The Makings Of A Bad Mormon Dessert

Posted on June 1, 2012 by bilrob

dessert

Photo: YiowMade/Flickr

The Makings Of A Bad Mormon Dessert

Last month I attended a food event with a pretty unusual theme. It was an author reading (fair enough) and held at a private home in Belmont. But it was billed as a “Bad Mormon Dessert” party.

A what?

In truth, I was not as interested in the author/book as I was in learning just what constitutes a “Mormon” dessert, let alone a “bad” one. (My preoccupation with the food quickly shifted once I met the featured author, Joanna Brooks – a powerhouse of a personality despite her small stature — and heard her read excerpts from her superbly written Book Of Mormon Girl, which Brooks herself described as “cheeky,” both in title and content. But I digress here; back to the dessert.)

As I intuited, the ‘dig’ at their own culinary traditions by this local gathering of Mormons was wholly tongue-in-cheek — a self-deprecating joke amongst insiders. You know, that kind of good-natured tease that’s at once affectionate and respectful in tone.

Come to find out, there are actually two kinds of “bad” Mormon dessert. Both kinds, at this party, were delicious.

As we guests milled around the dining room of our gracious hosts Paul and Kimberly Carlile, I actually had to be coaxed to try the first kind of “bad” dessert. It’s a classic in the Mormon community because of “the layer thing going on,” comprised of suspended fruit, a crushed crust and the ample use of ingredients with “a long shelf life.” We’re talking Jello, Cool Whip, cream cheese, butter, sugar (had enough?), chopped berries and the coup d’etat: pretzels.

This compilation, I learned, would widely be considered “salad” at a Mormon gathering, taking the place of a bowl of leafy seasoned greens. But there it was, vying for the category of dessert. Everyone seemed to recognize it and like it (let me tell you, it was GONE by the end of the evening). I had a flashback to my Aunt Gladys’ green, chunky Jello mold trotted out each Easter when I was a kid; I shuddered. The Jello square currently wobbling on my plate was the last thing I’d go for on a dessert buffet. I took a deep breath, dug in my fork and tasted. It was awesome — pleasingly sweet with a salty crunch (recipe below).

“Why would you think to put all this together?” I wondered aloud. The anecdotal answers were fascinating. So is the religious history.

There is a distinct tradition of food storage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known as the LDS, or Mormon, Church). The deliberate storing of food stuffs — grains (primarily wheat), legumes and canned fruits and vegetables — is a practical outgrowth of both the pioneer culture of early Mormon congregations and the teachings handed down by Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the LDS Church. Circa 1833 Smith dictated numerous lectures he received as revelations; these lectures, or covenants, form part of the Mormon text called the Doctrine and Covenants (DC).

Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom, treats certain behaviors Smith wished for his followers to engage in, or not. The latter arguably most well known to the American public are Smith’s prohibitions against alcohol, tobacco and “hot drinks” (DC 89: 1-9). Mormons therefore do not drink or smoke, and many will not take coffee or tea.

Less well known, perhaps, is the manner of eating Smith encouraged for his followers. This is also laid out in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which is why the Word of Wisdom is considered by Mormons as their law of health — a health code, as it were, but with deliberate spiritual underpinnings. In it, Smith advocated the consumption of grains, herbs and fruits in season, and meat “sparingly” (DC 89: 10-17). In addition, Section 109 of the same text calls upon Mormons to live providently (“prepare every needful thing“) – which the LDS Church interprets as physical, spiritual and (nowadays) financial preparedness. Practically speaking, this includes the storage of food.

To be clear, the manner of eating (oracle-like for today’s flexitarians!) commanded by Smith is abundantly logical for any people settling in the mid-West and Western territories of 19th-century America. In other words, followers of the newly established Mormon Church would not have been alone in relying predominantly on themselves to cultivate the grain and produce they needed to survive, eating meat on occasion. But Mormons were actually instructed to be self-sufficient — this, to be best prepared for the tumultuous spiritual times into which (so they believed) their church was born and, presumably, because their faith and very lives were coming under fire.

So, how does dessert fit into all this? Before, say, 1950, the food items stored by a Mormon family looked rather different from what would have been stored after that time. The two kinds of “bad” Mormon dessert I encountered at the author-reading in Belmont reflect the shift.

One anecdotal account of LDS culinary history came from a guest named Laurel Ulrich, a professor of History at Harvard, who grew up in Idaho during the 1940s and ’50s. Her childhood experiences with food are more or less typical of that place and age. The rural Mormon culture of the Rocky Mountain West meant that food was predominantly, if not exclusively, homemade. Family gardens were large in size and huge in importance. The vegetables and potatoes pulled from those gardens not only fed the family, but also went into the family’s store of food, where grains were also prominent. Canning was a seminal activity for Mormon families, especially those living in what is now Utah, when that region (and, in particular, the Utah Valley, where Brigham Young University is located) was laden with cherry, apricot, nectarine, peach, pear and apple orchards. Nature’s abundance and man’s hard work meant that Mormon women excelled at baking – fruit pies, cobblers, fritters, cakes, donuts, etc. Apparently, they still do, according to many of the guests I met at the Carlile’s (though in Laurel’s home, it is her husband who grinds wheat with an electric grinder and kneads the couple’s homemade breads; one of their sons is the primary cook in his own family).

I asked a small circle of women with whom I was chatting whether they, too, can. None did. One guest, Jen, observed that canning is a tradition she feels was lost with her 40-something generation of LDS women. The spread of Mormon congregations to urban settings has something to do with this, of course. But so, too, I later realized, does the general trend of the American diet around 1950. The societal demands of World War II placed America on many different paths of frenzied innovation — leading, for one, to the large-scale industrialization of our food supply, the effects of which we are grappling with still (think: “Big Ag;” scant federal dollars and private lands reserved for fruits and vegetables, called “specialty crops;” the American obesity epidemic ravaging even our teens, etc.).

dessert The processed, pre-packaged foods we Americans, in general, began consuming en masse last century is mirrored in LDS food storage practices and, therefore, their culinary traditions.

In the dessert category, instead of homemade chocolate cakes and fruit pies made with home-canned goods and stored grains, the “Gelatin Dessert with Pretzel Crust” I tried at the Carlile’s and so-called “Mormon Poke Cake” (vanilla cake poked with holes after baking, filled in with Jello and covered with Cool Whip, which I did not try) entered the dessert repertoire. Their easily-stored ingredients — cake mix, jello, canned fruit, with ready-made Cool Whip on top– made them a logical choice for Mormon moms increasingly living in urban, not rural, environments and managing large families, a budget, maybe a job outside the home and the standard calls for dishes that will feed a large group at church events, funeral receptions and the like (sound familiar?).

