Jane Green's Blog, page 130

Where did you get that hair???

A couple of weeks ago I found myself at a new hairdresser, having my hair blown out. I do this perhaps twice a year, when I have a special event, and get my hair cut even less, because I am spectacularly lazy when it comes to grooming, and spectacularly impulsive. This means I do not like to plan ahead. If I wake up in the morning with a sudden compulsion to get my hair cut, I will phone every hairdresser in town until I find one that's free. Frankly, I'm surprised I don't just walk down Main Street asking if anyone knows how to cut hair, but you never know, that day may come.

The girl blowing out my hair suddenly asked where I got my color done. Presuming she was about to attempt to sell me the services of their colorist, I told her I'd been with the same man for years, gave her his name, where he worked, and told her he was wonderful.

She said nothing. I then realised this was because he didn't actually do my last touch-up. No. I woke up in the morning, decided my roots were now far too obvious, and decided to do it myself (I quickly confessed, so she didn't spend the rest of her life thinking that X at XX is the WORST COLORIST IN THE WHOLE WORLD).

Because - oh reader, I am ashamed to admit this - I didn't use l'Oreal, or Clairol, or anything that you're supposed to use. This is mainly because I am very allergic to hair dye and they make me nervous. I used what I used to use as a fourteen-year-old who raided her mother's bathroom cabinet when she decided she absolutely, positively, couldn't live without blonde streaks in her hair for another second.

Deep breath...

I used Jolen Cream Bleach.

Yes, that's right. The stuff you use for bleaching unwanted hair. This is not hair on your head, but mustaches that have no place on a woman's face, and moles that miraculously sprout when they are not supposed to.

I went to CVS, marched straight past the hair dyes, and picked up a bottle of Jolen.

Back home, I made a paste of the bleach and powder, and carefully picked out strands of hair to bleach the roots. I covered my fingers in bleach and ran them up and down, attempting to clean up the blobs of bleach that kept dropping off. This, it turns out, wasn't done as successfully as I had thought. My blonde streaks are now a rather garish shade of orange, and there are leopard print patches of blonde dotted here and there.

It is, in short, disastrous. You would think I would have marched back to my regular colorist and begged him to fix it, but here's the rub: I am now too ashamed. Instead I have stocked up on temporary color mousse, and my orangey blonde streaks are now a fetching shade of chocolate. I have two more canisters of mousse to get through and hopefully, by the time it has run out, I will have got over my embarrassment enough to ring him up and make a sheepish confession.

Failing that, I could always take a stroll down Main Street and ask if anyone knows how to do hair color...

The Wicked Witch of the East (Coast) aka Scrooge

On Sunday night the Smalls and I went, as we do every year, trick or treating in our neighborhood. Our neighborhood happens to be the beach, and I am continually impressed at how everyone gets into the spirit of trick or treating. For years we had a group Star Wars theme, but the Smalls refuse to conform anymore. Mom, however, insists on dragging out her Wicked Witch of the West Costume, complete with green face paint for a truly authentic feel.

Most of the houses in the beach neighborhood decorate. Some project movies on the outside of their houses, others have fake cauldrons and fires, and most have pumpkins and candy doled out by various ghouls and ghosts. This year however, half the neighborhood was dark. We strolled down streets where the houses had very deliberately been darkened, and my initial disappointment gave way to upset.

Not at the house owners. Walking around for two hours I started to realise why they had chosen not to participate. It seemed that many of them had run out of candy within an hour, and others had declined altogether, overwhelmed by the thousands of people who descended on the beach area for Halloween.

I didn't grow up with Halloween, and the only Halloween I experienced in London was the version I watched in the movies: Elliott and ET in their neighborhood was one of my favorites. But it seemed to be all about the neighborhood. Local kids dressed up, and local parents thrilled to see what these kids - most of whom they had known for years - were wearing.

This year people came from near and far, from towns up and down the state of Connecticut, and some, apparently, from even further afield.

Teenies - adorable in their bumblebee and bear outfits - started early, and as the evening progressed, the roads filled up, crowds of people moving slowly down each street; lines stretching down the road at every house, as homeowners held out bowls of miniature chocolate bars to strangers. By the time Teenagers shouldered their way in, high on sugar and excitement, a lot of houses turned off the lights. They had to. They had run out of treats. That's an awful lot of candy one small beach neighborhood has to buy.

I love America, and I love living in my town, partly because of the small-town feel. I didn't feel it Sunday night, on a night that I had always assumed was the epitome of what it means to live in a small town, and it's a shame. Halloween, surely, is all about neighborhood, about showing off your costumes to people who have known you for years, who can delight in whatever you have chosen to be.

Your neighborhood, not travelling to the neighborhood with a reputation for giving out the most candy.

I recognise I am sounding entirely Scrooge-like, and so at this point I shall leave and dig out the 43rd Butterfinger from my children's yield to soothe my jangled nerves...

In New York? Join me on Wednesday at Dylan's Candy Bar & support a GREAT cause!

Ginger Ice Cream

Ingredients

* 3 cups heavy cream

* 1 cup whole milk

* 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger

* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallised ginger, more if, like me, you love it!

