Converting measurements when using American recipes in Europe and abroad

On the English Forum, someone recently asked for information about how to convert measurements from American and British cookbooks, which measure dry ingredients differently. In American cookbooks, for example, a recipe might ask for a cup of flour, whereas in European recipes it would ask for the flour in grams.

I will repeat the recommendations I posted there.

Julia Child’s conversion tables

My measuring cups have followed me around the world.

Since I was trained at Le Cordon Bleu and La Varenne, and raised on Julia Child, I have always used her extremely thorough and precise conversion tables. They are invaluable, because they give French, British and American equivalents, which is important since — perhaps you don’t know — an American ounce is quite a different thing than a British ounce! (I’m exaggerating a wee bit there.)

These conversion tables are to be found in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” of which an anniversary edition has just been published. Child, or simply “Julia”, as we like to call her in the world of cuisine, also provided temperature conversion charts, including both British and French “marks” as well as metric and Imperial temperatures. You might also find this masterpiece at Books Books Books in Lausanne.

I will try to reproduce these here in the next few weeks, because many people are quite understandably confused, especially when they first arrive in Europe.

If you do have anybody back in the U.S. who can send you a set of stainless steel measuring cups and spoons however, do ask them to do so. The American ones usually give the U.S. measurement as well as the metric equivalent. I agree that weighing small amounts is tedious, and once you start using these cups and spoons, you’ll soon get a feel for the metric equivalents.

They can easily be found in stores such as Walmart, and certainly in all major department stores, hypermarkets, superstores and, of course, in cookware shops. They are not expensive, and last forever. I’ve been using the same ones for 25 years now.

If you don’t have anyone who can send you the cheap variety, which is what I have, you can order them online from Fante’s Kitchen Ware Shops, which offers them in plastic, glass, and stainless steel, and in every shape, form and size imaginable.

The award-winning Cobb Grill is on sale online at Eboutic until 18  October.

Photo courtesy of Eboutic.

These grills are unique in that they are compact, lightweight, come with their own tote bag, and emit practically no smoke. They are only 12in/30cm high, 12in/30cm wide, weigh 8.5lbs/4kg, and are tabletop.

Although they should not be used indoors, they can be used on the balcony.

Cobb Grills are multipurpose. It would be more appropriate to refer to them as a cooking system than a grill, because they can be used to grill meat, fish and vegetables, as well as to smoke, steam, stew, bake, roast, and stir-fry. It is possible to cook an entire meal for 4 or 5 people all in one grill. Various attachments are available, such as a cast-iron grill for better searing, a wok and a steamer. There is a special system, referred to as the “flavor well” or “moat”, for catching the natural juices that are drained off.

Unique charcoal briquettes, made of recycled, crushed, compressed coconut shells, are used for heating up to a temperature of nearly 600F/300C. Since they are recycled, they are ecological.

The cooking system comes with non-stick surface components and can be put in the dishwasher.

Photo courtesy of Cobb Grill America.

The Cobb Grill is a good and environmentally-friendly investment for any household, thanks to its versatility for cooking food in healthy, fat-free ways. It is specially designed to drain off as much fat and grease as possible, and is endorsed by the South African Heart Association.

The annual La Semaine du Goût started today in Switzerland, and runs until 27 September 2009.

Each canton offers an uncanny variety of activities for adults and children alike. From tasting workshops and cooking classes, to biodynamic growing techniques and wine making and tasting and even markets: there is truly something for everyone. Just click on the link above to see what is going on in your canton or area.

Every year, the main activities are focused on a “star” town or city. This year it is Delémont in canton Valais, where for CHF 50, 13 gastronomic restaurants will be offering a 4-course meal accompanied by the 4 Etoile d’Or wines that win the organization Les Vins du Valais’s wine competition, which is headed this year by Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, Switzerland’s star female wine maker, whose vineyards are located in Fully in canton Valais.

Les Vins du Valais also offers special taste initiation events for young people between the ages of 16 and 25, allowing them to taste the award-winning wines and start training their tastebuds. Tasting events have also been organized in schools (ask at your child’s school for more detailed information; informational brochures are available for teachers on the sites listed above, under “Ecoles“).

