Passover Postscript

Okay, just a few final words.  I don't mean to belabor the Passover point, but there is just a bit more I want to share with you about Passover food.  Well, sort of, Passover food.

If you are Jewish, you know about the roasted  hard-boiled eggs we eat during the our seders.  If you're not familiar with this ritual, I'll spare you the explanation since there are several and none of us of can ever agree upon them anyway.  Haha, it just gives us one more thing to debate argue about - a common occurrence around the Jewish dinner table!

Since Henry, Sue, Ross and I are gluttons for punishment, we hold two seders - one on the first night of Passover and one on the second.  In the interest of full disclosure, we dial it down somewhat on the second night.  Let me tell you, two nights of Passover food and you're ready for a BLT!

So this year we decided to change up those boiled eggs on the first night to Truffled Eggs for the second.  These were so good that we ate the leftovers for breakfast the following morning.  They may not be traditional Passover fare, but they are flat out delicious!  You may not want them for Passover but they would be a fabulous addition to your next barbecue or even as an appetizer with pre-dinner champagne!

TRUFFLED EGGS

12 eggs (I used extra-large)

1 cup mayonnaise, additional if needed

1 – 2 tablespoons black truffle oil

Large sea salt crystals

Place eggs in a heavy saucepan large enough to hold them in one layer.  Cover completely with cool water and place over high heat.  Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off heat.  Cover the pan and let stand for exactly 13 minutes.  Drain water and place eggs into a bowl of cold water.  Lightly crack each egg as you drop it in the cold water to release any residual heat, so as to prevent a green ring around the yolks.

Peel the eggs under cool water and pat dry.  Slice each egg in half lengthwise and remove the yolks to a small bowl.  Place the cooked whites on a serving tray.

Mash the egg yolks with a fork and blend in the mayonnaise  until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Add a bit more additional mayonnaise, if needed.  Fold in 1 tablespoon of the truffle oil and taste.  Depending upon your preferences, you may want to add up to another tablespoon.  Your call.

Spoon or pipe the egg/truffle mixture into the reserved, cooked egg whites.  Top each one with a few sea salt crystals and serve immediately.

Yield:  24 pieces

*  This is a great method for cooking eggs because it will eliminate that green ring around the yolks.  Older eggs are also better than farm fresh ones (am I really saying that?) because older eggs develop an air pocket at one end, which makes them much easier to peel.

*  If you want to make your own mayonnaise, by all means have at it.  If you are feeling lazy, then just use a good mayonnaise like Hellman's (or Duke's, if you live in the South).  In a perfect world, I would advise you to make your own, but in truth, it doesn't matter so much for this recipe.

*  Because I work at Watershed and have made WAY  too much truffled chicken salad during my years there, I am not normally a fan of truffle oil.  I make an exception for this recipe because the mouth feel and taste of those creamy yolks scented with truffles is both unctuous and irresistible.  Even for breakfast!

*  BTW, I used 1-1/2 tablespoons of the stuff when I made these.  Again, it's personal preference.

*  This recipe is practically foolproof, since there is no seasoning involved in the yolk/mayonnaise/truffle mixture.  As long as you cook the eggs properly and add the correct amount of mayo, you are golden.  Then all you have to do is top the eggs with a few large grains of crunchy sea salt and you're done!

*  Speaking of salt, you want nice, big sea salt crystals.  I used Hawaiian pink sea salt, but any good, fat salt crystals will do.

Salt and fat.  Sigh.  I'm still not a skinny cook!

Do Yourself a Favor

There are certain recipes that I simply cannot make. Oh, not because they are too difficult or because I can’t find the ingredients or because I can’t figure them out. Nope, it’s because if I make them and keep them in the house for more than two seconds, I will eat every last scrap with no holds barred. Stuff that falls in this category would include mac & cheese, mashed potatoes (I’ll inhale them even if they are stone-cold), those deviled eggs with capers I made recently and my favorite bacon-studded potato salad. Skinny cook, anyone?

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2011/03/guilty-pleasure.html

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2011/04/eggs-cheese-fat-salt-your-basic-food.html

This potato salad was part of my “Second of July” menu and it is an adaptation of the one we made at Watershed. I loved when it was my job to make it at the restaurant because, of course, you have to keep tasting until you get it right, yes?

I won’t dignify that with an answer.

This is one of those recipes where the sum is greater than the whole of its parts. It’s simple, straightforward and you won’t need a plethora of ingredients. The only difficult part will be restraining yourself from eating the leftovers in your refrigerator. If you are like me, do yourself a favor and don’t make this. Your thighs will thank you.

BACON-STUDDED POTATO SALAD  (adapted from Watershed and Chef Scott Peacock)

1 # bacon (I prefer applewood-smoked)
4# new potatoes
2 T. salt
¼ cup cider vinegar
4 cups chopped scallions (about 4 bunches)
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1 ½ cups sour cream

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place a rack over a baking sheet and lay bacon strips over. (You will probably need to do this in two batches). Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until bacon strips are crispy. Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess grease, then roughly chop. Reserve bacon drippings from pan.

