Relish Cooking

      I’ll never forget that morning, it was an August burner at best and I wasn’t happy, to say the least. In fact, the entire group I was about to spend the next 30 grueling days with even labeled the forthcoming four weeks “Hell Month.” Roughly 50 adults were preparing to embark on a journey that would lead us down that fateful dirty road tagged “Blood Alley”; we’d face daily hard work & crying; late nights of pain, exhaustion & confusion; extreme hunger and even isolation from the rest of the world! Had we committed crimes that were shipping us off to San Quentin? Were we the chosen cast for the ’09 season of Survivor? Wishful thinking! Trust me, this was to be NO vacation. We were, in fact, a group of parents of 25 newly appointed 9-year-olds called the Santa Margarita Mighty Might Mustangs, committed to a whole month of 6-day-a-week full-contact football practice that through a collaborative effort would ultimately lead us to a season of 7-2 victory. Yes, we knew this was not the easy road and that the best team training would lead to the best team results, but as coffee-clad and ready for action as I was, there was simply no preparation for that one pesky little email that snuck up on me with no warning.

      Now as I mentioned, it was 8:30 am and 102° outside at the local java joint, and the AC was already struggling to keep up with the demand. I happened to be sharing one particular vent with a few dozen other desperados as I began typing out my next ice-cream recipe, visions of frosty-cold Meyer Lemon & Blackberry Sorbetto dancing in my head. With one hand, I reached for my Grandé Nonfat Vanilla Iced Latte, and with the other, a quick click of the mouse that led me to my emails du jour. I had to read it twice to be sure I wasn’t suffering from a mild heat stroke impairing my vision, but there it was, plain as day…the Mustang Friday Night Potluck Schedule with ME on the Italian Theme Team! Italian?? But that’s not my specialty! And I’m French/German, NOT Italian or even Mediterranean in the slightest, unlike the rest of my ‘Spaghetti Squad!’ And to have to think about oozing Mozzarella and Manicotti with cream sauce for 75 underfed football junkies right now was simply not okay! So I just chose to do what any smart business woman/mother of three would do…close my Mac and worry about it in October (17th to be exact)… let the rest of ‘Team Tortellini’ take over and maybe I’ll bring a nice salad with Italian Vinaigrette!

      Well as you’re reading this in the first week of November, I’m sure the burning question is, “did she call Antonello’s? Sarducci’s? Peppino’s?” I CERTAINLY DID NOT! (but I thought about it!) No, I actually rose to the occasion early the morning of the 16th with a tasty recipe developing in my head for the morrow’s feast, then began the Mustang version of preparation by painstakingly traveling from market to market to procure 10 lbs each of the freshest vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet Vidalia onions and organic Italian Turkey Sausage. Additionally, 5 lbs of red bell peppers, 6 heads of Gilroy-grown garlic, 5 lbs of un-grated Mozzarella, Asiago and Parmigiano (never buy grated cheese, its coated in unnecessary preservatives!) and countless bunches of fresh green basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano would complete my shopping list. Early next dawn, and clad once again with my Grandé Latte and 4 full-sheet disposable tin pans ready for layer-upon-layer of home-made “Lasagna di Barrette” – I was ready to start prepping for a Tuscan touchdown!

      The kitchen began feeling more like a working Italian Farmhouse, the aromaticos wafting through the neighborhood all day long as the ingredients melded together in harmonized structure, each ingredient complimenting the other…some stronger, some less pronounced, but none of which the job could be done without…Mustang style. It wasn’t that horrific, after all, those hours of chopping, dicing, slicing, sautéing and simmering, and it became evident that Friday night, that everyone on ‘Pesto Patrol’ had put the same effort into their dishes, and I could not have done it without my team, and we would not have done it without the good faith (and email savvy) of our team mom. Feeding the Mighty multitudes that evening was clearly victory…goooooo Mustangs!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 09:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

      Another Coto July has arrived in a fiery fury and it just came so darn fast…way too fast for me this year in particular, but I urge you this year as it sets each night, savor the sun.

      In (several) past Relish Cooking articles, I’ve expressed that summer is not my fave, but despite implication, I promise not to ink another word of disdain for the sharp, beating rays of that burning inferno-ball of fire that is technically 6 billion miles away, yet makes its home right in my backyard fire season after fire season. No more loathing banter of those long hot days that feel like months, where its heat is inescapable in all but a walk-in fridge. Don’t expect another cook’s rambling of how all things fresh quickly become rotting compost and somehow the solar giant even zaps the energy from our bodies leaving no amount of AC, SPF or ATM capable of eluding its wrinkling effects. Yes, it is expensive, intrusive and ages you far before you deserve - but this summer, I will be singing, not cursing, ”You are my Sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when skies are grey…”

      You see, summer DID come too fast for me, but not because of the arrival of one blazing blood-sucking orb. Its actually the departure of one very petit little fireball that has changed my tune this year…its the exodus of my only daughter, my little sunshine, to make her mark in this world in just one short week.

      Oddly, I find absolutely no correlation between the larger and the latter objets du soleil. True, they are both sparkling stars in the universe shining brightly for all to see, but other than that, the expensive-aging thing is just a metaphor of my intolerance at this point in life, right? Au contraire, my daughter, in her minor imperfections, has also managed to make herself at home in my backyard, and not just during the fire seasons we call summer. There may have been one or two Coppertone occasions on a Tuesday in March where “going to school that day would have been a total waste of time because they weren’t doing anything all day.” How seven teachers can orchestrate such a lazy day is beyond me, but if that’s what my little girl says…it MUST be so, therefore I say nothing about it, except (carefully) that I need my credit card back. After all, I wouldn’t want her to get upset and accidentally spill that suspicious-looking “iced tea” on her new bathing suit (was that Burberry?!) would I? And besides, she made her famous mouth-watering vanilla caramels, hand-wrapped in tiny pieces of parchment paper…a treat that is well-worth every sticky ounce of clean-up I did later!

      Okay, so there has been the occasional cloud, er…small thunderstorm every now and again, but the rays of light (and those darn caramels) have far outweighed the category four hurricanes over the years. For example, one rare day recently where all 3 kids and I were at Ruby’s for lunch, the moppy-haired 10-year old brother teased the 8-year brother over a game of hangman. On the back of his paper menu, he announced line-by-line “Noah is a mushroomhead” to which I wittily responded, “Austin, with a head of hair like that, you’re not one to Shiitake!” Well, I guess you had to be there, but it may have been the first time my daughter and I belly-laughed so long and hard we had tears in our eyes and it was a moment I will never forget… a moment I will never get back again, so I conclude by finishing the song I have sung hundreds of times as the sun would set…but this time, my sweet sunshine, I mean it more than ever…”you’ll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don’t take my sunshine away.”

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Do you ever feel like making something really big out of something really little? Ever get the urge to take the virtually insignificant and find a way produce an end result of pomp display? Sometimes it just feels good to climb a hill and die on it, to make a big deal out of nothing, and even get a little attention out of it, I think you all know what I mean. But don’t worry, I’ve been a witness AND participant myself lately.

To offer you an example you may be able to relate with, and my 10-year-old son will kill me for publicizing this, last week he had a little accident (he fell into some soft grass while playing ball with friends, bruising nothing more than an ego). Suddenly, his eyes were twitching from “the pain” and he felt very “dizzy and tired.” As a matter of fact, the “headache” he was experiencing was so bad, he talked daddy into driving him to the Emergency Room to get “concussion X-rays.” As it turns out, he ended up leaving the ER just before getting admitted, stating that he was “feeling much better, and maybe just a movie and ice cream would help” Now, I can’t be sure, but I’m thinking that this near-death experience may have been a tiny bit exaggerated to save a little face??

