July 15, 2010
Home
“Look Jonathan! Look! The mountains. We are driving into the mountains. My mountains!”
It was good to be home again.
After my parents’ divorce and my father’s death, I could hardly go back.
But time and perspective have extended their gracious arms, and support me.
And all those I have always loved.
And those I have come to love.
Home has always been about them, really.
Yet I can’t help but feel these are my mountains.
Ease. Peace.
Posted in Life | 12 Comments »
July 13, 2010
A summer quinoa salad with tomato, basil and toasted pine nuts
While I am not gluten intolerant, I do love experimenting with different grains from around the globe that have been used for centuries to create many traditional ethnic foods, and which oftentimes are also incredibly high in nutritive value.
Quinoa is no exception in this category. Used for thousands of years in South America, it is high in protein, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, and multiple vitamins and minerals (not a quinoa ad, just wiki info I like to research when working with new ingredients).
So, for me at least, gluten free cooking is often about discovery, nutrition, and curiosity as much as anything else.
I’ve been tinkering with quinoa flour for some time now, but have only recently begun experimenting with the whole quinoa grain. At first I was surprised by it’s petite size and nutty flavor and can imagine it easily substituted in many couscous and bulgar based recipes.
I am often searching for quick, tasty meals to make myself for lunch as I work from home, and I pulled this “salad” together on a whim last week in the middle of the day, and was pleased with the result.
I tossed the quinoa with a bit of olive oil, fresh grates of parmesan, torn basil leaves, slices of roma tomatoes (from our garden – finally!), toasted pine nuts, and finished it with a squeeze of lemon juice and cracks of sea salt and black pepper. It was lovely just like this, but I also think some lumps of fresh mozzarella would be at home here.
I ate it at room temperature, but found the leftovers even better the next day, cold, straight out of the fridge.
Summer quinoa salad with tomato, basil and toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup loosely packed freshly grated parmesan (and/or fresh mozzarella, cubed)
10 basil leaves, torn
2 roma/plum tomatoes cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice (1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook quinoa according to package directions (1/2 cup took 1 1/4 cup water for cooking for me). Toss with the olive oil and cool to room temperature (may place in fridge or freezer for a few minutes to achieve this quickly). Toss quinoa with the rest of the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste. Makes one meal serving, or 2-3 side servings. Scale as desired. Serve at room temperature or cold.
Tags: basil, gluten free, parmesan, pine nuts, quinoa, salad, Tomato
Posted in Side dishes | 13 Comments »
(hope you enjoyed it)
July 3, 2010
Banana ice cream with sea salt caramel and peanut butter maple almond swirl
Brian’s family loves ice cream.
When we go to his parent’s house (which is somewhat often, though less often than you might expect considering they live no more than a couple hundred yards away) I have never seen less than three cartons of ice cream in their freezer at any given time. They are ice cream people.
Me? Ah – it’s not that I don’t like ice cream. I do. But I rarely crave ice cream. So really it’s my perfect dessert. One that I will eat and enjoy, but not feel the necessity to return to the carton to for seconds, or sneak bites from shortly before midnight when I am double checking all the doors, Jonathan, lights, the oven, etc. etc. before I drop into bed.
Except I’m presently a bit concerned about my previously ambivalent relationship with ice cream.
For Father’s Day this year, I thought, “What would be a better gift than an ice cream maker for someone who inherently adores ice cream?”
I can make Brian ice cream till his heart is content, all the while not having to worry about my own over indulgence (selfish – eh?), since I normally have no problem passing on ice cream if my shorts are feeling a bit snug that day.
The problem is, no one told me how much better homemade ice cream is than regular ice cream!
We are loving experimenting with different flavors, and I made this banana, caramel, peanut butter, and toasted almond concoction to take over to Brian’s parent’s house tomorrow for the 4th. It took less than an hour total to prepare and I’m already having a hard time walking by the freezer.
Happy 4th of July!
Banana ice cream with sea salt caramel and peanut butter maple almond swirl
2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
generous pinch of sea salt (1/8 teaspoon)
1 recipe for peanut butter maple almond swirl (see below)
1 recipe for sea salt caramel (see below)
Combine heavy cream, half and half, sugar, banana, pinch of sea salt and vanilla and stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture into the freezer bowl of your ice cream maker and process according to the ice cream maker directions. When ice cream is frozen and of a medium to firm soft serve consistency pour slightly cool caramel and room temperature peanut butter mixture on top and using a knife or spatula, gently swirl into the ice cream, pulling the bottom ice cream to the top on all sides once to evenly distribute caramel and peanut butter. Do not completely combine – allow swirls and separation between the ice cream, caramel and peanut butter mixture. Freeze completely (2 + hours) and serve with reserved caramel sauce. Makes 2 quarts.
