Interview: Levana Kirschenbaum

Lévana Kirschenbaum was co-owner of Levana Restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side (alas, recently closed after thirty two years), and the pioneer in Kosher upscale dining. She is a cooking teacher and cookbook author, and gets countless devoted fans for her fearless, practical and nutritious approach to cooking. She gives weekly cooking demos, and gets cooking demo engagements around the country. She has published "Levana's Table: Kosher Cooking for Everyone", "Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!”, and a book-dvd set based on her demo series called "In Short Order”. She is currently at work on her next cookbook, scheduled to be published in June 2011: “The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen: Glorious Meals Pure and Simple”. She is launching a line of all-natural spelt desserts, called, what else, Lévana. Her weekly cooking demos take place at her apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side: Get ready for dinner and a show! Go onto her website to find out more about her demos, cookbooks, desserts, and entertaining stories at www.levanacooks.com

IRS: When did you become interested in cooking? What were your early influences?

LK: My earliest and longest-running influence is my mother's, the diva of glorious quick healthy meals, as I like to call her. Growing up in Morocco and watching her do her magic with pennies and in minutes, I couldn't help but being hooked: such plebeian ingredients, such great results!

IRS: In the course of your career, you have had to transform non-kosher dishes to kosher dishes by substituting ingredients. For example one of your books, “Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!: Natural and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite Forbidden Foods” features recipes that do not include any dairy products in their ingredients. What were some of the challenges that you experienced while adapting these recipes to the Jewish Halakhik framework?

LK: I didn't only have to combat the Jewish Halakhik framework, but indeed the whole secular gastronomic world who for the most part thinks (sometimes there is here and there a glimmer if hope that this is getting better) any dessert made without cream or butter is not worth bothering with. In the Kosher world, I also had to steer them away from the non-dairy whipping cream, margarine etc... And it is well worth the effort: more and more people, not only observant Jews who want to serve a dairy- free dessert after a meat meal, but dairy-intolerant diners as well, are delighted to find dairy free and natural renditions of dishes that have been off-limits to them for so long, both savory and sweet. Just try my cheese cake, my tiramisu or my chicken Tandoori and you will see what I mean.

IRS: What are some of the health benefits of maintaining a kosher diet?

LK: Even though kosher diet was prescribed to us for spiritual reasons, the health benefits are obvious: no shell fish or other scavenger animal. Likewise no diseased animal. Above all, only domesticated peaceful animals. No hunting, no trapping, only ritual and humane slaughtering of perfectly healthy animals (no mad cow disease!) We have a much more meaningful relationship with food. Also, labeling on kosher products is much more stringent, so there's no chance of accidentally ingesting something you might be allergic or intolerant to.

IRS: Do you maintain a strict kosher diet? If not, for which non-kosher foods do you have a weakness?

LK: I do maintain a strictly kosher diet:-)

IRS: As its name implies, the International Recipe Syndicate blog features recipes of signature dishes from countries around the World. What are two of your favorite dishes that are quintessentially Israel?

LK: Oooooh that's easy: their schawarma, and their outrageous cheeses and cheese omelets.

IRS: As a former restaurant owner in Manhattan, you are well acquainted with the industry in New York City. If you had to recommend a few delicatessens in New York City to our readers, which ones would you choose?

LK: I have always heard Second Avenue Deli is fantastic, but alas I can't check it out, because even though all their meats are kosher, they have no kosher supervision. So when I have a yen for deli, I just go to Mr Broadway!

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Be sure to visit the International Recipe Syndicate next week to see Levana's recipe for Apple Raisin Farfel !!

Moroccan Sweet Potato Puree Recipe

Moroccan sweet potato puree is easy to make and takes just over an hour to prepare since the sweet potatoes require between 45 minutes to an hour of baking time. You can use it as a side dish with almost any kind of entree. In addition to its versatility, Moroccan sweet potato puree is also a very healthy choice since sweet potatoes have substantial quantities of beta-carotene which increases the body's immune function and reduces cholesterol accumulation in the arteries.

