Bananas Foster Fascination

It is again the season of afternoon practices, extra loads of laundry, wet tennis shoes and ravenous teenagers. This is also the season of bananas; every runners favorite snack. Bananas have vitamins and minerals including calcium, magnesium, protein and vitamins A, B-6, C and E. Eating a banana right before or after a competition or workout can boost energy and athletic performance, as well as muscle activity.

But, bananas are a tricky fruit: one minute they are a perfect yellow with a pale green tint, and the next they are an unpalatable brown. Between the perfect-eating stage and the not-on-a-bet stage, you have what we call “The Foster's stage.”

Dom and I first experienced Bananas Foster at Mr. B’s Bistro in New Orleans in 1990. Watching the blue flames licking the banana portions as the gooey caramel bubbled and formed around them permanently whet our appetites for this Cajun specialty. Once home, Dom perfected the recipe as well as the flambé technique. One memorable evening, in his enthusiasm for the beloved dessert, he mistakenly reached for cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon which resulted in our feverish consumption and an urgent quest for more ice cream to soothe our smoldering mouths.

Our boys first introduction to this scrumptious treat was also in New Orleans at the Ritz Carlton, when after they had accompanied the gorgeous vocalist in the cocktail lounge, she arranged for each to have Bananas Foster made tableside after our meal in the dining room. When Sonny said, "This is pretty good," we both laughed out loud and said in unison, "You think!!"

• 4 bananas, quartered (first lengthwise, then halved)
•  ½ stick (¼ cup) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (or cayenne pepper!)
• ¼ cup banana liqueur
• ¼ cup dark rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a sauté pan. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan.


When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. Swirl the pan until the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Technique of the Week: Flambéing

Flambéing is a cooking technique in which alcohol is added to a hot pan to create a surge of flames. The word flambé means “flamed” in French and is most often associated with tableside presentation of certain liqueur-drenched desserts, such as bananas Foster, Crêpes Suzette or cherries jubilee. It is also a procedure used in making coq au vin and other sauces, using spirits, before they are brought to the table. Although the practice of igniting food for show can be traced to the Moors in the 14th century, modern flambéing became popular in the late 19th century.

By rapidly burning off the volatile alcohol, flambéing can infuse a dish with additional aroma and flavor, and moderates the harshness of raw, high-proof spirits. The flames result from the partial combustion of the flammable alcohol, which is quickly consumed, while some residual flavor remains. Only liquors and liqueurs with a high alcohol content can be used to flame foods, and those with a higher proof will ignite more readily. Beer, champagne, and most table wines will not work. Liquors and liqueurs that are 80-proof are considered the best choices for flambé. Those above 120-proof are highly flammable and considered dangerous. While there is debate as to whether flambéing effects the flavor of dishes, it is an indicator as to when the alcohol has finished vaporizing.

Safety Tips:

• A sauté pan, large skillet, or large chafing dish with rounded, deep sides and a long handle works best for this technique.
• Always remove the pan with the sauce from the heat source before adding the liquor to avoid burning yourself. 
• Never pour liquor from a bottle into a pan that is near an open flame (the flame can follow the stream of alcohol into the bottle and cause it to explode). Pour the alcohol from a fire-proof vessel like a Pyrex measuring cup.
• Once you add the liquor to the pan, do not delay lighting. You don't want the food to absorb the raw alcohol and retain a harsh flavor. 
• Always ignite the fumes at the edge of the pan and not the liquid itself. 
• Ignite with a long match or a long barbecue lighter to avoid burned fingers and hands.
• When attempting to flambé tableside, light the dish at the table as far away from guests and flammable objects as reasonably possible. 
• If the dish doesn't light, it's probably not warm enough. Cold/refrigerated liquor will not ignite; if cooler than room temperature, you can heat it briefly in a microwave or in a saucepan, with high sides, just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Do not let the liquor boil, as the alcohol will burn off and it will not ignite. Bear in mind that the boiling point of alcohol is much lower than water. 
• Never lean over the dish or pan as you light the fumes. 
• Let cook until flames disappear (this means all the alcohol has burned off).

Taste of Atlanta is Coming Giveaway

It is that time again… Atlanta restaurateurs are preparing their dishes for the 11th Annual Taste of Atlanta! This must-do event will have something for everyone. Vegetarian; no problem. Craving sushi: no problem. Sweet tooth; definitely no problem! So, when we were asked to be promotional partners, you can see why we just couldn't say “No.”

In addition to innovative concepts from your favorite haunts, there will also be cooking demonstrations, a Georgia Specialty Foods market and even a Top Chef Kids Competition. With samples from more than 80 of Atlanta's favorite restaurants, you will certainly have a difficult time selecting from all the delectable morsels available for tasting.


BUT, we are giving you the chance grab a fork and explore the best of the best! Yes, you read that correctly. We are giving away two sets of 2 General Admission tickets on Sunday, October 7, 2012 for the Atlanta Foodie Event of the Year! Getting hungry?




The rules are simple:

1. (Mandatory) Comment below this post telling us which restaurant’s treats you are most excited to try at Taste of Atlanta.

2. (Bonus Entry) Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/weliketocook and then come back and leaving a comment letting us know that you did.

3. (Bonus Entry) Share this delicious giveaway on your Facebook timeline and then come back and leaving a comment letting us know that you did.

