It’s been some time since I’ve added anything to these pages but I’m back. After all, you didn’t think you’d be lucky enough to get through the entire summer without my virtual smiling face on your computer screens, did you?

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far. It’s been a busy one on this side of the internet with lots of things happening all at once. (On that note, thank you for the emails checking in during my absence. It was great to hear from everyone and I sincerely appreciate the sentiments and concern. Thank you.)

Not only has it been a busy summer but it’s been a very hot one too! So, I can’t wait to tell you about the salad in today’s post – it’s cool and refreshing, the perfect foil to steamy summer days – but first a little detour…

As I mentioned, there is a lot going on. Chief among them is that I am now a gypsy. A number of months ago, I moved out of my home and started the process of purchasing a new home. Sounds great? Well, hold off on any congratulations, cause there’s a wrinkle (why are there always wrinkles?).

Although I went into contract on the seemingly complete place in December of last year, it is still not ready to be occupied. Evidently, we’re waiting on final approval from the NYC Building Department. It’s been a long, grueling process. Frankly, the whole things makes me long for the days when a strategically placed envelope stuffed with cash could magically open the doors to passing a city inspection. Evidently, New York City government and inspectors are now corruption-free (just my luck).

So, now I’m a nomad – roaming from one short-term place to another, waiting for the day that I can move into my new home (and get back to keeping these pages regularly updated). So, if you are walking around NYC and you see a visibly lost man wandering around with suitcases, a white Kitchen Aide mixer and a cooler filled with homemade smoked meats, don’t be afraid stop and say hi.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the Green Bean-Citrus Salad with Dill Pesto. This dish was kind of an accidental discovery. It was Sunday. It was a hot hot New York summer day. No one wanted to leave the comfort (and AC) of home. So, Robert (my talented, best BF in the world, BF) cobbled together this dish from remnants that were in the kitchen.

There was dill and parsley in the fridge and cashews in the pantry…the idea of a pesto was born. There were green beans from the previous night’s dinner. There was ricotta salata for creaminess and salt. There were oranges– which is all we needed to add a little brightness and acid to the dish.

And shock beyond shock, we absolutely loved it! It’s a great balance of flavors. And especially delish when served ice cold. Refreshing, light and bright.

NOTE: Since first making this dish, we’ve tested out a variation using diced roasted beets. It was even better. The beets added a layer of yummy sweetness that helped to round out the sharpness of the oranges. And it was pretty!

GREEN BEAN-CITRUS SALAD & DILL PESTO

1 TSP salt

½ pound fresh green beans, washed with stem ends removed

½ cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 TBL fresh chives, roughly chopped

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup walnut halves

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large oranges

½ cup (or more) ricotta salata, crumbled with your fingers

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, 7-8 minutes. Drain well; cool immediately in iced water to stop the cooking process. Once, beans are chilled drain well, pat dry with a paper towel and set aside in a large bowl.

In the bowl of a food processor, add dill, parsley, chives, cheese, walnut halves and garlic and process until all ingredients are finely chopped. With motor running, add oil and blend until incorporated. Set aside.

Cut peel and white pith from oranges. Carefully, remove individual orange segments with a knife. Cut each segment in half. Before discarding the orange membranes, squeeze them over the bowl of green beans to extract their juice.

In large bowl containing green beans, add half of the dill pesto, orange segments and ricotta salata. Toss to incorporate. To suit your taste, add more dill pesto and/or crumbled ricotta salata.

Chill salad to allow the flavors to meld together.

Serves 4 (as a side).

Ok guys, you gotta be honest with me. Does this bright orange make my backside look big?

Notice anything different? The Ceramic Canvas is trying on a new outfit, a new look, a complete redesign of the website. Although it keeps the old sharp orange color scheme (what can I say, me likes bright shiny colors), the new site is more user friendly with a stronger emphasis on the food and photos.

I’ll be honest – reprogramming the site was often painful. I mean, I’m no html, css.layout data pro. At one point I thought I had lost all of my old content. I responded the only way I knew how – I curled up on the floor in the fetal position. And nothing good can come from a grown man on the floor in the fetal position. Well, except that I realized that I really need to dust my floors more often.

But here we are – a new look. I hope you like it. What do you think? What better way to kick off this new bright and shiny web design then with a bright and shiny dish.

