Apple Tartlet

When I’m planning a dinner party I always like dreaming up a desert. Unfortunately I don’t always have time to whip something up. I tend to like desserts that involve lots of complicated steps, so sometimes a quick and simple dessert is great to have in the repertoire. This one has a lovely combination of tart apples and buttery puff pastry. To finish it off I spooned a little caramel over each of the tarts. This apple tartlet was the perfect end to a great Sunday dinner.

5 Granny Smith apples diced
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons butter

1 package puff pastry
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375.
Sauté the apples with the cinnamon and sugar in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once they are tender set them aside to cool. Roll out the puff pastry and cut out 6” circles. Place the puff pastry in molds and fill each with two tablespoons of the apple filling. Brush the pastry edges with egg wash and bake till golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Rediscovering Gravlax

Gravlax is a uniquely Scandinavian take on Salmon. It’s tender, sweet and lightly spice cured. Gravlax can be hard to categorize. The fish is not smokey or salty enough to be called salt cured. Nor is the fish cooked, but it can’t be mistaken as raw.

Kenny and Zukes has incredible house cured Gravlax. A few weeks ago, Nick picked some up on our way up to the cabin. The next morning we had great bagels with the best gravlax I’ve ever had. Since then it’s been bagels every weekend.

Isreali Couscous with Butternut Squash

This week is all about fall. On Sunday I made roast duck with a pomegranate reduction, and when Peter and I were planning dinner we came up with this great side dish. Israeli couscous has quickly become one of my favorite ingredients to play with. You can treat it just like risotto, but it’s much easier to make. This one has the great combination of sweet roasted butternut squash and savory couscous.

1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
¼ c. toasted slivered almonds
½ onion, small dice
1 clove garlic
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon
2 T lemon juice
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper
3 T minced Italian parsley
½ cup shredded parmesan
1 butternut squash cubed

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the squash into 3/4" squares. Roast the squash on a sheet pan for 20-30 minutes untill soft.

Saute onions and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt and chili flake on medium heat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Turn heat up to high and add couscous and almonds. Continue to sauté until the couscous and almonds begin to brown. Add white wine to deglaze, then add stock and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and cover, turn heat down to low and simmer until almost all liquid is evaporated, 15 -18 minutes. Add half the parmesan, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons parsley and a tablespoon of EVOO and stir. Stir in roasted squash. Garnish with remaining parmesan and parsley.

Radicchio Caesar Salad

A couple of weeks ago I was at Nostrana for a luncheon and I had their Radicchio Caesar salad. I had forgotten what a wonderful salad it was. The creamy citrus dressing foils the bitter radicchio. In a world of ubiquitous Caesar salads this one will get your attention.


1 head Radicchio
1 Cup picked parsley leaves
2 green onions
croutons

Caesar Dressing
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
the zest and juice of one lemmon
½ cup olive oil

For the caesar dressing combine the garlic, anchovy, egg yolks, Dijon, vinegar, zest and juice of a lemon and grated parmesan cheese. With the blender running, slowly add the olive oil in a small steady stream. The dressing should come together into a creamy dressing. Taste the dressing and add salt and pepper as needed.

Wash the radicchio and toss it with the parsley, green onions, croutons and dressing. Garnish with grated parmesan.

Portobello Mushroom Lasanga

This week for the debate Peter and I made dueling Lasagnas. Peter made his family's sausage lasagna and I made Ina Garten's mushroom lasagna. I like this lasagna because it's rich and creamy and you don't miss the meat in anyway.


Portobello Mushroom Lasagna
From Ina Garten

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
4 cups whole milk
12 tablespoons (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly ground Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
For the white sauce, bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan. Set aside. Melt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring first with the wooden spoon and then with a whisk, for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick. Set aside off the heat.


