Following the devastation in Haiti from the recent earthquake, Rodelle Vanilla and Custom Blending has been fortunate to have the opportunity to financially support the Haiti relief efforts through the Red Cross.  Custom Blending’s donation directly impacts the relief efforts through first aid posts, relief distribution efforts, and more.  To see news and reports on their work, visit http://www.redcross.org/.

The outpouring of support from American communities has been inspiring. If you have not had a chance to contribute to the relief efforts, we’d like to invite you to join us in donating to the Red Cross. An easy way to donate is to text HAITI to 90999. A one time, $10 donation will be made on your behalf and will appear on your monthly cell phone bill. More details here: http://bit.ly/5QMn3N.

Thank you for support!

For two years I’ve been adamant about learning how to make the perfect pie crust. A savory girl, I like to make pie dough more for quiche than pie (although this Thanksgiving I discovered chocolate pecan pie). Still, my crusts aren’t elegant in form and they’re not exactly ‘flaky’. My dough typically rolls out OK, but it seems kind of stiff. I’ve experimented with things like vegan butter (oxymoron, I know) and organic vegetable shortening. Let’s just say, it’s been a process.

If you’ve ever embarked on a similar journey, you’re familiar with the range of certainty and opinion the baking world holds for how to combine flour, fat and water to create the perfect crust. The pie world has three main camps: those that use shortening; those that use butter; and, those that use both. After trial and error, this decision is now easy for me. I want something that comes from a cow, not a can; and though something called leaf lard sounds interesting, I can’t readily source it.

The issue is which ingredient creates a flakier crust. I believe the quality of flaky (insert your favorite self-deprecating joke here) is in the making of the dough. Some swear by food processors and others keep it real with a pastry cutter (blender). I didn’t have an opinion on this technical point, so I set out this week to see which dough turns out better – one made with electricity, or one made with muscle. Up until now I’ve been favoring muscle with both a pastry cutter and a knife, which Chez Pim makes look ridiculously easy (but it’s not).

I also thought I’d round out the experiment by trying two different butter techniques: cubing refrigerated butter v. grating frozen butter. I had done neither – just sliced it up into big squares. Lastly, I also found this crust that calls for almond flour (wouldn’t you know, I bought some to use and then proceeded to forget I bought it) and this gluten-free crust that sounds amazing except I’d need to take a second mortgage out on my home to afford the five different kinds of flour it requires (I willed Will Ferrell showing up with ‘flours’ like he did in Stranger Than Fiction, but no dice). So here’s what I did….

Pie Dough 1 – Cubed butter, pastry cutter (blender)
I love this method, which I learned from Smitten Kitchen. Of all the online dissertations I found for making the perfect crust, Deb’s Pie Crust 102 shed important and somewhat life changing light on What Could Be. Cubing is a snap with my pastry knife and the pastry cutter makes everything come together quickly. Clean up is easy. I refrigerated the crust for 90 minutes, rolled it out (following these directions), and ended up with a lovely looking pie shell that I put back in the fridge a few more hours. Keeping the dough, especially the butter, chilled is perhaps the most important element in making a flaky crust.

Pie Dough 2 – Grated butter, food processor
I do not love this method. Grating the butter by hand added an element of heat that concerned me, and all those butter shavings were a mess (by the way, even though grated butter looks like a creamy Parmesan cheese, sadly, it still tastes like butter). After combining the flour and butter in the food processor, pulsing it briefly and drizzling in ice cold water, I still had to remove the dough and mix it by hand in a bowl. The dough was easier to work with at this point because the butter had warmed up, but overall, this method took me longer than the pastry cutter. Back in the fridge for more chilling.

And then…

I made a pie! I adapted this Scandinavian Sour Cream Apple Pie recipe by using real Rodelle vanilla bean, not quite a full cup of sour cream, and placing Pie Dough 2 on top, instead of the streusel-like topping the recipe calls for. I have never understood how to make a crust look good until I read about tucking the excess dough under. Duh. That, and cubing butter, were hands down the greatest take-aways from my experiment.

But was it flaky?

You know, this just wasn’t my goal. I believe in butter, I believe in the hand-mixing technique, I believe in keeping the dough cold. I just believed that flaky would be the natural outcome of my dough. I had friends over last night to taste my pie and when my girlfriend asked, “How do you get your crust so flaky?” I just smiled. Ever been there? Do tell. I’d love to know your obsession with making the perfect pie crust.

