Reconsidering The Donut

If someone were to ask me what my favorite sweets are I'm not sure donuts would rank very high. Sure, there's cake and its more portable cousin the cupcake, pain au chocolate, ice cream, cookies in all their various forms, cobbler and its stupider cousin pie...but donuts? Unless it's fall and they're made with apple cider I can take them or leave them. However, I've recently realized that my issue isn't with donuts themselves. The problem is that I've been eating crappy ones. I blame the ubiquitous Dunkin Donuts for this development. They have saturated the donut market here in New England with their bland, crumbly donuts for too long! We need to rise up and demand hot, fresh donuts, the donuts we deserve. Where did this new found interest in donuts come from, you ask? 

A buttermilk cake donut at 11 pm is always a good decision

Last month James and I visited my cousin in Martha's Vineyard and then headed up to Maine for a few days. We also happened to eat a fair amount of delicious donuts. Martha's Vineyard Gourmet Cafe & Bakery came up with the brilliant/evil idea to sell fresh donuts out the back from 7:30 pm to 12:58 pm for the after bar crowd.

A post-donut walk around Oak Bluffs aids digestion

Back Door Donuts offers a variety of cake and yeast donuts as well as apple fritters bigger than your head (seriously). And if that's not enough you can also get your gigantic apple fritter topped with ice cream for maximum caloric consumption. Luckily, we only stayed two nights, otherwise I would have been forced to continue eating hot, fresh, delicious donuts at 1 in the morning and we can't let THAT happen. 

Several days later we were in downtown Portland, Maine and walked by The Holy Donut, which purported to sell potato donuts. By this point there was absolutely no hesitation on my part: "Oh, that place sells donuts? LET'S GO THERE." At first I thought they meant potato flour donuts but once inside we realized that they were made from real Maine mashed potatoes. I had the chocolate sea salt and James had the chocolate coconut. They were crispy on the outside and cakey and moist on the inside with just the right amount of sweet.  

Over the next few days we mentioned this place to friends and family who lived in the area and each time the reactions were intense: "Oh my GOD. I love that place. What did you get?" The more we talked about the donuts, the more we wanted, well, more. On our way back to Connecticut we made sure to stop at their original location. We got a savory cheddar and bacon-stuffed donut, a maple donut, and another chocolate sea salt because why not. 

However good you imagine this was, I assure you it was even better

I should have followed my instincts and gotten two of the cheddar bacon donuts, but I was dissuaded by James, who does not share my penchant for gluttony and thought it would be "too much." Note to self: never listen to James. 

Local Woman Marries Cookie. Film at 11

Yesterday was just one of those days. You know the kind: Things are going swimmingly for a while until one thing goes wrong, then another, and another until suddenly you're breaking out into a cold sweat with a tension headache coming on and that stupid dog next door just WON'T STOP BARKING.

You know, one of those days. 

So I took a much-needed breather and made Dorie Greenspan's World Peace cookies for the first time. Baking relaxes me. I like being able to follow step by step instructions that guarantee results. I've been burned by a few bad recipes in my day (I'm looking at you, Pinterest) but Food52 never disappoints and Dorie Greenspan is a baking legend. So naturally, I expected a lot from these cookies. I didn't expect to fall madly in love with them but, well, you can't predict these things. You bake a cookie, you're overcome by its deliciousness, and then all of a sudden its "What should we name our kids?" and "Would you ever consider converting?" 

The name comes from the idea that world peace would be possible if everybody ate one (or six) a day. I'm not sure these cookies will prevent a nuclear holocaust, but they definitely improved my mood. Even better, double the recipe and keep a few logs in the freezer. World peace may not be within reach, but the antidote to the day from hell sure is. 

The Best Roast Chicken I Have Ever Made

I'm not much into New Year's resolutions. For instance, this year I'm pretending to learn how to play Careless Whisper on the saxophone (though if anyone feels like teaching me how to play we can make this really happen) and actually sort of trying to use Twitter more. However, my friend Pete is determined to learn how to cook for himself this year and he enlisted me to help him achieve this goal. It has been an interesting exercise for both of us because he gets to ask all sorts of questions while I'm making something and I have to actually figure out how to answer them. In doing so I've realized just how much of my cooking skills came from watching my relatives. I've also come to really appreciate the fact that I grew up in a family where cooking and, well, food in general was kind of a big deal. If you aren't exposed to that on a regular basis I can see how cooking can be a bit of a mystery. 

