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Roasted Barbie Doll Heads

Roasted Barbie Doll Heads

Okay, there is a reason search engines hate me. I just don’t play by their rules. But I am sorry – who wants to see a headline about Brussels sprouts? Bo. Ring. Although this dish is anything but. It’s actually my brother who calls them Barbie Doll heads – what would I know? My idea of repurposing Barbie is to ram a rod up her and put a shade with some nice piano fringe on top. #AmIRite? That “Solo in the Spotlight” outfit was made to be a lamp. Well that and the fact I never really forgave her for the mic drop she pulled on the way to kindergarten. That microphone was integral to the outfit.

Brussels Sprouts in hand; Barbie Doll Head in hand; barbie doll lampIt’s a perfect time of year to find fresh Brussels sprouts – on or off the stalk. I found these at one of our winter indoor markets, grown by Blackbird Farms. A dish like this is so simple and undemanding that it fits holiday entertaining quite well.

Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk, in a wreath and being juggled
Brussels sprouts date back to the late 16th century – thought to be native to Belgium, hence the capital name. They are high in Vitamins C and K, high in fiber, and like other cruciferous vegetables, associated with cancer prevention. But the important part is they are tasty. I like to roast them to get a nutty slightly charred taste, but you can also steam, sauté, and even remove the leaves and blanch them. Patrick O’Connell from the legendary Inn at Little Washington has a recipe in one of his books for Brussels Sprout Petals with Coriander Vinaigrette and Pickled Cranberries. It is quite delish and lucky for you, he featured it during an NPR interview so no need to buy the book (well there are plenty of reasons to buy the book, but just not for that recipe). Patrick serves it cold, but it would be a fantastic side vegetable, served warm, on your holiday buffet.

Sprouts, Shallots and Prosciutto on a wooden boardRoasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Prosciutto

  • 1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 Tablespoons EVOO, divided per below
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1/4 pound prosciutto, diced
  • Drizzle of Fig Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400oF.

Toss the sprouts with 1 ½ Tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Arrange on a sheet pan and roast, shaking periodically, until tender and slightly charred, about 20-30 minutes, depending on size and freshness.

Shallots - being chopped and being sauteedHeat the remaining ½ Tablespoon of EVOO and sauté shallots until browned. Add the prosciutto and continue sautéing until it becomes a bit crispy.

Prosciutto and Sprouts being sauteed and with brussels sprouts being addedAdd the roasted sprouts to the pan and stir to toss well. Drizzle with fig Balsamic vinegar, to taste. Adjust seasonings, as needed.

Serves 6 – wonderful with a roast pork loin and goat cheese and thyme mashed potatoes.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Shallots and Prosciutto

© Copyright: KatyKeck.com 2015. All rights reserved.

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Potato Ricer: A Thanksgiving Must-Have

Potato Ricer: A Thanksgiving Must-Have

I’m not quite sure how I ever made it through to dessert all those years that I mashed potatoes with a – uh, masher. Oh sure, there was always a brother who made a mean mash with just the right amount of chunks left it. But in my family, the men (technically, THE MAN) were supposed to do the carving. That or keep the mimosas cold. The real magic, I think, behind having a potato ricer is that kids of all ages want to get involved. It’s like a giant garlic press and the potatoes come out all wormy and stuff. What’s not to love? And kids actually volunteering for food prep is win-win. Thank you, Ali Price!

I can’t tell you the exact date that I started my ricer love affair, but I remember the moment like it was yesterday. It was in the early years of New World Grill and I had a rare evening off and chose to dine at the James Beard house. I couldn’t tell you who was in the kitchen, but I remember clearly being seated with Nicole Routhier, author of beautiful books on Vietnamese food, and Florence Fabricant of the NY Times. There was breaking news and Florence arrived a bit late. As she settled in, Florence talked about an upcoming dinner that she and Frank Prial, NY Times’ wine writer, were hosting to benefit the NY Public Library. For a good number of years, the Times offered these magical dinners – which today would be auctioned online and raise a ton of money in minutes – for a flat ticket price, all proceeds to support NYPL. Florence and Frank always offered FOOD & WINE, Times style. There were other dinners, hosted by famous people, all over town at the exact same time. I was most intrigued by Calvin Trillin’s. He invited the guests into his home and served take-out – or to be more precise, the best Chinese take-out NY had to offer. He had stationed minions all over Chinatown, striking with military precision to bring each dish, the most iconic offering from each restaurant, one by one, on a carefully calculated timetable (“…..like the Entebbe raid”………according to the Times) to be served at the precise moment of each dish’s peak.

