We went to a really nice gourmet dinner the other night. It was not our gourmet group, but a different one and the hostess can, if she chooses, invite an extra couple. That was us. It was my best friend, Cherrie, and her group. Cherrie made osso bucco as an entrée, so it was my job to bring a side (a carb) and a green veggie to go along with it. This dish can be served warm or at room temp. Since we had to drive half an hour to get there, I chose the room temp version, which was just great.

The original recipe came from a 5-year old issue of Bon Appetit. I went online to read reviews of it before I selected this, so I did make a couple of changes to the recipe based on the comments written there. I added freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little bit of butter. And I changed the cooking around just a little bit too – the peas were stirred in at the very last so they wouldn’t lose their pretty bright green color. They weren’t cooked at all, just stirred in.

The dish was easy enough to make – some pancetta and shallots were cooked up together, then some chicken broth added in and cooked down some, then the dill added and the sherry wine vinegar. Lastly I added the cooked orzo, lemon juice, butter and the peas. A dusting of salt and pepper and it was finished. Done. Yes, I’d make this again. I liked that I could make it ahead (several hours) and that it was okay sitting out at room temp for those hours.

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With oodles of Meyer lemons around my house these days (from our trees), I needed to use up some juice and zest. I’d read a recipe for a lemon and chocolate loaf cake – oh, did that sound good to me. I’d recently purchased a new pan – an elongated loaf pan – narrower and longer than a traditional bread pan. It’s a ceramic dish, pan shaped, but not metal, and it’s 12” x 4” x 2 1/2”. A lovely, bright glazed finish. And it holds the equivalent of a regular loaf pan quantity. So this gave me a perfect opportunity to try it out.

The recipe came from Marie, over at A Year From Oak Cottage. She writes two blogs – that one, and another one that’s just recipes (where this one came from), called The English Kitchen. Marie said that you might not think lemon and chocolate go all that well together. Oh, but she’s right, they do!

So I dug out the new pan – see the photo at right. It’s from King Arthur Flour. I love the shape of this pan – they call it a tea loaf pan. Makes for really pretty slices.

The cake was a cinch to make – the usual kind of cake-baking ingredients (butter, flour, eggs, leavening, yogurt). Then you veer off course and add lemon zest and chocolate chunks or chips and some walnuts. And after it bakes you pour some sweetened lemon syrup on top. A drizzle, if you will.

This recipe is not a bread-type texture. It’s more a cake-type-texture. But baked in a loaf pan. The cake/bread is very, very tender. Like a sponge cake, even. So once I removed the bread from the pan (using greased parchment as a sling and moved very carefully, I’ll add) and it cooled off, I did discover that you can’t cut narrow slices as you would for a banana bread, for instance – it was just so soft – too soft for that. But gosh, it’s delicious. Very tasty. So I cut wider slices – about 3/4 of an inch each. And did I tell you it was delicious? Oh yes. If you happen to have a lemon tree and need an excuse to use up some juice and zest, try this recipe. Thanks, Marie, for a great addition to my recipe box.

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A year ago: Salmon Steaks with Soy Maple Glaze (a favorite)
Two years ago: A write-up about my (then new) Kindle
Three years ago: Coriander Lime Shrimp (a great appetizer)

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A couple of weeks ago my DH and I threw a dinner party for a large group of friends. On February 14th to be exact. There were 14 of us (7 couples), a larger group than we would normally invite to dinner, but it needed to be so. We asked each couple to bring a bottle of wine and I/we did the rest. My DH set the table (with some coaching about which mats, which dishes, etc.). We stretched out our dining table as much as possible and squeezed in all 14. Dave washed dishes off and on all day long. We had houseguests (not part of the 14) and Sue helped me in the kitchen – oh, did she ever help! She made both desserts and one of the vegetables. Sue and her husband Lynn have moved to Colorado, but were here in Southern California on vacation, visiting friends and attending one of the choir concerts we did that weekend.

We also asked each couple to bring pictures of their wedding and to tell some kind of fun or interesting story about their romance or nuptials. We laughed and laughed at some of the antics. It was very fun to see wedding pictures of each couple.

I created a very ambitious menu. Probably more ambitious than I should have. I’d intended to make a couple of the items a day or two ahead, but because of our choir concerts and rehearsals, I simply ran out of time. I ended up doing just one a few days ahead, so on the day, I was slammed with work. I managed to rest a couple of times with my feet up, but otherwise I was standing, prepping and fixing food all day long. In case you’d like to know what I served – I’m giving you the entire menu. All the items are on my blog, so you can click on over to each recipe if you’re interested. Those of you who are regular readers of my blog will recognize all of these recipes – they’ve all appeared on the blog within the last year, and most within the last 3 months.

