Ruth Reichl's Blog, page 18

2014 Gift Guide, Day Seventeen

In 2006, when Anne Saxleby opened Saxleby Cheese with a focus on farmstead cheeses from the Northeast, many of us had already embraced the notion of eating local. Except when it came to cheese. Back then few people were willing to forego foreign cheese; we couldn't believe Americans could match what the Europeans were doing. 

We’ve come a long way. According to the American Cheese Society, entries in their annual cheese contest have almost doubled in the last eight years: from 762 to 1,372. Regional farmstead cheese is increasingly available - and increasingly exciting. Look at it this way: in 1979 Laurie Chenel produced America's first goat cheese, and today it's made in almost every state in the Union.

I like dropping into Saxleby’s to see what new cheeses they've discovered.  And I like sending cheese subscriptions to friends; it's a great way to introduce them to great new American cheeses they didn't know about. 

Cheese is an extremely  seasonal product, which makes Saxleby’s Seasonal Cheese club especially exciting. Each of four seasonal shipments is curated to showcase the best cheeses of the moment. 

And while we're on the subject of cheese, I can't leave this without giving a shoutout to my favorite cheesemonger, Rubiner's in Great Barrington Massachussetts. It's a beautifully curated shop; their cheese comes from the best cheesemakers around the world, and you can trust it to be in excellent condition.  At the moment they have extraordinary vacherin; it's hard to think of a better gift for a cheese-lover. 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Sixteen

Mushrooms Like Magic

Mushroom people are secretive. Professional foragers never divulge their favorite spots. Even amateur hunters go tip-toeing through the woods, keeping their good fortune to themselves. (The mushroom above, should you care to know, is a delicious pink oyster.)

There's nothing more romantic than tromping through a wet forest, trying to unearth what would rather go unseen. It makes you look, really look, at the world around you.

But once you get past the sheer joy of mushroom hunting, there's the culinary pleasure of your find. Mushrooms are delicate and delicious, and if you know someone who loves to cook them, they'll be thrilled with this particular present. 

Sharondale Farm takes the hunt out of mushrooming.  They sell a dizzying array of mushroom plugs - shiitake, lions mane, oyster, to name a few - that make mushrooming a breeze. Simply bore holes in an old dead tree, stuff with a mushroom plug, and wait.... This is a gift that pays off later. 

For those without access to dead trees, Sharondale also offers mushroom-in-a-box kits for growing mushrooms right on your kitchen counter. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

2014 Gift Guide, Day Fifteen

A Little Luxury

If you can’t rationalize buying something for yourself, you've probably stumbled upon an excellent gift. These 100 percent linen napkins from Il Buco Vita are case-in-point. Two-hundred dollars for four napkins? Insane. But one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. 

They're certainly among the most luxurious objects I own. Exquisitely constructed, they’re soft but feel substantial in the hand. They also come in warm, striking colors that lift Monday night dinner to its own special occasion. Better still, they're colored with vegetable dyes, so I can throw them into the washing machine without worrying that they'll run or fade. 

Montefalco, the Umbrian town where these napkins are made, has a long history of linen production. The fabric is woven on looms dating back to the Renaissance, and each seam is hand stitched.

Want something to go under the napkins? I recently stumbled upon Lisa Corti tablecloths. They may not be made by guildspeople in Italy, but they’re sure to inject a jolt of sun into any drab dining room. 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Fourteen

 

For a Constant Traveler

I've spent a lot of time on the road (and in the air) this year, and coffee is a problem. It drives me crazy to pay room service prices for bad coffee, but I don't want to get dressed and go out foraging for caffeine either. Many hotels now have in-room coffee makers, but they make a pretty unappealing cup.  

This Aeropress coffee maker is the perfect solution. It produces a single cup of espresso or American coffee with less acidity than you get from a French press.  It's small enough to fit cozily into your suitcase.  It's easy to clean - an important consideration when all you've got is a minuscule hotel sink. And it comes with everything you need - including a year's supply of microfilters. 

This impressive little coffee maker produces such an excellent brew  your friends will probably start using it on a daily basis. They're stocked in many places, but I've linked to Crate&Barrell because their price is low and they offer free shipping.  

Should you want to make this an even more spectacular present, throw in some really great beans. We all have our favorites, but I'm very partial to Strongtree Coffee: fair trade, grown without pesticides, certified and hand-roasted on a daily basis.  Their beans make a really delicious cup. 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Thirteen

Speaking of Tongues

It's not pretty.

But have you ever tasted tongue? Forget what it looks like. Forget what it is.  Close your eyes and take a bite.  The texture is stunningly soft and extremely seductive. The flavor is mild and barely meaty. There's nothing gnarly about the way it eats: even the most offal-resistant person can fall in love with tongue.

For first-timers, there's nothing better than the pickled beef tongue they make at Formaggio Kitchen. It's ever-so-slightly pickled, with a gentle brininess that removes every vestige of funk. This tongue tastes as if the flavor of the entire animal has been condensed into a single slice. Shave it very thinly and put it on a cracker; your salume plate is instantly enhanced. 

It is not, however, cheap.  If you're a frugal shopper, you might consider preparing tongue at home. Begin with a tongue from a sensible purveyor, and make sure it isn't gray.  This is just about the easiest meal you'll ever make; you basically put it in a pot and forget it for a couple hours.

Boiled Beef Tongue: 

1 beef tongue (around 3 pounds) 

Sugar

Salt

Thyme sprigs

Several cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, diced

Bay leaf

Peppercorns 

Star Anise 

Scrub the tongue thoroughly. If you have time, brine it. Put a cup of salt and a half cup of sugar into 4 quarts of water, throw in a few sprigs of thyme and let the tongue sit in it, in the refrigerator, overnight. Drain before cooking.

