Musings: Keeping Warm

I really thought with the rush of the Holidays being over, I'd have more time and motivation to get back into the kitchen, but it's taken me a lot longer than I expected. Last year was a busy and challenging year, and I hadn't realized how much it had sapped my energy until I was able to hit the restart button at the beginning of the new year. So in the last week or so I've been catching up, and taking a little time to review things.

One of the key things I've also been trying to do, like many people in the northern hemisphere, right now is stay warm! It's been a particularly brutal winter so far, and it's had me searching for soups and warming stews. A Slow-Cooker was under the Christmas tree this year, so I've been test driving it a lot in last couple of weeks.

This need for capturing warmth and coziness has also had me searching through old cookbooks to find cookie recipes that can stand up to being "dunked" in a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate - yummy! For some reason I've been obsessed with trying to find a recipe to replicate one of my favorites, that also happens to be a staple in many New Zealand homes - Gingernuts. Unlike other ginger cookies, these substantial cookies have a hard exterior making them perfect for "dunking" as they have the body to stand up to the hot liquid without disintegrating.

My quest to find the perfect Gingernut replica hit a wee snag on my first attempt. While the cookie had the right texture and looked good, it lacked the sweet spiciness I was searching for - to be perfectly honest, they looked great but tasted horrible. In a desperate bid to find a decent recipe for gingernuts before the next round of storms arrives, I decided to modify an old recipe of the past - the ingredients were the perfect blend of spiciness and sweetness but the texture never met my expectations - they would always come out a big blobby mess and more often than not, ended up spreading across the cookie pan into flat discs not worthy of dunking. So, with some coaxing and experimentation, I am pleased to announce SUCCESS. The perfect homemade gingernut worthy of dunking into your favorite hot brew. So, next time you're looking for a substantial, spicy cookie try my gingernuts...

Entertaining: Setting the Table

When you're entertaining, are you more concerned about how it looks? Or how it tastes? When most people entertain, their focus is on getting the menu sorted and the food prepared. It's not until those things are sorted out, that our attention is then focused on how to set the table. Unfortunately this is often an after thought and left to the very last minute. But think of it like a gift - you spend so much time selecting the perfect gift, would you then give it to the recipient in a plastic bag?! That's going to be a let down. So, when you're organizing a dinner party, think about how you want the table to look, because that is the meal's gift wrap.

Now winter isn't the best time to get reasonably priced flowers, and the selection is generally pretty shabby. So what can you do to create a table setting worthy of the beautiful meal you've just prepared for your guests? Here are some budget friendly ideas to help jump start your creativity and imagination.

There are lots of everyday items which can be used to create a beautiful tablescape. All you need to do is look around your house with an imaginative eye. Here are some ideas:

• Use mirrors or silver trays to create a runner down the center of the table, then place votive or pillar candles on the mirrors.
• Fill large crystal or glass salad bowls with water and add floating candles.
• Purchase long feathers of varying length from your local craft store and place them in ceramic vases to create an unusual and very sophisticated centerpiece.
• Baskets are perfect for creating rustic centerpieces. They can be filled with pinecones, nuts in their shells, candy, or potted spring flowers.
• Glass jars or containers are great for filling with colorful candy, marbles, sea glass or maybe something more natural such as seashells.
• Line shallow trays down the center of your table and fill with red or green lentils or maybe even red beans. Finish off the tablescape by nestling pillar candles on trays among the lentils or beans.
• Place a pillar candle in a hurricane lantern and then fill with coffee beans or star anise.
• Citrus is readily available this time of year, so stack lemons or oranges into bowls or on cake stands.
• Purchase large globe grapes and position in bowls or cake stands. The grapes can either be nibbled on between courses or be an informal dessert to finish off a heavy meal.
• Wrap small boxes in paper to match your decor, wrap with simple ribbons and stack in the middle of your table on a cake stand.
• Use long lengths of burlap as table runners.
• Use lightweight scarves as table runners.
• Stack books of varying shapes to create pedestals for candle holders.
• Lay lengths of ribbon down the center of the table over a light colored tablecloth and then cover with a coordinating sheer fabric. The sheer fabric will help keep the ribbon in place.

Your local garden center or home improvement store is the perfect place to pick up items that can be used for interesting and unusual tablescapes:

• Fill inexpensive terracotta pots from your local craft or garden store with potting soil and then top with moss.
• Drape pieces of ivy down the center of you table and then nestle votive candles in glass holders or jars amongst the branches.
• Arrange slate tiles down the center of your table, put large and small hurricane lanterns on the tiles, and then add moss to the spaces in between the candles.
• Put tree branches, budding branches or pussy willow branches into a large glass vase - perfect for a dramatic buffet tablescape.
• Fill faux bird nests with small foil wrapped eggs or candy - perfect for spring parties or baby showers.
• Put bundles of fresh herbs in bud glasses.
• Group pots of spring flowers in the center of the table. You could also create a raised platform by placing the pots on a cake stand.

There are some simple ways to stretch a small bunch of flowers into a unique and luscious tablescape:

• Cut the flower heads off the stems and float the heads in a shallow bowl or plate of water. Then float candles or position larger candles in the bowl.
• Group bud glasses or small jars, down the center of your table. Add a single flower to each vase/jar.
• If going with a standard centerpiece style, layer the greenery first, and then just use the flowers for pops of color.
• Choose flowers with large blooms such as chrysanthemums, daisies, and carnations - these will take up more real estate giving you a fuller, more opulent look. These types of flowers also last longer, so you can do the arrangement ahead of time without fear of wilting.

