MacGourmet News

What has to be an incredible cookbook is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com:

"For beginners and seasoned cooks alike, The Gourmet Cookbook is an eloquent, essential companion in the kitchen - one that will take its place among the classic cookbooks of our generation. Under the discerning eye of the celebrated authority Ruth Reichl, the editors of America's premier cooking magazine sifted through more than 60,000 recipes published over the past six decades. Testing, tasting, and cross-testing to ensure that every cook achieves the same superb results, they selected more than 1000 recipes. The Gourmet Cookbook is encyclopedic but eminently accessible. With it, cooks can go back to the days when Beef Wellington ruled the table or prepare something as contemporary as Crispy Artichoke "Flowers" with Salsa Verde. Those in a hurry who want simple dinners with flavor and flair will find hundreds of possibilities, including Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze and Skirt Steak Fajitas with Lime and Black Pepper. At the same time, The Gourmet Cookbook is the perfect volume for entertaining, full of adventurous recipes for special occasions: Blini with Three Caviars, Fragrant Crispy Duck, and Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake. Throughout the book you'll find hundreds of valuable tips from Gourmet's eight test kitchens. Illustrated instructions explain everything from how to cut up a chicken to how to shuck an oyster."

Two write ups on the new book:

New York Times:
Take 1,283 Gourmet Winners. Add Folksiness. Hold Glitter. (Requires free subscription)
Boston Globe:
The new gold standard? Gourmet magazine wants its cookbook to be the go-to guide.

I hope for the day when I can distribute recipes in MacGourmet format for recipe books like this. Picture it: buy a cookbook, and get the recipes for your MacGourmet library. You can easily find which book recipes are in, and if you want, print the recipes out so that your books or laptops aren't in harm's way in the kitchen.

I hope to have a review of this cookbook in the near future.

Pre-order The Gourmet Cookbook : More than 1000 recipes (Price: $27.20 from Amazon.com) and support MacGourmet.com.

[Updated to add references to two articles on the new book]

A new version of MacGourmet is now available. This free update cleans up some left overs from version 1.0, and adds a few things that didn't make it into that release. A full list of changes can be found here.

The new version of MacGourmet is available here.

Carrots can be a bit boring, but the dressing and spices in this recipe give a tangy flavor to the carrots. Great with any grilled meat.

6 medium sized carrots
Salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 minced red onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
Olive oil
Dash of ground turmeric
Dash of ground cumin
3 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Wash, peel and cut the carrots into thin slices. Steam or cook in a little salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and over low heat saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the turmeric, cumin, brown sugar, parsley and lemon. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Mix through and pour over the carrots, season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Serve.
(Serves 2)

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I came across these two interesting pieces in my reading today:

Talking wine: Rising expectations lift all wines

"Wine is an acquired taste that has a lot of potential. There's this natural progression of taste that moves only forward and upward. First come wine coolers in your 20s, then simple white wines in your 30s and full-bodied reds for the mortgage years.

It never goes in the opposite direction either, and I defy anyone to show me a wine lover who started out drinking big dense reds and evolved into passion-pink wine coolers."


On Wine: Okanagan vineyard hopes to uncork B.C.'s winemaking potential

"With its ideal growing conditions and stunning topography, British Columbia's Okanagan Valley has perhaps the greatest underutilized potential of any of the world's wine regions. Yet the wine industry there has been agonizingly slow to start producing and marketing fine wine.

Perhaps a new wine called Osoyoos Larose can lead the way. It's the joint venture of North American industry giant Vincor International and France's Groupe Taillan, proprietor of six respected Bordeaux chateaux including the Saint Julien second-growth Gruaud-Larose, which lent its name to the venture. (Shades of the Mondavi-Rothschild union that created the Napa Valley's Opus One)."

Great wine from Canada... Who knew?

"Here's an easy recipe from Aunt Runner,  Hey, even da ol' mon can make this recipe. YES!"

Chocolate Chip Candy
1 package (18 ounces) Chocolate Chips
1 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened Condensed Milk

Melt chips over low heat with sweetened condensed milk. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread onto wax paper lined 8x8 pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Cut into squares.