I love pomegranates. In particular, I like that as I bite into the pomegranate seeds they release this tart burst of juice that wakes up my taste buds. It reminds me of summers growing up in Alabama (by the way, I’ve always thought of pomegranates as summertime fruits but evidently, they’re not. Who knew?).

So, I was raring to go when I came across this recipe for Pomegranate & Walnut Salad thumbing through one of my favorite cookbooks, Turquoise: A Chef’s Travels in Turkey by Greg & Lucy Malouf. It’s a beautiful book filled with amazing recipes and photographs of food and the Turkish land/cityscape that make you long to hop on a plane and eat your way through this amazing country.

I bought the book after my good friend (and soon to be neighbor) Rasha gave me a copy of its companion book, Saha: A Chef’s Journey through Lebanon and Syria, for my birthday. I highly recommend both books.

Back to the salad. While the tartness of the pomegranate is the undisputed star of the show, what makes this salad standout is the way the other flavors and textures, lingering around in the background, round out the dish: the crunch and slightness of the pistachios, the smokiness of the toasted walnuts, the sharp brininess of the green olives, the occasional heat from the Serrano chile.

While on their own none of these ingredients are shirking violets, the flavors really play well together.

I’ve made this salad a few times – tweaking it along the way. I’ve always envisioned this salad being fresh and bright. So, I have significantly increased the amount of pomegranate to amp up the flavor. I’ve also decreased the amount of nuts and green olives – they tend to overwhelm the other elements of the dish.

Lastly, the original recipe calls for pomegranate molasses. That’s way too complicated and specialized for me (translation, I’m too lazy to go out and find it). I’ve modified the recipe by using honey and fresh pomegranate juice instead.

The great thing about composed salads is the ease in which you can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. So, give it a try and increase and/or decrease the ingredients as the mood strikes you.

Cheers!

POMEGRANATE & WEALNUT SALAD

Adapted from Turquoise: A Chef’s Travels in Turkey by Greg & Lucy Malouf

½ cup walnuts

¼ cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

¼ cup unsalted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 cup pomegranate seeds, finely chopped

2 small shallots, peeled and finely diced

1 red Serrano chile, seeded and finely diced

2 TBL shredded flat-leaf parsley

1 TBL extra virgin olive oil

1 TBL walnut oil

2 TBL of pomegranate juice

1 TSP of honey (feel free to add more to suit your taste)

Juice of ½ lemon

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Scatter the walnuts onto a cookie sheet pan and roast for 5-10 minutes, until deep golden brown. Pour the nuts into a dish towel and rub well to remove as much skin as possible. Chop the walnuts coarsely and toss in a fine-mesh strainer to remove any remaining skin or dust.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes or so before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Serves 4

Wait!!! Don’t hit the “X” button on your screen.

You might be thinking, “A soup made out of nuts? No thanks. I’ll pass.”

But it’s actually a very delicious dish. Let me explain.

I was flipping through a back issue of the magazine, Metropolitan Home, when I came across a recipe for chestnut soup. Hmmmmmm. I was intrigued. I’d never heard of a soup made out of nuts before (keep in mind that I’m originally from Alabama, so, anything not deep fried is pretty exotic to me).

What would it taste like? Being a pureed nut soup, would the final product be grainy or smooth? I went through this deliberation process, but honestly because I love trying new dishes, I had pretty much already made up my mind to give this soup a try.

In addition to being unique, the recipe is also seasonal. With the exception of this delish Cranberry-Lemon Chocolate Tart from last week, I have been trying my best to cook with seasonal (and regional when possible) produce. And what can be more seasonal than roasted chestnuts in January?

I’ve only made a few tweaks to the original recipe.

First, the original recipe called for frozen chestnuts. To me the beauty of cooking is in using all my senses. I wanted to feel the soft but hard shells. I wanted to perfume the house with the smell of the sweet chestnuts roasting away in the oven. I wanted to hear the cracking and feel the anticipation as I work to release the chestnuts from their shells. So there would be no frozen chestnuts in this soup. I wanted the whole experience…I would roast them.

The second change was in how the fat and diary was incorporated into the recipe. The original recipe used only heavy cream which is added in the soup towards the beginning of the cooking process. I am not a big fan of boiling cream in creamed soup. I prefer to cook the vegetables with stock and milk (I use low-fat) and finish the soup off with a bit of heavy cream. It’s a technique from James Peterson’s book ‘Vegetables’ – which to me is the bible of vegetable cooking. The book’s cover proclaims it as “the most authoritative guide to buying, preparing and cooking” vegetable. I agree. It is.

