Mother Knows Best

When I was in Portland, OR last month visiting family, we were able to try a restaurant that has been on my list for a long time - Mother's. The love project of chef Linda Schroeder, Mother's is all about the beauty in comfort, from the vintage textiles to the sparkling case of baked goods in the front, to the home-style dishes served up to the crowds. There are staples such as Chicken Liver, Matzoh Ball Soup, Meatloaf, and Chicken and Dumplings, as well as monthly specials featuring a M.O.M., or mother of the month.

Of course I was thrilled when I learned that there was a cookbook available, and even more thrilled when Linda came to our table in her orange chef's jacket to sign our copies. How often does that happen? Not only that, but she stayed for at least 20 minutes, chatting with us about France, South Africa, the Midwest, traditional Jewish food, Culinary School, being a mother, and being a grandmother (especially significant because my own mother had just become one). In my book, she wrote "To Liz, From one cook to another, XO, Linda". What a charming woman, so full of life and passion - she was truly an inspiration.

The book is full of motherly advice, which is so helpful when making classic recipes or simply learning to cook. She calls them "love notes", such as putting bacon in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before chopping, which are things that make sense but that the average home cook might not think of.

Today I decided to make Parisian Chicken for my friend Andrea, and it was a very tasty and simple recipe, using ingredients that are normally on hand. It requires a some basic technique and preparation, but nothing that couldn't be handled on a weekday night - it's the kind of recipe that you make once, and then you can make it again from memory. I roasted some red fingerling potatoes while I was cooking the chicken, and made a simple mixed greens salad, and we had a home-cooked meal on our plates in very little time.

The dredging of the chicken pieces is in the opposite order from what I am used to - usually you do egg mixture followed by flour, but doing it this way means you use far less flour and the egg on the outside creates a lovely crispy crust. I had to cook the chicken much longer than the recipe called for (probably because I didn't split it so it was a little bit thicker than it should have been), so just eyeball yours and check for doneness during the process. I didn't have clarified butter, so I used 1 T. vegetable oil and 1 T. unsalted butter instead.

Parisian Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/4 t. kosher salt (divided)
• 3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper (divided)
• 2 T. whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 C. all purpose flour
• 2 T. clarified butter or vegetable oil
• 1/2 C. white vermouth
• 2 T. lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 T. chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

If the breasts are very thick, you may slice them in half horizontally to get 2 cutlets per half. Spread a 12-in piece of plastic wrap on the counter. Place a chicken breast on it, then lay another 12-in sheet of plastic on top. Using a flat meat mallet or a large heavy skillet, pound the breast to 1/4 in thickness. Repeat with the remaining breasts.

Lay the cutlets on a rimmed baking sheet and season each on one side with 1/4 t. salt and a pinch black pepper.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Place the flour in a plate or shallow dish. Set these near the stove.

Place a large (12 to 14 in) saute pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the clarified butter. Used one hand to dip one cutlet in the four, dredging int on both sides, and then in the egg mixture. Use the other hand to immediately add it to the pan. Repeat until you have a single layer of chicken.

Cook until lightly golden on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn over, lower the heat to medium, and continue to cook until the other side is golden and the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the cutlets to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Return the pan to high heat. Add the vermouth and lemon juice to the saute pan (to deglaze), stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Season with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. REduce by half, remove from the heat, and wisk in the butter pieces. Add the parsley.

To serve, place the chicken on individual serving plates and pour the sauce over the chicken.

Cooking Basics

A good friend asked me today, "What has been your favorite book on cooking?" My mind visually went to my shelves overflowing with books to picture the one with the most dog-eared pages, cracks in the spine, and stains. Without a doubt, it is the New Basics book by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, creators of the Silver Palate shop and books.

When I was a young bride living in Hoboken, New Jersey, I received the New Basics as a wedding gift. I had already worn out my copies of the Silver Palate Cookbook, and the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, so I was very excited to have a huge volume of new classics to draw from. My mother, while having many talents, was not a home cook, and I did not learn one recipe from her or my grandmother growing up. I was truly on my own, and the important thing was, I wanted to be a good cook, even while living in the NYC environs where take-out is the norm (and is often better and less expensive than cooking a meal yourself).

