In the second class of Wine Essentials, we further explored the senses of the tongue and how different wines appear to those senses.  We tasted how acidity can be present in red wines and not just in whites (in which I’d only been able to identify acidity previously), like in a young Beaujolais hinting at sour strawberries. We also discovered how you can dip the very tip of your tongue in wine to check for residual sugars.

We also looked at the Bordeaux and Burgundy regions in France and drilled down into how wines are classified in those regions and presented on a label.  Because the French have such pride of terroir, and thus tie quality in wine to a sense of place, it’s often the case that the more specific a label is, the higher the quality of wine.  For example, a Vin de Table or Vin de France is typically a cheap wine made from grapes from no particular region. The label doesn’t specify anything but country of origin. However, a Burgundy wine that is believed to be worth bragging about will likely indicate the country, then region, sub-region, village, vineyard, and finally maker.

Among my favorite wines we tasted this class were Lillet Blond (a fortified wine I plan to revisit here), Louis Jadot Meursault Genevrières Premier Cru 2007, Pierre Gelin Fixin 1er Cru Clos Napoleon 2008, Rustenberg ‘John X Merriman’ Stellenbosch 2007, and Chateau Guiraud 1er Grand Cru Classé Sauternes 2005.  I thought the Stellenbosch wine was particularly interesting. Maybe I’ve just never had the opportunity to sit down with red wines and compare their virtues under the guidance of an expert, but I’ve never noticed tasting a wine that so clearly tasted of green peppers and jalapeno.  And a red wine at that!

So, I decided to take a class to help me learn which wines are more likely to stick with me and why. I signed up for Wine Essentials, a six week class designed to explore many different varietals and regions. Learning about wine is an ongoing process, but revisiting the basics is the best way to start.

To understand why different wines have different qualities, we talked about the wine making process, fermentation, ageing, bottling, and wine history, and we ended by tasting nine very different wines.  We covered a lot in two hours and it just proved how much there is to know.  For example, climate is obviously a big factor in the qualities of a wine.  It is ideal that the grapes remain on the vine for as long as possible so that the flavors have time to fully develop. If it’s too cold, then the growing season is cut short and you get grapes that are low in fruit flavors, higher in acidity, and low in sugar.  But if a climate is too warm, the grapes ripen too quickly and are often low in acidity and high in sugar.  Therefore, when the grapes are harvested and how the season fared can dictate the style of wine the winemaker will pursue.

Another good trick we learned was how to use color as an indicator of age. White wines will go from green to yellow to gold to brown as they age.  Red wines go from purple to red to brick to brown. Both red and white wines will transition from bright and sparkly to dull.

My favorite wines that first night were the Trimbach ‘Reserve Personnelle’ Pinot Gris 2001, J.Vidal-Fleury Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2008, and Chateau Greysac Cru Bourgeois Medoc 2006.  The Muscat was a deliciously sweet wine that smelled of peaches, pear and apricot and hinted at honey in the mouth.

The Hubs has been dying to make sausage at home and since I somehow coerced him into some nesting projects at home, I knew rewarding the guy with homemade sausage was the right thing to do.  I found a simple recipe in the James Beard Award winning book, Sausage: Recipes for Making and Cooking with Homemade Sausage by Victoria Wise and used that as the starting point.  I also decided pancakes should accompany the sausage but I’m not a huge fan of the often bland, dense cakes that seem to me just vehicles for butter and syrup, so I searched for something lighter and more interesting.  I found a recipe that incorporates both yogurt and cottage cheese to result in a cake that is light, airy and unbelievably moist.

…and a Happy Birthday to Brad!

Breakfast Sausage
adapted from Victoria Wise

1 lb pork shoulder, cut into strips
2 oz. pork belly, cut into strips
3/4 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
scant 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tsp salt, or to taste

Grind your pork shoulder and belly, separately, using the coarse grinding plate.  Run the pork shoulder through the machine again using the fine grinding plate.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and knead until thoroughly blended.  Cook a small sample to test for seasoning, add additional salt if necessary.  Sausage can be made the previous night and refrigerated before cooking if desired.

Yogurt and Cottage Cheese Pancakes
adapted from the NYTimes

1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup full fat plain yogurt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup flour
dash salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest
butter, as needed

Beat together the cottage cheese, yogurt and egg yolks.  Combine the baking soda, flour, salt and sugar.  Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry.  Stir flour mixture into cottage cheese mixture, blending well but not beating.  Stir in lemon juice and zest, then gently fold in beaten egg whites being sure that they remain somewhat distinct in the batter.

Heat a griddle over medium-low heat.  Add butter and coat the surface.  When hot, add the batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some egg white in each spoonful.  Cook until lightly browned on one side, then flip to cook other side.  Serve immediately.

For Project Food Blog Challenge #7, the remaining 48 bloggers were tasked with channeling their inner Julia Child by recreating on film one of their favorite dishes.  Since the deadline for this challenge fell right after I returned from my trip, it seemed obvious that I should make Croûte aux Morilles again, while in France.  Hopefully I’ve made both Julia Child and the newlyweds proud.

Before getting on to showtime, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone whose votes have helped me get this far into the competition.  I wouldn’t be here without your support, and it’s truly appreciated.  If you like the video, please click here to vote for me in this round.

Bon appetit!

Initially I was having troulbe getting the YouTube video to load, so just in case here is another link (though harder to view): Croute aux Morilles by Tender Is the Bite

Croûte aux morilles
serves 4, as a starter

1 oz. dried morels
1 Tbsp butter
3 oz. cremini mushrooms, or similar (I used porcini)
8 slices of baguette
1/2 cup creme fraiche
4 oz. Comte cheese, grated
chives, minced
salt & pepper

Cover the morels with hot water and let sit for 30 minutes.  Drain the mushrooms and rinse with cold water.  Reserve the soaking liquid for another use.  Rinse the mushrooms again thoroughly to make sure you’ve removed any grit.  Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the morels and cremini and cook until they have wilted, several minutes.

Place the bread on a sheetpan and toast on both sides under the broiler.  Do not overcook.

Add the creme fraiche to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high.  Cook several minutes, until the creme fraiche has reduced by about 1/3.  Add the grated cheese and cook, stirring constantly, just until the cheese is incorporated into the mixture.  Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Spread the mushroom and cheese mixture over each piece of toast, sprinkle with the minced chives and broil until bubbling.  Serve immediately.

Please vote for me in this round by clicking here.

