Queen of the Pantry

Follow Me on Natick Patch!

2011-03-31T08:06:00.000-04:00

You will now fine all my posts and articles in my weekly column on the AOL Natick Patch website. Recipes, reviews, helpful tips and anything food, wine and cooking related. Hope to see you there!

WEEKLY BITES - my column is under the News/Opinion section and articles rotate around the site.

http://natick.patch.com/columns/food-with-yvette

New England Dessert Showcase 2010

2010-09-15T08:51:00.000-04:00

Check out Queen of the Pantry at the New England Dessert Showcase this saturday 9/18 at Copley! I'll be promoting my new dessert table design and event planning arm of the business.

I will be sampling a savory/sweet treat in the true QOTP style - Cinnamon-Cardamom Butterscotch Kick in the Nuts. A fun flavor combination for early Fall! Hope to see you there!

http://www.nedessertshowcase.com/

formspring.me

2010-03-05T18:59:00.001-05:00

Ask me anything related to cooking, cooking for allergies, making handmade food products, baking or entertaining. http://formspring.me/queenofthpantry

Homemade Marshmallows, Hot Cocoa Mix and Double Chcolate Biscotti - Family Gift Packs for the Holidays

2009-12-28T10:25:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago as I was dashing from one Whole Foods to another fulfilling my last busy week of cookdates for the year, I was trying to find inspiration for holiday gifts for my family. As much as I love baking this time of year, between my cooking for Personal Chef clients, Queen of the Pantry gift basket orders and holiday cooking classes I actually thought to myself, "maybe I won't make anything this year and give myself a break...". Nonsense! I almost slapped myself at the thought of being so lazy. Especially since I love holiday baking! But my aching and brittle fingers were begging for an easier task than dozens of the usual holiday cookies.

As I was being blown across the Stop & Shop parking lot in Watertown on one of those insanely cold days we had recently, it hit me... "I would kill for a Burdick's heavenly creamy hot chocolate!! The kind that you slip into like a warm pair of flannel PJs. Its one of my favorite winter treats! And they make them with dark, milk AND white chocolate :-)

So I decided to put together a cozy holiday gift package with a lazy winter Sunday theme:

Homemade Marshmallows (egg-free)
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (both with and without dairy)
Double Chocolate Biscotti
Cranberry Almond Granola
Gourmet Coffee

I had to include one of these great monogrammed mugs from Anthropologie. I bought some back in the Spring and luckily they still carry them. They're perfect for this sort of gift! So everyone in my family got a mug with their respective first initial on it and the biscotti tucked in.

The recipes for these gifts were so simple its hard to believe! And the hot cocoa mix lasts indefinately in an airtight container. (These photos aren't great since I took them late night with my Blackberry and very sticky fingers.)

Holiday Goodies

Mini Marshmallows

(They are actually pink and green and cut into small shapes)

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Cranberry Almond Granola

Here are the recipes for the Hot Cocoa Mix and Marshmallows since a few folks have asked for them.

Mix some up, cozy up and enjoy!!

Homemade Marshmallows

1 cup cold water, divided

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (found in the baking isle of your grocery)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Garnish: 4-5 cups confectioners sugar

Spray (with a non stick vegetable spray) either a half-sheet pan or a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Then, line it with parchment paper. Sift a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar onto the the parchment paper (this is important as it will help to keep the marshmallow from sticking to the paper too much as they set).
Place 1/2 cup cold water into the bowl of your electric mixer (fitted with a whisk attachment). Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes. You can leave this while you make your sugar syrup.

Sugar syrup: place the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup cold water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Cover the saucepan and let it come to a full boil. Uncover and attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Increase heat to high and boil, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F (Softball stage), about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

With mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin mixture in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed to high and beat until mixture has tripled in volume and is very thick and stiff, about 10 minutes (looks like thick creme of marshmallow - imagine that!). Add vanilla extract and beat to combine, about 30 seconds longer.
Note: if you want to add color or flavor extract (like peppermint) to your marshmallows, I mix in the food coloring to the vanilla and then add. You will see it gradually change color.

Scrape marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and spread with a damp offset spatula or rubber spatula. The mixture is very sticky! Smooth it out as best as you can keeping your spatula damp. Resist touching the spatula with your fingers or you will enter into a never-ending web of marshmallow that you can't get out of! Although, if you do, it easily cleans up with warm water.

