Nurturing my inner... new lemon law

I can't believe how expensive body wash is.  It's really just a large bottle of liquid soap.  I don't think it should cost from $5.00 - $8.00 per container.  So one day when I was poking around a local chain store, I saw some on sale.  (For $1.57, mind you.)  Only, it was kid's wash.  And in a berry scent.  At first I thought, "Well, that's for kids.  I don't even have kids so that I could fake buying it for them and keep it for myself."  And then I thought, "So what!  Only kids are allowed to smell fresh and fruity?"  I picked some up for myself!

I know, it even says "kids, tear free" on it. Yet,
I was unashamed. Tennis playing penguin and all.
(Seriously, he has on a headband, yet no pants.)

Not gonna lie, I left the shower that morning smelling like a scrumptious blueberry lover's dream.  (Yet still no better at tennis.  Hmmm...)  Which of course made me think, "Ohh, now what can I cook with blueberries?"

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce & Crème Fraîche

Pancakes

3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup 2% milk (can use whole if you'd like)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest (that's about two lemons)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese (can use whole milk ricotta if you'd like)
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract if you don't have it)
2 large eggs, separated

To begin, I wanted to get my lemon ingredients done and put aside.  First, we zest.  Just buy a good zester.  What you happily (or grumbily) fork out the money for is so worth the fine, pith free, flavor-punched wisps you can only get by using the proper tool.

Barely skims the surface to give you the
essential part of the lemon.

Next, juice.  I have a handy citrus press that I do like, however, I used an antique juicer at a friend's house last year while canning and knew I had to get one for myself.  I only buy things to use, not to collect, so this was not going to be a showpiece.  One online auction lost, followed by one I won and there I was, the proud owner of a 1940's art deco style glass juicer.  (Need I mention that I absolutely LOVE it?  Should a person be this excited over a juicer?)  It's so nice to have simple, time-tested tools that our grandmothers would have used.  (Yes, I have SUCH a soft spot for grandmothers, so I will do whatever I can to be like them.  Minus the wrinkles and pigmentless coif.)

What I like about this type of juicer is 1.) It makes juicing as easy as any other fancy tool. 2.) You can keep the yummy pulp if you want to use it, which I did.  3.) You look so traditional while using your own woman power to juice a lemon that your dish is bound to be a success.

How cool! It's glass art. Wonder what little
grandma owned it before me! I hope my
use for it would have made her proud.

It's important to zest the lemon before you juice it.  (Yes, I know this from doing the opposite.)  A tip: I roll the lemon on the counter a few times while whole, giving it a good softening up, then when I go to juice it, it's already loosened up.

Perched atop the juicer - the tart lemon half.
Ready to be mashed!

I got the blueberry sauce ready, so that once the pancakes came hot off the grill, I could serve them up without delay.

Blueberry Sauce

1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp agave nectar
3 - 4 tbsps water

Into a small saucepan went, well, all the stuff.  Isn't that the best kind of recipe!  Throw everybody in there and put on low to simmer.  Stir frequently so nothing sticks to the bottom.

It's close to how you make jam.

Allow the blueberries to soften and breakdown some.  If you want it more liquidy and loose, just add more water to your pleasing.

A jammy quality to the consistency.

Full disclosure: I'm not one to order pancakes when I go out.  (Makes this post extra strange, no?)  Two reasons.  1.) I'm not much into overly sweet breakfasts.  2.) One bite and they sink in my stomach like a rock, causing me to feel full and unable to take a second bite.  If I can't do that, how on earth am I expected to make it through an entire short stack!  What could I do to avoid this nasty pitfall when making them at home, I wondered... (Insert dream bubble with question marks above my head.)

So, I used the handy-dandy Internet to read up and learn me some important stuff.  This is what I unearthed.  There are two keys to supreme pancake making.  Here is the first one: cake flour.

