With Relish

Now that charcuterie, cupcakes and punch have been sufficiently revived, let us set our sites on...the relish tray!  A recent estate sale visit reminded me of how ubiquitous the relish tray once was in American culture.  While you might think that crudités is the same thing as a relish tray, these cousins are not exactly interchangeable--in my mind anyway.

Crudites are raw or par-cooked vegetables I usually serve with a sauce for dipping.  They are what is best and most fresh from the market or grocer.  A relish tray, is similar in that it may contain some raw or fresh vegetables, but it will also probably have some stuffed olives, home pickled vegetable and several other things from a jar.  You might have some celery that has been stuffed with pimento cheese or some other kind of spread.  Perhaps some cucumbers and vinegar?

I think we just about always had a relish tray when Mildred was serving dinner.  It was never anything fancy, but I know she always had a small bowl of the cucumbers with onion, some raw spring onions I only remember her eating and...I can't remember quite what else.  My dad usually puts together a relish platter when we're dining there and my brother mocks my sister-in-law, saying her families' relish tray is just black olives.  My new relish dishes inspired me to put together two relish trays, perfect for cocktails or a glass of wine, but created for a make-your-own-sandwich buffet we had at work.

When assembling, I think the main purpose of the relish tray should be something refreshing--bright, astringent flavors that wake up the taste buds before dinner.  Variety.  If you need inspiration, pick up any 1950s cookbook and just flip through the photos in the appetizers section.  For mine, I used:

• Sun-dried tomato stuffed olives
• Carrot sticks (not baby-cut carrots!)
• Pickled asparagus
• Garlic gherkins
• Celery sticks stuffed with horseradish cream cheese
• Dill pickle spears
• Pickled okra
• Black olives

How Very Entertaining

 

 

We haven't done a lot of entertaining since moving west.  Work is always busy, plus there is a lot of travel and then we don't have many friends here yet.  But, we had a few friends over for cocktails on Saturday night and it was very enjoyable.  We had gone to the effort to decorate for the holidays, so it was nice to share the season plus fun to plan the food and service.  Of course, that meant digging into storage, because a lot of the entertaining accoutrement is still in boxes due to lack of space.  Or maybe it is due to having too much stuff!

Regardless, it was fun and I planned a simple menu with a few favorites to share.  For drinks, we had wine, a seasonal beer flavored with ginger and pomegranate Manhattans.  Now, I love a classic Manhattan, preferably on the rocks--but I will also enjoy them straight up.  However, one Christmas when a blizzard trapped us in Omaha, I took solace in the delicious pomegranate Manhattans served in our hotel bar.  The secret?  Pama liqueur which you simply substitute for the sweet vermouth.  You can garnish with fresh pomegranate if you like or stick to the traditional cherry and orange twist.  Very festive for the holidays!

Recipe: Pomegranate Manhattan
3 parts bourbon
1 part Pama liqueur
1 dash Angustora bitters per drink

Combine in a pitcher, stir gently to combine.  Serve over ice garnished with a cherry and twist of orange.  It's a simple proportion that allows you to make a little or a lot.  I like Weller's bourbon, but use what you like.

For eats, I pulled out some standards: Mushroom Pecan Pâté, Baked Artichoke Hearts and Hot Onion Soufflé to which I added a selection of cheeses, almonds, olives, my favorite bread sticks, crackers and some pickly things including dad's pickled okra, little cornichons and some carrot slices I made.  I just realized that although I have mentioned it repeatedly in posts, I've never shared the recipe for my Hot Onion Soufflé here, so I'm doing that now.  It's a favorite and couldn't be simpler.  I've tweaked the recipe a little over the years, but this is where it currently stands.

Recipe: Hot Onion Soufflé
20 oz. of cream cheese, softened  (That's two and half 8 oz. packages, what you do with the rest of that third 8 oz. package is between you and your god.)
4 oz. of plain goat cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of salt
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (get the good stuff) plus a little more for the top
14 oz. bag of frozen, chopped onion, thawed and water squeezed out in a colander or dishtowel

Okay, first you're asking yourself: why would I buy frozen, chopped onion?  Can't I just use fresh?  Well, yes, of course you can, but that is the beauty of this delicious crowd-pleaser: you don't even have to chop onions!

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  In a big yellow bowl, combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.  Mix with a wooden spoon until combined.  Now you may think, "I'll just use my silicone spatula to mix this up," but save yourself the trouble and use a wooden spoon like I said.  It's not difficult to mix this together, but using the right tool specified by the author does make it a little easier.  Once that is smooth and creamy, add the onion and Parmesan cheese and continue to mix until well combined.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Now here is where you have to make a decision: conventially, I usually put this in a glass pie plate, top it with more grated Parmesan cheese and bake it for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden and the entire thing is a bubbly, lava pit of creamy cheese.  But, if you're planning on serving it at a cocktail party with several waves of people, you can divide it between two dishes as I did with the small cast-iron skillets above to have one on the table and other in reserve.  Either way, you want a dish that is on the shallow side to increase the ratio of delicious browned topping to creamy, molten interior.