 Slice potatoes in half (or quarters if they are large) and place in a heavy pot. Cover with water and add the 2 T. salt and the cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just tender, 25-30 minutes. Drain potatoes well then place in a large bowl. Pour one half of the reserved bacon fat over (keep remaining for another use) and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the chopped scallions and bacon.

Whisk mayonnaise and sour cream in a bowl until smooth. Pour half of it over potato mixture and stir gently to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You will probably need to add more of the mayonnaise/sour cream mixture but add only enough so that potato salad is moist but not liquid. Taste again to adjust seasonings.

Serves 10 - 12

*  Use any type of small potatoes you like, but I love the combination of red and purple potatoes and yukon golds.

*  In a perfect world, you would make this with homemade mayonnaise, like we did in the restaurant.  If you live in my world however, you will be perfectly happy to use a good commercial mayonnaise, like Hellman's.  Of course, if you do want to make your own, here you go:

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2011/05/hold-mayo.html

* As usual, Weight Watchers is beckoning.....

A Guilty Pleasure

Unfortunately, in my quest to someday become a skinny cook (which will likely never happen), I try to avoid eating stuff like that.  My 5-day-a-week routine involves mostly protein, lots of veggies and of course wine, which I am incapable of giving up. Sigh.  As Henry is fond of saying, he eats and I drink! 

But when you are invited to a casual dinner party and asked to bring a side dish, what should that be?  As far as I am concerned, this is not the time for elaborate, esotheric dishes.  Who wants that?  I think people would much rather sink their forks into comfort food like mac and cheese as opposed to say, curried lima beans in casserole (I did not make that up.  There is actually a recipe for it in one of my retro cookbooks, complete with cans of cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions).

Think about the plate in front of you.  If it had a pile of curried lima beans next to a hunk of mac and cheese on it, where would your fork go first?  I rest my case.

So for that dinner party the other night, I made my favorite mac and cheese from Scott Peacock"s brilliant book "The Gift of Southern Cooking" with Edna Lewis.  It's similar to the one we made at Watershed and it's the only mac and cheese recipe you will ever need.  If you're going to spring for it and make the stuff, then it may as well be the best "stuff" ever.  Based on the compliments around the table the other night (and every other time I've made it), this recipe more than qualifies.

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

1 lb. elbow macaroni, uncooked
10 oz. (2 1/2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups sour cream
4 eggs, lightly beaten (I used extra-large)
1 small sweet onion, grated
3 cups half-and-half
3 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. (2 cups) extra-sharp cheddar, grated
1 cup panko or good breadcrumbs
Additional Kosher salt to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Add macaroni and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, for about 9 minutes or until just tender.  Do not overcook as it will further cook in the oven.

Drain well and transfer to a large buttered baking dish (mine measured about 12 x 15 x 4).  Stir in the cubed cheddar and set aside.

Place the flour, salt, dry mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl, whisking to blend.  Add the sour cream, followed by the eggs and whisk again until well-blended.  Whisk in the grated onion, half-and-half, heavy cream and Worcestershire.  Taste carefully to adjust seasoning (it should taste somewhat salty as much of it will be absorbed by the macaroni) and pour over the cooked macaroni and cubed cheese in the baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together the grated cheddar, the panko and salt to taste.  Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni mixture.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the custard is set around the edge of the baking dish but still a bit loose in the center.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes to allow the custard to thicken.

Serves 10 - 12

*  Now here's the thing:  this is a really easy recipe.  The only cumbersome thing is grating the onion, but that is no big deal.  You don't have to make a white sauce over the stove and you really don't have to do anything except combine a bunch of ingredients, grate some cheese and cook up some pasta.  So make the effort and take the time to grate your nutmeg as opposed to using the pre-ground variety.  As a matter of fact, if you have any of it in your spice cabinet, throw it away now and buy some whole nutmeg and an inexpensive nutmeg grinder (or use your trusty microplane).  This will make a huge difference in anything you make or bake which calls for nutmeg.

*  Also make sure to use the sharpest cheddar you can get your hands on.  This is not the time for wimpy cheese, like mild cheddar.  You want good, assertive cheddar so your mac and cheese has that edgy snap to it.

*  Salt is also crucial to this dish, but not after it is baked.  If you wait until then to add salt, it will just sit on the top and taste salty, but your mac and cheese will be bland.  That's why you need to add it to the cooking water, add it to the custard and add it to the topping.  I know, I know - we are all trying to limit our intake.  But as I said before, if you are going to bite the bullet and indulge in this, then it might as well be to the fullest.  You can mend your evil ways tomorrow.

*  Another thing.  Do yourself a favor and place your baking dish on a larger baking sheet when you put it in the oven.  It's unlikely that it will ooze over (if it does, you added too much custard or used a too-small baking pan) but cover your bases anyway.  Or your oven floor.