So far we've made lasagna, marinara sauce, and roast chicken. I'm going to talk about the roast chicken because oh my God, it was amazing. Now, you may be thinking "What? A roast chicken? I've made that before. It's no big deal." Which is my point. This chicken is a big deal. This chicken will change your life. Ok, maybe not. But, if for some reason your life revolves around not being able to make the best roast chicken of all time, then this actually will change your life.

I actually have been interested in perfecting my roast chicken technique ever since I saw those lovely golden birds while in Paris last year. I could always make a perfectly serviceable bird, but it was never quite right--the skin was too soggy or the breast meat was too dry. Well, I'm proud to say that this chicken had a wonderfully golden, crispy skin along with the moistest meat (worst word combo ever) I've tasted. So I'm just going to go ahead and belatedly declare this my New Year's Resolution. Status: Accomplished.

Recipe Notes

I combined two recipes from Thomas Keller and Ina Garten and the result was the most golden, moist, and flavorful chicken I've ever had. I like Keller's method but it lacked any seasoning besides salt and pepper. I've made Ina's famous engagement chicken before but I liked this simpler recipe for lemon chicken which still makes use of the lemons and onions which provide the base of the incredible sauce that is served with the engagement chicken. Instead, this recipe includes home made croutons as an accompaniment, which I made using some bread I had baked earlier in the day.

For this recipe I used a kosher chicken which comes basically brined (more on that here). If your chicken isn't kosher I would strongly recommend brining it yourself (good how-to here) in order to get the moistest bird possible. In any case, make sure you spring for the highest quality bird you can get, as it really does make a difference. I also used my trusty grapeseed oil instead of the butter in Ina's version and the nothing in Keller's. I think it gave the chicken a nice, even golden brown color. 

Ingredients

1 3 1/2-4 pound chicken unwashed, at room temperature, with giblets removed

1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced

1-2 lemons, cut into quarters

Kosher salt

Pepper

Grapeseed oil

Butcher's twine

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

1. Dry chicken using paper towels both inside and out. Make sure to really dry the chicken as much as possible as any excess moisture will make your chicken skin soggy. 

2. Sprinkle inside and outside of chicken liberally with salt and pepper. 

3. Stuff cavity with lemons and onions

4. Brush chicken with grapeseed oil

5. Truss chicken with butcher's twine (great video here)

6. Place chicken breast side up on the roasting rack of a roasting pan and pour about a 1/3 a cup of water  or a couple of ice cubes into the pan. This will help keep your oven from getting too smokey during the cooking process. 450 degrees is super hot and my oven got pretty smokey from all that sizzling fat, but the water or ice cubes should help combat this a bit.

7. Cook chicken for 50-60 minutes, until the internal temp is 165. Try not to open the oven during the roasting process as that increases your cooking time and can dry the chicken out.

8. Remove twine and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

9. Carve that sucker up and enjoy the BEST ROAST CHICKEN EVER.

I have a terrible aversion to leftovers but even I thought this chicken was still great the next day. Of course, after that I cracked and set about turning the Best Roast Chicken Ever into the Best Chicken Soup Ever, but that recipe will have to wait for another time.

P.S. I have a piece up on The Toast that I'm really proud of. Give it a read!

Caraway Seed Cake From Jane Eyre

Poor Jane Eyre. Girl can’t get a break. First, her parents die of typhus. Then, her beloved uncle and guardian Mr. Reed dies, leaving her in the care of an aunt who despises her and encourages Jane’s abuse at the hands of her cousins. After a particularly distressing conflict with her cousin John, she is sent away to the Lowood School for girls, where she finds a new abuser in Mr. Brocklehurst, the school’s headmaster. Eventually, Jane befriends a fellow student, Helen Burns, and finds a supporter in her teacher, Miss Temple. 

In one of the first bright spots in the novel Miss Temple invites Helen and Jane for tea, and shows the young girls true kindness: 

“[...] she got up, unlocked a drawer, and taking from it a parcel wrapped in paper, disclosed presently to our eyes a good-sized seed-cake.

