Mycophagy, Man: Tales of Foraging and Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle

Boletis edulis; Porcini

Me and Mushrooms.  Mushrooms and me. 

This love affair has been going on for my whole life.  But it was in August 2013 that I officially began dabbling in the world of amateur mycology - that is, the amateur study and collection of mushrooms - because that was when Matt, as a wonderful anniversary gift, got us a Saturday outing on an amateur mushroom hunt in the Rockies together.  I've been meaning to write this post since then!

cross-section of porcini ready to dry in the oven

We left Roman with a neighbor that sunny Saturday morning and headed off into the mountains of Jefferson County, Colorado to an undisclosed location to hunt Porcini - or King Boletes - boletis edulis.  (And for the record, who the heck knew Porcini grew in Colorado?!  Apparently it's a big thing.)  But I had been dabbling in the world of mycophagy - that is, the practice of consuming fungi, or being fungivorous (love that word!), my entire life.  I've mentioned before that as a small child rather than having an imaginary friend I had an imaginary mushroom I chewed on all day.  It's odd.  Very odd.  But very me.

I love mushrooms.  I seek them out at specialty shops on a regular basis.  And now, instead of paying a hefty price for barely passable fresh chanterelles and dried porcini from central Asia, I know how to collect them myself, right here in Denver and the surrounding areas.  I also know how to dry them, prepare them, and even discovered how to make porcini powder from the dried and blended underpart of the cap.  So many new secrets, discoveries, delicacies.

findings from the forest in Evergreen

Mushroom foraging was something of a revelation for me.  As Matt put it, rarely in life does one come across something that is so true and inherent a passion.  Not only did mushroom foraging come naturally to me (I'm pretty sure I had all the characteristics memorized the first time around), but I also became obsessed with it instantly.  The weekend after our first forage, during which I found the largest king bolete of the group, Matt and I returned and looked for more mushrooms.  He had a very hard time pulling me out of the woods after 3 hours.  I was unstoppable with my Danish knife, paper lunch bags and backpack.  A few weeks later, I booked my next foraging excursion with the same company and guide - Graham Steinruck of Mycotours.  I became friends with Graham and began to get mildly connected to the semi-secret underworld / sub culture of amateur mycology and mycophagy.  I couldn't stop talking about mushrooms, drying mushrooms, eating mushrooms.  Everywhere I went, I was looking for them - even while driving.  My neighbors even started bringing mushrooms back from their hikes for me to identify.  It was a pleasant surprise to have a new and convenient hobby - one I'd always wanted to take up but never had the time or access to do so.

One of my favorite aspects of mushroom foraging is the traipsing-through-the-woods part.  Matt and I took Roman with us on a couple of other forays - to the original spot in Jeffco and to a new spot up in Evergreen where we encountered a Czech man who gave us a giant load of porcini he didn't want.  We had so much fun being disconnected from society - no cell phones or computers - and just letting Roman run through the woods and explore.  He became a gatherer like me and I gave him his own paper bag to fill with different specimens (none of which we'd ever eat, of course, given the possible cross-contamination).  He loved it.  And I couldn't help but revel in this shared experience of gathering food together in a way that had been done by families for centuries all over the world.  It was a bonding experience, and one I look forward to repeating when the season starts up again next summer.

Until then, here are some photos of some of my mushrooms and a quick and delicious recipe for one of my favorite ways to eat wild mushrooms: a simple white wine and cream sauce on tagliatelle pasta.  Yum.

Our findings on that first foray

 My Favorite Mushrooms of Colorado

so far

**CAVEAT: Please do not try to collect these without expert help or knowledge!**

On that first foray we found a great representation of some of the most common mushrooms to be had in the Colorado mountains.  Clockwise from bottom left, here is what we found and dined upon:

1. Suillus Brevipes or Sticky Cap Mushrooms: (the light cream colored ones on the bottom left) Many experienced foragers turn their noses up at Suillus Brevipes but they are one of my favorites.  They are a meaty mushroom in the bolete family that have a dark brownish-grey cap which you peel off in order to eat them.  They are abundant in the pine forests of Colorado.

2. Lycoperdon perlatum or Gem-studded Puffballs: These are the cute little balls that look exactly as their names would suggest.  They are some of the easiest to identify and Roman's favorites.  They have little tiny white "gems" that come off like powder when you touch them.  The key is to make sure they don't have a stem, and to cut through them from top to bottom to make sure they are 100% white in the center, otherwise you might risk eating rotton or poisonous variations.  They have a tender, fluffy consistency.  These are the miniature versions of the Giant Puffballs or Calvatia gigantea.

3. Sarcodon imbricatus or Hawk's Wings: (dark brown scaly ones in the center) These are some of the easiest mushrooms to spot.  They are also very abundant in the CO hills and mountains and have a dark, tell-tale collection of teeth on the underside of the cap.  For this reason they are also often known as hedgehog mushrooms.  These are some of Matt's favorites to eat - though I find their taste strong and strange.  Their texture is similar to that of a portobello, but stronger and, for lack of a better word, gamier.

