Sherry Poached Apples

I just got back from a wonderful trip to New England.  How luxurious to sneak a few fall days in with beautiful leaves, lattes and gingerbread pancakes.  I even got lucky enough to spend a few days with my lovely grandfather who took me apple picking.  The trees were full of red beauties—we picked up Cortlands, Empires and Pinovas. 

I made a similar dessert a few weeks ago for a party using pears.  I avoided using cinnamon, instead opting for a combination of vanilla bean, fresh ginger, cardamom and black peppercorns.  Sherry is a great wine to use for dessert.  This dessert is easy to make and keeps well in the fridge.  The syrup cooks down to a rich caramel that is beautiful warmed and drizzled over ice cream. 

It’s still hot as heck here in Dallas, but I’m going to pretend it is fall and make a simple fall dessert.  Humor me, ok?

Sherry Poached Apples

4 large apples good for baking, peeled, cored and quartered

1 750ml bottle sherry

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1 knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tsp black peppercorns

½ vanilla bean, scraped

2 green cardamom pods

pinch salt

In stockpot, bring sherry, water, sugar, ginger, peppercorns, vanilla bean scrapings and pod, cardamom and salt to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low, add apples, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until apples are tender but not mushy.  Remove apples and set aside to cool. 

Bring heat back to medium high and cook liquid down until it is a thick, dark syrup, about the consistency of maple syrup, will yield about ¾ of a cup.  This will take about 20 minutes at least.  Allow to cool and strain.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.  If you refrigerate, allow to reheat in microwave on high for 1 minute.

Refreshed-- Tart and snappy apple, fennel and fig salad

Life is worth celebrating!

Feeling happy and refreshed.  Even though I’m still working a lot I feel comfortable in my job and I’m loving what I’m doing.  Second year has been fantastic so far; I’m not so nervous about every decision I make or what everybody thinks of me.  I’m not falling asleep with the pager under my pillow praying it doesn’t beep.

This year I’m focusing on two goals--improving my surgical skills and more importantly appropriately counseling patients.  As much as I wanted to give patients the right information I think I failed many times last year due to time constraints, fatigue, frustration and lack of knowledge.  I’m trying to take the time to step back and truly make sure patients understand what is happening to them and why, and it’s a really good feeling.

I’m also trying to bring a bit of balance back into my life.  It’s easy to forget what being a human is like.  The other night I made this easy and fresh salad using fresh fall flavors which is very tart and sweet--but not too sweet.  The salad was very easy to make with a mandoline for thin slices.   A very sharp knife would work just as well.  I brought fresh figs as something new to try and was very happily surprised and how great they taste raw tossed in some lemon juice and olive oil. 

Tart and snappy apple, fennel and fig salad

2 gala or other tart apples cored, unpeeled

1 fennel bulb

4-5 fresh figs

1-2 lemons (depending how tart you like your salads)

½ cup toasted and salted pepitas

crumbled goat cheese

¼ cup olive oil

½ tbsp salt

With a mandoline or sharp knife, slice apples and bulb of fennel into paper thin slices.  In a medium bowl combine apple and fennel with lemon, salt and olive oil.  Toss to combine.  Place on platter, leaving remaining juices in bowl.  Slice figs into thin slices and toss in remaining dressing.  Place figs on top of apple and fennel combination.  Sprinkle pepitas and goat cheese on top.  Enjoy!

Panna cotta, cherry and champagne parfait (aka creamy, boozy, fruity Jello)

layers of cream, fresh pureed cherries and champagne adorn this simple, beautiful parfait

 Can I tell you a secret?  I love Jello.  Slurping fluorescent red goop between my teeth is pure pleasure.  I eat less Jello now than I did in college, but my obsession was so great that my friends bought me a whole Jello cookbook after graduation.  This is just one of the hidden junk foods that I love.  I am a total food snob with a private occasional hankering for all things processed, salty and neon colored-- I could never turn down a bright orange cheese puff. 

Call this dish what you want, panna cotta with champagne gelee, but let’s not hide the truth.  Think of it as a fancy creamy, cherry flavored Jello shot.  The recipe is very light and refreshing in this horrible heat. 

The parfait is very easy to make, it just takes some time because each layer must set before the next can be concocted.  The first layer, panna cotta, which I had never made before, tastes almost like ice cream without an ice cream maker and couldn’t be simpler to whip up.  Fresh bing cherries are not as fluorescent as red food coloring, but they are certainly more delicious.  Champagne makes a great gelatin dessert; make sure to add a pinch of sugar to help bubbles form as the parfait sets for the final layer. 

Panna cotta, cherry and champagne parfait (inspired the French Laundry cookbook)

9 inch loaf pan

pitted bing cherries to top

Panna cotta

1 packet gelatin

½ cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cherry layer

1 lb bing cherries, stemmed and pitted

2 ½ tbsp sugar

1 ½ packets gelatin

¼ cup champagne

juice of one lemon

Champagne layer

2 cups champagne, divided

3 tbsp sugar

1 ½ packets gelatin

To make the panna cotta, sprinkle gelatin over milk and let sit 5 minutes.  In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring cream and sugar barely to a boil.  Remove from heat, add gelatin and vanilla extract and whisk until all ingredients are combined.  Add mixture to loaf pan and allow to cool and set, at least one hour.

