Crepe Suzette de 'CHAMPIGNONS'

Mindy @ Mindy's Mouthful and I decided to do a little ping pong recipe challenge. She picks German dishes, and I pick French dishes. Some we have made, but most we have not. You are welcome to join in. We have decided to make it every two weeks for the next few months, so you have time to pull something together! Email her, or me your dish link, and the two of us will post them along with ours. You must create a link back to our blogs as well...

Today's Monday's Mouthful is 'Champignons de Paris'- Champignons- refers to dishes made with mushrooms, or recipes served with a mushroom sauce; Champignon- is French for edible 'mushroom'*. I felt this would leave it wide open for a variety of dishes for us to make...

I decided to make a dish from my past... I had a brunch for a friend's birthday, when she visits France once a year with her niece (lucky girl!) she brings me back goodies to cook with. I have some EVO, and some prized truffle oil; not to mention herbs de provence that are great. I had made truffled mushroom cream sauce crepes originally, but decided to add an addition of the Grand Marnier to make it a little different. Just thought it would be fun to combine like I always do when I cook...

In this house, all three ingredients are adored! I have learned from many of you that truffle oil can be drizzled on just about anything; including eggs for which I had never tried until a few months ago! My hubby also adores Grand Marnier cooked or served on plenty of other goodies like this. Champignons in this post is a sweet savory dish- Crepe Suzette aux Champignons.
















I did a saute of mushrooms and herbs de provence to achieve a subtle not to earthy flavor with the extra addition of truffle oil; have your crepes cool and ready to fill with the mushrooms and goat cheese- set aside; then make a caramelized creme sauce, and yes, this dish will be flambeed! Once the sauce is well heated, sugar is caramelized, pour on the liqueur in and reduce to an almost syrup state. Pour over crepes and light with a match stick to make it the authentic dish is was meant to be. Serve on warm plates with a mixed green salad and of course, more goat cheese!

The savory cheese and sweetness of the crepes will compliment the dish, and make for a light and flavorful supper!

Mindy's 'Champignon' post is Couscous aux Champignons, and I love the creative energy she puts into her dishes...


In two weeks our next Monday Mouthful is- (you have plenty of time to enter the next one!)

Spaetzle

This recipe is from The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Authentic German Cooking
by Mimi Sheraton

Makes about 4 cups Spaetzle, or about 6 servings.

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, well beaten
1/4 to 3/4 cup water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Add egg and mix. Add water gradually
until batter is stiff but smooth. Press dough flat on a plate or
floured board. With a sharp knife, scrape small pieces of dough off
and drop into boiling salted water. There should be only one layer of
Spaetzle at a time in cooking water. Boil gently 5 to 8 minutes, or
until you try a few and find them done. Remove from water with
perforated spoon and drain.

Spaetzle may be served in pea, lentil or
tomato soups, or as a side dish with meat or game. In the latter case,
hot melted butter is usually poured over them just before serving.
They may also be sauteed in butter until a bright golden color.
Toasted breadcrumbs or grated Parmesan cheese may also be sprinkled
over them.

*Champignon (sham-pee-NYOHN) The French word for an edible "mushroom", generally the button variety. The term aux Champignons refers to dishes garnished with mushrooms, or served as a sauce. ('Food Lover's Companion', 2nd Edition, Author- Sharon Tyler Herbst, pg 103-104; under Champignon. This is my source of information, as well as my Le Cordon Bleu culinary reference, pg 119) I picked this last week as my muse for this dish. Unfortunately, Wikipedia does not recognize the actual dish; it only provides you the definition- 'mushrooms'.

PS- I am making changes on my site, so the colors may be different, as I noticed the text color before this was too harsh on the eyes... If I could put up a 'WORK IN PROGRESS' Sign I would!

Testing, Testing, 1, 2 , 3...

I made hubby some 'Welcome Home' rice pudding...















Testing out my camera and light box...















Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3, ...

















Now time to cook some dinner...

Kids In The Marketplace

This weeks culinary class took place in the form of a field trip. Last week we had a speaker who is a local food critic, and friend of mine who came in and talked about her culinary journey through the job market. She also spoke about the Slow Food movement and its affects on our lives.















This weeks class- I take an afternoon and introduce them to a different type of market. First choice, The Amish Farmers Market in Newtown, PA. The life skills coach said she had been there and really enjoyed it. I would have preferred the open farmers markets that start later this month, but this will do. We will visit the one in Trenton when the time comes.

Each student before hand had to find a recipe that fit our nutritional qualifications and discussions; then decide if this market was suitable for their purchases. Most of the students have been to regular super markets, and frequent downtown convenient stores that already contain expensive and unhealthy food items.