In the Relish world, my “little” sabotage of late was taking a decent bottle of chardonnay and a beautiful chunk of Italian Pecorino and making dinner out of it. You’re thinking, “awww, how nice…she treated herself to a chilled glass of wine and nibbled on cheese and grapes, maybe even flipped a dollar at Trader Joe’s for a wedge of 72% dark chocolate.” NOPE. The buck didn’t stop there – I decided to take my two ingredients and turn them orchestrally, methodically, neurotically into a 20-ingredient French Bouillabaisse over the next four hours! You see, someone had challenged my culinary competence, and I was about to show them…show the WORLD (or at least my kids) what I could do with my cast iron!

How good it felt to make the 30-minute drive to Whole Foods and walk through the Fruit de la Mer section, carefully select fresh-caught fillets of Sea Bass and Monkfish …then watch the fish guy carefully wrap them up, along with a pound each of clams, mussels, scallops and prawn into pretty parcels for me. You’ll also understand that to mosey-on-over to the herbs and spices only to procure a beautiful batch of large-leaf thyme and 2 grams of Moroccan Saffron rivaled any romantic walk down a Provencal cobblestone abbey. ANYway, after sautéing, reducing and “happy simmering” (we never boil, remember?), I don’t mind telling you that the delicious outcome of this manual labor surely showed them!! All 3 of them. Especially the 8-year old who had corndogs instead.

The moral of the story is, life offers us millions of little daily details, and its up to each us to make something, anything, out of them, and sometimes, contradictory the general suggestion that there are ‘bigger fish to fry’…its just okay to make a mountain out of a molehill…so tonight, why not try constructing an Herbed Duck Caesar Salad out of a sardine and see how it serves up?

Posted by ChefHeidi at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I left a foggy, frigid France a few weeks ago, I boarded the plane with my head hung low for two main reasons...another year without our sister, who insists that studying International Business in Paris is far more interesting than it would be here at, say, Cal State Fullerton or UCI… and (I thought) another hot, dry California winter to look forward to. Great. The latter is a total perplexity for us cooks…”how to make Marsala-Braised Shortrib Stew or Slow-Roasted Cauliflower Soup work in 87-degree heat” is without a doubt, a true test of culinary credo. But much to my surprise AND delight…I learned that while I had been braving a rainy London & chilly Paris in head-to-toe wool, our little Coto Valley was actually turning green…jewel-toned, down-to-the root GREEN! It had actually been downpouring in Biblical proportion, and suddenly, I became ecstatic at the possibly of exiting the plane donning a pair of sheep (sheepskin boots, that is!)

And so today, with winter officially trailing behind us and a very wet spring making its beautiful, jaded entrance, good belly-warming meals are Promised to stick around at least until the ark is unpacked. Thank the Almighty, there’s still time to hunt around for, and enjoy, the blessing of cold-weather ingredients like (sorry, Noah) duck, goose, quail, pork & turkey…still time to forage the misty farmer’s market for local legumes, squash, cranberries, apples, citrus and more, but are you wondering if its possible to prepare these fabulous items without a cornucopia adorning the table or presents under a tree? True, it’s certainly not white outside, and not yet a sunny spring, but the cooking miracles that can occur here in this purgatory season is entirely left to your imagination, and my advice to you is personal and precise and you may not like it, but I want you all to just stuff it!

Alright, let me explain…what I’m talking about is a food prep of infinite possibility that takes a mundane table squash and turns it into a delicious work of art when hollowed, filled with (of course) squash, dried apricots, Israeli couscous & goat cheese, then baked to a creamy perfection! Or take duck breast, for instance (I can assure you that to take the drive down to Whole Foods once, is to never shop the same again!) Anyways, the bird gets sliced to form a nice pocket, in goes a medley of minced Thai chili, mint, scallions, ginger, garlic, Chinese 5-spice, peanut oil & Panko bread crumbs. Wrap it up with twine, glaze with Sour Cherry-Szechwan Peppercorn reduction, roast for 20 minutes and... kung pao! Impressive and exotic dinner! Chef’s note: A side of garlic-sautéed Pea Shoots stuffed in a steamed wonton with a Hoisin dipping sauce would work well with that. Oh, and while stowing delicacies in savory vessels, don’t forget to stuff your sweet heart out with finales like a crunchy Pink Lady apple cored and stuffed with oats, brown sugar, butter, flour, a pinch of salt and lots of raspberries. Bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes and you are a Stuffing Superhero!

Art thou beginning to see the rainbow here? Because with clear skies dangerously ahead, I urge you to take shelter in these comforts, my friend. Take what beautiful bounty you find and scour your pantry and fridge for things to put in. Put a red bell pepper lid on it (if it’s stuffed with diced shiitake, chicken & Forbidden Rice) then simply bake, steam, fry, sauté or roast it (whatever “it” may be) to glorious perfection. Verily, verily, I say unto you, this will surely get you through the flood. Bon Apetit!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 03:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Contemplating my New Years Resolutions, I look out the window …its still dark outside and the rising steam from my coffee puts me in an early-morning trance as I watch it twirl upward. Suddenly, I feel the dull ache of deja-vu as I remember a similar swirling pattern of a latte I had in Paris with my sister nearly a year ago. A YEAR AGO?? Then it all rushes back in a mili-flash – two additional trips overseas, 42 cooking classes, an entire Jr. Pee Wee (football) season and my daughter’s Senior Portraits. Now that I think about it, its actually been well over a year since the birth of Ana Nicole’s daughter and the death of Steve Irwin. And who is that blonde standing next to my husband in last year’s New Years Eve pictures? Looks like me, but so much younger! Or were those from the year before? Its all such a blur. I scratch my head and wistfully ponder the same thing I’m sure many of you are right now…isn’t there some way to slow it all down?

With our health and well-being in mind, we made vows and promises to join a “small group,” give up drinking (except for wine, of course…good for the heart) and trade the H2 in for electric…admirable proclamations that would make our lives better…that would make us better people. We inked good intentions to lose weight & save money on the back of our cocktail napkins at midnight but the truth is, winter was too cold, summer was too hot and the holidays came too fast. Tragic loss even struck many of us, involuntarily triggering that pesky clock to hit fast forward at Mach speed and ultimately those resolutions, so earnestly pledged, just never got any allegiance!

That said, I would however (generally being of the stemmed glass-half-full nature), like to pay homage to 2008 by focusing on some very good news. First and most importantly, we somehow made it through this year and have another whole one to look forward to starting at this very minute! Next, guilt is a quality that you alone can easily stop in its tracks…I don’t see failing to keep a resolution actual failure, per se, so much as a procrastination of a very good and healthy intent that we simply haven’t gotten around to executing just yet. And finally, having let you off the hook a bit leads me to the last (and best) point here, there is actually one particular resolution that is so easy to achieve, you can scratch it off the list after just one phone call! It’s a resolution that will make not only your life better, but the lives of those around you richer, healthier and far more interesting. You will leave the experience more knowledgeable and with a better sense of what is good for your family, your body AND the planet. I am, of course, recommending that you take a Relish Cooking Class. The audacity! She’s plugging her business, and I won’t keep reading this nonsense! But I believe you are curious to know how it could possibly be true – how learning to cook, taking a class no less, could possibly enrich your life…a life that I know nothing about.

