Travelling Mussels

Wines

Domaine Jo Pithon Anjou Chinin Blanc – Les Blanches Bergeres 2006

Domaine Ramonet Bourgogne 2007 Pinot Noir

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Sauvignon 2009

Robert stopped by to advise me on my Bread Baking See No Knead Bread Baking blog entry. Actually, he gave advice, I ignored it, and followed the recipe for the bread exactly as written. I do remember his valid advice and will use it for future bread baking adventures. I simply wanted to get an exact baseline for baking using the bread recipe as written. We did drink some excellent wine as the bread baked.

I then invited him to literally break bread with us to sample my first loaf. He was planning to make mussels at his house – so he went home and gathered the ingredients for his Mussels and Beans and returned with Darryl to our house to cook his mussels. He had purchased them at McCall’s Meat and Fish and they were all cleaned and de-bearded. After steaming them in wine and sherry he removed the mussels and made a stew with Italian beans. The dish was excellent, and it was great to have the fresh bread to mop up the sauce. Yum.

We re-heated the Cabbage and Rice Soup and had a small portion each – inaugurating our new soup bowls we had purchased the previous Saturday at Peter Shire's Christmas ceramics sale. The recipe can be found in our blog post of: Dec 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

We then served a Chicken Pot Pie we had bought at Clementine. There are very few frozen foods that we like, however, Clementine is a giant exception. We always have a frozen Apple Pie, frozen Chicken Pot Pie and various frozen Soups from Clementine in our freezer. They are all excellent. To restock our freezer is one of the few reasons to drive to the West Side from our Silverlake perch.

We finished the dinner with Brownies Darryl had previously baked. We had frozen them and the defrosted perfectly. Darryl was amazed how good they were. I think he will be freezing them in the future.

No Knead Bread

The Bread mixture before it starts to rise

Turned out ready to folded twice

The Second Rising after two folds

Cooling

Pass the butter

A beautiful thing....

I had always wanted to bake bread, but know it is difficult to do it right: getting a good crunchy crust, lots of crumb and a great bread taste. The New York Times had a recipe for No Knead Bread that got rave reviews from everyone. I saved the recipe and every once in a while would think I should give it a try. But I never got around to it. We had a couple of dinners at Robert and Darryl’s where Robert made bread. I finally was inspired and I knew I could call on Robert if I had any issues. Robert joined us for the baking and gave advice as required.

I bought all of the necessary ingredients (Yeast, Bread Flour, Rye Flour, Whole Wheat Flour) and was ready to go. The more I read the recipe I realized you can modify it easily to taste (proportions of Rye, Whole Wheat, Salt). I finally decided to make the bread with only Bread Flour. The one modification I made was to increase the salt to just less than a tablespoon of salt.

There are two necessities for this recipe and a planning aspect for the baking this bread. The planning part is that it takes almost 24 house to make. You have to start it the day before you plan to eat it! The other main issue is the Le Creuset type heavy Enameled French Oven. You really need a very heavy baking vessel with close fitting top to bake the bread in. The final issue a very good pair of oven mittens. You will be removing the Le Creuset from the oven when it is 450 degrees. You don’t want to burn yourself!

Bottom line: the bread truly requires no kneading. It is delicious and the crust is fantastic! For my next bread I am going to use 16 % whole wheat flour and see what that does to the taste and texture of the bread.

No Knead Bread

Best-selling cookbook author Mark Bittman is the creator and author of the popular New York Times weekly column, "The Minimalist," and one of the country's best-known and widely admired food writers. His flagship book, How to Cook Everything, is currently in its fourteenth printing and has, in its various formats, sold over a million copies.

Mark is also a regular guest on the “Today” show and NPR's “All Things Considered” and has also appeared on countless national and local radio and television shows. He has been profiled in this country's leading newspapers, including the Boston Globe, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times.

