Flirty, Girly Jessie Steele Aprons

I think that the aprons a cook chooses to wear in the kitchen say as much about her personal cooking style as a signature dish. A simple, solid Williams-Sonoma apron may reveal a cook's preference for classic dishes or focus on pure, simple ingredients. On the other hand, a flashy, patterned apron may reveal a cook's flair for creative flavor combinations and fusion cooking. My apron style (and cooking style) is somewhere in the middle, or oscillating between the two. Compromises like the floral Williams-Sonoma classic or the ruffled creations from Anthropologie have been my favorites to-date, and now I'm adding a new apron to my kitchen closet -- a hostess apron from Jessie Steele. Jessie Steele's aprons have a sweet sophistication, thanks to her attention to details like tiny bows, cute pockets and delicate patterns. The French hostess apron at Sur la Table (below) is the best of both worlds.

Movie Menu Theme Night: Waitress

This little movie has so much heart, it has to be shared. What better way to enjoy it than with a group of girlfriends, some pie crust and a pantry of ingredients to make your very own passionate, personalized pies, like Jenna's I Hate My Husband Pie: “You take bittersweet chocolate and don’t sweeten it. You make it into a pudding and drown it in caramel..."

Invite three of your closest friends to a Waitress Pie Party (more than 4 people total and you may not be able to fit all of the pies in the oven). At the store, gather a bunch of ingredients like fresh berries, chocolate, instant puddings, chocolate, caramel and butterscotch sauce, marshmallows, dried fruits, nuts... whatever strikes your fancy! If you don't have enough pie pans for everyone, buy a few of the aluminum pans at the store as well, or, if you plan ahead, you could instead use this as an excuse to buy some mini pie pans for you to keep and reuse later.

For a simpler variation on the same movie theme, you can use one of Jenna's recipes. I like the sound of the "Mermaid Marshmallow Pie". I found a recipe by the same name on RecipeCircus.com that sounds very easy to make and eat!

Marshmallow Mermaid Pie

9 graham crackers
1/2 C. sweetened, flaked coconut, toasted
5 Tbs. butter, melted
34 lg. marshmallows (8 oz.)
1/2 C. whole milk
1 1/2 C. heavy or whipping cream
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine coconut and graham crackers in food processor until coarse crumbs form. Combine crumbs and butter with fork. Press to bottom and side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 minutes and cool on wire rack. Heat marshmallows and milk in 3-qt. saucepan over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Remove saucepan from heat. Cool completely (30 minutes.) In large bowl with mixer at medium speed, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold marshmallow mixture into whipped cream with grated chocolate. Spoon filling into cooled crust. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours or overnight. Top with mini marshmallows.

As a favor for your guests and for another fun project to tackle while you're enjoying the movie, get a plain apron for everyone to decorate themselves and take home.

Have fun! I'd love to hear how your Waitress Pie Party turns out!

Mojito Heroes

At this point the mojito trend has made it even to the most distant outposts of society. Not quite trendy in the city anymore, but still popular, every restaurant around is trying to reinvent the cocktail with their own unique twist. Even mango and raspberry mojitos now border on passé, but if you're a mojito-lover, have no fear -- here are a few new variations on mojito that will surely prevent this drink from going the way of the cosmo:

Kumquat Mojito
(from Food and Wine, June 2008)

Ingredients

20 kumquats ( 1/2 pound), halved lengthwise
1 cup mint leaves
One 10-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 3/4 cups white rum
1 quart club soda
1 large lime, cut into wedges

Directions

In a large pitcher, combine the halved kumquats and mint leaves. Using a large wooden spoon, vigorously muddle the mixture. Pour in the juice concentrate, rum and club soda and squeeze in the lime wedges. Fill the pitcher with ice and serve.

Kumquats can be found in the specialty fruits section of most grocery stores, and they are eaten whole -- no peeling necessary. They're delicious on their own, and make beautiful cocktail garnishes as well!

Cherry Mojitos
(Martha Stewart Living, May 2007)

This recipe features vodka, rather than the usual rum.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice (about 9 limes)
3 pounds dark cherries, such as Bing, pitted (a cherry pitter isn't necessary, but it makes the process a lot more pleasant!)
1/4 cups black cherry vodka (like Effen Cherry vodka)
1 (750 ml) bottle sparkling water

Directions

Bring sugar and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat; let cool completely. (Makes about 2 cups syrup.) Syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 month.

