Al Dente

Bourbon, Brandy or Rum? How About All 3!

I was getting my holiday recipes in order when my husband suggested we do a practice run on his sister-in-law Nita's eggnog recipe. Funny, never thinks to do that for our other holiday dishes. I guess he's just getting into the spirit of the season!

Nita's Homemade Eggnog

Ingredients:
6 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1-1/4 cups bourbon
1 cup brandy or cognac
3 tablespoons dark rum
Ground nutmeg, for dusting

Directions:
1. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow. Set aside.

2. Place the cream in another bowl and beat until it holds soft peaks.

3. Stir the milk into reserved egg-yolk mixture. Then using a large rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream.

4. Shortly before serving, GENTLY stir in the bourbon and brandy. Transfer to a punch bowl.

5. Beat the egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks; carefully fold into the eggnog.  Drizzle the top with the rum; sprinkle with the nutmeg. Serve immediately. 

Makes about 10 cups 

--Tracy Schneider

Who Wants the Wishbone?

The history of making a wish over the wishbone, it is said, dates back more than 2000 years to the Etruscans. Who knew that this classic tug of war, which typically takes place in the kitchen a few days after Thanksgiving, had such an established history?

Ever wish there was more than one wishbone at Turkey time? One for all the guests at the table, or at least enough so that all the children could have their own?

Well, your wish has come true! The folks at Lucky Break have been thinking about that question for years, and they've developed a plastic wishbone that will stand in for the real thing.

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, you can set your holiday table with one at each place setting, and if you're a guest, well what a novel hostess gift! I'm thinking of all the squabbles that will cease to be if everyone in the family has the chance at the wishbone.

--Tracy Schneider

Tricolor Pearl Onions? I'll Give'em a Try!

Pearl onions have never been a part of my traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, though creamed pearl onions do sound like a delicious complement to mashed potatoes and stuffing, my favorite starchy sides.

I've side-stepped pearl onions all these years until just the other day, on my way to pick up a fresh stalk of Brussels sprouts in the vegetable aisle of Trader Joe's. What looked like a bag of over-sized marbles turned out to be tricolor pearl onions. I couldn't pass up those beauties.

So now I'm on a mission to find the best recipe to feature these tiny tricolored orbs. I was intrigued recently by a Curried Cream Onion recipe I read about in the November Saveur, the signature dish of a 101-year-old Connecticut Yankee. But the curry powder in that recipe blankets the onions in a yellow sauce, and I think the red, white and yellow of these tricolor onions deserve to shine in their own right. I'm guessing that a recipe for traditional creamed onions are the way to go. Do you have an old family recipe you'd like to share?

--Tracy Schneider

My Mother's Vegetable Soup

I am sitting here with my mother's hand-written recipe card for vegetable soup. It is yellowed and stained. My mother died of breast cancer when I was 19, but when I cook her recipes, she comes back to me.

Men may still edge out women in big professional kitchens around the world, but go into any home kitchen, and there you will find women, mothers and daughters, grandmothers, aunts and sisters.

Look into a kitchen before any holiday meal, and there they will be--chopping, mixing, stirring, laughing. And if you look really hard, you'll also see the ghosts of great grandmothers and long-passed aunts, dancing to the rhythm of the kitchen.

My Mother's Vegetable Soup

Bring meat and bones to a boil, covered.

Add diced:
1 onion
3 carrots
2 celery
2 parsnips
1 can tomatoes
1/2 cup beans
1/4 cup barley
1 tablespoon salt
5 peppercorns

Tracy's notes: I bring 1-2 pounds of short ribs and about a pound of marrow bones to a boil in a large pot filled with 12-14 cups of water. Once the pot has come to a boil, I lower the heat to a simmer and cook the meat and bones for 1-1/2 hours, covered. I'll uncover the pot every so often to skim the foam off the top. Then I'll add the other ingredients and let the soup cook for another 2 hours or so.

Parsnips are sweet and I often leave them out. I use cannellini beans that have soaked in water the night before. I love barley, so I usually use 1/2 cup. If I can get fresh cherry tomatoes, I use them, 12-16 ounces, cut in half, instead of the canned tomatoes. I add them the last half hour. Then I season the soup to my own taste, adding salt and pepper as necessary.

