Last March, Valerie Easton, garden writer for the Seattle Times, approached me with her idea for a “cook’s garden” article. The photo shoot took place in my backyard late last July. I had no idea when the article would finally appear in Pacific Northwest Magazine, but here it is at last, hooray! After you follow the link to the article, click through the photos in the slide show to the right. Photos # 5, 6, and 7 are my backyard.
Logically, I know we have several weeks of winter ahead. But emotionally, I feel like spring is just around the corner. Yesterday, I noticed the ornamental cherry trees outside the Greenlake branch of the public library were blooming. Also, the vegetable seeds I ordered from John Scheepers catalog have arrived. There are always hits and misses in the garden. This year I want my best vegetable garden ever!
And of course, the NW Flower and Garden show is just next week. We’ll be there selling Rub with Love spice rub and passing out some delicious tastes. Come by and say hello.
January 31st, 2010 | No Comments »
What’s that delicious smell?? It’s Tom and Thierry cookin’ it up on “In the Kitchen”!
Today’s show is filled to the brim with a cornucopia of delights. After T & T get settled into their studio chairs with their headphones snuggly in place they’ll catch up on this week’s food news. We’ll also talk with Thierry to see how his new restaurant, Luc, is moving along!
Amy Pennington, author of the soon to be released book “Urban Pantry” will be chatting with the guys about another cupboard staple: HONEY. This bee-treat can be use in a multitude of ways, and Amy’s going to give you a few great examples.
Today on “Delicious/Not Delicious” Tom’s worst nightmare: a kombucha tasting. This beverage, often touted as having great health benefits, will be put to the test. We’ve got a few different brands and flavors for Tom and Thierry to try.
We will also be graced through the phone lines by our guest, Rose Levy Beranbaum. Most people know her from her famous book, “The Cake Bible”, but Rose will be on to talk about her new and acclaimed book, “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes”. She’ll be prepping us for Valentine’s day by sharing her gorgeous recipe for Rose Red Velvet Cake.
Mike Teer of Pike and Western Wine Shop will be calling in from his shop to talk about a lovely Chardonnay from the Columbia Valley. This wine was originally sold at $27.99, then it dropped to $19.99 at most retailers, but is being sold at Pike and Western for $16.99.
Producer Katie O is out tonight with her gal pals celebrating… well, the fact that it’s a Saturday. She’ll be coming live from a sweet little spot called the Fort St. George in the International District.
All this PLUS trivia and prize galore. Not to mention your phone calls!
Listen to the show here!:
First hour
Second hour
Third hour
January 30th, 2010 | No Comments »
Dateline, Dahlia Lounge:
Well, Little Tastes of the Dahlia last night was absolutely wonderful! We learned about momma and baby cows, dry-agin’, corn-feedin’, where the short rib is located, and so, so much more from Will Homer of Painted Hills Natural Beef, while our irrepressible chef, Brock Johnson, popped his head in from time to time to wax nearly poetic on topics ranging from the cross-cut to the perfect mashed potato. Let’s just say we may be going into the beef jerky business after last night!
Giant belt buckles, branding irons, and beefy deliciousness abounded on every front. If you have not joined us for one of these events, please clear your schedule for the next in this series, scheduled for February 23rd and featuring Shepherd’s Grains.
January 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
Last night we had dinner with friends at Spinasse, located in the crowded, impossible-to-park, gourmet-ghetto known as Capitol Hill. Spinasse’s dining room is adorably cozy and European in feel with communal tables and a small bar overlooking the kitchen. (I had my eye on that cute table in the lace-curtain draped window, but when the size of our party changed from four to six I had to let it go.) It’s a delightful room, though the noise level can be quite high.
The complimentary taste that our amiable waiter brought to the table was one of the highlights of the meal: crisp little toasts spread thickly with good quality, sweet, creamy butter and topped with a tiny dice of beets and beet greens, well seasoned and lightly dressed. Delicious! What an inspired combo! I paired it with a Campari and soda and my husband, Frank, ordered a Punt e Mes. Neither of us had ever tasted this Italian vermouth before. Beautiful balance of bitter-sweet; this may become my new apertif of choice.
Next we shared a couple of mixed antipasto plates: cold pork with tuna mayonnaise, prosciutto and artichokes (photo top left), chicory salad with rabbit, an excellent beet salad with “crushed egg”, and one of my favorites- a roasted cauliflower flan with deep, smooth flavor (photo top right). I also liked the little cipollini onions stuffed with salt cod.
After the antipasti, a platter of goat cheese gnocchi with trumpet mushrooms (photos middle left and bottom left) arrived at the table. This was truly fabulous: toothsome, perfectly poached small gnocchi with a generous heap of mushrooms.
Still in the mood for pasta, I ordered a 1/2 portion of tajarin al ragu for my entree course (photo middle right). (One of the things I enjoy about Spinasse’s menu is the number of dishes which come in whole and 1/2 portions and allow for greater flexibility in building your meal.) When my plate arrived it was piled with thin, delicate pasta strands with the right amount- not too much- rich, meaty ragu coating the strands.
