On the end edge of wild Maine blueberry season, August, I saw the last pint in a grocery store. I bought them on a whim, knowing how super delightful they are on so many levels of humanity. I knew that these gem-like lovelies could not endure long in my refrigerator, so I envisioned something special for them immediately.
I contemplated my mother's pie crust recipe, which I always found to be the best in the world. I went to the freezer, where I keep my butter for freshness, and found that I had none. I often use coconut oil as a healthful alternative to butter. I had never seen a pie crust recipe using it. In my mind I saw the creation more as crumble than a pie and used a Linzer tart pan for both beauty and ease of removal from the pan. If you are not familiar with them they have fluted edges and a loose bottom that you can easily pop the pie or tart out with.
I wanted to make a crumble to rival all crumbles. I decided to replace some of the flour with coconut flour for its low glycemic index and all of the sugar with coconut sugar for the same reason. I used crushed sliced almonds in the pastry for added texture and flavor plus a dash of lemon juice and zest in both the pastry and the filling. I like Meyer's lemons, but you can use regular lemons, limes or oranges if you prefer.
One of the greatest things about wild Maine blueberries, besides their flavor, texture and beauty is that they have twice the antioxidants than regular cultivated blueberries. They also contain high concentrations of anthocyanins, flavonoids and other phytochemicals, all of which are good for almost every health issue. You can buy them frozen all year round from several suppliers.
So here is my recipe for Wild Maine Blueberry Crumble. You will need a 7-8 inch Linzer tart pan. Preheat oven to 400°F. Makes 8 pieces @ 249 calories/piece.
Filling Ingredients: 366 cal
1 pint (2 cups) wild Maine blueberries, washed & sorted for stems 225cal
¼ cup coconut sugar 120 cal
1 Tablespoon Meyer's lemon zest 3 cal
1 Tablespoon Meyer's lemon juice 3 cal
1 teaspoon coconut flour 15 cal
½ teaspoon sea salt 0 cal
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl with a large spoon.
Pastry Ingredients: 1627 cal
¾ cup organic pastry flour 247 cal
¼ cup coconut flour 124 cal
¼ cup coconut sugar 120 cal
¼ cup crushed sliced almonds, unblanched 172 cal
1 teaspoon Meyer's lemon zest 1 cal
1 teaspoon flake or coarse sea salt 0 cal
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl.
4 oz. coconut oil, semi solid at 70°F 960 cal
Using a pastry cutter, cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until there are no pieces bigger than a pea.
4 tablespoons ice water 0 cal
1 tablespoon Meyer's lemon juice 3 cal
Mix the cold liquids together and cut it into the pastry a bit at a time. Reserve a ¼ to ½ cup of the pastry mixture for the crumble topping.
Assemble the pie:
1. Gently and evenly press the remaining pastry dough into the Linzer pan using your fingers, then the bottom of a dry, not a liquid, ½ cup measuring cup to even it up.
2. Fill the pastry with the blueberry mixture.
3. Crumble the remaining pastry over the top of the blue berries.
4. Place it in a pre-heated 400°F oven and reduce heat to 375°F
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Let it cool thoroughly before removing it from the pan.
Hint: leave it in the pan to transport it.
Also visit my professional website at marilinda.com and my first blog at foodfloozie.com]]>Standing Prime Rib Roasttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15483252012-06-08T15:30:50-04:002012-08-08T05:12:10-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
When I was growing up we moved around a lot in the early years, due to my dad's occupation. We often lived in tiny towns on the southern coast of New Jersey. There was an annual tradition in one town for a summer dinner at the fire house. The whole town turned out for the occasion. They always served prime rib roast and all of the trimmings. You could get it at any doneness you liked, as long as you signed up ahead of time. Prime rib made everyone so happy. When I think of prime rib, it always reminds me of that period of my life -- a very happy time indeed.
I recently was asked to food style a raw standing prime rib roast for a photo shoot in Manhattan. I did some research on price and order time, and also to find out more about the intricacies of the said roast beast -- its marbling, bone, meat and fat patterns. I tried a few places for comparison. My final choice was the old-time residents of New York favorite Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village.
Frank, one of the two brother owners of this location, out of a long line of Ottomanelli Meat Markets, Restaurants and Cafes, was most helpful and accommodating, in every way, with my rib roast order for the next morning. Their meats are all grass fed, locally grown, and humanly harvested, as they have always been.
The purpose of the photo shoot for the raw roast was to show off this classic, primal cut of meat in all of its majestic glory. Seldom do we find this grand roast on menus or at dinner parties these days. The tenderness and flavor of the meat is unparalleled. The photographer chose the cathedral-style background and old butchers cutting board surface to illustrate the noble yet historic nature of the cut, its enduring quality.
It dawned on me how those many years ago that the royal roast brought the whole small town of simple people out to enjoy food that made them so happy. It is not just royal, it is elementary. It is the pleasure of really good food that makes people happy and makes them come together. I had even noticed it at a very young age.
The nature of this cut of beef, which makes it so succulent, is the fat content through the marbling of the flesh. Rib eye is known to be the most tasty cut of meat, whether in a roast or a steak. I often talk of how red meat may not be the best choice for frequent consumption in a healthy diet, but I do enjoy a great cut of beef occasionally. When it is grass-fed, locally produced, and humanely delivered, It is amazing.
Please enjoy it as a treasure of our great country's offerings from the small local farmers that endeavor to produce the best that can be had. They give of their lives in their heartfelt mission to make our lives better through their products.
Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com]]>Creamy Mustard Roasted Red Snappertag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.14979362012-05-08T09:43:33-04:002012-07-08T05:12:08-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
I was asked to style a creamy mustard roasted fish recipe from a famous TV chef for an editorial photo shoot. I cooked the recipe as it was given to me. I thought it needed help. The sauce was too thick and clumpy-looking, so I made some changes in the sauce recipe and roasted the fish with it on a brown and wild rice vegetable medley, where there was none. It turned out looking and tasting better than the original recipe. I added chicken broth and heavy cream to thin the sauce, making it and smoother and creamier with better flowing coverage... perfect for oven roasting over rice, paella-style. The changes in the recipe also make it healthier and more balanced with plenty of whole grain, vegetables, nutrients and fiber.