It’s interesting to learn the background of the modern-day picnic.  Picnics first appeared in the writing of 17^th century France, and, according to Larousse Gastronomique, the word pique-nique is derived from piquer, to pick at food, and nique, something small and without value.  The etymology is debated, but it is certain that historically it referred to a meal to which everyone contributed something.  Only later did the word make its way into the English language and become used to define specifically a meal that was enjoyed outdoors.

As fate would have it, we’re heading to France this week where my sister will be getting married to a Frenchman.  To get us in the mood for a week of delicious Gallic cuisine and to respect the history of the word, I decided to put a French twist on the menu.

When planning a picnic, it’s best to pick foods that not only look good once they are unwrapped but also taste even better than when you first made them.  You want dishes whose flavors will develop with time.   With this in mind, for our fall French picnic I decided to make Pan Bagnat, Celery Root and Carrot Rémoulade, Vin Chaud, and Pumpkin Macarons.

Pan Bagnat is a classic French sandwich that is essentially a Niçoise Salad on bread.  Translated in the Provençal dialect, pan-banhat means ‘wet bread’ and describes how the bread softens and gets deliciously oily after soaking in the olive oil and anchovy dressing.  If you’re inclined to omit the anchovies, you can do so, but I strongly suggest you include them as you won’t specifically taste them, and they do provide a nice richness to the dressing.

To make Pan Bagnat, you build the ingredients a layer at a time, wrap the sandwich tightly with foil or parchment paper, and then press the two sides of the sandwich together to compact the filling.  I made my sandwich in the morning for a late afternoon picnic and by the time we ate it, the semi-stale bread had become perfectly soft and full of many different flavors.  Just make sure you have napkins nearby!

Pan Bagnat
serves 2

2 anchovy filets, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small baguette, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced on diagonal
1 tomato, sliced
½ fennel bulb, sliced
½ small red onion, sliced
5-6 oz tuna packed in oil, drained
6 large basil leaves
2 Tbsp sliced pitted olives
1 hard boiled egg, peeled and sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the anchovies, garlic, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper.  Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly to emulsify.  Add sliced cucumber to the dressing and toss well.

Spread half of the cucumbers on the bottom piece of bread.  Top with the tomato, onion, fennel, tuna, basil, olives, egg, and, finally, the remaining cucumbers.  Finish by spooning the remaining vinaigrette over the top half of the bread.  Cover the sandwich with the top half of bread and firmly press together.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in foil.  Put the sandwich under a weight, such as pizza stone or filled kettle, for about 10 minutes.  Flip the sandwich and put the weight on the other side for another 10 minutes.  Cut the sandwich in half, still wrapped, then wrap in parchment paper tied with butcher twine.  Keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

To accompany my Pan Bagnat, I decided to make Celery Root & Carrot Rémoulade.  Another classic, rémoulade is a French sauce similar to mayonnaise but with the addition of herbs, capers and often cornichons.  It’s tangy and delicious, and not too dissimilar from the cole slaw you find at so many American picnics, but the addition of tarragon and capers instantly make it unmistakably French.

Celery Root & Carrot Rémoulade
serves 2-4

 

2 egg yolk
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
¾ cup olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper
1 ½ tsp minced parsley
2 tsp minced chives
1 ½ tsp minced tarragon
1 Tbsp chopped capers
1 ½ cup julienne celery root
1 ½ cup julienne carrots

Make mayonnaise by whisking together egg yolk and mustard in a medium bowl, and slowly adding in oil in a steady stream, constantly whisking until emulsified.  Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.  Add the herbs and capers and stir to combine.

Place your julienned carrots and celery root in a mason jar, and pour as much dressing over as desired.  Keep refrigerated until ready to pack your picnic.  Serve at room temperature.

The handful of times that I’ve visited France I was amazed at how you can get great table wine in restaurants for less money than a soda.  Since we were picnicking outdoors and I wasn’t sure how cold it would be, I thought it would be nice to serve a warm mulled wine.  You find mulled wine in so many different cultures, from Gluwhein in many German speaking regions of Europe to Glogg in Scandanavia, all with similar ingredients, varying only slightly in the aromatics used.

Vin Chaud
serves 2

750 ml bottle of red wine
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
2 tsp lemon zest
3 cardamom pods
3 cloves
¼ tsp ground allspice
2 cinnamon sticks

Put all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  Heat the wine until it just begins to simmer.  Lower heat and steep for another 30 minutes.  Ladle into mugs or jars.

Macarons seem to be everywhere these days, in a variety of bright colors and interesting flavors, so I decided to try my hand at a fall inspired Pumpkin Macaron.  They’re seasonal and French, and they improve in flavor and texture two days after being made – perfect for a picnic.  A proper macaron is characterized by its glossy domed top and ruffled ‘foot’ surrounding a buttercream, ganache or jam filling.  This was my first time making a macaron and though I certainly won’t pass the test at Lauderée or Pierre Hermé, they were still quite good.  I’m hooked on the challenge and can’t wait to try these again, hopefully being able to master the technique to make them look as good as they tasted.

Pumpkin Macarons
makes about 2 dozen

Macaron
½ cup egg whites, at room temperature
1 ½ cups blanched almond meal or flour
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
orange food coloring

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Since you want even sized macarons, it helps to trace 1 ½ inch circles on the underside of the parchment, about 2 inches apart.  Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar through a sieve into a large bowl.

Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks.  While the machine is on, add granulated sugar, a little at a time, then increase the speed to high and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.  Add food coloring to get your desired shade and mix on low speed until evenly combined.  Stir almond mixture into meringue with a rubber spatula until incorporated.

Spoon batter into a pastry bag fitted with a half-inch round tip.  Twist the bag just above the batter and pipe peaked mounds of batter onto lined sheets filling in the circles you traced.  Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky and a light crust forms, 20-30 minutes.  If you have high peaks, it helps to rap the pan against a counter gently to help them rest.

Meanwhile, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350˚F.  Place one of the baking sheets on top of a spare baking sheet and put in the oven.

Bake the macarons for 4 minutes, then prop the door open slightly and leave propped as the macarons continue to cook for a total of about 20 minutes.  The macarons are done when the tops are rounded and firm, and a craggy ridge or foot has formed around the base.  Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.  Repeat with your second tray of macarons.

Pumpkin Ganache filling
8 oz milk chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg

Melt chocolate in a bowl set over simmering water, making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water.  Set aside.  Meanwhile, put cream, brown sugar, pumpkin and spices in a small saucepan over low heat until it just comes to a simmer.

