Holiday Tea Time

Although the Nord Kitchen is mostly dominated by those of Swedish decent, occasionally some fractional heritages peek through and we bow to other traditions. One favorite tradition from our English-early-American descendants is the serving of tea. Tea time can be an elaborate occasion in The Nord Kitchen ranging from a simple afternoon tea party to the elaborate High Tea affair. We are fortunate that we live in an area with a number of historical places which serve wonderful traditional afternoon teas, such as The Colonial Inn in Concord, MA. But our favorite tradition is to set our own table with a variety of teas, heavily laden with sweets and sandwiches then wait and see who decides to sit for a chat.

One of these impromptu teas occurred this past week when I was again experimenting with Mesquite flour. In previous blogs I have mentioned using this unique flour with chocolate chip cookies. The distinctive mocha flavor makes for a very rich cookie when combined with chocolate chips, so I was delighted when Casa de Fruta contacted me with some new recipes to try. Just like early explorers in search of spices, I found some new flavor combinations to add to the tea table.

Mesquite Meringue Cookies

3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup mesquite flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Mix the sugar and mesquite flour together, set aside. In a chilled bowl, begin beating egg whites with electric mixer. Gradually add the sugar and flour mix. Add the salt and lemon juice. Continue beating until batter is stiff and firm and does not slip from bowl when inverted. Be patient. Once desired consistency is reached, immediately, drop mixture by spoonfuls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in a very low temperature oven (210 - 225 degrees F) for about an hour. Be careful not to let cookies brown.

Mesquite Lemon Bars
For pastry dough:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

For lemon topping:
1 jar (10 oz.) Lemon Curd
2 tablespoons mesquite flour

Mix first 8 ingredients together to form a soft dough. Spread dough in a cookie sheet which has already been greased and floured. Make sure dough is evenly spread.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mix lemon curd and flour together until smooth.

Remove pan from oven and spread over the partially baked dough the lemon topping. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or until edges are nicely brown. Cut into squares.

Scallops are In

When the weather in New England becomes cold and stormy, from late Fall until February, the best scallops can be locally found. A favorite combination of mine is to prepare them on a bed of leeks...another Fall time favorite. Fresh scallops are sweet, clean and so easy to prepare. In between the rush of holiday preparations and the shoveling of snow...a lot of snow....we sat back to relax in the Nord kitchen with some locally harvested scallops. Following recipe adapted from Patricia Wells, "Vegetable Harvest."

Sea Scallops On A Bed of Leeks
Coarse sea salt
8 leeks, white portion only, cut into thin half-moon slices
8 large sea scallops
1/4 cup heavy cream
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh chives
2 Tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
2 Tablespoons finely minced tarragon leaves

Have handy a large bowl of ice water.

Bring about 3 quarts water to boil in a pot fitted with a colander. Add 3 tablespoons coarse salt and the leeks. Blanch until crisp-tender (about 1 minute). Immediately remove the colander from the water, allow to drain and plunge the colander with the leeks into the ice water so that they cool down quickly. Drain the leeks and wrap them in a thick towel to dry. (The leeks can be cooked up to 1 hour in advance.)

Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towels.

Just before you are ready to serve, place the blanched leeks in a large lidded skillet and scallops over high heat, just until brown around the edges. 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Season each side after it has cooked all the way through.

On a warmed plate, arrange a bed of warm leeks. Top with the seared scallops. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with herbs. Serve immediately.





Escaping from the snow this past week, I was in the Raleigh area on business and dined at a very intriguing Asian-French hybrid cuisine restaurant. AN Restaurant in Cary, North Carolina. "An" means "to dine" or "to eat" in Vietnamese. The menu includes an eclectic selection of sushi to free range chicken and lamb chops with plenty of choices available for both beef eaters and vegetarians. Since many of the scallops available in supermarkets are usually harvested off the coast of North Carolina I decided to try a dish with scallops and ordered Shrimp and Scallops. The Hot pot style dish came artistically served in a bamboo pot with wonton noodles, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, onions and various fresh vegetables. I'm not sure I could discern where the scallops were really harvested, but the mixture of textures and tastes was delightful. A nice reprieve from winter in the Northeast. Now, its back to the holiday preparations.

Slicing Onions

Slicing onions is one of my least favorite preps for cooking. I always have a bag of Ore-Ida chopped onions
stored in the freezer for quick use in recipes.
Which is fine for chopped onions, but what about sliced? Slicing onions reduces me to tears. I've tried all the tricks....lighting a candle, holding a slice of bread in my mouth...but nothing stops the tears from coming.

A new technique was needed. I figured that if I sliced the onions fast enough I could avoid contact with the onion mist. So, recently I went in search of a new gadget. A number of solutions were available at my local kitchen supply store. Everything from elaborate mandoline slicers to special goggles for wearing while working with onions. Kyocera has an adjustable slicer with a very sharp ceramic blade. Perfect for slicing not only onions but potatoes, cabbage, etc. It is currently my favorite kitchen gadget.

The snow has now arrived in abundance and it is time for French Onion Soup. This weekend, I tearlessly prepared a batch.



FRENCH ONION SOUP

1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs onions, thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable stock for vegetarian version, otherwise use beef stock
1/2 cup dry sherry
French bread
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Heat the butter and oil in a large pan, then add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, over low heat for 45 minutes, or until softened and golden brown. It is important not to rush this stage. Cook the onion until caramelized for fullest flavor.
Add stock, sherry and additional water (up to 1 cup) if needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, slice the bread into thick slices and arrange, in single layer on baking sheet. Toast one side under broiler. Turn and sprinkle with Parmesan, toast until crisp and golden and cheese has melted.
Put bread slices into serving bowls. Ladle in the hot soup, sprinkle with remaining cheese and parsley. Serve immediately.