So, back to the party. If the first kind of “bad” Mormon dessert is one that draws from the family’s store of food using post 1950s American staples such as Jello, white sugar and, say, Del Monte canned fruit, what’s the second kind? The historian, Laurel, had brought one of these. It was a berry pie from Petsi Pies in Somerville. Irresistible looking. Delicious. I was confused.

“Well,” she explained, “a truly bad Mormon dessert is one that isn’t homemade!”

Watch Joanna Brooks present two of the desserts made for the evening. The winner of the best “Bad Mormon Dessert” that night was the Oreo Layer Dessert, pictured below. Yes, it’s got the layer thing going on. (The quality of the video is poor, but you’ll get the idea.)

Gelatin Dessert with Pretzel Crust
(From the kitchen of Kimberly Carlile)

Ingredients
2 c. pretzels, crushed and lumpy
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
1 pkg. (6 oz) strawberry or raspberry gelatin
2 c. boiling water or pineapple juice
1 or 2 pkgs (10 oz each) frozen strawberries or raspberries

Directions
Combine the pretzels, sugar and butter and press into the bottom of a baking dish (9×13 inch). Bake at 350 for 6 minutes. Cool. Beat the cheese and sugar til the sugar is dissolved. Add Cool Whip and beat well. Spread over the cooled crust. Stir together gelatin, boiling water, and frozen berries until gelatin is completely dissolved, and let cool slightly by refrigerating 30-45 minutes till slightly thickened but not gelled. Pour over the cheese mixture and chill till set. Makes a dozen 13-inch squares.

Desserts with Bill & Sheila

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Cheesecake - Italian desserts part of 'la dolce vita'

Posted on May 31, 2012 by bilrob

Cheesecake – Italian desserts part of ‘la dolce vita’

In her book on how to create homemade Italian desserts, called “Grace’s Sweet Life,” (Ulysses Press, 2012) author Grace Massa Langlois provides the home chef the opportunity to create some of the luscious cakes, cookies, cheesecake and other desserts that are part of ‘la dolce vita,’ the sweet life. These are worthy of a special occasion.

Torta al Formaggio Con Salsa di Ciliegie al Brandy

(Cheesecake with Brandy-Cherry Sauce)

Crosta di Biscotti (graham cracker crust):

2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Ripieno di Formaggio (cream cheese filling):

5 1/4 cups cream cheese, softened

1 2/3 cups superfine sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted

Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Salsa de Ciliegie al Brandy (brandy-cherry topping):

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

4 2/3 cups frozen or 5 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted, divided

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup superfine sugar

Finely grated zest of

1/2 lemon

Splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Finely grated zest of 1/2 orange

2 tablespoons brandy

To make the graham cracker crust:

Position a rack at the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unlatch a 9-inch springform pan, flip the base over so the lip is on the underside and cover the base with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a 1 1/2-inch overhang. Reassemble the pan. Using a pastry brush, coat the paper and sides of the pan with softened butter.

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan, stopping about 1 inch from the top of the pan.

Raise the oven heat to 500 degrees and chill the pan in the freezer while you prepare the cream cheese filling.

To make the cream cheese filling:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle, as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sugar and flour. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes (do not overmix). Add the lemon zest, orange zest and vanilla. Beat to just combine. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating to just combine after each addition, about 30 seconds (do not overmix), scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.

To assemble:

Remove the crust from the freezer. Set the pan in the center of a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips while the cake bakes. Pour the filling through a fine-mesh sieve (to catch any lumps) into the crust, using an offset spatula to level the filling.

Bake until puffed, about 12 minutes. Pay close attention — some ovens will brown the top quicker than others. (The author says, “I place a sheet of parchment over the top of the springform pan when the cheesecake top has just set, about the 6-minute mark for me.”)

Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking until the cheesecake is mostly firm but the center still has a slight jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Run a sharp, thin knife around the top edge of the cheesecake to loosen it to prevent the surface from cracking as it cools. Cool completely in the pan on the wire rack away from drafts. A drastic temperature change can cause the surface of the cheesecake to crack.

Chill the completely cooled cheesecake in the pan, uncovered or loosely covered, for at least 6 hours, preferably 24 hours, to allow the flavors to develop and the cheesecake to set to the perfect consistency, or up to 2 days.

Before serving, prepare the brandy-cherry topping.

To make the brandy-cherry topping:

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water.

In a medium saucepan, stir together 3 3/4 cups of the cherries and the orange juice and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and the orange zest, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Pour the cornstarch mixture through a small sieve into the cherry mixture, stirring to combine well. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the brandy and remaining cherries, and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the cherry topping to a heatproof bowl. Allow the topping to cool completely at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold.

To serve:

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator. Remove the ring from the springform pan and carefully pull the sides of the pan straight up off the cheesecake. Position the cheesecake so that the base is flush with the cake plate or cake stand. Position the parchment paper (the overhang) at the edge of the cake plate. Use a large offset spatula to carefully slide the cheesecake off the pan and parchment onto the cake plate.

Spoon the cherry topping over the cheesecake. Cut the cold cheesecake into serving slices using a thin knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean with a kitchen towel, making sure to dip the knife and wipe it dry after each cut. OR: Cut the cold cheesecake into slices and spoon cherry topping over each slice. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature before serving.

Torta all’ Arancia

(Orange Cake)

Cake:

6 large eggs (cold)

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar, divided

Grated zest of 2 oranges

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Syrup:

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup superfine sugar

Zest of 1 orange in large strips (no pith attached)

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded

2 to 3 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange liqueur

Separate the cold eggs. Place the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a stand mixer. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Very lightly coat with butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tube pan with feet and removable bottom.

Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine well. Use a handheld mixer to beat the egg yolks, oil, vanilla and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the orange zest and juice.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating to just combine (do not overmix).

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, beginning at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high. When the whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar. At the soft-peak stage, add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Using a large flexible spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely in the pan upside down on the rack. While the cake bakes, prepare the orange syrup.

To make the syrup:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the orange juice, sugar, orange zest, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, add the liqueur, and continue to simmer until the syrup reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a pourable container. Allow the syrup to cool slightly.

To assemble and serve:

Flip the cake over, carefully run a thin knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cake out onto a serving plate or a cake stand.

To serve, place the cake on dessert plates and serve with warm orange syrup.

