Pomelo

Local Eggs

2010-10-25T10:16:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to eat healthier, with mixed success. I tend to go in week long shifts; eating well and my days with wild rice and salmon but then disaster strikes with weekends full of hash browns and whiskey spiked apple cider. All in all I am doing better, I am certainly shopping smarter. I can't afford all organic, but I do go organic on veggies highest in pesticides like lettuce and broccoli. I am also going for brands (when I can) that don't use growth hormones on their animals or antibiotic laden feed. This is much harder than it sounds, particularly given that the only grocery store around here that has an organic section is Fred Myers.

The farmers market is unfortunately over (it gets too cold here), and many of the farm shops that sell organic are a ways out of town. But a new shop has just opened here that sells a nice mix, it is called Mikes Meat and Farmers Market and they sell lots of local grown goodness including those beautiful free range eggs! Until I buy a house, I am stuck buying my eggs rather than raising my own chickens (which is just a matter of time!) For anyone who still hasn't tried local, free range eggs you really should. I suggest frying one up next to a store bought one and trying the difference because it really doesn't even seem like the same food!

These eggs come from Mason, a town near here and are called "Happy Hen Natural Eggs"; they have a yolk that is near orange and the are unbelievable fresh. For breakfast I made a high protein little scramble that goes a little something like this:

2 eggs
1 egg white
1/4 cup chopped turkey breast
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1-2 slices of tomato chopped
a little salt
1 slice of bread (I used Dave's Killer Bread, the Good Seed Light variety)

This is dead easy to make, just scramble the eggs and add the bits in then put it on the toasted bread. It is a fabulous and filling breakfast with just 256 calories but packing 25 grams of protein! And get this;

"Eggs are exceptionally high-quality protein. In fact, the only source of protein higher in quality than eggs is a mother’s breast milk. Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins in our body, and eggs contain all nine of the essential amino acids—the ones our bodies cannot produce." (from sparkpeople.com)

Pore Reducing Sugar Scrub

2010-10-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

I love homemade beauty products. Just because you put it in a fancy jar and charge 40 dollars for an ounce doesn't make it any better! This scrub is made to help ex-foliate, and reduce pore size. It contains all kinds of awesome good for the skin things. First of all, honey is a natural anti-bacterial and has been used for over 2,000 years to treat wounds, and skin problems. It also contains anti-oxidant properties to keep skin healthy, wrinkle free, smoother and softer. Vinegar is a natural cleanser, and can also work to tighten pores- apple cider vinegar is usually best, it also smells better. Sugar here is the perfect exfoliator, and olive oil helps to add natural, healthy moisture to the skin. It is also dead easy to make, and smells completely amazing.

Lavender Rosemary Sugar Scrub

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2-3 tablespoon honey

a few drops of oil (until it forms a paste)

3-4 drops lavender essence

3-4 drops grapefruit essence (optional)

1 sprig chopped rosemary (can use dried if needed, about 1-2 tablespoons)

Mix until you have a paste you want, and add more sugar if it is too liquid or more honey/vinegar or oil if it is too dry. Apply to face in a circular motion after normal washing, and rinse with warm water.

BPA, Plastic and the health kick.

2010-10-13T09:04:00.001-07:00

I have been reading the most fantastic book, Origins: How The Nine Months Before Birth Shape The Rest of Our Lives. By Annie Murphy Paul. It is really so much more than a book about pregnancy, it is a surprising eye opening into the effects a mother's healthy, physical and emotional wellbeing has on the fetus- effects that can last well into middle age. NPR had an interview with her, which is how I heard about the book- and I would highly recommend that anyone interested in human development, heath, pregnancy (or what your birth weight can mean for health effects in later life) should listen to the podcast (by clicking here).

Well her chapter on plastics freaked me out a little. Patricia Hunt, a researcher the author interviewed has done studies on the effects of BPA on mice, where it is linked to hormonal and reproductive abnormalities, such as abnormal eggs. Or worse, according to a 2008 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that male fetuses exposed to phthalates such as BPA have been linked to penis abnormalities, where the urethra is located in the wrong place. Now among the parent set, worried about their little ones, alarm bells have been ringing since the 2008 National Toxicology Program's report but among those of you hiding out from the world in law school I had yet to hear about it.

Annie has a great little rhyme to help you remember which plastics are okay: "Four, Five ,One and Two; all the rest are bad for you". So today, after reading the book cover to cover last night, I went through my Tupperware and tossed all those that are either too old to be labeled at all and those numbered 7 (of which I only had one). I am keeping all my number fives, which supposedly are alright, but I am going to register for glass containers with plastic lids (BPA free ones!) for the wedding and switch to those, so at least I know my food isn't just sitting in plastic which has got me a little freaked out at the moment.

Mum's Granola

2010-10-12T08:44:00.001-07:00

My Mum loves ginger. She is slightly obsessed. Which why, when it comes to producing a gift, ginger granola popped in to mind. I have been wanting to try out homemade granola for a while now, and this was perfect; she loves fruit with yogurt for breakfast during the summer months and a little splash of spicy grains would go perfectly with it. Granola is dead easy, you just need a mix of nuts and cereals that you wet down with a little oil (in this case butter) you bake and bang- granola. You can add in anything you want, toasted coconut, sesame seeds, rye, anything you can find at the store. I happen to just have a huge Costco bag of almonds, so I went heavy on those.

Ginger Almond Granola

4 cups oats
1/2 cup flax seed
1 cup raw wheat germ
1 cup almonds roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup currants
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crystallized ginger

Mix everything together except for the fruit and bake on a baking sheet at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Let it cool slightly, and then mix in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Shenelligans Now Open!

2010-10-09T22:27:00.002-07:00

I am super excited to announce my little sister has just opened her shop, Shenelligan's on etsy.com! She is uber talented and you should all check it out! She only has one of her prints up there now, but watch for more to come!

Pumpkin Time!

2010-10-08T10:28:00.004-07:00

It's pumpkin time. Today is the first day over here that we have not had 70-80 degree weather, having grown up in the Pacific Northwest nothing prepared me for the true wonder of the eastern side of the mountains- sun and warm weather every day into October? Yes please! But now the weather seems to have changed its mind- there is no slow change of blurry grey days on this side- it is 70 one day and then 50 the next. This leaves me chilly but in a mega autumn mood. Its time for pumpkin.

Having made pumpkin bread a million times over, I was searching for something new. These are based off of a recipe by Martha Stewart but tweaked considerably, really it was the "cake-like" cookie description that hooked me in and I was off and rolling in no time.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter and brown sugar together until fluffy. Add egg, mixing until blended then add pumpkin puree. Sift together dry ingredients, then add to the pumpkin mix in as few mixes as possible. Add the chocolate chips. Spoon onto greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. I use an ice cream scoop to do this, as it makes nice evenly sized cookies. Bake 20-25 minutes.

I Heart Craigslist!

2010-10-06T14:41:00.001-07:00

I got a new sewing machine today. It was listed for 10 dollars! The person selling it, who happened to live just 2 streets away from me, had their renter move out and they left it. So I said I would be over right away. But when I got there she told me they couldn't find the pedal for it. So, even better, they gave it to me for free!

I found a new pedal for it right away on Sewing Parts Online; so for about 30 bucks I got a new-to-me sewing machine, the pedal I needed, plus a set of 15 bobbins. I am more than over the moon, as I thought I would have to spend a ton of money on a new machine. Now I just have to learn to sew!!!

Need Some Sewing Help

2010-10-04T11:11:00.002-07:00

I am going to make Infinity Dresses for my bridesmaids. The idea is easy, the pattern can be found at Rostitchery and is completely adorable. I have seen it made in a variety of versions, long and short but I just need some help on how to do the long version.

I have gotten far enough to know a circle skirt just isn't going to cut it and it is going to have to be A-line but that is as far as I have gotten. If anyone has any patterns/ideas for a nice skirt that will give me that grecian/fluttery/pleated without being pleated look it would be much appreciated! Just for a little background on the dress; it is essentially just a skirt sewn with a waistband, that has 2 large, and slightly overlapping fabric straps that can be wrapped in a variety of ways. Because it is sewn with stretchy fabric, such as satin jersey, it stays in place.

Autumn Harvest Apple Cake

2010-09-26T19:22:00.002-07:00

Law school has, thank goodness, finally drawn to a close and it is now time to step into the horrific "real world" in which one has to now pay back all that loan money. My fiancé Kyle and I packed up our bags and headed East over the Cascade Mountains to our new place in Wenatchee. It has been a bit of an adventure, but the boxes are all unpacked and we seem to be generally enjoying ourselves. In fact, if you are ever in town head over to McGlinns for a Peach and Prosciutto Pizza, you will do it if you know what is good for you. The thing is absolutely divine.

But today we are here to talk about Apples. With a capital A. Wenatchee is after all, the apple capital of the universe, and what better way to celebrate it than by turning those farm-fresh little wonders into a spice cake. Now, if you have ever read Laura Esquivel's "Like Water for Chocolate" you might believe that one's mood inevitably effects the quality of ones cooking. This cake would prove you wrong. I almost always pull out the pots and pans the minute I get stressed, and both the act of baking and the act of eating nearly always put me back on track. And now, I may contentedly lick the frosting spoon and type with the obligatory sticky fingers.

Apple Spice Cake with Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Ingredients, for two 8 inch round cakes:

3 cups flour, sifted

2 cups brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 1/2 cups milk

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups chopped apples, with the skin on

1/2 cup raisins, soaked in 3-4 teaspoons of brandy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour brandy over the raisins and let them soak. Mix together all the dry ingredients and sift them once or twice. Mix together all the wet ingredients. With a spatula, stirring as little as possible, add the wet to the dry and toss in the apples and the raisins. Butter your dishes, and add half the mix to each pan. They will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes. Let the cake cool before frosting.

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz box of cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of ginger (depending upon the quality and what you like).

Mix this all together, I use my kitchen aid. It tastes pretty darn amazing. I also topped the cake with a few almonds, just for kicks.

Getting Married

2010-07-17T23:01:00.002-07:00

Wedding plans are coming along swimmingly- I just got this sweet little vintage number from Ebay- it is from the 1940's and I love the brides slightly mischievous smile! And, because you all want to know...

The Proposal: As a belated birthday present for Kyle, the couple took a trip to Vancouver, BC, just after the 2010 Olympics. They stayed in a 5-star hotel and were upgraded to the presidential suite which had a magnificent view of the city (and was nearly the size of their house!) After exploring Vancouver, they dined at a spectacular French restaurant where Kate ordered the lobster bisque. They spent the rest of the night sipping champagne and savoring chocolates while soaking up the city lights from their room.

The next morning, Kate went out to get breakfast while Kyle slept. Unbeknownst to her, Kyle had slipped the ring box under her pillow while she was out. Bringing back coffee and bakery goodies, they began to have breakfast in bed. Kyle pulled out the ring then and there, while Katy was covered in muffin crumbs, asking her to marry him. She said yes.

London Fog

2009-04-23T11:59:00.005-07:00

During the 19th century London was often covered in fog, called a pea-soup fog because it was as thick as yellow pea soup. Pea-soupers were the result of soft-coal burning before the clean air act. Pea soup is a classic- it is immortalized in the 16th century nursery rhyme, where pease was the word meaning peas:

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

In fact pea soup is one of the most ancient dishes around. Pea soup is talked about in Aristophanes' The Birds, and according to one source "the Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 BC. During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup." For a fantastic history on peas and pea soup click here.

Split Pea Soup

6 Slices of thick bacon (I like Fletchers, you can get it at Costco)
2 onions
2 cups of peas
8 cups of water (or follow the directions on the bag of peas for how much to add-you can always add more water if it is too thick later as well)
2 chicken stock cubes or (2 tablespoons stock paste)
1 tablespoon Basil
Black pepper to taste
Bay leaf or two

Cut the bacon into small strips and fry in the bottom of a large saucepan until cooked, about 7 minutes on medium high heat. Removed bacon from the fat with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add in the chopped onion stirring until translucent-then the remaining ingredients. Cooking 30-40 minutes (with the lid on) until the peas start to fall apart and thicken the soup. You can puree part or all of the soup in the blender if you prefer, but I like it as is. Top with some bacon bits and serve hot with crusty french bread.

It's Spring!

2009-04-22T14:50:00.005-07:00

The BBQ is out and it is officially spring. That means: Things on sticks! Starting to get sick of 'grilled chicken' ie just chicken...on a grill... I decided it was time to mix it up.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers

1 chicken breast per person
1 small bunch of fresh rosemary finely chopped
1/8 Cup Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken and the oil in a small bowl. Chop the chicken into skewer size chunks. Very SLOWLY while whisking, add the oil into the lemon-mix until thick and it tastes how you like it. Toss the sauce with the chicken and leave it to marinate for 30 minutes. While this is going on, it is best to soak the skewers in water. This will help keep the wood from burning or worse, catching on fire. After the 30 minutes are up, skewer the chicken and put on the grill until crispy on the sides, firm to the touch and well, the chicken is done.

This sauce and also be poured on a whole chicken breast, marinated and baked. It goes fantastically with spring veggies like asparagus, pea sprouts, or corn on the cob for a hands on meal.

Martha Does it Better

2009-03-04T18:44:00.006-08:00

OK. Seriously. These are the BEST MUFFINS EVER. My recipes all bite. This is the keeper. You have to try it. You just have to. Tossing the blueberries in flour keeps the muffins from going soggy, and the sugar on top before baking makes for the perfect crunch. I have a bit of a culinary crush.

Blueberry Muffins From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

(Click here for the recipe)

I know it is cheating to just pot a link, but I can't help it. These babies are just TOO good.

Even my little dog Marley is putting on his reading glasses to get a load of these muffins. Also exciting in Martha news, there is now a section on dogs. Don't start watching the videos, it is addictive and has stopped me from studying for finals which is what I really need to be doing. As if I needed a good reason not to do homework. I am starting to realize I may be the biggest slacker law student ever. I am very motivated to be a fantastically awesome family lawyer, but around here it looks like my puppy is the only studious one.

(That is a total lie, my boyfriend hits the books like a mad man).

Good Morning, Muffin!

2009-02-22T18:18:00.007-08:00

I like to pretend I am better at baking than I really am. Specifically in the cake department, for some reason white cakes I seem to be incapable of making, I even made white cupcakes fall and that takes a very special talent. I am however, reasonable at making muffins. (Except of course when I go a little crazy, I have been known to over-blueberry my muffins resulting in a soggy, but very darn fruity, pile of muffiny ooze).

Muffin making skills are important. Nothing says love like a morning full of freshly baked muffins and tea. And poppy seed muffins particularly fun, they have dots! It is very exciting business. I always happen to have on hand a can of poppy seed cake filling from the store, I have never actually used it as cake filling but I do use it in muffins and cakes. I suppose I could just buy actual poppy seeds, but that would be way too easy.

These muffins are reasonably healthy, reasonably because they are made with fat-free yogurt which I think makes for a better (moister) muffin texture and cake-y crumb. Plus, they taste great, and make your house smell like the home of the domestic goddess (or god) that you are.

Poppy Seed Muffins

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
a full 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs at room temperature
1 cup nonfat yogurt
dash of milk (this depends upon the thickness of your yogurt)
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 stick of butter melted (1/2 for the muffins and 1/4 for brushing into your muffin tin), I prefer salted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons poppy seeds, or poppy seed filling
zest of one lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients, all but the sugar; salt baking powder & flour into a bowl. I sift 3 times, but I am a little over the top. Next, in a different bowl, mix the sugar together with the eggs, until well blended, about a good minute of mixing, no slacking off. Then add in the yogurt, poppy seeds and vanilla followed by the melted butter, finally I add the zest. Using a microplaner is fantastic but a zester or grater will also do. Worst comes to worst you could even use a knife and practice your tiny chopping skills. Add the flour and stir with a spatula in just a few strokes, you want it lumpy but mixed. If your dough is too stiff (it should be about the consistency of pancake batter) add a little splash of milk, 3 tablespoons ought to do you. If you over mix you will have hard muffins. Use the rest of the melted butter to grease your muffin tin, I use a little pastry brush but you could pour it in and use a paper towel too if you were desperate.

I find the best way for getting muffin batter into a muffin tin is to use two large spoons, one to spoon and the other to scape off that spoon into the tin- this will help you from getting mix all over the sides and burning on and being a pain for washing up later. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean. If you are feeling fancy you could make a glaze, for after the muffins cool, by taking powdered sugar and lemon juice, just enough juice to turn the sugar into a thick ooze- and brush or dribble it over your muffins, the thicker the paste the more crunchy the gaze gets when it hardens.

A New Place to Hang Your Hat

2009-02-04T11:39:00.005-08:00

I moved! (Not websites, don't worry, I am not cool enough to figure out how one of those fancy typepad blogs work), but houses. My new kitchen (being in a house instead of a cramped apartment near the university) is probably twice as large. I actually have EMPTY drawers in my kitchen, can you imagine? and a dish washer! (not just my boyfriend now!- a real one with buttons and all, though now that I live with him there are more dishes and a great built in excuse to make lots and lots and lots of food).

