Author Robin Spano Shares Her Bouillabaisse Recipe and More

I'm back from my unexpected blogging hiatus which I'll be writing about for Sunday Salon. In the meantime I want you to meet Robin Spano, a Canadian mystery writer. She's also a motorcycle enthusiast who makes a killer bouillabaisse.

Robin's first novel, Dead Politician Society, was released on September 1, by ECW Press.

My thanks to Robin for writing today's guest post. We're all in for a treat. 

Aloha from Rob

"As I was Rollerblading home with my groceries the other day, I realized why fiction writers are so often creative cooks. Writing is just like cooking; you throw a bunch of ingredients (or characters) together, turn up the heat, and see what happens. Sometimes you're rewarded with a great dinner or a story that works. Other times, you toss it out and start again.

Some writers avoid potential calamity by plotting their book out before they begin writing. Not me--I dive in and see what happens. I want to get right to the action"

"So I think it makes sense that my favorite recipe is not a recipe at all, but a creation that's slightly different every time I make it. Even though I can't tell you exactly how to reproduce mine, I can tell you all the steps that go into preparing it, so you can create your own original masterpiece at home.

Bouillabaisse. (Also known as zuppa di pesce, cioppino, or fish soup).

It starts with Italian tomatoes. I am not snooty or pretentious about food being upscale or gourmet, but Italian tomatoes are worth the slight cost premium. They're sweeter and have a beautiful flavour. You can go super premium and buy San Marzano or organic--and if your taste buds are sensitive, you will notice the difference. But for everyday cooking, the keyword is Italian. I buy crushed; whole taste equally good.

Fish Stock: Optional. I'm lucky; I live in a fishing village where one of the fishmongers makes a fresh stock from halibut bones. If you can find an excellent fresh fish stock, throw it in. If not, leave it out (I've used canned before and it's not the same). Just use an extra jar of tomatoes for volume, and the flavors from the fish you add will be simple.

Herbs and spices. This won't make or break you, because most of the flavor is from the tomatoes and fish. Play around to your heart's content. I add: garlic, onions, bay leaves, salt, basil, oregano, celery salt. At the table, I add black pepper and tons of chili peppers. (I'd cook with them, but my husband hates hot spice).

I simmer this for a few minutes while I'm preparing the fish. I usually start boiling the pasta water around this time.

Fish. I choose three or four different kinds of fish and seafood and switch up the combination. My favorites to include: sockeye salmon, halibut, scallops, spot prawns, mussels, calamari, ling cod, snapper. (A lot of this is local to where I live in British Columbia; if you have other local seafood, use that). You could also add lobster tail or crab legs (I find them too fussy, but their flavors are great). The only fish I haven't liked in bouillabaisse is black cod---it took over the sauce and I did not enjoy the flavor. But play around; your taste is as good as mine.

Cook the fish for as little time as possible. Prawns are 1 minute (they go in when I turn the pasta off). Mussels are 6 minutes or so. Everything else depends on size, but 3-4 minutes is generally perfect.

Red Wine: Optional. If I have a bottle open (okay, that's usually), I throw some in the sauce near the end.

Pasta: Optional. I like to eat this dish as a giant bowl of soup with a bit of pasta in it. Others prefer to eat it alone, or with bread. Still others prefer to have pasta fill their bowl, and use the bouillabaisse as sauce. Again, it's all about you.

I think writing is like cooking in one more important way: you need to do it for yourself first, and use the edit stage to consider someone else's needs and preferences. Maybe I'll use a bit less spice or a bit less swearing than I would if I was the sole consumer, but really, I'm writing a book that will entertain me, and cooking a meal I can get excited about. Enjoy!" written by Robin Spano

For more information on Dead Politician Society, visit Robin on Facebook, Twitter and her website. I also recommend watching Robin's book trailer on YouTube.

Weekend Cooking: One-Ingredient Ice Cream

It's been awhile since I posted on Weekend Cooking. I've gone bananas this week, after harvesting 50 pounds in my backyard, and have a recipe to share. This is a quick and easy Banana Ice Cream dessert that is soft serve style.

The only ingredient you need are ripe bananas. That's it! For each serving I peel two.

Slice the bananas thin and place on a cookie sheet (single layer). Freeze for an hour until solid. Place the frozen slices into a Cuisinart and process about 4-5 minutes until you have the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

Last night I added some walnuts at the end and gave it 6 short pulses. It added a nice texture and flavor.

For best results eat immediately. You can also put leftovers in your freezer overnight. In addition to a great taste, you have a healthy dessert that's low in fat.

If you try this, let me know how it works for you.

Weekend Cooking is hosted weekly at Beth Fish Reads. If you like food and cooking, be sure to enter by current giveaway, by July 27, for The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais.

Weekend Cooking: Strawberry Cream Cake

I think I have a sweet sense like some of the characters do in The Girl Who Chased The Moon. I love to bake cakes and share them.

