The Parlor and the Kitchen- Tea and Honey

I’m not a coffee drinker by nature. I drank a lot of coffee in high school, and since then I’ve really been much more of a tea drinker. I love tea. I love the rituals around tea, the fancy silver tea sets and beautiful porcelain teacups. I love the different ways you can make your tea, honey and lemon, milk and sugar, fresh mint and agave nectar. Coffee, at its core, is always coffee flavored. But tea can be black or white or green, infused with fruits or spices, it can be spicy or floral, soothing or bracing, energizing or calming. I occasionally have a cappuccino or espresso at the end of a restaurant meal, but I probably only drink 6-8 cups of coffee a year. But tea, tea is an almost daily occurrence. I drink it hot and iced. Plain and sweetened. British, Thai, and Vietnamese.

(I should admit to the fact that I cannot make a decent cup of coffee to save my life, and my guests who request it are given directions to the Starbucks on the corner, or handed a packet of Via. It is very non-polymathematical of me, I know.)

One of the many things I love about working at home is tea. When I worked in an office, tea was a quick grab…throw some hot water and a tea bag into your cup and back to your desk. The only thing I ever had to think about was not spilling it on my computer.

At home, tea breaks can be a real luxury. I can pick whatever flavor of tea strikes my mood…and as you can see, I have many possible moods!

I use an electric teakettle, and love this one from Krups which I have had for nearly 5 years. Still going strong, and ultra fast.

I buy teas all over the place, with a consistent preference for loose teas. I keep a few specific flavors like Constant Comment in bags, but my go-to general brand is Republic of Tea. They have a huge selection of flavors, their decaf teas are as delicious as the leaded versions, and the canisters are beautiful.

I have used these individual pots by Beehouse for a long time now, and I love the convenience of the mesh inserts, the fact that all the parts can be tossed in the dishwasher.

But while the Beehouse pots are great when I know I will be having more than one cup, or when sharing with a friend, sometimes, usually at the end of the night, I just need one cup. And usually with honey.

So I was super excited when Moonspoon sent me their gorgeous tea strainer and honey dipper. I became aware of Moonspoon a couple of months ago, when I bought a few of their Arts and Crafts style pieces as a gift for my Charming Suitor, who loves that period. Everything they make is both beautiful and functional.

I love that the strainer can be used either to steep a single cup of tea, or as a true strainer, to catch extra loose leaves from a full pot as you pour. And the honey dipper is a unique flat design that works great. It held enough honey in one swipe to sweeten my cup, and the design makes it easy to clean, unlike the other honey dippers I have seen.

(The honey, by the way, is from Braswell's, who has a terrific line of honeys, jams, and preserves. Their Balsamic Onion Jam is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted with sharp cheeses or on roasted meats.)

For a fun hostess gift, try putting together a tea package! A small pot or the Moonspoon strainer, a canister or two of great tea, a jar of special honey with a honey dipper or a box of sugarcubes. I often collect unique teacups from flea markets and yard sales, usually just a dollar or two for singles, and include that in the basket. You can even go over the top and get an electric teakettle!

Yours in good taste,

The Polymath

Medium Rare Polymath

As I think I have mentioned before being a polymath may make me very smart, but it doesn't mean I'm not a moron.

Case in point:

A polymath knows that one should never leave the house without appropriate sunscreen on exposed body parts.

A polymath can tell you about SPF, and what it means, and the long-term effects of sun damage to your skin, as well as the benefits of certain amounts of sun.

However...

This polymath will share that based on empirical research, one should not: 

Use last summer's spray sunscreen.

Be casual about coverage of old less-potent sunscreen.

Spend the four hottest hours of the day in a pool, where the now-degraded sunscreen can disappear from some, but not all of one's skin.

Choose to not bother to re-apply aforementioned useless sunscreen during the course of the day, assuming that the exposure might help to correct current Vitamin D deficiency.

Because if you do all of these things, you will, in fact, acquire a thoroughly uncomfortable sunburn on some but not all of your body.  The fronts of your legs will take on the blotchy mottled look of a partially cooked lobster, and the burned bits will invariably reside in the most painful locations.  Ditto your chest, which now looks a little bit like that pink camo pattern Juicy Couture made so popular a couple of seasons ago.  And your forearms will each get a strange bit of burn that look much like a map of the continents.  And if you are REALLY lucky, which of course I am, you will have one spot on your right arm which will look like someone painted two intersecting lines of pink that look like a large capital J.  SUPER.

Apart from the sad sunburn, and the lessons learned thereby, it was a fabulous weekend...including Charming Suitor and I playing a rousing game of Cranium with Little Sister and her own Charming Suitor, which was a close battle in which CS and I were ultimately victorious.

Note: do not try to hum George Michael's FAITH while simultaneously trying not to laugh and suppressing a wee bit of digestive pressure, or for sure you are going to accidentally break wind, and I am pretty sure that in the rules your opposing team gets an extra roll for flatulence.  Hypothetically.

