Lime Spiced Cashews

Spiced nuts are such a perfect snack for entertaining.  They  take minutes to make, they can be made a few days in advance, and they have that easy to munch quality that'll keep your guests coming back for just one more handful... and one more... and one more...  They can also be a great opportunity to bring together different flavors without appearing intimidating.  Here we combine just a tiny bit of hickory smoked flavor with the spice of various ground peppers and top it off with the fresh, sweet and sour taste of lime.  These nuts pack a shocking amount of flavor and are so much healthier than any of the prepackaged stuff. 

Ingredients

5 ounces plain, unsalted cashews

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

1 ½ tablespoons Spice Mix

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 limes, cut into wedges

Spice Mix:

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

¾ teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground thyme

½ teaspoon oregano

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and spices together.

In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the cashews, ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, and 1 ½ tablespoons spice mix.  Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, until cashews turn golden brown.  Take off heat, and sprinkle another ¼ teaspoon kosher salt on the cashews.  When cashews have cooled, squeeze fresh lime juice over the spiced nuts. Remaining spice mix can be saved for another time.

The Good Food Awards 2012 January 13-14

Photo credit: Marc Fiorito

Now in it's second year, the Good Food Awards comes to the San Francisco Ferry Building this weekend. It's a celebration of food in the categories of beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves and spirits. The awards draw attention to the most delicious, authentic (no artificial ingredients) and responsible food (GMO-free, respect and fair compensation). More details on the guiding principles here.

The awards are a great way to learn about some of the best speciality foods being produced in America today and if you come to the award ceremony or the marketplace, a chance to meet the makers firsthand. After the winners are announced, the winning products and the rest of the finalists and even last year's winners, will be available nationwide in a dedicated Good Food Awards e-store on Gilt Taste. Other sponsors include Whole Foods Market, Williams-Sonoma and Bi-Rite Market so expect some of the winners to be carried at those stores as well.

Last year's winners included some of my favorite things, including prosciutto from La Quercia, Red Hawk cheese from Cowgirl Creamery. the Salty Sweet Cashew bar from Charles Chocolates and the Ellelle Kitchen's Central Coast Raspberry jam. If you are not in the industry and attending the Fancy Food Show next week (or even if you are), this is a great way to discover new and tasty things.

Marketplace
Taste, buy and celebrate the award winning products from craft producers in 26 states who are redefining ‘good food’ by creating products that are not only tasty, but also authentic and responsibly produced.

Saturday, January 14, 9:00am-2:00pm (8:00am-9:00am with Early Access ticket) at the San Francisco Ferry Building
General Admission: $5 suggested donation at the door
Beer &Spirits Garden: $12 (includes 5 tastes and entry to Marketplace)
"Early Access" Tickets: $15


Awards ceremony & reception
Meet the 99 Good Food Award Winners, mingle with Ruth Reichl, Alice Waters, William Werner and many more at the gala reception. Enjoy small plates featuring the winning products (as envisioned by Foreign Cinema, Boxing Room, Bar Agricole and more) and an open bar with famed mixologists, the Bon Vivants. 

Friday, January 13, 8-10 pm at the San Francisco Ferry Building
Tickets: $100

Fresh Fettuccine with Orange Prosciutto Cream Sauce

2012 is the start of a whole new era for us, an era filled with heaping mounds of fresh, homemade pasta, thanks to my new Christmas present, a shiny, beautiful, Atlas 150 Pasta Maker.  This is something we have been wanting for a long time, and I have to say, it is well worth the 85 bucks, especially if you make pasta a lot.  These noodles taste shockingly delicious right out of the boiling water!  After a trial run or two to get used to the process, we officially celebrated this appliance’s homecoming into our kitchen by making one of our favorite, and very distinctive, Italian pasta dishes.  This is our heavily modified, and even more flavorful, take on a pasta recipe from Bon Appetit.  With the prominent orange flavor and complimentary spiciness and saltiness of red pepper and prosciutto, add some peas for depth and color, it is surprising how addictive this dish can be, given the unusual flavor profile.

Ingredients

4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 shallot, minced

4 ounces prosciutto, chopped into 1 inch chunks

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

zest and juice of 2 oranges

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup frozen peas
1 pound fresh (or dried) fettuccine

freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

Boil water in a large pot, seasoning generously with salt.  Add pasta and cook for about 2 minutes (if using fresh pasta).  You want the pasta to be about a minute from al dente (or fully al dente with thicker fresh pasta) so that it can finish cooking in the sauce.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain. 

