Summer salads, hot with the fire

Fourth of July is on the way and whether it's a small affair with the family or a huge backyard bash, everyone will be barbecuing. While burgers and steaks will be sizzling on the grill, readers may also be tempted by out-of-the-ordinary salads and desserts that cook well with the kiss of flame.



Karen Adler & Judith Fertig, from their recently released summer grilling book BBQ Bash: The Be-All, End-All Party Guide, From Barefoot to Blacktie (April 2008, The Harvard Common Press), have a few suggestions. Colorful, tasty, and easy to prepare with their straightforward instructions, these recipes allow cooks to spend more time at the grill, instead of running back and forth to the kitchen to get other dishes prepared.


Grilled Greek Taverna Salad
As a side dish to serve with grilled chicken, fish, or steak or as a summery meal on its own, we love this version of the traditional Greek salad. The romaine lettuce and red onion sizzle on the grill for extra flavor. Make this when summer tomatoes are at their peak.


Makes 6 to 8 servings

Greek Vinaigrette
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano Kosher or sea salt
and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 large red onion, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
2 hearts of romaine lettuce

Olive oil, for brushing
3 small cucumbers, diced
3 medium-size tomatoes, diced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup oil- or brine-cured kalamata olives, pitted

To make the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.



Prepare a hot fire in your grill.



Thread the skewers with the onion slices so that they look like large lollipops. Cut the hearts of romaine in half lengthwise. Brush the onion slices and the romaine halves with olive oil. Grill the onion slices for about 5 minutes per side, or until blistered. Grill the romaine, cut side down, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the lettuce has browned.



Chop the romaine and onion and arrange on a serving platter. Top with the cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the top and serve.



Grilled Pink Grapefruit and Orange Salad with Fresh Avocado


This easy, refreshing, and colorful salad looks and tastes great. Grilling the citrus fruit adds just a touch of caramelization and makes the fruit even juicier. And the aroma? Fabulous!



Makes 8 servings

Lemon-Pepper Dressing

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon clover honey 1

/2 cup olive oil Kosher or sea salt

and freshly ground black pepper to taste






3 pink grapefruit
3 large oranges
Olive oil for brushing
One ripe but firm avocado, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

Prepare a hot fire in your grill.



To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl; set aside.



Trim the ends off the fruit (but do not peel), then slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Brush the slices with olive oil and grill for 1 minute on each side, or until slightly browned. Arrange the slices on a platter and top with the avocado. Pour the dressing over all and serve immediately.



Grilled Chocolate Crostini
Who says dessert has to be difficult? This one is chic, but oh so easy. Karen remembers a delicious breakfast in Belgium with chocolate sprinkled on homemade buttered bread. Similar to s'mores, but not quite as messy, this is a grownup version for the grill. Serve with a bowl of juicy ripe strawberries.


Makes 16 crostini


One 10-inch baguette
6 to 8 ounces good-quality milk or bittersweet chocolate, in bar or block form
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Coarse kosher or sea salt for sprinkling

Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill.

Slice off the ends of the bread and then slice the bread on the diagonal 1/2-inch thick, to get 16 slices. Break or cut the chocolate into 16 pieces. Place bread, chocolate, oil, and salt on a baking sheet and carry out to the grill.



Drizzle the bread with a little bit of olive oil and place over the fire to toast (1 to 2 minutes). Turn bread over and place on the indirect-heat side of the grill. Place a piece of chocolate on each slice of bread. Close the grill lid and let heat for a couple of minutes. Remove the crostini from the grill and set on a serving dish. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and devour while warm.

On the thrill of the grill

As was Andy, we, too, were enticed by Thrill of the Grill last night, after an afternoon episode of Memorial Day grilling (chicken breasts, boneless, rubbed with chili powder, sprinkled with garlic powder and black pepper and doused in beer near the end of their cooking.)

Part of our attention to TOTG came because the 5-year-old keeps wanting Bobby Flay to come down here for a cornbread throwdown with her. She wrote him a letter to that effect and got an autographed picture in return; a big hit. Her cornbread is good, real good, by the way, especially with a side of pulled pork barbecue.

Anyway, the grilling culture in the U.S. continues to be a source of fascination and cookbooks. In Wednesday's food section, we've got a slew of grilling recipes that are a little different from the traditional fare. Mario Batali lends an Italian twist to grilling, and it's an interesting result.

Smokin' hot ribs ... signs of summer

Do you smell smoke?
Anytime a walk through the neighborhood makes you think of barbecue, that means it's approaching summertime in the south.

"The warmer it gets, the more time we'll be spending with family and friends on porches, fire escapes, decks and lawns across the country," said Sandra Grey, public relations and marketing communications manager for CUTCO Cutlery. "Embrace all that summer has to offer by preparing your own blue-ribbon barbecue just steps outside the back door."

Judith Fertig, CUTCO Culinary Advisory Board member, cookbook author and one half of the famed Barbecue Queens, offers her expertise on grilling, barbecuing and smoking meat.

