BOOK/A TABLE - Oh, Fudge!

It was a dark and stormy midnight dreary...and in the kitchen, I was pondering weak and weary over a bubbling, miasmic brew...Dear God, what had I done? How would it all end?

Like the character of Janet in my previous chilling post, things did not end well. As the slab I’d laid out on the counter wasn’t hardening, I slowly had to face the truly frightening fact—my Hallowe’en fudge was a bust. That I had not made fudge at all, but instead, utterly ruined a batch of fudgy deliciousness. Murder most culinary, then—death by chocolate fudge!

I cook. I sometimes bake and it usually turns out better than I anticipate. And then there’s the art of making candy, which often requires specialized tools, such as an absolutely essential candy thermometer in this case. 

I wish that had been made clearer (or mentioned at all) in the first recipe I followed. But it didn’t. The thermometer I used was to check the internal temperatures of meat and the numbers just didn’t end up...panning out. The fudge MUST reach 234 degrees F (112 Celsius) to achieve the soft ball stage. Also, I discovered I didn’t have quite enough sugar when it came time to use it, so that was another problem. 

I’m not going to mention the author of that particular first recipe I tried, but as she linked to Hershey’s original (and much clearer) recipe anyway, that’s what I have included below with my comments in italics.

Cooking allows for personal interpretation and some freedom, whereas baking demands precision. Candy-making requires it.

However, I don’t mind telling you I put the chocolatey gloop in the freezer and over the next few days I gleefully, covertly, kept going back to dig it out with a big spoon, relishing the crusty bits on top. 

At least it didn’t have disastrous consequences for anyone else, like poor Maude in Leonora Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet, first published in the mid 70’s. Carrington, besides being an author, was also an incredible Surrealist artist (Madonna patterned her gown after a Carrington painting at the Met Gala just this year) and from most accounts, she was barking mad as well.

But it was just that sort of mind that gave life to the character of 92-year-old Marian Letherby. Recently given a hearing trumpet, one of the first things she overhears is her family plotting to put her in a sinister retirement home, where the buildings are shaped like igloos and religion is spewed like vile water. It’s certainly not the kind of place you want to be. Just listen as Marian explains to fellow inmate Georgina what really happened to Maude there:

    We had arrived at the bee pond...sat on a stone bench and I told Georgina the whole story of how I had watched Mrs. Van Tocht and Natacha put poison in the fudge, how Maude had followed Natacha, and afterwards stolen the fatal sweetmeat. Then the dramatic episode on the bungalow roof where we had discovered that dainty, feminine Maud is really a man.
    “Suffering cobras!” said Georgina who had gone pale. The fudge must have been meant for me. She had it all arranged.”
    The little reconciliation feast that Natacha had offered Georgina near the kitchen had been a deliberately planned murder.

So, how do I bring this fearsome fudge fiasco to a finish? I tried to make the fudge a second time (with a candy thermometer) and well, sometimes things just don’t work out. But I’m here for it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hope you have an easier time making this fudge than I did—please share your experiences with me. I’m heading back to the freezer.

Do enjoy and Happy Hallowe’en everybody!

Hershey’s Rich Cocoa Fudge
Ingredients
3 cups sugar
2⁄3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa or Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa 
1⁄8 tsp salt
1 1⁄2 cups milk
1⁄4 cup butter (1⁄2 stick)
1 tsp vanilla extract

You’ll need a saucepan, baking pan, candy thermometer, and wooden spoon

Directions
Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.

Mix 3 cups of sugar, 2/3 cup of Hershey’s Cocoa and 1/8 tsp salt in a heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in 1 1/2 cups of milk.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil (about 10 minutes). Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.) About 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup of butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss (about 7 minutes). 

Quickly spread in prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

*Note: For best results, do not double this recipe. This is one of our most requested recipes, but also one of our most difficult. The directions must be followed exactly. Beat too little and the fudge is too soft. Beat too long and it becomes hard and sugary. 

BOOK/A TABLE - A Small Pale Ghost

It doesn’t end well for Janet, the heroine of Elspeth Barker’s O Caledonia—it doesn’t begin all that well either, as we discover “bloody, murderous death” right on page one. What an opening! In between we are treated to haunting depictions of adolescence, family betrayals, freezing cold castles, and a menagerie of unusual pets amid the Highlands of Scotland and Barker’s beautifully incisive and clever prose. 

Before things really go south, Janet pays a visit to an aquarium with a few acquaintances (I wouldn’t really call them friends):

“There had been a happy fish in the aquarium house. It was a skate, a pure white skate, and it had moved vertically, floating up and down on a little wake of bubbles, like a handkerchief or a small pale ghost. As it floated, it opened and closed its mouth, and it had seemed to Janet that it was soundlessly singing “Hallelujah, hallelujah. It’s effortless dance was a dance of praise, a joyous offering.”

Now, I’ve never encountered a skate in an aquarium (or its natural habitat for that matter), but I frequently reflect upon the skate with grapefruit they used to serve at Crispo in Manhattan—that was certainly a joyous offering. 

Unfortunately, Crispo closed at least several years ago. But, after living so long in the same place, you kinda get used to your favorite restaurants disappearing, taking your favorite dishes with them. To remedy that, I often try to recreate these past plates at home.

For this delicious, delicate recipe, any flaky white fish will do (such as sole, turbot, or tilapia) if you can’t find skate. The recipe goes quickly so prepare your ingredients beforehand. Do enjoy!

My comments below in italics.

Skate with Grapefruit
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 small skate wings, each cut into 2 equal pieces
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup wondra or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sunflower or other neutral-tasting oil
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
1/3 cup lightly toasted blanched hazelnuts, coarsely chopped (this could certainly be optional)
4 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 small pink grapefruit, suprêmed and juice reserved, to yield 12 segments and 2 tablespoons juice (Perhaps you can use a jar of grapefruit segments to save time suprêming them? But use real grapefruit juice, not the syrup from the jar.)