What I love about the New Basics are the side notes and techniques explaining everything in clear, concise language with drawings. When you are first starting out and know nothing, it's helpful to have a reference for the different ways to cook a potato, or what the various cuts of beef are used for, and how this relates to the animal. Somehow it all seemed more friendly and less technical than the Joy of Cooking, and more sophisticated than the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Reading it felt like having like a good friend with a great taste level teaching you how to cook.

And even though it came out in 1989, exactly 20 years ago this year, the recipes are all relevant and modern enough for today's palate, but classic enough to please the most picky eaters. I have yet to find a better carrot cake, chicken salad, or meatloaf recipe in any book or online. I have carried these recipes with me through those early days in Hoboken, to Greensboro, NC, to San Francisco, and they are appropriate for a big city dinner or a casual country potluck. I am now on my second copy of the New Basics, and I still give it to new brides or as a housewarming gift to anyone who wants to feel at home in their kitchen.

Sheila Lutkins passed away in September, which makes this post a fitting tribute to her contribution to my, and many others' kitchens. I definitely owe it to the New Basics for inspiring my love of cooking, and giving me the tools with which to do it every day.

Omnivore Without the Dilemna

Several months ago, I had the idea to open up a bookstore specializing in cookbooks and all things food related. I imagined bringing authors in for readings, and holding cooking events. It was a great dream, until I realized that someone had already come up with it, and what a delightful job they had done.

On Saturday, I was invited to attend a reading at Omnivore Books in Noe Valley, which was a perfect excuse to check out the store. I must have walked by it a few times before noticing this sign on the corner, pointing the way to a small, one-room store filled from floor to ceiling with cookbooks, how-to books, and best of all, vintage cookery books from every era.


The two guest authors of the day were Giulia Melucci, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti and Emily Franklin, Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, and 102 Recipes.


It was a small group that was assembled to hear the readings, which felt very intimate and casual. I left with a signed book, some magazines, and a few other books that I just couldn't live without, one of which was the just-out "Guide to Better Bacon" from the Zingerman's mail-order food emporium in Ann Arbor, MI.


While there are recipes inside, let it be noted that I did not buy any cookbooks, although I looked at some great ones, and was very tempted!

I had a very nice talk with the store owner, through which I discovered that she and her partner were leaving for France in a few days. It turns out that I had some Euros in my wallet left over from my trip, which she gladly exchanged for dollars...not your usual occurrence in a book store! They also had local free-range eggs for sale at the counter, as if I needed another wonderful reason to love it.

Aside from hosting guest authors, Omnivore holds events like last Thursday's Fried Chicken Taste-Off (which I sadly missed), and an upcoming Pie Contest.

While I am disappointed to see my great idea already taken, I am delighted to see that someone else had the same vision and executed it so well. Happy to be a fan and customer of this very special store.

Light Lemon Pudding Cake

The recipe below doesn't really count as part of my project, because it is sweet and not savory, but I liked the way it came out and thought it was worth sharing.

The cookbook that I used was "Lost Recipes" by Marion Cunningham, who also wrote the classic "Fannie Farmer Cookbook". The book was designed to get people back into home cooking, so the recipes are usually easy, and without a lot of ingredients - something you could theoretically make on a busy weeknight (it might have to be a weeknight in which you get home at 4:30pm, but I like the idea anyway).


I had a few leftover lemons that were getting to be past their prime, and needed to be used that day, and since we were planning to have dinner at home that night, a nice dessert seemed like a good idea. This cake was easy put together, low in flour (only 1/4 cup for the whole cake), and made a nice summery dessert served with freshly whipped cream and fruit.


Lemon Pudding Cake

• 1 C. sugar
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
• 4 T. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 1/3 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 C. milk
• Heavy Cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish or 8 inch square baking dish
Mix 3/4 of the sugar, the salt, and the flour together in a bowl.
Add the melted butter, lemon juice, lemon peel, and egg yolks, and stir thoroughly until blended.
Stir in the milk.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 C. sugar until they are stiff but remain moist.
Fold the beaten whites into the lemon mixture, then pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
Set the baking dish in a larger pan at least 2 inches deep and pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
Serve warm or chilled, with whipped heavy cream.