Mixing it up with glee,

Carol

The holidays are over. Christmas, Hanukkah and the New Year have all come and gone.  Even though the relatives and the festive air may have dissipated, there are some aspects that stick around for awhile longer, such as the effects of weeks of excessive and rich food.  I know that when my body is out of whack, it seems absolutely nothing is the way it should be.  Even if “getting healthy” or “losing weight” isn’t one of your resolutions for 2010 (and if it is, you’re in good company), getting your body back into pre-holiday condition (or better) can help you all the way around.  Is there anyone that doesn’t feel better about life when they’ve been eating healthily?  But I see absolutely no reason why healthy food can’t still taste amazing, and with that in mind, I’ve compiled these recipes and tips for making one of my favorite “healthy” foods: Smoothies.

Sometimes I find it difficult to get in the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and smoothies can be a convenient (and delicious) way to squeeze them into my diet.  A good, wholesome smoothie is not simply a non-alcoholic version of a daiquiri or margarita (anyone else have a few of those over the holidays?), but uses much better and satisfying ingredients.

I absolutely love smoothies and drink several each week.  Of course, having a good blender is essential to making a good smoothie.  I invested in a good Bella Cucina drink blender that mixes the fruit right into a plastic cup.  I just stick in a straw and go!  It was definitely a good buy.

Also, knowing that I’ll need them later, I bag and freeze my favorite seasonal fruits throughout the year.  This works especially well with berries, which act like ice cubes when blending and eliminates the need to add any other ice.   Even without this foresight, frozen fruit is easily found in the freezer section of any grocery store.  In particular, I like the Dole blend of mixed tropical frozen fruit.  I try to avoid using canned fruit, though, as they often sit in heavy syrup that never tastes good and has a lot of sugar and preservatives.

There are some crazy smoothie recipes around, but my favorite combinations are made from just plain fruit and fruit juice.

Here’s one that I use all the time:

1 to 1 ½ cups of frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries and fresh or frozen peaches

2/3 cup fruit juice (this can be a fruit cocktail, apple, orange or any other type of fruit juice you like)

¼ – ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Throw all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.

Because of how rich and flavorful berries can be, the lighter tone of the peaches and apple juice I like to put in helps to balance it out.  Occasionally, I’ll also throw in a fresh banana.  Don’t worry if the banana is a little on the green side; adding vanilla to the mixture gets rid of that starchy-taste and helps bring out the mature, ripe flavor.  Also, if the smoothie is a little too thick, add more fruit juice to thin out the consistency.  If you’re someone with a real sweet-tooth, you can add a bit of sugar or your favorite substitute (I’m a Splenda girl myself, although I’m interested in this new stevia that’s been getting a lot of hype…I’ll have to look into it a little bit more) to almost any smoothie recipe to get it just where you want it.

One of the best parts about smoothies is that they’re so easily modified.  If I have a taste for mango, I just throw some in.  Or, if I have fruit, like melon, that is ripening in my fruit bowl I can use it up in a smoothie.  I try to be adventurous and test new combinations; they don’t always work out quite the way I plan (avocado and cantelope, anyone?), but you never know what strange mishmash you might fall in love with!

If you get tired of the all-fruit feel, try changing the juice base.  One recent trick I’ve been using is to substitute the fruit juice with green tea.  Green tea is unbelievably good for you and has a wonderful light taste that is a great complement to fruit.  Or, if you want something that feels more substantial, try a plain yogurt base; it adds a smoother texture to the smoothie that gives it a different consistency.

I believe that there is no reason why getting my body back on track can’t be delicious.  I also see no reason why the Super Bowl has to derail this plan. So, I have a secret goal of sneaking my husband and his buddies healthier options this year, instead of the typical beer and chips.  With any luck, they’ll be too wrapped up in the game to notice that these dip recipes are actually light and that they’re being served with a veggie tray instead of those chips that leave grease trails on napkins and jeans.  I figure that regardless of who loses the game, I’ll secretly be winning at life if I manage to fill my guests up on yummy food that’s not a calorific nightmare.

What is the best smoothie combination you have ever had? I’d love to try it!

Laura

This week I discovered a new appreciation for an old food tradition. I set out looking for a cooking or kitchen technique that focused on simplicity – you know, something inspired and amazing that might simplify your life in one easy step – and then Katie (of Rogue Rice fame) recommended fondue. I balked at the idea for many reasons.

