Quick Fried Ripe Plantains (Maduros)

This is my new favorite side dish. If you've seen plantains and not know what to do with them this is a quick and easy and tasty introduction to bananas big starchy cousin. It's delicious with roasted meats and any Latin flavored meal or as a quick appetizer. When you fry up the very, very ripe plantains the sugars caramelize into the most amazing slightly crunchy outside complimented by the soft and sweet inside. The only difficult part of this dish is waiting for the plantains to turn completely black. This is when the plantain is at it's sweetest. I like to serve it with lots of fresh lime and salt and a habanero hot sauce, but sometimes will make a quick fruit ketchup. That recipe will be posted soon.

Serves 2 as a side dish, 4 for appetizers

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains, best if the skin is completely black, but wait until it has ripened to at least 1/2 black. It's not rotting, the starch is converting to sugar.
Vegetable oil, enough to cover the bottom of your wok or fry pan with 1-2 inches of oil, just about the thickness of your sliced plantain
Lime, cut into quarters


Directions:

1. With a sharp knife slice each end off the plantain. To remove the skin make shallow slices into the skin lengthwise down each plantain in 4 places. Carefully peel the skin off. This is easier the riper the fruit is.
2. Slice plantains into 3/4 to 1 inch slices.
3. Heat oil to 365 degree, I use my candy thermometer for this.
4. Carefully slide slices into the oil and fry on one side for a few seconds. Keep peeking to see if they are browned. Turn over to brown the other side. This is a very quick fry, so don't walk away.
5. Drain on brown paper, or just drain with slotted spoon and put on a plate. Don't drain on paper towels. I've made that mistake. They stick!
   
6. Sprinkle with a coarse salt and pepper.
7. Serve hot with lime for sprinkling and a good hot sauce.
8. I like to serve it with my Papaya Ketchup, recipe coming soon.

Caramelized Onion Pie for @FeastUp Potluck Picnic!
If I wanted to get fancy then you could say this is my take on Tarte à l'oignon alsacienne that I learned from a Master Class with Chef Andre Soltner at The International Culinary Center in Manhattan. Chef Soltner said other chefs he knows send out a glass of champagne to a friend, but he likes to send out a slice of this pie. He believes, "If someone wants a glass of champagne, he can buy it. But an onion tart he cannot buy". Just as a heads up you really need to keep an eye on the onions as they caramelize, giving them a stir every few minutes or so. It does take a good 40 minutes or so, but the flavor is spectacular. This is a great dish to bring to a picnic and it holds well for a day or so, though it does taste best the day you make it.

3 good sized yellow onions, chopped
1 stick butter
1 or 2 ounces SCHALLER & WEBER BAUERNSCHINKEN (FARMERS HAM) smoky, don't use watery deli ham
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
4-6 slices of swiss cheese, thickly cut
pie dough, feel free to make your own, I always use storebought

Preheat oven to 400
Press pie dough into pie pan. Prick all over with a fork.
Bake til brown, about 15 minutes

While pie shell bakes saute onion with butter over medium high heat until lightly browned and all pieces are tender. Once you see some browning you might want to turn the heat down a bit, or if your brave just stay there stirring until you reach a nice golden color. Stir often!

Scoop cooked onions in a large bowl and let cool. Whisk egg and add to cream. Stir well and mix into coolish onion. Stir in minced ham. Stir in freshly grated nutmeg. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Turn oven down to 350

Line pie shell with cheese slices. I find this layer of delicious melting cheese keeps the pie shell crisp. Pour on the egg, cream and onion mixture. Smooth down with a spatula.
Bake until set about 25 minutes.

Summer Quick Pickles

This recipe will blow your mind. You will never buy pickles again. There was a summer where I made a vat a week. I went to a food swap in Brooklyn recently and was told later that someone I swapped with liked them so much she was rationing them out to 1 or 2 pickle slices a day. Crunchy and spicy with a little sweetness it's great with everything from BBQ to a cheese plate. I like them out of the jar for breakfast. :) Try the onions and garlic on your next grilled hot dog.

