didn't help a bit.
Fer chrissake... I had lunch at Graze and even *that* only helped for a brief amount of time. Sheesh.
Bitch bitch bitch.... I still have shelter, food, and love - and all 3 at once is a rarity in this world. I'm shutting up now.
Last night I made my own pho, and it was tasty. There, that's something to smile about. :-)
Time posted: 16:01 [permalink]
Wednesday, December 29
About Xmas
As quoted from Suzette's blog The Joy of Soup:
"Christmas used to be far more exciting but far less fullfilling."
I concur. I heartily concur.
Time posted: 11:10 [permalink]
Tuesday, December 28
Cherry Walnut Granola
Making your own granola is definitely a very hippie thing, but dammit, I like my own granola. So stop calling me a hippie!
Erp, sorry about that. Here's my latest flavor mix, tweaked for maximum protein.
Cherry Walnut Granola
3 c oats (original, not quick)
1 c soy nuts, chopped
1 c walnuts, chopped
1/2 c wheat germ
1/4 c wheat bran
1 T ground ginger
1 t each of cardamom, nutmeg, and 2-3 kinds of cinnamon
1/4 c cherry cider
1 T molasses
1 T canola oil
4 egg whites
1/4 c Splenda
1 t kosher salt
Mix the dry stuff together. Beat the wet stuff together. Combine both until well coated. Bake at 225 on a big sheet pan for 90 minutes, stirring every 20 or so.
10 servings (of about a scant half cup).
Each serving:
267 cal
13g protein
26g carb (7g fiber)
13g fat
Mmmm, walnuts.....
Time posted: 21:22 [permalink]
2004 Loot
Thanks to everyone in my sphere, friends and relatives close and far away, for just being yourselves over the last year. Bestowed upon me was much in the way of gifts this go-round, ranging from delicious homemade treats to framed photographs to nifty electronics to coffee-table cookbooks. I love it all, and will be getting tons of use out of every item (burp!).
I pose this question: what is your favorite gift that you GAVE this year? The item that you just couldn't stand to have it sitting around wrapped waiting for the day to arrive, and when it did arrive, you bounced up and down while the person tore off the paper? That's my favorite part of it all.
I hope your holidays were fantastic (and continue to be), and you got to have at least one bouncing up and down moment of your own....
Time posted: 13:43 [permalink]
Gifts, the Final Edition
....now that I'm back on home soil, I'll wrap up my tale of Xmas Gifting.
Jamaican Black Cake (aka Xmas Fruit & Booze Cake): adapted from Laurie Colwin, and others
Here is my adapted recipe, with a warning - the whole process takes 3 distinct steps, the first of which must be started at least 2 weeks before the cake is to be made.
STEP 1 (10 minutes):
Take 2-3lbs of dried fruits, any mixture you'd like of raisins - dates - figs - prunes - candied/glazed items - candied citrus peel. Steep them in a mixture of heavy & fruity boozes such as port, rum, bourbon, et cetera in a LARGE GLASS container. Plastic may stain, metal may do bad things. My vat contained rum and port (what I had on hand). Allow this to steep for a minimum of several weeks, up to a year or more. For future cakes, go ahead and double the amounts and start your batch for next year now!
STEP 2 (2 hours, give or take): can be started up to a week before you make the cake(s).
Making BLACK SUGAR is an amazing process in patience and home chemistry. Take 2 cups of brown sugar and put it in a heavy bottomed pan. Melt this over low-med heat. For the longest time it will seem like nothing is happening except that the grainy-ness of the brown sugar gets a little moist. DO NOT add water. Just keep stirring it so the bottom doesn't burn, and after about 30 minutes Magical Transformation #1 will occur - the whole mass will liquefy at the same time. Once it does that you will have a caramel tan colored goo. Keep stiring and watching that until it gets darker..... and darker.... and darker....
