Several of the Tom Douglas staff attended Poultrygeist, created by the ever intrepid Seattle Foodies. The photo to the right shows everyone seated around the dining table including TDR Pastry Chef, Garrett, Dahlia Bakery Manager, Molly, and Dahlia Sous Chef, Adrienne. Photo left shows the duck-a-licious feast. Read more about Poultrygeist here.
Author, Michelle Maisto will be on this week’s show talking about her book, “The Gastronomy of Marriage: A memoir of food and love”
Michelle will be on this week to talk to Tom and Thierry about the joys and pitfalls of marrying a fellow foodie that has a differing palate.
Tune in at 5pm to hear the interview!
Listen to the show here!:
Lola’s chef, Angela Rudig, won “First Place Shoulder” for her Anderson Valley Lamb Shoulder, Sweetbreads, Quince, and Sumac Tagine at the American Lamb Board’s first annual Lamb Jam. Here’s a photo of Angela’s winning dish. Read Leslie Kelly’s take on Lamb Jam on her Al Dente post.
Here’s a photo of Jackie Cross with some glorious porcini mushrooms given to her by her nephew, Tommy, who found them while foraging near Ocean Shores. Jackie cooked them up and says they were DELICIOUS!
The November issue of Seattle Metropolitan magazine gives Etta’s crab cakes a rave mini review: “see the magic (Tom’s) high Dungeness to breading ratio and killer tomatillo sauce unleashes.”
Our friends, Jane and Annette, emailed us that they’ve been loving their neighborhood restaurant, Stumbling Goat, ever since it changed ownership last August. “Great cocktail list and the food is better than ever,” they said, which was all the encouragement we needed to make a date for dinner together.
On a rainy Friday night, Stumbling Goat was lively and jamming. The familiar red room was cozy and comfortable, though it also seemed a little brighter and more open, a little more modern, than I remembered it.
As promised, the cocktail list was very cool, and I ordered a tasty French 75. I liked the mussels, served in a light broth of Champagne and curry, and loved Frank’s wild boar rillette (photo right). Presented in a glass jar with 2 mustards and dabs of sauces, the rillette had perfect texture and good flavor, lush enough but not overly fatty. Also on the table: a beet salad and wild mushroom soup- both very nice.
For an entree, I had the sugar pie pumpkin risotto with leeks and sage (photo top left)- creamy and satisfying. Frank enjoyed his very tender and juicy pork tenderloin with curried farro. Our friends ordered the salmon and the New York steak. Everything was cooked and plated with care; everyone was happy. In fact, the whole joint seemed to buzz with pleasure, but that might be the combination of my French 75 and a lovely bottle of Matello Pinot Noir 2006, Willamette Valley.
Since we are diligent, dutiful eaters, we saved room for dessert: a light, flan-like bread pudding, a rich flourless chocolate cake (photo middle left), and a trio of ice creams (photo bottom left)- chocolate, Grand Marnier, and huckleberry with a perfect chocolate cookie- crackling and crinkled with sugar on top and soft in the center- all of which made a fitting end to the meal.
I plan to return soon. Maybe for a hip Old Fashioned and Stumbling Goat roast chicken?
Popping into Dahlia Bakery today, these picture-perfect loaves of Gwen’s (Gwen LeBlanc: genius bread baker in residence) apple sourdough caught my eye. If you haven’t been to the Bakery recently, I want to tell you it has never looked more adorable or been as adorably packed with delicious products. Bakery manager, Molly, and Dahlia Sous Chef, Adrienne, have been pouring energy into the place, and it shows.
Also, when you stop by, you’ll want to pick up your hot-off-the-presses Dahlia Bakery Holiday Menu 2009!
Have you been checking out the list of our favorite blogs that you see on the right? Here’s what caught my interest today:
Mixed Greens by Poppy and Sally (a blog I discovered only recently) focuses on living lightly, sustainability, and Seattle area food, environment, and garden stories. Plus, the photos are top notch. I like today’s story, “Hats off to Johnny,” which explains how Sally’s city lot, located where a 100 year old orchard called Goocher’s once stood, still has three “gnarly but productive” old apple trees. The post includes interesting musings on the historical figure Johnny Appleseed, a good looking recipe for Waldorf salad, and a heads-up about a PBS two-hour film on Michael Pollan’s Botany of Desire scheduled for October 28 on Channel 9.
I’m getting addicted to visiting food52. First off, I file away in the back of my brain Merrill’s recipe for Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Creme Fraiche and Herbs as a possible Thanksgiving side dish. Next, I must check out which cookbook won the Piglet Tournament today: Food writer Harold McGee chooses Seven Fires, Grillling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann over New York Chef Adam Perry Lang’s Serious Barbecue. Most often I think both books look great, but somehow I have to know who won. Thirdly, I’m excited about the upcoming Throwdown with Cooks Illustrated. Guess who I’m rooting for (hint: it’s not The Bowtied One.)
My daily (often thrice daily) visit to Serious Eats leads me to the Chicago Tribune’s list of “10 Bad Dining Trends” of the last decade. I agree with almost all of them, so, please chefs, no more deconstruction and no more foam, and please fast food joints, no more “proudly obnoxious” quadruple-burger-1500-calorie menu items!
If you bought a kabocha squash and don’t know what to do with it, Hogwash’s Jess Thomson has a gorgeous cake recipe for you accompanied by her (as usual) terrific photos.
Lastly, I was heartened to find this news on Grist that the FDA “is fast tracking its own efforts to set ground rules for front of packaging nutrition labels” in response to Big Food’s often deceptive “Smart Choice” labels.
There’s more; there’s always more. Have fun exploring our favorite blogs and send me your favorites.
The first two things I ever made were popcorn and pumpkin pancakes, way back in my preschool days. (Photo bottom left is the actual sign from my preschool. Top photo is my son, Everett, helping make pancakes.) Popcorn is now in my top five favorite foods, and every year in the fall I still make the pumpkin pancakes from the same recipe I used way back then.
Pumpkin Pancakes:
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil, as needed for cooking pancakes
In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, and oil. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a separate bowl. Then stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
After many weeks of canceled or shortened shows due to the Sounders, we’re back with a full-length 3 hour show! We expect it to be nothing less than non-stop rollicking food fun.
This week on “In the Kitchen” we check in with Ms. Amy Pennington of GoGoGreenGarden about… <insert drum roll> POTATOES! Yes, it’s the first crop of the year, so we’re going to honor its grand entrance by chit chatting about one of our most beloved vegetable staples.
Mike Teer of Pike and Western will also take a little time out of his day to drop some wine knowledge on the team. This week he’ll be talking about a favorite nebbiolo from a great Piemontese producer.
This week on “In the Kitchen” we’ve also got special guest….
Author of the book “Seafood Alla Siciliana”, Toni Lydecker! She’ll be on the phone to chat with Tom and Thierry about her new book which takes readers along with her on a Sicilian odyssey where she explores the island’s culinary history with seafood.
All this plus we’ve got trivia, a new lady reporting from the food streets of Seattle and prizes, and your calls!
Listen to the show here!:
RSS SubscribeWelcome to Family Meal, a blog that examines all things new and noteworthy in the world of food, wine, and dining.
At family meal, otherwise known as staff meal, there’s no hierarchy; you’re breaking bread with your friends. For those 30 minutes, everyone is equal- and hungry. Family meal is our version of the water cooler- but with better food.
I’ll be sharing my thoughts, tips, and observations, and, in the spirit of family meal, I’ve invited our creative, energetic staff- everyone from line cook to bartender to bookkeeper- to have a say. I hope you’ll add your own comments and join in the conversation.
-Tom Douglas
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