With that said, here is my recipe for Creamy Mustard Roasted Red Snapper on a Brown and Wild Rice Vegetable Medley. Make the rice medley first.
Brown and Wild Rice Vegetable Medley
Ingredients:
Rice
1/2 cup of Lundberg's Wild and Brown Rice Blend
1/2 cup wild rice
2 cups of broth, chicken, fish or vegetable
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables for Rice
1 sliced carrot, peeled
1 cubed parsnip, peeled
1 diced onion
1 cup of English peas
1 sliced red finger pepper
Directions:
Bring the broth, olive oil, turmeric and salt and pepper to a boil.
Add in all the rice.
Reduce to a simmer and cover.
Cook on low heat for 40 minutes.
Add in the vegetables, stir and continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the wild rice blooms.
Creamy Mustard Roasted Red Snapper
Ingredients:
4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
8 ounces crème fraîche
1/2 cup Heavy cream
1/2 cup broth, chicken fish or vegetable
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Hot smoked Hungarian paprika as final garnish for fish
Directions: Preheat oven to 400'F
Whisk together all the ingredients except the fish, paprika and olive oil to make the sauce.
Coat the bottom and sides of a baking dish with the olive oil.
Spread the rice medley evenly in the dish.
Lay the fish, skin side down, over the rice.
Cover the fish and the rice with sauce.
Bake the recipe uncovered for 10 -20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish, until it is just done and flakes. Do not over cook the fish.
Sprinkle the fish with the paprika.
Serve immediately.
Also see my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com.]]>Braised Lamb Pappardelletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13860402012-03-29T09:40:02-04:002012-05-29T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
We often had lamb for Easter dinner growing up. Lamb seemed so special with its rich aroma. The hearty nature of lamb is well suited to the broad noodle pappardelle. Traditionally Tuscans serve pappardelle with hare, whose gaminess is also well paired with it. I use cognac to braise the lamb instead of wine for an even richer flavor. After searing the meat, a mirepoix of shallot, carrot and celery forms the basis of the sauce, lending body and sweetness.
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 lb boneless leg of lamb
2 cups cognac
7 oz. veal, beef, or lamb demi glaze, fresh or thawed frozen
½ cup carrot, ¼ inch dice
½ cup celery, ¼ inch dice
½ cup shallot, ¼ inch dice
½ cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
¼ cup olive oil
4 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
water to cover the ingredients
shaved Pecorino Romano as garnish (optional)
1 gallon water
8 oz. egg semolina pappardelle, dried
½ cup sea salt
Directions:
Trim the lamb of any sinew and cut it into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper the lamb on two sides
On medium high heat in a large, deep skillet with a fitted lid, sear the meat in the oil on all sides until browned
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside
Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrot, celery and shallots to the pan
Cook the mirepoix of vegetables for about 3 minutes
Add the meat back into the pan, including any settled juices, with the cognac, demi glaze and bay leaves
Cover the ingredients with water (you can use stock instead of demi glaze and leave out the water)
Bring everything to a low boil and cover the pan with the lid
Simmer gently for 50 minutes
Add in the parsley and continue cooking with the lid one for another 10 minutes
Cook the pappardelle about one minute less than the package directions, about 4 minutes
Scoop the cooked pasta into the pan of lamb ragout with about ½ cup of the pasta water
Stir and continue cooking for about another minute
Serve into individual dishes using tongs for the bulk and a spoon for saucing
Garnish with shaved Pecorino Romano if desired
Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional site at marilinda.com]]>Pear & Raspberry, Endive & Cress, Goat Cheese Saladtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13407262012-03-13T15:12:14-04:002012-05-13T05:12:02-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
One of my all-time favorite combinations of fruit for a salad is pear with raspberries. I like to use Bosc pears because of their sweetness and crunchy texture. Raspberries are a perfect foil with their sweet tartness and smooth and juicy mouth feel. I like to augment these beauties with goat cheese because of its creamy body and savory tartness.
When you add the ensemble to a combination of satiny acerbic endive and velvety piquant watercress you have perfect balance in flavor, color and texture. The Honey Raspberry Vinaigrette finishes the mating in a harmonious blend.
My grandmother on my father's side introduced me to watercress when she used to take me to lunch as a child. Her sole company was such a treat for me. She had some fairly sophisticated ideas about food for that time in small town America. She made her own granola to have with yogurt for breakfast. That sounds normal now but not in the 1960s for a woman who was in her mid 60's and not a hippie. She was a flapper in the twenties. She had the greatest laugh, sweetest smile, and the sunniest disposition I have ever known. I think of her whenever I see watercress.
It used to be that unless you harvested your own watercress from ponds or streams, it was available year round in grocery store produce departments a little beaten up from the packaging and shipping process. They wrapped it in rubber bands thereby bruising the fragile tender leaves. You can find it in nearly pristine shape in farmer's markets when it is season. There is another type of cress called Upland Watercress now available in a growing number of grocery stores carefully packaged and shipped with the roots still on it. It stays perfectly fresh until you use it because it is still alive. I was so excited the first time I saw it. It tastes so much like watercress that I didn't realize it was a different kind of cress until I researched it further.
So without further ado I present my recipe for Pear & Raspberry, Endive &
Cress, Goat Cheese Salad.
Salad Ingredients: makes 4-6 servings
2 heads of Belgian endive
1 bunch of Upland Cress
1 Bosc pear
6 oz. of ripe, firm, plump red raspberries
4 oz. of fresh crumbly goat cheese
Chives for garnish, optional
Flake Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black, white or green pepper to taste (I like the green for this)
Raspberry vinegar for coating the pears so they don't turn brown
Directions:
Wash and dry the lettuces, separating the endive leaves gently from the head
Arrange the leaves in individual bowls or plates
Slice the pear in half
With a 1" melon baller, core the seeds in one clean motion making a circular hole
Slice the pear lengthwise into slim slices
Lightly brush each side of the pear wedges with vinegar
Arrange the pears and raspberries onto the lettuces
Crumble the goat cheese over each salad
Garnish with chives if desired
Liberally sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Serve with Honey Raspberry Vinaigrette
Honey Raspberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Walnut oil
1/4 cup Raspberry Vinegar
1/8 cup of honey
A tiny sprinkle of sea salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, boil all of the ingredients together while whisking. Let the mixture chill before serving.