In the end, I really enjoyed the soup and its complex flavor profile. The sweet ‘meatiness’ of the chestnuts paired with the tang of the cream fraiche is a great marriage. It’s also a great ‘soup & sandwich’ soup. It lends itself to being matched with a nice hearty, earthy sandwich.

No sandwich? It works well with a nice glass of dry white wine. Which is what I did.

Note: For a vegetarian version replace chicken stock with veggie stock.

Cheers!

ROASTED CHESTNUT SOUP WITH CRÈME FRAICHE

2 cups fresh chestnuts

½ cup yellow onion, diced

½ TBL dried thyme

1 TSP Kosher salt

2 TBL extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups milk (I prefer low-fat)

4 cups chicken stock (low sodium, reduced fat, if using canned) or veggie stock

1 cup heavy cream

Crème fraiche, for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425⁰F.

Placing the chestnuts flat side down on a dish towel (to prevent slipping), carefully score each with an “X” mark across the shell with a sharp serrated knife. Place chestnut in a baking pan with the “X” side pointing upwards. Roast chestnuts for 20-25 minutes. Remove chestnuts from oven. When they are just cool enough to handle peel them of their shell and inner skin. Note: Peel the chestnuts before they become cold.

Over medium heat, sauté the onions and thyme with a pinch of salt in the olive oil in a heavy bottom sauté pan until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add ½ cup water and simmer gently until the onions are soft and sweet and the water has almost evaporated. Add the milk and chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add chestnuts and simmer until chestnuts are falling apart, about 25 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and stir in the heavy cream.

Using a hand held blender, puree soup until it is well blended and smooth. If the soup is too thick for your taste, feel free to add more milk to thin it out (or more heavy cream, if you dare). Salt to taste.

Note: For an extra smooth finish pass soup through a fine strainer after pureeing it).

Serve soup hot with a dollop of crème fraiche and lots of freshly ground black pepper over the top.

Serves 8 to 10

“Suck it up you whimpering cry baby!” Sometimes, tough love is the only way to go.

Standing in the produce section of my friendly corporate chain mega-supermarket, I was contemplating buying a bag of oranges – mind you, despite the ‘Farm Fresh’ label on the bag, these babies were flown in from South America. That’s when it hit me. Summer was over and I needed to let go. That’s also when I gave myself the ‘tough love’ talking to. It was a very uncomfortable conversation… and I have to assume, an even more uncomfortable conversation for my fellow shoppers who were forced to witness it.

Back to my epiphany. So I decided not to buy the fresh picked South American oranges. I put down the oranges, slowly backed away, walked out of the supermarket and headed straight for my local farmer’s market. Once there I threw myself into the bounty of seasonal produce.

With that said, there will be no more complaining about the loss of summer in the pages of the Ceramic Canvas. We’re going to embrace Fall and all it has to offer – I’m so inspired that I shot a few seasonally inspired photos for this post. Plus, with its crisp days and robust rust and burgundy color leaves it’s actually a very beautiful season.

So bring on the root vegetables and hearty squashes that thrive and thumb their noses at Mother Nature’s cold spell.

First up, the ubiquitous pumpkin.

When I bought these little pumpkins (about 4lbs each) at the market I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them. I got home and quickly decided against my first idea – a soup. I was inspired to do something a little different. At some point granola bars entered my little brain.

I was inspired to make a granola that I was entirely inspired by the season. And what says autumn better then pumpkin pie. So that was the plan. Pumpkin Pie Granola Bars – a snack that used all of the spices and flavors of a classic pumpkin pie. Now, I just needed to figure out how to make this happen.

Pumpkin is water logged. So I would need to dice and dehydrate it. This would solve a few issues. First, since fresh pumpkin has a mild flavor, this process would intensify the flavor. And dehydration would get rid of the crunch of the fruit (or is it a vegetable) and make it dry and chewy, which is what you want in a granola.

For color and to keep the Thanksgiving dinner concept going, I threw in some dried cranberries. After all, cranberry sauce is the 3rd best part of Thanksgiving dinner (turkey and pumpkin pie being 1st and 2nd).

I really like these Pumpkin Pie Granola Bars – I’m actually snacking on one as I write. They’re chewy and the pumpkin pie flavor really delivers. The cranberries deliver the balance. Just as you settle into the pumpkin pie flavor you get a pop of bright and tart cranberry on your palette.

