Mastering the Art of Julia Child

In the hunt for food this past week, I came home with a rabbit. Yup, I bagged that varmint in the meat cooler at the grocery store. Don't jump all over me about Thumper. It was just a cartoon and when was the last time you heard about "Mad Bunny Disease" or "Hare Flu"? I then deftly carved it up into pieces with my handy poultry shears (which ironically I sometimes search for uses for). Then I searched for a recipe..... And settled on 'Lapin au Saupiquet' or 'Rabbit Marinated in Vinegar and Herbs, and Stewed in Red Wine' from volume Two of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and Simone Beck. I inherited three Julia Child cookbooks from 'the husband's' family. My sister in law chucked them into a pile for me, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One and Two & Julia Child and Company. For good measure she also threw in 'La Rousse Gastronomique' and two massive enameled cast iron lidded casseroles for which cooking anything from Julia Child is a must. She might have been trying to tell me something, herself a very good cook. I started to marinate the rabbit on Friday night thinking, "How hard can this be as its just a stew?" Saturday in the 'Globe and Mail', as if a sign from God, was an article on Julie Powell. Julie Powell is the woman who decided to cook every recipe in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and document it on her blog, http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html. Julie now has a book deal! The rest of Saturday morning I read excerpts from Julie's Blog and also checked out The American History Museum exhibit on Julia Child's kitchen on the web . It is a really great exhibit with all kinds of info. I read the history of Paul and Julia Child (I think they were spies?) . I admired her vintage Garland Range (It can hold two Turkeys). I was surprised to learn that Paul Child designed and picked the colours for the kitchen and reported these finding to 'the husband'. I felt as one with the J's and set about to work at around 5:30, 1. Large Bowl for the Marinade 2. Pot for Blanching the Bacon for Lardoons ( which I had forgotten and had to run back to the store) 3. Large frying pan for, onions and bacon, browning rabbit and then for reducing the marinade and wine ( Funny enough the wine I used was 'French Rabbit', I kid you not!) 4. Casserole for the Rabbit 5. Pot two for the Prunes. 6. Large measuring cup for stock 7. Tongs, slotted spoon and assorted spatulas. 8. Pot three for Mashed Potatoes 9. Potato ricer 10. Small frypan for the croutons By the time I had marinated, blanched, browned, tossed, boiled, simmered, stewed, riced and served the kitchen was a disaster and coming up on 9:00. The rabbit was beautiful served with croutons on mashed potatoes . Julia Child suggests sauted zucchini but 'the husband', who cleans up, appreciated one less pan to a green vegetable so it was green salad on the side. Later cuddled up as we drifted off to sleep, 'the husband' who designed and chose the colours for our kitchen asked, "Did Paul Child clean up after Julia's creations?' I said that he had and asked why. He countered, "He designed it so he would know where everything went back to on the pegboard walls after the big cleanup, smart guy". I think so too. Cooking Julia is hard work, the cleanup is harder but worth the benefits. My hat is off to Julie Powell.

