Bear Cuisine

My Favorite Cookbooks of 2008

So, I just couldn't resist giving you my list of cookbooks that showed themselves a cut above the rest. 

I've already written about the amazing Ms. King (see "Potato Chip Lust" 4/1/08) so I won't say more than this: anyone with a serious interest in Indian cooking in all of its variety should have My Bombay Kitchen on their shelves. I certainly intend to cook more from it in this coming year.

David Tanis's A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes has already been reviewed (see" An Afternoon with David Tanis" and "An Evening with David Tanis" 12/8/08). I love this book. As I said previously just looking at the pictures is nourishing. 

Jennifer McLagan has a penchant for books with one word titles. A few years back she wrote Bones which won the James Beard award for single subject food writing. I hope Fat

is similarly recognized.

 I've commented before on how silly I find our national obsession with no-fat food and cooking. Fat conveys flavor and, in moderation, is actually good for you. We need some fat in our diets. The psalmist knew what he was writing about when he talked about "the oil of gladness." McLagen's book extolls the virtues of fat and offers recipes to illustrate her point. She writes:

"The daily message from the media that fat is bad needs to be countered. In this book I discuss the benefits of of using different types of animal fat, which ones to choose, and why I remind you of some of great traditional recipes starring fat, such as potatoes cooked in duck fat, butter sauce with bone marrow, and roasted pork belly, and I so introduced some news ones, such as Bacon Mayonnaise and Crackling Brittle.

"This is not simply a cookbook. These pages are larded with the history and culture of fat, exploring how fat has entered our language and literature, our economies large and small, and the fabric of our daily lives. Fat is indispensable and delicious. We should celebrate it, cook with it, eat it and enjoy it without guilt."

Oh, be still my heart.

Every week I look forward to seeing what Lynne Rossetto Kaspar has cooked up in her newsletter. I have The Splendid Table podcasts on my i-pod (I listen to them while I'm at the gym) and I use her two Italian cookbooks all the time. Given my penchant for complete collections, I had to have The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. This is such a fun book. The recipes are well written and easy to execute and the tips and hints she and Sally Swift offer are worth the price of the book. For example, in her instructions on Roasting Vegetables she offers these caveats which not-so-experienced cooks might not know:

• Garlic burns in longer-cooking roasts, so add it in the last half hour.
  
• Sweet sauces like barbecue blends burn within minutes, so it is best to add them during the last 15 minutes.
  
• Vinegar, citrus,and other acids slow down browning. When you use them as seasonings, you may need to brown the vegetables at the end of cooking by slipping them under the broiler for a few minutes.
  

The book is loaded with tips like this and recommendations for building your cooking library. I look at it for inspiration when I'm fresh out of ideas of what to cook for supper.

Second Helpings of Roast Chicken is a follow-up to Roast Chicken and Other Stories. Technically, it doesn't belong in a round-up of 2008 books since it was first published in 2001;but since this is the first American hardcover edition, I thought I could skate by. Both of these books are beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. In addition, they a joy to hold in the hand.  A well-made book is, to paraphrase John Keats, a"thing of beauty and a joy forever."

Each essay introducing the chosen ingredient--both books are organized alphabetically--shows the author's whimsey and love of good food. Even without the excellent recipes which follow, the essays could stand alone as a fine collection of food writing.  This is another book which I intend to use more often in the coming year.

I was tempted to include a few others, but I think I will stop with these very fine books. They are all available from Jessica's Biscuit (ecookbooks.com) at a substantial savings. If your Santa didn't leave cookbooks under the tree, you could always treat yourself.

Cholesterol Festival

Our friend Tina arrived from Philadelphia where it had been warm to find a cold, albeit sunny, New Mexico. We decided to celebrate her arrival with the classic Festival of Lights dinner, brisket and latkes. None of us is Jewish, but we all love these  celebratory foods of Chanuka.

POTATO LATKES

• 1 onion, grated and drained
  
• 6 raw potatoes, grated
  
• 2 tablespoons flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 2 eggs, well beaten
  
• oil for frying
  

Combine the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Beat the eggs in a large bowl Grate the onion and add to the eggs. Quickly grate the potatoes, drain, and ad to the egg mixture. Add the flour mixture. Mix well. Drop by the spoonful into the hot oil. Fry, turning once, until brown and crisp. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

(from Malvina W.Liebman: Jewish Cookery from Boston to Baghdad)

I cooked these potato pancakes in goose fat. Who knew such goodness could be found in the fat of this bird? Now we all know.

SIMPLEST, BEEFIEST POT ROAST

(8 main course servings)

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 3 pounds onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  
• 4 teaspoons sweet paprika
  
• 1 six-pound brisket
  
• 8 tablespoons flour
  
• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes
  
• 6 cups rich beef broth at room temperature
  

1. Place 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or saute pan over high heat. When it's hot, add half the onions and cook them until they are nicely browned, just short of burned, and still a little crunchy. Remove the onions and reserve. Repeat with remaining half of the onions. Remove onions and combine with reserved cooked onions. Even stir in 2 teaspoons of the paprika. Reserve.