Put lime juice into a medium bowl. Halve 2/3 of the cherries; add all cherries to lime juice. Stir in syrup. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight). Stir cherry mixture and vodka in a large serving bowl. Fill 12 glasses with ice. Spoon 1/2 cup cherry-vodka mixture into each glass. Top with sparkling water; serve immediately.

Do you have another favorite mojito ingredient? I've tasted watermelon, coconut, green tea and blackberry mojitos and they're all delicious. Pretty much any fruit will work, so try making up your own mojito and please let me know how it turns out!

Gadget of the Week: Prepara "Herb-Savor"

Why grocery store herbs come in such enormous bunches is a mystery to me. I never use them up fast enough, and then feel guilty about wasting the excess... I have actually hunted recipes so that I can use up the rest of my cilantro. It's not a big problem - zucchini, potato and cilantro soup is pretty delicious - but I'd rather save the leftovers to be used for the next time I'm making my own guac or salsa.

Until I have enough counter space for an AeroGarden, this little gadget might just save the day: the Prepara "Herb-Savor" from Sur la Table. The product's claim is that it can prolong the life of cut herbs for up to three weeks. You fill the bottom part with water and store it in the fridge. Sounds like it's worth a try!

P.Y.O. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Nothing kicks off Summer like getting up early in the morning and going to pick your own strawberries. There's something so romantic about gathering the berries, hot and juicy in the morning sunshine, and then bringing them home to make a fluffy shortcake or tart strawberry rhubarb pie.

It was a tradition in my family to get up at 5:00 am on strawberry-season mornings in late June to be among the first pickers in the field. Even in Northern Maine it was a race to get into the fields first and pick the ripest berries -- on those June mornings you might even see "traffic" on the dirt roads to the best berry farms. We'd all come home with berry-stained shirts, but nobody was as much of a berry fiend as my little brother -- he'd plop down in a corner of the field and eat every berry in sight. The farmer made idle threats that she should start weighing him before and after letting him onto the field so she could charge my mom for the difference.

Berry-picking season is just getting started in the Boston area and will last for a couple of weeks, so you have plenty of time to get out to the closest farm and pick your own sun-riped berries. If you can manage to restrain yourself enough and not eat all of your berries on the way home from the farm, try my mom's amazing strawberry rhubarb pie recipe below.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Pastry Dough Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon cold butter (no substitute) cut in pieces
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling Ingredients:
4 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut in 1/2" chunks
2 cups stemmed, halved strawberries
3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch

Pie Crust Pastry Directions:
In a food processor whirl the butter, flour, sugar, and salt until you have fine crumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of ice water and whirl. If it does not form a ball, add one more tablespoon of ice water. You may need more or less depending on humidity, so add the water gradually. Do not process any longer than necessary for a tender crust. Roll dough on a heavily floured board to fit your pie plate for one bottom crust and one top crust. Place the crust in a deep dish pie plate and fill.

Filling Directions:
Mix all ingredients and pour into the crust.

Pie Assembly & Baking:
Place the top crust over the filling and pinch the edges of the pie to seal the crusts together. For a shiny, sparkly finish (not necessary, but a good portion of being a true apronista is in the presentation), use a pastry brush to brush on a tablespoon of milk, and then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Protect the crust with a ring of aluminum foil or a crust protector. Place the crust protector over the pie. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove the pie crust protector and bake another 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the crust is golden.

Variation:
Instead of using two pastry crusts, substitute the top crust with a buttery streusel topping. We recommend using only 3/4 cups of sugar in the pie filling if you use the streusel crust.

Streusel Topping:
3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Add all ingredients to the food processor bowl and whirl to fine crumb. Gently pour over the filling and pat gently. Follow standard recipe baking instructions.

Boston.com recently featured a great list of P.Y.O. berry farms in the Boston area. Check out the list and the recipe, and let me know how your pie(s) turn out!

Wear Your Passion for Cooking!

If you love cooking and fun, unique jewelry, then you might fall in love with these little jewelry items as much as I did. Yes, they might make you feel a little bit like Ms. Frizzle (a children's book character who had the perfect outfit and earrings for every field trip, see link for her outerspace field trip attire), but they're so charming!





