Ruth Reichl's Blog, page 44

Gift Guide, Day 22

Making great pie may be the ultimate test of a cook:  so much can go wrong.  That’s why Evan Kleiman’s wonderful new easy as pie app is such a thoughtful (and inexpensive) gift. Who wouldn’t want this? 

Kleiman, hosts the always interesting Good Food on KCRW radio (if you love food and aren’t listening to this show, you’re missing out on something great). She’s a passionate food person and a generous interviewer with a slew of fascinating guests.  A former restaurateur (her beloved Angelli Caffe was one of the first really authentic Italian trattorias in the country), Kleiman is extremely opinionated about pie, and she walks you through the process. beginning with crusts (flour, graham cracker, easy cream cheese, etc.) and ending with toppings (meringue, whipped cream, various crumbles).  There are 20 different pies here, enough to interest even a veteran baker. Classics include a serious apple, lemon meringue, deep dish berry and the decadent banana coconut cream. Savory suggestions include a rather decadent butternut squash, apple and bacon concoctioin as well as a cherry tomato pie with a cheddar cheese crumble top that I'm planning on making tonight.

From the very first moment, when Kleiman joyfully splahses flour across a board, you know that you’re in very good hands. I challenge you to come up with a better gift for less than two dollars. 

Gift Guide on the Solstice

If you really want to impress a good cook, give them the best vanilla beans you can buy.  Great vanilla bears no resemblance to the dark, sad, shriveled little pods you find in most supermarkets. The finest vanilla beans I’ve ever met were the organic pods sourced by Le Sanctuaire, which startled me with the intensity of their fragrance. They’re long - about half a foot - soft, and a deep mahogany brown, and when you split them open you find a profusion of plump little seeds nestled into a thick paste.  They make everything they touch more complex and interesting.

It’s late to order by mail at this point, but many good spice emporiums sell excellent vanilla beans. What you’re looking for are deep brown, well-padded, pliable pods with a strong, fragrance. 

For a really great gift throw in this recipe for homemade vanilla extract, a small bottle of liquor and a tall pretty glass bottle with a stopper.  Your friends can use a few pods to make their own extract; they’ll think of you every time they use it.

Vanilla Extract Recipe

3 excellent vanilla beans

1 cup vodka, bourbon or brandy (vodka will produce a neutral extract; other liquors will contribute their own complexity of flavor)

Keeping the beans whole, slit each one down its length with a small, sharp knife. Put the beans into a small jar and pour in the liquor so that they are completely submerged.  Close tightly and store in a cool, dark place for a month or two, rotating every week or so.

The extract will keep for at least a year, becoming more intense over time.  Add more liquor as needed, to keep the beans covered.