not about food. at all.

this might give you my drift... a great photo of the view in my favorite park. in walla. had an amazing trip in a town full of friends and fun and memories. started imagining myself back in that place. and just got carried away with that. came home and had a few days of realizing that i need to be here.

as hard as things are here right now, i am coming to see that it is such a special time to spend with jenna and the rest of my family. this is the time that makes what it means to be a family so special. the closeness and the support and the trust. i find myself enjoying a lot of this time lately, especially with jenna. knowing that i can make her laugh and that she can trust me and that we stimulate eachother and challenge eachother. a lot of this year has put a bit of a strain on our connection and the easy way that we have had with eachother. since i have returned from my trip, it is connection central. talking and laughing and daydreaming and lots of love.

i feel like i have been on a bit of a ride the past month or so, since discovering that jenna had relapsed. since starting to doubt my abilities to hang here, to be such a witness to all the pain and the scary parts. scary because she is my bestie, my sister: so many things that i can't imagine... then trying out the possibility of moving back across the country to a place where i remember being able to choose what i participated in with my family. coming back and quitting my job and realizing that i have the time and energy to be a really great friend and caregiver to the girl, and support staff for the parentals. also, there are finally great friends here now too, people who are right there, ready to hear all about it and to just be with me. a ride and a half.

i have been visualizing lots lately. for my own sanity and i also do some with jenna outloud. for a few days i have been giggling at the visual of watching myself on a rollercoaster like the RACER, just watching myself go up and down the hills and around the turns, moving at a great speed, with all the jerky, awkward movements that slam you around on that ride. it is kinda in a fun way, since that is such a rush, how can you not smile, knowing that it will be over and the feeling in your stomache will be still when you get back on the ground.

i guess in the meantime, i am going to try to send all the love out and try to get some in and just be a little more still and listen to what will bring me that grounding. here with this FAMILY.

and i have turkey stock from thanksgiving. something is going to happen on that stove tomorrow.

in a jiffy!

i have a fondness for all things JIFFY. growing up, dad would make dinner with us every night. us girls usually got some kitchen practice with the JIFFY. measuring the eggs, milk, oil- whatever goes in those mixes. we were cracking up the other night about how we would eat the sweet ones with savory dinner- blueberry, apple cinnamon, etc. with pop's interpretations of chop suey, lazy chicken, etc.

the last night in walla we went out to the farm for a big fire, some hot chili and cornbread. i cooked bacon in the cast iron skillet. chopped jalapenos, red onions, bell peppers. chopped bacon into bits and stirred all that goodness into the JIFFY cornbread batter. got rid of some of that bacon fat in the skillet and baked the mess right in there. good.

a soup

this is a good one from the walla trip. started like a french onion soup-ish. lots of onions, leeks, garlic, shallots. in butter. deglazed with some red wine. added beef stock. cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and chard. so hot and hearty and ate with a big chunk of wheat bread and some goat cheese. don't you love that spoon?

walla walla, part 2

i have some pictures from parts of this week, i promise. things are looking pretty boring on this page!

had an invigorating bike ride to the roastery EVERY morning of the trip, besides the sundays when they are closed. sooo good. and i got to make some of my own americanos! nice to get behind that pretty machine! took my book with me everyday, thinking i'd sit quietly and read. but this being a great hub of activity, it turned into a wonderful social hour, or two. on to the rest of the week:

monday enjoyed soup at home. made THE MOST PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE EVER. because that is what i do. for dipping, tomato basil soup.

tuesday was katherine's birthday. great excuse for dinner at saffron. we had kobe beef cheeks, patatas bravas, and pulpo a la fiera: grilled octopus dredged in pimento/paprika/warm red heat powder. for dinner i shared "pillows of heaven in a forest full of elk" or the best, lightest then dense-without-being-heavy, melt in your mouth gnocchi with chestnuts, mushrooms, green olives and elk ragu. and shared flatbread with bacon and some other stuff on it. i think cheddar cheese, washington apples. sensory overload after the gnocchi. ben gave me a few bites of lamb. the details are fuzzy.

wednesday. hmm. i am trying to remember what i ate on wednesday and i just can't.

