Storing Bakeware

I really love my apartment.  It's in a great area of the city, has a fabulous sun room, and it's just the right size for my husband and me.  My only real gripe is a common one.  There isn't quite enough storage space, and I have a LOT of stuff -- especially kitchen stuff.  So when Charlie suggested that we put magnets on the pantry walls and stick our bakeware to the magnets I was all about it.  We went around and around about what type of magnets we should use, and we tried a few types, but none of them worked as well as we'd hoped.  Then one day I put away one of our cheese knives and realized that the answer had been staring us in the face the whole time.  

We keep some of our knives on a long, thin magnet above the kitchen sink.  It's the same type of magnetic knife rack commonly used in professional kitchens, and it's also perfect for storing bakeware in the pantry.  Take a look:

Oh wow, I'm so pleased!  Charlie did a wonderful job of installing the magnets, and we were able to free up an entire shelf in the pantry.  We bought the magnets at Ikea, and they cost $9 apiece -- totally worth it.  Also, (according to Charlie) they were simple to install.  If every inch of storage space matters where you live I highly recommend giving this a shot.  The sound the pans make when the magnets suck them in is pretty cool as well.  

Focus on: Senor Juguera

Please meet the acquaintance of my favorite juicer ever.  He's a lot of trouble to wash, somewhat inefficient, and the only juicer I own.  Love it.

I scream, you scream...

My lovely little sister, Savannah, is visiting from her current residence in Kigali, Rwanda, and we've so enjoyed spending time together. One of our favorite "sister activities" is cooking (of course) so we spent part of Saturday in the kitchen making strawberry ice cream. Neither of us are huge sweets fans, but ice cream is tough to resist. I could've eaten the entire quart we made on my own!

Vanna's Strawberry Ice Cream

ingredients:
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3 long strips fresh lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 lb strawberries (3 cups), trimmed and quartered
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine cream, zest, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and discard zest.
Whisk eggs with 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking. Pour back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F. Do not let the mixture boil. You will know the custard is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl, then cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Chill, covered, until cold, about 2 hours, and up to 1 day. (You can speed up this process by placing the metal bowl in an ice bath and vigorously stirring the custard.)
While custard is chilling, purée strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then add to the chilled custard.







If you dislike strawberry seeds in your ice cream you may force the pureed strawberries through a fine sieve before adding to the custard.

Freeze in ice-cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.



Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the completed ice cream. My camera battery ran down, then I couldn't find the charger, and it turned into one of those things. Oh well! The finished product was beautiful, creamy, and retained the gorgeous color you can see in the photographs above. We served it with fresh strawberry slices on top.

Savannah really did all of the work on the ice cream. I simply photographed and sampled at various stages...not a bad job to have! It really did turn out to be quite delicious. It was very light and had a super fresh taste that you just can't get from ice cream purchased at the store. I think it would be absolutely delicious as the filling for an ice cream sandwich. I may make it again soon along with some chocolate/vanilla shortbread cookies. A neopolitan ice cream sandwich would be so cute and yummy.

Finally, a few tips on storing homemade ice cream. I always place a sheet of plastic wrap on top of the surface of the ice cream so there is no air between it and the plastic wrap. This prevents freezer burn (which is just the development of large ice crystals that occurs when air gets into the ice cream). Also, storing the ice cream in the back of the freezer will keep it fresher for longer. Not that you'll have this for very long...

Preserved lemons

A few years ago I became obsessed with Moroccan food and decided I was going to master that cuisine as soon as I got a tagine.  Well, I still don't have a tagine.  I just never found one that spoke to me so I'm still waiting for the perfect fit.  I still adore the savory-sweet tastes found in Moroccan food, and I hope some day to rededicate myself to cooking it.  For now I satisfy that craving by making preserved lemons and keeping them on hand to salt and brighten a variety of dishes.  Preserved lemons are a traditional Moroccan condiment, and they are used in a wide variety of dishes including pastries, tagines, salads, and stews.  You can find them in specialty shops, but they are often quite expensive.  Bedsides, they're so simple to make at home that it seems like a real shame to purchase them.  

Preserved Lemons

You will need:

a large bag of unwaxed lemons (meyer lemons are best if you can find them)

kosher salt

a wide-mouth medium-sized jar (sterilized) 

Scrub the lemons with water and a cloth to remove any dirt then pat them dry.  Set a lemon on one end and make a vertical cut 3/4 of the way through the lemon.  Do not cut it in half.  Turn the lemon upside down and make a second vertical cut at a 90 degree angle to the first cut, again not cutting all the way through the lemon.  Pack each cut with as much salt as it will hold.  Carefully place the lemon in the jar.

Proceed in this manner with several more lemons until the jar is tightly packed with lemons.  Push the lemons tightly together, fitting as many as possible in the jar.  Squeeze fresh lemon juice from the remaining lemons and add it to the jar, completely covering the salt-stuffed lemons.  

In a few days time the lemon rinds will begin to soften, and it may be necessary to add more fresh lemon juice.  Any piece of lemon that is not covered in juice may mold.  If this happens, simply cut off the mold and discard.  

The lemons are ready to use when the rinds are tender, in four to six weeks.

  

To use, remove the lemon from the juice and slice off a bit of rind.  Rinse any remaining salt and add to soups, stews, tagines, salads, or pastas for a bright, salty accent.  The pulp may be incorporated into sauces and salad dressings.  Enjoy!

This is my super-cute lemon juicer. My Mom gave it to me several years ago, and it's the only juicer I own. Isn't it funky and cool?!

Kugelhopf pan

The cake I just baked called for either a kugelhopf or a bundt pan. I wasn't sure what a kugelhopf pan looked liked, so I looked it up and found these photos. I thought I would share my findings!

It's basically a really pretty bundt pan. It would certainly make a simple cake look a little fancier!

My little indoor grill

Two springs ago I got it into my head that grilling is the absolute best way to welcome in the new season.  To my dismay I lived in an apartment with a strict rule against grills on the patio (a very smart restriction since the patio was made of wood and fire would spread quickly).  I had almost given up on the idea of grilling altogether when Charlie surprised me one afternoon with an All-Clad Double Burner Grill Pan.  We immediately began cooking everything on the grill, from chicken thighs to blueberries (quite tasty).  The grill pan performed beautifully and filled my apartment with the most wonderful smells of spring: grilled onions, bell peppers, scallops, tomatoes, mushrooms, skirt steak...  Every week I tried something new on the grill and invented a number of new recipes.

Two Marches later I'm still just as excited about the approaching spring and the lighter, fresher foods it promises.  This week I'm going to bring out the double burner grill pan and put it to good use!

My All-Clad Double Burner Grill Pan -- it performs very well on gas eyes.  I'm very pleased with how evenly it cooks and how much control I have over the temperature.  Also, the non-stick surface makes clean up super easy.