baby rambutan

fingerling, schmingerling….i couldn’t find any, within reasonable driving distance, so i substituted baby red potatoes (or use any other thin-skinned variety).

this recipe is from the New York Times, in one of the “pairings with wines” sessions. it is meant to be enjoyed with a bottle of Condrieu.

the dish is only as good as the components you put into it: fresh chicken–dark meat only!, a rich hearty stock and not-too-cheap brand-name chardonnay. oh, and high-fat (meaning imported European? i just used storebrand) unsalted butter.

you end up with a dish that has such a deeply flavorful sauce, so good mopped up with a spongy bread (my kids used pan de sal).

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last night’s dessert was a new twist on an old family favorite. i like this version because it doesn’t call for Calvados or apple brandy which has disappeared from my liquor stores, and it calls for butterscotch morsels to add oomph to the topping. the sour cream cake batter is just so tender and buttery.

celiaK and i have “apple pie monster” sons and we seem to be always on the lookout for new ways to get them apples into the batter.

this one is from the March 2006 issue of Bon Appetit. i think that fresh sweet saba bananas would be also work wonderfully well for this. make sure to use an oven proof skillet (i used an enameled paella pan) because the bottom part which comes out on top needs to be caramelized on the stovetop. i had a little trouble flipping it but i just rearranged the stray stubborn apple slices back on to the top.

before the flip, cooling and resting, it looked plain and dimply

after the flip, caramelized and butterscotched apple slices

kids loved it!!! and had it again for breakfast.

begging for a scoop of French vanilla ice cream

recipe follows. (more…)

budino di ricotta

i’ve been cleaning and cooking since the kids went back to school to keep myself from fretting and worrying and working myself up into a state.

and this budino di ricotta from last week’s Dining Section of the Boston Globe just beckoned to be made.

grating the zests was my favorite part, for it made my kitchen (and my hands) smell so fruity-fresh and zingy.
it’s a cross between a flan and a pudding cake (where the top becomes cakey and the bottom flan-y). i did think it needed a buttery crust to rest in and next time i’ll use a smaller baking dish; but the flavor is good and tangy and sort of comforting, as puddings tend to be.

budino di ricotta from the Boston Globe (April 17, 2007)

butter (for the dish)
sugar (for sprinkling)
8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs (separated)
1/2 cup sugar (measure it out then scoop out 2 tbsps. from the cup for the egg whites)
1 tbsp. flour
zest from 1 lemon
zest from 1 orange
1 tbsp. lemon or orange juice (i used a combination)

set the oven to 350F. butter a 1-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. dust it with sugar. set aside.

in a bowl, combine the ricotta and egg yolks. mix well until smooth. stir in the 1/2 cup sugar-minus-2 tbsps., and the flour, and mix until the ricotta is free of lumps. stir in the lemon and orange zests, and the juice.
in an electric mixer or with a whisk beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. gradually beat in the remaining sugar and continue beating until they form stiff peaks.
gently fold in the whites into the ricotta mixture. pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
bake the pudding on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the middle is firm when the baking dish is lightly shaken. cool slightly before serving or cover, refrigerate and serve chilled.

love the browned edges!  mineminemine…!

i saw husband sneaking off with one of my magazines. he was staring at a photograph, he was plotting and planning, reading and re-reading.

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i’ll be back cooking again soon. i hope. i just want to greet my son today. i’ll make him a big cake later but today we are buying his favorite ice cream cake to bring to his cousin’s for their joint celebration with the rest of the extended family.
then: we. are. on. spring. break.
whew! we feel so deserving of this little lull from the flurry of almost-end-of-school year events, especially for the graduating Mr. #1son.

thank you to the friends who leave comments and suggestions, i’ll be bloghopping again when the PC is free
!

#1son, ready to fly?

goosebumps! they were so good.

1989, on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard

1 month old, May 1989

my firstborn turned 18 today.

congratulations #1son….you are on your way!

i’ve heard so much about them, yet had never ever seen them sold anywhere here. so when i saw Meyer lemons in the grocery store, i pounced on them. i closed my eyes and dug deep into my wallet just to check out these little orange ovals. my kid, the wiseguy #1son, called them “liar lemons” (he’s going to study English literature/creative writing daw eh)… because they smelled and looked like oranges, and they tasted like orange with a hint of grapefruit and calamansi….(hej hej! thessiree! this might be a good substitute for the yuzu juice!).

one yellow lemon among the Meyers.

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