Nafas That Special Sense

 The  phrase "It tastes like it was made with love" may have some truth in it. Middle Easterners call this nafas - a kind of energy transmitted through ones' cooking and baking through the vibes the home chef gives out. it definitely affects the taste and flavor of whatever dish is being made.

Reem Kassis, a Palestinian cookbook author who also writes about history and politics explored this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Nafas is an energy that some people possess that make their meals not only good but exceptional. This is seen in other cultures too.(and I've witnessed it first hand with my Mom's amazing cooking). In Korea it's known as sonmat or hand taste. Across India it's both known as haatachi chav - hand's taste in Marathi while in Hindi  nafas is called maza haath mein hota hai or the taste that comes from the hand. Some like Palestinian Labiba Halloun is known for it as people ask for months in advance for her kubbeh niyah , a tartare of bulgur and ground lamb for wedding feasts/ Yet there could be something scientific in it as well. Rob Dunn a professor at North Carolina State University studies the biology underlying differences between sour dough starters. He claims that the microbes in our hands  and in our environments lead to variations in our dishes. He has experimented with exact same doughs but kneaded by a variety of people. The common taste is there but each varies slightly. Researchers in his lab also discovered that sourdough breads tasted weird when they were made strictly in a lab environment while those made at home has a "home flavor". 

Ms Kassis also includes her grandmother recipes for carrots maqliba a kind of rice cake and another Middle Eastern dish narjissiya with asparagus and Halloumi and sumac. The first is rib eye steak cut into cubes and sauteed with onions. Carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks are then added as is basmati rice spiced with ,pepper, cinnamon, turmeric and cumin. This layered cake is cooked for ten minutes more with a plate on top to keep in the steam. The  whole mound is then inverted on the plate and decorated with fried or  toasted slivered almonds. The narjissiya has the best of Islamic cooking, starting with sunnyside up eggs and halloumi, a Middle Eastern cheese made from a combination of goats and sheep's milk.Asparagus is also added. The cheese is first cooked until browned in olive oil, then set aside while the eggs and spears are sauteed together with garlic. Pita croutons which are easily made by baking them in a 350 F degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes, and sumac oil  - just a mix of olive oil and this - are placed on top of the cheese, eggs and asparagus, along with plain yogurt. You could probably sub in the sumac oil with za'atar to really make it flavorful.

Nafas , which could translate to the love of cooking and the love of the ones you're feeding - is not only prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking but around the world. Love can come through what you're cooking. A good home chef always shows it. 

The Golden Unicorn The Home Baked Croissant

 Is there such a treat as the home baked croissant? After all this is one of the hardest and most complicated breads or rolls to make. Surprisingly the answer is yes - and even better home bakers can make chocolate, almond and even ham and cheese ones. You don't have to go to a fancy bakery anymore to get these gems.

Claire Saffitz, a  well known pastry chef who both writes for Bon Appetit and appears on their You Tube channel, pondered this and wrote a very detailed how to. Croissants are tough to create. There's that crisp brittle egg washed crust with layers of flaky , buttery bread underneath.  Keep in mind that the bakery made ones are rolled out by slab rollers in temperature controlled rooms. The dough is laminated quickly meaning  flattening the butter out between rolls of dough  which produces light flaky  uniform crescents. Home bakers can do this but this has to be done by hand, making it slower, harder and much more variable. Chef Saffitz encourages though, stating that once you master the dough you can then master  adding those delicious  fillings like ham and cheese, chocolate and almond. Keep in mind that not only baking croissants is labor intensive it's also time consuming. Most of the active works takes place on the first day. Also the kitchen temp has to be cool. Keep it at seventy-six degrees or lower . Make room  in both the fridge and the freezer for the dough or detrempe as the French call it. All the ingredients must be weighed too. The liquid to flour ratio has to be perfect too or you'll wind up with either too dry or too soggy croissants.

The ingredients are just as important. Look for a high protein flour which can support all that butter as well as being a high gluten flour. Chef Saffitz recommends the classic King Arthur all purpose flour; It has a relatively high protein content of 11. 7 and it contains a small amount of malted barley flour. This last gives the crust a crispier cracklier exterior. Yeast is another important factor. Use fresh or baker's yeast.It is more reliable than active dry yeast however the last is easier to find. Make sure it's alive and it's well before its' expiration date.  You can also proof it by adding warm milk in the base recipe and then adding the yeast to proof that. One of the most important ingredients is the butter. Please use European ones like Plusgras or Kerrygold.It's eighty two percent  butter fat at least  where as American butters top out at that . The high fat content lends to the flavor and also makes the butter more "plastic" or malleable. Kerrygold is the best for this because it maintains a waxy malleable texture while resisting cracking or splitting when its' being rolled inside the dough. Then there's the egg wash. Just go careful with this. Use a mix of the yolk and heavy cream for a glossy bronzed crust and wipe the drips off the baking pan. They can burn while the croissants bake.

Yes you can bake buttery,. crisp croissants at home. It's a labor intensive process but once you get the hang of it , it'll be easy. The result is a golden unicorn with flaky layers and a heavenly rich taste.

Picnic Days Are Here Again

 The rough winter is over.  The temps are rising. The parks and seaside are open again. That means one thing - picnics. It's time to pack our favorite foods and head to wide open spaces.

