VittlesVamp

Jammy Jam

Yesterday, I took to my kitchen and with fruit aplenty I picked up a pot and tossed together some almost too ripe plums along with sugar, half a naturally pectin-filled Granny Smith apple, a stick of cinnamon, juice from half a lemon, and a splash of Cointreau. Letting it bubble away on high heat for 25 minutes, giving a stir now and then, it started to turn into a thick, gorgeous, jammy jam.

Earlier today, it made the perfect companion for a freshly baked croissant. Tomorrow, I plan on eating it served atop Greek yogurt. What I'll do with it the day after that, I don't know. But, whatever it is, it'll be delicious.

Baking For A Cause

One of my dear friends was glum. He was a glum, gangly, gluten-free man. Let's just call him "G.G." for short, since the glum has since been eradicated. I like to think I helped stamp out this difficult case of glum by baking. Specifically, by baking Flourless Chocolate Walnut cookies, dark, chewy, sinful and pictured above.

What can I say? When a friend is feeling poorly, I turn to my trusty whisk, cookie sheet and oven. This time, with gluten restrictions, I had a challenge to surmount. And, with Francois Payard's assistance, I rose to the occasion -- sans flour or yeast -- deliciously.

Payard's beloved patisserie is gone now, but his book Chocolate Epiphany lives on, as does this recipe for gorgeous, glum-fighting cookies.

Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies

2 3/4 cups walnut halves
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the walnut halves on a large-rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 9 minutes, until they are golden and fragrant. (1) Let cool slightly, then transfer the walnut halves to a work surface and coarsely chop them. Position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and lower temperature to 320. Line two large-rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. (2) In a large bowl, whisk (or combine in an electric mixer on low speed) the confectioners’ sugar with the cocoa powder and salt followed by the chopped walnuts. While whisking (or once you change the speed to medium), add the egg whites and vanilla extract and beat just until the batter is moistened (do not overbeat or it will stiffen). (3) Spoon the batter onto the baking sheets in 12 evenly spaced mounds, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked; shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Slide the parchment paper (with the cookies) onto 2 wire racks. Let cookies cool completely, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Red, White & Yellow

Not very patriotic of me, I know.

A Tomato, Nectarine and Double-Cream Goat Cheese Salad, christened with a drizzle of olive oil, squirt of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, as well as a scattering of cilantro leaves. Add some slivers of red onion if you like.

Not necessarily typical 4th of July fare, but it makes for a very VittlesVamp kind of Independence Day treat.

Brücke & Strudel

The Brücke exhibit at the Neue Galerie on Fifth Avenue and 86th Street is the first vibrant splash of color to hit New York since the Wall Street tumble began.

It lifted my spirits significantly.

So did my trip to the Austrian museum's lauded restaurant, Cafe Sabarsky, where I sat in a graceful wooden paneled parlor that transported me to a time and place when Freud, Klimt and Wiener Werkstätte reigned supreme in Viennese culture. A much more civilized era. One in which strong, dark coffee and "mit schlag" was de riguer. And, most importantly, one in which Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't Austria's most famous living son.

The cafe's splendid selection of Viennese pastries was impossible to resist. Frankly, it was difficult to choose between the chocolate glazed Sachertorte or the cherry-topped Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, so I didn't choose either. I ordered the Apfelstrudel instead. And, as you can see from the photo above, I made a very fine choice. And, if you can't get to Cafe Sabarsky to try a slice of this buttery, flaky, heavenly sweet, you are still in luck. I happened to find the recipe. And, yes -- It's better "mit schlag."

Cafe Sabarsky Apfelstrudel

Strudel mix -
9 apples
84 g sour cream
13 g rum
84 g sugar
117 g sweet bread crumbs
50 g bread crumbs
33 g raisins
17 g dried currants
33 g walnuts

Sweet crumbs -
28 g butter
28 g sugar
55 g bread crumbs

Peel, core and slice apples thinly. Mix together sour cream and rum. With your hands, mix together apples with all ingredients. Melt butter, add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add bread crumbs and mix well. For each strudel use 5 sheets of philo dough with melted butter and powdered sugar between layer. Roll the strudel mix in the philo dough tightly, tuck the ends under and brush with melted butter. Dust with powdered sugar. Bake at 450F for about 20 minutes until golden and caramelized on top.

Escarole With It Baby

Last night my archaeologically-inclined pal Kristin paid call and I made dinner. After the bitter cold week we'd been having, comfort food seemed in order.

Roast Chicken was a no-brainer.

However, the vegetable side dish decision did require a bit of brain power.

String Beans with Fresh Oregano? Nah. Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta? Not so much. Cinnamon and Cumin-Scented Carrots? Not feeling it.

Then I spied a vibrant green beauty in the produce aisle that made me shout "Eureka!" -- escarole. Usually thought of an accompaniment for Italian fare, I realized that it would grace the plate alongside my Roast Chicken quite nicely.

And, pictured above, it did.

If you are so inclined to enjoy this tasty and versatile leafy green yourself, whether with Roast Chicken or not, here's my favorite escarole recipe.

Escarole with Shallots

1 large head escarole
4 - 5 shallots
3 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp Champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes
Salt (Kosher or sea salt is preferable)
Freshly cracked black pepper

Peel shallots, drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste and place in a baking pan in a pre-heated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool and then cut into quarters. Core, clean and coarsely chop the escarole. Heat remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat on the stove until hot. Add escarole leaves and shallots. Saute for 5 - 7 minutes, adding vinegar and red chili pepper flakes midway through the cooking process. Add more salt and black pepper to taste. Serve.

