Flavors in Love

This has been an amazing and summer for me, mostly thanks to my circle of remarkable friends.  My friends have been so generous, and have taken me into their summer homes to share their kitchens throughout the whole summer.  Through staying with them, I have been able to fulfill my creative juices and fill their kitchens with the aromas of the delicious food that we have cooked together.  I have also very much enjoyed teaching them tricks and tips from my years of cooking and entertaining.

Last weekend I stayed with my dear friends Alan and Diane Lieberman at their summer home in Bridgehampton..  The Leibermans own many of the best boutique hotels in Miami. www.southbeachgroup.com, and Diane owns her own real estate company www.sbirealty.com, so as you can imagine, they have a  truly beautiful home with a large kitchen, built perfectly for
entertaining.  This past Sunday, Diane decided to have a few friends over for brunch and I volunteered to help of course!  While most friends would be at the pool or on the tennis courts, I am
happiest cooking.

The Liebermans have a very functional kitchen.  They usually have house guests every weekend and keep their two huge fridges packed with food. SO different from my tiny kitchen in NYC and so much easier to experiment and enjoy the process in.

For Brunch, Alan and Diane and I created a menu.  The last time I stayed with them on July 4th, they had a huge brunch with 200 guests and scrambled eggs to order.  This weekend I decided to make two different kinds of frittatas: one with shitaki, asparagus and goat cheese, and the other with zucchini, onions and cheddar.  Frittatas are elegant, can be made ahead of time and there are so many different varieties.  You can use your vegetable garden and fresh herbs and use up all of those left overs from the weekend.

I also poached two Salmons, using some amazing soy ginger glaze that Alan had bought and mixing it with red wine.  I cooked them at 500 degrees for 20 mins and they came out perfectly tender and still pink inside.

Diane made a beautiful fruit salad, her chocolate chip banana bread and cooked loads of turkey bacon, and Alan put together a Smoked Salmon platter with bagels and all the fixings.  There was a lot of food and some very happy guests…including myself.  

Though I am not a big dessert maker, I decided to top the brunch off with my classic recipe for warm peach, plum and blueberry Brown Betty.  This was, of course, the highlight for everybody with even an inkling of a sweet tooth, and because I love it so much, and hardly ever make desserts, I have attached a photo by photo recipe of how to make this fabulous desert because it is so versatile and easy to make…and is always such a big hit.

Please enjoy!

Brunch Menu

2 Frittatas:

Shitake, Asparagus and Goat Cheese

Zucchini, Onions and Cheddar

Poached Salmon with Ginger Soy Glaze

Cucumber, Dill and Red Onion Salad

Bagels, Locks and Cream Cheese

Sliced Watermelon and Canteloupe

Breads, Butter and Jams

Peach, Plum and Blueberry Brown Betty

With Vanilla ice Cream

Diane’s Chocolate Chip and Banana Bread

Recipe For Brown Betty!

Serves 8-12

6 medium ripe peaches

8 ripe plums

2 cups blueberries

6 tablespoons maple syrup

Juice of one lemon

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinammon

Crunchy Oat Topping, chilled

2 pints vanilla ice cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Cut the fruit into small sections and  place into an oven proof …… baking dish,

Toss the fruit with the maple syrup, lemon juice and zest.  Sprinkle on the all purpose flour and toss again.

Add the vanilla and the cinnamon.

With the tines of a fork, break up the largest lumps of topping.

Spoon the topping mixture evenly over the fruit,.using it all.

Set the dish in the oven and bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned

and crispy.. about 35 to 45 minutes.  Set on a rack for at least 10 minutes.

Serve hot, warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

Crunchy Oat Topping

This all purpose topping can be prepared a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge till ready to use.  Or freeze for months and then let thaw in the fridge until ready to use.

1 1/3 cup golden brown sugar

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned( not quick cooking) rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup walnut pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons chilled  unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, walnuts and salt.  Pulse to blend. Scatter the butter over the oat mixture and process until a soft, crumbly and lumpy cookie like dough forms. Cover and refrigerate.  Use directly from the fridge.