4. (Bonus Entry) Follow @welike2cook on Twitter and tweet: “I entered the @welike2cook giveaway for 2 tickets to @TasteofAtlanta. You can enter too at http://bit.ly/SJ28oC." Come on back and leave a comment letting us know that you did.

This contest ends on Tuesday, September 25th at 11:59 p.m. EST. Two winners will be chosen at random from all the entries. Entries will be verified, so please ensure that you have read all the rules for valid entry above.


In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, we are disclosing that we received complimentary tickets to Taste of Atlanta in exchange for this post and giveaway. A favorable review was not required; the review of the product is based solely on our personal opinion and experience and may differ from those of our readers.

Technique of the Week: Extruding

Extruding is a process by which a mixture of ingredients is forced through a pierced plate or die. After passing through the plate, the mixture can be cut to a specified size by blades (think Cheerios!) The machine which forces the mixture through the die is called an extruder, and the mix is known as the extrudate. The extruder consists of a large, rotating screw tightly fitting within a stationary barrel, at the end of which is the die plate.

Food products manufactured by extrusion usually have a high starch content such as pasta, breakfast cereals and ready-to-eat snack foods. Other food products often produced by extrusion include some breads (croutons, bread sticks, and flat breads), pre-made cookie dough, and some french fries.

Sausages, hotdogs and chicken nuggets are also food items that are manufactured by extruding. These items are often pre-cooked during the extrusion process using steam to heat the extruding equipment. Extrusion is also used to make confectionery products like chewing gum, licorice, and toffee. Home cooks use the process of extrusion when they use a garlic press, potato ricer or a pastry bag to frost a cake.

Everyday Was Playdough Day

It is hard to believe that there is actually a national Playdough Day. When our boys were little, everyday was play dough day! We have wonderful memories of them sitting for hours at the kitchen table molding, folding, kneading, pressing, extruding and otherwise manipulating the colorful craft dough. The malleable properties of the dough made it fun to experiment and explore while they secretly developed fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination and general concentration as they squashed, squeezed, rolled, flattened, chopped, cut, scored, raked, punctured, poked and shredded with pure joy.

Poking in straws provided a challenge and a new physical skill. Squeezing it through a garlic press lead to excitement at seeing its shape change while using a gross motor movement to accomplish it. Forming 3-D shapes and sculptures helped self-expression as well as enhanced depth perception. Providing a wide range of “tools”  such as stamps, cutters often lead to sorting, matching, ordering and counting, and cooking play; all naturally and with no pressure to learn.

Play-Doh® Brand Modeling Compound was originally introduced as an educational tool in 1956, when the non-toxic reusable modeling compound was promoted as a substitute for modeling clay. Initially manufactured as Kutol Commercial Wall Cleaner in the 1930s, the plastic modeling compound (similar in texture to bread dough) became obsolete with the introduction of natural gas for home heating and the invention of vinyl (washable) wallpaper. However, the inventors discovered that the putty was being used by school children to make Christmas ornaments. Originally only available in one color and size (off-white in a 1 ½ pound can,) the dough was soon offered in the three primary colors and marketed to pre-schools and kindergartens across the mid-west.

Playdough was so popular with our boys that I made new batches often. That way they didn't need to worry about mixing colors (which eventually all turns to a muddy brown), or throwing it away when it turned gummy and too dry after playing with their creations. The recipe I used was a variation on the “cooked” dough method.

2 cups of plain flour
4 tablespoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 cup of salt
2 cups of boiling water
Few drops of food coloring

Instead of using cold water and boiling the mixture, I replaced the cold water with boiling water and stirred the mixture until it was smooth and silky. If it looks as though it is not going to mix correctly, be patient and continue to knead until it reaches the desired texture.

You can substitute a packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid for the food coloring to get really cool colors and great smelling dough. Or you can add a few drops of peppermint oil for a great smell and even longer lasting playdough (peppermint is a natural antibiotic and preservative.)

When stored at room temperature, in an air-tight container (or Ziploc bag), your playdough can last for months. If it starts looking a little dried out, wrap it in a damp paper towel and store in its container overnight. By morning, it should be softened and ready for more modeling fun.

"It's A Southern Thing" Boiled Peanuts

Growing up in the north Georgia, the appearance of signs along rural highways advertising “Boiled Peanuts” (pronounced bowled peynuts) signaled the end of summer and the beginning of football season. As the temperature began to drop, we would put away our flip flops, don our flannel shirts and head for the Appalachian Mountains to “see the leaves.” With Larry Munson calling the play-by-play in the background, we would stop at a roadside stall to buy a bushel of Rome Beauties or Arkansas Blacks, and a steaming paper sack of boiled peanuts with a jug of apple cider. The peanuts never made it home, instead they were consumed in a soggy frenzy that resulted in pruney fingers and damp sleeves.

For the record, our friends in the Northeast and Mid-West have never heard of boiling peanuts. In fact, boiled peanuts has even appeared in an episode of the Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods." Readily available in Southern states, peanuts became a crucial nutritional commodity during the American Civil War. Using the ancient preservation technique, peanuts were boiled in salt water to eliminate impurities and kill bacteria. When troops of the Confederacy were without food, peanuts provided a high-protein ration that could be carried by soldiers and lasted for up to a week.

Peanuts were first brought to the southeastern United States during the late 17th century. Many historians assumed that peanuts were brought to this continent by slaves from Africa, but peanuts actually originated in Brazil and Peru; and, despite their name and appearance, peanuts are not really nuts, but rather members of the bean family.

