In belated honor of monkey friendship...

I offer for everyone's delectation:

Homemade Banana Ice Cream (makes 1 gallon)

Heat until lukewarm 2-1/2 quarts of cream and half and half (for richer, or for poorer)

Beat 3 eggs, pinch of salt, 2-1/2 cups sugar, and 3 teaspoons a vanilla until thick and light yellow

Dissolve 6 rennet tablets in a little cold water

Combine egg mixture and cream in freezer, stir in rennet slurry. Let mixture stand until clabbered. Add 4 VERY VERY VERY ripe bananas and freeze.

According to my mom, my grandpa made this most Sundays in the summer...

Dinner, Sunday, August 22, 2010

• Baby back ribs
• Sliced heirloom tomatoes with sea salt and olive oil
• Sauteed zucchini, corn, and poblanos
• Macaroni salad
• Hot fudge sundaes

Great to catch up with friends we haven't seen all summer. Mario outdid himself on the ribs. Anointed the racks with our friend, Jeff's, fantastic rub overnight, then cooked them low and slow for four hours over indirect heat with hickory chunks carefully monitoring the temperature to keep it between 220-280℉. They were pink 2/3 of the way to the bone, still moist and tender...accompanied by some Gates sauce they were spectacular. Nice homey sides.

Mom's Hot Fudge Sauce

• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 c. light corn syrup
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbs butter

Mix sugar, cocoa, salt, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook to 228℉ or to very soft ball stage. Remove from heat and after it has cooled slightly, stir in vanilla and butter. Transfer to a glass jar if not using immediately.

Reheat by setting jar in simmering water--but DO NOT STIR as the sauce will break.

This is my favorite hot fudge of all time not only for the flavor, but because when spooned over ice cream, it partially hardens to chewy candy-like ribbons. Vanilla ice cream, this fudge, and a scattering of chopped walnuts. Nuff said, although to truly gild the lily, make a brownie sundae, using Joy of Cooking's recipe for Brownies Cockaigne. Booyah!

Dinner: Saturday, August 21, 2010

• Black cod with miso / mirin glaze
• Kristin's "Pad Thai Improv"

Ever since I got the sore throat / coldish bug in London, I've been having ups and downs related to my sinuses, or more specifically, my left sinuses. My right sinuses have been just hunky dory, my left sinuses have ranged from mildly stuffy / tolerable to keeping me in bed going through 1+ boxes of tissue per day plus chills, aches, exhaustion, with a middle ground of sore upper teeth, pounding headaches and other unpleasantness I will not describe since this is supposed to be an appetizing, food-related blog.

I share this here only because as we sat down to dinner, I found myself musing on how difficult it must be to be a noted chef with a head cold / sinus issues.

Here's the story: When we picked up a lovely piece of black cod at the Farmer's market today, I naturally bee-lined to the stand run by a Vietnamese family that has a wonderful assortment of Asian produce (green beans, snow peas, various forms of "chinese broccoli", shallots, cilantro, mint, Thai basil, bitter gourds, yada yada) for some baby bok choi for my standard menu of roasted black cod on brown rice and stir-fried bok choi with my ginger garlic sizzle. Simple as a pimple.

But it turns out that our 10 lb. bag of short grain brown rice from Costco (subdivided, vacuum-sealed and frozen) had been exhausted. My search for a replacement starch identified some rice stick noodles with a very rudimentary Pad Thai recipe on the package. Hmmmmm......

Peanuts, check; green onions, check; fish sauce, natch--but I have about 1/2 c leftover nuoc mam cham which might enhance as a substitute; add a little sesame oil when scrambling the egg...and we have some Thai basil in our garden.

Seem credible so far? I'm thinking a Pad Thai-ish thing, with the roasted cod on top, enhanced with a miso / mirin glaze (forgot my usual pinch of sugar...remember bad sinuses make you stoopid).

All is proceeding according to plan--skillet, oil, garlic, egg, soaked rice sticks...nuoc mam cham...quick stir-fried bok choy...tasting it... nothing. I taste NOTHING. So far it is just pallid, bland, wet noodles. Crap. Green onions and peanuts? NOTHING. A little thick soy sauce for color and a spoonful of fresh chili sauce....NOTHING. But my frontal lobe is telling me that this can't be tasteless. I know what I'm doing--there is an adequate amount of seasoning on the noodles and since I'm not perceiving any difference as I add things, I'd better stop before I render them inedibly over-seasoned.

Imagine my relief when Rachel and Mario deemed the whole concoction delicious. But it still tasted like nothing to me...

Dinner: Monday, August 16, 2010

Park Kitchen

Small plates:

• Watermelon and beets, bbq watermelon vinaigrette
• Flank steak with blue cheese, parsley and sherried onions
• Corn and zucchini papardelle, duck confit, and goat cheese
• Grilled octopus, sea beans and new potatoes
• House cured tesa, long cooked zucchini, basil pesto

Mario and I were determined to fight our tendency to choose an existing favorite restaurant in favor of something new this evening while Rachel was staying with my mom. A few years ago, I had an excellent meal here with a group of folks celebrating Qualcomm anniversaries, but it's been such a long time, it might as well have been new to me, and it was to Mario.

We got an al fresco table across from a bocce game on the Park Blocks as the evening breeze cooled the air, and sampled two of their "classic" cocktails. Mario commented that even the the Sazerac is a NOLA drink, their version "tasted redolent of Portland." My G&T featured house-made tonic water--I believe it had some tamarind.

The small plates were all terrific, two stood out as "wow, I'd never have thought of doing that, and it's really great"--the watermelon and beet salad, in which the watermelon had been lightly salted and the small julienne of pickled watermelon gave it some snap; and the papardelle, which included a garnish of popcorn cooked in duck fat and seasoned with smoked paprika.

Tesa, in case you didn't know (we didn't), is flat cured pork belly. It was just on the borderline of too salty, but the smoky, with the long stewed zucchini and pesto was luscious and put an end to any thought of having dessert. Phew!

Dinner: Saturday, August 14, 2010

• Sliced tomatoes dressed with sea salt and olive oil
• Buffalo mozzarella
• Baguette from Fleur du Lys Bakery
• Spanish-style Chorizo from Olympic Provisions

Another day in the upper 90's, decided to keep it light and simple.

Costco has been carrying imported fresh buffalo mozzarella that is quite good, and though it seems spendy, it is, comparatively, a great deal.

Chorizo is delicious, with quite a kick. Need to visit Olympic Provisions--they have a wide range of house-cured meats besides the dry sausages they're selling at the Farmer's Market as well as a restaurant. Prices are kind of ridiculously high...we are keen to support a new genre of local food business, but...

