clean plate club

I've MOVED!

2010-02-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

thanks for being such wonderful readers!

i have decided to move my blog to a new host. come check me out at

http://forkheartknife.wordpress.com/

yay! love, sierra

blood orange sorbet

2010-02-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

at findlay this weekend there were some good looking blood oranges. so i loaded up on some and had visions of a super simple sorbet- just like the pineapple one- real pure fruit flavor. juiced 6 oranges for about 1 c. juice. added maybe 1 1/2 c. simple syrup and a shot of vodka and churned. wow wow wow. true to the fruit. refreshing and with that depth and zing you expect when you open up a blood orange and are shocked by the color!

2010-02-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

another stew. same as all the others, but different. bell peppers, onions, shallots, garlic and ginger softened in butter. added lots of seasonings- curry powder, curry paste, chili paste. added new potatoes, cauliflower, brussels, carrots, and peas. then a few cans of coconut milk and stewed for a while until everything was all soft and flavorful and added a bunch of cilantro. the le creuset is knocking my socks off with the stewing power. i'm going to eat it tonight over basmati rice.

beet bites

2010-02-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

on a stone thrown cracker from kimi in walla walla: beets blanched in salty water and sliced. drunken goat cheese. a plop of spicy zydeco mustard from the findlay market mustard king.

also on a cracker: a chunky dip of artichoke hearts. blanched, diced beets. mustards. mayo. lots of different shredded cheeses. lots of paprika and warmed til melty and gooey. the beets make it a crazy pink color that will maybe scare people away from it- more for me!

rumaki!

2010-02-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

bacon! this is a wonderful appetizer in time for the SUPER BOWL! i made them yesterday for a birthday party celebrating one of my most favorite people...

this is a retro appetizer and i have never had authentic housewife rumaki- but this is how i imagine based on my research of the topic..

the first step is marinating water chestnuts in the special sauce. i do some garlic and ginger in a liberal amount of a lighter oil: vegetable, canola, salad oil. to that, i add about a cup of soy sauce, and a cup of red wine vinegar. from here, you can go a few ways based on how sweet/savory/spicy you want things to go. i added about 6 tbsp. brown sugar, 4 tbsp. ketchup, 4 tbsp. sriracha, 2 tbsp. chili paste, salt and pepper. this gives a sweet heat.

then i cut bacon in half and cook at 350 on a sheet pan for a few minutes. soft enough to work with, but getting the cooking started. maybe 5, 7 minutes? when it cools a bit, i put the water chestnut in the middle, wrap the bacon around both sides and stab with a toothpick through the center. i place these bundles on the sheet tray and sprinkle with brown sugar and bake at 400 until crispy.

meanwhile, put the sauce/marinade on the stove and cook it down a bit. this thickens the sauce, intensifying the flavo flave.

for serving, you could have the rumaki on a tray and dip in the sauce OR put everything together, which is what i did last night. smokey crisp bacon, crunchy water chestnut and a sauce that starts a warm burn on the way down.

pineapple sorbet

2010-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

i have been enjoying lots of pineapples and they have been tasting SO good! like the taste of sunshine. i like to make jokes about the fruit curing me of wintertime induced scurvy. that is silly. but you guys know what i am talking about: mouth transportation from winter and cold and blah straight to sun and warm and tan.

this one was super easy. i cut off the skin and cut out the core and pureed the fruit. i strained the puree and got about 3 cups of juice. i added about 2 cups of simple syrup and maybe a large shot (2 oz.) of vodka for that smooth texture.

it is so wonderful. and in a way, delicate: when i pureed the pineapple, there was the juice and then this light, floating sort of foam that formed on the top. when churned, it made for such a wonderful, airy texture and color.

gypsy stew

2010-02-01T18:09:00.000-08:00

i think that i was supposed to take the "le creuset" sticker off the front of my new pot, but i am just soooo in love with it that i went ahead and cooked with it on there...

i had a bunch of cous cous left from the other night and was thinking all day about a sort of gyspy soup (like from myra's dionysus) and having that cous cous , etc.

it turned out much more like a stew, since i just had a bit of stock and tons of veggies. softened fennel, onions, celery, shallots, jalapeno and garlic first. added a big can of diced tomatoes and a can of garbonzos. carrots, sweet potatoes and some stock. seasoned with lots of hot curry powder, smokey paprika, some cumin, a touch of cinnamon and lots of salt and pepper. simmered that for a long time then right before i was ready to eat, i tossed in a bunch of green beans and fresh spinach.

lemon poppy seed muffins

2010-02-01T18:00:00.001-08:00

i always think of lemon poppy seed muffins as being kinda tricky. i think because sometimes you get them and they are soooo good. and sometimes they are so lame. i think this one is pretty nice. i did go extra heavy on the lemon zest to try to make them POP and i drizzled a special lemony glaze over the top. POW.

creamed together 1 1/2 c. sugar with 2 c. soft, unsalted butter and lots of lemon zest! lets say zest from four lemons! then 4 eggs. and the dry stuff- 2 1/2 c. ap flour, 2 teas. baking powder, 1/2 teas. salt and 3 tbsp. poppy seeds.

for the first batch, i followed the damn recipe off epicurious (cause i got the app on my damn phone) and it said to bake at 400. and i was just going through the motions and burned up the whole first batch- 2 dozen muffins! bad start. i ALWAYS bake around 350-375. 400 is for roasting vegetables not baking muffins!

and lemon glaze- fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar. lots of powdered sugar. then drizzle on the top!

berry muffins

2010-02-01T17:51:00.000-08:00

i don't know where this muffin kick is coming from..

but! we decided it would be nice to deliver muffins to the nurses at children's tomorrow morning. a thank you for them being their wonderful selves. they would always fake like they weren't allowed to eat any of the food we were always offering them, so it will be interesting to see if tomorrow- they eat all 8 dozen of these muffins that i made for them!

i did mostly morning glory muffins, as i think i've got those down. but i also tried this one:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled. mixed with 2 c. packed light brown sugar, 1 c. whole milk and 2 eggs. to that i added the dry stuff- 3 c. ap flour, 3 teas. baking powder, 2 teas. cinnamon and 1 teas. salt. for the berries, i used a frozen "berry medley"- ran them thru the chopper once and folded them in.

sole

2010-02-01T17:33:00.001-08:00

i have been messing around more with fish lately. i like walking to findlay market to get fun stuff. it feels all urban and exciting to walk around the hood to do my food shopping. and those guys at the fish stand have been hooking me up! i haven't had all that much experience with cooking meat and fish- but it is really fun trying my hand and this turned out pretty nice, if i do say so myself.

i was originally looking for some trout for this recipe, but ended up getting boston lemon sole instead- it looked way better and there was plenty for everybody i was cooking for. drizzled a sheet pan with olive oil and laid out the fillets. cranked some salt and pepper, and sprinked spanish paprika. then piled on the good stuff- a slice of pancetta on each fillet, fennel, olives, shallots and capers. i poured about an inch of riesling (2006, 4 legged white from dunham cellars- thank you, jenna) and put the trays in a 400 oven for about ten minutes, maybe less- it was quick!

served the fish on a pile of cous cous with a few steamed brussels for color and health.

in hindsight, i would not have seasoned the fish with any salt whatsoever. there was plenty coming from the olives and the pancetta. not that it took anything away for me, but it was good and salty. also, i wouldn't mind serving this in a shallow bowl with everything floating in more of a white wine, fennel broth. next time!

blueberry vinaigrette

2010-02-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

inspired by a blackberry balsamic vinaigrette on a salad at !TAKE THE CAKE! this week, i used some blueberries we had laying around. macerated the berries in balsamic, with a bit of minced shallots, jalapeno, some garlic, and lemon juice. after an hour or two, ran everything thru the processor and slowly drizzled olive oil until the proportions were tasty. salt and pepper too.

the salad: celery for crunching, red grapes for sweetness, walnuts for nuts! and a real good goat cheese- drunken goat from spain to bring it home. pretty, huh?

banana coconut muffins!

2010-01-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

i was aiming for another breakfasty muffin, but this one is way more like a cupcake, so i felt obligated to dress them up with a cream cheese icing..

for the cakes:
creamed together 1 1/3 c. sugar and 1 c. melted butter. added 2 eggs, 4 mashed bananas and 1 teas. vanilla. mixed in the dry stuff- 2 1/2 c. ap flour, 2 teas. baking powder, 1/2 teas. salt. i added enough coconut that the batter was spiked with it. about a cup of chopped pecans and a few handfuls of golden raisins.

for the icing:
8 oz. package of cream cheese and 1/4 c. butter at room temp. powdered sugar and vanilla. i use a wonderful vanilla bean paste- it leaves flecks of the bean in the white icing. yum. mixed until smooth and creamy.

smear the icing on the cakes and roll the tops in more coconut. a really nice sweet treat that goes down so nice with morning coffee!

believe it!

