Blackened Catfish

I’ve been looking for flavorful ways to eat simply yet create memorable dishes. In my search I flipped back through some of my binders of magazine pages and recipe cards I've squirreled away over the years. I have fond memories of using this spice rub on chicken, tossing it on the grill and enjoying a fruit filled vodka concoction while prepping a refreshing salad of greens and vine ripened tomatoes from Papa-in-laws garden.

This recipe is a bold, spicy and easy to throw together addition to any building collection of go-to meals. Consider doubling or tripling the rub ingredients to have extra rub already mixed for a quick, flavorful addition to shrimp, chicken or steak.
This time I chose to bake the catfish in the oven but you could broil, or grill the fish as well. 

Blackened Catfish

Serves 4

Spice Rub-

• 1 Tablespoons Paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

• 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper

• 4 6-ounce Catfish Fillets

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1.    Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.    Combine all the spices in a small bowl.

3.    Drizzle catfish fillets with olive oil.

4.    Generously sprinkle spice rub over catfish. Using your hands, rub the spices over both sides of the fillet and place in a baking dish.

5.    Cook in preheated oven 8-10 minutes, until fish is cook through and flaky.

6.    Serve immediately.

On the Menu

This week rounds out my final classes at The French Culinary Institute. Throughout the program we were taught techniques and recipes that were traditional to French Cuisine then brought to the kitchens of L’Ecole to demonstrate those techniques in contemporary interpretations.

Along the way we were assigned an elaborate menu project that included a short research essay on an ingredient featured in one of the recipes we created for a four-course dinner party. With a harvest theme in mind I chose a meal filled with farm fresh fruit and vegetables to satiate and garner a perfect grade.

A taste from my menu project…

“Having lived the last seven years on a 37-acre farm just outside of Paso Robles, California, I acquired a love for fresh picked fruit and savored the local landscape of almonds, olives and vineyards. Planning a dinner party with seasonal ingredients allows for the freshest choices of a recent harvest from local sources (if not homegrown), which gives you more flavorful food while considering sustainability and locavorism. Sampling a variety of apples and root vegetables throughout the meal brings me back to fall gatherings of comforting warm aromas with rich satisfying flavors. Shopping the green markets is as close to the farm as I have gotten since moving to New York City, with the world renowned apples of Hudson Valley nearby, I have been exploring the medley it provides.

     There are over 7,000 varieties of apples available worldwide with at least 200 grown in the Hudson Valley. While the apple may be the oldest of fruits, starting in the Garden of Eden, it was brought to the United States by the Pilgrims in 1620 and first exported to the West Indies from Long Island, New York in 1741. Apple seeds were spread throughout the country by the now infamous Johnny Appleseed as well as others to lead to successful cultivation and commercialization providing the state of Washington to be the countries top-producing.

     Apples are available year round from various sources and storage options but best in quality starting in the fall and lasting until March, with some of the rarer varieties availability being very limited to their seasonal peak. It’s a versatile ingredient considering the wide array of flavors from one variety to the next, from sweet to tart, it can work well in savory dishes as well as desserts. In addition to it’s adaptability in a recipe, an apple can provide numerous health benefits, including but not limited to–the fight against heart disease, reduced risk of some cancers, provide defenses to asthma and diabetes. Aside from the cranberry, apples have the highest level of antioxidant activity of the usually consumed fruits.”
From my menu, a refreshing salad that is tart and crisp.

Harvest Fruit and Greens with Toasted Walnuts 
Yield: 8 Servings
• ½ cup walnuts
Vinaigrette-
• 6 Tablespoons Pear White Wine Vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Whole Grain German Mustard
• 175mL (6oz) Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salad-
• 2 Pink Lady Apples
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 4 Clementine, peeled and suprêmes removed
• 142g (5oz) Baby Spinach, and or any mixed baby greens


Toast walnuts-
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread the walnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Toast walnuts in oven for about 5 minutes. Toss and continue baking, checking often until lightly colored and aromatic. Remove from the pan and allow to cool on double layer of paper towel.
Vinaigrette-
1. In a small mixing bowl whisk together vinegar and mustard. Continue whisking while slowly pouring in the olive oil until well emulsified.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
Salad-
1. Core and slice apples into julienne, toss lightly with lemon juice to prevent oxidizing.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine clementine suprêmes, apple julienne and baby greens.
Toss gently to mix.
3. Lightly drizzle vinaigrette along inside of bowl (careful not to overdress) and toss salad to coat.
4. Portion salad on chilled plates and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Berries for the Brain

Every now and again my Mother will mention a fruit or some other food that she heard was so good for you, and that she bought some so she would be sure to get the benefits the food is known to possess. The funny thing is that usually it’s something she knows she doesn’t like but she is willing to force herself to eat it because it’s SOOOO good for her... blueberries are one of those foods.

