My Take On Moka Dupont

It was too good a recipe to pass up. Dorie Greenspan wrote up an interesting and what I thought was an easy take on a French icebox cake in last week's Sunday New York Times magazine. The ingredients were simple, Social Tea biscuits, sugar chocolate and sugar along with eggs and butter. I had to make it. What fun! Especially with the warm weather here.

I couldn't find Social Teas so I used  Leibniz butter cookies. I think they come close to the original ones used in 1950's France.They're also a little more buttery too than Social Teas.

These are soaked in espresso with a tablespoons of sugar which I omitted. I felt the French buttercream was too sweet already.

I used Aldi's brand Beaumont coffee. 

The icing was the hardest. I used Lindt's 90 per cent dark chocolate which is almost like Baker's chocolate.

This was broken and melted for one minute and a half in the microwave.

The recipe called for a stick of butter (it is French after all).Instead I used  a stick of Country Crock margarine.It's vegan and does taste like butter.

along with Vegg egg substitute

it calls for one egg with the yolk and the white separately whisked. However this is a vegan household so I used 1/8 th of  a teaspoon  and then fork whisked this with a tablespoon of water.

 It was added to the creamed butter and granulated sugar. The melted chocolate was then folded into all of this.

It's a very gritty , grainy butter cream.

These are the soaked biscuits ,in a casserole pan. Some fell apart.

Then it's layered with icing and cookies.

There was only one problem. The recipe calls for four layers of cookies which I had thanks to buying two packets. However I had to quickly made another batch of icing to accommodate the other two layers. Again I overbought the Lindt chocolate and quickly whipped up another batch.

This is it. A lot of work for a cake that's supposed to be easy to make. As for the taste.I like the fact the icing chilled to a buttery tasting fudge and I do like my choice of Leibniz biscuits just for their buttery taste. The espresso taste works well too. The only thing that does take getting used to is the grainy texture of the icing. 

This is my take on the famed Moka Dupont icebox cake. Would I make it again, knowing all the work involved? Maybe .It does taste yummy for a labor intensive treat.

A New World Of Shopping

It's almost hard to remember what shopping was like back in January. We could go on a whim  just for a pack of cookies  or head out for a last minute ingredient. For the last few months we have to bulk shop and hoard along with figuring out what to do with fifty pounds of something. It's created a new sort of cooking, one we're getting used to now.

Priya Krishna, the author of the popular Indian cookbook  Indian-ish wrote about this new phenomena in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Pantries are overflowing with mostly beans and potatoes these days. People are stress buying, afraid of the shortages appearing and afraid of just heading to their local grocery store. Some, such as Elysia Mann went to the website Nuts.com which sells all sorts of nuts, dried fruit, beans and different flours. She went crazy - although it's hard not to - buying twenty pounds of beans , rice , flour and seeds.She has been living on lupini beans, bitter tasting yellow ones that resemble chickpeas. Some home chefs are even going to restaurant supply stores. Matt Bochneak did just that, buying fifty pounds of potatoes from a local Portland restaurant supply store.He's grilled a few of them and is planning on making gnocchi. Another home chef , Dana Amore , of Honolulu also went to a restaurant supply store where she bought fifty pounds of flour. She had to use an industrial cart to carry it to her car and once home , had to store it in a dog food storage bin.

Buying food in bulk is nothing new. People have been doing it for years at CostCo and Wal-mart. However it hasn't been tinged by hoarding and panic-buying. Consumers did buy twenty-four eggs or a bulk box of cake mixes but that was usually around holiday times. Buying in bulk is cost effective. You do save as Stephanie Ormaeche of Ridgewood New Jersey has found out. It also forces you to cook and not rely so much on restaurant take out food. There's only one problem. Storage, as Ms Ormaeche found out, She and her husband live in a tiny apartment with a tiny kitchen and even tinier pantry. If she opens it, stuff falls out. Certain basics as Ms. Krishna points out have become  coffee, butter beans and canned. goods. Yet others are stockpiling foods not necessarily the basics. Isobella Jade of Houston, has a freezer full of Lean Cuisine fettuccine Alfredo.It's quick to reheat and popular with her and her two sons.There is the worry of waste but many like Manasi Saraswate of Sunnyvale, California developed spreadsheets to help with meals plans and how to use the foods in different meals.

