Where are we? Day #3

Just a couple more shots to keep you guessing...

I have a sneaking suspicion that most of you have probably figured out our whereabouts by now, but I'm going to keep going with this series because it's just too much fun to stop. : )

The best bakery around... the much beloved Blé Sucre!
Of course, exposing Jules to my favorite baguette was top priority!

This is an odd but a meaningful one to John and me. This is where John and I spent much of our honeymoon, in a lovely little flat on the corner of Rue Sedaine and Rue de la Roquette. Who would have guessed that four years later, I'd be parking a stroller on this same street corner?!?

Okay, enough of the authentic neighborhood shots! I promise we'll do some proper sight seeing tomorrow. 

Whipping Up A Whole New Risotto!

Even abroad, I couldn't resist trying this new recipe for a curious sounding "Celery Risotto With Dandelion Greens" which I spotted on the NY Times website this weekend, especially since the produce markets here are so good. It's always an adventure trying to cook in someone else's kitchen, particularly if they don't seem to have any measuring cups or a prep knife of any kind, but despite a little adversity, this dish came together terrifically. I brought it along to a going-away party tonight (my dearest friends in this mystery city are moving to INDIA in February!) and it was literally devoured before I could even get a taste. However, reviews were stellar, so I think we can assume this recipe is worth trying, particularly if you've got some excess celery you're looking to plow through.

This is NOT a photograph of my risotto in a crazy plate/bowl.
This photo is stolen directly from the NY Times website. : ) 

I followed the instructions exactly, give or take the inaccuracy of using a mug in lieu of a measuring cup, chopping everything with a steak knife, and eye-balling anything else. : )

Oh! And I tossed in a little nob of butter before I added the cheese, because I wanted to be absolutely sure it would be delicious for my audience... In retrospect, I think one could also throw in some sauteed mushrooms and have excellent results. Just sayin'...

INGREDIENTS: 

7 cups well seasoned chicken or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

6 celery branches, preferably from the heart, diced (2 cups diced celery)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup chopped dandelion greens or kale

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put your stock or broth into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over low heat, with a ladle nearby. Make sure that it is well seasoned.

2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan. Add the onion, celery and a pinch of salt, and cook gently until just about tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not brown.

3. Stir in the rice and the garlic and stir for a few minutes, just until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the wine and stir until it has been absorbed. Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more stock and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. After 10 to 15 minutes stir in the dandelion greens and kale with the next addition of stock. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, usually about 25 minutes after you begin cooking, it is done. Taste now and adjust seasoning.

4. Add the parsley and chives, and another ladleful of stock to the rice. Stir in the Parmesan and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy. Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.

Yield: Serves 4 to 5 generously

Boy Abroad!

The mother figure and I decided to take Jules on his first adventure abroad, and so far we're having nothing less than a fantastic time! See if you can figure out where we are...
: ) 

Hint #1: I.M. Pei's controversial Pyramid impressed Julian almost as much as the gigantic museum that surrounds it...

Hint #2: A fabulous collection of Cezanne paintings also thrilled Jules, but then he promptly conked out. 

Hint #3: This large, but not largest ferris wheel wowed him far less. He slept right past it. 

Next time, we're definitely taking him for a ride! 

Where are we?

Next big project!

Jules's bedroom up at Fox Ridge has always been a bit lacking (aka. cramped), so I decided it was finally time to tackle it this past weekend. It took a small piece of my soul, but I resigned myself to disassembling the antique brass bedstead that was taking up precious amounts of real estate in Julian's room and rearranged things so that it was a little more accommodating of its ever-growing occupant.

 I hunted down a super cheap metal twin bed frame and box spring in town (thank you Royal Furniture of Port Jervis!) and dragged a vintage wood headboard and mattress down from the barn that I'd picked up for free on Craig's List a couple of years ago. (Yes, I am a hoarder.)

I took a swing past the local TJ Maxx and bought a terrific paisley-esque Ralph Lauren twin-sized sheet set on super sale, and then found a taupe-striped bedskirt at a consignment shop in town for $2.50.

Total investment: $102.50.

Total improvement: 100%

Sweet!

Taking a moment to show off this baby...!

Let's all just admit it. Julian is pretty much a BabyGap model in these photos. 

Look at those penetrating eyes! Look at those rosy lips! What a guy! 

