In yesterday’s post we were able to use preserved lemons that we made two weeks ago, today the wait will be a bit longer. Eighty days to be exact, that does take a bit of patience! The first step takes 40 days and the second step another 40 days, so if we get going on it today, we will be sipping our limoncello at the end of May, just as the kids are getting out of school (at least here in Scottsdale, when the last day is May 26th!) On April 17th, we will do step two and on May 26th, we will not only complete the process but there will be a wonderful celebratory pie recipe using limoncello awaiting you too! It WILL be worth it!

Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur produced mainly in Southern Italy in the region around the Amalfi coast and the islands of Procida, Ischia, and Capri. Traditionally, it is made from the Sorrento lemon, although any lemon will produce a fine limoncello. It is traditionally served chilled as an after dinner digestive, served in small ceramic glasses which are also chilled.

Limoncello has only recently become well known in other parts of the world. It is a popular ingredient in cocktails, as it brings a strong lemon flavor without the bitterness of lemon juice. The liqueur gained notoriety in the United States in November, 2006, when actor Danny DeVito appeared on the The View still drunk from drinking limoncello the night before with his friend George Clooney. DeVito announced, “I knew it was the last seven limoncellos that was going to get me.”  I’ve never before wished I could have been Danny DeVito! Ah, to be enjoying the wonderful limoncello with the wonderful George Clooney, a dream come true!

There are many recipes for Limoncello, my favorite comes from Joanne Weir, an award-winning cooking teacher, cookbook author, and chef. This version comes from her book, Weir Cooking – Recipes from the Wine Country. Joanne is an annual teacher at Les Gourmettes Cooking School and always produces the most fantastically flavorful food. Joanne’s recipe makes 4 bottles (750 ml each), I only make that much during the holidays to give as gifts, here I’ve cut it in half for my own supply.

A little explanation on the pictures: #1 The jar doesn’t need to be That big – but it does need to be large, because after the 40 days, an additional 4 1/2 cups of liquid will be added. #2 No explanation needed – it’s George Clooney for goodness sake! #3It is extremely important to wash the lemons well, with soap and then rinse well. The only part of the lemon you are using is the peel and you need it to be clean! #4 The lone piece of peel on the right has too much pith on it, the other pieces are perfect, just use a light hand when peeling the lemons, don’t press in too hard.

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Today I am sharing another southwestern inspired recipe from my friend and mentor, Barbara Fenzl of Les Gourmettes Cooking School. I helped Barb teach a couples’ class earlier in the week and this was just one of the six delectable dishes the class made. If you’re looking for something special for you and your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, these quesadillas will fit the bill. Enjoy them before you head out to a romantic dinner, or make them together and then sit down, relax, and enjoy with champagne. Avec amour (with love) xoxo

Here is a picture of the roasting of the two peppers used. A poblano has a much thinner skin than a bell pepper, so watch it more closely and turn it more often, it will roast more than twice as fast of the bell. These two peppers began roasting at the exact same time, but as you can clearly see, the poblano is ready to be covered with plastic wrap to steam and the bell still as a ways to go.

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Today at 4:30 PM, a new weekday half-hour show is debuting on Channel 12 (Phoenix NBC) called Valley Dish. Host, Tram Mai, will be cooking with a chef/cook each evening. “The new local lifestyle program will spotlight the best of Arizona people, places, and pets. The cornerstone of the show will revolve around cooking up simple, creative dishes viewers can easily make at home.”

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We all have certain foods we have never liked and do our best to avoid.  Carrots are one of those foods for me.  I really don’t care for them raw and I despise them cooked! I go out of my way to pick them out of soups and stews and obviously don’t serve them as a side vegetable at home. So imagine my shock when I discovered that I loved them in their nearly purest form in a creamy soup! I first encountered a version of this soup when asked to make a triple batch for a Jacques Pepin book signing. I had planned on just having my husband, Dave, be the soup tester, since he loves raw carrots. Loves them so much that the palms of his hands actually turned orange after eating too many raw carrots over a short period of time. He tasted it and said it was good and the seasoning was balanced, but feeling the need to try it myself before serving it to Jacques, himself, and to the students at the signing. I could not believe it was cooked carrots I was eating. What makes this soup so great is the addition of sesame oil, it is the perfect compliment to the carrots. I served this as a first course on Christmas Eve this year and served it as soup shooters for two separate Christmas parties we hosted last year.

