Getting Ready for Chef Juan

Our next Boquete Gourmet cooking class features Juan Linares, Professional Chef and exceptional teacher, presenting “Famous Historic Dishes”. Juan will tell stories about six historic dishes and he will demonstrate how to make them, explain how they figured in history and share how they can be replicated today in Boquete and in your kitchen.

The class is totally filled at this time, and a waiting list of eager participants are standing by, in case someone is not able to attend. The dishes are unusual; Beef Wellington, Antipasto, Crepes Suzette, and three other unique dishes, making a full-course dinner for the attendees. This is culinary history revisited.

I have received the recipes from Chef Juan and they are all very interesting, full of unique techniques and blends of ingredients to be prepared on Thursday.

One of the tips we’ll learn is where to get ready-made puff pastry, right here in Boquete. There are two main dishes, Beef Wellington and Chicken Marengo, each of which have interesting and unique histories.

My shopping list is now complete and it should be quite easy to find everything the chef needs. Almost everything is available within 5 minutes of my kitchen. Juan uses ingredients that are mostly found locally, except for one.

The item that may be a bit difficult to find is real French foie gras, or fat goose liver pate’. We have a small delicatessen on Boquete’s main street, so I’ll begin my search there. If I can’t find it here, I may need to go down to David, a city about 45 minutes from Boquete. Almost everything can be found in David’s many huge supermarkets.

If you’d like to read more about foie gras, go to Wikipedia for the complete history, methods of preparing and serving this delicacy. Wikipedia provided this idea of serving it with pickled pears, it really looks delicious.

The entire menu from the class will be posted soon, along with one of the recipes from Juan’s recipe book.

Please keep checking this site for more details on this one-of-a-kind, historical class, and especially of how Chef Juan plans to use the foie gras.
Wish me luck shopping!
Cora

My Wild and Wonderful Lime Squeezer

In 1998, David and I were in Finland over the holiday season, exploring the Arctic Circle, dining in an igloo and studying Finnish design. At that time, I discovered what looked like the most unusual kitchen gadget I had ever seen, the “Jucy Salif’ lemon/lime squeezer, designed by Philippe Starck.

I wanted to get it at the time, but it seems way too pricey at over $100. It was made of aluminum and was one of most innovative kitchen gadgets I saw in Helsinki. The photo above was taken by John Watter, and it makes my new squeezer look very glamorous, which it is.

Last week, while touring Paris, I spotted the same tool again, the only time I had seen it since Helsinki. This time, I bought it and brought it back to Boquete with me, to my huge delight! I love it – - – isn’t it beautiful?

It works exactly like you would imagine, the lime juice follows the grooves in the squeezer and drips perfectly into the glass, no squirting or splashing. Can you see the drop of lime juice in my photo?

Philippe Starck designed the juicer for Alessi back in 1980, and there is an abundance of information available about this creative French designer at www.wikipedia.com. You can now buy one at Amazon.com for $94.00.

Now, what to make from our prolific limes that grow in our garden? Easy and fast, simple and luscious, would be my adaptation of Aurora’s Avocado Ceviche, from my new book, Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook.

1 avocado, peeled and cubed
4 small limes, juiced
1 large dill pickle, finely diced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Place avocado and lime juice in a small bowl and marinate about an hour. Combine all other ingredients in another bowl and add marinated avocados. Note that the amounts of some of the ingredients are changed slightly from the original, as I wanted to use it as a salad dressing. Stir lightly and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with crackers or as I served it, a dressing over chopped lettuce.

In France, I paid about half the stated price as Amazon’s price, but I’m sure the trip over to Europe wouldn’t pay that difference for you.

If you have a lime/lemon squeezer you love, please let me know about it.

Happy squeezing!
Cora

Extravagant Chinese Noodle Salad

The word “extravagant” hardly seems to be the word to describe a Chinese Noodle Salad, unless you dined at the last Boquete Underground Dinner.

