Holiday Truffled Roast Duck

I succumbed to the lure of a stuffed truffled duck 4505 Meats had for sale when I visited their manufacturing kitchen last week. How could I pass this beauty up?

It was the size of a baby! It was at least 18″ long and weighted at least 8 pounds. Once I put it on my kitchen table I realized I had a problem; no roasting pan in the Roost was large enough.

I had to cut off all of this to even get the duck close to fitting in my roasting pan. I saved these goodies for stock and future rendering for duck fat.

After trimming off 9″ of the neck and the “collar” of fat from the neck and shoulders the duck now fit into my largest roasting pan. Barely! The directions called for a little sprinkling of salt and pepper, and I added a sprinkling of thyme for good measure.

The directions were simple, I had nothing to do but have a glass of Bonny Doon Ca’ del Solo Muscat and wait, and then…. this…

I let the duck rest covered lightly in foil for 30 minutes, and then got ready to carve.

First, I poured off the fat from the roasting pan, strained and cooled it for future wonderful uses.

I used a bit of the duck fat and flour to make a roux, then added a good glass of wine and the truffled duck stock to make a pan gravy for my dinner. I now think that truffled duck stock is the best stuff on the planet, outside of roasted duck that is.

The stuffing was so aromatic with truffles and 4505 Meats’ sausages and Tartine’s olive bread.

It took some wrangling but I removed the legs and thighs in once piece and both breasts, one went onto the carving board for my dinner. I immediately ate both “oysters” and hacked the carcass into smaller pieces to be frozen for soup stock – duck soup! There was a lot of meat on this bird.

I carved up some of the breast meat, it was juicy and perfectly rare, and rendolent with truffle.

I served up my plate and ladled some truffled gravy over the dressing and the duck. The seasoning of the meat and the stuffing was divine. I have been kicking myself for not thinking of using olive bread in poultry stuffing.  Where was my brain?  Why didn’t I think of this myself?  Ryan Farr is a genius!

Outside of carving the bird, I had very little to do. This was the most spectacular and yet the simplest thing I have ever prepared.

A note on wine, most people serve red wine with duck but I found that the fruit of the Ca’ del Solo Muscat by Bonny Doon was wonderful with the duck,  Its citrus notes and almost floral fruit cut through the richness of the duck meat and did not overpower the truffles.

I shared the leftover stuffing and the rest  of the duck breast with my colleague at the office and we had the nicest Christmas Eve eve luncheon, despite the lack of wine. The duck legs and full breast were carefully frozen as I promised to share some with friends for a little dinner soon – seared duck leg and a petite salade and wine, what could be better?

If you have the chance to pick up a duck from 4505 Meats I could not recommend it highly enough.

4505 Meats
Ryan Farr, head genius
http://4505meats.com/

Getting Schooled on Cheese

We live in locavore’s heaven in the Bay Area and happily it is not hard to find amazing, artisinal crafted foods such as pasture-raised meats, truly free-range chickens, lovingly tended vegetables and fruits and the miracle that is hand-crafted cheese – the perfect combination of milk and bugs and mold.

I swear I practically live at Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Building and despite my lactose-intolerance I found that I can enjoy goat and sheep milk cheeses, buffalo cheeses to a smaller extent, and well-aged cows milk cheeses without “difficulties”.

Because of my former position giving culinary tours at the Ferry Building and my Wallace-like tendencies towards a nice spot of cheese I feel that I know rather a lot about our local cheeses. Ferran Adria wisely counseled the crowd at the Castro Theater this month that one can never really know everything (or enough) about food, so I happily accepted an opportunity to attend Cheese School with a dear friend to learn a little more.

The Cheese School is a charming studio space down on Powell Street where North Beach rubs shoulders with the Wharf. For a moderate sum one can spend a lovely interlude sipping local wines, nibbling on fine cheeses and Marcona almonds and listening to the tres charmante Colette Hatch talk about the history, method and flavor profiles of some of the most amazing cheeses from our Sonoma and Marin companies.

Colette is a sprite of a lady with the most delectable accent I have had the joy to listen to and is a formidable authority on all things cheese. She modestly states she is a buyer for Oliver’s Market up in Santa Rosa, but is a well respected international cheese authority. She grew up in the Compte region of France where so many lovely cheeses originate. The owner of the Cheese School is Daphne Zepos and I would love to attend one of the classes that she moderates, her background is likewise distinguished.

The space is airy and light with a demonstration area and retail space as you enter and around the corner is a classroom area.

(I need to make some of these chairs)

I joined my friend and sipped on a glass of sparkling wine as we waited for everyone to gather. Each place setting was set with wine and water glasses, a lovely plate of cheese, and dishes of various accompaniments such as Marcona almonds, baguette, Champagne grapes, fresh figs, Frog Hollow dried apricots and June Taylor cherry conserve.

Here is our lesson for the evening:

Each cheese was intensely scrutinized and savored according to Colette’s precise directions.

We sipped a variety of wines with each cheese at certain moments.

• NV Domaine Chandon Brut Classic (Napa Valley)
• 2010 Lioco, Sonoma County Chardonnay (American Canyon)
• Marietta Cellars, Old Vine Red Lot #54 (Geyserville)

Colette’s philosophy is that you should focus on the cheese while tasting with no distractions. You should first smell the cheese, then slowly nibble a piece, savoring the flavor, breathing a little, then having another bite.

What do you smell, taste first, is there an aftertaste, does the flavor linger on your tongue, does it taste different before/after a sip of wine?

The Cheeses

1. Delice de la Vallee by the Epicurean Connection
2. Pierce Point by Cowgirl Creamery
3. Cameo by Redwood Hill Farm
4. Square by Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
5. Tomme Dolce by Andante Dairy
6. Shepherdista by Bleating Heart
7. Two Rock Valley Hard Goat Cheese
8. “New Blue” by Pt. Reyes Farmstead

Tasting Notes

Delice de la Vallee

Delice de la Vallee by The Epicurean Connection is a soft cheese like a ricotta, a farm cheese, it is from Berkeley and uses Sonoma cow and goat milks. Like any ricotta type cheese it should be eaten within a week of purchase. It has a sweet, barely perceptible smell and tastes fresh and milk with a slight tang.

Collete’s favorite ricotta style cheese is one that she makes herself. It has a light and fluffy texture and has a bit of lemon in it. I had the pleasure (and ability) to make my own ricotta this year and it is the easiest cheese to make at home. It has so many uses, but my favorite is drizzled with olive oil and sea salt or spread thickly on sourdough toast and dolloped with preserves.

Pierce Point

Pierce Point by Cowgirl Creamery is from Petaluma and is a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese that uses Strauss milk. It is a summer specialty and is rolled in seasonal herbs and spices during the curing process and washed with white wine. It has a bloomy rind and a creamy sticky texture. It’s a camembert style cheese and soft ripens from the outside in. It tastes very creamy with a little tang when you eat the rind followed by a bite of the herbs.

This is one of my favorite cheeses and you can buy a half wheel from Cowgirl’s shop in the Ferry Building, this is the perfect quantity for two. The softer it feels when pressed the riper it is. You can buy it and let it relax in your fridge wrapped in wax paper or its original wrapping until it ripens enough but not longer than a week or so. This cheese can be frozen at this point, in fact all bloomy rind cheeses freeze very well. If the cheese it is overripe it will have an ammonia-like smell but don’t throw it out! You can make a flatbread or pizza and make sure the cheese is well melted and browned, this will pretty much remove the ammonia scent/flavor.

Cameo

Cameo by Redwood Hill Farm is an all goat cheese from Sebastopol. The owners at Redwood Hill farm name all of their goats and they are the prettiest little things. Cameo is an aged camembert style cheese, aged for a year with a pungent scent, a soft rind and tangy, creamy tender rind. The flavor lingers on your tongue and is great with red wine. The cheese is not organic but very close to it and the owners are well known for being humane breeders and caretakers of their flock-family.

