Photo by Maria Robledo

Sugar Snaps with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Shaved Parmigiano

• 4 cups sugar snap peas (about 12 ounces)
• Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing
• 1 garlic clove, bruised, then cut in half lengthwise
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
• One 2-inch strip lemon zest, cut into thin slivers
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 ounces Parmigiano in 1 piece

Improvisations

About The Improvisational Cook

In The Improvisational Cook, Sally Schneider helps home cooks declare their independence from recipes and set lists of ingredients and offers an invitation to a fun, more spontaneous way to cook with whatever is on hand. Sally gives you the know-how to embellish, adapt, change, alter, modify, and experiment in your cooking with plenty of encouragement and helpful information -- the tools and insights you need to find your own voice and cook improvisationally. These include an exploration of the "inside" of improvisation -- the creative mind-set, where to find inspiration, how to deal with the unexpected, practical approaches to learning "what goes with what," including a chart of classic flavor affinities, and tips on organizing your kitchen to make improvising easier, from long-keeping pantry staples to makeshift tools.  Using The Improvisational Cook, you'll discover a way of cooking that's fun, unfussy, and truly pleasurable. Everyday cooking can become creative every day.

Get "The Improvisational Cook" at:

• Amazon.com

Photo by Robert M. Peacock

Watermelon Crush

From "Southern Cocktails: Dixie Drinks, Party Potions & Classic Libations" by Denise Gee, Chronicle Books 2007

Man oh man, the joy of summer is biting into a cold slice of watermelon.  In this case, it's drinking that ice-cold fruit with a bit of rum.  Offering the slush-fun in a pitcher's just fine, but I like to serve it in an old-fashioned pickle jar.  I use Nannie's ladle to scoop it into glass canning jars garnished with a small wedge of watermelon.  Try this with honeydew melon sometime.

• 8 cups seeded, cubed watermelon (about 4 pounds)
• 1 1/3 cups light rum
• 1 ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice, or more to taste
• ½ cup orange liqueur
• ¼ cup powdered sugar, or more to taste
• 2 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice

Put the watermelon cubes in a plastic freezer bag: freeze for at least 8 hours.

Purée the watermelon and the remaining ingredients in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally.  Combine the processed mixture well.

Serve in a large old pickle jar or a punch bowl and scoop the mixture into Mason jars, tin cups, or other festive glasses.

About Southern Cocktails

"Don't mind if I do. . . " Welcome to one of the South's most cherished traditions--the cocktail hour. This charming volume overflows with Southern spirit with classics like the Mint Julep and the Hurricane to new concoctions like the Blueberry Martini and the Peach Mojito, each drink is as relaxing as a riverboat ride down the Mississippi. A checklist of Bar Necessities ensures that there will be more than Southern Comfort in the cupboard when company calls, and recipes like Devilish Eggs or Sweet and Sassy Pecans will keep hunger at bay until dinner. Raise a toast to old-time Southern hospitality.

Get "Southern Cocktails: Dixie Drinks, Party Potions, and Classic Libations" at:

• Amazon.com

Spices and herbs are essential to our cooking.  In fact, virtually all dishes we prepare contain them.  Yet, how much do you really know about the spices you use?  In "The Spice and Herb Bible", Ian Hemphill helps demystify these commonly used components of our cuisine.  Within this tome you will find use, storage, and taste descriptions for over 100 spices and herbs.  To help with the learning process each entry includes a list of foods the spice complements, foods the spice is commonly used in, and other spices it combines with. Complementing each spice and herb description, Kate Hemphill provides sample recipes to show how the spices and herbs enhance our food and tantalize our senses.  For an example, see the entry for Star Anise below with recipe for "Summer Berries in Vodka and Star Anise with Spiced Chocolate Brownies".

Not only will you find entries for all of your favorite spices but you'll also be introduced to many new and intriguing spices such as Akudjura, Epazote, and Kokam.  In addition to the individual spice and herb entries, the last part of the book focuses on spice blending along with recipes for about 40 spice blends such as Cajun Spice Mix, Curry Powder, and Mexican Chili Powder. 

