Mermaid Butter Cookies

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen when I was a kid.  Kitchen was the heart of our house and that’s where I remember my mother being the most.  My brightest and probably the fondest memory of her were probably when I was seven or eight year old.  It was a sunny, warm weekend morning in May.  The sun rays streaming through our huge open window bathing the spring onions and hot red peppers we had growing on our window seal.  The fresh cut lilacs swinging in the breeze filling our kitchen with pure spring fragrance.   My mother was making brunch.  She wore her “happy” bright orange house dress, with little ruffles around the sleeves, her than long blue-black hair dancing on her back.  She was making salad.  Simple salad of what was bought at the farmer’s market that morning, crisp new radishes, thin sprigs of young scallions and the first cucumbers of the season.    I can still hear the crisp strokes of her knife as she cut into the fresh produce.  I can still smell the cucumber sent, cool, clean, it filled our kitchen with unduplicated freshness.  I have not met that sent since…  Every time I walk out into my kitchen I try to duplicate that one perfect morning of simple joy of cooking with my mother and every time I pick up my knife she is there with me.

I like making things she used to make.  Her recipe notes are tucked away, mostly unreadable now.  I like holding them and try to make out her shorthand notes… she never meant for anyone but her to use them.  Tiny, fragile pieces of yellowed paper are all I have to go on except for my memories.  She had a lot of simple recipes for sweets, things that I could make with almost no help when I was little. I remember making these butter cookies, she called them “Mermaid cookies”, she said the waves of the dough reminded her of mermaids hair or waves of the ocean…  I never had a luxury as an adult of asking my mother for a recipe, but I like that some things, like these cookies, I can make from memory, as though she keeps guiding me.

A simple butter cookie is all that my husband needs to be happy…. I can bake my heart out, create complex cakes and tarts, bake macaroons and croissants, and he will still long for a simple butter cookie of his childhood.   We are a family of children at heart… each trying to recreate that one perfect long-ago moment….  A glass of milk and a dunking cookie is his idea of peace. 

This is not a fancy recipe, but the one that brings me and my husband back to our childhood.  It is the “everyday”  biscuit to bring a little whimsical comfort to our very grown up lives.

It is also the only cookie for which I give measurements in grams, as I learned to make it in the world where there were no ounces or cups.  I can of course re-calculate it to more common measurements, but I don’t want to.  I like keeping it old fashioned, after all, my mother did not use ounces….

Mermaid Cookies

550 Grams of all-purpose flour

300 grams of butter at room temperature

250 grams of sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and the eggs and mix on low speed until well incorporated.  You may need to scrape down the sides a few times

Combine the flour, salt and the baking powder.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 or 4 installments, mixing well.

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead with your hands for a few minutes.  This will be very sticky dough with the crumbly edges.   Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or better overnight.  You want this dough to be very cold before shaping the cookies.  You can also freeze it for up to 1 month, just make sure it is wrapped up very well.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F.  Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.   Using a meat grinder or a past cutting machine, feed the dough a little at a time.  You are looking for a collection of dough tubes. 

Cut the strands coming out of the machine with scissors, making the overall length of the cookies 2 to 2.5 inches long (you can make them shorter, but I like the dunking possibilities).

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on the cooling rack otherwise the bottoms get soggy.  Serve with a glass of milk or tea.

Think of your warm and fuzzy childhood day and dig in!

Whole roasted Pmfrei with Kumquats and Chilies

Granted, when I ask my standard “How do you cook that?”, I sometimes get a perplexed look, but as soon as you convince them that you are not a psycho, people open up.  I have noticed that most people love to talk about food, especially if you seem sincerely interested in their ethnic cuisine.   Last week was not a waste, as I waited in line at the fish counter in an Asian supermarket, I saw an Indian woman buying a whole live cat fish.  She asked for it to be hacked into small byte size pieces and that sparked my interest.  Surely she was not going to fry it Southern style?  I asked what she intended to do with it, and after she got over the initial shock of a red-headed creature in sweats asking her stupid questions, she gave me a wonderful recipe for a traditional Indian fish stew with lentils ( I suspect it is a version of Daal but can’t be sure).  A few minutes later I saw a man ordering up some Milk fish, which I was eyeing, but new nothing off, so I asked.  I got another great recipe for this firm fleshed fish poached in coconut milk and spices.  I am thoroughly convinced that the best recipes do not come from cookbooks; they come from people whose moms and grandmothers made these dishes since the beginning of time.

