Gougères!

The interwebs are about to be inundated with posts featuring this elegant yet simple appetizer so I'm piling on the bandwagon. In a spasm of silly impetuousness (which I am sure to regret soon) I agreed to join the ranks of those whom I have previously (and lovingly?) referred to as "The Doristas". They are the intrepid group of fans of cookbook queen (and James Beard award winner) Dorie Greenspan who crank out recipes weekly from her award winning books. The Tuesday group was focused on her baking book (which I received for Christmas) but now there is a Friday group to usher in the release of her latest masterpiece, "Around My French Table: More than 300 Recipes From My Home to Yours." Now I adore Dorie (obviously, or I wouldn't commit to cooking my way through her book) but I do giggle thinking about a lady named "Greenspan" having a French table from which to share all her recipes. Oh well...I'm just glad she does! One look through the book and you can see that Dorie has the cred to pull it off and I love the idea of a cooking group (or is it a genius marketing gimmick?) where I can interact with the author and other blog chefs while I plan out the week's recipe. Whatever it is, it is fantastic! N'est-ce pas?

Seeing as this was the inaugural recipe of the group I decided to do Dorie's recipe exactly as printed (using Gruyere and a handful of cheddar) although you can do plenty to this recipe to mix it up a bit. When I made them a few years ago I put 1/4 teaspoon of dried mustard powder into the dough with a small amount of pepper for extra flavor and bite. They really don't need it. The small amount of browning their bottoms get on the sheet pan gives just a hint of that fabulous crispy, toasty cheese flavor and in my opinion that flavor carries the snack. They will take amazingly to whatever herb might be your particular favorite. Chive was tempting when I made these but I restrained myself for the sake of purity. (That's just how I am.) Check out some of the varieties here on Tastespotting and you will see what I mean about flexibility.

(UPDATE: Tastespotting approved my photo! Pretty cool considering how many they must have recieved! )

This time, I made them as specified and as the French do. I then settled down with a glass of wine, just as a lady named Greenspan recommends.

Gougères

The recipe is silly easy and it was the perfect thing to start the group. So much of French cooking starts with this basic choux recipe. The group leaders frown on its members copying out the recipe on their blogs as the idea here is to encourage people to actually get the book. As such, I can't put the recipe here as I would usually do in this space. If someone else posts it I will update a link but lets just say that Google is your friend. Most other recipes for gougeres will achieve the same basic result so go for it. You just mix some cheese into a basic choux pastry and mound by the tablespoonful onto a baking sheet. Mine here are a little larger...about 1 1/2 tablespoon mounds.

Update: Dorie herself shared the recipe here so there you go!

Orange & Rosemary Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

I stalked him again... While Greg of Sippity Sup was away in Hawaii recently I was having a sinful orgy of sorts. Night after night. No, not that sin. I was having a field day cooking up one of his more recent creations night after night: Orange and Rosemary Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Shrimp (Marinated in Sambuca.) Now its not often you get to work in the dual sins of pork and shellfish into a dish so save these for friends of the non-observant variety. Or, do as I did and lead them into temptation as no amount of prayer can save you from THESE truly addicting delights. And while the title of this sheer genius of a recipe is in need of abbreviation the ingredient list is not. There are only a handful of ingredients but each is required as they all contribute a vital element to the final dish. After first bite I couldn't imagine a single change. Not one. Let me tell you that in the world of food blogdom this practically NEVER happens. Show a blogger a recipe and we will always want to change something. Substitute a spice here, change a proportion there, something! Anything. While I was a bit skittish on the thought of using Sambuca as a marinade it turned out it is perfectly tamed by the orange zest which in turn is enhanced by the prosciutto, which benefits from the rosemary, etc. See what I mean?