In closing, let me say that while I love this granola bar, it pales in comparison to my friend’s, Alejandro, Green Tea Granola (maybe he’ll let me share the recipe one day).

Cheers!

PUMPKIN PIE GRANOLA BARS

Tweaked beyond recognition from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

6 cups diced pumpkin, roughly ½” cubes (from a 4 lb pumpkin)

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

½ cup wheat germ

3 TBL unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

2 TBL brown sugar

1 TSP pure vanilla extract

¼ TSP kosher salt

1/8 TSP nutmeg

½ TSP grounded cinnamon

1/8 TSP allspice

1/8 TSP grounded cloves

¼ TSP ground ginger

½ cup cranberries

Line baking sheet with diced pumpkin. Cook pumpkin in a 150˚ oven until it has dehydrated and reduced to half its original size, about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350˚. Butter or line an 8 x 12-inch baking pan with parchment paper. (Alternatively, you can use a 6 x 6-inch baking pan for thicker granola bars)

Toss the oatmeal and almonds together on a sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300˚.

Place butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves and grounded ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Stir and let boil for one minute. Pour mixture in bowl with toasted oats. Add dehydrated pumpkin and cranberries and stir well.

Pour mixture into the prepared 8 x 12-inch pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into bars.

Makes about 6 to 9 bars.

You know the saying, “If you love someone/thing let it go and if it comes back to you it’s yours.” Well, I think that’s a bunch of bologna.

Cause I love summer and I am not ready to let it go (although I am totally stoked to break out my new autumn wardrobe. But that’s another story.

So in a futile last ditch effort to keep summer alive, I wanted to post one of my favorite summer recipes – Corn Soup with Basil Oil. Me likey…

and if you use fresh corn during the peek of the season it’s true perfection.

By how I’m going on, you would think that I’ve been making this soup for years. The truth is I just came across it this year while looking for recipes to utilize the bounty of corn that was available at my local farmers’ market. I’ve made this soup a few times this summer.

And a few weeks ago I served it at a dinner party. I was such a hit that I decided that I would post it before the end of the season.

The soup has a beautiful, smooth and velvety texture that becomes apparent the second you dip your spoon into the bowl. It’s luscious and creamy. And then there’s the flavor.  While the corn’s sweetness is definitely there, it’s not overpowering. It fills your mouth with this beautiful balance corn and cream. The basil oil adds the final touch of summer. I mean, corn and basil – what could be more summer-like?

If you’re doing a soup and sandwich meal, this soup would be perfect. The soup’s subtle and fresh flavor would serve as the perfect accompaniment to a hearty and robust sandwich (such as paring the soup with a grilled beef & smoked mozzarella Panini.

You’ll forget that summer is coming to a close.

NOTE: I love fresh uncooked corn but this is not the dish for it. Make sure you thoroughly cook the corn or you’ll have a very starchy soup. For a vegetarian version, swap out the chicken stock for veggie. While fresh corn is ideal, you could use frozen corn kernels (but not canned).

CORN SOUP WITH BASIL OIL

Soup adapted from Vegetables by James Paterson

Basil Oil:

½ cup basil, loosely packed

½ cup light oil (such as walnut, grapeseed)

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add basil and boil for 6 seconds. Remove basil with a strainer and pat dry on a paper towel. Puree in a blender with olive oil. Using a fine mesh strainer, drain basil olive oil and refrigerate in a lid with a tight container. Use within a weeks time.

Corn Soup:

2 TBL unsalted butter, diced

½ medium onion, diced

½ Russet potato, diced

1 ½ cup milk, plus 1 cup

1 ½ cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

3cups of corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup heavy cream

½ TSP kosher salt

¼ TSP sugar

Basil oil, for garnish

Heat butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add potato, 1 ½ cups of milk and stock, and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes and add corn kernels. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove soup from stove. Using a hand held emersion blender, process soup until the corn and onions are smooth (alternatively, working in batches, process soup in blender).

Pour soup through a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Use a plastic spatula to stir and scrap corn matter off of strainer to allow soup to continue flowing through the strainer. Return strained soup to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.

While soup is simmering add heavy cream, kosher salt, sugar and remaining cup of milk. Stirring occasionally, cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from stove. Serve with a few drops of the basil oil.

