Hi ho, hi ho it's back to work I go...

Heartfelt thanks to the well wishers who inquired after my mother's health. The surgery went very well and she's back home recovering nicely! So I'm heading back to Maine this weekend and will be opening Culinarychiq Concepts on Etsy and 1000 Markets again tomorrow with orders being shipped first thing Monday morning. I've got a lot of great ideas for some new Fall candles that I'll be working on this week and should be launching by next weekend. In the meantime, due to the shop closures, I'm extending my Christmas in July sale until Sunday August 22nd. This will be your last chance to get 20% off my mouthwatering tropical drink and ice cream candles before they disappear for the season.

Also, Sunday August 15th marks the 98th birthday of the one and only Julia Child. The Cooking Channel is asking people to post pictures of any of her recipes that you make and since I'm nowhere near the DC area to sneak a stick of butter into her display at the Smithsonian (something I've always wanted to do to play homage to the great lady. I thought about a nice freshly made croissant but that'd just attract ants which I don't think the Smithsonian people would appreciate;) I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to actually attempt one of the recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (volume 1). Even with the training I've received in school it's a bit intimidating, maybe because of how detailed the instructions are, so I haven't actually attempted anything yet but this week I'm going to be brave and crank out not just dinner but dessert!

Enjoy the weekend everyone. Ciao for now:)

Toaster Oven Talk

Once upon a time, before the existence of microwave ovens, people used a little invention called the toaster oven. Recently when our microwave decided to make its journey to Silicone Heaven we hit the store to buy a new one and found them sitting next to some toaster ovens. We'd been mulling over the idea of going with a toaster oven when our microwave and toaster died but now we were faced with that decision. I mean sure you can make something super hot super fast with a microwave but you mostly get rubberized food with all the flavor nuked out. With a toaster oven you can do pretty much whatever you would with a regular oven except you wouldn't raise the temperature of your kitchen which means if you get tired of grilling all the time this summer and start jonesing for a winter favorite, there's your trusty toaster oven for all your baking needs! Since picking up our toaster oven we've toasted things, made pizza, baked ziti, chicken wrapped in bacon and reheated leftovers.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with a traditional Sunday roast but in the meantime I'll be trying recipes and seeing what works and what doesn't. So far the only thing I can't do with a toaster oven is make popcorn, but I'm working on it:)

In the meantime, for anyone out there who have a toaster oven collecting dust or have been considering buying one. Here are some recipes to try:

Cannelloni

prep: 10 min, cook: 10min

10-12 pieces round

dumpling wrappers

3 oz. red pasta sauce

3 Cups ricotta cheese

2 Tbs heavy cream

2 tsp grated mozzarella

1Tbs olive oil

green vegetables or meat of choice

Bring a pan of water to a boil and reduce heat. Add wrappers individually, for 10 seconds at a time and spread them out (they will be sticky). Fill them with sauce and steamed vegetables or meat of choice, fold over. Spread olive oil onto a heatproof dish. Combine cheese and cream, pour it over the folded wraps. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake in toaster oven for 10 minutes, until slightly browned.

Good Housekeeping has lots of great recipes including this one for Maple-Glazed Sausages and Figs and Big Oven has a terrific selection of toaster oven recipes including this one for Stuffed Chicken Breasts!

That's about it for this week except to announce my Christmas in July craft fair has been cancelled due to lack of interest. Oh well, guess I'll stick with Etsy and 1000 Markets for the time being. Next week I hope to announce my membership with a local Arts Group and dates of a rrrrreally big shoe (ok, ok, bad Ed Sullivan impression)! Chow for now!

A challenge on this the second day of summer...

Psst, see the comic strip above? It's a new feature of my blog and every week you'll see a new cartoon depicting a humorous but true adventure in the kitchen with "In The Weeds." Enjoy!

This morning I turned on the news to hear experts say knocking back multiple cups of coffee can fight certain types of Cancer, however, this afternoon these same experts say all that coffee from this morning can make you fat! Of course why worry about coffee affecting your waistline when you have this to contend with!

