Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 Eat The Pages, a Book Club Revival

It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. ~Oscar Wilde



A good book can whisk you away far removed from the place you are. A good meal does the same thing. One of my favorite things perhaps is reading about a good meal. One that is heavily seasoned with description where I can smell the food lingering in the air. A meal written with such care that I can taste the sweetness and butter.

Our book club has been on a brief hiatus and we needed to have another meeting to get the ball rolling again. What better way to come together than over a meal inspired by a few of my favorite food laden books.



Joanne Harrris, Five Quarters of the Orange



Kim Sunee, Trail of Crumbs



Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires


Each book is very different from the other, however all intertwined by glorious and copious food descriptions. These were wonderful inspirations to a perfect afternoon of books, catching up and food.



We started our meal off with a nice aperitif inspired from a character out of Five Quarters the Orange. Kir is nice light drink to have before your meal made with Creme de Cassis and white wine. We made ours with Prosecco so they were slightly fizzy and crisp. Joanne Harris names her characters after many ingredients - Pistache, Cassis. This drink was in honor of Cassis.

For appetizers I chose some recipes from Kim Sunee's book Trail of Crumbs. Chilled blue berry soup and grilled goat cheese toasts. It was sweet, light and layered with many complex flavors.



Chilled Blueberry Soup
Trail of Crumbs, Kim Sunee

5 cups fresh blueberries
4 cloves
1/2 cup honey
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 Tablespoons creme de cassis
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
creme fraiche for garnish

Rinse blueberries and place in a pot. Add cloves and stir in honey. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape seeds into pot using tip of knife, and add scraped bean halves. Add 1 cup water and stir. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Strain using back of spoon to crush berries through a fine sieve. Discard solids. Let soup cool. Stir in lemon juice, creme de cassis and vinegar. Add more honey if needed. Chill in refrigerator 4 hours and up to 2 days. Serve in chilled bowls.

This soup was amazing and surprisingly not too sweet.

The grilled goat cheese toasts were a nice contrast to the sweetness, without completely over powering our delicate soup.



The only thing to these was toasted baguette slices, goat cheese, olive oil and herbs. I happen to have an abundance of thyme outside so I used that, but any herb would have done. Sunee sprinkles her book with these little gems of recipes between chapters. In her story she is frequently cooking these large elaborate meals, but with simple earthy ingredients. These toasts are a perfect example of that elegance.

We had finished our appetizers and found out what everyone had been reading these past 10 months. It was time for the next chapter of the meal. Ruth Reichl included a celebratory lamb meal in her book Garlic and Sapphires and it remained forever in my thoughts. I needed to try it.



Along side the lamb I also made Reichl's Scalloped potatoes. In the beginning of this recipe she writes "Nobody doesn't like these." I'm sure she is right. These potatoes are creamy and rich. Just absolutely perfect with slightly sweet lamb.

Garlic Rosemary Leg of Lamb
Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires

1 small 6-7 pound leg of lamb, trimmed of fat
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into 6 slivers each
1 bunch rosemary
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Remove lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before starting. Preheat oven to 350º Make small slits on the lamb on each side, and place a sliver of garlic and a leaf of rosemary in each slit. Massage the olive oil into the meat and season with salt and pepper. Place the lamb on a rack on top of remaining rosemary and garlic. Cook uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.



I made very small changes in this recipe, I halved it because I had another starchy side, and I added thyme. I'll list what I did, but it is very much her recipe.
Scalloped Potatoes
Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires


5 small potatoes peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 325º. Rub 9 x 5 x 2 inch pan with garlic. Thickly coat with butter. Heat up milk and cream just before it starts to boil. Layer buttered pan with sliced potatoes. I added the thyme on top of each potato layer. Add salt and pepper to cream and pour over the top of the potatoes. Bake 1 1/2 hours along side of the lamb. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.



Our next dish was added primarily for the vegetarian in the group, but it was a great accompaniment to the lamb. Sunee's Spaghetti with Zucchini, mint, and pine nuts. It is grouped near the end of her book with 2 other pasta dishes aptly named Midnight pasta. These pasta dishes are quick, rich and delicious meals on their own. Our vegetarian couldn't make it, but I'm glad we still made the pasta.



