Small Comforts

It is raining tonight in the Bay. Not unusual really, but a little disappointing when I was hoping we were done with our (very much needed) soggy winter.



It's not just raining a little either, it's raining a lot. It is raining in that delicious way that makes you want to bunker down at home with a cup of tea and a good book, but also in that horrible way that makes the half mile slog to the transit station on your way home miserable, soggy, and ice cold.




Nature is full of surprises and blessings in disguise. I suppose for now I will have to roll with the punches, turn my radiator up, set my shoes out to dry and have a nice big bowl of something hearty and warm. Tonight I'm going for pasta with some odds and ends from the fridge, but something I really came to love this winter is roasted cabbage with bacon*. Serve it over pasta, with a fried egg and some crusty bread, or just eat it all on its own. Soft and crisp, sweet and salty, and caramelized to perfection this is a truly satisfying way to end the day.


Roasted Cabbage, with Bacon
One head of Cabbage, aprox. 1 lb. (If your cabbage is larger, cut it in half or be prepared to need 2 baking pans)
Bacon, and kind will do - I like pepper bacon, aprox. 2 slices per pound of cabbage
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Sea salt and/or Parmesan cheese to finish if you like

1) Rinse any residual dirt from your cabbage and remove any dry or browned leaves.
2) Cut into wedges, trimming the core but leaving it mostly intact. Anywhere between 8 and 16 wedges per head of cabbage should be good, aprox 1-2 inches on the thick side.
3) Arrange wedges in a single layer in a baking pan large enough to accommodate your cabbage. A 1 lb cabbage should fit in a 13x9 inch baking dish.
4) Cut the bacon into roughly 1/4-1/2 in pieces. Scatter evenly over the cabbage.
5) Apply salt and pepper liberally and drizzle with olive oil.
6) Roast at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until edges are browned and caramelized and interior layers have softened and become slightly translucent.
7) Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or freshly grated Parmesan to taste. Serve over pasta, with a fried egg (I recommend the Zuni egg) or just eat it straight out of the pan. I won't tell.

*A friendly reminder to be careful about when you cook/eat this and who you eat it with, like garlic, cabbage is one of nature's blessings that likes to keeps sharing the love.

Read More......

Adventures Closer to Home

Friday night found me facing a quiet weekend at home for the first time in a few weeks. No classes, no social obligations, no work woes, and as I curled up on the couch with Jamie Oliver and a glass of white wine, the prospect of a weekend finishing up art projects and playing my guitar sounded pretty good.





Come Saturday afternoon I had succeeded in morning one of sleeping in and not much else when I get a call from this guy asking if he can crash on my couch before the Oakland Marathon on Sunday. Being an obliging sort of girl, as well as a supporter of athletes, and generally lacking in company for the evening I agreed. You won't regret it he says. Adventure and fun await he promises. There will be froyo he tells me. This all went against my homebody plans, but who turns down froyo?



Well adventure and fun did await, and I did not regret it. At least not until I had to get up at 7am on Sunday to get my friend to the race on time. First, we were off to a divey Alameda establishment hosting the first ever performance of "the Beatles." It was an art/music experience the likes of which I can honestly say I've never seen or heard before. After meeting new friends and coercing old friends to leave the comfort of their homes, we traveled onward and upwards to margaritas, froyo, and yet another questionable East Bay establishment, but really how questionable can you get in Alameda. A good time was had by all.



I ultimately failed in my own artistic and musical endeavors, but margaritas and froyo are ALWAYS a good idea. Plus, I did succeed in accomplishing a few things on Sunday so you can't say I was completely unproductive.

1) I got my friend to the race on time and picked him up again. Navigating downtown and the street closures around the lake really made this an accomplishment.
2) I ordered my new glasses. Considering that my current glasses are almost three years old, this is also quite the accomplishment.
3) Finally, I made a pretty dern good batch of waffles for marathon boy and his girlfriend Lyssette.



They weren't my favorite waffles, for that you need the Joy of Cooking and a LOT more butter, but these were a pretty good "healthy" substitute. Especially covered in syrup and served with a side of bacon.



And now I will reward you for your patience with the recipe.

Recovery Banana Wheat Waffles
Adapted from this recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mashed banana (two large overripe bananas)
4 egg whites

1) Combine both flours, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2) In another bowl, beat egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla until just combined. Add mashed bananas and beat slightly longer to break up any remaining chunks of fruit.
3) Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix until just combined.
4) In another small (very clean/grease free) bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Preferably with a mixer, but can be done by hand with patience.
5) Gently fold egg whites into the batter being careful not to over-mix.
6) Pour batter into your waffle iron according to manufacturer directions (amount of batter and grease vs. no grease). Bake according to the manufacturer directions with your iron. Makes hella waffles.

Read More......

This is so meta.

This is me, blogging about being blogged about by a blog that I am following along with on a blog challenge. If you couldn't follow that first sentence, the short version is The Kitchn used another one of my Cure photos on their website. Whoopee! It's like getting a big pat on the back for all my hard work!

Read More......

A Post that IS About Pie

As of Saturday, Spring has sprung. It seems like the start of the season has geared me up for some serious baking. Winter was all about braises, chiles, and soup, but so far Spring is all about butter and flour.



