International Flavors

Winter days and nights are perfect for cookbook perusing or catching up on favorite cooking blogs and then trying out fun ideas that catch your eye. Lately we've been all about long braises and hearty vegetarian stews. Moroccan Squash and Chickpea Stew anyone? It was full of huge flavors of Butternut Squash, Saffron, Olives, Preserved Lemon and Garlic. You can find it on one of our favorite blogs smittenkitchen.com. All we changed was to add some sliced dried apricot. Another blog we love is davidlebovitz.com , especially for sweet stuff.

The only thing we love more than trying out other chef's recipes is to come up with some new ones of our own. Sometimes it's just a matter of opening the refrigerator and coming up with the best meal possible with what's on hand. Sometimes it's the happy challenge of a shopping trip to a new ethnic market or neighborhood. But as much as we enjoy the challenge, we've heard that a lot of folks get intimidated at the prospect of approaching the stove without a recipe or cooking without a net as we call it.

To that end, we've made a partial list of flavor "profiles" of many cuisines from near and far. It's a great place to start when putting together an extemporaneous dinner. For example... you've got some chicken breasts, mushrooms, onions & broccoli... and are communing with the spirit of Doctor Zhivago...
Cook off the chicken breast how you wish. Blanch the broccoli, drain and reserve. Bring water to a boil and cook some egg noodles . While noodles are cooking, warm some butter in a skillet to saute the onions and mushrooms, deglaze with a little vodka. Add some sour cream and paprika, toss with cooked noodles and keep warm. Melt a little butter, add saute the blanched broccoli, add some poppy seeds, season and toss. Place noodles on plate, place chicken breast on top and serve with broccoli. Voila, Leningrad Chicken, Romanoff Noodles and Babushka Broccoli.
Well ... you get the idea. Hope this inspires some happy cooking.

France
Anchovy, Artichoke, Asparagus, Bay Leaf, Butter, Caper, Chervil, Cheese, Chive, Cream, Duck, Endive, Eggplant, Foie Gras, Herbes de Provence, Lavender, Marjoram, Mesclun, Mustard, Nutmeg, Nuts, Olives & Olive Oil, Parsley, Pate, Potato, Rabbit, Rosemary, Saffron, Sausage, Shallots, Shellfish, Snails, Sole, Tarragon, Thyme, Trout, Truffle, Zucchini

Italy
Anchovy, Arborio Rice, Artichoke, Basil, Bay Leaf, Beans (Dried), Caper, Cheese, Cinnamon, Clove, Crushed Red Pepper, Eggplant, Fennel, Garlic, Greens, Honey, Lemon, Marjoram, Mint, Mushroom, Nutmeg, Nuts, Orange, Olives & Olive Oil, Pancetta, Parsley, Prosciutto, Oregano, Pasta, Pine Nuts, Polenta, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage, Sausage, Shellfish, Swordfish, Tomato, Truffle, Veal, Vinegar (especially Balsamic)

Spain and Portugal
Almonds, Anchovy, Bay Leaf, Beans (Dried), Chickpeas, Cumin, Fish, Garlic, Ham, Lemon, Olives & Olive Oil, Paprika (Sweet & Smoked), Parsley, Pine Nuts, Pork, Rice, Saffron, Shellfish, Sherry, Thyme, Tomato

Greece
Allspice, Anise, Artichoke, Beans (Dried)Cinnamon, Cloves, Cucumber, Dill, Eggplant, Fennel, Feta, Fruit, Greens, Grilled Fish, Honey, Lamb, Mint, Nutmeg, Octopus, Olives & Olive Oil, Oregano, Phyllo, Pita, Salads, Thyme, Tomato, Yogurt

Levant
Aleppo Pepper, Chickpeas, Chile Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Crushed Red Pepper, Cucumber, Cumin, Dill, Feta, Fish, Fruit(dried), Ginger, Goat, Honey, Mint, Nuts, Olives & Olive Oil, Oregano, Parsley, Phyllo, Pita, Pomegranate, Sesame, Sumac, Yogurt

Russia
Beets, Cabbage, Caraway, Caviar, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Dill, Fish (Smoked & Pickled), Fruit, Garlic, Mint, Mushrooms, Nutmeg, Paprika, Poppy Seeds, Potato, Sour Cream, Tarragon, Vodka, Yogurt

Morocco
Almonds, Chile Pepper, Cilantro, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Coriander, Couscous, Cumin, Fish, Fruit (dried), Ginger, Harissa, Lamb, Mint, Orange Flower Water, Paprika, Phyllo, Preserved Lemon, Ras al hanout, Rosewater, Saffron, Stews (Tagines), Sumac, Turmeric

