Let's do dinner

It is a scary thing to invite a friend or friends over for dinner when, being called "the queen of the kitchen" was never in the list of endearments you have ever received. Especially if your friends are hard core foodies, that can make a 5 course dinner, wearing their 7 inch Jimmy Choo's and not breaking a sweat.

Cooking for friends should be about having fun. Being able to chat with them and drink a glass of Pinot as soon as they walk through the door. You don't want to worry about getting everything ready on time, or having to slave over the new induction top you recently installed for hours.


Simple combinations and stand out ingredients should be the way to go if you are lacking confidence in the kitchen. This way the food speaks for itself. Besides more complex an ingredient the more likely your guests pallet wouldn't be able to appreciate it.

So next time you invite friends over, dont worry so much and have fun. And when your friends tell you how delicious the food was simply smile and say " mmm it was nothing. Did you check out my new 7 inch Choo's.... Now that is something"!

Easy Rib Roast

one 7- to 8-pound beef rib roast (with four rib bones)
1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup smashed garlic cloves (about 10 cloves)
1/4 cup canned anchovy fillets
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup fresh thyme leaves (from about 10 sprigs)
1 spring of Rosemary
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup beef or chicken stock, or canned low-sodium beef or chicken broth, or as needed
1/2 cup red wine

Tie the roast with cooking twine between the rib bones (in three sections) so it will hold its shape while roasting, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place the olive oil, garlic, anchovies, chopped onion, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste. (Alternatively, chop everything except the oil to- gether, then mash the mixture in a mortar and pestle until smooth; then incorporate the oil.) Set the paste aside.

Place the onion, carrot, and celery pieces in a roasting pan or a metal baking dish that is large enough to hold the rib roast. Using a flexible spatula, smear the paste on all sides of the roast. Set the roast on top of the vegetables and roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Continue to cook to desired degree of doneness, checking the internal temperature of the roast with an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part. It should read 125°F to 130°F for rare to medium- rare. If you would prefer the roast to be medium to medium-well throughout, add a cup of broth to the pan to prevent the vegetables from burning, and continue to cook up to 30 minutes longer.

Remove the roast from the oven and cut the string.

To carve the roast, detach the entire section of rib bones by slicing along the side of the roast against the bone until it is separated. Turn the roast on its flat side and slice across the grain to the desired thickness. Alternatively, you can serve the beef without separating the ribs: turn the roast on its end (vertically), and while holding it steady with a carving fork, carve slices by cutting against the grain with a very sharp knife. Or (probably the easiest way to envision slicing), lay the roast on a cutting board, ribs down, and carve by slicing the ribs apart.

Strain the juices from the pan and serve on top of meat.

Yield: 8 servings


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ginger

Bruléed Apple Cinnamon Pots de Crème

Most novice foodies tend to shy away from making French desserts at home. They believe French desserts are a luxury enjoyed only when dinning out, or after a trip to the local patisserie. That the taste of sophistication that they carry is something that isn't quite achievable in your Ikea kitchen. Well your wrong!

Novice foodies rejoice. Some of the best French desserts are also the easiest to make and the most pleasing to eat. Lets take for instance Pots de creme, or "pots of cream." They are a rich marriage made from eggs, cream, milk, or half and half, and flavoring (typically chocolate). This mixture is then poured in tiny pots that are covered and baked in, that way ensuring that the custard will not develop a "skin"while baking. Also a water bath is used, allowing proteins in the egg to set slowly, resulting in a thick, silky, smooth texture.

When making Pots de creme, there are a few simple rules you should follow. First off, don't dump the sugar directly onto the eggs and let it sit; this causes the yolks to "burn". Yes eggs can burn. They turn into hard little lumps that interfere with your creamy custard goal, your trying to achieve. Rather then dumping your sugar directly onto the eggs try adding the sugar slowly while moving your whisk, this way, the sugar will be gradually incorporated into the eggs.

Second and most important rule is you must temper your eggs. Tempering is when you slowly add the hot liquid into the cold egg and/or yolks, adding only a little bit of liquid at a time. I bet your asking, Why is this so important? Tempering gradually brings the two mixture temperatures together and keeps you from making scrambled eggs. Think of it this way, would you jump into a bubbling hot jacuzzi or would you ease your way into the tube to slowly adjust to the temperature. The same theory applies to your eggs. Cold eggs need to adjust to the hot temperature, and if they dont then your eggs get shocked and you end up having a sweet scrambled egg soup on your hands.

Thirdly strain your mixture. Straining catches any unwanted burned or scrambled eggs and ensures a smooth, flawless custard, worthy of its French heritance.

