Charlotte's Other Side

White Chocolate Spider Web

I still feel bad about jumping the gun and bypassing Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and anything else that is celebrated before New Year's Eve. Well, I did start early with some pumpkin pie, so that should count I guess.

Actually, I am a bit under the weather right now (allergies or something more) and although the soup I threw together in a stuffed up, fog tonight was delicious and hit the spot, I didn't have it in me to photograph or write about. I am deciding, instead, to post a "recipe" from my Tuesday afternoon "cooking" group.

Jam Session

Toasts with Chicken-Liver Mousse and Shallot Jam 

"Mommy, that lady just bought liver…chicken liver!"

Indeed I did, kiddo.

This recipe comes from one very folded, dog-eared page in an old Food & Wine magazine. I come across it now and then, usually on sleepless nights, when I am unable to find any of Curtis Stone's Take Home Chef reruns to numb my exhausted, yet restless mind. This recipe is one that intrigued me more for the shallot jam than the liver mousse, but figured I wanted the entire experience.

Bake My Day



Chocolate Layer Brownies


When I first became aware of her rags-to-riches story, her drive and ambition to feed her family and turn a love for baking and cooking into a career, I bought Paula Deen's The Lady & Son's Savannah Country Cookbook. The small, spiral-bound book is a collection of family recipes, as well as those also served in her Savannah restaurant of the same name, The Lady & Sons. I used it for a few recipes (I do love pictures though and there are none, so truthfully, I really did not flip through it that often), but it wasn't until my friend Tracy was looking over my cookbook collection one day and exclaimed that her favorite brownie recipe was by Paula Deen, I think from her Southern Cooking Bible. Not only her favorite recipe, she continued, but the easiest. I would now have to add the tastiest and most asked for, after making these brownies for more celebrations, potlucks, birthday parties and holidays than I could ever recall.

The recipe uses three large Symphony candy bars to create the milk chocolate layer in the middle. I still get a kick out of watching other grocery store customers looking over my healthy, pretty clean round-up of food items at the register... until they spy the brilliant, silver foil of these huge, king-size candy bars perched on top of, say, the quinoa or maybe a bag of lentils. Such big, questioning eyes, oh my. You know though, if this was my thing, my vice of sorts, I think it would be far better than a six-pack of Bud or a carton of cigarettes, no?

Pig Out

Cote de Porc à la Charcutière
(Pork Chops in a White Wine, Cornichon and Mustard Sauce)

I cannot believe I haven't posted anything on pork chops. I absolutely love them. When I do eat meat, which is probably twice a week, a chop is usually what I choose (unless what I need for this is on sale, or a little bit for that), so I have no idea what I was thinking. Maybe it's because I usually just throw a chop, with a bit pepper and paprika, into some onions on the stove, or cook one up and then reduce down some cream-based sauce with a little dijon mustard. Quick and dirty, really... although quite elegant despite how simple and fast these dishes are to come together.

This dish is a favorite as well. It's from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, a well-loved and often used reference of mine. This book is filled with amazing recipes and delicious photographs, but what makes it so much fun is that it genuinely convey's the vulgar, bawdy Tony we all know, and his dirty, foul-mouthed ways. It's so down to earth. I mean, I'm pretty sure you can call Tony down to earth. Who else (besides maybe Gordon Ramsay) is going to yell at you through the pages of a cookbook, screaming "Now pick up your spoon and scrape, you magnificent bastard!" or, ever so sweetly, "If you haven't made béarnaise from scratch before, you will surely @#*$ this sauce up. Don't worry. Just do it again". He definitely keeps it real.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Crispy Kale Chips

I'm really enjoying the omelette I made just now. Just a nice, relaxed breakfast for dinner I guess, but what I am most excited about and completely savoring are the crispy, crunchy kale pieces I topped it with. I may even go as far as to say they are slightly addictive.

