Poncelet Fennel, Paris

Sharon's Jell-O Fruit Mold

What would the holidays be without this tribute of love?

Sue Fosters Red & White floral captures my kitchen in early December

http://www.mgalleryoffineart.com/masterpiece/title.php?ititlenum=11015

which moves into a hodgepodge of decorations, candy & cookie making and general chaos.

This time of year our family marks the Western Christian season of Advent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent) by lighting candles, reading aloud from various religions' scriptures about the sequential themes of the season: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. We usually share a simple meal, followed by a special sweet and then begin our little ritual. It is a wonderful reflective time together and this season I am fortunate to have two of my adult children, two of their friends, as well as two of my husband's teen aged grandchildren living with us. The household is multinational, multi racial, multi faith, boisterous and full of hilarity. When choosing the menus for this season's first Sunday (which is all about Hope) the "big kids" thought a rename of one of their favorite cookies was in order. My apologies to anyone who takes offense..but these are yummy.

Hoped for Barackaroons

Heat Oven to 350, Parchment line a baking sheet

1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups freshly and finely grated coconut
2 egg whites
3 oz chocolate chips
A few drops of almond extract
A pinch of salt

Mix ingredients, scoop small mounds onto baking sheet spaced apart as for cookies. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Linguine alla Carbonara di Salsiccia
Serves Four

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from his Jamie’s Italy cookbook (2006, Hyperion, New York), which I adapted that encompasses all that is wonderful about simple cooking with perfect ingredients. Jamie calls this pasta for breakfast, because it has a silky smooth sauce composed of egg yolks, heavy cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano. What I like about the dish is its complex favor achieved in such a short time.

4 good-quality organic Italian sausages or any sausage you enjoy
4 slices of pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 cup of porcini mushrooms, sliced
1 pound dried linguine
4 large eggs yolks, preferably organic
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup lemon juice
3 ½ ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 zest of one lemon
sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to your taste
1 shot glass of limoncello, or a liquor of your choice

Preparation: 1. With a sharp knife slit the sausage skins lengthwise and pop the meat out. Using your hands, make small meat balls about the size of large marbles and reserve. 2. Heat a large frying pan and add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over, then add the pancetta and continue to cook for a couple of minutes, until it’s golden. Toss in the porcini mushrooms and sauté for one minute and then turn the heat off. 3. Meanwhile start a large pot of salted water boiling, add the linguine, and cook until al dente. 4. In a large bowl whip up the egg yolks, cream, half the parmesan cheese, limoncello, the lemon zest and the parsley until it is silky smooth. 5. When the pasts is done, reserve one cup of its water, and drain the pasta in a colander. 6. Add the pasta immediately to the large bowl with the sauce in it, plus the sausage, pancetta and mushrooms. Toss everything together, season to your taste, and serve at once with sprinkled parmesan and freshly ground pepper. If the dish is too dry add olive oil and more of the pasta cooking water.

Presentation: This is a one dish dinner or a great pasta course. Serve with fresh bread and a glass of champagne or as you prefer.

(Click on Menu)

Shanghai Terrace

Peninisula Hotel, Chicago
November 7, 2008

(Photo: RLW; Poncelet Market, Paris)

Summer Herbal Dinner
The Wottrichs - August 23, 2008

Amuse Broche

Triple Surprise
Crème Fraiche & Dill; Goat Cheese, Olive Oil & Chives; Sundried Tomato Tapenade
(Three layers in very small ramikins; put under the broiler briefly until the Tapenade bubbles)
(Adapted from The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells)
“Wet” Sparkling Wine, M. Lawrence Winery, Leelanau Peninsula

First Course

Grilled Peaches & Goat Cheese Salad
Michigan Black Cherry Vinaigrette
(Adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver)

Second Course

“Steak & Potatoes”
Asian Curry Steak Tartare with Wasabi & Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
2006 Riesling Bollenberg, Chateau D’Orschwihr, France

Third Course

Mango, Pineapple, Lemon Grass & Pastis Sorbet
Yellow Watermelon

Fourth Course

Basque Sautéed Shrimp, Tomatoes, Holy (Tulsi) Basil & Pastis with Arborio Rice
(Adapted from The Basque Kitchen by Gerald Hirigoyen)
2001 Barolo, Ginestra, Paolo Conterno, Piemonte, Italy

Desert

Sharon’s Mint Chocolate Cake
2004 Riesling Ice Wine, Black Star Farms, Leelanau Peninsula

Richard Wottrich

Peaches with Dry Cured Pork Jowl

Clayton Beck captured these peaches so ripened they had developed a blue cast: a sure sign they are ready. All the road sides now have Georgia peaches for sale (along with boiled peanuts much to my puzzlement - does any one know what to do with boiled peanuts besides throw them out?) which are dead ripe and so full of juice it runs down your arm.

