Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Sweet and plump cherries, chocolate, almonds and brown butter all baked on a crispy crust. These crumbly bars are a great late spring — early summer treat. Add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream to turn them in to a decadent dessert. Substitute the cherries with raspberries or blackberries, or even halved and pitted apricot. Soft, chocolaty and fruity. A small triumph of flavors and textures.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Sweet and plump cherries, chocolate, almonds and brown butter all baked on a crispy crust. These crumbly bars are a great late spring — early summer treat. Add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream to turn them in to a decadent dessert. Substitute the cherries with raspberries or blackberries, or even halved and pitted apricot. Soft, chocolaty and fruity. A small triumph of flavors and textures.
Preheat over to 375°F. Line bottom and sides of 8×8-inch square baking pan with baking paper. Leave paper two inches over the rim. It will help you lift the bars once baked.
mix melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl, Add flour, almond flour, cocoa powder and salt and stir until incorporated. Transfer dough to your prepared pan, press the dough evenly across the bottom of the pan. Prick crust with a fork to prevent from puffing up. Bake the crust until golden, about 18 minutes ,Transfer crust to rack and cool in pan.
Filling
Cook butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until deep nutty brown (do not burn), stirring often and watching carefully, about six minutes. Cool slightly.
Whisk sugar, eggs, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add flour, chocolate powder and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk browned butter into sugar-egg mixture; whisk until well blended.
Scatter pitted cherries and chocolate in bottom of cooled crust. Pour browned butter mixture evenly over the fruit and chocolate. Bake until filling is firm and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes, Cool completely in pan on rack.
Remove cooled bars from pan lifting from the overhanging paper and place them on a cutting board . Cut them into squares with a very sharp knife.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Pungent, fresh with a hint of garlic and loads of walnuts. This is the must do pesto in Spring when wild ramps are briefly abundant.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Pungent, fresh with a hint of garlic and loads of walnuts. This is the must do pesto in Spring when wild ramps are briefly abundant.
Clean ramps. Separate greens from bulbs. Blanch ramp greens in a large pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon r, transfer greens to a bowl of ice water; drain and squeeze out liquid.
Coarsely chop ramp bulbs and stalks and walnuts in a food processor. Add ramp greens, olive oil, pecorino, parmesan and lemon zest; process to a coarse paste. Season with salt and pepper.
I like to gift this colorful, cheery and easy recipe for delicious berry vodka in pretty bottles. It’s great served on ice, in little shot glass or in flutes with champagne for an alternative to Kir Royale.
Place the berries and the lemon zest with the sugar in a large metal bowl and crush with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the Vanilla pod, mix all and leave to rest and macerate for two hours, until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has become juicy.
Spoon the content of the bowl in to a large glass jar and cover with the vodka. Mix well and chill for at least one week in the fridge or up to a month.
Staring the vodka through a fine sieve, decant into pretty sterilized bottles.
Recipe Notes
The Infused Vodka will keep for up to months in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. Rose petals are a great addition to the berries and citrus as well.
I have had this Julia Child picture, framed and hanging on my wall for years. It makes me smile, it reminds me to slow down, and it’s a delightful prompt for someone like me who has a bit of a hard time asking for help.
“Back to School” is one of those times I wish I had a team of professional handlers, shadowing me and making my life just a little less muddy. I don’t. Therefore the last couple of weeks have been, more or less, hell and spent arming the whole family with new soccer shoes, tennis outfits, cellos, violins and let’s not forget, discovering the virtues of my new favorite, Mode Podge Glue and did I mention consulting about new cute outfits?
I also have had to organize 2 birthday’s celebrations, inclusive of multi-layered, glittery cakes, I have been at one open house, a welcome back coffee, I had a drum stick drama and I worked on a lengthy time line project. I cannot wait for week 3 in September.
I have commiserated with many of the parents and apparently I’m not the only one with these kinds of issues. Generally speaking back to school is a war zone for all.
One place where I do better than the organizational inferno of my kids closets and their activities, it’s the kitchen. My pantry is ready to go and my fridge and freezers are stocked up for lunches, snacks, dinners and post games hunger freak-outs—I didn’t know, before becoming a mother and a wife, men turn in to famished werewolves immediately after sport practice.
Furthermore, since I suspect, you are like me at home and don’t employ a swarm of chefs and pot washers ready to chop, prep and clean at your command, I thought you might enjoy learning about my 5 favorite, ready to go meals and pantry helpers that make my life easier and my dinners more enjoyable.
