Culinary Fool

Weekend Events

11-Aug-2006

Taste of Edmonds: Food, crafts, music, beer and wine gardens – something for everyone! Friday, Saturday and Sunday. $3 admission for those over 12. See the site for all the details.

South Lake Union Block Party: This is a new event and I think that it’s primary purpose is to promote the new and ever-expanding neighborhood – not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. Food, music, a grilling competition and Cinema on the Lawn. Friday and Saturday. Check the site for the schedule of events.

22nd Dinner Club: Indian Menu and Recipes

11-Aug-2006

Yikes! Our last dinner club meeting was in June, late June at least, and I’m just finally writing about it! I think part of it is that we are having a large break between dinners this time and in my mind I’m trying to bridge that gap. Or at least that sounds like a good excuse! :-)

We had our first theme repeat in our almost four years of gatherings. And even though the theme was repeated the meal was totally different, as you may or may not expect. M2 chose the theme for this meeting and she based it on a recipe that she’d always wanted to try – Lamp Popsicles as created by Vij’s in Vancouver, B.C. Based on that the theme had to be Indian!

Menu

Appetizer: Mini Garlic Naan
Cocktail: Diwan-e-Khas
Salad: Indian-Style Cucumber Salad
Main: Vikram’s Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry
Side: Aloo Gobi (Indian Potatoes and Cauliflower)
Dessert: Kheer

Kheer
1/3 C long-grain rice
7-1/2 C milk
1/3 C golden raisins (optional)
Sugar to taste
5/8 C light cream

To decorate:
Slivered almonds
Rose petals

M’s Note: I only used 4-1/2 C milk. And I skipped the rose petals!

Put the rice and 4-1/2 cups of the milk in a heavy-bottom pan. Cook gently at simmering point for 45-60 minutes until most of the milk is absorbed. Add the remaining milk (M’s note: I did not add the additional milk.) and golden raisins, if using.

Leave until completely cold, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

Stir in the cream.

Turn into small dishes and serve cold, sprinkled with slivered almonds or pistachios. Decorate with rose petals.

22nd Dinner Club: Indian Summary

Upcoming Events

09-Aug-2006

Sunset Supper at The Market: Friday – August 18th

First-class restaurants, wineries, breweries and beverage companies, serving their delicious creations in a buffet-style setting. See the full list of participants. Proceeds benefit the Market Foundation and the human service agencies located in the Market: the Pike Market Senior Center; Pike Market Childcare and Preschool; Pike Market Medical Clinic and the Downtown Food Bank. More info here.

Restaurants for Relief 2: Tuesday – August 29, 2006

This is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. A portion of the meal proceeds from the evening will to so support Share Our Strength’s continuing efforts in the hurricane damaged area. For more information and to find participating restaurants in your area check the site.

Quick and Tasty Chicken!

08-Aug-2006

Preheat oven to 375° F
Heat about 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat, just to the smoke point.
Add a good handful of fresh sage to the pan. Sauté until sage is just starting to wilt.
Add 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the pan.
Brown for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Cover the chicken with lemon slices.
Place pan in oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Soon to be Applesauce

06-Aug-2006

First Look: Amber

06-Aug-2006

This post first appeared on The Spirit World.

Axis has been reinvented as Amber. And it’s not just a name and concept change but actually new owners are now running the show. The first difference that will jump out at you is that the interior has been completely redesigned. The bar area is much larger; the bar itself is now circular and larger; and there are graceful steps leading up to the second level. This new configuration has the added bonus of opening up the sight lines throughout the restaurant – no longer is the dining room hidden back behind the bar.

It took me several attempts to get in for my first look, as every time I’d pass by the bar would be jam packed! And, although one of my favorite bartenders now works here on previous visits I didn’t see him and so decided to move on. Both of those things changed a couple weeks ago. M and I stopped by on a night when there was plenty of room at the bar and as a bonus Kirk was working that night, too!