So many peaches and so many options leads me to pairing peaches with dry cured pork jowl. Simply: Thinly slice guacinal i.e. dry-cured pork jowl. (Available on-line from http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/ ) and saute over medium high heat with a great olive oil until lightly crisped. Drain on paper towels. In a cast iron pan or griddle over medium heat saute slices of yellow vidallia onions in butter until soft, add thick slices of peaches and sprinkle with brown sugar and fresh thyme leaves. Drizzle a little maple syrup and cook until the sugars carmelize and the peaches are soft, onions browning; turn frequently to avoid burning the sugars. Place on a bed of mixed greens, top with the guacinal and sprinkle with a bit of citrus vinegar, olive oil and grind pepper over the whole thing.

This dish pairs well with cold tomato based soups. A baguette along side slathered in sweet cream butter and sea salt accompanied by ice cold Tio Pepe dry sherry with a twist of lemon peel makes for a simple but wonderful summer lunch. Enjoy!

Maggie Kruger

Guy Savoy, Paris

Oysters in the shell set on oyster purée, lightly enriched with cream, which covers the base of the shell; the raw oyster is placed on top and then the jelly is poured on, followed by a little chopped sorrel for a note of acidity, lemon, pepper, and that's it - pure heaven!

"It was a brave man who first ate an oyster" - Jonathan Swift

Summer Corn Soup

Soup:
3 c. whole milk
1 c. chicken stock
1 c. heavy cream (optional)
4 ears fresh corn, preferably 2 white, 2 yellow, kernels cut from cobs, cobs broken in half, reserve
1 large white onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
2 large fresh thyme springs
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf
salt and ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter

Garnish:
chopped green onion and fresh cilantro

Bring milk and corncobs just to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while sautéing vegetables.

Melt 2 T. butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, salt, pepper & sauté until translucent. Reserve. Sauté corn kernels in butter, salt, pepper until tender , about 10 minutes, reserve.

Add chicken stock, 1 c. heavy cream if desired, herbs bundled together with string, & vegetables. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and then simmer 20 minutes. Discard corn kernels and herb bundle. Garnish and serve with crusty bread.

Bayonne Iberian Ham

St. Jean Pied de Port, France

2005 - 87.24 euros ($138)

6.4 kiliograms - 13.6 euro per kilo

(15.33 pounds - $9.00 per pound)

Price today: $19.00 per pound

Wild Mushrooms

Basque Country

2005 - 20 euro per kilogram

($13.25 per pound)

(Photos: RLW)

Citrus Granita

Natalie George painted this great little painting of citrus and it reminds me that in Florida this time of year nothing tastes better than a simple Citrus Granita.

4 Cups of water
1.25 Cups sugar
1.25 Cups mixed fresh citrus juice
1 Lemon rind, finely grated

Boil water and sugar for several minutes creating simple syrup. Cool. Add citrus juices & lemon rind. Chill until cold. Prepare in a common ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Or freeze in ice cube trays and process in a food processor until a soft frothy slush...Enjoy!

Maggie Kruger

Caldo Tlalpeño
(Soup of Tlalpan[1], Mexico)
Serves 6 as a Main Course

Our good friends, Lucy and Gilberto of Mexico City, are responsible for this great soup/stew. Lucy and I have exchanged recipes and discussed cooking over the past few years. I sent her Jacques Pépin's autobiography recently and Lucy responded with her “family” cookbook, Los Rangel: Cocina de familia. Caldo Tlalpeño is the first recipe in this book I have tried. As Los Rangel is entirely in Spanish, Sharon suggested that I look up the recipe on the Internet, where I found various English translations.

This soup was served to Queen Elizabeth at President Reagan’s ranch during her visit there in 1983. The White House chef had asked Craig Claiborne (the late, great New York Times food critic [1920-2000]) to provide a recipe for a light, intensely flavored Mexican soup. This is certainly that.

