Hmmm. Now, what should I write about this week? I could write about cooking wild game, such as quail. But, really, who in their right mind goes out quail hunting these days?
I could write about pepper. Lots of people like to pepper their food. Some even like to pepper their friends.
I’ve already written about decorative shot, so writing about shot is out.
The thing is, writing this column is a gamble. The column is submitted to the editor a week before it is actually printed; by the time you read this quail, pepper, and shot could be old news. Something entirely different could be in the forefront of the news. Maybe White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan will run over a paddle of ducks with his tricycle. I had to look that up; I had no idea what groups of ducks were called.
Or, and here’s a unique thought, maybe nothing at all will happen within the administration. Maybe a week will go by when no one within the president’s administration will try to kill someone, or steal someone’s rights, or choke on a pretzel, or alienate another country. Nah, who am I kidding!
So, putting all my ducks in a row, and quailing in apprehension, I’m going to give it a shot and write about bird’s-nest pudding.
Bird’s-nest pudding, also called crow’s-nest pudding, is a very old New England fruit pudding most commonly made with apples. The finished result somewhat resembles a bird’s nest.
I can’t wait to see what next week’s news brings my way. I should start early and do some research on beaten biscuits, sad cake, and quaking custard.
Bird’s Nest Pudding
6 tart apples
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 cups heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel the apples and remove the core by cutting from the end into the middle, leaving the apples whole. Place them in a deep pie dish, close together. Stuff the core of each apple with brown sugar, pressing down slightly. Reserve any remaining sugar. Sprinkle all the apples with the 1/4-teaspoon grated nutmeg. Place dish in the preheated oven to start baking while you prepare the batter.
Separate the egg. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks until they change color. Stir the milk into the beaten yolks. in a third bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, salt, and any remaining brown sugar until well mixed. Pour flour mixture all at once into egg yolk mixture and stir until smooth. Fold beaten egg whites into the batter.
Remove apples from the oven and pour the batter evenly over and around the apples. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes more, until crust forms and is brown.
Make the sweetened cream. Stir sifted confectioners’ sugar and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg into the heavy cream. Stir well to combine.
To serve, scoop out each apple with surrounding fluffy crust onto a plate and serve with sweetened cream. Serves 6.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Denmark is Brisling
You might think that I was going to address the recent uproar concerning certain cartoons in Danish publications (I’m sure the editor and publisher of this newspaper has just taken a deep breath), but alas, this column is about sardines.
Personally, I don’t care much for sardines. I’m sure they hold some delight and respect from others, but if I’m going to have a fish out of a can, I’d rather it be tuna.
However, if sardines are your preference, this column is for you.
Brisling is the Danish and Norwegian name of a sprat, a small sardine-like fish that swims from the north of Norway all the way down to the Mediterranean.
These sprats are caught in the Norwegian fjords, seasoned, canned with oil, and labeled brisling sardines in America.
Brisling sardines are smaller than other sardines and so more of those poor little fish—up to 38 actually—are jammed into tin cans.
These little sardines travel in gigantic schools that extend for miles, and are caught in nets, as they have been for a thousand years by the Scandinavians. Brisling sardines are caught just at maturity, and are about 2 years old.
Then the sardines are wood-smoked in large ovens and hand-packed. The most popular tins of sardines are those packed in oil. However, they also come packed in water, soy oil, tomato sauce, mustard, salsa, and pesto.
I was going to include a caricature of a Danish Sardine, but thought better of it.
Quiche with Sardines, Lavender and Jarlsberg Cheese
If you’d rather not use sardines, you can substitute canned smoked salmon instead. The use of fresh or dried lavender adds interest and sweetness to this recipe. However, if you can’t find lavender, or choose not to use it, fresh or dried dill would be a nice substitute.
One 9-inch piecrust
3 to 4 onions, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh lavender or 1- 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender
1 small jalapeno, or to taste, minced
1/2 to 1 pound brisling sardines or smoked salmon
8 to 10 small cherry tomatoes, halved
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pre-bake the piecrust for 10 minutes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons olive oil, sauté onions. Add the sautéed onions to the piecrust.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cream, and grated Jarlsberg. Season with lavender and jalapeno.
Place half the sardines and half the tomatoes on top of the onions. Add the cheese-egg mixture and spread it out evenly with a rubber spatula. Place the remaining sardines and tomatoes on top in a decorative, circular form.
