tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86615116603631695602023-11-15T22:46:36.936-08:00Kellan's KitchenAn online source to record and write about (and hopefully remember) recipes and dishes made that were of note.Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-16178151793513929682011-11-18T12:45:00.000-08:002011-11-18T12:45:32.262-08:00Blue Moon Fish Tacos<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">CHECK THIS POST OUT ON MY NEW SITE!!</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/">www.kellanskitchen.com </a></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"> </div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">This post comes a bit late for the project it was intended, however the result is still delicious. Blue Moon asked me to create two spice rubs for nation wide distribution in 1/2 ounce packets. Along with the spice rub creation there is a recipe that is attached with it. This one in particular is for their Summer Honey Wheat Ale. A light and refreshing beer with some subtle notes of honey and citrus. The spice pack has some nice complementary bold flavors that pair well with the beer. Smoked paprika, brown sugar, ground mustard, salt and just a touch of cayenne pepper make up the majority of the spice<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0128-2/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0128-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-967"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-967 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0128-300x199.jpg" height="199" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0128-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0128" width="300" /></a> pack. The challenge on this particular recipe was to come up with a seafood dish they could use to promote a value offer with the beer. After much debate, a white fish was agreed upon and the recipe was ready to be built. <a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0129-3/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0129-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-974"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-974" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0129-300x199.jpg" height="199" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0129-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0129" width="300" /></a></div>I decided to do a refreshing version of fish tacos, using the spice pack as my main flavoring tool. Instead of deep frying the fish in a beer batter (which would be easily done and play very well with the beer), I went with a quick pan fry with the seasoning acting as the breading. I also added a bit of lime zest and some fresh orange juice to add depth and a bit of 'pop' to the fish. The fish was tilapia, a nice white fish that has nice texture and can stand up to different types of cooking, and also makes for delicious tacos. The dish wasn't quite complete, even though there was an array of toppings to choose from. Most fish tacos I've encountered has had a very subtle white sauce that really ties the taco together and has you craving more. I decided to use the remainder of the spice pack to help make my faux white sauce. Starting with a sour cream base, I added the remainder of the spice pack, some lime zest and juice. I felt like I needed to add more, but when I tasted it, it was perfect.<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0137/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/11/blue-moon-fish-tacos/dsc_0137/" rel="attachment wp-att-977"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-977" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0137-300x199.jpg" height="199" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0137-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0137" width="300" /></a>This is a fun and very easy twist on fish tacos. Be on the look out for the spice packs in 2012!<br />
<br />
Method<br />
<hr />Cut Tilapia into ¼ inch cubes or there about. In a medium sized mixing bowl, take ½ the SHW spice packet and coat the pieces of fish along with 1 tsp of fresh lime zest. Toss well until all pieces of fish are coated, and set aside for cooking.<br />
In a small bowl combine the sour cream, remaining lime zest, lime juice and the remainder of the spice pack and mix well until all ingredients are combined. Add salt or sugar if desired.<br />
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil then add the red onion and jalapeño. Sauté for a few minutes until onions become translucent. Then add fish and sauté with the onions and peppers. Keep the fish moving around in the pan so they don’t stick and all flavors combine. After 2-3 minutes, add the juice of half an orange and continue to sauté for another 2-3 minutes then remove from heat and get ready to assemble.<br />
Assembly:<br />
Take small spoonful of the sour cream mixture and spread it on the bottom of your tortilla. Add fish on top of this, followed by cilantro, radish, cabbage and avocado. Garnish with fresh lime and extra sour cream sauce. Makes 4 tacos.Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-44535588134547936802011-10-19T13:48:00.001-07:002011-10-19T13:48:58.431-07:00Pizza: French Bread Edition<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0125-3/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0125-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-726"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-726 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0125-300x199.jpg" height="159" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0125-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0125" width="240" /></a>Pizza, the Italian invention, has now become a staple in our food culture. Far from the 'fast food' delivery choices, the 'Artisinal' pizza has taken over menus in all types of restaurants. Here in San Francisco, we have a few higher end restaurants that focus mainly on pizza (Delfina, A16, Cotogna, just to name a few). However, this post comes at a more pedestrian level for the classic dish. For a few years now I have offered French Bread Pizzas to my clients as a great way to feed their kids. Kids love pizza, kids love french bread pizza. For me, it was a throw back to my age-group swimming days, where I would pine after the <a data-mce-href="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=stouffers+french+bread+pizza&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1608&bih=789&tbm=isch&tbnid=yzf0F6N6X0_CFM:&imgrefurl=http://www.yumsugar.com/tag/frozen-foods&docid=uqSuvBsjAqoMkM&w=240&h=205&ei=FDSTTtWTBsPPiALP0oDNCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=728&vpy=134&dur=1732&hovh=164&hovw=192&tx=116&ty=99&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=145&start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:0" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?q=stouffers+french+bread+pizza&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1608&bih=789&tbm=isch&tbnid=yzf0F6N6X0_CFM:&imgrefurl=http://www.yumsugar.com/tag/frozen-foods&docid=uqSuvBsjAqoMkM&w=240&h=205&ei=FDSTTtWTBsPPiALP0oDNCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=728&vpy=134&dur=1732&hovh=164&hovw=192&tx=116&ty=99&page=1&tbnh=124&tbnw=145&start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:0">Stouffer's microwaveable french bread pizza</a>, and enjoy it like it was my last meal as a 9 year old. I've since then elevated my tastes above the microwave offering, and now I make my own with sauce from scratch, and a variety of toppings depending on my mood.<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0138/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0138/" rel="attachment wp-att-731"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-731" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0138-300x199.jpg" height="199" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0138-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0138" width="300" /></a><br />
It was a sunny Sunday following an epic weekend filled with airshows, late nights, and a wedding. I had oddly been craving pizza at a higher level than usual, and was considering all options on how I was going to get my fix. After some light discussion with Darcy, I rang my buddy Juice (his mother calls him Justin) and he had suggested home-made pizza. Suddenly, I became very motivated. I had a ton of pizza ingredients in my pantry and fridge. I had all the fixings to make a great sauce, 3 types of cheese, 2 types of pork, and fresh herbs. This was shaping up to be a fabulous meal. There were some missing items, like pizza dough, so there had to be a Whole Foods run. Darcy was a trooper and battled the Sunday crowds on the pizza mission put in front of her. However, Whole Foods had run out of pizza dough. Well, it actually turned out to be quite a convenience. I had, literally 2 minutes prior to receiving notification that there was no pizza dough, explained to Juice that an awesome, easy meal was french bread pizza. So, Darcy grabbed two loaves of Ciabatta bread and we were on our way to a fabulous meal.<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0129-2/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0129-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-732"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-732" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0129-300x199.jpg" height="159" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_0129-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0129" width="240" /></a>The great thing about the bread option, is you can easily create individual pizzas tailored to all of your cravings. We went to work. I knew I would have at least 3, maybe 4 creations, so I wanted to build different flavors into each and every one. One with fresh mozzarella, proscuitto, and some beautiful arugula. Followed by a smoked mozzarella with pepperoni and mushrooms. Fontina, prosciutto, and garlic topped with fresh arugula and olive oil. We were all giddy and excited about each and every pizza we made. Jealous of others, but stingy about sharing a bite of our own creation, this was truly a fabulous Sunday eating adventure. The best part was how EASY it is. If you are lazy, feel free to buy jarred sauce, but tomato sauce from scratch is very easy. Cans or fresh tomatoes, its easy. Buy some bread, cheese & a topping or 2 and you'll have an awesome, nostalgic meal.<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0148-2/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/10/pizza-french-bread-edition/dsc_0148-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-733"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-733" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_01481-300x226.jpg" height="226" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_01481-300x226.jpg" title="DSC_0148" width="300" /></a><br />
Method<br />
<hr />Preheat oven to 400*<br />
Sauce<br />
Saute garlic, and onions in a sauce pan with a little olive oil until onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, along with the oregano and a healthy pinch of salt (note: when adding tomato paste, usually a small amount of water is added as well). Stir and heat over medium to low heat for about 30 minutes. You can either serve as is, or blend it using an immersion blender or food processor.Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-28265029672609412632011-10-05T12:02:00.001-07:002011-10-05T12:02:18.278-07:00Blue Moon Recipe: Winter Abbey Ale Mac n Cheese<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=711" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=711" rel="attachment wp-att-711"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-711" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8634-200x300.jpg" height="151" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8634-200x300.jpg" title="IMG_8634" width="101" /></a>About 7 months ago, my good friend Kate had called to discuss Blue Moon's Holiday variety pack and a complete <a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/07/blue-moon-recipe-winter-abbey-ale-pot-roast/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/2011/07/blue-moon-recipe-winter-abbey-ale-pot-roast/" title="Blue Moon Recipe: Winter Abbey Ale Pot Roast!">Holiday Meal</a> to go along with the sampler of beer. During the discussion of building the meal, I had brought up the idea of using one of the beers in the recipe for a version of mac and cheese. Kate and the team were pretty enthusiastic about the idea, but it wasn't the right fit for the Holiday Meal. So, the idea was tabled but not forgotten. About two months ago, there was a call for another Winter Abbey Ale recipe. I referred to some of my notes and saw that this was the beer I was going to use for the mac and cheese. This was easily approved and excitement on both sides was building. Over some drinks with the team in Chicago, I brought up the discussion of which cheeses might pair well with the beer.<br />
