Your Own Bistro

 There is absolutely nothing like french food,especially the recipes coming form the classic bistros dotting the country. The food is absolutely delicious, rich in flavors, perfect in execution. Now you can bring the bistro home with a brand new cookbook. It's full o fall sots of recipes from brunch to dessert.

This wonderful cookbook is America's Test Kitchen Modern Bistro : Home Cooking Inspired by French Classics (enguin Random House 2022). It's a great book for anyone who's visited France or a true blue Francophile. I love this book. There are so many different recipes from steak frites to the perfect omelet. Since this comes from that great PBS cooking show America's Test Kitchen there is a chapter on the ingredients and the right equipemnt to use such as the French kitchen standard the mandoline. Another plus are explanations on mastering bistro cooking techniques.Home chefs can learn how to fold an omlet and sear a perfect steak. There is a good guide to cheese which helps in creating the perfect charcuterie platter.Another plus is that this is modernized ,reflecting France's now varied population.A Yemeni spice called hawaij is one of the cheif ingredients in a creamy cauliflower soup.Vadouvan,a blend of Indian spices that French colonizers too from India centuries ago is in asauteed  radish and almond dish. There is a section on wines and sheery because these too are ingredients in French cooking.It's a good guide as are the tips with each recipe/

There is a wide range of recipes to try. I would definitely go with my favorites like  crunchy croque monsiuer with a Mornay sauce and French onion soup. What I like about their recipe is that they use croutons instead of a slice of French bread. There are also takes on American classics too,like burgers made from sirloin and topped with homemade onopn jam and a grown up three cheese,  mac and cheese - which has french origins, the recipe coming over with Tom Jefferson. Of course there are the bistro classics like steak au poivre and the buttery stew daube provencale with its; mix of beef and salt pork. Cheese fondue also makes an appearance along with mouth watering omelet recipes. The breakfast and brunch section are another favorite. There are waffle and a really good eggs Benedict recipe with a tasty Hollandaise sauce. Yes. there are dessert recipes.The Gran Marnier souffle is a must try as are the chocoalte pot di creme.Galettes bith savory and sweet abound here. Two must tries are the tomato and potato ones. There are also bread recipes. such as the airy baguette.

America's Test Kitchen  Modern Bistro: Home Cooking Inspired by French Classics is the definite kitchen must have. The recipes are rich and delicious. Any one is full of flavor just like their bistro counterparts.

The Art of Butter

 Sculptors have different mediums to work with such as marble, metal and butter. Butter?? Yes there are some who shine in this creamy medium. Their works are breathtaking   - and delicious.

Food writer Christina Morales wrote about the Rodin of butter sculpting in yesterday's New York Times Food section. His name is Gerry Kulzr and he took over from the reigning scultor of the Minnesota State Fair, Linda Christensen.It's not an easy medium. Mr. Kulzer , an art teacher at Eden Valley-Watkins High School had to shadow his predecessor to learn the intricacies of working with cold butter. Unlike other mediums, it melts and is harder to work with than his ususal clay .It's also more difficult to layer than clay. How did he get the job?He was chosen from a pool of five applicants picked by Ms. Chistiansen and the Midwest Dairy Trade Group.His skills at sculpting and bronze casting stood out as did his bakckground, He grew up on a grain farm and worked on his cousin's dairy farm. This gave him an intimate understanding of the craft.

He then trained with Ms. Chritensen. His first sculpture was that of a Minnesota farmer, mirroring hers. They made sure the features were aligned.The ultimate sitter was the dairy princess, Princess Kay of the MIlky Way Brenna Connelly.It was a two day posing. She had to move her head in different positions so Mr. Kulzer could capture every feature with perfection. He used a wire hoop and his knife that he found in a second hand shop "Old Faithful" to cut off large chunks and then mold the squishy spread to form ears and her nose. This is mothing new. The first butter sculpture happened a century ago .In 1965 the Midwest Dairy Group rhought it would be a fun idea to sculpt the finalists in the Midwest Dairy's pageant. Nine hundred pounds of butter is needed for this and they have donated it. Thankfully the butters goes home with the princess. Ms. Connelly used it for her brother's pancake graduation breakfast. He's called dibs on the nose but she'll keep the rest intact.

