Welcoming 2015 with a word: Waypoint

I always love this time of year as we set intentions and prepare to embrace the new. In that spirit, I'm sharing my word for 2015 a little early this year. 

I'm going with waypoint. 

For centuries before GPS, waypoints such as a rock formations, mountains or other landmarks were used as reference points to make sure you were headed in the right direction. Pretty simple really. You set your waypoint, then sail towards it. There may be several waypoints on any given journey or perhaps one key point on the horizon by which you steer. It’s about where you're headed.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve felt like I’ve meandered a bit -  sometimes aimlessly, sometimes not. Sometimes with awesome results, sometimes not so much. Always with good learning. It’s time to be clear about what I’m doing, why it’s important and where I want to go. 

For me, waypoint is... 

… about moving consciously towards what I want 

           (instead of simply moving away from things to avoid/change)
… in other words, setting goals and moving steadily in their direction 
...making thoughtful, intentional choices
…course correcting as needed, but keeping my eyes on the destination

Sending huge hugs to all of you for a spectacular 2015! I am always so grateful and inspired to hear the words others have chosen. 


In case you're new to this, here's the deal:
It all started nearly 20 years ago at a holiday dinner. We were all sitting around the table lamenting the tradition of New Year's Resolutions. We all had them, or attempted a list, but we never managed to fulfill them and it made us feel bad. So we scrapped the whole idea. Instead, each of us came up with a single word that would set the tone for the year to come. It could be anything, it just had to inspire. The idea is that this is YOUR word for the whole year - a singular rallying cry, intention, reminder, kick in the pants, inspiring thought.... use it however you like. Live it for the year. See how you feel.

This year’s early favorites are:

Hustle

Adventure

Environment

Loud

Balance

Joy

Healing

Serenity

Relationships

Advance

Nimble

Available

Acceptance

Potency
Maintenance

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

I've been on a quest for the perfect chewy, dense, chocolatey cookie and I finally found the recipe. This recipe is from Saveur who adapted it from Tartine No. 3. They emphasize rye flour as the secret ingredient for chewiness. I totally agree. It was a little hard to find (Whole Foods had it) but definitely worth seeking out! Note: It's important to work with cold dough so they don't spread too much.

Salted Chocolate Rye Cookies

Makes about 25 cookies

INGREDIENTS

            ¾ cup whole-grain dark rye flour

            1 teaspoon baking powder

            ½ teaspoon kosher salt

            2⅔ cups finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

            4 tablespoons unsalted butter

            4 eggs, at room temperature

            1½ cups light muscovado or light brown sugar

            1 tablespoon vanilla extract

            Maldon salt or fleur de sel, for sprinkling

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until melted, 5 minutes. Remove bowl from pan; set aside.

Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; whip until fluffy. With the motor running, slowly add sugar until eggs have nearly tripled in volume, about 6 minutes. Add reserved chocolate mixture and the vanilla; mix until combined. With the motor running, slowly add dry ingredients until a soft, loose dough forms. Cover dough with plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°. Using 2 tablespoons for each, drop cookies onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2” apart. Sprinkle cookies with Maldon salt or fleur de sel; bake until cookies are puffed, 8-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

I love pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Tiramisu in Food & Wine, I knew the pie might have to sit it out this year. I love anything involving lots and lots of lovely cream and the make ahead option for this was a double bonus. Another good sign? Everyone asked me for the recipe. 

One tip: I misread the recipe and made a happy mistake. Instead of reserving some of the cream to whip separately later, I whipped everything all of it in with the pumpkin. The result was perfectly delicious - and the pumpkin flavor was very mild. Also - this makes a big batch! I could also see cutting the recipe in half to make a smaller batch throughout the year.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

Serves 12

Time: 45 minutes PLUS overnight chilling

One 15-oz can of pumpkin puree

1/2 cup light brown sugar (NOT packed)

