Oven Roasted Tomato Brushetta

Posted on February 9, 2013 by A Cook's Canvas

A little over a year ago I made a new friend. Kara came from Chicago to stay in our village for 2 months while her boyfriend worked on a project with my husband. As it always is in the beginning you talk, ask questions, find out what you have in common. On a whim we decided to tag along with them on a weekend road trip to Prague. Over those few days we got to know them quite well and they are a great couple and lots of fun to be with. On the way back to Germany I made plans to show her around Stuttgart, to visit the shopping district on Königstraße, sample some traditional German cuisine, the delicious pastries, and enjoy a few great German beers. One of the many things we have in common is our taste in beer; although not many women like hefeweizen, she instantly loved it! Most women shy away from the calories and carbs of a wheat beer but it is one of our favorites! We both enjoyed having cocktails and great conversation at an Italian restaurant across from the Esslingen train station. Over the next several weeks we spent a lot of time together talking, joking, cooking together, we watched movies and drank wine, shared deeply personal stories as if we were old friends. She’s a lovely person and an awesome friend.We had them over to our apartment for dinner several times and we laughed and joked as if we had been friends for many years. There was one evening though that stood out in my mind, I made my spinach and ricotta cannelloni with oven-roasted tomato brushetta. I’ve made this meal many times for Jason and he always loves it, but as I put it on the table I realized that her boyfriend Dave is an Italian from Boston and worried that they might not like it. Nervously I waited for their reaction to the first bite, but they both loved it and wanted a second helping! Kara seemed to especially enjoy the roasted tomato bruschetta, warning that “I’m going to eat all of this!” I was very happy that they liked everything and especially pleased that she liked the bruschetta so much. The dinner was perfect.

As their time was drawing to an end, I started thinking about how much time we’d spent together. She has this wonderful energy and when you’re having a bad day… she can spin it around and make you crack a smile. Our last day together, we went to the Italian place by the train station one last time; I knew we were saying goodbye and I didn’t know how long it would be until I saw her again. We said goodbye and with tears in my eyes, I walked one way and she walked the other. We only got to know each other for a short time but have kept in contact since, writing short messages back and forth to say hello. She was one of the people who encouraged me to start this blog, and so today is your day Kara. Happy Birthday girl, the next time I’m in Chicago the first round of cocktails are on me.

Oven Roasted Tomato Brushetta

Ingredients:
1 cup grape tomatoes for each serving
1 small garlic clove, minced
Fresh basil (you can use frozen in a pinch)
drizzle of olive oil (plus more for brushing)
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
a couple pinches of sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 baguette or artisan bread, sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick

Directions:
Preheat oven to 220C/400F

First, toss your grape tomatoes in olive oil, salt, balsamic vinegar and pepper. If you are using frozen basil add it in now. Place them on a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes have split open. When they have finished, place the tomatoes in a bowl and add your fresh basil (if you didn’t add the frozen earlier).

Slice the baguette and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake the crostini, flipping once until toasty brown, about 20 minutes (10 minutes each side). When the bread is golden, remove from oven and place on a plate or platter. While the bread is still warm, peel the clove of garlic, and rub the freshly cut end onto the toasted bread. This gives it the flavor of garlic without the bitter taste of chunks of raw garlic in your bruschetta. Spoon the roasted tomatoes over a crostini, and gently press down on the tomatoes with a fork to saturate the bread. Top with a few drops of balsalmic vinegar and fresh herbs. I used basil and a sprig of rosemary. You can even add a little fresh parmesan if you’d like. Enjoy!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Posted on February 8, 2013 by A Cook's Canvas

Today dear readers, you will thank me for this post. With the following home-made vanilla recipe, you will not only save money, but you will come to appreciate how valuable it is to know just what it is you are eating. Now, I’m sure many of you are thinking “I don’t have time for this”or “Why make it when I can just run to the store and pick some up.” or “I still have a little bottle that’s been in the cabinet for years and I hardly ever use it” Well today I’m going to tell you why that innocent little brown bottle lurking in the shadows of your spice shelf may have secrets as deep and as dark as the brown glass concealing them. I’ll also talk about the flavor of real vanilla, and how versatile this wonderfully complex yet under-appreciated flavor can be. After reading this you may want to throw away your store bought extract and instead pick up the simple ingredients to make your own. What is there not to love when it comes to vanilla? It is so often we give vanilla a negative comparison describing it as plain or uninteresting. This is really unfortunate as it is quite a special flavor which pairs nicely with many different tastes. Of course you know it goes great in sweet desserts like pastry cream (crème patissiere), Italian Bavarian cream (Bavarese), poached pears, ice cream, soufflés; but what you may not know is that it pairs nicely with savory foods as well. Imagine vanilla alongside lobster, mushrooms, or tomatoes. It tastes great with strong cheeses such as emmental, gruyère, parmesean or swiss, and compliments spices such as bay laurel and caraway. Just writing about it makes me want to embark on a culinary excursion to taste all the possible combinations.