‘I meant to give each of you some of this to take with you,’ said she: ‘but as there is so little toast, you must have it now,’ and she proceeded to cut slices with a generous hand.

We feasted that evening as on nectar and ambrosia; and not the least delight of the entertainment was the smile of gratification with which our hostess regarded us, as we satisfied our famished appetites on the delicate fare she liberally supplied.”

I mean, at this point, this was probably the best afternoon of Jane’s life. Of course, (SPOILER ALERT) then Helen goes on to die of consumption in her arms. 

Seed cakes were quite popular in Britain well into the 19^th century and were usually flavored with caraway seeds—hence the name. You may know caraway seeds from their role in rye bread, but they actually work nicely in sweet breads too. According to Andrea Broomfield in her book Food and Cooking In Victorian England: A History, seed cakes originated in East Anglia in the 16^th Century where they were traditionally served during the harvest time. Caraway seeds were also thought to aid in digestion, so this cake was served after large meals. It became most popular during the Victorian age and was frequently served with tea. It was usually flavored with some kind of spirit, such as Madeira wine or brandy, was nicknamed a “keeping cake” because it didn’t spoil easily. 

I couldn’t find a recipe from the 1840s, so one from the infamous Mrs. Beeton will have to do. She was kind of like the Martha Stewart of her day. She came up with such revolutionary ideas as listing ingredients at the beginning of the recipe and telling readers how long they should cook something for:

A Very Good Seed-Cake: 1861 From Mrs. Beeton’s ‘Household Management’

 INGREDIENTS – 1 lb. of butter, 6 eggs, 3/4 lb. of sifted sugar, pounded mace and grated nutmeg to taste, 1 lb. of flour, 3/4 oz. of caraway seeds, 1 wineglassful of brandy.

Mode.—Beat the butter to a cream; dredge in the flour; add the sugar, mace, nutmeg, and caraway seeds, and mix these ingredients well together. Whisk the eggs, stir to them the brandy, and beat the cake again for 10 minutes. Put it into a tin lined with buttered paper, and bake it from 1–1/2 to 2 hours. This cake would be equally nice made with currants, and omitting the caraway seeds.

Time.—1–1/2 to 2 hours.

I decided to find a recipe that didn't include 6 eggs because I like my cholesterol level. This one from GoodToKnow.co.uk seemed like a great balance between classic ingredients and modern methods:

Caraway Seed Loaf Cake

Recipe

• 175g (6oz) butter, softened
• 175g (6oz) caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 250g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 38g jar caraway seeds
• 2tbsp milk
• 1kg (2lb) loaf tin, buttered and lined with a strip of baking parchment

 Method

1. Tip all the ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon mixture into the loaf tin and level the surface.
2. Bake the cake in the centre of the oven 160°C (320°F, gas mark 3) for 45 mins-1 hr, or until the cake feels just firm to the touch in the centre, and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into cake.
3. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10-15 mins.
4. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

The amount of eggs gives this cake a rather spongey texture, much different from the sweetbreads I'm used to, but it all works to create a nice, fluffy cake . However, I can see why wine or brandy was used to help preserve this cake because it seems to get a bit mushy from all the butter after a few days.

Now invite this guy over to tea and you'll be all set:

Ringing In The New Year

After last week's explosion of cute embodied by my two younger cousins, I'm sorry to say that 2013 has, for lack of a better word, sucked so far. (You know things are bad when you start identifying with Peter Finch in Network.) Luckily, there is hope on the horizon in the form of a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise to be taken by myself and James. Of course, one of the stressors involved said cruise when I realized that an oversight on my part meant that we needed to book different departing flights to the tune of $600. But one of the great things about dating the Nicest Guy Ever is that when I make stupid mistakes he's more worried about me and my reaction than any fall out I may have caused. 