Preparation
Step 1
Dredge Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat as you season skate with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Step 2
Sauté When pan is hot, add oil and heat until shimmering. Add skate pieces, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and sauté until fish is golden brown underneath, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Carefully turn pieces over with a fish spatula and reduce heat to medium. Cook until fish is uniformly opaque and browned on the other side, about 1 1/2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Step 3
Brown butter Wipe pan with paper towels and set over medium-low heat. Drop butter pieces into pan and swirl constantly (to cook evenly) until butter is melted and golden brown, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in thyme and citrus juices; the butter will spatter a bit. Add hazelnuts, then remove from heat.

Step 4
Serve Divide skate pieces among plates, arrange three grapefruit segments over each serving, and drizzle evenly with hazelnut brown butter. Serve immediately.

From Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Martha Stewart

BOOK/A TABLE - A Crashing Boar

Good evening...read on, if you dare...as I present this week’s groovy, ghoulish installment of terrible tales and regrettable recipes!

I first came upon The Girls peering out at me from a shelf in the Strand bookstore. I definitely judged a book by its cover in this case, with art courtesy of Edward Gorey and this quote on the back: “[For] those who feel Barbara Pym-ish on some days and Stephen King-ish on others.” Another quote stated John Bowen’s novel is “a wry, macabre tale of simple living, brutal murder, and a reasonably happy couple.” 

Sold! 

The whole thing begins when the girls (Janet and Susan) must contend with a wild boar that comes crashing into their gift shop. Do they kill it? I’m not going to tell you, however the boar is not the subject of the aformentioned brutal murder...

But I will tell you this, with equal parts pride and shame: after devouring a huge Florentine steak in Italy last year, my husband and I quickly dispatched an enormous plate of boar ragu parpardelle as well, with far greater aplomb than Janet and Susan did in ridding themselves of their boar.

“The boar turned his head. He could see in the antique marbled mirror an antique marbled boar, glaring at him, and from behind there came the confused noise of approaching humans. The boar charged...”

My husband and I also tried out a boar ragu recipe ourselves, once we returned stateside. It might seem like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. I think you’ll find it a fun dish to throw together—maybe on a lazy wintry afternoon—and a very tasty accomplishment as well. Just keep in mind the meat (substitute pork if you can’t find boar or if you’re skittish) should marinate overnight first before you get cooking.

 

My comments are below in italics. Do enjoy!

Wild Boar Ragu with Pappardelle
Adapted from The Pasta Project
Ingredients
1.1 pounds wild boar (try D’Artagnan if your butcher can’t help) or pork

14 ounces pappardelle pasta

For Marinade
1 onion peeled and halved
1 carrot washed and cut into large pieces
1 celery stalk washed and cut into large pieces (for the onion, carrot, and celery save time by buying pre-cut mirepoix like at Trader Joe’s)
2-3 bay leaves
2 teaspoon juniper berries (or a nip of gin!)
2 cloves of garlic peeled
1 sprig rosemary
4 1/4 cups full-bodied Tuscan red wine, such as Chianti, other Sangiovese, Montepulciano or Valpolicella. (Merlot if your feeling frisky and French)
Ground black pepper

For the Sauce
1.1 lbs tomato passata (strained tomatoes) or peeled tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, washed and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, washed and finely chopped (again, look to Trader Joe’s for pre-cut mirepoix)
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves peeled
3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
5 fl ozs red wine
Salt for pasta and to taste
Black pepper to taste

Instructions
Wash the wild boar meat (or pork), cut it into chunks and put it in a large bowl.

Add the onion (peeled and cut in half) and the carrot and the celery in large pieces (or the mirepoix), the 2 peeled cloves of garlic, the bay leaves, the juniper berries, the rosemary and some black pepper.

Cover with red wine and mix.

Cover the container with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to stand in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

Once the necessary time has passed, drain the meat and eliminate the vegetables and herbs. You can cut the meat into smaller pieces if preferred.

Make the Ragu
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet and fry the garlic, carrot, celery, and onion slightly (with a tablespoon or two of tomato paste—this helps the sauce cling to the meat). Add the bay leaves.

Add the wild boar meat and brown it on all sides.

Add the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate (when you can no longer taste the acidity).

Lower the flame and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the crushed/peeled tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook with the flame reduced to a minimum for about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the size of the pieces of wild boar and how old it is. Stir occasionally and add some beef stock or water if the sauce seems dry.

While the ragu is cooking put a pot of water onto boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. When you are ready to serve your wild boar ragu, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Remove the bay leaves and garlic cloves and add the pasta to the ragu and mix together carefully. You don’t want to break the pasta ribbons.

Serve immediately. Italians don’t normally add grated cheese to this dish or chopped parsley.

Thanks to sipandfeast.com for the image!

BOOK/A TABLE - A Fig for Regret

In anticipation of Hallowe’en, I’ll be featuring a few frightening reads and recipes all this month—fantastically creepy novels that will keep you up at night...thinking about the recipes inspired by them!

I was at Mermaid Inn a few weeks ago where a Fig and Blackberry Bramble was the special cocktail of the evening. A traditional Bramble is also gin-based and rather summery, but this twist on a classic definitely signaled the promise of fall. I happened to spy a bottle of fig bitters behind the bar at Mermaid Inn and I regret not asking for the cocktail recipe, however I’m sure a few splashes figured into it. 

I found another recipe (below) and perhaps instead of muddling the figs as the recipe suggests, I suspect you can boil some dried figs in equal parts sugar and water to make your own simple fig syrup. Then just add to your shaker as instructed.

