What's cooking?

[Jenise]

Had a couple of friends over for supper tonight. We started with a beet tart that my wife made. I did the panfried sea bass with harissa and rose from the Jerusalem cookbook along with a dish of roasted garbanzos with Swiss chard from a Bon Appetit recipe. We finished with Nigella's light version of flourless chocolate cake from her Feast cookbook. Our friends contributed some stellar homemade salami along with a bottle of "The Napa Valley Reserve" cabernet, which I understand is something made by the Harlan folks for people who join up to do so.

Beet tart? Tell us more about that. My head can't go there, but it wants to!

It sounds like it just needs brightening up. Two thoughts occurred to me: lemon peel (and possibly a squeeze of juice) to give the essence of preserved lemon without having hunks of lemon in the soup--it should pop the spices--and more chopped fresh rosemary to pull that flavor out of the background. It's kind of like you have a great chorus there but you need a few stronger voices.

Re the chorus... yes, exactly the problem. I think I will try this suggestion in tonight's servings.

Tonights dinner.
Olive bread, white cheese with black truffles, sweet grapes and Rosenblum Carla's Reserve 2006 Zinfandel.

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A great simple meal that's not nearly so simple when homemade bread is the star ingredient. Bravo! Thanks for recipe for the muffalata bread, sounds amazing. I've never had anything like it. I'm very impressed that you do all your own baking.

Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.

For Drew Hall:
Sorry did not comment on your question RE: Rosenblum Carla's Reserve. Excellent bottle, nice and plummy on the finish which I enjoy. Reminds me of Amarone somewhat. Rosenblum is a small house with contract vineyards and produces excellent zins for the money. I still have some C reserve from 2000 and they are excellent. Highly recommend their offerings.

[Jenise]

Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.

Yesterday was Spring. And so was last Sunday. The rest has been a bit iffy, though the warming trend has been nice. It's apparently going to get a lot colder this weekend, though. "Almost winter-like temperatures", they said yesterday on Canadian radio.

As soon as we can nail down slightly better weather for enjoying our southern view, I'd love to have you up.

Beet tart?

Yeah, candy for kids! Little round pieces of beet, flavored with turnip, spinach and yucca. ("Especially yucca!" the kids say.)

beettarts111.jpg

Beet tart? Tell us more about that. My head can't go there, but it wants to!

I'll have to find out where she got the recipe. It was pretty simple, involving mostly roasted beets and purchased puff pastry.

Been away wrestling with a new MAC27..Time consuming. The bread with all the veggies is a meal by itself. You should try it and make certain you add plenty of the eggplant. The comment I usually get on the loaf is "is there any more bread ?"
Enjoy the spring, its right around the corner.

Yesterday was Spring. And so was last Sunday. The rest has been a bit iffy, though the warming trend has been nice. It's apparently going to get a lot colder this weekend, though. "Almost winter-like temperatures", they said yesterday on Canadian radio.

As soon as we can nail down slightly better weather for enjoying our southern view, I'd love to have you up.

with some advance notice I will bring the bread.thanks, Mike

Curried leftover Easter Eggs with rice and chutney.

Fusilli col buco with San Marzano diced tomatoes, white wine, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, with large sea scallops and shrimp browned in a little butter and olive oil.. A simple salad of the hearts of romaine and red lettuce, with a hazelnut, champagne vinaigrette.

[Jenise]

Beet tart?

Yeah, candy for kids! Little round pieces of beet, flavored with turnip, spinach and yucca. ("Especially yucca!" the kids say.)

beettarts111.jpg

It sounds like it just needs brightening up. Two thoughts occurred to me: lemon peel (and possibly a squeeze of juice) to give the essence of preserved lemon without having hunks of lemon in the soup--it should pop the spices--and more chopped fresh rosemary to pull that flavor out of the background. It's kind of like you have a great chorus there but you need a few stronger voices.

Re the chorus... yes, exactly the problem. I think I will try this suggestion in tonight's servings.

I threw in a handful of chopped fresh rosemary and squeezed a lemon into it. Better. Thank you. (It still may not make it onto the list of dishes to repeat often.)

Dinner tonight. Risotto with red wine, red onion, porcini and crimini mushrooms; Crostini with grilled asparagus, parmigiano reggiano and aged balsamic vinegar; Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino 2004 half in the rice the other half consumed with dinner.

risotto.jpg

crostini.jpg

Asparagus Season started late this year because of cold weather until now. So the first asparagus dish appears small due to very high prizes. The kg white asparagus is about 24 € (32 $)

Marinated salmon trout with green and white asparagus mousse, fried scallops, raw asparagus slices and elderflower vinaigrette.

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[Jenise]

Heinz, I need that for lunch. Please send.

Really, a beautiful dish. I've made asparagus mousses but never with white--my life will not be complete until I try that. It's a terrific idea, and such a beautiful canvas for plating.

Heinz, do you buy "dry packed" scallops? I can never seem to get a really nice golden sear on my scallops like you have. I just had scallops two days ago, and they are so loaded up with a phosphate solution and water, that I have to spend a lot of time patting them with paper towels to absorb all the water they release. They were tasty and very large, but I could not get that good sear without cooking them to death. I've asked about getting dry packed and have been told, "oh yes. we can get them but they are very pricey." So, I wonder, well if I am getting scallops with 30% water in them, what kind of a deal am I really getting!

[Jenise]

Karen, try salting the surface of the scallop about ten minutes before you put them in the pan. That will further dessicate the surface and improve color. You're right that there's nothing like dry packed, though.

[Jenise]

Dinner tonight: an absolutely stunning fresh swordfish steak purchased at Uwajimaya in Bellevue yesterday. Will probably serve it on lentils cooked with garlic, onion and tomato, a favorite of ours for swordfish. But I also might just do nothing but lemon butter. The simplicity is so suitable for a fish that such's a treat for us here (fresh fish outside of Seattle SUCKS).

Karen, you can always do what Emeril does to get a good sear on the scallops: sprinkle a little fine sugar on them... they'll color up!

For seared scallops, Karen, try this once.
Night before place scallops in glass dish on double layer of paper towels. Cover with paper towels touching scallops. Saute' in clarified butter to get a golden crust. Seems to work for me.

Agree with Mike....Clarified butter and dry as you can get them.

For seared scallops, Karen, try this once.
Night before place scallops in glass dish on double layer of paper towels. Cover with paper towels touching scallops. Saute' in clarified butter to get a golden crust. Seems to work for me.

I've gotten to the point at which if I can't get dry packed scallops, I don't buy scallops. I'm guessing this procedure doesn't get you something as good as the dry ones, but does it come close?

Wow, great suggestions, can't wait to try all of them and compare. Must do this for lunch one day, Then we'll eat them right away. Great ideas....I wonder how Ghee would work in place of clarified butter?

Dinner tonight: an absolutely stunning fresh swordfish steak purchased at Uwajimaya in Bellevue yesterday. Will probably serve it on lentils cooked with garlic, onion and tomato, a favorite of ours for swordfish. But I also might just do nothing but lemon butter. The simplicity is so suitable for a fish that such's a treat for us here (fresh fish outside of Seattle SUCKS).

I saw fresh swordfish at our local fish market the day I bought the scallops. My mouth was watering at their offerings. Now I will have to go back and get some. Must try it with the lentils you mentioned. I am determined to like lentils. I have red and French Green on hand...do you have a preference?