                        Me, James, and his creepy facial hair shortly before 12

I am happy to report, however, that 2012 ended deliciously. And really, isn't that what truly matters? My friends and I have something of an annual tradition where we rent a hotel room in downtown Hartford, dress up, and go out. In previous years we've made crackbabies and bean dip during the pre-outing festivities, but this year I "kicked it up a notch", as some TV chef used to say. Since I didn't get to do any holiday baking I made up for it (and how) with a little dessert called Slutty brownies, which involves a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, a layer of oreos, and a layer of brownie baked together in a pan. 

                                           Action shot!

Now, I did not invent Slutty brownies and thus, have no attachment to the name. I'm not really sure why they are called Slutty brownies and given the longstanding social and political implications of the term slut, I'd much prefer Promiscuous brownies or Sexually Liberated brownies.  I myself referred to them as Turducken brownies when in conversation with my parents, which may have ultimately been even more confusing if less vulgar. In any case, they are called Slutty brownies and they were invented by my new hero, The Londoner. 

                                                     playing coy

In her version, you use premixed cookie dough but for mine I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and my God it was worth the extra effort. I added about a tablespoon extra butter (using my trusty Kerrygold Unsalted) and about 2 tablespoons water. This batter is particularly dry so for other recipes, you may just need one. Either way, all you want to do is add more moisture since the dough will be baking for longer than the recipe calls for. Then came the oreo layer. 

James picked up the cookies for me while I started the dough and since he is generally less health conscious than me I was secretly hoping he would come back with a bag of Double Stuff. But he completely surprised me when he gave me a bag of Reduced Fat oreos. At first I was all like "Are you f**king serious? You talk about eating hotdogs and pizza every day and this is when you decide to get healthy?" But honestly, it was a good decision. You can't tell the difference and these brownies are so rich that you'll be thankful for that 30% reduction in fat. 

                                 It really is a thing of terrible beauty

As for the brownie layer, I used Ghiradelli's dark chocolate brownie mix because they make awesome brownies and making the cookie dough from scratch was, quite frankly, enough for one dessert. I had a hotel party to get to! After assembling the layers in a paper lined 9 x 9 pan bake at 350 for 30 minutes and you're done. Your mouth is ready to get dirty, verrrry dirty.

Sunday Brunchin' At Firebox

Hey, want to hear something awesome? Of course you do. I found my new favorite brunch place in CT: Hartford's Firebox. I've been wanting to go to this place since it opened a couple years ago, but like so many other things in my life, it took awhile to make it happen. But, I am so glad I didn't give up. Everything from the food to the atmosphere is great. See that? That's a DJ! At brunch! In Hartford! It's the kind of place you'd expect to find in a city like Boston or New York, but unlike those places there isn't a 40 minute wait for a table and the prices are reasonable. Firebox is a part of Billings Forge and is housed in a beautiful, old brick building. They are part of the farm to table food movement and grow a number of ingredients in their garden out back.

Doesn't the word 'tavern' make your mouth water? No? Just me?

I had the eggs benedict with salmon pastrami and James had some egg and sausage thing served in a personal-sized cast iron pan. The hollandaise was so friggin good. Next time we go I'm asking for an additional side of hollandaise because I am gross and the accompanying heart disease is well-worth it. Also, salmon pastrami? Did you know this was a thing? I had never heard of it before I ordered it, but needless to say I am now a fan. In the middle is our order of homefries accompanied with a dollop of smoked paprika aioli. I have recently been introduced to the wonder that is smoked paprika, but this aioli took my adoration to a new level. Yet another thing to speed along that heart disease.

 All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing meal that I'm sure was helped along by the two mimosas I had. It was also really nice to see how they incorporated other Hartford-area businesses and foods into the menu when possible. The toast my benedict came with was from the good ol' Hartford Baking Company. Basically, this is the kind of place that makes you go "Yeah! Hartford could really be something!" but then you look around and realize there's only six people in the entire restaurant on a gorgeous Sunday. I guess the place is pretty hopping during the weekend and happy hour, which is encouraging because this is the kind of place that Hartford needs.

Culinary Time-Travel: Heirloom Apples

Last week, James and I made our annual pilgrimage to Belltown Hill Orchards in Glastonbury for apples, donuts, and more. I was thrilled to see that they had a variety of heirloom apples for sale and picked up a few.