Recommended Equipment:
food processor

Ingredients:
3 or 4 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 tspn ground ginger
1/4 tspn cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Put baking sheet in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Potatoes are done when you can easily insert a fork into the top of the potato.
3. Remove potatoes from the oven and place them in a large bowl to cool.
4. Remove the skins from the potatoes.
5. Add the olive oil, cinnamon, and ginger to the bowl. Mash all of the ingredients together until they form a creamy puree. You may want to use a food processor for this step.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
   

Morocco

These Cherry Folditups Only Sound Easy and Inexpensive

Why am I calling this a cherry folditup, and not a cherry galette, its correct culinary name? Because one sounds like something that's easy to make, and one doesn't.

You may think it's silly to dumb-down the name just so a few more people watching on YouTube will give it a try, but it's very important to me that these recipes are accessible to as many people as possible. Oh, and by the way, did I mention you need to buy a $18 jar of cherries to make it? 

So much for that whole accessibility angle. Yes, I did use the world's most exclusive jarred cherries. Luxardo make's what they claim are the original Maraschino cherries. The deep, dark fruit is candied in Marasca cherry syrup, and I find the taste and texture totally irresistible.

And no, I didn't hit the lottery; I had these on hand because of some recipe testing I was doing for a client, and I couldn't think of any finer way to use them up. If things are going well, here's the Amazon link is case you want to try Luxardo cherries for yourself. However, as I say in the video, any cherry or other fruit pie filling will work beautifully.

As far as the crust goes, we have a couple of surprises for you. I decided to use whole wheat flour, as I wanted a dough that was a little nuttier and rougher around the edges, and this did the trick. I also used some orange vodka I had in the freezer for part of the liquid in the dough.

I'd seen Alton brown do this, and apparently the vodka adds moisture, but doesn't create gluten, and somehow that makes a tender, flakier crust, or something like that. I can’t be bothered to do any more research, but I can say it made one hell of a crust.

Of course, if anyone want to go all food nerd on us and explain what's going on molecularly, I think we'd all pretend to be interested. Enjoy!

Update! I call for whole wheat flour for this, but want to let you know I used the oxymoronically-named King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour. It's a very light wheat flour, and can probably be simulated by using 1/2 regular wheat flour and white flour. 

Ingredients:
6 oz whole wheat flour by weight (about 1 1/3 cup)

6 tablespoons ice cold butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup ice water (plus 1 tablespoon if not using vodka)

1 tablespoon ice cold orange or plain vodka, optional

1 cup cherry pie filling

Next Up: Cherry Folditup

Udon Noodles in Tomato Broth Recipe

Last weekend, the temperature here was very cold so a pot of soup was just what the doctor ordered. So we decided to make udon noodles in tomato broth - a type of soup that is popular in Japan.

It was basically a two step process. First, boil the udon noodles and then distribute them in serving bowls. If you use ready to serve udons, you can skip the boiling of the noodles and cut about 20 minutes off the prep time. Second, prepare the tomato broth. This step is pretty simple as there are only a few ingredients. Give it a try this weekend.

Ingredients:
2 packets of dry udon noodles
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 tbsp canola oil
5 scallions
1/3 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
4 cups chicken stock
kosher salt

Preparation:

1. Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the noodles to the pot. Cook until al dente ~ about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Drain the noodles and rinse them under warm running water.
3. Distribute the noodles to serving bowls. It is OK if they get cold.
4. Dice the scallions. Try to keep the white portion of the scallions separate.
   
5. Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and the white, diced scallions. Cook for about 1 minute.
6. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and cook for two minutes.
   
7. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt. Reduce heat to low.
8. Using a ladle, pour some of the broth into each of the serving bowls and garnish with the green part of the diced scallions.

Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Relief

Japan

An Early Spring Lunch

Today for lunch, Michele fried some sweet Italian sausage and served them on toasted, garlic-rubbed bread. Next to it was an ordinary green salad, made extraordinary with her kumquat and blood orange dressing. It was a perfect early spring lunch.

Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing

Vegan maple-tahini dressing adorns the Queen of Spring: Asparagus.