Muhummara, the red bell pepper and walnut dip that goes so well with pita chips, kalamata olives, marinated artichoke hearts and some cubes of Feta.

Green Bean and Garlic Frittata, what looks like a veggie, is served as an appetizer, cut into serving-sized squares on plates with a fork. It’s topped with Parmesan and paprika.

Tuscan Sangria – an extra-flavorful version made with red wine, Tuaca, Limoncello, red vermouth and some 7-up.

Grilled Rack of Pork with Rosemary, Garlic and Sage – oh, so delicious with fresh rosemary, dried sage and garlic patted all over it. It was grilled on the barbecue for about an hour before cutting into ample servings with a bone to chew on.

Chunky Cider Applesauce (with walnuts) – a really tasty side to go with pork. It has a smidgen of heavy cream in it which adds some lovely rich undertones, and toasted walnuts are sprinkled in at the last minute. This was the dish I made several days ahead.

Corn, Sugar Snap Peas and Bacon Sauté – I’ve served this 3-4 times in recent weeks, it’s so darned good. Frozen corn, fresh sugar snaps, bacon. What’s there not to like about that?

Sweet Potato Gratin – an unbelievably delicious (and rich) side dish. The flavor is beyond good, and next time I make it I’ll use half and half instead of cream. Because I’d like to enjoy this more than once every 5 years!

Orange and Belgian Endive Salad with Maple Chipotle Vinaigrette – a really attractive salad with a bit of sweet (orange slices), spice and smoke (from the chipotle chiles in the vinaigrette) and made so pretty with the Belgian endive leaves.

DESSERT – Very few of my dessert recipes make enough to serve 14 or more people. So I made two – a chocolate one to satisfy the chocoholic and Valentine-traditional in our group, and one without. Both delicious. As it turned out, everyone wanted to taste a little bit of both, so I served mini-slices of each one with some whipped cream on top.

Countess Toulouse-Lautrec’s French Chocolate Cake – an ultra-rich chocolate cake that almost tastes more like cheesecake. Yet it isn’t one, so it’s hard to describe the texture. Very delicious.

Ginger Apple Cake Torte – my favorite, new go-to dessert. I make this every opportunity I can because it’s so darned tasty. It’s reminiscent of gingerbread, and has an apple layer in the middle, walnuts on top, and a crispy turbinado sugar topping.

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The walnut and red bell pepper spread is front and left center in the photo above. I made this a few days after the class I took when I learned about this dip. Mine turned out a little different color – because the red bell I used was more on the orange side than the bright red side. Tarla’s version was prettier. Here’s a photo of the plate she made.

If you’ve never had muhummara (the red bell pepper and walnut stuff) you’re missing out. It’s very easy to make, can be made ahead, and the leftovers can easily go into something else to get used up if you have run out of the pita bread. It’d be great in chili, or a hearty stew. Or just dip your spoon into it and eat it straight away.

Do toast the walnuts – it gives them so much more flavor. And you really must seek out the pomegranate molasses. We have several Middle Eastern markets in our area, and it’s even stocked in some of our local grocery stores. It’s a pungent fruity molasses, just like it sounds, and it adds so much flavor to a variety of Middle Eastern dishes. This recipe uses just 2 tablespoons of it, but it packs a punch. It looks just like ordinary molasses, but it has a lovely ruby color. Use it in lieu of regular molasses (like in cookies or gingerbread).

The muhummara mixture is whizzed up in a food processor and do allow it to mellow for a few hours in the refrigerator if time permits. Toast some pita bread wedges and serve. Traditionally this is also served with feta cheese, and other nibbles like kalamata olives and artichoke hearts, but it doesn’t have to be. You can just serve it with the pita. This recipe came from a cooking class with Tarla Fallgatter a week or two ago.

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A year ago: Crispy Potato Roast (a most unique potato casserole)
Two years ago: Chocolate Sponge Roll
Three years ago: Almond Bar Cookies

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Regularly I buy chicken breasts and chicken thighs at Costco. They just make it so easy to buy them in those sealed pouches. Two boneless, skinless chicken breasts per pouch, or about 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs per pouch. Easy to defrost (I just submerge the bags in a big bowl of cold water for an hour or so). Also easy to freeze in the separated pouches – they slip into small spaces easily enough.