Square

Square by Nicasio Valley Cheese is from Nicasio (Marin County) and is from pasteurized cow’s milk. It is in the same family as Cowgirl’s Red Hawk or an Epoisse or Tallegio cheese. It is a washed rind cheese that has a reddish appearance and a nice pungency, also known fondly as “stinky cheese”. The interior is buttery yellow and creamy and butter, the rind is a bit more aged and strong tasting with a lasting aftertaste.

The cheesemaker at Nicasio Valley learned from a master cheesemaker in Alsace, home of the Muenster cheese. Muenster cheese was my childhood favorite because we would sing “Monster Mash” as we ate it. This cheese would be wonderful with potatoes such as this potato cake.

Tomme Dolce

Tomme Dolce by Andante Dairy is from Petaluma and is made from pasteurized goat’s milk. It is an aged cheese and has a scent like a Parmesan cheese. It’s very tangy and yet smooth, it has little crystals inside like a good Parmesan but this cheese has a special twist. The rind is washed in June Taylor’s plum preserves with brandy and has a gorgeous sweet, caramelized flavor. What an incredible effect and very creative.This cheese melts very well and I would love to make a pasta with it, providing of course I don’t eat it all out of hand first.

Shepherdista

Shepherdista by Bleating Heart is from Sebastapol and is a raw sheep’s milk cheese. The cheese maker, Seana Doughty, is an amazing artist. This aged cheese has a scent like an old cave and an apple orchard. It is aged 60 days (which is why raw milk can be used, more about that later) and has fine grain with tiny holes. It is salty and has a tang with a very chewy rind which tastes like intense mushrooms or porcinis. It has a very long finish and was so delicious with the figs and the preserves.

Two Rock Valley Hard Goat Cheese

Two Rock Valley Hard Goat Cheese by DeBernardi Dairy is from Petaluma and is made from raw goat’s milk. It has a sweet, floral and almost perfumey aroma for a dry aged cheese. A crumb of it on the tongue yields a nutty and tangy flavor, almost like a Parmesan style cheese. Don at DeBernardi recommends serving Two Rock in chunks, drizzed with an aged balsamic vinegar. I have used a Parmesan similarly in the past, drizzled with a drop of champagne vinegar and truffled honey, it’s like the best part of a salad with out the greenery. Save the greenery for the olive in your martini!

“New Blue”

“New Blue” is the newest blue cheese from our friends at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company. Their original blue cheese is a gold medal award winner and their “New Blue” surely must be destined for the same accolades. This is a new recipe of pastureized cow’s milk and is very different from their original. It is very strongly scented, almost like a fresh truffle, with a creamy and grainy texture on the tongue. It is very rich and intensely flavored like a blue cheese should be, with a good salt balance and a sweet finish. This cheese has a slightly squeaky crust when chewed. Point Reyes is selling it at their stall at the Ferry Building farmer’s market, so if you get to try it and you like it please be sure to email them to request it is added to their regular production. Colette likes snacking on “New Blue” with Robert Lambert’s jelly, which I must now go seek out.

We lingered over the delicious wine and discussed the vineyards. The Lioco Chardonnay was quite nice, not oaked which is something I quite appreciate. The tasting room is located in Santa Rosa and an appointment is needed to visit. The Marietta Cellars Zinfandel has been a favorite of mine for a while, because I love Zins. This is not a haute couture wine but valued at a good price for the right reasons. They don’t have a tasting room so please order some wine and trust me.

Colette discussed at length the problem we have in the US with the FDA laws against unpasteurized cheeses. While the intent of the FDA’s stricture against raw milk cheeses except those aged over 60 days is commendable – protect the public against harmful bacteria like Listeria – but it has a decided negative effect against the quality of our cheeses. If you have had good cheese and wondered why the neon orange grocery store cheddar doesn’t taste like English Stilton the answer is raw milk. Of course England now faces the ban of raw milk cheeses, as perfectly illustrated in my favorite episode of Chef! from the BBC.

Many cheesemakers are lobbying to government to allow them to make and present their product in the manner in which they choose, and not to be blindly regulated nor restruct their rights and freedoms while respecting the necessity for cleanliness and sanitation. A cheesemaker will not be in business long if they do not follow tenants of proper sanitation and we rarely hear of anyone dying in France from cheese consumption, except perhaps through excess consumption.

Despite the bureaucracy the cheeses made with pasteurized milk are delicious, as I hope you will learn once you try a few of these local gems. Imagine though, in your minds eye, just how much better they could be if our cheesemakers had a free hand to legally craft the kind of cheese they aspire to create with raw milk as it has been done for hundreds of years. Sigh.

Another question people commonly have about these artisan cheeses is why they cost so much more in comparison to “commodity” cheeses. A lot of has to do with the price of materials, method and time. Sheeps milk, for example, is very expensive in comparison to cows milk. A dairy sheep only yields one gallon of milk per day! The quantity of cheese from the raw materials and the net loss in weight due to aging the cheese results in a higher cost to the cheese connoisseur. Whatever the milk used in a cheese, the hand crafted cheeses are just that, they are handled, inspected, washed, aged, and loved and the result of this work is flavor and texture that just can’t be duplicated in a huge machinated factory.

How do you keep a good cheese good at home? It is very important to consult with your cheese shop about the ripeness of the cheese you purchase and when you plan to serve it. They will advise you how long your cheese will stay in your fridge and when is it optimal to serve. Cheeses are best stored by unwrapping it from its plastic cover, should it have one, and rewrapping in waxed or parchment paper. I purchased some lovely French wrapping paper from the Cheese School that has a special permeable plastic layer fused to parchment paper but the less expensive alternative is good old waxed paper. Do not use plastic wrap or zippy bags! The cheese is a living organism and will sweat if kept airtight.

For some cheeses like cheddar the mold that forms on the outside is not a bad thing, the cheese is continuing to age and the moldy parts just need to be cut away before using. A mold on a soft cheese like a goat (other that what appears on the rind naturally) is probably not a good thing and should be discarded. The wrapped cheeses should be stored in a box, ideally, to retain moisure as a refrigerator is a drying environment. Every time you use the cheese throw out its old wrapping and wrap with fresh paper before replacing it in its box. Cowgirl Creamery has an adorabe wooden box for cheese storage, I treated myself to one and adore it passionately.

A few final thoughts about cheese that I believe are the most important, which is about serving cheese. Forget about an overly sweet dessert the next time you have friends over for dinner. Present a cheese plate instead! Pick a cow, a goat and a sheep’s cheese and cut thin slices like Colette did in our seminar. Allow the cheese to come to room temperature before serving, not warm but just to get the chill off. Sometimes it is best to do this after you slice the cheese because a firm, cold cheese is easier to handle. Serve with some quince paste, nuts, dried or fresh fruits, a few favorite crackers and perhaps some chocolates. Accompany your beautiful cheese plate with a dessert wine or port and you have a delicious and memorable dessert that everyone will appreciate. And if for some odd reason they don’t appreciate it, then you have more cheese for you!

Resources:

The Cheese School
www.cheeseschoolsf.com

Cowgirl Creamery
www.cowgirlcreamery.com

The Epicurean Connection, cheesemaker Sheana Davis
www.theepicureanconnection.com

Redwood Hill Farms
www.redwoodhill.com

Nicasio Valley Cheese
www.nicasiocheese.com

Andante Dairy, cheesemaker Soyoung Scanlan
www.andantedairy.com

Bleating Heart, cheesemaker Seana Doughty
www.bleatingheart.com

DeBernardini Dairy
7955 Valley Ford Road
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-763-6991

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company
pointreyescheese.com

Wednesday is Girl’s Night

(Soup by candlelight)

When you get a bit older it gets harder and harder to get together regularly with your friends.

