Memphis in May Tribute - Good Luck to "Too Sauced to Pork"!

Jenn, of Jenn's Food Journey, and I have talked a lot about meeting at Memphis in May - a fabulous festival which boasts the supreme World Championship BBQ Contest (otherwise known as The Super Bowl of Swine!).  It starts tomorrow.

Neil Gallagher, of the prize-winning team Too Sauced to Pork, has offered to keep my name on his booth's guest list for two years now, which would enable me to eat to my little heart's content (since local health regulations prevent teams from feeding attendees, unless they're invited). I'd even planned to become a team member, helping in whatever way I could, even though my primary skills to offer are only sauce stirring and schmoozing with visitors. Neil and his buddies were accepting dishwashers, servers, choppers, and especially barbecue mavens to help with the effort; any skill, as long as it was offered generously, was welcomed. And they also planned to teach willing newbies like li'l ol' me, sharing the secrets to world class barbecue.

I saved and I planned and I dreamt ... but, alas, once again "real life" has intruded upon my little fantasy and has prevented my getting to Memphis for the party. Jenn isn't able to go this year either, although we were in serious negotiations about the trip - and about finally meeting in the real world, not only chatting in cyberspace - just a few months ago.

"Disappointed" is a woefully inadequate word to describe my dejection. The food, the aromas, the fun, the ambience, the festivities, the allure, the friendships ... everything was luring me down there. I scoped out restaurants along the way, and even across the state lines in Mississippi and Arkansas, too, planning my eating adventures and whetting my appetite.

Instead of getting sunburned and feasting gluttonously on pork and other goodies, though, I will be at home where family responsibilities beckon. (And if I seem to be a bit a.w.o.l. - waaaaaay behind on reading, commenting, and staying in touch - this is why. I've been serving as the figurative ham 'n' cheese in the "Sandwich Generation," with duties as both parent and child; and Craig's very sweet dog, Sammi, sadly was put to sleep last week.)

But the holiday of Shavuot [shah-voo-OHT] - which celebrates the bestowing of the Torah - began at sundown last night. I will eat traditional dairy foods, enjoy a few days off (the Jewish holiday in addition to time that I'd taken in anticipation of my trip), and have fun while also trying not to pout too much.

So Jenn and I will be in Memphis, at least in spirit! We have teamed up to offer "good luck" posts today to Neil and the team, as well as to everyone enjoying the party. I'm not a bar-b-cutie by any means - I don't own a smoker, and I don't devote days to injecting, rubbing, and mopping any of my foods. I simply grill, and do so impatiently, too, despite knowing that I should just leave things to cook over the heat without fidgeting and nudging.

But even though I'm not a world-class barbecuer, this simple, flavorful chicken and pineapple meal is a great way to celebrate the start of the grilling season!

(If you'd like to support Too Sauced to Pork, you can buy team-related clothes and other goodies here.)

Pomegranate-Marinated Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup pomegranate vinaigrette
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken breasts into a gallon-sized freezer baggie. Combine remaining ingredients, then pour over chicken. Seal bag, turn to coat, then refrigerate chicken for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove chicken from baggie and discard marinade.

Heat grill to medium-high. Place chicken away from flames and cook 10 minutes per side. For last minute on each side, place over flame to encourage grill marks. Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice.

Makes 4 servings.

Honey-Grilled Pineapple

1 pineapple
1/3 cup honey

Trim top and bottom from pineapple; stand it upright and trim rind from sides. Turn pineapple on its side and cut into 6 slices.

Heat grill to medium-high. Place pineapple slices away from flames, drizzle with some honey, and cook for 6-7 minutes until starting to tenderize. Flip pineapple over, drizzle with the rest of the honey, and cook another 5 minutes or so until tender and slightly caramelized.

Makes 6 slices.

National Vanilla Pudding Day

It's National Vanilla Pudding Day, an occasion which celebrates the beauty of simplicity.  There are no bananas or vanilla wafers in this pudding; no chocolate or butterscotch has been stirred in.  This isn't being used as a custard for trifle or for a parfait.  It is glorious all on its own!