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Also in this month's Fortnight Recipe: "Graphic Designer and Good Friend Barb sent this humor in the kitchen after a Green Beans recipe appeared in the November 21, 2003 Fortnight Recipe: Turkey Time," "Valued Fortnight Subscriber Lynne sent da ol' mon her own made-up basic: Breakfast Egg Sandwich--(good any time of day). For one person."

Read Cajun Clark's latest Fortnight Recipe.

"When choosing a wine to cook with, follow this simple rule: If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. Wine adds taste or texture to a dish, so use good wine"

Read this very interesting article on cooking with wine, including a recipe for a vegetarian marinara developed to highlight cooking with red wine, and wine suggestions:

• "2001 Chinon, Marc Bredif, Loire Valley, France ($15 to $17). This wine is made with Cabernet Franc, grown in a beautiful town along the Loire River south of Paris. I recommend this to Bordeaux lovers as a tasty and unique alternative. It has a vibrant color, a woodsy aroma with black raspberry and a dry finish. *** 1/2"
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• "Jest Red, California, ($10 to $12). With no vintage and no specified grape varietals or vineyard site, this wine is what it says it is - just red. Its aroma is simple, high-toned cherry-berry. The flavor is juicy and fruity and slightly sweet, with a dry finish. **"
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• "2000 McWilliam's Shiraz, Brand's Laira Vineyards, Coonawarra, Australia ($9 to $11). This Aussie wine is a real crowd pleaser. It has cedar, big red raspberry/plum fruit aromas and the woody ripe flavors consistent with those aromas. ***"
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• "2002 Fairview Pinotage, Paarl Valley, South Africa, ($12-$14). Pinotage is a South African hybrid grape created from Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. The results have been mixed, producing wines of high alcohol and spiciness. The Fairview is made by Charles Back's winery, known for its New World-style winemaking, and is one of the best Pinotages I've tasted. The color is a dark dusty purple, the aromas are of smoked mushrooms and prunes, and the flavor has lush fruit with dry tannins and a very balanced finish. Try it, you'll like it. ****"
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Vegetable Marinara Sauce
"Here is a simple vegetarian marinara sauce recipe... developed to highlight cooking with red wine."
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This recipe should not take you more than 20 minutes to prepare. If you want to add other vegetables to the sauce, you can add some mushrooms and more herbs such as parsley and oregano.

1 lb veal, cut in thin strips (about 1/2 inch/1 cm)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Juice of 1 lemon 1/4 Cup (1/2 dl) creme fraiche
1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Ca. 1 lb spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti as indicated on the package. Peel and mince the garlic, thyme and rosemary. In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and stir fry the garlic, thyme and rosemary. Add the meat and brown over medium heat. Add the lemon juice and grated rind and cool for or 2 minutes.

Add the creme fraiche, the sliced spring onions, and freshly chopped tomatoes; heat through. Add the hot spaghetti and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
(Serves 4)

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I've ordered and will be receiving a coffee roaster soon, so I'm sure I'll be delving into the ins and outs of roasting your own coffee here soon enough, but while looking for information on the subject, I came across this great 3 piece article on what makes a great cup of coffee. I thought others here might find it interesting as well, and it's well worth the read if you like great coffee like I do...

Searching For The Perfect Cup Of Coffee - Part One - COSTA RICA

Some nuggests of wisdom from the first piece include:

• "What does it take to make a good cup of coffee, I asked. First, Norman responded, you've got to use good fresh coffee and lots of it! He continued to explain that most people do not use enough ground coffee when they make a pot."


• "Despite the type of coffee, degree of roast or blend that you use, you must first start with enough fresh ground coffee, brewed correctly, to enable the true depth of flavor of the bean to express itself.
  
  Chemically about 30% of the mass of ground coffee is extractable. However, it is only about 18 to 22% of that mass that contains the real flavor. The remaining 8% is mostly made up of bitter and undesirable flavor compounds. If you use too little coffee your cup will be bitter because you will have over-extracted the coffee."


• "In it's green state coffee beans will maintain their optimum quality for up to a year, however, once roasted, the quality will quickly deteriorate when exposed to oxygen. Furthermore, once the roasted bean has been ground it begins to deteriorate immediately.
  
  Norman's next advice about making a good cup of coffee was, Buy it fresh, use it now!"

Searching For The Perfect Cup Of Coffee - Part Two - COSTA RICA

The second piece describes proper "cupping" techniques (Think wine tasting for coffee).