The word vanilla comes from the Spanish vainilla, meaning “little sheath” or “little pod”. Vanilla beans come from an orchid which is native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs used it to accent the flavor of chocolate drinks. The Mexican emperor, Moctezuma II, introduced vanilla to the Spanish explorer Cortes, who brought it to Europe in the 16th century. In 1602, a chemist for Queen Elizabeth I suggested that vanilla could be used alone as a flavoring. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron because its cultivation is very labor intensive and the seed pods must be picked by hand. Pure vanilla extract consist of only two ingredients, vanilla beans and alcohol. Higher-grade commercial extracts often contain various additives including corn syrup, glucose, propolyne glycol and food coloring. Most people buy generic vanilla, (I must admit, I’ve used it too) but most of the cheaper brands don’t even contain actual vanilla at all, but a synthetic substitute misleadingly called vanillin. The synthetic flavoring known as vanillin is actually a byproduct lignin, extracted from wood pulp. That’s right, it has more in common with your Ikea furniture or a post-it note than an actual vanilla bean. To be fair, the lignin based process is hazardous to the environment, it is more common nowadays to produce it from the petrochemical materian known as guaiacol, which is modified to fool your tastebuds by a process called oxidative decarboxylation. This is a lot to take in, I know… but there is a better and healthier way for you to enjoy real, actual vanilla extract. The following recipe is easy to make and is a lovely gift to give your loved ones. Here, I will break down the cost of making your own, as compared to buying it in a shop.

Here is my price breakdown for 750ml or 25 OUNCES of homemade vanilla extract. Feel free to scale it down to make the quantity you need.

750ml Vodka – 5,00 euros / $6.76
12 Vanilla beans – 2 beans per package – 6 x1,10=6,60 euros / $9.00
Bottle – free (it was an empty rum bottle from my husbands birthday gift)
Total 11,60 euros / $15.75, which breaks down to $0.62 per ounce, quite a bit cheaper than store bought!

Not bad, huh? Think of it as a way of using natural products without all the corn syrup and wood pulp or petroleum byproducts. Now, I know a few of you out there may be thinking at this point “Wait, I’m going to be putting booze in my meals and desserts?!?” The fact is, if you are one of those people out there who already spend $10+ on a bottle of good commercial grade vanilla extract, you already are. Rest assured though, when you cook or bake with alcohol it will evaporate leaving behind only the delicious flavor of vanilla. I use vodka, but feel free to try it with bourbon, rum, or brandy. Each has its own flavors to contribute and the end result will be even more complex.

Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:
750 ml of 40% Alcohol (Vodka, Bourbon, Rum or Brandy with a 70-80 proof. Try not to use the super cheap stuff!)
12-15 Whole vanilla beans (3 beans for every cup of alcohol)
Glass bottle or jar with a tight-fitting cap or cork

Directions:
Split the vanilla beans lengthwise with a sharp knife, exposing the seeds and pulp within. Some recipes call for you to scrape out the pulp inside the beans and some say it isn’t necessary. My first batch, I didn’t scrape and it turned out perfectly. This batch I did scrape and so far it looks great. So, I’ll leave it up to you. Once you prepared the vanilla beans, drop them in a glass bottle or jar.

Fill the bottle with the alcohol of your choice (I have always used Vodka, as it has little flavor of its own), leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal tightly and shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes.

Store the bottle or jar in a cool dark space (such as the back of a kitchen cabinet) and shake once a week for 8-10 weeks. Since I didn’t scrape my vanilla beans in my first batch, I noticed from the shaking I did once a week, that it tended to release those bits from the vanilla beans.

Note: The hardest part about this recipe is patience but I promise you, it’ll be worth it. And because there is nothing artificial, no chemicals, and no unnecessary ingredients, you can feel free to double up in your recipes without creating the bitter flavor that cheap vanilla will.

Useful tips
Make sure to use the extract within a year of the day you made it.

Go ahead and leave the vanilla beans in the bottle as you use it. It will continue to extract the flavor as times goes on. For your second batch, you can just add a few fresh beans to the bottle and top it off with more alcohol, the older beans will continue to add flavor and richness.

Since there is a high alcohol content, it won’t spoil or develop bacteria.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanillin
http://svmsl.chem.cmu.edu/vmsl/vanillin/details_1.html
http://blog.usfoodsafety.com/2012/04/09/6-ingredients-you-may-not-want-in-your-food/
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/vanilla-info.htm

Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt

Posted on January 23, 2013 by A Cook's Canvas

As I raised the blinds this morning I was blinded by the glare of freshly fallen snow. It looks pretty at first but after days of constant flurries it is enough to send me back under the blankets to continue my hibernation. I want to shut myself off from the dreary grey skies and colorless, early dusk. Before the holidays I love the snow, the twinkle of Christmas lights, the warmth of a fireplace, and the smoky-sweet smell of the chimneys as I walk through town. I like to fill the house with the scent of sugar cookies baking in the oven and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa to warm my hands as I watch the huge snowflakes drifting down and sticking to everything.But now its January and springtime is still 4 months away. The Christmas tree has been stripped of its ornaments and all the decorations packed away, everything is back in its normal place, but now the house seems so plain. The last few days we have been pounded with layers of snow that melt slightly during the day then freeze like iron overnight giving everything a dull dirty gray color. Its beginning to take its toll on my mind and body and I yearn for the warm breezes and sunny weather enjoying fresh fruits and salads and sunny days that last longer than the nights. I decided I needed a cheering up so I switch on the fireplace, turn on all the lamps to drive away the gloom, put on my big fluffy sweater and step into the kitchen. I need something chocolatey.

I preheat the oven and reach for the cocoa powder. You may think you know where I’m going with this, but you’re probably wrong. I measure out the flour, sugar, butter and eggs. In a big mixing bowl I add some room-temperature butter and pour in both granulated and brown sugars, mixing it until it becomes light and fluffy. I crack open the eggs and begin to blend the mixture together. As I sift the flour into the bowl I notice how much it looks like falling snow. After the flour is blended I add a pinch of salt, a dash of baking soda and finally the cocoa.

