Gastroanthropology

Peach Vinaigrette + Spiced Pecans

Perfect Peaches...ripening under hot California sun!

This past weekend I had the wonderful fortune of getting fresh yellow cling peaches straight from a California peach ranch. One of my dearest friends supplies me with the best peaches in the summer. The peaches are so sweet and delicious...it is such as shame that most yellow clings get sent straight to the cannery. The peaches are a bit stubborn because the flesh does cling to the pit. They are a tad more work but absolutely worth the effort.

So, after the peaches are grilled for afternoon BBQs, quartered for pie, sliced for cobbler, chopped for jam, pureed for sweet ice tea, and frozen for winter months, what do you do with them? Dice them up for peach vinegar! For peach vinegar... macerate (in a nonreactive pot) 3 cups small diced peaches with 1 cup champagne or rice wine vinegar for 1 week. Keep covered and stir the mixture once or twice a day. At the end of the week strain the mixture, getting as much liquid out as possible. Store in a sterilized jar and keep in fridge for up to 3 months.

The peach vinegar makes a lovely mild, sweet, peachy vinegar - great for summer salads. Fresh greens, sliced fresh peaches, and spiced candied pecans tossed in peach vinaigrette...a perfect lunch as the last of the hot summer days come and go...wow, tomorrow it's September already.

PEACH VINAIGRETTE

• 1 ripe peach, cut into chunks
• 2 Tablespoons peach vinegar (see above), or champagne vinegar
• pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• 4 Tablespoons pecan, walnut or canola oil

METHOD

In a small food processor or blender, puree peach until smooth. Add vinegar, salt and honey. Blend for 10 seconds. Continue to blend on low while drizzling in the oil. Use immediately.

SPICED CANDIED PECANS

This recipe for spiced candied pecans is inspired by the same friend who's family owns the peach ranch. These are usually made with walnuts (which come from this ranch as well in the fall!), but works well with pecans too.

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon honey (or corn syrup)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (or your desired combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger)
• 3 cups pecan or walnut halves

METHOD

Melt sugars until dissolved and starting to bubble. Add honey, salt, vanilla, and spices. Stir in nuts till they are all coated. Pour nuts onto a foiled and greased (or use a silpat) baking sheet. Toast nuts at 350F for 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven. When cooled break apart and serve in salad. These candied nuts keep well in the freezer in an airtight container for snacking as well.

The Best Bite

Quick apologies for being radio silent this past month. Travel, catering gigs, and a new project that I am working on (and will soon reveal) have kept me away from the blogosphere. Very much looking forward to sharing fall recipes and holiday cooking with everyone in the weeks to come!

On to the post...Usually when you eat something there are parts that are considered the best bites. For me its the cheesy crunch of the top of baked macaroni’n’cheese; the middle, barely-cooked-center of the brownie; the last few bites of apple pie when you get to edge of the flakey crust; or, the super marbley part of the steak where its melting in your mouth. When it comes to roasted potatoes it’s the pieces that are browned all over with fluffy centers that I can’t decide to eat first for immediate satisfaction or to reserve towards the end of the meal in efforts to savor and remember. To save myself the trouble of this conundrum why not just make a dish where every bite is the very best bite?

A fellow chef that I worked with for a few years taught me this potato cooking method. He worked savory and I worked pastry. We both worked in the mornings in the kitchen before the cavalry of chefs came in the early afternoon. We worked on opposite sides of the kitchen, but it was just us (maybe a few interns, but of course we sent them down to the basement!). The noisy hoods weren’t on yet and in between fiddling with recipes I learned a few tricks from this super talented chef.

These potatoes are cooked in a pan, but I just think of them as the best roasted potatoes ever. Small potatoes are key, which ensures that every bit of potato has that brown, crisp crust, and a fluffy, flavorful center. Because chicken stock is used with this cooking method the little spuds are packed with flavor. These potatoes insure the perfect marriage to any meat, poultry or fish dish.