Separate the mushroom stems from the caps and discard the stems. Slice the caps 1/4-inch thick. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) saute pan. When the butter melts, add half the mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and they release some of their juices. If they become too dry, add a little more oil. Toss occasionally to make sure the mushrooms cook evenly. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set all the mushrooms aside.


To assemble the lasagna, spread some of the sauce in the bottom of an 8 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top, then more sauce, then 1/3 of the mushrooms, and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Repeat 2 more times, layering noodles, sauce, mushrooms, and Parmesan. Top with a final layer of noodles and sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, or until the top is browned the sauce is bubbly and hot. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes and serve hot.

Kick'n it Jamie Oliver Style

Peter made these amazing baked onions served with tomato sauce and polenta. We saw these made earlier this summer on Jamie Olivers new show. The cheesy creamy onion filling was the best part.

BAKED ONIONS
Ingredients
4 good sized white onions, peeled
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
4 twigs of fresh rosemary, lower leaves picked & chopped
8 tbsp double cream couple of handfuls of grated Parmesansea salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon rashers

Method
1 Boil the onions in plenty of water for 15 minutes until slightly tender. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
2 Then, with a sharp knife, remove the top 2.5cm/1" of each onion, finely chop and place to one side. If need be, slightly trim the stalk end of the onions so that they will sit flat on a roasting tray.
3 Cut about a heaped tablespoon out from the inside of each onion, keeping the outside intact. Finely chop and add to the rest of the chopped onion.
4 Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Heat a frying pan and add a little olive oil, your garlic, the chopped onions and just a little chopped rosemary.
5 Fry for a couple of minutes until softened, then turn the heat down, add the cream and remove from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan and season.
6 Wrap a nice slice of pancetta around the middle of each onion and just spike it in place with a sharpened twig of rosemary.
7 Place the onions on to a roasting tray and spoon some of the chopped onion mixture inside each one. Bake in the preheated oven for around 25 minutes.

Golden Pineapple Tomatillos

This week I discovered some Pineapple Tomitillos at the farmers market. Somehow I have never seen them before. They are like small golden firm grapes with a sweet citrus flavor. They are great eaten all by themselves or they can be used anywhere you would like a sweet tart flavor. I ended up using these in place of mangos in a jicama salad. Unfortunately I found these on the last week that they were in season, but I’ve set a reminder in my calendar for next year. I’m looking forward to experimenting with them more next year.

Tabla Egg Ravioli

The first time I had this dish I fell in love immediately. It was three summers ago when I walked into Tabla Mediterranean Bistro for the first time. It was a busy night and they sat me at the kitchen bar looking directly into their open kitchen. I saw this ravioli being made and I knew I had to have it. The Tabla ravioli is filled with a ring of ricotta and chard and in the center is an egg yolk. When you cut into the ravioli the yolk spills out making a rich sauce for the pasta. It truly is magic. Since that first bite three years ago I’ve been back every couple of weeks and I always order the ravioli.

Last night for dinner we decided to make the ravioli. I remembered that I had seen a recipe for it in Sunset Magazine so I rooted around and found it. This is a recipe that is easy to adjust, you could put just about anything in it. I think that next time I make it I’m going to do the ricotta filling with basil and lemon zest instead of chard.

Ingredients
About 1 1/4 cups flour

2 whole eggs, plus 6 egg yolks and 1 egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups tightly packed stemmed chard leaves

1/4 cup whole-milk ricotta

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Preparation
1. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour, whole eggs, and cream to form dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set it next to the stove. Add 1 tbsp. salt and chard leaves to pot. Cook chard until water returns to a boil and leaves are tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chard leaves to ice water. (Keep pot of hot water on stove, but turn off heat.) Drain chard, squeeze out as much water as possible, and chop (you should have about 1/2 cup). Mix chard with ricotta, 1/4 cup parmesan, remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Cut a 5-in.-diameter round from a piece of paper and set aside. Unwrap pasta dough, divide into 6 pieces, and pat each piece into a 1/2-in.-thick rectangle. Working with 1 piece at a time, set a pasta roller on the widest setting and roll piece through, dusting dough with flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Fold piece into thirds (like a letter) and roll it through again. Repeat folding and rolling once more for a total of three rolls on the widest setting. Repeat with remaining 5 pieces of dough.