With everything blended its time to roll the dough into small balls and place them on a baking sheet. I slightly press them flat and put them in a hot oven. I wait impatiently as the smell of warm cocoa drifts throughout our home and when the timer rings, it’s time to take them out and sprinkle a bit of sea salt while they are still hot. I put the next batch in the oven and take a couple of these delicious little truffle cookies for myself. The warm, chewy cookies are almost brownie-like but with a tang of sea salt to balance the rich chocolatey taste. I instantly start to feel better and my glass half-full attitude becomes a milk glass just plain empty.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Sea Salt
makes 4 dozen

1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Place parchment paper or a silpat on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl (or electric mixer), add the room temperature butter and blend for about a minute till soften. Add both sugars and blend till light and fluffy, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. When sugars are incorporated into the butter, add the two eggs and mix. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and vanilla extract and mix. The cookie dough will be extremely thick.

Wet your hands with water then begin to roll the dough into 1-inch balls, placing them about 2-inches apart. Flatten the cookies with two fingers or your palm. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of each flatten cookie dough ball, then bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a tiny bit more sea salt, and let them cool for at least 3 minutes on the baking sheet. You can test one by twisting it gently to release it from the parchment. Once removed, place on a wire rack till completely cooled. Or go ahead and dig in they are delicious straight out of the oven! Just try to resist!

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

Posted on January 19, 2013 by A Cook's Canvas

A little over a week ago we returned to Germany after spending three weeks in the States enjoying the holidays with our families, and as the plane touched down with a jolt I was shaken out of my holiday mood and the familiar homesick feelings crept back into my heart. At this time every year we struggle to get back into the swing of things. Jetlag itself lasts for a week or so until we’ve adjusted to the time difference, then it lingers for several more days as we re-assume our daily routine.

Sometimes its hard to tell when the jetlag has ended and the lingering depression is just the usual blue mood January always brings. The slower pace of life here is also a bit of a shock after having spent three whole weeks running around visiting friends and relatives, and that may sound like a lot of time but somehow we always seem to run out of it before we’ve had a chance to see everyone. In addition to all the time spent visiting, we try to squeeze in a day or two chasing down all the things we miss during the year. We have a list that we write all year long of things to eat while we are there, things that we just can’t get in Germany. Everything from Chicago style pizza, burritos at Chipotle, midnight nachos, White Castle hamburgers, things like that. But we also have a list of meals, home cooked meals we love that take us back. Among my absolute favorites are my Grandma’s biscuits and sausage gravy.

When I was little every Sunday morning we would all pile into the car and head to my grandparents house. Grandma would be in the kitchen with two big skillets on the stove making a pile of scrambled eggs in one, and frying sausage for gravy in the other. While she cooked, my Mom and Aunts would sit around the table talking while we kids were running around the house or playing in the back yard. My cousin and I would try to hang out in the kitchen but we were often shooed out the door to play until breakfast was ready.

Still, I would try to steal a peek or even a taste of something on the way out, my head trailing my body as I tried to catch one last deep breath of that wonderful smell before leaving the room. When breakfast was ready at last, Grandma would set the eggs and the gravy on the breakfast table in two big, speckled melamine bowls alongside a large pan of biscuits. Last year we cooked breakfast together and shared with me all her little secrets to making gravy, but unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so there were no photos.

This year when we were home I had the pleasure of making biscuits and gravy with her again, and this time I had my camera ready. The moment she saw the camera on the kitchen table, I could see her getting a bit nervous. She is a little camera shy but I promised her that I would only post the best photos of her, even though in my opinion, she looks great in all of them. Then she said, “Well If I knew you were going to take photos, we would have had aprons to wear.” I thought that was so sweet of her, I love her so much.

She had already laid everything out for us, all the ingredients were ready to go. Something I’ve always loved about her gravy, the thing that makes is perfect and unique to me, is how she always managed to crumble the sausage down into such tiny pieces. How does she do it? Well the secret is a simple one, you need only a fork, and some serious arm strength. She presses the sausage down with the fork over and over again continuously as it browns. Sounds simple but its quite a workout!

I like to think of it as getting a head start on working off the calories before we even eat! As I was working on it I kept asking her if I was doing it right, she just said “Yes, keep working it.” You should understand that I have tried many many times to crumble my sausage like that but I always waited until it was nearly browned to start breaking it up, and I could never get it right. Her method is to start working on it as soon as the cold sausage hits the pan and don’t stop until its done. I have mastered a lot of techniques and complicated dishes from the likes of Thomas Keller and Joël Robuchon, but I have never been able to master my Grandma’s sausage gravy. Until now.

My lovely Grandma Geneva

Since we can’t get Jimmy Dean’s Sausage or Pillsbury Canned Biscuits in Germany, here are my recipes for homemade versions of both.

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, passed down from my Mom.

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or fork. Continue til the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and stir til the dough forms a ball around the fork. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead around 12-16 times. Roll or pat the dough down to 1/2″ thick. Cut into rounds with a 2″ cookie cutter. Place the biscuits in the pans touching one another and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Southern-style Breakfast Sausage Gravy

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 tablespoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup milk (you may need more, depending)
dash of cayenne

Place ground pork in a bowl and add all ingredients. Mix thoroughly and wrap the sausage in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least an hour up to 24 hours. When sausage is ready, add pinches of the sausage mixture to a hot skillet. Once the sausage is browned add 2 tablespoons of the flour and blend. Cook the sausage for two minutes and then repeat this step by adding the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add your milk. Cook til the mixture thickens. If the mixture is too thick add a splash of milk til the mixture loosens up. Pour over your homemade biscuits and I find adding a sunny-side up egg on top of your biscuit is even better! Enjoy!

