Spice Dish

Simple Pleasures

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. This girl… well her outlook on life is pretty infectious. For her July POP project she asked us to write up a happiness list. Why? Because, as she reminds us “it's so helpful to have at hand a reminder of what means the world to you.” Especially during a season that is “all about simple pleasures.” As you know, a picture is worth more than any essay I could write on the simple pleasures in my life. So… in pictures… I give you my Happiness List.

Watching my huge “manimals” curl up together like little mice.

 
Digging through dusty stacks of old cookbooks looking for a handwritten note left by a woman maybe a little bit like me.

Photo by Greg Westfall
Watching my students have ‘light bulb moments’ in class.

 
Tickling my nephew until he crumples into a pile of giggles.

Making ice cream!

So that's it. My summer '08 POP inspired Happiness List.

Enjoy!

Erin

 

Wok Wizzin'

Over the weekend I treated myself (and Designated Eater Mimi)to a Wok Wiz Tour. Wok Wiz is a fantastic culinary walking tour of San Francisco’s Chinatown founded by Shirley Fong-Torres.

 

It was difficult to get up early on a Sunday morning but it was worth it. We met in the lobby of the Chinatown Hilton where our very friendly tour guides greeted us, split us into two groups and hustled us out the door. Our guide Gimmy was really great.

Gimmy

She made the tour personal by sharing images of her family and interweaving her family’s personal history with the historical notes and facts she gave. It really helped to connect the history with a living, breathing human.

Gimmy shuffled us through Portsmouth Square, which is the heart of Chinatown. It’s here that even native San Franciscan’s feel like they’ve been transported to China. Little no English is spoken and sound of the men playing gambling games is pretty intense…especially on a Sunday morning. From there we visited paper-making shops, Buddhist temples, herbalists, bakeries, delis and other points of interest.

Each cookie...by hand!

I have to say that among my favorite stops was the fortune cookie factory where you are given a warm cookie to munch on while you watch the (somewhat gruff) ladies fold each cookie by hand. I also liked the Chinese hospital, which truthfully, I never knew existed. Gimmy made this stop more than just a spot of architectural interest by letting us see copies of the bill her mother received when our guide was born there.

 

I really enjoyed stopping off at Red Blossom Tea Importers as well. Peter, the son in this family run business was funny, charming and captivating as he explained the tea trade and brewed us a sample. The tour concludes with your group having lunch at a Chinese restaurant where you munch on dim sum (Heart’s Delight) and a few staple, “non-exotic” (read “not scary for Midwesterners”) dishes.

 

I do wish I had opted for the more culinary intensive (more expensive) “I Ate My Way Through Chinatown Tour” but I enjoyed myself. The tourists in my group had a grand time and I really would recommend taking out-of-town visitors here or if you come for a visit… taking the tour yourself.

The cost of the basic Wok Wiz Tour is 40$ (includes lunch). More information can be found at:
www.wokwiz.com
1-800-979-3370

Enjoy!

Erin

We Are Family.....

My father brought me a gift last week. He brought me 3 cast iron skillets that my grandmother has had since the 30’s. In order to use them in the manner to which they are accustomed… he also brought me a book. Not just any book. This book is like a family album and time-capsule. There are recipes tucked in between the pages written from my mother, my father, my grandmother, my grandfather. They are written on yellowed sheets of notepaper, index cards and later… post-its.

Perfectly Seasoned

When she was married in 1942 (2 weeks after meeting my grandfather) my grandmother received a book many new brides were gifted: the Woman’s Home Companion Cookbook.

This book is well loved and used. There are check marks next to “Chicken Rolls” and “Dried Beef Balls” in the appetizer section. Check marks on the 10 pages of biscuit recipes (although by the time I was a kid my grandmother had done what millions of American women had; gone in for the ease and convenience of pre made biscuit dough).

There are stained pages and pages of ice cream recipes (and it’s all David’s fault that I own a new ice cream maker—so I’ll be digging into these ASAP). There are amazing cake recipes in there too. My grandfather was renowned for his pineapple upside dawn cake recipe—he didn’t go for the recipe in the book however—but his 12 page handwritten recipe was tucked inside the back cover much to my delight.

