STAFF MEAL

They Tried To Hide It But They FAILED!

2011-07-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Thank god for Dave Briggs because without him I would never have been in my first pie contest, let alone my third. I think that since I have won two blue ribbons so far they are trying to hide from me the fact that there is a contest tomorrow. I was under the impression that there were no more pie-off's here in Portland, but yesterday Dave emailed me a link to this year's pie-off. YOU CAN NOT HIDE FROM ME, PORTLAND PIE OFF!

OK, I calmed down.

I shall not be denied a third ribbon. I shall not. I will be a Laurelhurst park tomorrow with my most lethal pie yet. Imagine a baby pomeranian, wrapped in a cloud of cotton candy, encased in a magic wish, and dipped in chocolate. That will be my pie. So. I think we all know what I'm getting at.

Stay tuned.

Banana-oat-white and dark chocolate- pumpkin seed-pecan-cookies

2011-04-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been tough at our house. Things have been a little out of whack, and then yesterday Jacky had to have his snaggle tooth pulled. In short, we need cookies.

Since I haven't posted a recipe in a long time, I thought if I was gonna do it, why not make it a crazy, out of control, every-ingrediant-ever type recipe?

Here is how I came up with this one. I had some rapidly browning bananas laying around that needed to be used up. I also had dark and white chocolate from easter in my pantry, as well as pecans, pumpkin seeds and the usual baking paraphenalia. I always like to use what I already have laying around the house when baking. However, after tasting the results, I must recommend that you go out and buy whatever part of this recipe you might not have- these cookies are worth a trip to the store to pick up white chocolate!

I also want to mention that I tried baking with brown rice syrup for the first time ever in this recipe. Rice syrup is an alternative to sugar that is less sweet and makes you feel a little less bonkers after eating it. I only swapped it with the white sugar- I still used brown sugar too- and the cookies were wonderfully balanced. I think the oat flour helps knock down the sweetness a bit too. The dough is chewy but tastes like banana bread, and then you bite into a big, bitter chocolate chunk and a toasted pecan... wow. The white chocolate chunks are the real sweet spots. Anyway, I think its worth trying the syrup or cutting back the white sugar just to make the contrast within the cookie extra special.

I found a recipe from Auntie Martha (it feels like we are related, anyway) for banana chocolate chip cookies, and then changed it all around. Here's what I came up with:

Banana, Oat, White and Dark Chocolate, Pumpkin Seed, Pecan Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour (just grind up some oats in the food processor)
1 teaspoon coarse salt (plus more for sprinkling on top of these bad boys)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown rice syrup* (or 1/2 cup white granulated sugar)
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
4 ounces semisweet chocolate and 4 ounces good quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks (I used disks and didn't chop them up- delightful)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (about 2 ounces), toasted
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

Mix butter and sugars together in standing mixer until fluffy. At a lower speed, add vanilla and the egg. In a separate bowl, combine AP flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt. Gently combine flour mix with butter mix. Then, also gently add oats, nuts and seeds. I wanted giant, extravagant cookies, so I made my dough balls about the size of clementines. I kept the dough high and tight so that the cookies wouldn't spread out too flat in the baking process. Bake for 12 minutes, turning the pan in the oven half way through in order to evenly bake the cookies. Sprinkle with coarse, flakey salt when they are hot out of the oven.

I just ate two. God help me.

Easter: Not for Sissys

2011-04-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

This year, since I had to work on Easter Sunday, I asked my family if they would be willing to come over to our house and celebrate on Saturday instead. In the end this was a fantastic turn of events because Saturday was sunny, warm (hot at times!) and beautiful from morning until night. Sunday was a cold and rainy day! We win! Everyone who came brought the most amazing dishes: spring salads (even a rabbit cobb salad prepared with one of Nic's own rabbits), scalloped potatoes with anchovies, asparagus bread pudding, brown bread and tomato gratin (Brown Tom), yogurt cornmeal cake with rhubarb, nutella cups, lemon bars and banana whoopie pies!
Kevin and I prepared all day on Friday (which was also our 4 year anniversary! Yowzas!). I braised a 3 pound lamb shoulder in my tagine for 6 hours with onions, prunes, garlic and meat stock. It was the most tender, succulent meat I have ever tasted. 6 hours in a tagine will do that I guess. We roasted an 18 pound ham with a maple syrup, bourbon, mustard glaze that I don't think we will ever be able to finish. I sauteed tiny new carrots with a similar glaze, adding curry for flair. For a healthy option I made a bulgar salad with spring peas, plum tomatoes, shallots, and a shiitake mushroom vinaigrette. On Saturday I took the lamb I had braised off and layered it between to two layers of scalloped potato slices, creating a lamb pie called Champvallon. I also tried Smitten Kitchen's recipe for her "Lighter than Air Chocolate Cake" which is a flourless bittersweet take that requires a dozen eggs all separated and whipped forever. Instead of making a plain whipped cream frosting, I followed her directions for a white chocolate mint whipped cream instead. Deeeelightful. It really had a light texture with a deeply dark and barely sweet flavor. The mint was an excellent addition.
Lynne made Smitten's lemon bars- we love Deb so. They are sooo good. I highly recommend trying that recipe if you are in the mood for a lemon bar that is dynamic and lemony, not so sweet it burns the back of your throat.

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Thanks for all the sweet messages about Hiro. Ouch we miss him so much!

He Was a Good Boy

2011-04-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

He was terrified of docks and bridges!

Here are Owen, Mr. Man and Hiro all doing a lawn project together last spring. We miss you all!

Exactly one year ago.

The old dog club (Lynne and I not included in said club)

   His Favorite.

How those chickens taunted him!

This last week, we had to put Hiro down. He was very old. His hips could no longer support him. Getting out of bed was impossible with out assistance, and he was incontinent. When he could no longer stand on his own with out slipping, we realized that we couldn't let him suffer any more.
His last day was beautiful. We spread out a blanket in the back yard and soaked up some sunshine together. He ate unlimited snacks and got hours of ear and back scratching from his favorite person in the world- Kevin. We were so glad to be able to spend a whole day hanging out with him in the sunshine. Our wonderful vet came over in the early evening and sat down with us in the grass. Hiro passed gently without any pain. He was more relaxed in his last hours than he had been in months.
After we buried him, it started to rain right away! We couldn't believe how lucky we were. It was a beautiful thing.
It has been a tough change for us. Hiro was always with us. He was such a big dog! The house feels empty, even with Jacky still bopping around. Jacky has had a hard go of it too. He has moments of normal Jacky behavior, but is spending a lot of extra time laying low.
We have been talking a lot about our favorite memories we had with Hiro. Hiking Dog Mountain, going camping, when Hiro first kissed me in the car when I was leaving for France... Hiro pulling Kevin on his skateboard to the coffee shop every morning when they lived in SE Portland.... What a dog.

This year a lot of our friends and family have lost dogs too. Mister Man, Owen, Harry- so many special friends! They were all given really amazing lives- and gave us as much in return. They will be missed. Thank you for all the love.

You think you're fancy?

2011-04-10T16:47:00.001-07:00

These boo's are the fanciest our acre has to offer.

Jam at last

2011-03-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

You may remember last summer when Grace, Ryan, Lauren and I went extreme blueberry picking and ended up with 60 pounds of fruit with which to contend. We bought a deep freeze specifically for these beauties. I have eaten a lot of blueberry smoothies since then but still haven't made a dent in our inventory. Today I decided to do something about it: jam. I used up half of the remaining stash and got about 20 jars of jam. That's a lot of preserves. There was even a big spoonful left over that wouldn't fit in the jars, so I ate it warm with heavy cream. I can't believe there are still 3 giant bags in the freezer! Pie anyone?

Ducklings!

2011-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks for your imput Kylie! We decided, with out doing any research, to adopt two chocolate indian runners named Chaka Kahn and Stevie Nicks!!!!! Welcome to fancy acre girls!!!!!!
So far they have played in their water bowl and made more noise than I ever thought possible. Like, so much noise. I am trying to tell myself that nature sounds are peaceful. Crank the volume on this video and you can hear them eating lettuce leaves and being generally noisy in the bath tub. They practically sound quiet here compared to their real life volume levels! They will live in our kitchen in a wash tub until they are old enough to join the chickens in the yard. Since we already have enough poop in our lives, we have decided to build a small fenced in area around the coop for all the feathered monsters to play in. Hopefully this will help to keep them off the porch and out of the vegetable patch.

I can't get enough of watching them play in their little home right now. They squirt water with their beaks! They also love kale, just like me. It's love already. Now if we can just get them to imprint on Jacky....

Ducks or no ducks?

