All posts tagged: travel

pavlova with berries and custard

Pavlova with Berries and Crème Anglaise

Published by Kathy Hunt

I have this thing about pavlova. I love it! This meringue-based dessert possesses a crisp exterior, slightly chewy but soft interior, and an ethereal lightness and sweetness that never disappoints. When topped with macerated fruit and whipped cream, that crisp meringue transforms into a luscious and juicy treat. During a stay on New Zealand’s South Island I tried countless takes on this dessert. Pavlovas with fresh mango, passion fruit, or kiwi tumbled over top. Pavlovas with cooked or macerated berries or cherries cascading down the sides. Pavlovas hollowed out and filled with almond custard or vanilla créme anglaise. The variations seemed never ending. New Zealand or Australia? The debate goes on. For almost a century debate has raged over whether New Zealand or Australia invented the pavlova or pav, as it’s often called. Australians claim that Perth chef Herbert Sachse made the first at the Esplanade Hotel in 1935. New Zealanders point to its inclusion in a 1927, NZ cookbook. The cookbook came out a year after the dessert’s namesake, Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, visited New Zealand. …

potato tagine

Potato, Preserved Lemon & Picholine Tagine

Published by Kathy Hunt

With travel on the back burner indefinitely and my wanderlust still intact, the number of international flavors and recipes coming from my kitchen has soared. If I can’t poke around a souk, bazaar or mercado, at least I can cook as though I’ve been shopping in one. That’s how Potato, Preserved Lemon and Picholine Tagine came to be. Featuring North African ingredients and cooked in a tagine from Essaouira, this dish evokes warm days spent wandering the labyrinthine, cobbled lanes of ancient medinas and dining on aromatic couscous, basteeya and, of course, tagines. How tagines work My favorite and most useful souvenir from Morocco is a terra cotta tagine. An engineering wonder, it consists of two parts: a circular, shallow pan and the large, conical-topped cover that fits inside the base. The cone shape allows condensation to cascade back down to the casserole, creating a rich, reduced sauce. The lid has a small knob on the top, providing cooks with something to grasp when removing the cover to check on the bubbling contents within. How …

cookbooks 2020

In 2020 Give the Gift of Cookbooks

Published by Kathy Hunt

Most of us have done a lot more cooking and baking in 2020. I know that I have and not just because I’ve been testing recipes for my cookbook Luscious/Tender/Juicy (Countryman, 2021). More time at home has meant more time spent in the kitchen, working through some fascinating food titles. Among the books in which I’ve found comfort and inspiration are two baking and two vegetable-focused cookbooks, a celebration of contemporary Black cooking, food narratives with recipes for fall, winter and Christmas, a restaurant history, and the foods and traditions of one of my favorite cities, Copenhagen. If you have cooks, bakers and/or readers on your holiday shopping list, the following titles will delight them. Arranged in alphabetical order, they comprise this holiday season’s cookbook review. 2020 Cookbook Review Copenhagen Food – Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille, 2018) In Copenhagen Food Trine Hahnemann takes readers on a culinary tour of Copenhagen, her home of 40+ years. Each chapter highlights a different neighborhood and its specialties. With stories and photos of the city, famed restaurants, public markets and …

mushroom vegetarian cheesesteak

All Mushroom, No Steak Mushroom Cheesesteak

Published by Kathy Hunt

Saint Augustine advised, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So, when quarantining outside of Philadelphia, the cheesesteak capital of the U.S., I started making cheesesteak sandwiches but with a little twist. Instead of thinly sliced beef, I used the “meat of the vegetable world,” mushrooms. The result was a lighter, less fatty but no less delicious mushroom cheesesteak. History of an iconic sandwich Legend claims that, in 1930, tired of dining on hot dogs, brothers and South Philadelphia hot dog stand owners Pat and Harry Olivieri asked a local butcher for beef scraps. The two fried this beef alongside some onions from their condiment tray and stuffed the mixture into rolls. When a passing cab driver asked to buy their hot, juicy dinners, a culinary classic was born. By the 1960s, cheese topped the beef, giving the sandwich its name, “cheesesteak.” Roughly 90 years after its inception, a debate rages over what makes a great cheesesteak. Some swear by cheese, while others demand Cheez Whiz, the topping used at Pat’s King of Steaks, …

Eton Mess

Go ahead. Make a mess, an Eton Mess!

Published by Kathy Hunt

When I first heard the term Eton Mess, I imagined a scandal or fiasco, something, well, messy. What I didn’t think of was a luscious British dessert that you neatly eat with a spoon. Yet, that is exactly what a mess is. Funny name. Funnier origins. How this sweet got its unusual name is the stuff of legends. It all began in the 19th century, at a boys’ boarding school in Southeast England, with a clumsy cook who had questionable views about sanitation . . .. Watch the video below to learn more. Eating local Because I have this obsession with consuming signature foods in their native lands–remember last month’s post about Russian herring under a fur coat?– I have to eat at least one Eton Mess while in England. Sure, I could make this simple dessert at home. In fact, I often do. Yet, there is something special about trying a dish in its country of origin where it’s steeped in local ingredients and folklore. England’s spectacular Eton Mess is no different. Ingredients for …

