Happy Mother's Day from Blue Heron and Captain Kitchen

Our mother's day gift to you:
MOTHER/DAUGHTER POWER BLOG from Blue Heron and Captain Kitchens.

We're opening a bottle of Prosecco, baton-ning the rhubarb and sharing our kitchencommonality.

As soon as we both heal from our minor lacerations and stab wounds, we'll share the fun.

Until then, here's our Mother's Day gift to you.
Love,
Jane (Blue Heron Muthuh) and Alex (Captain Kitchen Daughtuh)

Happy Mother's Day.
Love,
Jane

Baked Apples (and the rain)

I know I'm supposed to be thinking strawberries and ramps and fiddleheads and asparagus.

But I never say no to a good baked apple. (Could I enter this in Food Porn Daily?)

Red Jacket Orchards offers a great variety of apples and will continue to do so throughout

the summer. I chose a couple of Romes and bought their

newest product, Apple Cider Molasses.

It's worth the $7.00. It can be used as a sweetener and as a glaze. Here, I use it as a glaze.

I recently went on an Amazonian cookbook expedition (binge), and this simple recipe for baked apples is adapted from one of my finds, David Tanis' jewel, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes.

Fill your apples' cavities with the best quality spirits. It will make a difference. Quality matters.

And then drink some.

When's the last time you saw the sun?

My heirloom tomato seedlings arrived, ready for planting, from White Flower Farm - yesterday.

This year, I should have planted rice.

The easiest and fastest way to core an apple is NOT to cut it in half. Instead, cut it on either side, and then on the other two smaller leftover sides, leaving a square core. Here's a picture:

Baked Apples

(asterisks indicate products that can be purchased at the Kennedy Plaza Farmer's Market, open every Wednesday on Kennedy Plaza in Long Beach, New York.)

Adapted from A Platter of Figs

and Other Recipes by David Tanis

Use Rome apples for baking. Red Jacket Orchards’ Apple Cider Molasses* is a new and versatile product that can be used as both a sweetener and a glaze. Here, it is used as a glaze. Use good quality French Calvados or brandy. It makes a difference.

Preheat oven to 375º

Ingredients:

Rome apples*

Sugar

Calvados or Brandy

(alternatively, use fruit juice, such as apple cider)

Apple Cider Molasses*

Procedure:

Using the larger scoop end of a melon ball scooper, carefully scoop out the stem, reserving it and continue to carefully core each apple with the melon baller until just the core and seeds are removed, taking care to leave the bottom intact.

Fill the apples with sugar and then Calvados or brandy and replace the ‘lid’ on each apple.

With a teaspoon, lightly glaze tops of apples with Apple Cider Molasses.

Place apples in a ceramic dish and bake on the top shelf of the oven until apples burst.

Serve warm or at room temperature. These are delicious eaten ‘straight up’ or with a splash of room temperature, organic heavy cream.*

Opening Day at Kennedy Plaza

A smile came to my face when I saw the white pointy tents all lined up in Kennedy Plaza. Opening Day at the Farmer's Market was a beautiful spring day, a break in our recent monsoon season, and the turnout, according to our wonderful market manager, Bernadette Martin, was excellent.


Some exciting new vendors this season:


Dan Madura offers fresh, organic and gorgeous mushrooms as well as other organic produce, including rhubarb, asparagus and fiddleheads. He's a wealth of information and a nice guy!


John King, our 'cheesemonger' from Amish Country, selling beautiful handmade cheeses (you can have a taste!), as well as cured meats, bacon, pickled things and fresh eggs is another cool vendor.


Red Jacket Orchards has returned with a fabulous variety of apples and jams and a new product called Apple Cider Molasses. You'll find it as an ingredient in my baked apples and applesauce recipes (coming soon).


And thank you, Dan Leader and Bread Alone, for your Sourdough Pain Levain. I think. I ate about a third of the loaf when I got home (with what seemed the only appropriate spread ... Beurre D'Isigny.)


I didn't have time to visit some of our other wonderful vendors ... for pasta and other fresh produce. Next Wednesday.


Be sure to stop by the Market Manager's table for your discount 'frequent flier's' card, and keep an eye out my recipe pamphlet in the next week or two!


