Real or Reality -- Food Network's Talent Show

Anyone else watching the "Search for the Next Food Network Star?' I am pretty resistant to reality shows, but since stumbling on this one mid series I've been hooked.

One thing I take away from this stage-managed entertainment show to share is the concept of finding a vision that communicates your personality, reflects your passion, engages others and is consistent. Not much different than what it takes to create an involving food blog, or any other project food or not.

Who knew you could learn something real from a reality show?

Savoring the Holidays

Just back from a holiday visit to my in-laws in San Diego, so I've been away from the computer, but not the stove.

I have a wonderful oven-poached pear recipe to share that is based on one I had in Madrid and a savory (i.e., not sweet) matzoh brei side dish I developed for a friend's seder. Look for both soon.

If you are going to San Diego sometime soon, I have two "tourist" recommendations. Check out the adorable baby harbor seals at La Jolla Cove (they have commandered the area known as the children's pool, which is actually a beach). Also consider devoting an afternoon to the aircraft carrier Midway which has been turned into a new museum on San Diego's downtown waterfront. Lots of planes, displays and history with a free audio tour and docents to explain it all. Admission is a bit pricey, but worth it. Great gift shop. Snack bar has tasty views and so-so food.

Don't Cha Wish You Could Taste See's Just Like Me?

I'm posting this before Sugar Savvy has my Friday The Chocolate Box column up, so no permalink for you. But if you are reading this after about 8:30 a.m. PDT on Friday, my pun-filled love letter to mocha buttercream is probably posted there.

Come read what a 9+ See's Candies chocolate tastes like!

Suck It Up: National Licorice Day

What's red and black and good all over? Red Vines.

In honor of National Licorice Day, I checked out the Red Vines website. You can read my report here at Sugar Savvy.

One use for the Red Vine twists I didn't include in my Sugar Savvy post is as straws. The twists are hollow and preteens and teenagers seem to like to bite off the ends and use the candy as straws to sip their sodas. Lemon-lime soda and red Red Vines make a good combination. I've seen root beer and red Red Vines combined, but that sounds much less appealing. I've never actually tried this myself, you understand, but I've been at parties where a four-pound tub of the red Red Vines is pretty much consumed this way. I have never seen black Red Vines (the ones with the actual licorice flavor) used as straws, but it doesn't mean you couldn't create some intriguing flavor combinations.

One mystery remains. Why are black Red Vines called Red Vines? Alas, the Red Vines website didn't offer any clues.

Come Along Little Veggie

Blog Appetit's Polenta-Mushroom Triangles get a mention and a photo op in this week's antioxidant-rich food round up at Sweetnicks. Click on over to her place to see all the veggie-packed recipes she has corralled this week.

Don't Pass This Matzoh Brei Over

Many Jewish celebrations and observances are home-centered and food-obsessed. Passover is one of the biggies. One of its practices is not eating leavened bread (among other things) for eight days. One person in my congregation joked "that shouldn't be hard, look at all the people on Atkins."

But the holiday is a lot more than subbing matzoh for your morning muffin.

For some it is a harvest festival, a celebration of Spring.
For others it is a story of miracles and a reaffirmation of G-d.
For still others it is a history lesson and a link to Jews past and future.
For many it is political call to action and a reminder that freedom from oppression is an on-going issue.
For most it is a time for family and friends with special foods and special memories.

Do you, your family or your friends have any special celebrations, customs or Passover "habits" you'd like to share? If so, please leave a comment below (or email me through my profile) and I'll summarize them in a future post. If you have any questions about the holiday, leave those there as well.

Here's my recipe for a Custard Matzoh Brei. It is based on my custard French toast recipe, which was featured in this post from White Trash BBQ.

Whatever your holiday is this week, may peace and happiness be yours.

Blog Appetit's Custard Matzoh Brei

This recipe is adapted from one given to me for pain perdu when I was in New Orleans. Pain perdu, or “lost bread,” quickly became my family’s favorite French toast recipe and now this version is their favorite for matzo brei. We even have one cousin who tries to visit during Passover so he can have this treat.

