eG Foodblog: JAZ - Park and Shop

[andiesenji]

I have to go start dinner, but in the mean time, here's tonight's cocktail.

When I got home today, I found that my new copy of Dr. Cocktail's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails had arrived (I had a copy that disappeared, so I finally got around to replacing it). I opened it at random, and found the "Communist" -- gin, orange juice, cherry brandy and lemon juice. I had everything, it sounded good, and I'd never heard of it. All good reasons to make it.

It's not something I could make very often -- it kind of tasted like tart Hawaiian punch when made according to the recipe. I added some Carpano Antica and increased the gin, which made it better (I think) -- a little more complex. But it's beautiful, isn't it? I used blood orange juice, which accounts for the color.

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That is a beautiful cocktail. It also reminded me that my mother used to drink a cocktail called Cherie Cocktail (this was in the '50s) that was made with Cherry Heering - later re-named Peter Heering - and included triple sec, rum, lime juice. My step-dad would also make it in a tall glass with a spritz of soda water over ice during the summer. This was in a village in Wisconsin where most of the people drank mostly beer and stuff like peppermint schnapps and many of the ladies didn't drink any "mixed" drinks except for possibly a Tom Collins, and thought my mother was somewhat odd anyway. The only southerner in the village and for a long time the only woman business owner in a town where most of the women stayed home, played bridge, or???

Thanks for evoking this memory.

[JAZ]

I also think the next time I use the pan I'll get that Bakers Secret or whatever it's called -- the combination oil and flour spray. It was really hard to get the little forms buttered and floured evenly.

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Most of the commercially available spray "release" products will leave a gummy residue on your cookware and bakeware over time.

If you have to, melt the butter, brush it into the mold, let it cool, and then sprinkle the flour.

SB (has trouble spelling raisins, but likes to eat them)

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I know that about Pam and similar sprays, but didn't know it about the combination products. I could have sworn that Cook's Illustrated recommended them for bundt pans, but maybe the staff hadn't looked at prolonged use.

In any case, I did use melted butter brushed into the molds. That wasn't the problem -- the problem was trying to get the flour evenly distributed in each of the molds without making a complete mess. Mybe if I'd filled each of them completely with flour and then flipped the pan over a sheet pan or something to catch the excess it would have worked.

[JAZ]

Last night's dinner:

As I mentioned earlier, since I'd bought some fabulous smoked salmon at a farmers' market on Thursday, I decided to make Sara Moulton's salmon chowder. Because I rarely follow recipes exactly, I made a few changes. I'd also bought some leeks, so I used them instead of onions.

The leeks, sauteeing in butter.

I used a combination of red potatoes and russets, because that's what I had.

The potatoes, ready to go in.

Because I was snacking on some of the smoked salmon and crackers while I was prepping, I decided I had to have a martini to go with it (martinis go really well with smoked salmon, if you didn't know).

This glass is part of a set my parents got ages ago and, as far as I know, never used. They're from a time when glasses were designed for a one-shot drink -- they're just under three ounces to the rim. I love martinis, but for me, a little martini goes a long way -- and I don't like them warm. So these glasses are perfect.

Back to the chowder. I added a quarter cup each dry vermouth and dry sherry along with the milk, because it seemed to need something, and both of those go well with salmon. I also seasoned it with white pepper, celery salt and dry mustard.

The fresh salmon, ready for "poaching."

It was pretty thick, so it didn't cook all the way through in five minutes, as I found out when I cut into it. So back in went into the chowder to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, the smoked salmon and dill were awaiting their turn (sorry for the blurry photo).

With the sherry and vermouth, I didn't think the chowder needed the acid of the lemon juice for balance, and wanted to avoid the curdling problem that Sara mentioned. So I simply added a little lemon zest for flavor.

The finished chowder.

And a caesar salad.

I'm not crazy about the dressing recipe I used for the caesar. The consistency was good -- I hate really thick caesar dressings -- but it was too lemony and tasted of raw garlic. I know caesar dressing is supposed to be garlicky, but I don't usually use raw minced garlic in my dressings -- I find it too harsh. Ordinarily I macerate the garlic in the acid, but that doesn't result in enough garlic flavor for caesar, I don't think. Maybe poaching the garlic first would mellow it?

Does anyone have a really great recipe for caesar salad or dressing?

[Smithy]

What a beautiful chowder! The salad photo is gorgeous, too.

I'm confused. Was it smoked salmon or fresh salmon? Fresh smoked salmon? I normally think of "fresh" salmon as meaning "not smoked".

I think poaching the garlic will help tame it, but I really like garlic. I'll be interested to see what other folks come up with.