This recipe came from my tinkering with Chris Schesinger's Famous Back Eddy House Pickles. When I lived in Somerville, Mass. his East Coast Grill restaurant was one of my favorites. As soon as you sit down in the restearnt your brought a little dish of these pickles. I've simplified it by not sauteeing the onion and garlic. I also don't bother with sliced carrots and peppers, though by all means go for it if you like. If you are interested in experimenting with more delicious quick pickles I absolutely recommend his cookbook Quick Pickles, Easy Recipes with Big Flavor. I've gotten alot of use out of it.

Actual work time is no more than 1/2 hr.

3 lb of pickling cucumbers
3 Tbsp salt
8 cloves garlic, peeled and bruised
2 onions, sliced
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cloves
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 Tbsp black mustard seeds (FYI you can use any mustard seeds you can find.
2 Tablespoon Dijon, I'm sure any good mustard would work
2 tsp whole allspice, cracked (put on a cutting board and press down very hard with your heaviest pan)
2 tsp whole coriander seeds, cracked

Prep the veg:
Slice cucumbers into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rounds. Remove both ends, some people say if you leave the blossom end in the pickle it could turn the batch bitter. I haven't seen any science on this, but just in case I slice them off. Maybe someday I'll do a head to head with two batches.
Toss slices with the salt in a large bowl and top with some ice. I never have more than one tray actually full in my freezer so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Put this bowl in your fridge for 3 to 9 hours.
Remove from the fridge, rinse the slices well and set aside in a non-reactive heat proof bowl. I use a large mixing bowl.
Make the brine:
In a non-reactive pan dissolve the sugar in the vinegar over medium heat. Stir in spices. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
Continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.
Pour your boiling syrup over cucumbers and onion/garlic mix. Let it cool before refrigerating. I would wait maybe 4 or 5 days for best flavor, if you can wait that long. This will keep about a month in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long once you've tasted them.
Notes:
Your kitchen could smell like vinegar for about a day. I tend to toss my box fan in the kitchen window blowing out and that takes care of it. One day of your place smelling a little like vinegar is worth these terrific pickles!
You can vary these spices depending on what you like. I've been thinking of tossing a few serrano chili peppers poked with a fork a few times in with the cukes.

Let me know if you make them! I know you'll love this easy recipe.

The Plaza opens a Euro Style Food Hall


I love this concept. Imagine if your local mall's food court was taken over by the terrific chef Todd English and a great sommelier. Just imagine it for a moment.

That is what that iconic New York hotel has created, sans The Plaza prices. I was invited to the opening-day launch and the layout is very much what you find at a food court, but with very comfortable seating in front of each of the eight stations. The space was beautifully designed to look like a European food hall by architect Jeffrey Beers.

I sat at the wine bar counter and had a perfectly tender and seasoned octopus, some slightly overcooked and under seasoned lamb skewers, terrific sashimi and a very nice chianti. The bonus was I met a really cool girl sitting at the bar with me. Emily works nearby and was excited to have some new food options in what is a Manhattan food deadzone.

I really think this will catch on with the local office workers. You can eat at the bars and as a bonus, order from any of the other stations no matter where you sit. Sit at the Grill and order from the Dumpling Bar. A pretty ingenious idea.

Stations at The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English include The Ocean Grill & Oyster Bar, The Bakery, The Cheese & Charcuterie Counter, The Wine Bar, The Grill, Pizza, The Dumpling Bar, and The Sushi Bar. If you are in the area I recommend it, the food quality was stellar, but if you're short on time they are still working out the service kinks. It took a while for my dishes to arrive. If you're on your lunch break, you might want to get your food to go.

The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English will be open Monday through Sunday from 7am to 9pm. It is located at One Central Park South, New York, NY 10019.

