Summer tomato soup and grilled cheese on sesame bread

A mixture of farmer's market tomatoes--early girl tomatoes, Juliet tomatoes and other large and hearty heirloom tomatoes for which I can't remember their name--shallots, salt, pepper, butter and olive oil are the only ingredients that made up this simple soup; it's really all about the tomatoes. The soup cooked for several hours on the stove on low heat and needed very little attention. Even stirring it once every 45 minutes or so made me feel like I was being overly fussy and disturbing the tomatoes.

A bite of the Gruyere grilled cheese sandwich dipped in the soup reminded me of Spaghettios--in a good way. When I was a little kid my grandmother would heat up some Spaghettios for my sister and me once in a while for lunch, and despite what I now know to be the worrisome negligible nutritional content and loads of salt to be found in Spaghettios, I still find them a comfort food. I always feel so wrong liking them--Michael Pollan would definitely categorize Spaghettios as edible food-like substances. But childhood memories cannot be denied. This soup and sandwich pair is like an adult, upscale version of Spaghettios.

Caprese salad and corn and tomato scramble- today

To me summer isn't made by the hot weather or long days of sunlight. Those things just happen to go hand-in-hand with summer and are to be endured, not enjoyed--I'm an autumn girl! But summer does bring farmer's markets and in-season and local tomatoes and big bunches of basil and simpler cooking, where a dish is stripped down to the most basic elements, which means you need quality ingredients or your dish can be ruined--at the very least, not as tasty as it could be.

Caprese salad (which would cost you at a restaurant) is a prime example. After all, it's just basil, tomato, mozzarella, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. You can put this together in a minute and you can be reasonably assured that it will be both pretty and so delicious. I am already counting down the days to the next farmer's market and I can't believe I basically forgot about making this salad until today. It's hard to remember how good this salad can be in the months where tomatoes are out of season.

I made this "corn scramble" from a Gourmet recipe for our family barbecue. Kernels of corn cut from fresh cobs, Juliet cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, some scallions and some butter, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of cider vinegar and olive oil. Again, a low proportion of labor required to the flavor created. Looking at this picture now, it seems that the Chinese bowl I put the salad in is a bit incongruous--I look at it and think those should be baby corns and then I think of that scene from "Big" where Tom Hanks eats the baby corn like you would eat regular corn on the cob--it's nothing if not cinema gold--but at least the bowl kind of matches the tomatoes.

Caterpillar cupcakes - summer

For my nephew's first birthday I wanted to do something on the special side. Courtesy of Wilton's website, this was the only "first birthday" cake/cupcake idea that looked remotely doable, not insanely difficult. Well, as it turns out making caterpillars out of cupcakes is hard! I had to enlist Mark's help as "Oh, I have a lot of time to get this done" turned into "Oh crap, we have to leave in 15 minutes so we can get there on time and I haven't even frosted all the cupcakes yet."

Sadly, Wilton does not tell you where to get licorice that is firm enough to poke into spice drops (sidebar: spice drops are pretty gross--does anyone actually like these?), pliable enough to hang down as legs yet also firm enough to stay up as antennae, and sticky enough to keep the spice drops stuck to the licorice legs. We did our best which means we managed to make one caterpillar.

Looking at the end result of this one, it's all for the best that we only had time to do one. The rest of the cupcakes looked quite lovely and colorful when we didn't force licorice legs and m&m faces into them. Though this little guy looks happy, there seems to be a fine line between cheerful and slightly demonic. These may not be so kid-friendly after all. I urge you to check out the example on Wilton's website, though--adorable!

Baby shower cookies, part 2 - summer

The rest of the cookie designs (I couldn't figure out how to get the Blogger/Picasa duo to post more than 4 pictures at a time--I am forever hopeless with technology).

Baby shower cookies, part 1 - summer

I have never baked so many cookies in one two-day period. The 250 plus cookies were for my sister-in-law's baby shower and were put into treat bags for the guests. So like the Christmas cookies (same cookie and icing recipe), but baby-themed. Thankfully realizing ahead of time that I would need to plan my cookie designs exactly so I could stay organized and not drive myself crazy (which is what I usually do with the Christmas cookies, which are made on a much smaller scale), I 'sketched' the cookies beforehand and decided what colors of icing I would use and what icing designs I would pipe onto the cookies.

The cookies were by necessity created in stages--rolling out all the cookies and baking them, icing the base coat, waiting for those to dry, then adding things like eyes and writing and designs. If there was more than one color of design/sugar sprinkles, I would add the first one, wait for it to dry, then add the second one. These cookies take a long time to dry completely.

The advantage of baby shower cookies over the Christmas cookies was that I made the same design for each type of cookie since each person would only get one of each at most. I may apply this strategy to my Christmas cookies this year anyway, as opposed to my usual non-plan of baking the cookies, then staring at the big red box and its various sugars and sprinkles and candy snowflakes until inspiration strikes (repeat for each cookie, then start duplicating designs or varying the design only slightly after a few cookies when I get tired of trying to come up with something new).

