Taiwan has been in both China's and Japan's culinary shadows. Yet this vibrant country has its' own original fusion cuisine, full of colorful and flavorful dishes. It will definitely be the next big cuisine , thanks to Taiwanese chefs on both coasts, dedicated to bringing it into the American mainstream.
Julia Moskin interviewed several Taiwanese chefs in yesterday's New York Times Food section, visiting several restaurants on both the East and West coasts. The cuisine starts with this island's history. It will always have ties to China, having been settled by Chinese fishermen 6,000 years ago. The 1600's saw the Dutch , Portuguese, Scottish and English settle and lived among the indigenous peoples. The last 130 years saw rule by the Japanese until 1945 and then the Chinese. The cuisine reflects those different eras. There are the foods of the native Taiwanese - roots like taro and sweet potatoes, wild herbs and greens , along with seafood. Regional areas contribute dishes.In central Chiayi City, locals grow up with rice bowl topped with locally raised chicken. The meat is shredded and dressed with its' own juices and fat.Coastal Tainan cooks improvised slack season noodle bowls when the weather was too rough for fishing. These contained pork stock, garlic and noodles to stretch whatever fish they had.The Hakka, Chinese who arrived from the mainland in the 1600's brought rice dumplings and pickled vegetables. The Japanese gave them sashime, bento boxes and udon or stew. There are even dishes like pulled bread from the Muslim Hua people of Western China and Fujan province settlers gave the cuisine braising liquids and three cup chicken.
Now these dishes are being served in Taiwanese restaurants in the US. Years ago, Taiwanese cooking was lumped in with Chinese. Now it's emerging as one unto itself. We've been drinking and eating it for years. Bubble tea, mango shave ice,popcorn chicken with five spices and steamed buns with pork belly - gua bao. There is more to the cuisine though as Baohaus , the famed restaurant by the Renaissance person, Eddie Huang (who created the ABC series, "Fresh Off The Boat"). Some of the menu has a decidedly New York vibe, but there are traditional baos or rolls filled with pork, chicken and tofu, all spiced up with the Taiwanese holy trinity of cilantro, peanuts and pickled greens. An East Village Taiwanese restaurant, Ho Foods, offers the popular and much beloved beef noodle soup which draws not only "Chinese aunties" but advice on what to add to Taiwan's national dish. On the West Coast there is Vivian Ku's Los Angeles based Pine and Crane in the city's Silver Lake district and Joy in Highland Park. Hers centered on the vegetable tradition of Taiwan. Her menu has smaller plates of marinated eggplant, fresh mushroom salad and edamame with black pepper. Even a non Taiwanese chef such as Trigg Brown has created such dishes for Win Son in Brooklyn. He has even used the holy trinity in a dessert.
Taiwanese food is on the rise here in the States.It is delicious , full of flavor and history. A new generation of chefs is making sure those recipes are getting out to a public hungry for different yet traditional cuisines.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
A Salute To Maida Heatter
We recently lost one of the country's greatest bakers, Maida Heatter. An older generations of home bakers will be more than familiar with her work. She created the most heavenly desserts in an era where calories never counted. Now modern home bakers can enjoy recreating one of her most popular recipes.
Margaux Laskey a regular contributor and food blogger tackled Ms. Heatter's most famous recipe in today's New York Times Food section. It is chocolate mousse torte that was one of the New York Times most requested and most famous recipes back in 1972. Ms. Heatter never started out to be a baker yet she did start out in a creative industry - fashion design. This graduate of Pratt Institute could have easily gone into the family business of radio journalism. Her father was the famed journalist Gabriel Heatter. Ms. Heatter discovered baking when her third husband, Ralph Daniels opened up a Miami Beach restaurant in 1966. she volunteered her services which turned out to be a wild success. It was not her baking but her cooking that caught the eye of Craig Claiborne, the famed food critic and food journalist at the Times. She offered an elephant omelet (!) made with real elephant meat (!) as a promotional stunt for the '72 Republican convention. His article started out with that, but ended up promoting her bittersweet chocolate mousse and Queen Mother cake. From there it was onto cookbook writing where she finally was inducted into the James Beard foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame.