Italian (with a capital I) Plums

I put the capital in for all of you who are watching The Apprentice. (What the heck were they thinking, IT LOOKED BETTER??) I am in a huge denial after returning to Canada from France. (note the capitals) Firstly, grocery stores have no fresh food from local markets. Secondly, my usual grocery store Sobey's is on strike, and we do not cross picket lines if all avoidable (Thank God, the LCBO was able to reach an agreement earlier this year). Thirdly, the wonderful food that I made notes on in France, seems unattainable. (My cooking has declined into cardboard tasting facsimiles. I have two jars of truffles on the mantel which I am to afraid to cook with, mocking me) So all this week I was thinking about nice and easy comfort food. I thought of my father who was, in my mind a great and fearless cook. With him I think of 'Sausages with Stewed Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes' which was to me the height of gastronomic satisfaction as a child and it was his favorite comfort food. Kiebasa, ditto. This week I made one of his signatures, Billy's Fried Potatoes. Canned potatoes, (yes really) chopped green onion, and butter - fried until golden and crisp. I make it once in a while. I know its cheesy but its quick and easy, 'the husband' loves it and so do I. My ultimate comfort food is associated with my Mother, 'Poached Egg on Toast'. Nobody, I mean Nobody, can make it like her. After my car accident last year, she came right over and whipped it up for me served with a nice cup of tea. I love my Mom! This week I also made another of my Mothers favorite comfort foods, Stewed Plums. Sweet, bright red and juicy, they could to some look like a science experiment gone off, but trust me on this one. You can eat them warm or at room temperature by themselves with a slice of blue cheese on the side, or over Icecream or Vanilla Yogurt. Refridgerate the leftovers and serve for breakfast over granola with yogurt. YUMMY and good for you, just ask my Mom! Stewed Plums 10-12 Italian Prune Plums (the purple oval ones, the more ripe the better) water 1/4 cup of sugar (aprox) Zest of Lemon ( optional) You can pit the Plums, but I don't and my mother never did (much to the chagrin of 'the husband' who I forgot to tell, but he still has all his teeth) Place the plums in a pot. Cover 1/2 to 3/4 up the plums with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1/2 hour until soft. Sprinkle in zest and sugar to taste. Stir to break the plums and let cool.

Back in the land of Reality, and bad food

Are there really still places in France which it seems as though time has not touched? Where vintage "Citroen" cars still amble through the heart of town? Where a walk down to the market with a basket on a Saturday morning is the norm? Where houses have charming shutters and 'faux bois' fences that would make Martha Stewart envious. Where bread and pastries are displayed in shop windows as jewels, not to mention the tastes. Where the words "line cook" do not exist? Where you are truly a guest in a restaurant and are made to feel as such? Yes! And this gem of a place is "Le Bugue", in the heart of the 'Perigord Noir'. This is the land of Walnuts, Chestnuts, Foie Gras, Truffles, Duck, Pork and Fish not to mention the other staples that no self respecting 'Frenchman' would live without- Cheese, Wine and Bread. Too many to taste - and describe! We sampled 4 restaurants in the town on our week stay. The first the 'Velo Rouge' attached to our lovely hotel. The second the '3 A's' which is run by a charming husband and wife team. The third is 'L'abreuvoir' and the fourth was, 'Le Pha', (the local Asian restaurant which was you guessed, packed with locals go figure). All excellent in their own way, each charming, and most importantly with excellent food and service. Too much to describe in one post. And currently too "crazy in the kitchen" as of yet share a recipe. I am currently perfecting two dishes. First my "Perigourdines Roast Chicken" and secondly my " Poulet Tourte". I hope to share them soon. This does lead me to a question of what your most favorable travel experience meal, and have you tried to recreate it?

Adventures in Cooking

I have no gift for languages. But I humour myself that I can read any menu~ and after all cooking is universal. So surfing the net last week when I went into Molisana's website and translated a recipe from it, I howled with laughter as it came back . Thanks to the free translation at http://www.babblefish.com/ Clear as MUD! ( is was free after all) The orginal recipe is : http://www.lamolisana.it/cgi-bin/webdriver?MIval=index&idPasta=55&idFamiglia=3&idRicetta=58&lingua=ITAL

