Harvest Time

No matter where I've lived, fall has always been my favorite time of year.  In Napa, it meant the crush, the entire valley perfumed with ripe grapes...  In Tahoe it was the beginning of crisp days with the aspen leaves starting to turn and the excitement of the first fat snowflakes...  Here in the Northwest, it is mushroom season.  With our lush forests and mild climate, we experience an autumn bounty, ripe for the taking by anyone who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty.  It's a touch bittersweet, hailing the end of beautiful weather and perfect produce, soon we will be back to cooler temperatures, kale, cabbages and winter squash...

twenty pounds of chanterelles in about an hour...not bad!!

One of the most common questions I get from guests at dinner parties is how to coax more flavor out of mushrooms.  People complain that their mushroom dishes turn out watery and tasteless, but they know that if treated right, mushrooms have an intense umami flavor and a meatiness that rivals many beef dishes.

The trick for mushrooms is this:

In a heavy skillet (cast iron is best), heat a copious amount of butter or olive oil until very hot.  You will be walking a fine line here between creating a good sear and burning the butter/oil solids.  While your pan is heating, cut up your mushrooms into bite-sized chunks: halves or quarters for button mushrooms and random geometric shapes for larger varieties.  Add just enough mushrooms to cover the bottom of the pan- do not crowd them, and then do not touch them for at least three minutes.  After they have had time to brown on one side, turn them and repeat the same act of patience.  If your mushrooms are very watery, this will take a bit longer as all of the liquid will have to cook out before the pieces can begin to brown.  When the mushrooms are brown on all sides, remove them to a bowl, wipe out the pan, add more fat, and continue until you have as much as you need.  If you want to incorporate garlic or fresh herbs, add them towards the end of the last batch.  The high heat needed to sear the mushrooms will burn the garlic and kill the flavor of the herbs long before the mushrooms are cooked if added too early, and salt towards then end of the cooking time.  Salting early on draws out too much moisture and slows things down. 

Once you have the mushrooms seared, you can fold them into or use them to top just about anything...pasta with a bit of cream and tarragon, an omelet, mac'n'cheese, or, as I did last night, on top of soft polenta enrobed in taleggio cheese with thyme, rosemary,  tarragon and parsley.  Oh, and a dash of truffle oil for good measure!

The Chicken Chronicles III: Our First Eggs

Since I last wrote about our little chickies, all sorts of progress has been made towards the reason we raised them up.

Unfortunately, we did end up loosing one to an unknown issue.  The odd thing about the loss of this particular chicken is that she was the dominant one from the beginning, she was the only one that was a different color than her sisters, she was the friendliest, and she was the prettiest of them all...  She had the most lovely silver and black feathers that were purple and green edged in the sunlight.  One day she seemed depressed, and then her tail feathers fell out, and then one day she "went to the farm upstate."  Oh well.  I bet she would have laid a tasty egg...

Aside from loosing the one hen, everything else is going very well.  After a few initial hiccups (laying outside the nest, laying eggs without shells, laying eggs while sitting on the roost so they drop more than a foot), things seem to be going smoothly.  It appears that the first couple of eggs a chicken lays have a few issues, either logistically or with their development, but by the time egg number four or five comes out, the girls seem to get the hang of it.  I have to say though, it is very amusing how after they lay their first egg, they seem startled, and then strut around all special-like. 

Today was our most productive egg day so far, with five of the nine chickens coming on line.  Some of the eggs weren't keepers, but it's a sign that we will be flush with eggs very soon.  The first eggs that some of them are laying are just the sweetest little things ever...about half the size of a regular large AA egg, they're just darling.  And Stumpy, the hen that we had to quarantine with leg problems, lays the cutest eggs of all.  She's a bit smaller than the other chickens and lays proportionally petite eggs.   

My Best Lemon Cake

Aside from chocolate, this is my most often requested flavor for a celebration cake.  I like to make a citrus pound cake, soak it with lemon syrup, and layer it with lemon cream and white chocolate mousse, then top it off with fluffy torched meringue!  Depending on the season and the preferences of the client, I'll often infuse the mousse with a touch of herbal flavor- both rosemary and lavender provide a wonderful counterpart to the sweetness of the meringue and the tangy lemon cream.

