Thank You, American Pharoah

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American Pharoah, Belmont Park, Belmont Stakes, horse racing, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Secretariat, Thoroughbred, Thoroughbred racing, Triple Crown

You’ll have to pardon the interruption of my regularly scheduled (albeit infrequent) musings on Paris and all things baking-related, but something happened in the world of sports yesterday that holds very deep meaning for me.

Yesterday, American Pharoah became only the 12th horse to win American horse racing’s Triple Crown with a 5 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in New York. It had been 37 years since the last Triple Crown winner—the great Affirmed in 1978. In the intervening years, only 13 horses had gone into the Belmont Stakes with a chance to achieve racing immortality, i.e., win the Triple Crown. All of them failed, until yesterday.

First, a bit of racing history. The Triple Crown is a series of three races for three-year-olds: the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/4 miles, the Preakness Stakes at 1 3/16 miles, and the Belmont, known as the “Test of the Champion,” because of its distance. Horses don’t really race at 1 1/2 miles much anymore in American racing, and three-year-olds certainly haven’t gone that far at this point in their careers, making the race particularly challenging. Some horses’ bloodlines or pedigrees may indicate that they have the ability to handle that longer distance better than others, but really, it just comes down to the individual horse’s talent, strength, and heart.

Statue of the great Secretariat in the saddling paddock at Belmont Park.

The first Triple Crown winner was Sir Barton in 1919, but that was before the Triple Crown existed as such. The Derby, Preakness, and Belmont weren’t recognized as a unit at that time. That changed in 1930 when Gallant Fox won all three races, and a racing writer coined the term “Triple Crown” to describe his achievement. The name stuck and racing embraced the challenge. The 1930s and 1940s saw Triple Crown winners on a fairly regular basis: Omaha (1935, a son of Gallant Fox), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), and Citation (1948).

Then the well dried up. Twenty-five years passed before Secretariat burst onto the scene in 1973 and entered the pantheon of sports legends (human or otherwise) with his 31-length Belmont Stakes victory. He was followed by two more Triple Crown winners: Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed. And that was it. Until yesterday. Until American Pharoah.

Personally, I’m still having difficulty putting into words what American Pharoah’s victory means to me. I yelled myself hoarse cheering him in the stretch and broke down in tears because it all seemed to unreal. Had it really happened? I’ve watched the race video many times to assure myself. You see, I was still too young to remember Secretariat or to follow Seattle Slew or Affirmed. I didn’t start following racing until the early 1980s thanks to an older horse named John Henry who didn’t even compete in the Triple Crown races.

My view of Silver Charm in the paddock prior to the 1997 Belmont Stakes.

The first Kentucky Derby I remember watching on TV was Sunny’s Halo in 1983. I had read the Black Stallion book series by Walter Farley a couple of years before and become enamored of the sport (I’ve always loved horses). But the first horse that I absolutely loved that also had a chance to win a Triple Crown was Alysheba. He was a Texas horse too! While he was born in Kentucky, his owners were from Texas, which was so cool to me. A big bay with tons of personality, Alysheba came back to win the Derby after stumbling in the stretch. It was a courageous and amazing victory—still one of my favorite races of all time. He then won the Preakness, but could only manage fourth in the Belmont. I didn’t realize it at the time but I would learn to get used to this disappointment.

Many wonderful, talented, even great horses have won both the Derby and Preakness only to come up short in the Belmont. These horses have gone on to win other races and championships, achieving plenty of acclaim. Alysheba was one of those. As a four-year-old, he was named Horse of the Year.

In 1997, a gray named Silver Charm became the first horse since Sunday Silence in 1989 with a chance to win the Triple Crown. I was living in Kentucky and working in the horse racing industry at the time, and I was at Silver Charm’s Derby. When he won the Preakness, I knew I had to be at Belmont Park, where I would hopefully see history made. I did go, with several friends—we drove up from Lexington. Belmont Park was electric that day as the anticipation built. We hoped and prayed, but to no avail. Silver Charm, gallant to the wire, ended up second. To this day, my friends and I call Touch Gold, the horse who beat him, Touch Mold. Silly I know, but it was just hard to get past the disappointment.

The packed house waits for the start of the 1997 Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park.

