Stop the Press: I Saw a Chick Eating Steak!!

This article in the New York Times has pissed us off here at CrossFoodHQ. Standing under the banner of a particularly insidious brand of "feminism," — which is to say, not feminism at all— it falls into the loathsome trap of telling women what to eat if they want to get a man.

It purports to take the opposite view, of course—the chummy headline gives one hope that maybe women could just eat dinner in peace for a change— but then quickly dives headlong into anecdotes that are reminiscent of Scarlett O'Hara getting ready for the barbecue at Twelve Oaks.


The main point of the article is that women are ordering steaks on dates. Issues of newsworthiness aside, the gist of the article is that women are eating meat because it sends a message.

"“In terms of the burgers, it said I’m a cheap date, low maintenance.”"

Apparently, the salad strategy is out and the steak strategy is in.

"But others, especially those who are thin, say ordering a salad displays an unappealing mousiness.

“It seems wimpy, insipid, childish,” said Michelle Heller, 34, a copy editor at TV Guide. “I don’t want to be considered vapid and uninteresting.”

Ordering meat, on the other hand, is a declarative statement, something along the lines of “I am woman, hear me chew.”"

No, it doesn't— not if you're viewing it strictly as to whether or not it meets with a man's approval. A steak maybe as well be your insipid salad if that's the only reason you're ordering it. (Which, incidentally, doesn't do much for the vapidity quotient.)

However, the article congratulates these women on allowing men to dictate their menu because it displays a certain gameness that indicates you won't freak out if your boyfriend spends most Friday mornings puking up last night's buffalo wings.

"“Everyone wants to be the girl who drinks the beer and eats the steak and looks like Kate Hudson,” Ms. Crosley, 28, said."

But don't be too insulted. Here is the obligatory caveat.

Of course, there are always those rare women who order what they want and to heck with what a man might think.

Well, thanks for the grudging acknowledgment that there might actually exist women who eat a hamburger because it's what they want. And they will actually do it in front of a man, even though there might be terrible, awesome consequences. You know, just as if they were an actual person.

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Chicken Liver Pate

Who doesn't love a good pate? This one is super easy to make, tasty and uses Mace -- now, there's an under-utilised spice! The resulting pate is smooth and velvety, freezes well and will be ever so popular at picnics should the rain ever end.

Thanks to Delia Smith for this recipe. For those of you State-side, Delia is to the UK what Julia was to the US.

8oz chicken livers (225g)
6oz unsalted butter, room temperature (175g)
(Note, the original recipe doesn't state to use unsalted. I've tried the recipe using salted and unsalted, and prefer the results using unsalted.)
2 extra oz unsalted butter, for melting (50g)
2 tbsp brandy (NOT optional!)
2 tsp mustard powder (I use Colman's English Mustard)
1/4 tsp powdered mace
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme, or 1/4 tsp dries thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper

Melt about 1oz (25g) of butter in a heavy frying pan and saute the chicken livers over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Using a slotted spoon remove them from the pan and transfer them to a blender.

Melt the rest of the 6oz (175g) butter and add this to the blender. Deglaze the pan with the brandy then add to blender. Then add the mustard, mace, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper and blend until you have a smooth paste. Note: At this point, the paste may look a little runny, but not to worry as it will set in the fridge over night.

Next, pour the mixture into one large or a series of small containers. Pour the 2oz (50g) of melted butter over, leave to cool, cover with foil or cling film (plastic wrap) and put it in the bottom of the fridge for a day or two to set. Serve with hot toast or crackers and some cornichons. Very tasty.

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Chicken Shawarma Sandwich

A few years ago, when I was first figuring out how to make this, I couldn't find anything until I realized that it isn't spelled "schwarma." Pity. That's much more fun to type.

Mini and I had a conversation while we were endlessly pitting cherries last weekend where she asked me if I ever used allspice. And I slapped her for being so forward. Just kidding. But we were trying to think what else, aside from chunking it into spice cakes, it could go with. And after she left, I thought "Oh yeah. Chicken."



This feeds two.

1 pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. (Or breasts. Thighs is traditional, though.)
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
chopped lettuce (pick whatever. I don't know from lettuce.)

Marinade:
1 thing of plain yogurt
big splash of apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and smacked with knife a few times
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tablespoon allspice

Tahini sauce:
1/4 cup tahini paste
juice of 1/2 lemon (maybe a bit less)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and smacked once with a knife
1/4 tsp salt to start and go from there
2-3 tablespoons of yogurt

Other:
Pita bread or naan
Harissa or other hot sauce
Dill pickles

Mix ingredients for marinade in a bowl or glass baking dish.

