Bundles of Love

Sometimes the pressure just gets to me.

Most of the time, I relish in the responsibility and creativity of deciding what we eat on a daily basis. Planning 2-3 meals in advance usually helps keep things just organized enough to take some of the stress off, but not so much that it zaps any last minute creativity from the equation. Often in the 3 meal scheme, just one of them will be something totally new. Sometimes, though, I will have greatly overestimated my capacity for new recipes. Just such a scenario played out a few weeks ago when I just couldn’t bring myself to cook. It was too much. I was tired and stressed. Mix in a little guilt and you’ve got the makings of one fantastic meltdown. The potential loss of a good meal really gets me down.

I forget what I had planned to cook now. It doesn’t even matter. All I know is there was crying and consoling and an agreement that Paul would make dinner. And not in that because-I-have-to way either. In an excited and eager way, like he was almost waiting for the floodgates to open so he could actually cook something without me glaring over his shoulder. He promised me Potstickers, people. While I could only nod through the tears, I retired to the couch with a drink in hand, giddy just thinking about them. He even let me “help” by allowing me to read the ingredient list to him and walk him through it. It was the perfect combination of being the boss and not having to do any of the work. It was a rare and beautiful gift and that’s why he’s a keeper, ladies.

Paul makes the absolute best Potstickers. I find this incredibly impressive, partly because I suck so much at making them. I can never wrap them in a way that gets all of the air pockets out, and mine are always ugly looking. Paul has just the right technique. Despite hardly ever cooking, he has certain recipes that he can pull out and completely blow you away. (Other times he’ll try to make an omelet without greasing the pan, but, you know…a mistake you make only once.) The Potstickers were heavenly and they are a fun appetizer-for-dinner meal that feels really special. We’re addicted to these and I bet you will be, too. And a brief note to non-cooking spouses: never underestimate the breakdown.

These used to be Ku’s pork dumplings, but now they are Paul’s Potstickers.

Potstickers (adapted from American's Test Kitchen)

1 lb ground pork
2 cups napa cabbage, minced finely
4 green onions, sliced
4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh black pepper

dipping sauce:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp water, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
hot stuff: either 1/8 tsp chili paste, a dash of hot sauce, or minced red chilies, to taste

Combine all the ingredients for the filling in the bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, combine all the dipping sauce ingredients and set aside. I like to use both a bit of chili paste and a dash of Tabasco for balanced heat.

Fill a small bowl with water. This will be the glue to seal the dumplings. Take one dumpling wrapper, dip one finger into the water and wet the edges of the wrapper completely. Place a tablespoon of pork filling into the middle of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over the filling in a half moon shape, pressing all of the air out from the middle of the dumpling to the edges. Pleat the edges of the dough firmly to seal it completely. Repeat for each dumpling. You should fill about 30 dumplings with this amount of filling, serving about 3 people as a main course, or 6 as an appetizer.

To make potstickers:
1. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a nonstick pan. Place over medium heat and add enough dumplings in the pan to form a single layer, but without the dumplings touching. Cook 3 minutes or until the bottoms have crisped and browned.
2. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the pan, cover it, and let them cook (without peeking!) on low for 10 minutes, or until all the water is gone. Set a timer!
3. The dumplings should be brown and crisp on the bottom, but if not, let them cook a few minutes more to get crisp again.

Brussels Sprouts Rule...Seriously.

Every once in a while I cook something that makes my husband go crazy. This almost never involves vegetables. When I announced that I was making brussels sprouts, he was definitely not on board. But, I proved him wrong with this one.

The best part of this recipe is the combination of interesting textures and flavors. There is a lot going on in this recipe and, honestly, what difference does the vegetable make when there are bacon and pine nuts involved? The sprouts are sliced so that they separate into little bits of fringe. Sautéed lightly so they retain their texture, they are utterly delicious.

These are by no means my own creation. If you do some searching, there are many variations for these “hashed” brussels sprouts. I was tempted by a recipe with lemon and parmesan, but ultimately, the pine nuts sitting in the fridge were calling. I think the bacon is great, but it could easily be left out to save a few calories without much loss of flavor.

Now he wants them twice a week. ‘Nough said.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pine Nuts and Bacon
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

1 pound brussels sprouts
2 slices center cut bacon or 1/4 cup sliced pancetta
1 tsp olive oil
2 green onions, sliced
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup pine nuts

Shred the brussels sprouts carefully with a mandolin, or just slice with a knife.

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet until just barely golden. Remove to a plate. They will continue to toast later when combined with the sprouts.

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Keep the bacon fat in the pan and add a teaspoon of olive oil, if needed. Add the shredded brussel sprouts to the hot pan and stir frequently. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the green onions and pine nuts. Sauté until tender but not soggy, about 5 minutes. Crumble the bacon and mix into the brussel sprouts. Serves 4.

Toffee Crazy

I’m a sucker for toffee. Everybody knows that the chocolate covered caramels in that box of chocolates are the best, right? That burnt sugar crust on a crème brulee is what it’s really all about. So, when I decided to make cookies last week, I combined my favorite things: the old standby oatmeal cookie with some toffee chips and dark chocolate chips. Not exactly adventurous, I know, but will it win my heart? Mais, oui!

Usually I’m quite content to leave any hint of chocolate out of my cookies, since, as I've confessed before, I am not a fan of the standard chocolate chip cookie. I don’t really like the cookie part and I’m not a huge fan of semi-sweet chocolate chips, so I guess it would follow that there’s not much I like in there. I concede that straight from the oven, when there is a bit of crispy sugar around the edges, they are acceptable, but I definitely prefer a cookie with more going on. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite, probably because of their texture. A chewy oatmeal cookie, made with brown sugar and toffee chips, is this girl’s caramelized dream come true. Adding some dark chocolate chips keeps the husband happy, too, because some of us, obviously, need more than caramelized sugar.

