tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217952932024-03-07T16:54:51.260-08:00Chronicles in Culinary Curiosity"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."
--Mark TwainDoloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.comBlogger434125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-63628979296740260452013-02-18T14:52:00.001-08:002013-02-18T14:52:38.571-08:00"OMG! Looks delish...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs7WLLzKvzUmBTQ25dXr01A6Ne4c0FUhg2bqodeav1kFAUYPNWIE4wrUPVMfir5W1IabNU9wjHRWAHIczRz3MBqFLJ1IlysfRl5KD8eu2Ofek6TyMxJrZVhQmK7rt0Zlo1Q4eQg/s1600/ChickenTaco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs7WLLzKvzUmBTQ25dXr01A6Ne4c0FUhg2bqodeav1kFAUYPNWIE4wrUPVMfir5W1IabNU9wjHRWAHIczRz3MBqFLJ1IlysfRl5KD8eu2Ofek6TyMxJrZVhQmK7rt0Zlo1Q4eQg/s1600/ChickenTaco.JPG" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...I swear u should totally blog your food! I'm hungry just looking at it." my personal trainer enthusiastically replied a week ago when I sent her an iPhone shot of my dinner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Yeah, well...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I used to do more of that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So what was the dinner in question? Largely leftovers. Shredded rotisserie chicken. Cheese and corn salsa left from the Super Bowl soiree. Some avocado and a whole wheat tortilla. Not exactly inspired, but certainly quick, low-cost, relatively healthy and satisfying after an hour on the elliptical. </span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-56315206397701090182012-11-26T21:06:00.001-08:002012-11-26T21:06:13.490-08:00He TOLD me I'd need two...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTmadvNipFDesuMKW-Vu9rlIl1HjofKXADZxEF4BPZGopGKqYxR1F5mq3KKm8xHUeVEItJLvGskVy50X1QRRUFZwBEidSqlV470DyGfeSxaOBFcW7JUa-GVNWH2NlhGqiHNWTCw/s1600/ParmesanSageTurkey.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTmadvNipFDesuMKW-Vu9rlIl1HjofKXADZxEF4BPZGopGKqYxR1F5mq3KKm8xHUeVEItJLvGskVy50X1QRRUFZwBEidSqlV470DyGfeSxaOBFcW7JUa-GVNWH2NlhGqiHNWTCw/s320/ParmesanSageTurkey.JPG" width="224" /></a></div>
...and thus an afternoon of Thanksgiving will result in a month of creatively repurposed turkey breast.<br />
<br />
Allow me to explain.<br />
<br />
Your heroine headed in to Whole Foods in search of a turkey breast to serve six adults. Six adults. No mention of anyone under the age of ten.<br />
<br />
I explained to the nice young man behind the counter that I was going with a turkey breast because I didn't want ton of leftovers. Because these six adults would be indulging in wine and appetizers while the bird parts roasted. Because there would be no fewer than six side dishes served with the turkey -- to satisfy everyone's individual love/hate relationship with vegetables.<br />
<br />
The nice man assured me I'd need two turkey breasts to satisfy my crowd. That one breast would comfortably serve four adults.<br />
<br />
I took the nice man's advice.<br />
<br />
I now have seven pounds of sliced turkey breast and four quarts of turkey stock occupying real estate in my refrigerator.<br />
<br />
The good news: Kevin's <a href="http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/10/parmesan-and-sage-roasted-turkey-breast.html">Parmesan & Sage Roasted Turkey Breast</a> turned out quite tasty. I avoided Josie Smith-Malave's <a href="http://www.realitynation.com/tv-shows/top-chef/season-10-thanksgiving-episode/23590/">turkey sashimi</a> without turning it into sawdust. The parmesan, sage, and garlic gave the turkey a nice fall flavor, and my guests were impressed that we incorporated cheese into every single dish on the dining room table. The bird breasts are moist and flavorful, but versatile enough to provide the protein in a variety of different dinners for one.<br />
<br />
Saturday we made <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2007/11/parts-is-parts.html">grimnace </a>for snacking through a Master Chef marathon. Tonight I paid homage to my father with my riff on his <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2008/12/last-of-that-leftover-turkey-breast.html">Hot Turkey Salad</a>. In the days and weeks that come, my leftover turkey breast will take a bit of a world tour. There will be turkey panini. Turkey quesadillas. Turkey Pho. Turkey reubens.<br />
<br />
By mid-December you can bet I'll be thankful for steak or seafood or salad.<br />
<br />
And next year we'll be a single breast family.<br />
<br />Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-86893227598736888652012-08-15T22:29:00.004-07:002012-08-15T22:56:56.097-07:00Glancing back, walking forward....<br />
Over the last several weeks, I've used my facebook space to spotlight some very special people in my life -- men and women who've fought their own courageous battles with cancer. In the next couple of weeks, I will introduce you to a couple more.<br />
<br />
But tonight I'm going to share a bit more of MY story throughout my social network. Apologies if you're seeing this in multiple spaces, but it's important to me that i get the message out -- to as many people as possible.<br />
<br />
About a year ago, I took a phone call that would change my life. In a heartbeat, I went from "something doesn't look right" to "it's cancer." As I absorbed a veritable encyclopedia of information about margins and hormone suppression and radiation-safe personal hygiene, I clung to my commitment to the Komen Breast Cancer Three Day in an attempt to stay sane.<br />
<br />
I actually wore one of my old victory shirts to a pre-surgery appointment. My oncologist's response: "your 2012 shirt will say 'Survivor'". It was one of those moments where everything became REAL -- both the gravity of what lay ahead and the core belief that I WOULD survive. That image carried me through many of the scariest moments of the journey. And spurs me on when I get to 10 or 12 miles and my calves are screaming to stop.<br />
<br />
So in addition to the brave men and women in whose honor and memory I am walking, this year's journey is also about me. It's about taking back some control after six months without much. It's about celebrating my return to health. It's about proving that "60 Miles. Yeah. I can do that".<br />
<br />
Please, take the time to follow <a href="http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2012/SanFranciscoBayAreaEvent2012?px=1392263&pg=personal&fr_id=1768">this link</a>, read a little more about what I'm doing and why, and support me if you can.<br />
Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-89746051909428462012012-03-06T23:57:00.000-08:002012-04-03T20:13:44.812-07:00Oy. and likewise, vey...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrZ8pG__dK8fYaTVdlGc45fWKdHQscNNmbxW5j10U8sehCwYp1o8dB42LJCaTpBRZDaLw9uXW_NzvfmYL2uYl7BwMsQFsWndplRigHtzK964Nc0obNS6V3bfABTkVZuzzIcshEw/s1600/Rugelach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Rugelach Collage" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrZ8pG__dK8fYaTVdlGc45fWKdHQscNNmbxW5j10U8sehCwYp1o8dB42LJCaTpBRZDaLw9uXW_NzvfmYL2uYl7BwMsQFsWndplRigHtzK964Nc0obNS6V3bfABTkVZuzzIcshEw/s400/Rugelach.jpg" title="Rugelach Collage" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The first of this month's delicacies from the fine folks Baking with Julia is rugelach, a contemporary American take on a classic central European Jewish pastry. From the Yiddish "rugel" (royal), the traditional recipe typically uses sour cream. Contributing baker Lauren Groveman replaced the sour cream with cream cheese in the soft dough that envelops cinnamon-scented dried fruits and nuts.<br />