Sorbetto al Lampone

(Raspberry Sorbet)

1 cup bottled or filtered water

1 cup superfine sugar

4 cups raspberries

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ounces vodka

1 large egg white

To make the sugar syrup, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and sugar to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

In a blender or food processor, process the raspberries and lemon juice to a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds (discard the solids).

Stir the puree into the cooled sugar syrup, and then stir in the vodka. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Immediately before churning the sorbet, use a handheld mixer to beat the egg white at high speed to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped egg white into the cooled raspberry mixture.

To ensure a seed-free or almost seed-free sorbet, strain the mixture again through a fine-mesh sieve into a pourable container.

Pour the raspberry mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. The sorbet will still be fairly soft but it will become firmer as it freezes. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

To serve the sorbet at its best, remove from the freezer and transfer to the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. Sorbet should be served slightly soft, with a creamy consistency similar to that of soft-serve ice cream.

Reach reporter Karen Herzog at 250-8267 or [email protected].

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Indulge in mango-based desserts this summer

Posted on May 27, 2012 by bilrob

Indulge in mango-based desserts this summer

Sky-rocketing mango prices be damned. This season, nothing should stop you from indulging in aam ras the way Katrina does. Follow our lead

In a city where every vegetable market and freelance fruit seller is flashing this hay-covered fruit, getting lured into mango‘s earthy aroma is unavoidable. While ripping its golden flesh with clenched teeth is our favourite activity, indulging in a bowl of chilled mango pulp comes close second. Here are four aam ras-obsessed places that got the better of us.

Mango kulfi at Simply Kulfis and Icecreams Bandra

Facing the scorching sun is easy when you have kulfi in your freezer, especially mango
kulfi from caterer Hasina Meherally. Made by reducing full-fat milk and chunks of fresh alphonsos, these cold slices have a predominant milky taste with a mild fruity sweetness. Though most of its body is frozen mango milk, lucky ones may catch bites of fresh fruit too. Since this kulfi is churned every morning, the flavours are delicate on the palate and the absence of preservatives makes us want to reach out for a second helping.

Mango shrikhand at Jain Biscuit Center Andheri

The method used to make Jain Biscuit Center’s shrikhand hasn’t changed in the last 25 years. Fresh curd is hung for hours until it reaches Greek yogurt-like consistency. To this, ripe mango pulp and sugar are added. The shrikhand is churned in a machine until it forms a smooth gloop and is then chilled. The creamy result has a comfortable level of tartness. While at the store, don’t forget to peck on other seasonal delights such as aam barfi and aam pedha.

Aam panna at Food for Thought Cafe Kalaghoda

Owners Kapil and Reshma Sanghi’s cheerful cafe inside Kitab Khana bookstore specialises in home-style food and beverages. While summery salad leaves dressed in cooling vinaigrettes are our favourite, nothing washes them down better than chaat masala-seasoned aam panna. The clear, raw mango sherbet is an apt thirst quencher for weight watchers who prefer chemical-free jaggery over processed sugar. The drink delivers a tangy sweetness followed by a sour smack and has tiny pieces of mint floating on top. Don’t ask them for the recipe – it’s a guarded family secret.

Aam ras- Shree Thaker Bhojnalaya Bhuleshwar

Situated in one of the most puzzling localities of Mumbai, Shree Thaker Bhojanalaya at Bhuleshwar has a prize for those who manage to find their way. On Sundays, the place offers unlimited aam ras along with regular fare of subjis, ghee-drenched chapattis, dal, chaas, papad and sweets. The aam ras here doesn’t reek of papaya puree and castor sugar, like it does at most thali-joints. Instead it is full-bodied and slightly sweet with the goodness of alphonsos that are pulped every morning. Don’t wear your pastels to this lunch.

Not-so-aam- Mango sushi by Gaia Home Chef:

Vegetarians, one reason to bring out your chopsticks is chef Shilarne Vaze’s alphonso roll. The Juhu caterer’s signature dish has semi-ripe mango, mint, cucumber, sesame seeds, wasabi and mayo. This kitchen needs a minimum order of ten rolls to get your sushi rolling.

Mango salad dressing by icing on top: Cool down with a bowl of greens dressed in pulpy mango dressing. Made using mango puree, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, the sweet emulsion goes best with strong flavours such as arugula leaves and bell peppers. Your bottles will have to be picked from owner/chef Ayushi Shah’s Napeansea Road home. Mango spring roll at Grand Hyatt: Brother of spicy spring rolls, these fried flour parcels come stuffed with fresh mango slices, cream and hazelnut. The dish is served as a part of seasonal mango festival held at the hotel. Other delights include mango crumble, mango cheesecake and mango-avocado salad.

Mango mousse facial at Skin Kitchen: If harsh sunlight is making your skin dry and pigmented, treat it to a mango mousse facial. This Bandra-based organic salon uses dry mango powder, mango milk and mango mousse to cheer up your face in 70 minutes.

[email protected]

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Bread pudding for dinner? Sure, if it's a savory version

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Bread pudding for dinner? Sure, if it’s a savory version

Food historians have traced the origins of bread pudding to 13th century England, where impoverished cooks began to bake stale bread with milk and a sweetener to make it palatable. Over time and in more prosperous kitchens, butter, eggs, jam and dried fruit were added to bread pudding recipes to make them downright tasty.

These days, it is difficult to make a case for eating such a rich dessert on a regular basis. But what if I lost the sugar and added some vegetables? It turns out that savory bread pudding is just as rich and satisfying as sweet ones, and more practical for the everyday cook since they can be served for dinner.

It is easy to improvise variations of this recipe using ingredients you have on hand. Some combinations to consider:

• Artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and fontina.

• Spinach, sauteed red onions, bacon and cheddar.

• Corn kernels (fresh or frozen), slivered sun-dried tomatoes, basil and smoked mozzarella.

• Leeks and Stilton.

Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms, Spinach and Leeks

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 lg (12-oz) baguette
4 TBS unsalted butter, divided
3 leeks, white and light green parts, washed and finely chopped
1 lb shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
Salt, divided
1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 lg eggs
1 qt half-and-half
Ground black pepper
12 oz shredded Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven. Slice baguette crosswise into -inch-thick slices. Place on a baking sheet and toast until dry and just beginning to color around the edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brush some butter on one side of each bread slice. Add leeks to skillet with remaining butter and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in spinach and set aside.

Whisk eggs, half-and-half, teaspoon salt and ground black pepper to taste together in a large bowl. Add bread slices and gently toss to coat. Arrange bread slices in overlapping rows in a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining liquid over bread and let stand 10 minutes.

