Not A Cookbook -- Notable for 2011

The New York Times published its list of new and notable cookbook titles. Out of the eighteen, we have reviewed Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. We were convinced we had reviewed Cooking in the Moment by Andrea Reusing and Odd Bits by Jennifer McLagan but I suppose we just THOUGHT about it and failed to post. We will rectify that this week.

We have been savoring A New Turn in The South by Hugh Acheson and Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck.

We desperately want to peruse Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxime Bilet but even with the amazon price tag, one could about buy a new stove...OK, a VitaMix, still it is way out of our price range.

The Mission Street Food book by Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz is shown but not on the list??? We have similar feelings. We kind of wanted it but couldn't decide.

Weigh in with your favorites!

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PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES (and a question)

These quick, easy, moist, fudgy, addictive peanut butter brownies are the perfect accompaniment to a big glass of cold milk.

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

Cream the peanut butter and butter together; beat in the sugars, eggs and vanilla until well combined. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt until well mixed, then fold in the miniature chocolate chips. Spread into a 9" x 9" greased baking dish.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for about 30 minutes, but start checking for doneness (toothpick test) at 25 minutes. They will be done when the top springs back a little, don't over bake.

I can't believe that  it is time to start thinking about Christmas baking!! It is my favorite time of year, when I can bake with wild abandon and it all goes into the freezer for holiday cookie boxes.  Do YOU give cookie boxes as gifts? How do you present the cookies? I usually just put my baked goods in a decorated large foil pan, but I'm looking for something a little different this year...maybe more festive? Any ideas?

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Cookbook Of The Day in the News

Cookbook Of The Day was happy to be included in Edible Allegheny's feature Online Dish.


As I said in the article, "I believe the way we cook is a window into the culture of a particular time period."

Thanks so much to Katie Green and the staff at Edible Allegheny.

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STOVE-TOP TO OVEN BABY BACK RIBS

Shelby, over at The Life & Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch, posted this "recipe" recently. It is more of a cooking technique than a recipe, but never-the-less, it is fantastic and so much fun to bring the tastes of summer indoors during the winter!!! Shelby has such good recipes over there, I hope you will visit her page.

This isn't the best photograph, but the ribs QUICKLY disappeared before I realized I needed a better photo, so this will have to do for now.  Let's just say that the ribs went from the above condition, to the condition in the next picture in record time.

Start with a 2 to 3 pound section of baby back pork ribs and cut them into three sections. I buy the more meaty baby back ribs, so I think next time I'll cut them into even smaller sections.

Put the sections in a large deep pot and cover with water. Shelby said to salt and pepper the ribs, but I added a full tablespoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of black pepper directly to the water.
Bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a "high simmer" (not a full boil) for an hour, then drain.

While the ribs are simmering, cover a baking sheet (that has a lip) with foil and spray it with vegetable spray. This will be a huge help in cleanup.

Place the boiled ribs bone side up first and cover with a thick layer of your favorite barbecue sauce. Shelby recommends Sweet Baby Rays and I totally agree.  Broil in a PREHEATED broiler, on high, for 5  minutes.

Remove from oven and flip the ribs over so the meaty side is up. Apply another thick layer of barbecue sauce and put back under the broiler for another five minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and just starting to crisp up (watch it because it will burn quickly if left under the broiler too long).

Remove and serve immediately....with LOTS of napkins!!!   Delicious, thanks Shelby.

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COCONUT CREAM PUDDING

This is a wonderful "last minute dessert" that uses every day pantry items and holds up very well in the fridge for a couple of days, if need be. The wonderfully sweet, rich (but mellow) coconut flavor comes from adding the coconut during the first stages of cooking this pudding.  Even Picky-picky hubby loves this dessert !!

4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk ( 2% is ok)
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
2 egg YOLKS (just the yolks)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt , coconut and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture gets THICK and bubbly. Turn heat down a little (to medium simmer) and cook (and stir) for 2 minutes. In the meantime, put the 2 egg yolks (yolks only) in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove pan from heat  (but leave the burner on) and temper the egg yolks.  To do this, slowly dribble about a cup of the hot mixture (while you whisk like crazy) into 2 beaten egg yolks.  Once you've whisked in about a cup of the hot mixture, put it all back into the saucepan, stir well and put back on the heat and cook for one more minute.

