Louise's Cookbook Party Game

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRpk1JzciYpgezQXTwAajJnrg3VhkM1ADqvuFR2j-BBXessWgPNFAPa3K2j36mMPqlPFOEg01MBOqTuQcBaqMyZkOCzbANhAJhBwHdlRHOCgBiC7PnZ2od9kh7CehehoThiw_0l7aUYAy/s1600/cranberry-nov08.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659715598518315170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRpk1JzciYpgezQXTwAajJnrg3VhkM1ADqvuFR2j-BBXessWgPNFAPa3K2j36mMPqlPFOEg01MBOqTuQcBaqMyZkOCzbANhAJhBwHdlRHOCgBiC7PnZ2od9kh7CehehoThiw_0l7aUYAy/s400/cranberry-nov08.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />At <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/">Months of Edible Celebrations</a> Louise is having a fun month, challenging her readers to post a recipe in honor of one of the special foods of the month. Among the commemorations she lists for October is Cranberry Month. Great idea -- I hope cranberries start to show up in the markets soon.<div><br /></div><div>I love cranberries. I substitute either dried or fresh for walnuts in chocolate chip cookies or even in <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/11/cranberries-again.html">brownies</a> (shown above). I have made <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2008/11/cranberry-cake-of-good-fortune.html">cranberry cornmeal cake</a>, cranberry bread, and above all, cranberry chutney. I make it early so it will be aged enough for Thanksgiving dinner, so my celebration has to be deferred -- later, I make ordinary cranberry sauce for those who like it more traditional. </div><div><br /></div><div>Louise requested that we specify what event we made our recipe for. She also asked where I got the recipe: good question. I don't remember, I've been making it for years. I hope these details don't disqualify me from <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-cookbook-party.html">her game</a>!<div><br /></div><div>Here's the recipe -- which I've posted before.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4l2ueSg54y4EpEqVXwfGfBeBYUX7sQcPN1I6ZWi-mGbejitDSurI_vAVjT3mwLQAbRPtl6OE_y_QvjVvkvZdeCWuFriKEfjEaWmNtvqZ-XGxwA-j1RDYfkeHb2VscXnz4yod9Z6sp4g7d/s1600-h/cranberries413.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401373978112556466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4l2ueSg54y4EpEqVXwfGfBeBYUX7sQcPN1I6ZWi-mGbejitDSurI_vAVjT3mwLQAbRPtl6OE_y_QvjVvkvZdeCWuFriKEfjEaWmNtvqZ-XGxwA-j1RDYfkeHb2VscXnz4yod9Z6sp4g7d/s400/cranberries413.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); "><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-size: 17px; "><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Cranberry Chutney</span></span><br />Use a total of 2 packages of cranberries -- 6 cups<br />Combine the following in a large pan and boil until sugar dissolves:<pre>1/2 cup cider vinegar 2 and 1/4 cups brown sugar<br />3/4 tsp. curry powder 1/2 tsp. ground ginger<br />1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. allspice<br />1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1 and 1/2 cups water<br /></pre>Add and simmer 10 minutes:<br /><pre>1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped<br />2 lemons and 2 oranges, prepared as follows<br /></pre>Use the orange and lemon rind and the fruit -- pare rind with a vegetable peeler and chop or grate it. Discard the pith. Section and chop the fruit.<br /><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245); ">Add and boil 40 minutes:<br /><pre>1/2 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots<br />3 cups cranberries<br /></pre>Add 3 cups more, that is the rest of the cranberries. I fool around with this recipe a lot. Sometimes I just put everything together and cook until it looks thick and done. Sometimes I use candied ginger.<br /><br />Store in jars in refrigerator. <span style="font-weight: bold; ">Age this chutney about a week before using.</span> It keeps for several months in the refrigerator. It's good as a side dish for chicken, turkey, or duck, or as a filling for halves of acorn squash, or as a relish on a cheddar cheese sandwich -- among other uses.<br /></span></div></div></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nWYV4EhTugLDjhtv-jQT3lCMlbDeye4YBJiypW3xM6_7m3EH3DeD_3eKbQeBp2Loznt-5bt6ANu-4-TvEAaMm7x9gT7WEWRlghFzhiThD3QqdrJKb76oGTBEAmD2RlUyEin7sa7Emp3Z/s1600/cranberry.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659715608168094098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nWYV4EhTugLDjhtv-jQT3lCMlbDeye4YBJiypW3xM6_7m3EH3DeD_3eKbQeBp2Loznt-5bt6ANu-4-TvEAaMm7x9gT7WEWRlghFzhiThD3QqdrJKb76oGTBEAmD2RlUyEin7sa7Emp3Z/s400/cranberry.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" /></a>