We were back the next year for Real Quiet, who lost by a mere nose to Victory Gallop, and then again in 1999 for Charismatic. After that, I wasn’t able to be there for the other close calls, but part of me didn’t want to go through that disappointment in person again anyway. After so many years of loving and following the sport, you learn to maintain a little distance, a little skepticism—I hoped that American Pharoah could win but I couldn’t let myself get too invested at first. But, with racing, there’s always that hope. There’s always next year.

And “next year” finally arrived with American Pharoah. So, thank you, American Pharoah, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me, and all of horse racing, the gift of a Triple Crown. I hope we don’t have to wait another 37 years for the next one, but I’m satisfied now. I won’t get greedy, but I’ll still hope.

P.S. My friend, Bonnie, another longtime racing fan, penned her thoughts about American Pharoah’s victory on her blog. It can’t be understated how emotional his victory was for us racing fans.

P.P.S. Yes, the word pharaoh is misspelled in American Pharoah’s name. It was accidentally submitted incorrectly to The Jockey Club, the registrar for all Thoroughbred racehorses. They register the name exactly as is, no matter the spelling. Whoops!

Derby Day Delight

Tags

baking, chocolate bourbon pecan pie, Derby Day, Kentucky Derby, Racing to the Table, recipe

The First Saturday in May is an official holiday in my house. It’s the traditional date of the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in America and, arguably, in the world.

I was fortunate to attend the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville several times as a member of the press, viewing the race from the press box and the rooftop. I participated in the tradition of the Walk Over in 1998. Nothing can prepare you for the cheers of the crowd as you take the trek from the backside over to the paddock where the horses will be saddled for the big race. Each horse has its own entourage, like any Hollywood star.

This year, I’ll be watching the race from the comfort of my living room—the view is definitely better, and more comfortable, that way. To get in the spirit of the day, though, it’s necessary to involved another Kentucky staple—bourbon. Usually, this would be in the form of mint juleps, but I’m not a fan of bourbon. Unless it’s used for baking, of course.

My copy of Racing to the Table and my Kentucky-made pie plate

One of my favorite bourbon-related desserts is a chocolate bourbon pecan pie. I actually don’t care for pecan pie by itself, but add chocolate and bourbon—amazing. The recipe I like to use is from a book called Racing to the Table: A Culinary Tour of Sporting America, by Margaret Guthrie. I was fortunate enough to help edit this book when I worked at Eclipse Press, the former book division of Blood-Horse Publications in Lexington, Kentucky. Racing to the Table is now out of print, but if you can find a copy online, I recommend picking up a copy as it has regional recipes from all across the country to create the perfect tail-gating or “day at the races” party.

Measuring the bourbon and chocolate

The chocolate bourbon pecan pie is very easy to put together. I use a refrigerated pie crust (the kind you roll out) to save some time. Before mixing anything, I chop the pecans in a mini food processor and then toast them on a baking sheet at 300 degrees Fahrenheit—checking them often so I don’t burn them, which has happened one too many times when I get distracted by other tasks. As the pecans cool, I melt the butter and measure out the bourbon (there are plenty of excellent Kentucky bourbons to choose from) and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Adding the toasted pecans and chocolate chips

Next, I rolled the pie dough into my pie plate, which is another Kentucky touch. The pie plate was handmade in Berea, Kentucky, by Tater Knob Pottery, who I mentioned in my spoonbread post. Once the chopped pecans are cooled, I add them and then the chocolate chips to the bottom of the crust. After mixing the filling, I poured it on top of the pecans and chocolate and put it in the oven to bake. The recipe calls for 45 minutes, but you may need to adjust the baking time for your oven. Just keep an eye on it as the crust and top begin to brown.

The finished product: Ready for the Kentucky Derby!

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
(from Racing to the Table)

Filling:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon
1/4 cup cornstarch, sifted
1 cup toasted, chopped pecans
1 cup (6 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate

Crust:
1 cup unbleached flour
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 – 3 tablespoons ice water
Or use your favorite pie crust

The crust may be made in a food processor or by hand. If using a food processor, put the flour, butter, and salt in the bowl and process until it is the consistency of fine meal. Add 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time and process briefly until the dough starts to form a ball. Remove from the bowl, form into a ball, and roll out on a well-floured board or counter.

If doing by hand, put the flour, butter, and salt in a large mixing bowl and using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. Proceed as above.

