ORANGES IN MARSALA

This is a very simple dessert and easy to put together. It's also very pretty, the oranges a nice contrast to white dishes. I've often served this dessert to guests who are concerned about calories (even though this recipe contains half a cup of sugar). Be sure to cut all the rind off the fruit; the rind is bitter. See "How to Segment Fruit" elsewhere on my blog to show you how to get rid of the skin. With a sharp knife. But be careful of your fingers.

ORANGES IN MARSALA

serves 4

4 1/2 naval oranges

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C sweet Marsala wine

1. Squeeze enough juice from 1/2 orange to measure 2 T. Cut peel, including all white pith, from remaining 4 oranges with a sharp knife and discard, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4" thick slices.

2. Cook sugar in a dry small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Add juice and wine carefully (caramel will harden and steam and protest vigorously). Just continue to cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove sauce from heat.

3. Arrange orange slices, overlapping, in 4 shallow bowls and spoon sauce over fruit. Let macerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Note: can be prepared 4 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.

STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Like strawberries Romanoff, this dessert is also simplicity itself but with an entirely different taste. And intead of the Gulf of Finland, think of Tuscany or Venice. The deep flavor of aged balsamic vinegar makes an interesting contrast to the sweetness of strawberries. Be sure to used aged vinegar; the regular stuff just doesn't cut it. Very romantic! Adapted from  Osteria di Rubbiara.

STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

serves 4

1 pint fresh strawberries

2 t aged balsamic vinegar

2-3 T sugar

1. Trim and halve strawberries. In a bowl, drizzle strawberries with vinegar and macerate at room temperature 15 minutes. Sprinkle stawberries with sugar and serve.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAILS

In view of our triumphs of yesterday, I suppose I should post a grand recipe for a wedding cake. But knowing that none of you will make one - and I sure haven't - I'll do the next best thing and post a recipe for a celebration drink, a Champagne Cocktail. This requires a champagne flute and if you don't have one, rush out and buy a couple of cheap ones at Crate and Barrel. Or if you want to spring for grand, Tiffany sells two in a lovely box, something I usually give for a wedding gift. You can use them every year to celebrate on the anniversary of this day (or yesterday) and again on your own anniversary.

This really is the most elegant cocktail there is. Naturally, it's best made with top-quality Champagne but it also contains bitters and sugar, which help to hide - or complicate - the taste of Champagne that's not the best. While there are several types of bitters, I recommend Angostura, a concentrated mix of alcohol, herbs and spices, which packs a powerful flavor. It is essential here.

CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

for each serving

1 small square of sugar cube, like the kind for coffee, but not the rectangular one

tiny dash of bitters

3-4 ounces of chilled Champagne

1. Place the sugar in the bottom of a champagne flute (not the birdbath kind)

2. Add the bitters.

3. Fill with chilled Champagne and serve

4. Pretend you're Cary Grant or, if you prefer, Deborah Kerr, in that soapy movie on board one of the Queens, going to see your grandmother in Europe and celebrate our day, or your own.

SUMMER PUDDING

This is an easy and not too sweet dessert that can be made the day before, always a plus in my book. Although I've never eaten it in Britain, I was told by the chef who gave me the recipe that it's traditional there and, like English triffle, uses what's left over in the kitchen. Of course, I never seem to have anything left over in my kitchen so I have to make a special trip to the market for these ingredients. Maybe you'll be luckier than I am.

SUMMER PUDDING

serves 4-6

1lb egg bread, cut into 3/8" pieces (best with crusts removed)

6 C berries (can be mixed, but not too many fruits with seeds)

1 C sugar

3 T lemon juice

whipped cream flavored with rum or brandy

1. Line a mold with plastic wrap and cover the bottom and sides with pieces of bread. (The plastic will help to hold the bread in place, but smash it in if need be. I use a souffle dish for my mold.)

2. Cook the berries with the sugar and lemon juice over medium heat, until the berries begin to release their juices. Place the berries in the prepared mold in layers: bread, berries, bread, berries, etc. finishing with bread on top. Cover the top with plastic wrap and put a weight on the mold to compress the mixture. Chill overnight.

