What Whit Ate

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula & Goat Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:06:00 +0000

So Tuesday night was Trivia night - we just started playing a couple of weeks ago and it is SO fun! Anyway, it starts at 7 so we needed to eat before but I didn't have time to create something too involved so I used this recipe from the 2010 Fall Entertaining Cook's Illustrated. It was super easy, fairly quick and very delicious. I only added toasted pine nuts.

Farfalle with Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula & Goat Cheese:

1 medium shallot, sliced thin
1/4 C olive oil
3 pints (2 lbs.) cherry tomatoes, each tomato halved pole to pole
3 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sugar, or to taste
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 lb farfalle (bow tie pasta)
1 lge. bunch arugula, leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 4 C loosely packed)
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 C)

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, toss shallot with 1 teaspoon olive oil; set aside. In medium bowl, gently toss tomatoes with remaining oil, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper flakes, pepper, sugar, vinegar and garlic. Spread in even layer on large rimmed baking sheet, scatter shallots over tomatoes (make sure the shallots don't touch the bottom of the baking sheet or they will likely burn). Roast until edges of shallot begin to brown and tomato skins are slightly shriveled (tomatoes should retain their shape), 35-40 minutes. (Do not stir tomatoes while roasting) Remove tomatoes from oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes.

While tomatoes cook, bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large stockpot. Just before removing tomatoes from oven, stir remaining salt and pasta into boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot; add arugula and toss until wilted. Using rubber spatula, scrape tomato mixture into pot on top of pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately, sprinkling cheese over individual bowls. If you want to add roasted pine nuts, do so now as well.

Bon appetit!

My Day Off - Farmer's Market, Pickles, Cookies & Steak with Potatoes Two Ways

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:23:00 +0000

As those living in Portland well know, this "summer" we've been having is quite depressing. It rained this morning. It hasn't hit 80 in 5 or so days and I think we're all a little desperate now that it's August. I've been trying to keep my spirits up by enjoying the bounty of our farmer's markets and on my day off yesterday I went to town (literally and figuratively). We started at the downtown Pioneer Square market yesterday morning where I scored two types of family made chevre cheese (the 12 year old who sold it to me assured me she helped make it), one amazing cheddar (made from cow's and goat's milk), salmon cream cheese spread, salami, eggplants, zucchini, adorable fingerling potatoes and pickling cucumbers. For something to munch on while I shopped, I bought a fleur de sel chocolate chip cookie from a local bakery and decided it was time to make cookies, too.

Pickles:

I saw these picking cukes on the table at the farmer's market and decided to finally try my hand at quick pickles. I've been reading a lot about them and they seem easy and delicious. So, I got the cukes and some green beans (sadly, the market didn't have any so I got these from Fred Meyer) and read up on how to make them. I came across several vague articles, but the one I ended up using is from Serious Eats. The slide show they provided made the process somewhat more clear.

You start with your cucumbers (or green beans, or asparagus, or whatever you want to pickle) and generously sprinkle them with salt. Let them sit for 15-30 minutes while you prepare your brine.

The brine can be whatever you want it to be. I suggest using distilled white vinegar over any other vinegar because it tastes much cleaner than say a white wine vinegar. You want about a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water (I used about 2 1/2 c vinegar to 2 c water). I added cumin seed, fennel seed, white and black peppercorns, garlic, red pepper flake and coriander. And a bunch of kosher salt (I used Morton's) and about a 1/4 c of sugar. Let that boil. Once it boils you can pour it over your veggies that you've packed into jars. Let them cool and then put the lids on the jars and put in the refrigerator. I can attest that my cukes tasted great after about 2 hours in the fridge. The green beans needed about 24 hours to really let the flavor seep in. They are both really good, though, and I'm very excited to make burgers with the cheddar cheese I bought and have the pickles on the side. Keep in mind that with this method of quick pickling you'll want to eat your stuff within about 2 weeks or they'll go bad.

Cookies:

I named these cookies "Emily's Uh-Mazing Chocolate Chip Cookies". It's not my sister's recipe, but she's the one who gave it to me so I named them after her. They are brilliant. There are a few things different about this recipe. For one, you use a ton of brown sugar and vanilla. For another, you only let them bake for 9 minutes. That's it. No longer! They'll stay soft and chewy for days. I added one more ingredient (after being inspired after the farmer's market cookie) which was fleur de sel. I sprinkled just a bit on top of each cookie before I baked them. Yummmm...

1 cup real butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2-1/2 tsp vanilla

2-1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups chocolate chips (I just use a bag, which is about 2 cups)

Beat butter, sugars, eggs & vanilla. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda & powder. Beat dry ingredients into creamed mixture & stir in chocolate chips.

Place golf ball sized portions 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet & bake for 9 minutes at 350. Do not over bake, even if they don't seem done.

So, these fingerling potatoes were just too cute to pass up. I've had a couple of potato dishes swimming around my head for awhile and I thought, why not try them both?!? Hence, the potatoes two ways. The first is a tarragon green bean and potato salad that I've adapted from this blog. The second recipe is for salt potatoes, apparently a delicacy in upstate New York. How they've managed to keep these babies a secret is beyond me. They were simply divine. I want my potatoes cooked like this from now. No more baked or gratin potatoes for me. Simple, delicious and gorgeous. I beg you to try this recipe.

Tarragon, Green Bean and Potato Salad:

For the dressing:
125 g / 4½ oz. plain yogurt
1 medium shallot, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon
2 Tbsp. vinegar (I used red wine, but should have used white)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

Combine the yogurt, shallot, vinegar, tarragon and mustard in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil and season to taste.

For the salad:
200 g / 7 oz. haricots verts (or thin green beans), washed and broken in half if long
360 g / 13 oz. small, waxy potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into rounds 65 mm / ¼” thick
50 g / ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Place the green beans in a strainer or pasta insert and cook 2-3 minutes, until bright green and crisp tender. Remove them from the pot and give them a quick rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain. (You may need to do this in two batches if your strainer is small like mine.)

Add the potatoes to the pot, return to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. (No need to save the water this time.)

Transfer the hot potatoes to a salad bowl and toss with the green beans and the dressing. Allow the flavors to meld for at least 20 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle in the almonds and stir to distribute. Serve at room temperature.

Salt Potatoes:

I couldn't find a good recipe online for these, so I improvised and they turned out amazing. I hope my recipe makes sense!

1 lb. fingerling potatoes
1 C. Kosher salt (I used Morton's)
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. chopped rosemary, plus some for garnishing

Boil water in a large pot and add the salt and the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender (about 12 minutes). Drain potatoes and let them sit on a cooling rack - as the water dries, the salt makes a nice crust. Add the butter to the same pot over low heat. Add the dried potatoes and let them meld until all your butter is melted. Throw in the chopped rosemary and remove the potatoes into a small serving bowl. Pour excess melted butter into the bowl and garnish with rosemary.

Steak:

I won't go overboard on this steak recipe, since you should all know how to cook a perfect steak by now. I just wanted to mention that this was a bone in rib eye steak from the Montavilla Farmer's Market (Sundays). It was spendy ($20.99/lb) but really good. It was redder than any other steak I've seen which scared me at first but I guess that's probably how steak SHOULD look. We dressed it simply with salt and pepper and grilled for about 3-4 minutes per side (they were pretty thin steaks). There was just enough fat on these suckers to have a small bit of fat with each bite of steak. I would've liked to see more meat on these for the price we paid, but the meat that was there was just butter. Delish! Trey and I discussed the option of buying a cow this year so we can great steaks like this all the time. Anyone know of a cow co-op?! Let me know if you do!

Bon Appetit!

Appetizers - Gougeres & Bruschetta

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 23:34:00 +0000

I apologize for not posting as much as I should be - I've just been so busy! Sunday night presented a great opportunity for me to make a couple of my favorite appetizers so I thought I better document them for you all! Trey's wonderful cousin and wife invited us over for a BBQ and asked if I would bring appetizers. Of course! I love appetizers. Sometimes I will make a meal just out of appetizers! A long, long time ago I worked a summer for a caterer and she made wonderful little bites for the parties she catered and I've been in love with small "amuse-bouche" type foods ever since. In fact, I'm pretty sure the bruschetta I made last night was inspired by her. The gougeres (accent over the first "e"), I found on Smitten Kitchen, one of my favorite food blogs. Who can resist a fluffy cheese ball? Not this guy. They are also super easy, fairly quick and will wow anyone who pops one in their mouth (of course, not everyone will be able to stop at one. I usually eat like five myself). Also, my friend Ric pointed out that the choux paste can be used for pretty much anything! Here's his advice:

"Pate choux is one of the most versatile doughs there is. It's kind of a cross between dough and batter. When you make it, save some out before you put the savory ingredients in, and pipe out a few to make cream puffs, and eclaires. Your recipe is for a cheese puff, but you can add other stuff, black olives, diced sun dried tomatoes, capers, previously browned sauteed garlic cloves, You can split them to add little pieces of rare beef, rare barbecued beef, filet tartare, it's endless. Pate choux is also basically the same recipe as is used to make yorkshire pudding, that classic served with prime rib."

Thanks, Ric!!!

The bruschetta is a little labor intensive, especially if you are cooking for more than two people. I used about 10 heirloom tomatoes from the farmer's market and opted to peel and seed them before I chopped them. It's nice not to have to worry about the skins as you serve guests and it gives a cleaner presentation, I think. Anyway, everybody loved them (I think!) and we had a wonderful time hanging out with Trey's family.

Bruschetta:

Tomatoes (one for each person you're serving), peeled, seeded and chopped
Mozzrella, chopped into little squares
Garlic, chopped
Basil leaves, chopped
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Bread, I used baguette cut into about 1" pieces

To peel your tomatoes, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cut the bottom of each tomato in an "X" pattern using a paring knife. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water for a minute and remove. Dunk into an ice bath. Using your fingers remove the skins and let cool. To seed, cut each tomato into fourths and remove seeds. Chop the tomatoes into about 1/4" cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Chop your mozzarella, garlic and basil and add to your tomatoes. Cover the mixture with olive oil, about 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Let rest.

Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to broiling and brush one side of your cut bread with olive oil. Toast for about 3 minutes or until crisp and slightly brown. Remove from oven, let cool.

When you're ready to eat, just top a piece of bread with the tomato mixture and devour...Yum! A note: If I had been making these at my house, I would've omitted the chopped mozzarella and instead topped each slice of bread with a slice of mozzarella before I toasted it to melt the cheese a little.

Gougeres:

1 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp Tillamook)
Coarse salt (fleur de sel or kosher salt) to sprinkle on top

Bring the milk, butter, salt, and cayenne to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the flour all at once, and mix vigorously with a wooden spatula until the mixture forms a ball. Return the pan to the heat and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute to dry the mixture a bit.

Transfer to the bowl of a food processor, let cool for 5 minutes, then process for about 5 seconds.

Add the eggs and paprika to the processor bowl, and process for 10 to 15 seconds, until well mixed.

Transfer the choux paste to a mixing bowl, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with a reusable nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmesan cheese, then add the remainder and all the cheddar cheese to the choux paste. Stir just enough to incorporate. Using a tablespoon, scoop out a level tablespoon of the gougère dough, and push it off the spoon onto the cooking mat. Continue making individual gougère, spacing them about 2-inches apart on the sheet. Sprinkle a few grains of coarse salt and a little of the reserved Parmesan cheese on each gougère. Bake for about 30 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature with drinks.

Bon Apetit!

Dinner for One - Super Simple Steak and Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 01:16:00 +0000

So I haven't posted in a while - I've been really busy with my real job (you know, just running a business) and we've been eating out and making a lot of the same stuff recently. I wanted to put something up to keep you salivating - so here's a quick and easy dinner for one.

Cooking for one is next to impossible, in my experience. It's hard enough just cooking for two sometimes, but one? Forget about it! So, when I eat dinner by myself it's usually take out, but occasionally I'll make this dinner because 1) I love it and 2) It's super delicious and fast and there's no leftovers (okay, I didn't eat the whole steak, but that just means leftovers for a yummy steak salad!).

Simple Steak:

Your choice of steak (I used a porterhouse in this recipe, but I've also used filets, t-bones, NY strips, etc.)
Salt and Pepper
Lemon
Olive Oil

Salad:

Arugula
Bacon, cooked and chopped into bits
Pine nuts, lightly toasted
Goat cheese for sprinkling on top
Pepper

For the salad dressing:

Juice of one Lemon
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
About 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil (sometimes I use leftover bacon grease instead, but olive oil is MUCH healthier!)

Take your steak out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you cook it and season it with salt and pepper generously. Seriously.

Meanwhile, prepare your bacon and toast your pine nuts. Set aside.

Pre-heat your grill to high and clean and oil it. Cook the steak for 4-5 minutes uncovered. Obviously, the cook time will depend on the thickness of your steak. My porterhouse was about an inch thick and it came out on the medium side of medium-well - and I cooked it for a good 5 minutes each side. The best thing to do when it comes to figuring out how to cook a steak to your liking on your grill is to just grill a LOT of steaks! You'll get the hang of it eventually!

When your steak is done, take it off the grill and let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare your salad.

For the salad dressing, mix lemon juice, salt and pepper and mustard in a jar. Cover and shake until well combined. Slowly add olive oil, shaking between additions. You want a nice uniform colored dressing, well emulsified and kind of creamy.

Pour dressing over arugula and toss. Add your crumbled bacon, goat cheese crumbles and pine nuts. Add a twist of pepper and voila! Super simple salad.

Cut your steak lengthwise and drizzle lightly with olive oil and lemon.

Bon Apetit!!!

Sunday - Goat Cheese and Chive Stuffed Squash Blossoms & Some Desserts

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:46:00 +0000

I guess I am getting lazy, because we've been making repeats of previous blog posts. On Sunday, we had a little BBQ and made our new favorite, Grilled Veggie Pasta with Browned Butter and Mizithra (covered on the blog here). We served it with a slice of toasted brioche and balsamic vinegar for dipping. Mmmm, mmmm...So good. It's really good left over, too. It can serve as at least your next day's lunch. In the spirit of trying something new, though, we did make some fried squash blossoms. Also, I've been hankering for desserts lately, I'm not sure why. But look for a couple of dessert posts below, too!

Trey's Mom served these fried squash blossoms to us when we were in Houston in June and though I'd seen squash blossoms on menus and in the stores I'd never eaten them. Trey's Mom did them simply - with just (and I hope I get this right) seltzer water and salt and pepper and flour. They were phenomenal. So delicate, with just a hint of squash-y flavor. I had seen a recipe for goat cheese stuffed blossoms and of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. We bought a huge squash plant from Portland Nursery on Sunday afternoon and immediately picked off all the male blossoms (a word to the wise - if you do use your own blossoms, don't pick off ALL the male blossoms. You'll need at least one to fertilize the female blossoms. I just hope I didn't ruin ours!). You'll need to give them a good rinse, gently, if you use ones from your garden. I'm hoping to find some at Zupan's or Uncle Paul's so that I don't have to ravage our plant every time I get a hankering for these.

If you decide to stuff your blossoms, just remember that they are very very fragile and will break or tear easily. Be super gentle.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms:

Squash blossoms, stems and stringy sepals removed (the insides, including the stamen can remain intact)
About 1/4 C goat cheese, at room temperature
Chopped chives
Dash lemon juice
2 eggs
1/4 C heavy cream or whole milk
1 C Flour
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying (we like Canola)

Rinse your blossoms really well in cold water. Let dry on a paper towel. Meanwhile, mix chives, goat cheese, lemon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In another small bowl, beat eggs and add cream or milk. Put the flour in another shallow bowl or plate.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Using a teaspoon (I used a 1/4 tsp. spoon), gently spoon your goat cheese mixture into the center of the blossoms. Twist the ends of the blossom back up so that it closes. One at a time, dip the blossoms into the egg mixture, then the flour, shaking off any excess. Refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

When your oil is ready drop the blossoms in, about 5 at a time. Fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on rack set over paper towels. Let cool slightly, serve immediately.

Dessert #1: Brownie A La Mode with Caramel Sauce

Why? Because it's the easiest freaking dessert you can make! Especially if you get a nummy hazelnut brownie from the Moonstruck counter at Fred Meyer. Just add vanilla ice cream (I LOVE the new Five by HaagenDazs) and drizzle with caramel sauce. So good. So so so good.

Dessert #2: Blackberry Tartlet

I made this one up, pretty much. It started when I had first taste of blackberry pie many years ago. I've always loved blackberries, I have fond childhood memories of picking them off the roadside and in fields by my house. Anyway, a pie is a perfect showcase for these little nuggets of num. Sometimes, however, you just don't pick enough to fill an entire pie. Case in point, on Monday at the Sandy River we miraculously found a small patch of blackberries that were already ripe. There were acres upon acres of bushes that had unripened berries on them, it's still a little early for blackberries. However, the ones that were ripe were perfect if a little sour. So I picked a handful (literally, a handful) for a small tartlet that evening. All you have to do is make a quick pie crust, take a small dish or ramekin and put the crust on the bottom, add your berries (that have been soaking in sugar) and top with another small pie crust. Do a little egg white wash and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Top with ice cream et voila! Blackberry tartlet!

Saturday Dinner - Rotisserie Chicken Sandwiches

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:46:00 +0000

This recipe was emailed to me last year courtesy of the Whole Foods newsletter. I thought it sounded like a good recipe for leftover roasted (or rotisserie) chicken which we usually have in spades after we make it. It's a great sandwich for a hot night - it's cool, refreshing and healthy. We paired it with our new favorite, the grilled salad, from The Bitten Word (with some modifications, of course). I've covered it here on the blog, but it's totally worth repeating. Both recipes use buttermilk, so I guess I figured they'd go well together. And they did! Success. Side note: We had an avocado left over, so I grilled it. It's super easy and a delicious accompaniment for the salad. Just brush a halved avocado with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill for 3-5 minutes on high heat. Voila!

Rotisserie Chicken Sandwiches (recipe from the Whole Foods website):

1 cup low-fat buttermilk (or 3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk)
1/2 avocado, peeled & pitted - I used a whole one for more flavor
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup (about 1/2 bunch) packed flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems removed
1 bunch radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
8 slices whole wheat hearth bread, toasted - Zupans has these amazing demi-baguettes that we use for just about everything. They're perfect for these sandwiches!
1 rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, meat shredded and warmed

Combine buttermilk, avocado, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside. In a medium bowl toss together parsley, radishes, remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper. Arrange toasted bread on a large platter and top with chicken. Drizzle with avocado cream, top with parsley salad and serve. That couldn't have been easier, right!!

Bon appetit!

Thursday Dinner - Rotisserie Chicken and Warm Goat Cheese Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:18:00 +0000

Trey's Mom got him this great rotisserie for our new grill back in June and we hadn't used it until last night. Sometimes I think chicken is super boring, but then we make it a new way and I'm reminded that seasoned and cooked well, chicken can be wonderful. We had the rotisserie chicken with a side salad of arugula, bacon, warm goat cheese medallions (super easy to make!) with a simple balsamic vinaigrette. We also had white rice (delicious when you add salt and butter to the boiling water) and some grilled asparagus that got a little burnt. It was a really nice meal. Simple, homey and delicious. It's this type of meal that prompted me to start this blog - anyone can make it and it'll make you feel good all over.

The rotisserie is completely optional in this recipe. If you don't have one (you should get one!) you can roast the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half (or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180).

