Sunday, February 14th, 2016

Sweetheart Ingredient 2016: Caraway Seeds!

RECIPE: Caraway-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Celeriac and Celery Slaw

Caraway Short RibsBeing married on Valentine’s Day in a wonderful thing.  Marvelous, even miraculous, and intensely reassuring.  It’s also monotonous.  There is no face I’d rather see one pillow over when I open my eyes than Mr. English’s, but at the same time, after eight years, Valentine’s has kind of fallen by the wayside.  Anniversaries.  Holidays.  Birthdays.  We do them to the extreme.  But Valentine’s?  It kind of feels like it’s for new love.  For falling, tumbling head over heels.  We’ve already tumbled.  I think we’re on the outside of Valentine’s Day.

While I am not the kind of girl to fall in love with a new man every month, I am the type to fall in love with new things.  This year, I discovered and loved the western wine regions of Germany, perfectly stepped into the hillsides with gorgeous Germanic precision.  Snowshoeing, which I did for the first time after a snowstorm in Vermont.  It felt like trouping through Narnia!  Maman’s cavapoo Beau.  And caraway seeds.

I remember caraway seeds from Jewish deli rye, perfect on a grilled Swiss or with the tuna salad I used to order on 57th Street.  But outside of that little ecosystem, I never saw it.  Then, at my best friends’ joint bachelorette in Miami, we went to The Dutch for dinner, where they served beef short ribs with caraway.  What a revelation!  I was overcome by the aroma of them, cutting through the richness of the meat with a kind of licorice exoticism.  Then, I started seeing them everywhere.  In slaws in Bon Appetit magazine.  In my favorite Ottolenghi recipe for salmon, similar to Meme’s famous Moroccan rendition.  In potato salad served with cod on Shelter Island.  Now I use them everywhere.  It’s the rare jar of spice that I might actually buy and finish in the same year.

This dish is a kind of hybrid between that dinner at the Dutch and a pot-au-feu I had in St. Germain about two years ago in Paris.  It’s a combination of richly stewed beef, simmered to oblivion, and a fresh, crunchy, bright celery-spiked salad.  Like at the Dutch, I crust the meat in caraway.  But then, I take on some French inspiration by stewing it in wine with onion, garlic, thyme, and bay, and then serving it with a kind of upside-down pot-au-feu slaw.  Instead of stewing the vegetables with the meat, I turn them into a fresh salad, using grated celeriac and fresh celery leaves, chopped with cornichons and parsley, and tossed in a dressing of creme fraiche and whole grain mustard.  Served with grilled bread, it is so good.

Bon app!  I hope you fall in love with many things this year.

Caraway Short Ribs

 

Caraway-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Celeriac and Celery Slaw
serves 2
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEEF 2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs 2 teaspoons caraways seeds, freshly pounded or blitzed Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed About 6 stems of thyme 1 bay leaf 2/3 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 cups beef broth INGREDIENTS FOR THE SLAW 1 tablespoon creme fraiche (or substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt) 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard 2 teaspoons rice vinegar 1 small celeriac, peeled and grated for slaw 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley and celery leaves 1 cornichon, finely minced Salt and pepper METHOD Pat the beef dry on a paper towel.  Season the beef with the caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.  In a braising pan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Sear the beef on both sides, then set aside on a plate.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan, lowering the heat if necessary, and sweat until translucent.  Add the herbs and the wine.  Raise the heat, and reduce the wine by half.  Add the broth and the beef back into the pan.  Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat.  Simmer for three hours. Just before serving, mix all the slaw ingredients together.  Take the beef out of the pot, and discard the bones.  This is optional, but I like to blend the braising liquid in the blender to make a nice gravy.  Then, spoon the gravy into the bottom of two bowls.  Divide the meat between them, and finally, top with the slaw.  Serve with grilled bread and extra cornichons.  print this recipe
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Categories: Easy, Eat, Main Courses, Meat, Recipes
 
Sunday, February 7th, 2016

Ritzy Black and White Truffle Popcorn

RECIPE: Ritzy Black and White Truffle Popcorn

Truffle PopcornYes, Super Bowl Sunday is arrived! I’ll admit, I will watch any sport before I will watch football. BUT, I still join in the game day enthusiasm for two reasons: (1) it seems to be Mr. English’s favorite thing about America, and (2) I love anything that gives me license to snack unlimitedly.

