Caldwell Cooks

First breakfast of 2012: Eggs Benedict with Benton’s bacon...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:54:59 -0600

First breakfast of 2012: Eggs Benedict with Benton’s bacon and heirloom tomato. A damn fine start to the year, if I do say so myself.

(Belated) Thanksgiving Post feat. My Badass Father-in-Law Frying a Turkey

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:02:54 -0600

Food blogger fail: there are no pictures of the finished product. The hungry Thanksgiving goers didn’t want to wait for a photo op… and there were a lot more of them than there was of me. I’d hope for better luck next year, but with turkey this good, I’m not going to bet on it. Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

Pre-Run Pasta

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:11:00 -0600

This is my favorite go-to spaghetti, and it just happens to be a perfect pre-race meal for all you fellow half-marathoners out there. I got the recipe from my mom who concocted it from what I’m sure are about 10 different recipes ripped out of various sources and marked up to no end. Gotta love the woman. I’m drawn to this spaghetti because it’s not too saucy, it’s packed with flavor, it’s spicy, it’s quick to make, and it doesn’t leave me feeling like I need to take a 13.1-hour nap instead of run 13.1 miles. Wins all-around.

The beauty of this pasta is in its simplicity and freshness. And speaking of freshness, I’m sad to say that the batch you see here was 2011’s last hoorah. This dish relies on juicy tomatoes and just-picked herbs. Luckily, I caught the end of the summer tomato crop, and my basil and parsley were still going nuts in October. As for simplicity, the base makes the pasta what it is: you start by sauteeing garlic, chile flakes, green onions, and tomato paste in olive oil. What you end up with is a cooked-down pan of flavorful oil that coats every strand of spaghetti. (I’ll note here that this dish has a healthy kick of heat, which I like. If your stomach lining hasn’t yet been burned off by sriracha as has mine, go easy on the chili flakes and see if you want to dial it up next time.)

Next comes the pasta itself. 100% whole wheat is key here for the texture, flavor, and extra boost you get on your run. (My favorite is DeLallo.) It gets tossed with the oil mixture, taking on its beautiful orangey-red color and soaking up all the flavor. Throw in the fresh tomatoes, basil, parsley, and a heap of Parmigiano-Reggiano, and you’ll be deliciously fueled for your morning race or whatever other Saturday pursuit you so choose (like a Minecraft marathon… eh hem, BILL).

And just to show the proof in the pudding (er, pasta), I’m even smiling after the race:

"Remember remember the 5th of November..."

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:25:02 -0600

Note: this post isn’t about the gunpowder, treason, and plot. It’s about butternut squash soup. But I made it on November 5th and can’t get that line out of my head, so there ya go.

Ah, butternut squash soup. What a beautiful fall treat that is so easy to mess up with too much sugar. If you’re someone who enjoys a dessert-like winter squash soup, read no further. I’m not one of you. The squash itself is already so sweet that I go out of my way to avoid a cloying result. (I’d rather just bite the bullet and have a thick slice of pumpkin bread.) BUT… play off that natural sweetness with some pancetta and sage? Yes please.

Bill and I went to a class at the Viking Cooking School and came home with this scrumptious recipe. I’m a fan because it uses a ton of fantastic fall ingredients while still letting the flavor of the squash shine. And that natural sweetness we talked about earlier? It’s developed by roasting the squash—simply with olive oil, salt and pepper—along with some shallots.

After you roast the squash, you sauté the soup base (leeks, carrots, celery) in pancetta drippings (more about the pancetta below… get excited) before letting the whole thing simmer and come together.

Now here is where Bill and I part ways. The soup is pureed with an immersion blender, which makes it very creamy by itself. But I still thought it needed a splash of cream to round out the finish. Bill disagreed. I’ll be testing my theory on the next go-round. Where we did see eye to eye was on the addition of a healthy dose of Louisiana hot sauce (trust me on this one) before topping the soup with FRIED SAGE AND CRISPY PANCETTA. Gilding the lily? Just a bit. A tiny, wonderful bit.

All you need to finish the evening is a fire and a good glass of wine. And maybe a splash of cream.

I Almost Hate It When It's Worth It.

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:34:39 -0500

When a recipe turns out to be much more complicated and time-consuming than I thought it would be, I’m torn. Part of me wants it to be incredible and worth the effort. The other part of me wants it to be, in Bill’s words, very “meh” so I can justify not going through the steps again.

