Cauliflower, Fennel and Almond Soup

Spring has officially arrived, but the Bay Area is cold again this week. This year is strange indeed. So I made soup again. Cauliflower and fennel are not very popular vegetables among Americans, from what I can tell. However well I cook them, they are often left untouched, whether it is in soup or a salad, or cooked as a side vegetable. Anyway, this soup is delicious and it has been successful on the menu. Fennel's licorice taste is toned down by using almond milk. If you do not want to use chicken stock, use vegetable stock or more water and/or almond milk instead.

I don't normally drink wine with soup (water is best), but if you must...
Try a dry or semi-dry fino-style sherry, or a low-alcohol Riesling (bottom, right corner of p. 2).

Cauliflower, Fennel and Almond Soup

Serves 4-5

1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and sliced

2 heads of fennel, cleaned, core removed, and sliced

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, sliced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup dry white wine (e.g., un-oaked Chardonnay)

½ cup water

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1 ½ cups light chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup heavy cream

salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

¼ cup whole almonds, chopped (for garnish)

In a pot (3 ½ - 4 quart) melt butter with oil, and saute the onion until soft (about 3 minutes).

Add cauliflower, fennel, garlic, white wine and water. Add up to 1 teaspoon of salt (depending on how much is in the stock), stir well and cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Add the almond milk and chicken stock. Cover and cook about 10 more minutes over medium-low heat. The vegetables should be tender and fragrant.

Remove from heat and puree the vegetable mixture with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a standing blender*) until smooth (caution, the vegetable mixture is hot).

Add heavy cream and adjust seasoning with additional salt and white pepper.

Sprinkle chopped almond as garnish. Serve with a good baguette.

*Note: Be careful when using a blender. Allow the hot vegetable mixture to cool 4-5 minutes before blending, and remove center cap of the lid so the hot air can escape (otherwise it might explode on you!).

KITSUNE UDON -- Japanese White Wheat Noodles in Soup

Udon are very popular noodles in Japan, but particularly in the city of Osaka to the south. In the Tokyo area, Soba (buckwheat noodles) are more popular, as well as soups made darker with more soy sauce. I grew up in Tokyo, but Osaka-style soup is lighter and more delicate to my taste, plus I find it easier to digest than typical (Italian-style) pasta and soba noodles. 

KITSUNE means fox in Japanese, and it is used for the name of fried tofu pouches, the color of which looks like fox fur. This style of tofu is also used for Inari sushi (aka "fox pockets"), popular among children, with the sushi rice stuffed inside the tofu pouches. Inari sushi also has sugar added, which makes it sweeter (probably why kids like it).

Paired with green tea, this udon soup is relatively low in calories and fat (only what remains in the tofu after rinsing).

KITSUNE UDON, Japanese White Wheat Noodles in Soup

Serves about 5-6

Ingredients:

1 pound Japanese Udon noodles (dried white-wheat noodles)

2 quarts Dashi (Japanese stock or light vegetable stock of your choice)

1 bag (12 ounces) cleaned baby spinach, blanched and squeezed (to press out the water)

1 package usu-age, fried tofu pouches (2 pieces)

3 tablespoons Mirin (cooking sake)

2 tablespoons low-sodium/light soy sauce

   salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Shichimi togarashi (Japanese chili seasoning)

Garnish:

Wakame seaweed and/or Tororo Kombu seaweed (optional)

Cooked shiitake mushroom (optional)

2-3-ounces fish cake, e.g., Surimi, sliced (optional)

2 stalks scallion, sliced fine (optional)

In a large pot (5-6 quarts) of boiling water, add the noodles (just like cooking spaghetti).

Once water returns to a boil, reduce heat and continue cooking about 10-12 minutes, stirring noodles occasionally to make sure they do not stick together, particularly during the first few minutes.

Meanwhile heat the stock and season with the Mirin, half the soy sauce and pinch of salt. Cook for a minute and keep the soup warm.

Cooking KITSUNE:
Cut fried tofu pouches the size you prefer (about 2 inches wide). Put them in strainer and under hot running water to wash off the oil for 10 seconds. Place the tofu in a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of the stock and the additional 1 Tbsp soy sauce, plus a pinch of salt and the sugar. Cook the tofu over low- medium heat about 10 minutes.

When the noodles are done (not al dente, they should be on the softer side), drain the water and distribute the noodles to individual serving bowls. Pour the seasoned stock, spinach and cooked tofu on top of noodles.

Garnish as desired. Serve with a few dashes of Shichi Togarashi.

Note:  For information about Japanese ingredients and stock making, check this wonderful site: http://justonecookbook.com/blog/pantry/
Also another great blog you can see how to make traditional Dashi stock step by step:
http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2012/02/seared-sea-bass-with-bok-choy-and-yuzu.html

Tomato Soup, Quick Homemade

Tomato soup and rustic country-style bread is the perfect quick meal for me, especially on a cold rainy day, like pretty much all of this week. Then again, I always like soup... any kind of soup, anytime. Asian style, European style and of course creamy Boston-style clam chowder. Soup is soothing, sates the appetite and is easy on the stomach.