So, Trey had wanted to get the chicken started early so we could eat at a decent hour. He started it at about 6:30 I believe. He wanted me to go to the store after work (I work until 7) and get a roasting pan to catch the drippings with. By the time I had gotten to the store (about 7:10) he called to ask me to get another chicken since the one he was making got completely burnt to a crisp. This was due to the fact that he added the butter basting sauce without first putting the roasting pan under it to catch the drippings and the grill flared up. He left it alone for one minute, came back and it was gone. Irreparable. He was pretty mad about it, but I wasn't concerned. With me home, I could see the whole process (plus take pictures!). So, to make a long story short - we ate at 10 pm and I didn't get a good shot of the chicken on the rotisserie, but it doesn't really matter does it? As long as it tasted good...And it did. In fact, only one word comes to mind as I recall this chicken - succulent.

The salad was inspired by one I used to get at South Congress Cafe in Austin, TX. They put warm goat cheese medallions on their salad and I've been obsessed with goat cheese ever since. They are super easy to make and really good - I do recommend eating them right out of the oven while the cheese is still warm. Don't let them sit around for 10 minutes like I did last night.

Rotisserie Chicken (or Roasted Chicken):
1 3-4 lb. whole chicken
Various herbs - we used sage, rosemary and thyme. Keep half of the herbs whole and chop the other half.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, cut into slices
1 stick butter, for basting
Salt
Pepper

Prepare your chicken by removing anything from the cavity, rinsing with cold water and patting dry. Season liberally inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with your herbs, a few slices of the lemon and two pats of butter. Season the outside with some of herbs that have been chopped and some of the minced garlic. Reserve some minced garlic for the basting sauce.

Tie the legs and wings back with kitchen string and put the chicken on the rotisserie bar. If you are using an oven, preheat to 450 degrees - put chicken in a roasting pan and let it cook for about 10 minutes at 450 then turn oven down to 375. Roast for an hour and a half, until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180. On the rotisserie, cook the chicken over high heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes put a roasting pan underneath the chicken to catch drippings and turn heat down to low. Roast for an hour and half, or until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh reads 180.

For both methods, baste with chicken's own juices or with basting sauce (just melted butter and garlic will do, you can also add any herbs you like) every 20 minutes or so.

Warm Goat Cheese Salad:
Salad mix (We used arugula, because that's what we had on hand, but any salad mix will do)
Toasted pine nuts
Cooked bacon, chopped
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Goat cheese, cut into rounds (using really cold goat cheese will help with this, so you may want to stick it in the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting)
1/2 C Panko bread crumbs
1/2 C Regular (Italian) bread crumbs
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 425.

Cook your bacon and toast your pine nuts. Add to the salad mix.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the two eggs with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the two types of bread crumbs. Take your goat cheese rounds and dip into the eggs then into the bread crumbs. Shake off excess and dip back into eggs and then back into breadcrumbs. Lay them on your baking sheet. Cook in oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and serve on a plate with the goat cheese medallions.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1/8 C good balsamic vinegar
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/4 C olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil slowly to emulsify.

Bon appetit!

Sunday Dinner with Mom and Dad - Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps and Shrimp Stir Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:34:00 +0000

I saw this recipe on Serious Eats (my new obsession) and really wanted to try them. I first had bulgogi at Burger Tex in Austin, TX. According to Wikipedia, bulgogi is simply a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecue beef, although chicken or pork may also be used. This recipe calls for 1 lb. pork loin, and it needs to be marinated for quite awhile, so it's one of those "think ahead" meals. I was just starting to marinate the pork on Saturday night for Sunday's dinner when my Mom texted to see if we wanted to have dinner out with them Sunday. I told her I was just marinating the pork for Sunday's dinner and did she and my Dad want to come over to our house for dinner instead? She agreed and Trey and I quickly decided to make a quick shrimp stir fry with the lettuce wraps to make it a meal. The bulgogi is super easy and doesn't call for anything too out of the ordinary, except maybe gochujang - a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment that is basically a hot pepper paste. I'd never heard of it before, and we couldn't find it at the grocery store so we picked up some sweet chilli sauce and used that instead. I marinated the pork overnight, and it was really good in just the Boston lettuce, with a little rice stick noodles and soy sauce. I can't wait to make them again. Perfect for a hot summer night.

The stir fry is one that Trey and I have been doing for years. It's super easy and you can add whatever you like in your stir fry to it. We use shrimp, sugar snap peas, green onion, bean sprouts, garlic, sesame seeds and make a quick sauce of soy sauce, wok oil, sesame oil, mirin, a dash of sriracha, and ginger. It's also really easy and comes together quickly.

Oh, one more quick note on the recipe - I don't particularly care for kimchi so I omitted it. I also didn't feel like making the quick pickles, so I didn't use those either.

And finally, a little shameless self-promotion, a few more of my pictures have made it up to Serious Eat's Photograzing site - here. Mine are the "Gartner's Marinated Short Ribs" and "Thick Cut Bacon". Tell me which pictures from this post you think I should upload to the site in the comments section!

Daeji Bulgogi:

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon crushed ginger root
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 green onions, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 heads Boston, Bibb or Buttercrunch lettuce
1/2 package rice stick noodles, prepared according to package directions

Place the pork in the freezer until it firms up, about 1 hour. While the pork is in the freezer, combine the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, gochujang , mirin, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes, and green onions in a small bowl.

Remove the pork from the freezer and slice into pieces 1/8 inch thick. Place the pork and sliced onion in a large Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade and seal. Toss to evenly distribute the marinade, then open and reseal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour to overnight.

Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over the charcoal grate. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the pork slices on the grill and cook until the meat is seared on both sides and cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the grill and serve immediately with bibb lettuce, rice stick noodles and soy sauce.

Shrimp Stir Fry:
6-12 prawns, cleaned and de-veined
2 packages ramen noodles
sugar snap peas
bean sprouts
green onion, chopped
sesame seeds
1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
Ginger root, grated

For the sauce:
2 tbsp wok oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha
1 tsp Mirin (rice wine vinegar)
Juice of 1 lime

There's not a whole let of method to the madness that is Trey's stir fry but I will attempt to recount how he made this delicious dish...

Cook ramen noodles according to package directions. Add 1 packet of seasoning (the stuff that comes with Top Ramen) to the water after cooking and drain.

Put 1 tbsp of the wok oil in your wok and heat to high. Add the shrimp and cook until it's opaque. Add the garlic slices, let them sautee for about 1 minute then add bean sprouts and sugar snap peas. Add cooked noodles, and turn heat down to medium-low. Add 1 more tbsp wok oil and 1 tsp sesame oil. Let fry for a minute or two until noodles firm up a little bit. Add 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sriracha and 1 tsp Mirin.

Add ginger, stir. Add lime juice, sesame seeds and green onions. Serve immediately.

Bon appetit!

Friday Night - Salmon Ceviche

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 00:04:00 +0000

I've never had salmon ceviche before, and I wasn't entirely sold on it until I came across this recipe. It just sounded so refreshing and light and tasty. Ceviche is a great summertime dish, there's no cooking involved! Just chopping and slicing. It's perfect when you just don't want to turn on the stove or the grill. I've always had ceviche with white fish, but this was so so so good. I'm not a huge fan of salmon sushi, but somehow with all the flavors involved it worked for me. Plus, Trey got a great deal on fresh-caught Columbia river Chinook at Gartner's this week (only $11/lb.!) so we had two huge fillets in the fridge. Let's talk about this fish for a moment - I don't know if we got really lucky or if Gartner's just has a great fish source, but it was flawless. There was zero fishy smell, it was pink (but not too pink!) and there was not a trace of sliminess. It was nice and fatty, too. Really just the perfect salmon.

Salmon Ceviche:
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño pepper (with or without seeds, depending on how hot you want it)
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet, on its skin and in one piece approximately 8-inches long and 8-inches wide

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the salmon.

Assemble the dish at least 2 1/2 hours before serving and as much as 12 hours: With a very sharp, long-bladed knife, slice the salmon as thin as possible, working at a sharp diagonal and cutting in the same direction as the grain of the fish—in other words, the way smoked salmon is usually sliced. Discard the skin.

Arrange half the salmon slices in one layer (they may be very slightly overlapping) in a large, shallow serving dish or 9- by 12-inch glass (or stainless steel) baking (or roasting) pan.

Drizzle on half the sauce.

Cover with the rest of the salmon slices and spread with the remaining sauce.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Serve with wedges of lime, if desired, and thinly sliced white toast or black bread. We used flax and sesame seed chips. It was really good.

Bon Appetit!

Thursday Dinner - Gartner's Marinated Short Ribs and Frisee aux Lardons

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:23:00 +0000

Gartner's is an institution in Portland. It's a big meat market off of 82nd in NE. It's been around for 50 years, and it's easy to see why. They have everything - everything. My favorite is the marinated pork short ribs. My brother-in-law introduced me to them a few years ago, and my mouth still waters every time I think of them. They come in a plastic bag, covered in their marinade. All you have to do is throw them on the grill for about 7 minutes and you've got crispy, slightly sweet, easy to eat short ribs. They are thinly sliced, some have bones in & some don't. You eat them with your fingers; straight off the grill if you are so inclined. I don't know what they put in the marinade, and I don't even want to speculate. All I know is they are amazing. You will be back for more.

We made a frisee aux lardons salad to go with them - inspired by our recent trip to Cafe Castagna. Frisee aux lardons is a classic French bistro salad - basically it's just frisee (that pretty, spiky leaf lettuce in salad mixes), a poached egg and cooked thick slab bacon bits. Yummmm...I found a recipe here, but Serious Eats has one that looks good, too. I also did a quick goat cheese spread which I spread on mini toast (pre-toasted, from Fred Meyer). They were a nice little addition to the meal.

We are super lucky to have a wonderful pal who has chickens. We "chicken-sat" this weekend and were able to collect several fresh eggs from them. In case you are wondering, their names are Pronto, Jack and Lucy. Pronto produces the lovely blue eggs, Jack the darker brown ones and Lucy lays the light brown eggs. No matter their color, though, they are all delicious. I'll never eat store bought eggs again! The farm fresh ones are just so good. So good.

