Lamb Roulade for Dinner

Tags

roulade, rouladen

Oh yes! And a surprising dinner it was. I’ve/we’ve had Beef Rouladen several times. But lamb? This was a first. And this was superb!

A roulade is a dish of filled rolled meat or pastry. Traditionally found in various European cuisines, the term roulade originates from the French word “rouler”, meaning “to roll”.However, the term may be used in its generic sense to describe any filled rolled dish, such as those found in maki sushi.

Meat
A meat-based roulade typically consists of a slice of steak rolled around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, or other meats. A roulade, like a braised dish, is often browned then covered with wine or stock and cooked. Such a roulade is commonly secured with a toothpick, metal skewer or a piece of string. The roulade is then sliced into rounds and served. Of this common form, there are several notable dishes:
Braciole, Italian roulade consisting of beef, pork or chicken usually filled with Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs
Paupiette, French veal roulade filled with vegetables, fruits or sweetmeats
Rouladen, German and Hungarian beef roulade filled with onions, bacon and pickles. Also Kohlrouladen, cabbage filled with minced meat.
Španělské ptáčky (Spanish birds) are roulade in Czech cuisine. The recipe is practically identical with German Rouladen, perhaps omitting wine and adding a wedge of hard-boiled egg and/or frankfurter to the filling. Unlike the large roulade, sliced before serving, the “birds” are typically 10 cm (3.9 in) long, served whole with a side dish of rice or Czech style bread dumplings.
Szüz tekercsek (“Virgin rouladen”), in Hungary a dish[clarification needed] filled with minced meat.
Zrazy (or “rolada”), in Poland

Here is the Recipe for the Lamb Roulade. You can follow the photos for help. Enjoy!

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Carrot planks on th bed of ground lamb.

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Bok Choy on top of the carrot planks.

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Spinich is laid in place.

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Chopped Mint is sprinkled on the spinach.

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Gently roll the lamb into a roll using the waxed paper as a helper to keep the roll together.

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Place the roll into a bread pan.

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The lamb has cooled and is now sliced.

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Lamb Roulade
Spring Salad Mix
2015 Parma Ridge Carmenere

Wonderful Brunch at Parma Ridge Winery Bistro

Tags

BBQ, bistro, Parma Ridge

Thank you so much Artist Stephanie and Chef Storm Hodge for another delightful brunch! These brunches are superb! 5-Star! (Bistro Weekend Menu – subject to change – or Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro) And many thanks to Garry and Donna for meeting us at the bistro for lunch, despite the highway detours! Here is what we had along with our 2016 Parma Ridge Winery Tre Bianchi and a 2015 Parma Ridge Winery Carmenere. Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

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Coconut Breaded Deep-Fried Shrimp
over
Coconut Lime Rice
with
Korean Barbeque and Sweet Chili Dipping Sauces
They were that good! Started out with 6 shrimp.

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Korean Barbeque Chicken Skewers
with
Coconut Lime Rice and a Korean Barbeque Sauce

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Grilled Flat-Bread
with
Italian Sausage, Pepperoni and Mushroom with Homemade Red Sauce

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Parma Ridge Pear Salad
Mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese and Poached Pear with Grilled Bread

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Parma Ridge Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Brunch Burger – Quarter-Pound Black Angus Burger
with
Melted Double Cream Brie, Apple-wood Smoked Bacon, and Sunny-side up Egg
with
Lemon-Tarragon Aioli and Rosemary Garlic Truffle Fries

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Best Ever Biscuits and Gravy
Sausage Gravy
over
Fresh Bacon Cheddar Biscuit topped with a Sunny Side Up Egg

And to follow-up from the Parma Ridge Winery web page,

Savor the Flavor
Offering both an in-house menu in the Tasting Room and custom menus for your scheduled event, Storm is looking forward to making your day special. From appetizers to full course meals, Parma Ridge offers both the taste and the view. Come by during tasting room hours to enjoy one of his delicious menu items, or contact us today to plan your special event!