Fold the cream mixture into the melted chocolate and stir to combine.  Allow to cool until thickened.  Fill a pastry bag with ganache and pipe onto flat side of macaron.  Cover with matching macaron.

Put the sandwiched cookies in a container and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days.  Cookies are best a day or two after being made.

To honor my mother, for Project Food Blog Challenge #5 – to adapt a pizza recipe and make it my own – I drew upon the flavors of dishes I know she loves to create a special multi-course pizza dinner.  It’s a playful nod to my childhood too, because I have such great memories of shopping with Mom on weekends and hitting up one of our favorite pizza places to refuel – something we’re still guilty of doing today!  What follows are some of my mom’s favorite recipes, broken down and rebuilt in the form of pizzas.

Most people agree that the most important part to a good pizza is the crust.  I like my pizza to be thin and crispy, not thick and chewy, and so does mom.  So, I turned to The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart which has been praised for its thin-crust recipe modeled after traditional Neapolitan pizza.  His recipe uses delayed-fermentation which allows a deeper, nuttier flavor to develop and makes the dough less elastic – making your job of stretching it thin easier and more efficient.  Also, it uses just a little yeast to leaven the dough without using up the sugars during fermentation.

In making pizza, it’s important to cook at extremely high temperatures – and traditionally that’s done in a brick oven whose surface is often made of volcanic stone which is preheated for hours until it reaches 750-800°F.  For the home cook who can’t reach those temperatures, it’s the pizza stone which will maintain even heat and help in achieving that elusive crust perfection.  If the dough is cooked at too low of a temperature, then the moisture evaporates and you’re left with a dry crust.

A few years ago I shared a deliciously simple pear and arugula salad recipe with Mom. The recipe has been passed along to many friends and has become a frequent dinner for my parents when they don’t feel like cooking.  For this recipe, I turned the blue cheese crumbles into a creamy sauce, and I added speck for a little saltiness and as a nod to the Italian heritage of pizza.

Pear Salad Pizza

One portion of Ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza Dough, stretched, recipe follows
3 Tbsp Blue Cheese sauce, recipe follows
1/4 cup crumbled walnuts
2 Bosc pears
3 slices of speck or prosciutto
1 cup baby arugula
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Using a mandoline, slice pears into pieces about 1/8-inch thick. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the pear slices to prevent from browning.  Lay your stretched dough over a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal.  Evenly spread a thin coat of your blue cheese sauce over the pizza, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge of the dough.  Top with the crumbled walnuts and then the pear slices, overlapping slightly.  Meanwhile, toss the arugula with olive oil.  Slide the pizza onto the stone in your pre-heated oven.  Wait 2 minutes and rotate the pizza if it’s cooking unevenly.  Continue to cook for a total of about 10 minutes.  Remove the pizza from the oven, immediately top with the speck which should start to soften with the heat and then the arugula.  Transfer to a cutting board.  Drizzle with extra sauce if desired. Wait 3 minutes before slicing and serving, to set.

Blue Cheese Sauce
adapted from Saveur

1 cup dry vermouth
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
freshly ground pepper

Bring vermouth to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Add cream and return to a boil. Reduce sauce by one-third, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cheese, and season with pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Growing up, my summers were spent by the beach, playing in the water for hours until my fingers pruned.  My mom would sit on the beach in her blue-striped chair with its retractable awning, chatting and laughing with the ladies.  When we’d get home, tired from a day in the summer sun, she’d usually throw together a quick, healthy dinner with produce from the farm stand.  A frequent favorite was sautéed zucchini coins with her garlicky homemade pesto.  This pizza takes those flavors and expands on it with walnut pesto, jewel-toned tomatoes, and julienned zucchini.

Zucchini with Pesto Pizza

One portion of Ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza Dough, stretched, recipe follows
3 Tbsp Walnut Pesto, recipe follows
4 tsps fresh ricotta cheese
2 plum tomatoes, cut crosswise 1/8 inch thick
1 small zucchini, julienned
1 small yellow squash, julienned
2 oz grated pecorino cheese

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Lay your stretched dough over a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal.  Evenly spread pesto over your dough leaving a 1-inch border from the edge of the dough.  Place small spoonfuls of ricotta over the pizza.  Top with slices of tomato and finish with julienned zucchini and squash.  Slide the pizza onto the stone in your pre-heated oven.  Wait 2 minutes and rotate the pizza if it’s cooking unevenly.  Continue to cook for a total of about 10 minutes.  Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the grated cheese.  Wait 3 minutes to allow cheese to set before slicing and serving.

Walnut Pesto

½ cup walnuts
3 cup wild arugula
1 cup parsley
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
juice of 1 lemon
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Toast the walnuts until golden and fragrant.  Allow to cool.  In a food processor, pulse the arugula, parsley, walnuts and garlic until finely chopped.  Add the parmesan cheese and lemon juice and pulse until combined.  With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady stream and continue to process until a smooth paste.  Season with salt and pepper.

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly interested in helping cook Thanksgiving dinner.  One year, I insisted on making roasted Brussels sprouts, much to the dismay of my father, whose disdain for the little buds is deep-seeded.  My mom adored the dish.  Dad grumbled, of course, but since this is for Mom, she gets her Brussels sprouts.  Now that fall is here and we’re starting to see squash at the market, I decided to first layer this pizza with a creamy sweet squash puree and, in one last attempt to win my dad over, added some bacon and some caramelized onions.  Who doesn’t love bacon and caramelized onions?

Brussels Sprout and Bacon Pizza

One portion of Ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza Dough, stretched, recipe follows
3 Tbsp Squash and Sage Puree, recipe follows
2 onions, very thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
3 bacon slices, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
5 Brussels sprouts
2 Tbsp freshly grated pecorino cheese
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
additional pecorino, shaved

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Coat the bottom of a heavy sauté pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the onion slices and stir to coat.  After a few minutes add a pinch of salt and stir.  Lower to medium-low heat and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, another 30 minutes or until browned.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the teaspoon of olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut off the bottom of the sprouts and halve lengthwise, then thinly slice.  Add sprouts and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sprouts are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Stir in cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay your stretched dough over a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal.  Evenly spread a thin layer of squash puree over your dough leaving a 1-inch border from the edge of the dough. Spread the caramelized onion over the puree and top with spoonfuls of your bacon and sprouts.  Slide the pizza onto the stone in your pre-heated oven.  Wait 2 minutes and rotate the pizza if it’s cooking unevenly.  Continue to cook for a total of about 10 minutes.  Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the shaved cheese.  Wait 3 minutes to set before slicing and serving.