Once, a long time ago, an old Chinese friend told me that drinking too much soup makes a person very emotional. That is why he and his family do not eat soup very often. I was so surprised when he told me that, as I had never heard such a story, and soup is so common in the daily diet, along with rice, for almost all Asian people. They are accustomed to and enjoy it whether the weather is cold or hot. I remember he told me that his father had a strict military background, and he was trained to not consume much soup, for discipline reasons. I still don't know whether the story was true. I eat soup often. Maybe that is why I am a bit emotional, particularly about good food and wine.

Tomato Soup with Rustic Bread

Makes about one quart (4 cups)

Ingredients:

1 can (28 ounces) whole plum tomatoes

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 stalk celery, diced (optional)

1 small carrot peeled, diced (optional)

2 cups light chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

salt and freshly grated pepper

a pinch of chili pepper (optional)

¼ cup heavy cream

 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley or basil for garnish (optional)

In a medium-sized sauce pan (3½ to 4 quart) melt olive oil and butter over medium heat. Cook onion and other vegetables (if you are using) a few minutes, until soft. Add garlic and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour in whole can of the tomatoes, chicken stock and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Place a lid over the pan and simmer about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf, and puree the tomato mixture with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a blender) until smooth. Whisk in heavy cream. Serve with thick pieces of good, lightly toasted rustic bread.

Note: I recently enjoyed the “Organic White Cheddar Cheese & Roasted Garlic Filone” from Trader Joe’s, and “Onion & Asiago Rustic Bread” from Whole Foods Market. These are very good choices to go with soup. I slice up the unused bread (1 inch thick), wrapped with baking/parchment paper then in a plastic bag, and store it in the refrigerator for the next few days or freeze it for "emergency bread."

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin -- the famous, delicious, and fairly easy French apple tart -- is another recipe we made in this week's cooking class. I used Golden Delicious apples but Granny Smith also works well. In my opinion, French people tend to like a softer texture for fruits and vegetables, so they cook a little longer than I normally do. 

Tarte Tatin

For two 6-inch or one 10-inch cast iron pan

Serves 6-8

For the dough:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

Pinch of salt

1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted ("sweet") butter, cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons ice-cold water, or as needed

For the filling:

4-5 Golden Delicious apples (or Granny Smith)

juice of one lemon

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream as accompaniment if desired.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and toss together. Add the butter using your fingertips or two knives, and cut the mixture until crumbly. Add the water, and working quickly blend the ingredients with floured hands and pat the dough into two smooth flat cakes (or one if using 10-inch skillet). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. You may instead process the dough using a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse 5-6 times with one-second bursts to break up the butter, then add the ice water, pulsing a few more times until the dough holds together. If the mixture is too dry, pulse in more drops of water.

Core, peel (optional) and halve the apples lengthwise; cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges, and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 F. In two skillets (or one large 10-inch) melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining sugar and cook until the syrup bubbles and caramelizes to a brown color. Remove the skillet(s) from heat and arrange apple slices in a neat pattern on the caramel. At this point you may return the skillets to the stove to cook the apple 5-6 minutes more, but normally I don’t do that because I like a little firmer texture.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8 inch thick and a little larger than the diameter of the skillet(s). Place the dough over the apples, pressing the dough lightly on the top and the edge of the skillets. Cut a few small steam holes on the top of the dough. Bake until the pastry has browned and crisped, about 20-25 minutes.

Unmold the tart(s) by placing serving plates on top and flipping it/them before the caramel cools/hardens. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Well, we made Chocolate Souffle, Madeleines and Tarte Tatin in the class this time. The cherry tomato pizza in the picture is one I made as a snack for everybody while we were working.

Madeleines, Meyers Lemon Flavor and......

Madeleines -- from my baking class a couple days ago. My cooking class is a participation class. I don't just show them ... they get to do it as I tell them how, so I can enjoy a cup of tea and watch them work ;-). But of course I get my hands in there and we work together. I do all the photography, but they really enjoy doing the styling (not my forté).

 

Madeleines (with berries*)

Makes about 15 Madeleines

  

2 large eggs

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

5 tablespoons (75 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

3/4 cup (100 g) all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk or beat the egg and sugar until frothy. Add the cooled melted butter, blending well. With whisk, or mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking powder, lemon zest and vanilla until blended.

Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside at room temperature to rest for 1 hour, or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375º F (190º C).

Butter and flour the Madeleine molds. Whisk the batter for a moment to remix, and spoon the batter lightly into the molds, filling the batter three quarters full. Add berries if using.*

Bake until the cakes are risen and golden, about 10-12 minutes.

As soon as the Madeleines are done, carefully remove them from the pans onto a wire rack to cool.

*Note: We used Meyer lemon and also made fresh blueberry and  raspberry Madeleines by putting 2-3 berries in the batter of each Madeleine before baking. Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar or dip 1/3 Madeleine into melted chocolate and let cool/set. That's how everyone in the class really liked it.