5 second rule

Sip/Soup

 
Quiz time: do you recognize these jars?  Do you?  Do you?

Yes, they're the empty glass yogurt jars I squirreled home in my suitcase after my trip to Paris.   They fared relatively well on the journey, though one of them did smell like yogurty feet when I finally unpacked it. My advice?  Use soap if you ever wash trash for a transatlantic journey. 

(Now I feel bad that I used the phrase 'yogurty feet' in a post that's, at heart, a celebration of Mark and Bruce's simple but sophisticated spiced plum soup.  Note to self: send note of apology to M&B.)

So, yes, the soup.  If you make this soup for your next dinner party, your guests will move in and never leave.  They will mop your floors, polish your fixtures, and install crown-molding in your living room.  They will walk your dog.  They will wax your car.  They will do anything to continue sipping this soup, which starts out perfectly lovely but somehow develops even more flavor with each passing day.  Do I exaggerate?  I do not.

The recipe comes from Cooking-Know How (Wiley, 2009) by Mark Scarbrough and Bruce Weinstein, which I've blogged about before here.  It's a cold, creamy summer soup, one that's open to infinite variations.  Mark posted this blackberry version last month on his blog Real Food Has Curves. 

If cold soups aren't your thing, no worries.  Call it a wine-infused smoothie and sip away.

...

Recipe for Spiced Plum Soup

Adapted from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough's Cooking Know-How (Wiley, 2009).  Used with permission of the authors.

Makes up to 12 small first course servings

4 cups (1 quart) cold water

2 pounds plums, halved and pitted

One 4-inch cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt

1/2 cup red wine

Salt to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the water, fruit, cinnamon stick, cloves, and nutmeg to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer slowly until the fruit is meltingly tender, about 10 to 25 minutes.  (-csr: mine took 10.)

Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and whole cloves.  Transfer any plum halves (csr: mine has turned to mush, but it made no difference) to a bowl, turn the heat to medium high, and boil the remaining liquid in the pan, uncovered, until its volume has reduced by half, stirring occasionally.

Puree the plums, the reduced cooking liquid, the sugar, yogurt, and wine in a large blender or food processor fitted with the chopping blade, working in batches if necessary.  (csr: I did it in batches with a stick blender.)

Transfer the soup to a large, nonreactive (csr: glass); seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.  Season with salt to taste just before serving.

printable pdf

Chai

When I was at the Cooking for Solutions gala at the aquarium a few weeks ago, I walked around with one hand clutching my plate of fancy seafood and the other grasped tightly to my younger son, whom I feared would be separated from me in the crush of humanity.  I worried we'd be ripped apart and he wouldn't be able to find me, and that, God forbid, I'd have to case the jelly fish tanks and baby seahorse exhibits to locate him.

At some point, about 45 minutes into the evening, we passed a table with Zhena's Gypsy Tea, and I let go of my son's hand when I spotted sachets of coconut chai right there on the table. Now I'm not a bad mother, but you know how I feel about coconut.  And anyway, Colin was nearby and Alex just transferred one parental hand-grab for another as I stopped to get myself a little cup of tea.  Of course, once I had it, I lost my family, and soon realized that carrying a boiling hot cup of tea is pretty much the stupidest thing anyone could do in a room packed with nattily-clad folks sipping all-you-can-drink-wine.  I was pressed and jostled, risking 3rd degree burns as I went to find the boys, which I eventually did.

(I'm waiting for someone to make fun of me for drinking tea at an event with all-you-can-drink wine.)

So as I sipped my tea and nibbled my seafood, I realized, you know, I love this tea, but as good as it is, I'm not going to drive all around town to find it once I get back to San Jose. I'll just make my own version.

And so I did.

 

...

Recipe for Coconut Chai Tea

It's important to point out that my method below is NOT authentic.  I am not Indian, nor are my ancestors Indian, but I do know that making chai is a time-honored process that involves boiling milk along with water and steeping spices and loose tea leaves for a Long Time.  This is my quick and dirty version.  My apologies to true chai aficionados. 

