Salty Sweet Delicious Treat

One of my favorite treats when I was young was homemade caramel corn.  Now let me tell you, this was a rare treat indeed.  I nearly had to beg with tear-filled eyes to get it because making it left a sink full of dirty dishes and a bit of a mess in the kitchen.

My grandmother would would make the popcorn on top of the stove, as we didn't have a microwave then, and then she would make the caramel and drizzle it on top of the popcorn and mix it up as fast as possible before all hardened.

There is nothing like it.  The caramel corn you buy at the grocery store can't even come close to homemade.  There are pieces that are just barely kissed with caramel, then there are other pieces that are fully enrobed in caramel...  nothing perfect and homogeneous about Grandma's caramel corn and that is part of what made it so good.

I wanted to put a  twist on this most delicious treat and elevate it to something you could actually serve to guests (not that I wouldn't put out a big trough of caramel corn, but you know what I mean).

Instead of making a traditional dulce de leche, I know there is a "cheat" method which simply involves simmering the can with a few holes poked through the top.  I must be honest, this never appealed to me. 

I'm a bit of a purist with most things and I will admit, simmering milk in a can was a bit unsettling and it seemed kind of lazy.   Those of you that have done it, I know what you're thinking, so let me save you the trouble. 

Shame on me.  It was AWESOME!  I thought it would somehow taste metallic (it didn't) and that it couldn't possibly be as good as making it the "right" way (it was damn close).

It was almost zero effort except for a little whisking when it came out of the can.  It couldn't have been easier.  Really. 

This revelation has made me seriously question why I was so snobby about not making it like this before.   I doubt that I'll give up my purist ways, but once in awhile when I'm short on time or energy, this will be my method of choice.


Salted Dulce de Leche Popcorn Tart
makes 3 - 4" tarts or 1- 9" tart

• 1 can sweetened, condensed milk
• 8 cups popcorn (buy it, pop it on stove, microwave...  doesn't matter)
• 4 tbsp butter, room temp
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Carefully make 3 holes in the top of the can by hammering a nail through the lid.  (I am shaking my head as I'm typing this...  I can't believe this is a step in a recipe).  Most people only make 2 holes, but I felt better giving the pressure inside the can another outlet from which to escape.  Exploding can of condensed milk was not on my agenda.

Set the can inside of a pot and fill with water until the water is about 3/4 the way up the side of the can.  Bring to barely a simmer and let it go for 4 hours.  You will have to replenish the water occasionally so that the level doesn't get too low.  You want to make sure the water is at least halfway up the side of the can at all times.

After 4 hours, carefully remove can from hot water and open.  Pour contents into a bowl & whisk about 4 - 5 minutes until smooth.   That's it.  Really.

To make popcorn crust:  Combine popcorn, butter, sugar, salt & pepper in food processor and blitz until rubble.

Press the popcorn mixture into tart mold(s).  I prefer the ones with a removable bottom, it makes getting the tart out much easier.  Use a small measuring cup or glass with a flat bottom to press into the sides and bottom of tart to make sure everything is even.

Refrigerate for an hour.  This will allow everything to set up, the butter to harden, etc.  Place into a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Pour dulce de leche into cooled popcorn crust and top with flakes of sea salt.  Dig in.

Herbed Heirloom Eggs & Crispy Roasted Mushrooms

This weekend is Father's Day and while most Dads will be grillin' & chillin', they'll need a little fuel to get the day started.
This is a perfect breakfast or brunch to start Dad's day.  It is substantial, but not too heavy and it is absolutely delicious.

The roasted mushrooms take on an almost meaty taste and texture and the slight crunch from roasting them is unexpected.

This Sunday,  treat Dad to a special brunch and let him know you appreciate him.


Herbed Heirloom Eggs and Crispy Roasted Mushrooms on Grilled Baguette

• 4 Heirloom or Organic Eggs
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche  (or sour cream)
• 1 lb. assorted mushrooms (cremini, button, shiitake)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices baguette, cut on bias

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Wipe mushrooms clean, if needed, and thinly slice.

Lay mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Season aggressively with salt and pepper.  Toss to evenly coat and roast for approximately 20 minutes or until crispy.

Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat grill pan (or broiler if you don't have a grill pan) and lay pieces of baguette on hot pan.  If necessary, weigh them down with a heavy lid so the bread makes contact with the grill.

When the bread has golden grill marks on it, turn over and toast the other side.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a non-stick pan, melt butter over low heat.  Crack eggs into a bowl and lightly scramble with a fork or a whisk.

Pour eggs into pan, season with salt and pepper, stir in crème fraîche, chives and parsley.

Cook gently, stirring frequently over low heat until eggs are creamy and still slightly soft.

Do not overcook eggs until they have dried out. 

Top toasted baguette with eggs and roasted mushrooms.

Flour, Salt, Water, Yeast

These basic four ingredients that most of us already have in the pantry plus a few other add ins and that's all that is needed to turn a few basic ingredients into focaccia.

I had been thinking about making it for months, but for one reason or another talked myself out of it every time... until now.  I was thinking that it was such a hassle (it's not) and that it would be a process (it hardly qualifies as work) to make it...  blah, blah, blah.   It had been awhile since I had made focaccia and I had just forgotten how ridiculously easy it is. 

It is as simple as weighing some flour, mixing yeast & water and turning on a mixer.   I should be ashamed of myself for putting it off for so long, especially when it really is that easy.

If you don't have a kitchen scale, a cup of flour weighs approximately 5 ounces. 
There are 16 ounces in a pound, so therefore 1 lb and 4 ounces of flour is 20 ounces.  Divided by 5 gives you 4 cups of flour.  I used a little more than that.  I weighed my flour first and then measured it so I could give you the cup measurement and for me it came out closer to 4 and a half cups.

I know with all this math, I've probably just talked you out of weighing flour but it really isn't all that bad.   Please forgive the math lesson and let's get on with the dough...


Focaccia with Olives, Rosemary & Sea Salt

• 1 lb 4 oz all purpose flour  (approximately 4 - 4.5 cups)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm water (about 100°)
• 1- 1/4 oz pkg dry yeast
• 2 fluid ounces olive oil
• 2 big sprigs fresh rosemary
• handful of oil cured, pitted black olives
• coarse sea salt (to sprinkle on top)

If you aren't a fan of olives (personally, I can't even conceive of it), then use something else in place of them.  Caramelized onions or shallots are great on top of focaccia, you could also skip it all together and just use sea salt & herbs.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and salt. 
In a separate bowl, whisk water and yeast together, then add oil.

On low speed, add water mixture to flour mixture.   Mix for about 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and thoroughly combined.

Cover dough and allow to rise until doubled.

Turn dough out onto an oiled baking sheet and (with oiled hands) stretch dough into the pan.  Using your fingertips,  make indentations about an inch apart over the surface of the dough and add olives, rosemary and a sprinkling of coarse salt.

Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let the dough proof until double.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

* for the oil in this recipe, I infused arbequina olive oil with garlic and rosemary, it imparts more flavor to the bread than plain olive oil. 

Use the leftover oil for sauteing veggies, chicken, meat, etc...

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

It is (almost) officially summer and that means lighter meals.  Most of us love cooking and ALL of us love eating (please tell me it isn't just me), but let's be honest for a minute...  Wouldn't you rather be outside instead of stuck in front of a stove on a blissfully perfect summer day?

This pasta dish comes together in record time.  From start to finish it's about 15 minutes and then it's off to the beach or hanging out in the backyard.  There is no heavy sauce here, just a light "vinaigrette" that comes together from the oil of the sundried tomatoes & artichokes,  a squeeze of lemon juice and a splash of starchy pasta water.

A few big handfuls of spinach give it color and make a healthy addition to the pasta.  Spinach is rich in iron and the nutrients are more easily broken down and absorbed by your body with the addition of fresh lemon juice (and it's just good!)

Lemon Squeezy Pasta

• 1/2 lb pasta
• 3 big handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
• 3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts in olive oil
• juice & zest of 1 lemon
• Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper
• pasta water

Cook pasta according to instructions.  I like a short pasta with this particular dish, but use whatever you have on hand,  it isn't worth a special trip to the store.  

Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water before draining.  In a medium sized bowl, add butter to drained pasta along with the spinach.  Toss to combine.  The heat from the pasta will slightly wilt the spinach. 

Then add in artichokes & tomatoes, lemon zest and juice.  Toss again to combine.  The oil from the artichokes and tomatoes will make a light sauce with the lemon juice.  Add enough pasta water to get the consistency of the sauce that you like,  you may not need the entire amount you reserved.

Season with salt & pepper.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave a few curls of Parmesan on top and garnish with a little extra lemon zest.

There are endless variations on this pasta dish.  Try it with broccoli instead of spinach.  Add a few handfuls of broccoli to the pasta during the final 3 minutes of cooking, drain with the pasta and continue on...  Another addition that is delicious is ricotta cheese.  Stir in a half cup of ricotta just before adding the pasta water.

(Lemon) Thyme on my Hands...

Golden Lemon Thyme

Well, the rain finally ceased only to bring unseasonably hot weather for a few days.  Everyone looked like they were wilting, including the little pots of herbs I keep on the windowsill.  Herbs are one of my favorite things to add to nearly anything. 

In cooking their use is obvious, but most people don't utilize them in other ways where they can really bump up the flavor.  Tossing a handful of herbs in with salad greens,  fresh chopped herbs sprinkled over grilled or roasted vegetables, vinaigrettes,  drinks, even ice cream... adding them to both sweet and savory dishes can really make a difference in the flavor of the final dish.

With the sudden heat, I immediately wanted lemonade...  not being able to resist my ever-present need to put herbs into whatever I can, I started snipping.  The fact that I am almost never without lemons was a definite plus.

In my dream world,  there are little mason jars filled with delectable drinks lining the shelves of the refrigerator in my outdoor kitchen... each guest able to saunter over and choose which of the many options tickle their fancy. 

In reality, I have a kitchen that is so small I have seriously considered applying for "Worst Kitchens in America".   My tiny Brooklyn apartment won't be gracing the pages of Architectural Digest anytime soon, but I can still have my mason jars of lemonade lining a shelf in my fridge...  

Lemon Thyme Mint Lemonade

• 3/4 cup sugar +a few tablespoons
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (don't even think about using bottled)
• 3 cups water
• 8 sprigs lemon thyme
• handful of mint leaves
• lemon slices
• thyme sprigs & mint leaves for garnish

Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 8 sprigs of lemon thyme and 1 cup of water in a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer.  Stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat & let cool completely. Strain & set aside.

A word on the lemons...  the lemons I had were the size of my fist.   Literally.  Three gave me a full cup of juice.  If you were to see these lemons at the gym, one would assume they were "juice-heads" (pun fully intended)...  that being said,  you'll need about 5 lemons of normal stature.

In a large pitcher, muddle the mint leaves with a few tablespoons of sugar, add the lemon juice, lemon thyme simple syrup (from above), water and a few slices of lemon.

Garnish with fresh mint leaves & a few sprigs of lemon thyme.

Hello Cupcake...

For weeks I've been craving cake... so, enough talk and a little more action.   I decided that since I had been to the farmer's market and had eaten a relatively healthy lunch that cupcakes were definitely in order.

If I'm going to make cupcakes, more often than not I would go all in.  Chocolate.  The darker & richer the better...  however since it is spring and this weekend marks the "un-official" start to summer I wanted to lighten it up a bit and do something a little different.

If you are anything like me, sometimes you forget all the little treasures you have stashed in your kitchen.  I buy things that interest me and then put them away for when the mood strikes, but the unfortunate truth is that occasionally they are forgotten until I stumble upon them (usually when I'm looking for something else).

Well, the latest treasure to be unearthed was candied ginger.  I thought it might make an interesting garnish for the cupcake and that was basically my jumping off point.
(well, that and my persistent sweet tooth...)

If you are attending (or hosting) a BBQ this weekend, these would make a great finale.  They are light and not overly sweet and another plus is that the cake can be made ahead and frozen for a few days, then thawed and frosted the day of. 

For ginger flavor, I would normally add ground ginger, however I've decided to infuse them with a ginger syrup in lieu of the adding the powder to the batter. I wanted a lighter ginger flavor and to avoid a "gingerbread" taste.  If you prefer to use ground ginger, 1/2 - 1 tsp will do the trick.