Bistro Boquete Chef, Lauretta Bonfiglio prepared the most decadent, delicious noodle salad that any of the diners had ever tasted. Some of Lauretta’s guests ordered a second helping, it was so yummy. It wasn’t any ordinary noodle salad, it had peanuts in it, mushrooms, broccoli, sesame seeds and more. This was a most unique creation.

Here’s my dilemma; should I ask Lauretta for her recipe or shall I try to duplicate it myself? I’m wondering if any of the diners at this dinner tried to make this outstanding dish themselves. It was the best salad many of us ever had, it’s so intriguing to taste so many ingredients in one dish, and yet to be so light and “fluffy”.

I decided to try to make Lauretta’s salad myself and this is my attempt at making Peanut, Sesame, Noodle Salad, and I call it my
Spurious Chinese Noodle Salad
3 packages ramen noodles, cooked
1/2 head cabbage, finely sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup small broccoli heads, blanched
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
5 green spring onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cocktail peanuts for garnish
3 tablespoons sesame seeds for garnish

Dressing
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, cleaned and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili oil

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss lightly with fingers, as Lauretta is doing in the first photo above. Whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and pour into a squeeze bottle with small spout. Make a huge, extravagant portion, as everyone will want lots of this salad.

Pile the salad onto beautiful salad plates, it’s fine to use your hands, real chefs do it that way. Squeeze on a generous portion of dressing as Lauretta is doing, sprinkle on the peanuts and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Remember, this is my recipe, but it turned out very delicious. That’s why I call it “spurious”, it’s not Lauretta’s recipe, but a good fake. I’ll ask Lauretta for her “real” recipe as soon as she gets settled into her new restaurant, The Bistro Boquete. It’s been remodeled and it looks beautiful.

I’ll let you know when the new restaurant opens. In the meantime, try making your own Chinese Noodle Salad, it’s a wonderful dish!
Have fun faking!
Cora

Everyone Loves Snickerdoodles!

My grandmother Sadie, baked Snickerdoodles since she was a child. She remembers having them all during her childhood home in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a favorite with her mother. She served them regularly in her boarding house near the old paper mill.

Trying to find the origin of this peculiarly-named cookie, my research revealed that the first time the name was used was in Iowa in 1902. Many similar recipes appeared as early as 1700s, but the first known cookies called “Snickerdoodles” were made from Mrs. John Montgomery’s recipe.

Mrs. Montgomery was one of the Estherville Housewives, in their published cookbook collection entitled “1902 Cookbook: A Collection of Tried Recipes”, Mrs. Al Barnum and Mrs. S.I. Delavan editors. On page 80 of the book appears this Snickerdoodle recipe: Three cups of flour, two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, two eggs, two teaspoons of cream of tartar, one teaspoon of soda. Drop in a pan and sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon over each. Bake in a quick oven.

Since then, modern writers have claimed all sorts of origins for this recipe, as you can see if you Google its name. I’ve always loved my grandmother Sadie’s Snickerdoodles and I make them often in my own home. Her recipe is a bit different from the original recipe, but they always get rave reviews. I baked a batch of tiny Snickerdoodles for a recent party, and 69 cookies disappeared in minutes!

SNICKERDOODLES
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs and beat until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Blend mixtures together and refrigerate 15-20 minutes. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon together. Shape chilled dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar and place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 400F degrees until cracks appear, 8-10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

This is a popular, old family recipe passed down to me by my Grandmother. Similar versions are found in many cookbooks today.

Savor a Snickerdoodle with a delightful cup of Sitton coffee. They just seem to go together, Sitton coffee and one of Sadie’s Snickerdoodles! The results are irresistible, always garnering rave reviews.

How could I resist including my grandmother’s Snickerdoodle recipe in my new cookbook, “Boquete Gourmet Community Cookbook”, available at the Bookmark Bookstore in Dolega, just south of Boquete. At an upcoming Tuesdays Morning Market, you may be lucky enough to taste one of these delicious little treats and at the same time purchase a copy of this very unusual Boquete cookbook that includes recipes from 46 local residents. It’s sure to become a classic collection of Boquete cuisine.

Enjoy a Snickerdoodle today!
Cora