[andiesenji]

For the mini tube pans and other tube pans up to 8 inches in diameter, I use this circle cutter.

I buy the parchment paper in packages of 100 flat sheets.

If I am doing the little ones, I tape the edges of a stack of 5 sheets to the cutting board.

Then...

I cut all the center circles first, leaving enough room for the larger circle, starting at one corner of the paper.

Then I go back and cut the outer circles. Remove the tape from the edges, which is now scrap, stack the little liners and store them in a ziplock bag.

You can buy liners for tube pans, but I have some very old ones which are odd sizes and no one makes that size. I also cut bottom liners for regular cake pans up to 8 inches with this cutter.

This saves me a lot of grief and especially allows me to slide mini cheesecakes baked in the little springform pans off the bottoms so I don't have to worry about scratching the finish.

[eje]

Ordinarily I macerate the garlic in the acid, but that doesn't result in enough garlic flavor for caesar, I don't think. Maybe poaching the garlic first would mellow it?

Does anyone have a really great recipe for caesar salad or dressing?

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Hi Janet!

Great blog, I'm quite enjoying seeing your part of the city.

I don't care for big hunks of raw garlic (or onions). When I use garlic for salad dressings, I first mince it, then use the flat side of the knife to mash it against the cutting board with a light sprinkling of kosher salt. Whatever that does chemically seems to get rid of the harshness; but, leave the flavor.

[srhcb]

I know that about Pam and similar sprays, but didn't know it about the combination products. I could have sworn that Cook's Illustrated recommended them for bundt pans, but maybe the staff hadn't looked at prolonged use.

In any case, I did use melted butter brushed into the molds. That wasn't the problem -- the problem was trying to get the flour evenly distributed in each of the molds without making a complete mess. Mybe if I'd filled each of them completely with flour and then flipped the pan over a sheet pan or something to catch the excess it would have worked.

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I don't know about any particular spray, but I was of the opinion that the propellant in the spray can was the culprit in the long term stickness problem?

When I flour multiple pans I put a couple Tbl of flour into one, turn another upside-down atop it, shake, pour the excess flour into the 3rd pan etc .... It doesn't take much very butter.

SB (rarely has sticky problems)(when baking anyway)

[Pan]

Janet, have you tried that West African food at the "A Taste of Africa" truck? If so, what have you had, and how was it?

[ldenney]

I have enjoyed your blog.

I am a divorced guy. seasoned by age, who cooks for one and is determined to remain that way.

But I like to pamper myself with good food and wine, so I am always on the alert for things that will excite my taste buds. Your recipes for short ribs and salmon chowder have given me a couple of tasty looking options. Many recipes are too large for one or two servings and often include ingredients not readily available in my area.

Thank you from Kentucky and I'll be hoping for other ideas to "borrow" from you and others.

[JAZ]

When I flour multiple pans I put a couple Tbl of flour into one, turn another upside-down atop it, shake, pour the excess flour into the 3rd pan etc ....  It doesn't take much very butter. 

SB (rarely has sticky problems)(when baking anyway)

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Here's the misunderstanding. I wasn't flouring multiple pans, I was flouring one pan with 12 molds. Like 12 really intricate cupcake molds.

Trying to get the flour up the sides and inside tube of each little mold was virtually impossible, and that's why I'm willing to risk the spray.

[JAZ]

What a beautiful chowder!  The salad photo is gorgeous, too.

I'm confused.  Was it smoked salmon or fresh salmon?  Fresh smoked salmon?  I normally think of "fresh" salmon as meaning "not smoked".

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Sorry for the lack of clarity -- the chowder called for both fresh and smoked. You poach the fresh filet in the soup and add the flaked smoked salmon at the end.

[andiesenji]

for the shaped pans, I use Bak-Klene, made by the same company that makes Vegelene. I have never had any problems with it messing up my pans and molds.Bak-Klene

I buy it at Smart & Final.

Store locations in SF

Edited March 13, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[JAZ]

When I left this morning and actually caught the bus down the hill, I should have known that'd I'd use up all my good public transportation luck for the day in that one ride. But I made it to the BART station with time to buy a couple of boxes of Girl Scout cookies (I'm not crazy about them, but I used to be a Girl Scout, so I feel compelled to buy some at least once a year).

Today's plan was to stop by the Sur La Table store where I work to pick up a few things -- every so often we get an extra discount on most merchandise and this was one of those weekends. Then I'd stop by the farmer's market at the Civic Center and see what looked good, then take the streetcar to 24th Street to go to my favorite liquor store. After that I'd continue on to the butcher for chicken quarters and the produce market for a few other things I need for dinner. Then I only had to hope that I could carry everything up the hill and that it wouldn't be raining.

