Magic, Now and Then

As children, magic is our comfort zone.  It is that small place in the world where anything can happen, not bound by time or space or reason.  It is the one reality that, when everything else seems to turn sour, stays vibrant.  When our lives become so passive that we desperately search for a parallel one, we find that magic fills an empty space.  But eventually, we all reach the age at which we learn that the tooth-fairy is really our mother, that our dolls do not have a secret life when we sleep, that there are no monsters under the bed, and that we were not dropped on the doorstep by a stork.  Magic disappears from our reality and is soon replaced with a rigid sensibility reinforced by years of schooling.  Rational thought overpowers curiosity, while peace chokes youth’s excitement and wonder.  The thrill of magic dies.

But it leaves a spark… a spark desperately waiting to be reignited.

One of the places that fans that spark is the professional kitchen.  The professional kitchen is a place of magic.  Orders are sent in at lightning speed, meats are cooked to the desired temperature and tenderness, and side dishes are tweaked to satisfy each costumer.  All the dishes are ready at the exact same moment for each table, piping hot, with a garnish to complement the taste and a clean plate.  By some miracle, the waiters pick up numerous plates, without dropping any of the items balanced on those plates, reaching the table with steam still rising above the food, a clean apron, and a calm smile that asks ‘is everything to your liking?’.  Any sense of time dissolves, as minutes turn into hours, orders rolling in as fast as the machine can handle.  Simultaneously, tens of tables are being served.  Special requests are fulfilled.  Dirty dishes are cleaned and replaced.  Somehow, everyone manages to hear the expediter’s orders over the clang of pots and pans on the stovetop, over the banging of the oven doors.  Plates are decorated for the appropriate dish.  Orders are cooked to perfection.  Dishes are sent back with sometimes completely ridiculous complaints.  Knives slice, dice and chop.  Observing carefully, you may be able to decipher the precise, calculated dance steps that create the dance of a professional kitchen.

In the small confines of the kitchen, you are the king of the world, completely omnipotent.  Imagination molds reality, while creativity dictates your every decision.  There is no-one questioning your judgment, no-one testing your intelligence, no-one trying to reason with you, or argue with your way of doing, because in the kitchen, you are right.  You are powerful.  You are beautiful.  Why?  How?

Well, the kitchen is a place of magic.  It is that small place in the world where anything can happen, not bound by time or space or reason.  It is the one reality that, when everything else seems to turn sour, stays vibrant.  Curiosity and wonder overpower rationality and sensibility.  The thrill of youth is revived.  We call it magic.

a few of my favorite!

honey-orange chicken
- wash 4 chicken legs and dry them WELL. pour honey on it, not too much, but enough to be able to coat the chicken with your hands. let that sit for a bit to soak in while you squeeze two oranges or so, and pour the orange juice on the chicken. dash of paprika and (secret ingredient:) quite a bit of cinnamon. stick that in at 375 covered, for about half an hour, then uncover till it caramelizes on top. when that's done, turn the chicken over and again put paprika and cinnamon. let that bake for a bit longer uncovered, maybe 15 minutes? or a bit longer even? untill it looks cooked on that side too. when you take it out, cover it REALLY well to keep in the moisture, and keep the chicken in the juice. do not throw away the sauce!! it is delicious for the noodles!! it's really just honey and orange juice and cinnamon tasting. REALLY GOOD!!!

white and red quinoa with chestnuts
- easiest thing! take white quinoa and red quinoa, cook them as directed on the box (about 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water for the white, and 1 cup quinoa to 1.25 cups water for the red). it usually cooks about 15-20 minutes, so add crushed chestnuts- straight out of the bag!- after 10 minutes, so that the flavor gets infused. you'll know it's ready when the kernels have a white ring around them that starts to fall away.

potato kugel
- mix 2 eggs, about 3 tbsps of flour, a heaping tbsp of salt and a dash of pepper together. into that mixture in that bowl, grate 8/9 potatoes and 2 onions. move fast so that the potatoes don't brown. what i do is peel them all and put them in cold water. then grate them as fast as i can. add one more egg if you feel it is not holding together well (i did add it). mix only with your hands. pour into greased pan and back at 375 covered for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. then uncover and take it out when it's nicely browned on top. don't hesitate to leave it in for a long time. potatoes can handle a long oven-time.