The annual Swiss tasting week promotes local and Swiss products of all types: sausages, wine, herbs, fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc.

Marie-Thérèse Chappaz in her vineyard in Fully in canton Valais.

Erratum:

Every year, Association pour la Promotion du Goût, the Swiss association for promoting taste, chooses a Ville du Goût, or city of taste. This year it is indeed Delémont, as stated in our Swiss tasting week: La Semaine du Goût post of 19 September 2009, but Delémont is located in canton Jura, instead of in canton Valais. More about the gastronomic events in Delémont can be found on their website.

This includes tasting classes for children the week of 21 to 25 September. Please consult the site for more information.

An economical, ecological, ergonomic cappuccino maker

Bialetti’s Mukka Express model is unique in that you can make a cappuccino or café au lait, with real espresso and foamy milk, all in one pot.

Photo courtesy of Cuistoland.

The Bialetti looks very similar to Bialetti’s traditional 6- and 8-sided, stovetop espresso makers.

It does not require paper filters, so it is ecological. It does not take up much space, so it is ergonomic. It is all metal and hard plastic, so I’ve not yet found a way to break it. It lasts for years, so especially when you consider its low cost as compared to an electric coffee maker, it is a long-term, economical investment.

Mukka Express: Difference in use as compared to Bialetti’s traditional stovetop espresso maker

Start by pouring the water into the bottom part, as with the traditional Bialetti. Then insert the coffee filter/funnel and fill it with ground coffee, just like with the traditional model.

Then comes the difference. Unlike when making a simple espresso, you pour milk into the top part. Then screw the pressure valve onto the tube built in to the top part of the coffee maker.

When the water in the bottom half of the pot gets hot, the steam it produces rises through the tube. The pressure valve then opens (rather like on a pressure cooker) and heats the milk. Afterward, the coffee comes up and mixes with the frothy, steamed milk.

And there you go, two espressos ready to be served, all in the space of 4 minutes.

Simplicity of use and simple design

The Mukka Express is indeed of simple technical design, but even so, every single aspect is extremely precisely calculated, and if you don’t follow the instructions to the letter, you can end up with coffee all over your new silk robe, the kitchen ceiling, soaking your newly coiffed hair, and running down from the stovetop into the drawers of the kitchen cabinet. This is definitely not the way to start the day, so I will give you a few words of advice drawn from my own disastrous experiences.

Tricks drawn from the experience of a coffee drinker who makes her coffee while still half asleep

I am not a morning person, so being precise before I have my first cup of coffee in the morning is quite a challenge, and one that I have not always managed to live up to.

Photo courtesy of Graeme Weatherston.

Never fill the coffee filter so high that coffee grains get into the screwthreads of the bottom part of the coffee maker. This makes it difficult to screw the top half onto the bottom half, and often makes it difficult to unscrew it after use.

Observe the filling level marks. They are precisely calculated and can bring on major kitchen catastrophes if not adhered to.

Never clean with soap. This risks giving your coffee a soapy taste. Rinse well with hot water.

Make sure all coffee grains are removed from screwthreads before reusing.

Always check that pressure valve is completely screwed on before putting coffee maker on heat.

If you are in a hurry and start the coffee on high, stand by it and as soon as you hear the water starting to rise in the tube, lower the heat.

If after use, you can’t manage to unscrew the top half from the bottom half, remove the pressure valve. Then run cold water into top half, letting it run down the pressure valve tube. This will usually disengage any stray coffee grounds that are making it stick.

Take 4 thick dry or toasted  slices of hearty whole grain bread and tear it into bite-size pieces. Drizzle olive oil over it and add 2 to 4 cloves of crushed garlic, depending on how much you like garlic.

Photo courtesy of Stu Spivack.

Mix and let it sit for a few minutes.

Take 8 large, extra-ripe red tomatoes. Cut into large chunks, and save all the juice. Mix into the bread and garlic.

Put into blender, with salt and pepper. Refrigerate and let it sit for a half hour or so, or several hours or overnight if possible.

Before serving, taste and then season with more salt, pepper and olive oil if necessary. Add ice cubes if you want it to be colder or thinner.