Squash and Sage Puree

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp butter
10 sage leaves, chopped

Place the squash in a large sauce pan filled with salted water.  Bring to a boil and continue to cook until fork tender.  Heat butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until starting to foam.  Add the sage leaves, reduce to medium and cook until crispy, 1-2 minutes.  Transfer the squash to a bowl and add heavy cream and sage butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

What birthday party is complete with dessert?  Mom isn’t actually much of a sweets lady, but when she does eat them she likes salty-sweet combinations, chocolate and anything with hazelnuts, so this one I made up just for her particular taste buds.

Caramelized Banana Birthday Pizza

One portion of Ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza Dough, stretched, recipe follows
melted butter
sea salt
¼ cup chocolate hazelnut spread, room temperature
¼ cup espresso cream spread, room temperature
1 banana, cut into ½ inch rounds
granulated sugar

tools needed: hand-held torch

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Lay your stretched dough over a sheet pan sprinkled with cornmeal.   Brush with melted butter and sprinkle edges with salt.  Slide the pizza onto the stone in your pre-heated oven.  Wait 2 minutes and rotate the pizza if it’s cooking unevenly.  Continue to cook for a total of 8 minutes.  Remove the pizza from the oven and top with chocolate and espresso spreads and banana slices.  Sprinkle banana slices with sugar and using a hand-held torch caramelize the bananas evenly.

Ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
adapted from Peter Reinhart
makes 6, 10-12 inch diameter pies

4.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, chilled
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¾ cup water, ice cold (40°F)
Cornmeal for dusting

One day prior: Stir together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a 4-quart bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.  With a large metal spoon or on low speed with the paddle attachment, stir in the oil and the cold water until the flour is all absorbed.  If mixing by hand, repeatedly dip one of your hands or the metal spoon into cold water and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a circular motion with the other hand.  Reverse the circular motion a few times.  Do this for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are evenly distributed.  If using a stand-mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and sticky.  It should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom.  If the dough is too wet and doesn’t come off the sides, sprinkle in some more flour just until it clears the sides.  If it clears the bottom, drip in a teaspoon or two of cold water.  The finished dough should be springy, elastic and sticky, not just tacky and register 50-55°F.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter.  Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment and lightly oil it.  Using a metal dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces.  Dip the scraper into the water between cuts to prevent from sticking.  Sprinkle flour over the dough.  Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them.  Lift each piece and gently round it into a ball.  If the dough sticks to your hands, dip your hands into the flour again.  Transfer the dough to the sheet pan.  Mist generously with spray oil and slip into a food-grade plastic bag.

Put the pan into the refrigerator overnight to rest the dough, for up to 3 days.  (You can store the dough balls in a freezer bag.  Dip each into a bowl that has a few tablespoons of oil in it, rolling the dough in the oil, and then put each ball into a separate bag.  Place the bags into the freezer for up to 3 months.  Transfer to the refrigerator the day before using.)

On pizza day: Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza.  Dust the counter with flour, and then mist the counter with spray oil.  Place the dough balls on top of the floured counter and sprinkle them with flour; dust your hands with flour.  Gently press into flat disks about ½ inch thick and 5 inches in diameter.  Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist again with spray oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap.  Let rest for 2 hours.

At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone in the lower third of the oven.  Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Generously dust the back of a sheet pan with cornmeal.  Make the pizzas one at a time.  Dip your hands in flour and lift 1 piece of dough by getting under it with a pastry scraper.  Very gently lay the dough across your fists and carefully stretch it by bouncing the dough in a circular motion on your hands, carefully stretching it a little with each bounce.  If it starts to stick, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue shaping it.  Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss (like you see at the pizza shop!).  If you have trouble tossing it, or if the dough keeps springing back, let it rest for 2-5 minutes so the gluten can relax.  You can also use a rolling pin, though this isn’t authentic or as effective.

When the dough is stretched out to about 9-12 inches in diameter, lay it on the pan, making sure there is enough cornmeal to allow it to slide.  Lightly top with the sauce of your choice and then with the toppings.  Avoid the temptation to overload the pizza with toppings.

Slide the pizza onto the stone and close the door.  Wait 2 minutes.  If it needs to be rotated for even baking, do so.  The pizza should take about 5-8 minutes to bake.  If the top is done before the bottom, that means you need to move the stone to a lower shelf before the next batch.  If the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you need to raise the stone before the next batch.
Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.  Wait 3-5 minutes before slicing and serving, to allow the cheese to set.

Pig In Brine

For this next challenge the remaining 100 PFB bloggers have been tasked with creating a step-by-step, instructional photo tutorial.  The lesson I chose for this ‘how to’ started five years ago with a group of seven guys who had the idea to roast a pig on their own in someone’s backyard.  None of them had ever witnessed, let alone managed, a pig roast yet they packed their bags full of flannel shirts and machismo and headed north to New Hampshire where this ultimate display of down-home masculinity would take place.  After a late start, many disagreements, a couple of bottles of whiskey, and countless hours of hemming and hawing, the pig was finally perched on a spit, rotated sporadically, pathetically, without much reason or any semblance of a plan.  At about midnight, as the scene was beginning to look more like it was plucked from a page of Lord of the Flies, a faction of the group, delirious from hunger, decided the pig must come off the fire or a mutiny would erupt.  With little alternative, they stumbled in with the pig, barely half cooked, cut it open, and declared it a long, tiring failure.

Years later, when the host of the roast (now known as my husband) and I began dating, it was suggested that we resurrect this effort. For this second attempt, a bit more research and planning was done and, equipped with this new knowledge and a determination not to repeat mistakes of the past, a suckling pig came off the spit cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious.  This time around, the roast was a huge success.

Over the years, the pig roast has become an annual fall tradition that I look forward to for months.  The beauty of the pig roast is really in the preparation and participation.  It’s a communal event in which everyone works together and takes part in creating what is an impressive and delicious meal, and with about 15 to 20 of our best friends all gathered by the lake, under the stars and the autumn foliage, it’s one of the highlights of my year.

As the first domesticated animal, the tradition of eating suckling pig is, not surprisingly, universal – you’ll see it at Hawaiian luaus, on New Year’s Day in Cuba, and often at Chinese weddings.  It’s known to the French as cochon de lait, to the Filipino’s as lechón; and to the Spanish as cochinillo asado.  The method by which the pig is cooked also varies depending on the culture.  Some cultures cover the pig in banana leaves and cook it in a pit.  Some roast it in the oven in a pan.  Some use the modern Caja China, and some butterfly the piglet and spread it between two wire grates over an open flame.

