Whitney, we did good!

I've been partnering with a friend to do the more complicated Daring Bakers challenges. Typically we'll make the basic part of the recipe together, in this case the puff pastry. Then we'll return to our own kitchens to personalize the recipe before we post. Sometimes we team up because it seems less daunting to have a teammate, but always because it makes the whole process infinitely more fun.

This time, I'm shouting out to her. Whitney, this is awesome. We rocked this one! Look at these layers.

Last night for dinner we had a version of Michel Richard's wild mushroom pot pie. I call it a version because I recreated it from memory after browsing Happy in the Kitchen at Whitney's while the puff pastry was chilling.
















As predicted by the Daring Bakers', I had more than needed for one dinner. So I made parmesan straws for an accompaniment. Not necessary for nutrients sake, for sure. But oh, so good.

Puff the Magic Dragon

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Making my own puff pastry is one of those things that I would never attempt without Daring Bakers. I have never been less than satisfied with Dufour's. Frankly I'm lucky I live in a place I can get it whenever I want. However, it actually turns out to be a fairly easy thing to make. Techically speaking, it's just not that difficult. But if you're in a rush, I wouldn't reach for this recipe.

Here are a few pictures from the process - including one of my toddler helping with the butter flattening.

I had to take an unplanned trip to visit family, but I wanted to get this initial note done on the 27th so that I'm not officially late. Tomorrow I'll add the additional finished product pictures and text. Thanks for your patience.

tomah-to love

Not too many more days left of 2009 for which this can be lunch.
















Local organic heirloom tomatoes on freshly baked Zingerman's bakehouse white.

Mom, I found my special purpose!

A photo journal from last weekend's trip to Slow's BBQ in downtown De-troit.

So worth the trip.

Kudos to The Jerk.

Dessert express: Key lime pie

The thing about a key lime pie is that it's so easy there's really no excuse not to make one. If you have a well stocked pantry, you might even have everything you need for it.

Crust:
Combine

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups crushed graham crackers
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

You can make this as complicated or simple as you're in the mood for. This morning, I was really looking for the simple version, so I bought graham cracker crumbs. If you want to get fancy, buy locally made Zingerman's graham crackers (which are seriously addictive) and crush them.

Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

For a change, press the crumbs into lined muffin tins for individual sized pies.

Filling:

Whisk 3 egg yolks with one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk until combined. Add 2/3 cup of key lime juice and 2 tsp of zest. Carefully whisk together. Mixture will thicken slightly. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Bring to room temperature, then refrigerate before slicing.

Again if you want to fancy this up, please go to the trouble of zesting and juicing the golfball sized authentic key limes. But I think you'll only try this once. If I'm looking to streamline, I generally zest one persian/standard lime and simply purchase a bottle of key lime juice.

Some people will swear by topping it with a big dollop of freshly whipped cream; others like it straight up. Still others might just like to dip their fingers right in the filling of the completed pie because they just can't wait to taste it.

Top Chef Dexter

I admit I'm a little bit of poser, recording and watching every episode of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. I love to visualize myself right in the thick of it all, pretending to be the sou-chef, mentally rising to every challenge. Look, everyone's got their daydreams.

Last night was my real life version of Top Chef. But first, let's go back a little. Since moving to Dexter a couple of years ago, I have made a few great girl friends, the kind of friends that you wait your whole life for. Real people who know how to laugh and love to eat and cook and, well, just love taking advantage of the fun in every day. Great people to be around. One of these great women happens to be Kelly, the wife of Chef Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse. Another happens to be Charity, who is AWESOME (-props to the boss). Both seen below.


A 3:30 phone call presented me with my elimination challenge:
Host and partially prepare dinner for Chef Alex and his family, among other foodies.

I almost came unraveled at the mention of the idea. You know, if you've read this blog, that I'm a little bit obsessed with Alex and the Roadhouse. Not only because every single meal that I've had there is almost the best thing I've ever put in my mouth, but also because of the general attitude and passion for making food the honest and tasty way. Real food, local & seasonal ingredients clearly direct the menu.

But I also know that these are real people who live just on the other side of town. I was so excited and a little bit nervous, actually no, a lot nervous. My brother-in-law declared me the most nervous he has ever heard in 18 years. I wanted to be a good host, but not only that. I also wanted to be able to show Chef Alex that I wasn't a total plebeian, though I don't have any formal training.






















(Alex and my youngest son)

At 4p.m. I declared that the kids HAD to watch TV (an almost unheard of call from this mom). After I got control of my bodily functions, I looked in my fridge and pantry which was full because I recently shopped at Plum market and the Ann Arbor farmer's market. I also called my husband and had him pick up about 4 lbs of the best salmon that he could find at whole foods, in addition to a few brats for the kids.