Leek and goat cheese galette spring 2009

This savory pie was made for the purpose of bringing over to dinner at P&P's (where we were cooking dinner--at someone else's house!). That was a fun challenge because it's always harder to cook in an unfamiliar kitchen. I guess I cheated by cooking most of the food at home then bringing it over there.

The galette is from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, another amazing cookbook. All of the recipes I've made from that book have been delicious (except one or two, but it was more my fault than the book's) and are never overly complicated (Dean and Deluca, I'm looking at you). Then again, this recipe is loaded with butter (in the crust, which couldn't be easier but is super delicious and flaky) and goat cheese...it's hard to go wrong.

Strawberry rhubarb pie and apple tartlet,early summer

This strawberry rhubarb pie has an all-butter crust. I had a lot of trouble with the crust as always. The crust always gets too thick and bunched up around the edges where I crimp it. Other than the crust edge, the pie itself was quite good--a lot of lemony tart-sweet rhubarb and a small amount of strawberries. I've made all-rhubarb pies before, but the strawberry rhubarb mix is classic, though my favorite is a higher proportion of rhubarb to strawberry. I never think of rhubarb except for that short time in early summer...can you even get it in supermarkets year-round (like so much other off-season produce)? I've been trying to make more of an effort to cook seasonally, but I find it hard to remember when what's in season at any given time, especially in the winter (turnips?).

When I made the pie I had a little bit of extra crust which I didn't want to just toss in the garbage. I rummaged around in the refrigerator and found a shriveling apple on its last legs in the refrigerator, so naturally I thought "impromptu bonus dessert" and decided to try my hand (as it turns out, it ended up about the size of the palm of one's hand) at improvising a recipe. I wish I'd thought to include something in the picture to give a sense of scale. So an apple, both chopped and sliced, sugar, cinnamon, a little bit of lemon juice, and a splash of Grand Marnier went into the tartlet.

Parmesan cheese straws - spring 2009

I made these for a wine club we hosted in the spring. They are incredibly simple yet delicious--parmegiano reggiano does all the heavy lifting really. The ingredients: frozen puff pastry, parmegiano reggiano and pepper. Roll them out, sprinkle cheese and pepper on, twist, bake. They turn out light and fluffy and a bit crisp--not to mention beautifully browned and quite attractive. Impressive results for not much effort! Thanks to Cooks Illustrated.

Bread pudding - spring 2009

I can't remember at all when we made this bread pudding, but it was sometime in the spring. Apparently bread pudding is a great use for leftover and stale bread. I love fresh bread but a loaf of it is a lot for two people to finish, so this is the perfect solution. Bacon, gruyere, arugula, a use for otherwise inedible bread...this bread pudding has it all. The recipe is on Epicurious.

Birthday cakes 2009

Cakes are hard, especially when you try to put strawberry filling in them and the filling gradually oozes out with every passing minute of the journey from your house to the birthday party site. I have been known to try to use toothpicks to try to coax the cake to stay together in one piece even after the crack that appeared once I took it out of the pan makes itself known. This method, as it turns out, is not particularly effective. Tasty cakes all, though. How can you go wrong with buttercream and basic yellow cake (from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman--an amazing and truly instructional cookbook)?

New Year's Eve dinner 2008-2009

We decided to stay at home for New Year's Eve last year, as the previous year we'd done a delicious yet overpriced dinner out and poorly timed concert (perfect music, awful crowd). It being New Year's eve and thus a "special occasion," I decided it would be a good idea to plan an overly ambitious meal. I also thought we could save money--and have more fun by having a hand in creating it--by cooking our own lavish meal where we would not be overcharged just because it was New Year's. In other words, even though it was just the two of us, preparing the meal became a tad stressful as I didn't want to screw up our "special" meal.

We started out well with a simple arugula salad with parmesan shavings and garlic croutons and my favorite simple lemon-olive oil-garlic dressing. However, I had also chosen to make a skatewing dish from the Dean and Deluca cookbook after having enjoyed it in a number of restaurants.

Fish is one of my weak areas when it comes to cooking. I tend to get paranoid that I'm undercooking it so then I overcook it. Couple that with the fact skatewing is a bit different from a more standard fish fillet. Skatewing is thin and flat and has a lot of delicate parts. I knew what these parts were called once upon a time (back when I chose the dish) and maybe someday I'll try again.... A skatewing fillet is very difficult to flip over without breaking (note to self, invest in a huge spatula) not to mention takes up a lot of space in a skillet--so I decided to cook each of our fishes in separate skillets on different burners at the same time. The skatewing was on a bed of cabbage. When I was reading through the recipe I was thinking, hey, that'll be a lot of white on one plate...so I decided to do red cabbage. The cooked red cabbage is pretty in its own way, but looked really strange on the plate under the skatewing which was already doing just fine with a nicely browned surface (in some places, a little too nicely browned) and a caper and tomato sauce on top. I am now doubly--quadruply--infinity plus one impressed with the skatewing I've had in restaurants, which didn't look scary and colorful and stayed all in one piece.

