(E) i'm back!

the other day M had a revelation. she told me about it over breakfast at Trotter's. she told me that ever since she started cooking at The Restaurant, she's noticed (and wondered about) the way the whipped cream separates if it sits a bit too long in the cooler. she just couldn't figure out why it happened.

i liked hearing about this quandry because a) it makes me feel less schizophrenic to know that my good and sane friends are also running around with funny questions zinging around inside their heads and b) because i just freaking love whipped cream. sue me.

anyhow, she finally realized that separation occurs because the milk we use at The Restaurant is not homogenized (glory! get yourself some. YUM.). you can even see it in the curvy glass bottle the cream comes in--a top of thick cream and a lower line of thinner liquid. lightbulb!

and her lightbulb became my lightbulb. a less brilliant lightbulb, but one all the same. M is always wondering about things while she works. she is always making mental notes and learning about what she loves best. i suppose i am also learning as i navigate the front of the house. but for me, it is less satisfying to take notes on the neediness of humans than it is to learn why whipped cream becomes a two-part wonder. at the risk of sounding like a frazzled stay-at-home mom, sometimes i need to do things for myself. and really, that means i need to remember and develop the things that my brain and body naturally want to do. away from work.

i tried this a few saturdays ago and learned that i can make puff pastry. and so can you! let's go:


i got this recipe from Baking by James Peterson. but now i think i will call him James "The God" Peterson. and you will see why if you ever pick up this book. "1500 photographs," it boasts, and for once, a boast be true. Peterson offers you a solid basic education on baking that will take you much farther than its pages. and the book's not even that heavy!

now for the recipe. James says that this particular puff pastry dough is best for short(er) notice projects that require flakiness, but not as much "puff". and of course, you can use the dough for myriad desserts and savories. i used mine to make the Crispy Apple Tart found later in the book. once you've gotten through this dough, the tart is a cinch. and so very golden and impressive too.



Quick Puff Pastry Dough
from Baking, by James Peterson
(makes 1 1/2 pounds of dough)

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold water

Cut sticks of butter lengthwise into quarters. Slice quarters crosswise into cubes and refrigerate.

In a bowl or on a work surface, combine flour and salt. Stir in water with your fingers or a wooden spoon until water disappears. Don't overwork the dough--it should look ragged.

Add the cold butter, form the mixture into a mound on surface and pound with rolling pin until it is about 6 by 18 inches. [my note: this may take more time and muscle than you think, so be patient. don't worry if the chunks of butter look like mosaic pieces in the dough--this means they haven't melted. good!]

If the butter starts to soften, refrigerate for 15 minutes. [my note: i did this so many times, i started to feel crazy. but trust James on this one. when in doubt, stick the sucker in the fridge.]

**Fold in the two ends of the rectangle so they meet in the center and fold again to form a packet with 4 layers of dough. The dough now has one double turn. If the dough felt elastic as you were rolling, refrigerate for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap, before continuing.

With the large single fold, like the spine of a book, on your left, roll the dough into a 6 by 18-inch rectangle. If at any point the utter starts to soften, melt, or stick to the work surface, refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Repeat the rolling and folding once more for the third turn. If you need the pastry to puff rather than just be flaky, give it one more double turn. Refrigerate the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least one hour before rolling out and baking.

**the photos in the book are really quite invaluable. i am very visual, so purely verbal descriptions of the folds kind of confuse me. if you're the same way, i would recommend buying the book straight away.

(M) it's grill-thirty somewheres

i don't care. i don't care that i'm shivering outside on the melty snow deck, sockless feet damp in the puddles. no, i don't care that my hair smells like smoke, and if i'm too lazy to shower it out before bed, that i'll spend all day tomorrow laundering my pillowcases. i don't care that "experts" say that too much char on your food means carcinogens which means cancer.

it's gwillin' season, as one mr. elmer fudd would say.

for some reason, this early spring weather always reminds me of high school, when we all had our cars parked in the school parking lot. at the first sign of spring (usually, that the thermometer showed 35 degrees), on our cattle-herding way out of the lot, we would all crank the hey, hey, LUDACRIS on our sub-standard speakers, windows open, cutting each other off and jolly flipping the bird. there was one poor traffic-wrangler, terry (who strangely enough did the same job at lunch hour--only instead of getting cars safely out of the lot, there were rambunctious sugarhigh teenagers funneling from a large cafeteria through a narrow corridor). terry was witness to this spring crazy every year, and i'm sure it both horrified and bored him. unless he was a closet li'l jon fan.

