Tasty Sunday Suppers

One of the best times to sit down to  a meal is Sunday night. The hustle and bustle of the weekend is over and it's a time to relax and catch up.It's a time when families can gather over a good meal and chat about their lives. Now there's a new cookbook that has a whole slew of  great Sunday night suppers and desserts.

  Southern Living  contributor and James Beard Award winner Cynthia Graubert wrote this interesting cookbook Sunday Suppers: simple DeliciousmMenus For Family Gatherings (Oxmoor House Press) about a southern tradition, the Sunday supper. This is usually a light repast, followed by a luscious dessert. Hers is just that along with tips and "Southern advice"  about guests and invites. The suppers shouldn't be relegated to just Sunday night. I can see making these for a Friday or most definitely a Saturday night with a small cadre of friends. Another plus is that she sprinkled interviews with famed southern chefs (including one of my Facebook friends, the great cook, Damon Lee Fowler) and their memories of Sunday suppers and what they do to carry on the tradition. I love her little advice paragraphs that are also sprinkled throughout the book. There's one on being tardy - being fashionably late is not acceptable. along with the day after thank you note - do write out one and mail - not email it. She even addresses the overnight guest and what gifts they should bring to thank the hosts.

What of the recipes themselves? First of all, they 're not all Southern.Yes, there are some Low Country and grits recipes but it's a good mix of Mexican and Italian. She has slotted into seasons along with the fun breakfast for dinner. As Ms. Graubert states the menu plans aren't set in stone. A recipe for one meal can easily be the main one for another.It's kind of  like a mix and match. Again, many of these would make fine Saturday night dinners such as the slow cooker pork and baked mac and cheese, followed by the yummy white chocolate chip cookies. Some of the breakfast for dinner recipes would be perfect for a Sunday brunch. Imagine making Spring vegetable frittata and cheese grits casserole on a cozy Sunday morning and finishing with breakfast cookies and coffee. The recipes can also be adapted for tailgate parties too such as the mini muffulettas and apple cole slaw. Finish with any of of the cookie or many brownie recipes.

Nothing beats a Sunday supper shared with family. Luckily Cynthia Graubert has written a fantastic cookbook that offers some tasty dishes , sides and desserts. This is the perfect cookbook for those that treasure lazy Sunday suppers with friends and family.

Three Perfect Holiday Cakes

It's the start of the holiday season and with it a time of sweet treats. Nothing can compare to a home baked cake, made from scratch and with love. The Sunday New York Times Magazine (spoiler alert!) has come up  with three , delicious recipes that are sure to be family favorites and a home baker's go to.

Tejal Rao, a Wednesday Food section contributor, and master chef herself gathered recipes from three pro bakers. The first cake is cranberry lemon stripe cake,by Helen Goh.. She co authored a cookbook, Sweet, with  famed baker and chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. The cake is a festive one with a vertical (!) stripe. The basic cake is a sponge, which is quite malleable. The filling is a cranberry puree made with just frozen cranberries and sugar. The other part of the stripe comes from the cranberry butter cream, however this is not the typical butter cream most home bakers use. This also has corn syrup and egg yolks. It's more labor intensive too, because the eggs and corn syrup have to be cooked and then added to a bowl. and whisked. Butter cubes are added afterwards as does the puree. Assembly  though is easy,It's creating a sponge roll,  wrapping the three buttercream and puree frosted layers around each other. A watered down version of the puree is then drizzled on top.

Another decadent treat is Stella Park's devil's food cake with toasted marshmallow icing. Ms Parks is author of the cake cookbook, Bravetart and has created some amazing desserts and treats. This cake is a classic, rich, dark cake, zinged up with the addition of coffee. The marshmallow icing is a homemade one, consisting of egg whites , sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla. There is also the addition of Kosher salt too to balance out the sweet. The fun comes in icing it and using a small blowtorch to get that toasted look. The third cake comes from Genevieve Koh, creator of  the cookbook, Better Baking, a full recipe book that has gluten free recipes.  Hers is a sugarplum gingerbread cake, ripe with the flavors of the season.Prunes are what give it that earthy fruity sweetness while the full array of spices such as ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves. The prunes do have to be rehydrated and this is done by simmering them in  boiling water for a few minutes, and then bathing them in molasses and baking powder.The cake is baked in a Bundt pan and dusted liberally with cocoa powder.

