What About The Cake?

Geisel Nye has finally joined Culina as our staff cake artist. Adding a specialty cake business to Culina was something I had planned from the first concept of the store. I have been making cakes sporatically since we first opened but had not advertised agressively because I needed another baker/artist on board.





Geisel shares my passion for delicious, extraordinarily, beautiful cakes. Very soon, one window of our store will be dedicated to show cakes and when that happens, we are in the batter so to speak. We will also carry some grab and go specialty cakes and cupcakes in the store. For now we will be limited to our one cooler in the front of the store but we hope to be able to put bakery cases across the front of the store and offer gorgeous goodies to go year round.

Geisel and I have already started booking orders for November/December and January. How exciting! How about a pink champagne cake for your next anniversary or a white velvet with bavarian cream. I love to make up filling/flavor combinations to make your mouth water. Last night I made a pink champagne cake with chocolate bavarian cream and chocolate ganache. I love coming up with cake flavor and filling combinations. I have never been a traditionalist. Never had pink champagne cake? It has a very spongy texture but it is great for torting and layering and it is delicious.





Next time you are planning an event and you are wondering about the cake, don't worry, we have it covered.




August 8 was our two year anniversary...yippee! congratulations! good work! a self pat on the back.

From Market to Table

Today I converted two people who proclaimed that they don't like lima beans. They devoured their serving and asked for second helpings of the lima beans with Greek olives and roasted red peppers. The "Farmer's Market to Table" Cooking Class series has been a great success this summer. Nearly every meal in our class today contained roasted red peppers. It was over a hundred degrees today so I thought I would keep everything light and fresh for the class.

We started with a glass of iced cucumber water, herb butter that I had made early in the morning on slices of a fresh whole wheat baguette and a small salad of vietnamese cucumbers, sliced garden tomatoes and onions with B.R. Cohn Garlic Olive Oil and 15 year Balsamic vinegar.

Two of my favorite customers were at the table. The Conners have taken several classes from Culina and have really enjoyed the experience. We love having them in the classes as well.

Sue Conner had asked that I create something with beans or lentils that they could make at home. She and her husband have been trying to watch their diet and glycemic index.

I knew that I wanted to make something with chicken so I changed up a Cat Cora recipe that I have been making for a couple of years. Her Basque Rubbed Shrip Skewers with Romesco was converted to Basque Rubbed chicken breast with Romesco. When entering the kitchen, the students were greeted with the spicy pungent smell of roasting Zsa Zsa bell peppers. Chef Lance was roasting them off to prep for all of my dishes.

A large basket of fresh baked whole wheat baguette slices accompanied with herb butter, a cheese board of French, English and Italian cheeses and a small salad of sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced white onions, one clove of minced garlic, Fleur de Sel and ground fresh pepper marinated in garlic olive oil and 15 year balsamic. The 15 year is deeeelish but the 25 year...I could eat that right out out of the bottle with a spoon.

Below are the recipes for today's class. Click on the titles to access the links to printable recipes.

All of the menus are listed below. If you want to print the menus you have to go to my website

Summer Vegetable Casserole
[Food & Wine, July 2010]

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tsp Trapani Salt
2 tsp ground black Tellicherry peppercorns
1 Yellow bell pepper
1 small - medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 lb. plum tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 small zucchini (1/2) il., sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch baking dish with olive oil Spread the potatoes in the dish in an even layer , drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cover the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese. Arrange two-thirds of the bell pepper mixture over the potatoes and drizzle with oil. Top with the tomatoes and the zucchini: drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese.
2. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover the the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender and glazed on top. Let stand for 10 minutes - serve warm.


Lima Beans with Olive and Peppers
[The Savory Way]
1 1/4 cups dried lima beans, soaked hours
2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, sliced
2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped into 1/4 - inch squares, several celery leaves, chopped
1 bay leaf
5 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Pinch of salt
Chicken Broth
2 yellow peppers roasted and cut into squares
12 Pitted Greek olives cut into large pieces
Extra -Virgin olive oil
Drain the beans and cover them with fresh cold chicken broth. Bring them to boil & boil rapidly for several minutes; then skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Lower the heat and cook the beans slowly until they are tender but still a little on the firm side, about an hour.
When the beans are ready, warm the olive oil in a roomy skillet or saute pan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, celery leaves, bay leaf, all but a little of the parsley and thyme. Cook briskly for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring everything about; then add the beans, enough of their cooking liquid to cover them and salt to taste.
Simmer everything together over medium-low heat until the beans are tender and the liquid is mostly reduced. Stir in the peppers and the olives, let them stew with everything else for a few minutes, and serve the beans garnished with the remaining fresh herbs and finish with a spoonful of olive oil drizzled over all.

