Breakfast Grits Y'All Will Love

Gena Berry at Conference (www.culinaryworks.net)

Les Dames d'Escoffier International  is an association of women in the culinary and hospitality industries and this year's annual conference was held in Atlanta.  I had been to Atlanta once before but only had time to visit the cola company museum and always suspected that there was a lot more to the city.  Sure enough, there is.

Ebenezer Baptist Church

A tour of the city included visits to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum (www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov)  and the Martin Luther King, Jr.National Historical Site (www.nps.gov/malu), both appropriately awesome centers honoring these amazing men.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for stepping back in time to revisit history and to remember the monumental strides both President Carter and Reverend King have made towards civil and equal rights for all. 

Presidential Library & Museum

Sonya Signing Her Book

 On a lighter note, the visit to Atlanta to attend the LDEI conference gave me a great opportunity to experience some of Atlanta's best culinary treasures, including a visit to The Sweet Auburn Bread Company, aka "Little Bakery That Could" to enjoy a tasty demonstration and delicious lunch prepared by owner and Atlanta Dame Sonya Jones (www.sweetauburnbread.com).

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 Later that same day I was at an event hosted by another Atlanta Dame Mary Moore at one of her 4 Cook's Warehouse stores (www.cookswarehouse.com).   The evening starred 4 additional Atlanta members Virginia Willis (www.virginiawillis.com), Rebecca Lang (www.rebeccalangcooks.com), Angie Mosier (www.angiemosier.com), and newly crowned Grand Dame and culinary icon Nathalie Dupree (www.nathaliedupree.com and actually from the Charleston Chapter of LDEI).  (Friend/Dame Gena Berry pictured at the top of this post made sure I had a vegetarian version of the delicious dinner.)   

Me and (Nathalie) Dupree

Much to the horror of the server at breakfast the next morning, when she saw me about to sprinkle brown sugar on my bowl of steaming grits, here's a recipe inspired by my visit to Atlanta.  Although Debbie went so far as to thrust her hand out in the "Stop" position, I did it anyway.  Heck, aren't grits just the Southern version of cream of wheat?  Apparently not according to Debbie, or Gena, or Brenda, or anyone really Southern.  With no disrespect to my fine Southern girlfriends, and inspired by a couple of Georgia's best culinary gifts, I offer these breakfast grits, Yankee-style.

Peach and Pecan Breakfast Grits

2/3 cup regular grits
2 1/3 cups water
4 Tbs. earth balance or butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pecans, toasted
4 slices of peach (canned are just fine, in-season fresh would be better) 

In a small saucepan, melt the EB or butter then add the brown sugar and stir until blended.  Cut the peach slices in quarters and add to the butter/sugar mixture.  Add the toasted pecans, heat a couple of minutes, then set aside.

In a small pot boil the water then add the grits, returning to a boil, then simmer with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the grits are cooked to pleasure your textural taste buds turn off the heat.  There's enough to make 4 small servings, or 2 medium servings, or 1 big old servings, depending on how hungry you are.  Divide the butter/sugar/peach/pecan sauce to top the portions accordingly.  Sprinkle additional brown sugar if desired.

What's your favorite hot breakfast cereal?

Do you tilt your head when your picture is taken?

Korean Pear and Butternut Squash Soup - Simple and Very Satisfying

You probably have a recipe for butternut squash soup.  When I did a Google search there were 3,820,000 results in 0.11 seconds, and maybe your recipe is one of them.  You may also have a recipe for butternut squash soup with Asian pears or some type of pear, because there were 183,000 results for this search, in 0.28 seconds.  Wow, we're drinking a lot of some kind of butternut squash soup if Google results are any indication.

However, I could not find even 1 recipe for Korean Pear and Butternut Squash Soup, and even though Korean pears are a kind of Asian pear, they are different in that they are specifically from Korea and the growing/picking process is very special.  Extreme care and optimal conditions produce a juicier, better-tasting pear than from other areas.  Check out this video to see how it's done: https://picasaweb.google.com/105460061448067690736/MelissaSKoreanPearProgression#slideshow/5673098657005944354

Using a butternut squash-Bartlett pear soup recipe from Vegetarian Times as a starting point, then switching out the B-pear for the super-juicy K-pear, substituting shallots in for leeks, going full fat instead of light on the coconut milk (that's what was in my pantry), and then lifting the soup up where it belongs with a couple of tablespoons of cream sherry, you have Korean Pear and Butternut Squash Soup - simple and very satisfying.  I  hope Google takes notice.

Korean Pear and Butternut Squash Soup                               
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium shallot, minced

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 Korean Pears, peeled and cubed (eating 2-3 slices now is fine)
5 cups vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk
1 tsp. fresh thyme
optional garnish:
coconut chips, lightly sweetened with agave syrup then toasted*

1.  Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat.
2.  Add the minced shallots and cook about 5 minutes until golden.
3.  Add the squash and pear cubes and saute 5 minutes.
4.  Add the vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
5.  Reduce heat and simmer the mixture about 30 minutes until squash is tender.
6.  Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk.
7.  Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture.
8.  Return the pot to the stove on low-medium heat for 3 minutes until the soup is reheated.
9.  Season with white pepper and salt.