I made a batch of crispy kale a few days ago to bring on a weekend road trip, but kept a little at home for myself too. I've been adding a few large or small pieces to my lunches and dinners, like on top of the simple cannellini bean dish I had last night, but I really like what I am tasting now. The crackly kale mixed with some of the creamy yolk that's escaped its floppy, folded home is such an interesting flavor and texture combination. The ruffled, crumbly leaves really seem to rough up (enhance?) a generally flat (refined?) omelette, in both structure and form, but also in taste.

In a Nutshell

Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnuts

The first time I made and tested this pie recipe was after Thanksgiving day a few years ago, when the pie I originally made just didn't have the spunk (or, let's be honest, taste) my family or I was looking for. I kept going between a few recipes, finally ended up using the best of two, along with reviews and comments, and it was just OK. Really, it was nothing special.

This version though, the one I made a few days later when everyone could tolerate food and pie again, got the "oohs" and "ahhs" that I had originally hoped for. My parents were willing taste-testers, but were also probably set on having only a few bites. Instead, it was forkfulls of smooth, airy pumpkin filling, spread on top of a suprising layer of creamy ground hazelnuts, housed in a crispy, pastry crust, one after another. According to both, it was, "So light! So smooth!" and "This would have been perfect on Thanksgiving!"  Yea. Thanks guys.

"T" is for Tubers...and Technical Difficulties

Turnip and Celeriac Puree with Seared Scallops

I am beginning to feel a little like Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City (minus the cigarette or popsicle, the gold name plate necklace, or the silk camisole, sorry). I am sitting at my new, snazzy computer, at a desk I finally bought, looking out my bedroom window, just staring and dreaming and thinking and typing. About food no less... but still.

Well, as I said, a new computer has found its way into my life. This due to last week's crashing of my old, itty-bitty Dell Inspiron that got me through graduate school and the past eight years. It had negative memory space left, took me hours to load anything, had crumbs in between the keys and the enter and space bar were almost worn thin, but it was my little buddy. It took me a few days to come to terms with what needed to be done, but here I am, with a sleek new machine (a desktop!) that just makes me want to email, blog, stay connected and on top of things all day long (well, I mean, to a point).

I did have a lot of free time when I was computerless though, and was in the kitchen most nights. I really got into all of the crisp, fresh fall vegetables that are out now, completely seduced by colors and textures and thoughts of big pots stewing away in a warm, spicy smelling apartment. So far, its been the freshly plucked roots and chubby, bulbous tubers that have inspired my dishes and dinners this season. From countless varieties of potatoes to beautiful rutabagas and parsnips, even burdock and taro roots; nothing has disappointed. A single pot of sauteed and simmered vegetables has easily become a bowl of soup one night, a mashed side on the second and ultimately a silky puree with a dribble of cream later in the week. Hearty and warming, nutrient-dense and satisfying, it really hasn't been that difficult saying farewell to summer.

Roast with the Most

Top Loin Roast with Garlic-Herb Butter

Once I found the Cooking Channel and the WETA channel here in Washington, D.C., I really just stopped watching any other food channel, network, or shows altogether. It is on these channels that I've found shows taped in Florence and Toronto, old Jacques and Julia episodes, even Jose Andres cooking right here in the District. Celebrity chefs do get their share of the spotlight, but it has been the unknown or little known kitchen stars that have really caught and maintained my attention.

I first watched this roast prepared on one episode of Cook's Country (the televised aspect of Cook's Illustrated). It looked so succulent and juicy that I began keeping a pen and paper near the television so I was prepared for when it aired again (to view the show's recipes on their website you must be a paying member, I didn't trust any of the Google searches I came up with for some reason and I do not have DVR or TiVo). The next few times it aired, I only caught the very end of the episode, to my watering mouth's dismay. I was finally lucky enough (and so ridiculously excited) to have a co-worker log into her husband's Cook's Illustrated account so I could print out recipe after recipe, to my little heart's content.

