13th Dinner Club: Japan – Summary
January 2005
We started with light, refreshing Plum wine mixed with either soda or tonic. R brought two different wines for us to try – Choya Plum and Takara Plum. The Choya was a drier wine, while the Takara was a bit sweeter but also tasted more strongly of plum. And then, depending on what mixer was used you could create several different drinks. We busily sipped our way through the options while V prepared our starter tofu.
The key to this recipe is the "silken" tofu which, according to the recipe, may also be called "cotton" tofu. I can usually take or leave tofu, it’s fine mixed in soups or as an ingredient in a dish but eating it on its own is not something I do often. This silken tofu, however, will change that! It is so smooth and creamy. V served it with a Sesame Miso Sauce and a Garlic Soy Sauce, both complemented the tofu perfectly. It was a lovely light start to our dinner.
Next up was the Sukiyaki. M had set a low table with a propane burner so we could experience the dinner in a traditional way. (Although the cushions she used, that we both bought at Crate and Barrel last summer, may not be found in a traditional Japanese home!) We had beef loin and Kobe beef, green onions, (more!) tofu, enoki and other mushrooms and chrysanthemum leaves. M started the beef in the pan, as it began to cook she added vegetables and some of the simmering sauce. As items were finished we all reached in with our chopsticks and took what appealed to us. In addition to soy sauce, some of us chose to crack an egg in a little bowl which we then dipped the meats and vegetables into as we pulled them from the pan. It added a richness to the ingredients. Along with our Sukiyaki we enjoyed two types of Saki (we like sampling different types, as you can see…). We tried Hitorimusume Junmai Nigori (unfiltered) and Taru Kikusakari (cedar barrel aged). I believe the unfiltered was my favorite but apparently I forgot to note that so I’m not positive. We tried not to stuff ourselves with the Sukiyaki and almost succeeded as we knew we still had several courses to go!
Next, the Cucumber Salad and Miso Soup were served. The Cucumber Salad was a perfect light interlude. The Miso Soup was heavenly! This particular recipe, however, was more "stuff" than broth. As a main dish it would be great! At this point in our meal we all could have done with a little more broth and a little less vegetable and tofu (yes, more tofu!) but that was our only complaint.
We cleared the table and I tried to give the group a little break as we still had "dessert" or more properly "sweets" to go! I normally find Japanese sweets to be a little too sweet and a bit cloying so I looked for a recipe that, while being authentic, might not be too sugary. I thought I found the perfect combination in Dorayaki. This sweet uses both Anko, the red bean paste common to many Japanese sweets, and little pancakes. Interesting… The final product looked like little mini-hamburgers! :-) And when I assembled them on the serving dish, I couldn’t help but think of Wimpy ("I will gladly pay you on Tuesday…" ) and his burgers! Along with the burgers, oops I mean, Dorayaki, I served a very special green tea that M’s mom had brought back from Japan for me a few months ago. They were actually kind of good and if I hadn’t been completely stuffed I might have said they were even better. Most of the group put a pretty good dent in theirs or ate it completely, which I thought was a good testimony considering how much we’d already had to eat.
After dinner we all found an "American" seat and tried not to fall asleep, while we rested our full bellies and finished sipping tea. :-)
We all enjoyed the interactive nature of this dinner. That’s something to keep in mind for the future. And, as we’ve seen in some of our other dinners, certain ingredients came up many times in various courses. I highlighted the tofu, which I must say I liked in all its renditions in this meal, and mushrooms, miso, garlic and soy all played key roles throughout this meal.
Napa in Seattle
You can now buy tickets for Napa in Seattle. Over 50 Napa Valley wineries will be represented, as well as various local chefs. There will also be a silent auction of wines.
The event is Thursday March 17th, 6:30 – 8:30 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.
Tickets are $75 prior to March 10th and then increase to $85.
This event benefits Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers, an organization that helps provide health care to those who have difficulty accessing it.
Meet the Bloggers!
Last night a group of Seattle area Bloggers got together for dinner at the Malay Satay Hut in Seattle. It was the first time we had met face-to-face, although several people knew each other "virtually". We spent a couple hours discussing all types of food and blog related topics as well as taking some time to get to know each other a bit.
We had people from:
For me, being so new to this world, it was great to hear from those with much more experience, especially because so many of them are highly regarded.
As you can imagine we are quite a diverse group, yet have this common thread of love of food that runs throughout. It was fun to hear how each person had come to use this medium and how they viewed the work they do. It was a great time and we plan to repeat it and get together on a periodic basis.
Thanks to I Heart Bacon for getting the ball rolling!
If you are a Seattle area Food Blogger and would like to be invited, leave a comment or drop me a line at the email address down at the very bottom of the main page.
Bon Voyage Book 14!
I’ve finished my part in the 1000 Recipes project. My pages are filled, they’ve been scanned and sent to Santos, and the book itself is now winging its way to Australia. How I wish I was going with it!
This is a really fun idea and project that Santos is coordinating. I urge you to take a look at the site and get yourself on the list for one of the books, if you haven’t already done so.