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 cups brewed coffee, cooled

Two 7oz packages dry ladyfingers

Chocolate shavings and candied ginger for garnish

In the bowl of a mixer, gently whisk together the pumpkin puree with the brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Add the mascarpone and 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream (NOTE: this is where I messed up and added all the cream by accident. You'll be fine either way). Beat the pumpkin mixture at medium speed until soft peaks form; do not over beat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the brewed coffee with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar until it's dissolved. Dip both sides of each ladyfinger in the coffee and arrange them in a single layer in a 4-quart trifle dish. Spread 1 cup of the pumpkin mousse on top. Repeat the layering 5 more times, or until your dish is nicely full, ending with a layer of the pumpkin mousse. Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight. (Tip: Don't over dip the ladyfingers. They will soak the coffee up quickly and give to much liquid to the finished dessert if you dunk them. A nice dip on each side is all you need.)

I skipped this next part because I had already used all my cream...but I did add the chocolate shavings on top.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 cup of cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop the whipped cream over the tiramisu, garnish with shaved chocolate (and candied ginger if you like) and serve. 

Make ahead: The tiramisu can be refrigerated for 2 days.

Persimmon and Arugula Salad

Persimmons are one of my favorite fruits, partly because they always remind me of Thanksgiving. Since their season is so short, I always make a point of making this salad as much as possible while they last. The inspiration for this came from one of my favorite restaurants, Kokkari. I'm not sure I captured their original, but the key to the salad is the cheese. Manouri is a milder, sweeter cousin to feta and worth seeking out. If you can't find it, feta will do, but it's not quite the same. A mild farmer's cheese could also work.

Persimmon and Arugula Salad

Several handfuls of arugula (usually 1 per person)

1-3 Fuyu persimmons (they are the flat kind, not pointy)

Handful of roasted walnuts

Wedge of Manouri cheese

Juice and zest of 1 meyer lemon

1 teaspoon honey

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice the persimmons and put them in a salad bowl along with the arugula. Crumble in walnuts as desired.

Zest the lemon. In a smaller bowl, place the lemon zest and juice from 1/2 of the lemon and whisk in 1 teaspoon of honey. Drizzle in olive oil to make the dressing - tasting and adjusting the acid, honey and salt/pepper to your satisfaction. I like the dressing to be just a little on the sweet side, but still a bit zingy.

Dress and toss the salad. Crumble Manouri on top as desired and serve immediately.

Forward Motion

The other day, I came home to find the former owners of our house, Gillian and Rita, parked outside, patiently waiting to see if someone might come home. When they introduced themselves I eagerly invited them in to have a look around. I had met them only once, when we closed on the house, and none of us could believe 10 years had passed! 

Before: decades and many layers of old paints and drips

It's funny how a visit like that can unstick you. Gillian and Rita were very complimentary as they walked from room to room, noticing color choices, how we had laid our our furniture, spaces we had opened up. They were so sweet! But there was something else. Suddenly, I realized - they were pleased because in ten years (10!) some things hadn't changed at all. 

The bookshelves Gillian had built downstairs (which we've been meaning to remove) were still in place. The bathroom's vintage tile (long overdue for a makeover) was still there. And the original kitchen cabinets from 1939, with all their many layers of paint and drips - yup - those were still there too. 

After: It's a whole new day! Clean and crisp. Just how we like it.

Of course, we love things vintage and we have many reasons for keeping some things they way we have. But, we've also been in the process of re-painting our kitchen for months now and haven't been able to finish it. It's like we've been stuck in a foggy maze of complacency.  

Within an hour of their departure though, I had the sander and paint out and was going at it. It felt great! Sometimes the universe gives you a kick in the pants just when you need it most. So here's to you Gillian and Rita. Thanks for that!

Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato Confit

Flat Stanley was in town last week so we were inspired to do something special to celebrate. Naturally this led to food… and pasta. (Duh).

Uncle B had been hankering to make this ravioli recipe for a while and at first I wasn't so into it because it seemed like a lot of work, which is really saying something for those of you who know me.

Let me tell you right now, this is the only ravioli recipe I plan to make for the rest of my life. Worth peeling those tomatoes for!!!