The chef I learned this method from says he learned the trick from the famous Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

First, you need to get enough small baby new or fingerling potatoes (I find that the round baby potatoes work better) to fill the bottom of your pan. I cooked my potatoes in a cast iron skillet but any pan that has a 2 to 3 inch side would do. The potatoes should not have room to move, but each should get some real estate on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken (or veg) stock to the pan using enough liquid to cover the potatoes about ¾ of the way up. Add garlic cloves, a shallot or two (peeled and whole), and parsley sprigs for extra flavor. Add salt and pepper, keeping in mind the saltiness of your stock as this will be reduced and concentrated. Scatter a few pats of butter around the potatoes.

Cover and turn the burner onto medium low until the potatoes are just nearly done. Remove wilted parsley sprigs. Continue to cook to reduce the liquid to au sec or “almost dry”. Now it is time to add a bit more butter (drop a few knobs here and there) and then slightly squash the potatoes. They should stay intact. Once one side is gently crisp, flip and crisp up the other side. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs. 

Roasted Tomato + Fresh Garlic Soup

I spent this morning at Borough Market. I love going on Thursdays - not all the stalls are open, but the Saturday crowds are nowhere to be seen. I went with a mission to procure some lovage, a new herb I fell in love with earlier this week. I was hoping to recreate a carrot + lovage soup that I had at Lumen Cafe, a new social enterprise committed to serving local, seasonal and sustainable food. Unfortunately, my trusty herb man did not have any lovage today! Fingers crossed he has some next week so I can share you the wonders of lovage.

I was a little miffed I didn't get any love-age so I was tempted to grab some lunch and go. At first, I ignored the tomatoes because its just a little to early for them to be any good. But as I walked by, their scent lured me in. If I can smell a tomato from a few feet away, I know that something good must be going on. 

I got a bunch of tomatoes and roasted them in a hot oven (400F) for about 30 minutes till their skins split and their juices started oozing and browning. Then I broiled them for a few minutes to gently char their skin. Before they went in the oven I food-processed parsley, basil, squirt of lemon, salt + pepper, a few cloves of raw garlic, and lots of olive oil to make a loose pesto. Gently toss the tomatoes in this runny pesto before putting in a baking dish. This is a trick I learned from a fellow chef friend of mine and it really gives great flavor to roasted tomatoes. You could eat them like this as a side, but while I had the oven on I decided to roast this fresh garlic as well.

For the fresh garlic - cut the tops off, douse in olive oil and wrap in foil. They were in the oven the entire time the tomatoes were, so about 40 minutes. What comes out is amazing - the garlic turns into a smooth, mellow, paste that can be scooped out and spread on crusty bread, or literally just sprinkled with a touch of salt and eaten plain.

I roasted multiple bulbs. You can literally squeeze all the insides out of the garlic once they cool enough to handle. Some went in the tomato soup and some went on a lovely pugliese bread that I toasted under the broiler after liberally spreading olive oil and sprinkling sea salt over. The tomato soup was simple...just heat up the roasted tomatoes in a soup pan with the roasted fresh garlic and some chicken (or veg) stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and make smooth with an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a bit of raw fresh garlic (it is mild enough to eat raw), parsley, and good olive oil. Serve with roasted fresh garlic bread and little vino. I don't have rules for this goes with red or white - I just drink what tastes good.

If you can't be bothered to make the soup, just smush roasted tomatoes and roasted fresh garlic onto toasted pugliese or similar bread. Just remember add salt and lots of good olive oil. 

Summer is a comin'.

British Spring

Yup. The picture above pretty much sums it up. Cold, wet and gloomy. But spring in Britain is more than just crap weather.

Spring in Britain means the baby lambs are in need of shepherding after a day of grazing...

Some need a little special attention...

When you live in a country where you can't expect the sun, you've just got to do what you gotta do and move on. Protect your plants with little mini-greenhouses...

And reap the rewards of the British Spring - asparagus, peas, rhubarb...

And ramsons (a.k.a. wild garlic shoots)...

Ramsons are absolutely delicious and like the sun in Britain, go as quickly as they come. They have a smooth, mellow garlic flavor and pair nicely with all the British spring populars - like asparagus and peas. Perfect for this year's Springtime Frittata.

