A Cooking Class at Central Market

First of all, merry belated Christmas and early happy New Year! I hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season.

Now, before I get into babbling on about today’s subject, I feel the need to make a brief comment on the therapeutic powers of cooking. I am having a particularly shitty week (sorry about the rough language, but its true). It’s a long story and I won’t bore you all with it, but needless to say, I am feeling rather depressed. However, each night this week I have come home after a long day at work and spent some time in the kitchen. Last night I made a mushroom lo mein; tonight it was a carrot frittata with fried potatoes. I don’t think I mentioned that I joined a winter CSA – Pete’s Greens, based out of Craftsbury, VT. Every Wednesday I get a great share of veggies and other local products, so I have been coming up with a lot of different ways to use them. I have kind of a routine when it comes to cooking. First, I always have music playing. I usually let iTunes create a playlist based on my mood – tonight was Norah Jones and James Morrison, a nice jazzy, mellow feel. Next, I don my apron (I got a really cute one for Christmas that makes me feel like Audrey Hepburn). I review my recipe, if I am using one, and finally start prepping. I listen to the music and do not have too much time to think about whatever is bothering me, because I need to concentrate on what I am doing so I do not burn/slice myself. After all is said and done, I then get to enjoy the “fruits” of my labor (sorry, bad pun). There is something soothing and comforting about the whole ordeal, and I feel a lot better afterwards.

On with the subject at hand…You may recall that a few weeks ago I mentioned a cooking class that my father and I were going to be taking while I visited my family in Texas for Christmas. Well, we took it and it was awesome! The food we learned to prepare was fabulous, the class was structured really well, and I came away from the experience with a lot of new tips and techniques. The theme of the three hour course was “A Night in Paris,” which was based on a meal the head of the cooking school had enjoyed while in, you guessed it, Paris (and no, NOT Paris, TX). There were a total of about 20 participants, which were then divided into two groups of five or six pairs. Each group was led by one of the staff. Our teacher, Rebecca, was great. She was friendly and really knowledgeable about all sorts of foodie things. I enjoyed her company and her instruction. The class was structured so that each pair in the group focused on one main component of the meal, while still being able to watch and learn from everyone else. My dad and I worked on the warm shallot dressing for the duck salad, and got some great pointers regarding knife skills.

At the end of the class, once everything was all set, we got to sit down and enjoy a full three course meal – and it was excellent. Oh, did I mention that wine was included, too? The food was served to us on china and it was like being at a restaurant, except we’d had a hand in preparing everything! The first course consisted of the previously mentioned duck salad with warm shallot dressing, as well as a chicken and pistachio mousse with traditional accoutrement. The duck breast was prepared in a stovetop smoker and was some of the best I have ever had – seriously. Plus, now I have to get one of those smokers, because it was super neat. And the mousse. Oh my god, was it delicious. I have to admit, I had only had chicken liver mousse/pate one time before, and I did not care for it…it was a little too chickeny, you know? That was not the case the other night. This pate was more a mix of chicken breast and livers, then studded with whole pistachios and wrapped in bacon. They served it was these really yummy garlic toasts, sweet pickles, and Dijon mustard. I was full after the first course, and there was still so much more to come!

The second course was a seared rib eye topped with a chive compound butter, sautéed veggies, and duck fat roasted potatoes. Yes, you read that correctly. Did you know that you can buy rendered duck fat, the same as you can get a stick of butter? What a revelation! That one ingredient added so much flavor to the simple dish – and then the potatoes were drizzled with truffle oil. Does it get more decadent than that? This course was also served with baguette slices and French butter to smear on them. Let me tell you, that butter was THE BEST butter I have ever tasted. It was President brand, made in France with big crystals of sea salt. I kind of wanted to just eat a big spoonful of the butter alone, it was that good. It reminds me of one of the early scenes in the movie version of Julie and Julia, when Julia Child is served her first French meal – fish in a beurre blanc sauce, and she leans over and simply exclaims, “Butter!” It was that good.

