gâteau au yaourt (yogurt cake)

April 21st, 2012

A sweet cake for kids without too much sugar

vive le grignotage ! 
(long live snacking) 

tea time, goûter and “un peu sucré ou pas du tout”:
gâteau au yaourt (yogurt cake)

One day a friend and I were having tea. He works in the culinary television industry and like most Parisians, he is passionate about food and so our conversation revolved around food, of course. As he poured the tea, he shared with me a saying his grandmother had when she served tea. She would say, “une sucré ou pas du tout” (meaning, take one sugar or take nothing at all). Thinking of childrens’ fondness for sugar (and for snacking), his grandmother’s comment stuck with me and it inspired this week’s simple pleasure: gâteau au yaourt. Read the rest of this entry »

hungry no more: The Hunger Games menu

April 1st, 2012

 hungry no more: The Hunger Games Menu 

Peeta’s nut and raisin bread with Prim goat cheese
➽
Rue dandelion salad with tracker jacker dressing
➽
Katniss’s rabbit (or chicken) chasseur
➽
 Roasted blackberries on a vanilla pod bow with vanilla seed ice cream
and fresh violets for Gale

Impossible for me to resist. I love food. I love books. The title is The Hunger Games. Coincidentally the book (part of a trilogy by Suzanne Collins) is a fad among tweens and teens and it was race with my eldest daughter to see who could finish the book first. She won. We both loved the book and the food references throughout sent my creativity into orbit. However, the power of this book goes beyond the ability to encourage a child’s love of literature, it can also encourage them to eat good food (unbeknownst to them), and as I quickly turned the pages, this week’s simple pleasure, a Hunger Games menu, was born.  

“Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.” 

Hunger Games Loaf of Bread with and arrow stuck in it

“Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh. It’s real bakery bread, not the flat dense loaves we make from our grain rations.” (page 7)

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roasted blackberries on a vanilla pod bow with vanilla seed ice cream and fresh violets

April 1st, 2012

Hunger Games Food roasted blackberries on a vanilla bow  

 roasted blackberries on a vanilla pod bow with vanilla seed ice cream
and fresh violets for Gale

 

 serves 4

what you need:

3 cups firm blackberries
4 fresh vanilla pods (and/or 4 wooden skewers)
1 pint quality, real vanilla ice cream (or Greek yogurt)
organic fresh violets (as needed)
kitchen string (as needed) Read the rest of this entry »

spiced rosemary pecans

March 24th, 2012

spiced rosemary pecans

just hungry, getting spicy, and going nuts:
spiced rosemary pecans

Innocent comments, taken out of context or just plain misconstrued, can lead to life’s awkward, sometimes funny moments. It is one of those moments and a party favorite recipe that bring us this week’s simple pleasure: spiced rosemary pecans. 

 It was a first date and he was a brave man. He was brave because he not only

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blood orangetini

February 25th, 2012

Blood Orangetini Or Blood Orange Martini

 gone in 60 seconds, expiring in 15 minutes,
and a new house cocktail for Oscar: 
(freshly squeezed) blood orangetini 

I was writing a menu for a martini party when someone told me that a particular “racy” song reminded him of me. We thought that the song was from the movie soundtrack Gone in 60 Seconds which was about the rapid thievery of cars. Now, I do not know if his allusion was making light of my love of cars with a minimum 369 torque or my relationship flight-risk behavior, but it is not important and we were wrong about the song coming from that movie anyway. However, the “Gone in 60 Seconds” reference made me think of my father telling me that the “nutritional benefits of orange juice are gone in 15 minutes after you squeeze the orange”, vanishing as rapidly as the cars in that movie. So there I was, writing a menu, thinking of fast cars, then my favorite car, then the actor known for driving that car (but not the reason I like it), then his cocktail of choice (“shaken not stirred”), and within 60 seconds I came full circle in my thoughts which culminated in this week’s simple pleasure just in time for your Oscar party: a (freshly squeezed) blood orangetini. Read the rest of this entry »

hungry in love…Valentine’s Day Menu 2012

February 11th, 2012

Chocolate Tart Crust

hungry in love: a Valentine’s Day menu to make your heart skip a beat

 I often say that I know I am in love if the thought or sight of that person inspires moments of complete abandon of time and self. I use the example that if I were greeted at the airport by that person, even if the separation was brief, I would instinctively, and without hesitation, run to him, forgetting my surroundings, and the moment would only be interrupted by TSA asking me if the bags scattered twenty feet behind me, are mine. I tell my children that if you do not instinctively feel that way about the person with whom you have chosen to spend your time, then you did not choose correctly because anything less is existing; not living. I have done both. There is something to be said for following your instincts.

