Sass & Veracity

Vegetables Galore!

One of the difficulties that arises when I cook is not being able to find particular ingredients.  Most often, the item is one of a few featured in a recent issue of a food magazine I enjoy, and because the content is seasonal, one would believe that finding those ingredients might be easier.

Unfortunately, it isn't true, and when it comes time for me to cook something new, I have to drive to several stores to find what I'm looking for -- if I can find it at all.  When I am able to locate that one special ingredient, I'm left wondering where it was grown, and by whom, annoyed that most often, it isn't from anywhere near San Diego.  Thankfully, I have a new venue to track down those one of a kind ingredients when it comes to fresh fruit or vegetables:  Specialty Produce.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Specialty Produce and tour their facility in Middletown, an industrial sort of neighborhood relatively close to the airport and downtown.  It's a bustling place where employees are either wheeling unique merchandise through the warehouse, or monitoring phones and computers taking orders from local chefs and other merchants.

Here was finally a place I could get chervil, or purslane, or chanterelles when no one else has them.  And there's a great section with produce from area growers with items I've never seen before -- like Red Frill Mustard and Watermelon Radishes.  It was like being in a candy shop when you're a veggie lover like me -- the only drawback is that one can only purchase so much fresh food and still be able to enjoy it within the next day or so.

The best way to utilize this great San Diego resource if you're an avid home cook like me is to check out what's in stock using their website.  It will tell you not only what's in stock, but what's in peak season and at the height of quality.  Nutritional information is also available which is something I always keep my eye on.

Along with the mustard and radishes I mentioned above, I brought home Black Kale, Yellow Foot Chanterelles, Green Garlic, Oro Blanco Grapefruit, and some cute little Hauer Pippin from Windrose Farm in Paso Robles.

Oh the fun I've had cooking with this food...

Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine

I grew up eating braised meat.  I don't think it mattered what time of year it was, but at some point during each month, and usually on the weekend, my mom would make what she called a roast.  Although we don't have them as frequently, it is something we enjoy.

Essentially, braising involves cooking in liquid -- but there's more to it than just putting a piece of meat in a pot and covering it with water.  Well, if you want it to taste satisfying, that is.  There are some basic steps to take when braising:  1)  Choose the right cut of meat; 2)  Brown seasoned meat on all sides in a bit of fat; 3) Brown the aromatics;  and 4) Add the liquid and cook low and slow. 

At the expense of sounding like Alton Brown without the scowl, all four of the steps I mentioned are very important, and if one of them is left out, then you'll end up with a grey chunk o' meat -- not very appetizing. 

The nice thing about braising is that the best cuts of meat to use are those which are tough --    which translates to less expensive.  Easy on the wallet.  Cheap.  They're all the parts of the animal that get the most exercise.  Chuck was my mother's cut of choice, but a rump or brisket are also great.  Short ribs are another perfect choice for braising.  They're squarish cuts of beef that include a portion of bone (ribs, right?) and usually come three to four in a pack depending on their size.

When I think of short ribs, I think of gravy and wide, flat noodles.  Completely delicious!

Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon and Pomegranate

Does anyone remember eating warm spinach and bacon salad?  I think the first time I tried it was at my aunt's house when I was in junior high.  There was something fascinating about the sweet and tangy taste of it...and the bacon?  Right.

I'd love to take credit for this recipe which is a lovely, more elegant version, but I can't.  It's one of Susan Branch's recipes from her Christmas from the Heart of the Home book.  If you aren't familiar with her, you're really missing something wonderful.  I love browsing through her site and leafing through her books which are so much more than just cookbooks.  They're like a trip to a special place where life is slow and pleasant, and creativity abounds.  Such an amazing woman! 

I like to make this salad at this time of year, because of the pomegranates, of course.  And recently, I learned a new way to peel them, which makes me very happy considering I won't have to tolerate a red stain on my cutting board for a week or more.

Green Beans and Chantrelles with Fried Onions

Green beans go way back in my family.  And when I think of them, it's usually not the crispy sauteed with garlic and a few shallots way I routinely fix them now, but something that's a meal in itself:  A big pot of fresh green beans with quartered, unpeeled potatoes, and lots of onions, sauteed in bacon fat, and then stewed slowly until the mixture is somewhere between a soup and a stew. We ate it for dinner, and I can imagine that it most likely was light on my mom's wallet.  It wasn't a favorite, but I wasn't allowed to mention that part because it was food.