*The spice mixture is based on my preference. Remember to taste the gravy as you go and feel free to add a dash of this or a pinch of that to adapt to your own taste preference.

A day at the market – Stuttgart Markthalle

Posted on December 15, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

Women love shopping, and I’m no different. While most women are shopping for shoes and handbags; I would rather browse shops and markets for herbs, spices and fresh ingredients. My favorite section is produce, this is where I really get inspired and the ideas start flowing. Soups, stews, casseroles, salads, or just heirloom tomatoes and slices of buffalo mozzarella topped with fresh basil leaves and a splash of crema basalmico. The possibilities are endless!

One of my favorite shopping spots in Stuttgart is the Markthalle (Market Hall). This beautiful large hall was built in 1912 in the same spot where the original market was established by royal decree in the 13th century. In 1435 Count Louis built the first hall, where fruit, meat, bread, and salt merchants traded their wares. The first modern market was built around 1820 by King William I to provide protection from weather to the wives and daughters of the winegrowers as they sold their produce. A larger hall was built in 1860 and after several decades of use, it was decided that the hall was too small to suit the growing population, so in 1911 the city planned a new, even larger market hall to be built in the Art Nouveau style. It was recently renovated in 2003 and in addition to serving as an important hub for buyers and sellers, it is also a popular tourist attraction.

When you walk through the heavy iron clad doors, you step into another world with a distinct Mediterranean flair. With nearly forty stalls, you’ll find some of the most exotic spices, imported and regional produce, fresh fish, fresh meat, hand-made pastas, chocolates, and fine local and imported wines from Germany, Italy, France and Spain. A tour through the market is an experience for all your senses. The experts who work here really know their stuff, and although few of them speak English, they are masters of the international language of food.

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They will offer samples of this and that, trying to guess what you might be interested, or just proudly demonstrating the quality of their products. We go back every few weeks to stock up on our favorites like smoked salts, Parisian cafe herb blend, mixed olives, hummus, Italian hard cheeses, dry salamis, and of course the decadent chocolates.

One of our favorite stalls sells wonderful rustic peasant breads sliced from enormous loaves that barely fit on the cutting table. One thing to keep in mind if you plan to visit, is that you must not touch the produce! The growers themselves are standing next to the tables and they don’t want anyone squeezing things for ripeness. Just know that they take great pride in what they do and if it isn’t ripe, it wouldn’t be there. They have hard-won reputations for quality and wouldn’t risk selling anything that isn’t up to their finest standards. So remember, no touching. If you are like me, even if you’ve only come to have a look you will leave with heavy bags full of wonderful foods.

Homemade sliders

Posted on December 14, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

I know, I know… apple galette’s, coq au vin, a decadent chocolate cake, casseroled artichokes and then I write a post about White Castle hamburgers. What is going on here? They’re called cravings people. We get cravings living overseas for food from home. Sometimes, lying in bed, we take turns naming things we miss most. If I could have any candy bar right now, I’d have a … Butterfinger! or Reese pieces. Or fast foods, like El Famous Burritos or spicy beef and green beans from Yen’s, and so on and so on. A couple months ago while watching tv Jason mentioned that he could go for a sack of White Castle sliders and I responded with “ooh yeah and onion chips!” Anyone who’s ever had them remembers the onion smell. Often times when we get cravings, I try to figure out how I can re-create them. After a bit of research I decided to accept the challenge.
I went to the store and picked up some ground beef, hot dog buns, crinkle-cut french fries, and schmelzkäse, which is pretty close to American cheese slices. When we first moved here we had to figure out for ourselves what foods are called, and how different the German versions of some foods are. As an example, hotdogs aren’t in the refrigerated case by the other sausage varieties, they are sold in jars in the pickled food aisle! When we see something that is new and exotic to us, or just plain mysterious, we take it home and have a mystery meal to sort it all out. The schmelzkäse tastes just like American cheese only thicker sliced and has a bit softer consistency. To simulate white castle buns, we looked for hamburger buns but those are only available during the summer grilling season, but luckily sausages are consumed year-round so we picked up a pack of American-style hotdog buns (larger than the traditional buns in the States) and cut them in thirds. This worked out perfectly! When I got home I started cooking with fingers crossed hoping this meal would turn out. I could only imagine the look on Jason’s face as he walks through the door to the smell of fresh sliders!

I mixed the ingredients together in a bowl and laid a piece of plastic wrap on the counter, put the ground beef mixture in the center, then another piece of plastic wrap on top. I used my rolling pin to gently flatten the ground beef mixture into a large, thin, flat, square patty. I lifted off the top layer of plastic wrap and put it on the side while I sliced the large patty into 3″ squares with a pizza cutter. After looking at them for a minute, I thought something was missing so I used a straw to cut 5 holes into each patty so they look just like real sliders. I laid the plastic wrap back on top of the patties and put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to an hour until they were partly frozen.

As they were chilling I put a small pat of butter into a skillet and covered the bottom with diced onions, sauteing them until just translucent. While waiting for the onions, I sliced the buns and trimmed the cheese slices to fit the size of the patties. Then I took the partly frozen patties from the freezer and carefully placed them atop the bed of onions, covered the pan, and cooked them for 3 minutes. Then I flipped them, placed the sliced buns cut-side down on top of the patties and onions, and covered the pan to cook for another 3 minutes. Then I removed the buns, placed a patty on top, added the cheese, a slice of pickle, and finally the other half of the bun. Now the hard part is keeping your hands off the finished ones until they were all done.

