Cook of the Week — Julia Krusac
Julia Krusac is a homeschooling mom and administrator of Ryan Krusac Studios, manufacturers of fine writing instruments ( www. fountainpenstudios. com). She is from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and has lived in Calhoun since marrying Ryan Krusac in 2000. The family enjoys backpacking, traveling, working out, surfing, kayaking, snowboarding when up north, cooking and entertaining and working on learning languages. She speaks French, Spanish, and Italian, and wants to work on Mandarin with friend Ying Bao!
Julia’s mother taught her the love of cooking since she was a toddler, always letting her stir up batter or add in the eggs. Her Italian background made food like a religion in our home. As a pastor’s wife, she was always entertaining as a part of our home culture. Now they have a group which meets in their home on Sunday mornings, so she is kind of repeating history. She passed on the baton to Julia’s aunt Janet ( a professional chef in Montreal) and Helen Royal ( a low country phenomenon in her Charleston kitchen) when she died in 1999. Their home based business and Julia’s homeschooling means three meals per day in their kitchen. Her daughters Zoe, age 11, and Sylvia, age 9, are always asking if they can help or cook a meal entirely. The girls enjoy playing restaurant, complete with menus and tableside service.
These last two summers, they have had Anabelle Adam from Belgium staying with them to help Julia with the kids and improve Anabelle’s already fluent English. Annabelle has introduced the Krusac family to some really fun dishes like Mushroom Toast, Bacon infused eggs, Belgian Fries ( not French!) and of course, a variety of Belgian waffles ( there are several types per region).
Julia loves all international cuisine. Everyone seems to love her roasted kale and veggies like brussel sprouts, beets and potatoes. Olive oil is usually a part of her cooking followed closely by coconut oil. She uses maple syrup, honey or agave instead of refined sugar ( unless it’s totally incompatible). Julia also grinds her own wheat, as many other people are doing these days for the full benefits of freshly ground grains ( visit www. breadbeckers. com for more info). Julia uses her vitamix to make “protein popsicles” ( fruit, agave and Greek yogurt) for their three- year- old, Caspian. He thinks he’s getting away with a sweet when she gives him the green light on getting one out of the deep freezer. She fell in love with Prosecco in Italy, so it’s usually in the fridge, because bubbles make her happy! Costco has an excellent bottle for only $ 7.
Julia likes most foods except for cow tongue ( Nicaragua) and menudo (authentic Mexican); her daughter Sylvia has a much longer list though.
When asked what advice she would give to those who might not be experienced or are just starting out, she replied, ” If you want to cook, buy a good garlic based spice ( with Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, salt). My favorite is Johnny’s Great Caesar Garlic Spread and Seasoning from Costco’s spice aisle. It will make pretty much any savory food taste delicious. You can put it in any amount ( sprinkle or coat) on chicken, fish, veggies, sour cream, olive oil for dressing… I have to be conscious to NOT use it a few nights per week, for variety’s sake.”
The recipes the cook chose to submit are Roasted Kale & Brussels Sprouts, Mushroom Toast, Bacon infused Eggs, Garlic & Wine “Mariscada” ( Seafood platter) and Julia’s Hot & Sour Asian inspired soup
Julia stated that a family loses so much when the art of dining is lost. She hopes that if you have lost this beautiful art and pleasure, that you will regain a sense of adventure and embrace pleasing your palate as well as your loved ones. Cheers!
Picky kids’ Roasted Kale & Brussels Sprouts
Toss quartered Brussels sprouts and washed ( but not dripping wet) kale and Johnny’s ( or garlic, parmesan, salt, parsley) into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil to your liking and roast for about 17 minutes or until lightly browned. ( I use 375 F convection).
AnaBelge’s Mushroom Toast
“Slice baby portabella or regular white mushrooms about ¼ ” thick. Chop up scallions or chives pretty thinly and sauté with ½ stick of butter until brown.
“Add in the mushrooms and cover for about 8- 10 minutes on medium heat until soft. Uncover and let the liquid evaporate. Add about 1- 1/ 2 cups of heavy cream or half n half on low heat until reduced and a beautiful thick cream sauce remains. Serve on toasted bread of your choice.”
Delirious Bacon infused Eggs
“Cut bacon into thirds and cover the bottom of a frying pan on high heat. When the bacon is browned, crack several eggs on top to cover the bacon. They will get married and have delicious babies. The Belgians never flip this over to cook the top of the eggs, but I do because I like it better that way. I just flip them over for 20 seconds and serve. They make my eyes roll back in my head and my taste buds dance, yours might too!”
Garlic & Wine “Mariscada” ( Seafood platter) Inspired by Flor de Sol in NYC
“Sautee 5- 10 cloves of garlic in 3 tbsp. of butter and 3 tbsp. of olive oil until golden brown. Don’t be shy, this is what will make this dish succulent.
“Add ½ bottle of white wine and simmer about 15 minutes on medium heat. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste.
“Add in uncooked mussels ( Kroger has some already seasoned, which taste great) and cover until they open. Add shrimp until pink and if you use scallops, be sure to keep an eye on them, as they don’t take long at all to cook. They should be soft but not translucent.
“Serve with saffron rice and roasted kale.”
Julia’s Hot & Sour Asian soup Inspired by MaryAnn Campbell of Chattanooga’s Katheo
“Make a broth out of 24 cups ( half a large stock pot approximately), two tbsp. each of beef and chicken stock, 1- cup of vinegar. Add in a few glugs of soy sauce ( about ¼ cup).
“Add in your favorite Asian mushrooms, scallions, hearts of palm, bamboo shoots ( pre- boiled from your friend’s yard) tofu, thinly sliced beef, chicken or pork. Spice up with Thai chili and sriracha to taste. At the end, I slowly drizzle in several beaten eggs ( 3- 4) to increase the protein.
“Heat things up with liquid or powder sriracha ( see- rah- cha) and add zing with more vinegar. Salt it with extra Soy sauce (low sodium is great). Eat this all week long.”