Real Baking with Rose Levy Beranbaum

I discovered this recipe, by Jane Black, in the January 9, 2008 food section of the Washington Post which I read religiously every week and sometimes write for as well. One of my favorite columns is the occasional series “Staff Favorites” in which staff writers share favorite recipes. (As the Post says: “….that we turn to time and time again.” Though I’m a chronic clipper of appealing sounding recipes, they usually end up in the “to file” pile for someday. This one I made the week I clipped it and surely will be making it time and time again myself!

If ever there were a vegetable accompaniment that upstages the main course this is it: Endive Gratin: creamy, nutty-sweet with a gilding of Gruyère cream sauce, the endive within slightly crunchy and slightly and deliciously bitter to offset the richness of the sauce.The French have a wonderful term for this quality aigre-doux which refers mostly to sour/sweet but it is this contrasting yin yang flavors that lifts up a dish and makes it compellingly pleasing.
I served it with steak but I will also serve it with lamb and even with fish. Since there were just two of us I divided the recipe by 3 and, for a change, made no changes what-so-ever.

Continue reading "A Side Dish that Steals the Show" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 04.12.08 at 11:00 AM in Savory Cooking
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I get my steak from Pino on Sullivan Street. I have been buying meat from him for 40 years—since the time he was working for his uncle Tony at Florence Meat Market. I was planning a vocation devoted to food and appreciated deeply the respect with which he handled the different cuts of meat, wrapping them carefully in butcher’s wax paper as tenderly as if they were a newborn child.

Now he is owner of his own Pino Prime Meats with his two sons Sal (who came up with the fantastic idea of aged prime steak ground for hamburgers) and Leo often at his side though Leo is still in school so only comes in during school holidays. Gustavo, his right hand man, is also very knowledgeable and exceptionally kind and loyal. I feel like so much a part of the family that one day when Pino’s wife was visiting and everyone in the shop was speaking Sicilian Italian I piped up in my limited accented version: anche io, sono Siciliana (I too am a Sicilian). Everyone laughed. I do have a close cousin who is Sicilian—Elizabeth Granatelli—whom I call la principessa as there is a street named after her family in Palermo. And then of course there is my sister/baker Angelica Pulvirenti who grew up in my favorite town in Sicily—Ragusa.

Continue reading "Perfectly Grilled Steak without a Grill" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 03.08.08 at 1:12 PM in Savory Cooking
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I’m not sure if I’ll ever make onion soup again, at least not as long as I live a 5 minute walk from Blue Ribbon Bakery and they still make their glorious version.

For starters, chef and baker Sefton Stallard makes some of the best bread I’ve ever tasted and believe me I’ve tasted many a bread around the world! When creating the kitchen for Blue Ribbon Bakery he excavated an ancient wood fired brick oven in the cellar and called in an expert from Europe to restore it to working order.

Seton studied in Paris at the Cordon Bleu and apprenticed in Paris and in Switzerland for several years. He created this onion soup based on his taste memory and, I suspect, improved on it as it’s better than any I tasted even in France.

When cold weather sets in there is little more pleasing than this hot soup filled with caramelized onion and topped with a slice of bread soft and comforting with the juices of the stock, also serving to float an ample island of stretchy/stringy strands of melted gruyère with crunchy golden bits adhering to the edges of the bowl. It satisfies every possible longing--at least while eating it.

Continue reading "The Best French Onion Soup" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.03.08 at 1:15 PM in Savory Cooking
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Personally, I don’t wait til New Year’s to do this diet but whenever the mood strikes all year long. It just seems like an appropriate time to post it!

Melt some unsalted butter—preferably clarified. I use 2 tablespoons. Pour it into a small spice or other glass jar and keep it warm. (Use a thermos or your imagination to keep it melted.)

Go the the movies at dinner time and order a small unbuttered popcorn. (In 99.9% of movie theaters so-called buttered popcorn is actually oiled popcorn and to be avoided at all aesthetic costs.

When you’re safely cradled in your seat in the darkened theater, carefully pour a little of the butter onto the popcorn. Slowly eat one popped kernel at-a-time. When you reach a level that no longer has any little pockets of butter pour a little more on top.

Consider this dinner and go to sleep shortly after the movie, before you realize that you might still be a little hungry.

Once a week and you may well have lost 5 pounds and gained some delicious movie memories.

P.S. The reason for the butter is the extra pleasure it gives to satiate hunger.

