Beer and Cheese

Here is what you don’t know about Henry – up until recently, he had set foot into 49 of our 50 states.  So when conversation commenced last spring about where we should travel in the fall, he voted for Hawaii, the last state on his bucket list.   I was lukewarm about the idea, but hey, when it comes to travel, I’m game for just about anything.

Since neither one of us had a clue about the place, we turned to “Travel Agent Extraordinaire”, Doreen Lewis.  With her assistance, we ended up on three islands, experienced everything from volcanoes to lava walks to Jurassic Park (not kidding) to beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels (well, except for the cottage in Volcano Village which was kind of like camping), amazing food and memorable sunsets.  We ate a lot of ahi, fresh from the sea (tuna poke is now on my list of what I want on the menu for my last meal) and became addicted to papaya with fresh lime.  And while we dined well, it’s probably the first vacation where I didn’t gain any weight.  Oh yeah, I would definitely go back!

But alas, reality intrudes and you find yourself hopscotching back to the mainland on a not-so-wonderful plane because you have departed from a small island where they can’t bring in jumbo jets.  You spend 5 hours on that crappy plane, change to a slightly bigger one in LA and arrive home jet-lagged and exhausted.  In a perfect world, you would take a few days to recover, but that is only if you don’t have a son who is opening a craft brewery here in Atlanta.  Yes, you heard me correctly.

More to come about this later, but for now, I will just tell you that my eldest son Andy has embarked upon this venture and it is really, really exciting.  They are opening this spring on the Atlanta Beltline and marketing efforts are well underway.  That includes craft beer tastings at Andy’s home.  Enter Mom.

http://orpheusbrewing.com/

We arrived home from Hawaii on a Tuesday evening and a tasting was scheduled for Thursday.  Natch, it was my job to provide the food.  I decided to keep it simple, largely because I was still jet-lagged and barely functional.  I remembered that big batch of pesto I made from the last of my summer basil and pulled it out of the freezer.  Savory cheesecake was in order.  That and a bunch of truffled popcorn.  Done and done.  Can Mom go back to bed now?

PESTO CHEESECAKE

For the crust:

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup grated Parmesan (I used Reggiano)

For the cheesecake:

24 oz. cream cheese ( 3  8-oz. packages), softened

2 cups ricotta cheese (you can use reduced fat, but why bother?)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (you can use more or less to taste)

4 eggs (I used extra-large)

2 cups pesto (can be purchased if you don’t have your own on hand)

1 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

Maldon or coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the crust, combine panko, melted butter and Parmesan.  Press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan.  Bake for 10 minutes, until just set.  Remove from oven to cool slightly and reduce heat to 325-degrees.

In an electric mixture, beat cream cheese until smooth and no lumps remain.  Add ricotta, salt and cayenne and mix just until well-blended.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Divide batter in half.  Stir the pesto into one half and leave the other half plain.

Pour the pesto batter into the prepared pan.  Scatter the pine nuts over the top, the cover with the remaining (plain) batter.  Sprinkle the top with Maldon or coarse sea salt.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until cheesecake is just set but still slightly wobbly in the center.  Remove to a rack and cool completely, then wrap in plastic and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, run a knife around edges of pan and remove springform.  Place cheesecake on a serving platter and garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.  Serve in very thin wedges.

Serves 20 

Cheers and Happy Holidays y'all!

Canneles, Camembert and Centipedes

Despite the fact that I have returned from St. Martin as anything but a skinny cook, it was a wonderful and restorative week.  We hung out on the beach, watched sunsets from our balcony every evening, ate too much, drank too much, hiked up mountains (oh, okay, really steep hills) to incredible panoramic views, kayaked to an adjacent island, devoured a few e-books and even did some shopping.  Oh, and did I mention that we ate too much?

That's because St. Martin is home to some of the finest restaurants in the Caribbean.  Especially if you hang out on the French side of the island.  On our very first day, we stopped by Bacchus to pick up a few provisions.   I could barely get past their bountiful display of glorious, multi-colored macaroons:

But then it happened ... I rounded the corner and encountered a plate of canneles.

