A Proper Breakfast

Shortly after I began my love affair with tea books and purchased the subject of my last review, A Proper Tea, I came across this week's book in a catalog called Jessica's Biscuit:  A Proper Breakfast.  [Apparently, Jessica's Biscuit, which was a cookbook only catalog and website, has just ceased existence...]

At the time, I thought and hoped this book would be only the second in a series, but I think this was the only other book that followed the same pattern.  It was never readily available here in the US, even before the era of Amazon.  My copy of the book came complete with a small card explaining that the design and concept of the book was based on A Proper Tea by Joanna Isles.  Clearly Alexandra Parsons and Evie Safarewicz followed the same ideas and designs of the previous book, even to the same degree that, as with the first book, the illustrations are more memorable than the recipes.

Breakfast is my favorite meal, closely followed by brunch.  I love breakfast pastries, and the idea of a casual meal where bunny slippers are de rigueur.  Breakfast has the full compliment of tasty foods and fancy/ridiculous equipage.  I look for any excuse to break out my toast rack!

A Proper Breakfast is a very limited look at breakfast in other cultures (mostly Western cultures) from the point of view of popular expectations, and not necessarily what folks in those places actually eat on a daily basis.  The New York breakfast features bagels and lox.  Brunch in New Orleans features jambalaya.  Breakfast in the Tropics is not about the Caribbean or South America, the way I expected it to be, but about Africa - the one non-Western chapter in the book.  It's clearly the whimsical British look at breakfast traditions.

The opening chapters focus on the breakfast beverages of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.  I was so surprised to read the suggestion that jugs of coffee be prepared like tea:  put the grounds directly in the pot, pour in the boiling water, stir, and pour out over a strainer.  So odd.  Who does that??

The best part of the book are the illustrations, which are similar in style to those in A Proper Tea.  They feature drawn versions of actual china patterns and breakfast foods.  It was fun to try and guess what each chapter would be about from the drawing at the beginning.  My favorite is the New Orleans chapter with black and white china, iron scroll work curlicues and colorful masks and foods.

Overall, the content of the book is really the pictures.  The recipes are common, and available anywhere, but the pages are worth browsing through for tablescape ideas, or even for art's sake!

Okay, I admit that one of the calendars I want for 2015 is this Breakfast Calendar...

The Cheese Course

This week I read a book by Janet Fletcher from 2000:  The Cheese Course.

Ever since Tria opened in Philadelphia, with it's long cheese menu, and artful presentations, I've been looking for the book that would tell me what to serve cheese with.  At Tria, cheese selections always come with the perfect pairing of honey, or figs, or walnuts, or something like that.  But most of the books out there, in my very limited search, seem to concentrate on what wines to drink with cheese.  I wanted to know about food pairings, and I hoped that the Cheese Course would tell me everything.

The introductory chapter of the book is chock-full of information about cheese:  what to look for in the shop, how to serve it, how to store it (plastic wrap is a no-no), etc.  Before getting into specific recipes, Fletcher offers some general advice about assembling cheese platters - how to intentionally feature one kind of cheese, and what assortments might work best. 

Fletcher advocates for having the cheese course at the end of the meal rather than before it.  She says that when you serve cheese as an appetizer, guests tend to eat too much, which ruins their dinner.  But cheese as a last course offers a way to lengthen the meal, to re-open conversation, and allow people to linger a little bit longer over a communal food.  (I'll say in support of this theory that the one time I had a cheese course at the end of the meal, it was extremely well-received!)

One piece of information in this chapter has stayed with me, and has partially answered the question of why I find wine pairings, but not food pairings for cheese:  if you are planning a food accompaniment to your cheese, wine is often not the best beverage to serve, especially if you are featuring fruit.  The flavors of fruit and wine may compete with rather than complement each other.  Fletcher than offers other beverage suggestions, including dessert wines, or even beer, that may work well with your cheese and other food selections.  The key take-away for me was wine or food, but maybe not both.

The recipe chapters were divided by milk source:  cow, goat, sheep and mixed.  Rather than a cheese with one food pairing, the recipes were mainly salads with a featured cheese, or a baked bread or pastry with cheese.  Several cheeses were served with dried fruit reconstituted with brandy or other alcohol.

The image above shows sheep's cheese with oven-dried tomatoes and roasted almonds.  I definitely want to try a particular kind of French sheep cheese with cherry preserves. 

