From this morning’s Seattle Times:
Quote:
The Seattle Times: Pinot grigio’s popularity proves the value of aroma
NOTE: The Washington State Liquor Control Board’s new liter tax on hard liquor goes into effect Friday. According to the WSLCB Web site, it should increase by about $1 the price of an average bottle of liquor purchased by a retail customer in a state or contract liquor store. Restaurants that sell liquor by the drink are exempted from the tax, which should not affect their drink prices.
As if we don’t already have one of the highest (if not the highest) tax on liquor already!
The bulk of the article has some good information about Pinot Grigio.
Adventure on the “High Seas”
On Wednesday, June 22nd, I joined Chef Big John and his wife, Kimberly, for a little sailing adventure. Big John was catering a luncheon on a 77′ sailboat. After seeing him at Chef in Da House, we’d been exchanging email and when I heard about this job I volunteered to help out. Since the Caudills are from the east side of the mountains, I knew their normal support structure wouldn’t be in place and I thought they might like some support. It turns out they really didn’t need me but I was able to tag along anyway. I spent most of the day taking photos and trying to stay out of the way, helping occasionally by passing a tray of hors d’oeuvre and serving the luncheon entrée.
Monday and Tuesday were beautiful sunny days. Wednesday was another story! I awoke to rain pounding on the roof. It was coming down in sheets! The forecast had called for rain in the morning but clearing by afternoon so I got up and kept my fingers crossed that the rain would at least slow down by our boarding time of 9:30 am. At 8:30 I received a call from Big John – plans were changing just a bit. The tide was on its way out and our original boarding spot was too shallow for this big sailboat. They were taking off and would meet us at another marina that was a bit deeper.
The boat we’d be sailing on is a beautiful, privately-owned 77′ foot Carl Schumacher sailboat. Big John, Kimberly and I met at the marina at 9:30 to load all the supplies on board and start preparations prior to the guests arriving at 11:00. Two young crew members met us in the parking lot to help haul everything but it was still pouring and even with just one trip down the long dock we all got pretty soaked! Hey, it’s the northwest and we’re going sailing – what’s the problem? :-) We made the best of it.
Once in the boat we were happy as clams. A 77′ boat has plenty of room – even headroom for the likes of Big John at 6’4". We settled in, keeping just what we needed in the kitchen and loading all the extra or "for later use" stuff into the crew quarters. Since the plan was to actually sail once the guests arrived, the crew made sure we knew exactly what would need to be put away and where to secure various items. Big John did a little prep work, but had done much of it ahead of time, anticipating the limited space. About 10:30 the rain started letting up and by shortly after 11:00 when the guests started arriving it had completely stopped, although the day remained gray.
The hosts for the day were the owners of Stillwater Creek Vineyard. Their guests were representatives from wineries that use their grapes, and others associated with the viticulture industry in some way. The luncheon was held in conjunction with the ASEV Annual Meeting being held at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. As the guests arrived and opened wine (as you can imagine with this crowd, several people brought bottles to share) we presented two appetizers: Roquefort Gougeres; and Profiteroles with Mushroom Duxelle, Smoked Pork Loin and Crème Fraiche.
Both appetizers were nice and savory. Instead of mixing the Roquefort cheese into the gougere batter, Big John added sprinkles of it on the balls of dough prior to baking, giving them a little bit of a flattened profile and providing a contrast to the round shape of the profiteroles.
After everyone had a glass in hand and a couple of tasty bites we battened down the hatches – and everything else in sight – and made our way out to the Puget Sound, where we promptly set sail.
I think we sailed for an hour or so. I didn’t really keep track as I was mostly standing out on the very back of the boat snapping photos of the guests for the hosts. As mostly happens in Seattle, since the sun wasn’t out it was a perfect day for sailing! There was a nice brisk breeze and we sailed along between 8 and 9 knots heavily keeling much of the time. (Note the swinging stove in the photo of the galley above!) It was great! Most of the guests were hardy northwesterners and they spent most of the time out on deck with just an occasional dip below deck to warm up.