Grilled Basque Rubbed Chicken with Romesco Sauce
• 4 lbs Chicken Breast rinsed and dried completely
• 1 tbsp dried orange zest
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp Trapani Seasalt

Rub the dried chicken with salt and pepper first, so that it stays on, and then rub the chicken breast with the entire Basque blend of dried orange rind, chili powder and sea salt until well coated. Cover, set in refrigerator, and let sit for 30 minutes - or seal in instant marinater for 15 minutes in refrigerator.
Place the chicken on a hot grill and sear on both sides until done. Move the chicken onto a clean platter. To serve, slice chicken diagonally on a plate and spoon the Romesco Sauce over the chicken and serve.
Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup roasted cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 8-9 whole almonds, coarsely chopped or 2 tbsp. Almond Flour
• 1 tablespoon Zinfandel wine vinegar or Sherry Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Natural Foods Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Natural Foods Ground Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Victoria Gourmet Tellicherry Black Peppercorns, freshly ground
• 1 tsp Victoria Gourmet Trapani Sea Salt
Sauce Preparation
Roast tomatoes and peppers until skin begins to peel away. You can roast them on an indoor or outdoor grill or in the oven on broil. If roasting in the oven, check them frequently to ensure they do not burn.
Place roasted pepper, tomatoes, olive oil, almonds, garlic, Sherry wine vinegar, garlic powder and ground cayenne pepper in blender. Blend until smooth. (Note: You can toss whole almonds and garlic cloves into the blender, but giving them a rough chop first prevents large chunks from ending up under the blender blades.) Season with salt and pepper. Set aside

Herb butter
[Savory Way]
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs
1 shallot, finely dressed
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
pinch of salt

Pistachio Gelato
[David Lebowitz]

About 3 cups (3/4 liter)
• 2 cups (½ liter) whole milk
• 1/3 cup (65 gr) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (16 gr) cornstarch (also known as corn flour)
• 7 ounces (200 gr)* pistachio paste
• A few drops of lemon or orange juice

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio paste and just a few drops of citrus juice until smooth.

6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Pistachio Paste can be purchased at the American Almond Products of Brooklyn and is available on line through King Arthur Flour. The Pistachio paste used in the Gelato is from France.

Last Night's Dinner: Lamb Medallions

One of my favorite dishes is lamb. Many people have only ever had their Aunt Freida's Lamb Roast with Mint Jelly, so their opinion off lamb is tainted. anyone who has ever had a really good rack of lamb, knows what lamb can be: luscious, tender and decadent. My favorite is a thyme-crusted rack that I do that is ingrained in my mind now and I don't even need the recipe. It's what a rack should be in my opinion. I've converted lots of lamb haters or skeptics with this recipe.

Last night I pulled out a package of lamb medallions I picked up the last time I was in a Fresh Market. They looked like the start of an easy and delicious meal and they proved to be just that. Originally I was going to simmer them in my clay Emile Henry flame-pot in an Indian-style sauce, but then realized I wanted the lamb unmasked, sauteed and crusted and prominent. I thought it would be nice to try the recipe they were featuring at the FM when I bought them. I remember how wonderful it smelled and the ingredients were right up my alley.

So I did a little searching and uncovered the recipe: Irish Lamb Medallions with Creamy Cabbage.

Ok, so the creamy cabbage part sounded weird, and you could leave out the cream, but I used a scant amount and it was pretty darn good.

The bonus was that I knew I had at least two heads of ready to pick Savoy cabbage in the garden! How perfect. The culinary stars were aligning!

So here is the recipe and I wish I had taken a picture, but I simply forgot. Don't pay any mind to the brand names used in this recipe. Obviously FM is pitching their stuff, since they were doing a cooking demo and trying to reel in shoppers.

