The Queen of Tarts

Shrimp with Garlic & Chillies

 
 
 

Cooking has been a challenge as of late. You see while we have been trying to sort ourselves out in the UAE (finding a home, getting the proper documents, and sorting out the right roads to take since many have two or three names) our stuff has been taking a slow journey from Boston to Abu Dhabi. Very slow. It left in early June, so by the time it arrives it will be close to 8 weeks. In our shipping crate rests some of our most precious items: a Breville Juicer, knives or all lengths and widths, chocolate molds, cast iron pans, Le Creuset pots, whisks, wooden spoons, candy thermometers, cannelle molds, cookbooks, baking sheets, silverware, coffee mugs, glasses, and the list goes on and on and on.

Because we hope that it will all arrive safely we have been very careful with regard to what we are now purchasing. We have one knive (that we use for everything), a single pan and a single pot, four coffee mugs and four glasses, and several pieces of silverware that might last until the fall. If we want to mix anything, there is a single large stainless steel bowl, and we also got our act together to purchase some dishware.

However, like I said when it comes to cooking, we are down to the barebones minimum, and cooking is further complicated since we are not sure how much longer the stove / cooker will last until it needs to be replaced. Luckily, we bought a new refrigerator that works and manages to keep the necessities in tact. Meals have generally been cold or cooked on the grill outside. We are back to basic people - nothing fancy here. However, when I saw the abundance of produce and spices at all of the markets in Abu Dhabi, I needed to step things up a bit.

I bought Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Easy and realized that most of the ingredients in the book could all be found instantly. It was the perfect place to start delving into seemingly exotic ingredients. While the first dish I chose is not too exotic, I had to balance my thirst for adventure with what was realistic given our cooking tools. The only problem I had was locating basil, although the market was so busy it could have been hiding, and I was entirely too tired to fight the traffic of supermarket carts in the produce section on a Saturday afternoon. I decided to use cilantro (coriander)

Shrimp with Garlic & Chillies (adapted from Curry Easy)

12 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp green hot chillies finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt & 1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1 large clove garlic finely chopped

3 tbsp cilantro (coriander) chopped

1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh)

Wash and dry the shrimp. Place in a bowl with the salt, pepper, chillies, and cayenne pepper. You can cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to carry on with the rest of the recipe.

Place the oil in a frying or cast iron pan and set it over medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop (and they WILL pop, and pop out of the pan...) add the garlic and stir gently, and then add the shrimp. Stir a few times, and then add in the tomato. Reduce the heat and add in the cilantro, and continue stiring gently until the shrimp is thoroughly cooked, but not overcooked - probably just a few minutes. Serve straight away... This would be really good with some thick/crusty bread on the side.

Hazelnut Tarlets

Forgive me in advance for my lack of precision.  We have several sets of measuring cups in a kitchen drawer.  We have two sets of measuring spoons.  We have a kitchen scale.  All of this aside, I like to cook by taste.  I do not really measure.  Well, when I am making quick breads, cookies, and those sorts of things, I will measure the flour and butter, but the rest just gets thrown in.  Vanilla - a pour will do. Cinnamon?  Depending on the recipe a heavy handed shake or a gentle sift will often take the recipe to a better place.  And when it comes to chocolate and cream?  I just kind of make it happen.  Sometimes my ganache is a little soft for the truffles, but they are going into one's mouth, so who really cares?  I do not run a pastry shop, and I am not a trained chef.  I am a person who loves to be in the kitchen and play with the ingredients that I have around me.  After all, if I spent my live measuring every last drop my life would not be very fun.

However, there times when measuring is critical, and making any kind of pastry dough is one of those times. Dr. H gave me Joanne Chang's Flour Cookbook as a birthday present, and I ordered a set of tartlet pans for myself, so thought that her pâte sucrée recipe would be the perfect fit for the pans and that the tartlets filled with a hazelnut ganache would work perfectly for a party we had some time ago.  No surprise - her recipe was a success, and not difficult to make.  The dough tastes like a mix between shortbread and pie crust, and has a wonderful buttery flavor and delicate crumble when bitten.

