The Official Halloween Mascot - Minuit!Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Hang Onto Your Pumpkins!
If you decorated for Halloween by buying a pumpkin, but not cutting a face into it, this one is for you. It's a want not, waste not idea and my mother's voice is still ringing in my ears with that line!
Reading the ingredients, it struck me that this is a variation, kind of, of a quiche lorraine which is an excellent winter dish.
STUFFED PUMPKIN
1 3 lb. pumpkin - cut the top off, scrape out the seeds and strings and set both aside on a silpat or parchment-covered cookie sheet. Turn the overn to 350.
1/4 lb. stale bread cut into half-inch chunks.
1/4 lb. Swiss or cheddar cheese - your choice
2 to 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 strips of crisp bacon, chopped
About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1 T minced fresh thyme
1/2 to 2/3 cup of heavy cream (I'd try milk for fewer calories)
A pinch of nutmeg
Mix all of the above in a big bowl, put it in the pumpkin and top it with the pumpkin lid.
Put the whole thing carefully into the oven and bake for 2 hours, checking on it at about the 90 minute mark. For a crustier finish, take the lid off for the last 20 minutes of baking.
Serve it whole, letting guests cut the size portion they'd like.
Reading the ingredients, it struck me that this is a variation, kind of, of a quiche lorraine which is an excellent winter dish.
STUFFED PUMPKIN
1 3 lb. pumpkin - cut the top off, scrape out the seeds and strings and set both aside on a silpat or parchment-covered cookie sheet. Turn the overn to 350.
1/4 lb. stale bread cut into half-inch chunks.
1/4 lb. Swiss or cheddar cheese - your choice
2 to 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 strips of crisp bacon, chopped
About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1 T minced fresh thyme
1/2 to 2/3 cup of heavy cream (I'd try milk for fewer calories)
A pinch of nutmeg
Mix all of the above in a big bowl, put it in the pumpkin and top it with the pumpkin lid.
Put the whole thing carefully into the oven and bake for 2 hours, checking on it at about the 90 minute mark. For a crustier finish, take the lid off for the last 20 minutes of baking.
Serve it whole, letting guests cut the size portion they'd like.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Happy 150th! Who's Your Plastic Surgeon?
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated 10-28-1886 making her today 150 years old. The robed female figure represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The "book" in her left arm represents a "tabula ansata" or tablet of laws and is inscribed 7-4-1776 the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. There is a broken chain at her feet (which I've never noticed.)
She was created by sculpture Frederic Bartholdi and he was inspired by Edouard de Laboulaye who said that any monument to French-American friendship should be a joint project. A deal was cut: the frogs would pay for and provide the statue, the U.S. would provide the pedestal and the site for all of this.
Working ahead of hmself, Bartholdi made the head and torch-bearing arm first and then in a PR gesture, the arm was sent to the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and to Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1883.
Americans were having difficulty raising the money to buy the site (Bedloe's Island) and provide the pedestal until publisher Joseph Pulitzer (yeah, that one) started a fund. Over 120,000 donations were received, but sadly most were less than a dollar.
Finally President Grover Cleveland dedicated it and New York held its first ticker tape parade.
Her first face lift took place in 1938 due to deterioration.
Her second, to work on the torch and interior took place from 1984 to 1986.
Closed after 911, she finally re-opened in 2004 after work had been done on the pedestal and the statue herself. It will close today so that a second, interior staircase can be added.
No one has been allowed on the balcony around the torch since 1916 for "safety reasons." After all, a lady deserves some privacy, don't you think?
She was created by sculpture Frederic Bartholdi and he was inspired by Edouard de Laboulaye who said that any monument to French-American friendship should be a joint project. A deal was cut: the frogs would pay for and provide the statue, the U.S. would provide the pedestal and the site for all of this.
Working ahead of hmself, Bartholdi made the head and torch-bearing arm first and then in a PR gesture, the arm was sent to the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and to Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1883.
