What Smells so Good?

Fruits and Passion's Cucina line is a delightfully fragrant collection of hand care and sprays for the Cook. Made with pure olive oil for that deep clean feeling and a never-ending hydrating quality. Not only do your hands feel clean and soft, but the Zucchini Flower and Truffle Repairing-Action Hand Cream doesn't leave behind that awful greasy feeling. It leaves your hands feeling like pure heaven. Also, the Fragrant Kitchen Spray is amazing! Making salmon or shellfish can sometimes make your kitchen and house smell very unappealing and who wants that when they are having company over? Nobody. With the Fragrant Kitchen Sprays you don't have to worry about what you are cooking. With just a few spritzes the smell is transformed into a mouthwatering scent that lingers for hours. It is not made to cover-up but to mix with what you are cooking to make a wonderful atmosphere for you and your guests. We suggest the Lime Zest and Cypress Fragrant Kitchen Spray it adds just a touch of citrus for a crisp clean smell. Come on in and smell for yourself, there's a scent for everyone! So next time you plan a dinner party, need a house warming present, or fresh fragrance think of Cucina.

WHITE HOUSE PONDERS PALMER!

In January, The Wall Street Journalbroke news that Potter, Frances Palmer, was being looked at as one of the American Artisans to decorate the White House. Frances Palmer has been a bluecashew favorite since we've opened and we are so proud to have both her one-of-a-kind custom centerpieces and the Frances Palmer Pearl Collection cast from handmade molds by century-old white Buffalo Pottery.

Frances Palmer Pottery is perfect for everyday tabletop and conversation starting statements and all the pieces go from your oven to the table and are also freezer and dishwasher safe. Whether it's snazzing your home up with some flowers in the beautiful Frances Palmer Signature, signed Big Belly Vase or having that high noon tea party you always wanted but never the amazingly adorned Pearl Collection tea cups and saucers to have it with, this collection is the one for you. So, cross your fingers for Palmer and while the White House ponders her Pottery you can see it first hand here! - G

Come and get it!!! Jacques Torres for Valentines Day

VALENTINES DAY - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2009 is days away!!!

Jacques Torres is MR. CHOCOLATE! Jacques Torres specializes in fresh, hand-crafted chocolates that are free of preservatives and artificial flavors. Simply delicious, pure with wonderful combinations that satisfy your palete. Each one is perfectly sized for a full bite or as we prefer- place them on your tongue and let the bon bon do its magic, hmmmmmm. Oh yes! Perfect with a nice glass of red wine.

At bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy expect to find a signature boxed assortment of Jacques' Choice 12 Piece Chocolate Boxfor your significant other, husband, wife, mom, dad or admirer. Do stop by and pick up your 12-piece box set for $22.00. Jacques' Choice box contains a hand picked selection of his choosing so you can expect to find a selection from one of following: Love Potion #9 (secret recipe for pure dark chocolate ganache), Love Bug (key lime ganache kissed with White Chocolate), Chai Tea (milk chocolate ganache with Indian spiced tea), Almondine (crushed candied almonds with Jacques signature on top), Alize Hearts of Passion (fresh passion fruit with Alize Liquor) Heavenly Hazelnut (fresh ground hazelnuts in milk chocolate), Got Milk Chocolate (milk chocolate ganache with a kiss of Cognac), Wicked Fun (chocolate ganache spiced up with ancho and chipolte chiles) & Grand Cru (fine red wine complemented by rich dark chocolate to name a few.

Jacque Torres is on of the world's leading experts on chocolate and pastry. He is respected for his innovation and creative talents as well as his sense of adventure and passion for fun! Jacques says, "Chocolate is an absolutely magical food. It can be white, milky, or deep, dark brown. It is sensual to work with and to savor. And, it is good for you!" - Gregory Triana

Kif Candy(Majoun) as told by Paula Wolfert

This past October 08 our home was shot by This Old House Magazine. As a "Thank You" I invited the TOH crew and folks that helped make the shoot happen over for meal at the old farm house on Bone Hollow Road. I asked Amy Rosenfeld, Creative Director, what sorta meal she would like? I suggested Moroccan, she loved the idea.

Gregory and I researched the Tajine meal and the recipes through Paula Wolfert's "Couscous and Other Good Moroccan Foods"(food stylist Roscoe Betsil suggest's that the cookbook is one of the best Moroccan cookbooks). Gregory spyed this little diddy which we prepared as an ending to a truly fun meal. I might suggest placing a sliver of Kif Candy on a peice of Dry Soppressa Sausage...savory and sweet on your palate. yummmmmmm

1 pound of Smen (Cooked and Salted Butter) in a casserole with plenty of water and about 3 cups stalks, seeds, and leaves of kif (Cannabis). After bringing it to a boil let it simmer 2 hours, then carefully strain it into a large, deep roasting pan. Then, throw away the stalks, seeds, and leaves and let the butter cool and rise to the top in the refrigerator overnight. Then place the butter in the casserole with 1 pound chopped dates, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon aniseed, 1/2 cup dark, heavy honey, and 1/2 cup each ground almonds and walnuts (these proportions are from The Hashish Cookbook). Then cook all this together until it gets very thick, bubbly and brown. Add some orange flower water and ras el hanout to taste, pack the majoun in clean jars.

*eat with care! enjoy and play fun music for hours of fun!