From the kitchen of Rose on 01.05.08 at 2:59 PM in Savory Cooking
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i'm spending christmas weekend with the final revisions of my manuscript for the upcoming book before it goes into copy editing. it's great to be up here in hope with the fire blazing and minimal interruptions. (incidentally after dinner the first night we watched a fantastic dvd which i highly recommend--Vitus.) so i made a whole bunch of our fav turkey parts to last the whole long weekend along with two huge bowls of stuffing (of course i made the bread). we have separate stuffings bc elliott doesn't like chestnuts and i adore the sweet earthy quality it contributes.

the big problem always is choosing the ideal wine to serve with turkey and the problem is not the turkey but the cranberry sauce. one of the few iron clad rules in wine pairing is that the wine needs to be at least as sweet as the food or the wine takes on an undesirably bitter taste. tim hanai, who worked for beringer's, taught me how it is possible to adjust the food to alter the wine. for example, when the wine seems excessively tannic, if you add lemon and or salt to the food the tannin recedes and the fruit comes forward.(i've used this technique in airplanes where the wine was marginal. it has the opposite effect if the wine is "flabby," i.e. lacking in acid and tannis.)

when in comes to cranberry sauce, i have always catered entirely to elliott's taste which means a lot less liquid and a lot less sugar than is called for on the package. in fact, he doesn't want it to be sauce, he wants it to be a jell. it seems bitter when eaten by itself but it works perfectly with the turkey and i decided to put it to the ultimate test and served a Gevrey Chambertin Domaine Trapet “Ostera” 2001. pinot is the most unforgiving wine. it can be at once ethereal and earthy, or closed and astringent. i took a little spoonful of cranberry 'sauce' and a swallow of the wine and held my breath (well not literally). perfection. the wine was glorious with a hint of berry--a match made in heaven.

so here is how i make the cranberry sauce:

Continue reading "Are You Making Turkey for the Holidays? and What about the Wine!" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 12.24.07 at 9:47 AM in Savory Cooking
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My favorite speedy lunch fix is so easy and satisfying I decided to share it on the blog. What makes it special—moist, creamy, and delicious, is the addition of crème fraîche mentioned in a previous posting. I use only 1 large egg but of course the recipe can be increased. And of course fresh farm eggs from free range chickens will make it more of a treat than ever!

While heating the small non-stick frying pan on medium heat with a small amount of clarified butter (regular butter will do but lower the heat so it doesn’t burn), i break the egg into a small bowl and use one half of the shell to add a small amount of water—maybe a teaspoon. I dip my tiniest whisk into the crème fraîche and lift out a mound about the size of a walnut half. i plop it into the egg, add a sprinkling of salt, and freshly ground black pepper and whisk the mixture together until lightly mixed.

I scrape this egg mixture into the hot pan and let the eggs set for about 15 seconds. Then using the silicone spatula i draw the sides into the center, let them set for a few seconds and repeat this a few times until the eggs are softly scrambled.

Thinking about this recipe brought to mind one of my favorite articles I wrote for my former column in the L.A. Syndicate, several years ago.

Continue reading "A Tale of Three Eggs" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 10.27.07 at 3:29 PM in Savory Cooking
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Most cooks have a favorite “secret” (behind the scenes) ingredient that enhances the deliciousness of many dishes. Mine is crème fraîche. I first discovered it in France in the kitchen of my dear friend Nadège when she was making “moules marinières” and stirred a healthy dollop to the steaming mussels. Crème fraîche is heavy cream which has an added culture, rendering it thick and slightly tangy and totally delicious. On my return to the U.S. I tried making my own using 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to 1 cup of heavy cream that had not been ultra-pasteurized, and allowing it to sit in a warm spot for about 12 hours. To my surprise it was also excellent. Nowadays specialty stores in the U.S. carry crème fraîche so I don’t bother to make my own. But on a recent trip to Normandy, I tasted their variety which was ivory in color and so dreamy in flavor it made me want to pack up and move there on the spot!

Just as I always have butter, flour, and eggs on hand I also always have a small container of crème fraîche. I use it in my scrambled eggs, in chicken paprikash (sour cream breaks down when heated, crème fraîche does not), a spoonful in potato salad, as a finishing swirl in soups, lightly sweetened and whipped to go along side pies or tarts, in ganache, and an ample amount in my mussel dish. The following recipe comes from my book “Rose’s Melting Pot.”

Continue reading "My Most Magic Ingredient: Crème Fraîche" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 10.20.07 at 4:09 PM in Savory Cooking
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I’ve been enjoying panko for many years now—since my friend David Shamah who owned a restaurant (and is always up on the latest wonderful ingredient and equipment) shared some with me. Panko is a bread crumb, originally from Japan, that is made from the heart of the bread, i.e. no crust. It is also slightly larger and more even in size than the average bread crumb.

