Chocolate Bread With Sergeant Terry Jeffords from Brooklyn Nine Nine!

I posted this 3 years ago but wanted to revive it because Terry Crews from Brooklyn Nine Nine bakes a yeasted chocolate coffee cake with Martha Stewart. The video is charming and the bread is delicious!

When I saw this yeasted chocolate coffee cake on the Martha Stewart website, I about fell out of my chair.  Yeasted bread?  Yum.  Chocolate?  Yum.  Cinnamon as well?  Woo hoo!  Another great plus about this recipe is that there is a video of Martha Stewart making the bread with former NFL linebacker Terry Crews.  He is the kind of person who appreciates a recipe that has lots of butter, sugar and chocolate.  Great guy.

Warning:  I cannot stop eating this bread.  I baked it yesterday and the loaf is almost finished!  

Warning Number Two:  Do not cut into this loaf until it is completely cool.  The whole thing will collapse if you do.  I may have discovered this on my own.  After all, you know that I really have no self-restraint.

Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus a pinch of granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk, about 110° F (43° C)
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick salted butter, room temperature

In a large bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of granulated sugar over the warm milk. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, the whole egg, and the egg yolk. Stir into the yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Add the salted butter and mix until the dough is soft and sticky, about 10 minutes.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash

Butter a 9- or 10-inch loaf pan and place some parchment paper inside (see photo).  

In a small bowl, mix together the chocolate, brown sugar, and a cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is uniform. Reserve 1/2 cup for later use.

Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is an 18-inch square. Brush the egg wash around the edge of the dough to make a 1-inch border. Spread the chocolate mixture (except for the 1/2 cup that you put aside) evenly throughout the dough, leaving the 1-inch border intact. Starting at one end, roll the dough tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch the edges closed. Fold the dough in half into a U-shape.  Then, twist this U 2-3 times to make it look kind of like a braid (see photo). Place the dough into the loaf pan. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of filling over the top of the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow the dough to double in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the loaf for 55 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden.  Using the parchment paper to help you take out the loaf, transfer the loaf to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.  Do not cut until the loaf has cooled considerably!

Veggie Feast! Chickpea Fritters, Homemade Naan and Tzatziki Sauce with Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Cilantro

On Sundays I'm supposed to either try new recipes out and experiment because I have more time to cook or I'm supposed to make a ton of food for the rest of the week because I have more time to cook.  How often does either happen in real life?  Rarely.  There have been so many times when we've just gone out to eat instead or I've served doctored-up leftovers.  

But tonight I did it!  I did something new!  In fact, I made two new things!  And my kids ate these new things!  And, most important of all - everyone in the family loved these new dishes!  Success! 

These are chickpea fritters from Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Inspired by falafel, they're simple and delicious.  In honor of the official start of the NHL season, we decided to call these Hockey Pucks.

To go with these, I thought it'd be fun to try my hand at homemade naan.  Ok, it didn't taste like restaurant naan.   But for a first attempt, they turned out all right.  My kids said at first, "This doesn't taste as good as regular naan."  Then the next thing I knew, they were cramming seconds and thirds into their faces and requesting naan for lunch the next day. Hmmmm....must've been passable.  To gild the lily, I whipped up a quick tzatziki.  Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of Greek yogurt, this can be made in no time at all.  Serve everything with sides of chopped heirloom tomatoes, cucumber sticks, fresh cilantro, and plain Greek yogurt if your kids don't like tzatziki.

• • Chickpea Fritters - Martha Stewart Everyday Food
  • (This recipe doubles the Martha Stewart recipe and makes a few minor changes).
  • 2 cans (15.5 ounces) rinsed and drained chickpeas
  • 3/4 cup sliced scallions
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (leave out and serve on the side if someone in your family doesn't like cilantro...you can also replace with basil)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • Canola oil or olive oil
  • In a food processor, pulse together chickpeas, scallions, and cilantro until a coarse paste forms. Pulse in flour, egg, and salt. Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add chickpea mixture to skillet, 1/4 cup at a time, pressing to form patties. Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes. 

Homemade Naan - Carey Nershi 
Makes 16 naan

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

3/4 cups warm milk

1 cup plain yogurt

Melted butter or ghee (for brushing)

Optional toppings or add-ins: garlic, onion, herbs, cheese

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and warm water and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy. In the

meantime, combine flours, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. Make a well in the center.

2. Stir milk and yogurt together. Once the yeast mixture is foamy, stir it into the yogurt and milk. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients.

3. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine, then knead dough until smooth. Place dough in a well-oiled

bowl, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

4. When dough is ready, punch down and turn out on a well-floured surface. Divide in half, then divide each half into eight pieces of equal size. Roll each piece out into a thin oval approximately 6 inches long and 1/8 inch thick. Heat a cast iron skill over medium-high heat on the stove top.

5. Once pan is hot, brush each side of the naan with melted butter/ghee. (If adding toppings like

onion/garlic/spice, add them to the second side you brush with butter and gently press them into the

dough.)

6. Place dough into your skillet. (If you’ve adding toppings, place it topping side-up.) Let cook for

around 1 minute, or until dough puffs and bubbles form on top.  Flip and cook for another minute.  Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.

Tzatziki - Barefoot Contessa
(this recipe is slightly altered from the original Barefoot Contessa recipe)

2 (7 ounce) containers Greek yogurt, such as Fage Total 
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded  
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill 
1½ teaspoons minced garlic 
2 teaspoons kosher salt 
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

Place the yogurt in a medium bowl. Grate the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid. Add it to the yogurt along with the lemon juice, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. If you have time, you can refrigerate this to let the flavors combine, or you can serve right away.

Homemade Gnocchi - Fast Enough for a Weekday!

My friend Roshni had this great quote while we were eating at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco, "You just can't go wrong with gnocchi!!"  (This was exclaimed after she took a rather large bite out of Vinnie's gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce).  I beg to differ.  Ordering gnocchi at a restaurant is a HUGE gamble.  Those little dumplings often come up dense, and many times I've been stuck with a large plate of miniature door stops.  As a general rule, I don't like to roll the dice like that, but I will sometimes go for it because if the gnocchi are good, then I get to eat an entire plate of little heavenly pillows.  Mmmm.  Incidentally, one place that never ceases to disappoint me is Mangia Mangia, my childhood Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach, California.  Those gnocchi are scrumptious.And what if you can't find your own pillow dealer?  As Bacon dryly says, "Then just make it yourself."  I don't know about you, but I've always found the notion of making my own gnocchi extremely daunting.  Then I saw this video and recipe on Food52.  Now, these are not the lightest I've ever come across, but given that it doesn't take much time makes up for that.  Weekday gnocchi?  Hooray!!!  Italian Ricotta Gnocchi - cdilauraServes 4

• 1 pound fresh whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• freshly grated nutmeg to taste
• 2 cups flour, sifted, plus extra for rolling dough

1. Add egg to ricotta cheese and oil and mix thoroughly.
2. Add grated parmesan cheese to mixture and sprinkle with nutmeg to taste.
3. Add sifted flour a little at a time and continue to mix thoroughly until dough comes together.
4. Dump onto generously floured surface and work with hands to bring together into a smooth ball. Add more flour as necessary until dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
5. Cut off slices of dough like cutting a loaf of bread and roll into ropes thumb size thick by spreading hands and fingers and rolling from center out to each edge of the rope.
6. Line one rope parallel to another and cut 2 at a time into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece off the back of a fork to make imprints that will help hold the sauce.
7. Transfer gnocchi pieces to a lightly floured or non-stick baking sheet so they don’t stick together and put in the freezer while making the rest of batch. If you plan to save any gnocchi for future use, allow them to freeze entirely on the baking sheet before storing in a ziplock bag to prevent sticking together.
8. When ready to prepare, bring a large stockpot of generously salted water to a boil.
9. Add gnocchi to boiling water and gently stir once with a wooden spoon to create movement and prevent gnocchi from sticking to the bottom. As gnocchi rise to the top {a sign they are done cooking} scoop them out with a mesh strainer or a bamboo wire skimmer and immediately place in serving bowl shaking off excess water.
10. Scoop some sauce on top of each layer of gnocchi as they are placed in the bowl to eliminate the need to stir them with sauce in the end and risk damaging or smashing the pasta. Generously grate parmesan over the top and serve.

Green Soup - A Virtuous Winter Adventure

I love listening to The Splendid Table, a weekly food podcast hosted by Lynne Rosetto Casper on American Public Media.  A couple of weeks ago, the show interviewed vegetarian cook Anna Thomas.  I made her Basic Green Soup today and it was pretty tasty, considering that there was no meat or dairy in it.  (Well, I did put in chicken broth, as I didn't have vegetable broth).   This is the perfect lunch or dinner to have after a sinful weekend of eating out at a lot of restaurants or eating a lot of baked treats (not that I did either of those activities this past week). 

   
Basic Green Soup – from Anna Thomas' Love Soup

Ingredients

o   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

o   2 large yellow onions, chopped

o   1 teaspoon salt, divided

o   2 tablespoons plus 3 cups water, divided

o   1/4 cup arborio rice

o   1 bunch green chard (about 1 pound)

o   14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed

o   4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade

o   Big pinch of cayenne pepper

o   1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Trim the white ribs out of the chard (save for another use, such as to add to a stir-fry or other soup). Coarsely chop the chard greens and spinach.