You work really hard during the week, scrape together something for dinner or succumb to the lure of takeout, collapse after a glass of wine, and somehow get all the chores, housekeeping, shopping and laundry done over the weekend in time for Monday, or not! Somewhere in there you fit in hobbies, the children’s events, family time and hopefully there is a smidgen of time left to visit with friends. Or perhaps nap!

My pal A___ and I had the luxury of spending a lot of time together when I was “between engagements” and we found it rather sad that after I found a day job plus an occasional weekend gig that between my now-busy schedule and her insane work/boyfriend/teenager/church schedule we were not seeing too much of each other any more. Well, this was not acceptable so we began trying to set aside one night a week that has become our Girl’s Night In. Somehow, miraculously, it turns out Wednesdays are relatively free for both of us and we generally hang out at the Roost where all we have to contend with is a moderately demanding cat and a seemingly endless supply of wine.

Coincidentally Wednesdays are the day of my bi-monthly produce delivery from Farm Fresh to You. This gives us the perfect excuse to cook a healthy meal using that day’s bounty, which will hopefully offset the weekly wine and bacon consumption, and give me an opportunity to experiment a little with recipes and get some honest feedback.

This week’s produce delivery coincided with my wine club delivery from Casa Rodeña from New Mexico, so I really needed a Sherpa to help me home. Feeling like my arms had been slightly overstretched I slogged home on MUNI and dumped everything on the kitchen table and chatted with A___ on the phone while I began dinner preparations.

Naturally, in my usual post-work daze yesterday while shopping, I forgot several key ingredients necessary to test drive a new soup recipe, so A__ stopped by a store on her third trip across town. Somehow seven miles can feel like a hundred if you transverse it often enough.

The object of our desire was an inventive soup recipe posted by Heidi of 101 Cookbooks blog, and shared with me on Twitter via the fantastic Carina Ost. The soup is a mélange of red lentils and yellow split peas, curry and coconut, tons of herbs and the kicker, yellow raisins plumped in curry broth.

I clattered about with pots and pans, knives and cutting boards and juggled the phone and quickly threw together the soup base. Using legumes and lentils take a bit of time together to simmer gently so I used that time to tidy the kitchen and stow the weekly abundance of veggies. We are still getting summer vegetables and fruits, this transitional time of year is my favorite as we have the best of both worlds.

Despite a rash of days with hot weather, on this night the fog crept in on massive elephant feet, the Roost was cozy with the radiator steaming away in the corner and the kitchen redolent with the scent of toasted cumin and a whiff of coconut.

Eventually A___ arrived bearing bags of cilantro, fresh ginger, Semifreddi’s sourdough and more wine, and in moments our soup supper was almost done.

We had some moody Indy rock on the iPod and sipped the last of a bottle of really excellent wine from Napa, an ’04 Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak, before opening a bottle of a Sangiovese meritage from New Mexico. Wednesday is Wine Wednesday and it was nice to toast each other with something exceptional, although our usual plonk from Folie á Deux is quite satisfying too.

I heaped bowls with spoonfuls of chewy warm farro and ladled over the creamy rich pale golden soup and then piled handfuls of chopped cilantro and green onion shards over the top.

Pogo lolled on the floor under the Japanese slat bench, peering up hopefully with an occasional white paw appearing between the slats, while we slurped our soup and used slabs of sourdough spread thickly with Irish butter to sop up the streaks of soup left behind.

After dinner, I pulled out a pretty plate with rose filled chocolates and a few liquor chocolates left over from my last Giants game (Go Giants!!), we finished the last of the wine and had our fill of discussing men, work and everything under the sun. We desultorily played with my works-in-progress on the yarn front. The hour grew late and our feet started getting hot, the indicator that bedtime was rapidly approaching.

Another lovely Girl’s Night In was complete, and after hugs goodnight I put the soup away and tumbled onto the bed fully dressed and was out like a light within seconds.

There is no better night than time spent with your best pal, good wine and a great bowl of soup.

Heidi’s Neighbor’s Coconut Red Lentil Soup (with HAL modifications)

1 c yellow split peas
1 c red split lentils (I found both at Whole Foods in the bulk section)
6 c H2O
A small bunch of carrots, diced
A 2″ piece of ginger, peeled & chopped
1 tsp powdered ginger
2 T curry powder, toasted*
2 T butter
A bunch of green onions, sliced
1/3 c golden raisins
1 14 oz jar of whole plum tomatoes, torn into shreds with your hands
2 14-ounce cans coconut milk
Salt to taste
Black pepper
one bunch of cilantro, chopped

cooked farro

Put the dried beans and peas in a mesh colander and rinse well, then dump in a large pot. Add the water, the carrots, tomatoes and the powdered ginger and simmer for 30 minutes.

Toast the curry* in a small skillet for a few minutes then pour off to a plate to let cool. In the coolish pan add the butter and sauté most of the green onions (keeping several handfuls of the green tops for the garnish) and the fresh ginger until everything is soft. Add this to the soup pot after the 30 minutes, along with the curry, the raisins and the coconut milk. Add some salt and simmer for another 30 minutes. Taste for salt again and add the pepper.

Serve over farro and add the cilantro and green onion tops.

Eat slowly with a good friend.

A confession, I used powdered ginger at first because I was out of fresh, until my friend came over with her rescue bag of groceries. I think it is good addition though, it added a warmth and depth that I really enjoyed. I also prefer thinner soups and added more coconut milk that the original recipe called for. However, as the soup stands, or after being chilled down in the fridge, it will thicken up to a stew consistency because of the legumes.

Original recipe is here

A big thank you to Carina and Heidi!

Wordless Wednesday – A Glimpse of Office Life

(snack du jour: yak jerky from Tibet. Commodity yak?)

(catching a few rays at lunch; a sliver of warmth between the cool canyons)

(the holy of holyies: my desk drawer)

Wordless Wednesday

Happiness Is…..

….a sunny Sunday afternoon….

On a whim I propose a visit to the farmer’s market to a friend with brunch afterward of huevos rancheros. This simple excursion turned into a full day of beautiful sights and flavors.

I hopped on the N to check out the farmer’s market in the Inner Sunset in the tiny parking lot across Arizmendi Bakery and next to my favorite shoe store. The first thing I noticed was the Valet Barking, where you can park your doggie while you shop. The gal running it was doing a snappy business and everyone was playing together nicely, which is a testament to her dog-whispering abilities.

I strolled slowly through the tiny market, sampling peaches at every opportunity, and treated myself to a basket each of red and golden raspberries. Waiting for my friend to arrive I purchased a large cup of Earl Grey tea and several croissant, some with chocolate and some with frangipani inside, and plopped down on a curb opposite from the dogs and had myself a very relaxing nosh.

Surprisingly the golden raspberries were stronger and more defined in flavor than the standard ones, they were richer and had more of an acidic edge, they were also enormous and exceedingly fragile. I made a raspberry hat for my pinky.

It was the first time I ever ate an entire basket of berries by myself. The sun was warming my shoulders, the tea was perfect on my throat and the croissant was buttery with just enough almond succulence inside. Suddenly, I felt so at peace and just fine with everything within myself. I have been feeling like a worn out dishrag of emotions lately but at this moment, this moment was fine and pleasant and all mine although I was surrounded by the frenetic hum of the City.

A__ arrived and pulled up a pew, and joined me in breakfast for a moment, then we headed out to shop. My quest was for tomatoes, and herbage to make Green Goddess dressing to accompany a chicken roasted with quince. Instead, the quest for the best peach began and we settled on the last six O’Henry peaches in the market. Perfectly ripe and almost honey like they were the best peach I have ever had. For another dollar the farmer threw in some plums that were just about ready to turn themselves into jam on the spot.

