Celebrating Valentines Week

Tags

crab omelet, Eggs Benedict

This week in mid February, 2019, was dedicated to the one I love. (There ought to be a song written to that phrase!) A week in the kitchen. Planning. Finding. Testing and tasting. Preparing. Serving. It was an exciting week and very fulfilling. I know she liked the meals – they are all gone! That’s always a good sign. Here are some of the dishes we had. And to answer the question – someone did ask – yes I did make all of this. There are recipe links where available. Enjoy! (Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.)

Eggs Benedict are always liked. Especially on a Sunday morning.

Crab Louie salad is awesome.

Or maybe a Crab Omelet one weekday morning.

Scallop and Watercress Salad makes a great dinner.

The absolute best meal, and the one that took the most time, patience and tasting, was this one. The sides that Robin wanted are checked in red. The salad and the entree are fixed.

Valentines Day Dinner Menu
We had a 2014 Indian Creek Winery (ID) Chardonnay with this dinner

Caprese Salad

Stuffed Lobster with Crab
Brussels Sprouts in Balsamic Reduction
Parsley Potatoes
Two sauces were made for the entree – Lemon Butter Sauce for the lobster, and Brandy Mayonnaise Sauce for the crab.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Peanut Butter Cookies

After all of these delicious seafood meals and all, we had to make something, well ………. more subtle. Like some Robin’s Vegetable Soup. But this is not your standard peas, corn, tomato, etc soup. Try some leek, celery, turmeric, etc soup. It is delicious!!

Robin’s Vegetable Soup

So there it is – Our Valentines Day (Week) in the kitchen. Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the kitchen! Cheers and enjoy the recipes.

Wonderful 5-Hour Roasted Duck

Tags

5 hour roasted duck, duck, duck sauce, Petit Verdot

Love to make this and it really is so easy. 5 Hour Roasted Duck and add to that some Roasted Root Vegetables and 5 Hour Roasted Duck Sauce, also really good with ham, and you will have a superb and wonderful dinner. A good 2013 Indian Creek Petit Verdot goes extremely well with it.

Several people have asked how to make the duck. Basically – season with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, stuff with sweet apple and pear, prick the skin all over and cook in a 300°F oven and turn every hour for 5 hours. Last hour raise temperature to 350°F. Do not cover throughout the cooking process.

First of all, the moon must be full. If not, the recipe may not work.

Duck has been salt and peppered and stuffed with Braeburn Apple and Bosch Pear. Oven is preheated to 300°F

After each hour, turn the duck and prick the skin. This is after 1 hour. Pricking the skin at each turn, keeps the duck fat basting the duck.

At 3 hours, things happen. Starting to brown nicely.

Root vegetables are large cut and put into the bottom of the baking pan. This roasts the vegetables and keeps the duck off of the pan surface. The vegetables here are heirloom carrot, heirloom beet, local onion, parsnips and turnips.

Make stock from the vegetable pieces and the duck neck and parts. Simmer low and slow!

Lay the duck directly onto the vegetables and return to the 300°F oven. Cook for another hour.

At 4 hours last turn. It is smelling yummy now.

At 5 hours, remove from the oven and let cool, somewhat.

Yummy slices.

Here is the Cranberry/Cherry sauce for the duck.

Oh yes. Dessert – Pound Cake with Fresh Raspberries and Fresh Whipped Cream.

Sakana Boise Revisited

Tags

Sakana Sushi Boise, sashimi, sushi

Second time we have been here, not counting take-out, and we are still very happy with the food, the Sushi Chefs and the Waite Staff. Definitely 5-Stars for Boise. Superb.They are located at 7107 W State Street (at Glenwood). (208) 853-4993. Look for their webpage at Sakana Sushi Boise. They also have an Extensive Menu, which might be wise to look at before going, to see what they have to offer. Thanks Marnie for joining us!
From their website, “In far Eastern countries, such as China, Japan and Korea, fish have always been used to symbolize for harmony, wealth and the freedom to live as one wishes.
Over here, it is known that healthy eating and the art of the oriental cuisine have been extended to the fullest. Our restaurant, Sakana, is using the finest raw material, as well as an exquisite way of cooking. Please experience the essence of a mysterious world of oriental food while you are enjoying your time here at Sakana. It will bring you a great amount of surprise and happiness.” Here is what we had. Enjoy!

