TaStE WiTh ThE EyEs

Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-29T19:06:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING DAY

It is one of my greatest pleasures to host

Thanksgiving Dinner

in my home year after year.

Here is my brother Don at the outside bar.

Don, Kristy and the kids travel here to LA from Chicago.

Wendy, Jett, Mom, Stone and Lisa in the backyard.

Wendy is from Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mom lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Lisa is from Germany.

Getting ready to serve dinner, buffet style.

Appetizers are on the counter.

Wendy wrote the menu for me on a platter.

Very artistic!

Lil' Smokies, because everyone likes 'em, especially the kids.

They disappear every year. Haha.

Steve and Kyle

26 Pounder.

My "Do Nothing" recipe for cooking a turkey:
1. Loosely stuff the cavity with roughly chopped onions, carrots, and celery, lots of butter and salt and pepper.
2. Rub the entire outside of the bird with soft butter and salt and pepper.
3. Put more roughly chopped onions, carrots and celery in the bottom of the roasting pan with enough chicken stock so that the pan does not dry out.
4. Roast at 400° for the first 45 minutes, then at 325° for a total of about 5 hours. Lower the heat to 300° if it is cooking too fast. Leave the bird alone, don't baste, don't cover, just "do nothing" and then marvel at the beautiful bird when it reaches 165 degree internal temperature. Use a remote thermometer to monitor the temperature.

5. Remove from oven and let it rest.

6. Have a Skin Party.

I believe the secret is to start with a great turkey. This is a fresh Diestel Turkey Ranch Premium Range Grown Broad Breasted Young Hen Turkey.

Tom makes canned cranberry sauce look gourmet.

I had an idea to make a cranberry gelée, but ran out of time.

Tom improvised for me.

I love it!

Tom's Sushi-style (ahi) Cranberry Gelée.

Getting ready for our tradition: THE SKIN PARTY

I guess that skin-lovers will like this ritual, others may cringe. But hey, this is all family and the best of friends. So we can pick the skin together. Nice crispy skin, help yourself! Don't be shy!

Mom and Chip kick off the Skin Party.

Stone and Don.

I think this is the first time Stone participated in the Skin Party.

Mom, Kyle, Stone, Tom, and Lisa

During the Skin Party, I make the gravy.

Once we finish the Skin Party, Chip carves the turkey. Kyle is stirring the creamed corn and Linda and Tom are heating the mashed potatoes.

Pat's heavenly popovers (my personal favorite).

They are also great for breakfast the next day, with a cup of coffee.

Right, Mom?

Mushroom, Leek, Sage Stuffing

I make it with Ciabatta Bread.

Chip serves gravy to Mom.

The Feast!

Red roses from my garden.

Stone makes the place cards the day before.

Gratitude Sharing

We put a place card at every seat at the table and scatter some pens about. During the beginning of the meal everyone is encouraged to write on their card the things they are grateful for this year. We save these cards so friends and family that have been coming to Thanksgiving at my home now have several cards at their setting. It is fun and poignant and sometimes sad to read what we were grateful for in past years. We read our current card out loud and some from the past. We also cherish the cards that have been written by those who are no longer with us.

Gratitude Old and New

"I am grateful to have two nephews and the opportunity to cook with them."

"I am thankful for everything my parents have done for me."

"I am thankful for all the experiences this year. I thank my family and my best friends for all the support they give me, for spending beautiful days with them and for all the love they give me. And I want to thank Kristy, Don, Stone, and Jett for being part of their family, sharing their American-way-of-life, and for giving me the best year of my life. I love you all. Thank you."

"Here's to a healthy 2010."

"I am thankful for my family and friends. I am also thankful that my college applications are almost done. "

"The freedom we have."

"Good friends."

"Good health and old age."

"Having exciting happy moments, lots of them, with my family."

"I'm grateful for my family and friends."

"I am grateful for my lovely daughter-in-law."

"I'm grateful for my job and my life."

"We are thankful for fresh air from the ocean, good earth to grow vegetables, clean water for seafood, and friends to share with."

"I am thankful right now to be sitting among all these lovely people."

"Great food!"

"Thank you for yesterday, today, and tomorrow."

"I am thankful for God."

"I am thankful for this great opportunity to get to know a different country and new people and to be part of a traditional Thanksgiving in America."

"I am thankful to be able to watch the kids grow."

"I am thankful for the lives we live and all our loving friends and kin."

A Thanksgiving Poem

Thanks to all for being so dear
And I hope to see you again next year.

The same faces have again appeared
Along with some new ones which we cheer.
With our friends and family we remain very close
As we celebrate Thanksgiving
With those we love the most.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Later that night, Tom and Jett with Wilson.

Thanksgiving Day Humor: My brother-in-law once shared with us about a year in the past when he was reluctant to eat the Thanksgiving turkey because there were two necks in the cavity. He assumed it was a two-headed bird.

Leftover Day

2009-11-29T19:04:00.000-08:00

LEFTOVER DAY

We are not done yet! It's our traditional Leftover Day. We put all the leftovers on the buffet, add a honey-baked ham and bread for sandwiches, and voila, we have another party on Friday!

Gail brought her famous grilled shrimp.

Put all the leftovers on the buffet. Help yourself! No rules, eat in any order.

Roasted cauliflower with mustard lemon butter, is good at room-temperature too.

The Ham.

Served in this beautiful new platter, a gift from Wendy.

Thanks Wendy, I adore it!

Buffet on Leftover Day

Turkey Sandwich, of course.

We are so fortunate to have such great weather. Leftover Day is from 1 -5 PM, we eat outside in the backyard.

Don, Scott, Lauren, Jett, Mom, Wendy, Gail, Kristy, Tori, and Tom

This year I bought a stack of take-out containers to send everyone home with all the leftovers.

Wilson's Thanksgiving Treat

A Toy Drumstick!

Thanks Lauren!

The Absinthe Ritual

2009-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Absinthe is distilled from a mixture of whole herbs in alcohol. These herbs include grande wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), green anise, sweet fennel and other culinary plants.

Created as a medicinal elixir by a French doctor living in Switzerland around 1792, it achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France, particularly among Parisian artists and writers where the drink was said to act as an aphrodisiac and stimulate creativity.

The Absinthe Fountain

"When the poet's pain is soothed by a liquid jewel held in the sacred chalice, upon which rests the pierced spoon, the crystal sweetness, icy streams trickle down. The darkest forest melts into an open meadow. Waves of green seduce. Sanity surrendered, the soul spirals toward the murky depths, wherein lies the beautiful madness - absinthe." Arthur Rimbaud

The bar at Chaya Downtown in Los Angeles, and our Absinthe Guide (bartender) Victor.

He pours ice water into the absinthe fountain.

Then pours 1 oz. absinthe into the special glass. Places a sugar cube over an absinthe grille or spoon in a saucer and soaks the sugar cube with absinthe.