Dust the top of the marshmallow with another few tablespoons of confectioners' sugar and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature until set, about 12 hours. Overnight is fine.

Remove the marshmallow from the pan by first running a small sharp knife around the edge of the marshmallow to loosen it from the pan. Invert the pan onto a large cutting board that has been dusted with confectioners' sugar. You might have to use your fingers to help loosen the marshmallow from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper (the marshmallow will be sticky) and dust the top of the marshmallow with more confectioners' sugar.

Cut the marshmallow into squares using a pizza roller or sharp knife. Dip the cut sides of the marshmallows in additional confectioners' sugar. Shake off excess sugar and store the marshmallows in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to two weeks. Its important to make sure any tool you use to cut marshmallows is dusted in confectioners' sugar to prevent sticking.

Makes about 24 marshmallows, or more depending on how you cut them. (Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking and Ina Garten.)

Hot Cocoa Mix

I tried this recipe a few ways. I used non-fat powdered milk which still results in a creamy taste. You can use full-fat powdered milk or even powdered soy milk. To keep dairy-free I simply omitted the dry milk altogether and sometimes add a bit of warm coconut milk. This is where the Dutch-process cocoa makes a difference as it is not as bitter as regular cocoa powder.

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2-3 cups powdered milk (found in the baking isle of your grocery)
pinch salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Mini chocolate morsels (about a cup) (such as Nestle Toll House Mini Morsels)
Hot water

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly by using a whisk until all ingredients are well-blended together. The mixture will be super light and fluffy. Mix in the chocolate mini morsels here and distribute evenly, they are just an added touch for a bit more chocolate flavor.

Fill your mug 1/3 - half full with the cocoa mix and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk or coconut milk.

Gourmet Gift Baskets for the Holidays

2009-12-20T21:55:00.000-05:00

This year I finally started making Gourmet Gift Baskets for resale. I've always enjoyed putting packages together as holiday gifts whether it be all homemade treats or a combination of homemade goodies with wine and cheese, etc. Now that I have several products for sale under my brand, I can finally make baskets of my own wares. I have to admit, its too much fun putting them together! The possibilities are endless!

The gift baskets will be for sale on my website sometime in January but can be ordered directly through me now at yvette@queenofthepantry.com. Look for our Ultimate Superbowl Snack Pack basket in January! Baskets available for any occasion and can include wine, microbrews, cheese, etc.

These are a few gift baskets that sold for the holidays recently ranging from $25 - $100. I like to incorporate other local products that I think have an interesting story and good people behind them. If you have a product you would like to be included in future baskets, please contact me.

Gift Baskets contain a some or a combination of the following products:

QOTP Dukkah, Onion Jam, Kick in the Nuts Spiced Nuts
A Dozen Eggs Hand-Iced Sugar Cookies
Boyajian Olive Oil and Maple Vinegar
Cocoapelli Handmade Chocolates
No 9 All Natural Salsas (I developed the recipes for these salsas)
Holiday Tea Towel
Dukkah, Olive Oil and Vinegar Dipping Tray

Gourmet Dukkah Dipping Basket $100

Gourmet Sampler Baskets $75

Creative Cocktails & Appetizers Tasting Event - (Blanchard's Liquors West Roxbury)

2009-11-18T22:37:00.001-05:00

Master Mixologist, Chris Rose of Pernod Ricard, hosted a festive tasting of over 10 creative cocktails featuring holiday flavors with Hiram Walker Gingerbread and Pumkin Spice liquors, and the new Kahlua Vanilla to name a few.

To compliment his tasting I catered a small array of holiday appetizers with a play on similar flavors. These treats are simple to make, easy to serve and can be made in advance for any holiday gathering.

Pecan Gingerbread Spring Rolls with Maple Dipping Sauce
Hazelnut Chocolate Fondue - Served with Candied Pineapple, Candied Ginger, Gingersnaps, Mini-Apple Muffins
Savory Pumpkin Spice Whoopie Pies with Creamy Blue Cheese Filling
Manchego Cheese and Fig Jam (you can use any store bought fig jam)

Recipes:

Pecan Gingerbread Spring Rolls with Maple Dipping Sauce

2 cups pecans
4 TBS butter
2 tsp Pumpkin spice or similar spice blend (Five Spice, Allspice, etc), or to taste
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 ½ cups sweet potato julienned (or grated using a hand grater or food processor)
1 ½ cups apple julienned (or grated using a hand grater or food processor)
4 TBS Boyajian Maple Vinegar (I used Kahlua for this event's version)
2 tsp Cider vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
3 TBS brown sugar
Canola oil
Spring Roll Wrappers

Dipping Sauce:
½ cup Boyajian Maple Vinegar
¼ cup (or equal parts) soy sauce, cider vinegar and Agave Syrup. Adjust to taste
(Note: for this event, I used Kahlua, balsamic vinegar, soy and agave and reduced it over low heat. Recipe still needs work. Maple Vinegar works perfect for these.)