I just can't seem to get enough of these and so I'm going through my address book right now trying to put together yet another gathering of friends or family so I can show these off some more. We have enjoyed these so much lately that we now refer to these as "those shrimp things". As in, "Baby, are we going to have 'those shrimp things' again tonight?" But like I said, the name needed an abbreviation anyway so "shrimp things" it is. Easily prepared ahead of time, pop them onto a hot grill after the first guests have arrived and you are good to go. They come off the grill nearly as you get them on. Don't forget to bask in the glory you will receive when your guests try them. If I am to make any change in the future it would be to work these into a main course or perhaps serve with a pasta. The recipe itself won't change a bit. Ever. Thanks Greg! Please go visit Greg at Sippity Sup where he is now participating in the Food Buzz food blogger challenge. He is as good as any food blogger out there so if you are so inclined, I'm sure he would appreciate your vote as well!

Orange and Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Shrimp
(Word for word from Sippity Sup!)

• 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails intact
• 1⁄2 c sambuca liqueur
• 1⁄4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 t orange zest, plus more for garnish
• 3 T fresh rosemary, leaves and soft tips only, plus more for garnish
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 slices prosciutto (about 4 ounces)

Place the shrimp in a single layer into a shallow sided baking pan. In a small bowl whisk together the sambuca, olive oil, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 2 tablespoons rosemary, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the shrimp. Make sure they are well coated. Let marinate 10 minutes and then turn them over to marinate 10 more minutes.

Carefully cut the prosciutto slices into thirds lengthwise. (I used kitchen scissors for this.) Try and keep each strip intact. Wrap a strip of prosciutto around the center of each shrimp, tucking a rosemary leaf or two between the shrimp and prosciutto. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp, turning once until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. As the shrimp cooks the prosciutto should shrink a bit making a very attractive looking appetizer. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with a bit more rosemary and some orange zest.

Peanut Black Salted Caramels

You didn't think I would give up on candy making so easily did you? When I get an idea into my head I don't let a little set back stop me from figuring it out. My first attempt at a chewy caramel confection ended up brittle and crunchy. Much like an Almond Roca so I just pretended that I had planned it that way and passed it around at work calling it "Bacon Roca". It tasted quite good (hello? bacon!) but it wasn't what I had set out to make. I have heard it said that cooking is an art and baking is a science but clearly anyone good at either will tell you that all cooking is both science and art. Nowhere does it seem more true than in candy making. Sugar going through its various transformations when heated is the realm of science and technique. Only after understanding the nuances therein can you then apply your art. While I understood the basic transformative effects it turns out I was way too eager for my own good.

Once I was done pawning off handing out my failed tasty bacon candy to coworkers I took a sample to someone I knew would have the forensic skills required to illuminate the error of my ways. Turns out there were quite a few! After describing my technique and process in detail (I take a lot of notes when in new cooking territory!) to one classically trained dessert chef he had no hesitations to tell me where I went wrong: I was practically devoid of any proper candy technique! Who knew that heating to the correct temperatures and following the step by step is not enough! What did I learn? 1) Don't stir! When the mixture is cooking and going through its various stages you aren't supposed to stir. If you do need to stir to get some mixture off the sides of the pan try to limit this to the early stage of the cooking process and then only use a silicone spatula or spoon. I was stirring constantly as if had I stopped the entire mixture would boil over. It won't. Let it go. 2) Heat slowly. I had my fire quite high rushing to get to the right temperature. Don't do this. I was paying attention but sugar wants to be cooked on moderate heat and it will raise to the correct temperature as it transforms. Upping the heat to get there quicker is not helpful. If the fire is too hot the mixture will continue cooking even after removing it from the heat and your sugar mixture will cook cook up to the next stage even if you take it off the fire. This is probably what went wrong with my bacon candy.


Armed with this new information I put my candy shoes back on, dug out my thermometer from the back of the drawer and went digging for my silicon spatula. Feeling that I had exhausted my workmate's tolerance for bacon (I know, who gets tired of bacon?) I leaned once again on my friend Jules for inspiration. She had made these black salt peanut caramels in addition to the bacon caramels I was trying to copy and since I actually had black salt and an open can of spanish peanuts in the pantry I was on my way. Rather than rushing the recipe I used moderate heat and let the sugar mixture itself moderate the heat and rise slowly. The mixture hit the desired temperature and then turned out easily into the pan. In hindsight I probably would not have used Spanish peanuts as their skins flake off and aren't that pretty. I actually had to pick them off one by one from the finished caramels with tweezers! That was where my art was taking over from science.