The answer, of course, to my question and search for the definitive set of rules about what foods go with which cheese is that there are no rules.  Tastes differ, and the only way to figure out what works is to try everything and see what works for you.

If you are a cheese fan, check out Janet Fletcher's website, which contains information about all of her books, recipes, listings of cheese classes, and links to her reviews of cheeses in the San Francisco Chronicle.

What are your favorite kinds of cheese, and what do you eat them with?

Next week, one of the first tea books I ever owned, A Decent Cup of Tea by Malachi McCormick.

Happy New Year!

Have you remembered to write 2014 in a date field yet?

We're well into the new year at this point, but as my "holiday" cards went out only last week, I'm still in New Year's mode.  And New Year's for me is a time of new beginnings.  I tend to think about resolutions, rather than actually make them - I don't know, maybe to hold myself less accountable for them, or forgive myself in advance if I can't actually follow through - but there's still a small list that I work from and think about periodically.  This year's items seem to be centered around home, ironic in a year when many of the months ahead feature intense travel.  Here are a couple of the things I'm thinking about:

-Cook!  I'm not an intuitive cook.  I really just want to follow recipes that someone else has created and tested and hope that they really work the way the book says they're going to (ha!).  My goal for the year is to make an actual dinner that is more than just thrown together, and likely following recipes, at least once a week.  To make this even vaguely plausible for me, I have to plan.  I can't necessarily count on choosing something and having all of the ingredients already at home.  So I have to choose a recipe in advance, make a shopping list, actually shop, and then I'm ready to go for it.  So far this year I've done scallops, chicken with a honey glaze and an apricot sauce, and a quick poached fish, and I think one other thing that I can't remember.  If this ridiculously cold weather keeps up, there will definitely be some stews in my future.

To aid in my cooking Project, Craig got me an actual, real person's kitchen knife as a holiday gift.  I don't really like big knives.  They are scary.  I will be the first person to admit that I don't know how to use one.  And yes, I know that sharp knives are safer and big knives make everything easier, but I've never had one of any quality (and no, the cheap set from Ikea that bends if you look at it doesn't count) to practice with.  Now I do.  And it works!  Yay!  What should I make next week?

-Crafts!  Of course.  I always want to do crafts.  I've even had runs of several weeks at a time when I have free evenings to spend in the craft room.  But more frequently I don't.  And moreover, I want to do crafts in company.  The stuff that I do is solitary in nature, and I like my space, and as long as I have music on, it's often company enough.  But what I think would be really fun is a regular - once a month, even - gathering of people who bring their own crafty projects to a location.  It's a MeetUp or a tea party or a chance to gossip, or all of the above.  I haven't quite figured it out yet, and I don't really want to take on another organization project, but if by some slim chance of the imagination you're out there, live where I live, and want a crafting evening, let me know, and I will attempt to figure something out.

Photo of this year's prescient holiday card by C. Whear

Have a wonderful 2014!

A dose of a different culture...

Last week a friend and I made an expedition to H Mart, a big Asian grocery chain with a Korean bent and a store not far from here. It's the kind of place that is simply overwhelming to the uninitiated, like me, who are not looking for anything in particular, but going more for the experience of it.



We began with produce, where things were mostly recognizable. At last, a source for baby bok choy! From there we wandered through the fish section, over to meat, and then up and down the grocery aisles. There were rows of noodles of all kinds, teas, standard western fare, which looked out of place, household items, and on and on. There was not one kind of sesame oil to choose from as there is in the local Pathmark, which makes shopping for it fast and eay, but a choice between brands and dark sesame oil, and black sesame oil and wild sesame oil. And then the section of dried seaweed, dried plants that I hoped were not for eating, but I think were, freeze-dried squid strips, etc. I had no idea how to choose between the varieties of noodles, so I chose none.

We came at last to the frozen food section where I was determined to take home some dumplings. But there again was the issue. I could read no list of ingredients and had a hard time choosing between one kind of meat dumpling and another. In the end I chose a few packages where I understood the preparation instructions and enjoyed them when I tasted them.

In the end I left H-Mart almost as overwhelmed as I walked in. I'm glad I went with a friend as we gave each other courage to try some things we otherwise never would have.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat. Now that I know what they have and what to expect, I can pretend to be a slightly more educated consumer.

And then there is that sesame candy that's been haunting my thoughts for a week now...

This could take cookie-making to a whole new level...

From Sur La Table, a very dangerous place...

Food in the forecast...