Hardcore Homecooking
Have you ever imagined not eating out or getting delivery for a year? Yeah, me neither, but Cathy Erway of the Brooklyn blog Not Eating Out in New York did. For two years she did not eat out in New York! In addition to being a lovely person, she bravely committed to this mad mission, and succeeded. Through her blog she was able to turn her adventures into a recently published book, The Art of Eating In: How I Learned to Stop Spending and Love the Stove.

How can you not eat out in New York? More so than any other city I've lived in New Yorkers eat out... alot. How can you socialize with friends or boyfriends? Cathy finds some unique ways to make it work, with varying outcomes. Her book is more a memoir of her experiment with some great recipes thrown in. I plan on trying her San Bei Gi very soon. The Brooklyn food scene is so vibrant and she is shining in the middle of it. Go Cathy!

You might also want to check out The Week of Eating In that Cathy inspired on the Huffington Post.

Twitter Recipes:
I like to write an entire recipe in 140 characters

I've heard from a few of you that you would like to see a repository of some of the recipes I twitter. Maybe a tumbler blog? If you have any suggestions let me know.

Ultimately I'd really like to publish a mini book of my recipes. The type of book you often see by the counter at book stores, usually 2 inch square.

If you're interested in more twitter recipes you might also like to see this UK Guardian article about other twitter users and chefs who tweet about delicious ideas. I'm in it!

This is the quote from the paper: Piper's Best Baba Ghanoush, transmitted over two tweets: "Best Baba Ghanoush Halve 2Eggplants rubwithEVOO RoastCutSideDown 400degrees tilSoft chopwithskinON Processwith 1/4cupTahini Juice1Lemon 2mincedGarlic Cloves 1TbspCumin Add more of any of these &S/P to taste."

Twitter Recipes
Depression Proof Recipes: Rub whole sweet potato with OliveOil & lots of salt/pepper. Pokew/knife so it doesn't explode Roast 400degrees 1hr

Chicken legs marinating in Italian dressing. later dredge in grated parm cheese and roast ~1hr @375 #cheapdinner 5:00 PM Jan 21st from web

Steam head of cauliflower(pokew/knife) til v.Tender drain well(Key!) Puree w/ 4-6ouncesCreamCheese S&P Nutmeg ToTaste :)

Avocadoes on sale 2 for$3 Guac! Cilantro 2TbspWhite Onion minced, Juice of 1 lime, 1 tomato chopped, Jalapeno, 1tspgarlicclove S&P

Eggplant 1/4"slices dipped in egg then 1/2CornMeal and 1/2freshgratedParm Bake onOliveOiledPan 350 about 45 min. flip when each side brown

Make the eggplant into a Napoleon, stack with layers of Tom Sauce, Mozzarella and parm cheese. Top layer is Mozz. Put back in oven to melt.

Brussel SproutsFresh/frozen simmer til tender drain/dry well Toss in EVOO with lots of S&P Roast 400degreetill brown ~45min stir ocasionaly

@Jeters I'd cube veg, roast with lots ofolive oil/rosemary/S&P for about 1 hour @375degree put S&P'd fish on top after 50 min. cook til done

PureedSwedes: nuke 1large/choppedPeeled rutabega tilSoft, puree with 4tbspcreamcheese or butter, S+P totaste. Keeptasting for salt

CheeseSauce that makes everything taste goodMelt2TbspEach Butter+Flour cook til gold Stir in 1CuptEach Milk Shred SharpCheddar til Melted

RecessionProofCooking MisoSoup 4cupsH2o 3TbspMiso 2tsp InstantDashi(get@JapaneseStore) simmer w/cubedtofu little minced greenonion

Vegetable Candy: CutCarrots/Parsnips into same size tossed w/oliveoil lots of S+P Roast at 375 tilsoft 1hr. Stir every15-20 min or so

FastGravy for boring leftovers: Stir 2TbspFlour into2TbspHotButter Stir 1Minute Stirin1CupChicknBroth 1CupHalf&Half S+P to taste

Slaw shred HeadCabbage 1/2thinlyslicedRedOnion 3-4TbspCiderVinegar 2-5TbspMayo 1tspPaprika/DryMustard S&P ToTaste Chill a few hours.