This recipe in today's Food section can be made by anyone. It is a classic chocolate mousse torte with the bottom being fine dry bread crumbs or cocoa powder. It requires eight large eggs, with the yolks and white separated (unfortunately you can't use aqua faba for this). A chopped up semisweet chocolate bar - and not chips make up the backbone of the recipe. There's also a tablespoon of instant espresso or coffee powder is also added for a mocha vibe. The chocolate is first melted in a bain-marie or double boiler. An easier way would be melting the chocolate in the microwave (watch out that it doesn't burn which can easily happen when nuking it). Dissolve the coffee into hot water and then pour it over the chocolate.it's then left to stand for five minutes, covered with a towel.If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, return to the microwave for fifteen second blasts until everything is melted. The yolk are then whipped in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. The chocolate is added along with the vanilla Then the egg whites are whisked with the chocolate mixture being added in small batches.It's then poured into the pie plate and baked for twenty-five minutes.Pop into the fridge to chill The mousse is topped with a lush homemade whipped cream and dusted with shaved dark chocolate.
Maida Heatter was a national treasure. The same can be said of this decadent dessert. Make it. Enjoy it. It is a rich classic.
Margaux Laskey a regular contributor and food blogger tackled Ms. Heatter's most famous recipe in today's New York Times Food section. It is chocolate mousse torte that was one of the New York Times most requested and most famous recipes back in 1972. Ms. Heatter never started out to be a baker yet she did start out in a creative industry - fashion design. This graduate of Pratt Institute could have easily gone into the family business of radio journalism. Her father was the famed journalist Gabriel Heatter. Ms. Heatter discovered baking when her third husband, Ralph Daniels opened up a Miami Beach restaurant in 1966. she volunteered her services which turned out to be a wild success. It was not her baking but her cooking that caught the eye of Craig Claiborne, the famed food critic and food journalist at the Times. She offered an elephant omelet (!) made with real elephant meat (!) as a promotional stunt for the '72 Republican convention. His article started out with that, but ended up promoting her bittersweet chocolate mousse and Queen Mother cake. From there it was onto cookbook writing where she finally was inducted into the James Beard foundation Cookbook Hall of Fame.
This recipe in today's Food section can be made by anyone. It is a classic chocolate mousse torte with the bottom being fine dry bread crumbs or cocoa powder. It requires eight large eggs, with the yolks and white separated (unfortunately you can't use aqua faba for this). A chopped up semisweet chocolate bar - and not chips make up the backbone of the recipe. There's also a tablespoon of instant espresso or coffee powder is also added for a mocha vibe. The chocolate is first melted in a bain-marie or double boiler. An easier way would be melting the chocolate in the microwave (watch out that it doesn't burn which can easily happen when nuking it). Dissolve the coffee into hot water and then pour it over the chocolate.it's then left to stand for five minutes, covered with a towel.If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, return to the microwave for fifteen second blasts until everything is melted. The yolk are then whipped in an electric mixer with the whisk attachment. The chocolate is added along with the vanilla Then the egg whites are whisked with the chocolate mixture being added in small batches.It's then poured into the pie plate and baked for twenty-five minutes.Pop into the fridge to chill The mousse is topped with a lush homemade whipped cream and dusted with shaved dark chocolate.
Maida Heatter was a national treasure. The same can be said of this decadent dessert. Make it. Enjoy it. It is a rich classic.
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
A Glamping Cooking Experience
Glamping has been a vacation choice for quite some time now. It's a glamorous take on camping - think a Downton Abbey picnic stretched out for a few days. What do you bring to eat? Glamorous food - what else.
Usually camping cooking and cuisine consists of wienies on a stick If you're lucky,it's a fish caught in a nearby lake or stream , steamed in a foil packet.Cooking gear can be any of the twigs you can find along with tin cups and plates bought at the local sporting goods store.. Put all those away. Glamping demands fine food eaten on non paper plates .Most glamping sites have some kind of canteen however there are some with outdoor kitchens for campers. There is usually a small two burner stove and a microwave.Some sites have a communal fridge with only enough space for one group of campers. Other glamping sites offer refrigerators with freezers for two glamping groups. You will have to bring your own plates and utensils as well as some cooking gear. Glam plates and glasses can be found at Amazon . They have a Picnic At Ascot-Surrey willow picnic basket, complete with a coffee service for two. It comes with sturdy melamine plates and glass wineglasses. There are also metal knives and forks along with salt and pepper shakers. What else to take? Camping cookware. There are sets that contain kettles, pans for frying along with spatulas for flipping filet mignon burgers.