Roll out the pie crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. For the filling, beat the eggs and sugar in a medium-sized mixing bowl until think and lemon-colored. Stir in the melted butter, bourbon, and cornstarch. Sprinkle the chopped toasted pecans on the bottom of the pie crust, then sprinkle the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips on top of the pecans. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the nuts and chocolate. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until crust and top are well browned. Serves 8.

Just a small slice of chocolate-y, bourbon-y goodness

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

Paris Adventures #7 — Cook’n Macarons With Class

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baking, Cook'n With Class, cooking, food, macarons, Montmartre, National Macaron Day, Paris, travel

In honor of National Macaron Day today, I wanted to recount my first attempt at making that Holy Grail of French pastry—the macaron—during a cooking class in Paris a couple of years ago. I’ve attempted macarons a few times since to varying results—it’s a delightful but frustrating little cookie.

The chocolate, raspberry, and salted caramel macarons from my class at Cook’n With Class in Paris

The macaron class that best fit my schedule that trip was at a small cooking school in Montmartre called Cook’n With Class. The space was small and correspondingly, so was the class size – just five of us. I ended up booking the class online a couple of months before my trip to make sure it didn’t sell out.

We had two instructors, Chefs Briony and Ivy, who specialize in pastry. One of my fellow students was taking the class for the second time and she took copious notes and photos—and I now understand why as I contemplate taking another macaron class the next time I’m in Paris. Another woman was visiting from Indonesia, and the other two were a couple who were spending a month in Paris. Chef Ivy handed us each a red apron, and after we had donned those, it was time to get started. We had a lot of territory to cover in just three hours. Macarons are labor and time intensive — and super finicky — but so worth the effort.

Making the raspberry jam filling

What I loved most about the class was that we were expected to roll up our sleeves and get involved. We received a basic macaron shell recipe, several filling recipes, and a long list (three pages worth) of troubleshooting tips. Chef Ivy would demonstrate a step and get it started. Then, she would hand it off to us to take turns stirring, melting, folding, beating, piping, and so on.

Heating sugar to make a dry caramel

We tackled the fillings first, making three different flavors: chocolate, salted caramel, and raspberry jam. Then came the process of making the macaron shells. It seems deceptively simple at first. The only ingredients are almond meal or flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and egg whites. It’s how you put all of those together that’s the trick. I’ve seen a number of macaron recipes with slightly different steps and techniques, so if you find a recipe that works for you, stick with it!

A plate full of chocolate-y goodness

Here are a few lessons that I learned in my class but am still struggling to implement properly:

1. Be precise when measuring your ingredients. This was the first time I worked with metric measurements and I really appreciate the extra precision. I even invested in a good food scale when I made my first solo attempt at macarons and use it for most of my baking now.

Beating the egg whites

2. Make sure your equipment is super clean before whipping egg whites; also, older egg whites (a few days to a week old) are easier to work with so you should start saving them a few days before you prepare macarons (in a sealed jar or container in the frig, of course).

Folding the almond meal and powdered sugar mix into the egg whites

3. Piping is hard! It’s definitely a learned skill that takes plenty of practice. There is a technique to it and you need steady hands. In my solo attempts, it has taken me a couple of rows to get the hang of piping again.

Piped and resting macaron shells for the salted caramel cookies. Note the imperfectly piped ones—they still tasted fine!

4. Before baking, let the piped macarons rest for about 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature until a skin forms. This helps keep the cookies from cracking while baking, but if conditions are too humid, then the cookies could crack from that. Did I mention that we were given three pages full of troubleshooting tips?

Watching the macaron shells bake

5. As frustrating and time-consuming as they can be, macarons are a wonderfully fun challenge if you love baking. You get to have fun with food coloring (gel or powder only, no liquid!) to create a rainbow of macaron shells, and you can use your favorite flavors for the fillings or try something new. The combinations are seemingly endless. As for me, I’ll just have the salted caramel and the espresso chocolate and the lemon and the cassis and…

Our delicious macarons!

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

A Francophile Tour of Austin

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Austin, Bullock Texas State History Museum, cuisine, Freestyle Language Center, French, French food, French language, Sojourner Tours, Texas, tours, travel, wine

Recently I had the opportunity to take part in a special version of the “Francophile View of Austin” tour offered by Sojourner Tours. Because this day of cultural and culinary treats was offered to current and former French students at Freestyle Language Center, our guides, Dr. Francis Mathieu and Lisa Gustavson, the husband and wife team behind Sojourner Tours, conducted the tour en français.