4. Set roller to next narrowest setting and roll each piece through once. Repeat with next narrowest setting. Cut each piece in half and roll through on each remaining setting twice, turning 90° between rolls and trimming as necessary to fit and to keep a basically square shape, until dough squares are thin enough to see through and measure at least 5 in. on all sides.

5. Using paper round as a template, cut 5-in. rounds from each dough square.

6. Assemble the ravioli: Lay 6 pasta rounds on a clean surface dusted with flour. On each round, use a small spoon to arrange 1/6 of the chard-ricotta mixture in a circle about 3/4 in. from the edges, creating a well in the center large enough to hold an egg yolk. Repeat with remaining 5 pasta rounds and chard mixture. Put an egg yolk in the center of each well. Brush edges of pasta with egg white and place a second pasta round on top of each ravioli. Working from the center of each ravioli, gently press the top pasta round onto the filling to make sure there are no air pockets in the ravioli. Press edges firmly together to seal.

7. Bring pot of water to a slow boil. With a 4- to 5-in. strainer or slotted spoon, lower ravioli one at a time into the water (cook in batches of 2 or 3). Cook ravioli 3 minutes. Using the strainer, transfer them to a serving plate, blotting excess water with a paper towel. Top each ravioli with 1 tsp. butter.

8. Sprinkle ravioli with poppy seeds and remaining parmesan. Serve immediately.

Huckleberry Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

It took Huckleberries to get my mojo back. We've been catering so much this summer that I had become completely burned out on cooking. Luckily we headed up to the cabin for Labor Day weekend and we cooked up a storm of inspiring food.

This was a great experiment turned home run. I picked up some cinnamon rolls and huckleberries at the farmers market. That night before I went to bed I cut up the Cinnamon rolls at placed them in the casserole dish. I sprinkled them with huckleberries and let the bread soak up a simple custard. In the morning I baked off the bread pudding. It came out rich and cinnamony and the tart huckleberries added a great tart bite.

5 cinnamon rolls
1 pint huckleberries
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter

The night before cut up the cinnamon rolls and place them in a buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with huckleberries. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and salt. Pour over the cinnamon rolls and let it soak overnight in the refrigerator.

preheat oven to 350. Arange the 5 tablespoons of butter on the top of the breadpudding and bake for 50 minutes.

Simple Fruit Tarts

It is crucial to have arsenal of quick desserts that you can pull together at a moments notice. That is why I always try to keep at least one package of puff pastry in the freezer at all times. You never know when you might need to bring an appetizer to a friend’s house or when you might need a late night snack. These simple tarts can be made with just about any fresh fruit that is in season.

Simply Elegant Cherry Tarts (The Oregonian)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon grated orange rind or ¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and halved
(or other fresh, soft fruit)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pastry to 12 to 14” square. Cut into 16 smaller squares. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and turn up edges, pinching at corners to form a shallow shell. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over all shells. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, flour and orange rind or almond extract. (May need to double the amount of flour mixture.

Bake 14-18 minutes. Cool and serve.
(Works well with peaches and raspberries.)d sugar to have enough.) Arrange cherries in single layer on each shell. Sprinkle with flour/sugar mixture.

Cool Creamy Panna Cotta

I love the simple elegance of Panna Cotta. It is one of my favorite things to make for a dinner party in the summer because it can be made in advance and you don’t have to turn the oven on. During the summer I like to use what ever fresh fruit is available to top the creamy Panna Cotta.

The picture above is from my cousins wedding reception and the picture was taken by Emily Brooks. Thanks Em.