Roasted Tomatoes Sauce– It’s a simple, healthy, quick but brilliant way to make a tomatoes sauce. The full power, garlicky flavor and the smooth consistency make it a perfect versatile companion for pastas , soups and a phenomenal base for sauces and stews. I make it in large batches and freeze it in my latest obsession, stand alone ziplock bags.
Bolognese- We all have a bolognese recipes. This is my version and It reminds me of home. My kids know the taste so well by now, if I change the recipe even by one ingredient they complain. It’s a slow cooked project I usually do once a months on a weekend. I like to lace a mix of equal parts of double ground veal, pork and beef with a small amount of cumin and nutmeg and once it’s cooked and cooled I freeze it in pre weighted portions. I use it on pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, polenta or semolina.
Olive Oil Frozen Herbs- This is my favorite last minute flavor trick and a great way to preserve all the herbs I grow in summer. I wash, dry and chop finely my leafy herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro and tarragon. I put them in ice cube containers packing at least half of the cube and cover them with good olive oil. I then freeze them, pop them out and keep them in ziplock bags ready to use in sauces and sautés. Read more about Olive Oil in my sharing corner post about Alina Lawrence, she is the fab owner of Olivette.
End of Summer Minestrone-I make huge pots of this healthy and hearty minestrone. It’s loaded with beans and good vegetables. I add cooked orzo, barley, pasta or rice and finish it with parmesan and crispy pancetta for a full power one dish meal.
Mashed Potatoes for the week-I keep a container of home made mashed potatoes in the fridge. They last for a good 5 to 7 days. They are a smart and efficient way to produce a meal in less than 10 minutes. Just add bolognese, cheese, a fried egg, peas and bacon, sausages for a cozy dinner or use them to top left over stews, grilled salmon, or really what ever you have in the fridge, sprinkle them with a mix of cheddar and parmesan, then brown them under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
So welcome back to school with an empathizing nod to all of you trying to get a last minutes cello delivered to your door!
Halve the tomatoes and arrange them in an oven proof dish lined with parchment. I like them tightly packed but not on top of each other.
Season with the salt, drizzle the olive oil evenly. Scatter the garlic and basil on the tomatoes.
Roast for 45 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and lightly charred. Pass through a sieve or a food mill and discard the seeds and the skins. Use immediately as a great pasta sauce or preserve in zip lock bags and freeze.
Recipe Notes
The seeds and skin of the tomatoes are best removed as they can cause allergies and irritate the stomach.
Tomatoes cook and taste better if the pepper is added after cooking.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I make meat sauce every week. It's our to-go meal. We use it on pasta, veggies, polenta and mashed potatoes. I like to mix veal, pork and beef and I slow cook it for a couple of hours.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini — I make meat sauce every week. It's our to-go meal. We use it on pasta, veggies, polenta and mashed potatoes. I like to mix veal, pork and beef and I slow cook it for a couple of hours.
1 bouquet garnitie bay leaves, parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme together
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Servings: people
Instructions
Warm a couple of table spoon of olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Add onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until soft but not browned. Add prosciutto/mortadella and keep cooking for an extra 10 minutes on a low flame. Rise the heat to medium high add veal, pork and beef. Cook stirring occasionally until browned.
Add wine, cook the alcohol out for a couple of minutes on a low the flame.
Season with a sprinkle of nutmeg, cumin, salt and pepper. Add tomato concentrate and cook for a couple of minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, stock and the bouquet garni.
Cook on slow heat for at a couple of hours or until the sauce is nicely reduced and compact. Taste for seasoning and discard the herbs before serving or freezing.
1bunchkale leaves or large spinachcleaned and deveined
2mediumzucchinicubed
2cupsgreen beans sliced in small sections
salt and pepper
1bouquet garnitie together rosemary, parsley, thyme, 1 bay leaf
Servings: people
Instructions
Warm olive the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots . Cook 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Add the bacon or pancetta and crisp.
Stir in the beans. Stew slowly for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and bouquet garland season. Add the parmesan rind.
Bring to a boil and slow simmer for 25-30 minutes until soft vegetable are soft.
Remove from heat. Discard the bouquet garni and parmesan rind and with an immersion blender whiz to a chunky consistency. YOu can also use a blender or a food processor.
Return the soup to the pot on a medium/slow heat and add remaining
vegetables. Cook for 15/ 20 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but with a bit a of a bite.
