For years my knife skills have been a point of insecurity.  If you watch enough cooking shows, you too may share my issue.  I have bought DVDs, books and eagerly gone to demonstrations.  I had a friend who is a CIA graduate spend some time with me trying to show me how to use my knife properly so that I can gain speed and consistency without losing a damn finger.  My husband has treated me to several wonderful knifes that I love.  Knifes so sharp that I think if you mess around you could take your hand off at the wrist; forget about shortening a finger tip.

As I’m writing about knife skills you may be wondering why I have a photo of a De Buyer Mandoline at the lead of my post. Please be patient with me.  I’ll get there.

Finally, I found the Rolling Pin, a place in my area that teaches cooking classes and more importantly teaches KNIFE SKILLS 1 and KNIFE Skills 2.  Reading the description I really was not sure if I was going to learn much.

Choosing the correct knife for the job and knowing how to properly use it is the secret to fast, easy cooking.
Learn the basics of knife construction, how to choose the correct knife, safety, sharpening, and proper storage of knives.

You will practice proper techniques for chopping, mincing, slicing and julienne.

We will use our skills to make Homemade Winter Vegetable Soup and Designer Grill Cheese.

I felt pretty confident on all of these topics, however, KNIFE SKILLS 1 is a prerequisite to KNIFE SKILLS 2; and there was lunch, wine and an afternoon away from the house all for $35 so I went for it.  My $35 was VERY well spent.  I know about knife construction, I’ve educated myself on cutting boards and proper sharpening; and I know the mechanics of a dice, julienne, mince etc.  But I couldn’t seem to move the food and knife across the board in a harmonious manner — I looked something like a caveman trying to pull a square wheel.  It wasn’t pretty.

In 2 minutes Chef Dave (an owner at the Rolling Pin which also offers demonstration classes and stocks an amazing array of kitchen implements) had me cutting faster and more consistently than I’d been able to do on my own in a year of practicing.  I had been trying to circumvent nature and cut in a right angle where my left hand fed the food to my right (knife) hand at a 90 degree angle.  I was always fighting with getting the food to move, cutting felt clumsy, and I thought I was never going to get it right.  I began to feel that knife skills were like basketall and I would never have the coordination to do it right.  Nope, I just needed the right coach.  Chef Dave taught me about my cutting triangle and I’m extremely grateful for that lesson.

I liked class one so much that I instantly signed up for class 2 which took place this past Saturday.  In retrospect I wish I had let a few weeks pass rather than jump on my enthusiasm train.  This way I could have practiced more and came with more questions.  In Knife skills 2 we did cover how to sharpen and care for your knifes a little more and I think the information was presented really well, especially for people who want to cook more but aren’t cook book, cooking magazine, cooking blog, cooking TV junkies like myself.  Not many people read Larousse Gastronomique or McGee like a novel – I’m that dork who does.

In KNIFE SKILLS 2 We diced, we julienned, we peeled onions and then — we broke out the mandoline.

I have a few silly fears; such as  I’ll run right off a cliff to escape a honey bee (true).  I watch too much “Criminal Minds” which leads to all kinds of irrational fears.  I am also afraid of cutting my damn fingers off.  I don’t think this is totally irrational, as  it’s a common injury.  What is irrational is the certitude with which I believe(d) my mandoline was going to cut my damn fingers off (When I’m talking about the loss of them, they are indeed my “damn fingers”  as in “Honey can you hurry home, I cut my danm finger off trying to make french fries with the mandoline, I think I need to go to the hospital.”)

Each of our  stations had a mandoline to practice with.  We were cutting long strips of eggplant and zucchini to grill and making apple matchsticks for a salad. Not wanting to be a complete sissy or get caught hiding in the bathroom, I used the mandoline (without a finger guard as I was instructed because the core acts as a natural guard) to julienne apples into matchsticks.  At first I struggled;  I couldn’t get the apple to go through the mandoline because I was hesitating.  Then I did what Chef Dave told me to do and focused on the bottom of the mandoline vs the blade.  Voi La! I made that mandoline sing.

I had a very dusty De Buyer mandoline at home.  Yesterday I busted it out.  I made ratatouille (Julia Childs Recipe) and a roasted duck (also Julia).  I went through several potatoes (tonight is steak with frites)  and made fries.  I used the finger guard, but I made friends with the mandoline.  And for that I thank Chef Dave.

April 6 I’ll be starting the Cooking 101 class — join me!