If you walk away for a few minutes, you might come back to a fascinating sight:
Magical Transformation #2
...black lava-like bubbles in your tan sludge. Stir them back in and keep things going. Eventually the mixture will get VERY dark, almost black:
....and your kitchen will smell like, well, burnt sugar. Its not unpleasant, especially if you like complex verging on bitter flavors (coffee, for example). Keep letting it darken as long as you dare. When it is a hair's breadth away from being officially burnt, heat up 1 cup of water to boiling, remove the pan from the heat, and pour the water in. Congratulations, you have just made black syrup. Allow it to cool, then store in glass in the fridge until you are ready for
STEP 3 (the cake(s); 2 hours including baking time):
1 cup Packed brown sugar
1/2 lb butter (salted), room temp
6 eggs
2 cups cake flour
2t baking powder
1t each of nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2t each of cloves and cardamom
Sift the flour with the baking powder and spices in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one by one. Fold in the soused fruits, and half to all of the black syrup (until batter is as dark as you want it to be). Then fold in the flour mix, and pour into 2 well-lubed AND parchment-lined cake pans, or small loaf pans (note the brown color of mine; I could have added more of the black syrup):
Bake about 90+ minutes at 325, until a toothpick comes out moist - not wet, but not totally clean, as the cake should be very moist. When they come out of the oven sprinkle the tops with dark rum, allow to cool, and then keep in an airtight container (or double layer of foil, or plastic, etc) until ready for consumption or gifting. Every few days, drizzle with more rum if they look a little dry. Cakes will keep at least a month and are better a few weeks after baking, though I've heard its tradition to keep one of the batch until next year (whoa).
Whew. Now, get cracking on your soused fruits for next year! :-)
Time posted: 08:30 [permalink]
Monday, December 20
Gift, Part 2
Onward we go with the holiday recipes:
Fleur de Sel Caramels (adapted from eGullet)
1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fleur de sel (sea salt, fine not coarse)
1 cup sugar + 1/4 cup Splenda (eek!)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Line the inside of a square baking pan with parchment paper, then oil the parchment.
Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
Boil sugar and corn syrup in a heavy pan at least 3x the volume of all the ingredients, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.
Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up - hence the big pan) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 244°F on thermometer (just above soft ball). Pour into pan, sprinkle with kosher salt and cool until firm. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close. Wrapping the little fuckers takes a very long time..... so just be warned that you can't finish these up in 10 minutes. Plan on an hour or more.
Lemon Ginger Granola
7-8 cups rolled oats
1 c toasted wheat germ
2 cups walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup good honey - wildflower
1/4 cup vegetable oil - not olive!
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 t lemon extract
2 t salt
1 T powdered ginger
1 T fresh grated ginger
1 cup candied ginger, chopped fine (Wait until the stuff is baking to do this - its tricky and time consuming because of the sticky factor. I tried using the Kweez but I just gummed up the damn thing. Out comes the big knife....)
Preheat oven to 250F.
In a large bowl or small vat combine the oats, germ, nuts, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine honey, oil, lemon stuff, powdered/grated ginger, and salt. Combine both mixtures - tossing very very well to distribute the goo evenly and pour onto as many sheet pans as you can find. Bake for 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. About halfway through the process your kitchen and house will start to smell heavenly and your mouth will be watering.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add candied ginger and mix until evenly distributed.
Makes - a whole boatload. Keeps - probably a month, but it won't take you that long to eat it, will it?
Time posted: 11:44 [permalink]
Sunday, December 19
The Gift of Einstein
(The gift of time... relatively speaking.)
This year the bulk of my gifts are taking the form of items that I have crafted myself, in my kitchen and otherwise (more on that later). I love to cook, and I hope to spread if not the love of cooking than at least some food-love around to my friends and relatives by giving them the fruits of my labor.
Here's the list of things I've made in the past week or so.