Recipe for Cajun Beans

I love this book for so many reasons. Beyond the huge collection of recipes that I know my grandmother cooked there is the ‘sense’ of the book. It begins with a “Wartime Postscript.” It begins: As this edition goes to press out country is still at war. Rationing is in force and shortages of many foods have developed. In a fine spirit of patriotism American homemakers have adapted themselves to the changes. It goes on to acknowledge that the cook most likely won’t be able to make many recipes in the book until the war is over but it offers hope that once the war is over she will be able to dive into those with gusto, as well as have learned to improvise when need be. It’s comforting, hopeful and tells me a lot about my grandmother.

Julep ya'll

In honor of my grandparents I wanted to pick a particularly southern recipe to start with (it also happened to be derby day – so a mint julep was a natural choice). I also wanted to give a nod to my grandfather…. so I chose a pineapple version.

Pineapple Mint Julep

Fresh mint, 6 sprigs
Sugar, ¾ cup
Lemon juice, ¾ cup
Pineapple juice, unsweetened, 3 cups
Ginger ale, 3 cups

Wash mint leaves; bruise with spoon; cover with sugar. Add lemon juice; let stand about 15 minutes; add pineapple juice. Pour over ice in pitcher or tall glasses; add ginger ale. Garnish with sprigs of mint. Makes about 8 servings.

***Now you may notice that the recipe doesn’t call for bourbon. I went right on ahead and added a healthy dose. My grandpa would have been ok with that.



Enjoy!


Erin

With Bold Knife

M. F. K. Fisher in 1942
John Engstead/Look Magazine/From ''Poet of the Appetites''

For those of you not familiar with Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher she is the godmother of food writing. Her first foray into the world of food writing came with Serve it Forth in 1937 Her final book did not come until Home Cooking: An Excerpt from a Letter to Eleanor Friede, December, 1970 published a full 60+ years after her first and 8 after her death.

M.F.K. (as she is known) was born in Albion, Michigan on July 3, 1908. In 1929, while studying at the University of California, she met Alfred Young Fisher. Soon after their wedding they moved to France. While in Dijon, she became interested in food, wine, and cheese.

After moving to California in the early 1930’s M.F.K began delving into food writing. She soon wrote her and published her first book, Serve it Forth in 1937.

Her books do not focus solely on recipes and how-to’s. She most often expressed her belief that enjoying food and cooking is a basic joy of life. Even in wartime. According to the MFK Fisher Foundation, 1942's How to Cook a Wolf was “written to inspire courage in those daunted by wartimes shortages.” Her goal was not to remind women that times were tough, she “knew that the last thing hungry people needed were hints on cutting back and making do. Instead, she gives her readers license to dream, to experiment, to construct adventurous and delicious meals as a bulwark against a dreary, meager present.”

In the 1950’s Fisher moved to St. Helena about an hour’s north of San Francisco, where she spent the rest of her life, surrounded by wineries.

The other night I pulled my copy of With Bold Knife and Fork off the shelf. From 1969, it’s a collection of her pieces on food, love and life with 140 recipes interspersed. This is such a great book. With narrative that is calming and insightful, she talks about cooking for those you love and the enjoyment of food among many other things. She offers recipes for pumpkin gnocchi, shrimp jambalaya and 138 more. I was in simple mode that night and decided that steak and vegetables was in order. Besides… her recipe for A Sauce for Steak on pg 143 just seemed so… simple and so perfect.

And it was.

M.F.K Fisher’s A Sauce for Steak is:

4 teaspoons prepared mustard
2 or 3 drops Tabasco
Scant teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Cream all together. Make 3 or 4 gashes in thick, rare steak, fill quickly with dressing, and serve at once.

That. Is. It.

It was creamy with a tinge of vinegary spice. The gashes allowed the sauce to seep into the steak and make it simply delicious.

Mmmmm.... mustard...