Yep, that's right folks Friendly's has decided to join the multiple attempts by fast food establishments to assassinate real cooking with a deluxe burger sandwiched between well, two grilled cheese sandwiches! The Epicurean inside of me gave a little gasp and began weeping when I saw this although not nearly as much as when KFC's latest monstrosity came out. Still, I don't get how Friendly's gastronomic disaster has almost twice as many calories as a "sandwich" made from two greasy pieces of fried chicken with two pieces of cheese, strips of bacon and some kind of mayonnaise sauce between them! I find myself laughing when I think of how not too long ago McDonald's and other fast food restaurants were forced to kill the super size options on their menu for cries of obesity, lawsuits yadda yadda yadda and yet as fast food "restaurants" leap at us with increasingly larger and more disgusting "sandwiches" I hear nothing but crickets. Is it because they're too busy wretching and twitching from grease and fat overload? While I do, on limited occasion, visit my local fast food chain (there are seven on my block alone) I recognize that these places are destroying American palettes. We spoke to someone just today who will be visiting friends in Europe for two weeks but admitted to being afraid of the cultures she'll be experiencing. We urged her not to be frightened and to try all the new dishes that will come before her! There are two things hubby and I detest in our travels, 1. Americans visiting a foreign country who yell in English REALLY REALLY LOUD LIKE VOLUME WILL SUDDENLY MAKE A NATIVE OF FRANCE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ASK THEM.

2. People who visit foreign countries but will only visit establishments that are familiar to them. Why bother spending thousands of dollars to have the same experiences you can get at home for free? And sorry folks, Americans are NOT the only people guilty of this, nearly every country out there has people like this!

On this second official day of summer I know nearly everybody out there is in vacation mode. So whether you're travelling out of the country, around the country, across the country or just another part of the state, experiment! Every region has its own tastes and culinary delights. If you come across a local favorite, give it a try! Scarf down a Whoopie Pie, chow down on that Philly Cheese steak, indulge in good ole fashioned BBQ in a different part of the country than your own and snack on some Rocky Mountain Oysters... yeah, I know what they are but millions of people descend on Montana in August for them every year so they must be doing something right;) Even if you're too broke or busy to take a vacation this year, include a new area restaurant in your staycation. Challenge yourselves this summer by staying away from the local fast food joint and treat your tastebuds to something that isn't greasy, gooey, and dipped in fat... unless of course you're talking about a nice slice of NYC pizza or a deep fried Milky Way! Chow for now!

Like Flowers for Chocolate

Hi, I am a Culinary chick and I kill plants! Not intentionally of course but I was cursed with the black thumb from elementary school when mine was the only styrofoam cup that didn't sprout the green telltale bud of success. I can make a beautiful and delicious gallantine but in school I cringed when it came time to make aspics because I'm also unable to make jello. Don't ask me why but no matter what I do hours later I wind up with a bowl of Kool-Aid! Miraculously my aspic did form but it was still softer and took longer to set than that of my classmates.

I am however, extremely capable of making pudding which came in handy this weekend when I attended a Plant Swap with some ladies from my gym class at the Y. I told them I didn't do plants so they said I could bring a dessert instead (the lemon cake I'd made at the last luncheon was a huge hit:) I'd thought about making banana bread but the epicurean in me screamed for something more fun. Now, I'm not a baker. I can follow a recipe but would much rather taste and experiment than worry about accidentally swapping baking powder for baking soda (with disastrous results) and with a tightened wallet I was limited in what I could spend. But as I wandered the aisles of the grocery store I was suddenly inspired, I would make a Chocolate Cream Pie!

This was extremely easy and quick to do although you have to remember to leave time for the pie to set. I took two 4oz packets of My T Fine chocolate pudding and followed the pie directions on the label (3 3/4 cups of whole milk although the skim I used worked out fine added to the mix and stirring constantly over medium heat until it comes to a full bubble, then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes, stirring twice.) If you don't have time to make a graham cracker crust, go ahead and buy the 9" tin with crust included (if you make an 8" pie you only need one packet of pudding and 2 cups of milk) and pour the pudding into the tin. The directions say to let it set in the fridge for 4 hours (3 if using one packet) but I found the pie set in an hour and a half which was a pleasant surprise. In the meantime make sure your Cool Whip is thawing (the package says not to leave it out on the counter to thaw but as I was pressed for time I did it anyway and found most of the container was ready when I needed to use it). Once the pie set I added the Cool Whip (you don't want to bury the pie under half the container... or maybe you do;) and grated some Hershey's Special Dark on top as a garnish. The pie looked beautiful and was a huge hit:) I did end up walking away with some sweet smelling Lillies of the Valley and this other plant that sprouts these pretty pink bell like flowers... that is if they manage to survive! I've got them planted in the garden section of my front yard and will be taking tons of pictures if they end my botanical killing spree (botanicide?).