I am also inheriting a TV (it is the above stated boyfriend's, not mine) and I have to say it is odd. I have not had a TV since I moved out of my parent's house to start going to college (a long time ago). I use the internet (hey the shows only have like 3 commercials!) and science friday's on NPR as entertainment. I am not sure I like it. I mean, I enjoy the fact that there is a big soft sofa next to it for some good old fashioned spooning while watching it. But the box is loud and all flashy with its neon lights, screaming buy buy buy and sometimes it is just a little more than I can take. I do get Heroes a whole 24 hours earlier though, so there is an upside. It is all about settling in.

Well the paper is almost done...

2009-01-21T17:19:00.013-08:00

So, any time I need to sit down to write a paper, this is what usually happens. First I clean my apartment, because honestly, who can write when it is messy? That gives me at least 30 minutes of procrastination time. And then I cook something, preferably something that makes me get up to stir thus leaving my computer. This recipe doesn't actually need to be stirred all the way through, but it still takes up some good time, and you can stir for good measure anyway. It isn't really the writing so much that gets to me, as the editing. You know you have made it when you can finally afford someone to do all that miserable stuff for you. Unless I either regress however to been 14 and somehow conning my parents into re-reading my papers, or jet forward in time until I am a multi-millionaire (ha, ha, someday right?) I am stuck with the everyday tried and true procrastination technique of chili making.

There are actually some legitimately very good reasons to make this chili. (1) By using dried beans you save money and make your whole place smell nice for ages while it cooks. (2) You will look like a fantastic domestic-goddess and/ or mega-cooking-stud for cooking your own chili from scratch. (3) It has turkey instead of beef, which fits in with all those new years’ resolutions. (4) It tastes good. (5) it tastes good, AND it is made with beer, so you get to taste test while cooking just to make sure the brew hasn't, you know, gone off or anything. (6) Beans have fiber. Oh yes! So it is ALMOST like by eating this chili you are in fact giving your body a little pre-valentines day gift. For those interested here is a lovely quote from the central bean co website!

"Today, beans are recognized by many health-related groups, including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association as an extremely beneficial addition to most diets. That’s because they’re high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber, low in fat and sodium, and completely cholesterol-free. It’s long been recognized that increasing the fiber content in our diets promotes a healthy digestive tract and reduces the risk of many types of cancer. And fiber also plays a significant role in lowering high blood cholesterol rates, one of the main risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease. Beans are one of the best sources of fiber available, and they’re an excellent source of protein as well. In fact, a one pound can of beans contains more protein than a pint of milk, yet ounce for ounce, fewer calories and fat than eggs, meat or cottage cheese. "

WOW! That is amazing, doesn't it make you want to eat chili now?

Beer & Turkey Chili with Corn Bread

1 cup dried black beans
1 cup dried kidney beans
3 small onions, chopped
8-10 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons oregano
2 cans of stewed tomatoes plus juice
1 can corn or 2 cups frozen corn if you have it on hand
1 bay leaf
1 bottle of bear
3 teaspoons beef base (or use stock instead of water, or 2knor beef bullion cubes)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1 lb ground turkey
hot sauce to taste
Cheddar Cheese to top- I use Tillamook Special Reserve White

First take the beans and put them into a bowl with a good 6 cups of water on top and stick them in the fridge overnight. Soaking the beans overnight I find the easiest way, though there is a speed-up way of cooking them, draining the water letting them be in the fridge for a while and then re-cooking them but this sounds like a lot of fuss and washing up.

The next day when you are ready to go, put the bowl under a running tap until all the water in the bowl is clear- then just pour it in. I would estimate about 4-6 cups, it is all going to bowl off anyway so it really doesn’t matter, it depends on how high a temperature you are planning to cool the beans on. You need enough water to cook them, over several hours so you will want a bit. Pour the beans and water into a big pot.

Add the onions, garlic (I know it sounds like a lot but after hours of cooking it won’t taste like it), beer, and everything else except the turkey. Cook on medium for as long as it takes to get soft beans, 3-4 hours. This is a long process, but if you get it going you don't need to sit around stirring it just clamp a lid on until most of the liquid is gone and then come back and turn it up and stir until the rest is gone.

In a separate pan, brown your turkey meat in a little olive oil and once it is browned, add it into the chili, top with cheese, and serve.

I like to serve it with corn bread, - here is my favorite recipe. Because the cornbread takes 25 minutes to cook it is a good idea to get this in the oven and then start in on your turkey browning.

Also, if the people you feed are anything like the people I do, you are going to need a few extra bottles of that beer you used to help them wash it all down. At the moment I am on a Manny's kick, a local Seattle brew, made by Georgetown with a fantastic malty-but-not-too-malty taste.

Sweet Rewards

2009-01-16T18:03:00.006-08:00

It has been a long week, and with another long one up ahead sometimes a girl needs a little break. I love Sidecars, and this drink while being just a touch sweeter had a wonderful refreshing edge, just the thing to wash away the week.

Mandarin Cocktail

2 oz Mandarin Juice Freshly Squeezed
2 oz Bandy
1 to 1 1/2 oz Triple Sec (depending on the level of sweetness you prefer)
dash of lemon juice

Pour all of these into a shaker and shake liberally with plenty of ice and pour into a martini glass. You could use a sugared rim if you are so inclined but I think this drink is plenty sweet all on its own. And the best thing is if you squeeze too much juice you can always add it to champagne for a very merry brunch the next morning.

Something to Warm You Up

2009-01-12T15:50:00.005-08:00

Seattle got hit this winter. Luckily, before Christmas I made it over to Vashon Island to stay with my parents before the mega-snow hit, (mega for Seattle is anything more than an inch, we don't understand this cold white stuff, and with all of our hills it makes getting around next to impossible). Many people were left stuck atop hilly homes no way to make it back for Christmas. The area was a mess and even my sister could not make it back in time for the holiday.

With all this chilly business going on what is a girl to do? Well get sloshed on steamy-boozy drinking. Not only will it keep you warm going down, but what better way to warm-up for the winter months than with an added layer of...insulation... from all those extra calories. Believe me, this drink is worth a few extra sit ups come bikini weather.

Grand Marnier Hot Chocolate with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream

Whipping Cream
Grand Marnier
Whole Milk
Baking Chocolate, I use Ghirardelli's Cocoa Powder, non-sweetened.

For the Boozy Whipped Cream, just add 2-3 tablespoons alcohol to about a cup of as-of-yet-un-whipped cream and whip. You don't need a lot, a little will go along way.

For the hot chocolate steam milk like you would to make espresso, and then mix slowly into the cocoa, what works well for me is to add just a spoonful at first and get the cocoa wet before adding in the rest. Then add a shot of Grand Manier, this is sweet enough that you wont need to use sugar, and boozy enough to have you feelin' the holiday spirit. Add a few spoons of the cream and top with a dusting of the cocoa or chocolate shavings if you happen to have a grater and a bar of chocolate handy.

For those who are unfamiliar with Grand Marnier, it is a form of triple sec, an orange liquor, that pairs beautifully with chocolate, as well as coffee (yes, try it in your latte next time too!)

Its finals week... and you know what that means

2008-12-09T09:53:00.002-08:00

That's right. Crap food! I try to jazz it up, pretend I am all gourmet, but a spoonful of miso from the back of the fridge into the top ramen is about as jazzy as it gets around here during finals. There may be a quesadilla in sight, possibly a baked potato (microwaved and then put in the oven, it has to be fast people!) But hey, convience food is just so dang convienent and...well.. I have to get back to studying!

Dear Martha,

2008-11-29T10:46:00.007-08:00

ah. Martha Stewart; domestic goddess, powersuit princess, divine CEO of thanksgiving menus. When she is right, she is really right. This year, in hopes of jazzing things up a little, I thought it would be about time to give Martha a call. Sweet potato cheesecakes? classic pumpkin pies? This year called for big, it called for bold, it called for chocolate.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart

Of course, like any good lawyer to be, I have to think that I can always do a little better. Martha, you are amazing, but sometimes, I have to just say; agree to disagree. Flaky chocolate crust? Really? With pumpkin? No. Give me something tender and chewy and heavy on the deliciousness. Here is my remix. Making the crust using the same method you would use to bake a batch of cookies gives just the right appeal. It is a little sticky to roll out, but a little powdered sugar on the counter and the rolling pin will make your job easy.

Chocolate Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dutch-processed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) at room temperature
1 large egg
Powdered sugar for dusting
Baking Beads
4 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

Cream together the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy and smooth. Add in the egg and beat together. Sift together other ingredients, reserving the chopped chocolate until later and stir in until mixed. Dust the counter and rolling pin and roll the dough into tart form and place into a 10 inch tart pan. You can use your fingers to push the dough into place and smooth it so it is even.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then remove the baking beads (I know it is hot, careful not to burn yourself!) And add the chopped chocolate pieces. Pour the pumpkin filling on top and return to the oven.

Pumpkin Filling: (from Martha, with some spice fixing, I like it with more punch)

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
8 ounces creme fraiche (I use sour cream, it is cheaper and it tastes fantastic)
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate (for later)
heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, creme fraiche (or sour cream), eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cloves until smooth. Pour filling into chocolate crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top wiggles only about the amount of a dime when you take it from the oven. Let it cook on a wire rack and then let it be in the fridge until ready to serve. Then melt the chocolate, adding in the cream until it is at a consistancy you can drizzle, you can use the mircowave or a double boiler but go slowly on the heat, chocolate burns easily. Once the pie is set you can drizle the extra chocolate on top. This recipe also makes 6 mini tarts which are perfect for a party.

More apples?

2008-11-18T10:11:00.006-08:00

My parents have at least 10 apple trees, this means piles and piles and piles, in great mounding heaps and a limited ability to consume. The apples from their tree are crisp, juicy and last much longer than the store variety but a poor girl can only eat apples for so long before she seeks something a little more cosy.

These muffins are fantastic, with the amount of apples I had I had plenty of time to experiment with recipes, and this is the joyous autumnal culmination of deliciousness. They are light and crumbly yet moist (that is because of the yogurt) and not too sweet. With a simple twist they also make a homey cupcake (just add 1/2 a cup more sugar, and top with spiced buttercream frosting)

Spiced Apple Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 (up to a cup can be used if you them sweeter) cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash of vanilla (I use a capful of vanilla extract)

1 cup plain yogurt (I use a non-fat, fairly solid version)

Milk (use none to 1/4 a cup depending on your flour and the consistency of your yogurt, I add this in after everything else)

1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated

3 apples, finely diced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees,

First combine dry ingredients In a large bowl, I just put them all in the sifter and sift them together a few times; flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a different bowl, put the chopped apples, together with butter, sugar, egg and lemon and let sit for 10 minutes, this allows all of the flavor of the apples to be drawn out and will make your muffins more flavorful, then stir in yogurt. Next add into the flour mixture and stir as little as possible, using a spatula, stirring until just mixed. (add milk if needed)

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in a greased muffin tin, until a knife inserted comes out clean. As soon as the muffins are cool enough to take out of the tin, place them on a wire rack. Meanwhile, melt about 1/4 a stick of butter and mix 1/2 cup of sugar with a teaspoon of cinnamon. Dip the muffins first in the butter and then again into the cinnamon sugar mixture. mmm. I can eat at least three for breakfast.

Button Hat

2008-10-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

Pattern from I Like Lemons, (I knit the brim in Mistake Stitch). I got the Yarn from Presiegne, Wales, where I was visiting over the summer and I wanted a hat that would really allow me to show off the natural yarn. It is super warm and cozy!

Fall Comfort

2008-10-19T11:57:00.002-07:00

It is honestly fall now. The leaves have gone from a shady green to flaming red, and I have had to pull out the dusty sweaters from under my bed for actual use. As many around me begin to moan about the approach of winter,

I have been assuaging any chilly negative thoughts with giant baskets of autumn harvest. Great heaping mounds of apples and pears from my parent's house on Vashon Island, squash from the University Saturday Market, and plenty of free time to culinary-brainstorm while sitting in law school lectures have brought about the collimation of some cheering fall dishes to keep your body warm and your mind pleasantly enough occupied so as to release those thoughs of winter.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup:
Here is an adorable little soup, cozy and comforting for fall with just a hint of sweetness

1 Medium Butternut Squash, cubed

1 onion, chipped
2 pears, cored and chopped
5 cups Chicken Stock (enough to cover the squash)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in chopped onion, stirring until transparent. Add cubed squash and pear and cook for about 5 minutes, stiring, then add in stock until it covers the top of the mixture. Cook until the squash and pear are soft, then puree in a blender. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Next Stop Spain

2008-10-07T06:04:00.004-07:00

We all have our favorites. I really am not a discriminating girl, I like good, fresh foods cooked well but there isn't usually something that I eat with true an utter abandon (well perhaps other than a slight weakness for peanut butter and grapefruits, not combined, don't worry) but there is something about cured salty meats, you have to admit. It makes me feel a little weak at the knees and my heart begin to flutter. But above and beyond, the sexiest of all cured meats, has got to be the Jamon Serrano of Spain. It is thinker, richer, darker than the Jamon Crudos of Argentina and there is something almost creamy about the texture, something meater that even takes it a step beyond Procuitto (and that is saying something serious). I ate my way through Spain with a grin of guttony and a shine to my eyes, though I suppose honestly, that may have been the rediculously delicious Sangria.

While at a Food Festival in the UK, I met an importer of Jamon Serrano and Jamon Iberico, its fancier, and more expensive cousin. Both hams are salt-cured first, for a few weeks to draw out mostiure and then washed and hung to dry, the cheaper ones for about 6 months and the more expensive for up to 2 years.

The difference between the two hams is the type of pig, Serrano is litterally "mountain ham" and are from a breed of white pig called Landrace, while Jamon Iberico breaks down into a few catagories (helpfully provided from Wiki); though I suppose there is no accounting for taste, because I actually like the cheap stuff better, scandalous.

Jamón Iberico de Bellota: Free-range, acorn-fed Iberian pigs

Jamón Iberico de Recebo: Acorn, pasture and compound-fed Iberian pigs

Jamón Iberico de Campo: (Sometimes just Jamón Iberico in short and also known as Jamón de Pata Negra). Compound-fed Iberian pigs. Pata negra (literally black hoof), which only accounts for about five percent of total ham production, is made from the Black Iberian Pig (cerdo ibérico). The best varieties of pata negra are range fed and fattened on acorns in cork oak groves along the southern border between Spain and Portugal. (see the two subcategories above)

Of course, there is more to Spain than just awe-inspiring cured meats, thats right, there is also Paella. After our much to short stint in Sevilla, it was off to Tarifa, for a little sun and surf, which can mean only one thing, lots of seafood. Paella originates in Valencia, and while in my opintion is most fantastic with seafood can also be made with just about any type of meat; rabbit, chicken, beef, whatever strikes ones fancy.

This version is made with onions, garlic, saffron, a variety of seafood, short-grain rice, some veggies, and fish stock, and if you look at the next picture you can see all that remained after I got my hands on it.

Good Enough to Eat!

2008-09-23T15:20:00.008-07:00

Per your requests, I have decided to give in and update the blog. And since it has taken me so long to get around to updating, I have a particular eye-feast for you today. I hope you aren't too hungry because I am about to take you on a mini-break through a few noteworthy European stuff-yourself-silly-worthy meals. First Stop, can you guess where this is?

Ah, that's right. There aren't many places you see such a beautiful sight at 8am on a Tuesday morning, the daily Keg delivery in Dublin Ireland, and the wet sidewalks to show why they need so much beer to see them through.

Ireland has lots of gorgeous countryside, lots of gorgeous countryside full of very happy cows that make, in my opinion, some of the best butter on earth. Irish butter is rich, creamy and a whole lot more, well, buttery than the butter you find here in the states. Lucky for us you can find imported Kerrygold butter from Ireland, if you are a very lucky person, some grocery stores.

The bread I got in a bakery called, creatively, The Bakery, in the Temple Bar area of Dublin (the foodiest area). I also picked up something I had never heard of, Tiffin. An Irish treat make of oats, and sugar and the like coated most deliciously in chocolate, and a similar flapjack, which can be bought all over Great Britain and Ireland and follows along the same lines, though often includes fruit and cuts out the chocolate, but a picture can explain more than I ever will:

What is so appealing about these little bars is the combination of the salty-oaty-nuttiness with the chocolate or the fruit, it is powerful and addicting mix! Also deadly, like all things delicious, it probably has about the same amount of calories you would find if you just sat down and ate the whole stick of that Kerrygold butter I was telling you about.

My favorite thing about Irish cuisine however, is the homey-comfort of it all. After a soggy walk through the rain there is nothing better than a cup of steaming tea, and a plate of bangers and mash. Or perhaps, a pint of Guinness followed with some beef and Guinness stew with Guinness bread at a local pub like this one, doesn't it have just the perfect name for the soon-to-be lawyer?