thursday back to brasserie 4 for a dinner date. ate pretty minimally, as this night i just wanted to talk with two of my most favorite people. enjoyed frenchy fries, a pureed brussel sprout soup and the conversation.

friday i got caught in the rain on my way to lunch at sweet basil. on the bike. in the cold. never quite recovered, so headed to pho sho for dinner. the house special with meatballs, thin slices of beef, steamy broth, noodles and lots of sriracha had me feeling warm and toasty. this is my favorite place to eat alone with a book. and i got some reading time in.

saturday and sunday we did some home cookin'. as you can imagine, i started itching for some cooking time... so more about the rest of the week later!

walla walla! part 1

been eating real good out here, don't you worry about a thing.

felt super adventurous to leave the seattle airport during my layover. rode the bus to the market and walked around. got coffee and an amazing cookie. people watching and rain. then back and onto a small plane with charles smith (food and wine winemaker of the year!), kyle mclachlan (twin peaks!) and a bunch of tourists. picked a good weekend.

arrived friday night and was eating bun at pho sho about an hour later. a cold vietnamese salad with lots of fresh greens, sprouts, basil and cilantro. fried tofu and a peanut sauce.

saturday morning rode my favorite bike out to the walla walla roastery. had a perfect cappucino. their coffee has always given me the most powerful sensation: a tingle, almost poprocks sort of physicality to the taste. and then a rushing current that i can feel in my body. electric espresso!

that evening, we ate at brasserie four, which opened right before i left. it was great then and now seems more mature and comfortable in its own skin. chicken pate with apples, figs, honey and pickled onions. apparently i was moaning. for dinner, duck confit pizza. really great crust, fried egg on top, etc. more moaning!

sunday morning i went back to b4 for an americano. they use stumptown and it was amazing. a perfect bar for waking up and reading the paper. later, since the tourists were gone, we felt free to head out to waitsburg to whoop em up hollow cafe and jimgermanbar. this whole experience was so highly anticipated, that i really couldn't help but think that i was blowing it out of proportion. with the early sunset, it was already dark for the ride. really great moon and blazing stars. i miss you stars!

at the whoop: fried catfish. a big pile of greens, beans and rice. just like the first time i ever ate there. then to jgb and had jim make me something. i couldn't decide, it was overwhelming to walk into a space that i have spent so much time thinking about. soon i had a cocktail. barolo chinato. a perfect choice, knowing that i love those digestif flavors. haunting and refreshing, leaving memories. and i am pretty sure it is only tuesday?

north carolina

hey y'all. not much cooking going on lately, which is fine- because in north carolina last weekend, i got to eat out, the whole time! highlights:

*izzy's for coffee.. they use counter culture beans, which i knew to be good after seriously tasting their stuff at the SCAA (coffee nerd convention) in atlanta this spring. hit their downtown asheville location twice in one day, then the one in west asheville (on a different day). both exactly the right size and feel. big fan.

*had breakfast with the band at early girl cafe. this brunch cast a spell on me. i can't stop thinking of biscuits. had a perfectly simple egg biscuit with fruit. it is nice when it is exactly right and there is no fuss.

*had porter on tap at a bar with sausages and pretzels. cincinnati, they had porter on tap at every bar we went to. get hip or you might lose me.

*an amazing breakfast in the car, picked up in durham at this bakery/restaurant with an impossible name. i have no idea how to say it, but i guess you just sound it out? guglhumf? i got a mini quiche with roasted vegetables and an almond croissant. total breakfast of champions. the bread looked so incredible. maybe next time. (ps- kit, if you read this, i thought of you the whole time i was in your neck of the woods... but it was short and sweet!)

*dinner at tupelo honey, back in asheville. i knew it would be great. enjoyed a glass of wine for a more tame evening- a chilean carmenere for rinsing down goat cheese grits, fried okra, pinto beans and a fresh salsa all in one bowl. and more BISCUITS! with a blueberry jam.

*and after that, i needed something sweet and totally overordered at the french broad chocolate shop. a local cheese plate, some truffles (you know, strawberry balsamic, indian kufi, mole negro, etc) and a press of tea. saved most for snacks the next day...