Below are links to recipes at Blue Heron Kitchen that have ingredients that you can buy at the market.


Support the market! Buy eggs!! Buy rhubarb and spinach and greens and mushrooms!!!


There's a great salad dressing that you can make and drizzle over any of the beautiful fresh greens that are available at the market now.


And if you don't feel like cooking, just buy a hunk of cheese and a some bread, an apple or two .. and a bunch of flowers. Life doesn't get much better.


I hope you'll leave your comments. Let me know how these worked out for you and how you made them your own.


Peace and love,
Jane


Rhubarb Muffins
Fish in Rhubarb Sauce
Spinach Rhubarb Soup
Eggplant and Mushroom Stew
Mustard and Anchovy Vinaigrette

Tighten up

My KitchenAid does the Tighten Up

My Kitchen Aid does the Tighten Up

Dorie Greenspan recently raved about a new paddle attachment for the KitchenAid™ called the Beater Blade.  There are other 'ghetto' brands.  But this is the 'original' one.  

For those of you who have decided to continue reading, a 'paddle attachment' isn't for table top tennis, it isn't an IUD (it looks a little like it could be one, right?), nor is it an adult toy.  

It's just your basic mixing beater.  Problem is, this beater, the basic mixing tool for the best and one of the most expensive kitchen mixers (the least expensive model is about $200), is poorly designed.  When using this Rolls Royce mixer, you have to regularly stop and 'scrape down' the bowl.  This is an annoyance that has become an accepted step, written into recipes, and frankly, a pain in the ass. 

Along with silicone, Botox, Restylane and other plumpifiers, the Beater Blade is born.  Wow! With the addition of silicone, to soften the blade and tighten the gap between blade and bowl, our mixer no longer needs scraping down.  Well, maybe the tiniest bit.

The Kitchen Aid™ has joined the lifted, injected and filled in.  It works, this new Beater Blade. You can get it at Amazon.  Try this link for the 5 quart tilted head paddle attachment.  If you have the 6 quart machine, you can click here.  You can look for other brands, but when it comes to silicone for my baby, I buy her top shelf.

I used mine tonight, putting together my cheese danish.

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Cheese Danish

A friend asked me if I could make him cheese danish and I told him that I'd give it a whirl.  I wasn't particularly keen on the idea of making a croissant-like dough. Too time consuming.  

I found the original recipe in the NY Times' archives, from December, 2006. I was attracted by its ease and more, that it was adapted from a baker named "Mindel Appel".

It requires no kneading, pounding, turning, counting or any of those pagan dough rituals. You mix it and it rests overnight in the fridge.  Period. 

As I put together the dough last night, the intoxicating aroma of the yeast made me realize how special an ingredient yeast is in the kitchen. 

Trader Joe's doesn't agree.  

When I asked for yeast at their store, there wasn't any. The eager to help and kind man in his Hawaiian shirt reported that yeast is a seasonal item - fourth quarter. I guess they do well with their own confections - especially those cat cookies. There were plenty of cat cookies.

Fairway carries Red Star yeast all year round.

Cheese Danish (Delkelekh)

adapted from The New York Times' adaptation of Mindel Appel's recipe

For the dough:

1 Tbsp. yeast

1/3 cup whole milk

2 large eggs, room temperature

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 c. sour cream, room temperature

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 cups all purpose flour, measured and then sifted

For the filling:

1 1/2 c. (12oz.) farmer's cheese 

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 tsp. vanilla 

1 large egg yolk

finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (use your Microplane!)

For assembly:

Color guard in the back of auditorium, school stands and is ready, play introduction to Grand Old Flag ...segue to recipe...

Flour for dusting work surface

Pastry brush

1 large egg mixed with 1 Tbsp. water (egg wash)

Confectioner's sugar (10X) for dusting (optional, but nice)

Procedure:

(The night before)

1. In microwave, (or stovetop if you're one of those) warm milk to just like warm ... not too hot, or you'll kill the yeast. 

2. Proof the yeast for a few minutes ... make sure it's active and bubbly - by sprinkling it over the warm milk.  Mix it up and add a little sugar if you're in the mood for some action.  In a few minutes, it'll begin to resemble the trailer for The Blob.

