I'm in a gnocchi state of mind...

The first leaves are starting to turn here in Philly. Even though I'm still harvesting tomatoes out of my little garden plot, autumn is starting to take hold. Another sure sign that the seasons are changing--the menus and recipes we're teaching at work. The grill pans are getting used less and less in class and instead we're making soups, stews, pies, artisan breads, pasta, gnocchi. Comfort foods, perfect for the cooling weather. 

Gnocchi are a relatively new dish for me. I don't think I'd ever eaten them, and I'd certainly never made them, before we covered them in a class lesson in culinary school. As I recall, I don't think I even laid hands on the gnocchi that day, one of my class teammates was particularly excited and interested in making them that day in the kitchen, so we all deferred to her. Flash forward a couple of years, and I suddenly found myself with a gnocchi class on my teaching schedule--and I had still never actually made them. So, I did some research, studied, and pulled on my general knowledge of doughs, starch, and gluten, and taught the class. As I recall, they turned out pretty good. (Shhhh--don't tell my students!) Gnocchi quickly became one of my favorite topics to teach. 

Gnocchi are an Italian dish, dumplings usually made from potatoes, flour, and eggs. They're peasant food--made from plentiful and inexpensive ingredients, hearty and filling. A well made gnocchi is soft and pillow-like. A poorly made gnocchi is dense, chewy, and can feel like a lead weight in your stomach. They're not hard to make, but there are some specifics parts in the technique that if not followed can directly and negatively affect the final result.

The first step in making gnocchi is to cook the potatoes. It is important that the potatoes are completely cooked, if they're even slightly underdone, they won't mash well and will have a gritty texture. Idaho, Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes are best suited for gnocchi, just like they're the best suited for mashed potatoes. They yield a dry,fluffy texture when cooked. Some recipes will recommend baking the potatoes which will give you a very dry texture. I actually prefer to boil the potatoes, I find that baking can almost dry out the potatoes too much. Just be sure to drain the potatoes very well.

After the potatoes are cooked, they must be mashed, but not with a traditional potato masher. You want to use a potato ricer or a food mill. The potatoes need to be completely broken down while maintaining an airy, fluffy texture. Be careful not to overwork the potatoes, this can cause the natural starches in the potatoes to give a pasty, gummy texture to the dough.

Depending on your recipe, you may or may not add flour to the dough, but I find that adding the flour makes the dough easier to work with. You just have to be careful (again) to not overwork the dough and overdevelop the gluten in the flour. Too much gluten development will cause the gnocchi to be chewy and a little rubbery.

So, make sure to rice your potatoes and use a gentle hand with the dough, and you'll have lovely, fluffy pillows of deliciousness. 

The inspiration for this week's recipe was, I'll admit, a desire to use the mushrooms I had left over from the bisque in last week's post.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Porcini Gnocchi with Sauteed Mushrooms and Arugula Pesto Cream Sauce

Makes 6 servings

For the gnocchi:

½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms

2 pounds Idaho, russet potatoes, or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the arugula pesto:

4 cups baby arugula leaves 

¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

1 clove of garlic, peeled and trimmed
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the sauteed mushrooms:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 pound mixed assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, cremini, stemmed and sliced

½ cup dry white wine

2 cups cream

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

To make the gnocchi: 

Place the porcini mushrooms in a spice grinder and process to a fine powder.

Pass the powder through a fine mesh sieve to sift out any unprocessed bits. Set the powder aside.

Place potato pieces in a large pot and cover with cold water. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a low boil. When potatoes are tender enough to mash, drain thoroughly in a colander, tossing the potatoes in the colander to remove as much excess moisture as possible. While the potatoes are still hot, process with a potato ricer or food mill into a large bowl. 

Sprinkle the potatoes with the flour, porcini powder, salt and pepper, and gently toss and mix together with a fork. Add the eggs and mix until the eggs are completely incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently form into a ball. Knead the dough, dusting with flour as needed, until it forms a soft dough. Push your finger about an inch into the dough--if it gently springs back, the dough is done.

Cut the dough into 4 pieces, and roll each piece into a long rope or snake, about ½ inch in diameter.  Cut the rope into  ¾ to 1 inch pieces.

Using a gnocchi paddle or the back of a fork, roll the dumplings with your thumb, forming a slight indentation on the back side of the dumpling and ridges down the front. The ridges and indentation left by your thumb allow the sauce to better cling to the gnocchi. 

