In all honesty, I am not fully recovered from the big weekend lobster bake… still putting away all that stuff I dragged out of storage. Plus, I have been busy making lobster stock from all those shells.  Therefore, we’ll start the week of recipes slowly and begin with clarified butter. This was used for dipping the lobster and other seafood into.

Clarified butter is what is left when melting unsalted butter – after the water evaporates, some solids float to the surface and are skimmed off, and the remainder of the milk solids sink to the bottom and are left behind when the butter fat (the clarified butter) is poured off.

Drawn butter is an American term for clarified butter. It has a higher smoke point than regular butter, which makes it much better for sautéing. It also has a longer shelf life than fresh butter and since is has negligible amounts of lactose, it is more acceptable to people with lactose intolerance.

And just in case you’ve heard of it before and have been wondering… ghee is the East Indian form of clarified butter.

Also note that there is about a 25% loss in the quantity of butter, after clarifying.  You may clarify any amount of butter. I started with 2 sticks (1 cup) but realized that would not be enough for the dinner party, so I ended up clarifying another 2 sticks, or a full pound of butter.

Feel free to save the milk solids you’ve skimmed off.  They can be added to rice, polenta, soups, popcorn, or even your morning toast or oatmeal.  I used them in the boiled potatoes at the lobster bake ~ that recipe will be up in a few days.

Clarified Butter

Place unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan over melt over the lowest possible heat, until completely melted. Let simmer gently until the foam rises to the top of the melted butter.

Once the butter stops spluttering, and no more foam seems to be rising to the surface, remove from heat and skim off the foam with a spoon. Do not worry is you can’t get every little bit, it will be removed when it is strained.

Line a mesh strainer with a few a double layer of cheesecloth and set the strainer over a heatproof container or a Pyrex measuring cup.

Carefully pour the warm butter through the cheesecloth-lined strainer into the container, leaving behind any solids from the bottom of the pan.

Clarified butter will keep for about 6 months in the refrigerator.

2 sticks (1 cup) of butter will yield about 3/4 cup clarified butter

Weekly Tip #9

I think I may have missed a week of “tip time”.  We did have “game time” last week though. To make it up to you, an extra tip this week.

Holiday Baking Special Edition

With all the holiday baking, sometimes a couple of your cookies may end up over-browned or even burnt on the bottom in a few spots.

Solution – gently grate off the burnt areas with a Microplane grater.

If you’re making custards like crème brûlée or pots de crème, you know they are cooked in a water bath to ensure slow and even cooking and the lush creamy texture.  The trick is safely getting the ramekins out of the scalding water without burning your fingers or messing up the surface of the custard with potholders.

Solution – slip rubber bands around the tips of your tongs.  The rubber bands insure a good grip for easy and safe removal.

Happy Holiday Baking!

According to the “source of all knowledge” – Wikipedia – “Crème fraîche originates from Normandy in France, where the crème fraîche from a defined area around the town of Isigny-sur-Mer in the Calvados department of Normandy is highly regarded, and is the only cream to have AOC (‘Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée’) status, which was awarded in 1986.”

Crème fraîche is a matured thickened cream with a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and a velvety rich texture, thicker and richer than sour cream. Crème fraîche is particularly useful in finishing sauces in French cooking because it does not curdle.

Although you can find it at Trader Joe’s and many other grocery stores today, that was not the case only a few short years ago. What’s a French loving person to do?  Make your own, of course! And I often still choose to do so.  It is easy and less expensive, and with the holidays on the doorstep, I am sure to be using plenty of it.  And what a wonderful hostess gift to give to a cook! I love the packaging in that top photo… I just may have to do this!  GO HERE to order the labels and HERE for the tags, if you would like.

Homemade Crème Fraîche

1 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons buttermilk OR 1/2 cup *sour cream, room temperature

Combine the heavy cream and buttermilk (or sour cream) in a medium to large jar; tightly screw on the lid and shake well to combine.

Set aside at room temperature for 24 hours. Once thickened, refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.  Will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 cup

* Sour cream based crème fraîche is slightly less tangy than buttermilk based crème fraîche.

Weekly Tip #8

Today, I’m actually giving you more bang for your buck – two tips and a recipe – my gift to you!

