Tonight is Christmas Eve. Enjoy it with loved ones, whether they be family and friends. Cherish your family recipes and holiday dishes. Remember the needy and the ones at war. Pray for worldwide peace and tolerance.
Liz
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A Holiday Treat La Grenouille
Because of the holidays I thought I'd write about the Times Dining section today on Wednesday (which kind of makes sense because it comes out today). Another new thing is that I'll be writing about a Times restaurant review (something I used to do for that newspaper ) for La Grenouille that famous Manhattan landmark.
The review written by Sam Sifton tells about this 48 year old NYC institution. La Grenouille was right up there at one time with The Russian Tea Room and Elaine's as place to be seen and to enjoy the lush food. It was opened in 1962 by Giselle and Charles Masson, pere, French emigres and now run by their son Charles fils. This is French cusine at its' all time best, meriting a three star rating from The Times. The restaurant is known for its' stocks and sauces that transport everyday meats and vegetables into fare for the gods. There are frogs legs, bien sur, ("La Grenouille means frog)sauteed in garlic, parsley and butter. Another true Parisian dish are the kidneys sauteed in cognac. Dover sole is a must here and La Grenouille's signature dish. It's grilled and then served in a butter sauce. Tableside it's filleted for diners and served with a mustard sauce. This is a meal fit for Monsieur Escoffier.
La Grenouille also has amazing desserts. primarily the souffles. These come in Grand Marnier, chocolate and pear. The restaurant also has the classic tartins as well. There's also a heavenly sounding tarte with warm apples and accompanied by vanilla ice cream. La Grenouille also has Armagnac prune ice cream as well as vanilla and praline. (although after a rich meal , I think dessert would be a simple and soothing cup of Earl Grey tea from the restaurants varied tea chest)
This holiday season treat yourself to dinner at this famed NYC landmark. It's worth the travel time and the cost. This is where France comes to America and brings a gift of heavenly dishes and desserts.
The review written by Sam Sifton tells about this 48 year old NYC institution. La Grenouille was right up there at one time with The Russian Tea Room and Elaine's as place to be seen and to enjoy the lush food. It was opened in 1962 by Giselle and Charles Masson, pere, French emigres and now run by their son Charles fils. This is French cusine at its' all time best, meriting a three star rating from The Times. The restaurant is known for its' stocks and sauces that transport everyday meats and vegetables into fare for the gods. There are frogs legs, bien sur, ("La Grenouille means frog)sauteed in garlic, parsley and butter. Another true Parisian dish are the kidneys sauteed in cognac. Dover sole is a must here and La Grenouille's signature dish. It's grilled and then served in a butter sauce. Tableside it's filleted for diners and served with a mustard sauce. This is a meal fit for Monsieur Escoffier.
La Grenouille also has amazing desserts. primarily the souffles. These come in Grand Marnier, chocolate and pear. The restaurant also has the classic tartins as well. There's also a heavenly sounding tarte with warm apples and accompanied by vanilla ice cream. La Grenouille also has Armagnac prune ice cream as well as vanilla and praline. (although after a rich meal , I think dessert would be a simple and soothing cup of Earl Grey tea from the restaurants varied tea chest)
This holiday season treat yourself to dinner at this famed NYC landmark. It's worth the travel time and the cost. This is where France comes to America and brings a gift of heavenly dishes and desserts.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Struffoli That Neopolitan Christmas Treat
Italy has brought the world timeless culinary traditions for Christmas. there's panetone and pan d'oro from Piedmont . torrone from Florence and of course the much beloved struffoli from Naples.This last is a must in Neopolitan homes, capping off a sumptuous Christmas Day dinner. It's a fun dessert for everyone from kids to adults who enjoy this treat.
Struffoli is primarily a Southern Italian pastry made mostly for Christmas and Easter. It's similar to the French croquembouche which is a tower of cream puffs. Struffoli is smaller with the shape resembling a beehive or Christmas tree.Most families just use a simple dough made from flour, water, eggs and yeast. This is left to rise and then rolled into marble sized balls. The balls are then fried in extra virgin olive oil.and left to drain, Later they are then assembled into a pyramid and then coated with a honey -lemon syrup . Once this is set. the baker usually dusts on sprinkles , almonds or silver dragees. There are struffoli variations with the addition of limoncello or G rand Marnier in the dough and then after the shape is assembled dusted only with confectioner's sugar.
Struffoli is relatively easy to make. Beginners can have fun with it, especially shaping the balls in the palm of their hands. The dough requires a little effort with just rolling out. However, unlike cookies. there's no cutting or baking not to mention elaborate decorating. The assembly can be fun and again you don't have to be a grand baker to accomplish it. If you want you can make mini mounds which are easier to handle.