At this point, you're thinking, "This all sounds delicious and simple, but what do I serve it with?" And that my friend is the easiest thing of all: Hot Onion Soufflé is good on anything, from crackers to toast points.  But, I have learned by serving it with anything and everything, it is absolutely best on...Frito scoops.  Yes, Fritos.  Perhaps you think you're too classy to serve Fritos at a cocktail party?!  You're a foodie and you would never serve a dip made with cream cheese that also contains powdered onion and garlic the author is suggesting you serve with some chip you can buy anywhere and isn't even some artisnal item from a small-batch producer in northern California.  Well, I am not too classy.  And let me tell you something, your guests aren't either and they will eat every bit of this stuff WITH the Fritos and lick it off their fingers.  Promise.

If, and I repeat, IF there is any leftover, it is just as good cold the next day from the fridge while you are doing the dishes.  Heck, you might even think of cutting the crust off some bread and making tea sandwiches with it.  Or just a grilled cheese you can dip in tomato soup.  Or a Hot Onion Soufflé quesadilla?!  You can't go wrong.

Happy holidays!  Enjoy your time with family and friends...

Pickling Beets

When I was growing up, my dad had a very nice garden in our backyard. He also helped my Mam-ma and Pap-pa with their garden at the house where he had grown up, about a mile and a half from our house. They had a much bigger space and it seems like between the two growing spaces, we had every vegetable you could want: beans, okra, asparagus, squash, corn, zucchini, tomatoes, melon, and so on and so on. Every year, some of these would be put up and we would vegetable to eat during the winter. And my favorite of the pickly variety? The beets.

I'm not sure if it was childhood memory or not, but pickled beets from the store just cannot compare to the thoughts in my head about the ones my dad would make. But, he hasn't put up any beets in who knows how long, so the flavor in my head has remained a mystery and a memory. Until this year.

I guess my brother and I were persistent enough in lamenting the state of pickled beets in US supermarkets because this year, Sam (dad) put in a little patch of beets in his garden. As it so happened, when I was in Tulsa in August I got to assist in the beet pickling process. And now I understand why he doesn't do it anymore! Time consuming and tiring.

Sam says that he would pickle beets every other year because it was such a long process. And his trick was/is to pull all of the beets at once and just get the thing done, not doing a small batch here and there. He also told me he would make special jars for his grandmother (and very good grandson, this one) with little, baby beets all stacked perfectly in the jar and she would give him perhaps the highest compliment from an Oklahoma farm girl, "those are pretty enough to go to the county fair." Or something to that affect.

So, here is a photographic how-to on pickling beets. I'd be happy to share the recipe with you on one condition: if you pickle beets, I get a jar. A large jar!

The first step is pulling all of beets. Dad was out and in the garden before I could even finish my coffee, so I didn't pull any beets. But, we ended up with a wheelbarrow overflowing with a giant mound of beets.

Then, all of the greens have to be trimmed (compost pile) and the root end trimmed as well. The giant wheelbarrow was transformed to two little buckets.

After they are trimmed, the beets are boiled. This cooks them and also makes it possible to remove their skins. As you can see, we did all of this outside because it is incredibly messy. Otherwise, my mother would have a blood red kitchen! After they were cooked, we tossed the hot beets into a cooler filled with ice and water. Then began to peel and trim, peel and trim, peel and trim. It took forever! I don't have a photograph of that part of process because my hands were covered in plastic gloves covered in beet juice.

After they are all trimmed, the beets are sorted to size, with the larger ones cut down. A delicious brine made with sugar, spices and vinegar is poured over them.

After that, they are sealed and are processed in a hot water bath.

From a giant wheelbarrow of beets to seven quarts. Yes folks, that is what you get from a wheelbarrow full of beets and six hours of hard labor! Seven jars of dark red deliciousness. I got to keep three of the jars which had to sit for a while before they could be opened. Finally, after all of that work and all of the waiting (years of waiting!) I opened a jar of beets and served them to friends at dinner the other night. Are they better than store bought? You betcha. More spice, less sugar and all about the beets. When I finish the jar, I'm going to make pink pickled eggs! Just wait.

Pantry Raid

Last week when Katie was over, I opened the pantry to offer her some tea and found a giant sausage sitting on the bottom shelf. Now, considering I haven't eaten meat in about twelve years or so, I don't think I placed the sausage there. Perhaps one of my cheeky friends? I'm sure no one is going to own up to this little prank, but if you would like to anonymously comment to this post and let me know how long the sausage has been there, I'd be very happy. That was the test right? How long will it take for Brian to notice the giant sausage in the pantry? I just want to know how I did...

