An Unexpected Treat

Years ago, when Kate was still little and I was accompanying her on play dates, I got to know Deborah.  Deborah and I met through a mutual friend named Heidi and we all had kids the same age.  In those days, play dates were more for the mommies and less for the babies.  Most of us mommies had recently given up careers to be at home full time with the babies so we were looking for some routine in a life marked by lack of routine.  Hence the play date.

Deborah and I hit it off immediately.  We found that we had far more in common than just our kids and we built a friendship that endures today, despite being 3,000 miles apart.  Jacob and Kate may have been the original catalyst for our friendship but like minds have kept Deborah and me in close touch all these years (and miles) later.

Deborah is a really good cook, and we spent hours poring over recipes and talking about food.   More often than not, our visits together included crackers and grapes (cut in half, of course) for the babies, and caramel tea and pound cake for us.

Before Deborah, I had never even heard of caramel tea.  She used to buy it from Fauchon in Paris and bring it home to Beverly Hills. It was really was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.  Once Deborah turned me on to it, every time I went to Paris I brought it back for both of us.  It was so good that it was worth schlepping across an ocean.  We drank it sparingly, with a touch of milk.  It was so difficult to get that it was more valuable than gold, at least to us.

Anyway, a couple of years ago, Ted and I were in Paris and found ourselves in the Mariage Freres tea shop.  And lo and behold, what did they have but caramel tea.  It had been years since I had had it (I don't get to Paris often enough) so I bought some and brought it back to Pittsburgh with me. It was just as delicious as I had remembered.  Again, I drank it a little at a time so as not to run out too quickly.

Well, this morning I had a very pleasant surprise.  I was cleaning out the cabinet where I keep all of my teas and I spied the special caramel tea tin in the back.  When I opened it up I fully expected it to be empty but it wasn't!  The tin was about half full.  My day went from being just fine to being truly spectacular.  I got down my tea pot and set some water on to boil.  I put the tea in the little strainer and poured the water through.  I could barely wait to drink it.  Finally, the tea had steeped long enough and I poured myself a cup.  I added just a drop of milk.  It was divine and just as delicious as I remembered.

The reemergence of the caramel tea set me on a mission.  Could I find it online?  Of course I could because with a little patience you can find anything online.  And sure enough I found not only the Fauchon and the Mariage Freres caramel teas, but also a variety of other kinds of caramel tea.   Now that I've had it again, after such a long time, I find myself thinking about another pot full.  I think this calls for an online order.  If only Deborah were here in Pittsburgh to drink it with me.

You can order Fauchon caramel tea from:
Fauchon (www.fauchon.com/en/en#/buy-online

Mariage Freres caramel tea, called Wedding Imperial, is available online from:
Dean & DeLuca (www.deandeluca.com)

Recipe:  How to Brew a Perfect Cup of Tea

Ingredients:

Loose tea of your choice
Boiling water

Starting with cold water, fill your tea kettle and put it on to boil.

While the water is heating up, prepare your teapot.  Fill it with hot tap water, let it warm, then drain it completely.

Measure into the teapot 1 teaspoon of loose tea for every cup you plan to pour.  If you take milk with your tea, add an extra teaspoon for the pot.  If you are using a mesh tea ball, don't fill it more than halfway, to allow for complete expansion of the tea leaves.

Bring the water in the kettle to a full boil.  Before steeping, pour a small amount of the boiling water over the tea leaves to allow them to open up.  Drain immediately.

Fill the teapot with boiling water.  Keep the spout of the kettle close to the teapot so the water does not cool as you pour it in. Cover the teapot and leave the tea to brew (black teas 4-5 minutes, green teas 3 minutes).

When the tea is ready pour and serve the tea.  To keep the tea warm through several cups, cover the teapot with a tea cozy.

A Bowl of Lemons

Yesterday Ted and I went to Costco.  I love Costco.  Where else can you buy tires, raspberries, and reading glasses all in one convenient stop?  Every time I go there I tell myself that I'm going to use some self control and buy only what's on my list.  Unfortunately, it never quite works out that way because they always have so much good stuff that I simply can't live without.