Traditionally, the sugar cube is not ignited, as purists believe the caramelized sugar detracts from the herbal flavors. Apparently the use of fire in the absinthe ritual is a newer phenomenon was not a part of the custom during the Belle Époque. Sugar is used to cut the bitterness of the strong herbal spirit.

The spoon is placed over the glass and the sugar is lit on fire. As the sugar begins to caramelize, the absinthe water drip is begun.

Ice water from the absinthe fountain spigot slowly drips over the sugar into the glass, extinguishing the flame and melting the sugar and sweetening the absinthe.

L'Absinthe

Edgar Degas

1876

Oil on canvas

The cold water releases the oils from the absinthe, unlocking the powerful anise bouquet, and causing it to louche or cloud up into a light opalescent green. Absinthe is usually diluted in a 1:3 or 1:5 ratio to water. La louche has a symbolic meaning as well - As the water transforms the absinthe, so will the absinthe transform the mind.

La Fee Verte

The Green Fairy is the affectionate French nickname given to absinthe.

Can you spot the green fairy?

Absinthe had been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug. The chemical thujone, present in small quantities, was singled out and blamed for its alleged harmful effects. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries.

Although absinthe was vilified, no evidence has shown it to be any more dangerous than ordinary spirits. Its psychoactive properties, apart from those of alcohol, have been much exaggerated.

Absinthe’s popularity grew steadily through the 1840s, when absinthe was given to French troops stationed in North Africa as a disease preventative. When the troops returned home to Paris, they brought their taste for absinthe with them. It became so popular in bars, bistros, cafés, and cabarets that, by the 1860s, the hour of 5 p.m. was called l’heure verte (the green hour).

A revival of absinthe began in the 1990s, when countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. In 2007 French absinthe "Lucid" was the first authentic absinthe brand to be legally imported to the US since the ban in 1912. The absinthe must contain less that 10 mg/kg of thujone to be legally imported. Also that year, the first batch of legally produced absinthe was made in California.

Absinthe produced for consumption outside the US can contain up to 100 mg/kg thujone, like Century Absinth. Some aficionados claim that this is the true absinthe which creates the "effects" cherished by famous absinthe drinkers of the day: Edouard Manet, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway.

(some information for this post from wikipedia.com)

Black Garlic Risotto with Peas

2009-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Black Garlic Risotto with Peas

Black Garlic

The flavors and texture of black garlic are so unique. It did not taste like I had expected. It was like a garlic candy; sweet, and slightly savory, with subtle garlic notes and a jelly-candy texture. The deep color and flavor is the result of a month-long aging by a special high-heat fermentation process. It has umami flavors of molasses, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and licorice. For more information and a recent culinary history about Black Garlic, go to blackgarlic.com.

Risotto Recipe

I started with this wonderful olive oil from the California Olive Ranch, 2009 Olio Nuovo, a gift from the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival. It was one of the oils we tasted at Michael Tuohy’s Olive Oil Tasting seminar. We learned from Michael to use this oil now, when it is young. Olio Nuovo: A "living liquid" bottled at time of milling, it has a thick texture and rich flavor.

Heat 1/2 c. olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add a finely chopped onion. Sauté until light golden brown.

Add 1 1/2 c. arborio rice and stir until each grain is coated with oil. Add 1/2 c. white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add about 5 c. hot chicken stock gradually as absorbed, stirring continuously until the rice is almost al dente.

Add sliced black garlic and continue stirring, adding the final stock, until the rice is al dente.

The black garlic gives the rice a deep caramel color.

Cook peas separately, then combine peas with risotto.

Black garlic imparts such interesting and complex flavors to this risotto.

Crispy, juicy pork chop optional.

BLT Quiche

2009-11-14T04:30:00.000-08:00

BLT Quiche

A Quiche Inspired by the Classic

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

Are you a fan of the BLT?

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayonnaise

Served here on Toasted Ciabatta

Caperberries for Garnish

BLT Quiche Recipe

Slice high-quality bacon, cook in a non-stick skillet until cooked through but not crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Meanwhile sauté finely chopped yellow onion with a small amount of bacon fat until soft and slightly browned. Set aside on paper towels to cool. Combine bacon and onion.

Spray a pie dish with baking spray (cooking spray with flour added). Form pie dough (homemade or store-bought) in the pie dish.

Add bacon onion mixture.

My ratio for quiche custard base is:

5 fresh whole large eggs
2 1/2 cups of warm light cream
1 T flour
salt and pepper

I beat these ingredients with an electric hand mixer.

Pour custard base over the bacon onion mixture. Bake at 350° for about an hour, maybe a little longer, until just cooked through.

Let quiche cool completely to room temperature.

Slice the quiche into wedges before topping with the salad. Top the bacon quiche with tomato wedges and mixed lettuces tossed with mayonnaise or ranch dressing, salt and pepper to taste. A pie server is perfect for serving. This is a great dish for a brunch buffet as it is served at room temperature, it's colorful, whimsical and delicious!

Foodbuzz Blogger Festival in San Francisco

2009-11-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

I left my heart in San Francisco

High on a hill, it calls to me

To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars

The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

My love waits there in San Francisco

Above the blue and windy sea

When I come home to you, San Francisco

Your golden sun will shine for me

Tony Bennett with Judy Garland

The 1st annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival was a huge success. Congratulations and thank you to the entire Foodbuzz team for hosting this wonderful weekend in San Francisco.

Day 1

Welcome Reception, Hotel Vitale
Taste of San Francisco Street Food Fare, Ferry Building

Day 2

Morning at the Market, Ferry Building
Olive Oil Tasting, Hotel Vitale
Taste Pavilion, at the Metreon
Merlot Tasting, at the Metreon
Foodbuzz Dinner and Awards Ceremony, at GreenLeaf Produce Warehouse by Outstanding in the Field

Day 3

Farewell Brunch, Restaurant LuLu

Day 1

Hotel Vitale Landmark Terrace

Welcome reception with a view of the Ferry Building

Street Food Fare

The Chicharrones Girl

"A one-way ticket to chicharrones heaven."

Rotisserie Porchetta

Heritage’s free range pork loin rolled into the belly with Thomas’s original herb mix with lemon zest. Grilled on the rotisserie for four hours until crispy brown on the outside, succulent on the inside.

Rotisserie Porchetta on Acme Roll

With Curly Cress and Onion Marmalade

Day 2

The Ferry Building

Morning at the Market

Olive Oil Tasting

With Chef and Frontburner Blogger Michael Tuohy

Foodie Friends

Joan of Foodalogue

Giz of Equal Opportunity Kitchen

Lori Lynn of Taste With The Eyes

City View at the Metreon

Taste Pavilion getting ready to welcome 250 bloggers for a food and wine tasting and cooking demonstrations.

Merlot is Back, Baby!

Alder Yarrow, the granddaddy of wine bloggers and proprietor of

Vinography.com guided us through a Merlot tasting.