So anyway, with a package defrosted, I decided to use other things I had on hand to make dinner. First was a nice big shallot. Some garlic. Some lemon juice, and a little bit of sour cream. This came together so easily.
I have a can of Szeged Chicken Rub which is probably over the hill, since I’ve had it for more than a year. Mixed spices do tend to lose their flavor and pungency after awhile. But I’ve only used about 1/3 of the can, so I’ll hold onto it a little longer. This mixture has a variety of stuff in it like basil, paprika, salt, etc. I also add some more paprika to it. The last time we were in Budapest I bought a couple of foil pouches of good paprika (there is SUCH a difference between that and what we buy here marketed as paprika). This time I used some of the spicy paprika (it has some heat and is called “half sharp”), which gave the finished chicken dish a little zip. My DH loved it. But, if you don’t have this chicken rub available, just make up your own – be sure to use some paprika, though to give the chicken and sauce some lovely color.

I dipped the boneless, skinless thighs in the herb mixture and sautéed them in a tiny bit of grapeseed oil (I’m using grapeseed oil mostly now as it allows for a hotter pan without burning, called a higher “flash point”) on both sides. Then I pushed the chicken onto one side of the pan and added the minced shallot and cooked that briefly, until translucent. Then I added the garlic and just cooked that for about 30 seconds max. Some vermouth went in, some fresh lemon juice, then a bit of light sour cream. Be sure you don’t boil this sauce, though, as the sour cream will separate. I very gently simmered it, added the lemon zest, then covered it for about 5 minutes. Done. Ideally serve some kind of bland carb (rice or potatoes) to soak up the wonderful sauce. If you want more sauce, it’s easy enough to increase the quantity.

You could easily make this with chicken breasts, if you’d prefer – pound the breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap until they’re an even thickness (about 1/4 inch). Cook those a very brief time and make the sauce as indicated.

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A year ago: Filet Mignon with Mushroom Port Sauce
Three years ago: Bobotie (a really delicious South African ground beef casserole – a recipe given to me by my friend Joan H, who was born in South Africa)

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Looking at this photo above, you’d probably think this is just a chocolate cake. Well, it is a chocolate cake, but it’s nothing related to ordinary. One of the descriptions of this cake is that it tastes more like cheesecake than cake. I don’t know that it’s cheesecake-like, only because it doesn’t have that wet-like texture of a cheesecake. It’s more like a cake, but with an almost velvet texture. It sort of defies description. It’s not exactly a cake; it’s not really a cheesecake, either (because it contains no dairy – like cream cheese –  except butter, and doesn’t have a crust – and isn’t wet like a cheesecake – it’s not even like a dry cheesecake, either). It’s not a torte, because it has no crust. I don’t really know what to call it.

The recipe is in Maida Heatter’s chocolate cookbook: Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts. It’s an old cookbook, but Maida Heatter is just a jewel of a baker. Nothing I’ve ever made from this book has been less than fabulous. Last year I made her 86-proof Chocolate Bundt Cake. It was sensational.

I can’t say that I’d ever even heard of Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec (1901-1969). And no, she was not married to the famous artist. Her husband was one of Henri’s distant cousins. But, she became a well-known foodie of that era and published a cookbook. This recipe, though, she introduced to American tastes by way of an article in McCall’s magazine way back in 1959.

Whatever this cake is, it’s absolutely rich with chocolate. It’s soft and velvety. And not heavy in the least. It’s a somewhat unorthodox cooking method, I will say. Not hard to make – kind of like a sponge cake – a chocolate one.  But it’s a far cry from a sponge cake in texture – it’s a bit more dense, remember. I was supposed to use an 8-inch springform pan. Would you believe, I don’t have one. So I had to improvise and use an 8 1/2-inch cake pan. It made it a little bit iffy getting the cake out of the pan that way (it could have been a disaster, actually), but it did come out because I greased a piece of parchment paper in the bottom. And the cake pan was nonstick too.

What’s odd is that you bake this little guy for a total of 15 minutes. Yup. That’s correct. And would you believe it only has one tablespoon of flour in it? And one tablespoon of sugar too. Well then, we will talk about the chocolate – it, of course, has sugar in it. And the recipe uses an entire pound of chocolate. The recipe calls for semisweet chocolate. I didn’t have a whole pound of semisweet, so I had to improvise with some bittersweet plus some ordinary chocolate chips. It didn’t seem to matter – the cake came out just fine.