Slaw Rec. cont I also sometimesadd thinlyslicedFreshHotPepper, 1TbspChipotleinAdobo, grated carrot, cilantro, depends on whats in the fridge

Want: A Grilled Cheese made from fresh sourdough bread sliced with mix of XtraSharp Vermont&Irish CheddarCheese browned inlotsof goodbutter

Quick Summer Salsa Cube1ripeMelon, mince1/2jalapeno, 1/2bunchmint, 2-3TbspRedOnion Add toTaste limejuice little hotsauce ChiliPowder S&P

Cheap Tasty Cream of Broccoli Soup recipe on the way. Don't forget to add salt and pepper to taste cont...

Cook1dicedOnion in 1/2stickButtersStir in2TbspFlour Whisk in5cupsChickenStock Simmer Add1boxFrozenBroccoli Cook20Min Add 1/2cuptCreamPuree

Respect for the Eggs is the Brunch Litmus Test
Brunch at L'ecole Review


I take brunch seriously. I recently had one of the best at L'ecole, the restaurant of The French Culinary Institute. Full disclaimer: I was invited to this brunch and aside from tips, it was free. Please believe, I would never tell you I loved a meal if I didn't. Speaking of love, they are having a special Valentine's Day brunch.

For $19.50 you get an assortment of freshly made bread, an appetizer and an entree. In Manhattan that is a steal! The quality of everything I tried was stellar. Every dish was clearly made with care and attention. Even more importantly, my eggs weren't crucified. They were exactly how an omelet should be - soft and creamy perfection. Why is it that most brunch spots can't cook eggs? They're always rubbery or brown. Usually, if I want great eggs I have to do it myself or go to Stone Park Cafe in Brooklyn. I even heard another diner order their eggs cooked “over medium”! I could see it and it did look more glistening with a gorgeous wobbly yolk.





Here's what we had:
Complementary Bread: The basket came with an assortment of 5 different types. Most had seeds, nuts or dried fruit and were delicious. Even better, the butter was actually spreadable. I have never understood sending out cold bread with frozen butter.
Cappuccino and a Bloody Mary: Coffee was very good, but the Bloody Mary wasn't that inspiring. It seemed watery and needed more horseradish.
Appetizer of Duck and Pork Terrine with Pistachio and Truffle: I think this was terrific, but I wasn't in the mood for it. It was a cold day and I should have started with something warm. Next time I'll try the French Onion Soup app.



Appetizer of Butter Poached Shrimp on top of Grits with Andouille Sausage: Three perfectly cooked tender juicy shrimp on top of a good 1/2 cup of buttery grits. Very generous serving size for an app.

Omelet: Redolent with delicious smoky bacon, thanks to North Country Bacon out of New Hampshire. I also added in some goat cheese and sauteed onions. Like I said, perfectly cooked eggs! Hooray! It came with a potato terrine in the form of thinly sliced potato, layered with herbs. My only disappointment was that although I could see the herbs between each layer I couldn't actually taste them. I also would have liked a hollandaise or bernaise sauce puddle underneath.



Second Main of Duck Confit: Delicious juicy duck with a citrus sauce that I wanted more of! The fresh tasty greens (baby arugula?) were a nice accompaniment, but could have used a little more acid in the dressing.

Atmosphere:
The decor was warm and attractive, though maybe just a little hotel lobby-ish. I appreciated that my seat gave me a view out the street. Ask for the table in the corner closest to the bar. I haven't had dinner there, but the dress of most everyone at brunch was casual. This may sound odd, but the dining room chairs are really comfortable. Some restaurants feel like they chose chairs just so that you would eat and leave as soon as possible. Too bad I didn't take a photo of them. :)
The music level was perfect. I often I find myself at brunch yelling over Led Zeppelin.
This is a great spot to bring larger crowds, though I would make reservations. There are 3 or 4 tables that can take parties of 6 to 10.