Serve warm or room temperature. Garnish with pesto, crunchy pancetta, a grain and some parsley.
Recipe Notes
Freeze before adding kale, beans and zucchini for up to 6 months.
The next few weeks are far too hot for you to get flustered in your kitchen. I have rustled together 50 easy meals, you can prepare in 20 minutes or less! Simple dishes, which look and taste sensational. Add crusty bread, a salad and you’ll have the perfect summer dish – which will have the wow factor and look like you have been slaving over the stove for hours! Less time in the kitchen and more time at the beach. Which Is where I’m writing from.
Here they are:
Cook pasta in boiling water. Add some chopped tomatoes, grated pecorino, spinach and toasted pine-nuts to a serving bowl. Toss with some good olive oil. Drain the pasta. Mix with all the ingredients and a spoon of the cooking water. Finish with cracked pepper and olive oil.
Frittata. Beat 4 eggs. Add some parmesan, salt, pepper chopped herbs, pancetta and fontina cheese cubes. Cook on medium slow for 5 minutes. Turn using a plate, put back in the pan and finish cooking for a couple of minutes.
Drench 4 sole fillet in flour, season. Cook quickly in a hot pan with melted butter, turning once. Squeeze one lemon, add parsley. This is my son ultimate dinner.
Season 4 beef fillet. Cook on both sides for 4 minutes. Set aside. Add some good red wine or port or cherry to the pan, a pat of butter and reduce for 3 to 4 minutes on high. Serve on the side of the rested fillets.
Boil 4 large potatoes till fork tener. Peel and serve with lots of chopped toppings.
Drain the oil from a can of good tuna . Add to a pan with olives and tomatoes. Cook spaghetti al dente. Drain. Add to the tuna with a handful of bread crumbs, parsley and chopped basil. drizzle with olive oil.
Slice a good melon. serve with prosciutto, bread, fresh ricotta and honey.
Make a smoked salmon platter. Serve with toasted white bread, lemon, capers, sliced tomatoes.
Cut 4 hot dogs on both sides but leave them in one piece. Sauté for a couple of minutes in a hot pan with a teaspoon of olive oil, until the curl up. Served with mashed potatoes and condiments
Slice peaches in half and pit them. Quickly grill them in a pan. Put side up on plates add some greens and some good burrrata.
Add a pack of 10 minutes barley grains to 2 cups of good stock. Add peas, and a potato peeled and cubed, thyme and cook until the stock is absorbed. Serve with a good hard cheese and a salad.
Sautee trout fillet in brown butter 4 to 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile cook baby fingerling potatoes in salted water. Drain, smash lightly with a fork, add basil and black olives.
Cook soba noodles, then rinse in cold water until cool. Serve in a broth, with some chopped steamed vegetables and with a splash of sauce of soy sauce and minced ginger. Add soft boiled eggs.
Lisetta quick Paella. Sauté, cubed chicken in a pan with diced onions and dices red pepper. Add saffron, season. Add 6 handfuls of arborio rice, toast for 2 minutes, add half a glass of wine, 2 cups chicken broth. Cook until the broth is absorbed about 15 minutes. You can add some chorizo, clams or shrimps. Finish with parsley.
Cook some brown rice. Boil cleaned shrimps for a couple of minutes. Cut up some baby bok choy, brown it for a couple of seconds in a hot pan with sesame oil, minced garlic and minced ginger. Turn add 1/2 cup soy sauce and reduce. Spoon bok choy and shrimps on cooked rice.
Sautee’ 1 large cubed eggplant in olive oil and garlic for 5 minutes, add 3 fresh cubed tomato, one cup tomatoes sauce, salt pepper and basil. Add short pasta to salted, boiling water. Cook for 8/ 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the sauce. Drain the pasta, mix with the eggplants, serve with grated, salted hard ricotta cheese.
Ceviche! Get some very fresh Scallops, tuna, salmon or swordfish. Slice thinly, arrange on plates, sprinkle with lime and lemon juice, salt, pepper chilies and parsley. Serve after 5 minutes with sliced avocados and a crunchy taco.
Put a can of drained chickpeas in a pan add olive oil, sumac, basil, grounded coriander seeds, cook for 5 minutes, add some leafy greens cook down, add feta. Season well.
Grill or toast some good baguette until crispy, drizzle olive oil, add some sliced Gruyere, add parma cotto prosciutto, melt under the broiler for a minute or 2, close, press well, enjoy!