If you are in the Tampa Area:

The Rolling Pin
2080 Badland Drive
Brandon FL 33511
813-653-2418

I don’t make it a habit to reprint content from other sources, but today I’m making an exception.  I received a press release from the Food Channel that I thought was perfect in time for Valentines day.  We are focused on making chocolate desserts, giving chocolate candy, setting a mood for romance for chocolate, but I never thought it could teach life lessons.

FOODCHANNEL.COM ENCOURAGES YOU TO “BE THE CHOCOLATE” THIS VALENTINE’S DAY

CHICAGO (Feb. 11, 2010)¾ In honor of Valentine’s Day, The Food Channel^® (foodchannel.com ) editorial staff is encouraging visitors to the site to “be chocolate” and embrace the lessons one of America’s favorite indulgences can provide. “We have been watching chocolate ever since it was named one of the top food trends of the decade,” said Kay Logsdon, managing editor of The Food Channel . “This week, in particular, it seemed appropriate to commemorate how chocolate can enrich our lives—in ten fun ways.”

It’s Important to Hold Your Temper

It’s not easy to melt chocolate perfectly, just as it’s not easy to find your own boiling point and keep it under control. The fact is, for chocolate to form properly into all those fun shapes that go into the candy box, it has to be tempered. That means it has to be fed the right amount from the chocolate block, at the right time during the melting process, all the while being constantly stirred. In life, it means we have to guard what we take in, and be willing to move and change as necessary in order to get better.

Soft Centers Usually Have a Hard Shell

The best liquors, the softest centers, all need some protection around them. So remember that when your co-worker has a tough façade or your friend appears sort of brittle. Could be they are protecting their soft insides.

Meltdowns Can Be Avoided

Real chocolate starts to get soft at 72 degrees. Great candy stores keep the temperature cool rather than add vegetable oils to the mix. You can keep your cool if you remember to turn down the heat.

A Little Nuttiness Doesn’t Hurt

Unless you have an allergy, nuts add a new dimension to chocolate. A little crunch, a different flavor, a higher antioxidant level—it all just adds to the variety. So accept a little nuttiness in your life.

You Can Find an Excuse for Almost Anything

If society can pile sugar and cream into dark chocolate and call it a good-for-you antioxidant, then surely your teacher will believe someone ate your homework. Just tell her you wrapped it in chocolate.

Variety Matters

When it comes to chocolates, there is great variety. You have your soft creams, your liquors, your ganache, and your buttery caramels. You have your chews and your nuts. You’ll have your favorite, but at some point all of the varieties have to go in the box together. Learn to get along with variety.

Sometimes You Have to Feed the Need

Chocolate reportedly stimulates the release of hormones in the brain, and feel-good endorphins in the body. And, face it. Sometimes that is a craving that needs to be met. When hormone meets hormone, everyone feels better.

Some Things Are Just Worth It

We know the bad, the calories, the fat, the pound-for-pound guilt. We also know that there are lots of entrepreneurs who have quit the daily grind in favor of dipping chocolate. It’s a satisfying career, especially when you can lick the bowl.

Addictive Behavior Can Be Controlled

We all have our addictions. We are work addicts, Facebook addicts, Jersey Shore addicts and even nicotine addicts. Chocolate tells you when you’ve had enough—when you tip the scales at a new weight, when you have a stomach ache from eating too much, when you have spent your food money on candy and have nothing left for lunch. You can learn control from chocolate. Small doses go a long way.

Some Things Make Everything Taste Better

It’s the reason why people put chocolate in cookies, breads, drinks and candy. Chocolate is a flavor that goes with everything. Be chocolate.

Logsdon counsels, “Apply these lessons to life and see how far they get you. Hold your temper, recognize when people are softies at heart, reduce the heat and pressure in your life and the lives of those around you, and be a little crazy. Accept change, avoid addictions, and know what you need, physically and emotionally. Most of all live your life so that you can go with anything. Be chocolate. There are lots of lessons that are harder to swallow.”

Follow The Food Channel at www.twitter.com/foodchannel or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FoodChannel

Thank you to the Food Channel for this article.

I am absolutely thrilled that I was asked to guest blog for Sacre Bleu.  Even more excited that Ashley asked me to predict wine in 2010.  Wanna see what I said?  Whineux Forsees our 2010 Wine Moments.

Gazing into my Crystal Ball, I thought I would share my top 10 food predictions for 2010 in no particular order.