Cheese and Beer pairings are becoming more and more popular and a number of San Francisco restaurants are offering this idea as well as using<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=712" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=712" rel="attachment wp-att-712"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-712" data-mce-src="../wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8645-300x200.jpg" height="140" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8645-300x200.jpg" title="IMG_8645" width="210" /></a> beer in cheese based dishes. The Winter Abbey Ale has some great nutty flavors along with dark roasted malts, which invites a number of different cheeses to the recipe. Cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina, American, and Swiss were all discussed heavily. But, I wanted something a little different. After trying the beer a second time, my mind moved towards a creamy, nutty cheese. I landed on Gouda. When it came time to create the recipe, I ended up with three different cheeses; New York White Cheddar, Fontina and Gouda. I thought this was a pretty solid mix, and would work well with the flavors of the beer. The fun part would be seeing how the beer would fit in with all of the other flavors going into the dish. I started with bacon (I mean, lets be serious, you can't have mac n cheese without bacon!) and shallots, and let those cook down until the fat was rendered and the bacon was crispy. Here is where I used the beer. I deglazed the pan with about a cup of Winter Abbey Ale, along with a large tablespoon of Dijon mustard. It was smelling great, and the consistency of the mixture was perfect. The cheeses, cream and some seasonings were added and stirred until smooth and then mixed with the al dente pasta.<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=713" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=713" rel="attachment wp-att-713"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-713 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8649-300x200.jpg" height="200" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8649-300x200.jpg" title="IMG_8649" width="300" /></a>The anticipation was growing, beer was poured, and the smells out of the oven were fantastic. Finally it was ready. My guests dug in and were serving themselves heaping portions, I smiled. The mac and cheese was superb. At first bite you can taste all the wonderful cheesiness and salty bacon. The cool part was after a few bites and long tasting chews, I could definitely taste the beer. The subtle bitterness that comes from hops, and the roasted malt flavors were shining through. A wonderful flavor enhanced by the cheese. Look out wine, beer and cheese are here to stay!<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=714" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=714" rel="attachment wp-att-714"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-714" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8676-300x200.jpg" height="200" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8676-300x200.jpg" title="IMG_8676" width="300" /></a><br />
Method<br />
<hr />Preheat oven to 400*<br />
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 pound of Macaroni to the pot. Follow cooking instructions on the box to cook “Al Dente,” should be about 6 minutes. Strain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until the cheese mixture is ready.<br />
In a separate pot, cook bacon pieces on medium to high heat. Once the bacon is almost cooked to crispy, add the shallots in. Cook the bacon and shallot mixture until the shallots become translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the WAA and Dijon mustard. Then add the cream and all your cheeses, stirring slowly to incorporate and melt all the cheese. Cook over low to medium until all the cheese is melted together. Season the cheese mixture with the white pepper and salt.<br />
In an oven safe baking dish, transfer the cooked macaroni and spread evenly. Then add the melted cheese mixture, fully mixing and incorporating it with the pasta. Top with bread crumbs, and place into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown.Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-15012085294106192632011-10-03T11:11:00.000-07:002011-10-03T11:11:45.738-07:00Grand Cru Pulled Pork Sliders<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=682" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=682" rel="attachment wp-att-682"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-682 alignright" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8609-200x300.jpg" height="210" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8609-200x300.jpg" title="IMG_8609" width="140" /></a>This particular Blue Moon recipe request came with a bit more weight and specialness to it. <a data-mce-href="http:/www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com/" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.com/">Blue Moon</a> releases its very special Grand Cru beer only during the holiday season, and it is only offered in larger magnum bottles. I knew it was going to be special when I was given very specific tasting notes from the Brewmaster himself, Keith Villa. The notes concentrated on the citrus tones and wheat flavor, prompting lots of ideas swimming through my head. After some debate, the idea landed on sliders. I wanted to move a bit away from the traditional slider approach, so I suggested pulled pork. A heavily spiced pork, with some citrus braising liquid would pair nicely with Grand Cru. And with that nailed down, we were off an running.<br />
I wanted to add strong spices to the pork for its long journey in the oven, so I started with some garlic, coriander, smoked paprika, and ground mustard. From there I added brown sugar, salt, white pepper and some cayenne pepper. This was all combined in a mortar & pestal (mixing bowl is a perfect substitute), and then rubbed all over the pork. Into the dutch oven it went, seared on all sides, then some apple cider vinegar and orange juice was added before it went into the oven.<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=683" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=683" rel="attachment wp-att-683"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-683 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8620-300x200.jpg" height="115" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8620-300x200.jpg" title="IMG_8620" width="173" /></a>Many hours later, the pork was ready to be "pulled." After a few pulls and a few tastes, I was pretty happy with the pork but it definitely needed a sauce. I took the pan drippings and added a bit more sugar, vinegar, and let it reduce on the stove for a bit longer. The sweet and acidic sauce was going to be a perfect compliment with the Grand Cru beer, accenting all of the citrus flavors. Now, all that was needed was some toppings.<br />
Moving away from traditional toppings, as well as a traditional slaw, I wanted to add some depth. Carrots, red cabbage, and cilantro was my start. Using the Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwich as inspiration, I also added some fresh jalapeno slices to the slaw base. Instead of using mayo, I kept this slaw light by adding a touch of apple cider vinegar, honey and some olive oil. Lightly tossed together, this was a refreshing compliment to the savory pork, the slaw also added some great texture to the slider.<br />
<a data-mce-href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=684" href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/?attachment_id=684" rel="attachment wp-att-684"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-684 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8661-300x200.jpg" height="200" src="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IMG_8661-300x200.jpg" title="IMG_8661" width="300" /></a>The dish came together nicely, great flavors, textures and colors. A very fun spin on sliders, and paired very well with Grand Cru!<br />
<h3>Method</h3><hr />Preheat oven to 250.<br />
Combine all dry ingredients (garlic, paprika, sugar, salt, pepper, coriander, mustard, cayenne), into a bowl and mix well (mortar & pestle if you have one). Take dry ingredients and rub shoulder generously. Coat all sides. Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven on the stove-top (or oven safe baking dish with a lid) with a tablespoon of vegetable oil oil. Place seasoned pork shoulder into the pot and sear on all sides (2 minutes a side). Then add the OJ & Cider vinegar to the pot. Cover and place into the oven for about 4 hours. Internal temperature should read around 170-190 in the thickest part, and the meat should be falling off the bone. Once the meat is at this state, remove from the pot into a bowl for shredding. With 2 forks “pull” the pork apart into long strands, discarding any excess fat or inedible pieces. Save any excess liquid for sauce.<br />
<b>Pulled Pork Sauce</b><br />
The ideal sauce starts with the liquid left over in the pot from the slow roasting process. The recipe items below are additions to that cooking liquid. If there isn’t any liquid remaining, or if one wants more sauce, start with 1 cup of OJ and 1 cup of Apple Cider vinegar and begin reducing along with the following items.<br />
1 tbsp Dijon mustard<br />
2 tbsp Brown Sugar or Honey<br />
2 Cloves<br />
Pinch of saltKellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-7347237900363679842011-09-27T10:47:00.000-07:002011-09-27T10:47:32.002-07:00New Site!!<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Hello fellow foodies! I'd like to thank you all personally for following my blog and reading up on what I'm creating in the kitchen. Things have been going very well, and it was time to upgrade!! All writings, postings, pictures are now LIVE on <a href="http://www.kellanskitchen.com/">www.kellanskitchen.com</a>! I encourage you to bookmark, follow, and like it on Facebook so you don't miss any new posts, recipes or reviews!</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thanks, and I'll see you over on the new site!! </div>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-16507300033195421492011-09-14T12:17:00.000-07:002011-09-14T12:37:37.562-07:00Hidden Gem: Dim Sum Alley<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I love dim sum and I </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">am always on the look out for a good pork bun or pot sticker. Every time I order Chinese, I get pot stickers. My first dish during my visit to Japan, gyoza. I visit my local shop in Palo Alto religiously (Cho's!). Recently, I've found my new spot in San Francisco. Keith came to town from Healdsburg and was set on getting something Asian for lunch. We were on our way to this Vietnamese sandwich shop in the Tenderloin, when Keith suddenly proclaimed "I could do some Pork buns too..." Keith had lived in SF for years and has uncanny knowledge of hole-in-the-wall eateries. He had been boasting for years about the pork buns at his spot "deep into Chinatown." I jumped at the opportunity to have him show me 'his spot' for dim sum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After a tenuous bus ride on the 1, we arrived in the heart of Chinatown (Stockton & Clay). It was a rare departure from the bus at this stop, usually I'm continuing on to the Financial district. Keith hopped off and headed straight for an alley, adjacent to the bus stop. On our quick walk, we passed the underground </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">mahjong</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> halls, where old Chinese folk were gambling away. Stares from inside the halls in our direction were fiercely territorial, translating into something along the lines of "<i>you better know where you're going, white boy." </i>Slightly intimidating but very exciting because I knew this place had to be good. We arrived quickly at our destination, Hang Ah Tea Room.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With the dining room slightly populated, we took our seats. I let Keith drive the order. Patiently waiting, we salivated as we saw plates of pork buns, crispy shrimp balls, and some other unidentified dishes float around the room. And then our dishes came.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">First was the crispy shrimp balls. Amazingly flavorful, not rubbery ground shrimp crusted with perfectly crispy rice wraps. Sauced with sweet & sour, soy & the house made spicy bean paste, these balls of shrimp were outstanding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Then came the pork buns. Beautiful white fluffy pillows filled with savory & sweet bbq'd pork. Some of the best I'd ever had. Then the pot stickers. Perfectly crispy and savory. Love in every bite. Accompanied with the egg rolls, this was heaven. We mopped up every last bit of everything that was on our table, and almost ordered more. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This place is extremely legit, and I will be returning on a very regular basis. Oh, and its cheap. $2.10 for pork buns, and $2.75 for pot stickers. Don't spread the word, I'd like to keep prices down! So, be greedy, be secretive, and don't bring your co-workers to lunch. Let them go to the big name places...</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-56490531671251232662011-09-07T12:42:00.000-07:002011-09-07T12:52:50.638-07:00Rib. Fest. 2011.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMhlzXvNQhqA0G9k6CseFkOwlWO43AVNwVOzqihROGZqRgu992O9BHZ3MqwruugG5YlV4oyF2950UPp1muQ-LiAZJoNpKftpQs4fyh7HpCw2SgYz9MWhpwqVoNinSL7WmxKWl1XXsEcby/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMhlzXvNQhqA0G9k6CseFkOwlWO43AVNwVOzqihROGZqRgu992O9BHZ3MqwruugG5YlV4oyF2950UPp1muQ-LiAZJoNpKftpQs4fyh7HpCw2SgYz9MWhpwqVoNinSL7WmxKWl1XXsEcby/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Its not often that I write about something not created in my kitchen. However, this event deserves its own post and may inspire more like it to follow. Every Labor day weekend (Wednesday-Monday) Sparks, Nevada is home to the largest Rib Cook Off west of the Mississippi, and </span><span dir="ltr" id=":1wy" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">considered by many to be one of the most prestigious wins amongst the very competitive BBQ circuit.</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EdZO8hUMapoobUCQ5OHJhp8NgALEVZ4GfDFAQInRrIdfFll34vW6ef17HvggDM0whE5_gEC6sfruDDuVcHch54hF8TFNOjeidnNyIIKwdESpUINLxfvasO8qs1m-hcKHeeBdRvnR0gxO/s1600/%25231+porknbeans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3EdZO8hUMapoobUCQ5OHJhp8NgALEVZ4GfDFAQInRrIdfFll34vW6ef17HvggDM0whE5_gEC6sfruDDuVcHch54hF8TFNOjeidnNyIIKwdESpUINLxfvasO8qs1m-hcKHeeBdRvnR0gxO/s320/%25231+porknbeans.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This was to be my second visit to this event. With lessons learned from last year, our hotel room at the Nugget was booked, Budweiser cans filled our back pack, and the all important white t-shirt was donned as patriotically as possible. I was wearing an old Tony Stewart NASCAR shirt. I was ready. As we made our way out of the casino on to the strip of rib vendors, everyone's excitement was visible. Where do we start? What's our rib ordering strategy? Someone pass me a beer! We conveniently found ourselves next to a respectable vendor blasting great music. Why not start here? There were 8 of us in our party, so rib ordering had to be done strategically. Portions were sold in 3 ribs, 6 ribs (1/2 rack) or 13-14 ribs (whole rack). </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6VnDMOHFKhvEKPnQb0pROf_S8y7cbAImqDfq8S-_1ZhMuz-EjdByQ_BkukxG7_felbwGPFcGwMnZN0V6_Qhynwt_46sgKhyphenhyphendOU93eg32SylJfh5vpRHw5Ys8tgdlu42yQvjCWfPZ2cBQ/s1600/flames.