Had a great Father's Day with Mom and Dad, he loved his new toy, my favorite travel charger from Chargepod, and my favorite furry nephew was delighted to hang out with us!

Hope you all had a great weekend and a happy Father's Day, I'll be back tomorrow with a new fun kitchen post!

Feasting Friday- Weeknight Risotto

I know a lot of people who are scared to death of risotto. On the surface, it seems like such a restaurant meal, and yet I have had far more bad risotti in restaurants than I have at home. Risotto is shockingly easy to make, takes much less time than most people think, and is a fantastic tool to have in your bag of tricks.

You can make a basic risotto with pantry items, or a fancy one with special ingredients. It can be an elegant appetizer, a delicious side dish, or a hearty one-pot meal. And despite its creamy consistency, basic risotto is surprisingly good for you, since most of the creaminess comes from the releasing of the starch in the rice into the stock, and not, as many presume, from actual cream. (of course, you CAN add cream, or more butter than I have in mine, or a spoonful of mascarpone cheese and no one will argue…)

When I was writing recipes for GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT, I focused on the comfort foods that the chef heroine, Melanie, would have wanted as she worked her weight loss program. Risotto is filling, even in small portions, and soul-satisfying. It is one of my go-to dishes, especially when I need a bowl of something warm at the end of a long day. So I knew there would have to be a version in the book!

For as long as I can remember, as much as I love making risotto, I hadn’t found the perfect pan. You need something heavy, so that it can stay put during all the stirring. But cast iron never really worked, I had problems with the rice sticking. You need something wide so that the rice and stock meld together easily and the rice all cooks evenly, which is difficult in a deeper pot, since the rice at the bottom tends to cook faster than the rice at the top. But my only options were my skillet, just shy of really being deep enough, and the sloping sides meant the tiniest bit of overzealous stirring and the contents are sloshed onto the cooktop; or my straight sided wide pan, which always trapped rice in the crevices, and wasn’t really big enough.

Who came to the rescue? Emile Henry. A French company specializing in heavy enameled ceramic cookware, designed to go from stovetop to oven to dishwasher. I had seen them in stores for years, but never cooked with one. Until they sent me this:

How freaking gorgeous is this casserole???? I mean, seriously.

Now, Emile Henry calls it a braiser, but the moment it arrived, all I could think about was risotto. And since Chicago decided to have a brief spurt of rainy Fall earlier this week, risotto seemed just the ticket. Plus I had not yet made my famous risotto for Charming Suitor. CS threw his back out last week, literally saving a woman from certain death or disfigurement by catching her when she tripped and started to do a header down the L stairs, making my hero her hero as well. He had a very long week and doctor’s appointments and endless ice packs and a lot of pain, and this Monday was his first full day back at work, so I wanted him to come home to something that was simple, delicious and soothing. A little bowl full of love.

Risotto it was! I knew I was going for the one-pot version, which is the version Melanie makes in the book. Shredded chicken, the meat from a store-bought rotisserie version, frozen peas, canned or fresh artichoke hearts. So easy. The recipe is also in the book, but here is a sneak preview version.

Made, I must say, enormously easier by both the Swiss Chop Chop I mentioned on Tuesday for the shallots, and the new braiser which I think Emile Henry should rename The Best Risotto Pan Ever. The pan was deep enough to contain the contents, and the curvy shape made for both easy stirring and no sloshing. It is a heavy piece, so it didn’t budge, and retained the heat amazingly well, which meant I could cook on medium-low instead of cranked up on high!

I’m a definite fan. And I can’t wait to see how it does in the Fall when I start craving braised stuff again.

CS is doing much better, thank you all for happy thoughts. (I think it might have been the risotto that cured him, but claims it is the anti-inflammatory drugs and rest, even though he did eat two huge bowlfuls and took the leftovers for lunch…)

He is hanging up his cape, tho, so ladies, watch your step on the stairs!

Risotto Ala Melanie from GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

2 c Carnaroli or Arborio rice
10 c chicken stock
2 shallots, chopped
2 c cooked chicken meat, shredded (from a store bought rotisserie chicken is great here)
4 artichoke bottoms (preferably fresh) cooked and diced
½ c frozen petite green peas (optional)
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
½ c dry white wine or champagne
1 pinch saffron threads
¼ c grated parmagiano reggiano
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ c toasted pine nuts (optional)
Zest of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken stock in a saucepan and heat over medium until simmering but not boiling. Melt 1 T butter in a heavy bottom wide pan with the olive oil. Add shallots and cook till translucent.

Add rice and stir until each grain is coated. Add wine and saffron threads and stir till wine is totally absorbed. Add chicken stock one ladle at a time until almost completely absorbed, and then add next ladle. Stir continuously.

When it begins to take longer for stock to be absorbed, taste the rice. You are looking for al dente, not mushy or gummy. When you are getting close to the right texture, add the chicken, peas and artichokes to heat through, along with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. When the rice is perfectly cooked, stir in the remaining butter, the cheese, and the parsley, and do a final taste for seasonings. Garnish with pine nuts.