I discovered the importance of bread crumbs without crust when I studied strudel baking in Austria. It’s actually entirely logical: The crust of bread is browned to the optimal degree for flavor—more and it would become bitter. When you brown bread crumbs in oil to toast them lightly, any crust mixed in with the crumbs would become too dark.

I was delighted to discover that Progresso, the manufacturer of plain and seasoned bread crumbs that I used prior to panko, is now producing panko in both plain and seasoned variety. This is proof that panko awareness has reached the heartland and will now be available to the consumer as well as food service!

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite dishes into which bread crumbs have made their way by sheer chance. One evening I was eating an oven-crisped baguette with linguine and clams and some of the crispy crumbs fell into the pasta. Now I add them intentionally every time and I’ve since discovered that bread crumbs are often added to pasta dishes in Italy. I wondered if perhaps they discovered this the same way as I did!

Continue reading "Panko Has Arrived!" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 10.13.07 at 11:18 AM in Announcements
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There are two things that enhance and accentuate the taste of bread and are worthy of a home-baked loaf. One is softened butter, preferably with a tiny bit of fleur de sel either in it or sprinkled on it. The other is dukka. This mid-eastern melange of toasted and ground spices and nuts was the most interesting recipe I discovered during my first trip to Adelaide Australia.. It provides one of the simplest yet most pleasing cocktail nibbles.

Thick pieces of crusty bread or baguette are dipped first into fruity olive oil which then acts as a magnet for the coarsely powdered blend of spices.

Dukkah, which is very popular in the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia, actually arrived there via Claudia Roden’s book “A New Book of Middle Eastern Food.” It was made popular by restaurateur Russell Jeavons of Wilunga. The version I am offering is based on his award winning one. But feel free to take flight from this basic recipe and personalize it according to your own taste with different nuts (pistachio or hazelnuts are a good choice) or a difference blend or balance of spices. That’s what they do down under!

Continue reading "Dukkah from Down Under" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 09.15.07 at 3:06 PM in Savory Cooking
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My ideal diet is balance and moderation but I sometimes get carried away with the moment—the company—the food—the wine—and then, the next day, I start thinking about what I can eat that is low in calories but doesn’t make me feel deprived. My thoughts usually turn to shrimp—Brined and Boiled.

Since in my part of the country/world, it is close to impossible to find shrimp that have not been frozen before coming to market, I love to brine them which restores the lovely firm pre-frozen texture. It’s easy to do and takes little time. I’ve also worked out a method of “boiling” them that is very similar to hard cooking an egg, i.e. they don’t get boiled at all—just heated. This results in the most tender texture.

Continue reading "Shrimp B & B—The Luxury Diet" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 09.01.07 at 2:48 PM in Savory Cooking
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in a posting about our ski trip to deer valley in march of this year, i wrote about a delectable sour cherry sauce that accompanied a dessert and promised that if i could work it out i would post it on the blog. as it turned out, the sour cherries that married so perfectly with the sweet dessert somehow clashed with the savory duck. it soon occurred to me that the sweeter bing cherries just might work. this week my theory proved right. though i resolved to take a break from blogging while on vacation, mainly because i am spending every waking hour cooking and baking for my father, leaving only enough time to hem his pants—he claims he’s shrinking and i suppose at 2 1/2 weeks sky of 93 he is probably right. but i had to post this recipe while the cherries are still in season—it is that good. luckily he is sleeping late this morning so as his breakfast bagel is heating i hasten to post this recipe.

by the way, frozen cherries work just fine so don’t feel bad if the cherry season has passed, or if fresh cherries aren’t available in your area. they are available in most supermarkets and come in conveniently sized 12 ounce bags!

Continue reading "Black Bing Cherry Sauce" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 07.03.07 at 9:33 AM in Savory Cooking
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One of my very favorite things to eat are fried clams but rarely do I find them worthy of eating. For one thing, if they are just the strips without the bellies, they are more batter than clam. Only if they are steamers (aka piss clams) so they won’t have the right texture variation from plump juicy to crisp chewy. And if the place uses a low grade commercial oil for frying and doesn’t change it often enough, the fried clams become all but indigestible. I have found one place in the world that makes fried clams exactly to my taste—The Clam Shack in Kennebunkport Maine (see below for contact info). (Actually this was a discovery of my eating partner in crime Elizabeth Karmel of Grill Friends). I have driven miles to get there from wherever part in Maine I find myself.

Sadly and obviously fried clams can’t be shipped, but to my delight, The Clam Shack has just started shipping their lobster roll kit! It is shipped overnight in Styrofoam, with icepacks, and despite the 90 degree weather it arrived in perfect condition—the ice still frozen and the lobsters, even the Styrofoam, smelling only of that dreamy briny/sweet sea-breeze aroma.