So novice foodie next time you feel a craving coming on for French deserts, get out your whisk and set to work, cause with a little imagination, and some Pots de creme slipping across the tongue like satin, Paris not that far off! Enjoy!

Bruléed Apple Cinnamon Pots De Crème

yeilds 6 servings

Ingredients

1 medium to large Granny Smith apple,

peeled, core, and cut into cubes (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 tbls unsalted butter

2 tbls sugar

pinch of cinnamon

1 cup cream

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 ground cinnamon

6 large egg yolks

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325F. Coat six 5oz ramekins lightly with non stick spray. Place ramekins in a large baking or roasting pan and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add apples and sauté for 2-3 min until they begin to soften. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon sugar and the pinch of cinnamon on top of the apples and continue to cook for another 4 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove skillet from heat and divide apples evenly into the custard cups.

In a medium saucepan combine cream, milk, cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and remaining 1/4 of cup of sugar until blended. Gradually whisk about one third of cream mixture into egg mixture. Whisk in remaining cream mixture. Add vanilla. Carefully pour custard mixture through fine mesh sieve into prepared rankings, dividing it evenly.

Place baking pan on oven rack and carefully pour enough hot water into pan so that it comes up the sides of the rankings. Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 40-50 minutes, until custard jiggles slightly and are very shiny. Remove ramekins from the water bath and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes.

Refrigerate pots de crème for at least 3 hours.

Just before serving, sprinkle the top of each custard evenly with a heaping teaspoon of sugar. Using a household butane or propane torch, caramelize the top of each custard by heat the sugar until it melts and turns to a dark amber caramel. Let topping set for 5 minutes before serving.

Kok a sweet delight

Can you say "kok" (coke) or "ko ka kia"?

If you're from Greece you're probably smiling right now. If you're not, you are probably asking yourself? Did she say coke? Really?

To begin with, Kok is not, blow, coke, snow, charlie, c, or nose candy! Nor is it your carbonated beverage drink. It is actually your greek equivalent to the Boston cream pie. And of course it is definitely not a pie. It's sort of like a cookie and sort of like a cake: Two palm-size (or smaller) circles of soft, cakey cookie with creamy pastry cream filling in between, dipped in light simple syrup, and topped with a chocolate glaze. A glaze that artfully drips onto the sides of the kok.

Kok is a popular dessert in all of Greece, and is fairly easy to make. It’s also easy to find fresh ready made kok at any zaxaroplasteio (pastry shop). It's is a dessert fit for all occasions, which is the reason for it's popularity. Well that and of course the chocolate glaze, which could be a thin layer of glaze, or a thicker ganache layer made with melted chocolate and cream. But its combination of vanilla pastry cream filling and chocolate topping is what gives it that defined balance of flavors. You can actually taste each component of the kok without any of it overpowering the other. An amazing experience for the tongue, wouldn't you say?

You can also find a few other flavors of Kok. Lots of pastry shops make a strawberry custard version topped with chocolate glaze which is seasonal, as well as a chocolate filled kok rolled into coconut. But its the traditional flavored kok that no one seems to get enough of. So whatever flavor you decide to indulge in or bring as a gift to a friend it is sure to be a hit! Enjoy!

Kok

For the cookies:

2/3 cup of sugar

6 eggs, separated

1 cup of flour

6 1/4 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the filling:

1 cup + 3 1/2 ounces of whole milk

2/3 cup of heavy cream

6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup of cornstarch

For the syrup:

2/3 cup of water

3/4 cup of sugar

For the chocolate glaze:

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons water

2 ounces margarine

1 egg yolk, beaten

Preheat the oven to 390F (200C).

Cookies

Cream 3/4 of the sugar and the egg yolks. Beat the remaining sugar and egg whites to stiff peak stage. Add half the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture, stir lightly and slowly add the the flour and cornstarch. When mixed, add the remaining egg white mixture.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag, squeeze out small cookies the size and shape of vanilla wafers: circles about 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/4 inch high. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool on a rack.

Pastry Cream

Place milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Combine sugar, cornflour, egg and egg yolk, and add 1/3 of the warmed milk and cream mixture before it boils. Stir well, then pour back into the saucepan and continue to stir. As soon as the cream melds and begins to bubble, remove from heat. Empty the cream into a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to cool.

When the cream cools, stir gently with a wire whisk to soften, then place a small amount of cream (1-2 teaspoons) of cream on the flat side a cookie and place the flat side of another on top to create each pastry.

Syrup

Boil the sugar and water together for 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then dip one side of the filled kok cookie in the syrup. Set aside, syrup side up, on wax paper.

