Author: Caroline

  • Red Snapper En Papilotte + Endive, Apple & Red Cabbage Slaw

    Red Snapper En Papilotte + Endive, Apple & Red Cabbage Slaw

    [donotprint]red snapper en papillote with lime & thyme[/donotprint]

    Red Snapper Filets en Papilotte

    1/3 lb snapper filets, as many as needed (1 per person)*
    lime, sliced thinly
    thyme sprigs
    parchment paper
    *great* olive oil (optional)
    salt & pepper

    Begin by patting dry and lightly salting the filets. On a piece of parchment wider than the fish is long and twice as long as the fish is long, place the filet. Layer a few slices of thin lime on the fish, topping with some thyme sprigs and a dash of olive oil if you like. Top with pepper.

    Fold the parchment in half, with the filet sitting flat against the crease of the paper. Fold the corners in, folding down several more times. Fold in the other sides and tuck under to create an enclosure (the fish will steam). Repeat on remaining fish.

    Bake on a sheet (in case of leaking juices) for about 15 minutes at 350-400 degrees. Fish will flake away easily when done.

    *This recipe will work for any fish en papilotte; you may need to adjust cooking time for thicker fish and I think the method lends best to more delicate fish (ie, not salmon)
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    red cabbage slaw with apples, endive, carrot, lime & red onion[/donotprint]

    Endive, Apple, Red Cabbage Slaw

    serves four

    1/2 small red cabbage, sliced very thinly
    1/2 medium red onion, sliced very thinly
    1 large carrot, shredded
    1/2 or whole apple of choice, cubed
    2 endives, sliced in 1/4 or 1/8 inch short strips (can use radicchio, etc)
    juice of 1 lime
    1 tsp walnut oil (or other mild oil)
    1/2-1tsp ground cumin
    salt

    Using a mandolin (ideally), slice the onion and cabbage. Slice the endives (or radicchio or other chicories), chop the apple and shred the carrot. Whisk the lime juice, cumin, oil and salt to taste. Mix everything together. Keeps well for 1-2 days, but best fresh.

  • Heirloom Beans with Spinach & Pork Belly

    Heirloom Beans with Spinach & Pork Belly

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    An easy weeknight meal, greens and beans make a healthy, nicely balanced snack or meal. You can always add more meat or greens to suit your taste & dietary needs.[/donotprint]

    Vallarta Beans from Rancho Gordo (or other small-medium size firm bean)

    2 Cups spinach per serving

    1 inch cube smoked pancetta per serving, diced (can use regular pancetta too)

    Prep the beans by soaking for 6-8 hours in room temperature water. Strain and put the beans in a large pot, cover with 3 inches of water and simmer for 1-2 hours; do not boil, do not let the pot run dry. Strain and you can reserve for up to a week in the refrigerator.  Use 1/2 cup cooked beans per serving.

    Fry the pancetta in a medium hot pan; when beginning to brown add the beans and cook until hot. Add the spinach and cook until wilted; serve.

  • Oolong Tea Macarons with Tea Infused Buttercream

    Oolong Tea Macarons with Tea Infused Buttercream

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    The Master Macaron Recipe

    A few months ago I pledged my friend P that I would attempt making a tea macaron. I was given some shake from a Wuyi oolong from Red Blossom (heritage tie luo han), and had to figure out how to get the flavor in. Turns out, it’s not so easy to make tea infused buttercream.

    Admittedly, this batch was a little screwy–I used some leftover egg whites (from one of those cartons that claims to be only egg whites) and everything was a little thinner than it should have been. In short, I don’t recommend using carton egg whites for macarons. It’s a bad idea. I’m confident if you follow the regular recipe with normal, fresh egg whites–you’ll be fine.
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    – sprinkle a bit of tea on each macaron before baking, or on 1/2 of the cookies.

    – use the buttercream filing, but reduce sugar to 1/4 cup. Separately, steep 2 T tea in 1/2 C heavy cream, strain well and press excess liquid out of tea. Chill the cream, and whip it into whipping cream– fold into finished plain buttercream and pipe the cookies

     

  • Scallops in Fava & Pea Puree, Littleneck Clams on White Beans, Sausage & Chard, Creme Fraiche Pannacotta with Strawberries

    Scallops in Fava & Pea Puree, Littleneck Clams on White Beans, Sausage & Chard, Creme Fraiche Pannacotta with Strawberries

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    creme fraiche panna cotta with strawberries (sunday suppers at lucques)

    I had occasion to cook last night– a Sunday– and was feeling pretty inspired by a very solid weekend of good eats. Friday night a feast in our back yard, Saturday a hike from our doorstep to the top of twin peaks, down into the mission for a stop at Delfina Pizzeria, an errand at Tartine (here’s a hint: it involved walnut bread, croissants and an eclair) and another at BiRite (which involved this steak) and yet another feast in our back yard.