What foods to take on a glamping trip?Treat yourself to the good stuff. Start the day with eggs Benedict on slices of brioche bread. The bread can later be used for sandwiches., whether for lunch or dinner. You can also treat yourself and crew to French toast with fresh fruit from the nearby farmer's market and maple syrup if you're near any maple farms. Lunch can be an easy mushroom pate, served on crackers or the brioche bread. A salad is also a good choice , along with it being an easy make. Again, take advantage of any of the farmer's markets and farms you passed on the way to the campsite.A bowl of mixed , organic greens dressed with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette is always a good choice. You can buy already roasted chicken to cut up and put into it. Another idea is the Provencale sandwich, pain bagnat . This a a demi loaf of French bread stuffed with sliced hard boiled eggs, Genoa tuna (tuna in olive oil), tomato and red onions. A simple red wine vinaigrette give its its' flavor. As for dinner. if you're glamping by the coast, then take advantage of the seafood. Boiling lobsters can be messy - and traumatic. Buy the meat already cooked. Serve on toasted , buttered rolls or as a cold meal mixed with crab and shrimp. Dessert can be s'mores but use Valrhona dark chocolate and gourmet marshmallows in coffee or strawberry flavors instead of the usual fare.
Glamping is a fun spin trip out of the ordinary. It requires sophisticated cooking and foods. This is what makes the experience even more unique.
Usually camping cooking and cuisine consists of wienies on a stick If you're lucky,it's a fish caught in a nearby lake or stream , steamed in a foil packet.Cooking gear can be any of the twigs you can find along with tin cups and plates bought at the local sporting goods store.. Put all those away. Glamping demands fine food eaten on non paper plates .Most glamping sites have some kind of canteen however there are some with outdoor kitchens for campers. There is usually a small two burner stove and a microwave.Some sites have a communal fridge with only enough space for one group of campers. Other glamping sites offer refrigerators with freezers for two glamping groups. You will have to bring your own plates and utensils as well as some cooking gear. Glam plates and glasses can be found at Amazon . They have a Picnic At Ascot-Surrey willow picnic basket, complete with a coffee service for two. It comes with sturdy melamine plates and glass wineglasses. There are also metal knives and forks along with salt and pepper shakers. What else to take? Camping cookware. There are sets that contain kettles, pans for frying along with spatulas for flipping filet mignon burgers.
What foods to take on a glamping trip?Treat yourself to the good stuff. Start the day with eggs Benedict on slices of brioche bread. The bread can later be used for sandwiches., whether for lunch or dinner. You can also treat yourself and crew to French toast with fresh fruit from the nearby farmer's market and maple syrup if you're near any maple farms. Lunch can be an easy mushroom pate, served on crackers or the brioche bread. A salad is also a good choice , along with it being an easy make. Again, take advantage of any of the farmer's markets and farms you passed on the way to the campsite.A bowl of mixed , organic greens dressed with a homemade blueberry vinaigrette is always a good choice. You can buy already roasted chicken to cut up and put into it. Another idea is the Provencale sandwich, pain bagnat . This a a demi loaf of French bread stuffed with sliced hard boiled eggs, Genoa tuna (tuna in olive oil), tomato and red onions. A simple red wine vinaigrette give its its' flavor. As for dinner. if you're glamping by the coast, then take advantage of the seafood. Boiling lobsters can be messy - and traumatic. Buy the meat already cooked. Serve on toasted , buttered rolls or as a cold meal mixed with crab and shrimp. Dessert can be s'mores but use Valrhona dark chocolate and gourmet marshmallows in coffee or strawberry flavors instead of the usual fare.
Glamping is a fun spin trip out of the ordinary. It requires sophisticated cooking and foods. This is what makes the experience even more unique.
Monday, June 10, 2019
A Listening Kind Of Party
Last week the New York Times Food section ran an article by Ben Ratliff, about Japanese listening bars.This is where patrons go to hear jazz ,carefully curated by the bartender as they sip drinks or in some cases coffees and lattes. An idea came to me. What about a listening party? What would you serve for food and drink? It 's an open book.