Prices can be high or low in these types of mixed markets, depending on what it is you are looking for. Many of them this time of year do not always provide organic and natural choices. The students had to figure out if they had pre-planned enough to feed their family. Did their menu have key features like a protein, starch, and green vegetable? Was the cooking process something difficult, did they already have the experience, or were they willing to just try it? Were they comfortable with their choices?















Actually I was impressed. I felt each had listened well in class. During our one on one, and shopping process; they were on the right track. One student opted for 'no salt' ingredients, green vegetables, and others went for fruit as a side dish.













I also let each person take a photo. We talked about how important it is to see the food in an artistic way. To appreciate the beauty of what nature has to offer. How much effort goes into having a sustainable lifestyle like the Amish do. A few students took the camera and ran with it, well, they returned it to me.













After class was over it was time to grab a bite to eat. Off they went to make their choices, and one by one, they sat down with their plates of fried chicken fingers and french fries. Where were the vegetables? I decided we were all were kids once, and who can resist the smell of fried foods.

Only one of my students yesterday had a bottle of soda she had sneaked in her purse, so I took it as an opportunity to show them the chain of ingredients on the label, and the impact of sugar along with empty calories!













Hopefully I reach a few of these kids, and their choices over time will change for the better. I look forward to hearing and reading about their cooking experience at home. Next class we will be in the kitchen, and creating some dishes I will share with you...















My hubby returns this weekend with the lap top and photo shop, so I will be returning to my own food post in a few days...

Duplicating A Memory

Onlinepastrychef @ Pastry Methods and Techniques post on Sunday Suppers- Finishing Pasta Sauce mentions something funny; she explains about making pasta and sauce- 'Template, Not Culinary Law'. The man I married asked me to put the pasta sauce only on top of the pasta just before serving from the very beginning. His mother made it this way, but my mom made it Onlinepastrychef's way. Sure I could have just continued to do it my way. The way I adore it, because tomatoes rock my world (I like a little pasta with my sauce). In our house pasta is made to order. Penne pasta and sauce combined is what you will see on OLPC's post...

In Dallas, when hubby and I first met, and became friends first; I began to invite him to dining events held around the area. One particular restaurant my friends and I would eat quite regularly was Basha. A Mediterranean place down off lower Greenville Avenue. I was excited to see the owner participating in a food and wine tasting we were attending. I tried this dish with grilled eggplant wrapped around an artichoke heart, and covered with a rich tomato sauce; it was served over a bed of pasta. Probably one of my first vegetarian dishes I could not live with out. Though they did not call it a 'Rollatini'; it was just listed under their vegetarian menu offerings, and I decided to give it a whirl (around the fork that is).















Mother-in-laws tongue pasta is what hubby chose to go along with the eggplant. I was counting on the care I took in getting the water to a full boil in my tall pot; then letting each piece slowly give way to the hot water and hopefully keeping it's shape. After about ten minutes (or so) the pasta was al dente and ready to plate up.

Straight from their label~ This truly special Italian pasta is hand made using all natural coloring. It is made by the Marella family as it has hundreds of years. The Marella family operates one of the finest pasta factories in the world located in Puglia, one of the most important regions in Italy for pasta production and consumption. Marella colors are all natural, and take the green from spinach, the black from squid ink and red from hot peppers. The result is a pasta with a fantastic rainbow array of colors. This is a complicated process that is not simple to perform, and still have the pasta hold its shape and color structure while cooking.















MISE: Grill some 1/4 inch thick eggplant with just an EVO baste; stack them in a pan covered with plastic wrap, so that they soften up a bit more and are rollable. Grill some EVO rubbed red onions and set aside. Cut some artichokes (in water, or fresh if possible) in half, set aside. Pick out your favorite cheese (I wished I had some goat cheese for this) and place in a bowl; approximately three tablespoons of cheese for each rollatini. Roll them up, and I found toothpicks were not necessary to hold them together. Bake in a 400 degree oven for fifteen minutes, and then serve over pasta. Sprinkle with pine nuts, parmesan cheese, or parsley.

My version is just from my Basha memories...good food, wine, and times!















I am so excited you might hear me scream! If things work out, my hubby's good friend/best man is getting married in June, and we will travel to India. In their culture are many sub-cultures, so the bride's family believes one must marry soon after an engagement. He has just ask her a few weeks ago. This means a great deal to us to be a part of his life, and I adore his fiance. I send many blessings and heart felt joy, to his family, her family, and to the both of them; to whom we love dearly.

Question from a kid: Do you cut or twirl you pasta?