The box of Meyer lemons I came home with yesterday is a good example.  Now, it's true that  I do go through a lot of lemons.  They add a nice little sparkle to lots of different dishes.  But did I really need 15 Meyer lemons?  Probably not.  They just looked so cheerful in their little plastic box and Meyer lemons are so delicious that I couldn't pass them up.  So, now I have 15 Meyer lemons and it's not even lemonade season.  What to do, what to do.

Well, when life gives you Meyer lemons, make lemon poppy seed scones.  Meyer lemons are sweeter than your run of the mill lemons and they have delicious, juicy zest, a key component in lemon scones.  Lucky for me that I also bought butter at Costco, because the recipe I use for scones uses 3/4 of a pound, which is a lot of butter, especially if you're only buying it one pound at a time.  But, Costco being Costco, the butter comes in a  four pound package so I was in good shape to make scones and not dip into the butter I needed for the week.

I don't actually know where I got this recipe.  I've been using it for a long time as a basic scone recipe and I just substitute in whatever flavorings I feel like.  The last time I made them I used dried cherries and almonds, and they were really good too.

So anyway, I made these scones this morning.  They were light and airy, the way a scone should be, not like those little rocks they call scones at Starbucks.  These are very easy to make and only take a few minutes, so if you're feeling inspired on a Sunday morning you can whip them up and look like you really have it all together (even if you don't).

Recipe:  Meyer Lemon and Poppy Seed Scones

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated zest of meyer lemon
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
3/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water for egg wash
sugar for sprinkling
1 cup confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice of meyer lemon

Preheat the oven to 400.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, lemon zest, and poppy seeds.  Pulse a few times to combine well.  Add the cold butter and pulse until the butter us cut into pea sized pieces.  Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a small bowl.  While pulsing, add the egg and cream mixture to the dry ingredients through the feed tube.  Pulse until just combined.

Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter or board.  Knead lightly and then form into a circle, about 3/4 inch thick.  At this point, you can either cut the circle into wedges or use a round cutter to create round scones.

Place the cut scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush the top of each scone with the egg wash and then sprinkle lightly with a little granulated sugar.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time.  The scones will be golden brown and firm to the touch when they are done.

Transfer the baked scones to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.  In the meantime, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice,  Drizzle the glaze over the scones and all to continue cooling.

My Recipe for Happiness

Since it's a new year, I have been looking back and moving forward.  In doing that, I have been thinking a lot about what really makes me happy.

This is a huge question.  What makes me, or any of us, happy?  It occurred to me that I didn't really know the answer to that question, and so I started to think about it concretely, not conceptually.  I could identify what would make me happy if it ever happened, but not specifically what makes me happy today.  So I started to pay attention to those little things that really bring me happiness.

The list was incredibly reassuring and was filled with occurrences  that happen every day, or at least could happen every day.  Little things that all kind of come together to make me a happier me.

I'm not going to share the whole list because, well, because.  But I am going to give you a couple of the highlights, at least as far as I'm concerned.

1.  When Kate says "love ya."  Kate cannot leave a room, get out of the car, or end a phone call with either Ted or me without saying "love ya."  When she was little she used to wait for us to say it back (every single time) but now it's more her thing.  I find it incredibly sweet that my 15 year old daughter still feels comfortable telling me she loves me, no matter who's around.

2.  When Charlie calls from college to get the family gossip.  When he was still living at home I couldn't get his attention for more than 30 seconds.  I would ask him to check in when he was out and he always "forgot."  It makes me happy that now he wants to know what's going on at home.

3.  When my sister Jill and I talk about what we're making for dinner.  She lives 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles and it makes me feel like she's around the corner, knowing what's cooking at her house.

4.  When Ted proofreads my blog for me.  It's become a nightly ritual.  I may be able to get it all down, but Ted is a master punctuator.  Believe me when I tell you, You Little Tarte would not be nearly so much fun to read without Ted and his commas and syntax.

