A carnivore's grain

I have to admit, I was never a big "super grain" eater. Rice...OK. Wild rice...alright. Quinoa...Huh? Cous Cous...no way! Growing up a carnivore, I just didn't "get it".

About a month ago, I was over a friend's house and she and her family are vegetarians. Now, I'm in this food mode where I will try JUST ABOUT anything, and she was making this grain medley from Trader Joe's. It's called Harvest Grains and it has Israeli cous cous, mini garbanzo beans, quinoa and orzo. It was so hearty and wonderful that I rushed to the store to buy some for myself. It's great as a side, or for you vegetarians, it could be the "whole enchilada", since quinoa is a whole protein (an array of essential fatty acids, gluten free and 12-18% protein). Also for the vegetarians, the instructions call for it to be cooked in water or chicken broth. I used veggie stock and it had a wonderful, earthy flavor.

Tonight I combo-ed it with steak, steamed broccoli, sauteed summer squash and a salad. There are leftovers, so who knows what it will be pared with tomorrow. I have not had the kids taste it yet, so that remains to be seen, but the adults in your life will surely enjoy it as a new "side" alternative.

Mimosa Milange

I have to admit that ever since I was "legal", I have truly adored a good ole Mimosa. ESPECIALLY if it was derived from fresh squeezed OJ (aka "liquid gold"). Kinda like how you only take out the "good dishes" for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I only indulged in Mimosas for special brunch occasions (or business class trans-continental flights).

I'm in a new place now on lots of different levels. First, I believe that life is too short to relegate Mimosas to special occasions, and I have begun to experiment with the hallowed orange juice/champagne combination. I have discovered a wonderful paring in the exotic/tropical fruit juices of mango, passion fruit and guava. I think my favorite right now is the passion fruit.

Take your favorite champagne, prosecco (Italy's version) or sparkling wine (from the red, white and blue USA), and add a tropical juice to it. I like a 50/50 ratio, but you decide on your own best mix. This is truly ideally served in a champagne glass. The way the glass is structured, the bubbles head straight for the nostrils. Other glasses will do, but there's something about a champagne flute that shouts "special".

When you do discover this new wonderful combo for yourself, raise a glass for me. Bottoms up!

Fear not the black banana

I know.....ick, yuck, right? No! What we have here, people is an obvious case of mistaken identity. You may THINK you know what this is, but in all liklihood, you would provide an incorrect guess.

This, my friends, is a roasted banana. It has been heated in its skin in a 400 degree oven (ideally on parchment paper) until the skin turned black and the goodness began to ooze. "Why roast a banana?", you ask. Well, I'll tell you. Roasting a banana increases the brix level or sugar level in the banana. Brix is a measurement of sugar content, and is a term often and also used in wine making.

What I like about roasting bananas is that it adds an additional dimension of banana flavor to desserts. For example, in banana bread, you can use your regular spotted bananas and add some roasted bananas for additional flavor depth. Or put the roasted bananas with the reserved ooze from the parchment paper over a bowl of vanilla ice cream, and them watch 'em start coming to wonder where you are.

Ideally, a banana is roasted just when it starts to "spot". I don't recommend barely ripe (any green on them), or brown and overly spotted. Both of these scenarios produce sub optimal results.

The roasted banana may also be frozen for use at a later date.

Do you Manchego?

No, it's not a dance or a frightful disease, it's a wonderful, semi-soft, rather nutty cheese from Spain. I don' t know where I discovered it. Perhaps the crowded confines of Costco or the hallowed aisles Whole Foods. Regardless, this cheese is a total gem certainly worth searching for. I liken it to a softer, less sharp Parmesan or a nuttier Monterey Jack. It slices, it shreds, it melts. What more could a gal ask for?

So far I have enjoyed Manchego in a caramelized onion (see an older post for the recipe) and Manchego cheese omelet, or on a cheese tray with cornichons, roasted almonds, savory crackers and fig jam. I'm willing to bet that once you try it, you will be mad at me for introducing you to something you would rather not live without. I'm willing to take one for the team. Indulge and enjoy.

The Holidays just got brighter! Try some Egg Nog French Toast

I have to admit, Egg Nog has a really special place in my heart. I remember at Christmastime, my grandparents would make a punchbowl full. The concoction was yellow-ish at the bottom (I guess that was the egg), and really, really frothy at the top (the Nog...right?).