All those wonderfully smart scientists who conduct their thorough tests and give us the nutritional breakdown of the foods we eat have provided enough praise for the little blue berry that it tops most nutritionists lists for “you, really should be eating these”. Known for their polyphenols to fend off memory deterioration as we age as well as many other benefits from compounds like anthocyanin that are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory are just a few reasons why there should be one of those tiny cartons of berries in every shopping basket you take to the cashier.

I’ll admit that I am a fan of the super-berries and love throwing a few into a morning bowl of oatmeal or afternoon yogurt snack and they are sure to find their way into my baking that I happily share with my Mother–which to her dismay she likes even though it’s popping with blueberries.

Blueberry Poppy-Seed Coffee Cake

• 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 1 Tablespoon Poppy Seeds
• 3/4 cup low-fat Buttermilk
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1 cup fresh Blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Cut in butter, using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in poppy seeds.
3. Combine buttermilk, egg, vanilla and lemon zest in small bowl until blended.
4. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture just until blended.
5. Spread half of the batter into prepared pan; top with blueberries.
6. Drop remaining batter in 8 dollops onto blueberries, leaving some berries uncovered. Bake about 35 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Cool 15 minutes in pan on wire rack. Remove coffeecake from pan. Remove paper from bottom of cake. Serve warm.

Hearts and Flowers

I have had a crazy-busy few months...besides the usual holiday madness I was interning as an editorial assistant at Food Arts magazine, helping cookbook author Judith Choate develop content for her next project (more about that later), all around attending my classes at The French Culinary Institute which moved me into the kitchen for L’Ecole and required an elaborate menu writing assignment. So, unfortunately, devoting any time to my personal projects simply slipped away...

I’m sending hearts and flowers to all my friends and family who haven’t heard from me while I’ve been buckled down and otherwise occupied.

Citrus Shortbread
Makes about 60 2-inch cut cookies

• 16 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened  
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar  
• 1 orange, zested and juiced  
• 1 lime, zested and juiced  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted; plus more for dusting while rolling the dough  
• ¼ teaspoon salt  
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.  
2. Cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar in a mixer until fluffy.  
3. Add the orange and lime zest and juice along with the vanilla, flour and salt; blend until just combined. 
4. Divide dough into thirds, shape into flat rounds about 4 inches wide. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  
5. Working with one portion of dough at a time-roll the dough between two sheets of parchment lightly sprinkled with flour to ¼-inch thickness. Cut out hearts, flowers, puppies, stars, or any shape you want.
6. Place cut cookies on parchment paper lined baking sheet about 1-inch apart. 
7. Lightly brush the top of each cookie with the beaten egg.  
8. Bake for 9-13 minutes in pre-heated oven, turning pan halfway through to encourage even browning.

*All ovens vary, so watch the first sheet of cookies carefully to determine the proper cooking time for your oven.

For the Love of Cookbooks

Where do you go to find the perfect recipe? Do you reach for the latest in modern cuisine in a shiny magazine? Or maybe a classic cookbook handed down from your grandmother, filled with notes and recipes that include ingredients rarely seen in the last three decades? How about the easy route? Click over to epicurious, type in an ingredient and just like that, the recipe that will impress even the pickiest of eaters at your table appears. Wherever you choose to do your recipe mining, keep in mind, that recipe in your hand or on your screen is simply a starting point.

A few years ago I was given a copy of Cooking with Friends in part because I enjoyed cooking, and also since I was one of the millions of devoted fans of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Joey and Ross. I thought “how silly”, recipes inspired by the show and all the preposterous situations the characters found themselves in. Well, that kitsch volume of memorabilia has since led me to some of my favorite go-to recipes beloved by my friends. I admit I may add a few key ingredients that make my versions of the recipes mine, but I am always amused when I reach for that cookbook knowing it was probably never intended to be the culinary resource it has become for me when comfort food is what’s needed. Not to knock the impressive new culinary memoir of Jacques Pépin, Essential Pépin, it has a valuable place in the canon... but you never know where you’ll find your taste inspirations.

Every holiday season I make a tasty variation of Cappuccino Biscotti with Chocolate Chips. I often create batches of Blueberry Muffins (with lemon zest) or Sour Cream Cake with Cinnamon Swirl for my morning treat to go with my coffee. When making a quiche I start with the Spinach Savory Pie tossing in a little of what I’m craving. And when it comes to chili, I HAVE to make the Flirting with Firemen Firehouse Chili to warm me up and fill my place with the smells of simmering tomatoes and spices.