4. Boletis edulis or Porcini: What you see in my picture are representations of both the King Bolete and the more commonly prized Italian porcini.  The King boletes, as the name implies, are much larger than the oft-pictured small, chestnut colored, fat-stemmed porcini.  Both are delicious but hard to find without any wormholes as they are also favored by insects.  When you can get them, they are wonderful fresh, dry, in pastas and soups.  There is still some debate about whether the North American variation is exactly the same as the European one but that is something I consider something of a ridiculous quibble - they are delicious no matter what.  We ate the small ones fresh and I sliced and dried the larger ones, worms and wormholes and all.  Nothing wrong with a little extra protein. :)

5. Lactarius Deliciosus or Saffron Milk Cap: (the bright orange one with blueish-green spots) These are also some of my favorite mushrooms and often overlooked by porcini / chanterelle obsessed amateur mycologists.  I love their texture and just think they're really, really pretty.  There are some mildly poisonous variations of these but as long as you see that they "lactate" a bright blue-green liquid when cut, you are pretty safe (assuming you've also checked off the list for where and how to find them as well).  I love their orange-saffron color and find their Latin name pretty fun to say as well. :)

6. Yellowish gray ones: can't remember what these are.

7. Auricularia auricula-judae or Wood ears:  We were very fortunate to find some wood ear mushrooms on our first outing.  They are not particularly common here and I love them.  They are commonly found in Asian cooking and have a cartiledge-y texture that I find unique and wonderful, especially in Chinese Hot & Sour Soup.  They grow on the bark of elder trees, most commonly.

 8. Little Brown ones at the bottom: can't remember what these were either.

*  *  *

Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle

Serves 2 good eaters

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp butter1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, chopped finely
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
~1/4 cup good white wine or dry vermouth
~1/4 cup light cream 
1/2 lemon, juiced
1lb wild mushrooms, sliced: you can use a combination as I did or just use porcini / whatever good wild mushroom is available at your local market
2-3 tbsps Italian Parsley, chopped roughly, for garnish
1lb tagliatelle (or pappardelle) pasta
Salt & pepper

Buon appetito!
Heirloom tomato salad with parmigiano and balsamic
to accompany lightly sauteed wild mushroom tagliatelle.

Method

1. Set a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.  When boiling, and about five minutes from serving time, add the pasta.

2. Add butter and oil to a large sautee pan over medium-high heat and allow the butter to melt completely.  Then add the shallot and garlic and allow to cook for 30 seconds to a minute, tossing them around.

3. To the pan, add the mushrooms and sautee, allowing them to brown on one side for a while before moving them around too much. If the pan gets too dry, add salt and pepper to draw moisture from the mushrooms.  2-3 minutes

4. Once mushrooms are sauteed, add the wine or vermouth and deglaze the pan.  In the meantime, make sure the pasta is going and almost ready.  Then add the cream to the pan and allow it to bubble and simmer for a minute or so in order to reduce. Salt & pepper.

5. Remove the pasta from the water before it is fully cooked (after about 5 minutes or so).  Add to the sautee pan, turn off the heat, and toss gently in the mushroom sauce.  Squirt the juice of half a lemon over the dish and garnish with chopped parsley.  Serve immediately.

Colorado Beauties: Summer Peach Pie with Vanilla & Cardamom

Summer Peach Pie - Oh my.

I started to write this post almost exactly a year ago.  A colleague of Matt's from London happens to own a house in the amazingly beautiful mountains of Western Colorado - in  Telluride to be exact - and he invited us for a weekend trip at the last minute.  Despite the long drive (6-7 hours), and the fact that we hadn't even finished unpacking our house completely, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see friends again and to also explore the other side of this beautiful Rocky Mountain state we had just moved to a month before.

I racked my brain for what I could bring with us as a gift to the hosts.  My eyes and hands had been wandering to the piles of Colorado peaches available at this time of year in the grocery stores, and so when I found a recipe for summer peach pie out of Bon Appetit - something I'd never tried - I was sold on the idea.  Luckily, I happened to also know that these particular friends of ours are as big of fans of dessert and pies as we are.  The recipe I found included cardamom which I felt was a nice shout-out to the Middle Eastern experiences we had all shared while Matt and co. worked at a Bahrain-based bank in London.  Perfect.

* * *

View for the weekend.

The drive through Colorado was a sort of unexpected initiation into life in "the west": plains, mountains, forests, rivers and streams.  We saw much of the best of what Colorado has to offer in terms of scenery and ambiance, and felt ourselves thinking - hoping - that maybe, just maybe, this really could be our forever home.  Not just out of convenience and circumstance, but because we could see ourselves truly falling in love with it.

We wound our way up mountain roads, following the slightly-less-than-precise directions ("take a left at the third cattle crossing and then drive for a mile until you see the small wind turbine...") and getting lost in beautiful, verdent and whispery Aspen groves.  We passed an abandoned ranch where John Wayne's True Grit was filmed back in the day, listening to John Denver and snapping pictures of all the seemingly untouched, natural beauty.

The peach pie was a hit; and it turns out our friend is particularly fond of both peach pie and cardamom (which was quite a good thing, the latter being, admittedly, quite an acquired taste for Americans). 

Here's the recipe.  Take advantage of those August peaches.  They are a fleeting pleasure, but the sweetness does stay with you the rest of the year - much like that trip last summer has stayed with us.

