Ginger Gifts--On and Off a Desert Isle

We couldn't possibly complete an exploration of love and ginger without a reference to Ginger Grant, the "movie star" stranded with Gilligan et al (played by actress Tina Louise).  Thanks to Catherine Signorello (she of the famed cookies) for bringing this omission to our attention.  Despite our determined attempts, youtube would not allow us to post the vid directly, but we couldn't resist sharing the link to Ginger vamping it up on the uncharted desert isle along with this pic of her glam self flaunting her many gifts. 


And speaking of gifts,  'tis the season.   As we began to consider the holidays, we uncovered some interesting gift notions about ginger--both the comestible ingredient and the vessel, pictured here:

A ginger jar is a Chinese porcelain jar, traditionally used to store a variety of goods. The jars acquired the name "ginger jars" because they often contained ginger when they were exported to the West.

 In China the jars have a variety of cultural roles. Some were made as gifts to emperors. Others--and you knew we'd circle back to love eventually--were traditional wedding gifts to grooms. 

If porcelain jars are not on your groom's wish list, (or appropriate for your mailman, hairdresser, babysitter, or mechanic), try one of the following ginger-rific delectables, both sent by readers, one savory, one sweet...

Photograph by Elizabeth J. Colaianni,

Jessie Burns's Ginger Miso Dressing

1/4 cup golden miso
1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk with wild abandon, pour into jar, beribbon attractively and hand over to delighted friend.

Paula Fein's Ginger-rific Chocolate Squares

3 bars Green & Black’s Ginger chocolate, broken into pieces (available at Jonathan Best)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 5 or 6 pieces
3 Tbsp  agave nectar (also called agave sweetener)
2 cups all natural mini marshmallows
3 cups ginger snaps

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, combine chocolate, butter and nectar.  Stir constantly until most of the chocolate is melted.  Turn off the heat, continue stirring until chocolate is entirely melted (ginger bits will remain solid). 

Place gingersnaps in a large baggie; crush with a rolling pin.  Leave some larger chunks.

Remove ½ cup of chocolate mixture and set aside.

Add ginger snaps and marshmallows to the chocolate mixture in the saucepan.  Mix thoroughly.  Turn this mixture out into a 9X9 ungreased square pan and press down with a spatula.  Use the remaining ½ cup of chocolate to smooth over top.  Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate overnight.

When chilled, cut into 25 squares.  (Optional:  dust with confectioner’s sugar, place in pretty box or cello bag tied with festive ribbon.)

Salad for Carnivores

NY Strip (top) and Sirloin, both recommended by butcher Nick Ochs for searing, slicing and serving atop salads

Perhaps "Steak Salad" sounds like a contradiction in terms.  Steak, obviously, appeals to the carnivores among us, robust and hardy eaters who seek the rich and satisfying experience of tucking into a slab of animal protein.  Devout carnivores often refer to salad as "rabbit food."    We get that.  We certainly have our carnivorous tendencies.  During the winter, however, when meat is often accompanied by rich gravies, mashed potatoes, or sauced noodles, we found that there was a consequence to such heady indulgence.  Bulky winter sweaters and jackets hide a multitude of dietary sins, and it has become apparent that we must now repent.

But repentance need not be wholly unpleasant, as you've seen by recent posts on spring salads.  The key for us is to go heavy on the fresh produce, and top it with a flavorful serving of lean, well seasoned meat or fish.  We forgo the carbs when possible, but nothing in the extreme.

Speaking of avoiding dietetic extremism, we loved the Inquirer article on the growing trend toward  "Flexitarianism."   These are people who eat vegetarian sometimes, meat sometimes, and generally well all the time.  Betting that these Flexies spend a lot of time at the Reading Terminal Market! 
Speaking of, the Market provides everything you need for this carnivorous salad; hit the butchers and the produce merchants for ingredients. 
And now,  back to the steak.....

We had a chat with butcher Nick Ochs about what steak he would recommend to sear and slice for the top of a steak salad.  He recommended a NY Strip for its excellent flavor and texture, and also suggested sirloin as a slightly less expensive option.  Nick advised us to look for 'marbling', that is, the thin ribbons of fat that run through the meat; these melt when the meat cooks, enhancing flavor and maintaining moisture.  He also advised us to salt the steak after cooking, because salt draws the juices out, and dries the meat before it cooks.  He said to watch for excessive gristle, i.e. the thick lines of fat found through and around the meat, and also directed us to cut the meat across the grain for maximum tenderness. 

So, to make a fabulously simple steak salad for 2....


1 NY Strip, approx 12 oz.
cracked black pepper
garlic powder
salt to taste (after cooking)

Baby arugula patiently awaiting dressing and steak

6 cups baby arugula or mixed greens
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 garlic powder
freshly ground pepper to taste

Rub steak with pepper and garlic powder, and let it come to room temperature before cooking.  Heat broiler, grill, or skillet, and sear steak, 3 minutes per side for medium rare.  Remove steak from heat, salt to taste, and tent with foil for about 10 minutes.  While the steak sits, assemble the salad.  This can be done right in the salad bowl; no need for blenders or cruets with this concoction.  Simply dump the leaves into the bowl, sprinkle the dressing ingredients atop and toss thoroughly.  Slice the steak as Nick directs above, and lay it atop the salad.  Bon appetit.

