November 2011

I would so love it if I had a fabulous little chai wallah to come around every morning bringing me tea. I got pretty spoiled on my honeymoon in India, especially when we were staying at Aman-i-Khás in Rajasthan, on the edge of the Ranthambore National Park. We went on safari every morning, setting out before dawn in open Land Rovers in the hope of glimpsing a tiger. In the frigid dark we would be handed hot water bottles and camel's hair blankets, and upon our return, in the stone patio now flooded with sunlight, we were greeted with steaming cups of masala chai. (For a more in-depth explanation of chai, visit an earlier post, here.) I'm writing about it again now because this is the time of year I really begin to crave it. It's full of such a wonderfully warming mix of spices and if you make your own, you can customize a blend that emphasizes what you love best. In India, masala chai is made with strong black tea and assertive spices like clove, fennel, ginger and pepper. The Kashmiri version is made with green tea and often includes more subtle flavors like almond, cardamom and saffron. I'm enjoying mine so much these days thanks to the raw cow's milk I brought back from Vermont, but it also tastes delicious with almond or hemp milk.
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Thanksgiving is two weeks away and this is no time to bury your head in the sand and pretend like it's going to sort itself out. I'm a big control freak advocate of advance planning and you know deep down it really does help prevent all those 11th-hour meltdowns and kitchen hissy-fits, not to mention mediocre meals. Just give in to your inner Martha (the ultimate Higher Power) and get organized as hell. It's all about making lists, my friends! Devise your menu; compile your recipes; pull together your shopping list (checking the pantry to make sure you have those items you're "sure" are there but haven't actually seen in a year) and then make a schedule—yes, a schedule—so you'll remember to start brining the turkey days in advance, and so you can prepare everything possible ahead of time (stock, pie crust, etc). It's a highly tactical operation.

Before you move on to the rest of this post, please check out the photo, above. It's from last Thanksgiving. I've been hoarding it all year so you could see how our turkey turned out. Not bad, eh? Of course I've cropped it so you can't really make out where all the bits of skin stuck to the side of the way-too-small aluminum pan and tore off, but still. Read on to find out how not to have that happen...
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The season of eating is here. Not that we don't eat all year long, duh, but you know what I mean. The holiday lunches, the cocktail hours, the office parties, the extended family feasts—all lined up in a sticky, fatty, calorie-laden row stretching out until New Year's Eve, when it comes to a close with one final champagne-fueled blow-out. And then? Remorse and penance. Juice fasts. Salad. Guilt-induced exercise binges. More salad. And still, visions of sugarplums dance in your head. We know that moderation is an option. We've all read those "how to handle the holidays without packing on the pounds" articles. Stick with wine spritzers and vodka on the rocks. Choose the celery sticks over the chips. We know the drill. These are truly first world problems. So let me present you with one first world solution. A dessert so beautiful and festive it's worthy of your fanciest dinner table, yet so low in fat and calories you can enjoy it without a second thought. Because between stressing over whether the roast is overdone and wondering if your sister is going to kill her husband right then and there, you've got enough on your mind without having to worry about a case of gout, right?
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This past weekend's journey upstate toward the Vermont border yielded not only a lesson in black Angus cattle, but two gallons of raw cow's milk, some irresistible cider donuts and a couple of award-winning cheeses from the very beautiful Consider Bardwell Farm. (Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while may remember a mention of their cheeses way back when.) The 300-acre farm was founded in 1864 by the fortuitously named Consider Stebbins Bardwell, and became the the first cheese-making co-op in Vermont. Now owned by Angela Miller, literary agent to some of our most beloved culinary writers; her British husband, architect Russell Glover; Chris Gray; and master cheesemaker Peter Dixon, Consider Bardwell Farm makes cheese with the milk from its own herd of 100 Oberhasli (Swiss Alpine) goats and from neighboring farmer Lisa Kaimen's herd of 30 Jersey cows. Rotational grazing on pesticide- and fertilizer-free pastures guarantees sweet, nutrient-rich milk that is also antibiotic- and hormone-free. The farm's 6 cheeses are made by hand in small batches and aged on the grounds. No surprise, then, that they have repeatedly won awards at important cheese competitions here and abroad. All this to say, emphatically, Consider Bardwell's cheeses are divine.
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This weekend's visit to Washington County, on the Vermont border in upstate New York, was a blur of rolling hills fading from green to gold and bare silver birches gleaming against the turquoise skies. What a delight it was to stay at our friends' comfy old farm house, sleeping in green flannel sheets and heading out in the morning to get fresh raw milk from the neighbors' cows. My dear friend of nearly 30 years married into this farm at a time when her husband was getting ready to sell it, and she had to cry copious tears to prevent the sale. Thirteen years later, they've just purchased some black Angus cattle, a naturally hornless Scottish breed much used in beef production and, together with another farmer, are going to produce grass-fed beef. In her inimitable style, my friend Sarah has decided to start a cooperative to team up with other local beef producers so they can offer the consistent quality supply that the biggest and best markets require. Their first meeting was on Friday, and G and I were very interested to see what it was all about. But first, we had to meet the cows...
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This weekend, we're heading north to visit friends who have a farm near the Vermont border. They've just bought a load of Angus cows and are going to start producing grass-fed beef. The weather is meant to be clear and crisp and I'm so looking forward to being outdoors and exploring the area a bit. Last time we were there it was springtime and I bought the most gorgeous bag of emerald-green fiddleheads. I'm sure good things are in store, and I'll definitely write about them next week. In the meantime, I leave you with some entertainment recommendations, a list of resources that will have you surfing the far corners of the web,  and a gentle reminder that the holidays are right around the corner. Let's all get a jump on things, shall we?
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The nasturtiums were among the last things to flourish in the garden, along with mint, rosemary and a host of straggling green tomatoes. Kale and collards are still hanging on, but these vibrant blooms gave up the ghost with the first hard frost. Fortunately, I had harvested a bunch after listening to a recent episode on NPR's Splendid Table. I think I've mentioned before my deep and abiding love for host and über-mensch Lynne Rossetto Kasper. My favorite part of the program is when listeners call in to ask for her advice on any number of food and cooking issues. No matter how challenging or arcane the question, Lynne always has the answer. And she's so warm and nurturing! I want to go to dinner at her house. Anyway, a woman called in wanting to know what to do with her bumper crop of nasturtiums, and Lynne suggested she candy the petals. Although I didn't want to do this, it got me exploring other ways to use my nasturtiums. Lots of people are eating the flowers raw in salads, and using the peppery leaves to make pesto. But the idea of crushing the petals into a compound butter really captured my fancy.
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Ladies and gentlemen (but mostly ladies), we have a winner! It's my pleasure to announce that Jeannie Hensel will soon be receiving a package from Tate's Bake shop! Congratulations, Jeannie! I hope your son loves these delicious treats. Please email me at gluttonforlife (at) gmail (dot) com and include your mailing address so I can pass it along to Tate's.The rest of you can console yourselves by ordering some Tate's cookies and brownies here, or by whipping up a batch of these delectable carrot cake cupcakes, which can easily be made gluten-free should you so choose. I'm really sorry I don't have a photo of the final frosted version, but sometimes life takes precedence over blogging. (Rarely, but sometimes!) I made these last week for Stephanie's birthday, from the same low-fat recipe I used to make her cake last year. The cupcake version also went over like a house on fire—and why not? These babies are rich but fluffy, loaded with carrot and pineapple, studded with golden raisins, slicked with an irresistible cream cheese frosting and finished with a sprinkling of candied ginger. Bring it, Tate's!
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