red wine - caramelized onion meat
- in nonstick pan, fry 3 onions (with veggie oil, not olive oil!). when they are gently browned, let them simmer in just a bit of water (a couple tbsp only!) and balsamic vinegar (maybe 1 tbsp, maybe 2). reduce for a bit of a sauce, but there should really be barely any liquid there. meanwhile, wash your meat but dry it really well (that's the trick to not having dry meat), and pour the onions on top. add red wine, cover very very very well. put in 325 oven for hours! could be 3 hours or so- just check after a couple hours to make sure it's doing well. eventually uncover it for a bit, but not too long so that it does not dry out... could be just 15 minutes or so! again, cover really well when you take it out, and keep it in the sauce- serve with the sauce, and with something like quinoa it is a dream!)

baked sweet potato-cranberry dish
- such an easy one! cut sweet potatoes relatively thin. place in a greased pan. put cranberries with it. on the side make a little mixture of a bit of oil, brown sugar, and water (to maximize). pour that onto the sweet potatoes. bake about forty minutes covered (till it gets nice and soft) at about 375, and then uncover and let it caramelize- THIS IS SO YUMMY!!

chocolate almond cake
- probably the best, easiest, most crowd-pleasing dessert that exists.
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup almonds
½ cup oil (Not olive oil)
200 grams of chocolate
preheat oven to 375. melt the chocolate and mix it with the eggs, quickly, so that the eggs don't have time to cook. add the oil, almonds, and sugar, and bake for about 40 minutes, maybe more or less, until the top starts to crack well, and when you stick in a knife it comes out clean completely.

strawberry mango smoothie
- frozen strawberries and frozen mango. fresh orange juice. food processor. it's that delicious, and that quick!

Muffins with the Main

A common misconception: muffins are only eaten for dessert. If I may, I would like to suggest an alternative. Muffins do not have to be sweet, and they do not have to have cups and cups of sugar. Personally, I find it to be an interesting and fun twist to the main course. So this week, I opted for cranberry orange muffins to complement the prune chicken, mushrooms-greenbeans, and white rice.

First and foremost, I implore you to use FRESH orange juice. It's so simple, and so much less artificial. And trust me, you can taste it in the final product. When you can, you should ALWAYS use fresh ingredients, be it vegetables, fruits, or juice.

But back to the recipe...

2 C gluten-free flour (I used brown rice flour), 1/2 C almond flour (delicious with the cranberries, as you can imagine), only half a cup of sugar, 1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder, 2.5 tsp baking powder, 1 C orange juice, 2 eggs, 1/4 C oil, 1 C cranberries (recipe calls for dried cranberries, I used fresh... it's up to you).

When you see a recipe like this, you feel immediately that something rings right. There are no enormous quantities, no bizarre ingredients, no ridiculous amount of sugar... It looks reasonable, and the ingredients feel right. The fun of this recipe is that you need not get too busy with it: simply mix the dry ingredients together, and then toss in the wet ones. At the end, throw in the cranberries, and there you go!

Bake them in the 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or so, until the top is golden-brown. For those who like it to be a bit more sweet (since the cranberries are definitely a sour touch), you can make a glaze. Simply boil some sugar with water or juice, let it thicken a bit, and pour over the muffins.

This recipe made 24 scrumptious cupcakes.

Muffins are fun. They're pretty. And they're delicious!

Happy eatings!

a kind of culture shock

I know I recently talked about this, but it cannot be helped. This past Friday I made meringues. Except this time, I was in a foreign country. I thought it would be simple- the recipe calls for not much more than eggs, sugar, and chocolate. But here's the catch... When you're in a new country, the ingredients are new, too. I must say I was quite surprised. First of all, the sugar was far too sweet, as were the chocolate chips. The eggs were significantly smaller, and the salt absolutely DOES NOT salt! And the oven!! Converting temperatures from farenheit to celcius is of no use- you have to play around with the settings of the oven until you find a temperature that suits you.
I'm embarrassed, but I'll admit- it was tough. The first batch was burnt on the outside and still raw inside, when I only left them in the oven for half the usual time. The second batch was unbearabley sweet, and the rest was ok... not amazing. Sure does something to the ego, let me tell you! But I hope to get used to the new food, new tools, new place...