If you haven’t read her works yet, I highly suggest you start with, With Bold Knife and Fork. She will comfort you like a kindly, wise grandmother.



Enjoy-

Erin

Got A Light?

Now friends, this was a doozy of a find: Benson & Hedges 100’s presents 100 Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Restaurants. This groovy little number from 1978 has trademark 70’s line illustrations and photos that feature a distinct yellow patina. It was put together by Craig Claiborne… yes this Craig Claiborne… the previous year Benson & Hedges had wrangled James Beard into putting together a collection.

There are recipes from such famous restaurants as 21 in New York, London Chop House in Detroit, Gordon’s in Baltimore and India House in San Francisco. Not only is this a ‘comprehensive’ survey of American cuisine, but just to make it extra smoker friendly the book is shaped like a box of Benson & Hedges 100’s. Seriously.

I settled on a Steak Flambe Moutarde recipe on pg 28 from Bacchanal in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I used a Niman Ranch sirloin (yay local!) that I got to bean with a rolling pin…. it was like the home version of Whack-a-Mole. Always good after a long day. I also added mushrooms… because… well… we like mushrooms around these parts. Other than that I stuck to the recipe and I have to say it was a hit! So old school, so steak house.

Steak Flambe Moutarde

4 6 oz pieces sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
6 tbs butter
salt
pepper
¼ cup brandy
½ cup whipping cream
3 tbs Dijon-style mustard
2 tbs dairy sour cream
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Pound pieces of steak between pieces of waxed paper to ½ inch thickness. In large skillet, heat butter and sauté sirloins for 2 minutes. Turn and season with salt and pepper. Cook to desired degree of doneness (2 minutes each side for rare).

Pour brandy over steaks; ignite.

When flame dies, transfer steaks to warm serving platter. Add whipping cream, mustard, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce to juices in pan. Cook and stir till heated through. Pour sauce over steaks to serve. Makes 4 servings.

Now can I get a light?

Enjoy!


Erin

I Hate to Cook?

One of my newest acquisitions just might be my favorite cookbook of all time (so far anyways). The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken is cute, witty and has amazingly fantastic illustrations by Hilary Knight of Eloise fame!!!

This book, from 1960, begins:
"Some women, it is said, like to cook. This book is not for them"  Hear Hear! Now... don't get me wrong-- I adore cooking but Ms. Bracken is coming from a time when cooking was a chore... not a hobby. She claims that her book is "for those of us who want to fold our big dish-water hands around a dry Martini instead of a wet flounder, come the end of a long day." I say grab the martini AND the flounder... but that's just me.

The chapter headings are brilliant: The Leftover (or Every Family Needs a Dog), Desserts (or People Are Too Fat Anyway), and Last-Minute Suppers (or This Is The Story of Your Life). This book is hysterical. Basically all this woman wants is a good cocktail... and really who could blame her?

Beyond looking for ways to not cook she does offer some great recipes for when you must... like Saturday Chicken (which apparently is a lot like Sunday Chicken), Hellzapoppin Cheese Rice and Stayabed Stew.

She also offers up some great household tips like "If your daughter wears a pony-tail hairdo, giver her a pipe cleaner to put it up with. It won't pull, as a rubber band does." Ahhh life before scrunchies.

While flipping through, on pg 116, I found a recipe for Coffee Pudding. Pudding? Coffee? Together??? Hell yeah!! I decided to give it a shot. The recipe is as follows:

Melt twelve marshmallows in two cups of strong black coffee. Then add enough whipping cream to make it a pretty café au lait color, and pour it into a freezing tray. Leave it for eight hours. Serve it in sherbet glasses with whipped cream on top, and some chopped nuts if you have them.

Ok… twelve marshmallows of what size? Two cups of coffee…. meaning two measuring cups or two coffee cups? “Enough whipping cream”? What’s enough? What’s too much? A freezing tray? What’s a freezing tray? “Leave it for 8 hours"? Leave it where? In the freezer? In the fridge? On the counter??? I guessed and put two in the freezer and two in the fridge. The ones in the freezer…. froze solid. Not ice cream solid… ice solid. The ones in the fridge had the consistency of really, really runny pudding. Hrrrm. Not such a success.