I chose to make a hazelnut ganache for the filling because I love the flavor of the liquor with the melted chocolate, and it is just strong enough to cause a bit of attention.  You can make a plain chocolate ganache, use amaretto, rum, etc.  While the ration for ganache tends to be 8 oz of chocolate to 4 oz of heavy cream, if you are going to use liquor to flavor the ganache, cut back on the cream a little bit (this is where my measuring because a little less than exact to say the least...)

Joanne's recipe was for a large tart - I made it per her instructions, but just filled out the smaller pans.  Due to the fact that it is a crust, I made several pricks in the bottom of the tartlet pan with fork tines, and halfway thru baking, I gently pressed the crust back into the tarts as is does rise a bit.

Pâte Sucrée Recipe

• 1/2 cup (1 stick/114 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (140 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, or until pale and light. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the flour and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the egg yolk and continue to mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, or until the dough comes together.

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap (I like Glad Cling Wrap) and refrigerate for about 1 hour. (If you are not going to use this straight away, you can place in a Freezer Safe bag and freeze for up to a month.) Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften for about 30 minutes. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work space (I like our marble slab in the kitchen because it keep the cool temperature). Once you roll it out to about 1/8 inch thick, take the little tart pans and turn them over on the dough. Press them down like cookie cutters to get the exact shape and size you need.

Press the pan down and shake it gently to losen the dough, then flip the pan back right-side-up. 

Mold the dough into little tartlet pans - I like to use various shapes to add a variety...

Once you place the dough in the pans, place in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the dough can rest. Once the dough is rested, place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until the dough starts to turn golden brown.  If necessary, check about halfway through, and press the dough down into the pan if it is rising too high.

Once baked, place the pans on a cooling rack and allow to completely cool before filling.

Hazelnut Ganache

8 ounces high quality dark chocolate (I like Callebaut chocolate - 60% and buy most of my chocolate at Chocosphere) chopped into small pieces

3 1/2 ounces heavy cream

3-5 tbsp of Frangelico (depending on taste)

Place the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl.  Heat the cream until it is almost boiling, and then pour the cream over the chocolate.  Stir the chocolate and cream until well combined and the all of the chocolate has melted.  Once the chocolate is melted, add the Frangelico and mix well until everything is combined (it does not hurt to taste along the way in order to ensure you have added the right amount of liquor...)  Once the ganache has cooled, cover and allow it to set.

Using a pastry bag, pipe the ganache into the cooled pastry shells.  Allow the ganache to set in the shells, and then serve.  They are best if eaten the same day!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am not from the South - no where close. I am from quite North of the Mason Dixon line, however I chose quite deliberately to go to college South.  Now I could come up with some amazing story about why I chose to go to the South for college, but really it all comes down the culture, and the culture behind the Belles of the South.  One of the things I learned while living in the South is the importance and the tradition of food - good food (that you Margaret!).  For some reason, whenever I think of Red Velvet Cake, I immediately think of the South even though Red Velvet Cake traditionally comes from NYC (I hear gasps from Belles all around!).

So when my husband told me that Red Velvet was his favorite cake (, I had to find a way to make and perfect it. I searched for recipe after recipe, both in cookbooks and online.  I am sure that I could have made a quick phone call to Georgia, Louisiana, or Texas, and received some passed down family recipe, however I finally settled on Bakerella's recipe, and it was due in large part to her photos, which had me scrambling to my mixer in seconds to whip this baby up.  

The cake is light and moist and not intensely sweet - that is the job of the cream cheese frosting.  However, I have taken out some of the sugar so that there is a bit more tartness to the rich toping and I found that there is more of a balance.  I also made a few adjustments to the recipe to give it a slightly more healthy spin.  No one will notice these subtle changes, but you can feel a little less guilty when you reach for that second (or third) cupcake!