Peanut Black Salted Caramels

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup heavy cream, divided
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup spanish peanuts
• 1 teaspoon black salt

Reserve 1/2 cup of the heavy cream. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Stir to combine. Set on medium high heat and cook stirring as infrequently as possible until 240*. The candy is now at firm-ball stage.

Remove from the stove and carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cream. Place back on the heat and continue to cook to 245*. Immediately remove from heat pour the caramel into a buttered dish (the size depends on how thick you want your caramels. 8×8 = thick caramels 9×13 = thin caramels. You can also use a cookie sheet). Scatter the peanuts on top evenly. Sprinkle black salt to taste and lightly push in the peanuts that have not made contact with the caramel. Let set for at least 3 hours before cuttings.

Cantaloupe Sorbet

My bigotry free ice cream maker continues to get a workout. Its amazing how good food can be when you omit the hate from your kitchen tools! This past weekend my hubby and I were out doing errands when we remembered we needed a new garden hose and a wheely thing that a hose goes on plus a few other things for the house and garden. It just so happened that we were right in front of a Target when realization struck. After a brief pause to look at each other and silently affirm that we were both still on track with or pledge to abstain from Target, it pained us not to go in. It sure would have been convenient but I still can't bring myself to shop there given their support of anti-gay politicians in their home state. As the people were literally streaming in and out of the store to their cars I could not help but wonder how many of them, supportive of equality, were shopping there anyway in full knowledge of the controversy because it was...well...Target. I get it. Such a place is hard to give up especially when it has all you need and is right were you happen to be. Just keep in mind that values are only meaningful in those moments where they require you to give up something. Its easy to have a value if you are never challenged on it. Just bear in mind that if you value your friends or family member's struggle for equality, they don't want you to shop there. Even if it means driving across town to buy a hose somewhere else. How much to you value them?

This Kitchen Aid ice cream attachment has been at the ready in my freezer ever since I bought it and inspiration for a frozen treat has been nearly continuous. Not the type of inspiration leading to a jalapeno-mint ice cream (blech -- I saw that once on some Food Network show) but rather the more common variety inspiring the more uncomplicated pursuit of a single-fruit sorbet: cantaloupe. Sorbet is the easiest of the easy and after the very rich Chocolate Ganache ice cream a melon sorbet seemed a good way to go. Saturday's farmer's market provided the exceptionally sweet melon.


The inclusion of Lillet in this recipe is a nod to ice cream impresario David Lebovitz. He recommends the inclusion of alcohols and liqueurs in the flavor profiles of frozen treats to improve scoopability from the freezer. You don't need to twist my arm. The more I read through his book, the more I realize that you don' t really need recipes for ice creams and sorbets, you just need inspirations.


Cantaloupe Sorbet

• 2 lb. ripe cantaloupe (medium size)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• juice of one lime
• 2 tablespoons Lillet (or any white wine or champagne.)
  

Peel melon and remove seeds. Be sure to remove any trace of green from the rind. Cut into chunks and put into blender. Puree in a blender with the sugar, salt and lime juice until smooth. Add Lillet or wine if you are using it and taste. Adjust with sugar and more lime juice to taste depending on sweetness of the melon. Chill the mixture well in the bender jar and then freeze according to the instructions for your ice cream maker.

Why Do People Bake?

No shit.

I saw this postcard on postsecret.com last week. This wasn't my card but it might as well could have been. Only I don't pretend its a secret. In case you don't know about Post Secret they describe themselves as "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard." The cards are quite colorful and often thought provoking. Some are quite sad ("I wish I knew how to fall out of love") while others are funny ("My wife thinks I'm having an affair with her sister - wrong sibling!") This particular one about baking struck me only because I thought it so completely obvious that we bakers are attention seekers. I wondered why this person thought a card was necessary at all? Do check out the site -- its been a weekly stop on my blogroll for a few years now.

The baking postcard reminded me of a story one of my early MBA brand marketing professors told my class. He was a former "titan" of early day consumer product advertising (think "Madmen") and he told my class about the study he commissioned in the late 1950's for the good people at Duncan Hines. It seems late-1950's housewives were rejecting their newer, easier cake mixes in an era when products designed to practically cook themselves (TV dinner anyone?) were flying off the shelves. All the new cake mixes required was added water and a hot oven but the Betty Drapers were having none of it. The study quickly showed that the decline in sales coincided with the point mixes were updated to utilize powered eggs. Powdered eggs allowed for cake baking when fresh eggs were not available and to simplify the whole process. So why was a product made easier failing so drastically? My professor's team discovered that it was the act of breaking an egg and adding it to the mix that activated certain deep, emotional connections women have with regards to baking and the attention they were seeking from their families. Seriously! Turns out that women connect to baking much differently than they do to regular cooking. The psych studies even went so far as to suggest that women subconsciously likened the presenting of a cake to their family with the moment they brought home a new baby from the hospital! Of course, not exactly the same but they hypothesized that similar areas of the brain were at work. He went into a lot of detail that touched on Freudian egg symbolism, ovaries and the female evolutionary contributions to family, etc. as well as a bunch more far out stuff. The long and short of it was that the study unquestionably connected women emotionally to baking in a way that regular cooking did not. The origins were not just emotional but probably also biological. To make a long story short the powers that be at Duncan Hines quickly restored the fresh egg requirement and sales immediately picked up again. To this day cake mixes still require an egg even thought they certainly wouldn't need to. Think about that.

Since I don't have ovaries I was interested to read a contemporary study on baking motivations commissioned by Land O'Lakes. Their Baking Trends Report pretty much confirms the Duncan Hines findings of decades earlier -- only its results sound a much less creepy:

• Baking evokes strong emotional feelings and satisfaction which are not as evident for cooking
• A way to show love for family, friends
• Learning to bake from parent/grandparent creates emotional ties; desire to pass on and/or remember
  
• Important outlet for creative impulses, a talent
• Pride is a powerful motivator; self actualization and
• Strongest reason is emotional and relationship-related

So yeah, we bake for attention. (And blog btw.)

Caesar Salad Dressing.

One New Year's Resolution I made back in January was something I didn't talk much about at the time. I just did it. I tossed out all the bottles of store bought salad dressings that had been crowding out nearly one shelf of my refrigerator. Along with the vowed not to buy bottled salad dressings for at least one full year I splurged on a few good quality vinegars. Such a reliance on buying salad dressing was clearly one of my dirty little secrets. I would even "soup them up" with fresh herbs and such for company! And lets face it, none of them are all that good or made with decent ingredients and just about all of them are easily made at home in a few minute.

Check out David Lebovitz' homage to French Vinaigrette to see what I make most nights in various forms. Another handy chef tool for home made dressings is one of these dressing carafes from Crate and Barrel or Williams Sonoma that have the recipes of several common dressings etched into the carafe. With these the unused dressing can stay in the bottle for another night, easily shaken back to life. I now have several of these in rotation. The many store purchased bottles were taking up way too much real estate in my refrigerator and frankly, I was starting to feel shame every time I saw them rattling there. So far banning them from my home has been the easiest (and tastiest) resolution to keep that I've ever made. Until a couple weeks ago.

The one dressing I have avoided has been Caesar. It is one of my husband's favorites but it has been the one I am not all that keen to make -- at least not in the way that I was once taught. Caesar salad was taught to me as a prepared table-side dish that is begun by mashing anchovy fillets in a large wooden bowl with a fork, then garlic is added, Worcestershire sauce, etc before whisking the oil and raw eggs -- emulsifying the dressing right there in front of your guests. Only then would the romaine lettuce leaves be tossed in along with croutons. Quite a production and much more time intensive than the quick shaking of a few ingredients in a jar that I have grown accustomed to this year.