Oh well. They can’t all come out perfect.  A martini makes a fine dessert anyways doesn’t it?

Enjoy!

Erin

P.S. You can read a fantastic article on Peg Bracken and her masterpiece, written by Laura Shapiro of Gourmet Magazine here. 

And one from the New York Times here.

Foodie Geekdom

In case you haven’t picked up on this… I’m not just a food geek… I’m a food history geek. Yup. It’s true. I can’t hide in the library’s shadows any longer. I’m busting with goodies to share. So what am I currently obsessed with you might ask?

Well right now I’m geeking out on Hearth: Home Economics Archive: Research, Tradition, History

Image courtesy HEARTH

This AMAZING collection is from Cornell University and it’s a veritable wealth of history from the American home economics front. According to their website “HEARTH is a core electronic collection of books and journals in Home Economics and related disciplines. Titles published between 1850 and 1950 were selected and ranked by teams of scholars for their great historical importance. The first phase of this project focused on books published between 1850 and 1925 and a small number of journals. Future phases of the project will include books published between 1926 and 1950, as well as additional journals. The full text of these materials, as well as bibliographies and essays on the wide array of subjects relating to Home Economics, are all freely accessible on this site. This is the first time a collection of this scale and scope has been made available.”

Image courtesy of HEARTH

Just some of the topics covered in the collection?

Food & Nutrition, which includes: Cookery (Including Home Processing And Experimental Foods), Nutrition, Food Science, Marketing &Food Purchasing

Also found Applied Arts & Design, which includes Applied & Decorative Art, Crafts and Furniture Design, Upholstery, Refinishing, Repair.

You could also read about Retail & Consumer Studies which includes: Marketing/Merchandising, Consumer Education, Protection & Advocacy and
Consumer Co-Operatives.

There’s an unbelievable biography of books and journals. Basically… I geek out on this site for hours.

If Home Ec history isn’t your thing, but you dig general food history… check out my other favorite time-waster, I mean, obsession, oh I mean academic resource… yeah.

The Food Museum Online “offers exhibits on food history and food heritage sites. This is our home page which features temporary exhibits and serves as a gateway to food issues, our food news blog, educational programs, book reviews, other food favorites and links.”

It’s like crack to me. Yes, as I’ve established… I’m a food history geek.

You want to know about France’s historic salt industry? Check.

Image courtesy of foodmuseum.com

You want to know all about Icelandic Christmas Food Traditions? They’ve got it. Salted, fermented skate anyone???

Image courtesy of foodmuseum.com

No? How about finding out all about the Global Food Heritage Project? Mmm hmmm.

Image courtesy of foodmuseum.com

Man I love this stuff. Do you have any food history finds that you’re into?

Enjoy!

Erin

A Square Meal

This is such a great book. I LOVE listening to Jane & Michael Stern on The Splendid Table and when my mom dug up a copy of Square Meals at her local flea market I was thrilled. My mom is the best flea marketer… really… she is. Anyways—I immediately dug into this book which (as with most Stern tomes) a combination of history, Americana and food.

There is a foreword by MFK Fisher and there are sections such as “Lunch Counter Cooking” and “The Cuisine of Suburbia.” There are recipes for things like Swing Shift Sandwich Filling and Ann Landers Meatloaf advice and a loaf of meat?? Was there anything she couldn’t do?

The other night the designated eater, Mimi, requested that I make fried chicken. She had a craving… what can I say? Not only did I remember that there was a recipe in Square Meals and thought it would be the perfect time to give it a shot but I also have some southern roots and I've been wanting to make some southern food. My grandparents were the kind that made cornbread with honey and jam baked inside, fried okra, short ribs, fried chicken, bacon, bacon, eggs cooked in bacon fat, Coca-cola ham, sweet tea and home made buttermilk dressing on everything.