My next menu-planning mistake was lobster mashed potatoes. Frozen Maine lobster tails from Whole Foods? Turned out to be insanely expensive, but once I decided I wanted to try the dish, I had to have it, expense be damned, and I did not want to bargain shop for lobster tail at other stores. The lobster mashed potatoes recipe also called for tarragon. Upon eating them, I learned that I do not like tarragon. Another "incident" happened while the potatoes were cooking....the potatoes got a bit overboiled (attention drawn to cooking the other components of the meal) and became incredibly watery. My last-ditch solution--I was not about to be bested by humble potatoes and not so humble lobster tail--dig out an old box of instant mashed potato flakes I've had in my cupboard since I bought them on impulse one day--when I was still in college. I have a problem with throwing out food. So the potato dish--not that great. The lobster by itself was good enough but was overwhelmed and insulted by the moutain of potatoes--instant mashed potatoes--which, to be fair, wouldn't have been a mountain if the original actual potatoes didn't get drowned in cooking water. I found myself picking out the bits of lobster and cursing the bounty of potatoes, even though potatoes are pretty much my favorite food ever. A grim day for potatoes (and lobsters) indeed.

Mark made the dessert--a cherry-almond clafouti. It smelled like a creamy version of almond extract and tasted like a custardy cross between a cake and a pie. It was a tasty delight.

Thanksgiving 2008 - Pecan Pie

I made this pecan pie for Thanksgiving 2008. I also made a pumpkin pie but I think it had a crack in it which may be why I have no pictures of it...I'm not actually a big fan of pecan pie--it always strikes me as too sweet--but because the menfolk in our family seem to love pecan pie, I decided to honor them that Thanksgiving. I found a recipe for a pecan pie with bourbon in it which I thought might cut the sweetness a bit. The verdict: too sweet for my liking, but pretty darn tasty overall (I may have overdone it on the bourbon). I always struggle with crusts though. It's hard enough to make them look attractive, but to make them be tender and flaky and taste good--pie is impossible. I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, one of the few times a year I work up the nerve to try my hand at creating pie crust.

Country-style hoisin ribs and coconut rice

One of the more indulgent meals we've made. This coconut rice with a sprinkling of cilantro is one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten. A hint of sweetness, a little bit of saltiness, a lot of creaminess, yet not overly coconutty. Every time we make this I am tempted to eat all of the rice, nothing else...until I remember how fatty coconut milk is.

Coconut milk just oozes the concept of fattiness. I went through a real low-fat craze in my earlier years--how I ever convinced myself fat-free mayo and cheese were good, I'll never know--but have come back full force to enjoying all types of foods and not trying to eat too much of any one thing (but sure, I'll have just one more bite of that, maybe two, thanks). However I always feel guilty about consuming coconut milk and am doing a constant calculation in my head of how much coconut milk I'm consuming. (OK, I just ate about 3/4 of a cup of cooked coconut rice, the recipe contains about a cup of coconut milk yet makes several cups of rice....) It just seems so bad (but tastes so good). I don't even like coconut that much, but somehow it just works with rice.

The rice goes perfectly with the ribs. Country-style ribs are baked and basted in a hoisin sauce glaze and when they're done, sesame seeds are sprinkled on top to cut the sweetness of the glaze. The steamed broccoli is a perfect companion to the ribs--both to add color and to counteract the richness of the coconut rice and ribs. A bite of the rice and a bite of the ribs in one mouthful is the most amazing combination of flavors...this is a meal best suited to fall or winter on a dark Sunday night. The next time we make this I think the broccoli could use something a little acidic, again as a counterpoint to the sweetness of the rice and the ribs.

Christmas 2008

I came across a Christmas cookie decorating kit in Williams-Sonoma one year and have been hooked (once a year) ever since. A hefty red box containing the prettiest jars of as many colored sugars, holiday sprinkles, and icing dyes as one could want--and then, even better, an instructional booklet with pictures of the most frighteningly perfect cookies you will ever see. How many people are really going to take tweezers to place each tiny decoration onto a Christmas tree cookie--before the icing dries--or do Williams-Sonoma cookie makers all have really tiny hands? When I first got the kit, I of course tried to recreate the booklet cookies. I immediately broke out the tweezers but quickly learned that a person lacking dexterity trying to use tweezers to decorate cookies always ends in heartbreak.

I've come to find that a slightly lazier (hurray for shortcuts!) method works almost just as well and the cookies look less OCD and more charmingly imperfect and thus appear genuinely homemade. These cookies--a recipe found on Epicurious several years ago and used every year since--are tasty, too. Buttery but not too buttery, not shudderingly sweet, with a hint of winter spices.

Hello!

Years after my former blog withered into obsolescence, I envisioned a rebirth: Less overshare (after all, there's always Facebook), and more focus on one of the best things of life--homemade food and baked goods! I've quickly become familiar with several challenges of the practical sort...how to photograph food so it actually looks as good as it does in person, and remembering to take pictures of all the dinners I cook. I've been contemplating this for a good while and taking the occasional picture of food I made because I seem to have become obsessed with taking pictures of food (witness vacation photos of the last couple years where I almost have to remind myself to take pictures of people too), but after a pleasant night tonight with the family, enjoying many fine grilled meats, I've decided to take the plunge. Here is the first set of attempts, starting with Christmas 2008 cookies. It might take some time to catch up on the backlog of food pics, but here we go...