I very often make my Avocado and Chèvre Dip, and serve it with chips and crudités. But for tomorrow night, it’s just us, and I’m thinking pizza delivery (I Love NY), a green salad, and my freshly invented Ritzy Black and White Truffle Popcorn.

My mom and I used to have this old (think ’80s off-white with brown bands) electric popcorn air-popper, and I loved it. Whenever we would sit around and watch Nick at Nite marathons, we would pop two Amy’s mac and cheeses in the oven, and air pop a pile of popcorn kernels that we would toss in too much butter and a few pinches of salt. Does anyone remember those deep-dyed rainbow kernels from the ’80s? Those were interdit unless it was a very special occasion, but I thought they were super cool.

Truffle PopcornI like the endless munching that popcorn provides, and while rainbow kernels are kind of interdit for all of us now, copious amounts of truffle butter and truffle-infused Pecorino cheese most certainly are not. The first thing I registered for when we got married was an air-popper. I take it down, and wait until the avalanche of fluffy white kernels erupts from the center of the machine in the largest pot I can find. Then I toss with melted truffle butter, grated truffled cheese, salt, and because I can’t stop and I had some lying around, truffle oil. Holy moly! It’s to die for.

I can’t say I know who’s playing, but I know what I’ll be eating when I find out!

Truffle Pecorino

Ritzy Black and White Truffle Popcorn
makes 16 - 20 cups
INGREDIENTS 1 cup popcorn kernels, popped (yields 16 – 20 cups) 6 tablespoons black or white truffle butter, melted 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt 1 overflowing cup finely grated truffle Pecorino 1 teaspoon black or white truffle oil (optional) METHOD Pop the popcorn the way you usually do (I use an air popper, but some prefer the stovetop method). Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the truffle butter until it is just melted. Take off the heat, and stir in the salt. Pour the butter and salt mixture, the grated cheese, and the truffle oil over the popcorn and toss until the mixture is evenly distributed. Devour!print this recipe
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Categories: 15 Minutes, Appetizers & Hors D’Oeuvres, Easy, Eat, For a Crowd, Recipes, Vegetarian
 
Thursday, January 14th, 2016

Crispiest Salmon with Green Tahini and Crunchy Chickpeas

RECIPE: Crispiest Salmon with Green Tahini and Crunchy Chickpeas

Crispiest Salmon with Green Tahini and Crunchy ChickpeasOK – it is week two of what I am calling the “Maman promise” – no meat, no milk, no cheese – cheese, how I miss you!  BUTTER!  I will admit that at around 4 o’clock this afternoon at the office, I was ready to eat any buttery piece of something I could get my hands on, but lucky the place was barren, and so far, I remain unbroken.

I am fascinated by New Year’s resolutions – and I do not consider the Maman promise to be a resolution.  For one thing, it’s only for a month.  Also, I am sticking with it – something that never happens when I resolve to sit up straight or dress up for work or generally just do everything perfectly for a year.  That last one is my most frequent resolution – it lasts exactly as long as it takes to think about it, and I only think about it because my list of resolutions is usually so long, that I just do a blanket contract.  My friend from London called me and said that she saw my last post where I promised to drop meat and dairy and said I sounded a little preachy – a little mini-Gwyneth.  I can’t help it!  I just love self-improvement and fresh starts and I’m always trying to be better.  I love January.  Will you still be my friend?

I admit that I am proud I am showing a modicum of perseverance.  And really it’s not so bad, and I am feeling good.  Here’s what I had for dinner last night, with leftovers for lunch.  Deeply nutty, pungent tahini whipped together with that vibrant punch of parsley, cilantro, and lemon.  Salmon, simply seared until the top was golden and crunchy.  And chickpeas, roasted to crunchy nuggets.  I threw some mache on the side, dressed up with lemon vinaigrette.  I am starting to wonder if maybe deprivation isn’t so hard if we just recast it as indulgence – easier said at 9 AM than at 4 PM.

Bon app, and bonne chance!