Needless to say I loved eating at my grandparents house. While I was growing up my dad carried on a few of those traditions: buttermilk dressing at every meal, less-sweet tea, big Sunday breakfasts (of eggs, bacon and bacon fame) and occasionally fried chicken.

Not pretty... but tasty

I busted out Jane Stern’s recipe and set out on an Ode to My Southern Roots or
Country Pan-Fried Chicken:

3 lbs chicken breasts and legs
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
Brown paper bags
1 cup lard
1 cup Fluffo shortening

I added Tapatio hot sauce to the buttermilk (because we live in a Mexican neighborhood and that’s how we roll). I also used peanut oil instead of the lard and Fluffo (which I’ve never heard of anyways).

Let chicken warm to room temperature. Wipe with damp cloth. In a wide bowl, beat egg with buttermilk. Place flour and peppers in a brown paper bag.

In a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) heat lard and shortening (or oil).

Dip each piece of chicken in buttermilk-egg mixture and place in brown paper bag. Close top of bag and shake until piece is well coated. Remove and repeat for each piece.

When shortening is hot (375*), ease chicken into pan and cook over high heat, turning so both sides cook evenly. Do not crowd more than a few pieces of chicken in pan at one time. When chicken is light golden on both sides, turn down heat to low and partially cover skillet. Cook 15 minutes, turning chicken once.

Remove chicken and drain on brown paper bags. Serves warm or cool. Serves 6 to 8.

Golden, crispy goodness

I actually put my pieces on a rack on a sheet pan and popped them into a 375* for another 15 minutes because we used big, bone-in thighs and they weren’t quite done and the kitchen was quickly filling with smoke!! This allowed some extra oil to drip out of the chicken and to make the coating even more crispy!

In an added nod to grandma I served the chicken with mac n’ cheese and an iceberg salad with homemade buttermilk dressing. Seriously, we had this with every single meal growing up. I never knew how much I missed the taste!

If you want to make your own:

Mix equal parts buttermilk and mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
Lots of dill
A dash of table sugar
And a piece of garlic set through a press or a microplane
(I added a few dashes of hot sauce too.)

Mix it up and let it set in the fridge for at least 30 mins.

Grandma would be proud!

 

Enjoy!

Erin

It’s Cookie Time

It’s cookie time. It is. I went home last night with the best plans of whipping up a few batches of cookies for my coworkers. There have been amazing cookie recipes all over the place this week like this one, this one and this one. They all look scrumptious and I want to make them, but I wanted to dig through one of my vintage cookbooks and offer up something not yet done for you out there in blog-land.

Easier said than done apparently because at 9 o’clock I was still digging through my collection and trying to make a decision as to just what Christmas treat I was going to make! See… I believe I’ve mentioned this before… but my cookbook collection is a little out of control.

 

I started my search with my initial batch of books front and center on the baker’s rack in the kitchen. Lots and lots of different ideas in there especially in the Patisserie of Vienna  and my copy of Prudence Penny. But I wanted to make sure I picked just the right thing so I headed to my magazine stash! I’ve got two really.

How great is this wine crate/magazine rack hack?

One in the kitchen and one in the living room. There’s lots of old copies of Bon Appetit, Saveur, Gourmet, Food & Wine and Real Simple (a friend who swore I’d love it) stacked up neatly in a scavenged wine crate right next to the best reading spot in the house. Man the Christmas cookies in Gourmet…. Amazing.

Under the coffee table!

I thought those would be it but just to make sure I thought I’d better check the books UNDER the coffee table… interesting… but not recipe packed… so I checked the pile in the closet… aaaahhh Julia. Ok it was getting on 8 o’clock now. Back to the kitchen to just make something. But on the way out of the closet I tripped on the pile that is sticking out from under my bed and taking over the general night-stand area. Tripped people.

Stacks in my closet...seriously!

Well I sat down to ‘flip’ through these, hoping there would be a Mexican Christmas cookie in the Recipe of Memory: Five Generations of Mexican Cuisine. An hour later I was still pouring over In Memory’s Kitchen (an amazing book of recipes put together by women in Jewish concentration camps) and then because I needed some lightening up I poked into Julie/Julia. 

