Gone Scouting + Bonus Reading Material

March 27, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Reading Material

We’re just hours away from the weekend – hooray! – and I’m looking forward to a little trip out to eastern Long Island. That’s right, L.I. the Land of Ina (eeeeee!)

While I’m not sure that the weather is going to cooperate and make a stroll on the beach very enjoyable; I’m sure we’ll have a great time exploring some of the quaint towns and doing some comfort food cooking.

Since I’m haven’t written you a fun new post to read, I’ll direct you to some of the items that caught my attention this week. (Does it ruin it if I point out how I avoided a pun about “food for thought” or “something to chew on”?) Hope you have a great weekend!

Reading Material:

This piece on The Toast about living like a Nancy Meyers film cracked me up. Mallory Ortberg is a treasure.

Lord I love waffles, Huff Po does too.

And while we’re at it, I love Chef Emily Luchetti’s approach to making our daily meals #dessertworthy via the James Beard Foundation

I’m back on a book reading kick and finished The Vacationers about a year after everyone else did – a solid beach read even if you’re nowhere near the beach.

Now I’m starting on The Emperor’s Children. Sounds like a movie version is afoot…

Intrigued by this Buzzfeed list of old-school NYC businesses. Field trip anyone?

Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes

March 25, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking with the Contessa

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “The Magic Factor”

The Set-up: Ina is adding a secret ingredient to several recipes and conducting a blind taste-test to see if it’s the “magic factor.

The Menu: Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Easy Cheese Danish

0:29 – Lemons are the first “magic factor” ingredient in the Easy Cheese Danish recipe.

1:22 – I never knew what kind of cheese went into cheese Danish, here it’s cream cheese and ricotta thinned a bit with eggs.

2:15 – Ina’s taking a little short cut with store-bought puff pastry and I can never roll it out like she does – mine always ends up wonky and overly flat in spots.

3:41 – I thought danishes were typically round, but Ina is folding these like the beginning of a paper airplane which begs the question: how do you make the round ones?

4:17 – Version A. is complete with the cheese and vanilla only, now for Version B. incorporating lemon zest.

5:52 – Now a crash course overview on using lemon zest in cooking: apple pie filling, angel food and blueberry cakes, herbed crust on rack of lamb, and lemon garlic pasta.

6:30 – Ina’s assistant Barbara arrives to ferry the danishes over to the rest of the staff. She’s under strict instructions to have everyone try both and then phone Ina immediately with the results.

7:44 – Both Ina and the staff do their taste test and everyone agrees that Version B. containing the lemon zest is the clear winner. Frankly, I’m relieved - what if Ina’s staff liked the plain one better? Heads will roll!!!*

11:26 – Chicken Salad Sandwiches with tarragon as the “magic ingredient” are up next.

12:55 – She starts by roasting bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and dicing some celery.

13:34 – Version A. is the basic chicken salad sandwich seasoned only with salt and pepper, but it still looks pretty delicious.

14:28 – Minced tarragon is added to Version B. and Ina makes sandwiches on simple, whole-grain bread adding a small heap of mesclun mix. Seriously, is it lunchtime yet?

15:13 – Barbara arrives right on cue to pick up the samples for the staff. Once again they all pick Version B. and live to eat another day.*

19:57 – Ina has promised the staff Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes and with this recipe the “magic factor” is instant coffee powder. Think: Folgers crystals, or in this case Maxwell House.

20:16 – Here’s something I’ve NEVER seen her use before: Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. I’m not sure if it makes a difference, but she’s using the canned type, not the squeeze bottle.

21:40 – Ina says that this batter can be used to make any size cake, not just cupcakes. Something to file away for future reference…

22:08 – Upon re-watching I realize that I missed Ina’s recommendation about filling the muffin tins pretty full due to the lack of leavening agent. Note to self: pay better attention!

26:35 – Ina continues to surprise me with this recipe by using chocolate chips for the ganache. Not a chopped chocolate bar in sight!

27:13 – With this recipe Version A. contains the “magic factor” and Version B. is the plain one. Very tricky, let’s see if her staff catches the switch…

28:24 – Cupcakes are boxed and ready for Barbara to bring over to the office. Everyone tastes and deems Version A. the winner, pretty sharp bunch over there.

29:50 – Barbara asks the secret ingredient and instead of answering Ina does a full Sabrina the Teenage Witch disappearing dissolve. Oh no they didn’t!

Final Thoughts:
Someday, perhaps after years of practice I’ll be able to roll out dough evenly.

The cupcake recipe used so many pantry staple ingredients and I love the way Ina elevated them to something decadent.

*I’m pretty sure that Ina is a total sweetheart, so it makes me laugh to imagine her as a culinary tyrant with employees quaking before her wrath.