Crispiest Salmon with Green Tahini and Crunchy Chickpeas
serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried on paper towels
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ big bunch parsley
½ big bunch cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ cup tahini
4 5- to 6-ounce salmon fillets

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, and on it, toss the chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper. Bake until crisp – about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the tahini by blitzing the parsley, cilantro, lemon, tahini, and ¼ cup water in the blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the salmon, season with salt and pepper. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a nonstick skillet, and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes on the first side and 5 on the second for perfectly opaque flesh. If you like rarer fish, which most do, just flip it over for a minute or two.

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Categories: 30 Minutes, Easy, Eat, Fish, Main Courses, Recipes
 
Thursday, January 7th, 2016

Good-For-You Soba Noodle Soup with Miso, Broccolini, and Charred Shitakes

RECIPE: Good-For-You Soba Noodle Soup with Miso, Broccolini, and Charred Shitakes

So Good For You NoodlesI always want to eat everything. Fondue? I’d swim in the pot! Steak. Butter! Cake. Nests of pasta that I could curl up in. But the truth is, as I get older, some the foods I love just don’t love me. It’s a head-heart battle. My head says, Kerry, stop. You’ll be sick. My heart says, this is what you love. Love trumps all.

I think some part of every one of my New Year’s resolutions is to grow up. Is growing up using your head more than your heart? It sounds sad, but actually, maybe it’s just wise (and maybe that’s why wisdom is always tied up with long beards and gray hair). This January, my mom and I resolved to grow up by doing one month “vegan + fish”. There are a number of reasons for this.

  1. Some people go dry in January to prove to themselves that they control alcohol, and that alcohol doesn’t control them. I need to do the same – but with my appetite.
  2. I was vegetarian from the age of six to 18, and ever since then I’ve been experimenting with various combinations. I feel best when I cut out dairy (or cut down), and when I add in a little bit of lean protein. Hence, vegan + fish. The same is true for Maman.
  3. And because I often find a lot of creative freedom in restriction. Necessity is the mother of invention.

I’m notoriously easy to tempt, but I’m going to do it for one month. If vegan + fish makes you feel good too, I hope you’ll do it with us. Deprivation is always easier together.

I was in Whole Foods and I saw in the boxed broth section a miso broth – I’d never seen it before, and I immediately thought, I’m going to like that. I love Japanese noodle soups, so I simmered the broth and added a few simple things: buckwheat soba, grassy broccolini, crispy baked shitakes, and crumbly steaks of tofu. A few scallions and cilantro leaves on top. I subsequently sat down to three bowls. What I especially love about this recipe is I can make all the components on a Sunday night, then just simmer my broth any night during the week when I want to eat it, and go from there. Would make a brilliant dinner for when Mr. English is away.

Good For You NoodlesBon app!

Good-For-You Soba Noodle Soup with Miso, Broccolini, and Charred Shitakes
serves 3ish

INGREDIENTS

1 box of fresh shitake mushrooms, stems discarded (about 10 – 15 mushrooms)
1 14-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained on a paper towel and sliced into 8 slices
Olive oil
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed
1 8.8-ounce package soba noodles
1 32-fluid ounce box miso broth (4 cups – I buy this in a carton from Whole Foods)
2 scallions, finely sliced
1 small handful cilantro leaves
Soy sauce for serving (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchments and place the mushrooms and tofu slices on the sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Use your hands to distribute the oil and salt on both sides of the mushrooms and tofu. Bake for about 10 minutes – this doesn’t need to be exact – you just want the mushrooms and tofu to be just cooked through and beginning to go golden at the edges.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling water. Blanch the broccolini for one minutes, then remove to a strainer and run under cold tap water to keep it bright and crunchy. Boil the soba according to package instructions – mine takes 6 minutes. Drain and run under cold tap water so the noodles don’t go mushy.

In the same pot add the miso broth and bring to a boil. Add in the noodles and broccolini to warm through, and arrange the tofu and mushrooms on top. Mound the fresh scallions and cilantro on top of it all, in the center of the pot. Serve piping hot!

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Categories: 30 Minutes, Cheap, Easy, Eat, Main Courses, Recipes, Soup, Soup & Salad, Vegetarian, Vegetarian
 
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015

(Frozen) Peach and Almond Crisp

RECIPE: (Frozen) Peach and Almond Crisp
Peach Crisp

Sorry for the iPhone shot!

On Sunday night, I had my family over for a holiday dinner.  My New York family – uncles, aunts – is rarely together for the actual holiday days, so I wanted to be sure to do something warm and festive – to match the alarmingly warm but festive atmosphere these last few weeks in New York.

