It's (truly) All Good

It’s  (truly)  All Good

I’ve been trying to find cookbooks that support the bounty of fresh, organic produce I’ve been getting from my CSA, Dogwood Farms (read – use up before it overtakes my fridge.)  Here are several I picked up at the Library.

The first one that caught my eye was appropriately called The Farm by Ian Knauer.  This one had lots of recipes for seasonal produce but what really stood out to me in this cookbook were the number of recipes that included bacon!  Truth be told,  I like bacon as well as the next person, but lately it has been so overused that chef Michael Symon recently tweeted:  “Bacon:  the duct tape of food.”  It’s almost like cheating – add bacon, and everything tastes great!

Besides the bacon, many of these recipes called for more cheese, meat and fat than I was comfortable with.  I was looking for recipes that were fresh and healthful, not just good tasting, and where the produce itself takes center stage.  Next.

Another promising candidate was Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison.  Here was a book that read almost like a primer for the professional cook.   In fact, its subtitle is “Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom with Over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes.”  Each chapter contained its own little lesson about the growth habit of the vegetable, who its botanical cousins were and what flavors paired well with it.  The recipes were interesting but were often of the side dish variety, again, not quite what I was looking for. (I am soooo picky.)

Enter Gwyneth Paltrow’s new offering It’s All Good, and its recipes are exactly what I want to be making this summer.  Yes, it veers off into the realm of fervent veganism, as well as being gluten free, but you can look at this in two ways:  it might expand your culinary horizons, OR, you could just re-adapt the recipes back so that you use flour with gluten, regular sugars, add meats and cheeses, whatever, if you like.  (Cheating?  Well, nobody's perfect!  Except maybe Gwyneth...)

One thing I loved about this book is that the salad dressings are all phenomenal, plus they're different enough from one another that you could vary the salad ingredients and enjoy lots of different tastes to keep you happy all season.

If you are looking for a healthful, fresh way to cook that is also gourmet delicious, and truly easy, It's All Good is your book.  Great example, this refreshing peach basil summer smoothie combination that I bet you haven’t had before.  Wonderful for breakfast, I poured out two glasses full, but after one taste, I decided not to share and drank them both!  (Full disclosure:  I did make another batch for my husband, but it wasn’t quite as good, as the peach wasn’t as sweet and ripe.  So if you don’t have a giant luscious peach like I did, use two smaller ones, and decrease the lime to ½ a lime if they’re not dead ripe and sweet.)

Crazy Delicious Peach/Cucumber/Basil Lime Smoothie

1 large ripe peach, pitted, not peeled

1 cucumber, peeled

1/3 cup of fresh basil

1 lime, peel and pith removed

1 cup or so ice cubes

Coarsely chop up the first four ingredients, and add them to your blender in order.  Add  ice cubes.  Blend away.  Be amazed.

(If I hadn’t scarfed down the whole thing immediately, the glasses would have looked so pretty decorated with a peach slice and a basil leaf…!)

Can’t wait to see what I get this week from the farm!

Diane Whitman

@whitlibrarian

Gwyneth Fan

If you want to see what a CSA is about, check out their website:  dogwoodfarmsnj.com.

Sea Salt Magic

Sea salt caramel whipped cream...doesn’t that description make you want to go right out and eat some NOW?  (Me? Guilty!) The addition of salt - specifically large, flaky sea salt, totally elevates the flavor of the caramel whipped cream to something so beyond delicious, it's almost magical.

In our Library now!  Come in and check it out.

We're all familiar with the great combo of cake/berries/whipped cream which is strawberry shortcake, but  Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream takes this dessert to another level entirely - and guess what? It's easy, people!

Cheat and make this today with a yellow cake mix and it will be (almost) as good.  Make this now with strawberries and yellow cake, in July with blueberries and chocolate cake (love that), and in August with peaches, raspberries and white cake with a little addition of almond extract...(yum, can't wait for peaches - I love summer!).

Go for the strawberry version and scatter in some blueberries to make it colorfully Fourth of July festive.



This recipe hails from the fun book Relish by Daphne Oz from the daytime food talk show “The Chew”. Though not technically a cook book, more a lifestyle book, this recipe is a keeper.

I've changed up the directions so that each person adds salt on top of their own serving to taste: some may prefer more or less (and children none at all). Use Maldon sea salt or French fleur de sel if any way possible - it makes all the difference. (Am I being a salt snob? Yes, I admit it, but it really does...!)