Spaghetti with Zucchini, Mint, and Pine Nuts
Kim Sunee, Trail of Crumbs

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot sliced
2 small zucchini cut lengthwise and slice
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 Tablespoons fresh mint
1/2 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, zucchini and red pepper flakes. Cook while you are cooking pasta in a large pan with salted water. Add pasta to the zucchini and then add mint, pine nuts, and cheese. If the pasta is too dry add some pasta water. I doubled this recipe for my crowd as this recipe serves 2.

Because 2 of my books were largely set in France I decided our beverage should remind us of luxurious fields of rolling lavender and long afternoons sipping lemonade. Lavender scented lemonade did the trick just fine.



It was really the most relaxing glass of lemonade I've ever had.

Lavender Scented Lemonade


1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons lavender flowers divided
2 drops essential oil of lavender

Heat sugar and 1 1/2 cups water in a small sauce pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the lavender flowers and let steep 1-2 hours. Strain lavender and chill simple syrup for 2 hours. Mix half the syrup and lemon juice. Add 1 liter of water and taste for sweetness. Add more syrup as needed. Drop in 2 drops of lavender oil and stir. Garnish with lavender flowers.

Just as every good book has a good ending, so did our lunch. We had passed around potential books and were creating our next reading list. It was like browsing a book store, one of my favorite past times. An event like this called for dessert. A light and creamy dessert just as Joanne Harris depicted in Five Quarters of the Orange. I wanted a clafouti the moment I read about it.



I wanted to sit at a table in her restaurant and spoon up tangy cherries and fluffy custard. Ours had pears, but it was buttery and creamy and just like a cloud. Nicole and I deemed the bites with the outer crust just divine.



Pear Clafouti
Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to cook everything

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing the pan
1/2 cup sugar, plus some for dusting the pan
2 pears peeled and sliced into 1 inch thick slices
3 eggs
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Butter a gratin dish about 9 x 5 x 2. Sprinkle with sugar then invert to remove the excess. Lay the sliced pears along the bottom. Beat the eggs until foamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat with a whisk until foamy and thick. Add flour and beat until thick and smooth. Add the cream, yogurt, vanilla and salt. Pour the batter over the pears. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the sides pull away and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Dust with confectioners sugar. Serve warm or room temperature.

My favorite part of Garlic and Sapphires Reichl describes a small tour a friend took her on of all the great places around New York. The places that still believed in family and a fine product. Small gems that were simple and true. I made my fellow readers rugalachs in honor of our new list full of gems.



I made them these rolled cookie's to take home and eat while reading a good book. I placed them in little orange bags all neat in row. We ate, made our new book list and said goodbye. I did the dishes, staring at my little orange bags all ready to go.



So I'll try my best
to find you at your work, at home, head buried deep within a book
to give you a treat all rolled and sweet, so sorry I mistook
or maybe if you're so inclined and really like to cook
you'll find the recipe here with Ina, go ahead and take a look



Thank you again Foodbuzz for another chance to host a delicious event. I'm so grateful for the opportunity.

Here is a list of some other eat the page worthy books:

Chocolat - Joanne Harris
Any of Ruth Reichl's other books - Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples, Not Becoming My Mother
Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult
The first book of food I can remember: Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss
The Giant Jam Sandwich - Lord John Vernon (this book used to make me so hungry)
Like Water for Chocolate - Luara Esquirel
I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence - Amy Sedaris

Type A Kitchen

That's me. Type A, and orange all over. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Those silly personality tests that assign you a letter and sometimes a color describing you to a T.

I hated that answer. A. It meant uniformed, orderly, goal oriented, bossy. I wanted so bad to be that other color or letter. You know, blue maybe. Breezy, and relaxed. One of those hippy whatever the day may bring type of folks. Type A sounded so bossy. I was not and am not bossy. Wait hold on, I need to yell at my kids and tell my husband he's folding the onsies all wrong. Whew don't you just hate it when things aren't they way you like it?

I just wanted to lie in my artsy fartsy world. I wanted to be the fun wanderer type. How would that person ever happily maneuver with this strict and precise side. I think I just thought one had to die out letting the other take over, and the tests seem to point to that uptight side taking over. I thought it would comprimise my art, or love for life. I was young people, young and silly.

