Sweets for my Sweets

 Valentines Day is upon us and what would be more fitting than a post about chocolate? It may be appropriate at this point to stop reading, grab a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate) a handful of Dove Chocolates or snap off a piece of your favorite Black & Green chocolate bar.  If you are in dire need, a handful of chocolate chips or a piece of bittersweet baking bar will do.
   Good chocolate like good coffee, is either worth the trouble or higher cost to you or it's not. It's a sort of enlightenment. Recent studies have confirmed the health benefits of good, dark chocolate. this has translated to me as, "eat more chocolate" or "feel less guilty."  It is not unusual to find rolled up foil wrappers from dark Dove chocolates in the washing machine, dryer, in my jeep, in the fishing tackle box, and all of my family's coat pockets. Yes, we love chocolate.
   Chocolate is my favorite de-bonking remedy on long Mountain Bike rides.  Chocolate milk is as popular a post-ride beverage as a micro brew.
   So what better reasons have we for not making some cocoa imbued sweets for our Sweethearts?

Here are some tips to keep in mind while cooking 

with cocoa and chocolate

• Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate can be used interchangeably. Bittersweet as the name indicates is less sweet. Choose one from a premium chocolate maker.
• Unsweetened chocolate can NOT be used interchangeably with bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.  
• Cocoa powder can be either natural unsweetened or Dutch processed.  Dutch processed involves a treatment with alkali to neutralize the natural acidity.  Dutched cocoa is nutty and mellow, natural cocoa is sharper and fruity in flavor. 
• It is best to use the type of cocoa called for in the recipe because both cocoas react differently with baking powder and baking soda.  Use the finest cocoa powder you can and/or try the many bulk varieties available at natural food stores.

Baked donuts glazed in ganache

Exploring 18th Century Cooking

 Whether you are merely exploring early American cooking out of curiosity, a seasoned historical interpreter or a history buff that cooks, 21st century cooks need to keep in mind varying the recipe too much will lose the charactor and authenticity of  the dish.  I find this also to be true of more modern recipes, and as a rule I cook it exactly to the recipe the first time.  I want my Osso Buco to taste like Osso Buco.  Or what's the point? So it is for the historical cook.  You want to experience the flavors and cooking styles of that time period.   If you are cooking as part of a historical demonstration, this is even more important.
   Recipes in historical cookbooks can be difficult to read, "is that an 'f'' or an 's'?"  You may find the voice in your head begins talking in a French, Dutch or Old English accent. This is a good sign, it means your are becoming 'one' with your cookbook. The seasonings, cooking methods and presentation are very different than what we perceive as appealing and this can be challenging to the modern cook.  You may find yourself having nightmares on how to construct a complicated recipe. In which case you may need to disconnect from being 'one' with your cookbook or stop reading scary books by Neil Gaiman before bed.

I have included a couple of recipes I have made over the years, close adaptations from Hanna Glasse, Mary Randolf and Ameila Simmons.  Forcemeat (ground meat) recipes are easy enough for anyone and I have plenty of venison, lamb and beef in the freezer.   The term "forced" is a version of the French cooking term "farci" which means stuffed. Forcemeat was used to stuff turkeys, chickens, pigeons, pumpkins, cabbage and more.  It also gives an interesting presentation at the table.

Good Reading...
    I would never claim to be an expert in historical cooking but I have incredible friends who I think are! I simply love reading, history and food. Myself, I work from several found cookbooks, with several more floating in my Amazon shopping cart. Some are inaccurate attempts at what was perceived to have been eaten in the 18th century, some are actually by 18th Century authors and one is a tourist-geared cookbook from Williamsburg.
   American Cookery by Amelia Simmons 1796,and Mary Randolph's 1824 the Virginia Housewife, and The Art of Cooking made Plain and Easy by Hannah Glasse 1747, are all charming,  interesting reads. Many of the recipes are for large groups of people and not feasible for the average home cook without downsizing. Recipes from that time also use weight measurements which make it difficult to translate speedily. Lots of butter and eggs, lemons, nutmeg, mace and whats referred to as 'sweet herbs" are used.
   Chef Walter Staib's, The City Tavern Cookbook published in 2009, attempts to recreate many recipes but they often seem only reminiscent of foods from that period than actual recipes. Often the recipes do not turn out well, I feel the ingredients are off a bit. Such as the Pound cake that calls for 4 cups of sugar to only 1 stk of butter and 2 1/2 cups flour. This was a disaster my bundt pan still remembers.
   Years ago I picked up The Williamsburg Cookbook published in 1971 at a used bookstore. Eager to try out the recipes I was disappointed on the obvious inaccuracies. It mostly featured canned soups, canned veggies, and recipes that seemed more out of an old Betty Crocker cookbook.
The Internet is now an excellent source for researching recipes. Several sites are dedicated to historical cooking.

