Squid Ink Pasta in a Truffled White Wine Garlic Sauce

I had started to have my doubts. Every time I looked out the window, or turned on the weather report, or ventured outside wrapped as if I was embarking for a trip to outer Mongolia (as opposed to the grocery store across the street), I sincerely doubted that I would ever feel the warmth of the sun on my skin again. This winter was a doozy, and I am just so ready to grasp at any straw that resembles spring.

But then the days got longer, the breeze grew less sharp, and a few courageous croci pushed their way through the frozen earth. So, what better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than with a fresh, light, and citrusy pasta dish? The light flavors and tender pink seafood plays really nicely against the bold, dark color of the pasta, making this as visually striking as it is flavorful.

Ingredients:

1 lb squid ink pasta (available in specialty food stores)
2 tsps garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 lb fresh squid 
1/2 lb uncooked shrimp
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can chopped clams, with their juice
1 lemon
1 tsp red pepper flakes
white truffle oil (optional, but highly recommended)

Before doing anything else, prep your seafood. Be sure to wash the squid and the shrimp thoroughly and to pat them completely dry. This is an important step in preparing squid for cooking. The drier the squid, the better it will cook. If you've never cooked quid before (don't worry, it's not hard!), I would highly recommend this tutorial video from the New York Times' Melissa Clark.

Now that your seafood is prepped, you can start boiling the pasta in salted water. While you're waiting, get a large skillet and add the olive oil and butter, warming the oil over medium-high heat until it's very hot. Add the garlic, then add the squid and the shrimp. Make sure that your skillet is large enough so that the seafood is not crowded. Now for the hard part--don't touch the seafood for a full minute. Just let it cook and get a good color for an entire 60 seconds, before tossing it in the oil/garlic mixture. The squid should get a lovely rich color from this, and the shrimp will turn a light pink. Once the seafood is cooked (~3-4 minutes), add the white wine, clams, and red pepper flakes. Cook for one minute over medium heat.

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, add the seafood and sauce and toss thoroughly to coat. The wine sauce will absorb into the pasta. Spritz with lemon and dress lightly with white truffle oil.

Happy spring, and happy eating!

Smoked Salmon with Cream

Doesn't that sound good?


This continues my series of recipes from my most recent cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education, Vive la Bretagne. If you're looking for a refined appetizer or even a small meal for your next dinner, this is a winner. As if smoked salmon wasn't delicious enough--here, the salmon is stuffed with an herbed whipped cream made from crème fraiche, and garnished with marinated fennel and shallot confit.

Not too shabby on the whole.

The Recipe:


6 slices of smoked salmon
3 regular-sized fennel bulbs
8 ounces lemon juice
6 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup ruby Port
1 thyme sprig
1 tsp sugar
1 quart crème fraiche
Chives
1 tsp cider vinegar
Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

First, wash and clean the fennel. Chop off the leaves just up to the bulb and remove the roots. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel bulbs very thinly (width-wise) so that you have thin slices. Layer the fennel slices along the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Stir the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over the fennel in the pan. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, to marinate.

To make the shallot confit, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the Port, wine, thyme, sugar, and shallots--cut in 1/4" thick slices--in a small gratin dish. Cover with foil and bake for an hour, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Let cool to room temperature, and discard the thyme sprig.

Now, for the pièce de resistance--the salmon with cream. Whisk the crème fraiche as you would whisk whipping cream, until it forms soft peaks. Then add the salt, cayenne pepper, chives, vinegar, and half of the shallot confit.

Now for the tricky part: presentation. This is my way of plating the dish, but don't hesitate to be creative with your presentation. To fill the salmon slices with the cream, take a paper cup and cut off the topmost ring to use as a mold. Place the ring on the plate and drape salmon slices over the edges, so that they touch the plate but will be able to be folded over. Then, put the cream in the center of the ring of salmon, and fold the pieces over. Remove the ring. Place a few slices of the marinated fennel on the side, and garnish with additional shallot confit. Garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon rind curls.