Anyway, while I was busy playing Betty Crocker I decided to finally act on a candle idea I'd been contemplating. So I bring you the "Smells Like Freedom" Sundae Candle! The name was inspired by my husband who said exactly that while I was waiting for it to set. The scents are Strawberry, Lemon and Blueberry and comes with little handmade American flags for $10 plus shipping. You can also get French flags for Bastille Day upon request! Next week, I hope to unveil a cute new candle that's a perfect gift for your favorite teacher:) Have a great week everyone, chow for now!

So much to see, so little time

Lots to talk about this week so let's just get right to it shall we?:)

While the weather threatened to put a damper on the event, the NAMI Maine walk was moved at the last minute from Back Cove, Portland to the Field House at USM in Gorham. Hundreds of people showed up to walk including Glenn Close and her family and there was facepainting and balloons for the kids, a juggler on stilts and those giant wearable Carnivale puppets. Lunch was donated by some local delis and we listened to music by a halfway decent band and 102.9.

Apparently there was a breakdown in communication somewhere and the event only lasted until 1 instead of 4 so apologies to anyone who made the trip to Gorham yesterday afternoon. Most of the vendors were from Etsy Maine Team so it was great meeting people I've been talking to online:) Together NAMI Maine and Bring Change 2 Mind raised over $120,000 for awareness and better treatment of people with mental illness and the fight against stigma!

Hubby looks enthralled, doesn't he?;)

On the candle front, in all my preparation for the NAMI event I have neglected my candle making duties and only created one new candle this week but it's a charming little candle at that. The Margarita votive, complete with real Margarita salt, is a smaller version of its popular cousins and is the standard votive price of $5 plus shipping.

Finally, I've come across a couple of great recipes this week I wanted to share with you:) The first I found while reading Julia Child's autobiography "My Life in France." Again I say if you haven't read it and you liked the movie Julie and Julia, run and pick up this book! If I ever hear that the cast of Julie and Julia (minus Julie's side of course) were starring in a movie based solely on this book I'd do cartwheels all over Maine:-D

Anyway, Chapter 2 talks about Le Cordon Bleu and she mentions how after seven weeks her cooking skills changed dramatically and the two dishes she describes sound incredible!

"Take roast veal, for example. Under the tutelage of Chef Bugnard, I simply salt-and-peppered the veal, wrapped it in a thin salt-pork blanket, added julienned carrots and onions to the pan with a tablespoon of butter on top, and basted it as it roasted in the oven. It couldn't have been simpler. When the veal was done, I'd degrease the juices, add a bit of stock, a dollop of butter, and a tiny bit of water, and reduce for a few minutes; then I'd strain the sauce and pour it over the meat. The result: an absolutely sublime meal."

YUM!:-D I'm actually going to attempt this this week except with beef instead of veal:) Wish me luck!

She goes on to say "Chef Bugnard was a wonder with sauces, and one of my favorite lessons was his sole a la normande. Put a half-pound of sole fillets in a buttered pan, place the fish's bones on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and minced shallots. Fill the pan with liquid just covering the fillets: half white wine, half water, plus mussel and oyster juices. Poach. When the fillets are done, keep them warm while you make a roux of butter and flour. Add half of the cooking juices and heat. Take the remaining cooking juices and reduce to almost nothing, about a third of a cup. Add the reduced liquid to the roux and stir over heat. Then comes Bugnard's touch of genius: remove the pan from the fire and stir in one cup of cream and three egg yolks: then work in a mere three-quarters of a pound of butter. I had never heard of stirring egg yolks into such a common sauce, but what a rich difference they made."

Unfortunately I'm allergic to mussels and oysters and won't be able to try this without making a substitution with some other fish juice but if anyone does try the recipe please let us know how it turns out.

