I've MOVED!

thanks for being such wonderful readers!

i have decided to move my blog to a new host. come check me out at

http://forkheartknife.wordpress.com/

yay! love, sierra

blood orange sorbet

at findlay this weekend there were some good looking blood oranges. so i loaded up on some and had visions of a super simple sorbet- just like the pineapple one- real pure fruit flavor. juiced 6 oranges for about 1 c. juice. added maybe 1 1/2 c. simple syrup and a shot of vodka and churned. wow wow wow. true to the fruit. refreshing and with that depth and zing you expect when you open up a blood orange and are shocked by the color!

another stew. same as all the others, but different. bell peppers, onions, shallots, garlic and ginger softened in butter. added lots of seasonings- curry powder, curry paste, chili paste. added new potatoes, cauliflower, brussels, carrots, and peas. then a few cans of coconut milk and stewed for a while until everything was all soft and flavorful and added a bunch of cilantro. the le creuset is knocking my socks off with the stewing power. i'm going to eat it tonight over basmati rice.

beet bites

on a stone thrown cracker from kimi in walla walla: beets blanched in salty water and sliced. drunken goat cheese. a plop of spicy zydeco mustard from the findlay market mustard king.

also on a cracker: a chunky dip of artichoke hearts. blanched, diced beets. mustards. mayo. lots of different shredded cheeses. lots of paprika and warmed til melty and gooey. the beets make it a crazy pink color that will maybe scare people away from it- more for me!

rumaki!

bacon! this is a wonderful appetizer in time for the SUPER BOWL! i made them yesterday for a birthday party celebrating one of my most favorite people...

this is a retro appetizer and i have never had authentic housewife rumaki- but this is how i imagine based on my research of the topic..

the first step is marinating water chestnuts in the special sauce. i do some garlic and ginger in a liberal amount of a lighter oil: vegetable, canola, salad oil. to that, i add about a cup of soy sauce, and a cup of red wine vinegar. from here, you can go a few ways based on how sweet/savory/spicy you want things to go. i added about 6 tbsp. brown sugar, 4 tbsp. ketchup, 4 tbsp. sriracha, 2 tbsp. chili paste, salt and pepper. this gives a sweet heat.

then i cut bacon in half and cook at 350 on a sheet pan for a few minutes. soft enough to work with, but getting the cooking started. maybe 5, 7 minutes? when it cools a bit, i put the water chestnut in the middle, wrap the bacon around both sides and stab with a toothpick through the center. i place these bundles on the sheet tray and sprinkle with brown sugar and bake at 400 until crispy.

meanwhile, put the sauce/marinade on the stove and cook it down a bit. this thickens the sauce, intensifying the flavo flave.

for serving, you could have the rumaki on a tray and dip in the sauce OR put everything together, which is what i did last night. smokey crisp bacon, crunchy water chestnut and a sauce that starts a warm burn on the way down.

pineapple sorbet

i have been enjoying lots of pineapples and they have been tasting SO good! like the taste of sunshine. i like to make jokes about the fruit curing me of wintertime induced scurvy. that is silly. but you guys know what i am talking about: mouth transportation from winter and cold and blah straight to sun and warm and tan.

this one was super easy. i cut off the skin and cut out the core and pureed the fruit. i strained the puree and got about 3 cups of juice. i added about 2 cups of simple syrup and maybe a large shot (2 oz.) of vodka for that smooth texture.

it is so wonderful. and in a way, delicate: when i pureed the pineapple, there was the juice and then this light, floating sort of foam that formed on the top. when churned, it made for such a wonderful, airy texture and color.

gypsy stew

i think that i was supposed to take the "le creuset" sticker off the front of my new pot, but i am just soooo in love with it that i went ahead and cooked with it on there...

i had a bunch of cous cous left from the other night and was thinking all day about a sort of gyspy soup (like from myra's dionysus) and having that cous cous , etc.

it turned out much more like a stew, since i just had a bit of stock and tons of veggies. softened fennel, onions, celery, shallots, jalapeno and garlic first. added a big can of diced tomatoes and a can of garbonzos. carrots, sweet potatoes and some stock. seasoned with lots of hot curry powder, smokey paprika, some cumin, a touch of cinnamon and lots of salt and pepper. simmered that for a long time then right before i was ready to eat, i tossed in a bunch of green beans and fresh spinach.