Metro Cooking Show Hits Foodie Home Run

The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show was in DC this weekend.  Celebrity Chefs Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay, local chefs Cathal Armstrong and Todd English, an army of culinary experts and a huge convention hall filled with gourmet vendors all landed at the DC Convention Center this weekend to present a culinary event that was nothing short of foodie heaven!

The show felt somehow re-energized this year…there seemed to be more interesting vendors,  the main halls were laid out better,  there was less pushing and shoving and there were more smiles on the faces of all the foodies who attended.   Amongst the jaw-dropping array of olive oils,  balsamic vinegars,  hot sauces,  spice blends,  razor-sharp knives,  miracle-slick cooking pans,  home remodelers,  bakers,  authors,  choclatiers,  wineries, breweries, etc.,  we saw many truly outstanding products worthy of any foodie’s pantry.

These saucers in foil bags were among the more uniquely packaged products in the show.

 

This Greek dipping sauce was beautifully prepared and a bottle fell into our bag very quickly.

One of our favorite stops was the Anastesia Vodka table with samples of this lovely Oregon-based vodka that was so smooth that it truly gives challenge to our favorite Polish vodkas.

The Taste of Turkey space was a consortium of purveyors of sweets, cook book and all things Turkish.

Lilly’s Gourmet Maple Butter and Artisan Caramels from Choquette were two decedent yummies that we couldn’t pass by for holiday gift giving.

Don’t tell anyone but we made several sneaky passes by Alexian’s Pate table with their three varieties of goose, truffle and duck goodness…sooo good!

And the crowds loved the ingenious tool for perfectly cracking raw eggs.

Local restaurant owner and Chef Cathal Armstrong showed us his grandma’s recipe for the perfect turkey & stuffing.  Everyone learned something new from Chef, including the fact that a turkey can stay warm for almost four hours without drying out.

Only Guy Fieri, the star attraction of this day, could charm the audience into beating up a pork chop with humor and a hammer.  Guy’s show was almost stolen by his “emcee” - local ABC news anchor Leon Harris, as the two traded one-liners better than any open-mike night at a comedy club.

This was truly a fun show.  There were hundreds of samples available for tasting and sipping…in fact more than any sane person should attempt.  But that why this show is a foodie’s best dream.  Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining shows take place in several cities around the U.S. so watch the papers for a date near you – it’s worth it!

Home Made Farmer's Cheese

Farmer’s Cheese is a delicious cheese used quite frequently in Polish cuisine, 

especially in baked goods such as the sweet pierogi,  cheese cakes or the sweet crepes found in our books.


During our visits to Polish heritage festivals and during our many programs, we’re often asked what is Farmer’s Cheese and where can it be purchased.  The answers are simple…Farmer’s Cheese is a white cheese, (in Polish called Twaróg) with a very unique, mild, somewhat salty flavor.  Reminiscent of Feta cheese, it is essentially a pressed cheese since the curds are often squeezed into a brick or ball to remove the excess liquid. 

Farmer’s Cheese can be purchased in many upscale grocery stores, especially around the holidays, and in most Eastern European deli’s.  But more importantly it can be made at home very easily.  It’s delicious, easy and it can be a fun project to do with the kids.

Here’s a recipe for making your own farmers cheese adapted from one of our favorite resources for Eastern European food: 

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/cheeses/ss/Step-By-Step-Instructions-For-Making-Farmers-Cheese.htm

• 2 quarts pasteurized whole milk (do not use ultra-
         pasteurized milk)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1½ teaspoons salt, or less to taste
• Butter muslin or fine cheesecloth
• Butcher's twine

1. Heat the Milk to 180 degrees - In a heavy pot, over low heat, slowly heat up the milk, stirring often, until it is just about to simmer (180 degrees)

2. Stir buttermilk into heated milk. Then stir in the vinegar.

3. Turn off the heat and very slowly stir until the milk begins   to separate into curds (solids) and whey (liquid).  Let sit        undisturbed for 10 minutes. 

4. Meanwhile, wet the butter muslin  or two layers of fine cheesecloth that is large enough to line a colander and hang over the sides. Place the muslin-lined colander over a bowl to catch any whey.

5. After the mixture has sat undisturbed for 10 minutes, use a skimmer or slotted spoon to ladle the curds into the cheesecloth. Allow the curds to drain for 10 minutes.