Transfer the gnocchi to a lightly floured baking sheet. If you are not planning to cook the gnocchi within about 2 hours, place the baking sheet in the freezer. Gnocchi will get very mushy and lose their integrity if they are not cooked relatively soon after they are formed, and refrigeration doesn't help. Once frozen, they can be removed from the sheet pan and stored in a ziptop bag in the freezer. To cook the frozen gnocchi, don't defrost them, just take them straight from the freezer to the boiling water.

To make the arugula pesto:

Place the arugula, almonds, garlic, and parmesan cheese in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the contents are well chopped, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the ¼ cup olive oil and process until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the pesto to a small bowl.

To make the mushrooms and finish the sauce:

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and translucent. Add the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices. Add the wine and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half. Add the arugula pesto and cream and mix through. Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the sauce to thicken. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

To finish the dish:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water in batches, gently stirring the pot after each addition. The gnocchi will rise to the surface as they cook, usually in about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Allow the gnocchi to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes after they float to the surface, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Gently toss the gnocchi to coat with the sauce. Serve.

Mmmmmm, mushrooms.....

Confession:  I came really close to calling this post "magic mushrooms".  But I figured I'd probably disappoint at least a few folks who stumbled across this posting after a very different kind of Google search...

It's September, and here in Philly, that means it's mushroom season. About 65% of the mushrooms produced in the United States are grown in Chester County which lies between Philadelphia and the Delaware state line. The next time you buy a cellophane wrapped box at the grocery store, check the label and see where it was grown, there's a good chance they came from a farm within 50 miles of where I live.

There's a small town in Chester County called Kennett Square, and they are the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of not only Pennsylvania, but of the whole world. Every September, they hold a two day festival dedicated to the mushroom. On New Year's Eve, they even drop an 800 pound mushroom instead of a ball at midnight to ring in the new year. All of the shops and restaurants in town have mushroom themed merchandise and mushroom dishes on their menus.

Unfortunately, with my crazy work schedule, while I have had a chance to visit Kennett Square, I have not yet made it to the festival. But, when I was in culinary school, one of my fellow students was able to arrange a tour for our class at his family's mushroom farm. I must admit, when we first arrived, I was a bit confused. The farm consisted of several long, low sheds, each at least 100 feet long, with no windows. I kept looking around for the mushroom "fields", but all we saw were these sheds. They took us around to the end of one of the sheds where there was a door. As we stepped inside the sheds, the farmers turned on the lights, and I could see that the shed was literally like an iceberg--only a small fraction of it was visible above ground. The buildings were actually sunk several feet into the ground, and once my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I could see trays and trays of mushrooms growing on shelves that ran the full length of the shed, several tiers down. It was cool and slightly damp inside the shed, and because it is built mostly below ground, the temperature and humidity stay very consistent which I learned is important for growing mushrooms.

As my classmates and I walked up and down the rows, we saw all sorts of mushrooms. Button mushrooms, both brown and white, were growing in the flat trays. Shiitake and oyster mushrooms were growing from hanging "logs"--cylindrical shaped structures that were filled with the growing medium and about 3 feet long--sprouting in clusters straight out the sides. The farmers encouraged us to pick some of the mushrooms and taste them as we went along. I'll admit, I love mushrooms, if they're cooked. I'm not a huge fan of them raw. But, when I started culinary school, I vowed that I would never not taste something because I was afraid of how it might taste, that as a chef, I needed to get over any personal aversions. (I know, feel free to roll your eyes.) So, I picked a white button mushroom and took a small bite. I can't even begin to describe the flavor, it didn't taste like any raw mushroom I had ever eaten before. Another one of those food experiences that I will always remember.

So, in honor of mushroom season, here is one of my favorites, Brandied Mushroom Bisque. Enjoy!

Brandied Mushroom Bisque

You can use any type of mushroom for the soup, but I really encourage you to use a variety. For this batch, I used a mixture of white and brown button, shiitake, oyster, and beech. Don't be alarmed by the sheer volume of the mushrooms called for in the recipe, as you'll see, they tend to shrink as they cook down.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

For the bisque:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large leek, white and pale green parts, cleaned and sliced*

2 large shallots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, sliced

10 cups (about 1 ½ pounds) assorted mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

¼ cup all purpose flour

½ cup white wine (I prefer sauvignon blanc)

½ cup brandy (sherry, marsala or madeira will also work)

8 cups chicken stock, low or no sodium

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

½ cup heavy cream

juice of half a lemon

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups sliced mushrooms

thinly sliced chives

Kosher salt and black pepper

To make the bisque: Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium to medium-high heat. When the butter has completely melted and the bubbling and foaming has subsided, add the celery, leeks and shallots and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened and become translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Add the mushrooms and stir. Mushrooms go through a very predictable cooking process, they start by absorbing all of the moisture in the pan. Resist the temptation to add more butter or oil to the pan, just keep stirring. Within a few minutes, the mushrooms will start to release their moisture back into the pan. Continue to cook and stir until the mushrooms are well softened about 3 minutes more. 

