TartQueen's Kitchen

Now, let’s face it.  Oatmeal cookies kind of get a bad reputation.  Basically, well, because they’re made mostly of what many people consider the most healthy yet mushy and tasteless breakfast food of all – oatmeal.  And, usually raisins – which I personally consider to be Satan’s candy.

Many times, through many recipes, oatmeal cookies tend to be overly dry, or overly soft & doughy.  Not much flavor is another negative in the oatmeal cookie column.  And no amount of added chocolate chips or dried fruit will fix it.

In my quest to come up with a good oatmeal cookie (because, yes, I do like them; always have), I made many batches, researched recipes old and new, and ate more cookies than I care to admit.  I even made my husband take them to work to use his co-workers as tasters.

I finally hit upon the idea of making the cookies with dark brown sugar, adding some oat flour, and a little maple syrup for flavor.  It just made a wonderful combination.

Oh. And as for the dried fruit – I use dried cherries and cranberries. They are my two favorite dried fruits and I simply like the way they go together. However,  you can use any dried fruit you like: apricots, apples, blueberries, and, yes, raisins.

You can also use chocolate, white, or cinnamon chips as well. If you want to.

Now, admittedly, I tend to make these cookies rather large.  That’s because making cookies is not one of my favorite things to do.  I simply don’t have the patience for it.  I tend to only bake cookies during the holidays – these included.  You can make them any size you like.  But, I will say this recipe makes a lot of cookies.  With the larger size that I bake, this recipe will still make about 5 dozen.  Smaller cookies? At least 6 dozen.

 

 

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c. oat flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3 c. rolled oats

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. dried cherries

 

1.  Preheat your oven to 350F.  Line your baking sheets with foil and parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  Set aside.

2.  In a mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides as needed.

3.  Turn down the heat to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.  Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

4.  Add in the vanilla and syrup.  Beat on medium-low speed until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

5.  Sift together the dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

6.  Turn the mixer to low speed and, in small scoopfuls (about 1/4 cup), add the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition.  Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

7.  Turn the mixer off, lower the bowl or lift the top of the mixer, and add the oats and fruit.  Lift the bowl or lower the top of the mixer, and, on very low speed, fold them into the dough.  (You can also do this step by hand.)

8.  Drop tablespoons full of batter onto the baking sheets.  Leave at least 2 – 3 inches in between.  These cookies spread a lot.

9.  Bake the cookies 15 – 18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the cooking time.  Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  (This will result in a fairly crispy cookie.  If you want the cookies slightly chewier, reduce the baking time by 2 – 3 minutes.)

Enjoy!

 

Moving on…

The next 2 days of the trip were the days Steve & I were looking forward to the most.  We were finally leaving the resort to see something of the “Real Jamaica”.

Day 3  January 31, Friday

Steve & I started off the day quite excited of what we were about to experience. But first, a small breakfast.

We decided to go with room service one last time and just get a fruit plate and juice.

Sigh… At least the pineapple was edible.

After this disappointment, we headed downstairs to wait for our guide.  We didn’t have to wait long.

I will say that Steve hit the jackpot in our tour guide, the wonderful Lynda Lee Burks.  She is an American ex-pat who has lived in Jamaica full time for most of the last 20 years.  She has her own tour company that focuses on specialized tours, Jamaica Tour Society (http://www.jamaicatoursociety.com).  She was a wonderful guide and companion for the next two days.  I love her.

Steve & I wanted to go into Montego Bay to visit the produce market and look for some music.  We also wanted to try the national dish of Jamaica, Ackee and Saltfish.  Lynda Lee said she rarely gets requests to go into the city, so she was happy to take us.

The market was a maze of sensory experiences.  They sell everything there from tobacco to clothes to kitchenware to produce.  I’m not sure of the age of the market, but considering the importance of the city as a port, the market has likely survived in one form or another for at least 350 years.  However, the building we saw along with the current fixtures was probably built in the early- to mid-twentieth century.

As we began walking around the market, it was clear to me that this is a country that takes a lot of pride in its food.  While some of the produce was imported (we saw huge bags of onions, carrots, and potatoes), most of it was native grown.

Lynda Lee also gave me some advice as we began walking around: Always ask to take someone’s photo.  If you don’t, if seen as an invasion of privacy and/or they think you’re a journalist looking to make money off of them.  Since I’m not one who would naturally walk up to random strangers and ask to take their photos, I found the easiest way to approach this is to buy something from the stand. I figured the vendors would be much more receptive.  Luckily, they were.

As we moved through the market, we did run across a stand that had the components of one of the national dish of Jamaica: Ackee.  It has a mild, creamy flavor and texture that works well with the very salty fish in the dish.

After walking around a bit more, we all decided we were hungry enough to stop by one of Lynda Lee’s favorite cook shops in the market and finally get our Ackee & Saltfish.

And, here are the ladies who made us this culinary delight.  Esther and Janet.

Their tiny cook shop in the market seems to be quite popular. It was actually one of the first places we stopped when we got into the market.  After Lynda Lee chatted with them for a few minutes (she knows them well; they usually have roasted breadfruit, one of Lynda Lee’s favorites, in season), Janet agreed to set aside some of the Ackee & Saltfish for us when we came back by.  They apparently sell out quickly.

To prepare the recipe, salt cod is soaked and boiled (although Janet used mackerel that morning), then sautéed with the cleaned ackee, onions, habanero (Scotch Bonnet) peppers, tomatoes, and black pepper and allspice (pimento). It  is usually served as breakfast with breadfruit (when it’s in season), tomatoes, fried or boiled dumplings, boiled yams, and fried plantain or boiled green bananas.

All I can say is: Wow.

The full breakfast was Ackee & Saltfish, boiled yams, sweet potato, tomatoes, fried dumplings, and boiled bananas.

Like many cuisines in developing nations, starch figures pretty prominently in Jamaican cuisine.  It’s a cheap, generally nutritious, and filling way to receive one’s sustenance.  Not that I’m opposed to starch.

After we ate breakfast, we moved next door so Steve could speak with a gentleman named Bunny so he could buy some old-school Jamaican music.

While Lynda Lee and I were waiting for Steve to finish up with Bunny, we watch a gentleman dance to the old-school dub that was coming out of the speakers.  But, I didn’t want to pay him for taking his photo (which can happen). So, I just have the memory.

After Steve bought his cd’s, we wandered around a bit more as we worked our way out of the market.

As we left the market, I needed to change some money, so Lynda Lee took us over to Andy’s Market.  It is directly across from the produce market and gets quite the trade in money exchange and simply making change.  It looks like a dry goods store, but the money exchange takes place in a rather strange way (to us anyway). High above the floor is a room where someone will reach down while you reach up with your cash, they will take it, count it, and give you the exchange. It’s all very efficient.  Given the crime rate in Jamaica, it makes sense to have the extra cash as difficult to get to as possible.

Lynda Lee told me that all (or most) of the markets (dry goods and grocery stores) in Jamaica are owned by Chinese.  After emancipation in 1838, Chinese were brought over as indentured servants.  Over the years, after the practice was ended in 1920, the Chinese went into the mercantile business.  Their descendants and more recent immigrants have become very successful and have, of course, become a very important part of the Jamaican economy.

After this, we drove to downtown Montego Bay. Steve was on a mission to find Empire Records.

Sam Sharpe was a slave who was the leader of the Jamaican Baptist War of 1832.  He was unusually, for the times, well educated and his fellow slaves looked to and respected.  He became a leader and deacon of his church who preached about the evils of slavery. While he initially preached peaceful resistance to slavery, in December 1831, the resistance turned violent.  Plantation owners retaliated against the slaves and, in turn, the slaves burned the crops.  Hundreds of slaves and 14 whites were killed in the ensuing violence.  Within a few weeks, the rebellion was put down and the leaders of the resistance, including Sharpe, were captured and hung.   Sharpe is considered a Jamaican hero and along with the statue in Montego Bay, he is also on the Jamaican $50 bill.