So you pulled it off, beautiful dinner, gorgeous table, wonderful evening - don't forget what you did. Try capturing that information in an Entertaining Notebook or even simply take a photo, that way you can replicate it next time for another dinner party or use some of the components to create a different look and feel. Remember, you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you have someone over.

• Faux Bird Nests
• Check out Nico De Swert's Floral Design videos for unique ideas and easy to follow "How-To's".

Cooking: Pomegranates

Using unusual or exotic ingredients is sometimes a great way of adding something a little special when you entertain. I'm always on the lookout for things a little different, something that will peak my guests interest. When selecting a new ingredient I like to take into consideration my guests tastes, as well as other flavors and textures being used in the menu. I'm not a believer of using an ingredient for the sake of it - it has to bring something special to the meal.

In the past I've bought Pomegranates. I've winkled the little seeds out, and then munched on them, often times covering myself in their indelible juice. But I've never actually used them when cooking and have never tried Pomegranate Juice, on it's own despite it being readily available in my local grocery store. So, recently when I was approached by POM Wonderful to try their Pomegranate Juice, I jumped at the chance. But before I launch straight into the "juice", I thought it would be good to investigate Pomegranates as a fruit.

Cultivated in tropical climates across the world, with main production of pomegranates coming from the Middle East and South America. Pomegranates have joined the ranks of "superfood" as they contain calcium, potassium, and iron, as well as phytonutrients which help protect against heart disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. High in antioxidants, pomegranates are thought to help reduce the impact of aging and neutralize twice as many free radicals as red wine and seven times more than green tea.

Pomegranates have their place in history. Long regarded as the symbol of love and fertility because of the fruits numerous seeds, pomegranates have been eaten and used for their medicinal properties for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians fermented pomegranates to produce a rich wine, and pomegranate seeds were often dried and used a condiment.

Buying and Storing

Pomegranates are a round baseball sized fruit that starts to appear in grocery stores in late summer, early fall. They have a thin yet tough skin which is generally either a reddish yellow or green color. This surrounds a mass of ruby colored pulpy seeds.

Pomegranates can be stored at room temperature for up to a week and for several weeks if refrigerated.

Uses

Pomegranates are a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern and Persian cooking as well as Asian cooking. The pomegranate seeds are used as a condiment in some cuisines; pomegranate concentrate is used in Lebanese dishes such as meatballs and stuffed fish; fresh seeds are frequently used in salads, in main dishes and scattered on couscous; juices are used in cocktails, marinades, dressings and soups; and crushed seeds are used in meat dishes from India and Pakistan.

Other Interesting Facts

• Pomegranates are a key ingredient in making Grenadine - a syrup used for coloring cocktails and aperitifs.
• Pomegranate juice can be used as an alternative to lemon juice
• The festive color of pomegranate seeds and juice make them a perfect ingredient for holiday entertaining.

Flavor Matching

Due to the sweet yet acidic properties of pomegranates, they are best used either with bold flavored ingredients that can stand up to the pomegranate flavor, or alternatively be used to compliment a bland flavored ingredient. Here's a list of ingredients which are a good match with pomegranates:

So it's off to the kitchen to start experimenting. We'll post the results soon...

Quick Tips: When Is A Cup Not A Cup?

Have you ever baked something and it didn't come out quite right? Was it either too dry or didn't rise? Have you thought, "well I don't like that cookbook" because of it?

I have to admit I've been a victim of this situation more than once. So, after being asked by several different people, I decided to find out what could be the problem.

Firstly, cooking and baking are completely different. The best why to describe the difference is by comparing them with another subject. Cooking is like painting a picture. You add a dash of this and splash of that and there you have it. Recipes are really guidelines that can be tweaked depending on whether you have a particular ingredient or not.

Baking, on the other hand, is really chemistry. The measurements need to be exact so that the recipe turns out correctly. Sure, you can change the flavorings and some of the ingredients, but the foundation of the recipe really needs to stay the same otherwise you'll have an unpleasant surprise with the outcome.

So when a recipe calls for a cup of something when cooking, it's okay if it isn't exact. But it's the direct opposite when you are baking - exact is the only way to go.

So, you say to me, "but I used the exact ingredients and the recipe still didn't come out right". Well, the problem could be what sized cups you used for the recipe because unfortunately, everyone doesn't use the same measuring system.

When someone develops a recipe, they use particular measuring cups, jugs and spoons. Many times the author will have a statement at the front or the back of the book telling you what measurements they've used for the recipe. Where things become a bit muddy is when you are using a recipe off the Internet or an international book or magazine. The recipes can be from anywhere and unfortunately, the same measuring system isn't used throughout the world.

So, you know where the recipe is from and you know what measurements have been used in the recipe and you're still having problems. By this time you're probably thinking that you should shelve that recipe and maybe even steer clear of baking. Well, there is one more thing for you to check and this is where it does start to get complicated.

Different countries use different measurements. Australians use a different measurement to the United Kingdom and the USA is different again - so where are your measuring spoons and cups manufactured? To further add to the confusion, in some countries, for example, the US, both the original imperial cups are available as well as metric cups. Unfortunately, many of them do not specify which they are - the only way to really know is by checking the milliliter equivalent if they have one written on it.

The best way to get around this situation is to use all one kind of measuring cup or spoon when you're baking but one step further is to choose recipes that use weights and fluid measurements rather than cups.