love songs

So it’s been a long time since my last post.  (Although life can sometimes get in the way of blogging) I've discovered some great inspiration over the past few months.  One such inspiration is the amazing soul of singer Corinne Bailey Rae.

I’ve been a fan of hers for a while, but it wasn’t until I recently bought her record, The Love EP that I’ve come to appreciate the depth of her talent.

  

Corinne’s voice is tender, ethereal, soulful. 

In a way her voice reminds me of Sam Cooke’s, smooth like silk yet as deep as the ocean.  Beneath the beauty there are layers of sadness, hope, and yearning. 

In recent years she has experienced personal tragedy.  You can sense that pain as she imbues each song with emotion.  Her EP is a collection of love song covers, iconic songs like Paul McCartneys’ "My Love" and Bob Marley’s "Is This Love."  These songs are tinged with melancholy and are hauntingly beautiful.  Her cover of "Que Sera Sera" is a revelation.

Corinne Bailey Rae - My Love

Corinne Bailey Rae - Is This Love

Corinne Bailey Rae - Que Sera Sera (Live)

It’s inspiring when a singer is able to reveal themselves through someone else’s song and make it there own.  When an artist can shade beauty with their own vulnerability.  

In the same way we can add our own emotions and experiences to our cooking.  Chefs always say you can taste the love in someone’s food, or taste the sadness.  (I think that’s why we can cook the same dish on two different days and it can come out completely different.)

While I was listening to her EP I couldn't help but think of chocolate (and not the sugary milk chocolate kind) but the real stuff.  People put their heart and soul into making chocolate, infusing it with their own flavor, their own life experience.  I love the idea of people from all over the world taking a raw product, tasting the land where it came from and adding their own story to it.

So I decided to make a dark hot chocolate. 

I had heard of a unique dark hot chocolate infused with rose petals.  I decided to add some cinnamon and chiles for heat.  It ended up tasting rich, silky, complex, slightly bitter… intoxicating.  Like the best singers, it has many layers and tells many stories all at once.

 

love-roots pairing

drink- an intoxicating dark hot chocolate

infuse it- with your own emotion

listen- to a melancholy love song

take the time- to taste all the layers

Imbued Hot Chocolate

2½ c Whole Milk

2 c Heavy Cream

¼ oz Dried Rosebuds

3 ea Cinnamon Sticks

4 ea Small Dried Arbol Chiles, cracked in half

1 ea Vanilla Bean, split lengthwise

1 tbs Sugar in the Raw

8 oz 70% Dark Chocolate (Guanaja or Single Origin if possible), coarsely chopped

Combine milk, heavy cream, rosebuds, cinnamon sticks, chiles, and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat to just below the simmering point.  Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let steep for another 10 minutes and strain.  Transfer back into the saucepan.  Gently heat and add coarsely chopped chocolate and sugar.  Whisk until the chocolate is melted.  Taste for sweetness and add a little bit more sugar if you like it sweeter. 

Carefully spoon about 1/3 of the mixture into a blender.  Hold a towel over the lid and blend for about a minute or until frothy.  Carefully ladle the hot chocolate from the saucepan into mugs about 2/3 of the way up and top with the mixture from the blender.  Put a record on and serve with French macaroons or biscotti.  Serves 4-6.

boom for real

I recently watched the moving documentary, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child.  In the 80’s, Jean-Michel, only in his early twenties, became a superstar of the art world.  Tragically, his life was cut short in the prime of his career.

His creative process was inspiring to watch.  He liked to paint among stacks of books and magazines, with music playing and the TV on.  He found inspiration everywhere; from a page of Grey’s Anatomy, a Charlie Parker song, a broken window on the street.  His work was deeply personal, like throbbing explosions of color, emotion and experience.

Check out some his work here.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel had this saying, “boom for real” meaning he would take all the things in his world that inspire him, big or small, interpret them through his own vision and make them explode onto the canvas equally for us to look at and interpret.

I love the quirky romanticism of that.  When an artist is brave enough to let us into their world, bare their soul to us (and give us a glimpse of truth).  It is a very powerful thing.