Very glad my favorite flour maker
has a cake flour blend. And also
thankful Wegmans carries it.

The magical properties of cake flour can basically be summed up in these three points: 1.) It has low protein content, thus less gluten which can make baked goods tough.  2.) It's very finely milled.  3.) It has a high starch content so it can properly hold fat and sugar without flopping.

1.) I have made WAY too many lists in this blog post.  2.) I will stop doing that from here on out.

Separate two eggs. Throw the yolks into a small bowl and put the whites in a mixing bowl of their own.  (More on this below.)

Into a large bowl went these items: flour, milk, baking powder & soda, salt, sugar, lemon juice & zest, vanilla, egg yolks, canola oil and ricotta.  Whisk away until well blended.  (Note: When the lemon juice hits the baking soda, it bubbles up like a volcano!  Adding major fluff potential.)

Can you see the bubbles in the bottom right?
I felt like a mad scientist. (Moo-ha-ha-ha.)

The lemon aroma is so fresh and lively from the oils in the zest. Like you picked your fruit off a tree in your own backyard that very morning. (I have no yard, I don't even own dirt, so mine were freshly-picked grocery store types.)

The batter was looking pretty good at this point.  Not unlike any normal pancake batter.

As expected.

Back to the egg whites as promised.  The second key (okay, I'll really stop the list making after this) is what you do with the egg whites.  If you want a light and fluffy pancake, the best thing you can add - is air.  Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.

Looks good, but a copper bowl is on my
Christmas list this year.

Add the fluffy egg whites to the batter and gently fold them in, as to not deflate all your hard work putting all that air into them in the first place.

Fluffly egg cloud. (And secret air weapon!)

Another thing I need is a griddle.  (Not like I get paid to do this blog... yet.)  A large frying pan will do, but don't turn it up full blast.  More like medium high.  No need to scorch your breakfast and be in an even worse mood in the morning.  Liberal use of butter on the bottom of the pan and a quarter cup measurer to scoop evenly.

Similar to other pancakes, when bubbles near
the edges burst and don't fill back in, they
are ready to flip.

Dark or light, you can choose what you like.  Made to order!

It's clear I need some flipping practice. This is
an acquired skill. (I hid from you my near disaster
one that almost missed the pan completely!)

A couple minutes on each side.  And please, oh please, do NOT press them down with the back of your spatula.  It's not grilled cheese.  We worked so hard to get them fluffy - they need to stay that way.  I got 12 out of the batch, btw.

My short three stack.

On top of the stack goes a little warm blueberry sauce.

Warm and gooey, it will dribble down the sides.
Still has chunks of fruit in it.

Looks so perfect, eh.  But wait!  There's more!  One final decadence and I'll let you pick up a fork.  Crème fraîche.  (Pronounced krem fresh.)  It's French and they spell things with lots of funny marks on them.  But regardless of their strange punctuation and general disdain of Americans, they know how to make amazing food items that I enjoy.  Crème fraîche tastes like sour cream, only, a little less tangy.  It is pure silky, smooth perfection.

Most grocery stores carry it these days.
Often used with caviar on cheese blintzes.

There is a fancy name for taking two spoons and creating sort of an oval shape with ice cream, called a quenelle (which actually originally comes from the name of a dumpling - weird), that I tried to mimic here.  You can add powdered sugar too, but really, how much more perfect can this be!  Served to you without delay.

A mountain of multi-sensory delight!

Okay, NOW you can pick up your fork.  And happily, you will.  For once you slice your utensil into the three flavor layers and take your first complete mouthful of all your plate has to offer, you may slip into unconscious bliss for a moment or two.  Stay with us, man!  You're not going to want to miss one, single, fluffy, fruity, creamy bite.  (Heck, I'd marry me after a taste of this amazing breakfast!)

For someone who normally can't get past the first bite of heavy, brick style restaurant pancakes, I cleaned my plate of every delicious morsel.  And wanted more!  The tart lemon combined with the sweetened berries and the tang of the fancy French cream will send you up to breakfast heaven.  (I bet you God totally has these on the menu up there.)