Anyway, as I was compiling the list of my favorite crawl-under-your-skin books to share here, I had to put Barbara Comyns’s Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead among them. Her cunning little masterpiece is about an English village afflicted by a flood (with ducks swimming through the drawing-room windows) and the series of gruesome deaths that mysteriously follow. 

And who do you imagine is the hero of the tale, with a long, sallow face? Why a young man named Fig, of course, pursued by a young lady named Norah who rather fancies him.

“When Fig returned for his tea, instead of the soggy bread that smelt of paraffin and the jar of fish paste with green mold on top which were usually arranged on a newspaper, there was a neatly laid table with a newly baked cake. All around there was a strong smell of soap and floor polish.
    Fig drew down his long upper lip and scowled. Much as he disliked his mother’s filthy ways, he resented Norah’s interference even more. For some time he had suspected she was cleaning his mother’s cottage; now he knew...”

Sounds to me like Fig needs something stronger than tea—or something other than Norah’s interfering cake. Perhaps a Fig and Blackberry Bramble?

Do enjoy! My comments below are in italics.

Fig and Blackberry Bramble
Ingredients
Gin: 2 oz of your favorite dry gin. Such as Hendricks 
Fresh Figs: 2 ripe figs (one quartered for muddling, one sliced for garnish). Try boiling dried figs for your simple fig syrup instead
Blackberries: 6–8 fresh blackberries, divided.
Lemon Juice: 0.75 oz freshly squeezed.
Simple Syrup: 0.5 oz (or honey syrup for a richer profile). Or the simple fig syrup you've made!
Liqueur (Optional): 0.5 oz crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur) to float on top

Crushed Ice: To fill the glass.

Instructions
Muddle the quartered fig and 5 blackberries with the lemon juice and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
Add the gin and fill the shaker with ice, then shake vigorously for 10–15 seconds.
Strain the mixture over a glass filled with fresh crushed ice. Drizzle the crème de mûre over the top so it bleeds into the drink (Ooooh! Spooky!) and garnish with an extra fresh fig half and the remaining blackberries.

Thanks to thinkginclub.com for the image!

Banana Bread Surprise

I didn’t mean to do it. At least, I hadn’t planned to that day. But after taking my constitutional at 4:20 pm, I suddenly found myself in a powdery cloud of flour, gripping a whisk with one hand and a fist full of cracked eggs in the other over a bowl of mashed bananas, ready-to-go. I was making banana bread! Surprise!

A few weeks ago, I had put several bananas in the freezer after they had turned brown, imagining I would make banana bread one day, if I didn’t forget about them completely. It was sort of a mini-mission of mine; I feel I have been disappointed in the past by my efforts with bland banana bread recipes. This one turned out to be a keeper, a super moist and tasty treat. I think freezing overripe bananas is preferable here, by the way. You just have to thaw them first before using. 

I left out the suggested walnuts because I didn’t have any. I didn’t use raisins because I don’t like them. Anyway, do whatever you choose, try it plain as I did―or maybe you have some dried cherries...or...add spiced gumdrops to your banana bread for a fun holiday gift. Add a splash of rum and top with coconut anytime and call it Banana Colada Bread!

Banana Bread 
Adapted from natashaskitchen.com

Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas, (medium/large)
½ cup unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp) at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts
½ cup raisins

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a bread loaf pan (9.25 long x 5.25 wide x 2.75 deep). Lightly roast walnuts on a skillet, continuously stirring so they won’t burn. Coarsely chop and cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, cream together 8 Tbsp softened butter and 3/4 cup sugar (or honey if using honey).

Mash bananas with a fork until the consistency of chunky applesauce and add them to the batter along with 2 eggs, mixing until blended.

In a separate bowl, whisk together: 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt then add to batter.

Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix in chopped walnuts and raisins. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350˚F for 55-60 min or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let banana bread rest for 10 min before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Molto Mafalde

I was trying to find a restaurant for a small get-together with friends while weighing the outrageous cost of dining out against the general indifference of servers and staff everywhere these days, ie. where would be an affordable place to dine where the waitpeople don’t make you feel like they would so rather be anywhere else than attending to your dining needs. But I get it, I mean, everybody’s on edge.

Anyway, as I was searching...I came across a restaurant that included an enticing dish of mafalde with veal ragu on the menu. After some more scrolling, I discovered mafalde (or mafaldine) are flat ribbons of pasta with ruffled edges, the better to catch all the delicious meat and sauce.

We didn’t wind up going to that particular restaurant of my mafalde and veal dreams, but intrigued, I found a similar recipe and set out to make it myself. What an easy dish―and what a wonderful opportunity to enliven a typical pasta night by swapping the usual spaghetti with an unusual noodle such as mafalde and then adding the elegant flavor of veal (as opposed to plain old ground beef) and cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage) to the mix for a special evening. 

The original recipe by Marco Masotti from Sella Vinoteca is here, but I tightened it up and my version is below (I also converted the measurements). Veal blade or shoulder is nearly impossible to find, but I think ground veal works better than diced anyway. Also, a classic mixture of veal, pork, and beef would be a great idea with a little demi-glace stirred in at the end to simmer, at the step when the ragu is turned back on.

Do enjoy!

Mafalde with Veal Ragu and Cavolo Nero 
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 lbs yellow onions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs ground veal
2 cups white cooking wine
1 bunch Tuscan cabbage, leafy parts separated from stems*
1/2 lb Grana Padano, grated (use most for the ragu, reserve some to finish the dish)
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt to taste
2 lbs Mafalde pasta (fresh, if you can find it; otherwise dried)

Method
Peel and slice the onions, place them in a large pot with the olive oil and start cooking on low heat.