I like this idea for both classical and jazz music. Listening bars are not meant for conversation. They're meant for savoring the notes and tunes. Add a layer of food and it can be a pleasurable experience. Parties , especially now, can be fraught with too many polarizing politics. These do nothing for the gathering, except cause all sorts of fighting and sniping. Forget eating.Guests are either too riled or too dyspeptic to enjoy any kind of hors d'ouevres. Yet a group solely listening to various jazz artists or Beethoven could turn a social occasion into a Zen happening. You do need a good audio system and vinyl albums or CDs. Which is better?Some prefer vinyl records because they have a warmer,fuller sound. You get to hear the music as the band intended it to be. Of course CDS also work as does a tablet playlist. The best bet for a listening party is pick one artist.Have his or her work on rotation for the duration of the gathering. Seating arrangements can be one table with the food and drink,. Scatter chairs and small tables for setting down the refreshments and food.
As for the food, keep it to savory hors d'ouevres and dessert bites.For jazz listening, think a New Orleans themed listening party with spicy miniature po' boys. Add oysters for a more decadent bite. Create baked rice cups in a muffin or mini muffin pan and fill with gumbo and/or jambalaya. A variety of pastes and pates served on slices of cocktail bread (which can be found at any major supermarket's deli counter).The pastes and pates can easily be made from deviled ham, chicken and beef, Add anything from a drop of champagne to scallions to make the pastes truly unique. This can also work for a classical music listening party. Have people take plates of raw veggies and dips to their seats. You can set up a dip bar with such varying dips as a simple vinaigrette to homemade French and ranch dressings.Cheese and crackers will never go amiss.Think a cheese board with Brie Edam, and Gouda for a start .Aldi has an excellent cracker box , with an array of crackers, ranging from butter to sesame and poppyseed. Dessert can be cookie cups filled with fruit and cream.If you're listening to classical, then think both classy and classical. Go with homemade petit fours and macarons (the last can be bought) Start the evening off with wine or champagne. End with demitasse and different teas.
A listening party is a great summer party. Guests can enjoy good food and good music. That's it. No debates. No opinions save for liking or not liking the music choice.In short, the perfect get together.
I like this idea for both classical and jazz music. Listening bars are not meant for conversation. They're meant for savoring the notes and tunes. Add a layer of food and it can be a pleasurable experience. Parties , especially now, can be fraught with too many polarizing politics. These do nothing for the gathering, except cause all sorts of fighting and sniping. Forget eating.Guests are either too riled or too dyspeptic to enjoy any kind of hors d'ouevres. Yet a group solely listening to various jazz artists or Beethoven could turn a social occasion into a Zen happening. You do need a good audio system and vinyl albums or CDs. Which is better?Some prefer vinyl records because they have a warmer,fuller sound. You get to hear the music as the band intended it to be. Of course CDS also work as does a tablet playlist. The best bet for a listening party is pick one artist.Have his or her work on rotation for the duration of the gathering. Seating arrangements can be one table with the food and drink,. Scatter chairs and small tables for setting down the refreshments and food.
As for the food, keep it to savory hors d'ouevres and dessert bites.For jazz listening, think a New Orleans themed listening party with spicy miniature po' boys. Add oysters for a more decadent bite. Create baked rice cups in a muffin or mini muffin pan and fill with gumbo and/or jambalaya. A variety of pastes and pates served on slices of cocktail bread (which can be found at any major supermarket's deli counter).The pastes and pates can easily be made from deviled ham, chicken and beef, Add anything from a drop of champagne to scallions to make the pastes truly unique. This can also work for a classical music listening party. Have people take plates of raw veggies and dips to their seats. You can set up a dip bar with such varying dips as a simple vinaigrette to homemade French and ranch dressings.Cheese and crackers will never go amiss.Think a cheese board with Brie Edam, and Gouda for a start .Aldi has an excellent cracker box , with an array of crackers, ranging from butter to sesame and poppyseed. Dessert can be cookie cups filled with fruit and cream.If you're listening to classical, then think both classy and classical. Go with homemade petit fours and macarons (the last can be bought) Start the evening off with wine or champagne. End with demitasse and different teas.