Germany
Allspice, Bay Leaf, Beer, Caraway, Chives, Cinnamon, Clove, Cream, Dill (Leaf and Seed), Chive, Ginger, Horseradish, Juniper Berry, Mace, Mushrooms, Nutmeg, Paprika, Poppy Seeds, Vinegar

Scandinavian
Allspice, Aquavit, Bay Leaf, Cardamon, Cinnamon, Clove, Cucumbers, Dill, Fish (Pickled), Ginger, Juniper Berry, Meatballs, Mushrooms, Mustard, Nutmeg, Potato, Salmon(Gravlax), Sour Cream, Vinegar

Caribbean
Allspice, Bay Leaf, Chile Peppers, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coconut, Curry Powder, Fish, Fruit (Tropical), Garlic, Ginger, Goat, Lime, Molasses, Nutmeg, Plantains, Rum, Shellfish, Sugar (Brown), Tamarind, Thyme

Mexican
Avocado, Beans, Cilantro, Canela (Mexican or True Cinnamon), Chile Pepper, Chile Powder, Chocolate, Corn, Cumin, Epazote, Fish, Lime, Oregano, Peppers, Plantain, Rice, Sausage, Seeds, Shellfish, Tomato, Tortilla

South America (Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, and others)
Avocado, Cheese (fresh white), Chile Pepper, Chile Pastes, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coconut, Coffee, Corn, Cumin, Garlic, Ginger, Greens, Grilled Meats, Lime, Orange, Oregano, Parsley, Peppers, Plantain, Pork, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Raisins, Rice, Rosemary, Saffron, Sausage

Southeast Asia - (Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam)
Distinctive balance of salty, sweet, sour and spicy
Chile Pepper, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Clove, Coconut Milk, Curry Paste, Dried Shrimp, Fish Sauce, Galangal, Ginger, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaf, Lime, Mint, Shrimp Paste, Peanuts, Rice, Siracha, Soy Sauce, Sugar (Brown), Tamarind, Thai Basil

India
Allspice, Anise, Basmati Rice, Cardamom, Cauliflower, Chile Pepper, Cilantro, Coriander, Cumin, Curry Powder, Curry Leaves, Fenugreek, Ghee, Ginger, Greens, Lamb, Lentils, Mint, Mustard Seed, Mustard Oil, Nutmeg, Onion, Poppy Seeds, Potato, Saffron, Tamarind, Tomato, Turmeric, Yogurt

Chinese
Chile Pepper, Cinnamon, Dried Seafood, Duck, Five Spice Powder, Garlic, Ginger, Hoisin Sauce, Noodles, Nuts, Rice, Scallion, Shellfish, Sesame, Soy Sauce, Star Anise, Szechuan Pepper, Tangerine Peel, Tofu, Vinegar

Japanese
Bonito Flakes, Chile Pepper, Daikon, Dashi, Ginger, Mirin, Miso, Noodles, Pickles, Ponzu, Rice, Sake, Scallion, Seaweed, Sesame, Shellfish, Soy Sauce, Tea, Tofu, Vinegar, Wasabi, Yuzu

Onion Walnut Muffins

Here's something easy, warm and delicious for a snowy winter weekend. Or for a sunny California weekend. It's just that I'm looking out the window at another snow storm here in NYC.

NYC Chef Waldy Malouf used to serve these delicious savory muffins at the now shuttered Hudson River Club. We are happy to credit him for this crazy good recipe and love to serve these warm with first course salads.

It gets us thinking, maybe it's time to develop some more savory muffins... Cheddar, Corn and Bacon anyone? Maybe a Pesto, Pine Nut and Parmesan Muffin would be delicious with some Minestrone. Or... Tomato, Olive and Spinach. We'll get back to you should any of these succeed. Until then, give Chef Malouf's version a try.

Onion Walnut Muffins
1 Large Onion, pureed to make 1 cup
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
2 Large Eggs
6 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spray inside of mini muffin tins with non stick spray.
Peel Onions, cut into chunks and puree. Reserve 1 cup. In a large bowl, beat butter, eggs and sugar together with a whisk. Stir in reserved onion puree. Stir in remaining ingredients in the order listed. mix well, but do not over mix.
Divide batter into prepared muffin tins, filling almost completely full.
Bake 6 - 8 minutes until nicely browned.

New Year's Good Luck Menu

Here it is, a few days out from New Year's 2011 and we are busy finalizing a New Year's Eve menu featuring a whirlwind, round the world gathering of tradition foods to bring good luck in the New Year. Pretty interesting, so we thought we'd share.
Here's a partial list of the food and dishes that people feel will hearken a Prosperous New Year!