No Knead Bread – Original Recipe
Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf

Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

No Knead Bread – Optional Recipes
WEIGHT VS. VOLUME - The original recipe contained volume measures, but for those who prefer to use weight, here are the measurements: 430 grams of flour, 345 grams of water, 1 gram of yeast and 8 grams of salt. With experience, many people will stop measuring altogether and add just enough water to make the dough almost too wet to handle.
SALT - Many people, me included, felt Mr. Lahey’s bread was not salty enough. Yes, you can use more salt and it won’t significantly affect the rising time. I’ve settled at just under a tablespoon.
YEAST - Instant yeast, called for in the recipe, is also called rapid-rise yeast. But you can use whatever yeast you like. Active dry yeast can be used without proofing (soaking it to make sure it’s active).
TIMING - About 18 hours is the preferred initial rising time. Some readers have cut this to as little as eight hours and reported little difference. I have not had much luck with shorter times, but I have gone nearly 24 hours without a problem. Room temperature will affect the rising time, and so will the temperature of the water you add (I start with tepid). Like many other people, I’m eager to see what effect warmer weather will have. But to those who have moved the rising dough around the room trying to find the 70-degree sweet spot: please stop. Any normal room temperature is fine. Just wait until you see bubbles and well-developed gluten — the long strands that cling to the sides of the bowl when you tilt it — before proceeding.
THE SECOND RISE - Mr. Lahey originally suggested one to two hours, but two to three is more like it, in my experience. (Ambient temperatures in the summer will probably knock this time down some.) Some readers almost entirely skipped this rise, shaping the dough after the first rise and letting it rest while the pot and oven preheat; this is worth trying, of course.
OTHER FLOURS - Up to 30 percent whole-grain flour works consistently and well, and 50 percent whole-wheat is also excellent. At least one reader used 100 percent whole-wheat and reported “great crust but somewhat inferior crumb,” which sounds promising. I’ve kept rye, which is delicious but notoriously impossible to get to rise, to about 20 percent. There is room to experiment.
FLAVORINGS -The best time to add caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins or whatever other traditional bread flavorings you like is after you’ve mixed the dough. But it’s not the only time; you can fold in ingredients before the second rising.
OTHER SHAPES - Baguettes in fish steamers, rolls in muffin tins or classic loaves in loaf pans: if you can imagine it, and stay roughly within the pattern, it will work.
COVERING BETWEEN RISES - A Silpat mat under the dough is a clever idea (not mine). Plastic wrap can be used as a top layer in place of a second towel.
THE POT - The size matters, but not much. I have settled on a smaller pot than Mr. Lahey has, about three or four quarts. This produces a higher loaf, which many people prefer — again, me included. I’m using cast iron. Readers have reported success with just about every available material. Note that the lid handles on Le Creuset pots can only withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees. So avoid using them, or remove the handle first.
BAKING - You can increase the initial temperature to 500 degrees for more rapid browning, but be careful; I scorched a loaf containing whole-wheat flour by doing this. Yes, you can reduce the length of time the pot is covered to 20 minutes from 30, and then increase the time the loaf bakes uncovered. Most people have had a good experience baking for an additional 30 minutes once the pot is uncovered.
As these answers demonstrate, almost everything about Mr. Lahey’s bread is flexible, within limits. As we experiment, we will have failures. (Like the time I stopped adding flour because the phone rang, and didn’t realize it until 18 hours later. Even this, however, was reparable). This method is going to have people experimenting, and largely succeeding, until something better comes along. It may be quite a while.

Pork Tiella with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes

Pork Tiella before Baking - Potatoes scattered thru dish

Tiella after 2nd baking with Potatoes on top with Cheese

Plated Tiella

Cabbage and Rice Soup

It is wintery here in Los Angeles and Cathy found a great recipe: Pork Tiella with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes from Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking – Paula Wolfert. This dish is fun to make. We had purchased a beautiful fatty Pork Shoulder at McCalls Meat and Fish. After we cut up the meat, potatoes, and mushrooms we placed them in a Le Crueset pan rather than a Clay Pot Cooker (our Le Crueset is larger than our clay pots). You bake the Tiella then remove all of the potatoes from the dish and layer them on top. You then top with the grated cheese and re-bake. This creates a gratin-like dish with crunchy potatoes on top. It is very unusual and good!