Periodically, a debate pops up between chocolate lovers and vanilla afficionados.  I adore chocolate, and will almost always prefer it over what seems to be plain ol' vanilla.  But it's a matter of the quality of the vanilla.  A rich, fragrant, luscious vanilla - using beans or pure extract to impart flavor - is a truly wonderful taste not to be underestimated.

And that's the beauty of this pudding: it lets the true vanilla essence shine through in a creamy, seductive dessert.

This pudding would be perfect for Shavuot [shah-voo-OTE], the two-day holiday celebrating receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which begins Saturday at sundown.  It would be especially lovely served with fruit; then it would honor both the dairy and the harvest traditions of the holiday, though the former is predominantly acknowledged.  (To read my article about Roman food to serve for Shavuot, scroll down to page 25 of this month's issue of the Washtenaw Jewish News.)

Because chag ([HAHG] = the holiday) follows Shabbat ([shah-BAHT] = the Sabbath) and work is prohibited on all three days, here are some recipes that can be prepared ahead of time for your upcoming holiday weekend featuring both religious and secular celebrations.  The recipes are also delicious for those who are still free to cook all weekend, and who are looking for great treats for the three-day break or for a Memorial Day barbecue.

Fried Ice Cream "Torah Scrolls"

Custard with Strawberry Sauce

Ricotta Cheese Pudding

Basil Parmesan Shortbread

Brownie Ice Cream Pie

Berries with Sweetened Sour Cream

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love Tart

Cinnamon Roll Sundae

Fruit and Cheese Tidbits


Vanilla Pudding

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten

Place the cornstarch, salt, sugar and water into a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly.  As soon as the mixture is translucent, turn heat down to medium-low and whisk in half-and-half, vanilla, and eggs.  Cook, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes until the pudding is thickened.  Place into a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap pressed against the surface to prevent the formation of a skin, and refrigerate until cold.

Makes 8 servings.

"Fried" Ice Cream Torah Scrolls

The holiday of Shavuot [shah-voo-OHT], which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, begins at sundown tonight and continues through Thursday evening. It is a major holiday, though one that isn't as well known as some (i.e.: Passover, Chanukkah).

Jeremy can never remember Shavuot by its proper name, and likely couldn't tell you what its signifcance is; but he does know it as the "Cheesecake at Midnight" holiday.

Yup - you read that correctly! According to About.com:

"Tikun Leyl Shavuot is a kabbalistic (mystical) custom that is relatively new to Jewish tradition. It is increasingly popular among modern Jews and is meant to help us rededicate ourselves to studying Torah. Kabbalists taught that at midnight on Shavuot the skies open for a brief moment and God favorably hears all prayers."

A tikkun leil shavuot (the spelling I'm accustomed to, pronounced [tee-KOON lay-EEL shah-voo-OHT]) is an evening of communal study which generally ends at midnight with a sweet treat featuring the holiday's traditional dairy products; and cheesecake - which is so luscious! - is often the preferred indulgence.

Many people eat blintzes at Shavuot, since the folded and stuffed crepes resemble Torah scrolls and the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

But I have my own traditional dairy dessert for Shavuot: "fried" ice cream. Blintzes require making the crepes, filling the crepes, folding the crepes, frying the crepes ... a lot of bother, even if the end result is utterly fabulous.

So I just make these easy "fried" ice cream cylinders, shaping softened ice cream and then letting it set before rolling the "scrolls" in sweetened cookie crumbs and drizzling them with chocolate sauce. This still honors the dairy tradition whose origins are unknown, though it is thought to be a reference to Israel being the "land of milk and honey"; and it still offers something sweet and celebratory, but without a lot of effort.

Shavuot is a holiday, after all!

"Fried" Ice Cream Torah Scrolls

1-1/3 cups ice cream, any flavor, softened a bit
8 vanilla wafers, finely crushed
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
chocolate sauce

Place a square of plastic wrap onto the countertop. Place 1/3 cup ice cream in the center.


Shape into a 3" long cylinder, then wrap it up in the plastic wrap, twisting the ends, and place into the freezer to set. Repeat with remaining ice cream until you have 4 cylinders.



