Monday, July 23, 2007

Culinary Crush?

I think I've developed a "culinary crush". Or, maybe it's a "culinary infatuation"? There's nothing romantic or even malicious about it (If my vocabulary serves me well, this would exclude "culinary envy" as a label). It can best be described as meeting someone with superior culinary skills, tools and entertaining flair...and hanging on her every word.

About a month ago, I was introduced to a woman who is a marketing executive at Calphalon. (http://www.calphalon.com/) Check out the "history" section of their website.

She has a tiny kitchen equipped with Calphalon pieces from every line . A few weeks ago, I got to enjoy a dinner party at her house. It was a casual barbecue but it included some fabulous salads, grilled veggies, seasoned burgers, and a gorgeous array of home baked pies and cupcakes. I was particularly entranced by the enormous cutting board on which she artfully arranged cheeses, nuts, dried fruit and crackers as an appetizer. In all honesty, the Glass City Gourmet has never even attempted entertaining for a crowd. It all looked so beautiful, and yet she did it all in one day. GASP!

Last weekend, I invited my heroine, her husband and son to join us for Thai night. After dinner, we went back to her house and she performed on the fly, with beautiful chocolate martinis and an array of fun cookies. I was tickled to be given a new "Calphalon Kitchen Essentials 6 Cupcake Pan with Silicone Liners". It turned out that while distribution is underway, this is a piece not yet available in stores. I was giddy with excitement.

As quickly as possible, I tested this in my own kitchen with a recipe for Blueberry Crunch Muffins. These muffins freeze well for up to 3 weeks.

Blueberry Crunch Muffins


Topping
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1.2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits


Muffins
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup blueberries (picked over for stems)


To make the topping, put the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse to combine. Drop the butter on top and pulse until the mixture begins to form small, pebble like nuggets. If you don't feel like cleaning the food processor, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and use two knives or a pastry blender to work the mixture into the crumby nuggets.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line 12 muffin tins with silcone or paper liners.

To make the muffins, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Blend in the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mix, then drop the blueberries on to of the dry ingredients and stir until just blended, being careful not to break up the blueberries.

Spoon 1/4 c. of batter into each muffin cup and top with 1 tbs of the crunchy topping. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 17-20 minutes.


“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Back on the "Calcium Diet"


I popped a pants button this week. Ugh. It used to be that my stomach muscles were so strong that the contraction of abdominal muscles that accompanies a sneeze could pop a button. Not so, anymore. One of the problems of making cooking a hobby is that the pounds can creep up on you...

I got on the scale and found out that I had gained 8 pounds since February. No wonder I popped a button! In honor of my decision to get back on a diet, I ate a half a pint of Ben & Jerry's and finished every other sweet delicacy in my home (Yup, a half a bar of Scharffen Berger 60% cacao went down nice and easy along with the remnants of a peach cobbler). It just seemed like the most worthy thing to do before the deprivation started.


If you've followed my blog, you may know that I'm a big fan of Dr. Jana Klauer's diet, "The New Calcium Diet". Basically, there is a three day jump start that involves eating a ton of dairy, protein, and veggies and then drinking gallons of water and green tea. This gets most of the water weight off before hitting the more moderate phases of the diet where carbohydrates and fruit come back into your life. It's actually an extremely healthy way for women to eat and I was able to follow it for about a year before I "fell off the wagon" and started eating too much food and too many refined carbohydrates (see the Fage yogurt entry of 04/06).


Anyway, day two of the jump start and I'm a little sluggish. Last night, I prepared my 4 oz of fish with as much flavor as I could pull together.

Broiled Fish with Fresh Herbs and Lemon Zest


5 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tbs. finely minced garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
grated zest of one lemon
2 tbs. lemon juice
4 firm fish fillets (halibut, sea bass, swordfish)

In a small saute pan, over low heat, warm 5 tbs. of the olive oil. Add the garlic and herbs and simmer for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice. Let cool completely.