Everything was fine until I got to the farmer's market. Either because of the weather or because it was the day for the St. Patrick's Day parade, only a small fraction of the usual booths were set up. Usually there are booths filling up both sides of the walkway instead of the handful of brave souls there today.

The fish guy was there, but I was already planning on chicken, so I didn't stop, except to take a picture.

And I thought as long as I was there, in the rain, I might as well pick up something I can't get at my local produce store, so I got a bunch of broccoli rabe from this booth.

And as I mentioned, my transportation luck was over for the day. I waited nearly 25 minutes for the streetcar I needed (at least I was underground and out of the rain, though). While I waited, I thought about what to do with the broccoli rabe, and remembered a great dish I had at Incanto, an Italian restaurant in my neighborhood. Broccoli rabe with a lemon-anchovy dressing.

When the streetcar finally came and I got to 24th Street, I stopped in the other cheese store to pick up some anchovies.

Even though this cheese shop has a wider selection of cheeses and pates, and even though it also sells wine and carries Amarena cherries in heavy syrup, I don't like it as well as my cheese shop. It's not rational, but that's life.

[A funny store about this cheese shop: years ago, when I used to live in the neighborhood with my then-boyfriend, we'd walked up to 24th St. with a friend to have brunch. It was a warm, sunny day, and the door to the shop was open. We were standing at the corner by the cheese shop trying to decide where to eat, when Scott picked up his feet (one at a time, obviously) and peered at the soles of his shoes. It took me a minute to catch on, but with the rather pungent smells emanating from the shop, he thought he'd stepped in something, well, unpleasant. When I told him it was just the cheese shop, he said, "Man, that's some stinky cheese." And ever since then, I've referred to this place as the stinky cheese shop. Maybe that's why I'm not very fond of it.]

Next was a stop at the liquor store.

It's really more of a wine store, but since I rarely buy wine there, I think of it as a liquor store. It doesn't have the biggest overall selection, but it has hard to find necessities like Maraschino, Velvet Falernum and Pisco, and a good selection of eaux de vie.

It also has a great beer selection.

At that point, I started to think about just getting my chicken at the market on 24th (it started out as Bell Market, then was bought by Cala which has now been bought by Ralphs). I don't shop there much, but it would enable me to skip a stop and possibly get home before it started pouring again. Of if not, I could catch a cab home from there for not much money.

So I got my stuff, remembered everything and got in the 10-items-or-less line with only one person in front of me. Now's probably a good time to mention that I must have done something really terrible, grocery-store-cashier-line-wise, in a previous life. I have the worst luck in the world in grocery store lines. And today was no exception. The young woman in front of me waited until her all her stuff was rung up to pull out her checkbook (oh, did I mention this was a cash/credit/ATM line only?). The clerk gestured at the sign, but said it was okay this time. So, then she writes the check out to Safeway. Remember, we're not in a Safeway -- and I don't know about you, but I generally know which store I'm in when I shop. So, she writes out another check, and then has no driver's license, and apparently the store's check system can't operate without one, unless a manager comes out.

At this point, the line was getting longer, and two clerks had come over to try to get the check to process, and then, she actually had the nerve to ask if it was going to take much longer. The clerk said, "probably," and the woman took her check back and left, very upset and acting very put-upon. Jeez.

Of course it was pouring when I got out. I was cold and my feet were soaking wet. I finally managed to hail a cab, whose driver had no idea where my street was, so I had to direct him. But at least I didn't have to walk up the hill in the rain, and I had a brand new bottle of brandy from the liquor store, so I made a hot lemon brandy.

It helped.

[Pan]

[...]Everything was fine until I got to the farmer's market. Either because of the weather or because it was the day for the St. Patrick's Day parade, only a small fraction of the usual booths were set up. Usually there are booths filling up both sides of the walkway instead of the handful of brave souls there today.

[...]

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Too bad about that, but that's a nice picture, with the lovely city hall in the background, a building which to my eyes is clearly inspired by the Dome des Invalides, one of my favorite buildings in Paris. Pretty spot for a farmer's market -- weather allowing, of course.

[andiesenji]

I am really enjoying the photos of the city, the markets and your place. I haven't spent a lot of time in San Francisco for many, many years, however I was stationed at the Presidio for almost two years back in the late 50s. My friends and I did a lot of walking and that is a city that one can get around on foot. (I was young, strong and thin.)