Road Trip into the Sun

2008-03-24T10:07:00.002-07:00

Messy, that has been my life for the last month. Going through a quagmire of personal issues, and law school finals has left me feeling a little dazed and confused. But now the world looks better, there isn't a test left in sight, and I am heading into the sun. We are off San Fransisco for spring break! This little trip could not have come a better time and I am feeling full of renewed energy for the coming quarter, a new page in the book of Katy I suppose. Obviously, this calls for lemon tarts.

There is something about a lemon tart, the perfect balance of tart and tangy with the sweet and cream texture that just gets to you. They are so fast and easy and they make it look as though you spent all day in the kitchen.

Tart Dough: Click Here, you just make one recipe of the tart dough for 6 mini tarts. You will want to time it so these are coming out of the oven warm at the time your lemon curd is ready. I fill mine with baking beads to help the shape and allow for even cooking.

Lemon Tart Filling based on the recipe from The Baking Institute:
7 large egg yolks, plus 2 eggs
1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup juice plus 1/2 cup grated zest from 4-5 medium lemons
1/2 a stick of butter
1/4 cup cream

In a bain-marie (a bowl put over a small pan of simmering water) mix eggs & sugar until combined and then add in the lemon bits. With the water simmering, add in the butter and mix until the curd thickens to a thin-sauce like consistency. Take off the heat, add the cream and pour into your tart shells. Put them back in the oven and bake another 10ish minutes until the center is shiny and opaque and the tarts don't have too much wiggle to them. Then comes the hard part, letting them cool off enough to top with a little whipped cream before serving.

Persuasion Pasta

2008-02-23T07:59:00.004-08:00

You may or may not be aware, that I am a huge Jane Austen Fan. I have read ever book, seen every movie, and still can never get enough of that good old 19th century romantic period literature. Persuasion is by far my favorite of her novels, don't get me wrong, a girl can never say no to a healthy dose of Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, but there is something just so suspenseful about the telling of this novel.

Unfortunately for me the only movie (that I have seen) of this book is a worthless piece of rubbish that retells the whole story making the main character a sassy, take-no-prisoners brunette which makes you want to cry in pain. However, I retain my faith in the human race and am headed to the theatre this afternoon to watch Persuasion at the Seattle Center; which makes me only very slightly less excited than the cure for cancer, world peace and the creation of a 0 calorie full flavor creme brulee rolled into one. Obviously such sublime anticipation calls for pasta.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tiger Prawns

You have to be crazy to hate on a prawn. At least one that is properly cooked. The key to this dish is getting the prawns uncooked, if you go to the store or market and all they have is pink pre-cooked little monsters turn your back and run. I just get tiger prawns frozen, uncooked, from costco, but in the summer I often get a little bag full from Pikes Place Market to take home and have that night. But since the prawns don't have to stand alone in this pasta, I think the frozen are just fine.

Ingredients:
8 Cloves Garlic
Sea Salt
Pepper
2 Fresh, Ripe Tomatoes
1 teaspoon cream
Oregano
Thyme
6 Tiger Prawns
Olive Oil

First, what you want to do is put a splash of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and let that get nice and warm.

Then add the salt, pepper, garlic cut into slivers, and Tiger Prawns, once they are cooked on one side flip them over and add in the tomatoes, cream and herbs.
Cook the prawns a little more and then take them out, and let your sauce reduce a bit while you cook your pasta and shell your prawns.

Don't forget to add salt to the water while you cook your pasta, you can even add in the shells from your prawns which adds great flavor! Test the sauce and see if it needs more salt or pepper, then drain your pasta and toss with the sauce, and place the prawns on top of the whole thing for an aw-inspiring & delicious lunch in under 15 minutes.

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T16:00:00.003-08:00

So this post is really a lie. Because I am a busy law student I really didn't have time to make these cookies for today but rather brought them to my class on Monday, so I could make them over the weekend.

Good thing too, because we had moot court contract negotiations this week and my partner and I made it into the semi-finals which meant lots of hours preparing for the silly contest. It was a lot of fun though I have to say, I really enjoy negotiation, more so than reading cases anyway.

But back to cookies, so as I was saying I thought everyone could use a pick-me-up and I never need a very good excuse to be able to bake. Let alone play with royal icing! These sugar cookies are fabulous and the recipe was given to me by a friend during my sophomore year of high school and has proved itself a keeper over the many years of use, and I still think of her whenever I make them.

Soft Sugar Cookies (this made 60 heart cookies)

1 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/3 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream (like unbeaten whip cream you can get at the store)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1) First thing, cream together your butter and your sugar, until very smooth. then add your eggs one at a time, and incorporating just a little at a time.
2) Next add in your cream, vanilla and salt
3) In a separate bowl sift together your baking powder and flour, and then add this into your butter mix.
4) Refrigerate for a few hours, I leave mine overnight, but a few hours is plenty. Then roll out on a floured board and cut into the shapes you want. Also a few basic cookie tips which are always go a little under what you think for cooking time. I like my cookies soft, so I take them out when they are still at the stage where they couldn't hold their shape if you grabbed onto one side, then very carefully I use a spatula to lift them off and let them cool. By this time they have firmed up, and you can move onto decoration.

Royal Icing:
1 lb powdered sugar
5 teaspoons meringue powder (you can use egg white but as I don't want a lawsuit on my hands.. I go with the powder for law class)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
water

You just add water until it is thin enough that you can pipe it onto a cookie. Once you outline the shape you want on the cookie you can add more water and flood the inside of that outline with more frosting too.

For the colored ones I added paste colors which I use for decorating cakes, but a little goes a long way and food coloring is just fine. For the chocolate ones I made a chocolate ganache (with melted chocolate and a little cream) and then drizzled them with royal icing.

Time for Greens!

2008-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

After all of those cupcakes, and in preparation for baking a million cakes for class, I think it is about time to post something green. While I was working at the Fish Market and Cafe over the summer grilling up a store I noticed a recipe in one of the books we had laying around there for a grilled fig salad, and it got my attention. For months I have been meaning to try something out, but as figs aren't in season, I decided it was time for a little kitchen improvisation.

Spinach & Date Salad with a Balsamic Fig Reduction

This is so easy and so so so tasty. The balsamic and fig reduction makes for a thick, robust and complex dressing for any salad, I like to add it still warm onto the leaves. Step One: Find yourself some balsamic vinegar. It doesn't have to be anything spectacular, but it is better on the sweeter-side of the vinegar spectrum, mine here is from Costco.

Add as much as you desire into a small saucepan, and turn it on over a medium high heat, adding a pinch of pepper. Step two: I use fig spread, this one is from a gourmet import store at Pikes Place Market, but if you cant find fig spread you can always use dried figs. Just pour some boiling water over them, let them sit for about 20 minutes, then stick them in the fridge overnight and puree them in the morning.

Step three: add some into your vinegar, stirring until it melts down. Depending on how you like your dressings you will want to add more or less, but I use about a tablespoon per 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar.

Then you will want to just leave it alone and let it reduce by about half, you don't need to stand over it or anything, go check your email or call your mother and come back in about 10-15 minutes.

Then when it is nice and thick, pour it over your greens. I like to add chopped dates and a few walnuts for crunch but this sauce goes just as well on pork chops or grilled rosemary chicken. Yum!

Lesson One: Cake Decorating Class

2008-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

There is probably nothing better for the nerves of an exhausted first year law student than the therapeutic effects the come from squeezing buttercream out of a pastry bag. Wednesdays class was spectacular; no cases, no laws, no statutes, just a room of eager-eyed wanna-be bakers pushing butter and sugar onto wax paper. My own little slice of paradise right off of highway 99.

We made what is known as 'Decorator Icing' an interesting concoction of hydrogenated oils and sugar, made usually with white Crisco. It does have a purpose, and this is that when you are learning to ice a cake you are not particularly speedy and hydrogenated oils hold up much better at room temperature (or the temperature of one nervous law students palms while decorating). I couldn't quite bring myself to make 100% Crisco fattened frosting, so I used half butter in mine, which was fine in terms of consistency though we weren't decorating for long. Generally this type of frosting is used for the piping and such and another type can be used to actually ice the base coat of the cake. Another foodie in the class made it with butter and coconut oil instead, which sounds more appealing, I will have to try it out after the class is over.

Our first class was three hours long and taught by Cherri Bloomquist, a gregarious matter-of-fact type of woman who has been decorating cakes for over 20 years. Most of the time was spent getting hints on crafting the perfect cake for icing, and how to get that first go of icing as smooth as possible. Two great tips here which are just too good not to pass on.

1) After carefully smoothing on your buttercream, you can use a hot dry knife to melt the buttercream just slightly, which will level everything out. We used boiling water, a metal spatula, and a nice try towel for this.

2) The second tip is, after the buttercream has hardened to the touch (i.e. when you touch it your finger doesn't come away coated in buttercream) you can take a paper towel and using pressure just push a bit to level the frosting. This, in reality, is much cooler than it sounds because paper towels come with enumerable types of patterns, which leave a stunning texture on the frosting itself.

The techniques we practiced were fun and not all that tricky to learn, the hardest part was not shaking while applying it (which I found out only works for me when I either use a small bag or put a small amount of frosting in) and making the pressure correct for the size that you wanted to produce. Here are a couple of examples from class:

These are all done with a number 16 tip, the lines at a 45 degree angle and the stars have to be done straight up and down.

Chilly Nights and Roasted Cauliflower

2008-02-04T10:40:00.002-08:00

I love Seattle, really I do. After nearly two years of whining about the miserable heat of northern Argentina while camped out near the Paraná River, I am now onto complaints about the cold. Here is the thing, I love the cold weather. Rain provides me the perfect excuse to sit around with my favorite things; cups of tea, slices of thick steaming bread from the oven, soup, and good books before a window open to the gray world. Maybe it is just one to many Jane Austin novels but I love the romance of winter.

But I didn't remember it being like this. I am in a state of chilly shock. I missed the bus and ended up a Katy-sicle on the bench waiting for the next arrival for nearly 30 minutes, my poor parsley is barely managing to get through the icy nights. Even my little dog snubs his morning run, afraid the frozen sidewalk may chill his princely paws.

I guess my memory failed me. Though perhaps it is just that sitting inside reading about President Truman's lawsuit in the 50's for Constitutional Law class is decidedly less romantic than cuddling up with hot cocoa. Ah well, this is why comfort food was created in the first place, and we might as well get the most out of it before spring comes along.

This is where the next recipe comes in. As a child my mum use to con my sister and I into eating veggies by steaming some broccoli and cauliflower, coating it in a sharp cheddar cheese sauce topping the thing with breadcrumbs and broiling it until the top is a lovely crunchy brown. This is the hight of comfort food. Cauliflower, when done correctly has a subtle nutty flavor, and while steaming is all very well and good, roasting is what brings this out best. This recipe takes advantage of that by adding in caramelized onions, coriander and curry making it the perfect winter side dish.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

In a roasting pan combine the following:

1 onion roughly chopped
2 small heads of cauliflower divided into small florets
3 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons coriander seed, ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Toss the mixture together with a fork until the onions and cauliflower are evenly coated and there are no clumps of spice anywhere. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. It is done when the onions are nice and soft, and the cauliflower when poked with a knife gives way easily.

Friday Night Date: Just Me, Some Chocolate and a Class Full of Foodies

2008-02-02T11:27:00.001-08:00

As I walked in through the door of the mechanical engineering room I was a little worried. I don't know if any of you have ever had the amazing experience of entering this particular building on the University of Washington campus but is, shall we say, a little less glamorous than the law building. It is an building made to look extra industrial chic for the 1970's but ends up looking like a sketchy meat packing plant from something out of a horror movie. But this was a chocolate class we are talking about so I gathered my strength and headed up the stairs to the second floor.

I could smell the sent of chocolate as I walked in, piles of cocoa beans on burlap sacks and cocoa powder samples lay in the front of the room, the place was already full of around 10 other students looking pleased and excited, and then there was the chocolate. Seemingly endless rows of tantalizing samples glistened in full glory.

I wrote out my little name tag grinning in anticipation as a thin, excited, science-type man wanders over to me to ask my name and check me off his list. Bill Fredricks tells me he has taught these chocolate classes for nearly 18 years, he also works in the oceanography department and has his hands in the chocolate industry. We sat down and went over where chocolate comes from, the history of it, and how it goes from tree to pod to fermentation to roasting to processing and blending and finally the product. I wont go into details because the real joy of the class is from watching his animation, his joy from teaching what he is passionate about. That kind of enthusiasm is infectious (not that I need a lot of convincing). As a scientist he knew about the chemical processes at work behind the food, and chocolate really is a techical, and as Bill says, an engineered food. It is all about the percent of fat, the times of roasting beans, the emulsion of milk powders and the wonders of melting temperatures. These things tend to go over my head, but I try my best to at least get to the whys, the types of fat producing which types of flavor (trust me it makes a difference).

Finally we got to the tastings, we worked are way from nearly pure nib chocolate (that is nearly no sugar added) which can be amazing. It is the cocoa butter content and the types of roasting that seemed to make a huge difference in flavor. Coffee and chocolate roasting is similar, the lighter the roast the more floral the notes and the darker the more robust and heavy it is going to be- obviously taking into account the region the bean is produced, just like a fine wine.

I always thought I hated really dark chocolate until tonight, but no, the truth is I just hated crappy dark chocolate. Oh I am such a snob. In the end my favorites were a Scharffen Berger 70% chocolate that Bill describes as a 'symphony of flavors' and I have to agree, it has a light floral note almost akin to blueberry which melts into a deeper, earthier, full-bodied flavor. My other fav was a Coucher du Soleil by Guittard, a 72% (the percent just means the base chocolate, or liqueur which is the cocoa butter and chocolate solids, so a 70% would have 30% sugar and not more than 3% emulsifier in the mix). On the milk side of things Bill liked the Des Alpes by Carma, which was creamy and strangely comforting like a memory I couldn't quite place, the chocolate is swiss. All milk chocolate is made with powdered milk, but the swiss use a different process which helps the fat of the milk from being mixed into the chocolate in the same way, all very complicated and tasty. But my favorite on that end was the Highland from Guittard, I have no idea if this is an appropriate choice as I have a very limited palette in terms of these things but it is what I liked. The star of the night was Maracaibo by Felchlin a 65%, which has won all kinds of awards and things and I must say was very very good, but didn't make it onto my list of favorites until they told me it was fabulous, then after a re-taste it was great.... the taste seems to be improved by peer pressure. (The BBC has an interesting article on this- the taste/price idea when talking about wine and I am sure it works with chocolate as well).

Honestly I have to say it was one of the best Friday nights I have spent in a while, absolutely worth while, and I will certainly be signing up for some of his other classes (he also teaches a day long class on truffles). I was maybe even a little disappointed when the class was over and stayed to help tidy up. Besides the chocolate tips I have also learned than in addition to being a food snob, and a food nerd, I also seem to be a food groupie, I wonder where the road leads from here...

Coconut Contract Cupcakes

2008-01-31T22:05:00.000-08:00

I have been promising my study group, but had yet to make time. Our school has decided it would be a good idea to force poor little first year law students to take 6 classes at once; we wonder the halls looking pasty and zombiesque. So I told my little group I would make something to cheer them up; treats with names like limited liability lemon cake, unjustly enriched chocolate tarts or imminent apprehension apple pie. (The obvious result of sleep-deprived law/baker brain). This weeks creation could only be: Coconut Contract Cupcakes.

I wanted to use a sour-cream chocolate cake as the base, everyone loves chocolate and I personally believe that sour-cream cakes (or ones with yogurt) have the perfect balance of sweet and tart with a tender crumb and never dry. So I used the Devil's Food Cake recipe from my Blue Buttercream Retro Cake, a recipe from Baking Illustrated. My buttercream however is my own, it takes a certain talent for horrible cooking to make a recipe that comes out this good but the basic idea is this:

Rich Vanilla Cream Cheese Buttercream
The stability of a buttercream with the richness and tang of a cream cheese frosting. The perfect stickiness for piling on the coconut

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

2 sticks of butter

1/2 cup icing (powdered sugar)
1/2 cup cream cheese

Over a bain-maire (a water bath of simmering water) combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt, whisk constantly until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Then using a hand mixer beat on high the mixture for about a minute until it has cooled back to room temperature. Then, a little at a time, add in the butter, and then the cream cheese and icing sugar.

I used an icing bag and piped the icing in a swirl onto cupcakes after they had cooled, and then added as much coconut on top as they could hold.

There is nothing better than a Chocolate Coconut Cupcake to sooth the soul. It calls up images of birthdays in grade school and m&m topped glories, of parents at the kitchen stove baking up some comfort in bite-sized proportion. It provided the perfect balance of childhood memories with adult style taste in a way that no other food can. And most of all, it is just fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to give away. Who doesn't love a good cupcake!

Pesticides: A Bit of Current Events

2008-01-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

Todays Seattle P-I caught my eye and I thought I would pass on the information. A recent study based on Mercer Island Children in a study on pesticide levels in school children revels some scary facts about non-organic produce. I must admit I don't always go the organic route as a poor student except where the taste is noticeable (like carrots and such), though this article has made me re-think my naughty-eating ways. Here is a link:

Harmful pesticides found in everyday food products:Mercer Island children tested in yearlong study

By ANDREW SCHNEIDER P-I SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Andy Rogers / P-I: Chensheng Lu, holding an apple from Pike Place Market, studied the pesticide levels in Mercer Island children. In the study, the children ate a variety of conventional produce from area groceries and then switched to organic. (Picture from the PI Website)

Tips from Home Cake Decorating Supply Co.

