A Blithe PALATE

Vosges on sale!

Fantastic.  My favorite chocolatiers offering a discount just in time for Christmas!

From December 1 through December 31, you can get a 10% DISCOUNT on all purchases at Vosges.  Use code:  BLGF09.

Enjoy!

Lemon Thyme Spoonbread

I haven't been stretching myself too much culinary-wise recently.  Cooking, which used to be a happy, lazy indulgence, has become rote.  I  found myself thinking not too long ago that there are a finite number of dishes which could be made.  Almost immediately I realized how idiotic that sentiment is: it's like saying there are only seven notes so there's a finite number of compositions possible. My sentiment was driven more by the fact that I'd been making the same dishes week in and week out than any real truth.  And one truth is:  I've gotten lazy.

Time hasn't been in abundance of late and I wonder if my laziness to try something new, or my reluctance to really put my heart and soul into cooking anymore, is because I'm bored?  Because it's easier to make the same dishes, the ones I know by heart, than to stretch myself with something else?

Oddly enough, where I have derived food joy is in reading cookbooks.  And I'm always itching to try some of the fantastic recipes -- yet I don't.  So this past weekend, I decided to reinvigorate myself and get back into the rhythm of my kitchen.  I inventoried the fridge, the freezer(s) and the pantry, then went and consulted several of m cookbooks. 

Martha Stewart has a new cookbook out. Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home is a collection of 52 complete menus -- appetizer, salad, entree and dessert, and divided by the seasons.  I may have mixed feelings about her, but she has an extraordinary staff -- these are easy and outright tasty recipes. 

Earlier this week we made the Chicken Marsala with Sage Polenta; a winning dish, very flavorful and very easy.  Dinner tonight was Panfried Chicken and Lemon-Thyme Spoonbread (I elected to skip the wilted salad and raspberry dessert that accompanied the menu).  I'm particularly appreciative of the fact that the recipes call for dark meat -- not just cheaper cuts but so much more flavorful!

Pug and Hoss both loved the panfried chicken although Hoss was much keener on the spoonbread than was Pug.  I'm not quite sure how to feel about spoonbread, which is essentially a baked cornbread; it was moist, rich, and as the name suggests, spooned onto our plates.  I loved the flavors but in some ways, the lemon-thyme notes lent more to dessert than to a savory side dish.  I'd be curious to see how the spoonbread works as a dessert. The whole time I was eating, I kept thinking how lovely it'd go with vanilla ice cream.

I think maybe it's time to stop playing the same tune over and over just because I know it; and given the tomes lining the cookbook shelves, maybe it's time to learn an entire new repertoire; and somewhere in there, hopefully get my cooking (and blogging) groove back.

The Edible Word: Confections of a Closet Master Baker - A Sweet Postscript

A couple of sweet additions to our Edible Word event!

Ivonne, the brilliant Cream Puff in Venice, ponders if, like Gesine, she could go off and do what she really really wants to do?  If the answer looks anything like the Espresso Cheesecake and Apple Pie she made, I'd say the answer is a resounding "Yes!"

Charli, at The Berry Bushel, one of the Daring Kitchen bakers, kindly participated in our event on their behalf.  She offers a lovely review and makes a batch of my favorites -- the Starry Nights cookie.  She didn't just stop there:  she also made the bundt version of Golden Eggs and Scones.

And to finish us off, a quick conversation with the Closet Master Baker herself about random things: 

My favorite sequence in the book covers you getting tons of orders for your macaroons after the article appears in InStyle. How many orders did you get before you realized you had to shut down the online ordering?

I have an uncanny ability to block trauma from memory.  I do remember the boxes in our office, our neighbor Joanne sat in there taping together shipping boxes for days.  Buried herself in our office with cardboard.  And Ray, he'd stay until midnight just printing out the orders.  Thousands and thousands.  I don't even remember the number because they just kept coming in.  I'm not sure that I shut down the site but I did send a letter to everyone explaining why, exactly, it might take a while to get out all the orders.  For some reason, it never occurred to me that the news of the store opening would generate online business, just store business.  I'm a moron of the first order.

You talk about the strict food lifestyle your mom dictated at home.  Did you ever openly rebel? Like in high school when we could go off campus for lunch, did you do benders at McDonalds?

