Bouchon

Okay, so by now it's nothing surprising that an LA area food blogger -- even one as small as me -- has made it to Bouchon. That I idolize Thomas Keller is no secret among my friends and tonight I finally got the chance to see one of his places in action. The room is friendly yet sophisticated, the yellow roses in the ladies room extravagant, the service attentive without being fawning. All of that is nice . . . but the real fact is, the food is just plain good.

These aren't the intricate and playful food as high art dishes Keller is famous for in Yountville and NY, these are straight-forward classics, perhaps not challenging, but cooked to perfection and beautifully served in casual yet lovely tableware (Staub pots and All-Clad copper gratin pans as dishes).

James had the steak frites for which the bistro is rightfully renown. I had the lamb shank special which was good, but came with what are likely the very best mashed potatoes (pomme purée) I've ever tasted. Even the roast chicken at Bouchon doesn't disappoint. But the real spectacular, I can't make that at home, look-at-me dish? Iles Flottante. A delicate disk of poached meringue in a shallow pool of creme Anglais with a delicious caramel, maple, cinnamon, honestly not sure quite what other than delicious thin caramel colored sauce. Why, oh why is there no recipe for Iles Flottante in the Bouchon Cookbook? Please tell me how you made that disc so perfect Mr. Keller (and friends).

Sign me up -- ardent fan, happy eater, returning guest.

Go soon, go often, order dessert.

Filet with Parmesan Garlic Butter

I guess you can't have spaghetti every night.

Some night's it's just as easy to toss some potatoes in to roast, boil some broccoli (okay then stir it up with a little olive oil and garlic), quickly sear a salt and pepper coated filet and pop it in the oven to finish with the crispy potatoes. I like to heat up an iron pan on the stove and lay the steak in for 2-3 minutes on each side (sometimes I get energetic and do the thin sides also) and let the meat cook through (on the same pan) in the oven (about 6-8 minutes usually does it). To finish, I happened to have a little flavored butter on hand (it's going to be served with roasted oysters at our annual Christmas party next month) which melted nicely on top of the meat. Top with our favorite, Maldon salt, and dinner is served.

White Bean Succotash

Everyone has little kitchen chores he/ she tries to avoid. I admit it -- I don't like to shuck corn.

But, the big man loves it. So, when I see fresh white ears (we never ate yellow corn as a kid -- may Dad called it "horse corn") at the farmer's market I bring it home for James. If I don't cook it that day (James likes it lightly steamed with plenty of fresh butter -- I like it grilled and a little crispy) I inevitably avoid it, passing by the fridge as if I don't see it. Until one day I am not only forced to shuck it but cut the kernels off the cob for a less than just picked corn dish that still pleases.

One of my favorite ways to use that leftover corn is succotash -- usually a sautéed combination of butter beans (or limas), squash, peppers --or whatever is hanging on in the late summer garden. We were low on limas so I decided to substitute canned white beans for a hearty, nearly meat-free dinner (well if you don't count the Canadian bacon I started with).

I sautéed the pork in a little olive oil and added in one chopped red onion, a couple cloves of garlic, fresh thyme, and a chopped red pepper. Next came a good bunch of diced zucchini. I cooked all those vegetables until just about tender and added in the corn kernels, the drained and rinsed white beans, and a good sized knob of butter and cooked until the corn was just cooked and the beans were heated through. I finished the dish with a splash of cream and S&P.

Quick Southern-style vegetable stew over rice.

Spinach Spaghetti w Mushroom Ragu (Ragout?)

Spaghetti everyday and yet we never get tired of it.

Every now and then I try to do something a little different. The cooler weather has brought a mushroom seller to our local farmer's market -- I spied those brown paper bags in the fridge and another weekday dinner was born.

I crisped up a little pancetta in some olive oil and set it aside. To the same oil (and the rendered fat) I added a mix of chopped mushrooms and about 1 TB of butter. When the mushrooms were soft and slightly browned I tossed in one chopped shallot, 2 chopped cloves garlic, and a bout a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves. When the shallot was softened I added in about 1/4 cup of marsala wine and cooked (scraping up the born bits from the bottom) until the wine was evaporated. Next went in about 3/4 cup of cream with plenty of S&P, and I cooked for a few minutes until the sauce was thickened.