We arrived at our destination, a protected harbor off Bainbridge Island. We served more of the gougeres and profiteroles and added slightly warmed Goat Cheese on Crostini that had been rubbed with garlic, oil and tomato. The same crostini were used as the base for the grilled and sliced Tenderloin Medallions lightly seasoned with Gray Salt. Big John prepared the tenderloins to varying temperatures so that guests who preferred their meat medium rare, as well as guests who preferred their meat medium could find a piece to suit them.
The hosts had wanted something very "northwest" for the entrée and what says that more than fresh, wild salmon, especially at this time of year? The entrée base was Organic Mixed Greens with a light Sweet Herb Vinaigrette. Then a Confetti of Peppers and Onions was sprinkled around the plate. Next, Marinated Mushrooms were placed on top of the greens, followed by blanched Asparagus on top of the mushrooms. The final element was Wild Salmon that had been brushed with a tarragon mustard, placed on goat cheese with a sherry gastrique and topped with lemon and tarragon and then baked. When we plated we added fresh tarragon as a garnish. This entrée was really outstanding. Everything was cooked to perfection and all the various dressings and seasonings were subtle enough to enhance without taking over. It was very quiet in the cabin while the guests, crew and "help" (that would be me!) enjoyed their lunch.
The finishing course was a supreme dessert – rich Chocolate Pot de Crème topped with Bing Cherry Compote made with berries picked just a day or two before serving. It was so rich, but everyone finished it all!
After lunch we again battened everything down and sailed for another couple hours and then returned to dock. The guests disembarked to meet their bus back to the convention area, the crew helped us load all the catering gear back into the vehicles and then they took care of the boat.
It was a great experience; I took a TON of photos (about 100) that I’m in process of cleaning up for the hosts. I learned a lot about operating in small quarters and keeping preparations simple but elegant. And I loved the sailing. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
After wishing Big John and Kimberly a safe journey back home, I scrambled home to get changed for the evening’s activities – the Mariner’s were waiting for me!
Chef Big John Caudill
kingcrabclaw@aol.com
Tasting Washington
Wine & Food Excursions
509-949-7022
Baseball & Cabbage
Now here’s a story that combines two of my favorite things… baseball and food, in this case cabbage. Apparently those enterprising Korean baseball players have been keeping themselves cool by wearing frozen cabbage leaves under their hats! Who knew a cabbage could be so useful? :-)
You can check out the full story here.
The Travels of Two Memes
Recently two people have decided to track the paths of two memes.
First, Nicky from Delicious Days began tracking the meme she started, The Cook Next Door.
Taking a cue from Nicky, Ana from Pumpkin Pie Bungalow has decided to trace the Five (Cook)books meme, even though she wasn’t the one who started it.
It’s pretty interesting to see how these things have traveled – and to see how much work these two have put into tracking all the entries!
Class: Summer Seafood from Salty’s
On Tuesday night I took another class at Sur la Table in Kirkland. This was a demonstration class, so we all watched and tasted while chef cooked and explained. I was interested in this class because it seems I sometimes get stuck in a seafood rut – sort of doing the same preparations over and over again. This is partially due to the fact that I don’t like to hide the taste of my fish with lots of sauces and flavorings. I prefer to let the taste shine through and just try to enhance it, but I am very guilty of staying in my little comfort zone and wanted to branch out.
This class was taught by Dan Thiessen, Corporate Executive Chef at Salty’s. In addition to the specific recipes, he gave us numerous tips that will help in other areas of my cooking. In fact, I’d say those tips were even more valuable than the recipes this night. That’s why I love these classes – for the little "extras" you’ll never get in a cookbook.
The menu for the evening was:
- Bronzed Halibut with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
- Chilled Dungeness Crab Gazpacho
- Cream of Living Pea Vine Soup
- Seared Sockeye Salmon Onion Marmalade
Bronzing an item is done by using blackening spice but instead of searing both sides in a cast iron pan, only one side is briefly seared in a stainless steel pan and then finished in a hot oven. The result is a flavorful but not overpowering, slightly spicy taste and a more tender texture.