Any of these cakes would make a holiday meal more festive. Make them for a holiday dinner or holiday party. They are the perfect treat to welcome in the season

Praying For A Good Diet???

Diet, as we all know, takes will power.You need a resolve of steel to stick to it and forgo favorite fattening foods. A new book suggests Divine Intervention can help. Is that true? Can we pray away the pounds?

According to author and creator of  the site Dashing Dish , Katie Ferrell, you can.Her new book, Nourish (Faith Words Publishers, 2017) explains that by eating clean and being spiritual, you can shed pounds and sin, becoming a stronger person in the process. Like many "cookbooks" today this one is all about the personal experience , peppered with recipes. She goes through many transformations from a horrible teen age experience with anorexia and bulimia to a young student nurse to a wife and expecting mother.Her writing is likable and some will identify with her.Ms. Farrell is a Bible reader and applies certain passages to her life so that it all makes sense.It's really the first food related book that offers prayer as a solution. She also broaches on the subjects of perseverance and purpose along with partnering with God. The faithful will see this as great plan. Others many eschew it and concentrate on her sections on portion control and getting rid of the junk. She does make an important point about emotions and how they can guide us down right and wrong paths.

What of the recipes themselves? I find it odd that she tells readers to try to restrain themselves against such treats as cookies and cakes yet has recipes for them. Granted, they  are what she calls clean - meaning there's no butter or refined sugar or flour, yet they 're still temptations. Other recipes are Make Ahead Freezer Smoothie Packs, made with frozen strawberries and bananas mixed with Greek yogurt and almond milk. These are perfect for the dieter on the go, because they whip up into a quick nutritional breakfast. Ms. Farrell also has a sweet potato-turkey burger mash up that's also chock full of spinach . Some will like the cheesy chicken and green chile lasagna, spiced up with chili powder and cumin. Chicken also rules in the taco chicken quinoa bowls along with the ancient grain of quinoa and in chicken Ceasar wraps. Another plus recipe is the Homemade Oat Flour Pizza Crust. This can be turned into the base for many healthy, fresh veggie pizzas and even flatbread. It's too bad she doesn't have any fish recipes since it was clearly mentioned in the New Testament.

Will prayer help with dieting? It can if you believe. Katie Farrell certainly believes in it and uses it to lead a balanced , nourishing life.

Outside The Thanksgiving Box

Everyone expects the ususal Thanksgiving main meal and sides. Yet sometimes, it pays to cook outside the proverbial holiday box of recipes. It could mean experimentation. It could be a meatless day. It could be falling back on family recipes and the exotic ingredients that come with them. It could be a welcomed break from the usual , too.

Everybody has turkey on Thanksgiving.Or do they? What do vegans and vegetarians eat? Or those averse to the taste of gamy bird? Many vegans turn to Tofurkey , a soy substitute that sort of tastes like the real thing.A better idea is making the loaf yourself. Try a stuffed seitan loaf which is basically wheat glutens mixed with nutritional yeast to create a kind of meat loaf . Soy sauce is added to give it a nice brown color, similar to turkey.It can be stuffed, usually with a mix of firm tofu blended with cut carrots, onions and celery, Another idea is wild rice and mushroom casserole that was the topic of Melissa Clark's  A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section.It is also chock full of white beans and spinach too.Fennel and leeks are added to give it a sweet ,flavor and it's topped with  a mix of Panko bread crumbs, rosemary, lemon zest and garlic. Parmesan cheese can also be sprinkled on top if wanted. Ms. Clark also suggests variations to suit the crowd. Brown rice can be subbed in for the wild, Cilantro is used for color and taste but home chefs can also use basil. The bread crumbs can be nixed if guests have celiac disease.