Enjoy this beautiful and delicious salad for lunch, snacks or dinner. Also visit my professional website at marilinda.com and my first blog at foodfloozie.com.]]>The Pickle Guystag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12748102012-02-27T15:03:00-05:002012-04-28T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
If you like pickles you will really enjoy the fantastic assortment of hand made pickles from The Pickle Guys at 49 Essex Street in the lower east side of Manhattan. Visit The Pickle Guys. They are not only amazingly tasty but are also incredibly beautiful. The above featured New Pickles are the freshest, crispest and brightest pickles on earth, due to their "newness" or lack of heat and brining time which can be anywhere from 1 to 10 days. They are sometimes referred to as Overnight Pickles. They taste like a salty cucumber with notes of garlic, mustard seed, coriander seeds and a few other spices.
...This is a quick preparation in which the fresh cucumbers are placed into the brine, generally without vinegar, for a brief period, about one to two days, under constant refrigeration. The result is a bright green pickle that tastes like a marinated fresh cucumber, much less acidic than a typical pickle. These are akin to "half sours" ... From thenibble.com
Jamaican Bonnets, Turnips, Pineapples
Photo by David Bishop
The first thing that strikes you as you enter the tiny shop packed wall to wall with colorful barrels, is the piquant aroma. The challenging part of the experience is deciding which pickles to purchase, a pleasant conundrum. Call 1-888-4-PICKLE for more information.
The beautiful trio of Jamaican Bonnets (made with vinegar, are extremely spicy hot and tantalizingly tasty), Pink Pickled Turnips (salt & vinegar brined with beet juice for color and sweetness, they are crunchy and slightly peppery), and Pineapple (seasonally brined with sugar, salt & vinegar, are sweet & sour, cinnamon & clove spiced with a light red pepper kick) make for a handsome party-pleaser.
Have fun on your fanciful foray into pickle world.
By employing the fullest flavors possible and using visually appealing ingredients in the food we make and eat, we elevate appetite satiation, which drives and produces our sense of abundance and satisfaction, creating a more fulfilling experience of the food in our lives. In this recipe for chocolate chunk nut cookies, I have chosen some of the most flavorful and visually delightful ingredients I could find.
Sicilian pistachios, also called Pistacchio di Bronte, grown in the fertile volcanic soil surrounding Mount Etna, are highly prized for their bright green color and rich nutty flavor. They are often used in desserts and recipes by gourmet restaurants in the U.S. They are a staple of every pasticceria in Sicily, but uncommon in U.S. markets. I found them in New York City at Kalustyan's, 123 Lexington Avenue between 28th and 29th streets, phone number 800-352-3451. You can also find them at Buon Italia in New York City at 75 9th Avenue, phone number 212-633-9090 or on their website.
With the growing awareness, popularity and availability of premium chocolate products, I chose to use an 70% dark chocolate candy bar for maximum chocolate flavor. I chopped it into small chunks with a knife and even incorporated the resulting by product of small chocolate shards into the batter. I found that a higher percentage chocolate in a baked cookie will not retain its shape.
I love baking using coconut crystals (coconut palm sugar) instead of granulated cane sugar because it has a glycemic index of 35 (30 cal and 7g carbs/Tbs.) compared to cane sugar's 80 (50 cal and 12 g of carbs/Tbs.), yet can be substituted one to one without changing the texture or flavor of a recipe. Coconut sugar is also an abundant source of minerals, 17 amino acids, vitamin C, broad spectrum B vitamins and has a nearly neutral pH.
I often use coconut oil to replace or partially replace butter, even though it is slightly higher in calories than butter and is a saturated fat, it actually reduces cholesterol in the body. I also love the flavor and browning it adds to baked goods.
Coconut flour, another gem of the coconut plant, can also be used in baking to replace some or all of the white flour. Like other coconut products, it helps reduce cholesterol, is gluten free and adds great flavor. It does absorb more liquid than white wheat flour, which must be taken into account when formulating a recipe.
All of these coconut products can be found in your local health food store, Whole Foods, Fairway Markets and are becoming more available in many mainstream grocery store chains.
With all of that said, here are two of my recipes for Sicilian Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies Preheat oven to 375'F Makes about 4 dozen cookies
3/4 cup coconut crystal sugar, room temperature
3/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
With and electric or hand mixer, cream the fats and sugars together with the flavor ingredients.
2 eggs
Beat the eggs into the creamed butter and sugar, one by one.
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon aluminum free baking soda (Rumsford's brand is an aluminum free soda)
In a medium bowl with a wire whisk blend the dry ingredients together. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spoon or an electric mixer.
2, 3 oz. bars of 70% chocolate, chopped into small chunks, small shards and all
1 cup roasted, chopped, shelled Sicilian Pistachios
Styling tip: Reserve some of the chocolate chunks and pistachios to artfully top the cookies before baking.
Fold the nuts and chocolate into the cookie dough
With a teaspoon or a teaspoon size ice cream scoop, place the dollops of dough evenly on ungreased cookie sheets. Be sure to leave enough space between cookie dough dollops to allow for spread during baking, usually a couple of inches.
Bake for 9-12 minutes
Styling tip: Sprinkle the cookies with a small amount of Demerara sugar for extra crunch and sparkly eye appeal.
All Coconut Product Version
Makes about 16-18 cookies
1 cup coconut sugar
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut flour
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
3 oz. bar of 70% chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup of roasted, shelled, chopped Sicilian Pistachios
Follow the instructions in the first recipe above, but reduce the bake time to 6-9 minutes. Let them cool completely before removing them from the cookie sheet, as they are quite delicate.
Sometimes I add dried cherries to the dough for a pleasant chewy change. Using course sea salt instead of fine makes an interesting textural and flavor variation. Create your own version by adding your favorites.
