I'd like to propose a toast...

Those of you who read food blogs or follow any of the major food magazines on social media will know of the obsession that is avocado toast. Yes, avocado toast---mashed avocado flavored with something as simple as salt to as complex as miso or dukkah, and smeared on a slice of crusty bread. Now, don't get me wrong, I love avocados. I love avocado toast (it's a favorite for breakfast). But, it got me to thinking about other options for topping toasted bread.

Lately, my work schedule has been pretty hectic, leaving me with few days off, and little energy to cook on those days off. So, in fact, toast is about all I have motivation for these days. But, it's also summer, and the produce in the markets is so lovely and inspiring. The herbs in my little garden plot are lush and vibrant. I may only be up to making toast these days, but I can still have fun with seasonality and great ingredients. 

The following recipes are great as a light lunch, mid afternoon snack, or can also be served as crostini for an appetizer or canape for entertaining. I hope you enjoy!

Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Raspberry Toast

This first recipe was inspired by the beautiful golden raspberries I found at the grocery store a few weeks ago. 

Serves 4

4 slices of crusty bread, such as sourdough, Italian, or French boule
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Kosher salt and black pepper

4 ounces soft goat cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 cups arugula
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup fresh raspberries
chive blossoms or additional chopped chives for garnish
Fleur de sel for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until toasted and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool

Spread a layer of goat cheese on top of each of the toasted bread slices and sprinkle with chopped chives. Place the arugula in a small bowl and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Top each piece of toast with some of the dressed arugula, followed by some of the raspberries. Garnish with chive blossoms and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Serve.

Tuna and Chickpea Salad Toast

Be sure to use a good Italian canned tuna in olive oil for this dish. The flavor is really superior to the typical canned tuna in water.

Serves 6

6 slices of crusty bread, such as sourdough, Italian, or French boule
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Kosher salt and black pepper

1 large shallot, finely diced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper

15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1 cup diced English or Persian cucumber
¹/₃  cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers, drained
10 ounces tuna in oil, drained
chopped chives to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until toasted and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool

Mix together the shallot, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Mix in the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Set aside

Mix together the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, capers and tuna in a medium bowl, being careful to not break up the tuna too much. Pour the sherry vinaigrette over the tuna mixture, and gently stir to combine.

Spoon the tuna salad onto the toasted bread slices, garnish with the chives and serve.

Peach, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Toast

Apricots and nectarines also make a great topping for this toast. And if you don't have easy access to prosciutto, try crispy bacon instead.

Serves 4

4 slices of crusty bread, such as sourdough, Italian, or French boule
Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Kosher salt and black pepper

4 slices prosciutto

2 peaches, pits removed and sliced

extra virgin olive oil to drizzle

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

chopped chives for garnish

lemon thyme blossoms for garnish

Fleur de sel for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until toasted and golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

Arrange the prosciutto slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until browned and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Break the prosciutto onto small pieces.

Increase the heat and convert the oven setting to the broiler.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Toss the peach slices in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the peaches on the hot grill pan and grill for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until well marked, on each side. Transfer the grilled peaches to a plate.

Spread the toasted bread slices with the mustard and top with slices of mozzarella. Arrange on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven. 

Top each piece of toast with the grilled peach slices and crumbled crispy prosciutto. Garnish with chopped chives and lemon thyme blossoms. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve.

Laryngitis and lemons...

I managed to make it through the entire winter without coming down with a cold, or the flu, or any of the other bugs that were going around. Then, Tuesday last week, I woke up with a sore throat. By Wednesday, I had a full blow cold. I stocked up on sinus meds, Kleenex, throat lozenges, and cough suppressant. I was doing okay, not feeling too terrible. Then, Thursday afternoon, an hour before my evening class, my voice died. Full blown laryngitis. At that late hour, there was nothing to be done, no one to call and come in to teach for me. So, I started sucking lozenges, apologized to my students, and croaked my way through the class. 

Friday was my day off, and I had absolutely no voice. I couldn't have shouted for help if my life depended on it. I stayed home and rested all day--I was scheduled to teach every day from Saturday through Thursday, and with one chef instructor on vacation and another recently resigned, my options were few. Luckily, I woke up Saturday morning and could speak--not well, very gurgly, and interspersed with coughs, but I could speak. So, I put on my chef's coat and went into the kitchen to teach my class.

