Taste With The Eyes: May 2009

5.31.2009

Green Curry Soup

Tofu, Chicken, and Peas

Basil and Scallion Garnish

1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 T. green curry paste
1 c. diced chicken breast
1 c. cubed tofu
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 T. fish sauce
1 T. sugar
1 sliced green chile (Thai, serrano, or jalapeño)
2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced into slivers
basil and scallion for garnish

Heat coconut milk and chicken stock together. Stir in curry paste. Add chicken and kaffir lime leaves. When chicken is cooked, season with fish sauce and sugar. Taste, adjust seasoning to balance the sweet, spicy, sour, salty flavors. Add chile, tofu and frozen peas and heat through. Serve garnished with a chiffonade of basil and sliced scallion.

A vegetarian version made with vegetable stock, omitting the chicken, and substituting light soy sauce for fish sauce is also very tasty.

This little fellow is my Kaffir Lime Tree, planted last Fall. The wrinkled limes are way too sour to eat but the leaves and zest are perfect to season my Thai dishes. The green curry soup recipe is adapted from a basic recipe we learned in Thailand a few years ago at the fabulous Pattaya Thai Cooking School.

Kaffir Lime leaves are easily distinguished by their double-lobes and very fragrant aroma.

Voilà! A very flavorful and easy to make soup!

This Green Curry Soup with its tofu and green peas is my entry to My Legume Love Affair. It has been my pleasure to be your hostess for this month's edition. The round-up will be posted on June 7th. Please do stop by to Taste With The Eyes the exciting legume dishes from around the world. Many thanks to Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook for inviting me to do the honors. And be sure to visit Apu of Annarasa blog for more beans in June!

5.28.2009

Dinner Party: A Tribute To Jackie

A Tribute to Jackie

Jacqueline “Jackie” Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis

(July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994)

Remembering Jackie

15 Years Later

My foodie girlfriends and I enjoyed another themed dinner party. This theme: A tribute to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. I have been dreaming of hosting a stylish, elegant, graceful "Jackie" party for years, and coincidentally held this on the 15th anniversary of her passing. We wore pill box hats and pearls, toasted to her memory, and cooked recipes from various Kennedy-related cookbooks including:

In the Kennedy Style recipes by René Verdon
Cooking for Madam by Marta Sgubin
In the Kennedy Kitchen by Neil Connolly

Le Menu

Welcome Platter

French Cheeses (Saint André and Bucheron), Fruit Chutney,

Lucques Olives and Accompaniments

Appetizer

(Served on Vintage Glass China)

Barbecued Cajun Shrimp, Honey Dew Melon, Midori Sauce

Soup

Cauliflower with a Goat Cheese, Pepita, Red Pepper Garnish

Salad

Petite Caesar, Anchovy Rosette

Palate Cleanser

Rose Petal and Lemon Sorbet

Main

Mini Beef Wellington

Seared Filet of Beef, Slice of Truffle, Mushroom Duxelles, Foie Gras Pate

Baked in Pastry

Perigourdine Sauce

and

Mini Beet (vegetarian) Wellington

Roasted Beet, Slice of Truffle, Mushroom Duxelles, Gorgonzola

Baked in Pastry

Brie and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Vegetable

Fancy Ratatouille

Side

Green Risotto (recipe here)

Dessert

Poached Pears in Pepper and Bay Scented Wine

Handmade Vintage-Style Pill Box Hats

I am so blessed to have such amazing creative friends. Everyone perused the cookbooks and chose a dish to prepare that inspired them. And this time, talented restaurateur (and seamstress) Gina Lee chose to sew the hats for everyone with vintage materials, true to style and form. Fabulous!

Wilson gets a mini pill box hat too!

Val's Refreshingly Unique Appetizer

Great for summer dining al fresco!

Cajun Spiced Shrimp on a Rosemary Skewer

Honey Dew Melon

Barbecue and Midori Sauces

Try this Midori Sauce with Shrimp or Fruit!

Whisk together 1 c. sour cream, 2 T. heavy cream, 1/4 c. honey, 2 T. Midori (melon) liqueur.

from In the Kennedy Kitchen

Noramae's Velvety and Complex Cauliflower Soup

Gail's Elegant Caesar Salad

Anchovy Rosette

Lauren's Palate Cleanser

Rose Petal and Lemon Sorbet

(rose petals, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest)

Served in rose petals on a lemon frozen cap

Basil leaf garnish

Pat's Perfect Ratatouille

Lauren's Beef and Beet Wellingtons

with Faux Pearl Design

French Champagne, Wines and Perrier

All the roses were from my garden.