I have never poached an egg before, weird, I know. There is a wealth of information on the internet as to the best way to do it - so I tried two different methods. The first method I used was the Saran wrap method. Basically you just take a small ramekin or bowl, cover it with about a square foot of plastic wrap, spray it with cooking oil and break the egg into the bowl. Then take the wrap and make a little packet. Tie it with string or a twist tie and drop (gently!) into simmering water for 3-4 minutes. Easy! The other method involves pricking the egg with a pin, par-boiling it for about 15 seconds, shelling it and then dropping it in the simmering water while creating a vortex with a spoon. The egg should spiral itself into a nice little ball, and you cook it for, again, 3-4 minutes. The first time I used this method, it worked like a charm. Except par-boiling it didn't work very well. I wasn't able to shell it because it wasn't hard at all. No matter, I just poured the egg into a small bowl and then dropped it into the water. Stirring gently, it spiraled up into a little ball and I was able to remove it from the water easily. You can compare the two methods here (the first pic is the one I "vortexed", the second is the one I cooked in plastic wrap):

The second time I tried the vortex method I failed miserably. The egg fell apart immediately after I poured it back into the water. Blech. I had to throw it out and start over with the plastic wrap method. The lesson? The plastic wrap method is easy, almost foolproof. The other way is maybe a tad more fun. Either way, poaching a good egg gives you a nice sense of satisfaction. I recommend giving it a try.

Gartner's Marinated Short Ribs:
1/2 lb, - 1 lb. Gartner's marinated short ribs

Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and oil it before putting the ribs on. Place ribs on the grill. Grill for about 3-4 minutes per side or until you get a nice char. They'll curl up a little, and that's fine. Serve immediately.

Frisee Aux Lardons or Salad Lyonnaise (from Cook Almost Anything):

frisée, leaves separated, washed and dried
bacon lardons (substitute pancetta or speck)
poached eggs
Seeded Mustard Dressing:
4 parts olive oil
1 part sherry vinegar
seeded mustard, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

toasted Panko bread crumbs *I added this component, it made it look pretty but didn't add much else

Place the olive oil, sherry vinegar, seeded mustard and a good grinding of salt and black pepper into a bowl - whisk until emulsified.

Lardons are just thick strips of bacon - I buy bacon in whole pieces and just cut them to size. You can buy them pre-made or use pancetta or speck if you prefer.

Dry-fry the bacon in a non-stick pan until crisp - they will release any excess fat as they cook. When done, dry them on kitchen paper to remove any excess fat.

Toast the Panko bread crumbs with butter. They toast quickly, about 2 minutes. Roll the poached egg in the toasted Panko.

Place the frisée leaves into a bowl and drizzle over the dressing - toss them well to just coat them.

Put the dressed leaves onto a plate and then scatter over with the cooked lardons. Top with Panko coated poached egg.

Toast with Chive Goat Cheese Spread:
Small toast (buy pre-toasted or toast baguette slices in the oven)
Goat cheese, room temperature
Lemon juice to taste
Chives, snipped
Salt
Pepper

In a small bowl, combine goat cheese, chives lemon juice, salt and pepper. Spread on toast.

Bon Appetit!

Breakfast Quickie - Fresh Berries and Homemade Yogurt

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:07:00 +0000

This was so pretty this morning I had to post it. Our neighbor (who is awesome, by the way) just started making his own yogurt using a yogurt-maker. He offered to give me some last night and I wouldn't turn it down. I've recently become very interested in making yogurt and cheese from scratch. In fact, I think I'll try to make some mozzarella next week...keep posted!

The yogurt is very good - it's a little on the thin side, but it was his first foray into yogurt making so that's to be forgiven. Next time, he said he's going to try to keep it in the yogurt maker for 10 hours instead of 7 in the hopes that it will thicken up a bit. Besides the consistency, the yogurt is great. It tastes just like store-bought plain yogurt, but just a little better because you know it's homemade. This morning I topped it with the fresh berries we got from Kruger's farm on Saturday - strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I had hoped to put a little granola in there, but the granola we had on hand had gone bad. No matter, it was a fresh, delicious and beautiful little breakfast.

Bon appetit!

Wednesday Dinner - Porque No? Carnitas Tacos

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:00:00 +0000

I will start with a caveat - I have no aspirations to be a restaurant (heck, I even have trouble spelling the word restaurant) critic. Please take my words with a grain of salt and try it for yourself. Also, a word on Porque No? - I've listed it as one of my favorite restaurants right over there ---> That's not to say it's amazing or delicious or a must-try. It's super convenient for me and the ONLY thing I ever eat there is the guacamole, chips, salsa and the carnitas tacos. If you don't like carnitas tacos, you're out of luck today. Okay, here I go:

Porque No? opened up on Hawthorne right when we were moving in to our house two years ago. Here's what I'll say about it (just kidding, I'll say a lot more) - my neighbor recommended the Bryan's bowl when I was raving about the Whole Bowl down the street. He said it was even better than the Whole Bowl. And that settled it, I went the next day to get my Bryan's bowl. I was sick for a day afterwards. Not a fan. In fact, I refused to go back to Porque No? for almost a year until Trey convinced me to try the carnitas tacos. And now I eat them every week. Sometimes twice a week.

Porque No?, as you will read on Yelp.com or any other review site, has a great atmosphere if you're dining in. It's fun, funky, colorful and they make a mean (read: strong) margarita. Truly, besides the carnitas tacos, that's all its got going for it. Oh, and the guacamole is fantastic. Really the best guac I've had since Austin. A lot of the times the food is very touch-and-go. I think it depends on who is cooking that night. One of these times I may do some stalking to find out who the best cook is...Anyway, sometimes the guac is too salty, sometimes the chips aren't fully cooked, and sometimes the carnitas are greasy. My advice is to go back another night if you have a bad experience with the carnitas - because when you get a good one you, too, will be hooked.

Here's another thing about Porque No? it's ALWAYS crowded. Always. I kind of don't get it. It's a great spot to catch a drink on a hot day - sit outside with your dog and take it easy. Don't worry - you won't wait long. You have to order first and then sit down, you'll get a table. They have a ton. If you do eat there, relax and enjoy it. I try not to eat there physically unless I have a real hankering for a strong margarita or I want to sit outside with Zane (my dog). It's right around the corner so I usually get it to-go and eat it at home. Normally it's pretty quick - you call in your order and they'll have it ready for you at the second counter when they say it'll be ready. Last night, however, I had to wait a few extra (okay, 15 extra) minutes. It was worth it at first to watch the chefs in action. There's the guy rolling fresh tortillas by hand, the sous chef prepping and taking care of pretty much everything else, the grill guys grilling up the meats and doling out ceviche and salsas, putting together the plates and handing them to the servers. After 10 minutes of observing, though, I was just hungry and tired of spying. Plus, it's gotta be hot. That's pretty much what I decided - I don't think I can work in a restaurant, it's hot, the grill is going, you're sweaty and people are hungry. Too much pressure! I'll just take my food and go home, thank you very much.

To speak to the carnitas for a moment, they are simply delicious. The pork is (usually) cooked to perfection, they (usually) give you the right amount of pork, onion and cilantro. I wish they'd give you one slice of lime per taco - but when you order two tacos they only give you one. But, if you squirt the lime on top of the taco and devour it makes it oh so much better. I sometimes order one or both of my tacos with the crema - a light sour cream-like sauce and it is also good - as long as they don't overdo it. I think when they are busy they just kind of throw everything together without much thought to the diner...however! don't let my critique deter you from the carnitas tacos. I want to make it clear that I love the carnitas tacos, I do have some complaints about the place overall but like I said, once you get that one perfect carnita taco you will be back to roll the dice for another one.

Bon appetit!

Bites - What I've Been Eating

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:24:00 +0000

A busy holiday weekend means I don't go all gourmet every night. I did manage to make some banana bread (Better Homes and Gardens recipe). We also got the chance to pick berries at Kruger's Farm on Saturday for Trey's cousin's daughter's 5th birthday (SO FUN!). Then we've been eating out - Lucca's with family Saturday night, friend's BBQ for the 4th and family beach fun Monday. Last night was kickball, so we ate at Sapphire Hotel for a late night snack.

First off, banana bread. Apparently, my Mom ate a lot of banana bread when she was pregnant with me and therefore that is why I also love banana bread. Trey also loves banana bread (I wonder if his Mom ate a lot of it when she was pregnant with him?) and he's been surreptitiously buying bananas and purposefully not eating them so I will make it. He got his wish on Friday night, though I made him do most of the work.

I'm not a very adventurous baker, I usually stick to the Better Homes and Gardens recipes for cookies and breads. It's easy, good and exactly what I expect when I want to eat banana bread.

Banana Bread (from Better Homes and Gardens):
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups mashed banana (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, banana, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s).

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan or 40 to 45 minutes for 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch pans or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

I LOVE strawberries. I love them fresh off the vine, on my cereal, for a snack or with yogurt. Picking them fresh off the farm takes it to a whole level. I highly recommed Kruger's farm for berry picking. Right now, they have U-pick strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. They also have a great little indoor market where you can pick up any fresh produce your heart desires. Also, there are piglets. Sold yet?

I haven't done anything with the strawberries, yet, except just eat them straight up. If you have a great recipe that calls for fresh strawberries, please post it in the comments. I need ideas!

Sapphire Hotel is one of those places (much like Por Que No?) that is SO close to our house that even though it's not amazing food, it's good enough and they do a good job with our to-go orders so we keep going back. There are at least two things that I get every single time. The bacon-wrapped dates and the artichoke and arugula dip. The dates are like butter. Delish. The arugula dip has a nice layer of browned cheddar on top that is amazing. Usually I also get the Antipasti platter (cured meats, cheeses, pickled veggies, bread), but we weren't that hungry last night so we tried something new - the panzanella salad. Yum! It's basically just a nice salad (with balsamic dressing in this case) with focaccia slices and fresh mozzarella. In fact, last night we decided that maybe the mozzarella was even house-made it tasted so fresh. It kinda makes me want to try making mozzarella. Maybe soon.

I'm sure I'll make something delicious tonight for Girls' Night - so keep posted. In the meantime, bon appetit!