2008-01-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

There are tips, and then there are tips. Home Cake Decorating Supply Co. has both types.

It took me ages to navigate my way from the frozen dog park to the tiny little Cake Decorating shop on Roosevelt and 90th, where I left nearly a 1/5th of what I spend on my rent each month on cake supply goods. The place is packed, floor to ceiling; lollipop molds, Barbie heads to make your 5 year old that pink cake, edible glitter, and every cake tin, cardboard, box or tool to make the cake of absolute perfection.

But the true treasure of this place is the women behind the counter. As I counted out the right number of bags or specific spatula sizes, I could hear her offering advice. She recounted the trouble that could come with underpricing your first cake, she helped a mom pick the best tools for her little blond daughters birthday cupcakes and by the time I got to the front of the line I knew I had come to the right place.

She looked at me and back to my choices, and then continued to tell me why I needed to get entirely different tools. This spatula is plastic, all the professionals use wood, she tells me. Wood doesn't slip once it is covered in frosting. I don't need a large coupling (the little plastic circle which links the tip onto the frosting bag), I would never use it. Ah ha. I have learned more from this shopping trip than all my time working in a bakery (ok so we didn't make cakes).

While the shop is overflowing you can't leave without that feeling. You know... the way you feel after finding that perfect tomato, the most amazing cheese or artisan cured meat. It is the anticipation of great things to come. The glee of a soon-to-be-birthed cake of perfection.

Gretel Hat

2008-01-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

As a christmas pressy for the sister, I made us little berets- using Gretel from Yosolda, it took me quite a few tries to get right (I mean, you think I would have actually learned to knit a bit first to get my gage right). Oh no. Well here are some pics. It is a very fun pattern to knit.

The Quest for Cake

2008-01-24T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was glorious. The Seattle sun was shining over the frosty land, I took a new route on my daily run with my dog allowing me to appreciate the little neighborhood in which I live, I did quite adequately in my torts and contracts exams in law school and best of all I figured out how to use a system called inter-library loan which allows me access to any university library in the country, several of which actually had accounts of the history of food which you know can only make for an outstanding sort of day.

I also missed my bus. No worries, I think, in my state of glowing happiness after a near 12-hour snooze (and canceled morning classes), I will get coffee at the grocery store. I often go to this particular store, it is very expensive but so chic and I feel hip just by going there. So in I stroll, and the 3 helpful bakery girls take my order for a tall americano (I am a snob, a huge and unabashed snob when it comes to coffee so I try to make my orders extremely simple- unless I am at Vivace, which is another story, for another day). But as I wait for my coffee, I wander. The cakes catch my eye.

"Where on earth do you get your cakes done?" I say to the bakery-person closest to me, "They are so smooth, so perfectly frosted! Wouldn't I just die to be able to frost a cake like that!"

"Well" she tells me "Celebrity Cakes does thoses ones there, but if you are interested in cakes you must contact the cake-goddess at Home Cake Decorating Supply Co at 90th and Roosevelt because she knows everything, everything and everyone, and she can let you know where to go.'

I have been searching for a cake decoration class for months, unfortunately silly law school keeps thwarting my plans. I looked into the UW, West Seattle and Central continuing education programs but no cake help there. So at this little hint from the grocery I am elated, a crumb on the trail to cake decorating!

As I call the Home Cake Decorating Supply Co, my heart beats faster, could this be it? A cheerful voice at the end of the lines says hello. I explain how I was instructed to call, that she knew all and she laughed. But it was true, this women is a cake guru. She told me the names of three people in the Seattle area who teach and listed their numbers off by heart. She told me that her cake decorating supply store was opened in the 60's and only just moved up in the world of technology by getting a non-rotary telephone, and told me they 'might have a website' and told me an e-mail address. But the lack of technology obviously means nothing about her cake prowess. She told me if the first three numbers don't work I can call her back anytime.

I thank her profusely and call the first number on my list, Cheri Bloomquist a cake decorator of 'amazing skill', who tells me all about Continuing education at North Seattle Community College. I was worried about the timing, as Civil Procedure and Property cut unmercifully into my cake time, but she assured me the classes were at night or on the weekend. Finally! I was signed up in ten minutes. Thank goodness!

Obviously one glorious day well spent.

Excuses and Christmas Cake

2008-01-23T18:38:00.000-08:00

The truth is I actually do cook. Not that you would know that when you look at my decidedly forlorn little blog. No posts. No love. Really it is downright sad. What is worse is my serious desire to actually post, though you can't tell dear readers I honestly wish to be in communication with all of you.

The blame goes like this: It isn't my fault! It is my horrid, awful, no good, very bad digital camera. I have been taking photos with this brick of a thing which finally gave out on me and refuses to take even dim and foggy pictures. Perhaps I will have to move on to videos! There is an idea.

Well, all is not entirely lost, sometimes I cook with other people. Other people with cameras. Can you imagine? It is true. And here are the pictures to prove it.

First ever royal icing! On a traditional british christmas cake. I have to say I am very much in to royal icing after having made it. I put it on over a cap of marzipan (which I made myself, and honestly really shouldn't have because you just can't grind the nuts as fine as they ought to be) but here is the recipe for fabulous royal icing, which gets just a little bit crunchier with each day the cake lasts. My mum says it reminds her of the crunch of snow.

Royal Icing:

2 Egg Whites

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

2 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar (i.e. powdered sugar)

Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice and slowly add the sugar in a little at a time. I use an electric mixer.

At Long Last

2007-11-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Huzzah. After years and years of searching, at with a little help from you dear readers, I have finally got it. The Holiday dream of a young girl, now expressed (at the expense of my waist band), thats right, we have Lebkucken, otherwise known as Nuremberg Gingerbread, the German treat that's sent wafts from every bakery in Alsace, and has an unforgettable taste that even after 6 years away from France I still remember and long to recapture. Gingerbread is one of the first deserts in existence, perhaps that is why somewhere in my subconscious I long for the stuff with a primordial pull. The biggest glory for me was finally getting that glaze to work! My crowning achievement, and now I cant seem to remember why it was so difficult. The key is to make it very, very, very thick.

Lebkucken

½ cup honey
½ cup molasses
¾ cup Muscovado Sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2¾ cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1½ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup candied ginger (or citron if you can get it!)

In medium size saucepan, mix honey & molasses. Bring to a boil. Cool. Stir in brown sugar, eggs and lemon juice. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg and add to honey/molasses mixture. Stir in ginger. Dip hands in powdered sugar to roll into balls, stick in the freezer a few mins to chill before baking, on buttered baking sheet at 400 degrees about 10-12 minutes.

Note about the Sugar:
Muscovado or Barbados sugar Muscovado sugar, a British specialty brown sugar, is very dark brown and has a particularly strong molasses flavor. The crystals are slightly coarser and stickier in texture than “regular” brown sugar. (From Sugar Association)
Since I am Half British, I went with this, but you could use brown sugar as a substitute.

Glaze: Milk+ Powdered sugar, key is to keep it REALLY thick! Paint it on with your finger.

(Baking the cookies with my Mum, the first batch, after that I figured out they needed to be a bit larger)

2007-10-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

(Welcome! Chez Moi)

Wow I am a slacker. I have actually been cooking on occasion too. Law school is now in full swing, we are just embarking upon our 5th week as the UW Class of 2010. I try to maintain sanity. I do this in a few ways: 1) running with my little pup Marley 2) attempting to remember that someday I will earn enough money to open the dreamed tea shop/restaurant and 3) savoring food.

The last is getting harder. I live on my own now, and unless I feed my dog scraps I am the only one who gets to try the food. For a while this almost did me in, but I have realized that if I am to survive with my brain in tact through this law school adventure I have to remain true to myself. So I try to avoid eating peanut butter straight from the jar, and make Thai peanut curry instead, though sometimes the law school get-it-done-now in me wins out.

I have a class called Contorts, which is contracts and torts together is one, which is amazing and I thank my lucky stars I signed up for that class everyday. Civil procedure makes me want to gouge out my own eyes and serve them for a Halloween style feast, but I am getting- very, very slowly- though it (with the help of some very serious study guides, I am in love with Glannon for those of you in my boat). But here is the actual cooking-related news. My herb garden. I planted it in the first month I moved in, and it has since grown a bit since these pictures were taken but it is my serious pride and joy and will hopefully keep me happily fed throughout the winter as well. My poor basil plant however has a died a serious (but very yummy) death.

(Herb Garden with Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Parsley and Bay)

And for those of you interested in my apartment set up, on which I have spent most of my free time, here are a few more pictures. Here is the Kitchen:

For those of you with tips on how to keep up your hobbies while also keeping the dog fed, the bathroom clean, and the clothes washed, I would love to know. I suppose I will have to try to rely on this blog to keep me going a little more. Maybe if I force myself to cook, and to share it will you all, I will be able to keep myself happy though this long and arduous trek to the golden JD at the end of the rainbow.

So Long My Darling...

2007-09-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well, at the risk of sounding like an absolute spastic, I have to tell you all a little something. I have unenrolled as a culinary student. I got in at the University of Washington School of Law, and it was an offer I just could not pass up. After talking to a million people in cooking (they all told me the fastest way to having my own restaurant, is by getting out of the industry) I decided a law degree certainly wont hurt, sure it will leave me thousands of dollars in debt, and eyes red from all that reading, but at the end of the day I will also be able to provide for a family and for myself (and my raging and expensive cheese addiction).

Classes start on Monday. I am not at all as nervous as I thought I would be, I had drinks with a bunch of soon-to-be-classmates yesterday (all girls... rather strange) and all seemed to go smoothly. I think that since I am in a decent school I am not as worried about grades, I am 100% o.k with a B average (this is hard to take from a girl who lived by her report card in undergrad) but perhaps I have lived a little more and know that honestly, my happiness is a whole lot more real when it comes from the smiles of people around me eating some dish I have just made than from a letter on a bit of paper.

Speaking of happiness, every year my mother and I make 3 fruit marmalade. You can't get Seville oranges around here, and the stuff they sell in supermarkets is decidedly American. No offense, but sweet just isn't going to cut it. I am not going to give you a recipe because jam doesn't work that way, but generally it goes:

Oranges
Grapefruits
Lemons

I take the peel of the orange and the lemon and dice it very finely, some years I go with squares but I think that long strips look nicer. I am not going to say anything more, as this is a top-secret, family-only recipe. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you....or marry you, one or the other.

If You Are Going To Be British...

2007-08-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

I think I have made it clear that most of my comfort foods spawn from England. My Grans, the most exquisite cook (She attempted to take a cooking course once, but ended up having to correct the professor on his technique so much she got fed up) probably aided my strong desire to enter the culinary field. But living in Seattle, I have been rather hard pressed to get my hands on the things I desire most, the things that feed my soul as well as my body. I have been searching though, Huskey Deli on California in West Seattle sells my most coveted flake chocolates (by Cadburry), we send my sister over to B.C. on the odd trip to fetch us some tea (I don't know what it is about Seattle but our tea doesn't go off the grocery shelves fast enough and the tea gets a bit stale). But for a true shortbread, I have to rely on myself.

Most of my memories surrounding this little treat are of hard, chalky, stale shortbread sold in tins, rather more bland and tasteless than anything with style and pizazz of the home made variety. I did a bit of research, having never made the stuff before- and decided to go with the recipe I found in The Women's Home Institute Set (the Cakes & Biscuits book specifically) that my Grans had given me when she found out about my love of baking. I actually followed the recipe to the T, can you believe it, and whats more, it came out tender- with just a hint of crumble. I suppose if you are going to make a proper tea biscuit, the best bet is going from the source.

Shortbread (From Women's Home Institute):

This is, as quoted from the book, melt-in-your-mouth.

8 oz butter
4 oz powdered sugar
8 oz A.P. Flour
4 oz Cornstarch
pinch of salt
granulated sugar to top

Cream together butter and sugar, then add in salt, flour & cornstarch in the same way you would make a cookie, though obviously it will be drier and flakier. Press into a greased pan- around 13 inches by 9 and prick with a fork. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until it begins to get golden color- but be sure not to over bake! Once it is done sprinkle the top with a lovely large amount of sugar until it glistens- and let rest about 15 minutes before you cut it into slices for tea!

My only advice is to make this when you know you have lots of people around to enjoy it because it is far too good to eat just one and you, and your scale, will thank you if you can spread the joy around.

Summer Scratches

2007-08-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Huzzah for summer. This year has been jetting past at light speed and now, having a few days off of rest and relaxation (after all those 12 hour restaurant-style days) I am very decided on properly enjoying myself. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, and an island at that, it just could not be summer without a little blackberry gathering. Last week was the first of the year, I went out with my little colander to fill and a long shirt to protect me from the brambles unwilling to relinquish their fruit. However, I was a little overzealous; honestly, the silly bushes were all still red, I got maybe half a colander full of very very tart fruit I made into a plum and blackberry crumble, but since the whole thing was quite ridiculous, we won't go into that.

This week was true blackberry gathering, forcing into the depths of the prickles to get the sweetest, highest, most perfect berry, it takes bravery that. Blackberry gathering is a dangerous and exhilarating sport, not for the faint at heart or the easily scratched.

This week it was blackberry perfection.

I decided not to shun a little hard work and at about noon when out to gather the berries, this time I filled my colander, my little dog Marls helping at my side, the work went by quickly and I may have even helped my farmers tan progress a little. The berries were then rinsed and searched to weed out the unripe or buggy ones, and then placed in a little bowl with about a 1/4^th a cup of sugar to sit for 15 minutes while the juice was drawn out a tad. While this was going on I made a little tart dough.

I am generally a strict rule follower but when it comes to recipes I go horribly astray, so this is rather made up on my part, but nevertheless (or perhaps because of this) it came out as some of the best tart dough in the history of all tart-doughs ever recorded.

Extremely Yummy, Crumbly, Perfect Tart Dough (if I do say so myself)

Make like a cookie (i.e. cream together the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla and finally the flour).

2/3 cup powdered sugar (I know this is a lot, but when it cooks I promise it wont be intensely sweet)

½ Stick Butter, I use expensive Belgian butter because my chef friend makes me and I suppose, yes it tastes better, you make use what you like, but unsalted is better so you can salt your own to your taste

1 lovely large egg

Dash of vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup of flour

Once it is done, I pound it out flat like an enormous cookie and wrap in a little cling film to go in the fridge for at least an hour but up to 48 if you are a well-planned and pre-dough-making sort of baker, which I, most unfortunately, am not.

OK, so now that the tart dough is resting peacefully, I put my berries in a saucepot and cook it down. For about 2 hours as it is slightly simmering, then strain it through a very fine strainer. (I have to take this opportunity to tell you about my new baby: my all-clad strainer I got from Williams and Sonoma- I got a gift certificate from my sweet Mum- it was expensive but oh so fabulous- I have to kiss it before I use it so it knows it is loved). Anyway, you are making a coulis, and a very thick and powerful one so keep on reducing it until it is quite thick- you can add a bit of lemon juice at this point as well.

Once your blackberry coulis is potent, get out your tart dough, roll it, put it into a 9 and a half inch tart pan and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. I don’t know what this does, other than firm it up, but according to Baking Illustrated it is the thing to do, so I did it. Once it has cooled off, bake it at 375 for abut 30 mins with tinfoil and baking beads inside (or beans, they work too) then 5-7ish minutes with the tin foil off to turn a light golden color.

Then make the blackberry custard middle bit- start about 10-15 minutes before your tart dough is done because you are going to want to pour the finished mixture into the hot-out –of-the-oven tart.

Blackberry Custard Filling:

Your colander full of blackberries: now reduced to about a cup of strained coulis

8 egg yolks plus 2 whole eggs

½ cup sugar (or to your taste)

Shake or two of salt

2/3 cup heavy cream (like whipping cream- unwhipped obviously)

In a metal bowl add the eggs and the sugar and whisk lighly until blended, add salt, coulis and cream, and then stick on bain-marie style. (Get a saucepan abut a 1/3 full of water on high with the bowl on top, but not actually touching the water- just the steam) and cook until it reaches 170 degrees. You need an instant read thermometer for this but you should be able to tell without it because it starts to get thick. Once it is there, pour it into the tart shell and bake another 10-15 minutes until the custard is set and jiggles just slightly. Then refrigerate for at least an hour and a half, but overnight is best.

This tart actually screams summer, and it is perfect with a little glass of champagne, maybe a little cheese, and some friends before turning in for the night.

(Marley begging for a little scrumptious tart)

A Fish Tale-

2007-07-26T22:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the wonderful support and excited comments! I think that biting the no money- crazy hours in exchange for a job you love took me longer than most people. At 23 I feel like I am rather behind all of those chefs out there, (most everyone I work with started in kitchens before they hit 16). I am already working in a kitchen now, as a line cook at Splash is great little seafood market and restaurant on Vashon Island.

