I ran out of jars...

I decided to take a couple of days off this week. I didn't have any grand plans for a trip, I just wanted to take a few days off when I could given that we're quickly heading into our busy time of year. Once we hit Thanksgiving, it's pretty much a vacation blackout until well after Valentine's Day. So, what did I do for the last four days? I cooked and canned apples.

If you remember from my last post, one of my favorite things to do in the fall is to go apple picking. The apples then become a big part of my holiday gift-giving as I transform them into apple butters, chutneys, you name it. My eyes were bigger than my canning kettle this time around, I estimate I ended up with at least 75 to 80 pounds of apples this year.

In the last four days, I figure I cooked off about 50 pounds of apples. One box is completely emptied, and the two remaining boxes are about half to two-thirds full. I still have more cooking and canning to do, but I ran out of jars.Guess what I'm doing on my day off next week...

I hope you enjoy this week's recipes. When making these for the purposes of my holiday canning project, I scaled the recipes up to 12 pounds of apples, so if you decide to make a batch yourself, you'll be able to use a standard sauce pan and not have to rely on a turkey roasting pan set over two burners as you'll see in the following photos. The chutney is a standard, I make this recipe almost every year, but the apple butter is a new creation. I'm pretty pleased with it!

Chardonnay Vanilla Bean Apple Butter
Makes 3 to 4 cups, or 3 to 4 half pint jars

After making two large batches of my regular spiced apple butter, I quickly realized that I needed to come up with another recipe to make use of all of the apples I had picked. (24 pounds of apples cooked, and I had barely made a dent in my boxes.) When I was digging through my spice cabinet, I found a packet of vanilla bean pods that I probably bought over 5 years ago. They were pretty dry, and as a result I knew they would be hard to split open and cook with, but they stuck in my mind.... Suddenly, I had it--play off the vanilla and apple notes found in chardonnay wine and turn it into apple butter. The dried out vanilla bean pods would work great as the apple butter needs to cook down for a fairly long time, giving the beans ample opportunity to soften and release their flavor. 

2 pounds apples, peeled and cored and chopped

½ cup chardonnay wine

1 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise and scraped with the back of a knife

juice of half a lemon

Combine all of the ingredients in a very large stainless steel saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 30 to 40 minutes or until mixture is reduced and thickened. There should still be some tender apple chunks in the mixture. 

Remove the vanilla bean pods and discard. Using an immersion blender, puree the apple butter until it is smooth. 

At this point the apple butter can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated where it will keep for about 2 weeks. Or you can place the apple butter into canning jars and process in a hot water canner. 

While the apples are cooking, prepare your jars for canning. Remove the lids and rings from the jars. Bring a large stock pot of water to a rapid boil. Sterilize the lids and rings by lowering them into the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel. Repeat with the jars.

Carefully ladle the hot apple butter into the hot jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Cover the jar with a lid and a screw top ring. Tighten the ring to just finger tight.

When the stock pot of water has returned to a boil, lower the jars into the pot, standing them upright and in a single layer across the bottom of the pot. Make sure the jars are completely submerged under the water. Cover the pot and when the water in the pot returns to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the jars from the pot and set on a clean towel. Repeat the process with the remaining jars, being sure to let the water come back to the boil each time.

Let the jars sit undisturbed until they are room temperature. You should hear a noticeable "plinking" sound as the jars cool and pull the center of the lids down. After they have cooled, gently press on the center of each of the lids to be sure they have fully depressed. Any jars with lids that have not pulled down tight have not properly sealed. Place those jars in the refrigerator and enjoy them first. 

Apple and Ginger Chutney
Makes about 6 cups, or 6 half pint jars

Part of setting up for a class is putting out a snack for the students. Yes they get to eat the food they make as part of the class, but eating the food usually comes at the end of the class, so we like to put out a little something at the beginning for them to nosh on. Our "throw down" snack, as I like to call it, is cream cheese and chutney--take a brick of cream cheese, put it on a plate, top it with chutney or some other savory jam, and serve it with crackers. Our students are amazed at how tasty it is, they don't believe us at first when we tell them it's just cream cheese. This chutney is also a tasty alternative to cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, and it's really great with roasted pork.

4 large tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 ½ cups cider vinegar

1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

1 cinnamon stick

4 teaspoons mustard seed

4 teaspoons coriander seed

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

In a large saucepan combine all of the ingredients.  

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, and cook it over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes, or until it is reduced and thickened. 

At this point the chutney can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated where it will keep for about 2 weeks. Or you can place the chutney into canning jars and process in a hot water canner. 

