Pome and Circumstance

As circumstance has it, I don’t really cook too much anymore. With a nighttime restaurant job, my college self’s pastime of making overly elaborate meals for nearly every meal is essentially gone. On the bright side, things are a good deal cheaper with a steady diet of yogurt and toast but unfortunately much less inventive.

However the current circumstance and the changes this has brought to my lifestyle has created a change in palate. I used to gravitate toward long lists of ingredients and the challenges that they offered. I’ve now had to make peace with the fact that I can’t quite take on those challenges every day anymore. But it’s been an easy transition. Perhaps my constant proximity to food, and very beautiful and luxurious at that, satiates the need for it. I now need, seek, and crave things that are simple, quick, and filling. Whether I’m eating lunch before work or scouring the fridge after a long night, all I want is a meal that is starchy, crunchy, juicy, and salty all that the same time. In short, bread, cheese, and pome fruits.

Something about the combination of salty fatty cheese (cheddar and goat are my current preference) with chewy and filling bread all offset by a palate cleansing and thirst-quenching bite of an apple or pear really seems to be all I need right now. Even when I’m having it for the fifth day in a row, I still drive home maybe a little too fast in my anticipation for my nightly cheese on toast.

Fortunately for me the fall season is fast approaching and my pome fruit addiction is about to become tastier with the soon-to-come abundance of these gems. A fresh picked apple or pear in incomparable in every aspect imaginable. Apples, in their weight, seem halved and their flesh denser and drier. The skin is thick and floral and they take twice as long to eat as a regular apple, though whether this is from their savored tastiness or substantiality, I do not know. Yet they still have just the right amount of juiciness that they spray a fine mist of sticky nectar with that first crisp bite. With fresh-picked pears, they are heavy in their syrupy juice so that it relentlessly drips down the chin. The texture is minimally gritty and rather thick and creamy like butter. Pure and simple, fresh and raw - that is the way I best like my pome fruits.

To change up the pace with the starch aspect of my new typical meal I made these cheesy savory scones. The recipe is by Nigel Slater from his book Ripe. He suggests them as a perfect accompaniment to a raw pear. He is quite correct with that note as he is on most things fruit and vegetable related. The book in its entirety is exquisite and a must have for anyone fascinated by nature’s sweetest produce and both the sweet and savory applications for them. The recipe, too, is quintessentially British as a savory take on the teatime classic and a base for some of the country’s finest cheeses. They are light and airy as a biscuit yet a little more moist and wet from the melting cheese dispersed throughout. The touch of spelt flour and hazelnuts adds a deep nuttiness and slight sweetness to counterbalance the salty cheese. Eaten warm with a smear of butter, a clean arugula salad, and, of course, a fresh juicy pear, it is a lunch I’d be glad to return to as my circumstances require.

Goat Cheese and Thyme Scones (with pears)
recipe adapted from Nigel Slater’s Ripe
makes 4 scones

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1 Tbs baking powder
3 Tbs cold butter cut into small cubes
3½ oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 oz goat cheese
1 tsp. chopped thyme
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely ground
½ cup buttermilk
salt and pepper
pears, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl sift together the flours and the baking powder. Scatter the butter cubes over the flour and use your fingers to rub it into the flour until evenly distributed. Alternately, you could do this step in a food processor and transfer to a mixing bowl after. Add the goat and cheddar cheese, the thyme, the ground hazelnuts, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the flour and butter mixture and give a small stir to combine.

Pour the buttermilk over the flour mixture and use a fork to quickly bring the ingredients together into a firm ball of dough. If it looks a little too dry add a little more buttermilk. Dump onto a floured surface and shape into a round disk about 6 inches in diameter. Transfer to a lightly floured or parchment lined baking sheet. Using a knife, score a deep cross into the dough (making sure you don’t go all the way through to the baking sheet) so that you have 4 wedges. Sprinkle a little more cheese and thyme overtop.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes before eating with a lovely autumn pear.

Pretzel Buns

Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure that people associate soft pretzels with hot summer days at the baseball stadium, sharing the twisted mass of ballpark mustard slathered dough with their dads as they eagerly await a fly ball heading their direction. For me, soft pretzels bring back memories of my childhood. Granted, they are not associated with American sports and good ol’ times but they’re not necessarily bad either. As non-idyllic as it may seem, soft pretzels remind me of a dingy and run-down mall and of a time where simple pleasures were all that mattered.