Monday Mouthful- Mini Flammkuchen

Mindy @ Mindy's Mouthful and I decided to do a little ping pong recipe challenge. She picks German dishes, and I pick French dishes. Some we have made, but most we have not. You are welcome to join in. Email her, or me your dish link, and the two of us will post them along with ours. You are also welcome to mention us if you like.

Last week we did 'Rustic French Meatloaf', and this week we are doing 'Tarte flambée' (French), or as she called it 'Flammkuchen' (German). Mindy does live on the border of Germany and France, and that must be exciting for her. I might have to go visit and try the real thing!

When you hop on over to Wikipedia you will see that the photo for Flammkuchen/Tarte flambée is pizza, a white one at that! Speaking of which Reeni @ Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice does not realize it, but she too made a version of this I saw on Sunday, Tomato, Onion, White Pizza, and like they say if we could lick the screen to enjoy it as much as looking; then we would have it made!

Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning "baked in the flames".














'I admit the beer worked better with the flammkuchen at meal time than in the crust, but it tasted great'!

The key ingredients to making this dish are only four ingredients- one is making the crust; which I made a gluten-free version like I have before, but this time used a splash of Bavarian beer to the dough ; Crème fraîche, onion, and bacon (oh how I love this ingredient). Hubby gave me a look when he saw how bare his mini's were, so I steamed some asparagus and added tips for the flat ones, and the other pieces stuffed inside the flammkuchen calzone/pockets.

I made my own Crème fraîche this round. This is very easy to make, and will keep well in the refrigerator. However make it the night before as I have done in the past, so it can sit out; otherwise if it is not at least 70 degrees in your kitchen the bacteria will not cooperate for you.

Crème fraîche can be made at home by adding a small amount of cultured buttermilk (2 tablespoons) or sour cream to normal heavy cream (1 pint), and allowing it to stand for several hours until the bacterial cultures act on the cream. Mindy is right this dough is not as easy. Mine still puffed up a bit more than it should have. Also, my pizza stone finely bit the dust recently. Happens when you drop it when cleaning the oven.

Can I say totally spudalicious? Our first entry this week is- Aoife (aka The Daily Spud) submitted a might tasty looking The (Almost) Über Tuber version of this dish. I love the name, and called first dibs on the leftovers!

Then you have to go and check out Mindy's tasty Flammkuchen. I think hers came out perfectly! I love thin crust pizza, so I know I might be eating this as often as I could if I took a trip to her area...

That pizza stone would have made it look and cook crispier like hers!

Next Monday's Mouthful is 'Champignons de Paris'- Champignons- refers to dishes made with mushrooms or served with a mushroom sauce, and is French for mushroom. Unfortunately Wikipedia does not recognize the actual dish; only gives you the definition of mushrooms. I felt this would leave it wide open for a variety of dishes for us to make... I have chosen to make a savory version I call 'Crepe Suzette Champignon'...

Kitchen Confidential- Your Way/ My Way

We all know and see through blogs that every cook, chef, kitchen or what ever out there has there own way of making food they might have grown up with, or tried. For example, the mofongo I make is what hubby and I had in a road side stand on our travels to PR. As I watched the woman making it, I thought that looks easy. When I tasted it I knew I had to recreate it in my own kitchen. Over the years I shared my love for this dish with a few people who are Puerto Rican; William for example who is from NYC, begins to tell me his mothers version of it. So I take note, and try them all. Who cares if it is not what a person might remember, has had at a restaurant, or make themselves. Recipes have changed over centuries, as they are passed down, made in different situations; it is just how it rolls when it comes to recipes and techniques. Most other recipes for mofongo are great, I just still stick to the version I saw on my trip to Puerto Rico. I fell in love with the mortar and pestle the woman was using, and bought one to bring home, and use it for many things.

Over the years through training, and when you teach; it is important to first explain that everyone (especially chefs) has their own way of doing things. You have to be prepared to except the fact that there is not one way of doing a task, and will be instructed differently. Buffalodick has coined a great way of thinking in that regard...'Rectums & Opinions, We All Got One', and I do respect that. My philosophy is like that of my father, why say anything if you cannot say something nice- or do not say anything at all. Be respectful in how you express instruction or advice in any position; being respectful of others is important for all of us, and can help make the learning process less stressful. You might find yourself out of a job one day.

I showed the students Buff's t-shirts he donated for a cook-off, and I could tell it was going to be a battle to the death when we get to that class. One of the teachers blushed as he held it up!

Class this week was fun as always, and I have already had that 'Every chef/cook has their own way of doing things' talk in our first class (most culinary class books say this in the first introduction of the book). We talked about how it does not matter how you do the job, as long as the job gets done; along with a good attitude. This class we begin with a review, and then they got a look at their starter cookbooks. (Stacked on the corner of the desk are some of the books that have been donated for their new library) You could tell they were ready to open them up and get started, but I had a speaker waiting in the wings. Career Day.