Louise's Cookbook Party Game

At Months of Edible Celebrations Louise is having a fun month, challenging her readers to post a recipe in honor of one of the special foods of the month. Among the commemorations she lists for October is Cranberry Month. Great idea -- I hope cranberries start to show up in the markets soon.I love c…

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Food as Architecture

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTv1r1jUW6QZk5ngOy7XqbHX1o_KtGY04DqS-D7TxFRVebgwU_c0SNbYmJ3I1_r-GzDULRHAIQMiBZDiCYSGaOpm0Mwsxl1Jh7Gn5xMO3BsKTEuHsqhqCUXqMRkAeMBBJDPba1tYWa1ka/s1600/turkey4890.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557586930634951538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPTv1r1jUW6QZk5ngOy7XqbHX1o_KtGY04DqS-D7TxFRVebgwU_c0SNbYmJ3I1_r-GzDULRHAIQMiBZDiCYSGaOpm0Mwsxl1Jh7Gn5xMO3BsKTEuHsqhqCUXqMRkAeMBBJDPba1tYWa1ka/s400/turkey4890.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 388px; height: 400px;" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Traditional English Christmas dinner: roast turkey, apricot-bread stuffing, cranberry jelly, vegetables</span> -- that's how it was offered on the menu at the resort restaurant in St.Lucia where we spent Christmas. The turkey and stuffing were quite delicious; the broccoli and carrot a bit uninteresting; I did enjoy my meal.<br /><br />However, I found myself questioning why such a straightforward tradition needed such an elaborate and not very traditional presentation. The meat was rolled up around the stuffing, the cranberry sauce piled on top. A sprig of rosemary topped the cranberry jelly, its flavor not especially integrated into the food.<br /><br />Architectural presentations have been a restaurant fad for at least 25 years. At first this style characterized a certain type of edgy restaurant -- I recall being impressed by the sheer height of the decorations at the Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, for example. Soon everyone was doing it. On the food channel, most demos end with the words "let's plate it up [pause for piling and pouring sauce and picking up a fork]. . .MMMM."<br /><br />No aspiring chef on TV or in real life would just place the food in neat, separate servings on a dinner plate, large or small. A large single-person platter is normal. On the platter's center stands a tall structure. The supporting layer is usually whole grain or mashed potatoes. Next probably a small wedge of meat topped or decorated with vegetables. Small green sprigs, halves of tiny cherry tomatoes, or other garnishes are applied selectively. In the 80's the garnish was often raspberries, but this trend has mercifully declined. Beyond the tower and the garnish, the vast remainder of the smooth china surface must be adorned with swirls of sauce. (Other than the Christmas turkey, most of my dinners in St.Lucia did have swirls of sauce.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccMWX52mHnTyCpJCzKFUS6aM_6_IM8pD_i3CtlTmLDH64KuVwPLvVymu3D_6AtJuJDBxXYFs_kRA2vziGhVxF9S5kW9pEWC3Lq55vQQokAmK0e3Z-6ZJG7tvxoth2kydPurplnmhcHY3f/s1600/duck0337.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557611963068689010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccMWX52mHnTyCpJCzKFUS6aM_6_IM8pD_i3CtlTmLDH64KuVwPLvVymu3D_6AtJuJDBxXYFs_kRA2vziGhVxF9S5kW9pEWC3Lq55vQQokAmK0e3Z-6ZJG7tvxoth2kydPurplnmhcHY3f/s200/duck0337.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" /></a>Cooking shows, blogs, dedicated books, and cooking classes show home cooks how to create food presentations on their own chinaware plates (preferably large, white, and square). When I made the Julia Child recipe for duck a l'orange, it occurred to me that this style had not yet been invented when her book was written in the early 60s, and when I served it, I simply placed the foods on a platter for serving. I've never learned the new way, just the old. Silly me!<br /><br />How many people study these blogs and shows and serve their family a little cylindrical tower of food with a sprig of rosemary? Or do they eat even traditional feasts from a plate piled to the rim with all good things? A plate that looks sort of like this version of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, which is about the same as the English Christmas dinner:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU2GPM9lcxp7zm3Ky8X8q1BCbb5RpBR9qy6E-KOBPFBAygDQsPbUP1pc4ZF5wbpyv9CuW6x1uDhqfvr4d64miqrY1LKHKRN9u2DH0Acl-2DJlIuJcd_KJGeDr8Z2tlRrPi4LmrUPNiW1P/s1600/turkey2009.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557605928636385090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGU2GPM9lcxp7zm3Ky8X8q1BCbb5RpBR9qy6E-KOBPFBAygDQsPbUP1pc4ZF5wbpyv9CuW6x1uDhqfvr4d64miqrY1LKHKRN9u2DH0Acl-2DJlIuJcd_KJGeDr8Z2tlRrPi4LmrUPNiW1P/s400/turkey2009.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" /></a><br />I guess the most extreme presentations in this field are dessert. An article in this week's New Yorker describes the extremest cases -- writer Adam Gopnik explored the architectural trend in dessert. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/01/03/110103fa_fact_gopnik">His description</a>: "three upright cylinders—small towers of something wrapped in something—with the tops sliced at an angle; a crumbly landscape of some kind; and a reflecting pool running around the edge."<span><br /><br />The food tower fad has been with us a long time. I wonder when it will be superseded by another trend.<br /></span>