My kitchen assistants that day were so great. Throughout the entire class, they made mug after mug of throat soothing concoctions with honey and lemon, some with chamomile tea. But, the one that absolutely worked the best, by far, was hot water with lemon, honey and cayenne pepper. Yes, cayenne pepper. I was so surprised by it, I would have expected the cayenne to irritate my throat, but it was the exact opposite. My throat opened up, my vocal cords felt lubricated, and my cough was soothed. It wasn't a cure, but it sure took the edge off. For the next few days, I brought my own stash of lemons, honey, and cayenne pepper with me to work. I probably drank a couple of gallons worth over the course of the week. It didn't just help my throat, it actually tasted really good, too.  

Hmmm...a recipe is starting to develop in the back of my mind....

They say that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well, when life handed me laryngitis, I turned it into Lemon Honey Cayenne Sorbet.  I hope you enjoy!

Lemon Honey Cayenne Sorbet

Makes 1 quart

1 ¼ cup honey
1 cup lemon juice
2 cups water
zest of 3 lemons
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours. 

Process the sorbet base in an ice cream machine per the manufacturer's instructions. Once processed, transfer to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer until firm. Scoop and serve.

California dreaming...

Sometimes, even I have to admit, I have the coolest job.

Back in January, there was a contest amongst the cooking schools related to our financial metrics for that fiscal month. The prize--a trip to the Culinary Institute of America's Worlds of Flavor Conference in Napa Valley, California, for two of the chefs. And I was one of the chefs! When I found out I was going to go to the conference, I knew I wanted to stay and have a little vacation (I mean, who wouldn't?). So, after a flurry of emails, texts, and a reservation on AirBNB, two of my best girlfriends flew out from Texas to meet me for the weekend.

The conference was held at CIA's campus at Greystone in St. Helena, California. The conference explored what inspires today's chefs, what gets their creative juices flowing. How do they take the framework of classic technique, or indigenous flavor profiles and turn that into "their" food. How do they build communities--within their kitchens, within their regions, with their vendors. We had presentations from some of the best chefs around the world--Michelin stars, James Beard awards, Food & Wine Best Chefs, established chefs with small food/restaurant empires, and young/up-and-coming chefs who are putting their mark on the food scene with their first restaurants. There was a particular emphasis on emerging Latin chefs and flavors, so we had chefs from Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru. 

Many of the presentations started with the chefs telling their story, about their journey to their style of cuisine, about how they formulated their concepts for their restaurants, about how they built relationships within their communities and with local farmers, and then finished with a demonstration of one of their dishes. Some of the presentations were smaller, more intimately focused on a single topic or style of cooking. My favorite was the seminar on Peru, the classic ingredients and flavor profiles. The chefs walked us through a "flavor tray", small samples of different classic Peruvian ingredients, from yellow pepper sauce to fermented yucca juice to "leche de tigre" (a sauce made from a lot of citrus and the fish juice from ceviche). Several of us were researching airfare to Lima after that particular session.

Of course, the best part of the conference was the food. I don't think I stopped eating from the moment I arrived at Greystone. Most of the chefs had stalls set up in the Barrel Room at Greystone where they prepared and served samples of their dishes to the conference attendees. The conference sponsors also had stalls where their own chefs prepared dishes featuring their products, both food and wine. I ate uni tacos, salmon skin crackers, corn husk meringue, deep fried alligator and mirliton, ceviches from all over Latin America, pork belly about ten different ways, eel at least three different ways, smoked mackerel, porcini doughnuts, smoked pastrami.... (Oh my stars, the smoked pastrami.) We made our way around the Barrel Room, tasting and sampling, leaving an assortment of disposable plates and empty wine glasses in our wake. 

The second evening of the conference, our group had dinner at a small restaurant in Napa, California, NineBark. If you have an image in your mind of "California cuisine", the food at NineBark is probably what you would imagine, and only in the best sense. The weather in California means that the produce is always local, always amazingly fresh, and probably some of the best you'll ever eat. NineBark takes full advantage of this, even growing many of their own fruits and vegetables in their kitchen garden. The group of us shared several dishes, starting with the pickle plate and their version of a Caesar salad.

We also ate their green gazpacho with fried oysters and salt cod beignets.

We sampled several of their desserts, but my absolute favorite was their version of an ice cream sandwich--matcha macarons with strawberry rhubarb ice cream.

Probably one of the best meals I've eaten in the last several years.

The conference ended on Friday afternoon at which point I met up with my friends from Texas. They met me in Yountville, California, where of course I had to pay homage to The French Laundry. I was only able to get my picture taken there, not actually eat, but a girl can dream....