I have found a happy medium for dinner now, occasionally.  Especially during the holidays when someone expects "Green Bean Casserole."  You know the casserole I'm talking about, right?  The one developed by the Campbell Soup company in the 1950's  and made with Durkee's fried onions?  Yes, that recipe.

Because my family never ate green beans in a casserole, and we'd never have had our version of beans at a special dinner, I'd never tried green bean casserole until I was well into my adult years.  And when it was my turn to make it for a holiday meal, I did what I normally do -- alter the recipe. 

It had to be better if it was made with fresh green beans that still had a hint of crunch to them, didn't it?  And the creaminess had to be able to come from something other than a soup can.  Don't get me wrong.  If you've spent any amount of time reading here, then you know that I was raised eating very simple, wholesome food.  So, I played around with a fresh mushroom saute with caramelized onions, rehydrated mushrooms and used the broth, made a white sauce, added some garlic, but never quite got the flavors to blend well.  It always tasted like greenbeans with sauce on them.

A year ago, I saw a recipe in Saveur that I had to try.  The only problem with it was that I'd have to make crispy fried onions and couldn't imagine doing that on a busy holiday cooking day.  Who comes up with these ideas?  Clearly, someone who doesn't have responsibility for an entire meal.  The only problem is, even though I prepped everything the way the recipe read, I sort of forgot to think about the whole onion frying thing.  Oops.

Since then I've tried the recipe quite a few ways -- fried onions and no fried onions, and have found the flavors so nice, that a few shallots works just fine when you're too busy to mess with deep frying.

This year, since we're seriously out of commission due to construction, I'm in charge of green beans for Thanksgiving dinner -- and a bunch of other non-turkey items.  I'm going to fry the onions at home first, and store them in an airtight container to assemble the dish after the drive to my sister-in-law's house right before baking time.  I'll have to let you know how it goes since I am anything but the Queen of the Deep Fry.

Have green been casserole, will travel. 

Chicken and Morels in Madiera Sauce

There's an asset to having two sons who work for Whole Foods.  When something arrives in the produce section that's unusual, or that other markets here would never stock, I get a phone call.  The last time, the call was to let me know that morels were in.

Sure, I knew that morel season had pretty much drawn to a close so who knows what I'd find, but I didn't care.  It had been years since I'd made anything with morels, and at that time, they'd been dried -- also hard to come by around here.  And although the dried morels were tasty, they left me wondering what fresh morels might taste like. 

I love mushrooms and outside of dessert, there aren't too many ways I haven't tried them.  Whenever I see a type of mushroom I've not heard of, or haven't seen in the store before, I will try them.  It never fails that when I get to the check-out, the clerk comments on how expensive they are.  I disagree.

Mushrooms don't weigh very much, so even if they're anywhere from $20 to nearly $50 a pound, a quarter of a pound goes a very long way in a lovely sauce.

When I got to Whole Foods, clearly others had been in the same frame of mind as myself, because there weren't many morels left.  And since I've never seen a fresh morel other than from photos, I wasn't sure about which ones to put in my bag.  Some seemed too dry, and others, too damp.  And the color varied from very dark, to very light with sizes all over the place. 

I was only comfortably able to scrape up about 4 ounces and wanted at least a half pound so also purchased some crimini mushrooms to fill in.  I know, but at least I would finally get to try a fresh morel.

Chicken and Morels in Madiera Sauce

6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
1 T butter
2 T olive oil
4 oz. fresh morels
4 oz. crimini mushrooms
3 T all-purpose flour
1 lg. shallot, chopped, about 1/4 c.
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 c. madiera
3/4 c. hot chicken broth
2 T heavy cream
2 T chopped chives
2 T chopped chervil

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil and butter over medium heat.  Salt and pepper the chicken thighs, then skin side down, fry the chicken thighs until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Remove to a platter.

While the chicken is browning, slice the mushrooms in half or quarters, depending on their size.  Pour flour into a plastic bag, then mushrooms, shaking lightly to coat.  Season lightly with salt and pepper, remove from bag and discard excess flour.

Pour floured mushrooms into the pan chicken was browned in, and saute, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the shallots, and garlic, and saute, one minute.  Add the madiera, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan, stirring, about one minute.

Return chicken to the pan with the mushroom mixture and pour in the chicken broth.  Sprinkle on the herbs, cover, and let simmer until the chicken is done, about 25 minutes.

Remove chicken to a serving platter, then scatter mushrooms over the top, reserving the sauce in the pan.  Raise heat, and continue to cook sauce until it thickens slightly.  Add the heavy cream, check seasonings, and pour over the chicken and mushrooms.