I now refer to this place as “the old mall” and I haven’t a clue what it is really called. I do know that I haven’t been there in probably ten years. It had an old Regal Theatre in the basement level with a massive burgundy carpet and golden handrail lined stairway descending down to the atrium. It also had an enormous Pick ‘n’ Mix where I always scooped out my own bugling bag of nonpareils. The mall also had a Stride Ride shoe store, the destination of my yearly back-to-school footwear trip. Now, I know that most children aren’t thrilled about shopping but I was especially difficult. I still hate shopping and the thought of hanging around a dirty-carpeted store in my bare feet while sales associates constantly inform me that “the style does not come in your size but here are seven other similar pairs for you to try on just in case you like them” does not carry too much appeal. So, as you can imagine, my shoe shopping adventures generally ended in bad moods and sometimes no shoes at all. My one incentive for good behavior was the guaranteed after trip to the Auntie Anne’s pretzel stand for salty soft pretzel sticks, complete with processed cheese food dipping sauce on the side.

Like all guilty pleasure food, mall pretzels seem to have a salivation-inducing smell. It vaguely resembles melted butter with a slight hint of cinnamon sugar but of course mixed with that unique pretzely aroma. Even when I happen to catch a view of the salt-speckled logs, permanently glued to one another in their humid heat lamp habitat, and that tub of neon yellow “cheese” sauce, my nose seems to deceive my eyes into thinking that they are most definitely the right choice. And sure, I’ll have a large lemonade to go with that just in case the pretzel didn’t make me feel sick enough already. This is all pretty sad coming from someone who is about 90% German. However, considering that the German traditions in my life are limited to sauerkraut at Thanksgiving and hiding a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree should let you know that I’m not the good German girl whipping up homemade pretzels in my home kitchen. Well, until now at least.

With Oktoberfest slowly creeping up over the holiday horizons (German beer! Yay!) and a brief mention by a coworker about a craving for soft pretzels and mustard, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take advantage of my day off with some good, relaxing bread baking. And when my search for pretzel recipes led to this one for pretzel hotdog buns, the idea for brat dogs topped with kraut and brown mustard came about oh so naturally. And it actually happens to be a nice transitional recipe between summer and early fall. It’s a little comforting from the chewy and hearty pretzels with a summery smokiness from the grilled sausages and a refreshing pickled cabbage tang.

The greatest part is, these buns are a cinch to make. The dough is nice and pliable and a rising time is minimal. Sure the part where you have to boil the reshaped buns in a vat of baking soda water is a little daunting but also fun in a Bill Nye sort of way. Intimidation aside, however, DO NOT skip this step. The baking soda bath (traditionally a lye bath) is the absolute key to the quintessential pretzel taste and the deep brown chewy crust. I sprinkled the uncooked buns with a generous pinch of fleur de sel and popped them into the oven for a mere 14 minutes. The buns are heaven still hot and steaming but give them about ten minutes to allow the crust to firm up a little. And if you make these ahead of time, they keep quite well and only need a gentle warming before serving. I ate mine hotdog style but these pretzels are in no way limited to that. Shape them into thinner logs (reminiscent of the mall pretzel sticks) and serve them with a beer cheese fondue alongside slivers of seared kielbasa. Keep them round and use as fancy hamburger buns. And, if you are feeling traditional, twist them into their standard shape and eat plain or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or butter, parmesan, and garlic for a savory Italian flair.

Now that I’m reuniting with my German heritage and all of its pretzel glory, I guess it’s time to say auf wiedersehen to those sad yet fondly remembered mall pretzels. Though on second thought, maybe I can make an exception for bad shoe shopping days. Gotta give in sometimes.

Pretzel Buns
recipe by Jeff Mauro for Food Network
Makes 8 buns

Ingredients
1 cup milk
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. honey
1 packet of active dry yeast
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
3 cups all-purpose flour (you could replace 1 cup with whole wheat if you prefer)
1 cup bread flour
pinch sea salt
½ cup baking soda
pretzel salt or fleur de sel, for sprinkling

for the brat dogs
8 brats
sauerkraut
german mustard
havarti cheese (optional)

In a saucepan, heat the milk, ½ cup of water, the brown sugar, and the honey until it reaches 105 degrees and the sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Pour the packet of yeast overtop and set aside for five minute to allow the yeast to bloom.

Meanwhile sift together the flours and the pinch of salt. When the yeast liquid is bubbly, pour over the flour mixture and then the melted butter. Combine in your stand mixer using the dough hook or alternately stir with a wooden spoon until combined and continue kneading by hand. Knead until the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.