After A___ snagged the last six eggs at one stall we lingered at Pamela’s Soaps with her amusing husband Dirk. Pamela’s lemongrass shae butter soap had to come home with me and Dirk put a lanyard through it, instant soap on a rope! While A__ chatted with Pamela and made her selections, I decided upon a bar of shaving soap, infused with lime oil, shae butter, lavender and some spice, Pamela said it is creamy and soothing, perfect for summer sleek bare legs at work, with my long stems I could use some pampering! Her hand-poured flower shaped pots of lip gloss also appealed and I picked one up as a gift for my sis. Pamela’s flowers from the garden were stunning, a perfect capture of summer. Even the bees agreed.

I was fascinated by a book they had on display, an old Organic Chemistry book that they labeled as boring, but it was really clever and not at all dry. Dirk offered to give it to me, which was very kind, and maybe next time I visit the market I will take him up on his offer.

After loading up on soapy goodness, we visited a jam vendor and tasted his heavenly Blenheim apricot preserves and two different plum jams. Not being much for plums really, they remind me of that horrible motorboat accident when I was a kid when I broke my nose, but after tasting his Mariposa plum jam I bought a jar. It was fresh and bright tasting and I had visions of a tart with the plum jam as a base and the fresh peaches and plums baked on top. Suddenly we were motivated to return to the beach house!

A few stalls down I found cilantro, green onions, bell and jalapeños for salsa and winter savory for the roast chicken. I also found a huge amount of beefsteak tomatoes at a reasonable price, the first inexpensive tomatoes of the year. I planned to slow roast them and freeze some for later. A___ found a huge bouquet of chard destined for her wok, and chives and parsley for salad. Then, a fruit vendor was trying to close up and offered us huge honeydew and other melons for a dollar each! Our bags were full but one monster fit into my backpack, barely, it was already full of my work clothes, bacon, tortillas, quince and knitting. I cradled one in my arms as a counterweight and we tottered through the last few stalls. The last booth had beautiful eggs and zucchini, and next time we will shop here for these beauties.

Finally we made it to the car, after a brief (well, not so brief) visit to the shoe store. Let’s get some shoes! Let’s party!

But on the way, we made a remarkable discovery! It doesn’t look like much, an ordinary storm drain gate, right?

Upon closer examination we saw that there was a plant growing inside. And, can you tell what it is?

For Pete’s sake it’s a tomato plant! Imagine that, the unstoppable power of Mother Nature reigning forth by producing a healthy volunteer tomato shrub in the most unlikely of places.

Once at the beach house, after an enthusiastic greeting by doggies, I set to frying bacon and making my huevos rancheros. I heated up a can of drained (organic) black beans with garlic and onion granules and some spices, and a few spoonfuls of bacon fat, mashed a little. The bacon was crisped perfectly under A___’s ministrations and the tortillas were fried in the bacon fat (and carefully blotted, I might add). Given that we both have tennis elbow for varying reasons, I employed the Cuisinart for a quick salsa of heirloom tomatoes, garlic, red onion, yellow bell pepper, Anaheim chile and jalapeño, cilantro, limes and cumin – so quick to prepare and to die for. The eggs from the market were quickly fried up and I assembled our “brunch”. A__ plunked down a bottle of bubbly and we feasted (at 3:00 pm!!).

(naughty but nice)

Look at that beautiful bacon, a birthday treat from my dear friend and reigning Bacon Queen S___. This was maplewood smoked bacon, so thick and well seasoned with the tang of woodsmoke and a touch of maple.

Always on the job, A___ went back to work while I relaxed in the back yard with the dogs post-shower, the sunshine and breeze from the ocean drying my hair, while I knitted a bit on my new shawl.

As the sun started dipping below the eaves of the neighbor’s house A__ returned and did some gardening, then we took a break from these pleasantries to polish off the rest of the champagne (out of the bottle so as not to risk the Waterford flutes on the patio with swishing dog tails like rapiers). Every Sunday afternoon should be like this.

I repaired upstairs to play with the chicken and preheat the oven. A__ brought me a handful of lemon thyme from the herb bed and I minced that up with the winter savory to sprinkle over the chicken. First, I made a base of red onion, left over from the salsa preparations, and peeled, cored and sliced quince layered in a vintage Copco gratin dish A__ found at a yard sale. I juiced a few lemons for the salad dressing and stuffed the chicken with the hulls and the tops of the green onions.

The Cuisinart was pressed into service again to mince the herbs and greens for the Green Goddess salad dressing, made creamy with Russian sour cream and good old mayo. I love this salad dressing, it was even delicious with prawn cervice dunked into it.

A big thank you to Kalyn and Sean for tweeting about the Green Goddess, a local historical recipe. By the way, it is excellent on fish, mixed in for chicken salad and even on onion rings.

Speaking of salad, we grabbed the lantern and harvested baby lettuces from a gopher-proof bed and after giving the beauties a refreshing bath I arranged them in a bowl for the table. The chicken was done, perfect as usual, and I carved her up roughly. We set down to feast with our fingers, dunking lettuces into the dressing as well as the chicken and an occasional prawn or three.

We had a deep philosophical discussion about the pursuit of happiness and where we are going in our lives now that birthdays are upon us. After the sadness I’ve been feeling, plus that long stretch of uncertainty being unemployed I have been doing a lot of cleaning house, mentally, with the kind support and encouragement of my dear friends and my family. Where would I be without them? We talked about gratitude as well and keeping positive. Sadly we had forgotten all about making a dessert but didn’t miss it. A__ made me a cup of verbena, mint and rose tisane and we retired to our various rooms, leaving the dogs snoring on the couch and chair. As I drifted off to sleep in the moonlight with the sound of the surf through the window, I reflected on how grateful and lucky I am to be alive and to have such a nice little life.

Happiness is…..being with friends and appreciating all the little moments.

Snausages

It’s the day before a holiday, Easter for my family, and I am up at my parents enjoying the peace and tranquility of the country and all of its relative benefits:  fresh air, birdsong, no sirens, great company and chats, and best of all amazing meals.

Since tomorrow’s a big day in the kitchen, we decided to take it easy today and have a very simple dinner.  The menu was my idea, based upon a favorite dish from my dear step-sister U___’s mom M___.

Years ago when U___ was in a play, M___ and I spent a great time chatting during the intervals about cookery.  M___ is authentically Scottish, born across the pond and a true lady.  I quizzed her in great deal about Scottish cuisine, having not had a lot of exposure to it over here besides what my family cooks as part of its standard repertoire.  She rattled off a handful of familiar dishes, and we scooted out to the parking lot to the car where, stashed in the trunk, was a tin of her shortbread.  Guiltily we snarfed finger after finger of shortbread whilst keeping an eye on the wristwatch; it wouldn’t do to be late for her daughter’s play!   Later, she brought up a dish I had never heard of, sausage rolls.  She told me they were her favorite snack for a heavy tea or a light supper or lunch.

Ever since that day, eons ago, I have been making sausage rolls for myself but apparently never mentioned them to any member of my immediate family!  Quelle horror!   Tonight I rectificed this shortcoming and made them for my parents. It was a perfect quick and easy dinner, and left the kitchen clean for other pursuits tomorrow.

(hmmm, apparently, butter on the camera lense produces a blurry photo, who *knew*? sorry…)

Snausage Rolls

1 # sausages – I used Lockeford apple sausages, 2 are almost a pound
1 package prepared croissant or bread dough
Spicy brown mustard
black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a small skillet, place sausages and 1/3 c water and cover, bring to a boil and cook 7 minutes.  Remove lid and then cook until water evaporates, and brown sausages well.  Remove from pan, let cook and cut each sausage into 4 pieces, then each piece in half.