While we went on the quest to find this seemingly phantom record store, we were able to get a good look around the city.  It is a mix of Georgian and somewhat modern architecture painted in bright Caribbean colors.  Everyone seemed to have a purpose and a destination to get to, even if there wasn’t one.  It’s also a very young country; Lynda Lee told me the average age is under 30.  Everyone seems to have a dignity that one simply doesn’t see in many places.  And, everyone we spoke to was simply so lovely and kind.

A perfect example of this observation was this man: The Gospel Man.

Note his cart. All hand carts in Jamaica have the wheel on the end to help steer. This is what made the Jamaicans believe they could field a bobsled team.

After a bit more searching and general confusion about its exact location, we finally found the fabled Empire Records.    It was basically stacks of vinyl in a lottery shop.

Steve said that he could’ve gone all day just searching through the thousands of 45’s that were there (at one time the music means of choice in Jamaica).  But, since Lynda Lee and I were waiting for him, he decided against it.

After this, we decided despite the rather substantial breakfast, we were hungry again.  So, it was off to Tastee’s for Jamaican Meat Patties (apparently this is the place to go; it’s like the McDonalds of Jamaica – only better http://www.tasteejamaica.com).  They’re a direct descendant of the English pasty.

The filling  was ground meat, most often beef, but it can be filled with other meats or even seafood, in a sauce and spiced with pepper, allspice, and some chiles.  The crust is flaky (the yellow color comes from either egg yolks or turmeric in the dough).

We kinda became addicted to these.  I really need to find a good source for frozen ones.  Or, better yet, learn how to make them.

After Tastee’s, we made our way back to Lynda Lee’s car for the ride back to the resort.  But, one last stop: Scotchies.  Scotchies is a very popular spot with locals and tourists alike.  They have an extensive menu of jerk items, sausage, and fish.

We opted to buy a little each of a lot of things:  jerk chicken, jerk pork, pork sausage, and grilled fish.  This, along with some produce from the market would be our dinner.

As a quick explanation, jerk seasoning is basically a dry rub or paste that is rubbed, traditionally, on pork or chicken.  It can be, however, used on other meats or even tofu. The two main ingredients in jerk seasoning are allspice (pimento) and habanero (Scotch Bonnet) peppers.  other spices can include cinnamon, black pepper, garlic, nutmeg, thyme, and salt.  Like any other indigenous spice blends in the world, it has hundreds of variations depending on the region and family.  The meat is traditionally cooked on pimento wood (allspice trees). But, you’re just as likely to find street vendors cooking jerk chicken over charcoal in barrels.

After this, Lynda Lee took us back to the resort.  We agreed to meet at 8am saturday morning.

She left.  We took our goodies upstairs, changed into our swimsuits and went down to the beach for a while.

Finally, we decided to eat dinner.  What we brought back was infinitely  better than the resort food.

Now, for the meat course.

The fish was cooked with vegetables and chiles and steamed in foil.  Almost like an escabeche style.  The pork was tenderloin and very tender and flavorful.  The chicken, if a little dry, had a good spiciness to it.  Steve’s favorite was the pork sausage.  It had a good, if course, texture and a spicy flavor.  It all had a kick to it that I’m guessing is ubiquitous in Jamaican cooking.

We concluded that it was the best food day we’d had on the trip.  Well, the best day we’d had so far.

But, Saturday was coming and Lynda Lee was taking us out into the countryside.

 

Day 4, Saturday, February 1

Lynda Lee met us downstairs at 8am ready to take Steve & me into the wilderness.  We first made a stop in Montego Bay at a cook shop known as Poor Man’s Pelican for, what else? Ackee & Saltfish. Hey, eat what the natives eat.  It’s usually better.

The breakfast here was a little different from the one in the market on Friday: The Ackee & Saltfish was made with the traditional salt cod instead of mackerel, the dumplings were boiled instead of fried, the yams were again boiled, and there was also a side of steamed & shredded cabbage.

I can’t really compare the two.  They were equally delicious, but different.  I will say, though, I did like the boiled dumplings more than the fried.  And, the Ackee & Saltfish at Poor Man’s Pelican was a bit oilier (which probably helps to explain the boiled dumplings – soaks up some of the oil).

After breakfast, we headed the opposite direction towards the south and west coasts of the island.  We had an eventual goal in mind: The Pelican Bar in Pelican Bay.

The Jamaican countryside is not at all what I expected it to be.  I was thinking it would be all palm trees and sand.  The stereotypical vision of what a Caribbean island should look like.  Well, I was wrong.  It ranged from lush and green to hilly to brown and scrubby the further west and south we went.

The island is ringed with basically one major highway (the A2) with smaller roads and spurs coming off of it.  Outside of the major towns, much of it is basically a two-lane road (at least what we drove on), and depending on the parish administration, can either be a well maintained road or a rut-filled dirt track.

I was admittedly reluctant to ask Lynda Lee to stop so I could take photos because there were essentially no shoulders.  One side of the road was rock face and the other was drop off into a deep valley. I finally worked up the nerve to ask her to stop and pull over so I could take a few photos.  We picked a good place.

After we had been there a few minutes, a gentleman walked up to us to see if we needed help.  When Lynda Lee explained we were just looking around, he started talking to us about the fruit that he had in his hands – sweetcups.  They are relatives of the passionfruit and crack just like eggs.

While Lynda & I were talking to him, a lady walked up to see what was going on.  She and Steve began talking.  From what he could glean from their conversation (we were pretty deep into the country by now, so her Patois accent was quite thick), she was on her way to a funeral.  The man was shot, she said, and his body was frozen until they could bring him home. She was quite open about it.

She was dressed in what was likely her best clothes and wanted Steve to take her picture; so he did.

After a few more nature shots:

Soon, we were off again.

 

Our next stop was the small fishing village of Bluefields.  Lynda Lee had done some work there with USAID about 10 years or so ago and wanted to show us around a bit.

 

She said that while USAID basically provided the funding and got the program going, the local fishermen took it upon themselves to clean up the bay, begin fishing further out into the sea, and allow the fish to repopulate the bay.  They learned how to manage a sustainable fishing model.

As is my wont, I started wandering around.

We continued on our way from Bluefields to the Pelican Bar.

The Pelican Bar has become quite the attraction since it was first built in 2001.  It was built originally by a fisherman, Floyd Forbes, as a place where he and his fellow fishermen could hang out after a day’s work.  He built it in Pelican Bay (so named because of the large number of pelicans who nest and roost there) on a sandbar.  Before long, the local hotels saw the potential of promoting the bar as a way to attract tourists to the area. In 2004, the bar was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan.  Floyd didn’t have the money to rebuild. However, a local hotel owner donated money and materials so the Pelican Bar could rebuild.

And a legend was born.

Before we left to go to the bar, Lynda Lee pulled out a rather sinister looking tool and told us that it was used to open jelly coconuts.  That’s when I learned jelly coconuts are simply fully ripe coconuts that haven’t dried yet (becoming the coconuts we’re all familiar with).  She cut the stem out with this tool – it looked like a very thin, curved, sharp trowel – and we all had a refreshing glass of jelly coconut water.

The bar itself is about a 10-minute boat ride from shore.  You simply hire a boat to take you out and the bartender will call when you’re ready to be picked up. Or, you can also set a time for the driver to pick you up. I think.

Once you get up to the bar, the driver ties the boat to the steps and you carefully get out.

This is the first thing Steve & I saw when we stepped inside:

Obviously, some people brought memorabilia to leave here and there is a lot of carving of names in the wood:

Steve & I both looked at each other and said, “Who brings a license plate on vacation?”.

After getting past the tourist-left rubbish, I made a point to just enjoy the beauty of the place.

Lynda Lee went snorkeling, Steve was inside drinking a Red Stripe, and I sat on the steps in the water and just decided to revel in the sounds of the sea.

After awhile, I moved to the back to dry off and get a little more sun.  Steve got in the sea and swam a bit while Lynda Lee joined me.

While Lynda Lee and I were talking, a fisherman docked at the bar and asked us if we wanted to buy some of his catch.  We declined.  However, you can buy seafood from the fishermen and they’ll cook it up for you at the bar.  Or, sometimes, the bar has something already made.  We were still full from breakfast, so we didn’t eat anything.

