eat make read

 

Mint’s been on my mind lately. There’s something about the fresh kick that you get from mint leaves that has me dreaming about ways to use it. Last year I made some fresh mint ice cream that was really, really good and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The thing is, making ice cream takes so much time and effort and sometimes that just seems a little exhausting. Then I thought of a genius idea that would take less time and give me similar satisfaction. Mint pudding!

I pulled out some fresh mint, ground it with some sugar in my mortar and pestle and I was on my way to some tasty pudding. I also added a few sprigs of mint into my milk mixture so it would further infuse into the flavor. In less than a half hour, I had the lovely scent of mint wafting through my kitchen and homemade pudding at my fingertips. I ran the mixture through a fine sieve and put it in the fridge to chill. A bit later I tried it out and to my satisfaction, my little idea turned out great. The pudding was creamy and minty with hints of vanilla, although I wish it would have been just a tad silkier. But when I told Aaron that, he said the texture let you know it was homemade. He knows how to make me feel better.

mint pudding

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vanilla sugar*
4 sprigs of mint
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*vanilla sugar is not necessary, it just adds a little more flavor. if you don’t have it just use regular sugar.

1
Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; set aside.
2
Mix 1/3 sugar and 2 sprigs of mint in your mortar and pestle and grind until mint is finely incorporated.
3
In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together sugars, cornstarch, and salt. Very gradually (a few tablespoons at a time) whisk in milk, taking care to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in egg yolks.
4
Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until the first large bubble forms and sputters, about 10-15 minutes.
5
Reduce heat to low; still whisking, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; immediately pour through sieve into bowl.
6
Stir butter and vanilla into hot pudding.
7
Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding (to prevent skin from forming); chill at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Before serving, whisk pudding until smooth.

We had such a great time in boston this past weekend. It’s always a different experience when you visit a city where you know a local and lucky for us our locals know us well. Unfortunately I wasn’t with it enough to photograph each place we went, but I think you’ll get a good view of some really great places in the Boston area.

The first few stops are in Somerville, which is about a 15 minute walk from Cambridge. We started Sunday morning at a delightful coffee shop named Bloc 11. The coffee was really top notch and gave me the kick I needed to get my day going. Along with coffee, they serve a ton of different teas and their pastry area was filled with awesome looking baked goods. The space was really interesting as well. The building was once a bank, so it’s quite an ample space filled with different rooms to sit in, including the vault.

Our next stop was just down the street. It’s a great little Portuguese restaurant called the Neighborhood Restaurant. When it’s warm out, all dining takes place outdoors under grapevines and brightly colored umbrellas. There’s nothing fancy about the place, but the food is undeniably mouthwatering. To start every meal comes with a choice of fruit or cream of wheat and a super tasty orange juice. Our friends recommended the Portuguese Meat Plate, which consisted of two crab cakes and shrimp cakes, potatoes, eggs with all sorts of goodness mixed in and rice and beans. That was one meal. Aaron chose pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon and walnuts, which also came with a side of sausage, eggs and potatoes. Ok, that’s just a little nauseating to read the amount of food that was given to us. I’m happy to say we didn’t eat it all, but it was so, so good. The kind of good that makes you sad that you have to leave some behind.

After brunch, we somehow rolled ourselves home and packed up the car to take a little trip outside the city. On the way out, we stopped at the dreamiest little gourmet shop called Formaggio Kitchen. I’m not quite sure how we were still able to think about food after that brunch, but as soon as I stepped inside, it was like the day was a blank slate and I got lost thinking about all the possibilities. First there’s the cheese, which is the key to my heart. They have two big cases of cheese and helpful staff to answer any questions. We somehow walked away with two lovely choices, a spicy blue and a 3 cream cheese. Yum. After the cheese room you walk into a room filled with chocolate and candy, both homemade and from around the world. The last room was like a visit to the farmers market, with a few extras tossed in. There were baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, assorted beverages including coffee and beer. I tried to be good inside, I really did, but I still came out with a few bags of goodies.

Finally, we took a short car ride to a park called World’s End in Hingham, MA. The park is actually a little penninsula where you can see great views of the Boston skyline from across Boston Harbor. We set up a blanket, opened up some violet lemonade and blueberries that we picked up at Formaggio, and just relaxed. Cheese, crackers and beer came a little later after our stomachs had forgiven us for the earlier meal.

I actually can’t think of a way the day would have been any better. Great friends, delicious food, the great outdoors and a little relaxation…  I mean come on. That’s the life.