Copies of my pages below…
Ipanema Brazilian Grill
M and I decided to check out Ipanema Brazilian Grill last night. It’s in the old Wolfgang Puck location at the top of Harbor Steps. It was originally scheduled to open last October but actually opened for business three weeks ago.
Pre-reviews were intriguing but I still entered with a bit of trepidation – three weeks isn’t much time to get your act together. We arrived for Happy Hour at about 5:15. Coming up the Harbor Steps I was suddenly drooling – the smell of grilled meats filled the air! Wow! Great marketing tool! :-) The place was nearly empty, which wasn’t surprising for that time of day, let alone for a barely open new venue. We took a place at the bar and proceeded to check out the offerings.
The basic idea is sort of an "all-you-can-eat" barbecue. You pay a flat rate and can choose from any or all of the meats (there are twelve+ options), the mesa de frios (a cold buffet) and some side dishes like fried bananas. There is also a bar menu of small plates – many of them smaller portions of the main menu offerings. During Happy Hour the entire bar menu is half price, there are specials on a couple wines and beers and on the Carioca, a rum and passion fruit juice concoction.
We wanted to try small bites and after perusing the offerings and talking with the helpful, if spacey, bartender we started with oven-baked Chicken Empanadas and Garlic Steak with Fried Banana and Brazilian Salsa. I also ordered a Carioca; M was teetotaling for the night and chose a cranberry and soda.
Our food arrived lickety-split! We started with the empanada. The shell was perfectly crusty and flaky with not a drop of oily matter in sight! The filling was chickeny comfort. The texture of the filling while fluid, was viscous not runny – it would be the perfect street food. If only I was enjoying it while walking somewhere in Brazil! We then dove into the Garlic Steak. This was heavenly beef! The flavoring was perfect – not overwhelming just enhancing. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Although there was very little fat on it when you got a little bite of it the flavor was doubly amazing. The Fried Bananas were a great combination of crunchy and sweet – again not oily at all. The Brazilian Salsa was basically a mango, pepper and onion combination that would be successful with just about any type of grilled meat.
After polishing those two plates off, we opted for a third, Garlic Shrimp. While waiting for our order I continued sipping my Carioca which, I believe the bartender said means Brazilian woman. This is a drink he had created. I found it to be very refreshing, although I’m not sure I got the "standard" version. Before ordering I had asked about the sweetness – I’m more of a tart drink person – after a little discussion I decided to order and indicated if it was a little too sweet I’d just ask for some lime to tart it up. It arrived with a squeezed lime wedge in the bottom of the glass, so I’m not sure if that was a preemptive move on the bartender’s part but it was good!
The beautiful garlic shrimp arrived very quickly. There were four medium-large shrimp with grilled citrus. The bartender asked us to let him know about the citrus as they had been experimenting with different things. The shrimp were grilled to perfection – sweet, tasty and tender! The citrus was really an interesting counterpoint. We had chunks of grapefruit and a bitter orange. Really good.
I will definitely be heading back to Ipanema soon! Especially during Happy Hour – our bill, before tip was under $14! And we were actually comfortably full. Even with another bar beverage we would have been way under $20. Now that is a deal!
I noticed that Nancy Leson talks about Ipanema in her column this morning, too. She also mentions Ibiza, which is on my list to check out too.
Ipanema Brazilian Grill
1225 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
206-957-8444
Happy Hour: 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Taste the Nation – Seattle
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Taste the Nation in Seattle is fast approaching! The date for this year’s event is Sunday May 15th. I know that seems like months away but it really is never too early to start planning for this wonderful event.
Taste the Nation is sponsored by Share our Strength. In their own words:
Share Our Strength is a national nonprofit that inspires and organizes individuals and businesses to share their strengths to help end hunger. We raise funds in innovative ways — from holding volunteer-led special events across the country to developing cause-related marketing ventures and corporate partnerships.
Taste the Nation is in it’s 18th year, this year! I’m not positive if Seattle has participated the entire time but I believe I’ve been attending (as often as possible) for the last ten years or so.
I try to support the organizations that do something with food here in Seattle. I feel that with food being the most basic need it just isn’t something people should do without, no matter what the reason they can’t purchase their own. I believe that people have a hard time bettering their situation if they don’t have this most basic requirement. And, obviously, I have an interest in food so it’s a good fit for me.
In the past, I’ve sponsored a couple of Northwest Harvest "work days", where a group of my friends and I spend three or so hours at the Northwest Harvest warehouse sorting or packing food. After we’re done I bring them all to my house and feed them! :-) I also volunteer for events that benefit Farestart, another great organization that I’ll talk more about in the future. Taste the Nation will benefit both organizations, as well as other organizations in the area. All money raised from the Seattle event stays here and supports local organizations.
Now the really cool thing about this event is that it is really fun, you get little bites from all the great restaurants (what Bite of Seattle should be) and wine, liquor, coffee, tea, etc. So while doing something really great for the community, you are getting a great entertainment value! What a deal! Here is the list of participants. (And you should know that all these people donate everything so your contribution really makes a difference.)