Finally, here's a very elegant and unique recipe for Candied Roses & Dark Chocolate Sorbet, a great surprise for Mother's Day next year! Have a great week everyone and Happy Mother's Day:)

Cooking on TV

I was excited this morning to see a commercial for the upcoming Cooking Channel due to launch May 31st. A quick internet check told me it's a replacement of the Fine Living Channel (which is unfortunate because I LOVE that channel) and it's kinda, sorta but not really a spin-off of the Food Network (the same company owns both channels). By the sound of it, the Cooking Channel will be going back to basics and focusing more on the instructional cooking shows we all know and love but that Food Network has steadily been shying away from. I've never been a huge reality show fan and hate how Food Network seems to be cranking out more and more reality shows every season until ::gasp:: I'm just not tuning in as much as I used to.

Anyway, I'm especially excited about the news that the Cooking Channel will include shows on how to prepare international cuisine and will be including chefs from Canada and the UK among others! Upcoming shows will include Chuck's Day Off (who's Chuck?;), Chinese Food Made Easy, Everyday Exotic, and French Food at Home. However, if you're not sick to death of Ms. EVOO, want to see more of Bobby Flay and miss seeing Emeril on your screen, these three will also have new shows on the Cooking Channel.

I don't know how much good it actually does but their commercial says to call your cable or satellite provider about getting the Cooking Channel. The way I figure it, if your provider has been carrying the Fine Living Network you'll most likely get to see the new channel come May 31st. Meanwhile, as hubby and I already hate our cable company with the fire of 1000 suns *coughcough*Comcast*coughcough* and have firsthand experience of Direct TV's rotten military transfer policy, we're seriously looking to switch to Dish Network this summer.

On the candle front, tea light sets are now available for sale. You can choose from 10 different scents in clear plastic and come in Neapolitan (chocolate, french vanilla and strawberry) and Taste of the Tropics (pina colada, margarita, orange cream and lemon). You can also mix and match tea lights in assorted sets of 4, 6, 8 and 10 or just stock up on your favorite scent. I'm also adding to my Breakfast In a Jar line with Strawberry Preserve, Blueberry Preserve and Maple Syrup Jars.

Also, be advised Culinarychiq Concepts will not ship to areas experiencing a High Heat Advisory or Warning until it's been lifted by the National Weather Service. This is due to the fact that the wax I use is much softer and has a lower melting point than traditional wax and frankly there's too much risk of a candle being damaged while waiting in the mailbox or on the porch. I've seen them go liquid in direct Floridian sunlight so it's just too much of a risk to take.

That's about it, I think. I'm off to take my beasties for a walk on a very nice day:) Stay safe those of you in areas facing severe weather and condolences, thoughts and prayers to the people in Tornado Alley who have lost loved ones, house and home. Chow for now!

Changing clocks, changing bandages, changing weather...

Good morning to all! I'm lounging on my couch on a wet, chilly day, a vigilant puppy sits by my foot guarding the windows, and nursing my ankle after somehow managing to slip on a rock and badly twisting my ankle last week. Nothing is broken luckily, although the pain told me otherwise, and I'm starting to be able to hobble around the house without the use of a crutch but I'm supposed to keep my air cast on until the end of the week so it's just a matter of being patient while nature does her thing.

Anyway, this unfortunately means no new unveilings this week. However, I am awaiting confirmation of my spot vending for the NAMI Maine Art Walk on May 8th from 10am - 4pm at Back Cove in Portland. NAMI is the National Alliance on Mental Illness and every year communities all over the country sponsor these walks to raise awareness about better treatment options and recovery systems with proceeds benefiting families affected by mental illness.

This particular walk is a partnership between NAMI and Glenn Close's BringChange2Mind Foundation that helps fight and educate to end stigma. There'll be puppet shows, face painting, a live rock and roll band, and a donated pot-luck lunch is available after the walk and award ceremony. It's also been confirmed that Glenn Close herself will be making an appearance. So if you're in the Portland area come by and show support for the runners and look over some great arts and crafts. Or you can help the cause by donating, supporting a walker or get into the action yourself and walk or organize a walking team yourself!

Don't forget to move your clocks forward if you haven't already and be sure to check back next week for some new drink and pie candles! Chow for now!

The Yorkshire Popover

As you may or may not know, 10 years ago September, I snagged me a Brit. In the early days of our marriage I not only struggled to make something edible in the kitchen every day but I took it upon myself to attempt my new husband’s favorite dishes to help him with his homesickness. The hardest part of this was learning how to make a Yorkshire Pudding from scratch. After several years of metric conversions, scorching, burning, underbaking and periodically setting the oven on fire, I finally accomplished a yorkshire pudding like mum used to make… of course it was at this point I discovered my Mum-in-Law, like most other women in Great Britain it seems, used the ready to bake yorkshire pudding available from the grocer’s freezer!

