The Rustic Kitchen

What I learned in '07

An acre is 9/10 of a football field.

Woodchucks have flexible spines and can shimmy under a garden gate to decimate every Brussels sprout and broccoli plant in sight. Woodchucks are surprisingly uninterested in tomatoes. Why they love cruciferous vegetables is anyone’s guess.

A Brush Hog is a machine that can clear a lawn that hasn’t been mowed in years (for a small fee).

Friends and family can be cajoled into painting an old house with the promise of food and campfires.

Beware of smushy outdoor cats who are brought inside to be lovingly treated for fleas and ticks and intestinal parasites, plus pricey visits to the kitty ophthalmologist to treat what might be a raccoon scratch to the cornea. Said cats can be surprisingly ungrateful and head for the hills at the earliest opportunity.

Manhattan Beach Creamery makes exceptional pistachio ice cream, making it worth the trip to visit your cousin in southern California.

You can go home again. I visited Toronto twice in 2007 after being away for many years. La Salumeria, my favorite Italian deli still serves amazing prosciutto and provolone sandwiches. The new owners now drizzle with truffle oil. Some things can be improved on.

Merry and bright

Merry Christmas.

My brother-in-law Mark goes all out with outdoor decor, and the family, neighbors, local newspaper and strangers driving by all delight in his effort. This year the tree sports 17,000 lights. Our days -- and nights -- are merry and bright indeed.

Glorious cheddar

It's hard for me to meet a cheese I don't like, even the stinkiest blue cheeses make my heart sing. So imagine my delight when a generous 2½-pound block of aged cheddar arrived from my friend Barbara at Sargento. I used to work with them, and Barbara and I have remained friends.

Notes on the perfect grilled cheese sandwich
So I've been eating grilled cheese sandwiches for three days, trying various ways to showcase this aged cheddar, not available in any store, I might add. First, this jumbo block is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches because a single slice almost covers the entire slice of bread. So here's the combo: caramelized onions, hint of Dijon-style mustard, thin apple slices. I like Gala apples for this, but improvisation is a joy on these occasions, so use what you have. Slice the cheese thinly so you can layer the cheese with the other yummies and avoid having anything squish out because it's not adhered.

Now, as will all fabulous sandwiches worth writing home about, be sure the bread is delicious, like the olive bread from the Journeyman Cafe in Fennville, Mich., where they buy ingredients from area farmers and bake amazing pizza (and bread) in their wood-fired oven. And if you have a panini press or grill pan, definitely go for the stripes.

Aunt Mary's cheese things

And now we come to my 2008 recipe, after my retrospective of holiday indulgences. Initially I planned something centered around the farm, since this was my first year there, but I kept gravitating toward gifts from my garden, which would not be helpful for people who didn't happen to have oven-dried tomatoes or spiced blueberry sauce in the freezer. So the arrival of Barbara's cheddar made me think of a nibble my Aunt Mary always had for family parties. She called them Cheese Things, but go ahead and call them Cheddar Caraway Nibbles if you want to impress your friends.

Aunt Mary’s Cheese Things
Makes about four dozen

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2½ cups)
1 cup all purpose flour

Using an electric mixer at low speed, mix the butter with mustard, caraway seeds and salt. Add cheddar and continue to mix. Slowly mix in flour. Transfer to sheet of wax paper and form a log, about 12 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice into ¼-inch slices and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.

Crimson sabattical sorbet

For my finale of my week remembering my holiday recipes over the years, I'm going all the way back to my first one, created the year I took time off from my "real job" to start the Rustic Kitchen cooking school. Enjoy.

Janine’s Sabbatical Sorbet
(but you can call it Crimson Holiday Sorbet)
Makes about four cups
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur

In large saucepan over medium high flame, heat sugar, water, salt and cranberries until cranberries begin to pop and mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about five to seven minutes. Remove from heat, stir in corn syrup and Grand Marnier. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture through a coarse sieve or colander to remove some of the cranberry skins. Cool to room temperature, then chill in refrigerator for at least four hours and up to overnight to let the flavors cure. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.

Rosemary sea salt shortbread

As part of my series of holiday card recipes, I'm posting my rosemary sea salt shortbread. Every year I base my holiday recipe on something fun from the year, and if I recall that was the year I traveled to Scotland, the home of shortbread and half my ancestors. The herb and salt make it kind of a sweet and savory combination that makes for a nice surprise. Enjoy.