In the same way, I love seeing how other people make the “simple dish” macaroni and cheese.  It is one of those dishes where a chef can show us who they are and how they view the world.  (Most ideas in cooking are not completely new, but rather an interpretation of another dish you’ve been inspired by.)  Whenever I get a cookbook or look at a menu I always see if they have their version of the dish.

Throughout the years I have taken little inspirations here and there for my own version.  A little bit of bacon here, a little bit of panko there.  (For this version I decided to add a little bit of crumbled Cheetos to honor Jean Michel’s love of pop culture, color and the food he survived on while he was a struggling artist on the streets of New York.) 

Jean-Michel’s paintings show me you must always keep your eyes open.  There is never a moment too small or insignificant that it can’t inspire.  Even a bite of macaroni and cheese can be an explosion of flavor, color, and a window into someone’s world.

love-roots pairing

eat- an inspired macaroni and cheese

top with- crumbled cheetos

watch- jean-michel basquiat: the radiant child

add some- “boom for real” to your cooking

“Boom for Real” Macaroni and Cheese

1 # Corkscrew Elbow Macaroni

2 c Heavy Cream

2 c Whole Milk

1 or 2 sprigs Thyme

6 oz Sharp Cheddar, freshly grated

6 oz Fontina, freshly grated

6 oz Parmesan, freshly grated, plus more baking

3 tbs Butter

a few dashes Chipotle Tabasco

4 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped

a few handfuls Panko

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

1 c Cherry Tomatoes, diced

½ pkg Chives, minced

a few handfuls Cheetos, chopped

Cook elbow macaroni in salted water according to instructions on the box for al dente.  Drain and run under water until the noodle are cool and set aside.

In a large sauce pan bring heavy cream, milk and thyme to a simmer over medium heat and simmer.  Carefully remove the sprigs of thyme.

Add the cheeses and cook on low until the cheeses melt.  Add noodles, butter, tabasco, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary.

Place pasta in medium baking dish and top with panko, bacon and more grated parmesan.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes until bubbly, then broil on high for 2-5 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

Top with some of the tomatoes, chives, cheetos and serve.  I like to put out extra toppings and parmesan cheese, just in case people want to add more as they eat. Enjoy.

a classic

Sometimes cocktail lounges try to re-create that old-school speakeasy vibe.  But (if you are very lucky) sometimes you get to go to a place that does not have to pretend. 

Last week I was lucky enough to go to Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge.  Originally opened in 1938, it is Milwaukee’s oldest cocktail lounge.  The drawn curtains, velvet wallpaper, and oval booths are right out of an episode of Mad Men.  (The owners have even restored the original McIntosh stereo system that spins old jazz, soul and rat pack records.) 

Check out the place here.

Bryant's Cocktail Lounge

One lovely touch is the ordering system.  Although there is no official menu, the bartenders are versed in hundreds of cocktails.  The servers assist patrons in ordering cocktails based on their flavor and strength preferences. 

Sometimes it’s as simple as taking a sip from your friend’s giant tiki-inspired hurricane drink and saying “I want one of those.”  But me, I ordered a Hendrick’s Gin Martini.  If anyone could make it right it would be this place… and they did.  (They even served the olives in their own mini cocktail glass.)

When music, drinks, atmosphere and conversation intermingle in that special way, I like to call it vibe… and this place has vibe in spades.

All that was missing was the food.  So when I came home I was inspired to create my dream martini meal. 

When I think of a classic martini and I want a classic dish. 

A steak tartare fits the bill.  The briny anchovies and capers match the saltiness of the olives.  The straight-forward yet delicate tenderloin matches the no-nonsense, clean flavor of the cocktail.  The egg yolk on top is a little daring.  (This food/cocktail pairing is not for the timid.)

