Just in time for apple season: Apple fritters

Local apples are just coming into the markets and being sold in stores.  Recently I made some apple fritters with some local apples I bought at Joe's Garden http://www.joesgardens.com/ in Bellingham.  We kind of forgot about them (The summer can get quite busy around here.) and they were getting a bit soft.  I'm super picky about fruit in general and so I won't eat an apple unless it is crisp and hard.  I didn't want the apples to go to waste so I decided to try out a recipe that I saw on Essential Pepin. 

First of all I would like to say a bit about Jacques Pepin.  He is an amazing french chef that I've been following for almost 20 years.  I first began to watch his cooking shows on KCTS (public channel) when I was in college.  I loved the way he made the preparation of food seem so simple and elegant.  Over the years I have also enjoyed how he never lets anything go to waste.  I too hate any type of waste and have been using his techniques and recipes for quite a few years now.  We are such fans of his in our house that everyone knows to keep quiet when Jacques is on.  My husband has experimented with his recipes as well and my youngest son (3 1/2) watches him with me.  He especially likes the Essential Pepin episodes where Jacques brings in his granddaughter to cook with him.

Here is a link to the Essential Pepin episode that I watched.  The section regarding apple fritters is on 19:25.  Fast forward if you don't have time but be sure to watch in full later on because it really is a good episode about utilizing late summer fruit. 
http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/10/episode-112-fruit-fete/

**In general I followed Jacques' recipe but I made a few changes based upon my personal preferences and what I already had in the house.  If you watch this episode you will see that Jacques uses beer in his fritter batter.  Well, I like beer and I prefer to drink it instead of using it in recipes.  After looking in my fridge I noticed that we had a bottle of hard cider that a patient had made and given to my husband.  It's quite tart and we tend not to drink it all by itself.  It was a perfect replacement for the beer.  Also, instead of using plain powdered sugar to dust the fritters I sifted in some cinnamon. 

Here's my rendition of Jacques Pepin's Apple Fritters:
Ingredients/Equipment:
*1 cup all-purpose flour
*3 apples (It doesn't really matter what kind you are using.  Use what you prefer and what's available at your local market/farm/store.)
*Vegetable Oil (lots of it.  I used a bottle of it that I had had for a while and wanted to use it up.)
*LeCreuset Dutch oven or heavy duty pan.  (No non-stick pans)
*Candy or frying thermometer
*Powdered sugar (about 1 tbsp.)
*Cinnamon (about 1 tsp)
*1 bottle of hard cider
*sheet pan
*wire rack

Put the flour in a medium bowl and gradually whisk in the hard cider.  Keep mixing until the batter is thick but not watery.  Slice the apples (Keep the skin of the apple intact.  This is one of the reasons why I prefer to utilize no-spry or organic apples.) and dust with a small amount of cinnamon.  Place the apple slices into the batter and mix with a spoon.  Gently drop a small finger full of battered apples into 320-330 degree vegetable oil.  Use a spoon if this is your first time frying or if you are nervous.

**A word about oil and frying.  I refuse to buy a fryer.  If you have one then you can definitely use it.  I just prefer to use the equipment that is already in my kitchen.  The vegetable oil is super duper hot so BE CAREFUL  about splashing oil.   Also, please do not use non-stick pots or pans for frying.  Many non-stick pans are only supposed to be used up to a certain temperature.  The oil in this recipe should be around 320-330 degrees and many non-stick pans cannot handle that high of a temperature.  Also, the taste of whatever you are frying is more difficult to clean away with a non-stick pan. 

After the fritters have cooked for a few minutes turn them over with a fork. When both sides are a nice brown color use a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack with a sheet pan underneath.  White the fritters are still hot sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Keep frying until you run out of apples and batter.  Once the apples have cooled a bit sprinkle them again with powdered sugar and cinnamon.  Serve and enjoy.  They will be very hot inside so taste gently. 

Tasty Travels: Pasty or Hand Pie?

