August 2004
August is one of a couple of months when you can actually count on it being summer in Seattle. If you’re planning an outdoor wedding – or any type of party for that matter – plan it in August. Except the very first weekend is sometimes a little dicey – that’s the final weekend of Seafair, with a big parade and unlimited hydro races, so you know, you can’t always count on good weather for big events!
In celebration of "real" summer in Seattle, R, chose Seafood as the theme and we did see (and eat) plenty of food!
Here’s the menu:
- Appetizer: Ray’s Cafe Seafood Margarita (from Ray’s Boathouse)
- Cocktail: Cape Codder and Sea Breeze
- Salad: Seafood Caesar Salad with Oregon Blue Cheese
- Main: Cedar Planked Salmon (recipe below) with Tomato-Caper Vinaigrette (from Boy Gets Grill)
- Side: Squash Blossoms with Goat Cheese
- Dessert: Coffee Baked Alaska with Mocha Sauce
Cedar Planked Salmon
- Whole salmon filet (3 – 4 lbs)
- Seasoning rub (R used Tom Douglas Salmon Rub)
- Cedar Plank
Soak cedar plank in water for 20 minutes to 4 hours. Prepare a medium fire in a grill. Place the plank on the grill, close the lid and heat until the plank begins to smoke and crackle. Rub seasoning on both sides of the fish.
Place the salmon, skin side down, on the plank. Close the lid and grill until the salmon is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
August 2004
It was a beautiful day and we started our evening on R’s front porch where she has a view of Lake Washington.
I had opted to bring a choice of two cocktails since the Sea Breeze is just a Cape Codder with the addition of grapefruit juice. Both drinks were refreshing but I had fresh-squeezed pink grapefruit juice which made the Sea Breezes especially wonderful! They were the group favorite. And the Seafood Margarita was also great. The mix of seafood and citrus provided a sweet/sour contrast. They tasted like summer! They looked especially festive in the footed dishes I chose to serve them in. And R’s cat Barney liked them, too! He licked up some of the seafood juice from the bottom of the dish – until it got to be too rich for him and he had the typical cat reaction. :-(
We were having such a good time with cocktails, appetizers and the great weather that R, neglected to watch the cedar plank that she’d put on the grill to preheat, as per the instructions. (See the Recipes entry.) It didn’t help that we were out front and the grill was out in back. When she finally went out to put the salmon on the plank, the plank was gone! Cedar planks will normally last for 3 or 4 grilling sessions but when you forget them on the grill, they tend to dry out and eventually just burn up. Luckily, she had another so she soaked it, we had another cocktail and then we got back around to grilling the salmon!
The salmon was really moist and full of flavor. The rub complemented without overpowering so the real taste of salmon came through. When K saw that I was bringing the Seafood Margarita as an appetizer she modified the salad recipe and opted just for crab as the seafood garnish. It was heavenly with the ripe tomatoes and blue cheese dressing. And M’s side dish of Squash Blossoms filled with Goat Cheese made both a showy and delicious accompaniment. They were really beautiful!
For the finale, V made a beautiful Baked Alaska. This one used coffee ice cream. We all held our breath as she placed it in the oven to brown the meringue – would the ice cream really not melt?? It was perfect! As she brought it to the table I requested that she sing "Hot, Hot, Hot" like they do on the cruise ships when they serve it. Being the good sport she is (or maybe it was that last round of cocktails…), she did!
We lingered over coffee but eventually had to make our way home. It was an evening we didn’t want to end.
Note: Whenever we meet at R’s house, we’ve had a little guest in the form of R’s cat, Barney. R had adopted Barney when he was a couple years old and had him for most of his 19+ years. About a month ago Barney decided it was time to go to Kitty Heaven. We will miss him at our dinners.
10th Dinner Club Meeting: Summer Seafood Fest – Menu & Recipes
Winter Brunch Summary
I love having people over for brunch! It seems it’s such a relaxed way to start the day and the weekend. And the great thing about it is that most of the prep work can be done the night before so you don’t have to rush around too much in the morning.