 

Red Velvet Cake (adapted from Bakerella)

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup oil + 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
red food coloring (add in enough to give a rich red color - more or less depending on your preference)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or lightly grease the pan.
• Beat eggs in a bowl and add remaining liquid ingredients (except for food coloring) and stir together with whisk/mix until blended. Set aside.
• Place all the dry ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir together really good with wire whisk.
• Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on medium-high for about a minute or until completely combined - now add the food coloring.
• Pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup into each cupcake space and then drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• After about ten minutes, remove the cupcakes from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. 
• Then make the frosting.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

16 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
8 cups confectioners’ sugar

• Beat cream cheese and butter on high until creamy. Add vanilla.
• Slowly add the sugar to the mixture and scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each addition if needed.  It is probably a good thing to taste test along the way... : )
• Place the frosting in an icing bag and through a frosting tip (1M) on it and get going - to make the cupcakes extra fun, push the tip into the top of the cooled cupcake and squeeze out some of the frosting so that the cupcake with be filled inside with the frosting.  You will notice the cupcake start to expand a bit.  Once you have squeezed a little in (about 2 tsp) frost the top.
• It is important to note that this will make more frosting than you need - but I like to have some on hand for late night snacks... a spoonful or two is really satisfying!

DELICIOUS - and very hard to stay away from!

Fogbottom Applesauce

I would love to say that I am a city girl through and through.  That I grew up on the busy streets of a big sprawling city with the bright lights and constant buzz.  That is where we live now, and I love that we can walk to cafes, bistros, our favorite asian restaurant, and the gym.  I love not having to drive. And  being in the city has a level of excitement that is just not found in the country or suburbs.  All of  this being said, for most of my childhood, I grew up in the country surrounded by acres of farmland and the water.   

The country can be desolate, cold, and unwelcoming and truth be told, when we first moved to the country, I was not a huge fan.  However, as the years went on, I slowly started to appreciate the sheer beauty and the stillness.  I started to love the sounds of the wind whistling through the old colonial house, which holds more history than I could possibly read in any book.  And to this day, there is nothing as comforting as the smell of of a wood burning fire on a cool fall night.  Yes, I now actually love coming to this place - it is a place to come and relax and for just a few moments, get away from the city... a place to find solace and peace, and a place that I will always call home.

And truth be told, with this new found appreciation, over the years, a remarkable thing has happened...

I have started to notice that the light just looks different at night as the sun sets down low in the West behind the trees...

And with the shorter cooler nights, come some unexpected surprises.  After almost 30 years, the trees at the end of the yard are finally, finally growing edible apples.

Apples?  So what you might say.  Well, it is not just so what.  My father planted these trees what seems like forever ago, and now they are actually producing edible fruit.  It is a BIG DEAL.  Or at least we think that it is a big deal, and I suppose that is all that really matters in the end.

I first found out about last week.

"They are organic!" My father proudly stated, "We've not sprayed them with anything!"  And with that he handed me a plastic bag filled with about 20 apples.  I was instructed to use the big yellow ones for baking, while the smaller ones could be eaten straight away.  We had a small family discussion about applesauce, and whether one should leave the skin on (we all told my sister, that yes, in fact, applesauce is much better with the skin ON!), no sugar should be added to applesauce, and a hint of orange is always nice.  Well, I decided that I would get started right away.  

I mean I have made numerous apple desserts before - from store bought apples, and I think that I remember picking apples a few times.  But I have never made apple desserts like this.  With "real" apples.  Literally, from our home to our table.  This was different.  This gave me a whole new appreciation for our home and the land.

And so I began the task of making applesauce, applesauce from my father's apples, and it could not have tasted better - and that is coming from a self-proclaimed "city girl".

 

Fogbottom Applesauce  (serve 6-8)

8 medium - large apples (golden delicious, macintosh, macoun, and cortland) are all great!), washed and cut
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Cut the apples into 1 inch pieces and place them into a heavy bottomed pot.  Place the apples, water, cinnamon, and lemon juice into the pot over medium heat and allow to simmer.  You will want to stir the mixture occasionally.  Over a period of about 15 minutes, the apples will start to soften...

As you continue to stir, the apples will start to break down.  I like chunks of apple pieces in my applesauce as it add texture and makes the whole thing more tustic, so after about 30 minutes, you  should have a thick applesauce with pieces of apple.  If you let the mixture cook down longer, the apples will continue to soften, or if you prefer a smoother sauce, you can puree the mixture in a blender.

The sauce can be served by itself, over yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, and the list keeps going on!