Paris, 30 Juin - 3 Juillet, 2010

Lunch, 30 Juin: Les Artisanes, 14, avenue Daumesnil, roughly equidistant between Gare Lyon and Place Bastille

• Salade Niçoise (Kristin)
• Salade Aveyronnaise (Mario)
• Club Sandwich au Saumon Fume avec frites (Rachel)

Our first meal in Paris. We'd had some minor challenges getting in from CDG, but we'd found our hotel and dropped our luggage. It was hot and humid and we had that slightly dazed and woozy first day jet lag feeling. Stumbled into this friendly, comfortable neighborhood place around the corner from our hotel. Servings were massive and very good. Mario's salad had hard boiled eggs, blue cheese, tomato, bacon, walnuts, mayonnaise. Mine was a classic niçoise. Rachel's club sandwich was speared on a skewer and was delicious, with tomato, lettuce, mayo. Good bread, some white wine, and a "Coka" (cola) for Mademoiselle.

After lunch we walked to Notre Dame, strolled along the Seine to Saint Chappelle and then back to the hotel where we gave in to the inevitable and took a long nap. Headed out to dinner ~ 8:30 PM

Dinner, 30 Juin: Brasserie Bofinger, near Place Bastille (Mario subsequently learned from Drew Brees' book, that Drew proposed to Brittany right across the street at "Petit Bofinger")

• Grand plat de fruits du mare
• Saumon Tartare (Rachel)
• Cotes d'agneau persillés (Kristin)
• Salade d'Homard (Mario)
• Sorbets de cassis, framboise, et mirabelle
• Alsatian pinot blanc

A grand and venerable brasserie, specializing in Alsatian food. It was far too hot to consider choucroute garni, Rachel wanted the coolest item on the menu. The seafood platter was eye-popping and impeccable. Oysters, clams, mussels (raw! a first for us), a whole crab (the only let down--a little overcooked and mealy), prawns, delicious briny little bitty shrimp in the shells that we dubbed m&m shrimp (cuz we popped them in our mouth and ate shell and all), and whelks. Oh, those whelks! Chewy, sweet, salty, rich. We learned to avoid the whatever it was in the shell beside the actual whelk--too funky even for us. Delicious brown bread and mignonette to accompany.

Rachel's was a refreshing salad of diced raw salmon with mayonaisse, celery, some tarragon... She was very hot and tired and didn't come close to finishing, but we all agreed it was good.

Mario had a whole small shelled Maine lobster atop haricots verts and greens with a viniagrette.

My herb-crusted lambsicles were served with baby turnips, haricots verts, potatoes and a light but intense jus.

We shared a trio of sorbet for dessert--cassis, raspberry, and lemon.

A leisurely walk back to the hotel...and we slept until seven the next morning.

Dinner, 1 Juillet: Chez Janou, near Places des Vosges

Entrées

• Assiette de ratatouille froide, anchoïade et tapenade
• Petit chèvre rôti au romarin
• Carpaccio de courgette

Plats

• Rougets à la tapenade
• Cotes d'agneau
• Confits de lapins

Desserts

• Creme brulee

After a siesta to recover from our scorching, crowded, but very interesting day at Versailles, we headed out to a wonderful al fresco dinner at an excellent Provençal restaurant in Le Marais. 77 types of pastis (we didn't try any), and a gruff black maître d'hôtel who wordlessly communicated the proper repository for our olive pits (forefinger tapped impatiently next to pile of pits on Rachel's napkin, then again in the ashtray)...we soon discovered that most everyone did something to incur Monsieur's demonstrative but short-lived disapproval...

Dinner, 2 Juillet: Café du Marché, near Tour Eiffel

• Steaks-frites avec bearnaise
• Cheeseburger-frites

We spent the day at the Louvre (Do get reservations--you get to skip the lines!) and barely made a dent, but hit the highlights. Had a very good lunch in the restaurant but were all jealous when we saw the hamburger go by--it looked absolutely amazing. I think this stuck in Rachel's mind, as she was determined to have a burger . It was good, though the "cheese" was a gloppy processed cheese food product. Our steaks were very tasty. This cafe has a good vibe and is a solid value, and as long as you looked past the fact that seemingly 2/3rds of the customers were Americans who'd been steered there (like ourselves) by Rick Steve's...

Dinner: Friday, August 13, 2010

• Salade Niçoise
• Grand Central Baking baguette

We're finally getting some real heat--local forecasters have been breathlessly forecasting 4-5 days in the mid- to upper-90's, so what better time for my go-to hot day dinner. Especially with local local Brandywine tomatoes, perfect green beans, and fingerling potatoes. All the cooking (eggs, potatoes, beans) gets done in the morning, so it's just a matter of assemble and eat.

Plus, it gives me a chance to share the recipe for "My Mom's French Dressing", which is how our entire family refers to it. It is from her oldest cookbook--I think she got it when she got married (this woulda been the early 50's), and it is just a simple and delicious dressing that complements the Niçoise perfectly, as well as being just a terrific all-purpose vinaigrette. I like to marinate the potatoes for at least 30 minutes in the dressing, then I separately toss first the lettuce (or in this case, baby spinach) as the base for the platter, then top with potatoes and tuna, green beans, also tossed with dressing, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes (which I cut and let sit with some salt for a few minutes), good quality Spanish tuna in olive oil, and olives. Anchovies and capers optional. Pass more dressing separately, if needed.

My Mom's French Dressing

• 1 sm. clove garlic
• 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1-1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 c. olive oil

My mom typically halves the garlic clove and lets it macerate in the dressing. I like a little more assertive garlic (and I usually don't have time to let the dressing sit before using) so I use a garlic press. Also, this makes a BIG BATCH, so I usually halve it.

PSSST! This dressing is also the secret to my mom's best in the whole world potato salad. She peels and dices the cooked potatoes while they are still warm, and tosses them with ample quantities of this dressing. Don't tell her where you heard this, though. ;-)

Dinner: Wednesday, August 11, 2010

• Shu Mai-style Burgers
• Cucumber salad
• Noodles with Sweet Chili sauce

Oh, the vexations of having one's cherished plans thwarted! I've been craving Vietnamese flavors since we got home, and I've found an excellent source of recipes at Ravenous Couple's blog, so today was going to be Bun Nem Nuong....which would necessitate a stop at an excellent local market, Thanh Thao, for picked daikon and carrot, some vermicelli, yada yada. But, alas, as I pulled into the small but completely empty parking lot, I sensed that something was amiss. On the door, was a small hand lettered sign indicating that the store was closed today for a "family matter" and would be open as usual on Thursday.