Homemade White Castle Sliders
makes 12 hamburgers

1 lb lean beef
1/2 t. salt
2 large onions, diced
2 T. onion powder
1 1/2 c. water divided
beef bouillon cube

Mix ground beef, a little of the diced onions, onion powder, salt and 1/2 c water. Place plastic wrap on the counter and the hamburger mixture on top. Flatten til 1/4 inch thick. Cut in 3 ” patties and poke 5 holes with a plastic straw. Place patties in freezer til partially frozen about 30 minutes to an hour.

Place a layer of diced onion, beef broth cube, and a 1/2 c. water in frying pan. Saute over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add water til bottom of pan is covered, then saute patties. Cover with lid. Cook on one side for 3 minutes. Flip the burgers and saute on the other side for 3 minutes. Add the bottom of the roll on top of the cooked side of the burgers until soft. Remove the burgers, add a slice of American cheese and a pickle. Repeat the steps for the remainder of the sliders. Crinkle fries and onion rings go great with these sliders! Serve immediately.

Love and barbecue

Posted on December 12, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

It all began on a cold February morning in 2000. I had a severe cold and a term paper due in twenty minutes that I had been up all night writing… As I was sitting in the computer lab adding the finishing touches and printing it out, I noticed a guy looking at me from behind a computer in the row behind me. I could only see his eyes and glancing at me from beneath the brim of his tan baseball cap. At first I didn’t realize he was looking at me, he seemed lost in thought or concentrating deeply on his own project. I went to the ladies room to blow my nose, but when I returned to the computer lab I found him sitting at the computer next to mine, prompting a flock of butterflies in my tummy. I partly wished he wouldn’t talk to me because the cold I was suffering from made it hard to speak clearly. But I also wanted him to say something, I had noticed him in the halls, with his hair cut long on top and trimmed short on the sides, black leather jacket and those eyes, I loved those eyes.

After a few moments of awkward silence, he said hi to me. Through the brief conversation that followed I mostly focused on trying hard not to appear nervous, and he asked me if I’d like to go out sometime. I accepted of course and gave him my phone number. I put Jason off for two months before I went out on a date with him. Looking back I wish I would have said yes the first time he’d asked, so we could have spent more time together. But I had plans! I had come to Chicago to earn my degree, and then I was headed to New York to find a job. But sometimes things just work out that way; plans are what we make while we’re waiting for life to happen.

We went on our first date in Chicago on February 25, I took the el train to school where I met him. I was living out in the suburbs west of the city where it was cool but comfortable when I stepped onto the train. When I stepped off the train downtown, a blast of cold lake-effect weather hit me and I realized that in my nervousness I had left my jacket at home. Under-dressed for the weather near the lakefront, he asked me if I was going to be warm enough. Trying to play it cool, I said, I’ll be okay. After a few minutes of walking, I realized that this wasn’t going to work so I asked him if we should take the train back to my student housing to retrieve my jacket, and then drive us back into the city with my car. He said “I’ve waited a month for you to go out with me and there’s no way I’m letting you off that easily.” Blushing… I was prepared to shiver throughout the evening just to be with him.
Since we had more than an hour until our dinner reservation, he suggested that we walk through a few shops along Michigan Avenue. I wasn’t in the mood for shopping; living on a student budget, eating lunch from the 25 and 50 cent section of Little Debbies at the Walgreens next to campus, I wasn’t exactly your usual Michigan Avenue shopper. As we walked along he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a doorway, into a clothing shop where he announced that we were here to buy a jacket. I instantly said “I don’t think so!” He said “I do. It took me what seems like forever to get you to go out with me and I’m not letting you suffer all night. Pick something out, or I will pick you out one”. I promised that I would be okay without one, but he would not listen, he picked out a long black trench-coat and handed it to me to try on. I resisted but he started putting it on me. He announced “you look great!” I took the jacket off, he grabbed the jacket and handed it to the saleswoman who had been hovering nearby. As she was ringing it up, he looked at me and said “I thought you deserved a black trench-coat like all the fashion design students wear.” I said thank you and silently scolded myself for having forgotten my jacket at home.

We strolled along the lakefront, and headed for the restaurant. Being new to Chicago, and he a local, he took me to Navy Pier where we had dinner at Joe’s Be-Bop Jazz Cafe. Southern BBQ food and live blues music. Did I mention that I was wearing a white cardigan with a white lace camisole? Well, I wasn’t expecting barbecue We talked, we laughed, he ordered something obscure, to which I responded, “I’ll have what he’s having” to which he smirked. A few minutes later, the largest plate of bbq I had ever seen showed up at the table. Sleeves rolled up to our elbows, we ate, we listened the band, we ate some more, then when we had both had our fill, we took a walk around the pier. Afterwards, we walked back to the train station where he waited with me until my train arrived. We kissed briefly and he asked me to go out again soon. I accepted of course knowing immediately that Jason would be a part of my life. Three months later he proposed. I said yes of course, even though our families and friends thought we were crazy. Everyone has heard stories about love at first sight, but I never believed in that sort of thing until it happened to me… The following year on August 3, 2001 we were married.

We lived in Chicago for nine years and have lived in Germany for nearly four. At first, I thought love was how he made me feel; the butterflies in my stomach, sweaty palms, but after living abroad, far away from family and friends, you realize that it means a lot more. It’s just the two of us here, isolated and on our own we have gotten to know each other more than we could ever have in Chicago.