But when both are made right they go together like a little black dress and a three piece suit.  They never go out of style, they are never old fashioned.  Just like Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge, they are a classic.

love-roots pairing

eat- a classic steak tartare

topped- with a daring egg yolk

turn down- the lights and turn up the music

drink- a classic gin martini

create-a vibe that never goes out of style

A Classic Steak Tartare with “Vibe”

10 oz USDA Prime Beef Tenderloin, the best quality you can find, small diced

4 or 5 ea Anchovies, minced

1 tbs Capers, roughly chopped

2 tbs Red Onion, finely chopped

2 tbs Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 small drizzle Olive Oil

A few dashes Tabasco

1 dash Worcestershire

1 pinch Cayenne

1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 ea Egg Yolks, organic

Place diced tenderloin in a glass bowl on top of another larger bowl filled with ice.  Put in the fridge while you are preparing the other items.  Once all the items are chopped, mix all the items in the glass bowl with the meat.  Adjust the salt, pepper and spices to taste. 

Using a food ring mold (if possible) form half of the tartare meat on each the two plates.  Top each mound of tartare with an egg yolk.  Serve with toasted baguette slices, (extra anchovies if you are a big fan) and gin martinis.   

cooking in color

Sometimes an artist uses beauty to show us a truth about our own humanity. 

I’ve been very inspired by my recent visits to the new Chihuly exhibit in St Petersburg.  Chihuly is a glass sculptor whose work you can see all over the world.  Many of his glass sculptures are displayed in such a way that they are interwoven into nature.

I am most moved by his Niijima Float Boat exhibits.  They are large, wooden rowboats filled with brilliantly-colored glass orbs.  The juxtaposition of these two images can be breathtaking.  Out of something natural (and “ordinary”) there is an explosion of the extraordinary.

Here are some examples of his amazing float boats.

Chihuly Boats

Chihuly views life in a truly unique way.  I love how he can create a world where works of his own imagination intermingle with everyday life.  His art inspires me to think about my own creativity in my cooking.

When I look at Chihuly’s work I think about how art (and inspired cooking) do not exist in a vacuum.  They exist all around us; in our kitchens, in our parks, on the side of buildings, at the neighborhood café (and in our own imagination.)

So I’ve decided to play more in the kitchen… with colors, flavors and presentation.  With taking something as beautiful and natural as a whole snapper, and mixing it with colorful slices of citrus and worn beach glass.

And that’s a truth that Chihuly shows us; that when we are receptive to the world around us, we have the potential to bring creativity (and color) into our lives. 

love-roots pairing

eat- whole roasted snapper and fennel

on a bed of- citrus slices and beach glass

look- at the world through Chihuly’s eyes

be inspired- to see your dinner as art

Whole Roasted “Chihuly” Citrus Snapper

1 ea (1 to 1 ½ #) Whole Snapper, scaled, gutted and cleaned

1 ea Grapefruit, sliced

1 ea Orange, sliced

1 ea Lemon, sliced

1 ea Lemon, halved

1 ea Lime, sliced

a few fennel frond tops

1 large drizzle Olive Oil

1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Kosher Salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse snapper under running water and pat dry with paper towels.  With a pairing knife slice three vertical 2 in. slits into the side of fish, piercing the skin and going partially into the flesh.  Turn over the fish and repeat. 

Rub down the whole fish, including the cavity with olive oil and season with salt and red pepper flakes.  Stuff the cavity of the fish with a few fennel frond tops and a few slices of lemons.  Stuff a few half slices of lemons into the slits on the top side of the fish. 

Place half of sliced citrus on a roasting pan then place the fish on top.  Place both halves of the lemon, cut side down, on the pan as well.  Roast in the oven uncovered for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Layer the roasted and fresh slices of citrus on a few handfuls of beach glass and carefully top with the snapper.  Garnish the platter with fresh fennel fronds and serve with the roasted lemon halves and some roasted fennel.

a late supper

It’s funny how certain ideas become imprinted in our memories at a young age.  

When I was in 6^th grade I remember riding my bike to the local video store with friends and borrowing Eddie Murphy’s Beverly Hills Cop.  (I have no idea how we were able to rent it at that age.)  We would watch it over and over again, quoting all of our favorite lines. 

In case you forgot how hilarious and quotable this movie is, check out the original 1984 trailer. 

Beverly Hills Cop Trailer 

In one scene Eddie Murphy’s character distracts the cops, who are staking him out in front of his hotel, by sending them a shrimp salad sandwich from the late supper room service menu.  The sandwich is so good, and they are so distracted, that he puts a banana in their car tailpipe. 