Star Anise

From The Spice and Herb Bible" by Ian Hemphill with recipes by Kate Hemphill, Rober Rose 2006.

Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of a small Oriental evergreen tree that grows to about 5m tall. The star anise tree, a member of the magnolia family, has shiny, aromatic leaves, approximately 7.5 cm long, and narcissus-like, greenish-yellow unscented flowers that are followed by rayed fruits composed of eight seed-holding segments. Whenever I see a bowl full of star anise it looks to me like it's full of funnel web spiders! You don't have to count the eight rough, dark-brown, arched pods of an upside down star; instinct tells you there are eight. When viewed carefully from the top, it is noticeable that each section has split, some more than others, creating a canoe shape and revealing within a light-brown, tick-shaped, extremely shiny seed. The aroma of the whole star anise spice is distinctly anise-like. Although it is not related to the herb that aniseed is collected from, star anise and aniseed both contain essential oils of similar chemical composition. Star anise has a strong, sweet, licorice character and deep, warm spice notes that are reminiscent of clove and cassia. The flavor is similarly licorice-like, pungent, lingering and numbing, leaving the palate fresh and stimulated. The seeds, if consumed separately, have less flavor than the woody boat-shaped spokes of the star, but they do convey an interesting nuttiness. A closely related species with poisonous leaves and fruits (due to their content of sikimtoxin) is Japanese star anise. This has been used as an adulterant of true star anise in the past and is called "mad herb" in China. It is a Japanese funeral herb with religious significance and can be identified by its lack of anise smell and turpentine-like flavor. I have seen stars that fit this description and they are generally smaller than true star anise and may have up to 12 segments.

Origin and History

Star anise is indigenous to the south and southwest of China and North Vietnam and is grown in India, Japan and the Philippines. The trees do not bear fruit until they are about six years old, after which they are reputed to be able to keep producing for up to 100 years. Centuries of trade brought star anise to India from the Orient, and I have experienced many delectable dishes in Kerala, in southern India, that have been spiced with star anise. It was not until the 16th century that it was seen in Europe. It is astounding to think that it took until 1588 for a sample to be brought to London, and that was from the Philippines. Once discovered by the West, the essential oil of star anise, extracted by steam distillation, found its way into confectionery and liqueurs, most notably anisette.

Processing

In an extraordinarily close match to the processing of cloves, allspice, pepper and even vanilla, star anise fruits are harvested when green (before they have ripened) and are then dried in the sun. During drying they turn a deep, reddish brown and their characteristic aroma and flavor fully develops. Ground star anise is made by grinding the complete dried stars, including seeds, to a fine, dark, smooth-textured powder.

Buying and Storage

Never refer to star anise as star aniseed! It only causes confusion, because aniseed is gathered from an annual herb, and the seeds of the anise plant have a different flavor than star anise. Whole star anise can be bought from some supermarkets and the majority of specialty food stores. It is best to buy both whole and ground star anise when required, as home grinders and using a pestle and mortar are not as effective as industrial grinding machines for this spice. While intact, eight-segment stars are attractive, the presence of some broken stars is not necessarily a sign of low quality, but rather one of less fastidious packing, rough handling or both. The freshness of whole star anise can be determined by breaking off one segment, squeezing it between thumb and forefinger until the brittle seed pops, then sniffing for the distinct aroma. If you don't experience it immediately, it's probably past its optimum storage life, which is three to five years if kept in an airtight container away from extremes of heat, light and humidity. Ground star anise should be purchased in small quantities, and when stored under the same optimum conditions will last for a little more than a year.