Gnocchetti gratinati al caciocavallo - 350 g of gnocchetti ( I thought Gnocci, easy enough, small potato dumplings and bought them pre-made) - 2 segments of garlic ( 2 cloves of garlic) - 50 g of them them ( uh, who is them, di mandorle? So I put in 4 chopped fresh Italian tomatoes skinned and deseeded) - basil ( 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fine, my best guess and I have tones in the backyard) - 60 g of oil (about 1/4 cup) - 180 g of caciocavallo ( 3 oz grated, it said grainati, so it had to be a cheese, it is the sort of snowman shaped little top blob with a big bottom blob cheese ) - black pepper ( got it) - they knows ( yah right, original its sale, its salt.) Fluttered the garlic, them them, a tuft abounding of basil, the oil, knows them and abounding black pepper. Fairies to cook the gnocchetti in boiling water and cut to thin scaglie the caciocavallo. Conduit the pasta with the sauce already gotten ready, you it it in a heat resistant one to layers with the scaglie of cheese and passed all in oven to 200' for 5 minutes. You serve immediately. Turns out that them them or 50 g di mandorle are actually almonds and Gnocchetto is actually a pasta shaped like 'flexible conduit'. I didn't find out until today. I have no idea who the Italian fairies are who cook the pasta are but the angels hummed a little with my version. Preheat oven at 400'. Cook Gnocci in boiling salted water until they float, drain and place in a oven proof casserole. Heat oil, sauted chopped garlic until golden, add tomatoes and basil until softened. Remove from heat and salt and pepper to taste pour over the cooked Gnocci. Add grated cheese and stir and pop in oven for about 5 minutes. Serve as a side, or as substantial enough as a main course with salad and bread.

Sharing toys

The 'husband' came home from work yesterday and asked if I had looked at the comments on my blog. I think he is becoming addicted to the blog. He is really going 'high tech', he is getting his own Blackberry. The 'husband' needs it for work, and its more efficient. ( besides its really cool) He claims that on the trip to France this fall that I can update my Blog with it. Right! This from the man, who when we first met, did not know that his bank card also was his debit card. In the next breath he also added that our rental car for our trip to France had been upgraded to a Volvo, and that he promises that we will take turns driving it. Grinning ear to ear, he claims it was the best deal, really. He does have good luck with rental cars. When we went to Arizona right after September the 11th, our 'car' was upgraded to a brand new Nissan Pathfinder. We drove 1000 miles through Arizona and New Mexico mentally shooting our own car commercials. When we went to BC for my nieces wedding, our 'Escape' was upgraded to a Yukon Denalli bigger than our living room. This mammoth vehicle transported us in comfort and style. I think I got to pull it out of a parking spot once before I had to surrender it. Although he will deny it, he really just likes toys. A young 5 year old dinner guest recently asked me, "why do you have so many toys if we had no kids?" I explained that the 'husband' was the kid. Poor thing was really confused, I let her wear my Minnie Mouse ears while she tried to figure it out. I got my quarterly bonus from work last week. I spent days dreaming of Hermes Bags, ( bonus not quite big enough), the pasta attachment for my Kitchenaid Mixer (bonus big enough but, Queens Pasta is just around the corner and they sell to all the restaurants), new shoes ( those are really a necessity, and if we spend bonus money that would only limit us to shoe shopping 4 times a year) . I then had a revelation. I am going to the spa for a manicure and pedicure. Yes no high tech for me, give me creature comforts (Besides, the 'husband' has responsibly and swiftly placed the bonus in RRSP's.) So whatever I cook tonight will require the limited use of hands! Maybe just a box of bonbons, while lying in bed watching a movie. Yup, that might just be the ticket.

