Projects in 2009 . . . A First Step

I've always been curious (consumed?) with the idea of "projects." There's something romantic, purposeful, and simply appealing about working on something beyond yourself. The web--and blogs--abound with creative types who seem to spawn projects. I've decided it's time to join the game.

For my first project, I'm going to track what I'm reading in 2009. I'm a pretty heavy reader and would like to see just what and how much I manage to digest in a year. I'll also try to offer a brief review wherever possible to perhaps motivate you to pick up a new book, or not, as the case may be. My only struggle here is whether to include books I'm reading aloud to the kids. If I go that path--and it really is reading, after all--I'll make sure to note the content appropriately.

I'm fishing around for a photographic project. The classic approaches seem to be a photo-a-day or week. There's also the 12 x 12 approach (12 photos in 12 months). We're in the process of creating photo books of the kids (first seven years, first five years) right now and it's delightful. If these turn out well, we'll make books of our travels, ancestors, and anything else that fits. The bottom line is that I need to pick up the camera more to keep that flow of images and ideas fresh.

There's also the crafty stuff. I love reading about what folks are creating and find myself wanting to do the same. As usual, I find myself overthinking things: is this a commitment? should I do this with/without the kids? what if I'm a really bad crafter? Ah . . . so I'll try some stuff and we'll see what develops.

Last but not least is food. Cooking (and eating) is one of my passions. I want to say more here about what I'm making, where I'm finding it, and if anyone is eating and enjoying it.

So here goes . . . finally a leap into the New Year and some great new activities.

A Sweet New Year

Happy 2009! Change has been a long time coming and it has been a pleasure to welcome this new year.

I'm a big believer in making the first taste of the new year a sweet one. Following a Japanese tradition, that means sake spiced with otoso. According to Wikipedia, otoso has its origins in China:

"The tososan mixture is said to have originated as a prescription of the famous Chinese physician Hua Tuo during the Three Kingdoms period. . . . It is typically made from Japanese pepper, asiasari radix, apiaceae, cinnamon, dried ginger, atractylodes Japonica, Chinese bellflower and rhubarb."

I find otoso in Japanese markets and only at the New Year. The bag of spices comes beautifully wrapped in washi. You need merely to drop the bag into a quantity of sake and let it steep as you would a tea-bag. The result is a golden liquid, fragrant and somewhat sweet. A sip (or a few) are all that's needed to make the beginning of a new year a bit of ritual.

I Love This Idea: Food + Community

San Franciscan Marco Flavio is an avowed foodie and man of action. His blog, Cook Here and Now, is replete with weekly farmer's market reports, recipe suggestions, and general enthusiasm about great food.

He's also been running a very successful series of open dinners. The idea is simple and the execution brilliant. He posts a monthly theme, interested people visit his blog and sign up to prepare various courses, and everyone cooks and eats together. Travel and Leisure, Food and Wine, and Lonely Planet have all written about Marco and his magnificent meals.

I've seen the posts for dinners and thought "I'd like to do that." I would then have a crisis of confidence, either in my cooking, creativity, or bravado to join cool people in San Francisco. Today, Marco posted photos from his most recent dinner. What an amazingly diverse group of people thisese events attract. The guy cooking the andouille sausage got it from Dittmer's in Mountain View. I know that place. I can do this. Attending one of Marco's dinner's is on my list for 2009.

If you're interested, he's written a post on how to host your own communal dinners. Let me know if you try!

Preparations are Underway

Thanksgiving preparation is in full swing. We're dining with cousins and we'll be bringing the turkey, oyster stuffing, and a fennel apple salad.

We're roasting the turkey on the rotisserie this year. Our Gaggenau oven delights us with perfect birds . . . crispy outside, juicy inside. We'll see if it's up for a larger fowl tomorrow. There is no turkey "formula" for us. We've roasted, fried, tucked butter and herbs under skin, and filled cavities. Thus far, we haven't found a cooking or seasoning technique that dominates all others.

