Ready to Call It: The BEST Dish of 2011

I know we have close to six weeks remaining in the year, but I already declare this the BEST dish to come out of my kitchen in 2011! This is Bon Appetit's red wine-braised short ribs that I served with homemade buttermilk, parsley and garlic mashed potatoes. WOWZA! Here's the recipe, which I HIGHLY recommend! It's a lot of prep, but sooooooo worth it in the end--layers upon layers of rich, succulent flavor! And SURPRISE: I did NOT make this in the crock pot! I made it in the old school French version of a slow cooker, my beloved Le Creuset Dutch oven. However, I think you could transfer everything to a crock pot at the point where the recipe calls for you to put it in the oven, then cook for 5-6 hours on high or 8-10 on low. But anyway you make it, MAKE IT!

Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs
Bon Appétit, October 2011
Yield: Makes 6 servings

5 pound bone-in beef short ribs, cut crosswise into 2" pieces (I used about four pounds, left on the whole bone, cut into 2-bone sections)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 medium onions, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled, diced
2 celery stalks, diced (I used 3 stalks)
*I also added 1/2 pound of sliced Baby Bella mushrooms--next time, I would use a whole pound!
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)
*I also added about 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs oregano
2 sprigs rosemary
*I tied the fresh herb sprigs with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
*I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350°F. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, brown short ribs on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer short ribs to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot.

Add onions, carrots, and celery (and mushrooms) to pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined and deep red, 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine (and balsamic vinegar), then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic (and red pepper flakes). Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven.

Cook until short ribs are tender, 2-2 1/2 hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. (I fished out the herb bundle and the bay leaves, but I did NOT strain the sauce. Why would I want to throw away all of those yummy vegetables?) Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard. (Alternately, refrigerate overnight, remove the solid fat, then reheat.) Shred the meat with two forks, and season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls over mashed potatoes with sauce spooned over.

Cooks' Note:
To test if the ribs are done, pull on a bone. It should slide out freely.

As for the potatoes, I peeled and cut into big chunks about three pounds of gold potatoes, boiled them in salted water until tender, drained, added a stick of butter(!), maybe 1/2 cup of buttermilk (or to desired consistency), 1/2 (up to a whole) teaspoon of granulated garlic, a few tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. YUM!

Short Ribs, Long on Flavor

This is what happens when you stay home for a long holiday weekend; you watch too much Food Network, and you become obsessed with making things that you see on t.v.! Specifically, I saw Giada making Short Ribs with Tagliatelle that I just HAD to try immediately! So I found myself in the Wal-Mart at midnight Saturday night shopping for short ribs. Of course, because this is my life we're talking about, I ran into several problems. The first was that I could only find very large packages of short ribs--about three pounds at $2.68/lb., so it's not an inexpensive dish. Then again, it makes a TON, enough to freeze for another meal another day. Of course, if you can find a smaller package (a pound and a half), then you can halve the recipe below. But why would you want to? As it is, this fills a standard crockpot. And it's not that much more work to make the double batch and freeze the leftovers. But that's your call. Secondly, try finding tagliatelle in Plattsburgh! So I had to settle for some pappardelle from Trader Joe's that I still had rattling around in the pantry. (Maybe next time, I'll just make my own tagliatelle, which is an even wider pasta than pappardelle. Or I'll look for it the next time I'm in Montreal.)

But the biggest problem I had was getting the recipe off of Food Network's website when I needed it. Of course, it just came up for me just now, but I tried ALL DAY on Sunday, and I just got a blank screen when I clicked on that link. So I had to come up with an alternative recipe. I turned to a wonderful cookbook from the good people at Cooks' Illustrated called The Best Recipe: Italian Classics. In it, there was a recipe for Pasta and Rustic Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce with Meat that was just the ticket. Of course, I had to put my own little twists on it here and there (like including some of the last peppers from my garden and using my crockpot to cook it all) and also a few things that I could remember from watching Giada make her version. And I believe that, in the end, I created something AMAZING! Seriously, this one is a keeper. So flavorful, and so hearty--a perfect dish for the nippier months. I served it with the beautiful beans that we picked up at Windmill Point Farm last weekend; although once you cook them, they change from looking like a vibrant Scarlet Runner Bean to a less appetizing greyish-green. But they still tastied delicious, especially cooked with a little bacon and some beef broth until tender. Delish!




Short Ribs in Rustic Slow-Simmered Tomato Sauce with Pappardelle
(Sources: Food Network and The Best Recipe: Italian Classics)

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef short ribs (you may also wish to try pork spareribs or country-style ribs)
salt and pepper
2 medium onions, minced
2-3 large red peppers, cored, seeded and minced
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup red wine
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (or better yet, use one 15-oz. can of regular tomatoes and one 15-oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes)
1 small can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of hot pepper flakes (optional)

2 pounds pasta, cooked to al dente (according to package instructions)

parmesan cheese, freshly grated
fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Season the ribs all over liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the ribs on all four sides in the skillet, about 8-10 minutes total. Remove the ribs to a plate and set aside. Add the minced onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan and saute until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the red wine and deglaze for a minute or two, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. After the wine has reduced to something more like a glaze, add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a boil then remove from heat.