2011-03-25T08:28:00.001-07:00

Let's put this question to the public- should we get ducklings??? We both feel like the answer is YES. Jacky feels like the answer is NO. Anyone have any experience raising ducks? Is it worth it? Pros and cons?

She shall live to see another day

2011-03-23T18:05:00.001-07:00

Patsy cline has been the only chicken not laying. She has instead been acting like a giant bitch and pooping all over the porch. But, today she left us a gift in the quail (rip) condo. She's so LIKE that, you know??

Seriously Back in the Saddle

2011-03-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from our trip to SF. Dreamy...

The Dawning of Aquarius!

2011-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I just got home from an eating marathon in San Francisco. While I was there I visited the Edible School yard with Kevin, my mom and my brother. My auntie Esther works there. It was an inspiring visit to say the least. The kids were making quinoa salad with oranges. The gardens were blossoming and sprouting, the chickens laying and the ducks swimming. The sun was shining and we were together as a family. Really- we all wanted to move to Berkley immediately. I'm guessing this is not uncommon. After our visit to the school we went and had lunch at Chez Panisse. We ate fava beans, sole, beets, even a steelhead roe pizza. We ate dates and honey mousse! We drank wine from alsace! It was a dream.
What surprised me about my visit was that each friend I visited asked me why I stopped writing my blog. I didn't know so many friends cared about it, and I didn't know I missed it until I opened it up on my computer and looked through the archives. The pies! The breads! The animals! I'm back! Get ready for photos!

Holladays, Approaching

2010-11-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

Right now in Portland, Oregon, it is snowing. The ground is not frozen yet, instead it is wet and muddy. The chickens are confused, the dogs are restless, and I am coming down with a cold. In short, the holidays are here! Despite my list of seemingly complain-y things, I couldn't be much more excited this year. I am thrilled that it is snowing! I heard Christmas music on the radio today and I turned it up!

Part of the reason I am so excited is that my brother and his girl are coming to visit for thanksgiving. The other part is all the cooking and being together that I know is about to take place. I love the idea of christmasy cheer and decorations but really it's thanksgiving that holds my heart. No pressure, just eating. No wrapping paper, just pie crust. I need to dig out my eatin' pants.

This year I am making:

-Roasted cauliflower salad with beets, pomegranates and a broken olive vinaigrette

-Mashed celery root with lemon

-Sparkling sherry punch

-Ants on a log

and Kevin is making:

-Turkey stuffed with chanterelle and sweet potato biscuit dressing (I'm hoping he will include chestnuts)

-Boozy pumpkin pies

I know these dishes are in the works from other family members:

-Cranberry bread

-Creamed oninos

-Grilled turkey

-Apple pie

-Butter beans done up southern

I'm on tenterhooks wondering what else we will have.

What are you having?

Definitely Not Still In Spain

2010-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry gentle readers. I have just not felt like blerging since I got home. It has been great getting back into the swing of things- hanging out with Kevin and our doggies, visiting with my friends, cooking, working, working and working. I came home to business cards, so my list of responsibilities has grown quite a bit. It is great, but lots of changes have my head spinning.

A quick news update (but mostly just a list of things I need advice on):

-The quail were brutally murdered by a rat. We are looking for rat killing options that do not put the chickens or dogs at risk of poisoning or injury. Ideas? Also, how sad is that???

-I just bought that beautiful savoy cabbage! Now what?

-I will write about Spain someday, but not yet.

I am not sure how this blogging thing will go. I think I will try to write more, but I'm not sure. I thought a lot about it while I was away and couldn't quite decide if it makes sense to me anymore or not. A small voice says, "write!" Then another small voice says "why?". But for now, I'm going to try to at least put up some photos of the glory that is November in Portland (rainy, cold, grey).

Still Spain!!!

2010-10-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! Is anyone out there? I'm on Mallorca- an island covered with olive trees, full of secret beaches and spreadable salami. Today we drove to the west coast and explored some tiny coves and cities. We also drove down one of the most frightening and beautiful cliff roads I have ever seen!
I am returning to the states this week and will share some photos of the food I have been cooking, eating and admiring. I can't believe my trip is almost over, but I am ready to go home. I miss Oregon!

Can you believe this beach? We swam here all day long, even into that cave you can see in the middle of the frame!

spain!

2010-09-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

As you can tell I am not blogging much these days. I have made it to spain and am in the midst of my journey. I will be back in October with a full report. Please, eat some fall fruit for me. I am stuffed with blackberries from the trail and chroizo from the markets!

The Garden is Giving

2010-08-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

I did not expect to see one of Patsy Cline's eggs before I left for spain, so you can imagine my delight when I went out this morning and she was still in the roost. I thought, perhaps she is laying a blue egg! I opened the door to the roost and she hopped up from a spot in the corner. She laid her egg right on top of Wynonna's egg, except that hers was GREEN! I am so excited that I am going to bring the green egg down to Pine State and see if Kevin can't fix me up a little green eggs and ham.

All those potatoes and shallots and beans and carrots and tomatoes and eggs are from yesterdays harvest. I made hashbrowns with everything you see there. The carrots are earthy and bitter raw, but cooking them brought out the sweetness I was hoping for.

Also pictured is a fried quail egg. I find it hard to eat the quail eggs because they are so cute and precious, but I accidentally cracked this one with excitement so I had to eat it! It was absurdly tasty.

Thunder Eggs

2010-08-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Not only were there two chicken eggs in the coop today (Loretta's first, Wynonna's third!) but there was also a TINY QUAIL EGG!!!!!!!!! It was there, on the railing where the quail are always hanging out. I don't know why she didn't go into her tiny quail condo to lay, but I guess that's how teen moms do it these days. I am going to eat it because I accidentally cracked it- such a fragile egg it was!

My heart explodes.

If you were wondering where I went

2010-08-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

As you can see, we picked 60 pounds of blueberries. Today, Wynonna laid her first egg. That is all.

Tommy is Trouble

2010-07-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Tommy is making quite the ruckus around here. Yesterday one neighbor told me he has been cockadoodledooing for over a month, which I am sure is a lie. But still. Last night we went to a party at another neighbors house, and I felt we had to fess up. I announced upon our arrival that we were the people with the illegal tranny rooster and if anyone had anything to say about it they should talk to Kevin cause I was going to hit the cupcake table pretty hard for a while. Which I indeed did. With frosting all over my face and a sloshing beer in hand, I also managed to start a conversation with one of the other guests about the time our naturopath told Kevin about his previous patient's vagina boil. You're welcome neighbors! Please invite me to your next gathering and I will tell more stories that include the words "vagina" and "boil". Poor Kevin, having to go to parties with me. It must be just terrifying.

Tommy has crowed 15 times already today and it is only 10:21 am. He has to go. Tonight Nic is taking him to a farm where he will be the stud cock to over 100 lady chickens. I wish him luck and honor. My heart is broken.

Tammy is Tommy

2010-07-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

I awoke to quite a ruckus yesterday and assumed it was my neighbors horrible flock- but alas, it was not. The sound was coming from my own coop, from Tammy. Tammy is a rooster. Tammy is a tranny; now Tommy. And she's not for sale, despite what my horrible friends Nic and Topher were thinking when they put this ad on Craigslist.

This explains so much about Tommy.

I can't stand all this beauty!

2010-07-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

This blog is beautiful.

This blog is also beautiful.

This blog breaks my heart and then buys me plane tickets to Italy.

This blog told me I need a Thermomix and then got me re-excited for Spain.

This blog seems to have a good thing going on.

This blog is where the dogs live.

Chickens in the Kitchen

2010-07-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

They are so entitled.

Pine State #3 Opens on Alberta TODAY FOLKS!

2010-07-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here it is!

One hard working employee models his gloves.

Have you ever seen such love so early in the morning?

These hotties had to be removed from the premises.

The proud owner, being embarrassed by his girlfriend.

Surprise! It's open. In case the farmers market or Belmont were too far away, you can now go to Alberta street for biscuits and gravy! Stop in and tell Kevin and Walt that you love them. Trust me- you might get some extra bacon on your sandwich for it. I know I did.

The space is much bigger than Pine State #1, and capital F Fancy inside. Subway tile, exposed beams and lots of beautiful old lumber makes the space both masculine and beautiful. The menu is the same as the other locations, but soon there will be beer and hopefully cocktails, and a very exciting late night menu. I can't wait for the liquor licence to arrive so I can have a beer on the rocks with lemonade alongside my bucket of fried chicken. Just what I need.

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around

2010-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I love this song. That is all.