Now for the crafty bit... (About $#%* time!)

At long last, I have prevailed over my felt-ball-garland project! For those of you following After-Dinner Design with any regularity, you'll know that I've been threatening to make a knock-off version of Dwell's holiday garland since well before Christmas, but I've been waylaid by all number of obstacles-- in particular the US Postal service (felt balls held at customs for over a week!), inadequate tools (do NOT attempt this project w/ an ordinary needle or a nail & hammer), but mostly, I've been deterred by a major case of not-f-ing-motivated-want-to-take-a-nap syndrome.

Well enough's enough, by gum! Garlands are made (and how!) and not only that, but I'm also going to include a tutorial below. Back on the horse folks!



All-Year-Round Decorative Garland:

Supplies:
7-8 ft. Medium thickness, strong string (I used two types: roman shade string and this cream colored cording I bought from (gasp!) Walmart. (Forgive me.)

15-30  1-2" Colorful felt balls in assorted shades to suit your fancy.
Gigantor upholstery needle (ideally 3"+)
Thimble if you've got the sense to use one.

How To:
From here, the instructions are pretty straight forward.

Start by cutting your string and tying your first knot about 3-4" from one end.
Thread your massive needle onto the other end of the string, and then push the needle through your first felt ball. Personally, I chose to do the coloring a little willy-nilly, so I didn't decide on a particular color pattern for my garlands, but that's totally up to you and how OCD you are.

Once I'd managed to get the needle through the ball (it isn't easy-- using a thimble is highly recommended!) I pulled the ball right the way down the string to that first knot I tied. Then I secured it in place with another knot, and then tied my next knot, about 2" away from knot #2, and started the process over again.

If this description isn't especially clear, refer to the picture/diagram shown...

Now you're off at a run! Repeat steps 1 and 2 back and forth until your garland is as long as you want it. You can vary the width between each ball (I did some strings with 1" spacing and some with 2") or you could even mix-and-match and do some closer and some more spread apart. I'd also love to do this project with felt balls of varied sizes, which I think might be my next felty project (though next time, I'm going to track down a supplier stateside!)

An even more simple "How-To" description:
1.) Knot
2.) Ball
3.) Knot
4.) Knot
5.) Ball
6.) Knot
7.) Knot
8.) Ball

You get the picture...

Now on to the making...

So-- after threatening to make John eat entree salads every night until we both lose five pounds (the holidays are to thank!) -- I decided to treat him to a decent dinner on Wednesday night. (By decent, I mean satisfying. You can really only eat so many niçoise salads before they get a little dull...) I picked up these gorgeous little mushrooms from our local fancy-pants grocer, and knew I wanted to make something nice with them. I also had an enormous amount of pappardelle in our freezer, so I wanted to make something that would hold up well against such a hearty pasta. I tracked down a recipe for a beef-and-mushroom ragu, and it came together deliciously! I did tweak the recipe a bit as it cooked, so take note of my changes in red below.

Pappardelle With Beef and Mushroom Ragù

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1 1/2   pounds  beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1  large onion, chopped
• 2  carrots, chopped
• 4  garlic cloves, smashed
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1  cup chicken broth
• 1  cup beef broth
• 1  cup red wine
• 1  28-ounce  can crushed tomatoes
• 1  pound  assorted mushrooms (such as button, cremini, and shiitake), sliced
• 12  ounces  pappardelle or fettuccine
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the beef with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 1 minute more.
3. Return the beef to the saucepan and add the broth, wine, and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the beef is fork-tender, 60 to 75 minutes.
4. Add the mushrooms to the saucepan and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes more. If the sauce is too thin, simmer, uncovered, until thickened to the desired consistency.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot. Add the beef ragù and Parmesan and toss. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Lots of baking, lots of making!

We've had a busy week-- cooking, baking, and crafting away...

Let's start with baking, since it's always nice to start with simple and sweet.

My friend Samantha came over last week, and at her request, we whipped up a batch of snickerdoodles! Utterly delicious, and equally easy.

Samantha found the recipe on the consistently wonderful "Smitten Kitchen" website... They never cease to please! I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out perfectly. We devoured them straight out of the oven, and they were terrific.

Snickerdoodles

Makes three dozen 3 to 4-inch cookies. Your mileage will vary by the ice-cream scoop you use.