The oyster stuffing is a proven favorite. My grandmother's recipe provides a well proportioned foundation and I've contributed the foodie embellishments--double the amount of oysters, fresh herbs, and artisanal bread. I hesitate (actually I do not) try variations on this theme. Departures from my mainstay recipe become stand-alone dishes.

The fennel apple salad is an attempt to provide a light, fresh taste in what is typically a heavy meal. The recipe is Charlie Trotter's, is posted on Epicurious and extremely simple. With my trusty mandoline and a lemon from the backyard, this should be fast, easy and delicious.

Looking forward to a fun and delicious day tomorrow!

Worth It?

This past weekend, we saw Chrisopher Kimball on America's Test Kitchen extoll the virtues of prepping a steak in the oven prior to hitting the grill or pan to finish. 250 - 275 degrees for 20 minutes, seasoned with salt and pepper came the advice. After that, 2 -3 minutes per side to medium rare goodness. Kimball showed steaks that came directly from pan to plate and (the admittedly thin) layer of more cooked meat that encased the steak. The oven-prepped steak had more uniform color and texture and, frankly, looked compelling.

Since we consume only a steak per family, we didn't conduct our own side-by-side comparison but we did cook a ribeye to America's Test Kitchen specs. The result, in our humble opinion, was good but not appreciably better than our traditional method: onto the coals or into the pan, straightaway. The interior of the steak was uniformily pink and juicy. We're just not sure it delivered anything superior to the way we usually cook steak. And it took significantly longer.

It's worth disclosing that we cooked a bone-in, organic ribeye steak weighing about a pound.

Don't get me wrong, the steak was good. Very good, indeed. It just wasn't better than we've been muddling through on our own. And it took longer.

Honestly, I don't think it was us/the meat/the grill. I'm not sure this technique overdelivers a superior tasting steak for the time required. America's Test Kitchen's won't agree but that's the Delman household verdict.

At least we tried.

The Tale of Crab

Tonight, I found myself making crab cakes for the family. It's straightforward and, frankly, delicious. Key to our happiness is a crab cake that is comprised of crab . . . and nothing else. Tonight's dinner becomes lunchbox fare and a special dinner treat (again).

The best recipe, in my humble opinion, is Mark Bittman's Crabby Crab Cakes. It emphasizes the good stuff and nothing but.

My advice? Go for Bittman's reco. You won't regret it.

Good Food . . . For the Ears

Last month, I started thinking about my "go to" podcasts, the ones I dash to the computer to sync and enjoy on a weekly basis. Today, I wanted to highlight KCRW's Good Food with Evan Kleiman.

The show is LA-based BUT . . . . (as a Northern Californian, there's always that moment of qualification when connecting to something in the southern region). It's a wonderful hour for foodies, highlighting not only what's fresh at the market (I need to confess to the Northern California region lag) but also just great food experiences and encounters. Whether I make it to the specific dining spots highlighted is less important than my understanding a new aspect of Thai food or a newly discovered Mexican delicacy that I can seek out on my own.

Evan Kleiman hosts the show. She's the chef/owner of Angeli Cafe and a smart, wise food guide. She bring folks like Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer to the show as well as eclectic characters like Eddie Lin, the "Deep End Diner" for (even) more adventurous fare. KCRW's show is focused on L.A. and Southern California but the content is so very, very good that I find it relevant to my own life a bit further north.

Check out Good Food and I promise: you won't be disappointed.

Resuming the Conversation

It's been far too long since I last posted. However, it's a new month, for some a new year, and a chance to start with the proverbial clean slate.

The last conversation I was having was about "go to" podcasts . . . the words that make me run to sync the iPod on a regular basis.

Today, I need to share KCRW's Good Food. Hosted by Evan Kleiman, Good Food brings great conversation about interesting food on a weekly basis. The Market Report is very much specific to Southern California; being a resident of California's North, I tend to fast forward through that segment unless Russ Parsons is speaking on anything vegetal. What happens next on Good Food could be a trip to an ethnic restaurant, a conversation with a leading Slow Food advocate, chef, or innovator.