Put the tongue, brined or not, in a large pot and nearly cover it with water. Add all the aromatics and a teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil, skim off the scum, lower the heat and simmer gently for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a knife moves easily through the center of the tongue. 

Remove from pot. When it’s cool enough to touch, peel off the thick skin. Trim the tongue and slice it.

That's all there is to it. With boiled potatoes and a bit of mustard it makes a wonderful dinner for 6 to 8 people.

 

 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Twelve

Home Grown Pepper Powder

Warm heat. Fruity. Complex. This is flavor that stays with you, reverberating in the mouth.  

Think about the sweet, appealing fruitiness of habanero. Now remove the knockout punch. That will give you an idea of ezpeleta peppers. For years I've been using piment d'espalette, sprinkling it on everything from uni pasta to soft boiled eggs. But the stuff I buy in stores is often so antique there's little left but color.

A few months ago, walking through the Portland farmers' market, I discovered Viridian Farms. Specializing in seeds from Spain and France, they've been growing their own peppers, slowly drying them and grinding them into powder. Their piment basquaise is powerful stuff; I'll never be without it again.

If you have a heat fiend on your list, you might want to consider buying some seeds for them to grow. Viridian farms sells all kinds of exotic pepper seeds - including rare Spanish varietals like pimientos de padron-  which makes this a perfect place to shop for gardeners. Another appealing idea: terrific looking haricot tarbais, for everyone eager to cook authentic cassoulet.

2014 Gift Guide, Day Eleven

For a Walrus or a Carpenter

There is, for me, something magical about getting a box of oysters just hours out of the ocean, on the far side of the country.  Aroudn my house the holidays wouldn't seem quite right without a few dozen Pacific oysters.

I order mine from Taylor Shellfish Farms, a family-owned company that's been raising oysters (and geoducks and clams) in Puget Sound for more than a hundred years.  I'm fond of the Shikogus (above), but this time of year they also have Kumamotos and small Pacifics as well. 

Oysters keep well in the refrigerator for a good week.  Take them out of the bag, snuggle them into the refrigerator and cover them with a damp cloth: they'll live there very happily. 

You might also want to throw in an oyster knife: this one, also sold by Taylor, makes opening oysters seem extremely easy.  

As for those expensive metal oyster mitts, I no longer bother.  I've found a durable rubber oven mitt  like this one protects you better, is more comfortable and is only a fraction of the cost.

2014 Gift Guide, Day Ten

So Spicy!

We all know a few people who obsess over hard-to-find cooking ingredients. They were eating Sichuan peppercorns years ago, regularly incorporate candlenuts into stews, and know every non-New-American restaurant in town. Their fever may seem showy to some, but to me its just a love of food, full tilt.

These friends are great to hang out with, but they’re frustrating to shop for. Until now. Tucked into the legendary Jean-Talon market in Montreal, Épices de Cru sells a head-spinningly exhaustive variety of spices. You’re guaranteed to find something that even the most rabid spice enthusiast still hasn’t added to her cupboard.

Check out dried goraka: a sweet-sour fruit used in South Indian and Sri Lankan curries. Since that hardly breaks the bank, throw in a bottle of DIY West Indian essence. Each bottle contains a few vanilla beans, mace, sapote, and tonka. All your friend has to do is fill it with rum. In two months, they’ll have a tantalizing alternative to pure vanilla extract. 

No less cool: a masala dhabba spice box. It comes with coriander, brown mustard seed, cumin, reshampatti pepper, fenugreek, turmeric and paprika, so next time your friend makes Indian food, they’ll have a few essentials right at hand. Pat yourself on the back if you can stop at three; this website doesn’t end. 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Nine

A Great Burger

I'm married to a burger connoisseur, a man who would rather eat hamburgers than steak and would gladly do it three times a day. I often hand chop the meat; I like the texture, and the fact that it allows me to use really good dry-aged meat in the mixture.

But when I buy pre-ground burger meat, I get it from DeBragga.  The flavor is fantasic - rich, complex, slightly funky.  Their burger blend is made from beef that's been aged at least 28 days - and you can really taste the difference.

This meat is, in my opinion, too good to grill.  Cook it in a skillet so there's nothing to disguise its wonderful flavor.  Add lettuce, onion and tomato if you must - or just eat it, naked, on a bun.

If you've got a meat-loving friend, they'll love this gift. The hamburger meat comes frozen, in 2 one-pound packages.  Since you have to pay postage, you might as well buy more; your friends will surely thank you. 

 

 

 

2014 Gift Guide, Day Eight

Pure Fun!

Angelo Garro is bigger than life.  Cook, hunter, raconteur, blacksmith, a day in his company is one you'll never forget.  You may have read about him in The Omnivore's Dilemma; he was the one who took Michael Pollan off to hunt boar. Or you may have seen him in my own (long-ago) Food Network special, Eating Out Loud, where we picked olives, brined them, then cooked a meal in his forge. It was one of the most fun days of my life.

If you've got a friend in Northern California, and you're inclined to spend a pile of money, you could buy them this salami-making class with Angelo.  It take place on Saturday, February 21th at Renaissance Forge in San Francisco. The day-long event includes making salami, a tasting of Angelo's own wine and a meal made by Angelo.  They also get Angelo's salame to take home. But what they mostly get is Angelo - and that is guaranteed to be spectacularly unpredictable and a very good time. The food, of course, will be wonderful.

And if your friend isn't in the Bay Area - or you don't feel like spending $400 - you could buy them some of Angelo's own salt blend instead.  That's only $10 - and it's great stuff.