In the meantime, julienne the cabbage and refrigerate.

Once the onions are soft, turn the heat up, add the meat and season with salt.

Cook on high heat until most of the liquid released from the meat is evaporated, stirring; add the white wine and cook until that’s reduced as well.

Finally add the vegetable stock, bring back to simmer and turn the heat low; cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Once your ragu is ready, turn the heat off and add the julienned Tuscan cabbage, stir and let rest, adjust the seasoning.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta 1 minute less than recommended.

Turn your ragu back on, add the Grana Padano.

Strain the pasta ‘al dente’ and finish to cook for the remaining minute inside the ragu.

Finish with the remainder of the Grana Padano and serve.

*To separate leafy greens from stems―stack a few stems and grab with one hand; grab the base of the leaves with your other hand and pull apart. Or just cut the stems out using a sharp knife. 

COOKBOOK/A TABLE - Watercressida Soup!

I was in high school the first time I visited Manhattan, circa ’85, having only previously dreamt of the city through the lens of Cole Porter, the Tony Awards, and my subscriptions to Interview magazine and The New Yorker. My friend and her father took me out to dinner at the legendary Café Luxembourg, a soaring bistro on the Upper West Side, full of caned chairs and a cocktail-swilling crowd at the terribly chic bar. I was beside myself, of course, because the restaurant always took out full-page ads in Interview.

The menu offered mussels, which I hardly cared for at the time—I loved oysters, escargots and clams, but I had never eaten mussels; I only knew that they hid in the mud, waiting to cut into my feet along the shores of Maine’s Muscongus Bay, where my parents used to have a cottage. Watercress & Snow Pea Soup was also on the menu—what on earth was watercress? Snow peas? Sounded rather grand and somewhat impenetrable to me. 

I’m not sure now what I actually did order, but I remember dining there was an absolutely thrilling night out in New York. It was also a satisfying measure of time when I was able to take a client to Café Luxembourg as my guest years later and then was asked to review it in a professional capacity as a restaurant critic. New York is funny that way.

Naturally, when my cousin sent me a copy of Cooking with Shakespeare by Annette Francis & Paula Hober (“A bard’s-eye view of goodly cookery created for contemporary epicures”), I was drawn to the Watercressida Soup inspired by Troilus and Cressida, similar to a summery vichyssoise emboldened with, yes, the deeper flavor of watercress. See what they did there? Peppers Cleopatra also called to me, as did Cassius Cassoulet and A Midsummer Night’s Crème, but that’s perhaps for another post.

I’ve neither read nor seen a production of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, but I can suggest that Watercressida Soup is ideal for this transitional time, as we slowly slide into fall while summer draws to a “close”, at least officially, next week. Snow peas optional.

If soup be the food of love, play on—and do enjoy!

Watercressida Soup
4 servings
Ingredients
2 1/2 potatoes
One bunch fresh watercress
2 tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced
One small carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
One teaspoon salt
1 1/2 quarts boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks, well beaten
Dash of freshly ground pepper
Croutons

Method
Peel and slice the potatoes. Remove any damaged leaves from the watercress and rinse several times. Reserve a few nice leaves to garnish the soup. Drain the remaining watercress in a salad basket. Coarsely chop the washed watercress and combine with potatoes, green onion, carrot, parsley, and salt in boiling water. Cook over high heat until the potatoes are tender. Rub through a sieve. Add to puree the butter, cream, egg yolks, a dash of pepper, and salt to taste. Heat through, stirring, but do not boil. Serve hot. Decorate with the reserved watercress leaves and serve with croutons.

“...to be wise and love exceeds man's might; that dwells with gods above.”

—Troilus and Cressida Act III, Scene ii, 149-150

BOOK/A TABLE - Forever ‘21’

I was ten years old when I first saw The Spy Who Loved Me in theaters. I was obsessed with the title song by Carly Simon, bought the album and toy version of the amazing white Lotus Esprit S1 car that also functioned as a submarine (with retractable fins) and launched missiles. It was awesome.

                              
I’ve seen all of the Bond movies since. Sean Connery is classic, of course, but Daniel Craig actually seems like a killer—although neither of them are how I picture Bond from the books. I recently read Diamonds are Forever (1956), and was taken in so easily by the descriptions of New York, Vegas, and the races at Saratoga in that era. I always love the chilled cocktails (check out here and here) and the groovy girls, but got a particular kick from the evocative chapter titles in this installation such as Hot Ice, Night Falls in the Passion Pit, Spectreville, and my favorite—Love and Bearnaise Sauce.

In Diamonds are Forever, Bond’s old pal Leiter takes him to Sardi’s for a grilled steak (there’s a lot of food mentioned in the book):

“And I’ve taken a chance and ordered you smoked salmon and Brizzola,” said Leiter. “This is one of the best places in town for beef, and Brizzola is the best cut of that, straight cut across the bone. Roasted and then broiled. Suit you?”

“Anything you say,” said Bond.

Then they go off to ‘21’ which is funny because I actually have the recipe for Brizzola that also used to be served there, found in my beloved copy of The ‘21’ Cookbook. Former ‘21’ executive chef Michael Lomonaco tells us that Steak Brizzola served at the restaurant (sadly shuttered in 2020) was cooked on a high-temperature grill. Outdoor grilling at home is the preferred method at home, but a broiler will work with the door ajar. Or simply pan-fry!

Here is the wagyu ribeye we picked up on huge sale at Eataly over the Labor Day weekend, before we dropped it in the pan for our own Brizzola. And then I was too eager to eat it to take any other pictures. 

Dum ditty dum dum dum dum dum dum ditty dum dum... (my approximation of the Bond theme) ...do enjoy!