I cool the soup and leave in the refrigerator overnight. This step is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! In the morning I skim the fat off the soup. Marrow bones produce a huge amount of fat. If I want to eat the soup the same day I cook it, I omit the marrow bones.

I like to serve the soup as a first course, and the short ribs as a second course. Or I'll serve one short rib in each bowl of soup. I serve the marrow bones with fresh rye bread. I'll spread the marrow of one bone over the rye bread, sprinkle with salt, and I'm in heaven.

Serves 4-6

--Tracy Schneider

Eggnog Lattes are Here

As a child, I knew Thanksgiving was just around the corner when my grandfather brought home eggnog from the grocery store. Whether straight or spiked, eggnog has always found great popularity in the U.S. around the holidays. But I wonder, just how much more popular has it become since Starbucks introduced their eggnog lattes in 1986?

My sister-in-law Nita makes the best homemade eggnog, frothy and full of liquor for the holidays. But in my home I drink eggnog straight, instead of dessert.

My local grocery store has just begun filling the aisles with eggnog, and I'm thrilled my favorite chocolate milk supplier, Twinbrook Creamery, has begun making it, though my very favorite eggnog of all time is Alta Dena's honey eggnog. I haven't been able to find for the last several years.

Do you have a favorite eggnog supplier or eggnog recipe I should know about? The season for eggnog is fleeting, so for the next few weeks, I'm drinking to excess.

--Tracy Schneider

The Rare Hyakume--the Sweetest Persimmon of Them All!

I spotted persimmons today in the grocery store, and I was happy to see both the fat round Fuyu and the taller, teardrop-shaped Hachiya. What a surprise then, to discover a third variety, the Hyakume. Shorter and plumper than the Hachiya, I wanted to learn all about it.

While the Hachiya is eaten only when it's very, very soft, and the Fuyu is eaten while it's still hard, the Hyakume, with it's chocolate-flecked flesh, is best eaten when slightly soft. Is it the sweetest of the three varieties? That's what people in-the-know tell me. But the Hyakume is hard to find; its growing season is shorter than either the Hachiya or the Fuyu. So if you see this rather rare treat, don't put off giving it a try. Then decide for yourself which persimmon is the sweetest.

I've never cooked persimmons, (they're so good just as they are), but I know there must be some great recipes for them out there. Any you'd like to share?

--Tracy Schneider

Sick in Bed: Best Meals for Sharing

My daughter told me this afternoon that there were seven kids home sick from her class today. Mild flu-like symptoms are taking Seattle schools by storm, and like so many kids, our neighbors were hit with low-grade fevers, sore throats, earaches and the like.

In addition to supplying sick friends with a big box of tissues, assorted throat lozenges and a stack of magazines, I can't think of a better cure for the aches and pains of a cold or flu than a good meal.

So when I heard about our neighbors, I decided to fix a hearty meal we could both enjoy, though not at a communal table. My friend Clark's pot roast came to mind--meat and vegetables braised in a tantalizing liquid and cooked in a single pot. Clark's recipe is not traditional. His mother got it from a Chinese-American friend she met while living in Malaysia, and the unusual mix of ingredients, when cooked for hours, becomes a magical elixir. It is an antidote for what ails you.

Clark's Pot Roast

Ingredients:
3-5 pound brisket of beef
5 cups hot water
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon dark Chinese soy sauce
A few peppercorns
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Cooking oil
Baby carrots
2 tablespoons potato starch

Directions:
1. Allow meat to warm to room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Mix flavoring ingredients in hot water.

3. Salt and pepper the roast and brown it on all sides in some oil. Add garlic at end and brown briefly. Don't let it burn. Add water mixture. Bring to simmer. Cover tightly with foil and and lid. Place in oven. Cook for 4 hours.

3. Remove meat, cover and keep warm. Cook carrots in liquid; keep covered on low heat.  Remove carrots and degrease liquid.

4. Mix 2 tablespoons potato starch in 2 tablespoons cooled liquid; whisk into stock to thicken. Adjust season. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Serves 6-8

--Tracy Schneider

Zwieback AWOL. Still Looking for the Cheesecake of My Dreams...