Drain a can of cannellini beans or butter beans into a big bowl, add some good tuna in olive oil and dress with chopped parsley, red onion, salt, red vinegar and a touch more oil.
Make fresh pesto. Fill up blender with washed basil, parsley, a handful of pine nuts, a little garlic, grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Drizzle with a half cup of good quality olive oil and blend. You can substitute walnuts for the pine nuts or even pistachios. Dress your favorite cooked pasta.
Pan grill a skirt steak for 4 to 5 minutes per side, season with salt and pepper, rest for 5 minutes, slice over greens and drizzle with balsamic.
Boil lobsters for 11 minutes, corn on the cob for 6 minutes – serve both with butter and lemon.
Poach eggs for 3 minutes or soft boil for 6 – serve over wilted spinach and crusty bread.
Sauté garlic in olive oil and a bit of hot pepper, don’t burn. Dress cooked spaghetti – finish with pepper, grated parmesan and chopped parsley.
Stir fry some fresh peeled shrimps in olive oil, garlic and ginger until pink. Season with salt pepper and chopped cilantro. Squeeze a lime and serve over cooked rice or steamed vegetables.
Warm up some curry powder in olive oil till fragrant, deglaze with a little cream. Use to dress long think pasta. Finish with pepper and lots of chopped parsley. Add cooked chicken, shrimps lobster or crab.
Steam a big bag of scrubbed mussels until they open in a pot with some white wine, lots of garlic, chopped celery and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Use Pernod instead of wine and fennel, or vodka, thyme and chopped tomatoes. Serve with LOTS of bread.
Fry left over rice from your Chinese take out with chopped vegetables, onion, garlic, grated ginger. Dress with soy sauce and, sesame oil, cilantro. Add a fried egg on top.
Make a quick bolognese – with ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Deglaze with some wine, add a can of tomatoes and cook down for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a hint of cumin. Spoon over a bake potato, pasta, grilled eggplants. Substitute beef with ground lamb or pork.
Quickly grill thin lamb chops 4 minutes for side. Season with salt pepper and chopped rosemary and mint. Whiz up a quick aioli using mayonnaise and garlic in a blender.
Cook all sorts of evenly chopped vegetables in water till al dente. Season well, add some cooked pasta, olive oil and a spoon of pesto. Minestrone it is!
Sear salmon covered with Teriyaki sauce for a couple of minutes per side. Serve over brown rice.
Render some good, cubed pancetta in a pan – add a drained can of chickpeas or large white beans, lots of chopped parsley. Season with salt pepper and smoked paprika. Add manchengo and bacon.
Quickly sear a sliced pork fillet in a pan with olive oil, a little garlic and some cut figs or prunes. Season well – remove pork and deglaze pan with some port or sweet sherry. Cook down for a minute of two and pour over pork.
Scramble fresh eggs. Pan fry some good mushrooms. Season well. Add lots of parsley and some sliced tomatoes.
Steam broccoli till fork tender. Sauté some seasoned filet mignon strips in olive oil. Finish with soy sauce, lots of chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon. Serve over rice or soba noodles.
Make six-minute eggs: simmer gently, run under cold water until cool, then peel. Serve over steamed asparagus.
Cook some lentils till soft. Drain. Add herbs, some goat cheese and spinach. Drizzle olive oil, a spoon of pistachio oil and some balsamic. Add some toasted pistachios.
Slice some good mozzarella cheese and put in between 2 slices of soy white bread. Dip in beaten egg, then coat with bread crumbed seasoned. Fry till golden brown on both sides. Serve with fresh tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.
Slice 2 eggplants very finely. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and oregano. Broil on high on both sides until brown. Sprinkle with goat cheese or feta and broil for a couple of seconds.
Dredge sliced chicken breast in flour. Cook on both sides in olive oil. Serve with good bread, lemon and some mayo.
Chop a tuna steak, add some soy and chopped cilantro and make burgers. Grill quickly and serve on a toasted sesame bun with wasabi mayo.
Boil 4 years of corn. Boil 4 kielbasa. Slice and serve with hot mustard.
Slice zucchini and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes in a hot pan with olive oil. Add chopped mint. Make thin omelets and serve together.
Steam some cous cous. Pan fry cubed chicken with some chopped tomatoes, olives and basil. Add cumin powder, salt and pepper.