Lentils and Black Eyed Peas
Legumes like Lentils have a long standing connection symbolizing wealth due to their round shape which resemble coins it is said. Also, they swell as they cook symbolizing a swelling of wealth for those consuming them.
Similarly Black Eyed Peas symbolize coins, but also have a good luck connection apparently due to folk stories from the Civil War when the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi ran out of most food and survived on black eyed peas. Good luck indeed!

Pork
Pigs root forward with their noses, symbolizing progress and therefore are another New Year's food. Chickens on the other hand scratch backward, and should never be served on New Year's.
Pork's connection to fat and richness is another reason for it's place on the New Year's table.


Greens
As in folding money... and hence it's connection to the good luck meal. It's said the more greens your eat on New Year's the greater fortune you can expect in the coming year. In Germany it is consumed as Sauerkraut, in the American South, collards are the greens of choice.



Grapes
In Spain and many of it's former colonies, it's tradition to swallow twelve grapes on Midnight on New Year's Eve to bring luck to the New Year. There's two thing's we love about this tradition.
One - The level of sweetness in each grape is said to predict the sweetness (or lack thereof) in the corresponding month. Fourth grape a little sour? Watch out for April...
Two - The entire tradition of swallowing grapes is purported to have been started by the Alicante region of vineyards to handle an over-abundant harvest!

Fish
Cod specifically. The abundance and nourishment that Salt Cod brought to so many remote areas of the globe, before refrigeration of quick transportation, have insured it's legacy as a symbol of prosperity.


Noodles
The longer the better! Noodles have long symbolized longevity and New Year's is the perfect time to aspire to a long health and successful life!

Cakes
Cakes or cookies either round or ring shaped have a long history of being served at New Year's to bring longevity, symbolized by the continuity of the circle.

So choose your menu with care, but whatever you find on the table, all of us at DM Cuisine wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Sugar Spiced Nuts

There are many dishes we serve at DM Cuisine that can easily qualify as "Signature Dishes". Certainly the Caramel Glazed Baked Brie is one, Smoked Salmon in Dill Crepes another.... Then there's the Chocolate Budino Cake, Truffled Wild Mushroom Lasagna, and of course Le Croquembouche!

And there aren't many parties which are not graced with a bowl or three of Spiced Mixed Nuts. The version we serve most often is a mix of sugar, salt and spices that verge on addictive. True story, we have one client who has forbidden then to be served in his company because he can't control himself around DM's Sugar Spiced Nuts!

So here's the recipe for you to make at home. We can take no responsibility for uncontrolled consumption.

Sugar Spiced Nuts

1 egg white
1 Tablespoon Water
1 pound raw nuts (whole almonds, pecan or walnut halves (or unsalted mixed nuts)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Beat egg white with water until frothy. Combine with nuts and let drain in a sieve for 2 minutes.
Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Put nuts and sugar-spice mix in a large bag and shake vigorously to coat nuts well. Scatter on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss nuts with a spatula. Lower oven temperature to 225 degrees and return nuts to oven. Bake one hour longer, tossing the nuts every 20 minutes or so,until nuts are crisp. Cool and store in an air tight container or freeze.

Persimmon Pudding

Catering during the holidays brings some particular responsibilities. It's a time for tradition, and everyone seems to have their own take on which traditions most need to be followed. Christmas Ham? The Feast of 7 Fishes? Latkes? Buche de Noel? Hallacas? Goose???

Sometimes a client will ask us to prepare an old family recipe. This can often be a recipe for disaster as one never knows how much of the recipe Aunt Jimmy had in her head and how much really made it to the paper... But several years ago we were handed this recipe for Persimmon Pudding with the caveat that "Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without it". It has since become one of our favorites. It's simple enough to tweak as you wish. Maybe some orange zest, this year with added cinnamon and nutmeg, maybe a generous douse of brandy set afire as it comes to the table.

If you haven't cooked with persimmons very much, here's some info for you. There are two basic types on the market. Hachiya and Fuyu. The Hachiya are slightly elongated and the bottom comes to a tip. These needs to be squishy soft with a slightly translucent skin in order to be edible. Anything less than mush is inedible and will provide more astringent pucker than any person could handle. The Fuyu variety look like an orange tomato and are best when firm to the touch. For this recipe, use the Hachiya variety. You can make the persimmon pulp by peeling and seeding the persimmon and pureeing it in a blender or processor.
Here's the basic recipe:

Persimmon Pudding

butter and flour for lining mold
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup Hachiya persimmon pulp, overripe
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
2/3 cup dried fruit (we suggest dried tart cherries and raisins, 1/3 cup each)

Lightly coat the interior of a lidded mold (or heatproof bowl) with butter and flour. Set aside.

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together persimmon pulp, butter and sugar until blended. Add vanilla. Alternately mix the dry ingredients and milk into the persimmon mix. Stir in dried fruit.