3. Remove plastic wrap from top of the mold and release the pudding from the mold by using the rest of the plastic wrap to lift out the pudding. Remove wrap from pudding carefully and spoon or slice the pudding into portions. Serve with whipped cream, flavored with a little rum or brandy, if you like, or with  creme fraiche.

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOV (OR ROMANOFF)

Reminiscent of old Russia (or at least of the old Russian Tea Room in New York, once gone and now back again), this dessert is simplicity itself: just the berries, some Cointreau and sweetened whipped cream. Imagine having this dessert in some huge palace somewhere on the Gulf of Finland in a dining room lit only by candles. Small, wild strawberries and champagne, a string quartet playing Mozart or Chopin in the background. What romance!

STRAWBERRIES ROMANOFF

serves 4

Quarter 1 lb strawberries and gently toss with 1/4 C Cointreau and 2 T sugar, then macerate at room temperature, stirring twice, for 20 minutes. Whip 1/2 C chilled heavy cream with 1 T sugar until it just holds stiff peaks. Serve berries with their juices and whipped cream.

BLOG INDEX

Phil’s Favorite Food

Blog Entries

Index by Category (as of June 18, 2013)

This is a list of recipes posted on Phil’s blog, Phil’s Favorite Food. Each recipe shows the date of posting so it will be easier to find. These can all be accessed and downloaded at philsfavoritefood.blogspot.com

Drinks

Bloody Marys                                                              Feb 5

Creamsicles                                                               Feb 5

The Authentic, Traditional Mint Julep                          May 2

Hors d’Oeuvres

Bar Nuts (Phil’s Nuts)                                                 Jan 16

Roasted Eggplant Dip (for Chicken Curry)                 Jan 30

Artichoke Squares                                                      Feb 1

Jim’s Olive Tapenade                                                 Feb 24

Curried Cheese Spread                                              Mar 3

Rice Krispie Squares                                                  Mar 5

Creamed Mushroom Bruschetta with Onions            May 10

Mexican Appetizer                                                       May 13

Cucumber Pickles with Cheese and Rye Bread        May 20

Marinated Olives                                                         May 21

Olive Tapenade                                                           May 22

Pate                                                                             May 23

Caviar with Cream Cheese                                        May 28

Gala Cocktail Dip                                                        Jun 9

David’s Artichokes                                                      Jun 13

Soup and First Courses

Cold Curried Apple Soup                                            Jan 17

Corn Chowder                                                                        Feb 3

Melon Carpaccio                                                         Mar 4

Tomato Aspic                                                              Mar 13

Cold Tomato Soup with Cucumber and Melon          Mar 15

Easy Oysters Rockefeller                                           Mar 20

Minted Pea Soup                                                         Mar 22

Nancy Hernke’s Onion Soup                                      Mar 24

Watermelon Salad                                                      May 24

Senegalese Soup                                                       Jun 8

Pasta e Fagioli                                                            Jun 11

Cold Asparagus, or Zucchini, Soup                            Jun 12

David’s Artichokes                                                      Jun 13

Red Pepper Soup                                                       Jun 14

Butternut Squash Soup with Star Anise and Shrimp Jun 16

Salads and Dressings

Vinaigrette Dressing                                                   Jan 24

Ina Garten’s Green Salad Vinaigrette             Jan 24

Raita (for Chicken Curry Dinner)                                Jan 29

Sweetheart Salad                                                       Feb 14

The Best Caesar Salad Ever, No Kidding                  Mar 8

Chicken Salad Veronique                                           Mar 10

Aunt Nola’s Boiled Dressing                                       Mar 11

Chicken Salad a la Danny Kaye                                 Mar 12

Peggy’s Sweet and Sour Dressing                            Mar 16

Cobb Salad                                                                 Mar 28

Watermelon Salad                                                      May 24

Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Salad                         Jun 17

Meat

Beef Stew                                                                   Jan 19