1. I don’t have a fondue set.
2. Fondue sets have lots of parts and pieces.
3. It requires a gathering of people – who wants to eat fondue alone?
4. It seems anything but simple.

Nevertheless, within minutes I found myself doing a search for ‘fondue’ on Craigslist and in the time it takes to say “Emmental cheese”, I had located a brand new, still in the box, fondue kit for ten dollars. In less than one hour, I became the proud owner of a fondue set.

Now that reason number one no longer held any weight, I informed Katie she was required to partake in a great fondue experiment the following night. We wrangled a couple more friends, she murmured something about chocolate liqueur and tiramisu, and suddenly we had enough people to make a proper fondue party. Reason number three: dashed.

But, what to prepare? It seemed blasphemous to not pay homage to fondue’s Swiss lineage, so cheese had to be included. I was intent on finding a vanilla recipe and Katie was intent on chocolate. In short order, we nailed down the perfect fondue trifecta. Thankfully, the Internet is awash with sites dedicated to fondue recipes like this one or this one or this one.

The day of the big event I braved extreme cold, falling snow (during rush hour, of course), and five stores to acquire my list of ingredients: pears, apples, corn starch, gruyere and emmental cheese (to save a few $$ I bought a bag of pre-shredded fondue cheese that most fondue experts agree you should avoid), chocolate chips, dry white wine, bread, lady fingers, oranges, mascarpone, whipping cream and sterno (hint: not readily available at grocery stores. I got mine at Kmart). This was definitely no simple affair (see reason 4 above).

That is, until the preparations began. With friends on hand – I didn’t have to slice a single piece of fruit or bread (thanks Lera) – the fondue making was a snap. I just stood at my stove, rubbed garlic into a pan, added wine and cheese and stirred. Katie and Danny figured out the sterno lighting. Then, we gorged the dip with rustic whole wheat bread and red wine and debated fondue etiquette.

Next, the vanilla fondue. I modified Ilana Simon’s vanilla recipe – a ridiculously simple combination of water, sugar, cornstarch, butter, salt and vanilla – to include Rodelle Bourbon vanilla bean instead of extract. I paired the vanilla dip with honey crisp apples and Bosc, Bartlett and Anjou pears because my Flavor Bible recommended I do so. Have you ever tasted something so surprisingly good that you thought that if you died in that moment, your life would’ve been incomplete because you didn’t get to taste it again; nay, you didn’t get to rub your ENTIRE body in the concoction and lick yourself silly for the rest of eternity? That’s pretty much what I experienced every time I dipped a fruity morsel into the vanilla fondue. The vanilla bean was a knock out substitution that almost made me cry for joy.

We finished the night by creating our own chocolate fondue recipe adapted from a chocolate tiramisu recipe by Giada De Laurentiis. We melted chocolate chips, added mascarpone and cream, a handful of sugar and flavored the blend with a splashes of Starbucks Coffee Liqueur. We devoured the concoction with lady fingers, clementines, the remaining apple and pear bites and more red wine.

Remember reason number 2 about parts and pieces?? Dead simple. We used two pots, three wooden spoons, one measuring cup, four plates, four wine glasses, four skewers, sterno and a match. Preparations and clean-up were a snap. While the ingredients were slightly costly, the pleasure in preparing and enjoying food with friends more than balanced out the hit to my wallet. And the vanilla fondue? Oh my. That’s a keeper.

So here’s your mission for this month — Fondue. Go on. Do it. Get over the cliched 70s image.  Is that fondue set you got for your wedding still sitting unused in its original box in the closet? Dust it off, get it out, love it and then tell me all about it.

In search of simple pleasures,

Carol

Welcome to 2010!  Even though we’ve all said goodbye to 2009 and the great things the year brought, Rodelle Vanilla is not letting nostalgia get in the way of ringing in this new decade!  Not even giving the New Year’s champagne a chance to go flat, Rodelle Vanilla has made sure they are moving forward by getting ready for this year’s Fancy Food Show.

The Fancy Food Show is an annual event that showcases specialty foods and beverages and has over 250,000 different products in attendance. The Fancy Food Show gives it’s attendees a chance to visit various booths and learn about new or rare products and companies.  This is the 35^th Winter Fancy Food Show to date and some of these shows have had upwards of 24,000 people in attendance!  This year it is going to be at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from January 17-19.