Notes:

• I was glad I added the crimini mushrooms to this mix because it was interesting to think about the difference in flavor between those and the morels.  The morels had flavor.  The criminis didn't.  The morels had an almost nutty taste to them, but not one that was sharp, or too strong.  No sweetness, not too much earthiness as some mushrooms can have.  The texture was firm, and though "crunchy" isn't quite right, I could tell when I bit into one.
• I'd read that morels could be quite gritty, and so to think about cleaning them, knew that water wouldn't be the best choice, even though one source said to briefly spray with with cold water.  I decided that a quick dunk in a sieve would be okay, and then shook them to dislodge any sediment.  There was quite a bit in the bottom of the sieve.
• This is a very quick and easy meal with lots of room for alteration.  Skinless and boneless breasts would be great, and significantly reduce the cooking time.  A mixture of mushrooms that have flavor would be fine if you can't get morels.  I'm wondering about chantrelles since I rarely see them in the store, either.  They're my favorite.  But if it's a less expensive mushroom you're looking for, then give oyster mushrooms a chance.  They're pretty strange looking, very irregularly shaped, nearly white in color, and without the caps people usually identify mushrooms with.  A mix, including some dry ones that have been re-hydrated would be very good.  You could use the soaking liquid instead of the chicken broth if you remember to filter out any sediment first.
• Chervil isn't an herb I see around here often, so when I see it, I buy it.  It looks like delicate parsley, but has a much more mild, almost sweet taste, than parsley which to me is almost bitter.  Thyme would be lovely in this dish.
• If you've never tried madiera before, this is the dish to try it in.  It's not expensive, and it's a perfect thing to keep in your pantry.  It's perfect with sauteed mushrooms and just about anything.  A dab of cream, or creme fraiche, or even yogurt can really make something plain quite luxurious.

  And here's what I've learned about morels...

• Lots of organizations around the world support and enjoy morel "hunts"
• Morels are often found and collected right as snow begins to recede, especially in areas after fires.  California has lots and lots of fires...
• Sustained commercial growing efforts haven't been successful.
• Morels can also be found growing beneath rotting trees, and in orchards.
• Other mushrooms can be mistaken for morels, so it's important to know your mushrooms if you're the one doing the hunting, or hunt with experts.
• Morels should never be eaten raw.
• There are on-line sources for both dried and frozen morels, but I haven't tried any of them...yet...

Chicken and Mushrooms with Mustardy Cream Sauce

I'm sitting with my first cup of coffee noticing that after yesterday's heavy grey gloom, the sun is actually brightening up my kitchen this morning, the patterns of light and shadows I love to watch definitely posing a distraction.  Today would not be the best day for that.  I promised myself I'd sit down, slam out this post lovingly wax over all things food,  and then get on with the last part of the birthday cake I started last night for my middle son who is older than I'd like to say this early in the morning before I've put my eyebrows on.  Happy Birthday, Ryan! 

He's coming over for dinner tonight, and when I asked him what kind of cake he wanted, he said, "Chocolate with chocolate.  You know, chocolate."  Yes, I know.  Trust me.  He's wanted chocolate cake for his birthday for as long as I can remember, and in all these years, he's probably not had the same chocolate cake twice.  Not once has he complained or said, "Mom.  Can't you just make the cake you made last year?"  He'd never do that.  Neither would his brothers.

I've been lucky like that. 

Not only have I been able to try whatever I've wanted, my boys have developed a open mind about food.  Well, open most of the time.  My middle son still jokes about his older brother's questions about dinner.  His plate would be set in front of him and he'd ask,  "Does it have mushrooms?  Are there bones in it?"  It got to the point where, even when pasta was on the plate, he'd still as those questions.

The answer to those questions today is, "Yes, it has mushrooms.  Lots of them.  And no, it doesn't have bones."

I'm on a quest to remake many of the recipes that are buried in my early archives.  It's not because they aren't good recipes, it's more because the photos are just horrible.  The only problem is, each time I begin to redo one, I change things, so can't exactly redo the photos, right?  The nice surprise is, sometimes, an already great recipe is even better.