When the spaghetti was just cooked I added the pasta, a bit of the cooking water, and the reserved pancetta back to the pan and gave it a good toss over medium heat to just combine the flavors.

That's the quickest answer to "what's for dinner" I can think of.

Collard Green Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit Top

By now it's old news that the big man loves bitter greens, what probably isn't as obvious is the effort I make to find new and interesting ways to cook them. While cruising along the internet "tubes" I happened upon a recipe for collard green cobbler -- there's something I hadn't considered.

Of course, there's always room for improvement.

The recipe just didn't seem to do justice to the cornmeal biscuits. So I started out on my own. First I stewed the collards the way I usually do, fatback bacon (in this case the rind from Jamon Serrano at last year's Christmas party, chicken broth, dried red peppers, and sliced onion all stewed together until the collards are tender.

I can't exactly say I was down home on the biscuit topping. I just don't like to cut in butter -- a couple years ago His Highness bought me a beautiful Cusinart as a gift and it has freed me from the kitchen tyranny of pastry blenders and double knives. Now I just toss the flour, salt and baking powder (1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 TB baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt) into the food processor and pulse to mix. In goes 4 TB of butter and I pulse machine again until the butter is cut into coarse grains. Next comes 1/2 cup of milk and I mix until just blended. Lay the dough out on a cutting board, knead few times, pat out to about 1 1/2 inches thick and cut out 3 inch rounds. I like to let the biscuits rest in the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking (that's the great make ahead part -- wrapped up you could probably even do them the night before).

When James was ready for dinner I placed the biscuits on top of the collards in the pot and popped the dish (uncovered) into the oven at 450º for about 20 minutes until the biscuits are brown and the collards are bubbling.

Next time I think I'll brush those biscuits with a little melted butter. They might even find a way -- without the collards -- to our Thanksgiving table.

Pizza Again

Late night -- quick and easy dinner.

Yesterday James and I took all of my kitchen knives (mandolin too) to be sharpened. When dinner time came I found myself looking around for something I could cook without a good knife. I had some dough and a shredder so I slivered some red onion and zucchini and mixed in thin bits of fresh garlic -- laid that on top of the thin dough, layered a few slices (pre-sliced) of prosciutto on top, dressed with some olive oil, S&P, and crushed red pepper topped with grated cheese and it's knife- free dinner in 15 minutes.

Sicilian Style

Is it just too boring that we eat spaghetti so often? Do we eat more pasta than anyone else in the world? Or is spaghetti just the most versatile, comforting, delicious food ever invented?

His Highness loves fennel, anise, tarragon and all things licoricy. I can't even stand the smell. Vows and rings can't compare, it is my supreme show of love to bring James bags of Dutch black licorice (salted, sweet, gummy -- all kinds) or make a pasta dish like this one.

While the water came to a boil, I sauteed 8 anchovy filets in about 1/2 cup of olive oil, mashing the fish to a paste as they heated. Then I tossed in 1 thinly sliced bulb of fennel, one thinly sliced onion, and a pinch of crushed red pepper and cooked over medium heat until just soft (about 5 minutes). Next went in two chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, and 1/4 cup of golden raisins. The sauce simmered over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Before I drained the pasta I took one cup of the cooking water and added in 1/4 tsp of saffron threads, then added the saffron liquid and the pasta to the sauce and allowed to cook (tossing with tongs) over low heat until the spaghetti was well coated with the fennel mixture. To serve, instead of the usual cheese, I topped the pasta Southern Italian style with toasted bread crumbs for a bit of welcome crunch.

I love you Honey.

Roast Chicken with Stewed Winter Vegetables and Balsamic Fig Preserves

I'm a sucker for Thomas Keller. I buy his cookbooks (okay . . . James bought them for me), I dream of eating in his restaurants, I cook his recipes at home.

Yesterday while browsing recipes for dinner I came across the great chef's (and his brother's) recipe for stewed winter vegetables. I just happened to have everything I needed right from the farmer's market.