I definitely subscribe to the old adages about entertaining – serve at least one thing that you buy and another thing that you make ahead.  And, I know I say it over and over, but I love American holiday meals because we are so adroit at mixing tradition with personal history.  Which is just what I did – a bite of Brooklyn with a pinch of Provence.

The appetizer was pure New York – I bought potato pancakes at the historic German grocer up the street – perfect silver dollars that I just threw in the oven to crisp up.  The whole apartment smelled like memories of my great-grandmother.  And to go with them, sliced sable from the bagel shop around the corner.  With that, I stirred together a cup of Greek yogurt (my go-to substitute for sour cream, which I never have) with three spoonfuls of prepared horseradish with salt and lots of pepper, and this cucumber salad from Bon Appetit.

The main course, my “thing that you make ahead” was a gorgeous brisket recipe – also very great-grandmother.  But it is in fact from one of my favorite food writers, the incredibly modern and fresh Donna Hay, that I discovered while living in London (she’s Australian).  It comes from her book The New Easy, and I can’t recommend it enough.  So simple, braised together with rosemary, pancetta, red wine, and tomatoes.  Making it ahead means you can skim away the fat, which I personally prefer, and the flavors penetrate and tenderize the meat.  It was the best brisket I ever made – so juicy, soft, collapsing under the fork.  Bright and tangy from the vinegar despite the inherent richness.  And with the wintry, woodsy pine perfume from the rosemary that matched the bouquets of pine bough scattered throughout the apartment in giant glass vases.

With that, I took a page out of my French travels, and served buttered whole wheat elbow macaroni.  That’s right!  I always see beautiful French stews and daubes served with little elbows, baby shells, or ditalini, and I am captivated by how unpretentious it is!  The whole wheat part may be a little pretentious – but I just prefer it, and I love the heavier flavor and texture with meat.  With that, a green salad with my favorite new dressing – a very light take on Caesar that I will post soon.  (For those near New York and Chicago, have you tried Gotham Greens?  I really love them – particularly the “Queens Crisp”.)

For dessert, I stayed in France, by way of England.  In the south, I always see peaches or apricots mixed with lavender, or verbena, or almond – I always order it.  But Mr. English loves his crumbles and crisps – and it is winter.  So I started with frozen organic peaches, and tossed them with a bit of cornstarch and almond extract – just a dash to give it that drunk-on-marzipan flavor.  Amaretto would have worked too, had I thought of it.  The crisp mixture was a combination of whole wheat flour, almond meal, sugar, butter, olive oil, and sliced almonds.  I threw the whole thing in the oven, and the fruit collapsed from frozen-solid rocks into a soft, thick, bubbling, sweet, psychedelic orange mess that was topped by this hearty flavored and delicately textured crumb.

My father brought vanilla ice cream, which proves that he is a man of good sense.

(Frozen) Peach and Almond Crisp
serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

For the peaches:
30 ounces of frozen peaches
3 tablespoons corn starch
¼ cup granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
½ - ¾ teaspoon of almond extract (depending on how much you love marzipan) (optional)

For the crisp topping:
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup almond meal
½ cup granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter, straight from the fridge, cubed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup sliced almonds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a buttered baking dish, toss the peaches with the cornstarch, ¼ cup sugar, pinch of salt, and almond extract, if using. Set the baking dish on a baking tray lined with foil (it makes cleanup easier), and set aside.

In a food processor, whiz together the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt until combined. Then add the butter and olive oil and run until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the sliced almonds and pulse a few times until just distributed, but not broken up. Pour the mixture evenly over the peaches, and bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crisp is golden – an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Vanilla ice cream, heavy cream, or crème fraiche is encouraged.

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Categories: Desserts, Easy, Eat, Fruit, Recipes, Vegetarian
 
Sunday, November 29th, 2015

Leftover Turkey Salad with Lemon and Tarragon

RECIPE: Leftover Turkey Salad with Lemon and Tarragon
Turkey Salad with Tarragon

Turkey Salad with Tarragon and Lemon

I have to admit, until this year, I have been terrible about Thanksgiving leftovers.  It’s as if the glory of the main event is so great, that I don’t want to tarnish its memory with seconds — second bests, second servings.  I never could understand what everyone is raving about.  I find turkey sandwiches crammed with cranberry sauce to be dry and completely un-enticing.