3. When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the rice along with the spinach, broth and cayenne. Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.

4. Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.

To make ahead: Prepare through Step 4 (omitting the lemon), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Wolf Pie - Great for Meatless Monday!

Wolf Pie, the hilarious picture book by Brenda Seabrooke and Liz Callen, retells the story of the 3 Little Pigs with a fantastic twist.  The wolf becomes a friend of the pigs and a willing vegetarian.  After reading the book, Sweetie Pie and Little Man were inspired to make up their own recipe for Wolf Pie, highlighting their favorite vegetables.  Here is their creation!

Wolf Pie
filling recipe by Perficious Eats, Sweet Pea and Little Man

Filling Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 egg yolk and 1 Tablespoon of water, beaten together in a little dish (this is the pie crust's egg wash)
salt and pepper to taste
optional:  several threads of saffron

Pie Crust Ingredients:

Use your favorite pie crust recipe here.  I like Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee recipe for this.

1.  Make the pie crust, separate into 4 little discs and refrigerate.  (If your recipe makes enough dough for a 2-crust pie, then only use 1/2 of the dough for this recipe.  You can freeze the other half for another day of pie!)

2.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Saute the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low and add the flour.  Add the broth slowly and keep stirring to break up the flour clumps.  Add the saffron, salt and pepper.  Simmer for a few more minutes and take off the heat.

3.  In a separate pot, cook the sweet potatoes in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes.  Drain and add to the sauce pot.  Stir in the peas and corn.

4.  Divide the mixture among 4 ramekins.

5.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator, roll out 1 disc into a thin layer that can wrap over a ramekin.  Before you cover the ramekin with dough, brush the top edge and sides of the ramekin with the egg wash.  Cover the ramekin with the dough and repeat with the other 3 ramekins.  Brush the tops of the pies with more egg wash and cut slits or poke holes into each pie crust.  We used a fork to make holes in the crust that looked like each person's first initial:

6.  Bake the ramekins for 1 hour, or until the crust looks golden brown and the filling is bubbling inside.  Yum, yum.

Chop Chop!

We all want to eat healthy in a fun way.  Chop Chop magazine actually targets children and shows kids cooking nutritious meals, playing games, and enjoying healthy foods!  $14.95 a year yields 4 issues a year.  The magazine features children of practically every ethnicity, vegan and non-vegan recipes, Muppets, and the website has a Spanish language section.  I can't imagine very many people (or monsters) who aren't included in some way.

I'm still trying to decide whether or not to subscribe.  In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out the website for recipes, games and other fun ideas.  Happy New Year!

Avocado & Salad Pasta

We will often come across an evening when I just don't feel like breaking out the saute pans or chopping up a lot of different ingredients.  For such times, or when I just want to whip up a quick lunch, I will turn to this fantastic idea from Giada De Laurentiis.  She takes avocado and arugula and zaps it all together in the food processor with some other tidbits.  Since I feel the need to cut corners with every recipe, I've taken her idea and omitted a few things.  I'll often just serve it by itself or sometimes I'll pair it with sauteed scallops, chicken or fish.

Avocado & Salad Pasta (aka Green Spaghetti)

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis'  Linguine with Avocado and Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 pound linguine pasta
• 2 medium avocados, halved, peeled, and seeded (about 12 ounces total)
• 1/2 - 3/4 bag of supermarket salad (50/50 Mix or Spring Mix work well)
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmesan (4 ounces)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place in a serving bowl.

Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh from the avocados and place in a food processor. Add the salad, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese. Blend until smooth.

Pour the pesto over the pasta and toss together. Add some pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce. 

Homemade Granola - Perfect for Breakfast, Recess or After School

This looks like a whole lot of granola, but you'd be surprised how quickly we go through this pan.  I cut it into bars for the kids to eat at school (wrapped in foil), sprinkle it on top of yogurt for afternoon munching and serve it with milk in the morning for breakfast.  When I'm feeling peckish during dinner prep, I will often just put some in a little bowl and pick at it.  I thought that the kids wouldn't be able to distinguish it from supermarket granola, but they actually request it frequently!

Homemade Granola
largely inspired by Ina Garten's recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (or raw wheat germ toasted in a frying pan)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped dried fruit (cranberries or blueberries are great)
• couple of handfuls of chocolate covered seeds or chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal and almonds together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  If you are using raw wheat germ, you may want to toast the wheat germ at this time.  Spread it out onto a nonstick frying pan and toast it on medium-high heat, gently swirling the pan occasionally for a few minutes until the wheat germ seems darker.  

