Today is the fourth day in our Week of Julia Child, and boy are we having fun! So many recipes, so little time! Inspired by all the beautiful berries in our farmers market I thought a recipe showcasing their deliciousness would be fitting.

One of my favorite things to serve with fresh seasonal fruit is Sabayon, a wine custard, and found the perfect, easy recipe in Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom. Just whisk some fresh eggs with sugar and Marsala and spoon this creamy goodness over those gorgeous berries. That’s it, no fuss. Sabayon can be served hot or cold, but in the summer I prefer it well chilled for a refreshing reprieve from the heat.

Click below for the recipe:

Above photo: danielP2008

Other great vehicles for berries, or simply yummy recipes:

FXCuisine.com shows you via video how to make a Proper French Crepe
A beautiful Summer Berry Tart from Cookies on Friday
And this lovely Berry Soup With Cake Croutons (yum!) from Chow Vegan

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• Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Macarons are the new cupcakes
• Waiting by the River at Dawn
• Vegan Soul Kitchen

Categories:	Cookbooks • French • desserts • eggs	1 Comment
Tags:	berries • custard • Dessert • julia child • marsala • recipe • sabayon • Sweets • wine custard • zabaione

When we were starving college students in Italy (starving because we spent all our money on weekend get-a-ways and clothes at Benetton) my friends and I would sit for hours in one of the little restaurants in the Piazza del Campo and sip caffè lattes and nibble on grissini. In America this would be like going to a coffee shop, ordering the cheapest drink on the menu and eating all the packages of crackers on the table. But in Italy the free “crackers” are better. Much better.

The most common type – grissini stirato (straight) – are long, crisp, pinky-finger-width breadsticks that are often found on tabletops in tall glasses.  Grissini were the brain-child of Don Baldo Pecchio who created them for Vittorio Amedeo II, the Duke of Savoy. As a small child the Duke suffered from food poisoning, ironically caused by bread, which at the time was under-baked and thus prone to pathogens. Remembering the small, thin breads his mother made him as a child when he ailed from similar intestinal disfunctions, Don Baldo ordered the Court’s master baker to create thin twice-baked sticks. Keeping them thin and twice baking the bread killed any micro-organism, thus making them clean and safe to eat. It’s said that these hygienic “miracle” breadsticks cured the Duke, who then grew to become the first Savoy King.

Grissini
Adapted from a recipe found in Cooking Light, January 2003

1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1  cup warm water (100° to 110°)
3  cups bread flour, divided
1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
Cooking spray
1  teaspoon water
1  large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2  cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)
1  tablespoon cracked black pepper
2  teaspoons cornmeal, divided

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 3/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press 2 fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.

Combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white, stirring with a whisk; brush evenly over dough. Sprinkle dough with cheese and pepper. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray; cover with plastic wrap. Gently press toppings into dough; remove plastic wrap.

Sprinkle each of 2 baking sheets with 1 teaspoon cornmeal. Cut dough in half lengthwise to form 2 (12 x 4-inch) rectangles. Cut each of the rectangles crosswise into 12 (1-inch) strips.

Working with 1 strip at a time (cover remaining strips to prevent drying), gently roll each strip into a log. Holding ends of log between forefinger and thumb of each hand, gently pull log into a 14-inch rope, slightly shaking it up and down while pulling. (You can also roll each strip into a 14-inch rope on a lightly floured surface.) Place the rope on a prepared pan, curving into a series of shapes so that the rope fits on pan.

Repeat procedure with remaining strips, placing 12 on each pan. Lightly coat ropes with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450°.

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• Macarons are the new cupcakes
• The Importance of Pie Crust

Categories:	Baked Goods • Italian	3 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • bread sticks • breadsticks • grissini • Italian bread • italian breadsticks • Italy • Piedmont • recipe • Savoy King • Torino • Turin

I hated beets as a kid. I only liked my grandma’s pickled beets because they were sweet. But as an adult I can’t get enough of them. And what’s easier than tossing a bunch in the oven to roast? Mix them up with a few other root vegetables and you have the perfect healthy meal. Colorful too!

Another oh so tasty dish is this simple crimson soup. It’s wonderful served hot or chilled, and looks beautiful in your bowl.

Roasted Beet Soup
This recipe is delicious with either golden or red beets.

3 Tablespoons butter
9 medium beets (should measure 8 to 9 cups once cut)
4 1/2 cups chopped onions
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
6 cups (or more) chicken broth
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream

Roast beets whole with skin on in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool to touch. Cut off the ends and remove the skin. It should come off quite easily. Chop into ½ inch cubes to measure 8-9 cups.

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, ginger, and lemon peel. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, then add the broth and beets; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes.

Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return puree to pot. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to soup and thin with more broth, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with crème fraîche or sour cream.

Makes 8 servings.

