Southern Hospitality

I have written before about the joy associated with entertaining friends and relatives in your home. I am here to tell you now that it is a treat beyond explanation to be the guest on the receiving end of such gracious hospitality. During our short vacation, we had the pleasure of visiting my husband's Aunt and Uncle in Loris, SC, a lovely southern town where charm and tradition abound.

I wanted to capture for you the elegance of the evening by photographing the table scape that awaited our family for this wonderful meal. The silver was polished, the crystal was shining and every guest was overwhelmed by the efforts put forward by the host and hostess. We dined on a perfectly prepared spinach lasagna and meatballs and the most interesting rendition of garlic bread that I have ever tasted. I'm trying to get that recipe for you and will share in a later blog. All I remember is that it was slathered with a concoction of mayonnaise, garlic and herbs, broiled until bubbly and served warm, yum!!!

Of course the meal was served with a selection of appropriate wines and desert was the lightest lemon pie topped with freshly whipped cream. Even their 7 year old grandson got into the act and helped to whip the cream. This was truly an example of SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY at its best and enjoyed even more by me as I was able to be a guest from start to finish.

During our trip I also was thrilled to receive a gift from my sister of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" volumes one and two, by Julia Child and Simone Beck. These are the books that got my "blogging" started in the first place so I am very excited about the prospects that lie ahead. I have chosen my first meal to be Saute de Veau Marengo (Brown Veal Stew with Tomatoes and Mushrooms). My son and his girlfriend are coming for dinner tomorrow so they will be my first guinea pigs in cooking from the Julie Child book. If this turns out well, I'll be sure to share the recipe for all to enjoy. It is relatively simple with a limited number of ingredients.

I again encourage you to send me your comments on what you would like to see in upcoming blogs. If there is a particular cut of meat or fish that you would like to prepare but are looking for new preparation ideas, just let me know. Please keep your interest in cooking and entertaining and let me know how I can help sustain that interest.

Bon Appetit!!!

Creativity in Cooking

Today I'm sharing with you a picture of a beautiful toasted coconut cake which I had the pleasure of tasting last weekend. We were invited to a Labor Day celebration where all the guests were asked to bring a dish. There was one very talented guest who brought along several different desserts with the centerpiece being this cake pictured in today's blog. There were many wonderfully tasty ingredients in this cake including rum and coconut milk but the crowning glory was the way that she presented it, using palm fronds and bamboo to carry out the theme of her cake. We are only limited by our own imaginations!!!

I will be taking a short vacation over the next few days so there will be no posts to my blog until I return on September 22. While I am away if there are any specific topics you would like to see me cover, please send them to me via the "comment" section on the blog. You may have noticed that there are adds following each blog. I encourage you to click on some of these ads. You will find coupons for some everyday household items, and links to other food related retailers like Williams-Sonoma.

Have a good week and I'll be back real soon....

Mise en Place

Okay, so you have now accumulated the appropriate tools to allow you to get started on this new journey. The next step comes with actually diving in, rolling up your sleeves, putting on that apron, and getting to work. The French have a term which best describes getting properly prepared for your recipe and that term is "mise en place." Now I'm not French, but my interpretation of this term is something like "everything in its place."

I have pictured for you here all the ingredients which I assembled for a recent Melon Semifreddo that I prepared a couple of weeks ago. It really doesn't matter the recipe, this simply demonstrates to you that through the use of small, medium and large vessels, you can get all your ingredients lined up for smooth incorporation. I happen to be a bit of a compulsive shopper when it comes to buying "small" bowls. I love to have them handy when measuring out spices, fresh herbs, vegetables, etc so you will find way too many of these in my cupboards. Not necessary for most of you, just be sure that you invest in an adequate quantity of measuring cups, mixing bowls, and plain old custard cups.

One of my followers happens to be a Sales Director for Pampered Chef and I know she would love to help each and everyone of you acquire prep and batter bowls, right Vanessa? As I get smarter about the capabilities of this blog site, I hope to incorporate links where you can just click and order from sites like hers. More to follow on that....

So now we have learned another term, Mise en Place, to add to your cooking repertoire. Let's go on to explore some other basic cooking terms which you'll see in recipes and on this blog site.
I have used a wonderful book in order to share these definitions with you, you might want to add it to your library, The Kitchen Companion by Polly Clingerman. You can find a world of helpful hints in this book.

Blanch: Cook food in boiling water for a very short time to prepare for further cooking or freezing.

This practice is used most often with fresh vegetables like green beans. Remember when "blanching" you'll want to immediately immerse them after draining, into an ice bath to set the color and stop the cooking.

Bouquet garni: Herb bouquet used to flavor liquid dishes.