I'm looking for the cheesecake of my youth, dense, not creamy, and with absolutely no graham crackers!  Al Dente reader Marcy and I both had high hopes for a circa 1961 Craig Claiborne's Cheesecake recipe that she found the New York Times that she found. It calls for cottage cheese instead of cream cheese and uses zwieback for its razor-thin crust instead of graham crackers.

I had planned to try this recipe, or rather have my husband, the cheesecake enthusiast, try it last week, but finding zwieback, a crisp, twice-baked biscuit, proved impossible. With zwieback AWOL, I needed a substitute, and I spent all last week looking for it. My first thought was biscotti, the twice-baked Italian biscuit, but all the biscotti I came across had strong nutty flavor, which I thought would be overpowering in the cheesecake. I scanned the cookie aisle and finally settled on some crispy Italian ladyfingers. Not the perfect substitute, but I didn't want to wait any longer to try this recipe.

In the end, the results were disappointing. The cheesecake was watery, perhaps the cottage cheese should have been drained. The lemon juice and rind was overpowering. I'm still looking for my ideal recipe. Any suggestions for the cheesecake of my dreams?

Cottage Cheese Cheesecake

Ingredients:
1 6-ounce package zwieback
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 pounds cottage cheese
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, separated
1 cup sour cream
Rind and juice of one lemon
Strawberry glaze (see below)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 325 degrees F. Roll zwieback into fine crumbs. Grease a nine inch spring form pan and dust the sides with zwieback crumbs. Mix the remaining crumbs with the one quarter cup of sugar and the butter and press onto bottom of the pan. Bake five minutes. Cool.

2. Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve. Add half the remaining sugar, the flour, salt, egg yolks, sour cream, lemon rind and juice. Whip until thoroughly blended.

3. Beat egg whites until stiff, adding the remaining sugar gradually. Fold into cheese mixture.
Turn the mixture into prepared pan, bake at 325 degrees F about 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pan and glaze as directed.

Strawberry Glaze

Ingredients:
1 quart strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon butter

Directions:
1. Wash and hull berries. Crush enough berries to make one half cup.

2. Boil the crushed berries, sugar, water, and cornstarch two minutes, stirring. Add the butter, strain and cool.

3. Arrange the whole berries over the top of the cheesecake and pour the glaze over the berries. Chill.

--Tracy Schneider

Not All Amaretti Are Created Equal!

My friend Terry doesn't like the crisp amaretti you find in boxes and tins at specialty food stores, so when her neighbor in Spilamberto, Italy, Elisa, offered her some homemade amaretti, she was surprised at how delicious--and chewy--they were. She even asked for the recipe.

Turns out Terry liked Elisa's amaretti for more than just their texture. Elisa's recipe includes no almond paste nor almond extract, which Terry finds overpowering, just freshly ground almonds. I like Elisa's recipe because it has only four ingredients, and they're all kitchen staples.

Elisa's Amaretti

Ingredients:
100 grams sugar
1 egg white
100 grams almonds, preferably blanched
Salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grind the almonds in a food processor, but be careful not to grind them too finely. Combine with sugar.

3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. With a wooden spoon, thoroughly fold in almond mixture.

4. Using a teaspoon drop small balls of the mixture on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each and put immediately into the oven.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, less time if you'd like them soft and chewy, more time for crisper cookies.

Makes 15-20 cookies.

--Tracy Schneider

Make-at-Home Merguez

When I heard about the merguez sausages my friends Zachary and Clark cooked for dinner the other night, I asked them to send on over the recipe. In addition to the recipe, from the October issue of Saveur, they sent me their tips and a great photo of their dinner. I wish I had been invited over that night!

"Saveur magazine recently ran a cover story on lamb, which inspired us to do some lamb tasting. Our neighborhood butcher usually has fresh local lamb on hand, but they also get in lovely New Zealand lamb. (Can anyone tell the difference?)

The first recipe we tried, 'Merguez,' looked like the most complicated of the bunch, but it turned out to be quite easy--a perfect mid-week supper.

We used ground lamb from our butcher, instead of grinding lamb shoulder in the food-processor, and the recipe worked perfectly. We served the accompaniments suggested: chopped tomatoes (cherry or grape are best this time of year), red onion, and cucumbers. Instead of serving pita bread, we served hot buttered naan, which we prefer in both flavor and texture to pita.

