Movie night - Julie and Julia

Last night I saw the movie Julie and Julia. While I have little in common, life-experience-wise, with Julie or Julia, there were so many moments of connection in this film.

Connections to Julie: An office-worker by day, she cooks at night. As an aspiring writer and a good cook, she thinks about her creations all day long. She reads cookbooks before she falls asleep. She made a commitment to write a blog, and to post something regularly. She thinks no one is reading her blog, but then someone makes a comment and it makes her day. Through her blog, she connects to the larger world, and it connects right back with incredibly positive feedback. That’s where the similarities end. Julie gets noticed by the right people, is invited to morning news shows and is asked to write a book. Her blogging life gets made into a movie. I could take some of that! Let the fantasy begin!

Connections to Julia: When I was a kid, I found her televised cooking show entertaining but it never inspired me to cook. Her voice was so shrill that I didn’t enjoy listening to her. But seeing her in the movie—as a woman in love, who wanted to be challenged every day, who had ambitions and hopes and disappointments in life—she became much more real. I did enjoy her guest appearance on The Martha Stewart Show one Christmas where she one-upped Martha by successfully spinning sugar into a golden nest. (Martha made everything seem like a contest – and Julia was a super competitor!) It was the same show where Martha delegated her friends to wreath-making in a back room, tables of worker ants drilling through hard nuts to be wired onto metal frames (sweatshop anyone?). More about Martha on a future post….Anyway, now that I’ve seen the movie, Meryl Streep seems more Julia than Julia, and visions of SNL’s Dan Akroyd as Julia, spouting blood from a kitchen wound, keep replaying in my head!

French cooking has always seemed an echelon or two above my capabilities and interests. I don’t, yet, own Julia’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I’m inspired, now, to attempt a number of the dishes when I have the time, especially after seeing the reaction to the recipes. In this movie, the food deserves top billing, right alongside Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, and Stanley Tucci.

Photo credit: http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/090410/August/Julie-and-Julia_l.jpg

I Am Home

On Saturday I moved in, after a long period between homes. I’d stayed with my sister Patsy and her husband Britt since the end of February, expecting to need their hospitality only until early spring. They were incredibly generous and hospitable during the unexpected months that followed. We’re well in to August now, and I’ve finally set up residence in my own place. It’s disorienting waking up in a new home, those first few days. At first I wondered, “Where am I?” but quickly realized that this is it, the place where I’ll wake up from today on. This morning, as I had my bowl of Cheerios, I sat at the kitchen island and looked out the window at a sea of green. The lush, leafy trees and tall pines outside my window are not familiar to me yet. I expect that one day I’ll recognize these trees as more than scenery and know them as individuals, but for now, they’re all part of one wooded family.

I don’t want to rush summer away, AT ALL, since it is by far my favorite season, but I can only imagine how beautiful the scene from my kitchen window will be when the leaves are at their peak of color, or when freshly fallen snow frosts the pines.

This living in the woods has its perks. At 7:15 this morning, driving to work for the first time from my new address, the sun was shining in fragmented beams through the forest of pines lining Young Road on both sides. The beams aimed downward on an angle, in that ethereal, dream-like way, and it was incredibly beautiful. I have to deliberately notice the beauty around me every day, and not take it for granted or let go of it by getting caught up in the hectic pace of my life. A change of perspective can be a gift.

After all this time, it is good to know, that finally, I am home.



Photo credit: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.slymarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/imagesblogcheerios.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.slymarketing.com/2008/02/cheerios-can-help-your-creativity/&usg=__OMozaATE_eU1n69y2XqappHZrhg=&h=300&w=400&sz=19&hl=en&start=14&tbnid=6fY4GkkWIYa4fM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcheerios%2Bheart%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

The Lunch Table

Yesterday at lunch I picked up a grilled-right-in-front-of-me (outside over real flames) chicken sandwich and sat down with four friends to enjoy conversation and a little bit of this summer’s oh-too-rare sunshine. My friend Sue chose the chicken as well, though hers was sans bun. As we whiled away our lunch hour on the patio overlooking the parking lot, it felt more like we were sitting by a pool at a country club (imagination is a wonderful thing!). The hour spent was restorative and filled with interesting conversation and insights into each others’ worlds and family histories. I squinted through most of the lunch, since my sunglasses were left behind at my desk doing no one any good. My ears and mouth worked fine, though, and I heard some really wonderful commentary on how our mothers used to cook.