Panna Cotta (Epicurious)

2 tablespoons water
1 ¼ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1 ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar

Pour 2 tablespoons water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until softened, about 15 minutes. Whisk 1 cup cream, yogurt, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Heat remaining 1 cup cream and ½ cup sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and cream comes to simmer. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Mix hot cream-gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Mix hot cream-gelatin mixture into yogurt mixture in bowl. Divide mixture among six ¾ cup ramekins, using about ½ cup for each. Refrigerate desserts uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Garnish with fresh berries.
(We used fresh raspberries with an added mint leaf – at the last minute…and fresh blueberries with a knotted piece of orange rind.)

A Lovely Dessert Buffet

As you know I come from a big family that loves to cook. My aunt can put together one of the most beautiful dessert buffets that you will ever see. The table above is from my cousins wedding earlier this summer. Over the next few weeks if permission is granted I’ll be featuring some of the great recipes from the buffet. Here is a list of some of the highlights of the table.

Tuxedo Brownie Cups, Panna Cotta, Mini Cupcakes
Mixed Berry Shortcake(Strawberries, Blueberries & Raspberries) with Whipped Cream in ice bowl, Heart Shortbread Cookies, Lemon Curd Tarts, Simply Elegant Fruit Tarts, Chocolate Caramel Praline Roll, Lemony Blueberry Cheese Tart and Assorted Cookies with Sugared Rose Petals

Cheese Plate
Fresh Fruit Plate
Tea Sandwiches (Radish & Cucumber)
Crostini (Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella)

I’m still trying to get my head wrapped around how she pulled it all off.

The photograph above was taken by my cousin Emily Brooks.

Just the Way I Like It

I’ve been working on perfecting peach cobbler for a couple of years. I have found that the dish tends to fall into two different categories. The first is a cobbler with a cakee biscuit topping and the other is a thinner crisp with nuts and spices. I tried both styles and I was never quite satisfied. In my mind I wanted a topping that was buttery and rich like a soft sandy short bread, but I also wanted cinnamon, crunchy nuts and maybe even a little oatmeal.

During my trails I found that the biscuit topping could be dry and dull. With the crisps I found that lots of times the topping melted away and was sucked into the cobbler. I couldn’t find a recipe that had everything that I wanted so I made my own and I made sure it had everything I wanted. The result was a double topped peach cobbler crisp. I topped the cobbler with both butter short bread and crunchy cinnamon crisp. In the end it doubled that fat content, but if that what it takes to make me happy than so be it.

Barbecue Lamb at Sudan Farms

This weekend was the Portland Culinary Alliance’s annual barbecue out at SuDan Farms. For those of you who are not familiar with SuDan Farms, they supply some of the best restaurants in Portland with fresh gorgeous lamb. I had a great time talking with Dan of SuDan Farms about breeding, feeding and butchering lambs. I watched carefully as he skillfully broke down an entire barbecued lamb. I even got to see where my favorite cut of meat “the Hanger Steak” came from on a lamb. I also got a chance to talk with Sue about raising ducks and virtues of raw milk.

I am really enjoying the Portland Culinary Alliance. Its members cover every aspect of the culinary world from nutritionist, to chefs, to food marketers. Every time I go to a meeting I end up meeting some very interesting folks.

Salt and Pepper Squid

I have a long list of foods that I am dying to make, but never quite get around too. Someday I will conquer duck confit, cassoulet, apple charlotte etc. Well Salt and Pepper Squid has been on that list for a couple of years, but this weekend I took it off the list and moved it over to the “look what I made” list.

Down the street from my house is a dingy little Vietnamese restaurant with fantastic food and their Salt and Pepper Squid is light and crisp with a spicy sweet and salty crust. The squid is cut into rings and then lightly coated in heavily seasoned cornstarch and then deep fried. I think the key to this dish is explosion of flavor between the salt, Szechwan pepper and the sweet tender meet.