Now, I have to say that I also have great friends in that I nearly always try new recipes at these little gatherings and they always are great sports. Most of the time I have a pretty good feel for how a recipe will work but I have had a few bombs in my life. :-(
I had a total of six people, which was a nice cozy number to start out with champagne or coffee in the living room and then to sit around the table and swap stories during the actual meal. Everyone knew at least one other person very well, but had only met the others on a casual basis in the past. And there were some common threads between those who didn’t know each other that well. So they had someone to catch up with and people to learn about. It was a good mix. I did a good job! :-)
I am happy to report that overall this brunch was great – there was just one slight exception. Now, if you’ve been following my blog you’ll know that in one entry I discussed cooking resolutions for this new year. One of those resolutions was to make a new recipe from each of my cookbooks. Of course, that was before I had compiled my list and realized that I had 88 cookbooks! (Actually, it’s 89 now…) I’m still going to try to make my resolution but a more realistic goal is probably to make one new thing from 50 of the them. Anyway, back to brunch…. So I actually made five new recipes for this brunch, however they were only from two cookbooks. (I’m going to need to plan a little better if I’m going to meet that goal!)
All the of the crepe recipes were new for me. (The Baked Egg Cup is also a crepe.) And the Cheddar-Dill Scones were new, too. The Asparagus and Prosciutto recipe was pretty good, although I was surprised that I couldn’t taste the asparagus that much. I had made a few modifications to the recipe and I’m going to need to check those out to see if it was something I did or if, maybe, it’s just as the recipe was intended to be. Anyway, they were good but just not as asparagus-y as I would have liked.
The Sausage and Mushroom Crepes were outstanding! I used Aidell’s Chicken-Apple sausage and a mixture of mushrooms (see recipe) and the flavors both blended well and complemented each other. Yum! The Baked Egg Cups were the one exception. They were actually good, but the eggs were not cooked as well as most people would like them. Three of us didn’t mind a slighty runny egg, but three weren’t keen on it. Also, this recipe called for uncooked white mushrooms, which released quite a bit of water while baking. I would make this recipe again, but I’d sauté the mushrooms and onions before placing them in the crepe and I’d cook the cups at a little higher temperature for about 5 minutes longer so that the eggs were a bit more cooked.
The last crepe was the Caramelized Apple Crepe and they were also very good, although we were all pretty stuffed by the time we got to dessert. The Cheddar-Dill scones were from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. They were outstanding! My only complaint is that the recipe makes 16 to 18 large scones. Which isn’t a bad complaint, I just need to cut the recipe in half or freeze all the leftovers like I did this weekend.
Speaking of leftovers, I always make too much food. It’s my trademark. :-) This is another reason I like making crepes: first, you can assemble them the night before so all you have to do is pop them in the oven in the morning; secondly, the leftovers freeze beautifully and can provide a quick future meal.
The potatoes, sausage and fruit filled out the meal very nicely. The pineapple, watermelon and kiwi were especially good. The Portobello Sausage was also from Aidell’s and is one of my favorites.
It happened to be a sunny winter day here in Seattle and my dining room is on the south side of my house so Mother Nature provided a perfect setting for the meal. Between eating and lingering at the table we spent a fun-filled two and a half hours discussing topics of high and no importance. Then my friends were off to run errands or do chores and I did dishes. :-)
Paper Chef #3: Orange-Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Paper Chef is on online "competition" where a list of ingredients is provided on Friday and by Monday entries using the ingredients must be posted and the judge notified of the posting. For more information on this competition visit the Paper Chef sponsor, Tomatilla. This month’s judge is The Domestic Goddess.
This month’s ingredients are wheat flour, cinnamon, crème fraiche and oranges. While reading this ingredient list the following recipe came to mind. It’s based on the Cinnamon Sticky Bun recipe that I’ve used many times in the past.
Here we go!
Orange-Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Dough
- 1/4 cup crème fraiche
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup bread flour
- 2 tsp yeast
Filling
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange rind
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional, or substitute raisins)
- 2 Tbsp very soft butter
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- Scant 1/4 cup crème fraiche
- 1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
Place all dough ingredients in bread machine in the order listed by the manufacturer. Set for dough stage and start.
To plump up cranberries or raisins, place in small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then drain and place on towel to dry.
In small bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon and orange peel.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
When dough is finished, remove from bread machine, place on lightly floured surface, punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll dough into rectangle 8" wide and 16" long.
Spread the soft butter over the dough. Sprinkle with the brown sugar mixture, spreading mixture to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle cranberries evenly over the dough.