It means lots of 12 hour days and burnt fingers, and more fish and chips than I can count, but it also means amazing access to fabulous fresh fish, all the time, and more than that, people who KNOW about the fabulous fresh fish, and are willing to talk to me about it!

I am learning the importance of bleach towels, the many uses of ladles (not just for soup, who could have guessed!) and just how many orders I can get out at once without compromising quality- it isn't as easy as it looks that is for sure, certainly not some fat chef in an office somewhere dreaming up works of art in a leather arm chair, this is hard work!

I love going to work now, everyday I learn a little more, and even though I also have lots of doubts about my choice (the hours are crazy, who knows how people ever have kids, the people are wild and the work is hours over a hot stove, on your feet, everyday) but I am having so much fun that I can't wait to learn more and get back to work the next day.

But working in a fish market slash restaurant does have it's downside, there is just no way to resist all of that great stuff! My last few minutes have to be spent thinking about how to put all of this amazing fish to good use (other than munching down an entire smoked salmon belly strip). The day I made this I was actually planing on making an arugula salad with figs caramelized in a little balsamic vinegar with my big prawns but since there were no figs, or Arugula at the store I had to improvise, and the truth is you just can't go wrong with avocados:

Tiger Prawns with Mango-Apricot Salsa and Avocado:

These prawns remind me of Paris, my neighbors would get these big prawns and douse them with a little olive oil and garlic before putting them on the bbq to grill- I can't remember ever having a better meal, simple, fresh, with good wine and good friends. I wanted to capture the spirt of that dish, but play up the flavors a little more by adding a fruity element.

For the Shrimp:

In my kitchen cabinet I have a little olive oil which I spiked with some orange zest, garlic, tyme and pepper corns, it has been sitting in there getting flavorful for about a month, so I thought I would test it out on the prawns. But you can always just use plain olive oil if you don't feel like waiting quite that long. Get your pan nice and hot, and add your shrimp which has already been tossed with the oil, a little sea salt, and some chopped garlic. Cook them on both sides until they feel firm, are tightly curled, and pink all around. You can peel them first but I like having little finger bowls with lemon water on the table, it gives people something to do with their hands, slows down the meal and personally I think playing with your food is always better.

For the Salsa:

1 ripe Mango, roughly chopped
2 apricots, roughly chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
1/4th a jicama, julienned
1 small box grape tomatoes cut in half (the tomatoes, not the box)
a small bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped (or just taken off the stem, however you like it)
1 lime
salt & pepper to taste

Mix and let stand while you are cooking the prawns so they will have time to marinate a tad, and arrange on the plate over some rice, with the prawns on top. You can squirt with a little extra lime if you like, or serve with a lime wedge, but I was happy as is.

To make an avocado fan, I used a 1/4th an avocado per place, just sliced about 3/4ths the way down and spread out with your fingers, straight ward, easy and delicious, the whole mean can easily be made in under 30 minutes but it looks like it took much much longer.

I suppose all of this fancy new food needs a fancy new look to go with it, pas vrais? So here is a little pre-view of soon-to-be chef Katy in her new culinary student digs, pretty sharp eh?

Caprese Celebration

2007-07-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I made the ultimate choice, I am backing out of law school a week before classes start and I am going to become a pastry chef instead.

Working in a restaurant for the last few months has made me realize that this is what makes me happy, so I might as well do it, everyone else seemed to take the news a lot better than I did. An "oh yeah, well good, we thought you would all along" kind of reaction that leaves me (the person on the receiving end of the paycheck) a little stunned. I guess I don't need to prove myself to the world as much as I thought I did, and now it is time for me to be happy. Hence a celebration in simplicity, with my Pike Place Market hoard of yummies:

One Summery Caprese Salad Celebration!

Heirloom Tomatoes
Fresh, Dewy Basil
The Best Mozzarella I could get my hands on (its not buffalo though, I am not that rich)
A Loving Drizzle of E.V.O.O (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Fleur de Sel
Course Ground Pepper

I actually did a taste test on the Heirloom vs Vine Ripened, and the course ground pepper to the ashy dust that I get from my pepper grinder, and I have to say, the kid makes sense, if you can get your hands on the stuff, do so because it is much much tastier, even if it isn't fresh ground.

(Outside Enjoying The Sun and Fresh Yummies)

Blue Buttercream Update

2007-07-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

So. I made a cake. I wanted to practice making my wedding cake, Santi and I are thinking the wedding may be around July of next year, so I thought it would try out the frosting, but the truth is I am a very anti-buttercream girl. I love how it looks, how easy it is to frost and the lovely shiny texture, but it is a pain having to go up to exactly 160 degrees in a water bath, and then whip whip whipping. But even if I don't like the taste, it certainly looks very retro sitting on my kitchen counter this blue baby makes me smile every time I walk past.

I have to tell you all I am sorry, I haven't been posting at all for ages ages and ages and I don't have a nice excuse, except life. Before I came back from Argentina my mother was diagnosed with cancer, on top of getting her hip replaced; this meant 3 surgeries within a very short period of time, though luckily now she has a fancy new hip that gets her around like a busy bee and her cancer is 100% gone.

As for me I have a new job and a new little life here on Vashon Island, at least until I start law school in the fall. I am on the waiting list for about a million (ok 7) schools, though I am most excited about going to the University of Washington, so I will have to keep my fingers crossed. Most likely I will be going to the University of the Pacific McGeorge which has a nice international law program, and gave me a large chuck of a scholarship which is always appreciated!

I am working at a restaurant!Even though it is as a waitress I have to tell you I am in love, most of the time I can't wait to go to work and it is giving me a serious life crisis- that and watching Ratatouie (which may possibly be the best movie ever made in the history of all things ever) make me want to be a chef. (Though it would be a huge pay cut from just about any kind of law).

I love Seattle, I love going to the market, I love going out to eat (just went to the pink door, in pike place, the food was so-so but the place was enough to make me go back), and I think I may have had cilantro about 600 times since I got back. As much as I loved Argentina, it just isnt right to live sans cilantro for so very very long!

So back to the important stuff. This cake here, is a Devils Food Cake from the American Culinary Institute Baking Book. This book is amazing for 2 reasons; 1) it tells you exactly what each of the ingredients do to affect the texture, flavor and general appeal of the end result and 2) the recipes actually work. I made a foccacia out of it the other day, which called for potato and as odd as it sounds, it was probably the best I have ever had.

I got the idea for the blue butter cream from Martha Stewart, here if you would like a look, but I was going for a little brighter and bolder and funky. I still did scrape a vanilla bean into it though because you have just gotta love those fabulous flecks! I got these amazing cherries from out local market here (most of them are shipped in from Yakima though) and dipped them in white chocolate for the top, I tossed them in the frezer for just a few minutes so the chocolate would be crisy. The layers are built up with whipped mascapone and sliced strawberries. I would give you all more pictures but my poor camera is on the fritz and I was lucky to come away with more than 2 semi-decent shots. I have to say I was worried about making the cake to creamy and skimped on the marscapone, this was a mistake I could have easily gone with double what I used and it would have been fine. Sorry for no recipe, but I want to encourage everyone to go out and buy this little yellow book, because it really is worth it!

Thanks to everyone who left me comments and emails wondering what was up, I really appreciated them all and I am glad I am starting to get back in the swing of things now. Thanks for sticking out the wait with me readers!

Fetching Gloves

2006-11-18T09:49:00.000-08:00

Fetching Gloves from Knitty.com I made these for my sister who is just going off to start her new live in Oregon. She is going to start University next year and is working now to get instate tuition. These will help to keep her little fingers warm while she bikes all around.

I took out 10 stitches (2 cables) because they were insanely large, but the pattern is super quick and very easy to do.

A Soup for You

2006-11-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hmm, there seems to be a trend going on. Chicken, Corn Chowder, French Onion, Potato; obviously someone likes a nice soup.

This particular soup is probably the easiest because all you have to do is throw whatever you love in a baking pan with a little olive oil and salt and grill it up. Veggie soup is so so so simple and there is no way honestly to make it taste bad. I am a huge fan of pacific soups and so here I was dreaming of their roasted red pepper and tomato.

Tomato-y Soup

In a pan add:
Onions, thickly sliced
Plum Tomatoes, in half
red peppers, halved and seeded
garlic, peeled

drizzle olive oil over the lot, along with some thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, salt & pepper, and plop into the oven at a reasonable 375 for as many hours as it takes for all of your veggies to be cooked, and very slightly chard.

Then adding a little veggie stock wizz through a blender and strain, here I served with a little casen crem, which doesn´t exist in the English-speaking world that I know of, but creme fraiche or sour cream works well too.

A little obsessed

2006-11-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

So now that Halloween is over and done with (I didn't even dress up!) I dont feel so badly about revealing to you all that I am actually borderline mad.

I have an extreme obsession.

And no it isn't cooking... or knitting....

It is Christmas.

And I have already got things in full swing. Not even for this year, Argentina is hot, which means fireworks and bbq's not snowbug cuddling with your hunny by a roaring fire. This year it is the beach and dancing. No, I am preparing for next year, I don't even know where I will BE yet! (for those who are wondering I just finished my law school applications as of yesterday as the list is: UC Davis, University of Washington, Boston University, Boston College, Washington & Lee, University of Connecticut, & Chase Western in Ohio) Do you see a pattern? Other than my one little strangler, UC Davis, I am going to places with snow, or at least snow access. Why? My obsession.

Thanksgiving for me has already come and gone, I celebrated that back a week ago because I am heading back to Argentina on the 7th. So I am in full Holiday swing.

I already bought 2 boxes of ornaments,

and here is the reason I am blogging. This delicious tree topper from Grandin Road.

It isn't cooking related. It is just fabulous.

mm mmm Muffins

2006-10-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Apple Cider Muffins with Currants!

Here is a nice little quick tip for fall-fabulous muffins. Take a basic muffin recipe, and substitute apple sauce for butter (I use Joy of Cooking).

Add 1 cup fresh chopped apples
1/2 cup currants (I adore currants!)
2 teaspons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Orange Zest from one orange

Cook in the usual way. :)

Puppy Sweater

2006-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just knit this sweater for my dog (Marley) with some stash busting style! I think it came out rather sweet. I just made up the pattern, but I am sure you dont want it because my dog has a rather oddly shapped body and it wouldnt be very helpful :)

I got the scottie fair isle from this site.

MAN Sweater

2006-10-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

My first sweater sweater! Done! Here are some pics~

I got the pattern from one I bought at my local yarn store on Vashon Island, WA, though I used the fair isle pattern from a magazine. I put a different neck on as well, rather than just leaving it I stitched on a ribbed neck. It was a lot of fun, so much nicer now I bought a whole set of cables and needles that are interchangable!

Before we eat..

2006-10-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for your patience,

I just finished taking the LSATs on Saturday after many a long day spend with my nose to the grindstone. Results we will here in a few weeks! I am going out of my mind!

I have been adoring being in the Northwest, I have baked a handful of blackberry and apple crumbles, made spiced plum jam from our plum trees, and stuffed myself from homegrown tomatoes right from the garden. Life has been good, and it hasn’t even rained all that much! Can you believe my luck?

I will be spending a few more weeks here writing applications for law school and getting a few professors to write me letters of recommendation and then I will be back off to Corrientes. In the mean time I plan on eating as much Mexican food as my little body can hold and washing it down with a great many number of sidecars!

A little news!

2006-09-04T12:53:00.000-07:00

So, a few things!

1) I am in Seattle! For the next 6 weeks anyway while I study hard for the LSATs, the test to get into law school. I have a 3.78 gpa but my lsats are gonna be horrible I know it, so I am going overboard with the books! (This means little to no updates for a while).

2) Praise be to the mighty tomatillo! I am SO happy! (9 months without you seems like forever) I am going mexican food crazy, honestly I am.

3) The BBC is so smart, if you like tea then you MUST read this article! I have been happily downing Market Spice Tea (from Seattle Pike Place Market) since I got back (made with cinnamon oil I am sure of it), which is so fabulous if you haven't tried it yet you should!

4) My computer is being a pain, but I wanted to say thanks for the help finding the cookies, I think that this link is the one I needed :)

That is it, wish me luck on this crazy test!

Dear Foodies,

2006-08-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

A little help please?

Please, please, please? I am desperate.

I need a recipe for Lebkuchen! Christmas of 2001 I passed in Strasbourg. The capital of all things Christmas in my opinion; street fares selling anything a Christmas goer could need, along with steaming vats of mulled wine to keep you warm as you mingle among the wears. And from every boulangerie, the smell of Lebkuchen, German gingerbread.

The problem is not so much finding a recipe, as finding the right recipe. Any Christmas buff can tell you gingerbread is a very loose kind of term, it covers everything from the cardboard crunchiness of store-bought gingerbread cookies, to the grandma-style molasses laden sticky bread, to the thick cake-like walls of the age old gingerbread house. Unfortunately for me, these are most certainly not what I am looking for in Lebkuchen.

I have blindly been searching for pain d'épices , the French version, and however delicious (see my recipe here). It is just not the same. I gained a little ground with some good luck in my travels, meeting up with a French girl at the tea plantation in Corrientes, I begged for a little help, and attempted to describe what I was looking for.
"Pain d'épices , you know! It comes in round disks, like big cookies only with the texture of a cake and covered with a glaze, either sugar or chocolate, please tell me you have had them?!"
she looked perplexed for a moment, and I began to think these dream bars were out of my reach,
"Oui, what you want is Lebkuchen, that is the German name, should should have a bit more luck searching under that name."So I searched. At least I found a few pictures:

WANTED! LEBKUCHEN!

(This picture has been shamelessly stollen from here)

(and from here)

The recipe results have been less than helpful, the best I can find are the thin crispy cookies (here is a picture ).

I will never give up the search but I know when it is time to call in reinforcements. So please. Help a girl get her cookies! All help is most supremely appreciated.

First Almost Sweater

2006-08-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

So my first sweater isn´t exactly a sweater. So what.

Here it is! The Anthropologie-inspired Capelet From Peony Knits (its a free pattern, if you want to know). I used the left over yarn from the poncho which worked out well. I added a lot more rows to the bottom, maybe my boobs are just to big or the needles I used were different, or my gage was somehow off. I donno. But it looks fine in the end :)

It took quite a bit of needle improvising, and a little help from the online videos from Knittinghelp.com, (for the 2-needle-circular knitting I used on the ribbing for the sleeves) and a rather long afternoon in the park (my dog didn't seem to mind too much).

Argentine Road Trip Review

2006-08-02T09:48:00.002-07:00

After 8 months, I say it was about time for around trip around the province in which I live: Corrientes. In my white pickup we set off towards the north for a long weekend trip to get to know the sights. First stop, Las Marias. A tea plantation started in the 1920´s which produce a whole line of Yerba Mates and Teas, though where we went it was limited to just mate and assam tea (the base of most black British teas). This plantation is its own little city, nature reserve, and production base, they even have there own school. It is also the largest producer of Yerba Mate on the planet, according to their website, and that is nothing to scoff at.

On the plantation the original owners home still remains in tact for visitors to see. Built in the 1920´s and now part of the taragui tea and mate logo.

Mate plants (in the 1st picture) can only be used for harvest for about 50 years, and the branches are cut by hand before being shredded, dried and packed. The plants are grown in an indoor and then outdoor green house until they are the correct size to be planted. Our tour guide brought us over in a truck to take a look.

The plants directly in front of the camera are assam tea, those to the right, with the rounded leaves will grow up to produce yerba mate.

We were even lucky enough to find an assam tea plant in bloom.

We couldn´t take pictures of the packaging on our tour, which was a shame it was amazing to see how much of the process was still so man-power intensive. But nonetheless I did snap a picture of the mate drying before it is sent over to be packaged for sale.

As I said before, Las Marias is also a nature reserve, and is full of different kinds of birds, alligators, carpinchos, and much more. If you have never heard of a carpincho you are about to find out. It is a small pig sized animal covered in brown fur, people here tend to eat them and turn their skin into one of the softest most beautiful leathers around. But they are, in my opinion, an awful lot like a giant over-grown hamster.

For a larger picture you can click on this link, if my photo-taking skills still leave a bit much to the imagination. And here is a picture of the alpargatas (typical shoes from argentina made of cloth or leather) I bought made of carpincho leather, in a town called Mercedes on the way back, they are oober soft and oh so comfortable.

We went Yapeyu, the town where San Martin (the liberator of a large chunk of South America from the Spanish) was born (if you need a little history on who San Martin is, click here) I won't fill up a cooking site with photos, but here is one lovely mosaic of him on the side of a church in the town.

And if you get a little hungry with all of this history just follow the sign for a side-splitting all you can eat BBQ.

And no road trip would be complete without the "lets pretend I am a photographer and artistic" shot.

Argentine Apple Cake

2006-07-16T10:50:00.002-07:00

Marina quite often makes the most remarkable little cake when I come over. Her 4 boys and I have to fight over it, with that many people in a house it tends to be first come first serve, or rather stuff yourself now because there is no such thing as left overs!

Don´t tell but I have been know to eat as many as three pieces at a time, with ice cream!