There are a few points to clear up first. Technically speaking, she said, grilling and barbecuing are not the same, but barbecuing and smoking are. And while you can barbecue foods that you grill, you shouldn't grill foods that you barbecue. Got it? It's an excellent point, so keep it in mind when you plan your summer eating.

In the book "The BBQ Queens' Big Book of Barbecue," which Ms. Fertig co-wrote with fellow queen Karen Adler, the differences between grilling and smoking (barbecuing) are made clear.

These techniques aren't really that dissimilar, she said. The difference is direct vs. indirect heat, and knowing how and what to cook will allow you to get the most flavor out of your food.

Grilling is hot (300 to 500 degrees) and fast. Meats that are best suited for this direct-heat method of cooking are already tender, like chicken breasts, pork chops, pork tenderloin, steaks, fish fillet, shellfish and vegetables.

Smoking, on the other hand, is "low and slow" (200 to 250 F for several hours) next to a low fire with fragrant wood or herbs added. Meats that perform well with the indirect heat used in smoking are those that require a longer cooking time to tenderize, like beef brisket, pork loin, spare ribs and pork shoulder or butt.

"The great thing about smoking, however, is you can also smoke foods that you grill," Ms. Fertig said. "These foods may take longer to cook but they'll take on the flavor of the wood smoke."

While grilling may seem like second nature, the details of smoking may be, well, a little smoky. So Ms. Fertig has offered a few pointers to help clear the air about smoking meat on the grill at home.

Gather the right tools.

• Cleaver or Butcher Knife to separate ribs before cooking.
• French Chef Knife to mince herbs for smoking.
• Long-handled Barbeque Tools, like a spatula, tongs and fork to manage the coals and meat during cooking, and keep your hands safely away from the heat of the fire.
• Carving Knives for smooth slices brisket or loin.
• Of course, have the Table Knives at the ready to savor the delicious results.

Set up your grill for an indirect fire.

• Charcoal grill: Prepare a direct first. Once the coals are hot, create an area of the grill that's free of the direct heat of the coals, whether you choose to move the coals with a long-handled barbecue spatula to one side or to bank them in two piles on either side of the grill. Place a disposable aluminum pan filled with water on the direct heat side, next to the hot coals because long cooking times call for extra moisture for the meat. Place hard wood chunks, chips or pellets for wood smoke flavor on top of the coals and replace the grill grate. Be sure to leave the grill vents partially open. Closing them will extinguish the flame.
• Gas grill: The grill must have at least two sets of burners to cook with indirect heat. Light the burner on one half of the grill. If the grill has three burners or more, light the outer burners and cook in the center of the grill rack. Add water-soaked wood chips, dry compressed wood pellets or even herbs to a foil packet pierced with holes and place on grill rack over the direct heat. Also place aluminum pan filled with water over the direct heat, again to maintain the meat's moisture.

Enjoy this award-winning recipe for Simply Smoked Pork Ribs from the Barbecue Queens.

Simply Smoked Pork Ribs

Suggested wood: A combination of hickory and cherry. Serves 8

3 whole slabs (about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds each) baby back ribs

1 cup barbecue spice seasoning mix

1 cup clover or other medium-colored honey

1 (12-ounce) squeeze bottle margarine

1 (14-ounce) ounce bottle smoky, spicy barbecue sauce
The day before cooking, remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Sprinkle with the rub on both sides. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare an indirect fire in your smoker.

Cover and smoke the ribs at a temperature of 225 to 250 degrees F.

After 2 hours, the rib meat should have pulled back from the tips of the bones. Turn the ribs over, drizzle the ribs with half the honey and margarine and brush all over the surface of the meat. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Turn the ribs again, drizzle with the remaining half of the honey and margarine and brush on the surface of the meat. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. As a final glaze, brush the ribs on both sides with some of the barbecue sauce, then smoke the ribs for a final 15 minutes. To serve, leave as whole slabs, or cut into individual ribs. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

C is for 'cookie'... and 'cold'

Time, it's been said, is fleeting.

But the desire for cookies is everlasting. Anyone with a cookie monster in the house knows this. They also know the desire for homemade cookies doesn't always coincide with the time and energy to church out some goodness.

Therefore, the folks at the Culinary Institute of America have their own version of pre-made cookies. Except instead of paying four times the cost of ingredients to buy them at the store, you assemble the dough and slice the cookies, then freeze them. That lets you take out however many cookies you want at any time, any day.

They're the original "slice and bake" cookies. Do you think Grandma sat around all day mixing and measuring, waiting for your arrival?

Not hardly.

She threw together batches of her favorite cookies ahead of time, froze the dough, then sliced and baked them straight from the freezer, perfectly timed for your arrival.

Making refrigerator cookies is simple, quick and gives you the flexibility to cook as many, or as few cookies as you need, when you need them.

The basic method starts with creaming softened, room temperature butter with the sugar until light. This process cuts sugar crystals into the fat, creating tiny air pockets which expand during baking. Leavening further inflates these tiny air pockets, giving baked goods their lift."