Now, if I'd been truly determined, I could have headed over to NE 82nd and found many, many Asian markets to choose from. But since I was already planning another stop for a few other groceries at New Seasons, I bagged it.

Opted instead for a repeat of Bittman's toothsome Shu-Mai style burgers, my trusty cucumber salad, and (shameful confession coming), a pre-packaged Asian noodle "kit". I know, I know. I think I was weakened by disappointment. After taking it apart and preparing it, I couldn't help but think..."Really? You can get shelf space by repackaging some noodles, and including a packet mixing some soy sauce, sesame oil, and maybe some hoisin sauce, and another packet of chili flakes?" It tasted fine, I'm just sayin.'

Dinner: Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Greetings, my vast and impatient horde of followers! (Ha HAH!)

Lemme try that again.

Hey, you lovely, elite crew who has honored me by following, and/or expressing some enjoyment of this blog.

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed at the prospect of figuring out how to share something meaningful from our incredible trip as well as getting back in the rhythm of posting our daily culinary adventures, but somehow tonight's dinner provided the perfect low stress re-entry point.

This is a dish that everyone should have in their back pocket. Incredibly easy, always delicious, feels virtuous, comfy, but you could serve it with confidence to a "foodie." It may seem strange that we made this dish in the first week of August, but since the high temperature for the day was 72℉, heating the oven and cooking pasta wasn't wacky at all. For those of y'all having NORMAL summer, you might need to wait a coupla months to check this out.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Ricotta Salata

Halve two pints of cherry tomatoes.

On a sheet pan, toss tomatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast at 400℉ ~20 minutes until tomatoes collapse and slightly caramelize.

Cook 8 oz. of spaghetti until done (I use either whole wheat or I like Barilla's high protein pasta, just to amp up the fiber / protein), drain, reserving ~ 1/3 c. cooking liquid.

Combine pasta, tomatoes, cooking liquid, adding a good handful of chopped basil, and some crumbled or grated Ricotta Salata. Season with salt and pepper, and if it needs it, a little more olive oil.

Isn't that ridiculous? But it's SO good! Doesn't even require quality cherry tomatoes! If you don't have ricotta salata, some feta cheese will work, or goat cheese, or Pecorino Romano, or... Trust me. Along with my completely off the shelf (canned) puttanesca, this is such a go to dish.

Air France Flight 306, June 29, 2010

I don't know whether to be galled or delighted that my old daughter at the age of twelve has experienced Air France business class. Looking across the aisle at her partially reclined with her feet up behind a linen draped table, watching Alice in Wonderland on her personal video player, enjoying a glass of sparkling water and waiting for dinner to be served I thought, delightful now, but she will be sadder but wiser when she's stuck back in steerage with the rest of the cattle in the future.

Dinner

• L'Amuse Bouche: Cuillère de canard fumé à la poire (Smoked Duck w/ Pear)
• L'Entree: Homard du Maine, mayonnaise au wasabi et petite salade de mangue (Cold lobster with wasabi mayonnaise and mango salad)
• Plats Chaudes: (Mario and Rachel) Tournedos poêle au poivre, purée de pommes de terre et poireau, confit nimois (Pan-seared tournedos of beef with peppercorns, mashed potatoes with leeks and Provençale-style simmered vegetables), (Kristin) Daube d'agneau avec céleri, carottes, févettes et pâtes pappardelle (Lamb stew with celery, carrots, fava beans and pappardelle pasta)
• La sélection du fromage
• Dessert: (Rachel and Mario) Notre trio de dessert: gâteau aux bleuets au sirop d'érable, Linzertorte, mini éclair au chocolat (blueberry cake with maple syrup, Linzertorte, mini chocolate éclair) + mango sorbet

Apéritif: Ayala Brut Majeur Champagne

Red Bordeaux: Médoc Château Tour Séran 2007 Jean Guyon Cru Bourgeois

Digestif: (Kristin) Cognac Delamain Pal & Dry XO Grande Champagne 1er Cru

Actually, except for the beverages, it all sounds better than it was. Don't get me wrong, it's by far the best food I've ever eaten on an airplane. The lobster salad was especially good. But airplane food, even on Air France, is ultimately airplane food. The bread was surprisingly mediocre. Mario and I are betting that the quality will be better on the return flight originating in Paris. We'll see!

Mid-flight they served some Haagen-Dazs ice cream (I slept through that).

Breakfast was fresh fruit, plain yogurt, bread and pastries, and a plate of parma ham, smoked turkey, cheddar and provolone.

Far better than the food was having a seat that reclined to all but flat and plenty of room to spread out. Watched "An Education" and loved it.

We landed in Paris at 8:15 AM…more to come!

Dinner: Sunday, June 27

• Grilled fresh chinook
• Grilled summer squash with garlic vinaigrette
• Roasted new potatoes

Good to be home. It's amazing that it used to be so routine for me to be gone for a few days two to three times a month and took it for granted. After a few months sabbatical from the grind, I really missed being away from Rachel and Mario for just a few days.

The weather was finally meeting a reasonable definition of summer and dinner was a welcome home-cooked, summery meal. While there are lots and lots of recipes around for salmon (more than any other fish in most publications), we are loath to do anything that might complete with our impeccable local* chinook. About the only thing we might do is put it on an alderwood plank if we want some smoke.

Summer squash has a completely different quality if it is harvested while still tiny (i.e. 2-3" long, 1/2" diameter). Nutty. We grilled it and I pounded 1/2 clove garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, then whisked in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Drilzzed the squash and garnished with parsley.

Our go to recipe for summer potatoes is to halve fingerling potatoes, toss them with olive oil and seasonings (favorites: smoked paprika and garlic, herbs de Provence, various Penzey's blends), salt and pepper. Seal it in foil and put it on th grill for 15-20 minutes. They get nice and roasty.

Tomorrow night we'll just have leftovers to clear out the frig before we leave. À voyage!

*Apparently some of the chinook caught off of the Oregon Coast originates in the Sacramento River. The salmon runs down there are apparently severely depleted so it is likely that the Monterey Aquarium's 'sustainable fish' list will exclude Oregon caught salmon, even though most fish caught off the northern half of the Oregon coast originates in the Columbia.