We're adding merguez to our list of recipes that fall into the hard-to-find category of 'fun-and-different' weeknight meals that are both easy and yummy."

Once you try it yourself, I bet you will too.

Merguez (Spiced Lamb Sausages)

Ingredients:
1 pound trimmed lam shoulder, cut into 1" cubes or 1 pound ground lamb
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon harissa
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup yogurt
8 leaves basil, roughly chopped
Chopped tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers, for serving
Flat bread, for serving

Directions:
1. Put lamb into a bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and transfer to freezer to let chill for 30 minutes. Add 2 cloves garlic, harissa, parsley, paprika, coriander, cumin, fennel, salt, and pepper to the bowl; process until lamb is coarsely chopped and mixed with spices, about 15 seconds. (If using ground lamb, just mix lamb with other ingredients in a large bowl.) Divide lamb mixture into 8 portions and form the portions into 3"-wide patties. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb patties and cook, turning once until browned and still slightly pink, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer merguez to paper towels, set aside.

2. Meanwhile, stir together remaining garlic and oil, yogurt, and basil in a small bowl to make a sauce; season with salt and pepper. Serve merguez on a platter with sauce, chopped vegetables, and flat bread.

Serves 4

Saveur, No. 123, October 2009

--Tracy Schneider

Yogurt Comes of Age

It wasn't I until I lived in Paris that I became enlightened as to the ways of yogurt. I was a student in college at the time, and the family I lived with kept a yogurt maker on the kitchen counter. Yogurt, mixed at the table with a little sugar, was our dessert at almost every evening meal.

In Parisian grocery stores, the yogurt section was enormous, and I became a big fan of creamy French yogurt. This creamy, "European-style" yogurt eventually came to the U.S. and over many years, the yogurt aisle in Seattle has seen some exciting additions. I was thrilled to discover the full-fat, non-homogenized Brown Cow yogurt with its luscious layer of cream at the top. Then I tried thick Fage Greek yogurt, and we eat so much now I buy four tubs at a time, thought I've switched to the more affordable Trader Joe's brand.

I like Port Madison's goat milk yogurt that I find at my local farmers market, and I've tasted water buffalo milk yogurt from Bufala di Vermont at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York. But I'd never tried the Icelandic yogurt skyr, so when I saw Siggi's yogurt on sale at my local grocery store, I decided to give it a go. I'm a sucker for great graphics, and Siggi's simple packaging is an eye-catcher.

Skyr is a strained yogurt with a distinctive tang, and though Siggi's is made with non-fat milk, it has a richer, thicker consistency than you might expect. Though I tend to prefer plain, unsweetened yogurt, I was intrigued by Siggi's unusual flavor combinations like orange & ginger and pomegranate & passion fruit, sweetened by the way, with agave nectar. And I'm anxious to try it's newest flavors, vanilla, acai and grapefruit, but at $2.99 for a 6-oz. cup, I'll have to wait until Siggi's is back on sale.

There are so many new yogurts available from small dairies around the country now, why not give your favorite a shout out and share it with us.

--Tracy Schneider

Stalking the Tastiest Brussels Sprouts

If you're lucky enough to spot some Brussels sprouts stalks at your farmers market, grocery store or specialty shop, grab them! I found some beautiful stalks a few years ago at my local co-op and used two of them as centerpieces for a night before I turned them into supper the next day. Not only are they artistic in their own right, I'm guessing that in general, the sprouts on the stalk are fresher than those that have been cut and bagged. Does anyone know for sure if that's true?

Brussels sprouts stalks are still not a common sight in the grocery store, though I found some today at Trader Joe's. I'm not a celebrity, but I create a bit of a scene when I have a Brussels sprouts stalk in my grocery cart. "What is that?" everyone wants to know. Maybe we don't know as much about growing Brussels sprouts as we do, say, potatoes, because Brussels sprouts are at at the bottom of the list of "favorite" vegetables.