I spent the rest of the weekend traveling around wine country with my friends, mostly in Sonoma County, visiting vineyards, sampling wines, exploring the picturesque countryside, sampling wines, walking through town squares, and, oh yes, sampling wines. I learned about the different varietals. I tasted wines made from the same grapes but from two different areas of the same vineyard to understand the impact of location on the flavor of the wine. I learned that the rose bushes we saw planted everywhere, even amongst the vines, served as the "canaries in the coal mine"--roses react very similarly to grapes to changes in environment, diseases, insects, so if the roses start to look sad, it's an indicator to the farmer that something may be going on with the grapes. I was also surprised to learn that I have a pretty good palate--more than one sommelier reacted with pleasure when I was able to detect flavor elements in the wine that most miss. 

I was also very happy to learn that it's now legal to ship small amounts of wine to Pennsylvania for personal consumption--I had been warned to label the boxes "olive oil" to avoid detection. Thankfully, the very kind woman at the UPS store set me straight and got me set up with a shipping company that has all the proper licensing. Good thing, too, between the three of us, we had quite a haul to send home.

We also ate at some amazing restaurants in Sonoma County. Saturday night, we had dinner at The Farmhouse Inn near Healdsburg, California. In some ways, it couldn't have been more the opposite of NineBark--in menu, in atmosphere, in approach. Old school, classic French, elegant plating, white linen napkins, three courses, a sommelier to help choose the wines with each course. Ladies in dresses and gentlemen in coats and ties. Candles and soft lighting. But, like NineBark, everything was fresh, local, in season, and prepared with extreme skill.

The meal began with an amuse bouche of cured local trout on a spring pea bellini.

My first course was grilled octopus on a fennel salad. The octopus was prepared perfectly--smoky and tender.

My second course was rabbit three ways--the leg with mustard sauce, the loin wrapped in bacon, and the roasted rack. (I had flashbacks to frenching rabbit rib bones in culinary school.)

Dessert was apricot souffle, simply divine.

Like NineBark, probably one of the best meals I've eaten in the last few years. 

One of the advantages of renting a house on AirBNB is that we had a full kitchen at our disposal. We also had a bottle of sparkling wine, so Sunday morning we decided to have brunch at the house before heading out for the day.

The kitchen was equipped with a few pots and pans, the basic gadgets, and several of the prior guests had left some pantry staples behind (salt, pepper, assorted vegetable oils), as well as a few oddities (instant mushroom soup, minibar bottles of Vodka, maple brown sugar oatmeal packets). We purchased eggs, butter, asparagus, potatoes, spring onions, fruit, and some cheese from the local market, and I set about making us a frittata for breakfast. The largest skillet was only about 9 inches in diameter, so I cooked the frittata in the stockpot (that was fun trying to de-pan). The skillet was just large enough for me to brown the potatoes prior to serving. I hated the idea of not using the entire bunch of gorgeous local parsley (so freshly picked, the roots were still attached and covered in dirt), but we had a blender, so I made a pesto for garnish. I kept mental notes as I prepared breakfast, so you'll find the recipes at the end of this posting. I mean, what is a food blog without a recipe!

As much as I didn't want it to, the weekend eventually had to come to an end. Our last evening we had dinner at The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. A very different vibe and style of cuisine from our dinner at the Farmhouse Inn or the meal I had at NineBark. The diners were a mixture of locals, tourists (we ran into a couple that we chatted with at a tasting room earlier that afternoon), and even celebrities (Beau Bridges was dining there that night). The Girl and the Fig has been around for almost 20 years, and the restaurant is just one part of a larger corporation, including a catering company, product line, cookbooks, and even artwork. Figs were prominent all over the menu, from signature cocktails (I had the Fig Royale), to appetizers, salads, main courses, and dessert. 

Rather than ordering a full meal, I opted for two starter/appetizer courses. The chef was famous for her Fig and Arugula salad, so I of course had to order that. I also indulged in the duck liver pate with strawberry rhubarb jam.

The three of us shared the fig and port ice cream for dessert. Just delicious.