Add some of the sauce to the bottom of a preheated crockpot. Place the ribs in the pot next and cover them with the rest of the sauce. Cover and cook on high for four hours (or on low all day to have it ready when you get home from work!), or until the meat is literally falling off the bones. Place the ribs on a plate and remove the bones, tough cartilage and any excess fat. Using two forks, shred the meat, then add it back to the pot. Leave the meat and sauce to simmer together while you prepare your pasta. Serve with a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan and perhaps some chopped fresh parsley if you have it. MANGIA!

A couple of tidbits to warm your tummy...

Gracious! Old Man Winter, that big blowhard, is giving us a taste of things to come today! Even here in the North Country, folks have still been rocking the shorts and flip-flops, though the calendar on the wall tells us that it's nearly Thanksgiving. But there is a vicious wind a-blowing today, and up here (at school) on the bluff overlooking Lake Champlain, it's particularly vicious. On a day like today, we need something warm and satisfying in our tummies, and I have just the thing--beef stew. And not just any beef stew, but a wonderful short rib beef stew with ale, a recipe I found on Simply Recipes (which was, in turn, adapted from a recipe from the October 2007 issue of Sunset Magazine). I made a couple of minor adjustments, as is my way, and one major one that should help busy people as we head into the holidays. Elise's recipe calls for the stew to be baked in the oven which, no doubt, would add more flavor. But I tried making it in the crockpot, and it was delicious, and so nice to come home to at the end of a long day. I'm sorry that I didn't take a picture of said stew, but click on one of links to Simply Recipes, and you can see better pics than I could have managed. ;-)

Short Rib Beef Stew with Ale
(Source: Simply Recipes)

1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons hot paprika (I used regular paprika plus 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, trimmed of excess fat (I used boneless, as that's what I unearthed from the freezer, but meat is always better "by the bone" as Nigella would say)
4 strips thick-cut bacon (I used six strips of regularly-sliced bacon), roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 bottle (12 oz.) brown ale (I used Saranac Scotch Ale from their winter assortment, but you can use anything you like--the original recipe simply called for beer)
1 can (14.5 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes (I used red ones)
2 large carrots (I might double this as the carrots were sparse and/or add some parsnips)
1 pound turnips (this gave us the opportunity to use the turnips we procured from Cape Cod and though they are optional, I recommend them--I don't even like turnips, but they take on the other flavors in the stew and eventually become indistinguishable from the potatoes)
*1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (this is my critical addition...and I think it gave the stew that last finishing note that it needed)

1 Preheat oven to 300° (if using the oven for this). Combine flour, hot paprika (or paprika + cayenne), smoked paprika, one teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl. Dredge the short ribs in the flour mixture.

2 In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels and reserve. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat from pot. Add short ribs and brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

3 Transfer short ribs to a plate and reserve. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ale and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add tomatoes and their juices and reserved bacon. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Return short ribs to pot, cover, put in the preheated oven, and cook two hours. (Or add everything to the crockpot and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.)

4 Peel potatoes, turnips, and carrots, and cut into one-inch pieces. Add to short ribs along with salt and pepper (to taste), cover, and cook until veggies are tender and meat pulls away easily from the bone, about 30 minutes in the oven, or 2-4 more hours in the crock pot.

5 Spoon off excess fat. Remove the bones if you like (and if there are any) before serving. I like my beef stew served over steamed rice, but I will leave that up to you.

Serves 8. Go ahead and make the whole batch--it tastes even better the next day as leftovers!

Then for dessert, I would highly recommend a cookie that I made for trivia this week, a delicious sable from Dorie Greenspan's baking book. I also made the fabled and ballyhooed World Peace Cookies, but as I am not the chocoholic that some of my teammates are, I wanted another cookie as well. I was going to make just "plain" sables that are the French version of shortbread with the same rich, buttery flavor but usually less sweet and with a characteristic sandy texture (sable means "sand" in French, don'tcha know). But one of the things I love about Dorie's book is that she always includes a section next to each recipe called "playing around," offering creative twists to boilerplate recipes. For the sables, she offered lemon, pecan, and spiced versions. But it occurred to me that I might want a sable that was both nutty AND spiced. Thus was born the spiced pecan sable. YUM!!! It is a homely little cookie that seems to scream "Frost me! Sprinkle me!" (You'll have to take my word for this as I didn't have a chance to take a picture of these before they were all gobbled up.) But they are scrumptious even without extra adornments. The flavor is bold and delicate at the same time and quintessentially autumnal. Give it a try and/or add it to your Christmas cookie repertoire.

