Cooked Computer; Book for Cooks; Tarot Fun; & Wine and Pork
Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com
My computer has had issues AGAIN! The hard drive I got in December failed, so we had to warrantee it and it is still not back to me after 2 weeks. ARG! The story is long and I am sure you don't want to know about it, though I felt I should explain my long absence. I am back now!
During my absence I won a cookbook! I regularly read Shauna James Ahearn's blog called Gluten Free Girl. It is a great foodie spot and very educational! Shauna has enabled us to make our restaurant safer for those who suffer from Celiac Disease, and she has educated me abundantly in this area. It was on another of her blogs, Gluten Free Girl Recommends that I won the cookbook called The Flavor Bible. I do not have a huge history in winning things, so when I do it is a BIG deal to me! I am so thrilled to get this cookbook! I can't wait for it to arrive and I will share some of the entries with you when it gets here.
Last week I did a fabulously fun thing and had my tarot cards read. My friends Tami and Loren brought me along and we hopped on the ferry to Seattle and had an absolutely lovely evening together. The tarot card lady had alot to say about the cafe and according to her we have a great future, so I don't need to worry at all. Sounds great to me! It is only the second time I have ever had that done and it is really some of the best fun you can have for 20 bucks! While we were in Seattle we stopped at The Tasting Room in Post Alley and I only wish we had more time to hang out there. It is a co-op owned by seven Washington wineries and you can taste any of their wines. You can do single tastes, half pours, full pours, flights, or any other combination of tasting that you can think of. They have a wine club and you get 20% off bottle prices if you belong to it. They have daily deals and specials and if you find yourself in Post Alley (the part up by Sur la Table) you will have a great time when you stop in there.
This past Saturday we put on a wine dinner for the Kitsap Wine Society and I have to tell you about the food. Leslie and Erin did a great job at helping with what was their first big dinner event, and since Lori is back in town she helped me with everything, too. What a great team we made! The guests arrived to family style hors deuvres on the tables: crostini made from our rustic Italian bread topped with gorgonzola and honey, and melted in the oven, along with a mélange of olives, and some peppery cheese. We did this dinner all on one plate (except dessert) which is different from our usual multi-courses, and it worked out really well. The main courses were pork tenderloin encrusted with a sort of paste that I made out of bacon, fresh herbs, honey and olive oil, OR butternut squash ravioli in sage brown butter sauce. A few folks opted to pay extra and have both mains and I know they were full! The ravioli were freshly made for us last week and so were very fresh and tender; the pork was fork tender and the crust tasted almost sausage-y-it was nothing less than fabulous!
We accompanied those mains with our mascarpone mashed potatoes (we put caramelized onions in and they are soooo good); roasted veggies (green beans, portabellas and carrots) tossed with goat cheese and roasted garlic, then sprinkled with pine nuts; and to top it all off a parmesan-black pepper scone. Nearly every plate was licked clean and that is always a good sign. For dessert Mark made an apple galette, which we served warm and drizzled in toffee sauce. Those plates were all licked clean! Leslie and I were exceedingly happy that Erin is vegan and Lori is vegetarian, so we only had to fight each other for the ends of the pork loin that we cut off. It was a super easy thing to do and it will be this week's recipe because you can encrust any cut of pork, or chicken, or even wild game with this paste and it will make it awesome. I might even venture so far as to say you could encrust a steak with it, thought I MIGHT be tempted to add butter to it for a steak.
You will want to cook whatever you encrust in the oven or on the bbq with the lid closed (that might be awesome!), as opposed to a slow cooker or in a frying pan. That way the crust gets crispy and renders out nicely rather than soaking back in and making everything mushy. This is a fantastic recipe to impress people you are feeding and it really simple to make, so you will have to feign hard work and sweat. You do need a food processor to make it work, and you should encrust the meat a day before you are going to cook it. The night before, or even the morning of if it will be a later meal, is just fine.
Bacon-herb crust for encasing other cuts of meat:
(These measurements are based on your average 4 lb pork loin or chicken. My loin was 7 lbs and I had 2 of them, so these measurements are my best estimate off of what I did)
1/2 package of raw bacon
1 tsp fresh garlic or 1 clove chopped rough
1 tsp honey
1/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley
2 TBS fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste (remember, both pork and chicken LOVE salt and it is hard to over do it, though the bacon will add a bit of saltiness on it's own)
Olive oil to drizzle in
Put everything except the olive oil into the food processor, with the chopping blade. pulse it a few times and then add in a couple of glugs of olive oil. begin processing and drizzling in the olive oil at the same time... you will know when it is enough when the mixture has no trouble whirring around in the machine. Up to that point it will be a bit choppy and awkward due to the stickiness of the mixture.
Lay out your choice of meat on a piece of parchment paper, on a rimmed sheet pan or roasting pan. Schmear the paste all over the meat and try to keep it as even as possible. Rock the meat off of the paper so that you can shove some of the paste underneath to get it on all sides. Once you are satisfied with distribution of the crust on all sides, cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
Take the meat out 1-2 hours before cooking so that it can come up to room temperature. This is important as it helps to relax the protein and will help it remain tender. Preheat your oven and cook it away (for the pork I would say 350 degrees--give it at least 15 minutes per lb. You want to pull it when the internal temperature is about 150 degrees, especially at the fattest part of the loin. (I promise this is ok! There may be some pinkness but most people way overcook their pork.) Cover the meat with some foil and let it stand for at least 15 minutes before carving. You will want to cut nice fat slices so everyone can really taste the crust. You will be so pleased with this!
And yes, of course you can do a cheaper cut such as a pork butt/shoulder, even with the bone in. The cooking time will be longer and if the crust seems like it is getting too crisp and dark, simply cover the crust with foil (form fitted to the meat, not the pan) until done cooking. That will stop the browning process.
Try it and tell me what you think!!
Early experiences, Family Style Korean BBQ, and Sunday Morning Ecstasy!
Twenty years ago I worked for the Marriott. I was a hostess/cashier and then floor supervisor at the restaurants, working mainly the front of the house. We had a few dignitaries who stayed with us and I felt that it was important to learn how to show respect to each culture, so I worked with the primarily Asian housekeeping staff to learn about proper bowing, eye contact, and other ways to show respect (and ways to avoid showing disrespect) to each of the Asian cultures. Most of these people were not 'mere' housekeepers. They were educated and several were highly educated doctors, professors and other esteemed professionals in their home countries. They came to the United States in search of that ethereal dream, only to be shut down by a society that valued 'good' English over education and skill. But I digress....
I made some wonderful friends and learned as much as I could about each of their cultures. I learned to see the difference in Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian faces. And best of all, I got included in their meals. Oh yes, it always comes back to the food. There was (probably still is) a very popular Thai restaurant in the Kent valley and it was fabulous. Three doors down from it was the one that I went to because I knew the owner's family from working at the Marriott. When we went there we got the real deal food, not dumbed down for Americans food. I fell in love with Thai food.
Then one day shy and really wonderful Mr. Kim informed me that he was opening a restaurant on Kent's East Hill. Kimi's he called it, and it was authentic Korean food. I had never had authentic Korean food so Mark and I took ourselves there forthwith. He was so generous and treated us like royalty! Over the course of a few visits we tried every dish they made and I fell in love with Kimchi (not for everyone, I realize), cuttle fish, sesame spinach, and all the fabulous little side dishes that come with every tantalizing entree. We moved from the area and I don't think Kimi's is still there, and we have not had great Korean food since. Most places tout themselves as teriyaki, and may offer a bit of Korean food as well, but not like I remember it from Kimi's.
So earlier today my buddy Kat and I met at Suzy's BBQ in Bremerton (6th and Callow, SE corner, across from La Poblanita, which I still have to try.) It says 'Korean BBQ' on the window and I have been eyeing it for a couple of months now. Suzy's has been open 5 1/2 months, I heard her tell a curious customer as I was waiting for Kat's grand entrance. I studied the menu and I have to admit I thought it a bit odd: meatloaf and Swedish meatballs, teriyaki chicken, and some other dishes that I am sure are fantastic, though decidedly not Korean. I asked Suzy if there was a Korean menu with the family style main dish and all the little side dishes that accompany it and she flipped over my menu to show me the back. You have to know what you are looking for, because it is not obvious.
We (ok, I) ordered the 'potstickers' as the menu said, though these homemade Korean dumplings that are filled with kimchi and other delights are no mere potstickers. Potstickers are the Chinese dumplings, Gyoza are the Japanese version and these are my favorite. (Every culture has a stuffed dumpling! From empanadas-which, by the way, is one of the first food items I ever made on my own-to pirosky, and on and on, every culture I can think of has a version of a stuffed dumpling. Interesting...)
First she brought the soup bowls so we could anticipate the soup to come. We got the 'spicy tofu soup' and I asked for 'medium' spicy since Kat is not a fire eater like I am. It came out hot and bubbling in a pot, and it cleared our sinuses nicely, with lots of bits of seafood in it. Then she brought out the side dishes and started lining them up around the table between us. Fresh and citrussy radishes, another refreshing side that I am not sure what it was but it was yummy! 2 kinds of kimchi, one traditional cabbage-spicy and funky, just how I love it- and one with chunks of radishes, also spicy and funky in a very different way from the other. Sesame spinach, bean sprouts, a bowl of white rice and finally cuttle fish, which was sort of a teriyaki style. It was all fabulous!
The main course we ordered, which is what got us the sides, (this is all very shareable food, one person could eat for days on it) was the short ribs, because that is what I remember most about Mr. Kim's entrees. These were not done over a fire, as his were, but they were tender and tasty nonetheless. So one appetizer, one soup, and one entree, and we both ate plenty, PLUS we both took home a sampling of everything from the leftovers so Mark and Keegan could try them as well. We split the bill and it was not very big! Oh, and I had hot tea and Kat had a soda pop. So what I am trying to say is get on over to Suzy's, tell her you want a traditional Korean meal and have her guide you to her best dishes. If the Americanized menu looks good to you (and it did look good!) you can go back for that later, but try her traditional foods first. You will not regret it!
Did you try the broccoli and spinach recipe? The farmer's markets are starting to open and I can't wait to see what's in season first. With the snow that happened recently I am not sure what will be there! So for this week's recipe I am going to give you breakfast! This is a one-dish meal that can feed 6-8 people or feed you several times, and it is an excellent way to use up bread that is past it's sandwich prime. Assemble this dish the night before you want to make it (or in the morning if you want it for dinner)because it needs to set for at least 8 hours before you bake it. If it doesn't, it will not have a good texture and you will not enjoy this nearly as much.
French Toast Casserole
A loaf of bread, sliced about 1/2 inch thick if it isn't presliced. French bread is the obvious choice here, but you can use anything at all. You could use our cinnamon bread and omit the sugar and spices below and you will be kissing yourself for how amazing it is! Or, go to Luigi's in Bremerton and get a large Brioche if you REALLY want to get decadent!
1 TBS butter (unsalted and room temp or softened)
8 large eggs- get fresh eggs at the farmer's market (get there early) or if you are in Silverdale go to Pheasant Fields Farm for some fabulously fresh eggs.
2 cups whole milk (yes, you can use any kind of milk here, including soy if you like)
2 cups half and half (if you don't do it, it may not thicken up well, especially if you use lower fat milk, but it will still taste good)
1 TBS sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (if you don't like these spices don't use them. Use something else or nothing else instead. Cardamon would be good, or allspice. Pumpkin pie spice. Cloves. Whatever you like!)
TOPPING:
12 TBS butter (unsalted and room temp or softened)
3 TBS rice syrup (you can use corn if you are into that) or maple syrup
1 1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 1/2 cups pecans, or walnuts, or any nuts, or no nuts, coarsely chopped
Mix all of those things together really well and then set it aside until the end.
Set the oven to 325 (300 if you have convection) and make sure the pan will be in the middle of the oven.
Put the bread on a baking sheet or two in a single layer and bake it until it is dry. It should be light golden brown and depending on how fresh it was will take around 20+ minutes. You will want to turn the pans and rotate them about 10-12 minutes into the baking. Cool it off completely.
Get a 9x13-baking dish, or something similar, and use that first pat of butter to grease the sides and bottom really well. Layer that toasted bread in tightly and squished together. You will have 2 layers for sure.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, half and half, sugar, vanilla and spices really well. pour it over the bread and press it all in so that every bit of bread is submerged and soaking up that eggy goodness. Cover this tightly with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 8 hours (no more than 24 hours though or it will be a mush pile.) Go to bed; go about your business, and when you wake up in the morning the real fun begins!
When you get up and stumble into the kitchen set that oven to 350 (325 if you have convection) and pull out the casserole. It should be all eggy and soaky and smelling like spices. Scatter that topping mix over it and spread it out evenly. Bake the casserole until it is puffy and golden on top. It will take about an hour, and you want to turn it half way through. You may want to put it on a baking sheet or some foil in case it bubbles over the edge of the dish.
At the halfway point, if you are thinking ahead, you will put some bacon or sausage in the oven to cook alongside the casserole, and when the casserole comes out to rest for 10 minutes or so before cutting it, you can finish the breakfast meats. Eat it with syrup, or not, and have a lovely morning!