Makes 4 cups of soup

It was love at first site….I mean bite.

Years ago (about 9) I came across the cookbook How to Cook by Delia Smith. I purchased the book mainly for one recipe and one recipe only (since then I have picked up many other recipes in the book). While thumbing through the book sitting crossed legged in the middle of the aisle of my local Barns & Noble, I was mesmerized by the recipe on page 52.

It was for an Omelet Soufflé. I am not a huge fan of egg dishes but the omelet featured in the photograph looked so luscious, light and fluffy that I decided right then and there to get the book… at full retail price.

(Note: Paying full retail for anything is a huge thing for me. I am known for going into full on negotiation mood when trying to get the best price for $1.00/set stemware at the Salvation Army. I know…that’s just sad.)

Back to the recipe. It did not disappoint. I’ve cooked it (in many variations) for nearly a decade. The omelet, which rises like a soufflé, is so unique that it’s definitely one of those showstopper types of dishes.

For me, it’s a particular favorite on Valentine’s Day morning, for breakfast when we have guests staying overnight or a quick bite when I have the late night munchies – no, not those munchies.

For many people, including me, soufflés can be stressful to make. But this soufflé omelet is so easy to make that you’ll be amazed. It takes less than 7 minutes to prepare and it’s a very forgiving soufflé that doesn’t deflate very easily or fast (The omelet in these pictures was shot up to 15 minutes after the omelet was cooked). And more importantly is the taste – a beautifully rich eggy flavor.

I’ve adapted the recipe to use mozzarella and Parmesan. But the beauty of this recipe is its flexibility. More then likely, whatever cheeses you have on hand will work. If you only have Gruyere and cheddar in the fridge, that’s fine. What about mozzarella and goat? I think that’s a fabulous combo.

The only thing I would recommend is that if you use a combo of cheeses, use the strongest flavored one in the smaller quantity to make sure you don’t over power the dish.

Let’s say on a 1 through 10 Ceramic Canvas recommendation scale, this recipe ranks an eight.

If you are having the omelet soufflé for dinner, try it with a nice glass of dry red wine. It’s a fabulous combination.

Enjoy!

TWO CHEESE OMELET SOUFFLÉ

Adapted from How to Cook by Delia Smith

This recipe serves one. To serve two, just double the ingredients and use a 9” or 10” sauce pan.

3 large eggs

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1oz shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 TSP kosher salt

¼ freshly ground pepper

3 TBL finely chopped chives

1 TBL butter

Preheat broiler.

Separate eggs, placing yolks in a small bowl and the white into a large bowl.

In the bowl with the yolks, add half of the mozzarella, half of the Parmesan, kosher salt, pepper and 2 tablespoon of the chives. Stir mixture to blend.

In the large bowl, whisk egg whites to form soft peaks.

Using a large spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites.

Meanwhile, melt butter in an 8” saucepan over medium-high heat.

Pile egg mixture into the saucepan. Give pan a good shake to even it out. Cook for exactly 1 minute.

Pour remaining mozzarella over half of the omelet.

Place the omelet under the broiler (about 4” from the heat source) and cook for 1 minute, until the omelet puffs up and begins to turn golden.

Remove omelet from broiler. Use a spatula to loosen the omelet around the edges of the pan. Ease half of the omelet on to a warm plate and turn the remaining half onto the other.

Garnish with remaining Parmesan cheese and chives.

Cheetos don’t really love me.

Actually, it’s a very destructive relationship. I try to spend as much quality time with them as possible. In turn, they do their best to give me high cholesterol and love handles. It’s a very unhealthy relationship.

So needless to say when I came across this intriguing recipe for real homemade cheese puffs I was ecstatic and prepared to kick the Cheetos to the curb. The first thing that struck me about the cheese puffs featured in the Barefoot in Paris cookbook was their use of Gruyere cheese. I was hooked before I tried them.

As you probably know, Gruyere is a beautifully rich Swiss cheese (no holes in this version).

To me Gruyere has a complex and slightly sweet flavor – kind of like a less briny version of Parmesan. And speaking of Parmesan, this recipe has a little of that too. I mean, what’s not to love?

The base of these cheese puffs is the French dough, pâte á choux. It’s the same dough you’d use for profiteroles or éclairs. But don’t let the name or the dough’s origin fool you, it’s a very easy dough to prepare – I have never messed it up and that’s saying something.