Spring here in BoHo infused West Hollywood means trading in your Uggs for flip-flops. And hurtling downhill on your skateboard past midnight, apparently.  For four nights in a row now I've been startled awake by the rolling wheels of wild ones zooming past our bedroom window in the wee small hours of the morning. I suspect they are taggers, or teenage paparazzi on the hunt for misbehaving Melrose prey (there have been more helicopters lately). Sleep has been edgy and restless. The season of change is afoot. Or rather on a roll.

Which in an odd and sleep-deprived way, brings me to asparagus.

It's a welcome signal of warmer days (and nights!) when those bundles of slender green stalks are back, standing tall in elegant rows at the local market. Erect, perky little beauties.

My deep and abiding craving for asparagus is surprising for someone who never tendered a single bite of fresh asparagus until my third decade here on planet Earth. Yes, you read that right. Three decades. I admit it.

I was anti-asparagus.

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Curried Rice with Green Beans Recipe

The combination of garlic, onion, and curry powder gives this simple dish classic Indian flavor. It is easy to prepare and only takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. I used green beans but you can substitute your favorite steamed vegetable instead.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large handful of fresh green beans
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
1 tspn curry powder
4 cups of water

Preparation:

1. Using a steamer, steam the green beans so that they are tender but still crisp, about 5 - 7 minutes. Set aside for later.
2. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of water over medium heat. When the water is warm, add the vegetable bouillon cube and dissolve. Remove from heat.
3. In a large pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat.
4. Add the onions, curry powder, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the onions become clear and translucent.
5. Stir in the basmati rice, the vegetable bouillon, and another 3 1/2 cups of water.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot.
7. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes without removing the pot's lid.
8. Pour the rice into a serving bowl and mix with the green beans.
   

India

No Russian this Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite recipes of all time, but not the classic Russian version, which had neither mushrooms nor onions, and was served over rice or fried potatoes. 

No, I prefer this this Americanized rendition that gets to sit on a pile of wide buttered egg noodles. There’s something about the rich, creamy, tender beef wrapped inside those fat ribbons of pasta that really does it for me.

Speaking of tender beef, this isn’t the quick-seared beef tenderloin filet you often see used in restaurants. That version is nice once in a while, but I prefer this slower, beefier recipe, which uses a much less expensive beef chuck roast. That’s right, more money for vodka!

One big reason I love beef Stroganoff so much is the sauce that features a substantial amount of sour cream. Of course, that’s great news when you have access to the world’s finest homemade sour cream supply, as demonstrated in the recent creme fraiche video.

This is a fairly lean version, as most similar recipes call for more cream to create a larger volume of sauce. This is something you can easily adjust to your tastes. I like a little thicker version, with just enough sauce to coat the meat and noodles.

Remember, the great thing about creme fraiche is you can cook it to reduce and thicken the sauce if need be. So, start a batch of creme fraiche soon, and you’ll have 2 days to plan the rest of beef Stroganoff dinner. Prijatnovo appetita!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 pounds beef chuck roast

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp butter

1/2 onion, sliced or diced

8 oz sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 tbsp flour

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups beef broth, divided

1/2 to 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1 tbsp fresh sliced chives

Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Fresh baked gluten-free dinner rolls- warm and tender.

We've been slurping lots of soup this Spring while the temperatures hover well below my chilly bones preference of 72 degrees. I hate to complain about 52 degrees, but, honestly. I'm shivering like a kitten in a Steve Martin movie. This is L.A. not New Hampshire. Where is my sunshine and technicolor blue sky?

Hiding its good humor behind wrinkled duvets of fuzzy gray clouds, that's where.

So we make gluten-free soup.

But the soup needs a companion. Our potage is lonely. And so I play matchmaker. I've been inviting gluten-free roll recipes to come and play. I've been flirting with their quirks and grainy idiosyncrasies, trying to be a good host. Coaxing their prickly little batters into behaving. As in, taste GOOD. And I've had some almost there success. But nothing to brag about. Nothing blog worthy.

Until today. These rolls are a balance of whole grain flavor and softness. Just crusty enough. These were tender and lovely warm from the oven. Not gummy. Not heavy. Not too grainy.