It’s a classic scene.

Every time I would watch that scene I wanted that sandwich.  (In the movie you never even see the sandwich!)  But in my mind it must have been the tastiest shrimp salad sandwich in the world. 

I was watching an Eddie Murphy biography on tv the other day.  I immediately wanted to watch all of his classic 80’s movies again… and I wanted to eat a shrimp salad sandwich.

I love how eating that sandwich takes me back.

To being that age.  To feeling like a rebel because I was watching Eddie Murphy’s movies.  To being amazed at the idea of a fancy hotel server delivering a late supper to a car across the street.  To thinking a shrimp salad sandwich was the ultimate luxury in life.

There’s a quote I love by Einstein that that says “There are two ways to live your life - one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that we can easily experience the ultimate luxuries in life (if we would just look at the world through our own inner-child’s eye.)  It might even be in something as simple as a sandwich.

love-roots pairing

eat- a shrimp salad sandwich

curl up- in bed for a late supper

drink- sparkling water with a “lemon twist”

watch- beverly hills cop

get ready- to laugh

Distracting Shrimp Salad Sandwiches

Shrimp Salad

½ # Shrimp, cooked and deveined

½ ea Small Red Onion, thin sliced

3 stalks Green Red Onion, sliced thin on a bias

2 or 3 sprigs Dill, chopped

1 ea Lemon, zest

½ ea Lemon, juice

3 tbs Mayonnaise

1 sm dash Red Wine Vinegar

1 drizzle Olive Oil

1 pinch Red Pepper flakes

1 tiny pinch Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 ea Large Buttery Croissants

½ Avocado, sliced

Combine all ingredients for the shrimp salad in a bowl and mix.  Taste and adjust for flavor.  (If it’s too thick add a bit more red wine vinegar, if it’s too thin add a bit more mayo.)  Slice the croissants in half lengthwise to make the sandwiches.  On the bottom of the croissants put a layer of the sliced avocado.  Pile half of the shrimp salad on top of each croissant, leaving some in the bowl if it gets too high.  Top with the other half of the croissant, turn on a movie and enjoy.

burnt kabob

Because this week has been a little crazy (with a 24-hour chef’s event I’m doing at work) I thought I’d share a poem I’ve been inspired by.

Burnt Kabob

Last year, I admired wines.  This,

I’m wandering inside the red world.

Last year, I gazed at the fire.

This year I’m burnt kabob.

Thirst drove me down to the water

where I drank the moon’s reflection.

Now I am a lion staring up totally

lost in love with the thing itself.

Don’t ask questions about longing.

Look in my face.

Soul drunk, body ruined, these two

sit helpless in a wrecked wagon.

Neither knows how to fix it.

And my heart, I’d say it was more

like a donkey sunk in a mudhole,

struggling and miring deeper.

But listen to me: for one moment,

quit being sad.  Hear blessings

dropping their blossoms

around you.  God.

                          -       Rumi

I’ve been reading a collection of Rumi’s poems for sometime now.  Every once in a while I find myself picking it up and reading a few pages. 

 

I’m always in awe of the raw yet graceful tone of Rumi’s poems.  While he is often labeled as a romantic poet, I feel that he’s more of a mystic, celebrating the wonderment of everyday moments. 

One of his poems, Burnt Kabob, has really stuck in my mind.  I think it’s the idea of wandering in a red world, getting burnt by a fire and drinking from the moon’s reflection that lingers with me.

I love the ardor of those images.  The inexplicable rush one gets from taking a chance and committing wholly to an idea, belief or dream.

The idea of the burnt kabob is freeing really.  In order to follow our passions we have to let go of the fear of getting burnt. 

I want to cook more like that.

 

I want to live more like that.

But what is the “thing” that the courageous lion is staring up at, lost in love with?  I guess that is the question everyone has to ask themselves.  (Maybe the “thing” is different for each of us?)  Where does one find their own passion, spirituality and transcendence? 