You see, I believe everyone can, and should learn to be a better cook by first understanding the importance of a meal. A meal is a daily affair that happens at a central place with the people you love and care about, and once you understand the enormous potential of that anything-but-mundane event, you are ready to learn how to make that precious slice of time better. By taking time to understand and carefully hand-select the ingredients that go into each meal, you can then feel excited about the methodical effort that ensues, as quick or involved as that may be. Beginning with elements such as fresh, organic produce; meats raised locally without the use of hormones or fillers; even sustainably-grown seafood; then adding a dash of a secret treasure you discovered in that gourmet market in San Francisco or Laguna Beach – even Trader Joe's (like smoky paprika or white truffle oil) sounds so exotic, but with a little instruction and a breath of boldness, Mac-n-Cheese becomes “A Truffled Trio of Fromage with Lobster.” Cook time 30 minutes. Cost 30 dollars. Look on the kids faces as they break through the crunchy topping…priceless.

So, all marketing efforts aside, whether you choose to book a Relish Cooking class, or just take the time one evening to read through a few favorite cookbook recipes, with minimal effort and zero guilt, you have successfully begun the New Year making, and keeping your first official resolution. Bon Apetit!

LOBSTER MAC-N-CHEESE WITH CRUNCHY PANKO CRUST
(serve with ’04 Shramsberg Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine OR apple juice)

MAC-N-CHEESE - INGREDIENTS
1 cup small elbow pasta
1 tablespoon salt in 5 cups water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup milk
½ tsp. truffle oil
5 oz extra sharp cheddar, graded
¾ cup fresh, cooked chunks of lobster
Olive oil
4 8-oz ramekins

WHITE PEPPER & THYME PANKO CRUNCH - INGREDIENTS
1 cup Japanese (panko) breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon of fresh ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon ground thyme

INSTRUCTIONS
Turn oven on to 450˚. Bring water to a boil, add salt and pasta. Cook for about 15 minutes or until a bit softer than al dente. Drain and set aside in colander. Melt 3 tbsp. butter over medium heat, stir in flour and milk (this makes a roux). Stir until silky smooth. Stir in truffle oil, then begin adding grated cheese, a little at a time until melted and smooth. Gently fold in lobster then pasta, coating with cheese sauce well. In small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, add breadcrumbs, thyme and pepper. Mix well. Put ¼ mixture in each ramekin, top with breadcrumbs, bake for 15 min.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thanksgiving Day is a hard act to follow, isn’t it? What a brilliant culinary expression we’re blessed with. Usually by about now, however, the dust has settled, the leftovers are fertilizing a tree somewhere and all the love and effort that went into the glorious feast is but a faint memory to nearly everyone but you and your personal trainer. But not to worry! Looming just around the corner is yet one last chance to claim caloric bliss…the year’s crescendo…the mother of all Holidays…I’m talking about the one and only, the universally-celebrated New Year’s Eve!

“New Year’s Eve?” you ask. “But what about Christmas, Hanukkah Kwanzaa or even Boxing Day?! Surely you agree these celebrations far outweigh an evening of decorated dunce hats and drunken midnight smooches! You dropped the Times Square Ball on this one, Heidi.”

Allow me a moment to clarify. Yes, these dates of Gift Exchange absolutely are monumental merriments. People all across the world have embraced the spirit of giving with countless historically based reasons to do so, thus creating this one large joyous slice of the year we now call “the Holiday Season.” What each individual family is celebrating, however, is specific to their lifestyle, and is done so with such vast uniqueness, it would be impossible to talk food to everyone.

Christmas, for example, is a holy expression between a man and his Maker. It is the remembrance of the day that Christ Jesus, God’s son, was born to this world as a man, an honored day in my home. Kwanzaa, meaning “first fruits” in Swahili, was founded in 1966 by an African-American named Ron Karenga and observes seven days of celebration, each dedicated to a different “Principal” celebrating black heritage and ancestry. The Jewish season of Hanukkah or “Festival of Lights” commemorates the eight-day jubilation of the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, where one day’s worth of oil miraculously burned all eight days.

Now, I could offer you traditional tips and recipes like Cider-Glazed Christmas Goose with Cumberland Sauce or my old college roommate’s tried-and-true Latkes. I might possibly even throw caution to the Santa Anas with a Tanzanian fruit salad, but why attempt to re-invent your wheel?

And THIS is exactly where the Annual Grand Finale comes to play. With everyone’s halls decked a different color, the only day I’m almost certain we can all agree on this December is the day that 2007 becomes 2008. It’s the last sentence in your 12-month story that demands far more respect than the customary hat and kiss. In fact, it completely merits catered Hors d-Oeuvres, Champagne, shimmery new dresses and more! The great common denominator across the globe is new hope and fresh aspirations for a better tomorrow. So as the old Scottish hymn suggests, ring in the New Year reminiscing the good memories of family and friends, but as tradition suggests, clutch your list of resolutions and savor the magic of this season with style, panache, and lots of French Bubbly.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 02:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It was October, 1621, and the 53 Pilgrims in Massachusetts had just celebrated what we now refer to as “The First Thanksgiving.” Edward Winslow wrote in “A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth” that his governor, John Carver, sent four men to hunt wild fowl, and the Wampanoag Indians with their king Massasoit offered five hunted deer to the table. Squanto had taught the English to grow corn on hills and fertilize with fish, resulting in an abundant harvest. Together the two cultures celebrated their bounty giving thanks to God, and with their newfound friendships, shared recipes and tradition that would mark the beginning of one of North America’s most beloved holidays. It was a remarkable day, and a story worthy of reflecting on each year at every modern Thanksgiving table.

Although its location on the calendar has moved throughout the centuries, US Congress in 1941 permanently fixed the Thanksgiving date to be the fourth Thursday of every November. While the Thanksgiving menu has changed from venison, fish and roasted pumpkin to turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, the customary gathering of friends and family for the feast prevails year after year. The only thing that could perhaps be in jeopardy is the very thing we are supposed to be celebrating…the solitary reason that our God-fearing forefathers declared it a national holiday…the one, single, quintessential definition of Thanksgiving…to give thanks for all that we have!

So what exactly then, are we celebrating? Why spend 15 minutes per pound to roast a beast the size of a small car? What’s the motivation behind commissioning grandma to a long day of pie-baking, dad to his famous stuffing, and a visiting cousin to a case of Octoberfest? It’s a point worth pondering this season as we reflect on some of the devastating happenings of late. Fires, drought, earthquakes and hints of recession are all valid and very real reasons to simply show up just before ‘The Carving’ with canned cranberries this year, but that just wouldn’t be any fun.

You see, Thanksgiving is the opportunity - the choice, really - to celebrate our thanks regardless of who we are, where we came from and what we do. We’re all HERE and that’s the point. We have homes that get the newspaper delivered and eyes to read it. Most of us have people in our lives to help us when we’re in need, and please join me for a moment of reflecting deep gratitude for the freedom we are all enjoying by living in this country. Let us never forget what our countless global neighbors are experiencing that we’ve been protected from for hundreds of years. It is overwhelming to think of how blessed and how fortunate we are, even amidst tragedy.