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj6VnDMOHFKhvEKPnQb0pROf_S8y7cbAImqDfq8S-_1ZhMuz-EjdByQ_BkukxG7_felbwGPFcGwMnZN0V6_Qhynwt_46sgKhyphenhyphendOU93eg32SylJfh5vpRHw5Ys8tgdlu42yQvjCWfPZ2cBQ/s320/flames.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Our general strategy was variety. Try to pack as many different rib vendors in as we could. So, we embarked on our pork filled journey with Porky 'n Beans. An excellent first choice to kick off Rib Fest. The ribs were tender but not too fatty. The meat fell off the bone, and the sauce was bold and a great balance of sweet & spicy. This place set the bar high. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXQvADarNeHe_b4_rgTKLh2uXfuCqKPCO14kEh8W0LnCO7_aEZoH3FlR90ctQbZ9jsgGJszfjVe09DIxwFsDakD5VgocmFO8eu6NUV6MPRHlbzH-2QypXJ2P4CZvrshkDyaW80t190MIp/s1600/BourbonQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXQvADarNeHe_b4_rgTKLh2uXfuCqKPCO14kEh8W0LnCO7_aEZoH3FlR90ctQbZ9jsgGJszfjVe09DIxwFsDakD5VgocmFO8eu6NUV6MPRHlbzH-2QypXJ2P4CZvrshkDyaW80t190MIp/s320/BourbonQ.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">On to the next joint! Last year we stumbled upon BourbonQ, which was our favorite at the time. This Kentucky style rib was delicious and had, hands down, the best sauce at the competition in our eyes. Luckily, BourbonQ was only a few steps away from where we had just devoured our first set of ribs. The excitement was growing. There are some great ways to pick out who has great ribs at Rib Fest. One of which is how long the lines are. If there is a bottle neck in the street, chances are that the cause of the mass of people are tasty ribs. BourbonQ was no exception. The line was probably the longest we would wait in. With a large banner stating "World Invitational Rib Champions" and a t-shirt stand selling shirts promoting pork consumption, BourbonQ lived up to the hype and our expectations. Probably the best part of BourbonQ is the sauce. There are 3-4 different types you can pile on to your already sauced ribs, but the flagship sauce, "Fighting Cock," was my personal favorite; spicy, tangy, sweet, and bold. Our team devoured the ribs so fast I couldn't snap a photo! BourbonQ had an early majority vote as the favorite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Next door to BourbonQ was a national brand, and boasted a trophy table that was intimidating. Kinders BBQ claimed it had the best sauce year in and year out. We would be the judge of that. The line was shorter than BourbonQ so we had ribs in hand in record time. There were two sauces present, one a garlic based, the other a more smokey and bold mixture. The rib meat fell off the bone, but fell well short of our previous two. We knew right away that this joint was no where near the caliber of the first two. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLF6bCndSWBjj7YktalkJ83MtV0xJoEM416A3mhZILUqoBrpwo74VnL65A4XixQNDNbns02cg0bhmqbzvYYJl34I0BRPhCOea5UW9xWoit6HVf3wMOkwoLuKq0hy5PdW9A7hTX0clgBy3/s1600/kinders+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLF6bCndSWBjj7YktalkJ83MtV0xJoEM416A3mhZILUqoBrpwo74VnL65A4XixQNDNbns02cg0bhmqbzvYYJl34I0BRPhCOea5UW9xWoit6HVf3wMOkwoLuKq0hy5PdW9A7hTX0clgBy3/s320/kinders+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Moving on. From my previous visit to Rib Fest, there was a vendor that I particularly loved. It was a Memphis style rib which, I believe, was the only vendor to promote a dry rub. I remembered that these ribs had a ton of flavor that the others didn't, and sauce wasn't necessary... not something you see much, especially at Rib Fest. So, I led the pack down to the end of the street where Willingham's stood tall and regal. There a couple things that every BBQ tent has; Huge banners promoting their specialties, large #1st Place signs, and a collection of trophies from various BBQ events. Willingham's was no exception, however it lacked a trophy table. Odd considering the list of 1st place awards flanking its massive banners. But, as you approached the window there was a 8'x4' banner containing a picture of all of their trophies. They were so confident they didn't feel the need to travel with their trophies, so they took a picture instead. Awesome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Darcy was at my side driving our order through... "If you think that these are gonna be good, let's get a full rack." After a slight hesitation, I couldn't deny that logic. "A full rack, please." The lady at the register yelled out "Full!" and rang a cow bell. Again, awesome. We saw our man by the BBQ pull off a huge full rack of baby back ribs, and slice them right in font of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">We waited patiently and excitedly. Greedily, we grabbed our styrofoam container and headed to the sauce station. Lathered up one side of the container with both sauces and joined our team. At first bite I was lost in goodness. I remember hearing a lot of grunting, moaning, and more grunting. The full rack was the call of the day. Everyone wanted more. More grunting ensued, followed by sauce licking, and then finished with beer drinking. The dry rub style ribs, in my mind, brought a ton of flavor into the ribs that no other had done yet. The more you chewed, the more flavor you tasted. Combined with the bold & smokey or sweet & sassy sauce, the ribs were out of this world good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This easily became my favorite, and I think some other team members were convinced as well. I was stoked to have a 2nd and half of a 3rd rib. Finished off with a rib cheers, a beer cheers, and some stomach stretching, we moved on...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">As the team left Willingham's smiling and happy, we agreed we needed to slow down a bit. We had done 4 vendors in about 30-40 minutes. Our walk slowed to a saunter as we took in the sites and paused at the incredible opportunity to people watch. This was certainly an event people traveled too. As we strolled down the strip, the decision was upon Jerry on where to eat next. He landed on a Texas vendor. At this point, we hadn't tasted anything from the famous BBQ state. The vendor looked like a good choice and had a man in a cowboy hat BBQing right on the street, a good sign. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The ribs were ok. Nothing like Willingham's, BourbonQ, or even Kinders. Texas quickly fell short. They were a bit too fatty, and didn't fall off the bone. The sauce was ok, but again, nothing like the previous vendors. Maybe we got a faulty rack, but Texas just wasn't that good. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmH8yEaJtnrAMQfHJVma0aHeQeswTrq8XAcsXFzsnxaJ_vxZ0dEl973-LU_8nR3OhYWBnCafJHo0BRVk6p8rKX1uM3YA-vf5aCmo_m-VcNbymWwcYxXLol9alXL9AZWqtgV_G8jYdxTlF/s1600/eatin+ribs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtmH8yEaJtnrAMQfHJVma0aHeQeswTrq8XAcsXFzsnxaJ_vxZ0dEl973-LU_8nR3OhYWBnCafJHo0BRVk6p8rKX1uM3YA-vf5aCmo_m-VcNbymWwcYxXLol9alXL9AZWqtgV_G8jYdxTlF/s320/eatin+ribs.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">By this point we were getting pretty full and happy, but there was still room for more. A couple more beers, and a few more paces we stumbled onto Rasta Joe's. A number of Tahoe people had recommended this place. So, another order of ribs was bought. Unfortunately, these ribs just weren't good. Maybe it was because we had started with such high quality places, or maybe it was because we were getting full, but I barely finished one rib. They were really fatty and chewy, almost like they had been boiled and then lightly grilled. The sauces were uninspiring, but at least they had pickles! I focused on my beer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">All in all, Rib Fest was a huge success. 6 different vendors, and well over a full rack eaten, I was very satisfied and very full. Darcy and I ended up going back to Willingham's for one last taste, and we were not disappointed. If you haven't been to Rib Fest, you need too. Not only are the ribs phenomenal, but the event itself is awesome. Live music, competitive eating contests, and well, all the fun that Nevada boasts. We ended our night dancing to an old man band and drinking whiskey inside of photo booths. Thank you, Rib Fest. Ill see you again next year.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVxmad9J3NuAEYbk8MGXAbr9QDcm_t4-1znoUzJgofPVtIotBVzqytVhfcyhWETdNWpthLnIDtumwOLVFLOZPi_V0lF7ftw2cAya8uxUJZrH2eQro8M3Mv2h0dhcsV0URuolGp4jV3RN8/s1600/team+rib+fest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVxmad9J3NuAEYbk8MGXAbr9QDcm_t4-1znoUzJgofPVtIotBVzqytVhfcyhWETdNWpthLnIDtumwOLVFLOZPi_V0lF7ftw2cAya8uxUJZrH2eQro8M3Mv2h0dhcsV0URuolGp4jV3RN8/s400/team+rib+fest.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-9557041327592073832011-09-01T11:42:00.000-07:002011-09-01T12:00:03.840-07:00Blue Moon Recipe: Spring Blonde Spice Rub Pork Loin<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The summer projects for Blue Moon have been fun, challenging, and exiting to create. This first recipe comes after a lengthy assignment developing spice rub packets for two of their seasonal beers. After many trials, a digital scale purchase, and some taste tests the spice rubs were chosen for development. The 1/2oz packets will be distributed nation wide soon! So... with the spice rub packet comes a recipe! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwXp-RcOi3-dwHAGZVm-CbQ22nZ2Qxrgr48V_96M2Zm5Zq7XxQtThwKiPatmzBILUKMCYKS-Wt0KJiNuZERt0w-Xj67wJj36uIO9Wil3CXOm-WRn__mI6iWVk-w74wtkog180sReti_1a/s1600/IMG_2996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwXp-RcOi3-dwHAGZVm-CbQ22nZ2Qxrgr48V_96M2Zm5Zq7XxQtThwKiPatmzBILUKMCYKS-Wt0KJiNuZERt0w-Xj67wJj36uIO9Wil3CXOm-WRn__mI6iWVk-w74wtkog180sReti_1a/s320/IMG_2996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The Spring Blonde Spice Rub packet has some sharp flavors that were to be paired/sold with a value offer for oranges therefor this recipe had to call for fresh oranges. When discussing with the team, I suggested since oranges and spices weren't that appealing on their own they be used as a marinade or sauce. The Blue Moon team was into it and I ran with the idea. I started with the 1/2oz spice rub (Celery salt, ground mustard, brown sugar, black pepper) and about 6 medium sized oranges. I juiced all the oranges, but saved one of the rinds, and julienned that to add some more orange flavor into the marinade. I then built up the flavors by adding half a </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">small diced </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">jalapeno and then some chopped cilantro. I tasted the marinade and it was running a bit acidic, so I added some honey. From there I knew I was close to something tasty. Adhering to the marinade rule (acid, salt, savory, fat) I added some olive oil, as well as some fresh lime juice for some punch. This was looking and tasting good. I added the pork to this marinade and let it sit overnight in the fridge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The next day, I headed over to the Pollock house to finish this recipe. Ali was roasting potatoes which would turn out to be a perfect compliment to the pork. I pulled the pork out of the marinade and heated up a cast iron skillet until it was smoking then seared the loin on all sides. The pork was then transferred to a baking dish along with just a touch of the marinade to keep the pork moist. It went into a 400* oven for about 25 minutes. I pulled the loins out when they hit 145*. They looked caramelized and delicious. Once rested, I cut the pork loin into medallions and got it all ready to serve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It's always fun seeing people eat your food. The best compliments are not necessarily the verbal ones, but the physical acts of those getting up to get seconds and thirds... or Ali texting that she had the leftovers for lunch. I love my job!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Keep an eye out for the spice rub packets in stores! The Summer Honey Wheat Spice Rub recipe will be on this space soon...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Spring Blonde Spice Rub Pork Loin<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1- ½ oz Spring Blonde Spice Rub Packet<br />
2 + pounds Pork Tenderloin<br />
6 Oranges, juiced (yields 1 cup), + 1 rind chopped (or zest)<br />
½ Jalapeño, small diced<br />
¼ bunch of cilantro, chopped<br />
2 limes, juiced<br />
1/4-cup olive oil + 1 tbsp<br />
2 tbsp honey<br />
1 Red onion, halved, then sliced into 1/8 inch slices<br />
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Method:<br />
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the pork loin and red onion. Mix well. Transfer into marinating dish with pork. Let sit over night. <br />
Cooking process: Heat cast iron skillet on medium until smoking. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and coat. Place marinated pork tenderloin in skillet and sear each side (2-3minutes a side). Once all sides are seared, transfer to an oven safe pan with the red onion slices and place into a 400* oven for 25-30 minutes (or until internal temperature is 145*).<br />
Meanwhile, place remaining marinade in a saucepan and heat on medium until simmering, this is heating the marinade through. <br />