In a large sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter.  Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add the prosciutto pieces and sauté until browned, about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle in the crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.  Add heavy cream, orange juice, orange zest, and ½ cup reserved pasta water.  Bring mixture to a boil and add the almost-cooked pasta, peas, and remaining ½ tablespoon butter.  Once pasta is cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Treats for January

It's January and while Christmas cookie season is officially over, some of us still need a treat before Valentine's Day rolls around....


When I was offered samples of Almondina cookies I was happy to accept. I'm already a big fan of these crunchy cookie crisps with chewy bits of fruit. But I had no idea how many flavors there were. I have always bought the original version which has almonds and raisins. Like a very thin style of Italian biscotti, they are hard and crunchy but some have a chewy bit of fruit like raisins or cherries. They also come in a bran version that I think would be particularly good for breakfast. The spice versions of the cooke in cinnaroma, gingerspice and pumpkin spice are all great, so are the chocolate ones, and still only about 100 calories for 3.

Almondina cookies are perfect for those who are trying to eat healthier. They are so low in sugar, they actually make a very good cookie to add to a cheese plate. There is no butter or oil in the base recipe, so the only fat in the cookies comes from nuts, seeds or grains. I highly recommend them.

Win free cookies from Almondina! Contest now on their Facebook page.


Another treat this month has got to be King cake. It is associated with Epiphany and Christmas in Europe and is a Mardi Gras specialty in the Gulf states. Generally speaking, it's one of the most garish looking cakes I've ever seen.

Sadly many versions of it are not very good, but the version from Sucré in New Orleans is worth seeking out and easily available by mail order. First of all it's quite pretty compared to the usual cakes splashed with gobs of white icing and plenty of gold, green and purple sparkles. It has a subdued sheen and iridescent shine. But best of all, it is not mushy and bland as some King cakes are, but is a delicate coffeecake with a restrained swirl of cinnamon and traces of cream cheese. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.

My thanks to both Almondina and Sucre Bakery for sending me samples.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumbers are an unappreciated vegetable, oftentimes just tossed haphazardly into salads.  Recently, Seth and I ordered sandwiches from a deli that seemed promising.  Though the thickly-packed sandwiches were a bit lackluster in flavor, we couldn't get enough of the big, fresh chunks of cucumber hidden within.  Bright, crunchy, and delicious, this vegetable became the star of the show, and we found ourselves hoping to encounter more cucumber with each bite.  In tribute, here is a cucumber sandwich recipe to celebrate its secret awesomeness.

Ingredients

1 loaf rye bread

1 English cucumber, sliced

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, softened

dash Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

fresh parsley sprigs

lemon wedges

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Beat the cream cheese, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.  Spread some mixture on a slice of rye bread.  Place slices of cucumber on top of the mixture.  Add sprigs of parsley to the top of the cucumber.  Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper on top of that.  Place another slice of bread on top, and cut off the crusts. 

Day 177! Tanzania~Mango and Lime Curd Tartlets - Up Next, Togo

When a girl comes across a recipe for Tanzanian tartlets from the beautiful island of Zanzibar that calls for mango, brown sugar and lime curd with a macadamia, pistachio and coconut crust, there's only one thing to do. Make them and immediately hide them from the human eating machines who tromp around the house in sagged pants and size 11 Timberland's. In the spirit of full disclosure...I know we're all supposed to be eschewing sweets, fat and cholesterol with the advent of the New Year, but alas, this is a recipe you should not turn your back (or hips and thighs) on. My advice, lest you choose to have it in favor of, say, an orange (no disrespect meant to the zesty and beautiful fruit), is that you go for it, but only have ONE tartlet - or maybe two...then skip sweets for the rest of the week. Trust me, you won't be sorry.

An East African country formed from two sovereign states, Tanganyika and Zanibar in 1964, the country borders Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique as well as the Indian Ocean to the east. This beautiful country, which is comprised of 26 regions, including the autonomous region of Zanzibar, is known to have some of the oldest inhabitants in the world, the island of Zanzibar sheltering migrants looking for seasonal fishing from the mainland before the birth of Christ. The country's history of trade with Arabia dates back centuries, as does trade with Portuguese and Indian merchants and the French who who imported slaves from Kilwa. Swahili and English are spoken in the country, with the majority population being Christian, followed by Muslim and indigenous people.Tanzania's spectacular landscape boasts islands, coast plains and highlands. The country has the earth's largest concentration of wild animals, along with protected conservation land and pristine, sandy beaches. It is also home the world's highest snow-capped mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. A largely aggricultural economy, one of the world's largest and most powerful heat blast furnace capable of forging carbon steel (a natural resouce in Tanzania), was invented in this country and has served as model to other industrialized nations.