Is it the act of doing, the journey of through the mud itself, that allows us to hear the dropping of the blossoms? 
(Have a lovely rest of the week.)

love-roots pairing

eat- char-grilled kabobs

over- a bowl of herbed couscous

drink- red wine until you wander inside a red world

read- a Rumi poem (or any poem that fills you with passion)

“Burnt” Rumi Kabobs

1 ½# Sirloin Steak, Lamb or Chicken, cubed

1 ea Red Onion, cubed

5 or 6 ea Skewers, soaked in water

Marinade

6 cloves Garlic, minced

1 sm handful Oregano, chopped

1 ea Lemon, juice and zest

1 sm drizzle Honey

2 tbs Greek Yogurt

1 lrg drizzle Olive Oil

1 pinch each Cayenne, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes or to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Add all ingredients for the marinade in a shallow bowl.  Taste the marinade for spiciness and seasoning.  (Add more spices, honey, and salt until you like the flavor.)  Add the cubed meat of your choice.  Cover and let marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.  Assemble skewers by alternating the meat and red onions.  Cook on an outdoor grill for about 2 minutes a side, depending on the type of meat.  Serve over some herbed couscous with a tasty red wine.

red beans and soul

So anyone who knows me knows that I love soul music and comfort food.  There’s nothing better than putting on some old-school 60’s soul and hanging out in the kitchen with my husband (he's a great assistant…and doesn’t mind doing dishes.)

Recently I’ve stumbled upon some great new music.  My current favorite is a French singer, Ben L’Oncle Soul.  He is on the French division of Motown and his music is playful, funky, soulful and just retro enough without being pastiche. (Oh and because of his love for American culture and his grandfather’s bowties he took his name from Uncle Ben’s Rice… sometimes he even rocks the bowtie!)

Check him out here.

Soulman- Ben L'Oncle Soul

Mon Amour- Ben L'Oncle Soul

His album makes me want to turn off the tv, grab a beer and spend all afternoon cooking.  So I decided to make some red beans and rice.

I think the beauty of red beans and rice is the simplicity of it… the soulfulness of it.  Just a bag of beans, the trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) and some smoked ham hocks will get you on your way.

Then it’s four hours of simmering, stirring, listening to music, seasoning, and tasting.  And when you see the beans getting creamy and soft, it’s like a tiny revelation; a moment you know will happen yet still feels like a present each time.

I love when music and food feels old and new, classic and fresh all at the same time.  I guess in a way Ben L'Oncle's music is like red beans and rice.  They both feel like a strolling down a familiar street in a new pair of shoes.

love-roots pairing

eat-red beans over uncle ben’s rice

wipe the bowl with-french baguette

drink with-ipa beer

listen to-ben l’oncle soul

Red Beans and Ben L’Oncle Soul’s Rice

1 # Dried Red Bean, picked through for stones

a few tbs of Olive Oil

1 ea Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 ea Vidalia Onion, diced

6 stalks Celery, diced

6 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 # Smoked Sausage, cut on bias

½ # Cooked Ham, diced

2 ea Smoked Ham Hocks

3-4 sprigs Thyme

2-3 ea Bay Leaves

a large pinch of cayenne or to taste

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

½ bu Green Onions, cut on a bias

  Quick-soak the beans by covering them with water in a pot, bringing them to a boil for 5 minutes then pulling off the heat.  Cover and let them sit for an hour, then drain.
  Cover the beans with fresh water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for an hour.  While they are simmering, cut all of your other ingredients. 

  When the beans are just tender, drain them into a colander.  In the same pot sauté the onions, celery and bell peppers on medium heat in the olive oil.  Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook until the onions smell sweet and look translucent.  Add the garlic, sausage and ham and sauté for another few minutes.  Add back the beans, ham hocks, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne. 

  Fill with water until the beans are just covered, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until the beans are creamy and soft, 2 ½ to 3 hours.  You may have to add a bit of water along the way, stirring them to make sure they don’t stick on the bottom. (I always season along the way as well, with cayenne, salt and pepper.  I was very cautious with salt because there is so much salt with the pork ingredients.)

  Serve over Uncle Ben’s Rice, with some French bread, a good ipa beer and garnish with green onions and Crystal’s hot sauce.