Knit & Nosh

JC100

A while back I was invited to participate in a celebration of Julia Child, to mark what would have been her 100th birthday. Considering a common sentence around here is, "When in doubt, consult Julia.", it seems like a good fit. Every Monday, through August 15th, a new recipe will be made available. The food world will have a crack at it the first half of the week, and then the recipe will be posted to the Julia Child Facebook page on Thursday. I will not be cooking every recipe, but I will share them, and am looking forward to eating some old favorites while learning new techniques.

Find the Facebook page here, and join the Twitter fun @JC100.

The first recipe is for Omelette Roulée. Now, there are going to be pictures of beautiful rolled omelets all over the web, but I am keeping it real by showing my wholly unattractive, but oh so tasty first Omelette Roulée.

The instructions for this particular dish are laid out over 13 pages in The original Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 13! It is all about the technique. Instructions and recipes can be found here.

Meet Mr. Tried and True. This is a steel pan, not stainless, that distributes heat very well! and over many years of use has developed a surface similar to your Grandma's favorite cast iron pan. This little gem is used everyday for heating tortillas, making grilled cheese, frying up potatoes, and of course, cooking eggs. I would rather give up a finger than lose this pan.

I followed Julia's directions word for word, including practicing the movements before I actually began cooking.

Lightly beaten and seasoned eggs go into the hot, buttered pan. Ingredients are stirred, stirred, stirred until set.

A sprinkle of goat cheese and tarragon.

Then the shaking and rolling. No way to take photos, that was a two handed affair that Is explained very well in the intructions. A spread of butter across the top and

Ta Da! Maybe lower case ta da is more appropriate. The roll happened so fast I had no control. Fast is the best word for this dish. I have made HEAPS of omelets in my life time, using the technique of lifting the edges and tilting the pan to let the uncooked egg slide under the cooked egg. It works, but takes longer to cook and produces a tougher egg. Not being afraid to scramble the center speeds the cooking time up considerably and the quick cooking makes for a delightfully tender omelette. If I had been able to control the roll, the bits of egg that we're not quite cooked enough would have come in contact with the hot egg that had been sitting on the bottom of the pan and cooked perfectly.

Armed with all this new knowledge I feel confident that my Omelette Roulée will become a wonder to watch. I am going to make this secretly, everyday while the house is empty, and then wow the family with my effortless omelette skills this weekend. Thank you Julia!

 

hello sprouts

Last weekend I was away from the new garden and a little worried about it becoming parched. There was some rain while I was gone and it seems to have faired just fine. This morning I snipped a few "first leaves" that we're becoming yellow and gave everything a good water.

Happy as can be.

All the seeds that went in have begun to sprout. SO exciting! I will be thinning the radish sprouts and eating them on a sandwich for lunch.

A good amount of grass and weeds have shown up amongst the peas. They will be dealt with this afternoon.

See this patch here? It will not grow things this year. Last year is was fine, this year I have planted two rounds of peas and nothing. If I can make it to the nursery today I will grab a bag of compost, work some in, and then plant one more time. Peas are my favorite vegetable and I need to grow as much as possible.

This weekend is Mother's Day which means we will have the thumbs up to plant tomatoes, corn, and squash. More green things to tempt the slugs. So far I have been very lucky, no slug tracks at all out back. Semper vigilians.

What is your favorite vegetable?

 

heading east

Today is going to be glorious. Soon, Youngest Son and I will pick up a rental car (the Crown Victoria from the previous post), get it packed, then pick up Husband, and head east to the land of sun. We will not be staying at our favorite hotel, but that is fine. Big, blue, open sky is all I really need.

To knit I will be bringing

Pink Lemonade. I have begun the waist shaping!

And Falconer Socks. Looks like the sock pattern is not up for sale yet, I will be sure to post a link once it is available.

It is possible my sock knitting days are coming to an end. I am still experimenting, but I think that working with small needles is causing my hands to ache something fierce. More research needs to be done.

