Recipe: Carrot Cake

This is the Carrot Cake recipe we use in the restaurant. I love it because it is light, non-oily and tastes great. It is also reasonably healthy as it is not high in added sugar. Actually, we joke about it being a great breakfast since it has vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs and, when iced, dairy.  And my local diabetics see little change in their blood sugar levels when they have one of our usual slices. I just know that I've never been more pleased than with this recipe.

Amberwind has called it the "World's Best Carrot Cake" over most of the last 10 years and only 3 people have ever disagreed with him. You'll have to come in and eat at the restaurant or get my cookbook when its in print to find out why they disagreed.

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Take a 10" round baking pan and spray with pan spray and then lightly flour. To make the cake:

• 3 cups grated carrots (feel free to use a food processor grating wheel)
• 2 cups sugar, I prefer turbinado
• 2 cups all purpose flour or 1 1/3 cups all purpose & 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup raisins &/or currants
• 1 Tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg, ground
• 1 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch coriander seed, ground
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 cup canola oil

1. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl EXCEPT the eggs & oil.
2. Beat the eggs and oil together and add to the bowl and mix by hand to prevent over beating.
3. Pour all the batter into the baking pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour.
4. Spin the cake from front to back and bake approximately 15 minutes more. Test with a toothpick- it should come out clean when inserted towards the middle of the cake; the cake will also have begun pulling away from the sides of the pan.
5. Let cool about 1 hour on a cooling rack. Run a thin pointed knife around the edge of the pan when cool enough to comfortably handle.
6. Put a plate large enough to completely cover the cake pan upside down on top of the pan. Turn over holding plate and pan as one. Lightly tap them both on a counter or table, all around the edges. Cake will detach from the pan to sit upon the plate. Ice when cool, or refrigerate until ready to ice.

This frosting is quick and easy and makes the cake a classic:

• 15 oz cream cheese or neufchatel low fat cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar (you can sift it, but i usually don't bother unless its real clumpy from humidity)
• 2 1/2 Tbs 2% milk
• 4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 pinches nutmeg

1. Using a stand mixer or electric beater, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Add all the other ingredients and beat until smooth.
3. Refrigerate finished icing until you are ready to ice the cake. Re-beat if chilled before icing.
4. TO ICE: Cut the cake into 2 layers with a long serrated knife. Spread a nice but not too thick layer of icing between the layers of cake. Use the rest of the icing to ice the entire top and sides of the cake. This icing is rich enough you don't need a lot and the recipe doesn't make an overwhelming amount.
5. Serve. Refrigerate any unused portion- it will last up to 2 weeks when stored into a burpable plastic container.

Yield: 20 slices/cake.

Most people don't know that restaurants and bakeries often prebake their cakes and then wrap the cooled cake well and freeze them- you can do the same. The cake will last up to a month in most home freezers when wrapped tightly. Defrost by taking it out of the freezer the day before icing it. The icing will last a week to 10 days before using if stored in a burpable plastic container.

It really isn't very hard or time consuming to make, so please try it. Enjoy!

A Tucson Sunday in Silver City

It seemed like nearly every table we had tonight was from Tucson. It was mostly a fun night, except the first table would have been happier at a pizzeria. (I don't understand why people don't get that they can't just ask for random changes in my recipes and expect to have the waitstaff just say, "Of course we'll do that." Their saying, "I need to ask the chef if that will be alright," is considered an insult by some. There is no realization that I have taken years perfecting the recipes I use and I am unwilling to have people just randomly tell me how it should be made before they have even tasted it. Its insulting. If that is an issue go to where you can, 'Have It Your Way.' I'm sure they will make you happier. And no, the changes requested were not medical/health related.)

We were busy and the Tucsonians were fun and enjoyed their experience. When a teenager who was obviously raised to try good food tells you that your restaurant was his best dining experience it gives one joy. After all, that is what we are striving for. Lots of folks had compliments to bestow. One couple even said several people they knew in Tucson had recommended us and that the friends were right about how good it was. They also said that some of their other friends would be surprised to find out how good the dining is in all of Silver. It speaks well for how far along restaurants have come in the 11 years I've been here. I want this town to achieve as good a reputation for the food as it has for the Art Scene and the Wilderness areas. Nights like this just reinforces that what I do has some significance. (Though I never forget that no matter how good it is it still turns to shit within 24 hours.) I'm glad I never became a doctor. This is SO much more fun, and if not as financially rewarding, so much more desirable a life. I hope you all feel the same about what you do.

