Cheese toast

I did it. Finally.

2011-08-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Back in 2008, I attended my first pig slaughter. That day I decided that butchery and charcuterie would play a major part in my life. I already loved bacon and salami, so maybe they already did.

Now I am working at Sea Breeze Farm as the butcher's assistant. I am learning, experiencing and creating. It is a rewarding feeling to see the end product of your hard day's work. Especially when it looks so beautiful. I have also moved to Vashon Island to a wonderland farm called Island Meadow. The peaceful farm setting and the traditional job promises many relaxing and delicious days to come.

Amuse Bouche

2011-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

Alright, this is a short post/rant. I didn't invent the term "amuse bouche". It has been around for a long time. It is a basic french menu item, but I find myself appalled at the amount of people who abuse the term. Am I some sort of culinary purest? I think not. I am, however, a reader of words and I put a level of faith in the title people bestow upon their creations. Oh yeah, who am I to dictate the labels people use for their art? I am consumer of that art. I eat the food. I order it off of the menu. If something goes by the name amuse bouche, I tend to expect certain things. I expect it to be small, one bite and exciting. I don't think I will need a knife and fork and I definitely don't want it to ruin my appetite. When bands use a specific and misleading term to describe their music, I revolt. Call your shitty metalcore band "powerviolence" and it is over. Don't build up my expectation, give me license to paint a glorious picture in my mind and then destroy it with some half assed excuse for an open face sandwich. It is infuriating and unacceptable. Wow...I feel so much better now.

Home Baked

2011-01-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

I remembered what I have been doing all year. BAKING BREAD!!! I have a simple no-knead recipe that produces the most amazing round rustic loaves of tasty bread. I am aware that the no-knead thing is so 3 years ago and that wheat/gluten is the new HFCS, but nothing beats a warm slice of homemade bread with butter. Nothing. I'll tell you how to make it. This is the recipe that I use and I have tweaked it to work for me. It has produced beautiful results every single time. The only catch, you have to have a dutch oven. There is no way around it. Enameled or nicely seasoned cast iron is fine. It just needs to be heavy.

In a large glass bowl, mix together 4 cups of flour, 1 T of kosher salt, 1 t of sugar and a little bit less that one T of dry instant yeast. After it is all mixed together add 2 cups of really cold water. Stir to combine. When you are done, the dough should be on the wet side and all of the flour needs to be incorporated. With your hands, pat the dough into a boule (a round ball of dough) and sprinkle or spray some olive oil on top and make sure that all of the boule has a thin layer on it. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and stick in a warm place for 18 hours. You can go up to 6 hours longer, but you don't have to if you can't wait. I never can.

After the 18 hours are up, get a cup of flour. Uncover the dough and put some flour on it. Flour your hands and keep them floured. Push the dough away from the sides of the bowl and turning to shape the dough back into the boule and letting the flour fall to the bottom. Make sure that the dough and the bowl are covered in flour. You want to prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl later in the process. It will save you a lot of trouble. Cover it back up with the towel and let it sit for 2 more hours.

Put your dutch oven (with the lid on) on the third level of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. When the oven is hot, pull the dutch oven out of the oven, throw the dough in and put the lid on. You have to move fast and do your best not to flatten any big bubbles that formed during the second rise. That is why I recommend all of the flour. It will be easier than you think. Bake for 50-55 minutes and then take the lid off and bake for 15 minutes more.

The first time I did this, I was really impressed. It thought it was beginner's luck, but it really is fool proof. The hardest part is waiting for the bread to rise.

Soup: its a lifestyle

2011-01-11T23:20:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about what I should write about; what is so interesting that it deserves an "ode". Soup is that interesting.

One of my friends hates hot liquids and therefore, he does not like soup. He will only go as far as a stew or chili. Some people only eat it when they are sick. Eating soup can actually make them feel sick. Every culture has a soup that is specific to their area and people are proud of their local soup recipes. I make a lot of soup. I use it as a way to get through a box of produce that might otherwise go bad. I make it to help myself feel better. I make it to help other people feel better. I load up my freezer with containers of soup and stock. I am constantly working on my stock ritual. It is the building block of soup. It is one of the only foods that I have the instant version hiding in my cupboard (I swear I only use bouillon in a pinch).

One of my best soup memories is the chicken noodle soup my grandparents would serve on Christmas eve. A basic broth made with beef and chicken bones, thin egg noodles and perfectly small-dice vegetables, the only thing that would make it better was a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano and a tiny slice of butter. I have yet to replicate the full and subtle flavor of the broth. My stock is always a little off and the noodles are always too thick.