House Salad
Saki
Appetizer

Miso

Seafood Appetizer

Mango Sushi

Robin had this. Sweet and spicy. You may have to ask for this one. We had to show them a picture of it and they made it.

Sashimi Delux

If you like sashimi, and I do, this is a delicious medley of salmon, octopus, tuna, mackerel, diacon, cucumber, ginger and wasabi.

Orange slices to counter the spiciness.

Making sushi. It’s an art form!

Finishing touches.

Sushi plated

Types of seafood used in sushi and sashimi.

Types of seafood used in sushi and sashimi.

Saki goes extremely well with sashimi or sushi.

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!!

Yum Meals this Week!

Tags

dump cake

Yum meals an fun to do! Breakfast and twoi dinners. As folks say, “You do eat well!” and yes we do. Meals from scratch make it so much fun, interesting and nutricious. You can pick and choose what ingredients are included in the dishes. We try very hard to eat local. And now that Spring has arrived, the Boise Farm,ers Market is open every Saturday and we get fresh and locally produced items.
Let’s start with Tuesday dinner. A wonderful Asian Grilled Salmon, although I did not grill the salmon thgis time but rather braised it in the Asian marinade. And as a note, most – not all – but most of the ingredients to these dishes are local products – Idaho grown!

Tuesday’s dinner –

Asian Salmon
Braised Mushrooms
Steameed Asparagus

Wednesday –

Mushroom Omelet
Fresh Fruit

Lamb Chops
with
chardonnay mustard cream sauce

Mashed Parsnips, Turnip and Blue Potato

Steamed Brusssels Sprouts
in
balsamic vinegar and sherry reduction with butter

Dump Cake
with
strawberry fan on whipped cream

Char-Broil Grill Maiden “Voyage” – Spatchcock Chicken

Tags

chicken, Corn Sprouts, grilled chicken, Spatchcock

I have always liked Char-Broil grills. Well built and long lasting. The last one I had, a combination gas/charcoal grill lasted 10 years. This one, an American Gourmet Deluxe Smoker, BBQ and Grill from Char-Broil seems to work very well. The photo to the left is the grill with it’s BSU cover on it.

A spatchcock is a historical term for a culled immature male chicken, but increasingly denotes a preparation technique. The spatchcock, also known as “spattlecock”, is poultry or game that has been prepared for roasting or grilling by removing the backbone, and sometimes the sternum of the bird and flattening it out before cooking. The preparation of a bird in such a manner for cooking may also be known as butterflying the bird. The term “spatchcock” is used when the backbone is removed, whether or not the sternum is removed. Removing the sternum allows the bird to be flattened more fully…Barbecue (also barbeque, BBQ and barby/barbies) is both a cooking method and an apparatus. The generally accepted differences between barbecuing and grilling are cooking durations and the types of heat used. Grilling is generally done quickly over moderate-to-high direct heat that produces little smoke, while barbecuing is done slowly over low, indirect heat and the food is flavored by the smoking process…The word barbecue when used as a noun can refer to the cooking method, the meat cooked in this way, the cooking apparatus (the “barbecue grill” or simply “barbecue”), or to an event where this style of food is featured. Used as an adjective, “barbecued” refers to foods cooked by this method. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecuing is usually done out-of-doors by smoking the meat over wood or charcoal. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens designed for that purpose. There are numerous regional variations of barbecuing, and it is practiced around many areas of the world. [Wikipedia]

‪#‎boisefoodieguildstuff‬, ‪#‎bobfoodphotos‬, ‪#‎boisecaptainsshackstuff‬

The new grill by Char-Broil An American Gourmet Deluxe

The spatchcock chicken. The pepper is a combination of black, pink and green peppers that I ground. Great flavors. A light sprinkle of Lemon Olive Oil.

