Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I promise that I did not add marijuana to this chicken. Alice B. Toklas was born in San Franscisco in 1877. She moved to Paris in 1907 and became the partner of the writer Gertrude Stein. The two women hosted a salon that attracted many expatriate Americans such as Ernest Hemingway and Thorton Wilder and painters Picasso and Matisse. She became well known for her cooking and published The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook in 1954. The most famous recipe was called Haschich (sic) Fudge which contained fruit, nuts, spices and cannibus. During the turbulent ’60s her name was lent to Alice B. Toklas brownies which contained marijuana.

This chicken does not need marijuana to make you feel good. I love a good roast chicken. I have my standard recipe that is a pretty simple bird stuffed with lemons and rosemary and drizzled with oil and roasted at 425 degrees. There are a few extra steps in making this chicken and it makes all the difference in the world. First the chicken is browned on both sides in an oven proof skillet. After roasting for a time, ruby port and orange juice are added to the skillet and it is roasted a while longer. The finishing sauce is enhanced with orange zest and heavy cream. The sauce is what makes this chicken outstanding. It is absolutely delicious. This is another wonderful recipe from my bargain cookbook Simple Soirees by Peggy Knickerbocker.

ALICE B. TOKLAS CHICKEN

1 medium sized (about 3 1/2 pounds) roasting chicken, preferable free-range
Salt
2 Tbls unsalted butter
2 Tbls olive oil ( I used less )
1/2 cup ruby port
1/2 cup orange juice
3 Tbls heavy cream
Zest of 1 orange, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

When you bring the chicken home from the market, unwrap it and sprinkle it generously with salt. Cover and refrigerate it until ready to cook. Bring the bird to room temperature before cooking. Do not rub off the salt.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken breast side down, for 3 to 5 minutes then turn it over and brown the other side for 3 to 5 minutes.

Place the skillet in the oven and roast the chicken for 45 minutes. Pour the port over the chicken and baste it. Roast for 10 minutes more, then add the orange juice and baste again. Roast for about 5 minutes more ( I roasted it for 10 to 15 minutes more). The chicken is done when the juices of the thigh run clear when pierced with the blade of a sharp knife, or when the thigh wiggles easily. Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer it to a cutting board, and let it rest as you make the sauce.

Skim as much fat off the top of the juices in the skillet as you can and discard. Place the skillet over medium heat and add the cream, stirring up the crispy bits on the bottom. Add about half the orange zest and allow the sauce to reduce as you stir constantly for a few minutes.

Carve the chicken and transfer it to a serving platter. Pour some of the sauce over the chicken and transfer the rest into a gravy boat or small pitcher and serve it at the table. Sprinkle the remaining orange zest over the chicken.

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What perfect timing for Barefoot Blogger Thursday. Our Florida friends Maxine and Arnie just arrived for a visit and the lovely Veronica from Supermarket Serenade chose Mango Banana Daiquiris as the 1st Ina Garten recipe for the month of August. These drinks could not be simpler to make. Just dice up some mangos and bananas and throw them in a blender with simple syrup, lime juice, rum and crushed ice and you have a lovely tropical drink.

They tasted great. Maxine loved hers, but I have to admit that I am not a big fan of fruity drinks. The guys thought they were “girly” drinks but I noticed they polished off the remains in the blender. We enjoyed them on the porch as a prelude to dinner. Our dogs got into the action as well. Daisy never saw a snack she didn’t love. Their Laci is jusy visible.

Thank you Veronica for choosing just the right thing for a hot day in August. Check out all of the Barefoot Bloggers to see their take on this drink and feel free to join us in cooking up all of the Barefoot Contessa’s recipes.

MANGO BANANA DAIQUIRIS

2 cups chopped ripe mango (1 to 2 mangos, peeled and seeded)
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
1/4 cup sugar syrup (see note)
1 1/4 cups dark rum, such as Mount Gay
Mango slices, for serving

Place the mango, banana, lime juice, sugar syrup and rum in a blender and process until smooth. Add 2 cups of ice and process again until smooth and thick. Serve ice-cold in highball glasses with the mango slices.

Note: To make sugar syrup, heat 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Chill

They say that if you find at least one recipe that you love in a cookbook it is worth the price that you paid for it. I have just begun reading a new cookbook that I purchased at one of my favorite haunts, The Screen Door in Asheville. The Screen Door is basically an antique mall with an emphasis on garden design, but one section of the store is devoted to books and more books. They are all new books with an emphasis on cookbooks and design books. The prices are at least 40% off of the retail price and sometimes you can find terrific bargains like the book I purchased. Are you ready for this? I found a James Beard Foundation winner by Peggy Knickerbocker called Simple Soirees; Seasonal Menus for Sensational Dinner Parties, for $7.00. The list price on the book is $35.00. It would be worth it even if I had paid full price for it for this sensational salad recipe. And there are many more eye poppers just like it in this beautiful book.

The beauty of this salad is the beauty. I love the luscious layers that are created by four separate salads that can be made ahead of time and assembled quickly at meal time. Not only is it gorgeous to look at, but it tastes sublime. There is so much complexity to each layer that taken as a whole, it sparks taste buds that you never knew you even had. I can hardly wait to serve it to guests. The only thing you need that you may not have is a 4 or 5 inch metal ring open on the top and bottom that you can buy at a cooking or hardware store. If you do not wish to buy one you can layer the four salads in a trifle bowl.