We learned some important information about testing the halibut for "doneness" – one way is to look for the albumen (the white stuff) to start leaching out. When you see it, the fish is done.
Chef Dan showed us how to bronze the halibut and then went to work on the Grilled Pineapple Salsa (the recipe he provided for this class is slightly different than the one on the site).
I liked this combination but you should be very careful to only use a small amount of salsa with the halibut, otherwise the onion and jalapeño can be a bit overwhelming and hide the taste of the halibut altogether.
Next up was the Chilled Gazpacho. This recipe calls for crab juice, which they get when they squeeze the liquid from the crab meat that they use in their crab cakes. At the restaurant, they freeze the juice they get from each batch of crab cakes and when they have enough to make the gazpacho they add it as an evening special.
This was a really lovely, refreshing, perfect-for-a-warm-summer-evening soup. And, it would be great for entertaining since it is made ahead and needs to marinate overnight to really develop the flavor. Chef Dan recommended a rosé to accompany and said they currently have six by the glass on the menu. I may need to stop in just to check those out!
Next was the Cream of Living Pea Vine Soup. Again, this is not always on their menu but when pea vines are available you may be lucky enough to find it! I’ve had the good fortune to have it twice – once at a great benefit called Cooking with Class, and at this class. This soup is an amazing bright green (in the photo at the top I had mixed the chive cream into the soup) and tastes like fresh peas but there is an underlying taste that is deeper and sort of unrefined. Chef Dan described it as earthy but that doesn’t quite hit it for me. I would say it’s the taste of texture, which I’m sure doesn’t really make sense. The soup has a little texture but more than that the taste has a body of its own. I wish I could find the right word to describe it, but no matter what the right word is, the soup is amazing! This recipe is not yet on the Salty’s website but I think it may be there in a couple weeks. I’ll check back and update the post if it appears.
Also, this soup is very versatile. The base is actually made from potatoes and so you can actually add just about any green leafy vegetable in the final step. Chef Dan suggested a few items such as water cress, arugula and sorrel. Experiment!
The final dish for our class was Seared Sockeye Salmon Onion Marmalade. Sockeye is plentiful at the moment and so it was the fish of choice but you can see where any type of salmon and plenty of other varieties of fish would work well, too.
Again, the fish itself is very simply prepared but the Onion Marmalade adds an interesting element to the final plate. Chef Dan warned us to reduce the marmalade over a lower heat. You don’t want the liquid to evaporate until the onions have cooked through and become tender.
The marmalade, like the Pineapple Salsa, is strongly flavored and so you really want to make sure you use it almost as a garnish as too much of it will definitely overwhelm your fish. I could also see using this marmalade on crostini with a bit of goat cheese – yum! :-)
Some other notes you may find interesting. Salty’s is updating their website and the new site is scheduled to release in early July. At that time they will have 50 recipes and a "request" link that can be used to request a recipe for something you had at the restaurant. That’s cool!
Chef Dan is now on the radio on a regular basis. Tune in to KVI, AM 570, the first Saturday of each month from 1:00pm – 2:00pm to hear him talk about what’s going on in the food world and to answer questions that are called in.
Meme: The Cook Next Door
First, I apologize to Sarah, and any one who read my comment on her site, for being so tardy with this posting. I had all the best intentions of having it posted on Tuesday but the day was busy and got away from me. Wednesday morning I had been working on it for some time when I realized I hadn’t done an incremental save. As I clicked on save I accidentally hit my cable box with my foot shutting the power off and losing everything! :-( I decided I shouldn’t go right back to it and decided to try again that afternoon when I returned from an adventure on a 77′ sailboat, which I’ll be writing about in a day or two. However, we got back to the marina about 2 1/2 hours later than I was expecting (not necessarily a bad thing!) so I barely had time to rush home, change and meet M at our designated spot at the Mariners’ game. My next plan was to try again when I got home from the game. Well, the game went into extra innings and we finally beat Oakland 5-4 in the 12th. Needless to say that got me home pretty late last night and in no shape to write. So now I’m finally getting to it. Now where is that “save” button….