Browsing the same Asian supermarket, I stumble onto some kumquats and some beautifully perfect hot peppers.  I can’t tell you what type of chili these were, because there are over 4000 types of chili peppers in the world, and these were labeled with hieroglyphs (which must have reflected the real name) and English translation of simply “Long Hot Peppers”…  Sometimes I think these English translations are meant to mock the average English speaking person… like if you don’t know what it is and cannot read whatever language, you have no business being in this store… not that I care.  I am adventures, I will try anything, once due to this bad labeling I ended up with a sauce that smelled like rotten eggs and decomposing flesh all at once… the label simply said “Vietnamese sauce for vegetables”.

So back to the peppers and kumquats, both looked so good that I bought them along with four large Pompano fish which I intended to roast.   The peppers, fruit and a few other ingredients looked so good and colorful together that I thought of roasting the fish using them all.  It is hard to ruin a whole roasted fish.  This dish came out phenomenal, the fish was scented with citrus, with a slight heat from the chilies and it looked beautiful.

Whole roasted Pompano with Kumquats and Chilies

4 Pompano fish, head and tail on, just gutted and cleaned

1 large yellow onion sliced thin

Handful of parsley  

Handful of cilantro

1 lemon sliced thin

1 lime sliced thin

A handful of kumquats sliced thin

1 or two hot red chili peppers sliced thin

1 inch knob of fresh ginger sliced thin

Olive oil

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Line a baking sheet with sliced onions,

parsley and cilantro. 

Pre-slice all the components so that you are all set up to stuff the

 fish. 

Season each fish inside with salt and pepper and stuff with a slice of lemon, slice of lime, ginger, kumquats and chilies.

Drizzle the outside of the fish on both sides with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Place the fish on the bed of onions and herbs and scatter the remaining ingredients all over the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through and opaque.  I like to turn on the broiler for the last 3 minutes of cooking to crisp up the skin.  Serve whole.

Lemon Souffle

My daughter and I were watching an old episode of Chopped All-stars, where both Aaron Sanchezand and Geoffrey Zakarian were dueling in the battle of soufflés for the final desert round.  It dawned on me, that I don’t remember the last time I made a soufflé.  It is just not one of my “go to” dishes, savory or sweet, due to the fact that it has to be prepared while you are eating dinner and served immediately.  But I love soufflés, I miss them, it is like eating clouds (at least it is the way it should be).  And soufflés are not something to be afraid of, if a few basic rules are followed, they will always come out perfectly puffed, will not fall and are not hard to make.  And you can vary your ingredients and spices in thousands of ways, making this a very versatile dish.  Cheese soufflés for example can be the most decadent thing you ever eat.

As we were about to start cooking a simple Sunday supper and I had all ingredients on hand, I decided to teach my daughter how to make a soufflé.  She begged for chocolate of course, but after a long debate we settled on a good, old fashioned, lemon soufflé.  I like my soufflé “eggy”, preferably made with duck eggs ( these are richer and smoother than chicken eggs), but the duck eggs in my fridge were already reserved for making pasta, so I went with plain old chicken eggs. 

Soufflés came out beautiful, tall and puffy, with a hint of lemons and angel like softness and richness from the yolks.

Next time you are not in a rush and would like to impress someone with “It must be so hard to make!” desert, go for a soufflé… It works as comfort food as well.

Lemon Soufflé

Makes 4 soufflés

6 egg yolks.

