Charleston Cooks: Cooking Class

I'm a sucker for a good culinary store.    I love gadgets, especially brightly colored ones.   Attach a cooking school to a kitchen shop and I'm in a little bit of heaven.

On my last visit to Charleston with my mom several years ago, we spent time wandering around the Charleston Cooks shop on East Bay, vowing to return and sign up for one of the many classes on our next visit.   We never got around to doing it together, but luckily I have a husband who is a really good sport and actually enjoys cooking.   We signed up for the first class after our arrival in Charleston, with an emphasis on low country cooking.

After eating our "first" lunch at Slightly North of Broad, which is part of the Maverick Kitchens Group that also owns Charleston Cooks, we popped across the street to the shop next door and browsed until it was time to start.

Our class was demonstration style and we were seated in rows in front of the bright and roomy kitchen.   I would have preferred to join in the cooking but we didn't time our visit right for one of the participatory classes they offer.  The chef instructor and her team kept it fun though, very engaging and informative.

We learned about the rice of Charleston, pigs, okra and all kinds of other tidbits about low country cooking.   Since eating is one of my favorite things to do in Charleston, it was interesting to learn more about its history in the region.   Also picked up a great onion cutting technique that I'm looking forward to practicing at home.  

The end result of our roughly two hours was a tasting of the dishes prepared during class.    We had Pecan Encrusted Catfish, Carolina Aromatic Rice and Vegetable Saute and a Chocolate Chess Pie.  All served with a glass of Chardonnay which paired really well with the buttery flavors in the fish and rice.   

My first experience with both catfish and chess pie and loved them both!    As soon as I can get some really fresh corn and okra in my CSA box, the rice dish will also definitely be making an appearance on the blog.    Good stuff.

Highly recommend making a stop here while you are in Charleston (but might skip lunch first!)   A list of classes is located here and you can sign up on line.  

After class we wandered back out to the shop and picked up a few new gadgets with our class discount for our home kitchen.    I love cooking with things I've picked up during my travels.

The sun was back out in full force at this point, so we walked around for awhile, attempting to burn off some calories from our double lunches before stopping back at the B&B to check in and begin the next part of our adventure.

Ever attend a cooking class while traveling?    Did it enhance your travel experience?

Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Whole Wheat Pasta

Lately, you've been seeing a lot of baking showing up here on the blog.   There's actually a bit of method to my madness.  

I have always been one who expresses my creativity in the kitchen.   Helps relieve stress.   My zen time.   My husband views it as the opposite, affectionately referring to me as the 'little tornado'.    

I was thinking that maybe there was some truth in this observation.  Perhaps my cooking could use a little more precision.   Hence, all of the baking as of late.    As you know, following the recipe is pretty critical to achieving the end results.   Definitely requires focus.

(A minor, but surmountable, challenge for me as I've never been one to follow directions or play by the rules.    That said, it has been a wonderful learning experience and well worth the effort.)

Today's recipe is getting back to my roots, one of those random creations that actually turned out quite well, and I might add, is full of lots of healthy nutrients which for me, is most important.   Plus it contains so many of my favorite ingredients... what's not to love?  

Before you cringe at the combination of red pepper, avocado and lemon, it is actually very good. The avocado adds creaminess and the roasted red pepper and lemon add extra depth and brightness.   Top that with a little feta cheese and green onion... makes for a very striking and vivid presentation.


Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Whole Wheat Pasta

Ingredients
2 roasted red peppers*, sliced and seeds removed
1 medium sized ripe avocado, pitted and quartered
juice of one lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tomato, diced
2 teaspoons olive oil
fat free feta cheese
sliced green onion
1 pound whole wheat pasta (your choice, I used penne)

Preparation
1.   Boil water in large pot.    Add whole wheat pasta and cook until al dente.   Drain, reserving one cup of pasta water and set aside.
2.   Add roasted red peppers, avocado and juice of lemon to food processor.    Process until creamy and any lumps removed.   Set aside.
3.  In large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat and saute garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.    Add diced tomato, cook another 1-2 minutes.  
4.  Add reserved pasta to large skillet and toss with tomato and garlic until warm and mixed.  
5.  Add roasted red pepper sauce to skillet and toss until heated.    Add additional pasta water if needed to thin sauce.
6.  Serve with fat free feta cheese and sliced green onion.