Jamie Oliver's "My Old Man's Superb Chicken" is one of those recipes.  The tender chicken wrapped around sauteed mushrooms and herbs, all wrapped in pastry, and enhanced by a creamy mustard sauce is heavenly.  But I didn't feel like messing around with pounding the chicken when it came right down to it, nor was I in the mood to wrap the puff pastry around the stuffed chicken this time.  I went for a deconstructed version, almost deciding to bake the pastry squares and place the chicken on them, but have been avoiding bread at dinner if there is another starch on the plate (my husband is on a diet...).  But who's keeping track that there's heavy cream in that sauce, hmmmm?  I used half-n-half instead and it was perfect.

Add some roasted potatoes, and peas and dinner is served, plates are licked, smiles all 'round.  Mushrooms, no bones, and many, many lovely memories. 

Oh, and if you know anyone who's interested in a  young man who likes to talk, let me know.  He's available. 

I'm just sayin'.

So Much for Cooking in Rome

We arrived back home from Italy after our nearly two-week vacation completely exhausted.  I've never been able to figure out how to relax when we travel because we pack too much into each day.  Even though we know we can't possibly see everything, somehow, we end up acting like we can. 

When we left, I had every intention of focusing on food while we were away.  Like that's challenging when you're a foodie, right?  And I did look forward to each and every meal even though on most days, lunch occurred at about 4PM and we were beyond starving by that time.  But after taking photos all day each day, the last thing I felt like doing was taking photos of my food.  Besides, I would have been embarrassed in some of the restaurants we enjoyed.

As promised, I did actually use a stove twice while we were in Rome.  The Campo di Fiori is a square not too far from where our rented apartment was.  Each morning, vendors arrived with fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta, bread, housewares, and an array of pasta spices mixed and ready for purchase.  It sounds simple to consider that each day, we would wake up, stroll to the market, make our purchases for the evening meal, then go about our day.  Right?

Well, that worked the first afternoon we were there, but only because we had to look for a phone to settle the not so small matter of having no linens in our apartment when we arrived.  Once that was resolved, we took the time to behave the way we thought locals might behave, strolling through the stalls to purchase some beautiful San Marzano tomatoes, arugula, and pasta spices with porcinis from the market just as they were closing for the day.  On the far corner of the square, we found a salumeria and purchased pasta, roasted artichoke hearts, fresh mozarella, goat's cheese, bread, espresso, and some wine.  Thankfully, the apartment had olive oil and balsamic vinegar so a quick salad of arugula, fresh mozarella and vinaigrette would work well with the pasta.

Although it was fun, the flavor of the pasta was lacking.  Somehow I'd forgotten the garlic and as much as I kept adding salt, my husband noticed that I'd grabbed the "diet" salt someone had left in the apartment.  Diet salt?  No wonder.  The boys weren't too thrilled with the arugula, even though we have it at home regularly.  Somehow, they must have noticed I didn't pull it from a plastic bag!  Since we had leftovers, I later added the arugula to the pasta, and purchased a nice jar of marinara sauce to mix in along with the left over mozarella.  No one complained this time, and we could all then look forward to restaurant food from that point forward.  So much for roughing it, yes? 

Of the three cities we visited -- Rome, Sorrento, and Florence -- we enjoyed Sorrento the most.  It was both beautiful and relaxing and we were able to take time for a swim in the Mediterranean. The weather was hot, but the breeze off the water kept it from becoming as stifling as Rome was.  From a food and wine perspective, we only had one meal that wasn't very good, but that was our fault for choosing a restaurant in a touristy spot in Florence.

The last night there, we ended our vacation as we began by choosing salami and asagio, olives, grapes, apples and pears, bread and wine to enjoy at the gazebo at Fattoria Settemerli, the ancient farmhouse we stayed in outside Florence.  It was a perfect way to end our time there.

If you're interested in the nitty gritty of our trip, I'm writing about it here, the home of my alter ego. 

Garlic Beef & Shiitakes with Baby Bok Choy

There's an Asian market very near to where I take my son for guitar lessons each Thursday afternoon.  It's a dangerous place for me because every aisle contains ingredients for dishes I've often wanted to make, but was too lazy to find out where I might drive to purchase them before now.  Who would think that a market called Ranch 99 sold Asian food?  Certainly not me. 

Do I really need yet another excuse to buy food? I already shop at too many grocery stores as it is.  I do have a regular market that I won't ever give up because I know where everything is in the entire store.   And then there's Trader Joe's.  They have an eclectic assortment of yummy things at rock bottom prices -- especially in the deli and dairy.  But most of the time, they won't have something I can't live without, and that forces me to cross the street to pick up the rest of my list at Henry's.  Henry's is a Wild Oats store.  You know, bins full of flour and trail mix, or rolled oats.  On special occasions, I go to Whole Foods just because I love the produce and fresh seafood, meat, and deli counters. 

