life

My youngest at the end of summer.


Life - even with it's ups and downs - it is a blessing! I have also been blessed having wonderful people in my life that has made it richer and better for them just being in my life.

Remember I am not a writer - I ramble but speak from the heart. so please forgive me.

Recently we have lost three family members within 6 weeks.  But as I look at this loss I am truly grateful these family members have been in my life.  I think of kindness, happiness and a joy of life.
with these losses I am remembering the lives of my other family members who I had an honor to know and those I haven't known but have lived their memories in the stories I have been told.

Recently a wise woman said to me, "this is the generation that shaped our lives". How true! So today I am grateful for a family filled with integrity, determination and kindness.

In the past months I have tried to come up with recipes from my families past.  I have tested, tossed out, tested again the recipes of my and my mothers childhood out of respect for my family in the past, my family now and future family members to come so they know the stories and the culinary memories the women in my family tree shared in their lives with the ones they loved.  It has been harder than I imagined.

I also realized that as families grow and incorporate family of different heritages (and lucky for it), new culinary traditions are added to the mix - sometimes adding to the family culinary history and sometimes changing the recipes that have come before.  In my effort to keep only the Alsatian recipes for future generations I have forgotten how my extended family has also created new traditional dishes from other countries.

My uncle Herman, a great and kind man, was one of those people.  His generosity of spirit and welcoming of all will always be remembered by myself and my children.  He was from Denmark and for the first time I was introduced to traditional Danish food that has also become part of my family history at least in memory. I can not begin to give justice to his traditional dishes and will leave that for his remarkable family; but they have become part of my culinary family memory.   My uncle was a man of integrity and gentleness that showed through in his daily living and how lucky was I to know him.

I see the culinary family memories as part of who the families of my past were and how my family now has come to be. I thank all these people who have recently loss for their input into my life. Who they were will become part of who my family will be.  How lucky!
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Regarding cooking: I have cooked but not documented my work.  I have been trying chefs recipes to add to my family's experiences.  Some have been successes and others... well I let them go. lol. Some I see as my own lack of skill and others because they don't fit my families palate.

Recipes I have made recently that my family loved:
Barefoot Contessa: A favorite-
we recently tried:
 Roasted potato leek soup page 63 of Back to Basics.
Mushrooms stuffed with italian sausage (I will use for Christmas Eve)
and many more.
Chicken stew with biscuits: a little too much salt for my taste.. I find she tends to use more salt than I do and I have to adjust her recipes to fill my families taste.  Mistake I made - trying to be quick and mixing the biscuits a bit in the food processor - which makes the biscuits tough... so my doing.  Also I like adding white wine sometimes to stews to give them a deeper flavor.  This time I didn't but the kids still loved it.  A great way to use left over chicken

Rachel Khoo - I have so many more recipes to try but I love her dishes

Many of pioneer woman's recipes which we really really liked but one recipe we didn't (the pork tenderloin was good, the roasted winter veggies needed maybe some thyme but the fig sauce was too much for my family.. too sweet for "our" taste - again always individual.
Of Course Dorie Greenspan - many of her recipes, for me, are not for the beginning cook as a new cook may get frustrated but her recipes are delicious and you can not help but raise your culinary technique by learning her recipes.

other chefs I have been cooking from - of course Martha Stewart (my teen age daughter is cooking from her cooking school book and the recipes work so well) - for me she is the go to on how to start your cooking and continue your culinary experience,  Anne Burrell (love her bolognese), nothing from Julia child or Jacque Pepin (a master) lately - which I should put on my radar again, America's test kitchen, a variety of cooking magazines, Curtis Stone and many many others.  I just bought the new dessert cook book of the Beekman Boys and can't way to try it.

So many Cook books, (and family recipes), so little time!

sorry for not posting

sorry I have been cooking but not posting. more family (Alsatian) recipes to come.

do try Ina Gartens sundried tomato pasta salad... it was very good.

Martha Stewarts Pate Brisee/my mom's quetsches Kueche (plum)

The first cookbook I ever bought was Martha Stewarts first entertaining book. I devoured that book from the front cover to the back until it finally fell apart on me. I wanted to be Martha! Her recipes always turned out for me and I loved that she had the organization skills, the consistency and the focus to cook the way she did for others. (the other crust I love is my dear sis in law's... I have decided to just enjoy her pies as I could never copy them or give her crust and pie justice.

I highly recommend her recipes to others especially her pate brisee.  Years ago when my book fell apart I took my favorite pages out of that book and the pie crust recipe has been a staple in my binder of favorite recipes.  