2010-01-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

this is my friend, bill's food blog. his is far superior to mine, as he is a much more adventurous cook. he also takes better pictures and is a better writer. i hope that you guys will follow his blog too! i do, for inspiration and for appetite stimulation!

http://billievethat.wordpress.com/

comfort food

2010-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

i'm a little behind on the blogging. this is from just about two weeks ago. a super rich mac and cheese. turns out we were carb loading for the home stretch...

cleaned up a bunch of chard. tore the stems from the leaves and blanched them separately. boiled the pasta in the same salty water.

meanwhile, i softened a bunch of onions and garlic in butter. chopped up the chard stems and did those too. made a roux in the same pan using about the same amount of flour that i had started with in butter, maybe about 1/2 c. once the roux had cooked a bit, i added about 2 c. milk and whisked everything together. at this point, you just wanted to be heating the milk- not letting it boil, so i took things off the heat and let the pan do the warming. added three kinds of cheese- smokey gouda, swiss and some manchego. i let all this melt into a sauce and poured it over the pasta.

in the casserole, i layered the cheesy pasta with the chard leafs. and topped the whole thing off with my new favorite breadcrumbs! (ran stale bread thru the processor and toasted in olive oil and garlic, then tossed with fresh parsley). baked the whole thing for about a half hour and it was soooo good.

sunshine and sad

2010-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

i am just now today, on thursday, starting to realize what this means for me. i am sure that it will hit harder at different points along the way, but today, after all my friends are gone and things are starting to return to a bit of a daily routine, i am feeling how big it is that i can't call her and tell her all about the past weekend. about how many people came out to love on her and me and our family.

i have a hard time feeling so sad about this. i have a tendency to go down down down when i feel sad, and i am trying to make a conscious effort to stay alive and kicking and not to let myself go there. i guess i will have to heat up my new favorite thing ever! and cook myself happy.

cran/raspberry sorbet

2010-01-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

getting back into a little bit of frozen sweet fun.. used some fresh cranberries from the holidays. cooked in sugar, pureed and strained. added an equal amount of raspberry puree, some fresh ginger, zest and juice from one orange, chambord liqueur and orange bols, a few sprigs of rosemary and let it hang tight overnight. before churning, i strained all the stuff and added a bit of simple syrup, then churned.

white beans: 2 of 2

2010-01-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

so now i have cassoulet for days! as i did everything the long way, this took about four days to complete, i'll go through the different stages.. but let me start with: its so good and worth every step!

-BEANS! as i mentioned earlier, i soaked dried white beans (the cannellini kind) overnight with water covering. the next day, i stewed the beans in stock with lots of chopped onions, garlic cloves, a bouquet of herbs- parsley and rosemary- that's what i had. and also tossed in some dried thyme, crushed red flakes, a few cloves, quite a bit of salt and pepper. it took about two hours for the beans to be soft and flavorful.

-DUCK CONFIT! the next day i walked my self over to findlay market in hopes of finding somebody selling duck. i'd only ever bought duck at jungle jims and i've been trying to stay closer to home lately... so i was very please when i checked in with my old culinary school bud at luken's poultry fish and seafood stand. he hooked a girl up with the whole bird. i got home with it and butchered it into breasts, legs and wings. roasted the chunks. i guess technically not a confit- as i didn't use supplementary duck fat, but i'll tell you that the bird gave off a huge amount on its own and was quickly cooking away in a very clear, pungent fat. yum. made duck stock of the cavity, bones, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, herbs. reserved the fat. (breakfast today was red potatoes roasted in the duck fat. genius) after cooking and cooling, i chopped the breasts into smaller chunks and added to the beans.

-SAUSAGE! used a nice sausage that turned out to be pretty full of fennel, which i think is a wonderful quality in sausage. cooked them in the oven along side the duck. after cooling, i chopped and added to the beans.

-CASSEROLE! ladled the beans, sausage and duck into a casserole. topped with breadcrumbs- which deserve their own section. so easy and going to be a part of every casserole i ever make from now on:

-BREADCRUMBS!!! warmed duck fat on the stovetop. lightly toasted about 3 cloves of garlic. then i added about 3 c. of breadcrumbs. the loaf of bread i was working with was soooo stale that i was able to just shave off crumbs. added those to the garlic and fat and browned. seasoned with lots of salt, pepper, flakes and fresh chopped parsley.

with everything assembled in the dish, it just took about one hour at 350 to bake this guy to perfection. so rich and hearty and perfect for winter. wonderful side effects- stock and leftovers.

bananer muffins

2010-01-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

made a few changes to my old standby- morning glory muffins. i didn't have apples or carrots, but i had some bananas in the freezer. swapped 3 bananers for the 1 apple and 2 c. carrots that i usually shred. seems like perfect substitution!

white beans: 1 of 2

2010-01-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

this week i have been working on a great big cassoulet adventure. after the beans were done soaking and boiling in broth with bouquet garni, lots of onions, garlic cloves, etc- i fished some out and put over pasta. thru in some other stuff i had laying around- goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, balsamic and lots of pepper flakes.

cheapo

2010-01-09T08:53:00.001-08:00

heating water for this hydrated noodle business.. quick steamed the broccoli first, then brought the noodles back to life with the water. lots of sriracha and i think that i felt warm for the first time all week.

curry rice with kale

2010-01-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

green peppers, jalapenos, onions, garlic sauteed. kale steamed in salty water. rice blend hydrated. almonds toasted. mixed it all together using the kale water to juice things up. seasoned with lots of curry powder and paprika.

the next night (in an effort to get excited about these leftovers) i made a quesadilla out of this mess. used pepper jack cheese and a tomatillo salsa and a mound of the rice. turned out tasting similar to a dilla from the comet with curry salsa. so not bad at all.

grilled cheese

2010-01-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

there are a few things that i boast about being good at. one is rollerskating/blading and the other is making grilled cheese. you are probably better at everything else in the world. i'll let you have that.

having soup and grilled cheese on a cold day is the best. the soup has onions, leeks, garlic, shallots softened in butter, thickened with a bit of flour. add lots of water and potatoes and salt and cook till everything is soft. then i add a touch of cream.

the secret to the grilled cheese is BUTTER!

and i am starting to feel selfconscious about my winter eating habits. so i'm going to stop there.

turkey stock

2010-01-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

this picture cracks me up, didn't get a good one from this batch with all the steam. i guess it is a shout out to my neighbor across the hall who reports "phantoms" in our building...

used the carcass from the holiday to make a really great stock. all the bones, carrots, onions, celery and garlic. with some random herbs. simmered on the stove for a few hours and strained. chilled overnight, actually over a few nights- then strained off the layer of fat that hardened over the top. used the stock to make soup. carrots, celery, leeks, potatoes, pine nuts and the really thick tongue coating stock. i used lots of basil, thyme and pepper.

curry

2010-01-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

been cooking in december, i promise. i know it doesn't look like it on here- but its true. resulting from this past month's life shake-up, i have become a proud city dweller. i figured if i was going to stay put in these parts, i needed to be in my own space. i hadn't really expected to land in OTR, but have been loving being downtown. and you would think that i would be missing my mom's kitchen, but i have been pleasantly surprised by the workability of my kitchen. open storage, gas stove and a dishwasher! with the centerpiece being the butcher's block table that alaina helped me salvage from findlay market.

a huge part of the equation for having an apartment while not being fully employed has been trying to cook on a budget and to eat all my damn leftovers! i have always cooked for an army and not always been too keen on eating the same thing, day after day. but it is funny how being in my place and knowing if i heat up this curry again, i'll be able to pay my rent!

over jasmine rice (with peas mixed in, heavy on the peas!). onions, garlic, jalapenos sauteed in a hearty bit of butter. while steaming red potatoes, cauliflower, brussels, and carrots. tossed it all together with coconut milk, thai red curry paste, chili sauce, tons of hot curry powder salt and pepper. and more peas!

not about food. at all.

2009-12-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

this might give you my drift... a great photo of the view in my favorite park. in walla. had an amazing trip in a town full of friends and fun and memories. started imagining myself back in that place. and just got carried away with that. came home and had a few days of realizing that i need to be here.

as hard as things are here right now, i am coming to see that it is such a special time to spend with jenna and the rest of my family. this is the time that makes what it means to be a family so special. the closeness and the support and the trust. i find myself enjoying a lot of this time lately, especially with jenna. knowing that i can make her laugh and that she can trust me and that we stimulate eachother and challenge eachother. a lot of this year has put a bit of a strain on our connection and the easy way that we have had with eachother. since i have returned from my trip, it is connection central. talking and laughing and daydreaming and lots of love.

i feel like i have been on a bit of a ride the past month or so, since discovering that jenna had relapsed. since starting to doubt my abilities to hang here, to be such a witness to all the pain and the scary parts. scary because she is my bestie, my sister: so many things that i can't imagine... then trying out the possibility of moving back across the country to a place where i remember being able to choose what i participated in with my family. coming back and quitting my job and realizing that i have the time and energy to be a really great friend and caregiver to the girl, and support staff for the parentals. also, there are finally great friends here now too, people who are right there, ready to hear all about it and to just be with me. a ride and a half.

i have been visualizing lots lately. for my own sanity and i also do some with jenna outloud. for a few days i have been giggling at the visual of watching myself on a rollercoaster like the RACER, just watching myself go up and down the hills and around the turns, moving at a great speed, with all the jerky, awkward movements that slam you around on that ride. it is kinda in a fun way, since that is such a rush, how can you not smile, knowing that it will be over and the feeling in your stomache will be still when you get back on the ground.

i guess in the meantime, i am going to try to send all the love out and try to get some in and just be a little more still and listen to what will bring me that grounding. here with this FAMILY.

and i have turkey stock from thanksgiving. something is going to happen on that stove tomorrow.

in a jiffy!