Final Product:

Voila!

Despite my intense love of food, I would never consider myself a “glutton,”.  However there are 3 days a year when I truly allow myself to behave like one.  Those are the daysof the annual  ”Fancy Food Show” at the Jacob Javitz Center in  New York City. This year it was…June 28, 29^th and 30^th.

Holy mackerel-snapper-chocolate-coffee-cheese…I love the Fancy Food show!

I love the Fancy Food show not only because I get to eat unlimited small tastes of the finest and most delicious variety of foods, all in one building, but also because I love to check out the new trends of the year in food.  What’s hot?  What’s new?  What’s creative? What’s bizarre?  What works, and what missed the mark?

Here is my take:

My Prize for the strangest new product this year….(drum roll please!)

BLACK GARLIC

No additives or preservatives.. it’s aged for a month in a special fermentation process under high heat where it develops its darker color, softer texture and sweeter taste.  It looks bizarre…kind of like tar (that doesn’t sound very appetizing) but I tried it tonight on my roast chicken.  I combined it with olive oil and a Mexican spice mix and rubbed the mixture under the skin of the breast meat.

It had a smoky taste and was aromatic, sweet and delicious.  Apparently black garlic is loaded with twice as many antioxidants as raw garlic; and it contains a compound: S Allycysteine, which is a natural compound proven to be a factor in cancer prevention.  No bad breath either!  Who would have thought?

My Prize for the most Ubiquitous Ingredient of the Year:

CHOCOLATE!!!! (my favorite!)

Chocolate is in everything these days…especially organic chocolate, mixed with sometimes unique, sometimes very bizarre ingredients. There was Red Chili Hot Chocolate, Chili Pepper Chocolate Wafers and Chocolate Strawberry Tea.  The food show hosted chocolates from all over the world and of every origin and for a chocolate lover, it was close to heaven.

One of my favorites was the new Double Dark Chocolate Mate by The Republic of Tea.  South American, organic, roasted Yerba Mate blended with organic dark chocolate.  The tea has distinct chocolate overtones and is very rich and satisfying.

Another chocolate highlight was Anna Shea Chocolates.  These chocolates are so beautiful…works of art even…like jewels to savor. She makes 38 different flavors and all are hand crafted bon bons.

Combining the finest ingredients with the highest quality Swiss Couverture.
www.annasheachocolates.com

My Prize for the New Fad of 2008-2009….

WATER!

Yep!  Water.  But not just any kind of water.  FLAVORED water.  Naturally flavored, sugar free water is a rapidly expanding business these days. Actually, it’s probably one of the more successful businesses in the world at the moment.. Who could have imagined years ago that we would be paying money to drink nature’s most natural and most abundant resource?

The new ones I loved are called Ganic Waters and are enhanced with natural extracts and aromas.  Cranberry, Pearl, Smooth Ginger, Citric Lemongrass and Merry Cherry.. Sugar free. Now that’s the way to stay quenched—all naturally.

My Prize for Biggest Food Word of the Year

BIODYNAMIC

I didn’t even know what this meant until the food show and it was used very often throughout the show.  Biodynamic means “Beyond Organic.”  Wow…who thinks of these things?

For example a Biodynamic Tea would be grown and processed according to the highest sustainable agricultural and environmental canons, exceeding the standards of the U.S. National Organic Program.  Organic on steriods is another way to put it.

Check out Zhena’s Biodynamic Gypsy Tea

www.GypsyTea.com

Other highlights and fads include antioxidants, acai berry, salt, pestos and olives.

Just like chocolate, antioxidants are in everything this year.  And so is Acai Berry.  The Republic of Tea has a whole new line of superberry antioxidant teas for Women’s Health. Flavors are: Wholeberry, pomberry, cocoaberry, acaiberry and cherryberry.

Salt is also huge this year.. a continuing trend of the last few years.

Check out this photo of.. HimalaSalt.. the purest salt on earth.