Martha's Pie crust: 

http://www.marthastewart.com/993076/perfect-pie-and-tart-crusts

http://www.marthastewart.com/252849/pate-brisee

my note: I do use a food processor (I put the blade, flour, and butter in the freezer 15 minutes before using) also I use 1 teaspoon of sugar as she does in the video but is not on her written recipe. 

 Plum tarte recipe: I had only 8 plums of two colors and I realized they may go to waste if not used in the next couple days, so I made Pie!!!

 Martha's Pate brisee I make the crust, split in half and chill in plastic wrap for 1/2 an hour, I roll the pastry between 2 pieces of parchment paper (with a bit of flour on the paper and lightly shake off before using. Then I lay the dough on the pie pan ) or you can roll the dough on the counter that is lightly floured. When rolling out the dough only roll in one direction and do a quarter turn - this way you get a nice circle. Place the dough in the tin and gently fit and cut about 1/2" to 3/4" away from rim. I fold the crust under and gently press it into the fluting of the tarte pan. Place in refrigerator another 15 minutes or until you have your filling ready. Before filling take a fork and make a couple fork marks on the bottom of the tarte

My mother's, grandmothers way of making a tart.

Put oven to 350 degrees
have rack in oven at the center of the oven

-cut your plums (I had 8)  into wedges (I then lay them on a paper towel as plums release a lot of juice) then put in bowl (toss pits)
-sprinkle 3 Tablespoons of sugar over the plums depending on your sweetness level (our family likes the fruit more than the sugary type. )
-fill pie crust (no you will not be precooking it) place the plums as you wish... I like the layered look - I take the wedges and place them slight upward (as a crescent moon).
-top lightly with cold butter pieces - about 1 - 1-1/2 Tablespoons of butter
-cook tart for 30 minutes and test for doneness of the plums.
-the dough still will look undercooked.
-take 1 egg and scramble it well with 1 T of sugar (or how you like it - take a little spoon and taste a bit of the sauce of the plums to see) and using a brush - paint the top and crust with the egg sugar mixture.
- bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust looks golden (today my pie took an extra 15 minutes... don't know why but it did).
- let sit on counter or rack for about 15 minutes before undoing it or just leave it be.

 This is a 6" tarte pan as I only had 8 small plums of different colors.

What I do with too soft of plums or peaches - too soft for pie...I add it to applesauce: I cook some apples with some sugar and a couple tablespoons of water  and a tablespoon or more Lemon juice* (use fresh) (depending on how much fruit you are using) and toss in the pulp (not the skins or pits) of a couple plums or peaches or both.  Cook on low, stirring every so often and break apart the fruit as it gets soft with a wooden spoon.  Cook until you like the consistency  - I like my recipe soft but with still a few pieces of apple in it. 

*to get more juice I like to roll the lemon with the palm of my end with a a bit of pressure (before cutting the lemon).

I had 2 pints of blue berries I needed to use up.. this tarte followed the same process as the plums  except I add less than 1/4 cup of  flour to coat the blueberries that have been sprinkled with about 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 pinch of salt, 1/4 cup sugar. 

After a 1/2 hour of cooking (350 Deg) paint visible crust with whisked egg was (only egg no water) Cook another 15 minutes or until crust is golden 

Martha blue berry pie http://www.marthastewart.com/283656/blueberry-pie is different as I cook mine the way my mother did: simple with no frills.

Martha's simple delicious Blueberry tarte http://www.marthastewart.com/341017/blueberry-tart?czone=h&center=276964&gallery=274768&slide=341017

I brought both pies to my dear mom and she said it was just like hers and my grandmother's! The highest compliment!

A great website about for Americans going to Alsace

from Suzele: Get Alsaced: http://www.getalsaced.com

Kiechle or Kierla in Alsatian 
by: Suzele

Kiechle and Kierla seem to be Alsatian words for "galette" in French. The word "galette" can translate to "crepe" or "pancake" or even sometimes "cake" in English.

So a fleisch kierla is a meat galette or meat patty in English. Quetsche (pronouced kvatchka) is the Alsatian word for a purple plum.- "kueche" is Alsatian for "cake."

Alsatian isn't a written language, so there are many many variations in the spelling and pronunciation of almost every word.

Ina Garten's Raspberry Sauce

I have been a fan of Ina Garten, (the Barefoot Contessa), and her recipes for a long time.  Her Raspberry sauce recipe has become one of our favorites to serve with vanilla ice cream and with chocolate ice cream with a bit of whipped cream. (you can also serve the ice cream in a meringue and top with raspberry sauce or use the sauce with her coeur a la creme!

The only draw back to some of her recipes is that they are meant for serving a crowd.  I tend to cut her recipes in 1/2 or in 1/4's, as some of my family members have flown the nest,  or freeze the remainder of the dish for menu plans in the future.