The secret to making great tender cookies is not to over mix," says Alison McLoughlin, chef instructor at CIA. "As soon as you see the dough come together you are done."

After mixing, shape the dough into a log on a large sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Roll the wrap around the dough, forming a long log. Wrap completely then freeze for one hour, then slice and bake. For longer freezer storage, wrap a piece of heavy duty foil around the wrapped log and freeze for up to two months.

Slice them while still frozen for even, thin slices and turn the log every few slices to avoid flattening the dough. Bake them according to recipe directions, adding a minute or so if still fully frozen.

The following recipes are explained and illustrated in The Culinary Institute of America's Gourmet Meals in Minutes cookbook (Lebhar-Friedman 2006, $40)

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 16 cookies
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed with the paddle attachment, scraping down the bowl periodically, until the mixture is smooth and light in color, about five minutes.

Combine the eggs and vanilla. Add to the butter-sugar mixture and blend until fully incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in the sifted dry ingredients and the chocolate chunks until just incorporated.
Shape the dough into one sixteen-inch log on a piece of waxed or parchment paper, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate or freeze until firm enough to slice into sixteen pieces. (Dough can alternatively be scaled into two-tablespoon portions and baked immediately.)

Arrange the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets in even rows.
Bake at 375 until golden brown around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely on cookie sheets.

Sand Cookies

Makes 42 cookies
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup coarse sugar

Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and lemon zest on medium speed until smooth and light, about three to five minutes.

Add the flour all at once and mix on low speed until combined.

Divide the dough in half and roll into six-inch long cylinders, about one and one-quarter-inch in diameter. At this point, the cookies may be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen or refrigerated for later use, or they may be prepared for baking.

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350. Brush the cylinders of cookie dough with milk and roll them in coarse sugar.

Cut the logs into one-quarter-inch thick slices, sprinkle the tops with additional coarse sugar, and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

New grilling cookbook

Grilled T-Bone Steak with Whipped Horseradish Cream, Bacon-Wrapped Scallops and Grilled Portobello Mushroom Stacks and Grilled are among some of the recipes in the new book from Napoleon Gourmet Grills, which has teamed up with celebrity chef Ted Reader to launch a lavishly illustrated cookbook that is sure to satisfy even the most discerning grilling aficionado.

“Napoleon’s Everyday Gourmet Grilling” demonstrates how to create hors d'oeuvres, main courses and desserts. Detailed directions, provide readers with tips and tricks for creating a picture-perfect meal. The book features more than 125 recipes from the kitchen of one of the most flamboyant chefs in North America.

“Whether it’s at the cottage, at home, or for a special occasion, here are all the ingredients for creating a menu that will have everyone asking for more. Eating al fresco has never been so enjoyable. This book shows us how far grilling has come and how there are no limits to the type of food you can cook on a grill,” said Ted Reader. “Napoleon has the most versatile cooking system being able to grill, roast, rotisserie, smoke, bake and infrared cook, so it’s a perfect fit,” he added.

Award-winning cookbook for diabetics

How can a diabetes cookbook win Best in the World, when the old stereotype for a “diabetic meal” is bland and flavorless? Jackie Newgent's The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook: The Whole Food approach to Great Taste and Healthy Eating (American Diabetes Association; 2007), broke through all the stereotypes last month when it won the 2007 Gourmand Best Health and Nutrition Book in the World Award in London, England. Created to increase knowledge of and respect for food and wine culture, the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards reward those who “cook with words” and help readers find the best out of the 26,000 food and wine books produced every year.

Newgent, a registered dietitian, is a New York City-based culinary nutritionist, recreational chef instructor and consultant. Newgent’s inspiration for the cookbook was her father. She explains, “After my dad was diagnosed with diabetes, I wanted to be sure he had diabetes-friendly recipes that were tasty and easy to follow. Finding no all-natural book that met the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, I decided to write my own.”

Tableside California Avocado-Black Mission Fig Guacamole
Serves 12
Serving size: 3 Tbsp
This chunky guacamole is not any ordinary guacamole. It has figs in it! You might find this fruity, yet spicy, figgy guacamole is better than the original.

2 Hass avocados, peeled and cubed
3 fresh Black Mission figs, diced, or 2 dried figs, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
1 small jalapeño pepper with seeds, minced
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
Gently stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until just combined. Serve with baked blue corn tortilla chips.
Exchanges:
1/2 carbohydrate
1 1/2 fat
Calories: 90
Calories from fat: 617 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
150 mg sodium
8 g total carbohydrate
4 g dietary fiber
3 g sugars
1 g protein

Curry Chicken Breast Salad with Red Grapes in Wonton Cups
Serves 4
serving size: 3 wonton cups
Enjoy exotic-tasting chicken salad as a fun finger food. These fancy little cups will be a big hit at your next party.

