New Apartment!

Hi all, sorry for the long absence from writing about food.  Since I’ve posted here last I’ve written and (successfully) defended my Ph.D. thesis, started a new job, and moved into a new apartment!  This post is to show my friends and family my new apartment – writing about food will begin very very soon (in my new and very much improved kitchen!.

So here we go with the grand tour….

This is the view after walking in the door:

On the left are the doors to the utility/laundry room, the 1/2 bath, and the master bath; on the right is one of the doors to the study; the extra bedroom is straight ahead.

Here is a partial view of the utility room with my washer and dryer – i would show the whole room, but it is filled with broken down moving boxes:

Here is a view of my study – it is the one room without any windows:

In case anyone really cares, here is a view of the (small) master bath:

And now for the good stuff…

Here is a view from the end of the hallway into the living area…

And here are several views of the living area/kitchen – you will notice that I have both lots of kitchen space and lots of windows.

And finally, here are some photos of my bedroom:

I’m back…..

Hi! Sorry for the recent hiatus. Writing a Ph.D. thesis has a way of sucking up all of your time. Now that I’m officially Dr. King I will be able to begin writing new blog posts again! To celebrate my accomplishment, I hosted a party this saturday for a group of friends and coworkers with a latin/caribbean theme. I served a huge pitcher of mojtos (the only really important part) pork arepas with pickled onion, shrimp ceviche, mango salsa, and roasted plantains.  Sorry for the lack of pictures!!

Butter

This article from the New York times is so good I had to pass it along. It addresses something that we all take for granted in baking – butter. Apparently, many of the most common baking problems we encounter are caused by mishandling butter. I could say more, but just read the article

Homemade Pasta

There are few things better than fresh, homemade pasta.  It has a vastly superior texture and flavor when compared to that dried stuff from a box.  I suspect that more people don’t make it because it seems somewhat intimidating if you haven’t done it before.  While it does take a bit of time to complete, it isn’t difficult at all.  However, it is somewhat difficult to give a procedure with precise measurements because the exact size of eggs and the hydration of flour can vary with time and location.  Making pasta dough is definitely one of those kitchen activities that requires some on the fly adaptation to the conditions at hand.  If the dough looks dry add a bit of water or oil; if it is too sticky, knead in some flour.  Below I give directions for making the dough by hand – you can also throw everything into a food processor and whirl it around until clumps of dough form.    

Before attempting fresh pasta on my own I did a survey of all the recipes I could easily find and they ranged from a ratio of 3/4 egg per cup of flour to recipes with a ratio of slightly more than 1 egg/cup flour with extra yolks added as an enrichment.  As a sensible compromise I chose to use 1 egg per cup of flour – this has the added benefit of being supremely easy to remember. 

Fresh Pasta

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

large pinch salt

Procedure

1.  Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the eggs.

 2.  Working outwards from the center, slowly stir the flour into the eggs until it becomes difficult to incorporate more flour.

3.  Dump the contents of the bowl onto the counter and knead the dough until a smooth, elastic dough is formed (about 5 minutes).  

4.  Wrap the dough in plastic and rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

5.  Cut the dough into pieces and use a pasta machine to roll it, typically the pasta sheet is rolled 1-2 times on each setting, decreasing the roller spacing one notch at a time until the desired thickness is reached.

6.  Cut the dough into the desired shape.

You can cut the dough by hand into large pappardelle as I have above, or any other shape you like.  At this point it helps to let the pasta lay on the counter to dry slightly before handling it, this will prevent clumping.  A light dusting of flour is also helpful.  If you want to be really fancy you can buy one of those spiffy pasta drying racks with all the arms (this would be really helpful if you don’t have lots of empty counter space).

Next up:  Christmas candies

Lemon Tart Update

In my recent lemon tart entry (part of my holiday menu) I said that  Sara over at Small Kitchen, Big Ideas was the expert on the topic.  Now she has posted verifiable evidence of her lemon tart obsession – check it out.

