Happy Valentine's Day!

 

“Emotions would be half starved if there were no candlelight.”

—Desperate Remedies, Thomas Hardy

BOOK/A TABLE - A Love Letter

A new version of Wuthering Heights is fast upon us in time for Valentine’s Day. I hear the movie is ‘loosely-based’ on Emily Brontë’s novel, focusing rather more on the love affair between Cathy and Heathcliff as adults, as depicted by its stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. 

I’ll see it of course, but in the meantime, I’d like to bring up a little-discussed aspect of Miss Brontë’s romances—namely, her love affair with books! In Chapter 17 of Wuthering Heights, she writes via the character of Mr. Lockwood:

“No books!” I exclaimed. “How do you contrive to live here without them? If I may take the liberty to inquire—Though provided with a large library, I’m frequently very dull at the Grange—take my books away, and I should be desperate!”

Yes, where would we be without books, without love? Desperate!

I love that Wuthering Heights exists in the world because Emily Brontë dared to imagine it. This post is a love letter to her, then, flung across the moors of which she dreamed long ago. But I will always keep this gentle, final paragraph from Wuthering Heights close to my heart:

“I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath, and hare-bells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth.”

Enjoy this remarkably simple chocolate raspberry clafoutis, mostly done in a blender, and meant to inspire romance in every heart! (The heart-shaped cocotte from Le Creuset may be found here.)

Chocolate Raspberry Clafoutis
Adapted from Gourmet 

Ingredients
12 oz fresh raspberries
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 stick unsalted butter (melted)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
3-3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

Method
Preheat to 400°F. Toss berries with sugar. Blend milk, butter, eggs, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt. Pour batter over berries in a baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes, then top with chopped chocolate.

P.S. I recently ordered this gorgeously painted, gilt-edged deluxe edition of Wuthering Heights from Harper Muse! Other titles include The Secret Garden, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, and The Great Gatsby.

Chicken Financiere

I have kept datebooks since 1988, daily jotting down where I’ve been, who I was with, and what dishes I made, along with a list of books I’ve read that particular year. Naturally, this can open a flood gate of memories...recently “fact-checking” something from 1997, I came across an entry that included Chicken Financiere. I was reminded that my friend Armando had come from Caracas for the week to celebrate my 30th birthday (it was also a reunion of sorts) and I’d wanted to make a home-cooked meal to welcome him.

The grocery landscape in Manhattan was quite different back then (before Fresh Direct, Whole Foods, Wegman’s, and the rest) and often entailed foraging through several markets and perhaps a specialty shop to find all the necessary ingredients. It’s funny to think how I must have dragged Armando halfway across town to find Castelvetrano olives and chicken livers for my Financiere.

I had met my handsome Armando and his best friend one delicious summer evening while walking through Times Square in 1992. They were visiting and I had just moved to town. They stopped me in the street, asking if I knew of a decent bar nearby. Of course, I did. One bar turned into several others and by the end of the wonderful evening, we wrote our home addresses down (remember that?) with a promise to keep in touch.

Armando and I still do keep in touch (it was his birthday a few weeks ago), but alas, he and his friend do not. I later learned they had a big fight (over me!) that night we all met in Times Square and parted ways, never to speak again. I was sorry to hear the news at the time, but after all these years...I delight in the idea that I inspired such a heated rivalry.

Do enjoy!

Chicken Financiere
Adapted from cdkitchen
Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into 8 pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 chicken livers
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup minced scallions, white parts only
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 medium white mushrooms, chopped
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup large green olives, pitted and sliced

Directions:
Rinse chicken, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown chicken for about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add livers to skillet and cook for about 30 seconds per side. Remove and set aside.

Pour off fat, add butter, and melt over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture turns golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add scallions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Whisk in stock, wine, tomato paste, and parsley. Increase heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Add olives, chicken, and livers to the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until juices run clear, about 25 minutes.