Of course I was that person through and through. I hated being in trouble. I liked work, and I liked to be good at my work. I liked neatness and order, even in art. I wasn't ready to be organized, and admit to that highly orderly person. I was afraid that accepting that person, would bring about a sense of failure or loss.

Now I find it much easier to let these 2 sides co-exist. But when that A side rears it's head in the kitchen, look out.

You see I can tend to fixate on something until I'm completely bored with it. Unfortunately this drive is misplaced at times, and could be very much used in other areas like a career, or cleaning my house. I choose to use it for things such as salted caramel.

I made some earlier and told you all about it here. I don't know what I was thinking attempting something like caramel with a newborn and a toddler and a pile of dirty laundry taking over the couch. I didn't get the effect that I wanted. Instead of just letting it go, I had to prevail.

I should have just let it go. I should have worn my free love uniform and let it be. But no, I tried and tried again. I researched more and turned to the masters of the classics; Mark Bittman, Ina,
David Lebovitz and his ten tips for making caramel. Smitten Kitchen and her salted caramel post where pressureing me back into the kitchen. Oh how I wish I could just have let it go.

I was off and and ready. I made one batch and it was a bit too dark. I enjoyed it terribly, but the others were offended by the bitterness. So I wasn't done yet. I had not conquered.

I went at it again, late and alone. No interruptions, just me, sugar, butter and cream. I could tell from the beginning that it was magic. It was so smooth, so sweet, and just the proper amount of salt. I was very excited to pour it on the homemade ice cream the next day. I made it for a family lunch and low and behold I was the only caramel fanatic. Everyone else was going for the macerated strawberries. I had a huge batch of caramel left. So much that I even gave some to Anty T and her roommate with still a jar left for me.

I was out of homemade ice cream and was just spooning the sauce out of the jar straight to my mouth. My glorious creation all to myself. Then I spotted the black berries and was curious, adventerous and perhaps desperate. I discovered magic in a bowl. How do they not sell this in the stores? How is this not a common everyday occurance? How can I be out of sauce already?

Oh this dang personality trait is horrible for my hips. I've now decided that the perfect ice cream sundae must be made now; homemade vanilla bean ice cream, macerated black berries, and the most perfect salted caramel in the world.



If you're thinking about making caramel and you have a propensity for being anal, be warned and buy some blackberries.

Up Hill, Both Ways, In The Snow

The world has come so very far in the past few decades. I mean technology will change just while you were napping. This guy perhaps can explain it best how exactly I feel about all of this technology and just how extreme it's become. I've even found myself fighting technology lately. Sort of like an old lady. For example; I feel it's my duty to keep buying literature in paper form just to keep them alive. Sure I can get most of it on line, but I'm resisting completely.

Key Ingredient informed me a while ago about their super nifty digital recipe reader, the Demy. I was happy to submit recipes to them to load on their new product, but it was one of those things that I seriously thought wasn't going to be for me. My inner old lady was screaming in defiance.

Saturday the Demy showed up at my door for a 3 day trial run and I couldn't wait to see it. I was excited to see how it worked, but was planning on just peeking and setting aside some time to read through the directions thoroughly and figure it all out. I opened the package and the instructions were just on one little sheet of paper. One little paper for all the functions. Surely these people were underestimating the need to clearly walk me through every process. Now, I'm not completely void of technical know how, but I do need directions. Clear and precise directions.

I turned the machine on and just started touching around getting my barrings. I was so amazed at how easy it was to use. The small page of directions were more than enough to get me deep in to the use of the machine. I was already choosing out some recipes that were preloaded onto the reader.

The next day I left it on the counter and turned it on while I was cooking. It fit lovely on my counter in the space where I usually do all my chopping and prep work. The screen was easy to read even at different angles. If I knew the machine was mine I probably wouldn't be so apprehensive to touch the screen even with garlic juice on my fingers, but I knew it was being sent to some other lucky Joe and was scared. However my directions said I could easily wipe the screen away. It was even easy to read at a side angle. The picture didn't look as good, but I could still read the words.



Here it is next to my cutting board, and those papers are my usual "recipe readers". I have them all over my kitchen, but we'll get more to my usual later.