Pat Tanner is a food writer I admire, and lives in my area. She wrote about my work a few years ago. We also are 'Slow Food' activists. Bragging- Pat wrote that I was a 'Powerhouse', and she enjoyed my wine and food pairing event. Waiting for a review can be nerve racking, but she was and is a sweetie! Pat began talking to the class about how her career developed over the years. She went to school to be a teacher, worked as a caterer, hosted a food radio show, puts together the Zagat reviews for South Jersey, and writes for the local papers and Princeton Living Magazine. She told the class that a few times she actually told the person on the phone offering her a job "I am not really qualified to do that", but they wanted her to give it a try. Pat Tanner is now a restaurant critic.

Pat shared with the class about how she has to go into new restaurants like the one I wrote about, Elements, and everyone knows her from the radio show. So going into a familiar setting and trying to be anonymous can be difficult. We laugh, because she is telling us how she had to wear a long wig, and a totally different way of dress to disguise herself for this particular review. Everyone that worked there knew who she was in real life. She offers to send me a photo, and I cannot wait. Pat was an Newark inner city kid herself, and shares her experiences. She is a great help in showing the students that they their are many opportunities and roads leading to a job where someone pays you to go out to eat, and you get to write about the experience. That right there blew them away!















The first photo I took her facing away from the camera, but she said that it was okay, since she was not officially on duty!

Request to post-

Elizabeth:
Sure, it's OK to publish the photo you took on Thursday.

- Pat

She also sent me the photo and it was hysterical how she disguised herself, but she has asked me not to publish the photo...

Surf & Turf

I am ready for a mini holiday, but since our household has been busy, we cannot go anywhere until June. We both have been wanting to go to the Bahamas, but things have not worked out. I decided to bring a little sand and sun imagination to the table, and on the plate.

There are a few blogs who have confessed to having posts ready through the next year...and people ask me how I do it all... This has been in my files, and with no extra time, more photo lessons and classes running through June; I decided it was time to share. We also went out Saturday with friends for a birthday celebration, so I have not done a whole lot of cooking this week...

Hawaiian Pupu-Style Ribs-

2-3 lb of thick short ribs)
4 cloves garlic
1 large piece of ginger root, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup catchup (I used tomato paste)
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup oyster sauce
Jar of Sweet Chili sauce

Take the ribs and place in a large pot. Combine ribs, garlic, ginger, and salt. Add water and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until ribs are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This will break down the fat and make them tender. Drain. Combine remaining ingredients and marinate ribs in sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat a wok or deep pan, and add 1/2 cup oil. Saving marinade, you will take and push meat down to bottom of bone, and as tightly as you can get it. (you can use chef string to tie them if necessary). Take a sharp boning knife, or paring knife and 'french' the top ends of the bone (away from you, or anyone else near you) like a rack of lamb. Drop them in the hot oil and fry for about four minutes, or until the outside is crispy.

Cook marinade on a medium heat until thickens, and then dredge ribs in sauce and serve, or open a jar of sweet chili sauce. You can make this with any BBQ marinade and it would be a good in door grill sensation.














'I wish I thought about using my wooden bowls more often...'


Hawaiian Poke History: Poke (pronounced POH-kay) is served in most Hawaiian homes and restaurants as a side dish, and no gathering in Hawaii would be complete without a few bowls of poke. In Hawaiian, poke means "cut piece" or "small piece." Poke is bite-size pieces of raw fish doused in seasonings. Poke is actually the Hawaiian version of the elegant Japanese sashimi (a combining of the Hawaiian and Japanese taste for raw fish). The fish for poke is sometimes even lightly seared or fried.

I seasoned my cubes of Tuna with EVO and soy sauce, and then left overnight to marinate. The next day on a medium high in a skillet I seared them lightly. Hubby likes his rare...

Mofongo (Mashed Plantains- Puerto Rico)

3 Plantains
3 Cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive oil

Years ago hubby and I took a trip to Puerto Rico; there I learned a simple recipe called Monfongo.

Let the plantains ripen and turn black; then take and cut into small pieces. In mortar add plantains, garlic, and oil. Mash them until they resemble smashed potatoes. Some recipes call for frying the plantain pieces first, and I will try that next time. There is a little cheese love in there too...




















'Picked this up on the Island...'


With some really nice weather this would be good on a patio with tiki lamps, Don Ho on the CD, a nice bottle of chilled Riesling Spätlese, and love the one your with...