There were seven of us on the tour, including several I had been in classes with, plus Freestyle owner Elizabeth Mack, who encouraged us to speak in French as well. I’ve taken classes at Freestyle off and on for about two years as time and budget allow so I was pleased at how well I kept up with my listening comprehension. My ability to actually form coherent sentences in French still needs a lot of work but, of course, that is the most challenging aspect of language learning and just requires lots of practice. I have to admit my brain was rather fried by the end of the day but I loved it!

It was lovely to spend the day with both old and new friends, including Lisa and Francis who put on a fantastic tour. We started at Freestyle near downtown Austin for a midmorning cheese course and received a lesson in etiquette when serving different types of cheeses from Francis, a native Frenchman.

A cheese course to start our Francophile Tour of Austin

Then it was off to the Bullock Texas State History Museum near the University of Texas campus to view the special exhibit on La Belle, a ship that was part of French explorer La Salle’s doomed expedition to find the mouth of the Mississippi. He overshot and wound up at Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast. Texas students learn about this in Texas history class so it was a nice refresher for me. This time, though, the lecture was in French. Our guide was Toni Turner, co-author of From a Watery Grave, a book about the ship, which sunk off the coast during a storm stranding La Salle and company in what was then Spanish territory. After its discovery in 1995, La Belle underwent excavation and preservation, and is being reconstructed at the museum, where it will go on display next year.

A model of the sunken French ship, La Belle, and the original being reconstructed at the Bullock Texas State History Museum

With the weather cooler than anticipated for early March in Austin, we had to forego a round of pétanque outdoors and instead headed to Austin Wine Merchant for a wine tasting. Sacrifices must be made sometimes! The tasting was for French wines, bien sûr, and Francis gave us a quick lesson in reading French wine labels, which focus on location or terroir rather than the grape varietal. Suitably fortified, we headed to our lunch spot, the downtown wine bar/resto Cru for more wine and some delicious cuisine—the chèvre (goat cheese) beignets were a highlight.

Enjoying some French wines at Austin Wine Merchant

Next came a palate cleanser of sorts at Con’ Olio Oils & Vinegars, which is right around the corner from Cru. While not a French place per se, Con’ Olio is dedicated to using the finest products as a way to highlight and not hinder the taste of your food—very much a French concept. Owner Jeff Conarko gave us a tour of the shop, demonstrating how to properly taste olive oil—he is an olive oil sommelier (who knew there was such a thing?)—and what to look for in a good olive oil. The balsamic vinegars were a revelation as well—I didn’t realize so many flavors combinations were possible and am now completely in love with pear and cranberry balsamic vinegar. I think pretty much everyone in the group made a purchase or two.

Olive oil infused with herbes de Provence at Con’ Olio

After a quick stop at Serve, a new gourmet cooking utensils and gift shop, for a little shopping, we walked over to Chavez, a restaurant from local restaurateur Shawn Cirkiel located in the Radisson on the shores of Lady Bird Lake (aka Town Lake). We were there for our salad course, which comes after the main meal in French homes. The tour visit is timed for early evening so, at the right time of year, the tour group is able to see the bats leaving Congress Bridge. It was still a little too early in the year to see the bats, but our salads were exceptional, and we had more time to converse in French—or attempt to, in my case!

My incredibly delicious beet salad (with watercress, pecans, oranges, and goat yoghurt) at Chavez

Our evening was just getting started, though. We still had another cheese course and dessert awaiting. We walked over to 4th Street and the fin de siècle-inspired absinthe bar/restaurant Péché (meaning sin because, you know, absinthe). I did try a sip of absinthe, but as I don’t care for licorice flavor, I wasn’t a big fan. The cheeses and bread on the other hand were quite good.

Péché’s ambiance is in keeping with the fin de siècle decor

For our next stop, we were back in the van to head to East 6th Street and Easy Tiger Bake Shop. It also houses a beer garden downstairs, but upstairs you can watch the bakery in action as the bakers prepare breads for the next morning—Easy Tiger distributes to a number of local restaurants in addition to selling its own wares. They had a few croissants and other pastries still available, so I picked up a couple of croissants to enjoy the next day (they were delicious—just popped them in the microwave for a few seconds to freshen them up). Francis very adamantly asserted that this is the best French bakery in Austin and while I don’t doubt him, I feel I must go back and sample some more baked goods before I can be absolutely sure! Again, sacrifices.