A few days ago during the worst of the fires, my kids and I were assembling care packages for a large group of children who had been evacuated from their foster home when I got a phone call from my friends at COTO C.A.N., Deanna Vochelli and Kim Melsheimer. They had also heard about the situation and moved quickly to help. “Heidi, we need to feed all the foster children and their staff! Can we get you to cook a meal for 50?” Volunteering is so rewarding and I will testify that there is hardly a greater feeling than to see the faces of those in real need light up when you hand them a home-cooked meal.

Despite all that may be happening in your own world, can you think of someone you know who doesn’t have a home or is struggling to pay their bills? Do you have a neighbor, friend or family member who lives alone? If you don’t, any church, school or community organization like COTO C.A.N. can give you a list. What better, more rewarding way to celebrate our harvest, our bounty, this year than to bring them a bag full of groceries, a hand-picked bouquet of flowers with a little money or a meal and an invitation to your Thanksgiving table. Then, with your very best linens and china, with your favorite recipes and traditions, with each guest contributing their special touch, throw a banquet and really, truly give thanks just as they did nearly 400 years ago!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Single-handedly raising seven children in a little 3 bedroom house is a monster task, pun intended. Five boys and two girls would have sent me straight to a white pillow-padded room long ago, but as my dear four-and-a half-foot Grandma used to tell me in a notable Jersey accent (cup of kwuh-fee in hand), “You can have Christmas, but give Halloween to me, Cliff, Johnny, Duke, Pat, Bob, Rose & Nan.” And so it was…a perfect place in life for everyone.

Johnny (a.k.a. dad) and the rest of the Brossa Battalion, down to every last great-grandchild, will attest to the one revered day where the family matriarch transformed her little home on Belshaw Avenue into something more along the lines of a Norman Rockwell version of ‘Nightmare before Christmas.’ Antique cauldrons and witches’ brooms, hand-carved pumpkins and darling dolls of snaggle-toothed old women with tall black hats staged her lively lair. Spiderwebs and big postcards of black cats hung in each window with the faint orange glow of a candle, while flea market treasures, old and new, proudly adorned every interior inch.

Yes, Grams romanticized October 31st, saving her little pennies throughout the year for the entire event. Not just because her seven little angels got to let their tails down, but to her, there was something delightfully magical about that crisp fall night when barren maples cast silhouettes against the giant moon high in the sky. When creaking old elms showered their leaves into heaps below for spooky things to hide under (like her dog Gaucho). It was a night when all the town children would come-a-knocking, and she would greet each one – her beautiful silver hair a natural accompaniment to a hand-stitched cape - not with a frightful scare, but with a genuine cackle of joy as she handed even the tiniest fairy princess and the grimmest of Grimm Reapers a carefully-chosen treat.

Now - this is just an observation, but things seem to be done a bit differently in this neck of the woods. First of all, its typically quite HOT here in October, with a slight chill after the sun sets…hard to decide between the Tinkerbell or thick furry kitty costume. Next, we’d be hard-pressed to let our children trick-or-treat “out there” on their own, so its just as well for us to leave a plastic pumpkin full of Hershey bars on the well-lit porch with a little sign announcing “Please take ONE.” And the most observable distinction between here and there, then and now, her and us, is perhaps the entire spirit behind it all. Mad rushes to crammed costume warehouses, bulk candy and evil masks on the doorstep are mere markers of a new and somewhat desensitized era.

Now, many of you may not participate in this particular holiday at all…I’m not a huge proponent of it myself, what with the whole Pagan festival roots and such. True, I spend an entire evening hand-bagging novelty & old-fashioned candy with hard-to-find toys. Admittedly, we all get dressed up and walk the block together while a grandparent or auntie hands out the goodies to the ghouls in the hood, and just for the record, coming home with loot that would discredit Bonnie & Clyde has NOTHING to do with my sweet tooth, but that’s neither here nor there.

The point is, we so often miss the mark on how to celebrate a special occasion. Whether that day happens to be Halloween or simply a “Fall Fun Night,” whether its Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Easter or even a birthday. These are rare opportunities that merit a just a little extra thought. We are creating lasting – no, permanent – memories for our children here…why not relish whatever it is we’re commemorating with a personal touch…a stamp of who we are?

By simply taking a second to ask yourself what is important to your family during a particular season of time, your answers will likely lead to unexpected inspiration... perhaps even spawn ideas to begin new traditions of your own. We like to save the seeds from our carved pumpkins and oven-bake them with herbs and seasonings. The kids then bag them up for teachers’ gifts the next day with little tags proudly announcing “made with love from the Barrettes.”

Whatever the occasion, however big (or small) the brood or bank account, you only live once. Children are only children for a few short years, and each year that passes is a chapter in your book that will be passed along to generations after we’re gone. I know I want my children to be excited to tell our story, just as much as we love telling little Grams’ story. Happy Halloween!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As a self-proclaimed foodie dedicated to sharing exceptional ingredients and techniques in my cooking classes, I am, consequentially, committed to R&D in order to preserve the integrity of my name and business. For example, one would not expect me to stand behind the pairing of Smoked Pepper Trout and a generous pour of ‘Papapietro Perry’ ‘04 Pinot Noir without, of course, trying it! Nor would you dream I’d suggest a BBQ sauce comprised of maple syrup, mango and habeñero chili basted over grilled skewered figs before a thorough taste-test! Believe me, people - I do it for you!

Based on this constant meal quest in the name of “research,” one may venture to compare the number of memorable meals I’ve enjoyed with the number of calories in a Big Mac. There is, however, a far less impressive number than 560 associated with my personal experience of what I refer to as “culinary brilliance.” I can honestly count these precious moments on one hand (making a peace sign).

I’m not talking about great or even phenomenal meals…not genius-on-a-plate episodes prepared by world-class chefs (although nonchalantly inhaling the Pear Almondine prepared by Julia Child in ‘93 may be worthy of its own article someday).

I am, in fact, referring to the type of moment that is to never again be relived other than by accidental daydreaming or onset by the occasional waft of a familiar scent or song. This is the kind of experience that brings a trace of sadness at the mere effort of trying to recapture it…you know you were there…you know what you ate and who you were with, but the instant is gone. It is but a fairytale in your mind that no author can ever capture and the experience is best described as ‘tragically fabulous.’

A couple of years ago, I landed in New York City with a dear friend of mine, who also happens to be a great and passionate cook, where we prepared for a road trip from Manhattan to Poughkeepsie to attend a week-long bootcamp at the Culinary Institute of America. We were both thrilled to go on this several-hour-long drive up the Hudson River in the middle of fall, as neither of us had ever experienced the ‘turning of the leaves’ – something that words cannot describe.

Just before heading out of the city, hungry and unfamiliar with our surroundings, we discovered an amazing underground market in Grand Central Station, bustling with vendors and shoppers exchanging coin for brown sacks of cheeses, wines, hand-carved meats, fresh baked breads and a pluthera of produce, not to mention cured olives, chocolates, pastry, salts, oils, herbs and so much more! We packed a $300 lunch, complete with a rare bottle of cabernet and made plans to stop along the river on the way up.

Hungry as we were, we drove for hours, breathing the sweet country air, enamored by the beautiful gold, orange and red canopy that loomed above. Then the early afternoon sun began sprinkling diamonds on the meandering river and soon our reserved appetites began to grow. As we intensified our efforts to find “the perfect spot” to pull over and enjoy our gourmet picnic, “something” seemed to stand in the way for at least another 50 miles until we finally pulled off at a numbered exit that looked unpromising, at best – but with growling groin and Camembert “ripening” in the trunk, it was time to eat, even if in the parking lot of a 7-11.