These are strange times for food shopping. Yet there are ways to cook through it. Find fun recipes for all that bulk shopping. It could be hummus for those chickpeas or fresh bread with all that flour. It's a new way of shopping but we can get through it by cooking some delicious recipes.

Ramadan Apart Yet Together

Ramadan is one of those holidays that demands family eat together whether before or after the day's fast. Yet , now it's become a virtual holiday with families sharing delicious meals with family recipes. it is still a familial feast but done differently.

Amelia Nierenberg, a regular contributor wrote about the holiday of Eid al-Fitr for today's New York Times Food section. She interviewed various families throughout the country. Their backgrounds are assorted, from Muslims of Pakistan to Filipino ones. Ramadan holy days of observance consists of two daily meals, the suhoor meals before sunrise and the evening ones or iftars. Both are important, especially for those with large families who gather around tables groaning with dishes. Now it's all virtual. They're eating the same dishes with each other but miles, and even states apart. For Nieda Abbas of New Haven ,Connecticut has been through different Ramadans in different countries. There were fasts in her hometown of Baghdad during the American occupation, followed by observing the holiday in an Iran splintered in sectarianism. Then there was the refuge camp in Turkey. Nothing is as scary as being in New Haven, where going outside is scarier than being in a bombed out war zone. Yet she persists.There is homemade baklava for her children. During the day she cooks for Havenly Treats, a nonprofit organization that helps immigrants. For Imam Amr Dabour of Sacramento, California, the social distancing means praying on line with Zoom and drive through iftars on Friday nights. They get hot food , catered by local restaurants.

Doctors are have the double duty of caring for Covid-19 patients and fasting. Dearborn, Michigan's Zafar Shamoon is the chief of emergency services at the city's Beaumont Hospital. His schedule is hectic and tiring. He misses his cups of coffee that provide him with boosts of energy. Some non-Muslim colleagues  help him so he can take breaks to fast and pray. His six year old daughter brings him dates and water , what the prophet Mohammed ate to break his fast.Newly converted Shawn Grant and his Algerian wife Samah made North African foods. She made bourek , pastries filled with spiced ground meat, cheese and eggs. Sometimes fasting and feasting occur alone as with lawyer Zaheer Maskatia in Washington along with inmate Hassen Mostafa Hassen in Arlington Virginia.  Both have traditional food , especially dates for Mr. Hassen , the taste of sweetness he needs from his Eritrean parents. Yazan Natsheh of Plano, Texas usually celebrates with his frat brothers at the University of Texas at Dallas. This year he's with his parents making maqluba, a Palestinian meat and rice dish that's flipped upside down,  Then there is the Manhattan housekeeper who creates her Indonesian Ramadan dishes of kentang belado, potatoes with hot red sauce and ikan acar kuning, yellow fish. There is also tapioca to make bubble tea and a dish  made with it , ground beef, egg whites and garlic, salt and pepper.

Ramadan is the most holiest of Muslim holidays. It's celebrated in a variety of different ways. What holds them together is the traditional fasting and breaking the fasts. Food is their tradition, during unusual times and ordinary ones.

The Future Of Little Farms

Many states like New Jersey still have small family owned farms dotting the state. It's hard for families to keep them up. What will this summer hold? Can they survive? Will people visit them?

Small farms are still vital. Many provide produce and even meat to groceries in their states. They also provide fresh fruit and veggies to locals in their area as well as visitors just wanting a day in the country. Many also offer extras such as homemade jams and jellies and fresh baked goods like doughnuts and loaf cakes along with fresh from the oven breads and cookies.  These are just starting to open but to what? They won't have the crowds of previous Springs and  summers. There has to be social distancing which mean fewer people inside and out along with less staff. Kids can't have their pictures taken with farm animals as many farms offer nor will families go strawberry picking, the season coming up soon. These two offerings are sure draws and provide a good portion of income. A farm could bring in more by offering essentials such as toilet paper and towels, if they can get their hands on those items. Some stands offer handmade perfumes and soaps from local artisans. There may be more cash coming in if the artisans created scented hand sanitizers and even decorative masks. Yet , it may not be enough to sustain.

