Jessica Seinfeld & Missy Lapine Are Taken Down a Notch

Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal's Eating Out column stabbed a few forks into the recipes Jessica and Missy published in their respective cookbooks and what he found wasn't pretty. Playing With Their Food questions the entire premise of hiding pureed vegetables in kids' food. He points out that many of the recipes are for breakfast and dessert and have sugar in them. Is it a good idea to serve a kid scrambled eggs or mac 'n cheese with pureed cauliflower in them? Having been classically trained, I cringe at the thought. I tried Missy's mac ' cheese with pureed chic peas in it and it was a sorry sight because the sauce neither looked nor behaved as it should have. The kids ate it anyway, but I'm making them real mac 'n cheese to show them what it should look and taste like. And there will be emerald green broccoli florets adorning it.

Sokolov argues that vegetables should be seen and discussed, not hidden. I kind of agree. On the other hand, I think sneaking an extra vegetable in every now and again isn't a bad idea, as long as it's not a culinary atrocity. One of my favorite moves is to puree roasted red peppers and add them to tomato sauce. Some of the most delicious sauces in the world are made with roasted red peppers. Think rouille, the classic spicy mayonnaise served with Bouillabaise, but it's great with any fish. Yep, I'll have to make it soon.

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Kudos to Mark Bittman, cookbook author and writer of The Minimalist cooking column in the New York Times, for his article "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" in today's paper. For anyone who hasn't read The Omnivore's Dilemma, it's a real eye-opener about the environmental impact of raising meat for consumption. He suggests that we not only eat less meat, but buy more environmentally friendly meat from organic and local farms. In my house, our red meat consumption is down to about once a week, which makes it a treat for sure. Tonight's treat was Mt. Gramble Australian free range, grass fed, no hormone, never confined Frenched rack of lamb from Trader Joe's. Everyone got 2 chops, which is plenty in my mind, but if you're having men for dinner allow three to four chops each.

Herb Crusted Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb

The key to success is to not overcook the rack; it should be cooked to rare or medium only.

Makes 4 servings of 2 chops each

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb from Trader Joe’s
• 1 slice Trader Joe’s whole wheat bread
• 1 teaspoon chopped Trader Joe’s fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped Trader Joe’s fresh thyme
• 2 cloves Trader Joe’s garlic, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s apple cranberry chutney

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove any excess fat from the rack using a sharp thin knife. The crust will keep it moist.
3. Coat the meat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and turn on the exhaust fan.
5. In a food processor, process the slice of bread until it’s crumbled. Add the rosemary, thyme, and garlic and process for 30 seconds. Add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Process 15 seconds to incorporate.
6. When skillet is smoking, sear rack on top and rounded side until browned, about 4-6 minutes.
7. Remove rack from skillet and place on cutting board. Remove skillet from heat. Using a spoon or pastry brush, smooth mustard all over meat portion of rack. Pat on herb and bread crumb mixture.
8. Using tongs, return rack to skillet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Check temperature with an instant read thermometer and remove from oven when it registers 130-140 for rare to medium rare. When done, set on cutting board and cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes while you prepare a vegetable.
9. Slice in between bones being careful not to loosen the crust. Serve 2 chops per person with a heaping teaspoon of cranberry chutney.

Elegant Poached Pears

Poaching pears in simple syrup with whole spices is an easy yet elegant way to enjoy this abundant fall fruit. Serving the pears with sweetened mascarpone cheese turns them into a decadent dessert! Poached pears are a fantastic make-ahead dinner party dessert and if you use red wine (please no cooking wine!), you will create the most gorgeous and irresistible, ruby-colored pears. Please make sure the pears you select are firm and ripe but not overripe for this recipe. Pack leftovers for a special school snack.

Technique Note: Poaching is the technique of cooking foods gently in a liquid just at the simmering point, not boiling. Try to keep the pears covered in the liquid or turn them often. If cooking a large number of pears, consider reusing the poaching liquid instead of doubling or tripling the recipe.

Ingredient Note: If you want specks of vanilla to appear in your poaching syrup, score the vanilla bean once lengthwise before adding to the pot. An uncut vanilla bean can be rinsed, dried and reused. Penzey's Spices has a wide range of excellent quality spices available through their retail stores, online store and catalog.

Makes 4 servings:

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pack Trader Joe’s organic pears (or buy a bag of organic pear and double or triple recipe)
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 C red or white wine
• 1 vanilla bean
  
• 1 long piece cinnamon or 2 short pieces
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 8 oz. container Trader Joe’s mascarpone cheese (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or Trader Joe’s honey (optional)
• Finely chopped hazelnuts or chopped Trader Joe’s candied walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Peel pears, leaving stems intact. You may wish to rub the pears with lemon to prevent them from browning. If using red wine, this is unnecessary.
2. Using the small end of a melon baller, remove cores by scooping from the bottom of the pear and working your way towards the top. Stop when you have removed the seed and surrounding core, leaving the top of the pear intact.
3. In a deep saucepan just wide enough to hold pears in a single layer, combine water and sugar to make a simple syrup by bringing to a boil and melting the sugar.
4. Add red or white wine – use whatever you have on hand. If you are using a dessert or other sweet wine, the resulting dish will be sweeter unless you reduce the sugar a bit. Let it boil a minute or two to burn off the alcohol.
5. Add the vanilla bean, cinnamon and star anise, reduce heat to a simmer, and add the pears.
6. Simmer pears, turning often so all sides cook and color evenly, until tender but not falling apart, anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending upon the size and ripeness of the pears. Test with a paring knife for doneness. I recommend turning with a curved plastic spatula or wooden spoon to avoid bruising or mashing the fruit.
7. When done, carefully remove pears from poaching liquid and set aside.
8. Remove cinnamon, vanilla and star anise from poaching liquid. Raise heat to a boil and reduce poaching liquid until it has a syrup-like consistency. If you overcook it and it becomes too thick, just add a little water. Just don’t let it burn!
9. If using mascarpone, either by hand or with a mixer, whisk with sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
10. I like to serve these warm, perched atop a dollop of sweetened mascarpone, with the poaching syrup drizzled on top and a sprinkling of nuts. You may store pears in syrup in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Bon appetit!