Coaching Cooking

As the weather in California remains ever changeable, I find myself thinking about tropical weather and tropical fruit. Recently, my mom had a banana tree in her yard that bore fruit (but, sadly, this fruit was inedible…).

This got me thinking about bananas and how they remind me of summer and of a great children’s book character named Emily Bartlett (one of Beverly Cleary’s…check her out). Anyway, I decided to find some great banana recipes both sweet and savory. Enjoy them and dream of summer…

For those of you who can still deal with Emeril (okay, yes, clearly I don’t respect him as much as I used to), here’s an Emeril banana recipe catalogue.

I have an endless curiousity about all things French and this blog, Chocolate and Zucchini, has been a favorite of mine for a few years now. Here’s a link to a banana cake, and banana pecan muffins.

I haven’t made this recipe before, but I’ve always adored everything about Bananas Foster. Here’s a link to the famous New Orleans’ restaurant, Brennan’s and their Bananas Foster.

For the obvious, go to bananas.com and check out a few recipes from around the world.

It’s six foot, seven foot, eight foot BUNCH! Daylight come and me wanna go home…

My Asian sistah, Monique, always devises these fabulous dishes that are so creative and delicious. This week she came up with a fabulous carrot salad. This salad is really versatile and it is SO good! Thanks to Momo for being my partner in crime and for inspiring me to make food that kicks ass!

Momo’s Carrot Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups of shredded carrot (about 8-10 large carrots)
1/2 cup of raisins
2 cups of fresh or frozen corn (see instructions below for the difference in prep)
4 tablespoons of honey mustard salad dressing
2 tablespoons of garlic ranch salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of yellow mustard

Optional:
Add one or more of the following to this recipe:

4 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts
4 tablespoons of toasted, slivered almonds
2-3 green onions, white parts and some of the green tops sliced

Directions:

If you’re using fresh corn, remove all the corn silk and cut all the corn kernels off the cob.

If you’re using frozen corn, blanch the corn in a medium sauce pan of boiling water with some salt for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Shred the carrots using a hand grater or the grater attachment to your Cuisinart. Place the shredded carrots in a large bowl and stir in the rest of the ingredients. This salad can be chilled before serving for at least an hour or it can be made the day before.

Momo’s carrot salad is great with barbecued meats and great as a vegetarian side for a picnic or as part of a light supper.

We ate that salad with a gorgeous 2004 Nuits Saint George, but I also recommend a white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc or even a red wine such as a Syrah. My sense of wine pairing is that you can pretty much drink what you like with food that you enjoy and it all works out in the end.

Bonne Sante!

Thursday is just the appetizer to the weekend. It’s just a tease, a whisper of a day before that big Friday rolls along and you get to savor the weekend. And Friday is the day when I like to kick back with a hot cocktail and some cold, hard gossip. Take the edge off of my time in public school with some frivolity. Spend a little time mocking the crazy lives of celebrities all from the comfort of my couch while I tip back and savor a fruity drink. The drink of choice this week is the mai tai.

Mai Tais are classic island cocktails. They represent the silly joy of paper umbrellas and the kick-in-the-pants rum and fruit congo that begins in your mouth and travels straight to the brain. Since I suffer from the Asian flush (okay, I enjoy it too, sometimes, in the privacy of my own home where my red cheeks just make me look blushy and wonderfully red-eyed…and sometimes I wish I could hide my intoxication a little better!), I must say that Mai Tais are a sure-fire way for me to ride the alcoholic highway with my low-tolerance cape and my boozy-breathed conversations. And Mai Tais taste so wonderful (yes, maybe I should have said that first!).

Here are some recipes to get you started:

A brief history of the Mai Tai

An authentic recipe for Mai Tais plus a little history (and another recipe that uses POG…pineapple-orange-guava juice blend)

Another recipe, this one has orgeat syrup

Here’s a chicken satay appetizer recipe as a tasty companion to the mai tai. I may someday regret consuming so much Thai peanut sauce, but I haven’t regretted it yet!
I bless you with fruity wishes and rum-filled dreams…sail on into evening with the strains of a ukelele…

Figs signify winter, abundance, ancient lore and sensuality. They also taste great raw or cooked in many different dishes. I love the color of figs: lush pink and white interiors and dark purple skin. They look beautiful on a fruit platter or as a topping on an appetizer. Dried figs also lend a rich, sweet texture to stuffing or cookies or fillings for roast meat. The history of the fig dates back to biblical times and they were introduced to the United States in the 16th century.

