18 Days

It's true! It hasn't rained in Seattle for 18 straight days, I think it's a record! There's a sun buzz in town..the farmers market is bursting with spring produce and lovely peonies, lillies, begonias and irises. Everywhere you turn, someone is enthusiastically digging in their garden planting an heirloom tomato or staking a bean plant. The women at work, normally clad in jackets and boots have abandon their usual and are walking around in sandals, with new pedicures and sleeveless sundresses. I even have an extra skip to my walk. Wow, have I become a Seattlelite and not realize it?!?!

My CSA box brings me spring onions and was calling out to be cooked in a special way. I dug up a recipe from a Donna Hay magazine. Do you know her? She's a fabulous cook and author from Australia. I've been following her for a few years now, and love her take on simple but delicious food.

I don't know why I'm so intimidated when using yeast. Maybe it's baking in general, it's just the unfamiliar to me which makes it the more exciting, eh? I liked the consistency of this savory bread. I followed the recipe pretty closely and I was very happy with the results. The one small change is that the bread baked for closer to 30 minutes instead of the 20 min, as instructed in the recipe.


Again, substitution is a great possibility for next time. I may use the baby leeks so prominent at the farmers market, with a little gruyere on top. Oh, I only waited about 35 minutes for the bread to double in size before I popped it in the oven. I then went out to the deck with a tall glass of lemonade to enjoy the rest of the 18th sunny day in Seattle.

Spring Onion Tray Bread
From Donna Hay, Spring Issue 29

8 spring onions, halved
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar (superfine)
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp caster sugar, extra
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
3 cups plain all purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp olive oil, extra
1 tsp sea salt

Place the spring onions oil, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl and toss to coat. Set aside.

Place the yeast, extra sugar, milk in a bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface. Place the flour, extra oil, and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and stir with a butter knife to form a dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 4-5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Press the dough into a lightly floured 7x11 inch rectangle slice tin and press the spring onions into the dough. Cover with a clean damp cloth and set aside to prove (set in a warm place for the dough to rise) for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees fahrenheit. Bake the bread for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 6.

Oh Boy, Treats!

Buddy and Maddie are so reliable. When we get home from work, they're always waiting, so happy to see us. They're so easy to please, just a few pats on the head, a little doggie talk, and they are on a wagging fest. Today, I made them treats.
I was on a roll so making cookies for the rest of the family was on the agenda. I've been itching to use a block of Scharffen Berger 62% cacao dark chocolate on a baked good and this is the perfect opportunity. On the SB website, they featured the best chocolate chip cookie, perfect for the ingredients I have on hand. Not owning a chipper, I wasn't too successful in turning the block of chocolate into small chips thus producing uneven chunks of deliciousness, but in the end, I think it worked out fine.


I also added toasted walnuts and whole dried tart cherries to the mix. The combination of the cherries and chocolate reminded me of a Cherry Garcia'esque cookie, very yummy!


My last tip is to not over bake these cookies. Keeping it under baked slightly lends to the chewiness of the cookie, and not so crispy although I must say, they were fabulous either way. Enjoy!

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Adapted from the Scharffenberger website, the Baker's Dozen Cookie INGREDIENTS 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons (1-1/2 ssticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks (approximately 8 ounces), try either our 62% Cacao Semisweet or our 70% Cacao Bittersweet 3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted nuts (your favorite), optional PREPARATION Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes; scrape down the bowl. Beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Add to the butter mixture and blend well; scrape the bowl again. On low speed, add the flour mixture and beat until just mixed; scrape down the bowl. Add the chocolate and optional nuts and mix until incorporated into the dough. Drop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake, switching the position of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are golden brown but the centers seem slightly underdone, about 13 minutes. Do not overbake or the cookies will be crisp throughout instead of chewy. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely. The cookies will crinkle as they cool. (Store at room temperature in airtight containers for up to 1 week.)

Rolling it Back

I know I was in LA for only a week, but I had a chance to visit some favorite old places and new places, such as the bar pictured above. Tammy met me here for a beer and I was seriously worried when I pulled up to the parking lot. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in. The bar was cozy and warm, with dark, leather benches and intimate booths. They had 4 beers on tap. I tried the Norwood ale, very similar to an IPA. Since it was ladies night, the $3 12-oz beers, cozy atmosphere, and great company made me happy I made the trip.
So, it's almost a ritual when we come home. We take a trip to Glendale and visit Porto's Bakery. It's a Cuban bakery that makes a guava cheese streudel that is so flaky and delicious, it was actually mentioned on a Six Feet Under episode! But really, it all started because I read an article that Andy Garcia comes to Porto's for a ritual cheese roll daily. I've yet to see him, but a girl can dream, can't she....



Since we visited LA, we went by our old house on Sanborn. The neighborhood changed drastically since we left the area in 1976. It's hard to believe that all 7 of us fit in this tiny house. With the color change and exaggerated attic, the house looks almost whimsical.