Sables
(Source: Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan)
Makes about 50 cookies (I got 48)--feel free to halve this recipe or better yet, freeze one log for future use

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt, preferably fine sea salt
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature, plus 1 large egg yolk, for brushing the logs
2 cups all-purpose flour
Decorating (coarse) sugar (optional)

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and very creamy. Add the sugars and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and velvety, not fluffy and airy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in two of the egg yolks, again beating until the mixture is homogenous.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and the counter from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek -- if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple more times; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough and the dough looks uniformly moist. (If most of the flour is incorporated but you've still got some in the bottom of the bowl, use a rubber spatula to work the rest of the flour into the dough.) The dough will not clean the sides of the bowl, nor will it come together in a ball -- and it shouldn't. You want to work the dough as little as possible. What you're aiming for is a soft, moist, clumpy (rather than smooth) dough. Pinch it, and it will feel a little like Play-Doh.

Scrape the dough out onto a smooth work surface, gather it into a ball and divide it in half. Shape each piece into a smooth log about 9 inches long: it's easiest to work on a piece of plastic wrap and use the plastic to help form the log. Wrap the logs well and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours, preferably longer. (The dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Remove a log of dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a piece of parchment or wax paper. Whisk the remaining egg yolk until it is smooth, and brush some of the yolk all over the sides of the dough -- this is the glue -- then sprinkle the entire surface of the log with decorating sugar.

Trim the ends of the roll if they're ragged, and slice the log into 1/3-inch-thick cookies. (You can make these as thick as 1/2 inch or as thin as -- but no thinner than -- 1/4 inch.) Place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving an inch of space between them.

Bake one sheet at a time for 17 to 20 minutes (mine took only 13-14 minutes), rotating the baking sheet at the midway point. When properly baked, the cookies will be light brown on the bottom, lightly golden around the edges and pale on top; they may feel tender when you touch the top gently, and that's fine. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest a minute or two before carefully lifting them onto a rack with a wide metal spatula to cool to room temperature.

Repeat with the remaining log of dough, making sure the baking sheets are cool before you bake the second batch.

SERVING: Serve these with anything from lemonade to espresso.

STORING: The cookies will keep in a tin at room temperature for about 5 days. If you do not sprinkle the sables with sugar, they can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. Because the sugar will melt in the freezer, the decorated cookies are not suitable for freezing.

Playing Around

LEMON SABLES: Working in a small bowl, using your fingers, rub the grated zest of 1 to 1 1/2 lemons (depending on your taste) into the granulated sugar until the sugar is moist and very aromatic, then add this and the confectioners' sugar to the beaten butter. (Sables can also be made with orange or lime zest; vary the amount of zest as you please.)

PECAN SABLES*: Reduce the amount of flour to 1 1/2 cups, and add 1/2 cup very finely ground pecans to the mixture after you have added the sugars. (In place of pecans, you can use ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts.) If you'd like, instead of sprinkling the dough logs with sugar, sprinkle them with very finely chopped pecans or a mixture of pecans and sugar.

SPICE SABLES*: Whisk 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg into the flour.

*For the spiced pecan variant, follow the instructions for the pecan version, but just add the spices to the flour as in the spice sable instructions. Also, instead of ground ginger, I used some organic candied ginger that I grated with a Microplane, and it was heavenly--gave the cookies a nice bite.

And the Best Supporting Award Goes to...SHORT RIBS!

Today is my most high holy day: OSCAR DAY! My goal was to be in my comfy chair, live-blogging undisturbed by the time the celebrities hit the red carpet. So early in the day, I started a crock pot of short ribs going. It was sort of a hybrid of a couple of my favorite recipes, and they turned out FABULOUSLY, if I do say myself--definitely deserving of a Best Supporting statuette!

Italian-Style Short Ribs

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 lbs.(more or less) short ribs seasoned with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic
2 onions, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
*I sometimes throw 8 or 12 oz. of sliced mushrooms in as well, if I have them on hand
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups red wine
1 can tomato paste
2 tablespoons Italian herbs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of hot red chili flakes
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
28 oz. diced or crushed tomatoes (I used one can Italian-style, plus one can fire-roasted)
1 1/2 cups beef broth

Abbreviated methodology:
Brown the ribs on all sides, add to the crock pot. Drain off all but two tablespoons of the fat from the pan and sauté all veggies until tender. Deglaze with wine, and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir, pour over ribs. Cook on high until the bones fall out (remove those as well as any big fatty/grisly bits), then cook a little longer until the meat can be pulled apart easily. Check the seasoning and serve over pasta (preferred) or mashed potatoes.

Note: As this is cooking, use a turkey baster to keep siphoning off the fat from the top of the sauce. Alternately, if you have the time, when it's done cooking, refrigerate overnight, remove the solidified fat and reheat. As a bonus, the flavors will be even better the second day!

CLCA Day 17: Back on the Low-Carb Wagon

The Return to "Cyd's Low-Carb Adventure," Day 17
Breakfast: Maple Blueberry Greek Yogurt Parfait
Lunch: Salad in a Jar
Dinner: Roast Beef and Vegetables (Onions, Carrots, Celery, and Mushrooms) over Winter Squash and Goat Cheese Mash
Dessert: Sugar-Free Pudding

Well, this day didn't go according to plan. I was thinking about starting some fermented pickles, but before I got going with that, I wanted to thaw out a chicken for dinner. Unfortunately, all the stuff in the outside freezer was completely buried with frost, and it took me an hour and a half to clean it all out, dumping all the old food and chiseling out all the ice, only to discover that there was, in fact, no chicken in there...and that there is a leak in the garage roof (GACK!!).