This can be a very rich dish if you make it with whole milk, but you can cut some of the fat by using fat-free milk (which is what I usually do). You could also replace the eggs with egg substitute.

Since I make this different every time I prepare it, feel free to make your own changes.

For four-to-five servings

10 whole matzoh
Four eggs, beaten
One-quarter to one-half cup sugar (or more or less to taste)
Two cups of whole, low fat or fat-free milk
Tsp. of vanilla extract (kosher for Passover)
2 tsp. grated orange rind (optional)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Grating (or dash) of nutmeg
1 tbsp. butter (or more as needed for the frying pan)
Cinnamon Sugar (optional)


Soak whole matzohs in a large bowl filled with warm water until just softened. (For a crisper matzo brei, just rinse and drain, do not soak.)
Drain well and break into small pieces in a large bowl.
In another bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, orange rind, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat to mix well.
Pour over soaked and drained matzoh. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow matzo to absorb some of the custard mixture. Stir the mixture occasionally.

Heat butter in a very large frying pan over medium heat. Add matzoh mixture and fry. (If too much for one pan, cook in batches and keep warm in a 250-degree oven. Be sure the matzoh brei has room to fry not steam in the pan. If you will be holding the matzo brei for any time, slightly undercook it so it won’t dry out.)

Let the matzoh brei mixture set in the hot pan for a minute or two then use your spatula to break it into chunks and turn. Keep turning and breaking up the matzoh brei every one to two minutes for a few more times until the custard mixture is absorbed but the matzoh is still moist.

(You could also add it to the pan in three-inch diameter dollops, which you could cook as individual pancakes.)

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired.

Serve by itself or with maple syrup, jam or other toppings.
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Photo Credit: Microsoft

Passover

Blow-Out Brownies

This is the recipe provided by my friend Karen, who I think got it from her friend. This was the recipe used for the wonderful brownies served at the wine tasting. Decadent, delicious and double chocolate -- these moist brownies have everything including lots of calories. They are worth the blow out, but you may want to cut them into small pieces to serve.

Blow-Out Brownies

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 teasspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 -12 ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 11x14 inch baking pan. Melt unsweetened chocolate either over low heat in a double boiler on stove or in microwave, set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar. Pour oil into the center of the mixture. Do not stir. Pour beaten eggs into bowl. Do not stir. Add the vanilla and premelted chocolate. Now stir, slowly at first, then beat well. Batter should be smooth and dark brown. Pour in the chocolate chips and stir until well blended. Pour batter into greased baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes and edges look crisp and will have moved slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Love nuts? Then add six ounces of walnut pieces in with chocolate chips.

No Whining -- Food for a Wine Tasting and a Polenta-Mushroom Appetizer Recipe

A while back I mentioned that I was helping to coordinate the food for a wine tasting fundraiser. Alder of Vinography was helpful in giving me some ideas, but I kind of forgot to tell him the food had to be vegetarian. We adapted his suggestions, added some of our own and ended up with a very successful evening with the guests really impressed with not just the wines but the food.

What do we serve?

For the wines? I’m ashamed to say I don’t really remember. I was too busy in the kitchen to take notes. But I know we had some reds and whites. I’ll try to get the info from the person who coordinated that and include it in a future post.

For the food? Well, THAT I remember.

Assorted olives, cheeses, crackers, baguette slices
Walnut halves, dried apricots and dates
Bruschettas with black olive tapenade or sun-dried tomato toppings
Polenta triangles with wild mushroom topping
Vietnamese spring rolls
Chocolate truffles, homemade decadent chocolate brownies, grapes

The spring rolls were based on my previously posted recipe for "not quite spring rolls." I used vegetarian “fish” sauce and filled them with either mango slices or sticks of cucumber and crushed peanuts. In addition to a hot and sweet dipping sauce, I also made a peanut-hoisin dipping sauce.

Thank goodness for volunteers. We made more than 80 each of the two types of spring rolls. With my husband pitching in and Stacy and Karen’s help, I estimate it took us close to eight hours combined to just roll the rolls.

