Smoking Bishop Tweetcipe

A number of years ago I attempted to cook a full semi-accurate Victorian Christmas meal. I couldn’t find a goose in all of Galveston so I cooked a traditional American turkey to go with Waldorf celery boats, savory tartlets, green peas, potatoes á la maitre d’hôtel, mincemeat pie and sugar plums. My family and I also drank a number of cups of Smoking Bishop over the course of the day. The drink is mentioned in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, and interestingly, the recipe has been around since the 1600s – long before Charles wrote his now famous Christmas story. It’s such a good cold weather drink; it shouldn’t be limited to just the holidays.

From Historical Foods Newsletter:

Smoking Bishop

6 large oranges
2 large lemons
½ cup of brown sugar (demerara)
1 bottle (750ml) red wine
1 bottle (750ml) ruby port
8 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground mace

The day before: bake the large oranges and lemons in the oven on a shallow baking tray (with a lip to contain any leaking juice) on a low heat at 120°C until they are pale brown (after about an hour and a half). If any liquid leaks from the fruit when baking pour this from the tray into the bowl with the fruit and wine.

After the fruit has baked in the oven stud the oranges and lemons with one of the cloves pricked into each, place into a large bowl, add the ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and mace. Add the sugar and pour in the wine – but not the port or the cinnamon sticks. Stir gently for a few minutes. Cover and leave in a warm place overnight or for 24 hours.

The next day: cut the baked oranges and lemons in half and squeeze all the juice into the spiced wine in the bowl. Do not worry about adding in the pulp and pips; this will be strained through a sieve next.

Pour this wine, fruit and spice mix through a sieve into a large saucepan, using the back of a spoon to press out the juice from the pulp in the sieve. Then add the cinnamon sticks. Heat the wine to a high simmer for 5 minutes, then turn down the heat under the saucepan and add the port. Heat the liquid very gently for 20 minutes (so as not to boil away the alcohol). In the last two minutes turn up the heat to a medium simmer and get the Bishop ‘smoking’ hot with vapors rising.

A Dickens of a Christmas

Charles Dickens was a foodie. I believe this to be true, because of the way he describes his culinary experiences. He wrote eloquently of Christmas dinner in “A Christmas Carol”:

There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness were the themes of universal admiration. Eded out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family; indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight (surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish) they hadn't ate it all at last! Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows.

Unlike the Cratchits and their contemporaries of Britain’s Industrial Revolution, we are blessed with running water, separate bedrooms, trash service, and child labor laws. However, this is an economically challenging time, and a Victorian meal can inspire something simple, frugal, and memorable.

The centerpiece of a traditional, Victorian, Christmas Dinner would be a large foul. Goose is what Dickens describes, but turkey would also be traditional. I believe a perfectly roasted chicken would also suffice. The bird could be stuffed with the sage and onion dressing the youngest Cratchits enjoyed, or since we all probably prepared that for our American Thanksgiving, perhaps a dressing that features nuts and dried fruits to tempt the palate. In 1843 London, apples and prunes would have been likely choices for the dressing. If you’d like something a little more contemporary, try using dried currants and pine nuts.

Side dishes would include the ever-popular mashed potatoes. (Definitely not traditional, but mascarpone cheese sure makes them creamy!) Dig into your Commonly Supported Agricultural (CSA) basket and roast some of those seasonal root vegetables (probably parsnips and rutabaga, maybe some carrots). The spicy bitterness in winter greens perfectly complements the decadence of goose, so remember your mustard greens or Brussels sprouts. (They are also power foods, so you can feel good about your celebratory indulgences.)

In the 19^th century, the clever Mediterranean vintners were fortifying their wine with distilled alcohol, so their wine could survive the arduous journey by sea to England. Madeira would therefore be an authentic beverage choice. In fact, the more well traveled (and arguably mistreated) the Madeira, the better it is said to taste.

The obvious dessert would be plum pudding. While the flavors and texture can be foreign to us, the preparation is endearing (every family member takes a turn in stirring while making a wish, and some stir from east to west to honor the journey of the Magi). Serve it with a sprig of holly on top for tradition. Light the brandy on fire for dramatic presentation. Suet is typically difficult to find, unless you have access to a butcher, so you may have to substitute coconut oil or very cold butter, but it won’t be quite as light. You can also add some cocoa powder if you have someone in your family who defines dessert by chocolate!