The first tip is for you Facebook users.  Go to THIS LINK and “like” (or maybe it’s now “follow”) this page for Chow Bella.  Chow Bella is the informative, fun, sometimes irreverent New Times food blog. You will get more food info and learn more about what’s going on in the Valley of Sun (and beyond) than you ever thought there was to know about! Plus, tomorrow, I will be featured in their “Perfect Food Day” series. I think you’ll like it!  And…. while you’re on Facebook – if you haven’t “liked” or “followed” the Les Petites Gourmettes page – do that too! Here is THE LINK for that page.  Now on to the second (and real) tip for today…

Holiday baking time is upon us. Here is shortcut from Chef Anne Willian for making rum balls while using up leftover or stale muffins at the same time.

Quick Rum Balls

8 ounces (1/2 pound) leftover or stale muffins, any flavor
1 cup walnut halves or large pieces
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling and dusting
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup rum
1 tablespoon light corn syrup, honey, or agave nectar

Break up the muffins and place in the bowl of a food processor, add the walnuts and use the pulse button to finely chop until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Sift together the 1 cup powdered sugar and the cocoa powder in a large bowl.

Stir in the rum, corn syrup, and the crumb-nut mixture until it is moist enough to hold small ball shapes.  Add more rum, if needed.

Generously sprinkle a baking sheet with powdered sugar.

Roll the mixture between the palms of your hands into walnut-sized balls.  Place on the sugar lined baking sheet and use two forks to roll the balls in the sugar until coated.

Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Makes about 40 rum balls

Before we get to today’s timely tip, I want to remind you that if you need help with a Thanksgiving timeline, CLICK HERE.  And if you are looking for Thanksgiving recipes – go to the “Complete Recipe Index” over there on the left and scroll down to the red “Holidays” section and then scroll down to “Thanksgiving” where there are more than 30 Thanksgiving recipes awaiting you.

Weekly Tip #7

I know that at least some of you are hosting Thanksgiving in 3 days and that you are stressing.  One of the major stresses is, “How am I going to get everything done?!?” The reason this is a common stress is because many of us, including me, don’t seem to be able to delegate tasks. Even though several guests and family members have offered to help – it is hard to begin to even know where to start delegating when all the burners are blazing, timers are going off, and your mind is racing.  It seems as though it is just easier to do everything yourself. The solution to this common problem? Decide today what you can have people do for you when crunch time comes.

Make a list of non-cooking tasks – the last thing you need is more bodies in the kitchen. And make sure everything needed to complete those tasks is in plain sight, otherwise you’ll get stressed telling people what drawer or cupboard to find things in, or end up dropping what you’re doing and getting it yourself.

Here are just a few ideas of tasks to delegate, I’m certain they will help you think of so many more:

Someone can easily deal with drinks; opening the wine or making coffee or pouring the ice water in the goblets.

Another person can light the candles, turn on music, and turn off the television,  just before sit-down time.

Since a couple of guests (or a particular husband) always seem to straggle or suddenly need to use the restroom, appoint one outgoing guest to give a five-minute warning that the food is going to be hot on the table and have them herd everyone into the dining room.

DO NOT save all the cleaning for after the meal!  DO NOT sit down to dinner with the roasting pan soaking in the sink! Get that calming person who you would most like to talk to, while you are cooking, help you clean as you go.  And of course, since you know that you’ve already made some of the recipes days before or earlier on Thanksgiving morning, those dishes are already clean and back in the cupboards, right?! Please tell me I am right – this is essential!

And when you have all the “thought-out tasks” covered, ask the next people who volunteer, if you can take a rain-check on their help and if they could be there for you at the dreaded cleanup time. Then turn on some fun music, poor some more wine, and use those people as your cleanup crew…

Designate one as a runner to bring the dishes in from the table. Another person to transfer leftovers into containers. The rest can help load the dishwasher and wash and dry the more delicate dishes. Again, be prepared with food-storage containers, aprons, dish towels, sponges, and rubber gloves.

Relax, serve dessert, be thankful for – another wonderful meal, wonderful family and  friends, a somewhat stress-free day, and a clean kitchen!