1.  Latin favors will reign supreme. I don’t think this one is a stunner to anyone.  Rick Bayless and others are driving a Latin flavor revolution not to mention that the Latin population is one of the fastest growing in the United States.  I grew up in California, I didn’t know Mexican food was “ethnic” or “exotic”  I just thought it was food and everyone had a neighbor that made tamales at Christmas.  (I’ve since learned the hard way that isn’t true! *pout*)

2.  Locally owned restaurants will gain favor over chains. This one is a bit of a risk, but I think there’s a reason that Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives is one of the top shows on Food Network.  We all long for something with more character than the bland salty food proffered by national chains.  Not to mention that even though the economy is coming back right now we all have less money to spend.  It feels better to support your neighbor than a huge faceless corporation.  Help me out — replace one of your regular chain dining evenings with a local restaurant.  I don’t want to be right just to be right, I want the neighborhood joints to succeed.

3.  Locally grown moves to the backyard. There is a lot of talk about reconnecting with your food.  It seems like a lot of marketing speak dreamed up by PR people.  I think the media is trying to convey understanding where your food comes from is becoming more important, knowing where your fruit and veg are grown and how the livestock/dairy/poultry in your personal food chain are raised is important.  The quality of homegrown food cannot compare.  We can’t all raise grass fed beef, but certainly we can plant herbs and small plants even on a balcony.

4.  Cooking skills will continue to suffer. A vast majority of people have no idea how to cook.  Just because you turned on your oven doesn’t mean it’s homemade.  Economics are forcing more people out of restaurants and into the grocery store but they still aren’t filling their carts with fresh meat, dairy and produce.  This statement is based on my totally unscientific, self congratulatory observations at the grocery store.  A quick glimpse into other customers’ buggies reveals a lot about them.  Most of the time it tells me that people are super dependent on heat and serve foods.  That’s because there is a perception that it’s easy and “homemade” because they used a skillet or the oven.  If only they’d read the ingredient lists.  Dear friends and readers share your knowledge; save a diet save the world — teach someone to cook basic food at home.

5.  Organic is not going to grow much as a segment. People desire the benefits of organic, but faced with the price tag they opt out.  We have to find a way as a country to make organic food more affordable.  I remember a time that dairy farmers were paid not to produce.  Perhaps we could consider government subsidies to make organic more affordable.  Pesticides, hormones and antibiotics are harming people’s health but we talk and don’t act.

6.  We return to our roots. Three times in 2009 humble spaghetti and meatballs graced the cover of high profile epicurean food magazines (i.e. not Family Circle).  Food offers memories and comfort.  Think of how a whiff of a perfume or other scent can take you to another place, food does that tenfold.  In a world where people try to blow up planes on Christmas day we need comfort anywhere we can find it and simple rustic food is an easy place to turn.  People are going to return to childhood foods, mac and cheese, soups, roasts, fried chicken, breads, culinary comforts.  This doesn’t have to mean we’ll quit being inventive — perhaps truffle salt will grace your mashed potatoes.  We’ll blend today and yesterday with gusto on our plates.

7.  Fat Free, Carb Free will be replaced by additive free. We Americans love to obsess about our diet and search for the miracle cure in the form of food.  We feast on acacia berries, anti-oxidants, free radicals and so on.  In 2010 we’ll stop looking for the mystery additive and seek natural foods.  Probiotics will replace preservatives.

8.  Artisinal Foods become the hottest luxury item. Forget caviar (assuming you could ever afford it) the new chic food to treat your friends to on special occasions will be small batch artisinal foods, handmade sausages and salumis, locally cured hams, specialty chocolates; small batch liquors and so on.

9.  Eco Friendly Packaging. I don’t think we are ever going to give up the convenience of single serve foods because there are too many lunches to pack but manufacturers are going to look for new forms of packing that are more friendly to the environment.

10.  Real cheese comes to the table. There’s nothing wrong with cheddar, mozzarella or provolone but there’s a groing interest in locally crafted cheeses.  Countries are starting to recognize the importance of stamping area of origin on their cheese (France & Italy were way ahead on this one).  There’s a huge interest in uncommon or if you prefer “gourmet” cheeses.  This will grow in 2010 and more dairies will begin producing specialty cheese using their environment and techniques vs. quantity to differentiate themselves.

And as a bonus:

11.  Whineaux.com has more readers than Rachelray.com. LOL  A girl can dream!

Here’s to you and an amazing 2010!

Every year I make goodies for Christmas to hand out to close friends.  This year my goody tins contained four treats:
Butter Tarts
Praline Cookies
Butterscotch Sticky Buns
Amaretti Cookies

Each recipe holds special meaning to me; the Butter Tarts are a recent memory of teaching my stepson Tyler to bake; the Praline Cookies are a reminder of how far I’ve come with my cooking and loved ones who are far away but dear to my heart; the Butterscotch Sticky Buns are a new recipe but make me think of my mother because she favors a home made sticky bun over most anything in life; and the Amaretti Cookies are for my dear friend Tony because they remind him of being in Sicily with his mother and they are special to me because he’s shared those memories.