On a work surface, unroll prepared croissant or bread dough and spread each piece of dough liberally with spicy mustard.  Top with sausage pieces, two per dough piece, and roll up, pinching with fingers along seams.  You do not need to completely seal up the dough.

Place rolls on a lined baking tray and grind black pepper on top of each roll. Bake 11-20 minutes until rolls are golden brown and dough is cooked through on the bottom.

This is all that was left after dinner:

I made a quick spinach salad with red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and mushrooms with a blue cheese dressing, and steamed some broccoli and dressed that with olive oil and a seasoning mix from Penzey’s called Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle.

We watched a salmon hued sunset while dining on our sausage rolls and toasted M___ with some local Black Sheep Sauvignon Blanc.  This winery is a true treasure and the fruity and dry notes of the wine really hit the spot after the sweet apple and porky notes of the sausage and the tang of the mustard.

Replete and happy, we all retired to our various pursuits and later I served up some chocolate mousse from Julia Child’s classic recipe, decorated in anticipation of Easter with some pastel M&M’s.

Tomorrow is a busy day, our menu is:

• Ginger Carrot Soup
• Baked Ham with Raspberry Bourbon Glaze
• Gratineed Potatoes Savoyard
• Steamed Asparagus
• Pull-Apart Butter Buns
• Chocolate Mousse
• Rosenbaum Cellars Richard Sauret 2006 Zinfandel

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday, whether it is your Easter or not, and enjoy some snausage rolls of your own sometime.

Just for fun, why I call these “snausages”!

Paella: A Plate of Love

When I come to my parents for a visit, however brief, I know that mOm will be cooking up something special. Isn’t that what family visits are all about, good food shared with great company?

For years, mOm has been torturing me with tales of her paella. We both have had friends that visited Spain and brought us back the best souvenir: glimmering, fat jars of saffron threads. Add to that great sources for smoked paprika, local chorizo, and seafood from the Bay Area, it all bodes well for a great dinner. For this night, mOm said she was just doing a little “motherly-type cooking”.  To me it’s anything but, it’s a plate of love!

On the way up to the country, my pal L___ and I popped in to the fun Michael~David winery in Lodi to stretch our and the puppy’s legs and to grab some great wine. Besides the amazing local cheese (Modesto), lavender spray and blueberry pie (from the winery’s family farm, the Phillip Farm) we totally scored with a case of Viogner, their Enigma 2006. Dry and crisp but heavy on the pineapple, pear and a touch of spice, this was the perfect wine with which to cook (and sip with) paella.

A tour of the living room and meet King-dog:

On our last night of our brief visit, it was paella night!!!  I played sous chef and chopped up various veggies, seafood and measured out wine (one cup for the paella, one cup for me) and so on, gently being cautioned not to cut my fingers off (really, mOm – love you!) and my perpetual reminders right back to wear an apron and take off the good jewelry, we really worked together seamlessly.

I love cooking with my mom, hearing stories about the recipes and family history, sharing tips we have gleaned from the net and the thousand cookbooks we devour regularly, and stories from around the small town that is now my parents home. City folk through and through, living in a small township has been quite a change for my parents, and one they have delighted in so many ways. The tales of the country are always so fun, like the time where a neighbor’s bull broke free from his pasture and ended up in Mom’s “back 40″ and whiled away the afternoon eating Mom’s pears and mooing loudly. Or the colorful handyman characters who appear at the back door to ask for work, presumably when their cash runs low, but always leaving a tool or something behind, shades of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. Or, that in the country, one only goes to the front door if they are a utilities worker, the UPS driver or there has been a sadness in the family, ergo it’s best not to sit in the family room in your PJ’s after 9:00 am!

Despite all the chatter, we do actually get work done in the kitchen, omitting the multiple times dinner has been quite late whilst my dad waits patiently in the family room, listening to the classical station and very often singing along. On this night, mOm kindly let me film her making her paella, even posing the ingredients just do for the camera (see below for the video!). She is a food blogger’s mom, through and through!

The local butcher did not have the smoked salmon sausages mOm usually uses in her San Francisco-created paella, but he had a great selection of Echo Falls hot smoked salmon that would provide the necessary flavor. The zippy local chorizo was excellent, as was the fresh salmon steak that was deftly skinned and deboned and chunked up. No other fresh seafood was available this day (small township, remember?) sadly, but the well stocked auxiliary freezer produced plump prawns that were quickly thawed and drained on toweling. To add a little more variety in the protein department, fresh chicken thighs were added to the chopping board. A decent store-bought chicken broth was liberally sprinkled with russet saffron threads to infuse the broth, what a delicious aroma!

(quick thaw your prawns by a soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain on paper toweling for 5 minutes)

The spanking brand new paella pan was christened with Bay Area olive oil from Bariani, then kissed with onions and garlic. After a brief doe-see-doe, sweet red and green bells were added to soften, then surprisingly ripe and juicy plum tomatoes danced in the pan. The star of the show was stirred in to the softened vegetal mass, Arborio rice this time. After a few slow, figure-eight swirls of the spatula, the aforementioned wine and broth, now shaded a lively orange from the saffron, were stirred in for a few minutes. Finally, the chicken and sausage were sprinkled in and pushed into the fragrant and soupy rice mixture. A bit later the prawns were plopped in, then even later the smoked salmon and fat sweet peas. One is supposed to let the rice simmer mostly undisturbed and to let it form a highly coveted crunchy crust on the bottom, but the pan was on its maiden voyage and the glass-topped stove is still a bit tricky to control at a low temperature. So we chatted, and stirred, and chatted some more, joined by the King-a-ling and my dear pal L___ and the man of the house. I just love it when every occupant of the house finds their way into the cozy, steamy kitchen that’s barely built for two, let alone five (if you count the 80 lb pooch, which of course we do, as he’s such a personality).

Finally, the paella was ready, the plump rice had absorbed the luscious juices from the vegetables, meats and broth and was ever so slightly chewy and yet tender. A quick dash to the terrace for a handful of parsley that miraculously survived the snowfall before Christmas and it was  roughly chopped and strewn upon the surface of the now deep yellow rice.  mOm topped off the steaming pan of paella with a sprinkle of sweet smoked Spanish paprika. It’s magical stuff really, just sprinkle some on your scrambled eggs one morning and you will never think eggs are boring again.

Triumphantly, the paella was paraded to the family room dining table, which was lit with fat white candles and set with the Royal Evesham Gold service, another souvenir from a lovely vacation in Great Britain years ago.

(does your family count the shrimp tails after dinner? mine does, hee hee)

We dove into the pan, heaping piles of paella on each other’s plates, counting the prawn and chorizo allotment per person, joshing and ribbing each other, and toasting the cook, her helpers, tasters and for any other reason we could think of along the way.

The best part was, as we prepared to leave the next morning, mOm said casually, “I packed some paella for your dinner tonight…” Later, home alone and feeling quite blue, I remembered the bag I shoved in the fridge and heated up a full pound of mOm’s paella love, and for a few minutes I felt like we were all together around the table again, having fun and enjoying time together.

See how she made the paella here:

REC: mOm’s Paella Love

6 T Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 red/green/yellow bell peppers, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 1/2 c. rice, Arborio or Carnaroli are good
1 c. dry white wine
5 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
Bay leaf
1 chorizo sausage, cooked, cut into chunks
4 links smoked salmon sausage, cut into 1″ pieces (or substitute a fresh salmon steak or fillet, cut into 1″ pieces and 1/4 lb hot smoked salmon, flakes into large chunks)
1 large chicken thigh, skinned, boned, cut into 1″ pieces
1 # Prawns, cleaned and peeled
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley
Smoked paprika
(1 1/4 # cooked lobster, cut into chunks)
(1 1/2 doz mussels, scrubbed well, beards removed)
(1 dozen clams, well scrubbed)
(1/2 # sea scallops)
Salt & pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan, sauté onions and garlic until tender. Add peppers and sauté ~5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle saffron into chicken broth. Add rice to skillet and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add wine, broth and bay leaf, salt and pepper, stir well, simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes.