Happy eatings to all of you folks out there!

(shout-out Jennie and Pinchas :) )

And enjoy your Thanksgiving!

appetite abroad

I was sure that when I left the house to spend a year abroad, I would spend time cooking up a storm. But here I am, six months after graduating high-school, spending the year in Israel, and I find myself in the kitchen less often than at home! But I have been making more time for my hobby, so the past couple of weeks have been better. I think this blog will slowly transform into the student's guide to eating well even under time pressure and work-load. And it will encourage me to brave the exhaustion/laziness and cook.

Tonight, for example, I had a half hour break for supper. You can imagine that those moments, while rushing in between two classes, was not the ideal moment for making a nutritious supper. I was tempted to slouch in the living room with crackers, peanut-butter, jelly, and a book. But my inner chef refused. So...

One of the most useful inventions, a must have for all students: rice noodles- those that cook in under a minute. LITERALLY! Super thin, pretty plain, interesting consistency... I boiled water in a small pot. While that was happening, I took out a piece of salmon and prepared the plate. As soon as the water was boiling, I threw in some rice noodles, and within a minute, I had my meal! On the noodles I sprinkled some balsamic-olive oil salad dressing, and on top of that I put the salmon. Quick and easy. And so delicious. Felt like a home-made meal!

More to come. I will not let another six months pass without posting :)

mmmmmmeringues

It's been so long since last time I've posted. This school-year was hectic; completely draining physically and emotionally. But now that I'm back to myself, I'm back to my blog, too. Now without further adieu, I return to my food.

Meringues. It's basically only egg whites and sugar. But when done right, it'm magic. Today I made a batch of chocolate meringues with chocolate chips. I beat the egg whites (only three!) with vanilla until stiff and added the sugar gradually. Then I folded in the cocoa powder and the chocolate chips. I continued by spooning out the meringues and placing it gently on a greased pan. It stayed in the oven for about 25 minuted and came out splendid; a hint of gold around the edges, a peak at the tip, and a somewhat caramelized bottom.

Now, there are a few very important things to keep in mind when making this recipe.

First of all, stiff means stiff. And stiff means that you can turn that bowl with egg whites upside down and none of it will move, let alone slide or drop.

Second, when you beat the whites, quickly reach the highest speed on the mixer, and put a little bit of salt and a DROP of vinegar to keep the white and the stiffness. It works like magic.

And when you fold anything into the egg whites, be gentle, but assertive. Someone once told me to be the boss of my food. This is true: don't break the egg whites, but make sure the chocolate gets everywhere you want it to go. Its your dessert, it's your kitchen, it's your call.

Happy eating!

So simple, so splendid

Sometimes I find that the simplest recipes are the best. Of course, if you have time and energy and ingredients, go right ahead and make something a bit more exciting! But tonight I was short on time, so I made a quickie.

Tilapia. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Tilapia is easy; if you overcook a bit, it won't make a difference. So use it if you are unsure of anything...

I put fresh lemon juice and olive oil in the pan. I let that heat up and added a layer of tilapia (COMPLETELY FROZEN!). Then I sprayed that layer and added another three pieces of fish on top, covered the pan, and left it on medium flame for about ten fifteen minutes. When it comes out, the fish is soft, and the liquid will give you a great sauce. Now this sounds not so exciting, but serve it with brown rice and a salad (lettuce, tomatos, hearts of palm), and a soup at the beginning, and you have yourself a meal! I served this with a tomato soup to start the meal. Just know which cheeses to add, and use the freshest kind you have. So light, so easy to make... perfect for one of those busy evenings at home when you want to throw together something healthy and delicious.

Happy eatings!