Struffoli is a great holiday treat. This traditional dessert is really a snap to make and assemble. Best of all its delicious and a good way to cap off a Christmas dinner.
Struffoli is primarily a Southern Italian pastry made mostly for Christmas and Easter. It's similar to the French croquembouche which is a tower of cream puffs. Struffoli is smaller with the shape resembling a beehive or Christmas tree.Most families just use a simple dough made from flour, water, eggs and yeast. This is left to rise and then rolled into marble sized balls. The balls are then fried in extra virgin olive oil.and left to drain, Later they are then assembled into a pyramid and then coated with a honey -lemon syrup . Once this is set. the baker usually dusts on sprinkles , almonds or silver dragees. There are struffoli variations with the addition of limoncello or G rand Marnier in the dough and then after the shape is assembled dusted only with confectioner's sugar.
Struffoli is relatively easy to make. Beginners can have fun with it, especially shaping the balls in the palm of their hands. The dough requires a little effort with just rolling out. However, unlike cookies. there's no cutting or baking not to mention elaborate decorating. The assembly can be fun and again you don't have to be a grand baker to accomplish it. If you want you can make mini mounds which are easier to handle.
Struffoli is a great holiday treat. This traditional dessert is really a snap to make and assemble. Best of all its delicious and a good way to cap off a Christmas dinner.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Ham For The Holidays
One of the best parts of Christmas is the eating. This is especially true of Christmas Day when sumptuous feasts are served. usually there is turkey or crown rib that's the star. In German and most American households it's a large ham. It is the perfect meat to have because it's rich and delicious. it;s also wonderful for later eating.
Ham is a relatively easy meat to serve. It's already smoked and cured , doesn't require stuffing like poultry or special attention like some beef cuts.There are three kinds however, city country and . City ham is the one most shoppers buy. These have been soaked in brine and then either boiled or smoked. Country cured hams come from pigs that have been fed a steady diet of fruits and nuts. The meat is more flavorful. The hams are then smoked over fragrant hardwoods and cured cold for about sixty days. They are dryer than the city cured ones. Fresh hams are hard to find in any bog city grocery store. They are available in the e country where there are pig farms.Ham is relatively easy to cook. It does take a while For every pound of cured ham, it's usually fifteen to eighteen minutes in a 325 F. degree oven. A ten pound ham will take a good two and half hours to bake.up Country ham takes longer , with twenty to twenty five minutes a pound. Remember to baste your ham within the last hour to twenty minutes of cooking other wise the taste will be super salty. Another must is coating the ham within th e last hour too. You can use sugar, ginger ale , pineapple juice or honey.Don't worry if you have late arriving guests. Ham is also good served cold and thickly sliced in sandwiches.
There;s nothing like a ham for a Christmas Day dinner. It's the perfect meat to serve on a cold winter's day. It's also festive and celebratory A plate of ham is the perfect way to feast on this important Holiday.
Ham is a relatively easy meat to serve. It's already smoked and cured , doesn't require stuffing like poultry or special attention like some beef cuts.There are three kinds however, city country and . City ham is the one most shoppers buy. These have been soaked in brine and then either boiled or smoked. Country cured hams come from pigs that have been fed a steady diet of fruits and nuts. The meat is more flavorful. The hams are then smoked over fragrant hardwoods and cured cold for about sixty days. They are dryer than the city cured ones. Fresh hams are hard to find in any bog city grocery store. They are available in the e country where there are pig farms.Ham is relatively easy to cook. It does take a while For every pound of cured ham, it's usually fifteen to eighteen minutes in a 325 F. degree oven. A ten pound ham will take a good two and half hours to bake.up Country ham takes longer , with twenty to twenty five minutes a pound. Remember to baste your ham within the last hour to twenty minutes of cooking other wise the taste will be super salty. Another must is coating the ham within th e last hour too. You can use sugar, ginger ale , pineapple juice or honey.Don't worry if you have late arriving guests. Ham is also good served cold and thickly sliced in sandwiches.
There;s nothing like a ham for a Christmas Day dinner. It's the perfect meat to serve on a cold winter's day. It's also festive and celebratory A plate of ham is the perfect way to feast on this important Holiday.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
To Buffet Or Not To Buffet
These next few weeks are going to be the prime time for holiday entertaining. The question is what makes a better setting - a buffet or a sit down dinner?What's easier to handle? Do you let people mingle at informal buffets or is it better to have a formal sit down dinner? These are the questions party planners will have to ask themselves.