On a well-floured surface, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll them into balls and place them on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise in a warm place for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, roll each ball into a 6 or 7-inch log and return to the baking sheet. Cover again with the towel and let rise for 30 more minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. When the dough is almost ready, bring a large pot with 8 cups of water to a boil. Add in the baking soda and stir. Transfer the logs of dough to the water, 2 at a time, and let boil for 30 seconds on each side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dough to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt and use a pair of scissors or a knife to cut 3 shallow diagonal slits into the top. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until dark golden. Let cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.

For the brat dogs, cut a slit along the top of the bun halfway down. Place a grilled bratwurst inside and, if you so desire, cover with a piece of havarti cheese and place under the broiler for a few seconds to melt. Top with as much sauerkraut and mustard as you desire and serve with a nice big mug of German beer.

Corn for the Gold

It’s amazing to consider the epic change that occurs amongst the world’s inhabitants every two years. Suddenly people like me, who don’t outwardly show much pride in their country on a normal daily basis, are standing in front of their television, pumping their fists, and shouting Go! Go! GO! USA! USA! Suddenly I don’t mind watching sports in the least bit; I actually enjoy it and take the time to really appreciate and admire the skills and extraordinary physical fitness of the athletes, our real-life action superheroes. And suddenly, fun stories like these arrive on the Internet.

I’ve been slightly bitter about the Olympics this time around, however. The incessant and ever-constant images of London, my second home, on the TV screen bring out this intense yearning that pulls at my very heartstrings. I’m unnecessarily jealous of all of the American tourists that are there while I am not. Though I know it is currently a very different London right now than I probably remember, I’d do anything to be there all the same. Yet despite my affections for the host country, I am still automatically rooting hard-core for the American athletes and getting slightly emotional whenever they play our national anthem at a medals ceremony. What can I say; the Olympics bring out different sides of people.

For example, they make me want to do things like work out more (though I think that applies to everyone) or take up hobbies like archery or skeet shooting. Also, counterproductive to the previously mentioned urges, they really make me want American food, as if summer didn’t already create that craving. So to embrace these few weeks of hyper-Americanism, I am cooking and eating in the fashion of the US of A. It’s BLT’s for lunch, burgers for dinner, and a craving for all things barbeque. And of course you can’t have American cuisine with out the summer favorite, those golden ears of milky and juicy sweet corn.

Just last week I had grilled corn for the first time ever. I placed the ear or corn on my plate, not thinking twice about the blistered and blackened kernels, freckling the cob with a gap-toothed grin. The remaining kernels, on second thought, looked different too. Were they deeper yellow than I remembered, a glistening golden hue almost shimmering like the light of sunset?  One bite was enough to inform me that this corn was on a totally different playing field than its boiled or steamed alternative. Grilling corn somehow intensifies the flavor by a tenfold. It’s sweeter, but not overwhelming; it’s a sophisticated sweet. It’s like caramel that has been cooked to the point right before it begins to burn where it becomes concentrated and smoky. The individual kernels swell with steam and boiling juices so that this caramelized liquid bursts the moment it hits the impact of the teeth. I unashamedly sucked the juices from the empty cobs to savor every bit of the new and mind-blowing flavor. From now on, it’s so long to boiled corn. Grilling is my method of choice now.

Its amazing how roasting and grilling, that high heat and that little bit of fire and smoke, can turn what may be a perfectly delicious vegetable or fruit into something that just simply goes above and beyond. It creates the Olympic athletes of food, with flavor that, like the athlete’s skills, seem almost beyond possibility. And it may just me my own opinion, but I think that grilled corn gets the gold every time.

Grilled Corn (and an optional salad preparation)
Ingredients
3 ears of corn with husks attached

for roasted corn and goat cheese salad
(serves two)
corn cut from the 3 ears
2 Tbs. softened butter
salt and pepper
¼-½ tsp of cumin
zest of half a lime
½ cup cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
¼ cup goat cheese
½ cup dry spelt or other grain of choice, cooked according to package instructions
a handful of arugula
juice of half a lime

Soak the corn in water for about 15 minutes. Then after taking them out and shaking them dry, carefully peel back the husk of the corn down to the bottom so that they remain intact and pull off the inner silks. Brush the corn with a little olive oil and pull the husks back up. Place the corn onto a preheated grill with a medium flame. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. While the corn cooks combine the butter, salt, pepper, desired amount of cumin, and lime zest in a bowl and mash into a paste.

