Our operations manager, Sean Hartley, put out a heroic effort to produce kid’s camp this week after a busy stretch getting our new joint open. Many thanks for the help of Chefs Matt and the two Brians who stood in for Audrey and Kat who are off doing wedding prep.
Editor’s Note: Photo top right- Catering Chef Matt Anderson. Photo top left- Marketing Diva Robyn Wolfe’s friends, Margie and Charlie, attending Made from Scratch Kid’s Cooking Class.
August 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
About a week ago I took a friend to Palace Kitchen. She had never been and we had an amazing meal, the highlight being the Pacific Scallop Crudo. I went back to the office the next day raving about it, so when Robyn and I decided to have a late work meeting, I instantly thought of Palace Kitchen so I could once again enjoy the crudo. While the Palace menu changes regularly, if you can get there before this beautiful dish flies off the menu, do so! It is so simply prepared- citrusy scallops on a slice of watermelon with a simple corn salad and watercress. It is the epitome of summer dining. In addition to the crudo, we enjoyed the always delicious lavender goat cheese fondue (with extra apples so I could enjoy it gluten free) and a delicious mushroom appetizer. For entrees, we split the halibut dish, lovingly prepared by our cook, Kat Gibbons! Our server was kind enough to split the dish for us, and even though Robyn and I were engaged in discussion, my portion disappeared so quickly she insisted I finish hers as well. The fish was tender, flaky, and moist with delicious buttery vegetables and olives. For dessert we indulged in coconut creme pie. Robyn likes to eat the crust and I enjoy the filling, so it’s a perfect partnership!
August 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
Another good day in the test kitchen, working away on developing recipes for the upcoming Dahlia Bakery Cookbook!
Garrett: “This is money!”
Shelley: “Amazingly luscious and what a silky smooth texture!”
August 12th, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Wowza, it’s a record!!! The Serious Pie team picked 60 totes worth of produce that was delivered to all the restaurants Tuesday afternoon! It took 2 vans to get it all back… Amazing! Many, many thanks for the help.
Next delivery scheduled tomorrow should include at least one tote each of cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, and beans for each restaurant.
Next Tuesday should be the same with some lettuce, eggplants, carrots and corn thrown in. Muskmelons are also very close.
I am planning on keeping the Tuesday and Friday delivery schedule going for the rest of the month. Hope it is working out for everyone.
August 12th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Last minute recipe tweaking of dishes for our new joint which is opening soon on the corner right next to Etta’s. The entire staff of the new joint crowded into our catering kitchen while the chefs tried out the new dishes, and the new joint’s chef, Jack Spiess, explained the menu. In the photo, top, Tom and Eric work together on a smokin’ hot cast iron fried crab dish!
August 11th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
When my cousin, Penny, and her husband, Steve, were in town last weekend, visiting from Chicago, Frank and I gave them a whirlwind foodie tour of Seattle. Because Penny loves bakeries, we took her to both Besalu and Honoré bakeries in Ballard. (Of course, we had already visited our own Dahlia Bakery on another day.)
Both bakeries were outstanding, and both had lines out the door (which moved pretty quickly). At Besalu we ordered a few pieces of quiche- as well as a few croissants, and several more pastries both savory and sweet, as well as a shortbread checkerboard cookie. Everything was fantastic. The quiche at Besalu must be the best in the city- the filling is creamy perfection with a well-baked crust. (But I should point out that Honoré also sells a good looking quiche and I didn’t try their version. Maybe both are great.) I also love Besalu’s croissants, especially for the perfect stretchy pull in the center, and I can’t forget to mention their crazy-good ginger biscuit. We were pretty stuffed at this point but I insisted that we must soldier on to nearby (about 10 blocks) Honoré bakery, especially since Penny has a small obsession with canelé (see Katie’s recent post).
Besalu may be off the beaten track, but Honoré is located on an even less commercial Ballard side street (on the other hand, it is right next door to Delancey, so this street must be developing into a gourmet ghetto.) Though Besaulu is clearly a no-frills neighborhood joint, it’s downright fancy compared to tiny, funky Honoré with its small (but AMAZING) menu.
At Honoré we ordered a croissant, which was very good with a crispy crust that shattered nicely. It was more buttery than Besalu’s version, but lacked that nice stretchy pull in the middle. However, I would say that both bakeries make great croissants. We also ordered one of the many flavors of macarons on offer. The delightful young woman at the counter recommended the coconut salted caramel. We also got a pastry I’ve never seen before, called kouign amann. It was a butter pastry similar to (or the same as?) a croissant dough, formed into a bun and baked, then turned upside down and topped with a crackling sugar glaze. Pretty amazing. (Apparently this pastry comes from Brittany and the name is Celtic in origin.) There was also a peach puff pastry tart with a truly sensational dough. (Everything in the bakery was properly baked in what I think of as the French-style, meaning good and browned.)
