April 25, 2012
Sunny Sweet Mint Ice Cream

When I worked at the Inn at Little Washington, the amazing pastry chef Maggie would make big batches of fresh mint ice-cream once a week.  She would walk out to our garden and return with a huge armful of fragrant cuttings.  After a quick rinse, she would drop them into scalded cream to steep, mashing the plants down into the liquid with a wooden spoon. After a while, the cream would turn a lovely pastel green.  After straining out the spent leaves, she would use this cream to make the custard base which would be spun into ice cream.  

The process is so basic and simple— leaves in cream; the plant itself giving you all the color and flavor you need.  And yet it produced an ice cream that was some of the best that I’ve ever tasted.  

With a huge, unruly plot of fresh mint at my disposal, along with my client’s fancy ice cream maker, I decided to try my hand at replicating Maggie’s incredible mint ice cream. 

Using my go-to ice cream custard recipe as my base, I ransacked the mint patch and steeped as much of it as I could in the hot cream.  I almost didn’t believe it would turn out the way I remembered it from the Inn.  But it came out gorgeous. The color of the base was a pale creamy green that I can’t begin to do justice to in a photo.  

The resulting ice cream was intensely minty and creamy.  But it was a fresh mint taste— a warm mint taste as opposed to a cool one… Instead the bracing ping of menthol, you get a smooth, sweet, utterly Minty richness that makes you feel like you’re rolling in a patch of sun-soaked mint leaves. There is really nothing like it, and it is difficult to describe without veering into pseudo-poetic pretension (as I realize I have already done).  Ah well.

Mint Ice Cream

2 cups half-n-half

1 or 2 gigantic armful(s) of freshly-picked mint

5 egg yolks

9 T sugar

(1 small, tiny, minuscule drop of peppermint oil, if desired)

Slowly bring the half-n-half almost up to a boil.  (This is called “scalding.”  Not to be confused with ”scorching;” you do not want to do that.)

Gather the biggest bunch of fresh mint you can wrap your arms around and wash it off.  Plunge the entire thing into the hot milk.  Keep the pot over very low heat while you push the leaves down with a wooden spoon, crushing them against each other and the pan.  You want to release as much flavor and color as possible.  Once the milk simmers again, turn it off and allow to steep.  If it does not taste minty after 30 minutes, get more mint and repeat.

Beat the yolks and sugar until fluffy and light.  

Strain the mint/cream mixture into a bowl.  Pour the hot cream gradually into the yolk mixture, whisking furiously.  Return to pan (preferably a double boiler) and cook, stirring, until custard is thickened.  It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. 

Strain the base into a bowl and cool to room temp.  Then chill completely.  Taste it after it is cold— if it lacks a little tingle, add the smallest drop of peppermint oil, just to balance it out a bit.  You do not want it to taste like doublemint gum.

Spin the base in ice-cream machine, according to machine’s specs.

6:17pm
Filed under: mint ice cream 
April 12, 2012
(Insert Very/Berry Pun Here)

Berry Tart with Cardamom Cream and Pistachios

5:29pm
March 24, 2012
ProsciuttOrange

When I saw this recipe, it was so simple and seemingly familiar that I never would’ve guessed it would blow my mind. But it did.  

And now I have officially discovered that there’s something very, very special about the combination of prosciutto and orange.  The hole that I didn’t even realize was in my culinary life is a bit more filled in now that I possess this delicious information. 

To experience this perfection, do the following. 

Boil a 12 oz package of pasta.  (I used a large tube pasta, but you can use linguini or tagliatelle.)  Save 1/4 cup of the cooking water.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in saute pan.  Add 2 ounces thinly-sliced prosciutto, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces.  Sauté until slightly browned.  Add 1/2 cup light cream, 1/4 cup pasta water, fresh juice of one orange, and 1/2 the zest of that orange.  Cook sauce for a couple of minutes.  Add pasta and toss in sauce to coat everything.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Scatter chopped flat leaf parsley and grated parmesan on top if you wish. *

And you will see.  (That is, taste.)  The meaty, salty, funky elements of prosciutto are perfectly complemented by the sweet flowery freshness of orange zest and juice.

I eat a lot of good food in my life, a lot of it pretty complex and borderline fussy, but it’s times like this that I realize I can still have my socks knocked off by the singular perfection of a simple flavor pairing.  

*This recipe is adapted from one in Bon Appetit, May 2011.