Service:
Very friendly and attentive. Not sure you can take this into account since they knew I was there to review them. :) I did see that other tables were well taken care of. You can read on Yelp that I'm not alone in my opinions. The yelpers love this place.

Wrap up:
Over all very, very well done French food with good portion sizes at prices that you can't complain about. I plan on coming back as soon as I can and recommend you try it out, maybe this Valentine's Day. I'm looking forward to trying a dinner here. They have a $42 five course prix fixe that dinner menu that includes appetizer, fish course, meat course, salad, and dessert. That is an incredible value. Great spot for any age range, good for dates and out of towners you want to impress.

Help for Haiti!
On Sunday, January 24th, L'ecole, at The French Culinary Institute,
will be donating 100% of brunch proceeds (11:30am-2pm) including
waiters tips to The Red Cross Haitian Relief.
The prix fixe menu will be $19.50.

During the last third of their training, L'Ecole, the Michelin-rated restaurant of The French Culinary Institute, provides a unique opportunity for culinary students to apply their skills in every station of a busy kitchen. Under the watchful eye of Chef-Instructors, students learn to prepare meals for New York's sophisticated clientele. The Zagat Survey rated the restaurant highly, comparing it to "getting Prada wholesale." The menu prices really are fantastic.
L'ecole 462 Broadway, New York

The Best Tomato Soup Ever
Campbell's tomato soup is what I grew up on and it's what I turn to when I feel sick, but this is even better. Try it with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. I added 1/2 a chipotle, but it's wonderful without it. This is a very forgiving recipe, more of this and less of that. If you don't have celery I would still make it. The key is to keep tasting and get the salt and pepper right. It won't take more than 20 minutes of your attention to pull it together.

INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp butter
1 medium size onion, finely minced
1 stalk of celery, finely minced

1 28 ounce can of tomatoes, chopped
~3 ounces tomato paste, about 1/2 a small can
1 cup chicken broth

SEASONING
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried basil, or 1/2 bunch of sliced fresh basil leaves added at the last minute before serving
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (completely optional, or a little tabasco)

1/2 - 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 to 2 tsp of sugar (to taste depending on acidity of tomatoes)

METHOD

1. Saute onion and celery in butter over low heat until soft, about 15 min.
2. Add can of tomatoes with it's liquid, chicken broth, and seasonings to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, and lower to a slow simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes. Puree with blender, food processor or hand stick blender. I like a cup or so not pureed to give the soup a bit of a chunky texture.
4. Return to the pot, bring to simmer and stir in baking soda and cream to taste. It may foam up a bit with the addition of baking soda, but don't be alarmed. It's added to make the soup less acidic so your cream doesn't curdle.
5. Stir in salt and sugar adding very little at a time stirring and tasting to balance the flavors. Keep tasting! You may even want to add more cream.

Serves 4

To serve for company: Top bowls with a tablespoon of herbed goat cheese and a fresh basil leaf.

In Praise of Spiking your Eggnog

Can adding massive amounts of alcohol kill salmonella in eggs? This video from Science Friday (my favorite science audio podcast) is terrific. A little late for Christmas, but this is so interesting I thought I'd still post it for you. I recommend listening to the podcast for more fun science talk about the experiment.



I have never heard of eggnog being made at Thanksgiving and served at Christmas, but Nog expert and microbiologist Vince Fischetti agreed to run some tests in his lab at The Rockefeller University. The real problem with the recipe is finding room in the fridge for four weeks at that time of year. Too bad my kitchen doesn't a lab's walk-in cooler. Although maybe that's for the best, I would never be forced to clean out ancient leftovers.
Here's a link to the recipe.