Tuesday After Kickball "Dinner" - Cobb-Like Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:58:00 +0000

Last night was kickball, so we got home late after an embarrassing ass-kicking. Neither of us wanted to go to the store, so we raided the fridge. This one was a little harder than my other fridge-raiding meals because we haven't been grocery shopping in like, two weeks. So, we had some chicken breasts left over from the pizza and lettuce from the spring rolls. It was obvious, salad! And my favorite salad with chicken on top? Cobb salad! We didn't have any bleu cheese, but we definitely had goat cheese. A quick Google search brought up this recipe for Goat Cheese Salad Dressing. Luckily, I had everything except fresh parsley, so I just added dried parsley flakes instead. Also, instead of milk, I used buttermilk. I hard boiled a farm fresh egg from my friend Stephanie and cooked up some bacon for bacon bits. Super simple and really delicious. A great after kickball entree, not heavy and kind of healthy (if you want a healthy version, omit the bacon and use a light bleu cheese or ranch dressing instead of the goat cheese dressing). Yum and yum! I was pretty tired so I apologize, but I didn't take as many photos as I should have. You'll get the idea, though.

Cobb-Like Salad with Goat Cheese Salad Dressing:
1 grilled chicken breast
1 head butter lettuce
Handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 hardboiled egg
2 strips bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
Fresh chives, snipped
Goat cheese salad dressing, recipe follows

Goat Cheese Dressing (from Daily Unadventures in Cooking):
2 tablespoons soft plain goat cheese
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (if you are using bottled, substitute one extra tablespoon milk for 1 of lemon)
1 tablespoon milk (I used buttermilk)
a pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I used 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes)
salt and pepper

Mash goat cheese in a small bowl with a fork. Slowly add lemon juice and continue mixing to incorporate the liquid. Switch to a whisk and do the same with the milk and remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange lettuce on a plate, cover with half of the salad dressing. Top with chicken, tomatoes, bacon bits and chives. Add hard boiled egg and drizzle with remaining salad dressing.

Bon appetit!

Monday Dinner - Grilled Chicken Pizza with Roasted Garlic White Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:55:00 +0000

Remember how we made grilled vegetable pizza last week and I had dough left over? Well, that only meant we had to make another pizza sometime soon, right?! We used what we had on hand, in this case we used roasted garlic, chicken and basil from the garden. I found a great white pizza sauce recipe online - super easy, super quick, super tasty and used that for the sauce. For the cheese I used mozzarella and fontina. I wasn't sure this pizza would turn out very well, what with the dough being previously frozen and never haven tried the white sauce recipe before. But, amazingly, it was absolutely fantastic. I mean, really really good. I am so hooked on grilling pizza.

A note on the grilling process for this particular pie - I don't think I cranked the heat high enough for the first side of the dough, so it was a little soft even though the second side got cooked through. The cheese had melted, but there was no way I was gonna get that brown crispiness from the five minutes I had the cheese on the grill. So, my only option was to finish this bad boy off in the oven. Which is what I did and I was pleased with the results. See how the cheese got cooked nicely? That wouldn't happen on the grill. No way, Jose. So, it wasn't a 100% grilled pizza, but it turned out just perfect.

I reheated it the next day for lunch and it was just as good (right, Mom?!).

Grilled Chicken Pizza with White Sauce (basically this recipe):
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 heads Roasted Garlic, recipe follows
Pizza dough - homemade or picked up from your local pizzeria
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 ounces grated fontina
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into cubes or strips

Roasted Garlic:
3 to 4 heads garlic, upper quarter removed
4 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub 1 teaspoon of oil into the top of each head. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Carefully remove each clove of garlic from the head. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel any cloves that you cannot remove individually. Set aside until needed.

For the white pizza sauce, gently heat milk in a small saucepan, just until barely simmering. Remove and keep covered.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter. When foam subsides, add flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Do not allow flour to color. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking to combine. Add the salt and cayenne and increase the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking continuously, until the sauce comes to a boil and is thickened. Remove from heat and add cloves from 1 head of roasted garlic. Pour the hot mixture into a blender, cover tightly, and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly, placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.

Preheat your grill to medium-high and your oven to 350 degrees. Flatten the dough into desired shape and brush one side with olive oil.

Place dough on grill and grill for about five minutes or until the bottom is crispy. Flip over and spread the cooled sauce over pizza dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Place sliced mozzarella on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with the grated fontina. Add your grilled chicken. Grill for another 5 minutes or so, or until the crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from the grill and slide into preheated oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is and bubbly and golden brown in spots. Sprinkle chopped basil over the top. Serve immediately.

Bon Appetit!

Sunday Dinner - Cafe Castagna

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:51:00 +0000

We've been trying to go to Castagna for a couple of years now, but it just never seemed to happen. Once, we went right as they were closing and then for awhile it was too expensive for us. But then on Friday a follower of this here blog (the only follower, I believe) posted on Facebook that he and his wife went there and that prompted me to go soon. On Sunday we were thinking about going to either Laurelhurst Market or Cafe Castagna - and after looking at both online menus it was an easy choice - Cafe Castagna. How can I turn down arancini? I cannot. For those of you who have not experienced arancini - you are missing out! They are basically fried risotto balls, and typically involve some type of cheese. I've made them before but they are a messy ordeal, and they take awhile to make so if I can get someone else to make them for me I am one happy camper.

The meal was fantastic. Well, mine was. Trey was trying to decide between the penne baked with gruyere, cheddar, fennel and leek and the razor clams. He told our waitress that he once had a bad experience with razor clams, but was willing to give them another try if they were delicious. She assured him they were great, and told him that if he didn't like them she wouldn't charge us for them. He also ordered fries, just in case he hated the clams. Turns out, he just hates razor clams. They were good, if you like razor clams (I don't either) so I am not knocking the dish. They just weren't up our alley. We did pay for them.

I don't want to treat this like a review, so I'll just say the food was amazing. The service was great, our waitress was knowledgeable and helpful and fast. It was, however, a little more expensive than we would have liked. But I will certainly go there again (and again and again).

Here's what we ordered, pictures follow.

Cocktails:
Me - Miss Scarlet (lemon drop with pomegranite)
Trey - Hurricane (light and dark rum with orange and lemon juice)

I like how the straw appears to be going up Trey's nose in this picture.

Starters (shared):
Arancini
Sauvies Island Egg with Frisee, Lardons and Toast - You may be asking what lardons are. We did. They are the most amazing thing the world. It's basically just pork fat, fried. Yum.

Notice how the egg is perfectly poached AND breaded. I need to learn this technique. Also, please notice the cheesy goodness that is inside that arancini. I want one (or three) right now.

Dinner:
Me - Salmon with Lentils and Horseradish Creme Fraiche
Trey - Razor Clams (from the starter menu) and Fries (from the side menu)

The salmon was cooked perfectly and the horseradish creme fraiche was phenomenal. I will be adding that to nearly everything from now on. I typically am not a lentil person, but these were really good with the salmon and the mirepoix (fancy word for onions, carrots and celery).

I've already spoken to the clams, and the French fries were great. Light, crispy and thin. Just the way I like 'em.

Dessert (shared):
Manchego cheese with honeycomb and spiced almonds

One word: delish. I love cheese as a dessert, because you know, I love cheese. This came with local honeycomb and spicy almonds. Take some cheese, put some honey on top and pop it in your mouth with an almond. Heaven.

As far as the ambiance goes, this place is pretty great. It's right on Hawthorne, though, so you'll get the occasional motorcycle tearing by loudly, but the large trees and the small herb garden make it feel slightly removed. The tables are tiny - but it gives it an intimate feel. A good thing on a date night. Speaking of dates, mine is quite handsome isn't he?

Bon appetit!

Saturday Dinner - Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and Shrimp and Mint Summer Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:29:00 +0000

Ah. Something healthy! It may seem to you readers of this blog that I eat totally unhealthy creamy sauces with large chunks of red meat every day. Not so! About once a week I get a hankering for a really light meal, like fish or salad. This particular salad is a perfect combination of the two. I've been making this salad for several years - and I usually do a different version of the dressing every time. Once a long time ago, I found the perfect dressing in a recipe I came across online. And then I promptly lost the link. Note to self: bookmark, bookmark, bookmark! But I came across what I think was the version yesterday here. You gotta love the Canadians! A side note on Canadians, kind of: I went up to B.C. last spring was completely amazed at what great food they have there. I'm gonna have to go back soon.

This dressing is really good, but of course, if you have your own version it's not really a big deal. Do whatever feels and tastes good to you.

I found the summer roll recipe on my new favorite obsession, Serious Eats. They were definitely the highlight of this meal for me. I love trying new stuff - and I always resign myself that I may mess up the recipe. But this was super easy and they turned out great. Better than I've had in a restaurant ever. I encourage you to try them. The peanut sauce is a creation from my friend Ashley and her boyfriend with some alterations here and there. It, too, was super easy and delicious. It was a little chunky for Trey's taste, but I loved its peanut-y flavor.

Shall we?

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad (adapted from Canada.com of all places):

Dressing:
1 tbs fresh ginger minced
2 tbs green onion minced
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Whisk olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, onions and ginger in a small bowl and blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Salad:
Mixed baby greens
16 sugar snap peas
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large carrot, shredded
Wonton wrappers, cut into strips and fried
1 package Ramen noodles, cooked, drained and cooled (I love this addition, but I completely forgot to add it last night. Drats!)

Blanche snap peas until tender crisp. Mix together with cherry tomatoes, carrot and mixed baby greens. Set aside.

Tuna:
4 5 oz fresh tuna steaks (3/4 to 1 inch thick)
2 tbs Montreal Steak Spice
1 tsp Five Spice
6 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Preheat grill to medium-high. Mix toasted sesame seeds, Montreal steak spice and 5 spice together on a plate. Dip fish into the seeds coating all sides and pressing fish so that everything adheres. Oil grill and sear fish until it is just opaque in the center. About 3 minutes per side, this will depend on the thickness of your ahi steak as well as the heat of your grill. Our new grill has its quirks - the back gets really hot while the front stays fairly cool. As a result, one steak was overcooked and one was too rare. Oh, well. We'll overcome the learning curve!