Searching For The Perfect Cup Of Coffee - Part Three - COSTA RICA

And the third piece describes actually going to a coffee plantation and seeing how coffee is grown and harvested.

Interesting stuff.

I was looking for cheap "clearance" dinnerware recently, for upcoming food photography (yes, MacGourmet will feature original food photography for recipes created and posted here) and found the Pfaltzgraff.com website. While browsing the Pfaltzgraff Clearance Areawhich I highly recommend checking out BTW (shameless plug, we are an affiliate, so if you buy though us, you help support MacGourmet.com), I came across their recipe section. It features what look like some really good selections. Here are some from their site:

• Avocado/Cucumber Soup
  1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
  3 Tbsp. white vinegar
  2 tsp. sugar
  1 tsp. salt
  2 Tbsp. Canola oil
  1/3 cup chopped shallots
  1 English cucumber, unpeeled and sliced
  3 cups chicken broth
  2 avocados, pitted, peeled and chopped
  1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  Salt and pepper to taste
  
  In small bowl, combine onion, vinegar, sugar and salt. Let stand while preparing soup. In large sauce pan with Canola oil, sauté shallots until translucent. Add cucumber and broth. Simmer 15 minutes until cucumber is tender. Add avocados and lemon juice. Remove from heat and puree in batches in blender. In clean pot, heat thoroughly and season to taste. Top each serving with pickled onions. Makes 4 servings.
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• Brandied Pumpkin Soup
  1/2 cup butter
  1/2 cup chopped onion
  1/2 tsp. each ground ginger and nutmeg
  3-1/2 cups chicken broth
  3 cups canned pumpkin
  1 cup half-and-half
  2 Tbsp. brandy
  Salt and pepper to taste
  Crouton Garnish
  
  In saucepan, cook onion in melted butter until transparent Blend in spices and broth. Bring to a boil. Blend in pumpkin and half-and-half. Reduce heat. Stir occasionally until soup is hot. Stir in brandy. Season to taste. Garnish with croutons. Makes 2 quarts.
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• Monica’s Apple Cran-nut Pie
  Monica Schenk, Naples, NY
  
  5 cups prepared apples (peeled and sliced)
  2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  1/2 cup sugar
  1/3 cup flour
  1 tsp. cinnamon
  1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  chopped walnuts (optional)
  2 Tbsp. butter
  Pastry for two pie crusts
  
  Preheat oven to 400º. Combine all ingredients, except pastry and butter, in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Place pie bird in center of the pastry-lined Perfect Pie Plate, fill plate around bird with the apple cranberry mixture dot with butter. Moisten edges of bottom crust, cut a 3-inch slit in top crust. Lay over filled pie plate with slit over pie bird. Head and beak will be peaking through crust! Seal edges and pinch. Bake 1 hour or until golden brown and apples are done. Cover edges with foil if they begin to brown too quickly.
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• Tomato Florentine Soup
  1/3 cup diced onion
  2 cloves garlic, chopped
  1 Tbsp. olive oil
  1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
  1 cup chicken broth
  1 cup baby spinach, snipped
  
  In saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients. Heat thoroughly and until spinach is wilted. 2-3 servings.
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• Ham and Swiss Boli
  1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
  2 Tbsp. mustard
  1/2 lb. cooked ham, chopped
  1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  1/4 cup diced pimiento
  1/4 cup diced dill pickle
  1 egg, beaten
  
  On floured surface, roll dough to rectangle. Transfer to greased baking sheet. Over center third of dough, spread mustard and place ham, cheese, pimiento and pickle. With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1-inch apart along sides of filling. Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across filling. Cover loaf. Let rest 20 minutes. Brush with egg. Bake at 375º for 35 minutes.
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For more great Pfaltzgraff.com recipes, visit their recipe archive.


If you are looking for great dinnerware, at great prices, please visit our affiliate.

Chicken and mango go well together. The mango is even tastier with this chicken curry.

1 lb chicken fillets or breasts
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Little vegetable oil
2 mangos
2-3 chili peppers
1 bunch spring onions
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 Cup (1/2 dl) vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Brush the lemon juice over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with curry powder and fry about 3 minutes on each side.

