Spice Dish

Tastes of Summer

It’s summer. Summer sun, summer fun, summer fruit. What’s a girl to do? Make ice cream of course. Well Strawberry Rhubarb Sorbet (pg 129) and Fresh Apricot Ice Cream (pg 76).

This was another one of those back-to-back batch days. The second the ice cream maker bowl was refrozen I plopped the second batch in. First batch? Fresh Apricot. I had a birthday dinner to go to that night and I was (of course) charged with bringing the dessert. I mean really…. who wouldn’t want fresh, homemade ice cream for their birthday?

David starts off his recipe by acknowledging that people who live where fresh apricots are available are ‘lucky.’ I am one of the lucky indeed. I actually grew up amidst apricot orchards. We had an apricot tree in our backyard. My dog used to jump up and eat the thick, juicy fruits off the tree while I sat on the back steps and split open heavy fruit after heavy fruit.

 

This recipe just called to me. It just screamed ‘childhood.’ The recipe does call for almond extract, but I substituted (a very non-childhood ingredient) brandy. Why brandy? Cuz hey… it was a birthday! The result was rich, creamy and gone in a flash. As soon as that bowl hit the table… drunken birthday goers had at it.

 

The next batch I made was an iffy one. It was Strawberry-Rhubarb Sorbet. For starters, I hadn’t had rhubarb since I was a kid (a friend’s mom made it into desserts… unsweetened) so I wasn’t super excited about it. Getting Designated Eater Mimi to eat it wasn’t going to be easy either. While I was up for giving rhubarb another go, I had to sneak the rhubarb into her. She’d never tasted it, and its strange red-celery looks gave her ‘the icks.’ I told her it was plain old strawberry and handed her a spoonful to which she proclaimed ‘mmm it’s good’ to which I did my ‘ha ha you like rhubarb’ dance.

 
Oh you rhub!

I followed David’s advice and chose the brightest, reddest stalks in the bunch. He advises this so that your sorbet will be ‘enticingly colored’ and oh my, was it ever. The resulting sorbet was delightfully tart and somehow very sweet at the same time. It's earmarked for a neighbor and a coworker but I really think  I may make  this again to keep some for myself. I'm sure the next batch won't require any trickery to get D.E.M. to eat it either! 

 

Enjoy!

Erin

As always, all recipes are available in David Lebovitz' The Perfect Scoop.

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

 

Chocolate & Champagne

I think I had decadence on the mind because for this round of recipes, I busted out not only the chocolate but the champagne as well.

 

By special “request” (read: Designated Eater Mimi demanded) that I made another batch of chocolate. I willingly conceded and made a batch of the immaculately rich, super fluffy, decadently rich and creamy Milk Chocolate Ice Cream (pg 31). For a little extra decadence I chopped up an espresso bean studded piece of dark chocolate to mix in. Oh so good.

 

Do I like grapefruit? Not really. Do I like champagne? Hells yeah. Do I really love the Pink Grapefruit-Champagne Sorbet found on pg 118?? Oh yeah. This is actually a flavor I remember from my childhood. There was a very fancy French restaurant my dad would take me to for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries… all those life biggies.

One night the chef made a champagne-grapefruit sorbet as a palette cleanser and I fell in love with it. From then on, whenever we called to make a reservation the chef would take note that we were coming in and he made sure to make it for me… special. Lucky girl. While making this recipe I had one of those ‘I hope this holds up to my childhood memories’ moment. It did. Oh it did. It’s clean, crisp, fruity, refreshing and somehow oh so decadent all at the same time. 

So pink , so pretty.

Enjoy!

Erin

Just  a reminder... all recipes in this project can be found in David Lebovitz' Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments

Fan Letter… to My Mom

Sarah from Pink of Perfection has done it again. Her monthly project, this month? To tell someone we care about “just how exquisite they are.” She asks that participants “scrawl it on a college-ruled page or make a pilgrimage to a stationery shop” in order to let that special person know just how they have affected your life. So here goes.

Fan Letter… to my mom

That's my mom

First off, this post is waaay overdue. I should have done it at Mother’s Day. Not because I don’t tell my mom how awesome she is regularly… but because I haven’t told you people how amazing she is. I know she’ll read this too because she’s supportive like that.

She has been teacher to me, beyond being a parent, a friend, a role model, and a mentor. She’s now, and always, an inspiration. She’s strong, supportive, independent, freakin’ adorable, supportive, understanding, supportive, loving… did I mention supportive?

I haven’t always made the most parent-approved decisions in my life, but she’s supported me no matter what I’ve decided to take on. Become a bartender after she spent thousands of dollars on a college education? Ok sure. Start a real career and then drop it all to move to New York… shortly after 9/11… go ahead! Move back a year later with no money? C’mon home! Accept whomever I was dating at whatever time? Why not? Like I said… my mom rocks.

 

One reason she rocks…. Take Mother’s Day for example. Some moms require jewelry, flowers, champagne and their kids doting on them with loving, perfect eyes. My mom? Fish n’ chips and a beer at a little pub she likes by the beach. Seriously.