Dinner: Monday, June 21, 2010

Counting down the days and the remaining to-dos before our Grand Tour. I didn't get a taste of the chicken thighs with Jeff's rub, hickory smoke, and Gates' BBQ sauce on Saturday (field reports were exemplary!), so I needed some-a that love. Coupla 1-3/4 inch thick pork chops from our CSA box, no smoke, but between the rub and the sauce and perfect grilling, it was oh so mighty tasty. Alongside we had another riff on one of my go-to summer side dishes. The ordinal version has me sauteing some chopped red onion and poblano chile in some olive oil. Then I add some diced summer squash (zucchini, crook-necked, patty pan) over high enough heat that the squash gets some toasty brown edges. Then I add 2-3 cobs worth of sweet corn cut off the cob, and (salt and pepper, of course) sauteed until the corn is tender. Finish with finely chopped fresh basil or cilantro or both.

This time, I had only the red onion, a few zucchini and some slightly tired cilantro. (Thought I'd include some roasted piquillo peppers to represent the capsaicins, but I found, yet again, that jarred roasted peppers have a very short shelf life once they're opened before they mold) Not to worry. Thawed some frozen organic corn under running water, and once onions, zucchini, and corn were sauteing nicely, I added one minced chipotle in adobo. Tasted it with the slightly meager handful of cilantro and decided it needed a little zing along with the smoky chili-ness, provided by the juice of half a lime.

Finally, garnished some butter lettuce with sliced french radishes and scallions, crumbled sheep's milk feta*, and dressed with sherry wine vinegar and olive oil.

*I wanted sort of the salty / crumbly quality which is associated with cotija to go with the radishes, etc., but most of what I've ever found here is kind of rubbery and bland and corporate. The feta gave me what I wanted to soften the flavors of the salad while adding some character.

Dinner: Sunday, June 20th, 2010

My sincere apologies for the delay on the crawfish boil post. Evidently we used up all of our good karma escaping the chilly drizzle that passes for summer this year in Portland on Saturday, so we're taking good hearty zaps of bad karma now such as Rachel's tie-dye t-shirt catching fire in the microwave and Blogger failing to save 2-1/2 hours of what I humbly say was a pretty f-ing good write-up on the berl. (Holy c--p, hope my plane doesn't crash tomorrow!) It'll come, y'all, but bear with me, I gotta regroup.

Slept WAY in on Sunday but roused ourselves to do the clean up earlier rather than later so that we could return our gracious neighbors' driveway to some semblance of normalcy. Can't imagine what our water bill will be this quarter, between the sewerage bill for the wettest May-June on record, and water use for rinsing the crawfish, cleaning up, etc.

Then we were laying very very low...When dinner rolled around, we reheated some leftover red beans, cooked some fresh rice, and fried up some very tasty goat chorizo (from our Deck Farms CSA box). Pulled a couple of glasses of cold Laurelwood Mother Lode Golden from the remaining keg and then hunkered down for the last episode of the season of Treme. This show is incredible, and has convinced us both that we need to go back and watch the Wire--I know, I know! All our friends already love it, but we just hadn't invested the time to get hooked. We'll be on it when we get back...

Dinner: Friday, June 18th, 2010

• Pizza with artichoke hearts and black olives
• Pizza with pepperoni and red onion

Yesterday a friend who follows this blog mentioned that she's waiting for an entry where it says we had fast food for dinner. Well, here goes! Trying to conserve energy for the crawfish boil, we ordered pizza from Rocket Pizza on NE 42nd. We like their pizza--it would never rate on the East Coast, but it has a nice crisp crust; they use a very sparing hand with all toppings, including the cheese, so it's not greasy, and a simple sauce that doesn't overwhelm with oregano or sweetness. And they deliver.

Dinner: Thursday, June 17th

Ma Po Tofu

Brown Basmati Rice

Gai choy

Glad that I read the online comments on the tofu which pointed out that the recipe says it serves 4, but it's so tasty that it actually serves 2-3. So I doubled, since my dad is visiting. It's almost addictive. I think I'd use ground pork next time, but it'll definitely be in the rotation. Easy and really great.

Dinner: Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Smoky Spanish-style Pan Roast

Butter lettuce salad with sherry vinaigrette

Was very pleased to have Mark Bittman get a feature in my favorite food mag--Cooking Light, especially since the theme is "Less meat, more flavor" which is exactly where our head is at these days. We love meat and don't want to eliminate it from our diet but are looking to re-factor its role--more vegetarian meals, more meals where meat is a seasoning rather than the main ingredient, and meat is (almost) always locally sourced, pasture raised.

Because I was out doing a shop for the crawfish boil (T-minus 3 days), it was easier to buy the ingredients in double quantities and we always like leftovers 'round here (for lunches, etc) so I cooked it in doubles which I think crowded the ingredients a bit and led to some liquid that needed to be cooked off when the primary ingredients (potatoes, shrimp, beans) were done. Also, we basically tripled the smoked paprika as it wouldn't have come through as much as we wanted it to. Chorizo from Gartner's was quite perky, heat-wise.

I think I liked it less than anybody else, mainly because the beans were kind of mediocre and tough. It was good enough that I want to make it again with local beans and more space to cook.

Dinner: Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Met with a lawyer to get durable power of attorney and answer some questions about moving Louise (my mom-in-law) in with us. Since the cold rain continued, needed something quick and hearty. I think black-eyed peas are very underrated and it's nice that they don't need pre-soaking.

• Black-eyed peas and rice

Used the porky liquid left over from the last time I made beans. Didn't have to do ANYTHING ELSE and they were delish. (Except a few chopped green onions).

Dinner, Monday, June 14, 2010

• Hamburgers with bacon, tomato and onion
• Beans (Bush's "Grillin' Beans: Southern Pit Barbeque")

I volunteered at the Da Vinci 8th grade promotion ceremony today. Mario graciously took care of a very tasty dinner.

Dinner, Sunday, June 13, 2010

• Grilled halibut
• Asparagus risotto with saffron
• Butter lettuce and romaine salad with french radishes, avocado and red onion

There is a platonic ideal of halibut that Mario and I always invoke as a benchmark. We cooked and ate it several years ago when we were vacationing in Yachats. We bought it from the fishmonger in town who bought directly from the local fishermen. We grilled it with nothing but a little olive oil, salt and pepper. It was almost ethereal--slightly gelatinous, tender, with the pure almost fishless halibut flavor of the sea. It had a very slightly pink tinge like the lightest pink inside a seashell. Absolutely gorgeous.

Well, last night's came as close as any we've had. It was a promising specimen when we bought it at the farmer's market--almost two inches thick and with that beautiful pink tinge. Cooked it
the same way--not too hot of a grill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Took it off before it was cooked through--about 12 minutes total. Amazing.