Spoon mushroom and spinach mixture in between bread slices. Sprinkle cheese over pudding. Bake until puffed, golden and set, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 20 minutes and serve warm.

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Mandarin brings 'banquet' cuisine to Novato

Posted on May 25, 2012 by bilrob

Mandarin brings ‘banquet’ cuisine to Novato

Leslie Harlib

I love surprises. Particularly when they happen in restaurants that seem least likely to knock my socks off.

The Mandarin is one of these. This Chinese restaurant opened just two weeks ago on the site of the former Garden Court at the northern edge of Novato. It’s in the Days Inn, and if you miss the San Marin exit on 101, next stop is pretty much Petaluma. So non-Novato residents would have to make a pilgrimage here. It’s worth it.

Sure, you can find all the Chinese stir-fries that have become a type of American comfort food: Mongolian beef, lemon chicken, sweet and sour shrimp, General Tso’s chicken, mu shu, chow mein.

But what makes this restaurant so distinctive are its specials. Owner Benson Hong worked for years at Cecilia Chiang’s celebrated Mandarin restaurant in Ghirardelli Square. He runs his own Mandarin with wife Lily helping in the kitchen and son Raymond serving in the dining room. He has also brought in a chef with a high-end Shanghai restaurant background who was also at the Fountain Court in San Francisco, known for its dim sum.

Mandarin may be the only Chinese restaurant in northern Marin to serve dim sum. (Hong told me this is just the beginning; he plans to up the ante on variety in the near future.)

There are 11 varieties on the menu as of this writing, including some special types that the kitchen may trot out if you ask. All are plump, some even oversized. Of course there are pot stickers ($5.95), but here you won’t find pork (for health reasons, says Hong). These pot stickers are packed with a loosely ground, fresh chicken breast stuffing enlivened with chives and ginger in a hand-made dough that is supple and coppery from the pan.

Vegetarian steamed dumplings ($5.95) break open to showcase finely chopped shiitake, carrot, onion, edamame and more. There was so much going on —in such tiny pieces— I couldn’t identify it all.

There were beef shumai in chiffon-thin noodle wrappers that tasted like airy meatballs. Har gow (shrimp dumplings) were larger than most, their shrimp filling juicy and plentiful.

Chive pockets ($5.95) were among the best dim sum I’ve had in Marin: thin rice noodle dough formed into turnovers around a thick conglomerate of steamed leeks, chives and shrimp, then quickly deep-fried to be greaseless and ultra-crispy. Eat them piping hot with a house-made sauce of sweet black vinegar and thinly sliced scallion. This same oniony filling can be had in steamed wrappers as well.

I loved the salmon-and-avocado spring rolls ($8.95 for two). Traditional crunchy spring roll wrappers cocooned shreds of salmon and fresh avocado; the combination was terrific.

One starter that particularly impressed me may not be to everyone’s taste but it is classic, textbook Chinese banquet food, the type of dish you’d be served at a wedding: a chef’s special Shanghai-style cold plate ($29.95 and enough for four people to share).

Garnished in amusingly high style, with fans of wafer-thin cucumber, lemons and maraschino cherries, this was like Chinese charcuterie. There were slices of thinnest purple-rose beef, with a smoky flavor reminiscent of Swiss bunderfleisch. Chunks of steamed chicken tasted boozy, thanks to the white wine they’d marinated in for days. Bars of fresh rock cod were mahogany in color and richly flavored from a marinade that smacked of five-spice powder and a hint of rock sugar. Tofu skins, rolled into tasty bundles, reminded me of an omelet, only with exotic spicing. And finally, noodles of marinated jellyfish, crunchy and briny, had the taste and feel of Japanese seaweed salad.

I was also excited to find Peking Duck ($29.95, with 24 hours’ notice) on the menu. This is the real deal, slow-cooked to become fat-free. Served in high style with crepe-like pancakes, the duck was shaved into wafers, its skin — reduced to a thin crackle of honeyed glaze — on the side. Hong ceremoniously painted pancakes with hoisin sauce, layered on duck meat, scallions and skin, and served. What luxurious mouthfuls.

Duck is also available in the classic smoked tea preparation, served with four buns, for $13.95 a half.

Other chef’s specials include beef or lamb rack in season, chicken or vegetable lettuce wrap, West Lake beef soup, sesame beef with Mandarin sauce, whole rock cod available in a variety of preparations (24 hours’ notice), Dungeness crab in a variety of styles (also 24 hours’ notice) and steamed fish filet with tofu and egg white, to name a few.

I was even impressed with desserts, not something I think to order in Chinese restaurants. Mandarin features two puddings I’ve never seen before and had to try. One was a mixture of steamed, lightly sweetened taro that had the texture and flavor of chestnuts, served with pitted Chinese dates and ground peanut flour. Esoteric? You bet. Tasty? Yes, but then I love chestnuts.

Eight Treasure Rice was as pretty as it was different: a steamed hot pudding based on sticky rice studded with a jewel-like assortment of fruits and a sweet red bean paste center. Both puddings are $4.50 — a bargain considering they are labor intensive and beautifully presented.

Mandarin is so new, Hong is still working toward his beer and wine license. He’s done a good job of refreshing the décor left behind when Garden Court closed a year and a half ago. Freshly painted, it feels squeaky clean. Formerly bare tables are now dressed with cinnabar-red linens and cloth napkins. There are flowers, including orchids, on most tables. Outdoor tables and chairs on the Days Inn tree-ringed patio will be a lovely place to sit for lunch, once the shade umbrellas on order have arrived.

Now that I know how good the dim sum is here, and that I can come for banquet-like cuisine, including exotic desserts, I will definitely target it for a feast.

I love the family feel as well. But my fear is that American diners will come here and stick to those Chinese comfort basics, so Hong will have to take all the true Chinese specialties off the menu. Prove me wrong. Go soon and have an adventure, because Mandarin now offers taste experiences unlike any other Chinese food in Marin.

The Mandarin restaurant is at 8141 Redwood Blvd., Novato, 897-1555, mandarinrestaurantonline.com. Lunch Monday to Friday 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., dinner nightly 5-9 p.m. Free parking on site.

Contact Leslie Harlib at

[email protected].

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Delicious dessert to start outdoor season

Posted on May 24, 2012 by bilrob

Delicious dessert to start outdoor season

For barbecue lovers, the season can’t start too early. As daylight hours get longer, the action heats up and the season can last well into the frosty days of fall. But the standard fare of such traditionally warm-weather gatherings grilled meat and veggies deserves to be followed with a delicious chilled dessert.