Grilling

The plated dinner.

Grilled Potato with Sour Cream
Green Salad with Tomato, Green Onion, Carrot Threads and Corn Shoots
Green Peas
Spatchcock Grilled Chicken

A good wine from Downton Abbey

St Patrick’s Day Party

Tags

cabbage, Corned Beef, irish soda bread, scotch whisky, whisky

Although it was not actually St Patrick’s Day on Saturday, we still had a wonderful party and meal. Thanks to Tom and Leanne Felzien for inviting us and for opening your home to all of us. It was delightful. Our task this year was to make the Irish Soda Bread, and that we did, after a little research and combining of recipes from Chef Michael Symon and The Chew, Ina Garten and the Tasting Table Test Kitchen. Here is the recipe I used for our Irish Soda Bread. And even if I do say so myself, it is by far some of the best soda bread I/we have EVER eaten! Bar none! Try it and let us know what you think. We also had a wonderful dip that Heather brought. I think this is the recipe: Guinness and Mustard Cheese Dip! Here are some photos from the party. And, by the way, this is the farm where we get our lamb. Never had a bad piece of lamb in almost 10 years from them. We are on the list again this year for 1/2 a spring lamb! Yum.

The day and the event calls for some good Scotch and maybe a brew, too.

The finished product of our soda bread.

Roasted Root Vegetables
(Beets, Potato, Parsnip, Turnip}
Cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Corned Beef

Valentines Weekend – Meals Made For Robin

Tags

Boeuf Bourguignon, Chef Lou's Orange French Doughnuts, Parsnip and Celeriac Puree, recipes

Such a wonderful Valentines weekend spent in the kitchen making the meals for Robin and I to enjoy! And that we did! “And if you [read this article] in the next 5 minutes, we’ll include a link to the recipes!” where you can find some of the recipes for some of these treats. Boise Foodie Blog Recipes! Enjoy these photos and the recipes. And yes, the Hollandaise and Béarnaise Sauces were all made from scratch! Most of the items here are Idaho products. Zhoo Zhoo Winery Claret was served with the Valentines Dinner. 2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Rebecca’s Vineyard Pinot Noir was used in the bœuf bourguignon (French Beef Stew). Cheers!

Flowers for Robin
Loving her is easier than anything I’ve ever done before!

Weekend Appetizers
Fennel and Celery Salad
Balsamic Cucumber Salad
Chicken Pâté
Rye Toast Wedges

Saturday night dinner
Felzien Family Farms Lamb Chops
with
Béarnaise Sauce
Steamed Asparagus
with
Sliced Almonds and Hollandaise Sauce

 

Valentines Breakfast
Eggs Benedict with Fresh Fruit and Sausage Links

 

Valentines Dinner
Bœuf Bourguignon
with
Parsnip and Celeriac Puree

 

Valentines Dessert
Skillet Apple Pie
[Modified – I added blueberries and pear slices]
with
Whipped Cream and Chocolate Strawberry

 

Monday Morning Recovery
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts

 

And as an added bonus, here is Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts. I worked several years with Chef Lou at the Westside Drive-In in Boise. Great experience. Enjoy!

Chef Lou’s Orange French Doughnuts

Source: Chef Lou Aaron, Westside Drive-In, Boise, ID
Yield: 12 doughnuts

Ingredients:
5 T Butter, room temperature
½ c Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 c Milk
½ c Ricotta Cheese or Cream Cheese, softened
Juice and Zest from one orange
2 c All Purpose Flour
1 t Salt
1 t Nutmeg
¼ c melted Butter
1 T Cinnamon mixed w/1 T Sugar

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar; add egg and mix well. Add Milk and Ricotta, or cream cheese, to the mixture alternately w/dry ingredients. Mix in orange rind and juice.
2. Fill greased muffin cups to ½ full. Baked in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and pop doughnuts out of pan.
3. Roll doughnuts first in melted butter, then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
For variation, you can also garnish with strawberries & whipped cream.