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Categories:	Soup • Veggies	4 Comments
Tags:	beets • Food • foodista • recipe • roasted beets • roasting • Soup • vegetables

In Italy, when the first tomatoes of the season are ripe for plucking, they celebrate summer by preparing this delicious pasta dish. It’s simple to make, and tastes like you’ve captured the freshness of summer on your plate.

This isn’t just an ordinary tomato-on-pasta dish. The pasta is served piping hot and the sauce chilly cold, creating a temperature contrast that is both refreshing and unexpected. Once introduced to the heat of the pasta, the flavors of the tomato and olive oil burst with flavor.

Pasta Verano
Summer Pasta

1 pound angel hair or spaghetti
1 pound of tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
3-4 basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 small sweet onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Strain the diced tomato (save the juice for tomorrow’s recipe!). In a large bowl, add the remaining diced and chopped vegetables, as well as the oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until well chilled.

Once your sauce is sufficiently chilled, start to cook your pasta in well-salted water (a good handful!). Strain the pasta, then place it in your serving dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated. Spoon your chilled sauce on the top, and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

Buon Appetito!

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• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool

Categories:	Cooking tips • Fruit • Herbs • Italian • Pasta & Grains • Sauces • Veggies	6 Comments
Tags:	Food • foodista • Italian • pasta • pasta verano • recipe • tomato • verano

When I was little my mother would make us wear our bathing suits and go out on in the backyard to eat watermelon. That way she could hose off the copious quantities of juice that had run down our arms and legs, which always quickly turned into sticky-pink-brown-watermelon-dirt-gunk. I won’t lie, it was not beneath me to lick said mixture from my fingers and forearms.

To this day, I am a messy watermelon-on-the-rind eater. I sit in my Adirondack chair in my backyard and, with knees apart, I lean forward to bite into my wedge of melon, juices running down my arms like I’m six again. I do manage to avoid being hosed off by Barnaby. Grin.

Being Pacific Northwesterners, we had never saved the rinds for pickling as they do in the South, we just tossed them into the garbage. Who knew!? I was well into adulthood when I had my first pickled watermelon rind, and I am hooked. I was expecting a salty pickle flavor, but what I discovered was more like a soft, sweet and sour pickle.

For all you Yankees who have never had pickled watermelon rinds, give them a try. Your future is about to get sweeter. Depending on where you live you can get them in supermarkets or gourmet food stores (as we did). You can also purchase them on Amazon.com. If you’d like your own home-made batch, try this recipe.

Pickled Watermelon Rind
I prefer pickled rinds without any added food coloring, but many recipes call for either green or red.

• watermelon rind, 4 quarts of 1-inch chunks
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1 quart white or cider vinegar
• 8 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 10 to 12 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

Remove green skin and remaining pink from watermelon rind, then cut into 1-inch chunks to measure 4 quarts. Place rinds in a non-metal bowl and add the water and salt. You may need to add more water in order to completely cover the rinds. Cover and soak overnight in refrigerator.

Drain and cover with clear water, then transfer to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes; drain and set aside. In the same large saucepan, pour vinegar; add sugar. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the drained watermelon rind. Boil gently until rind is transparent and syrup is slightly thickened, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove spices and spoon into hot sterilized 1-pint jars, leaving about 1/2-inch head space, and seal. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes about 4 pints.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Cooking tips • Fruit • Uncategorized	13 Comments
Tags:	Food • foodista • Fruit • pickled watermelon rind • pickles • pickling • preserving • recipe • watermelon

Nothing screams summer barbecue like a good old fashioned cheese burger. But since the price of beef has increased it’s nice to have another tasty and satisfying alternative. Many people wrinkle their noses at the thought of a turkey burger, as they are usually dry, boring and uninspiring. I’m hoping to change that perception – at least in my circle of friends!

Asia met Washington State the other night when I created these delicious and juicy burgers. What ground turkey needs – especially turkey breast- is an ingredient that will not only add, but lock in, moisture in the meat. I’ve done this before with onion, but this time I went for the Triple Crown: red onion, green apple and fresh ginger. All ingredients providing moisture, flavor and texture.

Apple Ginger Turkey Burgers

1 – 1.5 lb ground turkey breast
1 Granny Smith apple, grated with peel on
2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled (about 1/2 – 3/4 tablespoon)
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Crush the peeled ginger through a garlic press, and add the grated apple and diced onion. Add the soy sauce and a couple pinches of salt and a few good cranks of fresh ground pepper. Mix well with your hands, then form into patties (about 4-5).

Grill a few minutes on each side or until juices no longer run red. Patties should feel slightly firm, but not hard.

Great topped with Brie (shown) or sharp white cheddar.