First I peeled shallots (I did about 4), sprinkled them with S&P and wrapped them in tin foil with 1/2 TB of butter. Those I popped into the oven (350º) for 30 minutes.

Carrots and parsnips are peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths (I made sort of batons about 1/2" x 2"). Leeks are split in half, cleaned and cut into 1" lengths. Turnips, quartered. All of these cut vegetables go into a pot with a sprig of thyme, 2 TB of butter, and 2 1/2 cups chicken stock. I brought the vegetables up to a boil, covered and allowed to simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile I boiled some small potatoes until tender, and when the vegetable were just soft added in the drained potatoes and the roasted shallots and seasoned to taste.

On the side -- when a Thomas Keller recipe is on the table everything else is a side-dish -- a quick roast chicken. I simply stuffed the cavity with garlic cloves, lemons and herbs from our garden, trussed, basted with olive oil, sprinkled on S&P and popped it in the oven for an hour and 20 minutes (I basted with more olive oil about 20 minutes into roasting) at 350º -- good company for the roasting shallots.

Thomas Keller was not the only chef on our table last night. Yesterday at work I commented on the delicious balsamic fig preserves served on the grilled chicken breast, and the boys in the truck were kind enough to give me not only the recipe but a little to go container. A little extra autumn flavor complements of our friends at "Off The Shelf."

Bitter Greens and Fresh Ricotta

Spaghetti is my everyday fallback position. I can always find something in the house to turn into a credible sauce even if it's just olive oil, garlic, red pepper, and pasta cooking water. A little cheese -- even better.

Half a red onion, garlic, a few slices of prosciutto, and a couple spoonfuls of fresh ricotta turned out a pretty tasty quick dinner.

As the pasta cooked, I sautéed the chopped garlic and onion in olive oil and sprinkled in a bit of crushed red pepper. When the onion was soft I tossed in shreds of prosciutto until just crisped.

I added the drained al dente spaghetti to the sauté pan along with the chopped dandelions, S&P, 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water (kitchen gold!), and plenty of grated Romano cheese and gave it all a quick stir of medium high heat. I thought the greens might still be too bitter on their own so I topped the dish with two quenelles of fresh ricotta and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

I'm not sure any Italian ever made this spaghetti recipe, but it made a fine supper for my hungry Scot.

Early Thanksgiving

The other day while reading food magazines at the gym (I know it's perverse but I do it all the time) I saw an article for roasting a butterflied (it's really called spatchcocked for whatever reason I am not sure) turkey. Even though I have done this in the past (usually it's the second turkey on a big Thanksgiving) I suddenly could think of nothing else but roast turkey for dinner. I was probably pushed on a little by a pair of articles in last week's New York Times debating if turkey or the side were the stars of the Thanksgiving table --

"“If roast turkey is so good . . . I wonder why we don’t we make it at other times?” You’d think people would serve it at dinner parties," Julia Moskin snidely wrote as she lovingly described her host of admittedly tasty-sounding, “show-off” side dishes.

There on the elliptical machine I decided to make my vote for the bird.

As the instructions detailed, and I've managed with chickens and turkeys before, I cut out the backbone (a good strong pair of poultry scissors is handy for that) and opened the bird up. Then I cracked the breastbone so the turkey (12 lb) would lay down flat, tucked the wings under, and my weekday bird was ready to roast. As Martha suggested I went simple and rubbed the bird with olive oil, salt, and pepper and popped it into a 450º oven for an hour and 10 minutes (rotating once while cooking), and out came a glistening brown, crispy- skinned, decidedly not Norman Rockwell early Thanksgiving hero.

But then, as the turkey cooked, I thought maybe Moskin didn’t have it all wrong. While the bird roasted I cut some peeled sweet potatoes into cubes, popped them in a pot of cool water and boiled gently until tender. I mashed those with some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, butter, vanilla extract and cream. The flavored mashed sweet potatoes went into a small casserole dish and I topped the puree with a mixture of chopped pecans, brown sugar, and butter. I let the

potatoes cook through in the oven at 375º for about half an hour (I would have let it go maybe 15 minutes more but we were hungry and the bird was ready to serve).