Almost every Sundary morning we would walk up the bridge approach that ran behind our barracks (we were down on the street that was one row of buildings from Crissy Field), walk accros the GG bridge and back, then have breakfast at the Roundhouse Restaurant. They had the best waffles in the city.

Great memories.

[JAZ]

[...]Everything was fine until I got to the farmer's market. Either because of the weather or because it was the day for the St. Patrick's Day parade, only a small fraction of the usual booths were set up. Usually there are booths filling up both sides of the walkway instead of the handful of brave souls there today.

[...]

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Too bad about that, but that's a nice picture, with the lovely city hall in the background, a building which to my eyes is clearly inspired by the Dome des Invalides, one of my favorite buildings in Paris. Pretty spot for a farmer's market -- weather allowing, of course.

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It really is, and it's a great market -- much less well known but therefore less hectic and not as crowded than the bigger one at the Ferry Building (which is nice, too; don't get me wrong). It's a little bit more -- rustic, maybe? I used to stop at it on the way to work when I worked on Sundays, but now that I don't, I don't get to the market as often as I'd like.

[bleudauvergne]

And a caesar salad.

Im not crazy about the dressing recipe I used for the caesar. The consistency was good -- I hate really thick caesar dressings -- but it was too lemony and tasted of raw garlic. I know caesar dressing is supposed to be garlicky, but I don't usually use raw minced garlic in my dressings -- I find it too harsh. Ordinarily I macerate the garlic in the acid, but that doesn't result in enough garlic flavor for caesar, I don't think. Maybe poaching the garlic first would mellow it?

Does anyone have a really great recipe for caesar salad or dressing?

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Janet, I am really enjoying your blog! I love the way you choose your cocktails.

Caesar Salad dressing is a touchy topic, everyone has their idea about how to prepare it. Whether or not to use Worcestershire sauce or anchovies seems to be a big issue among my friends who love the Caesar. I've stopped using the sauce since I ran out and made it without, and actually got a more satisfying salad out of the experience.

First, the reason why your garlic is so overpowering is that it might be the time of year, in late winter the garlic has a much more pungent flavor raw. You can parboil it to mellow it, yes. You can also use less garlic in late winter. I don't know what your original recipe was, but I'll toss something in for consideration in your search for a good recipe.

For your croutons, make thick toast, rub one side with garlic and spread good olive oil on the other, sprinkle both sides with a mix of salt, paprika and cayenne, slice into cubes, and toast again in the oven until crisp and slightly brown.

For the dressing, choose and prepare your garlic according to its qualities. You can adjust your quantities according to the season, but my index is 2 cloves, less if pungent. 5 or 6 anchovy fillets, the best kind being fish that have been preserved whole in salt and have white skin. They have a mroe delicate flavor. I fillet them with my fingers under cold running water. In the absence of the whole fish, use the fillets that come in oil, which have a concentrated flavor and use maybe 3 or 4 fillets.

Mash the garlic and the fish fillets together with a pestle. You can also do like they do sometimes and mash it into the bottom of the salad bowl. Then add the juice of half a fresh lemon (don't ever use bottled juice for this kind of salad), a dab of mustard for body in the dressing (it helps it congeal), 2 egg yolks, and incorporate well. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of your best most fruity olive oil. Taste for salt. Season with salt if necessary (depends on your fish and how you like it) and give it a good grinding of black pepper.

Toss the dressing with the salad to coat. The issue of parmesan has evolved over the years for me, I used to grate it and toss it with the sauced salad, but now I feel like I get a better experience by shaving off strips of parmesan onto the top of the plated salads. Plate the salad, add your cheese if that's how you choose to do it, and your croutons.

I know for sure that there are going to be people who disagree with my formula! This is for 4 people, if you prepare this for 2, you can cut it in half.

Janet, I would also love to hear more about how your career has evolved - it's very inspiring.

[TongoRad]

What wonderful photos! I'm really enjoying the blog.

As to the Caesar Salad dressing- a good way to get the garlic flavor without that intense garlicky sting that seems to throw things out of whack is to infuse the olive oil with chopped garlic for about an hour before you are going to use it, and then strain the garlic out to use in something else. (That last part is never a problem in my house )

[Megan Blocker]

And I have that other coveted city appliance -- a washer (and dryer too) -- right outside my kitchen door in the laundry room. Overall, if I had to choose, I'd take the washer/dryer over the dishwasher any day.

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Amen to that. Really, the only time I wish for a dishwasher is right after a dinner party. Other than that, I don't mind. I do mind lugging my laundry all over the neighborhood, though. I'm jealous, JAZ!