Slice n' Easy



Zucchini & Red Onion Pizza with Herbed Cheese Spread



Every once in a while, like on a dark, dreary Saturday, I can get a little...manic. I may make, say, six different pizza doughs, three different pie crusts, a quiche, you know, get way ahead of myself, my weeknight dinners, desserts, even holidays. I figure its one-third experimenting, one-third consolidating and one-third procrastination? I like to tell myself that its the ultimate in preparation, but really, 17 pizza doughs, pie crusts and quiches of various flours and textures is meant for the Duggars and all 19 kids and counting, not me.  

Well, after the rain finally stopped and the windows were thrown open, one of those balls of dough would have come in handy this weekend, as John and I decided to crank up the oven and enjoy a long overdue pizza night. During the winter we often had Saturday pizza nights; I would get all the ingredients and pans set up and John would get to work kneading, throwing and cooking up a pie with toppings like burrata cheese from Trader Joe's to fresh squash blossoms from local farmer's markets. No recent manic moments lately on my end (also long overdue though, so stay tuned), therefore we had no dough, so I decided to experiment with a different recipe. We knew the toppings and cheeses we were going to try, but it was the crust we weren't sure about. Thin and crispy, the kind that shatters even as you take hold? Or soft and doughy, with big air bubbles, sliced large and floppy? I realize Jacques Pepin is a frenchman, and perhaps that was our first mistake, but his La Methode recipe looked quick and easy (really all that matters the hungrier one becomes) and we just went with it.

Last Call

Shandygaff Beer Cocktail

Besides too many cookbooks and a few boxes of recipes, I have a few old food magazines that have weighed me down over the years, as I've lugged them from state to state, apartment to apartment. Some dog-earred pages feature amazing photographs, some appear to mark mouth-watering dishes, and others are just dated, yet nostalgic, pictures that remind me of Grandma's stuffing or what green bean casseroles and lasagna's used to look like.

I spent a long weekend on Long Beach Island, NJ this past Labor Day, the sort of unofficial end to summer, and toted a few of these magazines with me in the hopes of making a little something from one of them. What transpired was a refreshing beer cocktail along with a juicy, peanuty chicken satay, a supposed favorite of travelers visiting The Flame Tree Restaurant in Muri, Rarotonga, an island in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific (well, according to the October 2004 issue of Bon Appetit magazine). 

The marinade requires a mix of acidic and savory ingredients, a wonderful way to tenderize and flavor the slivered chicken breasts. The chicken marinates for an hour, while covered in the fridge, and is then skewered and placed on the grill. While on the grill, the skewers begin to give off a sweet, fresh gingery smell; in your mouth, all the flavors come together- the ginger, the peanut, even a subtle hint of garlic-in a well-balanced, bright, tangy mix.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

The peanut sauce was not as thick as those I have made in the past, but was still a delicate, nutty dressing for the chicken. With water and coconut milk called for, it's not heavy, yet provides a light, caramel-colored compliment to not only the chicken, but brown rice, vegtables, or even salad, whatever you choose to serve along with the dish. This makes a great main dish or quite a few appetizer skewers, perfect for easy outdoor grilling. It's also a wonderful introduction to this style of food, if you've never had it.

And to wash it all down? For those of you who have had your fill of beers this summer, sometimes a fun little addition can breathe new life into your standard brew. Herein lies is a two-ingredient beer cocktail called the Shandygaff, a refreshing drink with a bold, spicy bite. Feel free to add more ginger beer if you want more kick.

Indonesian Chicken Satay
(adapted from the October 2004 issue of Bon Appetit magazine)

SATAY SAUCE
*1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
*3/4 cup roasted salted peanuts
*1/2 cup water
*1/2 cup finely chopped onion
*2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
*2 Tbsp. soy sauce
*2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
*2 garlic cloves
*1 tsp. crushed dried pepper
*1 tsp.fish sauce
*1 Tbsp. peanut oil

CHICKEN
*1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
*1/4 cup soy sauce
*2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
*2 Tbsp. vegtable oil
*2 Tbsp. grated fresh peeled ginger
*4 tsp. ground coriander
*2 garlic cloves, crushed
*2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswine into 1/4-inch-thick slices

*bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes prior to grilling.

