A Stack of Dishes

Something good is cooking...

Gail Watson

Beggar’s Purses: Caviar For New Years

by

Caviar has always been synonymous with elegance and celebration. There was a time when caviar was fairly reasonable to purchase and would make appearances at my special occasions with frequency. But in the last few years, along with so many hardships, the price of caviar has gone haywire.
I still love caviar, but rarely do I present beluga anymore. I am forced to fall back on it’s distant cousin, Salmon Roe. A bit fishier than sturgeon caviar, but still a delight. Salmon roe is certainly within the price range, my small jar cost me $15. To elevate it to elegance I served it up as Beggar’s Purses. Small pouches made of dill crepes are filled with creme fraiche and caviar all tied up with a scallion tie.
Served up perched on thin slices of lemon makes a dramatic presentation and a swank bit to accompany the sparkling.
The crepes can be made a day in advance but no further. It’s imperative that they be made as thin as humanly possible. The pouch should be delicate and refined- too thick and it feels too bready and clunky. Don’t be afraid to thin the batter down to a heavy cream consistency.
Beggar’s Purses
24 6″ Dill Crepes
4 oz Salmon Roe
8 oz creme fraiche
bunch of long stemmed scallion or bunch of chives
Lemons sliced paper thin
Dill Crepes
2c AP flour
3 large eggs
1c milk
.25t salt
4T chopped fresh dill
water to thin
*use a 6″ nonstick frying pan to make crepes*
In large bowl combine all the ingredients except the water. Stir smooth.
Add water in stages to create a thin, heavy cream consistency. The batter should then rest a half hour or so- the batter can also be made the night before and kept in the fridge overnight.
Warm a 6″ non stick frying pan over medium high heat.
I use cooking spray to grease the pan.
Place ~3T of batter into the pan and swirl to even out the batter.
When edges start to pull away and the crepe looks cooked in the middle, give the crepe a quick flip and cook for just 10-20 seconds on the other side.
Allow crepes to cool before filling.
Building Beggar’s Purses
First blanch the scallions or chives. In a pot of boiling water submerge the greens for 30 seconds, then remove them and plunge into cold water.
If using scallions make thin ribbons by slicing long strips down the length of the scallion.
Lay out a few crepes on a work board. Place a T of creme fraiche in the middle of each.
Using a separate small spoon put about a teaspoon of caviar on top.
Gather up the sides of the crepe pinching together to make a pretty bundle.
Using the scallion or chive to tie the bundle closed.

Weds Pasta: Floppy Noodles With Fresh Ricotta and Basil Oil

by

It all started with too much milk ordered for the cake business. I don’t like things going to waste, so what to do with it? Naturally, I made fresh ricotta. So crazy simple, and I know just about everyone has blogged about it- but it really is kitchen magic and a delight every time. I tried a different method today and the results were SO much better. Nice juicy curds and a greater yield. I let them drain a little longer making them a little drier, which will make fantastic ravioli.

I made the ricotta this early afternoon as our day was getting rolling. A friend of ours stopped over for an afternoon Christmas visit. Pam was so excited about the ricotta that she dragged the still draining bowl with hanging cloth for Camille to see. “Look what Gail made! and smell it!” Needless to say they were both so deeply impressed that I felt guilty about how easy it was.

After Camille left I threw together a batch of fresh pasta and cranked it out. Snap! no problem. HA! Just kidding- that was a bit of work, but sometimes….. well sometimes you have to justify all those appliances that spill out of your cupboard.  In addition to that, on the darkest day of the year, which happened to be rainy and bleak- standing over a counter cranking out pasta sounds just about right to me. It’s also something Pam and I can do together in the kitchen which is great relaxing time shared. The hardest part really is climbing under the counter to find the pasta machine and then setting it up. Once in gear it all goes quite nicely. Soon lumps of nondescript dough have turned into satiny sheets of pasta.

Rather than make traditional fettucini or linguini I opted to rough hand cut the sheets into what I considered to be rags, or ragged strips. It was fun to just have at it and end up with a messy floppy pile of noodles.

I made a simple white wine and lemon sauce and then gently tossed the noodles in with it right in the pan. I finished it off with Basil Oil that I made last week as part of my gifting series. Finally a grind of fresh black pepper and a grating of lemon zest, and Wednesday pasta it is!

Fresh Ricotta
Yielded 4c
 
1 gallon whole milk
.5t salt
6T lemon juice
 
In large pot warm milk and salt to boiling, stirring often to prevent scorching.
 
Stir in lemon and lower heat to simmer. Continue to constantly stir for another 2 mins as curds form.
 
Drain curds through a sieve lined with either cheesecloth or a open woven cotton cloth that is placed over a bowl to collect the whey.
 
The whey can be saved and used in soups etc- highly nutritious and terrible to waste.
 
Allow the curds to drain for about an hour. The longer the drier.
 
Fresh Ricotta will keep in the fridge for several days.
 
 
Fresh Pasta Dough
makes approx 1.5# of fresh pasta
 
2.75c AP flour
3 eggs
pinch salt
4T olive oil
2T water
 
In a food processor place flour and salt and pulse to combine
 
With motor running add the eggs one at a time. Process until there are even textured granules
 
Slowly drizzle in olive oil. The dough should start to come together and form a ball in the bowl.
 
Mine was not quite pulling together so I added in stages another 2T of water.
 
The result is a satiny mass.
 
