Ooooh, What a Tart!
My second Daring Baker challenge was Lemon Meringue Pie. Jen from The Canadian Baker was the host this month, and the recipe came from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky by Wanda Beaver. I decided to do individual tartletts, as I much prefer plating desserts with tartletts than pie or tart slices.
Saucy
I don’t usually make sauces as they tend to add excess calories to whatever they are covering. However… today I had an open bottle of red wine and wanted to use it up before it turned on me. Even more, I have brand new appliances (just delivered today!) and needed to break in my beautiful, shiny new stove. My old stove was uneven, and I basically gave up sautéing at home because of it. We’re in the process of updating the entire kitchen in the next month or so, and I’m beside myself with excitement! Stay tuned for before and after pics!
Anyway, I made sautéed chicken with a red wine pan sauce. Its quite simple, but you need to make sure all your ingredients are ready, as it cooks quickly. Always keep in mind that your sauce will only be as good as the wine… so if you have a bad wine, expect a bad sauce!
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This is for You, Grandma
I generally keep this blog for my recipes and random food related thoughts, but today is a very personal one.
Last Thursday, January 17th, was the saddest day I’ve experienced in my 33 years. That was the day my grandma Evelyn passed away. I want to share with all of you how amazing and beautiful my grandma was. She loved to laugh and at 82 years old… still got most of my attempts at humor.
My grandma was a voracious reader, and since I am one too, we started to mail each other books after reading them. I would send her murder mysteries, and she would send me books that were, well, geez…. downright naughty. I found myself blushing while reading some of them thinking “OH.MY.GAH… GRANDMA READ THIS.” :) I finally had to tell her she could just hang on to the romance (aka dirty) ones, as they were not my cup of tea! How embarrassing, right? Of course she just laughed it off!
Grandma was also a wonderful cook of all things Southern. Her cornbread, biscuits, butter beans and turnip greens were specialties that I would always look forward to. My absolute favorite was her cornbread. She had this knack for making amazing cornbread, and her secret was… old buttermilk. She liked it when it was just shy of funky. According to her, the buttermilk needed to be a little (several weeks) past the expiration date to make great cornbread. I also brought home two of her cast iron pans that are the backbone of real southern cornbread. These pans are so beautifully seasoned, I must assume they are older than I am. Unfortunately, I never had her write down the recipe… not that she probably had one anyway. So my next challenge for myself is recreating her cornbread. I already have a container of buttermilk festering away in the back of the fridge, waiting for my challenge!
I ask all of you who still have your grandparents, to give them a call and tell them you love them. They may not be here tomorrow. Also, I must thank my amazing husband, Stephan, for being there for me. You’re my rock, and I have no idea how I would have gotten through the past few days without you.
Grandma, I hope you’re up there eating a big bowl of ice cream and gossiping with Aunt Lizzie. You will always be in my heart and memories.
Ratatouille
OK… who hasn’t seen this delicious movie? Ratatouille is officially my new favorite animated movie, perhaps even my current favorite movie! Confession: I love animated flicks, and have about 20 assorted Disney VHS Tapes that I can’t seem to part with. Funny thing is that we no longer own a VHS player… what’s a girl to do, huh? I’ve been collecting them since high school… and yes, that was many moons ago! Darn the creators of DVD!
Anyway, now that I’ve shared a slightly embarrassing confession, lets dish about the movie. Its about a rat that has a very well developed palate. And he cooks… very well. He teams up with a gawky kid that can’t cook worth a flip and the two of them cook at a famous restaurant in Paris. I don’t want to give away too much, but its a definite must see.
Buttermilk Scones
I received a wonderful new baking book, The Essential Baker by Carole Bloom, from our friends Ryan and Carolina. This scone recipe comes from my new book. Of course, as usual, I had to tweak it a smidgen to my liking. The original recipe called for chopped dried figs, but I didn’t have any, so I used a combination of dried cherries and golden raisins. I also added a handful of toasted slivered almonds and topped them with a few extra slivers. I’m looking forward to trying many more recipes from this book. Thanks Ryan & Carolina!!!