Alex then called (deep breath, self) and gave me as many options as I could want about what I'd like him to help with.

For a couple hours I prepped before he and his family arrived with the other guests. Here's what Alex and I ended up with:

• cheese platter (mostly supplied by Alex from the restaurant-seriously people, how lucky am I?!?) accompanied with Zingerman's sourdough
  
• tomato salad straight from Cornman Farms
• 

• A head of escarole chopped, topped with brown butter caramelized Tantre Farm onion and fennel. Alex later added pan-fried goat cheese medallions.

• A salad of watermelon, mint, Gardenworks sunflower sprouts, and crumbled feta
• Grilled eggplant drizzled with a caper Bagna Càuda
• 10 shucked ears of corn prepared for Alex to make a corn pudding that was wonderfully light and airy, totally showcasing the sweetness of corn right now.
• Perfectly grilled salmon with herbs

• My piece de resistance was this recipe from gourmet, for slab bacon adobo . Yeah, grilled bacon. It was all that. Plus a few more. I've been wanting an excuse to do it for a while, and happened to have a slab bacon in my freezer from Sparrow meat market. We all picked at it as the salmon was in the final stages of grilling.
• I had 1/4 of a bushel of fresh peaches which became a peach raspberry pie, brimming full with fresh Michigan fruit tossed with about 3/4 cup of crumbled almond paste. Honestly, we were all too full of wine and good food to even enjoy this until the next day.
  

Here I am, giddy at the end of the evening, caused partially by a bit too much red wine and a challenge well executed.

Tastespotting---

Are you like me? Do you love glossy close up shots of food? (otherwise known as food p*%n)

I feel like it's a great way to cheat on a diet. Staring, drooling at pictures of dishes created by others who love food. A wormhole into their lives and their own distinct passionate loves of food.

I can almost taste, smell, and feel these foods as I scroll down the page.

Sigh....

Daring Bakers August

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

August is a birthday month in my house, so when I saw a cake recipe set for Daring Bakers in August, I was psyched. But here's the rub, the birthday is today. So I couldn't make it early and save the pictures for the 27th as I sometimes do. I had to wait until today to start. I suppose I could have started yesterday with the sponge layers, but I decided to go out last night with a friend and see Julie & Julia. What an inspirational movie for the foodie crowd. I'd already read the book, but I think that the producers and actors really did a phenomenal job with this one. However, since this isn't a movie review blog, I'll return to the task at hand.

Exhausted this morning, yet inspired by the flick, I set out to start the cake this morning shortly after vanilla french toast with sauteed peaches was cooked and cleaned.

I've never made a cake with layers this thin before. Although I've done much baking and icing, I've never made a buttercream the way this recipe called for. Doing butter cream this way was ceratinly more time consuming, but way worth the effort. The final product was especially velvety and smooth with a full bodied taste. I doubt I'll go to all the trouble to recreate this Dobos Torta in entirety, but I guarantee I will make this frosting again.

Biggest problem was the caramel. Amber brown is subjective term; I wish there had been a temperature because I didn't let it go long enough, so it did not totally solidify. The top layer is a little bit softer than expected, but maybe that's not all bad after hearing from others that it was essentially tooth breaking made the correct way.


So I'm glad I snuck this one in, even though it was a bit late. The birthday boy is very excited, both for the cake and the homemade spaghetti and meatballs.


Please excuse the army party plate. What else could a seven year old want his cake served on?

seriously.

this is the whole reason i wanted to go to martha's vineyard.

more vaca meals to post later, but this one couldn't wait.

so I'm going on vacation....

Any mothers out there will agree that there is no such thing as a vacation for a mother. There are simply changes of scenery. But I digress.

You know by now (my six faithful readers) that I have a Tantre Farm crop share that I get every week. My ups and downs revolve around this wonderful bounty every week. I'm not going to be around to pick up next week's, and I have already tagged a friend to pick up next week. But I didn't want this week's to go to waste, and we're leaving in 24 hours.

So here's how I spent my last two hours.

• snapped and blanched one quart green beans (now freezing)
  
• chopped and blanched 10 summer squash (now freezing)
  
• shucked, blanched, and took the kernels off 8 ears of corn (now freezing)
• chopped and blanched one head of kale and one head of collard greens (now freezing)
  
• breaded and fried two large eggplant (now cooling on a rack - half to be eaten tonight for eggplant parm)
• made 4 jars full of pesto (basil, garlic, pine nuts, parm reg) (now freezing)
  
• slow roasted eight tomatoes (to be suspended in olive oil in the fridge until I'm back)
• refrigerated six beets and six carrots (they'll probably keep for a week in the fridge)
• washed the lettuce to eat tonight
  
• sliced and ate one yellow watermelon between five of us
  

Whew! No wonder my feet are aching.