I did mention to Stephanie that Robin and I have probably had close to all of the items offered on the menu. We have never had a bad selection, but there are some we prefer! The Parma Ridge Bistro is definitely a 5-Star winery bistro in the Snake River AVA.

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Love this photo by Stephanie Hodge! So dramatic!

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards Wine Dinner at Bella Aquila

Bella Aquila Restaurante in Eagle, ID sponsored the 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards wine dinner. A full 6 course dinner was served with as many 3 Horse Vineyards wines. The participation was superb and the crowd enjoyed themselves. It was good to see the Cunninghams again – it has been a while. They are the owners of the winery. Also they have added Brandon St-Martin to their staff as the winery manager. Just look at this menu. (You can Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.)

Gary Cunningham, owner of 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards, talks to the crowd.

Brandon St-Martin, Manager

The menu. Look what you missed!

Passed Appetizers.

Arugula Leaf Salad tossed with White Pear Vinaigrette, Fresh Pear, Polenta Croutons and Truffle Cheddar Cheese

 

Baked Idaho Trout with a Strawberry Beurre Rouge, Roasted Almond Rice Pilaf and Asparagus

 

Braised Leg of Lamb served over Creamy Risotto

 

Pepper Crusted Smoked Flat Iron Steak, Bourbon Glaze, Twice Baked Fingerling Potato and Baby Carrot

 

Chocolate Lava Cake with Raspberry Coulis

 

The Chefs are congratulated on a meal well done! Bella Aquila Manager is in the background.

Very good 2014 Vivacious™ wine.

Wild Root Cafe and Market at the JUMP in Boise

Tags

JUMP, Wild Root Cafe

A good evening. Thanks to the JUMP Staff (Jack’s Urban Meeting Place – named for Jack Simplot) for their assistance in having a wheel chair available for Robin and handicap parking available for the car. Security was extremely helpful as was the Staff. Here is a link to their site: JUMP Boise.
I believe that this was the first time that Wild Root Cafe and Market was at the JUMP. They are located at 276 N 8th Street, Boise, ID 83702, Call. (208) 856-8956 Their hours are: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM – Monday – Wednesday; 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM – Thursday-Saturday; Brunch served until 3:00 PM on Saturday; Closed Sunday. Kitchen closes 15 minutes prior to closing. Here is what was on the program tonight.

The menu was really interesting. Mignardises are: Small sweet tid-bits served at the end of the meal (after dessert), usually with coffee. It’s derived from the old French word, “Mignard” which means either small child, or graceful, pretty and delicate.

Salad –
Endive, citrus, shallots, pistachio cracker, cheese cake, pomegranate vinaigrette

Main Course –
Coffee bison short rib, beet gnocchi, celery root, fava, winter greens, demi and micros

Dessert –
Orange hazelnut mignardises, passionfruit puree, goat caramel, meringue, chocolate and citrus oil

2013 Tikal Malbec and Bonarda

2015 Moscado d’Asti

Preparing dessert

Two rows of tables were setup. This was our table.

All in all, a good night. The food was good, although Robin and I both thought a little salty. We really watch our salt intake and use very little at home. The room tended to be a little noisy and could use some sound baffles – tapestry on walls, etc. Wild Root Cafe uses as many local products as possible. Not much grows around here in the winter – especially this winter.

Thanksgiving 2016

Tags

Dried Corn, heirloom vegetables, Spatchcock, wilted lettuce

And a great day it was! Dinner finished almost on time. Marnie, Chris and Anna joined us. The turkey tuned out fantastic – the first time I have done a spatchcock turkey and it was awesome. Veggies roasted great. Turkey was moist, tender and delicious. I took several pictures on my phone – 3 – of the dinner plated, Marnie and Robin and Chris and Anna, but they never appeared on my phone. They’re out in La-La land somewhere. Here, though, are some photos of preparing the dinner and maybe I’ll make a photo of the plated dinner – at least close to it. Cheers – This was really fun to do!

