Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I have to say that, at the moment, I am a little overwhelmed.  We are leaving for a trip to France this coming Thursday and I am involved in the minutiae of planning.  Leaving home for three weeks is not an easy transition.  For one thing our cottage will be occupied by family and friends for the duration.  That means that all beds need fresh linens, the pantry and refrigerator need to be cleaned, and detailed instructions need to be left so that the rental cottage will be taken care of, and our dog Daisy will be cared for.  It isn’t easy to remember to tell everyone every quirk in the house; like the fact that the doorbell won’t ring and raccoons like to scatter the garbage.  Or the fact that walking outside after midnight might put you in the path of a 250 pound bear.  I hope I remember to pass that fact on.  So right now my mind is swimming in details.

This trip will be a little different.  Pictured above are our French friends Carole and Laurent.  The picture was taken at our place two years ago as they were leaving on the continuation of their year long motorcycle trip from Canada to the tip of South America.  Laurent is starting a Tour de France motorcycle program for anyone interested in touring the backroads and sights in his home country by bike.  We and our intrepid Alaska touring buddies are his first customers.  Here is the general itinerary.

We arrive in Paris at 7:00 A.M. Friday morning.  Unfortunately we will not have time to stop at our favorite bistro, Les Deux Magots, for an omelet.  We will board a TVG train to Tours where Carole and Laurent live.

Tours is Southwest of Paris and is home to grand chateaux and vineyards.  It is on the Loire River, with the River Cher nearby.  The Kings of France built their beautiful castles in this bucolic countryside where they hunted game and engaged in leisure activities.  We spent hours here on our last visit immersed in French history.  After a rest at Carole and Laurent’s home we will start our motorcycle tour.

We will head north and our first destination will be Honfleur on the Normandy coast.  This historic harbor is picturesque and was a favorite of Impressionist painters.

From here we will explore the D Day sites of Omaha Beach, Utah Beach and Sainte Mere Eglise.

From there we will ride through the countryside of Normandy and visit Mont St. Michel before stopping for the night in Saint-Malo in Brittany.  This ancient walled city is known for its crepes and mussels.  After a nights rest we will begin to head South again.

Our destination this day will be Chinon in the Loire Valley.  The village is overlooked by the Medieval Castle built by King Henry II in 1154.

Leaving the Loire Valley we will head South into the Limousin region.  The landscape will become more hilly and we will pass some of the most beautiful villages in France.  We will travel through Loches, Treignac and eventually arrive in Sarlat.

Sarlat is the capital of the Perigord.  It is a beautiful village with cobblestone streets, an active market and well known for walnuts, truffles and foie gras.  We will spend a few days in this area as there is much to see and do.

Our trip will continue across the Millau Viaduct, the world’s largest cable stayed road bridge.  According to Laurent we will now be deep in the heart of France with peaceful villages settled in valleys.  It is the French wild frontier.  We will pass the Tarn’s Gorges and its medieval villages.  The twisty and curvy roads will eventually lead to the ancient city Nimes.

Nimes is known for its Roman ruins and artifacts.  Above is the well preserved Roman Amphitheatre Les Arenes.  It once seated 20,000 people.  Today it is used for concerts and bullfights.

The final two days of our motorcycle tour will be in Avignon and visits to the Provencal villages surrounding it.  We will have a farewell dinner in Old Town Avignon and then board the TVG train for Paris.

We will spend four days in Paris and return home the first part of July.  I hope to be able to blog while on the trip but am not sure of the internet connections we may have.  So Au revoir until later.

You might want to grab a cup of coffee.  This is going to be a long post.  We are fortunate to have friends who live on Nantucket Island.  After David’s class reunion last year, several of the classmates were invited to visit Moses and his wife Maryanne there for the Spring Daffodil Festival.  It was our fourth time on the island.  Nantucket is one of my favorite destinations in the United States.  It works its magic on you from the first time you step off of the ferry until you throw coins in the water (to ensure a return) on your voyage back to Hyannis Port.

The classmates and wives (minus Maryanne who was cooking for us) gathered in front of the Sconset Post Office while we were on a guided bus tour of the island.

Sconset, or officially Siasconset, is a small village on the east side of the island.  It is known for its small grey shingled beach cottages and profusion of roses in season.  There is a story behind this particular cottage.  The last time David and I were on the island, we picked up a picnic lunch in the Sconset Market and then wandered the paths around the village looking for a spot to eat.  This charming cottage had a patio with comfortable chairs and it looked to be vacant.

We plopped down, unwrapped our sandwiches and proceeded to eat.  Halfway through our lunch we heard someone cough inside the cottage.  Needless to say, we grabbed our food and ran.  The above picture was taken on this trip.  It just so happened that the cottage belonged to our tour bus driver’s mother.

We took this picture of the Chanticleer Restaurant in Sconset on our last trip.  It was summer and the roses and flowers were in bloom.  Breathtaking!

 

 Back in town the next day we looked forward to the Daffodil Festival on cobblestoned Main Street.

All kinds of antique cars were decorated with flowers for the parade.