Lots to be thankful for

We never actually celebrated thanksgiving. We never did the whole 'turkey' thing. But I had a few days off, and a nice dose of energy, and my mood was up, so I took advantage. I took SERIOUS advantage. Turkey and Pumpkin Pecan Pie and Minted Cranberry Orange Relish and Wild Rice...
Where to begin!? Let's start by saying that turkey gives everybody a hard time; you have to move racks in the over for it, stuff it, turn it, leave it in the oven for hours... there is no reason for that! I made a dry rub, which consisted of about a dozen spices including turmeric, oregano, parsley, pepper, chopped bay leaves and more, and rubbed the turkey with about a cup of it. Then I put it in the pan with five cups of water, half a cup of olive oil, and a cup of orange juice. Yes, your turkey wants to be hydrated! Don't be stingy with the liquids! After only three and a half hours in 325 degrees, your turkey's ready!
The pumpkin pie... well, I cheated a bit. I did not put pecans, since, very simply, I do not like pecans. Part of the fun of doing the cooking is being able to make only what you like. And I made the crust gluten free, so I used brown rice flour, since it does my bidding without hesitation. It's a very basic recipe, with the flour, margarine, eggs, and a few other ingredients. The filling was mixed with nutmeg and cinnamon, which was the perfect mix. As for the topping, I mixed agave, which is such a wonderful substitute for sugar or corn syrup, brown sugar, and eggs. Personally, I think this should be served with the main course, even though some people have it for dessert, since it complements the turkey so well.
Now the minted relish was the best part, I think. It consisted of fresh mint, fresh cranberries, fresh oranges (whole, with the peel, and yes, it's strange to do, but gives a super result), and lemon juice. Become friends with your food processor- it will do all the work for you. Throw these in and pulse, until your get a beautiful mix of color but still see the small distinct pieces of fruit. It's very refreshing, and so delicious with the turkey! Remeber- you do not cook a relish, so it takes minutes to prepare.
The wild rice was special. A taste you have to get used to, but very interesting. First you saute fresh shitaki mushrooms and shallots, and once the olive oil is absorbed, you add the wild rice. Before you do this, though, you should soak the rice in cold water for about an hour if you have time. It gives it a fluffier fuller taste (hard to describe, but it definitely makes a difference). Once the mushrooms are ready, add the rice and some turmeric. At the very end, add shelled chestnuts. Funny- I am not a huge fan of chestnuts, but here, they were perfect for the rice.
Mouth watering yet?
I also made a chocolate bread pudding for dessert, cimply by taking GF bread, adding dairy-free milk, eggs, cocoa powder, and a bit of coffee until it was well saturated. Let it sit in the oven while you marvel over the meal, and take it out forty five minutes later, served hot.
Happy eatings!
And don't be afraid to try any of these recipes! Go to your kitchen! Introduce yourself to the equipment! They'll be happy to help you!!

'Leftover' just found a whole new meaning; chicken soup!

What to do with leftover chicken? I used to wonder the same thing. It's cooked, and has been served. So how can you re-serve it, but elegantly, and still delicious?
I found a surprising answer in cooking class. Chicken soup. You can make chicken soup with cooked leftover chicken. It's pretty simple, and so convenient!
I started by putting the chicken, diced, into the pot with the gravy of the chicken. I added a can of tomato sauce, and sliced carrots, celery, and zucchini. The water I added simply blended everything together and gave me a soup consistency. Of course, I added an herb, and I chose cilantro this time, as it is what I had in my kitchen.
I let this simmer and boil for a minute or so, and then poured some corn-meal, lightly and gently and not all at once, to thicken the soup. This made a huge difference.
Surprising, short, and quick. You can play with the recipe as you wish, and as you see fit. Add the herb you want, the vegetables you want (onions, bockchoy, frozen corn...), leftover cooked rice, a can of crushed tomato or a tomato cubed- really whatever you want.
So that turkey that you are not going to finish tomorrow night... well, make a soup for the next day or two!
Happy eating and thanksgiving!

This one speaks for itself

Melting. That is probably the word I would use to describe tongue when it is perfectly cooked. A few days ago, I made tongue. It's strangely easy, yet delicate and refined.

I began by boiling water in a huge pot, and put in the two tongues to let them boil for a while (almost an hour). When I took it out of the water, the tongue was ready to be peeled. So, slowly and carefully, so as not to tear the tongue, I pulled off the skin. I did so while it was still hot, it's simply easier that way, I think.

