It all started with madelines gone bad. Last week I was trying to make some nice madelines for Vicky's birthday bash but it was a new recipe and I overfilled the tins, which resulted in a square lumps of cakes vs. the nice scallop shapes. It tasted wonderful so I saved them to make a trifle.
I decided to make it for my brother's birthday BBQ. The madelines were made with lemon thyme herb so playing off this flavor profile, I thought strawberries and lemon would be good.
There were four components which were lemon curd, fresh whipped cream, macerated strawberries, and the madelines torn into pieces.
I added more of the fresh lemon thyme to the strawberries. This herb is so good. I think better in sweet dishes then savory.
I layered each components starting and ending with the whipped cream.
It was good. A nice combo of sweet, tart, and the freshness.
A few nights a go, met up with some girlfriends for some happy hour at terra plata in Seattle. I was so eager to try this place but the only thing worth mentioning is the Roasted Grape Cheese Plate.
I've seen grapes used in savory dishes and it makes total sense to create appetizers for wine with grapes, but I never saw it as the central ingredient. They roasted with halved walnuts and olives, served with a very small blue cheese, and only 2 crostinis. The idea is good and the grapes were yummy but I could have used more cheese and bread. They could have drizzled it with some honey or balsamic...something.
Everything else was okay and beautiful but very one note in flavor. Even my friends noted this. The place was gorgeous and the host was super nice and cheery, but also our waitress was luke warm to icy at worst. I dont' need to revisit this place.
This is what I'm finding these days, it's a good learning lesson. Flavor of food is so important than the cool setting and people. There are places that know and get food. It's about great ingredients, techniques, but also knowing flavors and how to layered them. You notice when it's lacking but when something is great...you just know low wonderful it taste.
Bad service also is a such killer for a place. I hate it the most at places where I've love the food. This place they need more rockin service since the food is okay. Oh well....on to the next place.
On this day, I baked some jam bars. It was a baking with clear intentions and results I had hope for. It was baking of something I love and that reflects me so.
The first time I made these were in 2006 at the Bothways Bakery and Cafe that I worked at. The owner gave me pretty free reign to try new things, and these were perfect, so homey and rustic as the cafe.
Over the years, I've tried these with different jams, spices, and also have added nuts. It's always delicious and a hit. My favorite so far has been the raspberry jam, but this orange marmalade is up there. I might add some chopped almonds next time. I love that combo, orange, almond, and cinnamon. Yum!
Here is the basic recipe. The original recipe is from William and Sonoma Baking Cookbook. I've tweaked it a bit.
1 3/4 cups of Flour
1 cup of packed Brown Sugar
2 cups of Rolled Oats
1 1/2 tsp of Cinnamon
1 tsp of Kosher Salt
1 cup of Butter, cut in dice size
1 cup of Orange Marmalade
1 tsp of Orange Extract
-Preheat over to 325 degrees.
-In a large bowl mix flour, brown sugar, oats*, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. *Save 1/2 cups of the rolled oats.
-Add butter and using a pastry cutter, blend until light, fluffy, pea size mixture. Toss it around a bit with your hands.
-Remove 2 cups of the mixture into a separate bowl to use a topping, set a side.
-To make the base crust, pour the remainder of the mixture into an 8" square baking pan and press firmly and evenly.
-In a small bowl, mix the orange marmalade and the orange extract.
-Spoon the marmalade on the base crust evenly. It doesn't have to be perfect. The marmalade will melt in the oven and spread out.
-For the topping, mix the set aside 2 cups of the mixture and the 1/2 cups of saved rolled oats. Spoon the mixture over the marmalade topping until evenly coated.
-Bake in center of the oven for 55 minutes. It should be golden brown.
-Take out of the oven and cool on rack in the plan for 30 minutes.
-Slice into 2"x4" bar size. It makes 8 bars.
Please play around with different flavors and eat it with vanilla ice cream. :)
To continue with my love of the potato, here is my favorite "graaatan"...from my chef friend Hamed's place A La Bonne Franquette.
Photo by Mini Deshpande
I love potatoes! What's more comforting than a Poutine? For a game night with friends...I made an Asian version with tater tots, miso gravy, and without the cheese curds. Topped it with black sesame and green onions. It wasn't too bad. I want to play with it and change it up a bit. The gravy was divine though. Will keep that test sample of gravy. Good crowd food. Yum!
Oooooooooh...My dear friend's new restaurant A La Bonne Franquette has a lovely new cake on the menu. It's an Almond Cake with Orange Marmalade that has been soaked in Grand Marnier. Wow...sooo good!
It's not like a traditional, cakey, bready, texture. It's more substantial because of the almond meal, yet very moist and not too sweet. They top it with orange segments and almond slices that give a nice texture and freshness of the fruit. Yum! Go check it out!