The rolls were delicious, crunchy, sweet, sour and fun to eat all at the same time.

The brownies were luscious, rich and grown up tasting. Since I didn’t make them, I don’t have the recipe, but I am trying very hard to get it, so watch this blog!

The polenta triangles were also a big hit. The mushroom topping had a satisfying, earthy taste that would work well with some adaptations as a main dish stew. Because we were featuring the wine, not the food, that night, I kept the seasoning subdued. If you want more of a flavor punch try adding the optional red pepper flakes and/or doubling the garlic. It would have been nice if I had written down a real recipe, but I kind of made it up on the fly. Here’s how I reconstruct it. (FYI – All ingredients except the fresh thyme were purchased at Trader Joe’s.)

Polenta-Mushroom Bites
(Servings vary depending on how thick you slice the polenta and how much filling you put on each one.)

For the mushrooms

2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound of mushrooms, mixed mild and wild (I used a simple mix of white button and brown crimini since I was cooking for 60 and trying to keep costs down), cleaned, (note: if you use Portobello mushrooms, cut off and discard the black gills underneath the caps, otherwise your mushroom mixture will come out an unappealing muddy color) stemmed and thinly sliced. Then lay the slices on their sides and slice again, almost as if you were creating thin sticks or juliennes of the mushrooms. Alternatively, you could just chop the mushrooms. Or do some combination of the two techniques.
2 ounces of dried mushrooms (porcini or other wild mushroom or mix), soaked in hot water to cover for 30 minutes or until soft. Drain mushrooms but reserve liquid. Slice as above or chop. Strain liquid through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Discard solids.
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (if fresh thyme use ½ teaspoon dried)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper
¼ cup shredded cheese (I used a parmesan, fontina, asiago and mild provolone mixture.)

Heat oil in large sauté pan. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add fresh mushrooms. Sauté until water is released. Add reconstituted mushrooms. Sauté until water from mushrooms is evaporated. Add in reserved, strained mushroom soaking water. Sauté a bit, add in thyme and red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until mushroom mix is softened and cooked through. If mixture gets too dry add in a bit of water or stock. Stir in cheese until melted and well combined.

(To make ahead, make as above but do not add cheese. Add cheese after reheating. You may need to add more liquid when reheating.)

Polenta Triangles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1-24 ounce tube prepared polenta
oil or oil spray

Spray or brush cookie trays with oil
Slice polenta into even rounds about ¾ inch thick. Cut each round into thirds, so you have three more or less equal triangles from each piece. Place on prepared trays.
Spray or brush tops of polenta with oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until slightly golden and warmed through.

Assembly

Warm, baked polenta triangles (see above)
Warm mushroom topping (see above)
Shredded cheese or parmesan curls (optional)
Chopped, fresh herbs (either thyme or parsley)

Top each polenta triangle with a teaspoon or so the mushroom filling. Scatter a bit of the fresh herbs on top. (note, if using thyme, just use a pinch or so on each one). Place a parmesan curl or a sprinkle of shredded cheese on top and serve while warm.
The clean corn taste of the polenta with its slight crunch from being baked complements the richer, more complicated tastes of the mushrooms and makes for a great one or two bite appetizer.

Since they are best warm, we pressed two teen volunteers into service to pass the polenta-mushroom bites around. (Special thanks to Emma and Noah, aka Blog Appetit’s youngest son.) But honestly, the bites were still tasty even when they cooled and were fine put on a platter and left out for the party goers to help themselves.

Easter Parade

No Easter bonnets, but lots of great See's Candies' Easter treats in The Chocolate Box at Sugar Savvy. Hop on over to see what I wrote in this week's column. The picture above shows See's milk chocolate egg with white chocolate chick inside.

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Photo Credit: See's Candies

Healthy Recipe Roundup

Please check out Sweetnick's wonderful round up of good tasting, good for you recipes at ARF/5-A-Day #14. Blog Appetit's contribution is last week's paella recipe.