thelocalspoon

Blue Bottle — RECREATED!

Steph Lawrence — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:10:06 +0000

I didn’t think it was possible, but I (and Crank) have successfully recreated Blue Bottle’s famous New Orleans style iced coffee. And… a secret… it was easy! And SO delicious. And needs to be made again, very soon.

I had bought a New Orleans iced coffee making kit for Crank for Valentine’s Day (what says I love you more than coffee??), after drooling over the drink for ages. We hosted brunch this weekend (more recipes coming soon for that) and decided it would be the perfect opportunity to make some Blue Bottle for ourselves.

The recipe is pretty simple — grind a pound of coffee (coarse), add 1.5 oz of chicory, steep overnight in 2.5 qts cold water, strain, and serve with simple syrup (sugar melted in water) and milk (whole, obviously) over ice. Consume with earnest.

You might think 2 and a half quarts would create a serious amount of coffee, but we managed to polish it off pretty quickly. If you actually manage to save some the concentrate can be kept for up to a week, unsweetened. But we would recommend consuming immediately, for deliciousnesses sake.

A note: I bought my supplies directly from Blue Bottle, because I love them and who wouldn’t want to support the Best Coffee Shop of All Time (soon to open in Brooklyn!). But you can also buy the supplies like chicory from independent suppliers for much less.

Maple soy glazed yams

Steph Lawrence — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:06:08 +0000

We had these yams at Christmas dinner and I’ve been dying to make them again because they are SO FREAKING AMAZING. I didn’t think I liked yams, or sweet potatoes, or any variety of starchy orange vegetable you can think of. I think it’s because they are always served at the holidays and there seems to be a preference to make them sickeningly sweet. I am more of a savory person — just not in to the sweet-potato-with-marshmallow thing. This recipe has you roast the yams and then glaze them with a mixture of maple syrup and soy sauce, which I think lends an incredible sweet-savory balance. Let’s be honest, I may not have even followed my own adapted* recipe and added significantly more soy sauce. Not to mention a generous helping of kosher salt. Tweak to your own preference and enjoy.

(Recipe after the jump.)

Maple Soy Glazed Yams

(Serves 4-6)

3 pounds peeled garnet yams (about 3 large yams)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing pan
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1.5 teaspoons soy sauce
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place one rack in the bottom third of the oven and another rack near the top.

If large, quarter the yams and then cut each quarter into wedges about 1/2 inch thick at the widest point (if small they can just be cut in half). Oil a baking sheet (I used a large rectangular glass baking dish). Pile yams on dish and toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Mix well to coat and spread yams evenly on dish.

Roast on bottom rack of oven for 14-16 minutes, until browned on bottom, then turn and roast another 10-15 minutes until tender and golden brown.

Mix the syrup and soy sauce. Remove yams from oven and and brush generously with glaze. Return pan to top rack of oven and roast 5-7 minutes more.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

*(Recipe adapted from the San Francisco Chronicle)

Pavlova. Dessert of the Gods.

Steph Lawrence — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:45:23 +0000

If Pavlova is not the most delicious dessert of all time, I just don’t know what is. In general… I am a chocolate person. But I might have just found chocolate’s match in Pavlova. Pavlova is a New Zealand and/or Australian specialty, depending on your version of history, that involves a meringue based bottom and is usually topped with whipped cream and some delicious fruits — traditionally kiwis or passionfruit. The local Market Basket had no passionfruits in sight, so I went with some tasty kiwi for dessert tonight. I was not disappointed.

A note for all you eager chefs: MAKE THIS RECIPE THE NIGHT BEFORE. Because… I didn’t. I did that thing where I got really excited to make pavlova and then I bought all the ingredients and then I started making the recipe and THEN I read the directions. Upon which I found, as you will note, instructions like, “preheat oven 2 hours before you would like to begin” and, “leave in oven for at least 2 1/2 hours, or OVERNIGHT”. Clearly I started my pavlova like 43 minutes before our guests were supposed to arrive, so I fudged it a little bit. All said, it turned out DELICIOUS, and I strongly recommend trying, but it was a little underdone. Leaving it in the oven as long as they suggest lets the center cook slowly so it has a moist and chewy inside and light and crunchy exterior — just the heavenly combination pavlova is meant to have. Also, June Leeming, from whom this recipe originated, swears that preheating the oven in advance is essential to Pavlovian success. So do it.