Please enjoy these highly flavorful and beautiful cookies for the holidays, entertaining, or at any time you want a sweet treat. Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional sit at marilinda.com
]]>Filet Mignon With Roasted Baby Vegetables and Cranberry Veal Demi Glacetag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10752522011-11-08T15:59:44-05:002012-01-08T05:12:01-05:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Tender and tasty filet mignon has comparatively little fat for beef (along the lines of sirloin, which is infinitely less tender) and is one of the lower calorie beef cuts, while being high in protein, potassium and essential amino acids. Unlike other high end juicy cuts of beef, filet mignon does not require fat marbling in the tissue to render it so enticingly tender. It is a muscle that is not exercised as much as others, thus yielding its soft and succulent texture. As its name both suggests and supports, the tenderloin of any animal, be it beef, lamb, poultry or pork, has the same quality.
The secret to evenly roasting vegetables together is in ensuring that the pieces are all the same size so that the cook time is relatively the same. I like using baby vegetables in this recipe for their proportion to the meat and their generous skin surface area providing more color and beauty, but you can simply cut your chosen vegetables to equal sizes. Smaller pieces mean less cook time. I chose my favorites and you can use any that you like best.
Seasoning before cooking can make all the difference in flavor and texture in both meats and vegetables. My visit to The Meadow in Greenwich Village in NYC for a salt tasting experience, and an education on salt choices, taught me why Sel Gris is perfect for roasting and grilling meats. Sel Gris, a sea salt with a high moisture content, does not draw the moisture from food, unlike it's drier cousins. It does, however, upon letting it rest on the food for a few minutes before cooking, meld with the surface, creating a pleasing crust when grilled, seared or roasted. I like to mix it with a touch of olive oil and ground crushed red pepper to rub onto the meat and toss in with the vegetables. A plethora of sea salts are becoming more available in grocery stores and gourmet shops.
Quick grilled, broiled or roasted lean steak such as filet mignon creates little liquid and residue to form a gravy from, and I love having a bit of sauce to mop my meat and veges in. For this dish I used cranberries, cranberry juice and D'Artagnon brand Veal Demi Glace, found in the meat department of your grocery store, to make my sauce. Demi glaces come in many varieties and can be kept in your freezer to have them on hand for enhancing a multitude of dishes. The cranberry addition to the recipe creates a sweet and tart component to the rich savory flavors, and adds easy elegance to the finished dish for holiday or everyday presentation.
There are several parts to this dish that require some wait time. While you are waiting for one aspect of the dish to come to fruition, you can be occupying your time with other steps. I am, therefore, giving you the steps in an order that might best suit expedience.
Recipe for Filet Mignon with Baby Roasted Vegetables and Cranberry Veal Demi Glace Preheat Oven to 375'F. Serves 4, 600 calories per serving, if you use all the cranberry sauce and all of the oil, which you probably won't.
Seasoning Mixture for Meat and Vegetables
1/4 Cup Olive Oil -- 120 calories per tablespoon
1 Tablespoon Sel Gris
1 Teaspoon Ground Crushed Red Pepper
Mix well
Filet Mignon Cooking Directions:
Rub four 4 ounce center cut filet mignon steaks with the seasoning mix.
Allow the meat to rest with the rub at room temperature for about ten to twenty minutes.
(While you are waiting, look to the other steps in the recipe as a whole.)
Place them on a half sheet pan or roasting pan and set them on a center shelf in the oven, under the broiler, or on a medium high heat grill (without the pan in the case of grilling).
Flip them over every 3-4 minutes for even roasting. 6-8 minutes total cooking time for medium rare, 9-12 minutes for medium. Test them for doneness by pressing a finger in the center or by using a meat thermometer. Don't waste this precious cut of meat for anything over medium. Well done is a waste of filet mignon's delicate nature.
Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before serving to allow the juices to remain in the meat before slicing.
1 Cup Tiny Baby Pattypan (Yellow Squash) -- 24 calories
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, submerge the squash and peeled, trimmed carrots into the water for about a minute, then quench them in ice water until totally cooled, and dry them thoroughly.
In the same water, boil the pearl onions for about 5 minutes to soften the outer layers, then submerge them in the ice water to cool them completely.
With a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the root end of the pearl onions and trim the tail end a bit.
Holding the tail end of the onions, squeeze the inner parts out and set them aside in a bowl. If you find any trouble with a few of them, simply make a cut vertically with your scissors, through a bit of the outer layer to make the release more graceful. (You can use the outer layers, skin and all, to make stock another time, so as not to waste the onion flavor).
Wash and thoroughly dry the mushrooms and potatoes.
Toss all the vegetables in the seasoning mixture. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them well on a paper towel lined plate or tray to eliminate most of the oil.
Line a half sheet pan or roasting pan with parchment paper for ease of clean up later.
Place the drained seasoned vegetables in the paper lined roasting pan. Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes until tender, tossing them half way through their cooking time.
Recipe for Cranberry Veal Demi Glace and Cranberry Sauce:
Ingredients:
4 Ounces of Clear Sweetened Cranberry Juice -- 67 calories
4 Ounces Fresh Cranberries -- 23 calories
1/2 Cup of Agave Nectar -- 250 calories
7 Ounces of Veal Demi Glace -- 30 calories
Fine Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
In a one quart sauce pan, bring the cranberries and juice to a boil for about 5-10 minutes until the berries pop and soften.
Drain the berries and place them in a bowl, reserving the juice.
Mix the agave nectar into the berries and let them macerate at room temperature until ready for use.
Place 1/2 cup of the strained berry juice with the veal demi glace back into the one quart sauce pan and reduce to one quarter of its volume to concentrate the flavor and thicken the sauce. Add sea salt to taste once it has finished reducing.
Plating:
Divide the roasted vegetables onto 4 plates.
Place one filet mignon steak onto the vegetables on each plate.
Add the sauce over each plate of meat and vegetables.
Garnish with a sparing smattering of macerated cooked cranberries and scissor cut fresh tarragon, or the herb of your liking. I love the licorice perfume quality that tarragon lends this sweet, tart and savory dish.
Serve this epiphany with your wine of choice or a sparkling mineral water.
Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com.
]]>Tis the Season for Celeriac, the Other Root Vegetabletag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.10019412011-10-12T13:19:05-04:002011-12-12T05:12:02-05:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Celeriac, or celery root, is a kind of celery in the parsley family cultivated for its flavorful and nutritious qualities, and can be used as a substitute for white potatoes, though it stands well on its own. Celeriac has less than half the calories of mature white potatoes. See Wikipedia for more information and history.