*  *  *

Summer Peach Pie with Vanilla & Cardamom

From Bon Appetit; found at Epicurious.com
Serves 6-8

Colorado Peaches

Ingredients 

2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/3-1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 3/4 pounds firm but ripe unpeeled peaches, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
2 Best-Ever Pie Crust dough disks
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Whipping cream (for glaze)
Vanilla ice cream (optional; to serve with it)

Method

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. 

Combine 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour and cardamom into vanilla sugar. Add peaches to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.

Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 1 1/2 inches. Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 2-inch-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.

Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, peaches are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.

Serve pie warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Oysters & Down East Chowder: A Wintery Maine Dinner Party

Chowdah on a Snowy Day.

When we moved to Maine last year, one of the things I most anticipated and dreaded was the long, hard snowy winters of New England.  On the one hand, having just left the comfort of Abu Dhabi's winter desert - balmy 80-degree days with sunshine all throughout - I dreaded the idea of having to pull out the old winter wardrobe and dress Roman in layers.  On the other hand, I was desperate for some seasonal change - living in permanent summer is not all it's cracked up to be - and could not wait for the chance to ski, snowshoe, sled and generally frolic in the fluffy white snow with Roman.  With the passage of summer and the entrance of Autumn, I went slowly but surely from dread to full anticipation.  And by the time December came, I was all-out praying that we'd have a white Christmas in Connecticut at my in-laws.  But we didn't.

And in fact, apart from one or two snows over a month ago, we haven't had almost any snow at all!  I tried to go cross-country skiing 4-5 weekends in a row, with no luck.  Everyone here in Portland is already talking of "spring fever" while I've been sitting at home practically cursing the gods over their Invernal (and infernal) leniency.  With March quickly approaching, and talk of Easter buzzing, I had all but given up on my dream Maine winter.  And then the unthinkable happened: Matt turned 30.  And hell froze over. :)

We woke up to a beautiful blanket of white on the first day of March.  It didn't stop snowing for nearly 12 hours straight, and it stuck (we even made it to Harris farm for some long-awaited Cross Country skiing - but more on that in another post). The next day, we had a surprise dinner guest and so I thought, why not have two of my favorite Maine foods to celebrate the occasion?  Oysters and Down East Haddock Chowder, it was.  With two types of oysters (Wellfleets & Beau Soleils bought at Harbor Fish Market) and two types of homemade mignonette to compliment them (plain and spicy-cilantro), the best baguette in Portland (from The Standard Baking Co.), and some Avocado "butter" to spread on it, it was going to be a feast truly worthy of a cozy Maine winter's evening, and a truly easy impromptu dinner party.

Why are these two of my favorite Maine foods?  Here are my top 5 reasons, in list form.

* * *

Top 5 Reasons to Eat Oysters & Chowder in Maine
in copious amounts and various forms

5. They're Local.

I love that Maine is so into promoting its local culture, local foods, local businesses.  I love being able to buy an entire meal that is sourced locally - it's kind of a cool feeling and the food generally does tend to be fresher. 

There are an abundance of local (Maine-grown) oysters: I love JP Shellfish's website for their no-nonsense overview of the best Maine has to offer.  They give tips on salinity, size, meatiness, "clean-ness," and availability.  Wellfleets are not Maine oysters (they come from Cape Cod, so close enough), but Beau Soleils are.  And so are my favorite oysters of all time: Bagaduces.  Word has it they're Thomas Keller's favorites too.  Good enough for me!

Chowder is as ubiquitous here in New England as Gumbo in Louisiana.  There are lots of different variations, but the one I discovered by accident at a Mainer's house is one of my favorites.  It is a milk-based (not cream!) haddock (not clam!) chowdah.  Easy, no-fuss, no-frills - like the Mainers.  And it's basically a dream because the longer it sits and "matures," the better it tastes.  Recipe below.

4. They're Green.
Haddock, which is what Mainers generally use in their chowder, is a totally sustainably harvested fish.  It is in great abundance here in Maine and therefore always available and usually relatively fresh.

I'm not usually one to harp on matters of the environment because I hate people who shove their opinions and life-views down your throat, but I will say that overfishing is something that bothers me, because of the impact it has on all the other naturally dependent species and ecosystems within that particular ocean / lake / river. So, while I'm not 100% great about only buying sustainably harvested fish, when I can, I do!

Oysters here in Maine are plentiful and varied. And the great thing about the frigid, frigid North Atlantic waters of Maine is that they are available and at peak almost ALL year long (rather than just in the fall / winter months as is usually the case).

3. They're Kid Friendly (at least the chowder).
The reason I even found out about this recipe is entirely due to Roman's willingness to eat it. We were visiting a friend's friend's house and the pizza we had ordered was taking forever. Roman was ready to gnaw either my or his arm off, so when the host started feeding his 1 year-old I begged for a little of whatever she was having for Roman. It turned out to be this chowder, and he slurped it down, as did the 1 year-old.  And he has happily eaten it every time I've made it since.  His wife is a native Mainer and it was the kind of chowder she grew up with - he admitted to adding Thyme and bacon, which is apparently slightly avant-garde as far as the purists are concerned.