The warm brioche doughnuts at LaV

Enfin, we ended our evening with dessert at LaV, a Provence-inspired French restaurant that opened last year to great fanfare and still makes all of the “best of” lists. A beautifully elegant place, it is known for its tremendous wine list and its equally tremendous desserts. After much deliberation (champagne sorbet? lemon crêpe cake brûlée? chocolate turtle delice?), I chose the brioche doughnuts, LaV’s signature dessert item and for good reason—not too sweet and very light, they are impossible to stop eating!

By the time we returned to Freestyle Language Center to head our separate ways, it was about 9:30 p.m. It had been a long day full of good food, French, and friends—just a wonderful experience and one I’d highly recommend to anyone needing a touch of France to tide them over until they can experience the real thing.

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

Bon Nouvel An Chinois!

Tags

Chinese lantern, Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, Nouvel an chinois, Paris

Chinese lantern on the boulevard de Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement, Paris

Photo by Judy L. Marchman

Happy Belated Crêpe Day

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champagne, Chandeleur, Crepe Day, Creperie des Canettes, crepes, dining, food, Nutella, Palais de Chaillot, Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Pres

I might have missed Le Chandeleur, but who can deny that the sublime French crêpe is worthy of celebration on any day? In France, Le Chandeleur, held February 2, is the Catholic holiday of Candlemas, but also has become known as “crêpe day” or jour des crêpes. Over the centuries, the practice of using up surplus flour to make crêpes took root as a way to celebrate prosperity in the coming year and has evolved into a beloved tradition in French households.

Nutella crêpes at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris

I have many fond memories of the crêpes I have consumed during my trips to Paris (it spoils you for eating them anywhere else, really). Where fillings are concerned, I’m a fan of keeping it simple and usually just go with Nutella on the sweet side or ham and cheese on the savory for quick eats on the go or at the racetrack.

This is how you do racetrack food: Crêpes and champagne at Longchamp

This crêpe stand in front of the Palais de Chaillot saved my life one afternoon. I was starving and a ham and cheese crêpe hit the spot as I wandered  (i.e., got lost) around Passy.

And when my friend A and I were in need of warm, comfort food on a chilly Sunday evening, the Crêperie des Canettes, located on rue des Canettes just off Place St-Sulpice in the 6th arrondissement, provided the perfect remedy. We had to wait a bit for them to open, but it was worth it! A nice, hot savory crêpe and a cup of tea definitely hit the spot.

La crêperie des Canettes on rue des Canettes in St-Germain-des-Prés

The “Sicile” crepe at la crêperie des Canettes. It came with ham, cheese, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, olives, and basil. Très bon!

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

‘Tis the Season…

Tags

almond, baking, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, Christmas, cookies, holiday, New Year, recipe

Happy New Year! I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to stop by my blog during the past year and I wish you much happiness and good health in 2015.

As we transition into the New Year, I can’t help but talk about one of my favorite holiday traditions: baking cookies! I usually bake up two or three different cookie recipes to give as gifts to friends, family, and colleagues.

‘Tis the season for baking

When I was younger, my mom didn’t really do a lot of cookie baking during the holidays, though we would get out a tube of sugar cookie dough from time to time to bake and decorate (badly). Mom usually baked pies for Christmas Day or a pound cake or banana bread.

The cookie baking is something I got into kind of organically about 10 years ago or so. And, of course, the process has evolved and grown as I’ve expanded the list of folks I give or send cookies to as gifts.

The cookie that started it all is an old favorite that I started making for special occasions at work (potlucks, birthdays, etc.)—Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookie, or the almond chocolate chip cookie, for simplicity’s sake. I’ve even had people request that I make this cookie, and while I’d like to take credit for the recipe, that distinction belongs to Giada De Laurentiis. I decided to try this cookie after seeing her make it on her Food Network show. It’s pretty much the perfect cookie. The recipe is hard to mess up, and I’ve made these cookies so many times, I could probably do it in my sleep.