P.S. Another wonderful Ann Arbor blogger, Four Obsessions, is cataloging her Tantre Farm's shares every week. If you're interested, take a look at what we're also eating every week. What a great idea! At one point I thought I could do it too, but I never got around to it. I'm glad she did!

R-Rated

Indian food is like sex. (I warned ya.) Vindaloo, Paneer, Tikki, Masala, Tandoori, Basmati studded with seeds, Lassi- these sound like dirty words to a fair skinned maiden. Think about it from every sensual perspective; the passionate tastes, full of color, the smells, the intense craving, and the even more intense satisfaction.

I've been craving it for a few weeks, since I last took my brother-in-law to Shalimar, downtown Ann Arbor. That was my virgin experience in an Indian restaurant. I had made some dishes myself from a cookbook and chosen Indian from the Plum Market hot food bar, yet eating at Shalimar (this isn't really a restaurant review because I'm so much a virgin) connected the dots for me.

So I sheepishly called my hard working husband at 5 p.m. and asked him to go out of his way to pick up Indian tonight. I couldn't hold out against the craving any longer. He acquiesced and agreed to be there by six to pick up anything that I ordered. Wonderful. I hate having to beg.

It was fabulous. All that I expected, plus some. Left me satiated and happy, and slightly out of breath.

Consider me addicted, having only licked the top of the iceberg. Slowly.

Calder Dairy

I love my milkman. Not "in love" with my milkman. I just love that as I'm running out of milk, he's pulling in the driveway with gallons of whole milk, skim milk, chocolate milk (that tastes like liquid pudding), cream, butter, eggs & buttermilk. He's even got ice cream in there, if I can catch him in time. And it is fabulous ice cream.

But here's the best thing of all. This milk being delivered to my door tastes fresh. There is no industrial aftertaste. The texture is smooth. It's almost refreshing, if you're one of those people who can be quenched by milk.

If you live in the Washtenaw County area, you should seriously consider getting a Calder Dairy milkman. Not just for the kitsch-factor. You can know that you are feeding your family the best.
For only $2 per week the milk is brought to your house. If you'd rather use that $100 per year in some other way, make sure when you are at a local grocery store that you are reaching for those glass bottles. You won't be disappointed.

The only problem is that once you're hooked, regular milk is virtually unpalatable.

daring bakers :: July milanos

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

My whole family loves milanos. Get a bag in the house and between all six of us they can easily be done in a night... or just an hour... who are we kidding, 15 minutes. I was happy to see that this was an option for this months Daring bakers.

This recipe was pretty simple and quick to make, but I really didn't find that it substituted for the texture of a true milano. My cookies were soft in the middle, even though the edges were browned. If you've never tasted a milano, you'd never know that they failed. But with that comparison, I don't think I would make them again - if my goal was a milano. Because I sensed that I wouldn't be successful with the cookie, I turned to the filling for satisfacation.

A few things contributed to this flavor combo. I'm late again for my posting which I'm frustrated about. And I'm in that summer kind of mood where Reeses peanut butter cups call to me in my dreams. (Someone recently told me that they make the best smores.) So I'm here to say that a little ganache plus a generous spread of peanut butter makes the best sandwich cookie you'll ever have, even if it is a little soft.

four cheese calzones

So this whole ricotta adventure started because when I was back in Jersey, we went to a pizzeria called Italian Village. It's the best in Madison after all. My sister ordered a cheese calzone that I coveted. It was full of the freshest ricotta and loads of mozzarella. A cheese lover's paradise. And THIS was my vision and mission statement, starting even at step one of ricotta making.

One of my favorite Italian-American cookbooks is Lidia Bastianich's Italian American kitchen. The pizza dough recipe in there is fairly simple - the ratio seems to work really well in my kitchen as well as hers.

Dough recipe (for pizza and calzones)
based on recipe by Lidia Bastianich

1. Dissolve 1 tsp yeast in 1 cup warm water in bottom of mixing bowl with paddle attachment.
   
2. After yeast has bloomed add 1 tablespoon each honey and olive oil (my addition, for flavor)
   
3. Combine 2 tsp (or up to 1tbsp) salt with 3 cups flour. Sprinkle dry ingredients over wet ingredients
4. Mix until combined.
   
5. Switch to dough hook. Knead for 10 minutes in machine.
6. Move dough to an oiled bowl. Cover top loosely with a damp towel. Let proof until doubled about 2 hours.
7. Separate into smaller balls of dough for individual pizzas or calzones.
8. Let proof again in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
9. Allow this to come to room temperature before stretching for pizza or calzones.
   

I made this dough early in the morning. It's pretty easy to knock off during breakfast time. Then it proofed, once and twice, while the day's controlled chaos swirled around it. This recipe made me six reasonably sized calzones, of which a hungry man could have had two.