*I roasted my own red peppers, but I think this could also work well with drained roasted red peppers in a jar.

Healthy, colorful and hearty enough for a cool winter's evening.    Comfort food with a creative twist.

What's your cooking style?    Creative, throw stuff together type?   Baking queen?   A little bit of both?

Culinary Risk Taking

Do you have a list?

You know the one.

The "list of everything I need to do/accomplish/attempt before 'x'" (insert age of 30, death, baby, marriage or any other significant life milestone).

We all have them.  Some lists may be more organized than others.   Mine is filed away mentally, although I am seriously considering putting it down on paper one of these days.   For two reasons, one, because my memory just isn't what is used to be and two, because if you put it down on paper, then somehow, it is more real.   Besides, then you get to check stuff off of it and this is (almost) the best part.

My list is long.   It has many things on it.   I've been hacking away at it this past year.   Some items are big, some not so big.   All are things I'd like to give a shot.

Today's post isn't about the big things.    Not the skydiving, flame eating, swimming with sharks or public karaoke singing variety.   (I lie, none of these are on the list.   John's maybe, not mine.)

It is about a small little portion of the list, a tiny corner reserved especially for culinary risk taking.    You may laugh, but I am serious.   I have a list of things that I have always been a little timid to try.   (too many ingredients, challenging technique, just darn impossible, etc.).   Most of recipes definitely require a little time, a luxury which I have actually had this past year.    

I have been slowly but surely working through my list.   Some items I will make public, many I will not, some are still in hold status, requiring a true bout of courage.

(Macaron anyone?  I will conquer these ... someday.)

So when John came home before the holidays and announced that he needed  a gift for the office... like, tomorrow, (Is this what it is like to have kids?  If so, sigh...), a little brain child appeared that softly whispered to me.... "Make Caramel.   (Preferably caramel squares wrapped in an outer layer of soft pillowy marshmallow.)"

Huh?

First, I've never made caramel in my life.   Wait, I've never made candy in my life.   But it is on the mental list and I suppose there is no time like the present and I'm sure John's office won't mind being guinea pigs (yet again).

Did I mention that I do not have a candy thermometer? (Warning One - Please do not try making caramel at home without one. I had no idea what I was delving into.)

Caramel making is a tedious process.    It requires time and lots of patience.   Lots of time.   Lots of patience.    Slowly (slowly) but surely the little list of sweet and buttery ingredients will transform itself into what is was always intended to be.    (Warning Two - You WILL get sick if you "taste test" too much of this stuff.    I am like a little kid with sugar.   Too much is never a good thing.  Trust me on this.)

In the end, we had a lovely little gift of individually parchment wrapped caramels for the office.     I am skipping all of the steps in the middle, because my point here is really about risk taking, not the recipe.     The quote I can never remember but that would apply here is the one about if you keep doing the same things over and over again, you will keep getting the same results.    And one of my favorites, what's the worst that will happen that if you try and fail?  

(PS - If you are wondering, huge fail in the marshmallow wrapping.   Huge.   Disgusting in fact.   I'll leave that to your imagination.  Also, incredibly fun to clean up.)

You can apply the lessons above to the little things, in this case, culinary risk taking in the form of a small adventure in caramel, or you can apply them to the big things.   As an added bonus, a little success in the way of small things will go a long way in giving you a little extra courage for the big things.

Besides, all of this gives me a nice little answer to those that ask me what I do on my days at home.   Culinary risk taking has a nice ring to it, I think.    Kind of even makes it sounds important.

So throw caution to the wind and give "it" a shot!    What's next on YOUR list?

Blueberry Boy Bait

Anyone else out there in a relationship with a workaholic?

I can't be the only one.

My then boyfriend, now fiance, soon to be husband falls squarely into this category.    It is all very admirable and I respect him greatly for the care he puts into his profession, however, I've also learned that sometimes I need to employ special tactics to lure him away.

Sometimes it takes really REALLY special tactics.     The big guns.

Like last summer.    I ran across a special girly lotion called Blueberry Boy Bait.   Interesting name, right?   I read a little and found out the lotion was based on a special recipe by the same name.    Created in 1954 by a young girl in the Pillsbury Bake Off junior division who recognized the special effect it had on young men and named it accordingly.