Remove from heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla and stir well.

Pour into dessert dishes (or serve family style in a larger dessert bowl). Chill for a couple of hours, (I like to eat it warm).  Either way, top it with sweetened whipped cream and toasted coconut.

NOTE: Toast the coconut in a dry saute pan, over medium heat until it is golden brown (when it cools it will  be a little crunchy and almost taste like coconut candy). Watch it very carefully, the coconut burns easily!!

NOTE:  This recipe doubles well.

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Not A Cookbook -- An Essay

A decade ago, I was visiting in Key West. I met a woman who had been an editor at British Vogue shortly after World War II. One of her first assignments was to travel to Italy with Elizabeth David. Britain was still reeling from rationing. She told me that they would be riding in a car and David would yell, "Stop!" She would scurry out of the car and pull wild garlic and herbs from the hillside. That is the way I always think of Elizabeth David -- climbing a hillside for wild garlic.

As you know, gentle readers, I adore Elizabeth David. The is a wonderful essay in the New York Time Book Review about bringing David's Italian Food to an American audience. It is by Laura Shapiro, who is not too shabby, her own self!

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Girl In The Kitchen

I have watched Top Chef since the beginning and only once has the chef I wanted to win actually won the competition. Stephanie Izard was that winner. I have been looking forward to her cookbook and Girl in the Kitchen doesn't disappoint. The book captures Izard's sunny and bright personality. She is a girl in the kitchen, so one is never in danger of hearing shouting and cursing in the background. Nothing gets slammed or bammed or yelled at. That is not to say that the recipes are not "chefy." The Pan-roasted New York Steak with Sautéed Cucumbers and Salted Goat Milk Caramel will require 3 days, quited a bit of organizing and sourcing of ingredients. (And convincing anyone there should be caramel on a strip steak...)

Most recipes, however, have a "tip" for getting things done and many have drink ideas in case you don't know what to drink with Fried Cheese with Spring Veggies and Strawberry reduction. (That one stumps me every time. Bourbon? No, rosé.) If you watched Top Chef with Izard as a contestant (or should I say cheftestant? No! No one should ever say "cheftestant."), you will be familiar with her style of slightly Asian inspired Mediterranean cooking. Even the steak's goat's milk caramel has a bit of fish sauce thrown in.

Our one big problem with book is the four column list of ingredients. Surely there was a lot of "design" thought put into this format, but it is distracting.

We don"t mean to obsess on the weird, so here is a rather straight forward and yummy clam dish for you to try.

Clams Steamed with Corn, Bacon, and Fingerlings

12 ounces fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob
24 fresh littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon crème fraiche
1 tablespoon butter
Several sprigs fresh mint leaves, chopped for garnishing

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. Toss the potatoes with a few teaspoons olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish and season with salt and pepper. Roast potatoes until they are slightly tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool, then slice into 1/2-inch rounds.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook it until the fat is rendered and the bacon is just browned, about 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and sweat by cooking them until they are tender but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sliced potatoes, corn, and clams and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and cover the pot and steam the clams for about 10 minutes. When the clams are completely open, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the vegetables and bacon to serving bowls or plates, leaving the liquid in the pot. (Discard any clams that do not open.)

4. Stir in the crème fraiche and butter into the pot and simmer over medium-low heat until just thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and spoon the sauce over the clams and veggies. Garnish with mint and serve.

On this cold day, I can think of nothing better.

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BROWN AND SERVE DINNER ROLLS

This recipe is just in time for the holidays and could not be easier. The dough goes together in the stand mixer (or bread machine) and only has to raise once. PARTIALLY bake the rolls (for about 10 minutes) then freeze them for later use.