Finally came dessert, a vanilla soufflé with crème anglaise sauce. Need I even say more? I did learn about vanilla bean paste, which is just the inside of the vanilla beans that you usually have to scrape out, mixed with a little water and sugar and bottled. So good, and so convenient. The neat thing about the class is that it took place over the Central Market grocery store, so after I was able to go buy the garlic toasts, the butter, and the vanilla bean paste. A quick comment of the soufflé – now, it was delicious, there is no denying that. However, to me it tasted an awful lot like a Dutch baby, which I have mentioned in previous blogs. Plus, Dutch babies are much less labor intensive – I do not see why I couldn’t just make a Dutch baby, top it was crème anglaise, and call it a night. In fact, I plan to do exactly that this weekend. Yum.

The whole class was a great experience, and I hope I get to do something like it again. My dad and I both really enjoyed ourselves and learned a lot in the process. Overall, a success!

My Birthday in Boston

Running behind, as usual. Work is uber insane these days, and the semester is wrapping up, both of which make me feel overwhelmed and super-stressed. My escape from the craziness? A trip to Boston to celebrate my birthday, of course!
My 24th birthday was a couple weekends ago, so Danielle and I headed down to Beantown to celebrate. I had never been before, despite the fact that my grandparents have lived in Massachusetts for forever and I’ve been in Vermont for over a year now. I was really excited about the trip, and it totally paid off. We got into the city on Saturday evening and headed to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. All the building and shops were done up for the holiday, glittering with twinkle lights and fresh garlands. Street performers were playing Christmas carols, and overall the effect was enchanting. We had been planning this trip for a couple of weeks, and I’d put a lot of thought into the dining selections (I mean, come on, this is me we’re talking about). I decided on the Union Oyster House for my birthday dinner and had made reservations in advance (which turned out to be very smart on my part). I have to tell you, this dinner made my top ten list of best meals ever. The restaurant is housed in an old, historic building, which was also decorated for the holidays. They claim to be the oldest restaurant in the country, but this presents a bit of a conundrum. A couple summers ago, my dad and I were in Philadelphia, and we ate at the City Tavern (another top ten dining experience). The thing is, they also claim to be the nation’s oldest restaurant. Who knows which is true? Regardless, both meals were excellent.
As the name implies, the Union Oyster House specializes in seafood. Being the oldest restaurant in Boston, at the very least, they also have a traditional New England spin on most of their dishes – items like cornbread and Indian pudding were on the menu. As I scanned the extensive menu, I was really having trouble deciding what to order. I am a huge seafood lover, and everything sounded good – I’ll take on of those, and one of those, a couple of those…Suddenly, the “shore dinner” caught my eye. Clam chowder, steamers, a lobster, new potatoes, corn on the cob, and dessert – literally a sampling of everything I wanted! Of course, it also happened to be the most expensive thing on the menu, but you know what? It was my birthday! I ordered it, and it was worth every penny. I got to wear one of those lobster bibs, and my dinner came to me on a huge plate, complete with a bowl of melted butter for dipping – heavenly. I do not know if I have ever been so satisfied with a single meal in my life. Danielle ordered mussels, which were fabulous, and a lobster stuffed with lobster topped with lobster – paradise. To make the whole experience even better, the waitress comp’ed Danielle’s dessert and my Irish coffee!
The next day, we took some time and explored the city. I wanted to see some of the historical sites, so we walked some of the Freedom Trail and went to see the Old North Church – which just so happened to take us right through Little Italy! Again, I want to emphasize how beautiful everything was with all the Christmas decorations and garlands and red bows. I think it really made the trip extra special. On our way back through Little Italy, we stopped in at Mike’s Pastry. Oh. My. God. I am not sure if a more dangerous place exists – rows and rows of gorgeous baked goods. I walked away with some coconut macaroons and the biggest cream puff I have ever seen. They packaged it all in a pretty box and tied it with a bow. I felt kind of like Audrey Hepburn – the whole experience had that kind of vibe to it.
The rest of the day was spent shopping and eating and driving, and it was fabulous. We stopped at the Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, which is a specialty food shop. I walked away with the most random assortment of goods –cream of tarter (which I have had a heck of a time finding in my local shop), a bottle of peach nectar, and chocolate bar studded with sea salt, a panettone bread (which makes the best French toast ever), and a pint of really good raspberries – overall, a great haul. It was a great weekend and the most fun I’ve had on my birthday in a long time.

