James Beard once wrote:

Canapes

Here is a world in itself. The canape world presents all sorts of problems and rules which have been laid down by one person or another. I think I shall disregard the majority of them and proceed under my own power and see if I can’t reach a logical and fairly simple conclusion. First of all, every well-built house needs a good foundation. We have the same problem here; so let’s build some foundations.

That’s a portion of the introduction of James Beard’s Hors D’oeuvre And Canapes, an out-of-print book first published in 1940. I scooped up a copy at my town’s annual library book sale a few years ago, and it’s sat on my bookshelf ever since.

Most people know James Beard as the man for whom the James Beard Foundation is named – the organization that awards promising chefs, cookbook writers and food writers. But before all that, he was a chef whom the New York Times once dubbed “the dean of American cookery.” Hors D’oeuvre And Canapes was his first book, and furthermore, the first major cookbook that dealt with the small bites that come pre-meal.

While the recipes for Hors D’oeuvres with, um, tongue, don’t exactly appeal to me, Beard’s writing is beautiful and inspirational. If you haven’t heard him, you should.

As Beard was saying, a canape needs a good foundation. As for as that goes, puff pastry is a great one. At it’s best, it’s flaky and delicate, but yet sturdy too. And these days, we needn’t fuss with ice water, flour and butter to make a good puff pastry. Trader Joe’s carries a fantastic artisinal variety, and most grocery stores in America carry a passible version. Yes, you can make your own and it will be a wonder. But for those of us who are time pressed, with work, children, activities and obligations, a store-bought puff pastry will do just fine.

If Beard were alive today and he were to revise this book again, I am sure that he would include more recipes like this one. Beard was conscious of social trends — even mentioning food appropriate for watching sports. This is a great appetizer (or light lunch with a salad) for anytime, whether it’s while watching the Sunday game or sharing laughs with friends.

And best of all, it’s easy, inexpensive and tasty. Read the rest of this entry…

When I was planning Thanksgiving this year, a lot of it was pretty simple. After five years of preparing Thanksgiving dinner, I have a pretty good idea of timing, what works and where is best to go simple. So, when I was planning the menu I kept to several favorite dishes. That made the veggies and most of the sides easy.

I say most because stuffing plagues me. Every year, I try a new recipe. Every year, I hear that it’s good. But no one recipe seems perfect for our Thanksgiving.

Truth? I am not a big fan of stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer, since I don’t actually stuff anything). In fact, I dislike it so much that I nearly just made Stove Top. Yes, I am serious. Normally, I am not one to buy prepared mixes like that. But when it comes to stuffing, I nearly just gave in, since I know we all sort of like it.

Then I saw the recipe for Giada De Laurentiis’s Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta. It really got me thinking about giving homemade stuffing just one more shot. It looked and sounded so, so good.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t make her recipe per se. See, I’ve recently discovered that when I brown pancetta, it gives me a horrid asthma attack. I have no idea why, but after cooking it three or four times with the same results, I realized that it’s something I need to stay away from for now. I know, it’s a bizarre thing to have a reaction to.

Once I figured out my ingredients list (which is actually pretty different than hers), I whipped this up on Thanksgiving. I figured at worst, it would look pretty on the table … fortunately, it turned out much better than that. Though the ingredient list is decidedly long, and the prep includes about a half hour of hands-on time, it’s worth every second. The salty, smokey bacon is a great contrast to the slightly sweet chestnuts, mixed with the crusty and perfect ciabatta bread.

I don’t need to search for a stuffing recipe anymore. This is the one. Read the rest of this entry…