(Notes: Caramel is simple, but can be tricky if you don’t watch it carefully once it starts to change color, so be vigilant. Also, sugar burns are intense – be careful not to get any on your skin.)

I couldn’t resist sharing this photo of our Strawberry Cake with Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream which my granddaughter frosted and decorated herself for my daughter’s birthday.

Devon's design.

Caramel Fleur de Sel Whipped Cream Frosting, adapted from Relish, by Daphne Oz

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 cups heavy cream, divided as follows: 3/4 cup heavy cream for the caramel, 1 1/4 cups for whipping

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Maldon sea salt (or other large flake sea salt such as French Fleur de Sel) for sprinkling on each serving to taste
Cake
Berries

Mix the sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan set over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until the syrup turns medium amber, if you are using a candy thermometer, to about 355 or 360 degrees. Remove from heat and carefully whisk in 3/4 cup ONLY of the heavy cream, then the butter and kosher salt.

Pour the caramel into a small bowl and refrigerate (or freeze if you’re in a hurry – about 30 minutes) until cooled and thickened. (Can be prepared ahead to this point.)

Place the remaining cream in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the cooled caramel and beat until stiff. Decorate your cake with cream and berries. Have each person add salt to taste.

Be proclaimed the Wizard of Dessert Alchemy.

Diane Whitman
Twitter @whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian,
Powerless in the Face of Awesome Desserts

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner, Sr. Librarian
SBPL Information Services

Hi Everyone,

Her are a few more titles from our collection that you might enjoy.   Let me know what you think!

Jill

Jane Eyre

Based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte. Directed by Cary Fukunaga. Starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Sally Hawkins, Simon McBurney, Valentina Cervi, and Judi Dench.  When orphaned governess Jane Eyre arrives at imposing Thornfield Hall, she's intrigued by her brooding, wealthy employer, Rochester. His dark moods and the strange occurrences in the house lead her to discover a terrible secret that he had hoped to hide from her forever.

2011. In English, rated PG-13. Drama.

Farewell My Queen

Directed by Benoit Jacquot. Starring Xavier Beauvois, Noemie Lvovsky, Virginie Ledoyen, Diane Kruger, Lea Seydoux.  Sidonie, who serves as reader to Marie Antoinette and displays a singular romantic devotion to the queen, witnesses the final days of the French Revolution from inside the walls of the Palace of Versailles. The film is seen from Sidonie's point of view, and the story takes place over the course of four days.  
2012. In French with English subtitles, rated R.  Drama.

Hyde Park on Hudson

Based on the play by Richard Nelson. Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Samuel West, Olivia Colman.  With Great Britain facing war with Germany, President Franklin D. Roosevelt invites the King and Queen of England to his home in upstate New York, while engaging in an affair with a distant cousin. 
2012. In English, Rated R. Drama/Biography.

Free Digital Magazines @ SBPL

South Brunswick Public Library with The Libraries of Middlesex Automation Consortium (LMXAC),  now provide free digital magazines through Zinio. These are  full color, interactive digital magazines for your enjoyment. Browse from your library's collection of popular titles with no waiting, no holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download. 

Choose from over popular 130 titles.

·                     Current Issues — New issues are released simultaneously with the print edition many are available before they arrive at your library and are ready for immediate download.

·                     Easy browsing — Browse your library's collection of titles one at a time, search for your favorite magazines by title or use the convenient category feature to find new magazines which meet your interests.

·                     Manage your collection — Using the personal account you will create, you will have the opportunity to checkout the magazines  and read them instantly on your computer (both PC and Mac) or access the content on a portable media device. (Note: viewing options, including the ability to download or view the content while online, may differ based on the device and/or magazine publisher)

·                     No limits — Check out as many issues as you want and keep them in your account as long as you wish.

You can find this great new service our our webpage www.sbpl.info. Feel free to contact us online or call us at 732-329-4000 x 7286 if you have any questions. You can also sign up for an introductory class, Zinio Magazines Collection on Wednesday, June 26 at 10am.  Register online for that date on our Event Calendar.

More Good Movies You Might Have Missed...

by Jill Eisner
Information Services

Hi Everyone,

Here's a selection of films from our collection that I recently enjoyed.  Let me know what you think!

Jill

This is 40

Written and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Jason Segel, Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, and Melissa McCarthy.  2012, rated R.  Comedy.