<br />
Twelve OUNCES of cream cheese.<br />
<br />
And THREE sticks of butter.<br />
<br />
What?!?! Eat!!!! There's a treadmill and a TRX setup waiting for you at the gym...<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
John and I tag-teamed on this one, and we cut no corners. We made some luscious apricot lekvar, worthy of licking off someone you love. Well I toasted almonds. John actually assembled the lekvar.<br />
<br />
We made and chilled and rolled and filled the dough. We chopped a ton of nuts and dried fruit. My food processor worked overtime, and I've NEVER been so grateful that Gina talked me into buying FOUR silpats all those years ago.<br />
<br />
Thirty two hours after we started, we had some unattractive but tasty pastry-cookies. The recipe is fussy and time consuming, and I'm fairly confident I've crossed this one off the bucket list and probably won't be making rugelach again. The pastry dough, probably. The lekvar, absolutely. But if I have a craving for rugelach I'll swing by the Jewish bakery.<br />
<br />
If you find yourself looking for something to do one weekend and you're interested in trying your hand at homemade rugelach, this week's hosts Margaret of <a href="http://www.theurban-hiker.com/?p=774/">The Urban Hiker</a> and Jessica at <a href="http://mybakingheart.com/2012/03/06/twd-baking-with-julia-rugelach/">My Baking Heart</a> have taken the time to transcribe the recipe. And you can see how hundreds of other bakers fared with this week's challenge on the <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/lyl-rugelach/">blog roll</a>. And stay tuned... in two weeks we'll try Irish Soda Bread.Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-35167541661320099772012-02-21T21:04:00.000-08:002012-02-22T23:29:00.149-08:00Two-Fer Tuesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVxEw6mQm8SA9gsIwxNeQyzTF2l95ftbtdNgM_4XpkYc4Xo4_Ft0rT8cndibNTXJvQ4sYldI-G0mdsXDjoyLTdZA9gQ1r_64aNEigBundv_yessS8m-UFayTC_M4_Ld3K6eDrTA/s1600/JuliaTuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVxEw6mQm8SA9gsIwxNeQyzTF2l95ftbtdNgM_4XpkYc4Xo4_Ft0rT8cndibNTXJvQ4sYldI-G0mdsXDjoyLTdZA9gQ1r_64aNEigBundv_yessS8m-UFayTC_M4_Ld3K6eDrTA/s400/JuliaTuesday.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We're BAAAAAAAACK!<br />
<br />
The ladies and gentlemen who spent the better part of three years baking their way through Dorie Greenspan's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Home-Yours-Dorie-Greenspan/dp/0618443363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329973765&sr=8-1">Baking - From My Home to Yours</a> have a new project for 2012.Over three hundred home bakers from around the world are lining up their measuring spoons and mixing bowls and baking their way through<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Julia-Savor-Americas-Bakers/dp/0688146570/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329974017&sr=1-1"> Baking with Julia</a>. According to the brains behind the operation, four of the bakers are men. Fifty three of us are Californians.<br />
<br />
That's right, us. Welcome to <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Tuesdays with Dorie</a>, redux: Baking with Julia. Please fasten your seat belts, and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. If the first two recipes are any indication, it promises to be a wild, sugar soaked, butter laden ride.<br />
<br />
Uh huh. I said two recipes. I wasn't willing to pull my dad's signed copy of the book out from under plastic, so I killed some time procuring a working copy. The rest of the group started two weeks ago, with the White Loaves on page 81. Our foundress <a href="http://slush.wordpress.com/">Laurie</a> and her faithful sidekick <a href="http://someonekitchen.blogspot.com/">Jules</a> hosted the inaugural run, and if you're looking for the recipe, you can either buy the book or head to their blogs for it. And let me just say the book is worth the purchase price for this recipe alone.<br />
<br />
I'm no stranger to bread baking. I've baked some pretty tasty loaves over the years. So the fact that I've uttered the words "the best white bread. ever" no less than a dozen times in the last 48 hours is non-trivial. The recipe makes two loaves. They slice easily, toast beautifully, and won't make it to the weekend.<br />
<br />
The recipe behind curtain number two features chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. The Chocolate Truffle Tartlets on page 382 showcase bittersweet chocolate as the headliner, with white and milk chocolate chips in supporting roles, and a cameo appearance by dutch processed cocoa in the crumbly pastry crust. Our hosts <a href="http://awhiskandaspoon.com/">Steph</a>, <a href="http://spikebakes.tumblr.com/">Spike</a>, <a href="http://www.goodeatsblog.com/">Jaime </a>and <a href="http://cookbookhabit.blogspot.com/">Jessica</a> have the recipe for you. Don't let the term tartlet fool you. These are for sharing. Three or four ways. They taste like candy. And they freeze beautifully.<br />
<br />
And as our heroine Julia would say, bon appetit!Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-56060992409860290532012-02-08T19:54:00.000-08:002012-02-22T22:54:06.204-08:00Eleven Herbs & Spices...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eoHuCLjis8h-cHnvXoLG7AsQw9wMGvnjwCmKivx0dWhuIN4VecJnN_QWOLrKAjq3IsXY66Byos1fTDmR8YHYhwGk_svGBANrmnpce7DYKRCFpXJ8I7tKn5nK7p4LLn1qZyMw7A/s1600/KentuckyLivers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5eoHuCLjis8h-cHnvXoLG7AsQw9wMGvnjwCmKivx0dWhuIN4VecJnN_QWOLrKAjq3IsXY66Byos1fTDmR8YHYhwGk_svGBANrmnpce7DYKRCFpXJ8I7tKn5nK7p4LLn1qZyMw7A/s320/KentuckyLivers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Corn meal?</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Accent Flavor Enhancer (tm)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Malted Milk powder?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Odd (and not inexpensive – a 2 ounce vial of Accent costs
nearly seven bucks)… but after nearly fifteen years on a mission to find a
copycat recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s original recipe chicken livers,
anything goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">So we raided my spice drawer for the basics, headed to the
marts of trade for the esoterics, and armed with a pound of chicken livers (for
John) and chicken tenders (for me), we embarked on an epicurean expedition in search
of finger lickin’ good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We've <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2006/04/finger-lickin-good.html">been here before</a>. And judging by my Google Analytics numbers, there are a lot of you out there in the same boat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Well this time we've done it. Mission, accomplished. This is it folks. The Colonel would be proud of what came out of an inch of frying oil.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Now we just owe the guy who sent us <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/k-f-c-original-recipe-chicken-livers-422308">this link</a> a bucket of original recipe and a dozen of my Dorie-inspired cream biscuits. A small price to pay for a bit of fast food Americana.</span></div>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivBPfZhV-1oosV18EoisqHEpLD2Ow1XYL_YbZIYBdmX8toXzaCg13qdq1q9AVf0bCdyhS2iBcpcKOadd38-NmprYW9KxGvzriqYOlbMoz-P7G1XrntpphsqXb2Y3-LcE5evAa-w/s1600/KentuckyFingers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivBPfZhV-1oosV18EoisqHEpLD2Ow1XYL_YbZIYBdmX8toXzaCg13qdq1q9AVf0bCdyhS2iBcpcKOadd38-NmprYW9KxGvzriqYOlbMoz-P7G1XrntpphsqXb2Y3-LcE5evAa-w/s320/KentuckyFingers.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finger Lickin' Chicken Tenders</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-64662929826200062312012-02-01T19:52:00.000-08:002012-02-21T21:32:31.166-08:00A Three Day, Three County Culinary Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgIPQLYA2OoeT1kPZa1VdP9b3tPac5pKjEccLcLmX37p0Mr0xGkEeyobiQFB6My07FK4Hkyv5ASkfx1p5uyACnv39b7qJCZY1YnQ_u85xH0XNAAfaXAz9XtBKz54JT1zn33a4lQ/s1600/Windsor2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgIPQLYA2OoeT1kPZa1VdP9b3tPac5pKjEccLcLmX37p0Mr0xGkEeyobiQFB6My07FK4Hkyv5ASkfx1p5uyACnv39b7qJCZY1YnQ_u85xH0XNAAfaXAz9XtBKz54JT1zn33a4lQ/s400/Windsor2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Lavonna's visiting from Minnesota for the weekend. So we pack the trunk with provisions and wind our way to Windsor. Through Walnut Creek.<br />