An Offical Recipe -- yay!

Dutch Baby a.k.a. “Puffed Pancake”

Ingredients: 4 eggs
1 cup flour
I cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
Butter

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425. As it preheats, take a glass baking dish or pie plate, add a dusting of nutmeg, and a good helping of butter (2-4 tablespoons). Put the dish in the warming oven to melt the butter and warm the dish.
Meanwhile, blend the eggs for a minute or so, until they get pale and frothy. While the blender is still going, slowly add the milk, then the flour. Blend well.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and quickly pour in the eggs mixture (the melted butter will move throughout the mixture, and some will pool on top - this is okay). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until puffy and golden (try to avoid opening the oven while baking). Slice, and serve with a variety of topping - maple syrup, berries, or simply lemom juice with some powdered sugar are all good choices. I recently tried a version that sprinkled slivered almonds into the batter right before it went into the oven, and topped the finished product with jam. The almonds added an unexpected crunch to the dish that was very yummy. I used an apricot/peach jam, which kind of melted when I spread it on the hot pancake -- really yummy!

Note: this recipe is easy to portion depending on how much you need. 1 egg = ¼ cup each of milk and flour.
Other info: This dish is vegetarian, but not vegan. It can easily be made with all local products (milk, butter, and eggs from a local farm, King Arthur flour, and, of course, VT Maple Syrup).

This dish is adapted from a recipe in Molly Wizenberg, author of A Homemade Life and the Oranegtte blog. My mom and I love to make Dutch Babies, and sometimes I make one for dinner two (or even three) times in one week. It's funny, because even though we now live 2,000 miles apart, we'll often talk in the evening to discover that we both made a Dutch Baby for dinner that night!