Pouring Bonny Doon Wines

Father Adam and Randall Grahm, Winemaker

The Stupendous Serpentine Table

Seating 250 People

Crisscrossing North America, Outstanding in the Field's long, linen-draped table beckons adventurous diners to celebrate food at the source. Bringing together local farmers and food artisans, chefs and winemakers, exploring the connection between the earth and the food on your plate. Their mission is to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. More about Outstanding in the Field here.

GreenLeaf Produce Display

Cooking a Gourmet Dinner in a Warehouse

Kudos to the team from Namu Restaurant!

Foodies in a Warehouse

GreenLeaf Produce Warehouse

a terrific venue for a unique and enchanted evening...

Soup Line

Preparing to serve 250 bowls of soup.

The Soup: Mushroom Dashi, Maitake, Shimeji, Enoki

Salad Course
Udon, grilled Monterey calamari in a browned butter ponzu reduction, cucumber, kaiware, frisée & yellow pear tomato with chojang & sesame vinaigrette

Food Photographers

Danny of Kung Food Panda blog

photographing

Mushroom Risotto with Koshihikari Rice

Crispy Maitake Mushrooms

Matt of Mattatouille blog

photographing

Sea Trout Baked with DashiKombu

Fried Garlic, Japanese Curry Powder

Day 3

Build Your Own Bloody Mary

The festival ended with a delicious brunch and build-your-own Bloody Mary bar sponsored by Nature's Pride and Skyy Spirits at Restaurant LuLu. The Farewell Brunch was the perfect ending to an amazing weekend. Besides hanging out with my dear dear friend Father Adam, and getting to meet many awesome bloggers, my next favorite part of the event, being a table setting aficionado myself, was that Outstanding Table! I haven't stopped talking about it! A heartfelt thank you to the folks at Foodbuzz for all your planning and creativity and graciousness. The weekend rocked!

Here I am enjoying Far West Fungi Vol au Vent

from Spencer on the Go

at the Street Food Fare

(photo courtesy of Father Adam)

To all my foodie friends, it was an absolute pleasure to get to know you! Best wishes for continued success with your fabulous blogs. I left my heart in San Francisco, how about you? See you next year!

Foodbuzz Blogger Festival

2009-11-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

1st Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival

San Francisco

"We blog, we eat, we cook, we drink. So when Foodbuzz sat down to cook up our first weekend blogger event, we decided to host a festival of networking and collaborating the way foodies do things: over good meals and in good company! You’ll be hands on tasting, eating, drinking, networking and learning all weekend. Meet amazing foodie friends, and return home with awesome experiences to blog about."

To those of you who will be in San Francisco this weekend, I am definitely looking forward to meeting you! We are going to have a blast. I am very excited that my dear friend and great cook, Father Adam will be there too! And to everyone else, I look forward to sharing our experiences when we return. Have a great weekend!

Lori Lynn

Crostini and Other Tasty Appetizers

2009-11-02T19:50:00.000-08:00

Navy Bean Crostini

With Garlic and Roasted Green Chile

Pea and Mint Crostini

Topped with Prosciutto

Pea and Mint Crostini

Topped with Diced Pear

Navy Bean Crostini Recipe

Cook pre-soaked Navy Beans in water with three or four smashed garlic cloves, a bay leaf and salt, until tender. Drain off any water and cool.

These roasted chiles came as a gift from my dear friend Peggy from Denver, where they roast chiles on the street corners in the Fall. I can just imagine the aromas! Peel, seed and stem the roasted chiles, then they are ready to add to the food processor.

Whip 1/2 c. whipping cream to stiff peaks in a food processor. Leave the whipped cream in the processor, change the blade from a whipping blade to a chopping blade, then add beans and garlic cloves (sans bay leaf) and roasted chiles. Puree then salt to taste. Navy beans, garlic, and roasted green chiles made an extraordinarily flavorful spread!

Toast (or grill) sliced baguette. Slice a garlic clove in half. Rub each slice of toasted baguette with a couple swipes of the raw garlic clove, then brush the toast with olive oil. Rubbing the toast with raw garlic gives it a real burst of flavor. Top with the spread. A little herb garnish is nice too.

I am submitting this Navy Bean Crostini to the My Legume Love Affair Event 17th Edition hosted by Sra of When My Soup Came Alive blog. This is a wonderful event that showcases legumes, started by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook in January 2008 and still going strong!

It was my pleasure to host the 11th Edition last May, the round-up can be found here. If you love beans, there is no better place to go than My Legume Love Affair for great recipes and inspiration.

Pea and Mint Crostini Recipe

The pea and mint crostini idea comes from Giada De Laurentis. Cook a bag of frozen peas with 1 t. red pepper flakes in water until tender. Drain and cool. Whip 1/2 c. whipping cream to stiff peaks in a food processor, change the blade, add the pea mixture with 1/4 c. fresh mint. Puree until smooth, salt to taste. Giada topped hers with diced prosciutto. We also topped some with diced pears tossed with pear balsamic vinegar. The color of the pea mixture is fabulous!

Shrimp with Blue Cheese Polenta, Chile Oil

Cook polenta, add crumbled blue cheese at the end of cooking. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread polenta mixture in a shallow dish. Chill, then cut out rounds with a cookie cutter.

Sauté peeled deveined shrimp in a little butter and olive oil, finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Dust polenta rounds with flour, sauté in butter until slightly crispy.

Char red chiles on a grill or under a broiler. Peel and seed. Put chiles in a food processor, stream in olive oil taking care not to over blend.

The roasted red chile oil gave a nice kick to the shrimp. Homemade chile oil was worth the effort. For extra cheesy bites, place a small slice of blue cheese on the polenta, then top with the shrimp and chile oil.

Date Wrapped Bacon Bundles

Two ingredients, lots of flavor! Roll bacon around a pitted date, secure with a toothpick and bake at 375° turning once, until the bacon is crispy. These were a big hit!

Sunken City Supper Club Appetizers

For our Sunken City Supper Club event a few weeks ago (posted here and here) we wanted to serve a nice variety of not-too-complicated appetizers as our guests arrived. We wanted a range of flavors, colors and textures. The Dates Wrapped in Bacon Bundles were sweet, smokey, and salty. The Crostini was colorful, crunchy and creamy. The Polenta with Shrimp was cheesy, spicy and crispy. We had vegetarian, seafood, and bacon appetizers. They were easy to pick up with the hands, we simply provided cocktail napkins, as the guests mingled before dinner. It worked.

Gail and Marlene plate the appetizers.

Barry Anthony of The Swing Of Things band getting ready to play at the Sunken City Supper Club.

Until the next get-together of the Sunken City Supper Club, I leave you with another one of the band's light-hearted and breezy performances:

The Swing of Things performing Nat King Cole's first hit record recorded in 1944, Straighten Up and Fly Right.