2. Season the brisket well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Coat evenly with 6 tablespoons of the flour. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan you used for the onions Place over high heat. When it's hot, add the beef. Sear well on all side until the beef is brown black. Remove beef and sprinkle evenly withe remaining 2 teaspoons of paprika.

3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

4. Select a large pan for braising the beef. Spread the reserved onions out in the bottom of the pan, making a bed that's about the size of the beef. Spread the crushed tomatoes over the onions Place the beef on the onion-tomato bed.

5, Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a mixing bowl. Slowly blend in the beef stock, adding just a few tablespoons of stock at first to make a thick slurry. Then eat in the rest of the stock quickly. After you've made sure the flour is blended, pour the mixture over and around the beef. The size of your pan will determine the depth of the liquid in the pan; an ideal depth is anywhere from a quarter to halfway up the side of the beef.

6. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Baste beef occasionally (once every hour or so) with braising liquid. Cook until beef is very tender.

7. When the brisket is tender, remove from pan and let rest a few minutes. Meanwhile, skim as much fat from the gravy as possible. You may strain the onions out,but I prefer to keep them in Cut the beef--across the grain-- into slice that are about 1/4 inch thick. Cover meat with gravy and serve.

(from David Rosengarten: It's All American Food)

BRISKET WITH LATKES

  

The Forbidden Fruit served on the side

There were absolutely beautiful apples at the market --perfect for applesauce. I don't usually think of making applesauce, but it's time to make latkes.  Applesauce is one of the traditional accompaniments for these fabulous potato pancakes that our Jewish sisters make during Chanuka. 

APPLESAUCE

Quarter and core the apples. Cut into chunks and put into a saucepan. Add apple cider to a depth of 1/2-inch. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the apples are soft and translucent.

Run the apples through a food mill. Check for sweetness. If necessary add a bit of lemon juice or sugar.

Christmas Dinner 2008

Kay really wanted to have pheasant for Christmas Dinner and I was happy to oblige. I had never cooked this particular game bird, but her cousin Bill directed me to some recipes on-line and I found several that looked promising. Since these fowl spend most of their time fleeing for their lives they tend to be a bit tough and dry out during cooking. I used the time-honored technique of larding the bird to prevent it's drying out, but the toughness wasn't something I could change. Kay loved it, but for my money I would rather have a succulent, tender, juicy roast chicken. Call me plebeian if you like; I can take it. However, the Cumberland-Whiskey Sauce that accompanied the pheasant was outstanding. I could taste it with any number of roasted meats

The parts of the menu that I enjoyed the most were the   Rutabaga Soup and the polenta with Chanterelles. The Brussels Sprouts weren't too shabby either. I have decided to put the various recipes in separate postings for ease of reading and locating.

ROAST PHEASANT WITH WHISKEY-CUMBERLAND SAUCE, POLENTA WITH CHANTERELLES AND SAUTEED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Roast Pheasant with Whiskey-Cumberland Sauce

(serves 4)

• 1/4 cup Scotch whisky
• 2 oranges cut into 1/8ths
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 ( 2 to 2 1/2-pounds) pheasants
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 slices bacon, halved

Whiskey-Cumberland Sauce

• 1 cup Scotch whisky
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 1 cup red currant jelly
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne 

  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss the oranges with 3 tablespoons of the whisky. Rub the pheasants with the remaining 1 tablespoon of whisky and lightly season with salt and pepper. Stuff each pheasant with the oranges and 1 sprig of fresh thyme, and close the cavities with skewers. Wrap the breast of each pheasant with the bacon and set in a roasting pan. Roast the pheasant until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F., about 45 minutes. (Ours took about an hour and 15 minutes.) Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes

For the sauce: In a medium saucepan combine the whisky,orange juice and orange zest, and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by 50 percent in volume--about 3/4 cup. Add currant jelly, salt and cayenne; stir well.

Cook until thickened about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cool slightly before serving.

Cut each bird in half and serve with the sauce.

Christmas Dinner:Rutabaga Soup

Rutabagas aren't one of those vegetables that you wait all year for. Ordinarily, you don't find yourself thinking, "I can hardly wait until rutabagas are here!" But when I saw this recipe for Smoked Paprika and Rutabaga Bisque I knew it would be delicious and, indeed, it was.

SMOKED PAPRIKA AND RUTABAGA BISQUE

(6 to 8 servings)

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion,coarsely chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds rutabaga peeled ad coarsely chopped (about 4 1/2 cups)
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika(I use Spanish bitter-sweet smoked paprika)
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once butter foams, ad onion and celery, and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but not browned.

2. Add rutabaga and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until rutabaga is tender when pierced with a fork. Add half-and-half paprika, and white pepper and stir to combine.

3. Allow soup to cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.

(Kate Ramos on Chowhound.com)