*lunched after a tour of the biltmore at the mellow mushroom. great pizza and a smoked porter before hitting the road.

sloppy potatoes

the idea was to do a scalloped-potato-casserole-ish. i went overboard on the cheese and cream. of course i did. so there was plenty of cheese sauce for bread dipping. which was really nice.

sliced the potatoes thin and layered in a casserole with red onion, a blend of some shredded hard cheeses, salt and pepper. made about 6 layers and then poured cream over top. maybe don't pour as much as i did. baked for a while, covered. then baked for a while, uncovered.

did i mention that jenner is headed back into the slammer? this was a homecooked meal for her to eat at home before she heads back in for a while. the cancer is back and she is going to go through an experimental chemo for the next few months, billed as similar to that first month. then on for a bone marrow transplant. it is hard to switch gears, finding all this out when we thought she has been in remission, heading to the finishline. boo. so we also had steaks on the grill.

as long as i am cooking for all these people who i care about, i feel ok. it is hard to know what to do to help and i guess it feels helpful to know that i can make things feel better, taste better. it is really the worst because most of the time, i can only do this part and the rest just feels so big and complicated and hard and scary. and that is from my vantage point! i try to imagine where jenna is, what i can do for her- i definitely have some condition where i am focusing on the small tasks so that i can have a break from all the big stuff weighing on my heart. shopping and chopping and cooking and cleaning. i can't wait for the day when we wake up and its sunny and warm and our hearts are light and we just laugh and laugh. and we'll just eat cotton candy and funnel cakes.

roasted carrots

washed them and threw them on a sheet pan with a little oil, salt and pepper. at 375 till wrinkled. and the stalk bite tasted the most like raw carrot. interesting.

thanksgiving planning

sometimes i have some ideas- but maybe end up losing steam before i launch them into being.. but from now until the turkey holiday i'm gonna be moving on my latest idea:

started this past stay for jenner in l'hospital. for some reason, the wing that she is usually in was full. so she stayed in the bone marrow transplant wing. and i just so happened to take a bunch of soup up there that week. while i was in the communal kitchen of that wing, using the microwaver, i met a few really nice ladies who were eating cheerios and seemed pretty friendly with eachother. as cheerios is NOT my idea of dinner, i wanted to know if they were snacking/craving cheerios/eating their version of dinner. so we chatted a bit. i gave them some pumpkin bread. and it became pretty obvious that cheerios was dinner. ugh.

i can't even go into their stories about their children who are sick. it is too much and i start crying and can't see the screen for blogging. with more chatting, i re-realized that lots of the folks that have babies and kids going through something at children's are often not from cincinnati. we live right down the street, i think it takes about 3 minutes to get there. i can usually keep food hot from here to there. i go home at night and mostly, jenna gets to be at home. so many folks are living out of the hospital so that they can be with their kid! and they are from far away and nothing about it is their life. so heartbreaking.

i'm gonna try to get a nice big thanksgiving dinner up there for whoever in that place needs some comfort. details to come.

sunday night pasta

pasta tossed in a light alfredo sauce. optional toppings- bacon. chard (pretty pink stems and dark green leaves, both) done in garlic with peas. roasted asparagus. parmesan cheese.

and sunday night tea for watching mad men: slices of orange, honey, ginger, a few shakes of cardamom and cinnamon. in hot water.

chocolate truffles for fall!

a fall inspired sweet..

i made a chocolate ganache - equal parts dark chocolate and heavy whipping cream. folded in cranberry jelly and candied orange peel. chilled the mix until it hardened and scooped with a melon baller. chilled the ganache balls until they got firm and rolled them in melted dark chocolate.

cranberry orange truffles!

thai pumpkin soup

roasted and pureed pumpkin the same way as in the previous post. in the heavy bottomed pan, i sauteed a "thai" mirepoix- onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and jalapeno. deglazed the pan with a mix of fish sauce, honey, lime juice, chile paste and some rice vinegar. added 2 cans of coconut milk and let it all hang out for a bit. i pulled out the lemongrass chunks and pureed. added the pumpkin, seasoned with salt, pepper and basil. served with fresh cilantro and green onion.