When it's time for dinner, pop them into the oven and finish baking them (no need to defrost). You'll know they are done when they turn golden.

This technique insures great FRESH yeast rolls at ALL dinners. It is also a HUGE TIME SAVING RECIPE during busy holidays; it makes a dozen rolls. As "Empty Nesters" it is nice to be able to bake just two or three rolls.

 

2 cups all purpose flour (divided) (see note)
1 envelope dry active yeast (I use 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons butter

Mix 3/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Heat the milk, water and butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or just until it is "baby bottle warm". Add it to the flour mixture and beat with mixer for 2 minutes.

Add another 1/4 cup of flour and beat on high for another 2 minutes. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

NOTE: This recipe calls for 2 cups flour (total), but it takes me 2+ 1/2 cups. Since the moisture content of flour is always different (brand to brand and climate to climate), I suggest that you put in the 2 original cups of flour and then see how the dough looks. If it's still very sticky, add a little more flour.

Knead the dough (with dough hook or by hand) for about 8 minutes; at the end of 8 minutes, the dough should come away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.

Cover with plastic and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into balls.  Place in greased cupcake pans. Mist the top of the rolls with vegetable spray and cover loosely with plastic. Let rise until double (this dough rises very quickly and it only takes mine 30 minutes to rise).

Bake at 375 for 16 to 20 minutes (if you are going to eat them right away)or until golden brown. If you are going to freeze them as Brown and Serve Rolls, only bake them half way; cool then freeze.

Just before you serve these rolls, and while they are still hot, brush with butter.

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APPLE SNACK CAKE

Many years ago, "snack cakes" were all the rage. They were quick to fix, usually rich flavored, moist and dense little cakes and they were almost always baked in an 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" pan. They were perfect for... "snacking!!"

This snack cake is over the top delicious. Three whole apples are packed into this cake, so you can imagine how moist it is.  On day two (if there is any left) it is twice as moist!!

 

½ cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
3 medium apples, chopped
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Grease a 9" x 9" baking pan and preheat your oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar, then add egg and vanilla and beat until fluffy, add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat until smooth. Fold in apples and walnuts.

Mix (by hand) just until everything is well combined. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until toothpick tests clean (my oven took 43 minutes).  Frost with simple vanilla glaze if you like (but it isn't necessary).

 

NOTE: Use any good baking apple, I like to use Granny Smiths.