* Pinch salt

* 8 egg yolks

* 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the cream, milk, ginger, and salt over medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale, pale gold and fluffy. Ladle one ladleful of the hot cream mixture into eggs, combine, then add all eggs into hot cream mixture. Stir constantly for around five minutes until the custard mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Strain over a fine meshed sieve into a large bowl, pressing with the back of the spoon to extract as much liquid as you can. Cover tightly and refrigerate until cold - at least three hours.

Add the crystallised ginger to the cold cream mixture, then pour into the bowl of an ice cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to eat.

Balsamic Braised Brussels with Pancetta

Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques, by Smitten Kitchen.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side

1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs (though I found I needed far less)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus an extra glug or two for drizzling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 pounds medium-sized brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed

Salt and pepper

6 ounces pancetta in small dice (1 1/2 cups)

3 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups veal stock, rich chicken or vegetable broth, more if needed

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix bread crumbs and thyme with a couple glugs of olive oil, and spread on a cookie sheet. Toast, tossing frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foamy. Add brussels sprouts, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté, tossing frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add diced pancetta, and sauté, tossing frequently, until sprouts are well browned and softened slightly, and pancetta is crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Reduce heat, add shallots and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, 2 minutes.

Increase heat to high, add balsamic vinegar and stock, and cook, tossing frequently, until sprouts are glazed and tender, about 20 minutes; add more stock if needed. Taste, adjusting seasoning if necessary, and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and scatter bread crumbs on top

Mashed Potatoes

Cook's Illustrated's Master Recipe

2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed (I used Yukon Golds)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, 4 ounces), melted

1 cup half-and-half , warmed

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

Ground black pepper

Chives for garnish (optional)

1. Place potatoes in large saucepan and cover with 1 inch water. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender (a paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potatoes with very little resistance), 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Set food mill or ricer over now empty but still warm saucepan. Spear potato with dinner fork, then peel back skin with paring knife. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Working in batches, cut peeled potatoes into rough chunks and drop into hopper of food mill or ricer. Process or rice potatoes into saucepan.

3. Stir in butter with wooden spoon until incorporated; gently whisk in half-and-half, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Horseradish Cream

3/4 cup créme fraîche

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the créme fraîche and horseradish in a small bowl. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Taste for balance and seasoning.

Slow-braised short ribs from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 4 (generously) to 6

6 beef short ribs, about 14 to 16 ounces each (ask for 3 bone center-cut)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, and 4 whole sprigs thyme

1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1/3 cup diced carrot

1/3 cup diced celery

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 cups port

2 1/2 cups hearty red wine

6 cups beef or veal stock

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Horseradish Cream (recipe follows)

Potato Purée/Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)

Season the short ribs with 1 tablespoon thyme and the cracked black pepper. use your hands to coat the meat well. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Take the short ribs out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, to come to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season them generously on all sides with salt.

When you take the ribs out of the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a large Dutch oven [or a large saute pan, if you would like to use a separate braising dish; I aimed to use fewer dishes] over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 tablespoons olive oil, and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot and almost smoking. Place the short ribs in the pan, and sear until they are nicely browned on all three meaty sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you might have to sear the meat in batches. Do not crowd the meat or get lazy or rushed at this step; it will take at least 15 minutes. [I find this takes closer to 45 minutes if you're really thorough. Be thorough!] When the ribs are nicely browned, transfer them to a plate to rest.

Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme springs, and bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the crusty bits in the pan. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add the balsamic vinegar, port, and red wine. Turn the heat up to high, and reduce the liquid by half.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Arrange ribs in the pot, lying flat, bones facing up, in one layer. [If you used a saute pan for previous steps, transfer the ribs to a braising pan at this point.] Scrape any vegetables that have fallen on the ribs back into the liquid. The stock mixture should almost cover the ribs. Tuck the parsley sprigs in and around the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven for about 3 hours.

To check the meat for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the escaping steam, and piece a short rib with a paring knife. When the meat is done, it will yield easily to a knife. Taste a piece if you are not sure. [If you would like to cook these a day ahead, this is where you can pause. The next day, you can remove the fat easily from the pot -- it will have solidified at the top -- bring these back to a simmer on the stove or in an oven, and continue.]

Let the ribs rest 10 minutes in their juices, and then transfer them to a baking sheet.

Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F.

Place the short ribs in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes to brown.

Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. Skim the fat from the sauce (if you made these the day before, you will have already skimmed them) and, if the broth seems thin, reduce it over medium-high heat to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning.

No-knead bread

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Cauliflower and Parmigiano soup with truffle oil

* 2 ounces chopped pancetta

* 1 cup chopped onion

* 3/4 cup chopped celery

* 3 garlic cloves, chopped

* 1 head cauliflower

* 3 1/2 cups chicken broth

* 1-inch cube Parmigiano, or any other strong cheese. I made this with Gorgonzola recently and it was AMAZING. Reserve some cheese to sprinkle over the top to serve.

* 1/2 cup half and half

* White or black truffle oil (for drizzling)

Sauté pancetta until brown. Add onion, garlic and celery and cook until vegetables are soft - a little over five minutes. Add cauliflower, broth and cheese. Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for around 20 minutes.

Puree soup with a hand-held blender, add half and half. When ready to serve, ladle into bowls, drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle cheese on top.