Cherry layer.  While panna cotta is setting, in medium bowl break up cherries with hands.  Add champagne, lemon juice and sugar and allow cherries to release juices for at least half an hour.  Add cherries and juices to blender and blend until smooth, about 3 minutes.  Strain mixture.  Sprinkle gelatin over ¼ cup water and allow to sit for five minutes.  Bring cherry puree to a slight boil, remove from heat and add gelatin.  Pour mixture over already set panna cotta and allow to cool and set, at least one hour. 

Champagne layer.  Over ½ cup champagne, sprinkle gelatin.  Bring 1 ¼ cup champagne to a boil with 2 tbsp sugar to cook off alcohol.  Remove from heat.  Add gelatin and whisk until combined.  Add final ¼ cup champagne and 1 tbsp sugar (this will make it bubble).  Quickly add to loaf pan and allow to set, preferably overnight. 

When ready to serve, loosen parfait from the sides of the pan with a sharp knife run along the edges.  Run the bottom of the pan under warm water for one minute and carefully invert onto platter.  Slice and enjoy with fresh cherries. 

Almond Ricotta Cake with Grilled Peaches

Nothing is more lovely than the first signs of summer.  For us in Texas, that started in March, but the true signs of summer, like fresh local tiny peaches at the Whole Foods are sure signals that barbeque season is here to stay.  This is the perfect dessert to finish off a grilled meal with friends, which is just how I enjoyed this cake.  Nothing is more wonderful than an evening outside with chickens pecking in the background eating home-grown greens, pasta made with fresh chicken eggs and pesto with basil from the garden.  

The cake is moist and light, fluffy and golden.  It has a nice bite to it from the almonds.  I prefer the taste and look of whole almonds compared to blanched--a little bit of brown almond peel enhances the color and texture of the cake.  

Peaches on the grill are incredibly wonderful.  My friends thought the idea was somewhat strange but when the peaches gave off their fruity aroma, they were instantly sold.  You have to try this cake!

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup whole milk ricotta

1 ¾ cup sugar divided

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

6 eggs separated

1 cup raw whole almonds

2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ cup milk

5 peaches

Fresh vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, pulse almonds until they are finely ground but before they become pasty.  Pulse flour, salt and baking powder until well combined.

With electric mixer on high, whip egg whites.  Slowly add ½ cup sugar while mixer is on.  Whip until soft peaks.  Set aside in medium bowl.

With electric mixer, beat butter, ricotta and 1 ¼ cup sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add vanilla, almond extract and egg yolks, mix to combine.  Slowly beat in flour/almond mixture and then add milk until well combined.  Fold in 1/3 egg white mixture with a rubber spatula, and then fold in the rest of the whites.

Grease 11x7 baking pan and add batter.  Bake approximately 40 minutes or until top is golden brown and knife comes out clean when cake is poked.  Allow to cool.

Split peaches in half.  Grill until golden brown and fragrant.

Mi Favoreet Foood Ees Mango

My life has been laced with mangoes.  My most endearing mango-related memory took place the year I took off between college and medical school.  Before I left for Chile, I worked odd jobs including a daily volunteer job teaching adult Mexican immigrants English. 

The class was designed to teach these vibrant adults survival English.  We taught them their addresses, the different coins and money, body parts and the doctor’s office, how to take the bus, and how to navigate the grocery store.  One of the sentences we taught the students to say was “my favorite food is” and had them fill in the blank.   Invariably, every person would say “mi favoreet foodd ees…mango” regardless of how many other food words we taught them.

Well, can you blame them?  Mango is one of the most addictive foods I have ever encountered.  When my family lived in Asia when I was in junior high, my dad used to bring the most amazing mangoes back from the Philippines by the dozens, and we would heartily devour them.  Those Philippine mangoes are the best ones and they come dried and pre-packaged by the kilo at Costco.  I can only keep the bag around for about one day, and for the sake of my tummy and my blood sugar, I only buy them about once a year.

Since I’m done with medical school and on vacation until I start residency, I’ve decided to screw science for this post and just give you a recipe for yummy mango fried rice.   I’m sure mangoes have amazing scientific, nutritional and genetic properties, but I just think they taste really good.  So there!

The trick to mango fried rice is to use slightly under-ripe mangoes.  They are tart and cook up to be tender, with the slightest bit of sweetness.  This recipe balances tartness, sweetness, spiciness and saltiness and has lots of veggies.

Mango Fried Rice

1 lb pork loin finely chopped (optional) you could also use chicken, shrimp, tofu...or nothing
3 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
1 under-ripe mango cubed
3 scallions sliced into ½ inch pieces
4 cloves garlic smashed
1 large shallot diced
¾ cup green beans cut into ½ inch pieces
1 carrot diced
1 inch of gingerroot peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro chopped
1-2 red finger peppers sliced with seeds (depending on spice level desired)
1 egg
4 cups cooked jasmine rice
Juice of one large lime
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
¼ cup cashews toasted and ground

In separate glass, combine lime juice, soy sauce, sugar and oyster sauce.  With wok or large cast iron skillet, preheat 1 tbsp oil over high heat.  When oil is smoking, add pork and cook until pink is gone.  Remove pork and juices onto plate.  Add another 2 tbsp oil and allow to reach smoking heat again.  Add mango, scallions, garlic, shallot, green beans, ginger, carrot, red pepper and cilantro and cook, stirring frequently until green beans are slightly tender, about 7 minutes.  Add about ¼ of the soy mixture and stir.  Add egg and scramble.  Add pork and allow to reheat throughout.  Add rice and incorporate.  Add rest of soy mixture.  Stir until rice is hot and has started to brown on sides.  Put in bowl or on plate, and add cashews to the top.  Enjoy!