When you have a large quantity of olives that need to be pitted; place the olives on a work surface and firmly roll over them with a rolling pin, then pick out the pits.

If you only have a handful of olives to pit; whack them, one or two at a time, with the flat side of a chef’s knife, the pits will pop right out.

If you are hosting and you need help – then you need my “Thanksgiving Planning Guide and Sample Timeline” which I first posted 2 years ago. CLICK HERE to take you to that helpful page. Plus, today I have a special Thanksgiving bonus.  I found the most adorable vintage place cards on Pottery Barn’s website. CLICK HERE to download the place cards.

Here is a sample of just one of the 16 images. They have both horizontal and vertical images – so cute!  I’ll be using them this year, for sure.

And if you need ideas for Thanksgiving recipes, you can always look over there on the left, click on “Complete Recipe Index”, scroll down to “Holidays” and find “Thanksgiving” – viola- recipes galore!

Oh, and Happy Veterans Day, in the words of Oprah, “Today we honor all of the veterans who have given us the freedoms we enjoy today. Thank you for your sacrifice, dedication and hard work. We salute you.”  Happy 11/11/11, in the words of my dad, “It won’t happen again for 100 years.” No kidding, Dad?!?

When beating the eggs for your Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or any other custard pie, brush a little of the beaten egg over the pie shell and set it in the freezer for 10 minutes. This helps seal the crust and keeps it crisp.

This makes me want to get busy and BAKE! How about you?

This picture is of Laura and I visiting my Aunt Beverly in Del Mar, CA back in the summer of ’78 or ’79. Laura and I were just high school girls standing there all awkward – while Bev poses all sexy… too funny! Bev’s birthday is Sunday, so I’ll take this opportunity to say Happy Birthday, Aunt Bev, I love you too!

I shared with you yesterday that my mom is the oldest of 8 kids, well Bev is the second youngest and is only 9 years older than me (and of Laura too, for that matter), so we’ve always been close. Kisses and Hugs to you both! xoox

Weekly Tip #3

Don’t waste those little bits of condiments left clinging to the sides of jars and bottles.

• Pour hot water into the empty bottles of honey, syrup, or molasses, shake vigorously , then use the liquid when making yeast, quick breads, or dressings.
• Pour a little vinegar into those empty bottles of ketchup or mustard, shake vigorously and use in your homemade vinaigrette and salad dressings.

When making something with raw ground meats, such as meatballs or meatloaf, you need to know how the mixture tastes before you cook up an entire meal.

Make a little patty of the mixture and fry it in a pan like a mini hamburger. Then you can taste it, adjust the seasoning, fry up another little patty and repeat, until you get it exactly right.

I’m off to tape a television segment today for Channel 3-  Your Life A to Z.  It will air tomorrow, Friday, October 14th, at 10:100 AM.  So, instead of posting a recipe I have some miscellaneous, fun, and important items tell you about. 

The last couple of days I’ve been sharing with you items from my weekend shopping extravaganza with Peggy. Both of us are in love with birdcages and we found the perfect one for Peggy’s house. She had an open corner in her dining room and we decided the birdcage would fit perfectly there. She will change it out throughout the year and create holiday and casual vignettes, using the cage as the canvass.  Above you can see what we did for her Halloween Birdcage Vignette and below is a closeup. Doesn’t that look great?!

Next, I’ve got a great Halloween craft for your kids or even for your adult party.

Take these simple items…. Coca-Cola bottle, masking tape, thick sharpie, and a black straw.

And turn them into this mummy bottle! Awesome!

Lastly and most importantly, I’m starting a new weekly blog segment – Cooking Tip of the Week! Yay! Why haven’t I been doing this all along? The tips won’t come out on the same day each week, so you’ll just have to check in everyday to look for the next tip… oooh good idea, Linda!

Weekly Tip #1

OK, you know how I am constantly talking about cleaning out my freezers? It’s not like I don’t try, I do! But this time, it is really happening. I have been cooking only from the freezer for the past 2+ weeks. Now, when I say that, it doesn’t mean I’m not using any fresh food or that I’m not grocery shopping at all, for shame! That would be impossible for me, BUT it does mean that the main dishes, the big stuff, is coming from the freezer.  Examples you ask? Let see, the duck, rib eye steaks, puff pastry, more puff pastry, Kobe beef, ground turkey, shrimp… and today, this exotic chicken.