12 wonton wrappers
1 cup finely diced, cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, chilled
1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp mango chutney
1 tsp hot Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
3 Tbsp diced celery
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, thinly slice horizontally
2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a nonstick mini-muffin tin with natural butter-flavored cooking spray and press a wonton square into each cup of the tin, forming awonton cup. Lightly coat the wonton cups with cooking spray and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, yogurt, mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder and salt. Then add the celery, grapes, and cilantro and stir.
With a spoon, stuff about 2 Tbsp of the salad in each wonton cup. Garnish each with a tiny sprig of cilantro or a red grape sliver, if desired.
Exchanges:
1 1/2 carbohydrate
1 lean meat
1/2 fat
Calories: 190
Calories from fat: 546 g total fat 1 g saturated fat
35 mg cholesterol
330 mg sodium
20 g total carbohydrate
1 g dietary fiber
6 g sugars
14 g protein

The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook is a crossover book written to appeal to people with diabetes and those who are simply looking for ways to live a healthier life. It features 150 recipes that focus on whole foods and unprocessed ingredients.

A guide to growing your own kitchen garden

Garden centers are fair to popping with seedlings for vegetable gardens, and, this weekend’s predicted cold snap notwithstanding, it’s a perfect time to plan what will go in the ground for summertime goodness.

All of us can’t have an acre garden. (Those of us who actually grew up with garden plots that large can actually do without vast rows and rows of produce and the labor that went with them.) But even if you aren’t set up to have your own garden, it’s cool to have some new recipes to apply to fresh, seasonal produce.

Just out this month is “Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes,” (Running Press Books/April 2008/$35.00) by Jeanne Kelley. (And there’s a farmer in Randolph County who has chickens that produce blue eggs, so don’t laugh.

A longtime Bon Appetit contributor, Kelley has made the idea of urban sustainability a culinary goal. Despite her Los Angeles zip code, Kelley’s backyard kitchen garden allows her to indulge her desire for fresh, organic produce year ’round. It’s also home to her pet goat and Araucana chickens, which provide her plentiful milk and the gorgeous sky blue eggs that are the namesake of her cookbook.

On the surface, this doesn’t appear to be a book for “novice” cooks or those who don’t have the income or time to seek out fresh produce. Don’t be fooled by it’s cover, though. The recipes aren’t run-of-the mill dishes you’d find at the local “meat-n’-three,” but they don’t appear to be hard, either.

There are 150 recipes designed to take advantage of local and seasonal foods while incorporating exotic flavors into the everyday diet. They’re elegant, but not hard. Among them:
Hummus with Jalapeno-Cilantro Pesto
Mexican Fruit Gazpacho Salad
Whole Grain Tartines with Ricotta, Walnuts, Cherries, Honey, and Mint

Kelley points out that ease of preparation is an emphasis. In addition, she shares stories on how she created her urban oasis: a kitchen-garden primer that celebrates the simple joy of growing your own produce, plus brief guides on container and community gardens, raising and keeping backyard chickens, composting, and growing your own exotic ingredients.

Kelley attended La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. For the past 20 years she has been affiliated with Bon Appetit magazine and has been a contributing editor for the magazine since 1999. She has developed recipes for more than 60 features ranging from easy desserts to elaborate holiday menus. Kelley is a frequent contributor to Cooking Light magazine, and many of her recipes and articles have appeared in the Los Angeles imes Magazine, Natural Health, Islands, and Spa magazines.

Learning the essential foods

Food as fuel – and a component of health – gets another advocate next month with a new cookbook from Rodale Books, the folks who do Prevention and a host of other published products geared toward healthy eating and living.

Foods rich in micronutrients, essential protein, fiber, the right carbohydrates, easy preparations, and more ─ these are the essentials in Dana Jacobi’s new book "The Essential Best Foods Cookbook" (May 2008; Rodale Books; Paperback; $23.95; 32 full-color potos). Jacobi has written six cookbooks and written for Food & Wine, Cooking Light, and the New York Times. Her work has won a Gourmand World Cookbook Award and has been twice nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award. She teaches cooking classes in New York City, where she lives.

Building on the repertoire she presented in “12 Best Foods Cookbook,” which presented the spinach and fruit salad (right), Jacobi expands her list to 61 superfoods and creates 225 easy recipes that incorporate those ingredients.

One element to this book: Jacobi explains the science and theory behind why these foods are “essentials” to daily living. The recipes – from tomato soup to Waldorf salad – appear to be fairly mainstream, with healthier variations giving them a twist. Many “health” food cookbooks can’t say that.

The recipes feature tips, including basic techniques for grilling, baking, pan-searing, and poaching, and serving alternatives. And since lack of time frequently challenges those who want to eat more healthfully, many recipes are ready in 30 minutes or less.

Herb-Stuffed Flank Steak
4 to 6 servings
For the marinade
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the meat and stuffing
1 (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pound) flank steak
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese

For the marinade: In a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the wine, lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper and shake to combine. Add the 2 tablespoons oil and set aside.

