2 Set an unoiled nonstick pan on high heat for about one minute, until very hot. Sprinkle sea salt on the skin of the salmon and set it skin side down in the pan (it will hiss dramatically and the edges will contract). Cover, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook until the center is rare (about 5 minutes). Flip the salmon out onto a plate, skin side up. Remove the skin using a spatula and scrape off any flesh that is stuck to it. Salt the underside of the crisp skin (known as “salmon potato chips” in my house), chop or slice, and set aside for use as a garnish.
3 Assembling the Masterpiece: Preheat the oven to 415°F. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with melted butter and place a sheet of filo on it. Brush the sheet with melted butter, place another sheet on top, and repeat until you've used all the filo. Use 8–12 sheets of filo, depending on your preference.
4 Lay the steamed spinach lengthwise along the dough, and top with the salmon. Depending on the size and length of the fish, you may need to slice pieces from the thin end and lay them across the rest of the piece. Try to make a rectangle of even thickness that can be folded within the dough.
5 Fold the filo so that it encases the fish and spinach (you will probably need a spatula). Fold both ends up, and then flip the whole thing over so that the presenting side is seamless (the spinach will be on top after you've flipped it). Brush with the remaining butter, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and crisp.
6 Sauté the drained capers over moderately high heat until crisp, 3–5 minutes. Set aside half of the capers to mix into the hollandaise, and garnish the salmon with the other half. Garnish with skin cracklings if desired.
7 Presentation: Bring the Thing to the table, slice, and serve. Top with a dollop of hollandaise (see recipe).
HOLLANDAISE SAUCE
Makes ¾ cup
Giving credit where credit is due, this hollandaise is Julia Child's because, frankly, there is no other.
Note: This is the stage I call playing chicken with the egg. You want to heat the egg yolks without scrambling them, so whisk constantly over low heat. Do NOT use a nonstick sauce pan. Use copper if you have it, but do not use nonstick. If you scramble the eggs by accident, you can unscramble them through elbow grease by whisking with tiny bits of lemon juice away from the heat. But you won't scramble them in the first place, right?
3 egg yolks
Juice from half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
4 tablespoons cold butter, divided
10 tablespoons melted (but not hot) butter
1 Whisk egg yolks in a sauce pan until creamy. Whisk in lemon juice. Set the pan on the lowest heat, impale the first 2 tablespoons of butter on the end of your whisk, and swirl it constantly around the bottom. (You want to heat the egg yolks enough to cook them but not enough to scramble them. The cold butter gives you a bit of control. Be ready to grab the pan and remove it from the heat and whisk, whisk, whisk if it threatens to scramble, but do not leave it for even an instant during this stage.)
2 When the mixture is thick enough to see to the bottom of the pan each time you whisk, turn off the heat, whisk in the other 2 tablespoons of cold butter to cool the mixture, and then add the melted (but not hot!) butter in dribbles.
LONG GRAIN AND WILD RICE
Makes 5 servings
I can't remember where I learned to do rice this way — I think I was served it at someone's house and asked the hostess — but I can tell you that I've never cooked it any way since (unless, of course, I'm using a completely different type of rice for curry, etc.).
Note: The leftovers microwave up beautifully.
1 cup long grain white rice
1/3 cup wild rice
2 2/3 cups chicken broth
3–4 garlic cloves, crushed (more or less as desired)
A generous pat of butter (about 2 tablespoons)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Place long grain and wild rice, broth, garlic, butter, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
2 When dimples appear on the surface of the rice, add parsley, stir, and remove from heat. Allow to rest while you finish up the rest of the dinner. Add salt and pepper to taste.
MERRAN NEVILLE'S PAVLOVA
Makes 8–10 servings
The recipe for pavlova comes from Merran Neville, a dear family friend, and the first time she served this to me I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It is my favorite dessert of all time, and so easy to make. All my children ask for pavlova instead of birthday cake and I oblige, sticking a single candle in the middle of the whipped cream. The only caveat is that the berries must be ripe. I try to combine as many types of ripe berries as are available, but another good combination is sliced ripe peaches and blueberries.
FOR THE PAVLOVA
4 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE TOPPING
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or liqueur (Gran Marnier is especially good)
Ripe berries (a mixture of raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries is good)
1 Preheat oven to 285°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2 To make the pavlovas: In electric mixer's large bowl, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Beat in ½ cup sugar, until the mixture is thick and holds shiny peaks.
3 Mix the cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup sugar. Fold this gently into the egg whites with a rubber spatula.
4 Add the cider vinegar and vanilla extract, and fold them gently into the egg whites until just mixed.
5 Pile the mixture in an 8-inch mound on the baking sheet. Bake for about one hour, until the outside crust is firm but the inside is still soft. The peaks will start to turn golden.