    There is a huge collection of cookbooks in my living room. You can tell they aren’t used often because they’re behind glass, stacked with ornamental things on top that would have to be moved to use them. I woke up around 9 on Sunday and tip toed into the living room to loot a few, returned to bed and did the most serious reading I’ve probably done since college…and the result, my final paper, if you will–this menu.[/donotprint]

    Scallop in Fava & Pea Puree from Amuse Bouche (slightly altered for scale and for oil content)
    With Vouvray

    Clams with White Beans, Sausage & Chard from Amuse Bouche (altered significantly)
    With Vermentino from Sardegna

    Creme Fraiche Pannacotta with Strawberries (From Sunday Suppers at Lucques — perfect as is but would use more milk/less cream next time)
    with Moscato di Asti

  • Ribeye from BiRite Market in San Francisco

    Ribeye from BiRite Market in San Francisco

    ribeye steak from bi rite market in san francisco

    Saturday night dinner for two. Birite MarketFive Dot Ranch.

    The fat was so tender and tasty; just salt & pepper and the fat was catching on fire at the grill. Crispy on the outside, rare on the inside.

  • Not Disgusting Whole Wheat Waffles with Tofu

    Not Disgusting Whole Wheat Waffles with Tofu

    [donotprint]whole wheat waffles made with tofu

    These sound really disgusting, I know–but they’re actually really delicious.[/donotprint]

    Whole Wheat Waffles with Tofu

    This recipe ultimately makes non-dairy waffles that have a higher fiber content and lower sugar content than most treats of this nature. I use my vitamix blender to do these, but you could just as well use a whisk or hand mixer very thoroughly. I’d recommend a bowl with high sides and a narrower bottom, if you must go that route.

    Makes 4-6 waffles (not meant for Belgian style molds; you’ll find it too thin of a batter)

    1/2 C flour
    1/2 C whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
    1/2 tsp salt
    3 tsp baking powder
    1 cup light soy milk
    3 oz silken tofu
    1 egg
    1 T honey
    1/2 tsp – 1 tsp cinnamon, orange zest, almond extract or other flavorings you prefer
    real maple syrup

    Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix rest of ingredients and blend very well; if in blender, on high for 1-2 minutes, if with hand mixer or whisk, until very, very smooth and thin. Slowly add dry mixture. Let sit 2 minutes before using.

    Warm your syrup and plates when serving.

  • The Spring Garden

    The Spring Garden

    Our weeping cherry tree is blossoming right now, and it’s been a lot of fun to work in the garden lately. I planted a sorbet peony among other things, and the hydrangea I burned with fertilizer late last year is making a really nice come back. Pretty soon it’ll be real BBQ season (I lovely 76 degree day here today, but so unexpected it’s hard to get a BBQ group going) and we’ll be spending a lot of time back there.

    I haven’t planted spring crops yet, but it’s on the to-do list. The chard from last summer is still producing nicely, as is the arugula. The leeks I planted a few months ago aren’t doing well; I think they’ve been too cold at night and too wet during the day and so they never quite spanned out and are still slim and clumped together. The other containers, for the most part, are resting right now. The kale missed its chance when it was attacked by caterpillars at its prime, and I’ll probably uproot it soon. The thyme is still doing well, and I ought to use it more often.

    Anyone having luck with other crops in SF?

  • Whole Lemon Bars Using Whole Meyer Lemons

    Whole Lemon Bars Using Whole Meyer Lemons

    [donotprint]lemon bars with whole meyer lemons

    A very lovely coworker surprised me a few days ago with a gigantic bag of meyer lemons from a family tree in Napa. I sent about 1/3rd of them to my mom, used several in smoothies (which are not so blog worthy and are certainly very ugly looking with all the chard and other hippie hoo-da I’ve been drinking up, thus, the blog has been rather neglected lately for my newfound need to eat more vegetables in very boring forms), and the rest are either in these lemon bars or waiting to be devoured in the coming days.

    This recipe is only slightly modified from David Lebovitz’s Whole Lemon Bars recipe, with my notes and adjustments below. My favorite frequent visitor to Paris (who has on several occasions rubbed shoulders with Mr. Labovitz at certain company events!)  is coming for dinner Sunday and I imagine I’ll find some new, delightful way to use the lemons in our meal. You, reader, can look forward to that!
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    I did make these by weight and recommend you do the same if possible.

    Crust
    1 C flour (140g)
    1/4 C sugar (50g)
    1 stick butter, melted (113-115g)
    1/2 tsp vanilla

    Topping
    2.5 small organic meyer lemons
    3/4 C sugar (150g)
    3 large eggs
    4 tsp corn starch
    1/4 tsp salt
    3 T melted butter (45g)

    Powdered sugar for top

    Oven to 350–line a 8×8 inch pan in foil as smoothly as possible, matte side of the foil touching the bars/filling. Get the foil crisply into the corners.