While the turkey rested I made a quick gravy with pan drippings, flour and white wine instead of the stock or water. I let the gravy, which, dare I say it, James called “exceptional” cook until nicely thick while I put green beans over a pot of boiling water to steam.

Super easy mid-week turkey. Hmm, why don’t people roast turkey more often?

PS: One trick Martha didn’t give her readers was a great way for a quick cooking bird and tasty stuffing. Years ago Cooks Illustrated published a recipe for a butterflied turkey roasted over a pan of stuffing. Prepare the bird as described above, put your favorite stuffing recipe into an oiled roasting pan big enough to support the turkey (CI suggested 12” x 16”) – lay a cooking rack or slotted broiler pan top (I’ve used a wire cooling rack that I use for baked goods) across the pan and place the turkey (skin side up) on the wire rack so he is supported above the stuffing. Brush the turkey with melted butter, S&P, and whatever seasonings you fancy. As your bird roasts the drippings fall down and flavor the stuffing. While the bird rests you pop the stuffing back in to the oven for the crispy edges fans of baked-outside-the-bird stuffing love. The best of both worlds in about an hour and a half.

Risotto Experiment

A couple of you might remember, though I'm not sure why you would, that a few weeks ago I tried a risotto experiment. When I accidentally made risotto for 8 instead of for 4 (that's me, James and lunch the next day) I took half of the half-cooked recipe out of the pan, cooled it on a baking tray, and tossed it in the freezer.

After I gave the rice time to thaw I popped it in a frying pan with about 1/2 a cup of hot broth and I just picked up where I left off. Stirring and adding more broth until the rice was cooked. In a separate pan I sautéed loads of garlic, red onions in olive oil, and added in chopped kale just until wilted. And, when the rice was tender stirred the vegetable mix along with some shredded Romano cheese and a little knob of butter -- risotto experiment one, finished.

Next time I think I will store the rice when it is a little less cooked (in truth it was more than half way) but this isn't a bad plan for a busy night -- 10 minute risotto.

Autumn Scallops

James loves scallops. I love chestnuts. When fall comes around I am constantly looking for an excuse to stir in a few chestnuts. Yes, I usually use vacuum packed chestnuts (except for Christmas eve when I generally try to roast a pan for us to nibble), and yes I could get those any time of year . . . but somehow autumn (into winter) is the only time that seems right. A stab for seasonality in our round the year, ship anything, anytime world.

This simple sauce was just leeks and bacon cooked until soft in a bit of butter, a bit of cognac flamed, vacuum packed chestnuts and chicken broth simmered until soft and pureed in the blender. I added a bit of cream and a hefty dose of S&P. With hot oil in the pan -- before I put the scallops into sear -- I tossed in some fine rosemary leaves (I would have used sage but we didn't have any handy -- I have to remember to plant some) just until crisp and set them aside on a paper towel. I laid the scallops in the hot oil and basted with melted butter as they cooked through. To serve I poured a bit of the warm sauce on the plate, laid the scallops on top and garnished with the rosemary leaves.

James scraped up the leftover sauce with toast -- success!

Salame Pizza

I have a love hate relationship with Trader Joe's. I love how cheap it is. I hate the parking lot. I love the organic maple syrup and stuffed olives. I hate their pizza dough. Mostly because it's (at least) as good as mine. I hate being shown up by the -- what does Michael Pollan call it . . . "the industrial food complex?" . . . "the military industrial complex?" . . . I hate that anybody's pre-packaged anything is as good (at least) as my home made. I used to make batches of dough and package them in the freezer for unexpected pizza moments. These days -- though I am loathe to admit it -- we usually have a package of Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough (white or garlic herb) in the fridge. The shame of it all. Sigh.

In spite of my culinary dishonor I have to admit, dough in the fridge makes for an easy weeknight dinner.

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2009 was to learn to make Salami. There were also a few cheese, education and gym related ones that I more or less lived up to, but the clock is ticking on 2009 salami. So far I'm just eating more of it, and a near forgotten link in the fridge made the surprise topping on this pie.