Making a list just now, I realized that this is going to be a weekend of dancing, of course, but also of baking, with a little cooking thrown in for good measure. I found myself just now finding that recipe for cinnamon scones I want to try that will be perfect for the Jane Austen tea dance, and reviewing previous cocktail party menus for something to repeat, and of course, contemplating the ubiquitous red velvet cuppycakes, so appropriate for the impending valentine-making party.

Why remark on this at all? It's so unusual that I do any kind of baking/cooking extravaganza that's not for a holiday dinner or a party I'm throwing. Time is always too short to bake something for a tea item. It's always easier to run to the store. And while I keep a pretty full pantry, I always end up shopping before I bake to make sure I have everything I need for all of the recipes.

But time is built-in this weekend. The water department is coming any time between 7am and noon this weekend to change my meter. What better way to fill the time than creating warm and wonderful yummy goodness. Perhaps directly after the first cup of coffee...

Party planning, the winter edition...

Although it's early days yet, I'm starting to think about this year's Chanukah party. The first question is when should it be. December weekends are ridiculous, but weeknights are school nights, and some will be less inclined to party. And then there's the issue that Chanukah is crazy close to Christmas this year which will make fitting a party into people's already busy schedules that much harder. But since I believe that holidays should be celebrated during the actual holiday, we'll work with what we have and hope for the best. And I'll send out the invitations early to try and get on as many people's calendars as possible.

The other question I always have about the party is what to serve. Latkes, of course, with the trimmings, are filling and the whole point of the bash, but are they enough? What are the fitting accompaniments for oily, fried potatoes? What are your sides when french fries are your main dish? I've done salad as an antidote. I don't want to even think about a making meat course for the masses. You don't need a starch when starch is the star of the evening. And what is the best beverage to compliment the latkes? Beer, wine? Red or white? Sodas? Punch? A signature cocktail?

Serious research is called for, clearly. I predict evenings in Borders in the Jewish cookbook section to come.

Send all of your menu and other party suggestions right along...

We all scream...

I bought ice cream last weekend. Now all I need is this sccop for serving from Horchow and these spoons from Sur la Table...

Dinner for one...

It's only just after 10pm on Sunday, and I'm about ready to call it a night. It's been a full weekend, but amazingly enough, I accomplished a lot on my to-do list. And I scored a huge box full of burned-once pillar candles for a dollar. You just can't go wrong with that. I didn't get my shelves hung, but one of the boys will help me with that in the next couple of weeks. And I didn't polish the furniture downstairs, but it'll keep another week. But other than that, it feels good to have put in some major house time this weekend.

I am generally coming to terms with the idea that just because I live in a new space does not mean I'm a different person with different talents and tendencies. For instance, I'm still never home, I still hate drying dishes, and I have not overnight become a fabulous cook. In fact, I don't think becoming a fabulous cook is like to happen any time soon.

I've always had the sense that I could cook if I wanted to - I can follow recipes, but I don't have a good instinct for what flavors and foods will work together. Most of the time my time is short and so I want to do something quick - pasta, couscous, ramen noodles and salad-from-a-bag top my list of favorite home-cooked meals. Hence my struggle with tea and potluck items. It's long been easier to go out and buy something to eat or bring than it is to make it. And then there's the niggling fear that I'll bring something and no one will eat it. Purchasing something seems like more of a sure bet. So one of my goals this summer is to cook. To follow recipes. To try new things. Not to go crazy, mind you, but at least once a week, make something from scratch. I want to be brave and cook meat or fish. I want to incorporate non-salad vegetables into meals. I want to bake a little - something I feel more confident doing. I want to actually try those recipes I faithfully cut and paste from the Food Section every Thursday, and use the cans of beets I bought on a whim last year.

I may discover in the end that I'm still not a cook. I can live with that. But I want to go through this process of making my food less instantaneous, more flavorful and diverse so that when I have dinner parties, which I want to do soon, I'll have confidence that I can please my guests.

Or else I'll fall back on one of my favorite quotes from a card: Enough of these feminine stereotypes. Andre, call my caterer!

A proper cup of coffee?

I gave in a made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning to get some advice about my back, etc. I expect to be all well by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. 'Nuff said.

I've gotten all my topics and days mixed up what with house and health issues, but I wanted to share a few of these amazing coffee froth images that I got in an email. Apparently there's a restaurant in Vancouver that specializes in coffee are while you wait. Amazing!