Did you know? I didn't! All I knew was that I LOOOOVE the Sticky Toffee Pudding at Walrus & Carpenter. It was the best Sticky Toffee Pudding...no, it was the best dessert I've ever had!
It's so light, buttery, salty, sweet, creamy, and best darn thing ever! It was so different than all the versions I've had. Well no wonder, I been eating the British version...Walrus & Carpenter serves the Scottish version. I had no idea there was a difference! This is so why I need to go and explore Europe!
Well, today I went to dinner at Walrus and Carpenter with my long time friend Chris, and her buddy/my new friend Jason. Food was amazing as always, and they had this on the menu. I warned them both about this dessert. In fact, it was Chris' idea to order another one. Why would I object?
So we were telling the waitress how lovely this dessert was and that for the second one we wanted more whipped cream, but I think she thought we said something else. She started explaining how in Scotland, they server the cake swimming in a pool of whipped cream, and that she will ask the chef to give it to us that way for the second one. Okay! Olay!
My god it was just as good! Seriously, I think better or just as good as sex! ;-)
Well, I'm finding a recipe and will give it a go! Can't wait to compare to the British ones I've made.
I'm itchin a bit to fine tune my blog or take it to a different artistic direction. Did I really say artistic direction? I guess I did because up until this point, this site just has been a personal outlet without much intent other than to post my eating experiences and the goodies from my kitchen. I just shaped the pages, fonts, colors, and all that stuff as I felt.
Of late, I want to do more and it's not quite where I feel I am. I want to polish it up a bit and really, and I mean really express the state I am and want to be. I think I'm more creative than I've expressed. It's also a growth I seek...which is also a reflection of my personal life. It's all tied...food, love, work, health, home, friends and family, and the rose-colored glasses that I see this world.
My mood these days are more purposeful. I want more. I want things in my life to truly reflect the way...of things I see myself as. The life I want to experience. The past five years felt like I have been just catching up and just going with the flow. I didn't create the way...the way created me and I tapped into it which has been amazing.
The past five years also have been a building period. My experiences with food and journaling them, have made me realized how much I've grown, learned, and know who I am. It's the same in my personal life and my work life. When I think about the food I've shared, the time spent with friends, loved ones, and family...it really has been great. I feel blessed with the circle I have. I've also had some of the best work experiences to date in my IT job, and I've learned and come to a place that I would have never imagined, but always hoped for. I don't always miss the passion job that I seek. It's all balanced. Even my home, I'm done and settled for now.
I'm finally at that place where I am happy with so much! There are just a few missing pieces, perhaps because I'm here, I can reflect more of the person I am...to find those pieces. The distractions are settled, I'm just letting go of things, and focusing more on what I have and looking inward. It's a good place.
With all these said, I'm ready to get to that next place. I can tap into my creative self, not just an expression of something but an expression of my thing. I hope to reflect this in all things me, in all aspect of my life. So you see...this is what I'm itchin.
The pics of food that I've posted here are a bit of those pieces. I think it's the only pics that I have now, that I took, that are the closest to what I'm feeling...for now.
I used to be a pure vegetarian up until about five years ago. I started taking fish oil about six years ago and about a year in, I craved a little fish. So I ate it and it was okay. It didn't gross me out too much. Now, I eat it for health benefits and protein. One of my go to salad is the salad Nicoise.
This is a composed French salad that typically has tuna, boiled eggs, green beans, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, onions, and served with a vinaigrette dressing.
I made my own version for a wine night at Joan's.
You know I love my potatoes and I roasted them with onions rather than boiling them. I also dressed the tomatoes with a reduced balsamic vinegar because I love the flavors of that combo. I added my favorite lemon stuffed olives from the Spanish Table, added some fresh cucumber slices, and dressed the whole salad with a lovely grassy olive oil that I picked up from St. Helena Olive Oil co.
The only thing I'm not happy about the final salad is the tuna. Originally, I wanted to pick up some fresh tuna and sear it then slice it. I didn't have enough time. Soung is also a pure veggie, so I wanted to add the tuna last minute. I had to transport it and so I just took one of my tuna packs. Bad idea...not so pretty on the plate and I should have put tossed it a bit. It would have also been nice to add some fresh herbs. Woulda, shoulda, coulda....
It was fresh, delicious, easy, and makes great potluck food.
Here is a picture before I transported it, and without the ugly tuna.
I have a favorite espresso drink that I drive all the way from Ballard to Capitol Hill for. It's called Nico and it's was created by Vivace.
It's a 4 oz drink of espresso, vanilla syrup, fresh orange zest, cinnamon, and heavy cream. I get mine with soy milk. The flavors are all about orange and cinnamon.
It's sooo good! Everyone I've introduced this drink to also looove it! I was introduced to it by a serious coffee drinker.
I'm working out of this coffee shop right now and thinking about getting my second cup...