This garni is typically wrapped in cheese cloth and tied with kitchen string. Your recipe will advise what herbs to put in your bouquet garni typically thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, parsley.

Deglaze: Pour water, stock or wine over brown and caramelized pan drippings in order to loosen them by stirring and scraping. The flavor-rich liquid is then used for sauce.

A very simple step to take that will add incredible richness to any meat prepared in a saute pan. I most always use wine or stock, rarely will I use water as you really want this step to impart a wonderful depth to your sauce. It is best done on a very warm pan so stand back and let the liquid reduce in the pan when it first hits the hot surface.

Dredge: Sprinkle food with flour, sugar, bread crumbs or seasoning.

Always be sure that if you are dredging meat or poultry in any of these that you keep your hands clean so as to not cause cross-contamination. In other words, wash your hands frequently.
En papillote: A method of cooking in a wrapper, usually parchment or foil.

Such an elegant way to prepare a nice piece of fish and your clean up is so easy when you prepare en papillote!

Julienne: Cut food into uniform pieces about the size and shape of a kitchen match: 2" long by 1/4 ".

This step will take a bit more time, but the end result will be well worth it. If you choose this approach, it is best to insure that all pieces are close in size so that they look nice and cook at the same time.

Poach: Cook food in a liquid heated to just below the boiling point.

We typically think of poaching eggs, but fish and chicken can be nicely prepared this way.

Reduce: Boil a liquid so some of the water content evaporates and the liquid becomes thicker and more concentrated.

As I mentioned above with the explanation of deglazing, you want to boil a liquid like wine or stock down so that it thickens and the flavor intensifies.

Saute: French for "pan fry." The term means "to jump;" when you saute, you toss the food to keep it from sticking or burning.

This is only accomplished with a good saute pan, must have a thick bottom to allow for even distribution of the heat. Can't have enough saute pans!!!

Sweat: Cook sliced or chopped ingredients in a little oil or butter over low heat, until they ooze their juices and begin to brown.

This is very often a preliminary step for stewing or soup making and you'll see the term used most often with onions, celery, carrots, peppers, etc.

Zest: The outermost surface of the peel of a citrus fruit.

There are a couple of different ways to zest, one is to use that wonderful Microplane grater I mentioned before. You can also use a swivel bladed peeler, just be careful that you do not remove any of the bitter white pith from underneath the peel.

Hopefully this have given you a good foundation for some of the terms you have seen or will see in recipes. If we can "demistify" this thing called cooking, then you will see that it can really be a fun and creative past time.

Bon Appetit!!!

Fresh Avocado Salad

I have received a request to provide more specifics about this particular salad. The ingredients are all fresh and the whole preparation should take no more than 10 minutes. The hardest part would be pealing and slicing the avocado. Here is the recipe...

Fresh Avocado and Tomato Salad
Ingredients: 4 servings

• 1 Florida or Haas Avocado (I use the FL which is in season right now)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 heart of romaine lettuce
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• 1/4 thinly sliced red onion

Wash and dry the heart of romaine lettuce and thinly slice or "chiffonade" it and place as a bed on 4 plates.

Peal the avocado and cut in half by rotating your knife around the avocado lengthwise. If the fruit is just ripe, you will be able to crack the avocado open much like an egg using your hands. The pit will remain in one half. To remove it, use a heavy knife, like a chef's knife and "whack it" so that the knife sticks into the pit. Simply twist the pit and it will come out still stuck to the knife.

Slice the avocado into thin half moon shape slices and layer them on the bed of romaine lettuce. Thinly slice the Roma tomatoes and the Red onion and layer them on top of the avocado.

In a small bowl, mix the juice of the lime with salt and pepper and slowly add the olive oil, continuing to beat the vinigarette while you add the oil. Drizzle this over the salad and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Bon Appetit!!!

Food Tips and Techniques

Today we'll explore some of the very basic elements of putting together a good meal. We all know from a nutritional standpoint that to plan a well balanced meal, we need to incorporate fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. The USDA claims that the "average American diet overemphasizes foods high in saturated fats, particularly animal products such as meat and cheese, and processed and refined foods full of sweeteners, hydrogenated shortenings, sodium and empty calories. "

In my mind, the safest way to insure that the ones you love eat well balanced meals free of man-made additives, is to cook them yourself using fresh, wholesome ingredients. I am not a proponent of "organic" products as I believe they increase the cost of your meals while deriving a minimal benefit. If you choose to use them, that is a personal choice and one that must be weighed against the added cost of the ingredients. In my opinion, getting fresh produce, fresh meats/poultry/fish and dairy products are critical to the taste and "likeability" of the end result, your meal....

