Black Girl Chef’s Whites

Fresh Kumquats

One of the great things about living in Southern California is the abundance of fresh, locally grown produce.  Sometimes locally grown literally means your next door neighbor.  My neighbor loves fruit trees, and has lemon, sweet lime, persimmon, and apple trees in her yard.  She also has a kumquat tree, and recently it was so full of fruit the branches were drooping.

I decided I should help that poor little tree, and relieve it of some of that heavy fruit. With my neighbor’s blessing, the toddler and I picked a bag full of kumquats.  The toddler had never had one, so I gave her one to try.  She smelled it, nibbled it, smiled and said “Nummy Mommy!”  Sounds like an endorsement to me.

Kumquats are eaten whole, as the peel is rather sweet and spicy and the inside is tart.  You just pop them into your mouth, and enjoy.  But, what else could I do with them?  I did some online research and found the website of the Florida Kumquat Growers, which has a large assortment of recipes.  You can even order the fruit directly from them during the growing season.  I decided to make some simple candied kumquats, which are great over ice cream, a slice of chocolate cake or as a dessert garnish.

Having picked so many (I felt really bad for that little tree) I needed to come up with another recipe to use the kumquats.  I decided to make a simple vinaigrette dressing, which is a great on salad, avocado slices and drizzled over grilled chicken or fish.

Tangy Kumquat Vinaigrette

10 kumquats, quartered and seeded

1 TB fennel seeds

1 cup Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar*

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor or blender, pulse the kumquats, fennel seeds and vinegar until the kumquats are broken down.  Slowly add the olive oil with the machine running, until the dressing is well mixed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar is available at Trader Joe’s stores nationwide.  If you do not have a Trader Joe’s near you (I’m sorry) substitute 1/3 cup orange juice and 3/4 cup champagne vinegar.

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Mo's Bacon Bar

What? Breakfast in a chocolate bar?  Well, that may be a stretch to call it that, but Mo’s Bacon Bar from Vosges Haut Chocolat does indeed have bacon in it.  Bacon and chocolate?  I can hear some of you going Ewwwwww!  But don’t knock it until you have tried it.

Remember when you were a kid (OK, I still do it) and you would dip your bacon in your pancake syrup? And remember how much you loved that sweet and salty combination?  Well, consider this a variation on that theme.  Many cultures believe a balance of flavors, such as hot and sweet, salty and sweet, or hot and sour are essential to each dish.

I stumbled upon it as I was shopping at Surfas restaurant supply and gourmet food shop in Los Angeles.  I had heard rumors of a bacon and chocolate bar but had not happened upon one yet.  I stood looking at all the different flavors of gourmet chocolate bars that were for sale, and then I saw it – Mo’s Bacon Bar.  My heart skipped a beat, my mouth began to water, and I practically pushed some other shoppers out of the way to grab a bar. (They were taking too dang long to decide anyway…loiterers, hmmmph!)  I read the front of the package – applewood smoked bacon, alderwood smoked salt and deep milk chocolate.  Deep milk chocolate, mmmmm.  Not your old Hershey bar, oh no.  45% cacao was perfect for me.  I don’t like dark chocolate as much, because the one taste that I don’t like a lot of is bitter.  So I tend to stick with milk chocolate, but this was like milk chocolate +.

I turned over the package and there was a picture of a beautiful young woman.  She looked a lot like a young Geena Davis, circa Thelma and Louise.  But it was her words that spoke to me.  She did the same thing that I (and every other kid) did, bacon and pancake syrup.  But there was another twist; she liked chocolate chip pancakes.  And in a six year old girl’s mind a combination made in heaven began emerging.  Smart girl, this one.

You would think I would have ripped into the package in the checkout line, but I have some restraint.  Not a lot, but some.  My plan was to savor it after dinner.  But then it came time to enjoy the chocolate, and I just looked at the package, turning it over, smelling it, marveling at the thought of two of my favorite foods together.  And I put it back in my drawer.  What?!  And the next night I did the same.  I think I needed to be fully engaged and ready to enjoy this marvel of a chocolate bar. I was waiting for the exact right time.