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CLASSIC FRENCH TOAST

Today is our 41st Anniversary; actually, we've been together 46 years (we were high school sweethearts). If you follow my recipe blog, you know that I call him "Picky-picky husband" (because he is very timid when it comes to trying ANY new recipes); but he is a GREAT guy and we are more in love today than ever.

~~~~~~~

This is a recipe for basic French toast. Everyone seems to have their own recipe and there are a million variations, but this is a post for the beginning cook, complete with a few tips I've learned over the years.

 

First of all, a tip about the kind of bread you need.
1. ANY bread will work, but SOME breads make a much better French toast than others.

2. Fresh, soft bread makes the worst French toast; day old (or even week old) bread works better.

3. Thicker bread makes better French toast than thinner bread. 

4. Sweet bread like Texas toast works well, as do semi-stale cinnamon rolls (sliced)  and of course raisin bread, (so keep an open mind when thinking about bread choices)!!

4 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
dash nutmeg (optional)

Whisk all of the above until very well mixed.  I like to use my immersion blender to do this.  Dip the bread into the mixture and let it sit for 10 or 15 seconds (longer if the bread is extra dry) then lift out and cook on preheated (and buttered) frying pan (I get the best results from my electric frying pan). Cook until the French toast is golden brown on both sides.

Serve immediately with butter and HOT maple syrup.

NOTE: You can use milk instead of cream, but the cream gives a richer taste and helps the French toast get that golden "crust".

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CHERRY-ALMOND COFFEE CAKE

A lot of us have company over the holidays and it is always nice to having something tasty to serve with coffee or tea. This recipe is not only pretty, but would be wonderful for company of all ages.  Picky-picky hubby loves cherry, so I made this with cherry pie filling, but ANY pie filling would work well.

This cake is moist, rich and "holiday perfect" !!

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter room temperature
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sour cream
1 (14 oz) can cherry pie filling (see note)

Grease a 9” spring form bundt pan. Beat butter till creamy, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, add extracts and sour cream, mix well. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Top with half of pie filling (see important note below) and half of the almonds. Spoon remaining batter into pan and spread out. Top with the remaining pie filling and almonds.

Bake at 350° preheated oven for 45-60 minutes (my oven takes 52 minutes). Test with toothpick to make sure its done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with a vanilla glaze.

NOTE: Recipe says to use a whole can of pie filling, but I use the whole cherries in the pie filling and only about ¾ of the “goo”.

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CLASSIC SPLIT PEA SOUP

We have lots of snow and it was five below zero a couple nights ago. That can only mean one thing; it is hot soup season!! I love having a pot of soup on the stove (or in the slow cooker) all weekend.  This is a great classic recipe for split pea soup; it is  quick, easy, packed with flavor and one of our favorite soups.

¾ pound smoked ham, cubed
1 cup onion chopped (I like Vidalia or sweet onions)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 pound dried split peas (rinsed)
2 quarts chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons salt (see important note below)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cream (or half and half)

In a large stock pot, saute onion, celery and carrots together in a tablespoon of vegetable (or canola) oil for a few minutes (they don't have to be cooked all the way through).

Add the split peas, chicken stock, potatoes, ham, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly (covered) for about an hour or until the peas are very soft (stir occasionally).

Now you have to process the soup in a food processor or blender (stick blenders don't work very well for this), so work in small batches, processing the soup until very smooth and thick.

Return the soup to the stock pot and add the cream (or half and half). Stir well and reheat , but don't boil.  When you serve it, top it with some crisp fried bacon (optional). I like to decorate each bowl with a rolled up slice of bacon (looks like a "bacon rose" lol).
NOTE: Don't automatically add the 2 teaspoons of salt before you consider the following.  If you are using home made chicken stock that has not been salted, go ahead and use the 2 teaspoons of salt.

If you are using a soup base, like McCormicks soup base (a fantastic product), well it has salt in it (but not as much salt as bullion).

If you use this, I would use only ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt.  If you are using regular bullion, leave the salt out all together and taste the soup just before serving to check for salt content.

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Not A Cookbook -- An Article

By now I am sure that most of you have seen the New York Time's article: Are Cookbooks Obsolete?

We scoff.

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Bitters