He also told me that they often give their children plain yoghurt with maple syrup drizzled over. What a totally Maine thing! I left with two new New England-y, child-friendly food options. Great. :) 


2. They're Super Down East.
So, I never quite understood what people were talking about when they threw the term "Down East" around.  Technically it refers to the coast of Maine from Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border but colloquially it's a term of cultural pride and territorial nature, and it's very Maine.  True to having a special term just for "things Maine," Mainers are kind of, well -for lack of a better word - "exclusive" as a group. Not that they're pretentious or uppity but they're not really into "new neighbors" or "new friends."  "If you're not from here, you never will be a Mainer," said my son's preschool teacher in reference to her non-Mainer husband, only half-jokingly.  Not only do they stick together they also love to enjoy Maine-things.  And chowder and oysters are definitely two of them - so I eat them. Because I have to feel a part of Maine somehow!

1. They're Truly Delish.
 All kidding aside, I do love these two foods. The chowder is awesome and super comforting, but to me the oysters of Maine (and New England in general) are something approaching food-perfection. So good. So fresh. And so natural.  I'm including a recipe for one of my favorite mignonettes to serve with raw oysters as well as the recipe for Down East Haddock Chowder. Enjoy!

*  *  *

Down East Haddock Chowder

of the mostly-traditional persuasion

Serves 4-5

So my unorthodox additions to this chowder are the shrimp and the bacon. I love the contrast of textures (and I also love shrimp). Still, though, I'd consider this true-blue Down East chowder, because I got the recipe from a Mainer, but then I'm not purist.  If you're really hardcore you'll leave out the clam juice altogether and just do it with milk and water. This chowder is watery by nature - please don't go into this expecting New England Clam Chowder consistency or you'll feel jipped. :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Haddock fillets, whole
12-15 large shrimp, peeled, de-veined and sliced in half lengthwise
6-8 slices of bacon
2 cups clam juice or fish stock
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cups (~2 large) potatoes, diced
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp canola oil

1. In a dutch oven or large pot fry the bacon in the canola oil until crisp.  Remove to drain on paper towels, and leave the bacon grease in the pot. When cool, chop the bacon into small bits and place in a bowl for garnishing the chowder.

2. To the bacon grease add the onions and celery and cook until softened over medium-high heat. 

3. Add the potatoes, clam juice, water, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer, covered, until the potatoes are cooked (15 minutes).

4. Add the milk and thyme. Put the fish into the pot, then cover the pot and turn the heat to low (or even turn it off, if you're daring!), leaving it to poach for 15 minutes or so. 

5. Using a wooden spoon, gently break the cooked fish apart in the chowder, leaving large chunks (or to your preference). Then add the shrimp and allow them to poach for a further 5-7 minutes. They should just be cooked through.  Taste the chowder and adjust salt & pepper.

6. Uncover and allow the soup to cool completely. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours but overnight is best. This soup really does taste better the next day! Garnish with bacon bits and serve with crusty bread.

* * *

Brenda's Mexican Mignonette

 Serve with cold, freshly shucked bagaduces or beau soleils
 

This recipe is inspired by the mignonette we had at the Front Room, a fantastic and low-key restaurant on Munjoy Hill, Portland, that serves excellent American-style food. I believe theirs was made with champagne vinegar (which seems to be the "it" thing for mignonettes here in Portland) but it's really the cilantro that makes this unique. A perfect pairing with oysters or clams.

Ingredients
1/2 shallot, chopped finely
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 chile Serrano (or Jalapeno if you're a wuss), chopped finely
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Mignonette tastes even better after it's been sitting in the fridge for several hours or even overnight.

Serve with a small spoon for pouring over oysters on the half-shell.

Real-deal Quiche.

My first-ever real-deal quiche.

Quiche is one of those things that is so ubiquitous that I would venture to say it's actually reached the point of being under-lauded.  Up until a few weeks ago, in my uninformed mind, a quiche was simply the French version of an Italian Fritatta or a Spanish Tortilla.  Nothing particularly impressive, but tasty.  I figured all I had to do to make a quiche was mix a bunch of eggs in a bowl, add the fillings and pour that into a pastry crust.  Wrong, wrong, ever-so-embarrassingly-wrong.  

A quiche is not just another item on the list of many-splendid-cute-and-quick delicious appetizers available out there to the home cook.  It's not just another item on the mediocre and overpriced pathetic excuse for a French bistro I used to frequent in Abu Dhabi (I know, it looks so good but it's not - just think: pork-less French food! eek.), or any French bistro for that matter.  It's kind of an iconic thing, the quiche.  So simple, so well-known and widely-enjoyed around the world.  And yet, after making my first real quiche, from scratch, and asking all my closest friends and family, none of them knew that a quiche is made by creating a proper, real-deal egg custard.  Not just a sloppily whisked-together bowl of eggs.   A custard!  So simple and yet so different!  And when I realized it was a savory custard (ooh how I LOVE flan!) I was making (rather than baked scrambled eggs), I suddenly went from simply appreciating quiches to being a full-fledged devotee.

It was also a huge revelation to me that you layer the custard, rather than just dump all the fillings in at once.  It's a time-consuming process but makes for evenly dispersed ingredients within the quiche, and it's so worth the extra effort when you get the perfect bite every single time.

custardy layers

The recipes I used for the pastry and the fillings came from my newly discovered long-time cookbook Bouchon (of Thomas Keller fame).  One day I opened the book up and decided it was high-time I tried my hand at the real-deal.  I went into a quiche-making frenzy that Matt will probably remember for years to come.