What is your favorite soup recipe? Mine is a version of Italian Wedding soup that is pictured above. White beans, Italian sausage and Kale make the broth a little thicker and heartier that most Italian soups. Boil white beans with a bay leaf and a little salt pork. Reserve liquid. Brown sausage in saute pan. Saute aromatics or mirepoix, in butter, in a dutch oven. Add chiffonade kale, beans, sausage and 1 cup of the bean broth and then enough hot chicken stock to cover. Let the flavors mellow. S&P are important. Add some thyme and parsley for freshness. As soon as the kale has softened....spoon it in to a bowl and eat it. Ah...

Lasagna

2011-01-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

I love lasagna. It is a casserole, but it is compiled in specific layers that are kept separate by one of the best inventions ever, pasta. I like it when my food is organized.

I have always made vegan lasagna. I'll make one before going out when bands might stay over or if I need to feed a lot of people fast. Most of my friends don't eat meat, so if I want to cook for them....I have to keep it vegetarian. Tofu is an easy replacement for ricotta and most vegetables work well with sauce and pasta. This time, I made a meaty cheesy lasagna for myself. I still have 3 servings in my freezer. It has definitely been coming in handy.

I will admit, I didn't make the pasta or the cheese. I bought all of the components from my CSA. Full Circle Farms delivered all of the ingredients that I needed. Fresh pasta sheets, ricotta, tomatoes, sausage, herbs and veggies. I just made a very meaty sauce so I didn't have layers of just meat, built it in a pyrex and baked it at 350 for 35 minutes. If you don't know how to build one here is the formula: sauce, noodle, ricotta or tofu, veggies, noodle, sauce, ricotta or tofu, lighter veggies, noodles, sauce, ricotta or tofu, noodle, sauce and parmigiana. It is the extra layer that really takes it over the edge.

Tips for next time

Less cheese. I know this seems crazy, but there a point when there is too much cheese and I got there.
Salt and drain the eggplant and zucchini. I know this is important and I tried to skimp on the preparation. I won't do it again. Salting eggplant improves the texture and removes moisture.

Hello again. Have a croissant.

2011-01-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

After 2 years of hardcore eating (thank you), I think my research is done. I can start writing on this thing again. This year will start a whole new chapter in food adventure for me and I really want cheeesetoast to be a part of it.My father and I made croissants during my time at home in Reno. We started by making the dough on Thursday, folded and rolled on Friday and Saturday (I will admit that I really didn't roll anything). Sunday morning we rolled, cut, proofed and baked the little guys. They were flaky, buttery and delicious. They didn't rise as much as we thought they would, but hey...it was our first time. We used the recipe from Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan. It was a very informative and detailed recipe, but there were 2 things that we did different from their instructions. 1) We didn't have any fresh yeast. I am not sure how much of a difference fresh yeast would make, but I am going to blame the small sized croissants on the dry active instant yeast we used instead. 2) We did one extra roll and fold. Maybe this over worked the yeast? Maybe it allowed the butter to over integrate? I don't know. I would recommend sticking to the recipe and visual instructions very, very carefully. They still tasted really good.
I love cooking with my family. I only get to do it during the holidays or special occasions when I leave Seattle for the biggest little city. This was a great project that we were able to do in conjunction with holiday dinners and when the croissants came out of the oven, there was a troop of loved ones to share them. I think this made them taste better.

That and the coffee and Baileys.

I have figured it out

2009-03-19T14:31:00.001-07:00

As I am sure you have all noticed, I haven't been writing much. Today I finally figured out why...(and this is purely an excuse, not a reason), winter. One of my biggest inspirations for this blog is the garden. Right now, my garden needs a lot of attention and some warmth and until it receives those two very important things, it will look like a vegetable graveyard. The snow killed everything. My neglect let it rot. It needs help and I really don't want to go out there until it stops being FREEZING cold. I feel bad that I let it go and I miss the warm days when I could walk out back and pick a salad. Every time I look out the window, I get a little sad.

Also, winter means eating winter foods. Pork, roots, squash, brusselsprouts all make up the heavy diet of now. Don't get me wrong, I love all of that stuff, but I have to admit that I am ready for some fresh lettuce and cucumbers chilled in the fridge.

One thing I did during this hiatus was spend my birthday at the Cochon 555. A pig competition that pitted 5 great local chefs against each other for the title of "Prince of Pork". I was totally over pigged and I think I ate about 1/2 cup of brain mousse garnish. Above is the picture of the best things there, a bacon cone filled with bourbon and bacon ice cream topped with candied bacon. One bite of pure perfection. Also, if you haven't seen them yet, Vosges makes a bacon and smoked salt milk chocolate bar that is to die for.

It will only get lighter

2009-01-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

This is a reminder to us all that the winter will end. It will be light and warm again. This was a snack that I picked out of the garden last summer. Everything was a little warm from the sun, except for the lemon cucumbers that I ONLY eat chilled. And if you know me, you know that I dipped all of this in some bad ass ranch dip. I can't wait until I can can work outside again. There is so much to do. So many plants that need to be ripped out out of the beds to make way for new growth. Next month, seeds will need to started indoors. It is looking pretty dreary out there, so I won't show you any picture of the garden in it's current state. but I will post a bunch as I start to get it ready for the spring.

