Bloody Crepes Suzette

The first time I saw a blood orange I was in a restaurant in Florence, Italy. It was 1980 and we had finished dinner. The waiter had brought a bowl of oranges, a wedge of Gorgonzola Dolce and a bottle of Grappa to the table. As I began peeling the orange, I couldn't believe the color. It was beautiful. Too beautiful to be real. I actually wondered if they added dye to obtain the dramatic, red flesh. The peel had a blush to it and the juice was tart, but sweet. It was at that moment I fell in love with the Blood Orange. The waiter told me they were from Sicily, a variety called Tarocco and were the favored orange of Italy.
When I returned to Manhattan, I began searching the specialty stores for these Sicilian gems. The only store that stocked them at the time was Balducci's in Greenwich Village and they were only available in Feb and March. Every year I would anticipate their arrival in the market. I would buy loads and use them in tarts, salads, cocktails or place them in bowls on the coffee table for an evening treat.

Over the years they have become available everywhere. But I still find myself anticipating the arrival of the deep red Morro Blood Orange. This year I made Blood Orange Crepes Suzette, perfect as a Valentines Day dessert. Red, sweet and romantic. Enjoy them with a glass of Champagne and the person you love.

Cooks Illustrated has the best crepe batter recipe ever. I use that one, period the end. However that said, the sauce you can certainly play with and change to you hearts delight.

Crepe Batter
adapted from cooksllustrated.com

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, the original recipe calls for whole milk, but I found skim works well
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cognac
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons oil for greasing the pan

Place all ingredients in the blender 5 seconds, scrape sides and blend for another 5 seconds. Allow to rest in the refrigerator 2 hours.
Heat a 9 inch crepe pan and brush with butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter in center of pan. Swirl pan to spread batter all around. Don't worry about small holes, you will fold the crepes, cover them in sauce and believe me, no one will notice a few small holes. If they do they are undeserving of your crepes.

Cook until the crepe looks set, not wet and lightly colored on the bottom, less than one minute.
Loosen the edges with a spatula and turn. Cook another 20 seconds and turn out onto a plate to hold.


Continue until all the batter has been used.
This recipe makes approximately 12 crepes in a 9 inch crepe pan. Serving 4.

Blood Orange Sauce
adapted from cooksillustrated.com

4 tablespoons cognac or brandy
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 1/4 cups blood orange juice, from about 4-6 oranges
2 tablespoons triple sec
6 slices of blood orange, halved

Adjust the oven rack to lower position and pre-heat the broiler.

Using an oven proof skillet, add 3 tablespoons of cognac to the skillet. As the cognac heats it's easier to ignite. Hold the handle and tip the skillet away form you, as the cognac reaches the edge of the pan it will ignite and burn for about 30 seconds. Don't let it alarm you, it looks dangerous but it's not. If your timid about igniting the cognac, just heat it and use a chimney match. Shake the pan until the flames subside.
Add the butter, sugar and 1 cup blood orange juice to the pan and simmer briskly over high heat whisking occasionally until it reduces to a thick syrup, 6-8 minutes. You should have just over 1/2 cup of sauce. Do not wash the pan.

Pour the syrup into a large glass measuring cup and add the rest of the orange juice, triple sec, cognac, zest and cover to keep warm.

Using the same skillet, fold the crepes in quarters and place 9 crepes along the sides of the pan, the edges facing outward. Arrange 3 in the center, sprinkling evenly with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place under the broiler and broil until sugar caramelizes and the crepes start to brown, about 5 minutes. Watch the crepes, you don't want to scorch them.
Remove from the oven and pour half the sauce over the crepes. Place on serving dishes and serve immediately, garnished with an orange slice and pass the extra sauce separately.
All pictures and recipes are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef, unless otherwise credited.

Goa in my Dreams

Last week a friend suggested I move to Goa for 5 months and work in another woman's restaurant for the season. My heart raced and I immediately saw myself in a long billowing skirt, wearing gold bangles on my wrists and bell like ankle bracelets. Long thick wavy hair flowing down my back and deliciously handsome men hanging on my every food quip. No kids, dogs or bills. Just an exotic, exciting adventure. All that night I just couldn't get the opportunity out of my head. As I slept, sounds of waves, a snake charmers flute and lilting Indian voices floated through my sub conscience. Morning came too soon as it always does when you're dreaming of adventure. I realized while I can't leave this year, I can make plans for next year. In the meantime I would make Indian dishes, wear those gold bangles and grow my hair.

Enjoy this Vindaloo Chicken, with the Cumin Scented Rice, Garlic Naan and Mango Sorbet for dessert. It's the next best thing.