‘21’ Traditional Rib Steak “Brizzola”
Serves 4 to 8

Ingredients
4 (16- to 18-ounce rib steaks)
2 tablespoons pure olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
Brush the steaks with olive oil. Spread a little of the chopped garlic on both sides of all the steaks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Over a hot barbecue grill, or in a broiler that has been preheated at least 20 minutes, cook the steaks on both sides to the desired doneness. Generally, a steak of this size, cooked over a barbecue grill, will be medium rare within 12 minutes (6 minutes on each side).

I thought to include an additional suggestion, if you would like a butter baste: Halfway through the cooking process, drop the unsalted butter, crushed garlic, and rosemary sprig into the pan. Sprinkle with a pinch dried oregano and black pepper. Continuously spoon the foaming, hot melted butter over the top of the steak until it reaches your preferred internal temperature (about 57°C / 135°F for medium-rare).

Let 'Em Eat Crab Cakes (with Saffron Vinaigrette)!

If you can decipher my besmeared and bespattered print-out, you can see I first came upon Martha Stewart’s recipe for crab cakes in 2000. I have made them pretty much every summer since—another one of the cool favorites I like to make when it is hot outside. 

Having posted about Lobster Thermidor over Memorial Day weekend this year, I thought I would include crab cakes for Labor Day weekend to bookend the summer (although the season is not yet over, in my book). Also, I figured I should create a digital copy of the recipe (no longer available online) before the print-out becomes completely unreadable. 

I don’t use any peppers as the recipe suggests, nor do I always use sourdough bread crumbs. Rarely do I splurge on lump meat; the less expensive claw meat works just fine. And I prefer Louisiana’s Crystal sauce over Tabasco. But the surprising thing here is just how much the saffron vinaigrette tastes like more traditional accompaniment to crab cakes, tartar sauce! Clever and delicious.

Should you be in the mood for more crab, look to Molly O’Neill’s wonderful Couscous and Crab Salad with Cucumber and Mint.

Do enjoy!

Crab Cakes with Saffron Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 LB jumbo lump blue crab meat
One large egg, beaten
One large egg yolk, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 pinches finely chopped fresh Rosemary leaves
1/2 cup dried sourdough bread crumbs
Tabasco, to taste
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Saffron Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Chives, cut into 2-inch lengths, for garnish
1/4 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato, for garnish

Method
Heat oven to 373 five degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (French non-stick baking mat). In a medium bowl, combine crab, egg, egg yolk, garlic, onion, red and green pepper, salt, thyme, rosemary, bread crumbs, Tabasco and three tablespoons olive oil. Cover and chill for at least 10 minutes. Shape into five 2-inch thick cakes. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add crab cakes. And sauté until lightly browned, about two minutes per side. Remove from sauté pan and place unprepared baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until heated through, about 7 minutes.

Drizzle plates with saffron vinaigrette. Garnish plates with chives and diced tomato. Top with crab cakes.

Saffron Vinaigrette
Makes 1/2 cup
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch saffron, preferably Spanish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a small food processor, combine lemon juice, mustard, sugar, and saffron. Blend until uniform in color. Slowly add oils and pepper, pulsing to combine.

BOOK/A TABLE - Cowboy Caviar

I picked up Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove after having read Virginia Evans’ fantastic epistolary novel The Correspondent, where a fictional correspondence with the McMurtry occurs within the pages. I didn’t know much about the book at all, nor did I realize it was now enjoying its 41st anniversary. 

About a quarter through the considerable tome, I was thrilled to join in on a Lonesome Dove conversation I happened to overhear in a bookstore, and was stunned to see a recent article in The New Yorker about what to read after Lonesome Dove! Rarely have I felt so attuned to any sort of zeitgeist.

When I told a friend I what I was reading, he cocked an eye, raised an eyebrow and said, “A western?” I replied, “Well, sorta...” and said that although the action takes place in the Old West, the book is many things...it’s also a love story. Yes, there are those themes you’d expect, like nature’s savagery and the savage nature of man, but the characters could really be anywhere, their souls filled with hope and regrets, the same as anyone else, even as they weigh their mortality and wonder at the stars in the nighttime sky.

I also reminded my friend that Lonesome Dove won the Pulitzer. 

By book’s end, I realized I had fallen in love myself. I think the characters of Call and Augustus will saddle up to a special forever place in your bookish heart as well—and when you have your next glass of water, give a moment to appreciate how good it really is.

Now, the cowboys do travel with a cook as they make the harrowing trek from Arkansas to Montana herding cattle, and they can’t be too picky, of course, but what they actually eat sounds super gross. I will therefore spare you any sort of recipe involving worms or grasshoppers and instead, offer up a delicious recipe for Cowboy Caviar, similar to what they serve at Cowgirl back here in my home, on the range of Manhattan.

Do enjoy!

Cowboy Caviar
Adapted from loveandlemons.com

Ingredients

1½ cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

1½ cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
½ cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, reserve some for garnish
2 large avocados, pitted and diced
Tortilla chips, for serving

Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime, plus more wedges for serving
1¼ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together the black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and most of the cilantro.

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, sugar, garlic, cumin, and several grinds of pepper. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and stir to combine.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Just before serving, fold in the avocado and season to taste. I like to add a few more squeezes of lime at this point. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

BOOK/A TABLE - Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding

It could well be that marmalade was created by one of the nurses attending Mary, Queen of Scots when her lady fell ill. The nurse is purported to have prepared a soothing concoction of sugar and oranges for Mary saying, in French, “Marie est malade...” Marmalade!

However, the idea of making this Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding came from Blaming by one of my British authoress idols, Elizabeth Taylor. When Amy is left widowed on holiday in Istanbul, another woman comforts her and returns home to England with her, but Amy finds it difficult to maintain their unusual relationship afterward and naturally, complications ensue.  