Ricotta Ravioli with Tomato Confit
(Ravioli di ricotta con conserva di pomodoro estivo)
Serves 4-6

1 batch Wet Egg Pasta (below)
6 Italian basil sprigs
6 summer savory of thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
10-15 Early Girl tomatoes or 40 cherry tomatoes, concassé (peeled) but kept whole
4 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds fresh sheep's milk ricotta
1 1/2 oz Grana Padano, grated (about 2/3 cup)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

Make the pasta dough.

Preheat the over to 250º.

Prepare the tomato concassé:

Put the herbs in a small high sided baking dish and place the tomatoes on top of the bed of herbs. The tomatoes should be tightly packed. Season them with salt and set aside for 20 minutes to allow the salt to be absorbed.

After 20 munites cover the tomatoes with the olive oil and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the tomatoes are very soft and tender. Make sure the tomatoes are fully submerged in oil at all times or they can bey out or burn. Add more oil if necessary.

When the pasta dough has rested, prepare the ravioli:

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and Grana. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Dot a sheet of pasta with 1 tablespoon-sized portions of the filling, spread evenly every 1/2 inch. Brush the sheets in between the filling with water. Top with another sheet of pasta to cover the filling. Starting at the bottom edge, use your thumb and forefinger to gently pinch out the air moving systematically from left to right working in rows.

Using a fluted edged cutter, cut the ravioli into squares.

Place ravioli on a floured, rimmed baking sheet. Place a clean dish towel on top of the pasta to prevent it from drying.

When the tomatoes are meltingly tender, bring a large pot of cold water to a boil.

Drop the ravioli into boiling salted water and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente. Drain the ravioli and transfer them to a bowl. Toss them with 1/4 cups of the tomato conserve oil. Spoon the tomatoes over the ravioli, pressing down on the tomatoes slightly until they release their juices, and drizzle with a little more conserve oil if you like. Serve immediately.

Note: Use the leftover oil (you'll have lots) for a new batch of tomatoes or in everyday cooking to make any soffritto. The tomato oil adds a delicious subtle herb and tomato background in any dish.

Tip on peeling tomatoes:

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the bottoms of the tomatoes with an x and core them. Lower a few tomatoes at a time into boiling water. Let the tomatoes cook just long enough for the skins to loosen or blister (about 15-20 seconds or less). Remove them and transfer to an ice-water bath. The skins will now peel off easily with your fingers or a pairing knife.

Wet Egg Pasta:
1 lb. all purpose flour (00)
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt

Weigh the ingredients and sift the flour.

Make a well in the flour. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the salt and then add the eggs to the well. Gradually incorporate the flour into the liquid by pulling the flour from the sides of the well with a fork and mixing it into the liquid using a circular motion. When the liquid is fully incorporated, keep mixing until the dough forms into a shaggy mass and starts to come together. Form the dough into a ball and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until is has a uniform color and springs back to the touch. Divide the ball into two equal pieces, roll into balls and wrap them in plastic. Let the pasta dough rest for at least 1 hour to hydrate the dough.

Happy 4th Birthday, Mr. Brown Clown

Last night I went upstairs to find this business - Mr. Otis (aka Handsome, the Oatman, the Brown Clown and just plain O) all sprawled out as he loves to do on the one spot he knows he's not supposed to be. Can you blame him? All those pillows to nest in? All that comfort in one place?

You can see too that he's using all his charm here. Who could resist that face? Batting those honey eyes at me as if to say, "What? I'm just warming up the bed for you. Don't you love me?" 

The answer, of course, is yes. Yes we do. We love you ridiculously O, and we wish you a happy happy 4th birthday. Woof!

Happy 1st Birthday Penny!

Fall is a special time in our family. Between September and November we have four wedding anniversaries and eight birthdays across all of our siblings. Phew! But today is a very special day because Penny (Penelope if we're being proper about it) is one year old today. Could she be any cuter? 

Of course, I had to sew her a couple of dresses to mark the occasion. I made this same pattern for big sister Paloma when she was a wee one so it was fun to continue the tradition. Plus, there was just the perfect amount of extra fabric from Penny's quilt - to make a second dress. What's not to love about pink elephants?