Some of you have asked me to explain more about the fundamentals of managing a kitchen, insuring you have the right tools for the job, and finally what I call, task management (i.e. insuring all the steps come together at the right time). I will break this down over the next few blogs to address the components in sufficient detail. We will start in this blog by talking about the equipment that make it possible for you to do your job well.

Securing a set of good knives is one of the first steps toward readying your kitchen for work in the safest, most efficient way. Just like a tennis player, or golfer, or an artist would prepare for their sport or profession by securing the best racket, club or tool, so should even a home cook give that same level of attention to securing a good personal collection of knives. These knives will become as important as your own fingers, an extension of your hands if you will.

There are several schools of thought about knives but I have learned that German or Japanese made knives are some of the best. You'll want knives that can be sharpened, you'll need to store them properly and always use an appropriate cutting surface. Cutting on metal or glass will dull your knives so to prevent this use wooden or composition cutting boards.

At a minimum, you'll want a Chef's knife, which you will use for chopping, slicing or mincing chores. A Boning knife with a 6 inch blade which you will use to separate raw meat or fish from the bone or skin. A Slicing knife used to slice cooked meat and a Paring knife with a 2 - 4 inch blade. My favorite knife is a 7" Santuko knife which I use for all my slicing and chopping chores.

We next look to what I would call your "hand tools." Those small tools that supplement your knives which no kitchen should be without.

1. Swivel-bladed peeler - use this to peel skin from vegetables and fruits
2. Melon Baller - use to scoop balls or ovals from vegetables and fruits.
3. Kitchen fork - use to remove meats to carving board and steady them for cutting.
4. Spatula - use for turning pancakes or grilled foods.
5. Whisks - use to beat, blend and whip foods.
6. Rolling pin - use to roll out dough
7. Measuring spoons - use for most recipes
8. Thermometer - use an "instant read" to measure foods internal temperature
9. Liquid Measuring Cups - use for measuring liquids.
10. Dry Measuring Cups - use for measuring dry ingredients, flour, sugar, etc.
11. Colander - use for straining or draining foods.

And last but not least you'll want to have some mixing bowls. These usually come in sets of 3-4 bowls however, I have purchased additional bowls which I also use for food prep bowls.

To complete your kitchen tool set, you'll need a good set of pots and pans for stovetop cooking. I prefer to use a heavy base, stainless steel variety as this provides for easiest clean up after you're done. I only have 2 sauce pans and 1 stock pot and 1 dutch oven, however I have several saute pans which I can take from the stove top to the oven to finish the cooking process.

These are quite simply the "basic" tools I believe you'll need to run an efficient kitchen. Later this week, we'll talk about managing the process of bringing your meal together. There is a term used by the French which best describes getting ready to cook, Mise en Place. We'll explore this in our next blog.

Bon Appetit!!

Mid-Week "What to Cook Dilemma"

Well as the week progresses, we arrive at that proverbial "hump day" and along with that comes the challenge of what to serve for dinner. I usually have a quick something in the freezer that I can pull out to help me through this dilemma so let me share some of these tips with you now.

When I make a pot of soup, I always make enough to insure that I can freeze a quart for just one of these occasions. It just so happens that I have a quart of chicken vegetable soup so I have taken that out to thaw. To jazz this up a little, I'm going to pair this up with some Chile Quesadillas, a nice alternative to a loaf of crusty bread (which is always a nice combo with soup). The Quesadillas gives you a chance to throw in some additional protein. These are real simple to make and the kids, grand kids and even spouses will love them. Here's all you need to do.

Hatch Chile Quesadillas (The Fresh Market employee recipe)
Ingredients:

• 3 fresh hatch green chiles roasted (see below)


• 4 (12 in.) flour tortillas


• 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded


• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


• 1 cup Tomatillo green chile salsa (just use the jar kind, it's just as good)


• 1 cup sour cream


• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Wash and dry the hatch green chiles. These look like large jalapeno peppers and are pictured above. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place the peppers under the broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes until they are charred turning them half way through. Remove from the oven, wrap them in the foil for 10 minutes then run them under water to remove the skins. Remove stems, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds, dice into small pieces.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle sprayed with cooking spray, over medium high heat. Place a tortilla into pan. Cover half of tortilla with cheese, chiles and beans then fold over. Press down gently with spatula. Cook quesadilla about a minute more on each side until lightly browned and cheese has melted. Transfer to cutting board. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges, serve with tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cilantro on the side.

These Quesadillas could be perfect on their own and you could always include some left-over chicken from that rotisserie chicken you picked up at the market a couple days ago. Add a salad of fresh avocado, tomatoes and a fresh lime vinaigrette and you are good to go. Hope you enjoy this mid-week tip and your family/friends do to.

Bon Appetit!!