But, the fisherman did join some of the other gentlemen in the bar for a game of dominoes.  It seems to be a contact sport here.  At the least, it’s taken very seriously.  It was fun to watch.

About this time, we asked the bartender to call to shore so our boat could pick us up.  The wind was starting to pick up and we could see clouds on the horizon, so we decided it was a good time to go.  Also, another boat of tourists was coming towards the bar.  Call me anti-social, but I wasn’t having any of that.

But first, since we had to wait anyway, a little more relaxation and photos.

Our boat arrived and we were ferried back to shore.  After hosing ourselves and our belongings off  – kinda – we headed back towards Montego Bay.

We ran into some pretty heavy rain and the reality of the rut-filled dirt roads hit hard.  They become mud pits.  Lynda Lee smartly had a 4-wheel drive; so, while problematic, the roads were passable.

On our way out, we passed through a town called Whitehouse where they were setting up a row of cookshops for the Saturday night crowd.  Coming back, the shops were open for business and we decided to stop.

We were immediately surrounded by vendors hocking their wares.  It all looked really good.  Lynda Lee, in her quiet way, told them we were just looking and they seemed to back off rather quickly.  One lady did say that she had some fish fresh out of the fryer.  Lynda Lee said that was the person to see.

Snack time.  We had some fried parrot fish, bammy bread, and pepper shrimp (better known to us as crawfish)

It was, quite honestly, the best fried fish I’ve ever eaten.  I don’t know what she did, but it was magic.  If I ever get back there, I’m gonna ask her.

Lynda Lee told us that these cookstands really cater to the locals rather than tourists.  I concluded that’s why the food is so good.

As we moved further into Whitehouse, we stopped at Peter Tosh’s house.  It was one of Steve’s goals that we find it (his first reggae album purchase was Tosh’s “Legalize It”).  It wasn’t easy to find.  The entrance is tucked behind a coffee shop.

Steve took a quick tour of the grounds with the caretaker and had a rather lengthy conversation with him about Tosh’s music.  Steve seemed to be enjoying himself.  It could’ve also been the wafts of ganja emanating from the caretaker and the whole place.  Lynda & I could smell it and we were in the car.

A quick biography of Peter Tosh: He was an original member of Bob Marley & The Wailers but had a falling out with Marley and left the group in 1973.  He went on to a solo career and released nine albums, including “Equal Rights”, “Bush Doctor”,  and “Mama Africa”.  He was killed in September 1987 after a group of gunmen, one of whom he knew, invaded his home and demanded money.  After he told them he didn’t have any, he was shot and killed.

Again, we were off.

Lynda Lee had been extolling the virtues of this one jerk stand to us even before we set foot in Jamaica: Border Jerk.  It sits on the border of Westmoreland & Elizabeth Parishes, hence the name.

Once again, she didn’t disappoint.

I suspect because Border Jerk caters more the local population as opposed to tourists, the food is made with a bit more care as opposed to assembly-lining it. (Not to say they did that at Scotchies. But they had so much made that had no doubt sat around for awhile it took something away from the whole experience.)

Again, it was like comparing apples and oranges with Scotchies.  While we agreed that the chicken was most definitely better at Border Jerk – tender, juicy, and just the right balance of spicy – the pork was a different cut (I couldn’t quite tell what it was) while the pork from Scotchies was tenderloin.  They were both equally wonderful. And, we finally got to try Festival.  A slightly sweet fried flour fritter.  All this paired with a Red Stripe? Ambrosial.

We finally made it back to the resort, exhausted, around 6pm.  After some hugs, almost tearful goodbyes, and promises to stay in touch, we took our leave of Lynda Lee.

It was a great day.

There was a “Farewell to Jamaica” party sponsored by the resort and our tour group that evening.  Steve & I opted to just stay in our room and then take a late walk on the beach.  That’s about the time we decided we really wanted to come back someday.  Just hire Lynda Lee for a week and just tour around the island and see and experience as much as we could.

And, to bed.

 

Day 5, Sunday, February 2 – Departure Day

We didn’t think to bring any food back from our Saturday travels to have for breakfast, so we lurched downstairs and back to Port Maria for their breakfast buffet.  We were prepared to be underwhelmed and we weren’t disappointed.

In fact, I won’t even bore you with the details.

But, we did get this great last view of the beach:

I checked the weather back in Fort Worth.  It was 30F.  Ugh. I told Steve this and we dressed accordingly.  Many of our fellow travelers were about to embark wearing their summer togs. I figured they’d be in for a surprise.  Or, they just wanted to enjoy the experience a little longer.  I didn’t hear one person say they were anxious to go home.  I wasn’t surprised.

Many of our fellow travellers either didn’t leave the resort or went strictly to the tourist areas on the island.  I tried not to pass judgement.  A vacation means different things to different people.

So, it was back on the bus to be shuttled to the airport.  After the usual fun of getting the boarding passes, checking the bags, going through security, and finally making it to the gate, Steve & I spied some storefronts selling records, Jamaican foodstuffs, and meat patties.  You can guess where each of us went.  I think Steve bought 4 albums that he hadn’t been able to find in Montego Bay (in fact, the store owner told him to find vinyl, he’d have to go to Kingston).  I bought some jerk seasoning that Janet at the market recommended to me and some Jamaican honey.

We then made our way to the shop with the meat patties.  Our final meal in Jamaica:

Steve went back the shop after we ate and bought two more for us to eat on the plane.

Yes, it was really cold when we made it home.  After basically being waved through customs and finally finding my dad, we were on our way back to my parents.  We did stop for fried chicken to take home to Mom.  Yeah. it was good.

The next morning before we drove back to Austin, Steve & I went to breakfast with my parents.

And, I saw this.

Kinda drove home the fact that we weren’t in the Caribbean anymore.

 

Once again I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Jamaica has a reputation, sure.  Some of it is deserved, some not.  But, as Steve & I discovered, when you let the scales fall from your eyes, you can find a whole new world you never expected.  The people of Jamaica are lovely, wonderful people with a lot of pride in themselves and their country.

I highly recommend the journey.  And hire Lynda Lee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When my husband, Steve, called me last October from work to inform me that we had “won” a trip to Jamaica, it’s fair to say I was underwhelmed.  For one, Jamaica was never a place that was on my radar as a desired destination.  I honestly imagined it to be either full of walled-off resorts hosting pasty tourists frying themselves to a collective crisp trying to tan; or, outside the resorts, to be like the legendary tough streets of Kingston with clouds of ganja smoke hanging in the air.

Needless to say, Steve was disappointed in my reaction.

A little background on the “winning” of this trip.  Steve & I own a small restaurant he inherited in his hometown of Vernon, Texas (it’s about 20 minutes from the Oklahoma state line).  The lady who leases the restaurant from us does business with a food distributor in far north Texas (they’re based in the Panhandle) that, every year, gives away trips to a few of its customers as a thank you for their business.  Now, our lady has taken a few of these trips herself – and she deserves it – but, this year, she asked if it could be transferred to Steve & me.  She knows we enjoy travel to farther-flung lands than she is used to (Las Vegas is the height of excitement for her), and Jamaica just wasn’t for her, she decided.  Plus, we have passports.

That’s how we ended up in Jamaica.

I let Steve do all the planning (normally my domain) for our extracurricular activities.  My only stipulation was that we find a way to get away from the resort for at least one day so we could see something of the “real Jamaica”.  We decided that if we were going to actually go somewhere that we knew next to nothing about except for jerk chicken, Red Stripe beer, rum, reggae music, Bob Marley, Rastafarians, and Yardies, we’d better do some boots-on-the-ground learning.

So, off we went.

Steve & I drove up from Austin to my parents’ house near Fort Worth on Tuesday, January 28. Our flight was scheduled to leave Wednesday morning.  And, since our tickets had us leaving from DFW, up we went.  We got a later start on Tuesday than we would have liked because it had iced over the night before.  We weren’t able to get on the road until about 2:30 pm.  Then, of course, we hit the legendary Fort Worth traffic right at rush hour.  Lovely.  We finally made it to my parents reasonably sane.