New Year's Prosperity - Now With Blueberries!

Considering all of the news as of late, seemed like 2009 could use all the help it could get from the get-go.

So, I went through my recipe file and decided to riff on a classic Southern treat that is supposed to bring good luck and prosperity through the New Year -- Cornbread. I chose to omit the other traditional New Year's fare of Black-Eyed Peas and Collard Greens, and instead add some juicy, sweet blueberries into the mix.

Don't know if blueberries can bring me fortune in the year to come, but apparently they do promote anti-aging benefits. And heaven knows that blueberries are a much tastier addition to cornbread than Oil of Olay.

New Year's Day Blueberry Cornbread

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted margarine or corn oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and dust with corn meal -- not necessary, if using a non-stick or silicone pan. Mix all the dry ingredients - flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt -- in large bowl. Mix eggs, melted margarine/oil and milk in small bowl. Add egg mixture and corn to dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Pour 1/3 batter into pan. Add half of the blueberries, pushing into batter. Pour 1/3 batter and add rest of blueberries as before, topping with the rest of the batter accordingly. Bake for 1 hour.

The Vamp's T-Day Contribution

You didn't expect me to show up to my friends' Thanksgiving dinner empty-handed, did you?

The two bottles of wine were a forgone conclusion. Still, I needed to bring more to the table than Australian Sauvignon Blanc and Argentine Malbec. So, with all the customary sides already claimed by others, I decided to whip up a few pre-dinner hor d'oeurves for good measure.

Happily, my Marinated Mushrooms with Fresh Thyme were gobbled up at a steady clip. But, it was my Tomato and Fresh Ricotta Bruschetta (pictured above) that seemed to vanish all too quickly. Not as quickly as the platter of Deviled Eggs, mind you, but they did come in a close second...

Tomato and Fresh Ricotta Bruschetta
(Serves 5 - 6 as a pre-dinner snack)

1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 cup and 1 TBSP olive oil
1 large garlic clove (minced)
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
pepper to taste
1 baguette
1 cup fresh ricotta
Fresh basil (chopped)

Toss tomatoes with 1 TBSP olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place in a pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven. If the tomatoes haven't blistered, put on broil for an additional 5 minutes and then remove from the oven. Mash tomatoes slightly to remove a bit of the liquid.

Slice the baguette on a diagonal for 15 pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Place a 1/4 cup olive oil in a cup or bowl and use a pastry brush to lightly coat both sides of the slices and place on a cookie sheet. Brown both sides in the oven, about 3 - 4 minutes each side on broil. Remove and place on a rack to cool slightly.

Once cool enough to handle, spread each toast with fresh ricotta and then pile some of the warm tomatoes on top. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil over each of the bruschetta. Serve.

Rice By Request

There are some recipes that are so simple, so ingrained in your memory, that you forget that they are recipes at all. Such is the case with my Rice Pilaf. And, when a good friend asked for the recipe, I had to give it a think in terms of proportions. And, trust me, you make this delicious, fragrant pilaf often enough -- and you will -- and you will no longer need to follow a recipe either.

Rice Pilaf

1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup fine egg noodles
1 cup rice
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
2 TBSP butter
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably 1 can College Inn Chicken Broth)
2 TBSP flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Heat oil in saucepan and add the noodles, stirring until slightly golden. Add garlic and continue stirring until noodles are light brown and garlic is golden. Add rice and stir for 20 seconds, to cover with garlic oil and disperse the noodles evenly. Place butter atop and pour broth over. Cover and cook over low heat for 17 minutes. Toss in parsley. Serves four as a side dish.

Freakin' Fantastic Potato Salad

Everyone has their favorite Potato Salad recipe. Mine combines fork-tender potatoes, a tart marinade and then a creamy mustard dressing enriched by chopped hard-boiled eggs. Mix that up with the cooling crunch of celery and radishes and call it one of the best versions you'll ever put between your lips.

I served this crowd-pleasing side at my Fourth of July fete, but it's not only for Independence Day, no matter the name. Serve it anytime you like...

Independence Day Potato Salad

3 lbs. small boiling potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 i/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/8 tsp pepper
A few dashes of cayenne to taste

Dressing:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 TBSP Dijon mustard
3 chopped hard-boiled eggs

1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup thinly-sliced radishes

Cook potatoes until done. Drain and let cool for 20 minutes while making the marinade. Whisk together olive oil, cider vinegar and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Pour over warm potatoes. Let sit for a half-hour. Combine dressing ingredients. Toss with potatoes. Add celery and radishes and toss gently. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, if possible, overnight before serving.

Fluffy White Delight

The New York Times has declared ricotta the new "it" cheese:

Ricotta was long confined to traditional roles in New York’s restaurant kitchens, hidden inside fresh pasta as a mild, toothsome filling or baked into cheesecake with lemon and eggs.

But no more: ricotta has made a jump from the wings onto center stage.

Puh-leeze. I've NEVER denied the power and delight of ricotta. Hence, my delectable Ricotta Sorbet. I've already whipped up a batch for a dinner party tomorrow night.

Here's the recipe, if you'd like to whip up a batch yourself.

Ricotta Sorbet

1 quart milk (4 cups)
24 oz. ricotta
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange

Combine and boil ingredients - except zest - over a medium flame. Strain. Add zest. Chill. Place in ice cream maker and follow maker's instructions.