Pavlova, adapted from June Leeming via The Boston Globe Magazine

9 eggs, room temperature
1 pound superfine sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwis or peaches

Set the oven at 300 degrees, with the rack positioned in the middle. Heat the oven for two hours. Just before you start to make the Pavlova, turn the oven up to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Separate the eggs and reserve the yolks for another purpose. In a bowl of a standing mixer with a whip attachment, beat the egg whites until the form stiff peaks and pull away from the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on high speed, add the sugar in a slow, steady stream and beat for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the peaks are glossy and smooth.

Spoon the meringue into a mounded circle, approximately 10 inches in diameter, on the baking sheet. With the back of the spoon, level off the top and sides to form a smooth disk. Set the meringue in the oven and turn it off. Leave the meringue there until it is crisp and cold, at least 2 1/2 hours (it is preferable to leave overnight). Don’t open the door while the Pavlova cooks.

Remove the meringue from the oven and let it sit in a cool, dry place before adding the toppings.

Whip the cream with the vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream in an even layer over the Pavlova and place fresh on top.

**Note: Original recipe says this recipe feed TEN. We were five and nearly polished it off. Lessons: We are piglets and this recipe is delicious, so err on the side of plenty when making.

Enjoy! We did.

The Pavlova.

Blogging hiatuses, new jobs and earthquakes.

Steph Lawrence — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:37:16 +0000

I have been on blogging hiatus as I just started a new job and have been busy at work. Now I begin anew, but unfortunately under sad circumstance.

December had me living for four weeks in a region in Haiti four hours southwest of the epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake — what was perhaps the deadliest in the country’s history. Before traveling to Haiti I was already well-versed in the country’s history of political and environmental instability. The poorest country in the western hemisphere, Haiti has been overwhelmed by disasters of all kinds, most recently the bombardment of four hurricanes that left the country bereft of tens of thousands of homes and 80% of its agricultural crop. Its infrastructure was already in a weakened spot when yesterday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit.

I have been working for an international community development non-profit called Haiti Projects, which aims to alleviate poverty in the rural Fond des Blancs region of the country. The organization has a number of different programs including a family planning clinic, community library, and Women’s Cooperative. I work primarily with the Cooperative, which provides much needed employment for over 80 women. The women work as a collective and make handcrafted knit and embroidered goods. The work of the organization has been incredibly successful in alleviating poverty in the region and was recently awarded an Allende Foundation Award alongside Partners in Health for its innovative work in community and economic development. Haiti Projects was also recognized in a front page feature of the Boston Globe. I have been incredibly excited about my new work and was thrilled to be able to travel to Haiti in December. I feel blessed that I was able to visit and see the beauty of the country and now deeply saddened and worried about the fates of the people whose lives touched me, however briefly, during my visit.

The President of the organization, Sarah Hackett, with whom I stayed when I was there in December, remains in Fond des Blancs. Emails to us back home have confirmed that she is alright but information on the damage to the region of Fond des Blancs and the well-being of our co-workers and their families and friends remains limited. I will try to update when I can on news from Fond des Blancs.

If you are interested in supporting Haiti Projects you can do so on our website. Additionally, if you are interested in supporting the earthquake relief effort in Haiti, donate to the American Red Cross International Relief Fund. Your support is incredibly appreciated in this time of immense need.

I have posted some photos below of my time in Haiti, which I was hoping to post with stories in a more light-hearted time. For now, I hope they shed some light on the beauty of the Haitian culture and its people and allow you to feel a little more connected to this tragedy that feels both so far away and so close to home.

First Lady is on Sesame Street. West Wing wins again.

Steph Lawrence — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:01:56 +0000

For Sesame Street’s 40th Anniversary First Lady Obama was a guest of honor, and what did she talk about? That’s right, food. Because Michelle Obama is totally awesome when it comes to promoting healthy, sustainable eating, from planting a garden at the White House to supporting local farmers markets.

I found this particularly awesome because it seems like just one more thing predicted by West Wing (the show — not the White House Wing) that has come true. Anyway, go plant your vegetables. First Lady Obama says so.

Chickens make eggs

Steph Lawrence — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:16:09 +0000

I am getting back into the swing of real life after a cross-country road trip, in which I moved my dog and all my worldly possessions (mostly boxes of cookbooks and cooking appliances) to San Francisco. Thus, the lack of posting recently.

One of my most favorite stops on our road trip was to Steamboat Springs, where an old family friend of my mom’s lives on a horse ranch. I know, I almost stopped right there. This was one of the best stops for a number of reasons (the golden aspen trees, awesome horses, amazing family… I could go on), but perhaps my favorite was breakfast. I am not generally a breakfast person — more of a coffee and go kind of morning person. But if breakfast were this good all the time I’d have it for every meal.