I’ve always been a smidge (OK, a ton) sentimental; and2009 has reminded me to prioritize my friends and family, not my stuff.  This year has been miserable in many ways but it has taught me a lot.  No matter how tough things have gotten, I’ve been very lucky to always be within the embrace of my loving husband, the encouragement of a dear friend and the support of my parents.  Maybe I needed this year so I could appreciate and prioritize them and rather than my Le Creuset (which believe me, I appreciate!)

Part of this learning process for me is the lesson that cooking isn’t about perfection, it’s about sharing yourself and your love with your friends.  I’ve made breaded chicken cutlets with “sauce” more times than I can count, but never have I had as much fun as before Christmas making them with Tony who kicked me off the breading station because I wasn’t draining the egg-wash the way he wanted or pounding the chicken into the bread crumbs to his liking.  I’ll forever have the memory of that laughter — and the fact that he’s shared his mother’s recipe with me.

My Christmas dinner this year was one of the best I can remember.  My mom made turkey and her cornbread stuffing for me, because I asked for it.  No matter how hard I try I can’t get mine to turn out like hers so every pan of it is a gift that I greedily gobble up.

I’d like to share my goody recipes and a bit more of me with you.

Butter Tarts:

From the top Clockwise: Butter Tarts, Praline Cookies, Butterscotch Sticky Buns

If you are not familiar with these little gems, they are a Canadian treat similar to a pecan pie, only SO MUCH better and SO MUCH more fattening!  This recipe joined my repertoire when Tyler volunteered us to make “Canadian Food” for his multi-cultural fair.  This was probably because I had just returned from Canada but I was in a huge state of panic because my knowledge of Canadian food was limited to Beer, Maple Candy and Maple syrup; none of which were going to get him a good grade on his project.  Luckily my Twitter family came to the rescue and we made these guys.  Tyler was so excited that he made them and his smile when we finished was priceless.

A word to the wise — this recipe is just as easy as it looks AS LONG AS you: A) use nonstick muffin tins;  do not believe the Pam commercial it can’t keep everything from sticking;  and B) make sure not to over-fill the tarts because the filling becomes like molten dry wall and will stick to anything.  Make this mistake and you will invent swear words trying to get them out of the pan!  I used a recipe I found at Joy of Baking.com. I adopted it (essentially I cheated) for the skills of a teenage boy and a crust challenged mentor.

For the tart crust use your favorite pie crust recipe, mine is the Ready Bake Pre-rolled sheets from Pillsbury.  *wink*  I love to make things from scratch but I know when to acknowledge defeat.  Pillsbury pie crust is good, it’s easy and it’s inexpensive.  Use a 4 inch cookie cutter and cut 12 disks.  Place the disks in the center of greased muffin tins and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Toast about 1/2 cup of walnut pieces and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine:
1/3 cup softened butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

You’ll also need 2 eggs and 1/4 cup half and half set aside

Use the lowest setting and combine the butter, brown sugar and vanilla in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Next add 2 eggs, one egg at a time making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Remove the bowl from mixer and by hand stir in 1/4 cup half and half.

Once the pie dough has chilled a half hour, remove it from the refrigerator, evenly sprinkle walnuts in the 12 muffin cups then spoon the filling into each tart to just below the rim of the dough.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Praline Cookies

This is a family recipe from my ex-mother-in-law who I love and adore.  She made it for Christmas about 10 years ago and after much begging I was given the soon to be not-so-secret family recipe.  I immediately wanted to make it for her and send some her way.  As I mentioned, I was not always the cook I am today — so there is hope for everyone!  I made the recipe using cornmeal instead of flour (imagine mistaking the two!).  Being as stubborn as I am; I sent them off anyway (and frankly dog food topped with the praline icing would be good).  To this day she laughs at the memory especially now in light of my blog. The cookies are a favorite of family and friends and she graciously agreed to let me post the recipe.

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 1/3 cups of flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 box of dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cream the butter, brown sugar, vanilla and eggs.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  drop one tsp per cookie onto a prepared cookie sheet.  bake 8 – 10 minutes (*note, these cookies are very rich don’t be tempted to make big cookies or you’ll have lots of half eaten cookies!)

Cool on a rack.

When all of the cookies are made and cooled, place a pecan half on each cookie and prepare the icing.  The icing sets up quickly so you don’t want to make it before you are ready to use it.