Peanut butter maple almond swirl
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (if your peanut butter is already runny, start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed)
1/3 cup chopped toasted almonds
sea salt (my pb was already salted, but if yours is not, I would add a pinch of salt to taste)
Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.
Sea salt caramel
1 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons organic heavy cream warmed slightly (not boiled) or at room temperature
1/4 + 1/8 (3/8) teaspoon sea salt
Have all ingredients out, measured and within reaching distance of your cooktop. Caramel gets very hot, so use oven mitts, be mindful of your arms and eyes, and keep all little ones away for the few minutes this takes to make.
Distribute sugar evenly in a large, even heating saucepan or pot (to allow room for hot caramel to foam up) and begin heating over medium high heat. Keep an eye on the sugar, as when it begins to caramelize, it is a quick process that will need your constant attention.
Within a few minutes, the sugar will begin to melt and caramelize. As large patches of sugar turn to liquid puddles in the pan, stir only often enough to aid even caramelization (because sugar is comprised of crystals, it tends to clump together as it is melting and stirred). As soon as all of the sugar has turned to liquid (aside from any stubborn clumps that will dissolve later or can be strained out) and resembles the color of copper, and is just starting to think about simmering around the edges, remove from heat and immediately add butter and sea salt, stirring vigorously. Add cream and stir until completely combined. Reserve 1/2 cup of caramel to serve alongside the ice cream. Cool the remaining caramel to slightly cooler than room temperature before adding into ice cream (you can put it in the freezer or fridge for 10-30 minutes to accomplish this).
Tags: almond, Banana, Caramel, ice cream, Peanut butter
Posted in Dessert | 11 Comments »
(hope you enjoyed it)
June 30, 2010
NYC and the fancy food show
Remember a couple of months ago I mentioned that NYC was our next travel destination?
Well, we made it!
Our first order of business was just that – business.
The Fancy Food Show, put on by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), ran from Sunday through Tuesday where some 2,400 companies came to exhibit (and provide samples – I’ve never been so eager to turn down so much amazing free food – okay, I somehow kept making room for chocolate samples) across some 331,000 square feet of convention space.
As for us, we went to learn and meet people, arriving Thursday and taking educational classes Friday and Saturday before the show formally began on Sunday.
We also went on a specialty food tour of NYC, visiting several city hotspots for the specialty food industry, such as Eli’s and the Chelsea Market.
I loved how the aroma of freshly roasted coffee in these open bins filled this room in one of the markets!
And was fascinated at how much hand selected fresh produce could be packed into this small basement space…
I really liked the tall thin honey jars in the middle right of this display – so effortlessly stylish and simple. And I love different types of honey.
These were such colorful, pretty displays at Chelsea Market Baskets – love the industrial architecture feel throughout the Chelsea Market juxtaposed by the beautiful artistic displays and products.
These were incredible shortbreads – buttery with distinct bursts of sea salt crystals throughout. I wish my pictures were more clear so I could remember the brand name.
Monday night we were able to get away and have one of the most fun (and most grownup) evenings I’ve had in ages.
We started the night with dinner at Lupa, where I had one of the best salads (escarole, walnuts, red onion, pecorino, and some kind of amazing vinaigrette) and pasta dishes (spaghetti, lemon, olive oil, a cheese I do not remember, and hot chiles) I’ve ever eaten.
Then we headed to Broadway to see Mamma Mia! – what fun!
And finally up to the rooftop of our hotel for a nightcap.
The views were incredible of the bright city lights against the inky black sky.
This was the night I felt a bit of the heartbeat of the city. Here we were at midnight on a Monday night and the pulse was racing.
The last day, and we were on a mission – finish finding the people and services to help us get our business off the ground!
It was all a great success and we learned a ton, had some fun along the way, and somehow managed to do it all with Jonathan popping in and out of our schedule (thanks to Brian’s parents coming along to help!).
No recipe this week, but I wanted to share our adventure with you, and I will talk more about our business when we finally have something to show for all this work we’ve been up to…
Hope you are well and enjoying some summer sunshine!
Posted in Indian | 8 Comments »
(hope you enjoyed it)
(hope you enjoyed it)