When the ice cream is set, combine the wafer crumbs, cinnamon and sugar on a plate. One by one, unwrap the ice cream cylinders and roll them in the crumb mixture until they are very well coated.



Place the coated ice cream onto a freezer-safe plate that has been covered with plastic wrap, then repeat with the remaining ice cream. Freeze until set.

Place 2 ice cream cylinders onto a dessert plate. Place froofy toothpicks into the tops and bottoms of the "scrolls" (to represent decorative crowns). Drizzle chocolate sauce over the ice cream. Repeat with remaining cylinders.

Serves 2.

Kugel for Comfort

Shavuot [shah-voo-WOTE] is one of my very favorite Jewish holidays, and it begins at sundown tonight. It commemorates bestowing the Torah upon the Israelites and the beginning of their covenant with God; and the holiday is welcomed with a variety of learning and study sessions, which can only be enticing to someone whose ex-husband once referred to her as an "intellectual snob." (Not true!!! Though I do admit to difficulty in suffering fools ....)

To a food-obsessed chickie like moi, though, Shavuot is really about the cheesecake ... and the blintzes ... and the ice cream. Because it's traditional to eat dairy foods at Shavuot, so you get a free pass to eat all the creamy goodies you can stand. This morning I made a sweet kugel [KOO-guhl] that not only made the house smell wonderful to greet the day, but which will then be ready for me to simply re-heat when I get home later tonight after taking our anonymous patient home from the hospital. Kugel is comfort food supreme, and will be much appreciated after a long day.

I debated whether to go for the gusto and make blintzes, which just struck me as too much work after an exhausting several weeks having led up to the weekend's hospitalization. Make crepes, fill crepes, fold crepes, fry crepes ... and do I really want to clean up the mess??? So then I considered my traditional blintz casserole, which is not what everyone else's blintz casserole seems to be. Others take frozen blintzes and place them into a baking dish, then pour a creamy batter over them before baking and slicing. Mine involves pouring some crepe batter into the bottom of a dish, baking it just until set, then topping that with the cheese filling and pouring the rest of the crepe batter over the top; once it bakes, it is cut into squares. But I didn't feel like making that, either ... no reason, just 'cause. Feeling fickle today, I guess, since I usually love anything blintz-like.

But a craving struck, and it struck like a flash of both lightning and brilliance: kugel, a noodle casserole without which a Jewish feast is not complete. I'm not too big a fan of the savory kugels; and the Kugel Yerushalayim -- with caramelized sugar and black pepper, which Israelis adore -- is fairly dry and crunchy and disgusting, in my opinion. But give me ricotta cheese, sour cream, a hint of almond and lemon, and a generous amount of cinnamon .. oh, I am a happy, happy girl!

And since this dish involves noodles, it met the one very easy and welcoming condition for joining the Presto Pasta Nights recipe round-up I just signed up for yesterday. Susan, of The Well-Seasoned Cook, is our charming hostess this week; but we must not forget the fabulous woman who began it all -- Ruth, of Once Upon a Feast. Thanks for letting me crash the party -- what a fabulous way to collect recipes and make new friends!!!

Sweet Kugel

Kugel:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
grated zest from 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 12-ounce package whole wheat noodles, cooked according to package directions

Topping:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Nilla wafers, crushed fine
1 cup Barbara's Shredded Spoonfuls cereal, crushed fine

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine ricotta, sour cream, almond extract, lemon zest, salt, sugar and eggs in a large bowl.

Stir in noodles, then place into a greased 9"x13" baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over kugel.


Bake for 40-45 minutes until topping is golden, some of the noodles are a bit crisp, and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let set for 15 minutes before serving. It's best served warm, and reheats beautifully.

Hag Sameach!!! [HAHG sah-MAY-yahk] = "Happy Holiday!" in Hebrew

The Shiksa, The Bagels and the Blintzes

I love, love, love what is collectively known as "Jewish" food -- absolutely adore it!!!  Now, of course, I have to clarify that I love all Jewish food -- both Sephardic (mostly non-European -- the Asian, African and South American cuisines of those expelled around the time of the Spanish Inquisition) and Ashkenazic (Central and Eastern European).