Icing:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 box confectioners sugar

Over medium heat bring the brown sugar and evaporated milk to boil in a heavy saucepan and cook for 2 minutes constantly whisking.  Remove from the heat, add confectioners sugar, whisk in until smooth then drizzle over the cookies.

Amaretti Cookies

My friend Tony always speaks of his mother and his memories of Sicily with a special fondness .  Amaretti Cookies are distinctly Italian and take him back home.  So I make these for him.

Amaretti Cookies:
Preheat oven to 35o degrees

4 egg whites
1 1/2 pounds almond paste (not marzipan)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pine nuts

Use a blender or food processor to combine the egg whites and almond paste (if the almond paste is hard, soften it in the microwave — this is important I almost burned the motor out of my food processor because I skipped this).  Once the batter has begun to form add the rest of the ingredients until a sticky dough forms (it is VERY sticky).

Use a 1 oz cookie scoop and put them onto a cookie sheet with parchment (some people spray the parchment because these cookies are very very sticky — did I mention they are sticky?)  top with pine nuts and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.  They should have a little gold color but still be soft and chewy.

You’ll get 60 cookies.

Butterscotch Sticky Buns

Links to Food and Wine Recipe

I make sticky buns at Christmas and pretty much every chance I get because they remind me of being a kid and biting into a warm sticky bun straight out of the oven is like being transported to a fairyland where everything is happy and tasty.  When I saw these on the cover of the January 2010 Food and Wine Magazine I had to make them.  I’m not going to re-post the recipe click on the photo and you’ll go straight to it.  As I was making the sauce I was lamenting “What did I get myself into.”  Well, what I got myself into was one of the most amazing sauces I’ve ever eaten that I will find more uses for.  It’s intimidating, there are lots of ingredients but when you taste it you’ll see it was worth it.  As if the sauce isn’t fattening enough, when you rewarm these if you put a pat of butter on the top; well, as they said in the “Big Night” it’s  so good that “if you eat it, you gotta kill yourself.”  You are forewarned!

I made all of these on December 23.  At the end of the day I had 3 sticky buns in my belly (true) and 6 healthy gift tins.  Is it any wonder that I curled up with some Turnbull merlot?

As a special teaser, stay tuned for a New Year’s give away!  I’m pretty excited about this one and hope you will be too!

I was amazed to discover several Fondue and Raclette Restaurants as well as a thriving Greek district.  Last time I was in Paris I was one street away from this wonderland and missed it.  That’s how it goes when you travel.

I stopped in one cafe and had a Kir Royale (I’ll have one every day in Paris – they make me happy) walked around and explored St. Severin which is an amazing cathedral.  I also walked to  St. Julien le Pauvre and then I was back to dinner.  Here’s the nice thing — both of these sites were within minutes of each other by foot.

After perusing countless restaurants, I settled on Le chat qui peche (named after a mid-evil alley it is near)  the restaurant promised classic French food and Raclette.  The waiter was cheerful and kind. The decor classic French – perhaps a tad overdone, but lovely and it suited me very well.

I first ordered wine (This is a half bottle and that’s how they do it, no by the glass.)  The wine was friendly, fruity but dry.  A nice accompaniment to my inappropriate insistence on having red wine with Raclette.

The first course was Pate Campagne which I adore.  MMM Meat Butter.  How could life get any better?  (see the pat of butter by the conrichons?

Next came the Raclette I had the mixed meats.  As you can see this portion is more for sharing.  I also found the pat of butter on the meat amusing — cheese AND butter AND sausage — decadent!

I was too full for dessert, but I had a wonderful meal.  I would highly encourage you to find this restaurant if you are in Paris.  It is in a bit of a tourist district, near Notre Dame but it was such a fun area and the people were very welcoming.

Le chat qui Peche
10 Rue de la Huchette
75005 Paris
Tel: 01.43.54.98.89

Cheers!

Before Tyler (17) moved in with us he told me he wanted to cook his “special” burgers for Bill and I.  We had extensive conversations about how much he liked making burgers.  Being new to the stepmom thing and especially new to the teenage boy thing.  I decided to order the “Build a Better Burger” cookbook for him as a surprise.  I had it delivered to his mom’s house overnight.  I was excited we might be able to find some common ground.  5 days later when I asked if he received it, he said “Yeah, why did you send that to me?”  :SIGH:

I did not learn.  I wanted to, however sometimes I can be what I prefer to describe as “strong willed” or “enthusiastic” but my family calls “stubborn” and occasionally they use the very unkind phrase “hard-headed.”