I like that this recipe can be easily halved so that making a batch of cookies for two isn’t quite so sinful. This is my offering to this month’s Sugar High Friday hosted by Jasmine, of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict. The theme is sweet seduction so go check out all the other enticing desserts this Friday! While these cookies aren't exactly the ultimate in seduction, they do make us happy! Besides, the French throw around the word seduce a lot more casually than us puritans. If something is seducing, it's pretty much just coyly interesting. There's my excuse!

Chewy Oatmeal Toffee Cookies with Dark Chocolate Chips

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup toffee bits
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Cream together the softened butter and sugars using an electric mixer. Beat in one egg at a time until smooth; add vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, soda, salt and spices. Whisk lightly to distribute the spices in the flour. Gradually add the flour mixture to the eggs/butter mixture, beating until smooth. Using a spatula, mix in the oatmeal, then the toffee and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should look slightly underdone; crisp around the edges but not completely set in the middle. Remove from the oven but let them rest on the cookie sheet about one minute before transferring to a cooling rack and you should have chewy cookies! Depending on the size, this should make 40-some cookies, but most often I make mine larger and get about 36.

I get by with a little help from my friends....

When I lived in Paris I did without many kitchen gadgets. I was lucky to have one glass measuring cup with ounces included on the side. I bought a whisk and a heat safe blue spatula that have become essential to me in the kitchen. Other than that, I survived with my own elbow grease and willingness to fling spices around with great approximation.

In many ways, it was liberating and educational. After all, many cooks before me had survived sans KitchenAid. I whipped cream by hand, I chopped everything by hand, and I thinly sliced potatoes for mes tartiflettes, proving that I really could do most cooking with a pot, some heat and a spoon. It gave me confidence about my skills to create.

It also gave me gratitude when I returned. It’s a lot of work to always do everything by hand, which is why I feel there is room for balance in the kitchen. Whipping up a bowl of brownies is easier done by hand than in the mixer and there’s less to clean when you’re done. Although, pesto from the food processor is such a speedy enterprise, why do it by hand? Knowing when to use the old fashioned method is just as important as knowing how to do it. I admit it is nice having options.

So, when I received a mandolin for Christmas this year, I immediately thought of the multitude of potato gratins I could make, and then I thought it looked awfully complicated and sort of like I could lose a finger if I tried to figure it out. I placed it in a drawer in my kitchen and forgot about it until last week, where I brought it out and used it not once, but twice in one meal.

I can proudly say that after the initial 30 seconds of awkwardness, I thinly sliced 5 potatoes in about 3 minutes. I was shocked. No wonder this is considered essential to restaurant chefs! The only downside is that it’s now much easier to make those gratins and that’s not so good for my diet.

But, the good news is that it really is easy and fun to use and I feel my horizon has broadened quite a bit. Now I will be a lot more motivated to make things I’ve shirked off in the past. Cabbage can be easily shredded for coleslaw and vegetables easily julienned. Onions can be sliced paper thin for salads. For those interested, my mandolin is this one. It’s mostly made of plastic so it’s dishwasher safe and it’s very inexpensive. I was actually surprised that it worked so well.

This potato gratin is my version of a Gratin Dauphinois, the prince of scalloped potatoes. The French usually heat the cream, garlic and herbs on the stove before combining it with the potatoes and the results are divine. Use whatever herbs and cheese you like. Here I’ve given a traditional version, although I adore white cheddar and rosemary. Stay tuned for the other side dish I made with the help of my mandolin!

Cheesy Potato Gratin Dauphinois

5 medium yellow potatoes
1 ½ cups heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed
fresh thyme and/or rosemary
Salt
Pepper (white pepper, if you have it)
Grated nutmeg
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup grated gruyere cheese

1. Wash the potatoes and peel them. Slice them thinly, about ¼ inch thick, with your knife or a mandolin. Thinly slice the onion, as well.

2. In a saucepan, bring the cream, garlic cloves, pinch of nutmeg, about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme and, optionally, 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, ½ tsp salt and some pepper to a simmer over medium heat. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook 5-10 minutes. Remove the herbs and garlic clove and set aside.

3. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 baking dish or small gratin dish. Layer ½ the potatoes on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and onion slices. Add ½ the grated cheese over the potatoes. Pour some of the cream over this layer. Place the remaining potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the rest of the cream mixture over the potatoes and top with the rest of the cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour, maybe 75 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

An Old Acquaintance and a New Recipe

It’s been a joy getting to know you again, my friend. I first met you 2 years ago, but then I went away, where, sadly, you could not follow. I may have forgotten about you altogether if you weren’t so good at your job, Monsieur Cuisinart. You make such easy work of so many otherwise grueling tasks. You let me make homemade pesto in a matter of seconds, and for that, you have earned the right to rest in my kitchen among such other valued appliances as the Kitchen Aid mixer and blender.

One of my favorite uses for pesto is to brush it lightly on baguette slices, top with crumbled goat cheese (and maybe sliced tomato) and broil for a few minutes for a quick appetizer. Of course, it’s also fantastic over cheese tortellini.

Basil Pesto
(recipe from The Best Recipe, Cook's Illustrated)

2 cups fresh basil leaves
¼ cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
Salt, to taste
7 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet until fragrant and light brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Combine the garlic slices, a pinch of salt, pine nuts and basil leaves in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until fairly smooth, scraping down the bowl when necessary. Add the olive oil with the motor running until fully incorporated.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the cheese and more salt, if needed. Cover the surface of the pesto with a thin layer of oil or plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 days. This will cover about ¾ lb of pasta.