IMPORTANT: do not throw out the water once you are done boiling the tongue!! Keep it to make a meat soup, with carrots, celery, leeks... the usual.

So now I cut the tongue into relatively thin slices (still hot), but be careful. You want clean slices, so use the right knife for it, not the kind that will tear it to pieces. I put the cut tongue in a pot with fresh sliced mushrooms and tomato sauce. I let this cook for a while, and later added in some red wine.

This meat is so unbelievable. So soft, so gentle on the tongue and so fierce in the taste!

Simply serve it with white or brown Basmati rice. Don't forget to salt it! (I often forget, but try to remember that salt is actually a chemical that helps it cook well! I don't know how I missed that!!) Alternatively, you can serve it with quinoa, but if you do, remember to rinse the quinoa really well to take away the bitter taste. It is even better if you add two tablespoons or so of chicken broth mix, or, instead of water, use chicken soup or meat soup.

As always, happy eating!

chicken roulade, brussel sprouts with sweet potatoes, gazpacho, cheese-cake, chocolate foundant.... WOAH

It's been a while since I've shared any 'food news' here. I was away, on vacation, in France. Let's just say it was quite an exotic few weeks. A close family member of mine got married there, and it was the most beautiful event I have ever seen in my life. Everything was just as we wanted, but one thing was even more fabulous- the meal. Everything, from the fish decorated with a bread-stick, to the veal roulade in wine sauce served with roasted onions, to the fruits and small éclair and mille feuille, everything was well cooked, well presented, and absolutely delicious. So I thought I would share that with you...

Now, as we get ready for the upcoming holiday (SIX MEALS!), the kitchen is full of delicious wafting odors. Here are only a few things on the upcoming menu.

1. Chicken roulade. I've only made it once before and can't wait to restart. First I use the meat mallet to make the chicken a bit more flexible and flat. On the side I mince sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, GF bread crumbs, zest, garlic, and oregano. I roll this mixture into the chicken and stick a tooth-pick in it to hold it together. I fry the chicken for just a bit, but then put it in a skillet with a sauce made of chicken broth, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a few other ingredients. This takes about forty minutes to make, but when it's presented, it's so elegant, so appetizing... really a special recipe here.

2. Here is an original recipe. Not such a big one, but really harmonious mixture of flavors. Dice brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Put a tiny bit of olive oil in an oven-proof pan, and put in the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Add thyme (fresh, of course!) and let it cook in the oven, for not so long. This dish is delicious, and the colors are very beautiful. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes really plays off the more banal taste of the brussel sprouts.

3. Gazpacho. This is the first time I attempt to make this, but it came out really great! Simply dice garden vegetables (cucumber, tomato, pepper, onion) and put it into a pot. Fry cubed eggplant and put it in as well (un-fried mike make the gazpacho too liquidy). Add salt, to help get the juice out of the vegetables, and a bit of tomato sauce and water. And you just leave it on a low-medium fire, let it simmer a bit, and cook. You can serve this with different things which the eaters can add to their liking, like cheese or croutons.

4. CHEESE CAKE!! YUMM!!!! The trick with this cheese cake is to beat the cheese for very long, to make it airy and soft. I added lemon juice to it, which gives it a nice tangy twist. The crust, which is only on the bottom, because I made it in a spring-form pan, is a mixture of cookie crumbs, margarine, ground walnuts, and some more. This cheesecake, of course, must be served very cold, and probably with strawberries or another red fruit.

5. Alright, one more. Chocolate foundant. These are so tasty, so easy to make, and so worth it! It simply reuires beating egg whites and mixing them into melted chocolate, eggs, potato starch and sugar, and baking for FOUR minuted, not more. Then you take out the small tins and turn them upside down, and the small cake will come out, just soft on the outside, and 'fluid' on the inside. Meaning that when you serve each person one foundant, they sink their spoon in, and the chocolate will come oozing out. I love this one! Really fun recipe, and really fun to serve and eat.

Happy eatings!

pictures to make your mouth water...

salmon

fried breads (I made a hummus-tehina dip for it!)

curry, pepper, parsley and other interesting ingredients for tilapia

rosemary potatoes

chocolate dipped fruit

balanced and beautiful

Tonight's supper was unbelievable. Now, this supper was not just one great dish, served with some other nice food that went ok together. This meal was co-ordinated, balanced, and really very good! On top of that, the plate was beautiful when I served it, which makes me even happier.

