Candied Citrus Peel

In between eating and watching A Christmas Story and opening presents and making veal chops with lemon and oregano and eating again and watching Elf yesterday, I managed to candy some blood orange peel and the Buddha’s hand citron. Both came out really well. The blood orange peel is especially good with some good after-dinner chocolate.

Christmas Goose… berries!

The good folks at Farmer Joe’s must have seen me coming on Sunday when I went to pick up some last minute supplies for Christmas dinner. Look what I found!

They’re super tart and they pop in your mouth. I think I’ll make some jam. Or maybe an almond gooseberry tart. Thank the gods I don’t live in California or I’d drain my bank account every time I went to the grocery store!

A Whole Lotta Shakin’

We had another little earthquake last night at about 10:50 pm just as I was falling asleep. It rattled the windows and gave the bed a little side-to-side shake. And another this morning at about 9:20 am. The epicenters of all three quakes in the last four days have been no more than two or three miles from here which is a bit unsettling.

I was holding the little hobbit when this morning’s quake hit. He had just sneezed and we froze and locked eyes in surprise. I think we both wondered for a split second if his sneeze had caused the house to shake.

Buddha’s Hand

I’m a sucker. Look what I bought at the grocery store around the corner from my sister and brother-in-law’s place yesterday.

Beautiful and strange, no? It smells damn good too. Apparently it’s a type of citron called Buddha’s hand because when the fingers of the fruit are bunched together it resembles hands closed in the act of prayer. I’m not entirely sure what to do with this thing, but I might try candying it.

Uncle Pudding’s Christmas Vacation

The captain came on the PA system as we taxied out to the runway at JFK yesterday morning and announced that the temperature in Oakland was “a balmy 33 degrees” (that’s Fahrenheit, folks!). What? It was warmer in Maine!

So I’m out here in chilly and not-so-sunny California visiting my sister and brother-in-law and the brand new nephew. He looks like a little hobbit (and less like a leprechaun than he did last week) and he’s cute and little and when he scrunches up his face to make a poop or a fart he looks a little like me. Go figure.

I may be on haitus for a little while – too busy making silly faces and funny noises at the little hobbit to write posts. But stay tuned. I plan to do some cooking and baking and general holiday house- and tummy-warming while I’m here. I also plan to take full advantage of being in the Bay Area to hit one or two of the many food holy sites if I can. We’ll see.

Ooh. And I felt my first California earthquake last night! It was just a little one, but the epicenter was very near by. And, being a true-blue Northern New Englander, my first thought when I heard and felt the rumble was that the snowplow was coming down the street. But then I remembered where I was. Fun!

Mt Washington Hot Bread

When I was a little kid my parents spent summers cooking at a girls camp in the mountains of New Hampshire. My mother used to make this old Yankee recipe for 100+ girls and counselors every Sunday and it was always a big hit. It’s simple, light and unbelievably good. If, when the time comes, it turns out I am invited to heaven afterall, this is what I’ll order for breakfast every morning for eternity.

Mt Washington Hot Bread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Generously grease and flour an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Mix together the egg, milk and vanilla extract in a glass measuring cup and add to the dry ingredients. Add melted butter and beat at high speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle top with additional cinnamon and sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Cut into 9 squares and serve hot with a pat of butter.

Buy This Book!

I bought this book in Spanish at a great little childrens’ bookshop in Seville based on the cover alone (the Spanish title is Yo!). When I got back to my hotel room and actually read it, I got a little choked up. It’s that good.

Go out and buy this book right now for your son, daughter, niece, nephew, grandchild, best friend, partner, sweetheart or whoever. Buy it for that very special bear in your life you run to when you’re feeling a little lonely and small.

Chocolate Roulade with Praline Chantilly Cream

This is the second cake on the menu for our first ever Kitchen Collective event last Saturday. The cake itself comes from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. The Hazelnut Praline comes from Flo Braker’s The Simple Art of Perfect Baking and Chantilly Cream is just a fancy name for whipped cream.

Hazelnut Praline

4 ounces hazelnuts
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

Roast the hazelnuts in a 325 degree F oven on a baking sheet until lightly colored (about 10 to 15 minutes). Cover nuts with a kitchen towel and let stand for 15 minutes. Use the towel to remove as much of the brown skins on the nuts as possible.

Line baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or lightly grease with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.

Add the sugar to a 1 1/2 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan or 10-inch skillet. Place over medium heat until the sugar dissolves; swirl to distribute the heat evenly if necessary. When the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat to medium-high until the melted sugar turns an amber color.

Stir in the roasted nuts and remove from heat. Pour out onto the baking sheet and set aside to cool completely, about 1 hour.

Curry In A Hurry

This is a favorite week-night meal of ours. Hearty, healthy, yummy and quick. If your regular supermarket doesn’t carry cans of Thai curry paste, seek out and explore your local asian groceries. You’re sure to find good, fresh asian vegetables and lots of other inspiring ingredients too!

Curry In A Hurry

1 4-ounce can Thai curry paste (try ‘em all!)
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
A bunch of chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, fish, tofu, whatever, cut into bite-size bits
A bunch of fresh veggies, cut into bite-size bits

Add curry paste and coconut milk to a big pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add protein or whatever, and cook for a bit.

Add veggies and cook for a bit more until done.

Add a few leaves of Thai basil or peanuts or sliced mango or whatever, or not, and stir it up good.

Serve over rice.

Honey Génoise Cake with Poached Apples

The first of the two cakes we made on Saturday was adapted from Flo Braker’s “La Fleur” cake recipe (from the Simple Art of Perfect Baking). It’s a bit involved, but it’s worth it.

Honey Génoise

1 cup (100 grams) sifted cake flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp (1 ounce) unsalted butter
1 tsp lemon zest
3 large eggs, separated, room temperature
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan and dust generously with flour. Tap out the excess and insert a parchment liner.