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• The Great Stuffing Debate!
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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fruit • Meat & Poultry • Veggies	11 Comments
Tags:	apple • apples • burgers • Food • foodista • Fruit • ginger • granny smith • grilling • onion • recipe • Turkey • turkey burger

I love duck. And I love curry. But preparing both from scratch can be a daunting task. I recently found this quick and easy recipe for duck curry that is so good people will think you spent all day grinding spices and smoking duck.

Fast and Easy Duck Curry
Peking duck is available at Asian markets.

1.5 – 2 lbs Peking duck
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 fresh red chili, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 2/3 cups coconut milk
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Duck is a fatty little creature, but I prefer to leave on a bit of the less fatty skin for added color, flavor and texture. If your duck comes with a sauce or two, throw those in your curry – it will only make it tastier! Remove the bones, making sure to get the tiny ones that are easy to miss. Cut into bite-size pieces.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat, add the onion, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and continue to cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the curry paste and cook until blended (about a minute), then add the peanut butter.

Slowly whisk in the coconut milk and cook until thoroughly combined. Add the chicken stock, bring to boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the duck, lime juice and fish sauce, and let simmer another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with rice.

Note: I think zucchini, eggplant or other vegetables would be delicious additions too!

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Categories:	Asian • Canned Goods • Cooking tips • Herbs • Meat & Poultry	4 Comments
Tags:	curry • duck • duck curry • Food • foodista • recipe • recipes • rice

Have you ever gotten disapproving looks at parties for eagerly scooping up too much of the caviar? That’s never happened to me per se (I’m much too sneaky to get caught), but if you have then you will enjoy this scoop-worthy roe.

Tarama is cod or carp roe that is salted, dried and sometimes smoked. When combined with olive oil, lemon and soaked bread a classic Greek meze, often referred to as the “common man’s caviar,” is created: taramosalata. Creamy, lemony, and with just the right amount of that fishy-saltiness, taramosalata is good and cheap enough to make you unapologetically snarf it down like a hungry Greek fisherman.

And I do.

Taramosalata
Prep time: 10 minutes

• 3 1/2 ounces of cod or carp roe (plain or smoked)
• 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 slices of bread, crust removed
• juice of 2 lemons
• warm water

Run the bread under water, then squeeze dry. Put roe and bread in a food processor and blend (setting 2) until mixed. Add the olive oil and lemon juice slowly and pulse until creamy and thick. If it gets too thick use a bit of warm water to thin it out. Cover and place in the refrigerator until well chilled.

Personal experience note: unless you like the taste of a fish monger’s floor, then do not lick the tarama spoon <gag!>. Patiently wait until the recipe has been completed.

In a hurry? You can also find pre-made taramosalata in Mediterranean markets or on Amazon.com.

Thank you SunSirrah for your nice photo!

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Mediterranean • Salads • Travel	3 Comments
Tags:	appetizers • caviar • Food • foodista • Greek • Mediterranean • meze • recipe • recipes • roe • tarama • taramosalata

One of my favorite light summer dinners to make is refreshing gazpacho. This chilled soup is sure to quickly soothe an overly hot body. The recipes that I prefer are those without bread, making them lighter and healthier (especially if you’re dieting).

This recipe is from my mother’s friend, Vicki Sebastiani, founder of Viansa Winery in Sonoma, California. You can find it in her wonderful cookbook Cucina Viansa.

Gazpacho alla California

Makes 8 cups
1 large cucumber: peeled, seeded and diced
1 large red onion: peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper: seeded and diced
1 large zucchini, diced
6 large tomatoes: peeled seeded and diced (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of Tobasco sauce (optional)

Garnish:

1/2 sour cream
1/2 cup fresh minced chives
1/2 cups croutons, preferably homemade (I skipped this in my preparation)

Note: I also like to toss in avocado for extra creaminess.

Set aside about a 1/2 cup each of the diced cucumber, onion, pepper, and zucchini. Toss the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree slightly, so vegetables remain a little chunky. Cover tightly and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or until chilled. Either stir the remaining vegetables into the soup, or arrange on a separate dish to be added individually. Nice served with a dollop of sour cream, too.

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Categories:	Cookbooks • Mexican • Soup • Veggies	3 Comments
Tags:	cookbook • Food • foodista • gazpacho • Mexican • recipe • Soup • tomato • vegetables • viansa • Winery

Nothing tops off a Summer Solstice dinner more perfectly than an apple tart. My friend’s mother, Val, made a simply divine one the other night, and I am still daydreaming about its goodness. I’m talking the-skies-opened-up-and-the-angels-sang good.

Although tarts seem like a relatively simple dessert, it’s the crust wherein lies the excruciating challenge. And to me, it’s the crust that’s the crucial ingredient. What you put on top – albeit delicious – is secondary. But Val, sweet Val, you nailed it! If crust making were an Olympic event you would win the Gold Medal. Perfectly browned; neither too thick nor too thin; and (here’s where the angels started singing) ever so light and flaky.

Mmm…mmm…mmm!