As it turned out, however, fate led us to a storybook ending. We decidedly pulled off the next exit and came upon an old mansion-turned-museum where 3 Amish volunteers from the Historical Society were getting ready to close the doors for the weekend. We paid for a quick tour and asked if we could stay on the grounds for just a bit longer so we could eat and rest before the last leg of our trip. One of the lovely bonnet-laden ladies not only obliged us 30 extra minutes, but sweetly pointed out the window to a picturesque lake surrounded by willows and maples, complete with a picnic table and - get this – swans! So, to the imaginary tune of “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (Cinderella) we gathered our provisions from the trunk of the rental and raced to the edge of the lake where our dream awaited us.

Out came the stinky cheese, the $100 bottle of wine, the sweets, the savories and the warm bread. We drank from the bottle, piled layers of flavor together with a twig, and licked every last bit of sticky brown sugar from our dessert, saying nothing, then the unexpected grand finale…it began to rain!! Gentle sheets glistening over the lake, highlighted with the sun’s last warm rays…what words could we have said to each other? It was a very moving moment, a joyous gift that we’ll never forget.

A few months ago, I wrote of an Indian feast our family enjoyed with a beautiful woman before she passed, and memories like that are exactly what puts a smile on my face as I remember her – my mom. I share this with you, not to be a storyteller or suggest you mimic these events, but more so that you can relate to the beauty and importance of a precious, solitary moment when it happens to you. Perhaps it already has – and what do you do when its over? You could write about it or share it with your loved ones, but I think it best to simply savor it, relish it and be grateful for it, happily ever after.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Simply due to lack of time, I don’t watch much TV, but like to catch a few of the obvious when I can…you know the ones…Top Chef, Iron Chef, Next Food Network Star – and my favorite – Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations”…all of which have made the slim cut to DVR in my home. Once I’ve hung up the apron, put the kids to bed, cleaned the house, paid the bills & returned emails, those last 9 minutes of the day ARE MY REPRIVE (yes, it takes me a month to watch one episode of “Bizarre Foods”…tell me you can relate!).

In these moments of solitude, I’ve become aware that as a result of having entire networks devoted to food at our fingertips, our culture now has ample opportunity to heighten its culinary skill level without spending a first-born at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) or working 12 years on the line.

For example, in the old days (the 80’s), I’d be excited to enlighten the virgin minds of caffeine addicts that frothing skim milk is far better than frothing whole milk for your morning café au lait, and that it’s due to monoglycerides & diglycerides in milkfat (two substances in whole milk that destabilize air bubbles, causing them to pop quickly).

Then moving forward to a declining, yet somewhat intact era of food innocence (the 90’s), although Martha begins showing every housewife west of Madrid how to knit party favors while your 6-layer cake cools on racks hand-made from wire hangers - there still remains some mystique to the secret world of the spatula.

But getting caught up to today, the new millennium has hurled ample education at us via podcasts, cable, satellite radio & dedicated publications in gastronomic proportion. Great, right? Well, yes and no. Having a fortitude of “foodstars” divulging every recipe option for truffle oil and fennel bulb, for free, understandably takes away a bit of that cookery magic, making all of us, in a sense, gastronomes. These days, one can’t go to a Michelin restaurant without hearing the mechanic next to them questioning chef’s choice of sear-time on the fois gras. “Bobbie-Jean, I reckon, I still prefer the way mama cooks them with our CATTLE, over this-here ris de veau.” Of course, this visiting southern gentleman is referring to his preference of cow vs. veal sweetbreads.

Some cooks don’t want to let just anyone “in” to the cult-world they’ve claimed since birth and have spent years artfully mastering. How is it fun if everyone knows your mojo (and can at times, be better)?! Maybe I’ve lost some of you, but the point I’ve tried to make here is that there may be a few minor annoyances to this 24/7 telecast of behind-the-scene kitchen code-breaking.

On the flip-side, however; there presents a legion of happy, refreshing faces, so excited to share “good eats” with us, WE should get excited about filling our grocery carts full of ingredients for Rachel’s “Super Tuscan Burgers” complete with EVOO (did you know that her newly-famous acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now officially in the Webster’s Dictionary?). Good for her. Cooks and chefs like Rachel, Giada, Bobby, Mario and Ina are working tirelessly to bring the American public (and beyond) ways to beautify and simplify our lives. How can that be wrong?

So, whose side am I on anyways? I teach cooking classes, case in point. My own knives bear the name of my pop-cuisine TV hero, Alton Brown! I rely on him to explain why baking my angel food cake with room-temp eggs produces a better rise (cold eggs don’t whip as well, resulting in dense batter). And Alton has single-handedly validated the use of real fat vs. fat-substitutes in our favorite recipes – the old” sour-cream-vs.-chicken-broth-to-whip-your-mashed-potatoes argument.” (Substitutes often lead to dissatisfaction, which leads to overeating. Fats satisfy, breaking down in the digestive track very slowly keeping us fuller longer, thus: eating less.) Good enough for me.

Of course Alton, who, like others with your best interest in mind (not mentioning names, but rumor tells of one local with a cool website you’d absolutely relish) also wisely practice moderation. Oui, the educators of today are genuinely out there striving to produce the healthiest, freshest options along with their fine skill of adding flavor, texture & presentation, resulting in a happier, healthier audience, an audience free to enjoy skim lattes because Paula showed them how. And if that very audience is growing to span the globe, maybe we could all stand to squeeze Flay and Lagasse into the 9-minute meditation.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pineapples were on sale at the market last week, so I bought one, hoping my family would indulge while I was in San Francisco over the weekend. But as I sit here staring at this nearly-too-ripe specimen from Hawaii, I’m reminded of my years as a kid, growing up in a small town not far from the birthplace of this very fruit. Back then, it seemed that our little community shared a certain familial feng-shui, so much so that I’m willing to bet that every parent in Kona had gathered one night over Mai Tais, and together, wrote their child-rearing version of the Geneva Convention. Local family law included, but was not limited to something like the following:

1. Children under the age of 12 must remain outdoors until the sun goes down (encouraging “creative play”)
2. Unless separated by (salt) water, walk. (promoting exercise and good health)
3. All animals and/or children must have complete access to all areas of the neighborhood, (hence, the term “free range”).

My favorite shared philosophy in our humble zip code, however, by virtue of living far from markets and stores, was always “waste not, want not.” In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if over half of the block had a kitchen plaque displaying this daily reminder. We were amongst a population of hunters, farmers and fishers that proudly passed the freshest of island bounty from family to family. Local-grown coffee, fresh-caught Ahi, macadamia nuts picked from our backyards and every possible tropical fruit and vegetable were definitely ours to consume, but never to waste. Aside from an occasional “treat”, life wasn’t full of fillers. We didn’t have pantries stocked with chips, cookies, candy, crackers and pop tarts …we ate what we grew, or what our friends brought to our doorstep, and found creative ways of consuming every last bit (a novel idea). Food, any food, got thrown on the hibachi for grilling and what we couldn’t finish, mom froze and later disguised with two ingredients, calling it some fancy Hawaiian name like lau-lau. It was a conservation technique that worked like a charm.

