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Folks, if you are planning a trip to the
South of France or the Italian Riviera, I just got some great insider
info. Siri Campbell, an American resident of Monaco,
is coming out with her 3rd edition of “Inside Monaco”. Siri, who
is a friend of mine, would be more than happy to help you with any
arrangements, ideas, etc. Her book includes all of the information you
need to know about Monaco and the surrounding areas. You can e-mail her
at
inside@monaco.mc.
Still feeling the aloha spirit after our recent trip to the big island,
we decided to have a Mai Tai and Hawaiian food party the other |
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night. Our good friend Stalee (Bobby V’s
wife) brought over her fabulous Macadamia Nut Cream Pie. She agreed to
share the recipe with us – way to go Stalee, and, mucho mahalo!
Stalee’s Macadamia Nut Cream Pie
Recipe
3/4 cup chopped macadamia
nuts
2 T. butter
3 cups milk
1/3 cup cornstarch
pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 t. vanilla
Mix milk, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks and
sugar over medium-high |
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heat. Bring mixture to a boil. Cook until it
boils for two minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
Stir in macadamia nuts. Pour filling into a cooked pie crust and chill
for 3-4 hours. Whipped Cream
Topping Recipe:
2 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
Begin whipping cream with a hand mixer.
When cream starts to form, peaks, add powdered sugar and vanilla. She
also finished the pie with sprinkled toasted coconut, per Bobby (and my)
request. |
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Anyone remember the S.I.D.S. benefit that
was held on Fisherman’s Wharf ? Sammy Hagar dedicated a custom-built
motorcycle for a grand prize. The winner was the niece of the
Executive Director for First Candle. As it turns out, she lives in
Delaware, just got married and lives in a small condo with no
garage...hence, she wants to sell the chopper. If anyone knows anyone
who might be interested, please let me know.
Q). I am from Piedmont (Italy) and
come every year to spend time with friends in Carmel. I never miss your
column in the Herald |
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and many times you have really surprised me
for your thorough knowledge of my mother's cooking. I wonder, where did
you ever picked up all that you know? I also appreciate very much your
work to let people know about mushrooms. I do find porcini hiking around
here but the people I know are scared stiff and do
not want to eat them. You are doing a lot to educate your readers about
the real Italian cuisine, that is not fettuccine Alfredo.
Congratulazioni e buon lavoro,
Marisa Coccolo
Via e-mail |
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A). First of all, I knew your mother!
Got ya – just kidding. A lot of my knowledge comes from my many travels
around the world. Plus, I’ve always been naturally curious about
different foods. My folks were products of the great depression and
their knowledge of pasta, grains, soups, vegetables, seafood and (if
they were fortunate enough) meat had to be extensive. We now think of
these great dishes as classics. Sometimes I think I get too wrapped up
in foods, but in the end it’s all good. The best part to me Marisa, is
getting to share my knowledge with everyone. Now that’s what I’m talking
about. |
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Q). I keep reading recipes about
using a brick or cast iron skillet for cooking. What does this do for
the chicken?
Via e-mailA). I think you
are referring to brick chicken. A while back, I did a show where I
prepared brick quail, brick chicken and brick turkey. The idea
behind brick chicken is to get the skin very crisp, while also obtaining
tender and evenly cooked meat. The process involves butterflying the
chicken (or other bird) and partially deboning it, so that it will lay
flat in the pan. Then, you cook the bird skin-side down under a brick,
which will crisp the skin. Then you finish it in a 450-degree oven. Just
be sure you don’t put too much weight on the bird or you’ll loose all of
the juice. By the way, for the turkey, I used a couple of cinder blocks
wrapped in aluminum foil. |
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Q). Chef Pisto, I don't know if your
restaurant is related to the Whaling Station we had in Columbus, Ohio
back in the 1980's, but I remember they had a salad dressing which was
prepared at the table with olive oil, lemon juice, and (I think)
sunflower seeds. Would you happen to know the complete recipe?
A). That restaurant was a knock-off
of my Whaling Station Inn and there was also one in the San Jose area.
Their menu was a copy of mine and I believe it was called Monterey
Whaling Company. Last time I checked they are no longer around and I
suppose the recipe went down with them, sorry.
Hot pepper alert – For those of
you in the know about the pepper trees that grow around here, it’s
harvest time. For those of you not yet familiar, these trees have
beautiful gnarled trunks and
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drooping branches like a weeping willow that
produce clusters of B-B sized berries that start out green then turn red
and shrivel up. I recently husked a sack-full and then, after a whole
day in my food dryer, put them in my peppermill. You know what – Holy
mackerel, they are hot and have great flavor! What’s interesting is that
the heat dissipates quickly. This may become a regular hunt for my
foraging group.
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