Christmas Presents are the Best!

I thought the last thing that I needed was another baking implement (of course I love them, but our apartment has a small kitchen). Then John got me a silicon bouchon mold for Christmas! We had both just tasted delicious chocolate cakes that John's colleague made and thought they were scrumptious, so I was inspired.

My task for the family get-together was appetizers and I really wanted to use the bouchon mold, so I did... I created savory bouchons and they were very delcious (and cute!). Here is the recipe, adapted from a Giada de Laurentis Food Network recipe:










Ingredients

• 2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
• 1/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (from an 8-ounce jar)
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the muffin mix, cheese, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine. In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and eggs until well blended. Add the buttermilk mixture to the muffin mix. Stir to combine. Spoon the mix into the bouchon mold. add some asiago cheese on top. Bake until golden brown on top, about 12 minutes.

Alaskan Salmon Part 1

John and his Dad spent a week fishing in Sitka, Alaska. During the trip, John spotted bears, eagles, whales, and lots of fish. He brought home 100 pounds of freshly frozen salmon and halibut so for the next few months I will be updating you on the delicious dishes we will create with John's catch.

The first meal was salmon, my favorite. It must be my Norwegian heritage, but I cannot get tired of salmon (good thing since we have a freezer full of it). I prepared a recipe that my Dad sent me that is quick and easy and utilizes wine and dill to bring out the natural flavors of the salmon. Please see the comments for the recipe.

Summertime Rolls

I love summer. It is the best time for everything: going to the beach, reading outside, eating fresh food, and drinking fun cocktails. Luckily, I have a great partner in one of my favorite summer activities, drinking fruity cocktails. John created a special post-beach drink for me, a peach daquiri. As you can see it was really peach and so frosty and delicious. Here is the recipe:

Blend together:

2 peaches, lime juice, ice, white rum, and Grand Marnier pour into a cool martini glass.

Another favorite thing of mine is eating fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs from the garden. I have the most wonderful tomatoes right now and we get even better ones from my brother. The biggest thing that has come from my patio garden is my one and only cucumber. It was huge and honestly tasted pretty much like the ones from the store. But it was an exciting experiment.

The most wonderful thing about summer gardens is the plenty that they produce. Last week, I went to Davis and one of my coworkers brought in fresh basil from her garden. She had the basil organized into bunches so we could take them home for dinner, which I did. I was so inspired that I made pesto in order to savor the fresh flavors of summer.

Quiero Taquero

The inspiration for this post comes from three of my friends. First off, the Myers invited us over to their home for their daughter's fantastic birthday celebration. The main party fare was provided by a taquero, a person, or in this case and most cases, two people who prepare carne asada tacos. My other friend from Orange County had never heard of a taquero and that inspired me to create this posting--that and the delicious carne asada tacos we had at the Myers' home.

Taqueros are a southern, southern California phenomenon, in fact, I think many taqueros are actually from Mexico (their trucks are at least). The taqueros come to your home and set up a giant grill where they barbeque carne and pollo asada. The taqueros also prepare fresh pico de gallo salsa. Each guest can choose between beef or chicken tacos ( or choose to have both). The traditional preparation is in two corn tortillas with cilantro and onions, but they also usually add salsa and guacamole as well. These tacos are absolutely delicious and even more so when you know you can have as many as you want. Usually the guys at the party have a competition (big surprise) to see how many they can consume that day. John had a (shameful according to John) five, a low amount, he has topped out at seven at previous events. I have personally seen one of my friends consume eleven tacos. When John asked the taquero what the max he had seen someone consume, he said he once cooked someone 24 tacos! I am not sure if this was a Guinness world record, but this sounds like a pretty amazing achievement to me!

Mushrooms and mushrooms again

John and I are trying to eat a bit more vegetarian since we both know that meat consumption is not healthy or good for the environment. One of my favorite vegetarian dinners is grilled portobello mushrooms with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, but last week John decided to change it up a bit.

First, he experimented by making mushroom ravioli in a parmesan cheese sauce. He started off with shitake mushrooms cut into very small pieces and sauteed them in a little butter with thyme, garlic, and pepper. This amazing filling was stuffed into wonton wrappers, which he even trimmed with a special implement to make the edges zig-zag (always the aesthete). The wontons were then smothered in an amazing parmesan cream sauce, so worth the wait!

That was our Friday night, on Monday night things were a little less fancy, we had mushroom soup and a tomato salad. The mushroom soup included thinly sliced portobellos with garlic that were sauteed in a wine beef broth and then topped with shaved parmesan, chives, and shallot crisps. The soup was tangy and hearty and the shallot crisps were outrageous, everyone must try these delicious pieces of heaven.