Now, if one couple has their way I'll be on Tucson radio in the near future talking about food and the restaurant business. If it comes about, it will be great- except for the show is on at an ungodly early hour. Oh well, my Transylvanian genes will just have to deal with waking at dawn, versus going to sleep around then, for a change. (My great-grandfather and several of my other relatives were actually born in Transylvania. I always assumed that's why I'm a night person.) Coffee and more coffee will help.

(P.S.: Since the changes to the dish they ordered was ethnically correct and wouldn't have substantively  changed it I added the 2 desired ingredients. My waitstaff is taught to say, "I can subtract an item from a dish, especially for health & dietary reasons, but I'm NOT allowed to add to a dish without the chef's permission." I personally think this is a reasonable position to take.)

Life is Fun Once Again

I was reflecting with a nice couple from Tucson that, as I realize once again, how much my life has changed due to using a CPAP for my sleep apnea. I am still amazed that, though it took weeks before I saw any real change, how many medical problems have just disappeared; including the fact that I no longer have short-term memory loss. I'm loosing weight without having changed my diet and exercise habits. I've gotten back a sense of humor, strength of character, creativity and an extra level of joy in life. It still, at just strange moments, comes upon me that life is more than back to normal. And yet I can't believe that I lived as exhausted and unhealthy as I had for that long without fully realizing how bad off I had become.

If you ever take the tests and your recommended a CPAP, USE IT! Give it at least a month! Learn how to get over any claustrophobia with the mask as I did. It is well worth it in the end. But apparently many people stop within a week when they don't get dramatic/instant results. I urge such people to continue and not to stop for 30 days. Some of my health problems didn't start reversing until 2 months into the process, but at that point I had had such great advances that I had the patience to see how the changes would continue. I hope all who need one can find it in themselves to do the same. It will make life fun again- and the worst part is you won't know how much fun there really is in life until you've worn it long enough for it to work. Then the real fun begins!

Random Thoughts

1) S&P Downgrade is a joke- if they really knew what was really going on in the world why did they rate all that sub-prime crap as worth investing in? And then they base part of their argument on faulty numbers. It was because they don't like the present politics in Washington- I've got news for them, only ignorant idiots and those living under rocks think the congress and president have the cajones to do the right thing for the country. The Republicans will fight tax hikes for the uber-wealthy with their last breath and Democrats will sell out unions, Keynesian economic principles and their progressive base at a moments notice. The Dems will compromise away- as the Speaker of the House puts it- 98% of the store while Republicans cry, "Foul" and get away with it. And Obama will be cheerleader in chief as it all goes down.

2) Next recipe will be my Carrot Cake as I just promised on Twitter. The week after that I'll publish my Tunisian BBQ Sauce recipe; which uses Harissa as one of the ingredients.

3) Of the restaurants I say I recommend in my post about Competition, the following restaurants I have not eaten in but recommend due to the reviews by people I trust: Tre Rosa and 1zero6- though I ate at Jake's restaurant when it was Spaghetti Western several years back (he's never open on my day off so I haven't been able to try the new concept).

4) I told a couple of folks I know (that are not in the restaurant business) when our local Farmer's Market's Farm to Chef Challenge came up as a subject that I was once again going to have George, my sous chef, enter and that, without naming names, one of the local chefs was so competitive that he has lost perspective in my opinion. That was all I needed to say for them to know exactly who I was talking about. They said this was too small a town for the reputation he is getting. I was shocked that there was a reputation about this person's near mania to be Numero Uno. But then I'm either at work or at home and nearly never socialize at all. Guess I should get out more. They then told me that they like the chef but think this is going to bite him in the end. I'm too busy enjoying what I do to care about such crap, unless that person's mania affects me. Thus far, except for his jumping to conclusions about what I might or might not have done, it has not been an issue. Funny that I still recommend his restaurant to folks, but then I don't see him as a threat to my status- to be that I'd have to care about it in the first place. Chefs- well this chef- just wants to have fun. After all, it all turns to shit in 24 hours no matter what I do!

5) I'm off to bed now- Cooking Class tomorrow so an early morning. Goodnight Mrs. Kalabash wherever you are. (God, I'm old.)

Recipe: Harissa- a North African Hot Chile Paste

I first tasted harissa as a junior high school student at my friend Lawrence's home. They were a family of Moroccan Jews living in my Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn neighborhood; though they went back to Morocco for Summers, holidays and special family events. Lawrence and I were young enough that we used to drop water balloons on people from his bedroom window. His room was filled with hangings that the family had brought from Morocco and his mom- a great cook who taught me this recipe- looked just like the actress Lainey Kazan. One of the few things I find hard to forgive my parents for was their not allowing me to go to Morocco for the Summer as my Bar Mitzvah gift from Lawrence and his family. I understand why they said, "No". It was 1967 and the Six Day War had ended that June on the day I was Bar Mitvah'd. But like many American Jews before the Intifada my parents had an unfounded belief, at that time, that ALL Arabs were against Jews and Israel. I met many an Arab, including Palestinians, when I lived in the Middle East during 1973 that did not feel that way at the time and was welcome in many a home as an honored guest. Yes, times have changed, but the enmity between Jews and Arabs has not always been as sever as it is now.