I made three quiches in one-and-a-half days (which given how time consuming they are to make, is an achievement), two of which I kept and one of which I gave away to a friend who had just had a baby. 
I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did mine. Here are the flavors I made:

1. Kale, bacon and Gruyere
2. Maine Shrimp & Asparagus
3. Gruyere & caramelized onion

Apart from one disaster where I didn't pre-bake the crust long enough and it broke and the custard started leaking through, they all came out superbly.  I don't have a proper quiche pan like Thomas Keller recommends, so that's on the culinary wish-list, but until then I swear by my normal, removable-bottom tarte pan which worked really well.  On the other hand, I don't recommend trying the loaf tin so much.  Very hard to get the quiche out in one piece, and believe me, the last thing you want to do is break that thing of beauty after all the blood, sweat and tears it took to make.

My (&Matt's) favorite was the Kale, bacon and Gruyere, by far, so I'll share that recipe here.

* * *

Kale, Bacon & Gruyere Quiche
a la Bouchon

Serves 4

Pastry & Custard Recipes: See Thomas Keller's Bouchon Recipe

Follow the instructions above, simply substituting my fillings, as follows:

Ingredients:
(Besides the things needed for the custard and crust above, of course)
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head kale, chopped

6 rashers of bacon, chopped into small squares
1 cup grated fresh Gruyere cheese

1. While your crust is pre-baking, sautee the bacon until crisp.  Remove to drain and cool on paper towels, saving the fat in the pan. 

2. Add the minced garlic to the pan with the bacon fat at medium-high heat and sautee until fragrant (less than 30 seconds), then add the kale.  Sautee until completely wilted.  Set aside in pan.

3. When it's time to layer the quiche, start with a layer of custard, a layer of kale, a layer of bacon and a layer of cheese.  Repeat 2-3 times more (as necessary), ending with a generous layer of cheese.  Be sure, as Thomas Keller suggests, to fill the quiche to the very brim, even adding the last bit of custard mixture once you've placed the quiche in the oven, so as not to spill and waste.

Serve with a simply dressed mesclun salad and bon appetit!

Thomas Keller & The Perfect Roast Chicken

Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken
and my awesome new Fig tablecloth

A couple of days ago I went on a food-literature binge.  I was about 4 issues behind on my Food & Wine and Bon Appetit subscriptions because of the holidays, and my cookbook collection (a small but varied selection of choice pieces of food lit) had been sorely neglected for months.  Besides the magazines, I pulled out two books on French cooking that I hadn't used in ages: Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten and Bouchon by Thomas Keller.  As far as French cookery goes, the two are almost diametrically opposed to each other with Ina Garten, of Food Network fame, favoring French recipes simplified for the home cook often with a New England twist and Thomas Keller espousing the authentic and sophisticated French and French-bistro foods he is so well known for at Bouchon, Ad Hoc, Per Se, and The French Laundry.

I was flipping through the books because I'd been craving - positively craving - a good roast chicken for weeks.  I kept seeing ridiculously appetizing pictures of them all over Pinterest and decided to narrow down my top selections and then make the one I deemed most roast-worthy.  After I'd chosen my favorite among the pictures and recipes online - something labelled "Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken" - I went to look through my French cookbooks to see if I could find anything better.

Open the book and there it was.  The first recipe in Thomas Keller's Bouchon: his favorite simple roast chicken. Seriously?!

Up until that point I had no idea who Thomas Keller even was, much less that he'd written that giant French cookbook my mother had given me 5 years ago or that he was the same chef referenced in the online chicken recipe I'd found.  But there you have it.  It was a match made in heaven, destined for completion on a cold January Sunday in Portland, Maine.  And here I am, like many other bloggers and amateur foodies post-Sunday dinner sharing my pictures of what could possibly be the perfect roast chicken.

The things that elevate this simple roast chicken to the realms of perfection are: the simplicity of the seasoning (salt and pepper only), the scant use of fat (no butter or oil on the chicken itself, though I did throw some in the skillet for the sake of an awesome pan-sauce), and the lack of basting until post-roasting (you throw some thyme into the pan juices and baste a couple of times only AFTER taking the bird out of the oven).  It's so simple I am amazed it tastes as good as it does, and yet, as we always seem to conclude, the best things in life do tend to be the simplest ones.  

Some might complain that it's overly simple.  Some might say that chicken is not sophisticated enough for the carefully cultivated palates of real gourmets.  To them I say: try this chicken.  It is a shocking combination of juicy meat and utterly crispy skin, and the unadulterated chicken flavor really hits you.  In short, roast-chicken-wise, it's about as close to perfect as I've ever tasted.  Why not be bold in our statements?

* * *

For the sake of voyeurism, here are my original top five roast chicken picks, mostly from my pins on Pinterest, in list form (click links to check out the mouthwatering pictures):

Top Five Roast-worthy Roast Chicken Recipes

good anytime but best on a cozy winter day

 

5. Lemon-Garlic Roast Chicken (no recipe) from http://whatkatieate.blogspot.com

This looks to-die-for but, alas, it's just a picture.  I would have had to whip up this one from my own imagination and that's a no-go on a lazy Sunday.  What's with that Katie?!