Makes 1 cup

1/3 cup 2% milk (or milk of your choice)

1 tea bag (I use Trader Joe's decaffeinated black, but use what you like)

Large pinch UNsweetened toasted coconut shreds

2 cloves

3 to 4 whole cardamom pods, smashed gently with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or some such

Sugar, to taste

Place the milk in your favorite large mug and microwave for 30 seconds until hot.

Place some cold water in a kettle (as much as you'd normally use for tea) and bring to a boil.  Place the tea bag, coconut, cloves, and cardamom pods in a glass (Pyrex) measuring cup.  Just as the water comes to a boil, pour about 1-1/4 cups of it over the tea and spices.  Let steep for about 4 minutes, depending on the type of tea you use and your preferred strength.  Place a small strainer over your mug and strain the tea into the mug.  Add sugar to taste, and stir.

printable pdf

Batido

I understand there's a heat wave on the east coast right now.  Let's just say, I've been there, people.  We had 90 degree weather here a week ago, and I was schvitzing like a chazer and ready to pull out all my hair.  I also had a pineapple giving me attitude.

So who did I turn to in my moment of despair?  With clothes stuck to skin, sweat dripping down brow, and a beady-eyed fruit mocking the whole, pathetic scene, I turned to Facebook, that's who.

Now I don't mean to get all social networky on you, but when I whined digitally to my FB friends about the heat, my lack of creative inspiration, and that goddamn pineapple, look what poured in:

Dana said: Peel it and thinly (like paper thinly) slice it to make pineapple carpaccio - then drizzle with maple syrup spiked with a little chipotle sauce. Or, just sprinkle with a tiny, tiny bit of cardamom and drizzle with honey and fresh lime juice.

Sue said: Just slice it up into rounds, unpeeled, and set them on the grill. They get caramelized and warm. Delicious topped with a big scoop of homemade ice cream.

Heather said: ...nothing quiets the judgmental eyes of a pineapple [like] pouring cake batter on top of them. Or maybe a sassy salsa...

And Sandra said: Put it in a blender with ice, a little bit of milk and a touch of honey and make a "batido". You need to drink it soon after it has been made. It gets all frothy and is delicious. Of course, if you happen to have some rum around (in one of those huge coincidences...), you can add a splash of that...

I got all this feedback in about 5 seconds. Two minutes later I was shaving half the pineapple on a mandoline and sprinkling it with cardamom, and chunking up the remainder for my very first batido.

Perspiration vanished, creative juices flowed anew, and I was back in the groove.  For those who still think Facebook is useless, I say, wuh?  Next time I'll post requests for inspiration on the 5SR FB page instead of my personal page and then you can all play along.

And don't forget to send me pictures of your moms...
...
Recipe for Makeshift Pineapple Batido

My friend and culinary colleague Sandra Gutierrez grew up in Guatemala and knows her way around cool Latin American drinks, like this smoothie-type batido.  Because she didn't give me any proportions, I completely made them up, and guess what?  It chased the heat away in minutes. 

Serves 1

1 cup fresh diced pineapple
4 cubes ice
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 teaspoons honey
splash rum

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or use a stick blender (as I did).  Serve immediately, with a bendy straw.

printable pdf

Milkshake

When we lived in Eritrea, Colin and I had a dog.  At some point, and I can't remember how or why, we ended up with ridiculous American-style toys for our feral African pup. What I'm trying to say is, we became the proud owners of a squeaky plastic milkshake.  You'd give the thing a hard squeeze, and the resulting high-pitched squeal would cause our dog to tilt her head skyward and cock it reflexively to one side. She'd then run around like a maniac.  If you have a dog, you know exactly what I'm talking about. 

Thinking about Milkshake -- for we did, ultimately, anthropomorphize the toy and christen it with a proper name -- made me realize how much joy little things like this can bring to our everyday lives.  I mean, our dog loved that stupid milkshake.  Loved it.  And we loved squeezing it.  We'd come home from a day teaching 350 students, look at each other, and belt, in unison, "Let's get Milkshake!"

All would be right with the world.

One night, we were about to go to sleep, our mosquito net wrapped securely around the bed.  We always brought our dog in after dark so we assumed she was in the next room.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, in the still, silent, African night, we hear:

Squeaky, squeaky, squeaky...

MILKSHAKE!

Everyone deserves a Milkshake.