My family and I just got back from a trip to England, Scotland and Wales. One of the things we enjoyed the most there, believe it or not, was the food.  Stop laughing.  I'm serious. We ate at a lot of local pubs and the food was fantastic. Apparently, pub grub in Great Britain has come a long way and we were all very impressed.
In general the food was very savory, included some kind of meat and usually involved a pastry of some kind. Since I am a person who loves savory fare, I was in absolute heaven. However, one of the sad things about coming home from a trip is that you generally miss the food and experiences. What's a gal to do? I'll tell you. I recreated one of my favorites. Hand pies!!!
What's a hand pie? Simply put a hand pie is a meat pie that you can eat with your hands. Some people confuse these with pastys. A Cornish pasty (PAH stee) is also a meat pie that you eat with your hands, but it must have a special "D" shape.  A hand pie can have any shape it desires. I made both with a sausage, apple, and kale filling. It was so amazingly delicious. Here's how I did it.
Ingredients: Pasty/Hand Pie Filling:
*Olive oil:  Extra virgin, cold pressed (about 1 tbsp.)
*Dry white wine or apple cider vinegar
*About 1lb. sweet italian sausage  (chicken, pork...It doesn't really matter)
*1 medium onion (chopped)
*1 tart apple (Granny Smith is preferable)
*1 bunch swiss chard, chopped and ribs removed  (I've used beet greens or kale as well)
Put a small amount of olive oil in the pan and heat over medium heat.  In a large bowl put in the italian sausage (remove casings if included).  Next pour a bit of the white wine or vinegar over the sausage and mix together with your impeccably clean hands (no rings, eeeew).  A bit is about 1/4 cup.  You can use more or less but you really just want to moisten the sausage.

 
You might be asking yourself, "What?  Why are you putting wine/vinegar into this glorious sausage?  Can't I just brown it without?"  Well, you can...but the results will be far different.  Using wine or vinegar is an old cooking trick when browning meat.  The wine or vinegar is an acid and helps break down the proteins in the meat thereby helping it break apart in the pan.  It also imparts great flavor to the meat and pie.  I didn't want to open an entire bottle of white wine so I used a new local apple cider vinegar I was trying out.  I must say that this quality apple cider vinegar is well worth the extra money.  It was only a few dollars more than the generic or major brands.  Those others are usually pretty tasteless but the BelleWood Acres Apple Cider Vinegar was amazing.  I think it gave more flavor than the wine I normally use.  That is saying something!  I highly recommend trying it. 
Anyhow, after browning the sausage spoon it out and place onto a plate with a paper towel.  Add the chopped onion and tart apple.  This is the time when you get to scrap off the brown tasty bits from the bottom of your pan.  They really should just call them flavor bits because that is exactly what they are.  mmmm.  If the bits aren't coming off because the apple and onion aren't releasing enough water then you can add some more wine or vinegar to the pan to deglaze it.  Use only a little because otherwise you will overpower the filling.  Finally, add the swiss chard and cover for a few minutes.  When the swiss chard has cooked down add the sausage back to the pan and heat together.  Once heated let the filling cool for about an hour.

Now, it's time to make the crust. 
I make a homemade pie crust.  I got this recipe from The Better Homes and Gardens: New Cook Book.  Feel free to use your favorite double pie crust recipe.  You can use a store bought one I guess, but I've never liked how they turn out.
Ingredients: Crust: 
*1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
*1/4 tsp. salt.
*1/3 cup shortening ( I use Crisco)  Someday I'll get around to using bacon fat.  Now that sounds decadent.
*4-5 tbs. cold water
Mix together salt and flour.  Using a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the pieces are pea-size.  Using a fork, gently mix in the COLD water one tablespoon at a time until all the dough is moistened.  Form the dough into a ball and roll out onto a lightly floured surface. 
Now your choices begin.  You need to decide what kind of shape you are going to make your pasty/hand pie.  A hand pie is usually square and a pasty is a D shaped creation. 

For a pasty:
Cut the dough into a circle and fold in half.  Spoon the filling inside the folds and squish out all the air.  Then seal the edges by pressing down on the exterior dough.  Place your thumb against the inside of the pastry and press the dough around your thumb with your other hand's thumb and index finger.  An easier way is to use the tines of a fork and press the edges together. 

For a hand pie:
Cut the dough into a square (about 5 1/2 inches on each side) and put a tablespoon of filling in the center.  Then fold the corners and seal in the center of the hand pie. 
After your creations are finished place them on a greased cookie sheet and brush with an egg wash.  An egg wash is 1 egg mixed with 1 tbs. of water. 
Bake the pastys/hand pies in 400 degree over for 25-30 min.