While it may be difficult to replicate the country ambiance of a local produce stand, boiling up some “goobers” is actually pretty easy. You can use dried unroasted peanuts, but green (freshly harvested) work best and require far less cooking time.

• 2 to 3 pounds fresh green peanuts
• 1 cup salt
• Water
• 2 tablespoons Cajun spice mix or Old Bay seasoning (optional)

Rinse the peanuts thoroughly to remove dirt and debris and place them in a large stock pot. Cover completely with water and stir to "settle" the peanuts adding more water to cover the peanuts by at least 2 inches. Add salt (and seasoning if desired) and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let the peanuts simmer, covered, for approximately up to 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add additional water as needed to keep the peanuts covered.

To check whether they are done, pull 1 or 2 peanuts out of the pot and break them open. If they are still slightly crunchy, they are not done yet. When they are soft, then they are done.

Taste the peanuts, if you would like them to be softer, return them to the water and continue to simmer until they reach the consistency you desire. If they are not salty enough for your taste, add more salt. When they are done, drain and serve immediately.

Where There's Smoke There's Brisket

As with most things in life, even smoke, in moderation, has its advantages. The fire fighters of Atlanta’s Station House #29 agree! A brief poll of these everyday heroes revealed that while they most often eat spaghetti at the station house, their favorite thing to do is “fire” up the grill and cook some flavorful red meat. Whether it is steak, burgers or barbeque, nothing beats taste of red meat cooked over a smoky fire.

It comes as no surprise that people tend to take their barbeque very seriously! In the Southeast, barbeque usually refers to pulled pork with a spicy vinegar-based sauce, but in Texas and Kansas City barbeque refers to smoked brisket cooked long and slow served with a sweet and spicy tomato-based sauce.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Dom decided to try his hand at grilling brisket. Barbecuing a whole brisket of roughly 10 pounds for almost six hours sounded very intimidating, but even though the process was time consuming, it was actually pretty easy.

1 9-10 lb. full beef brisket, trimmed
1 cup spicy meat rub
2 cups favorite barbecue sauce

Apply dry rub liberally to all sides of brisket and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 48 hours.

One hour prior to cooking, remove brisket from refrigerator and unwrap. Ignite about 2 quarts of hardwood charcoal or charcoal briquettes in pile on one side of grill and burn until completely covered with thin coating of light ash.

Meanwhile, assemble a pouch of wood chips by wrapping about 3 cups wood chips (preferably mesquite) in double sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and poke 6-8 holes in the top of the pouch with a knife or fork to allow the smoke to escape. Place the pouch on top of the hot coals.

Set grill rack in place over the coals and position brisket, fat side up, on the side of the rack opposite he hot coals. Make sure that grill vents (top and bottom) are open. For optimal smoking, position the brisket directly under the top vent of the grill cover. Allow the brisket to smoke without removing the cover for about 2 hours so that the smoke flavor permeates the meat.

Once the brisket is well smoked, it will need to continue to cook at approximately 300 degrees for another 3 or so hours to allow the collagen in the meat to gelatinize. If you can regulate the temperature of your grill, you can continue to use it for this second phase of cooking, If not, adjust the oven rack to the middle position preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Seal the brisket completely in heavy duty aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet. Sealing the brisket in foil creates a moist environment which allowing the meat to cook at a higher temperature without drying out. Bake for about 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is fork-tender or an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of meat registers 210 degrees.

Remove the brisket from oven and loosen foil at one end to release steam. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes. Drain the juices from the foil into a large bowl. Skim the fat from the juices and mix with an equal amount of barbecue sauce.

Unwrap the brisket and place the meat on a cutting board. A full brisket has two “cuts” or sections: the flat end and the point cut. The grain of the meat runs in opposite directions, so these two sections should be separated before slicing. Cut the brisket into thin slices by carving across the grain on a diagonal.

Moistening the sliced brisket with the meat juices adds flavor and moisture. Drench slices with some of the barbecue sauce mixture and transfer to a serving plate or layer on a slice of white bread with slaw and pickles and fold into a neat triangle, Kansas City-style.

Labor Day Rule Cantaloupe Sorbet

Growing up, Labor Day always marked the unofficial end of summer when the “Labor Day Rule” went into effect. It was time to pack away white clothes and shoes (until the next Easter), and replace them with the earthy hues of autumn. While most Southerners observe the Labor Day rule out of a sense of antebellum tradition, some historians think the adage originated during the turn of the century when lightweight clothes were a symbol of the affluence. In rural Georgia, however, there was a very practical reason for observing the rule; white clothes turned an indelible rusty-orange when hurricane season brought its heavy autumnal rains.

Labor Day means the beginning of football season, toasted marshmallows over an outdoor fire, and wondering whether the hot apple cider needs more cinnamon. On the other hand, it signals the end of lazy afternoons slurping down freshly picked watermelon and listening to cool jazz classics like Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” or Michael Frank’s “Popsicle Toes,” and time to say goodbye to cucumbers and tomatoes eaten straight from the garden.

Taking advantage of a seasonal favorite, cantaloupe sorbet seems to be a perfect farewell to summer. Egyptians wrote about this sweet melon as far back as 2400 B.C. which was introduced to America when Christopher Columbus brought cantaloupe seeds with him to the New World on his second voyage. The fleshy, orange-yellow cantaloupe hailing from the muskmelon family is a harbinger of health in delectable flavor. This sorbet is simple to make and offers the same taste as biting into a fresh piece of melon, only colder.