Lessons Learned:
I adore chocolate and yet, I’ve never made anything with ganache and rarely make cupcakes (usually too fussy for my taste, although they are the most adorable form of cake, so exceptions must be made.) I apologize for how lengthy these comments are, but when it comes to Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes it’s hard to shut up!

Cupcake Batter – This recipe omits both baking powder and soda from the batter and I honestly wondered if there was a misprint. I also couldn’t find canned Hershey’s syrup so I used the same amount of the squeeze bottle variety and crossed my fingers. I hoped that the large number of eggs and fairly thin batter would help the results and I’m happy to report that the cupcakes do rise, but not a ton. These are a deep, dark, and fairly dense cupcake; almost more brownie-ish in texture. Not a bad thing at all, but not the super bouncy, light cake you might be expecting.

Cupcake Portioning – With recipes containing a leavening agent I usually assume that each liner or muffin tin section will be filled to about 75% full to account for the increased volume after baking. These cupcakes don’t expand as much, so I’d recommend filling to about 90-95% full if you want them to rise above the edge of the liner. Seriously, in my first batch the cupcake tops just barely peeked out!

Ganache 101 – Ganache is a general term for the concoction that results from melting chocolate and hot cream together, and like a lot of things in baking, changing the proportion of these two ingredients makes a big difference. More cream and the resulting ganache is thinner, more chocolate and the consistency is thicker. This particular recipe is a 2:1 chocolate to cream proportion and uses chocolate chips which have stabilizers resulting in a sturdier but still pourable mixture when warm.

My Ganache – I wanted a pretty substantial layer – cupcakes are a frosting delivery system after all – so I backed off even a bit more on the cream to a 2 1/2:1 factor. Once my ganache cooled it was practically the stuff of chocolate truffle filling, scoopable and stiff, but while warm was like slightly thin buttercream frosting - almost able to hold its shape but not quite. After swirling the cupcakes in the warm ganache it “set-up” into a glossy coat within a few minutes. Perfect in my book.

Swirl Technique – I recommend holding one cupcake upside down, turning it a few times in the ganache to make sure it’s fully coated, and finishing with the kind of wrist motion you use when trying to finish pouring something like honey or molasses. A twirl and swoop back to right side up.

Extra Bonus: I had a little left over batter, since I didn’t fully grasp the portioning, and I’m here to tell you it lasts in the refrigerator for at least 5 days and still bakes up beautifully - no warming to room temp, no remixing, no fuss at all! Same deal with the ganache, just re-warm over hot water add a smidge more cream if it’s too thick and you’re good to go! Like the cupcake version of slice and bake!

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, for sure. For the batter I used one large heat-safe mixing bowl, a handheld mixer, measuring cups & spoons, a muffin tin, rubber spatula and a cookie scoop to help portion. For the ganache I used the same large bowl, measuring cups, and rubber spatula (washed in between, of course) and a large pot as a double boiler. Muffin liners or papers will definitely help.

The Verdict:
Look, it’s chocolate so already the baseline is set pretty high, but I was surprised how good these Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes are. I think it’s that they do hint at being brownies or flourless torte, while still maintaining enough fluffiness to still be cake. The fudgy ganache glaze – like the best Hostess cake you’ve ever had - doesn’t hurt anything either. We had guests and I smartly (?) made exactly the right number, there were ZERO leftovers which made me all the more thankful for the little bit of extra batter that provided a treat for Mike and I later that week. Please make these, you won’t be sorry!

Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup

March 23, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Let’s be honest, we’re at kind of an awkward stage these days – everyone is dying for spring, meanwhile it’s still cold enough for hats and gloves. I’ll admit that I’m beginning to give my puffer coat the stink-eye as I put it on for the 150th day in a row and I’ve grown a bit tired of the heavier braises and stews that feel appropriate on crystal clear winter days. What’s a beleaguered northeasterner to do when winter refuses to give up and all I really want is to cast off the cocoon?

I have zero control over the temperature, but at least I can decide what comes out of the kitchen so I’ve begun transitioning our menus to lighter flavors like this Tuscan White Bean Soup. It fits all in one pot and serves the dual purpose of providing a warming meal and packing in lots of fresh veggies. Perfect on a cold early spring day!

Tuscan White Bean & Kale Soup (yield: 8 servings)

Ingredients:
3 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
1 cup (1 medium) diced onion
2 cups (2 medium) large diced carrots
1 cup (2 stalks) large diced celery
2 teaspoons (2-3 cloves) garlic minced on a microplane grater
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
8 cups chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 sprigs rosemary
1 (3-4 inch) chunk parmesan rind (optional)
2 dried bay leaves
3 to 4 cups roughly chopped kale
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions:
Sauté the diced bacon in a large French oven over medium heat until crisp, remove from the pot to a paper towel lined plate. Add the olive oil, diced onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook for 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally until softened but not browned.