The drink menu is pages long. What they show online is merely a sampling of their offerings. What is interesting is that they have both a mix of old classics and new, fruity, youngster (as I like to think of them) cocktails. M ordered a Margarita which she really liked.

I had a Blood Orange & Vodka concoction (I neglected to record the actual name) which was also good. The one thing I did not care for about it was the use of the colored crystal sugar around the rim. Although this touch does add a festive look to a glass, in most cases it just adds too much sweetness to the cocktail, as it did for this one. Once I cleared a space on the rim, the underlying drink was tasty, though.

We also ordered a couple of appetizers.

The Angus Beef Skewers with Horseradish Sauce were yummy! Beefy with caramelization, cooked until tenderly medium they were perfect with the horseradish sauce. My only suggestion on this would have been to make the sauce even more horseradish-y, but then again I like pure unadulterated horseradish so I might not be the best one to make this call!

We also tried out the BBQ Prawns.

These are wrapped in a smoked bacon and then grilled to perfection! The yin-yang of the salty bacon with the sweet prawns was a perfect combination. They were served with house-made barbecue sauce on the plate. This sauce was very good – spicy and tangy with a hint of sweet – but I thought that it overpowered the delicate prawns. It was, however, great with the beef! And so we cross poliinated our plates for a wonderful taste experience. I like the look and feel of Amber.

Next time I’m in, I’ll probably stick with the more classic cocktails. And I’m definitely looking forward to trying more menu items! They have a Happy Hour which seems to include drink specials but I’m not sure about food – guess I’ll need to check that out! It runs 4pm-6pm daily with $5 well drinks and $3.50 drafts.

Amber 2214 1st Ave.

Belltown

Seattle

206.728.8500

Umi Sake House

05-Aug-2006

M and I made a stop by Umi Sake House a couple weeks ago. We wanted to check out their Happy Hour specials. This was our first visit since the pre-opening party we’d attended in late May. Everything had been so great that night – would they be able to maintain the quality during real service?

And the answer is definitely YES! And, the Happy Hour is such a great value that it will be hard not to go back again! We both ordered Sushi Set B, which was four beautiful pieces of sushi with a side of a lovely seaweed salad. The pieces were very generous (although that might have been slightly influenced by our sitting right at the sushi bar and talking with the chef; it’s hard to tell) and it was beautifully presented.

Sushi Set B contains one each tuna, salmon, yellowtail and albacore. And – sit down for this – it’s only $5! What an amazing bargain. Sushi Set A adds eel to the mix. There are plenty of other options available on the Happy Hour menu – various rolls, tempura and short ribs, just to name a few options. A couple of beers and sakes are also on the Happy Hour menu.

If you haven’t yet tried this new establishment I really suggest you check it out soon. I think their menu and quality make them a place to visit at any time but Happy Hour certainly is an extra special bonus!

Umi Sake House

2230 First Ave

Belltown

Seattle

206.374.8717

More Apples!

04-Aug-2006

Over the next few days apples are going to run my life. And that is good – I love apples and all the great things that come from them! Yesterday I whipped up a little, personal size apple crisp. As I’ve mentioned before, I keep a bag of crisp topping in my freezer so that I can easily throw yummy fruit desserts together with very little effort. So that’s just what I did yesterday – peeled, cored and sliced a couple of little apples then covered them with crisp topping…

and after 30 minutes I had a beautiful, golden, crispy crisp! The only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been a scoop of vanilla ice cream topping the warm crisp right out to the oven! Unfortunately, the only ice cream I had on hand was a batch of blueberry that I made a couple days ago. I mean, it’s good but not right for apple crisp topping! ;-)

First Look: Perche’ No Pasta and Vino

02-Aug-2006

Many of you may know Perche’ No from it’s location on lower Queen Anne. And if you’ve had the opportunity to try it out, you’ll know how good the food is there. Well, the good news is that they now have a second location just south of Greenlake on Stone Way! Last night I attended their Grand Opening with a couple of friends and we managed to eat our way through several menu items!