Also, my tip is not to coat the medallions in pepper so that there is a "crust" unless you like all of that pepper spice. If I did it again, I would lightly coat the and I would salt them FIRST, then crushed pepper. Also, PLEASE use fresh cracked pepper, not ground pepper in a bottle. I use a Tellicherry blend. And I used a high quality sea salt from a grinder. I also sprinkled a little ground thyme in the cabbage and two cloves of garlic. I used spring onions from the garden, but would probably pick a punchier onion next time. I also used 3 strips of low sodium bacon because that's what I had on hand and I cut it into maybe one by one inch pieces. I used just a splash of half and half instead of heavy whipping cream and I used unsalted Plugra butter. I seared the meat in my flame pot and then used it for the rest of the dish. Perfect vessel for this although you might get a better SEAR with a stainless. I just love how easy clean-up is in the flame-pot and how even the cooking is. I kept the lamb covered with foil in my warming drawer, but an oven on 200 would be just fine. Be sure not to cook the meat too long in the pan, because it will continue to cook once it's covered and kept in a warm oven. I sauteed them on one side until the up side started turning slightly opaque flipped them and kept them there briefly. I would say it was about 3 minutes on each side on medium to medium high.

I served it with steamed broccoli since I had the last stalk from the garden. This is not a first date meal, but better for a couple that's been together a while ;) But any bright green veggie on the side would be great. Be sure not to cook the cabbage so long, that you don't still have some green in there. I had some whole wheat sour dough from the European bakery with it and drank a Spanish blended red wine with it. Any dry red will work with the recipe, I had a chianti reserve which I think probably punched up the sauce a bit more. ENJOY!!!

Irish Lamb Medallions with Creamy Cabbage

	3 tablespoons Antara Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
	4 (4 ounce) lamb tenderloin filets
	1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
	1/2 cup Pinot Noir, Robert Mondavi Private Selection
	2 tablespoons Kerrygold Unsalted Pure Irish Butter
	4 thick slices pancetta, chopped
	1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
	1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
	1 carrot, peeled and chopped
	1/2 head of Savoy Cabbage, shredded
	1/2 cup TFM Chicken Stock
	1/2 cup TFM Whipping Cream
	season to taste with salt and pepper

Preparation:
Heat a skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl to coat. While skillet heats, press cracked pepper into the lamb, creating a thick pepper crust, then season with salt. Place lamb in the pan and sear for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce heat and continue cooking until meat is done to the desired level. Transfer lamb to a plate and cover to keep warm.
Remove pan from open flame and add wine, scraping up any browned bits. Allow wine to reduce slightly, and then swirl in the butter creating a velvety sauce. Pour sauce over the resting lamb.
Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta until golden brown. Add onion, garlic and carrot; continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent and carrot is softened slightly. Add cabbage and cook over high heat for about a minute. Add stock and stir thoroughly, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add cream, heat briefly and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, place the lamb on top of a bed of cabbage, with the pan sauce on the side.

CHEF Jessica

Mexican Grille

Last night, June 3, was the official launch of the cooking school in our new location. We had to ask tolerance as we introduced paper plates and plastic cups in lieu of our Buffalo China tasting plates and stemmed wine glasses. Our clean up kitchen is still not up and running so we are doing dishes by hand and as classes can generate bus pans full of dishes, utensils, appliance parts, it was best to keep them to a minimum. No one seemed to mind.

Now about the food; the theme of the class was Mexican Grille. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of fresh homemade corn tortillas, grilled fish with smoked chipotle seasoning, black beans with cumin and fresh cut vegetables for making the various salsas.
Students were greeted with glasses of white wine sangria. Chef Jessica’s signature drink for this class. This delightful libation is infused with peaches, basil and simple syrup.

Chef Jessica presented the ingredients used in the class, most of which came from a local Mexican food store, some from Kroger and some from Culina. The salts and spices all came from Culina. As usual, Victoria Gourmet came through for us with her outstanding spices. We also introduced a new salt line from “Nothing but Salt”. The Lime Sea Salt was used to season the homemade tortilla chips. One of our students commented that her husband could eat it with a spoon! Me too.

We only had one hiccup, Chef Jessica’s assistant “me” was so involved making home made tortilla chips with lime salt that I forgot to make the tortillas and have them ready for wrapping the fish when it was done. She fired me three times last night but rehired me because there was no one else. We recovered quickly because corn tortillas are so easy and quick to make that we had served up a dozen fish tacos plated with salsas and cumin black beans within minutes. I solicited a little help from a student to get the assembly line moving. While everyone was eating and making Mmmmm good, Yum, Delicious noises, I threw together another batch of tortillas to ready for seconds just in case. Well, most had another round of tacos, salsa and sangria.

One comment from the cooks: No household should be without a pressure cooker. Why wait four hours to cook a pot of beans that can be cooked in less than two hours? It doesn’t make sense. One student figured that out and took advantage of her discount to invest in one of the most useful and efficient cooking vessels she will ever own.

Our next class is Tuscan Tenderloin and we cannot wait. Happy Cooking Everyone.