Melt butter over medium heat, add pecans and toast 3-4 minutes. Add spices, sugar and salt and let cool. Once cool, chop roughly. Combine maple vinegar, cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and set aside.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add about 2 TBS canola oil. Add sweet potato and sauté about 1-2 minutes. Add apple and toss another minute. Add combined vinegars, soy sauce and brown sugar and heat through. Remove to a strainer and drain extra liquid. Once cool, mix in the pecans.

Working with one spring roll wrapper at a time, place approximately 2-3 TBS of pecan mixture on the lower third of the wrapper with the corner facing you. Take the point and start to roll up the spring roll. At half way, fold in each side tightly and neatly and continue to roll. Rolls can be frozen at this point.

When ready, deep-fry the spring rolls until golden in color, slice diagonally in half and serve with dipping sauce.
(Note: you can fry these in a large skillet and only need to fill oil about an inch. Fry rolls gently turning over often to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels.)

Hazelnut Chocolate Fondue

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (chips work well too, such as Ghirardelli)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Nutella (optional, but worth it)
1-3 tablespoons liqueurs such as Kahlua, Gingerbread, Grand Marnier, etc

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl and set aside.

Combine the cream, milk, sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and pour immediately over the chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate has melted, then whisk until smooth.

Whisk in vanilla extract, Nutella (if using), and alcohol.

Place the chocolate sauce in a fondue pot and serve with Candied Pineapple, Candied Ginger, Candied Orange, Gingersnaps and any store-bought mini-cupcakes, muffins, or loaves (such as pumpkin or cranberry/orange) cut into bite-size pieces.

Savory Pumpkin Spice Woopie Pies with Creamy Blue Cheese Filling
(makes about 12 large or 24 mini whoopie pies)

Note: when making whoopie pies of any flavor, I always add extra flour to the batter to give them more structure. I start with an extra ½ cup or so and then (depending on what your pumpkin puree is like) I may add more in just before I finish mixing the batter. Basically, I eye-ball it by texture.

3 cups all-purpose flour (plus ½ - 1 cup additional if needed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cardamom (optional)
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices; set aside. In the bowl of your kitchenaid mixer, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk on low speed until fully incorporated. Check here to see how thick/dense batter is and if you need more flour. Start with ¼- ½ cup at a time.

You can use a small ice cream scoop to drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. I prefer to pipe them using a medium sized start tip. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you pipe the batter, be sure to chill it first for at least 15 minutes, or it will just run out of your pastry bag. And pipe the bases quickly, storing your pastry bag and extra batter in the frigde while other batches are baking.

Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
(You can freeze the bases at this point. You can also freeze filled whoopie pies.)

For the Creamy Blue Cheese Filling
(Note: I used this simple Martha Stewart Cream Cheese icing as my base. I cut the recipe in half and added a store bought Blue Cheese Spread in small increments of about 1-2 Tablespoons at a time to taste. You need the right balance of sweetness to blue cheese so its not too overpowering.)

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. Add blue cheese spread 1 T at a time. DO NOT overbeat icing or it will become gluey. (If it does, you can still use it for the filling purpose.)

Slow Food Boston Food Preservation Class - Chutneys, Pepper Jelly, Pumpkin Butter

2009-11-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

Last month (on October 18th) I hosted a local canning and preserving class for Slow Food Boston at Haley House Bakery and Cafe in Roxbury. When Willow Blish, Slow Food Boston events organizer, contacted me to ask if I would be interested in teaching a workshop, I was thrilled! Most of the time, any canning projects I do are usually alone or in the test kitchen. So I was really excited at the opportunity to share my experience with Slow Food members and see what everyone else out there is experimenting with.