Put the browned oatmeal and almonds into a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.  

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. 

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruit and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares or bars. Serve at room temperature.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Calzone - The Glorified Pizza Pocket

I have had a checkered past with homemade pizza dough.  Following Alice Waters' recipe, I would often find myself elbow deep in sticky stuff and swearing in the kitchen as the phone would ring at that precise moment.

One thing I came to realize was this - even if a recipe says that you may use all purpose flour, do not do it!!!  It is a lie.  In the world of pizza dough, AP Flour is, to quote Principal Edward Rooney, "a first class ticket to nowhere."  Bread flour is the answer.  Bread flour will prevent the sticky mess.  Bread flour will provide a dough that obediently rolls up and becomes a cute little ball from which one can craft pizzas or calzones.

So for pizza dough, I now enjoy using Lorraine Pascal's recipe:

• 250g/9oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 125–145ml/4½–5fl oz warm water
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling and drizzling

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. In a jug, mix the water and oil together, then pour the liquid into the well of the flour mixture and mix to make a soft but not sticky dough.
   
   
2. Knead for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured work surface or for five minutes in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Bring the dough together to a smooth flat ball and place in a well-oiled bowl.  Cover loosely with a damp kitchen cloth or paper towel and store in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

You can put anything into a calzone, but last night I threw together a mixture of:

frozen spinach, thawed and drained
ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese
1 egg
freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

After rolling out the dough, I spooned a little leftover spaghetti sauce onto the disc and then put some of the mixture on top.  Then I folded the whole thing on a piece of parchment paper (very important, otherwise your dough will stick to the baking sheet).  Naturally it would be better if you used a pizza stone, but your movers might have misplaced this item and perhaps you haven't had a chance to visit the Crate & Barrel outlet yet.  Maybe you are waiting for school to start so that you can go to the store child-free.

Bake for 20 minutes, then check.  I like to put on little silicone mittens and flip the calzone over so that the other side gets nicely browned, too.  Bake for another 5-8 minutes if doing this, or until the other side is golden brown.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup with Vanilla Bean Specks

The first little sniffles and coughs of the season have started to resonate through the house.  My kids, however, are really tired of chicken noodle soup from previous years.  So this fall, I had resolved to introduce some new soups into the recipe stash.

This is largely lifted from Molly Wizenberg's version of Butternut and Pear Soup with Cider and Vanilla Bean, except I didn't use any cider and I didn't use a separate pan to infuse the vanilla bean into the cream.  My sink was already full of dirty dishes...I didn't need to introduce a saucepan to the growing pile.

3 Tbs olive oil


1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (4 generous cups)


2 firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)


1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped


3 cups good-quality chicken broth


½ tsp salt


½ cup half-and-half (I used 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk)


1 vanilla bean


Fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the squash, pears, and onion, stir to coat with oil, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until the onion is soft and transparent and the pears are starting to fall apart.

Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the mixture, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Puree a third of the mixture in a food processor (or use an immersion blender).  Once it's pureed, then add another third, puree, and then the final third.  I like to make sure that the feeding tube at the top of the processor is open so the steam from the hot liquid can escape.   (I don't know what happens if you process an entire pot's worth of hot liquid in one shot without a vent; it seems like a bad idea).

Before you put the soup back into the pot, pour the half-and-half (or cream and milk) into the pot (don't worry about the remains of squash and onions left in the pot...this is all going to become soup anyway).  Scrape the contents of a vanilla pod into the half-and-half and warm until it is steaming and smells heavenly.  (You can also chuck the vanilla pod itself into the half-and-half while this is happening, just remember to take it out before you serve it).

Pour the soup back into the pot and stir.  Serve, garnished with chives.  You can also use a little more cream to make a decoration on the soup (like a happy face or a flower to cheer up a sniffly little sweetie).  I usually just put a little bit in a Ziploc bag, snip off a corner with scissors, and squirt onto the soup.  You'd be surprised how eager your kids are to eat something with a happy face on it.  

Yield: 4-5 servings

Say Fromage...

One of the highlights of my Paris experience this past week was a visit to Alleosse, the famous cheese shop.  Believe it or not, I was looking for this store and actually passed it the first time walking down the street.  How does someone miss a pink cheese shop?  Picture throngs of food stalls, fruit carts, shoppers purchasing their wares for dinner, seafood mongers calling to customers, the aroma of rotisserie chickens and fries wafting through the market, and you might get a sense how that would be possible.  The market at Rue de Poncelet is quite an experience, one that merits its own entry.