I used the frozen turkey stock I made from Thanksgiving, so the picture below shows the frozen solid, ziplock shaped, form in the pan with the carrot, melting over high heat. No need to thaw ahead of time, just drop it in the pot and go!
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The original version of this recipe is from Tyler Florence of the Food Network.  I made his recipe for a series of classes I just finished teaching at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. With Tyler’s Twice Cooked Potatoes, the second cooking is achieved by deep frying the potatoes, and are they delicious! But after serving 33 students in two nights, I came to the conclusion that using the original version as part of a buffet doesn’t work well because of the final frying step. The potatoes are best eaten immediately, as most fried foods are.  What made the potatoes so wonderful was the crispiness achieved by deep frying.  My double roasting technique results in a similar crisp texture, but without the extra fat, plus the potatoes can now be served hot or held at room temperature, without becoming greasy. Not only are these potatoes a great vegetable side-dish, they also make perfect little party nibbles!

Aïoli is a garlic and olive oil sauce from France, with a texture very much like mayonnaise. Aïoli is sometimes called the “butter of Provence” because it is such an integral part of their cuisine. In Provence, usually two cloves are used per person, that may seem like a lot, but roasting the garlic as done here, mellows out the garlic considerably.

The Cuisinart has a special feature just for the purpose of making fresh mayonnaise and aïoli. The lid has a spout (a feed tube) with a “food pusher”.  The food pusher has a small hole in the bottom that allows oil to drip slowly into the work bowl at just the right rate, a “slow and steady stream” allowing the mayonnaise to emulsify perfectly.

a tiny hole in bottom of the "food pusher" allows oil to drip at perfect rate. a toothpick is sticking up through clear pusher so the hole is visible, the other dots are not holes, just little bumps in the plastic

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So here are my feelings about Thanksgiving leftovers – I love having mass amounts of white meat leftover for turkey sandwiches, and it wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without all the fabulous turkey stock I make from the carcasses, but the rest of it… not so much!  To that end, I always make two turkeys, one is roasted the traditional way, the second is always grilled or smoked. This year I wound up with 36 cups of stock, happy day!

To use up all that dark turkey meat, I just make our family favorites and add in the turkey.  Our all-time favorite salad is another of Barbara Pool Fenzl’s recipes.  It comes from her 1994 Southwest The Beautiful Cookbook. I’ve made very few changes to the recipe over the years… instead of whisking by hand, I use a food processor for the dressing.  Since the original recipe makes about 1 1/3 cups of dressing, I double all the other fixings so that all that amazing dressing can be utilized, it would be shameful to waste even one drop!  Also in the original, the tortilla strips are dusted with chili powder prior to frying. Instead I salt and dust them immediately after removing from the hot oil so the seasoning really sticks to the strips. And with all this turkey on hand, it quickly becomes a perfect main course salad for a busy weeknight family dinner.
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Just about all the dishes I make for Thanksgiving are “must haves” from my family. There can be no variations in our traditional stuffing, we must have butternut squash soup served in our individual pumpkin bowls.  There has to be pumpkin pie – plain old pumpkin pie – nothing fancy and if we do not have the jellied cranberry sauce from the can, it is not Thanksgiving!  I can make another gourmet cranberry sauce if I wish, but I’ll be the only one eating it!  And we must have to this outstanding apple tart!  I’ve been making it annually for at least 12 years since it was introduced to me by Barbara Pool Fenzl of Les Gourmettes Cooking School, where I have worked for the past 21 years. It makes me feel old to say that aloud!  Old, but very proud to work with and have such an amazing, giving, and loving person, as Barb, to call my dear friend and mentor.

In addition to the fact that it comes from Barb, there are several things that make this particular apple tart so special. There is the thin layer of raspberry jam topping the bottom crust, and the gorgeous lattice top; but mostly it’s the irresistible cookie dough-like macadamia nut crust.

Because of that cookie dough texture, it may seem difficult to roll out, but don’t fret – if it rips, just piece it together or press it into the tart pan, it all melts back together and will turn out perfectly – perfectly beautiful and delicious!