I asked Cedric Smith (of Paino Organics in Concord, MA) to co-host with me. I worked very closely with Cedric and Paino Organics over the last year and a half to develop a line of authentic, chunky and truly all-natural Salsas called No. 9 Salsa (which is now on shelf in most Whole Foods Markets in Mass. Yay!!). So in addition to my Queen of the Pantry Onion Jams, I now have another line of "canned or preserved" products out there on the shelf. This experience has been so educational for me and it was nearly impossible to share all of it in one workshop with Slow Food Members. How ironic that we were teaching a workshop on a slow food practice, yet we only had 3 hours to do it! But we did our best! And we made 3 beautiful products, each being a different type of canned product.

We made an Apple & Date Chutney, a sweet and spicy Pepper Jelly and a Fresh Pumpkin Butter. I have included definitions of the various types of jellied products along with the class recipes below which include the general guidelines for canning. (The National Center for Home Food Preservation has great guidelines and recipes as well).

To recap the workshop on that snowy October afternoon, we started off with a brief introduction of ourselves and how the canning process we follow to make our products at Queen of the Pantry and Paino Organics differs from home canning. We explained that the basics are the same, whether you are making a small batch of 12 jars of jelly or a 50 gallon kettle. There are two major rules to keep in mind - the food products have to reach appropriate temperatures to kill bacteria and they have to be acidified. When in the test kitchen, we are basically following the home canning processes to make small test batches. In our case, these batches then get scaled up to be made at a small, local copacker.

We then proceeded to the kitchen where we divided up our beautiful ingredients supplied by Allandale Farms and Five Acre Farm (Cedric's family farm in Waltham). After a brief review of safe knife skills, our eager participants began chopping, slicing, dicing and pureeing all our ingredients.

Validia happily dicing chili peppers!

Peeling, coring and dicing apples for the chutney.

Pureed red bell peppers for the pepper jelly.

Meanwhile, Cedric got some of the other students to get several large pots of water boiling on the stoves - to sterilize the jars and lids.

Cedric Smith (Paino Organics and No. 9 Salsa) sterilizing Ball jars and lids.

Once all ingredients were prepped and transferred to large pots. We began the cooking process. Neither the Apple & Date Chutney or the Pumpkin Butter had any pectin added. However, we did use Pomona's Pectin for the Pepper Jelly.

Apple & Date Chutney

Colorful pepper jelly

As you can see, the pumpkin butter was made from fresh, local sugar pumpkins from Allandale Farm. These were peeled, chopped and pureed in a food processor. If we had more time, we would have pureed the pumpkin until it was very smooth. Due to our time constraint, we ended up with a more rustic thick pumpkin butter, which is just fine. And delicious!

When the products came to temperature on the stove, we needed to fill the sterilized jars quickly and neatly.

Yvette filling the chutney

Cedric discusses the importance of having ALL untensils be sterilized as well.

Filling jars of Pepper Jelly

As soon as the jars were filled (leaving about 1/4-1/2 in at the top) the lids were secured and the jars inverted to complete sterilization and help create the seal. (The jars only need to remain inverted for about a minute or so. Although, its ok to leave them inverted.)

Beautiful fresh Pumpkin Butter

Apple & Date Chutney with mustard seeds

At the end of class, each of the members left with several jars of chutney, pepper jelly, pumpkin butter and a few samples of No. 9 Salsa to try. Overall, a fun way to spend a snowy afternoon with a delightful group of fellow food preservation lovers!

An army of colorful Pepper Jelly!

A huge warm thanks to Slow Food Boston and Haley House for organizing and hosting the event, and to Laura Krantz for the photos!

Recipes and Types of Jellied Products

Types of Jellied Products

Jelly, jam, preserves, conserves and marmalades are fruit products that are jellied or thickened. Most are preserved by sugar. Their individual characteristics depend on the kind of fruit used and the way it is prepared, the proportions of different ingredients in the mixture and the method of cooking.

Jellies are usually made by cooking fruit juice with sugar. (Some are made without cooking using special uncooked jelly recipes.) A good product is clear and firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of the container, but quivers when the container is moved. When cut, it should be tender yet retain the angle of the cut. Jelly should have a flavorful, fresh, fruity taste.

Jams are thick, sweet spreads made by cooking crushed or chopped fruits with sugar. Jams tend to hold their shape but are generally less firm than jelly. (Recipes are also available for uncooked jams.)

Preserves are small, whole fruit or uniform size pieces in a clear, slightly gelled syrup. The fruit should be tender and plump.

