Back in Whites

Well, I’m officially re-enrolled in school. I had my first night of Level 6 this past Tuesday and I have to say, it felt great to be back. My legs were pretty tired as I am definitely not used to standing up for five and a half hours straight. But that is a small price to pay to be back in the kitchen.

Last August (aka, pre-diagnosis), I was pretty exhausted – all school and all work makes Aimee something something…oh that’s right, burn out – at least after eight months of that schedule. However, the seven month hiatus was just what I needed to feel reinvigorated in the kitchen – it’s the same feeling I had when I started working almost-full time again.

I now appreciate how luxurious it is cooking in a kitchen with access to so many ingredients, supplies and potwashers. My first station was garde manger (salads and appetizers) and most of the prep was already done, so my partner and I worked on a special: a duo of melon soups – honeydew and melon – with crisped prosciutto crisps and mint. While we always have to work on the recipes in the curriculum, in garde manger (assuming we have time) and entremetier (working on the amuse-bouche) we can be a bit more creative in developing special offerings for that night.

Although it would be better in the middle of July or August, this chilled soup was the perfect combination of sweet and savory. As it was it a gorgeous high 60’s out, the duo of soups wasn’t a huge seller (also, when offered next to bay scallop ceviche, asparagus with chorizo vinaigrette and pan con tomate, and salade nicoise with fresh seared tuna, I’m not entirely surprised). However, in the 90 degree kitchen, we couldn’t get enough of it.

Duo of Melon Soups with Crisped Prosciutto
The measurements in this are completely estimates. Everything depends entirely on the ripeness of the fruit. When we made it, both the cantaloupe and the honeydew were not very ripe. So, do what I did in the kitchen and just keep tasting with every addition/puree. The citrus and salt both help in boosting the flavor when the fruit is that underripe. Also, there’s no need to make both soups. It’s just as tasty with one. While the two are beautiful together, honeydew is not my favorite. But I will definitely be making the cantaloupe soup all summer. If you want to get really fancy, you can also make a pretty little dice or tiny scoops of the melon for garnish to add a bit more texture (we added a brunoise of melon).

2 cantaloupe melons
2 honeydew melons
1-3 teaspoons of honey or agave nectar (depending on ripeness of fruit – if using honey, start with a tiny amount – it can quickly overwhelm the melon)
2 lemons
2 limes
2 oranges
2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra virgin as this will overwhelm the soup as well) or neutral oil
4 thin slices of prosciutto – cut crosswise into ¼ strips
Sprigs of fresh mint or basil

Seed, peel and chunk the melons (this is getting pureed, so it doesn’t need to be perfect) – keeping separate.

In a blender, add cantaloupe, a squirt of honey or agave and the juice from half a lemon, lime and orange, a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Purée on high and taste. Add more citrus, honey and salt as necessary.

Repeat with honeydew melon.

Heat sauté pan, add a tablespoon of oil and add prosciutto to render fat and crisp – being careful not to burn the meat. Drain on paper towels.

To get the two soups in the bowl, ladle each soup into a separate liquid measuring cup. At the same time, slowly pour the soups – one on each side of the bowl. You may need to move the measuring cups along the bowl to ensure even coverage. The two soups should make a fairly even and distinct line.

Top with prosciutto and garnish with mint or basil sprigs.

Serves 4.

Yum...pork...cheese...

My friend and neighbor Leanna is going to Florida next week and I promised her that I would check in on her two cats while she’s gone. She texted me earlier in the day and said that she dropped off the keys with our doorman along with “some other treats”. So imagine my surprise when I opened up the bag and saw this:

For those of you do not live in NYC, the wrapper on these four packages are from Murray’s Cheese Shop – one of the most famous cheese shops in NYC. I was expecting some banana bread, lemon squares or some other yummy baked good (Leanna went to school with me…unlike me, she actually graduated). And those would have been great – she’s a great chef.

However, words can’t quite express the surprise and excitement that came over me as I slowly recognized the labels. I pretty much tore into the packages and put together a big antipasto platter for Eric and me. Considering that we can’t live on pork and cheese alone, I added in some big grape tomatoes, a lemony sprouts and parsley salad, some cornichons, sun-dried tomatoes that I mixed with olive oil and capers, and slices from a hearty whole week baguette. All in all, the perfect dinner.

Such a tease

After months of potatoes, onions and apples, the Union Square Greenmarket is starting to show signs of life. Although spring officially started over two weeks ago, the temperature has been hovering around the mid-40’s (warmer days being ruined by rain). But Saturday was different. It was 55 degrees F and gorgeously sunny. To top it off, I finished radiation on Friday. Good times all around.

How refreshing to see colors again! Tulips, cherry blossoms, daffodils, fresh herbs. It was almost a bit overwhelming – although that may be more to do with the market changing to the south side of the park rather than the normal north end (construction). Eric and I came home with two azalea plants, daisies in a rainbow of colors, and a bunch of fresh herbs – dill, Italian parsley, thyme, sage and rosemary.