A listening party is a great summer party. Guests can enjoy good food and good music. That's it. No debates. No opinions save for liking or not liking the music choice.In short, the perfect get together.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Gustavo's Gazpacho My New Favorite
Yesterday I reviewed Susan Lewis Solomont's memoir Lost And Found In Spain . It is a great book both for Iberophiles and foodies. She also kindly sent a recipe from her time there - gazpacho - from the embassy chef Gustavo. I had to try it and I have to say this is my new summer favorite. I love the fresh taste and the seamless blend of veggies. The coolness of it is a welcome change , especially during these hot June days.
First the cucumber is thinly sliced.
Gustavo's recipe called for a quarter of a fresh onion however my family is not big on that, probably because of its' intensity. I used about a tablespoon of onion powder instead.
This is the green pepper I used .
Use a large knife for cutting the peppers in half
Use a cup of olive oil for body. Spanish olive oil is recommended but I
used my beloved Fillippo Berio. The recipe also calls for three spoonfuls of
vinegar. Three tablespoons of red wine vinegar did the trick.
er
These are the veggies I used, four tomatoes, one green pepper, one cucumber and a garlic clove. Gustavo's recipe called for double the veggies and less garlic but I geared it towards servings for two to three people. I cut back on the cucumbers and the pepper. I added a small minced clove of garlic because I like a more robust garlic flavor.
It was a matter of cutting into small manageable pieces.
Then quartered.
The same goes for the tomatoes.
This is the green pepper I used .
Then a smaller one for coring, deseeding and dicing.
used my beloved Fillippo Berio. The recipe also calls for three spoonfuls of
vinegar. Three tablespoons of red wine vinegar did the trick.
Then it was using my immersion blender to create a cool creamy miracle.I added just a couple more tablespoons of olive oil along with a good pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Using an immersion blender can be daunting, yet I find it works better than a conventional one. It did take a while and veggie bits and juice got spritzed around a lot.
The end result was worth it. I love this soup.
It was both incredibly smooth and airy. The fresh vegetable taste was amazing. I could taste the individual veggies yet at the same time , taste the harmonious blend. The only side was a slice of artisanal whole grain ciabatta bread with a drizzle of olive oil.I would say serve this with a chilled red Spanish wine of your choosing.
Ambassador Solomont and his wife, Susan Lewis Solomont were lucky to have such a great chef as Gustavo at the embassy. His gazpacho recipe is a classic. It is also my new favorite summer recipe.
Friday, June 7, 2019
A Delicious Life In Spain Susan Lewis Solomont's Story
Imagine being an ambassador's spouse in a foreign country. There's the shock of the new, culture, language and mores. For Susan Lewis Solomont, wife of the Spanish ambassador under President Obama, this was the case. Yet her love for Spain and its' food conquered those qualms. Her book , Lost And Found In Spain written about her and her husband's three and a half years there is an interesting read.There's adventure, beauty , history and , of course, food.
Her book, published by Disruption Books. is a valentine to her family''s time in Spain. It truly is a riveting read, taking this Brooklyn born girl from her and her spouse, Alan's home in Boston to the embassy in Madrid. One of the aspects that I loved is her discovery of the diverse dishes from the country's many provinces. A few times I found myself craving jamon , the dry cured ham from hazelnut fed pigs. There is an interesting chapter about she and Ambassador Solomont dining with the great and innovative chef , Ferran Adria, the genius behind the world famous restaurant El Bulli. Ms. Lewis-Solomont was treated to a unique feast for all the senses. Also she and her husband, along with her sister and her husband were able to get a table at a restaurant only open for six months a year and offers one seating a night.Getting there is a whole book unto itself, because it's located in a sandy cove, dangerous to get to by any vehicle. Yet the meal was well worth it. Chef Adria is a culinary scientist , bending all the rules of physics to create amazingly singular dishes. His sloe gin fizzes came with a head of warm foam, mimetic peanuts, a peanut shaped pastry was filled with a seductive warm peanut and chocolate filling. Another adventure included a fabulous meal in a cave(!) restaurant where Ms. Lewis-Solomont enjoy grilled lamb chops and crawfish, washed down with homemade wine.