This recipe can be seen on Food Networks page http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/raspberry-sauce-recipe2/index.html

take 1/2 a pint of fresh clean raspberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, and a 1/4 cup of water and place in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to where the sauce can simmer about 4 minutes.  Turn off and set aside.  

Take 1 cup seedless raspberry jam*, 1 Tablespoon framboise liqueur, and the cooked raspberry mixture listed above and place in a food processor and blend until smooth (use metal blade).  If you don't have a processor, you can mix the sauce very well with a whisk.  

Put in clean container (as I used a mason jar - I washed the mason jar with hot water and put clean hot water in the jar until ready to use; then empty the jar of water and dry a bit and immediately place the sauce in the jar leaving 1" space before putting the lid on.  

*Please note:  as I couldn't find seedless jam and I don't like the seeds from the raspberries in Ina's sauce I cook the sauce as recommended and then strain it through a sieve constantly turning until most of the sauce is out - I scrape the bottom under neath the sauce with my finger to get that last drip of her amazing sauce. Toss out the seeds from inside the sieve. 

I served this with Ben and Jerry's vanilla ice cream and a few raspberries 

Strawberry sauce I made strawberry sauce because we had 2 lbs of strawberries that  weren't sweet like the strawberries yet to come this season: 

2lbs strawberries greens cut off 

1/2 cup sugar 

1/3cup water 

bring to boil and reduce until bubbly and thicker (I cooked it on low for 15 minutes... it might be ready in 10 minutes)

then add 1-1/2 tablespoon of grand mariner or other orange  liqueur and blend (but keeping some strawberry pieces semi intact. cool and refridgerate until ready to use. 

our families Carrot Salad or salade de carottes avec du bacon et l'oignon

The first time I ever had carrot salad outside of my home I was shocked that they used mayonnaise and raisins. My mother and my grandmother always made our carrot salad with bacon, parsley, onions and my grandmothers dijon salad dressing.  I love the old way from my family - the Alsacienne way.

My dear husband, on the other hand loves the raisin and mayonnaise version when he grew up working in a deli! So what ever pleases you regarding any dish is always the right thing for you and your family.  This carrot salad is ours: 

My mom's carrot salad 

(this is a large amount as my family usually is looking for more) cut it in 1/2 or 1/4 a recipe for your own family.  

4 cups shredded carrot (this was 8 nice sized carrots) (I used my food processor) 

10 ounces cooked bacon cooled to the touch drained on paper towel after cooking (cut up or broken) 

1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley 

2 Tablespoon chopped red onion 

3 to 4 Tablespoons of cooled bacon drippings (depending on your taste)

grandmere's dijon salad dressing which has s/p already in it.  

combine mix and serve. It also is good left over 

Refrigerate 

Grandmere's Salad dressing (dijon) 

double the recipe the amount above... add until your liking: I usually add 1/4 of the dressing and mix, taste, add some more and toss until it's just right. 

Oil (I use olive for this) 4 T 

Vinegar apple cider 3 T

 my family's taste (you can use the usual 3:1 way if you like but for this I find that too oily)

1 shallot  chopped fine 

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley

1 tsp of dijon (we taste the dressing as we tend to like more dijon as a rule.. it's usually a tsp.)

s/p to taste

shake in a jar until emulsified!

Flieshkierla

After making a big pot of beef soup my grandmother would use up the remaining cooked beef into flieschkierla, a small beef patty that is mixed with onion, parsley, egg, garlic, flour, s/p and fried in some butter.

My family loves it and asks for it after I have made a roast or a beef tenderloin -  but a reminder:  as any family recipe, such as flieschkierla, it fits my cultural palette and may not be of someone else's liking.  As an example.. my grandmother ate tripe salad and sorry to all you tripe salad lovers, I can't get near the stuff.  But I hope you try it.

The problem with family recipes that are orally handed down is that there is not a set recipe as you use up what you have and add the ingredients by the dish looks and how it feels,  that becomes familiar to the cook.

So I have given you a set recipe from an Alsatian cooking blog: Les delices de laetita (please see below) that should help you make your own Flieshkierla.  She also has a beautiful picture (so much better than mine!!!) so please take a look.
http://delicescooking.canalblog.com/archives/2010/05/30/18052500.html#c56246009

I had about a pound of left over beef tenderloin that already had been used as a roast and the next day sandwiches and it was fantastic but I didn't want to make another sandwich so I made flieskierla. If I would have only had 1/4 pound I would adjust the recipe to fit what I was making (as example not using a whole egg, I would just use the yolk)

for this much meat I used:
1 whole egg plus one egg yolk (as two eggs would have made the dish too watery as it was less than a pound of meat).
1 piece of bread soaked in milk (some people use cream instead of milk)
1/2 large onion (i use vidalias which tend to be huge - you can use a whole yellow onion chopped
1 T parsley medium chopped
s/p
a little less than 2 T flour (if this was a pound I probably would have used exactly 2 T of flour) If it was 1/2 a lb. of meat it would be half of that etc.
(optional a minced clove of garlic)
1 Tablespoon butter and about a tsp. oil (vegetable)

1. Grind the beef with the bread that was soaked in milk (do not add the milk that sits on the plate - just that lovely soaked bread - some of the milk of course will follow but you don't need all that mixture.) and a piece off the onion.