 

Day 1 – January 29, Wednesday

Keller, TX/DFW Airport/Miami-Dade Airport/Montego Bay, Jamaica (Iberostar Resort)

Our day started at 4:30 am (at least mine did).  Since our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:10, we needed to arrive at  the airport by 7.  (Now, I’ll just admit here that I’m a bit of an obsessive when it comes to getting to the airport early. I’ve missed flights before [some my fault, some not] and there are few things that ratchet up my anxiety level faster.) 

Mom made us one of my favorite food memories from her kitchen – fried egg sandwiches.  It was a  slightly more grown-up version with whole grain bread instead of Mrs. Baird’s.

Now, as we all know, you can make something for yourself that your mom used to make when you were a kid and it tastes pretty good.  But, there’s nothing like Mom making it for you.

Dad loaded us up, Mom gave us each a hug and one more admonition not to bring them back anything because “you’re going to get it back anyway”, and, off we went. Dad drove, he and Steve conversed, and I was half asleep.

Airport check-in was relatively painless. (I do have to say DFW has this stuff down.) And, as always, the TSA security screening was an unexpected adventure. A full body scan or a pat-down? Always an unpleasant decision.

We finally made it through to the secure area.  I changed some money (as a FYI, the Jamaican Dollar is worth roughly $.01), and we headed towards the gate.

After about 15 minutes of sitting at the gate, Steve & I decided we were still hungry.  So, off we went to forage for food. Well, decent food anyway – sometimes very hard to find in the airport.  We settled on Einstein Brothers Bagels. I know it’s a chain, but it’s a decent enough one. Plus, I figured we wouldn’t be eating again until we reached the resort, so this would set us up for a while.

After a rather cramped flight where almost everyone was playing musical chairs because, inexplicably, the travel company didn’t seat couples together, we made it to Miami.  We were rushed to our next flight (2 gates away) where it was hurry up and wait again. There was another round of musical chairs when we were able to board.

About 2 hours later we landed at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  It definitely wasn’t DFW. But, we all caught, what was for most of us, our first glimpse of Jamaica. My first impression? It was very green.

There is some small comfort that Passport and Immigration control officers are about the same everywhere: fairly robotic and slightly rude – at least with non-citizens.  Jamaica was no exception to this rule.

After about 30 minutes – a surprisingly short wait time considering the lines – we retrieved our checked bags and headed to the buses waiting to take us to the resort.

It was about a 30 minute ride from the airport to our resort.  At least from the bus, anyway, we saw a little of the real Jamaica.

We finally made it to the resort.  I was thrilled because I wanted a shower. Steve was just glad we were done traveling for a few days.

The company booked our group in the Iberostar Rose Hall Grand Resort. The 5-Star side. All inclusive. Fancy stuff.  The room was lovely and this was our view:

After our bags finally arrived to our room, Steve & I cleaned up and headed down to the “Welcome to Jamaica” buffet the resort arranged for our group in the Port Maria restaurant – an open-air buffet restaurant next to the beach.

The food was resort food – beautifully presented, plentiful, and bland.  But, it was open bar. So, there was that.

Our overly laden plates included: Salad, Ham, Salmon, Lamb Chops (which I suspect were goat), Bass in Pepper Sauce, Shrimp in Romesco, Pasta Salad, Rolls, Filet Mignon, Swordfish, Broccoli with Almonds, Seafood Salad, Cheeses, Lamb with Caraway Sauce (again, I suspect goat), and Rice Pilaf (really, just boiled white rice. It did have flavor, though.)

After a short nighttime stroll on the beach, we decided we were done with the day and headed up to sleep.

 

Day 2, January 30, Thursday

Iberostar Resort, Dunn’s River Falls

This was the one day we decided to do a group activity.  We were going to climb Dunn’s River Falls.

But first, breakfast.  We decided on room service. I was feeling it from the night before (and not in a good way), so I opted for something reasonably light.  Steve took on the full breakfast.

Along with breakfast, we received a copy of one of Jamaica’s daily papers, The Daily Gleaner. It was an interesting read.  One story about a man who was killed contained the line, “…when police asked about the (man’s) lifestyle, the family fidgeted nervously”.  Then, there was the phonetic spelling of the Patois (the local dialect) of the witnesses.  Then, there was a take-down by the reporter of the “thugs”.

You just don’t get kind of reporting here anymore.

Dunn’s River Falls are east of Montego Bay at Ocho Rios (another popular tourist spot).  The falls drain directly into the Caribbean Sea – one of the few falls in the world that drain directly into the sea or ocean.  Another claim to fame is in 1657 when the British defeated a Spanish expeditionary force from Cuba during the Battle of Los Chorreras.  It was also used as a location for “Dr. No”.

Dunn’s River Falls is an approximately 800 foot tall waterfall that is terraced and is actually not too difficult a climb, as waterfalls go. Not to say it isn’t tricky in spots.  Generally, a human chain is formed before you head up the falls to help support each other along. (I ended up holding hands between Steve and a gentleman named Al.  Al was great.  So was his girlfriend, Emily.) You’re grateful for the lagoons so you can stand is some calm water for just a few minutes.

Each group is given a guide.  Ours was the very affable Mr. Wilson. He liked to hug the ladies. But not in a creepy way.

Each group was also given a videographer.  His sole purpose was to take photos and film your embarrassment so you could buy it on CD for $40 at the end of the climb. He was very enthusiastic and managed to get just about everyone in our group to do some “whoop-whoop” noises. Steve & I did not participate in this.

While I was waiting for video guy to finish his pep talk, I wandered a bit.

Then, it was time to climb the falls.  We formed our human chain and got started.

We had a great time. Got very wet. As one would when they’re climbing a waterfall.

It was also fascinating to watch the guides climbing the falls, in some cases, all their lives.  They were climbing those rocks like goats on a mountain.  I just know I’d never be that nimble.

At about the 3/4 up the falls mark, Steve stepped into a hole in the rocks, tripped, and fell square on his right knee.  He already had a broken toe on the same side, so that didn’t help.  Once Mr. Wilson and I got him up and into the next lagoon, we decided enough was enough.  One of the ladies leading our group, Brittany, was just lovely and stayed with us until she was sure Steve was all right. (He was. Just a little sore.)

Our only complaint about the climb up was the amount of people they were trying to push through at once.  Not only was there our group, but there were perhaps 6 others plus two cruise ships had come in.  So, it was either a waiting situation until there was an opening, or you were rushed up the falls to make room for the next group.

The guides are well trained, friendly, and efficient.  I suspect there are few truly serious accidents.  And I’m sure that they are used to the waves of tourists coming through.  Overall, people seemed to have fun.  I know we did.  I was also proud Steve & I got as far as we did.

We left the falls area and just wandered slowly through the rest of the park.

I say we wandered slowly.  That was true, until we hit the souvenir stands.  Oy.  It was like a run for the hills trying to get through there. The sellers were really sweet and generous until they found out we didn’t bring any extra cash.  Their M.O. was to walk up to us and give us each a “free” wooden figurine (quite cute, actually).  Then, they would ask our  names so they could carve it into the wood.  That’s when we would stop them and say we didn’t have any extra cash on us.  Then, the figurine wasn’t so free.

Oh, well.  They have to make a living, too.  One vendor did give us each a free necklace, though.  Free after Steve bought a small carved wooden cat from him with what little cash he did have on him.

It started to rain lightly, so we made our excuses and finally got back to the bus.  Most everyone slept at least a little on the way back to the resort. I know I did.

We made it back to the resort just in time for a quick change for the beach and lunch.

For lunch, it was back to a buffet at Port Maria.  The food was a little better than the night before. There was more seafood, so that made us happy.

Between the two of us, we had Lobster tail (which, much to my disappointment, was chopped, mixed with a cheese sauce, and put back in the shell), fried fish, a version of Caprese Salad, Squid Romesco, Conch Fritters, Broccoli au Gratin, cheese, fried potatoes, sausage, boiled shrimp, and crab claws.

Our only excuse for the amount of food was that we were really hungry after climbing the falls.

After lunch, we made our way down to the beach to relax.  We found a couple of unoccupied beach chairs, dragged them down to the water’s edge and just lazed for a couple of hours.