It started with a comment about my never-ending quest to find the perfect vanilla yogurt, of which my now eight readers are well aware. Ellen said her perfect-appearing vanilla yogurt, in a glass container from home, was a combination of Stonyfield’s French vanilla and plain varieties. She loves plain but I can’t do it. The conversation shifted to Ellen’s mention of Ina Garten’s recent show where she made grilled Arborio rice cakes with cheese, topped with a Greek-yogurt sauce. Everyone had just eaten and still there was a collective “mmmm.” Mary spoke of how, back in the 80s, she used to make her own yogurt with a Salton yogurt maker, something that plugged in and had four containers and sat on the kitchen counter. Through some kind of heat and vibration the Salton eventually produced yogurt. With four children, she couldn’t keep up with the demand and reverted to store-bought.

Today Lisa had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat (and a bag of gorgeous strawberries), and I remarked how sometimes, a pb&j just hits the spot. All agreed.

Tracy took one look at our grilled chicken and abandoned her brown-bag lunch for something off the grill. She had brought from home a container of salad greens and one of sliced cucumbers in a soupy white sauce made from mayonnaise, something she says is big in Michigan. We got on the topic of mayonnaise vs. Miracle Whip. Sue, also from Michigan, prefers Miracle Whip. If you want to polarize a group of women at lunch, talk about Miracle Whip. I happen to like its spicy sweetness, but I wasn’t raised on it. Sue was raised on it and loves it. Others talk about MW as if it is the red-headed step-child – not really wanting to admit that they once liked it on their bologna sandwiches with white bread. It’s almost PC to dislike Miracle Whip (and white bread) today.

The most politically incorrect admission of the lunch hour was a conversation about the grease can on top of our mothers’ stoves. It seems most mothers had a grease can (though my mother did not) and whenever eggs or potatoes were fried, a spoon was dipped in to the grease can and the eggs or potatoes were cooked to a crisp deliciousness in the verboten ingredient. Mary said that someone she knows even cooked eggs in residual bacon grease after frying up the crispy strips, to which I replied that my Aunt Loretta did the same thing, that they were the best eggs I’d ever tasted, and once in a while, I do it too! Such admission/confessions are made only to the closest of friends, or to the eight readers of a particular blog, but there is beauty in truth. If most days you have yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast, and if you fry your maybe-one-a-month occasional egg in bacon grease, I say, enjoy it, and you might as well butter your toast that day, too!

Photo credit: Photo image: http://www.victoriantrading.com/store/catalogimages/22w/22w541.jpg

CHOCOLATE CAKE! with Cocoa Frosting, the old-fashioned way

Chocolate cake gets attention. Whether you’re in a restaurant and the server saunters by with the layered confection for another table, or you’re in a check-out line at the grocery store and an in-your-face magazine features a chocolate cake on the cover (the same cover that says you can lose 25 lbs. in three weeks by walking), you notice. You might think, “I could go for a slice of that right now!” Chocolate and cake are a marriage made in heaven. Many of us have happy memories of family celebrations where some form of this popular dessert was the star. As a cake baker, I’ve made many, many chocolate cakes: frosted with vanilla buttercream, or filled with ice cream and frozen, or portioned in little paper cups, even stacked in tiers for a wedding cake. The recipe that follows is adapted (notice how many bloggers “adapt” recipes) from Bon Apétit, but don’t fret; this one’s easy, almost as easy as a cake mix, but sooooo much better! It uses AP flour and is mixed up in a flash. It’s a moist, dense, old-fashioned cake, with, surprisingly, no eggs. Reviewers of this recipe note that this is their go-to chocolate cake, and they make it over and over again. One note: line your pans with wax or parchment paper. It just takes a second and eliminates any chance of the cake sticking. I never bake a cake without lining the pan. It’s like cake insurance. Try this recipe and let me know how you like it!