Three day weekends are so dreamy. We took advantage of the extra day by taking a trip to Boston to visit some of our best friends, Ari and Jillian. They led us to some great food that I’ll be sharing later this week. Before we left, I whipped up my first ever batch of caramels. Oh. Boy. Bad news my friends, bad news. Not because they turned out a disaster, but because they were so dang good it was hard to keep my hands off them. I’ve dabbled in caramel sauce before, sometimes it turns out good, other times it takes a wrong turn and turns into a burnt sugar mess; so I was prepared for whatever came my way. But with a little patience, this recipe turned out perfect.

The recipe calls for fleur de sel, which is a fancy salt that may take a little looking to find. I haven’t done a taste test or anything, but something tells me that the caramels would still be delicious if you substituted sea salt for the other. Beyond that, there are only 5 other ingredients, heavy cream, butter, sugar, corn syrup and water. It always amazes me that something so deliciously good is so simple. As I mentioned before, patience is key to this recipe. You need to be able to stand over the stove top and wait for the syrup mixture to turn golden, then for the cream and syrup to hit the right temperature and finally for the whole thing to harden. So give yourself some time and get ready for a decadent treat.

fleur de sel caramels
via design sponge via gourmet
makes about 40 candies

1 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon fleur de sel
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

1
Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, then lightly oil parchment.
2
Bring cream, butter, and fleur de sel to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and set aside.
3
Boil sugar, corn syrup, and water in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but gently swirling pan, until mixture is a light golden caramel.
4
Carefully stir in cream mixture (mixture will bubble up) and simmer, stirring frequently, until caramel registers 248°F on thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.*
5
Pour into baking pan and cool at least 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch pieces, then wrap each piece in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting 2 ends to close.

*This actually took me about 25-30 minutes for some reason, so it seems to vary a bit.

I’m really intrigued by figs lately. I just love the way they look, plus they’re the perfect pairing with cheese. We all know any excuse I can find to bring a little cheese into my life is an excuse I’ll be using. There’s a recipe in my new cookbook, “How To Eat Supper” for figs with rosemary and honey that made my mouth water the second I saw it.

I didn’t follow the recipe to the T because I didn’t have fresh rosemary, but I did have my favorite crackers, Carr’s Rosemary Crackers. Time out for a second. Have you ever tasted these crackers? They are so, so delicious. I think it’s in your best interest to get a box the next time you’re at the store. Ok, back to the recipe. It’s super simple and only takes a few minutes to prepare this super lovely treat. I simply cut the figs in half, placed a half on a cracker, topped it off with a little goat cheese and drizzled honey over top. I mean, could it get any easier? Your tastebuds will go through a little journey of crispy, savory cracker to grainy fig to creamy cheese to sweet honey. Yum.

Rosemary Figs with Honeyed Fresh Cheese

8-10 oz ripe dark figs
4-5 ounces fresh goat, sheep or cow’s milk cheese
3-4 Tablespoons honey
1 box Carr’s rosemary crackers OR 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves

1
Halve the figs from top to bottom.
2
Smear each half gently with about a teaspoon of cheese.
3
Either place the figs on a rosemary cracker or arrange on a platter.
4
Drizzle with honey.

It was a super lovely weekend here in brooklyn, and like always, I’m sad to see it go. We veered away from our normal routine and headed into the city to visit the Union Square Greenmarket, which is about 3 times the size of our usual market in Brooklyn and full of goodies. I made a list before we left home so I wouldn’t buy every pretty fruit or vegetable I saw… I was pretty good about sticking to it, until I saw the cutest little watermelon. Weird, I know, but it was just a little bigger than my fist, the perfect city-size, plus it was yellow… something new to try.

I brought it home and cut it open for an afternoon snack and it was oh-so-lovely. I wanted to jazz it up with a little something, so I mixed some sugar and fresh mint in my mortar and pestle. The result? Awesomely delicious. You might think that it sounds silly to add sugar to watermelon, but in fact it not only added a touch of sweetness, it also provided a nice textural contrast. It’s a hit my friends, try it out and you will see.

watermelon with sugar and mint

1 Tablespoon sugar
4-5 mint leaves
1 watermelon, cut in little chunks

1
In a mortar and pestle, combine sugar and mint leaves. Crush leaves until mixture becomes greenish and leaves are well integrated into sugar.
2
Cut melon into small, dippable chunks, about and inch square.
3
Dip and eat!

I kind of fell in love with Lynne Rossetto Kasper on our Midwest trip. If you’re not familiar, visit The Splendid Table or iTunes and subscribe to her podcasts, they’re a great treat. She talks about food in a holistic way, so there are recipes, interviews with chefs and farmers and producers, tips on utensils, restaurant recommendations and lots more.