Now you don't know this, but making these has been on my bucket list for a very long time.  Canneles are small pastries baked in special copper molds lined with beeswax and they are creamy, crunchy and sweet all at the same time.  They are addictive and adorable.  I purchased the molds and the beeswax a few months ago but never got around to making them.   Here is a link if you want more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canel%C3%A9

Onward to lunch, possibly our favorite vacation meal.  We love moules frite at Brasserie de la Gare in Marigot, conch salad at Mr. Busby's Beach Bar in Oyster Pond,  mahi sandwiches at the Sunset Bar and Grill in Maho (while watching jumbo jets land directly over the beach, blowing unsuspecting tourists into the water) and the smoked fish salad at Layla's.

Layla's is probably the highest on our hit parade, largely because of the setting.  It's directly on the beach, and you sit with your toes in the sand under both shade and palm trees.  The occasional dog comes by for a tidbit and you sit back lazily with your chilled bottle of rose and take in the view.  It's the best way to spend two hours that I can think of.  It's even better if your order their baked camembert.

Layla's version

I figured it would be easy to recreate their recipe and I was right.  Nailed it on the very first try.  This makes a lovely appetizer or it is delicious even as a light lunch - even if you're not sitting on the beach in St. Martin. Just don't forget that bottle of rose!

Liz's version

BAKED CAMEMBERT IN THE STYLE OF LAYLA'S


1 8-oz. round of good Camembert (preferably in a wood box)
1 clove garlic, mashed to a paste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or chopped Italian parsley)
A light sprinkling of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced apples and bread rounds for serving

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.

Remove the paper from Camembert, put the cheese back in its box (uncovered) and place on a baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife, cut a series of small slits all over the top of the cheese.

In a small bowl, combine the  garlic, olive oil and thyme.  Brush the mixture over the top of the camembert and season lightly with the salt and pepper.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 - 20  minutes or until cheese softens and is heated through.  Serve on a lettuce-lined platter with sliced apples and bread rounds.

Serves 4, unless you are sitting on the beach for a leisurely couple of hours, then it might only serve 2!

*  In the interest of full disclosure, I baked mine for 10 minutes and it wasn't quite enough time.  I recommend checking it at 15 minutes, then keeping a close eye on it until it's done.

And centipedes?  No, we didn't eat them.  But I did have an encounter with one in my bare feet at 6:00 in the morning as we were getting ready to head out for a deep-sea fishing excursion.  The thing had slithered under a chair in our living room and I managed to step on it.  EEEEEEEK!  (I probably woke up everyone in the town of Grand Case with my screams).  Fortunately, Henry whipped out his iPad, googled "centipede bite" and determined that I wasn't going to die.

Alrighty, then.  On to the next meal!

No Carbs? There's an App for That

I know, I know. It’s resolution time. Our gym is crowded with people who have good intentions, but they get in the way when I’m dancing around in my favorite step class and they just don’t get it. Grrrrrr! I can’t wait until March when they will all be gone and we can get back to the business of our “normal” gym.

And friggin' everyone is on a diet right now.  Including me, but that’s my norm anyway (of course, it doesn’t help when I go to Leon’s Full Service on a Saturday after that intense, highly choreographed step class and eat my favorite fries with smoked tomato mayo, but what the hell, we won’t talk about that). Although I believe that moderation is the best strategy, for many folks, dieting still means eliminating the carbs. Sigh.

So here is a killer appetizer for those of you who eschew carbs these days. If you are like me, you could eat a couple of these for dinner and call it a day. Yeah, it’s carb-less, but that’s not the point. It’s delicious. Trust me. It comes from Thomas Keller’s The French Laundry Cookbook.

PARMESAN CRISPS WITH GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE

(adapted from Thomas Keller’s “The French Laundry Cookbook”)

For the crisps:
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 empty egg carton

Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (silicone liner) or use a nonstick baking sheet.

Place a 2 ½ -inch ring mold in one corner of the Silpat and fill it with 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese. Use your finger to spread into an even layer. Repeat to make 6 to 8 rounds, leaving at least 1 inch between each one.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove pan from oven and let cool for about 30 seconds to just firm up. Remove crisps one by one and gently press into a hollow in the egg carton to form a tulip shape. After a few minutes, remove them to a baking rack to cool completely and continue making additional crisps.