Just right.



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Next Up: Beef Stroganoff

Yogurt Pancake Recipe

This recipe for yogurt pancakes is a healthy alternative to processed frozen pancakes and pancake recipes
that use butter. Yogurt pancakes taste better than traditional pancakes and they are better for you too. I
prefer to under cook them slightly so that you can taste more of the creamy pancake batter. You can top them with your favorite types of fruit that are in season. I added frozen blueberries to these before I flipped them.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tspn baking soda
1 tspn baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/8 tspn nutmeg
1 tbsp canola oil
1 egg
your choice of fresh fruit. I used fresh frozen blueberries.
Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the fruit.
2. Bake pancake on a hot, oiled skillet or griddle.
3. Serve with fresh fruit.

United States

Christopher Walken Shares Gluten-Free Tips

Christopher Walken's doppleganger stopped by Gluten-Free Goddess to share a few off-the-cuff tips on cooking gluten-free. In this impromptu video, Christopher reveals his passion for butter flavor, his preference for cooking grits, and his befuddlement with tapioca.

Homemade Crème Fraiche – Nobody's Ever Made it Just Once

Crème fraiche is French for "fresh cream," which makes it one of the most ironically named foods ever, since it's made by leaving cream out in a warm spot until it’s soured and thickened by a growing colony of bacteria. Yeah, fresh.

Regardless, making crème fraiche is very easy and as the title implies, once you taste the magic of homemade sour cream, you'll have a hard time not repeating this somewhat esoteric exercise. Sure it takes a couple days, but the effort is minimal for such a marvelous payoff.

As I mention in the video, besides the amazing taste and luxurious texture, maybe the best thing about crème fraiche is its ability to be cooked. Because of it's composition and fat content, it doesn’t curdle and separate when you heat it like sour cream.

This makes it an incredibly versatile addition to countless recipes. I can't think of many pan sauces that don’t benefit from a spoon or two. Yesterday on this blog, you saw it stirred into fried rice. Next week, you'll see it turn an ordinary pan of braised beef into a world-class Stroganoff. I could go on and on, and for SEO purposes I probably should, but you get the idea.

As long as your jars and utensils are very clean, preferably sterilized, there isn’t a lot that can go wrong. Be sure to get your hands on the best, freshest cream you can find. In the supermarket you'll want to look for "pasteurized," not "ultra-pasteurized" heavy whipping cream. Also, be sure to use cultured buttermilk otherwise you’re going to be waiting a full day to see nothing happen.

By the way, I'm extremely proud of this video recipe and blog post, but not for the usual reasons. It's because I didn’t make one single Randy Marsh joke! You South Park fans know what I'm talking about, and those of you that don’t should really check out this crème fraiche-themed episode. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

Mix together and leave in a warm spot (about 70-75 degrees F.) for 24 hours, or until thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Should last a week or two. 

Random Food Porn: Creamy Beef and Duck Fried Rice

This is not a tease for an upcoming fried rice video. As magnificent a meal as it was, this was simply the result of using up some leftover Thai takeout. However, this is a little tease for an upcoming crème fraiche video. A chef I used to work for would mix sour cream and herbs into leftover rice pilaf, and bake it in a casserole to create a new side dish. I believe that's what possessed me to add the dollop at the end. Enjoy and stay tuned!

Pickled Grilled Vegetables – Now, Why Didn't I Think of That?

This pickled grilled vegetables technique was my favorite new discovery on the Kingsford University trip. It's quite a simple, and seemingly obvious trick, yet it never occurred to me. It's times like these when I'm faced with the tragic realization that I'm not as smart and creative as I think I am.

Basically, small pickling cucumbers (which I've always called, "pickles," even if they aren’t pickled yet, just to be confusing), as well as other firm vegetables, are seared briefly over very hot charcoal, before being packed in the sweet and sour pickling liquid.

The grilling imparts a subtle smokiness, as well as a little extra sweetness from the caramelization of the vegetables. I can see these being a regular fixture on the picnic table during the upcoming grilling season. What a perfect compliment to a platter of barbecued pork, or grilled chicken.

