Snowy Sugared Cranberries

Snowy cranberries are the most addicting winter dessert I make.  I eat these candies until my mouth turns raw from the sour acids.  I rationalize that they are healthy because raw cranberries are low calorie and high in antioxidants and vitamin C.  They look beautiful on a dessert table and are a breeze to make.

Mix 2 table spoons honey with 2 tablespoons hot water. (Alternative is to cook 1/4 cup sugar into 1 cup water for a simple syrup.) Optionally add orange zest, vanilla extract or cinnamon for flavor.

Soak 1 package (10 ounces) of raw cranberries in the honey/water mixture.

Sprinkle 1 - 2 cups white granulated or powdered sugar across a cookie sheet. I use a mixture because I like the dual purposes of coverage of the powdered sugar and the crunch of the granulated.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the wet cranberries to the sugar mix on the cookie sheet.

Stir until all the cranberries are covered and leave in the sugar mixture for 30 minutes or until sugar coating hardens.

Store in an airtight container for 3 - 4 days at room temperature if they don't disappear instantly!

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Love or hate the black and white photos?  I am just playing with my new Canon T1i Digital SLR and Flickr's Picnik editor.

Pictures from Thanksgiving

I didn't cook anything on Turkey Day, so I had the whole afternoon to take pictures.  Several series were taken for upcoming posts on cooking duck the Julia Child way and enjoying poultry tail aka pope's nose. Here are the highlights of turkey day from behind my camera:

That's it for now as  I have a new camera to explore and Harvest Dinner meal to host.  I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Touch the Turkey!

Today and tomorrow many parents have a great teaching moment waiting to happen when they cook a turkey.  Involve the kids and you can lead them to explore:

• Habitat ~ find out where wild turkeys live
• Farming ~ discuss life on historic and modern farms for the farmers and the turkeys
• Anatomy ~ ask children what's the same and different about their bodies compared to a turkey
• Temperature ~ talk about how hot the turkey must be to kill any harmful bacteria and let children watch the thermometer rise
• Taste ~ allow children to help make a brine or rub and talk about flavors
• Safety ~ talk about how to keep your body safe when using a knife and oven
• Sensory ~ touch the turkey!  Many kids will want to see how it feels when you press, how the bones feel, and the differences between uncooked and cooked meat

May your cooking be fun and food be delicious!

Cranberry Bread

Alex's relatives are from New England, Massachusetts specifically.  Lillian is named for his great grandmother who made annual trips to Cape Cod.  There's a connection with the ocean there that is unlike other places I know.  We visit the Cape area as often as we can.

The Baillieul clan loves Massachusetts cranberries and I am happy to share their enjoyment of this antioxidant packing fruit. These bright red gems scream 'holiday' to me!

I purchased our first fresh cranberries last week.  I nabbed eight bags of organic cranberries grown in Buzzard's Bay, the very place we visit in Massachusetts.  Cranberries freeze beautifully and that is the fate of most of my stock.

I will be sharing a few cranberry ideas over the next few weeks, starting with this traditional Baillieul recipe for cranberry bread.  It is delicate, delicious, and low fat.

The recipe starts with an unusual technique for a quick bread: squeeze juice of one orange (or lemon, which we used because we didn't have an orange) into measuring cup.  Add zest and enough boiling water to make 3/4 cup.  Melt 2 T butter into this mixture.

Chop 1 cup cranberries.

Beat 1 egg in a bowl.  Add 1 cup sugar (can be reduced to 3/4 if you wish) and beat well, until the sugar is almost dissolved.  Add 2 cup flour (I use King Arthur whole wheat white) 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg.  Mix all together gently.

Add the cranberries and stir to distribute evenly in the batter.  1/2 cup chopped walnuts are a great addition but Lil doesn't like them.

Transfer to a baking pan.  I bake in a stoneware loaf pan and it makes wonderfully crispy crusts.

Bake at 325 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a rack.  If you can wait til the next day, the bread slices better.

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Cranberry Bread from Alex's Great Great Aunt Mary Makes: one loaf Time: 20 minutes preparation, 1 hour baking

1 orange

2 Tbsp butter

1 egg

1 cup sugar (can be reduced to 3/4)

1 cup fresh cranberries, halved

1/2 cup walnuts, optional

2 cup flour (can use up to 100% whole wheat white)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Squeeze juice of one orange (or lemon, which we used because we didn't have an orange) into liquid measuring cup. Add zest and enough boiling water to make 3/4 cup. Melt butter into this mixture.

2. In a separate bowl, beat 1 egg. Add 1 cup sugar (can be reduced to 3/4 if you wish) and beat well, until the sugar is almost dissolved. Mix in orange juice mixture.