3. In bowl of an electric mixer, mix together:  milk/yeast, eggs, butter, sour cream, sugar, salt and flour. Use paddle attachment, scraping down a couple of times. Continue to mix until dough becomes uniform and can be formed into a ball (in the neighborhood of 5 minutes). Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes. Then, put it in the refrigerator overnight.

4. For the filling: In bowl of electric mixer, combine all the 'filling' ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a covered container. (If you make this ahead of time, refrigerate until needed, up to 24 hours. Or, you can make it the next morning, when you're ready to assemble the pastries.)

5. The morning after assembly: Preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment or Silpat. 

Lightly dust work surface with flour and roll dough to 1/8" thickness.  

Cut into approximately 4" squares.  A pizza cutter works well for this. 

Spoon about one Tbsp. of filling into center of each square, spreading just a little, but not to the corners.  

Lift opposite corners of square and press together and then the other two.  Make sure all seams are well sealed. 

(NB:  At this point, you can put the pastries on a tray, and freeze them solid and then wrap them well. When you want to bake them, you have to remove them from the freezer and proof them, on the parchment lined baking sheet, with a piece of waxed paper (I love waxed paper) over them, at room temperature until they are defrosted and look 'ready' to bake again. Then, egg wash them and bake them.) 

6.  Arrange on pastry sheets, about 1 1/2" apart.  

"Seal" them with egg wash, pressing slightly with the pastry brush to cover and further seal the seams.  

(Most will open somewhere, but as long as they don't open everywhere, they'll be fine.) 

7. Bake until golden, 20-30 minutes. Cool and dust with 10X* 

Yield: approx. 24  cheese danish 

These are best eaten the day they are made, but you can wrap them well and freeze them. Defrost and warm them in the oven before serving.  

*10X is confectioner's sugar .. you should know this.

  

My Microplane Zester

The person who introduced me to his Microplane Zester was prissy and a snob, so I sniffed and said, "wow, that thing looks evil".  What I should have said, I didn't, but I did take a closer look at his tool.  

Today, my Microplane Zester arrived in the mail (You can buy it at fancy places like Sur La Table, but it's cheaper online - a friend pointed this out to me and I think I saved a couple of dollars... but if you look at this site below that I link you to, they have SALE items - like 'spring' colored handles who cares? for even less!)

I used it to grate parmesan on the spinach salad (see the recipe below) I was enjoying for the third time this week for dinner.  

The end product is....  Fluffy.  Elongated.  Fine.  Airy. Ethereal.  Fabulous. The texture is so different from the 'same old' grated cheese, that the texture literally has an impact on the dish ... really.  So buy one.  

Here's a link.

I purchased a 'classic' (nuch), but you can choose from a variety of these terminators. Some will grate cheese and some will grate rock salt. And if you hate to cook, buy one to eliminate your calluses.

And they have a pretty nice looking red apron too.

Spinach Salad with Mustard and Anchovy Vinaigrette

Wash and spin dry about a pound of fresh spinach. Keep cold and moist in the fridge until ready to dress and serve.

Dressing:

1/4 cup excellent quality extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. Moutarde à L'Ancienne (or better, Moutarde d'Orléans - which you can order online here. It's pricey, but it's entirely worth it (read about it first and then just trust me - it's a fraction of what Eli charges for it at The Vinegar Factory - you could choke on his prices.)  My friend, Geraldine Dutroncy, a fantastic pianist who lives in a stone house on the Loire taught me about this mustard.  She also taught me about Anik Goutal's perfume, Eau D'Hadrien.  

3 plump Anchovy Fillets (the flat ones in oil - I used jarred)

1 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Parmigiano Reggiano (the really good, aged one)

Mash the anchovies in a mortar and pestle and whisk together with ingredients. Alternatively, use a food processor (a little one), or work very hard with the back of a fork.  I originally tried using an immersion blender and I ruined one of my favorite sweatshirts. Really, the best thing to do is to buy a mortar and pestle.  They're great looking and they won't ruin your clothes.  Here's a set of three porcelain mortar and pestles for $12.00. One reviewer says she used the smallest one to grind dog pills.  If nobody thanks me for this lead, I'll be astonished. 

Chill overnight for the best taste.