Post-Game Highlights

I should probably be doing something much more productive right now, but I decided that a Thanksgiving post-game highlights post was a higher priority. I also have a couple restaurant reviews to throw in here, and some general updates – looks like we’re in for a long one!
Let’s begin with the restaurant reviews. Despite the busy season (and school finals rapidly approaching), Danielle and I have managed to maintain our weekly tradition. A couple weeks ago, we hit Bistro 156 for dinner. The atmosphere was very hip and trendy, the cocktail was fabulous (they infuse some of the liquors themselves), the service was HORRIBLE and the food was mediocre. Shall I elaborate? Danielle ordered a spinach and artichoke dip appetizer, which I helped myself to. It was very good, thick, and had a lot of nice flavor. Also, I don’t know what kind of tortilla chips came with it (homemade? store bought? what brand?) but they were surprisingly good. Really, this was the highlight of the whole experience. I ordered mac and cheese, desperately in need of some comfort food, and I couldn’t help but be let down. By the time dinner made its way out to our table, mine was no longer very hot. It had a lot of oil in it, and not very much cheesy goodness – a let down, to be sure. And then there was the service – some of the worst I have experienced in Burlington. Sure, our waitress was pleasant enough, once she finally figured out that she was supposed to be waiting on us (not the brightest bulb, so to speak). We went through about three different servers until one finally settled on our table. Then, although we only ordered an appetizer and dinner, we sat there for over two hours because it was sooooo sloooooow. Overall, I don’t think I will be visiting this establishment again anytime soon.
Our poor experience at Bistro 156 was more than made up for, however, at A Single Pebble last week. As I have mentioned several times, I am obsessed with the Food Network. I watch waaaaaay to much cooking television, but I just cannot seem to help myself. Anyway, one show I like is Best Thing I Ever Ate. Each episode has a theme (dessert, crunchy, pizza, and so on), and features several different Food Network talents discussing their favorite meal within that category. Most of the time, the restaurants they discuss are in New York City, but every once in a while, something different comes my way. Last week’s episode was titled “with Chopsticks” and featured a lot of different Chinese/Asian style restaurants. For those of you that don’t know, Alton Brown, host of Good Eats, went to the New England Culinary School in Montpelier, Vermont – less than an hour from Burlington. So, on this episode, he discussed a dish from A Single Pebble, and I immediately wanted to go there. I was not disappointed! The décor was kind of kitschy Chinese restaurant, and the service was good although not outstanding, but the food was amazing (and really, isn’t that what it is all about?). Danielle and I ordered four different dishes to share – Peking duck, crab cakes, potstickers, and tangerine chicken. Although everything was great, the Peking duck was above and beyond. It arrived to our table on a platter, consisting of shredded duck, crispy cracklings, chives, cucumber slices, and plum sauce. Four thin pancakes (almost like unsweetened crepes) came of the side. We built little Peking duck tacos and they were to die for! Honestly, this was one of the best dishes I have had in a long time. For dessert, I had coconut tapioca with chunks of fresh mango in it, which was also really good.
I also feel compelled to mention that Peppermint Mocha lattes are once again featured on the Starbucks menu! This is probably my favorite coffee drink in the entire world, and although you can order it year round, it just does not seem right to drink in the warm summer months. I will be frequenting my local Starbucks a lot more than usual for the next month or so.
So, now that all that formality is behind us, on to the main event – Thanksgiving! This is the biggest cooking and eating holiday of the year, and therefore plays an important part of my life for the month of November. Every show of the Food Network has to do with the holiday all month long, all of my magazines feature recipes, and the grocery store is bursting with turkey, stuffing, and all the fixins’. My family down in Texas really knows how to put together a proper Thanksgiving meal (the best, in my opinion), but unfortunately I could not be with them this holiday. I spend the holiday with my extended family in Massachusetts. We all had a nice time together, which is really the whole point of the holiday. I made stuffed dates (dried dates stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling) and brought some famous Vermont-made sage cheese. I really love to cook and wish I could have been more involved in the preparations, but that just geared me up more for Christmas. I will be home for Christmas and my dad and I will put together a meal to remember. Hope y’all had a lovely holiday, got some great Black Friday deals, and are resting this weekend before the season is truly in full swing.

