The gears in my brain started turning. What would I do with my cut? I would totally pay someone to redesign this blog. And obviously I would get Andi some physical therapy to regain use of her injured leg.

I would also fly back to the Northeast on a whim whenever I wanted some pastéis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts, because they’re such a pain to make. They’re available in all the bakeries in nearby Fall River, Massachusetts, but no one here in Austin has heard of them.

Unfortunately my mom didn’t win— she bought her ticket at the other Stop & Shop. So I’m stuck making custard tarts from scratch when the craving strikes.

Pastéis de nata are buttery pastry cups filled with dense, eggy custard flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. They’re baked at a high temperature and get a little charred on top and around the edges. I figured Fall River native David Leite would have a reliable recipe, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I won’t post the lengthy recipe and directions, but here are some helpful tips:

1. You can use the dough blade of a food processor to mix the dough if you don’t have a standing mixer.

2. Don’t worry about making perfect pastry dough. David says that the secret to flaky pastry is evenly layered butter, as well as rolling the dough thinly and folding it neatly. I’m not patient enough and did none of these things. I rolled the dough out with a vodka bottle.

3. Remember you’ll need to refrigerate the pastry dough overnight or at least for a few hours  before using it.

4. When pressing the dough into the muffin tins, don’t press it too thinly. Otherwise the custard will leak through the bottom, and the tart will fall apart.

5. I didn’t bother with a thermometer to gauge the temperature of the custard. I just waited until the syrup boiled for a few minutes before whisking it into the milk.

6. The tarts commonly found in Fall River are larger than those in this recipe, so I used a regular muffin tin. It yielded about 18 tarts.

I don’t think my shortcuts affected the final product, but a vavo might disagree.  My friends gave them rave reviews, and they reminded me of the real thing.

Portuguese Custard Tarts from Leite’s Culinaria

But good riddance to our atrocious kitchen. The owner was a stereotypical single bro who never cooked. He bought a giant fridge but never bothered to fix all the burners on the stove. There’s also no dishwasher.

In our new house we’ll have a dishwasher and plenty of counter space (if I can just accept the offensive faux granite counter tops). And maybe I’ll be able to display my collection of legume jars on the counter for once!

Shauna’s recent post on Gluten Free Girl got me thinking of this moving hassle as an opportunity. It will be a fresh start from this.

Feels kind of psycho putting my clutter out there for all to see, but this isn’t even the worst of it. I refrained from posting the picture of our flatware drawer. And what is up with the hand grenade cup from college times on Bourbon Street circa 2002?

I’ve checked the internet for some inspiration, and this is what I’ve found so far:

ORGANIZED: The Kitchen Pantry on the High Straightenance column on Homefries

20 Tips and Tools for Kitchen Organization and Storage on The Kitchn

How to Organize Your Kitchen Pantry on Unclutterer

Back to School and Celebrating the Seasons on The Seasonal Plate

What are your best tips for moving into and organizing a new kitchen?

But that doesn’t mean I’m Heidi Swanson (obviously, just take a look at my photos). My gnocchi aren’t perfect little pillows, but they’re still better than the stuff you’ll find at Olive Garden. That’s saying something, right?

Here’s my low maintenance gnocchi method. I use two eggs because I like gnocchi with some bite to it. I hate when it disintegrates in the water like balls of mashed potatoes. This method will make about 60 gnocchi, so you can freeze them unless you plan to eat them all in one sitting.

Ingredients

• 2 large russet potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups flour
• salt to taste

1. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring the water to boil and then simmer until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove them from the water and place them in a bowl.

2. Wait until the potatoes are cool enough before handling them. You can cut them in half so they’ll cool faster. Then scoop the potato flesh into a mixing bowl and discard the skins.

3. Add one cup of flour to the potato flesh. Using your hands, knead the mixture until the potato and flour are well combined, and it is as smooth as possible.

4. Crack the eggs and add them to the potato and flour mixture. Knead the eggs into the other ingredients to form a dough.

5. At this point the dough will be very sticky. Little by little incorporate 1/2 cup to 1 cup of flour into the dough so that it is just pliable enough to handle. Use as little flour as possible. Add a generous pinch of salt to taste.

6. Flour a clean counter top to prevent the dough from sticking. Taking a large ball of dough in your hands, roll it out into a long cylinder about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick. Press the top down with the tinges of a fork. Slice the dough roll into pieces about 1 inch wide. They don’t need to be uniform this is artisanal gnocchi after all!

7. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop in the gnocchi. When they have all floated to the top, drain the water. Alternatively, place the dumplings on a cookie sheet and leave in the freezer until frozen. Place the gnocchi in a Ziploc bag and boil later using the directions above.

It was not okay when I stepped on the scale a few weeks later.  Surely my daily serving of ice cream wasn’t to blame. Didn’t Michael Pollan say you can eat all the ice cream you want if you make it from scratch with locally sourced ingredients? That’s the message I took away from In Defense of Food.

I’ve eased back into ice cream making with a recipe that makes a perfect, irresistible, but satisfying ice cream. Something about the salty/sweet combo helps me put down the spoon and control myself. A recipe like this salty caramel ice cream would only come from Jeni Britton Bauer, owner of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

I have yet to visit one of her scoop shops in Ohio, but I’ve tried a few of her pints. They measure up to the hype— it really is the best ice cream ever. I ran out and bought her book as soon as it came out, and I was lucky enough to attend one of her ice cream classes at Central Market. She just glows with enthusiasm for her creative artisan ice creams.

I won’t rehash the recipe published in Bon Appetit, but the final product tasted just like the stuff I bought at the store. Jeni’s recipes are unique because they never include eggs. She uses cornstarch and cream cheese as emulsifiers, and she also boils the cream. Here are some tips:

1.  Get all of your ingredients prepped before you start. Jeni uses a dry burn technique to make the caramel base, so you must watch the sugar and act quickly when it achieves the right color.

2. Back away when you add the cream as it will pop and sputter!

3. Strain the base through a sieve before refrigerating it. Don’t skip this step because you don’t want to compromise on the ice cream’s wonderfully smooth texture.

Salty caramel is Jeni’s signature flavor. Her eggless ice cream results in a bright flavor carried beautifully by the butterfat and not muddled by the egg yolks. It’s a perfectly balanced combination of salty and sweet.

The experience motivated me to try making it myself. I had toyed with the idea of tongue pastrami for a long time. Last year I made it with the traditional brisket and wanted to substitute tongue, a much cheaper and leaner cut of meat.

We ordered some tongues from Richardson Farms. Five pounds of locally raised meat for $14 was a steal. I prepared a sweet and savory brine flavored with salt, homemade pickling spice, garlic, sugar, brown sugar, and honey. Adding some sodium nitrite gave the meat a beautiful pink color and the familiar pastrami-like flavor.

I cooled the brine and submerged the tongues in the liquid where they pickled for 3 days. Then I rinsed them off, coated them in ground black peppercorn and coriander seeds, and smoked them for about 8 hours.

That’s the tongue pastrami overview so you can prepare yourself 3 days in advance. Here’s the step-by-step procedure adapted from Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s Charcuterie:

Brine:

• 1 gallon water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 8 teaspoons pink salt (sodium nitrite)
• 1 tablespoon picking spice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed

• One or two beef tongues
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, lightly toasted
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns, lightly toasted

1. Combine the brine ingredients in a pot large enough to hold the tongues. Bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat and let the brine cool to room temperature.

2. Submerge the tongues in the brine. Place a plate on top to keep the meat covered with the brine and prevent it from floating. Refrigerate for 3 or 4 days.

3. Remove the tongues from the brine. Rinse them, pat dry, and set aside. Get rid of that brine!

4. Grind the coriander and peppercorn mixture in spice grinder or food processor. Coat the tongues with it on all sides.

5. Hot-smoke the tongues until they reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees. (Try to keep the smoking temperature as low as possible so the tongues can smoke for a long as possible. We smoked ours overnight)

6. Let the tongues rest for a few hours after smoking. To prepare the meat for eating, slice it as thinly as possible. Heat it in a pan, or steam it before serving.

I’d also be lying if I said that I grew up eating Grapenut pudding, a traditional New England dessert. I actually tried it for the first time at The Commons. It’s a rich custard flavored mixed with Grapenuts and flavored with vanilla. The cereal gets soggy when it absorbs the milk, creating a simple dessert with a variety of layers and textures. It’s best served cold and topped with whipped cream.

I couldn’t wait to try making Grapenut pudding back in Austin. I got the recipe from trusty Yankee magazine. We always had copies of it laying around the house while I was growing up.