The amazing part of the cake is not the soft, buttery cake itself but the layer of apples which when baked turned into a tangy compote with compliments the sweetness of the cake like nothing else. Marina serves it with a scoop of cool vanilla ice cream while the cake is still warm, though my advice is, if you have an ice cream maker, I would throw in some vanilla yogurt and have that instead, the tang of frozen yogurt blends beautifully with the apple compote and the crumbly sponge underneath and only takes about 15 minutes to whip up.

Argentine Apple Cake a la Marina

3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk

2 green apples

Whisk the butter until soft with the sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, along with the lemon zest. Add in the milk. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients and then add slowly with the wet ingredients until only just mixed.

Spoon the cake batter into a buttered cake dish. Slice the apples very thinly and remove the skin. Toss with the lemon juice and then layer over the cake. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until the apple is golden and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Poncho Pics and Pattern

2006-07-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

So it is finally finished! I just hope it fits my Mum, only time will tell. Anyway here are a few pictures and a promise of more finished projects yet to come!

And there is always the back. I just can´t believe how soft this yarn came out, I thought for sure shetland wool = mega-itch, but this stuff is great.

Saxon Braid Poncho Pattern:

Gage: 7 stitches and 10 rows=5 cm X 5 cm

The pattern is easy! It might seem very complicated but if you go slowly and carefully you will get it knitted up easy as pie.

Cast on 93 stitches on size 6mm needles.

Row 1: Purl 13 stitches, follow directions for the braid (over 26 stitches, starting with the set up row working on the wrong side), purl 13, braid again, then purl 15.

Row 2: Knit 13, braid, knit 13, braid, knit 15.

Keep going until you get to 137 cm total. Then folding over the side you have just cast off, seam onto the edge of the other (see the pictures), making sure not to make the neck too big.

Here is the saxon braid from Samus on Knitty.com,

3PRC: Slip next st to cable needle, hold to back of work, k2, p1 from cable needle.
3PLC: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle, hold to front of work, p1, k2 from cable needle.
4RC: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle, hold to back of work, k2, k2 from cable needle.
4LC: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle, hold to front of work, k2, k2 from cable needle.
4PRC: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle, hold to back of work, k2, p2 from cable needle.
4PLC: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle, hold to front of work, p2, k2 from cable needle.
M1L: Make 1 Left. Lift strand between st just worked and next st by inserting left needle from front to back, k through back loop.
M1R: Make 1 Right. Lift strand between st just worked and next st by inserting left needle from back to front, k through front loop.

Saxon Braid (Worked over 26 sts):

Set-Up Row [WS]: K3, [p4, k4] 2 times, p4, k3
Row 1 [RS]: P3, [4RC, p4] 2 times, 4LC, p3
Row 2 [WS]: K3, [p4, k4] 2 times, p4, k3
Row 3 [RS]: P2, 3PRC, [4PLC, 4PRC] 2 times, 3PLC, p2
Row 4 [WS]: K2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 5 [RS]: P1, 3PRC, p3, 4RC, p4, 4LC, p3, 3PLC, p1
Row 6 [WS]: K1, p2, [k4, p4] 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 7 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, [4PRC, 4PLC] 2 times, p2, k2, p1
Row 8 [WS]: K1, p2, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p2, k1
Row 9 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, k2, p4, 4RC, p4, k2, p2, k2, p1
Row 10 [WS]: K1, p2, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p2, k1
Row 11 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, [4PLC, 4PRC] 2 times, p2, k2, p1
Row 12 [WS]: K1, p2, [k4, p4] 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 13 [RS]: P1, 3PLC, p3, 4LC, p4, 4RC, p3, 3PRC, p1
Row 14 [WS]: K2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 15 [RS]: P2, 3PLC, [4PRC, 4PLC] 2 times, 3PRC, p2
Row 16 [WS]: K3, [p4, k4] 2 times, p4, k3
Row 17 [RS]: P3, 4LC, [p4, 4RC] 2 times, p3
Row 18 [WS]: K3, [p4, k4] 2 times, p4, k3
Row 19 [RS]: P2, 3PRC, [4PLC, 4PRC] 2 times, 3PLC, p2
Row 20 [WS]: K2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 21 [RS]: P1, 3PRC, p3, 4RC, p4, 4LC, p3, 3PLC, p1
Row 22 [WS]: K1, p2, [k4, p4] 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 23 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, [4PRC, 4PLC] 2 times, p2, k2, p1
Row 24 [WS]: K1, p2, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p2, k1
Row 25 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, k2, p4, 4RC, p4, k2, p2, k2, p1
Row 26 [WS]: K1, p2, k2, p2, k4, p4, k4, p2, k2, p2, k1
Row 27 [RS]: P1, k2, p2, [4PLC, 4PRC] 2 times, p2, k2, p1
Row 28 [WS]: K1, p2, [k4, p4] 2 times, k4, p2, k1
Row 29 [RS]: P1, 3PLC, p3, 4LC, p4, 4RC, p3, 3PRC, p1
Row 30 [WS]: K2, p2, k3, p4, k4, p4, k3, p2, k2
Row 31 [RS]: P2, 3PLC, [4PRC, 4PLC] 2 times, 3PRC, p2
Row 32 [WS]: K3, [p4, k4] 2 times, p4, k3
End Row [RS]: P3, 4LC, [p4, 4RC] 2 times, p3

Old Bread and Memories of a Gluton

2006-06-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

The French have their pain perdu, those folks in the states their french toast, in fact you would would probably be hard pressed to find a country that lacked a tasty way of using up the left over odds and ends of bread.

Come on, you know you have some, those last stale pieces lurking in the back of the bread drawer? It seems the better, the fresher, the more home-style delicious the loaf, the faster it seems to go rock-solid, and all the more reason to find your favorite way to re-incarnate it into something you can cherish.

Unlike most card carrying Brits I had never tried a proper bread and butter pudding until I was in my teens. On holiday with my Grans in wales, we stopped off at a little pub, and after a side-splittingly delicious meal I was faced with the most heavenly mound of bread pudding ever seen on earth, thick, golden buttery and delicious. I made myself truly ill gorging down the desert while my poor grans watched on absolutely horrified.

The Good Housekeeping Cookery Book, a present from my godmother Judy a few years back, has a fairly decent rendition of this recipe, and if you are looking for something as overwhelmingly delicious as I savored at the inn, you will have to replace the milk with the thickest cream you can lay your hands on.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Custard and Sultanas

2 oz butter, softened
6 slices white bread
1 oz currants
1 oz sultanas
3 medium eggs
1 pint of milk
2 oz light brown sugar
pinch of spice mix

Now, I suppose I should warn you I am a recipe rebel. You cant get currants in Corrientes, a miserable but unfortunately true fact of this town, so I went for a sultana/raisin mix, I never measure these things I just throw them in by the handful. According to the way this ought to be made you should butter each piece of bread, you can do this, or like me, melt the butter and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.

Grease a dish with a little butter and lay down the bread in a layer, covered by a sprinkling or raisins, followed my another layer of bread. I use french bread, but you can use what you have on hand. Beat the eggs, milk sugar and spices (I use cinnamon, a hint of ginger, and a lot of nutmeg) and pour over the bread. Let this sit at least 30 minutes in the fridge, longer if you have got the time.

Preheat the oven to about 350 degrees and bake for 45ish minutes until the top is golden brown and still moist in the middle.

You can drizzle a little cream over the top, but I was feeling in the mood for more cooking, and I thought a niced custard would be nice. I had never made a custard before but it was very straight forward and actually rather fun to make.

French Vanilla Custard, also from The Good Housekeeping Cookery Book

1 pint milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 large eggs
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
1) Pour the milk into a pan. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly bring to the boil. Turn off the heat immediately and set aside for 5 minutes.

2) Put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour into a bowl and whisk together. Gradually whisk in the warm milk.

3) Rinse the pan and pour the mixture back in. Heat gently, whisking or stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the custard thickens. Serve immediately or cover the surface closely with a round of wet greaseproof paper, then cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.

Expo-Apic: A festival of yum

2006-06-17T06:32:00.002-07:00

This Thursday through Sunday, on the river Paraná, is the most delicious Expo a food lover could dream of. Expo-Apic it is called here in Corrientes and rural artisans, business men and mate growers head from all over Argentina to this little corner of Corrientes to show their wears.

I paid my 4 pesos entrance fee and maneuvered my way around the muddy ponds left by the morning rain, and waltzed into the awakening grounds. Not every booth had been set up, so my man and I decided to take a tour before doing any heavy buying.

The first few booths were made up of fabric softeners, a display on breast milk that would have made my midwife friend back in Seattle very proud, and ponchos brought up from Patagonia made of un-dyed wool and spun into some amazing patterns. We walked around elaborate silver mate cups, leather hats and jackets and a pen full of nursing piglets, before stumbling upon a sight that would make any respectable food bloggers eyes pop: dried meats.

The man who owned the booth hailed from Cordoba, a city about 7 hours south of Corrientes. He sold everything from dried fruits to cheeses, all hand made and all unbelievably appetizing. His assistant handed me a little yellow flyer which read out the specials, an assortment of salamis, a pound of jamon crudo (prosciutto), a loaf of country bread, a mild flavored cheese specked with dried herbs, 4 dried figs, and a bottle of wine, 30ish pesos. He gave us a sample of one of the salamis, a small fat one loaded with flecks of white fat, it was thick and smoky in flavor and aged to the perfect texture, not to tough to chew but not so squishy it made you squeamish. For 2 extra pesos he upgraded the wine to the sweetest red I have ever tried in my life, a wine called Patero bottled in Catamarca by a fellow named Luis Antonio Cuello as the bottle proclaimed, and all made of course artesanalmente.

And then there was the sandwich: 3 pesos for a nice round country roll loaded down with jamon crudo.

And as they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words so I will allow this photo documentary of the full bliss of this sandwich as sampled by Santiago explain the full joys which I unfortunately cannot.

The point is fresh food from the farm cannot be beat, especially when it comes in the shape of dried cured ham, in case anyone was wondering, jamon crudo is also fabulous with Eggs Benedict.

After the vendor loaded our by then bulging and overladen bags we went off in search of more goodies.

The south of Argentina is loaded with German immigrants, mainly after World War Two, and as my fiance likes to remind me, also (in a very general, sweeping kind of way) escaping Nazis. But this means lots of European cooking styles, which have been transformed a la Argentine, and made to suit local tastes. You can see this in the pastries and crops of the south, but no way so ridiculously delicious as in the case of sweets.

These chocolates are also all made in small shops throughout Southern Argentina, they come mixed with shredded coconut, encasing liquors or dulce de leche, full of fluffy mousse and stamped into any number of intricate shapes and patterns. My personal favorites were the chocolate en rama, a stick of crumbly chocolate with much the same shape as the Cadbury flake, and the chocolate covered orange peel, which unlike many of the varieties I have tried in the states, surprisingly tangy rather than jam-y sweet.

Needless to say, we left with our bags full of chocolates and our wallets considerably lighter. The chocolate is all but gone already, and the more I think about it, the more I am becoming decided on heading back over there this afternoon for a bit more. So much for diet, I will have to up the dose of daily pilates I suppose.

Oh well, time for a sandwich!

Save the Bones!

2006-06-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Remember that post about roast chicken? Well if you are thinking about making it there are a few important things to know about the after-clean up. If you are a smart person, which, of course you are as you are ready this extremely enlightening and highly entertaining blog, then you will know that the bones are among the most important parts of the chicken. Why? you ask? Because all food wizards ought to know that out of those cooked and parched looking bones, flows the most delicious of stocks that there ever ever was. Which brings me to my point:

And it is true, I adore soup, and I also like the chance to use my extremely useful and beautifully colored banner to decorate the blog for the festivities required by a lovely bowl of steamy soup. Not only that, but today I bring you not ONE, ladies and gentlemen, but two of my most beloved soup recipes.

Chicken Soup with Rice (you may want to watch Really Rosie while you make this soup)

So now, back to bones. Stick them in the fridge as you recover from your enormous meal of roast chicken and when you are ready, in the following day or two, pull out a large pot fill it with the bones and bits of left over skin and things you actually have, but no meat. If you have left over meat save this for later. Add water until it covers your carcass, and then through in a few veggies, onions, celery, carrots, whatever you like. I honestly just put in garlic and onions, no need to even chop, I cut the onion in half and take it out later.

So you let this cook for hours, until it stops looking so much like water, and starts to look more like stock, I would say at least 4 hours on a low simmer. This might sound terribly long and not worth the fuss but it is just sitting there on the stove, you don't have to stir it, you can read a book or garden or knit or whatever it is you like to do besides eat and cook.

Once this stock is ready I strain out the bones and add in the gravy from before, which has all the juices I took out when cooking the chicken (and lemon and garlic to boot). Then stick it in the fridge over night. If you don't have any gravy, add garlic, tarragon, and if you like a little lemon zest and perhaps a cube of bullion if you need to punch up the flavor.

What you should have the next day is a jelly-like goo mess with a load of white fat on top, yum! scrape off the fat, and the jelly I promise with turn back into soup. At this point I add some grated carrot, perhaps a bit of rice, and any chicken meat I have, shredded into small pieces. Cook this all up, just until it is warm and the rice is done and the carrot is soft, and your done.

Katy's Corn Chowder

Then, if you can´t quite deal with bones and over night and 4 hours of cooking, there is always corn chowder. A thing I discovered during my vegetarian years but have no adapted to meatiness with the addition of bacon bits, but this can be left out or substituted for the fake bacon you can find at just about every store, in Seattle at least, you are out of luck if you are in Corrientes, so I apologise in advance for you.

You need:
1 can of creamed corn
1 can, or 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn (or fresh if you can get it!)
1-2 large onions, diced
1 cube knor brand (it is the best, I am sorry for my brand promo) veggie stock
olive oil
4 cups milk
1 carrot, diced
1 large potato, cut into small cubes
1/2 a red pepper, diced
2-3 tablespoons of flour
salt
pepper

Bacon, cooked and cooled to garnish.

Please note the lack of celery.

I don´t know why soups are supposed to always have celery, celery is stringy and it has no taste and unless it is loaded with peanut butter, and I can lick the peanut butter off and throw the celery away, it is of no use at all. I don't know who it was that decided celery and soup are a heavenly match, but if you find out let me know and we will all toilet paper the poor fools house. The point is, I don't like celery, and you wont find it in my soup. Put it in if you must, I won't get too upset, just don't tell me about it, and cut it up really, really, really, small.

But, back to the soup. Take a little olive oil on the bottom of a nice big soup pan and add you onions, if you want you can cook the bacon first and then cook the onions in the bacon fat, this adds a little flavor, but a lot of fat so it is up to you. Once the onions are getting soft, 10 minutes perhaps, add the potato and the carrots, cook for about 10 more minutes and then add in the red pepper and the flour. Let this cook another 3 minutes and then add in slowly, your milk, you may want more or less, soup is not a science it is an art, and you can always add more later.

Add the stock, corn and salt and pepper and cook until the potato bits are soft and taste. It is very important to try soup out and make sure it doesn't need to be tweaked, more salt or pepper perhaps, or maybe more corn? How do you like it? Once it is perfect, ladle it into bowls and add bacon bits to the top. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT try to cook the bacon in the soup it will be wet, fatty and horrible and you will have to throw the soup away, even if you do cook the bacon first, you want to add this on the table so it is crisp and adds another dimension to your soup.

This soup is thick and hearty, with a lovely earthy flavor, and delicious served with some nice crusty bread.

We have stripe!

2006-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

A girl gets bored with nothing but oatmeal. When I bought this Shetland yarn from a local yarn shop here in Corrientes (Argentina) I got 2 balls of a Bordeaux red and navy blue at the same time. I thought maybe I would add a little decoration but the whole red white and blue was eating at me, and even if it really doesn't look all that American flag-y I decided to re-vamp my original plan and leave the navy out.

The pattern goes a bit something like this, 5 bands of oatmeal, 3 rhubarb color, 2 oatmeal, 2 rhubarb, 2 oatmeal. Since it is no longer simply oatmeal, we are going to have to change names as well. This is not the Rhubarb Crumble blanket. Here is a close up of the detail you get when switching colors:
It has been a load of fun watching this throw grow, but it is starting to get so big it is a bit of a pain to lug around with me.

Worse still hauling it around in a taxi over to my boyfriends mothers house, where their dog Canela just had 6 babies! I was even lucky enough to arrive before the 6th was born and watch it come out in all of its green slimy glory. I swear that that dog ate the placena in less then a second it was an amazing sight!

Domesticating Katy: A fairly successful saga of a girl and her chicken

2006-05-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Grans, I asked this Sunday on the phone of a telefonica, could you tell me please how to roast a chicken? Maybe it is just that Welsh chicken is better than the stuff you get in Seattle, but yours always comes out so very nice and crispy yet tender, not the wrinkled withery chicken I have had before, what´s the secret?