*To make the toasted coconut garnish, start with unsweetened coconut chips, toss lightly with agave syrup, then toast until golden brown.  This makes them just slightly sweet and perfectly crunchy. 

Persimmon Month Celebration Salad

This picture of the front of my house, taken just a couple of days ago, shows Fall in all its colorful glory.  Trees are in full-color throughout my neighborhood, about a mile or so from the Pacific ocean.  Yes, Virginia, there are seasons in Southern California.

These vivid, warm, bright colors are the inspiration for a little salad that represents the seasons best fruits and veggies and some of my favorite flavors, with a couple of extra seasonal twists.  A perfect dish to bring to a post-post Thanksgiving gathering at cousin Sherri's on Saturday, or maybe to somewhere you're going this weekend to celebrate Persimmon Month.

Take a look around you - there are colors and flavors everywhere to inspire your own culinary creativity.

Fall Harvest Salad
1 cup cubed Korean pears
1 cup cubed Fuyu persimmons
1 cup cubed, steamed, peeled Baby Beets

1 cup cubed red cabbage                                              
1 cup cubed green cabbage
1/3 cup diced scallions
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/2 cup toasted pepitas

dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sparkling apple cider
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
S&P

1.  Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
2.  Mix all the fruits and veggies together.
3.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
4.  Sprinkle the gorgonzola and pepitas on the salad, lightly toss again, and serve.


If you'd like more info on the season's best produce visit www.melissas.com.
 

Tempura Fruit - Thanks So Much

Need a little break from Thanksgiving preparations, shopping, cooking, etc.?  Well here's an idea for something seasonal and simple.  Seriously, you must read this post and make this recipe, I'm not kidding.

So, right now I have a case of Melissa's Korean Pears because 1) it's Korean Pear season, 2) they're crisp & juicy, unusual yet familiar at the same time, and 3) ginormous in size means more fruit per square inch.  The fact that I'm a consultant for the company is beside the point because 1) their products are really the best and 2) they're my friends and that's what friends are for.

What to do with my bounty of Korean Pears?  For a long time I've thought about making fruit tempura and these KP's practically screamed out "core now, slice into 1/4" thick rings, coat in tempura batter, fry in grapeseed oil, drain on paper towels, and start eating you fool".  Luckily I also had a box of Kikkoman Tempura Batter Mix Japanese Style Extra Crispy from my friend Helen who is the test kitchen and development chef for that company.

In no time the batter was made, the oil was hot, the KP's were sliced into rings (skin on) and the tempura train was ready to leave the station.  You will want to eat a ring or two au naturale, but try one or two sprinkled

Mysteries and Morsels

Mystery stories are favorites of mine, in books, movies, and live performances too.  Last Friday night my friend Cynthia and I drove (very slowly on the 405 of course) out to North Hollywood to see "And Then There Were None", Agatha's Christies 'Ten Little Indians' story, set on a secluded island in a mysterious mansion..  http://www.thegrouprep.com/ 

Lots of "curtains" in this play as the cast starts dropping one after the other, with suspense, humor, and production quality far exceeding the little theater and only one very stylish set.  Only 2 weekends left, so catch it if you can, or look for a play that interests you in your neck of the woods and you'll probably get more than your money's worth - we definitely did.

http://www.bigmamaspizza.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

Before the play we went to Big Mama's and Papa's Pizza in Burbank and had their amazing Khachapouri, aka Egg Gondola Pizza.  Their regular pizza and Greek salad were also delicious.  Worth the drive or put it on your list of places to go next time you're in the Valley. 

On Saturday I participated in another Santa Monica Food Swap at Palisades Park  https://www.facebook.com/SantaMonicaFoodSwap.  It was a beautiful day to be ocean side with fellow foodies sharing recipe ideas, restaurant recommendations, and the other delicious things that come up when friendly people who love food get together.  This time I brought some Quince Butter with Cinnamon & Rose Water, and Fatima's Date & Almond Truffles from a recipe by my friend, cookbook author Kitty Morse  http://www.kittymorse.com/about-me.  These sweet morsels resemble their chocolate counterparts but are made from dates, almonds, honey, orange blossom water, cinnamon, and toasted coconut, and one bite will transport your taste buds  to an exotic, mysterious place.

Hope your weekends are filled with good fun and great food!

All Pumpkins Great and small

http://greenhalloween.org/blog/?attachment_id=2799

Fall's iconic orange pumpkin takes us gastronomically and ornamentally from Halloween through Thanksgiving.  Botanically a fruit, in the same family as squash and gourds, millions of pumpkins planted in the warmth of July are now ready for us to have our way with them.