For the meat and stuffing: Place the meat on a work surface with a short end facing you. Using a long, thin knife, cut the meat in half horizontally from side to side, stopping about 1/2 inch short of the second side so that you can open the cut steak like a book. Place the opened steak in the bag with the marinade, seal and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium. If using charcoal, mound the briquettes toward one side of the grill.

Place the garlic on a cutting board. With a heavy knife, chop and smear it to a paste. Place the garlic paste in a small bowl and add the parsley, thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil.

Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Discard the marinade. Lay the meat on a work surface so what was the seam lies horizontally and the grain of the meat runs from left to right. Cover the meat with the filling, leaving a 1-inch border at the top. Sprinkle on the goat cheese. Working from the bottom, roll the steak up like a jelly roll. Thread toothpicks along the edge to seal the roll closed.

Grill the meat over direct heat, turning it every 3 minutes to brown it on all sides, for 9 minutes in all. If using a gas grill, turn off the center row burners. If using charcoal, move the meat to the cooler side of the grill. Cover and grill the meat over indirect heat, starting to check at 8 minutes and removing the steak when a thermometer inserted in the center registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium. Let the steak stand for 10 minutes, then cut crosswise into slices.

NUTRITION Per serving (based on 6): 269 calories, 29 g protein, 1 g carbohydrates, 16 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 59 mg cholesterol, 348 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fiber
AP-NY-04-09-08 1329EDT

A writer who's gone corny

The author of the cookbook “The Cornbread Gospels,” Crescent Dragonwagon, will be signing copies of the book on 2nd Street next to the Lodge Product Tent during the National Cornbread Festival, April 26-27.

"The Cornbread Gospels" will be available for purchase for $14.95 in the Lodge Product Tent and then taken to Dragonwagon for signing. Dragonwagon will also provide the history of cornbread from the competition stage on 2nd Street several times during the festival.

The author of numerous children’s books and the cookbook “Passionate Vegetarian," Dragonwagon traveled to family reunions, stone-grinding mills and the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburgh, Tenn., hearing stories, tasting breads and learning the secrets of America’s favorite bread. Her research produced over 200 irresistible recipes for cornbreads, muffins, fritters and pancakes. The book includes a local favorite, Cornbread Salad!

“The Cornbread Gospels” is also available at the South Pittsburg Lodge Factory Store, at 503 South Cedar Avenue. (For more details on the Cornbread Festival, click Traveling Diners under the Labels heading to the left.)

Coming to Your Table

Forget turning a young man's fancy to love -- spring is for cookbooks, and some fine ones are out there this season.

For Wednesday's food section of The Star, we talked to Southern chef, teacher and author Virginia Willis about her book due out next month, "Bon Appetit, y'all." Wonderful stories, practical recipes with elegance and panache... and a deviled egg recipe that calls for whipped butter in the filling.

Pat Kettles gets us Uncorked with wines that pair with grilled cheese (see the posting on here for other recipes) and Prudence Hilburn lends her Gourmet Touch to cakes that uses ingredients at home in most pantries.

There are the restaurant inspections, tips for healthy eating and more than a dozen recipes coming Wednesday to Your Table.

Baked beans for a dreary day

Today’s dreary weather has me in the mood for something warm and hearty. Nothing compares with baked beans for easy, cheap comfort food – “comfort” being determined by price and simplicity, as much as flavor.

People living in North America have been using the syrup from maple trees for centuries. At the Culinary Institute of America, the curriculum on maple syrup includes a bit of Indian folklore suggesting that a great hunter by the name of Woksis was one of the first to discover maple syrup. He had apparently swung his axe into a maple tree and discovered that the tree “cried” sap from the gash in the bark. The sap collected in a vessel beneath the tree, and Woksis’s wife, thinking it was water, used it to prepare a stew. As she heated the water she noticed its sweet smell and taste, and realized that it was not water, but the first batch of maple syrup.

It takes about 40 gallons of the golden brown maple sap to make one gallon of syrup. Maple syrup production, or “maple sugaring,” begins anytime from February through last month.

The Northeast is the only place where natural conditions exist for maple sugaring. New Englanders produce 1.2 million gallons, to a tune of $40 million to $50 million annually.
According to Chef Bruce Mattel of The Culinary Institute of America, using maple syrup in recipes adds a woodsy sweetness unmatched by refined sweeteners.

“Typically, when cooking or baking with maple syrup, three-quarters of a cup can replace one cup of sugar in your recipe. Moisture is added with the syrup, so adjustments to the liquid in a recipe should be made, usually reducing it by a few tablespoons per cup of syrup.”
He also notes that the addition of maple syrup can cause baked goods to brown more quickly, so be sure to adjust your oven temperature slightly.

The Culinary Institute of America’s Maple Syrup Baked Beans is a sweet New England classic with a deep, rich flavor. You can cook this recipe in the slow-cooker (if you want the simplicity of one-pot dining.) Just let the soaked beans cook on low 10-12 hours.