Chocolate Glaze

Prepare the chocolate icing by melting the margarine and stir in all the ingredients but the egg yolk. When the mixture is smooth and well combined, stir in the egg yolk. Pour chocolate icing over the cakes. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving..

Dip the kok into the chocolate glaze on the same side as the syrup.

Refrigerate in a covered pan or dish for 1/2 hour before serving.

Yield: approximately 30-35 pastries

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A cut above the rest

This global financial crisis has thrown us in an save your penny frenzy ( sorry Marc jacobs wool coat see ya next year). I see family and friends starting to tighten their belts. They are staying home more, cooking more and who would have known that dinner parties would become the new eating out. Making your own-pizza rather then ordering Dominos would be the new trend and the so called " cheap" cuts of meat would make a comeback.

It's a bit ironic though if you think about it. Did we need a worldwide financial crisis to make us look at thing with a different perspective. To actually see things that have been overlooked for such a long time and look at them as for the first time. And so much so that we made them trendy again. For instance the so called " cheap" cuts of meat. These cheap cuts of meat are not reffered to as "cheap" because they are inferior in any way. Oh no. They are nicer to your wallet kind of cheap. You see it all starts and ends with supply and demand. Greater demand for a fillet or a porterhouse steak just means that the price goes higher. So I ask, are we getting played for, suckered into believing that we are buying the best cut of meat? Why not get a nice peice of flank steak or great short ribs that have great flavor and are wallet friendly...

The way i see it is that it's a good thing that short ribs for instance are are considered a " cheap cut". They are the sort of thing I love to cook when the weather is cold outside. And since you slow cook it for hours you end up with a rich moist piece of meat that melts like butter in your mouth. Its a crowd pleaser! What could be better then that? So serve these argodolce (sweet and sour) short ribs on top of a mash potato, polenta or a bowl of rice and a glass of Pinot and sit back and let your taste buds be seduced. Sorry Marc 2011 just wasn't our year. See ya in 2012....

Beef Short Ribs Agrodolce

This dish is based on Paul Bertolli’s recipe in Cooking by Hand (Clarkson Potter).

Serves 4, Cooking Time Prep time 40 mins, cook 2 hours 40 mins

1.2 kg (about 4) beef short ribs

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

50 gm prosciutto, coarsely chopped

3 lg onions, finely chopped

3 finely chopped garlic

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

5 sage leaves

1 sprig of rosemary

15 gm dried porcini, soaked in water for 15 minutes

2 tbsp tomato paste

250 ml (1 cup) red wine

125 ml (½ cup) saba (see note)

60 ml (¼ cup) balsamic vinegar

900 ml beef stock

1 Preheat oven to 180C. Season beef ribs with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat olive oil in a wide heavy-based casserole over high heat, brown ribs (on all sides except bone side) in two batches for 2-3 minutes each. Transfer to a tray.

2 Pour off half the oil and discard, then return casserole to heat and add prosciutto, sauté for 1 minute, add onion, carrot, celery, herbs and drained porcini, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables caramelise (8-10 minutes). Stir in tomato paste, reduce heat to medium and cook until dark red in colour (4-5 minutes). Add red wine, saba and vinegar and cook until reduced by half (10-15 minutes). Add beef stock and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then return beef ribs to casserole and bake, covered, until ribs are tender (2 hours).

3 Transfer ribs to a warm serving platter and pass vegetables and juices through a mouli (see note) into a saucepan. Skim fat from surface, then cook over medium heat until thick (3-5 minutes). Season with 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Pour over beef ribs and serve immediately.

Note: Saba is the sweet reduction of grape must and is available from Williams and Sonoma. A mouli is a rotary sieve available from specialist kitchen supply stores. Alternatively, you can use a coarse sieve and push processed vegetables through using the back of a ladle.

Drink Suggestion a Robust red.

Note: If you cant find Saba you can substitute this Bordeaux Syrup.

Bordeaux Syrup

1/2 bottle Bordeaux Red Wine

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

1/3 cup honey

Put all the ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan. Reduce slowly over medium heat, until it becomes a syrup, about 50-55 minutes. .

Chocolate the elixir of love

Chocolate is considered the elixir of love. So much so that even the gods made it there drink of choice. Random? I think not! So how can mere mortals resists its allure and power? Its luscious taste?

In ancient Aztecs and Mayans times cocoa bean was prized for its caffeine-like effects. The beans were used as a sort of currency. These days, cocoa has gained momentum not so much so for the chocolate's natural stimulants but rather for the health benefits of eating it. And don't forget its romantic and erotic associations: Perfect for Valentine's day.