Now, I've found the Asian market.  *sigh*

If it wasn't bad enough the first time I oogled my way through the store, the second time, I grabbed noodles and hot sauce and baby bok choy that was only 69 cents a pound.  There's no way I could pass that up, even if I already had baby bok choy at home in the fridge.  You just never know when baby bok choy might come in handy.

But what happened always happens.  By the time I unpacked it all, I realized there was no way I could actually cook what I'd purchased. It makes me remember the days I actually used to be organized about all of this. There's only so much food that three of us can eat.

A few days passed.  Maybe more than a few.  Regardless, so many passed that I noticed the bok choy sprouting blooms.  No water -- just plenty of light from the window, and a snug wrap in the plastic it was packaged in.  Then the blooms actually grew some more.

Clearly, I had to do something with this lovely vegetable that was trying so hard to get my attention.

Garlic Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms was the answer.

1 lb. sirloin sliced very thin
1-1/2 tsp. corn oil
1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, and sliced
4 cloves chopped garlic
1-1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
3/4 lb. snow peas
3 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
2 T. rice wine
3/4 lb. taiwanese noodles, pan fried

Beef Marinade

3-1/2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
2 T minced chopped garlic
1 T cornstarch

Oyster Sauce

1-1/2 c. beef broth
6 T oyster sauce
1-1/2 T rice wine
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1-1/2 T cornstarch

 

Cut the sirloin into slices as thin as you can get them.  For very best results, ask the meat cutter to do it for you.  If this isn't possible, make sure the meat is slightly frozen.  Combine beef with marinade in a plastic bag and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Mix all ingredients for the oyster sauce together and set aside.

Prepare noodles according to the package directions.  Usually, the noodles are soft and need to be cooked for about 3 minutes in boiling water, then drained before adding to a skillet with oil to be fried.  To fry the noodles, spread them across the bottom of the pan and let sizzle until you can tell they've begun to hold together.  Using a wide spatula (or two) flip the noodles to the other side to brown as well.  Keep warm until serving.

Heat a large skillet (or wok) over high heat.  Add the oil and heat until very hot.  Add the beef slices and stir-fry until no longer pink.  If your beef is very thin, this will happen quickly.  Pour beef into a bowl and set aside. 

Add more oil to the skillet if necessary, and when hot, add shiitakes, garlic, and ginger, stir-frying until heated -- about a minute.  Then add the bok choy, stir-frying until heated, the white parts begin to lightly brown, and the greens to wilt.  Add the snow peas and rice wine and stir-fry for less than 2 minutes.

Add the oyster sauce and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.

Add the beef to the vegetables and mix lightly.

Cut the noodles into quarters, and spoon the beef over to serve.

Notes:  This was surprisingly good.  Although we expected to enjoy it, we didn't think we'd enjoy it as much as we did.  I found the original recipe in a Google search about an hour before starting the prep.  I'd been scanning my magazines and cookbooks for something we had all the ingredients for, and couldn't find anything.  Three ingredient Google searches always work.  It's amazing.  And, I was able to use much of what I purchased, except for the bok choy, which was on the menu a few more times that week.

I purchased the beef already cut (1/16"), artfully arranged, packaged, and frozen at the Asian market.  I saw it and had to buy it because I knew I'd find some creative way to use it.  The first dish I used it in (which won't be posted because I have no photos...), I  briefly marinated it and then wrapped it around a few pieces of thin asparagus before putting it under the broiler.  No recipe -- just fun on a Friday evening.

The rice wine is something I can purchase at my regular market:  Kikkoman's "manjo" Aji-Mirin or sweet cooking rice wine works fine.  I probably need to see what the Asian market has to offer in the way of rice wine, but I barely have room in my cupboard as it is, so I used what I had. The original recipe, which can be found here, says that sake can be used instead of rice wine.  Sake seems to be the only ingredient I didn't purchase at the Asian market! 

I used a large skillet because I no longer own a wok.  It took up too much room in my cupboard, and my skillet works just fine.  It's all about making sure the heat is high enough to cook the food without burning it, but keeping it as crisp and fresh as possible.  My husband loves to do the skillet thing, so he was on this task.  Of course, I wasn't quite sure my skillet would every be the same again!