I love the whisk earrings on the left. They remind me of a beloved pair of earrings I had when I was in college that looked like tiny paint tubes.



For a guy who really loves breakfast, and I mean really, REALLY loves breakfast, these cute little bacon and eggs cufflinks just might be a perfect gift. However, my dad really likes breakfast and I know he would be horrified if I showed up with these as his Father's Day gift (and even more so if I told him that they are $300 at Barney's!).

Top Chef Finale: Who will win and what will Padma wear?

Even the most vapid reality show premise can usually muster some addictive drama. Top Chef goes well beyond that, adding real fire and spice to the entertainment. This season in particular has been especially fierce, and of course the most melodramatic character (Lisa) has managed to make it into the very last episode, even though she's been in the bottom two week after week. Like Jade from ANTM Cycle 6, she just won't go away!

Thankfully my favorite is still in the running, and I'm hoping that Stephanie will pull through with a well-deserved victory tonight. She has the best attitude and the best dishes, but Richard has contributed the favorite recipes in the past couple of episodes, so it's still anyone's game.

Stephanie made reality TV history when she actually avoided drama by trying to pair her competitors with the castoffs that she thought they would work well with. Can you imagine a combo of Dale and Lisa? Dale and Stephanie are actually friends from before the show began and except for his mistake of leaving porkbelly out overnight in Finale Part 1, I think Dale will be an asset to Stephanie in the home stretch.

I will definitely be tuning in this evening to see what happens, and to see what the fabulous apronista-of-the-moment, Padma Lakshmi, will be wearing. She has a keen eye for delicious dresses and accessories, like the gorgeous sundress she's wearing on the right.

Which Top Chef finalist would you like to see win tonight? Did Richard's sweetbread dish knock your socks off? Did Lisa's tostones make you run right out to Whole Foods for some plaintains? Are you still lamenting Spike's scallop scandal from 2 episodes back? Please take a minute to vote for your favorite finalist in my Top Chef poll on the right, or leave a comment below!

Spring Flower Pot Cakes

I just discovered The Pioneer Woman blog, and in so doing, a whole world of new recipe ideas to try, like these spring flower pot cakes. Very girly and sweet, these little treats would be perfect for a girl's birthday party or a shower. Just follow the instructions at the link above to layer sponge cake, ice cream and Oreo cookie crumbs, decorate with an edible flower and "ta-da!" -- you'll have a whole table full of tasty blooms in no time.

I will be a regular reader of The Pioneer Woman from now on. The "Cowgirl Recipes" all look delicious!

Sassy Summer Sangrias

There's nothing quite like sipping an icy cold glass of sangria in the summer. A sweet and fruity red wine sangria is certainly delicious, but have you tried making your own white wine sangria? The lighter white wine flavor can take on fruits with brighter flavors, including fruits like peaches, raspberries, mangoes, kiwis and even rhubarb. Here are a few of my favorite white wine sangria recipes. They're not just delicious -- they're sassy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria
(from Blueprint Magazine, Summer '07)

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, halved and scraped
5 stalks rhubarb, 4 coarsely chopped, 1 cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
4 ounces brandy
1 bottle sparkling rose
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
2 limes, juiced

In a saucepan, combine granulated sugar, 1 cup water, and the vanilla bean. Simmer until sugar dissolves, turn off heat, and add chopped rhubarb. Cover for 5 minutes. Break up rhubarb with a spoon and set aside for 30 minutes, then strain.

Crush 12 berries into the brandy in a bowl; let sit for 30 minutes. Strain. Combine brandy mixture, rose, red wine, superfine sugar, lime juice, and the rhubarb syrup in a pitcher, and stir in rhubarb slices and rest of strawberries. Serves 6.

(I always leave out the vanilla bean and it's still delicious.)

Sangria Flora
(from Food & Wine Magazine, July 2008)

Ingredients:

One 750-milliliter bottle Sauvignon Blanc
1 1/2 cups St-Germain elderflower liqueur (or elderflower cordial)
1/4 cup Cointreau
6 strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 raspberries
2 peaches, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 orange, thinly sliced crosswise
1 pound green and red grapes
Ice

Combine all of the ingredients in a pitcher and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours, or cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve in wineglasses over ice.

Do you have a favorite sangria recipe? Please leave a comment and share your favorite white wine sangria ingredients!