Once pork is cooked, let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Slice into medallions and serve with warmed marinade. Serves 3-4.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-20581802296350893702011-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:002011-08-23T11:56:27.448-07:00Tequila-Grapefruit Shrimp, Roasted Corn & Avocado Salad, Fennel Basil Calamari<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_ugTUcHn_GEOBkr8imDtwQzz1-iO4FFM2KNkDNpN1a0ypUmkCF4DJq220usUyCSgUleUoAGXSs9pN2QlYn2xVZ_HjfSrNwd32we5Q4f5EdjPDTAX92S1H0N4nkSPWkNnRkq0bpaNMV3l/s1600/radish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_ugTUcHn_GEOBkr8imDtwQzz1-iO4FFM2KNkDNpN1a0ypUmkCF4DJq220usUyCSgUleUoAGXSs9pN2QlYn2xVZ_HjfSrNwd32we5Q4f5EdjPDTAX92S1H0N4nkSPWkNnRkq0bpaNMV3l/s320/radish.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Apologies up front for the delay between blog posts, it's been a busy summer! But these new ideas are sure to bring some inspiration to the table. Summer is rapidly turning into fall and I wanted to make sure that I had some new ideas in the books before my mind switched into squashes, turkey, and savory dishes. I had been itching to do some experimenting for a while and a recent journey to LA brought on the chance to play in a kitchen. In the events leading up to a Saturday night meal with my dear friends Kenny, Erica and their newest addition little Rowan, shrimp had been on my mind. My friend Axel had mentioned something with tequila might be fun and interesting, so I took it and ran. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rEwCZdd0n4Fao9TDzCVT2OUeAnWQRcXBLWLS_ni9RFNIjF2GvjByFbKy8_1tlR8-UF-mvt6bsK_mMxT9FRxG6Uoq5iHfX4XgUnr4yAuLtQMh6keOe5jRHUR6LVvKBLNgcpY9UVuJBcks/s1600/skewered+shrimp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rEwCZdd0n4Fao9TDzCVT2OUeAnWQRcXBLWLS_ni9RFNIjF2GvjByFbKy8_1tlR8-UF-mvt6bsK_mMxT9FRxG6Uoq5iHfX4XgUnr4yAuLtQMh6keOe5jRHUR6LVvKBLNgcpY9UVuJBcks/s320/skewered+shrimp.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It was a tough go at Whole Foods with no real dish in mind, so a lot of browsing through the local produce helped drive the dish. I started with the shrimp. Limes, peppers/chilies, and cilantro is where I started, then I found some Grapefruits and that was the beginning of something good. The dish came together like this: Tequila, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, cilantro, garlic, agave nectar, diced sweet peppers, and salt marinaded the shrimp. They were then skewered and grilled. Topped with supremes of grapefruit and sliced avocado. The perfect bite; a shrimp, a supreme of grapefruit, and a slice of avocado. Delicious and perfect for summer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">To accompany the shrimp a few other dishes were constructed. At the store we also ran into some awesomely fresh calamari. Wanting to do something a bit different and out of the box, I again found myself stuck in the produce section. I came across some beautiful fennel and my mind went to Sicily where I had seen calamari & fennel paired. I grabbed some lemons, and remembered that Kenny had oodles of fresh basil growing in his garden. The calamari was cut into rings, the fennel diced in to the same shape along with diced fennel frawn. I added some thin slices of red onion, fresh lemon juice & zest, and a touch of agave nectar. This concoction was sauteed very quickly in some olive oil. It was pretty delicious upon first bite, but was definitely missing something. After some debate, we came to the conclusion that this needed pasta. Keeping the idea, but it's not quite there yet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Onto what turned out to be the star of the show. I have made roasted corn salad in the past, but none quite like this. With fresh corn roasting on the grill, I sliced up some beautiful radish and fresh cilantro. Then I added some roasted pine nuts, and large chunks of avocado. Lastly, I grilled some green onions and diced up the char and threw it in to the colorful bowl. Finished with some high quality olive oil, red wine vinegar, and a pinch of salt, this salad was hands down the best dish of the night. You can expect to see this pushed on all my summer offerings!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The meal was completed with some cous cous and roasted peppers. A perfect starch to accompany all the flavors on the plate. There was a ton of vegetables, herbs, and fruit making this a very healthy summer meal. Thanks Kenny, Erica & Rowan for having us!! </span><br />
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Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-15447098811067965752011-08-08T12:33:00.000-07:002011-08-08T12:33:06.504-07:00Slider Night, Edition 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbbx7X89Svx9tkBeeLHPRIW0c-VvKT0xbUQwnChlK3Sa8WAHhytV1iyWs4lHaJlmPXLdTjfMt_9XHmOfq0QavPJy-vVP9OQDwitSREwfIiiEkd7P4sAnViXJoitcRs1sRvFHoduHKdEjQ/s1600/menu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbbx7X89Svx9tkBeeLHPRIW0c-VvKT0xbUQwnChlK3Sa8WAHhytV1iyWs4lHaJlmPXLdTjfMt_9XHmOfq0QavPJy-vVP9OQDwitSREwfIiiEkd7P4sAnViXJoitcRs1sRvFHoduHKdEjQ/s320/menu.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It was a Tuesday night and I was sitting around the house talking with my roommate Amy. We were in separate rooms carrying on a loud conversation about what we wanted for dinner. I started listing things I had in the fridge, and she was firing off ideas and verdicts on my proposals. The menu suggestions went from tacos, to meatloaf, to burgers. Someone mentioned sliders, and we both paused and quickly agreed. We assembled and made the quick trek to Whole Foods to gather ingredients. From just a small thought, came a mountain of fun ideas. We weren't going to make just one style, we were gonna create 3-4 different sliders. It was time to play. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxrqmu8bH5VJBNcrCFVYVkDwti1dUgnHwofZifxnJ-nmuZD6fp2X6EEcW_ucYsfPYWCNLy9Ac-2UWkKkGaamRJA58uV2VMiT7mFrx-4i1DB2b7z_6Z46HMGReDmVOewnhO-ASH2IKGs5X/s1600/prep+items.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxrqmu8bH5VJBNcrCFVYVkDwti1dUgnHwofZifxnJ-nmuZD6fp2X6EEcW_ucYsfPYWCNLy9Ac-2UWkKkGaamRJA58uV2VMiT7mFrx-4i1DB2b7z_6Z46HMGReDmVOewnhO-ASH2IKGs5X/s320/prep+items.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">First and foremost we had to do a classic. I had some delicious black forest rubbed bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese. With the addition of caramelized onions and a srirracha ketchup, that one was finished. Easy. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVk_Okq3oI3vhykn91bqAjCS6IAG5Q9a-wePqmvEeeIdORmws_vPnkxx8ySU5W-ny0dw3z5pLy4x_fOKEDu6UOWIlzM7Jthj4c-J9Bm9AwB_5k4OOrk8RSG-4K_29NSQg6_q5tSguavpP/s1600/bacon+cheddar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVk_Okq3oI3vhykn91bqAjCS6IAG5Q9a-wePqmvEeeIdORmws_vPnkxx8ySU5W-ny0dw3z5pLy4x_fOKEDu6UOWIlzM7Jthj4c-J9Bm9AwB_5k4OOrk8RSG-4K_29NSQg6_q5tSguavpP/s320/bacon+cheddar.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The second one that came to mind was using goat cheese. We decided to put an heirloom tomato slice, and some crispy shallots. In addition, we agreed it would need a sauce. Keeping on the garden theme, a roasted garlic aioli was to be constructed. A couple leaves of spinach and this one was ready. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9DuPzrIoCK9BGEV1xfCoVA6NsCWqKOIXomRy9RYzlCkaipu9Ug9fQ2KD9KuH8NHU2Mi9Gm2P7-foP3YX3kOTig_r4G4KY4_GHqXkMEhX5jW-6E4fXrjHWNUAgRAQATtz22MemQwnTlCd/s1600/goat+cheese+heirloom.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9DuPzrIoCK9BGEV1xfCoVA6NsCWqKOIXomRy9RYzlCkaipu9Ug9fQ2KD9KuH8NHU2Mi9Gm2P7-foP3YX3kOTig_r4G4KY4_GHqXkMEhX5jW-6E4fXrjHWNUAgRAQATtz22MemQwnTlCd/s320/goat+cheese+heirloom.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The third one took some time to get right, but we were very excited about it. A roasted Anaheim chili would be the inspiration. Pepper jack cheese would be melted, and a south western aioli would be the sauce that bound everything together. This one was mouthwatering. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H1FJmH9afvoPQfFOGB5qeJpvhhj7Sd282_RxCuX9nGZGbC3ykj0EgCErdatSphdLaVyjmJEe6jIYBWJfL5AWXq_bVBz-ov8FGnkAhCnifhD2OLsiIMEZm5uj7zUce_f7n2v_SnEq9dH9/s1600/anehiem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4H1FJmH9afvoPQfFOGB5qeJpvhhj7Sd282_RxCuX9nGZGbC3ykj0EgCErdatSphdLaVyjmJEe6jIYBWJfL5AWXq_bVBz-ov8FGnkAhCnifhD2OLsiIMEZm5uj7zUce_f7n2v_SnEq9dH9/s320/anehiem.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">And the final and fourth slider was tricky. We both wanted something random and different. As we wandered around the crowded grocery store watching all of the neighborhoodies get their organic produce, we landed in the seafood department. Somehow we decided to get fresh dungeness crab. It was discussed and decided that a crab salad would be made, and avocado to top the fourth slider. We were excited. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5CnzDOqsz14Tph7KlAK3fwxsURRjqOwCm1qcUToq0QM5pp4NAYFcQjSlNVvjmoy5a_GGJatGUaoxIby4Q4CKyaOjAot2x_tq8XhfDjUsU0VhWuJ3nZwYobyKqU47Yi-JIs5exKHFu40V/s1600/crab+avo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5CnzDOqsz14Tph7KlAK3fwxsURRjqOwCm1qcUToq0QM5pp4NAYFcQjSlNVvjmoy5a_GGJatGUaoxIby4Q4CKyaOjAot2x_tq8XhfDjUsU0VhWuJ3nZwYobyKqU47Yi-JIs5exKHFu40V/s320/crab+avo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With the ingredients purchased, the hurricane of prep began. Prepping four different sliders and all of the toppings proved to be an arduous task, but well worth it. Drying and deep frying the shallots, making the crab salad, roasting garlic & the Anaheim pepper, and making homemade potato chips took about an hour and a half. With the sauces were constructed and mini buns toasted, it was time to build. The sliders began to tower as our mouths salivated. Also a last minute dish was a crab salad with an orange vinaigrette and arugula was thrown together as a palate cleanser. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O39PQ_jk5Ju251lSaRC-zu9EPH1sQIKjtJvXSFqAbmNEWIvr8t-1tAOEsZSqsexEmYvQ6bww16ic5pRk8-euwg2L8ND3s-r97G6OnGxCXrQTGduFfQWKiyk2gX_lUGCLjEpsFdZQuGPG/s1600/crab+salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4O39PQ_jk5Ju251lSaRC-zu9EPH1sQIKjtJvXSFqAbmNEWIvr8t-1tAOEsZSqsexEmYvQ6bww16ic5pRk8-euwg2L8ND3s-r97G6OnGxCXrQTGduFfQWKiyk2gX_lUGCLjEpsFdZQuGPG/s320/crab+salad.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After a few iPhone pics, we dove in. All of the sliders were delicious, but we each had our personal favorites. The goat cheese & heirloom tomato slider was my choice, and Amy leaned towards the roasted Anaheim chili & pepper jack creation. There were definitely no losers in this battle. Cant wait to do it again, this time for more than two people! #slidertuesday. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2YfzzZlHa-E8axB7gIspvTITWWsd1KAtsoa0cTJaqv1Ocd4uK6eTg_P7uUV8KnB2wYNsMJhRJ6kVRrlAvgHq-q-0rmaMGORstLPwRv810cNQz7dHk21H2FAQCg68MULHyEmBfujg1RPk/s1600/finished+plate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2YfzzZlHa-E8axB7gIspvTITWWsd1KAtsoa0cTJaqv1Ocd4uK6eTg_P7uUV8KnB2wYNsMJhRJ6kVRrlAvgHq-q-0rmaMGORstLPwRv810cNQz7dHk21H2FAQCg68MULHyEmBfujg1RPk/s320/finished+plate.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-13996184447958635192011-08-02T11:34:00.000-07:002011-08-02T17:16:53.294-07:00Grilled Watermelon, Boc Choy, Tofu and of course, Steak<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I am very fortunate to have great clients that allow me freedom to plan their menu. On a recent Saturday, I was asked to cook a birthday dinner for one of my favorite clients. The menu was chosen to be Asian motif, however I snuck an appetizer in that didn't really fit the theme. With 20 guests on the invite and a warm summer night, I looked to grill most of the menu. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvp0T-wL-7nsU4sOK5CMhROxK0778YMjtRClQyi-qv5S_MuqNGdA0TiCEv-ueP10JofOalLhA7gWULl5BZvvLzkGGdBtylBA8DwE6fnAik4HboACGyoSYGYwMSuO4QwekTuVX2r0JeWWl/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvp0T-wL-7nsU4sOK5CMhROxK0778YMjtRClQyi-qv5S_MuqNGdA0TiCEv-ueP10JofOalLhA7gWULl5BZvvLzkGGdBtylBA8DwE6fnAik4HboACGyoSYGYwMSuO4QwekTuVX2r0JeWWl/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I had been experimenting with watermelon for a few weeks, so the appetizer I went with was grilled watermelon and cherry tomato skewers with fresh mozzarella and basil oil. I made the basil oil by blending basil, olive oil, garlic and a few sprigs of mint, along with a pinch of salt, then straining it to get all of the solids out. This would provide a wonderful topping to the fruit & cheese. I prepped the watermelon into nice sized squares and skewered them along with some cherry tomatoes. These were hit with some olive oil and placed on a very hot & smokey grill. The skewers were grilled for about 3 -5 minutes, until the tomatoes were splitting. Once removed, they were arranged with some fresh mozzarella and topped with the homemade basil oil. Served with a few pieces of bread to sop up the oil and juices, the appetizer went over well and was finished quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With the guests happily munching and drinking away, it was time to get the bulk of the meal onto the grill. I had about 12+ pounds of NY Strip Steaks marinating overnight in my Asian Miso marinade (see Shark wedding post for marinade). These went to the grill first. Smoke and smells enveloped the patio and I had a few visitors wander over to the grill to see what was cooking. Cooked to medium rare, the steaks were pulled from the grill and left to rest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">On to the veggies! I had a handful of beautiful baby boc choy heads lightly seasoned with sesame oil and salt. These hit the grill with some shitake mushrooms that had also been lightly marinaded. After getting a sear, the veggies were placed in a warm oven to finish cooking while I attended to the rest of the grilling items. I was definitely pressing hard at this point. Only half way through the grilling items and I was breaking a serious sweat!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAkoTaXbcbWnNGKX0TebbOhftYdAzEfeKedo9nCRAGOJHjqmBj_mY3riAs3pQReUFSZJGUcgi4WVQZm0QRpnm5ATMBKkB_Mhq-T3oMdY_Ccb7NHGeznjgNvmfrwSYxPsEsXyDb4QAojCU/s1600/DSC_0338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSAkoTaXbcbWnNGKX0TebbOhftYdAzEfeKedo9nCRAGOJHjqmBj_mY3riAs3pQReUFSZJGUcgi4WVQZm0QRpnm5ATMBKkB_Mhq-T3oMdY_Ccb7NHGeznjgNvmfrwSYxPsEsXyDb4QAojCU/s320/DSC_0338.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8yVsFNv5gTgPYD_yMwoLyQbP65PZqvv-_aEbMyjIfpu_zJba_SAn1zAL27H_y-hP0D7RwmpQXdEwu8PfWuhqBhi2J29IqhObtPBijJUSNERtJwv86urzQksM2a7K0-fFFW6Fh35moaId/s1600/DSC_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8yVsFNv5gTgPYD_yMwoLyQbP65PZqvv-_aEbMyjIfpu_zJba_SAn1zAL27H_y-hP0D7RwmpQXdEwu8PfWuhqBhi2J29IqhObtPBijJUSNERtJwv86urzQksM2a7K0-fFFW6Fh35moaId/s320/DSC_0347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The scary part was next... Tofu. I had done all I could think of to prep this ingredient for the grill. Marinaded over night, then dried for 2hrs on paper towels to firm up the outside, and finally brushed with oil and onto the grill. With fingers crossed, I began to grill and flip the tofu. I was fortunate that everything stayed together and the veggie protein had wonderful grill marks. Topped with some charred scallions, this dish was ready.