...
Recipe for Banana Milkshake

This quick recipe was inspired by the fantastic milkshakes served at Falafel Drive-In, a Middle Eastern joint that's been serving delicious, fresh, no-frills falafel and shakes in San Jose since 1966.  After one sip of their banana shake, I wondered why I'd never made one myself. 

Makes 18 ounces (3 small servings or 2 medium servings)

4 generous scoops vanilla ice cream
1 very ripe banana (the riper, browner, and more deeply speckled, the better), sliced
3/4 cup skim milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and whiz until thick and smooth. 

N.B. For an even thicker shake, freeze the banana slices before blending.

printable pdf

Wine

From yesterday's New York Times:

Two studies published this month in the journal Gastroenterology suggest that people who drink wine, white or red, in moderation are less likely to develop conditions that may lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an uncommon cancer that has increased sharply in the United States over the past 30 years...

Okay, so a little wine is good for me.  Of course.

Or is it?

From the Washington Post 10 days ago:

A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle-aged British women -- the largest ever to examine alcohol and cancer in women -- found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer, or any other type of alcoholic drink per day increases the risk for a variety of cancers...

I'm not angry.  I'm not out to blame scientists or journalists or health professionals.  I'm genuinely, truly concerned that I don't understand what the hell is going on with all the alcohol talk.  I honestly thought, after reading countless articles over the years about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet and the endless patter about red wine's antioxidants and ability to raise HDL (good) cholesterol, that a single drink a night was not only not bad for me, but actually good for me.

And for you, too, of course.

But the science is evolving so rapidly it's nearly impossible to keep up, and with so many contradictory studies I have no idea how we can intelligently parse the varied recommendations.  No simple sound bite or sexy headline fits.

The American Heart Association, for one, is very clear on its website today that if you don't already consume alcohol, you shouldn't start.  (Assuming your goal is heart health.)  The bolding is theirs:

Given [the] risks, the American Heart Association cautions people NOT to start drinking... if they do not already drink alcohol.  Consult your doctor on the benefits and risks of consuming alcohol in moderation.

The AHA also says:

No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

This last part surprised me.  No studies have been done?  I could have sworn I've been reading about these studies for years.

I rarely drank before moving to California, but everyone here drinks wine and I've started to, too, with some regularity.  I always felt fine about it, assuming that in addition to enjoying the flavor with my food I was doing something beneficial for my body as well.

Given my own familial risk of cancer, and in light of this recent study, perhaps I need to rethink this assumption. 

More from the Washington Post:

"Even among women who consumed as little as 10 grams of alcohol a day on average -- the equivalent of about one drink -- the risk for cancer of the breast, liver and rectum was elevated, the researchers found."

So ... do we safeguard our esophagus, or our heart?  Mind our breasts, or our HDL?

Or ignore the information altogether and sip the Syrah?

Judge

 

Fundamentally, it all boils down to this: I'm a total wimp. 

When you peel away the layers of my persona and peek beneath my pores, you'll find that I'm genuinely convinced that people will find a reason to be mad at me for one reason or another. 

Do you hate me for saying that?

So when I was offered a chance to give away three Cool Waters books to my readers, I saw it as a blessing, wrapped in a curse, embalmed in an opportunity, and enveloped in the certainty that I'd surely piss somebody off by not choosing their name.

Unlike the cookie swap, where I willingly and, quite foolishly, cloaked myself in the judge's robes, this time, in a bold stroke of self-preservation, I decided to play no role in determining the winner.  Brilliant.

There was really only one person I wanted to play judge.  I don't know him from Adam, but the beauty of the internet is that strangers are approachable, and the nice ones, like this guy, are even open to judging wacky poetry contests from random bloggers they've never heard of. 

So the author of Cool Waters, who is also a tremendous food stylist, agreed to choose the contest winners, with absolutely no input from yours truly.  I now turn you over to Brian Preston-Campbell.  The following words are his:

Ok, I have made my choices. Let me start off by saying it was difficult -- there were a lot of great entries!

Here are the three I selected:

oh spicy ginger

a beer i can drink sans fear

though i'm underage

Posted by: janna | January 16, 2009 at 01:54 PM

A lemon alone is just fine

With sugar and vodka divine

Posted by: Lisa | January 18, 2009 at 01:49 PM

My babies' first drink

Is held in swell containers

Not sold in a store.