I love the flavor of these puffs. They have this yin yang, sweet, briny flavor combo from the Gruyere and Parmesan cheese, respectively.

The other stand out is the fact that they actually ‘puff’ up leaving you with a final product that’s slightly crusty of the outside and hollow and light in the center….delicious.

I usually topped the puffs off with a little minced Parmesan and chopped herbs (in this case dill)

NOTE: Despite the fact that I do own a proper piping bag set, as you can tell by the above picture, I still use this homemade piping bag made from a Ziploc bag. I don’t know how to explain why I do this. But you know what they say, you can take the boy out of Alabama but it’s useless if he’s just moving up the road to Mississippi.

GRUYERE CHEESE PUFFS

Via Barefoot in Paris Cookbook

1 cup milk

¼ lb (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 TSP kosher salt

1/8 TSP freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 extra-large eggs

½ cup grated Gruyere cheese. Plus more for sprinkling

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg beaten with 1 TSP water, for egg wash

½ cup of finely chopped dill, for garnish

In a saucepan, heat milk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium heat, until scalded. Add the flour all at once and beat it vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture comes together. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat for 2 minutes. The flour will begin to coat the bottom of the pan. Dump the hot mixture into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Immediately add eggs, Gruyere and Parmesan and pulse until the eggs are incorporated and the dough is smooth and thick.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Pipe in mounds 1 ¼ inches with and ¾ inch high onto the baking sheets.

With a wet finger, lightly press down on the swirl at the top of each puff. Brush the top of each puff lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with a pinch of Gruyere. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown outside but still soft inside.

Makes about 40 puffs.

You’re gonna think I’m a fraud.

I mean, I claim to be a foodie but how can that be? Despite writing a food blog and owning a quantity of cookbooks that questions my sanity (about 150), there is a little secret that I’ve been holding onto for quite some time…I hate ketchup and I hate mustard. What kind of ‘foodie’ hates ketchup, right?

I’m not sure how it started but I’ve never really liked the stuff. As a matter of fact, if I am in an enclosed space it is hard for me to tolerate the smell. I’m fully aware that there’s something a little off about me.

Well, last week I set off on a mission to end this. I figured that if I found a recipe for a good homemade ketchup that rocked my world I would see the errors of my ways. Guess what? I think I just may have found the recipe.

I came across a ketchup recipe in an old issue of Metropolitan Home magazine that really caught my eye (actually the article featured three ketchup variations). All of the recipes looked amazing but it was the Ginger Five-Spice Ketchup that caught my eye. Being seduced by the photograph and what looked like a simple recipe, I realized that it was now or never. So I bit the bullet and cooked up a batch.

It was a very easy recipe. And when I was done I dipped a Double Fried Sweet Potato French Fry into the ketchup and with some hesitation slowly tasted it…..I loved it!

The ketchup has a sweet and tangy flavor with a delicious spicy kick at the end. It’s a beautiful and unusual flavor profile that I think is exponentially better than a grocery store brand.

Now, I realize that making homemade ketchup is not a practical thing to do every time you cook a hotdog or burger. But if you have a special burger or maybe you’re having a nice outdoor party, this is the perfect condiment. With its bold flavor and bright orange color it’s almost a conversation piece.

This time I paired the ketchup with Double Fried Sweet Potato French Fries…what can I say, I was in a very orange state of mind.

These Double Fried Sweet Potato French Fries are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I love them. Their slightly sweet flavor works on two fronts. First, the mild sweetness cuts through the fat of the frying oil. Secondly, the sweetness is a perfect counter-compliment to the spiciness of the Ginger Five-Spice Ketchup.

NOTE: I almost forgot – a lot of you know this but the best way to peel a tomato is to cut a shallow cross hatch across its bottom and blanch it in boiling water (dip the tomato in boiling water for about 45 seconds). Remove tomato and let it cool a bit and the skin should easily peel off of the fruit (see above photographs).

GINGER 5-SPICE KETCHUP

From Metropolitan Home

2 tbsp. canola oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

1½ tsp. dry mustard

¾ tsp. salt

2 lbs. ripe tomatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tsp. freshly grated gingerroot

¾ tsp. five-spice powder

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. light brown sugar

¼ cup rice vinegar

In a medium nonreactive saucepan, heat canola oil and add onion, garlic, dry mustard and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until softened.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, stirring often to prevent scorching. Gently break down tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon while cooking.