This dish has a story. I saw the Spinach, Pesto & Fontina Lasagna a while back in Bon Appetit; I love vegetarian lasagna, so I put it on our “menu” for the week. On Wednesday night, I started to make the herb pesto (which, by the way, is amazing by itself). After I made the pesto, I realized I didn’t have enough parm for the rest of the recipe. We put it aside and went to Five Guys, vowing to make the lasagna the next night. Thursday: I made the bechamel, but had a long day at work, so we ordered Thai takeout. Friday: resolved to actually finish this lasagna, I pulled out what looked like a huge container of baby spinach only to discover that I had twelve fewer ounces than I needed. We invited my brother and sister-in-law over for pizza. Saturday: I went to get the “remaining” ingredients to do it up right for a Saturday date night at home. Everything was ready except for the ricotta mixture. Alas, no eggs. Bill and I later figured out that I dreamed a conversation where he told me we had eggs. No joke. So Bill runs to the grocery to get eggs. I said, probably five times, this lasagna had better be kick-you-in-the-face amazing.

Aaaaaand it was awesome. The flavors were more layered than other vegetarian lasagnas. Each of the (overly, in my case) drawn-out steps lent a subtle intrigue to the dish: the bechamel with the wine, the pesto with a bunch of herbs, the creamy fontina… all melded together to make a delectable dish.

Still, as happy as our palates were, I almost wish the lasagna was terrible so I never have the urge to go through four days’ worth of trouble again. Although, I do like a good excuse for Thai takeout…

You know how you have those dishes that you will order no matter...

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:40:19 -0500

You know how you have those dishes that you will order no matter what… no matter how much you REALLY want to break the cycle and order something else? Well this is one of those. Every time I go to City House I swear I’m going try one of the many other surely delicious mains on their menu. But no… I will order the Pizza with House Made Belly Ham, Mozzarella, Grana Padano, Oregano, and Chiles (with an egg on top) every time, and I will devour the whole thing in a matter of minutes (proof: I didn’t take this picture, but rather had to borrow it from Melissa Yen—my pizza never lasts long enough for a photo op). I make myself feel better by ordering a host of appetizers (on Friday we had the Octopus with Bread Crumbs, Butterbeans “sott’olio”, and Parsley—AHmazing) and insisting that everyone else let me try their entrées.

Go to City House and order this pizza. You can sacrifice your own culinary variety and thank me later.

Today's Top Five: Favorite Dishes from Veggie-palooza

Sun, 22 May 2011 09:27:50 -0500

Our second year of giving up meat for Lent (“Veggie-palooza”, as we called it) was a raging success. Yep, I’m throwing modesty to the wind and patting myself on the back for making some seriously tasty meatless dishes. So you too can forgo the meat with confidence, here are our top 5 favorites:

Fingerling Potato-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs (Cooking Light, April 2011). This was so good that we made it two nights in a row. I can’t think of a single meaty dish I’ve made two nights in row. What can I say? I’m a sucker for swiss chard and a fried egg.
Cream of Garlic Soup (Susan Spicer’s Crescent City Cooking). I saw this dish featured on the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate and got (a little too) excited when I realized the recipe was already on my shelf. If you’re a serious garlic lover (whose mate is similarly inclined), then this over-the-top roasted garlicness is for you.
Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan, and Fresh Herbs (Bon Appetit, April 2011). This is my new “go-to” side dish. It is as simple as it is ridiculously delicious. Bill took it to work for lunch one day and begged me to make a double batch the next week.
Spring Green Risotto (Ina Garten’s Back to Basics). Aptly named, this risotto tastes like spring in a bowl and gets better with every bite.
Asparagus, Fingerling Potato, and Goat Cheese Pizza (Bon Appetit, May 2009). This pizza was, hands down, the best I’ve made. That should be enough description for you. Go make it. (Note: I didn’t use BA’s crust recipe; I had some frozen dough that I made a while back. But I’m sure theirs is delightful.)

So there you have it. The five keys to our veggie success. Try these dishes when you get a chance… I dare you to tell me you miss the meat.

Veggie Review: Caffé Nonna

Sun, 08 May 2011 09:20:01 -0500

By far, our favorite dinner outing as vegetarians was to Caffé Nonna in Sylvan Park. I’m not just saying that because Nonna is less than two miles from where we live, or because its intimate interior hosts possibly the most charming atmosphere in Nashville to the point where I want to set up camp under one of the tables. No, this place is a legit destination for vegetarian eaters.

The key is the choose-your-own-adventure pasta and pizza offerings and I went for the pasta. My current favorite is the rigatoni with sun-dried tomato cream and sauteed spinach. Be forewarned: the sauteed spinach isn’t on the list of veggies to add, but it’s must-do hidden option. I asked my waiter to suggest veggies for my pasta and sauce combination and this is what he brought me. We went back to Nonna this week—as meat eaters—and I ordered the same thing.