Father's Day BBQ

My Dad's wish for Father's day was to have his kids and grandkids over to share in a meal of his favorites--BBQ and blueberry pie. It turned out to be a potluck dinner with everyone bringing a wonderful dish to share with my Dad. We started with some beautiful appetizers created by my Mom, caviar on homegrown cucumbers and the always delicious combination of blue cheese, grapes, and crackers. We toasted my Dad with my new favorite summer before dinner drink, a glass of Crios Rose of Malbec, cheers!

The main course centered on Marc's delicious barbequed ribs. The ribs were perfectly cooked and falling off the bone. My Mom served us two wonderful salads, the black bean and corn salad (I know there are some fans out there, the recipe is in the comments section) and authentic German potato salad. For dessert we had blueberry pie by special request. I found the recipe online, but needless to say with blueberries cooked in sugar, how can it be anything but easy and so tasty!

Saucy 30th Birthday Celebration

John and I think everyone needs a little sauce, and when it is a special celebration, sometimes you need a lot of sauce. Well, sauce was the theme of Nicole's 30th Birthday celebration. We had some celebratory sauce in the form of champagne and one of our super bomb wines, but mostly we had sauce accompanying John's delicious culinary creations.

We started out the evening with some munchies and champagne. The appetizer was a crostini topped with brie and truffled honey. I picked up the honey on a trip to San Francisco to the Ferry Building that included a mushroom store. It was fun to share this souvenir with my family.

We moved to the table to start the saucy adventure with the first course, chilled pea soup. I was inspired by the fact that we were celebrating on the weekend that kicked off summer and wanted to bring the flavors and textures of summer. The pea soup was accompanied by a cream sauce that John decorated into a flower and presented in chilled martini glasses. We served the soup with pea crisps (my favorite new TJ find) that Madeline enjoyed using to eat the soup (so much more fun than a spoon!).

Once we started on the second course, the menu was all John and all sauces. We were served a seared scallop on a red pepper coulis with an avocado sauce. The two sauces were beautiful looking and delicate enough so that the scallop was the star of the show. The Beckman Marsanne wine allowed us to remember our special trip to Santa Barbara that we took last year. We have been waiting to share a Beckman bottle with Marc and Nicole, and now that Abigail is here we can all share in the fun of drinking this special sauce!

The main course also had two inventive sauces that enhanced the wonderful offerings. The entree centered on the lamb tenderloin encrusted with pepper and juniper berries resting on a sauce of blackberry demi. Almost as delicious was the parmesan sauce drizzled on the broccolini. This was served with a cloud of garlic mashed potatoes. For the main course, we dipped into our wine cellar and pulled out my favorite bottle (thanks, Merv!), the Insignia to share for this important celebration. Finally, the dinner was capped off by croissant bread pudding with a raspberry schnapps sauce. The tangy and tart sauce worked perfectly with the sweet rich pudding. As you can see below, Nicole was pretty impressed!

History Staff Luncheon

Twice a year, the UCI History Project, History Department, and Humanities staff are treated to a delicious lunch at Bob and Lynn's home. Past offerings have included grilled salmon and Mediterranean faire, a variety of Indian dishes, and a Mexican feast. Yesterday, when I entered their home the smell of curry and cumin greeted me and I knew we were going to be able to enjoy Bob's delicious Indian cooking! We started off with some wine and conversation and then moved into the dining room that was set up with a large selection of Indian dishes. There were so many options--luckily there were big plates--lamb curry, grilled tandoori chicken, cucumber salad, chickpeas and tofu, curried rice, yogurt sauce, and my favorite spinach dish (for the recipe, check the comments section). Since it was buffet-style we could pile our plates high and then return for more, which I did. The lunch was such a treat, it is a wonderful opportunity for us all to get together and enjoy each others' company. Chatting and catching up over great food is one of life's pleasures. Thank you Bob and Lynn for hosting such a wonderful lunch!

The New Bookclub: Theme Spain

For months the bookclub has been meeting, but many of us have been "bad girls" and not been able to keep up with the hectic reading schedule of one book every two months.  We decided we had to keep getting together and wanted to do something where everyone can contribute.  Erika suggested we have a themed eating and drinking meeting replace reading a book.  So, last week, we kicked off the new bookclub with a Spanish theme.  