For Cake:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
1 cup cold coffee (can be made with instant)
¼ cup canola oil
¾ cup buttermilk (substitute: ¾ cup milk soured with 1 tbsp. vinegar – let stand for a minute)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


For Frosting:

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons (about) whole milk
1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½ inch-high sides. Cut two circles of parchment or wax paper to line the cake pans (just a bit smaller than the pans). Line the pans with paper and spray the paper lightly with cooking spray.
Sift first five ingredients into a medium bowl.
Mix water, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla in large bowl, then whisk in dry ingredients.
Divide batter among pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Cut around pans to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out; cool completely, for at least a few hours but I recommend overnight.

Frosting:

Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in 3 cups sugar. Beat in 6 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Add cocoa and remaining 2 cups sugar; beat until blended, thinning with more milk if necessary.

Before frosting, level cake layers if necessary by shaving off any "dome" with a sharp knife. Place 1 cake layer on platter, top side up. Place a few strips of wax paper just underneath the perimeter of the cake to keep frosting from getting on the platter. Spread 2/3 – 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, top side up. Spread frosting over sides and top of cake. Remove wax paper strips.

Recipe adapted from epicurious.com which credits Bon Apétit and Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis, Tenn.

Photo image: http://www.sodahead.com/question/288785/what-kind-of-cake-are-you-quiz/?link=ibaf

Skidmore College's Chicken, Strawberry, and Spinach Salad

On a hot summer night, a dinner salad might be the most refreshing thing to serve. My dad used to make us tuna salads on plates of iceberg lettuce with slices of tomatoes and cucumber, dressed in Good Seasons Italian, the kind you mix in the free cruet. The thought of it makes my mouth water!

I love a nice dinner salad, and was very happy when I came across this Chicken, Strawberry, and Spinach Salad (recipe follows) a number of years ago. It was so delicious that I had to find the recipe right away. It’s another gem from award-winning Skidmore College’s Food Services. It is served at many of the fanciest dinners, and the presentation is beautiful. The fact that it is easy to throw together, and the flavor combinations are so delicious, makes this a recipe you’ll reach for over and over again on warm summer nights.

Chicken, Strawberry, and Spinach Salad
6 side servings/3 main-dish servings

½ c. poppy seed dressing
1 teaspoon orange rind, grated
1 tablespoon orange juice

6 cups spinach, or assorted greens, torn
1 pound asparagus
2 cups fresh, sliced strawberries
1 pound baked chicken, cut in to julienne strips
¼ cup pecan or walnut halves

Snap woody base from asparagus and, if desired, scrape off scales. Cut asparagus into 1” pieces and cook until just crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix poppy see dressing, orange peel, and orange juice; set aside.

Combine greens and put on serving plates. Mix the asparagus, chicken, and strawberries. Place in the middle of greens and top with pecans. Just before serving, drizzle dressing over salad.

Photo credit: http://www.greengiantfresh.com/images/recipes/chicken_strawberry.jpg

FARMERS' MARKET TOMATO SALAD - from Williams-Sonoma

More and more, we hear the health and community benefits of “eating locally.” That’s easy to do if you live in the Saratoga Springs area. Most local communities host a farmers’ market at least once a week in the summer. We are fortunate to have a well-established farmers’ market that operates all year long. In the warmer months, it is located on High Rock Avenue, and is in operation Saturdays and Wednesdays. In addition to fruits and vegetables, you can get everything from heirloom tomatoes to grass-fed beef to cut flowers to artisan breads (and there are always cookies and pies). Our FM also has vendors who sell their own salad dressings, jams and jellies, and even home-milled soaps and lotions. You could create a lovely gift basket in just a few minutes from finds at the farmers’ market.