We have been waiting a long time for Brad Thomas Parsons book Bitters. That slight touch of bitterness adds a remarkable depth to cocktails and why shouldn't it be used to achieve that same level of nuance in cooking. Inspired by Parsons' book, the canned clementines we wrote about at Lucindaville featured a dash of bitters in our recipe.

There are a plethora of cocktail books out there, but Bitters is so much more. First and foremost, it is cultural history that encompasses food, medicine, and government in a tangled web of who's who. Are bitters food? Alcoholic beverage? Medicine? Well yes and no.

In a landscape of potions and elixirs and prohibition, what bitters survived. In an era of a romantic cocktail renaissance, who are the new players and will they survive this heyday? And you????

Will you head into your kitchen laboratory and whip up your own batch of bitters?


Yes, boys and girls, Brad Thomas Parsons answers all these questions and more. As one might suspect, the vast majority of the recipes in this book are for drinks. However, tucked neatly in the back are a dozen or so recipes for cooking with bitters. We cannot advocate the inclusion of bitters into cooking more. The section on compound butters, alone, will elevate your cooking prowess, not to mention that a "hostess gift" of a lovely log of compound butter will make you a standout in a sea of Two Buck Chuck wine.

Our favorite ice cream gets a bitters boost as do the ubiquitous spiced nuts. Now if you grew up in house with a little home bar, there was probably an old bottle of Angostura bitters floating about. Angostura was always publishing little recipe books and a staple recipe was always the broiled grapefruit with a splash of bitters. In keeping with that tradition, here it is:

Broiled Bitter Grapefruit

1 pink or ruby red grapefruit, chilled
Angostura bitters, Peychaud's Bitters, or other aromatic bitters
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar or turbino sugar
Garnish: maraschino cherry (optional)

Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the grapefruit in half at its equator. run the knife along the perimeter of each exposed half and along the membrane of each segment to loosen the segments. Dot each grapefruit half with 2 to 3 dashes of bitters.

In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugar and 6 healthy dashes of bitters to form a sugary paste. Cover each grapefruit half equally with the brown sugar-bitters mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Broil until the sugar starts to crisp up and bubble, 2 to 4 minutes, Serve at once.

How fun was that? Now get in there and dig around in that old bar cabinet and find that bottle of bitters and start thinking of all the things to add a slash of bitterness.

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EASY ENGLISH MUFFINS

I have always loved English muffins; I love all of the nooks and crannies that hold creamy butter and jam or a dab of melting peanut butter. They are very easy to make and they make wonderful breakfast sandwiches (they freeze well too!!).
2 packets dry active yeast (I use 2 tablespoons)
½ cup warm water
½ cup warm milk
¼ cup canola oil
1 egg
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups all purpose flour
1 whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the flours, salt and raisins together and set aside. Whisk the egg into the cold milk and then add the water, oil  and honey. Warm this mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill off (bring it to the same temperature you would for a babies bottle). Stir in yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes.

Pour this mixture into a stand mixer (can be done by hand also) and add the dry ingredients. Knead this dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for an hour. Dough should double in size.

Turn dough out onto counter (I do not flour the counter) and roll to ½” thickness. Cut muffins with a 4” cutter (or drinking glass). Place each muffin on a square of wax paper to rise. This will help you transfer the muffins to the frying pan. Let the muffins raise for an hour before you cook them.

The muffins are cooked on a DRY electric frying pan (no grease) or a cast iron skillet. The recipe does not say specifically what temperature to cook them at, it just says medium low for 7 minutes each side. I have found that they cook nicely at 300° on my electric griddle. Serve warm right from the frying pan or  cool on a wire rack and then slice in half and toast.
NOTE: Since everyone’s frying pan and stove temperatures are different, I suggest you try a single muffin and see how quickly it browns before you cook the whole batch.
NOTE: Hold onto the edges of the wax paper square as you gently lift the raw muffin from the counter. Turn the muffin over and gently peel of the wax paper and gently lay the raw muffin on the griddle.

NOTE: Do not grease the frying pan, they will NOT stick. If you are worried about it, or if you don't have a good non-stick pan, you can use a light sprinkle of corn meal on the cooking surface.

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From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes

We love Sophie Dahl. In fact we love all the Dahl's, especially Roald. Sophie is Roald's granddaughter, who took the famous family name when she began to model. She was what we loving call in America a plus-size model.

Ironically,since she has started writing cookbooks, she has slimmed down considerable. But with a second cookbook and a another television show, the British press loves to compare her to Nigella Lawson.