Another famed chef, Jose Andres, the great humanitarian who brought hot food and hope to the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, is also mentioned in this memoir. He takes Ms. Lewis- Solomont on a trip to the gastronomy fair , Madrid Fusion, very early on in her tenure. For her, a foodie through and through, this was sheer heaven. She was able to taste all sorts of foods from all over the world. Best of all the outing ended with an invitation to Chef Andres favorite restaurant, Gerardo's in Oviedos, the capital of Asturias, in northern Spain. The eatery, first established in 1882, featured several fresh fish courses with the fish being caught that day in the nearby Bay of Biscay. Of course ambassadors also have promote the country 's businesses and encourage trade with the US. The Solomonts promoted Spanish olives - used for Italian and Greek olive oils. This was a surprise for me, considering I'm the first one to advise people to always use Italian olive oil. Spanish olive oil is even more flavorful, and it's something that I'll try, thanks to the book.The Solomonts also had their own phenomenal cooks on the embassy grounds, Gustavo and Rosita, Below is Gustavo's gazpacho recipe (which will be featured in tomorrow's post) As much as I love cooking and baking, I also love history. The accounts of the Solomonts' trips across Spain were fascinating . I adored reading about Sevilla where Jews, Arabs and Christians worked and lived together to create a modern , cosmopolitan center of learning and tolerance during the Middle Ages.
Lost And Found In Spain is a definite must read for anyone who loves, Spain, traveling and food.It is beautifully and lovingly written, a true valentine to the country so full of flavor. Read it and experience the wonder and joy Susan Lewis Solomont had for this amazing nation
Gustavo's Gazpacho
Her book, published by Disruption Books. is a valentine to her family''s time in Spain. It truly is a riveting read, taking this Brooklyn born girl from her and her spouse, Alan's home in Boston to the embassy in Madrid. One of the aspects that I loved is her discovery of the diverse dishes from the country's many provinces. A few times I found myself craving jamon , the dry cured ham from hazelnut fed pigs. There is an interesting chapter about she and Ambassador Solomont dining with the great and innovative chef , Ferran Adria, the genius behind the world famous restaurant El Bulli. Ms. Lewis-Solomont was treated to a unique feast for all the senses. Also she and her husband, along with her sister and her husband were able to get a table at a restaurant only open for six months a year and offers one seating a night.Getting there is a whole book unto itself, because it's located in a sandy cove, dangerous to get to by any vehicle. Yet the meal was well worth it. Chef Adria is a culinary scientist , bending all the rules of physics to create amazingly singular dishes. His sloe gin fizzes came with a head of warm foam, mimetic peanuts, a peanut shaped pastry was filled with a seductive warm peanut and chocolate filling. Another adventure included a fabulous meal in a cave(!) restaurant where Ms. Lewis-Solomont enjoy grilled lamb chops and crawfish, washed down with homemade wine.
Another famed chef, Jose Andres, the great humanitarian who brought hot food and hope to the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, is also mentioned in this memoir. He takes Ms. Lewis- Solomont on a trip to the gastronomy fair , Madrid Fusion, very early on in her tenure. For her, a foodie through and through, this was sheer heaven. She was able to taste all sorts of foods from all over the world. Best of all the outing ended with an invitation to Chef Andres favorite restaurant, Gerardo's in Oviedos, the capital of Asturias, in northern Spain. The eatery, first established in 1882, featured several fresh fish courses with the fish being caught that day in the nearby Bay of Biscay. Of course ambassadors also have promote the country 's businesses and encourage trade with the US. The Solomonts promoted Spanish olives - used for Italian and Greek olive oils. This was a surprise for me, considering I'm the first one to advise people to always use Italian olive oil. Spanish olive oil is even more flavorful, and it's something that I'll try, thanks to the book.The Solomonts also had their own phenomenal cooks on the embassy grounds, Gustavo and Rosita, Below is Gustavo's gazpacho recipe (which will be featured in tomorrow's post) As much as I love cooking and baking, I also love history. The accounts of the Solomonts' trips across Spain were fascinating . I adored reading about Sevilla where Jews, Arabs and Christians worked and lived together to create a modern , cosmopolitan center of learning and tolerance during the Middle Ages.