Pomegranates and Persimmons are at their best right now. We have a favorite salad we make from them. We started with a favorite salad: Persimmons, Pomegranate, Arugula, Almonds, Saba, and topped with Prosciutto. We got most of the ingredients at The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We also make Minestra di Versa e Riso (Cabbage and Rice Soup) from Cucina Rustica by Viana La Place & Evan Kleiman. It is a very easy to make soup, perfect for a cold night. If you like thick soups this is for you. Interestingly, unlike many soups it is not made from a stock – just add water!

Minestra di Versa e Riso

Cabbage    and    Rice Soup

Cucina Rustica

Viana La Place & Evan Kleiman

Serves 6 to 8

Simple, healthful ingredients that are always available create this deli­cious, savory soup.

1         head Savoy or green cabbage

¼         cup extra-virgin olive oil

6          ounces prosciutto, roughly chopped

2         quarts water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

½         cup long-grain rice

Grated Parmesan cheese for table use

Core the cabbage and shred as for cole slaw. Heat the oil in a soup pot with a heavy bottom. Add the prosciutto and saute over low heat until it renders its fat. Add the shredded cabbage and stir until it is well coated with oil. Add the water to cover the cabbage. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer the soup gently. If you wish, place the cover slightly askew on the soup pot. Cook until cabbage is very tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. About 1/2 hour before serving, remove the cover, bring the soup to a lively boil, and add the rice. Cook over high heat until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately, passing grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the soup.

Pork Tiella with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes

Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking

Paula Wolfert

SERVES 4

This recipe is from the Silana Mountains area of Calabria, Italy, where the wonderful cow's milk cheese called caciocavallo is made. You may have seen pairs of the pear-shaped cheese connected by a rope hanging over a beam in Italian groceries, a shape resembling the legs of an equestrian, which explains its name {cavallo means "horseman" in Italian).

A tiella is a wide, medium-high glazed earthenware cooking vessel popular in Calabria and Puglia; the word also refers to the dish cooked in the pot. Success depends on proper evaporation of

moisture, the quality of the mushrooms, the meat, and the potatoes, as well as on the cooking time, which must be calculated perfectly so that everything becomes meltingly tender at the same moment. Happily, a Spanish cazuela will work perfidy wellin this savory recipe.

Preferred Clay Pot:

A 12-inch Spanish cazuela or a tiella from southern Italy. If using an electric or ceramic stovetop, be sure to use a heat diffuser with the clay pot.

¾         cup dried porcini or cepes mushrooms 3/4 ounce)

3         tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3         garlic cloves, crushed

3         ounces thinly sliced pancetta, shredded

1         pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into l'^-inch chunks

1         pound red potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

1         pound Italian brown mushrooms, quartered

1         long fresh rosemary sprig

A teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4         ounces caciocavallo or aged provolone cheese,shredded

1         tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.   Soak the porcini in 1 cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Rub the mushrooms together to loosen any dirt and grit; then remove them from the water and coarsely chop. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth and set aside.

2.   Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the cazuela. Add the garlic and pancetta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. When the cazuela is warm, raise the heat to medium, add the pork, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, chopped porcini, quartered fresh mushrooms, rosemary, hot red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 1 day in advance. Bring back to room temperature before continuing.)

3.   About 1 1/2 hours before serving, scrape any surface fat from the pork dish. Carefully pick out as many potatoes as possible and set aside. Arrange the meat and mushrooms in one layer and top with a layer of the potatoes. Gently press down to make the dish compact. Scatter the remaining tablespoon olive oil and the cheese on top and set in a cold oven. Set the temperature at 400°F and bake for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let the dish continue to cook in the receding heat for 45 minutes. Serve hot or warm, with the chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

A Smoky Pop-up Dinner

A Smoky Pop-up Dinner

We knew we wouldn’t have leftovers from Thanksgiving. We had been invited to two different dinners. Leftover turkey is one of the joys of T-day. So, before Thanksgiving we were reading in the New York Times about Greenberg’s - a Texas provider of Smoked Turkey’s shipped ready to eat. So we ordered one to be shipped to us the week after T-day. We ordered a small one, only 7 pounds (we have cooked chickens that were bigger).