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The last thing on the grill was shrimp. I had marinaded these in a chili, garlic, ginger mixture. These were skewered and placed on the grill as the guests were making their way down to the dockside dinning table. Seared fast and placed back into the marinade which was bubbling away on the stove, the shrimp were ready along with the guests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The sun was setting, and alpenglow was lighting up the beautiful mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. Dinner was ready. All the dishes had been finished and beautifully arranged by my assistant Jess. The guests were hungry and the serving dishes came back empty in a matter of minutes. As it got dark, the birthday cake came down and more wine was poured. A great meal enjoyed by great people in an absolutely stunning setting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-62408224649578899922011-07-28T13:43:00.000-07:002011-07-28T13:43:07.264-07:00Tortilla! The Spanish Omelette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> So, your friends are over for a weekend, and everyone seems to have brought a dozen eggs. Your fridge is full of egg cartons and everyone leaves on Sunday. What to do? Sometimes a quiche is in order, but I like to go a different route. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FIB17xZuC_uMRiANRwKxcpO5SBsq4WuLPOvVJ4zxHCY-Ey9uxPkgugTPEicKjg0M5i4R4KgqO8dqQPSUeuVv0fGg8KE99XRgtGSusg5icLcLQVzgoPcNUujgsI43Ly3cMgTYCWKCyVHI/s1600/DSC_0123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FIB17xZuC_uMRiANRwKxcpO5SBsq4WuLPOvVJ4zxHCY-Ey9uxPkgugTPEicKjg0M5i4R4KgqO8dqQPSUeuVv0fGg8KE99XRgtGSusg5icLcLQVzgoPcNUujgsI43Ly3cMgTYCWKCyVHI/s320/DSC_0123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">During my travels in Europe, I spent a little over 3 weeks in Spain. One of the dishes I fell in love with was the tortilla, or Spanish Omelette. Always an option at tapas bars, restaurants, or street food vendors, this dish never disappointed. And, it was often served cold! This tasty dish is traditionally comprised of eggs, potatoes and onions. In Spain, you would usually get a slice of the tortilla served on top of a piece of bread, and in some cases a roasted chili on top (I had this version at this tapas bar in Granada). Warm or cold, it was always delicious... and even better with beer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">For this round, my filling was Yukon gold potatoes, shallots, mushrooms and spinach. The cooking method is really what separates a tortilla from a scramble. In one bowl, I cracked about 8-10 eggs and whisked thoroughly with milk, salt and pepper. It's important to whisk the eggs very well. In a large skillet, I started cooking the filling. First went in the onions and potatoes along with a generous tab of butter. Cooked until the potatoes were soft, the spinach and mushrooms were added with a bit of seasoning. Once all cooked, this mixture was pulled from the heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. This is then added to the egg mixture, and it's ready for cooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The egg mixture is then poured into a well buttered/oiled skillet on medium heat. This is where your patience is tested. First steps are to use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir and move the egg around so it starts to cook, but not too much. Once you have the egg mixture beginning to set, the heat goes down a little and the pan is left alone... for what seems like forever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">20-30 minutes later, or until you and your friends cant stand it any more, it's time for the "flip." The flip is performed by placing a plate, or pan (in my case a pizza pan) over the skillet and then swiftly flipping the tortilla over and sliding it back into the skillet to brown the top (now bottom). I always tend to loose a little of the mixture, but nothing major is lost. The tortilla is then browned on the bottom for a few more minutes then transferred to a dish for serving. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The golden brown doneness of the tortilla is always a crowd pleaser. In this instance, I topped the dish with a roasted jalapeno & cilantro oil which I had made for a previous meal. Served with bacon and a fruit salad, the tortilla went fast. I was hoping to have a piece for a sandwich later on but when I looked back, the plate was empty! This is a wonderful dish enjoyed in all seasons, warm or cold, for breakfast, lunch or even a late night snack! </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-66918964286046410852011-07-25T13:14:00.000-07:002011-07-25T13:14:07.978-07:00Blue Moon Recipe: Holiday Meal, part 2<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With the Pot Roast nailed down as the centerpiece of the Holiday Meal offering, Blue Moon wanted to create a balanced meal using the other beers in the Holiday Variety pack. Pale Moon was one of the beers I was asked to use to bridge into a recipe. My mind went directly to appetizers, as it would be tough to use a bitter beer for a dessert. The lightness and citrus notes of the beer would pair well with a mild goat cheese. So, I constructed a simple crostini using whole wheat crackers and prosciutto. To make this app a little more complex, I added a tablespoon of the beer into the goat cheese, along with some fresh chopped chives, orange zest, and some clover honey. This was mixed well until soft, and then generously spread over the crackers. Topped with prosciutto, these tasty bites went over very well with my guests!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The next portion of the meal was a pairing with the signature Belgian White. Consensus among the team was that a salad was in order. I used the orange notes of the beer as my guide and decided on a fairly simple spring salad with a hand crafted dressing. The salad was made with Arugula, thinly sliced red onions, slivered almonds, and orange supremes (just the flesh!). The salad dressing came together way better than I anticipated. Using fresh squeezed orange juice, Dijon mustard, a touch of honey, fresh cracked pepper, and a little white balsamic along with a high quality olive oil, this dressing was a hit! It paired awesome with the Belgian White.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The holiday dinner went extremely well! Heavy encouragements to try these recipes soon!!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">BMBW Orange Salad<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 6oz box of Arugula<br />
2 oranges, supremed (slices without the pith)<br />
6 oz sliced almonds<br />
½ red onion, sliced thin<br />
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Orange vinaigrette<br />
2 oranges, juiced<br />
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar<br />
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
1 tbsp Dijon mustard<br />
1 tsp honey<br />
Fresh cracked pepper<br />
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Method:<br />
Combine all ingredients except the olive oil and mix well. Slowly add olive oil in while mixing; this will create an emulsion. Chill until service. <br />
Makes 500ml</span></span><br />
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Ingredients:<br />
5 oz Goat Cheese<br />
¼ cup fresh chopped chives<br />
1tbsp BMBW beer<br />
1 tbsp Clover Honey<br />
Orange Zest<br />
Prosciutto<br />
Whole wheat crackers or Crostini pieces<br />
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Method:<br />
In a small mixing bowl, combine goat cheese, chives, orange zest, beer and honey. Mix until all ingredients are fully combined and cheese becomes soft. Spread cheese mixture over crackers (about 1 tbsp). Top with prosciutto and serve.</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-41853904233927951272011-07-21T11:19:00.000-07:002011-07-21T11:27:48.471-07:00Blue Moon Recipe: Winter Abbey Ale Pot Roast!<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When the conversation first occurred, it was February and cold out. Blue Moon wanted to create an entire holiday meal plan around their seasonal brew offerings. The big discussion was on what would the main meat offering be and with what beer. After a few ideas that didn't quite make the cut, we landed on beef. I can't remember what spurred the idea, but a pot roast came to mind. Very humble, easy, and something that seemed fitting for a holiday meal. Plus, it would be easy to <i>bridge</i> the beer into the recipe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Pot roast is one of those dishes that is easy to create, but can be tough to finesse. It can be easily cooked dry, and either way over seasoned, or severely flat and under seasoned. Using the Winter Abbey Ale as a liquid base was incredibly useful in setting a huge flavor base for the meat. Adding a handful of aromatics and other seasonings I was off and cooking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After browning the dredged beef chuck roast and setting it aside, the braising liquid was constructed. Two bottles of beer, </span><span dir="ltr" id=":1nq" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Worcestershire</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">, beef stock, onions, carrots, garlic, a can of tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt and what definitely became the secret ingredient, paprika. With this mixture boiling, the beef returned to the pot for its 3.5 hour journey in the oven. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Pot roast is a wonderful dish, not only because it is pretty easy to construct, but its cooking time allows you to get some stuff done around the house. The perfect dish for a multi-tasker. I was able to knock off some chores that had been nagging at me for a month. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After a productive 3 hours, I pulled the pot out of the oven for a peak. It smelled fantastic. With most of my prep done for the rest of the meal, I added the final touches to the dish. I pulled the meat out and set aside, covered with foil, also grabbed the bay leaves & bouquet of thyme. Then I took a stick blender to the braising liquid. The onions, carrots, and tomatoes blended up to make this liquid a wonderfully consistent gravy. I put the meat back in, and let it hang out in the gravy for a few minutes while we were getting the table ready for dinner.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDcVpLNke9bpPp2GqD-HCCWhd33gmYcbUcJlGKh49sYsSYJgnQKivD316odOMloQGiwzTxxgUrfNfuRop5ORtEqUHXcGTXuigdU9Es-JJJZnzMgj-hWPPPVSaDlYiGKd4UNg21yECqdPE/s1600/DSC_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDcVpLNke9bpPp2GqD-HCCWhd33gmYcbUcJlGKh49sYsSYJgnQKivD316odOMloQGiwzTxxgUrfNfuRop5ORtEqUHXcGTXuigdU9Es-JJJZnzMgj-hWPPPVSaDlYiGKd4UNg21yECqdPE/s320/DSC_0174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The camera came out and beauty shots were taken. But the real beauty was how great the roast came out. Fork tender, savory and sweet. Served with some roasted garlic mashed potatoes, this pot roast was rich and delicious. I know it's summer, but you must try this recipe! Special thanks to Kate for coming over and representing the Blue Moon team!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OeZgrUPQKKWSGgNsTWF43YuVN1syBRvqEcmZ2SNmt4utjngjn1eQkFF-mx643V6VcU2nxNUpbQIGAZl0-VGvV8Yyb6wu352_4zs5TtU_je33SnlhNgTH_SZ1aLAmpNfS_du2yl4We8Ex/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OeZgrUPQKKWSGgNsTWF43YuVN1syBRvqEcmZ2SNmt4utjngjn1eQkFF-mx643V6VcU2nxNUpbQIGAZl0-VGvV8Yyb6wu352_4zs5TtU_je33SnlhNgTH_SZ1aLAmpNfS_du2yl4We8Ex/s320/DSC_0195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Winter Abbey Pot Roast <br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 3-4 Pound Chuck Roast<br />
Flour for dredging<br />
2 Bottles of Winter Abbey Ale<br />
2 Large Onion - quartered<br />
2 Carrots - large chopped<br />
3 Cloves of Garlic<br />
1/3 cup Worcestershire<br />
2 sprigs fresh Thyme<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes<br />
3 cups beef stock<br />
1tbsp Paprika<br />
Olive oil<br />
Butter<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
Method:<br />
Preheat oven to 325.<br />
Season chuck roast with salt & pepper on all sides. Dredge in flour, including ends. In a large Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the roast to the pot and sear all sides, about 4-5 minutes a side, then remove and set aside. <br />
Add a little more olive oil to the Dutch oven along with onions, carrots, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions become soft, about 10 minutes. Add beer, and Worcestershire and bring to a boil. Then add the tomatoes, stock, thyme, and bay leaves, paprika and a bit more salt, mixing well. Put the seared pot roast back into the pot and bring to a boil. <br />
Cover the pot and place in the oven for 3 – 3.5 hours until the meat is fork tender. Remove meat and place the Dutch oven back onto the stove top. Either with a stick blender, or food processor, blend up the cooking liquid and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of butter to the liquid; this is now your gravy for the pot roast. <br />
Serve whole at the dinner table, or slice into ½- ¾ inch slices with a generous helping of gravy. Garnish with caramelized onions. Suggested side; Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes.<br />
Serves 8</span><br />