Terroir and Beef
I wanted to tell you about a fantastic blind steak tasting event I attended recently. It was the first Food Bloggers Playdate in New York. Mark Tafoya and Jennifer Iannolo put out the call to fantastic and fanatical food bloggers to convene for a tasting party.
We were lucky enough to have the guidance of Carrie Oliver of Oliver Ranch, who provided the steaks along with a fascinating presentation about how, similar to wine, the terroir and variety of the cattle will alter the flavor and texture.

Where it is raised, what it is fed, the conditions it’s kept in are all important. Oliver Ranch hand-selects artisan ranchers who produce delicious, signature styles of beef. What an amazing and surprising night. One of the best parts was that so many of us chose different favorites. There was no consensus on the best steak, just the steak we liked best. Fantastic. The impetus for the event was having Jaden of Steamy Kitchen in town from Florida. Most of us knew each other from Twitter, but it was time to meet in person.

Anu Karwa from Swirl Events brought along some terrific wines to pair with the beef and I got to meet the lovely Betty Fussell, author of Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef. Betty also wrote The History of Corn. If you're interested in learning more about the types of beef you may be missing out on, try the following links.
The impact of Region
The impact of Breed
The impact of Ranchers
This video is a slow pan of the table as we listen to Carrie describe what we'll be tasting. Terroir for beef! FTW


This was just the first of many more Food Blogger Play dates. What should we taste next?

Hand Pies, the Cupcake Culture Killer
I am so tired of the cupcake culture, sure they are cute and delicious, but enough! Let's make this a new trend: hand pies. Small, cute and tasty. Even better they are just as good with a savory filling as sweet. :) Spread the word. Here are two recipes to get you started. If you'd like a hand pie recipe, ask in the comments section.


Apple Hand Pie
Ingredients
Makes 4.
• 4 apples, peeled and chopped quite small, pick a baking apple
• 2 tablespoons sugar, I add this to taste since it really depends on how tart your apples are
• Sprinkling of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• All-purpose flour, for work surface
• Pie Dough, I tend to use Pillbury crust
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil or a Silpat (a nonstick baking mat).
2. In a medium bowl, add apples, cover and microwave about a minute to soften.
3. When slightly cooled add cinnamon, sugar and cornstarch; stir to combine, set aside.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a large rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut out 4 rectangles. Transfer rectangles to baking sheet.
5. Pile as much apple as you can fit onto one-half of each rectangle. Lightly brush egg around the edge of the covered half of each rectangle. Fold remaining dough over to enclose. Gently press edges together to seal. Brush the tops of each pie with egg. Using a paring knife, slash the top of each pie. This allows steam to escape and keeps your pie crispy. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
6. Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. If parts of the crust get too brown cover with small strips of tinfoil. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Be careful the filling can remain as hot as molten lava.

Savory alternate Spinach Pies
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, cooked
• ¼ cup shredded Swiss
• ¼- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese or feta cheese
• 1 jarred roasted red pepper, chopped

1. When spinach is cool enough to handle drain and squeeze out as much moisture as you can and add Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Follow directions as above, but at the stage where you would use apple, sprinkle 1/2 the rectangle of dough with shredded Swiss cheese. The Swiss will form a moisture barrier between the spinach and dough, keeping the bottom of the pie crispy.
3. Pile on as much spinach mixture you can fit and top with chopped red pepper. Seal pie, slash top, egg wash, sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan and bake as directed above.

How to Eat
Terrific video of Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore's Dilemma & In Defense of Food, speaking at the Google campus. He is often quoted, "Eat food, not too much, and mostly vegetables."


Here's a list of how Pollan suggests we try to eat. I agree.