Spoon over chilled, washed spinach leaves and toss.  Microplane a generous quantity of Parmigiano over the dressed spinach and toss.  Grind some fresh pepper.

Some additions:

homemade croutons

shaved hard boiled egg

toss in some toasted pignolis 

mushrooms

paper-thin red onions and some orange zest

combinations of these

Eggplant and Mushroom Stew

Eggplant and Mushroom Stew

MASTER RECIPE

This evening, my apartment has a heady aroma of Sicilian olive oil, garlic, eggplant, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and San Marzano tomatoes.  

I'll post this recipe officially, when the farmer's market is in full swing, and the vendors are selling mushrooms, fresh herbs, and later in the summer, tomatoes. 

But here's this evening's primal scream version (using canned San Marzanos). Ingredient amounts are accurate, but not to the digital degree.  

This (like lots of other stuff) gets better the next day.

Serving Suggestions:

Chop lots of fresh parsley for good taste and beautiful color.

It's great hot or cold.  

It makes a fabulous filling for an omelet.

Great as a 'small plate' or a side dish. 

Something to lay a nice piece of fish upon.

Please email me or post a comment if you make it.  I'm already thinking about throwing fresh corn in when it peaks in the late summer.

Master Recipe

Eggplant and Mushroom (Aubershroom) Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb. baby eggplant (or 1 lb. eggplant), cut into 1" cubes (with skin on)

10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, stems removed, whole if they're small or halved if large

8 oz. shitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced into 1/2" slices

2 med. cloves garlic, smashed (left whole)

1 large imported bay leaf

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/2 cup coarsely chopped, San Marzano plum tomatoes - add juice as needed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley 

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Optional:  2 dozen pearl onions (blanched/peeled) or a small red or 'sweet' onion cut into chunks (n.b. - I can't eat onions even though I adore them - so, add them if you can or wish to. But, this tastes very delicious without them...sour grapes)

Procedure:

Heat good quality olive oil in heavy saucepan (I used enameled cast iron), large enough to just hold these ingredients - 1 1/2-2 qts. - with the crushed garlic in the olive oil.

Let the garlic cook in the oil, releasing its own oil, but don't let it get brown.   (If you're using onions, now is the time to add them and cook them until they're translucent).

Add the eggplant and brown (really 'tan') it over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to lose some water. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring and cooking over medium heat until the stew begins to reduce.  If it seems too dry, add some juice from the tomatoes - or add more tomatoes.

Turn flame very low and cook, covered, until desired consistency, an hour or more.

peace and love,

jane

Glazed Lemon Cookies

For those of you who love glazed lemon cookies (Palline di Limone), the ultimate Italian comfort cookie, here's my recipe.  I've dedicated it to my son, Jonah, who adores these cookies and when he's in New York, he travels to DeLillo's, his favorite Italian pastry shop in the Bronx, to buy a bag of their lemon cookies (if there aren't any in my cookie jar.)

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Dedicated to Jonah Rosenberg

Yield approx. 5 dozen

Ingredients:

4 c. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. bp

½ tsp. kosher salt

4 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

¾ c. sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

¼ c. whole milk, room temperature 

For the icing:

1 1/2 c. 10X (confectioner's) sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (more or less to desired consistency)

Procedure:

Combine flour, bp and salt  and set aside.

In large bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides as needed until light, fluffy and well incorporated.  Towards the end of this process, add the extracts and the zest.

Lower the speed and stir in half the flour mixture until just incorporated, then the milk, then the remainder of the flour mixture.  Stir until thoroughly incorporated , but do not overmix.

Press a piece of plastic wrap down to cover the batter and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350º

Scoop 1” balls of dough and place them on parchment or silpat lined cookie sheets.  Don’t handle them too much or ‘pack’ them too tightly, or they’ll become dense and leaden.  Less is more (again and again.)  Place 2” apart on sheets and bake for 12-13 minutes, until puffed but not browned.  The bottoms will be slightly browned.  Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Make the icing:  Whisk the lemon juice into the confectioner’s sugar.

While cookies are still slightly warm, dip the domes into the icing and return to the racks to dry and cool.  

These keep quite well (if they stick around long enough.)  They freeze well too.