Conserves are jam-like products that may be made with a combination of fruits. They also contain nuts, raisins or coconut.

Marmalades are soft fruit jellies containing small pieces of fruit or peel evenly suspended in the transparent jelly. They often contain citrus fruit.

Chutneys are of Indian origin, and derived from the word “chatni”. They are spiced relishes served cooked or uncooked. Chutneys are both fruit and vegetable based. A chutney is a thick pulp where the fruit or vegetable ingredient is not instantly visible. It is more of a savory jam and has many uses such as accompanying cold meats, sandwiches, cheeses, brushed on grilled meats and even add a great zing to stews and casseroles. Ideal pH reading should be below 4.6.

Relishes are any vegetable chutney but not cooked as long as a regular chutney. It is a preserve made from finely chopped fresh vegetables or fruits packed in a lightly spiced syrup of sugar and vinegar.

Pickles are vegetables, and fruits, soaked in a brine or salt and stored in vinegar that has been boiled with spices.

Other fruit products that are preserved by sugar but not jellied include butters, honeys and syrups. Fruit butters are sweet spreads made by cooking fruit pulp with sugar to a thick consistency. Spices are often added. Honeys and syrups are made by cooking fruit juice or pulp with sugar to the consistency of honey or syrup.

National Center for Home Food Preservation

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

A few additional facts about making Jams:

Ideal final pH reading should be : pH 3.2
Brix % should not be less than 65% (Brix % is the concentration of sugar in the jam product)
Jams (technically) should be heated to 220°F to fill and properly seal in the jar

Apple & Date Chutney
sweet, thick chutney excellent for sandwiches and cheese

2 1/2 - 3lbs lbs apples (cooking apples)
1 lb Onions
1 lb Dates (pitted)
1 cup sugar
tsp Salt
tsp dry mustard or mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp allspice (or combination of apple pie spices)
2 1/2 cups Malt vinegar (we could white/cider instead)

Peel, core, chop apples. Chop onions and dates.
Combine everything in saucepan and bring to boil. Cook gently, covered, 45 min - 1 hr. Stir often and add more vinegar if necessary (makes a thick chutney).

Pour or ladle into hot, clean canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Seal with new two-piece lids according to manufacturer's directions and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. Cool, label, and store.

Makes about 12 8oz jars

Pepper Jelly

2/3 cup hot pepper (finely diced) can add more depending how hot you want it to be
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 ½ cups white vinegar
6 cups sugar
8oz Pectin (we used Pomona’s Pectin)
Note: you can keep the seeds from the peppers and add them to the pot whole. They look nice in the jelly.

Chop peppers and put into food processor, or blender, with vinegar. Blend well (almost to a fine dice or mince).

Pour into a large pot. Add sugar and mix well.

Bring mix to a boil for 1 minute. Add Pectin quickly and continue to stir with a whisk to prevent Pectin from lumping. Return to a boil for 1 more minute and pour, or ladle, into ½ pint jars. Seal and invert for at least 5 minutes to sterilize lids.

Fresh Pumpkin Butter

For every 1 ½ cups of pumpkin puree add the following: (See Note for fresh pumpkin)
1 cup white sugar
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
¾ cup apple juice

Note: If using fresh pumpkin: Peel and chop into 1 inch chunks. Process raw pumpkin in a food process or blender until pureed as much as possible.

Heat pumpkin puree in a large pot just to a low boil. (Do this especially of using raw pumpkin to begin cooking and softening it a bit).

Combine and add all other ingredients to pot and simmer 30 minutes stirring frequently to not burn on the bottom.

Return to a boil for 1 minute and pour or ladle into sterile jars. Seal and invert for at least 5 minutes to sterilize lids.

Articles on BPA and Water Purification

2009-11-08T12:09:00.000-05:00

These are a couple of good articles relating to the latest in the growing BPA (bisphenol A) issue.

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/opinion/08kristof.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1257696116-gHNP2LRCAvHOY7v+5TuSTQ

Fellow Chef-Friend and Local Blogger - Alex Lewin, posted this article recently about water bottles marketed as BPA free and safe to use. Definately worth a read:
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/how-gaiam-is-playing-possum-on-bpa-in-aluminum-water-bottles/

As a Personal Chef, I am always looking for alternative products to those in cans. I generally use the Eden Brand. However, even Eden isn't even able to use enamel-lined cans for any canned tomato products (including those that have tomatoes as an ingredient). The FDA is "still looking into" the issue and has not yet ruled against using the chemical in canned products.