Clockwise from top: Cox's Orange Pippin, a dessert apple that originated in England in 1825 and perfect for pie-making, the lovely, sweet, red Honeycrisp developed in 1960, and the tart, green Newtown Pippin, allegedly Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple.  

I first learned about heirloom apples last year while doing research for the book and loved the idea of cooking heirloom recipes WITH heirloom ingredients. It's culinary time travel! Luckily, heirloom fruits of all kinds seem to be having a moment right now, if NYT trend pieces are to be believed.  And really, considering that most grocery stores only stock around three varieties of apples out of the 7,500 available, one of which includes the abhorent Red Delicious, we could all benefit from a little more apple variety.

I first made a pie using a mixture of heirloom apples and a recipe for Blue Ribbon Apple Pie from my Cook's Country cookbook, which is filled with lots of old-fashioned, classic, "heirloom" American recipes.

Mmmm tastes like history!

Then on Saturday I made yummy vegan pancakes with warm apple topping from the Post Punk Kitchen. Not quite culinary time travel, but delicious all the same. So whether you're making an old fashioned apple pie, or just looking to spruce up an old recipe, heirloom apples are a great addition. Keep an eye out at the farmer's market or, if you're lucky, your grocery store for heirlooms.

 

The Last Gasp Of Summer

On Monday James and I were supposed to go to a Red Sox night game. A nice way to wrap up summer, right? Well, turns out that it was actually a day game but James didn't realize this until the last minute. I couldn't go because I had to work and he didn't feel much like driving for two hours to sit in the hot sun by himself. So, to cheer him up, I suggested we head down to the shore and enjoy the beautiful weather. It would give us something to remember fondly in five months when we're trapped inside because it's too damn cold to go anywhere.

I wanted a shore dinner and I wanted to sit outside, so we made our way to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook. It may not have been Fenway, but it sure was cheaper. Plus, some scavenging seagulls provided surprisingly compelling dinner time entertainment.

James waiting no so patiently for his fish and chips--or being mad that I took his picture. Whatever.

You know what makes fried calamari even better? Jalapenos.

The hot lobster roll is a traditional Connecticut thing, and kind of goes with our whole upper crust snobby WASP vibe. Mayonaisse is simply too gauche, darling. Bill's wasn't as good as Abbott's, another CT institution, but lobster is still lobster.

After stuffing our faces, I suggested we take a walk on the beach to aid in digestion. We parked at the nearby Clinton town beach. Sometimes I forget how beautiful Connecticut can be.

....It's still boring though.

Learning To Love Pears

As I mentioned in my last post, James' parents gave us a bunch of pears from their pear tree. Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of pears. It's a texture thing. An overripe pear is completely disgusting and has no redeeming qualities. It also seems nearly impossible to catch a pear at perfect ripeness, though I'm told they're quite good if you do. Despite these culinary drawbacks, James was insistent that I make pear pie. (Even just typing that out made me gag a little). However, all I could imagine was pear mush encased in a pie crust. After doing some research I came across pear tart tatin, an alternative to the traditional apple tarte tatin. 

I can still remember the first time I had a tarte tatin. My mother and I had gone apple picking and then went back to her friend's house and made this incredible dish. The whole thing just tastes of fall. Ok, now I was on board.

I used this recipe from Williams-Sonoma. It doesn't involve making a thick caramel sauce on the stovetop that more traditional  tarte tatin recipes call for, so the result is more of a syrup, but it's certainly much easier and still tasty.

Pear tart tatin, before the all important flip.

I neglected to place the pears core side up, but besides that minor snafu I'm pleased to report that not only did I eat pear tarte tatin, but I also enjoyed it. The pears didn't get mushy, perhaps due to the carmelization of the sugar and butter, so the natural flavor of pear is on display. I still think apple tarte tatin is the best, but that will have to wait for apple-picking season. Also, I should note that the crust was amaaaaazing. So. Good. 

I guess I'm now obligated to attempt a pear pie...

A Gardener's Bounty

That's the tricky thing about gardening, sometimes you end up with a ton of ripe zucchinis or tomatoes that need to be eaten within the week. Then it's a challenge to figure out how to use everything in tasty and creative ways. I mean, I like zucchini bread as much as the next person, but after a couple of loaves enough is enough. I thought about canning the tomatoes, but that seemed like a waste. A ripe, in season tomato should be enjoyed in the moment, like nature intended.