Slice chicken into stripes. Put in marinade and stir to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Chop up your tomato, cucumber and lettuce and set aside.

Make the tahini sauce. You will spend at least fifteen minutes, if not more, combining the solid paste on the bottom of the tin with the oil floating on top. It's like the natural peanut butter from hell. You will get it eventually, but seriously? It takes a while. Sadly, it is necessary: It should be smooth enough to move with a whisk.

Add lemon juice and keep whisking. It will start to kind of seize up, but keep going and it should begin to take on a lighter color and creamier texture. Drop in your garlic clove and crush against the side of the bowl with a spoon until its well smashed up, then stir it in. Add salt. Add a tablespoon of yogurt and stir. Taste and adjust everything. If need be, keep adding yogurt until you get to a nice drizzling consistency.

Heat a little olive oil in a —actually, if you have a grill, grill the chicken pieces. Otherwise, use a cast iron skillet. Take the chicken from the marinade, shake off the excess, and cook over medium-high heat until done.


If you can find it, there a traditional type of thin pita break that you can roll these guys up in. Or you can use regular pita bread and stuff the pockets, but you're fairly guaranteed of leakage and breakage if you use those Thomas' ones. I like them open-faced on heated naan, because I loves me my naan.

Anyway, combine the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and chicken (and sliced dill pickles, and hot peppers, and chopped onion, etc.) in your bread vehicle of choice. Top with tahini and, if you're so inclined, a few shots of harissa.

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Green Tea Ice Cream

It is WAY too hot to cook. Amen, sister to not cooking and hallelujah to substituting ice cream as a summertime meal alternative. Well, maybe the last idea isn't the best no-heat cooking option, but hey, nothing helps beat the heat or fortify bones like ice cream.



My aunt gave me a Cuisinart ice cream maker a few years ago and when the weather approaches the unbearable, I pull it out. That time has arrived. With tomorrow's temperature predicted in the mid-90's, the Cuisinart is making its summer debut. Flavorful and creamy delights to ensue shortly. Since I started off the post advocating eating ice cream as a meal, I will try to counterbalance that suggestion with making a green tea flavored ice cream. After all, in eastern culture and more recently western culture, health experts have been extolling the virtues of green tea for ages. I even read somewhere that consuming green tea may help prevent tooth decay. Although I seriously doubt eating bowls of green tea ice cream would qualify. Let's call it a wash.

Ingredients:
2 cups of whole milk
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar
2-3 tablespoons green tea powder*

Combine sugar, milk and heavy cream in a bowl. Blend well with mixer. Add green tea powder. Mix again. Make sure powder gets blended in sufficiently. It takes awhile. You may have to use a spoon and smash the little clumps of powder against the side of the bowl to ensure the powder gets mixed in enough.

Follow instructions for your ice cream maker. The Cuisinart simply requires that I put the mixture into the pre-frozen bowl, insert the mixing mechanism and top and hit the start button. Turn on and let mix for 30 minutes or until a thick consistency is reached. I usually let my ice cream mix for about 45 minutes. Remove ice cream from bowl and put in a freezer container. Let chill for a firmer consistency.

Variation: Add more green tea for a stronger flavor (and color). I've made this recipe a few times and on each occasion added different amounts of powder. I prefer a more pronounced flavor and found that 3-4 tbspns work nicely. I only used 2 tbspns this time since I was making it for someone who likes a hint of green tea. Substitute the green tea powder for vanilla bean or extract. This will make a wonderful vanilla base. To cut down on the fat content, I use 1 or 2 percent milk instead of whole milk and mix-match the quantities of milk and heavy cream. I've found that the more milk you put in, the longer you will need to blend the mixture.

*available in asian food markets.

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It's Too Hot to Cook

Can I get an amen on that? It's been over ninety degrees for most of this week, with intermittent rainstorms that practically sizzle when they hit the asphalt and do nothing but add to the humidity. I spent the entire weekend sitting on the couch and panting like a dog. (And reading Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series. Man, I miss Harry Potter.)

However, salvation can be found in the fibrous folds of my friend the mango.

Mango and Avocado Salad.



The salad part:
1 mango, cut into chunks
1 avocado, cut into chunks




Salad dressing:

Confession: I suck at salad dressing. I am not one of those people who makes salad every night. Or, you know, ever. I don't really know the proportions, since I just have to taste and adjust and taste and adjust because I have no idea what I'm doing.

juice of half a lime
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. salt
shake of cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients in a bowl and get your whisk ready. Pour a thin stream of oil into the bowl, whisking all the time until the mixture emulsifies. (Which means that the acid is broken into enough tiny globules so they'll stay suspended in the oil and it won't separate. In case you were wondering.)