It struck me as we were eating that last evening that I had experienced in these three very different California restaurants the same overarching themes presented at the conference. In each of these restaurants, the chefs were taking their inspiration from the local foods, ingredients, and atmosphere of their region, even their own backyard, and turning it into "their" food. One was the proven chef with her many-pronged business approach, menu "standards", and an established reputation. One gave us an old-school, classic, elegant, fine-dining experience, what you might expect in Europe or a Michelin guide book. One was all hipster, California cool, farm to table, deliberately casual while still exhibiting incredible discipline and technique. Their vibes, their flavor profiles, their culinary technique and approach were all so different, but all were incredibly successful and delicious. As I got on the plane to come home, I found myself informed, inspired, and more excited to be a chef than I've felt in a long time. And, incredibly full from eating so much amazing food.

And, now for that brunch recipe!

Asparagus and Spring Onion Frittata with Parsley Pesto and Buttered Marble Potatoes

Serves 3 to 4

For the frittata:

½ bunch asparagus, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces

6 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

½ cup grated cheese, such as comte, gruyere, or white cheddar

2 tablespoons butter

½ bunch red spring onions, thinly sliced, green tops sliced and reserved

½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked and stems discarded

2 tablespoons sliced spring onion greens

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 ½ pounds fingerling or marble potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons thinly sliced spring onions greens

Kosher salt and black pepper

For the frittata:

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green, and just cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and run the asparagus under cold water to stop the cooking.  

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, parsley, a generous pinch of onion greens, cheese, salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the spring onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until the onions and peppers are softened and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the asparagus and stir to mix. Pour in the egg mixture and stir to evenly distribute the peppers, onions, and asparagus. Reduce the heat to medium low and allow the frittata to cook from the bottom up without stirring. After about 5 minutes, cover the pan with a lid, this will help to set the eggs.

Slide the frittata out of the skillet onto a cutting board, slice into wedges, garnish with the pesto and serve.

For the pesto:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add additional oil as needed to adjust the consistency of the pest. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper and vinegar.

For the potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan of cool tap water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a paring knife. Drain the potatoes.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are warmed through and beginning to brown. Add the parsley and spring onion greens, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve.

My fridge was bare...

I work a lot of hours. A typical day for me starts around 9:00 am when I leave my house and ends when I get home after teaching class, usually 10:30 pm at night. If it's a Saturday, I leave my house at 7:00 am. We're in a period of transition right now, passing over the threshold of a medium sized culinary program and into a large program. This means I'm going to get to hire more help--eventually. For now, it means 12 hour days are my norm.

Adding to the regular workload, I'm involved in a few special projects at work, the most recent of which required me to travel out of town for about a week. The trip was great, but being out of town combined with my hectic schedule means that my fridge is pretty bare. 

I really wanted to cook something for dinner, but I really didn't want to get out and go to the grocery store. So, I took inventory of my fridge: a partial jar of kalamata olives, capers in brine, onions, garlic, a brick of parmesan cheese, and a box and a half of grape tomatoes. My pantry revealed a box of linguine, some dried rosemary, and I always have olive oil on hand. Dinner was just a sheet pan and a pot of boiling water away.

Linguine with Roasted Tomatoes, Capers and Olives

This recipe evolved out of my bare fridge and pantry, so I made due with what I had on hand. I think it would benefit greatly from some freshly chopped parsley, but was really tasty as presented.

Serves 2

3 to 4 cups of grape tomatoes

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

1 cup pitted kalamata olives

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 to 12 ounces linguine pasta

parmesan cheese for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Place the tomatoes, onion slices, capers, olives, and garlic slices in a shallow baking dish or on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper. 

Place in the oven and roast until the onions have begun to caramelize and the tomatoes are burst and beginning to brown, about 20 to 30 minutes.

While the tomato mixture is roasting, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the linguine according to the package directions.

Mix the drained pasta and roasted tomato mixture in a large bowl, drizzling with more oil as needed. Divide into two pasta bowls and using a vegetable peeler, shave parmesan cheese on top to garnish.  Serve.

In celebration of citrus...

A lot of people don't realize this, but citrus is seasonal. We've become so accustomed to having oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit available year round, that I think some people think that it must grow and ripen year round. The truth is that the vast majority of citrus is a winter/spring fruit, with the season generally starting in November and running through April. That's when citrus is truly at its best, and certain varieties are only available at the market during this timeframe. One of my favorites is the blood orange.

Blood oranges are usually a little smaller than standard navel oranges. The outer skin may be completely orange in color, or it may be a mixture of red and orange. Depending on the variety of blood orange, the flesh might be deep orange flecked with red, or a deep, purply maroon. But what makes a blood orange truly special is the flavor. Orange mixed with raspberry, very sweet, very low acid. Be careful, though---the juice does stain!

So, in celebration of the blood orange, I decided to play with a classic--upside down cake. I hope you enjoy!