Lost And Found In Spain is a definite must read for anyone who loves, Spain, traveling and food.It is beautifully and lovingly written, a true valentine to the country so full of flavor. Read it and experience the wonder and joy Susan Lewis Solomont had for this amazing nation
Gustavo's Gazpacho
For about six people
8-9 medium-large tomatoes (red, ripe)
Two cucumbers (peeled)
1 Big red pepper
½ Big green pepper
¼ Onion
¼ garlic clove
1 cup of virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish)
3 spoons of vinegar If you use balsamic just one spoon,
it' strong)
½ tsp spoon salt
Cut everything into pieces and put it together in a blender, use
high speed--it really makes a smooth mix.
Serve cold
O
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Posset An Easy Summer Dessert
Summer is a time of easy cooking - whether it's for the main course or dessert. No one wants to be by a hot oven when the temps hit the nineties. That's why there is posset - a lovely Shakespearean sounding custard that is easy to make. Best of all it compliments the fruit of the season.
Melissa Clark wrote about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Posset is a simple custard, first made in the 1500's with spiced, sweetened milk. Wine or ale was added to curdle it was used to cure colds. Posset then evolved from a beverage to custard with the ingredients altered.This is a simple dessert for novice home chefs. As Ms. Clark points out it's a custard but without the eggs, or other binders such as gelatin or cornstarch. There are not even any messy water baths as they are with creme brules. Even the oven doesn't have to be used - perfect for a hot day.It's all made on the stove top, then strained and poured into ramekins. The recipe comes from Diana Henry's Simple, a cookbook full of unfussy ,uncomplicated recipes.Ms. Henry adds a sprig of rosemary and orange juice. Possets are topped with fruit, namely macerated strawberries but any fruit can do.
Possets start out with just two cups of heavy cream. Don't skimp or substitute. The cream gives it its' weight and is the posset's backbone. The next is 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. What gives the dessert zing is the grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Ms. Clark feels that adding the zest heightens the lemon flavor. Before adding a 1/3 cup of lemon juice she cooks the zest,cream and sugar for a few minutes. Doing this ensures a plush pudding instead of curdling when the acid hits it. Also add a pinch of sea salt for balance. The mixture should be constantly stirred and then simmered until it thickens. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. It's then letting the posset sit for twenty minutes to let it slightly cool.. A skin should form. Stir mixture and then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest (I would leave it in for color) as it's strained into a measuring cup with a spout. Evenly pour into six ramekins or small bowls and put into fridge to set for three hours. At this point toss the strawberries and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let it macerate at room temp for 30 minutes to one hour. Arrange them on top of the possets. Dust with ground pepper and serve.
Posset is a simple easy dessert.It's the perfect end to a summer meal. Try with fresh fruits and enjoy.
Melissa Clark wrote about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Posset is a simple custard, first made in the 1500's with spiced, sweetened milk. Wine or ale was added to curdle it was used to cure colds. Posset then evolved from a beverage to custard with the ingredients altered.This is a simple dessert for novice home chefs. As Ms. Clark points out it's a custard but without the eggs, or other binders such as gelatin or cornstarch. There are not even any messy water baths as they are with creme brules. Even the oven doesn't have to be used - perfect for a hot day.It's all made on the stove top, then strained and poured into ramekins. The recipe comes from Diana Henry's Simple, a cookbook full of unfussy ,uncomplicated recipes.Ms. Henry adds a sprig of rosemary and orange juice. Possets are topped with fruit, namely macerated strawberries but any fruit can do.
Possets start out with just two cups of heavy cream. Don't skimp or substitute. The cream gives it its' weight and is the posset's backbone. The next is 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. What gives the dessert zing is the grated lemon zest and lemon juice. Ms. Clark feels that adding the zest heightens the lemon flavor. Before adding a 1/3 cup of lemon juice she cooks the zest,cream and sugar for a few minutes. Doing this ensures a plush pudding instead of curdling when the acid hits it. Also add a pinch of sea salt for balance. The mixture should be constantly stirred and then simmered until it thickens. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. It's then letting the posset sit for twenty minutes to let it slightly cool.. A skin should form. Stir mixture and then strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest (I would leave it in for color) as it's strained into a measuring cup with a spout. Evenly pour into six ramekins or small bowls and put into fridge to set for three hours. At this point toss the strawberries and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Let it macerate at room temp for 30 minutes to one hour. Arrange them on top of the possets. Dust with ground pepper and serve.
Posset is a simple easy dessert.It's the perfect end to a summer meal. Try with fresh fruits and enjoy.
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