My favorite fig recipe incorporates a savory fig jam with toasted baguette slices and goat cheese. It looks so wonderful with some fresh fig slices on top and it makes the perfect appetizer for a winter party or for a fancy gathering. This fig and goat cheese crostini pairs well with any food-friendly wine that matches the flavors of fig, shallots, goat cheese, and thyme. I also think this appetizer pairs well with prosecco or a dry, sparkling wine like a sparkling shiraz or a dry, California champagne-style wine.

On to the kiwi berry…

I had the fortune to try this amazing fruit during a brunch with friends last weekend. I never even knew that this fruit existed! It has all the great elements of a kiwi fruit without the annoying fuzzy skin that is IMPOSSIBLE to peel. You just pop the kiwi berries in the mouth like other berries. These fruits also look great sliced (so they would be the perfect addition to cocktails or fruit salads or as a garnish for a tropical fish entree). More about the kiwi berry here. The kiwi berry also has five times the Vitamin C of an orange. Wow! Great taste and good for you goodness. I’m mostly excited to incorporate these unusual fruits in easy salads and cocktails (or even sangria). These fruits are available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and some local stores. In Mountain View, the Milk Pail has kiwi berries plus a host of other exotic fruits (and amazing cheeses, trust me).

There was some beef leftover from our delicious Valentine’s Day fondue dinner. I also had some pea pods, red onion and udon noodles plus soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha chili sauce. At times, some of the most satisfying meals come from whatever is in the fridge.

Lazy Friday Beef Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cubed beef ribeye (or any cut of beef)
1/3 cup of sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups of pea pods, washed and ends trimmed
1 package of udon noodles (these can be found in the supermarket near the tofu, usually placed near the produce section by the other refridgerated Asian items)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons of canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions:

Cook the udon noodles in the microwave with 2 cups of water for about 4-5 minutes until the noodles are warmed. Drain the noodles and set aside.

Marinate the raw beef cubes in the soy, sesame oil and sriracha hot sauce for a few minutes while you prep the vegetables.

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a nonstick pan on high heat. Quickly cook the pea pods for a few minutes. Then set the pea pods aside until later.

Add the remaining tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and saute the onions until they are browned and tender. Then add the beef and cook for about 5-6 minutes so that all pieces of beef are brown on all sides.

Cook the beef until medium or medium-rare. You can test one cube of beef while the rest is cooking. Cut a cube of beef in half to check the doneness.

After the beef is cooked to your liking, add the udon noodles and pea pods and stir together. Continue cooking everything for a few more minutes so all the flavors combine.

This noodle dish tastes great with ginger ale or beer. Here’s a quick cucumber salad that makes a great side dish:

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
1 cucumber, washed, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2-3 teaspoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold. Add black and regular sesame seeds for color. You can also add chopped cilantro leaves on top.

Kumquats are a fruit that remains much of a mystery to me. I have tasted them and they taste like bitter oranges with very thin skins. What to do with the lilliputian kumquat?

Alice Waters, in her book “Chez Panisse Fruits,” kumquats “sweet-tart flavor provides a nice accent in savory or sweet dishes. Also, these fruits seem perfect as an edible garnish. Although I have no experience cooking kumquats, I have a feeling that they would really spruce up dishes cooked in the winter months. Kumquats are best during the winter, according to “Chez Panisse Fruit.” I think I remember seeing kumquats as decorations in wreaths, Christmas trees, and winter holiday dinners (kumquats, cranberries and other winter fruits around the roast turkey, for example).

Librarian Jenny has another link on the history of the kumquat provided by Purdue University right here. According to this site, the kumquat is believed to be native to China although it has been cultivated elsewhere including in Japan and states including California, Florida and Texas.

Kumquat Growers, Inc. has a website with several recipes for cooking with kumquats including Kumquat Refridgerator Pie and Whole Preserved Kumquats.

Other interesting recipes that I came across in my search for the kumquat:

Waitrose.com offers an interesting Catalan Toast and Kumquat appetizer recipe. It sounds like a simple, but intriguing twist on tomatoes with toasted country bread and garlic (almost like a Spanish bruschetta).

The Cottage Smallholder offers a way to imbibe kumquat by infusing gin or vodka with fresh kumquats in a Kumquat Liqueur recipe.

Epicurious offers a heavenly-sounding recipe for Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Kumquat-Jalapeno Relish. I’m never one to turn down a good roast pork. The kumquat-jalapeno relish combines sweet, spicy and tangy flavors of apricot, jalapeno and kumquat. I may have to try this one very soon!