If you don't like Brussels sprouts, I'm guessing it's because you've only eaten them boiled or steamed, two methods that I myself don't think produce very appetizing results. I learned about roasting Brussels sprouts from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, and with her recipe I've turned some of the most staunch sprouts opponents into diehard fans. When my teenage niece Lauren tasted my roasted Brussels sprouts, she told me they were even better than French fries. Now that's quite a coup!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut of the ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bow with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn them out on a baking sheet and roast for 35 40 minutes, until crisp outside and tender inside. Shake the pan from time to time, to brown the Brussels sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve.

Serves 6

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter, 1999

--Tracy Schneider

Picnic Playground

Leave it to Putumayo to combine music and food in its recently released CD, Picnic Playground. I'm a longtime fan of Putumayo World Music and its Kids Division, beginning with World Playground in 1999.

Picnic Playground is a collection of songs about food sung by artists--guitarists, singers, songwriters, pop stars and musical groups--from around the world. Songs in Swahili, French, German, Spanish, Danish and English explore cherries, tomatoes, milk, ice cream and pie.

One of my favorite songs by the South African singer, dancer and actress Kheswa, describes a beautiful day shopping at the farmers market purchasing all the makings of a picnic.

With the holidays now around the corner, this CD will make a great gift for foodies and their young proteges.

--Tracy Schneider

It's an Old-fashioned Halloween at Our House

The plan for the day was to make jelly apples and popcorn balls with my daughter, all before her afternoon soccer game. Surprisingly enough, that's just what happened.

We popped three batches of popcorn, mixed them with Paula Deen's sugar syrup, and then with buttered hands turned them into popcorn balls.

My daughter loves to measure, pour and stir, but once the candy syrup began to boil, I kept her a few arms lengths from from the bubbling sugar syrup on the stove.

Without a candy thermometer, we had to use a cup of cold water to check the syrup and she got the chance to see how the sugar water became molten syrup in stages, from soft ball to firm ball to hard ball. 

We went through a similar drill for the candy apples, and soon enough, we had a dozen of both--the makings of an old-fashioned All Hallows' Eve.

Popcorn Balls

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-1/3 cups water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1.In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, syrup, vinegar, and salt. Cook over high heat until mixture reaches 255 degrees F (hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Stir in vanilla.

2. Pour over popped corn, tossing gently to coat. When mixture is cool enough to handle, press popcorn into 3-inch balls with lightly greased hands. Cool completely on waxed paper.

Makes 14 popcorn balls

Popcorn Balls, Paula Deen

--Tracy Schneider

Saveur Has Me Thinking About Thanksgiving...

When my Saveur magazine arrived in the mail earlier this week, I had to steal away from the work at hand for a quick look. I love how Saveur dishes up both a global perspective and at the same time a personal look at what people are eating and how they are cooking. And, of course, there are those magnificent photos.

I savor the double page spread of a Thanksgiving dinner held at a home in Oaxaca, Mexico, with turkey and stuffing surrounded by potluck contributions: a creamy squash vine soup, guacamole, corn bread, green salad, giant white corn tortillas, jello molds, and more. The table too is surrounded, but with hungry guests, plates in hand, and it positively groans under the weight of those heavy platters.

In another article of a New England Thanksgiving, my eye is drawn to a large platter of creamed onions. They turn out to be swathed in a curried cream. It's the signature dish of one Anna North Coit, a 101-year-old Connecticut Yankee who has been cooking this particular recipe for some thirty years.

Halloween is not yet here, but Saveur has me thinking of Thanksgiving dinner and all its possibilities.

Curried Creamed Onions

Ingredients:
Kosher salt, to taste
2 pounds white pearl onions, unpeeled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a 6-quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add onions and cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Using a pairing knife, peel onions and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and curry powder and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and thick, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the half-and-half, the reserved cooking liquid, and mustard and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally,until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Add onions and season with Tabasco and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften a little and the flavors meld, about 10 more minutes. Transfer onions to a platter or a bowl with a slotted spoon and pour some of the cream sauce over them.

Serves 4-6.

"Yankee Pride," Sandra L. Oliver,  Saveur, No. 124, November 2009

--Tracy Schneider

Candy Bracketology

"Almond Roca over Atomic Fireballs? No way!" my husband said, in total disbelief, when he heard the news. But that's just what happened the first day of the 2009 "Candy and 'Friends' Tournament", put together by the folks at Milliman, an actuarial firm based in Seattle.