On the plus side, I did unearth a small chuck roast and a few boneless short ribs in the freezer, though, so I braised a savory pot roast and veggies in the oven on a weirdly cool, rainy day (at the end of July!). And I served it over this WONDERFUL squash and goat cheese puree that helped Cyd not even miss mashed potatoes.

Braised Chuck Roast and Short Ribs 

1/4 cup olive oil
one large onion, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
8 large Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato aste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven and saute the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms for a few minutes until they start to become tender and take on some color. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Deglaze the pan with red wine. Add in the Worcestershire, teriyaki (or soy) sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, pepper, and pepper flakes. Braise at 325 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat can be pulled apart with a fork. 

Winter Squash and Goat Cheese Puree

1 box frozen winter squash
4 oz. goat cheese
1 teaspoon Grade B maple syrup
salt and pepper, to taste

Microwave the squash according to the directions on the box. Crumble in the goat cheese, maple syrup, salt and pepper, and stir until combined.

The Valentine's Day "Blizzard" of '07

(The was the view from my front porch earlier today. The house is right on a very busy rural highway, and this was early in the day before the snow really started accumulating! Can you see the snowmobilers there at the four corners? Click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view.)

Well, this has been an odd day! I stayed up half the night making some 90-odd Oreo truffles for my colleagues at work as a Valentine's Day treat only to have school cancelled due to a huge Nor'easter snowstorm! On the one hand, this is nothing short of a nightmare, as Wednesday is the absolute worst day to miss. You see, I have two classes that are Monday-Wednesday only and one once-a-week night class on Wednesday. So it is going to be hideous trying to figure out how to get those classes caught up.

But that's the grown-up teacher in me talking. The kid in me was delighted to have a snow day! I woke up around 8am, heard the news that school was cancelled, and went right back to bed for a long winter's nap! When I arose much later, I decided that a special Valentine's Day meal was in order for dinner. First, Cyd helped me assemble an icebox cake, as she has been bugging me to make her another one since we polished off the first. This time, I tried to make it look like the version that I just saw in the display case at Billy's Bakery this weekend, with the edges of the cookies sticking out of the cake. And since I had leftover chocolate from the truffles, I topped it with both bittersweet and white chocolate shavings. Pretty, huh?

Then for dinner, I made the short ribs that Cyd has also been harrassing me about for weeks, and I served it over another of the Rossi pastas from my Christmas stash, the wild mushroom linguini. Scrumptious! And of course, we sopped up the delicious sauce with some of the amazing Pane Pugliese from Sullivan Street Bakery. I was worried that it may have gone stale, but after five minutes in a hot oven, it crisped right back up. The interior is tender and holey and stretchy and replete with a tangy, sourdough-like flavor. If there is a better bread on the planet, I haven't found it yet!

Well, however you dined this evening and whatever the menu, I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day, and that you enjoyed some romantic time with your special someone!

Oreo Truffles

16 oz. Oreo cookies
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups bittersweet (or semi-sweet or milk) chocolate, melted
1 cup white chocolate, melted (optional)

Crush Oreos in a food processor. Mix softened cream cheese for a minute or two in the bowl of a stand mixer until completely smooth. Add in the crushed cookies and mix thoroughly. Shape into small balls, about one teaspoon's worth apiece. Freeze for about an hour or until very firm (I just put mine on the roof of my car out in the garage at this time of year!). Melt the bittersweet chocolate, dip each cold truffle, and place on a lined sheet pan to firm up. Once set, drizzle with melted white chocolate as a contrast. Store the truffles in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 50, depending on size.

Autummer in Montreal

There are not enough words to describe how much I love this time of year, when the harvest is in full swing and the weather is turning crisp. It's no longer summer, but you don't need your coat just yet (a sweater will do) and the leaves have barely begun to turn. It's AUTUMMER, and nether can I express how much I enjoy Quebec at this time of year, from Labor Day to the first snowfall. But I'm jumping ahead as usual. We begin our story back in good old Plattsburgh.

Last weekend, I worked at the farmers' market, which was practically pointless. I didn't make enough money to justify the additional labor added to my already busy week (not to mention, my physical and mental health!). Oh, there were lots of people walking through, mainly due to the Battle of Plattsburgh celebration downtown, but I guess no one wanted to buy anything and then have to haul stuff back to their cars and let it sit in the hot sun all day during the parade and other festivities. And boy, was it ever HOT and humid, reaching 90 degrees and breaking records. I felt very sorry for all of the historical re-enactors in their heavy, layered garb. But since I was already downtown, and I had never fully experienced the Battle of Plattsburgh (and it has really grown over the years), I decided to check it out after the market closed. Now, celebrating war is generally not my cup of tea. Still, I saw most of the parade from my vantage point at the market. Then I drove over to the historical Kent-Delord House for a tour and to walk through the authentic encampment on the grounds which was quite fascinating. They had, among other things, a doctor, an apothecary (who bought a loaf of maple oatmeal bread from me to serve at tea!), seamstresses, and other kinds of vendors from that period (books, food, etc.). I even spotted a few of my teacher friends along the way, dressed up and occupying some of the tents.

