Favorite things: Putumayo Presents: Acoustic France

The only time I ever got a speeding ticket I was listening to music on the radio. Not long after I switched to NPR and have stayed out of trouble ever since. While driving and music are subjects that have been explored in detail, lately I've been thinking about food and music, specifically music in the kitchen and music in the dining room.

On my mother's birthday last month my family and I ate at Ad Hoc in Yountville. Dinner was delicious, though nothing earth shattering. But the music was way too loud and like that day I got pulled over, it distracted me. In the dining room I like background music. If I notice it, that's a good sign it's too loud. Meals are a precious time for me to catch up and connect with my dining companions, not to rock out. If you are a chef and want the music loud, that's fine, just please, keep it in the kitchen.

Speaking of kitchen music, I just love the new Putumayo Presents:Acoustic France CD. It's filled with jazzy, catchy, happy French songs with lush and tasty vocals and influences from as far away as Latin America. But here's the catch, because the lyrics are in French, I find it less distracting than most music. I can't promise listening to it will help you to cook as brilliantly as Jacques, but during this period of intense recipe development it's helping me to pay strict attention to detail and keep my wits about me! Of course it also doesn't hurt that in the liner notes there is a recipe for Banana and Lime Sole from famed French chef Michel Troisgros. That actually might help your cooking.

So what about you? Any preferences for music, in the kitchen and the dining room? I'd love to hear what you like or conversely, what you don't.

grilled cauliflower....

the filets were done, sitting at rest.....the grill vas HOT !...i had aldente steamed cauli sittin' there, so i sliced 'em and sizzled them on the grill for a sec (or two...) i drizzled a trace of soy on (while searing) and that was it...turned out really good...i'll try it again, but next time with a little thought behind it.

they look something out of the deep sea....

soy glazed sugar snap peas.....

the snap peas are so fresh and crisp right now..will they go out of season soon? what will i do? my fav way to cook them is....in a skillet, on high with a bit of spray olive oil add the peas. drizzle a bit of sesame oil on peas and stir. sprinkle garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. after things get hot again, drizzle with soy. this will quckly turn into a glaze. stir that a bit 'till done to likeness. i prefer them VERY cruchy, so i remove them pretty quick. i remove them from the hot skillet because they will continue to cook. the idea would be to keep the SNAP to the SNAP PEA!

Minor Annoyance

It seems that regardless of the way I format my blogs when I write them, they are coming out as a big, solid block of words, with no spacing or separation. I apologize if it's bugging you as much as it's bugging me. Blogger seems tempermental about they way it's going to set up your blogs, so hopefully this won't be an issue for long.

Lettuce Wraps

If you ever go to Cheesecake Factory, you MUST try the lettuce wraps. They are meant to be eaten as an appetizer, but I like to enjoy them as my main course. I like them a little better than PF Changs, just because they are fresher and have much more substance. They also come with three choices of sauce, all of them AMAZING!

But, if you're not planning to go to Cheesecake Factory any time soon, here is my version of the lettuce wrap. I love them in the spring and summer, they are delicious and very healthy.

This recipe can serve 1-4 people, and they store great as leftovers

1 head butter or bib lettuce (you can use iceburg, but it's not near as flexible and velvety as bib or butter)

1-2 cups cooked chicken, either coursely chopped or sliced

1-2 cups shredded carrots

1-2 cups bean sprouts

1-2 cups shredded red cabbage

1-2 cups cooked soba, rice, or spaghetti noodles

1-2 cups salted peanuts

1/2 cup chopped cilantro, if desired

Favorite asian dipping sauce-peanut sauce is my favorite, but there are sweet chili sauces, cilantro sauces, etc that are delicious. Have fun discovering.

Take one lettuce leaf and fill with following ingredients. Either drizzle sauce on top, wrap and eat, or use sauce to dip lettuce wrap. SO GOOD!

This would be an easy and fun food to entertain with, people are always pleasantly surprised with how good they are despite their simplicity.

1-2

Asian Salad (sorry about the lack of pics)

When I was fourteen or fifteen my mom took me to The Garden, which sits on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building in SLC. I ordered an Asian Sesame salad, which has obviously left a big enough impression to be blogging about it now. It was so good that I would just CRAVE it. Everytime I made it up there, it was the only thing I ordered. I've never been able to completely recreate it, but this is my best attempt. When making salads, try using the freshest ingredients you can, it can really determine how good your salad turns out.