It differs from most root vegetables in that it is not very starchy, is low in carbs and calories,
low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and is known to lower blood cholesterol, lessen the risk of stroke heart attack and obesity, and reduce irritable bowel syndrome. It is high in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Phosphorus, Potassium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Magnesium and Manganese. All of which amounts to greater all over health and weight loss. See About.com and www.asiaonline.com/vegetables
I have included four recipes and modes of preparing celeriac here for your pleasure and health, with the added benefit of beauty and style for entertainment.
Recipe for Baked Spiced Celeriac & Yam Fries Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 medium celeriac root
1 medium orange fleshed yam
2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
About a 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Turmeric to taste
Paprika to taste
Flaked Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375"F
Peel the yam with a vegetable peeler
Peel the celeriac bulb with a paring knife
Cut both root vegetables into large juliennes, about 3" X 1/2"
In a bowl, toss the celeriac juliennes with the lemon juice
Boil the celeriac juliennes for about 20 minutes and drain well
Boil the yams for a bout 15 minutes and drain well
Dry both root juliennes well and toss with just enough olive oil to coat the fries
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper
Lay the celeriac onto one pan, single file and the yams onto the other
Sprinkle the celeriac strips with turmeric and the yams with paprika, turning to cover all sides lightly.
Sprinkle all of the juliennes lightly with flaked sea salt on all sides
Bake in a the oven for 20 minutes, turning the fries over about 1/2 way through to brown all sides
Serve immediately
Celeriac and Pear Soup with Pickled Red Onions
Photo by David Bishop
This Recipe for Celeriac and Pear Soup is delicious served hot, cold, or at room temperature, making it a truly versatile starter, snack or lunch. The pickled red onion adds a sweet, tart, salty zazz that punches the flavor level up to excellence, balancing and harmonizing with the celeriac, pears and shallots.
Recipes for Celeriac & Pear Soup with Pickled Red Onions Serves 2-4
Ingredients for Pickled Red Onions:
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly
1 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
Directions for Pickled Red Onions:
Combine all ingredients in a quart size sauce pan
Boil for about five minutes
Remove the onions with a slotted spoon to a plate to allow to cool, laying them out as separately as possible
Ingredients for Celeriac & Pear Soup:
1 quart of free range chicken broth
2 medium celeriac bulbs, peeled and diced into one inch cubes
2 ripe pears diced into one inch cubes (I used the Bartlett variety for their sweetness and golden blushed pink skin)
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions for Celeriac & Pear Soup:
Boil the celeriac and seasonings in the chicken broth for about 15 minutes or until just tender to a fork and bite
Add in the pears and continue to lightly boil for another 5 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, remove about a cup of the solid pieces in the soup to a small bowl and reserve
Puree the remaining soup in a blender or with a stick hand blender
Add back into the soup, the reserved solid pieces and stir to incorporate
Serve into shallow soup bowls and garnish with Pickled Red Onions and chives
Herbed Celeriac Chips
Photo by David Bishop
Celeriac chips as a substitute for potato chips is a very smart choice in so many ways. First there is the calorie count. Raw, celeriac has 66 calories per cup while white potatoes have 142 calories per cup. Celeriac is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber, which is essential for not just colon health, but the all over health of the body, including diabetes reduction, lessening the threat of heart attach, stroke, obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. See http://www.webmd.com/diet/fiber-health-benefits-11/insoluble-soluble-fiber Dietary Fiber: Insoluble vs. Soluble
Recipe for Herbed Celeriac Chips Snacks for 2
Ingredients:
2 quarts canola oil
2 small celeriac bulbs, peeled
1/4 cup freshly minced flat parsley
Sprinkle of grated romano cheese to taste
Flaked sea salt to taste
Directions:
Heat the canola oil in a fryer or a deep pot to to 375"F.
Keep track of the temperature with a good insertion thermometer. If you are using a pot on your stove, keep a lid nearby in case a spill causes a fire in the oil. Putting a lid on the pot immediately will extinguish a flame.
Cut the peeled celeriac root in half to make it easier to shave
Shave the celeriac root with a vegetable peeler, or cut it very thinly with a really sharp knife
Fry the slices until they are golden brown on the edges, in small batches. Do not crowd the fryer
Drain the crisps on paper towel lined baking sheets
Sprinkle immediately with flaked sea salt
Sprinkle with minced parsley and grated Romano cheese if desired
Mashed Celeriac with Apples Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 quarts salted boiling water
4 medium bulbs of celeriac diced into one inch cubes
1 medium sweet apple, chopped into about 1/4 inch pieces
1 medium onion medium finely chopped
1 minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
Boil all the ingredients except the apple until they are nearly soft enough to mash
Add in the apple and boil for another 5 or so minutes
Drain the cooked vegetables, reserving the liquid
Mash the vegetables in a bowl with a hand masher or fork
Garnish with chopped scallions, sea salt flakes (if needed) and perhaps another dash of spice for eye appeal.
Celeriac is also wonderful grated raw into salads. Have fun creating your own renditions with this intriguing, delicious and healthful vegetable.
]]>Grilled Ratatouille with Broccolinitag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9729582011-09-23T15:50:52-04:002011-11-23T05:12:02-05:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Ratatouille has many faces and is intrinsically hearty, healthful and delicious. It is of French origin, the name being derived from the words ratouiller and tatouiller, two expressive forms of the French verb touiller, meaning 'to stir up'. It's original melange was basically a vegetable stew, sometimes with meat, and has evolved to encompass diverse styles. Recipes similar to Ratatouille can be found by other names in various forms in many ethnic cuisines.
Ratatouille, always savory and heart warming, was not always beautiful in it's presentation as a homespun country dish. It has been made infinitely more popular by the winsome, thoughtful, and thoroughly delightful movie by it's same name. Rataouille, which I own a copy of and have seen at least 7 times. Needless to say, it is one of my favorites.
