Famous Food Friday -- May & Axel Vervoordt

I have two words for you -- food porn.   At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt is a big old book of food porn. I am not saying it is wrong.  I am just saying it is!   Frankly, no one loves food porn more than me.  Clearly, if you were hanging out in Belgium and May Vervoordt says come on over for quick bite, you would go.   The food would be great.  The food in this cookbook is nice and tasty.  There are a lot of ingredients that sit squarely on the spice rack.  There is not a lot of meat.  The food is surrounded by dreamy castle shots and rich place settings. A reasonably accomplished home cook could pull off anyone of these recipes and be the toast of the kitchen.  I don't mean to complain, but lets review.

If you lived here:

If your husband was a noted antiques dealer and decorator whose clients list included Bill Gates and Sting:

If you has access to a vast array of dishes and china and whatnot's: 

If you oversee a staff nearing 100 including your chef:

My best guest is that you could set a nice table with nifty grub for family and friends.  It is not a criticism, it is just a fact.  You might pick a nice dessert like this one.

Pears With Citrus Fruits and Cinnamon

 
4 small pears
1 orange
I lemon
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chopped fresh gingerroot
1 pinch of saffron powder
½ cup agave syrup

Peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the orange and lemon into ¼ inch strips, retaining the skin.

To make the syrup, boil 2 cups water. Add the cinnamon stick, ginger, saffron, lemon and orange strips, and let infuse for 10 minutes. Poach the pears in this liquid, heated to 175-195 degrees, for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the pan.

Remove the pears from the pan. Strain the juice. Pour the juice over the pears and serve.

May likes them with a nice chocolate dessert or with one's morning muesli.  Yes it is basically poached pears.  But it is poached pears with lemon and ginger and saffron and agave syrup.  Poached pears fit for the finest trailer park or 50 room castle.  Enjoy.

A Fine Day for Vegetables

The owners of this lovely little house in Orlando, Florida, Jason and Jennifer Helvenston, are facing a fine of $500 a day.  Why one might ask?  What is their affront to the good people of Orlando?

They have planted vegetables in their front yard.  Yes, vegetables.  Evidently in Orlando, one is fined $500 a DAY for gardening.   I wonder if there is a fine for owning an AK-47?

Check out Mark Bittman's New York Times article.

Baby It's Cold Outside

 

According to Trick, it is quite cold INSIDE!

 

 

Jam Maker

 About 4 years ago I ran across a Tefal  confiturier automatic.  An automatic jam maker.  I desperately want one, but Tefal is a European company and they could not see the need for lowly Americans to own a confiturier automatic.  I asked if one could change the plug from 220 to 110 and was told emphatically --NO!

I gave up on the idea until last year when Ball released the FreshTECH automatic jam maker.  I received one for Christmas, and I could barely wait to open it.   My enthusiasm for my new toy had been somewhat dampened by reviews of the FreshTECH complaining that it was a bit on the simplistic side.  I agree that many of the recipes are quite plain and loaded with pectin, but who lets a little thing like "directions" get in the way for jammy goodness.

My first foray into jelly making began with a bottle of Muscadine Cider I brought home from South Carolina.  I wasn't really interested in drinking it, but I was convinced it would make a great jelly.  I followed the recipe for jelly to a tee, using a full measure of sugar and pectin.  

It turned out fine.  I was worried that it might end up leaning toward fruit leather, but it didn't. Next I tried a pomegranate jelly, this time using the low sugar method as the pomegranate juice was a bit on the sweet side to begin with.   The lower sugar jelled fine. 

Then, I threw out the book.  I wanted to use the machine to make marmalade, a recipe no where to be found in the cookbook.  I am a firm believer that marmalade should at its best should ward off the most virulent scurvy. I want marmalade that with all its pithy fight.  I did not want to add a bunch of pectin.  So I sliced my peel, juiced my cara cara oranges and added my sugar.  I left the mixture to cure in the refrigerator overnight.

I dumped the mixture into the FreshTECH and set it for jam.  When it was done, I unplugged the machine and let the marmalade sit until the machine cooled off.  (The instructions are very clear that one must let the machine cool for at least 30 minutes before starting another pot.)  After an hour, I went back to the marmalade and rested the machine, cooking the marmalade a second time.  After two cookings, the marmalade was a perfect texture.

This was a great gift.  As the years goes on, I will be experimenting more and more and will let you know how it goes.  In the meantime...

New Year's Resolution

One New Year's Resolution involved organizing and cleaning up the kitchen spices.   Almost done!

I have to say, however, once they were tossed out, organized, corralled and labeled, they looked a bit sad.

Only Ten?

Garden & Gun recently listed ten reason why they love Downton Abbey, including a comparison of Mary and Scarlett O'Hara.

Requiescat in Pace -- Polo Sweatshirt

 

Everyone has one.  That article of clothing that you just love beyond all reason.  Even after it gets torn and stained, and faded with bleach.  After the fraying and holes and rips, it is still the first thing in the laundry and first thing you put on while it is still warm from the laundry.

Mine was a Polo sweatshirt, thick, grey, and yes, a bit of a mess.   During Christmas, I pulled it on still warm and the cuff tore until it was quite literally, hanging by a thread or two.  At one point, I asked a guest to shove up my sleeve (what was left of my sleeve) as the cuff was getting in my way.  Ann asked why I didn't just trow it away.  (Blasphemy!) 

It became clear, however, after that last December washing, that the Polo sweatshirt would not survive.   While my little blue pony was still galloping along, the fabric around him was disintegrating into oblivion.  I folded up my favorite sweatshirt and longingly watched it as it lay on the table, lifeless.  Ann called and abruptly asked it I had thrown it away.  No!