The kicker, though, is that the best dish on the menu is vegetarian. Their Lasagna Nonna is layered with butternut squash, spinach, ricotta, and swiss chard, surrounded by two sauces that I can only describe as sinful. Bill and I fought over who got to order the lasagna for our first few visits, so we now trade off. This time was his “turn.”

So when you boil that cabbage down, here’s the bottom line:

How easy is it to be a vegetarian at Caffé Nonna? Easy and delightful. Don’t let the number of meat- and fish-laden dishes on the menu fool you.
If you go back as a vegetarian, will you have to eat the same thing? Absolutely not. I could go nuts with the pizza and pasta combinations, and I haven’t even tried the Nonna White Bean soup or the salads.
If you do have to eat the same thing twice, will you be upset about it? No. Did I mention that I ordered the same vegetarian dish twice in a row?

Caffé Nonna is one of our favorite places to eat and, happily, a staple for the vegetarian 40 days in our year. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s so damn cute.

Veggie Review: Eastland Cafe

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 20:12:18 -0500

For the second year in a row, Bill and I have given up meat for Lent. So far (5 days in), this go-round has been much easier: I’ve had my eyes peeled for new and interesting vegetarian recipes for months and have more dishes I want to cook than days until we’re back eating meat. That being said, the most challenging part of this experiment, eating out, is the same. So, if only to make next year even easier, I’m going to review our forays into vegetarian eating in Nashville.

First up: Eastland Cafe. This was our first time to this East Nashville spot and it’s already on my list of staples. The atmosphere is inviting, the staff is welcoming, and the incredible kitchen smells hit you the minute your foot crosses the threshold. They had me at homemade-and-still-hot-from-the-oven bread when we sat down.

We started with the goat cheese brulee with local honey; we loved it. Off to a good start. When we looked for entrées, though, I think I had an easier time than Bill did: I love making two appetizers my meal, while he prefers a full-portion main. So he had the only vegetarian entrée on the menu, local linguine with broccoli rabe and a host of other vegetables, and I had a simple salad with house-pulled mozzarella and a bowl of french onion soup. Everything was delicious and satisfying; we didn’t miss the meat (much).

But when you boil that cabbage down, here’s the bottom line:

How easy is it to be a vegetarian at Eastland Cafe? Moderate-to-difficult. While there are several vegetarian appetizers and salads, there is only one vegetarian entrée and none of the specials (though delicious-sounding) were veggie-friendly.
If you go back as a vegetarian, will you have to eat the same thing? It depends. If you’re like me and are happy with a salad and a veggie app, you’ll have options. If not, I hope you like their one entrée offering.
If you do have to eat the same thing twice, will you be upset about it? NO. The food we had was so good that I would gladly double up.

In sum, we will rush back to Eastland Cafe as soon as we’re meat-eaters again, and not just for the house-cured bacon. Well, maybe just for the house-cured bacon.

I made my own pasta. It made me feel like a badass. That is...

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:54:46 -0600

I made my own pasta. It made me feel like a badass. That is all.

Oh. My. Foie.

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:07:07 -0500

Bill and I have been waiting (very patiently, I might add) to try foie gras for the first time. We wanted our first foie experience to be incredible and done correctly. When our Montreal trip was in the works, we tried everything to land a reservation at the famed foie paradise, Au Pied du Cochon. Alas, no such luck; apparently our week-ahead call was 51 weeks late. Down but not out, we resolved ourselves to keep waiting… until last night. For my birthday, I asked Bill for a no-holds-barred dinner at Watermark, one of the best restaurants in Nashville. Within the first 5 seconds of being handed our menus, we saw it: Hudson Valley Foie Gras ‘A’, served with local fig and brioche bread pudding, candied pecans, and peach gastrique. Angels sang. Trumpets played. The heavens parted. The wait was over.

How did I love it? Let me count the ways, but not here; I’m not going to try to describe the flavor. Not only would it be impossible, but I would never destroy the mystery for someone who, like me, might’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to try their first foie.

Thanks to the folks at Watermark for a flawless (yes, flawless) first piece of foie gras. Though I can’t be certain the next will live up to it, I’m okay with chasing another piece of perfect foie.

Marché Atwater

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:09:32 -0500

I spent the last few days eating my way through Montreal with my extended family: grilled arctic char, perfectly-roasted rack of lamb… what’s not to love? And while the artfully crafted entrées at some of the city’s finest restaurants were outstanding, my favorite meal, bar none, was the hodge-podge of local flavor at a Montreal market, Marché Atwater. I don’t know if it was the row of fresh raspberries, the house-made charcuterie, or the ever-present smell of freshly baking bread… or the fact that I was so damn hungry from trekking my tail through the streets, but I was bewitched. I’ve never tasted cheese so good, duck paté so subtle and delicate, or a croissant (with the perfect amount of slightly warm dark chocolate in the center) so luscious. I could write poems about this food.