• Small ripe cantaloupe, pureed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons gin

Choose a ripe cantaloupe by looking for bruise-free skin, and smoothness at the stem-area which should have a slight indent, and a sweet, fruity smell.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan and place over moderate heat.  Bring mixture to a boil and cook until the sugar dissolves (just a few minutes,) then remove from the heat.  Corn syrup is used in this recipe to improve texture (corn syrup has a higher viscosity than sugar so it freezes differently). Pour into a small container and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean and cube cantaloupe.  Place in a blender and puree until smooth.  Stir in cooled sugar syrup and lime juice and pulse to combine. Cover and place in refrigerator to fully chill, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Once chilled, stir in gin and pour into an ice cream maker (we use a Krups "La Glaciere") and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  The gin (or any other type of alcohol) is the secret to a soft sorbet. Alcohol itself does not freeze and adding a little bit keeps the sorbet from freezing too hard giving the sorbet a smoother more creamy texture.

Once the sorbet is frozen, place a piece of plastic or parchment over sorbet (to prevent ice crystals from forming on the surface) and freeze at least 4 hours until firm.

Technique of the Week: Sharpening

Sharpening is the process of creating or refining the sharp edge of a cutting implement. Sharpening is done by grinding away material on the implement with an abrasive substance to remove small mechanical deformations and imperfections.

Most culinary implements have a cutting edge which is essentially straight; knives, cleavers and scissors are good examples. The edge of a quality knife does not wear away; it folds over on itself. A knife edge is unbelievably thin; even thinner than a human hair. The impact of cutting causes the edge to fold over on itself. Pieces of the edge can even break off during food preparation. Anyone who loves to cook knows that working with dull knives is an accident waiting to happen. A sharp knife is a safe knife.

Sharpening straight edges by hand can be divided into three categories: steeling, sharpening and polishing. Edges that are still relatively straight, but need to be refined or touched up may be honed by passing the blade against a hand-held tungsten carbide knife sharpener known as a ”steel." For the record, the steel does not actually sharpen the knife’s edge. It maintains the edge by unfolding it, but the straightened edge can still be weak and quickly fold again. True sharpening removes the old weak edge and reshapes a new stronger edge.

Truly dull or misshapen edges should be sharpened with an abrasive sharpening stone, or a succession of increasingly fine stones, which shape the blade by removing material and reshaping the knife’s edge. The straightened edge is then be polished by “stropping” the edge with a fine abrasive such as jeweler’s rouge or metal polish on a piece of strong leather or canvas. If you have invested in good quality knives, you should consider having your knives professionally sharpened. It extends the life and usefulness of your favorite knives and makes them safer to use, rather than replacing them when the edges are dull or “folded.”

Japanese Knife Masters Delight

The parking lot behind The Cook’s Warehouse in Decatur was completely packed as a standing-room-only crowd of cooking enthusiasts gathered around three Japanese knife masters demonstrating the hand-forging process used to fashion steel culinary knives.

Kikuichi forging masters Yuso Tani, Akimasa Oe, and Tadashi Enami of Sakai City forged, assembled, sharpened and even engraved their handmade creations. Between them, these artisans have nearly 100 years of experience crafting knives, and each is the second generation in their families to do so.

Sakai City, known for its samurai swords for centuries, has now become Japan’s center for fine kitchen cutlery. “When I visited Sakai City, I was amazed at how the Japanese Forge Masters hand craft one of the most important tools used in the kitchen.  Their expertise and care is incredible.  Through the courtesy of J-CAN and these Japanese Forge Masters, we could see this process right in our stores at these two classes.  It was truly a once in a lifetime experience,” said Mary S. Moore, founder and CEO of The Cook’s Warehouse.

After the class sponsored by Kikuichi knives, attendees had a chance to purchase knives and have them engraved to order. They also had an opportunity to sample Japanese hors d’oeuvres such as hand-rolled sushi and daifuku (soft glutinous rice cake filled with slightly sweetened velvety adzuki bean puree,) and to taste a variety of sakes with Don Hackett, manager of TCW’s Decatur store and resident senior wine educator. Samples of Japanese Ramune sodas, Pocky, and tubes of wasabi were also offered to class attendees.

Even if you missed this informative class, you can still visit The Cook’s Warehouse to see these gorgeous handmade knives. The knowledgeable staff can help you choose just the right knife for you. They even offer knife sharpening services when your knives need a touch-up.

Oh! While you are at The Cook’s Warehouse be sure to purchase your tickets to this year’s Taste of Atlanta, the city’s premier Food+Wine+Beer+Cocktail festival on Saturday, October 6 & Sunday, October 7, 2012. With more than 80 restaurants offering samplings of everything from house-cured BBQ bacon to meatball sliders, there will be plenty of amazing bites to fill your plate. OR buy your tickets online by September 30th to receive $5.00 off by entering the promo code “TASTE”.

Technique of the Week: Coring

Coring is a process that removes the core or center of various fruits, such as apples, pears and pineapple; and vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage. Coring removes small seeds or tough and fibrous centers from the food items.  While it is not dangerous to eat the core, it is unappetizing.