i'm planning on spending at least half my paycheck on charcoal briquettes this year. or maybe, to expedite the process, i'll just use the paycheck, envelope and all, for fuel. i grilled a few times last year, but this year i want to do it at least once a week. just as i was overwhelmed at the amount of meat and veg i could braise, stew, and roast in the winter, i can't wait to learn more about grilling and smoking. we've started firing up a weber grill at work, experimenting with slow-smoking beef, something that we will hopefully run as a special this summer, when we get a barbecue pit put in behind the patio. jealous that our kitchen manager, mark, spent a balmy (40 degrees) thursday night out with the grill, beer in hand, while i was inside sweating with the rotisserie chickens, i told him i called dibs on summer grill bitch.

could you imagine? (*cue dreamy, far-off look*) a busy sweaty night inside the restaurant, nobigdeal i'm just outside, fanning coals, roasting whole fish to order for big tables. customers driving by see the smoke and honk. i lazily look over (corncob pipe in my mouth), and do a slow tong salute. just like i brought mark (and some off-duty cooks who joined him) snacks as they barbecued on thursday night, someone would surely bring me a few cold beers as the night goes on. the night comes to an end, and the staff join me outside around the pit, cheering my name, and we all share the burnt, delicious remains of the day's grilled special.

i haven't done anything too interesting on the grill yet. on friday night, to celebrate D's fourth year living in minnesota/north america, i grilt a couple of whole mackerel, thanks to a wise, passionate man working at coastal seafoods (he said it's his favorite whole fish to grill). saturday night, i did a couple of steaks and some lamb chops. for myself to eat, i've grilled some eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, onions, etc. i tried grilling tofu both friday and saturday nights, and it was really good on friday, but shotty on saturday--could be the grill, but it's my goal to get it perfected to the point that i craaaave that shit. and p.s. the shiitake mushrooms from united noodle (usually like 3 bucks a package) are DA BOMB (that's right i just said that) on the grill--they never fall through the grate and they taste amazo, just marinated in a little soy sauce.

here's to hoping my grillin adventures become more interesting to read about, for pete's sake !

(M) easy peasy

(or, "easy queasy," depending on who you ask...)

there are a couple boys in the kitchen at work who started a little after i did, and have never had the chance to learn any of the prep for the restaurant--they just deal with the finished product. basically, that's because they were hired to replace people, and it was the middle of summer, and we needed them RIGHT NOW. it's not their fault that they didn't have the time to chop 6 quarts of jalapenos for the week, and then--hands burning--bite their lips as the lemon juice from 2 cases of lemons forces itself into the cracks in their hands where the capsaicin from the jalapenos now lives.

i'm not at all bitter. i know that they both have worked in restaurants before, and know exactly how to slice radishes or make lemonade according to recipe. and even if they didn't, they're boys, and boys seem to have less of a hard time being nervous about doing something new. i just feel grateful that i got my first couple of months at the restaurant dedicated to prep--now that i'm working different positions in the kitchen, i know exactly where everything i'm working with came from. and, when there's a lull, i know which prep i can grab, bring to my station, and zone out with. guilty as charged, i go for the easy prep.

M. (kitchen manager), said to me yesterday, "M?? you are deeeeep in it. where the hell are you??" apparently he had been standing next to me, and had asked me the same question three times, and i had shown no response. reason? i was peeling garlic--one of my faaavorite (no joke) things to do. i like that it's like peeling wallpaper--there's a system to it, and when the skin comes off in one big piece with no damage to the clove, it's a good day. it's also the best for pondering. have anything to work over in your head? grab some garlic. what the hell am i making for dinner tonight? get the garlic. why does this one cook seem to hate me? garlic.

because we were lullin it for a good two hours after the lunch rush yesterday, i spent the whole time in my head, attempting to peel eight quarts of garlic (i only made it to one), thinking about what fish i was going to buy at coastal to cook with a cash tip i got from a yuge[huge] take out order. i of course didn't spend the whole time thinking about just that, but that's about all i remember. as soon as the prep is put away, everything is settled. if there were problems, i now have a plan of action. if i need groceries, i have a Seward list memorized to the tune of "gangsta's paradise." (actually, that was just a joke but it sounds like something i should start doing, especially to that song!)

the boys let me do that easy prep, too, because they're all more interested in wielding their sharpsharp knives and chopping vegetables too small. i'm not saying that i don't do that stuff too, but, like yesterday, if all the prep for the evening shift is basically done, then garlic it is.