Just remember, June really isn't that far away....right?

Coastal Question

2008-12-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

I am curious if there is any ethical question in me writing about the restaurant where I work. Really, I eat there almost every day and have for a year. I think that lends a sort of "back bone" to my opinion and if I have only nice postitive experiences, I can't see getting fired over some free advertising.

With all of that being said, I almost never eat dinner at work. My general goal is to be out of that building before the evening hunger pangs set in. I eat lunch or "blunch" food at my desk thoughout the day and after being at work all day, well... I just want to go home and be comfortable. Every so often, for example tonight, I stay and eat dinner and I have yet to regret the choice.

Chow Foods restaurants are consistantly being praised for their breakfast and lunch, but I rarely read reviews about dinner. Tonight, my dinner was fantastic. I didn't eat it at my desk, so the environment may have been a factor, but you can't dispute a beautifully cooked scallop.

Everything on my plate was cooked perfectly. It was seasoned just right. It was artistically displayed. It made enough of an impact on me that I HAD to write about it immediately upon returning home. I ate every bite, finished before it got cold and if you know me, you know that I never ever do that. I haven't had a meal that I liked that much in a long time (home cooked excluded).

So, there it is. A complete destruction of objectivity. I just couldn't help myself.

Silver Spoon Crepes

2008-12-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

This is kind of a duel post, half about the best cookbook ever and half about the crepes that I made out of that very same book. The Silver Spoon is an Italian cookbook with hundreds of recipes for every possible ingredient or situation. There are complete menus, simple basics and interesting flavor combinations that range from 15 minute meals for one to all-day family creations. The chapter on "Variety Meats" is a keeper. I made an oxtail recipe one cold afternoon and it was fantastic.

One night, I needed a snack. A sweet snack that tasted good and was warm and comforting. It was between sweet cream biscuits and crepes. I decided to go for the crepes. The recipe was much easier and less time consuming. There was a basic crepe recipe in the Silver Spoon book and I made it.

It was the easiest, most well explained recipe I have ever used and it worked like a charm. I made a small batch of perfectly round, golden yellow and thin pancakes. They were slightly sweet with the tiniest bit of egg-y goodness. I truly believe that they would have been good with any filling. Savory or sweet.

I put apples in mine. I sautéed the apples in a little butter, a smattering of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. They were honey crisp apples so they really didn't need much sugar. This whole process took me less than 30 minutes and I know it would have impressed anyone, even if they were more culinarily adept than I.

Yay!!! Finally....

2008-12-26T11:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Holidays everyone. I got a computer!!! Get ready for some posts. This is a zucchini that we grew and forgot about. I didn't find it until I started pulling up some plants after the frost hit the garden. It is huge. Twice as big as my cat. I have no idea what to do with it? Is it going to be gross? Is it rotting on the inside? Can I shred it and make zucchini bread? Does anyone have any ideas?

I will start posting every day now to make up for lost time. I have a lot of projects to talk about.

It will get better.

2008-12-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hi. I have been working hard, cooking a lot and getting things done and since I am still without a computer, the blog is still suffering. This is just a heads up to say that I will start posting regularly after the holidays and I have a HUGE back log of pictures and kitchen adventures to share. The garden is done now except for kale and herbs. It is too wet out side for anything else. I am going to get some cabbages and fava beans in the ground for the spring.

I stewed it.

2008-10-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

The stew turned out pretty good. The meat is tender and falling apart, the veggies are cooked perfectly and the gravy is wonderfully reduced. There is only one problem, the flavor is flat to me. Maybe it was just because I tasted it all day while it was cooking, but there was no depth to the end product. I used so many different flavors and tried to layer them, but I am still missing something. It is missing umami, the savory deliciousness that only a demi-glace and a good red wine would have added. Next time, I will get it.

I am doing this post from my phone. Stew on that.

2008-10-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

I am making beef stew right now. It is simmering on the stove in my newly seasoned dutch oven. I just couldn't wait to write about it, so I figured out a way. I am using 2 recipes from the greatest cookbook called "The Silver Spoon". One is a goulash and one is a stew, so essentially it is stew with paprika. It is keeping my house warm and filling it with a delicious scent that is making my stomach growl. I may have added too much water, but hey...I like broth and I can always boil it out. Stay tuned...

I know. I am slacking....

2008-10-10T16:37:00.001-07:00

I know. I haven't posted in a long time. I still don't have a computer. I have a camera filled with beautiful pictures of my garden, salsas, soups, meat and pictures of my cat that I just can't get to. The only pictures I have access to are on my phone. I will get more into the swing of things later in the season, I swear it.