LA Harbor College Culinary Arts Program

2009-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a dinner presented by the Students of the Culinary Arts Program 3rd Semester Class at Los Angeles Harbor College last night.

The menu was seasonal, innovative, ambitious and well-executed. The service was delightful. It was wonderful to tour the kitchen and the new bakery, and to meet the faculty and administration of the College. Above all, it was especially refreshing to witness the passion and commitment of these students.

The Dining Room is a Converted Faculty Lounge

5 Course Menu Gastronomique

Grilled Maui Gold Pineapple, Jicama,

Red Onion & Grapefruit Salad

Timbale of Cured Salmon

Spiced Pumpkin Soup

Broccoli Soup

Apple Sorbet with Sauternes

Braised Wagyu Short Ribs

Chateau Bliss Potatoes

Grilled Asparagus

Creme Brulee & Burgundy Poached D'Anjou Pear

Cinnamon Tuille

Plating the Salad Course

The Colorful Salad

Soup Shooters

Spiced Pumpkin & Cream of Broccoli

Apple Sorbet Palate Cleanser

Main Course

(the sauce, made with veal bones and reduced for many hours, was exceptional)

Myra serves Cheryl the Dessert Course

Tonight Myra was a server, earlier in the day, she was a pastry chef, and was on the team that prepared this dessert. Her specialty was the cinnamon tuilles, which were excellent.

Dessert Course

Kudos and best wishes to the aspiring chefs and restaurateurs for your hard work and dedication. The entire meal was delicious! It was a real pleasure to experience your creativity. Bravo!

Here, Natalie enjoys the apple sorbet. I was a guest of faculty member, Cheryl and her mother, Natalie. Thank you ladies for a fun and very inspiring evening.

Chef Giovanni Delrosario recognizes the team.

Los Angeles Harbor College offers a 2 year degree in Culinary Arts, as well as 12 and 24 unit certificates in the field. For more information please visit LAHC.edu.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and want to support this valuable local program please call 310-233-4556 for reservations. Dinner starts at 6 PM and concludes at 7:30 PM. The dinners will be held every Thursday evening though December 3rd. Chef Giovanni shared with us that next week's main course is a braised lamb shank. Both Natalie and I think that sounds great! See you there?

Komo Gway Oysters Rockefeller

2009-10-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Oysters Rockefeller

With Komo Gway Oysters

The original Oysters Rockefeller recipe created by Jules Alciatore in 1899 at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans remains a secret to this day. Since no one outside of Antoine's knows the exact recipe, there are hundreds of variations. Fresh oysters, assorted greens, toasty breadcrumbs...it's hard to go wrong with any combination!

Komo Gway

Komo Gway Oysters are cultured in the clean, clear waters of Baynes Sound, British Columbia, Canada, using sustainable methods. Pentlatch Seafoods Ltd., a company wholly owned by the K’ómoks First Nation, produces Komo Gway Oysters within their traditional territory.

Komo Gway, “Ruler of the Undersea”

Pentlatch Seafoods Ltd. honors the Legend of Komo Gway by ensuring, above all, the sustainability of the sea and its creatures by seeding, annually, millions of Manila Clams and Pacific Oysters on their beaches. To further ensure the sustainability of the marine resources, they have also implemented an Environmental Stewardship Program that supports the continuation of clean marine waters within their traditional territory. The mission statement is “CLEAN WATER Our Responsibility, Our Legacy” which ensures sustainability of resources and their legacy to future generations.

I just recently discovered these oysters at the Ports O' Call fish market. They are heavenly! Plump, with a clean, crisp, slight cucumber flavor. And not too difficult to shuck either!

Taste With The Eyes'

Oysters Rockefeller

Blend baby spinach, fresh tarragon leaves, rough chopped scallions, and a small amount of panko bread crumbs in the small bowl of a food processor. (Other recipes include ingredients such as parsley, celery, celery leaves, chervil, watercress, and some omit the spinach).

Sauté the spinach mixture in butter for just a few minutes. Add a splash of Pastis, Paprika Piquant (hot paprika), and salt to taste. Set aside to cool.

Mix equal parts Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs together, add Paprika Piquant to taste. (Some recipes include cheese, others do not).

Fill the bottom of an ovenproof pan with Kosher or rock salt. Nestle fresh shucked oysters into the salt. Top each with the spinach mixture. (Some recipes add crumbled bacon atop the spinach mixture).

Then top with breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 450° for about 12-14 minutes until the breadcrumb mixture is golden brown.

The Rich Theme

For a little extra Rockefeller richness, I top each oyster with a small dollop of creme fraiche.

"We trust that you will be pleased with the riches from our lands."

K’ómoks First Nation

According to legend, it is said that an Antoine's customer exclaimed with delight after eating this dish, "Why, this is as rich as Rockefeller!"

John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared, and he became the world's richest man and first American billionaire. (from wikipedia)

Oysters Rockefeller Soup

2009-10-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

Oysters Rockefeller Soup

Garnished with a Fresh Shucked Oyster,

Butter Lettuce, Creme Fraiche, and Salmon Roe

Oysters Rockefeller consists of oysters on the half-shell that have been topped with various other ingredients (often spinach or parsley, cheese, a rich butter sauce and bread crumbs) and are then baked or broiled.

The dish was created in 1899 at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine's by Jules Alciatore, son of the restaurant's founder. It was named Oysters Rockefeller after John D. Rockefeller, the richest American at the time, for the richness of the sauce. (from wikipedia)

Sunken City Supper Club

The Soup Course

In the previous post I was so excited to share the debut of our Sunken City Supper Club: A place to mingle with friends and neighbors - to enjoy the camaraderie, great food, wine, and perhaps a little dancing to the awesome intimate jazz standards performed by Barry Anthony and Bill Ryan. Their band is The Swing Of Things.

I hope you have a couple of minutes to enjoy The Swing Of Things as they perform "I've Heard That Song Before." The song, popular in 1942, is just so fun and lovely, it can put anyone in a good mood...

Our Oysters Rockefeller Soup Recipe

Puree a small onion, 1/2 bunch parsley, 3 scallions, and 3 large leaves of butter lettuce in a food processor. Add a pound of fresh spinach and continue to puree to a uniform consistency.

Melt 4 T. butter in a saucepan, add 4 anchovy filets stirring until dissolved. Add the vegetable puree and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add 3 T. lemon juice and 3 T. flour.

Stir in one bottle clam juice, 1 c. chicken stock, 2 T. Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add 2 c. heavy cream and grated nutmeg.

Finish with 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving add a splash of Pastis and the liquid from the shucked oysters.

Garnish with shredded butter lettuce, a fresh shucked oyster, a small dollop of creme fraiche and salmon roe or caviar of your choice.

The initial idea for this recipe came from Barbara Kafka's excellent soup cookbook, Soup A Way of Life.

Slide the fresh oyster onto the butter lettuce.