I made a risotto to go alongside. Tiny slender asparagus, some saffron, lemon zest, parmesan. And Mario put together a delicious salad.

And on the second of TWO CONSECUTIVE sunny days, with temperatures above 75℉. Hooray.

Brunch, Sunday, June 13th, 2010

Tasso and Eggs

Tasso from Laurelhurst Market deemed "authentic" by resident expert...now thinking how else we might use it: Shrimp and Grits w/Tasso, Jambalaya, thinly sliced in Eggs Benedict, Fettucini with Tasso and crawfish....

Dinner: Friday, June 11th, 2010

Pizza margherita, with freshly made sauce and buffalo mozzarella.

I want to try the recipe / method in the NYTimes for making the crust. I intended to do that this time, not realizing that it has some fairly esoteric flour requirements. So punted and used TJ's pizza dough which is...adequate. Still, a nice simple Friday dinner an the toppings were impeccable.

Farmer's market: Saturday, June 12

Finally! The sun is out! And the market showed very welcome signs of summer.

• Halibut Filet
• Bay shrimp
• Asparagus
• Cherries (1st of the season!)
• Hood strawberries (1/2 flat)
• Sugar snap peas
• Carrots
• Beets
• "Italian" zucchini
• Fingerling potatoes
• Milk
• Quart of honey
• Treats for Rachel: Mini-strawberry lemonade cupcake, raspberries and white chocolate buttercream sandwiched between two flower shaped chocolate shortbread cookies
• Pork Tamale
• Dhosa

There's a new stand at the market selling Dhosas filled with curried potatoes and fresh coconut relish. In case you've never had a dhosa, it is like a large lacy crepe made from a batter of fermented rice flour. Very delicious and reminded us how much we love Indian food, but we cook it relatively seldom because it is relatively labor intensive. I'm sure we'll do "takeaway curry" at least a couple of times while we're in London. Gonna have to take a break on the tamales--they haven't seemed as good the last couple of times we got them.

Dinner: Thursday, June 10th

• Rabbit with Mustard Sauce
• Red Cabbage Agrodolce
• Roasted carrots

"The rabbit kicked the bucket...the bucket, the bucket kicked the rabbit...the rabbit..."

A good friend gave us A Platter of Figs by David Tanis, who has been executive chef at Chez Panisse, etc. and has bona fides as long as my arm. It's a book that makes you itch to cook every menu. We've made several fantastic recipes--deconstructed Salade Nicoise, Salmon with Vietnamese cucumbers, Corn, Squash and Beans with Jalapeño Butter, Pink Borscht. I had been eyeing the rabbit recipe for a long time.

Laurelhurst Market had locally sourced rabbits on the chalkboard when we had dinner there a few weeks ago...and...though I had no prejudice against eating rabbit, I was encouraged by an article in the food section of the Boregonian about local purveyors and the relative sustainability of rabbit meat. So...on Tanis' recommendation I made crème fraîche a few days ago from scratch (scald heavy cream, add some plain yogurt as culture, let sit for 12-24 hours at room temperature), procured myself a spanking fresh rabbit at Laurelhurst Market (along with some house-made Tasso and a hunk of irresistible head cheese from Tails and Trotters) and proceeded to make his Rabbit with Mustard Sauce.

It's easy peasy. Marinate said bunny in crème fraîche, dijon mustard (try TJ's--it's got the kind of kick you don't usually find in domestic mustards), bay leaves, fresh thyme and sage, batons of smoky bacon, lots of sliced garlic. Then roast in a hot oven, turning occasionally. One thing didn't go as the recipe said--even when the rabbit was definitely done, the sauce had not reduced significantly and was pretty loose. The recipe indicated you might need to add liquid to the pan while cooking. Hmmm. So I just pulled out the rabbit pieces and reduced the sauce over high heat on the stove top--one of the great things about cooking with crème fraîche is that it doesn't break even at a high boil. Cooked it down to a lovely consistency like a barely whipped cream, and napped the meat.

It was...it was...so GOOD! Lush, slightly funky with the applewood smoked bacon and herbs, the mustard present but not overly dominant.

Tanis pairs this with parsnips, but we had a beautiful bunch of heirloom carrots so I roasted those, and then (inspiration strikes!) it occurred to me that we had 3/4 of a red cabbage in the fridge that wasn't getting any younger...and wouldn't cavolo in agrodolce (AKA sweet-sour cabbage) be a nice compliment? Oh! My, yes, it would.

Glass of Côtes du Rhones...Mais, oui. Bon Appetit!

Dinner: Wednesday, June 9, 2010

• Frittata with Asparagus and Scallions
• Insalata Caprese
• Toasted rustic bread

Lydia Bastianich seldom (if ever?) disappoints, and this frittata was no exception.

As she says, "This is a different sort of frittata, not the neat golden round of well-set eggs that's probably most familiar. Here the eggs are in the skillet for barely a minute, just long enough to gather in soft, loose folds, filled with morsels of asparagus and shreds of prosciutto. In fact, when I make this frittata or the "dragged" eggs—uova strapazzate —I leave my eggs still wet and glistening so I can mop up the plate with a crust of country bread. That's the best part of all."

We had some beautiful slender asparagus, so this was a no brainer. We had three eggs left from Mario's colleague's hens which we supplemented with some organic free range eggs from TJ's. It was so striking seeing both eggs in the bowl before I whisked them. The TJ's yolks were so small and pallid in comparison to the huge vivid orange yolks of our local eggs. We will surely miss our weekly supply over the summer. I would like to make this with prosciutto, but I used some thick applewood smoked bacon we had on hand and it was all lovely.

For the salad, Costco has been carrying imported fresh buffalo mozzarella at a very reasonable price. I snagged some for pizza this week, and decided to use some for an antipasto substituting cherry tomatoes for regular tomatoes and dashing out in the pouring rain (ARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!) for a few half-drowned leaves of basil.

Dinner: Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Rachel's Night to Cook AKA Girl Meets Food

• Vegetable Crisp
• Salad
• Crusty bread w/ Olive oil

Another delicious dish from Girlosophy: Real Girls Eat. Basically a gratin of eggplant, summer squash and red onion. But a nice technique that increased the flavor of the finished product: The sliced veggies are tossed with tomato puree, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and sit for an hour (or a little less in this case because Rachel was working on her poetry portfolio project and started dinner rather late) before going into the gratin dish to be topped with crumbs and cheese an into the oven.

Peri's Rules for Entertaining

Last Saturday evening we enjoyed a lovely al fresco dinner at the home of some new friends. (Yes! For one evening only, it was nice enough to eat outside!) As I thought about it, I was reminded of the following list of rules that Mario and I wrote up a couple of years ago. Anyone have other rules we should add?