one thing that's driving me nuts is waiting for goddamn springtime. it happens every year--at about this point, even those who claim to LOVE winter for its winter sports and cold weather are in the corner, rocking themselves and crying when it's time to put their parkas on, AGAIN. it gets worse when we get a taste of the warm weather, like a saturday that gets up to 37 degrees, and we're all outside, walking around, light coats on, and next thing you know it's snowing 5 inches. f. (related sidenote: i just asked a still-sleeping D what he'll make me for breakfast this morning. his croaked response? "snow." nooooo!)

i can't help but start cooking spring food. my system is tired of me pounding it with butter and cream and starch. no more root vegetables, either. root vegetables, in the fall, remind me of wise, stately gentlemen. now, when i'm ready for spring, they're more like the noisy, punky dressed preteens whose parents think they're old enough to be dropped off at the library in swarms all day. i've gotta get away from them.

what's one of your favorite ever spring foods? that is a question that soo many people have never asked me. and they never will. because likely, no one cares. well, SHUT UP.
they happen to be fava beans--the greenest bean, i think. big, grassy, and if you cook them just right, melty-tender. they also call for the most prep to get to the cooking stage, and unless you buy a lot, there's little yield. they're quite a punishing vegetable (actually, legume, but you wouldn't catch me ever calling them that--what an unnatural name, legume).



now is the time to go to Holy Land grocery every saturday and buy up a few pounds of fava beans. beyond the flavor, one of the reasons i buy them a lot is to remind me that spring does exist, and because they're reminiscent of the slow, consistent prep i'm so fond of at work. first stage: remove beans from pods. second stage: remove skins from each individual bean. it takes a lot longer than you'd guess. if you get that far, you just might experience the garlic-peeling nirvana that i do with a plate full o' peel favas.

(M) does pear tart count as a vegetarian entree?

how did a vegetarian ever get hired to be a professional cook? you ask. well screeeeew you. just kidding. the most important thing i did to get hired at a restaurant whose cooler is dense with meatstuffs was...lie. actually, technically, you'd call it a lie of omission. the owner/exec. chef of the place didn't even find out until about a month ago, and i've been working there since may. booyah!

it wasn't easy at first. especially in that first week, when they wanted me to taste everything so i could start to learn the menu (the first day, when i was filling up a to-go box of food to take home, i basically pulled a "hey, what's that over there??" and when everyone looked away i closed up the box, sans meat, and quickly ambled to the exit). since i was new and only prepping for the first month, it wasn't completely necessary to taste all the meat. learning to cook all the food for the menu was surprisingly pretty easy...coming to terms with deliberately tasting your first piece of meat in thirteen years is where the rocket science comes in. the panic only lasted for half a second (.0003 dog years), and i think the kitchen manager, an old friend who by that point had found out about my no meat deal, was more hesitant than i was. it came down to me wanting more than ever to be a good cook, and if that meant M the vegetarian getting second chair trumpet, then so be it. i like to tell people that i've been bought--"they're PAYING me to eat meat!"

the strange thing that has happened, however, is that i've become kind of verrry interested in cooking meat at home. i don't know if it's (1)because of the chemistry of it (something i read about and will probably never really understand because science hates my brain), that (2)i'm preparing myself for my next cooking job (when they ask "have you cooked this before?" i want to be able to shout "duh of course i have, what do you think i'm some kinda idiot??!"), or (3)that everyone around me eats meat and most of them know at least a little bit about cooking it, and i'm just trying to catch up. i have a sneaking suspicion it's bachelor number three.

so for awhile now i've been cooking my little heart out, every week trying to make protein-centered dinners for E and D(boyfriend). i had a small sad moment some time last week when i realized that i had managed to make dinner for everyone else, and had forgotten, once again, to make something that I wanted to eat. it seems like it's been FOREVER since i have cooked for myself. seriously, like 2 dog years. a COON's age. i also feel like i haven't baked something worthy of being proud of for awhile. i'll make something chocolate every week just so D doesn't whine about not having dessert with his bag lunch, but it hasn't been something i love for...1/3 of a dog year. i'm envious that E craves something so hard that she makes it and then gobbles it up, where i've become accustomed to eating chunks of bread and cheese. that's not a complaint, mind y'all, but that sort of diet has turned my work amble into sort of a waddle. vegetables are missed.

