From my oven of lovin'

Love is the buzz word of the week. It's ok. Valentine's Day can be a spectacle but it can also just be a day to take a pause and give an extra long hug to the ones you love from your sweetie to your friends to your family.

For those of us still sporting a few extra holiday pounds (ahem....), it can also be a tricky time with lavish displays of chocolate in every store and delicious looking chocolate recipes on every website. This year I decided to focus on the meal and enjoyed tasty dry aged rib eye steaks and a nice bottle of red wine instead of baking up a chocolate explosion. The problem is that I'm still feeling a nagging ache from my sweet tooth. And no, it's not a cavity...this time. I just realized that it has been a while since I have baked so why not extend the week of love and bake something tasty but not quite so decadent.

When I'm in the mood for a dessert that satisfies without bringing too much guilt I immediately go to a recipe for biscotti from my culinary school classes. A great deal of the recipes from the pastry and baking part of the curriculum are from the talented cookbook author and teacher Nick Malgieri as is this recipe for Biscotti Napoletani. It has no eggs, butter or oil. The only fat comes from the almonds in the dough which is lightly flavored with honey and ground cinnamon. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about honey. Some of the almonds are finely ground while the remainder are left whole so the end result is a nubbly, crunchy treat.



Chocolate shavings get mixed in





Although the recipe is perfect the way it is, I sometimes change a few things and today was no exception. I added a few handfuls of finely chopped good bittersweet chocolate to the dry ingredients. I then mixed in the honey and water from the recipe and was ready to divide the dough into the two logs for baking when I had a second thought.




Since you have to divide the dough in half anyway, why not add one more ingredient to half the dough and end up with two flavors from the one batch. I poked around my cupboard and used tongs to get to the back of the top cabinet where I stash all my baking goodies and found some dried cherries I forgot I had. Perfect. I chopped up a handful of dried cherries and kneaded them into the second log of dough.


Ready for the first baking. Cherries on the left.

 After baking up golden brown and firm, the logs cool slightly and then get sliced and baked a second time until the cut sides feel dry and firm. As a disclaimer, I realize they are not really biscotti until they are baked the second time but they sure are tasty as a soft cookie after a single baking.


yummy. Ready for the second baking. Except for that little piece on the end...

*Note: This recipe was provided to us with the measurements in weight. It's the most precise way to bake as it does not allow for different ways of measuring flour and sugar and placing the bowl on a scale is actually faster then getting out your set of measuring cups. If you do not have a scale (you should get one) you can find services online to convert the weight to cups but there may be some change to the texture of the dough.

Biscotti Napoletani
Recipe courtesy of Nick Malgieri

10 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces granulated sugar
8 ounces unblanched almonds, 4 ounces finely ground and 4 ounces left whole
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 fluid ounces honey
3 fluid ounces water

1. Combine all the ingredients except the honey and water in a mixing bowl and stir 1 minute or 2 to mix. Add the honey and water and stir until a firm dough forms.

2. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide in half. Roll each half into a log about 15 inches long. Put both logs, spaced well apart, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until well-risen, firm, and a dark gold.

3. Remove from the oven, cool the logs slightly, and place on a cutting board. Sliced the logs diagonally and at 1/2-inch intervals with a serrated knife. Return the cut biscotti to the pan, cut side down, and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and dry. Cool on the pan.

A Few of My Favorite Things

When I meet somebody new and they find out I work in food one of the first things they ask me is what I like to eat. I think they are expecting I am going to name some rare cheese that costs $50 an ounce and is matured in a volcanic cave under the ocean. They would be disappointed.
I do love food, but I am one of the plainest eaters around. I could have toast every morning for breakfast and be happy...on white bread...from the supermarket. I do not care for truffles, caviar or sea urchin which statement usually prompts a colleague to insist if I just try this specific kind or this specific preparation that it will change my mind. It won't. That's OK. I'll spend my money on good champagne instead. That...I like.
This is not to say I don't appreciate good quality or that I won't spend a little more on certain things that I really like. Last year I was gifted a bottle of smoked olive oil and loved how it could transform simple boiled lentils or greens so I bought some as Christmas gifts this year. It's just that I equally love such inexpensive plain things such as beans so much that I have been known to eat them straight out of a can in very generous amounts. I'm not planning to wrap those up as a gift anytime soon.
So I thought I would draft a short list of 10 of the foods I like the best and why. In no particular order and for the amusement of all:

1. Elderflower liqueur/syrup:
        It is such a unique floral-ish fruit-ish flavor that can stand up to strong flavors, like gin, but also blend with more delicate flavors without overpowering them. Delicious in a cocktail, mocktail or fruit salad. Yummy.
2. Beans:
        Beans really do have their own flavor. Vaguely nutty and earthy, I find them so satisfying and hearty. Cooked from dry or just from a can, I like them all. I also appreciate the huge difference between the firm chickpea, the creamy pinto bean and the slightly starchy black bean.
3. Peanut butter:
       It's sweet. It's savory. It's creamy. Sigh...I love it. I have it in oatmeal or toast for breakfast, with an apple for a snack and for dinner I have come to adding spoonfuls to my barbecue sauces, stir frys and Thai curries. It gives lovely body to the sauces and a rich mouth feel. I don't really go for the oil-on-top stir peanut butters as I find they can taste like dirt but I love how the bigger brands are making a natural version with just a few simple ingredients but still emulsified. I can find a way to eat some everyday.
4. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese:
      The king of all cheeses in my opinion. I took my love of Cheddar to a new place when living in Dublin and have found it is one of the cheeses that has really exploded in terms of varieties offered. There are farmhouse Cheddars, Irish Cheddars, aged Cheddars and the choice of mild, sharp, extra sharp and extra extra sharp in both white and orange. I do single out the extra sharp as the top choice for the face that it is creamy while still a bit firm, slightly crumbly and melts like a dream.
5. Orange colored artificially flavored snack foods:
       That's right. Doritos, Cheetos, Cheddar flavored potato chips, Popchips and rice cakes, Combos, Orange soda...I realize the word "food" should be used loosely with these, but they are such a guilty pleasure that I can not shake. It may all stem from a severe childhood allergy to food coloring where I couldn't have the majority of processed foods. After I grew out of it, I couldn't get enough. It's a rare treat now, but I still love them.
6. Gummy and chewy candies:
       I have plenty of fillings thanks to this love. Haribo is a brand of particular enjoyment of gummies but I will also go for the candies from Chinatown, Starburst, gum drops, jelly beans and the old fashioned Tootsie roll. It's all good. I once received a college care package of animal crackers and a 5lb bag of gummy bears. So. Good.
7. Ice Cream:
      I have lots of childhood memories associated with ice cream. Maybe because growing up in Winnipeg, summer was a VERY special, and short, time. I remember how my grandfather loved maple ripple and would make himself a big bowl when he thought my grandmother wasn't looking. We had a little ice cream shack at the base of a bridge you would walk on with your ice cream (called, appropriately enough, The Bridge) and they would roll your entire vanilla cone in crunchy rainbow nonpareils or dip it in a hard chocolate shell. At the beach, we always stopped at the end of the day to get a cone. My sister once got blue raspberry and it turned her whole mouth bright blue. I always got bubble gum which had real bits of gum mixed in so you could squirrel the gum bits in the side of your mouth and when the ice cream was gone you could chew your saved gum. I could love it for the memories but also because, who are we kidding, it is delicious! Rich and creamy, smooth or crammed full of chunks, topped with fruit or hot fudge sauce, I always have a compartment in my tummy for a serving or two.
8. Bourbon:
     I've only recently come to enjoy bourbon. I never really liked any hard liquor as I found I couldn't sort out a discernible flavor from the intense fumes, very different from wine and beer. I started working more often with people who really enjoy bourbon and were gracious enough to share a taste with me. Bit by bit and sip by sip I started to taste the different flavors and enjoy the nuances between different distilleries. Now I enjoy bourbon more than beer. 
9. Pickles:
     I'm not only talking about a cucumber pickle. Beets, green beans, carrots, onions, ramps, hot peppers and brussels sprouts all fit right in that slot too. Oh, and I forgot about ginger, radishes, okra....I think you get the idea. I like my pickles very cold and salty rather than sweet. Herbs are a delicious flavor in the pickling liquid and I always throw a few cloves of garlic in my brine when I make pickles at home. I enjoy them as a snack or in a sandwich and can't seem to keep a jar around for very long. I'll confess too that the majority of the reason I first decided to try growing cucumbers was the enticing thought of always have a supply of cucumbers to pickle!
10. Corn (in all it's lovely forms)
     Corn might be one of the most versatile and delicious foods around. Cornmeal, corn tortillas, corn chips, hominy, on the cob, kernels. Outside of someone with an allergy or intolerance I don't know anyone who does not enjoy corn. It is gluten free as well so corn muffins and breads are a great offering at a gathering for people with mixed gluten problems.
11. Honey (The Bonus Food!)
      I have a special love for honey so I decided to put it at a special place on my top ten list. Melissa is derived from the Greek word for honeybee. I have decided that is why I must love honey so much. I enjoy replacing some of the sugar in baking recipes with honey. When I am not feeling well, a hot tea with honey and a splash of brandy is my personal brand of medicine. I once bought a jar of cranberry honey from an Amish farmstand in New Jersey and although the color was the typical amber brown, the sweet honey had a bit of a tart edge to it and tickled me every time I tasted it. It transforms plain yogurt into a sweet treat and adds a sticky touch to a savory glaze for fish or poultry. Honey was my favorite dipping sauce for chicken mcnuggets when I got a happy meal as a child. It is good and good for you and I want to go put some in my hot cocoa right now.