*a note: most people don't love the flavor of fish sauce, as my family let me know. for me, that fish sauce flavor takes me back to walking through markets with buckets full of dried shrimp and all sorts of other dried fishes laid out in the hot heat. definitely a trigger for sensory and authentic memories. and probably the reason why i break out in hives around shrimp these days. maybe leave out the fish sauce or just use a few drops- the soup has good flavor without it.

pumpkin quick bread, the long way

this fall family recipe calls for canned pumpkin. and i had real live pumpkins. so i cut off the skin, scooped out the seeds, cut into chunks and roasted in the oven at 375 in a light toss of vegetable oil until soft and on the way to a delicious smelling carmelization.. then i pureed. the puree is so yummy on its own. i was making all those soups at the same time and couldn't help but think about pumpkin puree, coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger cooked together into soup...

this quick bread is super easy, and this is the big batch formula: in a big bowl- 5 1/4 c. ap flour, 4 1/2 c. sugar (that's why its GOOD, or use 2 1/4 c. honey and it still would be GOOD), 3 tsp. baking soda, 3 tsp. cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 3/8 tsp. ground cloves- and i also added a nice big pinch of ground cardamom. then in a smaller bowl- 1 1/2 c. butter, 3 c. pumpkin puree, 3 beat up eggs, 1 c. water- and i added lemon zest. mix wet into dry and pour batter into greased bakery dish. bake at 350.

peas and beans

i am reading this book and all i want to eat is thick bean soup and dark rye bread. with a beer to drink.

this one has mirepoix veggies (carrots, celery, onions, garlic) all chopped to around pea size and softened in butter with some smoked ham. added stock, peas, white beans and some rosemary.

corn chowder

a favorite around here. i came home to all the ingredients and the cookbook turned to the recipe. hints.

render some chopped bacon in a soup pot. soften onions, bell peppers, garlic, jalapeno in the fat. add some flour to make it thick. add stock, cubed potatoes, corn. simmer till potatoes are soft. add a bit of cream. season. i like salt, pepper, paprika, red flakes.

this soup is good with some chives on top, maybe some cilantro. or cheddar cheese. could add shredded smokey chicken or pork for more of a stew...

pumpkin jellies

making new friends who know how to properly preserve things by canning is the best!

on the left- a savory jelly of white pumpkin, jalepeno, fennel, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, red flakes. cooked with sugar, salt and vinegar.

on the right- arrop. a spanish sauce. sweet pumpkin cooked in grape must. couldn't locate a recipe to work off of, but tried to imagine it goes like this: cooked concord grapes with a few cloves and cinnamon for the thick juice. cooked pumpkin in the juice and some red wine. added some citrus zest and juice and a touch of sugar to help it with getting syrupy.

a nice side effect: pumpkin seeds. toasted with oil and salt till you could smell them.

claire's cake

chocolate cake. caramel to soak the layers. caramel mousse between the layers. chocolate ganache on top. and i wrote on it!

caramel on corn

i was making a caramel tonight for a mousse for cake. everybody got crazy about needing to eat it, so we popped some corn and dumped the caramel on top. so good.

for the caramel.. i will try to be precise: 2 c. sugar, cover with water, maybe 1-1 1/2c. bring to a boil and let it cook till it starts to brown. try to let it get soooo close to burning up, the darker the color the better. add 2 tbsp. butter and whisk. it will bubble up, so be careful! add a cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp. salt.

the rookwood

i been meaning to post a positive review about this place. we went up there for an early dinner on a sunday. the place has been made over since most of you have probably been there. the interior is kinda douchey, like bootsy's is having a trickle down effect- but the space will always be amazing as the former home of rookwood pottery. however, it very obvious that the bartender and the chef have a great idea of what they are going for.

i got a negroni, the first one i have seen offered in cincinnati. so lets make that the first one i have had in a year. it was delish. perfectly balanced. with a bitters-soaked pearl onion for garnish. nothing too over the top. just the right drink. i was blown away, actually. so i went and talked to the bartender, who keeps lots of fresh fruit on his bar, makes his own bitters. etc. hold me back!

for appetizer: goetta hanky pankys. anyone that knows the laumers knows that we have a special place for hanky pankys. little dark rye toasts with a scoop of a warm goetta cheese mixture. they served theirs with a relish of green peppers. good thinking!

we all enjoyed our sandwiches. they had great flavor, were on great bread, weren't too over the top- just the right things together. i think i'll go back again soon to see if they maintain the restraint of keeping things real. and to try another drink- a cocktail with my name on it! i'll report on the "sierra cobbler".