In more depressing news, this is a butternut squash that I have been babying and caring for consistently for the last 2 months. I have been so careful to keep it away from slugs and pests. I wanted it to get bigger and bigger and then be roasted and pureed into a beautiful soup. The other day when I went out to check on it and some of our slug infested tomatoes, I saw that something had broken the stem off of the vine. 2 months of coddling and tending all wasted. I am going to place all blame on either a large squirrel (he ate all of our edamame too) or a cat. I am so bummed. It is still kind of green and has no rind. It is the size of 2 softballs. Anyone know if I can still use it?

Pigs have toenails.

2008-10-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have always thought it important to constantly question my actions. Not in a wishy-washy flaky way, but in a "being true to myself and my beliefs" way. I love eating meat. I love the taste, the smell, the way it looks, everything, but I have always had a hard time with dead animals. I don't want to kill cute little rabbits, ducks and cows. I think of these animals with the same cuddly affection as I do my cat. How could I be so hypocritical? When I started this blog and became serious about the food I eat, I decided that I had to learn what it was like to kill my food. I needed the up close, realistic and bloody view of death. I had to learn that even though I (responsibly) buy my meat from the farmer at the market...it didn't start out wrapped in butcher paper. It all seems so obvious when I think about it, but I really had no idea how I would feel with the animal's actual demise occurring in front of me. Would I cry? Throw up? Hyperventilate and pass out? I didn't know. I needed to know.

I attended a "Sacrificio" put together by the chef and students at Culinary Communion on a farm in Port Orchard, WA. Here I would watch the death of the pig, the cleaning of her carcass, the break down of the meat and learn some curing techniques. The pig's name was Helen. I said hi to her. She tried to stick her nose out of the trailer for me to touch. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Even though it was 10 in the morning, there was no way I was going to get through this without a little liquid courage. My friend Naomi and I opened a bottle of the provided wine and began swigging it as fast as possible. A celebration for the life and death of Helen was in order.

The chef shot Helen in the head with a .22 rifle. She fell to the ground and was instantly dead. I didn't cry, I didn't throw up, but I'll admit that I closed my eyes at the exact moment that the shot rang out. That is when she became meat in my mind. The transition was amazingly easy for me. When they hoisted up the carcass and slit the throat to drain her blood, all kinship with this animal was replaced with a different kind of reverence. The need to treat this meat with the utmost respect and care was first on my mind, but she had become nothing more than skin, bones and muscle.

After a lot of boiling, blow torching and scraping, all of the hair and the first layer of skin was removed and I was covered in singed hair and blood. The butcher pulled off her toenails with a crowbar. They popped off on to the ground. I didn't know that pigs had toenails. (I took them home for the dog. He loves them.) When the pig was clean, they hoisted her up by both feet and cut her open. They managed to pull her entire digestive tract out of the body in one peice to avoid any contamination. It was completely amazing. I have learned so much from seeing the insides of living things. It all fits like a puzzle and all mammals really aren't that different from each other.

Then I had the opportunity to help cut the carcass up into primal cuts. Basically ribs, legs, butt, loin and tenderloin. I learned so much about meat. The meat was beautiful, fatty and warm. It smelled like blood and looked like cows meat. Anyone who has seen this can swear that pork is definitely not "the other white meat". I can't really say that I learned from the people there, but I definitely learned from this hands on experience. I am happy that I went. I am happy that I try to be part of a community of people who respect what goes into the food on their plate. I tend to be apathetic in my beliefs and "sit on the fence" from time to time, but not when it comes to respecting the animals that I consume for foods. They must eat the best food available and they must have the happiest most comfortable lives possibe. I will strive to always be involved with the animals I eat on more levels than the sauce I serve them in.

Kurtwood Farms Raw Butter

2008-08-26T11:59:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by danceremix

This butter is one of the greatest things that has ever touched my lips. It is creamy, yellow and full of flavor. Paired with one of the fresh, burning hot, hard rolls and salt, it is worth every cent of the cash I forked over for the entire dinner. I could eat it with a spoon. I have not quite figured out why I still consume that pale boring homogenized stick that we pass off as butter when I am so fully aware of this alternative. Raw dairy, you are my best friend.

Omnivore's 100

2008-08-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

I found this list on my friend's blog. Since I still haven't found a way to get pictures uploaded without a computer, I figured this food list would tide me over. If you ever wanted an in depth look at what I am in to eating, this is for you (and you are a freak).

Copy this to your blog if you want. Bold the things you have eaten and mark the ones that you never will (hopefully there isn't much on that list)

The Cheeese Toast’s Omnivore’s Hundred: I have eaten 75 out of 100. 24 to go since I will never eat roadkill. Ever.