Pasta Puttanesca

If you ask any Italian what this means, your going to get some funny looks! Southern Italians say it must be Tuscan, Tuscans swear it comes from Venice...It goes on an on. But what you will get an agreement on is the fact that, no ones mother has ever made this. NEVER. Why? The word Puttanesca, means the style of the streetwalker, hooker or whore. basically its a really quick, on hand in the pantry, pasta and sauce. I first made it out of the Joy of Cooking which was good. Then I made it from David Rocco's Dolce Vita http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails/recipe_5417.asp, better but a bit too fussy pitting the olives and such. So, this is my version with my three new favorite ingredients. Hah! Garlic, Olives and Hot Peppers in a tube. How great is that! 6 oz of Fiesta Fettucine ( Tricoloured and a bit flashy being a street walker pasta) 1/4 cup olive oil 3 teaspoons of Garlic Puree or just chopped garlic 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chili Puree to taste 4 anchovy rolled filets wrapped around capers, Chopped into small chunks ( or the flat ones if you prefer, I had these on hand. Don't skip these either because they melt and you won't even see them but they add the smokey salt flavour) 1/4 cup sliced ripe olives ( canned) 2 teaspoons of olive puree 1 tablespoon of capers 1/3 cup pinenuts 3 cups canned chopped plum tomatoes salt and pepper Fresh Parmesan cheese to taste Boil water for pasta, add salt to the water and olive oil if you wish. Have everything on hand and pre-measured as this is a quick sauce. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan large enough to hold sauce and pasta, then add the garlic and pepper for a few seconds. Add chopped anchovies, olives, olive paste, capers and pinenuts. Cook until the pinenuts start to tinge golden. Add Tomatoes and bring to a firm simmer. Your pasta should be about done by now, just al dente, Drain and add to the pan with the sauce. Cook only until the pasta finishes cooking to your liking. ( about 2 minutes more max) Season with salt and pepper and serve with Parmesan cheese.

The Potluck Lunch

My sister is invited to a Potluck lunch next month and she asked for some ideas on what to bring. I personally avoid all contact with Potluck. I have an Aunt, who once said something to the effect of, what is the point of inviting someone to a meal if you ask them to bring part of it? I agree, if someone asks me to a meal, personally I think they should have thought the menu through. They would have carefully chosen what flavors, wine and decor that they wanted to entertain their guests with. But I digress. The first challenges in transport, it has got to go on the subway. Second challenge is ease of service, there is only a microwave available to reheat. Third challenge is what is called the "Wow factor", there is ego at stake here people. My first idea is Lentil Salad Hot, cold or at room temp this one is an easy and good one 3 slices of thick English bacon, smoked bacon, or ham chopped into cubes 2 shallots sliced into rings 1 red pepper chopped and divided into two piles 1 can of lentils ( I really like the canned ones better then doing them yourself, but if prefer dried, be my guest) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil teaspoon of garlic puree teaspoon of olive puree salt and pepper to taste. Heat a frying pan with a dab of olive oil and add, bacon and shallots. When the shallots soften and the bacon is firm and browning but not too crisp add 1/2 of the red pepper. Saute until the red pepper starts to soften. Drain and rinse the lentils, put into a medium bowl. Tip the contents of the frying pan over the lentils. Combine the rest of the ingredients in another small bowl, pour over the lentil mixture. Add the reserved red pepper and toss. Let sit for at least one hour, or better yet, covered over night in the fridge. Before serving season with salt and pepper.

Easy Last Night of Long Weekend Dinner Part 2

Hey there is limited room here!!! So tonight, something quick and easy, and in honour of AKKINS declaring bankruptcy, like it was ever going to last. Pass the bread please. Shrimp with Fettucine 1 frozen pack of tiger shrimp ( hey its Toronto, no fresh shrimp within a million miles) 1 teaspoon of Old Bay ( and or 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes) 6 oz of fettucine ( that cooks in 3 minutes) 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic or garlic puree 1/3 cup brandy ( or sherry or for that matter white wine) Salt and pepper 2 tablepoons chopped Italian parley Parmesean Cheese Have everthing ready as this is a quick recipe. Thaw and peel shrimp. Bring a pot of water big enough for the fettucine to boil, add salt and olive oil if desired. Heat olive oil in a separate pan big enough to hold the pasta. Add pasta to the boiling water, add garlic to the olive oil. Dust the shrimp with Old Bay or chili and add to the olive oil. Add brandy and bring to a boil. Pasta at this point should be 'al dente' drain and add to the shrimp. Cover and let meld for one minute. Sprinkle with parley, serve with cheese, crusty bread, green salad and a dry rose.