Then there is the staff. It's one thing when family pitches in and they all help. Most farms, despite their diminutive acreage, do require outside help for planting and harvesting. Are owners willing to pay as much as grocery stores for help?  Picking is a great job. It's being out in the fresh air, usually alone  and away from people. Everyone is positioned ten to fifteen feet away from each other and the only time to wear a mask and gloves is when the baskets and containers are filled and have to be taken to the farm stand. However when Wal-mart is offering $11 an hour and Target is offering $12.34 an hour plus bonuses how is a farm going to compete when at the most owners may pay only $7 - 8 an hour and  that's without any bonuses or perks. Maintenance also comes into play. Buildings and equipment need to be updated. Luckily New York State had Senator Kristin Gillibrand on their side. She pushed for the CARES Act which has debt forgiveness up to $250,000 for farms with an income of $300,000. This allows them to operate through this Corona virus and well into the fall. This can even get New York State farmers supported into the winter , the slow time for farmers. Hopefully other states will have this  CARES Act too.

What will happen to those small farms that we love? Will they be open this summer? Will we be able to get fresh corn and tomatoes? Hopefully we will for this summer and for many more to come.

Grocery Shopping Gone Wild

By now we're all a little antsy between staying home and going shopping. we're also getting bored with what we're eating. Let's face it , two months of beans and pasta can make any home chef crazy. It's time to go a bit wild at the grocery shopping.

The produce section has some interesting veggies and fruits that are versatile and different. many have jicama which is popular in Mexican cooking. It;'s basically a Mexican turnip but like turnips can be turned into fries and mash. It's a good addition to any diet because of the large amount of potassium it has. and it's low in calories. Try jicama fries the next time you make hamburgers. Depending on where you live you may be able to get nopales or cactus paddles. After being boiled, they can be made in either hot or cold dishes. Since warm weather is coming up, think about a Mexican salad, with them along with green onions, tomatoes and cilantro.Make a zasty lime vinaigrette with it and serve with queso. If you can't find that, then use crumbled feta. Ginger is a wonderful addition to both savory and sweet dishes.Ginger root tea is a wonder antidote for stomach aches or even just for relieving stress. Fresh ginger can be grated and used in everything from stir fries to homemade barbecue sauces.

You can also change up your desserts and snacking. Blackberries are coming into season right now. These are tart and delicious, packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C. Tumble some berries over ice cream or bake them into a rustic tart with blueberries.They're also good just with whipped cream as a decadent treat. Raspberries are another out of the ordinary fruit not many think about. Yet they, too are chock full of antioxidants. Think about having them with dark chocolate syrup for a decadent treat. You can also put a few in brandy for a raspberry toddy.Another idea is a raspberry parfait layered with vanilla ice cream, chocolate and whipped cream.The ice cream can be varied too. Try such variations as soy, cashew, almond or oat milk. These are actually creamier and tastier than  the cow milk ice cream. Soy Delicious has some excellent flavors from mint chip made from coconut milk to chocolate velvet with the base ingredient of soy milk, You can make excellent ice cream cakes with any of these. They work well be mashed into molds and hold the shape. As for the non dairy milks, try these for healthier alternatives in such fun drinks as smoothies and egg creams.

Treat yourself and your family to something different and fun on your next shopping trip. It';s a way t liven up cooking in confinement. Be bold. Be adventurous with your food shopping.

Sweet Treats For Mom

Even though you can';t go to the store to pick up candy for mom , you can still give her delicious gems of chocolate . A homemade treat is not only sweet but memorable. It's easy to create something that will highlight her special day. It can be as homey as fudge or as elegant as truffles. Whatever you make is a gift.

One of the easiest candies to make is fudge. It's a simple mix of chocolate chips, condensed milk, butter and if you want chopped walnuts. Everything is cooked in a large saucepan over a low heat and then poured into a prepared pan. A buttered one would add more buttery flavor but parchment or aluminum foil can be used for easy removal. You can add a few drops of mint extract for a chocolate mint flavor. For mom's who live a nutty treat think a peanut butter fudge.Add  two cups of either smooth or crunchy peanut butter along with peanut butter chips to vanilla and confectioners sugar. This is layered onto chocolate fudge for a strata effect. Haystacks are another easy make. This is a two ingredient candy that just needs melted chocolate and toasted coconut. The coconut is first toasted either in an air fryer or toaster oven while the chocolate is melted in the microwave., You can add a small amount of butter for richness. Haystacks can also be made with milk chocolate and white chocolate chips too. Create all three flavors for more choices.