To read I am packing

this, review coming soon,

and this, all 600+ pages.

Oh, and this. I do have a few books on the iPad courtesy of Net Galley. Do you like my high tech solution for using the iPad in the kitchen?

Will there be anything at the farm stand other than asparagus? I have already put up my Bloody Mary Asparagus for the year, but will cross my fingers for something else interesting. Possibly rhubarb?

Long weekends that do not involve airplanes are my favorite type of vacation. Yours?

 

 

 

 

 

how to tell you are getting old, reason #8

A couple months back we rented a car for a trip to Hood River. The car we had chosen was not available (see Seinfeld episode) and instead they gave us an "upgrade" to a Crown Victoria. I do not know about the rest of the world, but here in the US, the Crown Victoria is the car of the police and old people. For decades the only police car on the road was the Crown Victoria. The people at the rental place call it "The Crown Vic", trying to be hip. But there is nothing hip about this car.

OK, whatever, we we ready to hit the road and took the car. Sliding into the passenger seat I had a pleasant moment thinking about my Grandpa's Lincoln. Wow the seats were comfortable. Leg room? Yep. Then I drove the thing and fell in love. Then felt lame for falling in love with an old person's car. Then realized that wishing I owned a Crown Victoria meant that I really had crossed a line. Who would have guessed?

Tomorrow we head out of town for a long weekend. Want to take a stab at which car we have reserved? I still can"t believe it. I hope I do not look as old as I feel.

 

 

how does your garden grow?

Monday when I walked outside and saw my little radishes poking their leaves through the soil I had an idea. What if I took a picture of the garden every Monday through the season? I love the idea and hope to be able to look back at the wonderful produce while documenting what was grown where and how it all faired.

These are the beds as they look right now.

I also have some peas along the back fence.

Not everything has been planted. The squash will go in the ground as soon as I can find some starts. The tomatoes and corn will wait until Mother's Day weekend. The cucumbers will take the place of peas once they are done. And of course I will be replanting seeds every couple of weeks to keep the harvest going.

How is your garden doing?

 

 

cbrm- muffin tin cookbook & muffin tin chef

Two interesting books have crossed my desk in the past couple of weeks. While the subject is similar, the books are quite different.

 

 

The Muffin Tin Cookbook: 200 Fast, Delicious Mini-Pies, Pasta Cups, Gourmet Pockets, Veggie Cakes, and More! by Brette Sember.

Muffin Tin Chef: 101 Savory Snacks, Adorable Appetizers, Enticing Entrees, and Delicious Desserts by Matt Kadey.

 

The Muffin Tin Cookbook is the larger of the two books but has very few photos. I know books are more expensive to produce with lots of pictures, but when it comes to cookbooks I find them inspiring. There are four pages of photos in the center of the book, and the recipe immediately following those pages is Linguine Nests and the first one I read. One of the ingredients is 6 refrigerated linguine nests, and I have no idea what that is. I flipped to the index hoping to find a recipe or some guidance, but found none.

Each recipe includes nutrition information and I am surprised by the amount of fat in each serving. Without doing the math I would guess the average to be 9 grams per serving. Lots of butter, cheese and lite sour cream in these recipes. Also a lot of prepared ingredients such as pie dough or pizza crust. The book includes a fair number of muffin recipes, as well as some things that serve no purpose by being put in a muffins cup, such as Zucchini, Corn, and Tomato Cups or Lucky Bamboo Asparagus.

I did not test any recipes from this book as I was put off by the processed ingredients and the high fat content.

 

Muffin Tin Chef is a book that I immediately liked. The photos make me want to run right into the kitchen and get cooking. The book begins with information about different muffin pans and the benefits of various materials. Each recipe starts with a head note, how many servings to expect, and if the finished dish is vegetarian, gluten-free, or freezer friendly. I do love a good head note.