1. Venison - in jerky form and at a casino
2. Nettle tea - It tastes healthy
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare - there really isnt anything better than raw meat
5. Crocodile - only gator and I thought it was gross.
6. Black pudding - in Cardiff for breakfast
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp - I always thought you were supposed to throw those back.
9. Borscht - beets are nature's candy
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho - come on, you can't throw a rock in this city without it landing in a bowl of pho.
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi - potatos and cauliflower, yes please!
15. Hot dog from a street cart - yeah like 3 days ago.
16. Epoisses - Going to have to take care of this one.
17. Black truffle - yum yum yum
18. Fruit wine (not from grapes) - blackberry
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream - it is one of my favorites!!!
21. Heirloom tomatoes - especially love the purple ones.
22. Fresh wild berries–every day.
23. Foie gras - meat butter, need I say more?
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese–some people thing head cheese is gross, they are WRONG.
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper–Never done this. I think I am afraid.
27. Dulce de leche - Come on, milk and sugar.
28. Oysters - only like em raw.
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas - used to be my favorite driving snack.
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi - no, salty beverages are not my thing, unless they contain a lot of vodka.
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - no way, how old am I? 60?
37. Clotted cream tea - I love tea parties.
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - like jello shots? Hell yes. (so so gross)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail - this is going to change soon.
41. Curried goat - it was a pleasant surprise.
42. Whole insect - No, but I would try it deep fried.
43. Phaal - Nope, sounds like a gut wrencher.
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu - I have seen the Simpsons.
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel - Now I am craving Unagi.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin - like a mouth full of ocean flavored jello.
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi - Dad used to keep them in the car as a snack.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - this is the grossest thing on the whole list.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips - Just because they look like chocolate doesn't mean they taste like it.
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - yum, especially fried.
63. Kaolin - Seriously, I think this is a rock or clay. Why would I eat that?
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs - I want to...I really do.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - yes, yes, yes and yes.
68. Haggis - Deep fried at a chippy in Edinburgh. Classic.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings or andouillette - No, I just don't like intestines that much.
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe - That was one weird night.
74. Gjetost or brunost - I love cheese.
75. Roadkill - What? Really...come on. No no no. This is not even funny.
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini - Proseco, I could drink it all day long.
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky - ever try men's pocky. I got it for Christmas from my cousin one year.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. - Priorety one.
85. Kobe beef - Priorety two.
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse –maybe without knowing.
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa - I have had harissa out of can. Is that the same thing?
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor - Never even seen it on a menu. Only in Julia Child's cookbook.
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake - Rattlesnake, but they could have been lying. It tasted like gator.

A long long month!!

2008-08-08T09:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while (that is an apology to both the reader and myself). I got really busy, then I went to Reno and when I came home...I found that I had been burgled. Some neighborhood kids broke into my house and stole ALL 3 of my laptops. Luckily I have all of my pictures on an external hard drive, but living without a computer is sort of getting in the way of my blog.

I promise that some new posts will happen soon. The garden is going crazy with cucumbers, tomatillos and zuchinni. Oh and carrots, corn brussel sprouts and herbs. I have some berkshire pork ribs marinating in my fridge and have been eating some wonderful meals.

Please keep checking in and I will get back in full effect soon.

We felt like sushi for dinner!!!

2008-07-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Last week (last month now...) the compound was swarming with people. It was nice and it seems a little too quiet now that the fun has subsided. Luckily, this weekend will probably be just as insane. One of our friends from back in the day chose to escape from her crazy grad-school at my house. I guess she thought that a little domesticity might do some good. C had her digging holes for plants in no time and I got a lot of help in the kitchen.
We were up in the air about making food or going out one night and decided to make a giant vegetarian sushi feast for the household. J used to work at a sushi restaurant and had some good rolling technique, so we had no reason not to. We got the rice just right and it all worked out.

We used some produce from the garden and bought some pickled dikon, sweet potato and carrot from the asian grocery store. We made so many different rolls. Let's see, tofu, carrot, cucumber, sweet potato, dikon, lettuce, radish sprouts, shiso leaves, avacado, and lots of wasabi. For a different take on the spicy sauce, we mixed Veganaise (a superior mayo alternative) with Sriracha. It was a sauce worth repeating and I am going to use it again soon.

Making stock and sorta kinda failing.

2008-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

I bought some marrow/soup bones from the farmer's market. The bones were beautiful and had a lot of meat on them. My freezer was looking empty with no frozen stock, so I decided to make stock and steal the marrow for a snack. I made a weak onion broth, NOT beef stock. The only thing that came out of this (besides a freezer full of weak onion broth) was that I learned the key to cooking bone marrow. If you soak the bones for 24 hours pre-cooking, the marrow just slides out. Yumm!!!Above, you can see that I had altogether too much onion and water. I needed more bones or less water. Either way would have been better. Plus, I always tend to boil the crap out of my stock. According to every cookbook I own, I am not supposed to do that.

You can see that the marrow is a nice color. It slid right out of the bone and onto my bread. That was a lot of work for one marrowy snack. Next time, more bones and NO BOILING. I will have to make a sign and hang it over my stove.