For the mousse:
6 oz. fresh goat cheese at room temperature
4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and use a fork or small whisk to combine until smooth and creamy (alternatively, you could do this in a food processor). Taste to adjust seasonings.

Spoon or pipe about 2 to 3 teaspoons of mousse into each crisp and serve.

Yield: approximately 16 crisps

*  If you want to be lazy, just bake up the crisps, cool them on a baking rack and eat "as is."  A big basket of these and a lovely white wine will make any of your dinner guests happy and they will never miss the filling.  Consumed this way, they are a darned good substitute for potato chips!  I'm not saying these have a place at your Super Bowl spread, but they do stand in pretty well for a salty snack. 

*  You can also get creative with the filling.  Instead of the goat cheese, think about using fresh ricotta or, in a pinch, herbed cream cheese (like Boursin).  You could also add stuff like crumbled bacon, smoked salmon, caviar, slivered sundried tomatoes and basil ... whatever works for you. 

*  One word of caution:  work quickly when the crisps come out of the oven.  If you wait too long, they will not be pliable and you will not be able to press them into the egg carton (or muffin tin, if you prefer).  In that case, you're back to the "potato chip" option.

So why my interest in the French Laundry?  Perhaps that would be because I managed to score a reservation there next month.  Woohoo and Skinny Cook be damned!!!!!!

Two Words

Bacon.  Crackers. 

Baked together into crispy, porky, salty, crunchy deliciousness.

How did I manage to miss this for the past twenty years?

I stumbled across this recipe recently in what's left of the weekly Food Section of our Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  (Actually, calling this a recipe is somewhat of a stretch as it requires only two ingredients and is a snap to make).  Since I was getting ready to host a casual dinner party, it caught my eye because it sounded easy (as in a complete no-brainer) and tasty.  So I whipped up a batch, served them to my guests and watched them disappear.  Quickly, I might add.

Now I don't know the origin of this (someone just screwing around in the kitchen, no doubt), but when I took a batch to one of my foodie friends and his eighty-ish-something (dynamic) mother, she talked animatedly about serving these at cocktail parties back in the day.  A quick Google search revealed multiple recipes and variations with several statements that these had been around for years.

Given my interest in retro recipes, I would love to know if any of you have ever heard of these.  Maybe your mom made them?  Your grandmother, perhaps?  Let me know, please.

In the meantime, I will leave you with the "recipe" which recently appeared in the AJC, from Mississippi author Martha Hall Foose's book "A Southerly Course."  Make these for your next cocktail party, or make them just for yourself.  You might feel guilty, but you won't be sorry!

Henry is neither guilt-ridden or sorry.

He's just relieved the Food Police are on vacation!

BACON CRACKERS  (adapted from Martha Hall Foose)

15 strips of bacon (preferably applewood-smoked)
45 buttery crackers (such as Waverly Wafers)

Preheat oven to 250-degrees.  Place a baking rack over a sheet pan and coat very lightly with cooking spray. 

Slice bacon strips into thirds.  Wrap each cracker with a piece of the sliced bacon, then place seam side down on the prepared rack.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until bacon is thoroughly cooked through.  Remove from oven and cool completely.

Serve immediately or store for up to 1 day in an airtight container.

Yield:  45 crackers or enough to feed one (once you devour eat one, you'll see what I mean)

*  When you  procure your bacon, make sure it isn't thick-cut.  Thinner slices will wrap more easily around your crackers.

*  Speaking of crackers, make sure you avoid those with trans fats.  I used Whole Foods 365 brand and it worked quite well.  Also, I prefer rectangular crackers for this, but if you need to use round or oval ones, have at it.  The end result will taste the same (and you will still eat too many of them).

*  While you can make these ahead, I think they are better if you serve them as soon as you have made and cooled them.  Nonetheless, I would happily consume more than my fair share ...even if they are a day old!

*  Folks, this is trash food at its best.  Please forgive me for my lack of  food integrity here!

Southern Hospitality

“Nothin’ says lovin’ like somethin’ from the oven.”

Anyone remember that old Pillsbury commercial or am I really, really dating myself here?

Don’t answer that.

Don’t worry, I’m not resorting to biscuits from one of those cans you crack open on the countertop (or anything else equally disgusting like processed cheese, garlic-in-a-jar, bottled lemon juice, canned asparagus, mint jelly or Vienna sausages). No, I'm talking about what we believe down here in the South which is “nothing says Southern Hospitality like cheese straws.”