The Infamous Potato Leek Soup

I'm so disappointed. I haven't blogged all summer long and at first I was really hard on myself. Then I realized that I had 2 boys demanding my attention all hours of the day, swimming lessons all summer long, and various sports clinics for my eldest son to attend. Man, summer was busy and by the time the evening rolled around I was far too bushed to blog. Well, guess what? It's fall and the boys are in school and theoretically I have time to blog now. Yippee!
For those of you who haven't noticed I tend to cook with the seasons. Since fall has arrived I have been craving roasted meats, root veggies and soups. My absolute favorite introduction to the autumnal season is potato leek soup. It is one of the few recipes that is completely of my own creation in that I have been perfecting it for almost 5 years.
Over the years I have tried various variations of potato leek but have never been quite satisfied. I've tried it hot, cold, luke warm, with stock, without, with wine, and have used various fresh or dried herbs. Blah, blah, blah. About 1 year ago I finally perfected it to my liking. For me this is the true beauty of cooking. Finding what works for you.
I really couldn't care less what Martha Stewart or The Barefoot Contessa think is a good recipe. I care what I like and what my family will eat. I also care what won't give me hives or intestinal upset. You see, sadly I suffer from lactose intolerance and cannot ingest MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), nitrites or nitrates. Thankfully I am not gluten intolerant and eat all the bread and pasta I desire. However, in this soup recipe there is absolutely no gluten. However, be careful to check any store bought products for use in this recipe. Stock, for example, can be a culprit. I usually make my own so this is no problem.
Now, after my long winded introduction here is my favorite potato leek soup recipe. I hope you enjoy it but feel free to add your own additions. This, after all, is what makes cooking fun, enjoyable, creative and entertaining.

Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients:
*1 stick butter
*2 tbsp. olive oil
*4 cups washed or 6 med. leeks
*Dry white wine (Fume or Sauvingon Blanc, Dry Riesling) for deglazing
*2 lbs. potatoes (4 lrg. russet)
*1 carrot (chopped)
*1 celery (chopped)
*1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
*red pepper flakes
*4 sprigs fresh thyme and 1 sprig fresh rosemary. Tie together with cooking twine.
*Salt and Pepper to taste
Bruschetta:
*Bread (Gluten-free or regular)
*1 clove of garlic
*Olive oil

Now, here's how you pull all of this together. First, wash the leeks thoroughly. They are grown in sandy soil and usually have a large amount of sand or dirt in them.
Then in a large heavy-bottomed pot melt the stick of butter on medium heat, add the olive oil and saute the leeks. Let the leeks slightly caramelize or get slightly brown. Do NOT let them burn! Pour in about 1/2 cup of wine and scrap the bottom of the pot to release all the brown veggie flavor. Cook for 5 or so minutes until the alcohol has evaporated.
Now, stop! If you frequently utilize a slow cooker and cannot be at home monitoring this concoction then feel free to add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker at this very moment. Remember, the slow cooker (a.k.a. crock pot) does all the simmering for you. Add the above and following ingredients and let your slow cooker do its job.
Now,add the chopped carrots, celery, potatoes and fresh herbs. Cover all the vegetables with the stock. If the stock doesn't quite cover everything then add additional water. Bring to a rolling boil and let simmer for about 1-2 hours. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Finally, blend the entire mass with a hand blender, food processor, or regular blender until smooth. Taste and add extra salt and pepper to your liking. Transfer to the soup to the original pot and keep warm for serving.

Now for the best part! BRUSCHETTA! I cannot serve this soup without bruschetta. Oh. My. Word!!! If you have never tried this you must. It's the icing on the cake. You must do everything in this order or it will not be nearly as good.
In essence, bruschetta is toasted bread with olive oil and garlic. Here's how it works. First toast your favorite bread in a toaster. Our family loves Avenue Bread Co.'s Italian Peasant bread. They also make great gluten-free bread if your body requires it. Once the bread is toasted drizzle a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil on the warm bread. Then rub a freshly peeled clove of raw garlic onto said slice. Then wait. Oh, the aroma. It's truly heavenly and delish. I keep ample amounts of toasted bruschetta to serve and dip into this soup. It really does give it that extra punch.
Finally, don't forget to serve yourself (and to whomever else would enjoy it) a glass of the white wine you used for deglazing. As a rule of thumb, whatever you use for the preparation of the meal will also pair with it.
Enjoy, experiment, and let me know how you choose to enhance this soup for your family.

Springtime Salmon with Basil? Is it possible to do this locally when we just had snow?