Nurturing my inner... honey i shrunk the quiche

I'm back!  Not that you knew I was gone, but I was on vacation.  Which means I do have posts on restaurants coming up soon.  But first, a little home cooking.

When I was a kid, I was fascinated with tiny things.  I never had a dollhouse, but I had a few dollhouse furniture pieces from my cousins.  One was a cupboard with all these little vegetable cans in it.  I loved that!  As an adult (I do realize that may be up for debate given this conversation), I remain in awe of anything that we know of as large normally, but has been shrunken down to minuscule.  Small just equals cute!

Speaking of downsizing, with the housing market as it is, small is the new cool thing.  I've heard of people selling their larger single family homes and moving into townhouses.  And it's not limited to just people.  This bird feeder community I pass on one of my runs used to have three houses last summer and now they are down to two!

You know things are tough when bird housing
has been reduced. No one is safe.

And check these out - someone had brought teeny lollipops into the office one day.  (Yes, I did take two!  I mean, come on!  Have you ever seen a more adorable pop?)

Next to a pen for your visual reference.

Playing off of that tiny theme I've set the stage for, I made a baby version of a favorite brunch food.

Mini Ham & Cheese and Asparagus/Mushroom & Cheese Quiches

1/3 cup of chopped ham
1/3 cup mushrooms (sauteed and chopped) and asparagus (steamed, use the more tender top 2/3rds of each stalk, cut into small pieces)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsps heavy or light cream
2 heaping tbsps cream cheese (I use whipped)
4 large eggs
1 premade pie crust

2 mini muffin pans (12 cups in each, makes 24)

This is for two sets of quiches.  So the ingredients are halved.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll out the pie crust and use a biscuit cutter (mine was the fourth from the smallest) to cut circles.

Flour your surface so it doesn't stick.

I normally get about 20-22 at first pass and then have to patch together the dough to get the rest.  When it bakes together, you won't even notice the Frankenstein ones.

Make sure dough stays cool.

Mini muffin trays are so great.  You can use them for so many things.  I sprayed two of them with nonstick spray.

You could do this with regular muffin tins, but
darn it if small isn't more appealing.

Line each cup with one of the dough circles.  Make sure to pat out the air so the dough stays flat on the bottom.

You could probably pierce with a fork to make
sure they stay flat as well.

Now for the filling.  All quiche begin with eggs.  Take two bowls and in each put two eggs.  (This is for making two different kinds.)

The base.

I normally use heavy cream, but had light at home that day.  Turns out that light works just as well and has less fat.  So either will work.

Milk products add a lovely creaminess.

I beat the eggs and then add in the cream and cream cheese.  1 tbsp cream and 1 heaping tbsp cream cheese into each bowl.

Very few ingredients make a wonderful dish.

You can mix that with a hand mixer to get it super blended, I have done this in the past, but this day I just mixed it with a fork.  The cream cheese ends up in little bits which melt nicely in the quiche.  Then add in 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese into each bowl as well.

In this case, don't be afraid of lumps!
They'll melt.

Now that you have two identical bowls of base quiche mixture, it's time to differentiate and flavor each.  1/3 cup of chopped ham into one.  And then 1/3 cup combined fine chopped sauteed mushrooms and steamed asparagus cut into small pieces in the other.  Other variations I like are sausage (brown and drain fat) with onion (saute) and broccoli cheddar.  But any meat, veggie and cheese combo will work.  Feta is great, spinach, sundried tomatoes, basil, goat cheese, chives.  Whatever flavor combinations you like.

Meat and vegetable. Something for everyone.

Spoon some mixture into each cup.  You can fill just to the rim.  Make sure the dough is covered all around.  (Tip: I try to fish out some of each solid ingredient to make sure things are evenly distributed into every cup, then I go back and add the liquid.)