One tasty way to kick off the outdoor season is with strawberry lemonade pie, a light summer dessert with a non-traditional twist. Like many crowd-pleasing desserts, this recipe uses corn syrup to add just the right amount of sweetness.

Strawberry lemonade pie

Prep time: 25 minutes

Bake time: 30 minutes

Chill time: 2 hours

Yields eight servings

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1/2 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Karo Light Corn Syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

3 cups thinly sliced strawberries

Sweetened whipped cream and thinly sliced lemon, optional

Fit pie crust into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom and trim the edge or a 9-inch pie pan and flute the edge. Line the crust with a double sheet of foil. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove foil and cool slightly.

Combine sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Add eggs, 1/2 cup corn syrup, 1/3 cup lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour into partially baked shell.

Bake about 30 minutes until filling is golden brown. Cool. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and lemon peel. Cover and set aside. Just before serving, arrange sliced berries on top of baked filling and drizzle with lemon mixture. Top each serving with whipped cream and a lemon slice, if desired.

* * *

NAPS

Dessert with Bill & Sheila

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Wine - More than just desserts

Posted on May 22, 2012 by bilrob

Huon Hooke - Chateau Coutet and Aline Baly pics supplied

Changing the game … Chateau Coutet in Barsac, the French wine region that makes sauternes.

Wine – More than just desserts

‘Sweet wine with sweet foods” is an ingrained association for many people. Wines such as French sauternes and Australian botrytis semillons are often thought of as strictly for dessert. But it shouldn’t be so. To ignore savoury combinations with these great wines is to unreasonably restrict their possibilities. Aline Baly, whose family owns the sauternes premier cru property Chateau Coutet, says chicken is one of her favourite foods with sauternes. ”Roast chicken is our traditional Sunday meal,” she says, with Coutet of course. Her absolute favourite is lobster (”sweet wine with sweet meat”), but she recognises it’s not an everyday, or every-week, dish.

”I also love turkey rubbed with five-spice, garlic chicken, and dishes that involve lots of pepper and chilli – they’re great with sauternes,” she says. Another ideal savoury combination is cheese, especially creamy-textured blues, and roquefort is a no-brainer with sauternes because it’s local.

Chateau Coutet is in Barsac, a small appellation within the greater Sauternes region, in which Coutet and Chateau Climens are the only first growths. ”Every Barsac is a sauternes, but not many sauternes are Barsacs,” Baly says.

Ailine Baly, whose familiy makes sauternes in France, enjoys the wine with white meat as well as sweet food.

Aline Baly, whose family owns Chateau Coutet.

However, the appellation laws are the same for Barsac and Sauternes. The difference between the two is geographical area and soils.

”Barsac has red-brown clay soils over limestone; Sauternes has more gravel, which traps the heat,” Baly says.

All over France, the grape variety is chosen to suit the soil, and Sauternes is no different.

Sauterne from Chateau Coutet.

Chateau Coutet sauterne.

”At Coutet, we have 75 per cent semillon in the vineyard, 23 per cent sauvignon blanc and 2 per cent muscadelle,” Baly says. ”We try to stay true to these proportions when we make the assemblage.”

Because of soil differences, Chateau Climens is different: it’s 100 per cent semillon.

At Coutet, the sauvignon blanc is important. ”Planted on the limestone and clay, it gives the minerality, the raciness of Coutet,” Baly says. The name comes from the French word for knife: couteau. It’s a good descriptor as the wine usually has cut and vivacity.

That said, Chateau Coutet often breaks its own rules and releases a much richer, sweeter (and more expensive) super-cuvee named Cuvee Madame.

”We have just released the 2001 Cuvee Madame and it’s 100 per cent semillon,” Baly says. ”It comes from our best parcels of semillon from vines at least 45 years old.”

The wine of Chateau Coutet has been available in Australia for many years. However, the wines were different before the Baly family bought the property in 1977. They were considerably less sweet, lighter and usually had a fearsome level of sulphur dioxide. The chemical’s big advantage is to slow the ageing of the wine, but it is a two-edged sword. We had to wait years before drinking it but, on the other hand, it seemed to keep forever.

The sometimes hard and volcanic wines some readers may remember from the ’70s and early ’80s seem to be a thing of the past, no doubt thanks to the Baly family’s improvements, which are ongoing. A tasting of six vintages – 2008, ’07, ’06, ’05, ’97 and ’89 – showed a more luscious style, fresher and more fruit-forward, with delicious flavours and great balance.

When young, they smell of pineapple and other tropical fruits; when more mature, of marmalade and apricot jam. Of course, the style fluctuates according to season: the more heavily botrytis-affected years give richer, sweeter and more opulent wines, which age longer. And even the sweeter vintages seem to become drier when they are mature, which is one of the mysteries of sweet wines generally. The sugar doesn’t go away, but age modifies the wine’s balance so that it tastes less sweet. For this reason, older sauternes should be tasted after younger ones, and should be teamed with different foods – savoury foods are even more likely to suit.

In our tasting, the serving order Baly chose was ’06, ’08, ’05, ’07, ’97 and ’89. The ’89 was last not because it’s the sweetest but because it’s a great vintage, and mature, and it’s always good to finish on a high note.

As Baly says, it’s a wine for sitting in front of an open fire and thinking about changing the world. A meditation wine.

The ’07 is a great wine now, in all its youthful freshness and lusciousness, but Baly says she would cellar this one and, when it’s mature, treat it as a meditation wine like the ’89 is now. Well, you could do both very happily.

The ’07 ($175), ’06 ($135) and ’05 ($145) are currently available in the trade, which means the wholesaler Negociants has stock. Any top fine-wine retailer should be able to source them for customers.

My favourite of the group was the ’07, closely followed by ’05.

These are show-stoppers: lush, rich, sweet and beautifully balanced, a filled with different aromas and flavours. The one disappointment was the ’97, which was oxidised – this, Baly agreed was a problem of the bottle, not the vintage in general, attributable to cork failure.

I’m told cork taint reared its head at other Coutet tastings around town. Asked the obligatory question, of whether Coutet would ever consider changing to a different closure, her response was: ”We will consider it when Chateau Yquem does!”

Hell will freeze first. It’s a refrain one hears all over France: winemakers who have a lot to lose will not risk a massive rejection by consumers. Till then, we have to roll the dice. It’s a pity, as the wines are superb when the corks allow.

[email protected]

Match makers

The Baly family have an online cookbook with recipes designed to go with sweet wines, including savoury dishes. They invite people to share their food-matching ideas, especially chefs and sommeliers. See chateaucoutet.com.