Goan Chicken Vindaloo

Serves 6

10 cardamon pods, split and small seeds removed

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seed

10 whole cloves

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 onion sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced into a paste

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

2 bay leaves

2 serrano chilies, slit, keep the seeds

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon tamarind paste*

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger, grated

pinch nutmeg

1- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon tamarind paste*

1 tablespoon brown sugar
*available in Asian markets or the international section of grocery stores

Heat a small skillet over high heat until hot. Add the cinnamon stick pieces, mustard seeds, cardamon pod seeds, and whole cloves. Toss around skillet until fragrant, remove to a bowl and allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook until well browned. Browning the onions deeply will ensure a sweet and dark colored sauce. Add the chilies. Saute 1 minute and add the ground roasted spices. Cook 1 minute while stirring. Add the chicken and saute until cooked on all sides. Stir in the rest of the spices, cook one minute and add the water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, immediately turn down the heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

Stir in the tamarind paste and brown sugar. Cook another 5 minutes to develop the flavor.

Cumin Rice

1 tablespoon clarified butter (ghee) or oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 cups uncooked Basmati rice

1 1/2 cups water

Salt

Dash of lime juice

Lime wedges

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat butter until foaming. Add the cumin seeds and saute for 2 minutes, until the seeds sputter.

Add the rice, lime juice, water and salt. Stir well. Bring to a boil on high heat, turn the heat to very low, cover and cook 20 minutes until all water has evaporated. Turn off flame and leave on stove covered for 10 minutes before serving. Fluff with a fork.

All recipes and pictures are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef or Pamela Dockery Food, unless otherwise credited.

Coffee and a Doughnut

In a constant struggle to improve my mind and body I developed new habits and shed some old, not so healthy ones. For instance, I spend at least 30 minutes running on the treadmill for my heart, do 200 crunches at a sitting for those rock hard abs and work out with free weights to maintain healthy bones. I never eat more than 3 spoonfuls of Ben and Jerry's Pfish Food, enjoy one glass of wine with dinner and never ever eat processed sweets and I always buy organic, fresh, hormone free food. Yesterday I broke all my rules and succumbed to an Old Fashioned Chocolate Doughnut with a cup of French Roast. It wasn't Crispy Cremes, Dunkin or any other national brand, but a small store in San Francisco, " The Barbary Coast" with the freshest, most moist doughnut imaginable. You're thinking I just haven't had a doughnut in a while, and you're right I haven't. There was never anything to recommend them, with their flavorless, greasy, cold and too sweet taste.This doughnut was a revelation. Crunchy outside, moist inside, not too sweet and iced with just enough chocolate to whet your appetite and dusted with a sprinkling of coconut for that little added crunch. The second one was even better, iced with maple cream it melted in my mouth leaving a sweet, lingering taste of maple syrup. I was ready to order another, a glazed French Cruller, when a very good friend dragged me out of the shop. Yes, I will still hold to my discipline, but now I will include an occasional doughnut with my one cup of coffee. The simple pleasure of a cup of coffee and a doughnut.

How did I live without it?

All pictures and recipes are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef or Pamela Dockery Food, unless otherwise credited.

Cold Winters Night Hot Italian Dinner

Last night my son, Emmett came home with an entree request. He was craving Chicken Parmesan. My daughter, Katy immediately began begging for the same dinner. How could I refuse? This was the perfect opportunity to use the beautiful dried pasta I bought in Rome. It would be Chicken Parm for dinner. I decided to remove any unnecessary fat. So instead of sauteing the traditionally breaded chicken cutlets in canola oil. I dredged the raw cutlets in seasoned breadcrumbs and baked them on a lightly oiled sheet pan. The result was a lighter, but just as tasty cutlet. I topped them with home made tomato sauce and fresh whole milk mozzarella cheese. Served with the al dente pasta, eaten next to a roaring fire it was perfect meal for a cold icy, day.

Lighter Chicken Parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4-6 Chicken brests, sliced and thinly pounded

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/2 teaspoon oregano, or several fresh stems with leaves attached

1 14.3 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2-17.6 ounce packages tomato puree

Lightly brush a large baking sheet with olive oil.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese, oregano, thyme, sea salt and
pepper. Dredge the cutlets in the bread crumbs pressing to help them adhere. Lay the cutlets on the baking sheet. Careful not to crowd them.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Turn the cutlets and bake another 10 minutes.

While the cutlets are baking make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic, when you can smell the aroma of the garlic add the onion and saute until transparent. Stir in the herbs and saute several minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and saute several minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook on low heat until thickened. Place a tablespoon full of sauce on the cutlet and cover with mozzarella cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese has melted and browned. Serve with pasta and a whole grain artisan bread.
All recipes and pictures are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef , or Pamela Dockery Food unless otherwise credited.

Dartmoor, A Ploughman's Lunch and Mulled Wine on a Winter Afternoon

After flying London for years, I've always wanted to see the rest of the England. When my friends Meliora and Vic invited me to visit their home in Exeter, Devon last December, I didn't hesitate. One week before Christmas I left. It didn't matter that I hadn't shopped, decorated or planned Christmas dinner, all that mattered was the chance to visit England during December. It is one of the most lovely times of the year. One particular morning we left to explore Dartmoor.