The bottom line is that KRCW's Good Food never fails to engage me. Evan's voice is distinctive and keeps me coming back for more.

Now if only I can find taco trucks in the Bay Area that rival what can be found on the streets of L.A. . . . .

Ear Candy: The Splendid Table

I'm an avid podcast listener and thought it might be fun to share a few of my favorites here. (Not to mention this is an accessible topic for this all too infrequent blogger.)

The podcast that I run to sync weekly is Lynne Rosetto Kasper's The Splendid Table. This is simply a superlative food podcast. Kasper attracts authors, chefs, and interesting food people of greater and lesser note. She regular features Jane and Michael Stern of Road Food fame and the acerbic Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated joins her for a "what would I cook from what's in your house" guest segment that is always amusing. Kasper's call-in dialogue is witty and smart. She's a trained chef and unabashedly in love with Italy but manages to share her fascination with food regardless of borders.

Kasper and her colleague at The Splendid Table, Sally Swift, have just published a book called How to Eat Supper. The book features the same tidbits and treats you can hear on The Splendid Table. I'm just starting to cook from it but am jazzed by the range of recipes and its focus on the weeknight table.

If you love food or just the idea of food, let Lynne Rosetto Kasper take you on a weekly journey where you'll travel on your stomach and taste with your mind and heart.

A Fine Read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Judith Jones' The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Jones is a fine author but made her mark as editor par excellence at Knopf. She was responsible for bringing The Diary of Anne Frank into print. That alone would seem to be the accomplishment of a lifetime. However, Jones also discovered and published Julia Child, Claudia Rosen, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey and Irene Kuo, to name a few.

The Tenth Muse treats Jones' life from privileged childhood through Paris sojourn, where she meets the man of her dreams, and back to create a life in New York and Vermont. The book provides an engaging portrait of a young woman's coming of age after World War II and moves through the joys and challenges of her professional and personal life. However, let's be clear; this isn't an exhaustive autobiography. Jones falls in love with a married man and waits for his divorce; she treats them always a couple but his children and his ex-wife are not really addressed. Two adopted children appear and then are rarely mentioned again. Authors move in and out of the narrative as situations and story lines allow. I wouldn't call this a comprehensive portrait but rather a series of linked sketches. Still, the book works and is a compelling read.

There are two important things about this book. First and most directly, The Tenth Muse provides a great window in the burgeoning food culture in the United States in the last half of the 20th century. This is the time that America literally learned to cook and Jones was very much a part of that scene. It's worth noting that the scene is very much East Coast centric, New York specifically; luminaries such as Alice Waters seem not have intersected Jones' life or at least didn't make the final edit. Nevertheless, her firsthand experiences, insights into, and shaping of the leading culinary influences of the day prove to be a fascinating read.

What I appreciate most of all about Jones' book is the joy of the amateur made good. She journeys to Paris and stays with nothing more with a desire to develop her taste and a need to work. This is the classic liberal arts student (literally) tasting success. She develops as a person and a professional but conveys a curiosity, desire and spirit that make me long for a seemingly freer age, where opportunity seems to be at arm's reach.

If food is a passion or you wonder how many of our leading culinary influences found the light of broad public acceptance, give The Tenth Muse a read. I think you'll be delighted with Judith Jones. I am still marveling at her independence, boldness, and gifts with words and food.

Work in Progress

Thanksgiving dinner prep is underway. The turkey is taking its bath in brine. We have completed roasting chestnuts. The maple pumpkin pot de creme are complete, wonderfully fragrant, and chilling in the refrigerator.

Tomorrow morning begins the marathon of stuffings and roasting squash prior to the bird taking center stage . . . and oven.

More to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thanksgiving Menu

The die is cast. I've finally settled on the menu for our Thanksgiving dinner. I am now ready to cook!

Our turkey arrived today from the good folks at Whirlie Bird in Sonoma; organic and free range are promising. I'll also be brining the beast beginning tomorrow afternoon, using Alton Brown's recipe.

