Bring the Torch…
‘Swoosh..Sizzle..Mmm..’
were the sounds at last week’s delicious
opening of the Friends of the Waldoboro
Library 2013 Speaker Series. Dana Moos, the author of “The Art of Breakfast”
was there to talk about her book and demonstrate that B&B artful
entertaining was actually quite accessible outside her premises at Portland’s
Pomegranate Inn.
Being a
firm believer in ‘Artful Plates’, as often mentioned in this column, my
curiosity and wish to learn found me in midst of a large gathering at the
library. From the beginning it was apparent that this was not going to be an
ordinary event, since one of the first items that appeared on the table was a
torch. And I do not mean a large flashlight, or a belated French Christmas
carol prop “Bring the torch Jeanette Isabella..”. No, it was a moderate size butane
blowtorch, sitting expectantly next to an assembly of plates, forks, sauces,
sugar and fruit.
Restaurants
like to feature crème brûlée, which requires a blowtorch to glaze the top of
this delicious desert. Son Mark, a
natural chef in his own right, loves to amuse male guests, boys and adults, by
having trays brought to his workshop, where he wields his welding torch to
finish off this dinner desert at home. But to do this at breakfast? No crème brûlée, but Ms. Moos had taken
broiled grapefruit with brown sugar to a much higher level. With her vanilla sauce, different fruit when covered
with raw sugar and deftly glazed with a blowtorch took on another dimension in
both presentation and taste. The discussion in the room was lively and
informational. The banana slices, tinged brown and slightly warm were a hit
with everyone present. I doubt that even
nutritionists advocating us to eat more fruit and less sugar could resist
these.
My enthusiasm
for this new culinary trick even got the attention of my husband, who usually
confines his opinions only to the finished food product. But, we were actually
speaking about a gadget from the hardware store! While he does not think I
should touch the blowtorch in his workshop, he has offered to find me a kitchen
worthy one.
In the
meantime I will have to continue with more gentle cooking methods in the
kitchen for after dinner or brunch fruit presentations.
Sautéed Bananas or
Pineapple in Praline Sauce
Heat 1
Tblsp. unsalted butter in a large heavy skillet until just shimmering and sauté
2 bananas (halved lengthwise and crosswise) flat side down for 1 minute, turn
and continue for another minute. Transfer to 2 desert bowls. If using
pineapple: cut two ¾ inch thick slices
of fresh pineapple, peel, core and cut each in half, blot with a paper towel
and proceed as with the bananas. For more servings, repeat the process with
additional fruit, since you do not want to crowd the fruit on the pan during the
sauté process. For the sauce, melt 2 Tblsp. butter in the same pan, stir in ¼
cup lightly packed brown sugar, ¼ tsp. ground cardamom, ¼ cup dried cranberries
(optional), ½ cup light cream or half
and half and simmer for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened. Remove
from heat and stir in ¼ tsp. lemon or lime juice and spoon over the sautéed
fruit. If available, decorate with pomegranate seeds.
This is the
time of the year when all good gardeners dream of next summer’s vegetables and
fruit. I can’t wait until August’s peach
crop and my new kitchen blowtorch!
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the
author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the
Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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