When I need new food ideas I usually check out Bon Appetit.com. This recipe for stewed zucchini may not be photogenic, but it is really simple and easy to pair with anything. It also involves mint, which I've just realized is my favorite herb.

Since my mint is still in the baby stages, James' mom was kind enough to give me a bunch from her garden. Thus, I've been able to spend the week eating home-grown tomato sandwiches topped with fresh basil, mint, and this nice cheese from Beaver Brook Farm called pleasant cow. It may not be the most imaginative tomato dish ever, but since I refuse to eat tomato sandwiches the rest of the year I figure I should get my kicks in now before the season ends.

Next up: I decide what to do with the six pears James' dad gave me.

Sunday (Farmers) Marketing

As long time readers of this blog (all three of you) know, I love farmers markets. When I lived in Boston, it was a weekly ritual of mine, but since moving back to CT last year I confess I haven't gone marketing as often as I should, despite there being a number held in the state. The biggest one in the state is the Coventry Farmers Market, held on Sundays at the Nathan Hale homestead. It's a bit of a drive for me, but the variety of vendors and other activities made it well worth the trip. Plus, my friend Alicia drove.

Nathan Hale, Revolutionary War hero and local food enthusiast.

 Since there's only like, five cool things to do in Connecticut the place was packed. I really wanted some crepes from Le Petite France's truck but the line was too long. I settled for a delicious apple cider doughnut instead. First of the season!

In addition to the normal farmer's market activities, Kelly Farms was hosting a free pickling workshop. Alicia has been dying to learn how to pickle, so we checked it out.  

Some things I learned: 
This guy is obsessed with pickles.
Any part of a dill plant can be used for flavoring.
Apple cider vinegar is the best to use for pickling.
Shove as much as you can into the jar.
That's it.

There was also an old-fashioned fife and drum muster going on, which, from what I can tell, involves lots of marching in costumes and camping in one of these:

Rather cozy, if a bit rustic. 

  
Though I'm not sure this haircut is historically accurate...

All in all it was a lovely afternoon. We'll definitely be back for the Brews and Blues event on Sept 2nd. Until then I'll be checking out some other Sunday markets. This week: The Hill-Stead Museum's Farmers Market.

Kale-Basil Pesto: Surprisingly Delicious

I have a love/hate relationship with kale. I love how good it is for me, but I hate the way it tastes. Thus, I only eat it in forms that completely mask its natural flavor. My newest discovery is kale-basil pesto. All the deliciousness of pesto packed with the nutritional punch of kale. I tweaked a recipe I found on Whole Foods' website for spinach-basil pesto which substituted kale for spinach and walnuts for pine nuts (a cheaper alternative), but assumedly the original recipe would be delicious as well.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cups fresh kale leaves
1 cup toasted walnuts
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice

S&P to taste

Directions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill until ready to serve.

After I mixed the pesto with parpadella, I squeezed some extra lemon on top. I just love pasta with lemon.

Postcard From Mid-Cape

Last weekend James and I made the trip up to the Cape to pay Grandpa Sullivan a long overdue visit. He moved to Centerville about six years ago after marrying his lovely wife Fran and it's been nice getting to know the area. 

One of my favorite places is right down the road from their house, Four Seas Ice Cream. In addition to the standard offerings, they offer a bunch of unusual flavors. The last couple times I've wanted to try something called lemon crisp, but it's always sold out. Last time I ended up with frozen pudding (yum!) and this time it was fresh peach which was, of course, delicious.

My grandpa is kind of a big deal within the world of American political memorabilia and he gave us a little peak at some of his most prized possessions.

Grandpa's American commie buttons!

Since I grew up on PBS dramas, the Gorey house is one of my favorite tourist spots on the Cape, but sadly it was closed. It's just as well since their gift shop would have put a major dent in my wallet. 

A trip to the Cape wouldn't be complete without a plate of seafood from Osterville Fish Too. They had oysters on special that night!

All in all, it was a great mini vacation and I told my grandpa I was really glad he never retired to Florida.

Now it's time for a real vacation up North. Back in a few weeks!