I began by simply opening my freezer. I took out frozen fresh spinach and tilapia. Then I raided my fridge until my hands closed around the perfect ingredient to top this meal: mushrooms. So this is how I began.

I took out a deep pan and melted butter and some olive oil. When that was hot I added in chopped shallots and the mushrooms. I waited for the mushrooms to be tender, and when they had browned just enough I added the spinach (by then they were mostly defrosted and soft enough). I threw in two minced garlic cloves and seasoned it with salt. I left the pepper out since the mushrooms and shallots and garlic were already quite enough. Speaking of garlic, I would just like to mention that if you do not have FRESH garlic, NEVER EVER USE GARLIC POWDER!! Just leave it out of the recipe all together, rather than use the powder. I keep it frozen, so I can take it out when I need it.

Alrigh, onto the fish. Tilapia is the easiest fish to manipulate, so for a first try, it's good to use. I defrosted it in milk, and dipped it in dijon mustard. Then I caked the fish in corn meal, which gave it a really good crust: sturdy and tasty.

Next... rice noodles. I had never made them before, but they are the easiest, simplest side dish ever! You just throw them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes and there you have it! Since it was my first time making the noodles, I served some brown rice along with it, just in case anyone did not appreciate the new dish.

First of all, I was beaming when I served each person: the green spinach mixed with mushrooms, served with a dash of Parmesan, the fish- a bit yellow, and the white noodles and brown rice made an amazing combo!

Dessert was soon served- fruit tart. It was beautiful, and delicious with a chocolate crust and jelly glaze. I admit, this is the one part of the meal I did not take care of- my sister made it. But it completed the meal perfectly.

Happy eating!

chocolate and fruit- two delicacies

Chocolate is an interesting food. It can be a sweet treat, one that you take in your bag as a sugar boost for when you feel tired and sluggish. It can be dark chocolate- you take a cube of it with your japanese tea in the morning. Perhaps you like to make cookies with chocolate chips in them... so chocolate is an ingredient that holds many possibilities.

Fruit. You've eaten a raw orange I'm sure. Maybe a poached pair, a baked apple, or some gingered pineapple. You can mix different kinds of fruit to make a fruit salad. You can put pear slices in a horseradish sauce for you salmon, or make a fruit yogurt. The possibilities seem infinite.

So here's my creation (which I know many before me also came up with...). I made chocolate dipped fruit... except the chocolate mixture was my own recipe! I know, it sounds so simple, but you have to make sure the chocolate doesn't harden, the taste is sweet enough, its not too liquidy, so it seemed like an interesting adventure. I melted chocolate for a few seconds in the microwave, and added an egg yolk, mixing really fast so that the egg does not cook with the heat of the chocolate- and then you add some heavy cream.

Now I cut the fruit I wanted to dip: pineapple, oranges, kiwi, and (my favorite-) strawberry. I dipped them and did not let the chocolate drip off, placing the fruit directly onto the platter I had prepared. The plate looked absolutely beautiful! Really a refine dish, I think. You can serve this with a dry cake...

So, I hope to post some pictures soon, to show you my creation (which I am so proud of!)!

Good night!

Bon Apetit

talk about dessert!

This dessert, I think this was one of the best ones I have ever made. Let's start with the meal itself- it'll build up to dessert.

For lunch, we began with soup. Squash soup with boursine-French cheese- in it. It was very good, especially on that rainy, cloudy, chilly afternoon.

Then came the main course. One of the dishes was paratha with hummus-tehina. But here's the cool catch- it was all home-made. Paratha is a bread-type of food. It's flat, and made with lentil flour, garbanzo bean flour, water and salt. You fry it until each side is a bit golden, and make sure to serve it hot! Also, the salt is quite crucial in this recipe, otherwise it's really too bland. The hummus-tehina I made in my brand-new chopper/grinder! I served it on a plate with Parsley nicely decorating it, and splashes of olive oil here and there. Then the fish- we had golden salmon. I baked it with a simple mayo-mustard sauce, but to serve, I made a horseradish cream sauce. Really delicious. Basically, the trick is to whip it well, so that it stays puffy. You serve it with a sprinkle of cut red onions and slices of pears.

