Holiday Brunch

Holiday greetings fellow gourmands!
The Crowing Coq Cookbook Club has completed their third successful year with what has become an annual appetizers and dessert event. This year, on Dec. 14th we met for a brunch at the gaily decorated San Jose home of one of our members. This seemingly simple event has morphed into a sophisticated “pot luck” and members brought dishes from one of our cookbooks or a special dish they wished to share! We had our Kitchen White Elephant gift exchange and the Crowing Coq once again changed hands and will now live between two households. Some people just can't live without the familiar "Cockadoodle doo!" emanating from their kitchen.

We started the event with two festive champagnes from Bill's cellar: Veuve de Vernay, NV, Brut Rose Sparkling wine and a Schramsberg, 2003, Brut Rose from California. George also opened a Sauvignon Blanc from Chile that went well with all the seafood dishes.

For our savory dishes George prepared a Seafood Quiche, filled with shrimp, crab,fish and cheese…mmmmm! They were a wonderful sensations in our mouths…you know, that creamy, rich and decadent feel?! His recipe is from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Mary made Smoked Duck Spring Rolls from Cindy Pawcyn’s, Big Small Plates (p. 78-79). They were wonderful and brought Southeast Asian bright flavors to the event. Sandy created a dish from Jean-Georges cookbook, Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef, Simply the Best Crab Salad (p. 53). She adapted it a bit and served them on endive leaves that added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the mangos. These salads were perfect mouthfuls combining the fresh taste of the ocean with just a touch of sweetness from the mangos and a accent of crispness from the endives. Sandi W. made a dish from Julia Child's cookbook, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, Moules Ravigote. The succulent mussels were prepared to perfection with amazing flavors from the ravigote sauce: onions, capers, and herbs. Annie made two dishes to round out the savory part of the brunch. The aroma of Cinnamon Sugar Muffins, greeted us as we entered her home and made us all remember traditional Christmases. She also made a deceivingly simple dish of sliced Marinated Oranges, laced with cinnamon, grand marnier and rose water! I tried the recipe with other acidic fruits with equally delicious results.



The finishing touches were an amazing array of rich, sweet, gooey, buttery, and visually beautiful desserts. Willie brought a Enormous Cream Puff au Chocolat just dripping in rich chocolate and filled with “who-can-resist” whipped cream. This dish is also from a Julie Child cookbook, The Way to Cook. Janis prepared wonderfully moist Orange Date Nut Bars that were iced in a gooey orange and cream cheese topping that just made everyone swoon. Sandi U. baked Snowflake Butter Cookies that were iced and decorated in elaborate designs AND were delicious as well…she claims it’s all the butter in the cookies! So often decorated cookies don’t taste very good but these were the exception to the rule.

If you'd like to try some of the recipes that came from a source outside of our cookbook lists, go to the end of this blog.

BTW, the fabulous photos continue to improve with each dinner because Willie, our "official" photographer, works hard to chronicle our efforts. As many of you already know, photographing food is very, very difficult. Often, the photos in magazines are sprayed, faked, etc. to make the dish look very appetizing. Our photos are really what the food looked like, thanks to Willie's skills. Thank you, Willie!


Enjoy the holidays and wonderful treats!

Bon appétit!

Sandi


RECIPES:


Cinnamon Butter Muffins
Makes 12 3-inch muffins

Muffins
6 T unsalted butter
6 T shortening
1 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t Salt
½ t Nutmeg
1 C Milk
3 C Flour
4 t Baking Powder
Preheat oven to 350º.
Grease 12 3-inch muffin pan cups.
Cream butter, shortening and sugar together.
Beat in eggs, salt and nutmeg.
Stir in the flour alternately with milk until misture is just combined.
Fill muffin cups full (Annie said to just fill 2/3 full)
Bake 20-25 min.

Cinnamon Topping
1 C unsalted butter, melted
1 C Sugar
1 T Cinnamon
Have melted butter ready in shallow bowl.
Combine cinnamon and sugar in separate bowl.
When muffins are done, let them cool for one minute
Turn muffins out onto cooling racks.
Immerse each muffin briefly in the melted butter; let excess drip off.
Roll each in the Cinnamon Sugar mixture.



Orange Wheels
Santre ke Chakle

Serves 4-6
6 large oranges
¼ C Sugar
2 T Raisins
1 t ground nutmeg or cinnamon
4 T rose water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 T Grand Marnier or Orange Liqueur

Peel oranges carefully, removing all yellow pith. Slice each one across into 4-5 rounds per orange. Place in shallow bowl.
Combine sugar, raisins, nutmeg or cinnamon
Pour mixture over orange wheels and refrigerate at least 2 hours
Serve orange wheels chilled, with some of their juice.


Enormous Cream Puffs au Chocolat
Julia Child, Way to Cook, page 396 – 399.

For a giant ring, 12” – 14” round.

Choux Pastry (for 2-1/2 cups of pastry)
1 C Water
¾ stick Unsalted Butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/8 t Salt
1 T Sugar
1 C All-purpose flour (scooped and leveled)
1 Cup beated eggs, exactly. About 5 large eggs (blend together before measuring)

Set out all the ingredients listed, prepare all the baking pans, pastry bags, and other items called for. Preheat oven to 425º.

Bring water to boil in 2-qt pan with butter, salt and sugar. As soon as the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat.
Pour in all the flour at once and vigorously beat it—it will be lumpy at first but smoothes out rapidly as you beat.*
As soon as blended, beast over moderate heat for a minute or more until the pastry balls up, cleans itself off the sides of the pan and begins to film the bottom of the pan. (This step evaporates excess moisture, so that the pastry will absorb as much egg as possible)

*NOTE: Hand beaten with a wire whip produces the lightest and puffiest pastry. Food processor is not recommended. And, for the puffiest results, form and bake as soon as possible after the pastry is made, since it firms as it cools and that holds down the puff.

Adding eggs.
Turn the pastry into a 3-quart bowl with rounded bottom and stir with wooden spatula or spoon for 30 seconds to cool it off f=briefly.
Then make a well in the center of the warm pastry and beat in a ¼ C of the beraten egg: when blended (it will look strangely separated at first), repeat with another ¼ C of egg and then another and half of the final bit of egg.
The pastry should just hold its shape when lifted onto a spoon. You will be tempted to add more remaining egg but beat it in by dribbles to be sure the pastry is not too loose.

