kbecker57

December is cookie month!

I’m designating December as cookie month. Denise and I started a tradition of baking Christmas cookies together back when we lived together in our tiny apartment on Park Drive, possibly even earlier than that. And before that, baking Christmas cookies was always an annual tradition with my mom. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I realized that my favorite M&M cookies can actually be made any time of year, not just at Christmas.

Every year we try to calculate how much of each ingredient we will need, but inevitably end up running out to the store to pick up something we ran out of or forgot. Last year we got smart(er) and wrote down the list of ingredients we need for eight batches of cookies. Yes, eight batches of cookies.

Martha and the ingredients list

Last year we also welcomed a new member of the baking team, the KitchenAid mixer. A-mazing.

Christmas cookie marathon 2011

The cookie marathon this year is taking place on December 8, so let me know if you have any requests! And throughout this month I’ll be sharing cookie recipes.

November RC – Strip T’s

Why is an unassuming little diner/restaurant in Watertown that’s been around for 25 years all of a sudden getting so much buzz? It made Boston’s top 50 this year and was written up in Bon Appetit. The answer, I presume, is the new Executive Chef Tim Maslow. Maslow the younger moved back from NYC (where he was working under David Chang at Momofuku Ssam Bar) to take over Maslow the elder’s restaurant Strip T’s. So of course we had to check it out.

View from our table

The restaurant is tiny, which also (I assume) makes the kitchen tiny. With a table of 11, our server warned us in advance that the appetizers might not come out all at once, which was fine with us. My favorite appetizer was the grilled romaine with oxtail. It’s something I would never have ordered on my own, but I’m so glad that I tried it.

Grilled romaine with oxtail, poached egg, and chili vin

I also really liked the fried Japanese sweet potato wedges and the clam toast. The clam toast didn’t look that pretty, and we had to turn to our friend Google to figure out what guajillo was (it’s a chili pepper), but it was yummy though a bit salty.

Clam toast with spaghetti squash, guajillo, and crab oil vin

We also got the bay scallops (confusing) and a dozen Wellfleet oysters with seasonal garnish. I don’t remember what the seasonal garnish was, but I wasn’t a big fan.

Charred Nantucket bay scallops with papdi, dates, and yogurt

Back to the small kitchen phenomenon, about half of the entrees came out luke-warm, unfortunately. Claire and I shared the skirt steak and the mussels. I ordered the skirt steak medium rare and apparently Claire got the perfectly cooked half, but I still enjoyed it.

Grilled skirt steak with pears, turnips, and mustard

Steamed PEI mussels with potato puree and crispy herbs

I overhead that the tilefish had “too much going on”, and the boudin was flavorful but very spicy. I also tried a bite of the fish n’ chips and that was delish.

Fish n’ chips with coleslaw, tartar, and French fries
Roasted golden tilefish with kohlrabi, fried clams, eggplant, and pistachio
Creole boudin with etoufee, scallops, and root vegetables

I was underwhelmed by dessert, but I often am. We ordered the brownie, mocha chocolate cake and apple cider donut. The donut, specifically the donut hole, was my favorite.

Apple cider donut (hole) with white chocolate, apples, and cheddar

My least favorite part of the meal was our server. As someone who worked in restaurants for many years, I have great empathy for servers everywhere and I also understand how hard it can be to manage a large party. However comma, our server’s downfall was her completely condescending attitude, not her attentiveness, and this really tarnished the whole experience. The thing that really put us over the edge was how we ended up with two more bottles of wine toward the end of the meal. There were two people who had been “in charge” of ordering wine, and she went to each of those people separately to ask if we wanted another bottle. She got confirmation from both and proceeded to bring and open two bottles without mentioning that someone else had already ordered a bottle. Since we were all drinking the same wine, it felt like we got duped into ordering an extra bottle.

Great pick Claire, even if it was your second choice and our server got two thumbs down…and now my number is up to 27 (of the top 50 restaurants)!

The damage:
$66 each (not bad considering we had 5 bottles of wine)

The rundown:
Strip T’s
93 School Street, Watertown

Boeuf bourguignon

Inspired by Jerel, Julia (Child), and some actual free time, I finally decided to crack the spine on my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking and attempt the famous Boeuf bourguignon. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, or for heart patients.

Brand new cookbook

Since the recipe is a bit complicated, I’m not going to retype it here. But here’s a link to the Knopf Doubleday web site; Knopf originally published the cookbook.

Recipe

My adventure started at the grocery store, where I could not find a “6 ounce chunk of bacon”. I improvised and bought thick-cut sliced bacon and attempted to cut lardons from that. The first step is to simmer the bacon and rind (which I did not have) in 1.5 quarts of water. I’m not sure why I was supposed to do this, but I wasn’t going to question Julia’s wisdom, so that bacon simmered for 10 minutes as instructed.

