Duck Breast, Roasted Potatos and Butter Lettuce Salad

Another lovely video.  Enjoy.  :)  (Just try and ignore all the Anolon Cookware product placement...

You Get What you Pay For and Everything Turns Out Ok In The End.

In our house we eat most of our meals at home. I love to cook so this is not an issue for me, and I can cook most restaurant foods better myself so it seems like a waste of money to go out for pancakes, pasta, steaks and hamburgers. We generally reserve our nights out for special highend restaurants and hard to prepare exotic foods. However, since my daughter was born, nights out to fancy restaurants have become few and far between. So, I've been attempting to up my game, investing in more exotic spices and equipment and making some of this special food at home and of course increasing my knowledge to pass on to my students.

I was looking for a tagine for Moroccan food. I saw one at a import store for $19.99 (thought in the back of my mind might be too cheap) but was in a hurry and didn't want to wait for something to be shipped to me  so I quickly purchased. I found an easy recipe from the Cooking Channel website by Jamie Oliver. I had all the ingredients (mostly) so here we go.

Beef Tagine

TOTAL TIME:5 hr 35 minPrep:25 minInactive Prep:2 hr 0 minCook:3 hr 10 minYIELD:4 to 6LEVEL:Intermediate


Ingredients
For the spice rub
1 level tablespoon ras el hanout spice mix*
1 level tablespoon ground cumin
1 level tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 level tablespoon ground ginger
1 level tablespoon sweet paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/3 pounds/600 g stewing beef
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
A small bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro), leaves picked and stalks reserved
1 (14-ounce/400 g) tin (can) chickpeas, drained
1 (14-ounce/400 g) tin (can) chopped tomatoes
3 1/2 cups/800 ml vegetable stock, preferably organic
1 small squash (approximately 1 3/4 pounds/800 g), deseeded and cut into
2-inch/5 cm chunks
3 1/2 ounces/100 g prunes, stoned and roughly torn
2 tablespoons flaked almonds, toasted
Serving suggestion: Lightly seasoned couscous


Directions
To make the spice rub:
Mix the ras el hanout, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl.


Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with plastic wrap or clingfilm and put into the refrigerator for a couple of hours-ideally overnight. That way the spices really penetrate and flavour the meat.


When you're ready to cook, heat a generous lug of olive oil in a tagine or casserole-type pan and fry the meat over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion and coriander (cilantro) stalks and fry for another 5 minutes. Tip in the chickpeas and tomatoes, then pour in 1 3/4 cups/400 ml stock and stir. Bring to the boil, then put the lid on the pan or cover with foil and reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours.


At this point add your squash, the prunes and the rest of the stock. Give everything a gentle stir, then pop the lid back on the pan and continue cooking for another 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on it and add a splash of water if it looks too dry.


Once the time is up, take the lid off and check the consistency. If it seems a bit too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more with the lid off. The beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season with a pinch or 2 of salt. Scatter the coriander (cilantro) leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds, then take it straight to the table with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous and dive in.
Notes
Cook's Note: Ras el hanout (Arabic for 'top of the shop') is a blend of the best spices a vendor has in his shop. The mixture varies depending on who is selling it, but can be a combination of anywhere from 10 to 100 spices. It usually includes nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, aniseed, turmeric, cayenne, peppercorns, dried galangal, ginger, cloves, cardamom, chile, allspice, and orris root.



So last night I put my new tagine on the stove top as directed to start cooking the beef and this is what happens within minutes. Cracking and buckling...

I'm very annoyed but glad I hadn't spent too much money. I knew that I could probably make this in my dutch oven as well and so that's what I did. Even though the instructions with the tagine said it was stove and oven safe. This is definitely a decorative serving dish only.

After an hour in my dutch on the stove, I popped it in the oven to roast for the last 1 1/2 hrs until most of the liquid was gone.

Now I didn't have any Ras el hanout (which I will fix at my next visit to the spice shop) but I noticed that the ingredients were similar to a curry blend so I went with a couple of teaspoons of my my good homemade curry powder.