There are a variety of tools available to remove the core from apples and pears. Only a sharp knife is needed to core an apple in the easiest way. Just slice the apple into four quarters, and use the knife to cut out the core. Just a small V-shaped nick around the central core is all it takes. If the core runs through the slice from stem to bottom, put the slice on end or on its side and use a paring knife to cut the entire core out. Sectioning tools which both core and section the fruit at the same time are also very popular. We prefer an apple corer which slides down through the center of the fruit removing the entire core but leaving the rest of the fruit completely intact. Apples cored in this way are perfect for baking.

Baked Cored Apples:

• 6 firm-fleshed apples (such as Rome or Arkansas Black)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into teaspoon-sized pieces
• 1 cup apple juice or water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Core apples with an apple corer or by scooping out the center of each apple with a melon baller. Make sure not to puncture the bottom of the apples so that the juices will remain inside while baking; discard cores. Remove skin from ½” around top of apples at the opening.

Fill each cavity with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and top each apple with a teaspoon of butter. Place apples in casserole dish and pour apple juice or water around them to cover bottoms of apples by about ½ inch. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake until apples are soft but not mushy; approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat and serve warm, ice cream optional.

Back-in-the-Groove Rustic Apple Crostata

It is so hard to get back into a routine! Over the summer months, our schedules are completely upheaved resulting in a serious lack of blog posts. We took full advantage of the stress-free days which included sleeping late, hanging out at the pool, and then staying up late watching stupid movies. We ate loads of delicious food, enjoyed each other’s company, laughed a lot and even took lots of pictures, but the blogging muse was absent from these spontaneous family revelries. Although well intended, blog posts also went unwritten as we managed to sneak in trips to Amelia Island, Raleigh, Iowa City and Charleston where we enjoyed the local attractions (and food.)

School started incredibly early this year which necessitated earlier shopping and preparations. Then the real fun began with scheduling issues, Senior class pictures, sports practices, homework and teenage drama. Today is the last day of the first week of school: while still somewhat chaotic, we have settled into an almost what-is-normal-for-us regime. Thus blog posts should return to their regularly scheduled writing.

When cleaning out the refrigerator this morning (to make room for homemade lunch staples), I happened upon several Granny-smith apples originally purchased to make salad with butter lettuce, blue cheese and pecans. A free-form apple pie (or crostata in the Italian vernacular) prepared by folding the edges of the dough over the top giving it a more "rough" look may be just the thing to complete a first-week-of-school Friday night dinner. Topped with the pecans and blue cheese crumbles, the torta could even be elevated to Saturday date-night status.

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus a bit for flouring your work surface)
• 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ sticks (6 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons ice cold vodka
• Ice water
• 3-4 tart, firm apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Freshly grated cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Combine the flour, sugar and salt and then add the chopped, cold butter; the colder the better. Work it with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until all the butter is chopped up into pea sized bits and even distributed throughout the flour mixture. You can use your hands if you wish, but don’t over handle as it will begin to melt the butter. (I have very warm hands and thus use utensils because you really want to avoid melting the butter into the flour as your crust will be chewing instead of flaky and crispy.) Allowing the butter to remain in pieces rather than being fully incorporated into the flour forms air pockets which make for a flaky crust.

Add the cold vodka and mix gently. Vodka in pastry is for crispiness. The biggest factor in creating a crispy crust is drying the dough to, well, a crisp and vodka evaporates quickly; more quickly than water.

Next add ice water in small increments until the dough pulls together into a loose ball. The four should not look at all sticky; just moist. Once it comes together, put it in the refrigerator for at least ½ hour (or more – the longer the better.)

While the dough is cooling, peel, core and slice your apples into ¼-inch slices. Then retrieve your dough and gently roll it out into about a ¼-inch disk. Transfer the rolled dough onto a greased baking pan.

Starting in the center, arrange half the sliced apples in concentric circles on the crust and sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar. Layer the other half of apples over the first layer and sprinkle with another tablespoon sugar (or two depending on the sweetness of your apples.) Pour the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the apples and lightly dust the top with cinnamon.

Fold the edges of the pastry over the apples, leaving the middle exposed. Cook at 400˚F for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the apples are soft and cooked through.  Serve hot, warm or cold with your favorite topping (or not).

Technique of the Week: Grating

In culinary terms, grating is the process of transforming solid, firm food items into small pieces by rubbing the item against a grater. A grater is a hand held metal device that contains numerous raised slots of varying sizes that cut ingredients into small pieces. While applying a bit of pressure, food is scraped along the sharp serrated edges of the grating instrument. This very useful kitchen utensil was invented by François Boullier in the 1540s and is still an essential cooking tool to this day.

There are a dizzying amount of choices of graters available. The basic grater is a flat piece of metal with notches cut in its face and it is the size of the notch that determines the size of the grated threads. Several types of graters feature different sizes of grating slots, and can therefore aid in the preparation of a variety of foods. The standard 4-sided box-grater is commonly used to grate a variety of ingredients like cheese and lemon or orange peel (also known as zesting), and in tropical areas, graters are used to grate coconut meat.

Choose a grate size (the size of the hole in the grater) that works best with the ingredient you will be grating. Smaller grates work well for harder cheeses like Parmesan, and Romano; coarser grates work best with slightly softer cheeses like Cheddar and Jack, vegetables or even chocolate. To reduce the amount of food that sticks to the grater, give the grater a quick spray of oil just prior to grating. Softer cheeses should also be chilled prior to grating to make the process easier.