This new location is large with seating both downstairs at kitchen level and upstairs looking down into the kitchen and wine bar. Upon entering you look directly into the kitchen and the activity going on there. As you look around the comfortable and colorful tables with their blue bottle of herbed olive oil invite you to sit, relax and enjoy.

The wine bar is in a cozy little corner – I can see myself stopping in there for a glass of wine and an appetizer or two. They are still in process of getting their entire wine stock in place but once they do they will offer several wines by the glass and an amazing 285 wines by the bottle! As I’m writing that I’m looking at my notes to make sure that is correct and I’m pretty certain I have that number right.

In addition to wine, they serve beer. The selection is much smaller but very interesting. And there is a nice selection of after dinner drinks – but more on that later.

I arrived a bit ahead of the others and so I sat at the wine bar and ordered a glass of 2004 Monti Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. This is a great wine – good for sipping on it’s own or perfect with earthy Italian food. It even went with the things I ordered for dinner which you wouldn’t necessarily choose to pair with a red but it is versatile enough to handle quite a wide range of foods.

Once my friends arrived we were seated upstairs where we could have a good view of the kitchen and wine bar. It was fun to spy on the comings and goings down below.

We started with a couple of appetizers. I noticed that they made their own prosciutto so my appetizer decision was easy – the house made prosciutto wrapped fresh mozzarella drizzled with balsamic reduction. We also ordered a marinated and grilled Portobello Mushroom starter.

The prosciutto was silky and rich, it actually reminded me a lot of a Serrano ham – which is a good thing, if you were wondering. It was cut a bit thicker than some prosciutto and was not quite as salty as you sometimes find. Paired with the freshness of the cheese and the syrupy sweetness of the Balsamic vinegar it provided a perfect harmony of tastes. The grilled Portobello was amazing! Earthy and meaty the flavors pulled you in and demanded that you eat more!

Next we were on to the main courses. My dining companions each chose ravioli, although two completely different types. I went a different route ordering the house special fettuccine.

Every entrée was a generous, hearty portion. One ravioli was stuffed with those same portobello mushrooms we’d had as an appetizer then finished with sage butter and drizzled with white truffle oil. Now, there was a time when truffle oil was being overdone at restaurants around town. But this was the perfect use for it. The truffle oil added an additional rich element to the earthy tastes of sage and mushroom. It was really quite decadently perfect!

I actually didn’t try the second ravioli which was Ravioli con Sugo Di Carne e Crema or, to translate, a hearty beef ravioli in a veal meat sauce with cream. It smelled wonderful and I can’t imagine it being anything but tasty.

I opted for a bit of a lighter bite – at least sort of. Homemade fettuccine wrapped it’s silken tendrils around perfectly grilled shrimp and basil and then all was lightly dressed with a cream sauce. The portion was actually generous enough for two – although I did manage to eat all the shrimp! :-)

I don’t think any of us actually needed any more at this point but what the heck, let’s just take a little look at the dessert menu…

And of course once we looked there was no going back. We first decided that we needed a little beverage to go with whatever we might order. The dessert wines were sort of hit and miss, as not everything had yet arrived, so our server brought up a sampling of bottles for us. Several of the items were house made infusions and we had a lovely time trying them all out. Now, I do need to mention that the people I was dining with are friends of the owners. But I will also say that everyone here is so friendly and wants to ensure you enjoy your experience that even if you don’t get an armload of bottles brought to your table I have no doubt that your server will work with you in whatever way they can to make sure you enjoy everything. We settled on our choice and then went to work on the dessert itself.