Well, sold, seems like this might do the trick.   I added yet another bottle of pretty girly lotion to my collection in the already overflowing cabinet.   Yes, I have a lifetime supply, in probably every flavor imaginable.  I know I am not alone in this either.

Flashback to last year.  Late summer evening.   John's working in his kitchen on the laptop.   I proudly prance into the room all lathered up in my special boy bait.  

"What's that smell?"

"Me!  Don't you love it?"

"Um.   No.   Gross."

Crushed I tell you.   That lotion never saw the light of day again.   It is hidden in the back now, buried under other goodies awaiting a true dermatological emergency.

Needless to say, the story stuck with me and when I ran across the recipe recently from Smitten Kitchen, I sensed it was time to give it, hopefully, a more successful shot.    I've been good on my no sugar, minimal carb diet all week in preparation for this attempt.    The blueberries have been resting in the fridge since Thursday.

Last night, we're making dinner.  

John says, "I am going to put blueberries in my salad."

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!"

I think the hint worked.    I received a one line email from him from work today asking if he should pick up ice cream after work.

He thinks I am making pie.   Little does he know, I'm making Boy Bait.

Here's the recipe, adapted from Smitten Kitchen's version who modified the Cook's Country magazine who adapted it from the original boy baiter in 1954.


Blueberry Boy Bait  (serves 12)

Cake Ingredients
2 cups plus 1 tsp all purpose flour
1 tbls baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 sticks softened butter (yes, two!)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup fat free milk (original recipe calls for whole or even buttermilk, but this was all I had)
1 1/2 cups blueberries (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup, fresh or frozen, but we reallllly like blueberries)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Use a 9x13 glass pan.   Butter sides and bottom.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, blend together softened butter and the two sugars.    Blend for about two minutes.    Add one egg at a time, blending until incorporated.    Add 1/3 of flour mixture and blend.   Add 1/2 cup of milk and blend.   Add another 1/3 of flour and blend.   Add final 1/2 cup of milk and blend.   Add final 1/3 of flour and blend.   The mixture should be light and creamy and fluffy at this point.

Toss blueberries with teaspoon of flour and gently fold into the large bowl.    Be careful to leave the blueberries in tact or you will dye your batter prematurely.

Carefully spread mixture into the your greased pan.  

Mix topping and sprinkle all over top.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes.    Cool for 15 minutes.   Eat warm or at room temperature.

PS - It worked.   

Early this evening.    I hear the garage door open.   The suspense is killing me.    Shoes on the floor.    I tense up a little bit. 

"What's that smell?"

"I made it for you."

"Really?   It smells amazing."

"Wait until you try it."   (I can say this because I've already eaten several scraps that conveniently broke away.)

And the rest is history.   He loved it.   Boy bait worked. 

This is one fabulous recipe.   A keeper.   As a bonus, it is edible at any time of the day. Seriously.   Bon Appetit!

Candied Maple Bacon Oatmeal Muffins

Special Sunday mornings call for totally decadent outrageously imaginative breakfasts.   One of life's sweetest pleasures.

Even better when you get to share them with someone you love!   This is the first Sunday in a gazillion Sundays that John is not working and we have so many fun things planned.   The only thing is... he's still sleeping.   I believe he will sleep until noon if I let him.   Considering he's been working days and nights for months, I shall allow him this little treat.

Which means I get to play in the kitchen until he wakes up and then we get to eat bed and breakfast style.   Yay!   Minus the 70 year olds.

I was reading on line this morning that men prefer breakfast in bed to bed and breakfast.   Duh.   I think we might actually be a little weird though.   We do enjoy sitting around the table with a bunch of strangers early in the morning on our days off eating fancy little breakfast things.   It is pleasant, civilized.  

Bottom line, if John does happen to make it out of bed today, he will have a fabulous breakfast waiting for him.    Plus a very sunny happy me which is always a good thing.

Check this out... this morning I am perusing and I run across this recipe for Maple Bacon Oatmeal Muffins on FoodBuzz this morning.     A recipe inspired by imagination... gotta love that.

But better yet, listen to these ingredients.   Bacon.   Oatmeal.   Maple.