Panzanella. Chop tomatoes, dress with olive oil, red wine vinegar salt and pepper. Add cubed one day old bred and toss. Serve with sardines and butter.
Put some asparagus in a foil pouch with olive oil, crushed and minced garlic, salt pepper and parsley. Cook in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Meanwhile grill a flank stake for 5 minutes per side and after resting for about 7 minutes slice and serve with asparagus.
Cut a baguette. Add slices of brie on both sides and broil until the cheese is melting and bubbly. Serve with sliced tomatoes and cured black olives.
Some pine for the perfect storm, I hunger for the perfect meal.
I spend hours of the day and sometimes of the night exploring and obsessing about ingredients and flavor combinations to create a flawless meal to share with people, no matter if I’m conceptualizing for one of my more intricate events or a laidback dinner with friends.
Some might think of it as OCD, I call it love for both scrumptious food and dedication to my guests.
Elegant, no frills, standing up, meat, vegetarian, kids, no kids, celebratory, winter, summer, only a nosh. The possibilities are endless.
Then, there are certain times in life when nothing will do but a steak.
When steak is king, a vast selection flows in to my brain while I go through the different textures, flavors and degrees of tenderness. Rib eye, sirloin, t-bone, dry aged, Fiorentina, Porterhouse, these are all cuts with merits and singular degrees of juiciness and oral pleasure.
If I want flavor and texture, one cut is firmly lodged in my mind and that’s undeniably flap steak. And since the name it’s a bit unappealing, you can add a bit of je ne sais quoi and call it Bavette like the French, or go south of the border and refer to it as Fajitas. I name it my favorite.
And I’m not the only one. Before becoming a darling of the hipster chefs in Brooklyn, it was known as the butcher best-kept secret.
The Bavette is similar to skirt and flank in that it comes from the less tender regions of the animal. Often cheaper than more popular cuts, this little underdog of the beef world has a wonderful meaty flavor and a fine texture.
It demands a good marinade, high heat quick grilling, a mandatory slice against the grain at an angle, and resting time.
This is a steak I would serve to my close friends, at boy’s night or perhaps the poker crew but I’m certain it would impress any diehard foodie hanging around.
My marinade of choice for Bavette is a whiskey, honey, coffee and garlic marinade. Salty and slightly bitter from the espresso powder but with a hint of sweetness from the honey, it enhances the already powerful flavor of the, if cooked right, charred but tender meat.
Photo by Beatriz da Costa, styling by Erin Swift
I like to serve the steak, medium rare, sliced, with a caramelized onion marmalade I have learned to make at Ritz in London that I adore for its sweetness and silky texture and a simple but bright and slightly vinegary salsa verde. Nothing else.
Photo by Beatriz da Costa, styling by Erin Swift
Except, speaking of talented hipsters, a glass of my friend Sarah’s whiskey from Van Brunt Stillhouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn that I like to use for the marinade as well and of course good bread for mopping up the juices.
van brunt stillhouse
If you cannot find Bavette steak, a flat iron, a flank or a skirt steak would be a beautiful and equally tasty substitutes.
A generous helping of coffee affogato could end the evening well, making this, in my mind, a perfect meal and for others a fun poker night.
If you want to learn more about how to prepare and cook steak come by May 31st at the Sustainable Food and Farm Expo at Audubon Greenwich where I’ll be doing 3 demonstrations during the day and using some great cheaper cuts from the skillful and renowned Fleisher’s Craft Butchery.
The Farm Expo will be from 10 am to 5 pm and it will showcase twenty food exhibitors and vendors plus talks, demonstrations, and tastings with a wide range of experts every thirty minutes. The Sustainable Food & Farm Expo is a production of Audubon Greenwich, the Fairfield Green Food Guide, and Strawberry and Sage.
For more information and to purchase tickets click on:
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Flank demands a good marinade to add flavor but also to promote browning and crispness. It needs high heat quick grilling, a mandatory slice against the grain at an angle, and resting time. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer.
Recipe by Silvia Baldini—Flank demands a good marinade to add flavor but also to promote browning and crispness. It needs high heat quick grilling, a mandatory slice against the grain at an angle, and resting time. I marinate the meat for thirty minutes to two hours. For rare steak, I grill it on really high heat for three to five minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Larger steaks might take longer.