Anyway, I was watching one of my favorite shows, 5 Ingredient Fix, on Food Network this morning and throughout the episode Claire kept interchanging yorkshire pudding and popover which irritated me enough to want to blog about it. According to Culinary giant, James Beard, the resemblance between Yorkshire pudding and popovers is coincidental, because the popover has gone through several changes before becoming the recipe that it is now. Although they are related, there is a difference between yorkshire pudding and popovers, and there's a lot of misconception involved with these members of the puff pastry kingdom.

“Popovers rise, yorkshire puddings don’t” is something I've read several times. So yeah, that's why if you fill the tin or tins more than halfway with batter your oven doubles as a fireplace! “Popovers are made with the batter going into individual cups while yorkshire pudding batter goes directly into the roasting pan.” Traditionally yes, this is true, however in recent years most people have started to make individual sized yorkshire puddings rather than one large one. My favorite misconception is mired with "Ugly American" syndrome, "using beef drippings is purely an American invention and distinguishes the popover from the Yorkshire pudding." Sorry compatriots but our neighbors across the pond have been using beef drippings in pastry for a couple of centuries now.

Popover batter tends to involve herbs and many people like to grease individual cups with butter instead of drippings or oil. Both Yorkshire pudding and popovers can be made sweet and eaten as a dessert or as a side drizzled, or drowned whatever your preference, with a savory gravy.

Ok, so how do you make the perfect yorkshire pudding without burning your house down or sending dinner guests running for the nearest bathroom? Check this out:

Ingredients:

1 egg

4 oz plain flour

4 oz milk

4 oz cold water

drippings or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425F. Just cover the bottoms of each cup with the drippings/oil and heat in the oven. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Drop the egg in the well then add half the milk and half the water and mix together with a wooden spoon. Then add the other half of the milk and water and stir until the batter is smooth and has bubbles in it. The pan drippings/oil should be hot at this point so carefully pour the batter about halfway into each cup and return to the oven for 45 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE FIRST 30 MINUTES AS THE PUDDINGS COULD COLLAPSE. Puddings should be golden brown, have risen above the cups like a popover except with an indentation in the center. Serves 6.

A couple of personal notes. First I’ve yet to be able to get a decent yorkshire pudding when using chicken drippings. I’ve yet to try beef drippings but I get the best results with vegetable oil. Also, for the past 8 years I’ve been using regular muffin and cupcake tins to make yorkshire puddings and while these haven’t been too bad, I’ve found investing in a popover tin helps make some great puddings so if you don’t have one already definitely put that on your gift list this year! If you’re really tight for money the aluminum disposable tins are doable however you do get a better quality in solid metal baking tins. I’ve yet to try the silicone cups that are all the rage now but if you have please let everyone know what the outcome was.

That’s about it for this week. I hope to list my newest creation, the Irish Coffee candle, by Wednesday on Etsy so keep watching my shop, Culinarychiqconcepts.Etsy.com, for the unveiling! Have a great week, here’s hoping March comes in like a lamb. Chow for now!

Mac 'n' Cheese for sophisticated adults

A few days ago I attended a nice pot luck luncheon with some very nice ladies. The theme was Valentine's Day (conflicting schedules called for a belated luncheon) and the tables were all decked out with pretty pink and red heart shaped paper plates and napkins on tablecloths sporting happy light red hearts while we sipped an addictive "cocktail" of ginger ale and cranberry juice.

The attendants were mostly elderly women and, knowing there would probably be health concerns and palates that wouldn't exactly appreciate bold flavors or spices, it took me almost a week to figure out what my culinary contribution would be. My first choice was spanikopita or a blend of spinach, herbs and feta cheese wrapped inside filo dough. I could eat them all day and usually love to make it, but for once, I just couldn't be bothered with the mess and hassle of dealing with filo dough. I also seriously considered this recipe for Citrus Hot Chocolate but had no way of transporting it and I had the feeling keeping it warm might be an issue. Finally, I decided on this recipe calling itself Penne Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce.