Love is a choice, and love is an action. Love is him bringing my coffee to me every morning with a bowl of cheerios and waking me by saying just above a whisper “peeeeweeeee”. Love is the joy I feel when I’m making his favorite meals from scratch, living in a foreign land where everything is just a little bit different. Love is the way he looks into my eyes and says “I’m going to love you forever, I hope that’s okay with you” after eleven years of marriage. I still think about our first date sometimes and I realize how lucky I am. We’ve been together for almost twelve years and I’ve realized, when I thought it wasn’t possible to love him any more than I do, that I love him in ways that I never thought possible. He is my husband and my best friend. I still get butterflies in my stomach when he looks at me in a certain way and I still have the trench-coat…

Pork Rub
for a 3 pound boneless pork shoulder

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Mince the garlic then add the spices and salt. Stir in the mustard. Rub this over the pork and let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge. Place the pork shoulder in a large roasting pan and roast at 300*F for about 3 – 3 1/2 hours or until it starts falling apart when you test it with a fork.

Barbecue Sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 brown sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 small shallot, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Set aside. Once pork has finished roasting remove from the pan and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Add ⅔ of the bar-b-que sauce to the juices left in the roasting pan and don’t forget those delicious bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer gently while the pork rests. Using two forks, pull apart the pork into bite-size shreds. Add the pulled pork into the sauce and combine. Taste and add more sauce if you think it needs it or reserve remaining bar-b-que sauce to serve with the sandwiches.
On a freshly sliced sesame bun add a good amount of pork then top with the coleslaw. Enjoy immediately.

Homemade Slaw
1/2 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar (white or apple)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 green onions, julienned
1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small head of red cabbage, thinly sliced
3 small carrots, trimmed and julienned
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small bowl combine the first five ingredients. Set aside. In a medium bowl add the cabbage both green and red, green onions, and carrots. Toss with about ¼ cup dressing to start. Taste then add more as needed. Great with leftovers for the next day and still holds it’s crunchiness.

Sesame Seed Buns
makes 12 buns – adapted from notwithoutsalt

1 package of dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm milk
2 tablespoons honey
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, soft
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 egg, lightly beaten (egg wash)

In the bowl or in a stand mixer, whisk together the yeast, milk and honey. Let sit for 10-15 minutes at which point you should see lots of bubbles. Add flour, salt, and the egg and mix with the dough hook to combine. While the mixer is running on medium-low add the soft butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape down the bowl then continue to mix for 8-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let it double, about two hours or so. Roll the dough into tight balls estimating that you will get between 12 buns. This is just a bit under ½ cup of dough per bun. Place on a parchment lined sheet tray (you may need two if you don’t want them to touch at all) then cover with plastic wrap and let double again, about 1 ½ hours. When the buns are just about doubled, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the buns with the additional egg and top with sesame seeds.

Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes, until deep golden on top and bottom. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.

For the love of chocolate cake

Posted on December 10, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

When I was in elementary school, I was a Girl Scout. You know, a green skirt, white collar shirt, and a green vest showing off every badge I had received. I tried to earn every badge I could and I was a very determined scout. In the fall of the sixth grade, I participated in a bake-off competition, and for my entry, I chose my mother’s delicious chocolate cake.
My mom is a great cook, some of my favorite dishes she makes are chicken and dumplings, brownies, apple bread, banana bread, and of course, her fluffy chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. As a kid I loved chocolate, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I had never baked a cake before, but for some reason this seemed to me like as good a time as any to try it. She had arranged all of the ingredients, measuring cups, spoons, and a big yellow ceramic mixing bowl on the counter in preparation. The first step to prepare my entry was to write out the recipe on 4×6 index cards alongside my name, troop number and the name of my recipe (Scratch Cake Section: Chocolate Cake). That step complete, it was time to get down to making the cake. I was an independent child, and even though I refused any help, my mom watched over me from across the kitchen as I was adding a cup of this, a measured teaspoon of that, carefully cracked the eggs, until I had poured the batter into the cake pans, when she stepped in to help me put them into the hot oven. The timer set, I had nothing to do but wait, sitting in front of the oven licking the left over batter from the mixing bowl as I watched my first cake start to rise. Just when I thought they had filled the pans nicely and would stop rising, they continued, seeming to foam as if there were a chocolate volcano erupting in our oven! The batter was flowing everywhere, overflowing the pans and dripping down to the floor of the oven, releasing clouds of steam. Fighting back tears, I ran to get my mom. The look on her face when she looked into the oven said it all, she was shocked to see the mess I had made, but immediately reassured me that we could fix it. She asked me to recite the steps I had taken as if I were making another cake. I told her “2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup of Hershey’s cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder…” I stopped there. I knew immediately what I had done wrong. Instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, I had used 1 1/2 tablespoons. The abbreviations Tbsp and tsp were still new to me, and I didn’t appreciate what a difference such small things could make.
Still fighting back the tears, she comforted me and said “there’s no need to be upset, we can clean it up and start over.” Despite the sticky, smokey mess in the oven, we weren’t giving up. I washed the dishes as she scraped out the oven, and we started again. This time, I followed the recipe more closely, no mistakes. I made the fluffy frosting as the new cakes were baking, again licking the beaters to test it. When the cakes had finished baking and cooling on the counter, I laid the first layer onto a platter, spreading the top with a thick layer of frosting, added the second layer, and with a bit of help, finished frosting it until a finished cake stood before me, covered with those thick swirls from the spatula in the frosting. The cake looked fantastic, and it was all I could do to resist swiping the frosting with my finger. The next morning, we took the cake to the bake-off entry table where we were told to return in four hours. The anticipation was a lot for me, considering the trials of the night before. When it was finally time, we returned to the judging table and there was my cake, with a big, blue 1st place ribbon next to my cake! I couldn’t believe it. Mom looked at me and told me “Great job, I knew you could do it!” And even though she had saved me with her patience and reassurance, I was proud of that cake, of what I had accomplished because I didn’t give up.