See Mike Potter's explanation in this article (founder of Eden foods):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nena-baker/how-eden-foods-pioneered_b_232135.html

As far as canned tomato products go. I have now switched (for most clients) to using the Pomi Brand of crushed tomatoes. Its a bit limiting as there are only 3 options to choose from, but the qaulity is great.

As for water bottles, I have a metal one but really can't stand the taste and feel on my mouth. Its just too convenient to grab a plastic bottle of water (or another drink) on the go. Ther are several brands of metal bottles that seem worth trying so I'll guess I'll keep trying until I find one that suits me. In the meantime, hopefully a truly BPA-free plastic alternative will surface.

This EcoUsable bottle with built in filter looks pretty cool, but at a price of about $35.
http://www.reallynatural.com/archives/product-review/first_made_in_the_usa_filtered.php

Since I'm on the go so much with my work I find that I'm not drinking as much water in a day as I normally do as a result of this issue. I end up staring at the drink case in the grocery store having this debate in my head.

My close friends and family know that I'm a bit obsessed with water purification at home. After losing my Mom and one of my closest girlfriends to cancer within the same year, I really began to delve into the research behind environmental cancers. The most simple of things was just staring me in the face - WATER.

Think about it - We're so focused on the foods we eat and making sure that we fight cancer with foods (which I whole-heartedly support as a chef) but we don't think enough about the fact that we expose ALL of our body and pores to the toxins and chemicals in water everytime we shower. That's a LOT of exposure!! You may live in a brand new house, but do you know what your town's water pipes are like? Scary.

I have always used the Rainshowr Shower filters. I'm a big fan. You WILL notice a difference as soon as you start using it.
http://www.healthgoods.com/Rainshowr_CQ_1000_Shower_Filters_p/rs-cq1000.htm

The Health Goods website also has good info on water quality in general
http://www.healthgoods.com/General_Water_Quality_Information_s/391.htm

A friend of mine just introduced me to the Multi Pure filters, so I will be looking into their products soon.
http://www.multipureco.com/

Would love to know your thoughts!

An Army of Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for a Good Cause

2009-10-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

I was invited to attend the Natick Service Council’s Annual Fundraising event a few weeks ago. After reading my article in the Metro West Daily News, they contacted me to see if I would be interested in sampling some of my wares and participating in their auction for about 150 guests plus volunteers. Being a local Natick native, I gladly agreed (knowing full well that these events cost a lot of $ and time for someone like me – a one-woman show!). But, hey, I can bang out about 300 mini whoopee pies in 2-nights’ time, right? Hell, yeah!

And I had a blast doing it! Probably would have enjoyed it more had I not started it at 9pm those nights. But like my Mom, I seem to execute my most creative works during the night owl hours.

Based on a combination of Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Whoopie Recipe and my own tinkerings, I made pumkin-spiced cake bases with maple icing filling. Since I knew these whoopie pies were going to sit out on serving platters for several hours, I opted to make a more basic icing rather than an egg-based buttercream. When I worked as a Pastry Chef at Whole Foods, we made a similar icing we called “kids icing”. I made, I dunno, over 400 pumpkin bases which resulted in about 240 whoopie pies (minus the dozen or so that Coach managed to snack on while I wasn’t looking).

For the top bases, I sprinkled them with orange and gold sanding sugar before baking.

To finish, I piped the maple icing filling with a small star tip and nestled the whoopies in Fall Harvest mini cupcake liners. To give them a bit more flare, I put each liner on top of a gold square candy wrapper. All packaging/decorating supplies were purchased from Michaels.

They were a huge hit!! I was delighted to see some familiar faces from my days at the Natick Farmer's Market and meet some new whoopie pie experts who returned for 2nds, 3rds, and so on. Especially since a number of the attendees were fellow local artisans: Cocoapelli Chocolates and Chocolee Chocolates.

The event was held at Club Nouvelle at the luxury residences at Natick Collection. The location was very cool! Including the billiard room and putting green on the roofdeck. After enjoying good company, good wine and passing on the dinner food for the good stuff - chocolate samplings and dessert, the fun began with the Live Auction. As an auction item, I offered a Gift Certificate for my Personal Chef Services for one day in partnership with New Century Homecare Services. As I stood there “live” (feeling much like a ceramic statue on the Wheel of Fortune prize stage) while I was being auctioned off, I was so pleased to see many hands thrusting into the air to bid on my service! A sigh of relief and great feeling of excitement, my service sold for $250. All for a great cause. An overall feel-good night!