I was enthralled by the movie. I had wondered who could have come up with that rendition of the oh so wonderful but country style, not so pretty dish Ratatouille, in such an avant garde and beautiful way, which inspired me to make that favorite dish of mine into something more worthy of food styling. When I discovered who had designed and orchestrated the behind the scenes food of the movie I had an AHAH moment. Thomas Keller, one of my greatest culinary heroes, who is considered to be The Best American Chef, self taught, up from his boot straps, is the genius behind the cartoon Ratatouille. My heart and mind rang out "Of course!" I have been fortunate to have partaken in a tasting meal at his NYC restaurant Per Se. Ahhh! I hope everyone get the opportunity to dine there or at his flagship restaurant in Napa Valley, CA, The French Laundry.
So, to get back to Ratatouille... The basic traditional ingredients that have endured with the name Ratatouille are eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic and herbs. I have often put some, or most, of them together in impromptu ways, depending on what was ripe in the garden or fresh in the market at the time. I decided to do something very different to make a Ratatouille creation that is structurally beautiful, delicious, a bit more healthy in nutrients and fiber, and fast and easy to cook and assemble. I've changed out the zucchini with Broccolini, shallots for garlic (shallots are very sweet and are a cross between onion and garlic), and added mushrooms. You can also use broccoli or broccoli rabe instead of broccolini. I'm sure it would also be sensational with zucchini or summer squash and broccolini. Let the season, garden and market be you muses.
People often tell me that they generally shy from cooking eggplant because it can be bitter or greasy. There are two basic rules of thumb to help understand and solve this conundrum. The first is realizing that the seeds are the source of eggplant's bitterness, hence, the younger, smaller, thinner eggplants, which inevitably have tinier seeds, are less bitter to start with. The second is that pulling the liquid out of the eggplant, which is easily done by salting and draining, eliminates whatever bitterness may be in them, reduces their absorption of oil, and renders them more tender with less cooking. These techniques are especially useful for quick cooking methods such as grilling and searing.
Here is the recipe for my rendition of a new style Ratatouille topped with a Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce. Serves 4-6
Eggplant Prep:
2 young, slender eggplants
sea salt
olive oil, enough to brush onto the eggplant slices later when you grill them
Line a couple or three sheet pans or cookie sheets with 2-3 layers of paper towels
Slice the eggplants on a slight diagonal into 1/2" slices
Salt both sides of each slice of eggplant with sea salt
Lay out the eggplant slices onto the paper towel lined sheet pans, single file, not overlapping
Cover the eggplant slices with another 2-3 layers of paper towels
Place another sheet pan onto the top layer of paper towels on each pan
Weight the second pan of each down with a heavy pot, or whatever is at hand, but don't crush them
Let stand for about a half an hour or so, while you prep the other ingredients. It doesn't matter much if it is more or less
Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce
1 cup Greek style 0% fat yogurt
1 cup minced cucumber, unwaxed, thin skinned, small seed type such as English or Asian, or peel and de-seed traditional cucumbers
1/4 cup mediumly fine chopped fresh dill, or a tablespoon of dried dill
Dill sprigs for garnish
Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve, reserving some fresh dill sprigs for garnish.
Broccolini prep:
1 bunch of broccolini
2 quarts of amply sea salted water, boiling (About 1/4 cup sea salt)
2 quarts of ice water
Boil the Broccolini in the salted water until it is just tender
Remove the broccolini and place it into the ice water to preserve it's brilliant green color
When ready to use, drain thoroughly of all water (use paper or cloth towels if need be)
Vegetable Prep and Cook:
6 small crimini mushrooms (baby portabellas), 1/4 inch slices
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 small to medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise into slim crescents
1 small yellow bell pepper, or 6 baby yellow bells, cut into 1 inch diamonds or curvy wedges
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 of one fresh lemon, juiced
1-2 dashes of hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Asian Sambal Oelek, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a medium large skillet on medium high heat, saute until softened, the mushrooms, shallots, onions and peppers in the olive oil, while stirring, and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they wilt. Add in the drained cooked broocolini and the hot sauce to taste. Continue cooking and stirring until the broccolini yields to a fork and is as tender as you like it to be. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice, giving it a stir to incorporate the flavor throughout all of the vegetables. Fresh lemon juice lends an alkalizing healthy beneficial effect to food when it is not cooked, by reducing indigestion and assisting your body's immune system. Once cooked, it becomes more acidic to the human stomach and body.
Brush the slices of eggplant on both sides with a thin coat of olive oil. Grill the eggplant in a hot skillet or on a flame, charcoal or electric grill, about 3 minutes per side.
Plate the vegetables and top with stacked grilled eggplant slices. Serve with the Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce. Garnish with small fresh dill sprigs. This is a perfect lunch as is, or serve it as a side dish with fish, poultry, or meat. Accompany it with a whole grain pilaff if you desire.
Whatever you do, make it your own special creation and enjoy it by yourself, with family and/or friends.
Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com]]>Modernist Cuisine at WD-50/Food as a High Art Formtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9360122011-08-26T11:22:31-04:002011-10-26T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Quail Roulades with Nasturtium Yogurt and Sunchoke Confit
Photo by Sherif Tamim
I recently had the pleasure of experiencing a wondrous 12 course tasting dinner and wine pairing at Wylie Dufresne's Modernist Cuisine Restaurant, WD-50, for the fourth time since it was named the best NYC tasting restaurant by Time Out NY magazine in 2003, when it first opened. Wylie is amongst few of the most cutting edge international chefs on our planet, which include Ferran Andrea of El Bulli in Spain, recognized as the Top Chef in the world for 5 years running until 2011.
A dear friend of mine, Sherif Tamim, a food photographer from Cairo, Egypt was visiting NYC for a week. Our aim was to peruse as many of the great New York City food venues as possible in our short time together. I considered WD-50 as a must see for him, a lover and experimenter with international cuisine, and new owner of a Cairo based Food Magazine called "Wasfa Sahla."
The reception we received at WD-50 and it's alimentary extravaganza did not disappoint our high expectations. Wylie's imaginative and thoughtful concoctions bring food and technology elements together into masterpieces of full sensory artistic escapades, augmented by his attentive, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and erudite staff. We could not have felt more welcome or cared for at twice the price.