    Mix the flour, 1/4C sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, stick melted butter and vanilla until just smoothly combined. Distribute the dough into the bottom of the pan evenly using hands or a spatula.  Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

    While crust is cooking, cut lemons in half and remove seeds. In a blender (I used my wonderful vitamix, but if you have a regular blender you may want to chop the lemons a bit), pulverize two lemons and the juice of 1/2 a lemon with the sugar until mostly smooth, a few chunks are good. Add the eggs, corn starch, salt and the rest of the butter, blending until smooth.

    Pour the lemon topping onto the crust when it’s done cooking, reduce the heat to 300 and return the dish to the oven for 25 more minutes, or until it stops jiggling and is set.

    Remove from oven, let it cool COMPLETELY before messing with it, then cut with a very heavy sharp knife into squares! Consider topping with powdered sugar and serving with tea.

    I recommend NOT leaving these in an air-tight container as I foudn it to make them go very soggy very quickly. Foil wrapped in bunches works much better, at least in SF climate!

  • Age Dashi Tofu with Tempura Dipping Sauce

    Age Dashi Tofu with Tempura Dipping Sauce

    [donotprint]recipe photo: home made age dashi tofu

    I’ve mentioned this before–when you start cooking Japanese food at home, it makes sense to just keep doing it. The ingredients effectively make you stock an entirely new kitchen, and while each step of most dishes is very simple, they almost always require making ingredients to be used–layer upon layer. So you may as well make extra stock, extra sauce, and repurpose it later in the week.

    On that note, I have found several new Japanese cookbooks that I adore. I’ve mentioned the fabulous Washoku before, but the new ones I am in love with are more like encyclopedias of Japanese cooking, with huge selections of traditional hot dishes, allowing you to perhaps recreate something you’ve eaten in a quality Japanese restaurant. Japanese Cooking: a Simple Art &  perhaps now my all-time favorite, The Japanese Kitchen–it lacks photos, but provides great instruction and is excellent for those of us who know roughly what we want to make.


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    Age Dashi Tofu (Fried tofu with broth sauce)
    1 10-oz block tofu; you can use firm sprouted tofu for full flavor or silken tofu for a nice play on soft-vs-crunchy
    1/2 C potato starch (can sub corn starch if you must)
    A lot of frying oil such as sunflower or safflower oil
    2 green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal

    Drain the tofu well and pat dry, using some firm pressure but not breaking the tofu. If using firm or extra firm tofu, wrap in paper towels and place heavy dinner plate on top, letting sit 30 minutes. Next, slice along each axis of the block and then several times more to end up with 8 even rectangles. Dredge the rectangles in potato starch , tap excess off and let sit 5 minutes while your oil heats. Fry the blocks until slightly golden, about 5 minutes and then drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve half covered in sauce with green onion on top, and the tempura sauce’s ginger or daikon.

    Tempura Dipping Sauce
    1 C dashi (kelp/tuna flake stock)
    5 T soy sauce
    3 T mirin
    1 T sugar
    1/2 C katsuo bushi (tuna flakes)
    2 tsp grated ginger or daikon, served with the sauce

    Combine all ingredients except ginger/daikon, and bring to a boil. Add the katsuo bushi and turn off the heat. Let stand 2 minutes, strain and reserve. Lasts up to 1 week in refrigerator. Serve Warm.

  • Park Chow’s Cinnamon French Toast with Marscapone Cream

    Park Chow’s Cinnamon French Toast with Marscapone Cream

    [donotprint]Home made version of Park Chow's Cinnamon French Toast (recipe)

    For those of you in San Francisco, you can go and make your own comparison–but for the rest of you, you’ll have to trust me: the best French toast you’ll ever have is at Park Chow in San Francisco. It’s light, it’s crispy, it’s moist, it’s sweet and cinnamony. And, for weeks, I worked on perfecting my own version for a cinnamon french toast recipe. Here you have it–enjoy! (and if you’re really in for the whole experience, get some coffee from Thanksgiving Coffee Company–it’s where they get their custom blend!)
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    Mascarpone Cream Topping Recipe
    1/2 C heavy whipping cream, whipped very firm
    1/2 C room temperature mascarpone cheese
    1/2 C powdered sugar
    1/2 tsp vanilla
    2 T whiskey, creme de cocoa or other liquor of your preference

    Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer. In an ideal world, you’ll cover it (or put it in a mason jar like I do) and refrigerate it until very firm.

    Cinnamon French Toast Recipe – serves 3-4
    4-5 1 inch thick slices Semifreddi’s cinnamon twist bread (a brioche style loaf with a slightly stick outside & cinnamon layers), quartered to triangles
    3 eggs, whisked
    1/2 tsp kosher salt
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 1/2 cup milk

    Whisk everything but the bread together, and then begin soaking the bread slices in the mixture. They should be pretty darn soggy.

    Cook in 1-2 T butter in a 10-12 inch skillet at medium high heat. If your slices are very thick, or seem not to be drying out, reduce heat and cover lightly with a lid to steam through. Serve with real maple syrup, warm.