Cuisine varies greatly from interior to coastal regions. For the most part, food is spicy with extensive use of coconut milk, rice, ugali (maize poridge), chapati (bread), grilled meat, fish, plantain, pilau, okra, spinach, green peas, bean and cassava leaves. On the island of Zanzibar, Arab, Portuguese, Indian, British and Chinese influences are found and coconut, mango, citrus, rice, and nuts are used in cooking.

About this recipe: I suspect that this a "special ocassion" recipe, reserved for parties and celebrations, and is not a typical Tanzanian dessert. That said, the ingredients used do reflect many of the staples used in everyday cooking. And, wow ~ if you want to impress or shower someone special with a decadent, exotic treat, this is the one. Enjoy!


The crust: pistachios, roasted macadamia nuts, brown sugar, coconut and egg whites ~ shazam!

 Pulse nuts, coconut and brown sugar in a food processor until fine, then fold in egg whites

 Press into tartlet pans (use plastic wrap, as the dough is sticky)

Bake until golden brown and puffy ~ cool on a wire rack

I used almost an entire bag of limes to get roughly 3/4 of a cup of juice

 There are other types of squeezers, but I only have ye old lemon/lime reamer and it's fine

 Combine egg yolks, sugar and lime, then place over simmering water and whisk until thick

 As if that weren't enough, add 7 Tbsp. of butter and whisk until melted ~Lime curd is sexy

I let 2 mangoes sit on a sunny window sill for a few days so they'd be ripe to perfection

 Spoon curd into tartlets, arrange mangoes ontop, then brush with warm red currant jelly

 A rich, nutty, coconut crust, zesty, rich lime curd and mango? Yes, please!

Mango and Lime Curd Tartlets (Recipe Adapted from Celtnet)

Ingredients For the pastry
2-1/2 cups (350g) roast macadamia nuts
3 cups (300g) sweetened shredded coconut
2 cups (200g) shelled pistachio nuts
1/3 cup (90g) brown sugar 3 large egg whites

For the Curd 
1 cup (200g) sugar
3/4 cup (180ml) freshly-squeezed lime juice
10 large egg yolks
7 Tbsp. (100g) chilled, unsalted, butter cut into small cubes
2 mangoes, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup (60ml) red currant jelly (or guava jelly if you can get it). Quince jelly also works

Combine the macadamia nuts, coconut, pistachios and brown sugar together in a food process and continue processing until the nuts are all finely chopped before transferring to a bowl.
Meanwhile beat the egg whites together until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg white mixture into the nut mixture (Add about a third at a time).
When done allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile grease about 8 x 10cm tartlet pans (the ones with removable bottoms) and when ready use plastic wrap to press about 1/3 cup of the nut mixture onto the bottoms and up the sides of your prepared tartlet pans.
Place the pans on a baking sheet and place in an oven pre-heated to 350 F and bake until the crusts are puffed and begin to brown (about 20 minutes).
Take the pans out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing the pan sides.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the lime curd by whisking together the sugar, lime juice and egg yolks in a large metal or heat-resistant glass bowl.
Set this bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water surface) and with constant whisking cook until the mixture thickens and a confectioner's thermometer reads 180 F (82C) - this will take about 9 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the heat at this point and gradually add the chilled butter, whisking until all the butter has melted and has incorporated thoroughly into the mix. To prevent a skin press plastic wrap directly onto the curd's surface then allow to cool and refrigerated for about 3 hours, until completely cold.
Fill each pie crust with 5 tbsp of the lime curd then arrange the mango slices on top (a decorative fan looks nice).
Whisk the jelly in a pan over a low flame until it melts then brush a little over the mango slices.
Place the prepared tartlets in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.



© 2010-2011, What's Cooking in Your World? Sarah Commerford/All Rights Reserved

2012 Food & Dining Trends

In no particular order, here are my predictions with a tiny sprinkling of wishful thinking...

Yes, please!


More transparency and labeling in the food system
Have you been to a supermarket lately? All the seafood is now labeled so you know where it comes from and whether or not it is farmed and if color is added. That is amazing considering that not long ago seafood had barely any labeling at all, but it's just the beginning. I believe consumers will demand labels on produce and meat too. Food contamination and security issues are only a few of the issues driving this trend.




Foraging, hunting and wild food
Wild and foraged ingredients are showing up on more and more menus and there are classes and books to help you learn about this return to a more primal way of eating. The poster boy for this trend is Hank Shaw. The poster Girl? Georgia Pellegrini!