When Tyler arrived he asked about making his “special” burgers for us every day.  Unfortunately his method required grilling and his arrival coincided with the brutal cycle of afternoon storms that are common for Central Florida in late summer.  Finally the day arrived.  We gathered the ingredients and started to work.  His recipe for a burger was ground beef with a salty store bought sauce, soy sauce, salt and stuffed with hoop cheese.  I’ve never seen a kid so excited, or tasted a burger so SALTY.  But to Ty, it was heaven on a plate so we smiled, praised him and ate ours.  Later I secretly threw out that awful sauce only to be caught.  “HEY!  Why’s my sauce in the garbage?” :SIGH:

Tyler’s dinner menu repertoire has done a 180 since he moved here.  He’s done well to adapt.  Now, he likes Brussels sprouts, he cheerfully consumed my attempt at Chicken Tiki Marsala (bad recipe, going to have to try that again), he ADORES my baked macaroni and cheese.  But much to my dismay, he insists on hating lamb.  I just discovered that I can cook lamb at home (as opposed to only being able to order it in a restaurant) .   I love lamb, I want to have it once or twice a week.  :SIGH:

What to do, what to do???

Hide it in a burger, that’s what.  And keep my opinions to myself when he slathers it with ketchup.  That’s what!

Last night I made lamb burgers and Tzatziki sauce with grilled eggplant.  You may notice the lack of photo.  That’s to protect you.  They were UGLY.  and I do mean UGLY.  But for every degree of ugly, there were two degrees of yummy as proved by the clean plate of a 17 year old self professed lamb hater.  Perhaps I can get him to eat the chop next time if I use the same spices.

Lamb burgers:
1 pound ground lamb
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 clove fresh garlic minced
3 turns fresh ground black pepper
healthy pinch of kosher salt

Mix the spices and meat together gently and then let it rest at room temperature for about a half hour.  Form into 3 patties and cook over medium high heat for 7 minutes or until done through.  Unlike beef, the lamb will not dry out if cooked to well done.  I used our Cuisinart indoor grill and it took about 7 minutes to cook.

For the eggplant I sliced it about a quarter inch thick, salted it and put it in a colander with a weight to remove the liquid.  Then I brushed it with olive oil and also put it on the Cuisinart indoor grill — hence the ugly factor.  I would suggest you either saute the eggplant in oil over high heat or use a real grill.  The Cuisanart didn’t get hot enough, the eggplant stuck, tore, steamed rather than grilled ….. you know the drill :SIGH:

Tzatziki Sauce
7 oz Greek yogurt
1 small cucumber seeded and grated
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice

*note:  Tzatziki sauce traditionally includes mint which I have an aversion to so I omit it.  If you like it add 1 tsp dried mint.

After grating the cucumber spread it on paper towels and blot out all the moisture you can.  Otherwise your sauce will be watery.

Chuck everything into the food processor, give it a whirl, taste it and salt it.  Refrigerate for one hour before using.

I layered one slice eggplant, 1 slice roasted red pepper, one lamb patty, a dab of Tzatziki sauce and feta cheese on the burger.

MMMMM – no leftovers and I sort of wished I had cooked Tyler something different so we could have eaten his.  That’s the trouble with expanding kids pallets, then they want to eat your food!

So back to the question, is a Burger just a Burger?  No.  Burgers are more than the flavorless fatty meat puck that McDonald’s has purveyed for years.  Burgers are comfort; they are a bonding experience; and they can be a vehicle for introducing new flavors.  We still haven’t come clean and told Ty it was a lamb burger.  He knew something was up — but he was happy to eat it.

A couple weeks ago I received an announcement for the new Silver Spoon Pasta cookbook.  The pitch:

The Silver Spoon, THE SILVER SPOON: PASTA (Phaidon Press; October 12, 2009; $39.95 hardcover) presents a collection of more than 350 authentic and definitive pasta recipes for all fans of this tasty Italian staple. Whereas The Encyclopedia of Pasta is more of an A to Z “history” of pasta, our book shows how to actually prepare the pasta dishes.

I own the original Silver Spoon and it is an amazing reference of Italian recipes.  I was excited to review this book based on my previous experience.

The book is divided into two categories, dry pasta and fresh pasta.  Most of the dry pasta dishes seem to be side dishes more than entrees, which makes sense as pasta is typically one of four courses served in Italy, whereas in the U.S. we tend to order pasta as a main course.

The ingredients in the book were easy to come by.  In the original Silver Spoon cookbook they embraced the notion of waste not want not, and many of the cuts of meat recommended are unavailable or undesirable to the squeamish American palate.  The Silver Spoon Pasta relies on easy to find, commonly appealing ingredients (except for some of the pasta shapes).  The downside is that the recipes became repetitive.