Thyme and Goat Cheese with milk, potatoes and butter; peeling potatoes

I asked who was cooking for Florence and Frank’s party and she said she was – of course. I offered to do the event-time cooking to finish off her prep, so she could be with the guests. To say she was skeptical would be an understatement.   She did know who I was and had already written about New World Grill, but I was a newbie. Nicole insisted she take me up on the offer.   I left knowing the date and time but little else. I doubt I even thought to panic until the week before. Then, total anxiety set in. Especially when I found out she was making Terence Brennan’s short ribs and mashed potatoes for the main, or more accurately she was making Terence Brennan’s short ribs and I was making mashed potatoes. Sure sure sure – it seems simple, but the simplest food is always an acid test of one’s cooking ability. Did you see The 100-Foot Journey? Helen Mirren had her acid test dish to confirm Chef’s talent – and it was seemingly simple. Same deal for Florence’s potatoes – under-season the water, turn the mash to glue, too wet, too dry, too bland – the stakes were incredibly high. To make matters worse – or as it turns out better – she had forgotten her ricer, “whatever that was”, I thought. She called her husband to bring it over and then handed it off to me. Luckily it didn’t come with –nor need – an owner’s manual.  I had this.   Salted water to cook, white pepper and a lot of butter to finish. Thankfully my performance was worthy of an invitation to greet the guests and a hug from Florence, neither of which were expected. Johnny Carson himself might as well have invited me to the couch. Thank you, ricer.

Incidentally, Florence also introduced me that night to Indiana’s goat cheese producer – Judy Schad of Capriole Farms. After the short rib course, there was a salad with fuyu persimmon and Wabash Cannonball cheese from Capriole Farms. Seriously – I need to get out more.

Ricing Potatoes using a potato ricer into a blue bowl

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are an excellent blank slate for seasoning as you like. A few posts ago, I used the pistachio pesto recipe to flavor the riced potatoes. Today I am adding fresh goat cheese and thyme.   But while using a ricer is simple and flawless, potatoes cooked like this are best mashed to order, so dedicating the burner and the last minute attention may be more than you can swing at a stove-intensive holiday like Thanksgiving.

Fear not – there is a great make-ahead mashed potato recipe in Rick Rodger’s Big Book of Sides (I get credit for the recipe, but truth is I stole it from my sister-in-law.) Rick’s books (including The Turkey Cookbook: 138 New Ways to Cook America’s Favorite Bird and Thanksgiving 101) are right up there with ricers in the Thanksgiving must-haves.
Pot of Mashed potatoes with butter,goat cheese and fresh thyme

Ingredients:

  • 4 Russet potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled, quartered, and covered in water
  • ½ cup milk, half and half or cream, warmed (microwave is fine)
  • 4 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut in chunks
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, cut in chunks
  • 3 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the potatoes in a large pot, season with 2 Tablespoons salt and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes release easily when pricked with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.

Press the potatoes through a Potato Ricer into a bowl.

Add about half the milk, as well as the goat cheese and butter. Stir until mixed, adding more milk, as needed to desired texture.

Add the fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with pats of butter and sprigs of thyme.

Serves 4-6 – depending on how serious (About Mashed Potatoes!!) you are.

Goat Cheese and Thyme Mashed Potatoes with Roast Pork and Brussel Sprouts

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Celery Root: Fall’s Best Kept Secret

Celery Root: Fall’s Best Kept Secret

This homely little vegetable belies its knobby, unsightly exterior, showing up instead packing a flavor punch and chocked full of crunch. It became one of my favorites during my year in France. While interning in Michelin starred restaurants, I had this crazy schedule, leaving at 7am for work about an hour away, and returning home well after midnight on the last metro of the day. There were a few others in this tiny studio apartment, but I got the “walk in” (if you could call it that) closet which I used as my salon – having a glass of wine, checking my mail and unwinding from the day. I was always the last one in and first one out each day. My personal time in the apartment came on Saturday when everyone else was either at work or away for the weekend. I spent that day off each week combing the specialty food shops in my neighborhood, doing laundry and plotting for dinner. Being on a budget meant a lot of chicken, but it also meant trying new things with cheap root vegetables. Céleri Rémoulade (grated celery root with mayonnaise) and Salade de Carottes Râpées (grated carrots, lightly dressed) became two staples of my weekend dining. The French don’t favor raw vegetables, but they make exception for these two which are damn near national treasures. The Céleri Rémoulade mayonnaise dressing bore faint resemblance to its American cousin. It was rich and creamy and somewhat tangy.

