The East Coast received another snow storm warning today. I feel bad for DC. Just when they thought the snowpocalyspe was over, another snow storm is preparing to hit the town again. We, New Yorkers expected a few inches last weekend as well, but we got nada. I don’t really know what’s going to happen this time. But if for some reason you find yourself snowed in with only two eggs in the refrigerator and a family of four to cook breakfast for, here’s a way to make it happen.

CREPES CITRON MIEL
125 grams flour
2 eggs
20 grams sugar
1 cup milk
1 pinch salt
1 tbps melted butter
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup honey

Makes approximately 10 large crepes.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well.

Crack the eggs into the well and whisk while adding half of the milk in small amounts until you get a smooth batter.

Add the remaining milk and let the batter rest for an hour.

Meanwhile, mix the honey and the lemon together.

When ready to make the crepes, add the melted butter to the batter.

Heat a nonstick pan. Add butter to coat.

Ladle the batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly.

Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove and place the crepe best side down on a plate.

Fold the crepe in half and in half again.  Then, drizzle with the lemon honey mixture.

Repeat the process for each crepe.

Enjoy hot.

There’s nothing like a big, fat and juicy steak to crank up the temperature during these cold winter days. You may argue that steak is not a thrifty food item, but there’s nothing wrong with splurging a little from time to time. That said, there are plenty of economical ways to enjoy a steak dinner. Hanger, skirt and flank steaks are reasonably priced cuts of meat that are highly prized for their flavor. Today, I’m making a bone-in rib eye, which is clearly not the cheapest, but it is delectably juicy, tender and flavorsome. I like to buy mine bone-in because the bone packs some extra flavor, which intensifies the deliciousness. You can buy whichever steak tickles your fancy as long as you buy quality meat. And by that, I mean no prepackaged grocery store meat. Locate the nearest butcher and get fresh meat that has been handled with the proper amount of TLC. Using the best products will yield the best results. Good meat only needs salt and pepper.

PAN SEARED RIB EYE
1 bone-in rib eye steak
1 tbsp oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt

The key to making the perfect steak is starting with a piece of meat that has been brought to room temperature. No cold meat please.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Coat the steak lightly with oil and season both sides with salt and black pepper to taste.

Heat up an empty pan (preferably cast iron) to the smoking point.

Place steak in the middle of the pan and cook for 45 seconds without moving it. Turn the steak and cook for 45 additional seconds.

Continue cooking in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. This will get you a medium rare steak. Add an additional minute on each side for medium.

Remove the steak from the pan and rest for 2 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute.

Slice and serve with a side of green pea puree. There you have it: an easy winter steak dinner.

September 25, 2009. I can’t believe summer has come and gone already. Luckily, the weather is still relatively warm. Having said that, I must admit Autumn is my favorite season. Well… the beginning of it at least — when the cool autumnal breeze gently caresses our skin and the trees turn into golden beauties. It’s such a romantic season. So, as we enter the Fall quarter of 2009, let us bid a proper farewell to summer with a cherry clafoutis, the dessert that best utilizes my favorite summer fruit.

The traditional clafoutis recipe calls for milk, but one day I was out of milk and had to use half-and-half instead. This resulted in a more luxurious texture, so I’ve stuck with half-and-half ever since. Feel to use milk if you prefer.

CLAFOUTIS DE CERISES

1 cup ripe cherries (pitted or unpitted)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup half and half
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Amaretto or almond extract (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour a baking dish. Place the cherries in the buttered dish.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk in the eggs and gradually add the milk. Whisk until smooth. Add the Amaretto (or almond extract) and vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until set in the center and golden brown delicious on top.

Cool slightly. Sprinkle powdered sugar over and serve warm with vanilla ice cream (optional).

Most girls like to shop for clothes, shoes and accessories, but I like to shop for food. Other than people watching in Union Square, one of my favorite pastimes is wandering through farmers’ markets and gourmet food stores. And since I live near Union Square, a trip to the farmers’ market has become a Saturday ritual of mine. Not only is it fun, but there’s always chance to run into a serious foodie or a blast from the past. Last Saturday for example, I ran into Gabriella Gershenson, food editor of Time Out NY and Darya, a former colleague from my investment banking days.

On this very same trip, I got a little carried away with the food shopping and ended up with more cherries than a one-person household can eat before the cherries go bad. The good news is that cherries cook well and the options in terms of desserts are endless. So instead of letting my cherries go to waste, I baked a cherry pound cake for the interns. This cake is a variation of Francois Payard’s apple cake where I substitute cherries for the apples.

