Take a drive in the beautiful weather…
And turn your dial to Tom and Thierry. They can keep you company on this sun shiny day!
Today on the show we have a special guest- Ms. Cynthia Nims! She’ll be stopping by the studio to talk to the guys about her new book, Gourmet Game Night. Sharing recipes on simple yummy foods that keep your fingers clean when you’re playing Monopoly.
Amy Pennington, who’s featured in Seattle Magazine’s March edition, will be on the show to talk about Vermouth. What you do with it beyond making a martini is unknown to me, but she’ll tell you some other useful tips for this beverage.
Mike Teer of Pike and Western Wine Shop will also be on to share with you listeners another screaming deal on a dang good wine!
And of course, producer Katie O will be out on the streets- this time stopping at The Night School at the Sorrento Hotel. She’ll be drinking (again). This time it’s cognac!
Listen to the show here!:
First hour
Second hour
Third hour
February 20th, 2010 | No Comments »
I have been craving a stir fry lately, and today I finally decided to do it. I have to say, I make a mean stir fry, and some of the things I love about them is that they are so versatile, can be very healthy, and hold over for leftovers.
Tonight I made a pork, shiitake mushroom, garlic, and chili stir fry. I took pork loin roast and sliced it super thin and then combined it in a light marinade of sesame seed oil, canola oil, fish sauce, tamari, lots of paper thin slices of garlic, and a generous amount of chili paste. I let it set on the counter for about an hour or so.
Next I made my mise en place of slivered ginger, scallions, carrots, Japanese eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, white onion, savoy cabbage, and cilantro.
I made a delicious aromatic broth by sauteeing the mushrooms in a touch of the oils and then adding chicken broth and a pinch of the ginger, and then reducing the liquid to about a third. It was marvelous to use to braise the vegetables once I had sauteed them. I also used it to dress the meal once it was all set upon the plate.
I think it is important to cook the meat separate from the vegetables and broth. This way you have more control over the integrity of each component, texture, and flavor profile. I like the meat to marinate in something spicy, rich, and bold. I prefer my vegetables treated lightly and add a hint of ginger and fish sauce. This time I also made a Thai jasmine rice with just a little piece of star anise to add another layer. Giving the plate a liberal sprinkling of sriracha kicks it up a notch or two! Having decent, heavy cookware helps to cook efficiently and I love my kitchen tools. I have had my bamboo spatula for almost 17 years and I use it for everything.
What’s also really exciting is that I get to have this tomorrow before I go to work!
February 20th, 2010 | No Comments »
(Editor’s note: Amy Richardson, Catering Sales Manager, and our Guest Blogger, Linda, dined together at Spring Hill because Mark Fuller is going to be honored at an upcoming event called the Food Allergy Initiative at the Palace Ballroom)
The meal started (and ended) with a lovely glass of sparkling French wine and a butter lettuce salad. The lettuce, so tender, the perfect balance of a simple bright dressing, salty parm, and refreshing shaved radishes. Who knew a salad so simple could be so satisfying?!
Next up, a very interesting vegetable tasting (photo top). Served tapas style in four cute square ramekins: rapini gratin- bitter and creamy and the buttered bread crumbs were to die for! Fennel/carrot salad- cool and refreshing, very simple and unadulterated. The vegetarian take on the “pastrami sandwich”- perfectly sautéed mushrooms stuffed between a lovely little fennel seed gougere;different and delicious. Braised Belgian endive with pears and grainy mustard- wow! What a combo! Love all the variations on bitter/sweet that Chef Mark comes up with!
Third course: handmade tagliatelle with crispy pork shoulder, hen of he woods, lacinato kale, and parmesan (photo bottom). delightful! Tender pasta, with big chunks of pork and loads of hen of the woods shrooms (what a treat!) The kale and parmesan were just the right finish to a perfectly concocted pasta dish. This dish definitely was enough for two if you each had a salad and a starter.
Final course–every dessert on the menu!!! Loved the Orange Julius (what?!) Yes, just like the Orange Juliuses we enjoyed in the days of hanging out in the mall but about a thousand times better! Jasmine tea granita with fresh tangerine juice and milk mousse. I flet like I was in jr. high again (but with much better taste.) My favorite however was the popcorn hushpuppies. COME ON! A hushpuppy made out of popcorn flour wrapped around a huge chunk of caramel and FRIED! Add the pears and the brown butter ice cream and you have heaven on a dessert plate! So creative and fun are the desserts. Go Garrett!
February 18th, 2010 | No Comments »
We had a fun General Managers meeting at Roy Street Coffee and Tea yesterday afternoon. This is one of Starbucks new “concept stores,” and it’s located at Broadway and Roy in Capitol Hill. In the photo you can see our staff of GM’s and Chefs enjoying a cupping event to taste the new Starbucks beans. My favorite was the Ethiopian Sun Dried Yirgacheffe, said to taste like berries and baking chocolate. It tastes like blueberries! I think you should get this as a macchiato because with a dash of milk it’s a fabulous dessert drink!
