Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

I’ve never been one who looks at New Year’s as a time to make resolutions, reflect on the past, or create bucket lists. However, since 2011 was a pretty bizarre one for me (and my family), I decided to check out a few end of year posts by some of the writers I admire and respect. The exercise left me inspired and grateful. So, I thought I’d share those sites with you, hoping you have the same experience.

A few Blogs/Sites that inspired me in 2011:

Monica Bhide’s “A Spice of Life”                                http://www.monicabhide.com/

Susan Ely’s “The Shared Table”                                  http://thesharedtable.com/about/

David Leite’s “Leite’s Culinaria”                                 http://leitesculinaria.com/     and
                            “David’s Blahg”                                      http://leitesculinaria.com/category/blog

Nancie McDermott’s Blog                                             http://nanciemcdermott.wordpress.com/

Michael Procopio’s “Food for the Thoughtless"  http://foodforthethoughtless.com/

Marc and Angel’s                                                              http://www.marcandangel.com/

There are also several people who made my 2011 special and for that I’d like to thank:

the generous and talented Nancie McDermott and the amazing and inspiring Monica Bhide for all they taught me - I look up to you both as mentors and models of success,

the gracious educator Antonia Allegra (http://www.antoniaallegra.com/ ) and the golden standard of hospitality Lynn Swann for hosting one of the most amazing weeks of my life at the Greenbrier in West Virginia (http://www.greenbrier.com/ ),

Don Fry (http://donfry.wordpress.com/ ) for sharing with me a priceless amount of advice and knowledge,

Marilyn Markel of A Southern Season (http://www.southernseason.com/class/default.asp ) and Susan Ajygin of Wake Technical Community College (http://conted.waketech.edu/ ) as well as the hundreds of students I taught in 2011 in their classrooms,

Crash Gregg, the tireless publisher of the Raleigh Downtowner Magazine, (http://raleighdowntowner.com/ ) for continuing to allow me to write about the Capital City’s food scene,

and last but not least, my family and friends for their limitless love and support as well as their ability to put up with my crap.

Some Things to Let Marinate or Stew Over

A quarter of a billion dollars is an insane amount of money and giving out a 10 year contract is an insane business practice.

Cashman has done a great job keeping his poker face on, but does anyone in baseball actually believe the Yankees will start the season with a rotation of CC, Garcia, Nova, Burnett, and Hughes after the disasterous '08 season?

I know I’m a chef, but does anyone really care what Paula Deen is (supposedly) making for Christmas?

I guess the knuckleheads behind the NBA lockout realized what I’ve been saying since June. No one cares about the NBA until Christmas and if there are no games on Christmas day, the chances of having a worthwhile fan base (i.e. revenue stream) after that would be slim. So, the greedy “bastids” settled just in time to make it happen.

Stern nixing the Paul trade is one of the biggest jokes of the decade, especially coming off of this lockout.

Speaking of nix and the NBA, in literally one day, the Knicks went from patsy to “contenda” by picking up Chandler and Bibby...and it's about time, too.

The Giants are a disaster. One week, a touchdown that wasn’t ruled a touchdown cost them. Another week, they don’t even show up. A different week, the D couldn’t stop a dripping faucet. Then another, no one could catch a cold. Yet, not only is Big Blue still in the mix, but the Cowboys are playing so scared that Pampers has bought stock in them. B-ELI-eve it!  

Have you ever had one of those out of the blue conversations with someone you don't know very well (or at all) and, as it is happenning, you realize you'll be better for it? Well, it happened to me today. It was a conversation that will stay with me for awhile and has affected me already (more on that after the holidays).

Since my Thanksgiving tips and recipes went over like lead balloon, I thought I’d do it again for Christmas.

A Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

I hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving avoiding the family drama and kitchen fails that sometimes come hand in hand with the holidays.

In order to catch our daughters’ dance performances, our holiday visitors will be spread out thoughout the entire month of December. So, this year we had a very quiet Thanksgiving, the calm before the storm so to speak. It was just the “Core 4” (as we have to come to call ourselves) with food to feed a dozen guests, nonstop football, and enough wine and ale to make Bacchus himself blush.