<br />
First stop: <a href="http://sasawc.com/">Sasa</a>, Walnut Creek's hopping Izakaya-inspired hot spot. The food is edgy but interesting, and the crowd's typically younger, hipper, and more happening than we are. But the staff is warm and welcoming, and from the "fish fries" and lotus chips to the sisig and pork belly specials, we adore chef de cuisine Sam Castro's take on local and seasonal with a pan Asian flair.<br />
<br />
Satiated, we hit the road for Windsor. About 5 miles southeast of Healdsburg in Sonoma County, the Worldmark Resort in Windsor would be our home base for a weekend of food and wine adventures.<br />
<br />
Saturday we had a scrumptious breakfast (and some dessert) at <a href="http://www.dellafattoria.com/">Della Fattoria</a> in Petaluma, where the gorgeous caffe lattes and the sausage scramble piadina hit the spot. We didn't leave empty handed -- a hefty loaf of meyer lemon rosemary bread was the first of the day's additions to the trunk.<br />
<br />
From Della Fattoria, we went on a bit of a cheese tour, with stops at the <a href="http://www.springhillcheese.com/">Spring Hill Cheese Company</a> in downtown Petaluma and the Matos Cheese Factory farm in Santa Rosa. With bread and dairy procured, we spent the afternoon chasing the fruit of the vine, with visits to <a href="http://www.raymondburrvineyards.com/">Raymond Burr Vineyard</a>, <a href="http://www.quivirawine.com/">Quivira</a>, and <a href="http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/">Francis Ford Coppola</a>. We ended the evening with a splendid dinner at Coppola's Rustic, featuring a menu full of Francis' homestyle favorites.<br />
<br />
Sunday we made a road trip to Hopland, and after a brief encounter with California Highway Patrol (where I acknowledged my expired tags and learned that a licence plate on the front of the vehicle is now a requirement) we enjoyed a variety of wines and chocolates at <a href="http://www.brutocaocellars.com/">Brutocao Cellars</a>. Our last stop on the Sonoma County tour was Guy Fieri's <a href="http://www.johnnygarlics.com/">Johnny Garlic's</a> (which is now apparently opening an outpost in San Jose).Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-52877070777831026652012-01-25T22:52:00.000-08:002012-02-21T16:00:35.491-08:00Kung Hei Fat Choi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkFdDhLMRalBzXwlaIap_ORNR-xHvcsR7j2v0Onx7QG9Zyaz2d9SnOiQzP3NddC3kGC0R5iiQZ5F1KcWoJwSbFRPFzA8yBRO1o7hmWa19B5_pvGAxWFxMXFJ1Iv69G7yuUC2cHw/s1600/ChineseNY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkFdDhLMRalBzXwlaIap_ORNR-xHvcsR7j2v0Onx7QG9Zyaz2d9SnOiQzP3NddC3kGC0R5iiQZ5F1KcWoJwSbFRPFzA8yBRO1o7hmWa19B5_pvGAxWFxMXFJ1Iv69G7yuUC2cHw/s320/ChineseNY.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Japanese soba noodles.<br />
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Gulf coast shrimp.<br />
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Scallions.<br />
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Chinese mustard.<br />
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A splash of fish sauce.<br />
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Pepper sauce we brought back from Mexico.<br />
<br />
On Burns Night.<br />
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How's THAT for an all-American melting pot to celebrate the year of the dragon?Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-22495749475055288702012-01-12T14:13:00.000-08:002012-02-21T15:41:05.093-08:00A Well-Stocked Pantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEAaw3vU9XM5sr6lPqx-1JBrKjWh1FT9jIPKuVXrQywHahcYSETSyeO93XWCS4xCWhzXlgYNiST2TfeXmKBxCi8ZY2H49TTXzv5ghExpEuuNkz3jKE8bsS5wZmegrY2F_OBXTgQ/s1600/EW-TarragonChicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEAaw3vU9XM5sr6lPqx-1JBrKjWh1FT9jIPKuVXrQywHahcYSETSyeO93XWCS4xCWhzXlgYNiST2TfeXmKBxCi8ZY2H49TTXzv5ghExpEuuNkz3jKE8bsS5wZmegrY2F_OBXTgQ/s320/EW-TarragonChicken.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
"You HAVE all that?!? In your kitchen???"<br />
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A friend of ours has been staying with me during the week, as he prepares to move himself and his family back to the bay area after over a decade in the Midwest.<br />
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It's been a great experience for me, giving me someone *else's* needs to focus on during a month of radiation. And another mouth to feed at dinner gives me the impetus to focus on fixing real food -- there was a LOT less cold cereal and packaged ramen in my diet last fall.<br />
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Now that the holidays are behind us, we're back focused on healthy food. Last night I pulled a couple of chicken breasts out of the freezer, my copy of Eating Well Serves Two off of the book shelf, and the rest of the ingredients for the <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tarragon_chicken.html">Tarragon Chicken</a> on page 122 out of the refrigerator and the pantry. Twenty minutes later, dinner was on the table.<br />
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Because yes Terry. I have all of that in my kitchen.Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-85035403118164170532012-01-07T11:26:00.000-08:002012-01-07T11:26:12.076-08:00An early epiphany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBr0Pwz_xnSUf8SCkUR5rJN9neVc2DdR-UK1IBTqqGLFhVQ1p7-7TmUS7HLsiWjHVujmRPmAjoEWjGFWrhTir2kE1K90-1za17Uj_AlLlUcgVsxOmwZMB_Ubgozi8A4AF2G-zyJQ/s1600/MaPoTofu-Yiping.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBr0Pwz_xnSUf8SCkUR5rJN9neVc2DdR-UK1IBTqqGLFhVQ1p7-7TmUS7HLsiWjHVujmRPmAjoEWjGFWrhTir2kE1K90-1za17Uj_AlLlUcgVsxOmwZMB_Ubgozi8A4AF2G-zyJQ/s320/MaPoTofu-Yiping.JPG" width="236" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Epiphany. Or Theophany. From the ancient Greek, meaning "vision of god." A Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ to the biblical Magi as the son of God. Typically celebrated on or around January 6, the twelfth day of Christmas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While in Tudor England the twelfth night or epiphany marked the end of a winter festival that began with Halloween, the event was a little lower key in my household growing up. My mother proclaimed this the day that the decorations returned to boxes in the back corner of the basement, and my father somewhat gratefully relinquished his post as the fourth wise man, leaning over the nativity each evening to test the li</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ght bulb illuminating the northern star for potential fire-producing heat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As this holiday season draws to a close, my "epiphany" (or revelation) comes a little early and is far more secular than sacred. Oddly appropriate at this point in my spiritual life. But I digress...