The name itself is a bit misleading as the tomatoes are boiled with the pasta for 2 minutes and the cream sauce is poured on top. However, this is a very simple and easy recipe that's a joy to throw together! The resulting sauce gives the impression you've been hovering over a hot stove for hours simmering a classic bechamel sauce rather than just a few minutes. As with any macaroni and cheese recipe I've come across, I don't get as much sauce as I would like. Of course, growing up munching on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese I love my elbow macaroni to drip and ooze velvety cheese. I don't know if that's technically wrong, but I like it and all the training in the world won't change my mind!

Anyway, this recipe needs few adjustments. I mean, it's terrific as is and the taste is fantastic but I wasn't able to find the shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend the recipe called for. I did, however, find a nice six cheese blend by Sargento involving Parmesan, Mozzarella, smoked Provolone, Asiago, Romano and Fontina cheeses. Not realizing I'd run out of dried basil I used Italian herb seasoning instead. If you like your mac 'n' cheese ooey gooey like I do, double the amount of cheese and milk but stir them in one package and can at a time to make sure everything melts and blends the way it should. Finally, I had to resist the urge to throw in some chopped Prosciutto because of the palates involved so I don't know how it would turn out but I don't imagine it would hurt the flavor especially for those of you who like little pieces of ham or bacon in your mac 'n' cheese. If you decide to try this, go a little at a time, stir and taste as too much might overwhelm and kill the dish. Oh and while I'm thinking of it while this dish doesn't need it at all, if you absolutely insist in some kind of crunchy topping on your mac 'n' cheese, try some Italian seasoned bread crumbs, or since we're trying to be sophisticated here, why not add Panko and pop it in the oven for a few minutes.

Well, that's enough of my ramblings. I finished that candle order for my friend that I mentioned a few weeks back (see pic below) and I've started working on a few new creations for Spring.

Hopefully next week I'll have pictures and prices of Orange Cream Sherbet candle and just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Irish Coffee candle! I also hope to have news of placement with a store featuring crafts and home decor here in Maine. So, stay warm and dry everyone, winter is nearly at an end. Chow for now!

NEW CANDLES!

So, it looks like my latest experiment has paid off, introducing my new Ice Cream candles coming this spring! Pictured above is the scented Butterscotch Ice Cream Sundae, mmmm. Scrumptious French Vanilla blends with the creamy aroma of sweet Butterscotch for a treat so real you can almost taste it... and yes, that IS a scented cherry on top!

Over the next few days I'll be making and posting pictures of Hot Fudge Sundae and Strawberry Sundae. Also coming soon will be pictures of Banana Split, Italian Ices and Orange Cream Pop. As always, if there's something you'd like to see feel free to drop me a line and I'll see what I can do! Sundaes will price at $15 plus shipping, Banana Split will price at $18 plus shipping and Italian Ices and Orange Cream Pop TBD.

So keep checking this blog for updates and in the meantime scope out other goodies available for sale right now at the Culinarychiq Concepts store! Chow for now.

The Magic of Google

Well, it's true, you learn something new everyday! When you think of cuisine, foodies, cookbooks etc. you think Julia Child, Auguste Escoffier, Alice Waters, James Beard. For some, visions of Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsey or the Food Network crew like Paula Dean, Alton Brown and Ms. EVOO may dance in your heads. Well, I've got another name for you, are you ready? Wait for it... what about... Vincent Price?

Yep, you read right, apparently Vincent Price is not only a great (and one of my all time favorite) actor and art lover but he was also a gourmet cook! Perhaps he felt the culinary pull of his genes as his grandfather did invent the first baking powder ever to be commercially manufactured in the US;) His most famous, and I'm guessing largest and most extensive, cookbook is called "A Treasury of Great Recipes" and was published in 1965. A leather bound edition is available but good luck finding any copy published before 1992 costing less than $100. For those of us whose budget won't stretch that far the closest you can probably get to it would be this one which still ranges from $22-50. There's also "Come Into The Kitchen" which is one of a few of the smaller cookbooks floating around in book land and a bit more affordable at $38. Psst, family and friends can be sure to find this on my Facebook wish list this year, hint hint. For those with an even more modest budget, it appears recipezaar.com features a few of his recipes to try out too.

Thanks to Youtube you can hear a recording from an audio cassette of "Foods from the Austro-Hungarian Empire", which is part of the "Vincent Price: International Cooking Course" series he'd done back in the 60s and 70s where he talks about Pickled Mushrooms. I also found a great site for Vincent Price fans with free downloadable mp3 recordings of just about anything and everything he's ever done including a listing of clips talking about wine appreciation and more from his International Cooking Course!