The Coffee Epiphany - part 1

How could I possibly blog about the foods I love without a post about Coffee?  Good coffee is by far my beverage of choice. Made well, I would choose it over a fine wine or good beer.

 Coffee was an integral part of my family’s social traditions.  It spurred conversation, bonding and encouraged sitting down to relax.  It was a type of communion. No sooner did you enter my Grandmother’s orange, harvest gold and avocado green, 1970’s style kitchen, were you poured a cup of coffee. That might include any baked goods or sandwich fixings depending on the time of day.  Coffee and food = hospitality. 

                I remember Grandmother making coffee in a fat, glass percolator with a glass stem and aluminum basket or my mother's plug-in shiny stainless steel percolator steaming away on the counter top.  Recalling my grandmothers switch-over to her new Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker and my  mother usually following suit. Coffee was often over-cooked or reheated half a dozen times.   Then there was instant Sanka. 

       As children we were allowed a cup of coffee in the morning with lots of milk and sweetened with sugar. Sometimes I would travel up north from the Milwaukee area to northeast Wisconsin with my grandfather to spend a week with them.  His travel mug then was a quart jar full of coffee, milk and sugar. My job was to hold the jar for him in the passenger seat and not spill.  I was also allowed a few sips.  He would drink his coffee and I would count the horses out in the farm fields all the way up north.

                Back then, we thought 8 O’clock coffee was gourmet.  You would grind it right there in the supermarket and it smelled so good. What always disappointed me was that it never ever tasted as good as it smelled.    But it sure beat the stuff in the cans of Folgers, Maxwell house or heaven forbid…Sanka instant.

                I discovered coffee houses and Bistros while attending school in Western Wisconsin in the late 70’s early 80’s.  Drinking espresso or sharing a pot of French press coffee with my friends encouraged conversation and amazing discussions.  I would seek out good coffee where ever I lived, from La Crosse, Milwaukee are and Green Bay.    Coffee can actually taste as good as it smells.

                Once you experience the coffee-epiphany you can never go back.  The coffee we make at home is as good as a coffee house given the right beans.  And I would rather do without than subject myself to most “office coffee”, “restaurant stale coffee” or “car-dealership brew”, which all tend to remind me of an acrid, rancid substance that could potentially be used to remove rust!

                Like walnuts, pecans and almonds, coffee beans have oil that can go rancid very fast after roasting and grinding.  Rancid oils of any kind are bad for your health.

If you enjoy a really good cup of coffee, here are some key points.

• Purchase beans bulk, buy glossy beans that smell good, not rancid.  Chew one if you must.  Don’t buy more than a week’s worth. Roasted beans kept more than one week, should be stored in the freezer.
•   Store coffee in a jar in a cool dark place. Not near the stove or appliances.  Do not store in the refrigerator.   Dampness and moisture are enemies of coffee.
• Grind the beans fresh daily or at least use them within 3-4 days of grinding. Coffee will go rancid after that time.  Oxygen is an enemy of coffee that is why it is best to grind them right before brewing.
• Use a standard coffee scoop so that your brewing is consistent. A standard coffee scoop is about 1 ½ Tbs. 
• Make sure your maker is clean and any old coffee oils are gone.  Stale oil from coffee will add off flavors.
• Use good tasting water, never use chlorinated tap water.
•  Drink fresh brewed coffee as soon as possible. Coffee doe NOT reheat well.

Stove top espresso maker (on the left) French press (on the right)

   The best method for making coffee is the one that suits you the best, fits your lifestyle and the amount of convenience you want or inconvenience you are willing to go.  Here are my two favorite methods:

The Stove Top Espresso Pot

Sometimes referred to as mocha, moka or a napoletana stovetop makers, these are the most popular way of making dark coffee in Italy. They are fast, affordable and attractive.