With all that cleavage one worries whether they can even get close to the stove without some sort of Mrs. Doubtfire moment...

...but I digress...

We really loved Dahl's first cookbook, Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights. This new book is called From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes. However, when it gets published next year in America is will be titled, Very Fond of Food: A Year In Recipes. Why the name change is beyond me unless they are worried that there are several "season to season" books floating around.

This book is very much like the last. It is filled with comforting food, great photos, and family anecdotes. The recipes are fairly easy to follow and would be at home on any family table. In Britain is would seem that the kebab is very much like the hamburger -- that food one grabs when in a big hurry. Dahl's kebabs offer both a vegetarian and a chicken option, safely providing something for everyone. I must say, the recipe for the dressing is a good one. Often the words "dressing" or "sauce" are usually tedious and the part of the recipe that makes the reader turn the page. So putting everything in the blender and blitzing is quite comforting.

Kebabs

1 large courgette/zucchini, cut into rough chunks
1 packet of halloumi cheese, cut into chunks (or 250g/9 oz of skinless and boneless chicken breast, cut into chunks)
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
250g/9 oz of cherry tomatoes

For the dressing

250g of plain yoghurt
25g/ 1/4 cup of flaked almonds
1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
A handful of fresh coriander/cilantro
A small handful of fresh mint
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil

If using wooden skewers, soak them for one hour in cold water first. Light the barbecue or preheat the grill of the oven.

Assemble the vegetables and cheese on the skewers, alternating courgette/zucchini, chunks of halloumi, onion and whole tomatoes. Leave to one side.

To make the dressing, put all the remaining ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. You can now pour this over the skewers before or after cooking them.

Put the skewers on the barbecue or under the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Last time, the book was coming out before Christmas but Very Fond of Food: A Year In Recipes has a spring release date. If you can't wait, pick up a copy of From Season to Season: A Year In Recipes and find out why Miss Dahl is very fond of food.

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PECAN PIE BARS

Picky-picky Hubby says these pecan pie bars are totally addictive. They have a buttery shortbread crust and a nutty (and slightly gooey) baked topping with a great pecan pie taste.

I have to admit that my budget doesn't allow pecans right now (they are almost $10 for a 2 cup bag!!), so I use walnuts, but they are ever so tasty just the same!! I am planning on adding these to my Christmas cookie trays (I'll splurge on pecans for Christmas though).

CRUST
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter (room temperature)

Mix the above crust ingredients and press into a 9" x 13" baking dish (see note below about greasing pan). This mixture will seem crumbly, but don't worry about that. Just pat it evenly into the pan.  Bake in preheated 350 oven for 20 minutes. While the crust is baking, mix up the topping:

TOPPING
3 eggs well beaten
1 cup light corn syrup (like Karo syrup)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 + 2/3 cup chopped pecans (toasted a little)

Mix well and pour over partially baked crust, making sure the nuts are evenly spread. Return to the 350 degree oven and bake for 25 more minutes.

Cool completely in pan before cutting.

NOTE:  The pecan pie bar crust does not stick to the pan, but around the edges of the topping, it does tend to stick. To combat that, I lined my 9" x 13" glass dish with foil. I didn't grease the bottom, but I greased the sides of the foil a little (the new Reynolds Easy Release foil would be good for this). 

Also, let the foil ends hand over the edges of the baking dish a little bit so you can grab the foil "tails" and lift the baked (and cooled) bars out of the pan for easier cutting.

When the bars are completely cool, just lift the whole thing out of the pan and onto a cutting board.They are rich, so cut the bars small.

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Pieminister

We have acquired several British cookbooks as of late. Now we love a good pie, but frankly we love a great savory pie. Apples and pears and berries, oh my. But for a really spectacular pie try chicken and rabbit and leeks...among other things. Enter the Pieminister. The most funnest pie shoppe in Britain and now the best little pie book one can lay one's hands on. Loads of savory treats and sweet touch or two.

Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon were just two blokes who loved their pie. Then one day it dawned on them that they could be piemakers. They tried out a bunch of recipes and in 2003, they opened a little shop in Bristol. The next year, they became the official pie shop of the Glastonbury Festival. Then they became the pie shop of the Borough Market in London. Pieministers started sprouting around and now, for those of us who live outside their delivery area, Pieminister, the cookbook.

