Potato Puree

We've all had that horrid experience of sitting down at a family event and being passed the dreaded bowl of glutinous glop called mashed potatoes...lumpy, thick and gooey and a far cry from what they should be. Not until I went to cooking school did I finally learn the trick behind the ethereal silken concoction produced by some restaurants. Turns out it's about 2 things: fearless addition of fat, and a little bit of technique.

• 2 lbs potatoes
• 1 stick of butter (some recipes call for 2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• salt to taste

There are two schools of thought: to peel or not to peel. Being the mother of two hungry kids I peel to shorten the cooking time, but I've read that the results are even better if the potatoes are left to cook peel on. Your choice.

All I had were Russets, which are fine. You can also mix Russets and Yukon Golds to good results.
Peel and cut into 1 inch chunks, add to salted boiling water and cook until tender (do not under-cook).

The rule for salting for both potatoes and pasta is that it should be "salty like the sea".

Now, here's where the technique comes in: scoop the cooked potatoes into a food mill and pass through into a large bowl. Food mills are amazing devices. I'm generally not a gadget person but I have been lusting for years and finally hunted one down on Ebay. You can also use a ricer, but I promise that once you've used a mill there is no going back.

Meanwhile heat the cream and butter. Adding cold ingredients cools off the puree too quickly and if you try to incorporate cold butter you will over-work the potatoes. Pour the heated cream mixture into the potatoes and fold them until you have a light silky mix. Adjust seasoning.

Don't go have your cholesterol checked the next day....

Pasta with salmon and chive cream sauce

Right about at the time when cherries, magnolias and apple trees envelope my neighborhood in almost obscenely showy clouds and drifts of pink and white, I look out at my herb garden and see that the chives are getting to a point where it is time to harvest.


If there ever was plant that you can ignore in terms of gardening needs, it's chives. Plant them once and they will faithfully return year in and year out, first with delicate tendrils, then more robust stalks, followed by the prettiest, edible purple flowers. They thrive in containers too, if your space is limited.

This dish is another one of my "oh my god, what are we going to have for dinner" recipes. It's quick, easy, inexpensive and of course delicious. With just a few simple ingredients, it ends up looking and tasting like a fancy meal. 
My all-time favorite response to this was the 3-year-old daughter of a friend who, using her hands as utensils, gobbled two nearly adult-size servings and then in a very Oliver Twist-like way held out her bowl for more....

Salmon & Chive Cream Sauce on Pasta

Serves 3-4

1 pound of pasta (any kind you like)
1 package of smoked salmon
a couple of shallots
2/3 cup cream
2 cloves garlic
a handful of chives
butter
crushed black pepper


Shallots are gentler and sweeter than other onions, but any other onion can be used too.


Dice shallots and garlic, add a pat of butter to the pan and gently sweat the onions for about 10 minutes until translucent (do not allow to brown).
Add cream and let simmer on low until cream thickens a bit, roughly 15 minutes
If it gets too thick just add more cream.

Meanwhile get the pasta going.


When pasta is almost done cut salmon into bite size pieces, chop up the chives and add both to the cream. Stir gently.  The salmon will go from clear to opaque quickly and falls apart if stirred too vigorously. Season with lots of black pepper and depending on how salty the salmon is add salt as needed.
Drain pasta, add salmon cream sauce..Voila! 

As this is a fairly substantial dish I like to serve a bit less than a full portion and add a nice salad to cut the heaviness. Arugula with lemon wedges and a peppery lemon dressing was the perfect foil.

P.S. Smoked salmon freezes really well, so keep some on hand. The high fat content lets it defrosts in minutes.

Cosmos in the Countryside

On a golden-hued Maryland Friday evening, as the sun sparkled and danced across the river, an invitation had gone out for cocktail hour with friends. How is it that such a civilized event has become an almost forgotten practice, lost in our busy over-scheduled modern lives? High time to bring it back.

It was a gathering where first time stories were shared: the shocking description of fingers almost meeting their end in a lawn mower, the inevitable dissection of current political battles and the ongoing presidential race, the tragedy of a teen mowed down in the prime of his life, lamentations over the lack of time to just sit down and enjoy hours of reading. Why is it we all seem to fall asleep after half a page?…laughter, smiles, newly forged friendships and older ones made ever stronger.

And throughout the evening hours, as the moon rose to replace the sun, at our feet was Chloe, a little energizer bunny of a Jack Russell. Her warm wet nose snuffling against my toes, black peppercorn eyes silently imploring me for another tiny morsel from the human table. 

Surely another piece of bread or cheese couldn’t hurt?

This recipe comes from Jim who got it from Ed (that's Ed in the background, in mid-story at Jim's house) who says it’s really not his either. So, try it, taste it, tweak it as you see fit and call it your own.

Not Ed's nor Jim's Cosmopolitans

4 parts vodka

2-3 parts triple sec

2 parts sweetened lime juice

2 parts cranberry juice