As many of you know, I grew up in New England. Boston-ish, to be a bit more specific. And around this time of year, many who have culinary overflow problems store food on the porch. Why? Because they can! You can barely see the mercury in the thermometer, it is soooooo cold.

So my grandparents would store the Egg Nog on the back porch off the kitchen and bring it in only when someone's glass needed to be refreshed. Now I was never a true partaker of the Nog. I tried it a few times in my youth, but there was so much elixir (brandy, I think), that it probably stunted my growth.

In my later years, I grew fond of the store-bought kind, though I knew inherently that it paled in comparison to that back porch Nog. And then when I became aware of the back label, Egg Nog became a once a year 8 oz. indulgence. Until now! Now I enjoy the flavor of Egg Nog with a little less of the artery-clogging worries.

This is a wonderful dish to serve for company, your neighbors, or even just a treat for yourself. It's so easy and so yummy. Go for it! And the Egg Nog has a long shelf life (due to the fat content) so it will last you all month.


Egg Nog French Toast

1 egg
6 oz. egg nog
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
3 slices high qulaity bread (broiche, challah, croissants)

Apply cooking spray (Pam) and heat the skillet on medium-high heat. Combine the egg and the egg nog with a fork in a bowl. Add spices and stir. Add bread, coating each side and put on hot skillet. Brown each side and remove from heat. Serve with fruit, powdered sugar, high quality syrup or whipped cream, but SERVE IT, by golly!

Potatoes by any other name just aren't the same

This is a style of potatoes I learned in culinary school It's called Potatoes Anna. Arrange sliced potatoes in a skillet in circular layers, coating each round with clarified butter (or olive oil) and a little salt and pepper. I also like adding green onions for some extra yum. You can cook on the stove top until the first layer is caramelized (browned) and then finish it off in the oven at 350 degrees or cook it all on the stove top, covering the skillet for faster cooking. Serve it in wedges with any meat dish or use it as a wonderful breakfast side.

For those that don't know what clarified butter is, it's butter, heated up until all the fat separates. Skim the fat off the top and discard (the fat). It increases the burning point of the butter.

I have to admit, I am a clam chowder snob, and a relative purist. I hope you will not hold it against me. I am, after all, from New England. Ever the optimist, I am prone to try it in restaurants from coast to coast. Especially when they tell me it is good. But often times, I am left wanting and occasionally I am left offended. It may be due to the viscosity of the chowder (I had some in Malibu that an Australian told me was amazing and it was the consistency of those canned soups BEFORE you add the water. I should have considered the source). Sometimes it's a result of the random ingredients that the chef thought would improve on a classic. Like the time that I found water chestnuts in my "authentic" New England clam chowder. Needless to say, I sent it back. And to all of you who call that red soup from the Big Apple a chowder, I say, "I'm sorry".

Here's a recipe that I have made three times, and it hasn't failed me yet. It's the perfect compliment to a warm fire and a fresh baguette (my fellow Yankees would serve it with oyster crackers. I guess that's where we part company).

New England Clam Chowder

2 quarts canned clams with juice
1 1/2 quarts water or fish stock, approx.
1 1/4 pounds potato, small dice
8 ounces salt pork or bacon, small dice
1 pound onion, small dice
8 ounces celery, small dice
4 ounces flour
1 quart milk
8 ounces heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
fresh thyme, to taste


1. Drain the clams, reserving both the clams and their liquid. Add enough water or stock so that the total liquid equals 2 quarts.

2. Simmer the potatoes in the clam liquid until nearly cooked through (test them with a fork). Strain and reserve the potatoes and the liquid.

3. Render (saute) the salt pork on low, extracting the liquid fat, without browning it. Add the onions and celery and sweat (make it turn translucent and give up its liquid) until tender.

4. Add the flour and cook to make a blond roux.

5. Add the clam liquid to the roux, whisking away any lumps.

6. Simmer for 30 minutes.

7. Bring the milk and cream to a boil and add to the soup.

8. Add the clams and potatoes, and season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire and thyme.

9. Garnish each serving with fresh herbs.

Yield: 3 quarts