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">January first was a celebration of the wonderful world of Chinese food for John and me. Scintillating conversation with friends over a bite-sized brunch of dim sum provided a sensational transition into 2012. And we chose to have dinner at a new and promising new Chinese restaurant within walking distance from home: <a href="http://www.yipingrestaurant.com/">Yiping</a>. We're gradually working our way through the menu at Yiping, which focuses on authentic (less-Americanized) Chinese cuisine using fresh, local ingredients. And on Sunday January 1, my epiphany came in the form of Ma Po Tofu.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A popular dish in the Sichuan province of China, I was introduced to this tofu-based dish by a former coworker while working in Fremont, and fell in immediate if confused love. While I've had versions of the dish that incorporated ground pork or beef, Yiping's rendition is vegetarian -- and fiery hot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first surprise was that this was John's first exposure to ma po tofu. He was equally surprised when it arrived at the table. Looking at the clearly chili-based sauce, he exclaimed "YOU ordered THAT!?!" Because while I'm far from a "mayonnaise mouth," I tend to be far less tolerant of spicy dishes than he is. I suspect he had concerns that I'd be unable to tolerate the heat and he'd be eating a primarily plant based dinner...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've never understood my inconsistent response to spicy food -- why some dishes blow my head off, but others work, and work really well. The closest I've come to articulating this is the feeling that in order to enjoy the spiciest foods, they need to provide more than just heat -- a smoke, a sweetness, something to set it off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But as I moved my chopsticks back and forth between the tofu and Yiping's equally unctuous fried rice, light dawned over marble head. An epiphany. Because while I got all of the mind numbing, nasal cleaning, tear-inducing side effects of the tofu dish, nothing in that experience numbed the sweetness of the snap peas or the nutty rice. Yes, it burned, but it didn't burn my palate. It didn't destroy my ability to taste -- and enjoy -- the other food on the table.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And while I can't honestly claim to have seen God in that moment, my universe did become a little clearer. An excellent way to launch a new calendar year.</span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-36603045379570424122011-12-31T18:48:00.001-08:002011-12-31T19:42:51.432-08:00Closing the Kitchen on 2011...<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALx8Is0ZIL_godQNy-NEAO70UvIUcasdQsXarUiSDMpRxgBo52ovgMxSvMJ5P3HaiEzLOYXLrXZaCn_Lfz4up1dtjHGwxZx3UFm3jeJCXyeG-NRKPz7v5TlI60j-NF2N4yXHYFQ/s1600/Pizza12.30.11.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALx8Is0ZIL_godQNy-NEAO70UvIUcasdQsXarUiSDMpRxgBo52ovgMxSvMJ5P3HaiEzLOYXLrXZaCn_Lfz4up1dtjHGwxZx3UFm3jeJCXyeG-NRKPz7v5TlI60j-NF2N4yXHYFQ/s200/Pizza12.30.11.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692491932394698306" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> As we close the kitchen door on 2011 -- we're going out to eat this evening -- I want to reassure those of you not following my food photography on Facebook that while I didn't share it here, we didn't exactly spend a year in fasting. The image to the left emerged from the oven for dinner last night, our takeon this <a href="http://www.blue-kitchen.com/2011/12/07/savoring-national-pear-month-with-pear-blue-cheese-bacon-pizza/">Blue Kitchen masterpiece</a>. Bacon and blue cheese... a capital note on which to close the kitchen.</span><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><span >I leave you this evening with a collage of images representing a year's worth of comestibles. As I get back into the groove over the next few weeks, the stories behind some of them will appear on these pages. While 2011 was certainly a year <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2011/12/dusting-this-thing-off.html">filled with change</a> it was also one of discovery and reaffirmation. Happiness to me is sharing good food with good friends. </span><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">A beer and a burger with my "Sick Sigma" buddies from Sunnyvale. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">A sensational summer afternoon sipping sparkling wine... </span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">Introducing an old friend to a new trend: pork belly buns off of a food truck... </span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">An amazing "caught this morning" roasted salmon fillet... </span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">Portuguese cheese sold from an outbuilding on a Petaluma farm...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">The ultimate farmer's market find: saurkraut "juice" as the ultimate cure for radiation-induced dehydration...</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms'; ">A last minute reunion with some of the people who inspired my early love of food, over dim sum after Thanksgiving... </span></li></ul></div><div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTngOJW0E5o3o76Hm4w1M4P_gqlZjBeawg07t0PVkTd_NvCa9u7KAFA1Ce1-r6UbckrwsxuZRHtHvs3_e-KW7sLvsmYGZy8kexBfi0sXIgs8Et1ritO3BXzSpXp4dHo3sukftljw/s320/2011Food.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692498939436265010" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; "><br /></span></div></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span >Here's to a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous 2012!</span></span></div></div>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-83383720853813692912011-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:002011-12-31T11:21:06.942-08:00dusting this thing off...Three hundred sixty four days ago, I proclaimed 2011 "a new year, a new decade, a blank slate with infinite possibility."<br /><br />Almost a year later I can say with the twenty-twenty clarity of hindsight that I had NO idea how true that statement would become.<br /><br />Three months later I found myself unemployed. Neither a surprise nor a disappointment, but certainly an inconvenience. And in the end, a great blessing. Because it forced me to look without filters at who I am, what I want, and where I'll find happiness.<br /><br />Six months later I accepted the offer for what's turning out to be my dream job. I'm neither a food writer nor a restaurateur (those are fantasy jobs, not dream jobs). I get to use both my God-given talents and my post-university education to make the world a better place -- at least for some people working in human resources in the healthcare industry. It's been a huge shift from high tech, and I've let go of some fun techie toys in the process. But what I do today has a real impact on real people, not just margins and stock prices. And I sleep much better knowing that.<br /><br />Nine months later I came face-to-face, eye-to-eye with my mortality... and kicked it summarily to the curb. I'm not done with this world (nor it with me) yet. I'll spare the gory details except to say that if you're reading this and you're a woman over 40, go get the mammogram.