If you find yourself north of the border, I highly recommend wandering through this quaint but sprawling Montreal market. I regret that I didn’t get any pictures of the spread… I must have been too busy stuffing my face.

This Saturday morning, I raked myself out of the all-too-warm...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:34:01 -0600

This Saturday morning, I raked myself out of the all-too-warm bed to make cranberry-orange scones for my husband, who has been (very nicely and very frequently) requesting them.

And yes, they’re shaped like hearts. Judge all you want.

(Almost) Fall

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:15:09 -0500

I love fall. I love the pumpkins, I love the cranberries, I even love the ridiculous Halloween decorations. But I live in the South, where Nashville straddles summer and fall until about October. The solution? A menu that takes advantage of the last of the summer tomatoes and eases us into the flavors of fall. Lucky for me, one of my favorite cookbooks, A Platter of Figs by David Tanis, sets out inventive menus by the season. Tonight’s spread began with garlic-rubbed Tomato Bread topped with anchovies. The bread was a decent start, but the highlight was the broth in the Fish Soup with Mussels and Chorizo, which I easily could have mainlined:

Garlic, saffron, herbs, chorizo, AND liquor from fresh mussels? Yes ma’am. Goat Cheese with Honey rounded out the menu. It was a perfect dessert (and one my not-so-sweet-toothed husband enjoyed) that made me feel like fall was just around the corner.

Now if it would just cool on down so I can braise a short rib or two…

Today's Top 5: Summer Drinks

Mon, 25 May 2009 15:19:37 -0500

St. Louis went from winter to summer in about 48 hours. With the cold weather went my cravings for pot roast, chili, and thick red wine. They’ve been replaced by thoughts of fresh corn, scallops, and the following list of beverages. Here are my top 5 drinks for the summer.

Margarita. Let’s be honest—I drink these year-round. But I’ll admit they’re best in the summer. I like mine tart: just silver agave tequila, a hint of triple sec, and fresh lime juice. Shaken, served straight up, salt on the rim.
Modelo Especial. I’m partial to Mexican beer, and this is my favorite. I’ve heard from beer aficionados that you’re supposed to take the chill off a bit, but I like mine really, really cold.
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. There’s something about the in-your-face grapefruit in these wines that screams summer to me; I gravitate toward them as soon as the thermostat hits 80.
Mint Julep. The Julep is a nod to my southern roots (and reminds me of my wedding), but I’ll throw Mojito in this category as well. As long as you have some mint in the drink, summery it is.
Pina Colada. Admittedly a guilty pleasure. Hot weather begs for a good ole’ beachy umbrella drink. And yes—serve it to me in a coconut, please.

Cheers!

Baby, It's Cold Inside

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:46:23 -0500

My wonderful siblings-in-law recently gifted me with a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. I’ve been dying to try my hand at my dad’s famous 4th of July peppermint ice cream, but I started with a basic for my first go-round. A monkey could make vanilla ice cream with this contraption, yet I still encountered problems. So instead of providing a recipe, I’ll spare you the mistakes I made and share a few well-learned tips for your next ice cream venture.

Chill the bowl for a full 24 hours: There is nothing more frustrating than trying to make ice cream and being left with really cold soup.
Chill the mixture that goes into the maker overnight. See note 1 above.
If you’re doing classic vanilla, splurge for decent vanilla extract (beware of ones that list water as the first ingredient or ones that hide the word “immitation” in small letters).
Buy a vanilla bean. They’re about $10 a pop, but you don’t have to use the whole thing and it’s worth it so your final product isn’t so … well … vanilla.

I hope your first attempts go more smoothly than mine, but even with the hiccups and a few four-letter words, the final product was nothing short of heavenly. Peppermint, here I come!

"How to make any dish more delicious? Add a poached egg. I’m serious, poached eggs are not just for..."

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:34:17 -0600

“How to make any dish more delicious? Add a poached egg. I’m serious, poached eggs are not just for breakfast anymore; beautiful, perfectly cooked eggs are stepping out in some swank dishes.”

- Anne Cori, Sauce Magazine

I’ve noticed this trend in St. Louis restaurants: add a poached egg and a dish gains instant black-tie status. When done correctly, this method lets the delicate flavor of the egg shine. To me, a perfectly poached egg has a set white and a warm, runny yolk. Because as my husband so astutely said last week, if you want your eggs hard, scramble ‘em.