Yummy Beef Short Rib Borscht

Tags

beets, borscht, Carrots

You say you don’t like borscht? Or beets? The addition of the beef short ribs and the carrots, sure does sweeten the flavor of the shredded beets. The red color is still there for the soup, but the beet flavor is very mild. Robin and I think it is a superb alternative to an “official” borscht. Here is the recipe, if you want to try this – Beef Short Rib Borscht. Print one out. It takes a while to cook, we use the CrockPot, but it is well worth the effort. Left-Click any of the following photos to see them enlarged. Enjoy and let us know how you liked it. Notice that there is no cabbage in this borscht. Cheers!

Onions are caramelizing in the beef fat.

Braised – caramelized – beef short ribs, beet stems and potatoes are waiting for the beet cooking liquid.

Oh my. The finished product! And as the recipe says, “Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the scallions, dill and a dollop of crème fraîche [or sour cream]. Serve with spicy mustard and slices of dark bread.” The diced scallions and dill or fennel will really add to the flavors.

Birthday Dinner at Alavita in Boise

Tags

Alavita. Italian food, feta cheese, heirloom beets, Italian restaurant

September 17th will always be a special day – It is Robin’s Birthday. This year we celebrated the 43rd anniversary of her 29th birthday at Alavita, a good Italian restaurant. Actually a solid 4-Star Italian restaurant. On their webpage, they say, “ALAVITA is all about fresh pasta and local ingredients—from Agnolotti to Tortellini to Garganelli, Linguini to Pappardelle—created freshly every day. A restaurant whose name means “to life,” (Well actually two words– ‘alla’ ‘vita’ –that we put together to create one) ÀLAVITA is a great place for celebrating life with good friends and family alike.
What we believe: great food need not be too convoluted or overwrought, but rather fresh, uncomplicated, relatable and well executed in order to get out of the way of the local ingredients and find the pleasure in their innate flavors and qualities. In the vein of a traditional Italian osteria as a casual, local gathering place (An Italian Joint) to discover food, friends, wine, and creative libations, our menu reflects a new twist on Italian fare that is inspired by local, regional ingredients. As we do at Fork (Our big brother concept located next door by same creators), we firmly subscribe to our mantra of being ‘Loyal To Local.’” And they adhere to these words, rigorously. Enjoy these photos of our visit. We will return.

Robin enjoys her Birthday Dinner!

We have known Kerry, the Floor Manager, for many years – we go back to the Andrae days – and it is good to “find” her again.

The open kitchen area.

How about a

Barrel Aged ÀLAVITA
Crater Lake gin + St. Germain + sweet vermouth + bitters (aged for six weeks in charred oak bourbon barrels). Salute To Life!

Yummers, but drink it slow!

A good white wine goes with seafood.

Alois Lageder Riff Pinot Grigio (12.5%)… Veneto, Italy

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Robin had this really very good soup as an appetizer.

I had a very good –

Heirloom Beet Salad
rainbow beets, shavel fennel, arugula, Rolling Stone goat cheese feta, toasted pistachios and champagne vinaigrette

Tuxedo Linguine
squid ink and orange zest infused linguine, ÀLAVITA clam sauce, chili flake and Manila clams

Robin had this and the clams were so very fresh – gout la mer!

Black Ravioli
stuffed with West coast lobster and fontina, butter poached shrimp and lemon-fennel-thyme infused local Cloverleaf cream sauce

I had this and basically, I would get it agin. But I did not get much lobster flavor.

Robin’s Birthday Cake. Kerry had this done for her.

ÀLAVITA Tiramisu
espresso lady fingers, Grand Marnier and orange zest

I finished with a

Dark Chocolate Mousse
hazelnut cream + crushed vanilla-maple spiced hazelnuts

Sinful!