After exploring the big event downtown, I made my way over to my friends, Steve and Lee Ann's new house (they've just moved into town from Saranac Lake which is close to an hour and a half from Plattsburgh, so I'll get to see them more often--yeah!). It was their daughter K's sixth birthday, and she is my long-time buddy. Plus, it was a Harry Potter theme, so I wouldn't have missed that! K actually had two cakes--Harry Potter's face made from a mold and that one looked great, but also an amazing Hogwarts Castle cake carved from rice krispy treats with upside-down ice cream cones for the turrets. So cool!


By the time I got home from throwing down with the six-year-olds, it was already 8pm, and my roommate said that she would completely understand if I just wanted to crash on Sunday. But there is no rest for the wicked at this time of year! So we decided, as we so often do, to point the car toward Montreal and see what we might see along the way. Of course, we had to hit the little farmstands along our route through Napierville and Sherrington. One sign in particular caught my eye, advertising autumn strawberries for sale. Isn't that an oxymoron? (But a darn tasty one!)

Once we hit Montreal proper, we did a little clothes and shoe shopping, then decided we needed a snack. I have always wanted to check out the Big Orange right off of the Décarie Expressway (15N) called Orange Julep Gibeau. Cyd has always made fun of me for this, but I wasn't taking no for an answer! We enjoyed a ginormous, frothy and fresh-tasting orange juice and a big plate of deliciously goopy poutine, and we then had the strength to make it to (and through) the Jean-Talon Market, which is my tabernacle, especially at this time of year. By the time we found parking and a working ATM machine, it was very late, so we had to sprint through the market. And we weren't the only ones in a bit of a dither. The frenzy to preserve as much of summer's bounty as possible before the season ends was palpable.

An older woman and her daugher rushed by us with a HUGE box of canning tomatoes that neither could carry alone. Another man was carting two shopping bags full of red peppers, and I asked him what he was going to do with them. He shrugged his shoulders in that Gallic way and said, "Phfff! I have kids! They'll eat through one of these bags in a week." I was quite surprised, but he said he roasted them with olive oil in the oven, and the kids ate them with everything. Hmmm...while our kids are eating Doritos, theirs are eating roasted red peppers? We could learn something from those folks, eh?

We hurried through the market, seeing many wonderful sights and buying many wonderfully fresh veggies (see a few more random pictures below). Then we paused for some gelato at Havre Aux Glaces (espresso and dark chocolate--YUM!) and also bought some Romanian hamburgers and fresh kraut to take home and make on the grill.


Before we departed Little Italy, I had to try and take some pictures of the beautiful gardens that surround Jean-Talon. The apartment buildings have courtyards the size of postage stamps, but the Old World residents manage to do magical things with them.

Now, it should be understood, most Montrealers (and Quebecers at large) take great pains to have a nice yards and lovely flowers, even if they just have a tiny apartment and some windowboxes on the balcony. But I love these old Italians best because they value edible gardens! And since their space is so limited, they grow everything vertically, and anything nailed down has some sort of vine growing on it, be it a tomato or squash or what have you! It's truly amazing to see! (Look closely at the next picture and note the dangling gourds toward the back that someone has grown using a trellis made of tall stakes and some kind of fencing anchored to a staircase...ingenious!)

And another resident (not pictured) even has a small orchard in front of his or her apartment, and it was hard for me to restrain myself from stealing a few ripes pear, which you know I am apt to do from time to time. However, the residences are gated off with big "keep out" and "no parking" signs (after hours, the market attracts an unsavory element), but did I let that stop me? Nooooooo! And one kind lady even invited me in for a tour! Her English was practically non-existent, and my Italian is completely non-existent. So we did our best to communicate by speaking broken French. Here is her husband, taking a break under their grape arbor, and can you see the squash vine attached to the fence behind him? These urban farmers don't waste an inch of space, and I celebrate them for it!