The cars were judged, so everyone went out of their way to be unique.

Some were more elegant than others.

There was also a dog parade.  We were rooting for this dog named Bailey.  She was on the ferry with us on the way over to Nantucket and we bonded.

Here we are encouraging Bailey to do her best.

Nantucket Harbor is usually full of boats and the wharfs are hopping with activity, but since it was so early in the season, most of the boat slips were empty.  It was good to be here before the rush of tourists.

Moses and Maryanne live in this house.  Have you noticed a pattern here?  Most of the houses on Nantucket are grey shingled with white trim.  A local joke is to say “Meet me on the corner in front of the grey shingled house with the white trim”.   Many of the original houses had widow’s walks.  The first industry of Nantucket after it was settled by the English was whaling.  The ships would be gone from port from three to five years.  The wives would scan the horizon from these aeries for the return of their men.  It was a brutal business, but the ship captains made a fortune from the whale oil which was used to light lamps all over the world.

Not only did we enjoy the sights and activities on Nantucket, but we also ate very well.  Maryanne prepared delicious meals for us.  Unfortunately I did not take composed pictures of the food, but I came away with wonderful recipes that I will share with you over several posts.  Our first dinner in their home included Filet of Beef with Paprika, Coriander and Cumin and Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.  The filet recipe came from Joyce Goldstein, former chef at Square One and Chez Panisse.  Joyce made it for Moses’s 59th birthday party.  The pesto pasta is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and is perfect for a crowd.

 We left Nantucket Harbor with a last view of the Brant Point Lighthouse and threw pennies in the water in the hopes of returning to this enchanted island.  As long as our friends are there, I have no doubt that we will be back.  Thank you Moses and Maryanne.

FILET OF BEEF WITH PAPRIKA, CORIANDER AND CUMIN (Joyce Goldstein)

The beef, which gets an aromatic flavor from the spice rub, requires 4 days of marination.  Serve it rare, leaving the end slices for those who like their meat well done.

1 filet of beef, about 3 1/2 pounds
3 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon salt
Hot-sweet mustard

Trim the fillet of any visible fat and silver skin.  Mix together the paprika, cumin, coriander, ground pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.  Spread this spice mixture evenly over the beef.  Place the meat in a large glass or plastic dish and cover.  et sit in the refrigerator for 4 days.  On the third day, sprinkle the meat with the salt.

To cook, let the meat sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.  Preheat a stove top griddle or a large cast-iron frying pan and preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Sear the fillet on the griddle, or in the pan, until brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes.  Transfer the meat to a roasting pan and roast in the oven until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the fillet registers 120 degrees.  (I let it go higher, as suggested by the butcher’s recipe).  Let the meat rest on a carving board, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes, then slice thin.  Serve with hot-sweet mustard.

PENNE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO (Giada De Laurentiis)

12 ounces penne pasta
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (Packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped.  Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl.  Stir in the Parmesan.

Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten.  Season the pasta, to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Printable recipe for Filet

Printable recipe for Pasta

There are very few dishes that The Barefoot Contessa does not do well; foolproof recipes so to speak.  Her new cookbook Foolproof; recipes you can trust is a case in point.  One of the recipes she includes is this recipe for Roasted Sausages and Grapes.  The recipe comes from Al Forno, a restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island.  Al Forno is known for its wood-burning ovens and hardwood charcoal grills.  This is a dish I would cook in my fireplace in Lake Lure.

But unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your outlook, we are in Florida without a fireplace.  And fortunately this recipe can be cooked in a 500 degree oven. The  combination of sausages and grapes is a genius idea.  The following picture shows the sausages and grapes ready to go into the oven.

The roasted grapes make a sweet counterpoint to the spicy sausages.  The final touch is a balsamic vinegar reduction that brings it all together.  We absolutely loved this combination.

I served the sausages and grapes with creamy mashed potatoes and zucchini cakes.  This is an easy recipe and a satisfying winter meal.

ROASTED SAUSAGES AND GRAPES

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian pork sausages
1 1/2 pounds hot Italian pork sausages
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 pounds seedless green grapes, removed from the stems
1/2 cup good balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the sausages, and simmer for 8 minutes to remove some of the fat.  Remove to a plate.

Melt the butter in a large roasting pan on top of the stove.  Add the grapes and toss them to coat with butter.  Transfer the sausages to the roasting pan with tongs, nestling them down in the grapes in one layer.  Place in the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the sausages once, until they’re browned and the grapes are tender.

Transfer the sausages and grapes to a serving platter with tongs and a slotted spoon and cover with aluminum foil to keep them hot.  Add the balsamic vinegar to the roasting pan and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes to reduce the balsamic vinegar slightly.  Pour over the sausages and grapes and serve hot.