Bill Blass’s Meatloaf                                                    Jan 20

Meatloaf, Maple Glazed                                               Jan 21

Country Style Sausage and Fried Apples                   Feb 7

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Prunes                            Feb 11

Lemon and Ginger Pork Roast                                   Feb 12

Beef Bourguignon                                                       Feb 16

Sauteed Pork Chops                                                  Feb 21

Veal Marsala                                                               Feb 28

Saltimbocca                                                                Mar 1

Pineapple and Molasses Spareribs                            Mar 2

Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce                             Mar 6

Choucroute a l’Alsacienne                                          Mar 23

Dinah Shore’s Meatloaf                                               Apr 2

Chili                                                                             Apr 7

Hot Dogs (with Pate)                                                  May 29

Chicken and Turkey

Chicken Cutlets                                                          Jan 25

Chicken Curry                                                             Jan 26

Chicken Stew with Italian Sausage                            Feb 1

Chicken Cacciatore                                                    Feb 25

Chicken with White Wine and Tarragon                     Feb 25

Turkey Tetrazzini                                                        Feb 27

Chicken Marsala                                                         Feb 28

How to Cook Chicken, Roasting, Poaching               Mar 9

Chicken Marengo                                                        Mar 25

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Grilled Chicken Breasts                                              Apr 9

Perfect Roast Chicken                                               May 11

Seafood

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Salmon Mousse with Dill Sauce                                 Apr 9

Mussels with Parsley and Garlic                                Apr 13

Crab Imperial                                                              Apr 17

Tartar Sauce, or Remoulade                                      Apr 18

Scallops with Leeks and Pernod                                May 3

Eggs

M & J Egg Casserole                                                  Feb 6

Cheese Souffle                                                           May 8

Bacon and Egg Pie                                                     May 14

Sue Ray’s Breakfast Casserole                                 May 15

Breakfast Casserole                                                   May 16

Cowboy Christmas Breakfast                                                May 17

A Simple Frittata                                                         Jun 3

Side Dishes and Vegetables

Corn Pudding                                                              Jan 22

Asparagus                                                                   Jan 23

Hashed Browns                                                          Feb 8

Tomato Pudding                                                         Feb 13

Haricots Verts in Mustard Sauce                                Feb 14

A Riff on Side Dishes                                                  Mar 14

Scalloped Potatoes (Gratin)                                       Mar 19

Fennel Potato Gratin                                                   Mar 19

Chunky Applesauce                                                    Mar 21

Comfort Carrots                                                          Mar 29

Barb’s Baked Mushrooms                                          Mar 30

Succotash                                                                   Mar 31

Brussels Sprouts                                                        Apr  1

Another Corn Pudding                                                Apr 12

Broiled Tomatoes                                                       Apr 15

Peperoni                                                                      Apr 20

Sweet Potato Spears, Molasses and Horseradish    Apr 23

Cooking Sweet Corn                                                   Jun 7

Fresh Peas and New Potatoes                                  Jun 10

Bread, Rice and Pasta

Basmati Rice (for Chicken Curry)                              Jan 28

Nann (for Chicken Curry)                                            Jan 29

Classic Macaroni and Cheese                                   Feb 17

Barb’s Mac and Cheese                                             Feb 17

Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese                                    Feb 17

Mark Bittman’s Mac and Cheese                                Feb 17

Giada de Laurentiis’s Mac and Cheese                      Feb 17

The Ultimate Mac and  Cheese                                  Feb 17

Lasagna with Sausage                                               Feb 18

Easy Cheese Lasagna (Weight Watchers)               Feb 19

Bert’s Vegetable Lasagna                                           Feb 19

Bert’s Tomato Basil Sauce                                         Feb 19

Nick and Tony’s Penne with Vodka                            Feb 22

Spaghetti Carbonara                                                   Feb 23

Noodles with Carrots and  Dill                                    Mar 27

Wild Mushroom Lasagna                                            Apr 3

Pasta with Four Cheeses                                           Apr 10

Jenny’s Keugel                                                            Apr 11

Baked Rice                                                                 May 4

Dessert

Macaroons with Ice Cream                                         Jan 24

Cardamom Pound Cake (for Chicken Curry)             Jan 31

Fresh Fruit                                                                  Feb 9