HEARTS & crafts

so y'all. i been thinking on this idea. it isn't a new one, but nobody has ever asked me to be in one, so i am going to make up my own. how about a holiday craft fair?

i am thinking about using this working title "HEARTS & crafts" because i like hearts. i never really thought that i was a heart kinda girl, but when it comes time to name stuff, i can't resist...

i work with carol and she makes ceramics. she wants to sell. i want to make truffles. you know, the chocolate kind. and maybe sell some other food treats for holiday gift giving. i would love to hear from other craft-/food-/art-ists who would be interested in combining forces to have this party near the end of november/beginning of december where we could sell/trade/give eachother cool stuff for the holiday gift season.

so far, there isn't a place, date, poster, facebook event page.. but lets get together and get that stuff going! i think it seems like one of the best ideas i have come up with lately and it would be a pretty fun time, don't you think?!

potato soup

two onions, 6 cloves of garlic, 3 ribs of celery, three carrots. all chopped medium and softened in butter. about 1/4 c. flour to pull everything together in a loose roux. about 6 c. water. 8 smallish potatoes, peeled and chopped medium. cooked together till potatoes were soft. added a bunch of salt, some pepper, some paprika and some dried basil. a little bit more water, to thin out the glue like consistency. then a cup of cold milk. crispy bacon on top, because today we were toying around with the idea of becoming vegetarians.

tomato soup and grilled cheese

i am slightly embarrassed that this was dinner the very next night, after that alfredo hardly even got a chance to get outta there... comfort food. tis the season.

i made a really amazing and simple chunky tomato bisque. in my heavy bottomed large frying pan, i sauteed two big yellow onions chopped rough and about 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine- in olive oil. deglazed with some old syrah. chopped 4 big tomatoes and those went in.

then for the secret weapon- this stuff called SCHIAVONE'S hot & spicy spaghetti sauce. i get it at IGA and i have no idea if it is sold at any other place in the world. it kinda looks like maybe it is one of those things IGA keeps around for some very old customer who loves it. but now i love it too.

stewed all that for a bit, cooked the tomatoes down and doused them with salt and pepper. added a box of stock, a pint of cream and heated. pureed, but not very obsessively, then heated again.

in the meantime, griddled some cheese sandwiches for dunkin.

pesto alfredo

special request for pasta with pesto alfredo. because it is cold outside and we all need some butter and cream for insulation.

in a thick bottomed pan, melted a stick of butter and one pint of cream. shaved in lots of parmesan and used a nice canned pesto. it was a LAST minute request! over low heat, reduced the sauce while cooking the pasta, roasting the zucchini, frying the prosciutto (good god!) and toasting the bread.

tossed cooked pasta in the sauce and i feel warmer already.

red velvet cake

i got a call for a cake for this weekend, kinda short notice, but when they are calling- i can't say no! i got to pick what i did, and i choose red velvet cake. i can't find the scrap of paper that i wrote the recipe on, so we'll just talk about what i do know for sure.

red velvet cake is fun to make! there is red food coloring involved! and i didn't get it on my new shirt! this recipe made for a very moist, dense cake. which means that it was easy to work with.

i cut the cakes into layers. on each layer, i spread a bunch of strawberry juice that i got from macerating strawberries in sugar overnight. then a layer of white chocolate mousse. for covering and decorating, i made a pretty basic cream cheese frosting- then folded in a bunch of the leftover mousse. yum. good thinking, sierra.

and for those of you looking for cakes- this one is a 9" round, i bake two cakes and layer to about 4" or 5" high. i bet it serves about 20. i am charging $2 - $3 per person depending on what all is going on.