TASTINGS

A FEATHER IN THEIR CAP

De Bortoli has unveiled a new cork-free closure for sparkling wine. It’s a screw cap, not unlike that on most Australian and New Zealand still wines. But, while the conventional screw cap can be used on lightly sparkling wines, such as moscato, it cannot be used on full-pressure sparkling wine. Now, new technology has brought us the Viiva closure system, which can withstand the traditional five atmospheres of pressure. The Viiva screw cap is used on De Bortoli’s modestly priced Trevi range and its catering sparkler, Willowglen. Catering is one area where the speed of the Viiva is likely to prove popular. Other benefits include avoidance of cork-derived taints, oxidation and the loss of carbon dioxide. And the bottle can be resealed easily. The Viiva closure was developed by Guala Closures Australia and the special bottle by glass maker O-I.

FRANCK ASSESSMENT

Star sommelier Franck Moreau has won yet another award, crowned Best Sommelier of Asia-Oceania 2012 at the recent Association de la Sommellerie Internationale contest in South Korea. This qualifies Moreau to compete in the Best Sommelier of the World contest in Japan next year. Moreau works as group sommelier for Merivale’s extensive restaurant and club interests in Sydney, which includes three-hatted Est., as well as one-hatted Felix and Uccello. He was admitted to the elite club of Master Sommeliers last year and was Sommelier of the Year in the 2010 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards.

THE COST OF GREATNESS

Tesseron Tres Vieux Extreme Noir is the greatest Cognac I’ve ever tasted. At between $4000 and $4500 for a 1.75-litre bottle, this Cognac is aimed fair and square at the collector market. Beautifully packaged in a flask-shaped bottle modelled on a demijohn, it is possibly the oldest Cognac available – certainly one of the oldest. The oldest Cognac in the blend is from 1865 and the youngest is no later than the 1920s. The bouquet and flavour are unimaginably complex, with extreme rancio character and an array of scents from polished wood to roasted nuts to various dried fruits, as well as vanilla and chocolate, toffee and old leather upholstery. The flavour is explosive: immensely powerful, concentrated, with silken texture and ballerina-like balance. Unlike very old fortified wines, there is no hint of senility, but instead, amazing vitality and freshness. For inquiries, phone 1300 610 919. Sepia restaurant in Sydney’s city centre has purchased one of the three bottles to come to Australia and is serving Extreme by the taste ($110 for 30 millilitres), or in a flight of three Tesseron Cognacs with Lot 53 and Lot 29 ($74).

A REAL WHIZ

From time to time, I am encouraged to improve my drinking experience by spinning wine bottles in an electric magnetiser, or other aerating gadgets. Usually they cost a lot and don’t appear to give any benefit. The American author of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, Nathan Myhrvold, has come up with a free version. He uses his blender to ”hyperdecant” wine – he whizzes it on high speed for 30 seconds to 60 seconds, allows the froth to subside, then pours. Ever curious, I tried it with a Voyager Estate ’08 Cabernet Merlot. I compared the whizzed sample with the untreated wine in a blind tasting. The former had lost a little of its aroma, was slightly warmer and seemed creamier in texture – perhaps because the hyper-aeration had filled it with air, rather like a souffle. The surprising discovery was this abuse did not ruin the wine – both were equally pleasurable. To try it yourself, see tinyurl.com/6jyu3pj.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine

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Bread pudding gets savory for dinner

Posted on May 21, 2012 by bilrob

Bread pudding gets savory for dinner

Food historians have traced the origins of bread pudding to 13th century England, where impoverished but resourceful cooks began to bake stale, leftover bread with milk and a little sugar to make it palatable. Over time and in more prosperous kitchens, butter, eggs, jam and dried fruit were added to bread pudding recipes to make them downright tasty. Slowly, bread pudding evolved from a humble dish of leftovers into a luxurious comfort food.

These days it is difficult to make a case for eating such a rich dessert on a regular basis. But what if I lost the sugar and added some vegetables? It turns out that savory bread puddings are just as rich and satisfying as sweet ones, and more practical for the everyday cook since they can be served for dinner.

There are a few tricks to making a satisfying bread pudding, sweet or savory. For a pudding with character, choose the right loaf. Commercial sandwich slices become mushy to the point of disintegration when soaked in custard. A sturdy bread, such as a quality baguette or a sourdough country round, will hold its shape even when saturated. Cut your baguette into slices, or your round into 1-inch cubes. Use day-old bread or dry out your bread slices or cubes on a baking sheet in the oven before putting together your pudding. Once you’ve poured the custard mixture over the bread, let the dish stand on the countertop for 10 minutes so the bread can absorb the liquid.

Bad news for dieters: The most successful bread puddings are not low in fat. Using low-fat milk or skimping on eggs may result in a curdled and watery custard rather than a smooth and creamy one. But if you have some self-control you can enjoy a small portion of savory bread pudding accompanied by a large portion of salad greens without much guilt.

It is easy to improvise variations of the following recipe using ingredients you have on hand. Some combinations to consider:

Artichoke hearts, roasted garlic and Fontina

Spinach, sauteed red onions, bacon and Cheddar

Sauteed red bell peppers, Italian sausage (crumbled and cooked) and mozzarella

Blanched asparagus (cut into 1-inch pieces), green peas, ham and fresh pecorino

Corn kernels (fresh or frozen), slivered sun-dried tomatoes, basil and smoked mozzarella

Leeks and Stilton

Sauteed eggplant cubes, seeded and sliced plum tomatoes and Parmesan

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Queen's diamond jubilee recipes: dessert

Posted on May 20, 2012 by bilrob

Queen’s diamond jubilee recipes: dessert

Marcus Wareing‘s chocolate pots with salted caramel centre and banana ice cream

I had the pleasure of cooking a dessert for the Queen’s 80th birthday some years ago and it was a massive honour although a little intimidating.

I am hugely proud to be British and use British produce wherever we can. This country offers a diverse range of ingredients that depend on seasons but are truly fabulous especially in June when we will be celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. A dish fit for royalty or our Queen is tricky – I imagine she likes good home cooking like the rest of us. Nothing too fussy but with good flavours.

I remember the Silver Jubilee in 1977 and my favourite dessert at the time, being a child, was a simple banana split. This dish is slightly reminiscent of this old British classic. It is very simple to make and perfect for a dinner party or family celebration – and possibly even the Queen. I am looking forward to the jubilee weekend when I will celebrate being British!

The addition of the ice cream works really well with the richness of the chocolate, but if you don’t have time to prepare your own in advance then a classic bought vanilla would also work.

