Cooking with Top Chef Finalist Caral Hall at l'Academie de Cuisine

It has been a long time since my last post, I sincerely apologise but I have been quite busy and in the next few day I hope to tell you about it all. First and most recently was last night's cooking class with Carla Hall. I have been assisting at L'Academie de Cuisine for a few months now and I was lucky enough to get chosen to assist Carla's class. It was fun, tasty, and I love hanging out with celebrity chefs.

I went to China! For two and a half weeks I wandered around Beijing ate great cheap food and even took a Hutong cooking class. More about all of this later, there is so much to tell.

And then there is my darling Cook Book Club or CBC as we are now calling it. There have been a few dinners since I last reported on them so I have to catch up. I am also working a complete list of all the books we have covered since our inception almost 2 years ago.

So after the long break I am back and ready to share. I will try to include all the fun food details from the past few months so please come on back for more.

Smedly's of Baltmore

There is a fabulous local coffee house right down the street from me called Smedly's. http://www.smedlys.com/ Robby and I went there a few days ago not for the coffee but for the food and had a wonderful lunch. We played chess, ate great food, and had a kid free afternoon. It is exactly what you want in a locally owned and run shop, a laid back feel with some gourmet touches.
I had the chicken and Gnocchi with spinach. It was filling, inexpensive and when ordered with the chilled yerba drink http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_mate made a perfect lunch. Yerba comes with an interesting story for me. I saw it for the first time on a Brazilian travel show on TV years ago it stuck in my mind and I thought it looked interesting. I then meet a friend's girlfriend for the first time a few weeks ago who is from Brazil and asked her about the drink not knowing that I just had it right down the street from my house! OK, maybe not that interesting but a coincidence none the less.

Robby had the the masala meatballs with toast. Very good and again a smart portion. Both of the dishes were a twist on classics that enabled us to see the chef's skills.

The atmosphere is comfortable entertaining. There is salvaged furniture with a modern twist. They have books to read, blackboards to draw on (for those who need to study) and games to play a little something for everyone.
And last but not least the dessert. Wonderful warmed cinnamon buns with walnuts. Homemade with love and care. I can't wait to go back and try some more of the special homemade dishes Smedly's has cooking.

Spring is here time to make salad...

Quinoa Salad with Vegetables and Tomatillo Vinaigrette
Cooking Light January/February 2005

3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbls fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tlbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 pound tomatillos (about 4), husked and quartered
1/2 Serrano chili, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
dash fresh ground black pepper
3 cups water
2 cups uncooked quinoa (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
4 large radishes, halved and thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (2 oz) queso anejo, crumbled (or other fresh cheese)
2 tbls fresh chopped parsley

Place the first 10 ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Set aside.

Place 3 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle with tomatillo mixture; stir well to combine. Cool.

Add cucumber, radish, and red pepper to cooled quinoa mixture; toss gently to combine. Divide salad among each of 6 plates; top evenly with cheese and parsley.

6 serving

311 calories per serving

My Brother and a Fish

My Brother and a Fish. It could be the title to a children's book but in this case it is not a tall tale. Last night my brother and his three friends joined me for dinner. We met at Whole Foods with a prepared grocery list and menu. They helped me shop and then we all cooked together. Our menu consisted of Grapefruit-Pomegranate Ceviche with Black Bass, Broiled Flounder with Arugula Pesto, Coconut Rice with Carrots, Baked Candied Sweet Potatoes, Garlic Spinach, and Lemon Madeleine's. Unfortunately, but maybe fortunately, Whole foods had neither of the fishes we were looking for so we went with a Turbot fillet and a Chilean Sea Bass Fillet. All in total a whole fish.

The plan was to use the sea bass for the Ceviche and the Turbot for the pesto but while I was preparing the Ceviche I unintentionally picked the Turbo. It was not a bad mistake because both the Ceviche and the broiled sea bass were wonderful. The Arugula pesto, made with no cheese, was perfect on this expensive but worth it fish, and the spinach, potatoes, and rice were perfect accompaniments.

The only thing that could have been better was the dessert. The recipe for Madeleines calls for cake flour which was nowhere to be found at Whole Foods. So I got pastry flour. If I was a better baker I probably would have known that it would not be the same but I went with what I had. They were OK, but I will be trying them again next Tuesday hopefully with more success.

Oh, and we drank the new Indaba Sauvignon Blanc with the Ceviche, and perfect match of fresh fruity, not too acidic items.
Broiled Fish with Arugula Pesto
Serves 4
Fish Without a Doubt

4 tbls unsalted butter, melted
4 (5- to 6-oz) Sea Bass Fillets
salt and white pepper
2 tsp grated lemon zest
4 heaping tablespoons Arugula Pesto
2 tsp dry bread crumbs
lemon wedges

Pu the butter in a soup plate or shallow bowel. Season the fish on both sides with salt and white pepper and then dip it into the butter.