The weather this season has been anything but your typical Spring. Just this month we've had gorgeous sunny days, rainstorms, windstorms and yes SNOW. This spring in general has been outrageously stormy and rainy and to put it simply, I'm really tired of it. I miss the sun and the spring veggies and herbs it brings. So, I needed to insert a little sun and springtime into my life. What a better way to do that than with food. Right? Well, it's a great idea, but it proved a little difficult to do this in a local manner.

My favorite way to make salmon when I'm hitting the winter doldrums is Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon. We're lucky to have local salmon all year round here. In Bellingham we even have fresh local whole-wheat pasta. http://www.bellinghampasta.com/ However the lemon and basil would be a little more difficult to come by.
The lemon I bought at our local co-op and to be honest, that is about as local as I can get, even during the summer here. There are just not a lot of lemons to be had here in the northwest.

But basil? Wooohooo! I hit the jackpot. Haggen and our local co-op both sell a living basil that is produced on Camano Island and it's available almost year-round. This stuff is great! It lasts forever in a glass on the windowsill because the roots are still attached to the plant and in the summer you can even plant it outside. I usually don't buy herbs at the store because they are much cheaper to grow at my house but with basil I always seem to have problems. Our growing season is very limited here and the slugs love to devour it. Enter living basil. It's my local herb lifesaver and is available in more places than you think. http://www.utsaladyfarm.com/

Now my last important ingredient was the salmon. Thankfully, not only do I live in the northwest where salmon is plentiful all year long, but I also have a fantastic father-in-law who fishes. He is very generous and often shares his salmon (and other oceanic delights) with us. We just happened to have some of his King Salmon in the freezer and I pounced on it. Mine, mine, mine! Now to get started.

Here's what you'll be needing.

*1/2 lb. whole-wheat spaghetti (dry or fresh)
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. pepper
*1 tbl. olive oil
*4 (4 oz.) pieces of salmon (but what is fresh, local and in season)
*1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
*3 tbs. capers
*1 lemon zested
*2 tbl. lemon juice
*2 cups arugula (spinach or beet greens)

Get these few things set up first before you begin. The salmon cooks quicker than you think and everything will need to be put together quickly before serving. First, get the serving bowls ready and put in a small layer of the washed/dried arugala. Second, in a tiny dish combine the garlic, 2 tbl. olive oil, salt and pepper. Thirdly, mix the lemon zest, lemon juice, capers and basil leaves in a separate bowl. Yay! Now your prep is done so get the water boiling for the pasta.

I don't know about you, but the first time I cooked salmon I was a little nervous. Few things are worse than eating dried out fish of any kind and salmon can be even more difficult because the thickness of the cut of fish can vary. This leaves the thick part undercooked while the thin part is crusty. Don't worry here's a little trick my husband taught me. If you want to speed up the cooking of the thick part of the salmon steak, put the lid on the pan for a few minutes. This steams the fish a little and concentrates the heat without drying it out. Neat huh? When cooking the salmon for this dish, you'll need to use medium-high heat and warm up some olive oil in the pan. Let it ripple a bit and then gently place the salmon into the pan skin side down. Spoon a tiny bit of lemon juice onto the salmon. After a few minutes flip the fish over continue until the salmon is medium rare. I like mine a little pink in the center.


At this time the pasta should be done. Drain pasta and transfer back into the pot. Toss the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper with the pasta. Then add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and extra lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture. Now you're ready to plate your meal.

Remember those serving bowls with the arugula? Put a serving of the pasta on top of the arugula. Then place a serving of the salmon on top of that. Voila!!!
Serve this with a balanced Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc and you'll feel like summer is just around the corner, even though there may be snow,hail, or a rainstorm, just outside your window.

Boomer's Drive-In: Putting fast food in its place

For the most part I despise fast food. In my personal opinion it exemplifies the worst in American culture. Our huge obsesity rate, big chain stores that crowd out smaller venues and take over entire blocks, offering "food" while enticing families with their "buy it for a buck" budget options are just a few of my peeves with this industry. However, I can't deny that most fast food just tastes REALLY good! It's a guilty pleasure but it also has its place in our lives.

In our family we don't eat this type of food often and when we do we always utilize 2 rules!

