Four for Dinner

Ever since spending time in Paris, I’ve been obsessed with the French macaron. Not a “macaroon”, as this month’s recipe in Bon Appetit calls it – but a macaron. Macaroons are heavier – like the coconut cookies that you see at delis and at Passover, or the sweet almond macaroons made with almond paste. I love these, too, don’t get me wrong. But they are big and bold and dense. The french style sandwich cookies are light, airy, and delicate, in a multitude of flavors – some basic and some downright crazy (I’ve tried tomato and basil). You savor each bite. The legendary ones, in my mind, come from Laduree. Laduree is the epitome of a high gloss patisserie – but they have substance as well as style. I think others copy Laduree and try to enhance their more traditional fare. But, not to great effect. Laduree’s salted butter caramel cookie is beyond incredible, as are their chocolate and raspberry. In fact, the three on a plate together would be worth the trip to Paris. Add in a slice of tart tatin at the legendary ice cream shop, Berthillon, and there is no reason to come home.

Bon Appetit, in this December’s issue, has a wonderful recipe for Chocolate Macarons with Orange Ganache. The ganache in the recipe is quite heavy on the spices and I added about 1/4 the amount for just a hint of holiday spice. I also didn’t bother sifting the sugar/almond mixture – though I processed the heck out of it so that there weren’t any big lumps. But the recipe is easy and the cookies turned out beautifully. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago – 10 years or so – when you couldn’t find a decent macaron recipe. And, believe me, I looked long and hard. Now, they are everywhere: Cook’s Illustrated, Gourmet (they published the first good one, I think), Bon Appetit, you name it. The cookies can be found at bakeries all over the U.S. (at least in San Francisco!) as well – some good, most not so good. None as delicious as Laduree.

This recipe is more than good. The piping takes a little practice – my cookies came out a bit bigger than the magazines and so I got fewer than the recipe suggested it made. Similarly, I had barely enough ganache – not the big layer as in the Bon Appetit photo. It is essential to let these macarons rest overnight as they soften with time and the flavors meld. Oh, this is indeed a very good recipe.

To prove that all recipes for macaron are not created equal, in doing the search for this one so that I could post it, I noticed another recipe from 2001 by Pierre Herme - the noted pastry chef who has, literally, written the book on macarons. The picture doesn’t have the classic “foot” at the base and the method for the home chef is completely different. I guess it has taken a while to come up with the right technique so that these little treats can be made consistently in home kitchens.

Thank goodness for food science and french pastry.

L decided to “cook the cover” of Bon Appetit again this month. This time, the cover featured another meringue confection – Peppermint Meringue Cookies - a lot easier to make than the Lime Blackberry Italian Meringue Pie. These little meringues are simple, straightforward, beautiful and delicious. Yum, yum. L did a great job making them as a birthday present for 2 friends at school with birthdays this week. The really amazing thing about the cookies is the swirly color made by NOT mixing in the food coloring before putting the meringue in a piping bag. A winner. We will definitely make these again.

Tonight, we had our 90-year old, former neighbor, over for dinner. Mrs. “D” is one of our favorite people, EVER. She defines spunk. Grandma and WG were over last night and we had braised chicken with tomatoes and garlic, served over pasta. I wanted something easy and hearty for tonight, especially because the weather was cold and rainy all day. I thought a lamb stew would fit the bill and I perused the Epicurious app on my iPhone this morning looking for the right recipe. I found one that was so highly rated, I couldn’t believe it was true. On the other hand, I had to try it myself.

The recipe, called “Moroccan Slow-Cooked Lamb“, was one of the best recipes that I’ve made in a long while. It was even better than I thought it would be, given the rave reviews. I did make a couple of changes – not big – because I didn’t want the dish to be too sweet and I wanted additional veggies. So, I reduced the apricots to about 1/3 cup, chopped them coarsely; added a few chopped, pitted prunes; and, added about 3 big carrots cut into chunks. I found that I didn’t need to simmer the dish to reduce the sauce – it was already fairly thick, perhaps because I cooked the dish in a big enameled cast iron dutch oven, instead of in a large skillet. Chopped parsley seemed to be a better choice for us instead of cilantro. I made the couscous, as indicated in the recipe, with toasted almond slivers, chopped parsley and lemon zest. The whole wheat couscous was cooked with a little butter and chicken broth, and fluffed before adding the almonds, etc.