3. Add flour (I use King Arthur whole wheat white) salt, baking powder, baking soda, and grated nutmeg. Mix all together gently.

4. Stir in cranberries and (optionally) walnuts.

5. Spoon into a loaf pan. Bake at 325 for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack. If you can wait til the next day, the bread slices better.

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Kids Cook Classes December

There are six Kids Cook classes remaining in 2009.  I have three new ingredient topics for December, each repeated twice a week.  Bring your three to six year old child and enjoy cooking and learning about healthy food!

Tuesday December 1 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Greens

Thursday December 3 ~ 11:15 am - 12 pm ~ Greens

Tuesday December 8 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Cranberries

Thursday December 10 ~ 11:15 am - 12 pm ~ Cranberries

Tuesday December 15 ~ 4:15 - 5 pm ~ Cinnamon

Thursday December 17 ~ 11:15 am - 12 pm ~ Cinnamon

Each lesson will again feature at least one recipe we will make together, a story, and take home recipe card.  Each class costs $3 per child.  We will meet at Sprout Soup, 4310 N High St.

Please email me or comment if you have any food allergies and I will gladly alter recipes.

Turkey the Hound Way

Poultry is a topic of conversation everywhere these days.   It even came up at the conversation with Thomas Keller and Michael Ruhlman I attended last week.

While I do not eat meat, I have experience assisting Alex in preparing hundreds of whole birds.  Here are our keys to a great turkey:

1) Buy a Quality Bird. Free ranged birds are arguably tastier and healthier.  Buying from local producers also keeps money in the local economy and reduces transportation resource waste.  We have always been satisfied with birds from Bowman Landes farm in Springfield Ohio that are sold locally at Weiland's, The Hill's and the North Market.

2) Brine it. Store your fresh bird in a brine for twenty four hours.  Our basic brine is straight out of Michael Ruhlman & Brian Polcyn's book Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing: 1 gallon water + one cup kosher salt + 1/2 cup sugar, boiled to dissolve then cooled.  A brine evenly salts the meat and helps it retain moisture.  Aromatics can be added to enhance the flavor.  We usually add peppercorns, juniper berries and tarragon for the Thanksgiving bird brine.

3) Temper it. Michael Ruhlman said forcefully at the Thomas Keller conversation, "Don't cook a cold bird!"  Allow the turkey to come near to room temperature before putting it in the oven.  A partially frozen or very chilled bird will crisp and burn on the outside when the inside is still under temperature.  No one wants partially raw/partially singed turkey.

4) Stuff it.  Stuffing turkeys is a great debate.  Many food service websites advise against it for worries about food poisoning.  However, if you buy quality ingredients (see #1), most cooks agree stuffing is a delightful thing.  If you choose to cook dressing separately, try inserting a few cut onions, garlic, herbs, and lemons in the turkey cavity.  Both drippings and meat will pick up the flavor.

5) Cook It....But Not Forever.  Start your bird in a hot oven to crisp the skin a bit.  Lower the temperature and cook just until it reaches 170 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let the bird rest out of the oven for 20 minutes for juices to distribute.

6) Transfer Carefully.  The only turkey disaster we have experienced was the year we hosted at our tiny house.  Sixteen people were there and everyone was watching when Alex and my youngest sister moved the bird from the stove to a counter for cutting.  One of them slipped and drippings poured all over the floor!  We cleaned up the mess, the meat was fine, and now we have a good story to retell.

7) Let Nothing Go to Waste.  Provided you don't spill them, use the drippings to make gravy.  Leftovers can become sandwich fillings, salad toppings, or stew fixings.  If you have an over-abundance, chop the meat and freeze in packed containers (or vacuum sealed bags) for soups in winter.  Make stock from the carcass and freeze that.

Happy Turkey Cooking!

Hounds in the Kitchen Gift Guide 2009

The holiday shopping days are upon us.  I put together this list of presents ideal for the locavore, gardener, or cook on your gift list.

If you have the time, please shop locally to support your local economy and small businesses.  If you prefer online shopping, click on the pictures for links.

Local ingredients - visit Local Harvest or your farmer's market to gift a CSA subscription.  Alternatively, put together a basket of local ingredients from your area.

Unique ingredients - Recently the folks at Marx Foods gave me 13 salt samples to review.  A sampler of ingredients (Marx also sells meat, mushroom, and sea vegetable samplers) would be most welcome in a food loving home.  You can also find specialty items at a gourmet grocery stores like Hill's Market or Weiland's in Columbus.