Once the corn is cooked, remove from the grill and place onto a platter. Carefully peel back the husks and brush the butter mixture onto the hot corn. You can also place the naked corn back onto the grill for a few more minutes if you want more caramelization. Remove the husks completely and then cut off the kernels of the corn into a bowl. Add the tomatoes, goat cheese, grains, arugula, and lime juice to the bowl and toss to combine. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Vegetable Tart

For almost a year now I’ve been taking part in Meatless Monday. I think I originally heard about it from an article about how Mario Batali made all of his restaurants have meatless menus on Mondays but regardless it instantly became something I wanted to do. I know for a fact that I would never totally convert to vegetarianism. And it’s not just because I like the taste of a nice juicy hamburger (though that plays a rather large part) but I think I really feel better when I eat meat in moderation.

About a year and a half ago when I was living on my college campus right after my study abroad in London ended, I did not eat very much meat. For one, the meat at our dining halls was highly dubious and I refused to touch it. Secondly, I had been reading and watching a lot of documentaries at that time about the meat industry and the treatment of these feedlot animals. You could call it my 3-month animal rights stage I guess. But I realized that without that high dose of protein in my meals I would feel sluggish and tired. I needed that steak, that chicken, that pork chop. I guess I quickly got over my activist stint and got right back to consuming the stuff but this time with a new awareness and sense of selectivity. I ate a lot more local, organic, grass-fed and humanely treated meat. It tasted so much better and despite its much higher cost, I didn’t mind because I knew it was the right thing for the environment and me.

Now, I am a bit more lenient and less particular but I have made a conscious effort to go at least one day a week (it usually ends up being about 3) without meat. It’s amazing to read the statistics about the difference we as Americans can make if we just cut out meat one day a week. The more people that take part in Meatless Monday the less health problems we will have with our bodies and the less greenhouse gasses, fuel waste, and so many more problems we will have on this earth. Sorry if I sound a little soapbox-ish here but I think it’s a simple thing that is easy for everyone to try.

I am lucky that the restaurant if work at is closed on Mondays and I can spend the day planning out a good meatless meal for that evening. And I’ve surprised not only my family but also myself at the variety and deliciousness I can achieve. I’ve made “hamburgers” out of brown rice, olives, and pecorino cheese, a Mexican lasagne out of tortillas, garden vegetables, ricotta, and salsa, baked white beans, and of course a number of egg dishes.

A few weeks ago I made this awesome quiche/tart. It’s a good way to use up some extra zucchini we all have laying around and it all comes together quite easily. You can wash up while it bakes in the oven with time leftover to relax and read a bit while it finishes off. I can imagine you could also make it ahead of time too. The crust may be a little softer but you could certainly revive it some in the oven. I had a slice the next day for lunch and I just heated it in the microwave…it was still awesome. With a dish like this and a nice salad on the side (or the chilled dressed green beans I made, recipe below) you should have no problems sticking to Meatless Monday at all.

Summer Vegetable Tart
adapted from New York Times
serves 4-6

Ingredients
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbs olive oil
1 pound Swiss chard
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped rosemary
4 eggs
½ cup tightly packed shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out your puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until 2 inches larger in diameter than your tart pan on all sides. Place the pastry over the pan and press into the pan along the bottom and up the sides. Cut off the excess and discard or reserve for another use. Prick the dough on the bottom of the pan with a fork and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Separate the Swiss chard leaves and stems. Finely chop the stems and give the leaves a rough chop. Add the chard stems and the onion to the skillet. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook another 10 minutes until the zucchini is soft. Add the rosemary and thyme, stir, and add in the chard leaves. Continue to cook and stir until the leaves are wilted and tender, about 3 more minutes. Remove form heat and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well. Add the cheese, yogurt, and milk (if you don’t have yogurt on hand just add ½ cup milk) and whisk to combine. Add the cooked vegetables to the egg mixture, season with salt and pepper, and stir well. Pour the filling into the chilled puff pastry. Spread the filling even with the spatula and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until firm and golden. Allow the tart to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before eating. Can also be served at room temperature.

Dressed French Beans
recipe from Jamie’s Dinners by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients
4 giant handfuls of washed French beans, with the ends snapped off
2 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
7 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tbs capers (optional)

Bring a large pan of water to a rapid boil. Toss in the beans, stir, and cover until the water returns to a boil. Remove the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes. Meanwhile prepare a large bowl of ice water. Once the beans are cooked, quickly drain them in a colander and transfer the drained beans to the ice water to cool and stop cooking. Once cool drain them again and set aside to dry some. Meanwhile add the mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and capers, if using, to an old jam jar, pop on the lid, and shake until well combined. Alternately you could whisk together in a bowl. Place the beans in a large serving bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix well to dress the beans. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before eating to allow the beans to come to room temperature.