<br /><br />There's 2011 in less than 400 words. Bring on 2012!Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-6233096881364824872011-01-01T22:18:00.000-08:002011-01-02T16:21:13.629-08:00Turn the page...Two thousand eleven?<br /><br />Or twenty eleven?<br /><br />A new year, a new decade, a blank slate with infinite possibility.<br /><br />Honestly I'm less concerned about what we're going to call it; I'm still trying to figure out how the heck we got here... so quickly. As I flip the calendar forward I find myself reflecting on the moments that in many ways define the lens through which I see the world today. Some represent key ingredients in the recipe that is my life. Others seemed insignificant in the moment, but provide the salt, seasonings and structural elements critical to a balanced dish.<br /><br />1978 brought us Saturday Night Fever, Space Invaders and the very first cell phone. My parents balked at spending 70c a gallon on gasoline as they sat in blocks-long lines waiting to fill the tank in the Nova. We celebrated my tenth birthday in Lake Tahoe where I learned that for the rest of the world "ethnic" wasn't synonymous with Italian. We dined at a Greek restaurant whose name I've long forgotten, but I can still taste the beautifully balanced complexity of the moussaka and the strange lasagna the waiter called pastizio, the brightness that lemon and a sprinkle of salt brought to the fried potatoes. My horizons expanded 100% in that experience.<br /><br />1983 gave birth to both the internets and Microsoft Word, while 125 million television viewers watched the 4077 fold up the M*A*S*H tents for the final time. For this high school freshman, the adventure lay in Paris, France with seven other teenage girls and a social studies teacher with a sense of adventure, a touch of insanity or perhaps a bit of both. My parents' goal in providing this opportunity was likely to expand my horizons. Perhaps on some level they succeeded: my strongest memories include a pillow war launched over the Atlantic with a rowdy college soccer team from Spain and my first exposure to French wine and steak tartarre.<br /><br />Mark Wills reminds us that a space shuttle fell out of the sky in 1986, the year that ushered us one step closer to email and offered me closure on twelve years of Catholic education. I won a scholarship that spring with an essay on a topic I'd have to dig through boxes of memorabilia to remember. I left for college that year with no clear idea of what direction my career path would take, but I knowing that ultimately I would write. For myself, if no one else was interested.<br /><br />Technologically 1989 introduced us to Microsoft Office, the 486 PC, Nintendo's Game Boy and the first GPS satellites. Personally I embarked on a brand new journey in 1989. While I would have told you I was fat in high school (and alongside some of my size 2-4 friends I certainly felt that way), after three years of dorm and cafeteria food I could no longer ignore the freshman <strike>fifteen</strike> not-quite-forty and with two of my sorority sisters joined Weight Watchers, beginning a twenty year love/hate relationship with the bathroom scale.<br /><br />While Windows 95 and the introduction of java script were the hot topics in technology, in the spring of 1995 some combination of chance/fate/circumstance put me at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Concord, across the table from the man I would later love like no other. Half a year later, across from the same man at a different table I glanced at his chicken ceasar salad and quipped 'dude, I can taste that pepper from here.' And thus began fifteen years of food and life adventures.<br /><br />In 1997 the world bids farewell to two iconic ladies of the 20th century: Princess Diana and Mother Theresa of Calcutta, and we're introduced Dolly the genetically engineered lamb and Harry Potter. Personally, Kyle's birth in June creates another branch on the family tree -- and over time an opportunity to pass on heirloom family recipes to the next generation.<br /><br />While the rest of the world fretted over the consequences of the Y2K bug, my family came face-to-face with the "C" word for the first time in late 1999 when my father -- a lifetime smoker -- was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. In the six months that followed I saw the healing power of food at a new level as he taught me his holiday recipe secrets, I spent six hours in December looking for fresh cherries for turnovers, we found an excellent source of take-out chiles rellenos and twelve new ways to serve chicken livers to quiet the chemo cravings and bring peace and comfort.<br /><br />A $415 million, eight-year federal study completed in 2006 finds that a low-fat diet does not decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, or stroke and high fructose corn syrup begins its ascent as the latest ugly red-headed stepchild of the food world. And on February 5, 2006 I tiptoed softly onto the <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2006/02/hello-world.html">food blog scene</a>. Some 1790-days, 28 <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">daring baker</a> challenges, 33 Tuesdays with <a href="http://tuesdayswithdorie.wordpress.com/">Dorie</a>, hundreds of dinners out and a handful of holidays later I'm still here. Sometimes vocal, sometimes more silent, but ready to see where the next five, ten, fifteen years will take us...Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-37829400379246465172010-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:002011-01-02T13:41:40.193-08:00Coming out of the dark...Yep...starting again is part of the plan.<br /><br />I didn't write much here in 2010. Okay, okay, I didn't write at ALL here in 2010.<br /><br />But with a flip of the calendar we're turning the page; starting a new chapter. I'm ready to see what tastes and temptations that new chapter will bring...Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-89712649601196683112009-06-27T11:18:00.000-07:002009-07-27T11:22:34.657-07:00Tart? Pudding? What’s in a name?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3762755156_50a8b93fed.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2454/3762755156_50a8b93fed.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> <span xmlns="">When they announced the Bakewell Tart as June's Daring Baker challenge, Jasmine and Annemarie shared some of the old world dessert's history including the controversy behind its name. There's apparently a whole lot of conflict over whether it's a tart or a pudding.<br /><p></p><p>I know my mind works in mysterious ways, but the tart versus pudding debate struck me as Shakespearean in nature. Bill said it best through Juliet: Oh, what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection to which he owes without that title. Translation: Tart? Pudding? Let's quit arguing and enjoy dessert!<br /></p><p>And in retrospect, the Bakewell Tart…er… Pudding is the perfect Shakespearean confection.<br /></p><p>Think about it…<br /></p><p>The hero: An almost sinful shortcrust pastry base.<br /></p><p>The leading lady: An unctuous layer of vine ripened fruit at the peak of perfection.<br /></p><p>The comic relief: All topped off with a fluffy frangipane that doesn't feel like it will fit in with the rest of the cast. But it does.<br /></p><p>A whole lot of history, a bit of comedy… and the tragedy arrives when the plate is empty. The Bard would have LOVED it. We sure did!<br /></p><p>But I digress. The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/">Confessions of a Cardamom Addict</a> and Annemarie of <a href="http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/">Ambrosia and Nectar</a>. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England. Required elements included the pastry and the frangipane, but our hostesses left us to our own devices when choosing the fruit filling. For me there WAS no question – I'd stashed away a jar of our <a href="http://iwaruna.com/2007/07/04/blenheim-apricot-jam/">Blenheim Jam</a> for precisely this purpose. The tart (pudding) came together without much fuss, and the apricots paired beautifully with the almonds in the finished product.<br /></p><p>For those of you who want to try your hand at the tart, Jasmine's posted the recipe <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2009/06/daring-bakers-bakewell-tarterpudding.html">here</a> and Annemarie has it <a href="http://divineambrosia.blogspot.com/2009/06/daring-bakers-bakewell-tart.html">here</a>. And the ongoing escapades of the Daring Bakers can now be found in the <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Kitchen</a>.</p></span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-22031855998910096852009-06-24T13:33:00.000-07:002009-07-27T00:06:01.092-07:00Before the Apple revolution…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/3751720014_e55f71ce39.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 257px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/3751720014_e55f71ce39.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Long before the Steves - Jobs and Wozniak -revolutionized the world of personal computing by reconfiguring the forbidden fruit, produce of a different type dominated the Silicon Valley. At the turn of the twentieth century the hottest commodity in Santa Clara Valley was the apricot, not the apple. And the Royal Blenheim - a probably hybrid of France's Royal and England's Blenheim apricots - was considered the king of pre-Silicon Valley crops from World War II until the tech invasion converted orchards into office parks in the 1970's and 80's.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/3751720184_b289533512.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 177px;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2143/3751720184_b289533512.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> Despite their regal status, these days the finicky Blenheim is often more of a wall flower than a homecoming queen. By today's standards they're smaller than your average apricot and they often retain a pale green tinge around the edge, even at the peak of flavor. Their delicate flesh bruises easily, making them difficult to market to a consumer who equates blemish-free with beauty and perfection. But if you're willing to peak beneath the surface, the Blenheim packs quite a reward. So when John learned that this summer's harvest from the folks at <a href="http://peterwolfe.com/index.htm">Peter Wolfe Ranch</a> in Brentwood was available for pick-up we cleared the calendar for the weekend.<br /><br />We made the trek to Brentwood on Saturday morning, hoping to beat the heat. Vera – the voice of our trusty Verizon-provided GPS navigation system – served us well, only whining a couple of times about "recalculating route…" as she guided us through the rapidly expanding suburban sprawl of strip malls and cookie-cutter houses toward our destination. When we emerged from the car we were pleasantly surprised NOT to be overwhelmed by the heat and we made our way to the shed to pick up our stash. And one taste of the elusive apricot made it clear to us that "progress" is a matter of perspective. I'll take a green-tinged blemished Blenheim over the softball-sized firm-fleshed apricots lining the aisles at the mega mart any day. These little guys are liquid sunshine, and at least in my head they are the taste equivalent of the color apricot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/3750929025_e3dd03575a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 219px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/3750929025_e3dd03575a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> We spent Sunday deploying 24 pounds of apricots. Sadly I spent most of the day scouring the marts of trade for canning supplies since Amazon's shipping department failed to expedite my order. It frightened me that the guy managing the kitchenware department at Bed Bath and Beyond had no idea what a canning funnel or canning tongs were, and was only vaguely more familiar with ball jars, lids, pectin and paraffin. In the end I found the lids and seals on an abandoned aisle at Andronico's, and we made do with my existing inventory of tongs and funnels. Like his great aunt before him, John held hot jars carefully and "offered it up" when they singed his fingertips.<br /><br />While I was traipsing around the Tri-Valley in search of supplies, John was making my kitchen smell like summer. He started with two preserve recipes: <a href="http://iwaruna.com/2007/07/04/blenheim-apricot-jam/">Blenheim Apricot Jam</a> and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03food-recipes-001.html?_r=1">Apricot Butter</a>. When I got home we pulled out the ice cream bowl attachment for the Kitchen Aid and made David Lebovitz' Apricot Sorbet. And I pitted the last of a pound of farmer's market cherries and set to work on a custardy <a href="http://www.ethicurean.com/2007/06/14/apricots/">Apricot Cherry Clafouti</a>.<br /><br />All in all, a weekend well spent.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">For a little more history on the beautiful Blenheim, see this <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/06/16/FDGQU74T961.DTL">article from the Chronicle</a> in 2004.</span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-24831319204875823892009-05-01T21:43:00.000-07:002009-07-01T23:32:29.770-07:00In defense of the doggie bag...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3647/3649432616_54ecfc1ceb.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 223px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3647/3649432616_54ecfc1ceb.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Pay attention to what your body's telling you.<br /><br />That's one of the pieces of advice I'm trying to employ in my quest for a healthier lifestyle as I transition into late middle youth. And while I'm willing to drink a little lemonade and not so many beers (I'm not a beer fan anyway) and eat a few more salads in my next <strike>thirty</strike> forty years, I'm NOT willing to give up my passion for good food. So in an effort at portion control, I'm a judicious proponent of the doggie bag when dining out. And since I've NEVER liked leftovers, that forces me out of my comfort and into my creative zone.<br /><br />Take a recent dinner; a conglomeration of take out and in house leftovers.<br /><br />I started with about a cup of chirashi rice leftover from lunch at <a href="http://kojis-danville.com/index-1.html">Koji's</a>. Added some chopped onion and leftover steamed asparagus. And kicked it up a notch with a dash of Thai sweet chili sauce. I paired this dish with an egg scrambled with another container of sauteed mixed mushrooms left over from dinner at <a href="http://www.bridgesdanville.com/">Bridges</a>. Seasoned with a bit of oregano, a nice foil for my take on "fried rice."<br /><br />A nourishing, soul-satisfying, virtually no (addional) cost meal.<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" width="10" height="10" /> <a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-62502125363827625172009-04-29T17:37:00.000-07:002009-06-21T19:27:28.898-07:00Twenty dollars in tomatoes???