Add light brown sugar and rice vinegar and continue to cook, stirring for another 10 minutes, until mixture has a thick sauce consistency.

Purée using an immersion blender or cool briefly before puréeing in a standard blender. Pour into a jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating. Ketchup will keep, covered and refrigerated, for about a month.

Makes 1 pint.

DOUBLE FRIED SWEET POTATO FRIES

Adapted from FoodTV.com

Canola or other vegetable oil, for frying

2 pounds sweet potatoes

Salt, to taste

Pour oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat to 325 degrees F, use a deep fry thermometer to determine this. While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes and push through a French fry cutter to form uniform sticks. As you go, place the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and to keep them from browning.

Dry the potato strips thoroughly, this will keep the oil from splattering. Fry the potatoes in batches so the pan isn’t crowded and the oil temperature does not plummet. Cook for 3 minutes until they are soft but not browned.

Remove the potatoes with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags.

Bring oil temperature up to 375 degrees F. Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil in batches and cook a second time for 4 minutes until golden and crispy. Drain on fresh brown paper bags then place in a serving bowl lined with paper towels. Salt and serve immediately.

Y’all, I barely made it out alive.

This weekend we saw the food documentary, Food Inc. It is an amazing movie that does an excellent job telling the story of the food we eat, where it comes from and what it is doing to our health and the earth. I loved the movie. But there was one little wrinkle.

Before the movie started, I walked into the theater carrying a large Pepsi and giant-sized popcorn with extra butter. Oppps. Not the proper venue for such guilty pleasures. My fellow movie going, good food advocates were not happy with me.

Reminiscent of the days when anti-fur protesters tossed red paint on people wearing fur coats, I half expected someone to march over to the concession stand, come back to my seat and dump a bucket of chemically engineered popcorn butter on my head, screaming “You’re killing yourself and the earth!”

 So, I have two recommendations. First, go see the movie…it’s eye opening. Secondly, if you must have popcorn, put it in a bag marked “Organic Trail Mix.” They’ll never know the difference.

Let’s talk mayo.

I like mayo. What’s not to like. At its best, mayonnaise can be a fabulous and versatile condiment and at its worse (the bland engineered supermarket version), it can be totally forgettable.

It can be smooth, rich with a touch of acidity – the ideal match for a hearty burger, the final creamy touch for a fresh potato salad or the perfect topper to a mile-high BLT.

So, when I spotted this recipe for Black Olive Mayonnaise in ’wichcraft by Tom Colicchio, I was instantly down with the cause.

In technical terms…it’s yummy.

The black olives are obviously the ingredient that makes this mayo stand apart from your standard variety. The olives add a robust, briny flavor that would be perfect for today’s bold burger/sandwich combinations (think braised beef & blue cheese burger or a roasted pork, avocado sandwich on ciabatta…I just made myself hungry, again).

There are three main parts to any mayonnaise: egg, acid and oil. An egg is an egg. So, I’ll just touch on the other two components.

Instead of using lemon juice as the acid, this recipe calls for the more subtle white wine vinegar. This recipe is a ‘no lemon juice’ party. The olives are the star and they don’t want to share the stage with no stinking loud-mouth party crashing lemon juice.

Then there’s the choice of oils. Since olive oil has such a bold flavor that could easily overwhelm a mayo, it should be paired with a more neutral oil. This recipe calls for grapeseed oil – which adds a subtle flavor. You could also use walnut oil.

This time, I paired the mayo with a simple serving of blanched and chilled asparagus. The briny, creamy olive mayonnaise was a perfect match for the asparagus.

I hope you enjoy it.

BLACK OLIVE MAYONNAISE

Via the ’wichcraftby Tom Colicchio

NOTE: As in most mayonnaise, this recipe uses raw eggs, which should not be served to pregnant women, young children, the elderly or anyone whose health is compromised. Pasteurized eggs may be substituted.

1 large egg yolk

½ TSP Dijon mustard

½ TSP chopped garlic

2 TBL pitted and chopped Niçoise olives

1 TBL white wine vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup grapeseed oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the egg yolk, mustard, garlic, olives and vinegar in a food processor or blender. Start the blender and add 1 tablespoon of water.

With the blender running evenly at medium speed, slowly add the olive oil in a thin, even stream. Then add the grapeseed oil, season with pepper and blend until you have a smooth mayonnaise.