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Connor is home this weekend from NAU and requested Clam Chowder for dinner tonight.  OK, the high today is supposed to be 87 degrees, but if my boy wants chowder, chowder it will be!

Traditionally, bacon is used to start the chowder, but I have a boatload of pancetta in my freezer, I will begin with that. Once the pancetta has rendered its fat and is crisp, most of the fat is discarded, only 1 tablespoon will be used to sear the scallops. The scallops are removed and what remains in the pan is called the “fond”. In French, fond means “base”. Fond refers to the browned and caramelized bits of meat or vegetables stuck to the bottom of a pan after sautéing. Traditional cookware is best for developing a decent fond. Non-stick coatings tend to inhibit its development. After the meat is browned, it is removed from the pan and excess fat is discarded. Generally, aromatics such as onion, garlic, or shallots are sautéed, then a liquid such as stock, alcohol, fruit juice, or even water (or as world-famous Chef Jacques Pépin calls it ” l’eau du sink “) is used to deglaze the pan and loosen the fond from the pan to become “one” with the dish. The fond is the base for a great sauce, or in this case, a great chowder. Since I mentioned Jacques Pépin, I’m adding one of my favorite pictures of the two of us at the end of this post, as a bonus.

Sherry being added to the fond, deglazing the pan

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Almonds being "candied"

Today I have a spin on another recipe from Chef Tim McGrath of Cook’s Gathering. Tim made a lovely Mixed Greens and Stilton salad with candied pecans and a citrus-sherry vinegar dressing.  What made the dressing remarkable was the fact that the dressing’s base was made from the syrupy liquid the pecans were candied in, ingenious!  The moment I tasted the dressing I imagined how wonderful it would be on fresh, hot green beans or sugar snap peas.  The next day in class, Tim suggested using the dressing on freshly steamed asparagus – great minds think alike!

What makes this dressing special besides the syrup base from the candied nuts, is the sherry vinegar. Sherry vinegar is from Spain. It has an assertive yet smooth taste, and is perfect for deglazing pans to create flavorful sauces, especially those for meats such as beef, lamb or duck. You will have a hard time finding sherry vinegar in most regular grocery stores, but it is readily available at gourmet grocers, Cost Plus World Market, Sur la Table, Willliams-Sonoma and other food specialty stores.

I’ve changed up Tim’s original recipe a little by candying almonds instead of pecans for this version, which I think will compliment steamed or blanched vegetables a bit better. I am again using sugar snap peas, since I have a pound left over from the 2-pound package I purchased at Costco for the post a couple days ago, but mix it up and feel free to use green beans, asparagus, snow peas, broccoli or cauliflower.
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Goat Cheese and Green Olive-Almond Pesto Crostini

The guest chef-instructor at Barbara Fenzl’s Les Gourmettes Cooking School this week was Chef Tim McGrath of Cook’s Gathering Catering in Long Beach, California. Tim is one of the most creative, sharing, and knowledgeable chefs I’ve ever met.  I am constantly being asked for a recommendation for a caterer here in town and each time, I wish that Tim was in Phoenix, because he would always be my very first choice, hands down!  When I told Tim that, he let me know that he would be willing to fly to Phoenix to cater a party, so if you ever have a need for something really special, he’s your man!  For class he served Mini Ahi Tuna Kabobs with this outstanding “pesto”.  One of the best things about Tim’s classes is that he’ll be teaching you a dish and then give you a dozen other ideas of what to do with that recipe.  When he suggested using this olive pesto on a crostini with goat cheese… well, that is right up my alley!  A great bonus… it’s “Easy – Breezy” and the colors lend themselves perfectly to the upcoming holiday season.

What is it that makes this recipe so “Easy – Breezy”?  Well, besides using the food processor to make the pesto and that fact that it is a quick and delicious appetizer, every single ingredient can be found at Trader Joe’s!  The roasted piquillo peppers are sold in a 10.4-ounce jar, and you can’t find a better price on the almonds, goat cheese, or olive oil anywhere in town.  You will notice this recipe does not call for salt, that is because the olives and their brine are salty enough.  The brine is used to thin out the pesto.  Unlike traditional pesto that uses basil, the olives and almonds do not have a high water content, thus the brine is needed to create the perfect consistency.
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