It almost seems a shame to drink the coffee, but maybe the picture is worth ordering a cup with milk and cream. Once.

Just like Mother still makes...

It's Saturday, and I've just looked at a few more houses - and then back at Durham Street, where we're hoping that interest rates going down this week might just make all the difference... More on that tomorrow.

As I've been sick this week, all the get-well advice I've received has centered around two things - drugs I can't afford, and chicken soup, the cure-all.

My mom's chicken soup is, of course, the best ever. I know it's the cooking time that makes the difference, but I'm convinced that the parsnip has a lot to do with it. And the whole onion (which Mom should never throw away, she should give it to me.). Someday I will even be brave enough to make it myself.

George just fed me soup for lunch. It's basically an Indian version of chicken soup (but with only trace amounts of clove and curry so it's not so icky), and has the same affect of making you feel better.

Hmmm.... I wonder if I should excavate the freezer tomorrow, and see if that parsnip soup is still alive...

(George just gave me a bag of chocolates for a tea contribution for later. He's precient. I am the luckiest one ever!!)

Cheap eats

As I seek to save money, one of the major costs I am trying to curtail is food. In olden days, read before Fall 2007, one of my weaknesses was buying my lunch. (I still long to do this, but I am resisting, thereby saving money and eating healthier. A win-win, right? I still want to buy lunch...) I hate being organized around food in the morning before I go to work, and before I even have had coffee. But nevertheless, I now bring my lunch. And when I have to go to Swarthmore or longsword directly from work, I bring my dinner too.

A typical lunch now consists of salad with dressing, cheese and nuts. An apple, clementine or other fruit. A soda.

I buy salad in large containers, fruit, and soda on the weekend, and toppings as needed. Approximate cost - $12/week. Not bad for lunch.

For breakfast, I buy yogurts and store them at work (Stonyfield Farms fat-free Lotsa Lemon. It's the only kind I'll eat, being generally a yogurt abstainer.). Approximate cost - $1 each or $5 per week.

Coffee is the one thing I still buy every day. But I bought a travel mug from ING Direct for $5 in December and get free coffee in it on Mondays, $.75 coffee every other weekday, and every 5th coffee is free. Approximate cost - $3/week.

I try to keep dinner and weekend food to things I have at home - pasta, eggs, couscous, rice, but it's so tempting to pick up something savory and expensive at the grocery store when I'm there, like a good cheese, or bread (I LOVE bread), or meat.

Do you have suggestions for cheap food/dinners/places to shop for cheap groceries? Any favorite recipies that are quick, easy, and only require cheap ingredients? Do tell...

Waffling

Warning - more house pictures coming in the next few days....

I think I mentioned that I'm on the FreeCycle listserv for both Center City and Philadelphia. FreeCycle is this great idea for people who want to get rid of things and people who need things. My best FreeCycle find - a room air conditioner. My next best, and only my second - 2 Krups waffle makers - one for two waffles, one for four.

Waffles, you ask? Waffles! Mom had a waffle iron at home that was fun, but that we rarely used. Then I remember once having a diner Belgian waffle with maple syrup, ice cream and whipped cream. Fabulous. In college we used to have dinner at Swarthmore on Fridays freshman year. The food was less good, but they had Belgian waffle makers (Bryn Mawr does now too.). And now I get all of these catalogs like Williams Sonoma and Kitchen Kapers and my favorite, Crate & Barrel that all have Waffle makers, and it got me to thinking...

Waffle are good for every meal - breakfast with syrup and bacon, dinner with chicken, dessert with ice cream and chocolate. Mmmmmm...

And now, I have two relatively new waffle makers that work! They stand upright when not in use, and so take up little counter space. This past Thursday, Joanna P. helped me try them out.

The first challenge was to find a batter recipe. I was able to download the manuals from the web, and they included recipes. I tried the buttermilk waffles:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg, separated
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbl butter melted

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together
2. Combine egg yolk, buttermilk and butter and add to dry ingredients and mix gently.
3. Beat egg white until stiff. Fold into batter
4. Pour onto preheated waffle iron. Bake ~4 minutes. Serve immediately.

This was easy to make and came out well, but I'd love to find a recipe that does not require separating eggs to save breaking out another appliance. I'm going to check out the King Arthur cookbook and Joy of Cooking. Anyone have favorite recipes I should try?

Oh, and one note, when the recipe says that it makes 4 waffles, it makes 4 waffles, period.