During Hurricane Irene; “They shopped like it’s a Snowstorm”

Tags

grocery, hurricane, Irene, shopping

AS we are about to enter the DC/Baltimore area winter season, and the oh-so-likely chance that snow flurries will stop traffic, I wanted to offer this post –  postponed – perchance that we might recall the misery of shopping during such a horrible crisis;

In Boston, this is called another winter day. In DC the area comes to a halt.

(written on August 30, 2011, and for once, NO embellishments…)  At least I have an excuse.  You see, this Friday was my regular every-other-week grocery shopping day.  I really hate shopping.  I do.  By this statement, I refer to the type of shopping such as, “I need black socks”,  or “getting things we need for vacation” type of shopping.  This is not to be confused with going to Dean & DeLuca and creating a wonderful dinner party with my lovely finds.   With everyday shopping, I can be a real male hunter; seek and kill what I need.  The quicker – the less painful.   The idea of walking/wandering around perusing the aisles of the local  grocery store is just total agony for me. 

not me... not me... not me.. can't do it.. not me...

Therefore, when I shop for groceries, my list is specific, laid out in order of the store, easy to read and easy to toss afterward.  

 I go through the aisles, starting on the right working to the left, and move like a stealth shopper quickly and efficiently loading the cart moving in the order of eventual bagging at check out.  During manuvers, I quickly suss out the slower moving shoppers, performing lane changes, hairpin turns and stopping on a dime right at the DeCecco Pasta section.  Yes, I even perform ongoing reconnaissance on the available checkout lines in advance of planning my escape from the maize du Safeway. 

Therefore, I go every other week, and get one full cart of groceries we need – so as to minimize the pain, and the (God forbid) need to shop several times a week.  This brings us to the Friday before the big Hurricane Irene was to hit in full force. This was my regular shopping date.  I went at 5:15PM.   I understood that people would be shopping.  I had no idea.

Did you know that they make grocery carts that have electronic wheel locks if beyond a perimeter.  Would you guess that today’s parking area (which is full up of course) is beyond this perimeter for these carts?  It took two store employees and a half hour to unlock the cart with some wand thing.  There was no other cart to be found anywhere, except this one rogue stubborn cart.  The clouds of rain were looming.  The people inside wandered around as if it were a Sunday social event. 

 The waiting lines for checkout reached the back of the store, causing bottlenecks, crashes and similar traffic issues.  Of twelve checkout lanes, only 4 were open! 

After waiting in line – I began at the end cap for charcoal at the meat department for 23 minutes, the lady in front of me presented the final and ultimate credit card the system could handle, and all plastic processing stopped. Yes!!!! I brought the checkbook just in case!  And rain began while I began unloading my cart on the moving belt.

The Cashier was in such a good mood, it really helped.  She was really cool, and having a pretty good time, and we all just fell in line with her.  What else is there to do?  You finally cave in, and just go with it.

Why do people shop like this?  At least I have an excuse.  This was my regular shopping day.  OK, not a good one, but hey, I got one.   I have lived in this area for over 50 years. Never once have I seen the most debilitating weather (of any kind) render our daily life shut down for more than 3 days.  This would mean that our area population might need two days of supplies assuming they would have a current day’s meals/supplies on hand.  It leaves me dumbfounded that the mention of snow flurries/ storms/ and now hurricanes, that sends our area into complete shopping cart turf wars hauling on average 1.3 shopping carts of stuff for the maybe 36 hours of being homebound. At worst.  Lord have mercy.

Great for the Grocery stores and local economy I guess, but honestly I believe the toll it takes on all of us is just not worth it.  I hate when people bitch like this with no chance in hell of offering a solution, but this is, I am sorry to say, one of those times.  I am thinking of an answer, but like a friend of mine, Annie,  we lay awake nights with these silly thoughts! When I finally fall asleep, what do you think I start dreaming about??

 

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My famous Cheesecake recipe…..

Tags

Cheesecake, Cream cheese, Fruits

Like the Chinese Almond cookies (thanks again to Garrett McCord!), I also brag about my cheesecake. Having made this cheesecake for over 20 years now – I can only guess that perhaps two thousand to three thousand people have tasted it, all with astonishment of “the best cheesecake I have ever eaten!!”.  Most good cooks will recognize this as a classic, but the quality of the ingredients and the special crust make this unique.  Here it is –

Notes – A) I recommend using the brands and quality listed here.  This is no place for substitutes or diets!   B) Over mixing can cause weeping on the surface, so please follow the instructions exactly including timing, temperatures etc.  C) Having tried many, many decorative toppings, this mixed fruit topping is not just the prettiest, it also is the best foil(s) for the richness of the cake.  D) Either a large stand mixer or mix by hand is best.  The smaller hand-held mixer really struggles to keep up with this.  E) Springform pan of dark heavy non stick metal (most recently found at grocery store). F) All ingredients should be at room temp. unless otherwise noted.