Orecchiette with Tomato Sauce, Lamb Sausage and Mint

Oh my. I think this could be in my top 5 pasta favorites. It's from the same book I've been raving about in other posts. When we made this, we used a wonderful lamb sausage from The Local Butcher and it was finger licking good. It's the mint that adds that perfect finishing touch though.

Orecchiette con Salsiccia d'agnello, Salsa di Pomodoro e Menta
Orecchiette with tomato sauce, lamb sausage & Mint
Serves 4

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 oz lamb sausage
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
28 oz canned whole San Marzano-style tomatoes, pureed with a hand blender or in a food processor
20 parsley springs, picked and chopped (about 6 tablespoons)
12 mint sprigs, picked and chopped (about 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 pound orecchiette
2 oz Pecorino Romano, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil.

Put the olive oil in a 14-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage in small flecks, add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until the sausage starts to brown. When the garlic is golden, remove and discard it. Add the red onions and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and simmer the sauce until it has reduced by half.

Add the parsley, mint, and hot pepper. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Drop the orecchiette into boiling salted water and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente. Drain the orecchiette 3 minutes before the indicated cooking time, reserving 1 cup cooking water. The pasta will cook for the last few minutes in the sauce and absorb its flavors.

Transfer the pasta to the tomato sauce and turn the heat to medium-high. Simmer the pasta in the sauce for about 2 minutes, adding cooking water as necessary and stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Serve immediately with freshly grated pecorino. 

Gnocchi alla Borgo

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven the moment that perfect little gnocchi dripping in tomato gorgonzola sauce crossed my lips. 

Our friend "Borgo" first made this recipe for us in Spoleto. It was a perfect hot summer evening and we ate outside, enjoying the last rays of sun while sipping a delicious Umbrian wine and licking our fingers. Vacation doesn't get better than that!

The secret is flavoring the oil with the rosemary and using only the sweetest, creamiest gorgonzola possible. Note that the cheese seasons the sauce - so no additional salt is needed.

Gnocchi alla Borgo

Gnocchi in a tomato, rosemary gorgonzola sauce

Serves 4

1 recipe fresh gnocchi

2-3 pounds fresh San Marzano tomatoes or other ripe tomatoes from your farmers market, quartered.

Two 10-inch sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

a hunk of beautiful sweet Italian gorgonzola

Make fresh gnocchi. I like this recipe from Mario Batali.

In a saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rosemary and simmer gently until the oil is infused with the rosemary (10-15 minutes). Remove and discard the rosemary. 

Add the tomatoes, cover the pan and turn up the heat to medium high until the tomatoes are nice and hot and begin to get soft and release their juices. Uncover, reduce the heat slightly and use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes further. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until the tomatoes reduce by half and achieve a sauce-like consistency. 

Pass the sauce through a food mill, removing the skins.

Return the sauce to the pan, and add the gorgonzola in small hunks over low heat, stirring and tasting as it melts until you reach a perfect salty/sweet balance. Keep warm while you cook the gnocchi.

When the gnocchi are done, add them to the sauce and toss. Serve immediately.

Mitts! Mitts! Mitts!

Sometimes when you see a skein of yarn, you have to buy it because you're in love with the color. I never worry about what I'm going to do with it. I know the inspiration for the perfect project will come along at some point, and that's exactly what happened when I found this tutorial on The Purl Bee. This is the perfect project for playing with colors and using up odd bits from your stash.

I've been on a mitt-making extraaaaaavaganza for weeks now. The options are endless and they're so quick to make. Oh, plus aren't they just so cute?! Perfect for fall.

Tortiglioni alla Norma (pasta with roasted eggplant)

We were just browsing one of our favorite local shops when I stumbled upon this cookbook. I almost didn't pick it up because it looked "gifty" vs. for actual cooking. But it was called "Pasta" - and that was enough to catch my attention.

This was the first recipe we chose to make and it is a total show stopper. The caramelized eggplant is to die for and the instructions to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce make all the difference. Ridiculously delicious and a total new fave!