It started in the morning when we went down to the chicken coop to collect eggs. I have always wanted to do this — I harbor dreams of pastoral nostalgia constantly, despite the fact that I grew up in a suburb of Boston with only squirrels as wildlife and little connection to the agricultural roots of my Carnation Instant Breakfast mornings.

Collecting eggs is MAGICAL. I am telling you, there’s nothing like seeing an egg actually come OUT of a chicken to realize the magic of it all. Chickens MAKE eggs!

Anyway, I could go on, but I’ll just go on to the next best thing, which was eating the homemade sausage patties that came from their summer feeder pig.

Homegrown sausage and eggs I collected that morning. There is no way to describe to you the deliciousness that I experienced that morning. I have tried to make sausage and eggs since I’ve been back, and I’m disappointed every time. Even with local farmers market sausage, even with organic cage free gold gilded eggs. It’s just not the same.

First outdoor square footage I get I’m converting to a chicken coop, this decided it.

Creamy buttermilky delicious dressing

Steph Lawrence — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:13:07 +0000

As promised, here is the creamy buttermilk dressing recipe I had over the salad I served with my tomato pie recipe from the other day. The recipe is another one from smittenkitchen’s delicious collection and I’m telling you, you will not be disappointed. I am obsessed with this blog. Soon all of my daily meals are going to come directly from Deb’s inspired kitchen. It will be like Julie and Julia except very Web 2.0 as I blog about cooking through another woman’s blog.

I digress. This dressing is amazing. I didn’t serve it on the napa cabbage as smittenkitchen suggested, but went with some red mesclun lettuce, local tomatoes, avocado and red onion, since that what was in the kitchen. It was delicious. In addition to my favorite poppy seed dressing, this would be an awesome dressing to make in big batches and have on hand in the fridge.

Creamy Buttermilk Dressing (adapted directly from smittenkitchen)

Whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, shallot, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved, then whisk in chives. Serve over salad of your choice.

A bookstore? Dedicated to food??

Steph Lawrence — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:08:24 +0000

This weekend I ventured to a new (opened this year) bookstore in Noe Valley, San Francisco called Omnivore Books. It is a bookstore entirely and beautifully dedicated to all things culinary — from Julia Child cookbooks to contemporary reflections on permaculture to rare antique books on “domestic science”. Basically, it is my dream. I’m only sad someone else created it before me.

Possibly even better than the fact that this store exists, Omnivore is an old butcher shop. The owners left much of the shop’s character, including the freezer and enormous meat scales, intact, and I appreciated the architectural (and philosophical) detail.

In case you need to go visit immediately, here are the details:

Go. Read. Be happy.

New farmers market opens today at the White House. President may be eating kale for dinner.

Steph Lawrence — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:04:10 +0000

Photo by Win McNamee published on The New York Times website

Today marked the opening day of the new farmers market near the White House. Last week it was announced that Fresh Farm Markets, a non-profit organization that already runs several farmers markets in surrounding communities, won approval to set up a new market on Vermont Avenue Northwest between H and I streets, which will be open Thursdays through October 29th. The market opened today with Michelle Obama giving an opening speech and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack looking on. I don’t know many other farmers markets that get that kind of publicity but I am really excited it exists, and thrilled the Obamas are so supportive of their local foodshed. Check out more coverage from The New York Times Caucus and Obama Foodorama.

Tomato PIE!

Steph Lawrence — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:04:25 +0000

smittenkitchen.com

Somehow, I have not heard of this site before. Maybe you haven’t either. If not, well, prepare for your life to be changed a little bit. Mine was.

I have recently gotten in to one of those cooking lulls where I’m not particularly inspired to experiment or even cook for that matter, and of course this tends to make me upset because I feel like I should ALWAYS be inspired in the kitchen. However, after a friend mentioned smittenkitchen my outlook quickly changed. Maybe it’s her beautiful photography, or maybe her description of everything as mouthwateringly delicious, or maybe some strange cosmic relation we share, but I was immediately inspired and started writing an ingredient list for the 12 things I wanted to make, that day.

I will take it slow here and start with the first one which I made the other night, tomato pie. TOMATO PIE! Who would have thought it existed? Not I. Even better, it is actually tomato and CORN pie. Two of my favorite things, combined with cheese, encased in a doughy delight. What is not to love?

For the full recipe follow link below.

Recipe is taken with a couple of changes from smittenkitchen, who adapted from Gourmet’s August 2009 version. I served it with a salad with homemade creamy buttermilk dressing (also from smittenkitchen — recipe to follow, soon). Bon appetit!

Ingredients

Directions

Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter into a 12-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Either fold the round gently in quarters, lift it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. If your kitchen is excessively warm, as ours is, go ahead and put the second half of the dough in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.