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</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-41484898883365936412011-07-19T11:04:00.000-07:002011-07-19T11:22:32.553-07:00Summer Cocktails, Edition 1<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Summer gives us an incredible array of fresh produce, especially here in California. Coupled with the warm weather and plethora of outdoor activities, nothing is more refreshing than a well crafted cocktail. For some time now, I have been looking for ideas and inspiration to create some fun drinks. It was a sunny, yet breezy day in Tahoe City when I found myself at the grocery store. With ample time on my hands that afternoon I aimlessly went shopping for fresh produce. In my cart landed a wide range of fruit, herbs and veggies. Still with no plan, I set home with the mindset to play in the kitchen. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWxtXeoNERDqvMvTyoPLc63Rm7f98C8s8T5xLfbeyFdfcdljNm6XMtRuc4c76Z7Ntrfxs5MsVdNNrpTnMbDoVwcyLrXgFVUX3khyphenhyphenI8MNd-iONLIfStn_csdxFuKrN11R2Dq3tYu0waEl5/s1600/watermelon+mint+marg+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWxtXeoNERDqvMvTyoPLc63Rm7f98C8s8T5xLfbeyFdfcdljNm6XMtRuc4c76Z7Ntrfxs5MsVdNNrpTnMbDoVwcyLrXgFVUX3khyphenhyphenI8MNd-iONLIfStn_csdxFuKrN11R2Dq3tYu0waEl5/s320/watermelon+mint+marg+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">While prepping some fruit and veggies for another dish, I came to the notion that I had an entire watermelon. What does one person do with an entire watermelon if there is no picnic in the near future? As I was chopping away, my mind was spinning. Suddenly a light bulb went on. I saw mint, I saw chopped watermelon, and I saw my stick blender. Rummaging through the bar, I found some great Tequila Blanca (Partida... thanks Katie!). I then pulled out some Grand Marnier, Agave nectar, and a lime. It was all coming together.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZreQqai2K48HcRieTd2bGNmGjdBWIKIf6D0JfInCJxXwhXhabr5BsKvUDIEfMP0kdE5hMYIeD_QXlW74yfdszIoshH-ekEyV3aPjH1HtA8OaYIixmn_ZgmIMSORoEVsGmkQYcdYiElNpx/s1600/watermelon+mint+marg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZreQqai2K48HcRieTd2bGNmGjdBWIKIf6D0JfInCJxXwhXhabr5BsKvUDIEfMP0kdE5hMYIeD_QXlW74yfdszIoshH-ekEyV3aPjH1HtA8OaYIixmn_ZgmIMSORoEVsGmkQYcdYiElNpx/s320/watermelon+mint+marg.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Stick blending the watermelon, a couple leaves of mint, the Grand Marnier, Tequila and half of a lime, a wonderfully consistent pink drink emerged. After one taste, I knew I had something... but it was missing just a little pop. That's when I found a can of club soda in the fridge. A floater of soda and this drink was marvelous. Officially on the summer menu, let this drink be a great starter for your Summer BBQs!</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-59619029052564135152011-07-13T11:28:00.000-07:002011-07-13T11:28:24.712-07:00Shark Wedding, a Big Grill, and 60+ Pounds of Pork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZE-6o3XWakHCOWOAnefZ0AOpSuqUGibUYsGalwTtpz0RVj9YTJYEEZQ7hUfN9fML4tfsF3UPsRRzuYH4kpKVB_C1xs8rTQJCCGHijWWLyLXqYfLzaAYPSD4xyh4pi8CUys7JXlvJNxf1/s1600/bride-groom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZE-6o3XWakHCOWOAnefZ0AOpSuqUGibUYsGalwTtpz0RVj9YTJYEEZQ7hUfN9fML4tfsF3UPsRRzuYH4kpKVB_C1xs8rTQJCCGHijWWLyLXqYfLzaAYPSD4xyh4pi8CUys7JXlvJNxf1/s320/bride-groom.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It was memorial day weekend in Tahoe, it was not sunny, but rather nuking snow. I was talked into crashing a wedding by Darcy to go see all of our friends. It was at this moment I approached dear friend Shelly Barnes about her upcoming nuptials. There had been some emails flying around the past few months about food options, ideas, and was ultimately going to land on brats & veggie burgers on a grill. I couldn't and wasn't going to let that happen. I had decided a few days prior that I was going to donate my services to Shelly & Mark for their big day, and produce some awesome food. So, fittingly as I was crashing a wedding, I broke the news to Shelly and Mark. High kicks ensued, as did about 100 emails & phone calls leading up to their big day. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIDkS4B22udpB54HdzzCTFQgdd7jdQjucEfXqOs23iaDbfjGVkImR-vYzGUygthSdtavMx9JQVJZkWGVQ_e_wiwTVpzMSagsdsnwPbjqTtLDF4glT-NE-lWTuea0ySfYEvG16AL_FTp-C/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIDkS4B22udpB54HdzzCTFQgdd7jdQjucEfXqOs23iaDbfjGVkImR-vYzGUygthSdtavMx9JQVJZkWGVQ_e_wiwTVpzMSagsdsnwPbjqTtLDF4glT-NE-lWTuea0ySfYEvG16AL_FTp-C/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">After much planning, talking, and recon runs to Costco and the wedding site, we figured it all out. Seven pork loins ranging between 8-11 lbs were purchased. I luckily had a big rubber bin that was easily converted into a marinade container, and a fridge that was completely empty. I had never attempted to marinade this much meat before, so my proportions of my signature marinade were going to be tested. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmznTjhlCkUntJX9jQn4aYpMEg1Z6LT49HyahoCuCVvQjpy73jUHae3HR_vVo4H3fP-Dm7tILvV9o-3_nfut-G5N9wfZMx-_-Sfu5D92rvzRhb0IKcIY59UIy4kf5-1uT7q0FEJM-qqS2/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmznTjhlCkUntJX9jQn4aYpMEg1Z6LT49HyahoCuCVvQjpy73jUHae3HR_vVo4H3fP-Dm7tILvV9o-3_nfut-G5N9wfZMx-_-Sfu5D92rvzRhb0IKcIY59UIy4kf5-1uT7q0FEJM-qqS2/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Ali had bugged me about this one recipe for what seemed like a year, so I decided to treat everyone and give it a try. The marinade is fairly simple, though for that much meat actually took about 2 hours to construct. Soy Sauce by the gallon, Mirin by the liter, Miso paste by the bucket, Sesame oil by the cup, 6 bunches of cilantro, 3 cups of fresh ginger, a bag of brown sugar, an entire jar of chili paste, and some white wine for good measure was all mixed very carefully in one of my cooking containers. Then the 60+ pounds of pork loin went in to marinade, or as Emeril says, "Get Happy."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The meat was on marinade for about 28 hours. Not realizing this before execution, but I needed an extra hand transporting the meat to the wedding location. Who would have thought that 60 pounds of pork and over 2 gallons of marinade would weigh a lot? </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4Y2QpboRdU5ZD7h8u6jh53IaEynOFVCNEMjKEppfFett4guOt92XNZtxdU1fv2o8S6HW1P7aDlnMWpIziSiK7lFC4_vHnnJ7plEMXplX3hL_ejH2sGdxH3i-KNCTe_q28z5-IT80g2ui/s1600/on+the+grill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD4Y2QpboRdU5ZD7h8u6jh53IaEynOFVCNEMjKEppfFett4guOt92XNZtxdU1fv2o8S6HW1P7aDlnMWpIziSiK7lFC4_vHnnJ7plEMXplX3hL_ejH2sGdxH3i-KNCTe_q28z5-IT80g2ui/s320/on+the+grill.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The next step was the grill. Boy was it in bad shape. Buried under snow for 6 months, it couldn't have looked worse. This is when a bit more panic set in. We were 3.5 hrs out from service and the grill needed a lot of work. 7 bags of charcoal, a Josh, a Sarah O, and a Jess and we were in business. Heat, oil, brushes, repeat. The grill was looking pretty by 2:30. Shelly was adamant about the meat being done by 4pm sharp. This is where I got nervous. I had never cooked that much meat without an oven, or any sort of controlled temperature. Sarah and I took to the grill with yards of foil, marinade, and some beer to extinguish hot spots. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEdqa76RUpifoZ9cQCg3ARbUlzI5X1C1RyI_IUCzEyiG3ppAUl6uSRx200bH220Vsv_El9ddb8bJuioAvHqEekhX1XMoLU_rt6ebmgBirCyqfntgFQuWXxPYRyQK_atmc9hE7lkWQbwcC/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEdqa76RUpifoZ9cQCg3ARbUlzI5X1C1RyI_IUCzEyiG3ppAUl6uSRx200bH220Vsv_El9ddb8bJuioAvHqEekhX1XMoLU_rt6ebmgBirCyqfntgFQuWXxPYRyQK_atmc9hE7lkWQbwcC/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">At 40 min into cooking, I was feeling good about the meat temps and much more at ease. I wasn't going to ruin the wedding... thank goodness. When the meat came off to rest, it was go time. Sarah had her cutting station and I had to tend to the rest of the grill items. We were moving. The pork looked great, tasted good, and was cooked perfectly. Ronna, Darcy, Joe and a few others had coyly positioned themselves behind the cutting station picking at the scraps as they came off of Sarah's knife. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I was feeling great as the food hit the chaffing dishes. People were smiling, eating and happy. Compliments flew in, but my personal favorite was hearing and seeing the Mother of the Bride run back for seconds and thirds. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PMID_wTNXqNaniBTIAJbOgPx3eAigWPzcxJ9JRT61d0p5CTaog1YBhAPzLynHYhKymoLC_83YS-aP_3aANxf0cLq71J_v-Co5BMDYLFe0SB0qoVUoYhxdhTcwgEd9qu6crF7YAEYe2vw/s1600/shark.buffet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1PMID_wTNXqNaniBTIAJbOgPx3eAigWPzcxJ9JRT61d0p5CTaog1YBhAPzLynHYhKymoLC_83YS-aP_3aANxf0cLq71J_v-Co5BMDYLFe0SB0qoVUoYhxdhTcwgEd9qu6crF7YAEYe2vw/s320/shark.buffet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Many many many thanks to Sarah O, Josh, Amanda, Liz, Ben, JP, The Pollocks, The Barnes', and of course to Shelly and Mark. What an incredible wedding!! I'm so honored I could be apart of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Cheers to the Shark Wedding! (insert lake splash here)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ituPc_7kepec9Bu343zxVcpgR7Kdim3Ka6q-SeWlYwG7U4ggZqUOT7uuf6I1B5JiSr6GckJ1EGi6hY2KLGtfmIaMLvXIztkxirbZdCfzmMaj0auzV_LFXNkSCIIefj84-hhBGE_JKlFg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ituPc_7kepec9Bu343zxVcpgR7Kdim3Ka6q-SeWlYwG7U4ggZqUOT7uuf6I1B5JiSr6GckJ1EGi6hY2KLGtfmIaMLvXIztkxirbZdCfzmMaj0auzV_LFXNkSCIIefj84-hhBGE_JKlFg/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-62702510260364302972011-07-06T10:33:00.000-07:002011-07-06T12:17:48.410-07:00Giants, Salmon, Slaw & a Ring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc0Qd_HI0IfNQzgQAdrUKWpLCx2ybAwwR6UxD5cEYoJn05YeJMYJR1LnBAY27Tl2AYZSn-CwP2-DUkE-rny6slkwnzgxJhj6yZtRj-qfgqCUVxHkX-p3VccQJM1h5Z_zSXdCIYzk7hsI5/s1600/IMG_2756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAc0Qd_HI0IfNQzgQAdrUKWpLCx2ybAwwR6UxD5cEYoJn05YeJMYJR1LnBAY27Tl2AYZSn-CwP2-DUkE-rny6slkwnzgxJhj6yZtRj-qfgqCUVxHkX-p3VccQJM1h5Z_zSXdCIYzk7hsI5/s320/IMG_2756.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When my old roommate Sean moved out, we had talked a lot about doing a big dinner at his new spot which can host a good number of people. We finally got a date on the calendar and invited all of our friends who were in Scottsdale for Spring Training. Naturally, the SF Giants ended up being the main theme with food and a fun activity planned around this idea. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6IPof6kvFrTUrCKVbv3gQOumM2Gj0lb6iXnJQemKonVhesAs-VkBnv48syyvN6czOhphOUKGFWmzWwkQGp_DuwEfTISBkylxUR1aHfriYDLzQ9O1R3F3vXQYLdxWqv0d2iuBScrUR8jH/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6IPof6kvFrTUrCKVbv3gQOumM2Gj0lb6iXnJQemKonVhesAs-VkBnv48syyvN6czOhphOUKGFWmzWwkQGp_DuwEfTISBkylxUR1aHfriYDLzQ9O1R3F3vXQYLdxWqv0d2iuBScrUR8jH/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The menu created was very similar to what I did with the Lake Tahoe Mackinaw with some slight adjustments. Instead of Mackinaw, I used a beautiful fillet of Alaskan Salmon. To add a bit more flavor and moisture to the dish, I made a Honey-Dijon Glaze with fresh dill to coat the fish. It was wrapped in black forest ham and roasted atop corn husks, just as the Mackinaw was. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfZnmh6nODVd6mw3vok8bf7FZGZEaAKPnTzardJknJ-J0SqLgFclC5KHEXZtxQ2D7PaVGcbID9g-an4ajc_tjYKjrOods7Jp8jTphzVepU5YIqDBaIOCb8uYQYriRE6l7UG9g3P-n3-dw/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfZnmh6nODVd6mw3vok8bf7FZGZEaAKPnTzardJknJ-J0SqLgFclC5KHEXZtxQ2D7PaVGcbID9g-an4ajc_tjYKjrOods7Jp8jTphzVepU5YIqDBaIOCb8uYQYriRE6l7UG9g3P-n3-dw/s320/photo+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">To accompany the fish, the same slaw was made using green apples, napa cabbage, radishes, cilantro and crispy won ton strips dressed in a light champagne vinaigrette.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1VBxMSDniceonh2roW0VwWCYWKxScnhyphenhyphen4E_Tx6sEo9475U93CM_J1_f1qQxF4niD1kW4eAHSRiSZ9iOBR5-UjVsWT-WYe48S2ju0yI1F5ZYqmWP-sS5Ac4l_9z_J-cHu9jZk1sRD1JkE/s1600/IMG_2788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1VBxMSDniceonh2roW0VwWCYWKxScnhyphenhyphen4E_Tx6sEo9475U93CM_J1_f1qQxF4niD1kW4eAHSRiSZ9iOBR5-UjVsWT-WYe48S2ju0yI1F5ZYqmWP-sS5Ac4l_9z_J-cHu9jZk1sRD1JkE/s320/IMG_2788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">In addition, I made a roasted corn relish, using roasted jalapenos and minced shallots. The mixture was lightly pickled using champagne vinegar and some honey, and finished with fresh parsley. Lastly on the menu was an Orzo risotto with marscapone cheese and fresh spinach. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The dinner was a huge success and everyone had clean plates. After dinner, our friend Kasey had some surprises for everyone. Kasey works for the Giants and was kind enough to bring some fun items. But the highlight was Kasey's World Series Ring. We were all giddy and took turns wearing the hardware of champions. Everyone took what seemed like a million pictures with it on, including this chef! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thanks again to Sean for hosting, Kasey for putting the party over the top, Keith for helping with all the food & service, and all of those who came from near and far (That's YOU Zoe!). What a great meal, with great people. Cant wait to do it again!!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejj81XT2UDSwrCevQPtSk9aonpUP4apnno4Qx8wZgNWxZL75j_AUBg2o-m-pp15hyphenhyphenDquJrjPFZ5v7HwlHsg8aVbkAlyj0PtB3yKulIpFmrEHeEGubC3P3NWRTI4mtw9cAm9tBM4IjEqac/s1600/IMG_2750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejj81XT2UDSwrCevQPtSk9aonpUP4apnno4Qx8wZgNWxZL75j_AUBg2o-m-pp15hyphenhyphenDquJrjPFZ5v7HwlHsg8aVbkAlyj0PtB3yKulIpFmrEHeEGubC3P3NWRTI4mtw9cAm9tBM4IjEqac/s320/IMG_2750.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-1752711925135341152011-06-27T09:46:00.000-07:002011-06-27T09:46:06.888-07:00Farmers Market, Tahoe City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu2ihsnwyAn_EvQGNAh5y4eeIXNPKctteDT8vvvEleNqVxhYkkNUzL-X9szCcjjEbfLJAocBE4YV2lptz17IMWl_eFcX4uKDzupSTywFfuJeX1EKaYngHymWtyP5Vup3DLhVX67-kOgNM/s1600/Farmers+Market.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPu2ihsnwyAn_EvQGNAh5y4eeIXNPKctteDT8vvvEleNqVxhYkkNUzL-X9szCcjjEbfLJAocBE4YV2lptz17IMWl_eFcX4uKDzupSTywFfuJeX1EKaYngHymWtyP5Vup3DLhVX67-kOgNM/s320/Farmers+Market.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Summer is here! And that also means the abundance of incredible produce at local farmers markets. The Slow Food movement has really brought excitement and volume back to farmers markets all over the country. In California, we are spoiled with our diverse local produce, and artisan foods. And it's not uncommon to see local wine merchants at these markets peddling their small batch vintages. I love shopping at farmers markets because you get to meet the people that grow the produce, and get to hear their enthusiasm for how sweet a blackberry is, or how that peach came from a tree less than 100 yards from where they sleep. It is truly a great and wholesome experience that ensures whatever you create with the purchases from the market will not only be delicious, but satisfying on more than just a belly-full feeling. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLI7OrpxNT6bx_TxhfXnMpbXL5jMNi0VYOdf8AdmcMzSmVIZcYk0RH7Xg4DilUX4539vk0QTQk_y6BGgcphubYWx5-KapIEDCGSNosDC9u5iAgC4Ua6KgoPnja1pgITfAMETc6b_O3zZ6E/s1600/Farmers+Market+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLI7OrpxNT6bx_TxhfXnMpbXL5jMNi0VYOdf8AdmcMzSmVIZcYk0RH7Xg4DilUX4539vk0QTQk_y6BGgcphubYWx5-KapIEDCGSNosDC9u5iAgC4Ua6KgoPnja1pgITfAMETc6b_O3zZ6E/s320/Farmers+Market+2.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The Farmers Market in Tahoe City is one of my personal favorites for many reasons. The quality of vendors is outstanding, and the produce is coming from no more than 90 minutes away. I have never had a sweeter blackberry or strawberry. I have purchased peppers that I have never even heard of before. And, I've paddled there on my Stand Up Paddle board! I mean, can you name another farmers market you can commute to by Paddle Board? Oh, and the also have a bike valet! Encouraging residence to ride bikes to cut down on summer traffic, the city has volunteers (like my friends Kendra & Ryland) who will happily greet you at the entrance and park & watch your bike for you while you shop or mingle. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fB45D3tuBW6g7mPy_lDbo4kaGNLqhCwXE8o8uDyTMeBxEko28xvT7cxDSyookCvOCY6V0QPpDwvXs35cqLZ-GP5ZucWqSs-KIkBWtGaDMNtx9wIvysDabxM_C60FkzzEmIdm0M_ochAN/s1600/Farmers+Market+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fB45D3tuBW6g7mPy_lDbo4kaGNLqhCwXE8o8uDyTMeBxEko28xvT7cxDSyookCvOCY6V0QPpDwvXs35cqLZ-GP5ZucWqSs-KIkBWtGaDMNtx9wIvysDabxM_C60FkzzEmIdm0M_ochAN/s320/Farmers+Market+4.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">But what truly makes this farmers market special is the people and community it is in. The sun is out, everyone is smiling and taking the time to talk and chit-chat along the way. No one is in an absolute rush to leave, in fact my errands at the market usually last an hour longer than planned due to pleasant conversations and run-ins with folks I haven't seen since the winter. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMN6OZMIDR1o4QSmMdErUq1e9pMbWBirpsU7wgJCnubzeFNjZhSP5kVB5dq8ljr1BPPUe6SoZJaCogww1FuqPlpvCJViTuK-K5HLKULWmAhYT_pZ0VQ7D-5C40Ghq3jD3w2pOj-gO2-v0/s1600/Farmers+Market+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMN6OZMIDR1o4QSmMdErUq1e9pMbWBirpsU7wgJCnubzeFNjZhSP5kVB5dq8ljr1BPPUe6SoZJaCogww1FuqPlpvCJViTuK-K5HLKULWmAhYT_pZ0VQ7D-5C40Ghq3jD3w2pOj-gO2-v0/s320/Farmers+Market+7.JPG" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The community really embraces this market and has planned events around the day of the market. There has been past food & wine events based on farm to table. And this year local merchants have offered a Farm to Table dining experience around the day of the farmers market. Hopefully Ill be able to participate this year. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHPdFZlNDqkJup2weUMIhWN1dVY0D3bqYIcgTKKGYxcGOmuZp5HHwnXryJmr8FyaRZAoXaX2F9Y5JNUeCjCqle9Xvdm1XR_SGl2NiwJMnm1exJJ-ai2YHgH9fhvlbV7_XFrstdO8-DR7W/s1600/Farmers+Market+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHPdFZlNDqkJup2weUMIhWN1dVY0D3bqYIcgTKKGYxcGOmuZp5HHwnXryJmr8FyaRZAoXaX2F9Y5JNUeCjCqle9Xvdm1XR_SGl2NiwJMnm1exJJ-ai2YHgH9fhvlbV7_XFrstdO8-DR7W/s320/Farmers+Market+5.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Fresh produce, fresh flowers, line caught fish, and grass fed beef are just some of the products that you can find at the Tahoe City Farmers Market. But it's the people and the city that host this market is what makes it special. If you are planning a summer get away to the North Side of Lake Tahoe, get there on a Thursday and check out the market. Buy some fruit and picnic down by the beautiful lake. You won't be sad. And for the adventurous bunch, Tahoe City D-League softball takes place on Thursday nights... those kids really know how to have fun. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcY6r8z21Mek5gSqr3c-wQ2dhAvbgI1P-PGG6wE7SFpz5taA4nMzNm4mLSTjMi6wlogw5AQUsjsF7Rulbzw2j2Qbw25cC4Hda41-_gebWOpTCdXzp96CPFazASyW5x5dwtGROMMrCy0iO/s1600/Farmers+Market+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcY6r8z21Mek5gSqr3c-wQ2dhAvbgI1P-PGG6wE7SFpz5taA4nMzNm4mLSTjMi6wlogw5AQUsjsF7Rulbzw2j2Qbw25cC4Hda41-_gebWOpTCdXzp96CPFazASyW5x5dwtGROMMrCy0iO/s320/Farmers+Market+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.visittahoecity.org/">http://www.visittahoecity.org/</a></span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-14810268069172389162011-06-23T10:08:00.000-07:002011-06-23T10:18:37.040-07:00Haminaw & Mangonaw - Cooking with Lake Tahoe Mackinaw!<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I challenge anyone to that point. It is also one of the deepest lakes in the US (#2 to be exact). Its stunning beauty has brought many visitors to its shores mainly to bask in the bright sunlight and breath in crisp mountain air... but it hasn't brought many to fish. Lake Tahoe is filled with Mackinaw, a fresh water fish that is closely related to Salmon and Arctic Char. It has light pink meat, abundant in delicious fat and a taste that is very delicate and not too 'fishy.'</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnygBqxhcvp32a1o3Ch35POoyQ_bjZJ1OIyh9z8-kRsXQuulD_mqjUpYEZfBXeZsZKYeuUzVlOsmJc6gV-u_zIFxKhJvZ1X8gTFiuSmQuMr1NqpiYPZOgPUlMQecQltN4rI2cXM2t638jZ/s1600/mackinaw+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnygBqxhcvp32a1o3Ch35POoyQ_bjZJ1OIyh9z8-kRsXQuulD_mqjUpYEZfBXeZsZKYeuUzVlOsmJc6gV-u_zIFxKhJvZ1X8gTFiuSmQuMr1NqpiYPZOgPUlMQecQltN4rI2cXM2t638jZ/s320/mackinaw+3.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Recently, I was very fortunate to run into my friend Jess who invited me over to help them prepare an abundance of local Lake Tahoe Mackinaw. Her and a few friends had been out on "Captain Chris' Fishing Charters" and caught a large number of the local treat. Needless to say, I was excited. Armed with a few ideas, we hit the kitchen with what seemed like 20 pounds of fish and goofy grins on our faces. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVc_d48qfgsa1JpP6kZ6An5CfAMBqxDOjZJYANM0p7rvabomkrOGyMuizjIIzIFuVWJuYuE_QXOHWhH2Co_k-1GyuwcNG3kIFRAC4RaATRVi6SGLJ-tFeKMAndY-F356pwhPo15v609zy/s1600/macknaw+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVc_d48qfgsa1JpP6kZ6An5CfAMBqxDOjZJYANM0p7rvabomkrOGyMuizjIIzIFuVWJuYuE_QXOHWhH2Co_k-1GyuwcNG3kIFRAC4RaATRVi6SGLJ-tFeKMAndY-F356pwhPo15v609zy/s320/macknaw+2.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The dinner was to pan out in three dishes; deep fried mackinaw for tacos (I mean, we had too, we are from California!), a thick Mango-cilantro marinade, and a ham covered fillet that would be grilled. Jess took to the deep frying, by preparing a simple buttermilk-beer batter, and I took to the mango-cilantro sauce and the ham preparation. The mango sauce went something like this; fresh mango, cilantro, limes, honey, salt, and some additional spices. The fish was covered in the sauce and let to marinade for about an hour. This was then baked, sauce and all, for about 20 min @ 400* attempting to bake in all that delicious citrus. To accompany this dish, a slaw was constructed of napa cabbage, green apples, radish, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips, dressed with a very light vinaigrette. The side dish was a keeper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The ham preparation actually took a few twists and ended up being the talk of the night. The fish was lightly seasoned in salt (note: next time, I'm using Dijon mustard) then covered in black forest ham, then placed on top of a bed of corn husks. This was grilled skin side down, until perfectly medium rare on top of the fillet, no turning necessary. This was served with a side of roasted corn on the cob. Which got the creative juices flowing for the next time: a roasted corn & shallot salad to top the fish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This meal turned into more of an event than expected, and dance parties erupted in the kitchen. The fish was incredible, all preparations stirred a debate on which was everyones favorite. We still talk about the fish and we are now two months out from this dinner. Now a term of endearment amongst us, the names of the dishes became Mangonaw & Haminaw. I can't wait to put this on my menu!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thanks to Jess, Johnny, Danielle, Capn Chris, Darcy, Amy, Ashley, and anyone else I'm forgetting!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">HAMINAW! </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-10124576081901513042011-06-20T11:09:00.000-07:002011-06-20T11:09:57.265-07:00Gorgonzola & Pear Crostini<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This recipe has been in my arsenal for a while and I love to use it to start a summer dinner party. It is very easy, very tasty, and also very pretty. You can easily impress your friends with this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Start with a baguette sliced into pretty thick pieces, I usually go around 3/4", and place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Then place a piece of Gorgonzola or blue cheese on top, and bake in a 400* oven for about 10 min, or until the cheese is fully melted. Meanwhile in a small sauce pan, heat up a 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice, 1/3 of a cup of white wine, and 2 tbsp of honey. This is going to be a small sauce for the crostinis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Once the pieces are ready in the oven, remove and place a thin slice of pear, I used Bartlet but you can use whatever is in season, and then top with arugula. Then drizzle the sauce on top and you have a wonderful warm and crunchy appetizer that will surely please everyone! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">A fun small twist: "Bridging" wine into food is very common and a great way to enjoy food & wine pairings. Use a nice white wine, like a sauvignon blanc in the sauce as well as pouring a glass for your guests. It will be a wonderful tasting experience! </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-47364776465655429592011-06-14T10:47:00.000-07:002011-06-14T10:47:23.366-07:00Cameron Hughes Wine Pairing - Rosemary Mint Crusted Lamb Chop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqPLPvhe5dlJc2G0xCoxreQaJ3O6NKkFjMvwKUKjClWF9JrD2JcEs_-as6Noo7kDanu51Iuw0FVGdj2dUPO6iVE6zZx7KHnlzCtXUofyLUWFlVD1fatQHT2sYZzEeQXxxHKylsBNt3HXB/s1600/DSC_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqPLPvhe5dlJc2G0xCoxreQaJ3O6NKkFjMvwKUKjClWF9JrD2JcEs_-as6Noo7kDanu51Iuw0FVGdj2dUPO6iVE6zZx7KHnlzCtXUofyLUWFlVD1fatQHT2sYZzEeQXxxHKylsBNt3HXB/s320/DSC_0236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">In the second half of our food and wine pairing shoot, I was asked to pair Lot 230, a Cabernet from Chalk Hill, Sonoma County. I loved this wine upon first tasting and it didn't take long to construct a dish to pair with it. The earthy tones of the wine screamed red meat (as what usually goes with a cab), and the deep rich berries made me think of something a bit more complex than your traditional steak. My mind went immediately to lamb. The gaminess of the lamb would accent all of the flavors in the wine very well. To add a bit of a twist, I wanted to do a very flavorful crust that would mimic the earthy tones of the wine. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgWnoBiak2PKJona-RKll2-ph3qe8VfW5XpAVtgJdx4_FDf0PfWf7y9cT3bSpBJ-ILNMGJj1YgXH762tUpLNbFESN8rjd6aKTwr1w73sLm-DiM-7rQyO4W-qe6TuuI39XRDYrcFz_qzOz/s1600/DSC_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgWnoBiak2PKJona-RKll2-ph3qe8VfW5XpAVtgJdx4_FDf0PfWf7y9cT3bSpBJ-ILNMGJj1YgXH762tUpLNbFESN8rjd6aKTwr1w73sLm-DiM-7rQyO4W-qe6TuuI39XRDYrcFz_qzOz/s320/DSC_0243.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Rosemary and lamb have been friends for a long time. A classic combination. I took that base and also added in another common pairing with lamb, mint. Usually you see a mint jelly on the side when lamb is served. I took this idea and went on a small tangent. I took fresh rosemary, fresh mint, whole peppercorns, and kosher salt and ran them through a food processor. I blended the dry ingredients a little more than usual to create almost a paste, but not quite the consistency. This rub was then generously added to the french cut lamb chops. A cast iron skillet was heating up until smokey, and then the chops were thrown in the pan with a tbsp of olive oil. After both sides got a good sear, the cast iron went into the oven for about 20 min. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7r5FFSHxlJpqX2Nu5xCmNygzVGW3GOgCCTwIDrm2VuAsvJjDhgz6KD_xkQOQR1YSr5fek6ztprwV4HKOKm__fe6XLCj0hBkOOwu4svFhWjni8ewoAkX5fYZgs9Cz4CcWf836lnS-LBPEW/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7r5FFSHxlJpqX2Nu5xCmNygzVGW3GOgCCTwIDrm2VuAsvJjDhgz6KD_xkQOQR1YSr5fek6ztprwV4HKOKm__fe6XLCj0hBkOOwu4svFhWjni8ewoAkX5fYZgs9Cz4CcWf836lnS-LBPEW/s320/DSC_0257.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Also added to this dish was a sauce "bridging" the wine with the food. This essentially is cooking with the wine you will be drinking with the meal. With the lamb out of the oven and onto a resting plate, the cast iron skillet was deglazed with the Chalk Hill Cab, and also a little balsamic, and a touch of butter to finish. The lamb came out amazing, and paired absolutely perfect with the wine! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS3rWqGMCVaWc3kE8wtPdAs7PzvoZDvAAz_GV8w8U5u4rEqfK2TuJJqFAdROWhQLKAzmNn4BOOrmtwp4t_AYWBe5HBdrZ7Azjdu2lB0gq5iRyYKXlvSB0n4DL5oOzLicMqj0D0hyLs_xn/s1600/DSC_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS3rWqGMCVaWc3kE8wtPdAs7PzvoZDvAAz_GV8w8U5u4rEqfK2TuJJqFAdROWhQLKAzmNn4BOOrmtwp4t_AYWBe5HBdrZ7Azjdu2lB0gq5iRyYKXlvSB0n4DL5oOzLicMqj0D0hyLs_xn/s320/DSC_0242.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-86818404007438770182011-06-09T11:01:00.000-07:002011-06-09T11:01:52.889-07:00Rainy Day Breakfast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H7dH6xnwERAaTBNxMqKVLYOQTtgqduLlBckclZ-tZnZ5slJ8supLYw3g_n-2Ja3CeEei_n1lHdCPIFHg2LdaH8y5LtPwRb3oYF8E7yl-ZxcAaugnYndohqQYEN7GZKAL_p9MXMBBeyGf/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H7dH6xnwERAaTBNxMqKVLYOQTtgqduLlBckclZ-tZnZ5slJ8supLYw3g_n-2Ja3CeEei_n1lHdCPIFHg2LdaH8y5LtPwRb3oYF8E7yl-ZxcAaugnYndohqQYEN7GZKAL_p9MXMBBeyGf/s320/DSC_0224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When the weather doesn't cooperate on a weekend, and you cant really do any outdoor activities, you do breakfast. And you go all out. This is a recap of what one does with a rumbling stomach, crappy weather, and a good amount of pork products. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">First things first, bacon. This is the foundation of all of my breakfasts, and usually the driving force behind what I order at a breakfast restaurant. I was cooking for 3, so naturally I took the opportunity to use my handy technique (and also a past Tip of the Day) of adding brown sugar to the bacon and baking it off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I'm going to let the picture show you how good it was. On to the next dish. Eggs. Another staple and wonderful canvas to create something delicious. I happen to have a medley of great scramble ingredients on hand. Black forest ham, red onion, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. It's all about order of operations when making scrambles or omelets. First went the onions with some olive oil to get them caramelized. Then the ham to get it crisp. Then the tomatoes for a few seconds followed by the spinach. Once the spinach was wilted, the eggs were added. Cooked on medium, the eggs were slowly turned and cooked until the held shape, but still runny. Here is when I added a small portion of cheese to help bind everything together. The heat was killed when the eggs were still soft and a tad runny as they will still cook while we got everything else in order.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">To accompany the eggs & bacon, a generous pan of shredded hash browns were cooked with a happy amount of butter & salt. Also on the table was some beautiful molasses wheat bread from Uncommon Kitchen, my favorite. Lastly, there was some champagne and OJ, because what else are you gonna do on a rainy, gray Saturday!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvdZqGQd2myRck0IyVBrXxuBOxICmHr-kKrW1axy-9Idi5ol_YR2K2JZ17OTf6K0GbR9LBS7OcpcleW2KK_ycurMb6txgl4PmAHa-wrXCrxD4a4PiDhkC7PxpuyZ9Dbv8Txxh4jHSIxqx/s1600/DSC_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvdZqGQd2myRck0IyVBrXxuBOxICmHr-kKrW1axy-9Idi5ol_YR2K2JZ17OTf6K0GbR9LBS7OcpcleW2KK_ycurMb6txgl4PmAHa-wrXCrxD4a4PiDhkC7PxpuyZ9Dbv8Txxh4jHSIxqx/s320/DSC_0233.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Thanks to my guests Hiedi & Jess! Good Saturday!</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-24286058349595361242011-06-01T11:51:00.000-07:002011-06-01T11:54:18.729-07:00Cameron Hughes Wine Pairing - Wheat Crostini w/ Caramelized Apricots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8hTnvfcABSzwz1KWncPVCj15jYrPNellrffFwU08w7we-Ah14UouWc-u5nWkX7PAsj8OAKZqPk2sZkbUh72lMhgHTiNfMBsvJnupIyndQUVH9ZdHE0_a6nMLK7tEOZWnpgB5V0VVeZGH/s1600/DSC_0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8hTnvfcABSzwz1KWncPVCj15jYrPNellrffFwU08w7we-Ah14UouWc-u5nWkX7PAsj8OAKZqPk2sZkbUh72lMhgHTiNfMBsvJnupIyndQUVH9ZdHE0_a6nMLK7tEOZWnpgB5V0VVeZGH/s320/DSC_0237.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">With lessons learned from the first shoot, the second Food & Wine Pairing shoot with Cameron Hughes went fabulous. The first wine that we were working with was Lot 259, a Riesling Chenin Blanc from Columbia Valley, Washington. When I tasted this wine my mind went immediately to apricots. They are in season and add a great tart and sweetness to go along with the sweet Riesling. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1dVA3nYhy0yxzxqPSxrjYptWQwUoBJ5g11e6Twl6MS5OPPewI2-XbHnyXkQi236MIERx4LVf8FPR7ZvxfMnGQUvhogJcO_0U8yXatPALws7LQ6mNAt-yc2RxSiLsv3kVvernQF8vwwFV/s1600/DSC_0238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1dVA3nYhy0yxzxqPSxrjYptWQwUoBJ5g11e6Twl6MS5OPPewI2-XbHnyXkQi236MIERx4LVf8FPR7ZvxfMnGQUvhogJcO_0U8yXatPALws7LQ6mNAt-yc2RxSiLsv3kVvernQF8vwwFV/s320/DSC_0238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The dish had simple components, but elevated by a few techniques and ingredients. A molasses</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> wheat </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">bread from Uncommon Kitchen served as the base for the crostini. It was then topped with a local goat cheese which also had some fresh chives mixed in. Then the apricots. I decided to caramelize them with butter, brown sugar and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. The pepper was a late addition to the recipe but adds a wonderful kick which aids in bringing out the sweetness of the Riesling. Finally, the crostini was topped with a paper thin slice of prosciutto di Parma. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41uT9QlEGk2qndVAOLp7iYe8FSa5L9N9D84VqB1wjzKinSAV_8Ck7IKOzspYm5wB9JsmcqBAH7fQ6412DbjCyWllS7uGr9d7RamKQ73I1uLeayKfCHK-3b0IyztwLfn1IPEB39uFtkTuX/s1600/DSC_0240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41uT9QlEGk2qndVAOLp7iYe8FSa5L9N9D84VqB1wjzKinSAV_8Ck7IKOzspYm5wB9JsmcqBAH7fQ6412DbjCyWllS7uGr9d7RamKQ73I1uLeayKfCHK-3b0IyztwLfn1IPEB39uFtkTuX/s320/DSC_0240.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">This crostini turned out to be a fabulous pairing with the Riesling. The notes of the stone fruits in the wine were enhanced by the caramelized apricots and the savory cheese combination. Cameron himself went back for seconds and thirds! This is very easy to make. Try it at your next party!! </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx6LoO505sD3ktv5BpQ15R-aercoyuOEX2y4ki4dUU31R-o2bJCWbWLA5Ohp_Jatx1j0g2vTYYPzTM2zP8-AiNNqNnRvFet8sfAsz87NMppHx-YKkZMEBXl5xDCpRB0EfXEMTAMW_TLMf/s1600/DSC_0245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx6LoO505sD3ktv5BpQ15R-aercoyuOEX2y4ki4dUU31R-o2bJCWbWLA5Ohp_Jatx1j0g2vTYYPzTM2zP8-AiNNqNnRvFet8sfAsz87NMppHx-YKkZMEBXl5xDCpRB0EfXEMTAMW_TLMf/s320/DSC_0245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> <u>Recipe</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">8-10 Crostini Pieces (make your own by using day old bread!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">4 oz Goat Cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">1/2 bunch of chives, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 apricots, sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">2 tbsp brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">1 tbsp butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">1 tsp Cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">4-6 slices of Prosciutto</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvTnKI_1iQKne1zGh5s69phlGfUR654s2UVgFh4BqQes8QkW6cfVY-tenpIgdrFhRaaEP6D8LwoxVVhNk47f_oO4iB_gpJC1kKfythOjFRldz-3vKfUO5pM9C01SitGRpAlPejuPxBfkB/s1600/DSC_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvTnKI_1iQKne1zGh5s69phlGfUR654s2UVgFh4BqQes8QkW6cfVY-tenpIgdrFhRaaEP6D8LwoxVVhNk47f_oO4iB_gpJC1kKfythOjFRldz-3vKfUO5pM9C01SitGRpAlPejuPxBfkB/s320/DSC_0249.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-53771792403121003722011-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:002011-05-23T12:18:30.529-07:00Cameron Hughes Wine shoot: Roast Chicken & Ciabatta Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ83JKaQLEkl_YXtwnnAAYKKG0wPeOMsBGF5jQyGwvNSIGicqMbfVZ-dnrBbe4dkod9lBaX2BGlv4-hrxJYqSKp-J56zbAb_RxDy72JeYVTcKLOKnKbz7B9Zh61RwgGsBWGUy84oIcECp0/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ83JKaQLEkl_YXtwnnAAYKKG0wPeOMsBGF5jQyGwvNSIGicqMbfVZ-dnrBbe4dkod9lBaX2BGlv4-hrxJYqSKp-J56zbAb_RxDy72JeYVTcKLOKnKbz7B9Zh61RwgGsBWGUy84oIcECp0/s320/DSC_0138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">It's starting to look a lot like summer! White wines are very popular right now, and my job was to make something to pair with Cameron Hughes Lot series #212, a Carneros Chardonnay.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKq-zURffm78MQfu2mCdrDFLRNPAcS6PH1cUhvYTBKCuFJJr67_PlDwQCZS6_2O4vQ25kWWfRlGWpgwfdZW1Pr52cDwQHEMy26dT-O9JdkAcYzT2SbaD1M6toJIlOrTp2KJvqOw-RoBgT/s1600/DSC_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKq-zURffm78MQfu2mCdrDFLRNPAcS6PH1cUhvYTBKCuFJJr67_PlDwQCZS6_2O4vQ25kWWfRlGWpgwfdZW1Pr52cDwQHEMy26dT-O9JdkAcYzT2SbaD1M6toJIlOrTp2KJvqOw-RoBgT/s320/DSC_0136.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">For the shoot I decided to make my version of roast chicken and bread salad you would find at Zuni, a very popular SF restaurant. I first brined the chicken overnight in a very simple brine of water, sea salt, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and bay leaves. The brining adds such great moisture and flavor to the chicken. I highly recommend doing this with any roast chicken, or pork. The chicken was then rubbed with an herb butter (butter, salt, paprika, white pepper, chopped parsley) and prepped for the oven. The twist on this recipe is that the chicken is then roasted on top of the bread for the bread salad. Its ripped and placed into a pyrex baking dish, lightly oiled and salted. The chicken, depending on the cuts, is then placed on top of a few slices of citrus which is then placed directly on top of the bread. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMH1xWBRJTkwTXIAIgDC1tMTmW5BUB36vKCADId_cXgkqmqDy-wTGNcbds_GVWjWJJm7e8INEM1kINpDZ-8iFZjS2GbRoAwQNq7-sLqVRjEEaF0IXfjm73LpL08W7P3iJi9UY1h0gepfv/s1600/DSC_0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMH1xWBRJTkwTXIAIgDC1tMTmW5BUB36vKCADId_cXgkqmqDy-wTGNcbds_GVWjWJJm7e8INEM1kINpDZ-8iFZjS2GbRoAwQNq7-sLqVRjEEaF0IXfjm73LpL08W7P3iJi9UY1h0gepfv/s320/DSC_0140.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">In the 375* oven for about 45 min, the bread will absorb all of the delicious juices from the chicken and produce an amazing tasting bread salad. Finishing the bread salad off with a simple balsamic vinaigrette and some dried currents and chopped parsley puts it over the top. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxEt677mZMzWXRO1xFuMWSClrC-RXOEN5X_ZaPODb5ansk7r3dEM3woa5EtkF6GkKoyBZo5rGTaZoRvDtFLJVlG06ObV_uuAnm1KrJB0OLquPOLqxBolnrfllT2JA7IPGJE_ax51ncKN0/s1600/DSC_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxEt677mZMzWXRO1xFuMWSClrC-RXOEN5X_ZaPODb5ansk7r3dEM3woa5EtkF6GkKoyBZo5rGTaZoRvDtFLJVlG06ObV_uuAnm1KrJB0OLquPOLqxBolnrfllT2JA7IPGJE_ax51ncKN0/s320/DSC_0141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The shoot was great. Jake did a fabulous job and everything looked just as it would on the Food Network. Enjoy the shots and go visit <a href="http://www.chwine.com/">www.chwine.com</a> and check out some wine!! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gXooUF5shBxbWem-BxddIJOSYeJ4VsfE_yIPCfBnJcu0w0lMwB09y7QEKK7D19avMeczAHm8u4_Rnzo4iYYXNIs_3cEtugxj_c8u8L71EXMlpy24gSa-cCnKxJGQ9kFgmtLMnM7LQDoB/s1600/DSC_0137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gXooUF5shBxbWem-BxddIJOSYeJ4VsfE_yIPCfBnJcu0w0lMwB09y7QEKK7D19avMeczAHm8u4_Rnzo4iYYXNIs_3cEtugxj_c8u8L71EXMlpy24gSa-cCnKxJGQ9kFgmtLMnM7LQDoB/s320/DSC_0137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8661511660363169560.post-40948274430726672462011-05-19T11:30:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:30:34.825-07:00Blue Moon Recipe: Turkey Sando & Potato Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_7NffXPPy0UUFlPD5OVoObIt49o9fni9EvxqJwHagJ-3lIatVXHPUdhWk4dprPNmp7Aee150mz__acRR3exKoKeEv0okQ-UQP2AzncsLPckUF_lLtoizVi5T2Jq-Sdc1zgYmE4msRDie/s1600/DSC_0157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0_7NffXPPy0UUFlPD5OVoObIt49o9fni9EvxqJwHagJ-3lIatVXHPUdhWk4dprPNmp7Aee150mz__acRR3exKoKeEv0okQ-UQP2AzncsLPckUF_lLtoizVi5T2Jq-Sdc1zgYmE4msRDie/s320/DSC_0157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Come the holidays you always have some leftover turkey, or roast meat of some kind. The idea behind this set of recipes was to utilize leftovers and make a pairing to go with Blue Moon's signature beer the Belgian White. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoKHNvOJHeHYPstlzolaEaGcIa7ONKkdPz7_NYpvI5pkYC480Lle8HwN3B5AVbAa5I64JEQLcESsyMfiX4LuCw31nW7eAYPX6x3q_0Wp9zFlWnmACLYUux0qNQ9FlccUnRgLIlW7n74aN/s1600/Turkey_and_Potato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoKHNvOJHeHYPstlzolaEaGcIa7ONKkdPz7_NYpvI5pkYC480Lle8HwN3B5AVbAa5I64JEQLcESsyMfiX4LuCw31nW7eAYPX6x3q_0Wp9zFlWnmACLYUux0qNQ9FlccUnRgLIlW7n74aN/s320/Turkey_and_Potato.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I love sandwiches. They are perhaps my favorite food. So, naturally a turkey sandwich was in order. To make things a bit different and to better pair with the Belgian White, I constructed a home-made aioli with roasted garlic and lemon zest to be used as the spread on the toast. In addition to the sandwich, I developed an easy potato salad recipe to add to this leftover inspired meal. The potato salad used red potatoes, egg, green onions, chives, and your familiar character list for a potato salad. In addition, I used some bacon, lemon zest, and apple cider vinegar. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_temonYGViptAH1vhutHSLI1Zj-tlwh7FUpKyL1AdTQ3yCGJZLwhKpN_0-TaW73a43_hCNHAIAtsk0ghjXCfa89xDIApmKz3i8iII510QshWWUFH57P-iRVYTsNyyZU1-bJZ8_Xlz6gvu/s1600/Potato_Salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_temonYGViptAH1vhutHSLI1Zj-tlwh7FUpKyL1AdTQ3yCGJZLwhKpN_0-TaW73a43_hCNHAIAtsk0ghjXCfa89xDIApmKz3i8iII510QshWWUFH57P-iRVYTsNyyZU1-bJZ8_Xlz6gvu/s320/Potato_Salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Both the sandwich and salad turned out fabulous, and my roommates were going back for more. These recipes are very easy, and a great way to use leftovers. Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Potato Salad<br />
2 lbs Red potatoes<br />
4 stips of Bacon, chopped<br />
3 Green onions, chopped<br />
1 -2 Hard boiled eggs chopped<br />
¼ cup Mayo<br />
¼ cup Chives, diced<br />
2 tbsp Whole grain mustard<br />
Roasted garlic, 2 big cloves<br />
1 tbsp Vinegar (apple cider is best)<br />
Juice of ½ a lemon<br />
1 tsp sugar or honey<br />
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
Boil potatoes for 30 min until soft. Remove, strain and let cool. You can also use leftover roasted potatoes as long as they are not totally soft. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayo, mustard, chives, onions, vinegar, roasted garlic, and lemon juice and zest. Mix well. Once the potatoes are cool, chop into desired size, quartering usually suffices. In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, egg, and mayo mixture. Stir well. Add bacon and stir again. Chill and serve as a side!<br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span>Kellanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06386889124421886666noreply@blogger.com0