I have never ever ever made roast chicken before, the only thing I roast is tomatoes, maybe an occasional eggplant, but nothing meaty. I was a vegetarian from the time I was 12 until I was 18, and even though this wasn't very long it completely influenced how I cook and what I eat. I think I have cooked pork about 3 times, always in cubes, only ground beef or sausages, the breakfast bacon but lump-o-meat never came remotely close to my little kitchen.

But now that I am marrying an Argentine, I have to get over my meat fears and learn a thing or two. I always liked roast chicken, that is, the one my grans made. She would turn it into the most marvelous chicken sandwiches the next day with banana chutney, as close to heaven as a person can get with a knife and fork, the things that woman can do in a kitchen! Not a day goes by I don´t wish she was closer, (Wales it too far from Argentina if you ask me), she is a brilliant cook, which could be why I am extremely biased towards British cooking (an insult to the Brit in me leaves me quivering with anger... don't even get me started). So she imparted her knowledge upon me as to the proper ingredients and off I went.

Even though it had started to rain, I pulled on my coat (a thin one since the rain had not yet cooled down the country and we were at a humid 84 degrees) and headed to the very remote (2 blocks down) Margarita Pollo Shop (Pollo is Spanish for chicken). I got a 4 kilo chicken, and paid my 7.95 pesos (3 pesos to the dollar, you do the math), I stopped off for 1/2 a kilo of carrots and 5 lemons from the vegetable kiosko on the way back, which bumped my total price up to 8.75 pesos, not bad for a chicken dinner if you ask me.

But even with Grans' advice in tow, this dead bird was terrifying. I felt like I was in high school biology, at least the one you see on TV, where rows of bewildered youths attempt to dissect frogs. Please note the feathers still remaining on the birds wing. It took me 15 minutes to work up enough nerve to pull the bag of bits out (let alone yank out those feather bits), but once I got over the initial shock of actually putting my arm inside another once living being, I actually started to get hungry.

But even with all of my new found bravery, I couldn't make this momentous step without alittle more advice, so I looked up a few experts. BBC Says: Roast chicken stuffed with herbs
or Thyme, sage and garlic roast chicken, Martha told of: Roast chicken, (watch a video)
I almost never follow a recipe, I like to mix and match, and so that is what I did.

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

1 6-8 pound chicken
3 lemons
1/4 cup tarragon
1 cup chicken stock
4 large cloves of garlic
Salt and Pepper (lots of it)
Olive oil
1 roasting bag, they sell these all over, they are just plastic bags that can stand hot ovens, and they are perfect at keeping juices in!

The first thing I did, other than removing the giblets bag, is wash the thing in plenty of cold water inside and out. Into the cavity I rubbed a fair quantity of salt, pepper and tarragon (I put it all inside the bird) as well as the zest and juice of a lemon. I crushed and minced the garlic and put half of it inside the bird along with another lemon, that I rolled along the counter until it was nice and squashy, and poked all over with fork pricks. Then, after rubbing more olive oil, salt and pepper to the outside of the bird I put him in the roasting bag along with the juice and zest of another lemon on top, and the rest of the garlic. Once he was all settled in (breast up), and his legs were tied with a bit of string, I added the chicken stock to the bottom of the bag. I would have added a dash of white wine, but I didn't have any on hand at the time. I got all of this ready before hand and stuck it in the fridge for about an hour before cooking.

Once I was ready to cook I put the chicken in the oven on a moderate heat, around 375 for 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting 2 times during the cooking process, and washing the garlic and lemon zest down into the bottom of the bag. I kept cooking until he was looking colored and a knife stuck in his side, at the thickest part, provided a nice stream of clear juices.

It is important to let the bird rest for 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven before cutting, otherwise the juices will just come out when you cut it rather than staying in the meat and keeping it moist.

While he was resting, I made a roux in a small sauce pan, and slowly added in the juices from the chicken roasting bag. After cooking for about 10 minutes it was nicely reduced and thick, the perfect lemon garlic sauce to put on top of the chicken.

I served the chicken with a side of carrot salad, a very popular side dish here in Argentina and roasted creamed potatoes, a super easy potato dish you can make simply by peeling and slicing in thick rounds a few potatoes, adding a couple of sliced cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, and filling the dish to just above the potatoes with milk. I just shoved that in along with the chicken and pulled it out when the meal was ready, stirring a few times to make sure nothing was burning.

For my first attempt at roasting a bird of any kind I think it was supremely yum. I was immensely proud, and it was not even remotely as tricky as I thought it would have been, and now at least, I have a nice story of success to tell my Grans the next time I get a chance to phone.

The Oaty Beginings

2006-05-29T06:26:00.001-07:00

My Oatmeal Reeds Blanket Begins

After my slightly woozy trip down to the yarn store the previous week, I returned home with over a kilo of Shetland yarn in what I believe is a lovely shade of oatmeal. All prepped and ready, after much begging at my local store to roll it up for me as I am a hopeful mess maker and have previously spent over 4 hours attempting to unravel the mess that is rolling up a ball of yarn, I was ready to begin upon the afghan journey!

I knew I wanted to make something that followed the reed-like pattern of Knitting Nature, but with no book and thus no pattern I had to wing it a bit.

I cast on as much as I could fit on my brand new shiny metal needles (the only kind sold in Argentina) in a size 5 mm, which came out to be 140 stiches across, or if you prefer 35 sets of 4. 4 stitches purled, 4 stockinette, 22 rows of this constant ribbing and then 4 rows of all stockinette until you switch, checkerboard style, and start over with your purl and stockinette pattern.

I have no idea if this is remotely close to the original book pattern, but it seems to be working out, if you like woolly sausages-which is what my poor blanket strongly resembles. But it is very warm and with a bit of blocking I think I may be able to make them less sausage, more reed, which is the goal.

The Taste of Simplicity

2006-05-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Oven Roasted Tomato Pasta

This is my very classy, very no fuss meal which has a very large chic to work factor considering the oven does all the work. To take advantage of the remaining fresh herbs and produce in the market (other than potatoes) I decided to throw together a nice little pasta dish for my honey when he got home from his latest turn at the medical center teaching over-aged doctors how to operate via the use of a small camera on little pigs.

After 5 hours in the oven, on the lowest setting on my stove, my little not-quite-cherry-tomatoes are ready. I sliced them about a thumbs thickness before putting them on a baking sheet with a little olive oil, then I (gasp) left the house with the oven left on and headed over to the local fruit and veggie stand for some basil, a bunch that set me back 1 peso, or about 40 cents.

I ripped up the basil into small pieces and grated my queso para rallar, which literally means grating cheese, but it comes in many different styles and flavors, think asagio and you will be pretty close. Once my tomatoes were done, I got out a nice large pot to boil some water for my pasta and opened a bottle of cider. Cider in Argentina is always, at least that I have seen, alcoholic, not as crisp or as pungent as the knock you over stuff I tried from the farms in Normandy, France, but still nice for a little lunch.

Once the pasta is cooked drain it and toss it up with a little salt and olive oil, and then add in your ripped basil (never cut basil because it is very easily bruised, and much better if you just shred it with your fingers, plus it smells nice anyways) and the roasted tomatoes. Take this to the table with your glass of cider, and your boy and cover your pasta in a nice mound of cheese!

Buen Provecho!

Unas Empanaditas

2006-05-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

You can find empanadas, little pasties full of meat, fish, or veggies from Mexico on down but each country, each city even has its own specialties, its own mix of spices and its own distinct flavor.

In Corrientes the varieties usually are limited to ham and cheese, meat (mixed with spiced and onions), chicken, humita which is a kind of corn stew, and fish from the river Parana. In Buenos Aires however the combinations are endless from prune and blue cheese with jamon crudo to rasin studded steak creations, though they are still nothing like the jalapeno laden lovelies one might find farther north.

The empanadas most loved by my fiance are ham and cheese, which works out for me because they are also the quickest and easiest to make as there isn't much middle-making required. The recipe I am going to give however, for empanadas criollas, are probably the most common variety in all of Argentina and if you want Argentine-Style then this is what you get.

The masa for empanadas (or the dough within which you will need to wrap your little lump of meaty-goodness) is sold, pre-made in every supermarket in town, but just because you cant go out and find a package of perfectly sized empanada shells doesn't mean you cant have fabulous empanadas at home. Personally, my favorite empanadas are made with puff pastery, because they turn out light and flaky and the flavor of what is inside can bust through in a shower of glory that is impossible in a thicker or more gluten-heavy dough. To make things easy on yourself you can go out and buy puff pastry and cut into small rounds, or make your own favorite recipe for this. The recipe I have however is, I suppose, more "authentic" it is in Spanish and I am going to translate it for you right now, from the handwriting of my-soon-to-be-mother-in-law.

Masa Para Empanadas:

4 cups of flour
1/3 cup of oil, plus a little glug
1 egg
salt
water

To make the masa, pour the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a small hole in the flour in the center and add the egg, oil and a little water, mixing to create a dough. Adding more water as needed. Roll out the dough until pie-style thick and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the dough into smallish circles, and fill with 2-3 large spoonfuls of your meat mixture. Fold the empanada in half and roll, twist or push the edges down with a fork to seal them off- I use a little water on the edge to help it stick.

You can have your empanadas fritas (fried) or al horno (oven baked) depending on your tastes. To fry slush some oil in the bottom of a fry pan and wait for it to heat up. When it is nice and hot add no more than 4 empanadas at a time and cook until golden brown on each side.

To bake in the the oven, oil a oven-proof dish or pan and put your empanadas in at about 400 degrees. Once they are golden on one side, you may need to flip them over so keep your eyes open for this.

Relleno (filling):

Olive oil
1 large onion chopped very finely
1 pound of ground beef
1 teaspoon ground sweet red pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons parsley
1 small can of tomato paste
a pinch of sugar
4 hard boiled eggs, minced
salt

(optional: 1/3 a cup of raisins)

In a pan add your onion and garlic and cook until you can tell the onion is transparent and soft. Add the spices and meat and cook thoroughly. Take off the heat and add the raisins and eggs, and taste to see if it needs more salt. Put into masa rounds and cook!

According to Wikipedia, an online encyclopidia full of loads of interesting food history and facts: "In Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Philippines, an empanada is
essentially a stuffed pastry. The name comes from the Spanish verb, empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.

It is likely that the Latin American empanadas were originally from Galicia, Spain, where an empanada is prepared similar to a pie that is cut in pieces making it a portable and hearty meal for working people. The Galician empanada is usually prepared with cod fish or chicken. Due to the large number of Galician immigrants in Latin America the empanada gallega has also become very popular in that region. Of course the idea of an empanada is almost surely the influence of the Moors who occupied Spain for 800 years. Middle Eastern cuisine to this day has similar foods, like simbusak (a fried, chickpea filled "empanada") from Iraq."

Poncho Progress

2006-05-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

(poncho baby)

I am working at this very moment on a poncho for my Mother. Yes she lives in the states, and I am in Argentina right now but it is not to early to start up on her X-mas presents after all! I used the braid design from samus, on knitty.com, and created the rest from my own design, I really do hope it will turn out all right.

I am very excited because I finally decided what to make next, the hourglass sweater from last minute knitted gifts, well this took a lot of doing, since I cant just run off and order it from amazon (Argentina just doesn't work like that) so I ordered the book and I am having it sent to my mum who will then scan in the pattern for me! So wish me luck on that one.

Just getting to the point I am at took a lot of fussing, I first started the little wonder in separate pieces I got a good 3 feet of one braid done and about the same on two sections of stockinette before I decided I was insane and sewing the whole thing together would look bad and take a lot of boring sewing so I unwound the whole thing and set about starting over in one piece, which honestly I think is much much better anyway.

Here it is now, I have about another, what? 3 feet to go? good lord. I do enjoy kniting it, but even though the braid is straight forward you can´t exactly write your novel while you work on it because it takes a bit of consentration. I have been listening to audio books while I do it and that seems to work out well!

Ruby Slippers

2006-05-13T10:44:00.000-07:00

My super duper easy Knit mary janes (all done in stockinette).

There is hardly even a pattern to these:

if you say 5 stitchs is an inch, cast on 30 stitches, then go until you reach from your heal to the tip of your biggest toe. These dont fold over, see the sides are sewn so no need to knit any longer than the actual size of your foot.

Then knit 2 together for 2 rows, and cast off then sew em up! (found this one on craftster.org)

the strap is sewn on so the button is just for looks, no button whole needed. Sew up the sides as far down as you want them to be, then add a strap, or not depending on how you like it. I did mine in stockinette but they can be done in any stitch really mine are 3 stitches wide.

I made some for my fiance, but forgetting the stap and adding in a square of ribbing which made them wider and more manly (though not a lot).

We are going to take them to a shoe shop and have them add a sole as well so they can be worn even outside.

"Molly" Gray Clutch

2006-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

This wee purse I made out of some rather thin wool, using a double strand. The pattern, which I made myself. It was my first project ever using cables, very exciting non?

The little accent there between the cables is a very easy stitch, which on the front (the purl side) you slip the stitch knit-ways and on the back (the knit side) you purl the stitch.

I will be posting the pattern soon so check back!

A Few Lovely Reasons for Joy

2006-05-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

A sink full of grapefruits straight from the tree

Soon to be gone

A Harry Phenomenon

2006-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

One Harry Potter Sweater, ala Prizoner of Azkaban. I made this little scarf using cashmillon in red and yellow on 3.5mm circular needles. It was my first project ever using circular needles, and my first project ever adding fringe to a scarf, both were a lot of fun and super easy.

The pattern can be found here.

This was a great tv watching pattern, since in circular knitting you only ever do garter stitch over and over, it is pretty hard to mess up even if you are not concentrating at all. Perfect for busy hands and active minds!

Harry Potter Scarf Knitalong

Pastafrola

2006-05-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

Pastafrola my friend is most certainly not a pie. Perhaps appearances may be deceiving? Though pastafrola loosely translated is probably closest to a quince pie, the dough is much more like a soft crumbly variety of shortbread.

La pastafrola is very, may I repeat again, very typical of Argentina. This little "pie" is sold in nearly every kisoko, bakery and supermarket in Corrientes and for good reason, it is absolutely delicious.

Dulce de membrillo, a quince desert made like a very thick paste, so thick you can slice it. It is commonly eaten sliced with cheese (for that salty, sweet mix) and has the texture of a thick jam. Dulce de membrillo is nearly as popular as dulce de leche, and never as deliciously reincarnated as when made into this after meal wonder, the pastafrola.

Just to mix things up this time, I think I will post the recipe in Spanish and and English and see how that goes over:

Pastafrola

Ingredientes:
400 gramos de harina
3 yemas
200 gramos de manteca
7 cucharadas de azúcar
1 cucharadita de polovo para horenar
350 gramos de dulce de membrillo

Preparación:
Colocar el harina, azúcar y polvo para horenar en un bol. Luego colocar
la manteca y homogeneizar. Por último, agregar las yemas. Con esto formar
una masa y dejar enfriar media hora si está muy blanda.

Separar 3/4 partes para la base y dejar 1/4 para formar las tiritas.
Estirar la masa en un molde, cubriendo los costados. Luego, colocar el dulce
de membrillo cortado en cubitos en un recipiente y ponerlo al microondas
para que se ablande (tiene que tener la consistencia de una mermelada).

Agregar este dulce encima de la masa.
Con el resto de la masa, formar tiritas y colocarlas encima, formando un
enrejado sobre el dulce.

Cocinar en horno precalentado, moderado, duranter 30 minutos.

Pasafrola for those who don´t speak Spanish (plus with a Katy Twist)

1 3/4 cups flour
3 egg yolks

14 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 a teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups dulce de membrillo, or quince jam if you can´t find it.

Cream together the sugar and the butter until smooth and fluffy, add in the egg yolks one by one.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and add this to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Take 3/4 of this and push into the base of a tart or pie dish.

You can melt the dulce de membrillo in the microwave, or in a bain marie until soft enough to spread (or if using jam, simple stick it on) and spread in a layer over the dough.

Roll the remaining dough into sticks to create the lattice pattern, and use a small amount to create a boarder around the pie as well.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until risen and golden brown.

The Spice of Life

2006-04-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

I am an absolute nut about mulled wine, and perhaps with good reason. I remember France during the holidays, going to a bazaar full of baked goods and steaming vats of mulled wine, warming the hands and the belly against the chilly air. I spent Christmas in France in Stasburg, the place for Christmas, eating pain d'épices and downing bucketfuls of spicy wine on the snowy streets, but mulled wine is sold all over France during the winter season, and is also very plentiful around my family's home, especially during holiday parties. The wine fills the air with the unmistakable aroma of cloves and cinnamon, a sent forever linked in my mind with smiles and the good cheer of the season.

Now, I am sorry to reminisce about all of this Christmas business but I really am getting to the point; and that is the flavor of this mulled wine brings back memories of childhood and good times. Well, I want that in my jam.

And thus I created Spiced Plum Jam.

The plum season is drawing to a close here in Corrientes, and pears and apples take their little places for the fall. The plums who do still manage to fight their way into the market are a little more than ripe, (OK so I like my plums practically still green and crunchy but they really are quite ripe) which is just right for the jam pot.