Eggnog
Toasted Rosemary Pecans
Jamaican Black Cakelets
Lemon Ginger Granola
Ginger Truffles
Coffee-Chile Truffles
Fleur de Sel Caramels
Now that I have started to distribute the booty, its time to come clean with some preparation photos and recipes. I'll start with the simple:
Toasted Rosemary Pecans (adapted from Food & Wine)
1lb pecan halves
4T unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2t kosher salt or fine sea salt
1t dried rosemary, crushed
1t sugar
Toast the dry pecans for 15 minutes in a sheet pan at 250. Meanwhile, combine everything else. After the pecans are lightly toasted, toss gently but thoroughly with the dressing, and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more, until the nuts are crispy. Cool on paper towels.
Eggnog (recipe lost)
12 eggs, separated
1-2 cups booze: rum, bourbon, etc
sugar
1qt cream
1qt half n half
nutmeg
vanilla extract
So I lost the recipe, but basically the yolks are whipped with the sugar, the whites are whipped until stiff, and everything gets folded together carefully so as to not deflate the whites. You end up with 3+ quarts of the stuff, and it is luscious.
Here are the ingredients with the finished tub o' boozy eggy cream in the background:
Time posted: 20:27 [permalink]
Saturday, December 18
Hair Lost, Confidence Found?
I got most of my hair whacked off 2 days ago. It becomes my tendency to grow my hair out to about chin length and then hide behind it in many ways; lopping the mess down serves to bring me out into the open again, as well as satisfying any urge for style long-lost in the shaggy mop.
Juan Carlos Montoya was the doer of the deed, and he's new to me, highly recommended by a co-worker whose hair I love. He is very focused, dedicated, skilled, and arrogant. The last attribute might be the reason he is not booked solid six months in advance; he really seems to know his shit, and my head is testimony to that. Being only 48 hours old, the cut has yet to settle down and reveal its potential - what it will do over the next month, two months, four months, etc. It is also different than what I was expecting, so I am also still getting used to it - seeing myself in mirrors and all that. Overall it gives me new confidence, carrying a style that is at once boyish and feminine, casual and sporty.
If you are looking for a new haircutter/stylist/whatever, give him a try. You will be pleasantly suprised, and he guarantees it.
Hair Artition by Juan Carlos
(located on Candelaria just west of Eubank)
(505) 237-2227
Hours: I forget exactly but noon-6pm or so Tuesday thru Saturday.
Time posted: 16:33 [permalink]
Thursday, December 16
Luscious Linzer
Thanks to the talented Ms Pika, for breakfast today I had homemade linzer torte. She will be judiciously rewarded with the final result of my project the other night - turning a pan of brown sugar into black lava.
Recipes for all my holiday adventures will be up soon, but first I must distribute all of the nibbles to their final destinations....
Hope your pre-holiday tasks are going well and are above all enjoyable. I can't stress enough how much I love cooking because it has a calming effect. After spending all day at a desk, being on my feet and using my hands to make a real, tangible end product that with any luck is delicious to boot, that's enough to peel away most of each day's annoyances.
One final note: another food blog called The Accidental Hedonist has noticed that the Bloggies don't have a food category, so she started her own "Best Food Blogs of 2004" contest. To nominate a blog in any of 10+ categories, you must scroll down to that category and make your nomination by posting a comment. If you like my food musings on this site, I am asking for your nomination(s). Thank you!
Time posted: 11:00 [permalink]
Tuesday, December 14
Sheehanator
Jason Sheehan is one of the people in the food biz that I look up to. He's somewhat local, has a long background in kitchens, and can write like Level 2 can bite.
But when you want to call yourself a foodie, look out! Here's an exerpt from his column in the 12/2 Westword:
...."people who love the idea of eating out at hip, urban, ethnic eateries, but who are also afraid of accidentally rubbing elbows with any ethnic people not bussing up their plates. In the trade, we've got a name for people like that: We call 'em foodies."