Rub 1/2 tsp of the lemon zest into the top of the fish. Spread on a heaping tablespoon of the pesto, going not quite to the edges, and sprinkle on 1/2 tsp of the bread crumbs. Set the fillets on a greased baking sheet. *the fish can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator

Set the oven rack about 5 inches below the heat source and heat the broiler.

Slide the baking sheet under the broiler and broil the fish for about 3 minutes- a minute or so longer if you have refrigerated the fish. the topping should be browned and you'll see a little oil bubbling around the edges of the fish.

Serve hot with lemon wedges.


Arugula Pesto
Makes about 1 cup

1 garlic clove minced
1/3 cup pine nuts
6 oz Arugula, washed and dried
1/4 cup olive oil, plus a little more
Salt

Put the garlic and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until nuts are coursly chopped. Add arugula by the handful, pulsing after each addtion to make a paste. Then turn on the processor and add the oil in a steady stream. Season with salt.

Homade Cheese Blintzes with Homemade Berry Jam

Cheese Blintzes with Berry Jam
William- Sonoma- Essentials of Breakfast & Brunch

For the Blintzes
1 cup Flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
3 tbls unsalted butter, melted
2 tbls unsalted butter, softened

For the filling
1 cup farmer cheese
1 cup whole milk or part skim ricotta cheese
2 tbls sugar
1/4 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 tsp unsalted butter
Berry Jam
Blueberries and blackberries for garnish

By hand: To make the blintz batter, in a bowl combine the flour and the salt. Add the eggs, the milk, and 3/4 cup water and whisk until smooth and blended. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. (this can also be done in a food processor or blender)
To cook the blintzes, place a 9-inch frying pan with low sloping sides (or crepe pan) over medium high heat and heat until hot enough for a drop of water to sizzle and the immediately evaporate. Brush with about 1/2 tsp of the softened butter. For each blintz ladle about 1/3 cup batter into the center of the pan, tilting the pan so that the batter forms a thin layer on the bottom. Cook until the edges begin to brown and the top of the blintz is set, 1 1/2-2 minutes. Using a wide spatula, carefully turn the blintz and cook for about 1 minute longer. Turn out onto a plate and repeat with the remaining butter and batter. Stack the blintzes on a plate, putting a piece of wax paper between each. The blintzes can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the farmer and ricotta cheeses, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla and stir until blended.

Spread about 2 tbls of the cheese filling in the center of each blintz. Fold the sides over the filling. Fold in the ends to enclose the filling. Serve with berries and jam on top.

Refried Beans with Cinnamon and Cloves

This Christmas I added a few cookbooks to my large (but never too large) collection. Another "Best of the Best Cookbook" by the editors of Food and Wine magazine was one. This series is nice because in theory I would not have to buy all 25 books that they deem the best. But usually I end up owning four or five anyways.

Another was Alice Water's "Simple Food". It fits on the shelf with the two other books of hers that I have; "Vegetables" and "Fruit". Although "Simple Foods" is quite simple and I might not need all the recipes in it due to their repetition in other cookbooks, I feel I need to own it out of pride for a good cookbook collection.

The third cookbook I got was "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper" by Lynn Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift. I try to listen to the Splendid Table on NPR as often as possible. I really can't get enough of most any food related shows or books, with the exception of the Food Network, but that is a gripe for later... The first recipe I made from this book was the Refried Beans with Cinnamon and Cloves. The book describes this recipe as "You'd never guess you can create such lushness from opening three cans" and they are right. With a little bit of prep work for the veggies these three cans turn into a meal in themselves. I was going to pair these beans with some leftover turkey mole I took out of the freezer but I ended up eating a bowl of them alone and being very happy. I was worried that the cinnamon and cloves might make the beans feel sweet but they match wonderfully with the spice of the jalapenos and the mashed up beans. Give it a try and as the book instructs don't skip the butter it is a necessary indulgence in this recipe.



Refried Beans with Cinnamon and Cloves
The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper
Serves 4 to 6


extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
salt and fresh-ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, fine chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and fine chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
one 14-oz can whole tomatoes, drained
two 15-oz cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups water
2 tlbs butter

Generously film the bottom of a 10-inch skillet with olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the onions with salt and pepper to taste until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. You want to hear a sizzle as they cook.

Add Garlic, jalapeno, cinnamon, and cloves, and cook the mix until fragrant, about 1 minute, taking care not to burn the spices. Add tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pan. Saute for another minute.

Stir in the beans and water. Bring to a fast simmer, crushing the beans with a potato masher (or the back of a large spoon) as they cook, and scraping the bottom of the pan as the beans begin to thicken. Simmer until the beans are thick, about 10 minutes. Blend in the butter and taste for seasoning just before serving.

*The beans hold in the refrigerator for 5 days; add liquid as needed when reheating.