RAMSONS, ASPARAGUS, SPRING PEA + MASCARPONE FRITTATA

• 1 Tbs butter
• 6 c loosely packed, chopped ramsons (could substitute ramps)
• 1 c fresh shelled peas
• 12 -15 tender asparagus stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 c mascarpone cheese

METHOD

Preheat broiler in oven to medium. Whisk eggs and egg whites together with salt and pepper, set aside. Melt butter in a large non-stick, oven-safe pan. Add ramsons and saute over medium-high heat. Once wilted, drain any excess liquid. Add peas and asparagus pieces. Cook for 1 minute and reduce heat. Make sure that everything is spread evenly about the pan. Pour egg mixture over top. Leave on low heat till the bottom and sides set. As this is happening, add small dollops of mascarpone to the eggs. Once the sides are set, place in the oven under the broiler till the top sets and browns gently. Remove from oven. Let sit for a few minutes and then remove from pan and serve. Can be refrigerated and served cold, but I prefer it warm. 

With a great, non-stick pan (my eight-year-old All Clad non-stick, which has traveled thousands of miles and lived in many countries still does the trick). You can loosen the frittata with a flexible rubber spatula and slip it out of the pan. Or you could flip it out, but I like to see the bits of mascarpone. You could also use a mild cheddar, but I wouldn't use a stronger cheese as it will over power the delicate flavors of the springtime greens. 

And, on those cold rainy spring days, sometimes you need a treat with a little zest that puts a zing in your step. Like lemon poppy seed cake...

LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE

• 6 oz unsalted butter, room temp
• 2/3 c sugar, divided equally into two parts
• 4 eggs separated
• 2/3 c yogurt (full-fat) plain or lemon flavored 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1 c AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 c poppy seeds
• zest of 3 lemons

METHOD

Zest three lemons and juice one to get 2 Tbs lemon juice. Sift together drys and add poppy seeds and lemon zest - set aside. Separate eggs and leave whites aside. Combine the yolks in a different bowl with the yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice - set aside. Beat or paddle the butter with half (1/3 c) of the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat on low and alternate adding the yolk mixture and the drys mixture. Once combined, do not over beat - set aside. Clean your beaters or change to a whisk attachment on your KitchenAid (this is when having an extra bowl makes life so much easier!). Beat egg whites to medium peaks, sprinkling in the remaining sugar once the eggs get really frothy. Sacrifice some of the whipped whites into the yolk/drys mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest. Bake at 350F till cooked through and dark golden brown. I made 2 small rounds in paper molds (25-30min), but this will make one 9-inch cake (40-45min).

This cake must sit for a day. Once its cooled wrap it up in plastic and set aside in the fridge. Don't look at it or attempt to eat it for 24 hours. Not sure what it is but a good cake out of the oven turns into something amazing if you wait. You can have it plain or with a little bit of vanilla buttercream. I just beat room temp butter till its pale and then sprinkle powdered sugar (to taste) and a bit of vanilla bean and splash of vanilla extract. To frost - trim any dome off the top. Cut the top half off the cake. Frost the middle, put the top half back on, and frost the top and sides. 

Jersey Royal Potato Salad + A Plenty Cookbook Give-Away

I stumbled upon Ottolenghi soon after I arrived to London when I was discovering all of its different neighborhoods. All of their locations are a tube ride and walk away so I don't frequent it as much as I'd like, but now I have Plenty, a delicious compilation of Ottolenghi's best dishes, and all vegetarian to boot. I'm not a veggie by any means, but realize that meat does not a meal make, and its better for my body and the planet to limit meat intake.

Plenty is exactly what this book is. Plenty of recipes, pictures, and ideas for what to do with your CSA. I barely flipped through the first few pages when I came across a recipe for a warm potato salad with semi-soft quail's eggs. Basically, as soon as you take your cooked Jersey Royals (or New Potato) out of their scalding hot water, you slice them in half or quarters. Toss with a freshly made pesto, petit pois peas and finely shredded mint. Add halved semi-soft boiled quail's eggs. As Ottolenghi says, this is a very posh version of an ordinary spud salad. 

I know this cookbook isn't as easy to get in the States just yet, but if you leave a comment you may just win one! This contest is open to everyone and the winner will be chosen at random in two weeks, May 18th - This contest is now closed. The winner is Lisa of dandysugar!