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There is something so enticing and haunting about Saffron. It is neither an herb nor a spice. It is the stigma (the female part of the plant that catches pollen.) Saffron is mysterious—it has been used as a health aid and aphrodisiac for centuries. Although I like Saffron and the glorious yellow color associated with it, it has a delicate flavor that is easily overpowered. It’s an expensive spice (for lack of a better word), costing upwards of $600 a pound and at those prices I don’t want to use it as food coloring.
This Saffron Garlic soup is a wonderful showcase for both the flavor and color of Saffron. The most time consuming but necessary part of making this soup is to blanch the garlic no less than three times. Taking the extra step to blanch the garlic renders the garlic to a mild background flavor and allows the saffron to shine through. This recipe is from my new-favorite-cookbook-of-the-week. You know the one I mentioned in Monday’s post? The recipe originated at Fleur de Lys, where it is referred to as Garlic Saffron Soup. But for me this soup is all about the saffron.
P.S. The coloring of this soup is perfect for Easter Sunday!!
Saffron and Garlic Soup
Adapted from The Secrets of Success Cookbook. Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants by Michael Bauer
3 large or 4 small heads of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 small leeks, white part only, thickly sliced
1 quart of chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (I used chicken.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small potato, peeled and finely diced
1 generous pinch of saffron threads
½ cup of heavy cream
Garnish with chopped chives or chervil
Blanch the garlic 1 minute in a medium pot of boiling water. Remove the garlic and repeat the process 2 more times, changing the water after each batch.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add the leeks and cook until soft, stirring often, about 6 minutes or so.
Add the broth and blanched garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the potato and saffron threads, reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is soft, about 7 or 8 minutes.
Stir in the cream and return to a boil.
Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and heat through. Taste and reseason if necessary.
This week I am having a love affair with ‘The Secrets of Success Cookbook’ Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants’ by Michael Bauer. I have to tell you that this book is out of print, but is available on Amazon. (Seriously what would I do without Amazon.com? It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet, isn’t it?) This past week I have made no less than five different recipes, and they are all the ‘make again’ kind. One of my clients flipped through it and earmarked a bunch of recipes that he would like me to make for him—I love it when my clients do this. They often choose recipes that are not my first choice and it gives me a great chance to expand my repertoire. (It also takes the guess work out of the daily ‘what am I going to make for dinner tonight’ question that I deal with everyday.
Most of my clients give me free reign with the dinner menu—they say, ‘Oh, make whatever, you know what I like.’ This is in turns deeply gratifying and terrifying. It really keeps me on my toes. ) The first recipe that I chose to make from this book was the Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette from the now closed Hawthorne Lane restaurant in San Francisco. I have a soft spot for Hawthorne Lane. It was one of the first restaurants that I went to when I moved to San Francisco—I had an amazing duck dish there, and my assistant worked in their catering department for a while, so I have gotten some titillating insider stories from her.
I am always, always looking for new and exciting vegan and vegetarian dishes that look and taste good. These rolls were perfect served with Teriyaki Glazed Portobello Mushrooms and Brown Rice Pilaf. (Hawthorne Lane served them with Miso Glazed Black Cod—it would be delicious with that too.) I just love the way these look. The brilliant green of the spinach next to the pale green of the cabbage leaves is just fantastic. Sometimes I feel like a painter, only I work in the rainbow world of vegetables. Make sure to season your spinach well with salt and pepper when you make these, otherwise they could be rather bland, and well ‘too spinach-y’. The vinaigrette is the perfect complement with these rolls and takes them from being just another ‘vegan’ recipe to a crossover dish that will appeal to flexitarians as well.
2 large Savoy cabbage leaves—I used 3 medium sized Napa cabbage leaves.
Salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (10 oz) bags of spinach, about 5 cups
Pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. Fresh Lime juice (1 large juicy lime or 2 small ones)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (I used Tamari)
2 Tbsp Rice Wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Shallot, minced
1 small garlic clove, grated
Salt and Pepper
1/3 Cup Peanut oil
½ tsp. sesame oil
For the Spinach Rolls: Blanch the cabbage leaves in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until limp. Drain. Spread each leaf flat, pat dry and cut off the thickest part of the rib. Set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté to release the aromas. Add the spinach and stir to coat with the oil. Cook until the spinach becomes completely limp, just a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool.
Squeeze out all of the liquid from the spinach. Place an equal amount of spinach at one end of the cabbage leaf and roll up tightly into a cylinder. Rub the cabbage cylinders with the sesame oil and roll in the sesame seeds.
To serve cut each spinach log into bite sized medallions using a sharp knife. Cut straight down—don’t saw back and forth. Arrange on plates and serve the vinaigrette on the side for dipping.
The Vinaigrette
Combine all of the ingredients in a container that has a lid and shake vigorously to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Every year I have a new favorite marinade—last year’s was an excellent lemon and herb(basil, dill, parsley—I think that I have tried them all) that is terrific on chicken and fish, but I am oh-so-tired of it. This year I have discovered the oregano-garlic marinade from Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh cookbook. It is awesome, simple and tasty—excellent for both chicken and lamb, as I have pictured here. The vinegar in the marinade helps to tenderize the meat. Basically the acid breaks down proteins. It is important to know that you can over tenderize meat—it gets kind of gross and mushy. This especially happens with chicken. I would recommend marinating lamb or chicken for no longer than a day using this marinade.