After the market, we picked up a dozen piping hot sesame bagels at St-Viateur's to take home, and then decided to try something different for dinner. We ate at Casa Gaucho on Parc, an Argentinian Grill. We weren't exactly sure what Argentinian cuisine might be, but we suspected that beef would be involved (after all, a gaucho is a cowboy). When we walked in and saw some the cowhides adorning the walls, our suspicions were confirmed. As my friend, June, informed me later, Argentinian food tends to be meat, meat, with a side of meat! Tee hee. The signature dish of Argentina is the mixed grill, but I became squeamish at the inclusion of kidneys, sweetbreads, and blood sausage. So we opted for the short ribs on the advice of our waitress. However, she should have advised us to get the small portion, as the TWO rack of ribs that they served us were Fred Flintstone-sized! Then again, the leftovers made for a tasty lunch the next day. We also sampled one of their delicious empanadas which were likewise stuffed with meat and olives and such. But the best part of the meal was the homemade chimichurri sauce that we ate on everything. Chimichurri is the Spanish-speaking cousin of the persillade that I am so fond of (and both are surely the descendents of pesto). It's basically a combination of parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil and perhaps vinegar, too, used to marinade meats and as a condiment. I could practically eat the stuff straight myself, I love it so much! There was also a spicy red pepper sauce that we enjoyed, but it was all about the chimichurri on some MEAT! :-) After such a hearty meal, I could barely keep from nodding off at the wheel as we made our way back to the border. But it was a fabulous day, and a very fitting beginning to my favorite season. Get out there and immerse yourselves in some harvest-time activities...you will be richly rewarded for your pains. (And don't worry: the couch will still be there alllllllll winter!)

Midweek Birthday Parties and Trash-Tastic Treats

Well, yesterday was a bit overwhelming...culinarily speaking. I was up until the wee hours of the night/morning, working on my vision for my beloved officemate's birthday party at school. Lee Ann doesn't like cake, so I had the idea of recreating NYC's Rice to Riches experience, offering only two rice pudding flavors (Chocolate Chip Flirt and Hazelnut Chocolate Bear Hug), but ELEVEN of the 12 traditional toppings. The rice puddings were easy; all those toppings were a nightmare! But the party went off without a hitch, and I think my friends, colleagues, and most importantly, the Birthday Girl, enjoyed the pudding bar.

P.S. The toppings or "Jesus Droppings" (tee hee) were as follows:

Flourish: toasted buttery poundcake
*Spirit: oatmeal coconut crumble
Black magic: chocolate brownie crumble
*Unity: cinnamon raisin crumble
Mischief: buttery graham grumble
Nudge: espresso crumble
Heartthrob: tender loving jelly
Blessings: toasted coconut
Logic: seasoned mixed nuts
Remedy: caramel vanilla sauce
Cloud nine: whipped cream
Burst: oven roasted fresh fruits

*I combined these two to streamline the menu a tiny bit. No one seemed to mind. ;-)

Then when I got home last night, it was my turn to cook, but I also had to make another dish for a birthday party potluck at a club downtown (it was the 30th for the karaoke d.j. who is also my student this semester). So I did something slightly shameful that I rarely do and turned to a convenience product as a short cut. Pasta Alfredo is one of my favorite dishes in the world, and I ALWAYS make it from scratch. However, when I was at Lee Ann's Christmas party this year, she and her husband had a pasta throwdown pitting his homemade mac and cheese (which is AWESOME) against her spinach Alfredo pasta, and she won! When I asked her for the recipe, I was surprised to learn that she used JARRED Alfredo sauce that she zhoozhed up with some parmesan, mozzarella, and fresh spinach.

So for a quickie dinner, I roasted some country-style pork ribs in olive oil, thyme, rosemary, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. And I served it with pasta shells (one pound, cooked until al dente)and a pint jar of Classico's Roasted Poblano Afredo Sauce mixed with a generous half cup of grated Parmesan, a little extra garlic and black pepper, and more than half a bag of fresh baby spinach thrown into the hot pasta right before serving. I have to admit--it was delicious!

For the karaoke birthday potluck, I gave some thought to what inebriated twenty-somethings would like to eat to soak up all that excess liquor in their systems. So I went with the old stand-by, Buffalo Chicken Dip. But the dish on the buffet that I kept returning to was this really tasty taco salad that seemed to involve Doritos and Catalina dressing. I looked it up on the interwebs when I got home, and apparently everyone knows about this trash-tastic potluck favorite except me! So I recreated it for our dinner tonight (sending my poor roommate out into Blizzard Nemo's wrath to pick up the ingredients), and though Cyd doesn't even like French or Catalina dressing, she had to admit it made the taco salad perfectly sweet and tangy.

The great thing about this "recipe" is that you can mix it up, and add your favorite taco salad ingredients to it. If you are taking it to an event, you could mix everything together in a big bowl except the hamburger, Doritos, and the dressing, then refrigerate the bowl until party time. Right  before serving, reheat the ground beef just enough to take the chill off, then add the crushed-up chips and the hamburger mixture, and dress it all with the Catalina. So yummy! Here's what I used for my version.

Trash-Tastic Doritos Taco Salad
(Yield: This made enough for three generous entree-sized salads--double it for a party)

half a head of iceberg lettuce, cored and shredded (Romaine might hold up better at a potluck)
half a can of black olives, drained and roughly chopped
half a can of Cuban-style black beans, drained
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 scallions, thinly sliced
8-12 rainbow cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
half a regular-sized bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos (though I bet Pepper Jack would be yum), crushed
1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dark chili powder
few shakes of hot sauce, optional
about a quarter of a large bottle of Kraft Zesty Catalina Dressing (you can also use Classic, Sweet Honey, or Bacon Catalina--your call)

Add everything to a large bowl except the Doritos, ground beef and seasonings, and Catalina dressing. Refrigerate until time to serve.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef then drain the excess fat. Add the salt and pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and hot sauce (if using), and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

Crush the chips on top of the other salad ingredients, add the hamburger mixture, and as much dressing as you desire, and toss gently to mix. Serve immediately.