We also stopped to check out Vivian, Techie and Gerry's old high school, Marshall High. Did you know that Grease was filmed at Marshall's football field? I think we impressed the kids with useless trivia! Remember, you're the one that I love, woohoo hooo!

On our last night, Vivian hosted a Silpada jewelry party.
So many of our good friends came to visit, we had a great time and the food..fabulous! We decided on an all appetizer menu, it was a hit!




It's been a lengthy post, but here's the real reason I wrote it. I wanted to share this recipe with you. It's a great appetizer, and so simple to prepare. There's a myriad of possibilities too, if you want to exchange some of the ingredients in the recipe. Next time, I was thinking of exchanging the asparagus for spinach and adding some kind of protein,maybe ham? Sorry, Stiroh!

I followed the recipe pretty well, except I sauteed the asparagus with some diced onions for a few minutes before adding it to the mushroom mixture. I also used lemon zest instead of the peel, and a little extra to boot. Lastly, we made 9 small square tarts out of each puff pastry sheet, but I think next time, I may opt to stretching that to 12. It will be a perfect 2-biter tart!

Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts
By Betty Rosbottom, Bon Appetit April 2009

1 17.3-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
12 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, divided
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
1/2 cup crème fraîche
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 2 ounces)
Fresh thyme sprigs (for garnish)
*Sold at most supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Roll out each pastry sheet on work surface to 10-inch square. Cut each into 4 squares. Using small knife, score 1/2-inch border (do not cut through pastry) around inside edges of each square. Arrange squares on 2 rimmed baking sheets. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl; cool 15 minutes. Add asparagus, chopped thyme, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mushrooms. Mix in crème fraîche and cheese. DO AHEAD Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Mound filling atop pastry squares, leaving 1/2-inch plain border.

Bake tarts 12 minutes. Reverse sheets. Continue to bake tarts until crusts are puffed and golden and filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to plates; garnish with thyme sprigs.

Camera, Lights, Action!

When I was a teenager, my friends and I used to go to Hollywood to watch movie premieres and hang out at the Grauman's Chinese Theater. Thanks to Techie, this past week, I again had a chance to hang out in Hollywood. Wow, what a difference! Adjacent to the Grauman's is the Kodak Theater and the Hollywood & Highland Center, a shopping center with high-end stores and eateries. Outside on the street, amongst the famous stars on the sidewalks, are costumed characters. $2 got us several pictures of Taylor with a couple of Star Wars fighters, bargain! The Spiderman guy was looking pretty ratty, we stayed away from him.




But wait..that's not even the main event! I had a chance to have lunch at Susan Feniger's new restaurant, Street, on Highland and Melrose. Jason is the sous chef at this fabulous establishment, and the food was fantastic. I'm a big fan of tapas-type food, and this falls under that category as each dish was meant to be shared. Vivian, Jacqui and I ordered several dishes to get a global feel of the menu and we were not disappointed. We started with the Cuban stuffed potato cake with spiced beef, raisins, and capers. The cake was sitting atop a tomato mint salsa and poblano crema, which I think really made the dish.
Next, we had the paani puri. They were delicious little morsels, a crispy dough filled with spiced potatoes and sprouted peas with a tamarind chutney, yum!
Let's move on to the Middle East, we had the lamb kofta skewer. This was one of my favorite dishes. The perfectly seasoned spiced lamb was served on a flatbread with beans, harissa eggs, tomato jam, spinach and Lebni yogurt. I guess it doesn't sound too good listed here, but it was an explosion of flavors in my mouth!
I am notorious in forgetting to take pictures before consuming it, so you'll just have to visit the restaurant and experience it for yourself. The other items we tried were: Saigon chicken salad, the dressing was of chili and lime, it was delicious! Another favorite was the saag paneer, a spinach dish with homemade cheese, spices, and served with dried plum dal and yogurt rice. We finished our meal with Turkish doughnuts. They're small pastries fried and simmered in cardamom rose syrup and served with rosehip jam.

I would definitely go back to this place to experience more food. The bar menu looks interesting as well, I'll have to try an exotic drink next time. Make a reservation today and feel like you've traveled the world!

Street Restaurant
742 No. Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
www.eatatstreet.com

Monkey Around

The last few days in Seattle has been sunny and amazingly gorgeous. All the flowers are blooming, and our bulbs are starting to come up. We planted some trees; asian pear, rainier and bing cherries, and a honeycrisp apple, and they too, are looking like they're going to make it. After all that rain, we celebrated by using the much neglected grill.

But today, it is again overcast and rainy. I didn't want to be dismayed by the quirky weather, so I took advantage of the situation and turned on the oven to warm up the place, and it gave me an excuse to make banana bread.

