Leek Bread Pudding

Leek Bread Pudding Over the weekend we had our Cookbook Club dinner. The book we chose was Ad Hoc At Home by Thomas Keller. As you can imagine, the food was not only plentiful but also very, very good.

We had his famous fried chicken, a fig stuffed pork loin that melted in your mouth, a leek bread pudding that should be illegal, Swiss chard that was awesome, and a bevy of other tasty dishes that we will be paying for in miles walked or run.

As good as the food was, the best part was having us all together laughing around the dinner table. As we sat there wondering how we were going to tackle dessert after eating so much, the discussion turned to how thankful we were to have a group of good friends, who truly enjoy each other’s company, and share a real passion for good food. Our group has often remarked that the idea of the Cookbook Club was possibly one of the best ideas my sister ever had, and I whole-heartedly agree. No matter what our schedules are like, The Cookbook Dinner is something that we look forward to, and are loathe to miss–if only because of the company.

In this time of Thanksgiving, I give thanks for the many good things in my life. I am grateful not only for those who are part of my related family, but I am also thankful for the good friends both near and far that make up the family of my heart. Enjoy this season with family, good friends, good wine and, of course, good food! Read more…

Fish Tagine With Creamy Onion Charmoula

Tangine For the past few years, I have been part of the Chef of The Month group, who create a series of dinners, that is auctioned off at our school fundraiser each Spring. Last year I was Ms. October. This year I am Ms. November and I’ve decided to walk on the wild side. I am doing a Moroccan Feast.

I became a lover of Moroccan food sort of by accident. There is a scene in the movie Sabrina where Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford are eating in a Moroccan restaurant, and she talks about how much she loves the food. It made me want to try it. (I know, weird, but there ya have it) From the first bite I was hooked. It is a cuisine with complex flavors derived from cinnamon, onions, tomatoes, olives and fragrant spice blends. Moroccan cooking means a lot of lamb as well as a whole lot of fish and seafood. And lemons. Don’t forget the lemons.

When we lived in Oakland before we were married, my husband and I used to hold a Moroccan dinner for all of our friends. I would decorate the apartment with pillows and multi-colored tablecloth,s and force them to sit on the floor and eat with their hands. It was great fun, and the food was amazing. A few friends even ate to the point of pain. The bodies were still there the day after.

The Food of Morocco

I haven’t hosted one of those dinners in a while, so I am looking forward to re-creating it for the Chef of The Month club. It is hard work coming up with the perfect menu, but I have it figured out. While doing my research, I came across some old favorites that I haven’t made in a while. The Fish Tagine below from Paula Wolfert’s The Food of Morocco is one of them. It’s perfect for those of us who find ourselves in a dinner rut. Read more…

Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread

Knead to Know

Over the weekend, my sister was wonderful enough to take care of the kids while my husband and I went into the city to have dinner with old friends. It was really nice to be out on the town like adults. (We need to do it more often.)

My daughter loves hanging out with her aunt for a number of reasons. Mostly because it means there will usually be a project she can help out with, and this time was no different. The boys are content to lie on the sofa like slugs playing video games with their cousins. It’s kind of a guy thing….

It has been well documented that I cannot manage to bake a decent loaf of bread. I have a weird, mental block when it comes to yeast. If this were the Middle Ages I would perish. My sister, however, is the Queen of Bread Baking. And, the two of them baked some really great loaves of Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread from a recipe on the King Arthur Flour website.

Freshly baked bread is a wonderful thing. The smell of it in the air is the worst torture, but you know that you are going to have a superlatively awesome sammich—like we have been having for the last few days. Now, though I have been rationing each slice, the loaf is all gone. I am going to have to risk life and limb to try to make it myself. Even more humbling, I will need to look to my 7 year old to show me how to get it right. Sigh.

Try this recipe for Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread, and see if you have better luck that me. If not, I’m sure my first grader would be more than willing to help.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread with Caramel Pecan Topping

If you don’t know what it is, spoon bread is a southern-style corn muffin soufflé. But that description doesn’t do it justice. It’s a warm fluffy mouthful of buttery cornbread happiness, and I guess you could say it’s one of my favorite things. My grandmother made it frequently as I was growing up for summer barbecues. When she passed away and I got the recipe, I was thrilled. I, however, make it year round because I love it too much to save it just for summer. Since I make the food around this here place, I get to make whenever I want. (Yes. I did stick my tongue out like a six-year-old.)

When I saw this recipe for Sweet Potato Spoon Bread in the November issue of Country Living Magazine, I knew I had to try it. It’s not your typical “Summer” spoon bread. It’s spoon bread for the Fall. Can I get an amen?

Plus, I love sweet potatoes and sweet potatoes are good for you. Of course, any health benefits are offset by the whole milk, brown sugar and the caramel pecan topping. But you can at least somewhat convince yourself that the bite of heaven in your mouth is actually doing your body some good…sort of. At least the orange juice has Vitamin C?

I have yet to try it in a casserole versus individual ramekins but if it works, it would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. Yep. I said it. The “T” word. It’s only 5 weeks away y’all!