Easy Last Night of Long Weekend Dinner Part 1

I was the domestic diva this weekend. I think I was inspired by the Vanity Fair article on Martha Stewart and no slouch either, Tamara Mellon. I brushed off the mental task list of what needed to be accomplished, stroked out a few (sometimes it seems life is too short to whiten the tile grout in the bathroom) , and set down to making curtains. We, ( the 'husband' and I) had debated which colour to paint the kitchen. We always have as a matter of fact. When we first painted, years ago, we painstakingly chose which white and which blue to paint. Ecstatic we got to work with our final selection. What we found was we were painting it the exact same colours as the previous owner. Plan B, Off white, everywhere. In May we went to a flea market, as the 'husband' walked around muttering under his breath, JUNK , I was in heaven. I love the hunt and the kill of bagging 'the unusual' or 'the bargain'. Not a whole lot of success but, but I did manage to pick up a piece of 'Bark Cloth'. It had the most perfect shade of blue that I wanted for the kitchen and bonus it would serve as the window covering. It was funky, eclectic, fun and most importantly cheap! The extra doors for the kitchen showed up this last week and I decided that I should finally get the damn curtains made. Not only did I make the kitchen curtains, I washed, pressed and mended the other window coverings in the house. I finally tore down the horrible master bedroom coverings which started out as a another extremely good bargain........But I was just learning to sew then. They had ended up costing me a fortune and I still hated them . I did also cook this weekend, I had the blotched chicken recipe that did not work on Saturday. It included 'TWO' cups of cream so I was most bitter. I did slow roasted ribs on the barbecue with a rub, smoked with apple chips. Very good but, frankly, a lot more work then popping them in the oven with a good sauce.

A Tale of Two chickens, Part two

In 2002, I was in France for two weeks. Never having traveled to France before I was totally prepared with a 16 page excel spreadsheet of places, museums, shops and sites in Paris alone. No slouch, I colour coded and sorted them by areas of Paris. I thought I could 'do' Paris, it just required a bit of planning and research. My sister would be proud. We did have a hotel in Paris for one week, and a final hotel in the Chantilly area for the night before our departure home. The 'husband' wanted to freewheel through the countryside armed only with extremely bad French and a Michelin map. This next trip we have reservations for everything, only because, its really better that way for me. I spent all day worried about finding a next hotel, or if we found a good one I just wanted to stay permanently. As for Paris, I need to brush off those pages as sans le 'husband' my next birthday with 'les girlfriends' and we will be using all those shops he made me walk right by. So, getting to the point of the other chicken. Senlis, where we stayed the night before leaving France, is where the book 'Clementine in the Kitchen' starts. I will go back there someday. As Samuel Chamberlain describes the town before WWII and imagines how it is changing during the war, I wished I paid better attention while I was there. I do remember the charming Catherdral with its lovely war monuments. Particularly, one for a very young priest killed during the war. The second chicken is from this book and is based on Poulet Cintra. But having no Cintra Port and etc.... I might as well call this Boozey Chicken, but you can feel the artery's hardening as you eat it. But my god it was good and frankly 'French tasting'. 4 chicken Thighs 1/8 cup of butter 1/8 cup of olive oil 1 whole shallot chopped 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic 1/4 cup of sherry 1/4 cup of white wine 1/8 cup of framboise wine ( which I had, waiting for a purpose) 1/8 cup of brandy 1/2 cup of heavy cream 2 egg yolks Melt butter and oil together, add chopped shallot and garlic and brown chicken until golden brown. Add all the booze, bring to a boil. Then very carefully with the lid to the pot always on hand and with no overhanging cupboards, seriously, light with a match or I use a barbecue lighter. Baby let it burn, ( and trust me it will burn a bit longer then you would imagine) Allow to simmer and reduce by half turning the chicken twice and regular intervals. It should take about 35 minutes Remove chicken to a plate. Mix the cream and eggs and pour into the sauce, whisking constantly until thickened and careful not to bring it to a boil. Pour over the chicken. I served with Green beans and a green salad. Oh and bread for the sauce!