So there you have it. Although I have to right to change my mind at any time about these foods, I probably won't. And that's OK.

Inspiration

Growing up I never really considered myself an overly creative person. I couldn't draw a straight line if you paid me and loved the concrete formulas and solutions that maths such as algebra and calculus offered. I dabbled with writing poetry, but was always overshadowed by my more talented older sister. I learned to play guitar and sang in small coffeehouse performances (I was only boo-ed during my first performance ever), but wasn't talented enough to make the school musical at my very competitive high school. Perhaps that is why it shocked no one more than me when I decided to go to culinary school because I wanted to become a recipe developer and food editor and be a part of the conversation of creating recipes and food content.
My mother always had magazines and cookbooks that we would contentedly leaf through over a mug of tea in the afternoons and evenings. I remember reading Canadian Living when we were in Winnipeg and then Southern Living when we moved down to Dallas. With such a big family to cook for every day, she was always looking for something new to add to the dinner rotation and I loved being surprised by new ideas, ingredients and flavors. A casserole with black beans, Tex-Mex flavors and a cheesy lasagna-esque layer...sweet almond kissed butter cookies...the million dollar winning cake from the Pillsbury Bake-Off that featured a can of pears as a secret ingredient...so many great ideas!
It has been a bumpy 11 years since I decided to enter the work study program at ICE and eventually obtain my Culinary Arts diploma, but I am now contributing to the food world with ideas and recipes and techniques and still get a bit of a thrill when I see my recipes in print, or read a positive review online from someone who really enjoyed the meal and better yet, plans to add it into their usual dinner rotation to shake things up.
Now that I am contributing, I face a new dilemma. I sometimes find myself needing some inspiration. Every person who cooks has a favorite item they use all the time, whether it's oregano, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, or even ketchup. When I am brainstorming for projects, however, I have to be careful to not always go to my own culinary comfort zone but branch out and try to offer flavors that will appeal to a wide audience. It's not always easy. For example, I really do not like anchovies, but sometimes it is just the right addition to a dish that will really have wide appeal and I must put my own personal tastes aside and judge it in a neutral, almost detached, frame of mind.
I am lucky to work with great people who offer tips, thoughts and ideas and I read as much as I can to try and think about ingredients and techniques in new ways. Between those two sources of help and inspiration I can usually find my way through my blocks and stumbles . It is my own kind of creativity I can offer and I'll take it. I may have to since I still can't draw a straight line but I can roll dough to an even thickness or slice uniform pieces of chilled cookie dough. Maybe not an even trade, but it works for me.