Now fast-forwarding a couple of decades and traveling several thousand miles east, I’d be hard pressed to find many ‘a fellow farmer who’ll be dropping off ice-packed coolers full of mangoes and Ono out here in Coto; however, I do have a slight habit of being a little over-zealous at Farmer’s Markets and the likes. Coming home with several bags chock-full of beautiful fresh zucchini, lettuce, apples, herbs, and anything else in full season is not uncommon for me. The challenge isn’t knowing what to buy, so much as what to do with it before it all rots. Refrigerate plump, sweet peaches? Blasphemy! Freeze 5 pounds of Wild Copper River Salmon? NEVER!

But what is this? You’re staring at 4 wilting yellow beets that called your name from the organic display and now you’re dying to hear my suggestion of how the heck to make them edible?! Well here it is…I’m going to give you one simple suggestion. Whether its green and savory, colorful and sweet, land, river or sea…just GRILL IT!
The smoky flavors that develop as food cooks over fire are about the tastiest I can think of, and grilling is just about the easiest preparation known to mankind.

Here's a few simple, but very delicious, suggestions and tips to grill just about anything (plus a recipe for those poor beets) and at the end of the day, you can hang your little plaque with pride as you watch the kids devour speared cold grilled asparagus in basil-olive oil, lemon & sea salt (my version of leftovers).

TIPS TO GRILL JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

Zucchini, summer squash, cabbage, broccoli spears, thick slices of sweet onion, whole bell peppers artichoke, bok choy and even leafy lettuce like red leaf or romaine are delicious when cut in half or quartered lengthwise and generously brushed or rubbed with a mix of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon and sea salt then placed on a pre-heated grill. For added depth of flavor, add finely minced herbs to the mix like rosemary, thyme, tarragon or dill. Once nice dark grill marks develop, simply turn with tongs and repeat. Cut into large bite-sized wedges and toss into angel hair pasta with a tablespoon of butter, a splash of Marsala wine & a little extra salt.

Disks of pineapple, halved (and pitted) peaches, plums, mango & figs…even a bamboo spear loaded with ripe red strawberries name just a few of summer’s sweet delicacies that are just waiting for you to set on a nicely-oiled hot grill for a few minutes on each side, drizzle a bit of honey or 6-year aged Balsamic then top with a Tablespoon or two of Crème Fraîche (Bristol Farms) and finely chopped fresh mint…yum!

All root vegetables and nearly any fish can be thrown in a simple tin-foil “pouch” with a nice slab of butter, a good sprinkle of sea salt & fresh-ground pepper and chopped herbs, then set directly over charcoal or on the grill until caramelized and slightly charred (about an hour for root veggies like peeled & quartered carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes or 20-30 minutes for fish such as salmon, halibut, Ono, swordfish…less for lighter fish such as snapper, cod, tilapia & sole).

Posted by ChefHeidi at 05:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I haven’t actually seen the 1985 cult classic in over a decade (maybe two) but I do remember something about 5 diabolically-divergent stereotypes of the teen sort, and one endless Saturday detention. At the beginning of the day, these high-schoolers don’t know a thing about each other, and believe they have nothing in common; even harbor resentments toward each other due to different social backgrounds and interests. But during the course of the day, they learn to respect one another and discover that they aren’t that different after all.

How is this opening subject matter, you wonder, fit for a Food Column? Well, a bit of nostalgia is always good reading, but more importantly, the general theme can be applied to our very own population of teens emerging into post-high-school life. True, they may be from different cultural, social and economic backgrounds, but in the end, they will all be set loose into the same big world with the same basic goal; to begin forging paths of their own, and - here’s the reality check - largely based on the tools we’ve given them along the way. That being said, I naturally refer to tools of the cooking kind.

Our seniors are soon off to college, off to apartment-living, and let’s be honest; off to little white Chapels and Baby Gap! I’ll venture to say that if they can’t grill a turkey burger today, there isn’t much hope of them hosting the family Thanksgiving a few years down the line. In fact, our youth has generally come to accept cooking and preparing meals as out-of-date, unimportant and essentially, a “lost art” that has nothing to do with their lifestyle.

Here’s a short list of youthful rhetoric vs. some interesting, logical points that may truly help your teen understand and appreciate the significance of planning, budgeting, shopping for and cooking real food:

TEEN
"I can just live on fast food or restaurants."

PARENT
"Preparing your own meal vs. 'eating out' is cheaper, and YOU are on a budget!"

TEEN
"I eat like a bird, it’s all about picking!"

PARENT
"You won’t always eat like a bird…trust me..."

TEEN
"Hello-oo, no one cooks in a dorm room!"

PARENT
"Hello-oo, you won’t be living in a dorm room forever!"

TEEN
"I’ll make my roommate do it."

PARENT
"Your roommate is counting on YOU to do it."

TEEN
"My husband is going to be the cook…this isn’t the 50’s!"

PARENT
"Your husband won’t be your husband if you can’t cook for him (and the entire family), just like in the 50’s!"

TEEN
"I’m not planning on moving out of my parents’ home anytime soon!"

PARENT
"Oh, you’re moving out, all right, and sooner than you think!"

TEEN
"Cooking is too hard & I don’t know where to start"

PARENT
"Breakfast. Start tomorrow by making breakfast."

Okay, so you can bring some humor to the table as you fight for your cause but seriously, there are a few more points I’ll urge you to pass along to your dear legacy.

First of all, healthy, home-made food prepared with fresh ingredients is much more nourishing than fast, processed food, restaurant meals or hasty snacking. You’ll have control over your weight, the quality of your skin, and the amount of vitamins your body needs.

Next - in life, in business, in socializing…cooking and entertaining are powerful networking tools. Having a boss & his wife over for hors d’oeuvres, inviting your new neighbors over for a BBQ, or having small groups (church or college study groups etc.) at your home involves cooking something. They will want to eat, and you will need to cook it.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY the ability to create nice, healthy meals brings people together. There’s an unexplainable quality of life when your closest friends and family always want to gather at “your place” where the focus is the food…and a good excuse to get together. Plus, it is a beautiful gift that you can give people. Mom’s sick? Make her home-made soup. BFF devastated by a break-up? It sure does help to know how to grill that turkey burger (complete with bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce and Ranch all wrapped in tinfoil and accompanied by a fresh strawberry-banana ice cream “smoothie”!)

So even if you aren’t the Rachel Ray type yourself, simply encouraging the next generation to pick up a pan and begin experimenting, is to encourage a certain joie de vie! And speaking of the joy of life, try it tomorrow morning, with your teen by your side…go ahead, blast “Don’t You Forget About Me” on your iPod whip up a little Breakfast Club of your own! You may find that you and your sweet soon-gone child may have a lot more in common than you thought.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Have you ever been on a date and mused, perhaps over a Spicy Soft-Shell Crab or a Poached Pear bathed in Sweet Ginger-Honey, at what exactly it is, that makes a great restaurant’s food so darn great? Do you ever catch yourself discreetly licking the tiny plate they call “Thai Trio” all-the-while wondering how the heck they got fresh-picked mangos, 3-pounds of green tea and say, sea salt to look, feel and taste better than any sorbet you’ve ever had? If something along the lines of “who wants to know?!” is your initial reaction, chances are at some point, evading waiters and police, you’ve smuggled the back of your napkin home, scratched by dim candlelight with what you are certain is the blueprint to that evening’s Hoisin Shortribs. “Hmm, soy sauce, brown sugar, and I swear that’s a hint of coriander, but there’s something else…I’ll take a to-go box and figure it out!” Sound familiar?