I use a grinder (my grandmother had a crank grinder that attached to the table.. I am so sad that I didn't keep it... I was young when I got it and didn't yet know what a treasure that was)
(you can use a food processor but be careful not to over mix as you will get much).

2. In a bowl, add the ground meat/bread mixture, parsley, chopped onion, (garlic if using) and taste (yes taste - its cooked so you don't have to worry). Add your salt 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt... (note my meat I made was already well seasoned so I didn't have to add a lot of salt and pepper) and your pepper 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp. Taste for seasonings. Remember you can always add more but you can't take it away.

For this recipe since it was almost a pound
3. add 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
and almost 2 T of flour and mix well

Heat butter with a bit of oil (so it doesn't burn as easily) I use vegetable or canola oil.

Make patties out of the meat (I use a ice cream scooper to get consistency).

You can dip the patties in flour and shake off and then cook them as I did in this picture for a little crust or you can cook them straight in the butter.  brown on one side, turn over (if you make your patties too big they will fall apart as the dough is not like hamburger meat - it is finer - you just want them big enough to turn. If they fall apart - that's okay - its all good.

With my flieshkierla I made a dijon vinaigrette salad, egg pasta with wild mushroom sauce (I found some great mushrooms at the market yesterday)

my mushroom sauce: sauteed mushrooms in butter until almost done, added 1 shallot finely minced and cooked for a minute as they burn fast. I added a 1/4 of wine (red or white dry) and a pinch of thyme and cooked the wine down by half. Added s/p pinches. and at the end a dollop of heavy cream until heated through. topped with bits of parsley and small grating of parmesan.

website Les delices de laetita Her recipe! 

in French: (english translation (google) listed below)

* 450g de viande hachée ( mélange porc-boeuf pour moi )

* 2 oeufs entiers

* 1 gousse d'ail

* 1 gros oignon finement haché

* persil 1 càs

* 2 càs de farine

* sel, poivre


Dans un saladier, mélangez la viande avec les oeufs, la gousse d'ail écrasée, l'oignon, le persil et la farine.

Assaisonnez de sel et de poivre du moulin.

Bien mélanger pour avoir une préparation uniforme.


Faites chauffer une poêle avec 1 càc de beurre,

façonnez les galettes de viande avec 1 càs de préparation.

laissez-les griller 2 à 3mn sur chaque face, ,n'hésitez pas à remettre du beurre si les galettes accrochent.

in english: 



2-3 for gourmets:


* 450g minced meat (pork, beef mixture for me) (note: about a pound) She seems to use raw meat but in my families tradition we use cooked beef  as a way to use up extra beef. 

* 2 eggs

* 1 clove of garlic

* 1 large onion, finely chopped

* 1 tbsp parsley

* 2 tbsp flour

* Salt and pepper


In a bowl, mix the meat with eggs, crushed garlic, onion, parsley and flour.

Season with salt and pepper.

Mix well to have a uniform preparation.


Heat a pan with 1 tsp butter

fashion patties with 1 tbsp preparation.

let the grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, do not hesitate to call if butter patties hang.

Remains only to taste good hot ...
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A great website about for Americans going to Alsace

from Suzele: Get Alsaced: http://www.getalsaced.com

Kiechle or Kierla in Alsatian 
by: Suzele

Kiechle and Kierla seem to be Alsatian words for "galette" in French. The word "galette" can translate to "crepe" or "pancake" or even sometimes "cake" in English.

So a fleisch kierla is a meat galette or meat patty in English. Quetsche (pronouced kvatchka) is the Alsatian word for a purple plum.- "kueche" is Alsatian for "cake."

Alsatian isn't a written language, so there are many many variations in the spelling and pronunciation of almost every word. 

Tomato Salad

I always love when the tomato garden is ready for picking. Nothing is better than a beautiful ripe tomato that is picked a little warm or after a warm rain. I especially love a good tomato salad.

My grandmother and my mother always made tomato salads and I couldn't imagine a summer without it.

Uncle Jean Pierre's horse used for carrying the grapes in the early 70's

My Grandmother and her mother would cook for the immediate family which included my mother and her siblings and my grandfather of course to having extra family and extra helpers that came for gatherings or during harvest time of the grapes.