scouring the worldwide online intraweb last week, i settled on a few things i wanted to try. surprisingly, it was harder than i thought. i felt like a snob artist turning my nose up at my muse--no inspiration whatsoever. eventually i was won over by the promise of fava beans and basmati rice. i made such a dish last night for the olympic opening ceremonies, while D and his brother got a cute, crusty chicken pot pie (i couldn't help myself!). alas, because E and i are suffering succotash from headcolds this week, the fava bean deal was pretty good, but i'd put in too many spices because of my clogged tastebuds. nothing to write home (or on a blog) aboot.<--holy canadian reference! olympics, anyone???

i've been focusing all week on cooking for myself, and having others partake. i was also inspired by a slam dunk (olympics!! ...ok, summer olympics...) lunch i had at one of my FAVORITE PLACES EVER to visit, the 318 cafe in excelsior. quite a hike, but the staff and grub are soo worth it. case in point: two o'clock in the afternoon, Tom, one of the proprietors says "M, what can i get for you? glass of wine?" i was floored. what a genius! why hadn't i thought of having a glass of wine with lunch ever? it was my day off, so OF COURSE i had the glass of wine. i told him to bring me a red he liked, and he chose a spicy malbec. winner chicken dinner!

relaxed, i was buzzy from wine and shop talk (Tom's other place, the Green Room, in waconia, has unjustly closed), and asked for their pear tarte tatin for dessert. as Tom came back to clear my licked-clean dessert plate, the only word i could manage was "anotherrrr..!" small slices of d'anjou pears with their tender skins left on were deeply, DEEPly caramelized with a sweet, burnt-sugary, buttery sauce pooling around the flaky crust. somehow, they had managed to produce a pretty fluted edge to the crust, even though that part is baked upside-down. two slices of the tart PLUS lunch PLUS that beautiful daytime glass of wine, and i was coma-style drooling from happiness.

two things i made this last week that i'm willing to share were a pear tarte tatin, and a simple flatbread i made for myself when i got home just to stave off my appetite when i was getting ready to cook. it turned out to be the week's winner, and it's plum-easy: just grab whatever flat, bready thing you like (mine = two slices of sourdough), and melt fresh mozzerella cheese (in my case, some GORGEOUS Comte-->see post #1), and then put toasted pine nuts and arugula on top. it's an herby, nutty, meltingly easypeasy flatbread (and vegetarian!)



here's the pear tarte tatin, as well:


Pear Tarte Tatin
Adapted from Orangette

5-6 large d'anjou pears (i used red and green ones)
Juice and zest of one lemon
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 T. butter, divided
1 sheet of puff pastry

Peel and quarter the pears, removing the cores such that each quarter has a flat inner side. Toss the pear quarters in a large bowl with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and ½ cup of the sugar. Set aside for 30 minutes.

In a skillet (mine's 12 inches) set over medium heat, melt 4 (or 6, if you're me), tablespoons of the butter. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar, along with a few tablespoons of the apple-lemon juices. Stir to mix. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, for about 15 minutes, or until the mixture is a smooth, bubbly, pale caramel color.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add pear quarters, arranging them rounded-side-down in a decorative pattern. Arrange a second layer of pears on top wherever they fit. Top the pears with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter (or more!), cut into dice.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the pears over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, occasionally spooning the bubbling caramel liquid over them. Shift the pan as necessary so that the pears cook evenly. They are ready when the liquid in the pan has turned to a thick, amber ooze. The pears should still be slightly firm. Do not allow them to get entirely soft or the liquid to turn dark brown. Remove the pan from the heat.

On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to a thickness of about 3/16 inch. Using a sharp, thin knife, trace a circle in the pastry about 1/2 inch wider all around than the skillet, and trim away any excess. Carefully lay the pastry circle over the apples in the skillet, tucking the overlap down between the apples and the inside of the pan.

Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the pastry has risen, and is dry and golden brown. Remove the skillet from the oven, and let it to rest for a minute or two. Tilt the pan and look down inside the edge: if there is a lot of juice, pour most of it off into a bowl, and eat it like it's soup, when really it's a bowl of hot buttery caramel sauce. [Do not pour it all off, or the apples may stick to the pan.] Place a serving platter upside-down over the skillet and, working quickly and carefully (it’s hot!), invert the tart onto the platter. Rearrange any pear slices that may have slipped or stuck to the skillet.



mine turned out a little less burnt-sugary than i'd like, only because i pulled it early from the oven, afraid of it burning. be fearless, let it caramelize, pour a glass of malbec. them's the orders.