Lucky for me, now you can not only can you listen to the show, but Lynne and her producer Sally Swift just came out with a book called “How to Eat Supper“. It’s not your ordinary cookbook, oh no. In fact, the description of content reads “Recipes, Stories and Opinions”. I’ve just done my first skim through the book and with every page turn it gets better. The book concentrates on dishes that are easy, use fresh ingredients and are doable after a hard days work. In between recipes, there are interesting stories about how to season a wok or the man who had synesthesia. On top of that, it’s a really beautiful book. The design is well thought out and easy to read with lovely photographs to accompany each recipe.

Basically it’s a dreamy, dreamy book. In fact, I’ve decided to that I’m going to cook a recipe a week from it for the next month, so be on the look out for some tasty dishes coming your way.

Growing up I practically lived on macaroni and cheese. It was one of a handful of foods I actually liked, but then to make matters worse, I only liked the stuff that came in a box. When my mom tried to lure me away with the homemade variety, I’d just turn up my nose and whine about how mushy it was. What a silly child I was.

Now I’ve done a 180. Awhile back ago I was craving the boxed stuff and made it at home. The thing was, I didn’t like it. Nothing about it had changed, it was that my tastebuds had done some growing up. I must say I was a little disappointed, but then when I thought about it a little more, it was exciting to think my palette maturing. Sure it’s a decade late, but hey, I guess I’m a late bloomer. Just because I’m not into the boxed stuff anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still get a craving for some cheesy goodness every now and then.

I picked up a few cheeses from Cato Corner and brought them home to search for the perfect recipe. I found this one that called for panko crumbs over top and it sounded like just the right thing. I divided the recipe in half because the last thing I need is 20 servings of mac and cheese sitting around the house. I kind of loosely followed the recipe by using 3 different cheeses, a gouda style, a manchego and a cheddar, and a different kind of pasta called Cavatappi, which is kind of like a cross between spiral and elbow. The cheese combination made for a delightfully smooth flavor that was cheesy without being overwhelming and the pasta kept a nice firmness yet still grabbed onto the sauce well. And I have to say, I’ve never totally understood the whole breadcrumbs over macaroni thing, but the panko crumbs won me over. They added a perfect, golden crunch to contrast the creamy and rich interior.

Next time you need a little comfort, reach for this recipe to give you a little love.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from this recipe from epicurious

makes a hefty 9×9 pan

For topping
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1 cup panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 pound coarsely grated Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
For macaroni and sauce
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
3 cups gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup manchego
1/2 cup cheddar
1/2 pound cavatappi pasta (or spiral or elbow)
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

1: Topping
Melt butter, then stir together with panko and topping cheeses in a bowl until combined well, set aside.
2: Make sauce:
Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour.
3
Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes, then whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.
4
Stir in cheeses, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Remove from heat.
5: Make Macaroni:
Cook macaroni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 4 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni in a colander. Stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce in a large bowl.
6
Transfer to 9×9 baking dish.
7
Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

This weekend I did something super exciting… I pulled out all the fruit I’ve been hoarding over the summer and made jam. And oh did I make jam. Lucky for me my friend Erin came over to join in the undertaking of turning apricots, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and cherries into five different kinds of jam.

A while ago I got super inspired by this article written by Molly Wizenberg in Bon Appetit. The recipe that goes along with the story sounded pretty basic, but still allowed for some experimentation. We went ahead and came up with some of our own fruit combinations, but stuck with her directions on canning since neither of us had done it before. Making the jam is pretty simple, you basically mix the fruit up, add a little sweetner (sugar or honey) and a little citrus and let it sit for a few hours. We ended up with Strawberry, Strawberry & Raspberry, Raspberry with cayenne pepper, Blueberry & Sweet Cherry and Apricot & Raspberry. Whew, that’s a lot of jam. While the fruit was hanging out, we started the sterilization process, which takes a lot of time. I didn’t buy any special equipment for this, I just used my stockpot that has a strainer insert and it worked pretty dang good. There are special canning pots and gadgets that you can pick up, but unless you’re planning on doing a lot of canning, I think my way works pretty well.

Once the cans were sterile, we put the fruit on the stovetop and brought it to a boil. That’s when things started getting good. Scent is one of my favorite aspects of cooking and it came out with a bang when the fruit started boiling. Oh the sweet, sweet smell of fresh strawberries, then came the raspberries and the blueberries… I mean is there anything better? It actually took quite a bit longer than the directions called for to get the fruit to a more jam-like place, but we just rolled with it. After we filled the jam jars, we sealed them by boiling them one last time.

I tried out the strawberry jam Sunday morning and it just made me happy. You can just taste the freshness in it and it’s kind of perfect. There are many more jars to be opened, some of which will go to friends, but some will be saved for those cold winter months when thoughts of fresh fruit can be savored with a little piece of toast with some fresh jam spread over top.