I’ve added a few more fresh ingredients to the original pot and topped it off with a tangy cheddar cheese for added yumminess.


3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

1 pablano pepper, finely diced (optional)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef or ground turkey

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes

2 cups beef broth or chicken broth (if using ground turkey)

1 Tablespoon chili powder, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and well-drained

1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and well-drained

1/2 cup Corn Kernels (from 1 ear, or frozen and thawed)

1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

2 scallions, sliced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, and onions, cook for about 6 minutes then toss in the pablano pepper and garlic cooking for another 2 minutes.

Add the ground beef or turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened but careful not to burn. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the liquid thickens and flavors are blended-about 2 hours.

Stir in the beans and corn, continue to simmer until the beans are heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

To serve, ladle into warm soup bowls topping with grated cheese and sliced scallions.

This chili is particularly cozy when spooned over an earthy wild rice accompanied by warm, sweet corn bread.

Make Ahead: You can cook the chili in advance and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

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I’m a FAN of tasty pastry with my morning cappuccino. It doesn’t need to be a sticky sweet, gooey donut (not that I don’t crave that from time to time too); but a flavorful spicy, crumb cake is perfect with a rich creamy strong cup of coffee. 

A few years ago, in an attempt to make my morning treat a touch healthier, I started incorporating whole wheat flour into my pastry baking. It was a simple step with no noticeable taste difference and a nod to the much touted whole grain movement. 

My Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping can be made with any type of berry you can gets your hands on which makes it a go-to any time of the year. It’s wonderfully summery with fresh raspberries or makes a cozy, holiday treat when tossing in re-plumped, dried cranberries around Christmas time.

Berry Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Crumb Topping~

½ cup Whole Wheat Flour

¼ cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

Cake~

1 Egg

1 cup Milk

¼ cup Unsalted Butter, melted

½ cup Sugar

2½ teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Ground Mace (optional)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 cup Fresh, Frozen or Re-plumped Dried Berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform cake pan with cooking spray.

To make topping, in a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Blend in the butter, using fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture is crumbly, set aside.

To make the cake, in a large bowl, beat together the egg, milk and butter. Add the sugar, baking powder, salt and mace; blend well. Gradually add the flours in two batches, beat until just blended. Gently fold in the berries.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the crumb topping. Bake until a wood toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

For flavor variation use any type of berry; blueberries, raspberries or dried cranberries with the zest and juice of one orange (blood orange when in season). 

To re-plump dried berries: warm a small bowl of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, remove from the microwave and toss in the measured amount of dried berries. Allow the berries to sit for about 5 minutes and drain.

An Apple a Day...

It’s that time of year, bring on the apples!

Find your favorite, most juicy and delicious variety and take advantage of this bounty. For me, snacking on a Honey Crisp or Jazz apple takes care of any craving I have for a sweet treat and gets me closer to that recommended nine (yes, I said 9!) fruits and vegetables a day.

Feeling creative? Bring that fresh picked delight to your kitchen and brainstorm ways to incorporate it into your go-to salad, perhaps a tiny dice whisked into a vinaigrette, or feeling really adventurous? How about a Crabmeat, Apple, and Mango Salad? Looking for a heartier dish, something to bring to the table that can sit center stage next to a perfectly prepared pork chop, try this Apple, Potato, and Onion Gratin.

But let’s face it...our first instinct is dessert! And call it what you want, Apple Pie, Tart, Tarte Tartin, Cobbler, Crostata...they all bring comfort and scrumptiousness to any day.

Creating such a dessert might seem intimidating, making the perfect dough, rolling it to just the right thickness, then do you go with a more rustic presentation allowing the beautiful filling to shine on it’s own or use that extra touch of arranging the meticulously thin slices just-so for a classic look. Don’t stress! Food, especially dessert is meant to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. Take the time to play in the kitchen and I can think of no better recipe to relax and have fun with than whatever your version of pie is.

My play day featured an Apple and Cranberry Tart. With all my ingredients gathered and my mind set on just that creation I was a little disappointed to find my official “tart” pan has not arrived from California yet (How was that not in the priority boxes?). Nonetheless, a “tart” was made. Using a spectacularly simple recipe recently learned at FCI, except I added a my own twist by tossing in a handful of cranberries, my dessert was a success.

Still want to roll that perfect thickness of dough? Get yourself an Adjustable Rolling Pin from JosephJoseph, I love mine.