Browning the beef was kind of a nightmare because my kitchen has terrible ventilation. I’m surprised I didn’t set off the smoke alarm. I opened all the windows as a preventative measure, which definitely helped…except it was 37 degrees outside so I was freezing. I also had to keep adding more oil to the pan in addition to the bacon fat because the meat started to stick to the bottom. I probably also should have cut the meat into more uniform sizes, but that would have required more browning, my least favorite part of the process. No wonder I don’t cook meat very often.
Tip: Open the windows! Also, don’t brown the meat in the dish you are going to be putting in the oven.

The recipe called for a “full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy”. I bought a bottle of 2012 Beaujolais Nouveau. The recipe calls for three cups of wine, which perfectly leaves one glass for drinking…would have been great except I didn’t like it!
Tip: Buy a wine you also like to drink.

Beaujolais-blah

While the beef is cooking (2.5-3 hours once it gets in the oven the second time), the recipe calls for making two additional recipes: Brown-braised onions (18-24 pearl onions) and Sautéed mushrooms. I opted to skip the pearl onions, but I did make the mushrooms. The dietitian in me just had to decrease the butter a bit (the recipe called for 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp of oil for 1/2 lb of mushrooms).
Tip: 1 Tbsp of butter works fine too, with a 10-ounce package of mushrooms.

Champignons

Once the meat comes out of the oven, you’re supposed to separate the meat from the sauce and simmer the sauce to thicken it. It did not thicken up as much as I would have liked, but I was getting impatient, hungry, and a little tired of cooking. After all, I started the project at 2 PM and finally got to eat around 6:30 PM.
Tip: Patience is a virtue.

Finally!

So was it worth the effort, or more importantly, would I make it again? It was delicious…the meat just fell apart, no knife required. And I am glad I finally got to try the recipe. I think I’d make it again if I had a sous chef who could be in charge of the bacon lardons and the beef, and perhaps someone to do all of the dishes. Any volunteers? Bon appétit!

Thanksgiving 2012 recipes

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day, filled with great company and good food. I have a lot to be thankful for, including getting to spend the holiday with my family. Over the years I think I have cooked every part of a Thanksgiving meal, but have never been responsible for the whole meal. Kudos to those of you who pull off this incredible feast every year!

I realize that this post is too late for this year, and some of you may not want to look at turkey, stuffing, or mashed potatoes again for another year, but I wanted to share some of my lessons learned when it comes to cooking the turkey (though I’m certainly no expert), as well as the recipes we used this year.

Turkey Lessons

Don’t forget to defrost it. In college, my roommates and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner at 7H (our apartment) because we got a “free” turkey from Harris Teeter. Two of the three of us didn’t eat meat at the time, so we were useless. Needless to say, the turkey did not get defrosted in time. After a last minute trip to the store, we served Thanksgiving dinner with Cornish game hens. We also didn’t have enough plates for everyone, so some people had to use baking dishes and pie pans.
Don’t forget to take the “bag of stuff” out of the cavity. I think 2008 was my first attempt at cooking the turkey, for a Thanksgiving potluck that I was hosting. Bryan and I both had to call our Moms to figure out what we were supposed to do with the surprise bag of stuff we found in the cavity. Once we figured out that we were supposed to take it out, I’m pretty sure we just threw it out. I now know it’s the neck, and you can put it in the bottom of the pan to flavor the pan drippings that will be used to make the gravy. It can also be used to make stock. GTK, good to know.
Duck fat is the secret ingredient. For last year’s Thanksgiving potluck, Mark and Jimmy kindly offered to make the turkey, which involved a special order of duck fat from Williams Sonoma. Jimmy is also nice to have around to carve the turkey, since he’s a surgeon.
A meat thermometer can be your best friend. This year, my parents’ friends were cooking the turkey in a brand new oven. When it was supposed to be “done”, it looked pretty white and thanks to the trusty meat thermometer, they knew it wasn’t done as the internal temperature was only 120 degrees. With a little more time and a little more heat in the oven, they got it up to a perfect 165 degrees, and it was delicious.

We were in charge of the green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. We used the old school Campbell’s recipe for green bean casserole.

Classic

For the mashed potatoes, I used a mixture of 1% milk and half-and-half. I also added the roasted garlic. I added the milk and butter mixture a little bit at a time, because you might not need it all…often I don’t even measure out the milk and butter.

Sour cream mashed potatoes

Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, November 2011

Serves: 8

Ingredients

4 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 7 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup light sour cream

2 cloves garlic, roasted and mashed

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

2. While potatoes are cooking, combine milk and butter and heat until butter is melted and mixture is warm, but not boiling (on stove or in microwave). Pour mixture into potatoes and mash with a hand mixer or potato smasher until smooth. Stir in sour cream and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

So much better than that canned stuff!