2 tablespoonsespresso powderbrewed strong coffee can be substitute
1tablespoonsherry vinegar
salt/ black pepper
olive oil
Servings:
Instructions
Marinate the steak. Place the steak in a ziplock bag. Mix the garlic, whiskey, honey or syrup, soy, coffee and vinegar until well combined, then pour over the steak and close the ziplock bag.
Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours in the fridge. Return to room temperature before cooking.
Remove the steak from the marinade. Put the marinade in a small sauce pan and reduce over medium heat, Bring to a boil then simmer until thickened. About 5 minutes. Reserve.
Cook the steak. Season well with salt and pepper. And drizzle a little oil on it. Heat a grill pan or a regular pan over high heat. Grill the steak 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare.
Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice at an angle and against the grain. Drizzle the reserved and warmed marinade over the steak before serving.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil until shimmering add then butter and melt. Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 15/20 minutes.
Tie the bay leaves and rosemary and thyme together with kitchen twine. Add the herb bundle to the onions and cook over low heat, stirring a few times, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and cook, without stirring, until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until an amber-brown caramel forms, about 6 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and simmer over low heat, stirring a few times, until the jam is thick, about 5 minutes. Discard the herb bundle. Season the jam with salt and pepper and let it cool to warm.
MAKE AHEAD
The caramelized onion jam can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Anna Jarvis created the modern American holiday of Mother’s day in 1908 to honor her own mother. The Von Trap family, made their mom “One of Their Favorite Things”, and named a cheese after her. Marie Curie was a radioactive mama. In addition to breaking the gender barrier and discovering the two elements, radium and polonium, she raised two daughters and was honored with two Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry. I recently read in Food and Wine magazine that chef Mario Batali has made his mom blueberry crumble a staple at his dinner parties.
Next Sunday across America families will be looking for ways to celebrate their moms and all the women that mean something to them. Personally I’ll be honoring my mom and my mother in law. Both shared their love with me and passed on to me, among other things, their passion for cooking.
My mom was a remarkable lady. An egyptologist and a latin and greek scholar, she distilled in me a deep love for books, art, small tea sandwiches, and her vast gastronomical knowledge. If I had to pick a recipe that represents her the best, I would probably choose her baked peaches with an Amaretti cookies crumble. She used to bring them out at the end of simple dinner parties. She would serve them still slightly warm and nestled with all their sticky juices, on a pale green ceramic platter that would offset and complement the sun kissed yellows and pinks of the peaches. Each spoon was a combination of sweet, crunchy and caramelized heaven with a hint of almond and maternal love.
Mom, August 1967
My mother in law is another extraordinary lady. She left Bologna to live in NYC in the 70’ where my husband was born. She lived in the West Village when the Village was the ” Village”. She travelled to Seattle on her own to teach Italian to US Air force students. She moved back to Italy and raised, in my opinion, two pretty handsome sons. She can grind a crossword puzzle like no one. Her knowledge in the kitchen is surpassed by no one. Before marrying my husband she gifted me with two large volumes of hand typed family recipes. I cherish these books and use them often. The recipes in these books are a collection of loved dishes, often served at family gatherings and a genealogical map of traditions passed on by mothers and grandmothers.
Betta, 1970
My kids and I adore her prosciutto and Fontina brioche. Pure golden perfection. Once in the oven the aroma of baking buttery bread pervades our house, making the wait almost unbearable. We eat it warm, right out of the oven. It makes a good dinner. I have been told my rendition is almost as good as hers, but not quite there yet.
While next Sunday, you don’t necessarily need to name a cheese after your mom, or present her with a Nobel prize, make sure you take time to honor her, spend time with her and cherish every precious second you have with her. She deserves the love.
If you want to know more about splendid moms, my mom and these recipes, please tune in this Thursday the 7th at noon when I’ll be a guest on HansRadio for a Mother day special on Stir Crazy : Food Chat with Patty Gay .
Wash the peaches in cold water, dry well and halve them with a pairing knife. Remove the pit.
With a spoon remove some of the peaches pulp and form a space for the filling, reserve the pulp in a bowl.
Crumble the Amaretti cookies in a food processor or by hand. Add to the peaches pulp.
Using a Kitchen-aid or by hand cream the egg's yolks and sugar together until fluffy and light. Add to the cookies and the peaches. Add the cocoa powder and the dark chocolate. Add the rum. Mix well.
Fill the peaches with the cookie and egg dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Bake in the oven at 350F for about 45 minutes. They can be served warm or room temperature.