Practice Hike

2010-07-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Last week we went hiking with our friends in the woods. I was breaking my boots in a little bit and they were getting their brand new infant out for some fresh air. If a baby can do it I know it doesn't count as "training" for my trip, but I feel pretty good about it. Fit. Ready. I went for a walk! What more do I need?

Ah, the Pacific Northwest. It's finally hot out and my bff Sam and I are going to the RIVER TODAY!!!!!! It's also part of my training.

Just Walking, But Really Really Far.

2010-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

At the end of August, I am walking across Spain. I heard about the Camino De Santiago last fall and couldn't get it out of my head. After enough signs from the Universe throughout the winter, I bought my tickets this spring and told my workplace that I need 2 months off. Since I bought the tickets I have kind of lapsed into a state of disbelief- me, walking 500 miles alone? Without Kevin or Jacky or Hiro or the chickens or the quail? I don't know, I might bring a quail along. But seriously, I got sore mowing the lawn a few weeks ago. I don't know what I'm thinking but I am very excited. VERY EXCITED.
I will fly home in August to get a kiss from my mom before flying to Dublin (where I get to spend 10 hours- anyone have any good ideas?) and then to Biarritz, France. There I will do some topless sunbathing (not) before hopping on a train to the small boarder town St. Jean Pied A Port. This is when the fun stops and I start walking over the Pyrenees with a bunch of nuns. Just kidding, this is when I start complaining about blisters and hire someone to carry my backpack for me. No but seriously this is where I get a flight to Italy and send fake postcards home so no one knows I wimped out but then when I come home really fat they will catch on.
OK, really, if everything goes according to plan I will walk about 28 kilometers a day (I have no idea how far that is but doesn't it sound really, really far??) and sleep in bunk houses with all the other nut jobs who are doing the same thing. It should take 5 weeks or so, depending on how many times I take cake-days. My friend who has done this walk told me that some times you just need a day to sit down and eat cake and cry it out. I have penciled in a few of these days for before my trip also.
Yesterday I bought my pack and some really stupid athletic clothing. I hate shorts and I hate sports but need stuff that dries quickly and can be worn every single day, so I had a few challenges to contend with already. I might as well just admit it- I bought a skort. I will be wearing this skort every day for almost 2 months and I feel pretty good about it. I also bought sport underpants and sport shirts. I'm wearing one right now, for practice. It's good for blogging so I figure it will be good for hiking too.
And, when it's all over, my darling Kevin is going to join me in Barcelona! We are going to stay there for two nights and then we fly over to Majorca ( Mallorca if you're nasty). We will be staying there for 6 days and hopefully it will still be warm enough for a few dips in the Mediterranean. I plan on eating a diet exclusively consisting of octopus and chorizo. This part sounds like a dream vacation so I really really need to make it through my walk. When I am laying on the dusty road, moaning and drooling on my sport outfit, I just need to picture olive oil poached octopus with pimenton, and Kevin wearing a Spanish flag. Then I will get up and keep walking. I'm not saying I will stop moaning, but hopefully those images will give me the strength to keep walking. And maybe a few emails from Jacky would help too.

Now that I wrote about my trip once, I will probably write about it a lot. I broke the seal. Maybe I will take some skort photos later.

Margarita Party (we wish we were back in Mexico.)

2010-07-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

We drank that whole giant world market-y jug of margaritas like it was our JOB! Then we ate one million tacos also like it was the other part of our job. I guess summer is kind of here.

Summer Memories

2010-06-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

I just found this photo in my blerg archives from last year. It's Jacky on the squash phone! Who is it Jacky?? Breaks my heart, those little paws.

I was looking in the archives to see just how ripe the cherries were at this point last year, and there on June 16th is a photo of a huge bowl of rosy cherries. So. Not to sound bitter or anything.

Cherries

2010-06-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

I was planning on being full of despair if it was another hideous, cold day today, but it's not, so instead I'm just really tired. The sun really takes it out of you, when you know it's just right there outside your window!!!

Seriously though, this spring has sucked it big time as far as the weather goes. I'd say we held up pretty well as a people, we Portlanders, but sadly the cherries did not. I have some in my tree, but at least 30% less than last year and they are all green and tiny if not rotten and shriveled. Those cherries up there in the photo are from California, where the sun still shines and plants don't just die on you like traitors. Just kidding cherry tree! I know it's not your fault. But I am a little pissed at the sun for being so distant and flakey.

Meanwhile, the raspberry bushes are out in full force. We have this routine where every day I go out and eat all of the ripe ones off the bush, and then the next day there is a whole new batch ready for me. It's perfect. I get to eat just enough to not get a stomach ache, and then the slightly unripe ones can get enough love from the plant to ripen for the next day. The few that escape my discovery and become overripe go to the chickens who are bat shit crazy for them. They, unlike the bluebirds, aren't smart enough to pick them on their own- YET. But luckily for them I like to watch them scramble around with raspberries on their beaks and I feed them by hand. The little darlings.

One last thing: how good does this recipe look? I love her. I'm going to make that soon-ish.

Grains

2010-06-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

I just bought the beautiful cook book Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce and I am in love with it. First I just admired the photography, and then I began reading each of the recipes and falling for not just the recipes but the language too. The way she describes each recipe brings personal warmth and respect to food and the art of cooking. I am a bit of a voyeur, and something about reading about another persons' kitchen always sets me right off the deep end.

I am obsessively learning about wine these days because I am suddenly in charge of the list at the restaurant I work at- a big undertaking. I have so much to learn! One of my favorite parts of the process is learning how to describe what I am tasting. This requires me to slow down and actually think while drinking- a challenge. I am not usually a slow-down kind of girl. But in learning to taste wine, I am learning to taste everything. It's obvious, but each ingredient in a dish is there for a reason. Being a speed-eater, I am guilty of not even tasting half of what I eat. This is sad and must stop. In Good to the Grain, Kim Boyce describes the flavors of each grain and what they can do for a dish. She uses words like "nutty", "milky" and "grassy". I love these words. I want to taste them. Maybe if I slow down, I will.

On Sunday, I decided to try one of her recipes. I used a different fruit filling than she did, but I am mostly interested in how she's using all these nutty grains anyhow. I made corn flour galettes filled with blueberries and raspberries from the yard. The corn flour added a wonderfully gritty (in a good way) texture and a sweet, earthy flavor. I was so happy with the result. Had it been my usual a.p. flour crust, I might have skipped thinking about what it actually tasted like until I got to the fruit, but with the corn crust I stopped to consider what I was tasting. Today I made waffles and threw in some spelt flour, just to see what would happen. They were golden brown in color, still crisp and light, but also had a malty, honey flavor. Grains! They don't have to make food heavy and taste like cardboard.
I'm hooked. Next I will be trying her quinoa porridge, perfect for freezing Portland summer mornings.

Apricot Braid

2010-06-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

What do you do for someone who just had a baby? You bring them food, and plenty of it. My friend Holly just gave birth to her daughter Alice Mae (is there a cuter name? No.), and I wanted to bring her something comforting for breakfast when I went over to meet the little monkey. I had just been reading about this recipe over on Smitten Kitchen, and so I decided to give it a whirl. It calls for a lovely sweet yeasted dough, a cream cheese spread and lemon curd. Well, I have a weird problem that makes no sense- I don't like lemon curd. I think it tastes metallic and sometimes sweet lemon breads remind me of lobster. I never claimed to be fully, you know, with it.

So anyway I thought I would swap out the lemon curd for homemade apricot jam, and then things would be right in the world (besides the whole oil spill thing, etc.). I was right! Apricot was just right in this pastry. It was still as tart as I imagine the lemon would be, but also warm and golden flavored. The cream cheese was essential, and next time I might even add a little bit more. I served this with dark cherries and pineapple soaked with booze, cause thats what new moms need.

Apricot Braid

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Really the only thing I did differently was swapping lemon for apricot.)

Sponge
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1/4 cup (1 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour

Dough
Sponge (above)
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, 1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 teaspoon water for brushing bread
1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Large, sparkling white sugar for sprinkling

Apricot cream cheese filling
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons (5/8 ounces) sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sour cream
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) homemade apricot jam

First make the sponge. In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well to combine, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to proof for 10 to 15 minutes.

Then make the dough! Combine the sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead on until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5 to 6 minutes. ??Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until quite puffy and nearly doubled.

For the cream cheese filling, combine all the filling ingredients (except the apricot jam) in a small bowl, mixing until smooth and lump-free. Reserve the filling and apricot jam until ready to fill the braids.