Once we cut into this cake, I had a very hard time keeping my kitchen knife out of the dish to just cut off a thin, tiny little wedge to eat out of hand. Even with no whipped cream on top, it was sensational. The recipe indicates it’s even better made a day ahead. I would agree, although it was delicious the first evening too. You don’t chill it – it stays out at room temp, covered, of course. If you chilled it, I think the chocolate would firm up, and that you wouldn’t want! Do eat it within 2 days, though. Otherwise, freeze it to eat at a later time.

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A year ago: Chocolate Puddle Cookies
Two years ago: A post about planning for a Valentine’s dinner

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Cole slaw is such an American salad. It’s so 4th of July or picnic or backyard barbecue. But it’s also good with some kinds of winter dinners too. I served this with the Easy Cassoulet I made last weekend. It was a perfect foil to the pork, kielbasa and chicken bean dish that night.

It’s a recipe I’ve had in my to-try file since last summer when Kalyn posted it on her blog, Kalyn’s Kitchen. The recipe came from her sister, Val. It was scrumptious. I just loved this salad – I have cut down just a bit on the sugar (I used Splenda). If you want a really sweet dressing, by all means add more, but I thought it was fine with just a bit less. And the amount of parsley is correct – it uses a lot, and is a wonderful flavor enhancer. Along with the green onions. It’s so simple to make – I chopped up everything ahead of time (don’t mix the red and green cabbage together, though, as the red cabbage will bleed into the green), and I mixed up the dressing. It took about 45 seconds to toss it together. It would be a great take-along for a potluck dinner. A keeper of a recipe, no question. Thanks to Kalyn and her sister, Val!

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A year ago: Filet of Sole with Almond Sauce (a Julia Child recipe)
Two years ago: About Penzey’s, the herb and spice store
Three years ago: Crunchy Shrimp with Couscous and Spicy Sauce (a salad, and a big favorite)

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Well, now. Let me just say, right here at the beginning, that this dish is just off-the-charts delicious. It may not look like that much in the photo – I mean, it is a casserole. But oh, the flavors in this! And although it’s called an easy cassoulet, it’s not something you can throw together in 30 minutes. Nope. Probably takes about 1 1/2 hours or so to do it all.

In case you aren’t familiar with cassoulet (pronounced cass-eau-lay in French), let me just enlighten you. It means a slow-cooked bean stew or casserole. Typically a cassoulet contains some pork, some sausage and some duck. This version contains pork (chops), smoked sausage (kielbasa chunks) and some chicken thighs. And canned beans, to make it as easy as possible. It has some other things, minor stars, to be sure, to add character and flavor or texture. I think I could eat this dish at least once a week – and likely in Southern France, many families do, with some leftovers from the last dish incorporated into the new dish, to keep the flavors moving onward.

The below photo shows the cassoulet with the topping – the croutons that are crumbled on top just before serving, along with the fresh herbs – Italian parsley and thyme. The meats (the pork chops and chicken and the coins of kielbasa) are scooped into a middle layer in between a bean layer on the bottom, and another bean layer on top. I topped mine with a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese. Once it bakes until it’s bubbling hot, you add a thin layer of croutons and sprinkle on some more fresh herbs and serve immediately. To absolute raves.

This recipe, with a couple of modifications, came from Cathy Thomas, the food editor of our local newspaper, in a December, 2010 article. The original of this easy version started with a recipe from Bon Appetit. Cathy Thomas tweaked it some. She says this is one of her favorite company meals. You can make a double batch if you’re feeding a crowd. Now, I did tweak it a little bit too, from Cathy’s version, as I mentioned above – I didn’t have smoked pork chops. I had regular pork chops – so I used those and then added in two slices of smoked, thick sliced bacon. The other change I made is probably very non-traditional – I sprinkled the top of the casserole with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I wanted that umami taste. The croutons are a last minute garnish – I toasted the fresh bread cubes  (from a regular baguette) tossed in a little bit of oil for about 15 minutes in the oven, then I sealed them in a quart-sized ziploc bag and used a pounder to break the cubes into smaller pieces. Those, then, were sprinkled on the top just before serving, along with the fresh herbs that gave the dish some color. The croutons give a delicious crunch to every bite, and they soak up a little liquid from the casserole too. Definitely don’t eliminate the croutons – they help make the dish, in my opinion.

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A year ago: Shchi (a Russian pork and cabbage soup)
Two years ago: A silly post – 25 random things about me you never knew, and probably don’t care about anyway!
Three years ago: Shells with Pancetta and Spinach

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As I was making this relatively simple appetizer, I thought it was quite similar to an English potted cheese. Technically, a potted dish (in the English vernacular) means a meat concoction with a layer of fat on top. This one, though, is cheese based – it’s all mixed up together and when it chills, it becomes an homogeneous cheese. I topped it with walnuts to give it some texture.