When you talk to someone about your religion - which might be a mish-mash of skepticism and tradition and aversion to organization and darwinism and pragmatism - to someone who believes the 3 flavors are christianity/judaism/heathen, how do you describe yourself? You can't say the whole awful truth to such virgin ears. No, you respond with "agnostic" or "I believe in *something* but mostly I'm spiritual" (and even that latter one is hellfire to explain).
Thusly, if you love food: if you relish spending $.60 in a dive to experience a perfect torta at 2am in Juarez, yet don't blink at the 10 course tasting menu for $100 at an equally memorable establishment well within the US borders. If you are kept up at night plotting the next meal you will cook, and awake early to make it to the best bakery in town, what then are you? Fer chrissake, if you write like this:
"Sure, I felt queasy after Yummy Yummy's tom kha, but you know what? I remember that place. I remember everything about it -- where I was sitting, what was on the TV, what was on the walls I stared at while silently praying not to throw up. Before running afoul of that soup, I'd had a half-dozen really great dishes there -- batter-dipped and deep-fried spinach leaves that I've never seen anywhere else, and green curry that tasted like it'd been made by hands that truly understood what green curry was all about. And to experience any one of those half-dozen dishes again for the first time, I would gladly build myself a time machine, fall backward a week and go through it all over, knowing full well what kind of hell was waiting for me at the end."
...and MEAN it, what are you?
I'm going to guess that Jason would say it doesn't matter. You don't need a "title" to toss around at people. You just do what you do - you live your love of eating, and for those that want a one-word label.... fuck 'em.
Time posted: 14:39 [permalink]
Sunday, December 12
Ginger Drink
I just used my last packet of "Ginger Drink". It is basically a granulated hot beverage, sort of in the vein of instant apple cider mix. This means that I am long overdue for a trip to either Ta Lin (redone upscale foofy asian market) or 99B (the current remaining dirty cluttered cool asian grocery in town), to replenish my stock. Two ingredients fill these cute little packets, just two: ginger and honey.
Time posted: 22:08 [permalink]
Thursday, December 9
....Orr Maybe I'll Make Pizza
After a (literally) rousing jog in the foothills Saturday morning and my routine replenish breakfast at Flying Star of oatmeal with a side of turkey green chile sausage, I walked next door to attempt some eyelash-batting at the Foreman of Frommage. Alas, the fort was being manned by several other slaves on this day. My plan foiled, I still managed to escape with a hefty lobe of fresh mozzarella goodness.
Wonderful on its own, Johnny's mozz melts fairly well so I decided to use it on a homemade pizza that night. Under my strict lessons of "use it today and DON'T refrigerate" I rolled out the dough, misted it with oil, smoothed on fresh marinara sauce, and then covered 2/3 of the pie with thin slices of the cheese. Running out, I topped the rest with regular "part-skim" shredded supermarket mozzarella, and pepperoni because that's the half I won't be eating and I'm selfish enough to want all the good cheese to myself. On my half I also dabbed around fresh chopped basil I had preserved in olive oil.
After baking at 550 degrees for 8 minutes, here's what we had:
Crust/topping close-up:
How was everything? Well, the crust could have been better seasoned - it was somewhat bland. The texture was fine - chewy and light. The cheese? Pure heaven, and even more striking when contrasted with the motley mess of the "store-bought" mozzarella. That stuff tasted damn near toxic when put up against the real deal.
Note to Johnny: I cheated. I didn't use all the cheese the first day. BUT, I didn't refrigerate and it was just as good the next day, if a slightly different and more pungent specimen.
Time posted: 21:37 [permalink]
Sushi Kid
Enlightenment seems to come early for some lucky kids. Manipulating my cart through the gift-box strewn aisles of Costco earlier this week, I passed by the refrigerated section where cheese and ravioli and such are proudly displayed in their plastic coffins. A youngish mom and her kid were there looking at party platters, and the kid reaches out and grabs one while saying, "I want this at my birthday party." It was a sushi tray. Not california rolls and the like, but actual sashimi. The kid was about 8 years old.