I asked her for her recipe, afraid that she wouldn’t divulge some secret family recipe, and she responded, “It’s Julia Child’s recipe. You can never go wrong with Julia.” Amen, sister.

And so I share the Queen’s recipe for Pâte Brisée Sucrée (Sweet Short Paste), which can be found in her must-have book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Sweet short paste is made exactly like regular short paste except that sugar is mixed into the flour before you begin.

For an 8- to 9-inch shell.

1 cup flour, scooped and leveled
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
6 tablespoons chilled butter
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
4 to 4 1/2 tablespoons cold water

Directions for making short paste by hand: Place the flour in the bowl and mix in the sugar and salt. Add the butter and shortening and, with the tips of your fingers, rapidly rub them together with the dry ingredients until the fat is broken into bits the size of small oatmeal flakes. Do not overdo this step as the fat will be blended more thoroughly later.

Add the water and blend quickly with one hand, fingers held together and slightly cupped, as you rapidly gather the dough into a mass. Sprinkle up to 1 tablespoon more water by droplets over any unmassed remains and add them to the main body of the dough. Then press the dough firmly into a roughly shaped ball. It should just hold together and be pliable but not sticky.

Directions for making short paste in the food processor: Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl (equipped with the steel blade). Quarter the chilled butter lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/8-inch pieces; add to the flour along with the chilled shortening. Flick the machine on and off 4 or 5 times. Turn the machine on and pour in the water. Immediately flick the machine on and off several times, and the dough should begin to mass on the blade. If not, dribble in a little more water and repeat, repeating again if necessary. Dough is done when it has begun to mass; do not overmix it. Scrape the dough out onto your work surface and proceed to the fraisage.

The fraisage — or final blending — for handmade and machine dough: Place the dough on a lightly floured pastry board. With the heel of one hand, not the palm which is too warm, rapidly press the pastry by two-spoonful bits down on the board and away from you in a firm, quick smear of about 6 inches.

With a scraper or spatula, gather the dough again into a mass; knead it briefly into a fairly smooth round ball. Sprinkle it lightly with flour and wrap it in waxed paper. Either place the dough in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator for about 1 hour until it is firm but not congealed, or refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (Uncooked pastry dough will keep for 2 to 3 days under refrigeration, or may be frozen for several weeks. Always wrap it airtight in waxed paper and a plastic bag.)

Rolling out the dough: Because of its high butter content, roll out the dough as quickly as possible, so that it will not soften and become difficult to handle. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or marble. If the dough is hard, beat it with the rolling pin to soften it. Then knead it briefly into a fairly flat circle. It should be just malleable enough to roll out without cracking.

Lightly flour the top of the dough. Place rolling pin across center and roll the pin back and forth with firm but gentle pressure to start the dough moving. Then, with a firm, even stroke, and always rolling away from you, start just below the center of the dough and roll to within an inch of the far edge.

Lift dough and turn it at a slight angle.

Give it another roll. Continue lifting, turning and rolling and, as necessary, sprinkle the board and top of dough lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Roll it into a circle 1/8-inch thick and about 2 inches larger all around than your pie pan or flan ring. If your circle is uneven, cut off a too-large portion, moisten the edge of the too-small portion with water, press the 2 pieces of pastry together and smooth them with your rolling pin.

The dough should be used as soon as it has been rolled out, so that it will not soften.

Making a pastry shell: Mold your pastry in a false-bottomed, straight-sided cake pan 1- to 1 1/2- inches deep and refrigerate.

(A French tart is straight sided and open-faced and stands supported only by its pastry shell.) When the shell is ready for unmolding, the pan is set over a jar and the false bottom frees the shell from the sides of the pan. It is then, with the aid of a long-bladed spatula, slid off its false bottom and onto a rack or the serving dish.

Prebaking the pastry shell: Partial baking sets the dough and is a safeguard against soggy bottom crusts. Line the pastry with buttered lightweight foil or buttered brown paper, press it will against the sides of the pastry and fill it with dried beans. The weight of the beans will hold the pastry against the mold during the baking. Bake at the middle of a preheated 400-degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes until pastry is set. Remove mold or foil and beans. Prick bottom of pastry with a fork to keep it from rising. Return to oven for 2 to 3 minutes more. When the shell is starting to color and just beginning to shrink from sides of mold, remove it from the oven.

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• The Great Stuffing Debate!
• Wine from Scratch: Wine in the Kitchen
• The Ultimate Holiday Cookie Contest!
• Pumpkin Pie vs. Pecan Pie
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool

Categories:	Baked Goods • Cookbooks • Cooking tips • French • Sweets • desserts	6 Comments
Tags:	apple tart • baking • cooking • Dessert • Food • foodista • julia child • pastry • pastry dough • pate brisee sucree • recipe • recipes • sweet short paste • tart crust • tarts