Ahhh, Spring!

I couldn't resist these radishes at the store yesterday. I also bought a couple of French baguettes at Model, and some local, fancy European style butter (and bresaola and pâté maison) at Fatted Calf, in another attempt to love radishes and butter on a baguette. With salt, I *like* radishes and butter on baguette, but frankly, I'd just as soon have butter on a baguette. I'll keep trying, though.

But aren't these radishes just gorgeous? I think when the Easter Egg radishes arrive, I'll buy another bunch just to gaze upon, and maybe try the recipe I saw in one of the food magazines (now, where was that...?) for roasted radishes. Or this one, for butter-braised radishes, from Orangette...

Also made the Lemon Pudding Cakes again. Turned out deeeelicious. This time, I used buttermilk instead of milk, and added a tablespoon of sugar to offset the extra sourness. I had the extra time before our guests arrived to cover and chill them, and this time, the pudding did separate out from the cake on top as promised. Topped them with whipped cream and more raspberries, and they were gobbled up before I could get a shot of them. Next time!

Spring Menu:
Baguettes, cheeses, butter, radishes and charcuterie
Asparagus risotto with whole asparagus
Grilled pork tenderloin with garlic and rosemary
Lemon pudding cakes with whipped cream and fresh raspberries

Road Trip!

After stopping off at the cemetery to see some relatives, we headed out to Lighthouse Point to visit some more of our loved ones.

Grandpa attempting to explain the finer points of Steamer's Lane surfing to Molly. She moves so fast, this was the only non-blurry picture of her!

Grandpa looking out over Capitola, the town of his youth, the next day.

A very nice young man named Matt invited us in to see the inside of the Cliff Avenue house that was purchased by my great-grandparents for $5,000 in 1939. This is Grandpa showing us the corner wall where he and his brother would have their height marked in pencil each year. He is demonstrating the fact that my great-uncle grew to be 6'4".

Our missions were accomplished, the weather was perfect, and a good time was had by all. Thanks, Molly, for doing almost all of the driving! (Sorry about the picture, but it was the only one where you weren't blurry or making a funny face.)

Supercalifontalisticexpialidocious

I do not know what is going on with the fonts on this blog. I was pasting from Word, and I think some of the font commands were sticking in there like popcorn kernels in the teeth, even after I took them out, but I think it is under control now. Sorry about the chaos.

Return of the Caesar

This will be the second time I've posted this recipe, but I don't want you to miss it, since today I made a Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad and it hit the spot. Now I know that is the opposite end of the spectrum from avant-garde, GCCS being ubiquitous these days, from McDonald's to the haute-est retro steakhouses, but the difference between a vibrant, punchy, fresh-tasting CS, and one that is bland and greasy, is in the dressing. THIS is the dressing you want: lemony, garlicky and full of depth and flavor. On a warm evening, a moderate amount of this dressing, tossed with cold, crisp romaine lettuce and fresh grated Parmesan (put that green can away before I smack someone!), eaten with grilled chicken from the barbecue, will revive your sense of what this salad can be.

I posted this once here, in 2007, and it's true that I did learn to make it in a five-gallon bucket in Michael Chiarello's Tra Vigne kitchen, under the tutelage of the impish cold-side wizard Peggy. It is still the best, the original, authentic Caesar salad dressing. If you must, due to health reasons, omit the egg yolk, the dressing still tastes ok with the Dijon as the only binder, but take care when you emulsify that you go slowly with the oil at first so that it doesn't break.

A couple of things you need to know about this recipe: one, it makes about a half-pint of dressing, which is a lot. Be prepared to share, or to have more than one salad in a week. And two, both people had better partake. As with all things garlic and anchovy-y, this dressing packs a serious wallop in the breath department later. But raw garlic is good for you, and it's soooo delicious. I used Meyer Lemon juice, so I added a full tablespoon more for the right amount of tartness. I like my Caesar dressing lemony.

This was also my Grandma’s favorite Caesar salad, reason enough to justify a trip down from Tahoe just to eat at the restaurant.

Caesar Salad
(From the Tra Vigne Cookbook, "Piadine with Blue Cheese Caesar Salad" by Michael Chiarello and Penelope Wisner. Blue cheese, though I love it dearly, is a terrible waste of the subtle and not so subtle flavors in this dressing. I prefer the original recipe.)

1T Champagne vinegar
2T Fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp minced garlic
1 egg yolk
1 tb dijon mustard
Dash Worcestershire sauce
6 anchovy fillets (buy the filets in a jar of oil rather than the can-- they are much neater and easier to store, and keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator)
Pinch fresh ground black pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tb freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling on salad

Using a blender, food processor or stick blender, mince the garlic, then add the vinegar, lemon juice, egg yolk, mustard, Worcestershire, anchovies and pepper and blend until well mixed.

With the machine running, add the olive oil, at first by drops and then in a thin, steady stream until all of the oil is incorporated.

Pulse in the finely grated parmesan

Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use. Toss with chilled, chopped hearts of romaine, and extra parmesan until the greens are evenly but thinly coated.

Do not overdress; keep a bowl on the table for those who like more. Top with chicken if you like. Or dip raw vegetables in it, or make a warm/cold piadini (a folded flatbread sandwich) with it, using some Trader Joe's raw pizza doughs cooked up on the barbecue grill or in the oven, or soft, storebought flatbread. Trader Joe's also has a good one.

Note: If you have no food processor or blender, chop the ingredients very fine, then whisk them together with a wire wisk, or pummel them using a mortar and pestle. Emulsions are a little tougher to do with a whisk, but that's the way they were done forever and ever, so just roll a damp towel into a tube and wrap around the base of a stainless or glass bowl, tilted slightly, so you'll have two free hands, and whisk away, remembering to go very slowly at first with the oil, and you'll be just fine.

Enjoy!

Heartwarming

Recently, after a not entirely unpleasant but not fun dentist appointment, I thought back fondly to my childhood dental experiences. (Yes, you read that right.)

We had the very best dentist* from the time I was ten or so until I left Modesto at 18: Dr. Robert Venn. He is still practicing.

(*Due in no small part to the very comprehensive insurance that my dad worked very hard for at Pacific Bell)

I am so thankful for those early experiences with a gentle and compassionate dentist, whose staff was friendly, and whose treasure chest was always full of toys. I remember one experience in particular when I bravely, silently endured the giant needle, but great big tears rolled out one after the other anyway as I stared at him with big, wide eyes. He wiped my tear away with his finger and said, "Why you're a little waterfall, aren't you? I'm sorry this hurts, sweetie." For some reason, the memory of that tenderness still brings tears to my eyes.

I looked him up on the internet and wrote him a thank you note, to let him know what a lifelong impression his professionalism and kindness made on me. As an adult, I have no stress when it comes to dental work, and can almost fall asleep in the dentist's chair. I told him so.

Here's the response I received:

Tamara-

It was wonderful for me to read your card and feel the sentiment you shared.

I have found that life's joys are around human connections and for that reason your extra effort in contacting me is greatly appreciated.

I've also noticed that the graces in life which we receive are best appreciated when we are open hearted, and it is with that attitude that I thank you and wish you open-hearted possibilities for your future.

Bob Venn

I post this not because I want to pat myself on the back for thinking of writing him a note, nor to betray the confidence of his personal reply, but to shine a light where it is deserved, on a truly lovely and remarkable individual who is still influencing the lives of those he treats.

Dr. Venn, you are awesome.

Loyal Gum Chewers

I thought about that phrase, "loyal gum chewers," and all I could picture was a gang of slack-jawed, flabby patriots convening under limp banners.

Fear not, Southern ladies! I do not (ever) chew gum in public, as long as you don't count the inside of my car as public. I never chew it at the store or in front of anyone other than Mike, or very, very close friends, inside the car or inside my private home.

And, for the record, I have been choosing Trident White or Orbit White lately, because they are in wrapper-free packaging AND they claim to whiten. I am all about maintaining the choppers.

Homemade Lemon Curd

Homemade Lemon Curd

5 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (from 2-4 lemons, depending on size)
lemon zest from 2-4 lemons
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pats and returned to the fridge


Fill a medium saucepan with water to 1” up the side. Place water on med-high heat. (This is for a double-boiler, so make sure you have a metal mixing bowl that is big enough to sit in the saucepan without touching the water.)

In the bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute, then whisk in lemon juice and zest.

When the water reaches a steady boil, reduce the heat slightly and place the bowl on top of the double boiler. Continue whisking on the heat for approximately 8 minutes, or until the mixture is a light yellow and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon thickly.

Remove from heat and drop in the pats of butter one at a time, whisking until each is completely melted and incorporated before adding the next.

Pour into a container and refrigerate for at least one hour, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap placed directly on top of the curd. Lemon curd keeps 2 weeks covered. (Recipe from Alton Brown's Good Eats.)

Mike used this as the filling between the layers of my fantastic birthday lemon layer-cake. It would be nice with any sponge/white cake, and whipped cream frosting is lovely and doesn't make a cloyingly sweet cake. With so many Meyer lemons about right now, we've got to use as many as we can!

You could also...
spread it on a hot buttered scone
layer it with Greek yogurt and blueberries in a parfait
fold some into whipped cream to top a fruit dessert or tart
stir it into vanilla ice-cream
layer it in a trifle with lady fingers and fresh fruit
or use the lady fingers to make little lemon-cream sandwiches for an easy dessert…
lots and lots of uses to keep you from simply eating it from the container with a spoon!

Waffles

(Sorry, you'll have to use your imagination here. As usual, the waffles were gobbled up before they could be photographed.)

I love waffles. Pancakes, I can take or leave, but if there is a waffle on the menu, chances are I will have it. My very favorite breakfast out is a crispy waffle with an over-easy egg or two on top. I eat half of the waffle with the egg, and then the other half with syrup or powdered sugar and butter. Add a side of bacon and a good, strong cup of coffee with cream and I'm in breakfast heaven. (In Seattle, you can find a very delicious version of this at Glo's.)

As is the case with many food items, once you have the perfect waffle, anything less is just not worth eating. When I received a waffle iron for Christmas (now, that's just dangerous) I researched the heck out of recipes before attempting any of them at home.

Fortunately, Molly over at Orangette had already tested a number of recipes and recommended two that she found to be superior. Since hers was the Dutch Baby recipe that started it all, I tried both. Orangette Waffle-Off

Marion Cunningham's waffles were mind-blowingly crispy and creamy, but the yeastiness didn't work for me- they tasted too much like beer. Of course, lacking beer, the batter could be used to cloak some big shrimp before frying. This recipe also needs to be started the night before, which is great if you think about it the night before, but a bummer if you don't.

The waffle we have come to love is the one she calls "Great Make-the-Morning-of Waffle". More details at the link above than I've given here. It's a good idea to read through her thorough description of the method before beginning. (Adapted from this, originally written by a nice lady named Aretha Frankensteins. If that isn't a great band name, I don't know what is. If you search under "Waffle of Insane Greatness," you will find that this recipe has been pretty thoroughly tested all over the blogosphere.)

Because we all need our fiber and whole grains, I added ground flax and use about half whole wheat flour. I've tried corn and buckwheat too, but I like this combination the best.

Waffles- Batch for 2 + a few for the toaster

Dry
¾ c flour, half all-purpose, half whole wheat (adjust flour mix to your liking)
(or 100% AP for standard recipe)
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp bp
1/4 tsp bs
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
+/- ¼ cup ground flax (to your taste)
(omit for standard recipe)

Wet
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup milk
1/3 c oil
1 lg egg
¾ tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Lightly beat egg, add remaining wet ingredients
Mix dry and wet until blended, a few lumps are ok
Allow to rest for 30 minutes while your waffle iron heats
Use ¼ cup measure partially filled to ladle into the center of each waffle space
Cook until golden, serve immediately, or cool on a rack and freeze and re-toast as needed.

Double Batch for Guests or extras for the freezer
1 ½ c flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp bp
1tsp bs
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
up to ½ cup ground flax

1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk
2/3 cup oil
2 lg eggs
1-½ tsp vanilla

These waffles toast up so crispy and delicious. They are a treat and quick to toast on a busy workday. Thanks, Molly!

Got an Extra Minute? An Open Letter to the Manufacturer

Dear Makers of Extra Gum,

My husband and I both chew gum after meals during the day when we aren’t able to brush. We’ve been loyal purchasers of Extra for at least 20 years.

I appreciate the updated flat packaging, but I think you are missing some opportunities to add value to the product. If someone is taking the time to read it, chances are they have an “Extra” minute, so why not make it count? Here are some ideas for the flap:

1. Things to Do with an Extra Minute

Time saving tips

Simple stretches to ease tension or improve posture

Money saving tips

Nice things to do for others or yourself

Links to worthy charities for quick click and donate programs

Traffic safety tips (Got an Extra minute? Here’s how to adjust your rear-view mirrors properly. )

Any helpful, healthy or useful things to do with 60 Extra seconds

2. Tales of Extra Effort

Very short stories about ordinary people doing the Extra-ordinary

Unexpected discoveries that took an Extra minute

3. Extra Brain Builders

Word games, brain-teasers, puzzles, optical illusions

Inspirational quotes or sentences from great novels or writers

Short poems or pieces to memorize

Brain improvement exercises

Easy puzzles with links to an Extra website with more challenging puzzles, challenges, etc.. Solve a series of puzzles or riddles to collect points and win things, like a Nintendo DS with brain games, an Xbox Kinect, or a family game night set. Consumers could come back each time they get a new pack to get a fresh set of puzzles and earn more points.

Be useful, be smart, be interesting, make the most of that minute, and add value to the product. No matter which category, include a link to more of the same, plus the other two, on a website that engages and interests. Should you decide to include them in your marketing plan, even commercials could be used to give people a brain-teaser or party-trick skill challenge. I can imagine people saying, "Wait, wait, I need to watch this Extra commercial," so that they could pick up the next clue, or stand up and challenge their TV watching partner to a one-minute skill test before the next show starts.

These ideas are just starting points, and I’m sure you’ll think of many more. I think it would be neat to bring back the fun of opening a new pack of gum, kind of like Bazooka bubble gum. You always knew you were going to get a joke, and it was usually silly, but it piqued your interest to see what it would be, and you always shared it with someone else.

Best regards,

Tamara Landre

A Cleaner Cleaner Plate Club

If you haven't checked out The Cleaner Plate Club blog ever, or in a while, now's the time to check it out again. The layout is updated, with bright-colored childlike art, and the whole site is streamlined. Looking good! I told Ali that I felt like I'd just run into a friend who lost 40 lbs and went on What Not to Wear-- except that I still like her!

Ali, in addition to being a lovely human being, is a terrific writer, and she's put together a book full of personally-tested recipes for making good food for the young people you love. Much of the posting now is done by her writing partner, Beth, whom I don't know so well, but the site is looking good, so I'm off to catch up on my reading. Definitely check it out, and the book, too, if you have a chance.

Today's Project

Besides my nifty new blog header, I also made this little postcard today from a collage I did a while back. I feel so empowered with my Epson Artisan printer/scanner! I was able to scan some sketches of chrysanthemums I'd done last week, and incorporate them into the background of the collage too. I thought I ought to have some pictures, since the last two posts were lacking images.

Pho and Gyoza

Pho has become such a comfort food for me. On a cold, rainy night like tonight, the aromatic broth soothes while the bright scents of cilantro, basil, lime and scallion lift the spirits.

I wrote this post about making a quick Pho a while back. I had devised a recipe for replicating the flavors on days when I had the craving, but not the time, nor the 3+ lbs of oxtails. But today, Mike and I used Nina Simonds Asian Noodles recipe for "Hanoi Beef Noodles" to make up a batch from scratch. Surprisingly easy, if you have the time, and so very satisfying. (This is a fantastic book to have around if you frequently crave Asian food and don't have access. The "Chinese Peanut Sauce" is addictive.)

Nina Simonds' Hanoi Beef Noodles

For the broth, put in a large stockpot:
3 and 3/4 lbs of beef shinbones or oxtails with meat and marrow
16 cups water
4 shallots, thinly sliced
6 slices fresh ginger, peeled and smashed lightly
4 stars anise
2 cinnamon sticks

Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming foam from the surface.

While the stock is simmering, you might as well prepare the garnish:
1/4 cup minced scallion greens
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 cup Thai or sweet basil leaves, shredded
1 thinly sliced serrano pepper if desired
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
and, optional
1/2 lb boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of fat and gristle and cut into paper-thin slices about 1-1/2" square

After the broth has simmered, strain the broth into another large pot, remove the meat from the bones and slice thinly. Skim fat from the surface of the stock.

Add
1/4 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
and keep warm over low heat

Soak
6oz thin flat rice stick noodles in warm water for 15 minutes to soften. Boil for 45 seconds, rinse with warm water, drain, and divide among 4-6 soup bowls.

Add the bean sprouts and the sirloin to the hot soup, bring to a boil, and cook until the sirloin loses its pink color, 1-2 minutes. Skim the surface to remove any impurities.

Ladle the beef, bean sprouts and broth over the noodles, sprinkle with garnishes as desired, and apply lime and pepper slices to your taste. Oyster or soy sauce, and sriracha are the typical accompaniments.

Luckily for us, we had tried out another new recipe last week from Food & Wine magazine: A Lesson in Dumplings, so we had frozen gyoza, or potstickers, and lemongrass-pheasant meatballs (made from leftover potsticker filling) in the freezer to augment our sirloin-less pho. The dough could not have been simpler: 2-1/2 cups flour + 1 cup water. Check out the recipe link, and be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to make the dumplings: it's simple, but time-consuming. It would be a nice thing to do on a rainy afternoon like today. The dumplings cook just as quickly from the freezer as they do fresh, so they're always ready to go when you need them. Before you get excited about the pheasant, and think we're fancy people, I have to tell you that Mike gets it from a guy he knows at the pool, who trades us for wine when he has excess booty from his hunting trips. Thanks, Bob!

Where are the pictures, you ask? It's hard to get up on the table in my stocking feet and shoot the beautiful food when there's a hungry man waiting to eat! Sometimes I'm just not fast enough!

It's good to be back!

I (Heart) Healdsburg

Mike and I spent yesterday's sunny, blue-sky afternoon on one of my favorite drives, northward and out of the Napa Valley through sleepy Knight's and Alexander Valleys to the town of Healdsburg.

The drive takes more than an hour, longer if you stop to taste wine at one of the friendly family wineries along the way. Since Mike and I are both in the wine business, we tend to shy away from tasting rooms unless we have out of town company.

Depending on when you start your drive and from how far south, if it happens to be lunchtime when you pass through Calistoga, do not miss our number one favorite barbecue joint: Buster's BBQ. The tri-tip sandwich is the maneuver here. Definitely, positively, do NOT get the "Hot" sauce on your first visit. Or if you do, get a little side container of it to dole out or dip in as you eat, unless you are a glutton for searing, sweat-inducing, lip-throbbing pain. It IS delicious, though, with depth of flavor and tang that will impress as well as inflame.

This time of year, pink plum trees are in bloom and line the roadsides of these quiet valleys, whose stumpy, head-pruned vineyards are interspersed with yellow mustard. It feels like farm country, with old stone buildings, knoll-top farmhouses, and faded wood-barns spaced well apart among the green hills and the occasional sprinkle of goats or sheep. In one pasture, three out of four horses were sunning their round barrel bellies on the ground, making it look like an especially strong wind had come through and blown them all over.

Once in Healdsburg, head for the square. Beer-lovers, go directly to the Bear Republic Brewing Company, just off the main square. There is ample parking behind the Brewing Company in a large lot, or on the square itself. Mike and I sit at the end of the bar and drink a pint or two with lunch. The food is not extraordinary, but it's good for pub food. The beers are the star of the show here, but it's also possible to have a pretty good burger, a cup of fairly healthy and flavorful chili, or a salad, and not feel like you need to see a cardiologist immediately.

After people watching and sipping our favorite brews, we sometimes stop in to at the eclectic Erickson Gallery across the street, but yesterday we bee-lined it for one of my favorite bookstores anywhere, Levin & Company. I love to browse the big flat tables stacked with new hard-cover and paperback fiction, non-fiction, and big coffee-table design books. It's such a pleasure to book-shop with a bit of a beer-buzz going, running my fingers over the textures of the covers, letting my loosened subconscious mind lead me to my next long read. Yesterday I picked up F in Exams, a collection of funny bad answers to test questions, , and Dave Eggers' annual Best Non-Required Reading. Many cozy evenings of enjoyment to come. Someday I may read many of my books on an electronic device, but I will surely miss the smell of a book. Maybe in the future, Kindles and Nooks et all will be fitted with devices that atomize that inimitable papery smell so that we can still pretend.

Next, we stopped in at 14 Feet for an eyeful of uber-retro-chic design inspiration. Marne and her partner have an eye for furniture, fabrics and objets d'art that will make you take a second look at your storage unit. Well, only if it's crammed with well-loved mid-century and industrial furniture. I wish I could afford to buy all of my furniture from them.

Last stop on the square for the day was Flying Goat. A perfect espresso for me and a house-made chai for Mike. The art installation changes all the time.

You may wish to pick up a snack and browse the wonderfully curated collection of items at the JimTown Store. An eye for vintage treasures and a quirky, retro sense of humor and style is evident at the store. More notes here.

Ahhh, Sundays!

Ricotta Gnocchi, Part 2

The verdict: Gnocchi, delicious. Sauce, tasty, but waaaay more butter involved than was absolutely necessary. (See recipe link in previous post.)

This dish would be just as tasty with mushrooms (I used shiitake) sauteed in olive oil, rather than half a stick of butter, then the garlic and shallots.

I used frozen peas, and pre-cooked them with a quick dip in the boiling gnocchi water, but they would have been better going into the mushroom mix frozen, so that they'd be just-cooked and fresher tasting. The mushroom portion of the sauce sits while the gnocchi is browning, so keep that in mind and undercook the mushrooms by just a bit as well.

Gnocchi could be browned in a mix of half butter and half olive oil as well, making the whole dish with 1/4 of a stick of butter rather than the 1 stick called for, and I don't think it would be harmed a bit.

These light, slightly lemony gnocchi were surprisingly easy to put together, and could also be delicious sauteed as in the recipe, then served with just the fresh peas over arugula or spinach, dressed with a little lemon and olive oil, with shaved parmesan or even prosciutto, for a much lighter dish.