These tasted great after just one day, and even better after three. Please don't ask me how long they will last in the fridge, as I believe they should be eaten before that would become any kind of issue. I hope you give it a try, and be sure to tell me all the fabulous ways you flavored your pickling liquid. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

(Adapted from a recipe by Chris Lilly)

6 pickling cucumbers

1 red bell pepper

1 cup sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste

big pinch of red chili flakes

12 black peppercorns

2 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Book Review: Green Market Baking Book by Laura C. Martin

The Green Market Baking Book not only includes 100 delicious, healthy recipes, it just may change the way that you cook. Author Laura C. Martin is a strong proponent of slow food cooking - the replacement of highly processed ingredients such as sugar with natural alternatives. Like most chefs today, Martin also advocates using locally grown ingredients that are in season.



Martin is a prolific author with 24 books written over 30 years. The titles of these books are a testament to the author's many interests including cooking, arts and crafts, and gardening. Her knowledge and skill in all of these fields is evident as you read the Green Market Baking Book. In addition to providing information about gardening and food preservation methods such as freezing and canning, Martin also did all of the illustrations. The book's art work is extraordinary. In fact, you may want 2 copies of this book: one for the

coffee table and one that you can "trash" in the kitchen.



Green Market Baking Book includes Laura's own recipes along with a host of talented chefs and bakers. These recipes are organized according to the season in which their main ingredients are naturally available. In addition, certain recipes include icons with dairy-free, wheat-free, vegan, and low-calorie designations for those with special dietary concerns.



Last weekend, I had the opportunity to try the 12 Grain Muffin, Honey Strawberry Jam, and Graham Cracker recipes from the spring section of the book. Although I had some difficulty finding a store that carried ingredients such as whole wheat pastry flour and 12 grain cereal, the recipes were fairly easy to prepare and they all tasted great. The most challenging recipe was the Honey Strawberry Jam which required me to do some canning (something

that I had never attempted in the past). However, the section on food preservation was very helpful in this regard.



Overall, I give Laura C. Martin's Green Market Baking Book five stars out of five. All of the recipes that I tried were delicious, healthy, and easy to make. The book is interesting, informative, and a pleasure to read.

Honey Strawberry Jam

This is a great way to make the best use of a lot of berries during the peak season. The honey lends a unique flavor to the jam. Put the jam into small jars and you'll have Christmas gifts done in June! The jam can also be used in many other recipes.

Makes 6 - 7 small jars

Ingredients
6 cups chopped strawberries
1 1/2 boxes pectin
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups honey


Preparation
See Canning 101

1. Wash and sterilize six small jelly jars.
2. Mash the berries. Add the pectin, place in a large saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Stir and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add honey and lemon juice. Bring to
4. a boil again and continue to boil for 5 minutes, stirring continually.
5. Using oven mits, ladle the mixture into hot jars.
6. Put lids on jars and immerse in hot water bath for 8 minutes.
7. Place on a counter and allow to cool thoroughly.

Recipe courtesy of Laura C. Martin from her Green Market Baking Book [review]
United States

Graham Crackers

I love graham crackers, and homemade, naturally sweetened graham crackers are the best. This is an easy, inexpensive recipe. It uses whole wheat pastry flour instead of graham flour. These are fantastic served with honey-sweetened goat cheese and are great slathered with peanut butter and naturally sweetened jelly(see Honey Strawberry Jam) for a traditional after-school snack.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
1 tspn baking powder (non-aluminum)
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into slices
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tspn vanilla extract

Preparation

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Mix until the dough resembles coarse meal.
2. Mix together the honey, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend in with the dry ingredients and mix until you can form a ball.
3. Place the ball between the two sheets of parchment paper and gently roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to chill.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Divide the dough into two pieces. Take one piece, put it between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to 1/8 inch thick, being careful to roll it evenly.
6. Cut the rolled dough into 2 inch squares or cut with cookie cutters. If you want them to look like store-bought graham crackers, prick with a fork. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper).
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until firm. Serve at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of Laura C. Martin from her Green Market Baking Book [review]