Cover and rest for one hour to relax the gluten before rolling out into pasta
 

Peppermint Marshmallows: That Look As Pretty As They Taste

by

I surprise most people when I tell them that I love the snow. It’s true. I don’t mind the cold, and I think snow is amazing. I love how it changes the landscape of the things I see everyday into something so beautiful and different. I even sort of love shoveling it- it’s true! Being out in the hush chill, getting all warm and toasty while making neat pathways…  I also love to ski, but that’s something different.
But one of the best parts of being out in the snow, either playing in it or just moving about- is coming in for hot chocolate. I am known for being a chocolate fan, but warm milky chocolate sipped with red cheeks is my kind of afternoon.
As you know, there is hot chocolate and there is hot cocoa. Essentially interchangeable, though different in preparation. Dark chocolate of any kind can be melted and stirred into heated milk and then sweetened to taste. This is my preferred style. Good quality chocolate has as many nuances of flavors as a glass of wine. Though I don’t boast knowledge of different chocolates- I can certainly tell the good from the… eh. When it comes to chocolate-I don’t do “eh”. Aside from this it was the way that the Mayans made Xocolatl, and I like that idea.
Roasted cocoa beans when ground eventually give up their oils and liqueur and turn into dark beautiful chocolate. I can see hands working the stone, placing some of the rich brown yumminess in a stoneware cup, adding hot milk and creating a drink. Gotta love that romance.
But Hot Cocoa is just as tasty- again- good quality cocoa is a must. No dusty dried out packets out of a box- make your own- get the good stuff, it doesn’t use much and turn a brown drink into a heavenly treat. THAT’s the way it was intended to be enjoyed, not as a glass of chocolate milk warmed.
Now- to that- marshmallows. I’ve been making my own marshmallows for a long long time now. They used to be a big thrill, but these days, everyone is getting in the game. Bravo!
For my beauties I took them just a little step further. First off I added a middling dose of peppermint. It’s a wonderful pairing as they melt into the chocolate. The second is I’m just not a fan of the cube. They’re ok, and I’m not opposed to the iconic shape, I just like to make pretty where I can.
I opted for two different shapes. The first is a rosette in three different shades of pale pink. Just SO pretty against the dark brown chocolate, and so lady like and sweet to behold. Using a star tip I simply piped them out of a pastry bag onto the tray into rosettes.
Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow Clouds

The second shape is more like a cloud. Puffy folds of marshmallow float softly in the cup. So much nicer than a dusty cube, don’t you think? For these I used a Rose Tip icing tip and made random folds and mounds to my liking. Super simple and fun to make.

Homemade Marshmallows
makes tons depending on the size, enough for any crowd and more
 
 
3T unflavored gelatin
.5c cold water
 
12oz sugar
1c clear corn syrup
.5 c water
.25t peppermint oil or 1t peppermint extract
2c powdered sugar
 
red paste food coloring (optional)
 
In mixing bowl combine water and gelatin and let stand. Attach whisk.
 
In heavy saucepan combine sugar, syrup and water. Boil on high heat until the syrup reaches 240˚ on a candy thermometer or soft ball stage
 
With the mixer on medium low, slowly and carefully pour syrup over gelatin.
 
Continue to beat until cool, approximately 5-7 minutes.
 
Before it gets too stiff or cool, add the extract and carefully dab some food coloring into the marshmallow. A little goes a long way so start with the teeniest bit.


The consistency of the marshmallow needs to be stiff enough to maintain it’s shape when piped, but not too stiff for it to become stringing and tight.
 
To pipe rosettes: Using a pastry bag or large plastic freezer bag, fit with a #8 star tip.
 
Prepare several sheet pans with parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Alternatively you can line trays with plastic wrap and spray as well.
 
Fold down sides of bag halfway and fill the cone. Pulling the sides up, twist it closed.
 
While pinching the twisted part between thumb and first finger, squeeze the bag with the rest of your hand. Use your other hand to guide the end of the pasty bag. Sort of keep a finger on it so it doesn’t go rogue on you.
 
Make the swirls by starting on the outside and form a concentric circle in while applying even pressure on the bag. When finished stop squeezing and quickly lift the bag to break off the rosette.
 
This takes a little practice, so have fun and play around a bit at first. Learn the latitudes of more pressure vs speed etc.
 
To get the different colorations I started out with the palest pink. When I exhausted the marshmallow in the bag, I tinted the rest of the batch a little deeper and then repeated this again with the final piping round.
 
Once the marshmallows are piped sift some powdered sugar over them to cover completely and allow them to dry overnight.
 
Once dry remove from the paper and dust the bottoms to prevent them from being sticky.
 
Store in an airtight container or in cello bags.
 
To pipe clouds: Use the same technique as above to prepare your pastry bag, this time fitting it with a #104 Rose tip.
 
Make the clouds by randomly piping folds and ripples by placing the wider end of the tip towards the paper. This will create a thicker base and a frillier, fluffier upper edge.
 
Make them as random and pouffy as you like.
 
Dust them thoroughly as above and allow to dry overnight. Remove from the paper and dredge the bottoms in powdered sugar.
 
Store in airtight container or cello bags.
Hot Cocoa Recipe
makes 4c of rich delicious cocoa
 
.33c Valrhona Cocoa Powder
.75c white sugar
pinch of salt
.33c boiling water
3.5c milk
.5c cream
 
In a saucepan combine cocoa, sugar and salt and stir to combine. 
 
Whisk in boiling water and stir smooth
 
Add milk and cream and slowly and carefully warm to desired temperature. Take care not to boil or scorch.