Toss the salad all together with half of the dressing. Place cooked Ramen noodles on a plate. Top with salad. Thinly slice the tuna and overlap slices on top of the salad. Top with fried wonton strips. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

Shrimp and Mint Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce (from Serious Eats):

For the rolls
2 ounces thin rice noodles, (about 1 cup cooked)
12 (8 1/2-inch) round rice paper wrappers
12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked, and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup peeled seedless cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup carrots, sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
12 pieces fresh green leaf lettuce (3 by 5 inches), cut along the rib and rib removed

In a large pot, bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil. Cook the rice noodles until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Shake off the excess water and set aside.

Spread a damp clean towel on a counter. Fill a pan with hot water. (Keep a bowl of hot water next to the pan and towel, as you will need to occasionally refill the pan with water.) Arrange all the ingredients within reach.

In the pan of hot water, dip one sheet of rice paper to wet it completely. Set the paper on the damp towel; the rice paper should become soft and pliable immediately. Arrange 2 pieces of shrimp in a horizontal line on the bottom third (2 1/2 inches from the bottom and 1 inch from right-hand side) of the rice paper wrapper. Place a small portion of rice noodles over the shrimp. Distribute some cucumber, carrots, and 4 to 5 mint leaves over the noodles. Place one lettuce leaf over the mint leaves. Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over filling, while using your fingers to press down on the ingredients. Fold the right-hand side of the rice paper over to enclose the ingredients at the bottom of the roll.

Pressing gently on the ingredients with your fingers, tuck in the ends, and gently roll the rice paper up tightly to form a cylinder. Repeat these steps to make the remaining spring rolls. Serve immediately with the peanut dipping sauce.

Peanut Sauce:
1 c. roasted peanuts (you can "roast" them in the microwave for about 2 minutes on high)
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
Dash Sriracha sauce
1/4 c. peanut butter
Olive oil to thin the sauce out

In a blender or food processor add all ingredients and process until well mixed. Drizzle olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. The sauce will be chunky - and delicious.

Bon Appetit!

Friday Dinner - Grilled Lemony Zucchini and Eggplant Goat Cheese Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:06:00 +0000

This recipe has been on my mind for about a month now. I knew I wanted to make it one sunny evening this summer and enjoy it with a glass of Pinot Grigio. Last night was a nice, warm evening so we decided to make it. But, and this was the rub, how could we use the grill? I've recently read about grilled pizzas (here and here) and I really wanted to try my hand at them. I figured I'd just take the recipe from Smitten Kitchen and grill it instead of bake it. Awesome.

Pizza dough is one of those things that is super easy to make - that is if you make it an hour or two ahead. I usually don't plan my meals that far in advance, nor do I typically have the time to prep things an hour or two ahead of time. So last night, we figured we'd buy the dough pre-made from Zupan's. Well, they were out of their dough. So, then I found a recipe which I thought said you only have to let the dough rise for 20 minutes. Perfect! I went home tossed the dough together and re-read the recipe only to realize it said 1-2 hours. Oops. So my next move was to start calling all the pizza joints on Hawthorne to find out if they sell their dough. Apizza Scholls? Not frequently. They run out of dough all the time, and on a Friday night? Not gonna happen. Rovente's said they don't sell their dough, but Hot Lips said they do! And it was a good buy - 2 lbs. for $3 or 1 lb. for $2. I scooted down there and picked up a pound. It was a good call - it saved me time and it tasted really good.

The thing about grilling pizza (and please don't let this deter you) is that all of your toppings need to be cooked first. It'll only be on the grill with the toppings for about 5 minutes, so get your toppings prepped ahead of putting the dough on the grill. Use any toppings you like, but I highly recommend our version. We just put the zucchini and eggplant on the grill for 5 minutes per side to get them ready. Easy! It was so amazing - in fact, the it was the best pizza I think I've ever had. I had to run a slice over to our foodie neighbor, Jeff, to get his opinion. He agreed it was a success.

If you try this recipe, be sure to let me know how it goes!

Grilled Lemony Zucchini and Eggplant Goat Cheese Pizza (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen):

Your favorite pizza dough, homemade or picked up from your local Pizzeria (we used Hot Lips)
1 lemon
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
Few leaves of fresh basil, cut into thin slivers
1/2 medium yellow zucchini, sliced into thin coins
1/2 medium green zucchini, sliced as the same as above
1/2 medium eggplant, sliced the same as above
Prosciutto, cut into thin slivers*
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

*We added the prosciutto to the recipe and I wouldn't make it without it. It added a protein into the mix as well as a nice salty crunch to the pie that I felt was necessary.

Preheat your grill to medium. Roll your pizza dough into a thin 12-inch circle and lay it on a tray or stone that has been dusted lightly with cornmeal. Brush one side of the dough thoroughly with olive oil.

In a small bowl, stir together the goat cheese with the juice of half your lemon. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper, set aside.

Drizzle zucchini and eggplant slices with olive oil, lemon and salt and pepper. Grill the zucchini and eggplant on medium heat for about 5 minutes per side. This will vary depending on the thickness of your slices, so keep an eye on them as they can from 0 to burnt in no time flat. Remove from heat and cover with tin foil until you're dough is ready to be topped.

Using a pizza stone or whatever you have available, slide your raw dough onto the grill. Turn it (don't flip it!) once after about two minutes, clockwise 180 degrees to ensure even heat distribution. We didn't do this so you can see how we ended up with a burnt corner. Grill for another two and a half minutes or until the bottom is nicely browned and crisp. Brush the up side with olive oil and using spatulas, flip it over. Spread the goat cheese mixture over the browned side and add your grilled zucchini and eggplant. Grill for about 5 more minutes or until dough is golden brown and crisp. Remove from grill.

Scatter fresh basil and prosciutto slivers over the cheese. Slice and enjoy!!!

At this point I became so excited to eat this slice, I took a bite. Which you'll notice in the next photos...My bad.

And then I took a lot more bites...

Bon Appetit!

Thursday Dinner - Grilled Chicken with White BBQ Sauce & Grilled Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 22:14:00 +0000

Please be sure to check out my favorite blogs on the right over there ---> I've found some really great food blogs over the past couple of days.

One of those blogs was sent to me by Trey's Mom, it's called the Bitten Word. Every single thing on that site looks delicious! We found this grilled chicken with white BBQ sauce on there as well as the grilled butter lettuce salad with buttermilk-chive dressing. In this season of grilling, how cool is a grilled salad?! Very very cool. And very very yum, too. The white BBQ sauce was really good, too, but next time I might add just a little less vinegar. The chicken was really good. The spice rub made for a great crisp skin and added so much flavor.

Also, our hydrangeas are blooming right now and I am obsessed with the combination of purple and green. Lovely.

Grilled Chicken With White Barbecue Sauce (found on the Bitten Word, from Southern Living magazine, May 2010):

Ingredients

    •    1 tablespoon dried thyme
    •    1 tablespoon dried oregano
    •    1 tablespoon ground cumin
    •    1 tablespoon paprika
    •    1 teaspoon onion powder
    •    1/2 teaspoon salt
    •    1/2 teaspoon pepper
    •    10 chicken thighs (about 3 lb.)*
    •    White Barbecue Sauce

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Rinse chicken, and pat dry; rub mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken in a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 4 hours. Remove chicken from bag, discarding bag.

2. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 180°. Serve with White Barbecue Sauce.

*4 chicken leg quarters (about 3 lb.) may be substituted for chicken thighs. Increase cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes on each side.

White Barbecue Sauce
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients
    •    1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
    •    1/4 cup white wine vinegar
    •    1 garlic clove, minced
    •    1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper
    •    1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
    •    1 teaspoon sugar
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    2 teaspoons horseradish

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients until well blended. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 week.

Grilled Butter Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk-Chive Dressing (found on the Bitten Word, from Southern Living magazine, May 2010):

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
2 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil for the grill
4 large heads butter lettuce, halved lengthwise
Bacon, cooked and crumbled (we added this ingredient!)

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt. (The dressing may be made up to 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated.)  Prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for direct cooking over medium-high (500°F) heat. Lightly oil the grill grates.  Lightly season the lettuce with 1/4 tsp. salt. Grill cut side down until wilted, lightly charred, and the cores are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.  Transfer the grilled lettuce to a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing (you won’t need all the dressing; refrigerate leftovers for 2 to 3 days). Lightly sprinkle the lettuce with salt, top with bacon crumbles and serve.

Wednesday Girl's Night - Burgers and Fries

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Nothing says summer like a good burger, am I right? We've been making these "English Muffin" burgers for about two years. My Dad always used to have burgers on English muffins and, at first, I thought it was weird and just not right. And then I tried it. And I will never go back to a regular bun. I like my burgers on the small, slider-like size and the muffin is the perfect vessel for a small burger. It toasts easily and holds your condiments in the nooks and crannies. It's truly the only way to go.

As far as toppings go, I am pretty set on the "Classic Burger". I like to add grilled onion, bacon, American cheese, lettuce and mayo to my burger. It took me awhile to get turned on to the pre-packaged American cheese (Kraft Deli Deluxe). Tillamook cheddar was always the standard growing up and who likes pre-packaged stuff anyway? Well, it turns out, it's pretty good on a burger. And breakfast sandwiches. It melts nicely and has a great flavor, it doesn't overpower like sharp cheddar can do. I suppose you could add tomato, too, but I'm not a fan of tomatoes on burgers. Or ketchup. That's just me.

Last night Ashley and I made four burgers, two for each of us. Two we made "Classic-style" with the aforementioned toppings, and two we topped with grilled onion, lettuce, mayo and the goat cheese dipping sauce we made for the fries.