The dish is very simple, but I have never worked with squid so I was a little scared. Last week I saw some beautiful squid at the market so I picked up a pound and went to work. Conveniently the squid had been cleaned so all I had to do is give them a good rinse and cut them in to rings. I asked the fish monger to include the tentacle because those are my favorite part, but if the tentacles freak you out then just toss them out.

Strawberry Lemonade / Lemon Drops

I had two extra pints of strawberries this weekend and I didn’t want them to go to waste so I decided that making some sweet strawberry lemonade would be a great way to use them up. First I simmered the strawberries in with sugar and water. Then I pureed the strawberries and strained the seeds out. Then I just added the lemon juice and water.

Peter discovered that when you add vodka and shake it over ice it makes a great lemon drop.

Burrata with Romesco

I came across a really special cheese this week. Burrata is a ball of fresh mozzarella filled with a soft creamy center. My cheese shop gets Burrata flown in from Italy once a month. This month I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of them. I wanted to make something simple that would show off the cheese so I make a romesco sauce and served it on crusty bread.

Basil Pesto with Fresh Mozerella

Peter and I catered a great dinner this weekend and it was great because it was all about fresh ripe ingredients. We wanted to showcase the beautiful flavors of summer and this salad was the best way to go. The salad is very simple, ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, olive oil and basil pesto. This pesto sauce can be used on just about anything. I’m looking forward to using some of it on pasta.

4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed well

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted until golden, cooled, and chopped fine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 1 1/2 ounces)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor purée basil with remaining ingredients until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the salad slice a ripe tomato and lay the slices out on a platter. Season the tomatoes generously with sea salt and pepper and drizzle with a fine finishing olive oil. Cover the tomato with a slice of fresh mozzarella and drizzle with pesto.

Mango Salsa

We all just got back from an incredible sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands. Since we had chartered a large sail boat we were lucky enough to be able to cook all of our own meals. Peter really took the lead on this and went shopping for the week before we got on the boat. The kitchen on the boat was laid out great and both of us were able to work together on putting together some great meals.

For me the best meal of the trip was when we made Coconut Curry Chicken with Mango Salsa. I love this salsa because it is sweet and hot at the same time. You can control the heat by adjusting how many chillies you use. This mango salsa can be used on just about anything so I thought I should share it with you.

Mango Salsa

4 mangos diced
1/2 pineapple diced
2 shallots finely diced
1 scotch bonnet finely diced with seeds removed
1 jalapeño finely diced with seeds removed
2 limes juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

Combine the mangos, pineapple, shallots and chillies. Pour olive oil and lime juice over the fruit. Stir to combine. At this point taste the salsa and add salt to taste. Stir in cilantro. Serves 8.

Checking Out

We'll be heading down to St. Thomas for ten days of sailing. We'll be coming back with lots of new cooking adventures. See you in a couple of weeks.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

It looks like summer has finally decided to show up. I made my first Strawberry Rhubarb Pie of the season. mmm.

Fromage Blanc Tartlets

I have a large dinner coming up at the end of the month and I wanted to start the dinner with a great little fromage blanc tart. I did a little test run this weekend and I was really pleased with the final product. Earlier in the week I stopped by my cheese shop Foster and Dobbs and talked with the owner about what cheese I should use. She was generous enough to talk me through and let me taste several cheeses. I settled on a plain fromage blanc. After I settled on a cheese it was time to put some thought to the pastry crust. For the last couple of years I haven’t been very happy with my pastry crust. It’s been hard to work with and temperamental. I found a recipe that I think solves all of my problems.

I combined the fromage blanc with some fresh tarragon, thyme, chive and chervil and then piped the cheese into the tart shells.

For crust
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons (about) ice water

Make crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. [Alternately, you can use a pastry cutter to make your dough, as I did.] Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)
Using a biscuit cutter cut out rounds and press them into a mini muffin pan. Bake until golden brown at 350.