Although people enrolled have the option of running free through the show and exploring on their own, I know that I would be completely overwhelmed and wouldn’t know where to turn first.  A budding foodist like me would need guidance through the amazing array of specialty foods being publicized.  That’s why the Fancy Food Show has educational programs available!   I, for example, would love to learn the language of specialty foods, or sample some miso and natto (two great new food products coming over from Japan).  The Specialty Food Retailers of San Francisco Tour sounds like it would not only be informative, but super interesting.  And, of course, the Chocoholic’s Tour of San Francisco sounds as though it was planned just for me!  What could be better than getting the chance to visit several different chocolateers, go backstage at a confectioner’s and sample some amazing chocolate?  I imagine that going on this tour would leave me feeling as amazed and awestruck as Charlie Bucket.

Despite my dreams, the Fancy Food Show is only for people who are in the specialty food industry.  Think of it as a big food related conference where participants get to see the latest trends, check out the newest products and keep up to date on all of the specialty food gossip.  There’s no telling what new creations could take place when two experts with great products cross paths.

I admit, I’m a little sad I won’t get to go on the Chocoholic’s Tour of San Fransisco, so maybe I’ll just have to settle for indulging in Rodelle’s new origin specific dutch processed Ivory Coast Gourmet Baking Cocoa (although it’s not much of a sacrifice….to be honest, it’s just plain pampering myself!).  I am glad, though, that there are programs like the Fancy Food Show that help keep Rodelle and other specialty sellers at the top of their game.  After all, even if we don’t get to go, we’re still the ones who are ultimately reaping the benefits from this type of (yummy) collaboration!

Thanks to Optical Illusion, h-bomb and Rodelle Vanilla for the great pictures!

Laura

Just about now, foodies and other fine citizens nationwide are taking comfort in the New Year. What other time of year so aggressively sanctions the act of starting all over again? Those innumerable regrets you harbor for locking your hip next to the truffles and cookies at your holiday office party, or indulging in more than your fair share of vanilla bean martinis and apple pie since Thanksgiving rolled around? Poof! They can be magically transformed into a Resolution For What You Will Not Do in 2010.

I suppose the handed-down Puritan psychology that formed the backbone of our culture’s work ethic has something to do with our obsessive need to feel bad about enjoying All Things Good and then resolve to change our ways. Yet, it’s a lovely idea that we can take control over our choices, make good (or, ahem, better) ones, and purposefully turn ourselves into more enlightened beings.

This year, instead of looking at those places where reality is not measuring up to my ideal (and thereby crafting a resolution born out of a lack or ill-feeling for where I fell short), I’m focusing on what I want to bring into my life – multiple mountain bike and ski trips, my first garden, new yummy recipes, and a dog – regardless of last year’s accomplishments.

For me, there’s no point saddling myself with a painful, daunting task such as: I will only drink coffee once a week. Instead, I might ‘resolve’ to drink more tea! As you can see, it’s a subtle shift, but this approach focuses on what I can bring more of into my life, instead of what I need to cut out. Here’s how this plays out across the board in my essential 2010 Resolutions for Abundance:

1. Bring on Seasonal Eating
In 2009 I embraced local and seasonal produce like never before. I joined Happy Heart Farm CSA as a working member and started learning about our local farmers. I want to expand my knowledge of Colorado farms in 2010, eat as seasonally as possible and start interviewing farmers to learn more about their operations, land and passion for food.

2. Love my Fridge
I’ve been dining out with less frequency on account of the previous resolution, but lately when I open my fridge these days – it’s scary inside. So many cheeses left unloved, so many veggies rotting in the bottom of my drawer. Guess I need to cook more and truth be told, shop with less enthusiasm. The more I cook, the more I can share with friends and the more we can consult on new recipes and ways to use the veggies, cheeses and leftover rice that occupy the dark recesses of said fridge. Of course, with vanilla at my side, there’s always room for creativity, like playing around with this rice pudding recipe by using my precious vanilla beans instead of extract.

3. Muse, Bluegrass, and Dancing
I love to dance, I love music, and I love to be inspired. While I’m no artist, I seek more creative energy in my every day life and I know that music and dancing will help take me there. So, I aim to turn up the tunes, boogie in every corner of the house, and celebrate the sounds and rhythms of life. I just might even learn to play an instrument, go to my first ever Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and start writing a book.