Maple Syrup Baked Beans

6 servings
2 cups dried navy or Great Northern beans, soaked overnight
8 sliced bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt as needed
Freshly ground black pepper as needed

Drain the beans and place them in a pot with enough fresh, cool water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, or until a bean is tender enough to mash easily.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Drain excess water from the beans and place them in an ovenproof casserole.

Cook the bacon over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet until limp. Using a slotted spoon transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the bacon to the beans.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat in the pan. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat until tender and slightly brown. Add the onion to the beans.

Add the maple syrup and mustard to the beans and stir to blend thoroughly.
Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the casserole loosely with foil and bake in the preheated oven 2 to 3 hours. If the beans seem too dry, add up to ½ cup water. The beans are done when the liquid is very thick.

And here’s a simple accompaniment from Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America cookbook (2004 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Boston Brown Bread

Makes one loaf
Flourless cooking spray for greasing
1/2 cup boiling water plus extra for hot water bath
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan or a 1-pound coffee can with cooking spray.

Pour the boiling water over the raisins and let plump for 10 minutes. Sift the flours, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the center of these dry ingredients and set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat together the buttermilk, molasses, and egg. Drain and stir in the raisins, discarding the plumping liquid.

Pour the wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter is smooth. Pour batter to the prepared loaf pan or coffee can.

Cover the loaf tightly with aluminum foil, then place it inside a larger pan or casserole (the sides of the larger pan should be taller than the loaf pan). Pour enough boiling water into the large pan to come halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. (If you are using a coffee can do not fill the can completely; leave at least one inch at the top for the bread to rise while baking. Cover the can with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil.

Place the filled can in a stock pot or similar large pot with ovenproof handles. Add enough boiling water to cover about two-thirds of the coffee can. Depending on the size of the pan, you may have some batter left over.) Tightly cover the larger pan with foil and place in the preheated oven.

Bake undisturbed for 2 1/2 hours. Insert a skewer into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, the bread is done; otherwise, continue to bake another 15–20 minutes. Do not open the oven door while the bread is cooking, to keep the temperature consistent.

When the bread is done, remove the loaf pan from the larger pan and remove the foil. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan or can for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges, turn the loaf out onto a wire rack, and cool slightly. Serve while still warm.

Green in the kitchen

Early spring is a great time to “go green” in the kitchen. As our thoughts turn to gardening and farming (Earth Day is April 22), it’s time to turn over a new, green leaf.
In early spring, farm markets will put out their first crops of the season – peas, asparagus and early greens.

The Culinary Institute of America’s Thai Fresh Pea Soup uses fresh peas and green curry to create a subtle twist on an old spring classic. It can be prepared in under half an hour so you'll have plenty of time to get outside and work in the garden.

“Once you puree the soup in a blender, make sure to taste it for flavor and texture,” says CIA Chef Eve Felder. “Adjust the flavor with salt. If you prefer a smoother consistency, push the soup through a strainer to remove the skins.”

The CIA has a video demonstration of this recipe.

Thai Fresh Pea Soup
Serves 8
6 cups vegetable broth, plus as needed
1 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoons green curry paste
8 cups shelled peas (thawed if using frozen)
Salt and pepper as needed
1 teaspoon lightly toasted mustard seeds
1/4 cup chopped mint

Add about 1/2 cup of the broth to a soup pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and curry paste. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the peas, cover the soup, and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool for at least 10 minutes before pureeing with a handheld blender. Strain the soup through a sieve and reserve the liquid if you are using a countertop blender or food processor. Add the solids to the blender jar or food processor bowl; do not overfill. Add a little of the liquid, replace the cover (without the vent from the lid or feed tube), and puree until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary to help puree the solids.

Transfer the pureed soup to a clean pot. Continue until all of the solids are pureed. Blend the soup and adjust the consistency by adding some of the remaining reserved liquid. (The soup is ready to finish now or it can be cooled and stored up to 2 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer.)

Return the soup to a simmer over low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the soup in heated bowls, garnished with the toasted mustard seeds and chopped mint.

Nutrition analysis per 11-ounce serving: 140 calories, 8g protein, 26g carbohydrate, 1g fat, 860mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 8g fiber.

The Asparagus with Shiitakes, Bowtie Pasta, and Spring Peas uses three different varieties of peas – sugar snap peas, snow peas, and green peas – for a bright, spring flavor. The vegetables are cooked minimally to help retain their bright green flavor and natural sweetness.

Asparagus with Shiitakes, Bowtie Pasta, and Spring Peas
Serves 8
3 pounds asparagus, peeled and trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper as needed
1 cup snow peas
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 cups frozen green peas
2 cups dried bowtie pasta
1 tablespoon butter
3 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons chopped marjoram
2 bunches scallions, split lengthwise, thinly sliced
Parmesan, shaved, to taste

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil to blanch the peas and a large pot of salted water to boil to cook the pasta. Preheat the broiler.

Toss the asparagus with the oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Place in a baking pan under the broiler, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Slice the asparagus on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces and reserve.