I piled on thinly sliced potatoes (very thin cut with a mandoline), red onions, garlic, thin rounds of salami (I mean pepperoni is just a salami after all), chopped parsley, and a good dousing of olive oil. I topped it all with sliced mozzarella and popped the assembled pie onto our pizza stone preheated to 500º. After 10 minutes I covered the top with shredded romano cheese and popped it back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Another weeknight quicker than carry-out meal . . . thanks to Trader Joe's (Grr).

What Claudia Had For Lunch

I am lucky enough to have friends who know the things I don't know.

Yesterday when I needed help with a couple -- let's say, functions -- I couldn't figure out, I looked to Claudia. Although I would have happily paid for her expertise, Claudia chose to be paid in food . . . so, this is what Claudia had for lunch.

First off Peposo -- a peppery Italian stew that supposedly dates back to the early 1400's (at least) and became known through the construction of the cathedral dome in Florence. As the story goes the tile makers from near-by Impruneta (just South of Florence) would bake this long cooking stew in their kilns and Brunelleschi, the architect, while looking for roof tiles came to love it. Think of it as Italian Boeuf Bourguignon (kind of a theme this month) but much, much easier.

Cut beef suitable for long cooking (I used beef shanks and chuck -- I like some bone and some boneless) into large pieces (I think mine were about 2" x 3" or 3" x 3" -- I left the beef shanks whole) and make a layer in a pot. On top of the beef put about a TB of peppercorns, a tiny sprinkle of salt, a handful (6 or so) of peeled garlic cloves and a spring of rosemary (not traditional but still delicious). Continue making layers with all the beef. Then pour a bottle of fruity red wine (Chianti is traditional) to cover the beef (make sure the beef is covered -- add water or stock if necessary). Bring to a boil, cover tightly (I use a bit of aluminum foil under the pot lid to get a good seal) and place in a 300º over for 4-5 hours. It's also great cooked overnight in a 200º oven. A perfect make ahead meal.

As a condiment for the tender beef I simmered chopped pears in a bit of white wine. I'm not sure if it's traditional but the sweet fruit is a ready foil to the peppery beef.

On the side, a creamy vegetable gratin -- cauliflower and broccoli rabe baked in a light cheese sauce, a radicchio frisée and fresh artichoke salad, and the easiest homemade bread in the world, Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread. If you think you can't make bread, try this recipe, it will change your baking life forever!

There is no Sunday lunch without dessert.

And so, gazing down at the pile of plums and pluots from the farmer's market, I opted for one of the all time easiest -- upside down cake. Pretty much following a recipe from Chez Panisse I melted butter (4TB) in a range/oven proof cake pan (I could have used a skillet). I sprinkled that with 3/4 brown sugar and let it melt in the pan and laid the thickly sliced fruit on top and took the pan off the heat. For the batter I creamed 1 stick of butter with 1 cup of sugar, added 2 egg yolks and a tsp of vanilla and mixed until smooth. Next I alternated adding 1 1/2 cup flour (mixed with 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt) and 1/2 cup milk -- adding the flour last -- and mixed until just smooth. In a separate bowl I beat the 2 egg whites to soft peaks and folded them into the first mixture and spread the batter over the sliced fruit. Baked for 55 minutes at 350º (let cool 15 minutes or so before un-molding onto a serving dish) it's a warm, sweet perfect autumn dessert.

Thank you Claudia!

Spaghetti Again?

We are a spaghetti family. When I can't think of anything else, we're running short on time, the cupboard seems bare . . . there is always spaghetti.

Last night a chunk of bacon left from Sunday's Boeuf Bourguignon a la Julia, a bunch of Kale I thought would be good for something when I saw it at the farmer's market, and a couple spoonfuls of ricotta hiding on the top shelf of the fridge became pasta dinner on the quick.

I sautéed the chopped bacon in a bit of olive oil (over medium heat and let it crisp), added in half a sliced onion, and a chopped clove of garlic and let everything cook until the onions were soft and just starting to brown. I added in the chopped kale and cooked until the greens were just wilted. When the spaghetti was barely al dente I added the drained pasta, chopped parsley, about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and a bout 1/4 cup of ricotta to the frying pan and stirred over medium heat until just combined.