How can I not try this?   I gave it my own little spin too.   I have had in the back of my mind forever that someday I must try candied bacon.   The kind you slather in sweet stuff and bake in the oven until it turns into CANDIED BACON.   Totally crazy.  

So here's the recipe...  adapted slightly from Hot Polka Dot's very own Love Muffin:  Bacon Maple Oatmeal

Ingredients
3 packages instant maple brown sugar oatmeal
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 strips candied bacon, cooked, chopped

Note:   I made the bacon first.   Basically just put down five pieces on a baking sheet.   Preheated oven to 350 degrees.   Painted each strip with a thin layer of maple syrup.   Sprinkled each with sugar.    Put it in oven for ten minutes.   Flipped them.   Sprinkled more sugar on second side.    Baked for another five minutes or so.   I let them cool and then crumbled it up into candied bacon goodness.   Yes, I ate some too.   How can you not?

Back to the real recipe,

1.   Keep the oven on 350.   Fill muffin tin with liners.  I used the gorgeous little silver liners that I've had sitting around since a time when some friends and I had the brilliant idea to open our own dog bakery.   Needless to say, I still had them available.
2.   Mix the packages of oatmeal with the milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
3.   In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
4.  Add the egg, sugar, maple syrup and butter to the liquid mix.
5.   Gently stir in the flour mixture to the liquid mixture.   Add the bacon.
6.  Pour liners 3/4 the way full.   Bake in oven.   About 20-25 minutes.

If John ever wakes up, I'll let you know how they turn out.   They smell FANTASTIC though.   This alone may get him downstairs.

On another note, I think I need to put a picture of my wedding dress on the fridge as incentive to stop eating like this.    Now that we have a date in mind, I suppose I need to cut back a bit.

Wishing you a fabulous Sunday filled with yummy breakfast with loved ones.   Or if you are sitting in the kitchen, by yourself, drinking tea and hanging out with your cats while the sweet smell of candied maple bacon wafts through the house, that's fine too.

Cherry Pie Day

This is one fabulous pie.    In the most simplistic and yummiest way possible.   And since we've all been soooo good this week, I think we definitely deserve a little dessert heading into the weekend.

I have to confess this is only my second attempt at a pie in my entire life.    The first attempt, a well intentioned blueberry pie with cornmeal crust, just recently actually, didn't quite live up to expectation.   It tasted really really good but looked horrid.  I massacred the crust.  Wow.   It was not attractive.  I like things to look pretty.  

I also like a good challenge.    I figure I should learn how to make a pie so that when I'm old and grey and my future children talk about how wonderful their mother was they can say things like "Remember that fabulous pie we used to have?" and other similar glowing comments.  

I've been combing through recipes on blogs like crazy and was so super thrilled when I saw one that seemed so easy that it would be perfect for my next try.    And it was a cherry pie too.   And I had cherries already in my possession waiting for me to do something with them.    Yesterday was therefore deemed cherry pie day.  

PS - I love my life.   Cherry Pie Day.   A year ago, the thought would have never crossed my mind.

Back to the recipe.   I found it on a wonderfully entertaining and lovely blog, Zoom Yummy by Petra.

Check out the recipe here.

Look at that ingredient list!   Short and sweet.    And who doesn't love cherries?

The crust was incredibly simple to make.   I was momentarily horrified by the massive amount of butter I threw into my little machine, but once it started blending and the butter turned into a lovely pile of dough, I forgot all about it.   If you don't see it, it must not exist.   Sometimes that is a good philosophy.

Once I blended it all up and rolled it into a nice little circle, I threw it into the fridge to 'chill'.   Took all of maybe five minutes to bring it together.  

With the dough relaxing, it was on to the cherries.    I seriously need to invest in a cherry pitter.   I didn't think hand pitting three cups of cherries would be all that bad.    It was definitely do-able, but just really messy and time consuming.   My kitchen looked a tiny bit like a crime scene with me as the guilty party. It was kind of a soothing task, mindless chopping away, but just plain messy.  

After chopping up all the cherries, it was on to making the filling.   Unbelievably simple.  I had no idea it would be this easy.   Cook the cherries in water, throw in some cornstarch and sugar, and mix until properly thickened.    Gorgeous color and fun to sample as it reached the appropriate state.   That's it.  Filling done.

