Artichoke salad and a shortcut

Eataly just opened in New York to a ton of PR and local excitement.  It is a massive indoor space filled with restaurants and a large, mostly Italian dry goods and gourmet items plus local produce, seafood and a local meat counter.  A foodie's dream come true.  One very interesting feature is a station dedicated to chopping and preparing vegetables to your specifications.  Initially I thought "who would ever be so lazy that they couldn't chop their own vegetables?" But then, I realized that there are some vegetables that are so onerous to prepare that I actually avoid buying them: artichokes!  Would they pare raw artichokes down the the hearts and shave them on a mandoline so I could make a fresh artichoke salad?  I optimistically picked out and weighed a dozen baby artichokes and presented them to the counter.  Sure enough, a short while later I had shaved raw artichokes floating in acidulated water, ready for assembly at home. 

At home, I sliced fennel thinly on a mandoline, tossed the fennel and the artichokes with some baby arugula and fennel fronds and drizzled it with some nice olive oil and red wine vinegar.  An "instant" salad that would have taken me quite some time without the leg up.  I was so excited I forgot to shave the 12-year aged Parmesan I had bought to go on top.  I can only imagine the other things I can concoct with freshly prepared artichokes!  I'm quite sure they didn't see this coming but they were game and I'll be going back.

Where am I? (and apple and crab salad)

Hi everyone!  I hope that you have been enjoying your summer!  I've had a great summer with lots of fun work on both the child and food photography fronts.  I will share some of what I've been working on soon.  Recently I've shot a couple more cookbooks and am in the midst of working on the photography for a single-subject cookbook on lobster.  I'm shooting environmental shots of lobstermen and the like now, and will do the plated dishes next spring when the author finishes the manuscript.  I've had some a amazing child/parent clients and some really lovely and touching images that have come out of those sessions.  I have a great slate of new work coming up that I'm very excited about.  If you are interested, I seem to be doing little updates more frequently on my Facebook site than my blog - please feel free to hop on over there.

My family and I just spent 2 weeks in Maine.  Both relaxing and enjoying the ocean and the wonderful, quaint towns but conveniently also making some progress on the lobster cookbook.  I had the opportunity to meet many lobstermen as a result (and eat many lobsters!).  My husband and I were both remarking that it's nice when I have an assignment when we are away because it forces is to interact more with the locals and discover more of the local culture.  This time, we certainly were able to do that, and it was wonderful.

So what's been up with this blog?  Well, I have been wanting to re-brand for some time.  I've felt for a while that Cookbook Catchall is a name that no longer really reflects what I'm writing about.  I want to include more of my child photography on this site and wanted a broader name.  I also wanted a new look and feel and a custom URL.  So all of that was accomplished easily enough but when I went to publish my blog, Blogger managed to throw out all of the comments prior to the change.  Years of comments from you that I truly value.  If I switch back to the Blogspot URL, I get them back.  Go back to the custom domain name, and they are gone.  I've looked up this issue and it seems it's a known bug with no fix.  I'm so frustrated and disillusioned that it's kept me from doing new updates!  Does anyone know anything about this?  Any ideas?  Should I just switch to Wordpress and start all over again?

I thought I'd share an outtake from the next issue of Sweet Paul which will be out during the first half of September.  I contributed an apple story, and the final recipes ended up being sweet.  This one, which is delish, is out so I'm sharing it here - enjoy.

Apple and crab salad
(serves 4 as a light side salad or appetizer)

1-2 granny smith apples, sliced 1/8 inch thick on a mandoline
1 lb lump crab meat
1 Tbs mayonaise
1 Tbs+ freshly squeezed lemon
1 Tbs chopped tarragon
1 Tbs chopped chive
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Sea salt to taste

Drizzle some lemon juice on apple slices to prevent browning
Combine crab meat and seasonings.  Adjust seasonings to taste.
Arrange crab meat in layers between apple slices.  Serve immediately.

p.s.
I shot a bunch of long exposures of the clear Maine sky while we were there.  This was my favorite.  No photoshop here - this is straight out of the camera!

Newsworthy: Sweet Paul Magazine Launches

Sweet Paul magazine launched today. Paul did a wonderful job and I am a proud contributor. Stop on by!

Going East: Indian-spiced fish wrapped in phyllo

Indian-spiced Halibut in Phyllo
(serves 4)

4 6-8 oz fillets of halibut, skin and bones removed
1 package phyllo dough, defrosted according to package directions
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil spray

I adore fish. When I prepare fish at home, I most often pan fry it in a pan coated with 1/8 inch of oil, allowing one side to crisp. I must share my favorite recipe for salmon prepared this way. One way I occasionally shake things up by wrapping it in phyllo dough and baking it in the oven. It takes no more time and is a nice variation to a more typical preparation. I love Indian spices and think they go particularly well with fish. Halibut is my favorite for its firm but flaky texture and non-fishy taste. Phyllo can be a little temperamental: the trick is to work quickly and keep the phyllo covered with a damp cloth while you are working. This simple recipe is a nice introduction to phyllo if you've never used it before.

Pat fish dry. Working quickly, lay one phyllo sheet on counter with short side facing forward. Spray with olive oil. Top with a second sheet of phyllo dough. Spray with oil. Place one piece of fish horizontally on sheet near start of pastry closest to you, about two inches from the end. Season generously with spice mixture and sprinkle with salt. Fold sides on top of fish and then slowly roll fish away from you to encase completely in dough. Arrange packet seam-side down on a non-stick baking sheet. Spray with olive oil. Repeat with remaining filets. Bake for 15 minutes until phyllo is golden and fish is cooked through. Serve immediately.