United States

Twelve-Grain Muffins

These muffins were developed by Full Bloom Baking Company for the pilot Universal Breakfast program in the Berkeley Unified School District. The muffins are healthful, delicious, and nutritious and are a great component for breakfast. Serve them with your child's favorite flavored yogurt, and breakfast will surely be a hit. They freeze well - in fact, freezing is preferable to refrigeration if you want to save them for more than a couple of days, as it locks moisture in while refrigeration dries food out.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup 12-grain cereal (10-grain cereal works too)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1 tspn salt
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
1 tspn cinnamon
1 cup chopped raw mixed seeds and nuts, such as pumpkin, sesame, flax, sunflower, walnuts, cashews

Preparation

1. Combine the 12-grain cereal, boiling water, chopped dates, and salt and soak for 8 hours.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the mini muffin pan with either cooking spray or paper liners.
3. In a small bowl combine the honey, maple syrup, egg, oil, and buttermilk and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well.
5. Mix the cereal mixture from the night before with the mixed wet ingredients, then add it to the mixed dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
6. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe courtesy of Laura C. Martin and Chef Ann Cooper Green Market Baking Book [review]

United States

What I Had for Breakfast

Some leftover barbecued pork belly from Sneaky's Barbecue was crisped-up in it's own smoky fat. The thin, red Carolina-style pepper sauce was drizzled around, and then two eggs were cooked to just-set in the sizzling pool. A perfect breakfast-for-lunch experience.

Coming Soon: Pickles and Cream

Well, the rain finally broke and I was able to dust off the old grill and film the pickled grilled pickles video I teased after the Kingsford University trip. To the right of those you'll see a jar of homemade Crème Fraîche, inspired by comments on our handmade butter post. Stay tuned!

All-Natural Iced Tea

If you're trying to lose weight, one place to start is eliminating soft drinks from your diet. With the warm summer month just ahead of us, this may not be as easy as it sounds. Soft drinks (even the diet ones) are habit forming and are difficult to avoid. However, these drinks are not made from natural ingredients. This recipe for all-natural iced tea will provide you with a much healthier, refreshing alternative. It contains only basic ingredients and uses natural sweeteners instead of sugar.

Ingredients
5 tbsp instant tea
1 lemon
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
water

Preparation

1. Add the tea to a regular sized pitcher.
2. Add the honey and maple syrup.
   
3. Pour 2 cups of hot water into the pitcher and stir so that the tea, honey, and syrup dissolve.
4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from each half into the pitcher.
5. Drop the used halves of the lemon into the pitcher.
6. Fill the remainder of the pitcher with cold water.
7. Serve with ice.

Note: If you plan to store the ice tea longer than a couple of hours, remove the used halves of lemon from the pitcher before you put it in the refrigerator.

United States

A Spicy Tomato Crab Bisque for When You Need to Think Fast

This light and spicy tomato crab bisque is one of my all-time favorite "need something gourmet at the last minute" emergency recipes. It's easy to shop for, requires very little effort, and only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to pull off. Of course, none of that would matter if it didn’t taste any good, but that's really not a problem here.

Besides its ability to impersonate a special occasion soup, this crab bisque also tastes fantastic…if you use a decent, preferably all natural brand of soup. There are lots of choices, especially if you are shopping at stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

I'm using Pacific Natural's Organic Creamy Tomato Soup, which seems to be easy find. The ingredient list isn't the least bit scary, and it has a nice rich flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet shellfish.

The green onion and Old Bay butter sizzle at the beginning is the only real work, but it's two-minutes very well spent. By the way, this isn't a thick style bisque, so if you do want something sturdier, then add an extra spoon of butter and 2 spoons of flour to the green onion step (be sure to cook out the raw taste of the flour).

For the crab, you could use canned in a pinch, but most of the larger grocery store chains (the ones with the good soup) will carry 8-oz tubs of lump crabmeat, and it really is worth the extra cash.