It’s certainly not the only way, nor is it the only good way, but it has become our tradition to spit-roast the pig because, quite simply, we like the gratification of seeing our dinner cooking away as we gather around it and get involved in the process.  We also brine the pork because it allows for flavors to permeate throughout the meat.  To get into the science of it, because there is more water, sugar and salt in the brine solution, eventually all three travel from the brine into the cells of the pork – think back to 11th grade and the lesson on osmosis – resulting in a moist, flavorful meat.

What follows is our step-by-step method for spit-roasting a pig.  It may seem daunting at first, but I urge you not to be intimidated by the idea of roasting a suckling pig.  Once you tackle it, you’ll realize that it’s one of the most enjoyable and rewarding ways of cooking.  And, of course, the feast that results is simply and utterly delicious.

How-To Spit Roast a Suckling Pig
serves 15, with plenty of left-overs

20-30 lb. suckling pig

Brine:
6 Gallons water
6 cups Kosher salt
6 cups brown sugar
18 branches rosemary
3 heads garlic cloves, crushed (skin can be left on)
1/2 cup black peppercorns
1/2 cup fennel seeds, crushed

Stuffing:
1 head garlic, cloves crushed
9 branches rosemary
5 branches thyme
4 Tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped

Equipment:
Spit; cast-iron, steel or wood (soak wood overnight if using)
Charcoal, about 100 lbs

1. One day prior, prepare the brine solution, making sure to stir thoroughly so the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.

Brine Ingredients

2. Make enough brine to completely cover your pig in whatever container you will be brining it in.  Brine for about 24 hours.

Pig In Brine

The next day: 
Wake up early and start to build your pit and spit.
3. We dig a pit about 5 feet long, 3 feet wide and 1 feet deep.  Then, we line the pit with large stones that retain heat and help the charcoal go further.  Spit roasting a pig should be a slow process using indirect heat.  You don’t want the flames to touch the skin, and you don’t want the drippings to fall on the fire and cause flare-ups.  We build an oval of coals with an opening beneath the pig suspended above.  Place more coals at the hams and shoulders since those take longer to cook.

4. Spit construction can vary, but it’s critical to be able to rotate the pig in quarter turns to cook all sides properly.  Do not underestimate the weight of the pig and its ability to roll the spit to its preferred settling point.  We build ours with multiple height options so we can better control heat exposure and cook time.

5. Start the fire using paper and kindling collected.  The coals are ready for the pig when they glow orange and are covered with white ash. You should be able to hold your hand 1-2 feet over the fire for no more than about 5 seconds.  Have extra coals ready to add to the fire when needed.

Hot Coals

6. Pat the skin of the pig dry with towels.  This will help in getting the skin to crisp.

Drying the pig

7. Here’s the part that gets people a little squeamish.  Push the point of the spit into the back-end of the animal, through the cavity, and through the back of the throat out the mouth.  This typically requires a bit of muscle and takes some time to work the spit all the way through.

Spitting the pig

8. Make parallel slits about ½ inch deep into the skin of the pig, but avoid going through the fat and into the meat.  This will help prevent the skin from rupturing and produce delicious crackling to snack on.  Massage the skin with olive oil, rub with salt, ground pepper and chopped rosemary.  Work the seasonings into the cracks of the skin.

Seasoning the pig

9. Generously season the cavity of the pig with salt and pepper.  Fill the cavity with all of the stuffing.

Stuffing the pig

10. The pig can be sewn shut, but we opt to wrap it tightly in chicken wire.  We’ve found that the chicken wire keeps the meat stable on the spit.  As the meat cooks it begins to shrink, so we nail the snout and just above the tail to the spit to prevent the meat from spinning.

11. Once the fire is ready as indicated above, the pig is ready to be set in place.

Setting the pig

12. Set a timer to rotate the pig every half hour. Control the rate at which the meat is cooking by lowering and raising the spit as necessary – you do not want the skin to brown too early.

Rotating the pig

13. The heat surrounding the pig, and rate at which it cooks, can also be controlled by raking or stoking the fire.  Maintain the same heat level as when the fire was first ready for roasting.

Raking the coals

14. Have a beer, listen to music, catch up with friends.

15. Cover the tail, snout and ears with foil when they begin to brown to avoid burning.   You can remove the foil with about an hour to go in order to finish the delicious crackling.

Covering the ears

16. Cook time varies depending on the intensity of the fire, the size of the pig and the distance between the pig and the fire, so check the temperature periodically.  Using a meat thermometer, check the temperature at the thickest part of the shoulder and thigh. It should register 150°-160°F.

17.  Once the pig reaches 150°-160°F, remove the spit from the fire and bring it to your service location. Set the pig on a table covered with plenty of foil, as it will be fairly greasy and carving can be messy.  Allow to rest for ½ hour before removing the spit and carving.

18. We like to pull off bits of the crackling for everyone to enjoy while we carve the pig.  This isn’t a delicate affair and you should be ready to go with sleeves rolled up.  When carving the pig we remove the shoulders with attached legs and the back legs first.  Then we cut straight down the center of the spine to remove the back meat and loins.  Next we remove the meat from the area just above the shoulder and in between the ribs.  Fill up your plate with sides, and dig in!

Dinner! Mac n cheese, sauteed kale, roasted root vegetables and perfectly roasted pig.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my step-by-step instructional photo tutorial for spit-roasting a suckling pig.  Once you try it, you’ll be hooked!

Pork Cuts - source: National Pork Board

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crisps with Goat Cheese Mousse

My menu for this challenge started taking shape sometime last weekend.  I spent most of Saturday volunteering in the kitchen of the James Beard House in New York City with Chef Perry Hoffman of Etoile at Domain Chandon in Napa Valley.  Volunteering is like a one day stagiere and a great way to keep your knife skills sharp and to learn new things.  At first I felt like a fish out of water around these professionals, but after a little while I was totally comfortable and loved being in the kitchen with them.  I learned that Chef Hoffman’s grandparents were the original owners of the famous French Laundry, also in Napa Valley, and had sold it to Thomas Keller in 1994.  Under the direction of Chef Hoffman, we prepped for a refined dinner using beautifully fresh ingredients in innovative ways – much like the style of cooking at The French Laundry.  After hours of slicing figs, plucking thyme leaves and husking gooseberries, it struck me just how much time and care went into creating these exquisite dishes for our guests.  A seed had been planted in my brain.