Since I always get asked, I might as well tell you now. We started our meal with a basic cold antipasto (soppressata, salami Milano, proscuitto di Parma, aged provolone, ricotta salata, fontina tartufo, roasted peppers, and olives), crostini, stuffed bread, and the 2011 Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau. While rooting for a Dallas loss that unfortunately never came, we snacked on chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, sweet potato tortillas, and pumpkin chipotle salsa. I washed it down with a fall favorite of mine The Bruery’s Autumn Maple Ale, while my wife opted for Cupcake’s 2009 Sauvignon Blanc.

The main course saw us indulge in Turducken with Port Wine Gravy, Mushroom Bread Pudding, and a Butternut Squash-Sausage Gratin. We matched this course with a dry, fruity 2007 Poderi Aldo Conterno Dolcetto d’Alba recommended by my friend (and Travel + Leisure's wine editor) Bruce Schoenfeld.

Dessert brought Double Chocolate - Pumpkin Cupcakes (decorated by the kids), Five Spiced Ginger Cookies, and Fresh Market’s Christmas Blend Coffee. My after dinner drink was a snifter of American Honey bourbon.

Black Friday didn’t get a dollar of mine in stores but Hollywood (and Jim Henson’s Estate) did, via the new Muppets’ movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. It was a blast. We were able to relive and share some of our childhood with our girls.

Then, on Small Business Saturday, I had the pleasure of cooking with my friend, author Sheri Castle, at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, NC.

To celebrate All Clad’s 40th Anniversary, I demonstrated a handful of recipes from Sheri's new book, The New Southern Garden, while she signed personalized copies.

I guess that’s it for now, but stay tuned for a weekend “Some Things to Let Marinate or Stew Over” as well as more holiday tips and recipes.

Here are a few of my favorite holiday recipes. All of them are appropriate for any of the upcoming holidays. Enjoy.

Cranberry Salsa

Serves 10

1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries
3 tangerines, peeled, seeded, and sectioned
1/2 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 jalapenos, seeded
1/2 cup honey
3 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 t ground cinnamon
Salt
Freshly ground pepper


Pulse cranberries in a food processor until minced. Transfer to a medium bowl.

Pulse tangerines, red onion, cilantro, and jalapenos in the food processor until finely chopped. Stir into cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, and cinnamon. Drizzle over cranberry mixture and toss to coat. Season the salsa to taste with salt and pepper and toss again. Cover and chill at least one hour.

Cook's Notes:
Garnish with a spring of cilantro and/or tangerine zest. It can be served in place of traditional cranberry sauce with corn tortilla chips as a festive appetizer.


Balsamic Glazed Acorn Squash

Serves 6

1 large acorn squash, cut into wedges
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 shallots, sliced
8 sage leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup pine nuts


Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the squash wedges, butter, vinegar, shallots, sage, and honey. Season them with salt and pepper. Toss again.

Transfer the squash mixture into a roasting pan. Add ¾ cup of water and roast for about 20 minutes. Turn the wedges over, sprinkle with pinenuts, and roast about 20 minutes more, until the squash is soft.



Gratineed Cauliflower

Serves 8

2 whole heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 stick butter, diced
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups whole milk
16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt
Ground white pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
2 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped


Place the florets in a pot and fill with cold water. Place over high heat and bring a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the cauliflower for about 15-20 minutes, until fork-tender (but not mushy). They should remain firm. Strain and let cool slightly.

In a saucepan over medium low heat, melt all of the butter. Don't allow the butter to burn. It should be hot and golden. Raise the heat to medium-high and immediately add the flour, stirring continuously for approximately 2-3 minutes. The flour should absorb the butter instantly and form a paste (roux). Add the milk in 3 stages and whisk constantly for about 5 minutes until smooth and slight thickened. Reduce the heat to low. Add half of the mozzarella to the sauce. When the cheese is melted, add half of the parsley. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir well, and then let the sauce rest until it's time to assemble the dish.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish/casserole and spread the florets evenly in the prepared dish. Ladle the sauce over the cauliflower to cover. Top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 400°F and broil for about 2-3 minutes to get a nice golden top. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve warm.

What to do if your bird is still raw when you thought it was done courtesy of Leite's Culinaria

My friend and fellow Greenbrier attendee (and panelist), David Leite has an awesome website http://leitesculinaria.com/. In a recent post, his team explains how to avoid the dreaded undercooked turkey. It's a must read for all who are responsible for cooking this year's bird. Please take a look here

http://leitesculinaria.com/78259/writings-how-to-tell-when-a-turkey-is-done.html#.TsfvNGXyL5I.facebook.