And, as an added bonus, quite a lot of the ticket price is tax deductible. Over the next few months I’ll be talking more about this event but I encourage you to take a look at the site and BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW.
I decided to step up my involvement this year and I PURCHASED A TABLE for the event! I am very excited. I’m now recruiting friends to join me and nearly have my table of 12 full! The table will be decked out with the "CULINARY FOOL" name. Buy your ticket and then stop by and say hello!
Update 4/1: For details on a fun event put together for some table captains check out my "Iron Chef" Seattle entry.
12th Dinner Club: Burgundy – Menu & Recipes
November 2004
For our final 2004 meeting, V was host and chose Burgundy for our theme. Similar to last month, she was hoping to focus on the foods of the region like Beef Bourguignon, Dijon Mustard. At our October 2004 meeting she talked about what she pictured and then sent us on our way!
Burgundy Menu:
Appetizer: Creme d’Asperges
Cocktail: Kir
Main: Gigot of Rabbit with Mustard and Onions
Side: Gratin de terre, Pommes et Poires and Choufleur au Gratin
Salad: Fresh Greens with Wine Vinegar-Dijon Vinaigrette
Dessert: Cheese Course
12th Dinner Club: Burgundy – Summary
12th Dinner Club: Burgundy – Summary
November 2004
Early on V decided to change her main dish to Gigot of Rabbit with Mustard and Onions from her original plan of Boeuf Bourguignon. We all had plenty of time to do our research accordingly. I can’t speak for the others but I was surprised at how little information I could find that was by French region. I searched through cookbooks and online and found lots and lots of French recipes and information but most of it was broad, not regional. One decent resource was the section on France on About.com. And, if I had known about it sooner and been able to get my hands on a copy (which I am happy to report I now have…), Culinaria France has good information.
We started the evening with Kirs. While we were sipping them and chatting K warmed and assembled a beautiful Asparagus soup accompanied by Herbed Goat Cheese Toasts. The soup was really astounding! Lovely both to look at and to consume! And the little toasts were a nice touch. The simple salad provided a nice break in between the soup and the rabbit and gratins.
The rabbit was delicious and perfect for a chilly November night. The sauce was hearty and made you want to sop it up with a little bread. The Potato, Apple and Pear Gratin was … interesting. I had selected this particular dish because I noticed that there were many potato/fruit gratin recipes and I read that it’s a very common combination, I think believe potato/apple is the most common. So I wanted to make sure we tried something that (for me anyway) was out of the norm. It actually tasted pretty good, but it seemed more like a dessert than a side. I think the main thing that kept me from really enjoying it was my brain! Some people took seconds, so it must have been okay. The cauliflower gratin was really a "just in case" dish. As in, "just in case that other one is inedible we’ll have something to fall back on". This particular recipe was good but had a tad too much mustard – it was very dominant. And I think I could have reduced the cheese a little. The sauce was pretty dense and not as creamy as I would have liked.
We finished with a beautiful plate of cheese and grapes accompanied by a little baguette and champagne. (You may have noticed we seem to be champagne-drinking girls, as it appears quite often at our gatherings!) R had arranged a plate of cheeses including: Bleu d’auvergne; Soumaintrain, a washed rind cheese; and Charolais, an aged goat cheese. That last one surprised me with the name. Charolais is also a breed of cow from France. They are generally used for beef production and were introduced into the US in the 1930s. So I was surprised that this Charolais was a goat cheese!
It was a very nice way to end our 2004 meetings.
Puff Pastry on My Own
As I talked about earlier I took a puff pastry class a few days ago. We were all sent home with a piece of pastry that we had created, ready to be used or frozen for future use. I decided to make two small items – one sweet and one savory – so I could really give it a test.
First up was a basic apple tart. I simply rolled out my piece of pastry into an oblong, covered it with Granny Smith apples that had been peeled, cored, cut into ¼" slices and tossed with a little sugar, cinnamon and flour. Baked this little guy at 375° F for about 30 minutes. For the finishing touch when it came out of the oven I drizzled a little King’s Cupboard Pear Cinnamon Caramel over the top. Yum!
A couple days later I took the remaining pastry, rolled it into more of a square, covered it with a caramelized sweet onion mixture (see note below), crumbled bleu cheese and chopped walnuts. Again, I baked this at 375° F for about 30 minutes. When it was done I cut it into a little squares and enjoyed it with a glass (or two!) of wine. I was so happy! :-)
This morning I am making the pastry recipe on my own. I’ve done the mixing, chilling and the first two turns. The dough is now back in the refrigerator, chilling and patiently waiting for one last roll and fold. When I’m done, I’ll put my three little packages into the freezer where they will be ready and waiting. It was easy! I am really happy that I took this class.
Note: For the caramelized sweet onion mixture I thinly sliced one sweet onion and sautéed it in a little olive oil. When it was tender I added 1 Tbsp fresh thyme and 1 clove of garlic, minced. I continued sautéing until the onions were a medium golden color.
Culinary Fool 