I tried to be semi-good and ordered Vin Santo with biscotti, however they did not yet have Vin Santo but said they could round up a biscotti for me. My dining companions both ordered a house specialty, Dolce Cioccolata Lasagna e Mascarpone or Chocolate Lasagna. Yes you read that correctly. The noodles are made with cocoa powder, (I believe) deep-fried, and then layered with berries and marscapone. Chocolate is drizzled and artistically designed for a really beautiful and tasty dessert.

Unfortunately, my photo does not do it justice so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

My biscotti was delivered to the table along with a surprise – a gorgeous plate of Panna Cotta! Not only was it gorgeous but it was light and dressed with a fresh, raspberry sauce that tasted of sweet raspberries straight from the vine. Actually, that’s not true is was better. We had several jokes at the Panna Cotta’s expense but I will leave that to your imagination when you try this lovely dessert for yourself.

Just as we were finishing up one of the owners, Lily Kong, came to the table with a split of Asti Spumante and four glasses. That sweet sparkler was a lovely ending to a wonderful meal and evening. Although it may have been a bit responsible for my dragging feet when I got out of bed this morning!

If you choose to visit over the next few weeks, remember that they are still coming up to speed on full stock – although really there were not that many gaps. Also, remember that it takes a little time for a new place to get their rhythm, as they mold servers and kitchen staff into a well-oiled unit. Although we did not experience any issues you should just be prepared to be a bit flexible.

I love the location of this new Perche’ No and, as mentioned earlier, can see myself stopping in for a quick bite and glass of wine at the wine bar or having a leisurely meal with a few friends around one of the upstairs tables. This little neighborhood area is enhanced by the opening of this business. If you are in the neighborhood you should definitely check it out. And even if you are out of the neighborhood you should plan a walk around Greenlake with a post-walk stop at Perche’ No to reward yourself for that 45 minutes of exercise!

Perche’No Pasta and Vino

1319 N. 49th St.

Seattle

Making Applesauce

01-Aug-2006

My baby apples are coming into their own. And that isn’t coming without a bit of trouble. I had a bumper crop this year.

Tons of apples. Tons of apples on branches I meant to prune earlier in the year. Tons of apples that should have been thinned that were on branches I should have pruned but couldn’t reach.

Wind storm. Broken branches with tons of apples. Oops. Time to use them up!

The branch actually broke a couple weeks ago. There were over 3 dozen apples on that one branch! Wow! They are all on the small side – from being too crowded on the branch and from being stopped short in their development. I opted to let the apples get a bit riper before doing anything with them. These are Gravensteins which is a tart apple. A green (as in not ripe) tart apple is very tart! But it was finally time to make a little batch and see what happens.

Applesauce is actually one of the easiest things to make. Follow the pictures to follow the steps.

Prepare the Apples

Core and quarter the apples. If the apples are large you may want to cut them into eighthes. It really doesn’t matter but the smaller they are the faster they will cook down.

Add just a little water to the pan – just enough to keep the apples from sticking until they start cooking down themselves.

Cover the pan and place over medium heat.

Cook the Apples

Cook over medium heat, stirring the apples occasionally. The higher the heat the more often they will need to be stirred.

Once they are totally mushy remove the pan from the heat.

Separate the Apples from the Skins

Fill a chinois about half way with apples. Move the pestle around separating out the pulp from the skins. Continue to circulate the pestle, occasionally pushing down apples, until all that remains in the chinois are skins.

Clean the skins from the chinois and repeat until all apples are processed.

Season the Applesauce

Add sugar to taste.

Some people also add cinnamon at this point but I prefer not to. If I want cinnamon I will add at the time I use it. This give you more versatility in using the applesauce.

Final Product

The color of your applesauce will vary depending on the skin color of the apples. If you have very red apples the sauce will sometimes be almost pink!

This was just a small batch but if I had made a large batch the next step would be to fill canning jars with the applesauce and then process them in a water bath.

It’s really nice to have a few jars of applesauce put away for the winter. I’ll probably do a bigger batch soon. I already have a lot of windfalls and soon it will be time to actually pick what is on the tree.