Citrus Pound Cake
yield: 1 8" cake

4 eggs
1 3/4 c sugar
3/4 c plus 1 T vegetable oil
3/4 c thick plain yogurt
zest of 2 lemons
2 T orange liquor
1 t vanilla
2 3/4 c all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line an 8"x3" round pan with parchment on the bottom.  Do not grease the sides.

In a stand mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and oil and whisk until thick ribbons fall from the whip.  Add the yogurt, zest, liquor and vanilla and mix to combine.  In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients then fold into the egg mixture.  Pour the batter into the ready pan and bake until a tester comes out clean.  It will take about an hour, but I would start testing at 45 minutes and probably cover with foil to prevent excessive browning.  Once fully cooked, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes before unmolding.  Cool completely at room temperature.  Wash and dry the cake pan- you will need it to assemble the cake.  Wrapped well this cake will keep for a few days at room temperature.


Lemon Cream (adapted from Tartine)
yield: enough for filling one layer of one 8" cake

3 1/2 oz lemon juice
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
3 2/3 oz sugar
5 oz butter, cut into 10 pieces

Set up a double boiler.  In a medium metal bowl (not aluminum) or the top of the double boiler, combine the eggs, sugar and them lemon juice until well combined.  Continue whisking over boiling water until the mixture reaches 180F and is thick.  Immediately remove from heat, transfer to a blender,  and allow to cool, stirring frequently, until 140F.  Once the cream has reached the proper temperature, turn on the blender and begin to add the butter, one piece at a time, allowing each piece to become completely incorporated before adding the next.  This will create a thick, opaque cream that is rich and light at the same time.  Once all of the butter has been incorporated, transfer to a non-reactive container and refrigerate until ready to use.  


White Chocolate Mousse 
yield: enough to fill one 8" cake layer with a bit left over (about 2 3/4 c)

**note: this must be done as you are assembling the cake- get everything ready so you can spread the mousse before the gelatin sets**

3.5 grams gelatin
6 oz white chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 c heavy cream, chilled

Bloom the gelatin in 2 T cold water for 10 minutes.  Bring 1/2 c cream to a boil, remove from heat, then add the gelatin to dissolve.  Pour over the chopped white chocolate and allow to sit, untouched, for five minutes.  Stir gently to melt all the chocolate and allow to cool until thick ribbons fall from a spoon when lifted.  Meanwhile, whip the remaining cream to soft peaks.  Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, whip into the cream.  If your chocolate is too warm, it will deflate the cream a bit, but don't worry too much- put the bowl in the cooler for a while until the mixture is cool to the touch (but not set), then whip until it's light and fluffy.  Use immediately.


Lemon Syrup 
yield: for 1 8" cake

1 c sugar
3/4 c water
juice of 1 lemon

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil and cook until the sugar is dissolved.  Allow to cool to room temperature, then add the lemon juice.


Italian Meringue (adapted from Tartine)
yield: for 1 8" cake

**have the cake assembled and chilled before making the meringue**

7 oz egg whites
306 grams sugar
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Over a pan of boiling water, whisk the mixture until it is hot to the touch (120F) and frothy.  Remove from the heat, return to the stand, and begin mixing on medium-high speed until you have a rich, glossy mass that holds stiff peaks.


To assemble:
Line the cake pan with enough plastic wrap to have 3" hanging over each side.  Cut the domed top off the cake and then cut into three even layers.  Place the bottom layer, bottom side down, in the cake pan, then soak with about 1/3 of the lemon syrup.  Pour in the mousse and smooth with an offset spatula.  Add the next cake layer and soak with more syrup, then top with the lemon cream.  To finish add the last layer and soak with some lemon syrup.  Wrap very well and allow to set up in the refrigerator for at least four hours or over night.  At this point, you can frost the cake with the meringue, torch it gently with a propane torch, and serve immediately or keep for up to one week in the refrigerator. 

When time allows, I like to let the cake temper on the counter for about 20 minutes before frosting and serving.  There's a delicate balance between pound cake and cream fillings- the pound cake is best when not completely cold, but the fillings will melt if allowed to get too warm...so use your best judgement.