Butter sculpting may seem extravagent in this day and age. Yet it's a fun way to celebrate the finalists and the dairy industry. it's alsoa  neat way to show off a sculptor's talent.

The Tradition Of Kimchi

 What keeps a culture together is its' food. This is never more true than the Korean dish kimchi and the making of it.It brings family and friends together , where ever they are in the world.

Regular contributor and chef Eric Kim wrote about this traditional of all Korean dishes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. He writes about the act of making it , usually in November with those near and dear in a rite called kimgiang and alternatively gimgiang. UNESCO World Heritage recognizes it as an intangible cultural heritage, that's passed down from generation to generation.It's living history.It symbolizes the tough Korean spirit To survuve hard times you must make yourself more resilient, Kimchi was a fall crop that would keep a tough people going through cold , harsh winters.It;s made in mid fall with pickling and Napa cabbage,placing this in a kimchi pot. and then buried in the garden , One family's recipe is not better than another.It's thought that the dish belongs to the nation, and on  a smaller level communities. Lauryn Chun remembers her grandmother's kingiang's wehre all the neighborhood women came over to make kimchi. The gathering was like a party, with hundreds(!)of pounds of brined cabbage being seasoned with spices. They even sampled the cabbage.Ms. Chun now makes it for her company Mother-In-Law's KImchi which her mother also has at her restaurant in Garden Grove, California.Brooklun chef , Susan KIm adds oysters to her family recipe which gives the cabbage a kick.

KImchis is not hard to make. Chef Kim gives the basic recipe along with a white kimchi stew one.As Ms, Chun puts it "If you can make a salad you can make kimschi". There are steps but they're not necessarily difficult ones. Chef Kim's recipe has a medium head of napa cabbage and dry brining it. It starts with rinsing the head and then cutting the leaves into the strips while still attached, Brining takes anywhere from  one to two hours. The pickling is a mix of ten garlic cloves a whole piece of ginger , fish sauce and Daikon radishes. Two green apples or an Asian pear is added for sweetness,A small yellow onion and a Korean red pepper are also added.Allthe ingredeitns save for the fisj sauce and the ghochu garu are pureed until fluffy. These two ingredients are added to the mix. carrots are added to this. Cut them into matchstick pieces and then add the cabbage.Transfer the sauced cabbaged to  jug and tamp down with your hands,It's fermented for two o three days on the kitchen counter. Burp it by letting out extra air every couple of hours. The kim chi stew combines a pork shoulder, ginger onions and kimchi into a flavorful braise.

KImchi is the heart and soul of Korea and its' cooking. It's spicy mix is comforting and tasty. It's truly a heritage dish.

Preserve Us!!

It's time to think about a cost effective way  to eat. There's no better way than looking to how our grandparetns and great grandparents found ways to eat cheaply. It comes in the form of preserving and smoking foods. 

Preserving foods can be done. Many home chefs have qualms because they afraid - and rightfully so - about salmonella and botulism. However canning done right can be a great help. You can not only store the best of harvest but also keep feeding from it until the holidays. You will need a canning pot - although any large lobster pot will do - along with canning jars and lids.  The last can come in all shapes and sizes. There are two kids of lids a one piece or a two piece lid or band combination. There are also special tools you'll need to get too. All are stainless steel and they range from a canning funnel to a magnetic lid lifter and bubble remover along with a stainless steel ladle, tongs and canning jar lifter (the jars will be red hot after the preserves are poured into them.Most veggies can be canned as most fruits too. However it;s the canned veggies that will be used for sides  - even for the holidays. Canned produce also make for nice gifts for the holidays especially for those family who are food challenged.Think of them when you can so you can increase the amount of fruits and veggies used.