Also thanks to YouTube, there's a couple of really cute spoofs and clever audio compilations worth checking out for a giggle:

Pork chops

Cooking small boys

They also have an ancient video (ok 1980s) of Mr. Price cooking with Wolfgang Puck (warning, the audio is pretty fuzzy and bad). Rumor has it during one of his many appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Vincent Price actually demonstrated how to poach fish in a dishwasher but try as I might I just can't find a clip of it anywhere (and yes, this goes on my list of things I'd really REALLY like to see!)

So enjoy all the little gems I've sprinkled before you today. If I get the opportunity to pick up one of the above mentioned cookbooks I'll be sure to fill you in on the experience and in the meantime if anyone reading this actually does come across any of the books or does get their hands on the Johnny Carson clip, please feel free to enlighten us all! Chow for now!

The Manipulation of a Recipe or Where Has All the Flavor Gone?

So I don't know how long this has been going on but I’ve been noticing an annoying little trend in ethnic recipes lately. I first noticed it a few years ago in a cookbook I bought from a terrific Spanish restaurant in St. Augustine called The Columbia and in watching the countless cooking shows that I do the trend seems to be popping up more and more. This trend is the watering down or flattening of a recipe.

Now for the average person who just wants to imitate a recipe but has guests, family members etc. who can’t handle intense flavors, spices etc. or doesn’t like anything foreign (which I think defeats the purpose of making the dish to begin with but I digress) this kind of thing might be ok. But for Foodies like me who are aiming for an authentic culinary experience or who want to recreate a dish that’s as close to something that was enjoyed while visiting a restaurant, a foreign land or might be having a foreign visitor for dinner, having an authentic recipe to follow is very important.

Being Puerto Rican and knowing the look and smell of a dish while it’s cooking and when it’s ready and being familiar with the seasonings and ingredients involved, when I come across a recipe for a familiar dish and the recipe itself looks a little off, it makes me wonder do all people of different backgrounds go through this or is it just a few select nationalities who have fallen victim?

Case in point, let’s go with one of my all time favorites, Relleno de papa. This is a fried potato ball filled with savory beef (also known as picadillo) and MAN is it good:-D However, on three occasions I’ve come across a recipe and procedure and the only thing all three seem to agree on is the ball should be fried in oil. I’ll show you what I mean:

According to The Columbia Restaurant Spanish Cookbook, you make mashed potatoes and allow them to rest at room temperature (this is so you don’t burn the hell out of your hands when forming the balls). Then you make 3 inch potato balls, make a well in said ball with a spoon, fill with a tablespoon of picadillo and then reshape, sealing the meat inside. Then coat with eggs and bread crumbs like when making something like chicken tenders or nuggets, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Then fry until golden brown on all sides. The picadillo (pronounced peek ah deeyoh and is not the Mexican cousin of an animal in Texas thank you) involves sauteing onions and peppers, adding tomatoes and garlic, then adding meat, oregano, bay leaves and cumin. Once you stop seeing red on the meat you add salt, pepper, vinegar, raisins, olives and wine and simmer for 15 minutes.

So as mentioned, I’ve got real problem with this. First, I HATE when people decide to add fruit to meat! I don’t know if it’s a thing done in Spain or the restaurant is trying to appeal to its non-Spanish consumers but I’ve never in life eaten, cooked or ever heard of RAISINS going into picadillo! This burns me as much as encountering raisins and grapes in curried chicken. I don't know if it's authentic but the resulting clash in texture, especially when unexpected, makes me want to punch kittens! I also wonder at the use of burgundy, cumin, oregano and garlic as the seasonings involved. Tasting the meat as I went along (I did NOT add raisins, sorry I just refuse, nyah), I found it to be flat and tasteless and only when I added sazon and beer (Budweiser not Heineken, it adds more of a kick) did the meat start to sing. I'd encountered this same problem with their Ropa Vieja recipe. What really got to me was the food at The Columbia is not flat and tasteless and the smells wafting through the restaurant are just phenomenal. It made me wanna cry:) So what was with the craptastic meat dish I kept getting? Is this common practice among eateries and chefs who put out cookbooks? Is it a fear of giving out trade secrets or that people will get so good at replicating the recipe they won’t come in and eat there anymore? If this is the case then fine, either don’t put out a cookbook, publish only recipes you're discontinuing if you do, or let us know this is only a variation of recipes used at the restaurant!