Divide chicken and livers between serving plates, coat with sauce, and serve. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

A Bee Sting in a Blizzard

I nearly went mad when a friend mentioned her Bee Sting Cake over dinner the other night. Talk of the German cake (bienenstich - bee sting, get it?) stuffed with vanilla pudding cream and topped with honey buttery almond goo sounded so staggeringly delicious I had to try and make it myself. Since a blizzard was upon us and I wasn’t going anywhere, I shut off my phone, put on these Bach fugues and set to work. Without further preamble, let’s begin!

Bee Sting Cake is a stunner for sure, and not terribly difficult to achieve. I think the biggest challenge was trying to slice the thin cake evenly in half. You definitely want a good 10” serrated knife and patience. If you have problems cutting the cake evenly, remember the bottom layer will be covered with filling and the top is camouflaged by all the honey buttery almond goo. I managed to keep the cake intact, but if any of it falls apart in the process, just cut and paste, and your guests will be little the wiser—too busy ooh-ing and aah-ing with their eyes closed to notice anyway!

Organization was key, at least for me. I think it’s a good idea to put out your bowls, pans, and measured ingredients ahead of time (maybe keep the milk and heavy cream in the fridge until needed), so you’re not rushing wild to find that darn palette knife, that roll of parchment somewhere, etc. 

Place the items you’ll need in three separate groups for the three stages of the recipe: the making of the cake, the topping, and the filling. There is some downtime between the stages, so if you’re feeling reckless you can sort through your cookware and ingredients then. 

My comments below are in italics. And note the little bee ornament I perched on top of a slice!

German Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
Adapted from internationaldessertsblog.com
Yield: 9 slices

Ingredients
Cake
1 1/2  (additional 1/4 cup, if needed) all-purpose flour 
2 TB [30g] sugar
2 tsp [1/4 oz / 7g] fast rising yeast (a.k.a. one packet)
Pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup [57g]  melted butter 
1/3 cup [75ml] milk

Topping
1/2 cup [113g] butter
1 TB honey
5-6 TB sugar (see note below)
1 1/2 TB heavy whipping cream
1 TB vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract (go with vanilla extract)
3/4 cup [80g] sliced almonds

Filling
2 cups [400ml] heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp vanilla pudding powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract (go with the vanilla extract)

Pinch of salt  

Instructions

1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add melted butter, egg, and milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour until it no longer sticks to your fingers.

2. Knead dough 5-7 times in the bowl until it looks and feels smooth.

3. Cover dough with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

4. Pre-heat oven to 350F/176C.

5. To make the honey almond topping, melt butter, honey, sugar, and vanilla sugar in a saucepan over medium low heat. Once the butter has melted, add the cream and then mix until the sugar is dissolved.

6. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sliced almonds (and vanilla extract if you’re using this instead of vanilla sugar). Keep the topping warm until you're ready to use it.

7. Place a sheet of parchment paper in an 8x8 inch (20x20 cm) baking pan so the edges hang over the sides. Press dough into the pan and then prick dough several times with a fork.

8. Pour the topping onto the dough and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes (check at 25 minutes and then bake 5-7 minutes longer as needed). The topping will be golden brown when done.

9. Let the cake cool in the cake pan for a few minutes. Grab the sides of the parchment paper and transfer the cake to a wire rack. Let the cake cool for 10-20 minutes.

10. When you can comfortably touch the cake with your fingers, use a long serrated knife to cut the cake lengthwise in two thin layers.

11. Transfer the top layer to a cutting board and use the same serrated knife to cut the top layer (the one with the topping) into nine pieces. It’s MUCH easier to cut this top layer when the cake is still a warm rather than waiting to cut it when you're ready to serve it (if you wait until after the cake has chilled, you’re likely to squish the filling out the sides when you cut it). Let the bottom and top layer pieces cool.

12. While the cake cools, prepare the filling. Pour the heavy cream into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the pudding powder and vanilla sugar (or extract) and first beat to soft peaks. (When the filling beats to peaks that sink back down.) Taste the filling and, if desired, add more pudding powder or vanilla. (Stir, don’t beat, any added powder or vanilla in, so as not to beat the filling too much.)

13. Place the bottom cake layer on a plate. Spread the filling on the bottom cake layer using a palette knife. Then carefully place the nine top layer pieces on the cream filling, piece by piece. Cover or wrap cake in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour or until the filling is set.