Bake the quiche in the middle of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until almost firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4 as a main dish.
Penne with Fried Sardines, Capers and Parsley
1/2 pound penne or ziti
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 small red onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil for frying
One (3- 3/4-ounce) can brisling sardines, drained on paper towels
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain well in a colander. In a bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, parsley, sautéed onion, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle mixture with lemon juice and olive oil and toss to combine. Keep warm while you prepare sardines.
In a large skillet heat 1/2-inch vegetable oil over high heat and lower half of sardines with a slotted spoon into oil. Fry sardines until crisp and golden, about 1 minute, and transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Fry and drain remaining sardines in same manner. Add sardines to pasta and toss to combine. Serves 2. Recipe can be doubled.
Personally, I don’t care much for sardines. I’m sure they hold some delight and respect from others, but if I’m going to have a fish out of a can, I’d rather it be tuna.
However, if sardines are your preference, this column is for you.
Brisling is the Danish and Norwegian name of a sprat, a small sardine-like fish that swims from the north of Norway all the way down to the Mediterranean.
These sprats are caught in the Norwegian fjords, seasoned, canned with oil, and labeled brisling sardines in America.
Brisling sardines are smaller than other sardines and so more of those poor little fish—up to 38 actually—are jammed into tin cans.
These little sardines travel in gigantic schools that extend for miles, and are caught in nets, as they have been for a thousand years by the Scandinavians. Brisling sardines are caught just at maturity, and are about 2 years old.
Then the sardines are wood-smoked in large ovens and hand-packed. The most popular tins of sardines are those packed in oil. However, they also come packed in water, soy oil, tomato sauce, mustard, salsa, and pesto.
I was going to include a caricature of a Danish Sardine, but thought better of it.
Quiche with Sardines, Lavender and Jarlsberg Cheese
If you’d rather not use sardines, you can substitute canned smoked salmon instead. The use of fresh or dried lavender adds interest and sweetness to this recipe. However, if you can’t find lavender, or choose not to use it, fresh or dried dill would be a nice substitute.
One 9-inch piecrust
3 to 4 onions, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1 tablespoon fresh lavender or 1- 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender
1 small jalapeno, or to taste, minced
1/2 to 1 pound brisling sardines or smoked salmon
8 to 10 small cherry tomatoes, halved
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pre-bake the piecrust for 10 minutes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons olive oil, sauté onions. Add the sautéed onions to the piecrust.
In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cream, and grated Jarlsberg. Season with lavender and jalapeno.
Place half the sardines and half the tomatoes on top of the onions. Add the cheese-egg mixture and spread it out evenly with a rubber spatula. Place the remaining sardines and tomatoes on top in a decorative, circular form.
Bake the quiche in the middle of the oven for 35 to 45 minutes, until almost firm. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4 as a main dish.
Penne with Fried Sardines, Capers and Parsley
1/2 pound penne or ziti
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 small red onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Vegetable oil for frying
One (3- 3/4-ounce) can brisling sardines, drained on paper towels
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente and drain well in a colander. In a bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, parsley, sautéed onion, capers, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle mixture with lemon juice and olive oil and toss to combine. Keep warm while you prepare sardines.
In a large skillet heat 1/2-inch vegetable oil over high heat and lower half of sardines with a slotted spoon into oil. Fry sardines until crisp and golden, about 1 minute, and transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Fry and drain remaining sardines in same manner. Add sardines to pasta and toss to combine. Serves 2. Recipe can be doubled.
Friday, February 03, 2006
The Color of Love
If you are ever in doubt as to what holiday is approaching, just enter a card shop; the certainty of the holiday will grab you visually.
I recently shopped for a birthday card, and masses of pink and red cards assaulted me as soon as I entered the card shop. I spent an hour looking at cards, and finally left the store with an armful of assorted Valentine’s Day cards, forgetting the birthday card I originally came into the store for.
If anything, Valentine’s Day gives one a chance to present true gifts of the heart to those you care about, whether they be husbands or wives, lovers, friends, parents or children.
Our gifts to one another can be most original or funny, but I personally prefer the traditional and classic gifts of flowers and candy. I would be so bold as to say I would take a gift of flowers or candy over a tiny box of jewelry. Jewelry I can buy for myself, but flowers and candy must come from an admirer.