Posted by: Runaround Sous | January 19, 2009 at 09:25 PM

Runaround Sous made it particularly difficult because there were three of hers(?) that I really liked -- I chose the one I did because we have a 7 month old baby. Janna's was good because it related well to the book. Lisa's couplet appealed to me because there were an overwhelming number of haiku and it was the best example I think.

So, there you have it.  Our three winners: Janna, Lisa, and Runaround Sous.  I'll contact you privately and get your books to you ASAP.  Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone for participating.  I really liked all the poems, so be sure to direct any anger Brian's way.  His contact info's online.

Drinks

I've written before about my beverage issues. I drink mostly water since it's tough to find drinks that excite me.

As a kid, I'd suck down orange juice with breakfast and milk the rest of the day.  Sure, I'd flirt with the occasional Coke or root beer on special occasions, or indulge in a Dr. Brown's cream soda at the Heathcote Deli, but beyond that I never went too wild.  (I know someone's going to mention Bartles & Jaymes... who will it be?)

As an adult, I find soda way too sweet, hate the taste of diet anything, and can't tolerate caffeine.  Where does that leave me?  Wine, beer, hard alcohol?  Fine, but not during the day.  We all deserve healthful, quenching, and interesting drinks to round out our options.

 

Enter author Brian Preston-Campbell and photographer Jerry Errico, who have just published a book called Cool Waters: 50 Refreshing, Healthy Homemade Thirst Quenchers (Harvard Common Press, 2009).  I've seen an advance copy, and it completely scratches my itch.

The first recipe I made was a twist on the book's Key Lime and Vanilla Spritzer, but instead of using a regular orange I used a blood orange for more color.  You'll see in my shot above how much it resembles pink lemonade.  Don't be fooled, though -- the book's recipes are not sweet, and that's the point.  Drinks with flavor, quenchability, and interest, but without sweeteners, caffeine, or artificial anything.  

Recipes span the full spectrum, from the straightforward, like Honeydew-Mint Mist (honeydew, mint, and water) to the different (Eau de Carotte with carrots, Granny Smith apples, ginger, water), to the full-on exotic (Thai Red Plum Fizz  with plums, star anise, Balinese long peppers, and kaffir lime).  Spices, herbs, and fresh-squeezed juices feature prominently.

And guess what?  Thanks to the generosity of the folks at The Harvard Common Press, I've got 3 copies to give away to readers.  Before Tuesday, just write a couplet or a haiku (thanks to Laurel for the poetry idea) about any beverage at all, and I'll have a special guest judge pick the winners late next week.  Enter early, and enter often.  You can submit as many as you like.

Here, I'll start things off with a haiku:

Milk in a fat mug

Makes winter seem friendlier

If cocoa's nearby.

-and a couplet-

It's 5-o'clock and the kids both seem fine

I'm getting the corkscrew and cracking the wine.

...

Okay, so I wouldn't win with those, but the point is to have fun.

...

Recipe for Key Lime and Vanilla Spritzer with Blood Orange

Adapted from Cool Waters: 50 Refreshing, Healthy Homemade Thirst Quenchers by Brian Preston-Campbell, Harvard Common Press, 2009

I made two minuscule changes to the original recipe: used a blood orange instead of a Valencia, and bottled key lime juice instead of fresh since that's what I had.  Be aware that this drink is not sweet, but it is quite refreshing.

Makes 4 servings

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/4 cup key lime juice

Juice of 1 blood orange

4 cups chilled sparkling water

Ice

1.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into a small bowl and add the pods as well.  Add the lime juice and blood orange juice.  Cover and steep for anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.

2.  Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large pitcher.  Add the sparkling water and stir.  Serve in ice-filled glasses.  

printable pdf

 

Cocoa

With snow covering hillsides, blustery winds mussing ponytails, and fuzzy socks lining shoes, it's cocoa time.  Go ahead: take a look in your pantry.  If your cocoa's label includes unpronounceables, it may be time for a switch.