If you want to give the dish a bit of color or enhance it, add fresh coriander or basil, or a dollop of cream.

This batch will easily feed 4 or 5, and is better the second day, once it has marinated in the refrigerator.

This recipe is my version of a friend’s recipe for Seville-style gazpacho. The friend has chosen to remain incognito for reasons unknown to this writer.

Potatoes: an essential part of the traditional Swiss diet

If there’s one thing we have plenty of in Switzerland, it’s potatoes. I didn’t even like potatoes before I came here and discovered all the subtle differences of texture, taste and all the ways of using them in cooking.

Potatoes are an essential ingredient in almost any traditional Swiss meal. This year’s crop is already starting to show up in local markets.

Large number of varieties in Switzerland

The official 2007 Swisspatat list (provided by Agridea, the Swiss agricultural research station) includes 31 different varieties, along with lists for various seasons and types of potatoes, as well as recipes for everyday use as well as for special occasions.

You can take a look at the 31 varieties in the table at the bottom right on the last page of the Swisspatat article to get an idea of which potatoes to look for at what time of the year.

Different types of potatoes for different uses

There are basically 4 types of potatoes, according to Swisspatat:

1. Firm or “salad” potatoes. These potatoes do not burst open when cooking. They are moist, fine-grained and not mealy, and can be used in most dishes, with the exception of mashed potatoes and purées.

2. All-purpose medium-firm potatoes. The skin on these potatoes opens only slightly on cooking. They are somewhat mealy, on the dry side, and have a fine, grainy texture. They are tasty and can be used for most all purposes.

3. Mealy potatoes. These potatoes burst when cooked, but they are tender, mealy and rather dry. They have a large grain and strong taste and are used mostly for industrial purposes.

4. Extra-mealy potatoes. These are basically not for cooking and are used for feeding livestock or to make starch, due to their dryness and hard texture.

NOTE: We are assuming that you scrub your potatoes and cook them with their skin on.

Your vegetable seller can advise on which potatoes are suitable for your specific purposes. In supermarkets, their usage or a description of their type is often marked on the label.

I always keep several kinds on hand, since they are a vegetable that keeps well under the right storage conditions.

Major varieties of potatoes and how to use them

Agria, the ugly Quenelles, Amandines and Charlotte are already on the market in the Lake Geneva region.

IP-Suisse lists the Sirtema, Christa and Ostara as being the earliest of the “new potatoes”. They are firm, so they can be boiled, grilled or used for fried potatoes.

They refer to the Agria, Charlotte, Urgenta, Bintje, Nicola, Désirée, and Stella varieties as multi-purpose potatoes, available in the fall and all through the winter. Charlotte, Nicola and Stella remain firm when cooked, so they are perfect for salads, boiled potatoes or steamed with the skin on, while Agria, Urgenta, Bintje and Désirée are multi-usage.

In 2007, a French variety, Gourmandine, was launched in Switzerland. This variety is yellowish and medium-firm and suitable for boiled or salad potatoes, as well as for baked potatoes, röstis, and homemade chips or French fries.

Another French variety, Eden, also appeared. They are rather mealy and have a high starch content, making them suitable for mashed potatoes, salads and boiled potatoes. They are not suitable for French fries and chips however.

In 2009, we should see still more varieties: Annabelle, Pirol (for chips), and Mustang.

Suisse Garantie gives a good overview about exactly how to use each of the main varieties of Swiss potatoes and the period during which they are available. You can basically follow the recommendations for use under points 1 and 2 under Different types of potatoes for different uses and Major varieties of potatoes and how to use them above.

The basic terms are summarized below:

chair ferme/firm
chair plutôt ferme/medium-firm
chair farineuse/mealy or starchy (good for mashed or baked potatoes)
se conserve bien/keeps well
ne se conserve bien/does not keep well
chair grossière/coarse
chair fine/fine-grained
humide/moist (good for boiling and gratin)
variété précoce/early variety
utilisations multiples/multiple uses

The selection seems to get wider every year, and even with all the anti-carb campaigns, the Swiss still love their potatoes!

Tomato and courgette salad

Try this easy zucchini and tomato recipe. If you make a big batch, you can even two meals out of it.