But once I did open it, it was like the angels began to sing the Hallelujah Chorus.  Yeah, I’m a bit dramatic at times, but someone has to do it.  Anyway, that first bite was a revelation of a world I had never been too.  Smoky bacon, sweet but not too sweet chocolate, and then the petite crunch of the salt crystal. Oh My Goodness!  I was taken to a place I had never been, a taste sensation I had never known.  I was hooked like a crackhead in a back alley! I have never eaten a chocolate bar so slowly.  I even made it last for two days, because I did not want it to ever end.  It was like the first kiss, the first time you realize you are in love, a time you will always remember.  I can still taste it while I write this.

Yes, all that in a chocolate bar.  Who knew?

Now I have to drive back across town to buy more.  Many, many more.  Or you can buy them online at the Vosges Haut Chocolat website.

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Oven Fried Pecan Crusted Catfish

Catfish is one of my favorite types of fish to eat.  Because they are bottom feeders, I have heard people say they taste like mud, but that has never been my experience.  If you catch your own catfish it may indeed taste muddy, not to mention it may be full of pesticides and pollution from the river sediment. Catfish you buy in the store or at your fish purveyor has been farm raised, making it eco-friendly and a sustainable food choice.  We are rapidly over fishing many species in our oceans, so farm raised catfish is a good option.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great program called Seafood Watch which lists the fish you should avoid due to overfishing, damage to the habitats of sea animals or the plight of sea animals who get caught in fishing nets.  You can even print out a guide to take with you to your store.

Catfish crusted with cornmeal and fried is a classic Southern dish.  I love fried catfish, but in the interest of health (or the fact that my jeans cringe when I come near them) I oven fried it instead. But the meaty, flaky texture of catfish lends itself to almost any kind of cooking.  Grilled, baked or in a fish stew, catfish is a healthy way to get protein in your diet.

Oven Fried Catfish Ingredients

Oven Fried Pecan Crusted Catfish

1 lb catfish filets

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 1/2 TB Cajun seasoning

3 TB butter, melted

1 TB olive oil

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Place catfish filets onto baking sheet.

Breadcrumbs, pecans and cajun seasoning

In medium bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, pecans and Cajun seasoning.  Add the butter and olive oil, and mix well to moisten all the breadcrumbs. This mixture will be quite crumbly, but hold together when pressed.  Evenly divide the breadcrumb mixture between the filets, pressing down to pack the crumbs tightly.  Let the filets rest for about 5 minutes before putting into the oven.

Breaded Catfish

Bake the catfish for about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filets.  To check if the catfish is done, the fish will flake easily and will be completely opaque.

The crust on the fish will still be slightly crumbly, so be careful removing the fish from the pan.

For more catfish information and recipes go to The Catfish Institute.

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Double Cherries

I love cherries.  They are probably my favorite fruit, although they run a close race with watermelon.  While shopping the other day I saw some lovely cherries, and for a great price too!  I couldn’t pass that up.

When I got home I opened my bag to wash my ruby red gems. Then I started to notice something interesting…my bag was loaded with cherry twins.  That is my name for double cherries.  Sure, you usually will get a few in a bag sometimes, but I had almost 20!  What?!

Was nature mooning me with those plump, round orbs?  Was I just lucky to see nature create art in its primitive way?   According to an article I found online at Good Fruit Grower Magazine double cherries occur when the crop gets too much heat.

Cherry doubling is a sporadic problem but one that costs the Pacific Northwest cherry industry millions of dollars when it happens.

Doubled cherries, which are usually treated as culls, form when the flower buds are damaged by excessive summer heat.

Tim Smith, Washington State University Extension educator for north central Washington, told growers during Stone Fruit Day that misinformation has been circulated about doubling. It is not caused by chemical sprays, such as dimethoate, after harvest. “It absolutely, positively, is not,” he stressed.

When flower buds for the following year are developing, excessive heat can cause the ovule to double, resulting in a double cherry or a spur, where one side of the fruit is aborted.

The doubling can be seen in the spring, as soon as the fruit starts to develop, but by that time it is almost a year since the damage was done, Smith said.

And I always thought it meant I was lucky to get double cherries.  Who knew it could cost the cherry industry millions of dollars?!  They still taste just as good to me.  In fact, they taste twice as good!

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