I am in awe. Go foodie kid! (And Happy Birthday!)
Time posted: 09:11 [permalink]
Monday, December 6
Chipotle Piggy
Dinner tonight.... There I was, shopping at Albertsons for the first time in many moons. Why? That is a very good question. Ok, there were some things on sale that I can actually use in my day to day life, but for the most part I was bluntly reminded of the impetus behind the many-moon lapse: horrible produce, long lines, and strangely MIA items (What, no cocoa powder in the baking section?? Not even Hershey's???).
The meat aisle confronted me with a rather clever marketing ploy: "regular" cuts of muscle such as loin, steak, rib, etc. were on sale while the frigid weather cheapo varieties were sporting astronomical digits. Heading home back up the canyon I was stocked with $3/lb pork loin steak instead of $4/lb oxtail and $4.50/lb stew meat. STEW MEAT! Jeezus.
As it turned out, the steaks were not too foul for grocery store specimens. I dry rubbed them with chipotle seasoning salt, pan fried until crispy outside and barely done throughout, then tossed them on a plate in the 250 degree oven to rest. On the side were some quickly assembled mashed potatoes with garlic and a Zingerman's crumbly ash-covered cheese that I've forgotten the name of. Despite being instant, the taters gained some ground with the additions. For my side I sauteed 1 whole bag of baby spinach with 1t bacon fat and ground aleppo pepper, then topped it with a few chopped walnuts and some more of that crumbly cheese.
While the spinach wilted I deglazed the piggy pan and made a quick gravy to serve over the steaks and potatoes. And that was it. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to cook, more than I expected but not too bad altogether.
Oh, and dessert was some of my fig-port-mint-honey ice cream. Damn, that's a weird but awesome flavor combo.
Time posted: 21:51 [permalink]
Sunday, December 5
Frozen Inside, Frozen Outside
I am finally starting to get used to the cold weather. Every year it takes a week or two from feeling like every second outside is just torture and *inside* just can't be warm enough.... to toleration. I even went for a crack of dawn run on Saturday and was just fine.
Now that I am not shivering 24/7, I made ice cream today, 2 new flavors to add to the list:
ICE CREAM #1: Banana Walnut
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 grossly overripe bananas, preferably frozen
1/2 cup sweetener - sugar, brown sugar, whatever
2T powdered coconut milk (I think it was supposed to make 1 cup of drink)
1T rum
2T shelled walnuts, plus 1t brown sugar
Dump the milk, sugar, and coconut powder in the blender. Whiz until smooth. Add the bananas and rum. Chill until damn cold (unless you started with frozen bananas, in which case you are READY!).
While the base is chillin', toast your walnuts (dry skillet, low heat, about 10 minutes). Don't let them burn or a) you will have to start over and b) they will stink. Once they smell nice and toasty, take them off the heat and chop as finely as you want to encounter in the ice cream, then put back in the pan and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Toss until the sugar melts and makes a very light glaze on the nuts. Chill the nuts.
Process the ice cream in your handy dandy ice cream maker, and then add the walnuts near the end (after the ice cream has set up to soft-serve consistency or harder).
Afterthoughts: I cannot taste the rum or coconut milk AT ALL, which is why I didn't put those words in the title. The powder must be weak, because I've had this problem before. Next time, heavy coconut milk from a can. Oh, and more rum. Texture-wise, this is not a very creamy ice cream, as there is not a lot of butterfat from cream or egg yolks to temper the mixture. But the banana flavor is front and center and the very faint praline coating on the walnuts helps immensely.
ICE CREAM #2: Fig-Port with mint and honey
4 dried figs, chopped finely and soaked for 15+ minutes in
2T port (or enough to cover)
1c whole milk
1T dried mint
1T thyme honey (or any wildflower honey)
1/4c brown sugar or sweetener
1 egg yolk
Put the mint and honey in the milk and scald it. ("Bad milk!" Um, not scold.... scald.) Beat the egg yolk and sugar together, then add some of the milk to the egg, mixing well. Finally dump the egg into the pan with the milk and cook gently until it slightly thickens or is just short of boiling. Either pick out the mint bits at this point or use a blender to render them tiny. Stir in the fig-port mess and chill for several hours, preferably overnight. Process in your ice cream maker when ready.
NOTES: I like this one a LOT. The wacko flavor combination came from a little research about what pairs well with figs. Next time I think I'll make it richer with cream and really knock my socks off.
Time posted: 21:24 [permalink]
Saturday, December 4
Almond Unsparkle Cookies
I'm also putting together my LIST of stuff to make for the holidays, cookies and everything else. I was talking with a friend about peanut butter cookies and she mentioned getting a recipe from her grandmother that was "like peanut butter fudge" and had no flour. The gist was gotten across and I looked up a few other flourless peanut butter cookie recipes online and then tweaked to produce:
ALMOND UNSPARKLE COOKIES (with apologies to Thomas Haas)
(makes just 2 dozen small cookies, so scale up if necessary)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup almond butter (if unsalted, also add 1/2tsp salt)
1/2 t baking soda
1T kirschwasser (cherry brandy....optional, or use orange extract instead)
2 eggs
Combine everything gently but completely. Chill dough 1 hour in fridge (this step helps keep the cookies from spreading out while baking, and is optional). Preheat oven to 350. Drop cookies 1T at a time onto parchment paper on a baking sheet; bake 7-10 min, use your judgement. 7 min for me was VERY soft and chewy; 10 minutes might be more firm but still slightly chewy after cooled. Cool completely before moving them, especially if you underbaked.
Want some good news? Each cookie is 110 calories (half of which is outstanding-for-you almond fat), and tastes rich like a "chocolate sparkle cookie", but obviously not chocolate and not sparkly (since you don't roll in sugar before baking).
One final note - I used half dark brown sugar and half Splenda and they turned out excellently. If you do that they are 95 calories each.
Time posted: 18:07 [permalink]
Wednesday, December 1
Mary and Tito's
Do you like red chile? Eating that rich lather of pureed vitamin C with the fire of Hades and the grit of adobe? Me too! That's why I like Mary and Tito's, where I don't even know how the green is since the red is so primal its all I ever order.
Then you can order a "side" of carne adovada:
....cover it in shredded corn tortilla to make an eggless machaca:
Or, if you're really hungry you can get their version of a stuffed sopapilla smothered in red:
...all the while sitting back and enjoying the homey view of locals and weird artwork and souvenirs on the walls.
What you need to know:
Mary and Tito's
2711 Fourth St. N.W.
9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
9 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.
505-344-6266
Time posted: 22:02 [permalink]
Cinnamon Apple Dessert
When I was at the Range Cafe (taking the "carp" photo), I ordered only one thing - their "signature" apple upside down tart with cinnamon ice cream. It is not a tart tatin - there is no caramel on top of the apples. However, here is what it looks like:
Ignore the whipped cream and woefully out of season strawberry.... instead look at the huge mound of baked apples on top of a pastry crust, and the melting cinnamon ice cream pooling in the dish.... mmmmm.
Yes, it was good. Unfortunately, it was not great. I was expecting a little bit more, since this dessert is so "famous" and all. On my *first* try I made far better cinnamon ice cream than their house recipe. Possibly because I used enough cinnamon to actually taste it, rather than just have an allusion to cinnamonny-ness? All in all, I have had far worse desserts, but I think I will keep on looking for a great tart tatin in the future, and just keep making my own cinnamon ice cream.
Time posted: 21:53 [permalink]
|
|
| |
CONTACT ME: tenacity -at- gmail.com
|
|
|