While the chutney is cooking, prepare your jars for canning. Remove the lids and rings from the jars. Bring a large stock pot of water to a rapid boil. Sterilize the lids and rings by lowering them into the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel. Repeat with the jars.

Carefully ladle the hot chutney into the hot jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Cover the jar with a lid and a screw top ring. Tighten the ring to just finger tight.

When the stock pot of water has returned to a boil, lower the jars into the pot, standing them upright and in a single layer across the bottom of the pot. Make sure the jars are completely submerged under the water. Cover the pot and when the water in the pot returns to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the jars from the pot and set on a clean towel. Repeat the process with the remaining jars, being sure to let the water come back to the boil each time.

Let the jars sit undisturbed until they are room temperature. You should hear a noticeable "plinking" sound as the jars cool and pull the center of the lids down. After they have cooled, gently press on the center of each of the lids to be sure they have fully depressed. Any jars with lids that have not pulled down tight have not properly sealed. Place those jars in the refrigerator and enjoy them first. 

My kitchen smells of cardamom....

I love autumn. I think it's my favorite season. I love sweater weather, the leaves turning every shade of yellow, orange, and red, the bright blue skies, soups and stews. Growing up in Houston, autumn was a little different--autumn meant that you didn't get sweaty the minute you walked outside, you didn't search for the one parking spot in the shade, and you could wear long sleeves and not get too hot. I know, not nearly as exciting sounding, and the only color the leaves turned was brown, but autumn was my favorite season even then.

One of the other great things about autumn in the northeastern United States are all of the pick-your-own apple orchards. I discovered apple picking shortly after I moved from Houston to DC. In Houston, I was familiar with red delicious, golden delicious, Granny Smith, gala, and Fuji apples were just starting to make their presence known in the grocery stores. But, that first day in the orchard, I discovered a whole new world of apple varieties--Stayman winesap, honeycrisp, Jonathan, Jonagold, macintosh (no, not just an Apple computer), mahon, pink lady, and more. As I started to get to know these new varieties, I found that some apples were great for eating right out of hand, others were mushy and best cooked into sauce, and some held their shape when cooked and were best for pies. That first autumn, I think I picked about 10 or 12 pounds of apples and used them to make a couple of pies and other desserts that I shared with my friends. Little did I know how that fun afternoon would eventually evolve into a new favorite, although seasonal, passion.

Over the years, I started to make apple picking not only an annual autumn ritual, I taught myself the basics of hot water bath canning and preserving. You see, that first haul of 10 or 12 pounds eventually grew into a half bushel box, then two, and then with my latest trip to the orchard, three half bushel boxes. A half bushel box usually weighs about 20 pounds, but my boxes are usually mounded pretty high when I get to the checkout stand. The folks at the orchard usually give me a little bit of a glare (I can imagine them muttering, "box stuffer") so I would guess my boxes probably weigh closer to 25 pounds each. Yes, that means I have upwards of 75 pounds of apples sitting on my dining room table. That's more than a couple of pies, learning how to can and preserve them is a necessity. 

I started out just making apple butter, and then expanded into apple chutney. In recent years, I added brandied apple rings and cinnamon apple wedges. The jars of preserved apples become a big part of my holiday gift giving. I send jars to friends, family, and my staff all get gift bags in December. 

Needless to say, working my way through 75 pounds of apples will take more than a couple of days. I've started the process, my first batch of apple butter was made with 12 pounds of apples, and it barely made a dent in the boxes. I've got some ideas for new recipes, so I'll probably have at least one or more two postings on the topic of apples in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my Spiced Apple Butter.

Angie’s Spiced Apple Butter

Makes 3 to 4 cups, or 3 to 4 half pint jars

2 pounds apples, peeled and cored and chopped

½ cup apple cider

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cardamom (my secret ingredient)

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

juice of half a lemon

Combine all of the ingredients in a very large stainless steel saucepan. (When I made my most recent batch, I scaled the recipe up to 12 pounds of apples. Instead of a saucepan, I used my stainless steel roasting pan and set it over two burners in order to cook that large amount of apples.)

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently for 30 to 40 minutes or until mixture is reduced and thickened. There should still be some tender apple chunks in the mixture. 

Using an immersion blender, puree the apple butter until it is smooth. 

At this point the apple butter can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated where it will keep for about 2 weeks. Or you can place the apple butter into canning jars and process in a hot water canner. 

While the apples are cooking, prepare your jars for canning. Remove the lids and rings from the jars. Bring a large stock pot of water to a rapid boil. Sterilize the lids and rings by lowering them into the boiling water for about 3 minutes. Transfer them to a clean towel. Repeat with the jars.