Sally and Yvonne's Gorgeous Poached Pears

Poached Pears

Port and Red Wines

Black Peppercorns

Lemon Peel

Vanilla Bean

Bay Leaves

Honey

Mint Garnish

Jackie Photos and Memorabilia

"The life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was her art, a finely wrought miniature that history enlarged and then tempered and finally veiled in privacy. As a Bouvier she inherited a tradition of elegance that became her way of life and her fortress in misfortune. She had a gift of grace, an innate sense of right proportion that shaped her values and her choices. Everything she did was done with style, a style that was shaped by her mind and her heart. She was civilized and civilizing; whatever she touched, she refined." Hugh Sidey

We've Just Returned From Paris!

A few days after the Jackie dinner we left for Paris to celebrate my sister-in-law's 40th birthday. Joyeux Anniversaire Kristy! We were walking to the Musée du Vin (Wine Museum) located in the former cellars of the 15th Century Passy Abbey, just up the street from Avenue du Président Kennedy. So of course I had to include this photo in my Tribute to Jackie post. And I cannot wait to share our heavenly "Parisian Gastronomic Experience" with you. Please come visit Taste With The Eyes again soon for a Taste of Paris!

My Legume Love Affair

HARICOTS

À La Graisse D'oie

White Beans Cooked in Goose Fat

Merci to all of you who have already sent me your legume-centric dish for MY LEGUME LOVE AFFAIR! It's not too late to participate in this global bean event! I'll be accepting your fabulous dishes through the end of the month. I hope you can join us, it's fun, just go here for details.

I know I am not alone in bringing home some unique food-related souvenirs. White Beans Cooked in Goose Fat? Oh. Yeah. Baby.

So, how about you? What interesting edible souvenirs have you brought home from your travels?

5.20.2009

Luncheon in the Library

Each May, Mrs. Parker recognizes all the parent volunteers for their time, energy, and dedication in helping maintain the library at Rolling Hills Country Day School by hosting a fabulous luncheon in their honor.

Library Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

Mrs. Clifford works her usual amazing magic by setting out such a charming buffet on top of the lower bookshelves. The menu consisted of Mrs. Parker's curried chicken salad, mixed baby greens with Parmesan, sunflower seeds and vinaigrette, rolls served in an adorable picket fence corral, the perennial favorite deviled eggs, cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, flower-shaped sugar cookies, fresh strawberries and lemonade.

The buffet was decorated like a precious garden with flowers and seed packets and books (of course).

Mrs. Parker has been the beloved librarian at Rolling Hills Country Day School since 1983. Her daughter, Leslie, started attending the school in 1982. A year later Mrs. Parker came on board and has been here ever since. And Leslie has gone on to graduate from Georgetown and receive her MBA from UCLA.

Mrs. Parker's specialty: Curried Chicken Salad. She makes it exactly from the recipe found in Gourmet June 2002 issue. There is a synergy in this combination of ingredients. Everyone loves it, year after year. Chicken, curry, yogurt, lime, honey, ginger, red onion, mango, red grapes, cashews...intrigued? Go here for the complete recipe. You'll be glad you did!

Library Before and After

I love before and after photos. In the summer of 2005 it was my pleasure to update the library at Rolling Hills Country Day School.

It is amazing what color can do to enhance a space. The remodel consisted of a new paint palette, new computers, bookshelves, lighting, carpet and rug, furniture, and other design elements. I worked with Mrs. Parker to make sure we met the needs of the students while preserving some of the historical features in the library. We retained the old card catalog (no longer in use) and installed special shelving for Mrs. Parker's antique books.

Those big red leather chairs continue to be a magnet for the children. Sometimes we'll find three of them sitting in one chair, reading one of the books that Mrs. Parker has painstakingly chosen for the library. It is an awesome space, warm and inviting, enhanced by Mrs. Parker's enchanting personality and love of children and books.

Alas, there were no Legumes at the Library Luncheon, but don't let that stop you from submitting your fabulous legume-centric dish to the global event taking place the entire month of May. My Legume Love Affair, go here for details!