Cheese plate

 

A Cheese plate is one of my favorite things to serve at at party or before dinner.  Why? A few reasons: 1) I can assemble it before everyone arrives and they can munch away and chat while I finish cooking, 2) the only work on my part is to buy things from the grocery store and arrange them, and 3) almost everyone loves cheese, not everyone loves things like chicken liver pate (until they try it).  I’m pretty sure that having everything (or at least almost everything) planned out and in place before your guests arrive makes them think that you are some kind of domestic deity (or that you are a hyperanal freak show of a host).  

I am lucky enough to have several specialty stores with tons of cheese to choose from at my disposal.  If you don’t have a cheesemonger around, try your grocery store, several smaller regional grocery chains I’ve been in have nice selections of high quality cheeses.  Target even has a few nice cheeses in its grocery section.  If all else fails check out some online retailers.

Here are a few of my rules for putting together a cheese plate

1) No more than three kinds of cheese (for a small group anyway).  Three varieties of cheese is enough to have an interesting mixture of cheeses; I find that more can be overwhelming.

2) Try to have some kind of theme or progression.  For example: pick three cheese from Spain such as Manchego (probably the most famous cheese from Spain), Cabrales (a blue cheese), and Garrotxa (a goat cheese).  A selection of different goat cheeses of varying texture could also be cool.  When in doubt, pick something soft, something hard (or semi-hard), and something blue.  The axiom is: something old, something new, something stinky, and something blue.

3) Make it really good cheese.  Please don’t serve your guests slices from a block of Kraft swiss cheese.  Not only will they hate you, they will talk about you behind your back once they leave (if they were raised right; if they weren’t they might tell you to your face)

4) Have some tasty accompaniments.  Good french bread is a must.  Don’t use any bread that is too highly flavored, it will compete with the cheese.  Olives, cured meats, nuts, and fresh fruit are all good choices.  If you are really good, whip up (or buy) some membrillo, a sweet paste made from quince.  

5) Make it pretty.  No one wants to eat ugly food.  Arrange the cheese on a slate cheese board or a pretty wood cutting board.  An attractive plate or tray would work too.  Make sure that all of the cheese are easy to access so your guests can cut off pieces without struggling.  Also make sure that there are enough utensils to cut the cheeses.

6) Throw away the wrapper your cheese came in.  As convenient as they lovely sheet of plastic wrap is for your grocer, your cheese doesn’t love it.  Rewrap your cheese in parchment paper and throw it in your crisper for storage.

7) Feel free to break all of these rules.  You’ll notice that in the photo I have brie, ricotta salata, and emmenthaler.  It may be a slightly odd combination, but I pulled it out of my fridge in about 5 minutes before some people came over.  Note the domestic deity/hyperanal freak comment above.

 

Next up on Chez Travie: Christmas candy (I think)

 

 

 

 

Holiday Party Part 4: Standing Rib Roast

Finally, the main course!  If you have been following along (or want to now), I’ve published all the recipes for a fabulous holiday party: a chicken liver pate appetizer, a potato gratin side dish, and a Meyer lemon tart for dessert.  A traditional (and delicious) main course for Christmas dinner is a big beef rib roast.  Not only is it delicious, it is one of  the easiest things you will ever make.  Thanksgiving turkey is like brain surgery compared to this.  There are just a few things to remember for the best results: 

1) Allow the meat to warm up before you start roasting; 1-2 hours on the counter before roasting should be sufficient.

2) After roasting, allow the meat to rest 20-30 minutes before carving.  This will allow the meat to finish cooking (the thermal mass of the meat will cause the internal temperature to rise 5-10 degrees after it is removed from the oven) and allow the juices to redistribute.