Quite serendipitously, I learned that Thomas Keller was hosting a reading and book signing later that same week.  This was fate!  I must attend.  In a cramped room with many other eager attendees I listened as Chef Keller explained the process of writing a cookbook, how his restaurants came to be, and what inspires his dishes.  I loved hearing how after each night’s service, he, the sous-chef and other contributors in the kitchen sit down to discuss and decide what they wanted to make for dinner the next night so that each person contributed to the menu.  What really stayed with me, though, was when he described what makes The French Laundry – certainly one of the most luxurious dining experiences in America – special by succinctly stating, “It’s all about finesse”.  How true.

Braised Breast of Veal with Yellow Corn Polenta Cakes, Glazed Vegetables and Sweet Garlic

Inspired by my experiences last week, I decided to draw from this idea of simple ingredients finessed into elegant presentations and went straight to the source.  Using recipes selected from The French Laundry Cookbook, and adapting them slightly, the menu that I prepared for this third challenge takes fairly common vegetables like tomato and eggplant and elevates them into something unique and exotic.  Tomatoes are peeled, seeded, roasted, and finely chopped to resemble steak tartare.  The veal was braised and the bones removed before it was folded in half and pressed under a weight overnight in the fridge.  By using a round cutter, I formed individual towers of polenta and veal, with beets and turnips, shaped into little spheres, and carrots and celery root, glazed with butter and sugar, appearing like jewels atop each tower.  It would have likely taken less time to braise the veal and just slice it with equally delicious results, but the presentation was what made this dish special, and through this kind of care and attention to details a weeknight dinner party became something luxurious to honor good friends with an appreciation for a sumptuous dining experience.

My menu for the evening:
Canapés – Buckwheat Blini with Roasted Sweet Peppers and Eggplant Caviar; Parmagiano-Reggiano Crisps with Goat Cheese Mousse
First Course – Salad of Haricot Verts, Tomato Tartare and Chive Oil
Entrée – Braised Breast of Veal with Yellow Corn Polenta Cakes, Glazed Root Vegetables and Sweet Garlic
Dessert – La Peral Cheese with Almond Fig Cake

Multi-step recipes and proper plating takes time, and, as anyone who works the 9-5 knows, hosting a weeknight dinner party can be stressful.  But with proper preparation, both with the food and the setting, you can pull off a refined evening.  Here are my tips for hosting a fun and fabulous dinner:

Mis en place done a day prior

*Mis en place. No chef worth his toque will cook a meal without having everything diced, chopped and peeled prior to service.  I took this as far as I could by starting my planning and prepping earlier in the week.  Roasting peppers a few days in advance, making polenta and chilling it, and pureeing eggplant I had roasted.
*Know your recipes. You don’t have to adhere to them strictly, but I find it helpful to read and reread them so that you really understand the how and why of each step.  Then, when it’s game time you have a vision for what is to happen next.
*Lighting.  Candles are a classic way to make you and your guests look good and show a little extra (easy) effort.  I bought a 1,000 count box of tea lights from Ikea and always have them at the ready.
*Adapt. Take ideas and make them your own so they work with your resources and schedule.  For example, the blini recipe in Keller’s cookbook suggested making them a la minute which I didn’t have time to do.  I found a buckwheat blini recipe that could be made ahead of time and used that instead.
*Flowers.  You can easily get cheap, beautiful flowers from your corner deli or grocery store.  Go with a single color scheme and bunch two large bouquets for an impressive look.  A great trick to keep your flowers in place is to use scotch-tape to create a lattice across the neck of the vase.  Also, make sure the flowers are either below or above eye level so your guests can see each other when they chat.
*Pick a theme. My mind often wanders when I’m planning a menu so it’s best to organize my ideas around a theme, which helps to focus me and let me be more creative and adventurous.  Have fun with it.  The food doesn’t have to be French-American fancy; it can be Clam-Shack casual and still be luxurious if all the elements are well thought out.
*Appetizers. Always have something simple on hand to put out for guests.  Olives, nuts and cheese are your best friends.  If you’re going complicated on your entrée, give yourself a break on the apps if time is low.
*Assign tasks. You can’t ask a guest to sweep the floor, but if you’re entertaining friends, you can and certainly should ask them to toss the salad with the dressing or to help stir the sauce on the stove.  People generally like to get involved and it makes them feel like they helped create the dinner.
*Beverages. Stick with your theme and have fun.  I decided to pair a different wine with each course to really embrace the fine dining experience I was going for.  And you don’t need to buy expensive wines.  Most good wine shops have a rack of affordable wines of good quality that you can work with, and for that celebratory feel, serve a prosecco or cava instead of a more expensive champagne.  Also, slices of lemon or cucumber in your water pitcher is a nice touch that can make a meal just a little bit more special.
*Dessert. You don’t always need a big chocolate cake to end your meal.  Ending with a simple cheese and fig cake was the perfect light match to my menu here.  I thought it would be fun, and a new experience for some, to pair it with an ice wine as well.

Doing the work ahead of time for this dinner party really paid off.  I was able to present beautiful and delicious food and still be relaxed enough to enjoy the company of the friends I had invited – that was the real luxury for me.

Buckwheat Blini with Roasted Sweet Peppers and Eggplant Caviar

Happy guests!

La Peral Cheese with Almond Fig Cake

The one recipe that stood out as really being quite simple but extremely impressive was the Salad of Haricots Verts, Tomato Tartare and Chive Oil.  There are a couple of different components but most of it can be done ahead of time.

Salad of Haricots Verts, Tomato Tartare and Chive Oil

Salad of Haricots Verts, Tomato Tartare and Chive Oil
serves 6

6 ounces haricots verts, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths

Tomato Tartare
½ cup finely chopped tomato confit (recipe follows)
1½ tsp finely minced shallots
1 tsp finely minced chives
½ tsp balsamic vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar Cream
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp red wine vinegar
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
freshly ground pepper

Frisée
1½ cups frisée, tender leaves only
extra virgin olive oil
salt

chive oil, in plastic squeeze bottle (recipe follows)

Blanch the haricots verts in boiling salted water until they are just cooked through, 2-4 minutes.  Chill in ice water, drain and dry on paper towels.  They can be kept overnight, wrapped in a slightly moist paper towel in a resealable plastic bag.

For the Tomato Tartare, combine the tomato confit, shallots, chives and vinegar.  Refrigerate until just before serving.