Do you remember the movie “Annie Hall?” It’s probably my favorite film of all time because it mirrors my relationship with Henry's New York family versus my southern, wasp-y one. The best scene in the movie is when Woody Allen and Diane Keaton are seated at the dinner table with her parents and someone comments that the greatest sin in their family is to raise one’s voice at the table. Woody counters that the greatest sin in his family is to pay retail. My reality, captured on film.

We do have our share of quirkiness down here in the South. We wouldn’t say sh_t if we had a mouthful and we are notorious for keeping secrets hidden under the rugs, so to speak. We are infinitely polite and to this day, some of us still say “ma’am” and “sir.” I do not exaggerate.

But we are fanatics about our Southern Hospitality and there is nothing we won’t do to welcome you into our homes and make you feel like a rock star (or maybe a renowned gospel singer) when you walk through our front doors. It would not be a surprise if we have a big pitcher of “sweet tea” waiting in the fridge and we stand ready to rustle up something to feed you in a New York minute (sorry, couldn’t resist). We want you to feel comfortable, we want you to feel at home and we never, ever want you to think you are intruding.  Even if you are.

This explains why we keep a stash of unbaked cheese straws in our freezers. You show up unexpectedly, we dash to the freezer, pop them into the oven and before you know it, these savory little morsels are placed in front of you and you can’t resist.

What, no mint juleps?

CHEESE STRAWS  (adapted slightly from "The Gift of Southern Cooking" by Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis)

1 2/3 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 425-degrees.

Sift together the flour, salt, dry mustard and cayenne pepper. Put the butter and grated cheese in a large mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter and cheese and mix until completely incorporated. Add the water and mix for one minute more.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead five or six times. Roll the dough out to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into strips ¼-inch wide and 4 to 6 inches in length. Place strips on ungreased cookie sheets ½-inch apart and bake in the preheated oven for 12-16 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Cool completely on a baking rack and store in airtight containers.

Yield: approximately 4 dozen pieces

*  Extra-sharp cheddar is essential for this recipe.  The sharper, the better.  Anything less than that will result in a cheese straw with no taste.

*  I use more salt and a little more cayenne than called for in Scott and Edna's recipe.  Let your palate be your guide, adding more or less to suit your taste.

*  In the interest of full disclosure, I doubled the recipe when I made and photographed it.  That's because I was making them for that baby shower last month and I wanted extras to store in my freezer for unexpected guests.  Gotta stay true to those Southern Hospitality tenets!  And yes, this recipe is easily doubled.

*  Speaking of freezing, these can go directly from freezer to oven.  That's actually not good news because you can drag out a few, throw them in your toaster oven and have freshly baked cheese straws anytime you want them.  What was that about becoming a skinny cook?

*  The original recipe also doesn't specify how to mix all of the ingredients, but knowing Miss Edna as I did, I can promise you that she never used an electric mixer.  I'm sure she used her trusty wooden spoon to blend everything together.  I, however, have no such scruples, so I used my electric mixer.  Your choice.

*  Obviously you can cut these into any size or shape you want.  I have been known to shape the dough into logs, wrap well in plastic, then chill and cut into 1/4-inch slices.  I then top each one with a pecan half, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and bake.  Dee-licious!

*  Betcha can't eat just one!

Eggs. Cheese. Fat. Salt. Your Basic Food Groups.

I'm not saying I tried to kill everyone at that baby shower I hosted recently, but I didn't exactly serve a lot of healthy food.  Oh but wait, there were celery sticks with the pimiento cheese.  Don't I get points for that? 

Nonetheless, no one died.  At least not so far.  Hopefully their blood pressures are back to normal after my not-so-healthy but absolutely delicious offerings which included a healthy (no pun intended) infusion of eggs, cheese, butter and salt.  You know you want to know ....so  keep reading.  I won't tell.

Don't laugh.  Yes, I do have one of those silly egg platters!

Doesn't every Southerner?