Standing Rib Roast

Ingredients

beef standing rib roast (prime rib) 

salt

pepper

Procedure

1.  Remove the meat from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before roasting.

2.  Preheat oven to 450 F.  Place the meat in a roasting pan, fat side up.  Sprinkle salt and pepper copiously over the roast.

3.  Roast the meat in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Lower the temperature to 350 and roast to an internal temperature of about 115-117 degrees for medium rare (the temperature will continnue to rise after the roast is removed from the oven).

Yep, that is it.  No basting, no stuffing, no worries.  Nothing but beefy goodness.  Just carve the roast into nice slices and serve to your guests.

Holiday Party Part 3: Potato Gratin

Alrighty, by now you’ve read all about chicken liver pate and meyer lemon tart, the first and last courses in my holiday menu.  Since a potato dish is requisite at any big family meal, I’ve suggested a potato gratin.  How can anything composed of potatoes, cream, and cheese be bad?  Think of these as fancy scalloped potatoes.  You’ll notice that the amount of potatoes in the recipe is fairly vague.  Sorry!  I didn’t weigh my potatoes when I made the recipe.  You can use the photos as a visual guide to the the cream to potato ratio.  Thankfully, the recipe is forgiving and should work over a wide range (the consistency will just be a bit different).  You can easily scale this recipe up or down depending on the number of guests.

Gratin Dauphinois

adapted from Les Halles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain

Ingredients

Yukon gold potatoes, sliced 

2 c heavy cream

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

salt and pepper

nutmeg, preferably freshly ground

1 T butter

4 oz. grated Gruyere (or other good Swiss cheese)

Procedure

1.  Add sliced potatoes, cream, 4 garlic cloves, and herbs into a pot.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, butter a baking dish large enough to hold the potatoes and cream, cut the remaining garlic clove and rub it inside the dish.

3.  Transfer the potato/cream mixture to the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with the grated cheese.  Bake in a 350 C oven for about 40 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

Yum!  During the time in the oven, the cream and starch from the potatoes (along with evaporation I assume) thicken the mixture into a mass of creamy goodness.  The flavors of the herbs and nutmeg really come through to highlight the potatoes and cheese.  I’ve never tried it, but I suspect that you could separate the boiling and baking steps by a few hours if necessary.  If you are making my whole holiday menu, you can work on this while the roast is in the oven, and then bake this while the roast is finishing.  I have made this for several groups of people and haven’t had to take leftovers home yet.  Enjoy!

Next up: Standing rib roast

Holiday Party Part 2: Meyer Lemon Tart

Now that you’ve made (or at least read about) chicken liver pate, it is time to tackle dessert.  After a heavy, luxurious holiday meal, I thought that something refreshing was in order.  A lemon tart is just the thing.  I shouldn’t even be blogging about lemon tarts since my friend over at Small Kitchen, Big Ideas is truly the expert.  She has literally made dozens in the quest for lemony perfection (I’m not sure if any are on her blog yet; it is probably only a matter of time).

Meyer lemons are larger, juicier, and a bit sweeter than regular lemons.  They may be difficult to find in some locales; I got mine from the citrus guy at the local farmer’s market.  If you don’t have them, just use regular lemons from the supermarket, the tart will still turn out great.

meyer lemons

Meyer Lemon Tart

adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Susanne Goin

This recipe can be made 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

1 tart shell – use your favorite pastry dough or dessert crust recipe

4 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 1 T sugar

1 cup Meyer lemon juice (you can use regular lemon juice as well)

10 T cold butter, cut into pieces

1 pinch salt

Procedure

1. Completely bake the tart shell.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spatula.

3.  Remove from heat.  Add pinch of salt.  Mix in butter, a bit at a time, until completely mixed in.

4.  Strain the lemon mixture into a bowl and then transfer to the cooled tart shell.  Chill until ready to serve.

So the tart looked really smooth and beautiful until I dropped a container of yogurt into it as it was setting…it still doesn’t look bad.

 

notice the impact crater, just beyond the missing piece...

