Bad Rep

I was in a panic. My friend, Ginger, wanted to lose a few pounds before the holidays. First, can I just say that my friend has a perfect figure, and more importantly, now who's going to eat my cooking?

I had the perfect solution. I'll just cook vegetables that not only tastes great, but I can share with Ginger! I particularly love this recipe of creamy braised Brussels sprouts. I know, it's not a very popular nor loved vegetable, and frankly, I never understood why the bad reputation. It's compact, a miniature cabbage, and is delicious. I think if you cook it properly, it takes on a sweet and nutty flavor. The secret is not to overcook the lovely sprouts.

The recipe calls for rich ingredients of butter and cream. The Brussels sprouts take on a nice deep flavor when browned a bit before adding the cream. I think the sprout heads should be fairly tight so look for smaller heads when purchasing. Alternatively, you can find this vegetable still on a stalk. To brown evenly, use a skillet that will hold the sprouts in one layer. A great holiday dish, it will make a starring role next to any protein on your table. I think finishing off the dish with some crumbled bacon or even some toasted nuts will be da bomb! Bacon, butter, cream...not much of a diet food! I hope you enjoyed the dish, Ginger!


Creamy Braised Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from Molly Stevens, All About Braising

1 lb Brussels sprouts
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 lemon
coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper

Trim the very base of each sprout and peel off any ragged leaves. Cut the sprouts through the core into halves. If the sprouts are large, cut each half into thirds, or, if they are smallish, cut each half again to make quarters. Ultimately, you want little wedges that no more than 1/2 inch across.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming stops, add the Brussels sprouts and season with salt and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts begin to brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the cream, stir, cover, and reduce to a slow simmer. Braise over low heat until the sprouts are tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a sharp knife, 30 to 35 minutes. The cream will have reduced some and turned a fawn color.

Remove the cover, stir in a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. Let simmer, uncovered, for just a few minutes to thicken the cream to a glaze that coats the sprouts. Serve hot or warm.

The White Twin

Last month, My friend Jackie and I took a tapas cooking class in Redmond. One of the chefs showed us how to make white gazpacho with Malaga grapes.

When I hear gazpacho, I always think red. This recipe is from the southern region of Andalucia, Spain. For centuries, it was a common meal for the poor and working class. Then, when the rare and expensive products of the "New World" were brought to Spain, such as tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers, the wealthy added these new ingredients to the dish and gave it an upscale edge. Soon, they turned their backs to the more traditional white gazpacho and never looked back.

Having tasted both, I think I prefer the white gazpacho. The garlic flavor really shines in this dish, and it is super simple to prepare. I made the soup for my co-workers a couple of weeks ago, but we unfortunately ate it before I had a chance to take a picture.

Trim the bread free of all the crusts and just use the white parts. When soaking the bread, ensure that the bread is submerged in the liquid. I was told that it's best to use a spanish manzanilla red wine vinegar but all I had was Heinz red wine vinegar and my dish was delicious. The recipe called for slivered almonds. I say any kind of almonds will work, just make sure it's toasted before you add it in the processor. Lastly, it's important that you let the soup sit overnight in the fridge to blend the flavors and don't forget the grapes!

White Gazpacho with Malaga Grapes
Adapted from Lisa Dupar

2 cups water
8 oz. french bread slices, trimmed and torn into pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped and pureed
1 tsp salt 1 cup slivered almonds, or any kind of almonds, toasted
2 1/2 cups ice water
1 1/2 cups green grapes

Pour 2 cups water over bread and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain. Squeeze bread until dry. Transfer bread to food processor. Add oil, vinegar, and garlic puree. Season with salt to taste. Add almonds and 1/2 cup ice water, and blend until smooth. With machine running, gradually add remaining 2 cups of ice water. Taste for salt. For a silkier texture, transfer the soup to a blender and puree.

Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours to allow the flavors to blend and preferably overnight. Serve chilled, mixing well before serving. Garnish each serving with grapes.

Move Over Marie

Are you a Costco fan? I secretly yearn for our trips to the warehouse. I love the mundane routine of parking the car, and grabbing the mega-carts, showing our membership card, like a secret shopping club! Once you're in there, the enticement starts with the beautiful plasma tvs that line the first 2 aisles. My best finds at Costco are the great selection of books and delicious fruits. If you ask my family, it's the 12 pack of Marie C*llendar's chicken pot pie. Euw.

But I can't really complain given that I don't know how to make chicken pot pie, or a crust for that matter. That's why I'm friends with Jacqui, she's the crust/crumble/dough maker. I think all that will change since tonight, I've made a chicken pot pie!

There was an article on the September issue of Bon Appetit magazine of restaurants and their family meals prepared before service. It featured Tom Douglas' Dahlia Lounge and chicken pot pie.

The dough is easy to prepare with the food processor (is that cheating?) and the filling is not too bad if you prep the ingredients ahead of time. I used baby portabellas and shiitake mushrooms. Also, once all the vegetables have simmered in the pot for 5 minutes, I added a cup of diced peeled potatoes. I saved tons of time by not roasting my own chicken, but buying one of the juicy rotisserie chicken at my favorite place, the big C. I kept the chicken in big, torn pieces. Lastly, the recipe called for the finished dish in a 9x13, but I ended up putting it in two, an 8x8 and 7x10 glass dishes. It would have been ideal to place it in two 8x8s but where is my other pan? Do you have it? Please give it back.

I am pleased to report that my family loves this dish. Later, Marie.



Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Bon Appetit, Sept 2008 issue, by Tom Douglas
8 servings

Crust
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-in cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1 egg yolk, whisked to blend with 1 tbsp water (for glaze)

Filling
7 tbsp butter, room temperature, divided
5 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz. assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as cremini,oyster, shiitake), sliced
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup 1/2- inch cube celery
1 cup 1/2-inch cube peeled carrots
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
5 cups coarsely chopped or torn roast chicken, skin and bones removed (from 1 large chicken)
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Crust: Blend flour and salt in food processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tbsp ice water, blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is too dry. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a rectangle. Wrap in plastic, chill at least 1 hour or 1 day.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, Line baking sheet with parchment. Roll out crust on floured surface to 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 equal rectangles. Transfer to prepared sheet, spacing apart. Pierce crusts with fork, then brush with egg glaze. Bake until light golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully run long sharp knife under crusts. Cool on sheet.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature.

Filling: Mix 5 tbsp butter and flour in small bowl until smooth. Melt 2 tbsp butter wil oil in large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, celery, and carrots; saute until vegetables start to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Add thyme and garlic, stir 3 minutes. Add wine, boil until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth, bring to simmer. Add butter-flour mixture, 1 tbsp at a time, whisk until incorporated and mixture boils. Reduce heat. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, cream and parsley, bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then ocver and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing, adding broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is very thick.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer filling to 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Carefully place crust atop filling. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes.

Goodbye, Summer

Today, I stored away the extra beddings that were put to good use the past few months. We had 15 visitors this summer, and I can now say that if ever I needed a new career, I can give tours of Seattle. So what are you waiting for? Book your ticket now, before we completely sell out for Summer 2009!