You won't regret it.

Kitchen Tips for the Holidays

With Thanksgiving only a few days away (and the rest of the Holidays just around the corner), I thought I’d share a few suggestions to help you make the most of your time in the kitchen.

• Always plan ahead. If there's anything you can do a day or three before, do it. It'll make things a lot easier on the big day.

• Know your recipes. Take the time to actually read your recipes all the way through before you even start organizing your ingredients.

• Make your kitchen time fun. Enlist family and friends to help, turn on the music, and pour yourself a glass of your favorite beverage.

• Do all of your “mise en place” (the prep and assembly of your ingredients and equipment) before you start cooking.

• Always taste your food while you’re cooking. It allows you to make any necessary adjustments to the dish before you serve it.

• Try to clean as you go and return everything to its place as soon as you can. After hours prepping and cooking, you won’t be in the mood to deal with a sink full of dirty pots and sticky greasy counters.

• Instead of placing your turkey on a roasting rack, cut onions, celery, and carrots into large chunks and place them in an oiled roasting pan. Then, place your turkey on top of the vegetables.

• Always let your meat rest. One of the biggest kitchen mistakes is not letting meat rest after cooking. So, this Thanksgiving, after roasting your turkey let it rest while you make the gravy (instead of making it while the bird is in the oven).

• If you don't have time to brine the turkey, heavily salt it (inside and out) about an hour before cooking. Then, pat the bird dry and roast it. The skin will still be crispy and the meat will be just as juicy.

• If you are going to bake anything, leave your butter and eggs out the night before. This will make incorporating them easier, smoother, and you’ll have a better final result.

• Pick up some parchment paper for lining your pans. It will make everything you bake easy to remove and it makes for a quick cleanup (no greasy or pasty butter-flour mixture; no errant batter; no scraping).

• Lastly, don't be too hard on yourself — sometimes the best recipes are discovered through mistakes.

A Little Required Reading

You may have heard a bit (or a lot, maybe) about Monsanto and/or GMOs. Either way, here is a terrific two part article written by my friend, Robin Carpenter. She explains what genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are, why they represent a threat, and who is behind it all. To make it worse, they are pushing to be exempt from disclosing that their products are genetically modified. Is that really the future we want?

Please give Robin’s articles a look. Educate yourself and make your voice heard.
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/marinandwinecountry/summer-2011/not-so-edible.htm

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/marinandwinecountry/fall-2011/not-so-edible.htm


On a somewhat related topic (even if it is tangential), I get asked a lot about the flours and grains that are used in store bought baked goods. So, I thought I’d share my response with you, too.

Don’t let misleading package statements such as “made with wheat flour” or “seven grain” fool you. They are just marketing maneuvers. Remember when everything was “New and Improved?” This is the same thing. It is also impossible to tell by only looking at the product. Some companies just sprinkle white-flour breads with a coating of oats or color them with molasses (or artificial caramel coloring).

So, if you really want to know what you’re getting, read the ingredient list. The first ingredient should be whole wheat or some other whole grain (oats for example). Additionally, the fiber content should be at least 3 grams per serving.

I can’t stress this enough; always read the ingredients lists on ALL packaged goods, not just baked goods. You’ll be surprised by what’s in most of your store bought products.

Some Things to Let Marinate or Stew Over

My weekly (?) thoughts...

The Lions finally lost, preventing the Earth’s demise. Just goes to show, the Mayans don’t know diddly about football.

Before we start comparing Puljos to the Babe Ruth, let’s see Big Al drink a six pack and eat a dozen hot dogs an hour before a World Series game then go 5 for 6 with a couple HRs.

Can someone please explain to me how the heck Ron Washington is managing in major leagues, never mind being one game from winning the World Series? This guy couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag.

At least this week we didn’t have to listen to ex con Michael Vick whine about getting hit too often or too hard.

What’s the story with Barley Wine? It’s not beer. It’s not wine. It tastes like raisin juice. Flat out nasty. Never again.

The jets are mighty proud of themselves for squeaking by the winless and hapless Dolphins last week. Yep, they are a legit contender now.

Last and most importantly …

I’d like to thank all of the brave men and women for continuing to fight, capture, and eliminate bad guys. You’re the real heroes. Thank you for making the world a safer and better place. Godspeed.