Use

Star anise is to me one of the key signature flavors of Chinese savory cooking. It combines particularly well with pork and duck and is one, albeit important, ingredient in a Chinese master stock, that ball of spice-filled muslin that looks like a giant bouquet garni. It is cooked and added to, over and over again, sometimes for years, developing a unique character that is particular to the cook who uses it. Star anise is the dominant spice in a Chinese five spice mixture. Because star anise is pungent, only a very small quantity is required to achieve a pleasing result. A pinch of the powder is sufficient to flavor a wok of stir-fried vegetables, and a single star will flavor a soup or hotpot. We cook delicious pork spare ribs (marinated in water, thick soy sauce, a little sugar and a couple of whole star anise) which are subjected to a long, slow bake until the liquid has reduced. The sweet, spicy, licorice-like notes of star anise also go well in sweet dishes such as compotes of fruit and spiced fruit jams. 

Summer Berries in Vodka and Star Anise with Spiced Chocolate Brownies

The berries freeze well for up to 3 months and are lovely eaten on their own or warmed up and poured over pancakes, waffles or French toast.

• 2 lbs mixed blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
• ½ cup good-quality vodka
• ½ freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• 4 whole star anise
• ¼ tsp ground star anise
• 6-8 Spiced Chocolate Brownies, recipe below
• whipped cream

In a large bowl combine berries, vodka, lime juice, sugar and whole and ground star anise.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or for up to 24 hours.  Stir berries a few times to distribute flavors evenly.

Serve each brownie with a generous scoop of berries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves 6-8.

Spiced Chocolate Brownies

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter
• 8 oz. dark chocolate, broken into chunks, divided
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp ground star anise
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.  Melt butter and 7 oz of the chocolate chunks in a glass bowl placed over a pan of simmering water.  Stir occasionally until melted, then remove from heat.  Stir in sugar, pine nuts, vanilla, star anise, chili powder and the remaining 1 oz chocolate chunks until combined.  Add whole eggs and egg yolk and sift in flour, combining well. 

Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack before turning out and cutting into squares.  Makes about 2 dozen squares.

About The Spice and Herb Bible

Professional chefs and home cooks use spices and herbs to enhance food flavors and to create new taste combinations and sensations. From vanilla beans to cinnamon, from cumin to tarragon, no kitchen is complete without spices and herbs.
The second edition of this classic reference is significantly expanded, with four new spices and herbs as well as 25 additional blends. The book is now printed in full color and features color photography throughout. Every herb and spice has a handsome and detailed color photograph to make identification and purchasing a breeze. The book includes fascinating and authoritative histories of a wide range of global herbs and spices such as angelica, basil, candle nut, chervil, elder, fennel, grains of paradise, licorice root, saffron, tamarind, Vietnamese mint and zedoary.

Get "The Spice and Herb Bible" at: 

• Amazon.com

Carrot Cake

• Unsalted butter, for greasing
• 4 eggs
• generous 1 cup superfine sugar
• 1 ¼ cups sunflower oil
• 9 medium carrots, finely grated
• 2 cups plain all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts

• generous ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• generous 1 cup cream cheese
• ½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract
• ½ - ¾ cup confectioner's sugar, depending on how sweet you like your icing

About "Breakfast, Lunch and Tea"

Tucked away on a side street near the Gare du Nord in Paris lies a New York Times and New York Magazine recommended Anglo-French bakery with lines of people who crowd into the shop on weekdays, choosing from the lunchtime display of salads, vegetable tarts and pastries on the shop's counter, and line up on weekend mornings for a full English breakfast or a plate of pancakes. What is this magical place that can pull locals of the land of patisseries away from their traditional mille-feuilles to devour carrot cake? Rose Carrarini's The Rose Bakery. Featuring one hundred of Rose's most popular recipes, Breakfast, Lunch, & Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery, brings the flavors and style of Rose Bakery to those unable to make the trip to Paris. Have Lime, Grapefruit and Ginger Juice, Fruit Taboule, Honey Granola, or Maple Syrup Scones for breakfast; Crushed Potato, Celery and Herb Soup, Mushroom Chive Tart, Braised Lamb Shanks with Cumin, Eggplant and Chickpeas for lunch; Sticky Toffee Pudding, Apple and Blackberry Crumble or an Eton Mess for tea.

Get Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery at:

• Amazon.com