Meanwhile, mince the garlic very finely using a microplane grater so that it forms a paste. Add the garlic paste and red pepper flakes to the vegetables and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant and mellow.

Next, use a sieve to drain and rinse the cannellini beans. Strip the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary reserving the stems and finely mince the leaves. Remove the tough center ribs of the kale and roughly chop the leaves into large pieces.

Add the chicken broth, cannellini beans, rosemary stems, parmesan rind, and bay leaves to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a low boil for 5 minutes. Reduce to a bare simmer, add chopped kale, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the kale wilts.

Remove and discard the bay leaves and rosemary stems. Ladle 2 cups of soup into a blender or food processor and process at low speed until smooth. Return pureed soup to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and add kosher salt and pepper as needed.

Serve the soup with a sprinkle of the reserved chopped rosemary leaves, diced bacon, grated parmesan cheese, and a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. A slice or two of rustic bread won’t go amiss either.

Adapted from 30 Minute Tuscan White Bean Soup by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt via Serious Eats

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes! I used my trusty 5.5 quart Le Creuset French oven, a large cutting board, a chef’s knife, microplane grater, vegetable peeler, wooden spatula, sieve and measuring cups. If you want to add some creaminess to the soup, then a stick blender, food processor, etc. will be helpful as will a large spoon or ladle.

The Verdict:
This soup successfully navigates the tricky waters of balancing kale’s fresh green bitterness with the light, creamy cannellini beans. Rosemary and bay leaves offer depth and there’s just a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes and garlic. A bit of salt from the bacon (when did bacon ever hurt anything?) and parmesan round out the mix. A great transitional meal that comes together quickly!

French Baked Eggs

March 20, 2015 by Laura Messersmith in Cooking

Isn't it nice when last night's dinner offers a head start on next morning's breakfast? Here in New York, despite being the (alleged) First Day of Spring we are currently “enjoying” a little snow storm to welcome the season. Yay? Tangent alert: Days like this remind me of elementary school when we’d make “out like a lion, in like a lamb” paper plate crafts by curling construction paper manes around our novelty size pencils and gluing cotton balls for wool. Just me?

Anyway, I’m holding out hope that we will finish March with mild weather, but while the lionish weather is still holding firm I’m sticking with comfort food. This baked egg dish could not be easier or more hands off and it has the dual benefit of being what I think of as a “leftover-makeover.”

Case in point: remember the Company Pot Roast from the other week? It was awesome, but once the roast was gone I still had several cups of beautifully seasoned and deeply flavored sauce. I hate wasting food so there was no way I'd throw something so delicious away. Thankfully, I was reminded by an article in Bon Appétit that both Portugal and Italy have versions of a dish where an egg is poached in rich tomato sauce. The leftover bourgiugnon-style sauce seemed like a great way to make a French inspired take on a Mediterranean classic. Just an idea to file away the next time you have extra stores of tomato-based sauce….

French Baked Eggs (yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:
4 cups Company Pot Roast tomato sauce
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 slices multigrain bread, toasted

Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Divide the tomato sauce equally between four medium ramekins (16 ounce) or other small oven safe dishes. Place the ramekins in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce it hot and bubbling.

Use a spoon to create a well in the sauce and crack a whole egg into each depression. Return the ramekins to the oven and continue to bake for another 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the slices of multigrain bread.

When the whites have turned opaque and firm, but the yolk is still soft remove from the oven. Divide the grated parmesan cheese, fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, and pepper evenly and sprinkle over the top of each ramekin.

Eggs continue to cook once removed from the oven, so serve immediately while the yolks are still runny with slices of toasted multigrain bread for dipping.

Inspired by and partially adapted from Eggs in Purgatory by Nigella Lawson and Portuguese Baked Eggs by Bon Appétit

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, indeed. I used four 16-ounce, oven-safe ramekins, a liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, microplane grater, a large spoon, bread knife, and medium cutting board. That’s it!

The Verdict:
I was initially suspicious when I first heard of this dish. The combination of tomato sauce and eggs just seemed bizarre, and when I decided to re-use the sauce from the Company Pot Roast I was afraid we’d try it and immediately have to call for pizza. I want to be modest, but it was delicious and both Mike and I dove right in cleaning our proverbial plates. I advise leaving the yolks uncooked and mixing them around with the tomato, it’s awesome. Don’t skimp on the toast – you’ll need it!