And remember, as a special treat to one of the lucky participants in My Legume Love Affair, there is a GIVEAWAY. A book, how apropos! A World of Dumplings - Filled Dumplings, Pockets, and Little Pies from Around the Globe by Brian Yarvin.

Do join us, won't you?

Julia Child Quotes - TOUJOURS BON APPETIT!

“You should never apologize at the table. People will think, ‘Yes, it’s really not so good.'"

"In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport."

"It's easy to get the feeling that you know the language just because when you order a beer they don't bring you oysters." Paul Child on speaking French

"I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. "

"Life itself is the proper binge."

"It was a Morsel of Perfection."

"I was in pure, flavorful heaven at the Cordon Bleu."

Julia Child sees herself on TV, July 1962, she saw room for improvement, and still she can say it was fun : "There I was, in black and white, a large woman sloshing eggs too quickly here, too slowly there, gasping, looking at the wrong camera while talking too loudly and so on...But it had been fun."

She has her own opinions on kitchen equipment: "Clairborne sniffed at our use of a garlic press, 'a gadget considered in some circles to be only one cut above garlic salt or garlic powder.' I happened to like garlic presses..."

Understanding Julia's captivation by French food: "This is the kind of food that I have fallen in love with: not trendy souped-up fantasies, just something very good to eat. It was classic French cooking, where the ingredients have been carefully selected and beautifully and knowingly prepared. Or, in the words of the famous gastronome Curnonsky, 'Food that tastes of what it is.' "

"You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made. Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always." Julia's instructor, Chef Bugnard at Le Cordon Bleu

"Oh, 'crise de foie,' that French sole was so delicious!"

Julia's passion comes through loud and clear as she describes a fish dish: "La Truite's true glory was the Sole a la Normande, a poem of poached and flavored sole fillets surrounded by oysters, and mussels, and napped with a wonder-sauce of wine, cream, and butter, and topped with fluted mushrooms. 'Voluptuous' was the word. I had never imagined that fish could be taken so seriously, or taste so heavenly."

Julia's unique way with words, on Crepes Suzette: "The creature named Suzette may or may not have been the mistress of the Prince of Wales, but whoever she was, she long ago inspired a magnificent dessert that is still one of our favorites."

"I am probably one of the few people around who saw the real Caesar Cardini making his salad. I was about 9 when my parents took me to his restaurant in Tijuana. They were so excited when big jolly Caesar himself came to the table to make the salad. And it was dramatic: I remember most clearly the eggs going in, and how he tossed the leaves so it looked like a wave turning over."

"With a handsome package such as Jacques's, you can neatly cut the top open at the table with a pair of scissors..." Julia on Salmon en Papillote

"There's no reason to be intimidated by the idea of making pâté. You can just think of it as meat loaf."

From Julia's dear friend Jacques Pepin, "You are what you cook."

"Understanding egg yolks will make you a master of hollandaise sauce."

Julia encouraging us not to be intimidated: "When you know how to saute your meat so it browns rather than steams, you're cooking. What's difficult about that? You heat the pan, you dry the meat, you don't crowd it into the pan, and you're browning it. Is that difficult?"

Food Quotes

"Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch."

Orson Welles

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."
Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

"Chefs, as a whole, say yes to any project, fundraiser, or tasting because they have such a generous spirit."
Charlie Trotter

"Once you understand the foundations of cooking - whatever kind you like, whether it's French or Italian or Japanese - you really don't need a cookbook anymore. "
Thomas Keller

"I love to make people happy."
Wolfgang Puck

"Fish sauce is to Vietnamese cooking as olive oil is to Italian."

The Little Saigon Cookbook by Ann Le

"I wish, I wish lunch could last forever...waiter, bring us one more bottle of wine..."

Jimmy Buffett

"My philosophy from day one is that I can sleep better at night if I can improve an individual's knowledge about food and wine, and do it on a daily basis."
Emeril Lagasse

"Gordon Ramsay makes me laugh because he knows that I'm not a chef."
Nigella Lawson

"You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else."
Mario Batali

"I always knew the importance of it, since I was three or four years old my mother used to feed me wine and water. I grew up with wine as liquid food."
Robert Mondavi

"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at his/her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, and the wisdom of cookbook writers."
Laurie Colwin

"Food is a central part of our lives. It provides the body with fuel and raw materials for maintenance, growth, and repair. It draws together family and friends, anchors celebrations and rites of passage, and sometimes soothes the soul."
Ethan Becker