The chicken I’m talking about is a Silkie that I purchased frozen some time ago at an Asian market.  Here is was a 2007 New York Times article has to say about Silkies.

Pet a Silkie chicken and you understand how it got its name. The feathers are fine and flutter in wisps in the breeze.

… it’s a striking-looking bird that’s often raised for show. Breeders also like them because they will hatch other birds’ eggs.

 ”They are such good moms,” said Frank R. Reese Jr., the founder of Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, Kan., who breeds Silkies for show. “They’ll sit on anything and hatch anything. They’ll hatch ducks, turkeys, chickens.”

…They have bluish-gray skin, pitch-black bones and dark beige flesh (they’re sometimes called black-skinned chickens). They’re a scrawny pound or two, plucked, and are usually sold with the head and feet attached (with five toes, not the usual four).

“It’s a scary-looking creature,” said Patricia Yeo, of Sapa in Chelsea. She said she has her staff describe it as a deeply flavored, lean, free-range chicken.

I agree, it is kinda scary-looking without its beautiful white feathers.  And just as described above, it comes packaged completely intact, with head and feet. That is one reason I was excited to try it, chicken feet make the richest and most gelatinous stock. And the flavor of the roasted chicken was wonderful, so much richer than your average  chicken. Before you see the pictures of the naked chicken below, you absolutely have to go to THIS LINK and check out a Silkie or two in the most gorgeous and mind-blowing chicken coop you’ll ever see. (BTW, I was directed to this blog by my absolute favorite blog of all blogs, Vignette Design, of course, everything wonderful can be found at Vignette Design!) I find this coop so inspiring that I am actually tempted to raise chickens again!

Wow, right? OK, back to the chicken at hand – I took a photo of the packaged naked bird from the Asian grocery all spread out, but I’m fearful that some of you might be seriously disturbed by the image…. so if you want to see the picture, leave a comment saying so, and I’ll send the image directly to you in an email. For the rest of you, do not fear, the forthcoming photos feature the chicken after I cut off the head and the really (and I mean REALLY) ugly five toed feet!

Pomegranate Roasted Silkie Chicken

1 Silkie chicken, rinsed and patted dry inside and out
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced in half
1 small handful of thyme sprigs
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1/4 cup red wine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the shallots and thyme.  Tie chicken wings down and legs together with kitchen twine. Rub the entire outside of the chicken with pomegranate molasses.

Thin the remaining pomegranate molasses by whisking in the red wine. Set aside, this will be a basting glaze for the chicken.

Roast in the preheated oven, basting with the glaze every 15 minutes, for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear.  Since this is such a small bird, take special care to not hit a bone with the thermometer, otherwise you will not get an accurate reading. Remove from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Serves 2

(The simplest way is to carve any poultry, is to first remove the legs, thighs and wings from the main part of the body. This can easily be done by separating the leg pieces at the joints, which connect the various pieces together. Your knife will easily cut through a joint – see photo below – the white areas are the joints.)

For far too long, I have been discarding fennel fronds.  You know, those pretty dill-like leaves attached to the stalks of a funnel bulb.  Sure, I’d pick off a few fronds and use to garnish a dish, but then I’d toss out the remaining fronds still attached to the tough and inedible stalks. What a shame! I decided to see if the fronds could be made into a pesto, and sure enough, delicious! Use this vibrant pesto in a pasta, as a dip with crudités, or drizzled on a fennel salad.  Salad recipe to follow tomorrow. If the fennel you purchase does not have a full 2 cups of fronds, cut the recipe in half and use only 1 cup of fronds.

Fennel Frond Pesto

1 fennel bulb (choose the bulb with the most fronds)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4  cup olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Pick off fennel fronds, you should have about 2 cups (loose, not packed down). Discard the stalks and save the fennel bulb for a salad, pasta, or slice and dip into the pesto with other assorted crudités.

Place the fronds in a food processor. Add the garlic, pine nuts, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl.

With the machine running, add the olive oil and Parmesan through the feed tube and continue to process until the mixture is well combined.

Makes about 1/2 cup