What happens during baking is that the top and bottom separate, so that you get a light sponge cake on top and a pudding-like bottom. I cut into mine too soon and it was really runny, so make sure you let it cool for awhile before digging in. Chilled is also a nice way to go, and it would be great with a sprig of mint on top on a hot night.

You Say Tomato...

I love tomato soup. So when I saw this cookbook called "Cook the Perfect..." by Marcus Wareing at my friend Jen's house, the lure of the bowl of tomato soup on the cover was all of the siren song I needed to order a copy (available used on Amazon). It's published by DB Books in the UK, and full of how-to's and tons of pictures for each recipe, just the way I like it. I would so much rather have a book of 10 nicely laid out, thorough recipes with pictures than 100 without.


The recipe took a little while, but was not difficult at all. Basically, you roast whole tomatoes in a 475 degree oven with olive oil and chopped onions and garlic. Then add to that a cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, and fresh basil and cilantro and roast another 10 minutes. Then 2 tbsp of tomato paste and roast another 5 minutes.

The mixture is then removed from the oven and placed into a bowl with 2 Tbsp each of Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, and it marinates for 30 min. After that, you puree it in batches and strain it into a pot, bring it to a simmer, and add 2 C. hot chicken stock. Serve with olive oil and fresh basil garnish.


The result was a thick, hearty bowl of soup with a lot of flavor. However, I had a couple of issues with the taste. Because you are roasting the garlic and onion at such a high temperature, they get burned. There is nothing I dislike quite as much as the flavor of burnt onion and garlic, and the soup has more than a hint of it. Secondly, while I liked the flavor of the Worcestershire and balsamic, it makes for a very acidic soup - since tomatoes are already very acidic, this was a bit much for me.

I think it's a good starting point, but I need to play with it a little before declaring on my own that this is the "perfect" tomato soup. Not that I didn't enjoy it with a flaky biscuit and a hunk of cheese for lunch, though.

And yes, Recipe #3 is now complete.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

There is nothing quite as nice as a good grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and having my friend Andrea over gave me the excuse to seek out Recipe#2 for the Cookbook Project. "Simple Italian Sandwiches" is a book that I bought around the same time that we got our panini maker years ago, and it is full of great looking and simple recipes that I had yet to try!

I had some very nice store-bought tomato bisque in the fridge, as well as some mache with last week's Lemon Thyme dressing, so I chose what I thought would be a nice compliment to those things: the Prosciutto, Bel Paese, and Sweet Onion Panini.

I had to improvise a little, since they didn't have Bel Paese cheese or ciabatta at the store. Easy enough, as I found Fontina cheese and herbed foccacia, which worked perfectly.

One of the key ingredients in this sandwich was the actual "recipe" part of this experiment. It called for something called Sweet Onions, which are slow-roasted, marinated red onions - time consuming but delicious. It makes a lot, so there is plenty to store and to share. It's a great condiment to have on hand, for sandwiches, eggs, salads, burgers - you name it.


Sweet Onions
5 medium red onions
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C. balsamic vinegar
1 T. honey
1 t. freshly ground black pepper

- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Peel onions and cut in half, then each half into 4 quarters. Put into a medium bowl.
- Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey and black pepper, toss to thoroughly coat onions.
- Pour onto a small baking sheet or into a 9 in. ovenproof skillet. Set the bowl aside.
- Cook the onions for a total of 3 hours, removing once every 1/2 hour to transfer them back to the bowl and mix thoroughly to keep the marinade distributed.

_____________________________________________________________


After the onions were done, I was ready to assemble and grill our sandwiches. I cut about half of the focaccia loaf in half lengthwise, and layered on proscuitto, cheese, and a generous portion of onions.


It yielded an great result - crunchy bread, gooey cheese, mild sweet onions, and salty, tender proscuitto. Definitely a keeper!

Mache and Avocado Salad with Lemon Thyme Dressing

Cooking adventure #1 was a success!