Cheese calzone filling (for one calzone)

• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 2 generous slices fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 cup pecorino romano
• one slice mild provolone
  

1. Stretch dough into a circle
2. Put above filling into half of calzone
3. Fold half over top of filling.
4. Fold edges over each other to prevent filling from leaking out.
5. Bake at 450deg (convection if you have it) for 12-15 minutes, or until browned.

Served above with garlic wilted kale and a simple tomato salad.

fresh ricotta

When most mothers of four get their little ones settled into various rest time activities, (sleeping, reading, multiplication practice, painting) I imagine that they also sit down and read, or even better, switch on Oprah. Not me. For some reason that mental flashing red light which warns of a future sore back or aching head is broken. Alas, I use my ninety minutes in the kitchen when I could be resting.

This afternoon I banged out vanilla syrup (for iced coffees), Paula's banana bread (best this side of the Mississippi) and here's the best.... homemade ricotta cheese. I've had a few people suggest to me how easy this is, and after following this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, I can say this is almost as easy as cracking open a pint of Polly-O.

Basically you bring to a boil one part buttermilk to four parts whole milk. 101 Cookbooks calls for 1 quart buttermilk to a gallon of whole milk, but I halved it because I only had 2 cups buttermilk. Stir until mixture is steaming, & when it gets hot enough (roughly 175 degrees), the curds will come to the top. At this point, you pour it through 6 layers of cheesecloth and drain for 10 -15 minutes depending on the texture you desire.

Back in the mother country, New Jersey, we pronounce this wonderful soft cheese, with two distinct shortened syllables : re - goat, not the typical WASP, ri-cot-tah. As I was stuffing the cheese calzones that I was making for dinner, scenes from the Sopranos flashed into my mind, making me reminisce the good old Italian-New Jersey-American kitchen.

If you're making any dinner that involves or more importantly revolves around high-quality ricotta, this is definitely a trick you're going to want to have up your sleeve.

I don't usually put these playlists directly on here, but I just can't help myself with this one.

sunday night dinner special

fried green tOmaToEs for dinner....

because I'm awesome, that's why.

Detroit's Eastern Market

Today we took a little road trip downtown Detroit (De-TWOI) to Eastern Market, what they claim to be the largest public market district in the country. I suppose they can't really call it a farmers' market because there are wholesalers and other retailers there as well as the real honest farmers.

Yes, I had the whole family down there. To clarify, the whole HUNGRY family, and shoes on that were more fashionable than comfortable, as I'm sometimes prone to doing. However, we were in luck because we found a parking spot in a small lot on Russell Street.

And I spotted a pizzeria sign. So I made a dash across Russell and ended up with the best pizza I've had since I moved to the midwest 11 years ago. The pizza of the day was ligurian pesto with potato and red onion. Fantastic combination. The textures were perfect; potatoes were sliced paper thin, adding to the complete package.

After we'd had our fill, we moved on through the main sheds of Eastern market. I was surely impressed with the size of the public market. Up and down the main drag, you see fairly typical (read: boring) mid-summer produce. But, to be fair I didn't really get the chance to go up and down every alley to pay close attention to the specialty booths.

After stumbling around for forty minutes, with a sleepy 30 lb toddler on his back, my husband declared that the pizza was probably the best part of this trip. Granted, he doesn't quite get the same kick out of a good farmers' market. (Even though I'd probably agree with him.) We made out with three different kinds of cherries, cherry vinaigrette, sunflowers, and a large bag each of pistachios and roasted peanuts.

Next time, I'll be back, by myself (or with an adult friend) and sneakers, and I'll be able to do a more thorough exploring of the whole district. Plus I'll have to get some more of that Supino Pizza. For REAL.

Garden update :: July 10

new music added today
open in a new window to listen while you are reading

So yeah, I've got a Tantre Farm CSA, and I love popping into Westside. I'm addicted to Morgan and York, Plum Market, Zingerman's deli, and occasionally Whole Foods and all those sweet little shops in Kerrytown.

But I love more than anything growing my own food. As soon as the ground freezes I start thinking about putting miniscule dormant seeds deep in the soil, inside them the genetic codes hiding for all kinds of flavors and textures. Frankly it amazes me. Every time I get as excited as if it were the first.

This summer is no exception. I love walking out to my plot and surveying the growth in the morning, gently balancing my coffee. Don't ask my why it gives me such pleasure. The weeding I could give or take, but even that in the right mood, I can get into.

Several days ago I took a few snapshots of the current state of the garden. Much is still in the premature stages, artichokes, eggplants, watermelon, pumpkins, and tomatoes all have a few weeks before they are bursting with flavor.