To Form & Bake Puffs
¼ C Flour for the pastry sheet
Egg glaze (leftover egg or a fresh one, beaten w/ a pinch of salt and droplets of water)

Sprinkle the flour on the buttered baking sheet and shake it to cover it with a light even dusting. Turn the sheet upside down and bang off excess flour.
Using a 12-14” pot lid as a guide, trace a acircle in the flour on the baking sheet.
Pipe a circle of warm Choux paste to cover the circular guide. Pipe another circle outside the first and a third on top of both of them.
Paint the pastry with the egg glaze.

Bake 20-25 minutes at 450º until pastry has puffed to almost triple in height and is nicely browned. Reduce heat to 400º and continue baking 10 minutes.
Pierce the sides of the puff in several places to let out steam.
Lower heat to 350ºF and bake 10 minutes more.
Turn off the oven and oven and leave the door ajar for another 10 minutes—all of this in the interest of drying out the puff. There will still be damp pastry inside.
Remove the puff from the oven, and carefully slice in half, horizontally.
Scrape uncooked, damp, pastry out of the bottom and top halves.
To crisp the pastry, set the two pieces, inside sides up, on the baking sheet in a 350º oven for 5 minutes.

Fill the cooled ring with the sweetened whipped cream shortly before serving. Spoon warm chocolate sauce over the top.
Pass remaining chocolate sauce separately.
Cut portions with serrated knife.

Warm Chocolate Sauce
(for about 2 ½ cups)
2/3 C White corn syrup
2/3 C Water
½ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ C Sugar
2 ozs Unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
6 T Unsalted butter
½ C Heavy cream
Big pinch of salt
2 t Vanilla

Boil corn syrup in small saucepan for a minute or two, until it forms heavy strands as you drop it off the spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in the water.
Sieve together the cocoa and sugar, then whisk them into the syrup.
Simmer, stirring, for several seconds, until you are sure the sugar has dissolved completely.—very important since undissolved sugar will cause the sauce to crystallize later.
Add the baking chocolate and simmer, stirring, until melted.
Blend in the butter and heavy cream.
Bring to full boil for 15 seconds.
Remove from heat and blend in the salt and vanilla.
NOTE: If you make this ahead, refrigerate in a covered jar and place the jar into a pan of simmering water to reheat.


Orange Walnut-Date Bars
1 C unsifted all-purpose flour
½ t Baking Soda
½ t Cinnamon
¼ t Nutmeg
¼ t Salt
1/3 C softened butter or margarine
¾ C Light brown sugar
1 lg Egg
1 T grated orange rind
2 T orange juice
½ C Chopped pitted dates
¾ C Coarsely chopped walnuts, divided use
Orange Butter frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease and flour 11x7x1” baking pan.
Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into bowl, set aside.
In large bowl of electric mixer, beat together softened butter and brown sugar, blending until smooth.
Beat in egg, orange rind, and orange juice.
Beat in the flour mixture until smooth.
Stir in chopped dates and ½ cup of the walnuts.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
Bake about 30 minutes or until browned.
Spread with Orange Butter Frosting and sprinkle with remaining ¼ C of chopped walnuts.
Cut into 33 2”x1” bars.

Orange Butter Frosting
¼ C Softened butter or margarine
1 t grated orange rind
1 lg Egg yolk (or 1 T plain yogurt)
½ t Vanilla extract
2 C sifted Confectioners Sugar
2 t Orange Juice or enough to make frosting spreadable.

Cream butter until fluffy.
Add orange rind, egg yolk and vanilla. Blend well.
Gradually add confectioners sugar, beating well.
Mix in orange juice.
Spread on bar and sprinkle with walnuts.

(99 calories per bar, 4 g. fat, 21 mg. cholesterol. 35% calories from fat.)



Frosted Ornament Cookies
Christmas Sweets by Georganne Brennan, p. 63.

1-3/4 C Sifted Flour
½ t Baking Powder
¼ t Salt
1-1/3 sticks Butter, softened
½ C Sugar
1 lg. Egg
1 t Vanilla

Preheat oven: 400º
Sift flour, baking powder, salt onto piece of waxed paper.
In mixing bowl butter until fluffy.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Add sifted flour mixture in thirds, stirring until dough is smooth.
Refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes.

On lightly floured board, roll dough out to 1/8” - 3/8” thickness, depending upon how fragile cookie cutter shape is.
Cut into cookie shapes and transfer to cookie sheet.
Bake immediately before cookie looses shape.
Gather up dough and re-roll and re-cut.
Bake until lightly browned on bottom and pale golden yellow on top. About 6-8 minutes depending upon thickness of cookie. Do not allow cookies to brown.

Frosting:
Confectioners sugar
Half-and-half
Food coloring
Colored draegies
Colored sugar sprinkles
Stiff paint brushes
Pastery bag with small round tip

Combine sugar and half-and-half until spreadable but not dripping off spoon. If too stiff, add more liquid, a drop at a time.
Divide among several bowls for different colors.
Make more white icing
Frosting will spread more evenly if you put colored icing on while cookies are still warm. For more brilliant colors, let cookies totally cool before icing.
Let frosting set for 30 minutes or 1 hour before piping on any white designs to prevent any colors from bleeding into each other.

Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef

Jean-Georges - Cooking at Home with a Four Star Chef

Dining with this group of gourmet cooks is like eating out at the French Laundry or Manresa without all the reservation fuss. We enjoy great wines without paying corkage (plus no limit to how many bottles we can open!). We have two (soon to be 4) wine collectors who can speak to us about the wines. Each dish is plated so our dinners tend to be 8-10 courses. And, even if it always surprises us, we finish each and every entre! The short breaks in between each course so the cook can do the final assembly are welcome as they allow us to enjoy the different wines and great converation. We’ve also learned to make our serving portions smaller, following Thomas Keller and David Kinch’s example of enough to give everyone a delightful taste of each dish and still leave room for the next course!

The only general complaint about Jean-Georges Vonrichecten’s cookbook is that one must already be a pretty good cook and guess what he really meant. You have to know what you’re cooking and what kind of results you want and figure out the specificities yourself. Not enough pictures...that's always my general complaint about cookbooks.

Many of his recipes, however, use very few ingredients and are extremely simple AND delicious. For example, his Tomato Towers.

I tried his Potato Ravioli Stuffed With Wild Mushrooms and since the instructions didn’t really state how crispy to fry the potato ravioli’s, and no photos, I’m not sure I did the recipe correctly but I definitely did not like the outcome….which surprised me since he states that it is one of the more popular items on his restaurant menu. Mary tried his pound cake recipe, Sableuse, and, again, she’s not sure if she did it correctly but it definitely was not “light,” which is how his comments described the dessert.