9 egg whites

8 tbs plus 3 more of sugar

2 tbs of melted butter, cooled

2/3 cup of crème fresh

3 tbs of cake flour

Zest of 3 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp of lemon extract

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 tbs of butter and castor sugar for the ramekins

A few basic soufflé making rules:

-          Most soufflés are baked at 375F

-          If baking individual soufflés they take 22 minutes  ( just like a risotto)

-          You should preheat a baking sheet which the ramekins will go on with the oven, this way, your soufflé gets a decent amount of heat from the bottom right away.

-          You should bake on the middle rack and there should be no other oven racks above your soufflés or they will not rise properly.

-          You can make the base ahead of time, but the whites must be incorporated right before you bake.

-          Don’t take your soufflé out of the oven right away.  Turn the oven off and let them cool for 3-5 minutes before taking them out.

-          If your soufflé doesn’t rise or falls (which shouldn’t happen if you follow the rules), just call it pudding and go on with your life… it will still be delicious.

Preheat the oven to 375F with a baking sheet inside.  Prepare the ramekins by buttering them (not too thick) and dusting the insides with castor sugar ( you can use regular granulated sugar as well).  Make the base.  Whip egg yolks with 8 tbs of sugar until pale yellow and ribbons appear on the surface.  Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract.  Next stir in the melted butter and crème fresh. Sift the flour and gently stir it in, the mixture should be the consistency of smooth pancake batter, slightly runny is ok.

Whip the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks appear.  Add the 3 tbs of sugar slowly, one at a time and continue beating until the peaks are firm and hold their shape.

Take half of the egg whites and fold them gently with a spatula into the base.  You want to work from the outside of the bowl, folding from the bottom.  Do not stir, or you will deflate the batter.

Fill your ramekins with the soufflé batter about 2/3.  Top each ramekin with a “hat” using the rest of the egg whites.  Smooth out the tops with a spatula. 

Bake for 22 minutes, until the soufflés have risen and the tops are golden brown.  Do not open the oven while baking, patience is a virtue.  Turn off the oven and let cool inside without opening the oven door for 3 to 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

I imagine this is what angels eat! Pure clouds!

Travels and Tastes - New Orleans

If you are cuckoo, eccentric, oddball and bazar, you might be thinking of making your way to the West coast.  But if you care more about “your music” and just having a good time, then saving dolphins and growing your own chickens, places for oddballs ( like Santa Cruz) will simply not take you.  You would be better off to just head straight for New Orleans, they will take anyone… no special butterfly loving skills needed, just an open mind.

If you are cuckoo, eccentric, oddball and bazar, you might be thinking of making your way to the West coast.  But if you care more about “your music” and just having a good time, then saving

dolphins and growing your own chickens, places for

oddballs ( like Santa Cruz) will simply not

take you.  You would be better off to just head straight for

New Orleans, they will take anyone…

no special butterfly loving skills needed, just an open mind.

Having now been to New Orleans twice, I am now thoroughly

convinced that it is the most insane place on earth.  Where

else can you get a drink at 8 a.m., drink it on the street, while

browsing windows of strip bars and fine antiques all on the

same block.  If you are to thoroughly enjoy New Orleans,

you need to check your idea of common sense and

inhibitions at the airport…you also might want to leave your

wallet, and liver there too.

The first time I was in New Orleans was a little less than a

year before Katrina.  This time around I was wondering if I

would see the effects of the storm…   No you can’t see the

effects with the naked eye (not in most neighborhoods

anyway), no damaged buildings or closed businesses… but

the damage is there.  “The Storms” come up in every single

conversation with anyone, cab drivers, tour guides,

bartenders… there is a “before” and “after” New Orleans. 

“Before” and “After” lives.  Some folks have recovered

financially and some are still struggling, but all, without

exception, are scared in some way.  And even though the

city has bounced back and lost none of its beauty or crazy

charm, even though the “good times” are rolling all over the

place, there will always be “the before and after” New

Orleans.

