eat make read

I recently received a new cookbook, Fanny at Chez Panisse, from my friend Jane. It’s part storybook, part cookbook told from the point of view of Fanny, Alice Waters’s daughter. The illustrations are really lovely and the recipes are all simple but super delicious sounding. I had some cornbread at brunch a few weeks ago and I’ve been craving it ever since. I found a recipe for it in this book and decided to make it the other night.

It’s a pretty basic recipe that only takes a few minutes to mix together. Pop it in the oven for 20 or so minutes and you’ve got yourself a nice loaf of warm, crumbly cornbread. I was hoping it would be a little sweeter… I even added a little extra sugar, but I’m kind of thinking my cornmeal is getting old. So that could be why it wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hope. Last time I used a different recipe but used the same cornmeal and had similar results. It was still good, but I think I need a do-over with fresh cornmeal to give a proper critique.

I’m really looking forward to trying out some of the other recipes in this book this summer when the farmer’s market is brimming with delicious fruits and veggies.

Whoa! It’s hard to read this article and not drool. Chocolate pudding four different ways…

Oh yeah! When I was little, we used to freeze butterscotch pudding cups and they were so delicious. So when I saw this recipe for butterscotch ice cream those memories came back and I couldn’t wait to try it out. The butterscotch was pretty easy to make, all it is is brown sugar and butter with a bit of cream. You learn something new everyday. Once I had chilled my ingredients and they were ready to go in the ice cream machine I realized I lost a key part to my ice cream maker. Dang it! I searched the kitchen high and low and finally resigned myself to the fact that there was either going to be no ice cream or I was going to have to hand mix it. So a rolled up my sleeves and got to cranking. It wasn’t the ideal situation, but the results were worth the extra work.

The ice cream turned out out pretty good. The butterscotch flavor is very nice and works great with the creaminess of ice cream. However, I think I should have let the butterscotch cook for a few minutes longer to get a deeper flavor. I always get nervous when I cook things like butterscotch or caramel and think I’m going to burn it, but I always end up doing the opposite by undercooking it. Oh well… it’s still ice cream, and well, ice cream is delicious.

Butterscotch Ice Cream
via smitten kitchen via Sunset Magazine

Makes one quart

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-and-half (light cream)
6 large egg yolks

1
In a 1- to 2-quart pan over medium heat, stir brown sugar and butter until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and mixture is bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 cup whipping cream until smooth; remove butterscotch mixture from heat. Add vanilla and bourbon, if using.
2
In a 3- to 4-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine remaining 1 cup whipping cream and the half-and-half; bring to a simmer.
3
Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat egg yolks to blend. Whisk 1/2 cup of the warm cream mixture into egg yolks, then pour egg yolk mixture into pan with cream. Stir constantly over low heat just until mixture is slightly thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Immediately remove from heat
4
Pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl and whisk in butterscotch mixture. Chill until cold, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours; or cover and chill up to 1 day.
5
Freeze mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve softly frozen, or transfer ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours or up to 1 week.

Oh boy! I’m so excited about the dinner I made last night. Not to brag, but it was awesome! I found this recipe for Chicken with Black-pepper Maple Sauce and it sounded so delicious that I had to make it. I was in an ambitious mood, so I decided to pair the chicken with cornbread, potatoes and corn on the cob. Something a little magical happened… I read the directions all the way through and managed to time everything so it was all ready at the same time.

The chicken was really the star of the show and fairly easy to make. The recipe works well because you don’t really have to keep watch over the chicken, so you can concentrate on making the sauce and whatever else you’d like to make or watch on tv. The sauce needed a little up-front attention, but even that just needs to simmer for 20 minutes. While the sauce has maple syrup in it, it’s not overly sweet at all. The combination of black pepper, rosemary and syrup creates a really nice flavor that compliments the crisp, juicy chicken. I’ll admit, there are definitely some nights when this would be a little too much effort, but it’s not terribly hard and totally worth it.

I find it hard not to integrate mexican food into every meal. I have to limit myself to a few mexican touches a week, but I must say that my last experiment was a little weird, but rather delicious. I picked up a mini-baguette at the farmers market and cut it into quarters (once the long way and once the short way). I made a slit in each quarter, spread a little butter and sprinkled some garlic powder on top and then popped them in the broiler for a few minutes. In the meantime, Aaron whipped up some delicious guacamole. Once the bread was toasty, we popped some boiled hot dogs in and put a bit of guacamole on top and tadaaa, a delicious lunch was ready.

I picked up the new Time Out New York the other day which has their annual Eat Out Awards. There are some interesting new places I want to try as well as some we’ve already been. At the top of my list is Spitzer’s Corner and the Dessert Truck. My friend Jane told me about Spitzer’s a while back; apparently the interior of Spitzer’s Corner is made from all reclaimed wood and even better, they have over 40 drafts on tap plus delicious food to go with it. And Dessert Truck just sounds awesome…Vanilla Créme Brulée on wheels, sign me up!

Whew! It’s finally Friday! It’s been one of those weeks where I really need a drink. I’m looking forward to relaxation and a little beer drinking this weekend. I hope you have a great weekend…

If you had a week like me, or you just love a good beer, you might want to try out Beer Table. I read about it a few months ago in the Times and was intrigued. With a lack of plans last weekend, we decided that it was time to visit. In a slight run of bad luck, we didn’t check their hours and got there two and half hours before they opened, which is usually 5pm. We wasted lots of time putzing around and drinking beer and coffee at other places. Then 5 rolled around and we went back the place was full of people. It turns out they opened early that day at 3. Bummer for us.

But we rolled with the punches and decided to try out a German beer that the owner was rather proud of. Apparently it was an unusual brew and the Beer Table had one of the only kegs in US. It was a nice, rich and very strong brew. The draft beer menu along with an offering of 3 cheeses and 3 meats changes daily and is written on a big roll of paper above the counter. It definitely feels like every detail was considered.

We’ll certainly be stopping by again. I’m just hoping they rethink their hours.

I had to giggle a little bit when I read this article in the Times. The author, Melissa Clark, asks what the difference is between a muffin and a cupcake. I’ve always told myself the difference is frosting and sweetness, but when it comes down to it, they’re both cake. As it says in the article, “Muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.” I like to think muffins are a little better because they have fruit in them… right? Well anywho, there’s a yummy sounding recipe for Spicy Ginger Muffins with Currants and Toasted Pecans. It’s high on my list for weekend baking.

I’m not a big salad person, but every once in awhile I have an urge to make one. The urge was heightened when we picked up some baked ricotta cheese at Blue Apron last weekend and the cheeseman suggested it would go well in a salad. With that in mind, I gathered some spinach, crushed walnuts and dried cranberries along with the cheese and made two small salads. I topped them off with some delicious Apricot Balsamic that Aaron’s parents brought us when they visited.

It was such a delicious salad! I think you should try it out.