I did do a little walking around and took photos.  Steve did take a dip in the sea.  We both read and dozed. A lovely afternoon.

After a quick rinse to get off the excess sand, Steve & I went to our room, cleaned up, and eventually, went to dinner.

We did have reservations at the Japanese restaurant, but Steve really wanted to go to Galleon, the resort’s steakhouse. We ran into Brittany, who, after asking about Steve’s knee, was able to get us into the restaurant despite us not having a reservation.

I wasn’t really hungry and I honestly could’ve gone the rest of the night without eating.  But Steve didn’t want to eat alone and he didn’t want room service.  I opted to just get an appetizer as a compromise.

Basically, this was a glorified, bready crab cake with a very thin slice of lobster somewhere in the center.  The consomme was almost jelly-like with what was no doubt the liberal addition of cornstarch.  It also tasted like celery. Celery’s fine as a flavoring, but it shouldn’t be the dominant flavor; certainly not with seafood.  The dish wasn’t terrible.  Just disappointing.

Other than saying the food was good, Steve really didn’t have anything to say about it.  He ate it all.

Then, there was dessert.

What to say.  I’m not sure where the “Mountain Fruit” part came from since, unless I’m woefully ignorant about this, blackberries, grapes, and watermelon don’t grow in the mountains.  Plus, the jellied strawberry topping/glaze seems to be a popular go-to in the pastry kitchen.  The cheesecake was lighter in texture than one would think of when they think of cheesecake and tasted fine. Not great; just fine.

Fancy. He was happy. Note the use of more Strawberry Glaze.

I went back up to the room to read and go to sleep.  Steve decided to go listen to a reggae band playing near the pool area, smoke one of the cigars he bought, and enjoy a Rum Punch.

Thus, Day 2 ended.  Day 3, we were going off the reservation.  We couldn’t wait.

 

Part 1, fin.  Part 2, soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m a little late here, but a very happy 2014 to you all.

As we all have at this point in the year, there are a few goals that I’d like to accomplish, or at least try, in 2014.

1.  Really get my garden going.  2013 was a year of life and other things getting in the way so I couldn’t get too far into it.  I’d like to get my garden built, prepped, and planted so I can start harvesting in May or June.

2.  Post on this blog more often.  It’s good practice for me.  And, I would like more of you to read and enjoy what I write.

3.  Promote my blog.  That means for me to delve even further into the world of social media.  You know, join 2014.

4.  Continue to get better at my photography.  I think I’m rather good at it given the tools I’ve had.  I now have a great camera as well as a couple of workshops under my belt.  Plus, I’ve learned that white and natural are always the way to go.

5. Stretch my cooking abilities and challenge myself.  Like most cooks, I’m prone to fall into ruts from time to time.

6.  Bake more. Especially breads.  Even try gluten-free and vegan baking.  I also have plenty of sourdough starter, so have at it, Me.

7.  Take a few cake decorating classes.  Because I’ve always wanted to.

8.  Teach myself to make the following:

a) Corned Beef

b) Cured Salmon

c) perfect Rice Pudding

d) Mansaff (a Bedouin dish of lamb and yogurt; one of my favorites that I’ve never been able to master)

e) my grandmother’s pie crust

f) true barbecued Brisket

g) tempered chocolate

h) fresh veggie burgers

i) seitan (a meat substitute made with flour and wheat gluten)

j) pastrami

k) pita bread

l) a really good shrimp curry

m) and other things that I haven’t thought of yet

 

 

Have a lovely 2014!  Hope you all reach your goals.

 

See you all soon.

 

 

 

Like most of us in my generation, we were raised on the good old standby, the Kraft caramel.  Nothing wrong with them, really.  In fact, we loved them.  They came in tiny individually wrapped morsels and were only found during the holidays, starting with Halloween.

Now, those were fine when we were kids. Basically, because we didn’t know any better.

However, for me anyway, once I had my first soft, small-batch caramel, Kraft just didn’t do it for me anymore.  I decided to learn how to make my own.

And, here is the result.

*************

A short history of the caramel by Samira Kawash from www.gastrnomica.org:

“Caramels first appeared on the American candy scene in the 1880s and its lineage is obscure. In flavor and character, what we know today as caramel candy is closely related to British toffee and butterscotch, which appeared in the early 1800s.  British candy historian Laura Mason suggests that caramels might have evolved in the spirit of dental charity—a softer counterpart to the hard-on-the-teeth British toffee. Stephen Schmidt, author of Dessert in America and an expert in the history of American desserts, looks to the other side of the Channel for caramel origins: “The inspiration behind American caramels were French caramels, which came to this country during the vogue for French cooking of the Gilded Age.”

Whatever its British or French origins, the caramel candy that appeared at the end of the nineteenth century was uniquely American. Home recipes most closely resembled the French version, employing basic combinations of butter, sugar, cream and flavorings. But more unique confections were spilling out of professional candy kitchens: In their quest for market share and profit, commercial producers would experiment with such ingredients as paraffin, glucose, coconut butter, flour, and molasses to alter the texture, firmness and quality of the candies.

As Catherine Owen attempted to explain to her 1887 candy-making aspirants: “Caramel is really sugar boiled until it changes color, but the candy understood as ‘caramels’ is something different.” Sara Rorer’s 1889 Home Candy Making, for example, gives a recipe for “caramel” that includes only sugar and water, boiled to “the consistency of molasses.” This would be sugar cooked to a very high temperature, over 330 degrees. Caramel candy recipes, in contrast, cook sugar with milk or butter at lower temperatures.  This is the flavor prized today as “caramel,” but for Americans in the 1880s and 1890s, that distinctive taste was not so closely attached to the caramel candy sensation. Even in caramel candy’s heyday, chocolate’s appeal and marketability were undeniable. Hence the famed Philadelphia Caramel, which was, as everybody on the eastern seaboard knew, a chewy morsel of chocolate.

Milton Hershey, who would go on to found the Hershey’s chocolate empire, began as a caramel man; his Lancaster Caramels were advertised to include a mix of 30 varieties. Prior to Hershey’s chocolate innovations of the 1890s, milk chocolate was a closely guarded European secret. Chocolate bars for eating were imported, expensive delicacies. Caramel, in contrast, could be made for every taste and budget. Caramel candy in that era was not a specific variety, but a generic form: so Hershey sold chocolate, strawberry, coffee, maple, and coconut caramels. Our familiar plain caramel would have been known in that day as another flavor, vanilla. Soon, the caramels got fancier. Nuts, cream centers, or even chocolate dipped. One day, Hershey looked at those chocolate dipped caramels and saw a new direction for his company. Exit caramels, enter the Hershey Bar.”

***********

Candy making, for the most part, is pure common sense.

1.  Don’t touch or spill the hot sugar. Especially on yourself or anyone else. There’s a reason pastry chefs and candy makers call this stuff napalm. Have no distractions (i.e. kids, pets, alcohol, etc.) in the kitchen when you are working with molten sugar.

2. Don’t make candy on a humid day.  Believe it or not, the difference between 25% and 50% humidity can affect the way the candy sets up. The wetter the day, the quicker the sugars will break down before setting up completely. In other words, the sugar in the candy will absorb the extra moisture in the air, causing it to become a sticky mess.

Conventional wisdom holds that candy is best made on a cold, dry day.  Like, say, in Texas, February.

3.  Use a candy thermometer.  A reliable candy thermometer.  Mine is a Taylor brand that I’ve used for so long, I’ve managed to scrub off the numbers:

My thermometer is the older-style mercury type.  If the bulb on this breaks, because mercury is, well, poisonous, I’ll not only have to throw away the thermometer and what I am making, but the saucepan as well.

The newer thermometers are made with alcohol that’s been dyed red.  These aren’t as dangerous if the bulb breaks.  You can at least clean out the saucepan and use it again.

These should go from tempering chocolate (90F) up to roughly 400F.  A good candy thermometer will also be labeled with the stages of cooking sugar (thread, soft ball, firm ball, hard ball, soft crack, hard crack).  Also, most good candy thermometers can also be used for deep-frying as well.