To make the bread, gently deflate the dough and roll it out on a very well floured counter to a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a large piece of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, lightly press two lines down the dough lengthwise, dividing it into three equal columns. Spread the cream cheese filling down the center section, leaving the top and bottom two inches free of filling. Spread the apricot jam over the cream cheese filling.
To form the mock braid, cut crosswise strips one inch apart down the length of the outer columns of you dough (the parts without filling). Make sure you have an equal amount of 1-inch strips down the right and left sides. Remove the four corner segments. To “braid”, begin by folding top flap down and bottom flap up over the filling. Lift the top dough strip and gently bring it diagonally across the filling. Repeat on the right side, and continue down the entire braid, alternating strips until you are out. You can tuck the last couple that hand off decoratively under the end of the braid.
Carefully transfer the dough and the parchment paper to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and set it aside to rise for 45 to 50 minutes, until quite puffy.

To bake, preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the loaves with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Roughage

2010-06-08T09:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I sauteed asparagus, snap peas, pea tendrils, onions, garlic and gai lan, put it over pasta, stirred in some raw eggs and grated parmesan, and called it lunch. I served it to the big workin' men who are turing our garage into a sunken make-out party living room! I can't say I'm into heavy lifting, but I am into heavy lunches.

Also, check out this painting Kevin found in the rafters above the new room. I am hoping that when my brother comes to visit us he will paint Jacky in and maybe light the forest on fire. It's a real find.

That Bread Everyone's Always Talking About/Already Blogged About

2010-06-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Everyone and their blind grandma already made this bread. Well, so did I and it's just so attractive that I couldn't help but put it up on the old Staff Meal blerg. Look at that loose crumb! And that distinctively french looking crust! You're probably saying to yourself or to the dog sitting on your lap, "That loaf is so picturesque- it must be her tenth or eleventh attempt!" You can go ahead tell your dog that it's my first try and I'm not usually a natural at things so this has to be a really easy recipe. Being the lazy, no, efficient, broad that I am, I won't bother copying down the recipe for you. After all, Smitten Kitchen already did it, the New York Times is hot for it, Wednesday Chef was all over it, and heck, even Martha wanted a piece of the action. Of course, the original comes from Jim Lahey (not from the Trailer Park Boys, sadly) over at Sullivan Street Bakery. Which I have never been to, but if anyone wants to fly me there for a tour I would probably go.

All you need for this recipe is some flour, yeast, salt, water and a dutch oven. Go fourth and bake bread! Oh yeah and plan ahead because the dough has to ferment for 17 long hours.

Maine is Where the Lobster is

2010-05-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a special visit home to my family. My mom threw me a pre-graduation graduation party, and I got to visit with my friends and family and eat lots of cheese all at once. I also: had the best waffles of my life (made by my grandma Mamie who uses Marion Cunningham's raised waffle recipe and oh my god is it good.), a lobster roll with chips on it (a mere two hours after the waffles), mussels on a dock with my mom, and an ice cream cone from Brown's with my brother. It was the best visit ever. It didn't hurt that it was hot and sunny the whole time- I even managed to get a terrible sunburn whilst relaxing at the beach!

I will always be a Maine girl at heart, but I sure am glad to be back at the fancy acre with my boys and girls. Although Jacky did eat a bunch of trash last night and the chickens destroyed the collard green patch. I can't help but love them anyway.

Summer Approaches

2010-05-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

It has been spectacularly summery here for the past few days. The sun is out, the plants are growing, there is basil and zucchini at the farmers market. Rhubarb is still hanging in there- I hope we get a few more weeks.

There is also meat at the farmers market! We were so excited to see Olympic Provisions at the Hollywood market right near our house. We didn't get any salami this weekend, but you bet that time I go I will get some.

These radishes are just asking for some butter and salt. I didn't buy any of these either, instead buying yet another bunch of sweet carrots and a box of snap peas. I can't help myself.

We saw these bird houses on our walk home. How adorable. I want that.

What Chickens?

2010-05-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

Just one of the gang 's all. See what else is going on at the farm over at Fancy Acre! Hint- a LOT.

carrots in love

2010-05-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

I entered the walk-in at work last week only to be greeted by these snuggling babies. I squealed so loudly that the cooks heard me through the industrial door and knew immediately what I had discovered. I continued cooing over them long enough that they let me take them home with me, where I have loved them ever since. I can't eat them, I can't throw them away- they are holding me hostage with love.

Tree House Livin

2010-05-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Kevin and I went on a one night trip to Tree House Point for our anniversary. The treehouse was cozy and warm with lots of windows that let in the sound of the river below and green light from all the moss hanging from the trees! There were little trails and paths through the forest leading to clearings edged with tiny lights, and the river was clear and cold and I wanted to go swimming (but didn't). The owners built a giant hammock in the tops of some trees near the river, and we did some serious horsing around and also relaxing up there. We drank lots of beer and champagne right out of the bottle, and went to a really crappy restaurant in town for burgers when we realized we could not survive off of stinky cheese and bread alone.

The next morning we drove into Seattle. Since we approached the city from a different direction than usual we got to see parts of the city that we had never explored before. But then we just skipped past those parts and cruised over to Ballard where we ate pastries and visited the (second) largest water locks in the world! Or US- or something! We even visited the underwater salmon ladder, but saw only one tiny fish that could have been anything. NOT COOL.

I am homesick for the treehouse. One night was not enough. We will be back. Oh yes, we will be back.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2010-05-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

How cute is my mom? Cuter than yours, that's for sure. Sticking her hand in a box of chicks. I love you mom!

I have been spending a lot of time with a pregnant lady recently, and although she is the happiest, most calm pregnant woman I have ever met, I have realized that being a mom is challenging from day one.

Happy mothers day Holly! You are going to be a great mom.

OK my darlings, I am heading off into the wilderness. Here, to be specific:

Food and flowers when I get back.

The Cutest

2010-05-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

I wish all packaging looked exactly like this. Thanks Nic-y

Spring Mushrooms!

2010-05-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Admittedly I had nothing to do with these mushrooms. I didn't forage them, I didn't eat them (sad face) but I did photograph them! Late on Sunday night when we were finishing our rabbit feast, Scott and Brandon got home and dumped all these beautiful morels on the table. Brandon helped us when we went chanterelle hunting, so I'm pretty sure he is some kind of mushroom whisperer. I'm going to buy some soon at the farmers market and make bread pudding.

Rabbit Sacrifice

2010-05-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Nic and Dan killed two of their rabbits and we ate one of them for dinner. Nic's arms were covered in scratches from battle, but he felt good about it. He said it was peaceful and respectful, they thanked the rabbits and killed them quickly. I wont tell you the other things he said about it because I don't want the world to see Nic's cold blooded nature, but I will say that he is a natural born killer.

We grilled the rabbit with spring onions, asparagus and carrots. We had a proper strawberry poppy seed salad and Hassleback potatoes, which I made a few years ago while camping and have never forgotten their charm. We drank Jura Chardonnay, my fave, and generally raised hell. So glad to be back in the produce months where things are full of color and flavor!

I made it again.

2010-05-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb Meringue Tart. It's so good I made it again, and I think it was better this time. I cooked the rhubarb in dry vermouth instead of orange juice, and I used Nic's oven which browns things like its it's job. A triumph.

Taking the Day Off

2010-04-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Not me- Jacky Scrapple.

Where I Cook

2010-04-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is almost done. Kevin is still working on the built-in, but the shelves with red brackets are finished! I need to find a before-shot. It used to look like home depot. The paint color is called 'deep caviar' and it's not purple like it looks in the close up- it's dark brownish black. The light is new, the counter top and lower cabinets, and so is the Smeg-like fridge. It's actually a Hotpoint from the 50's- enamel bins and glass tops inside. We are starting to feel like we live here!

Yowzas

2010-04-23T13:26:00.001-07:00

Its a ginger Jacky!

Image from Dlisted

Rhubarb is Happening

2010-04-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

When Kevin and I were invited over to our friends house last week, I was glad to have a reason to try out a recipe that has been stuck in my mind since rhubarb season ended last year.

Not that I really need a reason to bake. This recipe is from Orangette, and it its a rhubarb meringue tart.

First you cook the rhubarb without any sugar. It's pink and beautiful. Then you make a creamy egg yolk custard, and finally you make a soft white meringue.

It was tart, sweet, and buttery.

We ate it slightly warm after dinner, and then room temperature for breakfast. I can't wait to make it again.