Raspberry Opera Cake

This months Daring Bakers challenge was kind of fun. I've always wanted to make an opera cake, but it's one of those recipes that I just couldn't get around to making. This month we got to make a "light" opera cake. Normally an opera cake is made with chocolate and espresso butter cream, but this time I had to make the cake with light components. I'll admit that I didn't get very adventurous and I went with a flavor combination that I know works well together. The first layer is an almond cake. The cake was then moistened with a lemon syrup. The first two layers were filled with raspberry buttercream. The third layer was topped with white chocolate raspberry mousse.

In the end I was pleased with the challenge. It was a good day spent in the kitchen.

Tart Sweet Hot Delicious

This isn't so much a recipe, but rather a great discovery. Pineapple topped with Thai chillies and flake salt. This makes a great dessert on a hot night. The pineapple was sweet and juicy. The salt is a pleasant contrast and the chillies give the pineapple a complex heat. Give it a shot.

White Chocolate Toffe Oatmeal Cookies

This morning I was perusing my favorite food blogs and came across this great recipe. I had to drop everything and make these cookies. As it turns out they are fantastic. These oatmeal cookies are light and crunchy with a rich buttery flavor. When you bake these cookies the small chunks of caramel bubble up into a crunchy toffe. Makes 24 cookies. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

1 Cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter (1 ½ sticks)
1 Cup sugar
¼ Cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ Cup quick oats
4 oz white chocolate chopped into small chunks (NO white chocolate chips)
3 oz chewy caramels cut into small pieces


Preheat oven to 350.

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add the flour, oats, white chocolate and caramels.
Scoop the dough into round balls about 2 tablespoons in size. Place six on each cookie sheet. Press them down slightly until they are about ¾” thick. Bake for 12-16 minutes until golden brown. Cool cookies on a cookie rack.

queso fundido

Cynco de Mayo

The star of Cynco de Mayo was our new commercial gas grill. Each burner has 25,000 btu's. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I can tell you this baby can cook. The portable grill is hot fierce mess. We seared off twenty pounds of hanger steaks, chicken verde and spicy shrimp.
On a side note Cynco de Mayo marks our blogs one year anniversary. If you want to take a look at last years celebration go check out here.
Even the Jack and Rufus got in on the fun.

Lemon Chicken

A New Aproach to Tzatziki

I will admit right up front that I have absolutely no preconceived notions of Tzatziki. Peter called this afternoon and suggested that we take dinner to Greece tonight, and I was quick to jump on board. I’ve been thinking about cucumber salad lately and I wanted to take a stab at Tzatziki. So in my mind I wanted a tart creamy salad jam packed with herbs and crunchy cucumbers. I’m not sure if its proper to call this dish tzatziki, but the resulting salad was absolutely fantastic.

I’ve been watching Kyle Kwong’s show Simply Chinese and she does a lot of quick pickles with cucumbers and celery. I was thinking this was the perfect opportunity to try out this new technique. So basically what I did was dice the cucumber and then tossed them with salt and sugar and let them set for fifteen minutes. The salt pulls the water out of the cucumbers and the sugar helps balance the flavors. After fifteen minutes I drained off all of the excess liquid and then let them soak up the red wine vinegar. To finish the dish off I combined the pickled cucumber with Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon zest and fresh mint, tarragon and parsley.

Garlic and Horseradish Potato Gratin

I admit it: I totally stole this recipe from my former employer.  Actually, I only saw my old boss make this while I was walking in and out of the kitchen, but it was so good that I remembered its simple ingredients and preparation.

Make this with steak, it's a match made in heaven.  It's also amazing refried for breakfast. When we went sailing over Labor Day Weekend last year, we made so much that we had it with every meal for two days!