These recipes are perfect for those hot days or nights when you can’t bear the idea of turning on the oven and heating up the house, or when you know you’ll be getting home late and just want to whip up something healthy. They also make a perfect lunch on a hot summer’s day.

Ingredients

Use red juicy tomatoes — usually the big ones — that are extra-ripe.

Chop tomatoes and zucchini into medium-size chunks. Finely chop onion. Mix all with a generous helping of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil so that the vegetables can marinate in it and there is a lot of excess liquid at the bottom of your bowl. Salt and pepper generously. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Let marinate for an hour or so in the fridge, mixing frequently. Serve cold. The juice of the tomatoes blends with the vinaigrette, forming a wonderful, tomato-flavored vinaigrette. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning again.

Variation: Zucchini and tomato pasta

Leftovers can be used to make pasta salad. Warning: Save the sauce as well as the vegetables and pour it over cooked pasta. Once again, let it marinate for an hour or two before serving. Adjust seasoning.

Variation: Zucchini and tomato salad with cheese

Add feta or mozzarella cheese to either of these recipes, and you’ve got a cool summer one-dish meal. It’s best to add it right before serving. Otherwise, it tends to get mushy.

Variation: Zucchini and tomato salad with cheese

If you still have some left over, pop it under the grill or broiler until the cheese melts and starts to brown. You might even add a little extra cheese on top to make a gratin.

New terrace for outdoor lovers at Cookie in Vaud

Cookie café and restaurant in Gryon in Vaud has just opened a beautiful new terrace that seats 60 people, with an exquisite view of the Miroir d’Argentine mountain.

The breathtaking Miroir d'Argentine mountain in Vaud.

Hiking, mountain climbing, rock climbing, mountain biking: no loss of things to do around the Miroir d’Argentine

The area around the Miroir d’Argentine is highly frequented during the summer months, thanks to the well marked hiking trails and breathtaking setting, including rocky mountain crags, green valleys with rare botanical varieties, and numerous mountain streams. It is also popular with rock climbers, spa lovers, and mountain bikers.

The café is open all day, so it is a nice place to take a break and soak up the view, or to take in the sunset after a long day of hiking or climbing.

Click here for more detailed information about summer activities in the area.

Take advantage of these nice long summer days while you can!

Height of season for Valais apricots, considered best in Switzerland

With last weekend being the height of the Valais apricot season, I thought it timely to offer you a few ideas for using them while they’re ripe and ready.

Choosing your apricots

Photo courtesy of Ellen Wallace.

The first and most important thing is to buy tree-ripened apricots. By definition, this means local ones, since ripe apricots are soft to the touch and do not travel well.

If you plan to eat them fresh, they should be soft, but not blemished or bruised. The riper they are, the more flavorful they are.

If you are using them for cooking, the riper the better, and you can even get by with blemishes as long as they are not rotten-looking. As a general rule, the softer the sweeter.

You will often see crates of extra-ripe apricots discounted in farmers markets. Look them over, and if there are not too many black or rotting ones, they are actually the best for cooking purposes, especially for jams, cakes and sauces.

Recipe ideas for apricots

Note: With all apricot recipes, the amount of sugar used depends on the acidity of the apricots. The acidity depends on the ripeness, origin and variety. With so many factors coming into play, taste tests are indispensable and the quantity of sugar should be determined by taste, using the quantities given here as a guideline.

Apricot jam

The basic formula is 900 grams/2 lbs of sugar for every 2 kilograms/4 1/2 lbs of fruit used. This holds true for apricots, apples, cherries, nectarines and plums. If you like your jam really sweet, you can put equal weights of fruit and sugar.

Use cane sugar for more taste. I often halve the quantity of sugar in dessert recipes, but with jams this can be tricky, since sugar is what makes the jam set. It also serves as a preservative. If your fruit is extra-sweet, you might try cutting the quantity of sugar a tad.

Photo courtesy of Ellen Wallace.

Wash and rub apricots until perfectly clean. Remove any rotten spots with a paring knife. Dry well. Cut in half and remove stones. Save about half of the stones for later use.

Place apricots in a copper confiturier or a large stock pot. Add sugar. Let it sit overnight.