DAZZLING SALAD TOWERS

For the Shrimp Salad:
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1/2 cup white wine
Salt
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

Splash of olive oil
2 green onions, minced

Bring 1 cup of water, the bay leaf, wine, peppercorns, and salt to a boil in a small pot. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to a moderate simmer, and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Drain, rinse briefly in cold water, and spread out on the side of the sink until cool. Peel and devein the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, olive oil, and green onions. Cover and refrigerate. This can be done hours before the party.

For the Tomato Salad:
4 large tomatoes, cored and diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
10 large basil leaves cut into thin strips
2 Tbls olive oil

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and toss with salt and pepper to taste, the garlic, basil, and olive oil. Cover and refrigerate. Right before assembling, transfer the salad to a colander to drain the excess juices.

For the Avocado Salad:
3 to 4 ripe Hass avocaos, peeled with seed removed
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 medium tomato, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeno chili, slit lengthwise, seeded, and minced
A pinch of brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands, leaving some chunks.

For the Cucumber Salad:
1 small clove of garlic
salt
1 Tbls capers, drained
1 Tbls red wine vinegar
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 English cucumber
1 Tbls chopped oregano

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and salt together to make a paste. Add the capers and pound again. Add the vinegar and pepper and mix with a fork. Then add the olive oil and mix again with a fork and transfer to a bowl. Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise and slice each half into thin pieces. Add cucumber pieces to bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle with oregano and toss again. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

To Assemble the Stacked Salad:

Place one 4 to 5 inch ring in the center of a dinner plate. Gently spoon in a layer of the avocado salad and smooth it with the back of the spoon Using a slotted spoon, place a layer of the tomato salad on top of the avocado salad. Then using a slotted spoon, place a layer of the cucumber salad on top of the tomato salad. Arrange a layer of shrimp salad attractively on top of the cucumber salad. Very gently remove the ring. Repeat the procedure for each serving. Makes 6 towers.

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I have just returned from a trip to my hometown in Michigan. I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but travel and computer problems have left me frustrated with my ability to blog and comment on all of my favorite sites. What I am not frustrated about is the amazing visit I had to Michigan. There is no better place to be in the summer than Michigan. The corn fields are producing the sweetest corn I have ever tasted. The farms are cultivating apples, cherries and blueberries. The fertile dark soil makes home gardens proliferate with pole beans, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, and onions. My brother’s garden makes me so envious. I will be showing you pictures and telling you more about it in a later post. But for now I want to tell you about growing up in this beautiful place.

Our childhoods shape us in so many significant ways. I sometimes wonder why it is that things that happen to us in our early years carry such magic and nostalgia. It never seems to fade from our memories. The memories are rich with childhood innocence, but even as young as we were, there is a maturity in our thoughts that I don’t think our parents appreciated. I try to keep that in mind with my granddaughter. She is much more aware than I give her credit for. And she is creating her past and personal history on a daily basis.

I made a friend in Kindergarten. Her name was Lyla. We shared a locker. The school we attended held grades Kindergarten through 12th grade and it had marble halls, wide marble staircases and three floors. Lyla lived a few blocks away from me in a beautiful house with many rooms to explore and I remember spending nights with her and her sister Debbe. We shared so many experiences. We learned to read together in the first grade. She has just retired from a career as an English teacher. We ran away from the school bully who threatened to “beat her up” after school. I was supposed to have her back, but when confronted with Cora Mae, told her I would run and get her Mother. I think I just wanted to run. She has forgiven me for abandoning her. It actually took a little nudging to my memory to remember this incident. You see we just reconnected on Facebook. I haven’t seen her or talked to her since we were thirteen. We are renewing and reconciling our relationship. Sometimes friends drift apart but it is so comforting to come together again and complete the circle of friendship.

Lyla and I met again last Saturday at Caruso’s. Every town has a place where everyone hangs out and we had one of the best. Caruso’s Candy Kitchen is an old fashioned Soda Shop that makes the best Toasted Tuna that I have ever tasted. They have been making this sandwich since I was a young teenager and probably made it when my Mother was a young teenager. They also make their own candy and the old candy case has been in place since the store opened years ago. Nothing has changed. All of us from Dowagiac return to our roots and memories at Caruso’s. Lyla and I had so much to talk about that we could have stayed all afternoon. Our friendship has been renewed. She now looks like her Mother and I look like mine.

Lyla brought me some gifts. Among them was a tin of Auntie Cookies. The story about these cookies is another personal history. Parthenia Hutton (1861-1958) was the maiden aunt who mothered three generations of Lewis offspring ( Dood was Lyla’s Grandmother and Parthenia’s niece). Aunt Senie was a master cook. She was especially adept at making sugar cookies which she did every Tuesday for most of her adult life. These cookies are as good today as they were over a century ago.

AUNTIE COOKIES

In Dood’s own words.

Turn on oven to 400 degrees before you begin.

(If you can read, you can bake.)

1 C brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
1 Cup shortening – all margarine or 1/2 margarine and 1/2 Crisco
1 t lemon extract
Mix the above ingredients. ( Lyla uses her Kitchenaid) Or hand mixer

Then add 2 eggs, one at a time. Beat with mixer after each addition.

Next add 1/2 C buttermilk with 3/4 t soda dissolved in it. ( I think dissolving the soda is important.)

Measure 2 C flour and 1 t salt. Then sift together into wet ingredients.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment covered cooke sheet. Bake in 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle sugar on top of cookies. Enjoy.

This is a picture of Lyla and me in front of Caruso’s. So much history, not to be forgotten, in our friendship.

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