Blood Orange Cardamom Almond Cake

Makes 1 9-inch cake

You can make this cake with just flour, but I like to mix in almond meal for this recipe. It gives a nice texture to the cake as well as a delicate nuttiness that goes nicely with the blood orange and cardamom.

¼ cup blood orange juice

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 to 2 blood oranges sliced thinly

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

²/₃ cup sugar

1 egg

zest of 1 blood orange

½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

²/₃ cup almond meal

²/₃ cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cardamom

pinch of Kosher salt

²/₃ cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix the blood orange juice and brown sugar together in a 9 inch round cake pan. Stir until the brown sugar begins to dissolve. Arrange the orange slices in an even layer over the bottom of the pan.

Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment. Mix the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well creamed--light and fluffy in texture and pale in color, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the egg, zest and vanilla, and mix until combined, stopping and scraping down as necessary.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond meal, flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and mix through. Add the milk and continue to mix. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and finish mixing by hand.

Pour the batter into the cake pan, being careful not to dislodge the orange slices. You may need to use a spatula to gently spread and smooth the batter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool enough to handle, then run a paring knife round the edge of the cake pan to loosen. Place a serving plate on top of the cake pan and quickly invert the cake. Lift off the pan, slice and serve.

Another day at the Smithsonian....

What a crazy busy few weeks it's been! In the last 3 weeks, I've survived Valentine's Day, traveled to Boston for 3 days to train a new chef, and spent a day in Washington, DC, conducting a cooking demonstration at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. One of the casualties of this crazy schedule have been my days off (today is the first in 2 weeks), and the blog. Today is my day to catch up on both.

If you've been reading my blog this last year, you may remember that I was asked to do a cooking demonstration at the Smithsonian in July. The Museum of American History had built a kitchen demonstration stage and was doing a weekly series of presentations about food and it's influence and place in American history and culture. That series is continuing, although now only held once per month, and because of Sur La Table's partnership with the Smithsonian on this project, I was asked to conduct another demonstration. Because the segment was in February, shortly after President's Day, the topic was food and the presidency, with a specific emphasis on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. (I know, what could food possibly have to do with either of them?)

After doing some research and talking with the Smithsonian representatives, we focused in on Lincoln. He was the first President to be born and raised on the American frontier, and the Smithsonian was very excited about the influence of his frontier upbringing on his presidency as well as the food. So I started to narrow my research.

It turns out that Lincoln wasn't much of a foodie. He prefered simple, plain food--roasted meats, boiled vegetables, corn bread, the stuff of a simple farm frontier life. He would often forget to eat, and his wife, Mary Todd, would ask the chefs at the White House to prepare simple dishes from his childhood to entice him to eat. In my research, I found many references to his fondness for chicken fricassee, so we settled on that for the first recipe for the presentation, to represent his frontier roots. 

Lincoln wasn't much for fancy foods, but he did have a sweet tooth, of which Mary Todd took full advantage during their courtship. Most of us associate the state of Illinois with Abraham Lincoln, but he was actually born in western Kentucky, then the American frontier. Mary Todd was also born in Kentucky, but to the landed, wealthy gentry, the bluegrass part of the state. It was the custom of the fine young ladies of the day to create a signature cake to serve to their beau when he came courting. Mary Todd's courting cake was a caramel cake, also called a burnt sugar cake, and Lincoln came-a-courtin' on a frequent basis.

I actually found a recipe for Mary Todd's courting cake, it was from a cookbook written by the granddaughter of Mary Todd's cousin. I was so excited, to have the actual recipe that Mary Todd followed, I couldn't wait to make the cake and taste it.

It was awful.

The cake was dry, tough, almost cardboard-like in texture. It was so unappetizing, that I threw it in the trash. It was only a few days before the Smithsonian presentation, it was too late to pick a different recipe, so I had to try and rework the cake. In the original recipe, only egg whites were used, so the first thing I did was to use whole eggs, hoping the additional fat from the yolks would improve the texture. The original recipe also said to whip the egg whites with a LOT of sugar, so much that the egg whites would only hold a soft meringue, minimizing the amount of air that could be held by the egg whites and therefore making the cake more dense. I changed the recipe technique from a sponge to a creaming method, and the result was a much more delicate and moist cake.

I suspect that the original recipe for the cake was meant to be somewhat dense and dry because classic technique would have the chef soak the cake in a flavored syrup. The texture of the cake is perfect for absorbing the sweet liquid. However, there was no reference to this in the original recipe, so I'm speculating. But I have to believe that Mary must have done something other than serve a slice of that dry tough cake to her future husband.