Buffets have a lot of merits. People can take and pick what they like. There's no worry about dietary restrictions along with likes and dislikes. There can be a theme like Oriental, French or Italian with small servings an hors d'oeuvres. Buffets also offer a better chance to mingle. Guests can catch up with old friends as well as enjoy meeting new people. There's also the freedom t move around more too. The down side to any buffet is the amount of work. There are so many dishes to make from the appetizers to the desserts. A bonus would be having friends and family bring dishes of their own.
Sit down dinners are also another good way of celebrating the holidays. A dinner party is the best way to showcase any cooks' talents. Outstanding dishes, such as crown rib roast or a twenty pound turkey can be served. It's also chance for also bringing back classics such as the amuse bouche or palate cleansing lemon sorbet between courses. Sit down dinners allow cooks to come up with grand desserts too. Forget the holiday cookie tray. Impress guests with crepes Suzette or a blanc mange. It's also a chance for a hos tor hostess to have some interesting conservation and introduce guests to each other. Unfortunately a sit down dinner party means a huge clean up later on. This could mean going to bed at one or two in the morning or waking up to an entire kitchen full of dirty plates, pots and pans.
Buffet or not to buffet? That is the question most holiday hosts and hostesses are asking themselves. Both types of get togethers have pluses and minuses . It's a tough decision but once chosen can be the highlight of the 2009 season.
Buffets have a lot of merits. People can take and pick what they like. There's no worry about dietary restrictions along with likes and dislikes. There can be a theme like Oriental, French or Italian with small servings an hors d'oeuvres. Buffets also offer a better chance to mingle. Guests can catch up with old friends as well as enjoy meeting new people. There's also the freedom t move around more too. The down side to any buffet is the amount of work. There are so many dishes to make from the appetizers to the desserts. A bonus would be having friends and family bring dishes of their own.
Sit down dinners are also another good way of celebrating the holidays. A dinner party is the best way to showcase any cooks' talents. Outstanding dishes, such as crown rib roast or a twenty pound turkey can be served. It's also chance for also bringing back classics such as the amuse bouche or palate cleansing lemon sorbet between courses. Sit down dinners allow cooks to come up with grand desserts too. Forget the holiday cookie tray. Impress guests with crepes Suzette or a blanc mange. It's also a chance for a hos tor hostess to have some interesting conservation and introduce guests to each other. Unfortunately a sit down dinner party means a huge clean up later on. This could mean going to bed at one or two in the morning or waking up to an entire kitchen full of dirty plates, pots and pans.
Buffet or not to buffet? That is the question most holiday hosts and hostesses are asking themselves. Both types of get togethers have pluses and minuses . It's a tough decision but once chosen can be the highlight of the 2009 season.
Friday, December 18, 2009
What Goes With The Holidays?
This is the time of year when alcohol is needed -even if it's in small doses. Serve only champagne or wine at a holiday sit down dinner. What about those holiday buffet parties? Do you go for mixed drinks or rum punch? Do most situations call for a bartender and a well stocked liquor cabinet?
For Christmas Eve and definitely New Year's Eve, champagne is in order. Again I'm a big Prosecco fan so that's what I would recommend. It's not as sweet as Asti Spumente or other sparkling wines.it's light and lemony- just the right taste to go with overly flavorful appetizers and hors d' oeuvres. I also would recommend it at a Christmas Eve dinner if you' re serving turkey. chicken , or veal,. For a Christmas dinner, of course, there are the wines. Roast beef and crown rib deserve to be accompanied by a hearty red. Fish, such as a sole in meuniere sauce should have a white wine such as sauvignon blanc. If you have an olio of different meats such as red meat, white meat and fish then put out a few bottles of different wines for you and your guests.
Holiday parties are another animal. A lot of people are just satisfied with a glass of Pinot Grigio or Merlot. Then there are the cocktailers who want to try every "tini" out there or any variety of mojito. To make it easier on yourself limit your selection. This way you wont have guests (and yourself sick with a cornucopia of different mixed drinks. if you know what your crowd likes then stock only those liquors. Another easy way out is just create a punch. Champagne punch is the best. One of my favorites is frozen strawberry concentrate mixed with an Asti. You can also create a rum punch if you;re serving heartier fare. Just remember that some people may not be into any of this so still have bottles of wine and liquor on hand.
It;s hard to decide what to drink with holiday fare. It's best to stay with the basics such as wine and champagne. Add liqueurs and mixed drinks along with the many punches if you want something different. Just remember that any kind of drink is the best one for toasting the holidays.