I made two dishes from the book, a angel hair and Gruyere and a baked angel hair pasta mold.  The angel hair and Gruyere turned out very nice and was eaten quickly by my family.  The recipe itself would be no surprise to a frequent cook.  It was written as a vegetarian dish, I added chicken and mushrooms because if I don’t have some meat, I don’t feel like I’ve eaten.  Essentially you made a bechamel sauce and added Gruyere then I topped it with chicken breast sauteed in butter with salt, pepper, roasted garlic and mushrooms.

The second dish intrigued me because I’d never seen it.  It was a baked angel hair pasta mold.

To make it, I prepared a roux and added some cooking water from the angel hair pasta.  After the sauce thickened, I added three egg yolks and folded in the whipped whites of three eggs.  All of this went into a 9 inch round cake pan and I topped it with my red sauce.  As I mentioned before I can’t have a meal without meat, so I also cooked a rib eye for the three of us to share.  I’ll post that marinade recipe soon because it was YUMMY.

The pasta mold received a ho hum review by the family me included.

I also passed the book along to a friend of mine from Sicily.  He liked it and picked several recipes he wants us to prepare together.  He did comment that he wished there were more photos.

Overall I think this is a good cookbook for a beginner.  The techniques are easy for a home cook and there aren’t many requirements for specialized equipment or tools.  While each pasta shape and origin is described, the information is basic. It would have been nice to have included substitutions to in case you can’t find the pasta they suggest as many of the shapes in the book aren’t commonly stocked in American grocery stores.

I saw it this weekend at Costco for about $22 if you are interested.

Here’s the recipe that they included with the pitch:

RIGATONI WITH MEATBALLS Silver Spoon Pasta

RIGATONI WITH MEATBALLS

Rigatoni con Polpettine

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves 4

11 ounces ground meat

1 sprig chopped flat leaf parsley

½ garlic clove, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

all-purpose flour, for dusting

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 sprig chopped small fresh rosemary

1 ¾ cups bottle strained tomatoes

12 ounces rigatoni

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Combine the ground meat, parsley, and garlic in a bowl, then stir in the egg and season with salt and pepper. Shape the mixture into small meatballs, dust with flour, and set aside. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, celery, carrot, and rosemary and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Then add the meatballs, and increase the heat to medium. Cook until the meatballs are lightly browned all over, add the bottle strained tomatoes and season with salt. Lower the heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes. Cook the rigatoni in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain, and tip into the pan with the meatballs. Mix well and heat through for 2 minutes. Transfer to a warm serving dish and sprinkle with the parmesan.

Perfect Turkey Stock

I have  a love-hate relationship with Thanksgiving.  I love to cook, I love to entertain and I love to eat.  Every year I look forward to Thanksgiving with high anticipation and every year by 4:00 on Thanksgiving day I’m in bed cuddled up with a bottle of wine and a bad attitude saying “I will NEVER EVER do this again!”

I typically start cooking on Tuesday and don’t stop until we sit down to eat.  My post gastric bypass sized stomach means I’m done eating in roughly 10 minutes (but there are leftovers!).  Then I get up and do dishes because guests shouldn’t.  I  usually miss the parade either because I’m cooking, or because my Dad arrives and declares that the addition of Broadway acts ruined the parade and immediately changes the channel.

This year my little condo is going to be home to 9 people and 2 dogs.  Typically we are 3 people and one dog.  There will be people (I love) everywhere and, I’m sure they are going to try to help.  That’s another post for another day, but I dread help.  I’m a very bad delegater and I’m a complete control freak.  Help me by making sure my wine glass is full and staying in the living room.

Anyway, this post is about to spiral into a full blown rant and rave which was not my intention.  My intention was to write about stock.  Michael Ruhlman is nearly religious about stock, and so am I.  I’m that way for two reasons, one, because it’s so much less expensive and two, because homemade stock is so much better.  You may not realize it but stock is the foundation of your meal.  It will determine the flavor of your stuffing, your mashed potatoes, your gravy, and maybe even some of your vegetable side dishes.  If you look at it this way you can see the negative impact bad or even mediocre stock will have on a dish.

I have some rules or declarations about stock:

1. Stock is NOT hard to make.  Stock IS time consuming.  They are not the same thing.
2. Stock should be simple.  Simple doesn’t mean flavorless, it meas simple.  Don’t over salt, don’t add strong spices.  Use aromatic vegetables, parsley, bones and meat.  You can add all the herbs you like and spices to whatever you make with the stock.  If you add the spices while making the stock you limit your cooking choices later.
3. Stock should be clear.