14. When you’re ready to serve the cake, let it warm up for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Be careful not to not press down too hard on the top layer when cutting the bottom layer because the filling will spill out.

15. This cake is best eaten the day you make it. (I thought it was pretty tasty the next day too.)

At The Kids' Table!

While I was in New Hampshire over the holidays I unearthed my very first cookbook, liberating it after so many years from the dank (and as I’ve long suspected, haunted) cellar in my parents’ house.

Easy to Make Good to Eat (1976) by Martha Olson Condit, available exlusively through my first grade Scholastic Book Club, offered a bunch of interactive recipes intended to get children and their folks involved with cooking. 

I figure at least a few of you have wee ones and may sometimes find yourselves wracking your brains for ways to entertain them. Over the years, I’ve offered some kid-friendly suggestions here, including recipes for hot dog octopuses, sloppy joes with blackeyed peas, and of course, how to eat jellybeans for breakfast. For the worst thing I ever made when I was a kid, click here. 

And now, a peek into Easy to Make Good to Eat! Apart from shakes and open-face sandwiches listed in the cookbook, I totally remember making these Mini Pizzas (and my first fondant as well, but we needn’t go into that here). So, I recently whipped up a couple pizzas wrought from English muffins, ketchup, and a few Kraft Singles lurking in the fridge (they never really expire). 

You know what? Still delicious!

And a bonus for the adults—these Mini Pizzas absolutely slay late-nite munchies. 

Mini Pizza
Adaptred from Easy to Make Good to Eat by Martha Olson Condit

Ingredients:
English muffins
Ketchup
Slices of American cheese
Oregano
Somes grated Parmesan cheese

This is what you do:

Ask a grown-up to turn the oven on.
It should be set at 350 degrees.

1. Take 2 muffins. Use a fork to split them. You will have four pieces. Toast them. Put the pieces on the cookie sheet. Keep the cut side up.

2. Do these things to each piece of muffin:
Spread 1 tablespoon of ketchup over it. Put a slice of cheese on the ketchup. Sprinkle 3 pinches of oregano over the cheese.
Shake some Parmesan cheese all over the top.

3. Use a pot holder in each hand.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven.
Wait for 10 minutes.
Use your pot holders. Open the oven door.
Look Has the cheese melted? Yes.
Then the pizzas are done. Put the cookie sheet on the cutting board.
Use the spatula and lift one pizza out and put it on a plate
Put two pizzas on a plate.

Ask a grown-up to turn the oven off.

Now you know how to make a good ‘filler-upper.’ It is pretty too.

Do enjoy and oh yes, whatever you do any time you set a table, by all means make it pretty!

BOOK/A TABLE - Rissoles for Dummies!

I always keep the seasons in mind when choosing my next read (The Enchanted April in spring, Jaws over July 4th—that sort of thing) and what is better paired with a bleak winter than a Russian novel? A friend had been urging me to read Dostoevsky’s The Idiot and after pushing Doctor Zhivago aside (I could only withstand about 50 pages), I dug in—and what a wild ride it was. Often feeling like fever dream, the novel is deliberately obscure, leaving us wondering at the truth, much like our hero (the good-hearted, purported “idiot”), Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin. Having devoured The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, I’m definitely Team Dostoevsky. Sorry, Tolstoy.

The characters do manage to eat well though, and this section certainly sparked my interest:

“In addition to tea, coffee, cheese, honey, butter, the special thick pancakes that were the favourite of the general’s wife, rissoles and so on, a strong hot bouillon was even sometimes served. On the morning our narrative begins, the entire household had gathered in the dining room...”

Now, I love pancakes, but what were rissoles? A quick survey of Wikipedia explained they are a kind of spiced meatball, flattened, then coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. Great with mashed potatoes and green beans. Certainly, nothing lost in translation there—a real no-brainer! 

Do enjoy!