Makes 8-10 100g pots

For the salted caramel insert
glucose syrup 125g
caster sugar 180g
whipping cream 170ml
unsalted butter 75g
salt 7.5g

For the chocolate mixture
whipping cream 250ml
whole milk 200ml
vanilla pods 4, pods split and seeds scraped out
egg yolks 5
caster sugar 50g
Valrhona 70% dark chocolate 450g, broken up

For the banana purée
caster sugar 260g
fresh, overripe bananas 1.6kg, chopped
crème de banane 125ml
dark rum 65ml

For the banana ice cream
full-fat milk 500ml
whipping cream 500ml
egg yolks 9
caster sugar 165g
banana purée 400g (from recipe above)

First make the salted caramel inserts. Soak the glucose and sugar with a little water and put on a high heat. Once dark caramelisation is reached, slowly incorporate the cream. Keep simmering the mixture until the ingredients are fully combined and a thick consistency is achieved. Whisk in the butter and salt, then strain through a sieve and chill. Once cold, divide the mixture into 10g lumps, then shape into balls and set in the fridge until needed. You can freeze any remaining mix to use for another occasion.

To make the chocolate pots, bring the cream, milk and vanilla to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl, and pour in the hot cream, to temper (stabilise) the mixture. Pour back into the pan and cook until the mix coats the back of the spoon. Pour through a fine sieve over the broken-up chocolate. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes for the cream mix to melt the chocolate, then mix till smooth.

While the mix is still warm, spoon into small pots suitable for the oven, ensuring the mix is as flat as possible. Allow 15 minutes to semi-set.

Push a caramel insert into the centre of each chocolate pot and freeze. When ready to cook, place in a preheated oven at 180C/gas mark 4 for 6 minutes.

To make the banana purée, lightly caramelise the caster sugar, add the chopped bananas and cook out until the banana starts to break down to a purée. Add the crème de banane and rum and cook further until a thick purée is formed. Purée in a blender and push through a sieve (using the back of a spatula or a ladle) to remove all lumps.

To make the banana ice cream, bring the milk and cream to the boil. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a separate bowl, then pour in a little of the hot milk and cream mix. Whisk back into the pan and keep over a low heat, stirring until the mix coats the back of a spoon. Add the banana purée then sieve to remove lumps, and chill.

Serve the pots with the banana ice cream or a classic bought vanilla.

Marcus Wareing runs Marcus Wareing at the Berkeley, London SW1 and the Gilbert Scott, London NW1; marcus-wareing.com, thegilbertscott.co.uk

Clare Smyth’s wild strawberry and lemon balm Eton mess, with strawberry ripple ice-cream sandwich

Clare Smyths Eton mess
Clare Smyth’s Eton mess. Photograph: Romas Foord for the Observer

I can’t think of a more iconic summertime dessert than the Eton mess. It’s such a quintessentially British dessert, evoking images of freshly cut lawns and white tablecloths at royal events. The real beauty of an Eton mess, though, is that you can make it as simple or complicated as you want; when the strawberries come into season and are sweet and fragrant, they really need very little more than some fresh cream and crisp meringues to make them sing.

However, to elevate it to three-star standard, I like to tart it up a bit by adding the wild strawberries and surprising elements like the ice-cream sandwich, which is a lovely nostalgic nod to the baked Alaskas we enjoyed as kids – who couldn’t be excited by blow-torched ice cream? It also provides a different texture in the mouth. The lemon balm has a wonderful, distinctive flavour of minty lemon, and adds a punchy freshness that cuts through all the creamy elements. This version of the Eton mess was something I initially made as a pre-dessert in the restaurant, but everyone who ate it loved it so much we kept it on the menu as a proper pudding. People even phone up ahead of their meal to check it’s on the menu, which is the best testament I could ask for. You can use decent quality vanilla ice cream and strawberry sorbet in place of these home-made versions.

Serves 6

strawberries 1 punnet
lemon balm 1 bunch
wild strawberries 1 punnet

For the dried meringue
egg whites 75g
caster sugar 150g

For the Italian meringue
egg whites 100g
sugar 150g
water 50ml

For the strawberry sauce
fresh strawberry purée 250ml
sugar 20g

For the vanilla cream
vanilla pod ½
crème fraîche 50ml
lightly whipped cream 50ml
icing sugar to taste

For the almond biscuit
sugar 40g
butter 50g
cream 20ml
pectin powder 1.5g
glucose syrup 20ml
nibbed almonds 50g

For the vanilla ice cream
milk 250ml
cream 250ml
vanilla pods 2 whole
egg yolks 110g
sugar 60g

For the strawberry sorbet
fresh strawberry purée 500ml
water 200ml
sugar 100ml

To make the dried meringue, whisk egg whites until they start to turn white. Add sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, then spread the mixture on to a baking tray and bake at 85C/gas mark very low for 4 hours or until dry and crispy. Then break up in to small pieces.

To make the Italian meringue, start whisking the egg whites. Put the sugar and water in a pan and bring it up to 113C. When the eggs start to turn white, quickly pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until it forms smooth soft peaks. Allow to cool then put in a piping bag.

To make the strawberry sauce, bring the purée to the boil, add the sugar and reduce by half until it is a thick sauce.

To make the vanilla cream, mix the vanilla seeds into the crème fraîche and then fold in the lightly whipped cream. Add icing sugar to taste.

To make the almond biscuits – I make two 3cm-thick biscuits for each sandwich, all together about 12 – place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill. When cold, spread the mixture thinly on a baking tray and bake at 180C/gas mark 4 for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Cut into fingers 3cm wide by 10cm long.

To make the vanilla ice cream, put the milk, cream and vanilla pods into a pan, and heat to infuse. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale, then pour on the hot milk and mix together. Pour the mixture back in the pan and cook at 84C, then cool down the mixture in a bowl over ice until cold, and churn in an ice-cream machine, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Or you can use decent quality vanilla ice cream.

To make the strawberry sorbet, mix all the ingredients together and churn in an ice-cream machine. Or you can use decent quality strawberry sorbet.

To assemble the strawberry ripple ice-cream sandwich, take a piping bag and pipe two lines of strawberry sauce inside it, one along each side. Then add the vanilla ice cream in the middle of the biscuit and place in the freezer to set.

Take one finger of the almond biscuit and pipe the ice cream in a spiral motion along it. You should have a ripple effect. Place the other finger on top, then place back in the freezer.