(I didn't post measurements because it's a salad and I trust you can figure it out yourself)
Any salad greens
drained mandarine oranges
waterchestnuts
grilled chicken, sliced (if you're not in the mood to grill chicken, you can purchase it sliced and grilled already, it's in the lunchmeat section)
sliced almonds
cooked rice noodles (reg spaghetti, or soba noodles work too)
sliced scallions
red pepper sliced
chow mein noddles
sugar snap peas
edamame
favorite asian sesame dressing (there are a lot of good ones out there, and regular peanut sauce would work too)

Lemonberry Tarts

I went through this whole obsession with tarts a few month ago for some reason. So, I really wanted to make them at one of my parties, but to make them in the usual mini-tart pan with homeade tart dough was not going to work with my chronic laziness, so I found this shortcut instead. They didn't quite turn out as pretty as I liked, but they were delicious! If you haven't had lemon curd before, it's time you discover it!

Lemonberry Tarts

1-2 store bought pie crusts

1-2 cups lemon curd (recipe below)

1-2 cups sliced strawberries, raspberries, whatever you prefer.

Grease a mini muffin pan. Allow your pie crusts to warm to room temperature. Unroll pie crust and use either biscuit cutter, or round glass or jar to create your individual tart. Place each crust into mini muffin tin to create a cup shape. Poke holes in the bottom and side with a fork. Bake as instructed on the box.Allow the crusts to cool completely. Fill each tart with lemon curd (1-2 TBS). Top each tart with berries to cover the top (mine were only big enough to fit one sliced strawberries). Chill and devour!

(I borrowed this recipe from Joy of Baking)

Lemon Curd Recipe:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)
1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces
Note: Room temperature lemons provide more juice. After squeezing, strain the juice to remove any pulp. Zest is the yellow, sweet-flavored outer rind of the lemon. A zester or fine grater can be used to remove the rind. Cold lemons are much easier to grate. Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it sits too long.

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Little Helpers

I love finding unique spices, oils, marinades etc. when I can. Just a flavored oil can completely change the taste and style of an everyday meal. I have used the basil oil to roast chicken, coat pasta and dip bread. I also love the spices for meats, breads, veggies and stirfrys.

These types of things can also be made with little effort with some of the things you have in your cupboards already. You can flavor your oil by adding a few cloves of fresh garlic and some sprigs of rosemary to your oil. Or just blend oil and fresh basil. You can create your own spice blends just by experimenting a little bit, and there are loads of recipes out there for sauces, marinades and dry rubs you can make yourself. It's always more rewarding and fun when you can create something successful and call it your own!

Club Pasta

I've already posted this recipe on my regular blog, but I had to post it on this one because I LOVE this dish. I made it one night while just trying to clean out my cupboards. Since then I have made it several times, the family loves it. The measurements are estimates, I pretty much throw in what I have, so be sure to make it according to your own taste. Enjoy!

Club Pasta

1-2 cups of favorite small pasta (bowties are my fave, but macaroni, penne, rigatoni, small or med shells also good)

8-10 medium tomatoes seeded and dices (use vine ripened if you can)

2 garlic cloves

1-2 cup diced cooked chicken or turkey

1/2-1 cups bacon bits (I really like the FRESH store bought bacon bits, but stay away from the dehydrated salad toppings)

1/2-1 cups shredded mozzerella or provolone cheese

1/4-1/2 cups parm cheese

1-2 TBS fresh parsley if available,

garlic salt and black pepper to taste (I put garlic salt in just about everything!)

Prepare pasta according to directions. In 1-2 TB olive oil saute tomatoes, and garlic for 1-2 minutes, until both are soft. Add chicken, bacon bits pasta and cheeses. Season with pepper and garlic salt to taste. Add parsley right before serving. Enjoy!

ahh...brussel sprouts and haricot verte...ya either love 'em or ya hate 'em...but man....if your a newbie, stay out of the kitchen while they're cooking. my suggestion is have someone else do the job....

ok...now THIS was g o o d !....seared soy cod with all these fresh veggies....the brussels were perfect and the baby squash almost too cute to eat....but i did !

All about Peaches

I have no children, not even a dog or a cat. But I'm considering adopting. Adopting a peach tree that is. Near Fresno, farmer Mas Masumoto and his family grow lovely heirloom varieties of peaches including Sun Crest and Elberta. Their peaches are organic, fragile, absolutely delicious and only available by adoption.

Now I have to admit, I am totally and completely biased towards peaches. They are high in dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin C but that's not why I love them so much. Soft, juicy, fuzzy, fragrant and ever so pretty to look at, peaches are the sexiest fruit around.

Because the Elberta variety is so delicate, Mas Masumoto sells his peaches in a most unusual way, he allows people to adopt a tree and harvest all the peaches for personal use. That means a commitment to go to the farm and pick peaches the moment they are ready. A single tree produces 400 to 500 pounds of peaches and the cost to adopt a tree? $500. Each year there are more applications than there are peach trees and so only the most deserving get the dribble-down-your-chin experience.