As you can see we had a wonderful selection of Spanish red wines to choose from as well as some delicious sangria that Andrea made in honor of our theme.  These paired perfectly with the delicious cheese and olives that Lauren brought.  Lauren marinaded a mix of green and black olives in oil, garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes.  These got our tastebuds ready for our first course, gazpacho.  I used a variation of this recipe, which included tomatoes, grilled red pepper, red onion, garlic, and marjoram.  It was just the right amount of spiciness--luckily for me the onion and garlic had a bit of a bite.  

As we sat around Erika's beautiful dining table and enjoyed each other's company we were served chicken Marbella and Spanish rice family style.  If you have not eaten or prepared chicken Marbella, you should.  The chicken is marinaded for hours with sugar, wine, prunes, olives, herbs, and garlic.  All the sweet, tart, and salty flavors come together while baking to create the Marbella flavors, yum!  Chelsea made her jazzy Spanish rice with tomatoes and peas, a perfect accompaniment.  In my book, the new take on the bookclub was a success!

Dad's 80th Birthday at Addison

Dad's 80th Birthday dinner was one that we will never forget.  We celebrated the evening as an extended family with my Dad's sister, Edna Grace, and long-time family friend, Uncle Don.  We sat around a circle table and the smiles, laughs, and conversation carried us throughout the wonderful meal.  Each bite was a thoughtful combination of flavors and textures that made the meal decadent.  Each course was paired with a specially chose glass of wine served in a beautiful glass. 

Because this was a celebration, we started the evening with a glass of champagne.  Then we were on our way, starting with an amuse bouche of avocado puree with pistachio oil and sea salt with a sourdough crostini.  These California flavors were such a wonderful combination, we were ready to see what would come next!

Because one amuse bouche is never enough, we were served a buttery puffed pastry filled with melted cheese that tasted like gruyere.  This bite-sized morsel was totally mouth-watering and definitely prepared my tastebuds for more, more, more!

The first course was Japanese hamachi (yellowtail) topped with golden caviar that was hidden under a champagne and yuzu crèmeaux (foam).  These types of creations are what the chef at Addison, William Bradley, is known for, using the freshest ingredients with contemporary methods to create beautiful dishes and flavor combinations.  The flavors were truly a fresh way to begin an amazing dinner.

My favorite dish was the prawn in brown butter.  The prawn was halved, with one half topped by grapefruit and the other with lemon sorel.  The tartness of the topping and the juiciness of the prawn was delicious, but the topper (and what made this dish my favorite) was the brown butter.  This tasted like whipped carmelized butter, amazing.  When I finished the prawn I used my bread to scoop up the rest of the butter.  I don't know if this is proper etiquette, and I don't really care, it was delicious!

Our third course was English Dover Sole (this seems like one too many adjectives to describe sole, but I could be wrong) served on a smoked potato purèe and spring morels.  This is one of those dishes where combining the things on the plate from the fish, to the scallion, to the mushroom, and the potato creates the most unique and memorable flavor combination.  Along with this amazing dish we sipped a French pinot noir, "Les Bons Batons."  A perfect pairing!

The main entree was lamb persillè accompanied by the most amazing side dish of fresh mozzarella topped with olives, basil, tomatoes, and bell peppers.  The lamb was perfectly cooked and very tender topped by a layer of herb butter.  This layer of herb butter is where the name persillè originates.  According to the dictionary on epicurious.com, "Persil  is the French word for "parsley" and persillade is a mixture of chopped parsley and garlic. It's usually added as a flavoring or garnish to dishes just before cooking is complete."  The server explained that the butter was created, then frozen, and added to the lamb in the final stage of cooking.  This brought a delicious richness and flavor to the lean meat that was extraordinary!

The cheese course, the cheese course, how can I do justice to the cheese course?  The camembert was the perfect temperature and so creamy and flavorful.  It was accompanied by an aged cheddar that was sweet and tangy and all the good things a cheddar should be, yum!

Between the cheese course and the dessert course we were offered an amazing palate cleanser called simply, "mint chip" on the menu.  This was heaven!  It was mint ice cream that tasted just like mint from the garden and the bottom half of the ball was coated in dark chocolate dust!  This was exactly the reason that I bought John an ice cream maker and a mint plant many years ago.  We never have made the mint ice cream with real mint, but after this dish, I am inspired to do so. 

The gourmet dinner was capped off by a decadent chocolate and peanut butter terrine that was accompanied by a dark chocolate cookie that was lighter than air, a scoop of creamy milk chocolate ice cream, and butterscotch sauce.  This was served with an amazing port that tasted like spiced raisins.  What a topper to an unforgettable meal!