4. Get a dog
I’ve never, ever had a pet. I aim to change that this year. I’m so excited. Woof!

5. Ride, ride, ride, ride and ski, ski, ski, ski
I’m a glutton for mountain biking and backcountry skiing. I can never get enough of both. This year, I want to take more trips to explore new trails and see new mountains. I’m also aiming to ride more at night with my super cool new headlamp.

What will you bring into your life in 2010? More vanilla? More healthy eating? More hikes in the woods? Discovering new cafes and favorite haunts? Whatever makes it onto your list, I wish you great joy in embracing that which enriches your life, expands your heart and gives you new hope in the new year.

With abundance,

Carol

Happy New Year to Legalnonresident, alicepopkorn,  Ed Youdon, and Rob Lee for the use of their spirited photos.

I’ve made no great claims to fame or outlandish statements of impressive culinary dexterity in this blog.  In fact, I’m pretty open about the fact that although I love to bake (and I have some skill in this area), I am not a professional chef and often find myself in over my head in my own kitchen.  It must be confessed though, that even though I am no Rachael Ray or Cat Cora, I do have a pronounced similarity to Julia Child.  Yes, it’s true!  The Great Julia and I have at least one major trait in common: we both hate waste.

Now, I know Julia and I are not alone in our abhorrence of waste!  All you other food-savers out there must be coming up against the same situation that I always do at this time of year: what’s to be done with all the leftovers?

The holidays are famous for gigantic feasts and (shamefully) for avoidable food waste.  Although every household has their own customary food dishes they serve annually, I’ve taken some of the most commonly eaten foods and found these great recipes for your leftovers!

Potatoes

It’s probably the Irish in me, but I believe in potatoes and I think they’re best when mashed!  But this starchy vegetable is so filling that there’s always some left at the end of the meal.  So, this year I’ll try to convince my mother-in-law that we should take the remaining spuds and form them into these potato croquettes or these mashed potato cakes!  It gives the mashed potatoes a little more texture and livens up what can become a bland leftover dish.  Or, maybe I’ll go the other way and cream them into this potato soup.  My mother used to make an amazing potato soup and I hope one day she’ll impart the recipe to me <<hint hint>>, but I’ve used this recipe before and it is delicious!  Another good thing about potatoes is that they’re safe for those on a gluten-free diet!  The potato soup is definitely a win, and using a gluten-free substitute for the small amounts of flour in the other two recipes is an easy swap (try garbanzo or chick pea flour for anything requiring 2 cups of flour or less in a regular recipe for a gluten free alternative!)

Turkey Dishes

Although turkey is more traditionally Thanksgiving rather than Christmas, I know some people eat this bird on both occasions!  Even though I’ve been a vegetarian for years, I still remember a homemade turkey-noodle soup that would appear in our refrigerator around the holidays.  Well, if you’re someone who makes soup out of your leftover bird, you may want to try adding these mashed potato dumplings to the pot and kill two birds with one stone (pun intended)!  Or you can use even more of the meal in a turkey and mashed potato shepherd’s pie!  I would think you’d easily be able to add any leftover green bean casserole (although, my favorite simple recipe is so delicious, why would you have any left over?).  Or, for a bite of the holidays in a sandwich, here is a turkey/stuffing/cranberry panini recipe.

Ham

The other meat most often consumed around this time of year is ham.  Even leftover ham can be made over and given more appeal!  What about a ham and cheese bake?  I have a feeling that this pizza would be a favorite of Dr. Seuss!  Or combine the two traditional tastes of ham and meatloaf into a hamloaf.  There is also the simple solution of this cold ham salad sandwich!

Bread

There’s always leftover bread!  This carbohydrate appears at most meals around this time whether in the form of rolls, French baguettes or just plain old loaf bread.  Lighten it up!  Make homemade croutons to toss into a big salad.  The perfect way to use leftovers without making another heavy dish.  This last one is definitely my favorite: use leftover bread to make a Vanilla Bean Pudding.  Delicious!  If you happen to have leftover Challah bread, even better!  Here’s a great recipe for a Challah bread pudding.

With all of these great recipes available, there’s no reason why you can’t find a way to use those leftovers crowding your fridge. By using a little creativity, you can save yourself time, money and calories!

What are some of your favorite leftover recipes?

Thanks to Dr. Hemmert, Vicki’s Nature and ulterior epicure for the pictures!

~Laura