Land O Lakes Cocoa Classics Hot Cocoa Mix

Ingredients:  Sugar, nonfat dry milk, whey, coconut oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, dipotassium phosphate, cellulose gum, sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), mono and diglycerides, natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, silicon dioxide, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, polysorbate 60.

v.

Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate

Ingredients: Cocoa powder, cane sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter.

Which would you rather drink?

Hybrid

We're having something of an Indian summer right now in Silicon Valley.  The afternoons have hovered in the low 80s for the past few days, and today we're expected to reach 76. 

When I lived in Boston, I had no patience for my Dallas relatives' comments about the weather.  "We hit 90 today," they'd say in February, while I cowered under cardigans and throws, my dog shivering at my feet.  "Oh, how lovely for you."

Eyeroll.

Well, now I'm them.  It's beautiful here!  Heh heh. 

For breakfast today I made an unusual little shake.  I intended for it to be healthy, so I started with skim milk and nonfat yogurt.  I threw in some almonds for good measure, and then some more.  And then a little more.  I really wanted a bold almondy flavor.  When all was said and done, I'd put nearly 1/2 cup of almonds in my blender.  (According to the almond package, this meant my drink had 30 grams of fat.  Yowza.  Now let's be fair, it's nearly all unsaturated, or "good" fat, but it would never qualify as a low-fat beverage.)

Also, I'm a texture girl so this didn't bother me, but you'll find quite of bit of almond grit at the bottom of the glass when you're done drinking.  In other words, grab a spoon.  (Yes, I could have strained it, but then it'd lose all the flavor.  And yes, I could have -- and really probably should have -- used almond milk, but really, I didn't have any, and didn't feel like going to the store.  How much are you paying me to develop these blog recipes?)

Let me sell this a little better:

This refreshing almond shake is like nothing you've ever experienced!  It's a food and drink in one!  A veritable hybrid of liquid and solid matter! You can have fun with a straw, AND a spoon!  It's almondtastic!

No?

Anyone?

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Recipe for Refreshing Almond Yogurt Shake

Unlike thick smoothies, this shake really quenches your thirst and would be perfect after a brisk walk or more strenuous workout.  Be aware that the almonds tend to sink to the bottom of the glass, so plan to eat your shake when you're done drinking it.

Serves 2 as a beverage or 1 as a meal (Makes 16 ounces)

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

scant 1/2 cup dry-roasted, unsalted almonds (preferably with the skin)

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3 teaspoons honey or sweetener of choice, or to taste

3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until ice and almonds are completely pulverized.  Eat/drink.

printable pdf

Treasure

 
Five bucks if you can tell me what you're looking at.

Try harder.

Several months ago, my friend Denise sent me a lovely package from her favorite tea shop in Victoria, British Columbia.  The tea was unlike anything I had seen before.  It wasn't bagged or loose-leaved.  Instead, it was pressed into compact, teardrop shaped mounds, and when you poured hot water over them, shazaam!  The little mounds unraveled and swelled to 10 times their original size. 

When I visited Denise this past summer, I went straight to the shop, called Silk Road Tea.  I bought several teas and wished desperately I could justify buying all the pretty accoutrements, too.  (I couldn't.)

I've always preferred tea over coffee, and the older I get, the more I find myself buying into not just the taste but the whole idea of tea.  It's ancient.  It's healthful.  It's, I don't know, poetic.  Maybe because the language of tea is somehow exalted, otherworldly.  Is it just me?

Pictured above is the Golden Treasure tea from Silk Road.  The little tag on the package reads:

A mellow, toasty, warm caramel nature.

Chinese black tea grown at 5900 ft in the misty Simao region of Yunnan Province.

Golden black tea is hand tied to resemble a temple spire, and unfurls into a lush, exotic flower.  This enlivening tea symbolises the inner fulfillment that comes from spiritual pursuits.

Mellow. Toasty. Caramelly.  And who doesn't want inner fulfillment that comes from spiritual pursuits?  I certainly do.

I love this tea.

If you want to learn more about tea and don't know your pu-erh from your red rooibos, please check out this article I just wrote for Culinate.com.

And if you're a coffee drinker, we can still be friends, but I leave you with this: your used coffee grounds will never be as lovely as my unfurled, spent Golden Treasure tea.