It started innocently enough with pie for a friend's birthday. I'll call this the mystery caramel apple pie, mostly because I never actually had any and therefore it is a mystery to me as to how this pie turned out. I decided to fill that sweet void by baking some cookies, then a few microwave cupcakes, a pie for pi-day, and suddenly last weekend I was on my third pie (and third pound of butter) this month.



This latest pie actually brings us right back to where we started, a birthday pie! This pie was not a mystery caramel apple pie, but it was a blackberry Asian pear surprise pie. This pie was a surprise in that it was a surprise as to whether it would actually taste good. Prior to making this pie, I had actually never eaten an Asian pear.



It started as a Strawberry Rhubarb pie, with an olive oil crust and an oat crumble to make it more "healthy." Unfortunately I could find nary a stalk of rhubarb, and when I went to the store the were sold out of strawberries (seriously, who sells out of strawberries?!). So I grabbed what was on sale/in-season which happened to be Asian pears and blackberries. If the 14 diners who inhaled it on Saturday night are any indication, I think it it worked out.




Blackberry Asian Pear (Surprise) Pie
Crust
1 cup AP Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup COLD water

Filling
2 Asian Pears, Aprox 3 cups of fruit, 1/2 inch dice
12 oz of Blackberries
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tbs sugar
zest of one tangerine
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 heaping tbs of flour

Crumble Topping
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbs butter

Prepare the Crust
1) Prepare a 9" pie pan by lightly greasing it with olive oil. Or if you are me and are missing your pie pan, line a 9" cake pan with parchment and hope for the best.
2) Combine the flours, salt, and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3) Add the oil and mix it in with a fork.
4) Add the water, mix with the fork until it is absorbed, then knead lightly (I do this with just one hand, in the bowl) until the dough comes together into a ball.
5) Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the ball of dough and on the rolling pin, and roll the dough out into a circle large enough to fit your tart pan. Turn the dough by 45 degrees (8 turns to a circle) every time you roll the pin forward and back, adding a little more flour underneath and on the dough if it seems on the verge of becoming sticky. Be quick and sure of yourself, try not to overwork the dough.
6) Transfer the dough carefully into the prepared pan and line it neatly. Trim the excess dough (delicious baked with a little cinnamon and sugar), and place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

While the crust is resting...

Prepare the filling
7) Place all of the ingredients except the flour in a large bowl. Carefully mix the ingredients mix ingredients together with a folding motion and either a large spoon or spatula. Mix just enough to distribute the spices and citrus.
8) Sprinkle the flour over the mixed fruit and mix gently to combine. Try to keep the blackberries whole.

and...
Prepare the Topping
9) Use a fork to combine the crumble ingredients, if you are having difficulty incorporating the butter, melt until softened but not liquefied (aprox 15-30 seconds)

then...
Put it All Together
10) Blind bake the crust - take the crust out of the fridge, prick it repeatedly with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Just to dry the surface to the touch.
11) Gently fill the crust with the pie filling, and evenly top with crumble topping.
12) Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 15-18 minutes (until lightly golden brown), then lower the temp to 350 and bake until the crust is cooked and the topping is a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes depending on the oven and how long you cooked prior to the final bake.

Read More......

A Post that is Not About Pie

I know I said I would tell you more about pie and bread today but it is 11 o'clock and I haven't eaten dinner yet so you will be getting another short and sweet post about my AWESOME home improvements in the kitchen. As the title suggests, this is a post that is not about pie. And that's okay.



This is a pic of my BEAUTIFUL new Fiestaware pitcher in Tangerine. It's filled with two bunches of daffodils that I picked up this weekend. They were on sale, two bunches for $3. What a steal.


(After image on the right).

This is my new storage closet. Formerly a dank, depressing, sorry excuse for a pantry, it is now a perfectly fine home for gardening supplies, cleaning supplies, lightbulbs, and reusable bags. Woot.



But THIS. Oh my, THIS is my masterpiece of the evening. Say hello to my new pantry. Thank you Ikea. After purchasing a lovely birch-wood open shelving unit on Sunday, I took a trip to Home Depot only to find that my 1930's lath and plaster wall (that happened to be sans stud in the area I wanted to hang my unit from) wouldn't support the shelving unit with out a lot of work. And even then I could only look forward to about a year before ripping out fist sized chunks of plaster. Not really gonna work for me.


(After image on the right).

It may not fit EXACTLY in the space allotted like the previous unit, and (environment forgive me) it may be medium density fiber board, but it sits upright, is bolted to the wall but without threatening to tear it down, and holds my super tall pasta jar on its sleek adjustable shelves. Oh yeah.

I may decide it needs a nice door, or a fabric curtain, but I am going to say that it is a 10 MILLION times over improvement from what I had before which was dark and inaccessible. I love it. I want to marry it. I think I can look forward to many happy culinary adventures with my new kitchen. This must be love.

CURE CHECKLIST (We are currently in the middle of week 4)

Week One: Check!

Week Two: Check!

Week Three: Catch Up on the First Two Weeks Check!
Deep Clean EVERYTHING In Progress...
Work on your Special Project Check!
Add Something Beautiful Check! (my new Fiestaware Pitcher arrived today!)

Week Four (Ends Friday!): Catch Up on the First Three Weeks Workin' on it...
Restock Ingredients Check!
Consider New Equipment Check!
Add Fresh Flowers Check!
Work on your Special Project CHECK!
Take After Photos In Progress...

Looks like I just have a bit of deep cleaning left to do... sounds like I've got a few fun evenings ahead of me.

Read More......