endive

this looks like a party. and it is! endive leaves used to hold a dollop of goodness: creamy cheese, lots of fresh shaved parmesan. roasted pears, carmelized onions, crispy bacon, fresh basil, a bit of paprika. a little sweet and a lot savory. the pears were too perfect, so we had to eat some fresh ones too.

tomato tarts!

same tart dough as used below. this one is "late summer tart". a basil pesto: a few cloves of garlic, a bunch of parsley, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, s & p. salted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, baby peas.

tarts!

made a whole crap ton of these little buggers. called it "early fall tart"- i'll tell you about the tart dough- but on top there was a dijon-naise. carmelized onions and fennel. mixed olives. gruyere cheese and some of the pretty fennel topper chopped up.

tart dough: 2 1/2 c. ap flour. 2 sticks of cold butter cut into little chunks. sprinkle of salt. mix it until like sand, add cold water till it comes together, less than half a cup. chilled for an hour or more, then rolled out on a floured surface. baked at 375 in the way of a pie.. with some weights, then for a few minutes without. flakey, buttery, savory.

why?

tonight i will be attending the much anticipated musical performance by one of my most favorite bands- why? so obviously this post isn't about food, but my other soul-feeder, music.

i love why? not because they went to my high school, although that does make me especially fond. i connect to this band because of the witticism and word magic in their songs- two of the skills i most prize in authors, songwriters and all other humans. also the good old-fashioned themes: the suffering of losing love and alternatingly trying to shake it/keep it close; the pain of being overly self-aware and the awkwardness that results; the constant references to the past and its present influence; wonderings about now and when...

and its somehow not as depressing as that makes it sound... think all those themes presented in a package of childlike piano and thumping drums and vocals of abstract tonality.

the only thing missing tonight will be my sweet sister. it is hard to think of her missing this show for a hospital stay. boo. we travelled together to see why? in seattle two tours ago. she got so wasted that night that we only caught the openers and skipped yo la tengo in an effort to get back to the ace hotel in one piece. how much life has changed! how much it sometimes hurts to keep living normal life without my favorite sidekick...

grape cake

to honor the end of the summer and the homesick (for walla walla) feelings that this time of year brings (the smell of ripe grapes in the air, the energy of all the good wine-making folks running around and working hard, blue skies and dry wheat fields, cool nights, bright stars....) i made this grape cake.

2 eggs and 2/3 c. sugar beaten up. 4 tbsp. melted butter, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/3 c. milk and vanilla mixed in. sifted 1 1/2 c. flour, 3/4 tsp. baking powder, pinch of salt and zest of a lemon. poured wet into dry and mixed with a spoon. folded in about 2 cups of mixed grapes. being situated in the midwest, i just scrounged up a bunch of different colored grapes. who knows the varietal: red, black and green for our purposes. cut each color into a different shape for appearances. poured the batter into a cake pan, baked about 15 minutes at 350 and then put another cup or so of grapes on top. baked until springy in the center.

i will be serving this as a sweet treat for a group this weekend. am thinking about a ginger sort of glaze for some moisture.. it is a very dense cake and could use some loosening up.

make some good juice this year, friends- here's to 2009 being a great vintage!

moerlein marzen

shepherds pie

oops. backwards photos again. i always forget...

homecooking to the hospital tonight, and the request was for shephards pie. so of course i had to make it different.

stewed onions, carrots, celery, garlic and beets in some oil. then i added the softer veggies- mushrooms, corn, peas, the beet greens, zucchini. heated up the pan pretty hot and deglazed with some red wine. then dumped in a whole carton of beef stock. cooked until the liquid was reduced to almost nothing.

meanwhile, i boiled some spuds until soft and mashed them with butter and sour cream. yum.

in a casserole, beet stew on the bottom and spuds on top. mmm. beet-y!

tamarind sorbet

gathering inspiration from my most favorite late summer cocktail, i came up with this sorbet. i can't remember what jim would call it, but as far as i can remember- and sometimes the memories of those drinks are pretty dim- it was kinda like what we called a japanese caipirinha. lemons instead of limes. but this drink also had a tamarind tincture, muddled ginger, anise garnish...