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

Posted on November 25, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

I don’t like Sundays. Who does? It’s the last day before a new week starts, before the hustle and bustle of a monday morning, a flood of emails, pointless meetings and never-ending projects. When I start to get the case of the “Sundays”, I think back to when it was the day when, like most families, we would visit my Grandparents to share a big family dinner. The whole family would be there, spread throughout every room in the house. The men would sit in the living room watching football, we kids running around playing, and my mother, grandmother, and aunts would be in the kitchen preparing dinner. When everything was finally ready, everyone would gather around the table to eat, which was a great way to end the week.
Being so far away from home, we usually spend Sundays watching movies, relaxing on the sofa with a few snacks and a bottle of wine, and something light for dinner. As the cold winter weather arrives we start to crave something more substantial, and the comfort of a Sunday dinner. What better way to battle the Sunday blues and brighten a dreary afternoon than by filling the house with the aroma of a lovely roasting chicken?
I use to dread roasting chicken because of judging whether it would come out fully cooked, or overcooked and dry. But over the last few years I’ve learned to face these cooking anxieties head-on, and with a little effort and experimentation, eventually I succeeded and turned something dreadful into a proud accomplishment. I can roast a chicken, and I know how to make sure it comes out tender, juicy, and delicious. Here is my roast chicken recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Roasted Chicken
Serves 2-3 (depending on how hungry you are)

Ingredients
3-4 lb free range chicken, giblets removed (some come with the giblets already removed, doesn’t hurt to double check)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2-3 tablespoons of butter (soften)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
Lemon slices (optional for inside the cavity)
Salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C

Add the butter to a small bowl mix by itself to soften even further. Add the garlic, parsley, onion powder, and tarragon to the butter, and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse chicken with cool water, inside and out and pat dry. It is very important to make sure the chicken is fully dried or else the skin will not get crispy. Generally the legs will be trussed but in case your bird isn’t, gently bring the legs together and tie with kitchen string. You will see in the photos that we were out of kitchen string but the roasted chicken still turned out delicious.

Place the chicken in an oven safe dish/roasting pan and loosen the skin on the breast. This can be done by gently lifting the skin and sliding one to two fingers underneath, going back and forth carefully to not rip the skin. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Take the herb butter mixture and put roughly a tablespoon under the skin, making sure to coat the whole breast. Spread the rest of the mixture over the whole chicken. This helps the chicken to brown nicely and crisp. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken in the oven for 1 1/2 hrs, til a thermometer reads 160°F/71°C
(Note: If you have a larger bird, you may need to increase the ingredients and roasting time.)

Roasted Vegetables
1 large package of mushrooms, halved
2 large yellow onions, quartered
4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil

Place all chopped vegetables in a bowl. Give them a healthy dose of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. About 30 minutes into roasting the chicken, place the vegetables around the chicken and roast for 45-50 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Éric Ripert’s Coq au Vin

Posted on November 15, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

Outside the window, the trees are turning shades of gold and crimson and the leaves are starting to fall. It seems like it happens overnight; one day it’s cool, the next its chilly and overcast, then for days on end its cold and raining, and finally there are days when the sun tries to shine but only manages to peek through the thick blanket of clouds hanging just above the mountains across the valley from our house. I don’t enjoy the rain, but the drop in temperature is the worst part, and because we get around on two dutch bicycles without a car, we notice it more I suppose. But we have to eat, so I bundle up, put on a hat and pedal to the bakery to buy a loaf of fresh bread. On the way home I’m thinking about how it will compliment a bowl of something warm and hearty. It’s this time of the year when we crave simple, comforting dishes.
I’ve been taking this time to read my cookbooks as if they are the latest best-seller on the shelves. I think cookbooks tell a story, just like any other book. Whomever the author may be, they are telling us a story, where the recipes come from, whether they have been passed down from generation to generation or if they are the latest trend among stylinsh bistros.

Today I settled on Coq au Vin. It is a traditional, rustic dish that you will find in many bistros and restaurants across France, usually prepared following the traditional recipe. Whenever I cook traditional French, I like to reference the old classic recipes and cook alongside the master chefs who know what they are talking about, like Joël Robuchon, Patricia Wells, Éric Ripert, and of course the classic, Larousse Gastronomique. I’ve chosen Éric Ripert’s version, because I haven’t tried it before, and its the only one that calls for 2 bottles of wine to braise the chicken with. If it brings you to a halt to read that it requires TWO bottles of wine, I assure you, its not overwhelming in the least. After having made this dish many times according to several recipes, I found this one to be the tastiest and about as authentically french as you can get without a passport. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Coq au Vin
Adapted from Éric Ripert’s, Avec Eric Coq au Vin

Ingredients
1 large packages of chicken thighs and legs
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sunflower oil  (canola is what his recipe called for, sunflower is everywhere in Germany, so I used it)
3 slice smoked bacon
(optional)
1 1/2 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 large onions, diced
4 garlic clove, peeled and
sliced
12 ounces button mushroom,
washed and diced
1 cup brandy  (you can substitute with either bourbon or cognac)
2 bottles red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 sprig fresh thyme  (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 package egg noodles, cooked

Directions
Lay the chicken pieces on a baking sheet; season chicken with salt and pepper and lightly dust both sides, with flour.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed stock pot, slowly add the chicken, skin side down, and cook over medium heat until the skin is golden and crispy. Try to only turn the chicken when you think the skin is brown (3-5 minutes). Turn chicken and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown.

Remove chicken from pan and discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil. Slowly cook the bacon until crisp and add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic and mushroom; cook until lightly caramelized.