Carefully ladle the hot apple butter into the hot jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace. Cover the jar with a lid and a screw top ring. Tighten the ring to just finger tight.

When the stock pot of water has returned to a boil, lower the jars into the pot, standing them upright and in a single layer across the bottom of the pot. Make sure the jars are completely submerged under the water. Cover the pot and when the water in the pot returns to a boil, set a timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the jars from the pot and set on a clean towel. Repeat the process with the remaining jars, being sure to let the water come back to the boil each time.

Let the jars sit undisturbed until they are room temperature. You should hear a noticeable "plinking" sound as the jars cool and pull the center of the lids down. After they have cooled, gently press on the center of each of the lids to be sure they have fully depressed. Any jars with lids that have not pulled down tight have not properly sealed. Place those jars in the refrigerator and enjoy them first. 

The grapes looked sad....

I hate my refrigerator.

When I bought my condo, the previous owner had done a kitchen remodel--new cabinets, new countertops, new flooring. Granted, the cabinets were probably from Home Depot, the countertops were formica, and the flooring was sheet vinyl, but they were new. The appliances, however, were the originals, circa 1990. Except the refrigerator, it was brand new. It's also very small. Not dorm-refrigerator-small, but not full-sized.

At the time, I chalked it up to the fact that the previous owner was an elderly woman who lived alone, and who was very petite, so to her it must have been the perfect size. Judging by how little the appliances had obviously been used, I guessed she didn't cook much. I also figured that she was trying to do as little to the apartment as necessary to sell it, so since the other appliances were still in good working order--and weren't replaced--that the original refrigerator must have broken down and would have been more expensive to repair than replace.

My refrigerator has the freezer on top. I know, not unusual, but think about it, do you spend more time getting into and out of your freezer or your refrigerator? Your refrigerator. Putting the freezer on top means that the compartment that is at eye level and easiest to access is the compartment that you use the least. On top of that, did I mention that it's small? I'm actually taller, by several inches, than my refrigerator. This means, that I have to bend over every time I get into the refrigerator, and if there's anything stored on the bottom shelf, I actually have to squat down or get on my knees in order to reach it. I regularly lose things that have been pushed to the back on the lower shelf. Out of sight, out of mind.

So, a couple of days ago, I was rearranging some items on that lower refrigerator shelf and realized that the grapes I had bought the week before had been pushed to the back. The grapes were a little sad looking, not spoiled, but not as plump and fresh as they had been. I didn't want to throw them away, that would be wasteful, but what to do....

I suddenly remembered a dish I had eaten years ago. I don't remember the name of the restaurant, or even what city I was in, but the dish was pasta with a spicy sausage and grapes! I remember that the sweetness of the grapes were the perfect counterpoint to the heat of the sausage. Using that faint memory as inspiration, I decided to create my own version of the dish and give life back to those sad, forgotten grapes. I'm pretty pleased with the results....

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Grapes

When I was working on this recipe, I used ingredients that I had on hand. Feel free to try other pasta shapes (I think penne or orecchiette would make nice options). I happened to have fresh chorizo in the refrigerator, but this dish would also work great with a spicy Italian sausage.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh spicy sausage, such as chorizo or Italian, removed from the casings
1 leek, cleaned and thinly sliced (it looked lonely in the refrigerator, so I added it to the dish)
1 small onion, diced
1 cup white wine 
1 ½ cups chopped fresh tomatoes
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 cups red or green seedless grapes, stems removed
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1 pound rigatoni, cooked per the package instructions
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese to garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When warm, add the sausage to the skillet and cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage as it cooks. When the sausage is no longer pink, add the leek and onion and a pinch of salt. Continue to cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and stir, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Bring the wine to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by at least half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down, another 5 minutes more. Add the grapes and cook until the grapes are plump and softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, taste and season with additional salt and pepper. 

Drain the rigatoni and add to the skillet with the sausage and grapes. Stir to evenly mix, then divide into 4 warmed pasta bowls. Garnish with parmesan and serve.




P.S.: I think I finally figured out why the the previous owner both replaced the refrigerator and did so with one so small. About a year or two ago, I considered replacing it with something larger, and when I measured the space, I discovered that distance between the floor and the bottom of the cabinets above the refrigerator was about an inch to short to fit a standard sized refrigerator. My guess is that the contractor didn't check that measurement when ordering the cabinets and only realized after the fact that the original refrigerator was too tall to fit in the new opening. Getting a new, larger refrigerator will require removing the cabinets above. So, for the time being, I'm living with it as it is. Maybe someday, I'll get the chance to do the kitchen over properly--and you can be sure I'm going to double check all the measurements!

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.