Apple Tart

Crust~

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup (or more) ice water

Filling~amounts determined by the size of your pan

3-5 apples (Granny Smith)

1-4 Tablespoons of water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 lemon

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Finish~

2-3 apples (Golden Delicious)

1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

For crust~

Blend flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in processor. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1/4 cup ice water to processor and pulse until moist clumps form, sprinkle with more ice water if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour. 

Roll out dough on floured work surface to approximately 3 inches larger than your tart pan, about 1/8” thick. Brush off excess flour and transfer to pan. Gently fill in the corners of the pan with the dough and create a side edge about 1/4-1/2” above pan walls or to desired finish. Chill crust while preparing filling.

For Filling~

Peel, core and chop the apples into 1” cubes. (Rub the apple with sliced lemon if necessary while cutting to prevent browning.) Combine the apples, water and sugar in a pan over medium high heat. Cover the pan with a parchment paper lid cut to the size of the pan with a whole in the middle. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until soft and resembling chunky applesauce. Add more water if needed throughout cooking. If adding the dried cranberries do so in the last minute of cooking, stirring in the berries allowing them to absorb some of the juices. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

For Finish~

Preheat oven to 350° F. Pour filling into prepared crust, spreading to form an even surface filling to 3/4 full. Peel, core and thinly slice the topping apples to desired thickness either by hand or with a mandolin for precise consistency. (Rub the apple with sliced lemon if necessary while cutting to prevent browning.) Carefully arrange the apple slices covering the filling completely since the slices will shrink slightly during baking. Brush the apples with the melted butter.

Bake for about an hour. The apples should be soft and browned slightly on the edges.

How's it goin'?

So...it’s been a while since I checked in, but I swear I have been busy...

Moving to a new city, finding an apartment, waiting for that apartment to be livable, shopping for furniture, unpacking the bare minimum to maintain some sort of daily routine, learning the public transit system, adjusting to the noise of the city since coming from my cone of silence a’top the hill, while all the while doing my best to absorb the abundance of information doled out to beginning culinary students so that later in the curriculum we can recall that specific little technique that keeps our precious Hollandaise Sauce from breaking. All that’s missing is a natural disaster, oh wait...I just experienced my first hurricane...aaaannnnnd done!

Here is a quick glimpse of some of the beautifully traditional, mouthwatering dishes created so far in my short time at The French Culinary Institute.

Among the recipes included above are variations on a Classic Sabayon with Strawberries, Marinated Lamb Chops, Steamed Mussels and Cream Puffs awaiting their filling.

The Contest of the Cob

Dee...and Sickly in the background

My friends and family gathered for a perfect evening of California BBQ just before I left. In the planning of the meal my brother James and I started a discussion concerning our favorite techniques for grilling corn on the cob. He insisted that the ONLY way to grill corn was with the husks on, but I find that getting the char directly on the kernels adds that added yumminess from the grill...and so became “The Contest of the Cob”.

The Contest of the Cob-JSP

James’ version began by peeling the husks off down to just the last couple layers and trimming the tip of the ear off. He then placed them on a medium heat grill and cooked to desired finish (to be honest, I don’t know how long it was. I was busy mixing cocktails and prepping other dishes). In the meantime, he cut sheets of wax paper and added dollops of butter to later be used to wrap around the ears. He removed the corn from the heat and set them aside to cool a bit before peeling back the husks and removing the silks, cut off the end with the husks and placed the ears in the prepared waxed papers wrapping them like a Tootsie Roll candy and allowing the butter to melt and seep between the kernels.

My version of grilled corn came from a variation on a recipe I discovered from Master Griller Bobby Flay (hence the instant superiority over my brother’s corn). I did sway a bit from Chef Flay’s specifics but the result is what I was going for. 

The Contest of the Cob-SJA

I started by removing all the husks and cleaning the corn completely of silks, trimming the tip but left the stem intact. Placed the ears directly on the grill and cooked turning occasionally to spread the grill marks over the corn. I usually cook the corn for about 10 minutes but I trusted James to tend to the grill and I think he gave me the char I was hoping for. While the corn was cooking, in a small bowl I combined butter and garlic and set aside. As soon as the corn had cooled enough to handle I sliced the kernels from the cob over a large bowl using an upside down ramekin as a lifted base to cut on. I then mixed in the butter, garlic and a splash of fresh lime juice for a refreshing bite.

None of the diners were willing to go on record for an official vote but I had been telling them that no matter the outcome I was going to be declared victorious since it is MY blog. Although, I’ve decided to be gracious and call “The Contest of the Cob” a draw to be challenged again at a later date.

This post includes photo taken by me, my brother James S. Pinder and my sister Justine Coordt.