I know I’ve made a good stock when I absolutely can’t resist putting it in a coffee cup and having some.  Which technically means I’ve made broth.  (Broth is intended to be served, stock is intended to be the foundation of another dish).  This batch of stock was so good I had two cups with the brioche I made.

Last year I violated rule number 2.  I can’t remember which magazine I was reading, but all their recipes for stock had parsnips and lots of onion.  At the time I was not aware of the fact that I don’t like parsnips or that the recommended amount of onion was overpowering.  Further they suggested additional seasonings that that rendered the stock unpleasant in my opinion.  As a result last year I truly hated my gravy and stuffing.  As you can tell, I’m STILL pouting about it.

After that dismal result I spent a lot of time experimenting with stock.  I made it with more vegetables, more herbs I cooked it faster, lower.  I tried everything only to realize that I prefer the most simple stock flavorings: a couple carrots, a couple ribs of celery and my secret — leeks (rather than onions).  Lots of bones and low and slow cooking.

I made what amounted to a 1 1/2 gallons of stock for roughly $6.   We bought two packages of turkey wings — roughly 6 pounds for about $5.  I like using wings to make stock because the meat is cheap so if I don’t reuse it I don’t feel guilty and wings are bony — so there’s lots body to the stock.   I cut the wings into three pieces (at the joints) and distributed them in two pots.  I covered with cold water and brought them to a full boil.  This releases blood and impurities and prevents your stock from developing a scum.  Once the wings came to a boil I removed them from the pot, rinsed them and thoroughly rinsed the pots out.  (This is important, the bits clinging to the pot are not frond, they are the scum which will give your stock an off flavor).

Then I returned the wings to the pots and covered them with cold water added salt and put them over medium low heat (about 4 on my electric stove).

I put my remote thermometer in and set it to alert at 165 — my goal was to keep the water below 170.  I learned this from Michael Ruhlman’s “The Elements of Cooking.”  Boiling creates scum and introduces impurities that prevent the stock from being clear.  A little something interesting; both of the pots I used are the same size (7qt) both are Le Creuset but the oval shaped pot held more heat.

Notice — the vegetables are not in the pot yet.

After the stock had simmered for about 3 hours (I checked it often and used color not the clock as my guide.  I was looking to see body and a light gold color).  Now I was ready to add vegetables.  I used two leeks, 4 carrots and the heart of one stalk of celery as my vegetables.  Using a large saute pan and working in batches I caramelized the vegetables.  This added color and flavor.

I let the stock simmer about 30 minutes longer and removed the bones and vegetables.

I strained the stock twice using cheesecloth and did my best to skim the fat off.  After it cooled I refrigerated it and removed the rest of the fat then I transferred it to pint sized containers and froze it.

The photo at the top is my finished stock.  If you want to know more I highly recommend Michael Ruhlman “The Elements of Cooking.” Half the knowledge in this post was obtained through trial and error and the rest I learned from him.  This is truly my favorite batch of turkey stock ever.

Look out gravy here I come!

I briefly considered demanding to be called “Legendary Chef Whineaux”  but that doesn’t roll off the tongue very well, so I can live with “Chef Whineaux.”  However I prefer you refrain from using tones of mockery when you address me.

This weekend I completed an insurmountable task.  I achieved a perfect score on all 35 days of service in Hell’s Kitchen Wii. Therefore the Whineaux was bestowed the title of legendary chef. My family is stubbornly refusing to comply with addressing me by my newfound status.  I’ll laugh last when I make a casserole for one for dinner tonight.

I thought this game was really fun to play.  It was more of a brain test than I expected going in.   You had to time meals by putting ingredients in the pan or oven in the right timing so they all finish at the same time.  Sometimes ingredients are used across multiple dishes and you have to prep them and add in order to ensure that nothing finishes too much slower than the rest of the table.  If you make Gordon really mad, he’ll “Shut it down” and tell you to “Never touch another thing in this kitchen”.  More than once Gordon called me a “Stupid Donkey”  but I decided that if Dave could win the real Hell’s Kitchen with one arm in a cast, then I could practice and make it through the Wii version.

I understand that they censored Gordon Ramsay’s infamous use of the F word to get a family friendly rating however I would not let my young kid play this game, it’s no mystery what he’s saying just because the “u” is oddly silent “F-ck me senseless”  To be honest, I’d rather they just left the language alone.  But that’s just me — anyone who watched my fire video knows I like to swear.  It’s in the Beef Daube Post.

I’d play it again!  I found I did much better when drinking meritage than cabernet sauvignon.  I have no rational explanation for that.  One night was Stella Artois — and that was effective as well.

What cooking games do you like to play?