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

It was only once, but it made an impression of a life time.  I knew that it was a place that I wanted to go, a place of winding streets, bargaining shopkeepers, fresh markets, and history.  A sense that time, no matter how hard it tried, would never seep into all of the corners of the magical city.  Marrakech. A city of beauty and wonder.  It is no surprise then, given my preconceived notions of what I thought the city would be like, that I fell instantly in love - head over heels in love in fact.  The food, the people, the architecture, and did I mention the food?  I had no idea that I would like cumin as much as I do, and it is now a staple in our spice drawer, and sits along side the salt and pepper at most meals. I try to add flavors to cooking that remind me of our Moroccan holiday whenever possible.

Perhaps it was out of necessity, but recently, I was opening all of the cabinets, the refrigerator, and the kitchen drawers looking high and low for something that would satisfy both the savory craving that I was having and the need to crunch something.  What I really wanted was some crackers - something that would crumble upon first bite, and fill my mouth with an explosion of salt and dryness - kind of like an oatcake.  But we had nothing. Nothing that would even come close. But we always have unsalted almonds in bulk waiting to be used in some kind of recipe.  I figured that I could make some roasted almonds - add a little seasoning, and then I would satisfy my craving, and it would be a healthy snack too.  Not too bad!  I tend to make spiced-up almonds during the holidays for our annual holiday party, but given my desperate need to savory and crunch, I thought that I would start a bit early this year.

I typically throw a few handfuls of almonds into a pan, cover them with cooking spray or olive oil, add some seasoning, and something sweet.  In the past, the seasoning has always, and I mean ALWAYS been Tony Chachares .  This is perhaps one of the greatest seasonings ever created in the world - it has heat, salt, and reminds me of being in Louisiana.  However, given that I was all out, I reached into my spice drawer and pulled out Bart Ras El Hanout - a Moroccan spice.  I had never cooked with it before, but my mother insisted that I buy it, and that I would not be disappointed.  So over the saute pan, I sprinkled some of the spice, added some salt, and threw in some sweetness.  I stirred up my concoction, and while the skins of the almonds started to crackle and pop, the cumin, the cardamom, and everything else that made Ras El Hanout what it is started to fill the kitchen and the rest of our loft.  I am not one to wait for things to happen, so I reached into the hot pan (which I do not recommend) and pulled out a few of the newly spiced almonds.  Amazing.  The heat was there, the salt was subtle, and the sweetness pulled it all together.  

These are a great thing to serve with cheese or wine before a dinner party, or to just have around.  I like to eat them warm, but they are really pretty great at any temperature.  I have also tried using agave nectar as a sweetener.  While this works well, it will make for a sticker end result.

 

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

2 C unsalted almonds - with the skins on

1-2 tsp Ras El Hanout (a Moroccan Spice that typically contains black pepper, cumin, cayenne, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, tumeric, coriander, cloves, allspice, and mace... my version also has a small amount of rose petals...the literal translation is "Top of the Shop") The more of this you use, the spicier things will be!

1 tsp salt 
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp olive oil OR cooking spray

Spray the saute pan (or add oil) and heat the pan over medium - high heat.  Add the almonds and as they are heating up, sprinkle on the salt.  As the almonds get hot, you will start to hear the skins pop and crackle.  Add the Ras El Hanout and stir the ingredients together.  Make sure that you watch carefully so that the nuts do not burn.  Lower, or turn off the heat once the almonds deepen in color, and add in the sugar.  Continue to stir.  Allow the almonds to cool a bit in the pan before placing in a dish. They are best eaten warm, but can be eaten at any temperature!

Travel Treasures

We love to travel.  In fact, travel and cooking are the two things that keep us going, and often we find ourselves leafing through cookbooks or travel sites looking for the next exotic location.  With the rise in travel and globalization, some of the mystery of traipsing off to far away and remote locations is gone.  

I remember when I traveled as a child we were told that we had to dress up (skirts, tights, our fanciest shoes), and my grandmother would make a bag for my sister and me to bring on board.  She would find pieces of cloth and sew them together and add in a string so that we could carry the bag over our shoulder.  Inside the bag were card games, mini-board games, small edible delights, crayons, Mad-Libs, and other toys that would keep us preoccupied while my parents tried their hardest to pretend that we were the ideal travel companions.  We had to wait until the plane took off before we were allowed to open our bags, and for the first 10 minutes anyway my sister and I would compare our items.  We anticipated these trips since the preparation itself was such a joy - playing dress up and receiving a bag of treasures?  Unfortunately, it is not really like that anymore.