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 stick or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

• Preheat the oven to 400°, with one rack in top third and one rack in bottom third of oven. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
• Sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine. At this point, I chilled the dough for an hour (or you can overnight) before scooping it, because I otherwise found it too difficult to scoop into balls and roll but the original recipe doesn’t find this step neccessary.
• Once dough has chilled, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon. Use a small ice-cream scoop* to form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets after five minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack to cool about five minutes before transferring the cookies to the rack. 

In the face of calamity, go boldly (foolishly) forward!

So-- today I decided to kill two rhubarb galettes. I'm actually in the midst of the murder, as I type. You wouldn't believe how badly I followed this recipe, and the whirlwind of anarchy that surrounded this foiled attempt at baking. (I won't go into too much detail, but I ended up with "weird" surfer hair and a huge split up the back of the vintage pencil skirt I was wearing... because I jumped out of the shower to save these galettes and didn't have a chance to blow-dry until it was much too late and things had gone all wavy and wonky, and then minutes later, I bent over too quickly for a "distraction toy" as Jules's patience waned at the end of my baking, and ripped my skirt from hem to waist band.)

Needless to say, around 4 o'clock today, things were looking a little hairy in Brooklyn...

I'm not sure how things got so off track with this recipe, but I'm guessing it had something to do with:

• the cold I'm battling
• the 5-month old I was entertaining while attempting to bake (dancing, singing, and reading a recipe is a lot to juggle simultaneously!)
• running the dog out for a walk in between the dough-making step and the galette-making step
• trying to get some actual work done
• just plain stupidity (yep. That's a big one.) 

However, things are actually looking pretty decent in the oven, after a great deal of perseverance, so maybe all is not lost (well, except for the skirt...) It speaks volumes of a recipe that you can do everything wrong and still have things come out reasonably right, so I guess I give this two times the recommendation that I might otherwise offer, in that it's evidently fool proof as well.

DON'T TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED THOUGH!
Read this recipe closely and you're likely to have an easier time making these galettes than I had.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1/2 recipe Cornmeal Pate Brisee
• 1 pound rhubarb, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of ground, cinnamon
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg, beaten
• Turbinado or sanding sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 14-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick.
3. Place rhubarb and lemon juice in a large bowl; toss to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Add sugar mixture to rhubarb and toss until well coated. Arrange rhubarb mixture on top of dough, leaving a 2-inch border all the way around. Fold border over the fruit mixture, overlapping where necessary and pressing gently to adhere the folds. Brush edges of dough with egg, sprinkle with turbinado or sanding sugar, and dot with butter. Transfer to refrigerator and chill 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack to cool the galette. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In my opinion, serve warm, with ginger ice cream! Delicious! 

Whoa.

So seriously-- that was a really long hiatus from blogging. In fact, I was MIA for so long that one of my readers actually wrote to make sure we were all still alive. Sorry guys!

We've been super busy in our house for the past couple of weeks, so much so that I didn't have any time to write about it, and so much so that I'm only going to give you a drive-by of everything we've done, cooked, and eaten over the holiday season.

First, we made this and served it as an appetizer with this entree... They make the perfect low-cost, low-effort, high-delicious appetizer!

Then, we went here for Christmas:

And while we were there, we saw this, this, and this... 

And then, we came back to New York, and we made this and this, which made an AWESOME hearty dinner. Highly recommended and wicked easy! (Especially if you don't make your own ginger ice cream, and you buy it, ready-made, from the grocery store instead.) 

With this meal, we also reveled with friends about the wonders of these two english condiments, which are truly magical. (And can make even the most bland english dinners come to life!)

And then we made a quasi-Chinese potluck dinner with this recipe and this recipe (which we served over steamed bok choy)... and Julia brought this dish, and we all agreed that it was one of the best not-actually-chinese-but-trying-to-be dinners that we've had outside of a chinese restaurant! 

And in the middle of that, Jules was doing this: 

Which was pretty darn cute... I'm not gonna lie. : ) 

Happy Holidays Everyone, and a very Happy New Year! 

Sorry we took such a long hiatus, but we're back to work and back to blogging now, so check back in later this week to see what we get up to next! 

In the wise words of my friend Meg Johnsen, 

2013 is going to be a glory! 

(Ps. My felt balls finally arrived, so making my decorative garland is at the top of the 2013 to-do list! Off to a good start!)