Local culture on the plate
Rene Redzepi the chef at NOMA, (the world's number one restaurant according to one survey) has inspired countless chefs and delighted diners. He uses local ingredients to create a unique cuisine that is a reflection of a singular time and place. This is where high end dining is going. Something that can only be found in one spot is the ultimate in exclusivity.

Honey
The world's first sweetener and a product from bees who we are dependent upon for pollination of fruits and vegetables from avocados to watermelon. Bees have already been in the news because of colony collapse but I think their honey will get some more attention soon too, now that the scandal of widespread bogus honey has been revealed. Honey is an unrefined sugar and a true expression of flora. Trying and learning about honey is as exciting and never ending as learning about wine or coffee.




Digital cookbooks
Epicurious is leading the way here with ecookbooks, offering a variety of best selling cookbooks you can now save to your "recipe box." Since we are already using our computers in the kitchen and to look for recipes, this makes a lot of sense. It makes finding, sharing and using recipes much easier.

Lamb, goat, rabbit and bison
I'm sorry to disappoint any vegan activists, but it's just not likely that Americans are going to give up eating meat. However I do believe they are going to think about sustainability and start making more informed choices. Goat is the most popular meat in the world, we already love goat cheese, the meat can't be far behind. Likewise lamb, rabbit and bison represent more sustainable and ecologically friendly choices than industrially raised pork, beef or chicken.








Chia
I'm seeing chia everywhere. It's a fascinating seed, considered a superfood by some, loaded with vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fiber. It creates an amazing gel like texture but can also be used like a grain in baked goods. I hope chefs are as inspired to play with it as I am.

Chefs doing good
As we get more and more tired of the endless self promotion associated with celebrity chefs (not to mention some food bloggers) I think chef charities will gain in visibility as a way of chefs getting limelight, but for all the right reasons. Great examples include the Mario Batali Foundation, Jamie Oliver Foundation which includes Fifteen and the Ministry of Food, and Rachael Ray's Yum-o!

Handmade sodas
More and more restaurants are offering housemade soda as a non-alcoholic option. Sophisticated and not overly sweet, I expect we will see a lot more of them. Some good local ones try include Jesse Friedman's seasonal offerings from SodaCraft.

Deli
Perhaps the David Sax book Save the Deli led to a resurgence in interest in Jewish delicatessen food. While LA style Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen failed to knock my socks off, the excitement over their pop-ups indicates a real desire for it. I do believe good deli is on it's way. Perhaps it's the new charcuterie?

Lower alcohol wines
I think this year in Napa might be the turning point. It was a cooler than normal growing season and vintners found that lower brix in this year's vintage meant an opportunity to craft more elegant and lower alcohol wines. We will see how consumers react. But I hope they can learn to appreciate something beyond the big fruit bombs Napa has become known for producing.

Small plate breakfasts
Ok I admit it, this is wishful thinking. But a girl can dream can't she? After having the most spectacular brunch ever at Michael's Genuine in Miami, I just hope this idea catches on. Imagine instead of a big stack of pancakes, just one. Plus a single egg benedict, and a house made pop tart? Heaven.

The other Mediterranean
Perhaps I am just inspired by my trip to Morocco, but I can't help think that Moroccan, Egyptian, Tunisian, Algerian, Lebanese and Turkish food will be on the rise. They are part of the Mediterranean but often get overlooked in favor of French, Italian and Spanish cuisine. Think of them as the new frontier. At very least, recently released cookbooks by Mourad Lalou and Paula Wolfert will fuel the interest in Moroccan flavors.


No thanks, I've had enough


Bacon
When bacon made it's way into lip balm, I think it jumped the shark. It's not that bacon will ever go away, but I think we are ready for something else. Kale perhaps?

"Farm-to-table" "natural" and "artisanal"
They have all become virtually meaningless. When is food not farm to table? When it's factory to table? Natural has no legal meaning and once Round Table Pizza used the word artisan to boost sales, we knew it was over.

Celebrity chefs
Perhaps it all started with that iconic Gourmet magazine cover of chefs as rock stars. But enough is enough. The endless self-promotion has gotten tiresome. So have celebrity chef feuds.

Agave syrup
I never really understood the hype. This may be a marginally better type of sugar, but it's still sugar. It lacks the depth of molasses, sorghum or honey. There are some benefits, but they aren't enough to convince me to use it.

Mexican coke
Admit it, hipsters drink it because they think it's cool. Gimme a break. It's not cool. It's sugar water for chrissake. Hopefully this is the year they will stop paying $5 a bottle for it.

So what do you think the trends will be? Share your thoughts in the comments!