[Chufi]

That chowder looks really good. Perfect food for March, when it's still cold out, but you feel like spring, so you want food that's warm and comforting yet light.

[bleudauvergne]

I completely agree on the soup, it looks great. I haven't thought of dill in months and nows the time. The idea of using both smoked and fresh salmon sounds delicious.

[JAZ]

I'm not usually much of a breakfast person, and when I do have something, it's usually toast, with eggs or bacon if I wait and eat later on. But this morning, the leftover gingerbread was calling my name.

I'll get back to some of your comments, but first, dinner last night.

Following CaliPoutine's suggestion, I made the Chicken in Sherry Vinegar Sauce from Sally Schneider's A New Way to Cook. For those not familiar with the book, the author wanted to present good recipes modified to take out some of the fat and calories to make them more healthy but still have them taste good. She has done a pretty good job of this, although it means some of her techniques are a little long and involved.

So with this recipe, I was supposed to start with skinless chicken pieces, flour them and brown. But it's something I just couldn't bring myself to do -- I've tried it in other recipes and find that it leaves a really unpleasant hard layer of meat on the pieces that doesn't go away even with the braising that happens later. Of course, since the meat was braising, I could have just skipped the whole browning step and still gotten good results.

But, ever since I tried a new technique with braised chicken, I've gone back to it with a number of recipes and it's become my standard. The problem with braising chicken, as has been mentioned on the braising topic, is that the skin, even if it's browned to begin with, gets soft and flabby and unappealing during the braising process. The trick I learned is to get the level of liquid so that it leaves the top of the chicken uncovered. Start the braise (in the oven) covered as usual; then, when the dish is about 3/4 done, uncover the dish, turn the heat up and let the skin get crisp while the sauce starts to reduce. Works like a charm.

So that's how I made the chicken.

But first, the evening's cocktail. I realized that all I've made so far is drinks with gin, so to introduce a little variety, I made one of my own creations, a Velvet Daiquiri.

Ordinarily I make daiquiris with white rum, but this seems to work better with an aged rum.

2 oz. rum

1/2 oz. Velvet Falernum (a lime and spice rum-based liqueur)

1/2 oz lime juice

Dash of peach bitters

On to dinner. The chicken, browned.

Then you saute some shallots and deglaze the pan with sherry.

Add the rest of the ingredients, which are sherry vinegar, a little sugar, some diced drained tomatoes, chicken broth and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper, and add the chicken back in.

Cover and stick in the oven (The recipe from the book calls for stovetop braising, but that won't work with my technique) at about 325 degrees.

Here's the chicken about 25 minutes later.

You can see it's still pale and not very appetizing, but another 25 minutes (with the oven turned up to about 375) uncovered results in this:

The sauce has started to reduce and the chicken skin is nicely browned. At that point, I just removed the chicken, degreased the sauce and reduced it a little more while I finished making my first course.

I think I said yesterday that I'd picked up some broccoli raab (rabe, whatever) but it turned out I'd gotten broccolini. Thank god for Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini, which set me straight. I blanched and cooled the broccolini, and still went ahead with my plan for a lemon-anchovy dressing. I tried Erik's suggestion of mashing garlic with salt, and then I mashed in a small anchovy filet, added some lemon juice and olive oil. It occurred to me that I was getting pretty close to caesar salad dressing, albeit without eggs. So it was a good test, in a way.

It turned out well for this dish -- very lemony, which I don't know that I'd want in a caesar, but it was good with the broccolini. The garlic was present, but not harsh at all, so whether it was the mashing with salt, or the amount I used, something worked.

I served the chicken with buttered rice.

Next time I make this (I've been lucky this week -- this is another definite keeper) I think I'll serve it with polenta or grits -- not usually my choice for starch, but in this case I think the tangy sauce needs a base that's sweet and rich.

Now I have to finish last night's dishes and I'll be back with the plans for tonight's dinner.

[eJulia]

JAZ:

That chicken looks delish! What about just using thighs? I really don't like legs....

ETA: I forgot to tell you that I am loving this Blog - thanks for your efforts!

Edited March 13, 2006 by eJulia (log)

[CaliPoutine]

I'm glad you like it. I usually just remove the skin because I can't stand it.

Robin loves skin though so I might have to try your technique.

[Genny]

JAZ, super blog! I've been lurking...

Thanks for the tip on the braising the chicken to get the skin crispy. I've just dealt with the chewy meat in the past with it skinless so now I have a new method!

I am loving your dishes! Do you get them at SLT or do you have other sources for your dishes? Where do you store them considering your kitchen is space challenged?

Genny