Her food wasn't always photo ready but it was graciously and loving set for the family and friends they loved. She cooked simple food, cooked with love and done beautifully that everyone left the table feeling refueled not just nutritionally for the body but for the soul.

We have always had salads with what was available from the garden: green bean salad, lettuce, beets, celeriac, carrot and of course tomato salad

As it is home cooking this tomato salad is flexible 

Tomatoes (any size, any color) just make sure they are ripe (if the tomatoes are cut them to bite size medium to large pieces or 1/4" slices)

 I have found a good ripe organic tomato will due in this dish but my true favorite is still a garden grown kissed by the sun plump tomato!

onions: can be red, or Vidalia or yellow onions or scallions or shallots (what do you have, what do you like).  Our family likes onions in their salad so we add more than other people: so for us a couple nice size tomatoes get 1/2 a sliced or chopped onion, sliced scallions or finely chopped scallions (2 medium)

parsley chopped (again use what you like) we use a good tablespoon of chopped parsley. curly or flat

My grandmother would have stopped the Tomato salad at the above ingredients then add her vinaigrette as she didn't have fresh mozzarella and basil at her farm.  Times have changed and I add the current trend of:

fresh mozzarella cut bite size or slices
Basil leaves sliced into thin ribbons

which I love!

Plating - you choose. My grandmother chopped her tomatoes, her onions, parsley and put it in a bowl. Depending on the time or how I feel:  I will do like my grandmother or layer slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella slices on a neat circle and drizzle the parsley and chopped or sliced onion on top of the tomatoes. Like my grandmother before me I take a small pinch of salt and sprinkle that on top of the tomatoes.  Top with dressing (listed below)

***Dressing: In my family the oil to vinegar ratio is generally 2 oil to every 1 vinegar*  as we tend to like a the vinegar taste (it's been like this forever). But most recipes call for a 3:1 ratio such as 3 T oil to 1 T vinegar. I like both but for most peoples taste I find they like the 3:1 ratio better.

(double the recipe as you add more tomatoes - this recipe is for 2 medium to large tomatoes)

Oil (I use olive for this) 3 T (most people like 3:1)
Vinegar Balsamic 2 T
(2:1) my family's taste
1 teaspoon shallots chopped fine or 1 T onion chopped small to med
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp of dijon (we taste the dressing as we tend to like more dijon as a rule.. it's usually a tsp.)
s/p to taste
Garlic (optional) 1small clove minced (we don't use it always)

put in a container and shake to blend.  I have always used a small canning jar

pour it on about 15 to 30 minutes before serving. (if you put in a bowl with chopped tomatoes - mix, if on a plate all nice and fancy - just pour the dressing over the tomatoes)

*Vinegar:  My grandmother couldn't go to the store and pick the lovely balsamic and other multiple of vinegars that are on the market today.  They made their own vinegar.  At the time I am sure the vinegar was made out of grapes that grew in the fields.  Then when my grandmother came to live in the states for 15 years, after the war, before going back to Alsace she used apple cider vinegar for her recipes as it was readily available.  I have to admit I have gotten very spoiled with the good balsamic vinegars on the market for my tomato salad.


How to make your own vinegar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rYQyWTeX1M

My great grandfather in front of his house in Dambach La ville (built in the late 1600's early 1700's) 

It is now a set of apartments and lovingly restored (they now have a plaque outside of it with the date the home was built) 

Professional chef's recipes for vinaigrettes that would work just as well, maybe even better:  :o) 

Martha Stewart: cooking School book:  must buy for the beginning or learning student of cooking (I have tried many a Martha recipe.  Her recipes turn out 99.9% of the time for me and they have taught me so much about cooking. 

Martha's Balsamic 

in a small bowl whack together  

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1 T dijon 

and a pinch of sugar

season with sal and ground pepper

slowly add 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and whisking until emulsified. 

Store up to 2 weeks in a air tight container. 

Her shallot vinaigrette:
"3 T sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon
1 t minced shallot
1/4 cup plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Her red win vinaigrette
2 T red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove smashed
1 teaspoon coarse salt or to taste (such as a kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper or to taste
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T sunflower or other neutral tasting oil"

put in blender to emulsify (blending well so that the ingredients don't easily fall apart)

from the Closet cooking blog: http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/02/balsamic-vinaigrette.html

"Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 large clove garlic (grated)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
1. Mix everything."

Emeril's balsamic vinaigrette: 

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html

"Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
Mesclun salad mix or favorite greens, for accompaniment
Assortment of salad ingredients, such as cherry tomatoes, chopped carrots, sliced red onion, chopped celery, diced cucumbers, walnuts
Blue cheese, for garnish
Directions
Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the salad mix and desired salad ingredients, top with blue cheese and serve immediately.