Food as Architecture

Traditional English Christmas dinner: roast turkey, apricot-bread stuffing, cranberry jelly, vegetables -- that's how it was offered on the menu at the resort restaurant in St.Lucia where we spent Christmas. The turkey and stuffing were quite delicious; the broccoli and carrot a bit uninteresting; I…

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Here's to Julia Child

For New Year's Eve I decided to make a very retro dinner: duck a l'orange from the first volume of <span style="font-style: italic;">Mastering the Art of French Cooking</span>. I neglected Julia's suggestion of simple side dishes and made acorn squash with cranberry relish and kasha to go with it. Our friends Elaine and Bob brought appetizers (spreads from Detroit's fantastic Star Deli) and dessert (a rum cake from a bake sale, made by the wife of the Russian Orthodox priest in town).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5312059041/" title="nyeve0329 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="nyeve0329" height="333" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5285/5312059041_025e643115.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5312648500/" title="nyeve0330 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="nyeve0330" height="334" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5312648500_7d766170fe.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5312058493/" title="nyeve0336 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="nyeve0336" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/5312058493_7d2d4f79f7.jpg" width="333" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5312648288/" title="nyeve0342 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="nyeve0342" height="685" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5243/5312648288_5b760528d5_b.jpg" width="1024" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5312649000/" title="nyeve0347 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="nyeve0347" height="500" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/5312649000_edf6c0d97f.jpg" width="433" /></a>

Here's to Julia Child

For New Year's Eve I decided to make a very retro dinner: duck a l'orange from the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I neglected Julia's suggestion of simple side dishes and made acorn squash with cranberry relish and kasha to go with it. Our friends Elaine and Bob brought appetiz…

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Happy Thanksgiving

We are all gathered in Pittsburgh, having traveled on dry roads -- some of us yesterday and others, the day before. The turkey cooks are working on the stuffing and stock. We had our traditional breakfast of chocolate cherry bread and cranberry pecan bread which we brought from Zingermans bakehouse (arriving there just one moment before the huge rush began yesterday morning).<br /><br />In other years, I have photographed the entire process of cooking dinner, eating each meal, and children playing, but this year I think I'll wait and publish a selection at the end of the day to avoid repeating myself. Eating the same ritual meals each year is great, but posting the same photos doesn't seem right.<br /><br />Happy thanksgiving to all!

Happy Thanksgiving

We are all gathered in Pittsburgh, having traveled on dry roads -- some of us yesterday and others, the day before. The turkey cooks are working on the stuffing and stock. We had our traditional breakfast of chocolate cherry bread and cranberry pecan bread which we brought from Zingermans bakehouse …

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