Like the dark under-the-bed shot??

Oh man… cookies were so a no-go. There were some long faces this morning in the office I have to admit but I actually had a great night going through all those recipes and what-not. I also realized that I could own 500 more books and I still would have so much to learn! And yes… My Name is Erin and I’m a Cookbook Addict.

Hope you all have a good holiday!
Erin

 

Ring Around the Rosettes

I got a wild bug up my you-know-where the other day and I just HAD to go to my favorite restaurant supply store on Clement Street in the Richmond District. Kamei Restaurant Supply is an Asian restaurant supply store that is what Mimi calls a "toy store for adults"-- I suppose that really depends on what type of adult you are and what um type of toys you're into.... Anyhoo-- while roaming the aisles for a little 'Yay! My thesis is done' present to myself I stumbled across a Rosette maker. In an instant my childhood Christmases smacked me upside the head.

Rosettes are a Scandinavian treat that very dear family friend named Mary would make  for me every Christmas. It was something I waited for every year. I would sit in her kitchen doorway on a little stool and watch as she dipped the mold into the hot oil, then into the batter, then into the oil again. Magically, wonderfully crispy shapes would form. She would let them dry and sprinkle them with lots of powdered sugar just for me. They were so crisp, yet so amazingly light and airy. I could never get enough. We would sit there together, next to the plastic Christmas tree with clip on bird ornaments and twinkle lights and eat a whole batch until we were on the verge of tummy aches and covered in powdered sugar. 

Standing there in the restaurant supply aisle packed to brim with Hello Kitty lunch boxes and fish cleaning utensils I was instantly back on that little stool, listening to Julio Iglaseas Christmas caroling in the background (did I mention that Mary was Puerto Rican, about 65 at the time and had a mad crush on Julio?). No? Mary wasn't technically family but she was the only grandmother that grandmothered me in that spoil with treats--give lots of gifts--and treat like an angel at Christmas-- grandmother kind of way. Every year she would sew me a new Christmas dress, get me that special book that she knew I wanted and make me a pile of Rosettes.

Oh the memories of those delightful golden treats and how deft she was at making them. For me however... things did not go so smoothly. I dipped, I dropped, I dipped again and well... I don't know if it was the batter, the heat of the oil, my inexperience or a combination of those factors... but I just could not get the rosettes to form without burning, and if they did I could not for the life of me get them off the friggin' mold!

I switched to the less intricate forms and those did indeed work a bit better for me but as the house filled with smoke (I have no vent or fan) I got just a taaaaaad frustrated. I started to dallop the batter into the oil and fried up several balls. Definitely NOT the Rosettes of my childhood but these would actually make great zeppole.

The recipe here is the one that came with the mold. I used lemon extract and it was such a great touch. The zeppoles and the few Rosettes that came out ok were light and delicious with a hint of lemon. I highly suggest giving these a try -- even if you mess up... there's really nothing wrong with a pile of misshapen fried dough!

If you’re a pro at these... please let me know how to make them properly!

Rosette Cookies

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup sifted flour

1 tbs lemon extract* (*Vanilla, brandy, anise or rum extract also suggested)

Add sugar to eggs, then add milk. Sift flour with salt. Stir into egg mixture and beat until smooth. Add flavoring. Fry and cool as directed. Makes approx. 40 Rosettes. When cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

To Fry:

Heat 2” of oil in pan. Heat to 375*. Securely attach two molds to handle and immerse in hot oil until thoroughly heated. Lift iron out and shake off excess oil or blot on paper towels. Dip iron into batter only to the depth of the molds. Immerse molds into hot oil, covering completely. When foamy bubbling stops, or Rosettes are a delicate brown, lift iron out, allowing excess oil to drip back into fryer. To remove Rosette, reheat mold as necessary. (See here is where I think I went wrong. I think the words “To Remove Rosette, coax off gently with fork” were omitted from the printed page!) But after some research… apparently you ‘coax it off with a fork’ THEN reheat the damn mold.

Enjoy!

Erin