If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback"

Strawberry Goat Cheese Tartine (by Dorie Greenspan)

The challenge of the week: Simple, easy and very good.  If you like goat cheese like my family does, I think you should try this extremely quick and tasty Strawberry Goat Cheese Tartine by Dorie Greenspan found in her book Around my French Table!

The combination of the naturally sweet strawberries, now in season,  creamy goat cheese and balsamic make this a lovely start or end of a nice dinner as well as a tasty breakfast and a side dish to a lovely green salad.

not the best picture but I wanted to munch on it right away - I didn't have a chance for a second shot :o)

Dinner tonight: June 5, 2013 food network magazine's fondue

I am always looking for something different to try on my family; especially recipes that I have been afraid to try as I thought the recipe might be too fussy. It's really easy. As I only had 3 of my family members eating tonight I cut the recipe in half and I am glad I did.  The recipe is very very rich, almost too rich for my palette.  My husband enjoyed it but he also said it was too rich to eat too much... maybe that's the point.  A little goes a tremendously long way in my house. As my grandfather used to say "Enough is too much".

Full Recipe from Food Network: I had cut this in 1/2 for my family.

12 ounces (4 cups) shredded gruyere cheese
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup shredded)
mix with 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
-Put Aside-

Cut a garlic clove in 1/2 (I cut off ends and take off peel) and rub inside a small sauce pan (makes 2-1/2 cups fondue)

Put 1 cup dry white wine, 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard in the sauce pan and bring to a gentle simmer over med. heat... (I had to lower my heat on my stove as my stove tends to run hot).  whisk.  Add 1/2 the cheese above into the sauce pan and they suggest using a wood spoon.  (I used the whisk) until smooth. add the remainder of the cheese and stir until smooth.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Put in a fondue pot or small slow cooker... as I don't have either so I kept the fondue in the sauce pan and put it over a simmering pot of water (I served the fondue in small individual bowls with a skewer where they could add more fondue if they want.)

I found I had to add salt and pepper to really bring out the cheese flavor.

My fixings:  I used left over beef tenderloin (cold) from last night's dinner (cubed) 

red/yellow peppers

mushroom

carrot strips

blanched cauliflower 

(I wish I had some snow peas) 

small tomatoes 

green onions 

french bread

Things I might do If I made this again:  put shallots chopped fine in the wine/lemon juice/dijon mixture while cooking then strain out the shallots

Dorie Greenspan's Fruit Terrine

I made Dorie Greenspan's fruit terrine: for this recipe please see her cookbook 

Around my French Table. My daughter said it was good but different (texture).  I used grapefruit juice as the base; Dorie used orange juice. Next time I might try it with champagne with the unflavored gelatin or or might try Orangina.  

This would be good on a hot day as a salad 

I like Martha Stewarts recipe better as it uses grape juice instead of orange juice or grapefruit juice. (the grapefruit makes the dish zingy but I like the milder taste of the grape juice) http://www.marthastewart.com/317451/mixed-berry-terrine?czone=h&center=276964&gallery=275196&slide=317451

lunch: cold meatball sandwiches/ dinner halibut on spinach with lemon and caper compound butter

Lunch today

One of our favorite lunch time dishes at the Cafe restaurant in Sister Bay, Wisconsin (Door County) was their open faced cold swedish meatball sandwich.  Unfortunately their lovely owners retired going on to other adventures and closed that wonderful restaurant that offered really fresh Scandinavian food and other delights.  My family missed this simple dish so much that they asked if I could give it a try. Even though I couldn't do the dish justice my family still enjoyed it.

ingredients:  cold plain meatballs (no sauce) sliced (2 - 3 meatballs each sandwich depending on size of meatballs and preference) (Our local Italian deli freezes their meatballs for their costumers to use in their own dishes - as I really didn't want to cook meatballs today I bought theirs). 

red onion chopped

lettuce (we actually like butter or black seed simpson lettuce the best

chopped tomato 

chopped pickles (we like the french ones chopped) 

horseradish sauce: (if you like your sauce less sharp you can add a bit of mayo)

good scandinavian rye

for one dish: spread horseradish on rye bread 

but lettuce on top of spread

top with sliced cold meatballs

top with tomato, onion and pickles 

eat with a fork and a knife 

serve with fruit on the side or a nice cup of soup 

Fish by Martha (in her cooking school book) 

In Martha's book she cooks this dish in parchment paper but I am out of it so I used foil instead. I had to cook this dish a little longer than the 12 minutes suggested but it still turned out great.  I also made it for 2 rather than the 4 suggested. 