Tales from a Novice Gardener

It has been almost 4 years since my sweetie and I bought our house. It was also January and we had about 2 pieces of furniture to bring with us, so I was way more concerned with the inside of the house than the outside. As we settled in and the weather warmed up, my other half (who has a very green thumb) announced one sunny Saturday morning that it was time to ready our garden. Now, let me be clear about a few things. We live in Jersey City about 3 blocks from the PATH train so "garden" is a loose term for the L-shaped strip of dirt that runs along the side and front of our house. It's probably about 14-inches wide, and I really didn't think we would be able to grow much of anything. That first year we just turned the soil to get rid of all those huge rocks that like to get in the way and added about 1,000 pounds of top soil and 700 pounds of mulch. I counted the bags. The next year it was flowers. The next year I added basil, thyme and some cucumber sprouts that were calling my name at Lowe's. When my cucumbers grew into a huge bush that I thought was beyond possible, I realized that I could try something a little different next year. So this year I saw a 6-inch little shoot at Lowe's and the tag read tomatillos. Great. Perfect.
As a chef, I have used tomatillos in a bunch of different ways, although there is nothing wrong with a good old salsa verde. I thought I would get a few dozen fruit, make some salsa and maybe some preserves...you know, play around. Things did not go exactly as planned.
The plant started to grow well...a little too well. The tag said 60 days for fruit and around that time I did see a few husks forming, but for the most part I had a huge bush seemingly growing several inches each day with tons and tons of flowers all over. The bees have been very happy...and a little territorial.

See the little husks growing...cute, no?



Yeah...it's even bigger now. That fence is about 5 and half feet tall.

So I ended up with a big tangle of cucumbers (you can see their big leaves on the right hand side of the photo) and tomatillos but was surprised to find that it was several weeks from the time a husk would form to the time I had a tomatillo ready to pick. I would go to this giant plant with my scissors and find only one or two ready in all this greenery. Perhaps if I had pruned the plant back I would have had a better yield, but these are the things you learn when you try something new.
For the past few weeks I have been collecting the tomatillos and today I finally had enough to make a salsa.



Garlic, onion, Fresno pepper, tomatillos




So nice and charred under the broiler.




Blended up with lots of fresh cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Spicy!

With the warm weather holding out, there are still tons of baby husks popping out all over the plant, so I'm hoping I will get an end of the year bumper crop. If not, that's ok too. I'm still proud to have grown a lovely garden this year full of life and learned a few lessons for next year.

Bright and Breezy

The hurricane has passed. The water is ebbing, the power is being restored, businesses are reopened and people are back to work.
Most of us in New York City, the surrounding boroughs and across the Hudson in Jersey City embraced the usual jaded, whatever attitude. It's not that there wasn't concern about the severity of what could have been coming, but we couldn't stop the storm, don't experience this very often and besides posting out of boredom on Facebook, didn't know what to do except to eat and drink. I admit, I was caught up in it as well. Saturday afternoon I had a sudden flash that if power went out and I didn't want to cook in the dark  I didn't have enough snacks! Off to my local 7-11, which as both open and well supplied. I didn't lose power (gratefully) and just ended up with a weekend of too many snacks and perhaps a few too many glasses of wine. This seemed to resonate with many of my friends.
So if the official drink of last weekend was the Hurricane and perhaps a close runner up should have been the Dark and Stormy, I propose a post-hurricane drink: the Bright and Breezy. It's a refreshing and alcohol-free way to embrace a little personal recovery. After all, it's almost Friday of a holiday weekend and that will certainly be a new reason to celebrate.

Bright and Breezy
Makes 1 drink

4 small cubes watermelon, about 1/4 cup
1/4 lime, cut into small pieces
4-6 basil leaves
1/2 to 1 teaspoon honey, to taste
1 cup chilled seltzer, flavored or plain

Place watermelon cubes in the freezer until just frozen, about 30 minutes. In a glass, combine the lime, basil and honey. Crush them together with a muddler or a spoon until the limes have released their juice. Add the frozen watermelon cubes and top with seltzer.