Lovers in 19th century Europe often used the language of flowers to convey secret messages. Which is why the rose became a standard form of expression on Valentine’s Day or at any time you wished to show how much you felt about a loved one.
The manner in which one sent a rose to another said much more than words ever could:
A rosebud stripped of its thorns meant “No one suspects us; we can meet tonight.”
A rosebud stripped of its leaves meant, “We’re in danger of being discovered.”
To send a rose with a bloom over two blooms meant, “We must be secret!”
To receive a bud of a red rose, you were told that you were lovely.
To send a red rose was to convey passion.
A white rose symbolizes purity.
A yellow rose symbolizes infidelity.
And a delicate pink rose said, “Our love is perfect happiness.”
In Victorian times, lovers took the expression one step further by answering the gift of flowers with a response of flowers. If a man sent a woman a red rose, he revealed his love of course, but if she replied with a white rose, she felt she was too young for such emotions. The return of a yellow rose meant she thought him too fickle, and a single rose leaf indicated she wasn’t interested at all. But if she returned another red rose, then Cupid’s arrow had hit its mark.
Rosewater Pound Cake
You can find rosewater (which comes in little amber-colored bottles) in specialty grocery stores. Orange water can be substituted. However orange water is also found in specialty grocery stores. Both are used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. They’re sweet and very aromatic.
1 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4-cup) finely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon rosewater
2 drops red food coloring
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one 9-inch tube pan.
Cream butter well. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and egg together until doubled in volume. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Add sifted flour gradually to batter, mixing after each addition. Fold in creamed butter thoroughly.
Divide batter into two equal parts. Into one part, add the almond extract and the ground almonds. To the other part, add the rosewater and the red food coloring. Spoon batters alternately into the prepared tube pan.
Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool, remove pan and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
I recently shopped for a birthday card, and masses of pink and red cards assaulted me as soon as I entered the card shop. I spent an hour looking at cards, and finally left the store with an armful of assorted Valentine’s Day cards, forgetting the birthday card I originally came into the store for.
If anything, Valentine’s Day gives one a chance to present true gifts of the heart to those you care about, whether they be husbands or wives, lovers, friends, parents or children.
Our gifts to one another can be most original or funny, but I personally prefer the traditional and classic gifts of flowers and candy. I would be so bold as to say I would take a gift of flowers or candy over a tiny box of jewelry. Jewelry I can buy for myself, but flowers and candy must come from an admirer.
Lovers in 19th century Europe often used the language of flowers to convey secret messages. Which is why the rose became a standard form of expression on Valentine’s Day or at any time you wished to show how much you felt about a loved one.
The manner in which one sent a rose to another said much more than words ever could:
A rosebud stripped of its thorns meant “No one suspects us; we can meet tonight.”
A rosebud stripped of its leaves meant, “We’re in danger of being discovered.”
To send a rose with a bloom over two blooms meant, “We must be secret!”
To receive a bud of a red rose, you were told that you were lovely.
To send a red rose was to convey passion.
A white rose symbolizes purity.
A yellow rose symbolizes infidelity.
And a delicate pink rose said, “Our love is perfect happiness.”
In Victorian times, lovers took the expression one step further by answering the gift of flowers with a response of flowers. If a man sent a woman a red rose, he revealed his love of course, but if she replied with a white rose, she felt she was too young for such emotions. The return of a yellow rose meant she thought him too fickle, and a single rose leaf indicated she wasn’t interested at all. But if she returned another red rose, then Cupid’s arrow had hit its mark.
Rosewater Pound Cake
You can find rosewater (which comes in little amber-colored bottles) in specialty grocery stores. Orange water can be substituted. However orange water is also found in specialty grocery stores. Both are used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking. They’re sweet and very aromatic.
1 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4-cup) finely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon rosewater
2 drops red food coloring
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one 9-inch tube pan.
Cream butter well. In a separate bowl, beat sugar and egg together until doubled in volume. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Add sifted flour gradually to batter, mixing after each addition. Fold in creamed butter thoroughly.
Divide batter into two equal parts. Into one part, add the almond extract and the ground almonds. To the other part, add the rosewater and the red food coloring. Spoon batters alternately into the prepared tube pan.
Bake at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes. Let cake cool, remove pan and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
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