For the Red Wine Vinegar Cream, whisk the cream in a bowl set over a large bowl of ice just until it thickens slightly and you can see the trail of the whisk in the cream.  Using the whisk fold in the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.  It’s important not to overbeat the cream as it will thicken when it’s tossed with the beans.

To complete, place a 3-inch ring mold on a plate.  Place about 4 tsps of the Tomato Tartare in the center of the mold and using the back of a small spoon spread into an even layer so it fills the bottom of the mold.  Gently lift off the ring mold and repeat on the remaining five plates.  Toss the beans with just enough of the cream mixture to coat them.  Stack about ¼ cup of the beans on top of the center of the tomato disk, leaving a ¾ inch border of tomato.

Toss the frisée with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  For each plate, take about a ¼ cup of the greens and twist in the palm of your hand to make a compact bundle.  Gently place the bundle on the stack of haricots verts.  Squeeze a light ring of the chive oil around the stack.

Plating the salad

Tomato Confit
tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
thyme sprigs

Cut out the cores from the tomatoes and cut a shallow ‘x’ in the bottom.  Drop the tomatoes into a pot of boiling salted water for a few seconds to loosen the skin.  Immediately move the tomatoes to an ice-water bath to cool.  Peel the tomatoes and cut them into quarters through the stem.  Cut away the inner pulp, seeds, and any remaining ribs to leave a smooth ‘tomato petal’. Discard the seeds and trimmings.

Preheat an oven to 250°F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Drizzle the foil with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Lay the tomato petals (inside of the tomato facing down) on the foil.  Drizzle more oil over the tops and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top each piece of tomato with a small sprig of thyme.

Place in the oven for 1½ to 2 hours, until the tomatoes have partially dried but still have some of their juices.  Discard the thyme and refrigerate the confit in a covered container, with the oil, until ready to use, or up to one week.

Chive Oil
1 packed cup chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
about 1 cup canola oil

Place the chives in a strainer and run hot water over them for about 2 minutes to soften and remove the chlorophyll taste.  Pour into a blender and blend until smooth.  Strain through a fine sieve.  Store in a plastic squeeze bottle until ready to use, up to 5 days.

In the late sixties, my grandfather was working in Saigon for USAID protecting shipments of supplies sent to Vietnam.  My grandmother was living nearby in the Philippines, and they would fly back and forth to see each other when they could.  I often wonder what her life might have been like in those days, an ex-pat in the Philippines counting the days until next she saw her love. I imagine her in what I fondly recall as her uniform – starched white button-down shirt, slim Capri pants, and seven gold bangles representing each day of the week clinking together on her wrist.  But beyond this romantic image in my mind, I’m not at all certain what her day-to-day life was really like while living there.

Dot & Joe, Bayside

Shortly before my grandmother passed away, she sent me a few cookbooks from her collection, and included were a couple of books on Southeast Asian cooking that she must have purchased in an attempt to recreate the dishes she tasted while abroad.  In response to Project Food Blog challenge #2 (vote for me here!), to create an ethnic classic that I’m not familiar with, I thought it would be fun to pick a dish I imagine my grandparents ate while in the Philippines.  I have a fondness for the Time-Life Foods of the World series since my mother had the collection, so I turned there for inspiration.  On a post-it, my grandmother left me a message about her life there: “a real adventure”.  That’s how it should be.

Grandma, April 1970

Reading the yellowed pages, I was drawn to the recipe for kare kare (or kari-kari) a comforting oxtail stew with beans and eggplant that is thickened with rice and peanuts.  In doing my research, it seems that, like so many other traditional recipes, every family has their own version of kare kare, so I pulled bits and pieces from different sources I found, but stuck fairly close to the Time-Life recipe.

Since I live in New York, I knew that the ingredients needed could be found if I looked in the right place, so I headed down to Chinatown to find everything I needed: sitaw, banana bud, annato, calamansi and bagoong alamang.

Sitaw are also known as long beans or snake beans and, as the English names imply, they are long and skinny. Typically about 18 inches in length and resembling a stretched out string bean, long beans are not actually related to string beans but rather black-eyed peas.  They are usually sold in large bundles, and it’s recommended that you seek out beans without blemishes or wrinkled skin.  There are many different varieties of long beans, but I was able to find one that was pale and wide, with thick flesh, and a second that was thin, darker, and had slightly firm flesh.

long beans or sitaw

Banana bud, banana heart, banana blossom, or banana flower is the flower from which bananas grow.  As you peel back each bract (the name of those deep red leaves), you see rows of flowers that will eventually develop into bananas.  Those rows become the bunches we buy at the store.  As you get closer to the heart, the leaves get more tender and paler in color.  Both the bracts and the flowers are edible (though the flowers require a little prep work to remove the stems) and are served both raw and cooked with noodles or stews.

Annato oil is used in many cuisines for coloring, ranging from yellow to red, and for its slightly sweet and peppery flavor.  It’s common in many tropical regions where it’s a pantry staple.  To make the oil: 1) combine ¼ cup of annatto seeds and 1 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil, 2) bring to a simmer, 3) remove from heat, cover, and let sit until completely cool, 4) then strain out the seeds.  Kept in the refrigerator, the oil will keep for 2 months.

Unfortunately I was unable to find Calamansi.  This citrus fruit resembles a small lime, ranges in color from green to orange, and is very sour.  I’ve never tasted it, but have read that it tastes like a cross between lemon and mandarin orange.  With this in mind, I subbed in lemon juice for flavor.

Calamansi
photo: Agriculture Business Week

According to Time-Life, Bagoong alamang is traditionally made by putting salt and fresh fish/shrimp in a ceramic pot and letting it ferment for weeks.  The pungent paste is used both in cooking and as a condiment and can be found in most Filipino kitchens.  I have to caution that it’s not friendly to the uninitiated palate.  I tried a small spoonful of the chunky paste and it was quite fishy, but I’ve read that mixing it with calamansi and vinegar can temper the strong flavor.

Though it uses ingredients not typically found in western cuisine, this dish really is not too different from the Irish stew I grew up eating.  There’s far more common culinary ground between cultures than I think we sometimes realize.  The banana buds lost any trace of the bitterness they have when raw, and when cooked down the long beans resembled tender string beans.  If you’re unfamiliar with oxtail, this is a great way to try it.  The meat falls off the bone and takes on the many flavors of the stew.  I did notice that a lot of modern recipes for kare-kare substituted store bought peanut butter for the ground fresh peanuts, and though I will guiltily admit that there’s something deliciously appealing about the idea of putting peanut butter into the stew, in the end I opted for tradition in this instance.  The end result was hearty and rich, and rounded out nicely by the bagoong alamang.  I think grandma and grandpa would approve!