Mix together the vanilla cream and dry meringue pieces, and put in the bottom of a glass bowl. Cut up the strawberries and lemon balm. Mix together with the wild strawberries and a little sugar, if necessary, then place on top of the meringue. Scoop in some strawberry sorbet and pipe the Italian meringue on top. Take a blow torch and toast it like a Baked Alaska. Place the ice-cream sandwich at the side of the bowl and garnish with some more wild strawberries and lemon balm sprigs.

Clare Smyth is head chef at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London SW3; gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad

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Rhubarb - Tart treat pairs nicely in salads and mains

Posted on May 19, 2012 by bilrob

Rhubarb – Tart treat pairs nicely in salads and mains

The first primary use of Rhubarb was not as food but as medicine in China and Tibet, with records dating back to 2700 B.C. Its eventual appearance in European countries was due to its medicinal properties, but cooks also were intrigued enough by its tart flavour that they began growing it around 1600. Trade routes continued to shrink the globe, and by the late-1700s imported sugar became plentiful and affordable, which pretty much lit the fuse on rhubarb’s becoming more commonly referred to as ‘pie plant.’ While we tend to think of it as a fruit, rhubarb actually is a vegetable, which helps move our brains in the direction of using it in more savoury dishes, such as a Yorkshire-style pudding side dish, or in a kale salad.

Confetti Salad of Kale and Rhubarb

I love this salad. It’s gorgeous, but it also makes you feel like a superhero with all of its vitamins! Lacinato kale – a dark green variety often called dinosaur kale – provides the best colour contrast for the ruby bits of rhubarb and golden batons of cheese. The liquid from the pickled rhubarb helps make the vinaigrette. Prepare the rhubarb at least three hours before serving.

Recipe is from Rhubarb Renaissance, by Kim Ode

Pickled Rhubarb:

1 cup rhubarb, cut in 1/4-inch (.5-cm) pieces

1/3 cup (80 mL) sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) white balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) mustard seeds

Salad:

1 bunch (12 to 15 leaves) lacinato kale

3 tablespoons (45 mL) pickling liquid from rhubarb

3 tablespoons (45 mL) walnut oil

Hefty pinch salt

Several grinds pepper

4 ounces (113 g) aged Gouda, cut in fat matchsticks

1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh bread crumbs, preferably sourdough

1/2 cup (125 mL) candied walnuts (see below), roughly chopped

To make pickled rhubarb: Place rhubarb in a shallow heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt (2 mL) and mustard seeds, and bring to a boil; cook until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over the rhubarb and let sit at room temperature for at least three hours before using. The pickles flavour improves if refrigerated overnight. Any leftover pickling liquid can be refrigerated for future use.

To make salad:

Remove centre rib from kale leaves, stack several pieces, then slice crosswise into a fine julienne. You should end up with about five cups (1.25 L). Rinse kale and pat dry between paper towels or use a salad spinner.

Whisk together pickling liquid and walnut oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss kale with dressing, then gently fold in the cheese and drained rhubarb. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes so the kale softens a bit; it can chill for up to three hours.

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add bread crumbs, stirring to coat. Cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden and crisp. Set aside.

Before serving, toss salad again, add bread crumbs and walnuts, and toss once more.

To make candied walnuts: Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and set aside. Combine 1/4 cup (60 mL) water and 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add one cup (250 mL) walnut halves and continue to stir for about five minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Pour out onto parchment paper, separating walnuts with a fork. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

Serves 6

Salted Caramel Rhubapple Pie

My daughter, Mimi, came up with the idea for this pie, thinking to blend one of her favourite flavour combinations with my need for a new rhubarb recipe. She was spot-on. A bit of salt in the caramel is a final touch. . From Rhubarb Renaissance, by Kim Ode (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 120 pages, $16.95).

Pastry for single-crust pie

1/3 cup (80 mL) walnut pieces

6 Granny Smith apples, about 2 1/4 pounds (1 kg), peeled, cored and thickly sliced

1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice

1 teaspoon (5 mL) cinnamon

1 tablespoon (15 mL) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) honey

1 cup (250 mL) packed brown sugar, divided

2 cups (500 mL) rhubarb, cut in 1-in. pieces

1/4 cup (60 mL) instant tapioca

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) kosher or sea salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) flour

4 tablespoons (60 mL) cold butter, cut in small cubes

Line a pie plate with crust and place in refrigerator while you prepare the filling. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven about 5 minutes, until thereâ€™s a warm, nutty aroma. Cool, then chop coarsely and set aside.

Toss apple slices with lemon juice and cinnamon. Set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon (15 mL) butter with honey and 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar in a large heavy saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Add apples, stirring to coat them with caramel. Reduce heat and cook uncovered no more than 5 minutes. Do not overcook them to mushiness.

Place rhubarb in a bowl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the hot apples into the bowl with the rhubarb. Add tapioca and stir to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes. In the meantime, add salt to the caramel remaining in the pan and cook, stirring often, a few minutes more to reduce it to a thick syrup. Do not let it scorch. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine streusel ingredients: flour, remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar and 4 tablespoons cold butter (60 mL), pinching the butter with your fingers until itâ€™s evenly distributed. Stir in the toasted walnuts.

Scrape the apple-rhubarb mixture into the chilled pie shell and drizzle with 3 tablespoons (45 mL) caramel. Spread streusel mixture over pie and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Just before serving, drizzle the remaining caramel (reheating if necessary) over the pie.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Yorkshire Rhubarb

Note: My friend Cindy Jurgenson lent me one of her old cookbooks from â€œthe good cooks of Litchville, N.D.,â€? which was full of rhubarb recipes. Most were familiar, but one was a variation on the savoury Yorkshire puddings served with roast beef. If you donâ€™t have an oven-safe pan, pour the bacon renderings into a similarly sized baking dish, then proceed with the recipe as directed. . From Rhubarb Renaissance, by Kim Ode (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 120 pages, $16.95).

2 eggs

3/4 cup (180 mL) milk

3/4 cup (180 mL) flour

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt

1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) dried thyme, or 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh

2 slices bacon, cut in half-inch pieces (see Note)

11/2 cups (375 mL) rhubarb, cut in half-inch pieces

1/4 cup (60 mL) packed light brown sugar

In a blender, combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and thyme. Process until smooth. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Slowly fry bacon in a 10-inch oven-safe pan (cast iron is ideal, but see Note). Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Reheat the rendered bacon fat until sizzling, then pour the batter into the pan. Scatter rhubarb over the batter, then sprinkle with brown sugar and bacon.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is nicely browned. Cut in wedges and serve alongside any roasted meat or poultry.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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