2009-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

i have a fondness for all things JIFFY. growing up, dad would make dinner with us every night. us girls usually got some kitchen practice with the JIFFY. measuring the eggs, milk, oil- whatever goes in those mixes. we were cracking up the other night about how we would eat the sweet ones with savory dinner- blueberry, apple cinnamon, etc. with pop's interpretations of chop suey, lazy chicken, etc.

the last night in walla we went out to the farm for a big fire, some hot chili and cornbread. i cooked bacon in the cast iron skillet. chopped jalapenos, red onions, bell peppers. chopped bacon into bits and stirred all that goodness into the JIFFY cornbread batter. got rid of some of that bacon fat in the skillet and baked the mess right in there. good.

a soup

2009-12-02T21:08:00.001-08:00

this is a good one from the walla trip. started like a french onion soup-ish. lots of onions, leeks, garlic, shallots. in butter. deglazed with some red wine. added beef stock. cooked carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms and chard. so hot and hearty and ate with a big chunk of wheat bread and some goat cheese. don't you love that spoon?

walla walla, part 2

2009-11-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

i have some pictures from parts of this week, i promise. things are looking pretty boring on this page!

had an invigorating bike ride to the roastery EVERY morning of the trip, besides the sundays when they are closed. sooo good. and i got to make some of my own americanos! nice to get behind that pretty machine! took my book with me everyday, thinking i'd sit quietly and read. but this being a great hub of activity, it turned into a wonderful social hour, or two. on to the rest of the week:

monday enjoyed soup at home. made THE MOST PERFECT GRILLED CHEESE EVER. because that is what i do. for dipping, tomato basil soup.

tuesday was katherine's birthday. great excuse for dinner at saffron. we had kobe beef cheeks, patatas bravas, and pulpo a la fiera: grilled octopus dredged in pimento/paprika/warm red heat powder. for dinner i shared "pillows of heaven in a forest full of elk" or the best, lightest then dense-without-being-heavy, melt in your mouth gnocchi with chestnuts, mushrooms, green olives and elk ragu. and shared flatbread with bacon and some other stuff on it. i think cheddar cheese, washington apples. sensory overload after the gnocchi. ben gave me a few bites of lamb. the details are fuzzy.

wednesday. hmm. i am trying to remember what i ate on wednesday and i just can't.

thursday back to brasserie 4 for a dinner date. ate pretty minimally, as this night i just wanted to talk with two of my most favorite people. enjoyed frenchy fries, a pureed brussel sprout soup and the conversation.

friday i got caught in the rain on my way to lunch at sweet basil. on the bike. in the cold. never quite recovered, so headed to pho sho for dinner. the house special with meatballs, thin slices of beef, steamy broth, noodles and lots of sriracha had me feeling warm and toasty. this is my favorite place to eat alone with a book. and i got some reading time in.

saturday and sunday we did some home cookin'. as you can imagine, i started itching for some cooking time... so more about the rest of the week later!

walla walla! part 1

2009-11-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

been eating real good out here, don't you worry about a thing.

felt super adventurous to leave the seattle airport during my layover. rode the bus to the market and walked around. got coffee and an amazing cookie. people watching and rain. then back and onto a small plane with charles smith (food and wine winemaker of the year!), kyle mclachlan (twin peaks!) and a bunch of tourists. picked a good weekend.

arrived friday night and was eating bun at pho sho about an hour later. a cold vietnamese salad with lots of fresh greens, sprouts, basil and cilantro. fried tofu and a peanut sauce.

saturday morning rode my favorite bike out to the walla walla roastery. had a perfect cappucino. their coffee has always given me the most powerful sensation: a tingle, almost poprocks sort of physicality to the taste. and then a rushing current that i can feel in my body. electric espresso!

that evening, we ate at brasserie four, which opened right before i left. it was great then and now seems more mature and comfortable in its own skin. chicken pate with apples, figs, honey and pickled onions. apparently i was moaning. for dinner, duck confit pizza. really great crust, fried egg on top, etc. more moaning!

sunday morning i went back to b4 for an americano. they use stumptown and it was amazing. a perfect bar for waking up and reading the paper. later, since the tourists were gone, we felt free to head out to waitsburg to whoop em up hollow cafe and jimgermanbar. this whole experience was so highly anticipated, that i really couldn't help but think that i was blowing it out of proportion. with the early sunset, it was already dark for the ride. really great moon and blazing stars. i miss you stars!

at the whoop: fried catfish. a big pile of greens, beans and rice. just like the first time i ever ate there. then to jgb and had jim make me something. i couldn't decide, it was overwhelming to walk into a space that i have spent so much time thinking about. soon i had a cocktail. barolo chinato. a perfect choice, knowing that i love those digestif flavors. haunting and refreshing, leaving memories. and i am pretty sure it is only tuesday?

north carolina

2009-11-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

hey y'all. not much cooking going on lately, which is fine- because in north carolina last weekend, i got to eat out, the whole time! highlights:

*izzy's for coffee.. they use counter culture beans, which i knew to be good after seriously tasting their stuff at the SCAA (coffee nerd convention) in atlanta this spring. hit their downtown asheville location twice in one day, then the one in west asheville (on a different day). both exactly the right size and feel. big fan.

*had breakfast with the band at early girl cafe. this brunch cast a spell on me. i can't stop thinking of biscuits. had a perfectly simple egg biscuit with fruit. it is nice when it is exactly right and there is no fuss.

*had porter on tap at a bar with sausages and pretzels. cincinnati, they had porter on tap at every bar we went to. get hip or you might lose me.

*an amazing breakfast in the car, picked up in durham at this bakery/restaurant with an impossible name. i have no idea how to say it, but i guess you just sound it out? guglhumf? i got a mini quiche with roasted vegetables and an almond croissant. total breakfast of champions. the bread looked so incredible. maybe next time. (ps- kit, if you read this, i thought of you the whole time i was in your neck of the woods... but it was short and sweet!)

*dinner at tupelo honey, back in asheville. i knew it would be great. enjoyed a glass of wine for a more tame evening- a chilean carmenere for rinsing down goat cheese grits, fried okra, pinto beans and a fresh salsa all in one bowl. and more BISCUITS! with a blueberry jam.

*and after that, i needed something sweet and totally overordered at the french broad chocolate shop. a local cheese plate, some truffles (you know, strawberry balsamic, indian kufi, mole negro, etc) and a press of tea. saved most for snacks the next day...

*lunched after a tour of the biltmore at the mellow mushroom. great pizza and a smoked porter before hitting the road.

sloppy potatoes

2009-10-28T20:54:00.001-07:00

the idea was to do a scalloped-potato-casserole-ish. i went overboard on the cheese and cream. of course i did. so there was plenty of cheese sauce for bread dipping. which was really nice.

sliced the potatoes thin and layered in a casserole with red onion, a blend of some shredded hard cheeses, salt and pepper. made about 6 layers and then poured cream over top. maybe don't pour as much as i did. baked for a while, covered. then baked for a while, uncovered.

did i mention that jenner is headed back into the slammer? this was a homecooked meal for her to eat at home before she heads back in for a while. the cancer is back and she is going to go through an experimental chemo for the next few months, billed as similar to that first month. then on for a bone marrow transplant. it is hard to switch gears, finding all this out when we thought she has been in remission, heading to the finishline. boo. so we also had steaks on the grill.

as long as i am cooking for all these people who i care about, i feel ok. it is hard to know what to do to help and i guess it feels helpful to know that i can make things feel better, taste better. it is really the worst because most of the time, i can only do this part and the rest just feels so big and complicated and hard and scary. and that is from my vantage point! i try to imagine where jenna is, what i can do for her- i definitely have some condition where i am focusing on the small tasks so that i can have a break from all the big stuff weighing on my heart. shopping and chopping and cooking and cleaning. i can't wait for the day when we wake up and its sunny and warm and our hearts are light and we just laugh and laugh. and we'll just eat cotton candy and funnel cakes.

roasted carrots

2009-10-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

washed them and threw them on a sheet pan with a little oil, salt and pepper. at 375 till wrinkled. and the stalk bite tasted the most like raw carrot. interesting.

thanksgiving planning

2009-10-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

sometimes i have some ideas- but maybe end up losing steam before i launch them into being.. but from now until the turkey holiday i'm gonna be moving on my latest idea:

started this past stay for jenner in l'hospital. for some reason, the wing that she is usually in was full. so she stayed in the bone marrow transplant wing. and i just so happened to take a bunch of soup up there that week. while i was in the communal kitchen of that wing, using the microwaver, i met a few really nice ladies who were eating cheerios and seemed pretty friendly with eachother. as cheerios is NOT my idea of dinner, i wanted to know if they were snacking/craving cheerios/eating their version of dinner. so we chatted a bit. i gave them some pumpkin bread. and it became pretty obvious that cheerios was dinner. ugh.

i can't even go into their stories about their children who are sick. it is too much and i start crying and can't see the screen for blogging. with more chatting, i re-realized that lots of the folks that have babies and kids going through something at children's are often not from cincinnati. we live right down the street, i think it takes about 3 minutes to get there. i can usually keep food hot from here to there. i go home at night and mostly, jenna gets to be at home. so many folks are living out of the hospital so that they can be with their kid! and they are from far away and nothing about it is their life. so heartbreaking.

i'm gonna try to get a nice big thanksgiving dinner up there for whoever in that place needs some comfort. details to come.

sunday night pasta

2009-10-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

pasta tossed in a light alfredo sauce. optional toppings- bacon. chard (pretty pink stems and dark green leaves, both) done in garlic with peas. roasted asparagus. parmesan cheese.

and sunday night tea for watching mad men: slices of orange, honey, ginger, a few shakes of cardamom and cinnamon. in hot water.

chocolate truffles for fall!