Kare Kare (Oxtail and Peanut Stew)
Serves 6

2 ¼ lb ox tail, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb beef round or sirloin, cut into cubes
5 Tbsp canola oil
salt
water
2 ½ cups whole peanuts (or ½ cup ground dry-roasted unsalted peanuts)
1/3 cup Jasmine rice
1 banana bud/heart
4 tbsp annatto/atsuete oil
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled and mashed
2 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 Japanese eggplants, quartered lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 bundle string beans (about 20), cut into 2-inch lengths
6 calamansi/ 2 lemons

Bagoong
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup bagoong (fermented shrimp paste)

Wash the oxtails thoroughly.  Heat a large Dutch oven or deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the meat on all sides with salt. Add the oil to the pan and brown the meat on all sides working in batches.  Add enough water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 90 minutes or until the meat is fork tender.  Allow to cool, and then refrigerate overnight.

The following day, skim off the fat.  Remove the meat from the broth and reserve, set the broth over low heat to warm.  Meanwhile, toast the peanuts (if using whole) in a large pan, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Allow the nuts to cool and process them in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Place the rice in a skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and aromatic.  Cool, and then finely grind in a spice grinder. Transfer to a bowl with the ground nuts. Add enough of the warm stock to form a paste and set aside.

To prepare the banana blossom, cut an inch off the bottom of the bulb, then peel off the outer bracts and the undeveloped bananas under each layer until you reach a layer of that is almost entirely a creamy yellow color. Cut the bud in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch pieces crosswise and immediately soak the cut banana heart in water with lemon juice or vinegar in it. Massage the pieces with your hands for about 3 minutes to remove the bitter sap.  Drain in a strainer, rinse and repeat the process.  Taste a small piece and if still bitter, rinse again.

To prepare the bagoong, heat the oil in a pan over low heat, add the sliced garlic and shallots, and cook until soft. Add the bagoong and cook until the mixture is fragrant. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

To cook the kare kare, heat 5 tbsp of annatto oil in a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.  Add the garlic, onions, and pinch of salt and cook until softened.  Add 5 cups of the simmering stock and peanut mixture, stirring with a whisk until combined. Then add the meat and let it simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Stir the mixture occasionally. Add the banana heart and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened.  Next, add the eggplant and string beans, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender – about 10 minutes. Add more water if the mixture is too thick. Add the calamansi (or lemon) juice, then season with salt to taste. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes and take it off the heat.

To serve, ladle into a bowl and serve with (or over) plain steamed rice and the bagoong.

I write Tender Is the Bite to share my food experiences and, most importantly, to learn more about food through the process of discovery and research.  I love going to a new restaurant and tasting its interpretation of a certain ingredient or a common dish.  I enjoy seeing how a chef can take a dish that may be predefined in my mind and rearranging its presentation to reinvent it into something totally different and unique.  Equally, I love going to a farmer’s market or specialty grocer and buying an ingredient, like husk cherry tomatoes, that I’m really not that familiar with, maybe haven’t even tasted before, and digging into what it’s all about.  Where is it grown?  Who eats it?  How do they eat it?  Is it considered a delicacy or is it everday fare?  The inner anthropologist in me is fascinated by the idea that food is something we all need and have in common, yet people and cultures have sometimes vastly different ways of approaching it.    Did you know that the same seeds used to grow chia pets was a staple of the Mayan and Aztec diets?  Or that prolonged contact with garlic can make the skin blister?  At culinary school, where I learned essential knife skills, basic cooking techniques, and fundamentals of global cuisines, I gained the confidence to test out my ideas and experiment with food.  I also think it’s important to be conscious of what I’m eating and mindful of where it comes from.  In the process of building this blog, I’ve moved away from eating so much sushi after doing reserach on the Bluefin tuna and its demise.  I no longer buy tomatoes out of season after learning about the environmental impacts of winter greenhouses, and I am much savvier about where to find the freshest local ingredients for my recipes.  Ideally, everyone will be more aware of the impacts of the food choices they make, and sustainably sourced food will one day be something that is the expected norm and not just found in specialty stores.  By writing and sharing articles about these important topics, I hope at least one reader reconsiders what they’re eating. 

Tender Is the Bite was started with a desire to share what I was doing (read: eating) with my family and friends who I thought would be interested.  Through posting, I’ve realized that not only am I sharing what I know but I’m learning so much from readers, through the research I do and from the many food bloggers I’ve come in contact with since I began this little endeavor.  Ultimately, though, beyond the intrigue of food facts and despite the importance of environmental issues, writing this blog makes me happy, makes my hubby’s stomach happy, and makes my father and a best friend in Philly happy, and at the end of the day, that’s really what keeps me going.

Now what food blog post would be complete without something about food?  With that in mind, I’ve decided to try my first ever Concord grape to accompany this challenge.  Not kahn-cord, but kahn-kehd as my New Englander husband quickly corrected me.  After tasting my first Concord grape, I quickly realized that this grape and not the one we grew up eating from the grocery store is the model and muse for the grape taste so often chemically replicated in candies and things like Mr. Sketch smelly markers.  The dark blue skin of the Concord grape hints at the explosion of sweet and sour that is produced when you bite into one of these spheres.  Though related to wild grapes that had grown in New England, according to the Concord Grape Association the Concord grape was actually developed by a gentleman named Ephraim Wales Bull in 1849.  In 1853 it was presented to the public at the Boston Horticultural Society exhibition and won first prize.  Over a decade later, the first known unfermented grape juice was produced in the kitchen of Mr. Thomas Welch, a dentist from New Jersey.  For my first culinary foray into the world of this grape, I wanted to start out simple so I could really enjoy the unadulterated flavor.  Plus, since it’s the end of summer, we’re running out of excuses to be making ice cream.

Don’t forget to vote for me by clicking here!

Concord Grape Sorbet – Sorbetto Di Uva
adapted from Gourmet, September 2009

1 qt. Concord grapes, stemmed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
toasted, chopped peanuts
equipment needed: ice cream maker

Puree the grapes in a food processor or blender until smooth.  Then, force through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.  Use the back of a spoon to press the flesh against the sides of the sieve and to force more juice out.  Discard the solids.  Whisk in sugar until dissolved and chill until very cold, about 3-6 hours.  Freeze in an ice cream maker, then freeze in an airtight container for 2 hours - 1 week.  Garnish with chopped peanuts or other nut.