Cranberry orange relish

Source: Mom

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1 package fresh whole cranberries (12 ounces)

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup orange juice

1 Tbsp orange zest

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes until berries pop, stirring constantly to prevent it from boiling over.

2. Chill immediately and enjoy!

Eggplant parmesan

I wasn’t sure if this is supposed to be spelled “parmesan” or “parmigiana”. According to Google, “parmesan” appears to be more popular. Regardless of the spelling, my recipe is more like an eggplant lasagna without noodles.

I’ll admit, I’m a little weird about eggplant…I don’t like the texture of it when it’s really mushy (unless it’s baba ganoush). I only have a few eggplant recipes that I really like, and this is one of them. Breading and baking the eggplant slices first helps to cut down on the mushiness factor. Since I get a lot of eggplant in the summer, I will often do this step and then freeze them (freeze first on a cookie sheet in a single layer, then transfer to air-tight container or bag). A frozen stash of eggplant makes this recipe a snap.

I did measure out the bread crumb mixture, just for you, but I usually don’t…so feel free to wing it!

Mise en place

To freeze, or not to freeze…

Eggplant parmesan
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 eggplant, sliced
2 eggs
1 jar tomato sauce
1 container (16-ounces) ricotta cheese
1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. In separate bowl, beat two eggs. For each slice of eggplant, dip each side in egg mixture and then in bread crumb mixture and place on cookie sheet. Continue until all slices are breaded.
3. Bake eggplant for 10-15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. [At this point you could cool and freeze the eggplant.]
4. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce in a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. Add a layer of eggplant slices, then top with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, another layer of sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of eggplant, ricotta, sauce, and cheese until all eggplant used (or pan is full), usually about three layers.
5. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until dish is hot and bubbly and cheese is melted. [If starting with frozen eggplant, baking time will be longer.]
6. Enjoy!

Delish!

White bean chicken chili

Well so far this fall we’ve had Sandy, a nor’easter, and temperatures in the mid-60s…sounds like chili weather to me! This recipe was passed along to me earlier this year. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s been Claire-tested, so it must be legit.

Some notes from the person who actually made this recipe:
The original recipe called for 1 cup of shredded cheddar-jack mixed in with the soup as the last step, but that seemed like a hot mess to me. My result is a bit more like a soup than a chili but it’s still awesome. Just the right amount of smoky heat. If you prefer smoke to heat, leave out the jalapeno. The green chile itself is pretty mild.

White bean chicken chili
Source: Claire Blais (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 roasted green chiles, chopped (I’m told they sell these canned,and the equivalent would be ~4oz)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
10 oz frozen corn
2 cans (14oz each) white beans
1 can (14oz) black beans
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime

Directions
1. Saute onion in oil just until softened.
2. Add garlic, jalapeno, and green chiles and cook about 3 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except lime) and cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and enjoy! Also great topped with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, etc.

Potato salad x2

Happy Election week! I was very proud to cast my vote on Tuesday, and excited to hear so many stories of people getting out there to rock the vote. Yes, I know my voting terminology is stuck in the 90’s. It was also wonderful to see my friend, who just became a U.S. citizen on November 1, be allowed to cast his first ballot in this country. What a great year to participate in the election!

In honor of the elections, I’ve decided to ask you to cast your vote…for potato salad. Pro-mayo or pro-mustard? Pro-Yukon gold or pro-red skin? Don’t worry, flip-flopping is absolutely acceptable. I like them both, how bipartisan of me.

I had about two pounds of potatoes to use so I made two versions of potato salad, using both red skin and Yukon gold potatoes. I cooked the potatoes together in the same pot, but the Yukon golds cooked a little faster. The original recipe for German potato salad included 3 slices of bacon, which I omitted. I find it annoying to buy a pound of bacon when I only need three slices. I also omitted the scallions from the herbed potato salad because I didn’t have them on hand.

German potato salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2005
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound small new potatoes, scrubbed
1 small red onion, sliced
1 tsp olive oil
3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 20-25 minutes. Drain; cool slightly, and halve.
2. While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and saute onion until tender, for 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together potatoes, sauteed onions, white wine vinegar, and Dijoin mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

German potato salad

Herbed potato salad
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2012
Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp low-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions
1. In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Drain; cool slightly, and halve.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together potatoes, parsley, scallions, mayonnaise, yogurt, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Herbed potato salad

Boston magazine’s 50 best restaurants

How is it November already? I know I probably say that every time a new month rolls around, but it really is hard to believe. But this month, my favorite issue of Boston magazine is out which has their list of the 50 best restaurants in and around Boston. Every year (I’m not sure if it’s always the November issue), I like to look at the list and figure out my “number”. This year it’s 26, as in I’ve been to 26 of their top 50. What’s your number?