Note:  The Ginger Flank Steak we shared during our ginger phase last fall would also work well atop a salad, especially if you drizzle it with Ginger Miso Dressing. 


And with all this talk of spring, we couldn't resist posting a related clip from The Producers.......Mel Brooks again, I know, but he cracks me up.  Enjoy.

Ducks Win for Once!

Why do ducks get such bad press?

Think of a "sitting duck"..a witless loser standing in the line of fire...or "out for a duck"...a quaint expression in the English game of Cricket for yet another loser who gets bowled out without scoring a single wicket..or even Daffy Duck who is invariably cast as a bad-tempered sore loser.

Instead of compounding this negativity, we come to praise this tasty bird.

Ducks are fantastic -- nutritionally speaking. If you discard the uber greasy skin and thick layer of fat, the duck meat itself is comparable to both chicken and turkey in terms of its nutritional composition and to our mind it is waaay tastier.  Peking duck is an exception, but that's special occasion food (being deep fried); it's just too much of a temptation to discard the crispy skin 'cos it's the best part of this particular duckfest!

The following recipe is almost healthy...it is a duck salad, after all.

Ingredients:
2  6oz duck breasts

(For the marinade)
2  tbsp soy sauce
1  tbsp chilli garlic sauce
1  tsp toasted sesame oil
1  tsp honey
1 heaped tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
1  tsp toasted sesame seeds

Whisk all the above ingredients together and then marinade duck breasts for 10-12 hours or better still overnight.

The Supporting Cast for the Duck - Asian Salad

Salad Ingredients:
Plated up salad greens, preferably including Asian greens such as bok choy, scallions, peppery daikon or regular radish...also tomatoes look pretty and we like to throw in crunchy nuts such as pistachios or pecans.

How to Cook the Duck:
If you're feeling virtuous you can discard the skin and fat - this makes the dish a much healthier option. On a 6oz breast, for example, the skin and fat probably accounts for about 2oz of the total weight of the breast. If you want to be naughty and indulgent, cut off the skin and fat and then fry this fat to render it down and obtain duck fat in which to lightly sear your duck breast. It does taste better... (otherwise use far healthier olive oil or wok oil.)

This is a quick and easy meal to rustle up.

Sear duck in skillet in rendered fat or wok oil 3-4 minutes.  Flip, then sear the other side for 3-4 minutes.  It's important not to overcook duck..the breast itself continues cooking once you remove from the heat so err on the side of caution.  We like our duck pink; others preferred it cooked through.  So you decide. 

Once meat has cooled slightly, slice thinly and lay atop of the plated salad.  Scatter over a few more toasted sesame seeds and add a dressing of your choice.  For dressing, we recommend this wonderful recipe from our friend Jessie Burns for Ginger Miso dressing, a Philly Food Lovers staple these days.  If you don't feel like making a dressing....duck marries well with most soft fruit flavors, so look out for ready made berry-based dressings, or balsamic vinaigrette with a tinge of sweetness.

Dish serves two as a main. 

Fancy Duck Salad: If you want to dress this up and perhaps serve as a starter at a dinner party then you can do some impressive tricks with egg noodles. To explain...make up packet of egg noodles according to instructions. Once cooked, remove from heat and run them under cold running water to stop then overcooking. Drain well. Heat 1 tbsp wok oil in frypan until smoking hot..you will need about 1 inch of oil in total. Carefully drop noodles into frypan. (It's best to use chopsticks to do this.)  The general idea is to create a flat nest of noodles on which to cradle your salad and duck. As the noodles fry they stick together and look like a piece of artwork!   Drain these noodles on a kitchen towel and leave to cool. When cold, the noodles can be used as a plate almost on which you stack up salad greens and display your dazzling duck.

Homemade Gifts in a Jar

Homemade Holiday Gifts can come in all shapes, sizes, flavors and textures...

I am forever astounded by how delicious caramel sauce is.  Every time I make it, I taste a spoonful of this liquid gold and my knees nearly buckle.  Yes, it's that good.  Here's the method:

Caramel Sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 TBSP butter

In medium-sized saucepan, pour sugar and water.  Do not stir.  Heat to medium, swirl pan to blend and boil for  8-10 minutes, or until mixture caramelizes into a golden brown color.  Watch it carefully, it goes from sugar water to golden lusciousness to tar in seconds flat.  Remove pan from heat and pour in cream.  It will bubble up and become a sticky goo.  Keep stirring, and place back on low heat if necessary to remelt the sugar.  When completely smooth and golden, add butter and salt.

When cooled slightly, pour into jar and adorn with festive ribbon.  Store in fridge up to 1 week.  (We bet it won't last that long.)  This is glorious served as a fondue with apples, pretzels, graham crackers, cashews, and cubes of pound or angel cake, or used to top vanilla ice cream.


More of a savory sort?  Give a jar of pesto  or ginger miso dressing

And while technically it would be more likely to come in a bottle than a jar, we think chili vinegar is a good gift option as well.  

Either way, a homemade jar of something yummy is sure to please your loved ones.