There were too many courses to do justice to each one individually, in a short review, so I am outlining the highlights I found most memorable both visually, playfully delightful, and just down right delectable. Each course was accompanied by a commensurate well paired libation, chosen and orated by a master Sommelier.
The first photo shown above is comprised of seared rare Quail Roulades with Nasturtium Yogurt and Sunchoke Confit, garnished with peppery Nasturtium Flowers and Leaves, and accompanied with a New Zealand Pinot Noir. The result was perfection.
Moon Rise Exploded Foie Gras with Thinly Sliced Brioche Toast, Plum Paste and Fennel Greens
Photo by Sherif Tamim
The next dish featured here in the second photo above was an amazing mouth sensation. I love Foie Gras prepared well, but Wylie's is truly remarkably delicious and surprisingly light. The process to create this air-filled savory confection was described to me, and now I have little memory of how it was rendered so mouth melting. It has to be experienced to be believed. It was expertly accompanied with paper thin, crispy toasted brioche slices, plum paste and fennel greens, not to mention being paired with the just so oh perfect German Riesling Kabinett Feinherb.
Everything Bagel with Salmon & Cream Cheese
Photo by Sherif Tamim
Above, one of the most imaginative and playful dishes presented, is so surprising, and oh so NYC, that it tickles the heart cockles of even the most jaded lost boys ... girls, or whatever child's heart category you may have forgotten you belong to. The "Everything Bagel" is made of savory ice cream. The "Salmon" is a freeze dried, bread textured salmon derived tidbit, served with a solid sliver of cream cheese and juicy pickled onions. Together the textures and flavors combine in the mouth to meld into the quintessential "Everything Bagel with Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese with Pickled Onions" delight.
Below, I share photos of some of Wylie's remarkable desserts, behind the scene shots of the Master Magician and his apprentices, as well as the wonderland where they all take place. Have fun while you explore the world of this fanciful culinary adventure.
Celery Ice Cream, Frozen Pearls en Gelee con Palm Suds & African Spiced Pistacchio Paradise
Wylie's Wonka Wactory ... OOmpa Cooka
Wylie the Wizard
Apprentices at Work
Exterior of WD-50
Door Handle
All Photos by Sherif Tamin
WD-50 is located at 50 Clinton Street, NY NY 10002. Phone 212-477-2900. His partners are renowned Chef Jean George Vongericheten, restaurateur Phil Suarez, and Wylie's father & beverage manager, Dewey Dufresne.
Also visit my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com]]>Strawberry Mousse Treats for a Calorie Conscious Budgettag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9298812011-08-18T11:05:09-04:002011-10-18T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Having never been a calorie counter before now, I am intrigued by a diet trend that seems to work well for so many people. I've begun keeping track of calories by way of designing tasty and satisfying recipes that are indulgent while sporting surprisingly low calorie counts and using fresh wholesome ingredients. The two forms of strawberry treats pictured here are made from the same recipe with two textural and temperature variations.
The one cup refrigerator mousse has 32 calories and the "Popscicle" snack has 16 calories. By volume and weight the frozen treat is half that of the dished dessert. A recipe makes 4 custard cups of mousse dessert or 8 frozen "Pops"
Recipe:
2 cups chopped washed hulled strawberries, minus eight slices for garnishing the pops, if desired-Total 100 calories
2 Tablespoons grated orange zest-4 calories
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract-3 calories
1/4 teaspoon pure orange extract-1 calorie
12 drops of natural pure Stevia extract sweetener-0 calories
In a blender, puree the above ingredients together until it is homogenous and nearly smooth. In a clear glass measuring cup, mix the below ingredients to dissolve the gelatin.
1 package unflavored gelatin-20 calories
1/2 cup boiling water
Dissolve the gelatin into the hot water until completely clear. Blend the gelatin mixture into the above strawberry mixture in the blender and process for another minute.
Pour the strawberry mousse evenly into 4 custard cups and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until chilled, or pour it into 8 "Popscicle" forms, leaving at least 1/2 inch at the top of the forms to allow for freezer expansion. The forms usually come in sets of 4 pops per mold. The plastic sticks that come with pop molds are not usually very pretty. Use tongue depressors or popscicle sticks instead for a more adult look. To center and stabilize the sticks, wrap the top of the molds in aluminum foil. Puncture the center of the foil over each form carefully with the tip of a sharp knife and insert the sticks about halfway down each of the forms. Let them freeze for at least 6 hours. Unmold each pop individually by running them under hot water.
For an added flourish to the pops, stick a reserved slice of strawberry down the side of each pop before adding the mousse to the forms. The gelatin keeps the pops from becoming too hard to chew and provides a fluffy texture for the mousse cups. Garnish mousse cups with additional orange zest or mint leaves.
Enjoy the fruits of your oh-so-little-effort, guilt free.
With the bounty of the summer harvest in full swing, it is easy to delight in the splendor of its fruits. One of my fondest childhood memories is of sitting in the garden eating cucumbers right off the vine while Nani, my maternal grandmother, speaking only Italian, plucked ripe fruits for the evening meal, depositing them in her apron-cum-harvest sack. No need to wash these organic lovelies, void of petro-chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Butterfly regaled marigolds bordered the garden keeping them safe from pests while chicken droppings and fish emulsion nurtured the bounty's growth.
Wherever you procure your fresh produce, salads festooned with leafy herbs and fruity vinegars are a no fuss, low calorie answer to light and flavor-filled summer eating. The refreshing incorporation of citrus further brightens the fare while layering in more flavor, color and texture. Slicing or shaving the vegetables to paper thinness both renders them more absorptive of flavor from the marinade and easier to chew.
This scrumptious dill-laced cucumber, vegetable, citrus summer salad may just become one of your new favorite recipes. Serve it by itself or on a bed of delicate greens, such as mache, baby spinach or micro mesclun.
Below is a single serving portion that can be easily multiplied for two or more people. Shaving the vegetables can be done with a vegetable peeler, a mandolin, a very sharp knife, or a food processor fitted with a very fine gauge (1 mm) slicing disk. (Note: 40 of the 57 calories come from the citrus).