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables in the pan and stir to coat. Add in the wine and brandy and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced and thickened. Add the stock, thyme sprigs and bay leave and mix through. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring the liquid to a high simmer. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are very tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the saucepan and return to low heat. Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and season generously with salt and black pepper.

To make the sauteed mushroom garnish: Add the butter to a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter has completely melted and the bubbling and foaming has subsided, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms have released their juices. Continue to saute, turning as necessary, until the mushrooms are nicely browned. Season with salt and pepper.

To finish and serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the sauteed mushrooms. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

*A note on cleaning leeks:  Leeks are very dirty vegetables. They grow in very sandy soil, and the dirt and grit can get deeply embedded into the leaves of the leek. To clean them, first trim away the roots and dark green leaves. Split the leek in half lengthwise, then thinly slice. Place the leeks in a large bowl of cool water and swirl, separating the pieces by hand as necessary. Allow the leeks to sit in the water for about 10 minutes. All of the sand and grit will settle to the bottom of the bowl while the leeks remain floating on top. 

Scoop the leeks out of the bowl with a slotted spoon. Don't be tempted to pour them through a colander or you'll simply dump the sand and grit back on top of the leeks.

Marla has a peach tree...

It's the end of the summer, and any of us who've planted any kind of garden are probably enjoying a last burst of fruits and vegetables as the season comes to a close. In my case, my two little tomato plants are covered in fruit, I'm picking (and eating!) fresh tomatoes every day. For Marla, one of the folks who works with me in the kitchen, she's overflowing with peaches.

Marla came in to work last week with a shopping bag overflowing with peaches. Several years ago, she planted a small peach tree in her front yard. She had gone to the garden center intending to purchase a cherry tree--she wanted something that would bloom and look pretty in the spring--but there were no cherry trees available. So, she took home a small peach tree instead. That next spring, the little tree didn't disappoint, she says it was covered in flowers and absolutely beautiful. What she didn't anticipate was that the tree would set fruit. A lot of fruit. Now, every summer, she has more peaches that she knows what to do with. She loads up a wheelbarrow and parks it at the end of her driveway with a sign inviting any and all to help themselves. And, she's started bringing in bagsful to the store for us to take home. 

The peaches from Marla's tree are pretty small, imperfect in shape, and covered in little insect bites and other blemishes. She uses no pesticides or anything else on the tree or the fruit. These are not the picture perfect peaches you see in the grocery stores, or even at the farmer's market. But they have so much flavor--even before cutting into them, the aroma coming out of the bag just screamed PEACH. They're perfect for making jam.

The bag I brought home held about 8 pounds of fruit, so the following recipe is written for that amount of fruit. It will work well if you cut it in half or even into fourths if you want to scale it down for a smaller amount of fruit. I also used pectin in this recipe. If you want to leave the pectin out, you'll need to cook the fruit longer, and the end result will be more of a peach butter, much softer and smoother and without the chunks of fruit that remain with the pectin based recipe.

Marla's one request (condition?) was that I bring her a jar of the finished jam. Marla, I'll see you at work this weekend, jam in hand!

Peach and Vanilla Bean Jam

Makes 18 8-ounce jars

The addition of vanilla to this jam really gives a lovely backnote of flavor to the finished jam. You can use other extracts or even liqueurs in place of the vanilla, or leave it out all together.

8 pounds fresh peaches
juice of 4 lemons
7 ounces powdered pectin
8 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons vanilla bean paste

Bring a large stock pot of water to the boil. Remove the screw rings and lids from the canning jars. Place the jars into the boiling water in batches and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove the jars and place them upside down on a clean dish towel. Place the screw rings and lids into the boiling water and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove and place them on a clean dish towel.

Peel, pit, and chop the peaches. The classic way of peeling peaches, tomatoes, nectarines, any kind of soft-skinned fruit, is to cut a small "x" in the base of the fruit and drop them into a pot of boiling water. After a few seconds, the fruit is transferred to a bowl of ice water to shock it and stop the cooking. The surface of the fruit has cooked just enough that the skins will slip right off. But I have found a better way---or at least a way that reduces the number of pots and pans I have to clean. I use a serrated vegetable peeler. Traditional peelers don't work well on these kinds of fruits, they're just too soft and you can't press hard enough (like you would for a potato or carrot) to get the blade to cleanly cut into the skin. With a serrated peeler, the teeth on the blade grab onto the skin without needing to apply as much pressure, and the skin will just come right off. Place the peaches in a large bowl and add the lemon juice as you go to help minimize the browning that will inevitably occur as you work your way through the fruit.