Rissoles
Adapted from simplehomeedit.com

Serves 4

Ingredients
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) regular minced (ground) beef (can be substituted with minced pork or chicken)
1 onion, grated (or finely chopped)
1 tsp freshly minced garlic
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs (store-bought, panko or homemade)
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp salt or beef or chicken stock powder (bouillon)
3 tbsp olive oil, for frying

Parsley, finely chopped, for garnish  

Instructions
Make the rissole mixture – Add the minced beef, onion, minced garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt or stock powder to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to combine and roll the mixture into portions the size of golf balls. Flatten using the palm of your hand to form the rissoles.

Cook the rissoles – Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–low heat. Cook the rissoles for 8–10 minutes until browned and cooked through, turning once halfway through. Cook in batches if you need to, so that the pan isn’t crowded – this will prevent the rissoles steaming in the pan and will ensure a golden crust. Set the rissoles aside on a plate.

Make a gravy with the pan juices (optional) – Turn the heat off. Drain any excess oil from the bottom of the pan using a serving spoon and then, while the pan is still hot, add 2–3 tablespoons of water. Use a spoon to scrape up all of the pan drippings.

Serve – Drizzle the pan juices over the rissoles and serve with your favourite sides.

OR To cook the rissoles in an air fryer – Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (350°F) for about 3–5 minutes.

Lightly spray or brush both sides of the rissoles with olive oil to ensure they brown evenly.

Place the rissoles in a single layer in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are not touching. Cook in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.

Air fry the rissoles for 10–12 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Quick note when air frying: must be made with regular minced (ground) beef, not lean as it’s too dry!

 

Thanks to madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot.com for the photo!

BOOK/A TABLE - Lemon Cakes

People always say it’s a bad idea to meet your idols. I think it’s also a risky proposition to reacquaint yourself with a book you once worshipped. It’s not always a triumphant reunion.

In my 20s, I plunged into The Fountainhead with abandon and told everybody about it before subsequently tearing through the weighty Atlas Shrugged (The Fountainhead, also of considerable length, seemed really just a preface afterward!). Both books colored my world, imbuing real people, places, and events with the fiction I read in the pages. I didn’t care much for Rand’s objectivist theories though, but sure delighted in the exciting plots that reminded me of Valley of the Dolls (and that, to me, is high praise).

While I definitely think The Fountainhead is still pretty cool, I didn’t respond to it with nearly as much fervor this time. Perhaps the passions of Ayn Rand are best consumed when one is young and impressionable. I’m not sure I want to tamper with my memories further by venturing back into Atlas Shrugged.

The following quote from The Fountainhead is the most memorable for me these days, neatly incorporating two of my favorite things: a nice sit-down tea and a murder mystery.

“Ah, there’s nothing like tea in the afternoon. When the British Empire collapses, historians will find that it had made but two invaluable contributions to civilization—this tea ritual and the detective novel.”

In a happy accident, I came across How to Cook the Victorian Way by Annie Gray and Andrew Hann in our laundry room’s lending library and was rather taken by this recipe for Lemon Cakes, perfect for teatime. The cookbook includes recipes from Avis Crocombe, head cook at Audley End in the 1880s. It is certainly a handsome tome, with a ton of gorgeous pictures. Although many of the recipes seem to require staff for the assembly and presentation, here instead is the much simpler recipe for Lemon Cakes.

Lemon Cakes
Makes 12

Ingredients:
200 g/7 oz/scant 1 cup of caster sugar (or regular granular sugar, pulsed in a food processor)
7 eggs, separated
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 tsps rose water, or a few drops of rose extract
2 tsps icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)*
170 g/6 oz/1 1/3 cups flour, sifted, plus extra for the molds
Butter, for the molds
*The use of cream of tartar is included here just to guarantee a rise if you are not using a copper bowl.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Whisk the caster sugar in a bowl with the egg yolks, lemon zest and juice, and rose water until light and fluffy.

Whisk the egg whites and icing sugar in a separate bowl. Adding the cream of tartar will help to stabilize the foam if you are not using a copper bowl. Carefully fold the sifted flour and meringue alternately into the yolk mix, ending with the last of the meringue.

Butter and flour 12 dariole molds or small but deep muffin tins. Divide the mix between them, then give them a good tap on the work service to remove any air.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Invert the molds onto a wire rack and allow it to cool, before gently easing the cakes out.