Today's Top 5: Last Meals*

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:43:12 -0600

I am unabashedly obsessed with Top Chef. Seasoned chefs (one with an Italian accent) cooking in ridiculous situations and then getting ripped to shreds by Tom Colicchio? Yes please!

A couple of weeks ago, the contestants were charged with cooking a “last supper” for a panel of the best-of-the-best in the culinary world. They created classics like roasted chicken, shrimp scampi, and Eggs Benedict. The episode got me thinking: what would be my last supper? I found it too hard to pick one, so here are 5 of my favorite foods/dishes:

Bacon. By itself, on something, in something… whatever. Even as a meal. Just bacon.
Eggs Benedict. I second Wylie Dufresne on this one. My favorite breakfast, hands down.
Really good lasagna. Hand-made pasta, fresh ingredients, simple flavors… to me, a superb lasagna is the mark of a great Italian chef.
Guacamole. My own recipe. Preferably with a margarita.
Gumbo. A holdover from my mother’s New Orleans background, and a favorite of my childhood.

Number 5 will be making an appearance in my house tonight (and on the blog soon after) to celebrate Mardi Gras and tomorrow’s Top Chef finale in New Orleans. Go Team Carla!

*Dedicated to Celia on her birthday!

Blue Box Beware!

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:46:00 -0600

New President, new season of Lost, my first volume of the Journal of Law & Policy in hand… I have a lot to celebrate. And to my Southern girl palate, nothing is more celebratory than comfort food. So to ring in this happy trio, I made my absolute favorite mac and cheese.

I saw Mac & Cheese with Pancetta in Bon Appetit’s Restaurant Issue and initially blew it off. I’ve created my share of “churched-up” mac and cheese, using everything from Gorgonzola to white wine to enhance this done-and-done-again classic; the last thing I needed was another recipe. But a friend convinced me to ditch my self-made versions and give Bon Appetit’s a whirl. And holy 12-year cheddar, Batman…am I glad I did.

There are two secrets to this delectable dish: the pancetta and the cheese combination. Bacon isn’t novel in mac and cheese, but this is different. Pancetta, like bacon, is made from pork belly. But unlike its brined and smoked cousin, pancetta is seasoned and then cured, resulting in a flavorful – and to my mind, more delicate – alternative. Using pancetta as the first building block results in a cheese sauce that has a subtle, yet deep, heartiness.

The cheeses are the second genius element. The cheddar (I used an aged white) provides sharpness and depth; the Parmigiano-Reggiano is salty, nutty and a tad fruity; and the mascarpone rounds out the combination with a creamy, slightly sweet finish. I have tried tons of cheeses in pursuit of the perfect combination; I daresay these fit the bill.

Not convinced yet? You can make two main components – the cheese sauce and the panko breadcrumb crust – a day ahead. Serve some grape tomatoes (sautéed with olive oil & balsamic vinegar and tossed with a little basil) to cut the richness, and you’re done. Unless Bill and my neighbors were lying to me, and their empty plates spoke for themselves, it’s a crowd pleaser. So the next time you have something to celebrate, buy some cheese and go nuts.

Back in the Saddle... er, Kitchen

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:46:19 -0500

I’ve spent the summer courting a job, and unfortunately, not cooking enough. When I finally got back to St. Louis, my kitchen felt like an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. I didn’t think I would actually miss my Shun knives, but there ya go. Where to start, I thought? Luckily, my birthday came not long after my return, and my husband was smart enough to heed the (not-so-subtle) hint I dropped months ago: Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday.

Since I started cooking for myself, I’ve been searching for one of my all-time favorites: a good tortilla soup. Imagine my delight when I opened my new cookbook and saw Classic Tortilla Soup with All the Trimmings. Given my healthy obsession with Mexican food, I thought it was the perfect way to warm up my cutting board after months of neglect.

I have been a fan of Bayless’ for some time, and let me tell ya, he didn’t disappoint. The recipe was easy to follow, and included only one out-of-the-ordinary ingredient: a pasilla (negro) chile (at least I thought it was an exotic ingredient, until I found it at Schnuck’s). The result was worth much more trouble than I exerted: the chile and fire-roasted tomatoes lent incredible depth of flavor, while the chicken made the soup feel hearty. A warning: don’t judge the broth by itself. As I wrapped up the dish, I kept thinking something was missing. Surprise surprise, it was the tortilla chips and cheese. After I ladled the broth over them and sprinkled avocado on top, I wondered where this soup had been all my life.

It’s good to be back.