Cinco de Mayo

Since John and I eat Mexican food at least once a week, preparing a Mexican dinner for Cinco de Mayo is a given.  But what to make?  There are so many wonderful choices and we only have one stomach each...Well, ever since our Moms got John cookbooks by the renowned Mexican chef, Rick Bayless, I have been asking for mushroom tacos.  On Cinco de Mayo, my wish came true.  They were filled with portobello and shittake mushrooms and grilled peppers.  The tacos were accompanied by real refried beans and John's famous caesar salad.  Que deliciosa!

African Spices Rub

Some time ago, I got Marcus Samuelsson's cookbook, Discovery of a Continent: Food, Flavors, and Inspirations from Africa.  Whenever I get a chance to use this cookbook, the flavors that emerge from my dishes are amazing.  To cook the pictured chicken, I used the Ras Al-Hanout rub recipe and then stuffed the chicken with lemon, ginger, olives, and garlic.  I trussed the chicken (thanks for teaching me how, Dad) and roasted it on a rack (thanks for the roasting rack, Mom) for about an hour and then we savored the wonderful flavors of North Africa.

Ras Al-Hanout Rub: 1/4 ground cinnamon, 2 tblsp ground tumeric, 1 tblsp ground black pepper, 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cardamom, 1 and 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Wonton Soup

   I want to share this delicious recipe for a wonton soup that John made for us.  We had some pork loin and were wondering what do to with it when John suggested wonton soup.  Even though I had just come back from Korea, the land of soups, I thought this sounded like a great idea (as long as I had nothing to do with making wontons--it is a lot of work people!).  John found this recipe from Emeril Lagasse and altered it to suit our tastes.  A soup suggestion: we used the Trader Joe's Savory Broth packets--they come in vegetable, chicken, and beef.  These packets allow you to use concentrated boullion and add water to create broth.  You can also just use the concentrated broth for sauces. I have found that these are a great option, we don't waste when we open those cardboard containers and we don't need a lot of cans hanging out in our cupboard.  Think green ( and flavorful) and consider using TJ's Broth packets for your next soup

Korean Food Adventure ( in Korea this time)

Most of you know that I had the luck to be selected for a Korean Studies Fellowship to travel to Korea for two weeks.  Not only did we tour the country, but we also had an opportunity to eat many different types of Korean cuisine and get a sense of the culinary tradition of this country.  I definitely enjoyed myself with the many adventures and want to share a few with you.  Above, the national dish, Kimchee (pickled cabbage) is pictured.  Every version of kimchee that was served was absolutely delicious.  Korea, being a peninsula and criss-crossed by rivers, also has a long tradition of serving seafood and the fish below is an example of how it was served to us.  At the first restaurant we visited the server deboned the fish for us.  After this we were left to our own devices, which was not always so elegant.  I can't remember the word (maybe someone can help me) for bon apetit, but I do remember the translation, "eat now!"

Another traditional dish we tried was cornish game hen prepared in a stone pot.  The hen was stuffed with rice, ginseng root, a chestnut, and a date.  Then it was cooked for several hours and served in the pot.  It was served with a side of salt and hot sauce so I could spice it myself.  We ate this on a cold day that capped a lot of walking around, which was the perfect dish for me when I was tired.  On a side note, I shared this with Yongjin, the Director of the Fellowship program, she ate the accompanying chili peppers by first dipping them in hot sauce, wowwee!

Delicious flavors

On our last night in Seoul, we went to a fancy Korean restuarant.  Korean meals usually contain many different courses including appetizers, several soups, many side dishes that have spicy and/or pickled vegetables, and then a main course and even a side fish course.  One of the most unusual dishes I had on this trip is the one pictured above.  It was served on a roof tile and was deconstructed, it is up to the diner to put this delicacy together.  The professor who led our trip demonstrated how to combine the ingredients.  Begin with the round radish that was shaved very thin, it is used like a tortilla to hold the remaining ingredients.  Next you add the cabbage and pork belly.  Then, spread on a little bit of the shrimp paste (in the dish).  Finally, you add as much spicy pickled  vegetables as you like.  I added quite a bit of veggies because by this time, I had a high tolerance for spice.  You fold it up like a taco and eat it all in one bite (with chopsticks).  Now, I know many of you are thinking, gross, right?  You can't  judge until you try it.  This was one of the most delicious things I had on the entire trip, it was salty, spicy, rich, and flavorful!

Pastry Shop in Seoul

You know how you can get any type of cuisine in a big city?  Well, Seoul is no exception.  We had a delicious lunch of sandwiches with pastries for dessert.  The pastries were so pretty you almost (almost) didn't want to eat them.  I also ordered some fresh squeezed kiwi juice that was served looking like a diner shake.