A Spring Meal to Entertain

I have talked about this before, but I wanted to share again.

The best way to entertain and leave people feeling taken care of and nourished, is to keep it simple.

Yes, simple is best! Some of my favorite TV chefs talk about this all the time - Mario Batali (an expert on cuisines of the different regions of Italy) and Ina Garten (a Martha Stewart type chef who puts high values on quality and refinement of food). If you pick, fresh, and good quality ingredients and cook them as they were made to be prepared, you will inevitable create a good meal.

A week ago we had guests over and I did just this. It was entirely driven from ingredients I found at the farmers market and my awareness about what spring menus should include. Here is what we prepared:Green Salad with Italian Dressing
Roast Chicken cooked on a vertical roaster and stuffed with lemon, rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano
Quinoa with fava bean and pea puree
Roast baby artichokes and zucchini (roasted in chicken drippings)

Why each item was selected
Spring is one of the best times for chicken. Eggs are also abundant right now. The herbs which were stuffed into the chicken not only impart flavor, but also have their own special nutrition and now that I have my herb garden out front, I have no excuse but to use them!
Spring is also a great time for veggies like artichokes and zucchini. Here in Half Moon Bay we almost always have artichokes. They are great for the liver and gall bladder, and spring is definitely a good time for cleansing and supporting the liver. I used baby artichokes for this meal - the trick with either baby or full artichokes is to peel back to the tender leaves, trim the tops and bottoms, par boil (boil for a few minutes until just soft) and then roast so you still get a tender but crispy texture.
Fava beans and peas are also some of the lighter plant items like fava beans and peas. Served with quinoa (which I soaked the night before to help with digestibility) is an easy way to deliver their taste without overbearing the palette.
Lastly, the green salad is a great way to get herbs, plus fat with the olive oil and very nice flavor. Not to mention fiber, vitamins and bulk to the meal.

Dessert was simply fruit (strawberries and raspberries) alongside Coconut Bliss ice cream. This is a great product based on coconut milk and meat, agave nectar (which in moderation I am a fan of compared to other sugar products). Again, really simple so it was easy on me, and everyone left feeling great.

Gluten Free Coffee Muffins

Before you throw your arms up and say forget it because it's gluten free, take a look. I don't make things that try to mock a modern version. For example I don't get tofurkey, I don't like most gluten free bread....these are things that you just shouldn't try to replicate if you have a food sensitivity.

That is how I survived the 10 years that I had a sensitivity to milk protein. I ate as many whole foods as possible and tested recipes until I could make them just taste good and not 'ok, but dairy free.

So, these muffins. I was hesitant to try them, but I will tell you they are great! Give them a try next time you have guests over.

Coffee Muffins

Adapted from the "Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods" by Bette Hagman

Before you start, mix 1 cup garfava flour, 1 cup cornstarch and 1 cup tapioca flour in a storage bin

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour mix

1/2 cup sucanat

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbls melted butter

2 eggs

2 tsp instant espresso

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup chocolate chips (to add right before baking on top of the muffins, otherwise they sink to the bottom)

Cupcake liners

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line muffin tin.

2. In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.

3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, coffee and butter together.

4. Add half the flour mixture until just moist. The key with this is not to overmix or beat.

5. Add half the buttermilk, stir lightly.

6. Add the rest of the flour, stir. Then the rest of the buttermilk. Stir lightly.

7. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full. Top with chocolate chips if you want.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I would suggest tasting the batter before. It doesn't taste good, so that is not why I am suggesting that. Instead, I just thought it was so cool how the bean taste gets cooked out and how baking is such a science!

According to the original author, each muffin packs 6 grams of protein! Enjoy with some tea or coffee.

Dim Sum

Typically when I eat out it happens because of convenience, social situations or I simply can't make it at home (amount of time, recipes, difficulty). Dim sum falls into this last category. We love dim sum in the LL household.
In case you are not familiar with dim sum, it is a Chinese style of cooking/cuisine with little bites and dumplings of tasty fixings. Ranges from savory or sweet, steamed or fried or baked and spicy or mild. It is typically a brunch/lunch time event and accompanied with tea. Once you are seated you are typically offered tea. Then the fun begins as the various carts circle around the room displaying what just came out of the kitchen. You point at the cart and they put the basket of goodness on your table and stamp your card with the marker for the dim sum (price depends for the various dumplings). And if you don't want it you do the no thanks face and shake your hand across the table - that is not mandatory but it is my husband's trademark for dim sum and probably the main reason all of our friends like going with us - to watch him manage the dim sum intake.....moving along.....you then have several dipping options: none, soy sauce, Chinese mustard or hot sauce. Dip and eat!
My major gripe with dim sum is I have no idea what is actually going into my food. I know there is MSG (mono sodium glutamate - a preservative used as a flavor enhancer in many Asian cuisines) and MSG is terribly bad for you (and I myself am quite sensitive to it). That aside, like any other place you eat out, you simply don't know where the ingredients came from and who is making it.
So here is the really exciting part of this post, I made my own! And it turned out great. A good friend of mine has a book from the late 70's that her mom used to use called 'Dim Sum' by Rhoda Yee. This is my new dim sum bible. It is by no means a task to do alone, and it is time consuming. However, it is the perfect get together for friends to just sit and talk and enjoy food. Plus when you start something like this, you make a ton, eat some that day and then have the rest frozen for another time. It is kind of the same as when Latin families get together to make tamales.
So here was my favorite recipe of everything we made yesterday:

Siu Mai (shoo-my)
Makes about 10 dozen

1 lb ground pork sausage
1 lb fresh ground pork
2 tsp salt
1 can water chestnuts, finely minced
2 tbls ginger, finely minced
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbls light soy sauce
1 tbls salted turnips, finely minced (you could omit, but this was an interesting ingredient we found at our local Asian specialty store)
4 tbls sugar
1 tsp teriyaki sauce
1 tsp sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup cilantro,finely minced
1 stalk green onions, finely minced
1 package round wonton skins

Mix all the ingredients into a bowl together.

Take about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling and put into the center of the wonton skin. You are going to leave the top open so what you do is fold the edges around the meat mixture. Then, holding from the top and the bottom, pat the mixture so it is flattened and secure in the little pocket pouch. Set inside a tray of some sort and cover with a paper towel.

Fire up your stove and warm up a couple of inches of water in a pot with a steamer basket - do not let the water touch the basket. When boiling, put your dim sum in the basket and steam for about 15 minutes.

Take out, eat when cooled enough to not burn your mouth. Serve with soy sauce, hot sauce and/or sesame oil. Enjoy!

Note, when you are working with won ton skins they should be kept moist. So keep covered with a wet paper towel, or keep them in the package they came in as you take one at a time out. Do not take them all out, separate and then try to stuff - you will be upset that you just ruined a whole package :)

The Success of Beef Stout Pie

I get really excited when the Williams Sonoma catalog comes, simply for the recipes. I can check online, but I always forget that this is a great source for either inspiration, or comfort classics that I wouldn't normally make or seek recipes for (note to self, add it to favorites list). This last catalog that came is focusing on gastropub food - pub food revamped and made popular again. My husband and I both dig on the whole pub scene as a casual place to grab a pint, eat a good hearty meal and be in good company. Doing it in our own home is fun and cheaper. This is definitely a meal that falls into good entertaining food.
One of my major philosophies about entertaining and food is that while a gourmet meal may be very tasty and impressive, the best conversation and mood setting is with casual and home style food that has been done really, really well. This pie falls into that category. It is a comfort favorite of beef stew, but kicked up with the deep flavors of the stout and mushrooms and pearl onions and a pie crust with blue cheese folded in. Serve it with a nice red wine and a simple salad and I am sure you will be able to please all your guests and they will walk away thanking you.

The recipe is located here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/recipedetail.cfm?objectid=A3F7E1DB-E41C-E23E-FBA1EA0EE6A953B1

Here are the modifications that I made:
1) I only did 2 lbs of meat. Then I cut everything else roughly in half. I think that would feed a family of 4-5 easily. If you wanted leftovers for a family that large, certainly do the whole thing.
2) I did half lamb and half beef. It is a flavor combo that we appreciate more in this house. If you don't like lamb skip this, but if you do, try mixing these.
3) I used baby portobellos instead of white mushrooms because that is what I picked up at the farmers market. Definitely let the onions and mushrooms cook down as long as they say - the smell was amazing!
4) I used blue cheese instead of specifically stilton and it was still tasty as heck.

Here are some pictures, but the smell will make your mouth water alone. Try it!

Here is the original recipe.

Beef Stout Pie

Ingredients:
7 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 1/2 cups Irish stout
1 cup beef broth
1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
One 16-inch round Stilton pastry (see related recipe at left)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:
In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. In the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add one-third of the beef and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Pour the liquid into a separate bowl. Repeat the process 2 more times, using 2 Tbs. oil to brown each batch of beef and deglazing the pot with 1/2 cup water after each batch.

Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry round on top, allowing it to droop onto the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture, then cut 4 slits in the top of the dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Stilton Pie Pastry

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. (2 sticks/250g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
4 oz. Stilton cheese, crumbled

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar and pulse until blended, about 5 pulses. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add 1/3 cup of the ice water and pulse 2 or 3 times. The dough should hold together when squeezed with your fingers but should not be sticky. If it is crumbly, add more water 1 Tbs. at a time, pulsing twice after each addition. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, place on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and roll out into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the cheese over half of the dough, then fold the other half over the cheese. Roll out the dough into a 16 1/2-inch square. Using a paring knife, trim the dough into a 16-inch round.

Refrigerate the dough until firm, about 10 minutes, then lay the dough on top of the beef and stout pie and bake as directed in that recipe. Makes enough dough for a 16-inch round.