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
2. Avoid foods containing ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Don’t eat anything that wouldn’t eventually rot.
4. Avoid food products that carry health claims.
5. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle.
6. Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmer’s market or CSA. (Find your local market)
7. Pay more, eat less.
8. Eat a wide diversity of species.
9. Eat food from animals that eat grass.
10. Cook and, if you can, grow some of your own food.
11. Eat meals and eat them only at tables.
12. Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible, and always with pleasure.

Happy, Squeaky Boy in the Snow

I don't usually blog without some food angle, but this is just too adorable not to share. The day before Brooklyn had our first real snow, I saw this fake snow and the little boy dancing along to carolers. The joyful noises he's making are so great.

Holiday Foodie Gift Guide
Here’s a list of great gifts for your friends and family (or even yourself) who think there is nothing better than roasting squash with maple syrup and sticking your hands in a raw turkey. There’s a mix of things I have and love and things I desperately want.

The Sylvia Plath Oven Mits from Etsy.com are $28. This is so sick and wrong… I love it. Even better would be to pair it with The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.

Books
How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman. You might know him from The New York Times food section. This is my favorite go to cookbook. I have cooked at least a quarter of it and have always been pleased with the results.

How to Eat, Nigella Lawson. Love her, love her recipes and love her breezy intimate writing style. Within a few pages you’ll have her soothing voice in your head. I also am a fan of Feast, where she tackles holiday cooking. It's too bad The FoodNetwork buries her new show at the early Saturday time slot.

Devil in the Kitchen , Marco Pierre White's biography. The original bad boy abusive chef, who makes Gordon Ramsey look like a wuss. Fascinating read, I made my way through it in two days. You won’t be able to put it down.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, Anthony Bourdain. His seminal work, written in the early morning before he went to work the line at Les halles. Find out why you might never order fish again on a Monday.

You might also consider a subscription to Gourmet or Saveur. I really can’t recommend Bon Appetit any longer. Last year's subscription was just not inspiring and the photos are ugly.

Stocking Stuffer
Astronaut Ice Cream 10 packages for $25: Sweet, chalky, freeze-dried goodness. Give them to all your friends and family

Under $15
Embroidered Dish Towel $6.40: (left) I found this on Etsy.com and I think it the cutest gift ever.

Cookie Scoop $10.95: I have one and love it for shaping cookies and mini meatballs very quickly.

Microplane $15: I love mine and probably use it a few times a week for grating garlic, as opposed to mincing it. It’s also great for parm cheese or nutmeg.

Instant Read Thermometer $10: Every cook should have one of these, but not everyone does. Great stocking stuffer.

Under $25
D’Artagnan Black Truffle Butter (1 lb.) $20.99: Smear it on bread or toss it with pasta. Yum.

Vacuum Sealer $23.99: This looks like it could be a great gadget for when you make a big batch of stew or soup. Freshlock bags are recommended for the microwave and boil-in-bag cooking and features a labeling strip to record the contents, weight and date stored. I've never used it.

Under $60
Grill Pan 12-Inch Shallow Round Grill Pan $54.95: I've been wanting one of these pans for awhile now. Great for searing steaks, fish and even halloumi. Wrap it up with a jar of fig jam and a package of the cheese.

Under $100
D’Artagnan Foie Gras Sampler $69.99: Want, Want, Want. It comes with Medallion of Duck Foie Gras with Black Truffles (6 oz.), 1 package of French Kisses (6 Armagnac-soaked prunes filled with creamy Duck Foie Gras),Terrine of Duck Foie Gras, Small (8 oz.), and 1 package of Organic Charcuterie Crackers. I've never had this package, but have tried many of their other products and have been pleased.

Immersion Blender $59.99: I got one of these last Christmas from my brother Steve last year and it was my favorite gift. I will never ever have to puree soup in a blender. The attachments it comes with are also really handy, whisk and a mini-chopper for jobs that might be too small for your large food processor. I've been chopping up 2-3 heads of garlic and storing it in small jars in olive oil.

Help me add to the list. What do you want for the holidays? Leave your wish in the comments section.