Americans were having difficulty raising the money to buy the site (Bedloe's Island) and provide the pedestal until publisher Joseph Pulitzer (yeah, that one) started a fund. Over 120,000 donations were received, but sadly most were less than a dollar.
Finally President Grover Cleveland dedicated it and New York held its first ticker tape parade.
Her first face lift took place in 1938 due to deterioration.
Her second, to work on the torch and interior took place from 1984 to 1986.
Closed after 911, she finally re-opened in 2004 after work had been done on the pedestal and the statue herself. It will close today so that a second, interior staircase can be added.
No one has been allowed on the balcony around the torch since 1916 for "safety reasons." After all, a lady deserves some privacy, don't you think?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Bespoke Tailor For Drug Lords and Dictators
A story in the Sept. 26th edition of The New Yorker caught my eye. Miguel Caballero owns a company that makes bullet-proof clothing. The main offices are in Bogota, Colombia, with branches in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. He has developed a stronger, more flexible version of Kevlar and is using it makes fashionable garments for the fearful. (Just Google "Miguel Caballero)
These items include a leather jacket for sport or motorcycling, a "reporter's" vest (all sorts of oddly-placed pockets) and a polo shirt. The polo shirt comes in navy, red or light blue and costs $3,475. A "Medium" shirt weighs 1.8 kg. Dry clean only!
Other items that have been made to the customers specifications. Steven Seagal ordered a bullet-proof kimono; Sean "P.Diddy" Combs sports a white dinner jack. It was widely rumored that President Obama wore one of Caballero's bullet-proofed suits to his inaguration. Caballero neither confirmed nor denied this.
Other clients include King Abdullah of Jordan; President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela; President Uribe, Colombia, and Prince Felipe of Spain. I think I see a trend here..
And yet, Caballero swears that he doesn't sell garments to the bad guys, i.e. drug lords or other criminals. Before delivery each customers name and order number are sewn into the garment in case of theft from the purchaser.
Caballero noted that Catholic priests in drug-infested countries buy a vest to wear underneath their robes or -- new product alert! - carry an oversized, bullet-proof Bible to be used as a shield! Thus armed, priests feel safe in offering harsh criticisms of drugs and those who traffic in them.
Incidentally, if you are shot within six months of receiving your garment, Caballero will replace it gratis. These garments are ... one-shot items.
These items include a leather jacket for sport or motorcycling, a "reporter's" vest (all sorts of oddly-placed pockets) and a polo shirt. The polo shirt comes in navy, red or light blue and costs $3,475. A "Medium" shirt weighs 1.8 kg. Dry clean only!
Other items that have been made to the customers specifications. Steven Seagal ordered a bullet-proof kimono; Sean "P.Diddy" Combs sports a white dinner jack. It was widely rumored that President Obama wore one of Caballero's bullet-proofed suits to his inaguration. Caballero neither confirmed nor denied this.
Other clients include King Abdullah of Jordan; President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela; President Uribe, Colombia, and Prince Felipe of Spain. I think I see a trend here..
And yet, Caballero swears that he doesn't sell garments to the bad guys, i.e. drug lords or other criminals. Before delivery each customers name and order number are sewn into the garment in case of theft from the purchaser.
Caballero noted that Catholic priests in drug-infested countries buy a vest to wear underneath their robes or -- new product alert! - carry an oversized, bullet-proof Bible to be used as a shield! Thus armed, priests feel safe in offering harsh criticisms of drugs and those who traffic in them.
Incidentally, if you are shot within six months of receiving your garment, Caballero will replace it gratis. These garments are ... one-shot items.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
New Products, New Tastes, New Pleasures
For Thanksgiving ... Kennebunkport Brewing Company's Pumpkin Ale. It's said to be lightly spiced with pumpkin pie spices. I got our neighbor, John, to give it a test spin as he is British and surely as such, a connoiseur of good brews. He said it was very good.
Pilgrim Joe's Pumpkin Ice Cream -- It's a pale gold, sweet, but no overriding taste of pumpkin or spices. Would set off a pumpkin pie delicately, with richness. Incidentally, Richie uses a graham cracker crust for his pumpkin pies and next one he makes, he's going to dust the empty pie shell with pie spices which should add a nice zing!