And here is where I introduce my good friend Audi Girl, a dangerous specimen with my passion for food and Major Obvious' obsession with cars.  Audi Girl and I joined the queue that spilled from the shop into the street.  She was anxious to try some brie, while I had a couple of other cheeses in mind to purchase.  As we entered the shop, we were completely overwhelmed.  The store was packed with cheese everywhere!  Cases, shelves and nooks were crammed with delicious possibilities.   The smell was also incredible.  Almost every cheese came with a little tag that said, "Cru Lait," which means raw milk.  That's right, nothing was pasteurized here!  Hence, the lovely, funky smell that only can be found in a lovely French cheese shop.  Audi Girl whispered,  "I don't see Brie anywhere."  She was right, even though we were surrounded by a million cheeses, none of them had the label "Brie."  I had faith, though.  "They've got to have it."

Three men in white chef's jackets were standing at attention, ready for action.  When it was finally our turn, I requested "Brie de Meaux" and our assistant called out, "Brie de Meaux!  Oui, madam!"  Then he reached into a vast glass case and pulled out an enormous wheel.  He motioned with his hand where I might want it cut.  I nodded, and he cut.  Then, he wrapped.  Next?  "Camembert."  He pulled out a smaller wheel and asked me something in rapid French.  I thought he was asking me if I wanted to buy the whole thing, so I asked, "C'est possible...demi..." and made cutting motions with my hands.  He replied that he could definitely do that, cut and wrapped it.  At this point, Audi Girl whispered in my ear, "He was asking which day you were going to eat it."  Oops.  Well, we were definitely going to eat it today.  No matter.  Onto the next cheese!  "Neufchatel, sil vous plait."  Repeat, show for inspection, wrap.  Is that everything?  Yes, we're done, thank you.  He prints out a little ticket, then I realize that I need to stand in another line.  I came to learn that Parisians often stand in line twice at shops.  So I presented my ticket to the cashier, at which point he miraculously produced a little pile of wrapped cheeses, all the correct ones I had requested.  Audi Girl was impressed, "I was wondering how they were going to keep track of our cheeses!"

So what was our favorite?  The Brie de Meaux was Audi Girl's and Major Obvious' favorite.  I preferred the softer and tangier Camembert.  But our best cheese find was at Cafe Angelina two days later.  Audi Girl ordered a plate that came with some Brillat-Savarin.  Fresh and snowy white, it tasted like the butteriest cream cheese ever.  Now I know what to ask for next time at Alleosse!

The Artichoke Lover In You

I've recently discovered a wonderful blog about...artichokes.  Crazy, right?  Well, look at these delicious dishes!  The author of On Artichokes in Italy travels around the country researching how various artichokes are grown, sampling gorgeous-looking plates, and inventing recipes as well.  Hopefully I will soon be able to try one of these recipes out.  In the meantime, the photos almost satisfy the hunger.  Almost!

Don't Forget the Latkes!

Lemony Snicket's "The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming," is a favorite holiday story of ours.  I think we enjoy it mostly because the central character is edible.  After we read the story this past weekend, I remembered that the latke remains a delicious holiday dinner option.  We serve ours with applesauce, light yogurt (my lighter alternative to sour cream) and sausages, but you can choose any accompaniments you'd like.

2 courgettes

6-8 medium potatoes (we used new potatoes, but you can use yukon golds or any ones...but I'm not sure how they'd turn out with red potatoes)

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 c flour

1/4 of an onion

sea salt and course black pepper to taste

2-3 Tbsp canola oil

Peel and grate the courgettes and potatoes.  (This is always a challenge for me.  I always seem to come very close to grating some of my hand into the mixture.  Be careful!)  When you are done, squeeze any extra water out of the grated veggies and put them into a large bowl.  (I use a smaller bowl on the counter to catch my veggie water so I am not making multiple trips to the sink).  Grate the quartered onion into veggies (don't squeeze out any liquid from these...you want that tasty onion juice in the mixture).

Add the rest of the ingredients to the large bowl and mix to combine.  Put a couple of paper towels onto a dinner plate and have it waiting by the stove.

Heat some canola oil over high heat in a large frying pan.  When the oil is hot, spoon the veggies into pancake-sized blobs into the pan.  Wait for a few minutes, then flip when brown.  You may have to manage the heat of the stove to make sure the latkes don't burn.  When the latkes are done, place them onto the paper towels to drain.  Serve while hot!

Traditional latkes are cooked in a lot more oil, but I like to have these less-fattening ones.  I also like putting in some zucchini so that the kids get some veggies!  Feel free to experiment.  I've seen people use grated carrots before, too.