4. Cardamom & Yoghurt Roast Chicken from tastefoodblog.com

Matt doesn't like Cardamom, but I love it.  This gets points for including spatchcockage and skillet roasting.

3. Spanish Roast Chicken with Citrus & Chorizo from http://pickyin.blogspot.com

If only we had good Chorizo in Maine!  Needless to say, this is right up my alley.

2. Lazy Sunday Roast Chicken from bagandbaguette.com

I'm not huge on rosemary but I love it paired with chicken and citrus.  The skin doesn't look crispy enough for me but those potatoes might make up for that.

1. Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken from almostbourdain.blogspot.com

What would you eat at your last meal?  I have no clue off the top of my head but Thomas Keller unequivocally said this chicken. Well, that's a recommendation :)  Get the recipe and story behind it at the link above - a great little blog too.

Sunday Dinner: Thomas Keller's Simple Roast Chicken and Grilled Brussel Sprouts

Lovely Memories & Chocolate Cream Pie: Happy Valentine's Day!

Chocolate Cream Pie: Successful Man-Present

Happy Valentine's Day!

I feel no shame in saying that I am one of the people in the world who celebrates Valentine's Day and expects my significant other to do the same (not that he dislikes it :)).  

I see nothing wrong with a day dedicated to love - preferably Romantic, but platonic, familial, and cosmic are all acceptable on this day too - and happiness.  I love going out for a deliciously romantic dinner, being given flowers, and maybe even chocolates too.  I love having a day to remember why I married my best friend, why I decided to actually promise I'd live the rest of my personal forever dedicated to one other human being, instead of running rampant in a self-centered and probably semi-drunk state.  

Unfortunately for men, I think girls generally tend to get the lion's share during Valentine's Day (blame it on tradition, blame it on the man - it is what it is) which is why I am always at a little bit of a loss as to what I should get / do for Matt.  Is it too weird for me to buy him a box of chocolates?  Last year I solved that problem by buying him a giant pile of Extra Large Cadbury Fruit & Nut Bars (his personal kryptonite, nightly snack, and the only food he never gets sick of eating, or so he claims) which I wrapped in red crepe paper.  I thought was a nice, more-masculine version of a somewhat female-stereotyped traditional V-day favorite.  This year I decided to go the homemade route: I will conquer Matt once more by seducing his taste buds with a home made *brief drum roll* Chocolate Cream Pie.  

This pie is usually a creature of the semi-homemade persuasion.  Whenever I've had it, it's been made with Jell-o chocolate pudding and from a store-bought crust.  Most people consider it a fast, easy cheat-sheet to above-average dessert.  Luckily, the real thing is not much harder to make fully from scratch than the somewhat forgettable semi-homemade one, but with quality ingredients and some preference-tweaks, it is significantly more delicious.

But now for my small-but-loving bone to pick: This top 5 list is going out to all the Valentine's Day Humbugs out there - the ones who call it a "corporate-created-holiday" and refuse to buy Hallmark cards or wear anything red on the 14th.  I think there is a small but definite little corner in my psyche's conception of Hell reserved for you, right there next to the freaks who think somewhere in an underground bunker / sky scraper there's 11 angry white men in suits sitting around a conference table ruling the world via Blackberry.  Weirdos.  Go get some happiness and leave the rest of us alone. :P

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Top 5 Lovely Memories This Year & Beyond

or, things that will make me smile this February 14th

5.The Answering Machine Message.

This is really random.  Matt and I have had the same answering machine message since the first month we moved to London in January 2007 - it even survived the move to Abu Dhabi.  And it's a special message that always makes me laugh and warms my heart each time I hear it, or each time someone laughs when they hear it and consequently leaves a message.  I would be lying if I didn't say I occasionally listen to it for no reason, and sometimes I enjoy not picking up the phone just to hear it.

It's funny and sweet because it involves me blasting "Don't Stop Me Now" - my favorite song by Queen - while I then record a brief message muffled with maniacal laughter as Matt screams "No!" in the background -also laughing, though incredulously - because he'd just specifically shot down the idea of me recording a Queen-themed answering machine message.  

But he obviously secretly loved it.  And we've never changed it since.

4. Beauty and the Beast
My sister and I grew up watching Disney movies like there was no tomorrow.  My sister's favorite was Beauty and the Beast, and so now that Ava, her daughter, is two, she is also obsessed with it.  When we were visiting them in TX during Christmas this part year Ava could sing the refrain to the theme song: "Tale as old as time, Song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast."

One day, she and Roman were standing in the living room watching Beauty and the Beast for the nth time that day, when she suddenly grabbed Roman in a ball-dancing pose and started forcing him to dance while she sang the theme song, just like Belle and Beast on the tv screen.  Roman was a little taken aback, but after a while, he joined in.  Ava proclaimed herself Belle, leaving the beastly title to the little man who'd won it long before.

When we got home I discovered that my generally somewhat quiet beast child could also sing the theme song, and ask for his cousin "Aywa" with arms stretched out when he did it.  :)  That's love if ever I've seen it.

3. Happy Birthday To Me.

This past boxing day I turned *gasp* 30.  We were in Texas visiting my little sister and her husband and I wasn't quite sure what we'd do to celebrate, if anything much.  Little to my knowledge, Matt had orchestrated a night of debaucherous karaoke at a local dive called Marina's that will not soon be forgotten.  