6. Gather the cheesecloth around the cheese curds into a ball and tie off at the top with the butcher’s twine, leaving two or three extra inches of twine at the ends of the knot. 

7. Tie the ends of the string to a wooden spoon or dowel, and hang the cheese curds over a pot or container to collect any remaining whey and continue draining for 30 minutes.  Squeeze the ball to remove any remaining liquid. 

8. Open the bundle and transfer the cheese curds into a bowl.  Break up the curds slightly and stir in the salt.  The stirring action will break up the cheese into dry curds.  Use your hands to then mold the cheese into a ball or brick shape, or just leave it crumbled.   Transfer to a nonmetallic storage container, cover and refrigerate. Use within 5 days.

Here is how Laura’s cheese looked when she finished – it did not take her long and it was quite easy. 

Smacznego!

Duck Blood Soup (Czarnina) …One More Time!

Witamy!  This Blog has been on the web for almost four years and this is our 100^th post.  During that time, and during all of the visits we have made to Polish Heritage Festivals, the most frequently asked questions revolve around Czarnina – the classic Polish Duck Blood Soup.  So many folks remember it from their childhood and this is one dish that you either love or hate – there’s no in between.   Over the years Czarnina has become one of legendary memories that grows with age (just like that huge fish that got away) but I suspect the legend has overshadowed the actual taste…duck’s blood??  Really? 

Even though I can’t get my head (or taste buds) comfortable with the notion of sipping the blood of a duck, even cooked, we would have included it in our book, if the ingredients were easier to find.  I called our favorite butcher and was told that fresh ducks were readily available, but only cleaned and dressed.  I checked in the local international grocery stores, and found frozen cow’s blood but no duck blood.  With all the regulations on commercial food handling, I’m guessing that no one will guarantee the freshness and safety of the blood.  I suppose one could get fresh blood directly from a farmer...if one knew a farmer…but I don’t. 

A couple of years ago we posted this recipe for “mock” Czarnina which was adapted from a very old traditional recipe and it generated a lot of hits on this website.  So we’re posting it again for your pleasure and culinary enjoyment.  The recipe avoids real duck blood but it still gets a lot of flavor from prunes and from fresh or smoked neck bones, either pork or some variety of fowl – whatever you can get.  Try it and let us know how it worked. 

Ślepo Czarnina – Bloodless (or Blind) Duck Blood Soup

Serves 8

·        3 pounds meaty fresh or smoked neck bones, pork, turkey, duck, etc.

·        1 pound dried prunes, pitted

·        1 stalk celery

·        1 sprig parsley

·        1 bay leaf

·        5 whole allspice

·        2 whole cloves

·        ¼ cup raisins

·        1 small tart apple, chopped

·        1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice

·        ½ to 1 tablespoon sugar

·        2 cups light cream

·        4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·        Salt and pepper to taste

1.     If using fresh neck bones, blanch, drain and rinse them.  Place blanched or smoked neck bones in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.

2.   While the bones are coming to a boil, make a small bag from cheese cloth (or a clean cotton hankie) and place in it the celery, parsley, allspice and cloves.  Add it to the soup pot, reduce heat, add vinegar and bay leaf and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.

3.   Add prunes and season slowly with sugar, salt and pepper (go easy on the salt if using smoked neck bones).  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer slowly, partially covered, for 1 hour or until meat falls off the bone.  Remove the neck bones from the pot.

4.   Taste again and adjust the seasonings, plus vinegar or lemon juice, to your own palate.  Add the seasonings slowly, and keep tasting.  The broth should have a slightly sweet note from the plums and sugar, but with a soft contrasting tartness from the vinegar or lemon juice.  Remove meat from bones and return the meat to the pot.

5.   Turn off the heat, cool soup and then refrigerate until fat is congealed on top for easy skimming and removal. 

6.   Just before serving, in a medium bowl, “cream” the cold soup by adding a few ladles of cold soup and slowly whisking in the flour and cream; and whisking (or blending) until very smooth and all the flour lumps are gone.  Pour this mixture back into the soup pot and heat gently until soup is thickened and any raw flour taste is cooked out.

  Serve over noodles, if desired.   Smacznego!

PS: there are several regional versions that make great use of fruit in the soup.  Pictured is one such version with pears and fresh plums.