Next up I decided to check out just how easy it is to sync up the Demy to my recipes on Key Ingredient. Key Ingredient is a very nice web site where you keep and organize your collection of recipes. They make it so very easy over there. You can even use Key Ingredient to help you organize all those great recipes you find while surfing. You can import the recipe and they will keep the tag on it from the site you found it. From there you can slip it into any one of your custom cookbooks.

Now let's say that you want to make something you found and imported into your Key Ingredient cookbook. You now would like it on your handy dandy, easy to use, one page of instructions Demy. First I had to download the Demy software from their site (2 seconds). Then I logged into my free Key Ingredient page and hit this nice sync button. I kept waiting for more prompts, or something else to do, but that was it. My collections were now loaded on to the Demy and I could go cook. Without all my little scraps of paper.

Then I thought about all the changes I make to recipes. More of this, less that, this would taste so good with strawberries. How much of a pain is it going to be to update a recipe? I changed one word in one of my recipes and then hit sync again. I was again prepared to tell it what recipe I changed, but nothing. Then I thought for sure it didn't change it. It didn't get it. I'm going to have to hate this thing now because it doesn't know to change one stinkin' wor- Oh it changed my one word. I didn't tell it a thing. It just did it. My granny like tendencies were becoming mere whispers, and I was really starting to like this gadget.

I have this pseudo anal organizing method for all of my recipes. It involves a binder with magazine collections of keepers, to try, parties and desserts. It's actually a mess. Then I have a very cute little book of handwritten recipes. Most are my creations, some from others blogs. I also have a recipe box full of odds and ends mostly from family. Then there are those handwritten scrap papers that are either me scribbling down hurried thoughts and amounts to make it to my blog, or quick notes off the computer in the middle of a cooking frenzy. I was thinking that with the Demy it would be a real time sucker to enter in all those recipes I have laying around. Then I noticed this. These people thought of everything.

So by now you're probably saying to yourself I just have nothing negative to say, or I'm getting paid a nice lump sum, or even a free one of these things to say all this. I wish. But I do have some thoughts that aren't in the category of gushing love. But I almost hasten to mention them, because they sound so very lazy and part of that undeserving group of people with some over inflated sense of self entitlement. I'll list them anyway.

The indexing feature could be bumped up a bit. There is a index feature that allows you to search for the recipe title by beginning letter. This is nice, but many times I forget the name of a recipe if it isn't straight forward. For instance, say you loaded up this super awesome recipe for a chicken salad with butternut squash and Tahini dressing. But let's say it's named something goofy like Fabulous Fall Salad (I don't know why I do these things). Well if the indexing had more key wording it would make it much easier to find it by looking under chicken salad, or butternut squash or anything besides the dorky name I gave it. Not that big of a deal right?

The pre-loaded recipes are locked in and you can't get them off. This isn't a huge deal but perhaps you have some allergies in the family that render at least half of them useless. Sure they look good, but if I bought it myself I think I would want the free space. Again that seems like an absurd negative when the Demy will hold 2,500 recipes.

My last negative statement makes me feel like a very lazy kitchen geek. If you could make changes to recipes or leave notes directly on it my heart would explode with joy. Especially when I'm developing recipes it would be nice to tweak things right on the machine. However walking 4 feet to my computer and switching the recipe on Key Ingredient and re-syncing is not going to break my legs or require a large block of time from my day.

The other features on the Demy are also great. Timers, conversion calculator, and even ingredient alternatives. If I still had my personal chef business I would pay the ticket price for this in a heartbeat. It would have made my load to and from clients' homes much lighter.



This morning I sadly packed up my new love and sent it on it's way to be tested by some other lucky foodie. The only sound from the little old lady inside when I opened up my jumbled binder later was a small whimper.

Reason # 562,256 why Life Is Still Sweet

Really tasty gluten free rolls. Recipe found here.

I Need A Red Carpet Please

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Share Our Strengths amazing Taste of the Nation. All thanks to the wonderful folks at Foodbuzz. They sent me a very polite email asking if I would like to be entered to win a ticket. Without a second thought I said sure, thinking I would never be chosen. What do ya know, I won.

I was so thrilled to be going to an event like this. Check out the restaurants attending. All for me to try, all in one place. This is one of the only food events in the valley where 100% of the proceeds go to the charity.