Transfer the peaches to a large sauce pot or Dutch oven and mix in the pectin. Heat the peaches over medium heat, stirring regularly. As the peaches start to soften and release their juices, use a potato masher to break up the fruit, but feel free to leave chunks. Once the peaches have reached a strong boil, mix in the sugar. Continue to cook, stirring, until the peaches have returned to a strong boil that doesn't dissipate while stirring. Cook for about 1 minute longer and remove from the heat. A foam will have formed on top of the jam, be sure to spoon it off and discard. Stir in the vanilla bean paste.

(Vanilla bean paste is a pastry chef's secret weapon and one of my favorite ingredients for baking and pastries. I like to joke with my students that if a vanilla bean pod and a bottle of vanilla extract had a hot affair, then vanilla bean paste would be their love child. It has the ease of use of extract--you can measure it with a spoon and just mix it in--and all of the intensity of flavor and flecks of seeds you get from the pod. If you don't have access to the vanilla bean paste, you can substitute the same amount of vanilla extract, or one whole pod for each tablespoon of paste.)

Carefully ladle the hot jam into the prepared jars. Be sure to wipe away in drips from the mouth of the jar, and top each with a lid and screw ring. Tighten the ring down until it just feels tight, then tighten it just a bit more. But don't crank down too hard!

Return the large stock pot of water to the boil. Working in batches, transfer the jars into the pot, making sure that the tops of the jars are fully submerged under the surface of the water. When the water returns to the boil, cover the pot with a lid and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the pot and place on a dry towel to cool. After a few minutes, you should hear a noticeable "plinking" sounds as the lids contract. If any of the lids have not contracted after about 30 minutes, these jars didn't seal properly. They're still safe to eat, just put them in the refrigerator and enjoy them first.

I scream, you scream....

It's Labor Day weekend, the last hurrah for the summer. Even though the weather here in Philly is supposed to stay in the 90's for the foreseeable future, there's just a mental shift that happens on the Tuesday after Labor Day. It just becomes autumn.

But we're not there yet. And it's still freaking hot outside.

I remember when I was a kid, a summer treat was homemade ice cream. We had an ice cream machine that used ice and rock salt to chill the base. Our machine had a motor, and as dads will do, I can remember whenever we pulled out the machine, my dad would tell stories about the hand-crank machine he had when he was a kid. I remember that we usually made vanilla ice cream, and sometimes Mom would cut up fresh peaches or strawberries to mix in. What I remember most was that instead of making a strawberry or peach flavored ice cream, the fruit pieces usually froze solid and were like rocks in the finished ice cream.

So, how to infuse flavor into ice cream? How to expand beyond the basic vanilla extract? How to make a fruit flavored ice cream that doesn't leave chunks of frozen fruit that could crack your teeth? I've played around with different techniques over the years, and these are some of my favorite recipes. I hope you like them.

Blackberry Ice Cream

I finally solved the problem of making a fruit flavored ice cream without breaking my teeth on pieces of frozen fruit. The secret is to cook the fruit into a compote and mix it into the ice cream base. The blackberries have so many seeds that I strained the the compote through a fine mesh sieve. If you want to have pieces of fruit mixed through, leave the compote a chunky pulp and stir it into the base.

Makes a generous quart

2 pounds blackberries, fresh or frozen

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 cup cream

4 egg yolks

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup cream

Place the blackberries and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and the juices have thickened and reduced, about 20 minutes. Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and transfer the berry compote into the sieve. Using the back of a spoon, press the compote against the sieve, forcing the juices and pulp through the sieve and into the bowl. Continue pressing until you have mostly just seeds left in the sieve. Using a spoon or silicone spatula, scrape any pulp clinging to the bottom of the sieve into the bowl. Discard the seeds. You should have a generous 1 cup of the blackberry puree.

Place the milk and first cup of cream into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat the milk and cream until it is just simmering. While the milk is heating, place the egg yolks and sugar into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour the simmering milk and cream into the bowl while continuously whisking the egg yolks and sugar. When all of the milk and cream has been added to the eggs, transfer the custard base back into the saucepan.