Pour the pudding mix into the prepared mold, filling it 3/4 full . Attach the lid and tie in place with string. (If using a bowl, cover the bowl with parchment paper and then cover with a clean towel and enclose in aluminum foil.)
Place mold in a large steamer, or on a raised rack in the pan, add an inch or so of boiling water and steam over low heat for 5 hours. Keep an eye on the pot and add more hot water as needed to keep a steady supply of steam.

Remove from steamer and let cool completely. Unmold carefully and serve with spiced whipped cream.

Late for Latkes

Well Hanukkah 2010 has passed and we are clearly late with our Latke post. But we feel they are just way to delicious to let that stop us, so here's to all things fried, especially potato pancakes.

Lots of cultures have some form of a potato pancake. Many of them are tasty too. But the classic Jewish potato latke, with a generous dollop of sour cream and a garnish of chunky applesauce is the stuff of many a Hanukkah craving and a good many goyisha daydreams as well.

For this you want to stay simple: potatoes, onion, egg and a dash of flour. And don't skimp on the oil when you fry them. The crispy crust is the key to their soul warming goodness.

Potato Latkes

You'll want to make sure you don't crowd the skillet. Fry these latkes in batches. Keep them warm in a low oven, single layer, on a paper towel lined baking sheet. unless of course you've got an appreciative crowd around the stove, eating them as quickly as you can make them.

This should make 12 - 14 latkes, 1 1/2 - 2 inches diameter

1 1/2 pounds Idaho russet potatoes, peeled
1 large onion, peeled

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, whisked in a small bowl
vegetable oil, approximately 1/2 cup, divided


Lay a clean kitchen towel on your work surface. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes onto the kitchen towel. Then grate the onion onto the shredded potatoes. When finished, gather up the ends of the towel and tighten the towel to enclose the shredded potato mix in a "ball". Over the sink, squeeze the towel with the potato mix, until all the liquid has dripped from the mix. Transfer the potato mix into a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup flour, egg, salt and pepper, and combine well. Squeeze the mixture in your hand. If it holds together fairly well, you are good to go. If it is too loose to hold together add another Tablespoon or 2 of flour, then proceed.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/3 cup oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Spoon 1/4 cup potato mixture loosely into a dry measuring cup. Pour mixture into pan, and flatten slightly. Repeat until pan is full but not crowded. Probably about 6 latkes. Sauté a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove latkes from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining oil and potato mixture.

One of our former chefs David Bonom, now a big time food writer, has an inspiring article all about latkes in the December 2010 Cooking Light magazine that we are recommending highly. He puts fresh thyme in his latkes which I think sounds like the perfect amount of tinkering with a classic. Moving further afield he also includes recipes for a Southwestern inspired and jalapeno spike latke and a Curried Butternut Squash version that I'd like to garnish with an Indian Raita. Check them out.

Once you have the classic latke under your belt, feel free to substitute a portion of the potato with carrots, yams, celery root, parsnips, any starchy vegetable will do. Or you can try adding chopped mushroom, shredded spinach or fresh herbs for extra pizazz.

Ginger, Vanilla and Pine Nut Biscotti

Now that we've satisfied all those Thanksgiving cravings of stuffing and pumpkin and such, our yearnings are now focusing on Holiday Cookies. While DM always supplies a few sweet bites at the end of our catered meals, and even our cocktail parties from time to time; it's also a tradition to toss some specific holiday sweets into the mix during December. Hand Decorated Sugar Cookies, Miniature Gingerbread Men, Chocolate Peppermint Stick Marshmallows, and those Pecan Snowballs covered with powdered sugar. We also always include some biscotti. Especially after dinner, this not-too-sweet cookie is a perfect garnish to a meal. Try one dipped into the last bit of wine in your glass.


Ginger, Vanilla and Pine Nut Biscotti
1 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, very cold and diced 1/4" pieces
3/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup Crystalized Ginger, roughly chopped
2 large eggs
2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped

Preheat oven to 350*
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Put flour mixture into the bowl of a food processor and add cold butter. Pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add pine nuts and crystalized ginger.
Return work bowl to the processor and add eggs, sugar and vanilla bean. Process briefly until very well mixed. Add egg mixture to the flour mixture and work it together by hand until a dough forms. Divide in half and roll into logs
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. Form each log of dough into a rectangle on the parchment approximately 13" X 2 1/2" x 3/4".
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 250*. Remove baking sheet from the oven and cool for five minutes. Slice the biscotti crosswise about 1/4" thick. Rearrange biscotti, laying flat, on the baking sheet. Return to oven and bake until cookies are dry, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in an air tight container.
Makes at least 5 dozen.