A soup inspired by a secret legendary old New Orleans recipe was the perfect one for the first Sunken City Supper Club dinner.

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Pomegranate

2009-10-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Pomegranate Syrup

Pomegranate Seeds

Mint Sprig

Sunken City Supper Club Menu

SUNKEN CITY SUPPER CLUB

October 16th Menu

"THE BEST OF FALL"

Appetizers

Polenta Cakes with Cambozola and Shrimp, Roasted Chile Oil

Date Bacon Bundles

Pea Crostini Two Ways: With Prosciutto or Pears

Soup

Oysters Rockefeller Soup

Salad

Grilled Squash, Wild Baby Arugula

Warm Marcona Almonds

Shaved French Etorki Cheese

Almond Oil Late Harvest Riesling Vinaigrette

Main

Stout-Braised Short Ribs

Reginette Pasta, Gremolata

Horseradish Cream

Dessert

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Pomegranate

Your SCSC Hosts

Sally, Gail, and Lori Lynn

We hosted a big party this past Friday night outdoors on my patio: 24 people, 5 courses, live music. It was the debut of what we are calling the Sunken City Supper Club. A place to periodically mingle with friends and neighbors - to enjoy the camaraderie, great food, wine, and perhaps a little dancing to the awesome intimate jazz standards performed by Barry Anthony and Bill Ryan. Their band is called The Swing of Things.

Here's a sweet sample of their music when they play at The Sky Room in Long Beach with the entire band. Please click below to enjoy the tunes while reading the rest of the post, you'll immediately get the feel of our supper club event!

My friends Gail and Sally and I held three test kitchen dinners with my Brother Bill and Barry and Al to decide on the menu. Then we shopped and cooked and decorated for 4 days. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.

Organizing the china, glass, and silver.

Rosemary from Gail's garden with roses from my garden.

Panna Cotta

I thought it might be neat to write about the dessert first.

After trying baked figs, puff pastry, apple crisp, mascarpone sorbet and other ideas in our test kitchen we decided on panna cotta with pomegranate. It was a huge hit!

In addition to trying recipes, we also tried out presentations. We had to be able to execute the dish for 24 guests and be able to get it to the tables in a timely manner, as well as have enough china and silver in my home to serve it uniformly.

Panna Cotta: We began by sprinkling 5 t. powdered gelatin over 6 T. cold water. Then 2/3 c. sugar and 1/8 t. salt are added to 5 c. heavy cream and 1 c. milk in a large pot. Cooked over medium heat to dissolve sugar. When bubbles appear on the edges the gelatin mixture is added, removed from heat, cooled slightly and add vanilla bean seeds from 2 pods. Pour into ramekins, cover, and chill over night. We made 2 batches for 24 servings.

To serve the panna cotta, run a knife around the edge, dip bottom of ramekin in hot water for 5 seconds, then invert onto a plate.

We doubled the usual amount of vanilla bean, which imparted a deep, rich, intense flavor to the "cooked cream." And the tart bright concentrated flavor of the pomegranate syrup was the perfect for our "Best of Fall" menu, the pomegranate seeds were like little jewels.

Sunken City Supper Club

Please stop by Taste With The Eyes in the next few days for more about Sunken City Supper Club event. Thank you to all our guests, it was such a pleasure having you here! Your enthusiasm, excitement, and participation made this event a super success. We hope to see you at the next supper club gathering soon.

Lastly a special thank you to my Brother Bill, and dear friends Gail and Sally, to fabulous musicians Barry and Bill, and extra helpers Al and Troy and Marlene. What a super team!

White Asparagus, Shaved Avocado, Tarragon Mayonnaise

2009-10-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Peruvian White Asparagus

Shaved Californian Avocado

Tarragon Mayonnaise

I was shopping at Whole Foods Market today for meat to make a very Autumn-Style dish for a big party this weekend: Stout Braised Short Ribs, a two-day process which we will be starting tomorrow morning.

Walking into the produce section, I noticed this big display of asparagus, the quintessential Spring vegetable, right? Turns out this asparagus was from Peru. Where Spring has sprung! In solidarity with my Southern Hemisphere Cooking Compadres, I picked up some asparagus to serve along side a Whole Foods pre-cooked smoked chicken tonight. Their smoked chicken is really good.

White Asparagus

Trim off the end of the asparagus, then shave the entire stalk with a vegetable peeler.

Place shaved asparagus stalks in salted simmering water with a bay leaf. Cook until tender, taste for doneness. This was about 8 minutes. When tender, place asparagus in an ice bath to stop the cooking, then dry on paper towels.

Mix mayonnaise with finely chopped fresh tarragon, salt and pepper, and a splash of tarragon vinegar. Tonight's dinner had to be effortless, considering the upcoming party and all the cooking involved. But...

Mayonnaise aficionados might appreciate an "almost effortless" homemade version, compliments of Julia Child, that I paired with fresh swordfish here.

"Mayonnaise is one of the finest and most important sauces in classic cuisine. The shame is that few of us ever taste the kind of fresh handmade mayonnaise that deserves such culinary status - and even dedicated home cooks don't realize that making their own is a simple process that takes only minutes and, if you use a food processor, almost no effort at all." Julia Child

Shave a slightly under-ripe avocado into strips with the vegetable peeler. Season asparagus with salt and pepper, ladle tarragon mayonnaise over the center, top with shaved avocado ribbons. Add a tarragon sprig for garnish. This side dish was really simple and quite lovely.

Happy Spring to My Blogger Friends in the Southern Hemisphere!

For more information on Peruvian White Asparagus, please visit Gourmet Trading Company here.

Pistachio Crusted Opah, Pomegranate Nectarine Reduction

2009-10-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pistachio Crusted Fresh Opah from Fijian Waters

Pomegranate Nectarine Reduction

Opah, also called moonfish, weighing up to 200 lbs., is harvested incidentally by long-line boats fishing for tuna and billfish in the Pacific. This fish does not swim in schools, so it is caught by accident. Historically, catching an opah was regarded as good luck and was given away rather than sold. The fishmonger at Bristol Farms poetically told me that the skin of a moonfish resembles moonlight dancing on the ocean. (photo from hawaii-seafood.org)

Opah has a rich, creamy flavor and firm, fatty texture, resulting from a diet of mostly squid. To make this dish: Combine pistachio nutmeat and panko breadcrumbs with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in a food processor. Dust the filet with flour, lightly coat with mayonnaise, then crust the filet with the pistachio mixture. Sauté in olive oil in a non-stick ovenproof pan until both sides are browned. Finish cooking the fish for just a few minutes in a 400° oven.

The folks at POM Wonderful sent me a few samples of their pomegranate products, one of which is this awesome POM Nectarine juice. 100% juice. I simply poured it into a pan and reduced it over medium-high heat to a syrup consistency. It needed nothing else, and paired beautifully with the fish! I am looking forward to trying this juice reduction with other dishes. And thank you POM Wonderful.