*  I took this out of the oven an hour-and-a-half before we transported it to my friend's house for dinner and it was another hour before we served it.  The key was covering it tightly with heavy-duty foil.  It stayed warm and melty until we devoured it.

*  I'll see you all at the gym next week........

Henry's Birthday, Part Two

To Henry's great credit, he's pretty low maintenance.  Especially when compared to me (I won't tell you about the time I pitched an entire quart of water at him - and then he just calmly toweled himself off and asked me if I was done yet, haha).  

He's generally pretty easy-going about most things (with the exception of work, but we're not going to talk about that either) and he doesn't even complain when I feed him grass and trees (his expression) most nights in an attempt to limit the carbs and ramp up the veggies.  If you meet him at a party, he will introduce himself as "Mr. Liz" and he will be the first to tell you that he lives in the best restaurant in town.

How lucky am I, anyway?

Tragically, we both love to eat and drink too much, which is why we aren't skinny.  One of the things we like the most is dining at home on a Saturday evening as I mentioned in an earlier post:

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/07/recipes-not-required.html

So it only made sense to celebrate his birthday yet again on the Saturday night following his actual birth date.  Dinner at the best restaurant in Atlanta (yeah, right!)  Two of his favorite foods were involved:  corn (usually off the menu due to its sugar/carb content) and fresh figs (I'm not a huge fan). 

Here's to you, Henry.   It is one of the greatest pleasures in my life to cook for you!

CORN PUDDING (adapted from Scott Peacock's and Edna Lewis' "The Gift of Southern Cooking")

4 ears of fresh corn, shucked and cut off the cob
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose, unbleached flour
2 extra-large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 1% because that's what I had on hand; whole milk would be better)
1 cup half-and-half (the recipe calls for cream, but I couldn't quite go there)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 35-degrees.  Butter a 6-cup baking dish.  Place corn kernels in a bowl and sprinkle with the sugar, salt, pepper and flour.  Stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, half-and-half (or cream), butter and nutmeg.  Pour over the corn mixture and blend well.

Place into the buttered baking dish and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until just done (it should still be slightly wobbly in the middle).  Serve immediately and prepare for major accolades.

Serves:  6 - 8

Note:  freshly grated nutmeg is crucial to this recipe.  Just do it.

SAUTEED FIGS WITH PROSCUITTO AND ROSEMARY

(A note here:  I'm not giving you a specific recipe, just a basic idea and method.  Tweak it as you see fit).

Fresh figs, halved
Proscuitto, cut into 1/2-inch strips
Fresh rosemary sprigs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Unsalted butter
Fresh goat cheese  for serving (or any cheese of choice; Parmigiano Reggiano would work as well)

Wrap fig halves with strips of proscuitto and secure with rosemary sprigs.

In a saute pan, heat equal amounts of olive oil and butter.  Add figs until cook over medium-high heat until proscuitto crisps.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Serve with crusty bread and soft, fresh goat cheese.

Note:  I may not be a fig afficionado, but even I will eat these!

Warm Food on a Cold Night

Remember what I said in the last blog about spring?  Well, FUGEDABOUTIT!  It snowed here today and it is freakin' cold.  Even I (the Hot Flash Queen) can't seem to get warm.

So did I need a better excuse to stay home and test recipes all day?  Umm - maybe not.

I thought about hanging out in my pj's (well, for me that would be an oversized T-shirt), but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that.  I compromised.  Did not wash my hair, did put on make-up (why, Liz?), put on a pair of jeans instead of my beloved ripped up chef's pants, opted for a pair of warm socks instead of shoes and did not wear a bra.  Enough info?

I then proceeded to spend the better part of the day in my kitchen.  All the while listening to an audio version of  "The Help." 

I'll post later about the Meyer lemon cake I made.  For now, you need to know about the lentil gratin.  SO GOOD.  It (along with a bottle of inexpensive, but decent red wine) was exactly the comfort food we needed.


LENTIL GRATIN

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
5 carrots, cut into small dice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 1/2 cups green lentils

1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 t. crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 cup Panko crumbs (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
1 t. kosher salt
1 T extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until translucent.  Add carrots, thyme and salt and pepper (be VERY generous) to taste.  Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook for 10 minutes or until carrots are barely tender.

Add bay leaves and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add lentils, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until lentils are almost done, about 30 minutes.

What you are looking for here are lentils that are almost done, but still "soupy."  (The reason for this is because when you add the breadcrumb topping before baking, it will soak up all of the liquid and leave the lentils dry.  So make sure your lentils have enough leftover liquid before baking).

Once you get to that point, remove the bay leaves and stir the parsley, mustard, vinegar and red pepper into lentils.  Taste to adjust seasonings and turn into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs, Reggiano and salt in a small bowl.  Stir to blend, then add olive oil and stir again.  Sprinkle over lentils.

Bake for 30 minutes until just warmed through and top is browned.  Do not overbake.

Yield:  at least 10 servings.

Just remember to save enough for those of us who would happily eat this for breakfast the next day.