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/3641970743_524ec80832.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3383/3641970743_524ec80832.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> Juicy little sun-ripened pearls of red, orange, and yellow, cherry tomatoes have always been among my favorite aspects of late summer. As I've matured I've put names to the faces of the Sungold and the Sweet 100, and I've learned that while they're available at the mega-mart virtually year-round, they're just got as tasty trucked up from the southern hemisphere in the dark days of December...<br /><br />So when I learned that my little Aerogarden offered a kit with cherry tomatoes I thought my md-winter dream of caprese salad might become reality. I'm not exactly a green thumb -- to my mother's great dismay I killed the unkillable palm tree and cactus in college -- but we had some luck with the aerogarden herbs last fall and I was willing to take a risk...<br /><br />And as you can see from the over-exposed photograph above, I DID get tomatoes. Tasty tomatoes. They were slow growing, but the little buds after 8 weeks and the itty bitty orbs in the 12th week kept my attention.<br /><br />I think I missed something in the instructions around properly supporting them though -- my plants caved under the weight of the fully ripened fruit, and each plant yielded about 30 tomatoes before completely giving in. So I'll call it a qualified success and try again next year...<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" width="10" height="10" /><a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-57286768406749105762009-04-27T14:07:00.000-07:002009-04-29T21:42:17.971-07:00Cheesecake: The Sequel (or a tasty sauce hides a world of sins)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3488124594_c218dc563f.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 231px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3488124594_c218dc563f.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>A year ago we conquered <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2008/04/pop.html">cheesecake for children</a>. With this month's <a href="http://thedaringkitchen.com/">Daring Baker</a> challenge, we showcase a more grown-up cheesecake, in many cases all dressed up and headed to the prom. Or the Oscars. For those with baking skills.<br /><br />For someone with my (lack of) talent with cheesecake, we're headed for the homeowner's association planning meeting. Whee!<br /><br />But I digress...<br /><br />The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/">Jenny Bakes</a>. She has chosen <a href="http://jennybakes.blogspot.com/2009/04/daring-bakers-challenge-april-2009.html">Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake</a> as the challenge. But she's given us a LOT of leeway in the execution. She challenged thousands of us to play with it. Make it unique. Make a showstopper of a dessert. Add flavor, sauces, decorations – dress it up and show it off.<br /><br />Um... sure. You realize you're pushing buttons here Jenny. I thought I'd proved in December that I'm <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2008/12/sa-aaaaaanta.html">cheesecake impaired</a>? You want me to get CREATIVE?!?!<br /><br />So I took a couple of deep, cleansing zen-like breaths, rolled up my sleeves, grabbed an apron, said a silent prayer to Martha, Peabody, Shuna, Tartlett and a host of my other baking gods and goddesses... and made some minor modifications to the base recipe.<br /><br />I went with a meyer lemon theme, paying homage to the fruit I played softball with in the back yard as a kid, never guessing I'd one day be spending $1.25 a piece for them.<br /><br />I zested the lemon before I juiced it, and tossed the zest in with a combination of graham crackers and almond meal to form the crust.<br /><br />I added a bit of limoncello to the batter.<br /><br />And when the cake came out of the oven with a couple of crevasses (see... I TOLD you cheesecake impaired), I took a tip from Alton brown and decorated it with a sauce make of sour cream, lemon marmalade and candied meyer lemons.<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" height="10" width="10" /> <a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-59193816520019034102009-04-09T21:51:00.000-07:002009-04-26T11:33:34.065-07:00Waste not...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/3476403237_b5b80b5a3a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 226px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/3476403237_b5b80b5a3a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Letting you all in on a little secret... I'm not much of a breakfast eater.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong... I love breakfast FOOD (I love almost ALL food), but if I had my way, my ideal day would start at the crack of noon. Until I was in my mid thirties, breakfast typically consisted of a can of Mountain Dew on my way to school/work. Diet if I was feeling particularly virtuous.<br /><br />But continuing to enjoy good food as I make the transition into what a colleague calls "late middle youth" requires that I get and keep my (_]_) in gear. Unfortunately my schedule dictates that several of these butt-busting sessions happen in the early morning hours. And since the drama associated with passing out on Lizette mid-workout is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I find myself becoming better acquainted with breakfast.<br /><br />One of my go-to (translated: "you can sleep an extra 15 minutes because this one takes no time to prepare") pre-workout breakfasts is the humble banana, smeared with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Potassium and protein both seem to fuel my workout, and a little natural sugar gives me an additional energy boost.<br /><br />The problem? I'm picky about bananas. I like them almost green. If they've gone all the way yellow, they're over-ripe for me. And they cross my line very quickly, so if I'm not very careful this produces a lot of waste.<br /><br />So I'm always on the lookout for good banana bread and muffin recipes -- a nice alternative to tossing a mushy banana into the blender for a smoothie. And I recently found a GREAT recipe over at <a href="http://www.sugarlaws.com/">Sugar Laws</a> for some mighty yummy <a href="http://www.sugarlaws.com/banana-saffron-muffins">Banana Saffron Muffins</a>. Easy to assemble and Katy's right: the saffron adds a subtle but distinct flavor and makes these muffins something special. An added bonus: they freeze well, and tossed in the toaster oven for a minute and then smeared with a bit of peanut butter it's every bit as quick and satisfying as the aforementioned standard.<br /><br />And anything that affords me a few extra minutes of sleep is a VERY good thing. Just ask anyone who's had the misfortune of scheduling a 6:30 AM conference call with me...<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" width="10" height="10" /> <a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-65359750932936199562009-04-08T21:33:00.000-07:002009-04-08T21:38:42.069-07:00What IS this?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3425105167_6cdbe2b017.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 212px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3539/3425105167_6cdbe2b017.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> This mystery vegetable showed up in this morning's CSA box.<br /><br />Can anyone out there tell me what it is? It's fairly hearty, with a mild bitterness in its raw state.