To make 15 small rolls, tightly roll the dough from the long edge. Slice into 15 pieces and place in greased 9" x 13" pan. To make 6 large rolls, tightly roll from short end. Slice into 6 pieces and place in greased 8" square pan.
Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk about 1 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, place pan covered with plastic wrap in refrigerator overnight. About 1 hour before baking, remove pan from refrigerator to allow rolls to rise.)
Bake in pre-heated 350°F oven 25 to 30 minutes.
While the rolls are baking, mix all glaze ingredients until smooth.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Spread glaze over rolls. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: If you can’t find crème fraiche you can make it be adding 2 Tbsp buttermilk to 1 cup of heavy cream. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, until mixture is very thick.
Winter Brunch
I had a little brunch this morning and I thought you might like to know about it because a couple of the recipes were particularly good! I’m going to do this entry like I do the Cooking Club entries. This first entry will be the menu and recipes, so that I can categorize it under Recipe and then the detail about the brunch will be in a separate entry and be categorized "Entertaining".
Okay, here’s the menu:
Winter Brunch
February 5, 2005
Asparagus and Prosciutto Crepes
Baked Egg Cup
Sausage and Mushroom Crepes
Portobello Mushroom Sausage
Oven-Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs
Fresh Fruit with Sweetened Crème Fraiche
Cheddar-Dill Scones
Caramelized Apple Crepes
Sausage and Mushroom Crepes – from "Crepes", by Lou Seibert Pappas
Savory Crepes – Makes sixteen to eighteen 6- or 7-inch crepes.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, preferable bleached (I always use unbleached, and it’s just fine)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp melted butter, plus some for the pan
In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients for 5 seconds or until smooth. Stir down and repeat if necessary. Or to mix by hand, sift flour into bowl, add salt . Whisk eggs until blended, mix in the milk and water and whisk this mixture into flour and salt; stir in the 2 Tbsp. melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably two and up to 24 hours.
Gently stir the batter if it has separated. Heat a seasoned 6 or 7 inch nonstick crepe or frying pan over medium high heat until hot. Coat the pan lightly with butter. Pour in 2 to 3 Tbsp of batter, pick up pan and tilt and swirl until batter is very thinly and evenly spread. Return pan to heat and cook about 1 minute, until crepe is brown around the edges. Flip and brown other side, 15 – 30 seconds.
Place crepe on clean tea towel to cool. (Or I stack them with pieces of parchment in between each crepe.) Repeat with remaining batter until done.
Sausage and Mushroom Crepes – recipe modified to reflect my version
- Eight 6- or 7-inch prepared Savory Crepes
- 10 oz chicken apple sausage
- Olive oil for sautéing
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped portobello, shiitake and crimini mushrooms (or use any combo of mushrooms you like)
- 1 egg
- 6 oz ricotta cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. minced fresh tarragon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
If sausage is fresh poach until thoroughly cooked. If sausage is pre-cooked cover with water and just heat through. Let cool, and then skin the sausages and chop coarsely. (Use your judgment here. I used Aidell’s Chicken-Apple Sausages and the skin is so thin it did not need to be removed.)
In medium skillet over medium heat, heat 1 Tbsp. oil and sauté the shallot for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté just until heated through. (They will be starting to get tender.) Turn out of the pan to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients (except the crepes and olive oil).
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling towards one side of a crepe, and then roll up. Place open edge down in greased 9" x 13" baking pan. (I actually have a pan that’s more like 8" x 11" that works perfectly!)
Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
To bake, preheat over to 350 F. Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.
Sweetened Crème Fraiche
Purchase crème fraiche or make it a couple of days in advance by adding 2 Tbsp buttermilk to 1 cup heavy cream. Place this mixture on counter (room temperature) until it thickens – normally 2 or 3 days.
To one cup of crème fraiche add 2 Tbsp of honey. Stir until well blended. (Adjust to taste.)
Taste the Nation – National
I’m going to write more about this next week but as I was just purchasing my tickets for the Seattle Taste the Nation, I noticed that the first one is in Washington, D.C. on March 24th! That is right around the corner!
This is really a great event – a benefit for food programs. Although it’s a national event the money raised at each location stays locally to help that area’s food banks and food related programs.