Deglaze the pan with the brandy, add the tomato paste and combine. Add the red wine, browned chicken and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer on very low heat for about 3 hours, until the chicken is very tender and starts falling off the bone.

Carefully remove the chicken from the sauce and reduce the sauce by half. Once the sauce had thickened, add the chicken and season to taste. Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Giardiniera – A Chicago Specialty

Posted on October 19, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

Since we’ve moved overseas, we crave many things from home. Twizzlers, McCormicks celery salt, Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce, dill pickles, the list goes on and on. One of our favorites is giardiniera and while we bring back with us bottles of this and that, let’s be honest, with the overweight-charge rates the airlines are oh-so-nice to slam us with, I thought “how hard is it really to make giardiniera?”

For those who are not aware what giardiniera is, it is in fact a Chicago staple. It’s pickled vegetables and peppers that can range from mild to extremely spicy. In our house, this stuff goes on eggs with cheese and peppers, brats, pizza, sandwiches, you name it… we’ve tried it on a lot of dishes, at least once.

I found a recipe by The Chicago Tribune and like most recipes, I never can follow them without putting my spin on them. We adapted it to our liking. When you grab a spoonful of these pickled peppers, everyone is maneuvering the spoon to get pieces of their favorite vegetables. We all do it. My favorite happens to be the cauliflower and celery. Jason’s is celery, onions, and carrots. So, with a few tweaks, we created our own version.

Chicago-style Giardiniera

(adapted from The Chicago Tribune recipe)
I used an assortment of canning jars in various sizes. Whatever size you decide to use, make sure they are thoroughly clean before using.

Brine
6 jalapeños (or serrano peppers), sliced thickly
2 red and green bell peppers, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 yellow onion, diced
6 celery rib, each sliced in half and diced
1/2 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1/2 c salt

Marinade
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp celery seeds
freshly ground black pepper
1.5 c white vinegar
2.5 c vegetable oil (olive oil, canola or sunflower oil works great as well)

Preparing the jars
Make sure your glass jars are thoroughly clean, either by boiling them in water, or washing them well with very hot water.

Directions
Combine the jalapenos, bell peppers, celery, carrot, onion and cauliflower florets in a large bowl and stire in the salt. Add cold water to cover vegetables and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 12 hours. Drain salt water, rinse vegetables and set the bowl aside.

Combine the garlic, olives, oregano, red pepper flakes, celery seeds and black pepper to taste in a medium bowl and set aside. Pour the vinegar into a medium bowl and whisk in the seasonings. Whisk in the olive oil and pour over the vegetables. Toss lightly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 48 hours before using.

topping off:
If there’s not enough marinade, add a 3:5 mix of vinegar and oil to top off container. An open jar of giardiniera will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 weeks but unopened will last for 3-4 months. Even though we did not process the filled jars in boiling water, due to the natural preservative effect of the brined vegetables and vinegar it stays fresh for several months if kept refrigerated. We keep ours in the back of the fridge because it’s the coldest spot. The longer you let it pickle, the more intense the flavor.

Apple Galette

Posted on October 15, 2012 by A Cook's Canvas

When the air grows cool and crisp, I start reminiscing about an apple-picking weekend trip we’d taken several years ago to the orchards along the lake shores of southwestern Michigan. Rows upon rows of trees heavy with the most beautiful red, yellow, and green apples, begging to be picked and eaten on the spot. As we walked along from tree to tree, we ate our fill, promising ourselves to pay extra for the apples we’d eaten. When we arrived at the weighing counter, Jason pointed to his belly, and asked the lady to add $20 on top of our order. We had eaten so many apples right there among the trees that we felt like we might burst.
After we packed all 40 pounds of apples in the trunk, we walked over to the cider mill to grab a cup of hot apple cider and try hand-made cinnamon doughnuts while we sat on a haystack watching a man operating a large cider press. After a day of rest and more apple munching we drove back to Chicago with our treasure, which would soon to be turned into delicious autumn desserts. Baked apple pies, fried apple tarts, baked apples with a granola filling of oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon, and more fresh cider from our juicer. I love this time of year, when the kitchen is filled with the scent of butter, apples and sugar baking in our oven. Is there a better smell in the whole world?

I found a recipe for a free-form, rustic apple galette with pâte brisée dough. What is a Galette? It’s a French puff pastry or a yeast dough, filled with fruit and topped with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before baking, but it can also be based on a shortbread dough. They can can be savory and filled with ham, cheese, egg, sausage, grilled sardines; or sweet, filled with a fruit or jam filling (*source from Larousse Gastronomique)
The Apple Galette
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

for the dough
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
chilled water, (I used 4 tablespoons)

for the filling
2 medium apples peeled, cored and sliced  (I used Braeburn – sweet and tart)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar (depending on which apples you choose you may need more sugar)
sugar for topping (optional)

Directions
For the dough, sift flour in a large bow. Mix in sugar and salt. Cut in the butter, blending it quickly to prevent it from melting. Your dough should resemble course cornmeal. Continue until the the big piece of butter are roughly the size of large peas. Add chilled water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together. Wrap the disc-shaped dough in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

When the dough is ready, roll out on a floured surface to a 14″ circle about 1/8″ thick. Transfer to a silcon mat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 400°F.

For the filling, place apple slices in a bowl with melted butter and sugar. Toss to coat. Overlap the apples in a circle, 2″ from the edge of the dough. Continue spiraling inward until you’ve reached the center. Fold the edges of the dough, and sprinkle the edges with sugar. Bake on the middle rack for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and/or a drizzle of caramel sauce.

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