Openly?  Never. But if you looked under my bed, there'd be empty cartons of ice cream and Skor wrappers.  And in high school, Tippy's Taco House rocked my world.  I found out years later that everyone went to Tippy's fortified with the wacky weed, except for me.  The nachos were my contraband of choice.

What is your favorite secret food indulgence, the totally embarrassing thing you eat that you don’t like to admit you eat? (Kinda like having the Bee Gees on your iPod and hoping no one sees them on there)

Big Macs, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Wendy's Frosty goodness, Oreos.  I'm never really embarrassed about my food choices, though.  I'm usually too busy scarfing to care.

Have you ever shared your secret macaroon recipe with anyone?

No.  It's not even written down.

Favorite cookbook?  What’s on your nightstand to read right now?

Bo Friberg's Professional Pastry Chef series.  Oh, and there's this ancient series of hard core French patisserie textbooks that, once you decipher, they are golden.  On the nightstand is a book on tiling.  I'm convinced I can tile my bathroom based on having watched a series of bathroom renovation episodes on DIY and my ability to read directions from beginning to end before diving in, something I learned the hard way as a baker.

Which three chefs (living or deceased) would you love to have lunch with?

Keller, Keller & The Prince.

At any point in your Hollywood life did you become known more for your baking than your producing?

To my friends, yes.  And on my last film, yes.  My friend, Marc Lawrence, had an apron made that said "Master Baker:  Eat It and Beat it." 

If you were to hop a plane to Paris, where’s the first place you’re going?  What’s the first meal you’d have?

Café Marly or Deux Magots.  Sitting on the porch at Café Marly with a glass of wine and anything from prix fixe makes me happy.  In the morning. soft boiled egg with the toasted baguette dip stick and a coffee at Deux Magots.  

When you bake, what do you listen to (music, news)?

Music.  Lots of it.  Wall to wall.  Usually alternative.  Sometimes punk but that's caused problems in the past with some excessive jumping around.  Fugazi's "waiting room" came on one day and I snapped.  

If you could apprentice with anyone today, who would you choose?

Wendy Kromer.  Hands down.

The Edible Word: Confections of a Closet Master Baker, Roundup Part 3

A sweet finish to our Roundup of the Edible Word, the foodie book club co-hosted with the peerless Stephanie and the brilliant ladies at Cook the Books.  Our inspiration:  Confections of a Closet Master Baker.  And on to Part 3 of our Roundup:

  Esme at Chocolate and Croissants knew these Golden Eggs were going to come out golden -- she samples as she cooks and she says the raw batter was decadent and the finished product every bit the delectable puffs of sweetness she imagined...

  Helen - our sweet Tartlette, puts her own touches on a recipe provided by Gesine with this stunning Muscovado Date Cake with Maple Sugar Buttercream --made for a family reunion.

Jamie enjoys her Adventures in SF; she was inspired by the book -- which I had described as Gesine's love letter to her mother -- and the memory of her own mom to make a whole fish -- she also offers these lovely Red, White and Blue Cupcakes that she made for a friend's recent citizenship celebration.

Irene thinks this is the best damn cake she's ever made.  And considering some of the mouth watering creations she's been posting at Confessions of a Tart, that's saying something.  This Black Forest (aka Drunken Cherry Cake) was made in honor of her father's birthday -- and as a nod to Gesine's German heritage.

  Susan at Dragon Musings made these Golden Eggs Cupcakes and a Golden Egg cake as well!  They may taste doughnut-like warm from the oven but she says they're fantastic cold too!

A deep, heartfelt thanks to all our participants for their delicious, soul-satisfying contributions and for making our event so much fun!

The Edible Word: Confections of a Closet Master Baker, Roundup Part 2

More delicious inspirations in Part 2 of our Confections of a Closet Master Baker Roundup (and it looks like there will be a Part 3 for some lovely friends who are running a little late to the party).

Amanda at Hunger for New Ways made me my very first starter for dough (which I promptly killed).  Happily the starter she makes for the Maple Pecan Sticky Buns fares far better (and more tastily).

Peabody lived in the house of contraband -- the one that had sugar galore and just about everything a kid with a sweet tooth could desire; her entry is this extraordinary paean to sugar so good it has to be bad for you called the Oreo-Cocoa Krispies Treat.  Perfect with a glass of milk.