6 Let cool for ten minutes on a wire rack, and then invert gently onto a second rack and let cool thoroughly. Remove the parchment as soon as it will let you (use a spatula and patience). The pavlova will shrink and crack a little, but will look fine when decorated. Just before serving, invert the pavlova onto a serving dish.
7 To make the topping: Whip the cream until thick, and then fold in the sugar and the vanilla or liqueur. Spread the whipped cream on the pavlova, pile the berries on top, and serve.
Jennifer Haigh
Asia Kepka
SELECTED WOEKS
The Lost Gospel (2011)
The Condition (2008)
Baker Towers (2004)
Mrs. Kimble (2003)
Inspiration Each of my novels has come about differently. Baker Towers was inspired by a place, my hometown in western Pennsylvania. Mrs. Kimble began with a scene I actually witnessed. Years ago, when I was living in Tampa, Florida, I went to the corner store one day and saw a young mother with a small child, falling down drunk at ten in the morning. That memory haunted me for years, and when I sat down to write what would become my first novel, it was the scene I wrote.
Readers Should Know My latest novel is The Lost Gospel and, after several years of focusing exclusively on novels, I have recently rediscovered my love of the short story. My story “Beast and Bird” is available on the Amazon Kindle.
I am now at work on a short story collection, tentatively titled The Beauty Part. In these stories I will return to Bakerton, Pennsylvania, the fictionalized western Pennsylvania mining town that is the setting for, some might say, the main character of my second novel, Baker Towers.
Readers Frequently Ask “Do you write from your own experience?”
Nope. I make it all up.
“How do you know when a book is done?”
It's like falling in love — you just know.
Setting the Bar If I had to choose only one influence on my writing, it would be the Irish novelist and short story writer William Trevor. I am awed by his exquisitely simple and beautiful sentences, his deep insight into human nature, his compassion and heart. I'm not vain enough to imagine that my writing resembles Trevor's, but reading him reminds me where the bar is.
DINAH KIMBLE'S GREEN SALAD WITH SALMON (GRAVLAX)
Makes 12–16 servings
In my novel Mrs. Kimble, Dinah, the last of Ken Kimble's three wives, is trained as a chef. When she first appears as an adult, she is working as garde manger at Emile's, a posh bistro in Washington, D.C. As garde manger, Dinah is responsible for dishes that are served cold: raw oysters, salads, and smoked salmon, among others. Once a week she prepares gravlax, salmon cured in the traditional Swedish manner. Gravlax is traditionally made with dill, an herb Dinah and I don't especially like. Here is our version.
This is a variation on the classic gravlax recipe that appears in Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker's The Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 1997). I have made it this way for years.
Note: This recipe takes three days to prepare.
1¼ cups raw sugar, such as turbinado or demerara
¾ cup kosher salt
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for dusting
About 2 pounds very fresh salmon (filleted by a fishmonger into two equal fillets, skin on)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lemon-flavored vodka (or 1 tablespoon vodka plus ½ teaspoon grated lemon peel)
18–24 cups salad greens, for serving (I like a mix of spinach and arugula)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Vinaigrette (see recipe)
1 In a large bowl, mix sugar, salt and pepper. Place salmon fillets on a flat surface, such as a cutting board, skin side down. Rub dry mixture onto salmon, covering flesh side completely. Place cilantro on the flesh side of one of the fillets, and sprinkle with vodka. Lay the other fillet, flesh side down, on top of the herb-covered fillet.
2 Wrap fish tightly in plastic wrap. Lay salmon package in a baking dish and top with a plate weighted down with two or three heavy cookbooks (you can also use cans or other heavy objects). Place in refrigerator.
3 Each morning and evening, open the package, baste the fish with any liquids it has exuded, close the package, and turn it over. The fish is ready when its flesh is opaque, usually after 3 days.
4 Unwrap salmon, wipe off dry mixture and cilantro from fish with a paper towel, and detach skin. Slice each side on the diagonal, starting from the tail end. The gravlax should be sliced thinly at an angle.
5 Serve over salad greens with a dusting of black pepper and vinaigrette (see recipe).
VINAIGRETTE
Makes about 2 cups
1¼ cups sesame oil
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lime juice
Sugar to taste (about ½–¾ teaspoon)
Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk gently to combine.
Joanne Harris
Lorne Campbell
SELECTED WOEKS
The Girl with No Shadow (2007)
Coastliners (2002)
Five Quarters of the Orange (2001)
Blackberry Wine (2000)
Chocolat (1999)
Inspiration The inspiration for my books is often drawn from the places and people of my childhood, from members of my family, and from people I have met on my travels. A number of them are set in France, where I still have a number of relatives and where I spent my holidays as a child. Because of this, French food and culture have all played a significant role, especially in some of my earlier novels. I have also drawn extensively on my experience as a teacher in Yorkshire, and on my lifelong interest in aspects of belief, folklore, and fairytale.