Anyway, whenever I make a dish, any dish, I tend to research it for various methods, spices, flavors etc. and possible history in an attempt to make it as authentic, and tasty, as possible. I royally suck at chicken teriyaki, yes I admit it, hell I can't even spell the thing never mind make it but I will persevere! So after a couple of battles with my favorite cookbook I started googling and came across a recipe that looked and felt more like what I was used to and aiming for and I found it on a great site called El Boricua.

According to El Boricua.com, picadillo is ground beef or pork seasoned with sofrito (if you’re like me you love making it fresh but tend to be a bit lazy or don’t have time, resulting in a large jar of the Goya stuff finding a home in the fridge) but when preparing picadillo for the relleno you lessen the amount of liquid so that the meat is dry but still a bit moist. For the potato balls they suggest making mashed potatoes from potato flakes and the mixture should be thick, dry and sticks to a spoon before mixing in a slightly beaten egg. Once again it’s suggested you shape the balls (oiling up your hands first so the mixture doesn’t stick to them), making an indentation and sealing up a tablespoon of picadillo inside. Then the balls are rolled in cornstarch so as to not fall apart during frying.

Now, I know the purists and old school readers out there are balking at the idea of using instant mashed potatoes instead of making it from scratch and I agree, if you have the time you absolutely should do it from scratch. Nothing tastes better than a meal that’s made completely fresh. However, in a pinch, I have used instant mashed potatoes and flakes and depending on the type you use (I REALLY don’t suggest going generic on this one) it doesn’t come out too bad.

Finally there’s Food Network’s Sunny Anderson who has some fairly decent ideas but she comes across to me as someone who’s trying SO hard to be the next Rachel Ray that she turns me off completely. Anyway, she recently attempted Relleno de Papa, calling them “Chicken Stuf’t Potato Puffs” and suggests combining butter and sazon in a glaze, making mashed potatoes with potato flakes, chips or panko, egg, cornstarch, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. The filling, which no longer qualifies as picadillo, blends peppers, rotisserie chicken, oregano, and salt and pepper. To make the balls she agrees on rolling the mixture by hand and making an indentation, however, she then suggests making a second ball to sandwich the filling in between and pinching the seams betwixt the two. Then you roll the ball again between your hands before coating it with egg and more potato flakes (repeat egg and flake coating if you didn’t cover it completely the first time) before frying.

Now, other than the obvious no-no of cross contamination by repeatedly dipping the ball between the egg and flakes (why not just make sure you get it right the first time?), the biggest challenge when cooking relleno de papa is keeping it together during frying. This is why you cool the potato mixture down, make the deep well, don’t overstuff, seal it off correctly by rolling just right and finally dipping. By sandwiching two balls together you run a real risk of the whole thing falling apart and causing a hot burning mess that no one can eat. Oil flies everywhere, things burn and before you know it you’re so discouraged you toss the whole thing away and vow never to make anything ethnic or unfamiliar again thus losing out on a truly terrific epicurean experience.

I’d just like to take a moment to advise anyone attempting Relleno de Papa, especially for the first time, to be sure to have lots of time on your hands as we’re easily talking a 3 hour process. Most people suggest assembling and refrigerating them the night before and leaving the frying until right when you need them to avoid the hassle and chaos that could ensue if you don’t. One final note, as you’re bringing the temperature of the oil up for frying, I highly suggest allowing the balls to get as close to room temperature as you can or at least taking the chill off and keep the kids away from the stove as the impact with the hot oil could be fairly volatile to start with.

Anyway, I’ve gone off track. In my attempts to duplicate dishes from the various ethnicities on this great planet of ours I ask my fellow Foodies for assistance. What pitfalls are there to avoid when cooking certain dishes? What rookie mistakes are made that can be avoided? Have you noticed ingredients or methods being substituted or sacrificed in the interest of time and modernization that just shouldn’t be? What is that the books aren't saying? Share with us won’t you?

El Boricua’s Picadillo recipe
Sofrito Secrets
The Columbia Restaurant
Sunny Anderson’s chicken stuffed potato balls