The Turkey arrived and Billy and Robert stopped by to check it out. We invited them over for dinner and wound up serving a mini T-day dinner. We had previously made a delicious thick soup from Ad-Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller: Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup. The recipe calls for 8 oz of bacon, but because Nueske's Bacon comes in a 12 oz pack we used all of it, making the soup extra smoky. It matched the Turkey.

We also made from the Ad Hoc Cookbook an exceptional pudding that is an unusual turkey dressing: Leek Bread Pudding. If you don’t like traditional dressing this is for you. It is much lighter and the Brioche gives it a wonderful texture. Surprisingly, it has cheese in it, but the cheese flavor does not predominate. We will definitely make it again.

Finally for dessert we had a delicious Apple Pie from Clementine. It is absolutely the best frozen pie you can make and should always have one in your freezer!

The turkey was delicious and very meaty. We would definitely order it again! Sadly, but healthily, the skin is not crisp and because you serve the turkey at room temperature not crisp.

We had served a wonderful wine: 2007 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesport Goldtropfchen Riesling Spätlese that was fabulous with the turkey. Everyone wanted to order the wine, so in the middle of the dinner we went on-line and collectively ordered 30 bottles! We are prepared! We also drank a Reignac 2004 Bordeaux Superieur that was an excellent match for the turkey.

Leek Bread Pudding

Ad Hoc at Home

Thomas Keller

2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices leeks (white and light green parts only)
Kosher salt

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter

Freshly ground black pepper

12 cups 1-inch cubes crustless Brioche or Pullman sandwich loaf

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

3 large eggs

3 cups whole milk

3 cups heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup shredded Comte or Emmentaler

Just as custards work well in the savory portion of the meal, although they're more often served as a dessert, so do bread puddings. This one is a great complement to the Prime Rib Roast and Pan-Roasted Duck Breasts. But you could also top it with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes and serve it as a vegetarian meal.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the leek rounds in a large bowl of tepid water and swish so that any dirt falls to the bottom of the bowl. Set a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, lift the leeks from the water, drain, and add them to the pan. Season with salt and cook, stirring often, for about  5 minutes. As the leeks begin to soften, lower the heat to medium-low. The leeks will release liquid. Stir in the butter to emulsify, and season with pepper to taste. Cover the pan with a parchment lid, and cook, stirring every 10 minutes, until the leeks are very soft, 30 to 35 minutes. If at any point the butter breaks or looks oily, stir in about a tablespoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Meanwhile, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until dry and pale gold. Transfer to a large bowl. Leave the oven on.

Add the leeks to the bread and toss well, then add the chives and thyme.

Lightly whisk the eggs in another large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese in the bottom of a 9-by-13 -inch baking pan. Spread half the leeks and croutons in the pan and sprinkle with another ¼ cup cheese. Scatter the remaining leeks and croutons over and top with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough of the custard mixture to cover the bread and press gently on the bread so it soaks in the milk. Let soak for about 15 minutes.

Add the remaining custard, allowing some of the soaked cubes of bread to protrude. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pudding feels set and the top is brown and bubbling.

SERVES 12 AS A SIDE DISH,

6 TO 8 AS A MAIN COURSE

Lentil and sweet potato soup

Ad-hoc at Home

Thomas Keller

8 ounces applewood-smoked slab bacon

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups thinly sliced carrots

2 cups coarsely chopped leeks

2 cups coarsely chopped onions

3/4 to 1 teaspoon Yellow Curry Powder or Madras curry powder

Kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes

2 Sachets (1 bay leaf, 3 tyme sprigs, 10 black peppercorns, 1 garlic clove smashed and peeled)

2 cups (about 8 ounces) Spanish Pardina lentils or French de Puy lentils, small stones removed, rinsed

8 cups Chicken Stock

1 to 2 tablespoons red .wine vinegar Freshly ground black pepper

Cilantro leaves

The sweet potatoes make this a rich soup. The curry powder sharpens the flavor, and the cilantro brightens the rich ingredients. The bacon and cilantro used as garnish could be served on the side and added at the table if you prefer.

