Buckwheat Crêpe with Smoked Trout, Sour Cream and Dill

Even in a world where so little makes sense - good food always does.

Buckwheat Crêpes with Smoked Trout, Sour Cream and Dill

Basic Buckwheat Crêpe

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup cup water
• 1/4 cup hard apple or pear cider 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 4 tablespoons melted butter or ghee, plus more for griddle

Combine eggs, milk, water and hard cider in the jar of a bar blender.  Process until smooth.  Add salt and flour and blend.  Add butter and blend just until batter is smooth and the consistency of a nice pourable cream.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before using.

Heat griddle over a medium low flame.  Brush with melted butter - just so shiny.  There should not be a butter puddle.  Same as pancakes - first crêpe is usually a dud - so be prepared. Pour a scant 1/4 of batter onto griddle.  Lift griddle and gentle tip and turn so that batter spreads naturally into a nice even thin circle - you are looking for something with about 1/16 inch thickness.  

There are various schools of thought when it comes to crêpes.  Some believe that they should be flipped and others say no - JAMAIS JAMAIS JAMAIS!  In the end it all depends on your mood and/or expertise.

• 1 recipe Basic Buckwheat Crêpes
• 1 pound smoked trout, skin and bones discarded
• 1 cup sour cream
• Small bunch fresh dill
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Prepare crêpes as above.  While still warm fill with desired amount and combination of above ingredients.

Raspberry Jam Crêpes with Powdered Sugar

Simple.  The new fancy. 

Basic Crêpe

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 4 large eggs
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted,  plus more for griddle 
• Lots of good jam
• Confectioner's sugar, for sprinkling

Combine water, milk, eggs, salt and vanilla in the jar of a bar blender.  Process until smooth.  Add flour and blend.  Add butter and blend just until batter is smooth and the consistency of a nice pourable cream.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before using.

Heat griddle over a medium low flame.  Brush with melted butter - just so shiny.  There should not be a butter puddle.  Same as pancakes - first crêpe is usually a dud - so be prepared. Pour a scant 1/4 of batter onto griddle.  Lift griddle and gentle tip and turn so that batter spreads naturally into a nice even thin circle - you are looking for something with about 1/16 inch thickness.  

There are various schools of thought when it comes to crêpes.  Some believe that they should be flipped and others say no - JAMAIS JAMAIS JAMAIS!  In the end it all depends on your mood and/or expertise.  Serve spread with jam and sprinkled with sugar.

Buckwheat Black Forest Crepe Cake

Buckwheat Black Forest Crepe Cake

Chocolate, cream and cherries. What is not to love!

Basic Buckwheat Crepe

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup cup water
• 1/4 cup hard apple or pear cider 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 4 tablespoons melted butter or ghee, plus more for griddle

Combine eggs, milk, water and hard cider in the jar of a bar blender.  Process until smooth.  Add salt and flour and blend.  Add butter and blend just until batter is smooth and the consistency of a nice pourable cream.  Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Let stand at least 30 minutes before using.

Heat griddle over a medium low flame.  Brush with melted butter - just so shiny.  There should not be a butter puddle.  Same as pancakes - first crepe is usually a dud - so be prepared. Pour a scant 1/4 of batter onto griddle.  Lift griddle and gentle tip and turn so that batter spreads naturally into a nice even thin circle - you are looking for something with about 1/16 inch thickness.  

There are various schools of thought when it comes to crepes.  Some believe that they should be flipped and others say no - JAMAIS JAMAIS JAMAIS!  In the end it all depends on your mood and/or expertise.

Black Forest Crepe Cake

• 1 recipe Basic Buckwheat Crepe
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon kirsch or pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 16 ounces brandied or canned sour cherries, drained with a few tablespoons liquid reserved

Prepare crepes as above and let cool.  Combine cream, sugar and kirsch or vanilla and whisk to form soft peeks.  Starting with a crepe - create layers of crepe, cream, cherries and chocolate - stacking the layers one on top of the other to form a beautiful whimsical cake. Drizzle a bit of cherry juice here and there as you work.  Serve immediately. 

Kaffir Lime and Kumquat Chicken

Storm warnings abound.  Time to get cooking!  Stay home.  Stay safe.  Stay happy. 

Kaffir Lime and Kumquat Chicken

Storm warnings abound.  Time to get cooking!  Stay home.  Stay safe.  Stay warm.  And eat well. 