The best part of it is you get to give while getting a ton in return! The event features top restaurants and their chefs, wineries, breweries, distilleries, among others. You get to nibble and imbibe for about 3 hours and try anything and everything that you’d like. Much of the ticket price is tax deductible. And your money is going to help very worthy organizations! It’s a big Win-Win!
Check out the national site with links to local events to see when the event is coming to a (US) city near you!
Knife Sharpeners
Knives have been on my mind one or way or another for the last several weeks. I’ve signed up for the Sur la Table Knife Skills class; I’ve been shopping for a hollow-edge Santoku; there have been entries and discussions on some of the other blogs about knives; and I’ve recently just sharpened all my knives which I do every one to two months, depending on how much I’ve been cooking at home.
I’ve always been pretty particular about having sharp knives. It’s the one tool I often bring along to friends’ houses if I know that I’ll be helping in the kitchen and also know that sharp knives are not a priority for them. Luckily for me my friends tolerate my quirkiness. Although I prefer good knives, even an inexpensive knife is fine with me if it’s sharp. M has a barbecue every year and my "job" is to slice all the grilled meats and some veggies like portobellos. She actually has good knives and keeps her knives in good shape but the week before the barbecue she makes sure she sharpens them for me. She’s a very good to me! :-)
Every time I sharpen my knives I have to thank my Mom and Dad for a gift they gave me several years ago. When I first received it I wasn’t sure how much I’d use it but decided to give it a try anyway. And then I fell in love! The gift was the Chef’s Choice 110 Professional Diamond Hone Sharpener. This sharpener has 3 different stones with guides set to the perfect angle to make knife sharpening easy for even the most challenged.
If it’s been some time since you last sharpened knives (if they are in bad shape) you start with the stone on the left which will actually prepare the old edge for sharpening. Once you’ve used that stone, if you keep up on your knives you should only need the two stones to the right; one does the primary sharpening and the other does a final very fine edge. You can then use the fine stone to hone your blades as you use them or I use my steel on a daily basis and then sharpen the knives about every month or two. A couple of friends have the manual version of this sharpener and really like it, too.
I think the biggest advantage of these sharpeners is that they keep your knives at the optimum angle as you sharpen. With the electric sharpeners it takes a little getting used to – you should actually just lightly hold the knife as you sharpen it and let the machine pull it in at the proper angle (there are magnets that help with this but it’s a little freaky to feel them pull the knife the first time or two).
No matter what tool or method you choose, keeping your knives sharp should be a priority. You’ve all heard it before – sharp knives are safer than dull. But, even more than that, sharp knives are just a pleasure to work with.
Favorite Cookbooks
I’ve decided to limit myself to 12 for this list. Now that may be tough and I’ll probably swap books in and out as time goes by – for instance there are a couple books that never leave my kitchen during Holiday Baking but that I barely use the rest of the year. So I wouldn’t call them favorites right now but come November they will be at the top of the list!
So here are my 12 favorite at the present time. They are listed in alphabetical order by title.
Bread, Beth Hensperger: This cookbook is full of great bread recipes of all types – yeast, quick, muffins & biscuits. My favorite banana muffins of all time are from this book.
Crepes: Sweet & Savory Recipes for the Home Cook, Lou Seibert Pappas: I’ve always made crepes but last year I decided I wanted to really get into all the different ways to use them. This book has really been educational and has enabled me to learn about several different types of flour and when you use them in what type of crepe. It’s providing a delicious way for me to learn!
Culinaria Spain (Culinaria Series), Marion Trutter, Gunter Beer: This is a recent purchase and so I have not actually cooked from it yet. What I love about it though is that it’s a combination cookbook, geography and history book. It covers Spain by region which is very interesting. The photos are wonderful. This is an inspiring book.
Dishing with Kathy Casey: Food, Fun, and Cocktails from Seattle’s Culinary Diva, Kathy Casey, E. Jane Armstrong: Kathy is a local chef extraordinaire. At one point she was one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs and now she mostly consults for new restaurants. I’ve taken several classes from her at her studio and not only do you learn a ton but the classes are really fun! I think I use at least one of her recipes at every party I throw. Many of the recipes in this book are familiar but have a creative twist to them.