Use immediately or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 or 3 days.

Makes about 1 cup

‘OK, I’M AN IDIOT!”

There, I said it. This weekend I decided to do some ‘programming work’ on the blog. Not the smartest move. As everyone knows, before you attempt revising any electronic file, you should always back up your work. Well, yours truly was way too cocky to take such precautions. Result? I erased a chunk (about 160) of the email subscribers to this blog. Yikes! (On that note, thanks to all of you who have signed up. If you received an automatic update on this post, I was able to find and resubmit your address from an older list.)

As punishment, I will make myself wear a dunce cap and write, “I will never tinker with my blog without backing up the data,” 101 times on a chalkboard.

So, before I move on to the food, I have a small favor to ask….please please please re-subscribe to receive your Ceramic Canvas updates. And if you haven’t signed up yet, ‘What are you waiting for?’ We are a very zany and cool bunch at the Ceramic Canvas subscription group. We’re kind of like the cool kid’s table at the high school cafeteria. Not that I would know what that’s like. I sat with the band geeks. (You can subscribe by entering your email in the top right corner of this page.)

Now, that I’ve publicly acknowledged my bone-headedness, on to the food.

My good friends Rasha & Ehab recently got me the coolest cookbook for my birthday. The book, Saha: A Chef’s journey trough Lebanon and Syria, is absolutely stunning. It’s filled with vivid photography and stories about Middle Eastern food. Reading the book, you really feel like you are walking with the author as she conveys her appreciation of the local cuisine and its history.

I was so inspired by the book that the very next day I ordered the companion book, Turquoise: A chef’s travels in Turkey. I was equally blown away. Between the two books, I have tabbed over 50 recipes that I’m committed to trying and sharing in this blog.

First up is a recipe for lavosh – Armenian crackers. I have wanted to make my own crackers for some time. It just seems like a cool thing to do. So, when I came across this recipe for lavosh I thought, “No time better than today.”

From the start I envisioned these crackers being served with hummus. But I didn’t want just any old hummus. I wanted something a little different. Inspired by a comment left on this blog about fava bean hummus, I decided to try my hand at an edamame version.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and got down to cooking.

When I finished, I tested the crackers and hummus out on some Guinea Pigs…I mean, friends… and they were a hit. The crackers were crisp and the hummus had a beautiful earthy flavor.

Although the crackers and hummus were pretty good, there are definitely some things that I will do differently the next time. First, the original recipe called for putting dill seeds inside of the dough. I don’t recommend this. For maximum crispiness, the crackers should be rolled paper-thin, which is difficult to do with whole dill seeds inside the dough. Next time I will sprinkle the dill seeds on top of the dough just before baking.

Secondly, I will dial up the edamame flavor in the hummus by decreasing the tahini (which has a pretty bold flavor) and increasing the amount of edamame. Both of these tweaks are reflected in the recipes below.

Enjoy the dish!

Oh yeah, don’t forget to re-sign up for the Ceramic Canvas subscription (top right corner of page).

LAVOSH CRACKERS (adapted from Turquoise by Greg & Lucy Malouf)

1 cup flour

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

2.5 tbl unsalted butter

½ cup milk, plus 1 tbl

1 large egg

Mix of dill, sesame and poppy seeds (about ¼ cup)

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and blend in the butter with a pastry cutter. Use your hands to mix in the milk until the mixture becomes a rough ball of dough. Knead for 5 minutes then cover with plastic wrap and let res for one hour.

Preheat oven to 300˚ and line cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Cut dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time (keeping the remaining dough covered until time to use). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until paper-thin, or use a pasta machine, working through the settings (until setting ‘5’ on KitchenAid pasta press attachment).

Transfer the sheet of dough to your work surface, then cut it into long strips about 2 ¼ inches wide and carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat egg with the extra milk, and then brush each strip or dough with this. Sprinkle the dough with seed mixture and allow air-drying for 3 minutes.

Cut each strip into long triangles, rectangles or squares and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crisp, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Once crackers have cooled, store in an airtight container.

Makes about 20 crackers.

EDAMAME HUMMUS (adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained

1 ¼ cup of blanched edamame beans

2 tbl tahini

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish

2 garlic cloves

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Sesame and poppy seeds, to garnish

Put the chickpeas, edamame, tahini, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth – add water to achieve desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with sesame and poppy seeds and a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes about 2 cups of hummus.