This Is 40 is a candid and heartwarming comedy about the challenges and rewards of marriage and parenthood in the modern age. After years of marriage, Pete and Debbie are approaching a milestone meltdown. As they try to balance romance, careers, parents and children, they must also figure out how to enjoy the rest of their lives. 

Jill's note--Be forewarned, this movie is quite raunchy but extremely hilarious! 

Love Crime

Directed by Alain Corneau. Starring Ludivine Sagnier, Kristin Scott Thomas.
2010, not rated.  Mystery/Thriller. In French with English subtitles.

Within the sterile offices of a powerful multinational corporation, two women come to a face-off. Isabelle is a young executive under the orders of Christine, a powerful woman she absolutely idolizes. Confident of her control over Isabelle, Christine leads her into a confusing, perverse game of seduction and domination. A dangerous game that goes too far, to the point of no return. 

This Must Be the Place

Directed by  Paolo Sorrentino, starring Frances Mcdormand, Sean Penn and Judd Hirsch.
2011, rated R.  Comedy/Drama

An interesting departure for Sean Penn.  With the character of Cheyenne in This Must Be the Place, Penn proves there's no role he can't master. Cheyenne, a bored, retired rock star, learns that his father is close to death, and travels to New York to reconcile with him, only to arrive too late. He embarks on a quest to find his father's nemesis and persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal taking refuge in the U.S.  

FPC at the CSA

I started off this past week reading Culinary Intelligence, The Art of Eating Healthy (and Really Well) by Peter Kaminsky.  His theory is that if you eat things with a high Flavor Per Calorie (FPC) ratio, then you will be eating less,  more healthfully, and will naturally lose weight. Ha!

He advocates eating the best of what's in the markets, so fresh fruits and veggies figure prominently. Sure, that works for weight loss as well as flavor, but how does that square with going to Murray's Cheese Shop in the city and buying all manner of delicious cheeses, very high in FBC, and then, of course, eating them?  Oh, OK, self-restraint has to figure in there too, I suppose.

My family and I took part in a Greenwich Village food and history tour for Mother's Day, where we were absolutely stuffed with all manner of fabulous meats (sopressata from Faicco's!), pastries (cannoli from Rocco's!), artisanal olive oils and vinegars (O and Co.'s basil olive oil and a mango balsamic vinegar drink!), and  breads (Tuscan baguette from Amy's! with Murray's cheeses!).  Afterwards, we came home to an evening with good friends for dinner, and of course enjoying some more of the goodies that I had purchased on that tour.

There really was no losing weight that weekend, although we ate some undeniably great food, high in FPC.  When my husband and I went on a tour of Italy two years ago, I did lose weight, because 1), I ate only things that looked exceptional (high in Flavor Per Calorie!), and, key difference, 2) we walked all day, every day.

The weekend progressed with Mother's Day dinner on Sunday, when we had Seared Scallops with Prosciutto from Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Chef, prepared by my son-in-law and sons.  These were good, especially since I didn't do any of the work, but they were a bit bland.  Maybe next time add some chopped fresh herbs and a dash of cayenne pepper to the basic seared scallops recipe for a little more pizazz er, FPC?

I just joined Dogwood Farms CSA at Duke Farms in Hillsborough (http://dogwoodfarmsnj.com/csa-farm-shares/) and found out that one of the first things that will be available are radishes.  I've always wanted to love radishes served as an appetizer as the French do: red radishes pretty as a picture served with fresh butter and salt, preferably sitting at a little farmhouse porch in Provence...Reality  - taking a bite of radish and having your taste buds blasted by peppery-ness so pungent that that French daydream disappears in a flash. Too much FPC!

Lunch at work.

Pink Lady radishes have changed my tune.  I found them in the organic section at Wegman's.  This variety is not red, but a gorgeous fluorescent pink, and here's the best part:  mild enough to enjoy with butter and salt on brown bread, even in the middle of New Jersey!

I scarfed down three (small) open faced radish sandwiches, while I was making this great salad, which would be just right with grilled fish, chicken or steak, or on its own for lunch, with or without wedges of hard boiled egg or a can of tuna.  I think this recipe would be good with any variety of radish, but if you can find the  Pink Ladies, they're beautiful and delicious.

(You can find current and back issues of Bon Appetit,  Cook's Illustrated, Saveur, and more at our Library.)