Luckily, it is one salad that Dear Husband gets his fill of during the week at one of the many regular lunch spots he frequents. The salad's ubiquity on restaurant (and even fast food) menus is as universal as Diet Coke. Wouldn't you know, however, that he started asking for it at home just as a the national egg recall was fully underway and even the usually undeterred food safety monitor (me) felt uneasy about using raw eggs.

As if on cue, Ina's repeat aired where she made a mayo based version for a sandwich spread and I was able to make the dressing in just a few minutes. Anchovy paste is one of those odd ingredients people aren't likely to have on hand but I do recommend it as you just can't make this dressing with out it. I think its safe to say that there is no store bought version of this recipe that can hold a candle to this version so if you enjoy Caesar salad, go invest in a tube of anchovy paste. It is available at any supermarket and it will not go to waste.

Caesar Salad Dressing
Adapted from Ina Garten's Caesar Chicken Sandwich Spread

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup mayonnaise.
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix together the garlic and anchovy paste, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl until well mixed. Add mayo, salt and pepper and mix with a whisk or fork until well blended. Mix in Parmesan before seasoning with salt and pepper and extra lemon juice to your own linking. Will keep in the refrigerator in a tight jar for several weeks.

Almond Basil Dip

This quick appetizer has become our new weekday staple. Its easy, healthy, tasty, and not so filling that will fill you up before you get your dinner ready. The recipe makes a large batch that can be put into separate smaller ramekins, covered with plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator ready to be pulled out at a moments notice all week long. The original recipe came from Nena Niessen's "Cures from the Kitchen" cookbook and calls for fresh cilantro. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a private cooking by Nina not so long ago and it was the cilantro version that she shared with us alongside a plate of thinly sliced jicama root slightly dusted with cayenne. What a great idea that is! Healthy chips and dip! While I am in absolutely no danger of either turning vegetarian or adjusting my eating habits to the healthy extremes Nena suggests, I did walk away with quite few healthy keepers. (I credit her with my new-found devotion to both quinoia and almond milk.)

My husband doesn't really care much for cilantro so the decision to substitute basil came easy. Ina Garten doesn't favor cilantro either so after years of seeing her sub in basil on television the idea to do so here was by now second nature. Ina never ceases to remind us whenever the herb is mentioned that she doesn't like it. (Just another of the many fun quirks that I adore.) She even went so far as to have her guest, the former owner of oft-featured gourmet market Loaves and Fishes, rework her famous "award winning" chili recipe to include basil instead of cilantro when she had a "Tex Mex" themed show. As I was watching that show for the first time I just knew there would be fireworks! Not from the various and numerous chilies the recipe called for but rather from the sputtering Texans going crazy on internet message boards at the mere thought of being taught Tex Mex by a New England born caterer and her Hampton's grocery proprietress friend calling for basil instead of cilantro in a Tex Mex Chili! If your ancestors didn't die at the Alamo, don't pretend to know anything about Tex Mex. Heresy!

Thankfully there is no canonical standard for Almond Dip so please use what you want here. The takeaway here wasn't with the specific herb or flavors which are quite basic. Nena's demonstration showed that processed soaked/blanched almonds can make a great dairy free medium for dips and spreads. (Nena is a very "dairy = bad" cook!) I will experimenting further in this medium you can be sure of that. For a more pesto flavored dip I have added a small amount of Parmesan cheese and crushed garlic. Need something even creamier? Add a dollop of Greek yogurt. This, of course, negates the dairy free nature of the dip but it makes it quite good!

Almond Basil Dip
Adapted from Nena Niessen's "Cures from the Kitchen"

• 2 cups raw almonds, soaked overnight in water
• 2 bunches basil
• juice from two lemons
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste or 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, optional

Soak almonds overnight completely covered in water. When ready to make dip, drain the almonds. The skin should peel off easily. If not, blanch the almonds for 3-4 minutes in boiling water and drain again. Skins should slip right off. Remove the skins from all almonds. You can skip this step but the dip will not be as smooth.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add water or almond milk until you get the desired consistency. Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.

