Month: November 2009 (Page 1 of 2)

Never was a big fan of the candy cane.  The crook broke at the slightest whack, especially when attempting to peel back the skintight wrapper or hit your brother over the head with it.  Besides, they’re messy. 

If I had to pick a favorite sweet for the holidays, Russian Tea Cakes would certainly be in the running- these light as air little cookies are rolled into a ball and baked, then spritzed with rum and dusted with powdered sugar.  Fudge is always a staple, but I’d take a mean piece of fruitcake over them all.

I considered regurgitating historical facts and fictions concerning this dubious delicacy  the fruitcake, but then I thought, “Why cloud your brain by reinforcing the negatives?  We’ve all heard the horror stories.”  So, I decided to proceed on a positive note. 

I briefly knew this really cool chick in Dallas, TX and she brought over a few homemade fruitcakes one year at Christmas.  I was skeptical because she couldn’t cook very well and, to be honest, I’d never really liked fruitcake.  Apparently, her lack of culinary skills and my past experiences were unjustified because it was fantastic!!  She’d included just the right amount of cake so that it wasn’t too gooey, and the fruits and nuts were spread around evenly so that you didn’t get big clumps of one thing all in one bite, and then nothing of anything else in any other bite.  Did that make sense? 

I think she literally bathed her cakes in rum and then wrapped them ever so gently in cheesecloth to breath and ferment for just the right amount of time.  What a lovely gift.  I thanked her profusely, and then thanked the Gods because no one else in my household cared for it!  Wish I could have saved some of it for later, but then, well, you get the doorstop metaphor.  Fruitcake is best eaten when received.

You might see a common thread in my favorites …. Booze!  Surprise, surprise!  I love desserts prepared with party liquids. Pears in Grand Marnier with dark chocolate sauce; apple tart with liberal doses of Apple Jack; my grandmother’s Trifle (she saves the high octane servings for me); anything set aflame, and hot buttered rum.  This potent concoction is a dessert/drink hybrid and very good at warming the cockles.  Now there’s a term I could write a newsletter about.

Whatever your favorite Christmas Candy might be, take the time to enjoy every bite. Don’t forget to give as well as you get and play, play, play!

I’m wishing for a fruitcake that warms my cockles.  We’ll see.  Santa and that chick from Dallas got a copy of this letter, too!!

Merry Christmas!!

I just had the most interesting night! 

Back up to four weeks ago to a cocktail party where I met Robyn Randall from Robb & Stucky. We had a drink and got to talking about food, culinary arts and design.  Didn’t take long and we realized that our lingo – yeah, kind of dumb – was very similar.  She asked if I could do a few appetizers for a monthly meeting for high end designers here in the Valley.

Gee, let me see, a challenge?  Absolutely. 

So, we worked it out to focus on the basics; quality ingredients with a twist. We set our sights on three cultural influences: Italian, Mexican and American; and I created two appetizers for each.

1. Italian – Caprese Salad on a Stick and Asiago Cheese Folds with Spring Salad Mix;
2. Mexican – Roasted  Poblano Peppers and Shrimp with Queso Blanco and a Cumin Cilantro Crème Fraiche; 
3. American – BLT’s sans bread with a shot of Chipotle mayo and Cucumbers with Salmon Mousse and Sesame Seeds.

Sounds tough, right?  WRONG!!

All of these recipes are so easy to make and just so beautiful because they are so basic.  A lot like design in that way, easy and elegant. It still works ya’ll!  I’ll post these easy, breezey, beautiful covergirl goodies on the site in a few days.

Yip a Dee! I got to cook and play in the kitchen.  So much fun and such a great group of gals and a great venue. Bonus! The wine worked great, too. Sweet!

Live well, Eat well;

Cheers,

Heidi

Assuming you’re reading this at 12pm MST on November 14th, 2009 you’ve got 312 hours to plan, make a list, shop, plan some more, sweat a little bit, lose some sleep, make yet another headcount, search for new and unique recipes whose complexities create yet another shade of gray, which then leads to additional time at your stylists, which then leaves very little time to clean and shine the silver and china, and double check the locks on the liquor cabinet in the case that Uncle Bob didn’t cover the spread. 

Or… you could do what I did this year. Get invited to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving and bring a really nice bottle of Pinot Gris.

As alluring as Door #2 may seem, it could be that this year it’s simply your turn.

Take a bit of advice from a girl who has been there, don’t make the effort more than it really is – an excuse for gathering friends and family, watching a ball game, lots of hugs, a toast of thanks for all you have been given, and a nice meal.

Complicating things by mail ordering ingredients for a cranberry sauce that the kids would never eat anyway; trying to create that special gourmet mashed potatoes dish that will only be covered in gravy; or (my favorite) trying to brine a turkey for 24 hours in cooler on the porch only to find that orange juice and turkey does nothing for you does no one any good, especially the cook. 

So read on and relax.

Thanksgiving is a time to relax.  It is about the end of toils and labors.  At its heart, it is a harvest festival and “harvest” comes from the German word for “autumn.” To me, autumn is the time of rest as the weather changes and winter approaches.  An autumnal feast celebrates the fact that the work is done.

The harvest celebration is a part of the human experience and exists in nearly every culture. China has the Moon Festival, the Vietnamese celebrate Tet Trung Thu, the Jewish people have the holiday of Sukkot, in Africa there is a Yam Festival and in India the celebration of Pongal. Of course, our neighbors to the north (Canada) have a Thanksgiving of their own. They are entitled, I guess.

Things have changed just a bit since the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe shared insights into fertilizing corn, gathered at a communal table, and ate out of gourds. The gathering of root vegetables and late blooming fruits, not to mention the natural maturation of old Tom Turkey doesn’t occur quite as often as it once did. That doesn’t mean we can’t do our best to revive the simple spirit of the celebration.

What I’m trying to say is this, Think Simply and Think Seasonally.  Tradition Rocks!

Close your eyes and picture your grandmother’s or even your mother’s Thanksgiving table.  Think not only of what may have been on the table, but how it felt to be there.  The scents of roasting turkey and rising dough; the warm apples and cinnamon; and the deep shades of ochre, red and green; the heart’s leap at the sound of the doorbell, and a fingerprint in the pumpkin pie come to mind. You may not have known about the effort behind it then, but I’ll bet you did know that your grandmother or your mother made it with love and that’s what mattered most.

If it is your turn this year, let your shoulders drop away from your ears and answer the door.  Those who walk through it are there for many reasons, not just the food. Go ahead and unlock the liquor cabinet and be sure to make plenty of gravy!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from me and mine!

Live Well!  Eat Well!!  Cheers!!!

Heidi