I have been making jam since I was in my younger teens, helping my mother with our annual batch of 3 fruit marmalade (the grapefruit and lemon help make up for the sweet oranges since Seville aren't easy to come by in the Pacific NW). This jam in comparison is dead simple to make, no slicing up zest with surgical precision, this is a lovely, messy affair, and you can eat some plums as you go. If you have never made jam before this is a fabulous recipe to start with, and well worth the effort, because store bought jam can never ever stand up to the homemade variety. So lets get started,

Boozy Spiced Plum Jam

Remove the stones of about 6 pounds of plums, and put a small clean plate in the freezer.

Cut the plums into chunks, the size really is not all that important.

Add 3 to 4 pounds of sugar depending on your jam tastes (some recipes add up to the same amount of sugar as fruit but overly sweet jam is not my thing so..)

Throw in about 1 pint of water as well.

Add:
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 all spice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger

Leave the fruit to soak, the sugar will help draw out the plum juice so just leave it alone for a while, I do this overnight but 20 minutes will probably do in a pinch.

Put the fruit on a low simmer for about 45 minutes until the fruit is very very soft. Turn up the heat and add in your pectin if going the pectin route, start with a box or two. (Because pectin seems not to exist in Argentina, I have to get it from my fruit so I use the stones smashed up a bit, in a teabag, but the pectin from a box is the way I would recommend). Once the jam has started to thicken, take your plate out of the freezer for a little test add a small drop of your jam on the plate and wait a minute or two, push the jam with your finger if the jam is now jam-like and smooshes and has a bit of a skin rather than just being liquidy, you are ready if it is still liquid add more pectin (depending on the fruit this may take up to 4 or 5 boxes in some cases) and keep boiling for about 5 minutes.

Skim any white foam that may have come to the surface with a slotted spoon.

Add about 2 tablespoons brandy (or the liquer of your choice) to the bottom of each sterilized pot (I run the dishwasher while I am cooking so the pots are still super hot when I add the jam, this is probably not the most sterile way but I haven't died yet and none of my jam has ever molded), and then add the jam leaving about 2 fingers room on the top. You can tell if the lid has sealed after about an hour if when you push on the lid it doesnt spring back.

(Spiced Plum Jam on homemade wheat bread)

If you can't wait to test it out, put some of the hot jam on vanilla ice cream and eat.

I Love Soup

2006-04-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes I do. So much so that I had to create a lovely little banner to show you all just how much.

While those readers in the world of the north are busy celebrating the newly emerging sun with shouts of glee and large piles of asparagus and steamy rhubarb crumble, we in the south are pulling on our coats and readying our soup pots.

I do not want to bother you all with more odes to soup, although my most preferred soup is a thick carrot and coriander brew, my preoccupation for orangy overdose paired with my lazy cooking style (i.e. not going to the veggie stand a whole 3 blocks away) led me to a pale shimmery soup, ready to make anyone´s mouth water.

Potato soup is probably the cheapest soup of all time to make. I normally make it with leeks, but as leeks are a little more difficult to find here than onions, so I decided to swap them out for the choice of the later.

This potato onion soup goes perfectly paired with a few slices of crusty crunchy garlic bread, and comes with a 100% money back guarantee to warm to you to the soul with potato goodness.

Potato and Onion Soup

5 large, peeled potatoes, cut into cubes
3 large onions, cut into chunks
a pat of butter
2 cups milk + more to add
salt and pepper to taste

First add the butter to the pot and throw in the onions and potatoes, cook until the onions are golden brown and see through, about 20 minutes on a low heat. Add the milk and cook on a low simmer until the potatoes are mashed potato soft, and starting to fall apart into the mix. Take your soup off the stove top to cook before blending, with an electric mixer or as I prefer, a blender. Blend thou roughly. Put back in the pot, and add additional milk until you get the desired consistency.

If you like your soup extremely thick, you can add 2 teaspoons of four in with the onions in the first stages of cooking.

Garlic Bread estilo Katy

I am extremely fussy when it comes to quite a lot of food, picky as a child and only worse with age, I shudder at the thought of limp, soggy garlic bread covered in chunks of bitter, undercooked garlic. Which is perhaps why I take the absolutely impossible to mess up garlic bread approach.

3 cloves of garlic
water for boiling
1 1/2 sticks of butter
salt

Boil the cloves of garlic, skin and all, in a small saucepan until they are shiny and very soft. Cut off one of the ends of the garlic to make a hole of the skin and squeeze the garlic middle into a bowl, do this with all the cloves. Add the butter and cream together along with the salt until the garlic has been thoroughly mixed into the butter. Spread on several pieces of french bread, and put into the oven to broil for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

An Easter Photo Recap, Argentine Style

2006-04-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Easter in Argentina is about chocolate. They may not dye eggs, or go nuts (like someone I know who knits Easter eggs lord help them) but they do know how to celebrate in style.

Santiago noticed the lack of robin-egg pout that had been hanging on my face for several weeks leading up to Easter and the day before he arrived with a large smile and an even larger chocolate egg filled with sweets. He had never heard of Easter dinner, apparently this isn't something they ´do´ at his house, but it worked out lovely enough as it was.

Along with his parents we went over to a friends country farm for a little lunch, and a lot of conversation. We dined on pollo a la parrilla (BBQ chicken) with nutmeg and lemon, egg wrapped in crocodile meat (yes, I ate it, it was good, white meat like chicken but slightly tangier, crocodile isn´t something you find on everyday restaurant menu, even in Argentina), garlic stewed potatoes, marble cake with orange glaze downed with several large glasses of Mendoza wine and champagne. Not bad for a ´non-Easter´dinner, hmm?
Argentina is very well known for their parrilla (bbq) cooking, though this is most defiantly a beef country, chicken cooked this way is sublime. The nutmeg and lemon give the chicken just a hint of freshness and the whole bird came out tender; the kind of meal you can only do justice by stuffing yourself silly, and then lying down for an extra, extra, long siesta (Santiago's father, as I found out, snores with quite a roar).

After a quick lay-down it was time to get friendly with some of the feathered friends on the farm. No, not the chickens....
This house was an animal lovers dream, and not for eating, these little birds are strictly for looking nice, but some of the smaller birds did make off with (and eat) the poor hostess´ car keys- second lesson of the day, Argentine birds with make off with your shinny goods for lunch, so keep your eyes open!

(Can you blame the girl for her obsession?)

I am still waiting, eyes large with expectation, for grapefruit season. Looks like I still have a few weeks left though before I can bring some home. I did however, bring something home, a little bat-eared dog named Barro (Which means mud in English) who seemed to have taken a liking to the chickens on the farm as much as I have.

(In a pomelo crate, por supuesto)

A Little Easter Joy

2006-04-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

(Yes, that my friend is a knit egg, made by yours truly)

Happy Easter everyone! Nothing says Easter like chocolate, I know everyone says that, I know it is cliche, but you know what? I don't care, because it is true- Easter can perhaps mean dewy, vinegary tasting, dyed eggs with the dye soaked through to the yoke found on Easter morning, yeah, yeah, but truly and honestly when you ask yourself what Easter mean to you as a child it was a overflowing basket of sweets.

I suppose I am older now, and as much as I still love sweets a chocolate bar just isn't going to make the cut. Don´t get me wrong, I still love a good robin´s egg or a few cadbury buttons, but this year I think we will take our chocolate Easter love to a different level.

The first time I had chocolate mousse, real chocolate mousse (a.k.a not jello chocolate pudding) was in France, in a town outside of Paris where my host family had several friends. I adored going out to other peoples houses, as everyone says, the French can cook.

Unfortunately, not my host family. Watery veggies and rubbery overcooked meat were my daily fare, so these outings make me sick with joy. Generally my excursions were limited to my friends in Paris (see friend: Meryl, with her head out the window of the Sacre Coeur, an excellent cook by the by) but this chocolate mousse couple were always happy to open a little (OK a lot) of wine and show us all a wonderful time.

The first chocolate mousse ever was surprisingly bitter, a dark but feather light concoction. Now that I have made a few myself, I think perhaps they had not let it rest in the fridge quite long enough because it still felt a bit egg white-y if you know what I mean. This recipe is perfect, and just the right of Eastery chocolate goodness to make a girl happy, very creamy, very chocolaty, (slightly fruity), very yum.

Chocolate Mousse with Cherry Liqueur

3 bars of your favorite dark chocolate
1/2 cup of milk
6 tablespoons of cherry liqueur (I use one made of pie cherries from Patagonia which very rich, dark and fruity).
1 cup sugar (this you can vary depending on your tastes)
6 eggs, separated
pinch of salt

Put the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of only-just-simmering water, to make a bain marie. Allow this to melt, and then add in the milk and the liqueur. Try a little with your finger, need sugar? add some! I added a little less than a cup, but this is all up to you, add the sugar in as well.

Take the chocolate off the heat, and let it cool for a few minutes, the add 2 tablespoons of water to the egg yokes, mix them up, and add them to your chocolate mixture, beating with a whisk until smooth.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, adding in the salt. Then fold this into the chocolate mixture. Stir it with a spatula, this will help you from over stirring. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, I like to do it overnight, if you want it to be pretty you can spoon it into individual bowls before refrigeration, and added chocolate shavings before serving. This is also very good frozen!

The Inspired Post: Chocolate Marble Cake a La Rorie

2006-04-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

When I started up this little blog, I though ah yes what a great way for me to blend two of my passions writing, and cooking! Little did I know however that food blogging is not about writing...no it is about looking at everyone else's blogs until your mouth waters to the point you can take no more.

I do torture myself, most of the ingredients foodies use are international, and Corrientine cooking is a local affair, which means no cilantro, ginger, curry, soy sauce, refried beans, tortillas (those two I can at least make), peanut butter, tomatillos (this one kills me) or any other non-Argentine fare.

Lucky for me however the ingredients used in baking are fairly universal so I do occasionally stumble across a fabulous recipe I can actually make from the blogging world.

This happened to me today. It only took me 3 months, but I found plain yogurt about a week ago. I have a very severe weakness for cakes made with yogurt and so when I found this chocolate marble cake on Milk and Honey not baking it was simply just not an option.

Baking is one thing, but writing a post one day after the last post I wrote is not something I do too often. But this cake, ladies and gentlemen, is beyond praise worthy.

I had to make a few changes of course, because of ingredients and because I am a lazy kind of cook, and of course that I do not own beater: I used melted chocolate instead of cocoa since the cocoa here is below my standards (I am sure I will find some good stuff sooner or later), and I fussed to make it a la Katy. Basically though, this is the same cake.As you can see Santiago enjoyed it, he woke up from his siesta just long enough to as for 3 pieces!

Rorie, dear, you are a cooking goddess. It came out extremely moist and rather rich- as she says, and is absolutely true it is quite lux, on a student style budget. This recipe is going in the "always and forever, true cake love" file this instant.

The only thing that Rorie was wrong about? Servings, there is just NO way I am going to share that much of a cake so good. Next time I think I may try mixing in a little dulce de leche to the vanilla part, just for kicks, I will report back to tell you how that goes.

And for those of you waiting to see the computer (fondly called the Frankenstein computer by Tania) wait no longer! (Please excuse the desk, the drawer is still at Santi's parents house, we got it yesterday, before it was living on the kitchen table) though do note the lovely webcam holder.

After School Banana Bread

2006-04-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love my job? I started teaching English at a school close to my apartment here (30 minute walk), teaching a group of pre-teens. I have always been the teaching (aka bossy-know-it-all?) type and now I have dreams of lesson plans and story vocabulary instead of dreaming of ingredients (though I have to say I bought some of the most gorgeous basil in the history of all time yesterday, but other than that, it is all English-class, all the time).

But at 1:30 in the afternoon, walking home in the hot Argentine sun leaves my feet a little sore and my stomach a little rumbly. As much as I love cooking, thinking about cooking, reading about cooking, and shopping so I can cook, this is one of those times when I am not in a super 3-course meal kind of mood.

Banana bread is super fast, and it doesn´t take so much watching that I cant run off for a quick shower while it is in the oven.

After School Banana Bread

1/2 cup azucar negra
1/2 cup white sugar
(or just one cup of brown sugar will work for those not living in South America)
4 tablespoons of butter

3 large bananas, or 5 small ones (quite often the bananas here come finger sized)

1 egg
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325. Cream together the butter and sugar, then mash in the bananas, I like to use a potato masher. Add the egg, then mix the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet. Cook for about 55 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Honestly? Who could possibly dislike working with these girls?! (Click on the pictures to see them larger). These are the girls of Kids 6- Fabiana, Juliana, Milagros, Ximena, Maria Clara, Victoria A., Victoria D.C, (Victoria F wasnt there that day), Angelica, Lucia & Agustina.

An Apology and a Few Cookies

2006-03-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

I am so sorry darling readers! Normally here in Argentina everything can be fixed with a little duct tape and a few wires, but there still comes a point when it is time to just let go. My poor laptop has been in and out of the fix it shop more times than I can count, it wouldn't normally be an issue but as a lone gringa in a foreign country I like to try to stay connected to my family back home, look up the odd knitting pattern and of course read (and write) about my cooking passion.

Last week I could take no more, the intermittent working of my laptop had gotten to me and I made the mighty decision to move on with my life and have Santiago build me a computer. Yes, that is right, build. His brother had some of the parts(which he had left for the youngest brother to hang from his bedroom wall), and others (such as the lovely 17 inch monitor) I had to purchase new. The computer is shoved inside a case that doesn't quite fix which leaves the power source sitting on top (or so I am told, I wouldn't be able to identify these parts if my life depended on it, which is why it is so very nice to have someone around the house that is so hand.

While all of this computer fixing was going on I was jetting around the city with another one of Santiago's brothers handing out my resume. I even already got a job, well a part time job anyway, as a substitute teacher about 30 minutes (walking of course) from our apartment. I am teaching English to a lively bunch of 11 year old girls and having a blast, I am sure the next few weeks will blaze by!

What all of this means is I was very heavily in debt, to brother one for the parts, brother 2 for letting me remove his wall decor, and brother 3 for driving me all over the place. This means serious business.

Cookies.

They all love plain old chocolate chip, which is fabulous but not something I would write home about (ha ha ha)
besides the old standby (which by the way I get from the joy of cooking, and add a ton more flour) I made snickerdoodles and oatmeal coconut. I was surprised that the oatmeal coconut ones came out super tasty, I made up the recipe just throwing things in so I would never be able to remember it or recreate it (but if you would like to try, I basically just used my oatmeal cookie recipe sans spices, a little less flour and about 1/2 cup of coconut), but the snickerdoodles I can and certainly will share!

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together the sugar, butter and then add the eggs one at a time. Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt and add those to your wet ingredients. Mix together, and grease a baking sheet then form small balls, the size you want your cookies to be. Roll these in a mixture of 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and place them on the baking sheet a few inches apart. Take out the cookies while they are golden but still soft, between 8-10 minutes.

The Simple Things

2006-03-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ah. Today has been a relaxing kind of day. My fiance spent until 2 am last night fixing this laptop so that I could get back to business, and I have a weeks worth of new recipes to post, but they are going to have to wait. Today I am being lazy. Last week I finished my knit baby blanket, and a purse, and now feeling truly accomplished and productive and thus ready for a day off. So even though I promise I have some nice tid bits all lined up, today is a day to appreciate the simple things in life.

That means: few ingredients, short times in the kitchen and many pots of tea.

I haven't even got the energy to write about the humidity, which has risen to a record levels here and brought with it a monster supply of mosquitoes and flies. I will however share with you a nice lazy sort of meal that doesn't comprise taste, as I swat a few bugs.

Today for lunch it was bread with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt. I don't know what the history of this is, or why people do it, but it tastes fabulous. All you do is take some nice crusty bread and cut it into slices and then mix the vinegar, oil and salt to taste on a little plate and then dip in your bread. I think I ate about 1/2 a loaf, but we won't go there.

I suppose I did make the bread, but it was a very nice lazy sort of loaf- my all purpose sort of bread. I don't even measure for this baby but here is an idea. (Pictured above with some oil and vineger about to get into my belly.

Too Easy To Mess Up Bread

1 package of yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water

mix these all together and leave them to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is all fuzzy. Then add

4 cups flour
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon oil

Mix mix mix, you are going to have to add either more flour or more water, or more something because that is just the way bread goes, kneed it for about 10 minutes until it feels like dough ought to feel, and then leave it to sit in a warm place for an hour, or until it has doubled. Then punch it down, kneed it again, and stick it on a greased baking sheet, in the form you want. Once it has doubled again, put it in the oven (about 350) until the top is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. If you want, about 5 minutes before you are ready to take it out, you can wash it over with egg (1 egg and a tablespoon of water mixed together) which will make the crust shiny and golden.

ah, that was a bit exhausting I must say!

But this one is easy! Not only that but it has a Spanish name which means it must be good.

Licuado de Pera (Pear Smoothie)

This will help to kill the heat, and put you in a good mood. Plus, it is heathly! And you can't beat that.

2 pears, sliced
1 tray of ice
1/2 a cup of water

Blend and drink!

Yes, that is all. So simple, so fresh, so yum. Sometimes life just isn't worth all that fuss. I think I will go take a nap...