herring under a fur coat dish

Herring under a Fur Coat

Published by Kathy Hunt

I am a bit obsessed with eating famous dishes in their countries of origin so it’s no surprise that, while visiting St. Petersburg this summer, I had to order Herring under a Fur Coat. This Russian specialty features layers of sour cream, grated carrots, beets, potatoes and hard-boiled eggs blanketing herring fillets. In Russia it’s called shuba or seledka pod shuboi, which roughly translates to Herring under a Fur Coat. In my world it means a moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious meal. Traditionally, Russians eat Herring under a Fur Coat at New Year’s Eve gatherings. It’s a staple of the holiday buffet table and, as I experienced, a common offering in restaurants. Savory and quite filling, it can serve as a starter, salad or entree. I had it for lunch as well as dinner and managed to eat it every day during my all-too-brief, 72-hour stay. That’s how extraordinary this dish is. Fresh herring fillets Living on the U.S. East Coast, I can access herring fairly easily. Usually, I buy it in pickled and smoked …

big bowl of Moroccan couscous salad

Inspired by travels in Morocco, it’s Moroccan Couscous Salad

Published by Kathy Hunt

A food copy editor once advised me not to mention travel so much in my work. It made me, in her words, “sound like a spy.” I had to chuckle because, with my voluminous, flame-colored hair, perpetual, toothy smile and inability to keep a poker face, I would be the world’s most recognizable spy. Because travel informs so much of my writing and cooking, I laugh about this, too. How could I not mention sunny Morocco when discussing Moroccan couscous salad? I couldn’t. Morocco’s national dish That brings me to this month’s offering, Moroccan couscous salad. Once the national dish of Morocco, couscous consists of tiny, steamed balls of semolina. To prepare this food, Moroccan cooks may use a couscousiere, which resembles an oversized double boiler. Desiring authenticity, I had picked up one of these big pots at a souk in Marrakech. After dragging it over the Atlas Mountains, to the Western Sahara and back to Kennedy Airport, I promptly shoved the aluminum contraption into a closet. Unfortunately for my couscousiere, I had found instant …

What Would Tea Be without Scones?

Published by Kathy Hunt

Scones. They’re one of the most British of all British dishes and something I’ve been baking for years. What can I say? I’m an Anglophile who spent her childhood immersed in the British punk and new wave scene, BBC television and the works of every 19th and 20th century British writer that the New Castle Public Library carried. When asked what I wanted as a high school graduation gift, I didn’t beg for a car or a trip to the beach with friends. I wanted a ticket to London and a pair of black Dr. Martens. (I instead got luggage, which I never once used.) Ten years later I finally made it to England, bought my black, 1461 Docs and had my first English tea with scones and clotted cream. That initial tea hooked me on those luscious, little biscuits, and I’ve been making variations of them ever since. Origin of Scones The word “scone” has been around since the 16th century and reputedly comes from the Scottish “sconbrot.” It refers to a soft, flat, …

mushroom soup, beer and potato pancakes

Creamy, No-Cream Mushroom Soup

Published by Kathy Hunt

This past December marked the four-year anniversary of almost moving to Prague, Czechia, or, as it was called then, the Czech Republic. As someone who has always wanted to live abroad, I was set for this new adventure. I’d figured out where I’d get my morning coffee, buy English-language books and learn how to understand, if not master, the Czech language. In a land where pork and potato dishes reigned, I even knew what I’d cook and eat. It wouldn’t be klobása (kielbasa), gulas (pork or beef stew) or schnitzel. Instead I’d make the country’s many versions of creamy mushroom soup. Mushrooms everwhere From late spring to early fall Czechs, like other Central Europeans, forage for wild mushrooms. Once collected and cleaned, the mushrooms might be breaded and fried, made into a pudding, added to scrambled eggs, sautéed or pickled. They may star in the entrée mushroom loaf, in a sandwich, as a salad or sauce or in a hearty soup. Similar to the ever-present potatoes and dumplings, mushrooms make their way into most meals. …

maple leaf lollipops

Canadian Pure Maple Sugar for Maple Sugar Cookies

Published by Kathy Hunt

After a recent trip to Montreal I walked away thinking that Canadians couldn’t get enough of maple. Whether at a market, bakery, cafe or restaurant I saw such treats as maple lollipops, cookies, doughnuts, pies and cakes. At one coffee shop I even added maple sugar to my maple latte. Maple’s popularity and prevalence should surprise no one. Canada produces over 70% of the world’s pure maple syrup. Over 90% comes from the province of Quebec, where Montreal is located. Back at home pure maple sugar and syrup aren’t as easy and inexpensive to obtain. At my local farmer’s market I will pay $9 for five ounces of maple sugar. At my neighborhood grocery store I’ll fork over $12 for eight ounces of this sugar. Online it’s still fairly pricey. Plus, I have to wait for it to be delivered. Since I’ve had a sinus infection and felt unmotivated to grocery shop, I decided to make my own maple sugar and maple sugar cookies. Yeah, I felt too lousy to go out but I didn’t …