What about those sides? Most will insist on having the usual bread stuffing , along with yams turned into candy  and some kind of green veggie. Yet if that's not part of the anyone's  culinary heritage, don't make them. They'd probably just sit there on the table and then just sit there in the fridge.Ask any Southern Italian or  Greek family who has served manicotti or dolmades with the bird.If your family has kim chi at every holiday , then serve it .If your family likes river weed, a popular green used in Vietnamese cuisine, then put that on the table instead of Brussels sprouts.The same goes for spicing. If you're hosting a multicultural dinner, then think outside the usual salt and pepper. Zing up greens and salads with various ones such as garam masala or paprika.  The last adds color to every dish and can make the ordinary extraordinary. As for bread, the usual is a prim, little roll on a plate Serve warm , crusty baguettes instead. French and Italian bread is excellent for soaking up thick turkey gravy and wonderful for creating sandwiches afterwards. If the family is used to naan or pita, then serve that. The same goes for dessert. Not everyone likes pumpkin pie. Serve fresh fruit or puddings if you want.

Think outside the Thanksgiving box. It's not writtten in stone what you have to cook and bake. Be true to your heritage.Or be different. The end result is a different holiday meal everyone will enjoy.

A Proustian Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, like any holiday , is not just a time for eating but a time of reflection about why and what we eat. Like Proust's madeleines, turkey and its' merry band of sides makes us think about days past and days that are. Are we thankful for that?

That's what the New York Times Food section posed in today's issue. It was none of the usual holiday  recipes and tips (that was last week) and none of the advice from the usual culprits like David  Tanis or Melissa Clark.Only one Food regular A.O. Scott contributed and his is a bittersweet, funny take on being the designated cook. He even has a Thanksgiving Chef's cocktail  which is humorous and reflects the hell most home chefs go through on the day. Most of the pieces  are reflective essays from Pulitzer prize winning writers that show a multifaced and shimmering mosaic on this great American meal. There is one  real, you can make this at home.recipe, and that comes from Jessica B. Harris, who is the pre eminent scholar on the foods of the African Disaspora. She is also responsible for helping the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture create its' cafeteria. Hers is a more loving memory , as she reminisces about setting the table and the Thanksgiving day highlight - rutabega-potato mash with bacon. It's a great recipe to sub in for the usual mashed potatoes and easy to make. The bacon in it adds a smoky tang , a perfect foil for the holiday greens and cranberry sauce.

However, many essays aren't as thoughtful and as cheery as hers. Take for example 2016 Pulitzer prize winner and English professor Viet Thanh Nguyen who teaches his child about the indigenous genocide. He does soften his essay somewhat about how his hardworking parents got a tricked out Vietnamese styled birds, complete with noodles and native spices. Now his is a blend of store cooked turkey and Vietnam delicacies.  On a somewhat lighter side there is Sarah Lyall, a New York Times field reporter who worked for the paper's London branch, writes about how to explain the holiday to stumped Brits. "Just supper?" they'd ask. for a holiday with no presents and no religious overtures. She made it up, creating cookie logs for dessert and mashed squash with olive oil for a side.Emma Cline ,a very young Pulitzer recipient writes about returning to Northern California where the ride home with her dad has more weight than the family dinner. National Book Award winner, Elliot Ackerman writes about the  country being torn apart, back during the Kennedy Era and now and him being a part of many holiday dinners around the world. Other essayists are Parul Sehgal and Wesley Morris who write about cooking and its's weight.  There is an interesting one from New Yorker contributor. Masha Gassen, who gets together with her neighbor to create a welcoming and memorable one for their gay and transgender friends.

Holidays are just that holidays. With them come a wealth of recipes and reflections. They feed off each other as they feed off us.

Roland G. Henin Honoring A Mentor

It is hard to get a good mentor  - no matter what profession you're in. Yet some chefs have had the honor - and fun to work under the great master chef Roland G.Henin. One, Susan Crowther, has honored him in a new tribute book.