Then, this week, I received a large box with a Happy New Year note.  Inside were two, yes two, brand new grey Polo sweatshirts.  I am wearing one now.  It is soft, but not that soft.  The cuffs are intact and gripping my wrists.  The tag is scratching my neck.  I am sure that after a few hundred washings, it will shape up. 

Until then,  goodbye old friend.

Mary Warburg by William Acton

Ah the New Year holds such promise.   Have I mentioned recently how much I love blogs? 

Shortly after the new years started I received a correspondence inquiring about a William Acton image.   I responded and soon found why this gentleman had an interest in Acton.   When perusing his family archive, he stumbled upon a cashe of Acton drawings.  Over 50 works of Acton's that have not been seen in years!  

Now he is on a mission to identify all of Acton's  drawings and painting and possibly hold a show.  A show means a monograph!   Finally!!!

Until then, he was kind enough to send me the above drawing of Mary Warburg.  Mary Warburg was married to Edward Warburg, philanthropist and founder of the New York City Ballet. 

Enjoy!

Cocktails At The Burn Pit -- Holiday Recap

 

We were so busy drinking that we failed to post any cocktails!  Well, the big winner this season included pumpkin puree and Rum Chata.  Rum Chata is a creamy rum liquor.  In and of itself, it sounds pretty gross, but in this drink it is a hit. This type of drink seemed to be everywhere, in fact there were several pumpkiney vodkas out there.  Most of the time they were called Pumpkin Pie Martinis, though they are a little off the martini mark, unless you like your martini for dessert.  Around the Bun Pit we will take our drinks for any course.

Pumpkin Dessert Martini

2 tablespoon pumpkin puree
2 ounces vodka
3 ounces Rum Chata

dollop of whipped cream

cookie crumb rim


Crumble some graham crackers or a nice ginger cookie and rim your glass.

To an ice filled shaker add the pumpkin puree, vodka and Rum Chata.  Shake and strain into the rimmed glass.  Add a dollop of whipped cream.  (We prefer the dollop stirred in at the last second.)

Drinking dessert is a wonderful thing!

Since pumpkin cake is a favorite here and since there is always a bit of puree leftover from cake baking, this drink proves to be the saving grace of leftover pumpkin puree.  There is the problem of finding and making new and cutting edge drinks.   Many a pumpkin martini recipe called for Rum Chata and some called for pumpkin or vanilla vodka.   So if one wanted to try their hand at a Pumpkin Pie Martini they looking at probably $50  worth of booze they might never use again.    And what happens of you don't like the drink?

This brings us to another holiday item -- the "of the month club" subscription.  Fill in the fruit or meat of your choice.   These are tricky yet tempting and one usually has to pony up the entire years cost for such an endeavor. At $300 to $500  "fruit" you have never laid eyes on is a bit daunting.

What if there was a "club" that let you pay as you go?  What if this club was not fruit nor beast but nifty new cocktails?  Cocktails you could try BEFORE you invested $$$ in some new flavor of vodka you might never want to drink?

Rejoice.  We have found the answer to cutting edged cocktail without breaking the bank.   Enter Julibox.
Julibox is a monthly curated cocktail.  Each month a box arrives with cocktail fixins' for two different drinks.   The design and execution of the box are flawless.

There are cards with the recipe.

And liquor and mixes for each cocktail.

You will need some ice and maybe a lemon.

When we first laid eyes on this new venture, we were skeptical.  So we tried out the service by ordering their October 2011 Breast Cancer box.  We loved it so much we signed up!  Now here is the good part -- you get billed monthly so you are not out of pocket $$$$ from the start.  You can run a tab, just like in a real bar!  The boxes run about $40, about the price of a round of cocktails.  

The founder, Courtne Jones says she,  "grew up with a dusty bottle of Galliano on her dad's back bar. 25 years later, he still has it."  We all know that story!

So now we are hanging out at the Burn Pit awaiting the arrival of our January Julibox and wondering what to do with half a bottle of Rum Chata?  Perhaps a boozy glaze for our next pumpkin cake...

After Christmas Benedict

 

We just love the architecture of eggs Benedict.  A starch, a protein, a creamy sauce, and a fat poached egg on top, or under the sauce, as it were.   Really, aside from cake and pie, it is hard to think of food that is not greatly enhanced by a fresh poached egg!

This is a favorite planned over brunch item to throw together when Christmas or Thanksgiving leftovers abound.   It is not so much a recipe as an assemblage of stuff you already have staring at you from the fridge!

Another favorite at Doe Run Farm is the humble chicken gizzard.   We just love gizzards of any kind.  We have a great recipe for Confit de gésiers that we make on occasion.  

 Gizzards and spices bathed in olive oil for several hours, cooled and tucked into a crock in the back of the refrigerator for fanciful salads or in our case, a fanciful sauce.  If you don't have confit, don't worry, use your leftover giblet gravy.  If you have been incredibility productive, use that  turkey à la king you made!  Now that you have assembled your leftovers, the dish is really quite simply.

After Christmas Benedict

leftover dressing, warmed
egg, poached
Confit de gésiers  (or the leftover giblet gravy or turkey à la king)
a splash of heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the dressing from the pan with a round biscuit cutter.

Roughly chop the confit and sauté.  To finish the sauce, add a splash of cream about a tablespoon.  ( If using the gravy just heat through and add the cream, the turkey à la king has cream so just heat.)

Now poach your egg. 

Place the poached egg on the round of dressing and cover with your sauce.  Top off with a sprig of sage.

This is a tasty use leftovers.