4.  Don’t let the bulb on your thermometer touch the bottom of the saucepan. (The better thermometers have the bulb about 1/4″ to 1/2″ from the bottom).  Otherwise, you could get a false reading.

5.  Use the right sized saucepan for what you’re making.  Too large and the sugar will cook too quickly and burn.  Too small and the sugar will boil over and burn not only the stove, but you.

Also, invest in some heavy-bottomed saucepans.  Flimsy, thin saucepans (or any cookware) are no good for anything, but especially bad for candy making.

6.  Read the recipe carefully and thoroughly before starting.  Have everything ready to go.  Your ingredients should be measured, your utensils ready to go, your pans prepared, and a clear path made.  There is a lot of “hurry up and wait” in candy making; but when things start to happen, they happen fast.  Pre-preparation is essential.

7.  Watch for crystallization.  This happens when the liquid in the saucepan can no longer absorb the sugar. You end up with just a big cake of sugar in the saucepan.  There’s no fixing this.  If it happens, you have to start over.

The best way I’ve found to combat this is to simply make sure all of the sugar is moistened before I start to cook it.  I just gently push the sugar down and around in the liquid (usually water and corn syrup) until it is completely moistened. Then, I put the saucepan over medium-low heat and let it cook without stirring the mixture.  I let the sugars dissolve on their own.  The more you agitate the mixture, the more likely you’ll get crystallization. So, fight every instinct you have and DON’T STIR.

If you do happen to get some sugar crystals on the side of the saucepan, take a pastry brush, dip it some water, and brush the sides of the saucepan to dissolve the sugar.  If there are any solid, un-moistened crystals, they can also cause crystallization.

Once the sugar comes to a boil and all of the sugar has dissolved, you can, carefully, stir to your heart’s content.  The danger for crystallization has passed.

8.  Don’t cook the sugar too fast.  Medium-low to medium heat is ideal.  You want to give the sugar time to dissolve and the moisture to begin to evaporate before the mixture comes to a boil.  This also gives you more ability to control the temperature and greatly reduces the risk of the sugar burning.

9.  Do not double up a recipe or substitute unless you’re an experienced candy maker.  Candy recipes, along with baking recipes, are like scientific formulas.  If you throw it out of balance or change an element, the whole experiment could fail.

Or, be a spectacular success.

***********

a) If you want to have unsalted caramels, simply use all unsalted butter and omit the salts.

b) In this example, I use a combination of brown and white sugars. I think the flavor and color are simply better. However, if you prefer to use all white sugar, go ahead.

c) I used almond extract in this example.  Again, because I like the flavor.  The more traditional flavoring is vanilla, so, if you have that, use it.  Just make sure, either way, you’re using pure extract, not artificial flavoring.

d) Use cream and butter. This is non-negotiable.

 

 

1 c. sugar

-or-

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. light corn syrup

3/4 c. heavy cream

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 tbsp. salted butter

1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1/2 tsp. Fleur de Sel or flaked (Maldon) sea salt

 

1.  Line  9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or foil.  Make it as smooth as you can. Make sure there are no holes in the foil or paper as you press it down.  If you accidentally poke a hole or make a tear, you need a new piece.  Spray or butter the paper or foil and set the pan aside.

2.  In a small saucepan, place the cream, butter, and 1/2 tsp. sea salt and bring the cream to a boil over medium heat.

Take the pan off the heat, add the extract, cover the saucepan and keep warm.

3.  In a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water.

Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil (don’t stir!) and cook until they syrup reaches 302F (Hard Crack).

(Note: This is the progression of the syrup on my stove. Your times and temperatures may vary.)

Once the sugar gets past 285F – 290F, it will begin to caramelize.  Be sure to swirl the pan so the sugar doesn’t burn (especially of you’re using only white sugar)

A tip: When you’re using a larger saucepan, the thermometer may not reach down to the syrup.  Carefully tilt the saucepan so the syrup covers the bulb of the thermometer so you will get an accurate reading.  Also, be patient.  It will take some time for the thermometer to read accurately.  Wait until the mercury stops moving.

4.  Once the sugar has reached 302F, take the saucepan off the heat, and CAREFULLY pour the warm cream mixture into the syrup, stirring constantly to combine.

If the syrup begins to harden, place the saucepan back on the heat and continue to stir.

5.  Cook the mixture to 240F (Soft Ball).  At this point, it’s OK to stir occasionally.

(Again, these are based on my stove. Again, your times and temperatures may vary.)

This will make a soft caramel.  If you want a firmer caramel, cook to 245F (Firm Ball).

6.  Take the saucepan off the heat, give the caramel one more good stir, and carefully pour the finished caramel into the prepared pan.

Wait 10 – 15 minutes and the sprinkle on the fleur de sel or flaked sea salt over the top.  Let the caramel sit until set, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

7.  Lift the cooled caramel out of the pan with the paper or foil.  Cut the caramel into pieces as big or as small as you like.

Keep them in an airtight container either individually wrapped or between layers of wax paper for up to 2 weeks.

If you decide to wrap the pieces, you can do it simply with wax paper you no doubt have already in the drawer. Don’t go out and buy the fancy wrappers – unless you really want to.

 

Hey. It’s the holidays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes approximately 32 – 48 pieces.

As comfort foods go, Fasoulia was another one my sisters & I were rewarded with as we grew up.  It is a delightful stew consisting of (at least in the Palestinian tradition) of lamb, tomatoes, and green beans.

In fact, the word “fasoulia” in Arabic literally means “bean”.

Fasoulia is a dish that is found in several versions throughout the Middle East, Turkey, North & Sub-Saharan Africa, and southern Europe. There are versions that use white beans (Syria & Lebanon), red beans (Lebanon), with carrots (Ethiopia), and with olives and greens  (Greece).

The version I’m making is the one we grew up with (and the one I learned from my mom – who makes the best Fasoulia I’ve ever had, by the way).  It’s in the Palestinian style, with lots of tomatoes.

 

A few notes:

1.  You can make this dish vegetarian/vegan by simply omitting the meat and using vegetable broth.

2.  This dish is always served over rice.  I like to serve over saffron rice (because that was the way my sisters & I grew up eating it).  However, if you want to use plain white rice, or even brown rice (especially if you’re making the vegetarian version), go for it.

3.  If you don’t like or can’t find lamb, you can use beef.  Use chuck.  It’s meant for stewing and braising.

4.  Use regular, fresh green beans for this dish.  Don’t use frozen or haricot vert (French green beans).  They won’t hold up to the cooking time.

5.  This is generally served with browned pine nuts sprinkled over the top as garnish.  However, if you don’t want to go to the expense of or can’t find pine nuts, browned slivered almonds are an excellent substitute.

 

 

1 med. onion, finely chopped

2 lbs. lamb, trimmed and cut into 1″ cubes

2 lbs. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ to 1 1/2″ pieces

3 tbsp. olive oil or clarified butter

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes (try to buy without basil; if you do get basil, pick out the leaves)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. allspice

2 c. beef or chicken broth

 

1.  In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil or butter over medium-high heat.  Add the meat and cook, in batches if needed,  until it is browned.

2.  Add the onions to the saucepan and cook until they are softened, about 5 – 7 minutes.

3.  Add the beans and cook another 3 – 5 minutes.  Stir frequently.

4.  Add the tomatoes, spices, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low.  Cook until the meat is tender, about 1 hour.  Taste for seasoning.

5.  Serve with rice with a few browned pine nuts or slivered almonds on top.

 

Sahtein!

Soup has been around probably as long as people have been eating.  It’s cheap, filling, restorative, and democratic.

Onion soups have been popular at least as far back as Roman times. They were, throughout history, seen as food for poor people, since onions were plentiful, easy to grow, and considered a restorative food.

The modern version of Onion Soup originates in France in the 18th C., made from softened onions and, traditionally, beef broth. Onion soups are likewise found  in early English cookbooks and American cookbooks from colonial days to present.It is often finished by being placed under a grill in a ramekin with croutons and Gruyère melted on top. The crouton on top is reminiscent of using bread as “sops”.