That said, the star of the show was the yogurt orzo salad with yogurt, dill and mint. It was delicious, a little sharp from the yogurt—I balanced out any unpleasant tartness with a pinch of sugar—and pungent with fresh dill, mint and scallions. I pulled that recipe out from ‘How to Roast a Lamb’ by Michael Psilakis, a gorgeous cookbook that deserves a spot on your shelf. For a vegetable I chose a simple sautéed spinach with garlic—I love spinach, especially with lamb. Eating spinach always makes me feel so green and healthy. (Maybe it’s the Popeye cartoons I watched as a kid? I don’t know.)
Here is the recipe for both the marinade and the orzo. The orzo is particularly easy. I already know that I will make it all summer long!
1 ½ Tbsp. dried oregano (preferably Greek, if you can find it.)
¼ c. red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
½ c. plus 2 Tbsp. mild olive oil
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 medium shallot, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all of the ingredients in the blender and whirr away! That’s it. Pour it over the lamb and let marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. Grill or broil to your desired temperature.
*This is a great vinaigrette if you leave out the paprika and the shallot.
Yogurt Orzo Salad, from ‘How to Roast a Lamb’ by Michael Psilakis—I increased the dill and mint and added a pinch of sugar, but otherwise stayed true to the recipe.
3/4c. orzo
2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. White vinegar
1 Tbsp. Water
2 tsp. chopped dill
6 leaves of mint, slivered
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
Cook the orzo in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. While it is cooking, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, vinegar, water, dill, mint and scallions. Drain the orzo, rinse well and shake dry. Transfer to the yogurt mixture and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and enjoy. This would be a terrific side dish for grilled chicken, shrimp, crab or white fish.
Guess what I made while Lily was sleeping and the rain was pounding on the roof, making me feel all snug and warm in my kitchen? The most amazing Espresso Cheesecake Brownies from Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Baking From My Home to Yours’. I picked this recipe because in Dorie’s notes she says that this particular recipe can be baked then frozen…Awesome! I said to myself….I’ll freeze half then I won’t have a full pan of brownies tempting me every time I walk into the kitchen and I can do an experiment and evaluate how well they freeze for future reference. The cooking is good today!! What was I thinking? That was yesterday and the pan is half gone already—I love them, my husband loves them… Lily loves them. The brownie layer is slightly fudge-y and the cheesecake layer is soft, creamy and moist—everything that cheesecake is supposed to be. The original recipe calls for a sour cream topping to finish off the brownies. I left this off because if you are planning on freezing these lovely treats, you can’t freeze the sour cream topping. Little did I know that I wouldn’t get a chance to freeze these, but I think that the sour cream topping would push these to the ultimate level of decadence.
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used ½ cup of Guittard Bittersweet chocolate drops.)
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
Espresso Cheesecake Layer
1 ½ tsp instant espresso powder
1 Tbsp. boiling water
8 oz cram cheese, at room temp
2/3 cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¼ cup sour cream (I used whole milk yogurt because I was out of sour cream and I didn’t notice a difference.)
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
Topping
1 ¼ cups sour cream
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9” square baking pan, dust with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet. (I used an 8” square pan and everything turned out perfectly.)
To make the brownies: Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolate and stir occasionally until the ingredients are just melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.
With a whisk, stir the sugar into the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla and beat vigorously for a few seconds. With the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently stir in the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake.
To make the cheesecake: Dissolve the espresso in the boiling water; set aside to cool to tepid. Meanwhile, working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium until completely smooth. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes or so until well incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and the espresso mixture. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add the sour cream, followed by the flour. The batter will be smooth.
Give the brownie batter a few stirs with a spatula and pour three quarters of it into the prepared pan. Smooth the brownie layer and pour the cheesecake batter over it, tilting the pan as needed to even the batter. Dot the top of the batter with spoonfuls of the remaining brownie batter. Using a table knife, swirl the dark batter into the cheesecake batter, taking care not to plunge the knife into the lower brownie layer. The cake looks and tastes best if you swirl sparingly.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the brownies pull away form the sides of the pan and the cheesecake layer is beige in the center, lightly browned around the edges and puffed all over. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature. When the brownies are completely cool, refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
To make the topping: Warm the sour cream and sugar in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour the topping evenly over the cold cheesecake layer.
Return the brownies to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 more hour, or until the topping is also thoroughly cold.
The easiest way to cut this dessert is to run the knife blade under hot water, wipe it dry and cut the cake into quarters. Remove the quarters from the pan and again using a warmed and dried knife, cut each quarter into 4 pieces.