Fresh Chickpea Falafel

Freshly made falafel is, in my opinion, one of the simple pleasures in life (kind of like a California super burrito).  I have made it a few times using a few different recipes and so far this is my favorite.  This particular recipe employs both fresh (green) chickpeas and dried, though if you don't have access to green chickpeas you can substitute in more dried ones, you just don't get the same bright color.  As an alternative, I have seen frozen chickpeas periodically at Costco and almost always at Whole Foods.


Fresh Chickpea Falafel
yield: 4 servings
1 1/4 c fresh chickpeas
2 c dried chickpeas, cooked and drained
6 T bulgur wheat
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T ground cumin
1 T baking soda
1/4 c mixed mint, cilantro and parsley, chopped
salt to taste

In a food processor, pulse the onion, garlic and bulgur until finely chopped.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture comes together into a medium-smooth paste, scraping down the sides frequently.  Transfer to a container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the paste into patties about 2" in diameter and 1/2" thick.  Press the mixture firmly together so it will hold it's shape when you fry them.  To cook, heat a heavy skillet and add about 1/4" of oil (canola or other neutral oil).  When the oil begins to shimmer, add in the patties and cook until well browned on each side.  Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with pita, tzatziki, tomatoes and your favorite accompaniments.

Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival 2011

Good times!  If you missed the Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival this year, make sure to attend in 2012.  This year was the second time around for this event, and I think I can safely say that all of the attendees enjoyed themselves.  With thirty-something wineries, a couple of breweries, and at least fifteen different local food businesses to get tasty samples from, how could you go wrong?

On top of all of the food and (very generous) wine pours, there were all sorts of demonstrations and classes going on- culminating with an Iron Chef-style cook off between Chefs Kevin Gillespie (from Top Chef) and Thad Lyman (from our own Brix 25)!  I haven't heard yet which man won...

Bookmark the festival's website here and keep an eye out for next year's date!

Plenty

As you all know, I rarely plug or review cookbooks on this blog.  However, this book, new to my collection, is worth mention for a few key reasons.  Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi has great recipes with lots of creativity, heavily relying on spice blends and flavors that are still uncommon in most American homes.  I would say that this book has been my best buy over the last few years.  Usually, when I purchase a cookbook, I'm happy if there are five items I want to try.  In this book, I want to cook and eat every recipe.  And it doesn't hurt that the photography is beautiful!   

This is a vegetable book- it's not about being vegetarian, it's just vegetable based; and most dishes can stand on their own or go great next to a nice cut of meat.  So far every recipe I've tried has turned out beautifully, with (sometimes unexpected) synergistic flavors and nice balance between different components and textures. 

If you don't have a well stocked spice cabinet, it would be hard to get started with this book.  Most recipes have a few different spices as well as fresh herbs.  Once you have all the components on hand, you'll find the flavor combinations addictive.  I chose to share the recipe below since the ingredient list is pretty accessible.

Chickpea sauté with Greek yogurt

3/4 # swiss chard
5 T olive oil
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 1/2 c cooked chickpeas
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ lemon, juiced
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 c Greek yogurt
1 T olive oil

Wash the chard, separate the stalks from the leaves, blanch the stalks for five minutes and the leaves for two, then chop both into ½cm dice.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan, add the carrots and caraway seeds, and sauté for five minutes. Add the chard and chickpeas, sauté for six minutes, then stir in the garlic, lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper, remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

To serve, mix the yogurt, tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. When the vegetables are warmish or even room temperature, pile them on plates and top with a tablespoon of the yogurt mix. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and some more oil.

Zucchini Pickle Recipe

Due to popular demand...! 
Here is the zucchini pickle recipe I used- alter the sugar to your taste, I always cut it back a little bit.

Pickled Zucchini
this should make enough for four quarts

2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
3 c sugar
1/4 c salt
1/2 t turmeric powder

Prepare your quart canning jars as usual (clean, sterilize and hold hot), meanwhile, bring the above ingredients to a boil.

Into each jar, place:
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1/2 t each black peppercorns and coriander
a pinch of red pepper
2 allspice berries

Pack in zucchini slices until the jar is almost full to the threads.  Have ready a boiling water bath, then fill each with the boiling vinegar mixture, leaving 1/3-1/2" of headspace.  If you're paranoid like me, use a pH strip to test the acid content of the liquid- it should be below 4.6.  Top with your hot, sterile lids and rings, and process for 12-15 minutes.