Cherry Pound Cake (Adapted from Payard’s Apple cake)

1 small bowl fresh cherries
1/3 cup dried cherries (optional)
3 tablespoons dark rum
1 scant cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (115 grams) confectioner’s sugar
3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan and dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

If using dried cherries, bring a small pan of water to a boil, add the cherries and boil for 1 minute. Drain and repeat the process. Drain the cherries well a second time and place in a small bowl with the rum; stir and set aside.

Pit the fresh cherries.

Sift together the flour and baking powder.

Cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix in the dry cherries and the rum.

Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix on low speed until blended. Do not overmix the batter.

Spoon half of the batter into the pan, smooth into an even layer and arrange half of the cherries dome side up over the batter. Spoon the rest of the batter over the cherries and smooth the top. Arrange the remaining cherries on top of the batter dome side up. I expected the cherries to stay on top, but mine sunk to the bottom. Oh well… Let me know if yours stay on top.

Bake the cake for 60 to 65 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan, then unmold. Serve plain at room temperature.

You may brush the cake with some apricot glaze if you wish. Enjoy!

What’s more beautiful this time of year than a basket of heirloom cherry tomatoes? I couldn’t resist the multi-colored tiny tomatoes at the farmer’s market, all purple and red and yellow, and at $4 for a basket, they were less expensive than some of the heirloom monsters you see dominating the stands.

I based my recipe off of this one I found on epicurious, for a tomato and goat cheese tart with cornmeal crust. The cornmeal in the crust gives it a nice crunch, and the flavor pairs well with the goat cheese. I had a single onion that had been hanging out awhile, and before it went bad, I decided to caramelize it and throw it into the mix, along with part of a zucchini I’d also gotten from the market. The result was very decadent — this recipe has a lot of butter — but perfect alongside a light salad in place of a more banal quiche. This tart would be perfect to serve to company. Pretty and delicious!

Tomato Goat Cheese Tart (adapted from epicurious)

For crust:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter
1 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. yellow cornmeal
1 t. salt
3 T. ice water
pie weights or raw rice for weighting crust

For custard:

3 T.  chopped fresh sage
7 oz. mild soft goat cheese, softened
1/2 stick (4 T.) unsalted butter, well softened
1/2 c. sour cream
2 large eggs

1 pint vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, halved
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 small zucchini, thinly sliced

Make crust:
Cut butter into pieces.

In a food processor pulse together flour, cornmeal, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water and pulse until incorporated and mixture just forms a dough. Press dough evenly into bottom and up sides of a 10 1/2- by 7- by 1-inch rectangular tart pan (or a 10″  by 1″ deep round tart pan) with a removable fluted rim and trim dough flush with rim. Chill crust about 20 minutes, or until firm.

While crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F.

Line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake crust in lower third of oven until edge is set, 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake crust 5 – 10 minutes more, or until just dry. Leave oven on and cool crust in pan on a rack (crust may crack slightly). Crust may be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Caramelize onions:
Place onion in a dry pan over medium-high heat and cover. Let the onions sweat in the pan. They will begin to brown. Stir every few minutes and remove lid when the onions have released their liquid and have become dry. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil, stir, and continue to cook until well caramelized. Lightly salt and let cool.

Make custard:
Chop sage. In a bowl whisk together sage and remaining custard ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

Scatter the cooled onions evenly over the bottom of the crust. Pour custard into crust, spreading evenly. Halve tomatoes and arrange, cut sides up, in one layer on custard along with zucchini rounds, pressing lightly into custard. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and bake tart in lower third of oven until custard is just set, about 30 – 35 minutes. Cool tart to warm before serving so it can set up. Serve warm or at room temperature.

A friend of mine once told me that she was so broke during college that she had to bake her own baguettes. She said that at times that’s all she would have to eat with butter. I exclaimed: “Oh my God!” Shamefully, this was not so much because I empathized with her as it was because I was amazed that she baked her own baguettes.

See I love bread, but bread baking is one of the few processes that have never worked out for me. I’ve tried, tried, tried and failed, failed, failed miserably each time. So after numerous trials followed by countless ego-crushing failures, I was on the verge of giving up. But I stumbled upon the following youtube video which completely dispelled my fear of bread baking.  6 hours later, I had baked my first successful batch of French baguettes for 1/4 of what it would cost me to buy a similar quantity at Whole Foods.

What I didn’t know is that baguettes are baked at a very high temperature in steam injection ovens, producing crusty and light breads. Luckily, this method can be replicated at home by placing a metal roasting pan in the oven and pouring hot water into it to create steam.

Mini French Baguettes (adapted from several recipes)

I tried to simplify the recipe as much as I could, but feel free to ask any questions in the comment section.

Makes 8 mini baguettes

4 cups bread flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Warm water

Proof the yeast by mixing it with 1/2 cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar. Let it stand for a few minutes until it becomes foamy.