FOR SAUCE: Puree the first ten ingredients in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-heat. Add sauce and simmer until thickened and reduced to 2 cup, stirring frequently. I found this takes about 6-7 minutes. The mixture also continues to thicken once off the stove and placed in a bowl, as well. This sauce can also be made one day ahead. Just over and refrigerate.

FOR CHICKEN: Combine the first seven ingredients and a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto soaked swekers. Brush half of the remaining marinade over all the skewers and bring the other half to a simmer over low heat. Grill chicken until cooked through, turning frequently and basting with leftover, simmering marinade, about six minutes total.

Serve chicken with brown rice, vegtables or salad, with the peanut sauce alongside.

Shandygaff Cocktail
*6 ounces IPA or Pale Ale
*5 ounces ginger beer

Pour beer in a glass and slowly top off with a ginger beer (ginger beer can be found in any international aisle at the grocery store, I enjoy the Goya brand, but whatever you can find will do. Ginger ale would be a decent substitute, but you won't get the spiciness that this drink is known for.

Challah Back



Whole Wheat Challah Bread


Forgive me, my gluten-senstive friends, but I baked some bread over the weekend that you definitly cannot have. I apologive, but I just had the time! I had enough toilet paper, wine and apples to last me through whatever the hurricane brought, my apartment was obnoxiously clean, I already had a chicken roasting in the oven...and I just had the time for some rising action.

I've mentioned before how I am not a baker- still true. Given the choice I would much rather cook than bake, but I am inspired now and then. I'm frequently inspired more by the physical process that goes into baking a loaf of bread, than by the baking and icing of a cake (this is not to say that the making of a cake is not incredibly important- more celebrations than I can think of are commemorated with cake- I mean who doesn't love a nice slice on their birthday?!) I will continue to make and frost cakes indefinitly, but its the live yeast, the kneading and the magical rise of the sticky, elastic dough that just absolutely fascinates me.

Emergency Treat



Popped Amaranth Granola


I don't seek out granola or buy it often, but I'm always ready for something that tastes a whole lot better made in my own kitchen than off the grocery store shelf. I now also realize its a handy non-perishable item to have around, say, in the event of a hurricane?

I have granola notes from Martha Stewart, from the Food Network, and from an old roommate's ex-girlfriend. I do mix and match for the most part, but my favorite take on granola is from one of my favorite sites, chow.com. It uses the grain Amaranth (I found mine at MOM's, but I've seen it at many other organic markets or health food stores) a grain that was first cultivated 8,000 years ago by the Aztecs. It's interesting to work with, especially in this recipe, where you start by roasting the grain in a pan and watch it begin to dance around and pop like popcorn. It has a nutty taste, and is quite crisp, allowing for a very fresh batch of granola.

Where's the Beef?



Summer Eggplant and Tomato Gratin


Despite having recently moved within walking distance of some incredible farmers markets here in Alexandria, Virginia, I have sadly never made my way to a single one. Actually, I have even passed a few while driving and have not stopped. No cash handy? No time? No idea. This isn't to say I haven't picked some pears or figs off a tree at Green Valley Farm this summer, or herbs from a garden or two, I've just managed to not find myself at any local markets or stands.

It wasn't until I found one large, chubby ShopRite eggplant in my parent's refrigerator, did the desire to head out and get some farm-fresh produce strike. I had a meat-less, all veggie gratin recipe I wanted to try and that eggplant would come in handy, along with a few fresh, local additions...