For Christmas Eve and definitely New Year's Eve, champagne is in order. Again I'm a big Prosecco fan so that's what I would recommend. It's not as sweet as Asti Spumente or other sparkling wines.it's light and lemony- just the right taste to go with overly flavorful appetizers and hors d' oeuvres. I also would recommend it at a Christmas Eve dinner if you' re serving turkey. chicken , or veal,. For a Christmas dinner, of course, there are the wines. Roast beef and crown rib deserve to be accompanied by a hearty red. Fish, such as a sole in meuniere sauce should have a white wine such as sauvignon blanc. If you have an olio of different meats such as red meat, white meat and fish then put out a few bottles of different wines for you and your guests.
Holiday parties are another animal. A lot of people are just satisfied with a glass of Pinot Grigio or Merlot. Then there are the cocktailers who want to try every "tini" out there or any variety of mojito. To make it easier on yourself limit your selection. This way you wont have guests (and yourself sick with a cornucopia of different mixed drinks. if you know what your crowd likes then stock only those liquors. Another easy way out is just create a punch. Champagne punch is the best. One of my favorites is frozen strawberry concentrate mixed with an Asti. You can also create a rum punch if you;re serving heartier fare. Just remember that some people may not be into any of this so still have bottles of wine and liquor on hand.
It;s hard to decide what to drink with holiday fare. It's best to stay with the basics such as wine and champagne. Add liqueurs and mixed drinks along with the many punches if you want something different. Just remember that any kind of drink is the best one for toasting the holidays.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Cookie Time
No, the title of today's entry is not about Christmas baking - even though it would be appropriate. It's about yesterday's article about in the NY Times Dining section about the cookie tradition at Pittsburgh PA weddings. This is a very neat thing in my book where the bride and groom serve up to a thousand cookies along with the main meal and of course, the cake. Every kind is made and served on the couples' special day. Even neater - they're all made by family members and sometimes the bride herself.
Th article, written by Ron Lieber tells of this wonderful Pittsburgh (and it also is big in the Youngstown OH area too) tradition of having a cookie buffet at weddings. it started out during the Depression when couples couldn't afford elaborate bakery made wedding cakes. Cue in the mothers , aunts and grannies and their endless armory of cookie and biscuit recipes. The idea is a must with Catholic and Protestant brides and grooms and mostly , it seems with Italians. Tables are laden the delicately crispy pizzeli and golden almond laden biscotti. Of course there are American classics too such as the peanut butter blossom, a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Kiss stuck in its' center. I'm sure there are other ones, like buttery spritzes as well as thin vanilla wafers.
If you're wondering does the entire array of cookies get totally devoured during the reception , the answer is no. The newly married couple provide small boxes or festive Chinese takeaway boxes for guest s to bring home their favorites. this started out as too many of the invited would bring their own baggies and load. up. In order not to look too tacky smart newlyweds then decided to supply some kind of box for the leftover treats. This is a great idea and to be honest better than any favor.
I like this idea of a cookie buffet at a wedding. It's a heck of a lot easier to deal with than a whole wedding cake. and makes for some fun snacking. Besides who really wants to go for a whole sit down dinner and dessert when all you want to do is mingle and dance? A cookie buffet is a great way to enjoy a wedding and mingle with the guests.
Th article, written by Ron Lieber tells of this wonderful Pittsburgh (and it also is big in the Youngstown OH area too) tradition of having a cookie buffet at weddings. it started out during the Depression when couples couldn't afford elaborate bakery made wedding cakes. Cue in the mothers , aunts and grannies and their endless armory of cookie and biscuit recipes. The idea is a must with Catholic and Protestant brides and grooms and mostly , it seems with Italians. Tables are laden the delicately crispy pizzeli and golden almond laden biscotti. Of course there are American classics too such as the peanut butter blossom, a peanut butter cookie with a Hershey's Kiss stuck in its' center. I'm sure there are other ones, like buttery spritzes as well as thin vanilla wafers.
If you're wondering does the entire array of cookies get totally devoured during the reception , the answer is no. The newly married couple provide small boxes or festive Chinese takeaway boxes for guest s to bring home their favorites. this started out as too many of the invited would bring their own baggies and load. up. In order not to look too tacky smart newlyweds then decided to supply some kind of box for the leftover treats. This is a great idea and to be honest better than any favor.
I like this idea of a cookie buffet at a wedding. It's a heck of a lot easier to deal with than a whole wedding cake. and makes for some fun snacking. Besides who really wants to go for a whole sit down dinner and dessert when all you want to do is mingle and dance? A cookie buffet is a great way to enjoy a wedding and mingle with the guests.
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