Set a fine mesh sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. Be sure to keep the custard moving, and draw the spoon across the bottom of the saucepan as you stir--this will help to minimize any chance of the eggs curdling. After about 2 to 3 minutes, you should see that the foam and bubbles on the top of custard have mostly dissipated. Continue to cook and stir until the custard noticeably begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard through the fine mesh sieve and into the bowl. This will filter out any bits of curdled egg that may have formed during the cooking.

Mix in the last cup of cream and the blackberry puree to the custard base. At this point, you must chill the base thoroughly before processing in an ice cream machine. You can place the bowl of ice cream base over a second, larger bowl of ice water to chill before transferring to the refrigerator. I like to transfer the base to a large zip top bag, press out the air, and then plunge the bag into the bowl of ice water to chill it more rapidly. 

Once the base is thoroughly chilled, process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. Remove the ice cream from the machine and transfer to a freezer-safe, air-tight container, and freeze until firm.

Pomegranate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

When I first started trying to add fruit flavor to an ice cream, I tried using fruit juices. The problem with using a juice is that the added water element of the juice can change the texture of the ice cream, making it icy. The solution? Simmer the juice and reduce it to a more syrup-like consistency before mixing it into the ice cream base.

Makes a generous quart

2 cups pomegranate juice

1 cup whole milk

1 cup cream

4 egg yolks

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup cream

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Place the pomegranate juice  in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice has reduced by half. 

Place the milk and first cup of cream into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat the milk and cream until it is just simmering. While the milk is heating, place the egg yolks and sugar into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour the simmering milk and cream into the bowl while continuously whisking the egg yolks and sugar. When all of the milk and cream has been added to the eggs, transfer the custard base back into the saucepan.

Set a fine mesh sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. Be sure to keep the custard moving, and draw the spoon across the bottom of the saucepan as you stir--this will help to minimize any chance of the eggs curdling. After about 2 to 3 minutes, you should see that the foam and bubbles on the top of custard have mostly dissipated. Continue to cook and stir until the custard noticeably begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard through the fine mesh sieve and into the bowl. This will filter out any bits of curdled egg that may have formed during the cooking.

Mix in the last cup of cream and the reduced pomegranate juice into the custard base. At this point, you must chill the base thoroughly before processing in an ice cream machine. You can place the bowl of ice cream base over a second, larger bowl of ice water to chill before transferring to the refrigerator. I like to transfer the base to a large zip top bag, press out the air, and then plunge the bag into the bowl of ice water to chill it more rapidly. 

Once the base is thoroughly chilled, process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. When the ice cream has reached a soft-serve consistency, add the chopped chocolate. Remove the ice cream from the machine and transfer to a freezer-safe, air-tight container, and freeze until firm.

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

This is probably my favorite ice cream. The fresh mint flavor is so amazing, you'll truly appreciate the difference between the extract and the herb. I also played around with adding the chocolate--instead of just adding chopped chocolate, I melted the chocolate and poured it into the machine as it finished processing. The chocolate solidified almost as soon as it hit the cold ice cream, but still swirled and mixed through. The chocolate pieces are all different sizes, but also very crisp and delicate--no worries about cracking your teeth on hard chocolate pebbles. If you really want to have that classic, bright green color, go ahead and add some green food coloring to the base. But I really like the very subtle green hue that the base takes on naturally from the mint. I dare you not to eat the whole batch in one go.

Makes a generous quart

1 grocery store bunch of fresh mint

1 cup whole milk

1 cup cream

4 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups cream

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Place the mint, milk and first cup of cream into a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Heat until the milk and cream is just simmering. Turn off the heat, and using a wooden spoon, mash down on the mint leaves and stems, bruising them. Allow the mint to steep in the milk and cream for about 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, remove the mint leaves and stems from the saucepan, and and return the sauce pan to the heat. While the milk is heating, place the egg yolks and sugar into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. When the milk and cream has reached a simmer, slowly pour the hot milk and cream into the bowl while continuously whisking the egg yolks and sugar. When all of the milk and cream has been added to the eggs, transfer the custard base back into the saucepan.

Set a fine mesh sieve over a medium mixing bowl. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula. Be sure to keep the custard moving, and draw the spoon across the bottom of the saucepan as you stir--this will help to minimize any chance of the eggs curdling. After about 2 to 3 minutes, you should see that the foam and bubbles on the top of custard have mostly dissipated. Continue to cook and stir until the custard noticeably begins to thicken and coats the back of the spoon. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the custard through the fine mesh sieve and into the bowl. This will filter out any bits of curdled egg that may have formed during the cooking.