1. Offer your guests drinks immediately upon arrival.
2. Put plenty of ice in your guests’ drinks. Your guests will not be offended if you do this.
3. If you are not sure you will have enough ice, buy a bag!
4. Have something for your guests to nibble on after they get their drinks, no matter how simple or small.
5. Put salt and pepper dispensers on your table. Your guests will not be offended if you do this.
6. If the recipe calls for salt, put it in the dish.
7. If you are baking something and the recipe calls for salt, it is absolutely imperative that you put the salt in the recipe.
8. If you are baking something and the recipe does not call for salt, it is absolutely imperative that you find another recipe.
9. Create a menu for your guests’ pleasure, not yours.
10. You can never go wrong with comfort food. Modify for vegans and vegetarians as needed.
11. Get in the kitchen and cook. No one ever lost a friend by inviting them over to dinner.

You do not need a beautiful home, or a gourmet’s kitchen or expensive china to entertain. You just need a place to cook and eat and a feeling of sincere hospitality in order to delight your guests.

Dinner: Monday, June 7, 2010

Here we must give mad props to our pal, The Super Bongo, both for her highly enjoyable blog and her recipe for lettuce wraps. We must, however, quibble with her claim that the recipe will serve the Red Army, because it is so delicious that a mere four people ate far more than they should have making a serious dent in the anticipated leftovers.

Soon we'll have to try her ferociously competitive Chinese Chicken Salad....

The Super Bongo's Lettuce Wraps

the sauce:

Jar of hoisin sauce
couple of teaspoons rice vinegar
juice from a large orange
red pepper if you like

for the stir fry:

Chicken chopped up ( I use a three chicken breasts and a packet of tenderloins)
8oz mushrooms chopped up . . . shiitake or what you like
can of water chestnuts, chopped up
green onions chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
couple tablespoons grated ginger

I add the garlic and ginger towards the end of the stirfry, and then top with the sauce and let it all come together. . Then use butter lettuce leaves for eating. I also serve with wedges of orange to squeeze over the top of each wrap.

Lunch: Saturday, June 5th, 2010

Had some leftover seafood louis sauce from last weekend's crab louis so assembled some red oak leaf and romaine lettuce, a few cucumbers and a sliver of tomato topped with bay shrimp and louis sauce. Yum.

Farmer's market: Saturday, May 5th

• Gai lan
• Carrots
• 1/2 flat first Hood strawberries of the season (hallelujah!)
• Jersey 2% milk
• New potatoes
• Spring chinook
• Bay shrimp
• Asparagus
• Cucumbers
• Romaine and red leaf lettuce
• Coconut, raspberry and mint chocolate chip mini-cupcakes, and dark chocolate dipped strawberries for Rachel

Also picked up some very inexpensive organic garden starts at the Grocery Outlet--roma, green zebra, and golden pear cherry tomatoes, sweet banana, early red, jalapeno, and yellow peppers, pole beans, cucumbers, mesclun and red romaine lettuces. Might get some kind of melon as a lark. Going to try growing the tomatoes upside down. I know, I know...but all the kids are doin' it!

Dinner: Sunday, June 6, 2010

• Spring chinook with miso glaze
• Gai laan with sizzle
• Sticky rice
• Cucumber salad with toasted sesame seeds and nori

I thinned out some white miso with mirin and added a pinch of sugar and spread it on the flesh side of the salmon, roasted at 425℉.

Dinner: Friday, June 4th, 2010

Fire on the Mountain (Burnside location)

Wings, natch. Sauces: Hot, Spicy peanut, lime cilantro. Sweet potato fries (I had banana ketchup, Murray had Heinz). Coupla IPAs (Hub, Laurelwood, respectively). Very good blues trio.

Rachel scarfed the leftovers after the dance.

I would have never anticipated that a wings place would become a dining destination. Damn!

Dinner: Thursday, June 3rd

Salad Rolls

• Seared tofu marinated in Pho Van's Garlic Lemongrass Marinade
• Red leaf lettuce
• Bean sprouts
• Avocado
• Julienne scallions, carrots, cucumbers
• Rice stick noodles
• Thai basil, mint, cilantro
• Rice paper
• Hoisin Peanut dipping sauce

I LOVE salad rolls, especially with the rich sweet hoisin peanut dipping sauce. Our first attempt to make them at home and we have a ways to go getting competent assembling them--the rice paper sheets were sticking to our plates and then tearing as we tried to wrap them, especially if overloaded with filling. Still--even if eaten as a salad with no roll, such a perfectly refreshing meal. Maybe shrimp or grilled pork next time...though the tofu was tasty.

And bonus was having the leftovers when I got home from seven straight hours of decorating the Da Vinci gym for the last dance of the year...

Dinner: Wednesday, June, 2010

• Charbroiled Oysters à la Dragos
• Salad with capers and piquillo peppers
• Marsee's supposedly french baguette

We have been working to optimize the process for making charbroiled oysters as they are served at Dragos, Acme, and elsewhere in NOLA. Originally we would put the unopened oysters on the grill, Mario would pick them up once they popped, pull off the top shell, then we'd spoon on some of the garlic butter and top them with cheese and parsley.

Pain in the ass, it was hard to keep up, so some oysters got overcooked, most of the liquor got dumped out, huge flareups from the butter dripping, yada, yada. So Mario started shucking them first which was a significant improvement. Last night, rather than using melted garlic butter, I made a compound butter with garlic, parsley, and a couple shots of Tabasco. So we put a pat of butter in each shucked oyster and topped it with cheese before putting them on the grill. Et voilà, not as much butter run-off, a much more manageable process.

We've kind of decided that bluepoints are the optimal oyster for charbroiling--the Netarts are good, but shells are more irregular and the intense mineral flavor is somewhat overwhelming. Still, these are great and this method is a keeper.

Finally, a brief rant. WTF does Marsee bakery think they're doing? This is Portland! City of real bread! Your "french baguette" tastes like what supermarkets used to call French Bread in the seventies. Feh.

Dinner: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

• Barley, Butternut Squash, and Shiitake Risotto
• Salad

I've made this "risotto" several times. It doesn't require the attention of a true risotto yet barley has a similar toothsomeness to well-cooked arborio.

This seems like an autumnal dish--perfectly suited to our Junuary weather.

Dinner: Monday, May 31, 2010 (Memorial Day)

The sun finally came out! Once again the weather forecast was wrong, but this time, it was in our favor. I spent a couple of hours yanking some truly prehistoric-looking weeds followed by a nice gin and tonic on the porch.