Valentine Dinner Possibility: Roasted Chicken with Bacon & Mushroom Sauce

As Valentine's Day approaches, I am more inclined to think of a special dinner to make instead of which restaurant I'd like to visit.  I know.  Huge surprise.  It isn't that I don't enjoy eating out -- we love to and have done so for years, choosing different restaurants each time just to see how many we can sample.

But it's such a luxury to prepare a special meal for only two -- something I rarely get to do.  The last time I went all out for Valentine's Day, we still lived in our old house.  It was a beautiful California Ranch built in 1948 that only one other family had lived in before we arrived.  It was constructed with gorgeous pegged oak flooring that had aged to a deep caramel color and was soft to the touch.  I used to hand wax it, believe it or not!  In the livingroom, there were enormous hand hewn beams that supported the roof and ceiling, constructed of tongue and groove hand milled cedar.  The bricks that lined the large hearth were from antique foundries and varied in color and shape.  When there was a fire crackling in it, the room warmed to a golden color, and I could think of no place I'd rather be.  Sigh. 

So I set up a table for two in front of the fireplace and made lobster and fennel napoleons, and individual beef wellingtons and we enjoyed our dinner with a very dry bottle of cabernet and candle light.  It was completely lovely.

But that was then.  As I said, it isn't often that I get to take the time to pull something like that off.  Usually, I'm feeding more like ten or fifteen.  Not exactly romantic, right?  It is fun though, and I'd truly enjoy it.

So where am I going with this?  Sharing.  That's all.  Just passing on a suggestion for a great main course for Valentine's Day.  I've tried this recipe twice just this past January-- amazing in and of itself -- and both times, it has turned out excellently to the ummmmms and whoooooaaaaaas of those lucky enough to sample it.

The recipe is one that comes from a source I've mentioned a few times in the last month -- Saveur.  It's not a challenging recipe at all, which is what makes it that much more amazing.  The first time I made it, a crowd was coming.  We were going to celebrate as an extended family after we returned from VA this past Christmas, so I wanted to prepare something delicious, but without all the fanfare of a traditional holiday meal.  "Poussins en Cocotte 'Bonne Femme'" or "Poussins with Bacon and Mushroom Sauce" seemed perfect for the occasion.

Since I absolutely knew I wouldn't be able to get poussins at any of my regular markets on that day and didn't feel like searching elsewhere, I decided to use organic roasting chickens that I purchased at Trader Joe's instead-- three four to five pounders.  Using the basic directions for roasting chicken (convection roast at 325 degrees F 18-20 min. per pound -- internal temp. 180 degrees F in thigh), I kept to the directions for the original recipe as closely as possible -- even the searing.  And you haven't seen anything until you've tried to sear three fat chickens in a roasting pan over four stove burners.  Suffice it to say that a sturdy wooden spoon shoved into each orifice of each bird gets the job done fairly well even if it was still a bit awkward!

 
The photographs are awful because I had left my Canon in VA and was waiting for my sister to ship it.  So much for my old HP digital!  The difference in picture quality between the two cameras is amazing, isn't it?

The chickens turned out deliciously --  the meat was extremely tender and moist, and the sauce created in the pan was beyond amazing.  Truly excellent.  So good I knew I had to make the recipe in its original form -- with the required poussins which I found at Whole Foods while cruising the meat counter one afternoon.

Here is the original recipe from the April 2006 issue of Sauveur, number 92.

Poussins with Bacon and Mushroom Sauce

3 T butter
1/2 lb. thick bacon, cut into 1/2 in strips
2 1-lb. poussins
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1/2 c. mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. beef stock
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Melt 1 T butter in a pot large enough for all three poussins that will work on the stove top as well as the oven and that has a tight fitting lid.  Add bacon pieces and cook until dark brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.  Remove bacon with slotted spoon, transfer to small bowl, and set aside.
2. Pat poussins dry and place in the pot.  Sear poussins, turning them as often as necessary, until they are deep olden brown on all sides, about 15 minutes.  Using tongs, carefully transfer poussins to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium and melt remainng butter in the pot.  ADd shallots and cook until just softened, 2-3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook until just softened, about 1 minute.  Add bacon, winde, stock, and salt and pepper to taste.  Return poussins, breast side up, to the pot.  Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook for 30 minutes.  Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees F, uncover pot, and continue to cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 50 minutes.
4. Remove pot from the oven.  Adjust seasonings in the sauce and serve poussins with the sauce and mushrooms spooned over each.