A food processor fitted with a grating attachment may also be used to grate foods and may be preferred for food items that are difficult to grate on a manual grater or if you need to grate a large quantity of ingredients.

Glut-No-More Zucchini Bread

Planting sixteen zucchini plants seemed like a good idea at the time… We love having fresh squash blossoms in the early summer, but as the season wears on the proliferation of zucchini squash is truly daunting. For several weeks, we had more zucchini than we could even store in the refrigerator (and we have two of them.)

While there is nothing better than fresh squash simply sautéed with garlic and a little crushed red pepper, we would have to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner not to waste any. When searching the internet for new recipes, there seems to be a common thread: all the recipes are meant to deal with a glut of the inexhaustible vegetable.

Since the guys are quite fond of banana bread for breakfast, I thought I should try some zucchini bread. Served toasted with cream cheese; glut no more!

• 2 cups fresh zucchini squash, grated
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 ¾ cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
• 1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or any combination (optional)

Grate the zucchini with a hand grater, and allow to sit over the sink in a strainer to drain access water before use.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then add nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.

Divide the batter into prepared pans. Bake loaves for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Based on my experience, the loaves and muffins will come out of the pan more easily once allowed to cool completely.

Technique of the Week: Pickling

Pickling is the process of preserving food by marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar (acetic acid) or “anaerobic fermentation” in brine which produces lactic acid. Pickling results in preserved foods with salty or sour flavors.

Pickling began more than 4,000 years ago as a way to preserve food for out-of-season use and for long journeys, especially by sea. Salt pork and salt beef were common staples for sailors before the days of steam engines. Although the process was developed to preserve foods, pickles are also made and eaten because people enjoy the resulting flavors. Pickling may also improve the nutritional value of food by introducing B vitamins produced by bacteria.

Pickling can preserve perishable foods for weeks or months and is a terrific way to ensure that an overabundance of summer produce does not go to waste. In addition to salt or vinegar, antimicrobial herbs and spices, such as mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon or cloves, are often added. If the food contains sufficient moisture, a pickling brine may be produced simply by adding dry salt (similar to maceration). For example, sauerkraut and Korean kimchi are produced by salting the vegetables to draw out excess water.

The term pickle is derived from the Dutch word pekel, meaning brine. In the U.S., the word pickle almost always refers to a pickled cucumber. Other types of pickles are described by name as in the case of as "pickled okra," or "pickled eggs." Interestingly, in the U.K., the term pickle refers to Ploughman's pickle which is a kind of chutney.

Quick Sweet Pickles

• 2 cups Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup white or cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 red onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons dill sprigs, torn
• 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium bowl, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves.  Add olive oil to reserved vinegar mixture and stir well.

In a nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onions, dill, and peppercorns. Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables and toss to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving. Store pickles in a jar or other covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

(If you need to speed up the maceration process, you can bring the vinegar mixture to a boil before adding olive oil and pour over cucumbers. Once cooled the pickles are ready to eat.)

Mango Tango in Key West

Post by Sonny Romeo 
        

Last year, we visited Key West for a lovely day trip. Dad and Mom had always wanted to see the Florida Keys and we were in Palm Beach so they figured why not drag us along for the “experience.”

It was about a 4-hour drive from West Palm which actually went by relatively quickly. The trip included crossing the famous and historic 7-mile bridge which connects the city of Marathon in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys.  It has spectacular views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean on either side.  When this bridge was completed in 1982, it was considered the longest segmented bridge in the world and was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour.  The 65-foot tall bridge is the highest point in the Florida Keys built to allow boats and ships to pass underneath. If you've never made the drive before you have to do it at least once in your lifetime.

When we arrived in Key West, we were all starving so we drove down Duval Street in search of sustenance. We saw several restaurants that looked promising including Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, but Nic and I convinced the folks to go to the Hard Rock Café. I ordered a burger (amazing at every Hard Rock I’ve ever been to) and was about to order a coke when the waitress asked if I wanted a “Mango Tango” which she described as “kind-of like mango lemonade with a kick.” I was parched as well as hungry so I went for it. It was just about the best drink I have ever had!

We spent some time strolling along the notorious Duval Street.  Duval Street is the famous downtown street where all of the restaurants, bars, and shops are located.  The street runs north and south from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. We ended up in Mallory Square which is considered the heart of downtown Key West.  On the way back to the car, we walked by the original Sloppy Joe’s Bar (that is now Captain Tony’s Saloon) which is where Ernest Hemingway spent much of his time during his most productive years. (We stopped in Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville to get something to drink, but no one would wait on us, so we left.)

Like most people, we did all the normal things tourists do on their first trip to Key West: we took pictures at the 0-mile marker and the southernmost point in the continental United States (while trying to see Cuba which is just 90 miles away.) As a teenager, it is hard to admit when your parents are right, but the trip was truly a memorable experience.  The moral of the story is that sometimes you just have to take a spontaneous trip to Key West. We only spent one day on the island, but we saw a lot and had fun.

We were recently reminiscing about our trip and I decided to try to make a mango tango. Little did I know that it was not a regular item on the Hard Rock menu nor that it was a secret recipe. After extensive research and experimentation, I came up with a recipe that if it isn't exact, it is extremely close!