Rhubarb Meringue Tart
from Orangette
½ recipe Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée
2 lbs rhubarb, trimmed and chopped into roughly ½-inch chunks
Juice of an orange
2 eggs, separated
2/3 cup plus ½ cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out dough and line a 9 inch removable bottom tart pan with it. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (I use dried beans). Pre-bake for 20 minutes, then remove lining and weights and let shell cool. Meanwhile, cook the rhubarb with the orange juice just until the rhubarb starts to soften and fall apart. The desire to add sugar will be strong, but trust me. It's going to work out. Remove from heat. Separate egg whites and yolks into two bowls and whisk yolks with a fork. In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, flour and melted butter together, then add the yolks. Put a sieve over this bowl and pour rhubarb into the sieve, letting it drip its juices into the yolks. Stir together.
Next pour the rhubarb into the tart shell and spread evenly. Then pour the egg yolk mixture over the top of that and bake for 20 minutes until set.
In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy and then add cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form, then add in remaining sugar. Continue to beat until the whites are shiny ribbons. Spoon the meringue over the tart and form some pretty, soft swirls, then bake for 15 minutes or until the meringue is toasty. Allow to cool a bit and enjoy!

Hunger is the Best Sauce

2010-04-21T09:50:00.000-07:00

My grandma LIED! Beurre Blanc is, in fact, the best sauce. My friend Grey and I followed this recipe in honor of Julia and proceeded to smother our salt rubbed chicken and delightful vegetables with lots and lots of it. I mean, we each consumed an astounding amount of sauce. But we couldn't leave perfection alone- we had to follow our meal with Grey's homemade (he followed this recipe, again Julia) croissants also smothered in Beurre blanc.

Ha! Just kiddin. We made vanilla bean frosting. Way more sensible than beurre blanc for dessert!!!!!!

Go make some sauce.

Melons

2010-04-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry for being neglectful, dear blogette. Sometimes the longer I am away the harder it is to get going again.

I just discovered this remarkable seed supplier called Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds! They have a giant collection of heirloom seeds for fruits, vegetables and flowers. I can't stop looking at all the options. Also, they have a blog. All I want to plant are peas, potatoes and melons. Too bad we have all that other crap out in the yard already! I'm thinking about ordering one or two packets of seeds just to round things out a bit.

I have some great recipes up my sleeve for this week and lots of photos of the chicken coop for Fancy Acre. Stay posted!

Photos from here and here

I knew it

2010-04-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

That's weird... Deb from Smitten Kitchen just posted a recipe for brisket and one of her main observations about it is that you don't need teeth to eat it.

Thank's Deb, I read your blog too.

Little Grey Cloud

2010-03-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering what Jacky Scrapple was up to... It's no good.

Blueberry Muff's

2010-03-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

When we spent that grueling day constructing Fancy Acre Farm in the back yard, I knew I had to feed my workers right. So I made muffins like a lady. I had a giant tub of Nancy's whole-milk honey yogurt in the fridge that I wanted to use up, and so in it went. They were moist on the inside and had a nice brown sugar crust on top. I might not be much of a muffin person (too healthy) but I found these to be very good, especially when served with butter.

Blueberry Muffins made with Yogurt
3 cups of a-p flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
10 T unsalted butter (1 1/4 stick), softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 t grated orange peel
1 1/2 cups blueberries
brown sugar to sprinkle on top
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar together, then add eggs one at a time. Slowly add some dry mix, then some yogurt, then some dry mix, until both are thoroughly encorporated- do not over mix. Gently fold in blueberries and orange zest. After greasing them with butter, fill muffin tins about half way with batter. Sprinkle brown sugar and a little sea salt on top and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I think I'm In Love

2010-03-29T23:12:00.000-07:00

Guess which one I bought? No it's not the fox, though that is how I first found Stephanie Tillman, the genius behind this work. Its spaghetti face!!! Yes!! Check out her Etsy shop if you're nasty.

Easter Chocolates

2010-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know what my grandma is trying to do to me, but I like it. From here on out, I want any gift I am lucky enough to receive to have a note in it that says it is made with heavy cream and needs to be eaten within two weeks. No problem.

Cooking for People without Teeth

2010-03-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Having my wisdom teeth out really sucked. It hurt, it made me grumpy, but worst of all it dramatically limited my options food-wise. At first I could only have ice cream and creamy soup which might sound like the best time ever, but actually it got old really quickly. Yogurt, smoothies and kefir, which are all the same thing, came next. By friday I was feeling ready to upgrade something excitingly mushy. I consulted the Chez Panisse "Vegetables" cookbook and found a recipe for Panade. Call me sheltered, but I had never heard of such a thing. I read the recipe and couldn't imagine what it was getting at so I asked my friend Holly for a description. Her eyes rolled back and she sighed, "It's like brothy bread pudding with a cheese crust! Every time you pull a spoonful out, cheese stretches with it... There are silky bites, and crunchy bites... and so much cheese." Now that I had such a clear visual of what this dish was I knew I could make it, and also eat it.

It was a huge success. It tasted like something I would make even if I had a fully functioning jaw. And that is a big compliment, Alice Waters.

Onion Panade
adapted from "Chez Panisse Vegetables" by Alice Waters

6 sweet onions
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup madeira
1 1/2 quarts beef stock
3 springs of thyme
salt and pepper to taste
12 slices stale or toasted country bread
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1 cup grated gruyere

I used a large dutch oven for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice onions into rainbows and caramelize with olive oil. Scrape the bottom of the pan frequently, and when the onions have taken on plenty of color deglaze the pan with 1 cup of madeira. Separate remove the onions from the pan and set half aside in a bowl, and in another pan add the other half to the beef stock and let simmer. Break the bread slices into pieces and make one layer in the bottom of the dutch oven. Then layer on some of the reserved onions, then the parmesan, then one of the sprigs of thyme. Repeat this layering 3 times, and then ladle the beef and onion broth over the whole thing. The broth should come up an inch from the top of the last layer. Sprinkle the top with gruyere. Cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the top and bake for another 45 until the cheese is toasty brown.

I'm Pleased to Announce

2010-03-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

Fancy Acre, My new farm blog. You see, this way I will be able to keep STAFF MEAL full of food and delights and leave those horrible chicks and piles of filthy dirt out of it. Also, Fancy Acre has several contributors so each post will be full of tricks and surprises. And, as always, thank you for reading.

Spring Chicken

2010-03-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

Perfect Potatoes

2010-03-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, I love potatoes. I have just had my wisdom teeth out this weekend which has been horrible aside from the fact that Kevin made me a big batch of whipped mashed potatoes, so full of sour cream and butter that they are practically a soup. That's the upside.
Last week, before the tooth pain, I was able to eat potatoes however I liked. I bought a little bag of charlie boys in order to make my most favorite home fries, and look what I found inside. A heart shaped charlie boy to commemorate my passion for potatoes! Obviously, I didn't cook that one, I carried it around with me and cooed to it.

Home fries are easy to make and don't really call for a recipe, but here is mine in case you want some inspiration. Something that I think is important about home fries is that there are plenty of onions. This recipe is an approximation of ingredients- I never measure home fries.

Charlie Boy Home Fries

One bag of charlie boys (the tiniest of potatoes)
1 large sweet onion
a big glug of olive oil
1/3 stick of butter
1 teaspoon ground new mexico chile
salt and pepper to taste
1 spring onion for garnish

Cut large and medium charlie boys in half- only the tiniest tinies can remain whole. Boil for ten or so minutes, until they are cooked but still quite firm. Meanwhile, heat up cast iron skillet with olive oil and butter. Transfer potatoes (not the water!) into pan. Let them sit for a bit- you want crisp, brown, fried sides. Toss around until nice and brown, then add chopped onions. I like my onions chopped large, but you can do it however you see fit. When the onions have softened and browned a bit, sprinkle the whole pan with chile, salt and pepper. I like lots of salt. Dice a spring onion and sprinkle on each serving. I ate this with two sauces- tatziki which I loved, and catsup, which I am addicted to.

Spring Gnocchi

2010-03-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

Before we ripped out the old raised beds to put in the new ones, I had to harvest our winter crop of onions and leeks. They were so tiny and perfect! We had some pre-made gnocchi (the horror!) in our refrigerator, so for a lovely lunch I chopped up the leeks and baby onions and sauteed them with gnocchi in brown butter. I sprinkled some fresh basil on top with pecorino, and lunch was born. I was surprised with how good the store bought gnocchi was and will not be afraid to buy it again.

PS The chicks are getting HUGE. We are planning a farm blog- stay tuned...

Look at this Nerd

2010-03-13T16:59:00.000-08:00

Nic brought over yet another chick yesterday. World, meet Tammy. She is one crazy girl, with a blond puff top and a sassy attitude to boot. Its going to be awesome when she grows up to look like this.

Also, can you stand how cute Patsy Cline is? She is my little sweetheart. Jacky also loves her. Loretta has tripled in size and can fly, so that's a problem. I thought chickens couldn't fly but it turns out that I know nothing.