Really, the book is filled with yummy casseroles stuffed into pastry. So if one to find one's self trapped at home with no flour or suet, the book would still work. (Though, frankly, if one has,sausage, cider and potatoes, my guess is there is some flour around.) Of course, in America, it is rather hard to find suet anywhere, except in the occasional bird feeder. Keep your fingers crossed that suet will become the new "It" ingredient and start showing up everywhere. While we don't like to tamper with a recipe, the suet-challenged can stuff this into a fine plain pastry.

Sausage, Cider & Potato Pie

500g new potatoes, cut into slices 6-8mm thick
25g butter
1 onion, sliced
1 dessert apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1 tsp sugar
100ml good-quality cider
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
500g herby sausages
1 quantity of suet pastry
handful of grated Cheddar cheese
1 free-range egg, lightly beaten, to glaze
sea salt and black pepper
a little chopped thyme and/or sage, to decorate

Cook the sliced potatoes in boiling water until tender, then drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook gently until softened. Stir in the apple and sugar and cook until the apple slices are tender but sill hold their shape. They should just be starting to caramelize a little. Pour in the cider and simmer until almost completely evaporated. Stir in the mustard, season with a little black pepper and remove from heat.

Slit the sausages open and peel off the skins. Mix the sausage meat with the potatoes, using your hands to break it up a little. Finally, stir in the warm onion and apple to give a loose mixture.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll out half the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 5mm thick. Use to line a pie tin and then fill with the sausage and apple mixture. Brush the edge of the pastry with beaten egg. If you like, you can add the Cheddar at this stage, pushing it down into the filling to make cheesy pockets. Roll out the rest of the pastry to about 3mm thick and use to cover the pie, trimming off the excess and pressing the edges together to seal. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg and then make a couple of holes in the centre to let out the steam. Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is cooked through – check by inserting a skewer in the centre; it should come out hot. Serve with a WI-competition-winning chutney.

What could be better? I am headed to the kitchen now.

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Testicles

I often write about my predilection to procure every French cookbook there is and often lament the fact that there really are just so many ways on can make boeuf bourguignon! So leave it to some French author to come up with a cookbook that covers a culinary delicacy I have never thought of cooking.

Blandine Vié has written a book that is the best of what a cookbook can be. Testicles: Balls in Cooking and Culture is part cookbook, part cultural history, part lexicon, an all profoundly entertaining. The book was originally published in France in 2005. It has been masterfully translated by Giles MacDonogh. I regret that my knowledge if French does not allow me the pleasure of reading this work in its original as MacDonogh tells us that Vié has a masterful sense of words, puns and is often plainly untranslatable. In fact, Testicles won the Prix Litteraire de la Commanderie des Gastronomes Ambassadeurs de Rungis.

The book is divided into three section. Mythology offering up a history of balls from anatomy to slang. Method, the bulk of the book, features recipes from ancient to modern. Attributes serves as a dictionary or lexicon of testicular. (Here, Giles MacDonogh augmented Vié's heavily French list to include more of an English slant.)

Having read several of the cookbooks alluded to in this book, I can safely say that one often overlooks the unfamiliar, that is to say, I am more likely to read that thousandth recipe for boeuf bourguignon before delving into say, a ragout of cock's stones. One of the easiest balls to come by or to get ones hands on or well, as you can see, one must chose one's words as carefully as one's balls. Let me start again: Lamb's testicles or "fries" are probably the easiest to procure from a butcher. Here is a small plate of lamb fries, but it can be doubled if you are a big ball eater for an entréé.

Balas à la provençal, as an apéritif

4 lamb’s fries [balas in Provençal]
200g fine soft breadcrumbs or dried crumbs
2eggs
1 tbsp crème fraîche
oil for deep-frying
2 lemons
fine sea salt
freshly ground white pepper


Remove the membrane surrounding the testicles and rinse them in cold water in which you have added a dash of vinegar or lemon juice. Drain and dry and cut into slices 5 mm thick. Spread out the breadcrumbs on a flat plate. Beat the eggs as for an omelette in a bowl together with the cream.

Lightly season the slices with salt and pepper, dip them in the egg mixture then turn them in the breadcrumbs, making sure both sides are covered.

Next drop them in the hot oil, which should not be smoking (175°C) and fry them for 2–3 minutes on each side until they are golden. Dry them on paper towls.

To serve, arrange them in a pyramid on a hot plate and surround them with lemon quarters.

Note: double the quantities if you wish to serve the balas as a main course. They can be accompanied by a fresh tomato sauce.

If you love food, language, and culinary history, you will have balls of fun with this book. IT makes a great present as I am sure, few out there have a a testicle cookbook!

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