Place the fish fillets in a shallow glass baking pan, salt & pepper the fish to taste, and pour mixture over the fillets. Cover and marinate for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the broiler. Place fish on a the broiler pan or on a grill rack. Broil or grill, turning once, until opaque throughout when tested with a knife, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a warmed platter and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve at once.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Breakfast in Bed/Le Petit Dejeuner en Lit


Have you ever put sauteed tomatoes into scrambled eggs? Conceptually, the idea of sauteed tomatoes with maybe a few chopped onions and green peppers sounds pretty tasty. However, because tomatoes are soooo juicy, the extra water can cause the texture of the eggs to get rather grainy. That's the best way I can describe it.


With this in mind, I thought it might be best to add the eggs to the tomato - rather than adding the tomato to the eggs. I whisked up some scrambled eggs with a little fresh grated Gruyere cheese (sprinkled on just as the eggs are finished cooking) and then spooned the cheesy eggs into a tomato. I had made cuts in the tomato, and cleared out the pulp and seeds to open it up enough to hold the eggs. Then I put a few fresh snipped chives from my garden on top for a little extra color. I underestimated how far the tomato would spread open with the eggs inside, so I used a couple of Soy Sausage patties to prop the sides up and make the plate prettier...oh, dear. A "near miss" for the Glass City Gourmet.

It was a hit! And a very neat and tidy way to serve breakfast in bed on a lazy Saturday. I put it on a tray with some fresh cut fruit and all the accompaniments e Voila! Le petit dejeuner en lit!


“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Monday, July 02, 2007

Terrific Tofu?


It's back. Just when you thought I had enough of this wacky food stuff. I sent the BF to the grocery store with a list of necessities and he threw in a block of firm tofu. Sometimes I feel like the "Iron Chef" with the less than savory ingredients that sometimes make it into my kitchen...


Once again, I reached for Nina Simonds' James Beard Award winning cookbook, A Spoonful of Ginger:Irresistible, Health-Giving Recipes From Asian Kitchens. After comparing a few recipes to the contents of my pantry and fridge, I decided on "Braised Cinnamon Tofu". I didn't have any anise seed so I substituted fennel seed and it worked well. I also realized that this would end up being a soup, so I decided to make brown rice to create a more hearty meal.


The broth has a wonderful scent that will fill your kitchen. It is an interesting combination of flavors and braising the tofu for a full hour infuses the tofu with flavor. The best part about braising tofu is that you don't have to do that whole bit with the towels and the cast iron skillet to drain the water out of the tofu. You can eliminate that step because of the way this is cooked.



Braised Cinnamon Tofu with Brown Rice
Serves 4.

1 tsp. safflower or corn oil

Seasonings
6 whole scallions, ends trimmed, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife and cut into 1 1/2 in. sections
6 garlic cloves, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife and sliced thinly
4 slices fresh ginger, about the size of a quarter, smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
1 tsp. hot Chile paste
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp anise seed (fennel seed works just fine)


1/2 c. soy sauce (I prefer the reduced sodium kind)
6 cups water
2 lbs firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb. spinach, stems trimmed, rinsed, and drained

3 tbs. minced scallion greens


1 cup brown rice (rinsed)
2 1/4 c. chicken stock


Heat a large pot or casserole over medium-high heat, add the oil, heat until hot, about 30 seconds, and add the Seasonings. Stir fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds, then add the soy sauce and water. Heat until boiling, add the tofu, and boil again.


Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, skimming the surface to remove impurities and fat. Cook for 1 hour, until the tofu is drenched and with the flavors of the braising mixture. Remove the ginger slices and cinnamon sticks and discard.


While the tofu was simmering, I brought 2 1/4 cups of chicken stock to boil in another saucepan and added a cup of long grain brown rice. I put a lid on the rice and turned the heat down to low to simmer the rice while the tofu cooked.


Add the spinach, clump by clump to the tofu and heat until boiling. Put a half cup of brown rice in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle the tofu mixture over the rice, and sprinkle scallion greens on top to serve.


“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".