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I have always been aware of French potato salad, hot German potato salad and good old American potato salad.  But Austrian potato salad is a new one to me.      I know now that Wolfgang Puck has a wonderful recipe for warm Austrian potato salad.  I found this particular recipe because I could not sleep.  Sometimes we insomniacs get up in the middle of the night to read in the hopes that it will lull us back into sleep.  I finished the last 20 pages of the novel I was reading and still wasn’t tired.  There was a stack of  old Cooks Illustrated magazines sitting on my book shelf, so I dragged them out hoping that another half hour of perusing their pages would do the trick and send me back to bed.  I found the recipe for this potato salad and became intrigued, as I always am by any potato recipe.  But the question that nagged at me was – “What makes Austrian potato salad different from German potato salad?”  Or American for that matter?

The difference is American potato salad is mayonnaise-based.  German potato salad has bacon in it.  Austrian potato salad is lighter; using very little fat.  Instead it uses the starch from the potatoes by mashing a few chunks into chicken broth to form a thick and velvety dressing.  It still has the tang of vinegar and a crunch with cornichons and diced red onions.  Unfortunately, when I made it the next day I did not have cornichons.  So I substituted the pickled red onions that I had made in my previous post.  Also instead of chives, I used parsley.  The dish is forgiving of these substitutions.

Traditionally Austrian potato salad (erdapfelsalat) is served with Wiener Schnitzel.  We had it with grilled barbecued ribs.  I highly recommend it.  Sometimes insomnia is a good thing.

 

AUSTRIAN POTATO SALAD (Cooks Illustrated)

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4 large), peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
Table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small red onion, chopped fine
6 cornichons (pickles), minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Ground black pepper

1. Bring potatoes, broth, water, 1 teaspoon salt, sugar and 1 tablespoon vinegar to boil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until potatoes offer no resistance when pierced with paring knife, 15 to 17 minutes.  Remove cover, increase heat to high (so cooking liquid will reduce), and cook 2 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes in colander ser over large bowl, reserving cooking liquid.  Set drained potatoes aside.  Pour off and discard all but 1/2 cup cooking liquid (if 1/2 cup liquid does not remain, add water to make 1/2 cup).  Whisk remaining tablespoon vinegar, mustard, and oil into cooking liquid.

3. Add 1/2 cup cooked potatoes to bowl with cooking liquid mixture and mash with potato masher or fork until thick sauce forms (mixture will be slightly chunky).  Add remaining potatoes, onion, cornichons, and chives, folding gently with rubber spatula to combine.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

I picked up a copy of The New York Times while traveling recently.  It was the Wednesday edition which always includes the Dining section.  It featured a column by Melissa Clark on making a brisket you can be proud of; one that is not dry and chewy.  You can read the article here.  The key to a good brisket is in the cut that you use.  Most supermarkets carry the first cut, which in our lean-conscious era is the preferred choice.  But the fattier second cut of the brisket, sometimes called the deckle, braises better and retains the juiciness that the first cut often lacks.  But finding the second cut can be a problem.  This is where having a friendly butcher shop comes in handy.

Photo courtesy of Mountain Xpress

We are fortunate to have such a butcher shop in our area.  The Chop Shop in Asheville is there to serve all of the needs of people who are looking for a personal touch when it comes to buying meat.  Owner Josh Wright and butcher Karen Fowler buy whole carcasses of meat from local purveyors.  Buying locally ensures quality and buying whole carcasses makes it possible to fulfill orders for every cut available.  They are there to answer questions about cooking methods and suggestions on uses of lesser known cuts of meat.  Karen was pleased with my request for the second cut of brisket.  She said that most people judge a piece of meat by how lean it is.  That might be a criteria when the meat is cooked quickly, but if you are braising meat slowly, the extra fat melts and keeps the leaner portions moist.

I made some changes to the original recipe, but the most important step suggested is critical.  This is a recipe that benefits from cooking it at least a day ahead.  The fat layer that forms when it is refrigerated can easily be removed.  The sauce becomes fat free and is delicious drizzled on the tender meat and potatoes.  What I omitted were the plums.  It was suggested that the plums would add a sweet overtone to the dish, but I was looking for a more meaty flavor.  You can find the original recipe in the article listed above.  Here is my version.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH PORT (adapted from The New York Times)

1 brisket (4 to 5 pounds), preferably second cut
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup ruby port
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch of thyme, tied with twine
2 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
Beef broth if needed if sauce reduces too much
Thyme leaves, for garnish

Season brisket all over with salt and pepper.  Heat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place a very large Dutch oven over high heat.  Add oil.  Place brisket in pot and cook, with moving, until browned, about 7 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.

Add onions to pot and reduce heat to medium-high.  Cook onions, tossing occasionally, until golden brown around the edges and very tender.  Add sliced garlic near end of cooking time.  Pour in port and wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.  Stir in thyme, whole cloves, and bay leaves.  Return meat and any juices to the pot.  Cover pot and transfer to oven.  Cook, turning occasionally until meat is completely fork tender about 4 hours.

Let brisket cool completely in the pot, then refrigerate, covered, overnight. (This makes it easier to remove the fat from the top with a slotted spoon.)  Put meat on a plate and reheat sauce.  Add beef broth to the sauce if it has reduced too much.  Strain sauce.  Return to pot.  Return meat to pot and reheat the casserole in a 300 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Slice meat and serve with the sauce garnished with thyme leaves if you like.

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