2009-10-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

a fall inspired sweet..

i made a chocolate ganache - equal parts dark chocolate and heavy whipping cream. folded in cranberry jelly and candied orange peel. chilled the mix until it hardened and scooped with a melon baller. chilled the ganache balls until they got firm and rolled them in melted dark chocolate.

cranberry orange truffles!

thai pumpkin soup

2009-10-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

roasted and pureed pumpkin the same way as in the previous post. in the heavy bottomed pan, i sauteed a "thai" mirepoix- onion, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and jalapeno. deglazed the pan with a mix of fish sauce, honey, lime juice, chile paste and some rice vinegar. added 2 cans of coconut milk and let it all hang out for a bit. i pulled out the lemongrass chunks and pureed. added the pumpkin, seasoned with salt, pepper and basil. served with fresh cilantro and green onion.

*a note: most people don't love the flavor of fish sauce, as my family let me know. for me, that fish sauce flavor takes me back to walking through markets with buckets full of dried shrimp and all sorts of other dried fishes laid out in the hot heat. definitely a trigger for sensory and authentic memories. and probably the reason why i break out in hives around shrimp these days. maybe leave out the fish sauce or just use a few drops- the soup has good flavor without it.

pumpkin quick bread, the long way

2009-10-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

this fall family recipe calls for canned pumpkin. and i had real live pumpkins. so i cut off the skin, scooped out the seeds, cut into chunks and roasted in the oven at 375 in a light toss of vegetable oil until soft and on the way to a delicious smelling carmelization.. then i pureed. the puree is so yummy on its own. i was making all those soups at the same time and couldn't help but think about pumpkin puree, coconut milk, lemongrass and ginger cooked together into soup...

this quick bread is super easy, and this is the big batch formula: in a big bowl- 5 1/4 c. ap flour, 4 1/2 c. sugar (that's why its GOOD, or use 2 1/4 c. honey and it still would be GOOD), 3 tsp. baking soda, 3 tsp. cinnamon, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 3/8 tsp. ground cloves- and i also added a nice big pinch of ground cardamom. then in a smaller bowl- 1 1/2 c. butter, 3 c. pumpkin puree, 3 beat up eggs, 1 c. water- and i added lemon zest. mix wet into dry and pour batter into greased bakery dish. bake at 350.

peas and beans

2009-10-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

i am reading this book and all i want to eat is thick bean soup and dark rye bread. with a beer to drink.

this one has mirepoix veggies (carrots, celery, onions, garlic) all chopped to around pea size and softened in butter with some smoked ham. added stock, peas, white beans and some rosemary.

corn chowder

2009-10-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

a favorite around here. i came home to all the ingredients and the cookbook turned to the recipe. hints.

render some chopped bacon in a soup pot. soften onions, bell peppers, garlic, jalapeno in the fat. add some flour to make it thick. add stock, cubed potatoes, corn. simmer till potatoes are soft. add a bit of cream. season. i like salt, pepper, paprika, red flakes.

this soup is good with some chives on top, maybe some cilantro. or cheddar cheese. could add shredded smokey chicken or pork for more of a stew...

pumpkin jellies

2009-10-11T06:53:00.001-07:00

making new friends who know how to properly preserve things by canning is the best!

on the left- a savory jelly of white pumpkin, jalepeno, fennel, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, red flakes. cooked with sugar, salt and vinegar.

on the right- arrop. a spanish sauce. sweet pumpkin cooked in grape must. couldn't locate a recipe to work off of, but tried to imagine it goes like this: cooked concord grapes with a few cloves and cinnamon for the thick juice. cooked pumpkin in the juice and some red wine. added some citrus zest and juice and a touch of sugar to help it with getting syrupy.

a nice side effect: pumpkin seeds. toasted with oil and salt till you could smell them.

claire's cake

2009-10-08T16:09:00.001-07:00

chocolate cake. caramel to soak the layers. caramel mousse between the layers. chocolate ganache on top. and i wrote on it!

caramel on corn

2009-10-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

i was making a caramel tonight for a mousse for cake. everybody got crazy about needing to eat it, so we popped some corn and dumped the caramel on top. so good.

for the caramel.. i will try to be precise: 2 c. sugar, cover with water, maybe 1-1 1/2c. bring to a boil and let it cook till it starts to brown. try to let it get soooo close to burning up, the darker the color the better. add 2 tbsp. butter and whisk. it will bubble up, so be careful! add a cup of heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp. salt.

the rookwood

2009-10-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

i been meaning to post a positive review about this place. we went up there for an early dinner on a sunday. the place has been made over since most of you have probably been there. the interior is kinda douchey, like bootsy's is having a trickle down effect- but the space will always be amazing as the former home of rookwood pottery. however, it very obvious that the bartender and the chef have a great idea of what they are going for.

i got a negroni, the first one i have seen offered in cincinnati. so lets make that the first one i have had in a year. it was delish. perfectly balanced. with a bitters-soaked pearl onion for garnish. nothing too over the top. just the right drink. i was blown away, actually. so i went and talked to the bartender, who keeps lots of fresh fruit on his bar, makes his own bitters. etc. hold me back!

for appetizer: goetta hanky pankys. anyone that knows the laumers knows that we have a special place for hanky pankys. little dark rye toasts with a scoop of a warm goetta cheese mixture. they served theirs with a relish of green peppers. good thinking!

we all enjoyed our sandwiches. they had great flavor, were on great bread, weren't too over the top- just the right things together. i think i'll go back again soon to see if they maintain the restraint of keeping things real. and to try another drink- a cocktail with my name on it! i'll report on the "sierra cobbler".

HEARTS & crafts

2009-10-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

so y'all. i been thinking on this idea. it isn't a new one, but nobody has ever asked me to be in one, so i am going to make up my own. how about a holiday craft fair?

i am thinking about using this working title "HEARTS & crafts" because i like hearts. i never really thought that i was a heart kinda girl, but when it comes time to name stuff, i can't resist...

i work with carol and she makes ceramics. she wants to sell. i want to make truffles. you know, the chocolate kind. and maybe sell some other food treats for holiday gift giving. i would love to hear from other craft-/food-/art-ists who would be interested in combining forces to have this party near the end of november/beginning of december where we could sell/trade/give eachother cool stuff for the holiday gift season.

so far, there isn't a place, date, poster, facebook event page.. but lets get together and get that stuff going! i think it seems like one of the best ideas i have come up with lately and it would be a pretty fun time, don't you think?!

potato soup

2009-10-04T17:22:00.000-07:00

two onions, 6 cloves of garlic, 3 ribs of celery, three carrots. all chopped medium and softened in butter. about 1/4 c. flour to pull everything together in a loose roux. about 6 c. water. 8 smallish potatoes, peeled and chopped medium. cooked together till potatoes were soft. added a bunch of salt, some pepper, some paprika and some dried basil. a little bit more water, to thin out the glue like consistency. then a cup of cold milk. crispy bacon on top, because today we were toying around with the idea of becoming vegetarians.

tomato soup and grilled cheese

2009-10-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

i am slightly embarrassed that this was dinner the very next night, after that alfredo hardly even got a chance to get outta there... comfort food. tis the season.

i made a really amazing and simple chunky tomato bisque. in my heavy bottomed large frying pan, i sauteed two big yellow onions chopped rough and about 6 cloves of garlic chopped fine- in olive oil. deglazed with some old syrah. chopped 4 big tomatoes and those went in.

then for the secret weapon- this stuff called SCHIAVONE'S hot & spicy spaghetti sauce. i get it at IGA and i have no idea if it is sold at any other place in the world. it kinda looks like maybe it is one of those things IGA keeps around for some very old customer who loves it. but now i love it too.

stewed all that for a bit, cooked the tomatoes down and doused them with salt and pepper. added a box of stock, a pint of cream and heated. pureed, but not very obsessively, then heated again.

in the meantime, griddled some cheese sandwiches for dunkin.

pesto alfredo

2009-10-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

special request for pasta with pesto alfredo. because it is cold outside and we all need some butter and cream for insulation.

in a thick bottomed pan, melted a stick of butter and one pint of cream. shaved in lots of parmesan and used a nice canned pesto. it was a LAST minute request! over low heat, reduced the sauce while cooking the pasta, roasting the zucchini, frying the prosciutto (good god!) and toasting the bread.

tossed cooked pasta in the sauce and i feel warmer already.

red velvet cake

2009-09-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

i got a call for a cake for this weekend, kinda short notice, but when they are calling- i can't say no! i got to pick what i did, and i choose red velvet cake. i can't find the scrap of paper that i wrote the recipe on, so we'll just talk about what i do know for sure.

red velvet cake is fun to make! there is red food coloring involved! and i didn't get it on my new shirt! this recipe made for a very moist, dense cake. which means that it was easy to work with.

i cut the cakes into layers. on each layer, i spread a bunch of strawberry juice that i got from macerating strawberries in sugar overnight. then a layer of white chocolate mousse. for covering and decorating, i made a pretty basic cream cheese frosting- then folded in a bunch of the leftover mousse. yum. good thinking, sierra.

and for those of you looking for cakes- this one is a 9" round, i bake two cakes and layer to about 4" or 5" high. i bet it serves about 20. i am charging $2 - $3 per person depending on what all is going on.

endive

2009-09-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

this looks like a party. and it is! endive leaves used to hold a dollop of goodness: creamy cheese, lots of fresh shaved parmesan. roasted pears, carmelized onions, crispy bacon, fresh basil, a bit of paprika. a little sweet and a lot savory. the pears were too perfect, so we had to eat some fresh ones too.

tomato tarts!

2009-09-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

same tart dough as used below. this one is "late summer tart". a basil pesto: a few cloves of garlic, a bunch of parsley, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, s & p. salted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, baby peas.

tarts!

2009-09-26T22:04:00.001-07:00

made a whole crap ton of these little buggers. called it "early fall tart"- i'll tell you about the tart dough- but on top there was a dijon-naise. carmelized onions and fennel. mixed olives. gruyere cheese and some of the pretty fennel topper chopped up.

tart dough: 2 1/2 c. ap flour. 2 sticks of cold butter cut into little chunks. sprinkle of salt. mix it until like sand, add cold water till it comes together, less than half a cup. chilled for an hour or more, then rolled out on a floured surface. baked at 375 in the way of a pie.. with some weights, then for a few minutes without. flakey, buttery, savory.

why?

2009-09-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

tonight i will be attending the much anticipated musical performance by one of my most favorite bands- why? so obviously this post isn't about food, but my other soul-feeder, music.

i love why? not because they went to my high school, although that does make me especially fond. i connect to this band because of the witticism and word magic in their songs- two of the skills i most prize in authors, songwriters and all other humans. also the good old-fashioned themes: the suffering of losing love and alternatingly trying to shake it/keep it close; the pain of being overly self-aware and the awkwardness that results; the constant references to the past and its present influence; wonderings about now and when...

and its somehow not as depressing as that makes it sound... think all those themes presented in a package of childlike piano and thumping drums and vocals of abstract tonality.

the only thing missing tonight will be my sweet sister. it is hard to think of her missing this show for a hospital stay. boo. we travelled together to see why? in seattle two tours ago. she got so wasted that night that we only caught the openers and skipped yo la tengo in an effort to get back to the ace hotel in one piece. how much life has changed! how much it sometimes hurts to keep living normal life without my favorite sidekick...

grape cake

2009-09-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

to honor the end of the summer and the homesick (for walla walla) feelings that this time of year brings (the smell of ripe grapes in the air, the energy of all the good wine-making folks running around and working hard, blue skies and dry wheat fields, cool nights, bright stars....) i made this grape cake.

2 eggs and 2/3 c. sugar beaten up. 4 tbsp. melted butter, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/3 c. milk and vanilla mixed in. sifted 1 1/2 c. flour, 3/4 tsp. baking powder, pinch of salt and zest of a lemon. poured wet into dry and mixed with a spoon. folded in about 2 cups of mixed grapes. being situated in the midwest, i just scrounged up a bunch of different colored grapes. who knows the varietal: red, black and green for our purposes. cut each color into a different shape for appearances. poured the batter into a cake pan, baked about 15 minutes at 350 and then put another cup or so of grapes on top. baked until springy in the center.

i will be serving this as a sweet treat for a group this weekend. am thinking about a ginger sort of glaze for some moisture.. it is a very dense cake and could use some loosening up.

make some good juice this year, friends- here's to 2009 being a great vintage!

moerlein marzen

2009-09-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

shepherds pie

2009-09-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

oops. backwards photos again. i always forget...

homecooking to the hospital tonight, and the request was for shephards pie. so of course i had to make it different.

stewed onions, carrots, celery, garlic and beets in some oil. then i added the softer veggies- mushrooms, corn, peas, the beet greens, zucchini. heated up the pan pretty hot and deglazed with some red wine. then dumped in a whole carton of beef stock. cooked until the liquid was reduced to almost nothing.

meanwhile, i boiled some spuds until soft and mashed them with butter and sour cream. yum.

in a casserole, beet stew on the bottom and spuds on top. mmm. beet-y!

tamarind sorbet

2009-09-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

gathering inspiration from my most favorite late summer cocktail, i came up with this sorbet. i can't remember what jim would call it, but as far as i can remember- and sometimes the memories of those drinks are pretty dim- it was kinda like what we called a japanese caipirinha. lemons instead of limes. but this drink also had a tamarind tincture, muddled ginger, anise garnish...

for this sorbet: juiced about 6 lemons and 6 oranges on my NEW ELECTRIC CITRUS JUICER! whoa. whenever i get myself a fun new toy like this, i just have to wonder why i waited so long. this bad boy is going to send my sorbet producing capacities thru the roof. next thing will be another freezer! ok, citrus juice.

the most fragmented recipe ever: i visited findlay market yesterday (and it was beautiful and sunny and there were tons of people there. i also got to taste DOJO gelato for the first time) and the colonel had a tub of "thai tamarind", a paste of ground tamarind and water. i mixed about a half a cup of that with an equal amount of simple syrup. tamarind syrup.

i also added about a cup of cachaca- the sugar cane liquor from brazil. a few tablespoons of orange curacao. about an inch of ginger, sliced. some cardamom pods and a few star anise. i let all this mingle together overnight, then strained and churned.

as any sorbet with an alcohol added, this one has got a great smooth texture. it is sweet, but the sweetness doesn't linger around on your tongue and get all sticky. i think that is the tamarind playing as a natural balancer. and laxative! ha.

tomato bomb

2009-09-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

scooped out the flesh of a big heirloom tomato. mixed with basil pesto, parmesan and herbed goat cheese. then stuffed all that back in her. roasted in a hot oven until right before it split open.
dug into hot cheese, sweet summer tomato with a crispy toast.

segway catering

2009-09-17T14:03:00.001-07:00

this segway store has been open a while, but tonight they are having a grand opening. i guess you get to have a grand opening party whenever you feel like it! cool!

they got a bunch of bites from us- i did stuffed mushrooms, some crostinis, empanadas and bites of the chocolate cake from the other day..

stuffed mushrooms: roasted them in a lower oven, about 350 with a bunch of garlic oil, salt and pepper. made a filling of creamy cheese, bacon, candied walnuts and pears sauteed in bacon fat. yup. they are pretty great.

crostinis. white bean spread: beans mashed with garlic oil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and paprika. basil pesto: pine nuts, oil, balsamic and lemon juice. i did the figgy one for them too: blue cheese melted on the toast, topped with carmelized onion and fig.

empanadas: i think the dough recipe is still on here somewhere... filled them with roasted red peppers, chorizo and goat cheese. made a cilantro oil for dipping, but these are full of flavor on there own. and the crust is so nice and buttery. when they come outta the oven, i can't help but take a bite and sing "hot pocket" like mr. jim gaffigan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9c9lAfXQHs careful, you might pee your pants.

for dessert: sweet little bites of that super rich chocolate cake with a raspberry for health.

PS- i heart segways

pear sorbet

2009-09-17T07:59:00.001-07:00

roasted pears with a drizzle of honey and a few shakes off some dried lavender- until softish. mashed and soaked in a syrup of sugar and honey. strained and chilled and churned.

chocolate!

2009-09-16T06:27:00.001-07:00

i am starting to feel like i am just posting sweet things on this blog! you have to know that i ate lots of amazing, not-sweet things yesterday. my first lunch at take the cake. moroccan chicken soup full of sweet potatoes and ginger. then a roasted vegetable salad with goat cheese on greens. and a crazy chocolate bread pudding. i was so full i was planning on making that last the whole day, until we decided to visit at city view tavern. had to get a beef bbq sandwich. with yellow cheese and slaw on top, grippos on the side.

but this flourless chocolate cake is what i made when i got home from all that. doing another catering this week (thru work) for SEGWAY! i am pretty excited about it, because whenever i see the owner of the segway shop, he lets me take a spin. and i would imagine he'll be there when i drop off the food! segway rides!

this cake is very, very easy and sooooo rich that you will definitely die a little with each bite. but it is worth it. melt 18 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, adding 12 ounces of butter. whisk together 9 whole eggs with 1 1/2 c. sugar. slowly add the melted chocolate and butter to the eggs and sugar. pour into a buttered pan and cover with foil. put the pan in a water bath and bake it till its firm at 350. let it cool and it should tip right out of the pan.

i promise i will post pictures of all the SAVORY bites that i am doing for this gig. i don't want to get a reputation as a pastry chef or anything.

clementine & cream

2009-09-13T13:13:00.000-07:00

clementines. juiced. zested. with syrup. chilled and churned. if you guys aren't getting the picture, i don't know what else to tell you..

jenna says its just like a clementine without all the hassle!

ms. sharona was my third customer this week! i am charging $5 a pint, $10 a quart, and have been known to deliver!

website

2009-09-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

this is not the slick website that i envision coming someday soon, but just so y'all know- i can also be found on the internets at http://www.forkheartknife.com/. if you go there, you pretty much get back here, but that's ok. sometimes its fun to go in circles.

lemon ice

2009-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

a bunch of lemons, juiced with some zest and syrup. and i have started thinking seriously about an electric juicer.

radicchio

2009-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

this was a good dinner especially after it started feeling so fall-like tonight... had some heads of radicchio around and was wondering what to do with them..

chopped into chunks and sauteed them till softer, deglazed with white wine and stewed in chicken broth. reduced stock and the radicchio was red brown beautiful. added some carmelized onions, gorgonzola and parmesan. perfect compliment to steak and red wine. yum.

strawberry corncakes

2009-09-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

now that one of the gang isn't working, and the others of us are trying to be smart and resourceful, we have been eating an increasing number of sunday brunches in. this week its pancakes and i have still been thinking about those cakes from annabel's.

made the pancake batter: 2 c. ap flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 eggs and 1 1/2 to 2 c. milk. added some pinches of cornmeal. poured on the griddle and poked with strawberries. with maple syrup from the bee keeper that uses the work compost. nice.

black/raspberry sorbet

2009-09-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

there was this park in walla walla where i would walk everyday, sometimes twice with my code. around this time of year all the blackberry bushes would be in full fruit. code and i would start and finish our walks with a pause for some snacking on fresh berries.. so good.

the berries here are coming from the store, but this flavo flave takes me back.

cooked blackberries on the stove with sugar and water. pureed and strained and added the leftover raspberry puree from the cake. some fresh lemon juice, chambord and a bunch of syrup.

i think it would be amazing with a little lemon ice on top. might have to make two flavors again this week! come try at pizza night..

fig gelato

2009-09-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

i cut the fresh figs into quarters and put them on the stove with some sugar. then i mashed them and strained them and added some lemon juice. warmed some milk, sugar and vanilla bean and mixed everything. chilled and churned.

it tastes so fig. when i was researching this i was looking at this fig aperitif called figoun. apparently its got vanilla, angelica- the stuff of chartreuse, oranges and red mandarins. hmm. don't know if i can get that around these parts, but i would be curious to have something in there with the fig gelato. something to add some other point of reference for depth.

cake, to go

2009-09-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

i got a second customer! this week was busy with me dreaming and acting on getting things going.. locked in the website for my "brand" and even spent a bunch of hours trying to figure out how to set up a little website. it is passable now, linking here to my blog and giving out my digits for future customers. thank goodness a friend is going to help me get it looking a lot more, um, professional.

in the meantime, i am feeling very positive about all the extra cooking that's going on around here. this cake was really fun. the customer was at the wedding and had that cake. she wanted the exact same cake for a shower this weekend. i had a lot more fun layering this one, knowing that i would be able to make it come together.

lemon cakes layered with fresh raspberry puree (the berries are crazy good and cheap right now!) and a lemon mousse. a vanilla buttercream icing all over the outside. super sweet and light and there is lemon mousse leftover!!

BLT

2009-09-05T18:56:00.001-07:00

shadeau ciabatta. both sides buttered. on the griddle. hellman's mayo. blue grass meats bacon. dirty knees collective tomatoes with a nice sprinkle of salt. crispy, cold romaine. i love eating food.

tomato ice cream

2009-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

more tomato, used the chunky half of the preserves. heated with a quart of heavy cream and a quart of half and half. it was so thick i added a quart of whole milk too and some vanilla bean. tempered into 12 yolks and 1 1/2 c. sugar. warmed everything slowly on the stove till thicker. then chilled and churned.

even more than the sorbet, this one tastes like fall and pumpkin. then at the very end, it gives you the sweeter acid and garden taste of the tomatoes. the texture is great, it is not too sweet. and this recommended caramel sauce is a good idea.

for the caramel, i just eyeball the sugar and water, more sugar than if it was a simple syrup. cook on low till it gets a near brown, take it off the heat. then stir in some cream and some salted butter. the ny times recipe that i am working off has some of those tomato preserves in the caramel too. but oops! i already used em all...

and i just want you all to think about things when you are playing around with hot sugar. it's like my dad would say about working with electricity: you just have to have a healthy bit of fear about the whole business. getting some of that hot sugar on you will be the worst burn. so watch it!

tomato crazy

2009-09-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

it is definitely different than any sorbet i have ever had. the tomatoes were stewed in sugar, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon slices for two days. i pureed them and then strained out the juice. the juice went to the sorbet, the mash went to the ice cream. this is about the sorbet, ice cream coming next...

about 4 quarts of tomato juice. i added about a cup of lemon juice and maybe a quart of simple syrup. and churned it. it has a wonderful color and texture.. more jell than a normal sorbet.. all that pectin from the tomato stew. the flavors of cinnamon and clove make it taste very fall. which i guess it is getting to be...

i think that i have to appreciate it as its own thing, i am having a really hard time coming up with descriptors. i want to put more of it in my mouth, but it is just so strange!

elderlemonflowerade

2009-09-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

today is beautiful and i've been enjoying a refreshing drink.. lemon juice and elderflower syrup in equal parts topped with soda water and some fresh ginger.

phew

2009-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

today i put all that food out there. then left. after all that work and time and thought and care. hmm. feeling kinda sad that i don't get to see it get in their mouths... to see their reactions. that is the hard part. now i just have to go to bed, almost just as anxious as during the cooking process... because now comes the waiting for the feedback.. and it is delayed feedback and ugh. i hate waiting.

in the meantime, here's for those that are prone to drooling: the menu (and quantities, ok- so i'm bragging a little about what came out of this kitchen over the past few days)

- 17 pounds of orzo pasta salad: cherry tomatoes, cukes, parsley, feta cheese, a roasted tomato vinaigrette- three trays of romaine salad with marcona almonds, manchego cheese - 2 quarts of "three mustard" vinaigrette (for the salad)- 1 quart of roasted tomato spread with pine nuts- 2 quarts of white bean and roasted garlic spread with basil pesto- toasted pita with salt and parsley- 24 loaves of flatbread topped with herbs and spices and YUM!- three trays of fig/carmelized onion/gorgonzola crostini- two big bowls of melon salad with lime and mint sweetness...

i guess i just have to trust my tastes, my sensibilities and my style and hope that everybody eating tonight "got it". maybe i'll wake up tomorrow and be famous! ha.

my first customer!

2009-08-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

at pizza night this week i got a sorbet customer! she loved the watermelon sorbet so much and wanted to serve it at a dinner party this weekend. so i whipped up another batch. how cool.

it has been so amazing for me to have this blog.. it is so fun to look at all the posts and see a record of what i have been cooking and eating. and even more fun to watch all of y'all eat the stuff that i have so much fun making- and love it!

thanks for all your support- it is really satisfying to get to be so creative, so all over the map with the things i like to do and to get such nice feedback.. and a special thanks to mama laums- who has let me completely take over her kitchen with my projects.

and i guess this means i am selling frozen deliciousness! ha!

fig flatbread

2009-08-28T13:29:00.001-07:00

and this one- figs and carmelized onions on the flatbread. yum.

flatbread factory

2009-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

i get to cook for this huge party this weekend. there's gonna be about 150 people at an event for the cincinnati entertainment awards in theatre.. so i am pretty busy. decided to just go all out and make all my favorite things. #1 being my flatbread.

(it has been suggested of me recently that i have too many "favorites", diluting the meaning... hmmm, i hate people that limit their faves. what do you guys have to get excited about!?)

this flatbread has followed me out west and back, perfect accompaniment to a cheese plate, good for snacking as an appetizer, adds something special to a bread basket.

and it is super easy- and very time consuming:

4 c. flour

1 package quick rising yeast

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/3 c. water (125-130 ish)

blend it all in a food processor, or with your hands. knead, then let rise.. covered. after about an hour, or when the dough has doubled, punch it down, cut into 8 pieces and let stand for about 20 minutes. roll out as thin as you can and brush with milk. top with whatever you want, and some salt and pepper. it bakes at 375.

some toppings like i use are: a dry mix of capers and olives and peppercorns, also the bravas salt that i use on everything, and sesame seeds. salt and pepper is good, if you are going to be dipping.

figs

2009-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

the first time that i can remember having a fresh fig was in walla walla. toma brought some to work after a trip to pike's place market in the early fall. toma was always going around and getting me into stuff that i wasn't into yet. and i was hooked.

when i found myself in seattle in late august, i bought a pint of fresh figs for the ride home and a pint to share with jim and claire. they love them. we had those in the bar with cheese and a special balsamico. there isn't any "special" vinegar laying around here, but this will be a yummy bite!

watermelon sorbet

2009-08-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

this is the other one: pureed watermelon, simple syrup, mint and lime juice.

green grape/ pernod sorbet

2009-08-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

so many peeps came out for pizza night last week, that i'm making two sorbets. it looks like too much sorbet... well, there is just no such thing. so this is sorbet #1. and it has come out of the white gazpacho trial... that grape business has been on my brain ever since. i would say that the flavor of this is haunting.

green grapes soaked in pernod, lemon juice, syrup, star anise and thyme for a few days. took out all the anise and pureed the grapes with the liquid. strained and churned. the grape is so refreshing and making me think of all those who will be starting harvest soon! this would be really great with super ripe sweet chardonnay grapes. the pernod and anise give it the haunting part, depth and mystery and i love it.

wedding yum yums

2009-08-22T23:38:00.001-07:00

and its all gone.
after a wonderful party at a beautiful lodge in an amazing park...
magical night.
much love to the happy couple!

the cake, part 2

2009-08-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

the cake is done! waiting for a flower arrangement for the top.. i am pretty happy with how it turned out, can't wait to watch them cut into it! now i am going to shave my legs, paint my fingernails and put a dress on.. gah!

suz's cake, part 1

2009-08-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

dear oldest friend suz is getting married tomorrow! i apparently love to get involved with a friend or family member's wedding dessert once every year or two, just to keep my feet wet in the land of fancy pastries.. the nice thing about this one is that i am only making a little cutie for them to cut into. for the photo album. they "don't like cake". i'm suspicious.

took the day off today to bake the cakes and get all the other jazz started.. so far, so good! there is a tall, 9" round and this cute 6" guy for the top. a lemony white cake layered with a raspberry puree and lemon mousse. the whole thing will be artfully (i hope) decorated in buttercream tomorrow.

i can't imagine how these guys are feeling! i have to admit that i have been feeling a little anxious about my end of the project, with the pressure of trying to make new cake loving converts and with the pics and whatnot... but they are in for a much bigger day! i have baked lots of love and happiness and adventures into this cake, hope they can taste it..

aww. sentimental latenight post.

limoncello mint sorbet

2009-08-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

this one was soooo refreshing. sugar, water and limoncello cooked. added lots of lemon juice and some fresh mint. cooled and strained and churned. been working on the rest of the bottle of limoncello this week with mint and fizzy water. a dangerously good summer night around the block with the dog kinda drink.

bun!

2009-08-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

i have been missing walla like crazy these past few days. don't know what it is, but something is in my air.. mostly those nights of going to pho sho, having an order of the chicken wings, some bun, a tiger beer and some sake.. so i tried to recreate the bun here. this came pretty close... better than any version i have had in these parts, for sure.

cold rice noodles, nuoc cham: garlic, jalapeno, chili paste, water, sugar, fish sauce and some lime juice. carrots, bean sprouts, cukes, cilantro, basil and more lime juice squeezed over top. i made a peanut sauce for the fried tofu: ginger, garlic, jalapenos, fish sauce and coconut milk.

a nice cold salad after seeing the movie julia, julia. this has kind of sent me into a tailspin... thinking about cooking, blogging and what i am doing with all of it. about how i NEED to get to traveling and eating and all that jazz. hoping the movie will sink in for me in a peaceful way, in a motivating way and maybe get some direction for this ship...

fennel ice cream

2009-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

this treat made its debut at pizza night last week. a big hit. really sweet vanilla up front and some herbally, green anise at the end. the cream tasted so light with those flavors.

3 c. heavy cream and 2 c. milk got to enjoy the company of two bulbs of fresh fennel. after soaking for a day, i warmed the milk with 1 1/2 c. of sugar and some vanilla bean. after heating, i tempered the milk into 8 yolks.

the warming of the fennel made it taste less sharp and fresh, so i soaked two more fennel bulbs in the ice cream base for another day.

meatnormous

2009-08-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

there was talk of us all heading down to a steakhouse tonight. when the girl says she wants steaks, you just do it. but we were hot and sweaty and lainy came in on that truimph with a bag full of ny strip steaks and some short ribs, so we fired up the grill and got to business. much better this way cause i could feed tucker some bites. grilled some summer squashes and some onions, marinated the steak in balsamic and oil with salt and pepper. out of habit. the short ribs got tossed in balsamic, worchestershire (sp?) and pepper. who knew that i really wanted a steak too. delish. and we ate outside. and tucker is still looking at me like i got something for him. beggar.

tomato gazpacho

2009-08-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

so there's a guy that comes to our shop and takes all of our food and coffee waste to his farm for compost. i love that we do that, even though this time of year it is more difficult- the stuff starts composting while it is still here waiting to be picked up- ugh. the other night when he was coming through he brought in a beautiful basket of garlic, squashes, tomatoes, and cabbages. all stuff that was grown on his farm, fed by our waste. full circle stuff that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and connected and hungry.

i took the basket home and stopped by the dirty knees garden for some supplemental freshness. gathered some really great peppers: green bell peppers, some jalepenos and white bell peppers. a few zucchinis were just begging to come home. and there will be an eggplant so soon! i can't wait for that. the cherry tomatoes are like candy!

the gazpacho turned out really great. in my mind, you can't really mess it up if you start with the good stuff that tastes like sun and heat and is juicy! threw in some fennel chunks from other projects. 2 big cukes with their seeds out and chopped up smallish. 6 big tomatoes chopped and then i did some fancy french business and pulled this trick called tomato concasse with another 6 tomatoes.. removed the skin and seeds and smashed them up in the chopper for tomato juice. probably more work that its worth, but hey. street cred. two green bell peppers and two white. a jalepeno and a handful of garlic cloves in the chopper with some red wine vinegar. a sweet onion chopped smallish. some fresh basil and parsley. a dash of olive oil and then of balsamic. lots of salt and a bit of sugar and some pepper.

the fun thing about gazpacho is that there is really no order of operations. like in making hot soups- none of the starting with the fat, then the mirepoix, adding whatever else needs a saute, adding any flour, deglazing, stock, etc. you can just throw things in till you get it where you want it. and that is fun. this one is on the green and yellow side of the color spectrum with nice crunch and zing and acid and a little heat.

pool party picnic (3 Ps) fennel!

2009-08-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

best fennel salad ever. picked up a few bunches (sounds like i'll be making vanilla bean and fennel ice cream for this weeks pizza night) and couldn't resist making this salad. as inspired by what's for dinner? fennel bulb sliced, tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion. this time i added some cheese- manchego. dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lots of s & p. some purple and green basil and some of the fennel leaves..

the cheese wasn't all that necessary or noticeable- and i don't usually do it. but maybe next time fresh mozz or some feta would be nice. creamier and chunkier.. the crunch is my most favorite texture and this salad is great on a pile of greens too. it gets real juicy from the tomatoes and is beautiful, fresh and a little salty for summer.

it was really great to spend a hot hot hot day at a pool. we stopped floating for a bit in the afternoon for a wonderful lunch of cold salads. all the other stuff we ate is in the next few posts. there was a really good cold watermelon too and ice cream cake from graeters for pammie's birthday. happy birthday, pam!

3 Ps- guest chefs

2009-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

uncle phill made the delish fruit spread. i heard him saying something about neufchatel cheese, amaretto, chocolate. i couldn't heard it all because of the sweet crunch of green apples covered in the goodness.

auntie leigh made the black bean, tomato and avocado yum yums. i could eat this all day. three of my most favorite things together.

3 Ps- instead of subway

2009-08-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

there was talk of going to subway for a party sub for the pool party.. with me around? insult. but this is my ode to the cold cut. a whole wheat wrap, some boursin cheese, turkey, bacon, cukes and red pepper. all rolled up.

3 Ps- slaw

2009-08-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

i like throwing all the rest of the jazz into a slaw. already had red onion, cukes and bell pepper. always use the bagged broccoli slaw. it is the best and lives a long life, even when covered in dressing. for crunch and salt, sunflower seeds. toasted almond slivers for health and i just use a toss of whatever dressing in the fridge needs to get on with it... this could be my version of something "semi homemade". sierra lee.

3 Ps- potato salad

2009-08-09T19:33:00.001-07:00

love making potato salad. this one is red potatoes, boiled and cut/mashed. hard boiled eggs. bacon, of course. a sweet onion, chopped up. and the dressing was GOOD. in the chopper, a jalapeno, a clove of garlic, some cider vinegar, some mayo. s & p, lots of smoked paprika.

basil float

2009-08-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

i'm not cooking today. but check out this float! basil gelato from this week's pizza party (- there is some leftover! come and get it!) a basil syrup and some soda water.

basil syrup: drop the basil leaves real quick in boiling water. get them right into ice water and then squeeze out the water. put leaves and simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, dissolved) in the chopper. put it in your lemonade!

basil gelato: 2 c. milk and 2 c. half & half and 1 c. sugar and 1 vanilla bean, scraped. heated and tempered into 8 egg yolks. i used tons of basil. blanched and chopped it too, and mixed it into the ice cream mix. i strained out the basil right before churning, but there was still a hint of green and some specks. i would like to shoot for more color next time, maybe blanching the leaves in the milk?

the gelato has a nice vanilla taste up front, then you get that herbal fresh basil green part at the swallow. as a float, it is all sweet basil and creamy. yum.

and i am really thinking so much about the article from yesterday, you all should read it for sure. i like the way michael pollan writes and i really like that it is about women and food and entertainment and health and the different ways that food/cooking/eating plays out in our lives.

two of my favorite parts (am i allowed to put these on here?) are about how julia child is flipping a potato pancake and she says that it is about your convictions. and that the only way to learn to flip something is to flip it... love that. reminds me of getting omelettes drilled into me on my first sunday brunch shift. and love how its about courage and just going for it..

and then the part about how the cooking shows (and life) stress the quick results of cooking and not the pleasure of enjoying the process or the eating.. i am under the impression that julia was able to show both on her show that happened in real time. i like thinking about her. that she was 6'2". ha. i can't wait to see the movie, as i loved the book about her life. i listened to it on tape on my way home across country and was so taken with everything about her.

brunch!

2009-08-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

sunday brunch with my favorite couple. and i got to pick today. i have wanted to try nectar, they had a good brunch there once and we need to be branching out of the neighborhood. i have always had an enormous respect=intimidation for julie frances, and haven't made it to this spot (had a wonderful dinner once upon a time at aioli).

so we headed over that way. we peeked into nectar and noticed that it looked pretty deserted, while the cute place next door had some folks eating outside and people coming and going. hmm. but there was a sign out front, so we went in. there was no one to greet us at the door, and after waiting a minute, we decided to seat ourselves at a table in the front window. thought we'd be helping them out with making the place look occupied. and turns out there were some other customers there, behind a wall. hmm. so we sat there for a minute, there was definitely someone cooking in the kitchen, we could see her. so we pulled out the paper and dug in. of course, i called the magazine- the main article being by michael pollan and about food. after realizing that i had gotten thru the start of the mag, and was getting into the main article- and we still hadn't heard a peep from anyone working there, i suggested that we leave. how strange.

we were a little irritated on the way out, i wanted to yell something snarky, like "THANKS!" but i kept quiet. obviously something strange was happening. maybe when i am feeling VERY patient, we will try again. although, hungry and patient are not usually things that happen to me coincidentally.

and then we stumbled upon the best brunch ever. walked right next door to annabel's and were able to score one of two tables out front. turns out we sort of know the girl who waited on us, charming and happy and covered in beautiful tattoos. we got coffee and jen had some berry iced tea. the menu was great, all the things that you would want to eat if you wanted to make yourself brunch and happened to have croissants and lots of fresh fruit and cheese and eggs. i couldn't decide because i was so happy about it. the place is decorated with colorful food photos, from travels with bette, it says on the menu- charming charming charming. i think jenna and i both wished we were named bette right then.

i ordered corn cakes with blackberries and bananas. jenna got lox, which she loves but feels she must gamble on because it is so often not delish at honey. and timmy got some egg "love" and i was so into my cakes that i have no idea what the love was. but it came with a croissant and fruit. the pancakes had the fruit mixed in, soooo good. soft grit of the corn, there was a honey/orange zesty marmalade on top and some really fresh fruit on the side. whoa. we were all so happy. and then i had to go pee after coffee and there was a world map and gerber daisies in the bathroom. i am such a sucker for that shit. annabel's wins.

white gazpacho, part 2

2009-07-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

got together with all the pizza guys tonight to prep for tomorrow, and have continued this white gazpacho journey... results are interesting! i don't think that i have EVER tasted anything quite like this soup.

in addition to the previously mentioned grape cluster: 1 large loaf of white bread, staled for the past few days. cut off the crust and cubed the bread. soaked it in cold water for about 15 minutes. 1 bulb of garlic, 4 c. slivered almonds, toasted, about 1/2 c. sherry vinegar, some more water, maybe a cup, about 1/4 c. olive oil, salt.

originally, i left the grape mix out of the chopper. doing the almonds and garlic together, then the bread and liquid. i mixed all this together with the halved grapes and their liquid. it was nice to take a bite and have the sweet crunch of the grape. but we all decided that it would be better to have the whole mix blended up together. to get the texture right, and to get those grapes mashed so that the sweet taste is through out.

i really don't know what to think.. when i take a bite, i kind of want to keep eating it: the fresh garlic, the nutty warmth of the almonds, the sweet grapes and the hint of flavors coming from that whole experiment, the mash of the bread, the cold temperature and the whiteness of it. it is just like nothing else. i am very nervous to see how the crowd responds tomorrow, definitely not for the faint of mouth.

white gazpacho, part 1

2009-07-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

this is the start of the white gazpacho trials of 2009. this is the first summer that i have heard of such a variation. and i am CURIOUS! i have done lots of research, looking at different recipes, pictures, asking everyone that i have encountered if they have ever had it, made it, seen it, etc. ("what is it like?! do you taste the almond most? is it really fresh, raw garlic? is the garlic flavor strongest? is it balanced? is the bread necessary? is it creamy, savory or sweet?) it all started when i read about gazpacho and its cousins in the ny times last week. and this is where i got the idea for this start, so far- delicious!

green grapes soaking in pernod, lemon juice, water, sugar, ginger, some grapefruit zest, thyme and star anise.

i am almost tempted to not take it any further. the balance of what is going on here could easily be tipped in the wrong direction. as it is hard for me to visualize on my tongue what the final product will taste like, it is hard for me to imagine that anything added to this grape concoction could make it any better.

i have to trust that taking this all the way- adding the other traditional white gazpacho ingredients will make this my new favorite summertime soup.. so for the next step i will add garlic, almonds, and stale bread maybe some vinegar..

it isn't often that i can't imagine what the final product will be like, as i guess i am usually cooking something that i have had before- a variation on the familiar, whether it be technique or ingredients.. this breaking into unknown territory is fun! and really leaves me wanting to taste "the real thing" so that i know if i am doing it right. or this could be another round of sierra's first consomme. hilarious.

empanadas

2009-07-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

i made empanadas today from scratch!

i used a real easy dough recipe: 4 1/2 c. ap flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 c. cold water and 8 oz. soft butter. after mixing by hand, i let the dough chill in the fridge for about 4 hours. rolled it out thin and cut 4 inch rounds. realized that i left my rounds for cutting dough in walla. boo.

for the stuffing: sauteed the beet greens from last weeks pickling project with an onion. ran through the little chopper with some fresh mozzarella. lots of s, p and red flakes. spooned a little filling into the rounds, folded them over, forked the edges and brushed with egg white.

to dip there was some chive (from the garden) business. could have been more creative, something red with acid would have been nice.. but these were pretty good. the dough turned out great and flakey, without being dry. i liked the filling a lot, but remember when i made them with cevapcici? and ricotta and chard?

garden

2009-07-27T13:41:00.001-07:00

haven't been over to the garden for a while! and my has it grown.

i traded some weed removal for some jalapenos, serranos, some chives and basil. the tomatoes are coming- but we need some heat around here.

dirty knee collective is looking good midsummer and i can't wait to get my hands on some tomatoes, squash and OKRA!

forkheartknife

2009-07-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

my food got a nice little stage tonight along side great pizza with 'a tavola mangi'.

i got to serve all the pickled stuff that i made on monday as an appetizer. (thank goodness i don't have to take care of all those pickles myself..) the beets turned out perfectly. the color was that deep red, bright purple beet hue. the texture was on the money. the flavor so satisfying. vinegary, but not too, with some sweetness but mostly earthy beetness.

so lets talk about how that one worked out in the jar.. i lightly blanched the beets, boiling them for a bit, then dropping them into jars. over top, i poured the boiling pickle magic- mostly that standard pickle brine: vinegar, water, salt, pepper, pickling spices. for this one i added about a cup of apple cider vinegar to what was boiling. covered the beets in the jar with the brine, then topped off the jar with about a tbsp of olive oil.

pizza from #2 was again really great. my favorite was the marinara, sausage, basil, mozz and fried egg pizza. then there was a braised radicchio, leek, bacon and arugula salad pizza. it might actually be a tie. nevermind, can't top something with a fried egg on it.

i got to clean things up at the end with the campari and citrus sorbet. up front with the grapefruit, but the campari took away that zing that makes you pucker at the end. really refreshing and cleansing.

it feels so nice to get to have some food out there. watching people try my creations. and this one night a week thing is so perfect, keeps the energy feeling exciting and experimental. playful and interesting. i'm full.

aperitivo sorbetto

2009-07-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

i am going to go on a little rant about jamie oliver for a second before i get started on this one.. so i have been thinking lots about campari lately. then some folks put the idea in my head for blood orange sorbet. then i got to googling. and found this wonderful, simple recipe for campari and citrus sorbet. and it comes from no other than jamie oliver. i try to keep my feelings for jamie on the inside. he is married and has a wonderful family. and he is famous and lives in a different country. but my goodness! he has the most endearing way of speaking, he is handsome and adorable and goofy as hell looking all at the same time. and he can cook. and i love the way he cooks. he keeps it simple, using good stuff and bringing out the best in it. and that is why i love this sorbet so much.

it is mostly fresh grapefruit juice (5). also: fresh orange juice (2), fresh lemon juice (2), 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of campari. mix it together and let the sugar dissolve, then get it in the ice cream spinner. super easy and so refreshing. all the fresh citrus really zings and the campari gives it that "ooo! what is this extra flavor i am tasting?!" excitement.

i think this might be the start of a series of aperitivo and digestivo sorbets..

next up- lillet blanc and orange. fernet branca with maybe camomile? rhubarb? strawberries?

jamie oliver: if you read this, i would give you my preserved lemons recipe.