I wanted the couscous to be scented so I added some fresh lemon zest, a couple of very thin lemon slices and a dash of cinnamon. This Moroccan couscous I used was really nutty and fluffy. It's very fine grain so it cooks up in seconds really. So, with a couple of adjustments this recipe came out quite nice for a first effort. Spicy, perfumey and a little sweet from the prunes. The meat fell apart just right even though I really only cooked it for 2 1/2 hrs. My husband had two helpings.  That is a good enough review for me.

Cooking Meringues

Laura Calder, from The Cooking Channel. Love this show and her little videos. In my opinion she comes off a little bit full of herself, but always brings something new and interesting to the table.

Just Eat Organic Stonyfield "Rap" Video

They did a really good job of laying out the facts and the tune is pretty catchy as well.  Way to put yourself out there Gary.  Gotta love those Stonyfield Moms, too.  

Just Do the Very Best You Can

Watch this: 



This video is very funny, but it does bring up very serious issues for me. 

Look around us.  It's clear.  Something we are doing or not doing is causing an obesity epidemic, and an increase in other major health issues like heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune disorders that now seem to be spreading around  the world.  Whether processed foods are the main culprit or not is still not quite clear, but I think we can safely assume stripping whole foods of all their nutritional value then adding unnatural ingredients back in for the sake of longer shelf life can't be right.  Pumping hormones and antibiotics into cattle and chickens and expecting no impact on the humans that consume the products made from those animals also doesn't seem to make sense either.  Not to mention, these food and farm factories seem to be polluting our water systems and even the soil that produces the rest of our food supply.  Combine that with the over use of chemical pesticides...well, that seems like a big mistake to me, too. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming

On the other hand, some mothers are so stressed out about their kids diets and childhood obesity that they are literally starving those kids.  There's been some cases in the news lately about this that got me wondering; What messages are we sending to our moms out there, that some of them are afraid to feed their kids at all.

Eating is a major part of our lives to be enjoyed.  It shouldn't be a source of stress and anxiety. But we can't enjoy our life to the fullest if we are not healthy, and if our environment is not healthy, either. So maybe it's best that we make an effort to shop for and cook real food that credible doctors and scientist tell us is probably the best way to ensure good health and appearance.

I'm not an expert in nutrition or environment. I'm just a mom and a concerned citizen trying to do the very best that I can for my family and my community, but after much reading and consideration, I've decided the best route for me and my family is to cook as much whole, organic and natural foods as I am able to do.  And I also choose to teach and encourage others to do the same.  Here are some things you can do: 

First, if you are not a good cook or you can't cook at all, try your best to improve that.  It's not as hard as you may think. Find someone to teach you or teach yourself, but, you should definitely learn to cook; otherwise,  it will be very difficult to get away from using processed foods.

When planning your meals for the week, plan at least one vegetarian meal.  In our house we do Meatless Monday.   http://www.meatlessmonday.com/history/

When you go shopping pay attention to food labels on processed foods. Look for items that are generally low in ingredients and  foods that have less salt, sugar, trans fats and preservatives.  Try your best to pick fruits and vegetables that are in season, grown locally or organically when possible and when you look in your cart you should see every color in the rainbow. 

When preparing food, if you notice that your plate looks mostly brown and beige then you are probably not getting enough vitamins and nutrients in that meal.  Make sure your plate always has some some green, yellow, red, orange and purple fruit and veggies added to it.

We all have those guilty pleasures, things we like to eat just for enjoyment that has absolutely little or no nutritional value.  For me it's pop tarts.  In my completely humble an non-expert opinion, I think it's probably OK to go ahead and enjoy those once in awhile.  If you are in general good health and eating a healthier diet the rest of the time, then your body can probably handle the occasional pringle, twinkie or soda pop.  The key word here is occasional.  But in my opinion, homemade desserts and snacks taste so much better.

If you are an extremely healthy eater, a vegetarian, a vegan, a gluten free or raw food fanatic, I bow down to you.  That's amazing.  Continue to do what you're doing and teach and encourage others, but also, please remember to be kind and considerate while doing so.  We should all eat with thought for our health and the environment, but still be considerate of each others feelings and beliefs.  Everybody is different and what works for one may not be the best for someone else.  Also, if you offend someone while trying to teach them, it will probably result in the person rejecting the message along with the messenger. 