This year I lucked out, a new friend and colleague gave me eight precious peaches from her adopted tree. What will I do with them? Probably just eat them out of hand. But here are some of my favorite things to do with peaches:

* Fill peach halves with goat cheese and sprinkle with some chopped candied pecans

* Grill or roast peach halves, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve with pork chops

* Make a salad of peaches and arugula

* Combine peaches with raspberries in a cobbler or crisp

* Slide a few slices into sparkling wine

* Cool off with peach melba

* Combine peaches with green onions, cilantro and jalapenos to make a salsa

* Wrap peaches, grilled or raw in prosciutto

If you don't have access to these peaches, you may want to check out a book written by the farmer, Epitaph for a Peach Four Seasons on My Family Farm.

so this morn, like every other morning, i had my usual......"homemade"non-fat yogurt, 1/2c. Fiber-One cereal, 3oz blueberries, 3oz nectarine drizzled with sugar free maple syrup..it's so deelish and filling. i'm sure i'll get sick of it at some point, either that or the blueberries will just get toooo dang ex$pensive!...oh, and i always have 5 egg whites as well...sounds like a huge breakfast, but it's not......
i would go on to tell you how to make yogurt, but the best thing to do is google "homemade non fat yogurt" and you'll find a few easy instructions that will fit your need...one secrect extra thing i do is...add a packet of plain geletin to the milk as you are heating it...i do this to make it just a tad thicker, and it still stays creamy....

also, i have yet to invest in a yogurt maker...i know by the time i finally get one, i'll probably be done with the whole yogurt obsession....i use the oven to incubate...it takes about 8-10 hrs.......one more tidbit of advice is to really pay attention to your temperatures....

......you don't want to "kill your kultures!"...

Sesame Soy Seared Talapia

tonight was sesame-soy seared talapia.....always comes out perfekt. i get the talapia from costco. it's individually flash frozen-wrapped, so you can do just one at a time. lightly brush fish with sesame oil. sprinkle with a touch of soy use your own judgment, but don't soak it...season with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. let it sit for 5-10 min....i use a non-stick pan, so 'lightly' spray oil the pan and get it really hot....don't burn the oil...sear one side of the fillet...watch it and when you think that side is done....flip it and turn off heat...cover pan and get your other stuff ready for plating...by the time you're ready the fish will be done...enjoy oh yeah....don't forget to sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds...

so this is my very first blog EVER !...i'm a newbie....i think i'll just posts pics and comments, how-to's and where to get's about stuff i'm eatin', seein', smellin'...then maybe i'll get some stuff from viewers and friends to share as well....


These first few pics are some of my favs. i'm not gonna say what it is, but i will tell you i eat them everyday ....

i'm having sooooo much fun with these things i can't stop making them and shooting them and getting other people hooked.....like they're starting to JONES for 'em...

Cabaret Brewed Chocolate

I remember first smelling the scent of coffee roasting in North Beach. I was a teenager and it was exotic and intoxicating like the City itself. Even though I didn't drink coffee, I loved that smell. Over the years whenever I've smelled fresh coffee, especially during roasting, it's been a combination of soothing and exciting to me, like the promise of something wonderful and dangerous. Sadly drinking coffee has never held the romance that smelling it does.

If you take the Scharffen Berger factory tour, and I highly recommend that you do, you will more than likely be enveloped by the scent of roasting cocoa beans. It is such a warm and happy scent it reportedly makes those who work there giddy. Even a few minutes will give you a profound sense of well-being. Having taken the tour twice, I've often wondered, would it be possible to make a drink out of the roasted beans? Not the cocoa powder or chocolate, but the roasted beans themselves, like coffee?

I'm happy to say, I'm not the only one with this quirky idea. After some experimentation Rob Polevoi created what he calls "brewed chocolate." Unlike hot chocolate it is low in calories and fat and high in antioxidants and theobromine, a gentle stimulant 10 times weaker than caffeine, that is rumored to be one of the compounds contributing to chocolate's role as an aphrodisiac. Oddly enough, Polevoi claims some people who drink the beverage, which comes in slightly sweetened concentrated syrup, find it relaxing, while others find it uplifting. Either way, it's a very light and delicious chocolatey beverage, unlike any other.

Try it as a nightcap or instead of coffee or tea if you are sensitive to caffeine like I am. You can drink it black, with milk or cream, hot, cold, with a shot of booze, any which way you like. If you like chocolate, I think you'll enjoy it. It's currently available online, from Cabaret Foods, $14.95 for a jar containing enough syrup for 24 servings.