We also has leek mushroom pie. A bit more complicated to make, but definitely worth the time! A good accompanying dish was potatoes- cooked in the oven. For those who obsess over eating light, there was also sweet potatoes, baked in the oven.

So, those were some of the dishes for the main course.

Now for the dessert.

I began by making a cheesecake. Now this cheesecake was like none I had ever tasted before. It had the perfect tiny twist of lemon, and the cheese was whipped for ten minutes, so that when you bit into the final product, it was soft and airy. The crust I made from GF cookie crumbs, sugar, and butter. Then I made pears. But these were not just any pears. I had left them in a mixture of boiling water, red wine, honey, galic cloves, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, and cinnamon powder. When I served it, it was with chopped pistachios sprinkled on top of the standing pear, which was laying in a tiny puddle of chocolate syrup, with a small spoon of vanilla ice-cream on the side.

Makes your mouth water, right?

For afternoon snack I made chocolate dipped fruits- strawberries, pineapple, kiwi, and oranges. I simply melted the chocolate, added an egg yolk, and heavy cream until I felt it was good. And it came out great!

Continue to enjoy your cooking,

Happy eating!

pickled lemons, mango orange chicken... wow.

I have so much to write about I barely know where to begin- I'll just tell you a few things.

First of all, I'll tell you what is cooking in my oven right now. I took chicken thighs and covered them (inside and out) with a mango sauce. Since the sauce was a bit dense, I added a few droplets of water to soften it and spread it on all the pieces of chicken. Next I cut an orange into thin slices and placed them on the chicken pieces. They are now in the oven, on bake, at 375 degrees, until they are golden and well cooked.

Levana Kirschenbaum. I met her a few nights ago, when I went to her cooking class in the city! I was so excited to meet this cook, it was wild!! So we made a meal of spicy bean soup, hummus-tehina, tilapia fish, eggplant salad, israeli salad, minty lamb kebab, and a dessert of makrod- a date cake. The meal was incredible, and I was ecstatic to meet her. The kebab was so soft and I hope to try to make it myself one of these days. The soup was spicy and hot, the beans soft inside, and pickled lemon gave it a great taste. Everything was so delicious.

To make pickled lemon, actually, you really only have to have lemons, and salt! Its so easy. Cut the lemon into quarters, maybe even thinner, and squish them into a glass jar. In between each layer, cover it COMPLETELY with salt. It seems ludicrous when you see the amount that goes in, but really, it makes it delicious. Put the jar under the kitchen sink or in a dark cold place for two weeks, and after that put it in the fridge and you can use it for whatever you want!

Hmmm... Maybe I will be a chef myself one day... Who knows?

As always- enjoy your tasty food!

simple supper

Cooking can be very draining sometimes. Last night I decided to go with a simple supper, very natural, healthy and nutritious:

First I grilled salmon. It was fresh from the market, and all I did was put it in the pan with some oil, and let it cook. Next I took some spinach ( I love spinach! ) and put it in a pot with a tiny bit of water to prevent it from burning. When it was hot I dug a few 'wells' in the spinach and added eggs to the wells. Covering the pot and setting it on a low fire, the eggs cooked into the spinach. It was very good! To accompany the meal I simply made white rice. I sometimes fry onions or mushrooms to flavor it a bit, but instead I just served the salmon on it and the spinach right next to it.

This made a yummy supper, and a magnificent arrangement on the plate! The green, pink, and white... a really good blend! I love a pretty plate!

I could have served a good bread with this meal- some baguette perhaps, or even just bread-flats (delicious crackers!) but I try to cook all gluten-free, so I decided against it.

Alright, that's all for now. I am making my slush for tomorrow right now. Simply adding fresh frozen peaches, strawberries, and rhubarb into the blender. I squeezed two oranges into the mixture and I am refrigerating it until I serve it!

Enjoy!

I have not written much in this blog for a little while- there was an engagement in the family, so it`s all been pretty crazy. We are in Europe for the celebration, meaning amazing food! I love this country- the eggs actually taste like eggs, the tomatoes actually have a real taste, the herbs actually spice well... it`s a whole different eating system around here!