Somewhere between Matt singing "Happy Birthday" Marilyn -Monroe-style as the opening number, someone slapping down the giant silver blimp balloon in the middle of the dance floor, pretending to spank a top-hatted townie with whom I decided to dance to a Michael Jackson song, taking free kamakazi shots with Marina's half-Mexican, half-Russian American Airlines employee son who also works for the Mexican mafia (he showed us the tat), and getting a free 2011 Waffle House calendar AND pins (which we all wore proudly) from our awkward waitress at 3am, I had one of the best and most unforgettable birthdays in memory.  And it was all kept under wraps by one very thoughtful and hilarious husb.

 

2. He said "I Love You."

This may seem silly because I generally assume Roman loves me, but it was a really big deal when he actually said "I love you" to me for the first time last week.  I've been saying it to him numerous times daily since his birth (usually accompanied by bone-crushing hugs and slobbery-Mama kisses), and even though I knew someday, somehow he'd be able to say it back, nothing could prepare me for the magical, pixy-dust-filled moment when he did say it and gave me a huge hug and kiss back.   Being a mom is the best.

1. Rome.

I know I've gone on somewhat endlessly about our trip to Rome in November of last year, but it really was an emotional big deal for me.  One of my favorite things Matt and I did (spontaneously) throughout the trip was walk back to all the places we used to go as boyfriend and girlfriend in 2002.  And at every single one of those places we'd remember silly little things like what he said to me, or what I was wearing (that white dress) or he was wearing (that Red Sox hat), or how some idiot screwed up a presentation by cursing and I missed it because my eye was swollen to the size of a tennis ball thanks to my insisting that Matt pet the urban-horse-and-carriage horse because he'd never petted a horse before in his life (freak) and I was on the number 44 bus headed back to the centro at the time. *deep breath* Ah, good times.   

But actually, those moments were precious, because they were the moments in which Matt and I first got to know and love each other, and it's always important to remember that. That in particular.  And for the rest of your life.

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS REASON:  Two and a half months ago we found out that in late September we'll be parents for the second time!  Bring on little creature number two, be it a girly or a boyly one :)

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Chocolate Cream Pie

Serves 6-8

 

I made this pie by adapting this recipe on Epicurious.  The recipe only needed a few tweaks in my opinion: I doubled the amount of whipped cream I put on top (and whipped it until it held stiff peaks instead of soft ones), and I used half bittersweet chocolate and half dark chocolate, and found it rich but delicious.  I also used Oreo cookies (icing removed) for the crust and thought it was more flavorful than just using chocolate Nilla wafers would be.  Matt liked it so much, I'm making it again this week!  Winner.

Something to be Thankful for.

Don't hate me because my lattice work is beautiful.

This year we were in Abu Dhabi for Thanksgiving and we had the good fortune of being invited to a fellow American's house to celebrate, along with some Kiwi friends who were very much looking forward to their first Thanksgiving ever.  We had Native American headbands for the kids, Turkey coloring sheets and an abundant buffet line-up.  The dinner went off without a hitch and even though we celebrated on a Friday, there was no football, and we rounded off the evening with one child projectile vomiting all over her dad and half the table, there was still enough good cheer to watch a couple of rounds of hilarious SNL skits and gorge on delicious desserts.

I made the Turkey, stuffing and gravy, as well as corn pudding and a cherry pie (Matt's favorite).  Luckily there were no huge train wrecks in my food offering, and in fact everything turned out great.  As if wonderful friends and family weren't a good enough reason to be grateful, that definitely is. The cherry pie filling sold here is different from the one we like in the US (and fresh cherries are prohibitively expensive from what I can see), but the pie was still good and I am really proud of my crust and lattice work which is the best I've ever done, generally ending up with a wonky, anorexic looking version of Martha Stewart creations when I make pies.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  We are headed to the states shortly but there is a forthcoming post on the culinary and aesthetic pleasures of Italy, I promise...

Berlin: The Best and Wurst.

Welcome to...

...Berlin!

I love surprises.

I'm the type of person who will go great lengths to surprise someone. And when there's an occasion for gift-giving, or nice-doing, I will almost always take the path of inevitably more work, trepidation and greater-resistance over just asking for gift-advice or preference. Maybe it's arrogant on my part to assume others will feel the same way, but I'd wager that most people would agree there is little as satisfying as seeing that momentary but thrilling facial expression when someone is genuinely and fortuitously surprised...birthdays, anniversaries, but most of all, random n0-apparent-reason surprises are my favorites.

Matt surprised me last week when he called and, out of the blue, said, "Wanna go to Berlin?"

Sure, he'd be in a conference. And sure, I'd be left to my own devices with the midge. But two days later, I found myself on a plane, sipping champagne, HELLO Magazine in hand, talking to a freakish-serial-traveler while Matt sweated it out in economy with a not-so-midget in his lap. *shameless grin* And that's only the trip there! There was oh-so-much-more to our little surprise trip to the capital of the great Deutsche "vaterland."