Before you go , check to see what you have as far as essentials. Do you have a picnic basket? Or a cooler for storing drinks and salad?. Some fancier baskets come with china or melamine plates along with utensils.  You don't have to have this, Paper plates and bowls along with plastic cups work just as well. The same for plastic knives, forks and spoons. Have wet naps and napkins on the ready because eating can be messy along with being dirty or sandy. The next step is deciding if you want to have grilled food or just sandwiches. Having a cook out at a park or beach is a more complicated affair. You'll have to have coolers to transport the raw meat along with charcoal ,lighter fluid and some way to light the grill. There is another way to go if you want hot  food. Pick up a few rotisserie chickens at your local supermarket  or hot dogs that are usually in every park.  You could also stop at a fast food joint like Wendy's or Mc Donalds' Just be mindful of the waste afterwards Pick up wrappers, straws, and cups afterwards.

The second part is what foods to bring. If you decide to go the barbecue route, decide what works better. Many just like drumsticks while other families want nothing but wings. Then there's the marinade. Do you want to go extra spicy or Oriental with scallions ginger and soy sauce. Of course hamburgers and dogs are always welcome, They always taste good outside  with a bag of chips or some homemade cole slaw on the side. You can even go vegan with soy dogs and Beyond Burgers.A true picnic has sandwiches. The entire family can make their own. Plain white bread is always a good choice but you can also toast it first. Then the fillings. If you have any leftover Easter ham slice it and put it on mayo slathered slices. You can also get chicken and turkey along with different cheeses too. Heroes are always a good picnic bring along. Again make what the family likes., with provolone , mozzarella, capicolla and salami. You could bring a variety of fun snacks. from bags of popcorn and pretzels or traditional sides like macaroni and three bean salads, along with broccoli and string bean salads. Bring another container with water bottles and juice boxes.

It's picnic season. Plan a lunch  out for a fun time in the park or the beach. Enjoy the good weather with good food and drink.

Those Bunny Bits

 Everyone knows what to do with Easter leftovers. Make ham sandwiches and serve them with the leftover potato salad. Reheat the asparagus with butter. Slice the lamb for stew. Yet what do you do with all that leftover Easter candy? How much chocolate can one family eat? Luckily there are a few fun recipes to deal with those bunny bits.

All kinds of chocolate can be meted down and refashioned into bark. Think of melting those leftover  milk chocolate bunnies and hollow dark chocolate eggs to create a two tone or truffle bark. You can add the leftover over coconut from those bunny and lamb cakes , nuts and pretzels. You can also roll pretzel rods in the chocolate for dipped ones. A second roll in pastel colored sprinkles lends a festive air.Another idea is chopping up the chocolate and adding it to any ice cream. Think of a strawberry or raspberry gelato chock full of chunks or create you own version of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia by combining cherry vanilla with cut up chocolate eggs or Kisses. What about those  solid creme, nougat and coconut eggs? Slice those and put a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top for a kind of Easter egg sundae. It's a fun way to get rid of those giant eggs that always seem to last forever.  If you were lucky to receive those huge Perugina eggs with the toy inside. then they're a double bonus. The halves make for excellent cups for ice cream, puddings, custards or mousses. Add whipped cream and some sprinkles for a truly decadent treat or dessert.

Easter candy can also be baked into sweet treats too. You can take all that leftover chocolate and turn it onto a decadent mousse pie. This is perfect for any milk chocolate (although you can do the same with dark too ).It's  melted  and mixed with mini marshmallows, milk and whipping cream, then poured into an already made pie crust. The entire pie is refrigerated for about three hours in the fridge.  Of course you can also add the chopped bits to cookies and brownies. Try a chocolate chip recipe but sub in sliced solid or Krispie  eggs. You could also sub in pastel M&M's too for a festive looking cookie.Brownies can also be stuffed with chopped candy too. You can use a scratch recipe or just a box of any brownie mix. Even marshmallow eggs can be used for a creamy chewy middle. Peeps can even be repurposed. Think fun Rice Krispie bars decorated with whole chick or bunny Peeps. You can also cut these up (if you can bear tearing up all that cutemess) and put them into the treats. The results are pretty rainbow colored bites. Chocolate can also be thrown into the recipe too.

Don't worry about all that leftover Easter candy. It can easily be repurposed into fun treats everyone will like. It will be like finding that candy all over again!!!

A Happy Easter

 A happy Easter full of happiness and sweet treats. Enjoy the foods of the season ,from ham to asparagus.

Nibble those bunny ears, munch on those Peeps and chew on some jelly beans, including the black ones!!!

A Giving Good Friday

 It's Good Friday and all Christians are observing this holy day of observation. We think of Christ and His sacrifices but we should also think of His generosity. Planting a Spring garden for not just yourself but for others exemplifies this .

Think of others as you plant. Aim for overage where you can donate your harvest or give to neighbors or family in need. It's a good thing because everyone loves fresh fruit and veggies. It's also good for kids to show them that there's a world beyond processed food and sweets. They can even help in picking tomatoes and strawberries. If you're turning that bounty into pickling and jams , remember to make a few jars extra too. They make nice gifts for any essential workers you may know.

This is a day for reflection and sacrifice. It's also a day of planning and how you can help your community. Think about this when you start planning your Spring garden.

Easter Givings

 Today is Holy Thursday and it starts the beginning of the four day Easter holy days. It's a time of celebration but also reflection too. Think about those who don't have what you have and those who don't have your bounty. 

We are getting vaccinated at astonishing rates yet there is still so much to do for a safe recovery. Try to help those in need. Share your Easter dinner with  them or treat them to groceries so they can have a sumptuous meal too. Bake extra cupcakes or cookies and bring them over along with candy for the kids. If everyone has been vaccinated , then think about a socially distanced barbecue. Throw in an Easter egg and candy hunt too.

We may not be able to go to church to celebrate but we can celebrate each other. Start with generosity. It will go a long way and brighten up Easter for everyone.