When we ordered our pastries, I asked about canelé, because I didn’t see any in the case. The young woman told us they had just sold out!! We were so obviously sad, she asked the baker when the next batch was scheduled. Twenty minutes- no problem! We happily took our pastries and coffees to the little fenced-in courtyard in the back and waited. The canelés, still warm from the oven, were a revelation with thick crusty sides and almost custardy centers. Unlike any other pastry we had ever encountered, Penny and I agreed.
There are many fabulous bakeries in Seattle, but Ballard is an especially lucky neighborhood to have both Besalu and Honoré!!
The photos: Besalu’s pastry case, top left. A table full of Besalu’s pastries, top middle. Young customers eyeing the wares at Honoré, top right. The sign at Honoré, center left. A croissant, macaron, and kouign amann at Honoré, center middle. Honoré’s peach puff pastry tart, center right. Small photo bottom left, Honoré’s canelé.
August 10th, 2010 | No Comments »
Picture by Jackie Baisa of Baisa Galleries.
By request of Food and Soil blogger, Lara Alexander, here’s another Foodportunity recipe from the Palace Ballroom catering team!
Prosser Farm Zupetta
5 cups squash, cut into chunks – we used baby patty pan squash and zucchini from Prosser Farm
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
8 garlic cloves
1/4 cup Riesling or Muscat wine
1/2 cup tzatziki (see recipe)
1 handful of mint leaves
Shave garlic into thin slices. In a large pot, combine, the zucchini, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat until the zucchini is tender and the garlic flavor is infused into the oil and squash.
To finish the dish, gently pour the squash mixture onto a platter. Top with a generous spoonful of tzatziki, a hearty drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and torn mint for garnish.
This is perfect for a light lunch paired with flatbread or as a beautifully light course served right after appetizers! Pair the Zupetta with a glass of the same wine you used for cooking!
Enjoy!
And since this recipe wouldn’t be complete without explaining what’s in our famous tzatziki, please enjoy this BONUS recipe!
Lola’s tzatziki
1 small English cucumber
1 tablespoon chopped dill
3 cups Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt
Grate the cucumber (skin on), then mince. Squeeze out the liquid and combine the cucumber flesh with the remaining ingredients.
August 10th, 2010 | No Comments »
Gray brought the Serious Pie crew of Sean, Jessie, and Christy to the other side this week and did a little farmin.’ Weeds were pulled, tomatoes were picked, waterslide was busy, group dinner was prepared, and tequila and wine were consumed. Quite a hoe down!
Was super fun, thanks!!!
Editor’s note: Tom and Jackie own a small farm in Prosser, WA. Jackie is the farmer-in-chief. Produce from the farm is trucked into Seattle and used in the restaurants.
August 10th, 2010 | No Comments »
…we can almost smell the food cooking!!
August 9th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Canelé means “friendship” in French… or so it does in my book!
I have no clue where the name canelé comes from or what the word actually means. However, I do know that they are de-licious! I have had the pleasure of eating this special treat twice in my life. Once in Paris, which I wrote about here on our blog well over a year ago, and again, just yesterday at the comfort of my desk in Seattle. Both times I have been filled with the joy of friendship.
The first time, as I said, was when I was traveling to Paris to visit my best friend and fellow food lover. We went to the beautiful Marche de Bastille and picked up a few of these glorious confections and enjoyed them at her idyllic apartment in the Sacre Coeur with a cup of pour-over coffee. When I came back to Seattle, I told blog editor, Shelley Lance, about the canelé, and what yummy little unique morsels they were. Difficult to find (even in Paris), our discussions of canelé were merely discussions- even though we had heard Honore Bakery in Ballard made them.
Fast forward to present time: my phone rings and it’s Shelley calling from Honore Bakery. In a very excited tone, she asks where I am (I tell her I am at work), and she responds by asking if she can come to the office and bring me warm, fresh out of the oven canelé. “Of course,” I say. I couldn’t believe Shelley remembered our conversation from a year and a half ago! She was not only thoughtful enough to think about me when she saw them, but also so kind as to bring a few to me at the office on her day off with her cousin, Penny, and her husband, Frank, in tow.
The canelé were divine and the thought and effort that it took to bring them to me made them taste all that much better. Because if someone coming in to the office with their family on their day off to bring you hard-to-find pastries, isn’t friendship, well then, I just don’t know what is!
Canelé AND good friends- I’m one lucky gal!
August 9th, 2010 | 2 Comments »
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