Sadly, this year marks a bad year for oranges. And for me, it’s sad because I truly love this fruit. It looks gorgeous in salads, it is delicious as a healthy dessert, and its cheerful color always brightens dishes ranging from fruit salad to fish to chicken.

Here’s a recipe that I’ve used for years. It incorporates oranges, red onion and avocados and has the tangiest dressing. I make it a lot for parties and potluck dinners and it is always a favorite. As Monique and AB say, “this is not the salad of my people.” And it just doesn’t matter because this salad tastes fantastic!

Mayan Salad:
myfavoriteknife.JPG

Ingredients:

1 head of red butter lettuce
1 head of regular butter lettuce
1 small red onion, sliced into thin, half-rounds
1 ripe avocado
2 oranges, peeled, seeded and sliced (remove the pith)
1 grapefruit, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves (optional)

Ingredients for the dressing:
1/2 cup of good olive oil
1/4 cup of white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
small pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions:
Mix together the ingredients for the dressing and set aside. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces after washing. Cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces. Toss the lettuce, red onion, avocado, orange slices and grapefruit slices together in a serving bowl. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing right before serving. Enjoy this salad with Mexican food or as a light lunch with a bowl of soup or a sandwich.

The strawberry-pineapple guava is a fruit that I’ve loved since the first time my neighbor called me over to see her tree. Since then, my mom regularly harvests the guavas every spring (and interestingly enough, she lives in our neighbor’s old house tree and all).

According to CRFG, the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, the pineapple guava (also known to me as the strawberry pineapple-guava) is also known as the Feijoa or the guavasteen. It is native to many South American countries including Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The fruit itself is green with smooth skin. Inside, the fruity flesh is white when it is ripe although at times it also has a yellowish and pinkish tinge.

For those of you who love lichee fruit, I encourage you to try the pineapple-guava if you ever get a chance. The fruit tastes sweet and a bit tangy (much like kiwi or lychee fruits) and it can become such an addictive flavor.

The first time I tried pineapple-guava I remember that we cut the fruits in half and then scooped out the juicy fruit with spoons. My sister and I must have stood in the kitchen for at least a half hour, eating the guavas rapidly and tasting the delicious and tangy strawberry-pineapple-guava flavors.

Ahh, I can’t wait for spring and pineapple-guavas. Oh, and sunshine!

Apricots are one of my favorite fruits from childhood. I loved–and still love–dried apricots and their chewy, tangy taste. Then, as a teenager, I remember picking fresh apricots from a tree in our sideyard. They smelled so fragrant and their skins were peachy soft. Fresh apricots are perfumed with delicate flavors plus that delicious tang. We would pick the apricots fresh from the tree and slice them carefully in half. The juices would run down our hands and I remember just how sweet they were!

Fast-forward to the present…AB works late on most nights and I like to reward him with a great meal (hey, I’m a feminist, but I also believe in eating well!). So last night I decided to make stuffed cornish hens with apricot-shallot-cornbread stuffing.

I cheated this time and used the box stuffing and added chopped, dried apricots and quartered shallots, garlic cloves and lemon. There are times when it pays to be an ambitious chef and times when it’s nice to eat a wonderful meal without the Herculean strength of a sous chef.

So, to wit, here’s the recipe for Apricot-Shallot-Cornbread Stuffing:

Ingredients:

1 box of cornbread stuffing mix
4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 ½ cups of water
½ cup of dried apricots, chopped into medium dice

Directions:

Prep the apricots, garlic and lemon. Prepare the cornbread stuffing according to the package directions and add in the appropriate amounts of butter and water plus the apricots. Set the stuffing aside in a medium-sized bowl.

If you plan to use the stuffing with Cornish hens or chicken or turkey then prepare the meat according to instructions or a recipe. After testing the meat internally to make sure it has reached the proper degree (the stuffing box has instructions for this) add the stuffing to the meat of your choice. Place sliced lemons, whole cloves of garlic into the meat before roasting it. Remove the lemons and garlice before stuffing the meat with the cornbread stuffing about halfway into the roasting process (again, the stuffing box has the instructions for when and how).

Bon appetit!

The cherimoya has been tasted and it tasted like:

(at first bite)
apples
cheese
kiwi

(at second bite)
pear
kiwi
pineapple

Definitely an interesting experience that I would repeat. I had a suspicion that the cherimoya would taste like several things that shouldn’t be eaten together. Fortunately, it tasted tropical with a combination of delicious fruits (and a richness not unlike cheese, but in a good way!).