Ingredients;

Crust;

3 Cups of broken pecan pieces *

2 Cups crumbled Cinnamon Graham Crackers

4-5 tbsp of melted butter

Filling; 

(5) 8oz. pkgs of Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, opened and brought to room temperature. 

5 Large Grade AA whole eggs and 2 egg yolks, at room temperature.

Fine Grated peel of (1) 3/4 orange, and (1) whole lemon.  (Best is to use a rasp style grater, very fine)

Large whole fresh vanilla bean *

1 3/4 Cup of Granulated White sugar

4 Tbsp  of All Purpose flour

1/4 Cup Heavy whipping cream

For Topping –

2 Jars “Bonne Maman” French Apricot Preserves, warmed and pressed through a mesh colander into a microwavable bowl

Fruits – Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Kiwi Fruit, Carambola (star) Fruit, blueberries, ripe pear slices, mandarin orange segments Pineapple slices or chunks, Green/Red seedless Grapes, Mango, Passion Fruit, etc.  (see notes)

* Advance preparation – Order special vanilla beans if you can. (beanvanilla.com) I use Tahitian Vanilla item #31 at $1.25 per bean. Cut lengthwise bend open and cut into 3 equal lengths to rest in the sugar, occasionally shaking, and scraping seeds into the sugar.  Before use, perform one last scraping and then discard the pods ( or flavour more sugar!).  The pecans I like are Millican Pecans (pecancompany.com) Pecan Pieces – 1LB Bag is $8.75.

Crust –  Place crumbled Graham crackers and pecan pieces into food processor, and pulse until the crackers and nuts are similar in crumb, and just start trying to come together – quickly adding the melted butter by teaspoons at this point. Process until you just have a moist crumb mix. Pour into springform pan, and begin to spread out along bottom, bringing up 1″ up onto the sides.  Press firmly all around to make the crust firm and compacted.

Filling – Place in mixing bowl, cream cheese, sugar/vanilla, flour and grated peels.  Mix on medium speed until partially blended.  Scrape the bowl and beaters at least three times during the mixing process to have mixture very consistent, without overbeating.  I tend to mix for a minute, and scrape, then mix for a 2nd minute, scrape again, mix for 30 seconds and scrape a 3rd time and mix for a final 30 seconds.  Beating by hand is the best, but tiring, as the goal is to try not to incorporate air into the batter, but very well mixed.  At this point, mix in one whole egg at a time for 30-45 seconds, scrape and add the 2nd egg, mix again for 30-45 seconds, scraping again. Repeat this until each egg and the final addition of the 2 yolks and the whipping cream are incorporated and scraped between each addition.  The batter will become much more liquid like a very thick pancake batter. 

Preheat oven to 450°.  Allow oven to heat well, and pour the batter into the springform pan.  Place just above center in center of oven, and Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Turn down the heat to 200° and bake for 55 to 65 minutes.  The top will brown, this is fine.  Should your cake develop a crack don’t worry – this can be covered with the fruits.  The cracking may suggest overbaking or overbeating however.

Let the cake cool 3-4 hours,  to room temp in pan.  Run a very thin spatula or thin (flexible) knife.  Release the side lock and let sides pull away from cake.  Gently lift open ring above the cake and place the cake into the refrigerator to chill overnight or 6 hours.  (Can be frozen successfully at this point – I never do.)

Topping – have all fruits clean, dry, inspected, blemish free and ready to place on the top of your cheesecake.  If some items are very juicy, you can try placing them on towels until you place them on the top.  My advice is to use at least three fruits, better at 6-7 types of fruits and 10-12 fruits can make a real show-stopper.  Place them artistically on the top, overlapping, making rings, all diagonals etc. and if necessary, cut the bottom to allow to lay flat, or rest upon the curved surface of the cheesecake top.  Return to refrigerator to chill all items for 1-2 hours.  Microwave the 2 jars of sieved apricot jam, and gently brush onto the dry, chilled fruits, allowing the jam to settle in between the fruits.  Use enough to adhere the fruits to the cake and each other, but avoid using so much jam that it loses its clarity.   Finally, drip the jam along the outer edges occasionally letting it drip down the sides.  Chill well, and serve while still on the bottom of the springform pan if you like. 