Mix in the 2 cups of cream into the custard base. At this point, you must chill the base thoroughly before processing in an ice cream machine. You can place the bowl of ice cream base over a second, larger bowl of ice water to chill before transferring to the refrigerator. I like to transfer the base to a large zip top bag, press out the air, and then plunge the bag into the bowl of ice water to chill it more rapidly. 

Once the base is thoroughly chilled, process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's directions. While the ice cream is processing, place the chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl set over a pan of simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat. When the ice cream has reached a soft-serve consistency, slowly pour in the melted chocolate. Remove the ice cream from the machine and transfer to a freezer-safe, air-tight container, and freeze until firm.

Fun at the farm stand...

I'm really enjoying my little garden plot, all 9 square feet of it. My two tomato plants are covered in fruit. In fact, the tomato plants have done so well this summer that I came out last week to find that they had crushed their cages. A quick trip to the home improvement store, and several 6 foot tomato trellis stakes later, and they're back upright and supported. Most of the tomatoes are still small and green, so I'm (im)patiently waiting for them to ripen. Fortunately, where I live outside of Philadelphia, there are farmer's markets and small family run farms with farm stands all around, so I have plenty of options for seasonal produce to tide me over.

On my way home from the store with my tomato stakes, I stopped at one of my favorite little family farms, Maple Acres Farm. It's literally about a mile from a major shopping center and in the middle of suburban housing developments. If you didn't know it was there, you'd probably never find it, but they've been around for almost 100 years. I love the small family farms, they often have produce that you won't find at major grocery stores, and I discovered something new at the farm that day--Armenian cucumbers. They're about 2 feet long, slender and twisting, with dark and pale green stripes. When I asked about them, the guy at the farm stand when into raptures, so of course, I had to bring some home.

This time of summer, it can also be really hot outside, so this week's recipes are for dishes that take advantage of the lovely produce from the farm stand, but also don't heat up the kitchen too much. Enjoy!

Summer Couscous Salad 

I've been making this salad for years. I usually make it with Israeli couscous, but I've also used farro, quinoa, and pearl barley. I tend to make a large batch of it, then take it to work for lunch over the next several days, so feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Serves 8

4 ½ cups water

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 cups dry Israeli couscous

2 bunches of green onions, thinly sliced

2 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, diced

3 to 4 large heirloom tomatoes, diced

1 English cucumber (I used the Armenian cucumber I brought home from the farm stand), seeded and diced

²/₃ cup Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

²/₃ cup basil, sliced

¼ cup chives, finely sliced

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

¼ cup Champagne vinegar

¾ cups extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Bring the water, olive oil and salt to boil in a large saucepan. Add the couscous and stir. When the water has returned to the boil, cover the saucepan with a lid and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit, undisturbed for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the couscous should have absorbed all of the liquid. Transfer the couscous to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

When the couscous has cooled, mix in all of the vegetables and herbs.

Place the mustard, garlic and champagne vinegar in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together and add a large pinch of salt. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking, this will form a more stable emulsion. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture of couscous and vegetables, and stir to thoroughly mix. Serve.

Angel Hair Pasta with Fresh Yellow Tomato Sauce

I forget where I learned this technique, but this is such a great way to enjoy the amazing flavors of fresh, ripe, local heirloom tomatoes. The only heat applied to the sauce is the heat from the freshly boiled pasta, leaving the flavor of the tomatoes very bright and fresh and unlike your typical cooked tomato based pasta sauces. I used yellow tomatoes, but you can use whatever variety you prefer.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as an appetizer

3 to 4 large yellow tomatoes
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and passed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 pound angel hair pasta

2 to 3 plum tomatoes (I used the San Marzano's from my garden)
1 bunch of basil, thinly sliced
Parmigiano Reggiano shavings to garnish

Cut each of the tomatoes in half. Press the cut half of each tomato against the side of a box grater (use the side with the largest holes) set over a large mixing bowl, and grate the flesh. You should see a juicy pulp forming;stop grating when you have nothing but skin left. After you have grated all of the tomatoes, mix in the garlic, olive oil, and a large pinch of salt and black pepper in with the pulp.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the angel hair pasta per the package directions. When the pasta is al dente, drain and add the pasta to the bowl of tomato pulp. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Mix in the diced tomatoes and basil. Divide the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with the Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Serve.

You say tomato, I say tomato...

One of the things I loved about my house in Houston was my backyard vegetable garden. I would come home from work, kick off my heels and slip on my gardening clogs (while still dressed in my business suit), grab my wicker basket and head out into the garden where I would pick dinner. I grew tomatoes, bell peppers, Japanese eggplant, cucumbers, and all kinds of herbs. 