California is one of the top pumpkin producing states in the U.S., and in Half Moon Bay up the coast, the annual Art & Pumpkin Festival draws over 250,000 visitors.  Farmers and other competitive food cultivators from near and far compete for bragging rights, and this year's winning orb weighed in at 1,704 pounds.  http://www.miramarevents.com/weighoff/weighoff.html

Another way that sizes matters is that small pumpkins are best for cooking and larger pumpkins are best for carving.  Baked, steamed, boiled, broiled, roasted, or mashed, the mild, slightly sweet pumpkin flesh is a tasty addition to puddings, muffins, soups, stews, cookies, cheesecakes, and of course pie.  To make a puree, cut the pumpkin open, remove the fibrous strings and seeds (set these aside to roast), cut the pumpkin into 4-8 pieces and place on a baking pan lined with foil.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours until the flesh is soft, then allow to cool until the flesh can easily be scooped from the rind and then process until smooth.

One of my favorite seasonal recipes is for Pumpkin and Sage Gnocchi and I'm sharing a version of it with you here.  I cannot tell a lie - I was too lazy to make my own pumpkin puree, and my local grocery store was out of canned pumpkin, so I used a box of frozen butternut squash, and if I hadn't confessed that fact no one would have been able to tell the difference. 

Fresh Pumpkin or Frozen Butternut Squash and Sage Gnocchi
1 lb. ricotta cheese
8 oz. pumpkin or butternut squash puree
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs
2 tsp. sea salt
2 pinches fresh ground black pepper
3 cups all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. earth balance or butter
1 extra Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pepitas http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Peptias---Raw-Pumpkin-Seeds.aspx

In a medium sized bowl combine the ricotta, pumpkin (oops I mean butternut squash), maple syrup, sage, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper, and blend together.

Put the flour in a separate bowl, create a well in the center, and fill it with the liquid mixture.  Fold together until a dough is formed - if slightly sticky add a bit more flour.

Take an amount of dough about the size of a tennis ball and using both hands roll the ball out into a cylinder shape about 3/4" in diameter.  With a sharp knife but the cylinder into 1" pieces, imprint 1 side with the back of a fork, set aside the finished gnocchi, and repeat with the remaining dough.  Stage the gnocchi on a parchment lined baking sheet lightly dusted with flour and keep covered until ready for cooking.

Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch or 2 of salt, and bring to a boil.  Add 15-20 gnocchi into the water and remove after the gnocchi float to the top.  Remove them from the boiling water and repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked. 

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saute pan, adding the additional fresh sage, then enough gnocchi to fill the pan.  Saute until the gnocchi are lightly browned, season with additional s&p, divide onto plates, sprinkle with the Parmesan and pepitas, and serve.

Buddha's Hand - You Had Me At Longevity

One of the coolest things about working for the greatest produce company in the world (http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Buddha-s-Hand.aspx) is that my culinary creativity is constantly challenged to come up with delicious, unique ways to use some of Mother Nature's most extraordinary fruits and vegetables. 

A fairly new item is Green Buddha's Hand, sibling to the Yellow Buddha's Hand which has been seen in these parts for a few years now.  Originally from northeastern India and carried by Buddhist Monks to China, this remarkable looking and unbelievably fragrant fruit now also grows right here in coastal California.

Don't let the gnarly "fingers" scare you off from this most unusual fruit.  While this is definitely not your mama's citron - no actual fruit or juice inside - it's the amazing zest and peel that is used in baking, flavoring spirits, and pretty much added to anything where a citrus-flavor and scent would be welcome, that makes this fruit so highly treasured..

Buddha's Hand offers not only wonderful flavor and fragrance, but it's prized in many cultures as a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, happiness, and longevity.  Lots of reasons to get out some bottles and canning jars to whip up a couple of simple recipes to share some good fortune.





Two Hands - Two Recipes!


Buddha's Hand Vodka 

1 Buddha's Hand                                                   
vodka
medium sized glass bottles (about 12 oz. size)

Cut strips of the Buddha's Hand skin - some pith is fine because it's usually not bitter like lemons.
Put about 6-7 strips in each bottle, fill with vodka, then close up the bottles.
Store for at least 1 month in a cool, dark place.
Make these soon so they'll be ready for holiday gift giving.

Buddha's Hand Marmalade
(3 half-pint jars)
1 Buddha's Hand
4 cups water
3 cups sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Dice the Buddha's hand skin and a little pith.  Place in a heavy pot with the water and let soak at least 1 hour.
Turn on the burner to high heat until the mixture is boiling.  Continue boiling for 30 minutes. 
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.  Boil gently for an additional 45 minutes.
Add the lemon juice to the mixture and continue boiling another 10 minutes.
Fill sterilized jars with the mixtures, seal, and place in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove to your counter and let sit overnight. 
   
I'm thinking that I should have left more pith on the peel, or added some conventional citrus because the concoction is on the runny side so not so much the consistency for spreading on a scone.  But I know it will make a delicious glaze or syrup, and I can confirm it was delicious in my Earl Grey this morning.