All About Food: A cookbook in a league of its own

The new Junior League cookbook is out and you can pick it up at Culinary Arts in the Canyon, Laguna Beach Books, Lattitude 33, Tuvalu and Stephen Frank Garden and Home or jlocc.orgjlocc.org.

The book is called “Orange County Fare, a Culinary Journey through the California Riviera.” Besides some excellent, easy recipes, there are gorgeous photographs of Orange County, tidbits of information about local history, famous contributors and chefs. So if you want to know how John Stamos grills seafood or Vanna White makes green pea salad, this is the ticket. K’ya reveals its secret for chocolate soufflés, and Claes gives us their delicious bouillabaisse.

We had the opportunity to interview one of the contributors who also happens to be the president of the Orange County Junior League. The focus of this particular chapter is women, children and their families.

They sponsor Orangewood, the only emergency shelter for neglected and abused children in Orange County; CASA, court appointed special advocates of Orange County, a nonprofit that trains community volunteers to serve as mentors and advocates for our community’s most severely abused, abandoned and neglected children; Florence Crittenden, a home for unwed mothers; and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County reading program.

Their biggest fundraiser is the Christmas Company at the Orange County Fair. The purchase of their cookbook will help support these worthy projects.

Sitting down to chat with Kathryn Grant in her lovely home on Skyline Drive, we couldn’t help but marvel at the energy of this busy young woman. She is the managing director of the international and professional marketing division of Solta Medical, a company that sells dermatological laser equipment.

The job requires frequent international travel, and she also is kept very busy with the many meetings and multitasking requirements of the league. But somehow she still manages to enjoy cooking on the weekends.

“It’s actually a form of relaxation for me,” she says.

Her pedigree in the cooking department is excellent. Grant’s father was the chef/owner of the Oakmont Inn and the Black Forest Inn in Santa Rosa. He also was a professor at the Culinary Institute in San Francisco. She says her mother is a fantastic home cook and great organizer who plans menus and shops for a week at a time. Her aunt was also an excellent cook. However, Grant admits that she is not on a par with them, partly because she just doesn’t have the time; but she does love to try new, easy, foolproof recipes like those in the cookbook. She does most of her cooking on the weekends for herself and her husband, Robert.

Their favorite way to eat is to nibble on small plates. He especially loves antipasto. She likes mini quiche and mini-Wellingtons. Kathryn Grant enjoys shopping at Sapphire Pantry, especially for their cheeses and a spicy jelly that she serves with them. Robert Grant is the king of the barbecue.

When the committee ladies come for lunch, she does a big salad with cranberries, pine nuts and fresh strawberries. For dinner parties, she likes to do poached salmon with dill sauce or a whole roasted or grilled seabass.

She confesses to having a sweet tooth but avoids eating them if possible. However, she loves baking cookies with her 13-year-old stepdaughter, Maddie, and she finds her college roommate’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies irresistible.

One of Kathryn Grant’s passions is tea. She collects them from around the world when she travels and she loves to give tea parties.

“They are so ladylike,” she says. “I serve home-made scones, my biscuits with caviar and crème fraiche, and smoked salmon with cream cheese.”

Her recipe for asparagus appears in the cookbook and she also shared with us her mom’s delicious fresh pumpkin mousse, perfect for the holidays. The stir fried asparagus recipe comes from Kathryn Grant’s Aunt Nina. It’s easy and just a little different.

Junior League Recipes

Spiced Pumpkin Mousse

serves six

1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin

4 ½ teaspoons cold water

3 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ cup pumpkin (canned OK)

¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

18 ginger snap cookies divided

1. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand for one minute or until softened. Beat in egg yolks and sugar. Cook and stir over medium hear until a thermometer reads 160 degrees and mixture thickened, about five minutes.

2. Transfer to a small bowl; beat until cool and thickened, about three minutes. Beat in pumpkin and spices. Refrigerate for one hour or until set.

3. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold into pumpkin mixture.

4. Coarsely crumble 12 ginger snaps; sprinkle into six parfait or dessert dishes. Spoon or pipe mousse over the top. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or until set. Just before serving, garnish with remaining gingersnaps.

Aunt Nina’s Stir Fried Asparagus

serves four

1 bunch of asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

pepper to taste

pinch of sugar

1. Cut off and discard the stem ends of the asparagus. Slice asparagus diagonally into ¼-inch pieces.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium to high heat. Add asparagus when you see bubbles form. Add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, pepper and sugar, one ingredient at a time, stir-frying until the asparagus is tender-crisp and coated with the seasonings. Serve with poultry or fish.

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at themarkos755@yahoo.com