Eric spent the day gardening (if you can call it that considering our “garden” consists of various pots and window boxes on a 15th floor balcony). I toiled a few hours away in the pottery studio, but took a snack break – eating my favorite tacos – in a park wearing short sleeves. Spring had finally arrived!

After watching lots of basketball (Nice win, Kansas! After six years of being with a guy who went to NC State, I’ve developed an irrational bias against the Tar Heels), I went to bed thinking about all of the fun things that I would do in the sunshine the following day. On Sundays, I usually give a friend cooking lessons in the morning and have pottery class at night, but that still leaves a good five-hour chunk of time to enjoy the warmth and sun.

So imagine my shock and dismay when I woke up the next day and it was cold and grey. Of course, I actually do check the weather every day, but amazingly, it never quite sinks in (e.g. the other day, I checked weather.com and heard on WNYC that it was going to rain in the afternoon, yet I still went to work without an umbrella, which of course, meant that I got drenched walking home). Instead of walking around Central Park, I ended up watching Scooby Doo reruns and Lord of the Rings.

While I realize that NYC is one of the worst places to spend summer if you don’t have a house on the shore or in the Hamptons – endless months of disgustingly humid days of smelling rotting garbage and urine – I love those first few days of spring (yes, I realized that is probably the most clichéd thing I could say but it’s true). Unfortunately, Saturday was just a tease…it’s been back in the 40’s the past few days.

And since it’s still chilly out, hearty foods are still in order. Hearty but light. A contradiction, you think? Well, give these turkey-quinoa meatballs a try. With quinoa, ricotta and spinach, these meatballs are moist, tender and healthy - a healthiness that I immediately offset with Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce (delicious, but made with five tablespoons of butter). But feel free to eat these with something a bit healthier.

Turkey-Quinoa Meatballs
From the pictures, you can see that the meatballs are fairly light – because of the ground turkey breast. There’s spinach throughout the meatball as well as little reddish-brown specks, which is the red quinoa. The quinoa adds a great textural contrast but for those who may not like little reddish-brown specks, feel free to use regular quinoa instead.

1 medium onion – small dice
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 ½ pounds ground turkey breast
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 package frozen chopped spinach – thawed and drained
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for pans)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and continue to cook, until fragrant. Remove from heat and place onions and garlic in large mixing bowl.

Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and mix with hands (just until the ingredients come together – try not to overmix). Test for seasoning by making a small patty and cooking in a sauté pan. When cooked through, taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Lightly oil sheet pan. Using your hands, form mixture into 2-inch balls and place evenly on sheet pan. When all meatballs are formed, drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place in oven and roast for 18 – 20 minutes (depending on your oven).

Serve with favorite tomato sauce.

Makes approximately 20-25 meatballs.

She’s may not be Julia Roberts…

But she does have a pug-like obsession with armadillos (and by ‘pug-like’, I mean a love equivalent to my love of pugs…however, unlike me, she can’t just stop random strangers in the street who are walking them). Last year, my college roommate Gleason got married in Beaufort, NC (of the pig in a puppy fame). So, for her bridal shower, I decided to channel my inner Dolly Parton (or, really, the woman who played Lana on Three’s Company, the randy older neighbor who was always hitting on Jack) and make a red velvet armadillo cake.


I’m definitely no Duff from Ace of Cakes, however, considering that I’m a mediocre baker at best (as a relatively impatient cook who likes to futz, I generally prefer when measurements need not be exact) I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I tried a variety of red velvet cake recipes (my mother always made a red velvet cake for Christmas when I was growing up) to come up with the ideal version (the picture was the third cake). I even made grey icing – cream cheese frosting with black food coloring, that is.

The most fun (funnest?) part of making this cake was definitely the tail. While the taste of fondant has much to be desired, it is easy to mold and aesthetically, it looks great. Unfortunately, having never worked with fondant before, I wasn’t aware that it needed to be kept moist in a refrigerator overnight. I had left it on my table (covered), and it dried out a bit. Lesson learned – although I’m not sure I’ll be making more armadillo cakes anytime soon.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (but no fondant)
Adapted from Bon Appétit
I usually use red food coloring gel, which is a bit more concentrated than the normal red food coloring you find in the grocery store. I like my red velvet cake dark red, especially for an armadillo cake – “blood red” as Julia Roberts would say. However, since most stores just carry the bottles of liquid food coloring, this recipe accounts for that. The instructions are for a standard round layer cake, however, feel free to shape into an armadillo if you’d like.

Cake
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
2 large eggs

Frosting
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese – room temperature (very important!)
½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter – room temperature (alas important)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar - sifted

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 9-inch diameter cake pans.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla in a small bowl.

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat sugar and oil together until well-blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. While continuously beating, alternately add in dry ingredients and buttermilk mixture – starting and ending with the flour.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake about 27 minutes until tester comes out clean. Let cool for ten minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.

For frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in stand mixer until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Place 1 cake layer on serving platter, flat side up. Spread 1/3 of the frosting over top. Add other layer and spread completely with remaining frosting.