"Could sour gummy worms be this year's Cinderella? Could a powerhouse like Cracker Jacks see an early exit from the tourney? Is there any way that Bugles could make it into the Sweet Sixteen?"

"This is really out of my league," I think, as my husband tries to explain the intricacies of bracketology. But even if you've never been swept up by March Madness, like me, you can still appreciate this "sporting" event.

Milliman's first Candy Tournament was held in 2005, the brainchild of Rex Barker and Arthur Rains-McNally, Milliman actuaries and candy enthusiasts. Maybe enthusiast isn't quite the right word. Rex, I've been told, pounds candy, nonstop, all day long. Not even chocolate, but the really sweet stuff. Smarties are a favorite.

If you walk into the company kitchen on any given afternoon over the next few weeks, you'll find trays or bowls laden with two kinds of candy or "friends" (non-candy snack foods like wasabi peas or Chips Ahoy!). And if you want to taste, you'll have to vote. Those are the rules. In fact, the rules of the tourney take up a full page, (so too do the rules for the bracketology), all decided by the Candy Committee. I'm not sweet talking you. There really is one.

And in addition to creating the rules, the Candy Committee also determines just which 64 treats make it into the tournament. Toblerone? Yes. Frangos? No. Skittles, Nerds or Zotz? Yes, yes and yes. Now that is one sweet job.

--Tracy Schneider

The Canal House Cookbook: Home Cooking for Home Cooks

I received my copy of Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 2 (Fall & Holiday) a few days ago, and I can't help myself from sharing it with everyone I know. First I describe the concept, two former Saveur alums, one a photographer, the other an illustrator, both writers, who cook together every day, publish their favorite recipes throughout the year, according to the seasons.

Then I describe the cookbook, beautifully photographed, handsomely illustrated, lovingly designed. Each recipe has its own story. As for the recipes, it's hard to choose which to try first. Fried zucchini? Duck with apples and onions? Pear sorbet? Currant gingersnaps? I want to try them all. And why not? It's all "home cooking, by home cooks for home cooks."

When I read the story about the pumpkin soup that the Canal House Cooking authors, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, made for visiting Chez Panisse chef David Tanis, I knew it would be the chosen first recipe.

I've been itching to buy one of those beautiful Cinderella pumpkins these last few years, I see them in the fall at our local farmers market, but could never justify paying the hefty price for a mere decoration. But if it's an ingredient...

At first glance, the pumpkin soup recipe may sound a bit daunting. I always thought cooking and serving soup in a pumpkin was a bit over-the-top. But after reading the recipe, the whole procedure seems pretty straightforward--and a whole lot of fun.

Pumpkin Soup with Pimenton and Preserved Lemon

Ingredients:
8-10 pound sturdy, thick-fleshed pumpkin, (preferably Rouge Vif d'Etampes, Cinderella, or Cheese)
Softened butter
Coarse salt and pepper
2 tablespoons pimenton
2 preserved lemon rinds, finely chopped
2 sliced garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Chicken broth

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut out a lid around the stem-end of the pumpkin and set aside. Scrape out and discard the seeds and strings.

2. Put pumpkin on a baking sheet along with the lid. Rub the pumpkin flesh with lots of softened butter. Rub in coarse salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons pimenton. Add the finely chopped rinds of 2 preserved lemons, a coupe of sliced garlic cloves and 2 bay leaves.

3. Fill the pumpkin halfway full with a good broth. Roast until flesh is soft when pierced with a paring knife. Take care not to puncture the skin. Replace lid for effect, if you like, and serve the pumpkin soup at the table, scraping the flesh from the bottom and sides into the broth then ladling it into bowls.

Serves about 8.

Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 2, Hamilton & Hirsheimer, 2009

--Tracy Schneider

A Halloween Hit: Gross-out Cakes

My daughter came across Gross-out Cakes earlier this year and was absolutely enthralled. My husband was quick to see the allure. Me, I think the whole book is disgusting. And that's just the point. Gross-out Cakes is a children's cookbook that definitely lives up to its name.

What kid could resist, after all, the likes of Barf Bars or Slime Mousse? And that's just the beginning. There are more than two dozen revolting recipes that are perfectly delicious for Halloween.