Sarah from The Delicious Life has tagged me for another meme working its way around the virtual (and real) world. This is an interesting one as it gives some insight into how we got to where we are today in the cooking/culinary world. The meme was started by Nicky, of Delicious Days (Hey, what’s with all of the “Delicious” names?? I feel a little left out!). Okay, here we go!
What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I started making cookies when I was pretty young but I actually think the first thing I made on my own was fried liverwurst. :-) I was probably about 7 years old at the time. My Dad and I were home alone, or actually my younger sisters were probably napping and I don’t think my brother had been born yet, that’s why I know I was 7 or younger. I have no idea what made me want to cook liverwurst but my Dad humored me. I sliced it up, cooked it in a little frying pan until it was browned on both sides, then ate it with bread and butter. It was actually pretty good – I guess that was probably what started me on the path to loving foie gras!
Who had the most influence on your cooking?
Both my Mom and Dad, as well as other family members have all had an influence. Being the oldest with three other siblings I started helping out with evening dinners, at first doing the simpler things but eventually moving on to handling a large percentage of the dinner while my Mom tended the younger kids. My Dad used to do many of the holiday meals – I think both because he really enjoys cooking and to give my Mom a break – and so I learned about cooking “big” things (turkeys, hams and rib roasts) and specialty things (stuffing and other items that made up holiday meals) mostly from him. He also used to do lots of fun things like one year he made my brother a train cake – complete with engine, car and caboose – and one year he made me the most wonderful Creme de Menthe cake – a complex affair that is very decadent. My parents also supported me whenever I wanted to try new things. I was maybe 13 when I decided I wanted to learn to bake bread so my Mom got me bread cookbook and made sure there was yeast in the house so I experimented with all kinds of things, even though neither my Mom or Dad ever made it themselves.
In addition, I learned a lot from both of my grandmothers. Grandma N was a little, Italian lady who made all kinds of wonderful sauces and soups. The spaghetti sauce I make today is really just a version of hers. My Grandma W was a meat and potatoes cook and she did everything in a big way – mainly because she had ten children! She used to make all the bread for her family, although she wasn’t doing that by the time I was born. She made massive amounts of Christmas cookies, a tradition I carry on today.
Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
Hmmm. I think photos exist but, unfortunately, I don’t have any of them. They’d be somewhere in my parents’ albums in Oregon. I do, however, have this photo of my Mom’s parents, my Dad and I on our way to a picnic. My younger sister, D, is in the carriage. I was about 4 1/2 in this picture. :-)
Mageiricophobia – do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
Not really, although there are some things I haven’t tried because my perception is that they are difficult. Over time I try to work those things into my repertoire, if not on a regular basis at least to that I know what they really entail. My main phobia is that when I have a party that there won’t be enough food so I always make way too much and end up with leftovers up to my ears! Someday, I’ll get better at that….
What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?
As a precursor to Sam’s Utensibility event, I’ll say that I love my big, red Kitchenaid mixer. I actually have two – started with a smaller version and then upgraded to the big-boy but haven’t yet been able to part with the original…
I have purchased things that I didn’t care for but I can’t really remember them. I get rid of things that aren’t useful.
Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like – and probably no one else!
I make stuff up all the time, based on what’s in the refrigerator at the moment. I’ll put just about anything in scrambled eggs or on crostini… I still like liverwurst – and I don’t know anyone else who buys it but I do every now and then. More often now I just buy a bunch of chicken liver, sauté it and eat it up. I’m sure there are other odd things but they’ve become normal to me now. If I was making them this moment it might occur to me they were a little odd.
What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?
This is kind of tough but I’ll say bread, cheese, wine. I could probably live the rest of my life on those three items. Well, except during tomato season, oh and strawberry season, oh and… No, really bread cheese and wine are probably the very basics that play a major role in my personal cuisine.
Any question you missed in this meme, that you would have loved to answer? Well then, feel free to add one!