November 2012 issue

You can see their full list through the link at the bottom of this post. The 26 I’ve been to are:

80 Thoreau
Area Four
Bergamot
The Butcher Shop
Catalyst
Craigie on Main
East by Northeast
Eastern Standard
Hamersley’s Bistro
Harvest
Helmand
Hungry Mother
Il Casale
Island Creek Oyster Bar
Journeyman
Oishii
Oleana
Rialto
Russell House Tavern
Scampo
Sorellina
Ten Tables J.P.
Toro
Trade
Tres Gatos
T.W. Food

I also like looking at the list because I can reminisce about some great food and great company (birthday celebrations, RC, out-of-town guests, or “just because” occasions), and think about where I want to go next. Cambridge had a pretty good showing this year, and I’ve been to 11 of the 13 restaurants. This will soon be 12 as I have an upcoming reservation at Bondir. I also heard a rumor that we may be going to Strip-T’s for November RC, so my number might get up to 28 before the end of the year.

But there is still “work” to do. I apparently need to make an effort to go to some of the old standards, like Bistro du Midi, Blue Ginger, Clio, No. 9 Park, Via Matta, and Salts (the last Cambridge restaurant to try). They have all been on the top 50 list for as long as I can remember. Hopefully I can make some more progress before next year’s issue!

The rundown:
Top 50 restaurants in Boston
Boston magazine, November 2012

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Happy Halloween! We usually have a Halloween party at work, and this year we decided to carve pumpkins which was messy and funny and fun. And yes, that’s Honey Boo Boo front and center.

DynaMed pumpkins

I should have brought some containers or bags to save the seeds, but I forgot. So I only managed to save the seeds from one pumpkin, and I used them to make these roasted pumpkin seeds. I adapted the recipe from one that I have for the bar nuts at Union Square cafe in NYC, which are a perfect combination of spicy and sweet.

Roasted pumpkin seeds
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, separated from pumpkin pulp, rinsed and dried
1/4 tsp dried rosemary (or about 1 tsp fresh rosemary), chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp canola or olive oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together and spread evenly on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden, and enjoy!

Ready for my close-up

October RC – Redd’s in Rozzie

This month we dusted off our passports and headed to Roslindale for a little “R ‘N’ R”: Redd’s in Rozzie. It opened in 2011 and I’d call it comfort-y food. They call themselves “Rozzie’s original spot for local, tasty, smooth, and refreshing.”

We missed Paetra, but we also officially initiated a new person into the coveted twelfth spot…welcome to Mitch, officially! We’re looking forward to his first RC pick in January.

We started with deviled eggs, crispy avocado, hush puppies with sweet onion and bacon ragout, and the pickle plate. I asked everyone what their favorite was and it seemed to be a tie between the pickle plate and the deviled eggs. The pickles are house-made and super yummy. In the words of Kendrin, “if I could make pickles like that I might get stomach cancer.” Mitch’s favorite “appetizer” was the butter, which was also delish. I think we went through about four baskets of bread. There were also a couple of votes for the crispy avocados, which just barely edged out the others as my favorite.

Who knew you could fry an avocado?

For entrees, I ordered the Half-roasted Chicken Americana, which came with biscuit stuffing and ginger carrots and gravy. I also shared a side of the of buttermilk mashed potatoes with a friend, because I really have a hard time resisting mashed potatoes. A basic dish, but I think because I am bad at cooking chicken, I can really appreciate when someone does it well. Plus it was great the next day for lunch.

Roast chicken

A couple of other dishes that ended up in the “clean plate club” were the Scallops Trainwreck 1887 and the Marinated Hanger Steak.

Scallops with a wreckage of vegetables

Hanger steak with buttermilk mashed potatoes

Other entrees that were ordered:

Pollock (which I think is replacing the Cornbread Crusted Hake on the menu)
Redd’s Southern All-Star Paella which was topped with a big ol’ piece of fried chicken
Wood Roasted Pork Loin
Whole flounder (this was a special)

We also got to celebrate Mark and Jimmy’s wedding anniversary, with some cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake. When you celebrate your birthday, the staff puts on nacho libre masks and sings to you. Unfortunately we couldn’t get them to do that for Mark and Jimmy, but we still sang to them. I had a carrot cake cupcake, and apparently didn’t get the memo that we were sharing our cupcakes until after I had already finished mine…whoops!

Happy anniversary!

The damage:
$42 per person (and the bill came with mini peanut butter lime cookies!)

The rundown:
Redd’s in Rozzie
4257 Washington Street, Roslindale

Georgetown Cupcake
83 Newbury Street, Boston