If this type of crookery is becoming an obsession to duplicate fine cookery, I’m here to hunt you down! Don’t worry, …your secret is good with me, I’d simply like to offer my help to evolve your efforts into something a bit more fruitful by unveiling a few of the Hautest restaurant’s hottest secrets. While I won’t be able to expose all the sweet and savory 411 (you’ll have to read Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” to go there), I will tell you that there’s more to excellent cuisine than 2 pounds of butter, preheated plates and a pretty garnish.

So here you have it: from Mexican to French, Steakhouses to Asian Fusion, Laguna cafes to L.A.’s five-star dining, brilliant chefs are out there scouring local and distant terrains to acquire the freshest, healthiest, tastiest (and often, most unheard of) ingredients they can find to set their menus apart. But here’s the real genius – so can you!! Artisan Cheeses from central California dairies like Cowgirl Creamery; poultry, pork and beef from Niman Ranch just north of San Francisco; vine-ripened strawberries and other fresh, organic seasonal produce from UCI’s Farmers Market or in Irvine; line-caught (not farmed or netted) fresh seafood from the cleanest waters in the world found at Santa Monica Seafood in Newport Beach and of course my newest fave - organically produced wines from our very own world-renowned Napa Valley…all just a quick drive (or quick click) away. To add but one special delicacy to your kitchen from any of these marvelous purveyors is to add a little Celine Dion to your church choir!

The goods @ UCI Farmer's Market, every Saturday

And speaking of church, part of the joy I get in teaching cooking classes is preaching what I practice; sharing little bits of things I actually do in my home if I think it may bring value to your home. For example, in last week’s Sushi Class, a simple torn Shiso leaf added to a Vegetable hand roll, or bit of Truffle Oil whisked into Ponzu Sauce immensely elevated the expected flavor.. I can tell you that many students from that class are now big fans of “Mitsuwa” of Costa Mesa ($1.08 for 12 fresh Shiso leaves) as well as Trader Joes (where you can buy a bottle of Truffle Oil for under $9).

So, as you strive to re-create a tasty salmon, or spicy fajitas in your home, I challenge you look outside the box (a.k.a. supermarket) to discover new and exciting ingredients at the same time, support your local farms and smaller grocers who are working hard to bring you better bounty. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy the adventure, too! Here are more places I often go to find that “something else” - Bristol Farms, Whole Foods, Mission Viejo's Pavilions, Henry’s Market, Williams-Sonoma, El Toro Gourmet Meats and Nina’s Indian Market in Lake Forest, just to name a few.

Here's the recipe for my delicious “Thai Hot & Sour Soup with Poached Prawn” which may just nudge you out to Mitsuwa for an ingredient or two…Happy hunting!!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 06:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Meals shouldn’t always be just about the food. Quality fare has its pleasurable benefits, don’t get me wrong. Indulging in a fine cut of tenderloin or traveling to a farmer’s market for the freshest fruit requires passion, to be sure, but there is so much more to our daily refueling than superior ingredients. For example, there is history to just about everything we eat...fascinating facts about the countries and people where our food comes from, how they prepare and eat their food as well as what else they do at their meal…and it would only require a few minutes to uncover (and share) some of this with your family! Next time you serve Chinese food, consider a bit of table trivia by having everyone guess how many languages there are in China (236) or how the Chinese eat their meals (with spoons, bowls and squared chopsticks – Japanese chopsticks are rounded – and never with a fork or knife – bad luck!) This simple fun can bring you a bit closer to another world while enjoying their culture’s cuisine

Two years ago, my entire family came together as we cared for our mother, who became ill with cancer. Mom and dad moved in with us, and quickly our home became the hub. Suddenly, “family night” was a more of a daily celebration, and cooking became so much more than just a chore…meal-duties were carried out with pride, enthusiasm and great thought. Mondays and Wednesdays, my brother, his wife and kids would come armed with fresh-baked breads and pastas, on Tuesdays and Saturdays my twin sisters usually came bearing delicious restaurant take-out. And of course, the other days were my golden opportunity to test new ideas and recipes on a dozen unsuspecting culinary victims.

It was a huge honor for us to do the care-giving during this time; but, a mother is always a mother, and one day, ours pulled a fast one! It wasn’t easy, but she managed to host an Indian-style evening for us, covering every detail.

First she ordered piles of delectable foreign delights from our dear friend Praveen at Irvine’s Clay Oven…from Rice Pilau and Naan to Chicken Tikka Masala and Aloo Gobi with a sauce so spicy some still suffer collateral damage. Next, during dinner, a little Indian Q & A, and finally, we experienced a bit of “Baliwood.” Mom had carefully chosen a movie that the entire family had so much fun watching, I have no choice but to recommend it (Lagaan). In fact, I am recommending that you try this entire evening with your family! Kids can discover a bit of culture, your palettes will be opened to new and exotic, but REALLY pleasing flavors, and who can resist enjoying entertainment suitable for the young and old, which is all too rare these days.

That evening we all laughed, ate great food, and someone even announced that chess, algebra and trigonometry all originated in India. Then a fine cinematic moment topped off the evening as we crowded in the darkened living room together. It was an experience we’ll remember for years to come, and one that we have our mom to thank for.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Its funny how well people know me, but do I mind? A few days ago, I received an early morning call from a friend who said she couldn’t help thinking of me all night; that she had laid in bed imagining what an amazing time I must have been having, just a few miles away.

Now, let me explain before you begin forming opinions. My dear friend was actually referring to the downpour of rain we had received the night before and she knows that I faithfully get, well…lets just say, “giddy” whenever there’s so much as a tint of grey in the sky. I mean the moment the temperature drops below 60 and there’s so much as a slight chance of a misting, I’m suddenly transformed into a hopping, skipping, singing fool. The kids are immediately informed that they MUST find wood for the fire…a few leftover sticks from November’s chord of cedar, dead branches from the yard, and hey, they’re too old to be playing with Thomas anyways, right? Throw in the tracks for kindling, boys!

My most predictable clamor is surprisingly not the patter of my rain dance, but in fact, the clatter of my pots and pans. Aunts and uncles begin popping in for “visits,” old friends who get our weather channel fly in from out of town, even the MOPS group wants to have their Monday Coffee Meetings here (on Tuesday nights), and I don’t even have a pre-schooler!

You see, the extended family begins gathering at the first sign of “Stormwatch 2007” because they know that every one of the 6 burners on the Barrette’s range will be vigilantly at work, for them, of course. One flame is happily simmering a copper pot full of a spicy chicken-cilantro soup, sure to cure Gracie’s winter cold. On another; an unsuspecting Tagine…patiently offering up the magical Moroccan aromas of lemon, curry & onion which transport my sister to a country she has yet to visit. Yet a third burner, heat way down, holds a jewel box-sized saucepot of reduced Amaretto to drizzle over the Pear Almandine tart in the oven. Yes, braising, baking, searing and sautéing all happen, quite contently I might add, to the sister who loves rain, but there is also something not everyone may know.

As thickly as inspiration emerges from this kitchen, a significant phenomenon spawns from my rain-intoxication in our Family Room as well. For some unknown reason, the cold weather, the tapping of rain on the windows, the warmth of a fire and the smell of herbs and spices throughout the house leaves me inflicted with a contagious joy. Suddenly the TV goes off, the soundtrack to Pocahontas goes on (don’t laugh…its really good!), the LG, MP3, PSP, DS, Wii, and IM stay upstairs and down comes backgammon and cards, and no one seems to mind. In fact, its here that we honestly enjoy each other’s company most. Its in this room where teenage daughter and 7-year old son beat “team mom and dad” 3-to-1 at Acee Ducee, all while appreciating 3rd grade son’s fine flute-a-phone entertainment.