Voodoo In The Kitchen

Anyone who has ever been to New Orleans knows that the heart of the city is comprised of two key elements; food and music and both are exceptional. A new television program on HBO “Treme” is tugging my taste buds to visit New Orleans again. Kevin made a delicious Shrimp Creole last night – he spiced it up a little more than usual with Victoria Gourmet New Orleans seasoning. This stuff is like crack! I can’t get enough of it. I put that seasoning on fish, shrimp and even mix it with salt and put it on baked French fries. Mmmmm.

For a moment I was transported to the smells and tastes of New Orleans. I haven’t been there since the flood and I know the city will be forever changed because of it but there is no amount of water that is going to wash away the deep roots of New Orleans.

Besides visiting as many Zydeco bars as I can fit in, there are certain foods I must eat, and only eat in New Orleans. The first dish on my list is Barbecue Shrimp at Pascal’s Manale. The image conjured by the name of the dish leaves one to think that this is shrimp cooked on a barbecue grill. In fact, BBQ Shrimp New Orleans style is served shells on floating in a bowl of “spicy, tangy sauce”. A basket of fresh hot French pistolet bread is plentiful for dunking in the sauce. Pascal’s Manale does not have a website and try as I may; I have not been able to find their recipe anywhere. A Google search will result in thousands of variations of this recipe but none of them are the original from Pasqual’s. The closest I have ever come to replicating it is from a menu in a little homemade cookbook called "Voodoo in the Kitchen'. The book is out of print and has only a few recipes but the recipes are authentic.

The second dish on my list is Creole Gumbo from Antoine’s Restaurant. I make a mean gumbo in my own right but let’s face it, Antoine’s has been making the stuff for decades. I have eaten gumbo in hundreds of restaurants but none of them compares to Antoine’s. Antoine’s has a cookbook in which they share all of their recipes.

Creole Gumbo by Antoine's Restaurant
The Bouillabaisse of Louisiana appears in many forms. Ours is the classic Creole seafood gumbo.

Ingredients:
- 3/4 stick butter
- 2 cups chopped green onions
- 2 cups sliced okra
- 1 cup chopped white onions
- 2 cups raw peeled shrimp
- 2 cups raw oysters
1 cup chopped tomato pulp
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 1/2 quarts Fish Stock
- 3 crabs (top shell discard, cut into 4 pieces)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon File (sassafras)
- 3 cups cooked rice
- salt, pepper, and cayenne

Directions: Melt the butter and sauté the green onions, okra, white onions and crabs. In a separate pot put the shrimp, oysters, tomatoes and tomato juice with 1 1/2 quarts of Fish Stock and bring to a boil. Let boil for a minute, then add to the first pot. In a small skillet cook the butter and flour together until brown. Blend this brown roux with the File and some of the gumbo liquid and add to the gumbo. Add salt and pepper and cayenne to taste. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. To serve, pour 1 1/2 cups of gumbo into each bowl over 1/2 cup rice. Serves 6.


Third on my list is a Mufaletta sandwich at the Central Grocery. Central Grocery or CG as I like to call it, is located on Decatur Street. I recommend calling ahead if you want to have lunch there. The place is always booked.

What is a Mufaletta?

Muffuletta (Muf' a lotta) and a lotta it is!
Super-large, round, fat sandwich filled with salami-type meats, mozzarella cheese, pickles, and olive salad

I have never seen a store like Central Grocery anywhere in this world. There are literally cans and jars and boxes of great food, spices, herbs, relishes….stacked to the ceiling. Why Central Grocery? It’s the home of the Mufaletta. Other restaurants serve these wonderful sandwiches but I am perfectly happy with the one from CG.

There are so many great restaurants in New Orleans and I encourage you to try as many as possible. Get off the beaten path to find some real gems but be careful. Voo Doo does lie around some of those dark corners. I prefer to do my Voo Doo in the kitchen!

In The Soup

This May day was cold, rainy and windy. I closed my office door all day to keep out the air conditioning...it's always so cold in that building. All I could think of was getting home to make soup. I looked up soup recipes on some of my favorite food blogs but nothing jumped out and said "make me". Once I was home I studied the contents of my refrigerator and freezer.

First, I pulled turkey broth from the freezer that I had made a couple of weeks ago and added two large chopped chicken breasts, a tablespoon of kosher salt, a teaspoon of cracked black pepper, two stocks of diced celery and 1 tsp. of Victoria's Gourmet dried shallots and boil.

Next add one package of three cheese tortellini, a bag of fresh baby spinach and two green onions diced. Cook until tortellini is done. Ladle into bowls top with Parmesan Reggiano and eat it up.