Random thoughts during a busy day

I have to admit, I have been exhausted lately. Life – work and school, mostly – has been so busy that I barely have time to breathe these days, never mind do some extracurricular blogging. But, today I have managed to carve a few minutes out of my hectic day to write a quick note.
I have to admit that my cooking has largely consisted of bowls of oatmeal and microwave baked potatoes lately. However, I have managed to sneak in a few actual meals – the other night, I made a mustard “fried” chicken (read: breaded and baked), roasted fingerling potatoes, and a Brussels sprouts gratin. While everything was pretty good, the sprouts were awesome. I am not always a Brussels sprouts fan – unlike other veggies, such as broccoli, I don’t like the way they steam in the microwave (my usual go-to form of veggies). Take them and add butter and gruyere cheese, on the other hand, and they are freakin’ awesome! Here’s a link to the website I got the recipe from (foodnetwork.com, of course): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/brussels-sprout-gratin-recipe/index.html.
In other news, I signed up from a cooking class series at a local grocer that sounded really promising – five weekly classes all about classic Italian cooking – I was especially excited to learn how to make fresh pasta, something I have never attempted before. Unfortunately, after the first class, I was really disappointed – it was all demonstration, and no hands-on cooking! I could watch the Food Network at home in my pjs, and not have to pay anything extra for it. As I mentioned, I was pretty upset. I was really looking forward to a break from the stress of work and school (it had been a particularly crappy week), as well as learning a new skill. All is not lost, though. After hearing how upset I was, my dad went online and found a class for us to take together when I go home for Christmas. As I discussed in a previous post, cooking and food is one of the passions that my dad and I share, so taking a class together should be really fun. There is a small grocery chain in Texas called Central Market, and let me tell you, it is amazing. If you like cooking, or just simply like eating, then this store is like Disneyworld. In a lot of ways, it is similar to Whole Foods – lots of organic, natural options. The produce department practically takes up half the store, and it beautiful. The meats, the wines, the cheeses, the bakery – all are impressive. You can walk into Central Market hungry, sample your way through the store, and leave fully satisfied. I go in there to find one ingredient that isn’t available at the local Kroger, and walk out with $100 worth of completely random groceries – and love every minute of it. Central Market is not a grocery store, it’s a destination. The reason I mention all this is because Central Market is hosting the class that Dad and I are taking. It’s titled “A Night in Paris,” and features dishes such as duck fat roasted fingerling potatoes (yes, you read that correctly), and vanilla soufflé. Read the full description here: http://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com/centralmarketplano/index.php?flag_menu_index=reservation_php#606. It sounds fantastic, and I am really excited about it – and very touched that my dad made the effort to find this for us to do together (and paid for it)! We are going to start the day with some light shopping (as if there was such a thing) at Northpark, an amazing mall in Dallas, and finish with an evening at Central market. This is basically my version of heaven.
Finally, a quick restaurant review. A couple weeks ago, Danielle and I had dinner at the Daily Planet, a Burlington institution. The décor and atmosphere were very cool – hip and cozy at the same time. That is kind of were my interest in the place ends. I should preface this by saying that that particular day was kind of a nightmare – super busy at work, and to top it off, I got in a minor fender bender on the way to the restaurant. So my mood was not at its brightest, and that may have had some influence on my experience. However, either way, I was not thrilled. I order the soup of the day, which was a potato leek. Although it had some good flavors, and the presentation was very pretty (dots of oil and cream on top of a velvety soup), it was cold by the time it made its way to my place. Then I had the duck prosciutto. I had never seen such a thing on a menu before, so I questioned the waitress. She explained it as basically the same of regular prosciutto, but coming from a duck instead (like I couldn’t deduce that on my own). Then she made a major faux pas – she told me that prosciutto usually comes from a cow! I was unimpressed. Now, don’t get me wrong – the waitress was very nice, so points for that…but uninformed. Danielle ordered a cheese board, which has become something of a tradition with us. That was very good, and the waitress did make a great suggestion on which cheeses to select. The Farmhouse Tap and Grill still reigns supreme for cheeseboards in my book, but mostly because of that amazing apple butter. Danielle also had a chicken Cesar salad that she was happy with, although they forgot the croutons and had to bring her a new plate. Maybe you can see why I wasn’t overly impressed?