for this sorbet: juiced about 6 lemons and 6 oranges on my NEW ELECTRIC CITRUS JUICER! whoa. whenever i get myself a fun new toy like this, i just have to wonder why i waited so long. this bad boy is going to send my sorbet producing capacities thru the roof. next thing will be another freezer! ok, citrus juice.

the most fragmented recipe ever: i visited findlay market yesterday (and it was beautiful and sunny and there were tons of people there. i also got to taste DOJO gelato for the first time) and the colonel had a tub of "thai tamarind", a paste of ground tamarind and water. i mixed about a half a cup of that with an equal amount of simple syrup. tamarind syrup.

i also added about a cup of cachaca- the sugar cane liquor from brazil. a few tablespoons of orange curacao. about an inch of ginger, sliced. some cardamom pods and a few star anise. i let all this mingle together overnight, then strained and churned.

as any sorbet with an alcohol added, this one has got a great smooth texture. it is sweet, but the sweetness doesn't linger around on your tongue and get all sticky. i think that is the tamarind playing as a natural balancer. and laxative! ha.

tomato bomb

scooped out the flesh of a big heirloom tomato. mixed with basil pesto, parmesan and herbed goat cheese. then stuffed all that back in her. roasted in a hot oven until right before it split open.
dug into hot cheese, sweet summer tomato with a crispy toast.

segway catering

this segway store has been open a while, but tonight they are having a grand opening. i guess you get to have a grand opening party whenever you feel like it! cool!

they got a bunch of bites from us- i did stuffed mushrooms, some crostinis, empanadas and bites of the chocolate cake from the other day..

stuffed mushrooms: roasted them in a lower oven, about 350 with a bunch of garlic oil, salt and pepper. made a filling of creamy cheese, bacon, candied walnuts and pears sauteed in bacon fat. yup. they are pretty great.

crostinis. white bean spread: beans mashed with garlic oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and paprika. basil pesto: pine nuts, oil, balsamic and lemon juice. i did the figgy one for them too: blue cheese melted on the toast, topped with carmelized onion and fig.

empanadas: i think the dough recipe is still on here somewhere... filled them with roasted red peppers, chorizo and goat cheese. made a cilantro oil for dipping, but these are full of flavor on there own. and the crust is so nice and buttery. when they come outta the oven, i can't help but take a bite and sing "hot pocket" like mr. jim gaffigan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c9lAfXQHs careful, you might pee your pants.

for dessert: sweet little bites of that super rich chocolate cake with a raspberry for health.

PS- i heart segways

pear sorbet

roasted pears with a drizzle of honey and a few shakes off some dried lavender- until softish. mashed and soaked in a syrup of sugar and honey. strained and chilled and churned.

chocolate!

i am starting to feel like i am just posting sweet things on this blog! you have to know that i ate lots of amazing, not-sweet things yesterday. my first lunch at take the cake. moroccan chicken soup full of sweet potatoes and ginger. then a roasted vegetable salad with goat cheese on greens. and a crazy chocolate bread pudding. i was so full i was planning on making that last the whole day, until we decided to visit at city view tavern. had to get a beef bbq sandwich. with yellow cheese and slaw on top, grippos on the side.

but this flourless chocolate cake is what i made when i got home from all that. doing another catering this week (thru work) for SEGWAY! i am pretty excited about it, because whenever i see the owner of the segway shop, he lets me take a spin. and i would imagine he'll be there when i drop off the food! segway rides!

this cake is very, very easy and sooooo rich that you will definitely die a little with each bite. but it is worth it. melt 18 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, adding 12 ounces of butter. whisk together 9 whole eggs with 1 1/2 c. sugar. slowly add the melted chocolate and butter to the eggs and sugar. pour into a buttered pan and cover with foil. put the pan in a water bath and bake it till its firm at 350. let it cool and it should tip right out of the pan.

i promise i will post pictures of all the SAVORY bites that i am doing for this gig. i don't want to get a reputation as a pastry chef or anything.

clementine & cream

clementines. juiced. zested. with syrup. chilled and churned. if you guys aren't getting the picture, i don't know what else to tell you..

jenna says its just like a clementine without all the hassle!

ms. sharona was my third customer this week! i am charging $5 a pint, $10 a quart, and have been known to deliver!