Meanwhile, mix the flour and the salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Incorporate the yeast mixture to the flour. While mixing with the wooden spoon, gradually add warm water until you obtain a dough ball that detaches itself from the edges of the bowl. The dough will be a little sticky, but no worries.

Transfer the dough ball to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth.

Place the dough into a bowl lightly coated with oil, cover with a kitchen towel or a plastic bag and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough should double in volume.

After the dough has doubled. Transfer it to the floured surface and gently knead for 4 minutes.

Divide it into 8 equal pieces. Gently stretch each piece and roll it to form a log that will later be shaped into a mini baguette. Set aside and repeat this process with the remaining pieces of dough. This allows each piece to relax a little.

Starting with the first log that you shaped, elongate each baguette by rolling it back and forth on the work surface until the loaf reaches the desired length. Be mindful that the bread will expand as it bakes.

Place the mini baguettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly floured. Make 2  diagonal slashes on each loaf with a sharp knife and dust with a little flour.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for 40-60 minutes until the mini baguettes are plump.

30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place an empty roasting pan on the bottom rack.

After the oven temperature has reached 500 degrees F, pour 2 cups of hot water into the roasting pan to create some steam and place the baking sheet with the baguettes on the top rack.

Bake for 10 minutes at 500F, then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 20 -25 minutes until the mini baguettes are golden brown and crisp.

Voila! Enjoy your fresh baked mini baguettes while they are still warm with butter, cheese and French charcuteries. And if you want to be really French, add a glass of red wine.

When I took my first gulp of Chapoutier Belleruche last Saturday night, I had an explosive coughing fit. Not due to any fault with the wine, which was as silkily delicious as ever; it was the revelation of the price which caused me to fear I was about to suffer a pulmonary embolism.

Family were visiting from Europe, and my brother-in-law, who works in the French wine trade, always arrives with a clinking bag containing a few vinous gems. The first bottle we pulled the cork from was the Belleruche.

Chapoutier wines are some of the ‘go-to guys’ of the wine trade. They tick so many boxes that they can be used in diverse situations. Good quality? That goes without saying. Broad range of styles? Red, whites and rosés from the length of the Rhône valley. Packaging? Classic French labels with modern clarity. Green credentials? Biodynamically farmed, with the full-on burying-a-cow-horn-filled-with-dung-during-a-full-moon treatment. Quirky story behind the wine? All Chapoutier labels are also written in Braille.

Belleruche falls under the Côtes-du-Rhône appellation, a sweeping classification that includes extremes of thin, insipid filth and rich, robust reds that deserve only the finest beef as an accompaniment, which explains why the region’s better producers try to create an individual brand name alongside the appellation monicker. Grenache and Syrah, the Rhône’s dominant red varietals, constitute the lion’s share of the Belleruche blend, and the rich, slightly smoky, black-fruit flavors and firm structure with its silky tannins evoke the gnarled old vines twisting out of the hot, stony Rhône soil. This is a wine that would be perfect with beef or pork that have been charred on the grill, and on a hot day giving it 15 minutes in the fridge will draw out a few gentle red fruit aromas and flavors.

Oh, I almost forgot, the price… Well in a culture of big-brands produced in quasi-factories by corporate behemoths, most of whose wines are over-confected, over-sweet, and essentially fruit juice for adults, you’d expect a moderately refined and complex wine from a mid-size, biodynamic, French producer to be coming in over $15, probably more. Which is why I choked when, having asked the price as I raised the glass to my lips, my brother-in-law shrugged and said, “$9.99″. And to take advantage of this utter steal of a price, check out Gotham Wines before it’s all gone.

I love yogurt. As a child, most of my dinners ended with a healthy yogurt for dessert. But French yogurt is very different from American yogurt. It tastes better. A lot better. French yogurt also has a decadently creamy and velvety texture that I have not been able to find in any store-bought American yogurt. But that’s okay because what I can’t buy at the supermarket, I learn to make at home.

Have you ever had homemade yogurt? If not, you’re missing out on some serious deliciousness. It has a wonderful texture and none the acidic taste of store-bought yogurt. And the good news is that yogurt is very beyond easy to make — even without a yogurt maker. You just need to be patient and give the yogurt time to ferment and set.

A few things to note before starting.

• Whole milk makes a thicker and creamier yogurt than reduced-fat milk. And if you’re thinking about using skim milk, you might as well skip this post.
• The right temperature is important, so pay attention to this detail.
• My mom adds a cup of powdered milk, which results in a thicker yogurt that takes less time to ferment. But if you can’t find powdered milk, feel free to use half milk and half evaporated milk. That’s what I do and it works fine.
• You need a starter yogurt with live cultures. Greek style yogurt works best. After you make your first batch, you will be able to use a cup of your own yogurt to start the next batch.