Cook each type of pea separately in the boiling water until almost tender, about 2 minutes each. Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon or small strainer and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and reserve. (The vegetables can be prepared in advance and held in covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.)

Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender to the bite, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, reserving some of the pasta water to adjust the consistency of the dish.

Heat the butter in a sauté pan until it begins to turn brown. Add the shiitakes and shallots and sauté until they are light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asparagus, green peas, snow peas, sugar snap peas, marjoram, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Sauté, stirring or tossing, until the vegetables are thoroughly heated, about 3 minutes.

Add the hot pasta and toss the pasta with the cooked vegetables and scallions until evenly blended. Add a little of the pasta water to moisten the dish if necessary. Serve on heated plates and top with shaved Parmesan.

Nutrition analysis per 12-ounce serving: 370 calories, 23g protein, 52g carbohydrate, 9g fat, 430mg sodium, 5mg cholesterol, 14g fiber.

These and other green recipes can be found in The Culinary Institute of America's Vegetables Cookbook (2007 Lebhar-Friedman), which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or online.

A new store of memories

The package sat at the front door, propped up against the bricks like a bum looking for a handout. Inside -- culinary gold. If food culture could have a time capsule, this book is it in hardback, glossy form. This is how we ate before convenience foods and Condensed Soup Casseroles. The ingredients, for the most part, are inexpensive. The preparation is simple.

Our story begins a few weeks ago when I sent in a response to an insert in the paper offering reprints on the 1950 edition of Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book. Cookbooks are to me what gold coins are to Leprechauns -- ye canna evveh hae' enough. I have my grandmother's one cookbook: the 1938 edition of The American Woman's Cook Book, which is so back-to-basic, it tells you how to render your own lard and kill your own chicken. I thought the 1950s model from Betty Crocker would be a nice gap-filler between post-Depression U.S. and the trendy food books I gather like lint.

The book had arrived and awaited me on the porch. That night, after everyone had gone to bed, I sat down with what has become my new BEST WEDDING GIFT for 2008. This thing is a gold mine, not just of recipes from yesteryear, but a snapshot of how a huge segment of American society used to live. Or tried to live.

Breaking down the recipes: The organization is brilliant. Each section features a series of Master Key recipes for basic elements any self-respecting housewife would make in 1950. (No sexism intended, but this book was made for housewives of that era. Some tips also are clearly geared towared women who had "help.") From those key recipes, there are dozens of variations. Master the basic recipe, and the world was your oyster. Or sponge cake.

Such simplicity reminded me of the dishes my grandmothers used to make. That was the day when there was probably only one cookbook in the house (this one), and every meal was from-scratch homemade. Later in the 1950s and 1960s, the Condensed Soup Casserole and convenience foods would descend upon American kitchens, and we would never be the same.

There are hundreds of recipes, almost all of which would still be relevant and useful today.

(Unlike some of my 1930s-era recipes, many of which are dated simply because you can't find a good beef lung these days.....)

Breaking down the pictures: The step-by-step photographs would be invaluable to the folks (generally younger) who call in wanting to know how to do some basic techniques. The color "beauty shots" of the dishes show the trouble people used to go to for everyday dinner.

Then there are those delightful 1950s-era line drawings. Totally Americana, totally retro. Interspersed are gems of history, trivia and food knowledge.

Of course, the raging feminists among us will be outraged -- YES, OUTRAGED -- at the suggestions for houswives on how to have cheeful household. Moms (yours truly included) will snicker at the idea of knitting or listening to relaxing music while the children nap. Wives of all stripe will say, Yeah, right, to the idea of noting interesting events and sights that can be related at dinnertime conversation. Or the idea of going to the market "in person" whenever possible.

Still. That was the way of the day, at least for an upper to middle-upper crust society.

Brennan's guide to New Orleans seafood

Walk around the French Quarter in New Orleans, and it’s impossible not to note the name Brennan and its meaning to the city’s restaurant culture. There’s the Red Fish Grill, moderately priced and approachable. Dickie Brennan has a steakhouse, and BACCO and Ralph’s on the Park have become standards. Anchoring them all is the classically pink Brennan’s – the original concept on Royal.

With this history comes Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook (Vissi d’Arte Books; April 2008; hardcover/$45.00).

There are classics of Louisiana brought about by this third-generation Brennan: Seafood gumbo, a shrimp remoulade, trout Amandine, Crawfish Ravioli and crabmeat lasagna.

“In New Orleans, cuisine is a great leveler— home cooks can be just as passionate about our food culture as the high-profile chefs in a fine-dining establishment,” says Brennan. “We created this book to demystify seafood and provide everyone the opportunity to create unique New Orleans seafood recipes at home.”

The recipes are enhanced by “A Seafood Cook’s Manual,” a guide to Gulf seafood covering everything from finfish, crabs, crawfish, shrimp, oysters, frog legs and ’gator. There are tips and advice, and illustrated step-by-step instructions, on handling, storing, and preparing raw seafood. A complete list of premier local and national vendors of seafood, spices, condiments, and cocktails is included to provide home chefs with the key ingredients needed to create the authentic flavors and tastes of New Orleans.