More to follow- enjoy!

boeuf bourguignon, revisited

You may remember that a little while ago, I made a pretty delicious boeuf bourguignon. As I was trying to decide what to make for supper a few nights ago, I had an idea. I would make this dish... with a twist.

This time, instead of using red meat, I used white meat. I used veal. Once again, I rolled it in the flour, fried it, and placed it in the ceramic pot, barely covering it with water. Instead of frying onions, though, with this meat, I added thinly cut mushrooms- the kind that are preserved in tins. It gave the dish a whole new taste. Really a new flavor. I continued the recipe, but instead of red whine, I added white wine, quite graciously, and left out the tomato sauce I often add.

Now this dish was a whole new, different feeling. I served it with slightly spiced mashed potatoes. Personally, I like the red meat better with rice or quinoa, and white with mashed potatoes... but I think they all fit pretty well. Veal would probably go with something a bit sweeter, maybe a fruit dish, while red would fit nicely with something more bland...

I love that about cooking- you can take an old recipe- that may have been really good!- and transform it into a whole new entity of its own! You can just switch a few small details, or some major ingredients, but either way, you get to play around with the recipe at hand. And that's part of what cooking's all about!

Enjoy!

Purim- here we come

Before I begin this post I must give some background. We are approaching the holiday of Purim, the day when Jews dress up in costumes, eat a beautiful meal, and give each other gifts: portions of food.

So I have been working on these portions- and here is what I've got. In each package, I will be putting a small bottle of wine. I will make a simple fruit salad with pineapple, oranges, grapes, and cantaloupe, and put that in a nice plastic box. And now for the exciting part... I bought beautiful purple 'paper' and white/silver ribbon. I have baked an assortment of cookies to put in this, and can't wait to put up pictures...

But the interesting part is the cookie bag.

Cookie #1: chocolate almond cookies. This cookie is soft, and stays moist for a while. First I beat eggs and added them to melted chocolate. I added sugar and oil and after that was all mixed, I added the ground almonds. I cooked it until it seemed ready and took it out of the over, cut it right away, and put it aside.

Cookie #2: peanut butter truffle cookies. Now this one is UNBELIEVABLE! Really incredible. I could not believe my mouth when the cookie melted in my mouth and the creamy taste filled my entire self. And its so easy! Just mix peanut-butter, firmly packed brown sugar, an egg, and baking soda together, well. Add chocolate chips, make them into small balls, put them in the oven for nine minutes, and you have yourself some serious peanut butter dessert!

and now. Cookie #3: this was a new recipe. I was ecstatic with the result. Mix together sugar, an egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Then take gluten-free flour and mix that in by the 1/2 cup until you feel the dough is hard enough to roll into balls without sticking to your hand or bowl. When you make the balls, make a small hole in each with your finger. Add strawberry jam (or whichever jam floats your boat) into the hole, and bake for fifteen minutes. I love when new recipes come out tasting delicious.

So that's how I spent my afternoon.

I love making an assortment of cookies, especially ones that are so different: chocolate, peanut butter, and jelly cookies. And so much of it is about the presentation of the food. If it looks good and smells good, and is presented is an appealing way, most people can't help but try!

I think this is a good start for my dessert season. I love to cook, but baking is something you enjoy immediately, when the cookie or cake comes out of the over. Meat or chicken you can't just wolf down without anyone noticing, that's hard to do inconspicuously.

In case you were wondering, I do not put the quantities of the ingredients of my recipes for two reasons. First of all, this blog is mostly about enjoying food. It's not a cookbook, it's a blog by a young girl who loves food and loves playing around in the kitchen. Second of all, I am giving you the ingredients (whoever you are) just to inspire an idea. I believe a real cook will take a recipe that seems somewhat interesting, and use it as a springboard. So you mess up the first few times... SO WHAT?! That's what cooking is all about. A tip? Start with small quantities.

As always, please enjoy what you put in your mouth- it's the most important part. Take a minute, close your eyes, and appreciate the effort you put in, and the incredible taste of heaven on your pallet.