Heirloom
Sol y Sombra
LON’s @ the Hermosa
Elements at Sanctuary
T. Cooks at the Royal Palms
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Zinc Bistro
Espresso Italia
Olive & Ivy
Sushi Roku
Tammie Coe Cakes
Cathy's Rum Cake
Talavera
Ristorante Tuscany
Skye
Eddie V’s
Sassi
Tapino
Fleming’s
Banzai Cowboy Sushi
Patsy Grimaldi’s
Armitage
Dos Cabezas Winery


I was so excited I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I had to get things in order. The site said "cocktail attire". What the heck is that? A quick Google assured me I had something cocktail attire worthy, but I needed shoes.



Done!

Now I needed someone to come with me. I know Anty T likes good food, she'd be willing to fund a good cause (besides spoiling my kids rotten), and she's super classy and probably doesn't need to Google the term 'cocktail attire'. Friend who likes to eat -



Done!

We got our tickets and were ready to eat. But what is this? A red carpet and backdrop that looks so Hollywood?





So now I'm gonna need a red carpet at every event I attend because it makes you feel so very important and immortalized. Parent teacher conferences, a trip to the grocery store, when I enter a room. (Did you notice my press pass? I got a press pass).

Once past the all important red carpet there was nothing standing between us and the food. Not even shoes that were more cute than comfortable. I had made up my mind to try everything at the event and I think I almost did.

There were so many beautiful displays of food everywhere we turned. Shrimp shooters with tangy tomato and cool cucumbers, smoked salmon bruschetta with sundried tomatoes, beef tenderloin on a blue cheese pecan cracker and pear. Every bite was another adventure.

But wait, there was something off. Where was the giant paella pan being stirred with what may be an oar? Giant pan of paella -



Done!

The quality and creativeness of the foods was beyond my expectations, but the Paella is what's been lingering in my mind for almost a week.



I must admit I didn't expect this monster paella set up to taste very good. I thought for sure there would be some rice undercooked, some seafood over cooked. It was perhaps the best paella out there. Teresa agreed as her family are vigilant paella undertakers and she's sampled many a paella. Her family has some serious paella pans to fill. The chorizo was just the right spice and salt, the prawns were juicy and not at all rubbery. The plate was loaded with flavorful rice and mussels gently cooked and opened ready to eat. The Grill at the Fairmont Scottsdale are responsible for this bounty of beautiful food.



We saw muddling action on our way in and were on the prowl for what we thought were mojitos. Much to our delight the muddling was for the super delicious Grapefruit Basil cocktail from the Edge at Sanctuary. Refreshing unique cocktail -



Done!

I was a bit familiar with what the Sanctuary looked like from a wedding shoot we did for a couple. Check out the awesome ice luge for the martini's. You can have your wonderful wedding at this place (or anywhere else on the planet), JT can come and shoot your photos, and I will make sure you look good in them. That's my shameless plug for the day.

This was an exceptional night of food, friend and drink. Two very satisfied and full chicas -



Done!

But don't think for a minute that I've forgotten about you all. I have taken it upon myself to recreate my own version of the Grapefruit Cocktails.



It was rough, testing out different versions of this light and sassy drink. But someone's gotta do it.



The Sanctuary lists a few different ingredients that are delightful, but I was looking to streamline this cocktail. We don't usually keep a very stocked bar so I went with the basics.

Still Sweet's Grapefruit Cocktail

1 handful basil
1 Tablespoon sugar



Muddle, or squish the basil and sugar together. Add 2 oz of vodka (I think citrus or even grapefruit flavor would be very good in this drink too). Continue muddling so the vodka turns a nice green. Even if you stopped here and poured this mix over ice it would be one bright and delicious drink. But let's keep going.

Add 8 oz grapefruit juice. One that isn't too sweet works the best.



Mix this together and pour through a strainer over ice. Add a basil leaf for garnish and sit back and enjoy your life.



Thank you Anty T for my night out. I love you and I love any time we get together.

Thank you Foodbuzz for the ticket to this fantastic event. It truly was a momentous time.

And please stop by Share our Strength and support them in any way you can. I am so blessed to have experienced the food that night and every night. Many people need food and Share our Strength is an amazing program.

Ok - thank you's and pleas for charity help -

DONE!