Coming from a family that included Hungarian Jews, spicy food was something I enjoyed. Harissa is used at my restaurant alone or as an ingredient in several sauces. You can adjust the flavor and heat to your taste via what type of dried red chile you us. I like either New Mexico or Gaujillo. I streamlined the recipe with the use of a food processor, but feel free to use a mortar and pestle.

• 1 oz dried red chiles, destemmed
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 Tbs garlic, minced
• 1 scant tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1 scant tsp cumin, ground
• 1 scant tsp coriander, ground
• scant 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Pour boiling water over the chiles and let steep for at least 2 hours. If need be put a plate or other object over the chile to keep them under the water.
2. Drain peppers and put into a food processor with all the other ingredients EXCEPT the oil. As the processor runs, slowly add the oil. The result will be a paste.

You can also reduce the heat of the harissa by shaking the seeds out of the chiles- personally I don't bother.
Next week I'll give you a barbeque sauce using harissa as one of its ingredients.

P.S.: I did get to taste harissa with some hashish added lo those many years ago, but I recommend not using trying so with the present War on Drugs. It added a nice flavor but it didn't get me high, though I don't think I could have eaten as much of it as I did without the hashish- the chiles were extremely hot and the hashish made the harissa tolerable.

P.P.S.: "Scant" means a drop less than, just below level, for those who don't cook much.

The Day After

Well, the Markets are down. The consequences of the Debt Ceiling Bill will slowly begin to show- though most of the effects will be felt in 2012- and I have a day off.  So I'm going to forget about the Lesser Depression we're in (thanks for the turn of phrase Mr. Krugman) and go to the movies to see, "Cowboys and Aliens"- and ignore the world for a couple of hours. I'll post again sometime soon.

P.S.: Good business last night; but lots of folks due to a conference in town, just like Monday's business.

The Debt Ceiling

I've actually called or written my senators and the president urging them NOT to support the bill. (My representative is a far right nut job but I'll try him next.) Why? Because it will TANK the economy, is bad for the country and Obama once again breaks his promises and caves into the most extreme on the far right with a bill that has no rise in revenues for the wealthiest Americans. The economy of a country is NOTHING like the economy of families or businesses- they need not field an Army, look after thousands if not millions after a natural disaster or connect a 3000 mile wide swath of land with roads and other infrastructure. And debt is not always bad! Families go into debt for college, to buy a house or car. Businesses take loans to expand, buy equipment and buildings or to take over other businesses.

Conservative economist Bruce Bartlett of the Reagan administration and liberal Paul Krugman agree that this bill will help kill the struggling recovery we're in! Either the world is going to end because these 2 agree OR they are right. Austerity in Europe has brought the British, Italian and other several other nations economies to a standstill. Contrary to the Merkel government's protests that they would not stimulate their economy, Germany like China and India, has been stimulating its economy at a much higher proportion of its GDP than we ever did- and their economy is growing and thriving! And contrary to Republican obsession over destroying unions, as one of the most unionized nation on the planet. Worst of all, just like the cost of a loan will go up if America hits the debt ceiling, every country that has enforced austerity programs has seen their interest rates rise and in some cases dramatically. But countries that have spent on stimulus- yes it worked or we'd be in worst shape than we are, it just was tooooo small by a factor of 3 or more- have seen their rates hold steady or drop. Even our rates with the half-assed stimulus we did stayed low. Investors know the lessons of the Great Depression, that government spending is the only way to end it. They are rewarding the countries that are NOT doing austerity by investing at low rates because they expect recovery and growing recoveries. But austerity means slowed recoveries and stagnant economies- for that they want a better interest rate to guarantee they get their investment back.

I and my husband voted for Obama. We even became Democrats for the primary to vote for him then- though we are registered Independents. If he signs this bill it will be the last straw. We have both voted in every election and will do so in 2012. BUT we will not cast a vote for president if he is running. If we wanted destructive Far Right economics we would have voted for McCain- though maybe he wouldn't have told the Tea Party to fuck off and done better than Obama has. And if a Republican gets in?! Well he or she can't be much worse than what we have now. And if the new president makes things worse, maybe the general public will wake up as they have in Wisconsin and force the Democrats to do the right thing, while throwing out the worst of the right-wing  nut jobs.