Notes:

My photos show that I cooked for three because I made this for a dinner that included my son.  Outside of deciding to transfer the birds to a porcelain baker and using foil to cover during the roasting, I did not adjust the original recipe except to add one additional poussin.  The are such very small birds it seemed that it would not be necessary to adjust the recipe.  What I learned is that they are very lean birds, so there was no where near the amount of sauce in this preparation as with the larger roasting chickens.  Understandable, of course, but the flavor was different as well.  I'm not sure if it's because the first time you taste something really incredible, it can never be the same, or, that the recipe was more enjoyable with the roasting chickens.  Goodness knows it was certainly less expensive.  Three large roasters fed about ten people for $24.  Three tiny poussins that were picked clean cost the same $24!

Anyway I look at this, the recipe is excellent, leaves room for some experimentation (garlic, some herbs, less fat, a bit of dijon...you name it!) and is very, very easy to put together to impress.

To complete our meal, I cut some fingerlings in half, heated some shallots and minced garlic in extra virgin olive oil, and set the fingerlings cut side down in the pan to brown over med-low heat with a lid over the pan until tender on the inside and crispy golden brown on the cut side -- about 15-20 minutes.  I also steamed some very thin asparagus, stalks cut in half, and seasoned with some fleur de sal and a sprinkle of olive oil.

Beautiful meal in very little time.  Okay, so the golden glow has to go, but that would be the photographer's fault.  Sheesh!  I'll get it right one of these days.

How do you like your Potato Bread?

All month long, I had a sense of peace just knowing I'd be making the bread that Tanna of My Kitchen In Half Cups tasked The Daring Bakers with for the month of November.  Mmmm...just the idea of being able to make something with no sugar or pounds of butter was quite the relief.  Don't get me wrong.  I do love baking sweet things, but it seems that it's all catching up with my posterior.

Who am I kidding?  I has caught up and doesn't look like it's going anywhere.

Regardless, I looked forward to the challenge, and smiled when reading Tanna's speech on "unleashing my power as a Daring Baker."  No problem.  Actually, my problem is controlling my obsessive compulsive disorder enthusiasm for trying new things as a cook.  I have a tendency to make something and then move on.  It sounds fun, but I never really dig in to see what makes a recipe really great.  You know -- make it ten times in a row so that you're intimately acquainted with the gluten.

With respect to this, our newest challenge of "Tender Potato Bread" from Home Baking:  The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition Around the World by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, I'd not made potato bread before, but have made foccacia a few times and fougasse as well.  Does pizza count?  Potato sounded lovely.  I did have a bit of hesitation when I read Tanna's comments regarding the amount of potato, or should I say range of quantity of potato that could go in this dough.

I was going to be attending a dinner party in celebration of a friend's soon-to-be-born baby, and I was in charge of the bread and the dessert.  How convenient that I could subject all my unsuspecting friends make  Tender Potato Bread.  I  figured I'd have plenty of time based on what I'd read in the directions provided.  The only complication would be dealing with the dessert as well, so I made sure I planned right down to my unplanned trip to my local kitchen store to indulge myself with a handy dandy food mill that fits right on several of my pots.  I just love these challenges because it's such a great excuse to buy a new kitchen gadget. 

Since we had umpteen gazillion choices about what we could do with this bread while our raging inner baker type selves were being unchained or something, I decided to go with a large loaf and a foccacia.  I'd serve the foccacia as an appetizer to help absorb the wine we all enjoy.  The hostess would be providing a lovely cheese platter, so I knew the foccacia would be a grand addition.  And just in case my dear friends hadn't had enough of my bread, I decided to serve the large loaf with dinner just to make sure dash any hope of anyone avoiding carbs on that evening.  What a way to go!

The recipe for "Tender Potato Bread" can be found here.

The Process: whereby Kelly becomes one with her dough.
I boiled my russet potatoes with the skins on, then peeled them off after they cooled.  I know I should remember where I read that it was better to boil potatoes like this, but I can't.  And it seemed natural anyway, because we usually eat our potatoes with the skins on.  I have trouble throwing away all those yummy vitamins and fiber.  (Actually, I'm lazy and less than love peeling potatoes.)  But still.

I used the food mil to "mash" the potatoes, and was rewarded with lovely, fluffy potatoes -- enough to measure out two cups for my dough, and freeze the rest for some other time.  Yes, my raging inner unleashed and wild baker type self was going whole hog with 16 oz. of potatoes in her dough.  (This is the part where you're supposed to picture a bared chest and fists thumping while perched on some mountaintop.)  Okay, so maybe not my chest.  Well, bared, anyway.