I tried his Peanut Crusted Ribs recipe and the Shrimp with Rice Noodles Salad recipes and loved both of them. Very interesting combinations of spices and very nice blending of tastes as a result. Sandi W. and Willie, tried several of his other recipes and haven’t found one they didn’t like yet…but then, they ARE more experienced gourmet cooks than I!

So, on with our dinner!

Our October 4th dinner had 8 courses starting with the
Mushroom Tarts with Onions & Walnuts (p. 8). Sandi U. prepared the tarts using Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry instead of making her own. She tried Trader Joe’s Gourmet puff pastries but the result was heavy and doughy. The recipe calls for 6” tarts but she made 4” tarts to make the portions smaller. It was served with Baron Fuente nv Champagne Grand Reserve Brut France which complemented the tarts with a rich and creamy champagne.


Janis prepared Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (p. 29) which was wonderfully thick, rich and creamy without much cream in the recipe! It was easy to prepare, according to Janis and everyone thought the result was delicious. Bill offered a Chateau de Sancerre 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre France to go with the soup and next course.


Annie made the Tomato Towers with Basil (p. 2) using heirloom tomatoes from her own garden. The hardest part was finding tender basil leaves and getting the tomatoes to stay upright. The recipe calls for salt flakes to be sprinkled on top but Annie left the salt addition up to each diner. We continued to drink the Sancerre with this dish.


Salmon en Papillote (p. 74) was prepared by Jeffrey with Salmon that he personally caught in Alaska last month. He tried it with the Halibut but like the salmon better. He also recommends using parchment paper instead of the tin foil that the recipe calls for. Jeffrey brought wines from his winery to share with the dish, Mount Eden 2006 Chardonnay and Mount Eden 2004 Pinot Noir. Some people liked the Chardonnay better with the salmon and others like the Pinot.

Annie also made the Fennel & Apple Salad with Junipers (p. 48). A surprisingly wonderful combination of flavors. It is important that you have a mandolin to prepare this dish…the thin slices made the dish spectacular!


The main course was Duck a la Jo Jo (p. 100) The duck breasts were cooked rare and perfectly prepared by Sandi W. She said it took time to de-bone the ducks to get the broth she needed for the dish and a lot of prep work but once done, easy to assemble. Sandy P. made two side dishes to go with the duck. Simmered Carrots with Cumin & Orange (p. 130) and Peppery Green Beans (p. 127). She is a big fan of Jean-Georges because of the simplicity of the recipes and these two dishes are prime examples of how to get delicious results with little preparation. Bill provided a Swanson 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. Swanson, of the Swanson frozen food company, has been making wines for a long time. This wine opened up after a while but several people thought the Mount Eden Pinot was a better wine for the duck.


Willie baked the Warm Soft Chocolate Cake (p. 168) that just melted in our mouths. He served it with Cinnamon ice cream and if you are a chocoholic, this is the dish to have for dessert. Sandi U. brought a tenth of the 2004 FroZin, Meeker Vineyards, Sonoma County as she believes it’s a wine that goes well with chocolate….although I’m not sure everyone agreed. Some tried the pinot and cabernets with the dessert as well.

As you can see, we ate well, had great conversations about the dishes, cooking in general and got to know each other a bit more as well. Ahhh, THIS is how life should be!

Our Next Cookbook!

One of our cookbook club friends worked with a NY chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has three NY restaurants: Jean Georges, JoJo's and Vong and was celebrated as the Chef of the Year by Esquire and New York Magazine. He also, like many celebrity chefs, has a restaurant in Las Vegas.

His cookbook is startlingly uncomplicated and some recipes have very few ingredients and don't take days (or even hours) to prepare. Several of the cookbook club members have been trying recipes from his book already and are enjoying the fruits of their labor. I've already bookmarked several recipes that I want to try.


Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. It is available at the County Libraries or online for $29 new or as low as $9 used. (it was originally a $57 book).

Bon Appetit!

Willie's BBQ Ribs!

YOU can now reproduce Willie's special BBQ smoked ribs recipe!

We have TWO versions for you. Willie has created a 4+page, step-by-step, detailed and humorous set of instructions to make his ribs. BUT, if you are a seasoned smoker and BBQ'er, we've created a shorter version at the end of this blog.


Willie’s Barbecue Pork Spare Ribs
Successfully barbecuing tender, juicy pork spare ribs is a day-long affair requiring multiple steps. The first few times you do it you might not think it’s worth the effort, but once you’ve got it down, like anything, it gets easier. Here’s the high-level view, then I’ll get into detail:
1. Set aside a day
2. Make your dry rub mixture
3. Decide on what wood you use for smoking the meat
4. Tenderize the ribs (as needed)
5. Prepare the ribs
6. Prepare your grill
7. Barbecue!
I. Set aside a day
Because barbecuing ribs the right way (slow cooked at a low temperature) takes a long time, you should plan on taking a day to cook them. (It can be done faster, but never with the same delicious results!) The first time you try making these ribs you may think that you can just stick them on the grill and look at them occasionally, turning them over when you want to. Not so!!. Once the meat is on the grill, it should be turned every 30 minutes or so for as long as six hours. This is necessary to keep the juices in the meat from dripping out and drying the meat – and thereby losing a lot of its tenderness and flavor. Barbecuing this way makes for an excellent day for reading a good book, or doing a chore that needs frequent breaks! Be careful, though! I found out the hard way that lengthening the time between flipping the ribs can result in disastrously dry results! (Now I have a portable timer that I keep with me set to go off after 30 minutes.)
II. Make your dry rub mixture
This step is easy and can be done in advance. It makes enough for several racks of ribs, depending on how much you like your meat seasoned.
Mix together the following ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon group coriander
Simple addition tells you this makes almost a cup of rub. So find a container big enough to hold it all, since you won’t use it all on a single rack of ribs (or even on several racks). I’ve also found it helpful to put a portion of the in an empty spice jar that has a shaker top on it. That way I can easily shake the rub evenly onto the ribs (or other meat) when needed. You can make your rub weeks in advance; just don’t wait until the last minute. I usually check the amount of rub mixture the night before I plan to barbecue to make sure I have enough, and if not, make more if I need it.
III. Decide on what wood you use for smoking the meat and prepare it
I strongly believe in smoking the meat as it is being cooked. Ideally, one would have a smoker specially built just for smoking. (But if you happen to own a smoker then you probably don’t need to be reading this recipe!) Smoking the meat adds a special flavor to it that can’t be matched by sauces added during or after cooking the meat. The meat gets permeated it with the smoky flavor of the wood that often hallmarks the best barbecue. There are a variety of woods used in barbecuing, but pork barbecue tends to be flavored by hickory or mesquite wood, depending on the part of the country you live in. I like hickory for pork and mesquite for other meats, especially poultry, but you can choose what you like or experiment with both (just not at the same time!).
You can get wood for smoking at just about any grocery store. About an hour before you are going to start cooking the meat, put two to three cups of the wood into a bowl and cover it with water to add some moisture back into the wood. This will keep it from flaming up quickly and burning out; thus prolonging the smoking effect on the meat.
IV. Tenderize the ribs (as needed)
If you buy your ribs at a general supermarket (Lucky’s, Safeway, etc.) or a discount warehouse (Costco, Sam’s, etc.) the quality of the meat will not be all that great. It will likely need some tenderizing. However, don’t fall for the meat tenderizers that you can also get at such places! These mixtures don’t really tenderize all that much, plus they add a flavor of their own and lots of other worthless (and possibly even unhealthy!) chemicals that you don’t need! The simple solution for tougher cuts of ribs is to brine the meat in a highly salinated pot of water for about two hours. (About ??? cups of salt for every ?? quarts of water.)
The best solution, of course, is to buy your ribs from a butcher or a specialty grocery store (like Draeger’s or Andronico’s, although they don’t always have pork spare ribs in inventory, so call ahead!). Even then your meat may need brining and knowing when to brine and when not to only comes with experience and frequent handling of the meat to know when you’ve got a tender set of ribs or not. I suggest you brine the meat until you get an understanding of what a good set of tender ribs feels like.