Getting the Bacon Wrapped Dates ready. Stuffed with Chopped Almond.

Dates ready for the oven.

Mushroom Stuffed Puff Pastry.

Finished product.

Turkey has been spatchcocked (backbone removed) and sitting on heirloom root vegetables – carrot, parsnips and onion – to keep the turkey off the bottom of the pan.

Cooking in the oven at 400 degrees F. This after 1 hour. One more hour to go for a 14 lbs turkey.

Plated

Spatchcock Turkey
Robin’s Cranberry Sauce
Dried Corn
Wilted Lettuce Salad
Roasted Heirloom Vegetables
Stuffing Cups
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy throughout
2006 and a 2008 Indian Creek Winery (ID) Pinot Noir

Skillet Apple Pie

These wines were available for dinner. We only had the oldest two on the left. Super paring and wines.

In order to do a dinner like this, one needs to make a “schedule of events”. Thursday, I also made a schedule like this hour-by-hour.

Visiting The Melting Pot

Tags

Atlantic Salmon, Fondue, salmon

Visit The Melting Pot in Boise for a fun dinner or Happy Hour. Good food with a fun presentation. And yes, the kids are welcome! 4-Star restaurant in Boise. And here is a link to their extensive Fondue Menu. Check it out! More importantly, I think, is “just what is a fondue?”
According to the Cambridge dictionary, “a hot dish prepared by keeping a container of either hot oil or melted cheese over a flame at the table and putting pieces of meat in the oil to be cooked or pieces of bread into the cheese.”
And from Justhungry.com, “In Switzerland, ‘la fondue’ means a cheese fondue and nothing else. Other types of dip-bits-of-food-in-a-communal-pot dishes are specifically called fondue-something, e.g. fondue bourgignonne (bits of beef filet fried in a pot of oil), fondue chinoise (thin slices of beef or other things cooked in a pot of broth), and so on.”
The cheese fondue at The Melting Pot consists of, “CLASSIC ALPINE – rich, sweet-yet-earthy
Featured Cheeses: Gruyère, Raclette, Fontina. Melted with: White wine, garlic, fresh nutmeg. Gluten Free $8.95” Delcicous. Here is what we had to complete this 4-Star evening. Enjoy!

Window sign at 6th and Main Streets in Boise.

Main bar. A large varity of beer and wine.

I you wish in season, a nice patio.

A 2013 Ravenswood Zen of Zin for us!

APPLE BACON SPINACH
Fresh spinach, crimini mushrooms, sliced egg, spicy pecans, Granny Smith apples and apple bacon vinaigrette
Gluten Free 5.75

And yes, a salad at the Melting Pot. They have 3 selections, although since the Caesar Salad has minimal, and barely noticeable anchovies, I don’t really call it a Caesar Salad. (Those were the Waiters words.) The above salad was delicious!

CLASSIC ALPINE FONDUE
rich, sweet-yet-earthy
Featured Cheeses: Gruyère, Raclette, Fontina
Melted with: White wine, garlic, fresh nutmeg
Gluten Free $8.95

Stirring the Classic Alpine Fondue

Classic Alpine Fondue

Hmmm. It was good!

ATLANTIC SALMON FILET
potato, mushroom and brioccoli

21.50

How To Make a Caesar Salad Dressing

Tags

anchovies, anchovy, caesar salad dressing

Actually, it’s not hard. Just takes some patience. And ANCHOVIES! I really don’t think a Caesar Salad is just that without the anchovies in the dressing. A Caesar Salad must have the anchovies! Here is a recipe we use. Enjoy.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Source: adapted from and photo from – http://www.thekitchn.com/
Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 (2-ounce) can oil-packed Anchovy Fillets, drained
2 cloves Garlic, coarsely chopped
3 lg Egg Yolks
1 t Dijon Mustard
2 T Lemon Juice
2 T Olive Oil
½ c Vegetable Oil
2 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper

Directions:
Make an anchovy-garlic paste: Mince the anchovies and garlic together until the mixture is mostly smooth and the garlic is minced, about 3 minutes; set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl until smooth.
Add the mustard: Whisk in the mustard until just combined.
Add the anchovy-garlic paste: Whisk in the anchovy-garlic mixture.
Whisk in the lemon juice: While whisking, pour in the lemon juice, then whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the olive oil: While whisking, stream in the olive oil to create a thick emulsion. Once all of the olive oil is added, whisk for another minute to thicken.
Finish with vegetable oil: Continue whisking and slowly stream in the vegetable oil. Again, once all of the vegetable oil is added, whisk for another minute to thicken.
Season and serve: Whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper as needed. Serve immediately on Chopped Romaine Lettuce or grilled Romaine Lettuce.

Happy Hour at Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant

Tags

Parma Ridge Restaurant, Parma Ridge Winery

We’ve not been out to Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant for their Friday Happy Hour until last night. Glad we went. They are very busy, so if you have a crowd of more than four, it’s best to call ahead. The patio is open and a large part of it is covered.The menu may also be somewhat different than the Saturday or Sunday Brunch menus. Check the link above for the available menus or look at This Weekend at Parma Ridge to see the menu varieties for at least one of the weekends. Whenever you go, and I highly suggest this 5-Star winery and restaurant, you will be treated to some awesome wines and definitely some awesome food as prepared by Chef Storm and Sous Chef Megan. The Staff in the restaurant has grown! They have added Sous Chef Megan and service Staff. Our server Tammy was excellent. Thank-You! Here is some of the Happy Hour food that was at our table. We did not eat all of this as Fred and Dottie Christensen joined us. Good to see friends there. Enjoy! We did.

Chicken Pesto Sandwich – $9.95
Grilled Chicken and Homemade Pesto with Prosciutto and melted Swiss Cheese on a Toasted Ciabatta Bun with Fresh Cut Truffle Fries

Fred had this.

Parma Ridge Pear Salad – $8.95, with Grilled Chicken $11.95
Mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese and Poached Pear with Grilled Bread

Dottie had this. The salad is huge!

One-Inch Cut Char-Grilled Ribeye Steak – $16.95
Topped with Bleu Cheese Butter and accompanied by Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes with Cabernet Beef Demi-Glace, Grilled Asparagus and Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

Robin had this and took half of it home! It is a large portion.

Storm’s Famous Salmon – $16.95
Brined, Lightly Smoked and Pan Fried with Rosemary Truffle Butter and Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes accompanied by Grilled Asparagus Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

This is what I had. Delicious and moist!

We did have wine. A wonderful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that paired wonderfully with asparagus. (Robin tried the newest rage of vanilla ice cream in red wine. She tried it with this blend. Wasn’t bad! If you like Guinness and Ice Cream you will probably like this.) And then we had some –

2015 Chardonnay, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Everything you would expect from the terroir of the area, this dry Chardonnay is made with Chardonnay grapes from Fargo Farms and a touch of Gewürztraminer from Parma Ridge Vineyards. This wine has been created to preserve the intense flavors and aromas without any manipulation. Hints of grapefruit and rosemary compliment the tart finish to be enjoyed any time of the year.

​2015 Dry Riesling, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Made with 100% Riesling, this dry wine features melon with citrus notes and touches of honey crisp apple. This smooth wine is a perfect complement creamy pasta and sharp cheeses. This also pared very well with asparagus. Hard to find a wine that pares well with asparagus or artichoke and maybe avocado.

Such a great evening at the winery and restaurant. Definitely 5-Stars!!!