My nieces had two bowls a piece with fresh hot Italian bread. The entire 8 quart pan of soup was devoured.

Strawberries Devonshire

One Sexy Dessert!
(click link to print recipe)

Strawberries Devonshire

Henry's Off Broadway sat perched on an incline just off of Broadway in Seattle, Washington. A throw back from a time when dining elegance was appreciated. Jackets were required and no jeans allowed. Frank Sinatra loved this restaurant; I heard that dined there often when he visited the Emerald City...who really knows? If he didn't, it was the kind of restaurant he and the rest of the rat pack would have loved.

Parking was strictly valeted and anyone who was anyone could be seen at Henry's. It was one of my favorites in the city for several reasons; the piano bar, the best Manhattan's I've ever had, deep fried artichoke hearts with freshly grated parmesan, and Strawberries Devonshire.

Strawberries Devonshire is one of the sexiest desserts I have ever eaten and to this day, it is one of my favorites. I have no idea how Henry's made theirs but I know that it contained Grand Marnier, Brown Sugar, Fresh sliced Strawberries and rich Devonshire cream.

Here is my recipe. Do not squander it on a dinner party of friends who could care less if you were serving Ms. Smith's frozen apple pie. This dessert is for the special people in your life or those you wish to impress. There are plenty of uses for that left over Devonshire cream (wink!) - just ask Darcie, she won her husband with this dessert!

Serves 4

I like to serve mine in red wine glasses the way Henry's used to.

4 large bowl red wine glasses

1.5 cups fresh sliced strawberries

4 tablespoons Grand Marnier (or for something very decadent, use Godiva chocolate liqueur)

4 teaspoons of Grand Marnier (used to top cream)

4 teaspoons brown sugar or brown sugar cubes

Cream (Joy of Baking):

Prepare cream just before serving.

Recipe:

4 ounces mascarpone

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon pure madagascar bourbon vanilla extract

1 or 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Zest of lemon or lime (optional)

Preparation:

Place a 1 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar in the bottom of each glass

Cover with one half jigger of Liquor

Fill glass with sliced strawberries leaving enough room at the top to add cream

Cover glasses with plastic wrap and let stand for four (4) hours

Just before serving make Devonshire cream and top each glass heavily with cream

Drizzle one teaspoon of Grand Marnier over cream and top with a fresh strawberry and serve.

Sage Stuffed Pork Chops a Dinner for Any Season

I heard someone say recently that pork chops are a winter food. Really? I never really thought about it. I suppose one could classify them as winter comfort food but I have to tell you that if a sage stuffed pork chop was put on my plate in June, I am not about to send it back to the kitchen.

One of my favorite ways to prepare pork chops is to stuff them with a fresh sage, shallots, salt and pepper mixture. Chops have to be about an inch thick to pull this off. Once they are stuffed, dust them lightly with Panteago breader (yes you can buy this exclusively at Culina) mixed with finely chopped pecans. Bake in a clay roasting pan (we at Culina prefer Emile Henry) at 350 degrees until tender, remove the lid and quickly broil to crisp the pecans. Chops can also be grilled - just forgo the breader. For sides, try fresh grilled artichoke hearts (you do have to steam them first - steam them in foil on the grill or in a steamer) and individual gratin dish servings of potatoes Lyonnaise.

Here is a menu that I served to some friends visiting from Paris. It was a smash success!

Starter: goat cheese french toast (a fresh French baguette cut into three inch slices - cut a pocket into one side and fill with goat cheese, dip in an egg wash and cook in skillet, just like any other French toast. Melt truffle butter and drizzle lightly over each piece and serve. NOTE: Truffle butter is one of those wonderful little flavors that can quickly over power a dish. An eighth of a teaspoon is sufficient. I have also sauteed mushrooms and shallots in a 1:3 ratio of truffle oil to olive oil, added a tablespoon of butter and drizzled it over the French toast. The mushrooms are really yummy spooned on the side.

Salad(must have greens): Simple baby spinach and mache with fresh pomegranate seeds, flakes of freshly grated Parmesan , topped with a walnut oil vinaigrette.

Finish with my favorite dessert: Strawberries Devonshire. This is a simply elegant dessert which I love to serve in red wine glasses. Fresh strawberries, brown sugar and liqueur topped with Devonshire cream. If you are really feeling cheeky - use Godiva chocolate liqueur instead of Grand Marnier.

There you have it! Everything in this menu can be purchased at the Farmer's market or local farms.