Here are a couple of examples of early written Onion Soup recipes:

[1651: France]
“Potage of onion.
Cut your onions into very thin slices, fry them with butter, and after they are fried put them into a pot with water or with pease broth. After they are well sod, put in it a crust of bread and let it boile a very little; you may put some capers in it. Dry your bread then stove it; take up, and serve with one drop of vinegar.”
—The French Cook, Francois Pierre La Varenne, [1651] Englished by I.D.G. 1653, Introduced by Philip and Mary Hyman [Southover Press:East Sussex] 2001 (p. 130)

[1869: France]
“Onion Soup.
Peel 2 good-sized onions (say 7 oz.), cut them, in halves and then crosswise, in thin shreds:
Blanch, in boiling water, for five minutes, to remove their acrid flavour;
Put in a 6-inch stewpan, with 1 1/2 oz. of butter;
Stir over a brisk fire, and, when the onion becomes of a light brown colour, add a tablespoonful of flour, say 1 oz.;
Keep on the fire for two minutes longer;
Add: 1 quart of water; 2 pinches of salt; and 2 small ones of pepper;
Stir till boiling;
Simmer, for five minutes, on the stove corner; taste the seasoning;
Put in the soup-tureen 2 ox. of sliced dried roll, and 1 oz. of butter; our in the soup, stirring gently with a spoon to dissolve.
Serve.”
—The Royal Cookery Book (Le Livre de Cuisine) , Jules Gouffe, translated from the French and adapted for English Use by Alphonse Gouffe [Sampson Low, Son, and Marston:London] 1869 (p. 38-9)

(sources: www.wikipedia.org, www.foodtimeline.org)

 

************************************************************************************************************************* A few notes:

For myself, I like a lot of onions in my soup; almost stew-like.  If you prefer a brothier soup, either reduce the amount of onions or increase the broth.

Because onions do sweeten as they cook down, I don’t recommend using sweet onions like 1015’s, Vidalias, or Mauis.  They will make the soup too sweet.  Regular yellow onions are just fine. Plus, they’re cheaper.

This soup is traditionally made with beef broth.  However, you can use chicken or turkey broth if you want a lighter soup.  Or, use vegetable broth to make this vegetarian (or vegan if you omit the Gruyère or use soy cheese).

The best bread to use with this soup is a good crusty European-style bread like a baguette, ciabatta, pain au levain, etc.  These will hold up quite well if you decide to make the soup a gratin.

 

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

5 lbs. onions, sliced about 1/4″ thick

4 cl. garlic, minced

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 c. dry white wine or unsweetened apple cider (optional)

4 c. beef broth or vegetable broth

Salt & Pepper to taste

Toasted bread or your favorite crackers

Shredded Gruyère, Emmenthal, or Swiss cheese

 

1.  Heat the olive oil in a stockpot or large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, garlic, and the 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt (these will help release the water from the onions and make them wilt more quickly).

Stir until the onions begin to heat through, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and begin wilting the onions.

2.  After the first 30 minutes (stirring after each 15 minutes), uncover the onions (there will be a lot of liquid; it will cook down), add the thyme, and continue cooking until the onions are cooked down as much as you prefer, stirring every 15 minutes.  (If you are cooking your onions until they become very soft, you will want to stir them more often as they soften so they don’t begin to burn.)

You want your onions to be soft, but not necessarily caramelized.

3.  Once the onions are cooked to your preference, increase the temperature to medium-high, add the white wine or apple cider (if using) and cook until the wine has evaporated.

4.  Add the broth and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.

5.  If you want to do the more traditional serving method, here it goes:  Turn on your oven to broil and place the rack in the top position. Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls (the best bowls are ones that have handles; you can buy these at any restaurant supply – if you don’t have bowls with handles, place them on a baking sheet), place a piece of the toasted bread in the center and sprinkle on a healthy amount of the cheese.  Place the bowls under the broiler for just a minute or two so until the cheese melts and gets brown and bubbly.  Carefully remove the bowls from the oven and serve.

If you don’t want to go that route, simply serve the soup with the bread and cheese on the side.

 

Enjoy and stay warm!

 

 

One again, it’s time for Quick Meals You Can Make After Work.

This time, it’s Carrot Tart.  I guarantee you, even the kids will like it.  As well as any meat-and-potatoes eaters in your house. You can make it as a light dinner (or lunch) with just a salad, or, as a heartier meal with wild rice and a green vegetable or salad. (This is also an excellent cold-weather dish, believe it or not.)

Not too many extra notes for this recipe, really.  It’s pretty self-explanatory.  If you don’t have or prefer not to use honey, you can use maple syrup (the real stuff, not Mrs. Butterworth’s), or raw or brown sugar.

And, yes. I did use a frozen pie crust.

 

 

1 ea. 9-inch frozen pie crust or your favorite savory pie crust recipe

2 eggs

1 c. whole milk or half-and-half

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. honey

4 large carrots, grated (you want approximately 2 c. grated carrots)

2 tbsp. parsley, minced

-or-

1 tbsp. chervil, minced

 

1.  If you are using a frozen crust, keep it frozen until you’re ready to fill it.  If you’re using a from-scratch crust, par-bake the crust at 425F for 15 minutes and let cool.

2.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and honey together over medium heat.

Add the carrots and toss in the butter-honey mixture.  Continue cooking until the carrots have softened slightly and all the liquid has evaporated, about 7 – 10 minutes.

Remove the carrots from the heat, spread out onto a plate or other flat surface and let cool for about 15 minutes.

3.  Mix together the milk, eggs, spices, and parsley or chervil.  Set aside.

4.  In the waiting pie shell, spread the carrots as evenly as possible over the bottom.

 

Slowly pour in the custard mixture.

Bake the tart at 375F for 30 – 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let sit for about 10 minutes, then serve.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

This time of year provides the perfect excuse to break out some of the recipes that I would never make the rest of the year.  Which, in central Texas, means that I have only about 3 months to indulge in some of my favorite comfort foods.

Ossobuco is one of them.  With the rich lamb, sauce, and risotto, it’s a wonderful accompaniment to a cold night.

The name literally means “bone with a hole” (osso – bone; buco – hole).  Ossobuco is a dish (legendarily) created in the Milano area in northern Italy in the 19th century.  Some say it was created by local farmers as a way to cook tougher cuts of meat (i.e. shanks – the shin portion of the leg. The fore shank is the bottom part of the shin; the hind shnk the upper part of the shin.); others, it was created in an osteria.

The original recipe is made with veal shanks, cinnamon, and bay leaves with no tomato.  The more modern and more popular version is made with tomatoes, vegetables, and red wine.  And, while veal shank is still used widely, lamb shank is gaining in popularity.

As for myself, I prefer the lamb shanks.  I find they have far more flavor.  And, if you can get hind shanks, more meat for the money.

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A few notes:

1.  In this example, I’m using fore shanks.  The butcher I bought these from didn’t have hind shanks that day.  But, they were large and worked well in this dish.  Also, I bought these still in the cryovac packaging.  The butcher had received them from the farm that morning and they hadn’t been fully trimmed yet.  More than likely, the shanks you buy will be already trimmed and ready to go.

2.  If you prefer not to use wine, then you can omit it all together.  As substitutions for red wine you can use extra stock for deglazing (you can add 1 tablespoon red wine or balsamic vinegar per 1 cup of  stock for tartness), or 100% cranberry or pomegranate juice; for white wine, you can use extra chicken or vegetable stock (you can add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar to 1 cup of stock for tartness), verjus (a juice made from unripe green grapes), or unsweetened apple cider or juice.

3.  The traditional accompaniment for this dish is risotto.  However, of you prefer, you can also serve this with polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta.  If you do use pasta, use a shaped pasta (such as campenelle or rotini)  or a wide pasta (such as paprdelle or bucatini).

4.  Gremolata is served alongside the Ossobuco as a way to cut through the richness of the dish.

 

 

Lamb Ossobuco

4 large lamb shanks (preferably hind shanks)

Salt

Flour

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 lg. onion, minced

2 carrots, peeled, either diced or cut into thin rounds

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cl. garlic, minced

1/2 c. tomato paste

1 c. dry red wine

2 sprigs rosemary

4 sprigs thyme

1 ea. 2″ strip lemon zest

2 – 3 c. chicken or beef broth (or a combination of both), more if needed

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly sprinkle salt on the lamb shanks.  Then, lightly flour the them, shaking off any excess flour.  Set aside.