And here is that "so-much-more" in list form. : )

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Berlin: The Best and the Wurst
a list of our top 5 doings

5. World's Largest Cylindrical Aquarium - whaaa?!I didn't really know what Matt meant when he said our hotel lobby housed the above mentioned, but man was I blown away when I walked into the lobby. Twenty-five meters high and 11 meters wide, this aquarium is no joke. There are parrot fish, blowfish and bonafide scubadivers in there cleaning the sides with a suction holder (so they don't float off) and a sponge.

The Aquarium and its base in the lobby of the Radisson.

It costs over 11Euros to go up in the elevator that takes you through the aquarium which is technically part of an Aquatic Center next door to the Radisson (screw that!), but as a patron of the hotel you get an almost equal view simply going up the elevator to your room. So I went up the elevator a lot. Roman loved staring at the fish, although I have to admit to being even more obsessed with it than him, having had my fair share of fish-owning adventures.

I mean, if you're going to stay in a big corporate-ish hotel, why not make it an interesting one?


4. Honey, can we go to Bavaria for dinner tonight?
YES, I do like cheesy Bavarian restaurants complete with women dressed in dirndls and men dressed in lederhosen. (And yes, I do know Berlin is not Bavaria.) I have no qualms admitting that. And not that I have anything against eating pig knuckles or ham hocks, but I was not leaving Berlin without getting some good-ass Weisswurst.

So sue me - I get a great thrill from holding a giant stein of German pilsner in my hand while shoving copious amounts of sausage, boiled potatoes and sauerkraut into my dainty but ravenous little pie hole! And speaking of pie - bring on the apfelstreudel mr. accordian-player man!

German food is nothing if not unpretentious. Driven by meat and starch it is sure to please anyone whose up for heartiness on a plate and in a glass. One of my more pleasant moments on this trip was when, having finally given up on finding that "perfect foodie German restaurant" due to a reality check involving a squealing 11-month-old, we caved and hit up a large, comfortable, child-friendly place right smack-dab in the middle of Freidrichstrasse. If you're looking for pretty darn decent food at cheap prices, and a little bit of a cheesy tourist ride with regards to over-the-top Bavarian decorations, Maximilians is your place.

Hey, ain't no shame in doing it every once in a while. : )


3. Seeing the Many Splendid Sights of Berlin
Berlin is impressive. Not just because it's a beautiful city where old seamlessly meets new, and not just because there are numerous - almost countless - historically significant traces and remains that boggle and wow both the historically-minded and the ignorant tourist alike. It is impressive because all these things together valiantly thrust themselves in the face of crummy half-winter weather and sometimes (more often than not, actually) awkwardly-abrupt Germans to make it one of Europe's most fascinating and pleasant places to visit.

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin wall, Holocaust Memorial

The best and coolest sights we saw were Checkpoint Charlie, The Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall), the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag. I highly recommend staying in Mitte (I stayed there 10 years ago on my first visit to Berlin, actually), East Berlin. From there all of these things are within reasonable walking distance - if you don't mind walking. I probably walked a good 6-8 miles on the one day of sightseeing we had, and my feet ached for a couple of days, but it was well worth it.

The Reichstag

2. The Reichstag Dome
The highlight of my and Roman's historical sightseeing day was, without a doubt, The German Reichstag, or parliament building. Not only is it an awesome and imposing example of neoclassical architecture at its best, but it is a seamless combination of old and new, modern and classical, historical and present-day.

When the building and its hallmark glass and steel dome (constructed in 1894) were damaged by a fire and air raids during the World Wars, the Reichstag fell into disuse and disrepair. And it wasn't until 1990 when renowned British Architect Norman Foster (who brought the amazing Millenium Bridge to London) took over the restoration job that the new, super-futuristic glass dome with a 360-degree view over Berlin was built.

The line we never stood in. *grin*

Every day hundreds of people line up at the front to make the ascent to the famed glass dome that now tops the once crumbling Reichstag. But true to German efficiency, those who are handicapped or have a small bratty child in tow can skip the line entirely and head on up to the Dome in minutes' time by using an alternative entrance. SCORE!!!

Roman and I went up once during the day for photo ops (he slept through it all, of course) and then came back with Matt at 9:45pm to witness the view under the stars. It was breathtaking, both times - both because of the view and climb up the dome!

1. CURRYWURST! CURRYWURST! CURRYWURST!
*chanting with pumping fists*
Whenever I travel anywhere I make it my business to find out what is the most typical thing to eat and drink there. In New York it was hot dogs from Gray's Papaya, in Chicago it was deep dish pizza, in Berlin it was Currywurst.

I won't bore you with details about Herta Heuwer and her curry-ketchup concoction during World War II. The bottom line is, somebody came up with the idea to combine two things I love: curry and sausage. And the rest is history - no really, there's a freaking museum!

I asked for recommendations from locals on where to get the best Currywurst in town. The answer from the taxi driver, the waiter and the otherwise annoyingly snooty concierge was exactly the same: if you want to try this unofficial national dish, the only place to do it right is Curry 36.

Don't let the snazzy website and silver storefront fool you: these people know their sausages and curry ketchup and dish it out with Soup-Nazi-esque efficiency. And whether you get it with bread or "pommes" (fries), it is a damn good (and shockingly cheap) way to get a little piece of authentic Berlin grub.

And who knows, you just might be pleasantly surprised. : )

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Oh and not to forget, of course...

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!