Finally the Wine section of Wine.Bread.Cheese

In 2005 Robby and I went on a trip back to France with his Mom Pamela. I am very happy to have been lucky enough to do this trip and with my Mother-In-Law, who I love. We were able to do many things that I missed on my first trip which was our honeymoon. We climbed the Eiffel Tower, drove from Bordeaux to Paris, went to Versailles and ate even more great food than on the first trip.
One of the very special parts of my second trip was the visit to the Vouvray vineyard and winery Domaine D'Orfeuilles http://www.orfeuilles.com. At the time Robby was working for Country Vintners an American Distributor for D'Orfeuilles. He arranged for us to have a tour and tasting at this small family owned estate.
Arnaud and his father Bernard Herivault are the current owners and cultivators. Arnaud took us on a tour of the vineyard then through the cellar and on to the tasting room where we sampled more wines than I can remember. While in the cellar Arnaud asked me what my birth year was. Then after my response he handed me a bottle of the 1980 Demi-Sec Vouvray. I was floored! What a great gift and memento to take home.


Well we waited long enough and just recently decided to pull the cork. I made a wonderful sauteed scallop and fried leek risotto dish which match PERFECTLY to the delicately aged Vouvray.

Two Beans and Pea Salad

Two Beans and a Pea Salad
adapted from a Gourmet recipe

Serves 6 side dishes

1 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped celery
3 tbls fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the edamame in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes or until heated through. Drain them in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

Heat the oil in a small pan and cook the cumin stirring until fragrant about 1 min. Pour into a large bowl. Add the edamame and remaining ingredients toss with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

I could not decide which picture I liked better so you get both...

I just had to post this as soon as I took my first bite. I didn't even finish my lunch before taking a few shots and getting it up here. This was really what I needed today. A fresh easy filling salad.
It is very gray and wet here in Baltimore today and Robby (the husband and product tester) has his last law school exam of the semester tomorrow. So needless to say I will not be seeing him until tomorrow night.
I plan on making a big roast beef with mashed potatoes and salad for dinner which will be waiting for him to heat up at about 1:00 in the morning if he gets home by then. So the salad is just perfect for lunch.

Oh, and I pulled out some speck that I got at Balducci's last night.
Speck dell'Alto Adige is similar to prosciutto but is cured with garlic, bay leaves, juniper berries, and nutmeg. I don't usually like smoked meats but I am in love with this one. I have a really hard time not eating it in the car on the way home from the store. Try it sometime as an alternative to prosciutto which where I shop is more expensive than speck.

Grand Marnier Crepe Cake

I have collected a stack of magazine pages with recipes that I want to make. This recipe has been calling to me since I first saw it in Gourmet last March. Tonight is the night, it is in the fridge waiting for the guests we have tonight to dig in. I am also working on a Beef Bourguignon from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have a few DVDs of Julia Childs' old cooking shows, which are great, one of which is the Beef Bourguignon. Like she suggested I am making it ahead so all the flavors have time to blend. That is also the case for this Crepe Cake. So dinner should be easy and I will have plenty of time to be with my guests.
Grand Marnier Crepe Cake
Gourmet March 2008

serves 8 to 12

6 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
3 cups chilled heavy cream, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup confectioners sugar, divided
2 tablespoons grated orange zest, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon grand Marnier of Cointreau

Blend eggs, milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1/2 tsp vanilla with flour, salt, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, and 1 teaspoon zest in a blender until just smooth.

Brush a crepe pan or 10-inch nonstick skillet lightly with some melted butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. Cook until underside is golden and top is just set, 15 to 45 seconds. Loosen edge of crepe with heatproof rubber spatula, then flip crepe over with your fingertips and cook 15 seconds more. Transfer to a plate. Continue making crepes, brushing skillet with butter each time and stacking on plate.

Beat remaining 2 1/2 cups cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 3/4 cups confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon zest, and Grand Marnier in a large deep bowl with an electric mixer until cream holds stiff peaks.

Center a crepe on a serving plate and spread with 1/4 cup cream. Continue stacking cremes and spreading with cream, ending with a crepe. Chill, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 24.

November Cook Book Club- James Beard

We have had over a year of Cook Book Club and I am so proud. Covering everything from Southern to Thai food, we have done brunch and dinner and next year there will be a guys night. The theme for this one was mid-century standard American fare a la James Beard. On the menu: baked clams with bacon, garlic soup,beef stroganoff, stuffed bell peppers, and chocolate souffle.

Foundation of the garlic soup - vampire insurance.

We have so many James Beard cookbooks. YOINK! Robby here. Cook Book Club is good when there's leftovers for the menfolk. I'll finish this post up right.

Baked clams with bacon. Coralie made these I think, and they were really good. Duh, there's bacon on it.

The ladies of Cook Book Club. They look sweet in this picture, but they are a rowdy bunch. Don't be fooled by the optic trickery. I was upstairs watching the kid and the ladies were shrieking, laughing and dropping the F-bomb. Sounded like fun, but you know, I tried to remain in the background.