The real recipe from ‘Sunday Suppers at Lucques’ includes a thin chocolate layer in the bottom of the tart shell.  I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the chocolate-lemon combination so I skipped that this time around.  The tart is a great mixture of tart and sweet, a refreshing finish to the (almost excessive) richness that comes before in my holiday menu.

Next up: Potato Gratin (Gratin Dauphinoise)

Holiday Party Part 1: Chicken Liver Pate

Since I am the only food blogger on the planet not to give any Thanksgiving suggestions I thought I would give you some really good stuff for Christmas.  The menu I’ve come up with would make an elegant Christmas dinner for family or a really special dinner party for friends.  I’ve also designed it so that the work can be spread out over several days if needed.  Even more importantly, none of the recipes force you to run around at the last minute, right before your guests arrive.  As an added bonus all of the recipes can be scaled up or down to accommodate groups of different sizes (except for the dessert; for big groups just make, or better yet buy, a second).  So here is the menu and game plan:

Appetizer – Chicken liver pate – make two days ahead

Main course:  Standing rib roast – make day of party

Sides: Gratin Dauphinoise (think fancy scalloped potatoes), roasted vegetables – make while meat is roasting

Dessert: Meyer lemon tart  - make one day ahead

So today I’ll show you how to make the chicken liver pate, tomorrow I’ll give the instructions for the lemon tart , tuesday I’ll post the instructions for the potato gratin, and the finale will be the roast on wednesday.  So let’s get started!

Chicken Liver Pate

Think of this like foie gras for the rest of us (or for those who don’t like the idea of force feeding to make a fat/liver emulsion inside a living goose).  If you want to be really pretentious (this isn’t ALWAYS a bad thing, just keep it in moderation) you can call this ‘pate de foie de volaille au cognac’.  To come up with this recipe I read a bunch of pate recipes both online and in the various cookbooks I own and took the best aspects of each one.  The biggest influences are here and here.

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken livers

 milk

8 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 t thyme (or more, to taste)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 cup brandy or cognac

 

ingredients (it gets prettier, I promise)

 

 

Procedure

1.  Soak the chicken livers in enough milk to cover them for about 2 hours.  Drain thoroughly.

2.  Melt 1/2 of the butter (4 tablespoons) over medium-high heat, add the onions and saute until soft.  Add garlic and cook for a few seconds, just enough to get rid of the raw taste.

3. Add the livers, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Saute until the livers are browned outside and just pink inside; 5 minutes or so. 

4.  Add the brandy/cognac and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated and the livers are cooked.  Please don’t overcook the livers, I think we all have the childhood experience of eating a grey piece of liver with the consistency of shoe leather.

5.  Cool the mixture for a bit, remove the bay leaves, and transfer to a food processor.  Process until very smooth.  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of cold butter and process until the incorporated.

6.  Pack the mixture into a container or containers; ramekins (like you would use for creme brulee) work well for this.  A small, flat bowl or loaf pan would work too.  Refrigerate until set.

6b. (optional)  To be very traditional, and also to protect the pate, you can pour a thin layer of melted butter over the pate once it is inside its storage container (the bowl or ramekin from the previous step).  The butter will harden and seal the pate.

7. Serve!

I am not a huge fan of liver, but I can eat this pate like candy.  The richness and ‘liveryness’ is tempered by all the butter, the taste of the cognac, and the herbal flavors from the bay and thyme.  If you’ve never had pate you really should try it.  Even if you don’t try it, make it – your friends will be impressed and think you slaved away for hours.  I like to serve pate with slices of baguette (toasted or not; crackers would work too), coarse mustard, and cornichons (little French pickles).  You could get really fancy and make this one part of a charcuterie platter, along with some other meat products.  Add some nice cheese and a few bottles of wine for a ready made cocktail party.  It can also make a nice lunch or light dinner when paired with a simple green salad.  

Next up: Meyer lemon tart