I adore this book, like all the others in Taylor’s canon, but it was the mention of this pudding that I found particularly inspiring. Can you blame me? 

The character of James is trying to cut down on sweet things, but his resolve weakens at the discovery of this pudding that Amy made. 

“What kind?” he asked cautiously.
“That marmalade bread and butter one that your father liked so much. You did, too.”
“Bread and butter...yes, oh yes, I remember...I think I do remember.” He had forgotten until now all the delicious English puddings.

Serve your pudding warm after cooling completely and reheating—you want it to set completely. It’s also fantastic ice cold from the fridge the next day. It is “super easy” to make, as Jamie Oliver states, but you still have to crack and separate nine eggs.

Do enjoy! 

Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding
Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients
For the flavoured butter
100g (7 TB) unsalted butter, softened
a large pinch of ground nutmeg
a large pinch of ground cinnamon
zest of 1 large orange

8 x 1cm (about ½”) slices of good-quality bread
9 large free-range or organic eggs

140g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
500ml (2 cups) semi-skimmed milk
565ml (2 1/3 cups) single cream
1 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds removed
4 tablespoons good-quality fine-cut marmalade

Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.

First make your flavoured butter by mixing the butter with the nutmeg, cinnamon and orange zest. Use a little of it to butter a medium-sized shallow, ovenproof dish.

Butter the bread using the flavoured butter, then cut each slice in half diagonally. Put the slices in your buttered dish.

Now separate the eggs, reserving all 9 yolks but just 1 egg white. Whisk together the egg yolks and egg white with the sugar, then gently heat the milk and cream in a saucepan with the vanilla seeds and pod. Pour into the eggs, stirring all the time. Remove the vanilla pod then pour the mixture over the bread and leave to soak for at least 20 minutes.

Put the dish in a roasting tray and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the dish. Then put it in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until the custard has just set.

Meanwhile, gently warm the marmalade in a saucepan, then remove the dish from the oven and brush the marmalade over the top of the bread. Pop the dish back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. Allow it to cool and firm up slightly before serving.

 

 

 

A Few of My Favorite Summer Things

                                                        Art by Pete

While I’m on vacation, enjoy these dishes that have become my must-makes over many summers now. For your consideration—a soup, salad, and an entree!

Take your pick of the best tomatoes and put them in this Gazpacho Andaluz.  

A sumptuous Summer Salad is beautifully made with the bounty of the season. 

Trenette col Pesto Genovese (that’s pasta with pesto, bliss potatoes, and green beans to you and me, bub) is a wonderful classic Italian dish, highly suitable for this time of year. 

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Duck with Peaches and Blueberry Jam

 

Today I present another adventure in Freezer Diving! And it’s a good one. I found duck breasts in our freezer along with a bag of frozen peaches. I then turned to the fruit-forward cookbook Fruitful for ideas. I ended up with a riff on a duck recipe that called for honeyed gooseberries. As I didn’t have gooseberries at the ready, I subbed in peaches and blueberry jam, and it all turned out to be, well...rather fruitful! 

If you already have some juicy stone fruits waiting on the counter, by all means use those. Freezer Diving is a game of invention played with ingredients you already have on hand, and this time, frozen peaches worked for me (as well as the jar of Stonewall Kitchen blueberry jam lurking in the fridge). I sometimes like to think of recipes as blueprints for meal-building; scaffolding to be altered according to what flavors you like together—or simply what needs to be smartly used up before it goes to waste.  

This duck is not difficult to make, but your delighted guests need never know. So, throw open your cupboards, root through your freezer, and let the games begin!

Duck with Peaches and Blueberry Jam
Adapted from Fruitful by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients  
Duck
One 1 lb Moulard Magret duck breast, split for two portions, excess fat trimmed from edges
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (or one teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Peach-Blueberry Sauce
One pint frozen peaches
3 tablespoons blueberry jam
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Score the duck breast skin in a crosshatch pattern, making the slices as deep as possible without cutting into the meat. Season with salt and pepper on each side.

In a small bowl combine the fennel, thyme, and olive oil. Rub the mixture over the duck breast. Let the seasoned duck stand at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for one hour.

Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Place the duck, skin side down, in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium high and cook for about 8 minutes (keep a careful eye when skin achieves a deep golden brown), continuously draining or spooning off the rendered fat. Turn the duck and cook it to your desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes longer for medium rare. Transfer the breasts to a platter and cover them with foil to keep warm. Reserve one tablespoon of fat from the pan; use the rest for something else.

For the peaches, return the skillet to medium high heat. Add the peaches and 2 tablespoons of blueberry jam. Simmer until peaches soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of jam, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the duck breast thinly against the grain arrange the slices on the serving plates, spoon the peach-blueberry sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Panzanella

Oh! I feel such disappointment when a waxy tomato, pale as the moon, shows up while dining out! What a missed opportunity. These flavorless things that some restaurants try to pass off as tomatoes are just outrageous. I wonder why they even bother to serve them at all. 

But there’s no excuse for such nonsense right now. Summer’s here and the time is ripe for tomatoes! Grab them while they are in high season to make the best bread salad tossed with roasted peppers, olives, anchovies, and basil. Tuscany is just a breath away!

Panzanella 
Adapted from Saveur magazine

Ingredients
3 loaves ciabatta (Italian slipper bread, stale)
2 1⁄4 lb. fresh plum tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 red bell peppers (time-saving roasted peppers from a jar would certainly work)*
3 yellow bell peppers 
4 oz. salted capers
6 anchovy filets
5 oz. black olives, pitted
Leaves from 1 bunch basil

Instructions
Cut bread into rough, thick slices, and place in a large bowl.