5.  And now for something kitchen/food related.  Fresh lemons in a bowl on the counter in the kitchen never fail to make me happy.  They're fresh, bright, and smell really good.  Fresh lemons can bring a little sunshine to even the gloomiest winter day.

I hope you have a nice day.

Polar Expedition

My basement freezer is like a black hole.  There are all kinds of things in there, and I have no idea what any of them are.  It always seems like such a good idea to save a little soup or a little spaghetti sauce when I have leftovers, but all too often those containers fall into the deep, dark hole that is the basement freezer.

The other day I felt ambitious and decided to clean out the freezer.  I have just one thing to say and that is, what was I thinking?  It was like going on an expedition to the North Pole.  It was cold, dark and full of things I couldn't identify.  I don't think I'll ever do that again.

But I did uncover some good things.  There were two quart containers of marinara sauce I made about six weeks ago.  (I may not know exactly what's in the freezer from sight, but everything is meticulously labeled with the contents and the date.)  Anyway, I actually remembered that marinara sauce -- it was really tasty -- so I decided to do the big thaw and see if I could recycle it into something interesting for dinner.

Now, I have to start out by saying that my kids do not like lasagna, but I do and so does Ted.  So, since Charlie isn't even here and that just leaves me with Kate, I decided that she could make do for one night.  I got to work making a lasagna.

I foraged in the kitchen refrigerator and pantry and found that I had all the ingredients I needed to make the mother of all lasagnas.  (You know you have a lot of food in the house when you have 4 cups of shredded mozzarella just laying around.)  The good news is that not only did I get to use up a lot of stuff, we got a really delicious dinner out of it.

Recipe:  Nadine's Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 box lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound sweet italian sausage, casings removed
2 quarts marinara sauce (homemade or in a jar)
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 ounces goat cheese
1 15 ounce container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup italian parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375.

Prepare lasagna noodles according to package instructions.  (I use the Barilla No-Boil Lasagna Noodles.)

In a medium bowl, combine, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, the ricotta, goat cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, italian parsley, and eggs.  Set aside.

In a medium skillet, over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and the sausage.  Drain.

To assemble lasagna:

1.  Spread one cup of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.
2.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, half of the browned meat, 1 cup mozzarella, and
     1 cup of sauce.
3.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and 1 1/2 cups of the sauce.
4.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles, the remaining cheese mixture, the remaining browned meat, and 1 cup of
     the sauce.
5.  Layer 4 lasagna noodles, the remaining sauce, the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, and the remaining
     1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Bake, covered with foil, for 1 hour, and then remove foil and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

A Cookie Thing

A perfect cookie is a beautiful thing.  It seems like it would be easy to accomplish, making the perfect cookie, but I don't think it is.  In fact, I think that the simpler the food, the tougher it is to achieve perfection.  And besides, what's perfect anyway?

As you may have figured out by now, I love to bake and I especially love to bake cookies.  And I'm not picky.  I love all kinds of cookies -- crunchy, chewy, and cakey.  In fact, I don't think I've ever met a cookie I didn't like.

One of my all time favorite cookies are peanut butter.  I mean, how can you go wrong?  They're both salty and sweet and go well with chocolate chips.  I've tried lots of different peanut butter cookie recipes over the years and have sort of mashed them all together to come up with the recipe below.  Let's just call it a little of this recipe and a little of that recipe all coming together to make a really nice peanut butter cookie.

When I made these earlier today, one of my best taste testers was here, Joe, my painter.  Joe has an opinion on almost every subject, and he proclaimed these to be delicious.  And, believe me, he would have told me if they weren't up to par because, as I said, he has a lot of opinions.  His crew liked them as well.

So, having gotten Joe's stamp of approval, I'm passing this recipe on to you.  Feel free to use bigger chocolate chips than I have but I like the little flecks of chocolate the mini chips create.

Recipe:  Nadine's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325.

Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together in a freestanding mixer.  Mix until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl.  Add the vanilla and the peanut and continue to mix to incorporate.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix well until a smooth dough is formed.  Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly dispersed.

Drop 12 equal amounts of cookie dough on each parchment lined cookie sheet.  Make sure the cookies are spaced to allow for spreading during baking.  Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, rotating once during baking.  Cool the cookies slightly on baking sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Back to the Routine

I don't know about all of you, but frankly I'm glad it's January 3rd.  It was great having everyone around over the holidays, but I'm ready to get back to something resembling a routine.  I feel like I've spent the last couple of weeks just trying to stay one step ahead, and I haven't been very successful at it.

So now that Charlie has gone back to college, Kate has gone back to high school, and Ted has gone back to the office, I can go back to being the organized person I always wish I could be.  And, for me, being organized means getting the laundry done, the house cleaned up, and dinner prepared before I leave to take Kate to tennis in the afternoon.

It's sunny but very cold here today.  It's a good night for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.  I have to tell you, it's so easy and so completely satisfying that it's the kind of meal I look forward to all day.  It doesn't take long to put together and it tastes far more complicated than it actually is.  Some mashed potatoes to sop up the sauce, green beans, and a salad, now that's what I think of when I think of cold weather food.

So, that's what we're having for dinner tonight.  How about you?

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
(Adapted from Barefoot in Paris, 2004)

Note:  I am lazy.  Because this recipe calls for so much garlic, I actually buy it at Costco already peeled.  Also, My family mostly likes white meat, so I usually have the butcher give a four half breasts and four thighs instead of the 2 whole chickens.

Ingredients:

40 cloves of garlic (approximately)
2 whole chickens, cut into eighths or see note
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Dry the chicken with paper towels.  Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat the butter and the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side.  Turn with tongs; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork.  If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium.  When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches.  Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all the garlic to the pot.  Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned.  Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves.  Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30-45 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken to a plater and cover with foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whick together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot.  Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of the Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve.

One more note:  I make this whole thing earlier in the day.  Once it is cooked, I refrigerate it, covered, and then when it's time for dinner, I reheat it slowly over a medium low heat and serve it directly from the pot.

A Fresh Start

While I have chosen not to make resolutions this year, I cannot say the same of my daughter.  Kate informed me the other day that her new year's resolution was to eat healthier.  Now there's a resolution I can get my arms around.  You go girl!

Kate eats constantly.  She eats her meals and pretty much immediately needs a snack.  She's a good eater and has never been picky.  She likes fruits and vegetables but Kate also loves candy.  And her snack of choice would always be candy if I allowed it.  The resolution plan, she told me, was to cut back on the candy and sweets and "add more of the good stuff".

So, I started thinking about what I could keep around the house so that she could make better snack choices.  (Even if I'm an unsuccessful resolution keeper, there's no reason she should be one too.)  For starters, we need to ditch all the leftover candy hanging around the house from the holidays.  Done.

Next I need to get the right stuff into the house so there are good choices easily available.  I always have fruits and vegetables, but, let's face it, a carrot isn't all that thrilling.  So, what can we do to a carrot  (besides dipping it in a gooey sour cream concoction) that will make it more "exciting"?

Salsa.  Not just the crappy stuff from the grocery store, but really good homemade salsa.  Now we're talking.  Tomatoes, cilantro, peppers.   And the nice thing about making your own salsa is that you can control the heat.  Kate doesn't really go for the super hot so I can put some in a container for her and then add more peppers and have some for Ted and me.

Homemade salsa with fresh veggies or homemade tortilla chips sounds like a good start to 2011 to me.

Quick Homemade Salsa

Ingredients:

4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let the salsa sit, covered, in the refrigerator, for an hour or so before serving so the flavors can blend.

Homemade Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

12 6-inch white corn tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Brush both sides of the tortillas with the vegetable oil.  Stack the tortillas and cut the pile into sixths.  Spread the chips out in a single layer on one or two baking sheets and sprinkle with the salt.  Bake until golden brown, turning once, about 15 minutes.