Stir in seafood, (except smoked salmon, if using) sausages and chicken. Stir occasionally and cook until the liquid is absorbed and seafood and meats are cooked through (and clams and mussels are open). Approximate rice cooking time is 15-20 min from the point where the broth is added to the rice mixture.

5 minutes before this, add peas (and smoked salmon), gently fold in (to avoid breaking up the salmon).

Before serving, sprinkle on chopped parsley, smoked paprika, decorate with lemon wedges.

Serves 6.

We served this with a wonderful wine from New Mexico! Casa Rondena’s winery is located in Los Rancho de Albuquerque, and their winemaker and founder John Calvin makes delicious wines grown on the banks of the Rio Grande. L___ and I discovered the winery during our epic A Dog and Two Chicks on Route 66 road trip.  During that trip I became a member of their wine club and this year won their member contest of a case of mixed wine! It was so exciting as I have never won anything before. The wine we enjoyed with the paella was their ’06 Clarion, a Gold Medal winner, and is mostly Syrah with some Tempranillo and a little Cabernet Sauvignon.  Rich and smooth and a bit spicy, it was a perfect foil to the unctuous rice and saffron, spicy sausage and smokey seafood flavors.  Sadly we finished the bottle quickly but happily I have another at home along with a wealth of others to enjoy.  (Thank you John and Vicky for the treat!)

And, thank you mOm, Dad, and L___ for the lovely trip, and especially to mOm for the paella love!

The Pinot Expedition

A few days back I saw an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune about comparing Oregon and California Pinot Noirs.  This is a hotly debated topic and there are many strong feelings on both sides.  Being a Californian and believing most firmly that we have the best wines, hands down, I have to also admit that the Oregon Pinots I have tried are pretty fantastic.

I let a few of my wine-loving friends know about this article and then too received a passionate response on the California side. I must comment that some of my friends are quite knowledgeable in wines and can be called oenophiles. I am fortunate to know them as they have been gently educating me throughout the years, much to our mutual enjoyment.

The idea was launched by dear G___ that we should have a Pinot Party next month, and try a few from each state and see what we think.  My dear friend C___ has some major favorites from California, and G___ wanted to go in search of other California Pinots, whereas I am tasked with finding an Oregon sample.

Today, C___ and his darling wife D___ and G___ and her dear beau J___ ventured forth to Windsor, a small town north of Santa Rosa, to visit Martinelli Winery.  Martinelli has been one of my favorite producers of Chardonnay.  C___ has been on the coveted mailing list for eons and knows about their full repertoire of varietals and we were delighted to have an excuse to visit, and go out to lunch somewhere to make a day of it.   The days of hitting a dozen wineries and getting blotto are no more, our preference is now to visit one or possibly two places, have a great lunch and then discuss the wines we sampled, a more selective and refined approach to wine tasting, wouldn’t you agree?

We arrived at Martinelli and realized it was one of the Wine Road weekends, a massive tasting program where over 100 wineries participate at various times of the year.  It can be a lot of fun but it also means that the wineries all packed to the gills on these weekends and offer limited tastings as a result.  Fortunately for us, the wines offered today were the four that we really wanted to try, a Chardonnay, two Pinots and a Syrah, not usually offered for tasting.

Our congenial and charming host for the afternoon was George Martinelli himself.  His great grandfather and great Uncle started the winery and planted the vineyards.  The Martinellis are among the founding families of the wine industry in California and it was a special pleasure to spend such a delightful interlude with one of the family.  George, humbly calling himself a farmer, poured for us and I really enjoyed discussing the geological makeup of the soil at the various vineyards, the impact of elluvial versus clay-like soils, amendments for the soil, the possible impact of the previous plantings of apple orchards on the vineyard and, of course, the flavors, textures and aromas of his current vintages. Naturally George prefers the California Pinots as well, particularly his own product, and I have to admit it was among the most delicious wines I have wrapped my tongue around.  C___, said it was they were both the kind of wines with which he would like to get better acquainted, quipped with a sly chuckle and a waggle of the brow, causing a big grin from George.

We started with their 2005 Zio Tony Ranch Chardonnay. I really lack the words to describe this wine. It was rich and yet not a butter bomb. It has a lovely fruit to it, apples and pears, but there was a nice minerality to it too. Uncle Tony would no doubt be delighted that such a wine has been named after him.  The Pinot Noir came next, both from 2007. I preferred the first one for sipping on its own.  The Moonshine Ranch had a deep fruit and full mouth feel with just enough tannin to make it interesting. The Bondi Home Ranch Pinot was very different, with an herby almost leathery quality with a spicy finish. I imagine this wine would be best paired with dinner, I’m thinking my marinated lamb would be perfect. The final wine was a treasure, a ’06 Hop Camp Vineyard Syrah. Very complex, blackberries and bold tannins. George suggested this wine to pair with game, as he and his family enjoy a lot of the local wildlife, ah, the joys of living in the country! Elk, boar, gamebirds – drool, drool, drool…. He suggested opening the wine in the morning and replacing the cork but letting it open up throughout the day in time for dinner. We played with an aerator with this wine, and it was truly amazing how pouring a measure of this Syrah though the little chubby spout really knocked back the tannins and brought out bright berry and heightened acidity in the wine.

It was fascinating to experiment like this and we were sorry to see the hordes of Wine Road  participants pouring in to the tasting room.  We took our leave of our charming host and ventured into the sales room to pick up a few bottles for a special evening at home another time.  Debbie, the tasting room manager, suggested that we visit Willi’s Wine Bar in Windsor for a nice lunch break.  At an unassuming wide spot along the Old Redwood Highway, Willi’s was such a delight and a true culinary gem.

(a gloomy day outside but Willi’s was warm and welcoming)

The quiet and soothing interior was perfect for our planned discussion of wines, life and the odd hilarious anecdote.  The menu was an intriguing list of small plates from various countries, great flights of wines and flights of cheeses, including wine flight suggestions to accompany the cheeses.  Of course their wine list reflected the local vineyards surrounding the restaurant, and we were so excited to see Martinelli’s Blue Slide Ridge Pinot Noir on the menu outside the front door, but sadly they had sold out.  We were tempted by the Martinelli River Road Chardonnay but having been well experienced with it, we comforted ourselves instead with a lovely Gewürztraminer from Handley Cellar’s Anderson Valley vineyard, 2007.  It was overchilled when first poured but exhibited a wonderful and complex blend of minerality and fruit, pears and perhaps star fruit as it warmed up a bit. I love C___’s thoughts on how to define mineral: “a flinty stone, like spring water over clean rocks”. Pure poetry.

The Gewürztraminer was a delightful match to my small plate of pork belly and shitake potstickers.  I ordered the flatbread topped with caramelized onions, feta cheese and fingerling potatoes and mint (although I did not detect the mint).  So delicious!  It let to an interesting discussion on what difference, if any, is there between pizza and flatbreads. To me, there is none, other than the flatbread is usually thinner, but then again so are many pizzas.  In my opinion using the term flatbread allows the chef to use different toppings that most people wouldn’t find equitable with a “pizza”. What are your thoughts?