Some of Saratoga’s best restaurants procure their finest ingredients from the farmers’ markets. Located in the heart of Saratoga’s Art District, Beekman Street Bistro (on the street of the same name) has a distinctive menu that changes according to the day’s freshest finds. If you haven’t been there yet, let me encourage you. Reservations aren’t always necessary, but calling ahead is a good idea. The dining room is beautiful and showcases the work of local artists. My daughter Meghan waits tables there, and works with a wonderful team of people. Owner/managers Tim and Meghan (another Meghan)would love to see you. Tell them Jeannie sent you!

My new town of Middle Grove has its own farmers market now, held Friday afternoons from 4:00-7:00. It’s worth the ride (about 8 miles west of Saratoga Springs at the intersection of Middle Grove and Lake Desolation Roads). If you can only wish for a garden and long to enjoy the bounty of the season, stop by a farmers’ market and load up!

Today’s recipe is adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Summer, by Joanne Weir (Time-Life Books, 1997).

The WS website notes:
“Farmers' markets are cropping up everywhere, offering an incredible selection of fruits and vegetables. Most provide a variety of fresh red, yellow and orange summer tomatoes, all of which need little embellishment to highlight their sweet, sun-ripened flavor.”

FARMERS’ MARKET TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:
• 1 very small yellow onion, cut into paper-thin slices
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 to 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled and cut
crosswise into thin slices
• Handful of fresh basil leaves
• Handful of fresh cherry tomatoes

Directions:
Place the onion slices in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Pour the milk over the onion and let stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper to form a vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Arrange the tomato and cucumber slices on a plate. Drain the onion slices and pat dry with paper towels. Scatter the onions atop the tomatoes and cucumbers. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, top with the basil leaves and cherry tomatoes and serve. Serves 6.

Photo and Article: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?objectid=3C4EBCB7-1E1B-4AAC-9084F8CAD2DCA167

White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Sauce

This weekend during the Hats Off to Saratoga Music Festival, my sister Anne and I walked the few blocks from her house to downtown to hear Maggie Doherty and Zac Rossi perform. They were terrific and it was exciting to be there among their fans, families, and friends. After the performance, we joined the others at Irish Times, a new restaurant and bar located on Phila Street, former site of The Trattoria, and before that, The Tin Shop. It’s a beautiful building with lots of atmosphere, a central bar underneath a huge black iron chandelier, and a number of outdoor terraces. An Irish band performed while we had a drink and then dinner. Because of the festival, it was crazy-busy. We both ordered Caesar salads which were fine, but sometime soon, on a quieter evening, I’d like to order something a little more authentically Irish. While Bangers and Mash are not on my list of must-have Irish foods, I just might stop in to try one of their desserts.

In the spirit of desserts with an Irish flavor, I provide here a recipe for bread pudding. This isn’t just any bread pudding. This recipe comes from the kitchens of Skidmore College, with an award-winning Food Services staff who have won national competitions. The Alumni Affairs Office shares note pads imprinted every few pages or so with some of these award-winning recipes, and I find myself flipping through the blank pages to find the next one!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Sauce

Sauce:
1-1/2 c. whipping cream
¾ c. Irish whiskey
9 tbl. Sugar
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 tbl. Cold water
¾ tsp. cornstarch

Bread Pudding:
2 c. whole milk
1 c. sugar
6 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. day-old French bread cut into 1” pieces
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (about 6 oz.)
3 oz. white chocolate, cut into ½” chunks

For sauce: Combine cream, whiskey, and sugar in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Mix 2 tbl. water and cornstarch in bowl until smooth. Add to cream mixture; simmer until sauce thickens slightly and leaves path when finger is drawn across back of spoon, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Strain sauce into small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead – keep refrigerated).

For bread pudding: Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk milk, sugar, eggs, yolks, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Mix in bread. Let stand 20 minutes. Stir both chocolates into bread mixture. Transfer to buttered 8” square glass baking dish. Place baking dish in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to come 1” up sides of baking dish. Bake until pudding is set, about 1 hour. Remove baking dish from water. Cool pudding slightly and serve warm with chilled sauce.

Makes 12 servings.

Photo credit: http://static.open.salon.com/files/bread_pudding1229439699.jpg