Dough is ready for me now.   This is the part I was most terrified of.   Last time I tried this, I started rolling out the dough and it just kept tearing apart.   Then once I thought I might have a sheet, I attempted to add it to the pie plate where it completely disintegrated.   It had some sort of meltdown and forgot to act like dough.  This was so disheartening.  

This time around I approached it with a little more patience.   Carefully rolling out the dough, using flour when appropriate and my favorite tip of all, curling up over the rolling pin and laying gently into the plate.   No casualties.   At this point, I was feeling pretty impressed with myself.

The recipe has some awesome instructions on how to make a lattice crust.    I wasn't sure I would attempt it when I started, but my confidence told me I could do it.     I tried to photograph the steps along the way, but really, you should just look at the one's in the original recipe.    They are perfect.   It was fun, and seriously easy too!   I was so happy with how it turned out.  

My fiance came home and looked at it and said, "Now that is a pie".  Yay!

The recipe called for 45 minutes in the oven, but for some reason, mine didn't cooperate.   I left it in another half hour or so until the top started to brown and all of the yummy cherry juice started to bubble up through the lattice.

Isn't it beautiful?

And it tasted even better.   Not too sweet at all.   Perfect cherry.   Good flaky crust.     You simply must try this recipe.  

And since the pie was so good to me, I figured it deserved a little ice cream as a reward.   Not just any ice cream, but the creamiest, sweetest tahitian vanilla bean gelato.   A perfect match.  

Yum.

Next week I'll be taking you back on my European adventure with me.   I have been procrastinating telling you the rest of my story, but I think I am ready now!

Happy Pie-Day!   Wishing you all a wonderful happy summer weekend ahead!

Grilled Pizza with Italian Sausage

Grilled pizza is kind of like the epitome of summer for me.    It is easy, colorful and fresh.    What's not to love?   The preparation is actually also an incredibly fun social activity if you get others involved.     Perfect for informal evening parties or family gatherings on the deck.

This is one of those foods that brings back deep memories of growing up in New Hampshire.   My mother went through a grilled pizza phase for a couple of summers.  Once you get the basics down, this is a perfect food for experimenting with and it is so flexible since everyone can choose their own toppings.    I remember those summer evenings like they were yesterday.   So much fun.  While summer in New England isn't long, those perfect summer days and nights are truly memorable.

One other note on this, if you've been following me around since Italy, you'll also know that I am a huge fan of super thin crispy pizza, the kind that can only be achieved in ovens heated to a gazillion degrees.   I have found that while not exactly the same, I can achieve a similar effect on the grill.   Super high temps help crisp the dough and prepare for toppings and it imparts a lovely smokiness that adds so much flavor and depth.

I found this recipe on Epicurious.com.   One of my favorite sites for browsing (aka time wasting).  If you search for grilled pizza, you'll find a bunch of recipes, but I'd start with this one because it is so amazingly fantastic.    It is honestly not hard, even though the instructions look super long.     I'd also encourage you to make this exactly as noted.  I have a tendency to change things around, but this recipe is seriously perfect as is.    Oh, and the fresh rosemary in here is outstanding, it really makes a difference.

Grilled Pizza with Spicy Italian Sausage

I will confess to one small variation.   We substituted mild for spicy sausage.   I love spicy.   John doesn't.   I've learned to compromise when needed!

Oops, actually two.  I used cherry tomatoes since we had those available.

John and I made this together.  I made the dough and prepped all the fun and colorful ingredients.   He was in charge of the grilling activity.   Everything came together just beautifully.

It is a gorgeous dish to look at with all of the color and contrast.     The flavors are also a perfect balance of sweet, smoky, fresh and tangy.    We looked at each other after the first bite and literally almost did a happy dance in the kitchen.  

Love, love, love this recipe.    Definitely a summer keeper, although next time we'll invite friends over for a fun evening.   Lots of versatility with wine pairing too.   This would be perfect with a crisp pinot grigio or lightly sweet rose or even a chianti to pick up the smokiness in the sausage.  

Bon Appetit!

Fresh Pasta in Italy

My favorite part of Cooking Classes in Rome.... making fresh pasta!   So much fun and so good.  I can't wait to try and recreate this at home.

Wishing you a fabulous weekend!