When I moved north to DC, I had a townhouse in Arlington, Virginia, with a small back garden. It was mostly a large patio with planting beds around the perimeter, and it was very well shaded by a large oak tree that grew just outside my back fence gate. I had one large bed (about a fourth the size of my garden plot in Houston) that got direct sun, so that first year, I turned it into a vegetable garden--much to the amusement of the squirrels. I swear, they knew just when I was about to step outside, they would find the only tomato in the garden that was even beginning to turn from green to red and take a giant bite out of it. They took to leaving half-eaten tomatoes on my back steps. 

I began to hate the squirrels. 

After that first summer, I gave up and planted a hydrangea bush. 

Now I live in an apartment style condo in the suburbs of Philly, and I have no dedicated outdoor space. I don't even have a patio where I can put pots of herbs. A couple of years ago, one of my neighbors and I petitioned the condo association and got permission to put in a small community garden along the back property line. I know proudly garden a square plot that's 3 foot by 3 foot. It's just big enough for two tomato plants, some basil, chives and thyme. It gets full sun all day, and the best part--no squirrels seem to be interested. I do find that the deer and bunnies occasionally take a nibble, but otherwise they seem to leave things alone. This year, I planted San Marzano and Cherokee Purple tomatoes. They are so tasty. 

We're in the peak time here locally for tomatoes. When I run out of tomatoes from my own garden, I've been picking up more at the farmer's market. I'm eating them almost every day, and I've been keeping notes on some of the recipes. Here are a few to enjoy, I'll probably have more to post in the next weeks.

Tomato Salad with Pickled Shallots and Chevre
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Think tomato salad, and most people think of the traditional insalate caprese--tomatoes, basil, mozzarella. This version uses chevre and chives (perhaps my favorite herb), and the unexpected addition of pickled shallots. Fair warning--the pickled shallots are addictive. Try them on your burgers and sandwiches and as a garnish to your cheese board.

For the pickled shallots:
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise pods
4 large shallots, sliced thin on a mandolin

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon shallot pickling liquid
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
2 pounds assorted heirloom tomatoes
4 ounces chevre, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

For the pickled shallots: place the vinegar, sugar and spices into a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Place the shallots in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling vinegar over the shallots. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to come to room temperature. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and star anise pods. You can enjoy the shallots immediately, or cover and refrigerate. The pickled shallots will be even tastier if allowed to sit in the pickling liquid for several days.

For the vinaigrette: place pickling liquid and mustard in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Whisk together. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad: slice the tomatoes and arrange them on a large plate or platter. Drizzle the tomatoes with the vinaigrette. Garnish with some of the pickled shallots, the chevre and chopped chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Gazpacho
Serves 6 to 8

As my friends in Texas can attest, it's been awfully hot this summer. The last thing most of us want to do is to turn on the stove or oven to make something to eat, it just makes the kitchen hot. A chilled soup may just be the ticket.  

1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped
4 large beefsteak tomatoes, cored and chopped
½ English cucumber, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¹/₃ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled and trimmed
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 cups tomato juice
chopped chives and extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Place onion, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, garlic, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix. Allow the ingredients to marinate a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Using a blender or food processor, puree the ingredients in batches until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the oil, Tabasco, and tomato juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional Kosher salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls, garnish with chopped chives and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve.

BLT Pasta
Serves 4

I'll admit, many of the tomatoes from my garden have gone into bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. (By the way, add some of the pickled shallots to your next BLT--you'll thank me for it.) In this dish, I took the inspiration of my favorite sandwich and turned it into a pasta, using arugula, my favorite salad lettuce, for the "L". 

3 slices thick cut bacon, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 to 6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup white wine
3 cups arugula
1 pound orecchiette pasta, cooked per the package directions
5 ounces chevre, crumbled

Place the bacon in a large skillet and heat over medium low heat. Slowly render the bacon fat, and when the bacon pieces are browned and crispy, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. Cooking the bacon over low heat and over a longer period of time will allow more fat to be rendered without burning the protein before it's fully crispy.

Increase the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir, cooking until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to thoroughly mix with the shallots and garlic. Add the white wine and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened and the liquid has reduced by half, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the arugula and stir to wilt.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and stir to mix through. Add the chevre and stir, cooking until the cheese has melted and mixed into the sauce. Add the crisped bacon pieces and mix through. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

My day at the Smithsonian...