10:30pm
Filed under: prosciutto orange pasta 
March 18, 2012

Slightly creepy, yet enticing (and certainly delicious) cat-topped cupcakes for my niece’s 10th birthday party: dark chocolate cake with cinnamon chocolate buttercream frosting. 

3:29pm
February 16, 2012
Uncorked

Last weekend, between all the skiing and the cooking, I had the pleasure of attending Copper Mountain’s Burger & Wine Challenge, part of their Copper Uncorked wine fest.  What could be better than throwing back some lovely plonk and stuffing my face with some well-deserved fat and carbs?

Six tents were set up in the main village, with twelve wines to sample, loosely paired with six different sliders, each using a different protein— salmon, bison, beef, pork, chicken, and lamb.  We headed to the farthest tent first, which happened to offer a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and a Lodi Cabernet Franc, as well as a fantastic, luxurious beef slider (more on this little treasure later).

The first thing the Michael David rep said to me as she poured the wine into my glass was the note of “graphite” in this Lodi Cab Franc.  And so immediately that’s what I tasted.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate— first I picked up on the smokey oakiness (it’s aged for 15 months in French oak), then quite a bit of red jamminess… then the what-would’ve-been-elusive-and-difficult-to-put-into-words-so-I-was-glad-she-mentioned-it-in-advance tasting note of pencil lead.

 

This was my favorite wine of the afternoon— pretty heavy duty stuff (see “concentrated blue-black nectar” description above) but such an excellent pairing to the stronger flavors of some of the burgers.  Most notably the Cambozola-topped beef burger with truffle aioli and caramelized shallots.  I didn’t get a photo of that one because I basically inhaled it the minute the chef handed it to me.  And I’m not ashamed.  I am powerless against the mighty duo of truffle and soft blue cheese.  

The second burger we tried— the bison slider— was tasty too, and since I didn’t scarf it down nearly as fast as the truffled beef one, I was able to snap a pic.

All in all, even with some disappointments, the burgers were creative and delectable. I’m definitely going to steal Chef Peterson’s idea of a grilled, bacon-wrapped pork meatloaf burger with cherry compote and creamy slaw.  And I’ve discovered an excellent Cab Franc that not only appeals to my fancy schmancy palate, but provides a little sentimental memory jolt of simpler days when picking out the coolest pencil box for the first day of school was my biggest worry.

5:38pm
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: copper burger wine 
January 31, 2012
Curry up

photo by Christy Gell

Pan-seared Pacific halibut with creamy apple-curry sauce, toasted cumin seeds, roasted red pears and parsnips.  Being shy in the background: an arugula salad with roasted cashews and a pomegranate-shallot-yogurt dressing.

Properly searing a piece of fish at home might cost you some atmospheric purity— but in exchange you are rewarded with the luscious crunchy/tender union that is the joy of the fish lover.  I always use my trusty cast iron skillet to sear my fish, heated almost to smoking, with a small amount of oil.  (If it’s a thick piece, I slide the skillet into a hot oven to finish it off.)

This halibut dish pairs a perfectly seared fillet with a lush and spicy sauce, made using sauteed onions, shallots, green apples, red curry paste, lime juice, and half-n-half.  

As you take your first bite, and push your fork through crisp salty coriander-dusted exterior, through the milky smooth flesh of the halibut, scooping up the creamy ochre sauce below— it might seem a bit rich…but then the acidity of the lime breaks through, cutting the richness of the cream and keeping everything in harmony.  It’s pretty tasty stuff.

The sticky candied crunchiness of the roasted pears and parsnips makes a great plate partner to the earthy heat of the spices in the sauce.  Roasting these two together is such a simple preparation, but it hits all the right notes.  (Try them with roasted lemon chicken or seared pork chops— it’s caramelized spicy-sweet perfection.)

I kept the apple in the curry sauce tender, but not falling apart, so that the texture and tartness of the diced fruit would balance the meltingly soft presence of the onions. And bite after bite, you get the lovely sensation of the cumin seeds sparking with their crunchy earthy savoriness.

As another balancing factor to the plate, I improvised a tangy-sweet-sour pomegranate, shallot, and yogurt dressing, which I used to dress some wild arugula. A handful of buttery roasted cashews completes the salad trinity.  

12:28am
(Notes: 2)
  
Filed under: curry halibut pears pomegranate parsnip 
January 25, 2012
A return to the salad days

Satur Farms wild arugula with shaved Starkrimson pears, Bra Tenero, toasted hazelnuts, and a lemon-mustard vinaigrette.