The Food of Love's Arlene can readily sympathize with the appalling name mispronunciations Gesine has to endure -- but I bet if she brought these Cream Scones everyone would know her name and learn to say it correctly -- how else to get a shot at seconds?

The Crispy Cook's Rachel asked her husband what he wanted to eat out of the recipes in the book -- he chose the Espresso Cheesecake - and believe it or not, this beauty is gluten-free!

Michele has her own Italian plum tree -- so what else would she make but this Plum Tart?

What's not to love about these Creamy Dreamy Raisin Scones?  Joanne of Eats Well with Others was inspired by the sacred time of cake and coffee to make one of my perennial afternoon tea favorites...

Girliechef, aka Heather, like many of readers (including me!) got misty eyed over the chapter on Zwetschgendatschi, a German fruit tart made with plums; this Plum Cake is her take on the recipe -- and something she looks forward to sharing with her mother and grandmother...

The Edible Word: Confections of a Closet Master Baker Roundup Part 1

Whenever Stephanie, my amazing adopted sister (one I chose for myself as an adult) and I talk, the discussion invariably revolves around food and books.  It seemed only natural then when we decided to combine our love of the two last year by creating a foodie book club where we asked participants to read with us -- and to make a dish inspired by what they had read.  Our first book was a novel about a feisty middle aged food television personality -- our participants showed an amazing range of creativity when it came to making dishes inspired by the book.  When we picked our second book earlier this summer, the lovely ladies at Cook the Books were gracious enough to co-host this event with us.

Our second selection is a nonfiction memoir:  Confections of a Closet Master Baker, written by Gesine Bullock-Prado, a Hollywood producer who decides to pursue something more soul enriching by fleeing Tinseltown and heading to Vermont, where she opens a bakery.  Gesine, as you might remember, is my favorite macaroon maker.  The book traces her baking journey, learning from her mother and grandmother, to the solace it offers her as life in Hollywood becomes increasingly dissatisfying until she chucks it all to become a baker in Vermont.

As before, we're amazed and gratified by the gorgeous and thoughtful concoctions whipped up by our particpants; in particular we noted that several people made plum tarts...given the bittersweet and touching back story to the Zwetschgendatchi, we completely understand why they gravitated to this particular dessert.  Here is part one of our round up.  Check back tomorrow for part two and don't forget to stop by Stephanie's site to see the remainder! 

Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Holly hasn't been feeling too well lately but is inspired to make a delicious looking carrot cake -- only she decides to make cupcakes so there are plenty more...

Mary, the amazing Breadchick at The Sour Dough, offers her grandmother's Magic Chocolate Cookies, which had the power to appease twenty plus grandchildren with different opinions and preferences for chewy versus crunchy cookies!

Deb is one of the lovely hosts at Cook the Books in addition to Kahakai Kitchen.  Deb herself is in the midst of career transition and is inspired to make this gorgeous Apfelkuchen.  Maybe you should become a baker professionally Deb?!

Who can resist a crunchy cloud? Not us...and not Lizelle's daughter, whose partiality for pink is indulged by these airy Raspberry Meringues...

Beth at Kitchen Courage decides to bake for the first time in a while and makes these sweet, comfort-food indulgent Pumpkin Peach Whole Wheat Muffins - one to eat right away and th others to be frozen for future noshing!

Pam at Sidewalk Shoes belies her claim as a hopeless baker with these beautiful Brown Sugar Almond Biscotti...

Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies is also enchanted with the Zwetschgendatchi and makes her plum cake with attention and love...

Invitation to the Edible Word

The lovely hosts of Cook the Books, Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness and I are co-hosting a new edition of The Edible Word, a foodie book club on September 5 and I'm wondering if one of you would like to join us?

What's involved? Well, a little reading (it IS a book club), a lot of inspiration followed by some cooking or baking, and hopefully, a lot of fun.

We're reading “Confections of a Closet Master Baker” by Gesine Bullock-Prado, a former Hollywood executive who flees La La Land to become a baker in Vermont.  The book traces her baking journey as it sustains her through various life trials — the Hollywood machine; her mother’s illness; the wonky life in a sweet, odd small town.