Peel and halve tomatoes, then seed them into a sieve over a bowl to retain juice. Set tomato halves aside. Discard seeds. Season juice with garlic, black pepper, 1 cup olive oil, and 2–3 tbsp. vinegar. Pour juice over bread and toss until it absorbs all the liquid. If more liquid is required to soak bread completely, add more olive oil.

Blacken peppers over a grill or gas burner *(or use the jar variety), then peel, seed, and cut lengthwise into eighths.

Rinse salt from capers and soak in remaining vinegar.

Gently mix together tomato halves, peppers, drained capers, anchovies, olives, and basil.

Fill a large bowl with alternating layers of soaked bread and pepper mixture, beginning with bread and ending with pepper mixture. Allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Serve moistened with additional extra-virgin olive oil.

 

This Just In — Dumpling Lasagna!

The hubs and I were so enamored by a post for Dumpling Lasagna we found on Facebook that we pulled out the wonton skins we’d stashed in the freezer at some point to get started—and I pushed back the recipe I originally had intended to post this week to share the fab recipe for Dumpling Lasagna with you! 

I think this tasty lasagna is a perfect thing to make with the young ones. Not only is it simply made and pleasing to most palates, it’s also on the table in a snap. My comments below in italics.

Thanks to Chris Lee for the inspo! 

Dumpling Lasagna

Adapted from Chris Lee/Facebook

Ingredients
1 lb extra lean ground chicken
Chopped green onion
2 teaspoons grated ginger (one scant teaspoon fresh ginger is good, or to taste!)
One tablespoon garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
One tablespoon sesame oil
One tablespoon oyster sauce
One teaspoon brown splenda (we had light brown sugar on hand)
One teaspoon salt (I don't think it's needed)
2 teaspoons white pepper (very strong, we used one teaspoon)

1/4 cup chicken broth
10 to 11 sheets wonton wrapper (a strange number; we used twelve sheets, overlapped)

Sesame oil soy sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce, half teaspoon of sesame oil, pinch of chili flakes

Instructions
1. Into a bowl combine the following ingredients. Chicken, green onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, brown splenda, salt, white pepper, mix!
2. In a baking dish layer the ingredients like lasagna. Start with a layer of meat mixture wonton skins and so on.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of chicken broth on top of the finished layers.
4. Steam the baking dish for 20 to 25 minutes until the entire dish is cooked.
5. Top with soy sauce mixture green onions sesame seeds and enjoy.

BOOK/A TABLE - A Toast to French Toast

In honor of Bastille Day, I’d like to propose a toast—to the French Toast Loaf! And let’s raise a glass to Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables as well, the epic tome that captured France in the early years of the nineteenth century so vividly. It also happens to be a great read.

Hugo’s hero Jean Valjean was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread, of course, but I can’t help but feel the gendarmes of the day would have turned a blind eye if he’d stolen this fantastic French Toast Loaf instead! I mean, who could blame him?

This is a perfectly portable dish after all (you can also try stuffing your mixture into muffin tins), to be delivered to a friend’s brunch table or simply enjoyed for breakfast at home with a liberal slathering of butter, alongside a cup of steaming coffee and fresh juice. Grab on the way to work or consider as a dessert, topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

A spritz of Cointreau or brandy might be a nice finishing touch to the syrup added to the top of your loaf and certainly feel free to add in some chopped pecans or walnuts. Crispy bacon crumbles...? 

As Hugo wrote: “Happiness unadorned is like unbuttered bread: one may eat it but one does not dine.” 

So cheers then, to a whole lot of adorned happiness!

Behold the innards of our marbelized loaf...at a quick glance, one might mistake it for a sumptuously good terrine or a gooey mille-feuille pastry!

French Toast Loaf
(Serves four comfortably for a lovely breakfast accompaniment)
Ingredients
4 x 6 1/2-inch foil loaf pan 
4 challah rolls, torn apart by hand
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (or maple syrup)
1/2 TB ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp lemon zest from fresh lemon
A few fresh grinds of black pepper
Pinch or two salt

Method
Pre-heat 400-degree oven. Lightly coat pan with butter or a few sprays of Pam. Whisk together wet ingredients in a serviceable bowl and add in spices. This is where the few drops of liqueur could be added in as well before mixing in some chopped nuts. Add challah pieces and coat thoroughly (it is very important to soak all the pieces) mashing it all together with your fingers and tightly molding it together before slipping the mixture into your pan. Spray with Pam. Put into oven for five minutes before reducing heat to 350-degrees for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven and pour maple syrup on top and let rest for five minutes before serving.  

Did you ever see the musical version of Les Misérables? Several times? Let me know in the comments!

Parmesan Bowls

Quick and easy are watchwords when it comes to summer cooking and of course, fun is as essential in summertime as sunscreen. My little cousin (now a married lady and a mom) nearly lost her mind when I introduced her to the Parmesan bowl concept years ago, filling the cheesy vessel with salad and chives out of her parents’ summer garden.

Part serving dish, part Parmesan crisp, these delightful bowls always deliver a fair share of oohs and ahs. So grab some parm and get started!

Parmesan Cheese Bowls
Grab two microwave safe nesting bowls.

Line a large flat plate with parchment paper; make a circle template by putting the smaller of the bowls upside-down on the parchment and tracing a circle around the opening.

Remove the bowl, add the cheese. Spread a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese onto the parchment, a bit larger than the traced outline.

Microwave the cheese (on the parchment) on high for about 1 minute or until melted and golden.

While still hot, quickly drape the parchment, cheese-side up, over the smaller upside-down bowl; immediately top with the other larger bowl. Let sit and cool for 3 minutes.

Let set and separate: Remove top bowl and gently invert the Parmesan bowl. Carefully remove the parchment. Allow to fully harden, about 15 minutes. 