Daddio in Vermont

My dad came to visit me in Vermont from Texas last weekend. We had a great time, exploring the area, watching Lord of the Rings, and most importantly, eating. My love of food most likely originated with my father, who I share the passion with. He has always been an eater – and an excellent cook. My dad helped expose me to a variety of cuisines at a young age, including his passion for Cajun and Creole cooking. I can remember watching Emeril on TV (BAM!) with dad, and us discussing the various merits of this dish or that. I was eating jambalaya while most kids were still in the PB and J stage. In fact, I have been able to visit New Orleans with my father on several occasions, and we eat our way across the city – Mr. B’s Bistro, Mulate’s, Irene’s…yum. Besides going out to eat, my dad also helped develop my own skills in the kitchen. He taught me to make the most flavorful mashed potatoes ever (the secret is adding sour cream), smooth gravy, low country boil, crème brulee…it took awhile, but he is finally out the point where he is able to accept my tips as well. The year we stuffed a turkey with lemon wedges, onions, and fresh herbs at my insistence was a huge success, and from that point forward, my comments held a little more weight.
Anyway, I digress. He came to visit for the weekend, and it was a blast. We visited some tried and true favorites of mine, as well as some new places as well. Let me break it down for you:
I met dad for lunch on Friday, and we went to the Apollo Diner in Milton. I go here a lot for breakfast with my co-workers, but they have a great lunch to. I had a hot open-faced turkey sandwhich and a milkshake; dad had an open-faced roast beef and a cup on clam chowder. We both left extremely satisfied. Friday evening we visited the Magic Hat factory and learned about brewing beer, complete with samples. I stuck with #9, but dad really enjoyed the IPAs. From there, we made our way to the Vermont Pub and Brewery. I had a smoked beer, which was delicious – I could really taste the smoke it in, which provided a totally different flavor. I also had a Woodchuck cider, which they have on tap and is always good. Finally, we ended the evening at the Bluebird Tavern (big surprise, right?). It was extra neat, because the executive chef Aaron had just been featured the day before in TastingTable, a daily foodie e-newsletter that I receive. We shared a cheese board, of course, and then I had a beet salad and ricotta gnudi – I just had to have some more of that delicious ricotta. Everything was exactly as good as I expected it to be (in other words, excellent). I finished with an olive oil cake, served with rosemary ice cream and cranberry jam. It was really good, and unique. I liked it because although it was definitely a dessert, it wasn’t too sweet, and the flavors all complimented each other really well. I also had a hot chocolate, which was good, but not as perfect as the traditional hot chocolate at Champlain Chocolates.
Saturday morning we went to the Burlington farmer’s market and found some goodies. Dad got some maple syrup to bring back to Texas. We did some shopping, and then had lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings – chosen so that we could watch the Michigan State football game. We also stopped at the Healthy Living Market for a Misty Knoll chicken (more on that in a sec). While there, I sampled some of the best apple pie I’ve ever had, served with cinnamon ice cream. It was so authentic, you know? Dinner that night was at L’Amante, an Italian restaurant that I had not been to yet. It was very good, and the service was great. We shared a salumi (a selection of Italian meats), which was really good. Their house bread is served with homemade hummus and chicken pate. The hummus was really yummy, but I didn’t really care for the pate – it was a little too rich to start a meal with. Then I had a shrimp and lobster carbonara, made with house-made pasta. That was really good, and nice and peppery.
Sunday morning, dad made me French toast (a specialty of his), and some Vermont Smoke and Cure Bacon. Best. Bacon. Ever. The star of that day was dinner, though. I think I mentioned my passion for Thanksgiving dinner. It should be said that it is pretty much my favorite meal, and throughout the year I like to have what I call “mini-Thanksgiving”: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce. Complete perfection. This time, we used a local Misty Knoll chicken and a foccacia-based stuffing mix from Williams-Sonoma. Both were excellent. I made the cranberry sauce from scratch – no cans here – and used some ginger and orange juice, and that came out really well. Dad made crème brulee for dessert. Enough said.
Finally, Monday morning we went to Magnolia’s downtown for breakfast. This is my favorite breakfast place in Vermont. Their fresh OJ is really good, and the oatmeal pancakes are to die for. We finished the dad’s trip with a pizza from Junior’s. Trust me, you just can’t get good pizza like that in Texas.
The whole trip kind of focused on food, from the meals I described above to the Sunday drive that took us to Stowe for apple cider donuts. No complaints here, though – that’s my favorite kind of trip. Love you, dad!

A little less talk, a little more pictures

This week, I'm going to shut my mouth and let the pics speak for themselves. From above: Rosemary Chicken Skillet, Popovers (so light and airy and eggy and delicious), Autumn Roast, Apple Upside-Down Cake, and Apple Crisp. All huge successes! I am taking advantage of the abundant autumn harvest.