<br /><br />Is it some odd breed of kale? Dandelion greens? Something altogether different? The only thing on the list that I couldn't easily identify in the box was green garlic, and I'm pretty confident it's NOT that.<br /><br />And while we're at it, I'll take any ideas you have for what I might do with it...<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" height="10" width="10" /><a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-42456176731247523602009-03-29T22:59:00.000-07:002009-04-22T22:20:52.311-07:00Daring Bakers... Passport to Italy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3440226409_a6771581ea.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 390px; height: 292px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3605/3440226409_a6771581ea.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Step aside Stouffers... this isn't convenience food. This is my GRANDMOTHER's lasagna. Or something damn close.<br /><br />This month's Daring Baker adventure -- brought to us by Mary of <a href="http://www.beansandcaviar.blogspot.com/">Beans and Caviar</a>, Melinda of <a href="http://www.melbournelarder.blogspot.com/">Melbourne Larder</a> and Enza of <a href="http://www.iodagrande.blogspot.com/">Io Da Grande</a> -- takes us to Italy as it might have been in my great grandmother's era and proves that the simplest of recipes stand the test of time.<br /><br />Paper thin ribbons of spinach-speckled egg pasta, bathed in alternating layers of a beautiful butter-nutty bechamel, a <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/tagliatelle-bolognese-recipe2/index.html">beefy bolognese</a> courtesy of Tyler Florence and a sprinkling of piquant parmesan cheese.<br /><br />Real food. Simple ingredients. And a moderate amount of elbow grease. With the exception of the tomatoes in the sauce and the spinach in the pasta, nothing out of a can, a jar, a plastic bag or a cardboard container.<br /><br />Lynne Rossetto Kasper's <a href="http://beansandcaviar.blogspot.com/2009/03/lasagne-of-emilia-romagna.html">Lasagne of Emilia Romagna</a> warms the heart and soothes the soul -- and thanks to the ladies hosting the March challenge it's my new go-to recipe when I've got an afternoon to kill and I'm looking for old world comfort food.<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" width="10" height="10" /><a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-74588993071951902762009-03-29T10:54:00.000-07:002009-03-29T11:02:55.843-07:00Under the wire...almost<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3395164953_0dc2347c7a.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 288px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3395164953_0dc2347c7a.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> We're still in the process of assembling this month's Daring Baker Challenge, but I didn't want to let the posting window go by yet again without documenting our progress. The bolognese turned out beautifully, and we're optimistic about the other components as well. With this month's time commitments, we may well be enjoying the fruits of our labor on Wednesday, so be sure to check out everyone else's lasagna while we wrap things up here.<br /><br />The March 2009 challenge was hosted by Mary of <a href="http://www.beansandcaviar.blogspot.com/">Beans and Caviar</a>, Melinda of <a href="http://www.melbournelarder.blogspot.com/">Melbourne Larder</a> and Enza of <a href="http://www.iodagrande.blogspot.com/">Io Da Grande</a>. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/">Lynne Rossetto Kasper</a> as the challenge.<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" height="10" width="10" /><a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-6249758957070124212009-03-25T22:18:00.001-07:002009-03-25T22:57:37.214-07:00I'm Ba-aaa-ck!Another one of those parental prophesies is coming true. Time DOES go faster with every passing year. Didn't we just celebrate the new year...how the heck did it get to be SPRING?!?!<br /><br />I haven't slept through the last twelve weeks, really. While my diet continues to shift as I try to strike a balance between what's good for me, what's good for the community, what's good for the planet and what *tastes* good, I've still got a healthy dose of the culinary curiosity that prompted me to start this journey three years ago. I've eaten well, and I've got a large stash of archived photographs to prove it. And I'm rearranging my recreational time over the next couple of days to share some of it with you.<br /><br />Coming soon to a your favorite feed reader:<br /><br />- The Daring Bakers haven't excommunicated me! I've got tuilles! I've got a chocolate valentino! along with a handful of January Tuesdays with Dorie...<br /><br />- A couple of fantastic Tyler Florence recipes...<br /><br />- Several selections sourced from this winter's CSA bounty...<br /><br />Hang in there; I'll wrap up the rewind as quickly as possible so we can move on and enjoy the spring bounty before summer is upon us.<br /><br /><img src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" alt="Delicious" height="10" width="10" /><a href="http://delicious.com/save" onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;"> Bookmark this on Delicious</a>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21795293.post-69006822972812752872009-01-05T20:40:00.000-08:002009-04-08T21:21:07.349-07:00Couscous? Or Quinoa?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/3425872090_b7cac675c6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 176px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/3425872090_b7cac675c6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a>Back in the aftermath of <a href="http://culinarycuriosity.blogspot.com/2007/08/while-rest-of-you-were-making-caramel.html">battle bug</a> we invested pretty heavily in Tupperware. <a href="http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_show_item.show_item_detail?fv_item_category_code=1000&fv_item_number=P10055095000">Modular Mates</a> became THIS girl's best friend. And when year and a half later my "forty flavors of flour" remain flea-free, I'm confident it's been a good investment.<br /><br />As John has mentioned several times, I should have invested in a label maker at the same time. Because the post it notes I chose to employ have long lost their sticky-ness and several of the plastics in my pantry now contain mystery ingredients.<br /><br />Rigatoni is pretty obvious. So are raisins, pine nuts and cornmeal. But when I pulled this recipe for Eating Well Magazine's <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cauliflower_couscous_pilaf.html">Cauliflower and Couscous Pilaf</a> and perused the pantry for ingredients, I wasn't sure whether what I had on hand was couscous or quinoa. I decided it didn't matter, that except for cooking time they'd play equally well in the recipe.<br /><br />Turns out what I have is quinoa. It added a nice nuttiness and a bit of a chewy texture to the final product, which I supplemented with a bit of flaked poached halibut for added protein.<br /><br />Tomorrow I head to Staples for a label maker!<br /><br /><div><img alt="Delicious" src="http://static.delicious.com/img/delicious.small.gif" height="10" width="10" /> <a onclick="window.open('http://delicious.com/save?v=5&noui&jump=close&url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title), 'delicious','toolbar=no,width=550,height=550'); return false;" href="http://delicious.com/save">Bookmark this on Delicious</a></div>Doloreshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06162620206370481186noreply@blogger.com0