• Grilled chinook
• Buttered asparagus
• Kristin's new potato / arugula salad (recipe follows)
• Rhubarb crisp with cream

New Potato and Arugula salad

Boil new potatoes (preferably tiny, or fingerlings like Russian banana) in salted water until just tender. Drain and let cool slightly.

Cut in half or quarters to approximately 1/2" pieces. Add a few handfuls of arugula and 2-3 green onions sliced thin.

Dress with good olive oil, white wine vinegar, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Dinner: Sunday, May 30, 2010

We were fortunate enough to be invited to our friends for a Memorial Day's eve BBQ. Fortunate because they are wonderful hosts and wonderful cooks, but especially fortunate because Jeff is a native of Kansas City and holy smoker, Batman! Can the man cook some ribs. Two kinds of ribs (baby back and St. Louis), Jeff's signature rub, cooked low and slow with lotsa smoke. Gates BBQ Sauce on the side. They were at least the equal of the best ribs I've ever eaten, and that may not be giving them enough credit. Perfect heat in the crusty outside, moist and smoky pink inside.

Deviled eggs (did I really eat three halves?), delicious guacamole, blue cheese potato salad, two kinds of beans, Boston Baked (Jim's recipe), and Jeff's mom's KC recipe (prepared by his charming brother), green salad...then fresh strawberry pie...and strawberries with mint and balsamic vinegar over ice cream.

O.K., just describing this I feel stuffed all over again. But it was just so DAMN good. Kudos, man!

Dinner: Saturday, May 29, 2010

• Grilled goat kibbe with yogurt sauce and lavosh
• Toasted bulgar pilaf
• Carrot salad with Honey, Cumin and Cilantro

Have I mentioned how much we like goat? When I phoned Deck Family farm to arrange picking up the second half of our CSA meat box a few weeks ago, I was asked if there was something I would be willing to substitute for lamb, since they were very low. No problem! Gimme some goat! It's generally leaner than lamb and surprisingly I find it less gamey rather than more, which is what I would have expected. We've even discussed buying an entire goat side.

So when I saw this menu in Mix magazine this month, I knew it was in our future, especially since on my last Uwajamiya run I picked up a bottle of pomegranate molasses. I had to make an adjustment, though, because the "goat stew" wasn't skewerable cubes, but rather small gobbets of fatty meat. I don't know how in the hell one would make stew from such a thing. Nevermind...I decided to just marinate the gobbets and then I would grind them up and form them into little sausages. Mario felt I should have gotten the meat a little finer, and after several bites, I concurred. The sauce is goat milk yogurt with mint and parsley, salt and cayenne. All in all, tasty, although I have to say I think this recipe is superior:

Skewered Kefta

From Weight Watchers New International Cookbook, ©1985

• 10 oz. ground lamb (try goat!)
• 2 Tbs minced onion
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 1Tbs chopped fresh mint or 1-1/2 tsp dried (I usually used dried)
• 1/4 tsp each ground cumin, ground marjoram, salt and pepper
• 2 tsps olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Combine first seven ingredients (through salt and pepper); mix well. Divide mixture into four equal portions. Form each portion into a sausage shape, pressing each onto a metal or bamboo skewer. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; using a pastry brush, brush mixture over keftas, coating all sides. Grill or broil, turning so that all sides are browned, about 8 minutes total.

The carrot salad was ok. A little sweet for my taste. Here's a better one.

The pilaf was a revelation. I would never have thought to roast the bulgur in a dry skillet before cooking. I let it get nicely browned. It added a whole new dimension. The rest of the recipe is pretty standard, though I liked the addition of green onions at the end.

Rachel's friend, Sarah, was sleeping over and had the "Sarah Special" AKA 1/2 a grilled cheese sandwich and 1/2 PB&J.

Farmer's market: Saturday, May 29th

Made waffles for breakfast--best recipe I've ever found:

Buttermilk Waffles

(from Our Daily Bread, by Stella Standard--Out of print)

1-1/2 c. sifted flour

3 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 eggs, separated

1-1/2 c. buttermilk

6 Tbs. melted butter

2 Tbs. brown sugar

Begin heating the waffle iron before you start the batter. Sift the dry ingredients into a largish bowl. Whisk the egg yolks into the buttermilk. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, adding brown sugar part way through. Stir the egg / buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, then stir in melted butter. Stir half of the egg whites to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon onto hot iron.

Served with maple syrup and Deck Family Farm bacon (pastured pork, no added nitrates/nitrites)

Then off to the market on yet another damp, cold, gray morning.

The take:

• Netarts Bay oysters
• Spring Chinook
• Jersey milk and cream (ice cream in our future)
• Arugula
• Red leaf lettuce
• Spring garlic
• Strawberries
• New potatoes
• Tiny summer squash

Dinner: Friday, May 28

Through a bit of serendipity (I was dropping off dinner and a change of clothes to Rachel at Da Vinci for her lighting tech job tonight and Mario was on his way home) we convened at Le Pigeon a few minutes before 5PM and secured seats at the bar.

First course

• Soft shell crab, cucumber, basil, harissa (Mario)
• Lamb tongue, peas, morels, truffle (Kristin)

Second course

• Sweetbreads, spaghetti, meatballs, parmesan (Mario)
• Duck, favas, dill, carrots (Kristin)

Wine: '05 Francis Tannahill Mason Dixon Syrah

I believe I was the hands-down winner on the first course. The soft shell crab was very good (though in NOLA it would be considered awfully small) and served with a great harissa spiked salad (clover?). But, zut alors! I had all the spring funk of woodland creatures and plants yearning to procreate on my plate: Bed of fresh peas and morels cooked with some creme fraiche and shallots. The lamb tongue was braised and indescribably tender except for some crunchy caramelization on one side where it was briefly grilled. Deep-fried battered shallots on top, and liberally garnished with fresh truffle. Unnnnnnnnhhhhhhh.

Second course close to a tie. Sweetbreads masterfully cooked with a golden crust on the outside and unctuous creamy inside. Spaghetti had rapini and whole garlic cloves not roasted, but somehow rendered gentle, sweet, and creamy. Meatballs were slightly chewy--pork? veal? Gorgeous.

OK, my duck tasted like it had been eating frogs, weeds, bugs. Raunchy, in the best possible way. Breast was red but not raw in the middle, cross-hatched skin cooked to crackling. Underneath a chunky mash of new potatoes, favas, dill. Topped with an intensely sweet (though unsweetened) braised julienne of carrots.

Wine was a mouthful. Velvety. Fruity but not jammy.

