Jacques Pepin's CRAB CAKES AND AVOCADO SALAD.

(please note: I am not a writer... just a home cook)

Tonight I made Jacques Pepin's Crab cakes with avocado salad (page 165 of ESSENTIAL PEPIN) 

along with a lime aioli.   

I have made and had crab cakes that have had a conglomeration of ingredients from dry bread crumbs, saltine crackers, ritz crackers or fresh bread crumbs -dijon mustard or powdered mustard, peppers of all colors, onions, celery, worcestershire sauce, garlic,  garlic powder, capers and of course the necessary crab but this recipe has been my favorite.

I added a little Old Bay seasoning and served Jacques Pepin's recipe with a lime aioli* on the side which really made it even tastier.

Jacques Pepin, his daughter Claudine and grand daughter Shorey video of how to make his Crab Cakes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uq1xft4zck

*Lime Aioli: 

Mayonnaise, zest of one lime juice and the juice of one lime, s/p. 

The recipe was easy to make and tasty especially with the lime aioli.  Actually I would love to make this for company. Super simple! 

My search for the perfect crab cake is over!  As Jacques says: "Happy Cooking" cuisine heureux! 

if you are going to cook, you will have to get used to dishes!

Not that I am complaining... but boy I wish sometimes I had Samantha from Bewitched's tv show (yes it ages me), to wiggle her nose to clean up the Pots and pans after I am done creating my "sometimes" cooking masterpieces - (well more like edible dinners)...(better than non edible meals and still have dishes to clean).

I watch cooking shows where wonderful chefs create stunning meals and still have a clean kitchen (gleaming).  When I was young I thought that having a clean kitchen all the time you cook and after cooking was supposed to be easy.  My grandmother was a spotless cook.  I used to want to know their secret to a spotless kitchen but now know that there really isn't a secret at all.  If you are going to cook you will have a messy kitchen (especially if you are being creative).

Chefs are clean and neat - and I agree wiping off the counters as you go and having hot sudsy water helps but I now know that as a home cook I will still have dishes and its okay.

Some things that have helped me but doesn't reduce my washing pots and pans - no I can't wiggle my nose or ears to clean up the mess - I have learned a couple tricks for me:

- I have a meal plan (most of the time lol - life happens)
- I cut up veggies etc. for two days early in the morning so I have everything in its place.
- get children who are old enough to do dishes (not always willingly)
-I also have the most wonderful husband that does dishes
- I have a sink where I soak the pots as I finish with them
-rinse as you go so you can reuse cooking things

But in the end - ask me if my kitchen is clean right now... NO!!! but its okay; I just know if I  want to cook - I have to do dishes -  am I thrilled about it? .. no.

Now unless the brownie elves from girl scout stories come to help me right now...

I am off to wash the dishes...

My wish: have a huge farmers sink and 2 dish washers or a room to hide the dishes until I can get them done!

http://www.pbs.org/food/features/cleanliness-is-next-to-impossible/
Julia Child's: cleanliness is next to impossible article

Ree Drummond's corn bread

(I am not a writer - just a happy home cook)

Yesterday my family and I made Re Drummond's Corn bread with the extra vegetables on the bottom. I have never been a corn bread fan, except for the cornbread from Wildfire restaurants, but I liked this one (and most of all my family enjoyed it).

http://thepioneerwoman.com

Many times I make things based on what I had in the refrigerator and I had extra buttermilk left over from making Ina's cheddar biscuits. Corn bread seemed the right fit for last nights meal!

 Her cornbread is tasty and light and easy to make.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/skillet-cornbread/  Ree Drummond's skillet corn bread recipe.

On the bottom of the cornbread (if you have seen her show - she poured her cornbread mixture on top of the veggies) she added sauteed multi colored peppers, onions and garlic (and of course s/p).  I added roasted corn as well and jalepanos'.

What I might try next time:  add drained cream corn and mix it it.. or add fresh corn and mix it it.

(not a great picture but you get the idea)

Julia and Jacques Pepin's stuffed cabbage.