The almond chocolate chip cookie dough ready for scooping

I included the almond chocolate chip cookie in my holiday repertoire this year because I wanted to make things as easy on myself as possible. When baking in bulk, I’ve found it’s just better to go with the tried and true. Also on the menu were espresso brownie bites (another longtime favorite) and, for the new recipe this year, cherry pistachio slice-and-bake cookies, which also became cranberry pistachio slice-and-bake cookies when I ran out of dried cherries.

The almond chocolate chip cookies ready to be eaten

I’ve included the almond chocolate chip cookie recipe below. Giada featured it as a cookie to use in ice cream sandwiches, which I’ve never done. It certainly would be a fun thing to do for a party or family get-together.

A giant pan of brownies!

The espresso brownie recipe is another Giada recipe from her show that I’ve used many times. It includes a glaze, which I don’t use because it tends to be messy, especially if you’re taking them somewhere to share or shipping. For my holiday baking, I doubled the recipe twice over and baked them in lined, well-greased cookie sheets, and then I cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Cherry (or Cranberry) Pistachio Slice-and-Bake Cookies

I chose the cherry/cranberry pistachio cookie recipe for its holiday flavors and colors. Also, slice-and-bake cookies are so easy to make in large quantities. The recipe is from SELF magazine, so it’s even good for you, relatively speaking. The dough needs to be made a day or two ahead of time so it can be frozen, which makes the slicing part so much easier.

Packing the cookies for gifting and shipping

All of this baking can be quite a production and requires organizing the ingredients and baking equipment, creating a baking schedule, calculating how many cookies per batch, and so on. It usually takes me two or three days to get them all baked. Then comes the packaging and shipping! But I really do enjoy all of it, and I certainly hope I can spread a little of that enjoyment to the cookie recipients as well.

My best wishes to you all for a Happy New Year!

Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 tsp pure almond extract
1 (12-oz) bag semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup whole almonds, toasted and chopped (sliced work fine as well)

3 pints vanilla ice cream, softened slightly
1/3 cup amaretto liqueur

Line heavy, large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Finely chops the oats in a food processor (I usually skip this step and mix the oats in as is for a more rustic texture). Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl until fluffy. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs and almond extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts and stir just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped almonds.

For each cookie, drop 1 rounded tablespoonful (or teaspoon, if you want smaller cookies) of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart (do not flatten dough). Bake until the cookies are golden (cookies will flatten slightly), about 13 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. The cookies can be prepared a day or two ahead and keep well when stored in airtight containers.

For the ice cream sandwiches, place the ice cream in a large bowl. Mix in the amaretto. Cover the ice cream mixture and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours. Arrange 12 cookies, flat side up, on a baking sheet. Top each with a scoop of ice cream, then another cookie, flat side down, pressing slightly to adhere. Cover and freeze the sandwiches until they are firm, at least 3 hours. Sandwiches can be made up to 4 days ahead. Wrap each with plastic wrap and keep frozen.

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

Paris Adventures #6–A Trip to Versailles, Part 1

Tags

food, gardens, La Cuisine Paris, Paris, Potager du Roi, travel, Versailles

You wouldn’t think visiting a vegetable garden would be a highlight of a trip to Paris, but when that garden was created for the King of France…well, you get the idea. Last fall, while I was in Paris, I signed up for a day trip tour to Versailles via the cooking school, La Cuisine Paris. The tour focused on the Potager du Roi or the kitchen garden of King Louis XIV. This is, of course, no ordinary “kitchen garden.” Located just southwest of the Palace of Versailles in the old part of town, this grand, walled garden measures an impressive nine hectares (about 22 acres) filled with a multitude of fruits, vegetables, herbs, trees, and flowers.

Le Potager du Roi

Louis XIV commissioned his chief gardener, Jean-Baptiste La Quintinie, to create a garden large enough to supply plenty of fruits and vegetables for the elaborate meals required for court entertaining, in addition to satisfying the king’s enormous appetite. The garden was developed between 1678 and 1683 and remains in production today.

A statue of La Quintinie greets visitors to the Potager du Roi

Our group started the day early, meeting at the fountain at Place St. Michel. It was a lovely morning, albeit a bit chilly, to begin our adventure. The tour cost covered a round trip train ticket, admission to the garden, lunch, and admission to the Palace of Versailles. Totally worth every centime! If I remember correctly, we had 10 people in our group, plus Karin, our excellent tour guide from La Cuisine Paris.