To everyone,  just do the very best you can while doing what you need to do to enjoy your life.  :)

Pan Searing Takes a Little Practice

I chose this video from a presentation by Tyler Forence to illustrate how sometimes a cooking technique can seem simple and easy when shown to you by professionals.  However, a lot of would be home cooks take a class or watch something on TV and say Wow!  "That looks easy. " Then they try to do it alone at home and it doesn't come out so well and they give up in discouragement and are reluctant to try it again.   Getting a good pan sear is something that takes a little skill and skill comes with practice.  Professional chefs practice this all day long, everyday and I'll be willing to bet that they still get it wrong sometimes.  So don't get discouraged if it sticks, or steams the first time or you got it right the first time, but the next few times you don't.  Keep at it.  Pan searing is important to taste, quality and presentation so it is definitely something you should master.   Here are some things Tyler didn't really mention in this video. 

Along with room temperture meat or fish you should always make sure you pat the meat dry with a paper towel before putting it in the pan.  If the food is too wet at best it will end up steaming instead of searing so you won't get that nice crust Tyler showed you or at worst  it will make the grease pop everywhere leaving a mess to clean up afterwards and may possibly burn you or even cause a grease fire.  Also, please be careful and never walk too far away from a frying pan.

Make sure there is enough oil in the pan, about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in the bottom should do it.  (A lot less if you are using a non-stick pan)   Too little it will stick and steam and it will just soak up the oil, you will not save any calories this way.  Also do not put the oil in until your pan is hot enough.  To test, pop a little drop of water in, if it sizzles and skips it's ready for you to pour the oil in. Wait a couple of minutes for the oil to heat up and test again. When you see a sizzle and pop,  you can put the meat in.  Getting the temperature of the pan and oil just right, this is the hardest part.  It can take some time to figure out because every stove and pan is different.  (This is another reason why I like to teach people in their own kitchens so I can help them see what their dealing with)  Too hot it will smoke and burn, too cool and it won't sear and more oil  than less will get absorbed into the food and it will be greasy and mushy, yuck! 

If you start to see that your pan is smoking and the oil is burning remove the pan from the heat immediately and turn down your stove. Wait a few minutes then return the pan to the burner and continue cooking or add a little more fresh oil to help cool and delute the burning oil.  If the oil is already too burned you may need to remove the food from the pan and start over with new oil.  Be sure to wipe the pan clean of anything that is burnt first.

When your done searing depending on what protein or recipe your using you'll will probably want to finish it in the oven, so make sure your oven is pre-heated and ready to go and that the pan is oven safe.

Again, don't get discouraged when trying out a new technique.  Keep at it and one day you will realize, Hey, I'm getting really good at this.  :)

How to Make Brown Butter Sauce

Often you may find a recipe that calls for the use of brown butter or beurre noisette [bur nwoi-ZET].  This is a technique of melting and cooking the butter until the water evaporates, the solids turn brown, and the butter develops a nutty aroma and flavor like a hazelnut.  Brown butter is a versatile ingredient that adds both richness and color to a savory preparation like, meuniere sauce for fish, or a seasoning for vegetables or pasta, for desserts such as custards, cakes, frostings and some amazing ice creams, too.

When making this you will need (depending on the recipe) about a stick of butter unsalted.  A small or medium saute' pan, a whisk and a wooden spoon or spatula.  I prefer a spatula. 

Cut the butter into thin even pats, so that the butter melts quickly and evenly.  Place in your pan over medium heat and then keep the butter moving with a whisk to help prevent the solids from burning. As soon as you see the solids begin to brown remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir using the spatula until the butter is the desired color and smoothness.  This will all happen in a matter of minutes so don't leave the stove.  Then use as directed in your recipe or keep in the refrigerator for later use. 

Here are some of my favorite brown butter recipes:

Meuniere Sauce for Fish

Brown butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon chopped or ground sage

gerous pinch of salt and pepper

juice of half a lemon

4 tb of capers (optional)

warm about 3 min of medium heat and then pour over broiled or fried fish.  Top with roasted pecans or almonds.