We had lunch in a cozy pub. We feasted on a Ploughman's Lunch and Cups of Mulled Cider next to the fire. Warm and sated we headed up onto the moor.
Wild ponies, and occasional blooming heather.......
and a view from the Tor that couldn't be beat.
I decided to recreate this lunch on a cold New York Afternoon. I had last night's London Broil in the refrigerator, wedges of Buttermilk Blue Cheese from Wisconsin and a Double Creme Brie from France. I found a ripe avocado, cut a few sticks of fresh fennel and added dollops of Chile Pepper Jelly and Horseradish Sauce. I peeled a mandarin orange and tossed that with baby lettuce leaves in a Dijon vinaigrette. Garnished with last summer's oven roasted tomatoes and a few olives. It was better than the original. We enjoyed it with a glass of mulled wine and a baguette. Make up your own version with chicken, fish or even grilled tofu. It's a lunch designed to be hearty and filling. It's perfect after a day of skiing or walking the moor.
Horseradish Sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons horseradish, or more if you like it hot
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard and horseradish in a small bowl. Blend well and taste for seasoning. Add more horseradish if needed. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Chill until ready to serve.

Dijon Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Combine the white wine vinegar and the Dijon mustard in a small, lidded jar. Shake well. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and shake until thoroughly blended. Toss immediately with the salad.

Mulled Wine

1/4 cup sugar
1 bottle of red wine
a few slivers of lemon zest
10 whole cloves
cinnamon sticks

Place Lemon zest and cloves in cheesecloth and tie with string. In a 3 quart saucepan, stir together the sugar and red wine and the cheesecloth bundle. Heat to the boiling point. Let steep 5 minutes. Remove cheesecloth and pour into mugs. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.

All recipes and photographs are the sole property of The Gypsy Chef, unless otherwise credited.

Narita Soba Noodle Soup

This morning as the snow was falling, I remembered a noodle shop in Narita, Japan. A few of us would go every trip. Once we landed, after a 14 hour flight, we would rush to the hotel bus to take a ride to the center of Narita. We would walk down Green Street, turn right onto a small side street and enter the best noodle shop around. On a winter night, the shop would be hot and steamy, filled with the aroma of fresh noodles, broth, and conversation in every language. The proprietor knew us and would bring large cold bottles of Japanese beer to the table and we would order our favorite soups. Favorites were the Beef Chili Pepper and the Fish and Soba Noodles. Served with large red spoons, you would help yourself to the disposable chop sticks in the center of the table and use the facial tissues which served as napkins. After we'd eaten, we would leisurely walk back to the bus stop, tired, sleepy and full of hot satisfying soup. Teriyaki Salmon Soba Soup

4 pieces salmon filet, about 5 ounces each
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, roasted
4 bunches baby bok choy, washed and trimmed, leaving root end attached
4 handfuls fresh baby spinach, washed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1 inch piece ginger, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil

Dashi Broth
4 bunches soba noodles

Teriyaki Sauce

7 teaspoons dark soy sauce
7 teaspoons sake
7 teaspoons mirin
1 teaspoon sugar

Combine the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a small bowl. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add the salmon and coat gently. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Dashi Broth

1 quarts cold water
1 large piece of kombu, seaweed, wiped clean with a damp cloth
1 -1.5 ounce bag bonita flakes
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
salt to taste
sugar to taste

Fill the stock pot with the cold water and drop the kombu in it. Heat the water slowly so that it takes at least 10 minutes to begin to boil.
When the water starts to bubble before it comes to a full boil, remove the kombu. If you leave it in the water, it begins to smell.
Add the bonita flakes and return to the heat. Allow the stock to come to a full boil, then remove it from the heat at once.
If the bonita is allowed to boil for more than a couple of seconds it will make the dashi bitter. Strain the flakes through a fine sieve or a paper filter. Return the broth to the pot, add the mirin and sake. Taste for seasoning. If needed, add a little salt or sugar.

The Garnish

In a small saute pan, add the oil and heat until smoking. Add the ginger and shallots, saute until lightly colored. Remove and set aside.
Add 2 quarts of water to a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and drop in the bok choy. Blanch for 2 minutes, remove with a spider basket and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
Add the soba noodles and cook as directed. Drain and rinse with water.

Place the salmon in a parchment lined roasting pan. Sprinkle with the roasted sesame seeds and place under the broiler. I like to remove mine while the salmon is still dark pink in the center. To check for doneness, you can flake the salmon with a fork.
To assemble: Place noodles in the bottom of a large noodle bowl. Place a bunch of bok choy on on side of the noodle mixture. Lay the salmon filet in the center. On the other side place a handful of spinach. Gently pour the hot dashi broth over the top. Garnish with Scallion and sauteed ginger and shallot. Kombu and bonita Flakes can be found in Whole Foods or most Asian markets. Some cooks feel it's optional, but I like the authentic Japanese flavor. All pictures and recipes are the property of The Gypsy Chef unless otherwise credited.