• 4 kaffir limes, halved
• 6 kumquats, halved
• 2 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 piece lemon grass, finely chopped
• 1 chicken, about 3 1//2 pounds, cut into 8 pieces, rinsed and pat dry
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock, homemade if you can manage
• Fresh cilantro, for serving
• Rice noodles, for serving

Heat oven to 425.  Strew a large cast iron skillet or smallish roasting pan with limes, kumquats, garlic and lemon grass.  Season chicken with coriander, salt and pepper and arrange pieces, skin side up on top of fruit.  Roast in hot oven until chicken is golden brown, crisp and cooked through, about 1 hour.  Remove from oven.   Transfer chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.  Add chicken stock to pan and set over high heat.  Let liquid bubble up - scraping up any cooked on bits in pan to create a rich flavorful juice.  Pour juices over chicken and serve with fresh cilantro and rice noodles.  

Citrus Chips with Smashed Avocado

After weeks of binging on chips and dip - time to give your habit a healthy kick. 

Citrus Chips with Smashed Avocado

Citrus Chips

• 2 medium organic navel oranges, washed and scrubbed
• 1 medium organic lemon, washed and scrubbed
• 1 medium organic lime, washed and scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Several sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 425.  Slice citrus into rounds - work with a sharp knife to produce rounds as paper-thin as possible.  Reserve any mangled slices for Smashed Avocado (recipe below).  Brush baking sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.  Arrange citrus rounds on prepared pan - creating a single layer with little to no overlap.  Drizzle citrus with remaining olive oil.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt, several cracks of black pepper and fresh thyme.  Set in oven and roast until edges start to turn a dark golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 200 and gently roast until citrus flesh is completely crisp, about another 45 minutes.  Keep an eye on things as oven temperatures can regulate at different speeds.  Remove from oven and let cool before serving. 

Smashed Avocado

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced to a paste
• Citrus juice and scraps from above - rind finely chopped 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon zaatar spice 
• 4 ripe avocados
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• large handful fresh cilantro, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

Combine coriander, garlic, citrus juice and scraps, olive oil and zaatar spice in a bowl.  Let stand about 15 minutes.  Peel and pit avocados and cut into large pieces and add
to bowl.  Season well with salt and pepper and use a butter knife to smash avocado into a chunky mash.  Stir in cilantro and serve. 

Steamed Mussels with Oven Fries

Simple pleasures to start the new year.  In my house there are FOUR birthdays in January so its like the holidays every weekend for the next month.  Easy meals from here on out!

Steamed Mussels and Oven Fries

Steamed Mussels

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced to paste
• 4 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mixed soft herbs such as chervil, tarragon and parsley

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium low heat.  Add garlic and shallots and cook just until very fragrant - a minute or two. Add wine and let come to a simmer.  Add mussels, season well with salt and pepper, cover and steam until mussels open, about 7 minutes.  Stir in herbs and serve with oven fries (recipe below).  

Oven Fries

• 6 Russet baking potatoes, scrubbed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt - Maldon best
• Ground black pepper
• Several sprigs fresh rosemary, stems discarded and needles coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 425.  Set a large baking sheet in oven to warm while potatoes soak. Slice potatoes to resemble traditional french fries.  Soak in a bowl of cold salty water for about 1 hour, making sure all of the potatoes are completely submerged.  Lift potatoes out of water, rinse well and pat dry.  Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season well with sea salt, black pepper and chopped rosemary.  Pour remaining tablespoon olive oil on hot baking sheet and tilt from side to side to spread evenly.  Transfer potatoes to baking sheet - they should sizzle on contact.  Place in oven and roast, without turning potatoes, until deep golden and crisp, about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, loosen from tray with a spatula and serve immediately. 

Acorn Squash Bowl with Greens and Grains

A hearty but healthy break in the holiday meal cycle.  Your belly will thank you.

Acorn Squash Bowl with Greens and Grains

Acorn Squash

• 3 medium small acorn squash, scrubbed, halved and seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Several sprigs fresh oregano
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400.  Arrange squash on a baking sheet, cut side up.  Divide about 2 tablespoons olive oil between squash halves.  Strew with sliced garlic and oregano.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Roast until squash is spoon tender and garlic is golden and caramelized, about 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve hot - filled with Greens and Grains (recipe below).

Greens and Grains

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced to paste
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
• Several gratings fresh nutmeg
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 cup whole freekeh
• Pinch saffron
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup dried mulberries or golden raisins
• 1/2 cup roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch Russian kale or other dark green, tough stems removed, rinsed and just shaken dry 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium flame.  Add onion and cook, stirring often until soft, translucent and golden, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and stir in coriander, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon and grated ginger.  Cook a minute or two more.  Add ginger and stir so to coat grains in spice and oil.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Cook another minute or so.  Add 2 cups cold water and saffron.  Increase heat and bring liquid to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and let simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes depending on grain.  Remove from heat and add mulberries.  Let stand, covered, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chestnuts and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  
Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet.  Add kale, season with salt and pepper, and sautée until just tender, adding a splash of water if necessary to prevent scorching.  Fill baked squash above with grains and top with sautéed greens.