2 dried chipotle chilies
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
6 cups chicken stock
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 chicken breast haves; skinned and boneless; each cut into thirds
1 potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 chayote squash, unpeeled, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
1 xoconoxtle[2] (optional) (substitute zucchini)
1 cup garbanzo beans; dried and soaked, or canned.
1 small zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup chopped green beans
1 cup green peas (thawed if frozen)
1 cup white corn (thawed if frozen)
1 Key lime, halved (or regular lime)
1 avocado; spoon-sized chunks (aguacates[3])
6 scallions; sliced into bite sized bits
1 Can of chipotle chilies or hot sauce to your taste
4 sprigs epazote[4] (optional) (substitute cilantro)
Fresh cilantro and mint to your taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large soup pot; fry the 2 dried chilies slowly, turning them over often in the oil until softened and puffed up. The oil should not be too hot or the chilies will burn. 2. While cooking the chilies, dredge the 12 chicken pieces lightly in flour, salt and pepper. In a fry pan heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil and the butter. Brown the chicken well and drain. 3. Place the tomato, onion, garlic and one can of chicken stock in a blender and whirl until pureed. 4. When the chipotle chilies are softened, add the puree to the soup pot, increase the heat and "fry" the mixture until it deepens in color. 5. Add the chicken pieces to the pot, along with more chicken stock as needed (about 2 cups), the cubed potato, chayote squash, xoconoxtle, garbanzo beans and salt. Cover the pot and simmer the soup for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked. 6. Then add the zucchini, green beans, white corn, and green peas to the pot and cook 10 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender. 7. Add the epazote, cilantro and mint and stir. 8. Remove the two chipotle chilies from the pot, mince and return it to the soup. 8. Add the canned chipotle chilies and their sauce to the soup to your taste. Heat through and season to taste with more salt and pepper, more chicken stock, and more chilies if needed.

Presentation: 1. Place one piece of chicken breast and one thigh in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle the soup and vegetables on top. Garnish with chopped scallions and sprigs of cilantro. Squeeze lime juice on each serving. Serve with fresh peasant bread and a cold Mexican beer, or a late harvest Gewürztraminer white wine.

Secret Ingredients: I happened to have some pearl onions at hand, which I plunged in boiling water, shocked in cold water, popped out of their skins, and tossed into the soup for the last ten minutes of cooking. I also added one tablespoon of dark brown sugar, which I think rounds out the flavor of the chilies (like chocolate in a mole).

Richard L. Wottrich

[1] Tlalpan (tlahl-pahn), city (1990 pop. 484,866), Tlalpan delegation, Federal dist., central Mexico, 10 mi/16 km S of Mexico city; 19°17'N 99°09'W. Elev. 7,526 ft/2,294 m. Resort and residential suburb on NW slopes of extinct Cerro Ajusco volcano, with orchards, picturesque fountains. Textile- and paper-milling center. Has church of San Agustin de las Cuevas (1532). Anc. Aztec city. Famous Cuicuilco pyramid, 1.5 mi/2.4 km W. Sometimes spelled Tlalpam.
[2] Xoconoxtle Also spelled: xoconostle; a small, sour, pink and green prickly pear cactus.
[3] Aguacates (noun, masc., plural): testicles. (lit) avocados; (Mexican slang)
[4] Epazote pronounced [eh-paw-ZOH-teh] An herb well-known to Mexican and Caribbean cooking. The name comes from the Aztec (Nahuatl) epazotl. It is also known as pigweed or Mexican tea and is frequently regarded as a garden pest. It is most commonly used in black bean recipes to ward off some of the "negative" side affects of eating beans. Much like cilantro, it is referred to as an "acquired taste". Also called wormwood.

Braised Cabbage
Serves 6

This dish is a substitute for the usual sauerkraut served in German restaurants. It has a more home cooked flavor than commercially prepared sauerkraut and is easy to make. Braising adds layers of flavor.

Sauerkraut is finely-sliced white cabbage fermented with lactobacillus bacteria. The sugars in the cabbage are thereby converted into lactic acid and serve as a preservative. Basic sauerkraut is made by cutting fresh cabbage into fine strips, and packing it into an airtight container while mixing in a certain amount of salt, approximately 1.5%. Traditionally, a stoneware crock is used. The fermentation vessel is kept at 23C for three days, then left in cooler temperatures for eight weeks.