website

this is not the slick website that i envision coming someday soon, but just so y'all know- i can also be found on the internets at http://www.forkheartknife.com/. if you go there, you pretty much get back here, but that's ok. sometimes its fun to go in circles.

lemon ice

a bunch of lemons, juiced with some zest and syrup. and i have started thinking seriously about an electric juicer.

radicchio

this was a good dinner especially after it started feeling so fall-like tonight... had some heads of radicchio around and was wondering what to do with them..

chopped into chunks and sauteed them till softer, deglazed with white wine and stewed in chicken broth. reduced stock and the radicchio was red brown beautiful. added some carmelized onions, gorgonzola and parmesan. perfect compliment to steak and red wine. yum.

strawberry corncakes

now that one of the gang isn't working, and the others of us are trying to be smart and resourceful, we have been eating an increasing number of sunday brunches in. this week its pancakes and i have still been thinking about those cakes from annabel's.

made the pancake batter: 2 c. ap flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 to 2 c. milk. added some pinches of cornmeal. poured on the griddle and poked with strawberries. with maple syrup from the bee keeper that uses the work compost. nice.

black/raspberry sorbet

there was this park in walla walla where i would walk everyday, sometimes twice with my code. around this time of year all the blackberry bushes would be in full fruit. code and i would start and finish our walks with a pause for some snacking on fresh berries.. so good.

the berries here are coming from the store, but this flavo flave takes me back.

cooked blackberries on the stove with sugar and water. pureed and strained and added the leftover raspberry puree from the cake. some fresh lemon juice, chambord and a bunch of syrup.

i think it would be amazing with a little lemon ice on top. might have to make two flavors again this week! come try at pizza night..

fig gelato

i cut the fresh figs into quarters and put them on the stove with some sugar. then i mashed them and strained them and added some lemon juice. warmed some milk, sugar and vanilla bean and mixed everything. chilled and churned.

it tastes so fig. when i was researching this i was looking at this fig aperitif called figoun. apparently its got vanilla, angelica- the stuff of chartreuse, oranges and red mandarins. hmm. don't know if i can get that around these parts, but i would be curious to have something in there with the fig gelato. something to add some other point of reference for depth.

cake, to go

i got a second customer! this week was busy with me dreaming and acting on getting things going.. locked in the website for my "brand" and even spent a bunch of hours trying to figure out how to set up a little website. it is passable now, linking here to my blog and giving out my digits for future customers. thank goodness a friend is going to help me get it looking a lot more, um, professional.

in the meantime, i am feeling very positive about all the extra cooking that's going on around here. this cake was really fun. the customer was at the wedding and had that cake. she wanted the exact same cake for a shower this weekend. i had a lot more fun layering this one, knowing that i would be able to make it come together.

lemon cakes layered with fresh raspberry puree (the berries are crazy good and cheap right now!) and a lemon mousse. a vanilla buttercream icing all over the outside. super sweet and light and there is lemon mousse leftover!!

BLT

shadeau ciabatta. both sides buttered. on the griddle. hellman's mayo. blue grass meats bacon. dirty knees collective tomatoes with a nice sprinkle of salt. crispy, cold romaine. i love eating food.

tomato ice cream

more tomato, used the chunky half of the preserves. heated with a quart of heavy cream and a quart of half and half. it was so thick i added a quart of whole milk too and some vanilla bean. tempered into 12 yolks and 1 1/2 c. sugar. warmed everything slowly on the stove till thicker. then chilled and churned.

even more than the sorbet, this one tastes like fall and pumpkin. then at the very end, it gives you the sweeter acid and garden taste of the tomatoes. the texture is great, it is not too sweet. and this recommended caramel sauce is a good idea.

for the caramel, i just eyeball the sugar and water, more sugar than if it was a simple syrup. cook on low till it gets a near brown, take it off the heat. then stir in some cream and some salted butter. the ny times recipe that i am working off has some of those tomato preserves in the caramel too. but oops! i already used em all...

and i just want you all to think about things when you are playing around with hot sugar. it's like my dad would say about working with electricity: you just have to have a healthy bit of fear about the whole business. getting some of that hot sugar on you will be the worst burn. so watch it!