3 lbs. potatoes

10-15 cloves garlic, peeled

1 - 4 inch piece fresh horseradish root

parmaggiano reggiano or other melty, yummy cheese

1 pint heavy cream

salt and pepper

crushed red pepper

  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grate the horseradish.  Combine with garlic cloves and cream and heat in a small saucepan on low heat until simmering.  Remove from the heat and let steep 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/8" slices.  Arrange the potatoes in a gratin dish, sprinkle with generous amounts of kosher salt and ground pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and grate the cheese over the top.  Cook in the oven until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese is gold and bubbly. 

The Magic of Spring

Today was pure magic. After weeks, no months of rain and dark skies the sun burst through today with a vengeance. The market was off the hook. It was packed, people where smiling and I even talked with complete strangers. It’s amazing what happens in Portland when the sun shines. Peter and I are having some friends over this weekend for a spring vegetable Frito. We’re going to fry up baby artichoke hearts and fiddle head ferns. We’re also going to make morel mushroom pasta.

After working in the yard all day we were to tired to cook, so our spring meal will just have to wait for one more day.

The First Week of the Farmers Market

I woke up this morning at 6:30, and as soon as I opened my eyes I started thinking about what I was going to find at the market today. Naturally it was a cold and rainy morning, but that didn't stop the crowds. It was great to see so many happy faces and even some familiar ones.

Peter and I grabbed a couple of fun things. We got fiddle head ferns, radishes, nettle greens, green garlic and spring onions. I think we'll find something fun to make with those tonight.

Oven Baked Thai Ribs

This recipe made its first appearance at our Iron Chef competition a few years ago. The secret ingredient was chilies and Peter and I did dishes from around the world using chilies. I think my favorite were the oysters with a Vietnamese sauce. Spicy, salty, sour and sweet. It’s perfect for oysters. But anywho… back to the dish at hand. Oven baked ribs really couldn’t be easier. The ribs are baked for an hour and then basted in the oven for another hour. When you’re finished you’ve got dark spicy tender baby back ribs. I’m sure this recipe would work well for just about any rib, but I like it with baby back ribs.

3lbs pork ribs

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 cup Mirin wine
1 tablespoon curry paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped lemon grass
1 lime zested and juiced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
fish sauce to taste

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the ribs and ½ cup water into the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for one hour. While the ribs are baking prepare the basting sauce. In a medium saucepan heat the oil. When in it’s hot add the garlic and the ginger and cook it quickly. Add the mirin, curry paste, lemon grass and cook until the mixture is reduced by half. Remove from the heat and add the zest, juice, soy sauce and fish sauce.
After one hour remove the foil and brush the ribs with the sauce. Baste the ribs about every 10 minutes or so for about other hour. Remove from the oven and cool slightly then cut the ribs and serve them warm.

Coconut Cupcakes

Frisee and Radicchio Salad with Cider Vinaigrette and Aged Goat Cheese

The beauty of this salad lies in its contrasts. Crunchy radicchio and tender frisee are both bitter.  The cider vinaigrette is sweet and salty and complements the greens very well.  Finally, the aged goat cheese gives a creamy balance to the tart greens and dressing.

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 gallon filtered apple cider or juice

3 T apple cider vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 T dijon mustard

3/4 c. canola oil

pinch crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

Boil the cider until it has almost all evaporated, until there is about 1/2 cup syrup.  This will take about 1 hour.  In a blender or food processor, add 1/4 cup of the syrup, vinegar, shallot, garlic, mustard, and crushed red pepper.  Blend in oil in a thin stream until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2 small heads radicchio, about 1 pound, sliced thin

1/2 lb. frisee, rinsed

1 small package candied walnuts (or 1 c. roasted walnuts)

1 apple, sliced

1 pear, sliced

1/4 lb. aged goat cheese

Combine the radicchio, frisee, walnuts, apple, and pear in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Add enough vinaigrette to lightly coat.  Toss together, season with pepper, and shave the goat cheese over the top.

