my holiday schedule revolves around cuisine CLICK on the picture to go to my abridged recipe section
Anyone faced with family coming home for the holidays has many things to balance to make the occasion enjoyable for all. The biggest challenge is to have all of the favorite foods that everyone prefers: Stroganoff, cured and spiced bbq ribs, homemade corned beef transformed into pastrami, a “Greek Night”, a ‘Turducken’, a few South African delicacies ( I am hoping for ‘Bobotie’)… and beef in many forms ( the Brazilians would be so proud!).
Oh I haven’t forgotten desserts, cookies and other goodies! I will be making some of President Washington’s favorite Eggnog from an old recipe that is guarenteed to be remembered!
Fortunately, much is in stages of development, but all will be ready when everyone arrives!
When in San Francisco, I have enjoyed dining — when my ‘diet’ allows — in a city that appreciates the art and science of cuisne from around the world. If I had to pick my favorite, it continues to be the fabulous Greek restaurant ‘ Kokkari Estiatoria”. Here is Kokkari in pictures on Yelp.
I love a restaurant that teaches you something every time you visit… they may not give you their recipes ( who really does?), but they leave you questioning,” hmmm… what is in that wonder?” One of Kokkari’s delicious appetizers is a ‘zuccini fritter’ called ‘Kolokithokeftethes.’ Lynn Livanos Athan has a wonderful recipe to start you on your way! CLICK to read.
MacPhae Short Bread ... have some when you are feeling a little 'rebellious!'
Scottish MacPhae Short bread , the original tax rebel’s treat
THE STORY
The story of Scottish Shortbread is one that takes it’s name – in part—to a rebellion against the English habit of ‘taxing’ biscuits or cookies. Bread wasn’t taxed, so it became a ‘bread’ and the word ‘short’ noted that butter was both a key ingredient and the primary flavoring. The original was probably made of oat flour as it was inexpensive and many thought it was only fit for livestock.
RECIPES
You can read about short bread recipes far and wide, but all of them contain three primary ingredients: flour, sugar and butter! In addition, you will find discussions regarding the virtue of high fat European butters vs. its less stout American cousin; but this is mostly posturing. Personally, I’ll buy an Irish butter or the American ‘Challenge Dairies’ of the West Coast. The historical recipe ratio of flour –butter – sugar is 3-2-1, most likely measured in pounds and I would interpret the original recipe as:
3 ½ cups of flour ( I use bread flour)
1 lb butter ( 4 cubes)
1 cup sugar (confectioners)
325 F for 45 minutes or until slightly brown
The texture of the short bread is very much a point of discussion and the process of blending the ingredients is varied. Purest stay strictly to the three ingredients, while those who want to have a more ‘crumbly’ shortbread add rice flour and those who want a denser cookie will add cornstarch; both are yummy. Some recipes, even some very old recipes, call for eggs and salt.
Regarding sugar, the traditional is a granulated white sugar, but there are recipes including: brown sugar or confectioner’s sugar. Some will add almond or vanilla flavorings and the toppings may include things like: nuts, icing, sesame seeds or even coconut.
Cooking temperature is low with much time in the oven at 275-350 degrees ranging from 15 – 45 minutes depending on the thickness of the product. Shortbread is supposed to be white or slightly brown.
The MacPhae Short Bread
As we have discussed, short bread was named for a rebellion against the English ‘tax’ on biscuits. The book of Scottish Clans tell of the MacPhaes as a small but fierce family… and so the MacPhae shortbread must be the most rebellious of them all!
“Sooo, what ya gonna do now ,laddie? eat somethin!”
When laura and I were first married, we enjoyed many wonderful recipes that were originally designed for more that two people. Probably the most notorious among home cooks is the ‘Epicurean’ (circa 1900) whose smallest recipe serves 32. None of this matters if you have a freezer(s). In our earlier days, we would fix up a recipe and place the ‘left overs’ in containers that could be placed in the oven to serve 2. It was a wonderful system as we would bake and cook on the weekends and have the convenience of choosing whatever we wanted during the week.
Our system has evolved to the point that I only have a refrigerator in the kitchen and access to three freezers. One freezer continas much of what you might find in a typical freezer and then some, one freezer holds our Jenny Craig meals when we indulge too much, and one freezer holds ready to enjoy meals from past good times.
In an age when cooking is being rediscovered by so many ‘non-cooking’ folks… having a place to store what is left over economically should not be an excuse…. if you buy a freezer ( some as low as $150).
So, cook today… and enjoy it again on another day!