Readers Should Know I may still be best known for my 1999 novel Chocolat, which was made into a film in 2001 starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Since then I have published seven more novels, a collection of short stories, and two cookbooks.
Readers Frequently Ask Many book clubs still ask me about the movie adaptation of Chocolat, even though I wasn't responsible for the screenplay. I did enjoy the process of filming, though; I was on set for much of the time, and found it to be a tremendous experience to work and meet with all the artists. Of course, I might have made a few changes to the script if I'd been in charge, but the result looked gorgeous, and the casting was impeccable!
Books That Have Influenced My Writing
Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, for its fabulously dynamic prose and its flawless evocation of childhood.
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy, a brooding, complex masterpiece of neo-Gothic fantasy.
Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, the most perfect novel of rapture and anguish, by one of literature's greatest stylists.
LENTIL AND TOULOUSE SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
Makes 6 servings
This is a family recipe that was originally published in My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde (HarperCollins, 2003).
There's no better way to get into the atmosphere of the location than through its traditional recipes. This casserole, Lentilles-Saucisses à 1'Ancienne is an old, old recipe from the Toulouse region in which my grandfather was born. My readers have visited the region many times before in my books, including Chocolat. It's an old favorite: easy to make, completely stress-free, and very versatile. It's great with country bread and strong red wine if you want a hot meal in a hurry.
Note: Toulouse sausages are made with pure pork and a generous amount of garlic. They vary from shop to shop according to personal recipes, so keep trying until you find your perfect one. If you prefer, use any of your other favorite sausages. The sausages will cook in the casserole, but if you prefer you can brown them in a skillet before baking.
Lentilles du Puy, small green lentils with a tender skin, are prized produce items. Originally grown in the volcanic soils of Puy in France, you can find them in gourmet or specialty stores.
The cooking of the lentils varies depending on the type of lentils you use. French lentils require longer cooking time than the lentils commonly found in grocery stores. This recipe calls for soaking lentils overnight.
11 ounces lentils, preferably green lentilles du Puy (see note)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and chopped
3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
3 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
¾ cup red wine
2 cups water
6 Toulouse or other favorite cooked sausages (1½ pounds) (see note)
Large bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 Place lentils in a large bowl and cover with at least 2 inches of water. Soak overnight. Drain and set aside.
2 Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole; add the onions, celery, and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaf. Mix and cook for 5 minutes.
3 Remove from the heat, add the lentils and red wine, stir well, and pour in enough water to cover (about two cups). Place the sausages on top, cover and bake until lentils are tender, approximately 30–50 minutes (see note).
4 Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
GâTEAU LAWRENCE
Makes 10–12 servings
This is a family recipe that was originally published in My French Kitchen by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde (HarperCollins, 2003).
One of the reasons I wrote my cookbook was because so many of my readers k
ept writing to ask me for chocolate recipes. Here's one of my favorites, used in the book and the film version of Chocolat and invented by my brother Lawrence.
Note: This is a rich cake. If you find, as I do, that the chocolate icing seems a little too much of a good thing, try drizzling the warmed apricot jam over the cake just before serving. The sharp tang of the fruit makes a wonderful contrast to the dark chocolate. Bliss!
FOR THE CAKE
6½ ounces bittersweet (70 percent cocoa) chocolate
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cups (7 ounces) finely ground almonds (grind in a food processor or blender)
4 large eggs, separated
FOR THE ICING
3½ ounces bittersweet (70 percent cocoa) chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons apricot jam, warmed (optional)
1 To make the cake: Preheat oven to 300°F. Line the bottom of a 10″ springform pan with parchment paper. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and cool until tepid.
2 In an electric mixer's large bowl, blend the butter and sugar until soft and creamy. Add the melted chocolate, ground almonds, and egg yolks and beat until evenly blended.
3 In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Add to the cake mixture, and use a rubber spatula to quickly fold in until evenly mixed. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes. A light crust will form on the top and the middle should still be a little squishy.
4 Leave to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing the sides. Cool cake on a wire rack. Slide a long knife underneath the cake to release the parchment from the bottom of the cake pan, but leave the cake on the paper.
5 To make the icing: Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir. Spread evenly over the top of the cake and leave to set. Slide the cake off the paper and onto a serving platter. Drizzle apricot jam over the cake just before serving, if desired.
Table of Contents: From Breakfast With Anita Diamant to Dessert With James Patterson - a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights From Today's Bestselling Authors Page 11