Top with grated parmesan for a 20 minute week night dinner.

Hometown Favorite

About 2 months ago the Hungry Cat in Hollywood had their last crab feast of the summer. The chef/ owner, like me, is from Maryland and for us crabs are a summer ritual -- nay a summer necessity. So, we splurged (actually we ended up being treated by our dear friend Shari -- I happily stuck her with the pick up and ended up profiting in two ways :-)) and carried out a couple dozen for a Franklin Hills crab feast complete with steamed corn and newspaper covered tables. I get pretty excited when there are crabs on the table and I generally don't stop to open the claws. As any good Marylander would, I save them (tucked away in the freezer usually) for the follow up pot of crab soup.

Instead of starting my soup with water, as many hometown cooks do, I made a quick crab stock with the claws and a bit of reserved crab fat simmered for 30 minutes with onion, celery, chopped tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. I made the stock the day before. When it was time for dinner, I added cubed potatoes, chopped green beans, frozen peas, lima beans (some frozen and some fresh from our garden), onion, celery, carrot, fresh corn kernels, worcestershire sauce, old bay, dry mustard, red pepper flakes and a can (home canned of course) of tomatoes to the drained stock. I brought that to a boil and allowed to simmer slowly for 30 minutes. I added in a pound of crab meat and let the pot to bubble slowly about 30 minutes longer.

With plenty of crackers and a side salad, beautiful swimmers make a beautiful, easy dinner.

Mondays Are Made For Sunday Dinners

Last night at dinner James and I were talking about-- yes I am embarrassed to admit it -- an episode of Hell's Kitchen where the cheftestants (oh wait that's the other show) are blindfolded and asked to identify fairly common cooking ingredients. James -- although I think he has an excellent palette and offers astute dinnertime critiques -- mentioned offhand that he wouldn't be able to taste the difference between a parsnip and a . . . James left the end blank. I was certain that he could -- whether or not he could identify the vegetable (I don't know if he's ever knowingly had a parsnip, for instance) I felt certain he would taste the difference. And so was born tonight's dinner of roasted root vegetables. Sweet potatoes (the purple variety), little round Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnips were chopped into 1/2" pieces and tossed with a little olive oil and salt in the bottom of a roasting pan. I rubbed a whole chicken with garlic sage butter (under the breast skin and on top), trussed it and let it sit on top of the prepared vegetables. I sprinkled everything with salt and popped it into a 400º over to crisp. After 15 minutes I lowered the temperature to 375º and roasted about an hour more. I covered a platter with chopped fresh dandelion leaves (the big man loves bitter greens) and when the bird was ready, drizzled a few tablespoons of the fat from the pan onto the waiting leaves. I then layered the roasted vegetables on top of the dressed greens. While the bird rested I whipped up a quick pan sauce. With the roasting pan across two burners on high I poured in a bit of white wine and a bit of water and let them bubble while I scrapped the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. I finished the sauce with a little S&P and a knob of butter and served alongside the carved bird.

Oh, by the way, he could tell the difference.

Kathy and Julia

I'm not sure what took me so long. Yesterday, between batches of freezer Christmas cookies, I ran out to see "Julie and Julia." Sitting in the dark I wanted to live in Paris, I wanted to have blogged it first, I wanted to be tall -- but mostly I wanted to go home, and like millions of movie going cooks, make Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon.

Unlike my usual slap dash -- let's say, rustic style -- I followed the rules. I simmered the lardons, I carefully dried the meat before browning, I toasted the flour with the beef in a hot oven. I've made versions of the classic French dish before, but this was Julia's signature recipe and I wanted it to be right.

I used my flame Le Creuset French oven -- just like Julia's.

To get the full effect actually requires 3 recipes. There is the actual stew. Then the "support" recipes for the braised onions, and sautéed mushrooms that get added in just as the dish is being warmed to serve.

I won't try to paraphrase Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the full recipe is available at Knopf's website. Try it at home when you have a spare 4 hours or so and a loved one to coddle and impress.