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!