My fellow diners tried other dishes that were also amazingly executed and creative.  three of our party selected the mac’ and cheese with ham, caramelized onions and Gruyere. I snagged a oozing morsel and it was truly delicious and has led me to believe that caramelized onions, like bacon, can only improve any dish. D___ really enjoyed her calamari salad with Andouille, shishito peppers, and a basil & charmoula aioli but naturally wanted more calamari (there can never be enough calamari!). The truffled french fries with truffle aioli were a spot of heaven. Doused in aromatic and pungent truffle oil, and yet still crispy, they were probably the best fries I have tasted. G____ chose a beautiful trio of cheeses, served with a fruit compote and a dish of deep umber honey. Her arugula & endive salad, with great bites of avocado, Manchego dheese, almonds and a Meyer lemon truffle vinaigrette looked beautiful, so fresh and really delicious.

We shared a few desserts, each urging the other to have yet another bite, with cups of Flying Goat espresso and a massive mocha for J___. I especially enjoyed the Gipson’s orange blossom honey crème brûlée, garnished with the plumpest blackberries. Orange blossom honey was a subtle yet discernible taste on the tip of the tongue and the sugar brûléed topping was expertly done, like shimmering sweet glass. The other big hit was the chocolate chunk and banana croissant bread pudding, served in a shallow wide plate. The chocolate remained in melty but distinct morsels with the sweet ooze of baked bananas and the croissant lent an almost crepe-like quality. I haven’t used croissant in bread pudding and think that it might be my new favorite.

Fully satisfied and well pampered, we headed back through the grey mist to the city and possibly for a nap! Thanks to J___ for driving and for hosting such an amazing lunch, and to everyone for their companionship, good conversation and for being such great friends.

I am now on the hunt for a good Oregon Pinot Noir so if you have a suggestion please do let me know!

Turkey? On a Weeknight? Why, Yes!!!

Yes, it *is* true. You can cook a turkey for dinner on a weeknight.

Or at least my friend A___ thought so. During an extremely hectic week she managed to hit up Costco where they had nice organic turkeys on sale. While she buzzed off to her frenetic workday her dear beau R___ brined the turkey. We don’t know what he put into the brine actually, it was one of those mysterious guy moments where they work their kitchen magic and make it look so easy. I love it when that happens! While we were on our way over to the beach house, R___ removed the turkey from the brine, rinsed it and put it on a pan with a rack back in the fridge to let dry out a bit and preheated the oven for us. Give that man a beer!!

After we decompressed a tad, or, that is, A___relaxed, after all she had the busy day and I did not actually, I was pretty relaxed and sipping some chilled white wine I brought from the Roost. We futzed around the kitchen a bit, chatting and laughing; there is no better way to relax after a tough day to joke and laugh with friends with a little wine, the attentions of a warm, loving boyfriends (hers) and the unabashed adoration of two giant hounds. After spending some good quality time over at the beach house over the past year or so I have found that I really feel much happier when I am in full household with lots of animals and phone calls and craziness. It is especially difficult to come home to the Roost after this, despite that I love my cozy place with my modest collection of nice things and my insanely fat cat. It is so quiet and solitary here. I guess my fate is to roost alone but I think that my chicken analogy extends to the point that I recognize I would be happier in a flock. But many life lessons can be learned in the kitchen. I have learned that you may start out with a set menu but must adapt to what is fresh, what is available and what doesn’t get burnt. It is just like life, you have to make do with the ingredients you have in your life’s “pantry”, sometimes it is Top Ramen, sometimes it is prime rib. But what ever it is, you need to be as happy as you can with what you have, and enjoy the process.

But I digress. Let’s talk turkey!

A___’s place is welcome to all and additional guests were arriving shortly who were not as understanding about dining at 9:00 pm on a weeknight, or later, as we have done on occasion. Given the time constraints I suggested that we butterfly the turkey like I sometimes do with chickens when I am in a hurry. We had a recipe somewhere in the manse but couldn’t put our fingers on it at that exact moment, so I did the next best thing. I called mOm! I love it that moms know everything. If you need to know how to get a stain out of a blouse or what to do when you are feeling sick and are not sure if it’s dire or not, or how to roast a turkey in a hurry, moms are always there with an answer and a calming chat. With my mOm’s guidance, we set the oven at the suggested temperature of 450 F and the time range for cooking a bird.

I grabbed a nice knife and cut out the backbone of the turkey, which was surprisingly easy, despite a slight variance in architecture of a turkey vis a vis a chicken. Near the tail the bones are a little denser than a chicken and not quite in the same place but with a few sharp jabs I was able to cut the entire backbone and tail off. Next, I flattened the turkey by performing CPR gestures on the breastbone. Yelling “cough it up” did not help, however, but it did produce howls of laughter by my kitchen mates and a few barks from Rocky. Once the breastbone had been compressed sufficiently, I tucked the wings back and adjusted the drumsticks so that the now (more) flattened bird would fit on a baking sheet. (Sorry, no pictures, my hands were gooey.)

A___ had been chopping up carrots, celeriac and onions and arranged them on the baking sheet with some crimini mushrooms to serve as an impromptu roasting rack, plus they would double as the vegetable portion of the evening and do triple duty as flavoring of the pan juices for a light gravy. Mr. Turkey got splayed on top of the veggies, given a brief but relaxing massage with olive oil and a salt rub with Kosher salt and grinds of pepper. I also got wild and added a dash of garlic granules on top. Somehow it just felt right. Suitably relaxed, the turkey got tossed in the hot oven for 40 minutes, then it was rotated in the oven (and he was starting to brown nicely) and then roasted for another 40 minutes. After a total of 80 minutes Mr. Turkey was a deep mahogony, the meat had begun to withdraw from the ends of the drumsticks and the internal temperature was 170 F in the thigh and was a big higher in the breast. This means that we could have actually removed the bird after a total roasting time of 70 minutes, which is pretty quick for a 14 pound bird, don’t you agree?

It required manly strength to lift the bird out of the oven, and after this assistance, we girls retired him to rest on a warmed platter covered with a little foil for 15 minutes or so. The veggies were lifted off the baking sheet using a slotted spoon and set aside in a covered serving dish.

(shown here with some commercial cranberry sauce)

We poured off the drippings into a saute pan, where I removed the excess fat with a spoon. Meanwhile R___ deglazed the baking sheet with some red wine (a meritage of Zinfandel, Merlot and 10% Cabernet) and also a half glass of my white wine (Buena Vista Chardonnay). The winey mixture was added to the saute pan and I let it reduce a few minutes then added a light cornstarch slurry just still the sauce coated a spoon.

Then I carved up the bird, the skin was so crisp and the meat was extremely juicy. The breast sliced up perfectly, nary a shredding moment, and was so juicy when I pressed with the knife some pearls of savory turkey juice beaded up on the meat. Perfection!

Dinner was on the table in a hurry! A___ had made a roasted cranberry sauce with whole spices and her famed Persian rice. Perhaps someday I can persuade her to share the recipes. I just felt lucky to eat them!

(Can you see the little rabbits cut out of potato and onion that decorate the top of the Persian rice? They were particularly delicious and almost caused WW3 with fencing forks dueling to the bitter end)

A__ whipped up a quick salad of sliced cucumbers and radish, dill and a creamy dressing. It was perfect with the turkey and roasted root vegetables.

I have a question to pose to the universe, or perhaps just a puzzlement. Despite using over 6 carrots for the root vegetable dish there were hardly enough carrots to go around. What happens when one cooks carrots? No matter how many one cooks it seems like there are never enough. Do they become the “angel’s share” like wine while they are cooking? Do aliens invade the kitchen and beam them out of the pots and pans? Have the dogs acquired opposable thumbs and had a snack? It is extremely perplexing to me.

Irregardless, between 4 adults and 1 teen, almost all of the thigh meat and a breast were consumed in one sitting. Only a 1/4 cup of the roasted cranberry sauce remained and perhaps a tablespoon of gravy. Gravy is another mysterious substance, there is never enough of it no matter how much you try to make! All, sweet mysteries of life!