Fried Okra

2008-06-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

I really like southern food. I am not that great at making it though. I am a little hesitant to use all of the fat and salt that makes it so great. When I used to drive around the country on a regular basis, I used travel as an excuse to eat the things that were specific to the region and really, really bad for me. In the south of the USA, gas stations were my favorite snack place because of the readily available sweet tea and deep fried okra.

Okra is one of those foods that turns people off. I think it was my dad that said, "thats been eaten before." It is slimy and viscous. When you make it the right way, the natural okra mucus (so so gross of a description, but so accurate) doesn't have a chance to form and ruin your dish. The key is to make it work for you. I used it as the binder to keep the coating on the okra. I chopped the pods into bite sized pieces and poured a tablespoon of cream on them. I let them sit in my fridge for an hour or so and stirred them every 15 min. The cream and the slime mixed together and coated the okra. The seasoned flour and cornmeal stuck to the binder very well. I pan fried them in olive oil and had to flip every single one. I let them sit on a paper towel to drain off the excess grease and sprinkled a bunch of salt on them. Crunchy, tasty and great. So bad for me, yet so so delicious.

The Garden (Chapter 2)

2008-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

After C worked herself to the point of complete exhaustion and moved all (most) of the dirt into the beds, we spent a Saturday planting the plants and sowing the seeds. I think that it is one of the best gardens I have ever seen and it has been really fun and exciting to spent time out there on the weekends. This weekend will be spent cleaning up the paths and weeding the rest of the yard that has been a little neglected. I don't have very much time...what can I say. The above photo shows globe artichoke, tomatillo, edamame, corn and a patch of brocolli seeds.
This is where we planted our lettuces, arugala, and brussel sprouts all intersperced with radishes.

This is the climbing bed filled with purple hyacinth beans, scarlet runner beans, climbing sqash and rosemary.
This is the view from my bedroom window.
The plan is to put a table and chairs in between the triangle beds. Once we get the paths done and the plants start to take over, this is going to be where I eat all of my meals.

The fruit season's first cobbler attempt.

2008-06-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

I love cobbler. Fruit that is baked with sugar...I mean who doesn't love that. Add a cakey topping and serve it warm out of the oven, everyone will swoon. We swooned over this one and I have to admit that it was just okay. I didn't have a recipe which usually works out fine, but I forget that baking is a little more scientific than cooking. It was my first one though. I'll get it next time. This cobbler consisted of white peaches, blueberries and strawberries with a lavender and lemon zest topping. I like more of a biscuit topping than a cake topping and next time if I use lavender, I will use only peaches as the fruit filling and not muddle in too many flavors. And...it was vegan, so there was no butter, only margarine. That is something that I have to play around with since all of my friends are vegan. If I want them to eat my food, I have to make adjustments (sometimes).

The Garden (Chapter One)

2008-06-23T21:41:00.000-07:00

I live in a compound. A large fenced in area with a big house in front and a small house (mine) in back. C, one of the big house owners, decided that she wanted a big garden to grow all of our food. There is a big area of land behind my cottage and it was just the right size to feed all of us.
C did most of the work since she is on break from grad school and I have to work all day long. She convinced me that buying the plants would make us work faster, so we bought a bunch of heirloom vegetables at the farmer's market. That, my friends, was the easy part. Next came a week of math. C measured and did a lot of math on construction paper to get the amount of wood and dirt that we would need. After a very exciting Saturday at hardware stores, we were able to start.
We set out all of the wood and all of that colorful math worked its magic. We bought the right amount! We screwed a bunch of them together and cleared as much room as we could before we were too tired and had somewhere else to be.
Later in the week, J and C put the rest of the beds together and C moved 6 cubic yards of dirt by herself. She worked for 12 hours one day and was exausted. This was just the beginning!

Serious (breakfast?) Pie

2008-06-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

I went to Serious Pie with my cousin. He is my favorite dining partner these days. He is just as into food as I am, if not more. Ok, more...he goes to Italy for truffle dinners. This isn't a review since we all know that Tom Douglas is a bad ass and he only hires bad ass servers, this is just a rant on how awesome my pizza was.

Arugala, guanaciale and fontina cheese topped with soft cooked egg. A true breakfast pie. The flavors complimented eachother very well and the guanaciale added a light element of salt. Top the whole thing off with the creamy yolk...I loved it. I want it now actually.

Usually the term "breakfast pie" has referred to the left over White Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie from the Dahlia bakery that my family can't finish after stuffing ourselves at the Palace Kitchen. Douglas has now earned full rights to the term in my book.

Charcuterie: Attempt #1

2008-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

There is one food category that I constantly crave and never get sick of....cured meats. Smoky bacon, spicy coppa and light as a feather bresaola are a few of my favorites, but I am by no means dismissing the rest of them. Charcuterie is an art form that I admire above most. People will literally eat slices of white pork fat when it is cured and titled "lardo". My co-worker and I have thoroughly discussed our love for meat on a regular basis and when she showed up to the office carrying her duck breast prociutto for us to taste, I decided that it was time to get into curing and flavoring our own meats.