Other Uses for Guacamole -- the French have (finally) discovered Mexican food and it turns out that they like guacamole. But, typically French, they do more with it -- a "tartine" is French for "open-faced sandwich," something the Danes do very, very well. Possibly not with a Mexican standard like guac. Toast a good slice of bread, slather with guacamole and dot with river shrimp. Used as a base for salmon tartare. Layered in crab salads or carefully, using a spoon, make quenelles as a garnish for gazpacho.
Litehouse Freeze-Dried Red Jalapenos - I keep the container near the stove and routinely toss in about a tablespoon to homemade or canned chili, garlic spaghetti sauce, or bean with bacon canned soup.
I discovered by accident that Himalayan pink salt crystals have a very sweet salt taste with just a hint of pepper behind that. Very good on my mother's recipe potato soup (along with a knob of butter.)
Trader Giotti's Mushroom Ravioli with Mushroom Truffle sauce are really good! The sauce is, of course, not overly truffled, probably because a single pound of truffles cost upwards of $2,200. You'll find them next to the $88 pistachio oil...
Pilgrim Joe's Pumpkin Ice Cream -- It's a pale gold, sweet, but no overriding taste of pumpkin or spices. Would set off a pumpkin pie delicately, with richness. Incidentally, Richie uses a graham cracker crust for his pumpkin pies and next one he makes, he's going to dust the empty pie shell with pie spices which should add a nice zing!
Other Uses for Guacamole -- the French have (finally) discovered Mexican food and it turns out that they like guacamole. But, typically French, they do more with it -- a "tartine" is French for "open-faced sandwich," something the Danes do very, very well. Possibly not with a Mexican standard like guac. Toast a good slice of bread, slather with guacamole and dot with river shrimp. Used as a base for salmon tartare. Layered in crab salads or carefully, using a spoon, make quenelles as a garnish for gazpacho.
Litehouse Freeze-Dried Red Jalapenos - I keep the container near the stove and routinely toss in about a tablespoon to homemade or canned chili, garlic spaghetti sauce, or bean with bacon canned soup.
I discovered by accident that Himalayan pink salt crystals have a very sweet salt taste with just a hint of pepper behind that. Very good on my mother's recipe potato soup (along with a knob of butter.)
Trader Giotti's Mushroom Ravioli with Mushroom Truffle sauce are really good! The sauce is, of course, not overly truffled, probably because a single pound of truffles cost upwards of $2,200. You'll find them next to the $88 pistachio oil...
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Signature Dishes
This never would have occurred to me as I try never to serve guests the same thing they had before. But Dorie Greensspan, author of "Around My French Table" Houghtin Mifflin Harcourt 530 pages - it's a lapful! $40 suggests you adopt a recipe for hors d'oeurs and make it often enough that guests eagerly whisper to each other, "I wonder if she made (the dish)?"
These are beautiful on the plate, but you're going to need strong arm muscles to make them.
GOUGERES
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
11 stick of butter, cut in four pieces
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely-grated cheese - Swiss or cheddar
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat and preheat the oven to 425
Bring the milk, water, butter and spice to a rapid boil. Add the flour all at once and start stirring. When the dough is smooth, take it off of the fire and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Don't worry if the dough separates, by the time you beat in the last egg, it will be smooth again. Beat in the grated cheese.
Drop the dough, a tablespoon at a time, on the baking sheets. Give each one plenty of "breathing space" about 2 in.
Turn the oven down to 325, slide the sheets in and bake for 12 minutes and then open the oven door and rotate the sheets. Bake for another 10-12 minutes.
PISTACHIO AVOCADO
2 perfectly ripe Hass avocados, split with the pits removed.
Fresh lemon juice - rub it into the hole so the avocado won't blacken
sea salt to taste
Pistachio oil
Lemon wedges for garnish. I'd be tempted to sprinkle some pistachios around the rim of the avocado - Trader Joe sells them already shelled.