Now, how about a slice of Graveyard Cake?

Graveyard Cake

Ingredients:
1 chocolate cake mix (18.25 oz/454 g), plus ingredients
2 Twinkies
1 can chocolate frosting (15 oz/454 g)
1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (18 oz/510 g)
3 Milano cookies
Small plastic skeleton

Directions:
1. Bake cake in greased 9" x 13" pan according to package instructions. Let cool. Remove from pan and place on serving platter.

2. Cut off the bottom half of two Twinkies and place on cake for grave mounds.

3. Create a coffin out of graham crackers, stuck together with frosting. Set on cake.

4. Cut coffin-sized hole in cake. Remove extra cake and place coffin in hole. Make a coffin "lid" out of another piece of graham cracker and place into cake, ajar, next to coffin.

5. Frost cake, including Twinkies and lid.

6. Pipe R.I.P. on Milano cookies.

7. Crush chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor or with a rolling pin.

8. Sprinkle crumbs over graveyard, with a larger pile next to coffin cover, as if dirt had recently been displaced.

9. Insert plastic skeleton into coffin. Serve.

Cookbook notes: the Graveyard Cake received a 2 for grossness, and a 4 for difficulty.

Serves 12.

Gross-out Cakes, Barlow and Schetselaar, Silverleaf Press, 2006

--Tracy Schneider

Looking for the Ultimate Cheesecake Recipe

My husband is on a quest for a cheesecake recipe that spirits me away to the New York City delis of my youth. He's tried before, to no avail. This time I fear, if I don't help him along, I'll be eating cheesecake for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pie.

My idea of cheesecake differs from his entirely. First, cheesecake should not have graham crackers, period. Graham crackers are for s'mores. Second, cheese cake should be moist, but not creamy. The texture should be drier, closer to the mouth feel of ricotta than of cream cheese.

I'd be happy with a ricotta cheesecake. (My favorite comes from the Florentine Bakery in Utica, New York where I grew up.) But for an authentic New York Cheesecake, I think we're looking for a recipe that calls for farmer cheese, a dry cottage cheese that I remember eating occasionally as a child. I haven't seen it in years.

As a starting point, my husband tried the Upstate Cheesecake recipe from Baked. But that recipe was as far away from my ideal, as Upstate is from Manhattan. If you have any suggestions, we're all ears!

Upstate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the simple graham crust:
2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 20 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick unsalted butter, softened

For the cream cheese filling:
40 ounces (five 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Make the simple graham crust:
1. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Put the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a large bowl. Beat, by hand, until well combined. Press the mixture into the bottom and all the way up the sides of the prepared pan. Put in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Make the cream cheese filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Beat on medium speed until just combined, being careful not to overbeat (too much air can cause cheesecakes to crack). Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and beat until incorporated.

3. Pour the mixture into the chilled crust and bake for 10 minutes. Open the oven door to let out some heat, and lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until the cheesecake is set around the outside, but still slightly wobbly in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the sour cream over the top of the cheesecake. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat, crack the oven door, and let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven (about 1 hour).

4. Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, loosen the sides of the crust from the pan with an offset spatula, then remove the springform sides and serve.

Yield: 1 (8-inch) cake

Baked, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008

--Tracy Schneider

Halloween Cuisine: Pumpkin Guts

We're readying for Halloween at our house. My daughter baked cupcakes this weekend, decorated them with orange and black icing, and then distributed them to the neighbors. She has volunteered me to make "deviled" eggs for her Girl Scout troop's Halloween party at the end of the week. And yesterday, while my family was turning mild-mannered pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns with personality, I was asked to do something with the bowlful of pumpkin guts.

In the past I would thoroughly clean the pumpkin seeds, lay them on a baking sheet, sprinkle them with Kosher salt, and roast them at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, stirring them halfway through. These last few years I've left some of the pumpkin meat on the seeds; friends told me it added to the flavor. But I'm not entirely convinced. I've also read about various ways to season your pumpkin seeds, but I'm a purist when it comes to the holidays, so I've never ventured past salt.

I think I'm ready to shake things up a bit. What are your ideas for cooking pumpkin guts?

--Tracy Schneider