Traditional German Stollen

Stollen is an essential and traditional flavor in our house at Christmastime. Our family, which is of German ancestry, enjoys at least one stollen every holiday season, with a cup of tea or on a cold evening. The stollen, a traditional German fruitcake, is often baked with a marzipan core and combines candied and dried fruits for a hearty and refined taste. Stollen can sometimes be dry, but is perfect when served with butter or tea. 

Though we used to purchase a season's supply of stollen at a nearby German Delicatessen, Zum Stammtisch, I decided to try my hand at making this traditional European treat. This recipe, originally from Rescue Ranger at GroupRecipes.com, passed down through his family over hundreds of years. The author writes:

[This recipe for] traditional German Christmas Stolen [was] passed down through the ages in my family...[The] original recipe was without the marzipan [and dated from] 1700, but at some point in the 1800s a relative added the Marzipan to the recipe. It has remained ever since. 

While this old-fashioned recipe takes a bit of time and a careful touch, I found it just as satisfying as our store-bought stollen from Germany. I simplified the recipe slightly by using store-bought marzipan, but I've included the recipe fore homemade marzipan as well. You can find prepared marzipan in the baking or holiday aisle.

These cakes make excellent gifts, can be shipped easily, and serve as a tasty but not-overly-rich dessert after a filling holiday dinner.

The Recipe:

2 cakes (.6 oz each) compressed yeast

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsps lukewarm milk

2 potions of 3 1/3 cups each flour

1 stick room-temperature butter

1 stick room-temperature margarine

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsps salt
Zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp of almond extract
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup almonds, rehydrated in rum overnight
1/2 cup each of candied lemon and orange peel
1/2 cup candied or dried cherries
Confectioners' sugar for dusting


For the marzipan:


1 lb almonds, blanched, peeled, and coarsely chopped
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsps rosewater (or 4 tsps almond or vanilla extract)
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar

Crumble yeast into lukewarm milk and stir until dissolved. Stir in 3 1/3 cups of the flour. Cover and let rise 20 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, margarine, sugar, salt, 3 1/3 cups of the flour, lemon zest, and flavorings. (Mixture will be very stiff). Add yeast mixture and mix well at slow speed until well combined. Add almonds, drained raisins, and candied peels. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes until increased in volume by about 1/4.

Deflate the dough by turning it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the center of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it, and pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down, Repeat with second half of dough.

Transfer breads to greased baking sheets seam side down. Cover and let rise about 30 to 40 minutes or until dough has increased in volume by 1/4. Bake at 330 F about 45 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted into bread comes out clean. Wash with melted butter and sift with confectioners' sugar.

To keep the loaves fresh until use, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and wait to wash and dust them.

Marzipan Preparation:


Grind the almonds in a blender or coffee grinder -- or with a mortar and pestle -- until they resemble a fine powder. In a bowl, beat the egg whites with salt until frothy. Add the vanilla, almond extract, or rosewater. Sift in the first 3 cups of powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, kneading the mass in the bowl after each addition. Add just enough of the last cup of powdered sugar to form smooth, pliable dough that is not too sticky.

Divide the dough into portions and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 8 weeks.

The Buzz : The White Lady

First off, I would like to apologize for not posting as often as I have been wont to; this week has been and continues to be insane, with two major exams that will determine my future (YAY) and the onset of various anxieties about my future and the things that need to happen before I can determine what it is, exactly.

Like many people faced with times of stress and uncertainty, I turn to the soothing effects of alcohol. Ok, that sounds really terrible. What I am saying is that after a day of studying and a stressful week, I decided to make a cocktail I had been meaning to try. I'm not an alcoholic. No worries, friends.

Legend has it that the White Lady was created in London in 1919 as a tribute to the Mata Hari. This smooth yet shockingly strong cocktail combines the freshness of gin with the subtle fruitiness of orange liquor and lemon juice. Don't be fooled by it's ghostly white appearance--one of these is powerful enough to take the sting out of a tough week.


The Recipe:

1 oz Cointreau

2 oz Bombay Sapphire gin

3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Splash of sprite

Ice

Chill a fancy glass and add a single ice cube. Then, combine the Cointreau, gin, and lemon juice. Top off with Sprite for a less deadly potion. Serve and enjoy.

Photo courtesy of The Science of Drink.