Cut the bacon into lardons that are 1 inch long and 1/2 inch thick

Heat the canola oil in an 8- to 10-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the bacon, reduce the heat to low, and render the fat for 20 to 25 minutes. The bacon should color but not crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set aside.

Add the carrots, leeks, onions, and curry powder to the pot and stir to coat in the bacon fat. Season with salt, reduce the heat to low, cover with a parchment lid (see opposite), and cook very slowly for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes. Trim them and cut them into 1/2-inch dice. Put the potatoes, one of the sachets, and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan, add cold water to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and spread on a tray to cool; discard the sachet.

Add the lentils, second sachet, and stock to the vegetables, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. (At this point, the soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.) *   

Spread the bacon in a small frying pan and crisp over medium-high heat.

Add the vinegar to taste to the soup, then add the potatoes and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup garnished with the bacon and cilantro leaves.

SERVES 6 (MAKES 10 CUPS)

Making A Parchment LID To make a parchment lid, fold a large rectangular piece of parchment paper in half to give you a square bigger than the pot to be covered. Beginning at the crease, fold over the edge to create a narrow triangle. Continue to fold the triangle over until you have reached the opposite side of the parchment paper. To gauge the size, place the tip over the center of the pot to be covered and mark the edges of the pot with your thumb, then cut the end off there. With a pair of scissors, cut 1/4 inch off the narrow tip of the triangle. Trim the pointed edges of the triangle to form a smooth rounded edge. Unfold the triangle. It will be a circle the size of your pot with a steam hole in the center. Put the paper lid in the pot so that it rests gently on the food you're cooking.

Winter Meal

We went to a Schreiner's Meat Market in Montrose. It is a German market that sells an unbelievable selection of homemade sausages and smoked meats. We purchased a smoked ham-hock and decided to make soup. The weather has been cold, damp and rainy and it definitely was perfect for a hot soup.

We made Heirloom Bean and Escarole Soup from the cookbook Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller. I don’t know why but I always forget that escarole is like a lettuce. It is a delicious soup.  Perfect dish for a cold night. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Dec. 8, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

As long as we were porking out, we decided to make Loin Of Pork  "A L'Apicius" from It’s About Time by Michael Schlow. I really liked the dish. The pork was glazed with the sweet and tangy sauce. It is unusual for a pork dish to be cooked with curry powder and it added a 3^rd dimension to the flavors.

Loin Of Pork  "A L'Apicius"

It’s About Time

by Michael Schlow

1         cup honey

4          ounces (1/2 cup) red wine vinegar

1         teaspoon curry powder

¼         teaspoon cayenne pepper

2         ounces (4 tablespoons)canola oil

1         center loin of pork, trimmed of any excess fat (about 3 pounds, 6 inches in diameter)

Salt and pepper

4          ounces (1/2 cup) water

3 to 4 ounces (6 to 8 tablespoons) Chicken Stock water can be substituted)

2         tablespoons butter

Does this sound like a fancy dish, or what?

Relax — it just sounds fancy. I make this all of the time at my house and even at guest-chef events, because people really seem to enjoy the balanced seasoning of sweet, spicy, tart, and aromatic.

Since you already have an audience sitting around the dinner table, and you are discussing everything from politics to history, I thought I would give you the history part of the conversation. Your family will really be im­pressed; in fact, they will suggest you audition for Jeopardy someday soon.

Apicius was a Roman chef and bon vivant whose first cookbook only contained sauces. (I wonder how he ever got that idea past his agent!) He liked to experiment with his cooking and created dishes using nightingales' tongues and camels' heels, among other oddities. These dishes were apparently meant to startle the complacent citizenry, but other interesting things came out of it: The historian Pliny credits Apicius with the idea of force-feeding geese to enlarge their livers, some of our very first foie gras!