We went to the farmer's market and picked out our one of our favorites, pork belly. Later in the week during pre-hot pot dinner time, we decided to forgo the bacon route because of the lack of a smoker and make pancetta. Going through the available spices in N's cabinet, we chose a blend of berbere, schezuan peppercorns and black peppercorns and mixed them in a mortar and pestle. After coating the patted dry meat in a freshly ground garlic paste, we patted on the spice mixture and a lot of kosher salt. The belly sat in the fridge for 7 days where I believe a little more salt was added to ensure curing.

After a week was up, N brought the belly to work wrapped in cheesecloth and we hung it in our office supply storage room for 2 weeks. When it was done, we took it down and our executive chef sliced it in perfect baconesque slices. When he handed it to us, it was like Christmas/Hanukkah/birthday all rolled into one. We were beaming with pride; Our pork belly baby had just graduated to charcuterie status.

Some notes: Next time, more spices and less refriderated curing time for such a small peice of meat. Ours has a really light flavor and a little too much salt. Also, if it would have air cured for a few more days, I truly believe it could be eaten without being cooked. It was almost there.

Crush (My first official restaurant review)

2008-05-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Until I moved into my new house, I ate 95% of my meals out. I have explored hundreds of menus, tasted a lot of cocktails and allowed a thousand different bites to linger on my tongue to find the quintessential dining experience. I would never claim to be a food snob, but I do believe that everything has a time and place. When I am spending $1.99 on my Wendy's value meal, I know what to expect and I feel the same should go for $200 at a fancy dining establishment. I can't tell you how many times I have been disappointed by different restaurants. I think that loving to cook and having a certain level of skill in the kitchen makes this more difficult. I have a hard time justifying a $150 bill on something that I could have easily prepared in my own kitchen, but it won't stop me from trying.

Crush delivered. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable and she didn't bat an eye when I requested that the insanely large amount of food that we ordered come out in a very specific succession. After putting in our request, she came back out saying, "the chefs like how you think and here is a plate of gourgeres to get you started." Bringing more food that I didn't order is the key to my heart, especially when it is delicious. If these puffs of perfect pastry and cheese were a hint of things to come...this place was a good choice. Next was a taster size plate of the tiny beet salad with miner's lettuce, pear, blue cheese and caramelized walnuts. A classic combination done beautifully with red and golden beets.

A plate of seared rare scallops with rhubarb confit on top of a bed of spring onion risotto appeared right on time and was a highlight of the meal with everything cooked exactly the way I want it. Almost raw scallops with a crunch crust on one side and the risotto was so creamy and smooth, I wanted to keep the bite in my mouth as long as possible. This was followed by a plate of crispy fried sweetbreads (they held on to that sweetbread flavor nicely) with a so-so bourbon sauce that tasted like soy sauce. The dish tasted great, but couldn't compete with the preceding scallops. Then came the lobster tail. The menu had it listed in a coral sauce with mascarpone ravioli, tangerine and truffle oil and we had only ordered one....but there were 2 dishes served to us. The chefs had prepared us a special taste of lobster cooked in a curry sauce with carrot gnocchi, tangerine and fresh fava beans. Both dishes were exceptional with the curry dish standing out against its plainer counterpart. I am a stickler for a perfectly cooked gnocchi and these did me right. They held their shape and consistency even though we had begun to slow down and they sat in front of me a little longer than normal.

I was damn near full with another course to go and the house sent us out another surprise treat and my new favorite food of the month, olive oil and lemon sorbet. They paired the bite with an Australian Moscato d'Asti, a sweet sparkling white wine. The sorbet had a clean, sharp tang and a smooth creamy aftertaste brought on by the olive oil flavor that definitely stood out to me. There was a hint of sweet but it was savory enough to sit in my mouth tandem with the wine without over sugaring my tongue. I swear I am buying an ice cream maker. I want to eat a mountain of this sorbet. The foie gras steaks that came out next ( the premier reason for us trying this place) were tasty, but I wanted more sorbet. The brioche and huckleberry sauce was merely an obstacle standing between me and my goal. I ate the carmel-y liver, pushed everything else aside and called out for the dessert menu. The trio of sorbets: rhubarb pinot gris, cucumber mint and olive oil lemon finished the meal in the lightest and freshest of ways and I was satisfied, literally to the point of being sick.

I wanted tortillas, so I made them.

2008-05-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Since living alone, I have been trying to make as much food from scratch as possible. I would like to have the time to make my own bread, but I haven't gotten there yet. So, this weekend when I was craving tacos, I figured I should make my own tortillas. My grandmother used to make tortillas with me whenever I would ask her. She is able to use her hands and slap the dough into perfectly uniform rounds that puff and brown beautifully when cooked on her cast iron skillet. I don't think she has ever even measured the ingredients, she just knows when the dough is right. Paired with her wonderful homemade refried beans, they are one of my favorite comfort foods.