We laughed and talked and toasted each other the Russian way with icy crisp vodka. A hearty toast was made to R___ for his impending birthday, and to the darling daughter for surviving finals week at school. Finally we toasted our friendship and family and our wishes of joy, happiness, peace and health for Christmas. Nostrovia!!

The wine for dinner was a special treat for the birthday boy. A gorgeous lush Hendry Zinfandel, Block 28 from 2005. It was just released this year and is drinking well. I really prefer not to let Zins age too much as I feel they lose their lush fruitiness with the sands of time. This Zin was elegant, lightly tannic, spicy with black pepper and currant, a perfect match to turkey. If you ever get a chance to try Hendry’s wines I commend you for your good taste. George and Mike Hendry are great winemakers, not to mention that Mike is the cutest vineyard manager / winemaker I have ever met.

(A plateful of holiday joy. Mmmm, turkey! Sorry for the cruddy pictures, I do my best with my cell phone)

A Speedy Turkey Dinner

Although I don’t have the ingredients used in the brine from last night, here is a brine that I have used and loved. Brines are like any recipe, you can add what ever you have on hand so please count this ingredient list as a guideline, with the exception of the salt to water proportions. If you are really pressed for time you can skip the brining, just be sure to season the bird well on both sides with salt and pepper and chopped herbs. I love brining poultry now because it gives you such insurance against drying out the meat if it cooks faster than you expect. I love that peace of mind, and the flavor just cannot be beat.

The Briney Deep:

a thawed 14# organic turkey
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar (omit if you are using juice)
1 gallon water, vegetable stock, white wine or a combination of them
1 Meyer lemon, sliced
1 head of garlic, sliced in half
2 apples, sliced in half, then sliced into 1″ pieces
2 onions, sliced in half, then sliced into 1″ pieces
1 T peppercorns
bunches of fresh herbs: sage, thyme, bay leaves, a little rosemary, marjoram, oregano
1 gallon cold water or half water, half apple juice or apple cider

Bring the water/broth/wine to a simmer with the salt and stir until dissolved. Add herbs, savories and spices, and cold water/juice/cider. The brine should be cold before immersing the turkey, or at least cool. In a XL Zip Lock bag or a brining bag add the turkey and the brine, press out as much air as possible from the bag, place in a large bowl or pot (insurance in case the bag leaks) and refrigerate overnight. Or, brine in the morning and cook the turkey that night.

A few hours before cooking, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Let rest in the refrigerator uncovered on a rack. This allows the skin to crisp up during roasting.

To Roast the Turkey and Root Vegetables:

1 pound carrots, cut into large chunks
1 celeriac or celery root, tough skin cut off with a paring knife, and flesh cut into large chunks
3 onions, cut into wedges
8 oz whole trimmed crimini mushrooms
S&P
3 T olive oil
1 tsp granulated garlic

Remove the backbone and tail from the turkey using a sharp knife. Save backbone and tail for stock or turkey bone soup! Turn the turkey over and flatten breastbone by pressing very firmly on the cartilage of the breast. Tuck under wings and tie the legs together.

On a baking sheet arrange large chunks of root vegetables and mushrooms. Place turkey flat upon the vegetables and place in a preheated 450 F oven. Roast for 80-120 minutes, rotating the pan after 40 minutes. Internal temperature of the turkey should be between 165-170 F in the breast and thigh.

Remove turkey from roasting pan and let rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Meantime, remove vegetables from the roasting pan and taste for salt and pepper. Keep warm. Make the gravy (see below).

Carve turkey into serving pieces and serve on a warm platter drizzled with some gravy. Don’t forget to keep the breast and thigh bones for the stock pot!

The Gravy:

1 cup red wine
1 cup water (if needed) or unsalted chicken broth
2 T cornstarch, dissolved in 3 T cold water
dash Port
1 T fresh lemon juice
S&P

Pour off drippings from roasting pan into a sauce pan. Pour wine into roasting pan and scrape up all browned bits with a wooden spoon or spatula, pour into sauce pan. If there is not a sufficient quantity of juices to make ~1 1/2 – 2 c sauce, add water or broth. Let juices simmer for 5 minutes, taste for salt and pepper. Add Port and lemon juice, taste to balance the sweet and the acid. While juices are simmering, whisk in half of the cornstarch slurry and test for appropriate thickness (should be like half and half), add more cornstarch if necessary. Let simmer for one minute more then pour into a warmed sauceboat. Strain if desired, but I like a rustic gravy sometimes.

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Next time you see turkey on sale at the market, please toss one in your cart and give this cooking method a try. You will love the freedom of good turkey in a hurry.

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A Postscript:

Now as you know, hopefully, from reading my post-Thanksgiving article, there is nothing I love more than a turkey sandwich. A few days ago my hosts had a nice lunch in the Richmond district of turkey and cheese panini and A___ had been obsessing over them ever since and really wanted to have one today with the leftover turkey. Since she and R___ had some errands to do in the morning, I took it upon myself to get some of the prep work done before they returned. A___’s vision was sliced turkey and cheese on a halved ciabatta loaf with caramelized onions. Doesn’t that sound delicious?

With a Strauss Dairy eggnog latte in hand, I set about caramelizing the onions. I must say as much as I love cooking and all the tasks involved including prepping vegetables, making perfect tiny brunoise, stirring risotto constantly to attain the perfect texture, even washing up the dishes (but not the silverware), the one task I find tedious is caramelizing onions. It takes time, attention and you cannot rush the process. Even the redoubtable Cooks Illustrated’s quick version of French Onion Soup requires a minimum of 20 minutes standing there and stirring. Yawn. Fortunately there is Twitter to keep my occupied, plus the fun of trying to keep the dogs out of the kitchen while I am in there, a Sisyphean task. Some clever person out there could make a killer business by selling tubs of caramelized onions to high end grocery stores. If you do this, please send me a lifetime supply of onions as my reward for gifting you with this idea.

By the time my hosts returned home, the onions were a deep coffee brown and the dogs were dancing with joy at seeing their “parents” home. Oh, and it was their meal time. That makes anyone popular, yes?

I am not going to give the recipe for the sandwich here. Anyone can make a great sandwich without a recipe!! But here’s what I did in case you want to duplicate our delicious lunch today. I lightly broiled the bread and we spread the top half with a light coating of mayo and some dijon. On the bottom of the bread half we spread the caramelized onions and topped that with slices of turkey gently warmed up in the microwave with the left over gravy. Swiss and Gouda slices topped the turkey and we ground a little fresh pepper over the top. The bread halves were placed on a foil-lined tray and broiled until the top half was just warmed (and removed at this point) and the cheese was melted and bubbling on the bottom half. We put the bread halves together and placed the sandwich back under the broiler for a moment to warm up the top of the bread and provide a little crunch. A___ had cleverly scored the top piece of the bread in two places, equally dividing it into 3 large pieces. This really made cutting the hot sandwich a snap with the bread knife. We cut each 3rd in half again and served the sandwiches with the leftover cranberry sauces.

I loved adding large spoonfuls of cranberry sauce into my sandwich. I do admit I have an addiction to the ubiquitous jellied cranberry sauce in the can, but this roasted cranberry sauce was really incredible. The combination of the crunch of the bread, the ooziness of the cheese, the tender moist turkey, the unctuousness of the onions and the cool tang of the cranberry sauce was divine. The only thing that could have improved this sandwich would have been leftover stuffing, however that’s a post-Thanksgiving Day tradition, alas. Or, perhaps next week, when I get the urge to have turkey again in a big hurry.

A big thank you to my dear friends for such a wonderful dinner and lunch and all of the good times.

Have a great weekend!