The first recipe in the book is for Baked Eggs in Prosciutto Cups and I was left wishing I had not already eaten breakfast. Fish Tacos, and Sweet and Sour Tofu Spring Rolls are ingenious. The list of things I want to try goes on and on. If a dish requires pie crust or pizza dough, the recipe is included. Of course you could also do store bought if that is your preference. I imagine many of these dishes heading out with the family for picnics and road trips. Lots of vegetable and whole grains make The Muffin Tin Chef a book I look forward to getting to know better.

 

***I was sent these books by the publisher or their PR firm with the hope that I would write a review for the blog. No money changed hands and my opinions are my own.

 

Testing 1

The one thing I have not been able to do on my new iPad is write blog posts. I have needed to wait patiently to use the laptop if I wanted to blog. This morning I decided there has to be a way to make this work. Turns out there is and it's name is Blogsy.

It is going to take some time to learn how it all works, but I have high hopes.

Adding this photo was SO easy, easier than using the traditional Typepad. Anyone else out there using Blogsy? How is it working for you?

raised bed #1

Sunday I borrowed a neighbor's truck and brought home two yards of dirt for the raised beds. There were many young, strong backs around to shovel the dirt from the truck to the beds. Thank goodness!

Yesterday it was back to the nursery for plants and seeds. I still have room for two more chili plants and some kale in this bed. It is too soon for tomatoes, the axiom around here is, "No tomatoes before Mother's Day."  If I put in three plants will I need another cage, or will the middle plant be able to use the cages on either side as a support?

I did not find everything on my list and am hoping a different nursery will enable me to fill the second bed today. Assuming the rain holds off. After the last of the dirt was shoveled from the truck I hosed it out, put in some gas, and then stopped by PCC to pick up a bottle of wine as a thank you for the loan of the truck. It was not until later that I realized I had run these final errands with jeans visibly wet and muddy below the knees, and a shirt wet enough to show the world at large my bright pink bra. Sometimes I wonder what the neighbors must think.

ginger syrup & a presbytarian

Two weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal's weekend edition had a recipe for a cocktail named the Presbyterian. Not only is it a great name, turns out it is a great drink. One of the ingredients is ginger syrup. Of course I made my own, you can too, it is easy.

Ginger Syrup

4 ounces fresh ginger, sliced
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Combine the ginger, sugar, water, and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes. The smell is great! Remove from heat and let cool. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve and transfer to a pretty bottle.

 

Presbyterian

2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce ginger syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
Soda water

Fill a double old fashioned glass with ice and add whiskey, lime juice, and ginger syrup. Give it a good stir, top with a bit of soda water, and stir gently. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger and a lime wheel.

Can easily be made for a party. Add all the ingredients except the soda water to a large pitcher. Pour individual drinks as needed and top with soda water.

rhubarb chutney and the best pot ever

When I collected the ingredients for this recipe I had no idea if I even liked chutney.  But the flavors intrigued me and it was a small batch, nothing to lose. 

Once the chutney was done cooking and I gave it a taste I knew this was what I would be slathering on burgers (veggie and salmon) all summer.  We had a party Saturday night and I put some out with a bagette and ham, it was a big hit.  Because I had only made a small batch, in Weck jars, I was not able to give any chutney away.  This morning I made another batch so that everyone can elevate their sandwiches.

Now lets  talk about the best pot ever.

Do you like to put up small batches?  If so, you totally need this pot.

It holds two half pints perfectly! The basket cradles the jars and keeps them from coming in contact with the pot.

The small size means you can use a few cups of water instead of quarts, and the water comes to boil quickly.  In the past, even when putting up just a couple jars of something I had to fill and bring to a boil a large pot of water.  No longer.

The inside of the pot has cup marking.  This means the pot can be used for more than small batch canning.  You can heat enough brine for many jars of pickles, measuring right in the pot, then use the pour spout and heat resistant handle to fill you jars in a snap.

The lid is glass so you can see when things are boiling without lifting the lid.  It also has a cool touch handle and includes a built in strainer.

Heavy bottomed stainless and dishwasher safe.  Perfection in a pot.