I got out my "Cooking For Friends" cookbook and made their recipe for Lemon Thyme Dressing - so easy, so well-balanced, so delicious. This cookbook is an absolute joy to read, with beautiful color photographs for every recipe, and creative variations.


This is the type of recipe that you can do easily from memory: Whisk together the zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 C. olive oil, 1/4 C. white wine vinegar (I used White Balsamic), and 1 1/2 t. fresh thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I had some fresh mache and some almost-ripe avocado, so I made a salad and used a small amount of the dressing to just coat the leaves.


This would be great with shaved asparagus and Parmesan, baby arugula and prosciutto, you name it. Simple is best, in my opinion - too many ingredients in a salad are just confusing to me.

Off to a good start!

Off the Shelves

I am a cookbook addict. I have so many cookbooks, they are literally spilling off of the shelves. This is my designated "cookbook shelf", which is 2 rows deep and crammed with every type of book of every type of cuisine imaginable, as well as my notebooks filled with magazine recipes or those scribbled on notepaper by trusted friends. The thought that this small, neat area could contain all of my cookbooks is laughable. They have now migrated to chairs, desks, and even the bench in our breakfast nook.


Oh, yes. I am fully aware that I have a problem (aside from being kind of a messy person in general - sigh). I get giddy when a box from Amazon arrives, or when the cookbook section at my local bookstore gets in some new tomes. I read them instead of watching tv, while watching tv, in bed, while cooking from other cookbooks.

And did I mention the magazines? This is just the stack from this month:


Obviously, I have a love for food - this blog would probably not exist otherwise. But lately I have asked myself, do I really, really need all of these books? As if in response, I was reading Heidi Swanson's blog "101 Cookbooks" the other day and got inspired. She started her blog, which eventually turned into a book, when she realized that she had all of these cookbooks, but kept repeating the same recipes over and over. She made herself try new ones, and eventually started coming up with her own. With a few exceptions, that is exactly what I do. My "New Basics" cookbook cracks open to the same pages with the same stains on it every time, while "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" looks as new as the day I bought it.

So, I have given myself a summer project. Make one recipe from one of my cookbooks every week. It can be from one that I have used before, but the recipe must be new to me.

Today I am starting with "Cooking With Friends" that I got at Williams Sonoma last month. Actually, I will be starting off making not one but two recipes from that book, but one is for cupcakes and I really want to focus this effort on savory dishes.

I can usually tell after making a recipe or two weather a book jives with my style of cooking. If it doesn't, I think it's time to donate it to the local library. At worst, I will clear some shelf room for some new books and at best, I'll discover some treasures that have been right under my nose this whole time!

So, Project Cookbook is on. Stay tuned!

Cooking Out of the Box

I realize that I am well past 101 Cookbooks at this point. But in this case, a cookbook (and cook) found me!

Eric Gower contacted me on Facebook to introduce me to his blog, which is a offers a tasty glimpse at his life in modern, world-influenced cooking. From the first look, I was intrigued. Flavor, color, and a minimum of ingredients dominate. In several posts, "umami" is discussed and demonstrated with inventive, healthy, and easy to prepare recipes.

For a quick visual explanation of umami, I give you the FlavorWheel - more on this later, but it is plays a key role what Eric is into now, and is a term that is getting a lot of attention in the cooking world. He has also coined the term "flavor blasts" to describe the exotic punch of taste that he likes to add to a dish. For example, combining maccha powder with coarse sea salt to create maccha salt, a flavor enhancer which can be added to poached eggs or even chocolate to add a new and interesting dimension.


I had to wait for over a week to receive my cookbook, as it is on backorder and understandably in demand. Now it floats between the kitchen and my bedside table for access at all times. The photography is stunning, and the recipes all look amazing. This is truly a book for the home chef - someone who wants to cook unique and delicious meals, from what exists in the vegetable bowl from a visit to the farmer's market. I like the simplicity of the ingredients and instructions, and the fact that there is some technique, but it is not overwhelming.