This was definitely a keeper. A truly succulent, flavorful dish that I will make again! Even though J doesn’t like lamb, I think she would have liked this meal, had she ventured to try it. As it was, she ate left-overs from our meal with Grandma and WG (this was our plan, ahead of time). S, L, Mrs. “D” and I ooo’ed and ahhh’ed over the lamb. No pictures – even though it was picture-worthy!

Monday: Leftover delight!
Tuesday: Carnitas burritos, salad, fruit
Wednesday: Petrale Sole Meuniere, broccoli, green beans, potatoes, fruit
Thursday: Pasta with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil

I made a menu for the week a couple of weeks ago and was surprised at how helpful it was. It really makes my grocery shopping easier because I can buy everything on Monday/Tuesday and not have to be running out for things last minute. And, I can make things in advance that I need. For instance, I know that Tuesday is always a busy night and that we have dinner late. So, Tuesday needs to be a day when I have things ready to go ahead of time. Carnitas burritos will be perfect because I can have the meat, beans, salsa and rice all done in advance. Warm up a few tortillas in the microwave when we are ready to sit down, and it is an easy dinner. If I don’t make a list early in the week, I’m also always forgetting little items that I might need – like parsley, or cheese, or beans – when I need them. Thinking ahead, means I have everything on hand. Theoretically, at least.

Now that our big event (and thus the leftover delight tonight) is over, I can re-dedicate myself to trying to keep up my blog. I am hoping to try some new recipes next week….then, of course, the gear-up for thanksgiving.

J tried to make the finger cookies that I made last year, but they spread like crazy and were more like thin, lace cookies. I wondered what went wrong. So, I re-tooled the recipe and took out a little of the liquid (used only the egg yolk, not the full egg) and switched from confectioner’s sugar to regular, granulated sugar (1/2 cup). I also took out the leavening. They turned out ghoulishly delicious. People are kind of grossed out by them, but they are very tasty.

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L and I made this pie yesterday. It was on the cover of Bon Appetit this summer. The pie was incredibly beautiful.

We made a few changes to the recipe so that it was a bit more kid friendly and also more flavorful. For instance, we did not make a red wine-blackberry compote because we thought the kids wouldn’t like the flavor. I substituted 1/2 cup water for the cup of wine and the compote was like blackberry soup, which I thought would make the crust fall apart. So, I reduced it down and made a blackberry jam-like filling, which worked well and didn’t compromise the buttery crust. We also added some lime zest for more kick to the lime curd – which was then very tart and flavorful. And, finally, we added 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla to the meringue to give it a bit of flavor, because it tasted kind of bland.

Once cut, the slices definitely were not as pretty as the whole pie – thus no pictures!

The pie was delicious. We were 10 for dinner and gobbled it up in no time (though it took all day to make). Was it worth it? Hmmmmm. Not sure. The best part of the whole process was getting to use the mini blow-torch to toast the meringue. Love that torch.

In Santorini this summer, we had a wonderful dish called Shrimp Saganaki (or, Seafood Saganaki).  It was served as an appetizer, sort of like a tapas that was shared.  We used bread to soak up the wonderful sauce.

L and I decided that it would be fun to try to make it and we did last night, since J is still away at camp and we can still eat all the things that she wouldn’t want if she were home.  L did a search on my iPhone while we were out and we were able to buy all the ingredients on the go.  Those devices are at times so incredibly productive, helpful and useful – and at other moments so frustrating and time wasting.  This was one of the former.

The recipe is quick, easy and delicious.  I used a pound of shrimp for the three of us as a main course, but it would serve 6 as an appetizer.  I served the shrimp with orzo, green beans and asparagus, on the side.

Shrimp Saganaki

Adapted from The Food Network

Serves 3.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 lb. jumbo shrimp (about 15), peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper

½ tsp. dried oregano

Crushed chili flakes, to taste

1 ½ ounces Ouzo, optional

½ cup dry white wine

1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes in sauce (I used a wand blender to make these a little more pureed – like a thick, crushed tomato)

3 kalamata olives, finely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 oz.)