But I am also an obsessive bargainer, and there is no better deal for feeding a houseful of family that what’s already bought and paid for in the fridge.

What I didn’t want to do was to make things that were a sad recreation of the great feast.  Instead, I went off-piste.  Turkey salad is nothing novel, but I wanted to do away with the traditional Thanksgiving flavors.  I peeled off the turkey skin that was coated in autumnal herbes de Provence, and Mr. English and I shredded the white meat with our fingers.  In a large bowl, I whisked together an olive oil-based mayonnaise, the zest and juice of a lemon, a finely chopped shallot, and copious amounts of fresh tarragon leaves, that smell like mint and licorice got married.  It feels fresh and bright — the opposite of warm, woodsy Thanksgiving flavors, which, as much as I love them, had been sufficiently represented for the time being.

I brought the turkey and tarragon salad to the table for six with warm whole wheat pitas and salads of fresh cherry tomatoes with olive oil and salt, and a fennel cole slaw.

Dry leftover sliced turkey has been a hard sell; this time, we had nothing left.

Try whole wheat baguette or croissants, too!  Bon app…

Turkey Salad with Tarragon

Leftover Turkey Salad with Lemon and Tarragon
serves 6

INGREDIENTS
½ cup mayonnaise
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
½ cup whole tarragon leaves
Salt
Pepper
4 cups shredded leftover cooked turkey meat (I like the white meat for this!)

METHOD
In a large bowl, whisk together everything but the turkey. Then fold in the turkey, so it is completely covered with the sauce. I serve in warm whole wheat pitas, or with multigrain baguettes, or even, if that’s where we are that day, on whole wheat croissants!

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Categories: 15 Minutes, Bread & Butter, Cheap, Easy, Eat, Main Courses, Poultry, Recipes, Sandwiches
 
Wednesday, November 25th, 2015

What’s for Thanksgiving dinner?

Everyone around the office is asking each other where they’re going and what they’re making for the big day tomorrow.  In case you’re looking for some last-minute inspiration (or you’re my relative!), this is what I’ll be doing.

To Start

Last week’s Mushrooms “à L’Escargot”, of course!  Done family style, in the center of the table, in a big gratin dish.

The Turkey

I’m still deciding on whether it will be fresh or dried herbes de Provence, but I will steam the bird in a rack in a roasting pan, wrapped in foil, with a bit of white wine and stock, and then will uncover it and rub it with an herb compound butter.  I will then be finishing the gravy with cloves of roasted garlic that baked along with the bird.  Yum!

The Sides

Outdoor grilled Brussels sprouts from my mother’s garden, tossed with this Sherry-Thyme vinaigrette (thank you to my friend Julie for the vinaigrette recipe!)

We never have Thanksgiving without haricots verts.  I’m trying this recipe with tomato-almond pesto from Bon Appetit this year.

We usually do potatoes au gratin, but I have triumphed this year, and am sneaking in some potatoes boulangères for a change.  I’m still fine-tuning my recipe, but if you want a guide, this one from Jamie Oliver looks good.

I will be experimenting with a cranberry mustard.  Hopefully I’ll have the recipe for you next year, but I’ll be bubbling down some cranberries and sugar, and mixing with two types of Maille mustard: classic Dijon and whole grain.

The Cheese

Mr. English has insisted on a cheese course.  We’re doing a trilogy, along with thinly sliced apples, clusters of grapes, and walnuts.  Plus more cranberry mustard, and a giant boule.

Dessert

I usually love to make apple cider sorbet, but this year, we are going deep on pies, because no one can agree on which pie is acceptable.  Pumpkin for the Americans.  Pecan which seems to be more acceptable to the French.  And then coconut cream, because we have lost all sense of propriety and self-control.  I will be attempting a brûlé top on the pumpkin pie, and will be serving it with a freshly whipped maple-whisky cream.

I hope you have a beautiful, bursting Thanksgiving.  In my family, we go around the table with a a Champagne toast.  Everyone says what he or she is thankful for.  It is sobering at times, ebullient at others.  I am certainly thankful to be able to share food and conversation with you all.  So, merci and bon app!

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Categories: Uncategorized