We would return from our holidays with little gifts that one could only find in those areas - honey and tea from London wrapped in the green and gold bags of Harrods.  Bars of beautiful chocolate from Switzerland when they were truly a specialty item.  Aluminum tubes of mustards from Austria, cheeses from Italy, handmade shoes, perfumes, and the latest in fashion from France.  Most of this now seems silly since so many of these foreign items can be purchased at food shops in large cities merely minutes from our city dwelling.  

That being said, there is still a single shop in all countries that holds a magical appeal for me and for Dr. H.  The food market.  Worldwide, local food stores, more than any other kind of store, convey the the true culture of any place.  So instead of bringing back trinkets that will just collect dust on a shelf (expect for the 3 brass camels we bought in Tangers that I still love), we bring back items from the market.  All legal of course...

On our most recent trip, which also happened to be our honeymoon, we spent our last day in London.  My mother, Dr. H and I perused the aisles of Waitrose on Kings Road and I stopped.  A little item peaked out from the refrigerated section and yelled out Dr. H's name.  I stepped back in disgust, I will admit, but I could not deny him this joy.  A little pot of goose fat, in fact, several pots of goose fat sat lined up all in a row.  And next to the goose sat the duck fat.  

(www.ocado.com) 

I beckoned Dr. H over and a smile slowly spread across his face.  He looked like a little boy who had just received the most prized item on his Christmas list. We had both heard on several occasions just how good french fries or potatoes tasted after having been cooked with either duck or goose fat, so I tried my hardest not to take away this moment of delight. That being said, I walked over to the household items, bought a giant box of Fairy Laundry Detergent, 2 kilos of chocolate, and called it day.  

 

Bewildered by Bacon

I used to eat it.  In fact, I liked it quite a bit.  It had to be cooked extra crispy - not burnt - but extra crispy so that it would crunch each time my teeth bit into the extra salty bits.  At some point it touched the sweetness of maple syrup when they both mingled on a plate years ago, and then I took my bacon with a touch a sweetness.  However, as time went on, I lost my taste for bacon.  And bacon was really the only pork item I ever really liked, so I now stay away from all pork products.  The texture, the smell, the taste... there is really nothing about this particular food item that I find appealing.

Shocking - I know.  Perhaps I am an anomoly.  A one of a kind.  People love this cut of meat - there is truly an obsession around bacon, and I just for the life of me cannot understand it.  I fully understand the allure of all things pork - I mean I do not think that there is any other animal that can offer so many different kinds of cuts.  However recently, there has been a disturbingly high amount of buzz around what can be "done" with bacon, and I know for a fact that I am not the only one who finds this buzz bizarre (Steevy...)

Take, for example, chocolate.  Pure, rich, and smooth.  OK, so someone somewhere thought it would be a good idea to throw in some bacon.  Add a little smokey flavor, a little crunch, and I am all for the sweet/savory thing.  But it has not stopped there.

Next came the cupcake.  There is an obsession with cupcakes, and with it comes the growing need to improve on an already great thing.  So why not add bacon?  Well, because it just sounds wrong.  OK - no, I have not tried it and I have no intention of trying it.  I have already had one open heart surgery and have no plans for another. Bacon, butter, oil, sugar, more butter, flour, more sugar, chocolate, more bacon.  No, there is just something truly wrong with this concept.

 

(photo from Mr. Baconpants http://www.mrbaconpants.com/about/)

If sweet is not your thing, I came across a heart stopping (literally) artery clogging dish called "Bacon Explosion".  Essentially it is bacon and sausage all rolled up (or "weaved together - and here I thought weaving was only for baskets and hair) and rubbed down with your favorite BBQ sauce (make sure that you use your favorite, because it could very well be your last meal).  And then it is bake in the oven or cooked on a BBQ.  Not sure why it is baked.  At this point, the whole thing should just be deep fried...

http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/

If people love bacon so much, why can't you just eat it as is?  The taste is complex enough that it does not need to be "weaved" into a sausage roll up.  Yes, a good BLT is something to write home about, but why add all this extra stuff with it?  My husband loves the stuff, he loves pork, and I often hear the phrase "Bacon makes it better..." but I really do not buy it.    