Until next time, eat well!

Turkey Brining Tweetcipe

As promised, here is a great homemade brining solution that will ensure a flavorful, moist turkey. Brining is necessary when you use a fresh organic turkey that has not been “enhanced” with a saline solution. This recipe comes from one of my favorite Food Network chef-celebs, Alton Brown:

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

1 gallon heavily iced water

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Two to three days before you want to cook the turkey, begin thawing it in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket or large cooler. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

That’s the brining solution, but I might as well give instructions on how I would cook this bird, too:

1 (14 to 16 pound) young turkey

1 red apple, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup water

4 sprigs rosemary

6 leaves sage

Grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add these to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with grapeseed oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Once the meat is browned to your liking, cover with foil. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Let's Talk Turkey

It’s about that time of year when everyone will be thinking about cooking a turkey – at least at Thanksgiving, although many of us repeat the process a month later for Christmas, as well. If you’re planning on preparing a turkey feast this year, but don’t plan on hunting your own bird, there are a few things you should consider.

Free range birds are touted as the best tasting, because they’re out and about, getting exercise that makes the meat leaner, and eating a variety of foods that contribute to the overall flavor. If the bird is truly free range, it probably will taste better. Unfortunately, many companies will advertise their birds as free range, even though they’ve been bred to have larger breasts, making the bird far too top heavy to do much ranging.

One thing to keep in mind is just because a turkey says “free range” does not mean you’re getting a healthy, humanely raised bird. One way to tell whether or not your bird has been humanely raised is its size – a true free range bird will rarely exceed 14-16 pounds. Another way to make sure you’re getting the right bird is to choose an organic free range turkey.

By choosing organic turkey, you’re buying from a farm that does not inject their birds with antibiotics. However, if you’re buying from a local turkey provider, you may want to talk to them about their actual practice. Becoming organic certified can be expensive, but many small businesses that raise turkeys will raise them organically (without antibiotics) and simply not jump through the hoops of certification.

Beyond choosing a free range, organically grown turkey, the other thing you can do that will ensure high-quality flavor is to buy a bird that hasn’t been frozen. Depending on where you live and what kind of access you have to the marketplace, this may be difficult, and honestly, a frozen turkey won’t ruin the dinner. Just be sure to thaw your turkey slowly and keep it sealed during the thawing process. For the best results, make sure you choose a turkey that is not of the commercial variety – you’re typically paying for empty weight because the birds have been plumped up with saline solution or full of antibiotics.

If you do choose to get a free range turkey this year, check back next week for my Tweetcipe, which will provide you with the instructions for brining your turkey – the perfect way to ensure a moist, delicious bird for your guests.

Until next time, eat well!

Pumpkin Soup Tweetcipe

Before you start eyeballing your 20 pound Halloween pumpkin with the idea that you can make it into pies, put your knife down: Not all pumpkins are created equal for cooking.

There is a big variety of pumpkins and some are good for carving and some are good for eating. All pumpkins are edible but carving pumpkins have low sugar levels, thinner walls and are stringy. If you want to make a good pie, what you need is the smaller – no larger than 5 pounds – and sweeter Sugar pumpkin.

It isn’t easy to prepare a pumpkin for cooking. I did it one time and afterwards I decided that canned organic pumpkin will do me fine in the future. But if you’re curious, here’s how to do it:

Prep the pumpkin: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the stem and cut the pumpkin into quarters. Scrape the seeds and pulp into a strainer. You can bake the seeds later to snack on or add to a salad.

Roast the pumpkin: Put the wedges on a baking sheet and cover tightly with foil; bake until the flesh is tender, about 90 minutes. Remove the foil and let cool.

Puree and strain: Scoop the pumpkin flesh out of it’s shell, place in a food processor and puree until smooth. Line a colander with cheese cloth and place the colander over a bowl. Put the pumpkin puree in the colander to drain excess liquid. Place the colander and bowl in the refrigerator to drain overnight.

This recipe for pumpkin soup (from pumpkinsoup.org) will get your taste buds ready for the upcoming holidays:

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons

2 tablespoons brown sugar
15 oz of homemade or canned pumpkin puree
2 cans salt free chicken broth, 14 ½ oz each
1 cup chopped onion
5 tablespoons softened butter
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 slices whole wheat bread
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Handful cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together the cinnamon, half the sugar, and the butter and spread it evenly over one side of each slice of bread. Put the bread, buttered side up, on a baking tray and bake for about 8 minutes or until the bread is toasted.