In my family, oyster stuffing (we say dressing) is a tradition. I'll jazz mine up with double the bivalves, fresh herbs, and bakery fresh (but allowed to dry out) bread.

My husband found a great variety of chestnuts this year, so we'll be adding chestnut stuffing to the list.

Tom Colicchio's potato puree sounds wonderful.

Fennel salad with olives and oranges should add color to the table, as should roasted butternut squash with thyme and either Gorgonzola or Roquefort cheese. We'll do an uncooked cranberry relish with orange, too.

Dessert will be maple pumpkin pot de creme. Light, prepared ahead but still wonderfully seasonal.

Our holiday guests, my cousins, don't eat meat or poultry. We'll fire up the grill and share alder-smoked salmon with them.

I'm off to hunt down a good Pinot Noir to accompany the meal.

Meatball Hero

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I am pleased to report that Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has won universal acclaim with her spaghetti and meatballs . . . at least in my household. My husband returned from a business trip and came home to the scent of meatballs sauteeing in olive oil. A mere thirty minutes later and dinner was on the table; he was saying "this is delicious" as he tucked into the pasta, sauce and meatballs. Graham particularly enjoyed the red sauce, given body by Chianti. Lauren took such pride in having made meatballs, she ate two. The ultimate test of acceptance included both kids saying "I want this in my lunch tomorrow."

As mom and chef tonight, I say "huzzah!"

Putting the Best Foot Forward

We try to cook as a family most nights and have become masters of the 30 minute meal. With a six year old and a four and a half year old, we try to make mealtime as much of a calm, welcoming, if sometimes adventurous, event as possible.

This week my son had a special request: spaghetti and meatballs. Believe it or not, we've never made spaghetti and meatballs. I think he may have found his culinary inspiration in Judi and Ron Barrett's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I'm encouraged that what we read about can find its way to the dinner table, and vice versa. I want his first experience to set the benchmark.

I found this recipe from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, and laid in the supplies today. Tomorrow will find us shaping meatballs and making the simple but delicious red sauce to grace the pasta. It's not a quick meal but I am hoping it's one to remember. Stay tuned and I'll let you know if we hit a family culinary high note!

Alice Waters & Chez Panisse

For summer reading, I've had the pleasure of spending a several hours with Thomas MacNamee's book
Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Utterly Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution. This is a suprisingly candid, arguably unsparing, portrait of Alice Waters and the legendary restaurant Chez Panisse.

MacNamee chronicles Waters' growing fascination and delight in all things French. He covers the early years in Berkeley when Chez Panisse operated like a dining club for Water's friends. Growing pains, profit pains, a parade of chefs and stories of key staff are currents that wind and flow through the book. MacNamee brings the Water's activities up to date, including her sustainable, organic farming and Edible Schoolyard projects.

I found two key themes recurring throughout the book. First, Alice Waters has powerful vision. In spite of a variety of challenges--personal, financial, political--Waters has stayed true to this vision and willed things to be so; it has worked to an astounding degree. Secondly, the right people seem to show up at the exact moment they're needed, serendipitously, in the life of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. Whether is was chefs, staff, funding, or inspiration, the right people walk through Water's door. This is somehow, I'm sure, a byproduct of her rock-solid vision and commitment but it is still uncanny.

MacNamee is balanced in his profile and his assessments of Waters and her circle; strengths and shortcomings, moments of triumph and failure appear in equal measure. This book is a great window to food history, life in Berkeley from the 60s on, and a terrific profile of both the lady and the food legend she has created.

Amazing Blueberries

The most amazingly delicious blueberries I've ever tasted are from Sorensen's Triple Delight Blueberries. The Fresno farm produces multiple varieties of blueberries and the larger ones this season have been extraordinary . . . sweet but not overly so, heavy with juice, and rich with fragrance. We've enjoyed them in and on everything and just out of hand. My son devours a container in a single sitting. Look for the Sorensens at the Palo Alto Farmer's Market (Hamilton Avenue) and enjoy!