Roland G. Henin : 50 Years Of Mentoring Great American Chefs (Skyhorse Publishing 2017) was written by Chef Henin''s former CIA student , Susan, Crowther. It is not just a biography/autobiography, it's a variety of different interviews with such famed and former students as PBS's Mike Colamico and French Laundry's Thomas Keller. Interspersed amongst such are Chef Henin's own recollections on everything from his early years in Tartare, France, a small village not far from the culinary world heritage site of Lyon to his early years in Montreal and Grand Bahama Island. There are some amusing anecdotes  , about the cooking competitions and the hijinks that accompany them.Then there is his teaching at the great CIA - Culinary Institute of America in New Hyde Park, New York, and how he treated (and mistreated) students including the author.Most have very good memories of him, even becoming his friend.

The book is rather dry and long.I found it hard to get really enthused about. It should have been a straight biography, with more details about Chef Henin's  life in France. Instead, it was interview after interview with  fellow chefs working with him on various national and international cooking competitions.Either that or ones with former students that had suffered his wrath. I would have loved to have seen recipes from the competitions as well as ones from the CIA along with some of his family recipes.This would have made the book much more palatable and appealing. Instead, Ms. Crowther has endless conversations with all sorts of chefs and , frankly, one just blended into the next. This is meant to be a valentine,from a former student to her mentor, and it does achieve that. Yet Ms. Crowther should have allowed the chefs to write their own chapters along with providing some kind of recipe associated with this great cook. There aren't even any pictures of the dishes he created , instead there are those of him with fellow chefs and fishing stuck in the book's middle

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If you're familiar with Chef Henin, then this is the book for you. It is an ode to a mentor from a devoted student. That's all it is.

Reopened With A Salute To A Master Chef

The pantry is opened - and I'll add reluctantly. We've lost one of the best master chefs  to ever live - my mother - Elizabeth Helble Roberts and it's tough to write this  - and continue on with the blog. Yet this is what she would have wanted for me.I can hear her now. "Why are you stopping for me? Don't be silly. Continue on with it.Don't disappoint your readers."

So, I will ,Ma,

My mother's background was fashion design yet she came from a family of phenomenal home chefs who in their own right, should have been teaching at culinary schools. She had an excellent background , thanks to a Piedmontese Italian mother and Swabian German father. They taught her the subtleties of good Northern Italian and Southern German cuisine. Her beloved paternal grandmother taught her the intricacies of baking which she excelled at.She aced Home Ec , loving the cooking section as much as she loved the sewing one. When she married my Dad, she got a crash course in Midwestern American cuisine from my great-granny Roberts. She could now expand her repertoire with Southern fried chicken, biscuits and crisps. Ma explored her French heritage too, and her love of Paris. We had restaurant style crepes and Bouef Bourgignon when the neighbors ate baloney sandwiches . She plunged into the Chinese cooking craze and was the only one on the block to cook with a wok. Nothing was too difficult or too exotic for her, She even could cook with whatever was in the fridge. Ma  left behind a true library of cookbooks, from La Gastronome La Rousse to Julia Childs.

Cooking and baking with her was like being with Jacques Pepin or Julia Child. It was a master class , in family recipes and international cuisine. To be honest, I was always nervous to  be in the kitchen with her. What if I failed? What would she say? I stayed out of the kitchen for a long time, letting her take the helm. I love to cook and bake but imagine doing both under the watchful eye of an Escoffier. This blog definitely benefitted from her advice. I was always asking her questions. - "How much egg should I put into a recipe?" "Can we vary the stock - switch chicken for veggie?" "How much garlic should go into the sauce?" She was incredibly inspiring and active  - even up to three weeks ago, before she fell victim to the insidious kidney cancer that destroyed her.

I will miss my Mom, Ma- as a mother and as a best friend, but I will always mourn the loss of a great master chef.

Elizabeth Helble Roberts July 18th 1922 - November 12, 2017 . 95 years of amazing good food , advice and cooking.

I know  you and your Grandma Helble are making the best Springele in Heaven right now!