V. Prepare the ribs
Once you think you have tender ribs, don’t think the preparation work is done. They will probably need some trimming, in addition to adding the rub. First, you need to remove the white sheathing that is on the back (or underside) of the rib. This is a layer of light creamy colored gristle-type of substance that runs almost the length of the ribs, flat against the bones. It’s fairly easy to remove by first running a sharp knife under one edge of the gristle to lift it off the bones by a quarter inch or so, then, using a paper towel to get a good grip, grabbing it between your fingers and thumb and pulling it up and away from the bone. With a little practice, and a firm grip, you can remove it all in one pull. (Sometimes it will tear, or break, and you’ll have to pull again on what’s left.) If you cook the ribs without removing this you will end up with a flavorless piece of chewy gristle on the back side of your ribs. Not desirable!
Sandi and I differ on any further trimming. She likes to trim off everything except the row of straight ribs that dominate the slab, cooking and serving the rest of the meat separately. IMHO, cooking that part separately often ends up with meat that can easily get overcooked when separated into individual pieces and not cooked with the reset of the ribs.
Spread the rub mixture onto the slabs, both sides.
VI. Prepare the grill
I use a gas grill. I prefer gas over charcoal because of a couple of things: (1) gas provides an even and controlled temperature that is easy to maintain for the long period of time without much fuss and bother, and (2) I’m lazy – it’s just plain easier! I understand that there are those who believe they need to use charcoal, or even wood, to be truly authentic to the long tradition of barbecue. I’m not one of those. I think I can get ribs that are just as tender, juicy, and good tasting with gas as with a more traditional approach. And (can I say it again?) it’s just easier!
That said, you need to make sure your grill is properly prepared for cooking ribs. First, make sure you have enough propane in your tank. Even though your gas grill could be on for almost six hours, it won’t use much gas because you’ll only use one burner set to it’s lowest setting (or somewhere thereabouts). So you don’t have to use only a full tank. However, nothing is worse than starting a barbecue and running out of fuel part way through the process. If your tank is low make sure you’ve got another full one standing by. I always have a full tank for just such occasions. (It’s not much fun to run out of gas when you’re cooking anything, whether its ribs or burgers. Besides, we live in earthquake country. It’s comforting to know that I can always cook meals at home if a disaster should happen!)
Second, clean your grill thoroughly. On the morning I plan to grill (or even better, on the day before) I usually turn on the grill to full heat and close the lid for about 15 minutes to burn off any extra drippings and other gunk (that’s a highly sophisticated barbecuing term!) that may be on the grill racks from a previous cooking. And then, while the grill is still on high I scrape the racks with a good metal brush to clean off and ashes or other gunk still stuck on the racks. I do this well before I plan to put the ribs on the grill so that the temperature has subsided to a good slow-cooking temperature. (Nothing’s worse then putting ribs on a hot grill and searing them before they start smoking. The smoky flavor doesn’t penetrate the meat as well if it’s already been seared.)
Place an aluminum pan underneath the grill racks and above the burners. Use one that is big enough to catch all of the drippings off the rib. If you can’t find one that large make one from heavy-duty aluminum foil. (That’s what I usually do.) Putting a drip tray under your ribs serves three purposes, (1) it protects the meat from any direct flames, (2) it catches the juices from your meat, thus preventing flare ups that may singe your meat, thus making it tough and chewy, and (3) it helps keep the flavor of the meat by cooking the juices in the pan.
Some gas grills have accessories you can buy. One that will prove useful if you plan to do a lot of grilling is a “smoker” that can hold the wood chips you will use to smoke your ribs with. My grill has just such a container that fits on the burners of the grill. It works well and sure beats the alternative of making my own by wrapping the soaked wood in aluminum foil and punching holes in it to let the heat in and the smoke out. I could never the right balance of number of holes in the foil and the size of the holes to got the wood hot enough to smoke without getting it too hot to flame up. The accessory smoker that comes with the grill works just fine. So before you start cooking the ribs make sure your “smoker” is filled with the soaked wood chips and is place in the grill.
VII. Barbecue!
When I have the grill all prepared and I’m ready to start cooking I turn the flames up all the way until the chips are afire and the wood is smoking (lots of smoke is filling the grill and flowing out through the cracks between the lid and the grill basin). When the smoke is full I turn down the grill all the way (with only one burner on at its lowest setting) and wait until the grill temperature gets back down to about 350° before putting the meat on the grill. I make sure that it is placed fully over the aluminum pan/foil with no exposure to the direct heat of the grill burner.
It is ideal if your grill has a built-in thermometer. That way you can maintain a steady temperature for the meat. When I barbecue ribs I only have one burner on as low as it can go. On warm days the thermometer registers about 250°, which I find to be just about perfect, as long as I make sure the meat is never directly over the flame. If it’s a cooler day I usually have to have the burner turned up higher to maintain that temperature, but then I have to be extra careful about keeping the meat away from the direct flame.
From here on it gets a lot easier. Turn on your timer to 30 minutes and every time it goes off, flip the meat over. About 3 ½ to 4 hours later, you can test the meat (press firmly on a meaty section) to see how it’s coming along. If it’s still soft to the touch, then it’s just about done – you don’t want it to get crusty and firm to the touch. If the bones can be easily twisted inside the meat then you know it is done. (I prefer my ribs to be at the point where the bones just turn a little in the meat because I’m still going to cook it a little longer.) About this time (sorry I’m not more precise, but the variables in grill temperature can make a big difference in how long you have the meat on the grill) I take the meat off the grill, put a large piece (large enough to wrap the entire rack of ribs) of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the grill rack and place the meat back on it. You then heavily coat it with your favorite barbecue sauce and then loosely wrap the foil around the ribs and cook for about another hour or so at the same temperature. I say “loosely wrap the foil” because I want the meat to simmer in the sauce so that it gains the flavor of the sauce and remains moist and juicy, but at the same time the sauce evaporates and thickens up. It’s good to leave the foil open at the top so this can occur.
After about an hour much of the sauce should have cooked off. If you’ve timed this well, there will be about another hour before dinner is served. If so, take the meat off the grill, wrap it tightly in the foil so no air or sauce can leak out and put it in a paper bag. I know this part may sound silly, but it’s crucial to making good ribs. Storing it this way causes the meat to reabsorb the juices and will make it very tender and flavorful, as well as keep it warm. (If it’s going to be longer until dinner then leave it on the grill a little longer or keep it wrapped tightly in the foil in a warming oven, but still plan to pull it out an hour early so the meat can rest and reabsorb the juices.)
When ready to serve, take the meat out of the foil, put it on a cutting board and cut each rib portion between the bones. The meat should be so tender that you can cut it easily; some will just fall off the bone.
It can be served with a warm barbecue sauce of your choice on the side.
Note:
I don’t specify the sauce for this recipe because everyone has his or her own preferences (usually depending on where they’re from because barbecued pork ribs are highly regionalized, from Texas to Kansas City to the Carolinas). I’ve tried a number of recipes but keep coming back to a commercial sauce – a mixture of Armadillo Willy’s Jalapeno Recipe and their Original Recipe. Obviously, I like my sauce spicy, with a hint of sweetness.