Event rules?  Simple: 

• Pick a dish that she mentions in the book or an ingredient that she talks about.
• Find a recipe or create a recipe for that dish, pastry or ingredient, and make it! (or if you like, make one of the yummy recipes she's included in the book)
  
• Post an entry with a picture to your blog and share with us what compelled you to pick that particular dish, and any history about the recipe you created or are using to make that dish.

I have an extra book to share, so if you would like to join this food blogging event, please send me an email at ablithepalate (AT) gmail (DOT) com with your snail mail address by noon EST on Wednesday, August 5 and I’ll have Hoss randomly select one person to join us.  If you don’t have a food blog but would like to participate, I’ll be happy to post your blog entry here.  

Look for the event on September 5 and the round up on September 7!

We interrupt our regular programming.

Bear with me.

I'm demoralized.  About a month ago I was organizing my flickr account.  I was so proud of myself when I finished.  Then I realized I had lost all the links from this blog to pictures of food in said account.

I haven't recovered from the trauma.

I haven't mustered up enough strength, time or courage to rebuild.

But I will.

A lot of cool food things have happened recently and and are coming up.

I may just chuck the last few years and focus on the present.

But I am ready to write about what I've been eating, cooking and baking lately.

Food must go on...

Cookbook Spotlight Roundup: Gale Gand's Brunch

Stephanie and I initially bonded over brunch and we've been lucky enough to meet at least once a year over the last few -- always over brunch, so when relaunching Cookbook Spotlight, it wasn't hard to persuade us to begin with Gale Gand's new  book:  Gale Gand's Brunch.  Featuring 100 recipes encompassing drinks, sweet and savory dishes, it also wasn't hard to round up twenty-five friends to join us in a collaborative cooking exercise.  I'm always intrigued by what different foodies will choose to make when presented with the same book; and I'm always thrilled with the results.  Our planned event on April 17 was delayed due to a snafu in mailing but everyone was more than patient.  As one participant wrote, "I heart Gale Gand."  And another said, "I loooooooooooooooove brunch," a sentiment echoed across the board.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

Gesine is my favorite macaroon maker at Confections of a (Closet) Master Baker.  I have no idea how she has time to blog in the midst of baking, writing and starting new businesses but thank God she does -- it makes for some hilarious and mouth watering reading.  Her contribution is Angel Food Muffins - in which she makes an effort to confront long standing demons with angel food...

Sara at I like to Cook says brunch is the best meal -- and no wonder when she's putting Coddled Eggs, Caramelized Apple Crepes and Homemade Pork and Maple Sausage Patties on the table.  I have to try the coddled eggs soon; I've failed at the last five attempts to make soft boiled eggs and as Gale describes it, this is an easy alternative.

Breadchick Mary fell in love with Gale's book and wrote a Dear John letter to Waffle House.  She not only made the Baked Eggs and Ham Cups but made four variations of them!  And then there's the Bacon Waffle -- let's all acknowledge that few things in the world are as perfect as the savoriness of a strip of bacon -- but combined with a waffle?  Mmmmmm...  Mary also hosted a guest post from Sandra, one of her readers, who was one of the winners of the Invitation to Brunch.

Lizelle meets with coffee talk book group where they bring indulgently delicious treats.  For this gathering, she brought Ginger Scones.

Peabody loved a show Gale used to host on the Food Network called Sweet Dreams, and loves baking and sweets so it's no surprise that she focused on the sweets and pastry section of the book to make Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake Muffins and Chocolate Waffles with Bananas Foster.

Jamie lives her Adventures in SF and decided to make the super easy and super quick Pear Streusel Coffee Cake.  But now she's regretting not making the huge spread and is already going through the list of all the dishes she can make...which might be good for me as I'm heading out there in a couple of weeks and it would be so nice to be the recipient of her brunch largesse...

Liliana from My Cookbook Addiction was one of our Invitation to Brunch winners and did her review for The Daring Kitchen.  Liliana made the Pannetone French Toast using some leftover Italian Easter sweet bread and surprised her daughters by making this heavenly treat.

Jen at Use Real Butter says she's not a breakfast kind of gal, going for years without it because lunch was always more interesting. Still, she decided to expand her repertoire and made a beautiful Herbed Mini Popovers.  I think it might be possible to convert her...