Ginger Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream
- cake recipe adapted from the kitchn

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line muffin tins with cupcake papers,  you'll need approximately 22
3. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and beat until thoroughly incorporated then beat in flour, salt and baking powder.
4. Stir in milk and vanilla. Beat on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 3 minutes.
5. Scoop batter into cupcake pan, I always use a cookie scoop to ensure uniformity.
6. Bake for approximately 15 - 18 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool slightly, then using a thin skewer pierce a few holes into the top of the cupcake and lightly brush with the ginger simple syrup.  Try not to be too heavy with the syrup, or you will end up with mushy cupcakes. 
8. When completely cooled, frost with lemon buttercream and top with finely sliced candied ginger.

Ginger Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger,  sliced into coins

Combine everything in a small pot and bring a boil, stirring occasionally.  When sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and cool completely. 
Once the syrup is cooled, strain the ginger & discard.   Leftover syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
(I like to boil it down until it is very thick & syrupy and drizzle over vanilla bean ice cream or use it in cocktails!)

Lemon Buttercream

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup room temperature butter
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and beat on low speed until combined, then on medium until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes)

If You're Afraid of Butter, Use Cream...

The above is one of my favorite quotes from Julia Child, one of the gutsiest broads to ever hoist a meat cleaver. (and I use that term lovingly)

On August 15th of this year, Julia would have turned 100 years old and I'd like to think would still be cooking.
In the 100 days leading up to Julia's birthday, the JC100 is celebrating this culinary powerhouse and her recipes.  Each week, a new recipe is featured and this weeks offering was Coq au Vin...  one of my all time favorites.

I remember watching Julia & Jacques and loved her candor and fearless approach to cooking.  She made it seem fun and most importantly, possible.  She had a way of walking her audience through a recipe that made complex dishes seem effortless and isn't that all we really want? To feel like anything is possible?

Her sing-song voice demonstrated her unmistakable excitement for what she was doing, especially when butter was involved.  She made no apologies for anything, especially her occasional mishaps in the kitchen.   For example, you dropped the chicken?  No big deal, pick it up & rinse it off!   I loved that.  It was like being told, it's ok if it all doesn't go perfectly as planned...  just keep cooking.

Her contributions to cooking and bringing knowledge of French cooking to the American public are unparalleled.  She was truly one of a kind. 

This is my all time favorite quote and precisely why I can relate to her... 

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ”
― Julia Child


Coq au Vin

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds frying-chicken parts (roughly 1 whole chicken, cut up)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups sliced onion
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 - 2 large cloves of garlic, pureed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/3 cup canned Italian plum tomatoes
• 3 cups young red wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• beurre manie for the sauce: (1 1/2 tbsp each flour and softened butter blended to a paste)
• chopped parsley
• 3 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, quartered and sauteed
• 1/2 cup bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips (original recipe calls for bacon to be blanched, however I like the saltiness of the bacon so I omitted this step)

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan, saute the bacon and remove to a side dish, leaving the fat in the pan.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Brown the chicken in the pork fat, adding a little olive oil if necessary.  Remove and set aside.
4. Add the onions into the pan and saute over moderate heat until fairly tender, then raise the heat slightly to brown lightly.  Drain to remove excess fat.
5. Return chicken to the pan with the onions, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tomato and mushrooms.
6. Pour in the wine and enough stock to barely cover and simmer slowly for 20 minutes.
7. Remove chicken from pan and spoon surface fat off the cooking juices.   
8. Taste the mushroom/onion cooking juices, boil down if it needs strength, adding seasoning if necessary.  Off heat, whisk in beurre manie to make a lightly thickened sauce.  Bring briefly to a simmer- the sauce should be just thick enough to lightly coat a spoon.
9. Return chicken to pan, basting with sauce, onions and mushrooms.

* I always serve this over lightly buttered egg noodles, it goes perfectly with the sauce.  You could also serve it with rice or to avoid starch completely, serve with a green salad.

Excerpted from The Way to Cook by Julia Child. Copyright © 1989 by Julia Child. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.