In a Kitchen-aid fitted with a blade mix the butter, flour, eggs and salt, combine well.
Activate the yeast in the warm milk. Add to the dough and mix.
Butter and line a medium size oven proof baking dish. Spread half of the dough in it with the help of the blade of a knife. It's a very sticky dough so be patient and makes sure to reserve half of the dough to cover the top.
Sprinkle with a layer of the fontina cheese cubed and lay the prosciutto slices on top. Cover with the remaining dough. Spread it even. Beat the remaining egg with a fork to make a wash, you can add teaspoon of water. With a brush paint the whole brioche evenly.
Leave the brioche to raise in a warm place for 3 hours. Cover loosely with a canvas.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 40 minutes. Slice and eat warm.
The park, the beach, a shady spot, your favorite secret corner. Like in real estate, location is everything when scouting for a picnic site. Keep it simple, easy to reach and close to a storm shelter.
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Sunday on the Banks of the Marne, 1938
Semantic:
Picnic, or pique-nique, is of French origin, formed from piquer, the French for “to pick at food”, and nique meaning something small of no value.
The word picnic has existed in English for a long time, with different meanings including a kind of hat and a morally suspect club started by lord Chesterfied in 1748 that was associated with card-playing and drinking. No matter. Picnicking is what you make of it. I call mine alfresco dining and I pack it as tasty and as fun as I can.
Thomas Cole’s A Pic-Nic Party, 1846
Style:
The art of the picnic should require resolute rejection of plastic when it comes to food packing. Plastic makes everything smell funky and it’s, in my opinion, unbecoming. Paper, glass, cloth, cardboard, wax paper, are all beautiful alternatives.
Alcohol:
Don’t forget the bottle opener for the booze. Or better forget it and stick to champagne.
Packing:
At the beginning of times a picnic was a way to take a whole meal outside. Originally servants and coaches used to come at 4am to pick up a picnic hamper. Well I have news for you. Times have changed. Keep you packing light and organized. Select fresh ingredients and recipes that are easily sharable with your tribe. On the other hand, if you have kids in the group, by all mean, load them up.
Food:
In the end, packing good food is what a picnic it’s all about. It doesn’t have to be fine dining or complicated but it has to be memorable and refreshing. Jars salads are a great idea. Dressing goes on the bottom, veggies and other goodies get piled on top. Everything stays separate and dressing-free until you toss the salad together, you’ll never eat another soggy salad.
A pressed sandwich is another fabulous idea. You can prepare it in advance, by cutting a good loaf of crusty bread, loading it with layers of greens, creamy cheese, salty cured meats, a good drizzle of strong olive oil and wrap it in lots of cellophane. Put it at the bottom of the picnic basket and weight it down with all the other goodies. Once you a get to your spot, ask the kids to sit on it. It will help you flatten the sandwich, and making sure all the flavors are properly combined while giving you the time you need to unpack in peace. Don’t forget scotched eggs and an aioli for dipping, I’m partial to my tarragon infused recipe, some pickled veggies for tanginess, and of course strawberries because it’s not a proper picnic with out sweet strawberries to stain your clothes.
All the recipes from my lecture at Olivette are now online.
To make the vinaigrette, mix the shallot and vinegar in a small bowl, and gradually whisk in the oil with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the bread horizontally into even top and bottom layers. Turn the top over, then drizzle olive oil all over the cut sides of both layers, using 2 or 3 Tbs of oil on each.
Make layers of all the filling ingredients. First, completely cover the sandwich bottom with 5 or 6 lettuce leaves, then arrange the slices of Brie on top. Scatter the chopped olives and cover with the tomato slices in a single layer.
Spoon about half the vinaigrette over the tomatoes, then separate the anchovy fillets and distribute evenly. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette and the oil from the anchovy can all over the filling. Finally, replace the top layer of the bread to close the sandwich.
Wrap the sandwich well with several layers of plastic wrap and place on a cookie sheet or pizza pan or tray. Lay another tray on top of the sandwich and center some heavy items to press and flatten the loaf (a heavy pan and a 5-lb bag of sugar, for example).
Place the weighted sandwich in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours or overnight. Before serving, remove the weight, unwrap the compressed sandwich, and let it come to room temperature. Cut into serving-size wedges or, as an hors d'oeuvre cut in thin parallel slices, and again into short, bite-size lengths. 1 large sandwich makes 8 large wedges or 24-hors-d'oeuvre-size pieces.