Tanna at My Kitchen in Half Cups went straight for the cover recipe and made the Baked Eggs in Ham Cup, but followed that with the Chai Tea and the French Bread.  She's planning to cook her way through the book and I'm planning to see what she makes next.

Becke, our Columbus Foodie, was one of the Invitation to Brunch winners.  She made the Torta Rustica and has me sold on trying this recipe too -- look at those gorgeous layers of pastry, eggs, cheese, and vegetables.

Heather, aka girliechef, was one of our winners for the Invitation to Brunch.  Like all of us, she had a tough time picking a dish to make but settled on something even better:  comfort!  She made a White Hot Chocolate that the entire family loved (and there was enough left over to have over a book).

Irene at Confessions of a Tart says to give her brunch over flowers any day and is looking forward to more Sundays, Saturdays and even Mondays for brunches to come; she made a perfect Crepe with her own cinnamon apple filling.

Jasmine of the fragrant Cardamom Addict made three dishes, Baked Eggs in Ham Cups, the Torta Rustica, and this Cranberry Almond Granola.  She offers her own take on the granola and is pretty certain that once you've had Gale's recipe for hot cocoa with brown sugar, you won't bother with Swiss Miss again...

Ivonne, my very favorite Cream Puff in Venice waited until Sunday to make her dishes because, as she notes, Sunday is the "king of brunch."  She presents Buttermilk Pancakes, Cranberry-Almond Granola and Pear Streusel Quick Coffee Cake.  As always is the case with Ivonne, everything looks effortless and elegant -- not to mention delicious!

Don't forget to check out Stephanie's Round Up as well!  Gale Gand's Brunch is now available.

Cookbook Spotlight: Gale Gand's Crepes and Buttermilk Pancakes

Years ago Hani and I were driving our parents' friends back to their home in Georgetown. We were enjoying our time with Mark and Anne, whom we had not seen in some time.  Long time friends of our parents, we were enjoying our conversation with them.

Hani suggested meeting for brunch and Anne should her head.  "Let's do breakfast or lunch, dear," she said.  "I don't like brunch."

I think it's possible that Anne was the only person I've ever known who didn't love brunch.   As meals go, it's my favorite.  Straddling the informality of breakfast and the more organized lunch, brunch is such a lovely amalgamation of both, allowing for multiple dishes and leisurely eating.

Stephanie and I initially bonded over brunch and we've been lucky enough to meet at least once a year over the last few -- always over brunch, so in relaunching Cookbook Spotlight, it wasn't hard to persuade us to begin with Gale Gand's delicious new book:  Gale Gand's Brunch featuring 100 recipes encompassing drinks, sweet and savory dishes, bakery items, salads, side and condiments. 

When it comes to brunch, I'm much more partial to sweet - so for a friend's' visit this past weekend, we made buttermilk pancakes and crepes. 

My preferred recipe for pancakes is Marcus Wareing's; but those airy, delectable pancakes require a little more work, incorporating wet ingredients with dry, and the addition of beaten egg whites.  I was quite pleased to find that Gale's recipe is fast, easy and just as delicious.  Despite being denser, they puffed up beautifully, and the addition of melted butter on the pan, provided a wonderfully crisp edge.  The buttermilk also adds a nice tanginess to the pancakes.

The crepes were less successful, but that was my fault, not Gale's; they were entirely too thick -- crepes are meant to be delicately, Kate Moss-ishly thin.  The recipe is very straightforward but the trick is in quickly spreading the batter the minute it hits the pan. Apparently I'm no good at balancing Hoss on one arm and trying to swirl wafer-thin crepes with the other.  Despite the slightly thicker crepe, it's hard to complain about a carb enrobing macerated strawberries with mascarpone.  I'm going to have to try again, but there are other recipes I'm interested in trying first -- the egg segment is screaming my name as are the bakery items.

With so many dishes possible for this meal time, unconfined as it is to conventions dictating just eggs, cereals and pastries for breakfast and heartier dishes for lunch, I wonder, if given the time, we might have been able to convert Anne to the pleasures of brunch?

Check back soon for the roundup -- thank you to everyone who joined us!