Smoked Salmon Benedict

Our cousin Sandy lives in Kent, WA and brought us some smoked salmon made by her husband, Kirk. We all agreed that it was the best smoked salmon we had ever had. My first thought was, benedicts! This dish is not for the faint of heart.


Start with a toasted, buttered english muffin. Pile on some smoked salmon. Next comes a poached organic egg. Finally, a generous dollop of hollandaise sauce, with more on the side. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne and tear some italian parsley leaves. Yum!

Hollandaise Sauce


4 egg yolks
juice of 1 lemon
3 T tarragon vinegar
12 peppercorns
1-1/2 cup (3 sticks) melted butter
sea salt
ground cayenne pepper


Place a large glass bowl over a pot of simmering water to make a double-boiler. Melt butter in a small saucepan and keep warm. Heat lemon juice in the microwave for 30 seconds. Using a small skillet, crush the peppercorns, put in the skillet with the vinegar and simmer on high heat until the vinegar has almost boiled off and thickens, to about a teaspoonful. Strain into the double boiler using a fine mesh sieve.


Place the egg yolks in the glass bowl and whisk until the yolks begin to thicken. Add the hot lemon juice and continue to whisk until the yolks begin to thicken again. Add the melted butter in a very thin stream and continue to whisk until all the butter is incorporated. The sauce should be thick enough so that it folds back onto itself from a spoon in ribbons. If it is too thick, whisk in some of the simmering water from the double boiler. Season with sea salt and a pinch of cayenne and serve immediately.

Vanilla Cheese Cake

There is a certain joy when you find a recipe that delivers a perfect product every time. You don’t have to worry about it. You know your guest are going to love it, so you can relax. I know that that there are thousands of cheese cake recipes out there, but this one is the quintessential vanilla cheese cake. With each bite your focus goes right to the creamy texture. The flavor is not over powered by vanilla or sugary sweetness. I definitely suggest serving it with a tart raspberry sauce.

One year I got a bee in my bonnet and decided to enter five different cakes in the county fair. They all got blue ribbons, but this one took Best in Show. This recipe comes from Rosalee Hodges of West Virginia.

Crust
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter softened

Filling
4-8oz pkg Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
6 eggs

Topping
2 cups sour cream (do not use reduced fat)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease the bottom of 10” spring form pan. Combine together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and softened butter. Press the crust into the pan. Bake for five minutes at 350. Let the crust cool on a rack while you mix together the filling. Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla and mix on medium speed for one minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each. Pour the filling over the crust. Wrap the bottom of the pan with two layers aluminum foil and set it in a roasting pan. The double layer of aluminum foil will protect against any water seeping into your pan. Pour ½ inch of hot water into the roasting pan to create a water bath to keep the cheese cake from cracking while baking. Bake for 40 minutes. Discard the water bath and cool the cake for 15 minutes. Make the topping by mixing together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and pour it carefully over the cake. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Chill 12 to 24 hours. Remove the sides of the spring form pan. Serve with fresh fruit. I highly recommend serving this with raspberry sauce.

Eight Little Lambs

This weeks Sunday Supper was a celebration of late winter. We were treated to one of those rare days in March when the sun shines warm and the fresh buds on each tree burst open. On Saturday we were feeling especially inspired so we started throwing ideas around to come up with an extra special Sunday supper.

Saturday’s sunny prelude to spring had us thinking about lamb. Immediately we settled in on lamb shanks. As per usual our guest list had grown to sixteen so this cut of meat was perfect. We hadn’t prepared lamb shanks before, but Peter gave them a traditional braise and they turned out beautiful. I was thrilled to see our uninhibited guest tear into the lamb with enthusiasm. I’ll have to admit a platter of sixteen lamb shanks is not for the faint of heart.

Along with the lamb we had Duchess Potatoes and a Radicchio Salad with a reduced apple cider vinaigrette. This is one of my favorite salads. To make the dressing we boiled down an entire gallon of cider. It gives the dressing deep flavors of caramel and apples.