Serves 10 – 18

My Search for great Chinese Almond Cookies

Tags

almond, almond flour, Chinese cookies, dessert

Sometimes, I just gotta brag.  My friends, relatives, clients and anyone else for that matter, knows of my self-confidence sometimes soaring out of control,  but when push comes to shove, I really am a lot more humble than all that.  Except of course, for a few things that are simply beyond reproach.  (For those who have tried my cheesecake for example, will attest/swear and otherwise applaud). Forgive my boldness in advance!

As it usually goes with me, I can get a craving for something I want to taste.  Currently, I am searching for the most authentic Moroccan Couscous, made in a couscousier of course, with the spices of the north African and Middle Eastern cultures melding into an intoxicating aroma , no..make that perfume, of a stew that steams the couscous… Well I digress, that will be a future blog.  So, after having my 153rd try at enjoying Chinese restaurant almond cookies, and being so disappointed, I realised, did you ever have a memory of something that was better than the real something?  We all have, of course.  So I wanted to make the very best version of this cookie, keeping it authentic of course, but how would the Imperial Court of China (back in the day) have served them to the Emperor? 

Normally, I search and collect, read and figure out, try, and try again in developing something that I will be able to call “my own” and know it will become a signature dish of mine.  This is half the fun of it all.   This time, that did not happen.

Recently I stumbled upon recipes and stories by Garrett McCord on his “Vanilla Garlic” blog.  His things are often included on the “simply recipes” site I enjoy. Garrett’s cooking knowledge/techniques are so well founded, yet he takes away any of the intimidation of “the rules”, and just gives us the recipe. Mixed with his innately flowing narrative style of stories, his great recipes are sometimes just adjunct, like dangling participles after a good thread.  Great all on their own.

So, in looking for really good Chinese style Almond Cookies,  Garrett’s version proved to be the ultimate, and needed no further experiments, trials and surely no input from Brad,, alas, I cannot refer to these as my own, no matter how obliquely.  I don’t care about it this time, these are that good.   And despite my 98% following Garrett’s recipe, this will, I am sure, become yet another thing I definitely brag about for sure.  For sure.

Chinese Almond Cookies (with a couple of small alterations from me…)

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups of almond flour, lightly packed (If you don’t have this, wait until you do. This is what Makes These So Good, and not overly sweet!)
• 1 cup of unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1 egg for dough,  1 egg  later for wash
• 2-3  teaspoons of almond extract (I add much more – and it totally works, try 7-8 teaspoons)
• 1 3/4 cups of flour
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• Halved  almonds ( I use cracked in half, very irregular shaped pc. and toast them gently.)
• ½ to ¾ cup of “Sugar in the Raw®” 

Method

1 Place the almond flour, salt, and butter into an electric beater with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for three minutes. The mixture will become course and chunky looking.  (Mine tends to combine and go right past the crumbly stage.. stop the mixer as soon as this happens and continue)

2 Add one of the eggs, reserving the other for later, and the almond extract. Mix on low speed until just incorporated.

3 Sift together the flour, sugar, and baking soda then add to the butter mixture at low speed. Mix until just combined.

4 Take the dough and flatten it into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for two hours to chill.

5 Preheat the oven to 325F. baking sheet (I seem to do OK with ungreased plain sheet) or line with parchment. Place the other egg into a bowl and beat it. (if you have never used parchment paper, try it.  you will never go back!)

6 Take pieces of dough and roll them into balls about a half-inch wide. Place them on the sheet about and inch apart and then press them down slightly with a soup spoon to make a concave coin shape. (this is a lot more forgiving, so experiment a little here…)

7 Place a slivered/halved etc.  almond onto each cookie and lightly press it into place, then paint the surface of the cookie with some of the beaten egg using a pastry brush or your finger (this will give the cookie a lacquered appearance once it bakes).  Sprinkle “Sugar in the Raw®”  granules on top.

8 Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges just being to tan. Cool on the sheet on a wire rack.

Makes 3 dozen medium (3 ½” diam.) sized, or 5 dozen small (2 ¼” diam.)I make  2 or more  batches at once is just as easy, and roll them into logs and freeze.  Great as gifts, and very handy.  You can trust me on this;  Make two batches, make them all,  and you will see how fast these go!