Now, this is no ordinary banana bread. It's very delicious, crispy on the top, and chewy in the middle. This bread is a cross between banana bread and coffee cake. Maybe it's because of the addition of honey and cinnamon in the cake and also on the topping. It can probably be a forgiving recipe, although I haven't experimented much and kept to the original recipe by Bakesale Betty's Alison Barakat.
I think the topping is the best part of the bread. When I mixed the topping ingredients, I thought for sure there was too much for one loaf, but it made a beautiful crust and tasted even better. The picture below doesn't look that great, but it is fabulous. This is a foolproof recipe, so what are you waiting for? Go bananas!

Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crumble Topping

Recipe from Bakesale Betty

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch metal baking pan. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients; stir to blend. Transfer batter to pan. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and brown sugar; sprinkle over batter.

Bake bread until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Turn pan on its side; slide out bread, being careful not to dislodge topping. Turn bread right side up and cool completely.

A Good Reputation

Look at this red cabbage, it's a picture of art. It's not only beautiful to look at, it's delicious and good for you to boot. Cabbage is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, and guess what, Brian ? Fiber, woohoo! It may smell bad, but it's an amazing vegetable.

I made this dish a few weeks ago, and it got rave reviews. The color of the dish is fantastic, and the taste is even better. It is salty, sweet, and sour, with a nice soft crunch in the end. You can also hold back a few of the bacon pieces to crumble on top for extra crunch. I made it again tonight so I can share the recipe with you. It's so easy, once you make it, you'll never need the recipe again! Be sure to season, taste, and tweak until the very end to your liking. You can serve this warm or at room temperature.

Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon

1 red cabbage, small head, about 1.5 lbs, quartered and sliced in thin strips
1 small onion, cut in half then sliced thin
3 pcs of smoked bacon, julienned
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
salt and pepper

In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven, place bacon pieces with some water, just enough to cover the bacon. Cook bacon until fat renders, and bacon is crispy. Transfer bacon pieces to a bowl with a paper towel and reserve. Drain all but 2 tbsp of the bacon fat from the skillet.

On medium heat, add onion to fat in skillet. Cook until wilted. Add cabbage, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, stir. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and braise for 30 - 45 minutes. You can check every 15 minutes or so to stir. Taste for even seasoning. Add reserved bacon pieces and serve.

Spring is Here, well almost...

It's going to survive! Last spring, we bought a blueberry bush, and since we have deer roaming our yard, we thought it was a good idea to place the bush in the back porch since its only access is through the house and no wild animal can get to it. While we were in the front preparing the soil and container, Maddie and Buddy managed to eat most of the bush. We thought it wasn't going to make it, but look, buds! Even tons of snowfall (or tree-eating dogs) can't keep this little bush from sprouting.

I wish I had a good blueberry recipe to share with you, but instead, I have another spring like food to talk about...ham! We went over to Stephanie's for dinner, and along with the ham, we made scalloped potatoes, beans, and to finish it off, berries and cake topped with whipped cream and mascarpone cheese. The kids were in top form and we were having so much fun, I had forgotten to take pictures, boo. So instead, this morning, I made Dale a skillet breakfast from the leftover ham.

I used potatoes from my farmers box last week. I boiled the potatoes for a few minutes to speed up the cooking, and when I was slicing the potatoes, I found they were slightly purple/reddish inside. I don't know what kind they were, but they had a nice bite to them plus they tasted very good. Michael says it was hard to distinguish between the pieces of ham and the potato. Both were cut in small cubes, but I thought that was a good thing.

I didn't have much vegetables left in the fridge, not even an onion. It's a forgiving recipe so throw in your leftover vegies. I used a couple of shallots and an almost crinkly red pepper (I paid $2.50 for the red pepper, ridiculous! I had to use it..). I had one small avocado and I ended up placing it in on the top and it was really yummy. I threw in the cheese at the last minute, and it made the dish creamy and delicious. This dish could've benefited from having some mushrooms, green pepper, maybe tomatoes? I wouldn't even mind a combination of spinach, mushrooms and bacon.


Potato and Ham Skillet Breakfast

4 or 5 medium red potatoes
1 cup cooked ham, cut in cubes
1/2 c. red pepper, diced the same size as ham pieces
1/2 c. onion, diced the same size as ham pieces
1/4 c. aged gruyere, diced the same size as ham pieces (or your choice of cheese)
eggs
salt and pepper
onion powder
dried chili pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Boil potatoes (I prefer with skin on) until just soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and cut in cubes.

Heat olive oil in large skillet. When very hot, add potatoes and do not stir to allow one side to be nicely seared and brown, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and onion powder. Give one shake, and remove potatoes and place in a bowl.

In the same skillet on medium low heat, add the ham for one minute. Add the shallots and green pepper for 1-2 minutes. Return the potatoes in the skillet, and top with cubes of gruyere. Season if needed, add chili pepper if you want some heat.

In a separate pan, make sunny side up eggs.

To serve the dish, scoop the potato mixture in the center of a plate. Add the sunny side egg on top of the potatoes. Serve. If you're Michael, put a few, maybe more, shakes of Tabasco on the eggs. Enjoy!