(remember I am not a writer)

The moment I tasted Julia and Jacques Stuffed Cabbage I was suddenly transported to grandmother Bernadette's kitchen.   I was back in her spotless kitchen with gleaming plates waiting on starched white tablecloth for the delights of my grandmothers cooking.  I could feel as if I was really there, there in her kitchen with bright sunlight and gentle breeze coming through the window. I could almost imagine seeing my grandfather working in his vegetable garden; cutting lettuce for lunch. I could almost hear my grandmother's laughter (straight from the heart, and I could almost feel like I was there with both of them; what joy.   That's how much this dish brought me home;  It was as if my grandmother had cooked it herself; and that is saying something.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xia9i5_julia-jacques-cooking-at-home-winter-vegetables_lifestyle

I can't wait until my mother comes home to share Julia and Jacques Stuffed Cabbage! 

                             My grandfather, Joseph "Eugene"  (born in Rhoderen, Alsace, Haut-Rhin).
                                                                   A good man

Made by my grandmother when she was an 11 year old girl in Dambach La Ville, Alsace, France

My grandmother's parents. 

normandy chicken fricasse (our dinner tonight)

Dinner was a little late tonight - Why - The sweetest little girls brought over our long awaited order of Girl Scout cookies and like shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving; we grabbed those boxes and proceeded to eat 2 of each type of cookies.  Yes, our heads are bent in shame by the over indulgence but oh it was worth it!

My cooking was off tonight! But the family still liked it. 

For tonights dinner I made 

Artichokes steamed with lemon and dipped in tarragon-lemon butter with frisee salad inside the empty space- (a recipe from Martha Stewart) -a guilty pleasure and easy .... 

http://www.marthastewart.com/345046/steamed-artichokes-with-tarragon-butter

Next I made Lidias savory stuffed peppers quarters which the family loved - I felt it wasn't quite right but I know I it was my error as the cook... I like rice stuffed peppers and may substitute cooked rice for the bread soaked in milk in this recipe. (my kids loved it!) 

----------

As it is "my goal" to cook through Jacques Pepin's Essential Pepin book, I chose Normandy Chicken fricassee because I had all the ingredients :o) - Even with the tons of mistakes I made in cooking this  dish - It was still tasty (my sweet husband especially enjoyed the sauce the chicken was cooked in, (I think the addition of 2 Tablespoons of apple brandy to the sauce at the end made my dear husband very happy). 

-Oh the mistakes I made and my family still ate it-

1.  under cooked the onions - as the onions are chopped to a 1" size - I felt that I needed more cooking time than the 5 minutes-ish time on the recipe (I didn't adjust the time to properly cook the onions- time in recipes are estimates as sometimes ingredients cook slower or faster - lesson learned again - use my  experience and judgement when I cook- trust myself). I probably would cut the onions smaller depending on the audience I am cooking for. Some family members love the large pieces of well cooked onions where others don't want to know onions are there.. Personally I couldn't live without onions in my cooking.  

2. I salted and peppered the chicken but I think it lacked flavor. The sauce was the main flavor in the dish. I think, (I know), that I didn't have the pot hot enough to cook the chicken on all sides and that may have lowered the flavor value. 

3. I tested the chicken with a meat thermometer but I think I could have cooked it a little longer. 

Even with all my mistakes, my family asked me to make it again. 

   

Jacques Pepin's Tomato Soup with Basil oil (Easy, Fresh and Delicious)

I love to watch Jacques Pepin on video; not only because of his skill but because his mannerisms and french accent brings me back to memories my of grand father now gone for many years. Of course Jacques Pepin is much younger then my grandfather.  I have always appreciated Jacques Pepin's skill, his view of the importance of technique, his sense of humor and ease of presence, (joy of life) but I  admire his love of family and how food is part of the family experience.  He basically said the food itself is nothing - the sharing of the meal as a family and friends is what is important.  That is why I cook... for the love of family, the joy of stories and laughter around a table and the joy of life that can only be shared with people you love.

Tonight: I made Jacques Tomato Soup and Basil oil - I love a home made tomato soup (my grandmother made the best tomato soup with a touch of cream) and this recipe was delicious. My family loved the basil oil drizzled on top of the soup and served with a slice of beautiful bread and butter along with a lovely salad made simple cooking into a lovely meal.