I love this recipe for ‘Chicken in Pistachio, Sumac and Sesame Crumbs’ from the cookbook ‘Turquoise, a Chef’s travels in Turkey‘ by Greg and Lucy Malouf. It’s easy, exotic sounding and tastes great. The sesame seeds and pistachios add a delightful crunch, the lemon zest and sumac add a bright lemon-y note that is tempered by the richness of the parmesan cheese. Leftovers keep well and this chicken is great the second day in a pita sandwich with a little yogurt dressing, sprouts and shredded carrots. Chicken is the workhorse of the carnivore world. It’s easy to eat, a good source of protein, and inoffensive. At its best it is tender, juicy and moist. At it’s worst, dry, tough and tasteless. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can get more than a little boring if you eat them frequently—and I am constantly looking for new ways to dress them up. The breading on this chicken ensures that it stays nice and moist. The recipe has a couple of steps you need to take to ensure success. The first is to pound the chicken breast to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly, use fresh bread crumbs and don’t chop the pistachios too finely.
Chicken in pistachio, sumac and sesame crumbs
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, pounded to an even thickness
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper
All purpose flour
Olive Oil
Lemon Wedges to serve (optional)
Pistachio Crumbs
2 slices of sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
1 Tbsp. ground sumac (if sumac is unavailable, substitute the zest of ½ a lemon in addition to .)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ c. unsalted, shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
¼ cup of sesame seeds
2/3 cup finely grated parmesan
To make the crumbs, put the bread into a food processor with the sumac, zest and pistachios and pulse briefly. Add the sesame seeds and parmesan and pulse briefly to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
When ready to cook the chicken, lightly beat the eggs with a little water in a shallow bowl to make an egg wash. Set up a production line of seasoned flour, egg wash and crumb mix. First dip the chicken pieces into the flour, then the egg wash and finally the crumb mix, patting them carefully all over
Heat the oil in a saute pan and saute the chicken pieces until golden brown all over. Transfer to a cookie tray and cook for 8-10 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving with wedges of lemon.
I have to admit to being a snob when it comes to fresh seafood. I grew up on the coast of Maine and my family bought seafood from Harbor Fish Market (harborfish.com) on the wharves of Portland, Maine. Whenever I go home it is a joy to see the pristine seafood that Mainers take for granted on a daily basis. I love seafood. It is hands down one of my favorite things to eat. From cod cheeks to lobster and uni, I enjoy it all. I try to always eat sustainably raised and local fish and seafood. The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers valuable information about this topic on its ‘seafood watch’ list found at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch. Here in California, I initially found it difficult to find really fresh seafood. Then I found out about Cook’s. Cook’s Seafood (cooksseafood.com) is located in Menlo Park and has the freshest fish in the San Francisco Bay Area. My second favorite—and it’s only second because it is in the East Bay, is the Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley. Cook’s has been open since 1928. The building is divided into two parts—the fish market and the restaurant. The restaurant has a simple menu, but offers excellent fish ‘n chips among other things. The staff in the fish market is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I don’t buy fish anywhere else. I consider fish a specialty item and I feel that big grocery stores do not give enough attention to the seafood department. When I walk into a grocery store and can smell the fish department I always take it as a sign to stay way! Fresh fish will never smell ‘fishy’. If you are buying a piece of fish, it should always be firm—not mushy. If you are buying a whole fish, look for clear and shiny eyes. If you are on the peninsula and are in the mood for seafood, or simple but well executed fish and chips, make sure to go to Cook’s.
I discovered the absolute joy of homemade croutons while I was in cooking school in France. Oh to take a slice of white bread, cut it into cubes or other shapes (hearts on Valentines Day) and fry it in butter with a generous sprinkling of salt and a twist of freshly ground black pepper. So tasty, I still dream about it over 15 years later. Croutons are easy to make at home—it just takes a few minutes and the results are so much more pleasing than the jawbreakers that pass for croutons at salad bars nationwide. So what are the advantages to making croutons at home? Well, this way you won’t be left with half a box of croutons that you will only throw away next spring. Freshly made they are crunchy on the outside and give just a little in the middle with an enticing softness. You can pierce them with your fork. They are highly addictive so unless your will power is greater than mine you should only make as much as you need. You can control the seasonings and limit the sodium. With homemade there will be no hydrolyzed this and high fructose that unless your kitchen is wildly different than mine. At the Cordon Bleu, we used pan de mie, or Pullman loaf in English. Any fine grained sandwich bread will do. I like to experiment and use whole wheat, pumpernickel or rye bread depending on the recipe and salad dressing. Don’t limit your use crouton use to just salads though. They add a really pleasing crunch to pureed and blended soups and are a classic accompaniment to gazpacho.
Croutons
1 slice of sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes or other shapes with a cookie cutter.
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Salt
Pepper
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes to the pan and toss gently to coat. Saute until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper while still warm.
This Saffron Garlic soup is a wonderful showcase for both the flavor and color of Saffron. The most time consuming but necessary part of making this soup is to blanch the garlic no less than three times. Taking the extra step to blanch the garlic renders the garlic to a mild background flavor and allows the saffron to shine through. This recipe is from my new-favorite-cookbook-of-the-week. You know the one I mentioned in Monday’s post? The recipe originated at Fleur de Lys, where it is referred to as Garlic Saffron Soup. But for me this soup is all about the saffron.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8d8f12e0-a9c9-405b-8b79-df2639a154b1)
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