One entire muffin tin for each type.

Ham and cheese is very traditional and never disappoints.  (Tip: If you forget to add the cheddar inside the mixture as I have one time, you can always put a little on top of each one at the end and they'll turn out just fine.)

Sauteed onion would be good to add to this
as well. But not today!

Into the oven for 11 - 13 minutes.  Or until the edges are just slightly brown and the center is solid.  When they bake, they do puff up.  But they won't spill out.  (At least this is my repeatable experience.)

The pastry crust makes it smell extra buttery.

This is why you can fill them up to the top, they expand upward when they bake, but that will be short lived.

You'll want to eat one hot right out of the
pan! But don't or you'll burn your mouth
something fierce.

Run a knife around the rim of each to make sure they are loosened, then pop them all out and cool on a rack.



Love the cheese. Let's you know you're
going to be getting into something good.


Note how they deflate when they cool, as promised.  You can see bits of mushroom and asparagus, so you know exactly what's in there.

Little works of art.

These two biters are easy to pick up and perfect for potluck brunches.  (They freeze well too!)  The small size makes them especially delicious.  That may just be mental and not fact, but I think you'll agree with me.  You won't compromise taste or satisfaction with the reduced size, but maybe you won't feel quite as guilty when you eat four of them!

Nurturing my inner... belgian brunch

Why I like brunch - An essay.  *Et hem*

I like brunch because it affords you time to sleep in.  *yawn*  It gives you the option of breakfast and/or lunch foods, so you can go with your mood of the day.  And moody people like me like choices.  (It's best to not limit us and make us more cranky.)  Brunch says to me, "Hey, take your time.  Have that second cup of coffee.  Chew slowly in between recanting your stories.  Take turns.  Ask lots of questions to draw your friends out too.  Listen well.  Find out what's really going on in their lives.  Care for them.  You can be here well into lunch time, because you are in no hurry at all.  You're exactly where you need to be and who you need to be with at this very moment."

Wow.  Brunch is a talker.  But why not.  It is a meal that was never meant to be speedy.  So slow the heck down, would ya?

Trying new restaurants makes me giddy.  (Think: kid with new bike.)  There is always so much to take in.  The layout, the atmosphere, the other patrons, the sounds, the tables, the decor and of course, the food.

TV is my educator.  Well, not wholly.  (Thank goodness.)  But a lot of good info can be learned if you watch the right shows.  In an episode of Bobby Flay's Throw Down, he was going to make waffles.  There is this amazing looking yellow truck in NY City that does a booming business.  Wafels & Dinges.  (Loosely Flemish for waffles and whatchamacallits.)  That was the guy he was going to throw down with.  And boy, you should have seen those waffles.  He makes two styles: Brussels (we know as Belgian, but if you go to Belgium and ask for a Belgian waffle, apparently they will look at you sideways because to them, it's Brussels) and the liège style.  This second one got my attention.  When they make it, the batter is really like dough.  You don't pour it.  You break off a piece and put that dough ball on the waffle iron.  BUT, here is the kicker, they first put down some pearl sugar.  (Oooh.  You don't even know what that is yet, but yes, you want it.  You can buy some of their products here.)  It really is what it sounds like.  Small pea-sized orbs of sugar.  And when they melt on the iron as the dough cooks, they caramelize.  (Second Oooh.)  At that moment, I knew I had to find this elusive waffle.  But since I wasn't going to be in NYC until maybe the summer, I felt a little let down.  But wait!  All is not lost.  Back to the show.