Cast Iron Cookware - Our iron skillet and griddle see an enormous amount of use.  Cooks will appreciate that a gift of cast iron is a gift that lasts generations.  If you are on a budget, cast iron cookware can be found with careful searching at thrift stores.

Food Mill - a manual powered puree maker is perfect for pumpkin, apple, and tomato sauce.  I have found food mills at thrift a few times too.

Stoneware - A pizza stone and stone baking pan are must haves in my opinion.  I recently received stoneware muffin pans and they are wonderful too.  Stoneware heats more evenly than glass or metal and naturally nonstick seasoning forms a perfect crust on baked goods.

Vacuum Sealer - not a must have, but a nice tool for gardeners and those who purchase in bulk.  I recently posted all my thoughts about vacuum sealers.

Plants - Most gardeners I know are plant collectors.   Gift givers could choose a specialty indoor plant (tropical fruit trees like lemon and bay leaf are fun) or gift certificate to a local nursery.

Seeds & Tools - Many seed suppliers are sold out right now but will begin restocking in the spring.  Seeds of Change and Seed Savers Exchange (my favorite suppliers of rare and heirloom seeds) both have gift certificates available.  They also sell quality gardening tools.

Cool Clothes - Columbus local shop Skreened prints your designs (or choose from thousands of independent designs) on American Apparel ethical t-shirts and totes.  They ship worldwide and have an awesome deal  currently of 15% off + $10 giftcard on purchases over $35.  Use code EVERGREEN at checkout.  I'm partial to those friend's shops Earth Flutter and Restaurant Widow.

Earth Friendly Water Bottle  - Gardening and cooking is hard work.  Our store, Baying Hound, sells a wide variety of stainless steel water bottles, carriers, and eco accessories.  Locals get free delivery and the coupon code FREESHIPPING gets free shipping nationwide on orders over $40. You didn't think I could write a gift guide without including Baying Hound, did you?

Donations - Many families are doing away with tangible gifts and replacing them with charitable donations.  If your recipient is of a like mind, consider donating to a food preservation society like Slow Food, organization for ecological farming like Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, or a community garden.

Happy gift giving this holiday season!

A Conversation with Thomas Keller and Michael Ruhlman

Many Clevelanders are drawn to the Fabulous Food Show to see TV celebrities like Guy Fieri, Tyler Florance, and Sandra Lee.  In the opinion of many food lovers, the true stars appeared on Friday night when Michael Ruhlman and Thomas Keller held an open conversation around Keller's new book, Ad Hoc at Home.

Food writer and Cleveland native Michael Ruhlman started the conversation with the story of how he came to write the The French Laundry Cookbook with Thomas Keller, the visionary chef of the a family of fine restaurants.  "It was all because I lived in Cleveland," he related.  Ruhlman had a conversation with food media specialist Susie Heller who lived in Cleveland and was looking for a writer.  Ruhlman thus began a now ten year long friendship with Keller.

The talk continued with an overview of Keller's food philosophy.  "Other than nourishment, food is also nurturing," Keller said, a theme repeated throughout the evening.  "[It is] so, so important about food: nurturing and memories."

Ruhlman moved the conversation to practical advice for home cooks.  To his question about what makes a good cook, Keller replied "It's all about repetition."

Home cooks can elevate their cooking with consideration to two things: product and execution.  Product is what you buy as raw ingredients.  Keller and Ruhlman agreed that consumers have improved grocery store selections in the last twenty years by being choosy with their purchases.  Ruhlman urged cooks to continue talking to grocery store managers and farmers market vendors demanding higher quality.

Home cooks can improve their execution by practicing solid organization.  Mise en place (the act of preparing and setting aside components before beginning to cook) has its place in the home kitchen.

Cooks must not be afraid of their food.  They need to touch and feel the food at every point in the cooking process.  Use all the senses to observe and adjust techniques.  Temper meats by allowing them to come up to room temperature before cooking.  Use salt throughout the cooking process.

At many points in the conversation, Keller emphasized the importance of seasoning.  When Ruhlman asked how home cooks can train their palette, Keller suggested using spinach.  Try cooking spinach alone, then adding salt little by little until the flavor of the vegetable is fully heightened.  Keller actually carries salt in his pocket at all times to season meals to his taste.

The conversation then turned to food sourcing, particularly local foods.  Keller clarified that delicious heritage proteins are available year round, so seasonal ingredients are typically fruits and vegetables.  "I love vegetables so much," he swooned.  Enjoying produce in season creates rituals.  When something comes back into season, cooks have the opportunity to remember the last season and savor the flavors.

Keller proclaimed that California has the best produce in the country.  He said it is "difficult to mass produce high quality food."  Home cooks always enjoy high quality food when they buy in season and cook at home.