Entertaining, Martha Stewart: I use many of my cookbooks by Martha Stewart on a regular basis so I’ve picked one to highlight but really this is a testimonial to them all. Before I knew who Martha was I would try to entertain in the method that has become her trademark, although on a much smaller scale. :-) After I "discovered" her (at a Junior League function in Bellevue in the early 80’s) she became an inspiration for new ideas and creative ways to display and serve beautiful food.
Flavours, Donna Hay: Yes, Flavours is spelled correctly. Donna Hay is from Australia. She is a prolific cookbook writer and even has a monthly magazine that is actually just a smaller version of her cookbooks. The photos are beautiful and inspiring. I love her books because they introduce me to new ingredients that are not common in the US. I also have learned new names for fruits and vegetables that I thought I knew but that are called something different in other parts of the world. I especially like this cookbook because it’s laid out in a very non-traditional method. Each chapter is devoted to a flavor and the recipes reflect that flavor. So, for instance, there is a chapter on lemon and lime where you will find everything from appetizers to desserts based on citrus.
From Tapas to Meze: Small Plates from the Mediterranean, Joanne Weir: Joanne is based in San Francisco and among her credits is a stint at Chez Panisse. I had the good fortune to take a Tapas class with her at Sur La Table a year or so ago. After taking that class I had been waiting for the new release of this book. It came out in late October and I just purchased it before Christmas so I haven’t had much time to actually work with it but I’ve reviewed it extensively. I’m basically an appetizer person (I prefer lots of small bites to one big meal) so this book is right up my alley and will give me exposure to some new areas. I’m thinking of having one of my Cooking Club themes be based on this book. :-)
Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Desserts, Good Housekeeping, Mildred Ying: I think I’ve had this book for a million years and made nearly as many recipes from it. Everything always turns out beautifully and I love the big photos that accompany every recipe. My favorite section of the book is the Cake and Torte section. I’ve had much success and lots of compliments on the cakes I’ve baked from this book.
Italy (Culinaria), Claudia Piras, Eugenio Medagliani, Ruprecht Stempell, Guenter Beer: Like the Culinary Spain book I mentioned above I’ve just purchased this book but love the way it covers Italy region by region.
Pure Chocolate, Fran Bigelow, Helene Siegel: Fran Bigelow is often considered the premier chocolatier in the US and luckily for me, she is based here in Seattle and has two beautiful chocolate shops here. This book is really educational. The first chapters are meant to inform and educate you in all things chocolate, which they do. Then, Fran shares recipes from both her current stores and a pastry shop that she used to own. Even if you don’t like chocolate all that much you’ll find this book to be interesting, educational and inspiring.
Ray’s Boathouse, Ken Gouldthorpe, Angie Norwood Browne, Charles Ramseyer, Ray’s Boathouse: Ray’s is a Seattle institution. Since I’ve lived in Seattle it’s experienced two fires – one required a complete rebuild of the restaurant – but has always come back stronger and better than before. The recipes in this book are all about seafood, something we in the Northwest are bountifully blest with. Many (maybe all) of the recipes in the book are from the restaurant and will having you eating fish like crazy.
Tom’s Big Dinners : Big-Time Home Cooking for Family and Friends, Tom Douglas: I also have Tom’s other cookbook and love it, too but decided I would just include one of them on my list. Tom is also a local chef and now has four restaurants, as well as, a line of rubs and marinades. What I especially like about this book is that it’s all about celebrations and the recipes are written so that they are easy to double or triple for a larger group. Tom also offers lots of make ahead tips to help make your entertaining easier.
Upcoming Cooking Club Entries
I’m getting very close to being caught up to real time! I’m very excited to be able to report to you right after we meet, since many of our menus are rather seasonal. In the meantime, I thought I’d give you the schedule for the next few weeks.
- February 7 – Summer Seafood Fest (August 2004)
- February 14 – Lombardy (October 2004)
- February 21 – Burgundy (November 2004)
- February 28 – Japanese (January 2005)
Our next meeting is scheduled for April 1st (I know!) and the theme is "New Orleans". Mardi Gras is really early this year (February 8th) so we’re going to be a bit off for a specific Mardi Gras menu, but we figured there is no bad time to party, so what the heck! :-)
Once I’m caught up, the cooking club entries will only happen about once every other month. However, there are plenty of other recipes and information to share so I’ll still be adding things to the site on a very regular basis!
~ B
Culinary Fool 