Tortiglioni alla Norma

Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Roasted Eggplant & Ricotta Salata

Serves 4, generously

1 large globe eggplant (1 to 1 1/2 lbs), peeled, leaving stiles of skin and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 cup olive oil

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

25 Italian basil leaves

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

36oz canned whole San Marzano-style tomatoes, pureed with a hand blender or chopped by hand

1 lb tortiglioni or rigatoni

4 oz ricotta salata, grated on a box grated using the large holes (about 1 1.2 cups)

Heat oven to 400º. 

In a large mixing bowl, toss eggplant with 1/2 cup olive oil and season generously with salt. Put the eggplant on a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes until the eggplant is soft and golden brown.

Meanwhile, but 1/2 cup olive oil, the onion and a pinch of salt in a 14-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.

Add the basil leaves and the hot pepper to the onions and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree and simmer the sauce until it has reduced by half. 

When the eggplant is tender and roasted, drop the tortiglioni into boiling salted water and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente. Drain the pasta 3 minutes before the indicated cooking time, reserving 1 cup cooking water. The pasta will cook for the last few minutes int he sauce and absorb its flavors.

Transfer the pasta and three-quarters of the roasted eggplant to the tomato sauce and turn the heat to medium-high. Simmer the pasta in the sauce for about 2 minutes, adding cooking water as necessary and stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Top with remaining eggplant and freshly grated ricotta salata and serve immediately.

Plum and Pluot Galette

For years now I've thought baking just wasn't my thing. It's too precise, requires a lot of technique and I'm just not patient enough to embrace it. 

But I also believe that knowing how to make a pie crust from scratch is an important life skill. I churned out many failed crusts before my friend Leslie showed me what a good dough feels like in your hand. That gave me confidence, but I still produced no pies.

Until this summer, when I found the galette. Not quite a pie, not a tart, the galette is a rustic bit of deliciousness that is simple, easy and a total crowd pleaser. What's not to love about that?

Plum and Pluot Galette

From Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Serves 8

10 ounces Galette Dough (recipe below), rolled into a 14-inch circle

1 1/4 pounds ripe plums and pluots unpeeled

About 1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon ground almonds 

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Optional: 2 tablespoons plum jam

Preheat over to 400º.

Remove pre-rolled dough from the refrigerator or freezer and place on a buttered or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Cut the plums and pluots in half and gently twist the halves to separate them. Remove the pits and cut the fruit into slices about 1/3-inch thick. You should have about 5 cups of sliced fruit.

Mix 2 tablespoons of the sugar with the flour and ground almonds (I just chopped my almonds very finely), and sprinkle the mixture over the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the fruit slices on the dough in barely touching concentric circles, again leaving the 2-inch border. Sprinkle the fruit evenly with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit.

Trim away most of the 2-inch border, leaving about 1/2 inch of pastry. (Save the trimmings to make little sugar cookies.) Finish the tart by folding the exposed border over on itself, crimping to make a narrow pastry rim around the fruit. Brush the rim generously with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in the lower third of the over for 45-50 minutes, until the fruit is tender and the crust is well browned and its edges slightly caramelized. Let the alette cool for 20 minutes. If you would like to glaze the tart, brush it with a little gently heated plum jam. Serve the tart warm with vanilla ice cream.

Galette Dough

Makes 20 ounces dough, enough for 2 galettes or tarts

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing blow. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Add half the butter to the flour mixture and work it into the flour with your fingertips, until the dough has the texture of coarse oatmeal.

Add the rest of the butter and quickly work it into the dough until the biggest pieces are the size of large lima beans.

Dribble about 1/2 cup ice water into the dough in several stages, tossing and mixing between additions. Don't try to dampen all o fthe dough evenly. It should look rather ropy and rough. Stop adding water when there are still a few bits of dry flour remaining in the bottom of the bowl.

Gather the dough into 2 balls and wrap each tightly with plastic wrap, pressing down to flatten each package. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before rolling. (Dough may be frozen for a few weeks.)

Roll each flattened ball into a  14-0inch circle on a lightly toured board; the dough will be a little less than 1/8 inch thick Refrigerate the rolled-out dough for at least 1/2 hour before using.