Twin Dinner!

2010-03-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

My mom has been visiting this week, and for our last night together we went over to visit our friends who have twin babies. We made homemade pasta with arugula and pecorino and drank lots of wine. We also squeezed the babies until they ran from us.

We wanted to use the pasta attachment on Elisabeth's kitchenaid to roll out the pasta, but the dough was too sticky and we got very frustrated. In the end we rolled it by hand, which really isn't hard. After boiling and draining the pasta, we poured a bit of the pasta water over the noodles and then melted tons of butter in it. Then we stirred in fresh arugula and grated pecorino cheese on top and added salt and pepper. It was terrific!

But seriously, WTF is up with the pasta attachment? Has anyone ever used it successfully? Any tips?

Farm Living

2010-03-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend we flattened out the back yard and put in 8 raised beds. It was a lot like a barn raising, but without the barn. Our friends and family did most of the work and I pretty much just shouted orders and wrote the checks. We are sharing our yard with a couple of our friends, so we will all share the weeding responsibilities AND the huge crop of vegetables.
But more importantly, I just got 3 baby chicks. We still have to build a coop, and for the next 6 weeks they have to live in the garage in a washtub with a heat lamp!!! They are so sweet and little, and already have very bossy personalities. They are named Patsy, Wynonna and Loretta. Patsy will someday lay green and blue eggs! I couldn't be more proud.

Oh, I Want That

2010-03-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

A seagull oilcloth. Its clear that this summer will be made of garden parties and picnics. Why not start preparing now? With a nautical theme.

A Smeg refrigerator. Picking the color wouldn't be easy, but I've been doing some real soul searching and I think baby blue might be the answer.

These litte mice are acceptably cute

And since blue seems to be the theme, why not throw in a few french ovens for good measure? I have no problem with Le Creuset.

Sprang

2010-03-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I have just fully recovered from the stomach flu and had some pancakes, so I finally feel up to blogging. These are some photos from a recent visit with my celebrity friend, Grace. We visited the sea and liked it! We had morning bonfires, and ate hamm and drank buble! We snuck up on this wild bunny and I patted it on its side! We ate cornmeal crust pizza until we were sick and had to go to bed at 9 pm!

Recipes to come. I have only cooked one thing in two weeks so maybe I'll write about it tomorrow. We'll see.

Oh, Well

2010-02-24T10:25:00.001-08:00

Uh oh- look what's on the cover of Sunset magazine this week- it's the V house that we stayed in in Mexico! I guess that secret's out.

Go Here

2010-02-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

This blog is beautiful in general, but this post really gets me. I must try this recipe and also move to Italy, like, yesterday.

The Sound of Chewing (is going to kill me)

2010-02-23T15:06:00.001-08:00

Hey team. I have visitors this week and also am being whipped with homework, so I am def not cooking, baking or interneting properly. As we speak, I am sitting in the library not doing my homework due to my table neighbor who is loudly crunching on pringles. What is it about that sound that makes me totally PSYCHOTIC? Well, back to my women's studies paper!

Go look at this for awhile. It sure keeps me busy.

Image from here.

This is Healthy, Right?

2010-02-16T13:48:00.001-08:00

When I had so much cream cheese frosting left over from the red velvet cupcakes, I knew a carrot cake was in my future. I made it last night when we went over to my dad and Lynne's house, and we couldn't wait for it to cool before we frosted it. That's why it looks kind of messy and extra delicious.

Carrot Cake
adapted from Bon Appetit
2 Cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon Jamaican allspice
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 eggs
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 9 inch cake pans. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice and ginger in one bowl. In another mix sugar and oil until smooth, then add eggs one at a time. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then add nuts and grated carrots. Divide batter between two pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of the cake. Let cool before removing from pans and frosting. I didn't let the cake fully cool before I frosted it with vanilla cream cheese frosting, and I recommend that you do wait. Enjoy.

Happy V-D

2010-02-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know what you guys are doing today to celebrate, but my co-workers and I are going to shoot guns to recover from this weekend together. For reals! It's our staff holiday party. First we are going to shoot hand guns (!?!?) and then we are going to have a private lunch party at a super rad brick oven (but not pizza) restaurant in town. The Quaker in me shudders at the idea of being in a room full of guns but it's the promise of lunch that keeps me interested.

Also, I made red velvet cupcakes with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. They were so delicious. I followed this recipe here. The only changes I made were to double the salt in the cake part and half the sugar in the frosting part. And I used vanilla bean instead of extract.
I can't muster the strength to write the recipe here...I need to save the strength in my arms for shooting... go forth and prosper.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Quiche

2010-02-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Seattle, obviously, was insane. We started driving at 7 am, where the day started with donuts and an iphone application where you can record yourself sining T-Pain songs and then play them back, all auto-tuned up for your enjoyment. We reached Seattle at 10, parked in front of a strip club, and marched immediately to Le Pichet. We ordered a bottle of wine and most of the menu, and proceeded to show Seattle how it's done. When we had finished our meal, they put the specials board up for the day so we ordered those too. That was when we encountered the quiche. The quiche... It was tall and jiggly, full of leeks, ham and gruyere. The crust was buttery and flakey, and the very presence of it removed the last scrap of dignity that any of us were clinging to. We became hideous, wild animals. Not all of us had silverware at that point, but by the time the waitress got back to us with a few extra forks the quiche was gone, our fingers were greasy, and we were sweaty and disheveled.

After that we walked around and looked at some stuff, and then proceeded to Txori for tapas and wine cocktails. We ate fried peppers stuffed with blood sausage, squid stuffed with squid, chorizo with chocolate, and drank a cocktail called "The Little Red Penis." Then we went up to Capitol Hill to pretend to be anything but bloated fatties from Portland, but ended up drinking coffee at Stumptown despite ourselves. From there we drove out to Ballard and had more cocktails and waited for our reservation at Delancy.

Delancy is in Ballard, but not right in the downtown area. It is on what appears to be the cutest street ever. The restaurant itself is tiny and simple, with horizontal wine racks lining the back wall of the dining room. We were delighted to find that they are already getting nettles in, and we had a nettle and ricotta pizza with red onion. The nettles were so dark and rich they tasted like seaweed. It's only february! What are nettles thinking?!? We ate 4 pizzas and they were all perfect. We had dessert too, and I squealed to think I might be eating one of Molly Wizenberg's desserts. We had the meyer lemon budino with sables, and 2 chocolate chip cookies with grey salt.

I haven't always felt a lot of love for Seattle, but this trip made me feel like I could love it if I was fed pizza from Delancy and quiche from Le Pichet frequently enough.

Sweet Seattle

2010-02-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

Fish Bowl

2010-02-07T06:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday!

Shavanagans

2010-02-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is a very exciting day! My friends and I rented a van and are driving up to Seattle for a concentrated dose of eating and drinking about town. We might also see some art or look at some boats, but mostly we will be eating. Here are a few places on the agenda:

Le Pichet for a frenchy-french brunch
Txori for tapas and cocktails
Zig Zag Cafe for classic cocktails
Smith for hipster dranks
Linda's for trashy dranks
and Delancy for dinner (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

We are also going to the Central Library to go up the neon escalator and I am hoping to take a factory tour at Theo where I can eat chocolate until I pass out! Am I missing anything? Last time we were there we had cupcakes at Cupcake Royale, but I'm pretty sure cupcakes are over and donuts are back. I shall return with a healthy dose of food photos and probably a stomach ache. Maybe a few photos of the Public Market sign?? Anyone? Anyone?

Vanilla Olive Oil Granola

2010-01-30T11:03:00.001-08:00

I take breakfast very seriously. I start looking forward to it when I go to sleep, and the very thought of it gets me out of bed. Granola is one of my favorite breakfasts because it has so many different textures and flavors and you can put whatever you want in it. Recently, my friend Holly made me some granola with big coconut flakes in it. That sealed the deal. I knew I loved coconut in granola, but I kept using the small flakes because my brain shuts down the moment I walk into New Seasons and the bulk isle overwhelms me so. Big flakes are what makes granola rule! I marched right down to the store and bought two bags (ambitious). Here's what I came up with for this weeks granola:

Vanilla Olive Oil Granola

3 cups oats
1 cup large flake coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2/3 cup honey
juice from one large orange
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine oats, nuts and fruit in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl mix honey, orange juice, oil, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour over the oats and combine well. Spread mix out in a large glass pan and sprinkle the salt over the top. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or so, stirring frequently. Cool granola completely before serving, and store in mason jars or any airtight container.