All recipes follow the directions of this recipe for
Mixed Berry Jam

Below are my fruit variations:

Strawberry Jam
4.5 cups fresh strawberries
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Strawberry-Raspberry Jam
2.5 cups Strawberries
2 cups Raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon sugar

Blueberry Cherry
4 cups Blueberries
2 cups Sweet Cherries
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoon honey
1 cup sugar

Spicy Raspberry
4 cups Raspberry
1 Tablespoon Cayenne (we actually used 2 and it was tooooo spicy, but taste to your liking)
2 Tablespoons orange juice

Apricot Raspberry
this one produced more jars due to the extra fruit
8 cups Apricots, cut into 1/4″ pieces
2 cups Raspberry
1 cup sugar
1 cup vanilla sugar (i’ll be posting this recipe later this week, but basically sugar flavored with a vanilla bean)
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice

This weekend we finally made it to the restaurant James. It got a lot of good press when it first opened about a month or two ago and it immediately went on our list of new restaurants to visit. After eating there, both Aaron and I agreed that the good press was well deserved.

There was a small wait when we arrived around nine on a Saturday, so we took a seat at the bar and perused the drink list. The cocktail list was quite lovely, with about 10 cocktails and they also had a selection of beer and wine. I went with the Ginger Fizz and Aaron chose the James Revenge (which is kind of like a Brooklyn). Both were good stuff.

Our table opened up in about five minutes, so we took our seat beneath their beautiful modern chandelier. The waiter took a while to visit us, but when he did we liked what he had to say. All the specials sounded delicious, but one stood out and I had to have it for dinner. Roast pork served with bacon and pear with a pork jous, I mean come on, how could I not get it. Aaron also picked a pretty dreamy sounding choice, pine nut and rosemary crusted loin of lamb with a summer bean stew. The thing is, just about everything on their menu sounded really, really good. That just doesn’t always happen at a restaurant, especially because, as much as I hate to admit it, I still have a little bit of a picky streak that runs through me.

Our entrees arrived and we were both more than ready to taste them. My pork was super tender and juicy, with tons of flavor. The bacon and pear weren’t quite what I expected because they were cut into small pieces and scarcely scattered around the plate. That being said, when I did get a piece of bacon or pear on my fork, it was so good. I actually couldn’t believe how much flavor a little piece of bacon could have. We switched meals half way through (this is something we almost always do at dinner… super nerdy and a little uncooth, but it adds excitement to every meal) and I couldn’t wait to taste his choice. Oh boy… I was not prepared for the goodness that entered my mouth with that first bite. I guess I hadn’t had that much experience with eating lamb, and it’s not that it tasted like I was eating something out of the ordinary, but it was just so flavorful. It was kind of like flavor squared, it took the normal flavor senses to a new level. Really, the meat had such good, rich flavor and then since it was topped off with rosemary and pine nuts it had a great textural thing going on. Yummmm.

Before we started the meal we decided to skip the small plate and save some room for dessert instead, so once our plates were cleared we were eager to try something sweet. We opted to go for one of the specials, a lemon curd tart topped with fresh blueberries from the market (bonus points) and a berry compote. When it arrived we both had to stop our drooling for a second to admire the beauty of the dish. But then we got over that and stuck our forks in. It was just as good as it looked. The crust was super buttery and delicous and gave a nice contrast to the tart lemon curd. The blueberries and compote brought in a lovely sweetness that topped everything off.

I was expecting good things when we went to James and it really exceeded our expectations. Everything is really fresh and flavorful with a few surprises lurking around to keep things interesting. I highly recommend a trip if you haven’t already been.

Given my new found luck with squash, I thought it was time to try out a new recipe. I found this one for squash and onions with brown sugar on the Kitchn and it sounded like a tasty but safe bet. Brown sugar, carmelized onions… now that’s my kind of dish. I whipped it up with ease the other night and it couldn’t have been simpler. Everything gets deliciously bronzed by the brown sugar and butter just as the texture starts to loosen and become soft.

The verdict: pretty tasty. The onion and brown sugar and a really nice richness but they still allow the flavor of the squash to come through. Definitely a good dish to if you’re just warming up to squash, but even if you’re not, you’ll still enjoy it.

Squash and Onions with Brown Sugar
from thekitchn
serves 21 large yellow squash (or 2 medium)
2 small onions (or one medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1
Slice the squash into 1/2-inch rounds, cutting large ones in half. You should end up with roughly 2 cups of cut squash. Cut the onions into similar-sized slices.
2
Add the butter to a wide sauce pan that has a lid and heat over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add squash, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until squash is very soft.
3
Remove the cover and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, just to give the juices a chance to evaporate slightly. There will be some liquid in the pan, but it should be thicker than water, almost like a glaze. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.