A few weeks ago I had the honor and privilege of teaching a cooking demonstration at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. On Fridays through December, the Smithsonian will conduct a program called Food Fridays, focusing both on food and history at the museum’s new demonstration kitchen on the Coulter Performance Plaza. A different chef is featured each Friday, and I was lucky enough to be the first chef from Sur La Table to participate. The museum cafe even featured dishes inspired by my recipes, and the recipes are posted on the Smithsonian website. 

http://americanhistory.si.edu/topics/food/pages/food-fridays

Each month will have a different theme, and July was Summertime Cooking in America. We kicked around a few different ideas and ended up settling on the seafood traditions along the mid Atlantic and New England coast. You may remember from an earlier blog post that one of the dishes was New England Clam Chowder (it turned out really yummy), and I also made a Maine Lobster Roll and a Maryland Crab Cake.  

It was a lot of fun putting together the recipes, but I also had to research history on each of the dishes--after all, it was a presentation for the Museum of American History--to incorporate in the presentation. For example, I learned that Old Bay Seasoning is made in Baltimore, it's primary spice in the blend is celery salt, and the name comes from a steamship line that ran through the Chesapeake Bay. 

I was partnered with a member of the Smithsonian staff, Jessica. She also had researched history and fun facts about the dishes, regions and seafood. She had also arranged for artifacts from the museum's collection to be brought out during the presentation.

As much fun as all of this was, this wasn't the end, or even the beginning,of my adventure at the Smithsonian that day. I got a call late that Thursday evening, asking if I could be a the museum early on Friday because SLT wanted to take my picture in Julia Child's kitchen. No, I didn't get to actually go into her kitchen (wouldn't THAT have been amazing), but I did get to go through the exhibit before the museum opened to the general public.

But, it turns out that it was more than just a quick photo op. SLT had a film crew there. They filmed me walking through the exhibit, and not just with a hand-held camera, they actually had a small steadicam. They wanted to film "Angie's day at the Smithsonian". As you might imagine, they had cameras set up during my on-stage demonstration, but it didn't end there. Once we finished the last demo, they took me out to the main lobby of the museum. It was about 2:30pm, on a Friday, in July--you can imagine how many tourists were in the lobby. Hundreds. Now imagine me walking through the lobby with a guy operating a steadicam circling and zooming around me as I went. Twice. Then imagine the same scenario, but this time I'm walking up the outside staircase into the main entrance of the museum. Again, twice. I had the hardest time keeping a straight face, it was just too funny and surreal. I can just imagine what all the tourists were thinking! I don't really know what the plan is for the footage they shot, I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I do.

So, back to the food. The clam chowder recipe can be found in an earlier blog post, and you can download all of them from the Smithsonian's website. Here are the lobster roll and crab cake recipes. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Maine Lobster Roll

The classic Maine lobster roll recipe traditionally uses chilled lobster meat with only enough mayonnaise added to moisten the meat and add a small amount of flavoring. In this recipe, the addition of ingredients like celery and lemon juice bring a nice texture as well as flavor to the classic. When preparing lobster roll recipes, use live Maine or other live, cold-water lobster. If needed, frozen lobster tails can be substituted. Typically, a Maine lobster roll calls for frankfurter buns. However, any split top roll, medium size hamburger roll, or bread of your choice, may be used.

Makes 4

3,  1 ¼  to 1 ½ pound lobsters
½ cup mayonnaise
¹/₃ cup finely diced celery
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, white and pale green parts only
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Several dashes of Tabasco Sauce

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

4 top-split hot dog rolls
Butter for grilling hot dog rolls

Steam or boil the lobster ahead of time and remove the meat from the shell (claws, knuckles and tail). Cut the meat into bite size pieces and chill.

Once the lobster is chilled, combine it with the celery, green onions and parsley. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Tabasco. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the lobster and gently fold to mix.

Lightly butter the outside of the hot dog buns and grill them in a skillet until golden brown. Place lobster salad meat inside the grilled hot dog bun. Serve.

Maryland Crab Cakes with Old Bay Tartar Sauce

An easy and authentic version of this Maryland classic. The key to Maryland crab cakes is not to over mix and shred the crab.

Makes 6 crab cakes

For the crab cakes:

1 pound lump crab meat

8 saltine crackers

1 egg, beaten

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Carefully check the crab meat for any shell fragments or cartilage. Put the meat in a bowl and set it aside.

Crush the saltine crackers to a very fine texture and mix with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Gently fold in the crab, being careful to only mix enough to combine the ingredients. You don't want to break up the crab into fine shreds. Shape into 6 crab cakes, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Cook until golden brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and serve with the Old Bay tartar sauce.

For the tartar sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste

1 shallot, finely diced

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon capers, drained and finely chopped

1 ½ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, plus more to taste

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or refrigerate.