Whoppas

2010-01-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

Staff meal has been epic lately. This last week we had a southern meal with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens, cole slaw with fried pigs ears, jello shots, and I made whoppa cookies. Now, I am not sure if whoppa cookies are, in fact, southern because I made them up. But I think southern people are always putting candy in stuff to "make it fancy." Kevin does anyway, and he's fair-weather southern. So, the point is, I made cookies and they were southern in my mind and also very, very good. Because I didn't follow a recipe, they are not perfect. For some examples, they are a little greasy when still hot, the malted milk balls collapsed in the cookies (which ended up being a good thing- they caramelized) and they were very flat. However, I have tweaked the recipe here by adding a bit more flour and reducing the baking soda. Please let me know how it goes for you. I normally might not post this recipe until I got it right, but they are so good even if not puffy and pretty. And I promise I am not avoiding putting a photo up because they fell- I just forgot my camera and I made them at work.

Whoppa Cookies

2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 lb dark semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 T butter
2 cups halved whoppers or malted milk balls

Mix the flour, powedr, soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, in a double broiler melt the chocolate with a bit of butter. After it has fully melted remove from heat and set aside. In a standing mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and add the vanilla. Slowly blend in the chocolate, then the flour mixture, the milk, and then the whoppers.
Chill the dough for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper drop healthy spoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart from each other. Bake 10-12 minutes and let cool. They are fantastic on the second day, if stored properly in an air-tight container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

Word of Mouth Meatballs

2010-01-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, to go along with the most perfect tomato sauce ever, I decided to make meatballs. The last time I made them was for Adult Spaghetti-O night, and those were tiny. This time I wanted to have some fun with them, aka stuff them with cheese. I asked around and everyone instructed me to use ground pork and beef, chopped garlic, and breadcrumbs. Some suggested onions, some suggested grated cheese, but I skipped those and put a little nugget of fresh whole milk mozzarella in the middle.
Also, my new best friend Charlie the bulldog came over. It's love.

Word of Mouth Meatballs

3/4 lb ground beef (not too lean mind you)
1/2 lb ground pork
3 gloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
pinch of oregano
salt and pepper
1 ball of fresh mozz, cubed

Gently combine meats, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and oregano. Don't over work the mix. Form balls the size of a small lime or so. Stick a cube of the cheese into the center, and then pinch shut. Heat up a cast iron skillet with lots of olive oil. Sear the meatballs so that they have a nice brown exterior, then transfer them with a slotted spoon over to the hot and ready tomato sauce. Finish cooking them in the sauce. Serve over spaghetti.

Little Green Apple

2010-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

Pistachio Glass

2010-01-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

I recently made another version of panna cotta. This time it was yogurt based, and I swirled it with caramel pudding- like whoa. As a garnish I made a pistachio brittle of sorts. Not the kind that is like a toffee style brittle with butter and corn syrup, but more of a glass candy style. It was absurdly simple and made a beautiful garnish.

Pistachio Glass
adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or grease with a bit of vegetable oil. Combine sugar, salt and water in a sauce pan and turn the heat up to medium high. Do not stir the sugar while it comes to a boil, and allow it to turn a deep amber color (12 minutes or so). It transitions to amber quickly- make sure you are keeping a close eye on it so it does not burn. You do want to let it go as long and dark as you can stand though, because the flavor base comes from the caramelization of the sugar. When it gets to the perfect deep gold, pull the pan off the heat and stir in the nuts quickly. Immediately pour the mixture onto the pan and spread the edges out by pulling them with the tip of a knife. Allow to cool completely before breaking it into pieces. I sprinkled it with salt one last time for the thrill of it.

Canned

2010-01-19T10:39:00.001-08:00

I've been getting into my summer jars recently. First it was the tomato sauce, then the peaches (from the same batch I used in my blue ribbon peach pie!) Next summer I promise to follow a recipe when canning. Mostly so that I don't die of botulism, which is a risk I take every day with my foot loose and fancy free canning job of last year. I have found that the roasted tomatoes that I canned are too sweet and the sauce is too salty. The peaches lost something in translation- not that I really expected them to be as good as fresh. Even so, it has been delightful remembering that summer happens and will happen again!

Plain Cookies

2010-01-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted a cookie on Sunday. Something honest to go along next to that crazy panna cotta. I thought a whisp of cinnamon might work, but not much else.I decided to make up my own damn recipe after having little luck finding something as simple as I wanted it to be. Here is what I came up with:

Plain Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter at room temp
1 T. mascarpone
1/2 cup bakers sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla (if I had a vanilla bean on hand I would have used it)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for dusting

Beat butter, mascarpone and sugar together until light and whipped. Add vanilla, then slowly mix in the flour, salt and cinnamon. Form dough into a tube, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (This dough can be frozen this way too, and then you can bake off the cookies as you wish.) Slice off cookies about 3/8ths of an inch thick, and space evenly on a baking sheet or silpat. Bake until golden, about 9 minutes.

This cookie is buttery with little diamonds of salt here and there. It is not too sweet and highlights the cinnamon in a very comforting and pleasing way. I had two for breakfast yesterday and plan on having the last one right now.

PS. I would like to direct your attention here for information on how to help people in Haiti today.

Lime Mascarpone Panna Cotta

2010-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

I would probably not order a lime dessert if I saw it on a menu. However, when I made posole the other night I knew I should make something lime-y to follow it up. I found a recipe for lime panna cotta in Bon Appetit and decided to have a go.
I really love panna cotta. It is silky and light, despite being packed with not light things like heavy cream. However, this panna cotta was a bit different. It could be that I whipped the cream and the mascarpone a little too long, but it had a fluffy, cheesecake -like texture to it. Not my favorite, but still very delicious. When I tried it again today, I really liked it a lot and even accepted the fluffy texture into my heart. I think I will try to make panna cotta again soon to see if I can get the texture a bit silkier. Anyway, if you are into fluffy desserts and/or cheesecake, you will certainly like this dessert which is very easy to make.

Lime Mascarpone Panna Cotta
adapted from Bon Appetit

4 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime peel
1 tsp. gelatin
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup room temp. mascarpone
1/2 cup sugar

Mix the lime juice and peel together in a sauce pan, and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then turn the stove on to medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of cream to the pan and stir until the gelatin is absorbed. Remove from heat. Whisk mascarpone and sugar together, then whisk cream in. Do not over mix unless you want a fluffy texture. Mix in the lime-gelatin mixture, and then pour into small cups. Cover and chill for several hours before serving.
I served mine with cinnamon cookies.

Posole with Pork

2010-01-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

Like I said, ever since I saw this recipe posted on 101 Cookbooks I have wanted to make it. And so on sunday I did. Of course, I added pork and doubled the recipe because I'm fat like that. It kind of took all day, but also kind of didn't. It was very good, comforting and tasty. Plus I got to serve it with all kinds of little bowls of other stuff, like limes and cheese and tortilla strips. So that was awesome.
I am not going to post the recipe for this because all I did was add 2 pounds of shredded pork to Heidi's recipe, so please visit her site and check out the recipe if you want to make it for dinner! Which you should.

Behind the curve

2010-01-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of cooks, people from California, and food lovers already know about this, but check out my new bean dealer: Rancho Gordo! They carry heirloom beans, dried hominy and chilies. I just ordered 3 packages of dried hominy (I only wanted 1 but I hit the wrong button and couldn't figure out how to change my error) and some New Mexican chile powder. Can you guess what I am making? That's right, red posole! I saw the recipe on 101 Cookbooks and have not recovered since. My chef at work gave me some cans of hominy last night, but as he handed them over he said "these are a sorry excuse for dried or frozen hominy." That will not do. So I ordered the good stuff from Rancho Gordo and am going to throw the cans in the trash. Kidding! I will eat those too- but I want my first attempt at posole to be sincere.

Image from Ranchogordo.com

Part 2: Sayulita

2010-01-07T11:39:00.001-08:00

Sayulita was totally different than Yelapa. It is a surfing village, full of dude-bros and mexican hippies. It also is home to some of the funniest dogs and the best tacos ever. The beach was beautiful and the water was warm and salty.
We couldn't decide who our favorite beach vendor was- the guy with the candy wagon, or the guy with the smoked shrimps and fishes on a stick. The wagon was literally a wheelbarrow full of penny candy and dried fruits. Who thought that was a good idea? If someone asked me, "Jenny. Wouldn't it be cool if I had a wheelbarrow full of sticky penny candy and I wheeled it down a sandy beach and sold it to people in bathing suits???" I would have to say, "Yes, but it would never work." And that is where I would be wrong! Because it works! The guy with the shrimp walks down the beach holding about twenty kabobs with 4 smoked shrimp on each, and a couple of sticks stacked with lime quarters. In his pocket is a bottle of smokey hot sauce. We ate a lot of those smokey shrimp delights, and fed the shells to stray dogs! We made many friends.
Now that I think of it, there is another beach vendor in the running for the best- the tamale lady. I bought two piping hot pork tamales out of her cooler there on the beach and ate them up, sand and all. I would kill for one right now.
The photo of all the bottles up there is from a tequila bar. They had 330 tequilas, of which we tried probably 12. So many reasons to go back!