Continue reading "The Great Lobster Pig Out" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 06.17.07 at 11:14 AM in Savory Cooking
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when i was growing up, and discovered the joys of fried rice at the local chinese restaurant, i wanted to be able to make it at home. to my disappointment the rice turned to mushy clumps when i tried frying it. i thought the chinese had some special secret to having each grain whole and separate. it wasn’t until many years later that i learned that rice for frying needs to be made ahead and allowed to dry overnight in the frig.

when i started living on my own, i learned something else about cooking rice. the instructions on the box were wildly inaccurate, calling for enough water to turn the rice mushy and splayed at the ends. i also failed to understand why wild rice that takes about an hour to cook would be packaged together with white rice that only requires maximum 20 minutes, thereby resulting either in overcooking the white rice or undercooking the wild. after many years, i finally perfected rice from uncle ben’s to basmati, from brown to wild, from sushi to butanese red. but my number one favorite way to make rice is what i call dirty rice.

Continue reading "My Sweet Little Rice Cooker" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 05.27.07 at 2:51 PM in Savory Cooking
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Deer Valley

I’m two vacation reports behind! so before launching into last month’s trip spent with friends in the Dordogne and Normandy and then my nephew and family in Germany I must first post some great photos and a sensational hamburger recipe from our annual March ski trip to our beloved Deer Valley Resort in Utah.

Julie Wilson, directory of food and beverage at the Deer Valley Resorts, told me they were the best burgers she had ever tasted. This was so true I had a second order the lunch before our return flight to NY. along with an equally exemplary “Blue Mojito” containing lime, rum, and blueberries. Recipe for the burgers appears below.

Continue reading "Deer Valley Bliss" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 05.12.07 at 2:15 PM in Travel Adventures
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I was about to start writing about this newest soup recipe but had to jump up and eat a bowl first—it is that compelling a soup! After having fallen in love with the veal shoulder bean and barley soup a few weeks ago I started thinking about bones that have the most gelatin, and pig’s feet have them all beat, though calves' feet trot in as a close second.

PIG'S FEET SIMMERING

THE CHILLED GELLED STOCK

THE GRAND FINALE

After simmering the feet for 3 1/2 hours the meat, grizzle, and ligaments were easy to separate from the bones. And there were an astonishing number of little bones. It made me think of a story my mother told me many years ago about her experience in dental school. She recounted that the only difference between premed and predent(al) was when it came to autopsy. The predent students stopped short at the hands and feet. She never understood why but now I do—at least partially. There are more little bones in the feet than in any other part of the body. And I suppose they don’t relate to what is happening in the mouth (except for the metaphor of putting one’s foot in it!).

When I was growing up, my grandmother often made calf's foot jelly, called pitcha (which I wouldn’t eat). My Uncle B would walk over for a bowl of it at the shortest notice, he loved it so much. He would eat it still hot and then take back some to eat cold and jelled the next day. Grandma always added vinegar to the boiling feet and after researching pig’s feet I discovered that it wasn’t so much for flavor but rather for health. I wonder if she knew that vinegar leaches the valuable calcium out of the bones and into the stock! My husband suggested I call my version of this dish “Pig Pitcha”! By the way, the secret to keeping the beans (my addition) jet black is to add the water in which they were soaked along with the beans.

Actually this soup is surely exceptionally healthful. The pig’s feet have so little fat there was nothing to skim off after chilling. I love the idea of using every part of the animal we eat. This dish is so economical I felt justified in pairing it with a disproportionately expensive pinot or cabernet.

Continue reading "Pork and Black Bean & Barley Soup" »

From the kitchen of Rose on 02.22.07 at 1:04 PM in Savory Cooking
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It started three Christmases ago when my dear friend and colleague (Taming the Flame, Girls at the Grill) Elizabeth Karmel decided to share her then 3 year old nephew August with me. So she bought him “Rose’s Christmas Cookies” and invited me up to her sister Mary Pat’s apartment in the high 90’s—4 1/2 miles from where I live--which felt like a state away (little did I know just how far I was going to have to travel in the future) and I gave August a cookie lesson. I was hooked and so was he. August introduced me to his favorite bear and invited me to sleep over. I was sad to have to decline. He dictated a thank you note to me which I treasure. And the following year, when his parents Mary Pat and Karl moved upstate to Katonah, I was invited back.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

THE BOY'S FAVORITE PART

AUGUST SPORTING A CHARLIE CHAPLIN CHOCOLATE MOUSTACHE WITH ALEXANDER LOOKING ON

AUGUST PIPING THE BATTER

ME AND THE FUTURE COOKIE BAKER MAX