Another way of preserving food is smoking meats.A perfectly smoked and wrapped piece of meat can last for three months in the freezer.Smoked meat can last four days in the fridge. Beef and pork are the two most popular meats that are smoked.One of the most is a beef brisket which can be flavored a variety of ways. You can try it with garlic Texas style or one with an onion powder sea salt and freshly ground pepper rub. Smoked pork paired with apple is a great October dish.Try one that's been bene first rubbed with olive oil then spritzed with apple juice and apple cider vinegar.Keep spritzing the meat with this as it's smoking.It's usually smoked for two hours at 225 degrees Farenheit. Smoked turkey breast is another great meat that can be smoked and frozen.Keep in mind that it does need to be thawed out for at least three days ( a week is the best). Unlike with roasted turkey, you don;t have to brine it,Just rub either olive oil or butter on it for a nice crispy skin.Season it with salt and pepper. How to thaw out smoked meats?  By letting soak in ice water for two to three hours , Refresh the water once.

Preserving and smoking food is a good way to prepare for the upcoming fall. You can save a ton of money this way. It;'s a great way to pinch pennies while stille enjoying good food.

David Burke's Dixie Lee Pure Deliciousness

 There was a lot of worry when the famed chef David Burke took over Keansburg, New Jersey's famed Dixie Lee Bakery. Would he keep the classic cake and bread recipes that the bakery was known for? What about their famed onion rye bread?Or their much loved chocolate dipped butter cookies? Would these be kept? Good news. Chef Burke and his pastry chef have not only maintained favorite recipes but added a spin on many treats.

I visited yesterday and was pleasantly suprtised. The bakery itself has been spruced up. There are added shelves that hold everything from penny candy to a new addition Dixie Lee Coffee. You can even buy chocolate truffles here, another new addition.

These are the cookies and Chef Burke has kept most of the original kinds. It was a relief to see that the chocolate filled green and pink leaf cookies were still there. I liked that they used more white chocolate now for variety. My favorites the big cookies were also still around - thanks heavens.

There are still Lindzer tortes along with apple strudels and fruit tarts. I bought their brownies and jelly doughnuts. 

This is the best jelly  doughnut I've ever had. For one it has a grape jelly center instead of the usual raspberry. It was heavenly. I hope the Dixie Lee decides to offer jellies like this to be spread on their croissants, It was flavortful but not too sweet. The grape flavor came through strong, a perfect foil to the light yeasty dough around it. The doughnut was encrusted in granualted sugar - which just topped it off.

The brownies were also perfect and they and the doughnuts are my new favorites. This was a seriously old fashioned brownie, moist and fudgy  - loaded with walnuts. I love the chocolate frosting on top.It's like an extra bite of fudge along with the granulated sugar dusted bottom. Every bite was perfect. 

I will be trying out the cookies on my next trip and maybe croissants if there are any left. The parking lot was filled  - unusual for the bakery on a summer Sunday afternoon.My only fear is that it becomes too popular with regulars like myself being crowded out.It is good business for this Raritan Bay beach town where the only lucrative businesses are the beach itself, the water park and famed amusement park. 

Chef David Burke has knoicked it out of the park this time. The Dixie Lee offers an amazing array of baked goods from bread to cookies,brownies to jelly doughnuts. It's the destination bakery to visit.

 

Tomatoes By The Twos And Threes

 There's a phenomenon that's happening right now involving tomaottes.Maybe because it's the height of their season or there's so many of them right now. It seems that there are many dishes requiring two and three types of tomatoes.