Now, let's talk about this goat cheese dipping sauce. I am always looking for new ways to incorporate more goat cheese into my life, and now I may never be the same. I had a goat cheese dipping sauce a few weeks ago at Foster Burger (recently named one of the top 10 best new burger spots in the country by Bon Appetit! magazine). I never knew such a thing existed, but boy, am I glad it does. The recipe follows, but we'll make some adjustments next time such as, no yellow onion. We'll also cut the recipe in half and use a little more cream to make it creamier. Other than that, it was pretty perfect last night. I mentioned to Ash that it would be good on just about anything. Like spread on a bagel or English muffin for breakfast and served with strawberries on the side. Yum.

To talk about the fries for a second, we use the frozen fast food-style fries. They take about 15 minutes in the oven and taste great. I season them with salt, cayenne and paprika and usually serve them with a garlic aioli. But I'll never go back to aioli after having the goat cheese sauce. You could go all out and make your own fries, but you know what? It's a mess and a lot of work and the result is never as good as say, McDonald's fries. I'll stick with my frozen ones, thank you very much.

One last note, we fired up our new propane grill for the first time last night! Yay!

Burgers:
Ground meat - any ground meat will do. We used ground sirloin, but Trey also like ground pork.
Yellow Onion
Lettuce
English muffins
Kraft Deli Deluxe American cheese (pre-sliced)
Mayonnaise
Garlic Salt
Lemon Pepper
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Worcestershire Sauce

Pre-heat your grill to medium-high.

Form small balls with the ground meat, just a little bigger than a golf ball. Squash them down a little into a patty and make an indentation in the middle with your finger. Season with garlic salt, lemon pepper, Lawry's and put a few drops of the Worcestershire sauce in the indentation you made. Roll up into balls again, spreading the seasonings. Flatten back into patties.

I always cover my work surface with plastic wrap when I'm doing burgers. It makes clean up a snap.

Place your burgers on the grill, directly over heat, along with cut-up onion, and grill for about 5 minutes per side or until done. Take them off the grill, add the cheese and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon and start toasting your English muffins. Spread condiments on toasted English muffin, add onion, lettuce, bacon and burger patty. Enjoy!

Goat cheese dipping sauce (from the City Cook):
1 3.5 to 4.0 oz. log of goat cheese, about 2/3 cup when crumbled
3 tablespoons grated yellow onion or shallot
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 to 3 tablespoons of snipped chives (reserve a few pieces to sprinkle on top as a garnish when the sauce is finished)
4 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half; an alternative could be low fat plain yogurt

In a small bowl, crumble the goat cheese

Using the large holes on a box grater, grate about 3 tablespoons of a yellow onion. Add about 2 tablespoons to the crumbled cheese, saving the rest to gradually add later as you adjust the sauce's taste.

Add the salt and cream and with a fork, mix to combine. If you want the sauce more liquid, just add more cream or yogurt until you get the consistency you want.

Add the chives and combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning, including adding more grated onion, salt or chives to taste.

\When the sauce is ready to serve, sprinkle a few snipped chives on top as a garnish and so that others will know what flavors to expect.

This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for a day or two. However it tastes better if you let some of the chill come off of it before serving. Stir before serving as the sauce may separate a little while it chills.

Use as a dip for french fries, veggies or as a spread on your burgers.

Bon appetit!

Trey's Birthday Dinner - Scallops Two Ways and Salmon, Asparagus and Simple Penne Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 23:34:00 +0000

Let's talk about scallops, shall we? I think the first time I had scallops I was in college, and we were on a road trip through the Baja Peninsula. We stopped in a quaint little beach/fishing town on the Sea of Cortez called Bahia de los Angeles. I remember getting stung by sea lice, yelling at pelicans ("We're not fish!") and fishing with Velveeta cheese. I also remember eating huge scallops and getting very very sick.I did not try scallops again until about 4 years later at a restaurant in Austin called Cibo. It closed in 2008, shortly after I moved back to Portland. It was pretty expensive, but had great fresh food. The scallops they served there were served raw, carpaccio-style, pounded flat and dressed simply with lemon and olive oil and some arugula. It was a refreshing appetizer, light and very very very tasty. We've talked about making it for sometime, and got the urge to finally follow through yesterday while shopping for salmon at Zupan's. I am so glad we did.

We did the scallops two ways - one Cibo-style and one seared. They were both out of this world - even if you don't like scallops I recommend at least trying one of these recipes. This was my first time making scallops and I found them to be an easy, quick and delicious appetizer.

I think I've mentioned this before, but Trey loves salmon. Like is obsessed. I think he'd eat it every day if I allowed it. So, for his birthday dinner he chose salmon (of course), asparagus (duh), and his favorite penne pasta.

We got wild Columbia river King salmon ($22.99/lb at Zupan's). We caught a break in the rain and grilled it over charcoal (new propane grill coming today!) with the asparagus. When dinner was ready, we looked outside and realized it was actually quite nice - so pulled up our tiny little outdoor table, new chairs and ate al fresco. We did some yard work yesterday so the backyard was really pleasant. It turned out to be a great dinner for a great guy!

Scallops Two Ways:
4 scallops - feeds two (though I told Trey if we do it again, we'll each need 4 scallops cuz they were so yummy!)
Olive Oil
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 Lemon
Good quality Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Pepper
Arugula
Pancetta or Prosciutto

For the pounded scallops carpaccio, take 2 scallops and cut them into coins (about 4 or 5 coins each scallop). Put a coin between wax or parchment paper and gently pound until very thin. Try not to over-pound, as they will break up and become mushy. Place the pounded scallops in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat. They need to be served very cold. I put them in the freezer for the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare dressing for the scallops carpaccio. Juice one lemon into a jar. Add salt and pepper, and 1 tsp soy sauce. Give it a shake. Add the olive oil (about 1/3 C.) gradually until mixture is well blended. Set aside.

Bake the proscuitto or pancetta in a 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve with scallops carpaccio.

For the seared scallops, take 2 scallops, cover them with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. You can sear them right away or put them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until you're ready.

For the dressing for the seared scallops, emulsify 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar with about 1/3 C. olive oil and add salt and pepper. Set aside.

When you're ready to eat, take a good pan and heat 2 tbsp. butter and about 1 tbsp. of olive oil until it smokes. It took me about 4 minutes to get it good and hot. Sear scallops for about 1 1/2 minute each side. They should be nicely seared on each side and translucent through the middle.

Serve the seared scallops atop a bed of the arugula dressed with the balsamic/olive oil emulsion. Drizzle extra balsamic vinegar on top - I would have done a balsamic reduction had I thought of it for drizzling, but I didn't. I think it would be really good, though. Serve immediately.

To serve the scallop carpaccio, take the pounded scallops out of the refrigerator and arrange on a plate. Top with arugula that's been tossed in the lemon/soy vinaigrette and drizzle some extra dressing all over. Add your cooked pancetta or prosciutto. Serve immediately.

Salmon:
2 salmon filets
Lemon Pepper
Garlic Salt
Olive Oil

A note on the salmon: Trey (and the dogs and the cats) loves the skin, and I don't. Last night, I got the bright idea I would take the skin off before we grilled it. I don't know if it made any difference in taste, besides both sides being well seasoned. It was kind of a pain the neck, so I don't really recommend it unless you really really hate salmon skin, then go for it.

Drizzle both sides of salmon fillet with olive oil. Season both sides with lemon pepper and garlic salt.

Heat charcoal or propane grill to medium-high. We started using this chimney starter. It makes lighting coals so easy and fast. It was only $13 at the Home Depot. A smart buy if you ask me!

Make sure you clean the grate with a grill brush and oil it. I learned a neat trick recently; take a wadded up paper towel and soak it in canola oil. Using your tongs to hold the paper towel, rub the oil over the grate. Voila! A well oiled grate. We also use lemon (or lime) slices sometimes to clean/flavor the grill for fish. Just cut a lemon in half and rub the cut side all over the grate. It helps clean and imparts a subtle flavor to whatever you're grilling.

Place salmon fillets, skin side up (if you kept the skin on) and grill for 3-5 minutes per side. Take off grill and drizzle with lemon, if desired.

Serve with grilled asparagus and either penne pasta or white rice.

Trey's Simple Penne Pasta:
Penne pasta
Garlic Salt
Lemon pepper
Parmesan, shaved
Olive Oil

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and put in a large saute pan. Saute with olive oil, garlic salt and lemon pepper. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Cupcakes!
Trey wanted these cupcakes from Saint Cupcake for his birthday dessert. I was happy to comply. He ordered the vanilla with chocolate frosting and I got the chocolate with cream cheese/vanilla frosting. They are super cute so I thought I'd share a couple pics!

Bon appetit! And happy birthday, Trey!

Friday Dinner - Cream of Tomato Soup and Ham and Cheese Panini

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:03:00 +0000

I found this amazing tomato soup recipe on Smitten Kitchen (my favorite). I've always loved tomato soups, but I can't stand the ones that come from a can or a box. I found one soup, it may have been a tomato bisque, at South Congress Cafe in Austin (which is where I also fell in love with goat cheese via their warm goat cheese salad - more on that later). It appears they don't have it on the menu right now but let me tell ya - that soup was the greatest! They garnished it with fresh basil and goat cheese. It was so creamy - and had none of that sugary aftertaste most of the canned and boxed soups have. I've been trying to replicate it for sometime to no avail until I came across this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It's so very close to the one I fell in love with, I've made it no less than 5 times in the last two months.

Soup and sandwiches is kind of a cliche meal, I suppose, but we have several variations so we switch it up from time to time. In the near future, I'll share our tortellini en brodo (fancy name for tortellinis cooked in chicken broth) and rotisserie chicken sandwich recipe. Another great combo.

A croque monsieur is a delightful sandwich to serve with this meal, but it involves a lot of time so we pared it down to the essentials - ham and cheese, and dijon mustard. The soup and sandwich go so well together, I usually eat most of soup by sopping it up with the sandwich. I recommend it.