Cut the bread slices into small squares or triangles.

Sauté the onion in the rest of the butter until tender, then add half the chicken broth. Stir the mixture well, bring it to a boil, then cover the pan, turn the heat down, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Process the broth in a food processor or a blender until it is smooth, then put it back in the pan and add the other can of broth, the salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin puree, pepper, the rest of the sugar and the ginger.

Stir the mixture well and bring it to a boil.

Cover the pan, turn the heat down, and let the pumpkin soup simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring it all the time.

Stir in the cream and warm it through without boiling.

Ladle the soup into 6 serving bowls and top each one with some croutons and cilantro leaves.

Pumpkin Seeds: A Healthy Snack

It won’t be long before many of us will be busy scooping the innards out of a bunch of pumpkins and doing our best to bring out the creativity buried inside us, as we design the year’s perfect jack-o-lanterns. Whether scary, adorable, or downright works of art, the jack-o-lantern is a popular tradition with most families around this time of year.

Most people simply spread newspapers, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, and toss it away. However, did you know that pumpkin seeds make a healthy, low calorie, high fiber snack (much better for us than the potato chips we love to munch)? Pumpkin seeds, when properly rinsed, baked and seasoned, can also make a nice addition to a soup, trail mix or salad.

Since baking pumpkin seeds is such a great way to avoid wasting those perfectly edible, little bits, hopefully this year you’ll take one extra step in your jack-o-lantern carving fun and try a few of these tasty ideas. By simply switching from potato chips to pumpkin seeds this time of year, when you need a crunchy fix, you get a small edge up on combating that dreaded holiday weight gain.

In my research, I discovered that pumpkin seeds are often referred to as “nature’s perfect food,” because they are such a great source of vitamins and minerals. They are high in potassium and calcium as well as Vitamins B, C, D and E. In many cultures, pumpkin seeds are used as a homeopathic remedy to treat medical conditions like prostate and kidney disease. There are even claims that pumpkin seeds, because they are high in L-tryptophan, can help you beat back depression!

What I love about pumpkin seeds is that once you have them baked and flavored, they’re an easy snack to grab and eat on the run, and they really satisfy my cravings when I have the munchies – without adding a lot of fat. They’re a great healthy snack and complement many different dishes.

Preparing the Seeds

After removing pumpkin seeds from your future jack-o-lantern, wash them well in a colander, but don’t worry too much about the stringy pulp that may continue to stick to them. The stringy bits will dry up and fall off in the oven. Put the seeds on a paper towel and blot to dry.

Put the seeds in a bowl and toss them with a little safflower, grape seed or olive oil. In a separate, small bowl: combine your spices, then sprinkle over the seeds and stir to coat. Bake seeds on a lightly buttered cookie sheet, in a preheated, 325 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until the seeds are dried out and light brown, 30-45 minutes.

You can season pumpkin seeds in a variety of different ways and to your personal taste. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

Mexican
Cumin powder
Chili powder
Tiny pinch of cayenne powder
Chipotle powder
Salt

Sweet
Brown sugar
Cinnamon powder
Ground allspice
Freshly grated Nutmeg
Ground Cloves
Tiny pinch of salt

Middle Eastern
Cardamom powder
Garam masala
Cumin powder
Ginger powder
Turmeric powder
Curry powder
Salt

Italian
Garlic salt
Oregano
Thyme
Marjoram
Basil

Until next month, eat well.

Thai Cucumber Salad

The long English cucumber is my favorite kind of cucumber because I find them more flavorful and dense than their shorter, seedier brothers. Plus, organically grown English cucumbers don’t need to be seeded or peeled when used in a salad, which saves time. I suggest peeling conventionally grown cucumbers due to the residual pesticides that cling to the skin. Here’s a wonderful, light salad that goes well with grilled meat.

CUCUMBER SALAD

1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
1/2 sweet onion, sliced thinly
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (or two shakes of red pepper flakes)
2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh chopped
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix water, vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt. In a serving bowl arrange the cucumber, cilantro, and onion in layers. Pour the vinegar mixture over the salad. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes before serving.

For a creamy salad dressing, omit the water and whisk in ½ cup of plain yogurt in the marinade before pouring over the vegetables.