Baked Pecan Maple Apples
This recipe is for Mandy. I was trying to Twitter her instructions, but realized this recipe deserved it’s own blog post. In addition to it homey apple flavor, the brown sugar and pecan topping becomes unbelievably crunchy. I haven’t experimented with it yet, but have been considering drizzling them with a little molasses along with the maple syrup.

Ingredients:

• Apples, cored and not peeled
• Equal amounts brown sugar and chopped pecans, mixed
• Maple syrup, for drizzling
• Cinnamon
• Little nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice off the top and bottom, to create a flat surface and place in a 2-4 inch deep baking dish.
Drizzle apples with maple syrup, then pack the core with pecan and brown sugar. Top with more of the sugar mixture, packing it on.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a little nutmeg.
Pour enough water to come up to about ½ an inch up the apples.
Bake in the lower part of the oven until quite soft, about an hour. Press the side of the apple to test.

Tips:
The apple you choose is key. Here’a link to choosing baking apples.
This is great served as a side dish during a turkey or ham dinner. It’s also a delicious served hot with vanilla ice cream.

Funny Old School Lunchroom Manners Film


I stumbled on this video at Archive.org. An amazing repository of free movies, films, and videos. This library contains thousands of digital movies which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to videos of every genre uploaded by Archive users. Many of these movies are available for download. My favorites are the films made for schools in the 50's and 60's.
The best line is a narration moment is "Phil always enjoyed the lunch in the cafeteria. It tasted good and was good for him." Too bad that is no longer true.

I Go Casserole Crazy in Brooklyn!
Eric Rochow of GardenFork.tv and I trekked out to Williamsburgh to celebrate the publication of the new cookbook Casserole Crazy with the lovely author Emily Farris. We tasted her delicious casseroles, debated the merits of ramen and just generally food-geeked out at The Brooklyn Kitchen (a totally kickass cooking goods store).

Ale and Cheese Soup
That’s right, beer and cheese brought together in a creamy soup. Great for the first few cold days of autumn or save it for a snow day. Use any of the leftovers for a cheese sauce over steamed broccoli or an omelet.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
7 cups of chicken broth, I think Better Than Bouillon is the best tasting one on the market
1 stalk celery, shredded
1 onion or 1 leek, shredded
1 turnip, peeled and shredded (optional, I use it to thicken the soup)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
2 Bay leaves
3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, I used ½ tangy São Jorge and ½ Kraft Sharp Cheddar
1 bottle of beer
If I make this for company a few chive sprig on top of each bowl would be nice

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, melt butter and sauté onion and celery over medium high heat until softened.
2. In another pan heat up the stock.
3. Stir in the flour into the onions and sauté for a minute or two. You’re cooking the raw flavor out of the flour.
4. Stir in the hot stock and remaining vegetables/seasonings/beer. Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
5. When all vegetables are tender remove bay leaves and puree either with a stick blender or a traditional blender.
6. Over medium heat, stir in handfuls of the shredded cheese stirring all the time. Wait for each handful to mostly melt before adding another.
7. You can add a little more beer or milk at this point if it seems too thick or pungent, but just a very little at a time and keep tasting.
8. Sometimes top with shredded sharp cheddar or chive sprigs on top of each serving.

Tips:

• I find it easiest to put all the vegetables through the shredding disk of a food processor, taking care to set aside the onion and celery as they are sautéed first. Then you can run your cheeses through the same shredding disk.
• Clean your pots after pouring the leftover(if there is any) soup in to a storage container. The cheese will congeal and be difficult to clean after a few hours.
• Feel free to substitute just about any other vegetables for the carrot and turnip. The key is the beer and cheese. I’ve used Pete’s Wicked and Bass Ale in the past, and for cheese Dubliner and extra sharp Tillamook.

Voting in Brooklyn!
I voted today and found out that if folks knew their district they could bypass an initial 30-40 min. line. I was lucky enough to have brought my voter confirmation form that stated mine.