For some tips, Bobby went to a friend of his who owns a restaurant called Le Pain Quotidien.  (Once you can figure out how to spell it, you probably can find it.)  They too serve both styles of waffles and this place has a variety of spreads to put on top.  (Though, I didn't see spekuloos, which, you need to know, is apparently amazing stuff.  They mash up special ginger cookies into a spread that is about the consistency of peanut butter and I hear it's to die for.)  I looked up this restaurant online and was out and out thrilled to find out there were some in the MD/DC/VA area!  Huzzah!  I sent out an email and a couple of my friends were able to make it.  (And the rest will kick themselves for missing the deliciousness after they see this post.  Don't worry guys, I'll be going back there and you can be sure to book your calendars now and join me.)

Let's go into the restaurant, shall we?  We decided on the Clarendon, VA location this time.  Table for three.  Five minute wait.  Not bad.  I got to look around the shop.

By the cash registers, they had some chocolates, sandwiches to go and their signature spreads.  You can buy individual large jars or these sample packs that have all four varieties.  Flavors are Noir (dark chocolate), Brunette (praline), Blonde (white chocolate) and Noisella (chocolate hazelnut).

Oh, the flavor options.

Behind the registers, on the back wall, were all kinds of breads.  It's like carb paradiso.  (Did Dante write about baguettes?  I'm pretty sure he did.)

And the angels sang.

Shift your eyes 45 degrees to the right and you have the patisserie.  Sugary baked goods galore.

We'll come back to this later.

The five minutes flew by and we were seated quite quickly.  This was around 10:30 am on a Sunday.  It was a quaint place.  Bistro-like.  The tables were unfinished wood tops.  I liked the rustic, no nonsense feel.

I started with a cappuccino with an impressive over-the-rim foam top.  (How'd they do that?  It defied gravity with its vertical height.)  One of my other friends got a hot chocolate.  The bowl of hot milk came to the table with a little silver pitcher of melted chocolate that they poured in and stirred.  (I loved this place already and I hadn't even eaten a thing yet.)

Bowl with no handles. Very French. Might
as well get the full experience.

The menu was inventive and fresh. In the DC locations, we get organic eggs. And if I haven't lauded the praises of fresh farm eggs enough, I will do it again, shortly!  I was so torn between items, everything looked incredible, but I had come there with one thing in mind.  So I had to make a tough choice and stick with it.

We drank our warm beverages, gabbed as usual and before you know it, our meals arrived.


Friend one got the Paris Ham & Gruyère quiche.  One of the best quiches I've ever eaten.  (Yes, my friends accept my commitment to my food blog and are eager to let me try their dishes so I might properly report in great detail.)

Paris ham is less salty than Virginia ham.
It was the ideal compliment to the gruyère.
Someone knew what they were doing.

Friend two got the Paris Ham & Gruyère omelet.  (Seems to be a popular combo.)

Those eggs were the fluffiest I've ever had in
an omelet. So delicate. Delicious. (Yep,
nabbed a little bite of that one.)

And now for me.  As promised, the liège waffle.  Insider note: it's not on the breakfast part of the menu, it's at the bakery because you can get them to go.  But you can order it and it will come to you warm with powdered sugar and fresh berries.  The other thing that they have at the tables is some jam and the Brunette praline spread, so I got to try that.  Oh wow.  I'll be buying a jar of that next time I go in.  The waffle was crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and the crunch that melted pearl sugar added was magnificent.  Never had a better waffle.  (And to think I nearly ordered the Paris Ham & Gruyère tartine.  That's for next time!)

As dreamy as promised.

Seeing I was able to resist ordering everything off the menu earlier, I allowed myself a couple of things to go.  The organic brioche muffin (which you can order in house too and they'll serve it warm with jam) and...

I heated at home in microwave.

... the pistachio tart.  Which was a mini pistachio cake with apricot jam and pistachio halves on top.

Now that's a lot of pistachios.

I told my cousins in CA and CT they had to go to the Le Pain Quotidien in their locations, since they both had a couple within an hour's drive of each of them.  My hope is that they too are able to go with some good friends and spend a couple hours talking, listening and eating.  It's always a great time when you're out with good buddies, but it's just that much nicer when the food is also incredible!