Too much information? Here's the short cut version.


Willie’s Barbecue Pork Spare Ribs – abbreviated version

If you have never smoked ribs, do not use this version…

1. Set aside a day – you will need to turn the meat every 30 minutes for about 4 hours (give or take 30 min.)
   
2. Make your dry rub mixture
   
   
   
   • 1/4 cup brown sugar
     
   • 1/4 cup salt
     
   • 1/4 cup paprika
     
   • 1 tablespoon black pepper
     
   • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
     
   • 1 tablespoon onion powder
     
   • 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
     
   • 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
     
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
     
   
   
3. Decide on what wood you use for smoking the meat - I like hickory for pork and mesquite for other meats, especially poultry. Soak chips in water for 1 hour before grilling.
   
4. Tenderize the meat - for tougher cuts of ribs is to brine the meat in a pot of salt water for about two hours. (About ??? cups of salt for every ?? quarts of water.) OR buy higher quality ribs from a butcher or a specialty grocery store (like Draeger’s or Andronico’s).
   
5. Prepare the ribs - remove the white sheathing that is on the back (or underside) of the rib. Trim fat, etc. to your preference. Sprinkle or spread dry rub over ribs, both sides.
   
6. Prepare your grill -
   
   
   
   • Make sure you have enough propane.
     
   • Clean your grill thoroughly.
     
   • Place an aluminum pan underneath the grill racks and above the burners to catch drippings.
     
   • Put wood chips into grill’s smoker tray or in heavy aluminum foil that has had several holes punched into it.
     
   
   
7. Barbecue!
   
   
   
   • Turn grill on to a high temperature until the chips are afire and the wood is smoking and fills the grill.
     
   • When the smoke is full I turn down the grill all the way (with only one burner on at its lowest setting) and wait until the grill temperature gets back down to about 350° before putting the meat on the grill.
     
   • Once the meat is on the grill, lower temp. to 250º.
     
   • Turn ribs every 30 minutes for about 4 hours (give or take 30 min.)
     
   
   
8. Sauce the ribs.
   
   
   
   • Take the meat off the grill
     
   • Put a large of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the grill rack and place the meat back on it.
     
   • Heavily coat ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce and then loosely wrap the foil around the ribs and Remember to leave foil open at top to thicken sauce.
     
   • Grill for another hour at same temperature.
     
   
   
9. You’re not done yet! One more step:
   
   
   
   • Remove the ribs & foil from the grill.
     
   • Tightly wrap in the foil and then place foiled ribs in paper bag for hour.
     
   • After another hour, remove from bag and foil and cut each rib portion.
     
   • Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce on the side.
     
   
   

July 18th Barbeque Recipes

Until I find a better way to post recipes, I'm just going to list them for you here in the order in which they were served on July 18th.

Sharon’s Watermelon Mojitos
Note: These ingredients are not measured because Sharon created this recipe after trying one at a restaurant.

* Mint leaves, chopped
* Superfine sugar
* Fresh lime juice
* Crushed ice
* Light rum
* Seedless watermelon, cut into ½ “ chunks

1. In a small mortar bowl, place mint, sugar and lime juice and crush using a pestle. Adjust ingredients to taste.
2. Fill each glass ½ full with ice. Layer water melon chunks, then mint mixture and rum. Top with lime juice.
3. Garnish with mint sprig


Asian Avocado Salsa
Note: This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe that was given to me by Emile Smith, a close friend of Henry Millers. Emile’s recipe did not use sesame seed oil, or cilantro. Amounts are approximate so adjust to your own tastes.

2-3 avocadoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
juice of ½ lemon
2-3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 stalks green onions, finely diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro (Emile used parsley)
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil (available from Trader Joe’s)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients and refrigerate until served. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with Bagel chips, crackers or pita chips.



Grilled Spice-rubbed Salmon with Corn Salsa
An old Bon Appetit Magazine 12 Servings

SALMON
1½ tablespoons coriander seeds
1½ tablespoons mustard seeds
1½ tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
3 Tablespoons (packed) brown sugar

1 4-lb boneless side of salmon with skin

SALSA
6 cups fresh corn kernels (about 9 ears) or frozen, thawed
1 cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup fresh lime juice
½ tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno chile

FOR SALMON: Heat heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Add coriander, mustard, and cumin seeds; Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add peppercorns. Remove from heat and cool. Finely grind mixture in spice grinder or in mortar with pestle. Transfer to bowl. Mix in sugar.
Place salmon, skin side down, on large baking sheet. Rub ¼ cup spice mixture over salmon, pressing gently to adhere. Cover salmon with plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Cover remaining spice mixture and let stand at room temperature.