I loved this display.

www.HimalaSalt.com

The company LeGrand also was a highlight for me. Check them out here at www.maisonlegrand.com.  Their pestos are so fresh and they are a leader in the production of cold-processed sauces all packaged in a plastic pouch.  My favorites were the 4 nuts and cheese pesto, the lemon confit, the pumpkin seed aromatic sauce and the spicy olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade… many different tastes and textures and all so fresh tasting.. especially for a packaged food product.

I would love to have them in my fridge to serve with fish or simply to use for an easy spread for company.

And then of course, let’s not forget the olives.

I adore olives and I have never seen so many kinds in one place.  Although there are so many olive importers, I loved FoodMatch Inc.  They specialize in olives and antipasti from the Mediterranean. www.foodmatch.com

“Except the vine, there is no plant which bears a fruit as great importance as the olive”

-Pliny (AD 12-79).  Still holds true today.  The olive is still considered one of natures most perfect creations and there is nothing quite as satisfying to the soul and senses as a welcoming bowl of olives.

To be honest, there was so much incredible food at this show that I could write forever on it.  However, after a hearty stomach ache…I would go back again tomorrow and do it all over again.. but alas, I have to wait for an entire year to pass before the Fancy Food Show comes back to NYC.

Hello fello food enthusiasts. 

So…, I love cooking on Sunday nights.  It’s kind of a ritual that I have actually. I’ve noticed that many people are eating in more frequently these days to save money, and even though the economic state of the world is WAY less than ideal to say the least…it’s at least nice to know that families are getting back to the basics of home cooking, togetherness and nourishing times together.  And then there’s the simple truth that cooking at home can be healthier than eating out.  You use less fats and oils and if you choose to, you can cook with organic ingredients as well. 

 Whether I am cooking for somebody else, or just for myself, Sunday evening is usually a regular recipe testing, food experimenting evening for me…AND, I try to make WAY too much food so that I have leftovers for the rest of the week as well.  This past Sunday I happened to be cooking for some special friends of mine, and thought I would take a risk and try to perfect my Cioppino recipe with a gorgeous and tasty winter salad.  For those who don’t know “Cioppino” is a seafood stew derived from Italian origins.

 

It was developed in the late 1800s by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach section of San Francisco. Originally it was made on the boats while out at sea and later became a staple as Italian restaurants proliferated in San Francisco. It was made with the catch of the day and any leftovers. On Sunday,  I used a variety of seafood… scallops, shrimp, calamari, red snapper and mussels.   This is a perfect Sunday meal… as you can make the base ahead and then add the seafood at the last moment. You can also make it as spicy as you’d like, and I add red chili flakes.  I like spicy food so my Ciopinno was on the hotter side…very delicious in my opinion.  This rich stew/soup tastes tangy and spicy and you could actually choose to serve it over pasta if you’d like. 

Since it’s a one dish meal.. I simply served it with a salad, and last night.. I used soft sweet butter lettuce and spicy arugula and added sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes, radishes, walnuts, steamed haricots verts and gorgonzola dolce.My guests were very happy with the meal.   

 

Here is the my Cioppino Recipe:  

 

Ciopppino 

Serve 6 

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

6 small carrots, peeled and diced

5 stalks celery, diced

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

2 tablespoons. tomato paste

1 cup white wine

2 8 oz bottles clam juice

1 t dried oregano, crushed

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

!/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley 

½ pound mussels, cleaned and de bearded

½ pound large sea scallops cut in half

½ pound rock shrimp

½ pound regular shrimp peeled

½ pound squid. body( cut into rings) and tentacles

¾ pound red snapper or other white fish..cut into large chunks 

Toasted bread for dunking 

In a large casserole ( I love Le Creuset), heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil until hot and then

add onions, carrots and celery and  sauté for 5-6 minutes.. Add the garlic and sauté for another 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes, white wine and clam juice, oregano, thyme and red pepper flakes.. salt and pepper to taste.

Let simmer on top of the stove for about 20 minutes.

 

Add in all the seafood, cover and let seafood cook until just tender about 5-7 minutes. 

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with olive oil croutons to dip into the broth.  

Serve immediately.

 

 

For my list of last weeks happenings: please check out my “Happenings” page