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the garlic and then add the onion and cook until softened, but not brown – about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp.  Season with the salt and pepper, to taste, and the chili flakes and oregano.  When the shrimp is almost cooked through, take the pan off the heat and add the Ouzo.  Put it back on the heat, being careful so that the ouzo doesn’t flame. Cook for 1 minute and then and add wine to pan.  Simmer another 30 seconds and, remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and reserve to add back in later.  Add the tomatoes and the chopped olives to the pan and let them simmer for a few minutes. Return the shrimp to the pan, and toss in the sauce to re-warm it, but don’t cook the shrimp further. Finally, sprinkle the crumbled feta over the contents of the pan and melt it into the sauce, stirring it gently to keep some bigger chunks.

If you were going to have this as an appetizer, you could put it in individual serving dishes before adding the feta.  Sprinkle the feta on top and then broil briefly to melt the cheese and get it a little toasty.  This is how it was served in Santorini!

Last week, I hosted my book club. Not realizing that most of the ladies in my book club would be unable to make our discussion, I cooked too much. So what else is new. We read the book “Let the Great World Spin” by Colum McCann, which takes place in New York in the 1970s. It is a great book. I absolutely loved it and I was inspired to make traditional New York foods for our noshes. Our book club host usually has enough food for those who didn’t get to have dinner before arriving, but the food is most commonly bite sized treats for those who just want to graze. There are typically both savory and sweet foods, with some fruit to keep things healthy.

I decided to serve the following:
- knishes (or is the plural just knish, like with fish?)
- brie and cheddar cheeses (a nod to the French and Irish characters) with apples (yes, for the big Apple)
- dill pickles (New York style)
- strawberries
- black and white cookies
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A beautiful day that included breakfast in bed (pancakes, sausage, fresh orange and coffee), tennis, errands with the girls, and dinner with Grandma and WG. L & J made chocolate dipped strawberries as a special treat for Grandma and I made steak, steamed green beans, roasted potatoes and sauteed mushrooms. Also made some heart shaped lemon cakes using The Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe. I skipped the glaze/frosting, but still brushed on the lemon syrup. I also used lowfat yogurt and have, successfully, used buttermilk in the past. The little cakes were a big hit, especially when accompanied by the juicy, delicious, perfect chocolate dipped strawberries.

The picture of the strawberries doesn’t do them justice because I took it this morning (Monday) after the remaining strawberries had been in the fridge overnight and lost their glossy-ness. The strawberries last night looked like the ones that you buy at Godiva, but these were the ultimate organic strawberry perfection, hand dipped with love. Great day!

We have a great Afghan restaurant near us that has delicious kebabs, stews, and bread. It is a family run, family style restaurant – warm and friendly. One of the last times that we were there, J was ooo’ing and ahh’ing so much over their bread that they gave her a stack to take home. When we go to this restaurant, we ALWAYS order their pumpkin dish called Kadu Burenee. The dish is very simple: succulent, tender, very orange, sweet pumpkin, with a little yogurt sauce and a savory tomato lamb sauce. The flavor seems so unique and, almost, inspired. Personally, I can’t stop eating it and usually order the side dish as my main course. We have to order a second side dish for everyone else to eat, I don’t want to share mine. I decided, finally, to ask about what kind of pumpkin they use. It turns out that they don’t use pumpkin at all – they use butternut squash. Given the easy availability of butternut squash in the winter, I thought, as is my habit, I could probably try to make this dish myself.

Truthfully, I don’t think that my version holds a candle to the restaurant’s. Still, I lap up my version as surely as I do their’s. I searched the web for a recipe for Afghan pumpkin and came up with a plethora of them. Many had a lot of sugar added to the slow cooked pumpkin. Could this be why their’s is so irresistable? I don’t think so, but it does have an almost candy quality to it. Then there is the issue of the sauce – the one at the restaurant definitely has lamb in it, but some of the recipes were for beef sauce. What I found to be most unusual about the preparation of the sauce, I guess this is the American girl in me talking, is the profile of the spices: turmeric and coriander are the keys.
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