Ingredients

Option A
1 quart of fresh whole milk
1 cup of powdered milk
1 cup (6-8 ounces) of yogurt with live cultures (Greek style preferred)

Option B
750 ml of fresh whole milk
1 12oz can of evaporated milk
1 cup (6-8 ounces) of yogurt with live cultures (Greek style preferred)

Combined all the milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and wait for the milk to cool down to a temperature of 99-112 degree F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test the temperature with your finger. The milk should be somewhat hot, but your finger should be able to sustain a 10 second dip comfortably.

Once the milk has reached the proper temperature, mix a small amount with the yogurt to loosen it, and add to the rest of the milk. Whisk to ensure everything is well blended.

Pour the yogurt preparation into plastic containers or canning jars and place in a very warm place or in a 100 degree oven for 6-8 hours.

If you do it overnight as I did, you’ll will wake up to some delicious homemade yogurt that you can eat for breakfast. Summer weather is perfect for yogurt making as it generally requires no additional heat.

After reading my duck confit post, a few people wanted to know what pommes de terre sarladaises were and whether I could share the recipe.

In French, Pommes de terre sarladaises means potatoes from Sarlat, a small town located in the southwestern region of France called The Perigord. This region also known as the foie gras capital of the world is famed for its comfort cuisine and its duck and goose specialties.

As you probably guessed by now, sarladaises are the potatoes I served alongside my duck confit. Though the name sounds fancy, the recipe is way easier than you can imagine. Sarladaises are simply garlic-y potatoes cooked in duck fat and finished with chopped parsley.

Ingredients
4 starchy potatoes (russet or idaho)
2 tablespoons of duck fat
2 garlic cloves minced
Chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper

Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick round slices. Rinse them well in cold water to remove all starch. Then pat them dry with some kitchen paper.

Heat the duck fat in a large pan. When the fat is hot, add the potatoes and saute for 5 minutes on high heat until the potatoes get some color.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute stirring continuously. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Salt and pepper to taste; then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for  about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the chopped parsley. Toss gently and serve hot with any duck dish.

Thrifty Tip: This dish can be made cheaper by replacing the duck fat with rendered bacon fat.

Every now and then, one should step out of the thrifty zone and splurge on something delicious. I’m not saying to empty the piggy bank on foie gras and caviar, but a fancy meal here and there doesn’t hurt. Duck confit is a dish I consider a reasonable splurge.

For a long time, I viewed duck confit as one of those dishes that were better left in the hands of French chefs. But as I started making it at home, it dawned on me that it was nothing more than salt-cured duck legs that are slow-cooked in duck fat.

What makes duck confit a little expensive is the duck fat used for cooking. Duck fat is not cheap. But if you’re strapped for cash, you can substitute olive oil or use half olive oil and half duck fat. Having said that, I’d encourage you to splurge on some duck fat if you can because it can be strained and reused to make lots of fabulous southwestern French dishes. I bought 4 duck legs on freshdirect.com for ~$11.00 and 1.25lbs of duck fat from Jeffrey at the Essex market for ~$12.00. Hudson Valley Foie Gras is also a  good source for duck products. But since they charge a shipping fee, I would recommend them for larger purchases.

The recipe I’m using is adapted from my friend Jeremie whom I had to hunt down for this recipe. But it was well worth the wait. What I like about Jeremie’s recipe is that it incorporates a lot of fragrant ingredients, which gives the dish another dimension of taste and flavor. So here we go.

Ingredients
4 duck legs
1-1.5 lbs of duck fat
Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
1 clove
15 peppercorns
1/2 head of garlic
Thyme
Parsley

Sprinkle a few tablespoons of salt in a baking dish large in enough to accommodate all the duck legs in one single layer.

Place the duck legs in the dish skin side down.

Mince 4 garlic cloves and sprinkle evenly on each duck leg. Repeat the same step with the thyme and the parsley. Finish with cracked peppercorns.

Cover each duck leg with a tablespoon of salt. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

The next day

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

Remove the duck legs from the refrigerator. Using a wet paper towel, wipe the salt off the duck legs. Repeat this step until each leg is wiped off clean. Then pat them dry.

In a medium-size pot, melt the duck fat with 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced, 1 clove, 4 sprigs of thyme and a few peppercorns. The fat should be warm but not too hot.

Add the duck legs. They should be completely submerged in the fat. It helps to use a pot that is not too wide.

Place the pot in the oven and cook for 3 hours at a very slow simmer until the meat is tender and easily pulls from the bone.

Note: You can strain and store the fat in an airtight container for later a use. It keeps well in the refrigerator. If you plan to eat the confit later, cover it with the duck fat and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

When ready to serve, crisp up the skin under the broiler or simply pull the meat apart and add it to a salad. How do I like my duck confit? With a crispy skin and a side of pommes de terre sarladaises.