 

Cameron’s in Half Moon Bay is a crazy English pub with a double decker bus parked outside. They’ve got a massive menu but mom always orders the fish n’ chips.  During a fun lunch where we played 20 questions (the little electronic kind) did she drill me with inquiries as to when I’m going to have a kid? Nope. “How about we toddle through town… “ was her only request. Half Moon Bay is a small town. Once you’ve popped in the shops the only left to do is stop for ice cream. “Okie”. See… she’s easy that way.

 

My mom has been through a lot in her life. Family stuff, career stuff, relationship stuff… all the ‘stuff’ women of her generation had to figure out how to do… in a new way. She’s always stood on her own two feet. She’s always cared for others before herself. She’s always been there when her family needed her. And she’s also promised never to make meatloaf or tuna casserole ever again.

Through everything, she's kept her sense of humor and her own sense of self. My mom.... well she's amazing and I love her.

Erin

Sorbetastic!

Check Out My Melons!

So my freezer is filling up fast. I’m making batches of ice cream quicker than I can eat them or even give away. I’ve decided that unless I know I’ll be sharing with a large group… I will be making half-batches. With that said… I’m glad the last batch I made prior to this decision was David’s Cantaloupe Sorbet on pg 111. I’m in love with this.

 

I was really excited to make this flavor. On the way home I stopped by one of my favorite markets (an amazing Mexican/Vietnamese/Thai hybrid place). I made my way past the mangosteens, durians and sweet lemons and headed to the pyramid of melons. I used David’s tips for picking out just the right cantaloupe and I headed home.

This insanely easy recipe yielded sorbet that offered the fruitiest taste I’ve ever tasted. Fruitier than fruit. Seriously.

The color is this amazing light creamy orange color, and it smells like summer. I highly recommend using a white wine. I had a Robert Mondavi Moscato open so I used that. It added a lovely backdrop of sweetness. I’ve been eating this like it’s going out of style.

I loved the cantaloupe so much I decided to go round two with the sorbets. Since I’d committed to making half-batches and I had two ripe Bartletts staring up at me from the fruit bowl… I decided that Pear Sorbet would be next. The process is pretty much the same as with the cantaloupe but you briefly cook the pears prior to pureeing and chilling.

The recipe doesn’t call for white wine (sparkling or otherwise) so I didn’t add any. Next time I make this (and there will be a next time) I’ll add champagne I think. I mean… I am a boozehound… but I think it really would have added a nice layer of flavor. Even without the booze though—the pear sorbet is light, luscious, refreshing and comforting all at the same time.

 

 

If you want to give David’s Cantaloupe Sorbet a try it can be found on pg 111 of The Perfect Scoop:

Cantaloupe Sorbet
One 2 lb ripe cantaloupe
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbs dry or sweet white wine or Champagne (optional… but not really)

Peel the rind from the melon, removing any traces of green, Slice the melon in half and scrape out the seeds. Cut the melon into 1-inch pieces. Puree in a blender with the sugar, salt, and lime juice until smooth. Taste, and add additional lime juice if desired and the wine, if using. Chill the mixture thoroughly then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.


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

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

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

Food Blocker

I was getting pretty bummed out about the rain the other day. It just started to feel like it would never end but instead of sitting in the house and pouting I took a stand. I put on a cute cap, my fuzzy winter coat, grabbed my camera and headed out.

I thought I’d take a note from the “Blocker” series by Charles Hodgkins at Sfist and let you in on my daily walk home. 

Most days I pop up from the 16^th & Mission BART station-- a true bastion of the down & cracked out—and head to one of the Mexican markets to grab a few veggies and fruits. These markets are fantastic! Everything you need and a bunch of stuff you didn’t know you wanted all for much less than the big supermarkets.

As I round the corner of Valencia & 16th I am always happy to see the barrage of dining choices laid out in front of me. On one corner I one can choose from a truly tasty taqueria, a double-doored, always packed Vietnamese place, a sushi joint that boasts drinks “just like mom used to make” or a lovely, upscale Peruvian eatery.

If you look down the other side of the street you will find a fantastic falafel stand, the other door to the Sunflower Vietnamese, Dalva a great place for an herbal infused cocktail and the Roxie (who doesn’t like movie popcorn?)

If you toddle down the street you’ll also run into Bar Tartine (fries cooked in duck fat anyone?) and Frjtz ( a great place for a cup of fries and a crepe). But you will also pass Bombay Creamery—the only place I know of where you can get some garam masala, a Bollywood flick, some rose petal ice cream and a samosa to go?

On my final leg of my homeward journey one would pass another Vietnamese restaurant that delivers an excellent Pho, a yummy Chinese restaurant aptly titled Yum Yum House, a family run Korean BBQ and my favorite taqueria that has been closed for remodel waayyy too long.

So that’s it. My little culinary corner of the world. And don’t think I even remotely listed off every eating option. I thought I’d just give you a taste of the wonderfulness that is my ‘hood.

What is your walk home like?

 

Erin