Cucumber Citrus Salad on Mache
Shave thinly:
1/4 cup or 1 oz. Asian Cucumber, (Diagonals are more interesting to the eye)
1 small or .5 oz. Red Radish, (Rounds present an opposing shape to the diagonals above)
1 small inner lobe or .5 oz. Fennel bulb, (Shave against the grain for more tender slivers)
1/8 cup or .5 oz. Red Onion crescents
Mince:
1 teaspoon fresh Dill
1/2 teaspoon fresh Red Cherry Pepper
Dice:
1/4 Navel Orange and any juices released during peeling of slicing.
1/8 Ruby Red Grapefruit, saving juices as with the orange
Marinade:
1 Tablespoon Raw unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
Sea Salt to taste, about 1/4 - 1/2 teasppoon
Freshly ground BLack Pepper to taste
Mix All the ingredients together in a bowl. Be sure to include any captured juices from the citrus. ( Do your citrus peeling and dicing over a bowl!) Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to let all the flavors meld.
Serve on a 1/2 cup or 1 oz. of Mache lettuce.
Add a glass of Iced Green Matcha Tea to your ensemble as a refreshing beverage accompaniment.
Also check out my first blog at foodfloozie.com and my professional website at marilinda.com]]>Hurray for Gooseberry Sorbet!tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9082582011-07-26T17:27:42-04:002011-09-25T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Photo by David Bishop
It is gooseberry season and they are gorgeous. The farmer's markets abound with them. Our purveyor, Maggie Nesciur of Flying Fox Fruiterer, brought us glorious branches abundant with berries for us to photograph. She provides New York City's top restaurants and gourmet markets with freshly hand-harvested organic seasonal fruits and berries from small farms in Upstate New York. See also www.hungryghostfoodandtravel.com.
With the recent heat wave, I thought it appropriate to make gooseberry sorbet with this fabulously fragrant fruit. The farmer's market afforded three kinds of gooseberries: large spiny green orbs, tiny jewel-like opalescent pink pearls, and somewhat larger, lovely, deep-purple crested ovals.
I chose to make my sorbet with the tart and slightly floral tasting purple pints. I perused many gooseberry sorbet recipes. Most of them suggested cooking the berries in water and sugar, then straining all of the seeds, pulp and skin from them, rendering their juice. Some recipes even suggested letting that juice sit overnight refrigerated, to allow any sediment to settle to the bottom, achieving very clear juice on top to make the sorbet. Often the recipes for gooseberry sorbet included ginger, lime juice and elderflower, peach or pear liquors for added flavor. I found that the berries sweetened with sugar are amazing as is; seeds, pulp, bits of skin and all. I simply plucked off the stems and woody tips from four pints of purple gooseberries to ready them for my very berry sorbet.
4 pints plucked and washed purple gooseberries
1 1/4 cup granulated cane sugar
Enough water to just cover the berries and sugar in a saucepan
In a lidded sauce pan, place the berries and sugar and just cover them with pure water. With the lid on, boil the berry mixture for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and soften. Pour the mixture through a large size medium gauge wire strainer over a bowl large enough to hold the contents of the cooked berry mixture. With the back of a large spoon, push as much of the contents as possible through the strainer, scraping the back of the strainer when finished to maximize use of all the berry bits. This produces a little over 4 pints, or one liter of fruity juice.
At this point you can put the mixture right into an ice cream/sorbet maker, or for a smoother sorbet texture with more body, add gelatin into the base before freezing. I always add gelatin, especially when I am doing a photo shoot or in very hot weather to prevent the sorbet from melting.
2 packets of unflavored gelatin powder
3/4 cup very cold water
Pour the cold water into a 2 quart liquid measuring cup or bowl. In a small bowl, empty the contents of the 2 packets of gelatin. In one hand have ready a whisk or fork, in the other the bowl of powdered gelatin. Pour the gelatin all at once into the center of the bowl of cold water and immediately whisk it into the water to prevent lumps. Let the particles of gelatin plump for about 5 minutes. Pour the hot gooseberry juice mixture into the plumped gelatin and stir until it is completely dissolved, scraping the sides as you go so that no undissolved gelatin sticks to the sides of the bowl. It takes a few minutes.
Add the mixture to an ice cream/sorbet maker for 20 -30 minutes, depending on the machine and whether you have allowed the sorbet base to cool. After it becomes uniformly soft-serve like, frozenly aerated, pour it into a plastic lidded container and place it in the freezer for 4 -6 hours before scooping this vibrantly delicious, fragrantly refreshing, tangy and sweet, pink-purple gooseberry sorbet.
I love the look of the raspberry-like seeds in the scoops. The pulp gives an exotic visual and textural quality, while the gelatin lends silky smoothness on the tongue. I like to serve it with complementary wafer-thin ginger crisps.
Also check out my first blog at www.foodfloozie.com and my professional website at www.marilinda.com.]]>Clafoutis for Two: Fruit Custard Tart Doubles as Breakfasttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.9010132011-07-18T16:57:34-04:002011-09-17T05:12:01-04:00Marilinda Hodgdonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilinda-hodgdon/
Photo by David Bishop
As the local cherry season comes to a close, I present a childhood favorite, clafoutis. The beauty of this self-crusting simple, rustic dessert is that it uses ripe, seasonal fruit with a crepe batter that bakes up like a popover into a luscious, custardy treat in fifteen minutes. Traditionally made with cherries in the Limousin region of France, practically any fruit can be used. I mixed Queen Anne, sometimes called White Cherries, with Bing Cherries for added eye and flavor appeal.
Pre-heat oven to 425' F
6 oz. fresh pitted cherries or enough to cover the bottom of the baking dish(es) completely
1/4 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup of granular sugar plus 2 Tbs. for sprinkling
1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon of hazelnut extract
butter to grease the pan
powdered sugar as garnish
In a blender mix all of the ingredients except the cherries, butter and powdered sugar
Butter an oven proof pan or baking dish that just holds 16 oz. of water or two 8 oz. dishes
Place the pitted cherries in the bottom of the baking dish
Pour the batter around the cherries
Sprinkle sugar over the cherries and batter
Place the dish in the center of the middle shelf of the oven
Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes
Sprinkle with powdered sugar using a small sieve
Serve warm
Styling tip: Prick cherries before baking to allow juices to flow more easily