2.  In a large Dutch oven or a deep, stove-proof casserole dish, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the lamb shanks and sear until browned.  Cook the them in batches if needed.  Remove the shanks from the heat and set aside.

3.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Add the vegetables and garlic and saute until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Add in the tomato paste and cook another 3 – 4 minutes.

Add in the red wine to deglaze the pan and cook another 5 – 7 minutes to reduce the wine and soften the flavor.

Then, add the rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Simmer another 2 – 3 minutes.

4.  Lay the reserved shanks on top of the vegetables and add just enough broth to come halfway up the shanks.

Cover the casserole or Dutch oven and place in the oven.  Cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours (flipping the meat halfway through) or until the meat is tender.  Check for liquid content, adding more if needed.

5.  After you take the baking dish out of the oven, remove the shanks and set aside.

If you like, set the baking dish on the stove over medium-high heat to reduce the sauce.  Remove the rosemary and thyme stalks and discard.

6.  Traditionally, the shank is served whole with the risotto and Gremolata.  However, if you prefer (and I do if I use fore shanks), trim the meat off the bone and mix it back into the sauce; then serve with the Risotto and Gremolata.

 

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Risotto alla Milanese

6 c. stock – beef, chicken, lamb, or vegetable

1 tsp. saffron, crushed

4 tbsp butter

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c. carnaroli or arborrio rice

1/2 c. dry white wine

3/4 c. fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

1.  Bring 5 cups of the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Reduce the heat to low and keep the stock warm.  In a small saucepan heat the remaining 1 cup of stock with the saffron.  Again, reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

2.  In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 – 7 minutes.

Add in the rice and sauté, stirring constantly, another 5 minutes.

Add a pinch or two of salt, stir again, and add in the wine.  Stir constantly until the wine has been absorbed by the rice.

3.  Lower the heat under the rice to medium.  Begin adding the 5 cups of stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition until the broth has been absorbed.

After you have added the 3rd cup of broth, add in the broth with the saffron.  Continue stirring.

4.  After you have added the 5th cup of stock, begin testing the rice to make sure it is al dente.  You may not need all the broth.  When the rice is al dente (or to your liking), add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmigiano.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

 

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Gremolata

Zest of 2 lemons

1 bunch of Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, minced

Salt to taste

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil

 

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and serve along side the Ossobuco.

 

 

 

 

Buon Apetito!

 

Once again, the weather has taken its temporary turn towards cool & comfortable here in Central Texas.  The perfect excuse to break out the mole.  Again.

I’ve made mole twice before on this blog –  Mole Verde (Oct. 9, 2012: https://tartqueenskitchen.com/?p=1120) and Mole Rojo (Oct. 30. 2012: https://tartqueenskitchen.com/?p=1170).

The mole I’m making this time is probably the best known as well as the original: Mole Poblano.

Legend has it that in the 16th Century this  dish was invented in desperation by the nuns of the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla de los Angeles.  They were an impoverished order expecting a visit from the Archbishop and they really had nothing to feed him.  So, they basically threw together what they had: day-old bread, chocolate, some chiles, nuts, an old turkey.  The results were, shall we say, heavenly.  Apparently, the Archbishop loved the meal. And a masterpiece was created.

*******************

For the last mole I made for you, Mole Rojo, I used exclusively chili powders.  This was to demonstrate that they could be used as a substitution for the dried chiles and makes the preparation much easier.  In this recipe, I do things the more traditional way, with dried chiles.  It takes longer, most definitely.  But, for mole purists, I hope I have redeemed myself with you.

A few notes:

1.  When using the dried chiles, make sure they are fresh-looking and pliable (a contradiction, I know).  If the chiles break apart when you try to bend them, it simply means they are too old and dried out (and possibly infested).  You want the chilies to have retained their essential oils.  That’s what gives them their flavor and aroma.

2.  The best place to find the chiles (and all the ingredients for this recipe) is at a market that caters to the Hispanic community. (Here in Austin, my favorite is El Rancho Supermercado.)  If they don’t have it, it’s pretty unlikely anyone else will.  Besides, it’s a great place to go to just explore and try new things. Plus I get to practice my limited Spanish.

3.  I used a 4-lb bone-in turkey breast for this example.  You can use leftover turkey and skip step 1.  However, be sure to use chicken or turkey broth instead of water.  Otherwise, you won’t get the flavor you’re looking for.

4.  This recipe makes a lot.  You can serve up to 8.  But, it does freeze beautifully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 c. chicken broth, turkey broth, or water

4 lbs. turkey

 

8 ea. mulato chiles

-or-

4 tbsp. mulato chile powder

 

6 ea. ancho chiles

-or-

3 tbsp. ancho chile powder

 

4 ea. pasilla chiles

-or-

2 tbsp. chile powder

 

1 ea. chipotle chile

-or-

1 tsp. chipotle chile powder

 

1 lg. white onion, peeled and cut into 1/4’s, stem left on

6 cloves garlic, peeled, stem removed

3 ea. tomatillos, papery skin removed and rinsed

4 ea. Roma tomatoes, rinsed

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tsp. anise seeds

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. raw almonds

1/2 c. pecans

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. masa

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 ground cinnamon (canela)

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 disks Mexican chocolate, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Additional sesame seeds for garnish

 

1.  Place the turkey and stock or water to a large stockpot and heat over medium-high heat.  Once the stock has come to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until the meat is cooked, about 30 – 45 minutes.  Once the turkey is done, take it from the stock and set aside until cool enough to shred.  Turn the heat off under the stock until all the other ingredients are ready.

2.  If you’re using whole chiles, remove the stems and cut the chiles open to remove the seeds.

Dry roast the chiles in a heavy skillet over high heat for a few seconds on each side to soften slightly.

Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let sit for 30 minutes. (It’s OK if they sit a little longer.)

Drain the chiles and discard the water.

Puree the chiles in a food processor or blender (you’ll need to do this in batches) until you make a paste.  Set aside.

3.  If you’re using the chile powders, dry roast them over high heat in a heavy skillet until they just begin to release a scent.  Stir constantly to be sure the powders don’t burn.  Pour the powder onto a plate or another flat surface and spread it out to help it cool. (Basically, skip step 2 all together.)

4.  While the chiles are soaking, wipe out the pan.  Dry roast the onion quarters, garlic, tomatillos, and tomato.  You want black spots, but you don’t want to over-brown the vegetables.

 

Once you’ve roasted the tomatoes, peel and seed them.  Cut the stems off the onion quarters.  Set the vegetables aside.

5.  Take the skillet off the heat and let cool slightly.  Add the sesame seeds and anise seeds.  Quickly roast until the seeds are toasted.  Pour onto a small plate and set aside.

6.  Add the oil to the skillet.  Lightly fry the almonds and pecans.  Drain on paper towels and let cool slightly.

Grind the almonds, pecans, sesame seeds, and anise seeds together.  Set aside.

7.  Lightly fry the raisins until they just begin to puff.  Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

8.  Turn off the heat under the oil.  Add the masa and make a roux (don’t let it get too dark).  Pour the roux into a small bowl and set aside.

9.  Turn the heat back on under the stockpot with the broth to medium-high.  Add in the chile paste or powder, onion, garlic, tomatillos, tomatoes, ground nut & spice mix, raisins, tomato paste, brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

10.  Meanwhile, shred the turkey.  Discard any bone, skin, and gristle.  Set the turkey aside.

11.  After 45 minutes, remove the stockpot from the heat and let cool slightly.

Puree the mole with an immersion blender or in a blender or food processor.  If you want a super-smooth mole, after you’ve pureed it, you can pass it through a strainer.

12.  Put the mole back on the heat and add the masa roux and the chocolate.

Cook for 5 minutes.  Taste for seasoning.  Add the turkey and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

13.  Serve the mole with rice and corn tortillas.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds for garnish.

 

Buen Apetito!