Put each avocado half in a bowl and drizzle the pistachio oil into the hollow center and serve with a spoon.
I'd never heard of such a thing as "pistachio oil" but you can find it at amazon.com! The brand you want is Leblanc. P.S. I just loped off to amazon.com to see what I was talking about -- sit down. Two 8.5 oz. bottles of LeBlanc pistachio oil cost $88! La Tourrangel is $19.95
These are beautiful on the plate, but you're going to need strong arm muscles to make them.
GOUGERES
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
11 stick of butter, cut in four pieces
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cayenne (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely-grated cheese - Swiss or cheddar
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat and preheat the oven to 425
Bring the milk, water, butter and spice to a rapid boil. Add the flour all at once and start stirring. When the dough is smooth, take it off of the fire and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Don't worry if the dough separates, by the time you beat in the last egg, it will be smooth again. Beat in the grated cheese.
Drop the dough, a tablespoon at a time, on the baking sheets. Give each one plenty of "breathing space" about 2 in.
Turn the oven down to 325, slide the sheets in and bake for 12 minutes and then open the oven door and rotate the sheets. Bake for another 10-12 minutes.
PISTACHIO AVOCADO
2 perfectly ripe Hass avocados, split with the pits removed.
Fresh lemon juice - rub it into the hole so the avocado won't blacken
sea salt to taste
Pistachio oil
Lemon wedges for garnish. I'd be tempted to sprinkle some pistachios around the rim of the avocado - Trader Joe sells them already shelled.
Put each avocado half in a bowl and drizzle the pistachio oil into the hollow center and serve with a spoon.
I'd never heard of such a thing as "pistachio oil" but you can find it at amazon.com! The brand you want is Leblanc. P.S. I just loped off to amazon.com to see what I was talking about -- sit down. Two 8.5 oz. bottles of LeBlanc pistachio oil cost $88! La Tourrangel is $19.95
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
French Comfort Food
You might think it would be pate or something, but as comforting as it is to eat chunks of baguette with a schmear of pate, it's a garlic soup instead. It originated in Provence and its name there is "aigo bouido" or "boiled garlic soup."
I love garlic for its taste and healing properties. I had a lovely cream of garlic soup at the now-defunct Kip's, El Segundo, and when I came across this recipe, I tagged it.
AIGO BOUIDO
1 large head of garlic, split into cloves which are then cut in thin slivers - about 3/4 cup of garlic
6 fresh sage leaves, 2 bay leaves, 2 large sprigs of thyme, tied together in cheesecloth tied with kitchen string. Doesn't matter how it looks, it gets thrown out anyhow.
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
3 large egg yo9lks
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Put the water and broth together in a suitable pot, add the spices in their little bag and garlic and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 30 minutes
Remove the bouqet of spices and throw it away
In a separate bowl, mix the three egg yolks with the Parmesan, beating well. Add a bit of the soup and mix well. when the egg yolk mixture is thin enough, gently pour it into the simmering broth. Whisk well and take the pot off of the fire so you don't curdle the eggs.
Fill a bowl, add a dash of olive oil and eat!
I love garlic for its taste and healing properties. I had a lovely cream of garlic soup at the now-defunct Kip's, El Segundo, and when I came across this recipe, I tagged it.
AIGO BOUIDO
1 large head of garlic, split into cloves which are then cut in thin slivers - about 3/4 cup of garlic
6 fresh sage leaves, 2 bay leaves, 2 large sprigs of thyme, tied together in cheesecloth tied with kitchen string. Doesn't matter how it looks, it gets thrown out anyhow.
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
3 large egg yo9lks
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Put the water and broth together in a suitable pot, add the spices in their little bag and garlic and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 30 minutes
Remove the bouqet of spices and throw it away
In a separate bowl, mix the three egg yolks with the Parmesan, beating well. Add a bit of the soup and mix well. when the egg yolk mixture is thin enough, gently pour it into the simmering broth. Whisk well and take the pot off of the fire so you don't curdle the eggs.
Fill a bowl, add a dash of olive oil and eat!
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