Simply unscrew the base from the pot, fill the base with good tasting water only up to the steam vent put the finely ground espresso or French Roast grounds in the basket. I use two slightly heaped coffee measuring spoonfuls.

 Screw the serving pot back onto the base snuggly. Place on a burner on med-high to high heat.  Once water boils it will only take a short time to brew. Do NOT leave the pot unattended.  When the water boils it is forced through the coffee and up into the top chamber.
  You can peak in and watch it flow, but I recommend keeping the lid down because steam and hot spatters can burn. Train yourself to listen for the slight change in sound to a quiet gurgle.  Remove the pot from the heat. Allow to rest a few seconds before serving.

The French Press

The French press is a plunger pot system that is a very easy way to make excellent coffee.   The pots are attractive and easy to clean.  The screens last a very long time. I do not recommend washing them in a dishwasher as it will etch the glass and the stainless steel, and leave a residue on your screen.  I hand wash all the parts except the screen in hot soapy dishwater.  The screen I wash well in very hot water sometimes with baking soda. Soap will leave a residue.  And who has never had a cup of coffee served with love that didn’t taste like dish soap…you just smile and keep drinking. 

To use:   Warm the pot with hot tap water and pour out.  Place 3 coffee scoops of finely ground French roast or espresso beans in the bottom. Fill with boiling water to about an inch below the rim.  Stir well to bring up the crema (foam).  Allow to steep 4 to 5 minutes. Push down the plunger slowly to separate the grounds from the brew. Serve!  

The drawback to the press pot is that it cools down rather rapidly.  Ways to keep it warm are to use a cozy over the press or wrap with a clean towel. 

** As with all coffee methods be sure to save those precious grounds for your mulch bucket or compost pile!!

Enjoy your coffee!

Check back for my blog on coffee part 2 featuring some amazing recipes using fresh coffee grounds.

Rooting Around the Root Cellar

   A cold, brittle morning in Michigan's UP (-11 with windchill up to -25).  The small weathered bird house swings slowly, like a pendulum outside my window. It lets me know there is a bit of a breeze.

  January is a time for reflection, a time to begin again, and a time to use the pantry items that were carefully put away during the sunny, fragrant autumn days.  Jars of canned apples, jams, homemade wines, meads and beer stack the metal shelves of an old coal room converted to a root cellar six years ago. It now smells slightly of the onions and garlic hanging from long rusted nails. Pumpkins and other squash fill the shelves below the jars.  Potatoes, beets and carrots sit on the floor in pine crates.

Canning Apples 201

     My small chest freezer boasts a stash of venison along with chicken and beef from the farmers market.  There is also some amazing beef from my sister and brother-in-law's farm. My Sis also gave me two frozen jars of grated horseradish which brought back memories of the torturous task of grating the pungent roots when we were kids.  This stuff is nothing like the those little jars you buy in the store. It has plenty of bite.
   The many containers of pesto are hidden beneath all the kale and sit on top of the quart jars of sour kraut my daughter and I made in October. We are pretty well stocked.
 Yes, I  have become my mother, I have become my grandmother(s).

So now. Let's cook !

Apple Pie (with my grandmother's pie crust and my canned apples)
Savory Butternut Squash Soup

Greetings from the UP of Michigan on a -18 degree day!

                The Bistro on Sixth is not an address as it is a state of mind. It is in reality a combination my kitchen, dining room, and a town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

                After a life changing relocation, I set up house in the lower level of a rented home, much smaller than the one I left behind. Pouring my energies into my return to college, cycling and cooking became my pastimes in this town.  The Bistro was born; a name given by my 2 children to describe their mother’s kitchen. Meals are a daily adventure for them, wondering what they might be served next.   Influenced by my Polish, Hungarian, and Bulgarian families and a collection of cookbooks, I set out to flex my creativity and culinary tastes.  My love of history prods me to work with historic recipes too.

                Because I no longer have a garden, my goals included utilizing the great area farmers markets and anything I could grow in containers.  I often change my family heirloom recipes into more healthy versions.  I shop between a natural food store 30 miles west and a local grocery store that carries some organic items.

                Except for Italian, it is often impossible to find ethic ingredients in this area. One of my other goals is to utilize what is available at our local grocery stores, proving you can eat healthy and really great food made from scratch.  I have always held that, “if you can read, you can cook!” Of course that depends a lot on good comprehension skills.