We have managed to do it all in the short two days, even

becoming a local attraction (you can see how attractive here).  More time would have been

nice, but if we have stayed two more days, I think I would

need a liver transplant.

So here is a little photo journal, on having a good time New

Orleans way:

You start with the breakfast of champions – a Bloody Mary. 

 You will have many more of them throughout the day, but

the first one is most important, it sets the whole’s day mood.

Toast to the new day!

Enjoy the music, dancing on the street is not only allowed,

but encouraged.

You many need a nap by 10 a.m., go ahead take one… you

will need the energy later.

 

Relax in a courtyard under

the beautiful cast iron work…

 Now I remember why I love

all the ornate wrought iron

and have it all over the place

in my house…

Or take in the Garden District.  If you are bold enough, you

may actually get to talk to some of the gardners to rich and

famous.

Stop by at the French Market and sample some local flair …

Have them shuck right in front of you.

I love oysters, they just don’t love me back… didn’t prevent

everyone from consuming dozens and dozens. So fat, so

juicy with the scent of the sea!

There are paintings of oysters all over the galleries of New

Orleans, I don’t know why, when you can just get the real

thing and eat it too.

Mountains of craw fish… if you are a craw fish fan, these are

boiled simply with lemon, bay leaf, red chilly flake, salt, black

 pepper corns and parsley…

Get a pound, or six and go ahead, make a mess…

After being thoroughly fed and watered (not with water… no

way), you may want to pretend to be the Queen of

England… go ahead, in this city no one will mind

Or put your “crazy” on!

Or take a bath to wash off the day!

And just before you settle for the never ending night of jazz

and party… one more snack at cafe Du Monde… chicory

Café O’ulait and Beignets.

We will certainly be back to this wonderfully nuts city!  In the

meantime, we will miss it, or it may miss us more!

And Another! 

Speaking of Bloody Mary’s, I don’t understand why only in

New Orleans they manage to make this cocktail this good.

And it is good almost everywhere, almost all restaurants, and

whole in the wall or not bars… everywhere.  They pretty

much got their mixology all figured out…even their Long

Island Iced teas taste better than in Long Island ( why do

they call it a LIT anyway?)

Have another!

Take in some historical scenery…. Go on a tour, preferably

before noon, you may not care very much about the city’s

history after a few of those excellent drinks.

Don’t Call me Muffin! – Coffee Cake

How many times have you contemplated a healthy breakfast?  How many times did you reach for a bran or carrot muffin, thinking,” this is not so bad, better than bacon and eggs, right”?  Wrong!  The word “muffin” actually means “cake”, and that is exactly what it is, laden with butter and sugar… I will stick to bacon and eggs, thank you very much.

But if you are in a mood for a sweet treat with your morning or afternoon coffee or tea… go for it, just  call it what it is…. a deceptively good, baked sweet.  I tried to lighten things up a bit, using no butter in this recipe for “not muffins”, let’s call them cinnamon swirl coffee cakes.

Cinnamon swirl coffee cakes

½ cup of yogurt or buttermilk

½ cup of sour cream

1 egg

1 ¼ cup sugar

4 tbs ground cinnamon

¼ cup vegetable oil

12 oz of cake flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp of baking soda

A pinch of salt

1 tbs butter for buttering the muffin forms.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Make the cinnamon filling by combining ¼ cup of sugar with all the cinnamon.  Add a splash of water and mix.  You are looking for a thin paste consistency.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk together the yogurt, sour cream, egg, sugar and vegetable oil until combined.

Add the dry goods and mix until just combined.  Don’t over mix.

Scoop some batter into the buttered muffin forms.  Top with about a teaspoon of the cinnamon filling, than add a little more batter to top off.  Do not fill the forms all the way to the top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan half-way through the cooking.  Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out dry.  Once baked, invert the pan onto a tea towel right away and cool the cakes on the cooling rack so they don’t become soggy.

 

Don’t these just scream “Eat me, but don’t call me muffin!”