There's still time for a few more cookouts...

As I shared in my previous post, I attended a FABULOUS summertime party at my dear friends, John and Keith's house while I was visiting them in Oregon last week. Their back patio (that humble expression doesn't really do the space justice) is nothing short of a MAGNIFICENT entertaining space, and the guests were lovely, there was live music, the weather was fine, and the beer and wine were flowing freely. On top of all that merriment, there was a TON of food, and it was all amazing! I couldn't possibly detail all of the tasty offerings, but I do want to share a few simple, delicious potluck ideas from that gathering.

The item that was the big winner (first thing to go--two platters emptied in the blink of an eye!) was made by my dear friend, Mike. In rooting around John and Keith's fridge, we found a bag of those teeny, multi-colored sweet peppers. So instead of jalapeno poppers, Mike decided to use the sweet peppers and fill them with a spicy cream cheese mixture. And as Mike's motto is "Everything's better with bacon!" the filled peppers would be topped with bacon, then roasted in the boys' wonderful wood-burning oven out back. These were so good, I recreated them when I got back to New York so that my roomie, Cyd, could try them, too. In fact, they may become my new take-along party staple. You could prepare them ahead of time, and then just bake them off at the host's house.

Here is the method, though it's all but self-explanatory:

Buy a bag of those little colorful sweet peppers and slice them in half, removing any thick ribs and seeds. Then fill them with a mixture of softened cream cheese, fresh chopped herbs (we used parsley, oregano, and thyme), and a good hit of chipotle, hot sauce, sriracha, harissa or whatever spicy business you have on hand, and maybe some black pepper for good measure.

Then you fill the cavities of the little peppers, top with a third of a slice of good quality bacon, then roast on a cookie sheet at a very high temp (450) for 20-25 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp. For the vegetarians, skip the bacon, then finish with a drizzle of thick, aged balsamic when they come out of the oven.

The dish I made for the party was a simple cole slaw that I fashioned after one that I had at a great little coffee house called Rembrandt's in Boise (well, Eagle), Idaho during the first leg of my Grand Northwestern Tour. In addition to one of their incredible sticky buns, I ordered a sandwich, and my friend, Todd, who regularly frequents the shop, practically begged me to order their cole slaw on the side. But I don't really care for cole slaw as a general rule, so I got the potato salad instead. It was very good, with a hint of curry, but when Todd insisted that I try his cole slaw, I knew I had made a mistake. (Yes, naturally Todd took the opportunity to say, "I told you so!")

I don't know the actual recipe, but the dressing seemed sour cream based (not sweet like Miracle Whip or even mayo), and the slaw included blue cheese, dried cranberries, and cashews. What an interesting and savory combination, n'est-ce pas? Here's what I did to make my own version that turned out quite well:

First, I shredded two rather small heads of green cabbage. Then I used about a half cup of a high-quality, fruity vinegar and two teaspoons of Maldon sea salt to brine the cabbage in overnight (an hour or two probably would have been fine). Then I drained the cabbage, but did not rinse it. I used about a cup of commerical Mexican crema that the boys had on hand to dress the slaw (made by Darigold--so yummy!), but sour cream would be fine, plus almost a teaspoon of black pepper. Then I added 8 oz. of Danish blue cheese crumbles (Castello is my fave!), and a generous half cup each of craisins and roughly-chopped cashews. Taste it to see if it needs more salt, then chill until party time. Simple, easy, slightly unusual, and DELISH!

For someone who professes to not care for cabbage, I sure am making a lot of sauerkraut and slaw lately! Perhaps I need to rethink my position on cabbage. In the meantime, my last "recipe" from John and Keith's party is a kind of Mexican or southwestern slaw. Actually, when I first saw it on the potluck table, I wasn't sure what to make of it. But a big bag of chips was propped up next to it, so I figured that it was meant to be a dip or salsa-type affair (but chunkier, maybe more like pico de gallo).