Need: 4 pieces of  11 x 17 parchment paper (I used foil) 

4 skinless firm fish deboned (I used halibut that I cut in 1/2 removing the center area where the bone had been) you can also use salmon (as martha uses in her recipe), or sea bass (I buy from a fish monger in my area... how I can tell the fish is fresh... when I come into the store it smells like the ocean... fresh! the fish isn't slimy, falling apart and it smells really fresh.  

compound butter (listed below) 

2 lemons 1 sliced thin, the other into wedges 

1 bag of spinach washed well and drained. about 2 cups 

Set oven to 400 Degrees 

1. Make the compound butter and put in refrigerator until ready to use

Compound butter:  for this dish: 4 Tablespoons Butter at room temperature, 2 Tablespoons salted capers (rinsed and chopped), 1 garlic clove (she says minced- I like pressed or grated and taking out center germ to make the garlic milder in flavor, 2 Tablespoons minced parsley, and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.  Mix together and shape and place in refrigerator to make firm.  You can freeze the butter compound for 2 months.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAce_zo-A-8 is a great video on how to make herb compound butter and how to shape the butter. As this recipe only calls for 4 Tablespoons of butter the roll will be smaller than the one shown on the video 

2.  season fish on both sides with salt and pepper set aside

3. place a handful of clean spinach in the middle of your paper or foil 

4.  top with 3 slices of lemon

5. top with fish 

6. top with 1/4 of the compound better 

7. fold paper or foil over and seal the edges so that no steam comes out.  (you tube has lots of video's on how to fold parchment paper)

8.  cook 8 minutes for each inch of fish.  Martha says for 1-1/2" of fish cook for 12 minutes.  I had to cook my fish a little longer as my fish was opaque in the middle still (which means the fish 
was not finished cooking)  (serve immediately) very easy 

SERVE WITH LEMON WEDGES 

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/tell-when-fish-is-cooked.aspx

I never knew making a set recipe was so hard.

    My dear mom and I will be trying our hand in taking old family dishes that have been passed down verbally and by sharing the kitchen experiences of generations of women in my family.

   My hope, in the next few weeks, is to create these recipes my grandmother, mother and aunt shared with me, into reproducible dishes that will bring the younger generation of my family a link to their past of all the great women who had come before them.

My great grandfather, my grandmothers brother who lost his life in a camp in world war II, my grandmother as a girl, my great grandmother. 

    I never realized how hard it is to make a recipe with measurements that should work all the time! I now have a deeper appreciation of the chefs that make recipes for the home cook! So in the next few weeks wish me luck as I try to bring the verbal family recipes into written reality.

My children many many years ago!

The joy of life is in the moment! As Jacque Pepin says: Happy cooking!


 

Dinner May 28, 2013 pepper crostini and Dorie Greenspan's Asparagus soup

As you have probably figured out by now, I am not a writer but that doesn't stop me from sharing my love of cooking with anyone who will listen.  Does that mean I cook well all the time; making remarkable dishes that everyone woos and ah's at?  Not at all! I think those who don't venture into cooking because they think their neighbor or family member were born to cook - So far from the truth! It's practice, making tons of mistakes, laughing at those mistakes and finding the passion to continue on especially if you have the opportunity to learn from a seasoned home cook to share their own love of good healthy food.

 I thought it would be fun to share some of my cooking adventures that have kept my family laughing over the years; most ending up with us ordering pizza or going out to eat (yes out of desperation to get something edible). 

- I bought chicken with some sort of filling from the butcher. I put these little bundles in the oven, started the rice and veggies in hopes to get all the ingredients for a lovely dinner ready for my dear husband to come home from work.  I peered in the oven and the chicken was glistening.  My dear children were ready for dinner, I had the table set and waited for my husband and children to regal me with kudos for a dinner well made.  Instead my husband came home and asked why the house smelled like melting plastic.  He went around the house searching for the melting plastic until he came back to the kitchen.  He opened the oven door to see the beautifully browned chicken breasts.  I had left the plastic on the chicken and melted the plastic all over our dinner.

- I made meatloaf that even my Irish Setter, who ate everything, wouldn't eat the meatloaf we couldn't eat.  He walked away.

-I forgot I had potatoes boiling in the kitchen (lets say it took a while for that burnt potato smell to go away - I even had to toss the pot)

-More than I can mention: I have made so many dishes that I couldn't serve to my patient family or where my family tastes these dishes and nicely suggest that we order pizza in which I heartedly agree!!!

- I have burnt, over salted, under salted, forgotten ingredients, undercooked, over cooked many a recipe that I can't even count.  I have always had a sense of humor about these adventures and I can't tell you how many times I have laughed with my family on how "bad" my dishes can turn out.  Those mistakes taught me so much!