To buy your own Emile Henry braiser.

To Pre-Order GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.

The Parlor and The Kitchen- Chopper

I am a true Gemini in many ways. Which can be frustrating, since I am often of two complete minds about things, both sides may make sense to me, and it can be hard to reconcile the two halves of my odd whole.

Kitchen equipment is a perfect example.

On the one hand, I generally appreciate and subscribe to the Michael Ruhlman school of thought, which is that any good cook only needs a few basic quality tools to practice their craft. I absolutely know that most of my cooking takes place in one stockpot, one large skillet, and one small saucepan. There is frankly not much I cannot do with these three pots.

And yet, between my three C’s (cast iron, copper and Calphalon) I own no fewer than 29 various pots and pans:

And don’t think there aren’t many more which I covet and dream about…Mauviel haunts me, many shapes and sizes of Le Creuset seem to want very much to come live at my house, and I await with baited breath my next visit to Paris where I fully intend to lose my s*** in the aisles of E. Dehillerin, where Julia Child bought her favorite cookware.

(It is important to note, that one of the many many amazing surprises about Charming Suitor, and one of the first things he shared with me that made me know we were destined be together, was his admission that when he goes to Paris he takes an extra empty suitcase so that he can FILL IT UP AT DEHILLERIN!!!!! I mean really, who would not fall in love with a man like that?)

I know in my heart that all I need is a regular spoon, a slotted spoon and a spatula, maybe one pair of tongs. But there are these:

I want to be a smart cook, I want to have an organized and uncluttered kitchen, I really do. At least, half of me does. That half wants to cook simple, with a few high quality, well-loved classic items that will serve me my entire culinary life.

The other half wants my kitchen to look like Sur la Table and Williams Sonoma got together and became the Duggars of the food world.

It is a curse.

Take cutting and chopping. I know that 95% of my slicing and dicing and mincing happen with a good 8” chef’s knife and a 4” paring knife. Did that stop me from acquiring:

Clearly not.

Wanna know where else that Gemini two-headed monster comes in? Skill vs. laziness.

I have excellent knife skills. Significantly above average. I’m not Martin Yan, and I do have to watch what I am doing, but I am very VERY good with a knife. I pride myself on my knife skills. But I do so hate to have to do more than minimal prep. It takes so long. I am not patient. I just want to get to the cooking already. I know a lot of cooks who love prep, they find it soothing, it calms their minds. Not me. I like the action. The sizzle and the simmer and the stirring and the tasting for seasoning.

This is why I have a big food processor. And a little food processor. And a mandoline. And infinite other tools designed to take the muss and fuss out of all that chopping.

Which the creates the new problem for the lazy side of me…schlepping the equipment down and setting it up and then the cleaning up, which takes up all the time one saves on the whole not-chopping thing.

When everyone and their brother started coming out with their own version of a tiny easy tabletop chopper, I succumbed. That smacking the chopper looked so easy and fun on TV, there were oodles of versions at Bed Bath and Beyond, and most of them were pretty affordable. Who is sassier than Brian Boitano using one to salsa music on his oddly entertaining cooking show? And while I find the Slap Chop guy creepy, he does make the equipment look useful. I didn’t have (and still don’t) any desire to try and make salsa right on my cutting board, or mix up tuna salad “in a flash”. I just want to chop up my onions and garlic and shallots and other basics quickly and efficiently. So I succumbed to the siren call of the mini-chopper.

Several times.

They were shiny.

They were small.

They had such promise.

They were terrible.

I tried (and immediately gave away) about three or four of them. They were weird to use, you practically had to chop the stuff yourself to get it to a size that the gadgets would work with, and they were awkward to clean. They would chop some of the contents to a fine mince, while other pieces were still huge. They couldn’t handle much more than a quarter of an onion, and really, when do you need only a quarter of an onion?

So when Kuhn Rikon sent me their Swiss Chop Chop to try out, I was cautious. It looked cool, with its reasonably large capacity, two spinning blades, and the funky ripcord mechanism. I liked the idea of the little arm at the bottom of the bowl to keep contents moving towards the blades. But I had been disappointed so many times, it made me more than a little bit skeptical.

But I am skeptical no more.

This thing actually works!

I threw in two shallots which I had peeled and halved, and with ten pulls, they looked like this:

It made quick work of minced garlic, and was big enough to do a whole onion a once. It comes with a lid, so you can use it to store things, which is pretty handy. Because of the whole pull-cord mechanism, you can’t put the top in the dishwasher, so that isn’t ideal, but the rest of the pieces do go in, which is good for the clean-up factor. All in all, it was definitely the best version of any of the mini manual choppers that I have used, and I have a feeling it will be in regular rotation at my house.

Just don’t tell Michael Ruhlman.

Yours in good taste,
The Polymath

For your very own, click here Kuhn Rikon Swiss Chop Chop