One of my favorite parts of hosting a dinner party is setting the table in the morning. Sometimes our dinner parties have themes, as in the Jackie Kennedy Dinner, or the Gourmet Retro Dinner Party, the Wolfgang Puck Austrian Dinner, or the All-Salmon Dinner Party. But this night was just about some good food and good friends. The inspiration for the table setting came from my garden, I just picked what was blooming!

A jaunty table setting with colors of the roses: red, purple, and white.

Etorki - Cheese of the Month

2009-10-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

shaved etorki cheese

grilled sunburst and pattypan squash

wild baby arugula

toasted tamari almonds

roasted almond oil & late harvest riesling vinaigrette

First brush sunburst and pattypan squash with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper then grill.

Cline Cellars Late Harvest Riesling Vinegar

La Tourangelle Roasted Almond Oil

Vinaigrette: Steep minced shallot in late harvest riesling vinegar, then season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and whisk in La Tourangelle roasted almond oil in a 3:1 ratio of oil to vinegar. The riesling vinegar and this almond oil are a match made in heaven; delightfully sweet, bright, nutty, toasty. Very elegant.

Plate wild baby arugula with warm grilled squash and toasted tamari almonds. Then spoon vinaigrette over. Top with shaved Etorki cheese.

Etorki is a sheep’s milk cheese produced in the French Basque Country. Etorki has a smooth, velvety texture and rich, hazelnut (almost burnt caramel-like) flavor. Its aroma is sweet and buttery, and the cheese is voluptuous on the tongue. Because of its supple texture, you can bend it a bit without breaking so it is great for shaving with a vegetable peeler.

Etorki, which means “origin” in Basque, is a pasteurized sheep's milk cheese that has been produced in the heart of the Basque region of southwestern France for over 4000 years.

The cheese is made from local sheep's milk in Mauléon, in the Atlantic Pyrenees. More specifically, Etorki is made from the milk of black- or red-faced Manech ewes. The ewes' milk is exceptional, but there is only a scant supply; it takes 22 ewes to provide the same amount of milk obtained by the milking of a single cow.

The scarcity of ewes' milk and the limited milking season – December to July – offer a partial explanation for the higher price of cheese made from sheep's milk in comparison to that made from cow's milk. And Etorki is composed of over 98% ewes' milk. For more on delicious Etorki, please visit the Ile de France website here.

My Cousin Vicki's Wedding

October 2008

What does Vicki & Jonah's Wine Country Wedding at Cline Cellars in Sonoma, California last year have to do with the Cheese of the Month post?

Wedding Favors!

They chose to give an assortment of hand-crafted oils and vinegars as gifts. Great idea! Mine was the Late Harvest Riesling Vinegar. There was also Blood Orange Vinegar, Pomegranate Vinegar, and White Truffle Oil among others. Perfect wedding favors for foodies like us! Thanks V & J!

Dear Vicki & Jonah:

Congratulations and blessings on your first anniversary!

Best wishes for many many more happy years together.

Love, Cousin Lori Lynn

Salmon & Salmon Skin Spinach Salad, Miso Chile Lime Dressing

2009-09-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Wild King Salmon Filet & Crispy Salmon Skin

Baby Spinach

Black & White Sesame Seeds

Bonito Flakes

Kizami Nori

Miso Chile Lime Dressing

My Citrus Salad Tree was planted a year ago. The first fruit to ripen is the Bearss Lime Tahiti Seedless, also known as a Persian Lime. This is a citrus tree that has 5 varieties of fruit grafted onto one trunk. In addition to the Persian Limes, there are Valencia Orange, Honey Mandarin, Late Lane Navel, and Minneola Tangelo (a cross between grapefruit and tangerine).

Each arm is tagged.

I'm using the Persian Lime in this dressing.

Cannot wait for the rest of the fruits to ripen!

Miso Chile Lime Dressing:

2 t. Miso (shiromiso, white soybean paste)
1/2 c. Toasted Sesame Oil
2 T. Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
2 t. Soy Sauce (low-sodium)
2 T. Fresh Lime Juice
2 t. Red Chile Pepper Flakes

Whisk all ingredients together. Miso dressing is one of my favorites, I like to make different versions for different salads. In this version I substituted white miso for red, lime juice for lemon, and red chile flakes for ginger. My original recipe here.

Buy Fresh Wild King Salmon filet with skin on. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. Slice off the skin leaving about a half inch of meat attached. Toss with salt and pepper.

Separate the dressing; one part for salad, one part for marinade. Marinate the filet.

Place salmon skin slices (skin side up) and filet on a broiler pan. Broil under high heat for about 8 minutes until the skin is crispy and the filet is just cooked.

Toss the warm crispy salmon skin slices with baby spinach and miso chile lime dressing.

Sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds, bonito flakes (shavings from dried smoked bonito, a type of tuna) and kizami nori (roasted shredded seaweed). Top with salmon filet.

The spinach wilts slightly amidst the crispy skin and warm filet. Really enjoyed the different textures and bright flavors here. I'm looking forward to creating more citrus-based dressings as the fruits on my Citrus Salad Tree ripen! Please let me know if you have an interesting recipe using any of the fruits mentioned above.

Osso Buco, Saffron Risotto, Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

2009-09-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

Veal Osso Buco

Saffron Risotto

Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

When my dear friend of many years, Father Adam, comes to town we like to cook! Nothing we make ever takes less than three hours. It's always an adventure. Last time we made Mario Batali's Osso Buco with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata. I had purchased several fresh veal shanks then, and put the extras in the freezer. It was time to defrost them and give Suzanne Goin's recipe a try!

Osso Buco

Veal shanks were rubbed with garlic, lemon zest, thyme and rosemary then refrigerated over night. The next day they were brought to room temperature, seasoned and browned on all sides in olive oil.

The browned shanks are removed from the pan. Diced onion, carrot, celery, sage and garlic are added to the same pan, and cooked over medium heat until just starting to caramelize. Add 1/2 c. chopped canned tomatoes then 1 c. dry vermouth. Raise the heat and reduce by half.

Add shanks back to the pan with enough hot veal stock to almost cover the meat. Add parsley sprigs, cover, braise at 325° for about 3 hours.

Father Adam and I put the Le Creuset into the oven and went for a walk at Royal Palms State Beach.

Three hours later!

The meat was removed to a baking sheet. The sauce was strained, then we used a gravy separator to remove the fat. We reheated the sauce in a clean saucepan and adjusted the seasoning. It was so flavorful!

Saffron Risotto

Saffron threads were toasted in a small pan, then ground in a mortar. We mixed the saffron with olive oil and added diced white onion, thyme, crushed chile de arbol, salt and pepper. Cooked until the onion was soft.

Add arborio rice and stir to coat the grains.

Add 1/4 c. dry white wine, then when that has evaporated, add hot chicken stock gradually while stirring until the rice has absorbed the stock. When the rice is al dente, season with salt and pepper.