Food and Wine shared this recipe on the link below:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tomato-soup-with-basil-oil

Copied directly from the food and wine

Tomato Soup with Basil Oil
 (in Jacques Pepin's book: ESSENTIAL PEPIN page 8 Listed as Cream of Tomato Soup with Basil oil. 

1. 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2. 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
3. 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
4. 2 sprigs of thyme
5. 1 sprig of oregano
6. 2 pounds of ripe tomatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks (5 cups) *
7. 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
8. 2 teaspoon sugar
9. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
10. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
11. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12. 4 tablespoons Basil Oil
13. *(I didn't have enough tomatoes so I used San Marzano tomatoes by Cento).

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and oregano and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper and 1 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Pass the soup through the fine disk of a food mill.
2. Rewarm the soup. Add the butter a little at a time, stirring between additions. Pour the soup into 4 soup plates or bowls and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the Basil Oil over each serving.

MAKE AHEAD The tomato soup can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated overnight.

Ina Gartens crispy mustard chicken

Last night I tried Ina's Crispy Mustard Chicken. I had planned on making the chicken exactly as she suggested but the young man at the small store, I frequent, must have been new because he cut the chicken into 8 pieces like I have never seen before!  He literally chopped it in 8 pieces without taking the back out or the chest bone.

 My kids laughed and kidded me about my so called "life shattering" cooking problems.  They could hear me grumble about the young man's lack of skill as I tried to save as much meat as I could.  I ended up with the chicken breasts deboned and left with chicken legs and 1 thighs (I think lol) so I had to change a bit of the cooking time for the different pieces. It was like a weird shaped puzzle with tons of missing pieces.  (I saved the bones and leftover meat for chicken stock later). 

We really liked this moist chicken recipe by Ina.  It's not fancy or exotic but tasty for a family meal.  It is very easy! 

I used a thermometer probe because the deboned breasts cook faster than the thigh and chicken leg. I first used the probe in the deboned chicken breasts. After the breasts were done I removed them and covered them lightly with foil and then put the probe in the thigh until finished.  The breasts didn't brown as well as the others of course because of less time in the oven, but it still was delicious. I guess I could have browned the deboned chicken first on the stove top but we still liked it. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/crispy-mustard-roasted-chicken.html

copied directly from the above link. 

Ina Garten's Crispy Mustard chicken 

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken, cut in eighths
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the bread flakes. Pour the mixture onto a large plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin-side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.

Bake the chicken for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Why I liked it: 

My family liked it (most important) 

Easy!!! 

Very moist Chicken 

I will use this recipe again for deboned chicken but may brown it first a bit. (not sure) 

Normally I think Ina Garten over salts some of her dishes but I thought this was perfectly seasoned. 

Suggestion: Use meat thermometer -  I love my probe thermometer for this because I could do other things without worrying that I was over cooking the chicken. 

so little time to post

I have veered away from family traditional meals for now because in winter it is harder to get to my family to verify recipes. With spring coming I will soon have time with my dear mother and aunt and uncle.  I also have been trying to get recipes from my family in Blienschwiller and other parts of Alsace, France as I am making a cook book for my family with pictures of all the cooks in our family with their favorite dish.

As I am a home cook nothing more but nothing less.  I wish I could go to cooking school just for the fun of it.  Since I can't justify the cost I can continue working on my craft (some would say hobby - but I have so much passion for learning to cook - it is a love that I share with others - a joy). I wish I had the talent and creativity that so many bloggers have but that's okay; I love to cook any way!

who would I like to cook like - so many - but I would love to cook like Jacques Pepin - he seems to cook with joy of life and with such ease and comfort - just like my grandmother.

My cooking:
I have done recipes by Ree drummond, Ina garten, dorie greenspan, rachel khoo, curtis stone, martha of course, america's test kitchen, and many magazines etc .  Most recipes i loved, a few I think I cooked it differently than I think the recipe called for and I flopped them.

My goal for this late winter and early spring: following Jacques Pepin's book similar to following I did with Dorie greenspan.