One of my favorite book series was a juvenile series based around a character named Danny Dunn. There are too many things I enjoy about the books to go into them in this entry, but one of the things I enjoy when reading them now is reading about the food they eat. They are constantly eating in these books.
I was thinking it would be neat to have a Danny Dunn cookbook but I don't know that I'll ever get around to that, so I thought as I read these books when I come across food I would enter them into my blog.
I'm currently reading Danny Dunn Scientific Detective. This is not one of my favorites but like all of the books there's food. So in one chapter two things came up that I wanted to investigate.
I. Mrs. Dunn is in the kitchen making a French stew known as a daube. So I went online and found a recipe at Recipe zaar.
Daube De Boeuf a La Provencale
This is a Julia Child recipe with the instructions rewritten slightly for concision. The preparation time does not include marinating time of at least 6 hours. Julia suggests serving with steamed rice, butter noodles, or boiled potatoes, French bread & Beaujolais, Mountain Red or rose wine.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry vermouth
1/4 cup brandy or gin
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme or sage
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 cups thinly sliced onions
3 lbs chuck steaks, cut in 2 ½ x 2 ½ x 1 inch squares
salt and pepper
flour
1 1/2 cups firm ripe tomatoes, peeled,seeded,and chopped
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
beef bouillon, if necessary
cornstarch, if necessary
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons capers
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced fresh basil or fresh parsley
6 servings Change size or US/metric
Change to: servings US Metric
2 hours 45 minutes 30 mins prep
1. Mix olive oil through onions and marinate steak in refrigerator at least 6 hours, basting and turning meat several times.
2. Scrape marinade off meat and reserve.
3. Season meat lightly with salt and pepper; roll in flour and set aside on waxed paper.
4. In a bowl toss marinade with tomatoes and mushrooms.
5. Place 1/3 of mixed vegetables in bottom of 6 quart flame-proof casserole.
6. Alternate layers of meat and vegetables, ending with vegetables.
7. Pour in any left-over marinade.
8. Cover, set over moderate heat and simmer 15 minutes.
9. If vegetables have not rendered enough liquid to almost cover meat, add a little bouillon.
10. Cover and simmer 1½-2 hours until meat is tender when pierced.
11. Tip casserole, trim out fat and taste for seasoning.
12. If liquid has not reduced and thickened, drain out into a saucepan and thicken with 1 Tbs cornstarch mixed with bouillon, boil 2 minutes, then pour into casserole.
13. Chop or puree garlic and mash with capers.
14. Beat in mustard.
15. Gradually beat in olive oil to make a thick sauce.
16. Stir in basil or parsley just before serving.
II. Mr. Ellison comes over to the house and Mrs. Dunn gives him some coffee. He takes a sip and says "It tastes like fresh-ground Blue Mountain, from Jamaica." This got me to wondering if there is such a coffee. Well sure enough there is and you can check it out at the Blue Mountain Coffee web site. Now of course I'll have to order some of this coffee to try it out.