Preparing this was very easy – it has relatively few ingredients – butter, shallots, garlic, brandy, heavy cream and Roquefort cheese. That’s it. The shallots are cooked in butter, the garlic is added in for a very brief cooking time, then you add brandy and cook that down. Then cream and cook that down. Then you add in crumbled cheese (I used true Roquefort – but you could use a good blue or Gorgonzola). It’s a pourable mixture at that point. Into a ramekin it goes, almost full to the top. It was chilled for a couple of hours – it firms up during that time – then I added the walnuts on top just before serving.

I have no idea where I got this recipe. It’s scribbled in my handwriting on a piece of paper and with the cryptic instructions I wrote, I’d guess I was watching a cooking show, but haven’t been able to find it online anywhere. So, who knows where it came from? The version I wrote out used Gorgonzola. I had Roquefort on hand, so that’s what this version contains. This was delicious! I’d make it again any day, and may even do it again soon. It could easily be doubled – and put into two ramekins if you have a bigger group to feed. It’s particularly good with a nice glass of complex red wine – like pinot noir, or cabernet, or shiraz.

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A year ago: Oranges – everything you’d like to know about them
Two years ago: Easy Breakfast Pineapple Biscuits

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Ah .  .  . I’m finally back in the kitchen. It’s SO wonderful to feel good after so many days of a bad cold. Of not being able to taste. Or to be able to breathe, hardly. Or to swallow without pain. I just lost eight days of my life. Although, I did completely empty my Tivo recordings.

One of them was an Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa segment on Parmesan chicken. So it was the first thing I wanted to make. And in the interim, I’d received an email from someone at Frieda’s Produce. There are a few perks of being a food blogger – once in awhile I’m approached by a company, asking if I’d like to sample their products. The wholesaler has offered specialty produce to grocery stores for decades. Frieda Caplan actually introduced kiwi to California, years ago.

Perhaps the marketing person had read my blog and knew I was already a big fan of lemons, period. Meyer lemons in particular. That my favorite ice cream is made with Meyer lemon juice and zest. Or that I adore lemon juice in nearly anything! In any case, it took me about 30 nanoseconds to say yes. They kindly asked if I liked the product, would I mention the company on my blog. Sure thing! If you’re interested in knowing more about Freida’s I’ve included a paragraph at the bottom. You may be able to find Friedas products at your local grocery store (here in Southern California they’re available at Ralphs, Albertson’s, Bristol Farms, Lucky, Wal-Mart, Safeway, Vons, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, among many others). If you want to find out where to buy Freida’s products in your area, go to this section of Frieda’s website and input your state to see. She markets to all U.S. states and Canada.

Back to the recipe. On nights when you might need a quick chicken throw-together dinner, this could fill the bill in a snap. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are pounded out thinly, dipped in a seasoned flour, then egg, then in a bread crumb and Parmesan mixture before being lightly sautéed in a bit of olive oil and butter. While it’s cooking (not long – you’d best have made the dressing ahead) you chop up a nice little salad – Ina did hers with lovely light and dark field greens like arugula and mache – I had only Romaine on hand. Ina used an extra-simple lemon juice and olive oil combo with just salt and pepper. I prefer my own lemon-juice based dressing that also contains just a bit of blue cheese in it. If you want to use Ina’s version, by all means do. I just like the added dimension and layer of flavor.

About Frieda’s: Obviously one very smart cookie, Frieda Caplan began selling produce at the Los Angeles Produce Market in 1962. She brought a variety of more unusual products to her produce stand over the years, many that were unknown in the U.S. at the time. She introduced kiwis, shallots, cherimoyas, those small doughnut-shaped peaches, sugar snap peas and habanero peppers, among others. Obviously she began distributing produce further and further away, not just at the humble produce stand in LA! I heard her interviewed on local radio many years ago and began seeking out her products – when I could find them. Frieda’s Produce is still a family-run company, (she’s Chairman of the Board) although her two daughters manage the firm now. A great success story for a woman in the 1960’s to enter the then male-dominated produce sector. Good for Frieda, I say!

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A year ago: Make-Ahead Coffeecake (yes, really, make the batter the night before, bake in the AM)
Two years ago: Chicken a l’Orange (can’t say that this was a particular favorite for me)
Three years ago: Coconut Banana Bread (and low-fat to boot – delicious)

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