If the apricots are not ripe enough, they will not render any natural juices. If there are no juices, add 500 ml/1 pint of water to the pan.

Slowly bring to a boil on low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the water content of the apricots and the type of pan and stove or cooker you are using. Scrape the sides of the pan from time to time so that the mixture doesn’t crystallize.

The jam is set when you can dip a wooden spoon in it and it completely coats the spoon. Let jam settle for about 15 minutes before putting it into jars.

Pour jam into sterilized glass jars. Leave to cool. If you see the jam hasn’t set properly, you can put it back into the pan and boil it again, adding a little lemon juice.

Add two stones to each jar. Cool. Seal jars.

Apricot purée or coulis

Once again, the amount of sugar you use depends on whether you want it to have a tart flavor or a sweet flavor. If you’re going to pour it onto a very sweet cake or pie, opt for a more acidic taste. If you’re eating with something that is itself a little acidic, you might want to make your sauce sweeter. And once again, the sweetness will always depend on the ripeness of your apricots, so you’ll have to do a taste test in any case.

Wash apricots. Remove stones.

Put 300 grams/10 ounces of cane sugar (labeled sucre de canne roux or cassonade in Swiss and French supermarkets) and a vanilla bean (cut open in the lengthwise direction) into a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat until it begins to thicken and sugar has completely dissolved, i.e. until it forms a syrup.

Put 500 grams/18 ounces of apricots into a food processor, or run them through a food mill or chinois.  Add apricots to the liquid sugar mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. Heat mixture until it is thick enough to completely coat a wooden spoon.

This apricot sauce can be eaten warm or cold, depending on what you are using it with. It keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

Apricot coulis is a perfect accompaniment to a dark chocolate cake, but can be used to make ice cream sundaes or parfaits just as easily.

It can also be used in savory dishes, for example with cold chicken breasts or cold pork roast. In this case, you would of course considerably reduce the amount of sugar.

Roasted apricots

Preheat oven to 250° C or French mark 8. Wash apricots. Cut in half. Remove stone.

Lay apricot halves out on a roasting tin or broiler pan, or in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle lightly with brown cane sugar and just a tad of butter, distributed evenly in small bits, so that it will form a natural sauce.  (This can also be done on a barbecue grill, but you’d lose the juices.) Put in oven, and immediately turn temperature down to 220° C or French mark 7. Turn when top side is browned. If butter starts to burn, add a few drops of water.

When soft and slightly browned and caramelized, remove from oven or grill.

Distribute on individual plates. Serve with a scoop of salt caramel, coffee or walnut ice cream. Lightly sprinkle with vanilla powder (labeled poudre vanille or vanille en poudre in supermarket; easy to find in France, but difficult to find in Switzerland), cinnamon and a high-quality chocolate or cocoa powder. Drizzle a little maple syrup over it. It is now ready to serve.

Sugar-free apricot purée or coulis

The great French chef Michel Guérard, who started the Cuisine Minceur movement in 1974, has a recipe for a sugar-free version of a coulis. This is adapted from the 1976 edition of Michel Guérard’s Cuisine Minceur, now out of print:

Wash, halve and pit 12 ripe fresh apricots. In a saucepan, add apricots, 1/2 cup of water, 1 vanilla bean (cut open in the lengthwise direction, down the middle) and artificial sweetener to taste, the equivalent of about 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Simmer for 10 or 15 minutes, until mixture is reduced by about one third.

Remove vanilla bean. Put mixture in a food processor to make a purée.

This sugar-free sauce can be served in the same manner as the traditional apricot purée or coulis recipe above.

The newly renovated Auberge de Pont-de-Nant we reviewed on 19 June was not able to open on 27 June 2009 as planned.

Renovations had already lasted longer than planned due to the long, snowy winter.  Then on 19 June, a fire ravaged the interior of the inn, destroying all the new installations and decor.

The Grand Muveran mountain is still there in all its majesty, with its rich botanical reserve and hiking trails, but check the restaurant site regularly for re-opening. Experts are still assessing the damage, so unfortunately, we may not be able to benefit from it this summer of 2009.

In the meantime, their catering service is still functioning normally.