Pour over avocados and stir gently to mix. Refrigerate to let the flavors blend.

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Almond Apricot Tart

Right around the time when Mini was going on her cherry pie reverie, I woke up with a craving for almond apricot tart. Which is sort of strange because 1)I don't know if I've ever had one before and 2) I don't really care for fresh apricots. However, I firmly believe that cravings are your body's way of telling you what your cells are starving for, and apparently my cells spent all night yelling "FRANGIPANI!!"

Almond Apricot Tart


4 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced almonds (or chop them up)
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
6 apricots, sliced in half and pitted

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prebake this crust and let cool.

In the bowl of your beloved stand mixer, place butter, sugar, salt and almonds. Beat until combined -- about five minutes or more. Scrape down the bowl, and then add the egg and beat to mix.



Spoon mixture into bottom of tart shell. Top with sliced apricots. Brush tops of fruit with butter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is golden brown. Let cool before slicing. Good with ice cream.

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The Iconic Cherry Pie

It was a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon, and while our men were off doing manly things like playing pool, swigging beer, fixing motorcycles and such, my fellow blogger, Rathead and I were kicking it old school a la June Cleaver and baking homemade pie and various baked fruit filled concoctions. I will devote this entry to the cherry pie and Rathead will blog about the latter.


A few weeks ago I was telling Rathead about my admiration for pies, tarts and anything in the cobbler family, which rank second only to my love of BBQ and meat related products. The whole process of picking cherries and baking pies brings back wonderful childhood memories related to the cherry tree in our backyard. Every summer the branches would be overflowing with plump, juicy red cherries. Not wanting to let them go to waste, my grandmother used to invite all the neighborhood kids to help pick them. Various cherry picking duties would be assigned and we'd be off to work. We'd then form an assembly line and bake cherry pies for the neighborhood into the night. Each child would be rewarded with a cherry pie in return for his/her hard work.

Being that it is summer and fresh fruit is in abundance I commissioned Rathead to bake two cherry pies for me. I'm sure one pie would be more than sufficient, but in my enthusiasm, I hastily blurted out a request for two. Pie is good. Cherry pie is a very simple and delicious dessert. It is made even better by having homemade versus store bought pie crust. Either will do. My task was to go to the market and buy fruit. I had the misfortune of going during midday on a Saturday. However, with deft maneuvering and $24 later, I had 4 quarts of cherries bungie chorded to the back of my motorcycle.

Onto the pie. Please note that Rathead had pre-made the dough that morning. The delicious, buttery dough recipe is posted in the July 26, 2007 posting "Happy *&$% Birthday: Part I".

Ingredients:
9" pie crust
4 quarts of sour cherries, pitted and cut
1/2 -3/4 cup of sugar
almond extract
flour

Wash, pit and cut the cherries. Be sure to discard any nasty, wormy or mushy ones. Add sugar. Mix well. Stir in a few drops of almond extract. This can be done to taste. Be careful though because almond flavoring goes a long way.

N.B. 4 quarts of cherries is NOT enough to make 2 pies. It yields about 8 cups which for my pie was only enough to make one 9" pie and a smaller cherry tart.

Preheat oven to 400.

Follow instructions for rolling out dough. Place dough in a 9" pie crust. Take a handful of flour and sprinkle the bottom of the crust. The flour will help thicken the cherry juices as they cook. Spoon cherry mixture on top. Add about half the mixture then sprinkle some more flour on top. Add remaining cherry mixture and a little more flour.

Now for the big decision--selecting the pie crust top. Should it be a lattice top? a traditional covered top with slits to release the steam? a novelty top made from dough shaped cutouts? (cutout of pie maker's choosing). We pondered for awhile and decided on a lattice top.

Roll out dough and cut several long thin strips about 1/2" wide. Crisscross strips over pie.

Place pie on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil (which I didn't do). This will catch any spillage. Bake pie on middle shelf for about 40-50 minutes or until you can see visible signs of a golden crust or oozing juices. Gotta love the oozing pie juice.

Remove pie from oven, place on rack and let cool.



Serve with homemade or store bought vanilla ice cream.

Mmmm Mmmm good.

Depending on how sweet you like your pie, you may want to add more sugar. I used 1/2 cup. The pie was slightly tart. Served with vanilla ice cream, it was sweeter. I would've preferred more sweet, especially since I love sweet things--to the point that instant cavities form at first bite.

Variation: you can flavor the pie with many different spices such as nutmeg, allspice or the like. If you are using sweet cherries, you can even add some lemon juice to reduce the overly sweet quality of the cherries.

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