Three people to pass it on to
This is the hardest question! Let’s see, how about:
- Sylvie of Food – Got to Love it and Soul Fusion Kitchen
- Jennifer of Taste Everthing Once
- Mrs. D of Belly-timber
Blooming Onions
Okay, this is not the Outback Steakhouse Blooming Onion! And, in fact it’s not an onion at all but a lily, but since onions are part of the lily family that’s my sneaky way of talking about flowers on a food blog! :-)
I planted these lilies a couple years ago and last year they were really quite lovely but this year they really took off! I finally measured them yesterday and they are at 6 feet tall and, as you can see, covered with blooms – they are really quite impressive, if I do say so myself! These are an Asiatic Hybrid named Rodiso.
I planted a couple other varieties at the same time and I love them all but one other is especially pretty, I think. It’s also an Asiatic Hybrid and is named Aphrodite. It’s not nearly as tall or as prolific but the individual flowers have a slight curl to their petals which gives them a really elegant and beautiful look.
I love these lilies and they make the yard such a pleasant place at this time of year.
SHF #9 Tart Roundup
Jarrett from Life in Flow has posted all 57 Sugar High Friday entries! Fifty-seven: amazing!! Not only has he posted them, they are categorized and organized – of course what else would you expect from Jarrett? Many of you may be more familiar with his "other" site, Food Porn Watch, a great service for anyone trying to keep up with the food blogging world.
Take a look at all the entries – if you can’t find something on this list that makes you want to rush right out and start baking, well, I don’t know what’s wrong with you! :-)
The Food Blogging World
When I joined this blogging world, specifically food blogging, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had done some looking at blogs, lurking and watching but not participating – really just popping in now and then to see what was going on. And then I started my own, being pushed the final few steps by a couple of friends – not that I was unwilling.
I’ve been at it now about six months and I have been amazed at the community and how nice so many people are! Not that I thought they wouldn’t be, but the time people have taken to reach out in various ways has surprised and delighted me. People go the extra mile in many ways. And the community is wonderfully large and diverse – it’s great to see how these blogs reach across time zones, countries, styles, age groups, every possible category you can imagine – there really are no borders of any kind. And because of that we all win, being exposed to a wide, wide world of not just food, but also cultures and personalities and lives.
Although I’ve experienced this from early on, the last couple of weeks several things have happened that have caused me to think about how great being part of this world is. I really appreciate all my friends in this virtual meeting place. Thanks to all of you!
SHF #9: Tantalizing Titillating Tempting Tarts
It’s Sugar High Friday! Affectionately know as SHF, this event was started by Jennifer at A Domestic Goddess and is hosted this month by Jarrett at Life in Flow.
This month’s theme is tarts – any type or shape or whatever your sugar-high heart desires.
I’ve had great success over the last few weeks with a really beautiful tart made with fresh fruit, the Market Stall Tart. But it felt like cheating to use it again and so I decided to go with another favorite – rhubarb!
Making this tart made me really happy because I was able to use rhubarb from my yard and puff pastry that I’d made after taking a class. I’m providing a rough recipe but yours will vary depending on how much rhubarb you use (normally I’d make a larger version but have company coming this weekend and this wasn’t in the plans), how tart you like your rhubarb, if you like to wash your pastry, etc. So go with the idea but customize for your own situation.
Rhubarb Galette
2 – 2½ cups rhubarb
¼ – ½ cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
Dash of cinnamon
½ – ⅔ of a puff pastry shell
Cut rhubarb into 1” pieces. Mix with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Set aside.
Roll out the puff pastry into a circle or oblong, large enough to pile the rhubarb and leave a 1½ – 2” border. Place puff pastry on parchment paper lined baking tray. Pile rhubarb into center of pastry. Pull up sides, overlapping and pinching seams to form a rough shell.
If desired, wash pastry with milk or egg.
Bake at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and rhubarb is fork-tender.
Let cool slightly and then serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Excellent garnished with whip cream or vanilla ice cream!
Culinary Fool 