It was really good stuff, and I managed to make inquiries later to track down the woman who brought it. She seemed a bit embarrassed, as it's kind of a "cheater" recipe that starts with pre-packaged cole slaw mix. She confirmed that it was intended to be eaten with chips, but she also told me that she loves it on fish tacos. So when I got home, one of the first dinners I made was fish tacos with this southwestern slaw. SO YUMMY, light, summery and healthy, and a perfect quick-fix for a busy weeknight meal. This is especially the case if you have a grocery store that will cook your fish for you, as our local Price Chopper does. Of course, you could grill your own fish if you insist. ;-)

So you buy some white fish of your choosing--tonight cod was on sale at Price Chopper, so I went with that--and a pound will make a dozen fish tacos! Also purchase a package of the smallest size flour tortillas (or corn, if you prefer). When you get home, keep the fish warm in the oven, and also the tortillas wrapped in foil. Then make the following slaw:

‎1 lb. package cole slaw mix
1 jar of your favorite salsa (I used salsa verde)
juice of one large lime (or perhaps two small ones)

This is your base. Then add anything else you like. I added:

one can white corn with chipotle, drained
one can Southwestern-style black beans, drained
half a cup roughly-chopped cilantro
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
salt and pepper, to taste

To each tortilla, add some broken-up chunks of fish, some crumbled queso fresco (or shredded cheese of your choice), a generous amount of the slaw, and top with chipotle sour cream (I just found this new product from Breakstone's in the dairy aisle). YUM! And the leftover slaw is indeed wonderful with tortilla chips, as we enjoyed it at the party.

WHEW! This length of this follow-up post has also become biblical, and to think, I only described three dishes! Suffice it to say, the evening was magical and lasted until about 1am, despite the fact that it was a school night for most of the party-goers. I am already looking ahead to another (hopefully, longer) visit next summer!

Cronut? We don't need no stinkin' Cronut!

I just got home from a whirlwind trip to the Big City. I went down Friday after school, spent the day doing theatre on Saturday, did one last loop to some of my favorite eateries on Sunday, and then hit the road for home. WHEW! But I had a terrific time, even though my roomie and BFF was sick and had to stay home (boo hiss). Enjoy a few tasty pics, won't you?

On my way through the capitol region on Friday, a friend suggested that I make a short detour to Dinosaur BBQ in Troy for dinner. So glad I did! (I can't believe that I've never been before!) This is a solo sampler plate of appetizers: Drunken shrimp, fried green tomato, hoisin chicken wing, Cajun deviled egg.

(The fried green tomato and that one wing were the best things I ate there, hands down!)

Combo platter: Mac and cheese, BBQ beans, cornbread, housemade hot link and chow chow, ribs, and brisket with housemade pickled jalapeños. (Yes, I took half of this with me to my hotel in Secaucus!) 

The main reason for my trip: To see my beloved Neil Patrick Harris in one of my all-time favorite shows, Hedwig and the Angry Inch! FABULOUS!!

The line at the stage door (spilling out into the street) to see NPH. (My fearless friend, Jaymie, is in the red pants. Soon enough, she would use her diminutive size and stealthiness to sneak to the front of the pack for an autograph!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The man himself, NPH!!!!!!!!!!!! (And that's Jaymie's hand shoving a playbill in his face for him to sign. GO, JAYMIE!!)

And in an act of extreme generosity and friendship, Jaymie gave the signed playbill to me!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!

As if the autographed playbill weren't enough, Jaymie and her wife, Audrey, took me to dinner at this place in Chinatown that had the most AMAZING Peking Duck (as the name of the restaurant might lead one to believe).

Apparently, the render the fat from the duck for 48 hours so that it's not the least bit greasy, but so tender and moist. And a chef carves the bird table-side for your viewing (and smelling) pleasure!

I can't even convey how good this was! The Peking Duck was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The way you were supposed to eat it was to roll up a few pieces in a "pancake" (a flour tortilla, really) with some scallion and/or cucumber and their spicy plum sauce. YUM, YUM, YUM!!

My second theatrical experience of the day was to take in Sleep No More, which was this strange, dream-like immersive play that was loosely based on MacBeth. It's located in an old warehouse in Chelsea made into a "hotel" with many rooms and many characters that appear and interact with onlookers from time to time. All of the spectators must wear one of these Venetian-type masks and must not speak, but you may wander from room to room and floor to floor at your own pace and see what interesting things unfold along your journey. VERY, VERY COOL! I'd love to go back and do it again....if I could afford it, that is. :-(

The next day was Easter Sunday, so I thought I'd take a chance that the Cronut line at Dominique Ansel's bakery wouldn't be that bad. Sure enough, I only waited about 45 minutes, and it was a beautiful spring day and quite pleasant to be outside after a loooonnnnggg winter up north. I even found street parking nearby! WOOT!!

Signs inside the shop. (Tee hee.)

Annnnnnddd, here they are! TA-DAH!! The flavor of the month was passion fruit, and they were definitely DELICIOUS! But here's the conclusion I came to: It was fun to do the Cronut thing just to say I'd done it. But for my money (and time), the DKA (their version of kouign amann) was even better, and you don't even have to wait in line to buy one of those! If I did it again, I'd bypass the Cronut line altogether and go right inside and buy as many DKA's as my pocketbook and cholesterol levels would allow.

For my last stop in the City before heading home, I went by another one of my favorite places, Sullivan Street Bakery, for the beloved potato pizza and other baked delicacies. But right next store now is CO, a full-fledged pizza joint that is Jim Lahey's newest project. I ordered the Flambee with bechamel, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and crispy, smoky lardons. A-MAHZING! If this man isn't making the best pizza in the country, I don't know who is!