 

Fresh Celery Root

 

I don’t think about those dinners all that often, but this time of year when I see celery root, technically celeriac, with the remaining farmers braving brisk market mornings, I am immediately back there in that tiny kitchenette. It reminds me how hard I worked to make it taste the same each time, something that a professional takes pride in. These days, I like to make it different each time.   Sneak in a new ingredient, change the dressing. The recipe below masquerades grated apple and white cheddar. They both look about the same as grated celery root, but what a delight to find that the intense celery flavor is elevated with sweet/tart apple and rich cheddar lurking within.

 

Crunchy Apples and Celery Root

Here in the US, celery root is not so well known. When the farm stands are gone, invariably I’m forced to buy it at the supermarket. Without fail, I get one of the befuddled cashiers giving me a “Whaaaaaat?” look. I am so smitten with the flavor – think celery and parsley – and versatility that I have been known to sneak celery root into a mystery basket for auditioning chefs. On one particular project, the first three candidates failed to use it (a strict mystery basket no-no) and when the fourth got a last minute chance to audition, he asked if he could use the abundance of celery root he had seen in the walk-in. Guess who still has the job? Unlike the others, he was well aware that celery root can not only be served grated and raw, but also steamed, boiled, and roasted to include in soups, stews, bisques, gratins and mashes, the very way he chose to serve it.

When shopping, look for small, firm celeriac that seem overly heavy for their size. Bulbs with bruises, soft spots or a lot of shoots or rootlets are past their prime. Not only will they have lost their intense flavor, they tend to be a bit pithy inside and that is no good for a raw salad. To prepare for grating, trim the ends to create a flat surface, then use a sharp knife to cut off the woody exterior. Cut in wedges that will fit into your processor, fitted with the large grating disc. The exposed flesh will start to turn brown eventually, so have your dressing ready and dress as you go.

 

close up of celery root slaw with fresh parsely

Celery Root, Apple and Cheddar Slaw

Dressing:

  • ¾ cup combined lemon juice and EVOO, 50-50 ratio
  • 1 Tablespoon white miso, available at health food stores or Asian markets
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon or spicy/pepper mustard

Put all ingredients into a blender and combine until well blended.

 

Slaw:

  • 1 pound celery root, trimmed and grated
  • 1 pound crisp-tart apples such as Braeburn, peeled and grated
  • ¼ pound sharp white cheddar, such as Barber

Grate each ingredient using the large grating disc on your food processor.

Transfer to a serving bowl and drizzle with dressing, tossing and dressing to desired coating.

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container.

Serves 6-8.

 

This time of year just feels like spicy brats and sausages, and while I reached for a cabbage slaw variant all summer, this celery root, apple, cheddar slaw is the perfect accompaniment for fall outings.

 

Creamy Apple, Cheddar Celery Root Slaw with a brat in the back

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Fresh Grape and Plum Stuffed Sweet Potato

Fresh Grape and Plum Stuffed Sweet Potato

stuffed sweetpotatoes with roasted grapes, nuts on a board with a knife; bowl of red and green grapes behind

Many sweet potato recipes use a lot of butter to carry the flavor, but this recipe amplifies the sweetness of the roasted fruit and their juices and a sparing dash of toasted nuts and prosciutto.  The latter two give the dish a rich and nutty /salty surprise that plays off what can sometimes be a cloyingly sweet one note samba.  Not here! Tango for two.

Ingredients

  • 2 large sweet potatoes (approximately 2 pounds)
  • 1 cup grapes
  • 2 plums, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Tablespoon slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1 ounce of prosciutto, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat to 425°F.

Wash sweet potatoes and prick gently with fork. Place potatoes on an aluminum foil‐lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour to 1 ¼ hour or until tender, or alternatively microwave per the direction of microwave’s manufacturer. When potatoes are tender, remove and cool.

Meanwhile, place grapes on a rimmed non-stick baking sheet, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to turn the grapes. Add plums to baking sheet; bake 8 minutes longer or until grapes start to shrivel and are lightly browned. Remove from oven, and transfer grapes and plums to a small mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, honey and cinnamon to fruit and stir until brown sugar has dissolved.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop pulp into a large bowl, and mash by hand or with hand mixer. Fold fruit mixture into potatoes, adding the juices as needed; gently stir until blended. Transfer mixture to a one-quart soufflé dish (or four individual 8-ounce ramekins), lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with almonds and chopped prosciutto.

Return to oven and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 4-6

Nutrients per serving, based on 4 portions:

144 calories, 3 gms fat, 27 calories from fat, 1 gm saturated fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 157 mg sodium, 2 gms dietary fiber, 4 gms protein.