The shanks were removed to a baking sheet and broiled for a few minutes to get a nice brown crust.

Peas & Snow Pea Shoots

Frozen peas were defrosted and cooked in olive oil with minced shallot, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the pea shoots and heat until the leaves are softened and tender.

Beautiful Colors!

Dau Miu (snow pea shoots) are young pea shoots that are delicate and crispy with a flavor that's a cross between peas and spinach with a hint of watercress.

Falling Off the Bone!

This terrific recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. You can find Chef Goin's exact recipe here.

And be sure to check out Father Adam's unique blog, Monastery Daily Photo: Views From and Within A Roman Catholic Monastery in Northern California.

Saint Agur - Cheese of the Month

2009-09-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Saint Agur

Steamed Baby Beets

Candied Walnuts

Frisée and Garlicky Red Wine Vinaigrette

Serve with Crusty Baguette

This delightful salade composée has a wide variety and balance of colors, flavors, and textures. Yet it was very simple and fast to compose! The earthy baby beets and sweet crunchy walnuts were purchased ready to serve. The tangy vinaigrette is made in a jar with minced garlic and shallot, premium red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Just shake well and pour the vinaigrette over the beets and frisée. Slice a piece of creamy, buttery St. Agur and serve with crusty French bread. Voilà!

Melissa's brand peeled baby red beets are grown in France. They are trimmed, peeled, steamed and ready to serve from the vacuum sealed package. For full flavor I like them at room temperature.

St. Agur (pronounced Sant ah-GOOR) is made from pasteurized cow’s milk in the French village of Monts du Velay. It is very buttery, delicately sharp, and not too salty in comparison to other blues. Due to its creaminess, it seems to melt away in the mouth. A very well-balanced cheese, St. Agur is sowed with the penicillium roqueforti, and one, I think, even those who are not bigs fans of blue could enjoy. For more about St. Agur, please visit the Ile de France website here.

Cheese of the Month

April - Saint André

May - French Goat Cheese

June - Supreme

July - Brie

August - Saint Albray

Cheese Quote

"How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?"
"Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a deux cent quarante-six variétés de fromage?"

Charles de Gaulle

1962

Do you have a favorite cheese?

Rosh Hashanah 5770

2009-09-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Dinner for A Sweet New Year

Crispy Rosemary Chicken Paillard and

Grilled Apples with Truffle Honey

Israeli Couscous with Butternut Squash, Spinach, Walnuts

Israeli Couscous Side Dish

Roast cubes of butternut squash with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook Israeli couscous. Add squash, baby spinach leaves, toasted chopped walnuts to the cooked couscous. The spinach will wilt in the hot couscous. Season with salt and pepper, finish with a drizzle of roasted walnut oil.

We are celebrating the Jewish New Year 5770

which began last night at sundown.

Squeeze lemon juice on sliced apples, then brush with olive oil. Grill over high heat.

Make breadcrumbs out of day old baguette, add fresh rosemary, pulse to combine.

Have you tried air-chilled chicken? During processing, the USDA requires that the carcass temperature be lowered to 40 degrees within 4 hours to retard the growth of bacteria. Usually chickens are placed in an ice bath with chlorine for about an hour. In contrast, air-chilled chickens are sprayed with a chlorinated water and laid out on a track under refrigeration. Some say this method is safer, less contamination with other chickens. The meat definitely has a different texture from not soaking in water for over an hour. And they say the skin comes out more crispy with the air-chilled birds too.

These boneless skinless chicken thighs are from Whole Foods Market. I usually prepare this dish with chicken breasts but tried thighs this time. These air-chilled chicken thighs were the best ever. So flavorful and moist.

I put the thighs, one-by-one, in a ziplock bag and pounded them with a mallet to a uniform thinness. Seasoned each with salt and pepper, dusted with flour, dipped in egg, and coated with the breadcrumb/rosemary mixture.

Sautéed until golden brown over medium-high heat in canola oil.

Truffle Honey

La BOUTIQUE de la truffe

The Italian Truffle Honey is made of acacia honey and white truffles 3% (tuber albidum pico). In addition to the fabulous truffle carpaccio I served with heirloom tomatoes, La BOUTIQUE de la truffe also produces this dreamy truffle honey. Drizzle the truffle honey over the chicken and apples.

"the truffle is the very diamond of gastronomy"

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

This truffle honey gives the chicken and apples complex intriguing flavors. Simultaneously sweet and earthy and exotic. It rocks! The open jar of honey was sitting on my counter top, truffle aromas filled the kitchen. (Link to these preserved truffle products here).

Crispy Rosemary Chicken Thighs Paillard

Grilled Apples with Truffle Honey

Wishing You a Sweet New Year

L'Shana Tova!

To observe Rosh Hashanah, traditional foods sweetened with honey and apples are served. They symbolize sweetness, blessings, abundance and the hope for a sweet year ahead.

L'Shana Tova Tikatevu

May Your Name be Inscribed in The Book of Life

For a Good Year

Last year's dinner here.

heirloom tomato with truffle carpaccio

2009-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

heirloom tomato

truffle carpaccio

parmigiano-reggiano

toasted buttered baguette

Truffle Carpaccio

la BOUTIQUE de la truffe

It would be dream-come-true to always have fresh truffles in my kitchen. Preserved truffles are the next best thing. Truffle Carpaccio is a preserved truffle product from Italy. It is made with summer truffles (tuber aestivum vitt), olive oil, and salt. It can be served on toast, tossed with olive oil and pasta, or for an intense flavor combination try a teaspoonful on top of a grilled rib-eye steak.

This makes a delightful first course: Slice heirloom tomatoes (blot excess moisture), place on a baking sheet, top with a little sea salt and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place until the broiler until the cheese bubbles. Top each tomato with a teaspoon of truffle carpaccio. Serve with toasted buttered baguette, garnish with chives.

tomato & truffle carpaccio bruschetta

Toasted baguette rubbed with garlic, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and topped with chopped heirloom tomatoes tossed with truffle carpaccio and a little salt.

The truffle aroma is heavenly.

Gourmet Attitude in Manhattan is an importer of fresh truffles. They recently launched this line of truffle delicacies called "la BOUTIQUE de la truffe" which includes the Truffle Carpaccio, Truffle Honey, and White Truffle Cream. We paired the Truffle Honey with panko-crusted chicken breast and paired the White Truffle Cream with angel hair pasta. Truffle heaven!

Kristy's Chèvre Chaud Salad

2009-09-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

Chèvre Chaud

Mixed Baby Lettuces, Teardrop Tomatoes

Chopped Hard Boiled Egg, Toasted Pinenuts

Dijon Vinaigrette

Kristy's Table Setting

Last May we traveled to Paris to celebrate my sister-in-law's 40th birthday. And recently I went to visit my family in Chicago. Of course we had to get together and have a dinner party with "the gang who went to Paris for Kristy's birthday weekend." And I was more than happy to be the chef.