Get Pickled!

bluecashew Paella on Kettlehole Road, Montauk NY

....an annual late summer trek to Pam's Pad in Montauk, brings us all to the question "what gastronomic meal are we going to cook?!" ... a difficult query because we have to beat last years, last weekend or even last night's meal. Last summer, our dear friend, the highly regarded chef and cooking icon, Corinne Trang released her third cookbook Asian Grill. Pamela and I had a blast flipping through the beautiful pages, choosing our tempting meal choices. We then stumbled upon the Coconut, an alien fruit!, we were timid to try to understand "the coconut" in it's fresh shell form. From Asian Grill we learned how shop for, break and make coconut cream, milk and snack on the fresh meat. We whipped up a fresh Coconut Curry, accompanied with a gorgeous Green Papaya Salad. The end of the summer meal has stuck on our minds for a year. All our friends were impressed.

This August, while shopping for new new products at the trade show NYIGF, Gregory and I were stopped in the aisle by one of our perky paella pan wholesalers. We had a lovely chat, she was happy to find that bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy carries her product. We talked about my own version of Paella (I have passed the recipe on to a few lucky customers who popped into our shop). Our conversation turned to methods of cooking Paella, I talked about my bluecashew Paella and told her of how I stirred my Bomba rice. I was scolded!!!!, she scornfully said "You never stir your Bomba rice when you make Paella!!!" .....I was a bit baffled, I always thought that making Paella was sorta like making Risotto...well I was very wrong. A mere shrug, I turned to Gregory and I said, "the next time I make Paella, I guess I won't stir the rice," he said "you are never are supposed to stir Paella!"

....the opportunity arrived on excursion to Montauk...

At Pam's, anyone who knows or has been graced with an invitation for a meal is in for an wonderful experience, a treat always to be remembered. On this trip, we were entertained by Gregory's High School buddy from Miami, Sergio Baradat also a new friend of Pam's, Phillip Graybill, master surfer and musician photographer. Pamela and I helmed the flames...excuse me, I mean the Bosch electric cook top. Paella actually worked well on the Bosch electric stove top. From Gosman's Fish Market, we purchased all the fish and shellfish which came directly off the day boat. Pam and I chose Monk fish, squid, Shrimp and mussels.

When we were preparing the Paella, I was very tempted to stir the Bomba rice...there were many times I wanted to just slowly, place that wooden spoon in the paella pan an give a quick ol' stir...but I held back! When it came time to place the pre cooked fish onto the Saffron Bomba rice, I wondered how would the melody of fish and shellfish would manage to mix in the rice... it was like magic, the Paella came out of the hot oven, just like a spainish chef prepared the meal. Anyway enjoy...I give you bluecashew Seafood Paella....

oh....thanks Pamela!, for all the food memories on Kettlehole Road!!!!

bluecashew Seafood Paella
makes 6 to 8 servings

Alioli
8 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon salt
2 cups of mayonnaise
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mash the garlic and the salt in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in the mayonnaise, olive oil and lemon juice. Refrigerate until cold, can be prepared 1 week early.

Fish Stock
1 1 ½ pound lobster split
5 8-ounce bottles of clam juice (use the CORA available at Adams Fairacre Farms)
2 cups of water
½ pound medium uncooked shrimp, peeled and deviened (shells reserved)
2 fresh parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
½ cup of dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron

Cut the lobster tail and claws from the body. Cut tail into 4 pieces. Crack claws. Cover and refrigerate tail & claws. Cut lobster body into large pieces. Bring the clam juice to a boil in a large pot. Add the lobster body pieces, shrimp shells parsley and bay leaf, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock into a large measuring cup, pressing solids with the back of a spoon. If stock measures more then 5 ½ cups, return and simmer until reduced to 5 ½ cups. Mix in wine and saffron. Can be prepared one day before.

PAELLA
18 Mussels, scrubbed and debeared
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 pound squid with tentacles

3 medium tomatoes

½ cup of olive oil
1 pound monkfish
1 ½ cups fine chopped green pepper
12 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 bay leaf, crumbled
3 cups Bomba rice
½ cup frozen peas

1 4 ounce jar of pimentos drained
sliced long

minced parsley

Place mussels in a large bowl. Add enough COLD water to cover. Add the cornmeal and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Drain well. Rinse and drain again.

Gently pull tentacles and viscera from the squid. Remove the quill. Cut off tentacles and cut in half. Discard the viscera and the quill. Cut the bodies into ½ inch wide rings. Cover bodies and refrigerate until ready to use.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the tomato crosswise, coarsely chop or grate onto a large plate, discard skin. Transfer tomato pulp to sieve and drain. Set aside. You can use canned tomatoes too…

Bring fish stock to a simmer. Cover and keep warm over very low heat. Place paella pan over two stove top burners or one large burner. Add oil and heat over medium heat. Add the lobster tail pieces and claws saute for 2 minutes, transfer to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Add shrimp and monkfish to the pan. Season with a little salt, saute for 2 minutes; rotate the pan for even heat. Transfer the shrimp and monkfish to the lobster bowl. Add the squid saute 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, saute 3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons of alioli and paprika and stir and combine. Stir in the tomato pulp, 1 tablespoon parsley and a bay leaf and cook two minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the tomato mixture. Add the fish stock and the peas and cook until the rice is partially cooked and liquid is thick, NO MORE stirring from here on, simmer for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Remove from heat.

Add shrimp monkfish and any accumulated juices in the bowl to the top of paella. Arrange the mussels (on their sides), lobster and the pimentos decoratively atop the paella. Transfer the paella to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the rice is almost tender(al dente). Remove the paella from the oven cover with foil and let stand 20 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a side of alioli.

Your guests might enjoy a pitcher of Red or White Sangria to accompany the meal.

Sean

Make Believe?