Eric spent 15 years in Japan learning to cook in tiny kitchens, and clearly his style shows his love of food and tenacity in teaching himself to create new dishes that are influenced by, but not confined to, many cultures. I don't know many people in San Francisco that don't have kitchen challenges - a lot of us live in old houses, without much counter space, and with a motley crew of equipment in our arsenal. But what he teaches us is that it is not fancy gadgets that create great meals - it is us. And good, creative food does not have to be complicated. These are lessons that I look forward to being taught again and again.

I am working on putting together a group of people for a private lesson with Eric - that should be a real treat. Stay tuned, and I promise that exiting things are in store. And now, could you please pass the maccha salt?

101 Cookbooks, and Then Some

Here are the nominees for the 2008 James Beard Foundation Awards. Winners will be named on June 8, 2008.

Some of my favorites are nominated: Mark Bittman, Jacques Pepin, Heidi Swanson, and Laurent Tourondel, chef & owner of the wonderful BLT restaurants in New York.

ASIAN COOKING

My Bombay Kitchen: Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking
by Niloufer Ichaporia King
(University of California Press)

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook
by Fuchsia Dunlop
(W.W. Norton & Company)

The Seventh Daughter: My Culinary Journey from Beijing to San Francisco
by Cecilia Chiang with Lisa Weiss
(Ten Speed Press)

BAKING AND DESSERT

A Baker's Odyssey
by Greg Patent
(John Wiley & Sons)

Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor
by Peter Reinhart
(Ten Speed Press)

Pure Dessert
by Alice Medrich
(Artisan)

COOKING FROM A PROFESSIONAL POINT OF VIEW

Bistro Laurent Tourondel: New American Bistro Cooking
by Laurent Tourondel and Michele Scicolone
(John Wiley & Sons)

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine
by The French Culinary Institute with Judith Choate
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking
by Masaharu Morimoto
(DK Publishing)

ENTERTAINING

Dish Entertains
by Trish Magwood
(HarperCollins Canada)

Great Bar Food at Home
by Kate Heyhoe
(John Wiley & Sons)

Welcome to Michael's: Great Food, Great People, Great Party!
by Michael McCarthy
(Little, Brown and Company)

AMERICANA

The Glory of Southern Cooking
by James Villas
(John Wiley & Sons)

A Love Affair with Southern Cooking
by Jean Anderson
(HarperCollins Publishers)

Rosa's New Mexican Table
by Roberto Santibanez
(Artisan)

GENERAL

Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook
by Jacques Pépin
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

Cooking
by James Peterson
(Ten Speed Press)

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food
by Mark Bittman
(John Wiley & Sons)

HEALTHY FOCUS

The EatingWell Diet
by Jean Harvey-Berino with Joyce Hendley and the Editors of EatingWell
(The Countryman Press)

Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole & Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking
by Heidi Swanson
(Celestial Arts)

The Wine and Food Lover's Diet: 28 Days of Delicious Weight Loss
Author: Phillip Tirman
(Chronicle Books)

INTERNATIONAL

The Country Cooking of France
by Anne Willan
(Chronicle Books)

Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most
by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali
(Alfred A. Knopf)

Two Meatballs in the Italian Kitchen
by Pino Luongo and Mark Strausman
(Artisan)

REFERENCE

Food: The History of Taste
edited by Paul Freedman
(University of California Press)

A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America
by Rowan Jacobsen
(Bloomsbury)

The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide
by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
(Ten Speed Press)

SINGLE SUBJECT

Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials
by Laura Werlin
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

The River Cottage Meat Book
by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
(Ten Speed Press)

Vegetable Harvest
by Patricia Wells
(HarperCollins Publishers)

WINE AND SPIRITS

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty
by Julia Flynn Siler
(Gotham Books)

Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar
by David Wondrich
(Perigee)

To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle
by George M. Taber
(Scribner)

WRITING ON FOOD

American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes
edited by Molly O'Neill
(The Library of America)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
by Barbara Kingsolver
(HarperCollins Publishers)

Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss-and the Myths and Realities of Dieting
by Gina Kolata
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Country Cooking of France
Photographer: France Ruffenach
(Chronicle Books)

Crust
Photographer: Jean Cazals
(Kyle Books)

Egg
Photographer: Grant Symon
(Éditions Flammarion)