When most people think of traditional Jewish cuisine, they inevitably think of the Ashkenazim and the chicken soup, lox, pastrami and other foods available at delis.  And ya know what???  While that is only a minor part of the entire repertoire, that's okay -- those foods are good for the soul, and each one holds a special place in my heart.  There's time to introduce people to tzimmes and charoset and hamantaschen (no, they're not just German Christmas cookies -- they're Purim treats!), and all sorts of other delicacies.

But last Sunday, I indulged in some of the old favorites -- bagels and blintzes.  It was a good day, I have to admit!  I try to limit my intake of yeast and of white flour, but sometimes God sends a strong enough message saying "It's okay" that you just have to give in.  I'm sufficiently obstinate and enough of a control freak (despite having no semblance whatsoever of influence over my own life) that I'm not usually a "'Cause God said so" kinda girl.  But when God speaks to me through a tray of bagels, as well as through freshly made blintzes ... well, who am I to turn a deaf ear???  He even placed cookies in my path, so I indulged in just one oatmeal raisin cookie; and since oats and raisins are good for you, I can delude myself that there was some health food on the plate!

Anyway ....  after enjoying the bagel and cream cheese that I don't usually permit myself, while simultaneously schmoozing with friends, the wonderful Marcie Greenfield (whose Savor Ann Arbor walking tours are de rigueur for newbies and townies alike, and on my "to do" list when we can coordinate our busy schedules) gave a demonstration of how to make blintzes -- those fabulous crepes filled with ricotta or sour cream with fruit or salmon or lots of other mix-ins, then fried in butter because they're not unhealthy enough already.  C'mon -- you know that butter makes everything better!  How else will they get that gorgeous golden glow, short of a tanning salon???  Baking may be a substitute, but it's just not the same.

I don't usually go through the many steps required to make blintzes; they're not difficult, but they are time consuming ... and frankly, everyone already knows that I just want to eat!  I have a recipe that calls for pouring some batter into a baking dish, cooking it a bit, then topping it with the cheese filling and pouring the rest of the batter over everything; then it bakes into a 3-layer casserole that can be cut into squares, with a fruit sauce poured over it (since I've always made a sweet blintz casserole, though after tasting Marcie's lox/dill filling that will change).

So Marcie was giving an excellent presentation to a group of some exceptional women about the beauty of blintzes, and trying to pour batter and fill/fold crepes and brown the blintzes ... it was a lot to manage when the steps progress quickly and require undivided attention.  So when she asked if I wanted to help, well, who was I to refuse both a friend's invitation and an opportunity to cook?  So I buttered the pan, poured the batter (not as well as Marcie did, with a few holes here and there ... mine weren't pretty, but who cares once they're filled and fried and fabulous???), and generally did my part to be helpful.  Here's the process, for those who want to go for the full gusto:

Pour the batter into the pan and cook it until the edges curl ....

Flip the crèpe to cook it briefly on the other side ....

Place the crèpe onto a work surface ....

Place your desired filling into the center of the crèpe (this one happens to be ricotta with lox and dill ... sigh) ....

Fold up the left and right sides, then the top and bottom edges to form a square; then fry the blintz on both sides in a hefty dose of butter to get one of the truly glorious wonders of the food world!!!

I ate with abandon, because bagels and blintzes are truly foods of love.  Blintzes are traditionally served for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (which will begin on the evening of May 18 and end 2 nights later), which celebrates the Israelites' receipt of the Torah; dairy foods are part of the custom, and these can be rolled to resemble Torah scrolls.  I'll have to remember to make my Fried Ice Cream Torah Scrolls for you, 'cause they're just too cute ... though I'll be coming home from a trip to Philly with Tom that Wednesday -- his daughter is earning her Master's in Urban Design from the University of Pennsylvania!!! -- and I may be too busy doing laundry and replenishing groceries, not to mention spending time with Jeremy whom I'll have missed terribly over the course of 5 days, to make the effort.  But it's the thought that counts, right ...?

Until next time, eat with no regard to fat or sugar or sodium contents -- just enjoy!!!