2 oz. Fresh Mango Puree (Hard Rock uses Finest Call Mango puree)
4 oz. Fresh Orange Juice
4 oz. (half can) Red Bull Energy drink

Mix the mango puree and orange juice together and pour over ice. Add the Red Bull stirring gently so you don’t deflate the carbonation. Drink and imagine clear blue water and ocean breezes!

Technique of the Week: Macerating

The technique of maceration is used to soften fruits and vegetables using a liquid; often their own natural juices which have been extracted with a simple sprinkling of salt or sugar (or both.) This process makes the food more flavorful and easier to chew and digest. Sometimes oil is added to the macerating liquid, especially olive or other vegetable oil.

Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften and rehydrate the food or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food. Maceration is also the chief means of producing a flavored alcoholic beverage, such as cordials and liqueurs.

Maceration is often confused with marination, which is the process of soaking foods in an acidic liquid before cooking. Maceration is the process of soaking produce in liquid for extra flavor.

During the summer months, we frequently enjoy a salad of macerated tomatoes with garlic and fresh herbs served with crusty bread; this salad is commonly referred to as bruschetta. This is a marvelous accompaniment to almost any dish especially fish, and regularly serves as the entire meal on particularly hot, muggy evenings.

• 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh herbs (basil, oregano, tarragon, marjoram and/or thyme), chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• French bread or similar Italian bread

Cut tomatoes in halves or quarters depending on their size, removing the stem area as you go.  If plum tomatoes are not available you can use any fresh ripe tomatoes and chop into ½” cubes. Place tomatoes in a serving bowl and add garlic, salt and herbs, stirring to mix well. Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes before serving so tomatoes fully release their juices. Serve with bread and a good red wine and experience the true taste of summer.

Advantages of Dining In & Quesadillas

Our friends often ask us if we cook meals from scratch every night. When we answer in the affirmative, several other questions usually follow such as “how do you find the time?” or “isn’t cooking equipment expensive?” Cooking and dining at home has many advantages, here are the biggies:

Time:
Even if you have not planned ahead and must make a quick stop at the grocery store (which you probably need to do anyway to pick up cereal and milk,) eating in takes no more time than eating out. When you consider the amount of time it takes to drive to the restaurant, find a parking place, wait for your table to be ready, wait for your food to be prepared, wait for the bill and drive back home, it may even be far quicker to stay home (and safer since there would be no risk of driving under the influence on the way home.) By thawing frozen foods in advance, chopping or slicing ingredients ahead or even cooking your entire meal in a slow cooker, you can save even more time.

Quality:
The main reason we choose to cook our own dinners is that we have complete control over the ingredients that we cook with. Restaurants can claim to use fresh organic produce and wild-caught fish, free-range chicken or grass-fed beef, but you seldom see the items before they arrive on your plate. There is no way to know if the shrimp gumbo you order today is yesterday’s leftover shrimp cocktail. People with food sensitivities and allergies must be vigilant when reading menus to ensure that all ingredients are safe for them to eat. My allergy to pine nuts is a prime example. A menu may not tell you that the hummus or pesto is made with pine nuts, and if you forget to ask, the evening could end in a trip to the ER. Also, in order to comply with certain health codes, restaurants are required to cook meats and seafood to higher temperatures that may result in them be better done then you prefer. Lastly, restaurants are notorious for their liberal use of salt and butter. When you cook your own meals you control the amount of spice, salt and fats.

Cost:

There is no question that is less expensive to cook your own meals than to eat out. The menu price of an entrée far exceeds the cost of the ingredients used to make it, and it is widely known that restaurants charge double, triple or even quadruple the retail price of a bottle of wine. Instead you are paying for the building rental, utilities, chef’s experience, wait and kitchen staff wages, even the napkins and dishes. In addition, you have the privilege of paying sales tax and the expected 15% gratuity, not to mention the gas to get there and parking or valet fees.

While an initial investment in quality equipment is a good idea, there is nothing that says you must have a Wustof knife or All-Clad cookware to prepare a great meal. Experiment with different shapes and sizes and upgrade over time (with the money you saved by eating at home). Another added benefit of cooking at home is that you can frequently get more than one meal out of a dish: one large batch of tomato sauce can be served with meatballs over pasta one night and used to top homemade pizza another night; pot roast leftovers make hearty “debris” po’boys; and, extra rice becomes rice pudding for dessert.

One of the best examples of an overpriced menu item is the quesadilla. Have you ever wondered why every bar features one on their menus? Because they are incredibly profitable! A simple chicken and cheese quesadilla at Chili’s Restaurant costs upwards of $9.59, when a few low-cost ingredients and a hot pan are all you need to make this fast tasty dish for less than $1.50 per serving:

• 4 medium-size flour tortillas
• 2 cups Monterrey Jack, sharp cheddar or cheddar jack cheese, grated
• 1 cup  meat of choice, cooked and chopped (use leftovers for additional savings)
• Sour cream and/or Salsa for garnish
• Cooking Spray

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and warm on medium heat. Lay one tortilla flat and place ¼ cup of chicken on one half of the tortilla, sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the chicken and fold to close the quesadilla. When pan side is lightly brown and the cheese is melted, flip the quesadilla over and continue heating until browned lightly and crisp on the second side. Remove from pan and serve immediately with sour cream and/or salsa.