Top it off with classic NOLA desserts: Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce & Roasted Pecans; Chocolate Bread Pudding with Two Chocolate Sauces & Almond Bark; Lemon Icebox Pie; Fluffy Sweet-Potato Pie; Creole Red Velvet Roulade with Café-Brûlot Crème Anglaise

“New Orleans has a unique culture of food, music, and history, plus a joie de vivre not found anywhere else in the U.S.,” Brennan explains. “Our cuisine generates a passion and a bond shared by just about everyone whether it’s in the eating or the cooking. I put this cookbook together in order to bring this passion to kitchens everywhere.”

Grilled Redfish “on the Half-Shell” with Maître d’Hôtel Butter

The title of this recipe comes from the cooking method, which calls for grilling only on one side, with the scales and skin side down. The benefits are increased succulence and flavor. Baking or broiling does not achieve the same results, since the heat source must come from the bottom. Hickory chips will impart sweetness, although mesquite and other woods suitable for grilling can be substituted. Soaking the hickory will increase the smoky flavor.

For 6 servings

Advance Step: Prepare the recipe for mâitre d’hôtel butter (below)

Special Equipment
• An outdoor grill
• Hickory (or your favorite) wood chips
• A broad, large, and sturdy spatula
• A heat-proof platter, if grilling the fillets in batches

For the fish
Salad oil (not olive oil) for brushing onto the grill rack and fish fillets
6 redfish fillets with skin and scales still attached on one side, each 6 to 8 ounces, neatly trimmed, including removing the “belly” if still attached
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
A few tablespoons of dry white wine, if grilling in batches
1 recipe mâitre d’hôtel butter (below)

Clean the grill rack with a wire brush and preheat it until it is hot. Then add wet or dry hickory or other wood chips. Brush the rack with a thick wad of paper towels saturated in salad oil, holding the paper towels with long-handled tongs so you don’t burn yourself.

Place the fillets skin down on a work surface. Make sure the skinless sides are free of any loose scales. Brush the skinless sides with salad oil, and season each fillet evenly on the skinless side with 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning.

Once the grill is ready, place the fillets directly on it, skin side down, and cook until they are done, about five to eight minutes. The cooking time will vary according to the heat of the grill and the thickness of the fillets. (Watch closely so the fish does not overcook.) Do not turn over the fillets. Use a broad, large and sturdy spatula to lift each fillet from the grill at least once while cooking so it doesn’t stick excessively. To test for doneness, insert the tip of a knife into the thickest part of a fillet to separate the flesh a little to assess if it’s cooked all the way through.

If cooking the fillets in batches, transfer the cooked fillets, skin side down, to a heat-proof platter placed in a warm spot, and drizzle the fillets with white wine to keep them moist while grilling the remaining fish.

Serving Suggestion
Once all the fillets are cooked, serve immediately, skin side down on heated dinner plates. Top the fillets with rounds of mâitre d’hôtel butter, using a total of 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter for each serving.

Maître d’hôtel butter

In its classic French version, beurre maître d’hôtel contains simply butter, chopped parsley and lemon juice. But many New Orleans cooks like to add a few personal touches, such as garlic, thyme, shallots and even Herbsaint, the anisette liqueur that originated in the city.

Compound butters can provide a delightful finishing touch to an almost limitless number of dishes, especially grilled fish and poultry, and meats cooked in various ways. They also come in handy for finishing simple sauces and whenever you want to add a little extra flair to vegetables and starches.

Maître d’hôtel butter, like all compound butters, can be shaped into a log and rolled in parchment paper and plastic for storage in the refrigerator or freezer. When needed, it is sliced as you would slice a log of cookie dough.

For about 9 tablespoons

1/4 pound unsalted butter, left at room temperature until very soft
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced Italian (flat-leaf) parsley leaves
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients together in a medium-size mixing bowl, whisking until well blended.

No-Knead Bread

An interesting thing to try. It was easy enough to make but lacked any exciting flavor. My loaves had a nice hard outer crust and tender bread on the inside. Fresh from the oven and buttered, it was tasty.
Laura gave me some ideas I could do with spices that sound like it may be the trick to making this bread have a little more flavor.

Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

1-1/2 tablespoons rapid-rise yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees)
6-1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

In a large bowl, mix yeast and salt into water. Stir in flour all at once, mixing with a wooden spoon until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not airtight. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).
Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and cut off a quarter of it with a serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Set dough on a lined or cornmeal-dusted pizza peel; let rest 40 minutes (see tips). Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it for as long as two weeks.
Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking (pizza) stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.
Dust dough rounds with flour, and slash tops of each with serrated knife three times. Slide onto hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes.
Bread-pan variation: If you don't have a baking stone, form each stretched round of dough into an oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let it rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack and bake as directed above.
Cool breads completely on a rack. Makes 4 (1-pound) round loaves, 8-10 slices each.

-- Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe FranCois.
(Thomas Dunne, $27.95).