1. It must be local!!!

2. There must be a special occasion.

So, for Rule #1: Today is a Friday and we will be getting our food from Boomer's Drive-In. It's a local fast food joint that has been around since the 1970's but from the outside it looks like it came straight from a 1950's teen movie. The food there is amazing!!! Real hard ice cream shakes, fabulous burgers and of course WAFFLE FRIES! These fries are made in the shape of a waffle and are delish!!! The shakes (I save up my stock of lactaid for these babies) oh the shakes! They are made from real ice cream and the flavors are so varied. Blackberry, butterscotch, malt, mocha...take your pick. The burgers are also noteworthy. You can get your garden variety cheeseburger or you can get something a little more exotic like a Teriyaki Burger. The kids meals are presented in a old-fashioned 1950's Chevy. My Ross loves to get these with a corn dog.

Now for Rule #2: Many of you know that my husband is a family doctor in town. That means that on occaision he is on-call for the entire weekend. Usually, no one in the family looks forward to these times. They are draining for us all because Matt is home but not home. He may have to leave for the hospital at a moments notice and he takes call constantly day and night. In summary, it can be a huge energy drain for all. Matt and I have been together for all of those years of medical training and over time have learned to make them positive in any way shape or form. Enter Boomer's Drive-In!

During weekend call, we take that Friday and either eat at Boomers or we call it in and take it home. It's a nice way to begin a weekend that will require all of us to be a little more flexible than normal. Now, we actually look forward to call weekends. Nice, huh?

One of the other things to note about Boomer's Drive-In is that it's NOT cheap. For fast food it's considered pretty pricey. Because of this, we don't indulge as often as we would with cheaper alternatives. And like most things, you get what you pay for. The food is pretty fantastic and it has its place in our lives. I don't think that Americans would have as many of the problems associated with fast food if they took this attitude towards it. Indulge but not often!

In Bellingham Boomer's Drive-In is where we go for good local fast food. Where do you go in your town? Next time you feel the desire for fast food, think local first and take a look around you. Don't do it often, but if you do make it memorable!

The one and only Village Books!!!

When I first came to Bellingham as a student at WWU ages ago, one of the first places I was introduced to was Village Books.

This store, in the heart of Fairhaven, is a wonderful locally owned, independent bookstore that welcomes everyone. Readers, non-readers, browsers, adults, children, and yes even dogs. Over the years I've purchased many a book here, but it's the atmosphere that truly attracts. It never seemed to matter whether I didn't have any money to spend at the time and just wanted to browse. Everyone I knew was always welcomed even if we just wanted to peruse through the photography books lined up at the counter. It's a calming thought that the owners have been this hospitable since 1980! To get a pretty good idea about what Village Books is all about take a look at the following video.




After my family and I moved to Bellingham, I again sought out Village Books as a comforting contact point. I knew very few people here, aside from my in-laws, and Village Books taught me what belonging to a community is all about. Their activities and connections with Bellingham and Whatcom County seem endless. However, one of the first things I did was join their general literature book club.

During the month of January we read Border Songs by Jim Lynch. It's a touching and eye-opening story about living on the border of Canada and the U.S. The majority of the story takes place in northern Whatcom County. For those who live here the scenery and character descriptions are eerily accurate. Brandon Vanderkool is the gigantic protagonist who is phycially and socially awkward at best. However, he is also innocent, kind, dyslexic and artisitic. My favorite aspect of this book is how it reveals that there is a place for everyone in this world. For some it just takes more time. Others I talked to love the political aspects of this story. Either way it shines a spotlight on the good and bad aspects of living in this community. Have you read this book yet? If so, what did you think? If not, pick one up at the library or your local bookstore.





One of the things I would like to accomplish with this blog is to create a forum for people to discuss the books we're reading at our book club. Back when my children were young I would've appreciated this because it was difficult to physically attend meetings. If you can't attend, live to far away, or just don't want to go to the meetings we can discuss this book here. Love it? Hate it? Just tell us all why. Some of the best discussions about literature begin from the frustration or dislike of a particular book. If your passions are aroused so will the conversation that follows.



1. What did you think of this book?

Personally, I had a difficult time getting through the first half. I found the characters irritating and a little over the top. However, once I got to the middle of Border Songs the plot really picked up and the characters began to evolve.

2. Do you think Jim Lynch is trying to make a point about American paranoia? If so, what is it?
I'm a little torn on this one. One the one hand it's pretty obvious how the Americans overreact, especially on the part of the media. On the other hand, there are some pretty scary people out there who've clearly put America on their list of targets.



To see Jim Lynch LIVE. He will be in Bellingham on Feb. 24th 2011 at the Syre Center at Whatcom Cummity College (1:30 p.m. , 7:30 p.m.). For more information visit http://www.whatcomreads.org/