Sauerkraut is thought to have originated in the north of China among the Mongols and was introduced in Europe by migrating tribes. Eastern Europeans, in particular, consume large amounts of sauerkraut. Germans adopted sauerkraut as part of their cuisine and are thought to have introduced it in the northern countries Western Europe and the United States. Sauerkraut is a staple of the winter diet in Germany and the Netherlands. Sauerkraut is customarily prepared with pork, goose or duck meat.

 1 medium head of white cabbage, halved, cored & shredded
1 medium white onion, sliced
2 strips of smoked bacon, cooked and chopped
2 cups of beef stock
2 tablespoons of apple vinegar
1 baby carrot peeled and cut into ¼-inch sections
2 tablespoons of butter
1 bay leaf
Caraway seeds to taste
celery salt to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley and chives to taste

Preparation: 1. Sauté the sliced white onions in a heavy casserole over high heat on the stove until softened, about five minutes. 2. Add the shredded cabbage and toss with the onions. 3. Add the beef stock, apple vinegar, carrots, bay leaf, Caraway seeds, celery salt, salt and pepper, and the chopped parsley and chives. Toss the mixture. 4. Sprinkle the chopped bacon over the top. 5. Place the casserole in an oven at 300 degrees and cook for at least one and one half hours.

Presentation: Either serve immediately or refrigerate and serve the next day. This dish is excellent with pork, duck or a roasted chicken. Oven roasted potatoes and gravy are a must!

Richard Wottrich

45-Minute Pan Roasted Chicken

This is a Jamie Oliver inspired dish that encompasses all that is wonderful about simple cooking with perfect ingredients. Roasting means just that. There is no liquid present when roasting, which allows temperatures next to the meat to exceed the boiling point. The key to this dish is a very high temperature that sears the juices in the chicken, while retaining the flavor of the chicken fat and herbs in the surrounding potatoes and bread.

1 - 5 to 7 pound roasting chicken or capon, cut into sections
6 - potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise like steak fries
1 - whole loaf of rustic crusty bread
1 - leek cleaned and cut in quarter-inch rounds
1 - red pepper, sliced
1 - large bunch of fresh herbs of your choice
½ - cup lemon juice
1 - spray can of olive or canola oil
6 - tablespoons of butter, melted
salt and pepper
1 - 14-inch cast iron or steel fry pan

Preparation: 1. Heat your oven to 425~450 degrees or set your outside grill to the same general temperature. If using a grill, indirect heat is best. Take the 14-inch cast iron fry pan and spray the interior with the oil. Arrange large clumps of fresh herbs to cover the bottom of the pan. I used rosemary, lemon balm and chives for this dish. This will perfume the chicken. 2. Place the peeled and quartered potatoes in a bowl and toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange them around the perimeter of the fry pan. 3. Take the loaf of bread and rip it into bite sized chunks and cover the center of the pan to make a bed for the chicken. 3. Wash the chicken pieces and rub them with lemon juice. Spray the chicken with oil and then arrange them in a single centered flat layer in the pan, pieces just touching 4. Scatter the chopped leek and sliced red pepper across the pan along with sprigs of rosemary. Salt and pepper generously. 5. After 30 minutes of roasting brush melted butter on the tops of the chicken pieces. Roast for a total of roughly 45 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear. When done remove from the grill and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Presentation: Each plate should have a little of everything from the pan. You will not believe how delicious the bread is. Serve with a dry white wine. A simple salad of sliced tomatoes and goat cheese is a nice accompaniment.

Sautéed Shrimp in Pastis
Serves 8

The start for this recipe comes from “The Basque Kitchen” by chef Gerald Hirigoyen. We have visited and enjoyed his restaurant Fringale in San Francisco, where he and his wife Cameron reside and also own and run Pastis. We first became acquainted with the Basque Region by virtue of meeting Tony Paget’s wife, Mercedes, in Paris in 2000. Mercedes is Basque and she told us stories about her people. Subsequently in 2005 we took a Backroads hiking trip through the Basque regions of both Spain and France and had variations of this dish.