Brown Butter Cake recipe 

http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/2009/06/brown-butter-pound-cake/

Brown Butter Ice Cream

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brown-Butter-and-Peanut-Brittle-Ice-Cream-241123

Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter Sauce

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/butternut-squash-tortellini-with-brown-butter-sauce-recipe/index.html

Cutie Pie Pastry Chef Demos French Dough Kneading Technique

I think this video clip speaks for itself.  Who would need to lift weights after doing this all day?

Also, once he got a good rythm going I kept hearing Queen's "We Will RockYou " in my head.
Enjoy. ;)

Crock Pots and Slow Cookers :(

I offended a few of my friends and fans last week on Facebook when I made a negative comment about crock pots.   So I feel I need to state more clearly how I feel.  I really HATE crock pots and slow cookers.  Not because I don't see them as the useful tool that they can be sometimes and not because I  think that nothing should be cooked in them.  If used safely, some of the things that are meant to be cooked slowly all day like beans, chilies, rice, and other whole grains, homemade tomato sauces, tough stew meats and meat balls (only after they have been seared in a frying pan first) are just fine.  Also, certain ethnic foods, like Indian and Middle Eastern foods, do very well in slow cookers.  Crock pots are also good for keeping things warm at parties like soups, cheese and chocolate sauces or an extra cooking device at the holidays.  It's a very useful tool if used properly.  

But,... The slow cooker is not a replacement for your oven and stove.  The problem is that some people treat it like a hobby; how many crazy things can I make in the crock pot - Like how many clowns can I  fit in a volkswagon.   Just because you CAN make it doesn't mean you SHOULD make it.  This is not real cooking. Cakes, breads, lasagnas and wasting beautiful, tender cuts of meat like prime rib and fillet mignon in a crock pot is doing the quality and flavor of the food a real disservice.  These foods benfit the most from being baked and roasted properly in the oven.  Veggies take only a few minutes to cook.  There is no reason to cook them to literal death in a crock pot until they become grey, mushy, tasteless, overly starchy and lose a lot of their nutritional value.  Many people and kids don't like vegetables because this is the way they have always been served to them.  In my classes when I cook a vegetable properly for a client for the first time, they are amazed and foods they thought they hated before they now love. 

One more point.  I also notice when I look at many crock pot recipes, too many unhealthy convenience foods, full of preservatives and additives are suggested as ingredients.  So I feel that in general they promote a lower quality of food - edible, but not generally the tastiest and most healthy.   

Listen I know we are all busy and short cuts are necessary, but instead of spending your time searching  for  crazy slow cooker recipes look for recipes with short ingredient lists, quick prep and cook times that can be made in one pan or pot.  Here's are some good resources :  http://search.cookinglight.com/ck-results.html?Ntt=5+ingredients&x=32&y=16  or http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/twenty-minute-meals-00000000028853/index.html   This kind of cooking is convenient, tasty and healthy.

I know that some people feel their skills are not up to par and resorting to cooking everything in a crock pot feels safe, but cooking skills are like muscles; They need to be exercised on a regular basis.  The more you do it the better you get at it and the better you get at something  it becomes less of a chore and the more you will begin to really enjoy it.  

Seasonal Food Chart

Winter is almost over and it's time now to use, up, or preserve those winter fruits and veggies.  Below are links to Seasonal Food Charts  http://www.seasonalchef.com/cropchart2.htm  that show what produce is in season throughout the year in Southern California. http://www.seasonalchef.com/cropchart1.htm If you're not here in SOCAL you can look on line for more SFC in your region of the country.  Eating seasonal is important because the quality of the food is best when it is at it's peak, it tastes better, it has more vitamins and nutirents and more of it is available so the cost of it goes down considerably. 

You might want to keep a copy of these charts with your grocery shopping list each week to help you search for the best quality and bargains while purchasing produce.

Cooking Imagery

I love cooking imagery.  Photos are amazing, but film that really captures a technique and feeling of culture, well, I really find that captivating.  Here's one that Saveur Magazine reminded me of this week.  Enjoy.