Salted Bacon Roca. How Bad Can That Be?

(Note: I wasn't going to post this particular creation as it didn't quite turn out the way I had intended. I wanted a chewy, "bacony" caramel and instead got a crunchy toffee. I was convinced to share otherwise by a friend who had tasted more than a few pieces and thought it would be a crime not to share -- it was "just about the most amazing thing [she] had ever put in her mouth." Yikes. Apparently, I had neglected to tell her this was supposed to be moist and chewy, not sticky and crunchy. Without knowing what it was supposed to be she decided that what it was was fantastic. So, I put away the cups, got out the foils, and re-branded my caramels "Roca" and called it a day. There is a lesson in there about expectation setting. I think.)


"Roca" is the Spanish word for "rock" which is why it was used in the name for the iconic Almond Roca when it was invented in 1923. My grandmother always had a large tin of Almond Roca at her house when I was growing up. (Now that I think about it, I never saw her actually eat a piece of Almond Roca so perhaps she only had that one tin?) As far as butter crunch toffees go, I am more partial to See's classic Victoria Toffee. My grandmother always had a box of See's dark chocolate around and it was her nightly treat to herself to eat one piece. Just one piece a night. It was my nightly treat to eat just one piece... and then take a few more when she wasn't looking. The two pound assortment in those days contained just one piece of this precious toffee and it would always be my first choice. She knew it was my favorite and always tried to save it for me even going so far as to take it out of the box when her friends came over and putting it back in before I arrived.

My grandmother made a lot of things but she never made candy. I used to giggle when she would refer to "Mrs. See's candy" as if she actually knew the old lady on the sign. Like they were girlfriends. Then one day I found out that she actually did know "Mrs. See" -- only it was Florence See, the founders wife! She had also met the "old lady", Mary See, (the founder's mother) several times as well. This was "back in the day" when they were all young adults in early Los Angeles (think L.A. Confidential) and it was more than likely a extremely casual (think ladies club) acquaintanceship that had blossomed into familiarity only in my grandmother's memory of an earlier time in her life. Still, when you think your good neighbor 'friend' is Mary See, why learn to make your own candy?

My own mother never made candy either. She was more about sprouted alfalfa when I was a lad.. About 10 minutes into this particular project and I began wondering why I had even wanted to tackle this cooking genre. Candy making is boring, technical, and apparently unforgiving for...you see, this delightfully crunchy Bacon Roca was supposed to be a delectably chewy Bacon Salted Caramel. I had first seen them over at my friend Jules' blog and then again over at the fantastic With Out Salt blog. (Jules has her own brand of culinary adventure that is infectious. Bacon caramels is actually quite tame for her!) Once I saw her fantastic pictures of salted bacon chewy-ness I knew I had to give it candy making a try.

I whipped up a shitload of bacon one night after work and went about making the caramels. You would have thought it would have been extremely easy given the short and concise recipe. I won't go into all the details of what I learned that night but I did figure out that candy making is more like science than art. Sugar behaves a certain way and if you don't follow the rules it won't cooperate.

Still, you can only go so wrong with this much bacon in your recipe, right? The reaction as I walked around the office was surprising. Most stared at me like I had just offered them the most unusual culinary creation they had ever heard of. Really? Bacon in candy? I suppose not one of them had ever swabbed their bacon in the maple syrup at breakfast?

"Oh no. I don't eat bacon. OK, well...just one piece. Oh My GOD!"

"Oh wow. Just wow.!"

"You made this? Why? Really? Why? Ommph. Can I have another?"

I did regroup and do some more research to figure out the error of my candy making ways. It had to do with time and temperature and my eagerness to warm up the mixture. My next candy making effort went much better and I will be posting on it shortly. I will definitely make these bacon treats again once my chief audience forgets about Roca.


*Get the recipe for the caramels at With Out Salt. If you want to make Roca then overcook it to Hard Ball Stage, 250 degrees.