Espaliered trees lines many of the garden walls

The garden cultivates many varieties of apple trees

After departing the St. Michel Metro station via the RER C line, we arrived at the Gare Versailles Rive Gauche—it’s the end of the line, so you can’t miss your stop. Karin herded us across the street to the Starbucks for a pre-tour restroom and coffee break—it’s always wise to take advantage of good restroom opportunities (the one at the Potager itself was…interesting, but clean!). From there, it was only about a five-minute walk to the palace itself. We headed up to the Avenue de Paris, then turned left. A couple of large blocks later and the palace (the courtyard side) was right in front of us.

Louis XIV provided La Quintinie with a home on the grounds

After pausing to take in the view, we headed left along the Avenue Rockefeller, then angled across the Avenue de Sceaux to the rue de Satory. At this point, we were in the heart of “vieux” (old) Versailles. And just a short while later, we arrived at the Potager du Roi at 10 rue du Maréchal-Joffre. Directly across the street is the majestic Cathédrale Saint-Louis, which is relatively new as far as French cathedrals go, dating to the mid-1700s.

La Cathédrale Saint Louis

The Potager du Roi is hidden behind a tall wall, so you really can’t get an idea of how massive the garden is until you’re inside. We entered through the gift shop/market. The garden is still a fully working concern and is used by students of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Paysage. Around 450 varieties of fruits and 400 varieties of vegetables, both of ancient and recent origin, are still cultivated there. When we arrived, a couple of locals were buying their daily produce at the little market stand in the gift shop. Just imagine buying vegetables grown on land first cultivated in the late 1600s and that served the kings and queens of France!

The market at the Potager du Roi

Tours are self-guided, so you can take your time wandering through the different sections of the garden. In the center is a simple reservoir and fountain, and a statue of La Quintinie greets you as you make your way down into the garden proper.

The central reservoir and fountain

Karin led us through the key areas, explaining the history and development of the garden, including La Quintinie’s innovative methods for pruning and training fruit trees and cultivating vegetables out of season. La Quintinie had wanted to build the garden elsewhere because the land was marshy in this area. But Louis XIV wanted the garden close by the palace so he could take walks there. The king could visit through a special entrance—a large, wrought-iron, gold-tipped gate (la Grille du roi)—at the back of the garden next to the Pièce d’eau des Suisses (a lovely, manmade lake), and stroll along an elevated walkway or “King’s Walk.” It’s a great vantage point to take in the entire garden.

La grille du roi, or the King’s Gate

Swans grace the lovely Pièce d’eau des Suisses

Today, you can stroll along the same pathways to view a diverse array of garden plots that surround that the central fountain. We saw tomatoes, peppers, greens, cabbage, lettuces, leeks, strawberries, herbs, as well as an insect “hotel.” There were plenty of flowers, both inside and outside of greenhouses, plus the more than 5,000 fruit trees—mainly apple, pear, and fig—pruned into specific shapes and espaliers (trees trained to grow flat against a wall or fence).

An insect hotel houses various pollinators

Really, it’s hard to put the full experience into words. The property is so immense and beautiful, from the crumbling stucco of the walls dividing the garden’s different zones to the perfectly landscaped herb garden to the rows and rows of espaliered fruit trees.

A garden zone lined with espaliered trees

The Potager du Roi is not your typical tourist destination, but it offers an absolutely fascinating look at a lesser-known aspect of royal life in Versailles. I’ll write about the rest of the La Cuisine Paris tour in a separate post. That includes a trip to the Marché Notre-Dame and lunch in a local restaurant. Oh, and a look around a certain Chateau.

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

Making The Scorpio Races’ November Cakes

Tags

baking, books, Maggie Stiefvater, November cakes, The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races is one of my all-time favorite books and not just because it features horses, or supernatural horses, rather. It is simply a beautifully told story with compelling characters that you come to love and relate to. Their hopes and dreams become yours. Author Maggie Stiefvater created two distinct voices in the protagonists, Puck and Sean, and you can’t help but be swept up in their world. And the delicious, sticky November cakes are a memorable part of that world!

November cakes. Yes, they are as good as they look.

November cakes are a yeast roll infused with an orange-flavored filling and covered with a honey-caramel glaze, topped by drizzled icing. Oh yeah. And after tempting readers with their description in the book (“it oozes honey and butter, rivulets of the creamy frosting joining the honey in the pit of my hand”), Maggie developed a recipe for her fictional cakes and generously provided it for fans.