Part 1: Yelapa

2010-01-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Though we spent our first night in Puerto Vallarta, I think we need to focus on more important things. Specifically, Yelapa. Here is how you get there: you drive to the furthest beach. You get on a boat. Go for a half hour until you see the most beautiful cove you can imagine. Jump off the boat, and hike into the jungle. And then you are there. Is that how my recipes read? I hope so.
I don't want to be annoying about this whole Mexico thing. But we had spiney lobster caught from that very dock on New Years Eve. We ate tacos twice a day, and polished off lots of bottles of tequila and pacifico steadily and with out consequence (so far-who knows what my future holds). It ruled, very seriously, and very awesomely. There was a library there, and burros. I will tell you about the dogs and more about the food in part 2.

I'm Back!

2010-01-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

When we got home a bit ago, we found a couple of packages waiting for us. One of them held the key to the universe, sticky buns made by my friend Erin in New Hampshire. Despite sitting on my floor for a week...they were still perfect. Dinner.

A Little Break

2009-12-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Y'all, I'm going to Mexico tomorrow. I'll be back in a week with food stories and lots of photos. Have a happy New Year and don't forget to eat black eyed peas and collards on the first!

Back to Cookies.

2009-12-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

I posted this photo earlier but I never gave the recipe for the cookie! And it's really good, so it needs posting.

Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 lb dark, semisweet chocolate (chopped)
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 1.4 oz chocolate covered toffee bars (I used Heath)
1 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
sea salt for a final sprinkling.

Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and butter in a large double boiler. Once melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler and allow to cool down to room temp.
In a standing mixer, beat eggs and brown sugar for 5 minutes, until they are smooth and thick. Slowly add in chocolate and vanilla. Next, sift in flour mixture, chopped toffee and nuts. Chill batter for 45 minutes. It is really thin before chilling, but it firms right up in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a pan with parchment paper, and drop spoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart on the pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 12 minutes- they are really good underdone. They should have a crackled appearance on top.

Christmas, Etc.

2009-12-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made an apple custard danish, got a new coon-skin cap, put a bow on Jacky- the usual holiday business. I also got a few extra special gifts, including my dream typewriter. You may remember, I wrote about it in March!!! And now it's mine!!! I'm going to write a cookbook on it, whilst drinking vermouth and eating smoked almonds.
I don't know about anyone else, but I woke up today and ate a huge bowl of oatmeal. Then I immediately started in on my stocking candy. We have finished most of the maple candies and a lot of chocolates, and polished off the cassoulet from last night. It's disgusting. I can't wait to put on a bathing suit in a few days.

Cookie Party!

2009-12-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

Merry christmas, Y'all. My brother is visiting and puking his brains out, so you can tell we are having a good time. Today while he moans and sighs around the house I am going to be roasting lamb bones and making duck confit. Yes, we are having cassoulet! I can't imagine that the smell of baked lamb bones will help his situation, but then, I don't care. It's worth it.
Also on the roster, cookies and danishes! I will be turing dough and taking photos for later when I can be a better blogger.
Enjoy your holiday and bake some cookies.

Scones

2009-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

I made these earlier this fall and have not stopped thinking about them. They are so simple. Comforting and flakey.

Pecan Ginger Scones
adapted from Molly Wizenberg

2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter (chilled)
3 Tb sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup crystalized ginger, diced

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Dice butter into small cubes, and then add them into the dry bowl. Pinch the butter into the flour until all the large lumps are gone. Add in the ginger and the pecans. I don't actually remember the measurement of pecans I used, but a half cup sounds safe. In a small bowl beat the egg and the milk. Pour this over the dry mix and stir briefly. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead with your hands 12 times (Molly says this is the perfect number of kneads, and I listen to her when she gives out numbers). Form the dough into a flat circle and then cut it into 8 wedges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake them on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until they look golden and done. I served mine with salt sprinkled butter and marscarpone.

12 Days of Cookies!!!

2009-12-07T16:15:00.000-08:00

via lottie & doof

I want to make them all!!!!! Maybe I will!!!!!!!!!

Also in my future:

Dinner tonight: Roast Chicken. It is SO cold in Portland tonight.

For holiday secret snacking 3 Layer Peppermint Bark

I need to find A replacement for Shane

Maybe I will drink a bowl of Aristocrat Sparkling Punch

And... I want to go to there.

Thanksgiving Memories

2009-12-03T20:30:00.000-08:00

Here you see images of a huge failure (the Italian style squash tart with chocolate, caramel and rum that was featured in Portland Monthly last month- I almost wonder if they ever tried the recipe, it was so bad, no offense Portland Monthly!!), and some beet pickled eggs that are destined to be deviled. Those were tasty, though I found that the pickling made the eggs a little... tough. Next time I will only pickle them for one day rather than three.

School is for Squares (And I'm L7)

2009-12-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my crappy posting lately, y'all. It's finals week at school and I'm taking a beating.

Here are some fantasy recipes that I have not made but want to and maybe you should first and then tell me about it or better yet bring me some:

Anzac Cookies from 101 Cookbooks
Fresh Mint Ice Cream from Orangette
No Knead Bread from Smitten Kitchen
Israeli Couscous with Preserved Lemons and Butternut Squash from David Lebovitz
Dr.Pepper Ribs from Homesick Texan
Savory Cabbage Slaw with Applesauce Vinaigrette and Mustard Seeds from The Wednesday Chef
Ugly Fish Soup from The Lobster Squad

And OK... Maple and Homemade Yogurt Panna Cotta from Cannelle et Vanille.

Get to it- I have to go back to class.

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!

2009-11-30T15:52:00.000-08:00

The Food, The Drinking

2009-11-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Barn

2009-11-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm Not Making Pumpkin Pie.

2009-11-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

I am making an Italian roasted pumpkin tart with chocolate and caramel, in case you were wondering. I am also making most of the rural Pennsylvania Thanksgiving recipes from Gourmet's final issue (I can't get over its end, by the way. I am completely depressed about it, as I was just learning how special Gourmet magazine was when it was taken from me). We are spending T-day in my father's newly built barn, so it seems appropriate. There will be fires, music, and an indoor grill. Its going to be a hell of a barn warming.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and always has been. I plug my ears and hum to forget what we are really "celebrating", and once I do, I focus on what we celebrate today: food. Food is my favorite! Hanging out with friends and family who love to cook and eat together sounds like a perfect day to me. To top it off with Calvados spiked Cider (Thank you Holly, via Carlyle), and who knows- maybe there will be dancing.

Photos, naturally, to follow.

photo via Gourmet.com

Carlyle

2009-11-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

We have been meaning to go into the Carlyle for a long time, and finally this week we did. We tried the tasting menu, a 5 course meal selected by the chef, Jake Martin. His specialty is fish. One of the plates that we had was hake with an uni soup- I do not know how he seared the fish in a way that it seemed to have a crust, while the inside was silky and soft- but it was perfect. Each dish was creative and thoughtful, and included ingredients not found in Portland restaurants very often. You should go there- get dressed up. It's fun.

Ba-runch

2009-11-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Oh did we eat. Do you see those homemade english muffins? They were SO. GOOD. Kevin and I were in charge of Bloody Mary's. We made ours with Aviation gin, a bottle of the new dark Sessions beer, a whole jar of horseradish, black pepper, dried chilies, fresh celery juice, salt and tomato juice. They were really good, and we garnished them with our host Jon's pickled green beans and meyer lemons.
Jon works with me and he has been responsible for some of the best staff meals I have ever had. It was no surprise that the brunch he fed us was perfect. The eggs were slow cooked at a low temperature for 3 hours. This resulted in the creamiest, softest eggs I have ever had.

My friend Nic and I have a goal for each of our 25th birthdays (we are a month apart- I am about to achieve my goal, hopefully). We decided that on our birthdays we would each saber a champagne bottle. This is when you use a knife to chop (shave? flick? It's a little hard to describe...) off the top of the bottle, leaving a clean cut in the glass that you pour out of. You can see a photo of the final result up there, except it didn't work this time and the cork stayed in the bottle, despite the glass being cut off! He did it perfectly on his birthday, but at brunch he somehow messed up twice. Ha! We only got a few tiny cuts in our digestive systems- the wine was still great!