Atmosphere:
Even the most elite and exclusive restaurants can be quite loud. And, while a dimly lit dining room can be romantic, the lights are regularly lowered to control noise. And, at times it seems that wait staffers are trained to arrive at your table at the most intimate of moments. In your own home, you set the mood. You can select the background music, the lighting, the table setting, the food and wine. You can speak freely without being overheard or interrupted, manage cantankerous kids, and linger over a glass of wine without pressure to vacate your table. You also gain useful life skills by learning and improving your cooking prowess. Even cleaning up can be rewarding by providing an opportunity for camaraderie and teamwork.

Technique of the Week: Rubbing

The technique of rubbing meat almost always involves the dry heat method of cooking where almost no water based liquid is used in cooking. The most popular cooking method for food prepared using a spice rub is grilling although baking and pan roasting are other dry-heat methods.

A spice rub is any mixture of ground spices that is made for the purpose of coating raw food before cooking. The food can be marinated in the spice rub for some time for the flavors to incorporate into the food or it can be cooked immediately after it is coated. The spices are usually coarsely ground. In addition to spices, salt and sugar may be added to the rub, the salt for flavor and the sugar for caramelization. The simplest rub is just coarsely ground black pepper rubbed on beef most widely known as “steak au poivre.”

In some cultures, spice rubs are highly personal and sometimes a very secret recipe. Grill masters in the southern United States jealously guard their recipe secrets and they will usually have a secret ingredient that they will not reveal to anyone. In some cultures, the recipe for making a spice rub and how to cook with it are passed from mother to daughter and every family will have a slightly different recipe.

There are many varieties of commercial rubs available at grocery and gourmet stores with some brands enjoying a loyal following. However, we have found that many of these versions start with a base of salt which is inexpensive and adds bulk, but not flavor.  

It is easy to build your own special blend comprised of your favorite herbs and spices. In order to make a successful rub, you need to balance flavors. Brown sugar works well with pork as does sage, mustard, and pepper. A milder blend with coriander or thyme is better suited to chicken. Beef and lamb can take stronger-flavored spices such as cumin, chili pepper or even allspice. Paprika is a wonderful spice to start with as it matches well with all types of meat. The following rub mixture is a good all-around mix for any type of meat or even vegetables.

Universal Spice Rub

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed, cracked
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne

Using a coffee or spice mill or a mortar and pestle, crush fennel seeds to release their flavor. Combine all ingredients in a jar and mix together (shaking works well.)

Pat meat dry before sprinkling liberally with rub mixture. This recipe should fully coat 1 ½ - 2 pounds of meat. For the best results with a spice rub, sprinkle the mixture over the food and then gently massage in the seasonings to make sure they adhere.

Although rubs can be applied right before cooking, we have discovered that a little more time allows the flavor of the spices to penetrate more deeply into the food. Cover and refrigerate rubbed meat for at least 2 hours (or overnight for larger cuts of meat to impart a spicier, more intense flavor). Discard any rub that has come in contact with raw food. You can store unused rub in the mixing jar at room temperature for several weeks (if it lasts that long.)

Tabooless Oysters with Mignonette Sauce

The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve mollusks which live in marine or brackish habitats. Briny, buttery, sweet, metallic, with notes of cucumber or seaweed; an oyster is nothing if not a pure recollection of the water from which it comes. Freshly shucked and eaten straight from its shell, no other food is so true to its origin which is probably why oysters are one of Dom’s and my favorite indulgences. Served on the half shell over ice with a drop of Tabasco or a dribble Mignonette sauce, fewer dishes are simpler or more satiating.

For centuries, oysters have been considered an aphrodisiac. Researchers have found that there may be some truth to this notion. Oysters are rich in all 9 amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones and that their high zinc content aids in the production of testosterone. Oysters are also an excellent source of protein, zinc, iron, calcium, selenium as well as Vitamin A, Vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. Oysters are low in calories and are considered to be most nutritious when eaten raw.

It was once assumed that oysters were only safe to eat in months whose names contained the letter ‘r’ because oysters were much more likely to spoil in May, June, July, and August. The ‘R’ rule goes all the way back to the 1700s (or earlier) when reliable refrigeration was not available. This is no longer an issue considering advances in coolants and shipping. 

However, shellfish consumption in summer months can still be problematic. Because oysters are filter feeders they are affected by blooms of algae (known as red tides) that collect along coastlines, usually in warm weather. This alga spreads toxins that are soaked up by oysters, clams and mussels.

Oysters continue to top the list of foods high in risk for Listeria contamination for pregnant women, children and the elderly, yet there is a far greater risk of exposure of this bacterial infection from eating raw fruits and vegetables, soft serve ice cream and sliced deli meats.

Lastly, most shellfish spawn in the summer. As any oyster aficionado knows, a fertile oyster turns unpleasantly thin, milky and soft which is far from ideal for eating. While oysters can be genetically modified so they do not spawn, many vendors simply avoid this problem by importing their shellfish from cooler climates.

However, most oysters sold in restaurants and markets are commercially harvested and are subject to regulations intended to prevent such threats. Oysters which are commercially harvested are no more likely to be toxic in summer months than any other month.

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon shallots or sweet onions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon white or black pepper (or more to taste)
• Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small serving bowl. That’s it. The sauce does improve if you let the shallots macerate in the vinegar for a bit before using. Hard to believe there is such a fancy name for something so easy to make, eh? The French term "mignonette" originally referred to a bouquet garni of peppercorns, cloves, and spices used to flavor dishes, but now it simply means cracked pepper. Though different mignonette sauces use different types of vinegar, all contain pepper.