 

Harriet Van Horne wisely said that “cooking is like love [and that] [i]t should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” I agree and Saint Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to reinforce that notion. Inspired by thoughts of culinary seduction, the desire to spoil those we care for in a thoughtful, sincere way yet keeping in mind the practical demands of a mid-week busy schedule, this week’s simple pleasure is a Valentine’s Day menu that has a little something for everyone.  Read the rest of this entry »

chèvre and grapefruit panna cotta

February 4th, 2012

 

chèvre and grapefruit panna cotta

 Super Bowl parties and a touchdown dessert:
chèvre and grapefruit panna cotta

In my experience, both as a guest and as a caterer, there are two truths about Super Bowl parties. The first is that the food served primarily consists of hand to mouth heavy foods that involve meat, sauces, and dips (chili is allegedly the favorite). The second is that throughout the game, the guests tend to break off into groups and the division is generally gender based. The gorgeous weather and the markets filled with citrus inspired me to bring a little lightness to your Super Bowl plates with something all party guests will enjoy, no matter the room they end up in, and so chèvre and grapefruit panna cotta, is this week’s simple pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

my garbure

January 26th, 2012

Garbure or stone soup

Peasant stew.  Fit for a king and royally good: 
my garbure

This month second graders all across America are reading as many books as they can that have been awarded the Caldecott Honor.  One of my favorite Caldecott books is Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. The book is about three hungry soldiers who convince (or trick) a town of peasants to make soup from stones (and other on-hand, but hidden, ingredients). The effort culminates in a soup that the peasants declare is “fit for a king.” While we are not making soup from stones, the ability to make a simple yet hearty soup with on-hand ingredients (and a few seasonal vegetables which I consider under-used but easily obtainable) is the inspiration for this week’s simple pleasure, my garbure. Read the rest of this entry »

chia chips and soybean hummus

January 19th, 2012

Chef Morgan Soybean Hummus and Chia Chips

 

 healthy snacks that will not send you back to 2011
part 2: chia chips and soybean hummus

“It’s a chia…it’s a pet…it’s a chia pet.” Rumor has it that chia seeds are le tendence (the “in” thing) in food right now. However,  thanks to my brother, who sang that 70’s jingle selling chia pets (sprouted chia seeds on an animal-shaped moss forms), when I think of chia seeds, I think of chia pets. Today is my brother’s birthday. Thinking of him, trying to be trendy (save your laughter), and unable to escape the song he “planted” in my consciousness, I arrived at this week’s simple pleasure: chia chips with soybean hummus.

Chef Morgan Soybean Hummus and Chia Chips

Read the rest of this entry »

soybean hummus

January 19th, 2012

soybean hummus

 makes 1 bowl 

1 cup frozen soybeans, pods removed
1 small clove garlic, minced
⅛ teaspoon piment d’espelette
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley, minced
⅛ cup (1 ounce) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon tahini paste 
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (and to taste)
freshly ground pepper (to taste)                                                                                                 

  • Blanch Soybeans. Place the frozen soybeans in a pot of salty, boiling water. Boil for 1-2 minutes. 
  • Shock and Drain. Strain soybeans in a colander and place in an ice bath.  Drain well.  If you cooked them in their pods, remove the pods and measure the soybeans (you need 1 cup).
  • Purée. In a food processor fit with a metal blade, place the soybeans, garlic, parsley, tahini paste, lemon juice, piment, and cumin. Pulse until well-combined.
  • Add Olive Oil.  Slowly add oil through the top of the processor while continuing to blend. If you want a smoother consistency, add more olive oil. 
  • Adjust Seasoning.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 
Chef Morgan Soybean Hummus and Chia Chips

 

 
 
 
 
 
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