Apicius eventually went broke and committed suicide to save his pride, but now you can enjoy his roast pork loin and do your part to help his legacy live on. You can serve this with just about anything — roasted pota­toes, rice of any kind, or just vegetables.

Makes 6 dinner-sized portions

Heat the oven to 300°F.

·      Mix the honey, vinegar, curry powder, and cayenne pepper in a bowl and I set aside.

·      Place a large, ovenproof pan on the stove over medium heat and add the canola oil.

·      Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and place in the pan.

·      Cook pork gently, just 30 seconds per side, to obtain a light change in color. Do not sear.

·      Pour the honey mixture over the pork

·      Pour the water into the bottom of the pan, taking care not to pour in on the pork

·      Place the pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour, turning the pork and basting it with the pan juices every 3 to 5 minutes

·      Turn the oven off

·      Remove the pork from the pan, place on a baking sheet, and return it to the oven to stay warm, about 10 minutes, while you prepare the sauce

·      Transfer the pan juices to a medium-sized sauce pot.

·     Add the chicken stock or water to the sauce pot and reduce over medium heat until about Vi cup remains.

·     Swirl in the butter, stirring until melted, and remove from heat.

·     Remove the pork from the oven and carve into thick slices. Arrange on a platter, drizzle the sauce over the top,and serve.

White Truffles are here!

We were at The Cheese Store of Silverlake and Chris told me they had their first white truffles of the season. Mucho expensive, but we couldn’t resist. We bought one fairly large one ¾ of an ounce. We also purchased some truffle butter.

We first made a Sunday lunch with scrambled eggs topped with shaved truffles. It was perfect! No recipe needed, scramble eggs, thinly slice truffles (truffle slicer works best) top eggs with truffles. Eat slowly savoring every bite.

We used ½ of the truffle on the eggs.

For the other half of the truffle, we made a pasta with truffles. When the noodles were cooked and drained, we returned the noodles to the warm pot we cooked the pasta in, and added truffle butter (can’t have too much of a good thing). We then served the pasta topped with the truffles.

Two extremely wonderful truffle dishes, that are candidates for courses in my last meal.

Ad Hoc Dinner

We made two recipes one from the Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. The other for Rice with Roasted Cauliflower was in the LA Times. It is always a joy to find a new, unusual recipe that we have never made before and the Rice with Roasted Cauliflower was new to us. It is vaguely Indian and maybe that is why we liked it so much. I really recommend giving it a try.

We made his Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon and Fennel previously and really liked it. Talk about the flavors of Provence. This dish has it! The final sauce of leeks flavored with the fenel and olives was delicious poured over the Ad Hoc rice. This is a great meal for a cold winter night.

You can find the recipe in our blog of: Dec. 10, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Ad Hoc's rice with roasted cauliflower

Los Angeles Times

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 to 10

·      1/2 head white cauliflower, cut into florets

·      2 tablespoons canola oil

·      Salt

·      Pepper

·      Pinch of curry powder

·      6 cups water

·      1 cup Carolina, or long grain, rice

·      1 teaspoon red chili flakes

·      2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

·      2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

·      1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the canola oil and season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, or to taste.

3. Place the cauliflower in a roasting pan (reserve the bowl) and roast until the cauliflower is a deep brown and tender throughout when pierced with a knife, 20 to 25 minutes, tossing every few minutes for even coloring and cooking. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees.

4. While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the rice: In a large saucepan, add the water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the rice and chili flakes and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook the rice just until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the rice well, then spread the rice in a thin shallow layer in a large baking dish.

5. Place the rice in the oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Remove, then stir in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt and pepper.

6. Place the cauliflower back in the bowl and toss with the curry powder. Taste and season, if desired, with additional salt and pepper.

7. Gently stir in the warmed rice and butter, tossing until the butter is melted and evenly coats the rice and cauliflower. Stir in the green onions and serve immediately.

Sausage and Beans

We saw a recipe for Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew in the New York Times and couldn’t resist making it. You could call it Pork and Beans, but if you added preserved duck you could call it a French Cassoulet. We purchased the sausage at McCall’s Meat and Fish. The recipe was delicious and yielded lots of leftovers.