White Bean and Radish Salad, adapted from Bon Appetit, May 2013

1 anchovy fillets, packed in oil, drained (or you can substitute a half (or whole) can of tuna if you are a sissy so wish)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon drained capers
1/3 cup (packed) flat leaf parsley + 1/4 cup leaves left whole
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 15 oz. can or cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch radishes, trimmed, cut into thin wedges
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and quartered

Put the fish, olive oil, capers and parsley in a blender and blend until coarsely pureed (or use an immersion blender or food processor).  Put the puree in a bowl, and mix in the vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add the beans, radishes, scallions and olives.  Mix well, taste and add more vinegar, salt and pepper if desired.  Cover and chill, garnish with the whole parsley leaves..  Tastes best after several hours marinating.

This is a basic white bean/vinaigrette recipe.  Feel free to substitute whatever looks good in the market - cherry tomatoes and feta? cucumber with mint and red onion?   Definitely high in flavor, fiber, taste and nutrition.  Take that, Murray's Cheese Shop!

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Twitter: @whitlibrarian
Accidental FPC Hound

Fish Stories/Salmon

I hated the smell of salmon cooking when I was a kid.  Well, not just salmon, but basically anything strong smelling, including shrimp. A whiff of blue cheese would send me running out of the kitchen. Friday afternoons I would feel a heavy cloud of doom approaching as I realized that we would be having fish for dinner - again - in our Catholic household. Many a piece of fried flounder got stuffed into my napkin, or covered with ketchup and choked down, nose pinched.

Now I love fish (and smelly cheese too), and wonder what it was that made me hate it so much.  I first learned to like and cook white fish fillets in my twenties.  I was a much later convert to the stronger flavor of salmon.  I would always try a bite of it, and say, yes that's good, but I don't want any more.

Then I saw it on a menu on vacation at Mohonk Mountain House with a maple soy glaze, and decided to throw caution to the wind and order it.  I ate the whole thing.

Salmon with Tomatoes:  I could eat this right now!

Since then, I've cooked salmon  50 differerent ways:  with butter and leeks, grilled with a mustard glaze, you name it, I've tried it.  But this preparation beats them all:   Salmon with Melting Cherry Tomatoes, (by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa - Foolproof).  It creates a crispy seared crust on the salmon without overcooking it, while  the accompanying balsamic tomatoes and onions enhance the fish with just the right balance of sweetness and acidity.

That seared crust which smells so divine to me now is the result of something called the Maillard reaction, technically a chemical reaction between an amino acid and sugar which creates that change in color, texture, aroma and flavor which is so delectable.   There was an experiment done by Cook's Illustrated where they had people taste bread with the crusts removed from two types of bread:  one which had a browned crust, and the other where the crust was just lightly colored.  Tasters overwhelmingly preferred the taste of the bread from loaves whose crusts were browned, even when the crusts were not present.

What does this mean for our salmon?  Yes, the outside crust of the salmon is crunchy and delicious, but the whole of the fish is infused with that transformed, fuller flavor.  The first time I made this with awesomely fresh salmon from the Lobster House in Cape May, and it was probably the best salmon I ever ate.  The next time it was with salmon from Costco, but it was still very, very good.   Try this easy, wonderful recipe, and you may make some converts too.

Salmon with Melting Cherry Tomatoes, adapted from Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa - Foolproof

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion, like Vidalia
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half through the stem
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons julienned fresh basil

one 2 lb. salmon fillet (with or without skin) cut crosswise into 4 pieces
---------------------
Preheat the oven to 425 for at least 15 minutes.

In a 10" non-stick saute pan, heat up the olive oil.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the juices have somewhat evaporated and the tomatoes are soft.

Brush the fillets all over with olive oil, and lightly salt and pepper them.  Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over the highest heat possible for 5 minutes.  Set the timer for this - you don't want to forget it, and it will smoke!  Carefully add the fillets face down (leave the skin side UP if the fillets you are using have skin on them).  And here's the important point - set a timer and do NOT move them for 4 minutes!  Then, turn them over so the skin side is down, and place in the oven for 8 minutes exactly.  Remove from the oven to a platter, cover with foil and let rest to continue cooking from the residual heat for 5 minutes.  (At this point, I removed the skin and scraped away the grayish underbelly of the salmon fillets, but you can skip this step if your diners don't object to fish with skin.)

Gently reheat the tomatoes, add the balsamic vinegar and the basil and fold in.  Serve the beautiful salmon fillets over the tomatoes.

Enjoy, including that wonderful Maillard reaction smell!

Diane Whitman
@whitlibrarian
Reference Librarian
Reformed Picky Eater