Cream of Tomato Soup (from Smitten Kitchen):
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, 3 cups juice reserved
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large shallots, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Pinch ground allspice
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned low-sodium
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry
Salt and cayenne pepper

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Lined rimmed baking sheet with foil. With fingers, carefully open whole tomatoes over strainer set in bowl and push out seeds, allowing juices to fall through strainer into bowl. Spread seeded tomatoes in single layer on foil. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to color, about 30 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly, then peel them off foil; transfer to small bowl and set aside.

Heat butter over medium heat in large saucepan until foaming. Add shallots, tomato paste and allspice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly to combine; stir in reserved tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.

Pour mixture through strainer and into medium bowl; rinse out saucepan. Transfer tomatoes and solids in strainer to blender; add 1 cup strained liquid and puree until smooth. Place pureed mixture and remaining strained liquid in saucepan. Add cream and warm over low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in brandy and season with salt and cayenne. Serve immediately. (Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Warm over low heat until hot; do not boil.)

Ham and Cheese Panini:
Ciabatta bread -or- if you can find it, Pugliese bread, sliced
Deli ham (we used Boar's Head Virginia Ham)
Choice of cheese, sliced (we used gruyere for 2 sandwiches and american for 2 sandwiches)
Dijon mustard

Heat both sides of the bread on a panini grill or saute pan. Spread dijon and mayonnaise on one side and add ham and cheese. Place back on panini grill or pan, close the lid and let the cheese melt about 3 minutes. If you are not using a panini grill, flip the sandwich once while melting the cheese (just like making a grilled cheese). Slice in half and enjoy with cream of tomato soup.

Bon appetit!

Thursday Girl's Night Dinner - Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:40:00 +0000

Gnocchi is one of those things (like pumpkin puree) that might just be better if you buy it pre-made. It was fun to make, though, and since Thursday is Girl's Night (Trey has band practice so my bestie Ashley comes over and we cook) it was a good call. Plus, it made for awesome pics if I do say so myself! The ingredients for gnocchi are fairly basic - you might just have all it takes to make them in your pantry. Once you get the dough made, they cook up really quickly and if you are ambitious you can cook as many as you want and freeze them or refrigerate them for up to 48 hours.

There are tons of gnocchi recipes out there, in fact I even learned that not all gnocchi is made from potatoes. You can use semolina flour, buckwheat and even pumpkin! We used a russet potato, but I'd love to try pumpkin gnocchi. Maybe in the fall. There are also several recommended methods for "ricing" the potato. If you have a ricer, I'm sure that would work really well, but we just smashed it. It worked for us!

Once you have the gnocchi down, you get to decide what kind of sauce you want. I found a gorgonzola sauce recipe, and because I am obsessed with all things un-healthy that's what we made. You could also do a nice browned butter and sage or thyme sauce if you want something a little lighter. Just keep in mind the gnocchi in and of itself is not exactly bursting with flavor. You'll definitely want a sauce with some flavor.

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce:
1 russet potato
Salt
Pepper
About 1 C Flour
1 Egg
3/4 C Heavy Cream
6 oz. Gorgonzola
6 oz. Cream Cheese

There are several ways to cook a potato. You can boil it, bake it or do like we did and nuke it for about 4 or 5 minutes per side. It's faster than the other methods and I'm not so sure the other methods would be any better.

Pierce the potato all over with a fork. Microwave the potato until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. Cut the potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Mash in the salt and pepper.

At this point you might want to set a large pot with about 6 quarts of water over high heat to boil.

Move the smashed potato to a large, clean work surface. Form a ball and then punch down a hole in the middle to form a well. Add the flour, the egg and a dash of salt.

Using a fork, stir flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll the dough out into 3/4" dowels. Cut into 1" pieces. Using a fork roll the gnocchi over the tines of the fork to create ridges. Ashley pointed out that the ridge will catch the sauce. Yum!

Drop the gnocchi in the boiling water. As they rise to the top, they are done. Take them out using a slotted spoon and let them drain.

You may want to saute the gnocchi in butter to get them a little crispier. They are pretty soft dumplings and I like the slight crunch sauteing them results in. We made pancetta for the salad last night, so we dropped the gnocchi in the drippings and added a little butter and sauteed over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

To make the sauce, put the cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer. Once it reaches a simmer, add the cheeses and let them melt. The sauce will get quite thick over the heat, so you may want to take it off while it's still a little thin.

Put the cooked gnocchi in a bowl and cover with the sauce. Top with freshly grated black pepper. Serve warm with green salad (recipe below).

Green Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette:

Arugula or baby Italian mix

Lemon

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

! tsp. Grey Poupon mustard

Pancetta

Gorgonzola or goat cheese for topping

This is my all-time favorite salad dressing - I found it while googling Lemon Vinaigrette. It's from Martha Stewart. We make a variation of this salad all the time. Usually we use bacon instead of pancetta, goat cheese instead of gorgonzola and we sometimes add pine nuts. Truly though, the salad dressing is so tasty you could just do lettuce and dressing.

Dressing:

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Combine mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a jar. Add some of the oil and shake until well combined. Continue adding more oil and shaking until all the oil is incorporated and mixture is thickened and uniform in color. Pour over greens.

Cook pancetta or bacon and let drain. Crumble over dressed greens. Add gorgonzola or goat cheese.

Bon Appetit!

Tuesday After Kickball Snack - Steak and Cheddar Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Tuesdays are kickball days, so we usually have a light snack before the game (Carnitas tacos from Porque No?) and a light dinner or snack after. Last night, we had this steak in the fridge and I had seen Giada De Laurentiis make this cheddar bread earlier in the day on the new Cooking channel and figured the two would go great together. Cheese and steak? Hell yeah.

Obviously, we had to make the steak the same way we did on Saturday - Tuscan-style. If you want to see that post, click here. The only difference? It was raining out (and really cold, too. Stupid Juneuary) and without propane and considering our less than stellar experience with charcoal we decided to sear the steaks indoors. This method is a great method - we've pretty much got it down to a science. Of course, your cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak - the thicker, the longer you'll want to keep it in the oven, but for us it's always turned out well. And the addition of the lemon and olive oil after the cooking, mmmmm...So good.

Seared Steak:
1 steak (we've used all types of steak for this recipe, but last night we used boneless ribeye)
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Lemon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Salt and pepper your steak generously on both sides. Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet (it needs to have a NON plastic handle, and be oven safe) to high (like screaming high, as high as your stove top will let you go). As far as skillets go, we LOVE our cast iron skillet and use it for everything, including this recipe. But, any heavy bottomed skillet that distributes heat evenly should work.

Place steak in skillet, no need for oil, it will just smoke. Like, a lot. Sear for 5 minutes. Flip and sear for another 5 minutes. Flip once more. Using oven mitts, or an Ove' Glove, move the skillet into the oven and cook for 3-7 minutes more depending on the thickness of your steak. Ours was about 3/4 inch thick, so I went for 4 minutes in the oven. For a 1 1/2 inch thick steak, go for 5-7 minutes.

Remove from oven, place on cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Cut into thin slices, drizzle with olive oil and lemon. Serve with lemon wedge on the side.

Cheddar Bread:
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or coarsely grated
6 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 scallions, finely chopped (we used chives)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally (we used pre-cut ciabatta bread, and it turned out fine)

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor, combine cheese, garlic and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the scallions or chives and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on baking sheet and bake, 10-12 minutes until golden.

If you're using a whole ciabatta loaf, cut into 1-inch thick slices and serve.

Bon appetit!

Monday Dinner - Fajitas

noreply@blogger.com (Whitney) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 20:05:00 +0000

Mmmm...Fajitas. My all-time favorite fajitas are the Cerveza Fajitas from Polvos in Austin. They marinate the beef in beer, for who knows how long, but somehow when you eat them you will be certain it is the best fajita meat you've ever had. They add grilled onions, poblano peppers, guacamole, sour cream, rice and beans in your choice of corn or flour tortilla. I would always get the chili con queso and pour some of that on my fajita before rolling 'er up. Heaven in a tortilla, really. And now I am going to make a plea for someone to please open a Tex-Mex restaurant in Portland. You Portlanders don't know what you're missing. We have fine Mexican food here, but you haven't really eaten until you've had Tex-Mex. I'm more than happy to be a taste tester for you. Anyway, second best will always be my own experimentation, trying to get as close to that food as I can. I have a pretty good queso recipe, but will have to work on it a little more until I figure it out exactly to post it here.

For these fajitas, we used flank steak. A rather large flank steak. We marinated it in Tecate (2 cans) for about 3 hours - though I'm pretty certain you could get away with marinating it overnight, too.

Fajitas:
1 large flank steak
2 cans Tecate beer (go ahead and get a six-pack. You can drink it while you cook)
Salt
Pepper
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Cumin powder
Chili powder
1 large white or yellow onion
Red, green, yellow or orange bell peppers
Grated cheddar or cotija cheese
Flour or corn tortillas (we got the freshly made ones from Fred Meyer - they were really really good)
Sour cream
Cilantro
Mexican rice (cooked according to instructions on box)
Refried beans (heated through in a saucepan)

Put the steaks in a Ziploc baggie and cover with 2 cans of beer. Marinate for up to 24 hours, giving it a shake every once in a while to get even coverage.

Put steaks on a platter and season both sides with salt, pepper, Lawry's, cumin powder and chili powder to taste.

Heat your coals or propane grill to high heat. Sear steak on one side for 5-7 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes for rare, 3-5 for medium rare. We don't recommend cooking flank steak any more than medium rare - it's such a thin cut that you can easily over cook it, but if you want medium go ahead and cook for 5-7 minutes on the second side.

Pull it off the heat and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

Grill onions and bell peppers on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes per side. If the onions look a little burnt, that's good. They're good when they're a little black.

Cut peppers into thin slices. Chop cilantro roughly. Heat your tortillas (wrapped in foil) on the dying embers for about 5 minutes - you just want them warmed through.

On a plate, arrange tortillas and top with beans, rice, steak, onions, peppers, cheese, sour cream and cilantro. Roll up and enjoy!

Buen provecho!