Roy Street Coffee also serves beer and wine and you can also get Tom Douglas’ famous tomato soup here! Plus they have cuppings every day at 10 am, so be sure to stop by and taste some coffees side by side. You may find a new favorite!
February 18th, 2010 | No Comments »
Here’s a photo of Robyn’s famous Oklahoma dump cake which she posted about in our Heirloom Recipe employee blog contest here.
February 18th, 2010 | 5 Comments »
I’ve been eating this dish as long as I can remember. It’s not traditional huevos, in fact, I think my mom only calls it “huevos” because there’s beans in it. Regardless, it’s awesome and so easy it’s stupid.
All you need is:
1 can of refried beans
1 jar salsa- Pace or whatever
6 eggs
cheddar cheese
flour tortillas and butter
Spread the beans out in a small baking dish, then coat the beans with the salsa. Soft scramble the eggs, put on top of the beans and salsa, and top with cheddar cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the beans are hot. Don’t forget my favorite part… the tortillas! Spread butter on ‘em, roll ‘em up, and bake in tin foil until they get soft and chewy. That’s what I call breakfast!
(Editor’s note: Bryan is the fifth and final winner in our Family Heirloom Recipe blog contest.)
February 18th, 2010 | No Comments »
“I don’t care if people think my breakfast sandwich is the best in the world,” Seattle restaurant god Tom Douglas said to us over a late night dinner at Palace Kitchen. ” I just want them to know how much we care about it. We make the English muffins. We cure the ham on top of the eggs. Could other people have better food than I do? Maybe. But there’s no way they care more.”
This is the opening paragraph of a marvelous review of the Dahlia Bakery that was recently posted in Serious Eats. You can read the whole article here.
The woman in the photo above is our new Pastry Chef, Stacy Fortner, standing outside Dahlia Bakery. Stacy is a key part of the team- from our counter sales people to our Bakery manager, from our Dahlia line cooks to our Dahlia Bakery Chef, from our pastry bakers and bread bakers to our Bread chef- that takes so much time and care over everything we sell in the Bakery everyday! Congrats to the Dahlia Bakery team for a great review!
(Posted by Shelley Lance, Blog Editor)
February 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
Photo top left: Dungeness crab cocktail with green papaya and mint. Delicious and refreshing with nice, crisp sesame crackers.
Photo top middle: Fettuccine with spinach, Kessler ham, Parmesan, cream, and shaved truffle. Just enough cream and harmonious flavors to highlight perfectly cooked fresh pasta.
Photo top right: Arugula salad with oranges, dates, and chickpeas. Great combo of textures and flavors with exactly the right amount of dressing.
Photo bottom left: Lightly smoked sturgeon, moist and flavorful, with sweet potato puree, lemony sauteed escarole, and apple pecan compote- divine!
Photo bottom right: the creamiest creme brulee imaginable, flavored with orange and vanilla bean, served with rose pistachio biscotti and sugared pistachios.
February 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
Dinner time at my home was the best time of the day. I would drop anything to sit around the table with my mom, dad, and sister. A staple at our dinner table was any dinner eaten in a bowl, usually something savory and delicious over cornbread or biscuits. Dinner in a bowl was served so frequently that it was the only kind of meal a high school boyfriend of mine ever had at our house. Of all such dishes, our favorite was, and is, Black Eyed Peas and Ham Hocks. This is a dish that a friend of my parents made for them in 1979. He simply told my mom how to do it while they were eating and our family has been enjoying it ever since. (This is a recipe that gets passed along verbally, so everything in it is up for adjustment according to your taste and the size of your crockpot.)
Soak the black eyed peas overnight in water with about a tablespoon of baking soda added. Drain and rinse.
Dice a big onion and some celery. I love celery, so I tend to add quite a bit.
Tumble it into your crockpot: onion and celery, the beans, and a decent sized ham hock. (The butcher can cut it up if it is too big for your crockpot.)
Add water to cover ingredients. Cook 6-8 hours on low.
After initial cooking time, remove hock, cut off meat, and return it to the stew. Stir through the stew and remove pieces of bone and chunks of fat. Season with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook until desired thickness.
Serve over cornbread, obviously in a bowl. This stew reheats and freezes great.
After eating at least two servings, my family would continue to sit around the kitchen table and talk, always eating more of the cornbread, now slathered in butter and honey. In our house, chocolate cake was eaten for breakfast, with milk poured over the top. I suppose it goes without saying that this, too, was eaten in a bowl.
(Editor’s note: Renee is another winner in our staff family recipe blog contest.)
February 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
The Palace ballroom was romantic and candle lit for our Italian Valentines dream dinner. Our own Austin Amaya, Dahlia server, sang Italian love songs. He has such a beautiful, beautiful voice! Music was played by the Cassio Demayo Quartet. Dining, dancing, and Champagne sipping were all indulged in a suitably sumptuous fashion.
February 15th, 2010 | No Comments »
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