As with most scones, they are a bit dry, but quite lovely served warm with a smear of butter and a drizzle of honey. Or you could do like the English and slather them with clotted cream, which sounds horribly unappetizing, but is very tasty. The best part about this recipe, is since you use your food processor, it takes all of about 10 minutes to prepare them, then another 15 or so to bake. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning!
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Ease into Fennel
We are back from Germany, and after all that bread and sausage eating, its time for some low-fat food. This soup is the first thing I’ve cooked in over two weeks, and it is uber low-fat, and very flavorful. I googled carrot and fennel soup and came across quite a few, but decided on this one (with a few minor changes) from Orangette, a fabulous, fabulous food blog.
Most people don’t know what fennel is… I actually had someone stop me in the grocery store, asking me what this strange bulbous veggie in my shopping cart is. It seems people either love or hate fennel. It has a slight licorice flavor, and a wonderful crunch when eaten raw. Its fabulous thinly sliced in a salad. This soup has a combination of carrot and fennel, but the fennel definitely plays a supporting role in this soup, as the sweet carrot flavor really shines. Give fennel a chance!
I will warn you, however, this soup tastes (and is) very healthy. Although I liked the soup, Stephan didn’t care for it, and said it tasted like baby food! Gotta love brutal honesty!
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Schwartzwald
We just got back from a little jaunt in the Black Forest, known here as Schwarzwald. We decided to take the scenic route all the way around the mountain to the hotel, instead of the Autobahn. Very good decision. You absolutely must check out Stephan’s blog for pictures he took. We stopped often to take photos of the breathtaking scenery.
We stayed, literally, in the middle of nowhere. That was exactly what we wanted. The hotel, Waldsagmuhle, was wonderful. Its a tiny (30 room) hotel, but the service is beyond impeccable. I also think it was the cleanest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. Fabulous, simply fabulous.
Our original plan was to eat dinner in nearby Baiersbronn, as there are not one, but THREE Michelin starred restaurants there, some of the best in Germany. When I saw the menu at our tiny hotel, I knew I had to try it instead. The giant spoon and whisk at the entrance also helped make my decision to try the fare there instead. Another good decision we made! The food was wonderful. Although they had my favorite fish (Angler fish) on the menu, I decided to try the regional specialty, Maultaschen or Swebian Pockets. It is a house-made pasta filled with herb infused veal, served with a red wine sauce. AMAZING! I always like to try the regional specialties, as they must be good and you really can’t get it elsewhere.
And yes, of course, I had a nice big piece of Black Forest Gateau from a small bakery. Unfortunately, it was so good, I didn’t think of taking a picture until I was almost finished eating it. Oh well… You’ll just have to believe me that it was the best piece of Black Forest Cake I have ever had!
On the way home, we stopped in Heidelberg, and for you South Floridians, no, not the restaurant in Ft Lauderdale! :P It was such a great city, right on the side of a mountain. We walked the city, and stopped in a little cafe for Flammkuchen. This dish is the specialty of the French Alsace region, which is right on the German/France Border. It resembles a very thin pizza, but has creme fraiche instead of tomato sauce, and is as thin as a tortilla or crepe. I had the traditional topping for the region, which was ham and cheese. Good stuff!
Ode to the In-Laws
We’ve been eating like crazy for the past week… but we’re on vacation, and that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? I’m so lucky that Stephan’s mother and sister are both fabulous cooks. We haven’t gone out to eat much because they have been cooking up a storm. When we were in France last week, I was disappointed to not find Boeuf Bourguignon or something similar on the menu. So my mother-in-law made it! It was fabulous… thank you mom! Then last night, we celebrated the new year at my sister-in-law’s home. She made a fantastic Coq au Vin. I really wish we had some cold spells at home in South Florida to warrant cooking dishes like this!
Thank you for cooking so much while we are here… we really appreciate it!!!
Cheese in Filo Pastry
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