Very enjoyable, and I would say preferable, to sit at the bar and watch the cooking. Rucker is comfortable in his skin and friendly / chatty to patrons. Loved to see him leave his station to deliver plates to tables himself rather than risk any delay.

Gotta get my mom there...and Rachel again.

Dinner: Thursday, May 27

• Shu mai-style "hamburgers"
• Wakame and cucumber salad

I have long loved the wakame salad that is sold alongside takeaway sushi--great texture, sweet-sour dressing. Obscenely expensive. So when I went to Uwajamiya, I picked up a 2 oz. package of dried wakame. Decided a wakame salad would go nicely with Mark Bittman's recipe for a hamburger styled after shu mai filling (more on these in a moment). Wow, does that lil' sea vegetable expand in cold water! I weighed out roughly 1/2 oz (1/4 of the package), and covered it in cold water and it must have grown to close to 1-1/2 cups (by volume) after 5 minutes! Liked the look of this recipe incorporating cucumbers for a contrasting texture, and supplemented with a few red pepper flakes and toasted sesame seeds. I will be making wakame salad a lot.

The burgers were absolutely delish. The combination of shrimp and pork had a gorgeous texture and the garlic, ginger and cilantro were perfect. The recipe suggested grinding your own from pork shoulder (since most pre-ground pork is pretty yuk) but New Seasons grinds its own meats daily and the pork is local pastured, so I just bought that. Fabu!

Dinner: Wednesday, May 26, 2010

• Chicken tetrazzini
• Peas and carrots
• Salad of romaine and arugula with capers, piquillo peppers and dijon viniagrette

At the end of a busy day, nice to have a yummy casserole out of the freezer to just pop in the oven.

What a retro line-up! But it's interesting to think about how different this meal is from what it would have been back in the 70's. The vermicelli is Barilla Plus--high protein pasta made with chickpea flour. Chicken, and chicken broth, both organic, free-range. Frozen peas: Organic, from Costco. Romaine and carrots: Organic, Trader Joe's.

Dinner: Monday, May 24, 2010

A Typical Monday in New Orleans--Laundry, Beans and Rice

Louise is over and did her laundry today--as is (was) traditional on Mondays in NOLA. And so it was fitting we had beans and rice, which was also, traditionally, served on Mondays. In this case, Great Northern beans with a big old shank end of a smoked pork shoulder and some leftover rinds of Parmesan. For some unknown reason (Doh!), I cooked them with way too much water, so I drained them and reserved the liquid and just added back an appropriate amount. I decided to freeze the leftover liquid for another batch of beans--it's very rich and hammy from all the smoked pork.

That, and arugula dressed with lemon, olive oil, S&P, was dinner.

Dinner, Sunday, May 23rd

Fish Tacos

• Sauteeed rockfish
• Cilantro Pesto
• Salsa cruda with avocado
• Goat's milk yogurt crema
• Red cabbage / pineapple slaw

Would have been better with soft tortillas...but all in all, delicious!

A late breakfast, Sunday, May 23rd

• Morels sauteed with shallots
• Scrambled eggs
• Sourdough toast

Mario has mastered the french technique for scrambling eggs low and slow, finished with a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt. Almost a custard, and perfect alongside the oh-so-funky morels.

Farmer's Market, Saturday, May 22nd

• 2 bunches milky white baby turnips
• 1/2 flat of strawberries--not Hoods yet, but getting better and sweeter every week
• 2 - 1/2 gal. glass jugs of 2% milk from Jersey cows
• Asparagus
• Salami from Olympic Provisions
• A baguette and a palmier for Rachel from Fleur-du-Lys bakery
  
• Baby arugula
• Rock cod
• 2 Pork tamales
  

It was stupidly and annoyingly cold at the Market, which greatly diminished the appeal of stacks of greens as the primary vegetable produce--felt too much like a hangover from winter. We've become addicted to the non-homogenized milk on sale from a herd of pastured Jersey cows: wonderful color, aroma, flavor, mouth feel. The only cows I've ever milked were Jerseys--they have the most beautiful doe-like faces. They produce a smaller volume of milk than Holsteins (the ubiquitous milk cow here in the States) but higher in milkfat and protein.

Mario and I breakfasted on the tamales.

Cloud 9, an a capella group from Franklin with several da Vinci alums, was performing--they're excellent! Now if it would just warm up for Chrissake!

Dinner: Saturday, May 22

Apparently 5:05 PM is too late to get seated at Le Pigeon on a Saturday night. Fortunately, we scored a couple of seats at a communal table at Laurelhurst Market.

• Charcuterie Plate
• Steak frites with marchand du vin sauce (Kristin)
• Brined and smoked double pork chop with Carolina BBQ sauce
  
• Grilled spring onions with salbitxada sauce
  
• Grilled romaine with romesco sauce

OK, the charcuterie plate was lovely. House-made mortadella, venison country pate, pork country pate with pistachios, lamb pate with brandied prunes. Accompanied by a couple kinds of mustard, some pickled rhubarb and cherries, crostini. Surprisingly, the lamb pate was the least memorable. The venison reminded me of the summer sausage we'd often get from hunting friends in Wisconsin.

Piedmontese skirt steak cooked TRULY medium rare. Which is how I like it. Which is about the first time, even at elite steakhouses that asking for medium rare has gotten me medium rare. Intensely minerally, beautiful carmelization from the sear. Gorgeous marchand du van sauce, perfect to mop up with the crispy, crispy, crispy (did I mention, crispy) fries.

Mario's pork chop was terrific. Juicy--just hinting at rosy near the bone, a light smoke so as not to obscure the porkiness. Beet greens had a touch of sweetness--not too much, which would be easy to do. I'm guessing cane syrup. A splash of vinegar-based Carolina BBQ sauce.

I was keen to try the grilled onions as I'd seen a write-up of this exact recipe in this month's Mix. It did not disappoint--there was the slightest hint of heat at the back of the salbitxada sauce, the onions were luscious and sweet.

The grilled romaine with romesco sauce did disappoint a bit. Nothing wrong with execution, partly our fault that romesco / salbitxada sauce are both almond / chile-based sauces, partly we decided that romaine is too bland when grilled--it loses its crunch and there's not enough character left to make up for the slightly soggy texture. Grilled treviso is much more interesting.

But overall, a really wonderful meal, complemented by an affordable French malbec blend.

The pre-dinner cocktails, while the names were rather twee, were nicely complex variations on a Manhattan.

Checked out the meat counter as we left--I'll be picking up some house-made tasso and fresh rabbit this week for sure.