It’s the room where the winner gets the warm carpet in front of the fire, and the loser has to set up the next game. Its here where we find out whose dating whom in the Junior class. Its also the room where its okay to spill a little home-made clam chowder out of the sourdough “bowl,” and the only Blackberry anyone cares about is served à la mode that evening. You know, I really don’t mind people knowing me well at all.

Here are the recipes for a delicious home-made clam-chowder-in-sourdough-bowls as well as a “rustic blackberry tartine”.

Posted by ChefHeidi at 06:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Once again February is upon us, offering up another new season to showcase our romance-o-meters; red-hot, luke-warm, or room temp as they may be. Two full weeks to ponder, plan and punctuate our deepest regard for those who have made it, after all these years, into the intimate depths of our hearts. So, does the big day mean big plans for you, America’s next “Top Cupid?”

It’s entirely possible that you’ve got it all planned out…perhaps you’ve managed reservations at that new hot-spot in Laguna…or perhaps scrubbing the house & trailing flower petals “upstairs” was your clever lure to amour? Maybe I’m underestimating and you’ve ordered theater tickets to “Life is a Dream” (which isn’t a bad idea). Just throwing caution to the wind here, but is it feasible to assume that a few of you, good intent considered, haven’t exactly sharpened your arrows yet? Let’s explore a brief tutorial on archery.

Not surprisingly, this came to me in Paris last week. Helping my sister get settled into her très petit student’s apartment a few blocks from a twinkling Eiffel Tower, we’d pass little cafes and the Notre Dame at dusk, toting bags of necessities through the Metro. The soft veil of winter rain was so inspiring against the backdrop of ancient bridges over the Saine, I thought I’d fly home and write this piece on ordering French chocolate and a bottle of Bordeaux for your Valentine Du Jour.

But a different side of romance struck me the night before I left as my sister and her four new wonderful friends entrusted me to prepare a dinner party for them in her tiny flat. With a miniature 3-burner propane cooktop, a Barbie-sized prep area and say, eight ingredients, we bowed our heads in thanks, and an amazing sit-down-dinner-for-six time was had by all. While Billy, Nat, Ella and Bing echoed softly over the iPod speakers, memories (and friendships) were woven that will truly last a lifetime, and all over simple food made with love and a 2’x3’ table…Bordeaux included!

My point is that February 14 doesn’t have to be a poofed up, last-minute, under-thought, over-stressed enormous expense all in the name of love. It can actually be a beautiful time where waking your lover up to a frothy café au lait and a gift certificate to Home Depot replaces the Burberry tie. An outdoor fire, big blanket and hot bowls of (January’s recipe) soup completely out-do the over-priced Ecuadorian roses. I’m even crazy about the idea of a single parent making dinner with their teenager plus a few friends, topping the night off with “Valley Girl.”

My favorite suggestion of all is still, of course, trying to recapture that moment in Paris here, with an affectionately made meal, uncomplicated in its elements, but elegant in its own right, and certainly in the company of anyone I am blessed to simply call “love.” Here’s what we ate that night…bon appétit and good aiming!

Here's the recipe for the carrot soup; I ran it in last months' article, but there's nothing wrong with gettin' it right twice!

Let me know what your plans are for V-Day!

Posted by ChefHeidi at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

An amazing thing happens in January throughout Southern California, and notably here in Coto de Caza…it gets, and usually stays cold! Not freezing, as many of us dream of walking out our doors in a long wool coat and scarf to the gentle patter of snowflakes, but certainly chilly enough to drive home with the seat-heaters on, push-start our gas-burning fireplace, grab a decorative “throw” off a sofa and curl up with a good book in hand. Yes, those are the ingredients to gear up for our long winter nights.

But wait! I can’t say the word, “ingredients” without filling your other hand with a tasty, piping hot treat; a treat to fill your home with the wafting aromas of everything good and everything cozy. A treat that serves its purpose night after nippy night, only to be replaced by another version of itself as soon as it is fully consumed…a treat that satisfies the hungriest, pickiest, most elementary or elegant palate, and nothing - shy of a warm loaf of bread - need keep it company. What, prey, is this elusive element? None other than the glorious pot (PLEASE invest in le Creuset) of home-made, tummy-warming flavory-savory soup!

Yes, everyone is doing it, and you can, too! You won’t need to spend hours meandering through cookbooks, and you don’t need an arsenal of expensive ingredients. In fact, you’ll find that even the least experienced kitchens can produce their own fabulous version of this recipe and, here’s my favorite part…cream does not have to be your friend! (but maybe “acquaintance” might be nice!)

Perhaps you are even a member of the low-fat-low-calorie-low carb club? Hollywood & South Beach have nothing on Coto de Caza! I’ve posted my favorite healthy concoction for a soup so delicious and filling that you (and your teenage daughter) will forget that it is chock-full of protein, iron and vitamins, and is the perfect lunch and dinner meal to help you shed a few of last month’s pounds. But let me warn you - make a big batch, as the other half of your family will devour it for its flavor-value. Fresh herbs and vegetables with a good dose of lean ground turkey is really all that’s involved. Here's the recipe:

Posted by ChefHeidi at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

We are blessed to live in a community so rich in color, life and beauty! This season, by mixing a few local “ingredients” into your entertaining you can warm up any Holiday table with a unique yet simple style.

Thick, leafy oak, olive and maple branches (fresh or dried) make beautiful centerpieces when paired with rustic baskets of bread and little pots of herbed butter nestled into to the arborous twinings. Tuck in a few tapered candles and a perfect Coto Valley table is ready to set, inside or out!

For edible elegance in each basket, these simple recipes will add beauty and flavor to any loaf, whether home-baked or store-bought. Start by dressing up simple, fresh-as-possible breads with the following recipes, then place in an oven preheated to 275 for 8-12 minutes, just long enough to bake the toppings onto the crust and warm the inside so steam rises when the crust is cracked.

Sweeten a simple loaf of French bread or baguette by brushing crushed dried lavender (you know you grow it on your hillside!) and a little melted butter over the top. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 3 Tbsp. butter, and one Tbsp. each of mild goat cheese, honey and lavender. Mix well then pour, cool and serve in a little bowl.

Hearty loaves like rounds of sourdough call for the savory flavors of sea or kosher salt, fresh cracked white pepper, and equal parts of finely minced fresh rosemary, garlic, crushed edible rosehips and extra virgin olive oil.

A fruit or vegetable bread such as pumpkin or banana bread can’t go wrong with a mixture of a teaspoon each of vanilla, poppy seeds, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper plus one tablespoon each of powdered sugar, cream cheese and unsalted butter. Your spread will consist of exactly the same ingredients, melted together, then cooled in a bowl.

Finally, for this Season’s salt-lovers, such as myself, a nice flat bread or foccacia gets a garnish of a simple brush of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper and thin slivers of yellow tomatoes laid over the crust (brush olive oil over the tomatoes before going into the oven as well). Then, rather than a butter-based spread, mix 2 Tbsp. each of kalimata olives, capers and artichoke hearts, plus a teaspoon each of olive oil, fresh thyme, white wine vinegar and a dash of kosher salt. Pulse in a blender or food processor until finely minced.

So! On your next early morning walk around the block, soak up the beautiful Coto sun and start snipping for your next soiree!

Posted by JesseBee at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)