Tiramisu                                                                      Feb 26

Pistachio-Crusted Cheesecake                                 Mar 18

Warm Fruit Compote                                                  Apr 4

Alexander’s Apple Cake                                              Apr 5

Apple Brown Betty                                                      Apr 6

Chocolate Amaretti Cake                                            Apr 8

Sweet Potato Pie                                                        Apr 12

Ginger Pound Cake                                                    Apr 14

Sableuse                                                                     Apr 16

Pie Crust, Foolproof                                                    Apr 21

Derby Pie                                                                    Apr 22

Grandmother’s Key Lime Pie                                     Apr 24

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart                                   Apr 25

Cherry Tortoni                                                             Apr 26

Chocolate Flan                                                            Apr 30

Pernod Flan                                                                May 1

Uncle Dutch’s Pineapple Pudding                              May 5

Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies                                   May 6

$1000 Peanut Brittle Cookies                                     May 7

Rum Raisin Rice Pudding                                          May 9

Strawberry Short Cake                                               May 12

Hummingbird Cake                                                     May 25

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies                              Jun 15

Oatmeal Pecan Cranberry Cookies                           Jun 18

Other

Condiments for Chicken Curry Dinner                       Jan 28

How to Hard Boil Eggs                                                Feb 6

How to Segment Fruit                                                 Feb 9

Hints for Making Brunch Easier                                  Feb 10

Giada’s Bechemal Sauce                                           Feb 17

To Do Ahead                                                               Mar 8

Mom’s Pancakes                                                        Apr 19

A Riff on a Dinner Party                                              May 24

OATMEAL PECAN CRANBERRY COOKIES

These turned out to be so good that I just can't resist posting them. As inspiration, I started with a recipe from Ina Garten but decided to substitute and add, like any good cook should do when it suits his purpose. I'm sure you could use raisins instead of cranberries but that would make the cookies more usual. But if you can't find, or don't have the cranberries on hand, don't rush out to buty them. Just use raisins. And I'm sure you could substitute walnuts for the pecans but pecans are sweeter and have a more gentle flavor. Whatever the nuts, heat them in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes to bring out the oils. It intensifies the flavor. (Don't you just hate it when people say to cook for 5 to 10 minutes? I mean, one is twice as long as the other! Just use the time as a guide. After 5 minutes, check on the nuts to see if they've darkened slightly and if you can smell the flavor. If so, take them out. If not, cook them a little, but not a lot, longer. It's as simple as that.)

OATMEAL PECAN CRANBERRY COOKIES

makes 30 cookies (but see note below)

1 1/2 C pecans

1/2 lb unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 C dark brown sugar, lightly packed

1 C granulated sugar

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 t pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 C flour

1 t baking powder

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t kosher salt

3 C old-fashioned oatmeal

1 1/2 C dried cranberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until darkened in color and slightly crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop coarsely.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

4. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together into a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add the oats, cranberries and pecans and mix just until combined. (In order to keep the cookies light, you can add the cranberries and pecans with a spatula instead of using the mixer.)

5. Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop 2" mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with damp fingers. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the cookies to a baking rack  and cool completely. (I leave the cookies in the pans for 30 seconds or so, so that when I transfer them to the wire rack, they won't fall apart.)

Note: if you want to make more cookies, use 3 eggs instead of 2 and place the mounds close enough together so that the dough forms a complete sheet as it cooks instead of individual cookies. Bake a little longer, until the tops of the cookies are slighly brown and then remove from the oven. Cool the dough in the cookie pan and when cool enough, slice with a sharp knife into squares or rectangles. In order to bake the cookies to the same doneness, I switch the pans from lower to upper racks in the oven halfway through the cooking process. To be sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature, I leave them out overnight.