Of course, I had to make them! And there’s only word that truly describes November cakes: sinful. Seriously. They are so incredibly yummy and rich and melt-in-your-mouth good. Perfect for a crisp fall morning! And while there are several steps to the recipe, the result is totally worth the time and effort. Instead of including it here, I have linked to the recipe on Maggie’s blog as it’s pretty long and she has it formatted so neatly there!

But I have included some photos of my endeavor at baking them. (They turned out great, if I do say so myself!) Here are some of the steps along the way:

The dough for the cakes rests.

The cakes go into the oven.

Adding the caramel glaze. And I managed not to burn the caramel!

The final product! So much glaze. So much icing. So much goodness.

Paperback editions of The Scorpio Races also include the recipe.

P.S. If you want to read something else by Maggie, I highly recommend checking out The Raven Boys series. It is seriously good. But no supernatural horses. Supernatural Welsh kings, though…well, maybe. And orange Camaros.

Photos by Judy L. Marchman

 

Spoonbread: A Taste of Nostalgia

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baking, Berea College, Boone Tavern, cornbread, Kentucky, pottery, spoonbread

It all comes back to food. When I think of family gatherings or time spent with friends, food is usually the focal point. And when I travel somewhere, I’m usually on the hunt for good local cuisine. So a visit to Berea, Kentucky, for me, equates to spoonbread. Made with white corn meal and ground fine, spoonbread is a rustic dish similar to yellow cornbread but with a softer, lighter consistency. Served hot with plenty of butter, good spoonbread will melt in your mouth. It’s not surprising there’s a whole festival devoted to this simple dish, held each September in Berea.

I lived in Lexington for many years and, of course, the culinary item most people associate with the state is bourbon, and for good reason. But to really get to know a place, you need to delve a little deeper and that’s what I wanted to do when I first moved there. (And also, I don’t like bourbon.) I had heard about this charming little town about a half-hour drive south of Lexington off of I-75. Berea is nestled in the foothills of Appalachia and is home to a good liberal arts school, Berea College. Founded in 1855, the college became known for its focus on assisting poverty-stricken Appalachian residents in earning an education. Berea College also has a student labor program, whereby students work through school to contribute to the cost of their education.

What drew my curiosity to the town initially, however, was this dish called spoonbread. The opportunity to try it arose one fall during a visit from my parents. We took a day trip down to Berea, and I had made a lunch reservation at the Boone Tavern Hotel in the heart of town. The historic inn dates to 1909 as a place for visitors to the college to stay. Students work there in various capacities, including in the dining room. A long veranda on the side looks out onto the campus, and just off the main lobby is the restaurant, renowned for its spoonbread and for putting the dish on the culinary map, so to speak.

A batch of spoonbread goes in the oven.

When the server came around with a big pan of spoonbread and a big spoon to scoop out a generous portion, my parents were on board to try it. While my dad had never really been a fan of cornbread, my mother grew up with yellow cornbread (no sugar) as a staple in her family. They were both pleasantly surprised by this more delicate, lighter version. And honestly, I don’t really remember what we ate for lunch that day (it’s been a few years), except for that spoonbread.

Warm, fresh out of the oven, and slathered in butter, spoonbread ranks as one of my top comfort foods. The taste is hard to describe—there’s a sweetness to the cornmeal and the richness of the butter. Perhaps it’s more a feeling—of comfort, of warmth, of home and hearth. You taste a sense of place. Of nostalgia.

A packet of spoonbread mix from Weisenberger Mill.

I’ve loved spoonbread ever since and like to make it on chilly autumn days to accompany a stew or soup. Or it’s a good biscuit substitute for breakfast, accompanied by your favorite jam. When I visit Lexington, I usually pick up a couple of packets of spoonbread mix from Weisenberger Mill in Midway (their products, all locally sourced, are distributed to the major groceries in the area).

My spoonbread baker from Tater Knob Pottery in Berea, Kentucky.

And I have my beautiful spoonbread baker from Berea-based Tater Knob Pottery (owned by Berea College graduates and master potters Jeff Enge and Sarah Culbreth). I just have to add water to the mix, stir until it’s smooth, pour in the dish, bake, and voila. I’m transported back to that moment at Boone Tavern with my parents, enjoying the comforting taste of spoonbread for the first time.