RECIPE Makes 12 Pumpkin Whoopie Pies:

Note: when making whoopie pies of any flavor, I always add extra flour to the batter to give them more structure. I start with an extra ½ cup or so and then (depending on what your pumpkin puree is like) I may add more in just before I finish mixing the batter. Basically, I eye-ball it by texture.

3 cups all-purpose flour (plus ½ - 1 cup additional if needed)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon Garam Masala (my favorite combination of spices)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cardamom (optional)
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

When it comes to spices, I always play with different combinations. For some batches I used Garam Masala, for others I used Chinese Five Spice or Jamaican Allspice in its place.

Directions:

Make the bases:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices; set aside. In the bowl of your kitchenaid mixer, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk on low speed until fully incorporated. Check here to see how thick/dense batter is and if you need more flour. Start with ¼- ½ cup at a time.

You can use a small ice cream scoop to drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. I prefer to pipe them using a medium sized start tip. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you pipe the batter, be sure to chill it first for at least 15 minutes, or it will just run out of your pastry bag. And pipe the bases quickly, storing your pastry bag and extra batter in the frigde while other batches are baking.

Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.

Make the icing:

This is the EASIEST icing you’ll ever make and it lasts at room temperature without melting. Will keep for about 2 weeks or so in the fridge. You can add any coloring or flavoring to it for decorating.

2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine at room temp
2 tsps. Vanilla (and any other flavored extracts)
about ¼ - ½ cup milk (depending on desired consistency)
1-2 Tablespoons of Maple extract (see note)
Optional: If making flowers, you can add 1 cup shortening, but I never need it

Place butter in mixer bowl. Mix on low until slightly softened. Add vanilla. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time. Blend on low, scraping the beater and bowl down in between. Add milk slowly, until you reach the desired consistency.

NOTE: I have tried to make maple flavored icings using just maple syrup and its hard to get a really good maple flavor with the right consistency. You can certainly use maple syrup. I used some maple syrup in one batch and then added the maple extract for the rest. Especially where these particular whoopie pies are bite size, I wanted the maple flavor to stand up and compliment the pumpkin and spices.

Enjoy!!

Vermont Weekend - Great food, great friends and beautiful Fall foliage

2009-09-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

This weekend I finally got up to Mt Holly, VT to make a few batches of my long-awaited Kick-in-the-Nuts Snacks! Friends, Laura & Dave of A Dozen Eggs have the most adorable bake shop filled with scrumptious hand-iced sugar cookies, maple cookies, fun-Fall-flavored cupcakes and even homemade apple dog treats!

Having worked for Laura & Dave a few years back when we all lived in Southie, I was excited to have the chance to dust off my icing skills and help Laura ice a few batches of Beantown and Pennant Fever cookies. "Like riding a bike", Dave says...

On saturday, I roasted about 40lbs of nuts and made mostly "Papridiculous" and some "Cinnapunch" (two of my three flavors). Papridiculous includes some of the gorgeous, smoky paprika from Christina's Spice Shop in Cambridge, and Cinnapunch is a blend of spicy notes including Seygon Cinnamon and 5 spice from Christina's as well. The smell was enticing! I can't get enough of it! There is no comparison to using good quality and FRESH spices. Its like any other ingredient, you want to get it and keep it as fresh as possible. Most people tend to keep their spices for months, even years. What are you thinking?! I prefer to buy them whole and grind them myself, (especially for making my Dukkah nut & spice blends). But when I do need to source ground, Christina's is where I go.

Since I'm a huge fan of spice flavors and especially chili spice, my products always include a blend. Even my Cinnapunch nut snacks have my earthy blend of dried chilis. There's definately a punch of flavor! As my first larger-scale batch, I'm pretty happy with them. But as an artisan, I am already thinking about how I will tweak the next batches. Look for them online and at local events and gourmet shops. (I'll post events and locations as they come up).

I didn't make my third flavor, "Fabanero" unfortunately. But I think it was a wise decision as grinding dry habanero powder in the bakery would probably have Laura, Dave and all the animals still coughing and weazing!

Photo: Papridiculous going into the oven

Here is photo of Dave enjoying a Gray's Papaya hot dog in NYC on a recent visit!