I always hesitate when I get to the yeast part of any recipe and wonder why it always has to be different.  Like microwaves and dvd players.  The directions stated, "Mix & stir yeast into cooled water and mashed potatoes & water and let stand 5 minutes."  The "cooled water" had me wondering about whether the yeast would actually bloom and do what yeast is supposed to do.  But I forged ahead and followed the directions.  Yes, I did stick my hand in the potatoey, yeasty water and swirl, basking in the knowledge that I was wallowing in artesian bread hood.  Or something.

All systems were go until I got to the part where I was supposed to "turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes."  Ah....let me say that the dough poured onto the counter.  Like oatmeal from the pan.  Poured.  And no amount of flour could possibly be "generous" enough to allow me to knead it.  BUT!  I resisted the urge to just pour an entire bag of flour on the blob.  I stuck my hands in the dough and tried to act like I was going to knead it.  I tried.  I really did.  But what I spent most of my time doing was trying to get the dough off my hands and fingers.

If my huzbink hadn't been there, adding flour in 1/4 c. quantities, I would have had gooey dough all over everything in my kitchen.  It seemed to take forever to get the dough to a semi manageable state.  I think it began to happen at about the 7 to 7-1/2 total cups of flour added point.  Although the dough was still extremely soft, it was oh-so-easy on my pathetically weak hands and wrists (severe tendonitis) and I was able to work with it with no problem outside of the stickiness.

Once it came together, the dough was remarkably smooth and soft.  Quite nice, actually.  Well, as long as I didn't get too excited and throw it around.  No counter slapping or pizza slinging with this dough.

The Design: whereby Kelly finds out that mushrooms have a mind of their own.
The dough took the entire two hours to rise, but that time allowed me to frost the cake I was taking for dessert. After the first rise was finished, I used sauteed oyster mushrooms, garlic and thyme to "stuff" the large potato loaf.  This sounded like such a tasty idea until I tried to roll the dough over the mushrooms like one might roll cinnamon buns. It didn't want to cooperate.  And getting it into the loaf pan was nothing short of miraculous.  At one point, I truly thought the dough would be on the floor and the dog scarfing up the mushrooms.  But since I was a veritable Sheerah of the Kitchen, nothing was going to stop me at this point.  The dough did end up in the pan.  But I wasn't exactly sure where those mushrooms ended up.  And after the second rise, the dough did try to escape the pan, but I wasn't quite sure what to do other than bake it and let it fend for itself.

My second creation was a foccacia that had four sections -- each with its own toppings.  The base of my toppings consisted of a herb blend of fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, minced garlic and salt.  To that I added sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and parmesan.  The dough was a bit resistant in letting me twist ropes to create the "x" on the top, but I finally got it attached.

The Baking: whereby Kelly gets a bit overzealous about toppings and stuffings.
The foccacia baked at 450 degrees F for 11 minutes so that it was nicely beginning to brown.  I baked it on a piece of parchment sprinkled with flour and placed on a jelly roll pan that had been placed in the oven while it was preheating.  All went well.  Um...except that the tomatoes got a tad burnt.  Sometimes those convections fans get a little excited and I forget to rotate whatever I'm baking just to make sure the brown is evenly distributed.  They kind of match the olives, don't you think?  Rethinking the tomatoes, I could have sprinkled them on at about the 5 minute mark.  Or, waited until it was finished baking.

The large loaf stuffed with mushrooms cooked in a 375 degree F oven.  I turned the heat down to 355 degrees F with 19 minutes left of the 50 minutes, and then took the loaf out to cool with 8 minutes remaining.  It was done.  The bottom tapped hollowly, and the edges proved firm when pinched (unlike my thighs and other unmentionables.)

The Eating: whereby Kelly and friends enjoy potatoey bread for its amazing absorbent qualities.
This bread was exceptionally lovely to eat.  The texture was perfect -- chewy without being tough.  It cut beautifully, toasted nicely, and was scarfed down by all who crossed its path.  Mmmm...Totally yummy!  I could have added more toppings on the foccacia.  The herbs were lovely, though.  The mushrooms worked very well with the flavor of the bread, and actually toasted quite nicely the next day for lunch.  I do wish I'd made a plain loaf, though, so will be making this again in spite of the sticky dough.

Now, to figure out how to get those mushrooms nicely rolled in a swirl....And while I'm doing that, don't forget to check out the other Daring Bakers to see what they've done with their Potato Bread.

Savory Toasted Potato Mushroom Bread...Mmmmm...