The spirit behind this version of Hirigoyen's original recipe is to adapt what is essentially a summer dish into a winter dish, by roasting fresh tomatoes for more intense flavor.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick unsalted butter
2 pounds uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), shelled and deveined, 4 to 5 per person.
20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium bulb of fennel, trimmed and sliced thinly
5 tablespoons Pernod pastis (see footnote below)
½ cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Freshly cracked pepper to taste

Preparation: 1. Preheat an oven to 300 degrees. Place the 40 halves of tomatoes cut side up on a cookie sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes; sprinkle on sea salt and the rosemary. Add ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for two hours or until they resemble sun dried tomatoes. Reserve. 2. Shell and devein the shrimp. Reserve over ice. 2. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the fennel and sauté about five minutes until just soft, stirring frequently (do not overcook). 3. Add the tomatoes, shrimp and garlic and the pastis, ignite and flambé until the flame dies away. 4. Turn the heat down. Add the lemon juice, basil, parsley and chives. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste. Swirl the pan over the heat until the shrimp are completely covered in sauce. (Do not boil the sauce.)

Presentation: Serve as an appetizer for 8 in small bowls. Serve with a semi-sweet wine. Serve as a main course for four plated with plain Arborio rice, spooning the shrimp and sauce onto the middle of a one-cup serving of rice. Garnish with parsley.

Notes: Wild caught Key West, Gulf of Mexico, or Alaskan shrimp are preferred. Much of our shrimp today comes frozen from shrimp farms in Viet Nam, Thailand, Indonesia and Brazil. Shrimp farms are the number one threat to mangrove forests, the coastal wetlands that provide vital habitat for tropical fisheries and protect coastlines from damage by storms, hurricanes and tsunamis.

China has become a huge exporter of farmed white shrimp as well. These shrimp aqua-monocultures are very susceptible to diseases, which have caused several regional wipe-outs of farm shrimp populations, increasing ecological problems, and repeated disease outbreaks. The taste of these shrimp is “muddy.” I would advise buying wild shrimp.

Pernod Pronunciation (pear-NOH) - This is a popular brand of pastis, or licorice-flavored liqueur. It tastes like a fennel, which can be substituted for those who do not want alcohol in the dish [remember that flaming the pastis removes perhaps half the alcohol content]. Substitutes: Ricard, Herbsaint, or anisette.

Richard Wottrich (Photo: RLW; Shrimp Boat, Oslo, Norway)

Papaya, Pineapple and Lemon Grass Sherbet
Serves 8

A sherbet is usually distinguished from a sorbet in that a sorbet never contains milk products or eggs – it is an “ice.” I have been making ices for several years, usually with fresh fruit in season and fresh herbs for character. This particular Valentine’s Day invented recipe is perhaps the best I have done in my opinion, as well as the first time I have used heavy cream resulting in a sherbet.

Contemporary narratives would hold that Nero, the Roman Emperor, invented sorbet during the 1st century AD. It is said he sent runners along the Appian Way and they passed buckets of snow hand over hand from the mountains to his banquet hall where it was then mixed on the spot with honey and wine. The truth is that any culture with access to snow and ice probably mixed it with whatever they had to eat and cooled their drinks as well. The Chinese have made concoctions from snow, juice, and fruit pulp for several thousand years, as recorded in a poem from around 1100 BC in the collection of food canons (Shih Ching). The Sicilians purportedly learned how to make granita (Italian for sorbet) and sherbet from the Arabs, who discovered how to freeze their sharab, later sharbat (sherbet).

Whatever the name, they are a wonderful change of pace between courses in any dinner.

1 pineapple
1 papaya
1 stalk lemon grass
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
½ cup heavy cream
   pinch of salt

Preparation: 1. Trim, core and peel the pineapple; cutting up one half into half-inch cubes. Do the same with the papaya. Reserve the balance for another use. 2. Trim and section the lemon grass into short lengths, smashing the pieces flat with the side of a broad knife. 3. In a sauce pan mix the water with the sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the sugar “disappears.” Let cool. 4. Put the pineapple, papaya and lemon grass into a mixer and add half of the sugar water mixture. Blend at high speed. Add more sugar water if necessary. 5. Strain the resulting mixture through a sieve into a large bowl, “pushing” the liquid through with a spatula. Add the remaining sugar water. Add a pinch a salt. Add the cream. Blend with a whisk. 6. Pour the sherbet into an ice cream maker and churn for 30-40 minutes until it firms up. Scrape the sorbet into a container and freeze, or serve semi-soft at once.

Presentation: Serve the sorbet as a separate course or desert in a tall serving glass or martini glass. Place a half slice of lemon on the edge and a spring of mint on top. This sherbet matches well with a German ice wine.

Richard Wottrich