Pantry Party

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I sometimes say that my very organized pantry and refrigerator are probably just ways to over compensate for the many unorganized areas of my life. Well, if that is actually true, so be it, because I could just rearrange and stare at my perfectly placed and staggered assortment of jars and canisters for hours. Pale pink lentils here, large swirly, spotted beans there...its a beautiful sight. There is actually one productive aspect of all this time spent behind the pantry door and its that I'm always well-aware of what I have or what I need.

Although not much of a baker, two items I still try to always have on hand (and are quite pleasing to the eye, in fact, as I scan and scan and scan...) are homemade vanilla extract and vanilla sugar.

I do some actual baking with the vanilla beans, but also really enjoy using the leftover and remaining fresh beans to make homemade vanilla extract or infuse some store-bought white granulated sugar. I use small glass bottles (small port, dessert or sauternes wine bottles are perfect) and corks I have laying around, and end up with attractive bottles of vanilla extract, ready to use in a few weeks. A mason jar filled with sugar is just as simple, and will be scented and ready to go within just a few days. Use it whenever white sugar is called for, as the subtle hint and nudge of vanilla will compliment most baked goods or treats (think shortbread, sugar or butter cookies, custards, pound cake or just a sprinkling over tarts or pies)

These also make thoughtful, inexpensive gifts for the baker in your life, or maybe the baker you want in your life.

Vanilla Extract
(adapted from Food & Wine magazine)

*1 1/2- 2 cups vodka
*Up to 10 split vanilla beans (I prefer bourbon Madagascar vanilla beans from Olive Nation)

Place the vanilla beans in a tall bottle or jar and cover with the vodka. Cover with up to 1/2 cup more vodka if necessary. Cork or seal and store in a cool, dark spot. Shake every so often. After about six weeks, when dark and fragrant, the extract is ready to use.

Vanilla Sugar
(adapted from The Paris Cookbook, by Patricia Wells)

* 4 cups sugar
* Up to 4 fresh or 4 split and used vanilla beans

Pour the sugar into a large jar or airtight container. Push and pack the vanilla beans down into the sugar. Cover and let vanilla infuse the sugar for a few days, or up to a week. Continue to replenish as the sugar is used, and add or replace vanilla beans every few months.

Quiche Undressed

Crustless Leek and Mushroom Quiche

This is one of those "kitchen sink" kind of dishes. Sad, limp herbs laying around? Fantastic. Remaining corners of miscellaneous cheeses? Great. Mushrooms about to get soggy or greens that have seen crisper days? Even better. Bread you don't know what to do with? PERFECT.

The quiche gets its structure from pieces of cubed bread spread in a single layer along the bottom and up the sides of a pie dish or circular cake pan. When baked, the inner filling begins to melt and set, holding together the once-thought-useless bread and a lovely crispy crust is formed. More substantial than a frittata, yet light and tender as an omlette. Each bite is cheesy and herby, with just a touch of crust, and delicious regardless of what is thrown in. I decided on mushrooms, leeks and ham, but andouille sausage, pancetta, corn or even shrimp...the possibilities are almost endless. This dish makes a great breakfast, lunch or dinner, and is equally good hot or cold.

So, the naked truth? Your best dressed quiche may actually have no covering at all.

Crustless Leek and Mushroom Quiche

*Half a loaf, or several slices bread (fresh or day old), cut into 1 inch cubes
*3 oz. ham, finely chopped
*1/4-1/2 c. each mushrooms and leeks (or veggies of your choice), chopped
*1 1/2 c. grated cheese (gruyere, mozzerella, chedder, etc.; feel free to add a variety)

*2-3 eggs

*2 Tbsp. milk (sour cream or greek yogurt can also be substituted for 1 of the eggs or milk, to thicken filling

*1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

*additions of your choice (a few chopped sage leaves, a handful of dill or parsley, a few scallions)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread cubed bread in a pie dish or baking pan, about 8 inches in diameter.

In a seperate bowl, whisk all other ingredients. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until center is firm and the top is golden.

Let quiche cool for several minutes. Cut into wedges.