I discovered this a week ago when I was trying to use up leftover grape and vine ripened ones . Both kinds looked ripe and juicy so why not combine them in a salad with some fresh basil and olive oil? It turned out to be a good combination, The smaller variety gave the bigger ones sweetness while the larger vine ripes brought a full bodiedness to the salad.A more colorful variation .  is using the Japanese black cherry tomatoes many groceries are selling right now. Combine these with what's called rainbow tomatoes (usually cherry tomatoes in orange,yellow and bright red hues) for a colorful end of summer dish. To make it more refreshing you could add watermelon chunks. Another idea is adding some kind of cheese whether feta or provolone.For a more Provencale flavor think about adding capers and anchovies or tuna to the salad too. A panzanella  or bread salad using different kinds of tomatoes is another tasty summer side or even lunch. Tear up a fresh loaf of Itlian bread or a baguette , toss in the mix of tomatoes and douse with a good glug of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkling of torn freshly picked basil leaves.It's actually the easiest dish to make on a too hot day.

Can a combination of tomatoes be used in hot dishes! Yes! There is a recipe in tomorrow's New York Times Sunday Magazine that has Chef Eric KIm's sauce recipe. This looks like a good one, not just for the summer but for the cooler months ahead.He takes a mix of plum, cherry, grape and Campari tomatoes and transform them intoa silky sauce. Campari tomatoes has a high  sugar level and low acidity ,a perfect foil for the others.  All are coarsely chopped and then sauteed in olive oil and garlic .Cook  until the mix bubbles steasily. Salt is added and then the tomatoes are simmered over a medium heat. This will takes forty minutes until the tomatoes break down and then the sauce is sieved into a big bowl. Doing such rids the sauce of the skins and seeds,Repeatedly scrape the pulp agsinst the strainer to release more juice The sauce is then poured over spaghetti that's been cooked in the Dutch oven.It's stirred until every strand is coated. Tomato chutney is another dish you could make with two different kinds of tomatoes, It's an Indian side dish ususally cooked with a wide variety of spices.Most recipes call for one kind of tomato but you could add some grape or cherry ones for a sweetness that tempers the fieriness. Another idea is taking Campari and heriloom tomatoes and combining them in a tomatoes Provencale where they're sauteed in garlic and oil and topped with generous amount of breadcrumbs.

Combining toamtoes in cold and hot dishes is becoming popular. It's a great way of emphasizing the fruit's sweet and vegetal flavor. Try them in any combination for a tasty dish.

One Grill So Many Uses

 There's nothing like an August barbecue. Corn and tomatoes for grilling are in full harvest and there/s still the urge for hamburgers and hot dogs. There's stil time to fire up the grill.

I feel this way thanks to my new grill.

This is the Expert Grill bought on sale today from one of my local Wal-Marts. It was orginally $107 and was on sale for $90. A true bargain. It can grill up to twenty (!!!) burgers on it, perfect for when I have to cook both plant based and meat patties.It also has a cool warming rack perfect for when there are batches of burgers and dogs.Another plus is the serving table with three hooks for barbecuing utensils and a thermometer to let me know the heat of the coals. A fun extra is the bottle opener, perfect for root beer (and maybe a few Coronas). However the best feature is the slide out ash pan for quicker cleaning. I LOVE this grill!!!!

What to make onit? Well, the usual Impossible Burgers and Field vegan hot dogs. I also want to try grilling veggies, like tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. Even though I can't eat corn myself the idea of grilling up Mexican street corn or elotes, slathered with crema sauce and sprinkled with Cotija cheese. I may experiment with making a grilled tomato sauce and savoring its' smoky taste. Then there are the fruits.I love grilled pineapple rings with butter and brown sugar. These make the perfect summer dessert.Peaches are something Im eager to grill along with bananas. Bananas foster will be even better with them grilled. You can also grill figs and melons  along with avocados but I think I'll hold off on them. Should there be s'mores.Maybe but melted and charred marshnallow a day later is a pain to clean. I may get grilling pans, now probably on sale. I can place marshmallows along with produce on these and then just soak in the sink to clean like any other pan.

Happiness is a new grill, especially the Expert Grill. There's still hot weather. There's still time for a good barbecue with yummy foods.