FOR SALSA: Cook corn in saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients and 2 Tablespoons spice mixture (reserve remaining spice mixture for another use). Season with salt. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before serving.

Prepare barbeque (medium heat). Grill salmon, skin side down, 6 minutes. Turn salmon over and grill until just opaque in center, about 6 more minutes. Transfer salmon to platter. Serve with salsa.



Annie’s Summer Layer Salad

Layer in a large glass bowl, starting at the bottom layer*:

Cleaned baby spinach
Thinly sliced celery
Thawed frozen baby peas…do not cook
Sliced button mushrooms
Sliced red onions
Sliced hard-boiled eggs
Raisins
Another layer of baby spinach

*Amounts vary depending upon the size of your bowl and your tastes

Cover with dressing (recipe follows) and chill for 8-10 hours before serving:

DRESSING:
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/3 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
¾ Cup crumbled blue cheese
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
Salt & pepper to taste.

I generally put about a ½ inch thick layer of dressing on top of the salad green layers.




Chino Farm’s Chopped Vegetable Salad
Wolfgang Puck, Adventures in the Kitchen
Serves 4

Note from Sandy: For many years I would order this salad in Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Orange County’s South Coast Plaza. I bought his cookbook just to get this recipe! I love to go through Farmer’s Market with this salad in mind. Tonight there were no artichoke hearts but I added red, orange & yellow Bell Peppers and Edamame. Enjoy!

MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup almond or safflower oil
Salt & freshly ground white pepper

SALAD
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup diced fresh artichoke bottoms
salt & freshly ground white pepper
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced green beens
½ cup diced red onion
½ cup diced radicchio
½ cup fresh corn kernels
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced ripe avocado
¼ peeled, seeded & chopped tomatoes
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mixed greens of your choice (curley endive, chicory, baby lettuces), cut or torn into bite sized pieces.

1. Prepare the vinaigrette: in small bowl, combine the mustard & vinegar. Slowly whisk in the oils. Season to taste with salt & pepper and set aside. Whisk again when ready to serve.
2. Prepare the Salad: in a small skillet, heat the olive oil. Seasin the diced artichokes light with salt & pepper and sauté until al dente, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and let cool.
3. Blanch the carrots and beans by placing teach into a fine mesh basket. Set the basket into a pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dented, 2-3 minutes. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain, cool, and add to the artichokes. Add the onion, radicchio, corn and celery.
4. When ready to serve, dice the avocado and tomato and add to the other vegetables. Reserving a little vinaigrette, toss the vegetables with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with the grated cheese and toss again. Correct seasoning to taste.
5. Toss the greens with the reserved vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.

PRESENTATION: Divide the salad greens among 4 salad plates. Mound the chopped salad on the greens and serve immediately.

TO PREPARE SALAD: Through step 3, refrigerate until needed.

Note from Wolfgang: You can be creative as to the vegetables you to want to include or exclude in your salad. For example, you can use baby peas in season or diced Chinese snow peas or dice Italian squash, etc.
Sandy’s note: fresh peas are a wonderful addition to this salad.



Extra Virgin Olive Oil Garlic Bread
To reduce the butter in our lives, I created this version to replace the traditional garlic bread for our annual family BBQ’s.

1 cube unsalted butter, melted
2 cups Extra Virgin Olive oil
3-5 cloves of garlic, pressed, more if you want more garlic flavors.
Salt to taste
2 loaves Sweet French Bread (I love Acme Breads)

Mix butter, EVO, garlic and salt in bowl.

Cut loaves of bread lengthwise, then into slices, not cutting quite through in order to keep the loaf halves in one piece.
Place halved loaves on rimmed cookie sheet.
Brush generously with EVO mixture, covering the sides as well as the tops of each slice.
Put loaf halves back together and wrap in Aluminum foil. Place back onto cookie sheet and warm in 350º oven for 10-15 minutes to distribute EVO into bread slices.

Remove and let stand at room temperature.

When ready to serve, remove aluminum foil and place loaf halves over a hot BBQ grill or place on cookie sheet and in 350º oven. Heat until loaves are crispy on crust and just turning golden.

Break into slices and serve.



Nutted Wild Rice
Julie Rosso & Sheila Lukins, The Silver Palate Cookbook
6 portions

1 cup (½ lb.) raw wild rice*
5 ½ cups defatted Chick Stock or water
1 cup shelled pecan halves
grated zest of one large orange
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
4 scallions (or green onions), well-rinsed and thinly sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Put the rice in a strainer and run cold water over it, rinse thoroughly.
2. Place the rice in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add the stock or water and bring to a rapid boil. Adjust the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, check for doneness; the rice should not be too soft. Place a thin towel inside a colander and turn the rise into the colander and drain. Transfer the drained rice to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the rice and toss gentely. Adjust the seasonings and let the mixture stand for 2 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Serve at room temperature.

* For our dinner, Sandy used half wild rice and half brown rice because her children thought the 100% wild rice was too chewy.



Red Potato Salad
Lee Bailey!s California Wine Country Cooking
Serves 6-8,

• 1-1/2 pounds small red potatoes
• salt
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fresh basil& cut into thin strips
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley& no stems
• 1 medium garlic clove& minced
• 2 T vinegar
• 1 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t fresh pepper
• 1/2 t salt

Cover potatoes with lightly salted water and add lemon juice. Bring rapidly to a
boil and turn head down to a rolling boil' Cook potatoes until tender 12 minutes or more' Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together all other ingredients to make a dressing.

Cut cooled potatoes into small chunks& leaving skins on and toss with the dressing. Refrigerate until time to serve.




Sagaponack Corn Pudding
Copyright 2002 Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
5 cups fresh yellow corn kernels cut off the cob (6 to 8 ears)
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
4 extra+large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup half+and+half
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (6 ounces) grated extra+sharp cheddar- plus extra to sprinkle on top


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the inside of an 8 to 10-cup baking
dish.

Melt the butter in a very large saute pan and saute the corn and onion over
medium+high heat for 4 minutes. Cool slightly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-&-half in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in
the cornmeal and then the ricotta. Add the basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the
cooked corn mixture and grated cheddar, and then pour into the baking dish.
Sprinkle the top with more grated cheddar.

Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish
with hot tap water. Bake the pudding for 40 to 45 minutes until the top begins
to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

Deborah Olson’s Cherry Pie
From CJ Olson’s Cherry Stand in Sunnyvale

PASTRY:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
4 -5 tablespoon cold water
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (if you have convection oven, use “bake” instead of convection to brown bottom crust). Place flour and salt into a medium sized mixing bowl or into a food processor. Cut in shortening and butter and work with a pastry cutter until mixture is like coarse corn meal. If using a food processor, use the “S” blade.

Sprinkle in cold water, 2 TBS. at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and forms a ball. Do not overwork the dough. Divide into two balls. Cover with a dishtowel. Chill just until it firms up, then remove. Put aside.

CHERRY FILLING:
¾ to 1¼ cups. sugar (depending on sweetness of Cherries and personal preference)
1/3 cup flour
8 cups Pitted Olson’s Bing, Royal Ann or Tartarian Cherries (about 3 ½ lb.)
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter
In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar and flour. Mix well with Cherries and extract.

ASSEMBLY:
Roll pastry out on a board lightly sprinkled with flour and sugar. Place bottom crust in 9” pie plate.
Add Cherry mixture.
Dot with Butter.
Cover pie with top crust, crimping edges, and adding slits to allow for steam to escape. NOTE: I put a lattice top crust instead of a solid piece
Place pie pan on cookie sheet (cherry juice may bubble over) and then on bottom shelf of oven.
.
Cut a piece of aluminum foil about 3 inches wide and cover the edge of the pie to prevent excessive browning. (Remove foil during the last 15 minutes of baking.)

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juices are bubbly.

Makes a 9" Two Crust Pie.



Homemade Lime Ice Cream
Created by Janis

➢ 8 fluid ounces Lime Juice
➢ 4 cups half and half
➢ 2 cups sugar

Dissolve the sugar in half and half.
Stir in lime juice.
Freeze according to ice cream makers instructions


Homemade Ice Cream - Strawberry Recipe
This easy homemade ice cream with the fresh flavor of strawberries is a great treat anytime of the year.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

3 cups quartered strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup half and half
2 cups chilled whipping cream

• Clean strawberries and cut into quarters. Place in a bowl and mash slightly. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sugar and stir until mixed in thoroughly. Set strawberries aside.
• Pour the milk into a heavy saucepan. Over medium heat bring the milk to a gentle simmer (approximately 175° F) or until it begins to bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat.
• After removing from the heat, add remaining sugar and salt to the milk and stir until completely dissolved. Add half and half, vanilla, and whipping cream. Stir until well blended. Pour into a bowl and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Once the mixture has cooled, cover with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to age in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or up to 24 hours). This aging process will produce ice cream with more body and a smoother texture.
• Finish mashing strawberries to desired consistency (this should make approximately 2 1/2 cups of sauce). Cover the strawberries and place them in the refrigerator until just before adding them to the ice cream.
• After aging (chilling) the mixture, remove from the refrigerator and stir. The ice cream is now ready for the freezing process.
• Follow the ice cream maker's instruction manual on the freezing process.
• When the ice cream has thickened, but is still too soft to scoop, add the strawberries and stir until they are evenly distributed. Or, add the strawberries and start the ice cream maker churning again to stir them into the ice cream. Some makers have an opening in the top that is used to add flavorings as the ice cream is churning.
• Once the strawberries are mixed in, scrape the ice cream into another container with an airtight cover. Be sure to leave at least 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Place the ice cream in the freezer for several hours to harden before serving.

July 18, 2008 Barbeque

Crowing Coq Cookbook Club
• • Barbeque Dinner • •
Friday, July 18, 2008
6:00 p.m.

The July 18th Barbeque was a different dinner for us. We did not use a cookbook and members did not have to try a new recipe. People brought dishes that they enjoy preparing and eating at barbeques. As always, there were delightful surprises from even the most common of dishes and more food than we could eat.

Although we generally plate each course and serve a separate wine with each course, we decided to make this dinner a buffet, served in three flights.

The first course was a cocktail that Sharon created: Watermelon Mojito served with Asian Avocado Salsa and Pita & Bagel Chips that Sandi U. adapted from a recipe given to her by Emile Smith, a close friend of Henry Miller. The mojito put everyone into a party mood and ready for our main course and sides. It is always difficult to restrain ourselves and not eat too much of beginning courses because we know that we need to save space for delicious dishes that are waiting for us.

We had two main courses: Willie's BBQ Pork Spareribs, a recipe created by Willie and prepared by his spouse, Sandi, with great coaching from Willie who was recovering from walking pneumonia (who was nice enough to send the dish without partaking!); and Spice-coated Grilled Salmon that George prepared from an old Bon Appetit recipe). Both spice rubbed dishes complimented each other. Bill found two nice wines for these spicy dishes. A 2006 Zinfandel, Seghesio, from Sonoma and a 2006 Bonarda “Patriota” Tikal, from Mendoza, Argentina. After the yummy mojitos, the zinfandel and Tikals were nice companions to the ribs and salmon.

The many sides were great surprises, some from cookbooks and magazines and others created by cooks themselves. Sandy's Chopped Salad was a vegetarian surprise salad based on a Wolfgang Puck recipe. Sandi's Sapponack Corn Pudding was a served warm and had both fresh corn kernels as well as corn meal in the pudding. While they initially appeared to be common dishes we all find at BBQ’s, upon tasting, each dish had a unique twist or surprise. Even Sandi W's potato salad was different, using fresh basil leaves with red potatos. Sandi U's garlic bread was made using Extra Virgin Olive with just a touch of butter and lots of garlic to make a healthier version of this BBQ Staple. Annie created her spinach layer salad from years of experimenting... great research Annie! I have included the recipes for each of the dishes from this dinner’s menu. They are posted under July 18th Barbeque Recipes. Recipes have a photo of each dish...not that you'd forget this memorable meal!

Dessert was a fresh cherry pie and homemade ice creams. Sandi U. used a recipe from Deborah Olsen of the famed Olsen's Cherry Orchard stand in Sunnyvale. The luscious lime ice cream was prepared using the unique limes that grow in Janis’s backyard. By this time we had all had enough alcohol and most people opted for coffee. Although Bill did serve the sherry that we had at our last dinner to show that fortified wines hold up for months and months, once opened.

We all retired from this dinner fully sated and ready to try our next cookbook: Jean-Georges Cooking with a Four-Star Chef.

The Breakaway Cook Dinner, May 31, 2008

Once again, the cooks brought a memorable dinner to the table and some good ideas and tips to share about cooking from Eric Gower’s The Breakaway Cook cookbook. We had nine dishes this evening in a lovely home in Los Altos. What I always enjoy is trying dishes that I would not have chosen to prepare and being delighted with the results. This evening was no exception.