I cut flour, shortening, baking powder and salt using a fork and then added enough water to make a soft dough. I kneaded it on my counter for about 5 minutes and cheated by using my rolling pin to get the tortillas thin enough to not be considered a pita. One tip; keep the pan hot and dry to get the tortillas to cook all the way through. I made some salsa in my mortar and pestle using green zebra heirloom tomatoes and a lot of garlic. Chopped some onions and garlic, sauteed it with some chopped rib eye and hot sauce. I refried some beans and covered them in some cotija. Cut up some of the other normal taco fixins and made my self some tacos.
They were good. Not straight out of Mexico good, but tasty none the less.

1 hour of my time = $4.95

2008-05-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

I made Pho. Total low rent Pho. I used bouillon in it. If it would have turned out badly, I would have blamed it all on the stock cube, but luckily there is no blame to place. It turned out perfectly.
Initially, I was going to make a beef salad. I had marinated the steak in black bean chili sauce and sweet soy sauce. When I changed my plan to Pho, I took it out of the marinade and sliced it super thin. For the broth, I put in some chicken stock, water and a beef stock cube. I crushed some garlic and big chunks of onion and threw it in the pot with star anise, cloves and peppercorns (black and white).

I let it reduce by half. Put all of my ingredients into a bowl; the noodles, cilantro, basil, mint (I had it, so why not), onion slices and the beef and strained that wonderful broth on top of it all. It really worked. The flavors were right. The look of it was dead on. Now that I know the right flavors, I am going to try it without the bouillon and with actual bones. Nothing beats a homemade broth.
Not to toot my own anything, but I would much rather have the pho that I made then go sit somewhere on the Ave and have a mediocre dining experience.

How to eat stinging nettles.

2008-04-29T21:13:00.000-07:00

At the farmer's market, I split a bag of stinging nettles with a friend. I had no idea what to do with these things. I have been stung by them before (which was not very enjoyable) and I didn't think that putting them in my mouth was the next logical step. Thanks to the miracle that is the inter-web, I found more than enough information to assist me in this task. Two things that stood out: 1. Don't touch the nettles until they have been blanched for at least 2 minutes 2. Use as you would spinach. So, I decided I wanted Spanikopita. I found 6 recipes and blended them together in an extremely informal way.

I assembled my ingredients. I decided to use all of the onion type items that I could find in my kitchen. I used some gloves to place the nettles into the boiling water. Strained and chopped them and sauteed them with the onion types things. Let the mixture cool and mixed in some egg, some ricotta and a lot of feta cheese. I squeezed some lemon for good taste and I was ready to deal with the phylo pastry. I was prepared for some sort of intense battle, but really...it was pretty easy to deal with. I wrapped all of that filling up in 10 minutes and popped it in the oven for 40 at 350 degrees. It smelled amazing and came out as I had hoped. Not bad for a first try on all accounts. I couldn't even tell that it wasn't spinach. There was a more herbal and green tasting flavor, but not really noticeable. If nettles are as good for me as I have heard, I will make them a regular in my kitchen, season permitting. P.S. Make sure you use enough oil to keep the phylo stuck together and it will get deliciously crispy.

Fiddle Head Ferns a.k.a. Alien Bugs

2008-04-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

This being my first post, it is probably a good idea for a little background. Spring is marking the beginning of a new year for me. I have my own kitchen, a new job and a whole lot of drive to turn my one and only passion (food, obviously) into an actual pastime. Luckily I live in a city that allows me complete access to seasonal produce and a ton of fresh products. I am not into recipes so I am not going to be making intensely comprehensive lists of my exact ingredients, but I will try hard not to leave anything out.

After going to the market twice and spending a snowy morning at the year-round farmers market, I had a huge variety of things to start cooking. Stinging nettles, early morel mushrooms, parsnips, pastas, and leeks are all sitting on my counters and in my refrigerator waiting for me to turn them into something.

This dish was my first try. Fiddle Head fern and morel pappardelle. Cleaning those ferns was a really strange experience. I had to clean of quite a bit of the brown papery skin on the outside of the ferns. I almost expected them to stretch their legs and run away. They look like alien bugs. It is probably because I just re-watched the movie Alien, but I swear they looked just like the little guy that comes out of Kane's stomach.

I fried up some pancetta and set it aside. Sauteed some shallots, morels, the ferns. Boiled the pasta (fresh egg, enough for one). After the ferns were soft and lost their bitterness, I added the pancetta back to the mix. Next came a little butter, some pasta water and wine reduced down to make the sauce. Threw in the perfectly cooked pappardelle and I was golden.

This turned out exactly how I had intended; light, fresh and tasty. The perfect evening meal.