Fill with greens (or whatever else you like) and do enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Red Onion Jam

 

Just in time for the upcoming fireworks, here’s a bursting flavor bomb that’s super easy to prepare and can be made ahead for a sit-down dinner or to bring along to a celebratory BBQ! What more do you need?

The chicken marinates in the morning or afternoon in a delicious blend of herbs and garlic. The red onion jam can sit out all day to cool! Top the grilled chicken with the jam for a summery meal at home or wedge between slices of a hearty white bread and it’s picnic-ready.

I believe recipes are stories; some to be adapted as we go along. I thought red wine, sherry vinegar, and black raspberry liqueur was too heavy for summer, so I lightened it up with white wine, champagne vinegar and orangey Grand Marnier, as suggested below in italics. I also don’t have a backyard grill (or a backyard for that matter), but a hot skillet worked just fine, as would a grill pan.

Happy 4th of July, everybody!

Chicken with Red Onion Jam
Ingredients
For the Chicken
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup minced parsley (2 tbsp dried parsley)
1⁄4 cup minced basil (1 tbsp dried basil)
2 tbsp minced rosemary (1 tsp dried rosemary)
2 tbsp minced thyme (1 tsp dried thyme)
1 tsp crushed red chile flakes (couple of jolts of hot sauce)
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon (1/4 cup lime juice, plus 1 tsp dried lemon zest)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to ¼” thickness, halved

For the Red Onion Jam
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 large red onions, sliced thin
3⁄4 cup dry red wine (white wine)
1⁄2 cup sherry vinegar (champagne vinegar)
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup black raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord (Grand Marnier)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method
Make the chicken: Mix oil, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, chile flakes, garlic, and lemon juice and zest in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or overnight).

Meanwhile, make the jam: Heat butter in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add wine, vinegar, sugar, liqueur, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until thick, about 40 minutes; let jam cool.

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat broiler to high.) Working in batches, grill chicken, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve with jam.

Luscious Lemon Possets

I first heard of lemon possets at Dean’s, the new-ish pubtwist restaurant cleverly installed in SoHo. There we enjoyed a wonderfully modern twist on classic British pub fare, supping on Scotch eggs, perfectly crusted pasties, knockout grilled liver, and lettuces lushly dressed with coronation chicken salad cream. 

When it came time for dessert, I asked about the possets on the menu and was thrilled to learn of the traditional British dessert, similar to a pudding, but also like a tingly lemony curd.

Since our lingering afternoon at Dean’s, I’ve noticed possets trending on a few other New York tables as well—then a recipe for them popped up in the New York Times and I had to share here.

Do enjoy!

Lemon Possets
By Toni Chapman

Yield:10 servings
Ingredients
6 large lemons
2 cups/480 milliliters heavy cream (see Tip)
⅔ cup sugar
Pinch of fine salt
Fresh mint, for garnish

Preparation
Step 1
Halve 5 of the lemons lengthwise. Working over a fine-mesh sieve set in a bowl, scoop out the pulp from each half with a spoon (you can use a knife to help cut around the edges first) and press it through the sieve to extract the juice. Measure out ⅓ cup juice for the possets; save any extra for another use. Set the hollow lemon shells cut-side up on a tray, or nestle them in a muffin tin so they do not tip in the fridge. Zest the remaining lemon.

Step 2
In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest and salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Let it simmer undisturbed for 3 minutes to thicken slightly and concentrate the flavor. (The cream needs to simmer for the full 3 minutes; under-reducing is one of the most common reasons a posset fails to set.)

Step 3
Remove from the heat and pour the cream mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup or pitcher, leaving the zest behind. Whisk in the lemon juice until fully combined. The mixture will thicken slightly as the acid is incorporated.

Step 4
Pour the posset mixture into the lemon shells while it is still warm — not bubbling hot, but not cooled either. You want it loose enough to pour smoothly; if you wait too long it will start to set. (If that happens, warm it very gently over low heat just to loosen it back up.) Slide the whole tray into the refrigerator and chill uncovered for at least 4 hours, or until fully set.

Tips
Full-fat heavy cream is the only thing that will set this. Half-and-half, light cream, or anything plant-based will give you a runny pool, not a posset.

A muffin tin is the easiest way to keep the lemon shells perfectly upright in the fridge — each cup holds one half steady.

Make-ahead: The possets can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once fully set, cover loosely with plastic wrap.

 

Thanks to lifestyleofafoodie.com for the photo!

BOOK/A TABLE - Summer Vegetable Soup

The first day of summer is only a few days away and in Manhattan, it feels as if we’ve already settled well into it. I had never read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar until last year, and what I remember, of all things, is the striking description on the first page that evokes a New York summer so brilliantly.

“By nine in the morning the fake, country-wet freshness that somehow seeped in overnight evaporated like the tail end of a sweet dream. Mirage-gray at the bottom of their granite canyons, the hot streets wavered in the sun, the car tops sizzled and glittered, and the dry, cindery dust blew into my eyes and down my throat.”

The point is made: New York City gets awfully hot this time of year. Far better to pour a nice summer soup down your throat instead, don’t you think? My tattered issue of Saveur from 1995 has got the goods. Grab the freshest vegetables you can find and do enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Saveur
Ingredients
6 cups simple vegetable stock
1 large carrot, peeled, trimmed, and diced
1⁄4 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced, tops reserved for garnish
6 small red or white new potatoes, sliced
2 small yellow or green summer squash, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small sprigs fresh parsley
4 small sprigs fresh chervil

Method
Step 1
Bring stock to a simmer in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, beans, fennel, potatoes, and squash, cover pot, and gently simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 2
To serve, ladle into individual bowls and garnish with reserved fennel tops, parsley, and chervil.