But don't be upset with me - think about it - it only means that there is just that much more bacon for the rest of you.

Getting Cultured

I have eaten yogurt for as long as I can remember - all kinds of yogurt.  When I was little, I would scrap the bottom of the plastic containers to ensure that every bit of the Dutch Apple did not go to waste.  My mother's favorite yogurt was Coffee.  It was a simple, rich flavor that had the deep undertones of coffee and the tartness of the yogurt that one comes to expect.  For an extra special treat, we would all walk down to Thayer Street in Providence and go to a little restaurant called Penguins, which served up the most amazing frozen yogurt I have ever had.  If you have tried Pinkberry, that would be the closest think to what Penguins served - but Penguins really served the real thing.  This was real, unadulterated frozen yogurt.  Topping included honey, shredded coconut, and granola.  None of this Captain Crunch stuff.

There are many different kinds of yogurt out there, and I find that it always tastes better someplace else.  Let me explain.  When I travel, which I do quite often, yogurt is a very recognizable food that is found in almost every culture.  It is different from what we have in the United States, and I often find it better.  In the markets in London, entire rows in the Dairy Section have yogurt varieties.  The same is true in France.  The options are truly endless.  I also found this to be the case in Canada.  (Visiting grocery stores in foreign countries is one of my favorite things to do - I think that you can learn more about a place by its food and what is found in the local markets than the local museums...) 

Several years ago, my aunt invited me to southern Italy, where we drank prosecco, sipped limoncello, and licked gelato.  She planned an amazing trip, and part of her planning included a visit to an organic buffalo farm.  The farm was in Paestum, which is known for its Greek Temples.  However, since 1988 Tenuta Vannulo has been producing mozzarella and it is Italy's only organic buffalo farm.  This is not your typical farm... it happened to be the cleanest farm I ever stepped foot on.  There was no "farm" smell.  The grounds, in typical Italian style, were stunning, pristine, and inviting.  Even more inviting were the flavors of the mozzarella, which we were able to taste the second it was made, the gelato, and the yogurt - all from buffalo milk.  Buffalo milk has a higher fat content that cow's milk (almost double), so it yields a creamier richer product.  And did I mention the yogurt???

 

More recently, Hector and I traveled to Morocco, and one morning while in Tangiers we received little glass jars with white plastic lids on top.  Each jar held about 6 ounces of creamy yogurt.  There were six of us traveling together, and one person in our group opened up the jar, peered in, and put the lid right back on. "I am not eating this."  I was stunned.  "Why not?" I asked. "I am sure that I will get sick."  I had already spooned some honey into mine and was more than half-way through.  It was the second time I had tasted fresh yogurt.  Her rudeness made me forget my manners and I reached across our little table which overlooked some open markets that had fresh loaves of bread drying on top... I took her yogurt and it straight away.

Since then I have not tasted anything as good, but I have tried to recreate the flavor since we recently received a yogurt maker as a wedding present.  It is worth it - it really and truly is.  While sitting in Italy or Morocco might be a little more romantic than Boston, I am still able to get cultured in this city after all.

Vegan for Three Weeks

It really did not seem that bad when @wired2theworld brought it up… I mean vegan and gluten free for 21 days – 3 wks based off of the Quantum Wellness Diet.  Why would I do this?  Why not.  Oh, and I should tell you there is also no sugar, alcohol, or caffeine allowed either.  I have taken vacations for three weeks, so it was kind of like a little 3-week vacation from my normal routine.  Except that it was not a real getaway to some place warm and tropical with a white sand beach and crystal blue waters.  I thought that it would be easy as my daily routine normally consists of almond or soy milk in my coffee which is  decaf.  Normally, I do not eat a lot of sugar, but instead surrender to my sweet tooth with agave nectar swirled on top of plain yogurt, oatmeal, or flax cereal and pieces of extra dark chocolate late at night.  YUM, I am sure that you are now jumping up and down at the thought of flax cereal, but it is good, really (or at least that is what I keep telling myself).

You see, I enjoy eating well.  I like the process of purchasing my ingredients and coming up with an entire creation from start to finish.  So when I really thought about the 3 weeks of vegan/gluten free/no alcohol I had a few questions for myself… What would I do with my vanilla flavored protein powder?  There is milk in there.  Oh, and I do like to have an occasional glass of red wine.  I suppose that I would have to just stare longingly at the bottles as the dark ruby red color shined back at me and whispered into my ear just how good it was for my heart and that perhaps, just perhaps, I was actually doing my body a disservice by not sipping a glass of Duoro, Baltos, or Cabernet every other night with Hector.  Then there are those moments, when you get home from work and you just want to grab whatever is most convenient.  Often, that tends to be a piece of bread or a cracker or something.  It is about relearning what to grab and thinking about the choices that are really and truly what I want.

But 3 weeks?  I could do 3 weeks.  So here I am rounding out week number 2 and it really has not been that hard.  Perhaps the hardest part is explaining to friends (when they invited us over for brunch) the situation…

Them: So do you want to come over for brunch?

Me: Sure, can we bring anything? [CODE FOR ME TRYING TO GET AROUND THE SITUATION]

Them: How about some wine? [DAMN! I AM STUCK NOW…]

Me: OK, but I am doing this vegan thing for a few weeks just so you know…

Them: OK, will you eat eggs?

Me: Ummm, no, but Hector loves eggs! But I will be fine.

Them: No problem, we have tons of friends who are vegan!

So for the past two weeks my meals have consisted of (not all in one sitting mind you) oatmeal, fruit, flax seeds, several goes at gluten free bread, veggies in every which way, soups, beans, tofu, nuts, and I would be remiss if I left out dark chocolate...

Suddenly the situation is no longer a problem.  So I guess what I am doing is really like a mini vacation.  When I am traveling, I do not eat the same way that I do when I am at home, and truth be told, I rather enjoy it.  What do I miss?  A few ounces of grated parmesan on top of grilled vegetables and an occasional glass of wine.  A piece of rye bread under the broiler with melted jarlesberg and dried chili peppers on top.  However, I do think that it is always a good idea to break from routine and try something different from time to time, and this is exactly what I am doing.  I do not think that I will stay in this zone forever.  There is my wedding to think about, and I know that nothing will keep me from that cake that has eggs, sugar, flour, etc.  And a champagne toast will be in order.  So events will occur and I will partake.  However, what has occurred is a different level of awareness regarding the food that I eat.  Thank you Kristina!

Rosemary Goat Cheese Lamb Chops

Truth be told, I am not much of a meat eater.  Following my open heart surgery, I moved away from meat, and filled my diet with legumes, tofu, fish, and the like.  However, the same does not hold for the King of Hearts, my better half, Hector.  So during one miserable "fall-like" night this past July, I thought that I should break out of my norm and find a tasty recipe for him.  I settled on lamb chops.  I figured that they would be relatively easy to make, I knew he loved lamb, and I would challenge myself as I had never made lamb before.  I searched through several recipes and came across one from Whole Foods, which I adapted.  Hector loved it, and he knows what he is talking about when it comes to food!  The rosemary goat cheese sauce is fantastic, and could accompany so much more than lamb.  In fact, I was happy just eating it off the spoon.  Now that we are settling into fall, I might have to make this recipe again as it is comforting and filling, but not too heavy.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 teaspoon salt
4 lean lamb chops, each about 1-inch thick (I asked the butcher to cut them for me so they were smaller - similar to lollipops)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 ounces goat cheese

Preheat oven to broil.

Place an oven-proof skillet on the stove on high heat and add the salt. When you flick a little drop of water in the skillet and it sizzles it's ready for the chops. Sear the chops on the first side until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip the chops, sprinkle them with pepper and sear the other side for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped rosemary all over chops.

Transfer skillet to oven and broil for about 3 minutes per side, or longer, if desired. Remove chops from the skillet and keep warm in a covered casserole dish. Return skillet to stovetop and heat over medium high heat. (Be careful not to touch the handle of the skillet since it will still be very hot!)

Add wine to deglaze the skillet, scraping the browned bits off of the bottom. Add broth and 1 sprig rosemary and simmer at a low boil and add the goat cheese.  Allow to cook for about 6-10 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary sprig.

Place the chops on a plate and drizzle sauce over the top. Top with remaining rosemary sprig and serve immediately.  I served mine with rosemary roaster potatoes.