Good Breakfast; Awesome Dinner

Breakfast was OK. Robin doesn’t particularly like Baby Swiss. Cheddar is better. But, thanks to Desert Mountain Farms and Ed Wilsey, the 1″ pork chops were super. Huge! Delicious. And we make our own stuffing for these – it could have been better this time, though. Corn was from —- somewhere. Bacon from Twin Falls. Bread from Acme Bakeshop. Eggs from Meadowlark Farms. The salad was from Idaho – greens, onion, tomato. Love this time of year when the produce can be purchased from the Boise Farmers Market every Saturday at 10th and Grove. So here are our meals. All of them very easy to do; No particular recipe. Wing it!

Poached Eggs
on
Acme Bakeshop Multi Grain Toast
Baby Swiss Cheese
Bacon
Black Grapes

Stuffed Desert Mountain 1 1/2″ Pork Chops
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad
2015 l’effet Papillon Grenache Blanc

Wonderful 40th Birthday Party for Ravenswood Winery

And such a great party it was! 80 people plus attended and we felt quite honored to be included. Robin did help start the winery back in the early to mid 1970’s. From their web page, “On a fall day in 1976, as ravens taunted from tree branches above, Joel Peterson worked doggedly to bring in four tons of grapes before a looming thunderstorm hit. The fruit he crushed that night was used for one of two single-vineyard Sonoma County Zins – the first wines to bear Ravenswood’s signature ring of ravens. The fledgling winery got off to a great start when those wines came in #1 and #2 at a prestigious San Francisco tasting in 1979. With the critical thumbs-up, Joel was able to gather a few wine-loving investors to help get his winery off the ground. He still didn’t have enough money to buy property, so he looked around for more grapes.” Ravenswood Winery, web page.
But before we get there, we had to travel. Here are some of the places we stopped. Donner Summit is the high pass before we hit the Sacramento Valley.

Here we are. See the snow?

And in case it snows too deep, one can always find the fire hydrant.

Robin enjoys some fried chicken.

And so does a chipmunk.

Such a great market to re-stock your supplies. Corti Brothers web page. If in Sacramento well worth the stop. But you can order online, also.

How about some really wonderful prosciutto?

Lunch. Prosciutto and Corti Brothers Red Potato Salad, melon and Verner’s Ginger Ale.

Mango ice cream and fresh mango. Slightly spicy.

How about a pork tamale?

Our motel in Sonoma.

Beautiful flowers.

Love the gardens in the motel atrium.

And the gargoyle.

Cat fountain.

And the night before the super Ravenswood birthday, we must eat dinner. Here’s what we had at the Sonoma Grille. Super patio eating, if you wish. Awesome meal!!

Patio area.

This dip was delicious. Garlic-Pesto-Butter. The two wines were pinot noirs. (L) 2013 Cline Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast and (R) 2013 Trecini Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley. I liked the Trecini best. Bigger, fuller. Wonderful.

Fresh oysters. They were delicious!

Robin had these

Lamb Chops in Curry Sauce
with
Crispy Polenta and Fresh Vegetables

I had

NY Steak
with
Pinot Noir Reduction
Potato Fingerlings and Fresh Vegetables

And to go with chocolate, (L) Rivessaltes, historic sweet wines of eastern Roussillon and (R) Sauterne

Awesome Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Mousse

And now to Ravenswood Winery. Happy 40th Birthday!!

The menu for the party and 80+ guests.

Library wines for dinner.

Light wines with the appetizers.

The special birthday wine. Very limited. At least were able to get 1 case.

Ceviche for an appetizer. A little spicy but good.

Some barrel storage.

A small barrel. That’s Chris standing there. He is 6′ tall.

Robin, Chris, Marnie and Joel Peterson, winemaker and known as the “God Father of Zinfandel”.

Winemaker Joel Peterson

Some of the crowd.

Winemaker in training Gary Sitton and Chris.

Also sitting at our table.

BBQ Pork. Yum.

BBQ Chicken

Grilled Cauliflower

Cookies

Dinner plated

breakfast the next morning before departing at the Sunflower Caffe in Sonoma.

Joel was gracious enough to join us.

The patio.

California Breakfast Sandwich.

California Omelet

And now ………….. Back to Boise!!