A little note about my grandmother. When she was 17 she moved to Paris to work for a family.  The woman of the house told my grandmother she would have to cook for the family. My grandmother was terrified.  The woman gave her a cook book and left my grandmother alone in the kitchen not because she was being mean but because she believed my grandmother could learn to cook. My grandmother always spoke kindly about that family.  I am sure she made many an awful dish for that family on her road to becoming a great home cook!

  Life is too short to take things so seriously. I have found we learn by our mistakes and laughing a little along the way can make any journey so much more fun.


Dinner at my house: Dorie Greenspan's Asparagus Soup and a crostini of red pepper, goat cheese and capers. 

 Above Dorie's Asparagus soup (from her book Around my French Table)

It's amazing how Dorie Greenspan can take simple ingredients of asparagus, water, butter, creme fresh, onion, shallots, leeks,  salt and pepper that brings spring to your table in this delicate Asparagus soup. 

The other part of our dinner: I had left over herbed goat cheese and toasted french bread that needed to be used up and not many people to cook for (only two tonight). 

 I don't have a set recipe so here it goes: 

- I took 1/2 a red and yellow pepper (seeds removed) sliced thin.

- Saute slowly in a bit of olive oil (it took about 15 minutes), 

-I added a small pinch of sugar and 1 tablespoon rinsed capers and saute it about 5 minutes more. 

-Add a bit of salt/pepper (to your taste). 

-At this point add 1 to 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced basil and mix. 

- Spread a nice amount of herbed goat cheese on your toasted french bread. 

-top goat cheese with pepper mixture. 

- If needed add a small amount of fleur de sel to top of your crostini 

.

What we had for dinner: feta and cream cheese toasts topped with tomato salad and basil

This makes enough for 10 appetizers or a bit more

For cheese base
- in food processor blend 3 ounces broken apart feta (I buy it broken already) and 1 ounce cream cheese   
-add 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon Lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper 
- blend until smooth and put aside

For toast: (we have an italian deli that sells italian bread already toasted) or
-set oven 400 degrees
- slice on a diagonal french bread 1/4" to 1/2" thick depending on preference (I like thicker so I use 1/2") cut 10 to 15 slices
- cut one clove garlic in half and rub gently on bread
-place the bread on a cookie sheet and place in oven
- after a minute or two turn the bread over and cook until lightly browned at edges or crispy to your preference (set aside)

or slice bread at an angle: paint with a bit of olive oil or garlic oil

For tomato topping:
- put in a medium bowl: 1 Tablespoon finely diced shallot, 1 finely minced garlic (remove the inner germ inside the garlic to mellow the taste), and 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar and mix
- beat in 2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1/2 a teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper into the shallot garlic vinegar mix.
-add chopped room temperature cherry tomatoes and let sit for  about 20 minutes.
-mix in 1-1/2 Tablespoons chiffonade basil 
(taste)

Assembly: 
-spread a nice amount of cheese mixture on toast
-with slotted spoon take some tomato mixture and place it on top of feta cheese mix.
- if you like a little more salt - I use a small pinch of good sel de mere (a fine flaky sea salt)
-serve immediately

Coupetade A french Toast custard made with Brioche or Challa Bread

When life gets busy, my cooking practice and skill - I may say at times go out the window.  I love to cook for my family and I love pushing the limits on my cooking skill but I, even now, when life becomes so busy I can't think, have to put my cooking dreams literally on the back burner.

Yesterday I had a chance to dabble again in what I love to do - Cook! And it really was a joy! (dishes not so much but I love the cooking process)

The challenge last week on French Fridays with Dorie was a dish called Coupetade or French toast Custard made with a beautiful egg colored buttery bread easily found in France (Brioche), whole milk, vanilla, sugar and eggs and sometimes dried fruit.  

Long before mixers were invented, home cooks and pastry cooks alike used their hands and lots of hard work to blend this light and lovely egg dough bread called brioche.  Thank Goodness, I have a Kitchen Aid to blend this dough and do much of my work for me.  Brioche is worth the work and the wait. So I was excited to try Dorie's coupetade from her cookbook Around my French Table (page 419)

As part of my agreement with being on the weekly challenge with French Friday with Dorie I can not print Dories recipes but I have given you a link to a video of Julia Child and Nancy Silverton making their version of Brioche for you to have. (skip the advertising link)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5uqAfZpLg

Dorie Greenspan's Coupetade was a hit in my house. (see picture below).  My family loved it, even my hamburger and hot dog loving dear husband! 

I served our custard with a bit of whip cream mixed with a touch of sugar and vanilla or you can serve it with warm maple syrup. 

This is not a low calorie dish but it is delicious!