When my partner was a kid his favorite treat was Strawberry Cream Cake from Canter's Delicatessen in West Hollywood. I decided to surprise him with one for his birthday a few weeks ago.

For this recipe I used the Cook's Illustrated version. Unfortunately, it's copyrighted and I can't publish it here. With three pages of instructions it would take up too much room anyway. Yikes! I about gave up when I saw how much work was involved but decided to take on the challenge.

My first stumbling block was running out of cake flour. I used the Internet to find a solution. The magic word was "cornstarch." Place 1/4 cup in a 2 cup measure and then add flour.

The next challenge was the cake pan. I had the required 9 inch. The problem was it fell short of the 2 inch height. This would be an issue because the single layer needed to be cut into three. For a quick fix I split the batter between three 9 inch pans.

In addition to the cake, I had to make a strawberry reduction for the filling, position cut strawberries between layers, and make whipped cream.

The cake didn't last long and was gone in a few days. The memory of it remains. Do you have a favorite summer cake?

Weekend Cooking is hosted at Beth Fish Reads.

Weekend Cooking: Lemon Cake

For my birthday last Saturday I chose Lady Bird Johnson's Famous Lemon Cake. My partner re-engineered the recipe and gave Lady Bird a new interpretation. The result was a sweet cake with the wonderful taste of fresh fruit. In addition to lemon, he added lime and tangelo to the cake and frosting.

Play-by-Play: It started with a mistake. Jeff accidentally added lime rind and juice to the cake batter instead of lemon. That gave him the idea to use lemon and tangelo juice plus rind to the frosting. The cake can either be three layer or bundt style. He chose three layers. The frosting was doubled but he could have used more.

Over the top touch: Jeff got the brilliant idea to place the flesh of tangelos on top on the icing between cake layers. To make it citrus-proof he also added frosting to the bottom of the layer going on top of the tangelo flesh.

Result: Lady Bird never tasted so good. This was like a fruit pie but cake style.

What's your favorite cake?

(Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads).

Weekend Cooking: Sorbetto in Grapefruit Shells

I have over a thousand grapefruit right now on my tree. That's a lot to pick. Some are going to neighbors and others are made into a wonderful sorbetto.

A few years back I found this recipe on VegWeb and it's become a favorite. It's minty flavor is refreshing on a warm Hawaii winter day. I make in large quantity and freeze to have on hand for guests. It's always a hit and looks nice on the table served in grapefruit shells.

Play by Play: I pick fresh mint and simmer on the stove with water and sugar. The flesh from the grapefruit is carefully removed so the shell can be used later. It gets sticky juicing the flesh but trust me it's worth the mess. The juice and mint syrup are mixed together and frozen until semi-firm; then blended until smooth and slushy. I spoon into the grapefruit shells and freeze. When I'm ready to serve, I take them out of the freezer 10 minutes ahead of time so they are easier to eat.

Recipe Alteration: When I make the mint syrup, I add grapefruit juice in place of some of the water.

What's your favorite grapefruit recipe? 

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

Weekend Cooking: Espresso Cheesecake Review

 

I cleared my schedule on Saturday to make Espresso Cheesecake. It's one of 18 recipes included by Gesine Bullock-Prado in her book, Confections of a Closet Master Baker.

Why I chose this recipe: I hand roast my own coffee several times a week on a Coleman camp stove. It results in peak flavor with no rancidity. I was looking for a recipe to show off my roasting skills. Plus, I love coffee!

Play-by-Play: The recipe calls for a 9 inch springform pan to make an 8 inch cake (there may be a typo in the book). I have springform pans in many sizes except for 9 inch (does this ever happen to you?). The closest I found was a 9 inch cake pan with a drop bottom. It worked fine. Gesine wrote helpful tips along the way which made it easier. She said to grind the espresso beans to an ultra-fine texture (no crunch) before adding to the batter. The recipe calls for a cup of coffee and tablespoon of instant espresso. I decided to use a cup of espresso and regular instant (which is all I had). The batter was very thin which surprised me. I thought I had ruined the cake but everything was okay. With the leftover batter I made a miniature cheesecake for a friend. Today I'll be cleaning my oven because the pan leaked.

Prep Time: 1 hour (not counting roasting time).

Cooking Time: Anywhere from 2-4 hours. In my case it took 3 hours at 200 degrees. Once cooled, the cake needed 3 hours in the refrigerator before eating.

Results: OMG! Really creamy texture and over the top taste; bitter but just the right amount. We each had two slices and it took willpower not to go for a third. This is the best cheesecake I've ever tasted. Since coffee is a big part of the flavor, I suggest you use the freshest beans possible if you don't hand roast. (Hugh really missed out).

Recipe Note: Gesine wrote that the cheesecake base was developed by her mom and inspired by a famous New York brand. Even though Lindy's was not mentioned in the recipe there was reference to it later in the book.

This week I'll be reviewing, "Confections of a Closet Master Baker." I'm also giving away a free copy on February 28.

What's your favorite cheesecake?

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.