I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Fricassee Stew

The most basic recipe for a fricassee is to take a whole chicken, place it in a pot and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil and let it cook until the chicken is done. Stir in beaten egg, cream, or flour to thicken the gravy and serve. When developing the recipe, I decided that the chefs at the White House would probably have put a little more effort (and flavor!) into the dish. Mr. Lincoln didn't like anything too fancy, but I think he would have enjoyed my version.

Serves 8

¼ pound salt pork or smoked bacon, diced

2 whole chickens, cut into parts, or 5 lb bone in and skin on chicken thighs

all purpose flour for dredging

salt and pepper

2 yellow onions, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

6 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

1 large sprig of thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

water to cover

½ cup flour

¾ cup water

Add the salt pork or bacon to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the fat has rendered and the bacon has browned.

While the bacon is cooking, season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat in flour.

Add the chicken pieces, skin side down to the Dutch oven. Work in batches as needed to avoid over crowding the pan. When the chicken is lightly browned, turn and cook on the second side until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken parts. Remove the last of the chicken to the plate and add the onions to the Dutch oven. Stir, cooking, until the onions begin to soften.  Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and top with the carrots and potatoes. Add the thyme and bay leaves. Add enough water to the Dutch oven to just cover the chicken and vegetables. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the stew to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Whisk the ½ cup flour and ¾ cup water in a small bowl. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the simmering stew, stirring the stew to incorporate. The gravy will thicken as the stew returns to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprig.  Serve.

Mary Todd's Courting Cake

The glaze for the cake is not Mary Todd's recipe, it's one I adapted from a suggested frosting for her cake. Black walnuts would have been the traditional garnish, but I used pecans when I made the cake.  

Recipe adapted from Mary Gosford’s The Missouri Traveler Cookbook, published in 1958 by Farrar, Straus & Cudahy 

Makes one 8-inch layer cake

For the caramel sugar syrup:

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup hot water

For the cake:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the glaze: ½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

¹ /₃ cup whole milk

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Chopped black walnuts, toasted (optional, for topping)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper.

Prepare the caramel syrup: Add the sugar to a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir continuously with a silicon spatula until the sugar melts and turns a very dark brown. Add the hot water and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Make the cake: Place the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium high speed, cream the butter and sugar together until pale in color and fluffy in texture. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix to incorporate, stopping and scraping down the bowl and paddle with a silicone spatula as needed.

In a separate bowl, sift together the baking powder, flour and salt. Add a third of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar bowl and mix, followed by half of the cooled caramel syrup. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, and the remaining half of the syrup. Mix in the final third of the flour mixture.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.

While the cakes bake and cool, make the glaze: Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the dark brown sugar and cook over low heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Carefully add the milk and bring to a boil. Cool to lukewarm, then transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar. Increase the mixer speed and beat vigorously until the mixture is smooth.

Once the cakes are cooled, place one of the two layer cakes onto a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour a small pool of glaze onto the top of one of the two layer cakes and spread with an offset spatula to cover the top of the layer. Place the second cake on top and pour the remaining glaze over the top, allowing it to flow over and down the exterior of the cake. If the glaze has cooled too much, you may need to use an offset spatula to spread the glaze. Garnish with toasted black walnuts, if using, and serve.

Soup weather...

This crazy winter....Ten days ago, we got about 2 feet of snow. Today, it's sunny and almost 50 degrees. The good news is that this warm spell is helping to melt all of that snow. But, there's still enough of a chill in the air that I'm craving warm, comfort food. And, I still have a freezer full of chicken stock.

I gave myself the challenge of putting together a soup without making a trip to the grocery store. I opened my pantry and found a container of wild rice on a back shelf. I had chicken breasts in the freezer, and the box of baby spinach in the fridge was starting to look a little wilted and no longer salad-worthy. A couple of lemons, and I was set.

I hope you enjoy!

Chicken, Wild Rice and Spinach Soup with Lemon

The lemon in the soup adds a bright note and an unexpected twist on the traditional chicken soup.

Serves 6 to 8

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 small onions, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups wild rice

2 sprigs of thyme

8 cups chicken stock

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

5 ounces baby spinach

juice of 2 lemons 

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and onions, and cook, stirring, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, thyme and chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Increase the heat to medium and return the soup to a high simmer. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve.