Adventures in the Kitchen

Be Nice to the Gas Guy

TZ — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:51:59 GMT

I just filled up my car with gas. These poor guys are making nothing and everyone's bitching at them when they pull up to that ol' pump. So, do it with glee and kindness - you'll get an amazing response! We have a unique opportunity in Oregon, my friends to make someone's day just a little bit nicer. Spread it, people!

Homemade Bacon

TZ — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:21:41 GMT

So my friend Ross convinced me to take a class at Foster & Dobbs a couple of weeks ago on making your own bacon. Yep, from scratch. Using real pork bellies. I thought, "why the heck would I want to go to that much work for something that I can easily buy at Costco for pretty cheap and it's really darn good?" Well, I found out. Yep. Turns our that homemade bacon (and pancetta, which we also learned how to make) tastes totally different, and it's really amazing. The flavor, the texture! And it's really, really easy! If you think about it - industrial bacon is made from pigs that are, well, industrial, right? And the pigs that we have access to here in our neck of the woods are raised in Carlton. Oregon. Just an hour away. And they're treated well, and fed right and just better! So, I ordered 17 pounds of pork bellies from hottie butcher Benjamin Dyer at Viande Meats (who taught the class), rounded up a few friends and we spent a night last week rubbin' those bellies with all sorts of amazing spice concoctions. Oh, right - the other thing about it is once you've got the basic ingredients (kosher salt, brown sugar and sodium nitrite) down, you get to add whatever spices your little heart desires. So it's personalized. Hmmmm. Can't find that at Costco! Into the fridge went 8 slabs o' bellies, all rubbed and wrapped up. After curing for about five days, I rinsed the spices off the bacon and here's what they look like now. This weekend or sometime next week we'll smoke these for about five hours at 130 degrees, and then we'll have HOMEMADE BACON! The three slabs o' pancetta will sit in the fridge for another week or so to finish their cold cure and then they'll be ready, too. We may never go back to packaged bacon again. Oh but then of course there are those times (often enough it seems) when we need to make bacon for 100. Maybe not all the time, then. :-)

Bye Bye Blackie

TZ — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:10:53 GMT

We interrupt this irregularly posted blog to honor one of the best cats ever. Blackie died suddenly yesterday, shocking us both and bumming us out entirely. He was a party cat and always wanted to be in the middle of the action. He'd hang out in the shop, the kitchen, the basement. He'd always snuggle on the sofa and welcome us home. He could jump to the top of the shop in a single bound and guarded our yard all day and night. Thank you, Blackie - on to your next life!

Ode to Puff Pastry

TZ — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:45:29 GMT

You are always in my freezer and in my heart Ready for savory or sweet and as easy as a prom date You make me always look good And never complain when I handle you roughly And, you - that little package of pre-cut squares I love you most of all!

Gumbo with Guest Chef Jai

TZ — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:28:32 GMT

My friend and pro chef Jai recently returned from a trip to New Orleans, where she took some classes at the New Orleans Cooking School on St. Charles. So, girls night last week she hauled over--ON HER BIKE no less--boudin, andoullie, alligator, crawfish and all sorts of other goodies! We had fried alligator with a fantastic dipping sauce, I made crawfish ravigote (learned that in New Orleans, too), and Jai made a fantastic sausage and chicken gumbo. Love the guest chefs! Bring 'em on!

Crawfish extravaganza

TZ — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:36:28 GMT

We were in New Orleans last week and took a cooking class at the New Orleans Cooking Experience. And what an experience it was! Chef Poppy Tooker, a renowned expert on Louisiana cuisine led a class of 10 at a 1780s-era plantation house. That day, she had been surprised by a "Throwdown" by Bobby Flay for the Food TV Network on gumbo and kicked his behind! Many funny stories throughout the night about that one. Can't wait to see the episode! Our menu was: Crawfish Ravigote, a very traditional appetizer, also made with crab or shrimp Crawfish Bisque - done in the very traditional style with stuffed heads (that's those in the pic!) Crawfish Etouffee - made in a very old style without a roux Bananas Foster Bread Pudding It was a beautiful, relaxing and intimate experience in the kitchen of that beautiful old house. An abundance of real Southern hospitality. Check it out if you ever get down there - http://www.neworleanscookingexperience.com Can't wait to make these dishes here at home, but need to find a local source for real Louisiana crawfish, because as Poppy says "Friends don't let friends buy imported seafood."

Guest Chef Bunny

TZ — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:31 GMT

Our dear Chef Bunny made a guest appearance in our kitchen a week or so ago to prep some fabulous dishes for her website. The lovely thing about sharing your kitchen is that you get to eat it! So, I'm going to screw this up (help, Bunny!) but our first course is pictured here - beets and goat cheese. Main course was spiraled salmon with a mushroom duxelle over scallops and greens. And dessert was a rhubarb thingy with light and lovely almond-flavored wafers. All very yummy and new! Ahh, It's good to know a private chef! :-) Look for her dinners coming soon to a Vortex near you!

Feeding 20 for a fun token

TZ — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:41:29 GMT

For a fun token each (that's 20 bucks), we fed the whole Groove Bomb crew for the entire ski weekend. Of course not including booze - that's just crazy talk :-) Here was our menu: Sat. (National Pig Day!) Night: black bean soup, chorizo white bean kale soup, salad, cookies Sun. night: spaghetti, meatballs, salad, more cookies GB lunches: turkey and salami sandwiches, bacon on a stick, yes more cookies, munchies, cider, hot chocolate Breakfasts: bread, bagels, cream cheese, eggs, ham, smoked salmon, fruit, coffee, juice, milk, cream Late night snackies: quesadillas

Bacon Brittle

TZ — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:31:28 GMT

Yes, you heard it right - bacon brittle! You know the ol' peanut brittle recipes where you caramelize sugar and corn syrup - this is basically that with bacon bits and pecans. Addictive. And then - and THEN! - I broke this up and put it into peanut butter cookies. Yep. Bacon brittle peanut butter cookies. These yummy bites are now also on the menu for ski trip! BTW, I must give credit to the cookbook "Everything is Better with Bacon," which I feel now I need to work my way through from beginning to end. Or maybe from end to beginning since that's where I started!

Bacon experiments

TZ — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:57:07 GMT

You all know about crack bacon, yes? Well, the other night I tried a new version. This one had: - 2 T honey - 1 T soy sauce - 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice blend Broiled it for about 10 minutes, turning once, cut up into pieces and made a simple salad. Delic - but the honey does make more of a mess than the ol' brown sugar version. I'm going to start experimenting with various glazes and spices and stuff!

Bacon and Chocolate - YES!

TZ — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:42:10 GMT

Bacon and chocolate. I've seen this over and over again the last month or so. And I LIKE IT! From Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/bacon_exotic_candy_bar/exotic_candy_bars to our trip to Torii Mor yesterday. Johnna and I serendipitously caught the end of the Valentine's weekend tasting and were treated to seven fabulous tastes of some rare wines paired with homemade truffles, including an '05 Olalla Pinot that was with Bacon Fat truffles. I kid you not - bacon fat! I am so going to try to get that recipe. More bacon and chocolate - the experiments begin! p.s. the weather yesterday in the wine country was absolutely gorgeous - one of those beautiful February days when you truly believe that summer is coming!

When Life Gives You Beans

TZ — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:54:52 GMT

You make bean soup! Our dear friend Nancy rocked out a beautiful spread for Bud's 60th birthday party last night - pork in banana leaves, black beans and rice. It nourished hundreds for the night, with plenty to spare! So tonight I am making a giant pot of black bean soup (it's even vegan!) for the groove bomb ski trip. Red onion, garlic, chipotle chilis, canned tomatoes, water and a bit of "mexican blast" seasoning.It will simmer for several hours on the special simmer burner, and we'll freeze it until the trip. I love how generosity spreads around. Thank you Nancy!

The Kitchen

TZ — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:49:08 GMT

As you follow this blog over the months (maybe years), picture yourself here. A little jazz on the stereo, a fine glass of pinot, snackies on the island, the warmth from that bad-ass stove...

French Laundry Valentine's Day

TZ — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:18:53 GMT

We finally found an occasion to actually make something out of the gorgeous French Laundry cookbook that we acquired from Bunny's fabulous LA yard sale (oh, so many years ago!). Rarely do we have a party of less than 20, so when the occasion is set for a dinner for six we can really kick down the gourmet! So, last night for Valentine's Day we had: - risotto cakes with Manchego (by Erin - the cheese melted ever so slightly, and a little cornmeal crust that was so good - yum!, and with Veuve Clicquot) - spicy shrimp (by Zeb - big fat wild shrimp, and paired with an amazing muscadet that was so dry and perfect) - ashen chevre on a beet tower (this one from FL - Paulette said she "felt completely high" from this, and this is where we moved onto a 2002 Temperance Hill Pinot from Torri Moor) - butter-poached lobster with pommes maxim on a little bed of leeks with beet essence (also FL - crazy number of steps to make this monster, but we all agreed that it was way better than anything we've ever had at even some of the finest restaurants, and Kyle who doesn't usually like lobster ate it all up - here we cracked a big, tasty Spanish red that Erin brought) Then, moving to fireside: - strawberries with mascarpone limoncello cream (one of my favorite light and easy desserts - paired with limoncello, of course!) - and finally LuLu's raw chocolate truffles (if you have never had LuLu's, you must - it's an otherworldly experience, and also quite aphrodisiaclical - we particularly loved the one with chili) Can you feel the love? This one we'll remember for a long, long time!

the amuse bouche

TZ — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:10:09 GMT

I've been thinking about blogging for a while but never really was inspired. Today as I was posting about our dinner last night to the Ask Chef Bunny tribe it suddenly occurred to me the topic that I could go on and on about with passion and continual inspiration - FOOD! So, welcome to Adventures in the Kitchen. Come on in, grab a glass of wine and make yourself comfortable. We're COOKIN'!