We started the dinner with Minty, Meaty Won Tons (p. 142). Mary noted that the first time she prepared this dish, she used a heavier won ton skin. The thinner ones were prone to tearing in the steamer. Other than this issue, the dish was easy to prepare. The flavors of this dish were uniquely delicious and Mary commented that even her two sons liked this one! Pairing wines with mint flavors was a challenge but Bill pulled a 2001 Geyser Peak Winery, Sparkling Shiraz, from Sonoma and it rose to the challenge of complimenting the won tons as well as the Breakaway Koftas (p. 152) that Willie prepared for us. Willie opted for ground lamb for this hearty appetizer. The Koftas were explained to the group as Middle Eastern or South Asian meatball or dumpling. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat — usually beef or lamb — mixed with spices and/or onions. It can also be made as a vegetarian dish. (wikipedia).

Next, Janis served the Edamame Salad with Pickled Ginger, Macha Salt & Roasted Almonds (p. 66). She used frozen edamame soy beans from Trader Joe’s that were already shelled making this fabulous salad even easier to prepare. It was difficult for everyone not to eat too much of it because it was so delicious. Bill thought that a Collard-Picard NV Champagne Cuvee, Brut Villers sons Chatillon from France would be a nice compliment to the slightly spicy salad. The champagne brought out the bright flavors of the salad and, as always, Bill chose the perfect pairing.

Scallops with Miso, Ginger & Ruby Grapefruit (p. 18) from Eric Gowers’ first cookbook, The Japanese Breakaway Kitchen was the next dish, prepared by Annie. This dish had been also tried by Sandi and Mary and was a big hit at this dinner too. It is a delicious combination of flavors that brought out the creaminess of the scallops while tickling the tongue with ruby grapefruit and ginger accents. Bill chose a unique wine from Kentucky for this course: Equus Run Vineyards, NV Riesling American. Who would have thought to try a wine from Kentucky but it worked and was surprisingly good!

Rather than have the next dish as a side dish, it was served as a separate entre so we could taste the flavors that complemented the risotto. George prepared the Fennel & Orange Risotto(p. 171) and served it hot from the stove top. It was perfectly prepared with the consistency so difficult to achieve with risottos. To bring out the fennel and orange flavors, Bill selected a 2006 Huber & Bleger Pinot Blanc, from Alsace France from his cellar. The creaminess of the pinot blanc was heavenly with the risotto. We are so fortunate to have access to Bill’s great cellar for our dinners.

The next two dishes were served together. Minty, Boozy Chicken (p. 129)
and Cauliflower “Couscous” with Lemon-Basil Sauce (p. 186) Sandra and Sandi made them. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by the consistency of the cauliflower dish which was indeed like couscous. The lemon basil sauce was another one of Eric Gower's surprise combinations that really worked well. Sandra doubled the onions and sauce to make sure that the dish was moist and not overcooked. One of the problems for all of us is to prepare food that needs to travel and have last minute assembling or heating in someone else’s kitchen. However, the two dishes were fabulous together and rounded this long dinner out. Leaving just enough room for dessert! Bill chose a Sonoma Pinot Blanc this time, a 2006 Michel-Schlumberger Pinot Blanc, Estate, from Dry Creek Valley that brought out the lemony flavors of the cauliflower couscous while accenting the minty flavors of the chicken dish.

The piece de resistance is always dessert and this evening was no exception. Sandy made the Jasmine Biscotti with Almonds(p. 208) which was served with Sharon’s homemade Galangal with Brown Sugar Ice Cream (p. 212). The biscottis were more moist than most biscottis which everyone thought was a good thing! The jasmine was a very interesting flavor and not overwhelming but a nice hint.
There was some discussion about how difficult Galangal is to work with. It is very hard and not at all like the ginger that we are familiar with. George had made this dish as well before the dinner and said that the ginger flavors would be more pronounced if the galangal was cut into small pieces and Sharon agreed that it could do with a stronger ginger quality. Bill chose a Venerable Very Rare Pedro Ximenez Sherry, bottled and drawn July 19, 1985, from Spain. Many people don’t like sherries but this sherry went really well with the biscotti and ginger dishes. Bill explained to the group that because of the high sugar content, this wine will hold for a long time, even if the bottle has been opened.

While there were some dishes in Eric’s cookbook that individual cooks found to be rather strange and unappetizing (see previous blogs), this dinner showed that his Breakaway Cook cookbook had some adventurous ideas and taught us all about some new ingredients and combinations of flavors.

Cookbook update!

Hi!

I hope you are enjoying your exploration of Eric Gower's world of breakway cooking!

Several of us have tried some recipes that didn't really work very well for our tastes as well as some that were very yummy and worth cooking again.

Mary and I have both cooked extensively out of Eric's first cookbook The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen and loved most of the dishes so if you would rather cook from this book for our dinner, please feel free to bring a dish to the dinner from either book.

Here are the dishes that I've tried that I liked:
1. I've made most of his seasoned salts, except the Kaffir Lime Salt, (pp. 36-37) and do like having them in a little bowl beside the stove to add a little extra taste to everyday dishes.
2. Miso-Orange-Pepper Roasted Chicken (p. 124) was very good. It was easy to follow and the only drawback was to remember to set aside enough time to brine the chicken....not a last minute dish!
3. Minty, Boozy Chicken (p. 129) was really delicious. A surprising combination of flavors that end up really working well together.
4. Supergreen Wonder Soup (p. 78) was another winner. I cooked it for a friend who is recovering from major surgery as a result of a skiing accident. It was both delicious and very healthy!
5. Restorative Chicken Soup (p. 86) was another good soup with initially simple flavors but complex undertones. I think I cut the chicken in too small pieces and would chop the chicken in larger pieces next time.

These are the dishes that were disappointing so far (so you won't have to try them):
1. Ahi Salad w/ Plum, Asian Pear and Avocado (p. 60) Amazingly bland. I did not use the Kaffir salt and maybe that made the difference but his recipe allowed for Kosher salt as a substitute.
2. Clay-Pot Chicken with Leeks and Lotus Root (p. 130). Both Sandi and I tried this one and we both thought that it was lacking something and a waste of lotus root.
3. Pomegranate Potatoes (p. 168) ended up with tastes that were too weird for me. I didn't think the combination worked at all.
4. Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon (p. 117) was okay but not a memorable dish. Somehow, for me, the pomegranate did not go well with the salmon. I think I'll give up on the pomegranate dishes...

If you've tried some of the dishes and want to share your results, please add your trials, successes and errors too.

Bon Appetit!

Sandra