Pasta at Spinasse is rolled to the absolute thinnest sheet- which is thinner than we make it here at the Tom Douglas Restaurants, and thinner than the fresh pasta I’ve eaten in Italy (though I’ve never been to Piedmonte, the region which inspires the cuisine at Spinasse.) One of our friends ordered ravioli- with a lovely stuffing of winter greens and walnut- but I found the pasta dough a little too thin for my tastes. I would have enjoyed more of a play between the bite of the pasta and the texture of the filling that comes from using a slightly thicker sheet. On the other hand, though my tajarin noodles were also extremely thin– I rather enjoyed the light, almost ethereal quality they brought to what’s usually a hearty dish.
Desserts were nice too, especially, the beautifully textured almond cake with olive oil cream.
I wouldn’t hesitate to come here again; I want that little window table next time.
January 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
One of my favorite types of food is French bistro fare. I love it for its simplicity, straight-forwardness, and local ingredients. I recently had dinner at Cafe Presse and had a very memorable meal. Started out with half a dozen wonderful oysters chilled on the half shell. My salad of curly endive, pears, a lemon-oil vinaigrette, beets, and blue cheese was refreshing and marvelous (photo left). The crunchy baguette and butter was wonderful.
My main course of Oregon trout was euphoric; boneless and it came with a lemon-butter sauce, capers, and roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts (photo right). So light, so delicious, and so perfect!
The wonderful thing too about Cafe Presse is the portions. They are not monstrous- which is great. Everything is of a delightfully modest proportion, and all very affordable. You are able to have multiple dishes if you want, or just one if your appetite is light. Iam fortunate to have Cafe Presse located just a few blocks from my house on Capitol Hill, amongst other great neighborhood restaurants.
January 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
We set out for Serious Pie early to avoid the lunch rush. Good strategy because the place was jamming by noon. For a starter, we had “last summer’s beans, sardines, caramelized anchovies.” This dish features some of the local yellow wax beans preserved by the Serious Pie team last fall. The wax beans were great, with a subtle vinegar tang. The sardine was flavorful and not at all overpowering. The mellow, soft white beans balanced the stronger flavors, and the parsley leaves added the necessary bright, herbal note.
For pizza, we ordered the Yukon gold potato pizza with pecorino and rosemary. We asked for the special Tom Douglas touch- which means adding guanciale to the pizza. The pizza was marvelous- crusty pizza dough plus crisp edged disks of potato balanced with salt, cheese, herb, and oil. And Tom was right, as he usually is, that the lush, fatty bits of guanciale brought it all together in perfect harmony!
January 27th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I was raised to believe that chocolate cures everything. And it does…..
It is also perfect after every meal.
Actually, this is true of any sweet. My all time favorite is blueberry pie (or any pie), but maybe that’s because I have chocolate around all the time.
My mother is from Germany, so we have never been without chocolate in the house. The same is true to this day- thus even in my office there are plenty of sweets.
The photo to the right is my “home chocolate” stash. Most comes from Germany, from my aunt, or from Texas, where they carry tons of German chocolate (big German community there.) I love those packages.
The photo to the left is my “office chocolate” stash. The Ritter Sport is from a fellow chocolate fan in the office. Some of the other chocolates come from my home stash.
If anyone in the office needs some chocolate, they come to me (or they know where the stash is.)
January 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Here is one of my Aunt Jean’s famous pineapple filled cookies. They are so good. I grew up eating these, and during the holidays, they are always first to go. They are my favorite cookie and remind me of my childhood with every bite. Here is the recipe:
Aunt Jean’s Pineapple Filled Cookies
Filling:
1 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups(#2 can) WELL drained crushed pineapple (save juice)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup pineapple juice
Cook all ingredients together until the mixture thickens (or microwave 5-7 minutes on high). Let stand to cool. Read the rest of this entry »
January 26th, 2010 | No Comments »
Laurelhurst Market is a great example of a comtemporary Portland restaurant. It’s a hybrid- butcher shop and restaurant- which features locally sourced items. Racing back to Seattle after hitting some wineries in Dundee, I’d hoped to get in as Laurelhurst opened. I got there right at 5 and was the first one on the waitlist. It was packed! Why? Good, authentic food, simply prepared in a nice bistro atmosphere. The menu loosely follows along the path of a steakhouse and features the meats from the butcher case. It would certainly be an updated modern steakhouse with lighter sides and more finished entrees versus an a la carte service. The odd part of me eating here is that I’m eating vegetarian for January. I did not stray, but I was so tempted, and still ended up eating like a king, just not the king of meats.
January 26th, 2010 | 5 Comments »
A delicious fun Sunday morning at the Hudson!! Started the morning off with a Beer Mimosa. That’s right- Highlife, “The Champagne of Beers,” and orange juice. Housemade chicken fried steak served with awesome gravy and scrambled eggs (photo bottom). Next we tried a “BLET-” Bacon, Lettuce, Egg, and Tomato- served with French fries (photos top left and middle). And last, a Monte Cristo that melted in your mouth (photo top right). Yummy! It was a great way to start off a Sunday.
January 25th, 2010 | 1 Comment »
RSS Subscribe