A Sweet Solution

I've got the blues. It's true. The flood-in-the-basement-summer's-almost-over-need-to-fix-the-car-why-are-there-still-ants-in-the-kitchen blues.
I understand in the tragedies of life, this does not even register and as much as I feel like Eeyore, I can see blue skies poking through those gray clouds despite the weatherman's forecast for a day of thunderstorms. What do they know anyway?
I could just wallow, but I get a little bored after about 5 minutes of that so I guess I am going to have to look for another solution. It's time to bake some brownies.
Much like chocolate chip cookies, people seem to have very personal views of what makes the best brownie. There are many factors to consider: nuts or other stir-ins, fudgy,cakey or chewy, dark with cocoa powder or light and sweet? Also, don't forget about the "dark" horse in the race: the blondie! Much like me, it is the red headed stepchild of the brownie world, overlooked and often passed over for it's chocolate sibling even though it is just as decadent, sweet and soul satisfying. Ok, one last wallow there I guess.
I love all baked goods so I usually try and hone in on what is calling to me on that particular day and one of my top candidates for today's pick me up is a recipe I accidentally developed. I was working on a photoshoot and had to prepare the ingredients for a television talent to make bar cookies in front of the camera. The talent aced it in the first two takes and I found myself with lots of extra ingredients. Since everything was measured out there was little to do with it all besides throw it away or bake yet another batch of the talent's bar cookies (there were already about 4 or 5 batches kicking around the kitchen from the shoot). Since I hate to throw food away, I stood there looking at the tray of ingredients in front of me and realized I had what I needed to make some brownies if I just changed things around. I melted the butter with some chocolate instead of creaming it, kicked up the cocoa powder and mixed in the room temperature cream cheese for flavor and texture. The result were soft and creamy brownies studded with chocolate chips. The best part is that these brownies are best served warm or just room temperature so there is no need to wait.
A little treat to yourself is sometimes all it takes to brush the raindrops off your shoulders and realize that the clouds are gone for now and it's time to feel a little sun on your face.

Creamy Triple Chocolate Brownies

 by Melissa Gaman

½ cup unsalted butter

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon fine salt

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

¾ cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup flour

2 tablespoons milk

¼ cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil, allowing a 2” overhang and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and chocolate until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa and salt until smooth. Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the chocolate mixture until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, and then the vanilla. Alternately add the flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour, until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spread evenly and sprinkle with the chocolate chips.

Bake until the top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan about 15 minutes and then, using the foil overhang, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 brownies.

Food Memories

Memories are tricky things. They slowly sway around in your mind and step into sharp focus when you least expect them. They are not necessarily about cataloging the truth, but about taking a mental and physical snapshot of a moment and, in that way, memories become singularly unique to each person.

When I was 9 years old my family moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Dallas, Texas. People often raise their eyebrows at this and comment on what a huge shift it must have been. That is an understatement.

When I lived in Winnipeg I was surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends down the street. My favorite times were the long afternoons we would spend with my maternal grandparents. My grandmother is Welsh and moved to Canada after meeting my grandfather during World War II when she was a nurse and he an injured soldier. Her Welsh sensibilities always had us children being productive and doing something. We would help her shell peas, trail my grandfather around his garden or be left to practice the wood burning techniques he had taught us with some old wood and a magnifying glass.

Then, we would all come together for dinner. I don't actually remember what we had for dinner, but I specifically remember dessert. She made amazing date and oat squares (she calls them matrimonial squares) or maybe a  lemon bundt cake with a sweet tart lemon glaze that would gently pool at the bottom of the cake and we would swipe off the plate with our fingers when she wasn't looking. Sometimes it was a big bowl of ice cream. Maple ripple was my grandfather's favorite. And sometimes it was a big bowl of strawberries with a small bowl of sugar next to it. I wasn't much for believing that fruit was really dessert, but when I dipped those strawberries in sugar it was more than enough for me. I loved how the sugar stayed a little crunchy against the soft berries and the sugar bowl would slowly become tinged pink. I could never believe how good, sweet, ripe...perfect they tasted.

 

The last few weeks have brought local strawberries to my farmers market. Stopping to buy a quart one day the farmer told me to lean in and smell them. They were picked at 4am that day and were the essence of strawberry. In a moment I was back sitting at my grandmother's table in the house she still lives in, in a t-shirt and shorts, blissfully unaware that those long afternoons were about to become only memories.

I did the only thing I thought was right. I came home, put a bunch of strawberries

on a plate, poured a little bowl of raw sugar and added a spoonful of mascarpone cheese to the plate (I guess some things can change a little.)

As I savored the crunchy sugar against the sweet berries and rich mascarpone I let my mind wonder about how much these memories played into my decision to work in the culinary world. Would different childhood memories have altered my future?

  

 I suppose it's impossible to know, but by the time I finished my plate, my spirit felt a little lighter. It was the best quart of strawberries I have every bought.