Janine’s Rosemary Sea Salt Shortbread
Makes 16 triangles

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together butter, sugar and salt, then stir in rosemary. Mix in half the flour, then add remaining flour and combine. The dough may become stiff, so be patient. Press into an 8-inch square pan, then sprinkle with a little extra rosemary and salt for a pretty top. Use fork to pierce dough at 1-inch intervals. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately cut into triangles. Cool for about five minutes, then promptly remove shortbread from pan using offset spatula or fork.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.

Chocolate hazelnut gelato

As part of my retrospective of annual holiday card recipes, today I focus on just one year ago. In 2006 I traveled to Torino, and indeed saw the famous shroud of Turin (a display copy actually). But the reason for the trip was to attend the Slow Food Terra Madre conference, a gathering fo 5,000 farmers and 1,000 chefs. Torino's signature chocolate is infused with hazelnut, so I created this recipe to get my fix after my return.

The picture is outside Caffe al Bicherin, a famous little spot where they make a gorgeous drink of coffee, espresso and chocolate syrup.

Janine's chocolate hazelnut ice cream
Makes about one quart
3 cups heavy cream
1 13-ounce jar chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
¼ teaspoon salt

Heat cream in medium saucepan over high heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate hazelnut spread and salt, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour through a strainer into a clean bowl and top with a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap, right on the liquid to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight to cool completely and let the flavors cure. Resist temptation to drink it with a straw. Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions. Transfer to plastic container and freeze for another hour or two. Let rest at room temperature for a few minutes before scooping.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.

Paris vacation onion tart

In my second post to archive my annual holiday card recipe, I'm thinking to the year I traveled to Paris to celebrate my birthday. I invited just about all my loved ones, and promised to treat to dinner as an incentive, and was surprised and delighted to have about a dozen guests. About then I was feeling pressure to research great meals, which of course was a pretty fun project. I came back inspired to replicate some meals at home, and this tart is one of them. The goat cheese and olives are my addition -- I suspect the Parisians would think I was tampering too much with tradition. But it's perfect lunch with a crunchy salad and a light Pinot Noir.

Paris Vacation Onion Tart

Pastry
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick ( ½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 egg, slightly beaten
1½ tablespoons ice water

Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ pounds onions (about 3) halved and thinly sliced
3 egg yolks
½ cup milk
½ cup half-and-half
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 4-ounce log goat cheese, sliced into eight ¼-inch rounds
8 black olives, pitted

Whisk together flour and salt in large mixing bowl. Work butter into flour, using your hands or a pastry blender, until dough resembles oatmeal, with the largest pieces the size of peas. Whisk together egg and ice water, add to bowl and stir just until dough comes together. Turn the dough onto lightly floured surface and knead three or four times with the heel of your hand. Shape into flat round, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take dough out of refrigerator and let rest for 10 minutes. Butter a 10-inch porcelain tart dish, or metal pan with removable bottom. Roll out the pastry and line the tart pan, trim the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Place back in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Line crust with foil and fill with rice or beans. Bake until the edges begin to color, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, discard foil with weights and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large saute pan. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Spread onions evenly in the tart shell. In a medium mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Stir in milk, half-and-half, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour custard into tart shell. Arrange goat cheese rounds in a circle near the rim of the tart, olives in a circle near the center. Bake until the custard puffs and turns golden brown, about 25 – 30 minutes. Serves six as a light main course.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.

Final report carrot soup

Now that I've decided to blog, I also want to use it as a tool to save and share some of my favorite recipes. The year I studied at the Culinary Institute of America and opened the Rustic Kitchen cooking school, I started a tradition of sending a recipe with my Christmas cards. It was a way to talk about a highlight from my year without going into long arduous details. This is the dish I created for the class about vegetarian flavors. To make it look more cheflike I dotted it with cilantro-infused oil and hot pepper sauce to make a fun polka-dotted soup.

Carrot Coriander Soup
This vibrant soup is elegantly simple to make but packs a big flavor punch: sautéing the carrots brings out their natural sweetness while the coriander lends a refreshing touch. The starch in the potato provides the thick texture without adding cream. Your guests will never guess it’s so low in fat.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound carrots (about 6), cleaned and halved
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed in a mortar and pestle
4 cups vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste

In large saucepan over medium high heat, sauté onion and carrots in olive oil until golden brown to bring out the sweet flavors. Add potato and vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until carrots and potato can be pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Add coriander, transfer to blender and puree until very smooth adding more vegetable broth to reach the desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Makes about six cups.

Recipe used with permission from Janine MacLachlan, The Rustic Kitchen, www. RusticKitchen.com. All rights reserved.