Zucchini (and lots of other stuff) Muffins

This year is the first (in many) that my family put a garden in our yard. As a kid, I always remember having one. It was enormous and a mainstay for our summer table. For some reason many of my vivid memories of childhood stem from that garden; I feel like I was forced to pick green beans for hours every day though looking back that may be a bit of an exaggeration. But when we moved about ten years ago, the gardening stopped. Our house now is built on what used to be an old junkyard and we just happened to be a bit dubious about planting our vegetables in a sea of broken windshield glass and car battery acid. I guess we put caution to the wind this year when we planted a boatload in our little garden plot and watched as it very quickly became a miniature jungle out there.

Our garden, in only the past few weeks, has absolutely flourished. The size of the plants dwarfs those of the neighbors. We harvest about 10 zucchini a night only to find 5 more the next day that seem to have popped up in the matter of a few hours. It’s kind of ridiculous. I think the real reason for this is the fact that my mom sprayed the dirt with Miraclegrow. So…technically our garden is on steroids, the products of performance enhancing drugs. Now we couldn’t enter anything into the biggest vegetable contest at the county fair if we wanted to (actually I’m not sure if that sort of contest even exists) for fear of an embarrassing disqualification.

The only problem with an overwhelmingly flourishing garden is a sudden lack of refrigerator space and mouths in the household to eat everything. It has come to the point where only about a third of the produce stays in our home and the rest is placed into the hands of anyone who will take it. Strangely, it’s been hard to give away the Swiss chard. No one seems to know what to do with it, which is a shame. Obviously all they have to do is go on this blog and look here, or here. Problem solved. I’ve also been getting creative with the zucchini. The other day I made a Mexican vegetable and tortilla “lasagna”. My agenda today includes some pickle production. And Monday I whipped up a batch of these super-healthy zucchini muffins.

Despite their uber-grungy-hippie façade, these are not your classic crumbly and dry health muffins. They are also not cupcakes in disguise. Sweetened with only a little sugar, moistened with canola oil rather than butter, and absolutely chockfull of tasty mix-ins and, of course, zucchini, these are wonderfully filling and even delightful. They are heaven when eaten warm with a schmear of peanut butter and cream cheese. They are also perfect for adaptation. You really can adjust the nut and dried fruit types to your preferences. Want sunflower seeds, pepitas, millet? Go for it. Hate coconut (shame on you)? Leave it out. You could definitely also throw in a handful of grated carrot for good measure, if you’re so inclined. So if you find yourself the receiver of someone’s superfluous zucchini crop, make these.

Zucchini (and lots of other stuff) muffins
adapted very slightly from Joanne Chang’s Flour cookbook
makes about 15 muffins

Ingredients
½ cup oats, ground into coarse powder with a food processor
½ cup hot water
1 medium zucchini
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts
¼ cup toasted chopped pecans
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
½ apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into ¼ into cubes
2/3 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole old-fashioned oats
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put muffin paper liners in about 15 slots in some muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ground oats with the hot water until it forms a paste. Set aside. Grate the zucchini into a strainer or colander.  Press on the zucchini to release some of the excess liquid. Measure out 1½ cups of the grated zucchini. Add the zucchini, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, pecans, coconut, and apple pieces to the wet oat mixture and stir to coat. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer with they whisk attachment, whip the three eggs and the brown sugar together on medium speed for 4 minutes until lighter in color and slightly frothy. Add the vanilla and then slowly pour in the canola oil in a steady drizzle. Remove the bowl from the mixer and set aside. Combine the flour, whole oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and stir to evenly combine. Pour the dry mixture into the mixing bowl with the egg and oil and quickly fold together until just mixed. Add in the zucchini mixture and gently fold into the rest of the batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. They will not rise very much so you can fill each almost to the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minute until just lightly browned on the top. These are best eaten within the first 24 hours they are made. For any extra, they keep for about 3 days at room temperature. They also freeze well, wrapped tightly in plastic or foil. Let them defrost in the refrigerator, at room temperature, or reheat in a 300-degree oven. I’ll admit, I actually heated them for 20 seconds in the microwave…you won’t want to wait for the oven to warm up, trust me.