Cut the mango from the pit, peel and cut into thin slices. Wash, trim and cut the chili peppers in half, removing most, if not all, of the seeds. Trim, wash and cut spring onions into thin slices. Mix the chili peppers, spring onions and mango slices. Whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper and pour over the mango salad. Add the chicken pieces an serve with naan bread or wraps.

(Serves 4)

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"Three recipes are featured in this issue. ALL contributed by touchy-feely cooks. In other words, how it looks and how it tastes when you're putting the ingredients together. Funny thing is though, da ol' mon personally knows more of these experienced cooks than he does the ones who measure every thing out spoon by spoon, cup by cup. Don't rightly know what that says or means. If you do, let Caj know."

Here are two of the recipes from this month's Fortnight Recipe from Cajun Clark, a little late this time because of a hard disk failure, a hurricane and a server change...

Seafood Chowder
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Fluffy Cornbread
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Read Cajun Clark's latest Fortnight Recipe.

I recently acquired a Senseo from my friend Jay. He runs SingleServeCoffee.com, and I had been hearing about these new single or double cup coffeemakers from him for a while. Single serve coffeemakers have been big in Europe, but have now started showing up here in the US too. Rather than buying and grinding coffee beans, or using pre-ground coffee in a canister and measuring it out scoop by scoop, single serve makers use "pods" or "k-cups" that contain vaccuum packed pre-ground coffee. Brewing a cup is as easy as popping in a pod or k-cup, filling the maker with water and pressing your one or two cup selection. Having had it and used it for some time, I have these impressions to offer:

• Easy set up, kind of loud


• Made a mug of medium. Pretty smooth. Better with more sugar. Put cream in first, cause you can't see through the foam unless you have a clear mug.


• Hot. That's good.


• No coffee brewing aroma. May or may not be a down side for you.


• FAST


• Great that you make as much or as little as you want.


• Did I mention FAST?


• Very limited varieties from Sanseo. This can be remedied by 3rd parties, or with a filter that lets you use your own ground coffee.


• Clean up: Super fast.


• Checked with Peet's: no plans to make pods. Gourmet coffee places like Peet's might stay away from pods.


• Any way you slice it, not as good as fresh ground, definite tradeoff.


• I liked the smoothness of the second pass through two pods. Sort of weak, but very light and creamy.


• Have a dinner party where different people want different coffees or maybe even decafe coffee? Not a problem with a single serve machine

Will this replace my Infuze vacuum brew coffeemaker (a review of this is coming later)? Not any time soon. Actually not ever. But the Senseo definitely has a place in the gourmet's kitchen I think. It's easy and it gives you access to variety for guests. It's also great when you only want one quick cup of coffee with very little clean up. And to be honest, while the coffees I've tried so far haven't been spectacular and have had little character, the Senseo still makes a pretty good, different (creamy) cup of coffee.

For more information on single serve coffeemakers like the Senseo, check out SingleServeCoffee.com where you'll find tons of information on the different makers, coffees for them, etc. The Senseo Single Serve Coffee Machine and is available from Amazon.com in a variety of colors.

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This is a relatively easy one-dish meal good any time of the year. A nice green salad goes well with this meal.

2 oz (60 g) butter
2 red bell (capsicum) peppers
4 spring onions,
3-4 rashers (slices) bacon
3 oz (90 g) peas, thawed
1 Cup (2 dl) risotto or arborio* rice
1 strand saffron
1 1/2 Cups (3 dl) vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Thai fish sauce
3 oz (150 g) chicken breast
8 oz (ca 250 g) prawns
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Tbsp each, fresh oregano and parsley

Directions:

Heat butter in a wok or large, heavy skillet. Wash and cut the bell (capsicum) peppers into cubes. Wash, trim and cut the spring onions into diagonal slices. Saute the chopped bell (capsicum) peppers, and spring onions for 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Remove meat and skin from chicken breasts and slice meat into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces. Cut the bacon into small pieces. Saute the chicken breast and bacon pieces and brown lightly. Remove and set aside.

Add the rice and saffron and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable or chicken stock and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add the capsicum and spring onions, chicken breast and bacon, the thawed peas, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and prawns. Season with salt and pepper, add the fresh oregano and parsley, stir through and serve very hot.* Arborio rice or risotto rice are used in Italian dishes. It is not as dry or grainy as normal or parboiled rice.
(Serves 2)

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