So, after the shaman left from the cleansing ritual I had to enact because of the presence of meat in my pantry (The shamanic cleansing cost $500, so if you ever own up to the sausage, expect an invoice.), and after I had done a personal smudging of the space, and after I had cleaned it from top to bottom with a mixture of Kaballah water and sea salt....I decided it was time for a reorganization! I mean, if someone can sneak a giant sausage through my front door and into my pantry right under my nose, I'm clearly not as organized as I should be.

This reorganization resulted in a complete paradigm shift. In the past, I had grouped together like foods by storage method and usage. In the spare spaces, I had stashed overflow utensils and other kitchen instruments. On top of these, odds and ends were crammed into nooks and crannies. While this was useful and worked for the most part, I thought a higher level of organization was possible. I decided to try and include aesthetic choices as part of the overall construction of the space. Pleased with the results, I thought some of the ideas might be useful to you, dear reader.

The first thing I did was group all of my wonderful pickled vegetables together on a single shelf for some strong visual impact. These are all tomatoes and okra that my dad put up from things grown in his garden. I actually didn't realize I had so much okra, so I am officially not rationing it any longer. On the shelf above, I arranged an array of colorful mugs more intentionally. I even weeded out three mugs that I have been moving around for about twenty years. Advice: do not becoming emotionally involved with coffee mugs. I also placed the coffee making tools very close and balanced three lovely, orange egg cups on the edge to add depth of field. The colors are bright, cheerful and the entire arrangement says 'I'm ready for breakfast at any time.' In front of the pickly things, I placed a plastic Kachina and an engraved Hindu goddess who had both been living in the pantry. Now that they are front and center, I officially charged them with oversight of the space in the future.

As I mention, some kitchen odds and ends are also grouped in the space. This vintage ice crusher had been crammed into the corner, but I placed it between the canned goods and the array of jams and jellies. (I have strawberry now, for those of you who have been following the jelly saga.) It's a fun object I don't use often, but do enjoy seeing.

Honestly, I was trying to weed out a little as I went through everything and came across two small platters I hadn't used in a coon's age. I was going to put them in the Goodwill pile, but then realized they would be perfect for storing vinegars, oils, honey, molasses and other items which have a tendency to drip onto the shelves. They not only add color, but make clean up simple.

I had my sugar and baking supplies in bags piled on the shelves to the side, while these three canisters my mother received as wedding gifts languished in the bottom of a cabinet. They're in use again and bring a strong metallic element to the palette of the pantry. Notice reader, I said palette. Think about color and texture as you decide what goes into your space.

Boxes and canisters of tea seem to multiply in the pantry. Where did all it come from? Likewise, packages of napkins from parties past and future grow and spill off the shelf. The solution? Container Store. They always have your back. I bought two baskets made from thinly rolled Asian newspaper that are chic and keep tea and napkins neatly contained. That way, next time someone wants tea (which was started this whole story in the first place), I can just grab the box and let them choose away. Simple.

Remember:
1. Organize not just for ease of use, but also for looks. You have to open the pantry a couple of times everyday, it might as well seem exciting.
2. Think color and texture. Eventually, I would like to paint the walls of the pantry a nice, soft orange and leave the shelves a clean, bright white. What is going on your shelves? What do your containers look like? Would some dark baskets spruce things up? What about some colorful pots that are in a closet? Could you put some rarely used utensils in them?
3. Decorate everything. Some vintage cookbooks, a small statue or a favorite item could easily add a little bit of life to your shelves. Magazines are always reminding you that bookshelves aren't just for books and I am saying that pantry shelves are not just for cans of beans.
4. Use trays to organize items and keep the place clean. If it goes on something, it's much less likely to wander.
5. Watch out for sausage!

Slow Jams

They are here! The jams, preserves, salsas, etc. that I purchased at Trader Joe's in Madison, WI when I was visiting Jessie and Dave. Of course, the goodies wouldn't fit in my bag and you can't carry glass containers of jelly on the plane any more, so Jessie was sweet sweet sweet and sent them to me. Super sweet. And they arrived today, safe and sound. And yummy.

So here is what I got:
Korma Simmer Sauce
Organic Low-Sugar Blueberry Jam
Yuzu Fruit Spread
Acai Pomegranate Jam
Pineapple Salsa
(Very fancy) Marinated Mushrooms
Green Olive Tapenade

If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, then I am jealous of you. Buy me some goodies next time you are there and send them to me. I'll say nice things about you on my blog. Honest.

Hot Pickles

When Barb was visiting a few weeks ago, we took a day trip through the Hill Country over to Fredericksburg, TX. The drive was beautiful and we had a nice time going up and down the streets and poking into various stores. We both came back with bags of goodies, but the best thing I bought was the jar of Spicy Sweet Dill Pickle's from K-Ann's stand. There were so many delectable jars of goodies to choose from, but I think I chose correctly. These pickles are sweet, without being cloying, and have finish that will burn your lips. A combination I love.

Mmmmm. Only problem is that the jar is starting to look a little empty...

Mangez!