We Southerners love our deviled eggs.  Most are made with mayonnaise, usually Duke's or Hellman's (don't even mention Miracle Whip; that stuff ranks in my book as the worst product ever, maybe even worse than jarred chopped garlic or bottled lemon juice).  Some also include spicy mustard or sweet pickle relish.  Those basic versions (sans Miracle Whip or pickle relish) can be pretty good but they pale in comparison to a recipe I pilfered from the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) which incorporates both capers (always good, even on cardboard) and butter.  BUTTER?  In deviled eggs?  You bet your sweet and now expanding you-know-what!  Here's the recipe:

DEVILED EGGS WITH CAPERS (adapted from Margaret Anne Mitchell's recipe in the AJC)

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped chives or small sprigs of parsley for garnish

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over high heat.  Add eggs and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 13 minutes, then remove eggs to an ice bath.  Tap each one against the side of the bowl to crack lightly.  This helps release the sulphur to prevent yolks from turning green around the edges.  As soon as eggs have cooled, peel immediately.

Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks, reserving whites.  Press yolks through a fine sieve or strainer.  Stir in mayonnaise, butter and mustard, adding more if necessary to make a smooth puree.  Add capers, salt and pepper and stir to blend.  Taste to adjust seasonings.

Spoon or pipe into reserved egg whites.  Garnish with chopped chives or small sprigs of parsley.  Serve immediately

Yield:  12 stuffed egg halves

*  I can be a purist about some things and one of those involves mayonnaise.  As far as I'm concerned, it's easy to make and much, much better than what you can buy in a jar.  I'll share my recipe with you in the next post.  Of course, you don't have to emulate my OCD;  Hellman's or Duke's will work just fine if you're not as crazy as I am.

*  Have you ever tried peeling a hardboiled egg and the shell just doesn't want to come off, leaving you with a pock-marked egg that looks like it has acne?  The trick is to use eggs that are older (yep - believe it or not, this is one time when I'm not advocating fresh farm eggs).  That's because older eggs develop an air pocket at one end which makes them easier to peel.  If you know you are going to make this recipe, buy your eggs a week or two ahead and let them sit in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.

*Depending on the size of your egg yolks, you may need to use more or less mayonnaise.  Use enough that the mixture is smooth but still holds its shape when piped or mounded into the egg whites.

*************************

Now comes pimiento cheese which is another southern staple.  Extra-sharp cheddar, homemade mayo, roasted red peppers and a healthy dose of cayenne pepper.  Serve it on little toasts, scoop it up with celery sticks, tuck it into toasted brioche for a sandwich or just stand in front of the refrigerator and eat it straight out of the container with the largest spoon you can find.  Fat grams be damned!

PIMIENTO CHEESE  (from Scott Peacock's "The Gift of Southern Cooking")

2 1/2 cups (10 oz.) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste; I like a little more)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
1 red pepper, roasted, skin removed and finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste, if needed

Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until well-blended and creamy.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.  Cover and chill until ready to use.

Yield:  2 cups

*  I realize that I am the least likely person to say this, but resist the temptation to add too much salt.  In fact, depending upon the quality of your cheddar, you may not need to add salt at all.  Taste carefully!

*  Speaking of cheddar, use the sharpest cheddar you can get your hands on.  Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, they need to be of the highest quality.  Yes, that means homemade mayo is better!

*  You can buy roasted red peppers in a jar, but why would you do that when it's so easy to do it yourself?  Place the pepper over the flame on a gas stovetop or grill until skin is blistered and black in places.  Turn several times to blacken all sides.  Let cool slightly, then use your fingers to peel off skin and remove seeds. 

*  I don't like to serve this directly from the refrigerator.  While I don't recommend leaving it out at room temperature all day (lest you kill someone with salmonella), I think it's best when you leave it out for an hour or so before serving.  Taking the chill off enhances the level of flavor.

*  If necessary, you can console yourself that this is low carb ...  but only if you eat it with those celery sticks!

BTW, I did not manage to avoid The World of Coke.  My shoes  will never be the same after walking around in that tasting room with those sticky, sticky floors!  Nonetheless, anything for those adorable and amazing nephews of mine!

See what I mean?  Oh, and when it comes to food, they are willing to try anything,

 even  fried shrimp and mackerel heads at Nakato, courtesy of Chef Kaki.

Unlike my own  kids, these two actually friended me on Facebook. 

No wonder I'm so willing to walk on sticky floors for them!