Surprisingly anyone can create sophisticated candies such as truffles. It's really all about the filling which is a rich ganache. This is simply chocolate and cream but it should be good chocolate in the 60 - 70 per cent. Do not use chocolate chips or chopped bars that can have hardening agents.This can ruin the candy's texture.  Baking chocolate works the best. Use a heavy whipping cream so the ganache can develop a thickness. It's then heating it , in the microwave and pouring the hot cream over the chocolate. Stir to  combine. Then it's whisking it until it's smooth and shiny. After pour into a shallow pan and put in the fridge. To shape the truffles, use a melon baller  and then roll them in cocoa powder, chopped nuts  and sprinkles for a candy box variety. You can fill the truffle balls with candied ginger or a whole almond for a different treat. If mom likes spice and chai tea, you can whip up a batch of chai truffles. It's a mix of cinnamon, ginger, cardamon and cloves. along with star anise and black tea. All of this is cooked with heavy cream. The blend is them mixed with good milk chocolate and more spices are added for zing. These can rolled in grated milk chocolate when they're hardened.

Candy for Mother's Day is always a treat. Homemade candy is an extra special one moms will surely enjoy. Whip up a batch today or tomorrow for a truly tasty gift.

A Very Special Mother's Day

This Mother's Day is going to be different. There's no dress up brunches at fancy buffets. No picnics at the beach or the park. We may have to stay in, yet there's no reason why we can't make it a special day with special meals and treats.

Breakfast is always the most important meal on Mother's Day. It can still be festive. Think French toast, always a treat. You could make the usual way with a batter of milk, egg , cinnamon and vanilla but vary the bread. Use Italian or French bread for a denser slice that's perfect drowning in maple syrup and melted butter. Challah and egg bread are also good too, creating a thicker piece that works well with both syrups and jams. A really lush treat is a plate of French toast croissants. These can be split to be stuffed with almond butter or mom's favorite jelly or jam.A French toast casserole is an easy bake.It's an easy creation that's similar to bread pudding. It would be a great dessert after a few mini omelets. A mini omelet is a fun way to add protein to the meal.. Everyone can enjoy a one egg one with different fillings. You don't have to have meat , Fill them with  chopped tomatoes, peppers, and onions along with broccoli and spinach. Add a dash of hot sauce for a huevos rancheros vibe. You can even turn them into sandwiches by placing them on toasted English muffins. Add slices of cheese such as cheddar and Montery Jack for extra flavor.

Lunch and dinner can be a restaurant worthy too. A tasty dish  mothers are sure to love is risotto Milanese.This is an elegant meal , great served on fancy china and accompanied by a chilled Chardonnay from Piemonte. Everyone thinks that this type of risotto is a fancy and labor intensive dish, but once mastered, is easily made again.It's sweating a chopped onion and adding arborio rice to the pot Wine is then added and for the color saffron soaked veggie or chicken broth. It does require saffron which is a bit pricey and hard to get however it's really the backbone of the recipe. A simple , yet just as elegant dish is pasta aglia e olio, It's usually angel hair or spaghetti topped with a very easy garlic and oil sauce. It's toasting the garlic in olive oil and then tossing in red pepper flakes for excitement and bite.Sprinkle Parmesan  and parsley on it when served. Have the  barbecue ready if the weather is warm. Even if there is a meat or beef shortage think Gardein Burgers or Beyond Burgers, They taste the same as the real thing, You can even layer them with tomato, onions and lettuce. Add homemade guacamole and special sauce (It's just a mix of relish, mayo and ketchup). As for sides, homemade potato salad is an easy make along with macaroni salad. End with an outdoor movie and popcorn.

Mother's Day can still be special with special dishes. They're relatively easy to make and sure to be a new favorite with the moms in your lives. Try them for a tasty and delicious holiday treat.