PARIS REUNION

Le Menu

Pommery Brut Champagne

Starter

couer de boeuf heirloom tomato

truffle carpaccio

parmigiano-reggiano

toasted buttered baguette

Salade

"Kristy's Salad"

chevre chaud, mixed lettuces, toasted pinenuts,

hard cooked egg, teardrop tomatoes

dijon vinaigrette

Puligny Montrachet 2006 Domaine Carillon

Plat Principal

grilled portobello muchroom

sautéed veal medallion

wild mushroom agnolotti

pinor nior veal stock reduction

fried sage

Domaine Serene "Evenstad Reserve" 2006 Pinot Noir

Le Dessert

fresh peaches

puff pastry filled with peach jam and brie

a drizzle of honey

whipped crème fraîche

Kristy's Chèvre Chaud Salad

Form goat cheese into medallions and refrigerate. Dip chilled goat cheese medallion in a beaten egg, then in panko breadcrumbs. Fry in hot peanut oil turning once. When the breadcrumbs are golden, transfer to paper towel. Season with sea salt.

My favored Dijon Vinaigrette comes from Jacques Pepin:

2 tsp chopped garlic
3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 c red or white wine vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil

I also a 2 tsp minced shallot.
Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

This salad is named for my sister-in-law Kristy. Several years ago I made this salad for her and it became one of her favorites. Now, like enjoying a Chicago-style hot dog or having lunch at Joe's Stone Crab, this salad is also one of our culinary traditions. I make it every time I come to town.

Haricots Verts with Goat Butter, Sublime!

2009-09-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

Steamed Haricots Verts

Melting Goat Butter

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Toss and serve.

This ain't your ordinary "green beans with butter."

A couple years ago we had a magnificent dinner at Alinea, the amazing cutting-edge restaurant of Chef Grant Achatz in Chicago. In addition to all the mind-blowing courses, one small but totally memorable attention to detail stood out, the butter. Goat Butter. And I have been searching for it ever since. Pure white. Softer than cow's butter at room temperature. Very subtle yet intriguing chèvre flavors. Recently I was ecstatic to find Cabrima Goat Butter at Whole Foods Market!

From the Netherlands,

Cabrima goat butter is made from fresh Dutch goat milk.

Produced by churning the fresh, pasteurized goat cream. The composition of goat butter has a lower melting point than regular butter, making it easy spreadable. Goat butter does not contain carotene, so the product possesses a clear, white color. (from Cabrima website here)

Goat cheese lovers, you will be in heaven!

Hatch Chile Salsa

2009-09-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

It's Hatch Chile Roasting Time!

The Hatch Chile Festival is happening this weekend in Hatch, New Mexico, the "Chile Capital of the World." Although we won't be making it to the festival, we will be making Hatch Chile Salsa.

Remove the skin, stems and seeds from the roasted chiles.

Put the chiles (about six to eight) in a food processor with a half of chopped white onion, and a couple cloves of garlic.

Pulse until the mixture is chunky (don't over blend). Hatch chiles come in varying degrees of heat. These were the Sandia variety and they were hot!

Add a tomato to the salsa mixture. This beauty is a Golden Jubilee heirloom tomato. To remove the skin, submerge the tomato in boiling water for ten seconds.

Score the skin with a paring knife and it will slide right off. Cut the tomato into quarters and squeeze out the seeds. The Golden Jubilee is a mild tomato with a small amount of seeds and meaty flesh. Perfect for salsa. Put tomato in the food processor with the chiles and pulse again. Then add fresh squeezed lime juice, a little grapeseed oil and salt to taste. Pulse to combine. This smokey hot salsa is really good with grilled foods!

Labor Day Weekend Grillin'

Swordfish with Hatch Chile Salsa

Filet Mignon with Ajvar

Zucchini, Mushrooms, Onions

What are you grilling this weekend?

HaPpY LaBoR DaY!

LABOR DAY UPDATE 9.07.09

This morning we participated in

"Conquer the Bridge."

A 5 mile run/walk over

The Vincent Thomas Bridge here in San Pedro at

The Port of Los Angeles.

It was awesome!

Happy Labor Day!

Carrot Salad with Red Beans, Miso Dressing

2009-09-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

Shredded Carrots, Napa Cabbage, Red Beans,

Snap Peas, Scallions, Sunflower Seeds, Cilantro

Miso Dressing

These beans are Salvadorian Red Beans, quite similar to kidney beans, but smaller. I cook them in water over medium-low heat with a bay leaf, salt, and a smashed clove of garlic. These beans do not need to soak, so they can be ready in about an hour.

Perhaps you've participated in The Well-Seasoned Cook's My Legume Love Affair event? Now in its 14th edition! I am sending my Carrot Salad with Red Beans over to Susan along with hearty congratulations for her on-going super successful event. If you are looking for bean inspiration, My Legume Love Affair is the place to go! It was my pleasure to host the event last May, so many unique and tasty legume dishes were shared here.

Dressing:

2 t. Miso (I use Akamiso, red soybean paste)
1/2 c. Toasted Sesame Oil
2 T. Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
2 t. Soy Sauce (low-sodium)
2 t. Fresh Yuzu (or lemon) Juice
2 t. Minced Ginger

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste, and adjust ingredients to your liking as some miso is more salty than others, you might even want to add a little sugar. Toss with shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, red beans, snap peas, sliced scallions, sunflower seeds, and cilantro.

I brought this salad to my friend

Sal The Real Estate Gal's

Orange House Party

A nice but unfortunately-painted house went on the market. And although the house has many fine features, including a porch with an ocean view, it is, alas, bright orange. My friend Sally McDonald is a fabulous realtor (I bought and sold a house with her) and she is terrific at marketing and entertaining. Here, instead of ignoring the fact that the house was orange, she held an Orange Party, where everyone brought orange food and wore the color orange. She served mimosas and apricot beer. We had a blast, and I especially enjoyed meeting lots of new people from our neighborhood.

A sale is now pending on the orange house!

Could it be as a result of the Orange Party?

Thanks for the great time, Sal!

And hello to all my new San Pedro friends!

Broccolini

2009-08-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

Broccolini, Torn Ciabatta Croutons, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It is also known as asparation (a name derived from its mild asparagus flavor) and baby broccoli (although it is not an immature version of broccoli).

Cook trimmed broccolini in boiling salted water for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large pan and cook minced garlic and red pepper flakes for about one minute.

To make the croutons: Tear day old ciabatta into pieces, toss with olive oil and dried herbs of your choice. I used Herbes de Provence. Bake in a 250° oven until crisp. Break up larger pieces with a mallet.

With a slotted spoon, move the cooked broccolini to the sauté pan.

Toss broccolini with the garlic/red pepper flake/olive oil mixture, then add the torn ciabatta. Toss again and salt to taste.

This simple recipe received rave reviews.

Excellent side dish!