So in honor of Valentine's Day, here's my recipe for romance: candlelight dinner at home, a glass of Veuve Clicquot, a little Harry Connick Jr in the background and--as the pièce de résistance, a rich, sensual, totally irresistible dessert. In aid to Cupid's cause, this valentine I give you chocolate cakes with raspberry ganache centers. Enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache Cakes

(from the book Harvest to Heat, with a few changes of my own)

Yields 8 individual cakes

For the ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream

9 oz semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 tbs. Raspberry liquor

For the cake batter

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tbs sugar

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

6 oz milk chocolate, roughly chopped

4 lg eggs, room temp

2 lg egg yolks, room temp

1/2 cup all purpose flour (sifted)

1/8 ts coarse salt

Whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for garnish

Make the ganache

Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Put the Chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Once the cream comes to a simmer, pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Gently whisk the cream and the raspberry liquor into the melted chocolate, being careful not to incorporate any air. Chill in the refrigerator.

Make the cake batter

Combine the Butter, 1 cup of the sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the butter is melted. Put the bittersweet and milk chocolates in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the butter- sugar mixture over the chocolates and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is well blended.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is pale yellow and forms thick ribbons.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs until well combined. Fold in the flour and salt. Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Assemble the cakes

Reserve 1/2 cup of ganache, then divide the rest of the ganache into eight equal parts and roll into balls.

Butter 8 individual ramekins and fill each one third full with the cake batter. Place ganache ball in the center of the mold and cover with more batter, filling each mold three quarters full.

Heat the oven to 350F. Bake the cakes until the sides are set and their tops puff up but are still soft, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes and then invert the cakes onto individual serving plates. Gently warm the reserved ganache and drizzle over warm cakes; serve while warm. Add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Note: depending on your oven the cakes might take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes. Keep checking your cakes after you reach the 15 minute mark.

A time for tea

I must admit to you all, that i was never a tea girl. Drinking Tea for me was only when i was sick or when i needed hydration after a lustful encounter with a bottle of kettle one. But as my twenties left me behind and my thirties came pounding at my door i found myself looking at tea in a different perspective. Now a day doesn't go by that i don't find myself sipping on a cup of tea. From that first drowsy sip of strong english breakfast tea blend in the morning, that clears your boggled mind and senses, to that really needed afternoon pick me of oolong.

I can't say that it's just the taste and smell of the tea that makes me enjoy it so, but the actual ritual of brewing it. Warming the pot, measuring out the leaves, heating the water to just the right temp and steeping it for the exact amount time is so soothing. It so simple yet so easy to screw up that it takes patients and practice to perfect it. It is truly an art. An art that the Japanese have brought to the next level with their exquisite tea ceremony.

Cooking with tea has become such a big trend. Its in cookbooks in magazines as well as in the blogging world. The momentum that tea has received is not what has amazed me but its versatility as an ingredient. Each different tea has it's own character that adds remarkable complexity to the dish you add it to.

I am very lucky to have such a wonderful friend and tea purveyor that lets me sample his teas and create new recipes for his tea site/blog and tsai.gr

Left photo by: Athens, Greece based photograper, Monika Kritikou  fiorello photography

And even though my twenties are long gone and plenty of tea tins take up most of my cupboard space, i will never forget my lustful encounters with my bottles of kettle one.

Here is a wonderful recipe that has been inspire by the exotic stock of teas form and tsai.gr.

Black Chai Tea Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar

1 teaspoon loose leaf black chai tea finely grinded

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. Baking powder

3/4 cups cornstarch

1/8 tsp cinnamon

powdered sugar for dusting the cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy looking. Add powdered sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add black chai tea and vanilla extract; beat well. Add flour, baking powder, cornstarch and cinnamon, into butter mixture and mix well until well combined. At first the dough will look dry - but don't worry, as the dough slowly comes together as you mix it and the butter melts into the dry ingredients.

Do not refrigerate this dough, as the butter will harden and make the dough unmanageable for rolling into a ball. Using your hands, roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from oven, carefully remove from baking sheet, and cool on wire cooling racks (when warm the cookies are delicate).

When cookies have cooled completely, dust with powdered sugar.

Yields about 3 dozen cookies depending on the size.

NOTE: Grind loose leaf black tea with spice grinder. The butter you use must be room temperature (not softened or melted butter). If you cookies turn out very crumbly then your butter was not room temp.

Do not be afraid of the cornstarch that the recipe calls for. It is correct.

- Black chai tea can be found at tsai.gr or any other loose leaf tea purveyor.