We started with an Arugula Salad with dates, shaved Parmesan Cheese and Almonds, all from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

New York Times

October 29, 2010

Herbed White Bean and Sausage Stew

Time: 2 1/2 hours

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for serving

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced 3/4-inch thick

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 medium carrots, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound dried Great Northern beans, rinsed and picked through

2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

2 thyme sprigs

1 large rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, more for serving

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste.

1. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

2. Add the tomato paste and cumin to the pot. Cook, stirring, until dark golden, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, 8 cups water, salt, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours, adding more water if needed to make sure the beans remain submerged.

3. When the beans are tender, return the sausage to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into warm bowls and serve drizzled with additional vinegar and olive oil.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Pasta All Amatriciana

We made Zuni’s Café’s version of the much-loved dish from Abruzzo, PASTA ALL 'AMATRICIANA. The exceptional cookbook by Judy Rodgers is called: The Zuni Café Cookbook.

You can find this recipe in our blog of: Nov. 21, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe. One of the joys of the pasta is that it is made from caned tomatoes making it a year around treat! We used bacon and pancetta this time in the sauce. We prefer the Pecorino cheese, which we always buy at The Cheese Store of Silverlake. The choice of pasta is critical with this dish. Even though the recipe says you can use alternative pastas we would only recommend using: bucatini. It really soaks up the pasta sauce.

The Didn't Pace Yourself Dinner

JJ arrived and we decided invite to Billy / Kevin and Robert / Darryl over for dinner. The watch word for the dinner that was definitely disregarded was “Pace Yourself”. We started out with Popcorn with Truffle Butter. Couldn’t be easier to make: Pop your popcorn and the coat with melted truffle butter and a little salt. Everyone liked it.

Crab with Dynamite Sauce has become a signature dish for us. Once again we made it. The sauce is terrific but it MUST be made with Japanese Mayo. We started with a recipe that we found on The Fine Lobster Blog called: Creamy Spicy Lobster: a twist on a Nobu Classic. Everyone loves it! We served Japanese Rice with it. We purchased excellent canned Lump Crab meat from McCall's Meat and Fish. It is called: MeTompkin. Look for it! The recipe can be found in our blog of: Sep 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe. With the crab we served Uni and Seaweed. They were a great accompaniment to the crab.

For the main course we made a Smoked Salmon. We had purchased a beautiful salmon filet from McCall’s Meat and Fish. We decided to slow cook the salmon in the egg. This is a great (and easy recipe). We used the recipe for Honey-Cured, Smoked Salmon from Cooking with Fire and Smoke by Phillip Stephen Schulz. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Jan 15, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. We served Corn with Lime and Broccoli that with the salmon.

For dessert we made a ChewyDate Bars from the City Cuisine cookbook.

Darryl and Robert brought Brownies. Unfortunately due to not-pacing yourself, there are no pictures of the dessert. Those who attended will understand.

Chewy Date Bars

City Cuisine

By Susan Feniger Mary Sue Milliken

1 POUND PITTED DRIED DATES, CHOPPED

1 CUP WATER

1 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR

1/2 CUP FRESH LEMON JUICE

3 CUPS ROLLED OATS

2 1/2 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

1 3/4 CUPS PACKED BROWN SUGAR

3/4 TEASPOON BAKING SODA

3/4 TEASPOON SALT

1 3/4 CUPS (3V2 STICKS) UNSALTED BUTTER, MELTED

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter a 9 x 12-inch pan.

Combine dates and water in a saucepan. Cook at a low boil for 5 minutes, until mixture is as thick as mashed potatoes. Stir in sugar and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add melted butter to dry mixture. Stir to evenly moisten.

Spread half oat mixture in baking pan to form an even layer. Cover evenly with all date mixture. Spread remaining oat mixture over top.

Bake about 40 minutes, until top is golden brown and pebbly. The edges should start caramelizing. Set aside to cool, in pan on rack, about 1 hour. Run a sharp knife along inside edges to loosen. Invert, trim edges, and cut into squares.

Makes 12 Large Squares