First, I must gush a bit about the greens from Satur Farms.  I became familiar with their superb micro greens in the kitchens of Bouchon and Per Se, and since then, seek out their produce for my own home meals whenever possible.  Their wild arugula is the real deal— Eruca sylvatica— deep green spiked leaves with a hearty pepper flavor.  The perfect base on which to build a bright and full-flavored salad.  

Second, I know what you’re thinking.  Arugula and pears?  What you may call a humdrum cliche pairing, I prefer to call “classic.”  It just works so well!  And I had lovely pears on hand, begging to be utilized, so why fight it?  Though it’s the very tail end of the season for the Starkrimson pears, these guys proved to be excellent specimens— and their floral sweetness was a great match for the buttery tang of the Piedmont cheese.  And hazelnuts are always a welcome addition to any arugula salad, their creamy sweet crunchiness an excellent foil to the peppery bite and succulence of the greens.  I used the Bra Tenero because that’s what I had on hand, but you could use a saltier cheese if you wanted to turn up the dial a bit. Tongue-tingly Provolone Piccante or a pungent blue such as Fourme d’Ambert would be fantastic.

5:40pm
(Notes: 86)
  
Filed under: arugula rocket sylvatica Satur Farms pears 
January 16, 2012

Citrus paradisi

12:58pm
(Notes: 1)
  
January 13, 2012
Sweet #

For breakfast today…Sweet potato hash with red pepper, served with a fried egg, fresh thyme and sriracha.

For this vitamin-packed* hash, all you need to do is:

Cube up a couple of sweet potatoes (skin and all), par-cook them for 5-8 minutes in salted boiling water, drain them, and fry them up in some olive oil and a small bit of butter until browned and crispy on the outside.

In a separate pan, sauté half a diced red pepper, a quarter of a white onion, and three scallions.  Half a serrano pepper, minced, would be a great addition too.

(Don’t get greedy with the pans and throw everything in one.  It is important to cook these veg separately.  If put in with the sweet potato cubes, they would burn before the potatoes were properly browned.)

Once the sweet potatoes are browned, toss in the sauteed veg and any fresh herb you like.  Thyme and/or sage are particularly good for this dish.  Grind plenty of fresh black pepper over top and give everything a good flip-and-mix (or stir) to warm evenly.

Fry up an egg, or egg white, and drape it over a generous spoonful of hot hash.  Scatter some freshly-minced thyme leaves over top, Jackson Pollock some sriracha over that, and dig in.

* It contains a hefty amount of Vitamins A, C, and Potassium. 

12:35pm
(Notes: 5)
  
Filed under: sweet potato hash skier breakfast brunch 
January 12, 2012
Skier’s Dinner

If you’re not fussing with a smoker*, pulled pork can be one of the most low-maintenance/high-reward foods out there.  Pork shoulder is cheap and readily available, and while it tastes amazing with just salt and pepper, you can also endlessly customize the rub and/or sauce flavors.  It’s pretty wonderful to come back from a day of work or play to have this little piggy waiting for you in the oven— barely holding himself together until you come in with a fork and he gratefully and deliciously falls apart.

To make this toothsome grub:  The night before, rub the shoulder (usually Boston Butt cut, which contains a blade bone) with whatever spices you feel like rubbing it with, wrap it up and let it mellow in the fridge overnight.  (For my rub this time, I used plenty of fresh ground black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, chili powder, brown sugar, dried oregano, and salt. I had chipotles in adobo on hand, so I minced a couple of those up and threw them in the rub too.)

The next morning, place the meat in a roasting pan, splash a bit of liquid on the bottom (white wine, red wine, apple cider, water) and cover tightly with parchment, then foil. Slide into a 225°F oven.  Read a good book, go for a hike, teach your child to ride a bike, watch a couple of movies, do a puzzle, go skiing, etc.

Check the pork after six hours or so.  Nudge it with a fork.  Does the meat slide off like a shreddy succulent avalanche?  It’s ready.  (If not, give it a another hour and poke again.  You pretty much cannot overcook this cut of meat.)  Pull it apart, discard the blade bone, and mix in the accumulated pan juices with the meat.  Serve on a soft bun with coleslaw, or serve alone, or throw on a pizza with fire-roasted poblanos, or eat it directly from the pan with your fingers because you are alone in your kitchen and you can…

And,

*This is of course not to say that smoked pulled pork isn’t one of the best things ever, because it is.  But for the purposes of the extreme LM-ness of this article’s recipe, I am staying super simple.

8:03am
(Notes: 7)
  
Filed under: pork pulled bbq skier boston butt shoulder 
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