After the crab, and a healthy does of cayenne, the only other decision is whether you use cream. It is technically optional, but highly recommended, and as you'll see, I like it swirled on top. You can also stir it in with the crab and save a step, but you'll miss out on the, "random fractal of butter fatty goodness," I mention in the video. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

1 quart prepared creamy tomato soup

cayenne to taste

8-oz tub lump crabmeat

salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Peanut Butter Banana Cake

My gluten-free peanut butter banana cake was inspired by a sandwich.

It has been an awful week. Our hearts ache for the profound and inconceivable loss suffered by Japan. To conjure sweet nothings about cake or cookies, or celebrating the first day of spring rings a tinny, grating note. So I am excavating a recipe from the archives instead, sharing it now for those of you new to the blog, or those of you who may have missed it the first time around. It's a simple, sugar-free recipe based upon a childhood favorite- the peanut butter and banana sandwich.

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Coming Soon: Spicy Crab Bisque

Indian Curry Dip

If you are looking for an all-purpose chip dip to serve at your next party, try Indian Curry Dip. It is so easy to make and it only takes about 3 minutes. Also, if you want to make it in advance of your planned gathering you make it the night before and it will still taste great.

Ingredients
16 oz. reduced fat sour cream
1/2 of a 1 oz. packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1/4 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 tspn curry powder

Preparation

1. Mix the sour cream, dressing mix, and the mayonaise until all of the ingredients are well combined.
2. Sprinkle the curry powder over the dip then stir.
3. Serve with chips or vegetables.

India

Millet with Carrots, Mushrooms and Mint

Gluten-free millet makes a tasty grain side dish.

To be honest, the only thing I knew about millet was what I read in fairy tales. You know, some evil, jealous stepmother or warty witch in the spooky woods would capture a flaxen haired and beautiful Princess down on her luck and pining for true love. The lovely but modest and misunderstood maiden would then be forced to find needles in haystacks or pluck wool off surly sheep or sort millet seeds. 

Tasks any one of us can relate to, right?

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National Corned Beef Hash Day

Apparently the official National Corned Beef Hash Day is celebrated on September 27, which is as arbitrary as it is ridiculous. Everyone knows the real National Corned Beef Hash Day follows St. Patrick's Day.

If you have some leftover corned beef, you should seriously consider making the hash recipe below. There really isn’t anything like a plate of crusty corned beef hash. Topped with a perfectly poached egg, it's not only a classic breakfast (and proven hangover cure), but makes for one hell of a dinner. To read the original post, and get all the ingredients amounts, click here. Enjoy!

Homemade Butter – The Original "Elbow Grease"

When I saw my friend, Jennifer Perillo, do a homemade butter post on her great blog, In Jennie's Kitchen, I thought it would make for a very cool video recipe here. 

The problem was I have the world's ugliest food processor. It's chipped, yellowed from age, and simply not a good look. But it still works fine, so I'm not able to make myself throw it away and get another. Then I thought about doing a real homemade butter video; a true handmade version, without using any machinery whatsoever, save for the finely sculpted apparatus that is my arm. 

Besides not having to show my lame processor, I would also have the opportunity to do some Shake Weight jokes (among others); talk about a win win! Anyway, as you'll see, this technique worked wonderfully and really was a lot of fun. 

It tasted exactly like good supermarket butter. Of course, since it takes a lot more effort to do, and probably costs more to make than buy, you're probably wondering why bother?

That's a great question, and one I really hope you don't ask yourself before giving this a try. By the way, if you are a regular butter maker, please feel free to share any tips and tricks you may have. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

cold heavy cream (about 36% butterfat)

Happy St. Patrick's Day Eve

I can’t believe tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! Seems like just yesterday I was shoveling snow at my mother's house. Anyway, it's too late to do any new Irish-inspired recipes, so I'll do the next best thing and post links to these three delicious videos (click on the recipe captions, and away you go).

By the way, any Irish drinking jokes you may hear in these clips were only meant to offend my Irish friends and family members, and not the general Irish-American community. Having said that, most of them will be too drunk to care tomorrow, so I guess it really doesn’t matter. Erin go Bragh!

Coconut Milk Red Curry Corned Beef and Cabbage

Hearty Irish Stew

Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage