11.15.07
Posted in Cuisine at 10:00 am by rachel
I had never made my own risotto before Tuesday night. It’s not complicated, but because you have to be stirring for about 25 minutes, it can be long and tiring. It helps to have another chef in the kitchen so you can take turns!
As for recipes, I did what I usually do, which is search the web and find a couple that sound appetizing and can be made with the ingredients I have. Then I combined a few to make my own version. This method works with varying degrees of success, but this time, I am quite pleased and wouldn’t change a thing.
In fact, it was such a success that the two of us ate almost all of the risotto before I could even take a photo, so I made a fancy title in a fancy font:
What you need:
4 T butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pint mushrooms, cubed
3/4 cup dry white wine
1.5 cups rice
4 1/2 cups broth
Optional add-ins: 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped broccoli
I used the 12″ Bodum nonstick frying pan (pictured above), which we bought during the July sales here. An everyday pan like this is key, since it has tall enough sides to hold and make the entire dish.
What to do:
Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until they’ve released most of their water and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and when the mixture is sizzling, add all the rice. Stir continuously.
After about 5 minutes, begin to add the broth, stirring the entire time. Add about a cup at a time and after each addition, make sure the rice has absorbed the broth before adding more. The whole process of adding and absorbing takes about 25 minutes. When there was still a bit of a watery texture after the last broth addition, we added little bits of broccoli. If you’d like to use cheese, add that just before serving.
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11.13.07
Posted in Cuisine, Wedding at 9:53 am by rachel
My mom has decided that the world can know about her secret carrot cake recipe. This recipe is so good I asked her to use it to make our wedding cupcakes. She spent hours the day before our wedding making 8 or 9 batches of these, with the help of many friends. It was a lot of work. Thanks, Mom!
They were presented on the dessert table on a wooden holder that my dad made especially for the occasion. So many of the cupcake stands are cheesy and plastic. The one he made is solid and custom made for the number of cupcakes we served. He cut three circles of different sizes, drilled holes in the centers, and then attached them to a wooden dowel. We just covered it up with some lightweight fabric and used ribbon to keep the form of the three tiers. I love it.
I have tried to make this recipe in Paris, but I just can’t get the frosting right. I’m looking forward to having it when we visit the family at Christmastime.
Setting up the cupcakes on the dessert table
Carrot cake
1 c oil
2 c sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
1 small can crushed pineapple
2 cups shredded carrots
1 c coconut
1 c pecans, small pieces
2 c. flour
Mom has a friend who also added dates to this recipe and it was great.
Bake 350 F for 45-60 minutes.
The Cake Topper from Pixi et Compagnie (Paris 6e)
Photo Copyright Jason Angelini Photography (my cropping)
Cream Cheese Frosting
Blend together the following:
1 stick butter or margarine
1 block cream cheese
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
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09.30.07
Posted in Cuisine at 10:07 pm by rachel
If you can get your hands on some Saint Marcellin cheese, this is a quick and absolutely delicious entrée (meaning first course in French). I discovered this warm cheese salad at a hip little restaurant in Montmartre called Un Zèbre à Montmartre.
The principle is so easy, but one of those things that couldn’t just come to me…and then BAM! How did I ever live without this dish in my rotation?
You just take a round of Saint Marcellin cheese, heat it in the oven until almost completely melting (it’s ok if it leaks a little) and then put it on top of greens in vinaigrette. It’s usually one round per person (if you haven’t seen Saint Marcellin, it’s only about 2 inches or 5 cm in diameter), but it can be a bit much, so we just split one into 2 halves each. Adding extra vinegar to the vinaigrette balances out the strong cheese flavor.
My vinegrific vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
We used mâche leaves (aka cord salad or lamb’s lettuce) in the pictured version. But we’ve also used roquette (arugula). It’s so easy and a great transitional dish, moving from the fresh summer to the chilly weather we’ll have from here on out.
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09.09.07
Posted in Cuisine, Family at 11:07 pm by rachel
We’ve been celebrating Seth’s birthday all weekend, so by the time the big day came today, we really just spent the day hanging out and eating lots and lots of cake.
Last night I tried my hand at a French yogurt cake (recipe below). Baking is never an easy task with the toaster we pretend to call an oven, but after cutting off the burnt top (a casualty when trying to make a normal-sized anything in the tiny oven), all was well. I made it a marble cake by splitting the dough in half and adding a melted chocolate bar to one half.
After having lunch and a first piece of birthday cake, I presented Seth with his gift, a book of walks throughout Paris, written in English. It’s called Walks Through Lost Paris and is just the kind of book Seth loves: old pictures, little-known historical stories, architecture… We took it with us on a walk to Saint-Germain-
des-Prés and the Luxembourg Gardens since the weather was beautiful and we were in the walking mood. Seth read it at the park while I took pictures and soaked in some of the last of the summer sun. You can tell in the picture to the right that the sun was blazing: we couldn’t stop squinting!
I spent the late afternoon at a flea market and Seth’s birthday meant he didn’t have to accompany me, hehe. Tonight we had our friend Corry over for bread, cheese, wine, and more cake!
In all, a wonderful day!
~Yogurt cake~
What you need:
**Note: Use the yogurt container to measure the other ingredients. This is the coolest part about the recipe!
1 single-serving pot of plain yogurt (the kind that comes in a glass jar is ideal)
2 pots sugar
1 pot vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 pots flour
1 packet of levure chimique or about 1 T baking soda
What to do:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. For the marble version, divide the dough in two and melt 1 bar 70% cocoa chocolate bar in the microwave (about 1 minute), mix in the chocolate to 1/2 of the dough. Pour the plain dough into a greased cake pan. Drizzle the chocolate half on top and use a knife to make the marble design. Bake for 30 minutes. Glaze as you wish, but it’s really not necessary.
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09.07.07
Posted in Cuisine at 5:11 pm by rachel
Here we are at the end of the first week of September and I forgot to post about a special food event going on this month! My brother-in-law, Jeff, is participating in this September’s Eat Local Challenge. The idea is to define what you mean by “local” (usually about a 100-mile radius) and then choose to eat foods that are primarily produced in that area. September is a great time to try this, as even northern climates have a bountiful harvest with plenty of variety.
The idea is to reduce the amount of waste and pollution that goes into transporting food to you. The farther a tomato has to travel, the more carbon dioxide goes into the air.
Of course, there are other ways to participate if a 100% local diet does not sound feasible (as I will probably not be able to do!). One idea is to visit a local market once a week, or focus on making one local meal per week. Check out a related blog that challenges contributers to do just that, called One Local Summer. Yes, we are coming into this a little late, but it’s better that than never!
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09.04.07
Posted in Cuisine, Paris Life at 9:13 am by rachel
On Sunday I accompanied two friends to the fruit and vegetable market at Place de la Bastille. The market closes around 2pm, so our mission was to go at 1:30 and see what kind of end-of-the-day deals we could get. At around 1:45, the vendors start to offer huge quantities of vegetables and fruits for 1€. It gets very animated.
The Market at Place de la Bastille
I will warn you that a huge bag of food for 1€ can mean a lot of rotten fruit to sort through. This was the case with a huge bag of bell peppers I got: I had to throw away half of them, but it was still an amazing deal. The cucumbers I got (7 large ones for 1€) were all edible, as were the beautiful tomatoes (I couldn’t resist and got both vine-ripened ones and grape tomatoes). The green beans didn’t look too bad, either, so I stocked up on about a kilo of those as well. But what to do with so many of them? Homemade green bean casserole, of course!
There’s no can of soup in my version - I made it all from scratch and with my own, newly-invented recipe.
What you need:
1/2 - 1 handful green beans per serving (I used about 2 handfuls for this recipe)
4 large white mushrooms, chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
1 tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 small piece of toast, crumbled
salt, to taste
What to do:
In a non-stick frying pan, melt the butter and add the mushrooms and onions. Cook until the onions are golden. While these are cooking, wash the green beans and remove their tips. Cut into thirds (about 1.5-inch long pieces). Put the green beans into a glass baking dish, cover with some salt, and mix in the mushroom and onion mixture. In the same non-stick pan, pour the heavy cream and add flour, mix well (it helps to use a non-stick whisk to avoid clumps - I don’t have one, so I just used my wooden spoon). Add the milk and cook about 1-2 minutes over high heat, to reduce. Pour over the green bean mixture and then sprinkle on the crumbled toast. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
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08.28.07
Posted in Cuisine, Paris Life at 8:40 am by rachel
My friend Cécilia is one of those bakers that knows just when to add a touch of this or that. She had me over for tea last week and made a gorgeous gâteau aux pralines from her own recipe.
The term “praline” means so many different things: chocolate in Belgium, pecans in Georgia, and in this case, candied almonds. The small town of Roanne, France, has a pastry shop that is nationally known for the founder’s version of a brioche with candied almonds: the original “Praluline” – a play on the chef’s name, Auguste Pralus, and the word “praline.” The concoction became an instant hit, winning Pralus the national “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (best artisan in France) award in 1955. Many Roannais pastry shops have imitated it, but the “true” recipe remains a secret to this day.
Cécilia’s praline cake was also based on a brioche recipe, but was moist (preferable to the Praluline, in my opinion) and not too sweet, which really brought out the flavor of the almonds. In her experience, it is better to let the dough rise at least 12 hours, but even though this one only rose for a few hours, I thought it was perfect.
Cécilia has hinted at creating her own blog to share her recipes and beautiful travel photos. I hope she will!
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08.18.07
Posted in Cuisine, Family, Travel at 12:09 pm by rachel
My sister lives in Monterey, a small coastal town known for its Spanish colonial history & architecture, world-renowned aquarium on the bay, and its famous native son, John Steinbeck.
Sunset view from Fisherman’s Wharf
We used some frequent flyer miles to go visit, flying into San Francisco and renting a car (for cheap - using Hotwire). Our first stop after arriving in the late afternoon was Fisherman’s Wharf. Though filled with some cheesy touristy shops, it’s still retained some authentic charm (unlike the Wharf in San Francisco, for example). Dinner at Old Fisherman’s Grotto was the highlight: it’s been run by the same family for almost 60 years and is also where my parents dined on their honeymoon in 1976. The owner (and a statue of his father) greet you at the door, creating a welcoming and familial atmosphere from the start. Beautiful picture windows line the bay side of the restaurant and the food was divine: sipping a local white wine made classic chowder in a bread bowl into a fancy meal (trust the owner’s wine suggestions: we were very pleased). The seafood appetizers were delicious as well, and I ordered a local specialty, sand dabs, for my main course. Best of all, Old Fisherman’s Grotto participates in the Seafood Watch program to ensure the seafood they serve is both healthy to eat and sustainable to the marine environment.
Fisherman’s Wharf to the right and the marina, at left
The old city of Monterey itself is pedestrian-friendly and filled with book stores and little artsy boutiques. Even the Wells Fargo bank building is architecturally interesting with a large vaulted ceiling and painted wooden beams. Stop in to check it out. You can follow little circular bronze plaques for a walking tour of historic Monterey, which will take you to all of the old adobe buildings and homes.
The two-story kelp forest, site of educational scuba shows.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is what most people see when they visit, and I will warn you: entrance fees are surprisingly high at around $25/person. But when you consider all that they do for the local environment to keep Monterey Bay the way it is, it really is worth a few bucks more than a ticket to MoMA. I would even suggest joining if you plan to visit twice in a year. It’s a good cause.
The Jellyfish wing, my favorite exhibit
Rockfish
Rockfish populations have decreased dramatically in the last 30 years. Because they live for about 100 years and reproduce relatively late in their lives, they are easily over-fished. Now that I know this, I will no longer order them in restaurants. Rock fish are more commonly known as red snapper.
A Jellyfish bids farewell for now…
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08.05.07
Posted in Cuisine, Paris Life at 3:08 pm by rachel
My first trip to the outdoor market at Place Monge (open Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday) was a success: I took a friend’s advice and went about an hour before it was closing town (things start to wind down around 1:30pm), and got some great deals on fresh fruits and vegetables. Ratatouille (zuchini, eggplant, red peppers, and tomatoes), leek soup, and green salads (two heads of lettuce for a euro!) are all on the menu for the next couple of days.
One fruit vendor was desperate to get his berries moving: he was selling each small basket (barquette) for a euro instead of 2.80. I bought 5: 3 strawberries and 2 blackberries. Granted, these fruits have seen better days, but they are perfect for a fruit tart, the recipe for which I’ve been developing in my head, with no hands-on experience yet.
So here’s my first version of my berry tart recipe:
What you need:
Lots and lots of assorted berries (about 2-3 pints)
Pâte brisée (I am cheating and buying this pre-made; it’s still amateur hour)
3 tablespoons polenta (to absorb extra liquid)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 eggwhites, beaten
2 tablespoons milk (I wanted to use cream, but had used the last drop in my coffee)
What to do:
~Pre-heat oven to about 180 C or 350 F
~Rinse the berries and remove the stems from strawberries. Chop any larger strawberries in half.
~Spread out the dough in a tart pan and sprinkle with the polenta. This is supposed to soak up extra liquid. I’ve also read about using crumbled cookies.
~Arrange the berries face-down on top of the dough.
~Sprinkle the berries with the sugar and drizzle the eggwhites on top.
~Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
~Refrigerate for an hour.
~Serve cold, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Better next time:
I’d like to try adding a taste of vanilla extract or vanilla-flavored sugar. I think the crumbled cookies would probably work better at soaking up the excess liquid, because this version was still a little runnier than I’d prefer. Not a bad first try, though, and this method is less complicated than most berry tart recipes I’ve found elsewhere.
To find an outdoor vegetable market in Paris, click here for a complete list by arrondissement.
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08.01.07
Posted in Cuisine at 10:34 am by rachel
There must be something about the summer weather that inspires main dishes featuring fruit. Today, I present to you Mom’s summer specialty: Salmon in Orange Sauce. When the weather cooperates, she cooks it in aluminum foil on the grill, and it’s worth it for the crisp outer texture and magical je ne sais quoi that happens when cooking things outside.
This dish is by far one of my favorite meals, and Mom made it for me on my last night in Wisconsin, last Wednesday. The basic idea is to marinate the raw salmon (about 1/2 pound per person) for 30 minutes in a mixture of orange marmalade and other ingredients (you can add soy sauce and ginger, if you’d like). Then wrap and cover in aluminum foil and grill for about 25-30 minutes.
Serve with rice and a vegetable. We had a simple vegetable assortment of mushrooms and zucchini, steamed to perfection with butter in aluminum foil, on the grill.
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