Grapenut Pudding

• 1 quart milk, scalded
• 1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
• 4 large eggs
• scant 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (approx.)
• Whole nutmeg
• Water

Heat oven to 350°. In a medium-size bowl, pour scalded milk over Grape-Nuts and let sit 5 minutes. In a second medium-size bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add egg mixture to milk and Grape-Nuts and stir well. Pour into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Generously grate nutmeg over the top. Place the casserole into a deep roasting pan. Place in the oven and pour water into the roasting pan, enough to reach halfway up the side of the casserole. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, until almost set in the center (very slight jiggle).

Rillettes are a traditional French hors d’oeuvre served in a jar or ramekin. They are usually made of some type of meat (pork, fish, chicken, and duck) long-simmered in fat with herbs and aromatics until tender and spreadable. Sealed with a layer of fat, they keep in the fridge for weeks and are served at room temperature accompanied by slices of baguette or crackers. It’s a thrifty cooking technique that turns almost unusable scraps of meat into a delicious treat. Duck rillettes are particularly rich and satisfying.

Last weekend I felt inspired and removed the carcass and fat from the freezer. It was painful, but I picked off all the meat for my bastardized version of duck rillettes. I flavored them with aromatic spices and garlic, and it all came together in less than 30 minutes.

Duck Rillettes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of shredded duck meat
• 3/4 cup duck fat, or as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• freshly ground black pepper
• kosher salt to taste

1. Combine the meat and 1/2 a cup of the duck fat in a saucepan. Turn the heat on low and stir to evenly coat the meat with the melting fat.

2. After the fat has melted, stir in the spices and garlic. Cook the mixture on low heat for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the rillettes from the heat. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on low until the fat is evenly distributed and the meat is uniformly shredded. The rillettes should be moist and creamy but look separable. Add more fat if the mixture looks too stiff. Flavor with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pack the rillettes into glass jars. Melt the remaining fat and pour it over the rillettes to seal. Store the jars in the fridge.

Remember to bring the rillettes to room temperate before you serve them. They will keep for 3 to 4 weeks with an unbroken fat seal. But they won’t last that long, because this recipe is just as good as the long-simmered traditional variety. It’s been less than a week since I made these duck rillettes, and we’ve almost finished our stash.

The cashews set this recipe apart, making the soup creamy without adding dairy. Adding ginger and chicken stock (my addition) makes it the perfect remedy for feeling under the weather after too much travel, alcohol, and Christmas cookies.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Cashews (adapted from The New Moosewood Cookbook)

2 pounds carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cups homemade chicken stock

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon dried mint
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

juice of half a lemon
3/4 cup toasted cashews

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, salt, and spices. Lower the heat and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes, until the onions are soft.

Add the carrots to the onion and spices and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the carrots are very tender (20-30 minutes). Stir the cashews into the liquid.

Remove the pot from the heat and use an immersion blender to purée the mixture until smooth. Return to heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes more until the flavors are well combined. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes more and serve.
(Serves 8-10)

I was fortunate to spend Christmas with family and friends in Rhode Island. I ate clam chowder & lobster rolls and caught up with friends who I have known since kindergarten.

Dustin and I ended 2011 right where we started it— in New York City. This time last year we were living in Manhattan, packing up to move to Austin, and I was dreading it. I was hesitant to leave behind the exhilarating city, new friends, and proximity to my family. But this trip gave me some perspective. I often feel sorry for myself that my loved ones are so far-flung around the country, but I’m thankful that I have a loving family and so many friends. I’m consistently amazed that they are willing to take time out of their busy lives to catch up with me when I visit.

Despite the pulsating excitement of New York City, returning reminded me that living there was a daily struggle. New York City is incomparable, but it is utterly exhausting. Most importantly, I’ve been lucky to meet so many friendly, passionate, and creative people here in Austin. I have big plans for 2012, and I’m excited to see what the year will bring.

1. Post more pictures of my cat on my blog

2. Post a real picture of myself on my blog

3. Stop being so scrap in my grooming practices/get my hair and nails done more than twice per year

4. Conquer my fear of public speaking

5. Get back in the yoga routine

6. Take more walks

7. Relearn Spanish

8. Keep the kitchen clean

9. Peel the brown bananas before throwing them in the freezer

10. Entertain at home more

11. Take classes (knife skills, writing, sewing)

12. Practice moderation