Larrupin Cafe

I spent the weekend in Northern California and enjoyed another fabulous dinner at Larrupin Cafe in Trinidad. This cozy, little out-of-the-way restaurant is just off Highway 101 about twenty miles north of Eureka.

They don't advertise (I couldn't even find their number in a local phone book) and they don't take credit cards ... but none of that matters because they have big, thick Oriental rugs covering all of the tables and that, coupled with the warmth and friendliness of the staff, gives this little place a sumptuousness that is hard to match.

First things first and, at Larrupin Cafe, that means their complimentary appetizer tray; apples, duck liver pate, chutney, crackers, cucumber with lox and of course a side of their famous Larrupin Mustard Dill Sauce.

The rest of the meal consisted of mouth-watering offerings (created from organic and mostly locally-procured ingredients) such as artichoke stuffed chicken breast wrapped in phyllo dough with roasted winter squash, grilled portobello mushrooms with Manchego on baguette, and butternut squash filled ravioli.

Everything was amazing, but, in my opinion, the portobello/Manchego/baguette combination was truly inspired. I'm planning on trying to put together a reasonable facsimile to offer as a

Thanksgiving hors d'oeuvre.

So, if you ever find yourself near the Humboldt Coast don't miss Larrupin Cafe.

Stay in one of the cabins along Patrick's Point Drive that are withing walking distance of the restaurant and venture into "downtown" Trinidad in the morning to the Beachcomber Cafe for a fully loaded white chocolate mocha and the "Trinidad Special" bagel (it uses Larrupin's famous sauce!). Stay and drink out of their cups ... but make sure to bring your own if you want coffee "to-go". There is not a disposable cup in the place --

-- but they'll happily sell you a Mason jar with a lid for $1.

Well, my pressure canner was all neatly tucked away for the season when, on November 1st, I suddenly found myself face to face with one hundred full size jack-o-lanterns.

How they came to be mine is a long story, but I can share that they are organic and were purchased from the Boise Co-op for about $8.00 per pumpkin and weighed over 1000 lbs. en masse when they all still had their guts. (Are you doing the math?)

So I, with the help of extended family, have been chopping, roasting, pureeing and canning.

We've been at it two nights and still have wagon loads to go.

Stay tuned for a bevy of ramblings about recipes with names like Black-Bean Pumpkin Soup, Fettuccine with Shiitake, Pumpkin, and Mascarpone and Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping.

Or ... check them out yourself and let me know what you think.

That is, if you can find canned pumpkin. There's a shortage, you, know.

(Hmmmmmm .... do I smell a business opportunity with Thanksgiving right around the corner?)

P.S. That is a meyer lemon in the foreground. And, yes, it is local. Another Idaho's Bounty find. Can someone please figure out how to grow avocados here? Please? Please?

Fish Phone

Hey!

Check out Blue Ocean Institute's free Fish Phone service.

"To find out about your seafood choice, text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question/ We'll text you back with our assessment and better alternatives to fish with significant environment concerns."

How cool is that?

Braising Season

Am I the only one who actually experiences a brief moment of genuine depression when I hear the first few notes of the closing theme song to The Splendid Table on public radio?

I have actually been known to re-listen to episodes three and four times -- don't tell anyone. Please?

Not because I find any particular episode more fascinating than the last, just because the show, in itself, is such a pleasurable escape. I feel briefly connected to a larger community of foodies - something I have been unable to duplicate in real life here in Boise.

It's comforting to hear Lynn Rossetto Kasear rhapsodize about the merits of anchovies and pity those people (poor fools) who think they don't like them. Just today she listed off the ingredients of her homemade ranch dressing today; anchovies (of course), vinegar, garlic, onion, mayonnaise, yogurt, buttermilk and parsley.

My husband thinks he doesn't like ranch dressing (thankfully, he does like anchovies) -- I aim to change his mind. I can't wait to start experimenting.

But, really, it's her advice on braising which is dear to my heart.

After years of Internet research and following the advice of various cookbooks, I had tried my hand at braising pretty much any form of animal protein I could lay my hands on. On top of the stove, in the oven, lid on, lid off, low and slow, not so low and slow, with a thermometer and without a thermometer.

Sometimes the dish turned out great, sometimes not. What utterly and completely frustrated me was that there was no consistency. I could never be absolutely sure that I could repeat a successful dish until .... now.

Lynne's advice on braising is to never EVER let the liquid boil, but I already knew that. Here's her very scientific way to know when it is the correct temperature.

"It should be just hot enough for an occasional bubble to form at the top.

Bloop.

Bloop."

Her words, not mine.

Kale Supper #1

Drowning in kale, I decided to try to try to emulate the amazing Kale Caesar Salad I had at Red Feather Lounge a couple of weeks ago.

I riffed on this recipe I found at Serious Eats and topped it with chicken. I cooked everything on the grill - which was tricky because the kale really wanted to just blacken and turn to ash.

My babysitting efforts paid off and most of the kale came off the grill cooked perfectly, smoky and meaty tasting - just like at Red Feather. I tossed it with the dressing, topped it with the chicken and grated Parmesan and served everything with a crusty loaf of warm bread.

It was really amazing and it will definitely be served often throughout the winter. It wasn't quite as good as Red Feather's though, which is fine by me ...

... now I have a reason to go back!

Ever Wish (When You Are Trying to Eat Locally) That You Lived in Southeast Asia?

I do!

This is tonight's haul from Idaho's Bounty. Shallots, kale, a persian lime, a pomelo, an acorn squash and two butternut squash.

Yes, I said a persian lime and a pomelo.

I'm really not kidding.

Ramblin' Rose Ranch in Ketchum, Idaho is growing them in their greenhouses.

Wouldn't it be fun to send someone in California or Florida a box of Pomelos from Idaho?

Now I just need to find the perfect recipe ....(think anyone around here is growing coconuts?)

Drowning My Tomato Sorrows

Sigh....

I used up the last of our summer garden tomatoes tonight -- five lovely Brandywines and a bright yellow mystery tomato. I knew few recipes deserve such an honor -- so I settled on panzanella.

I used this recipe but added end-of-the season red and yellow bells, a bunch of chives and substituted nasturtium seeds (we have them everywhere) pickled in white-wine vinegar for the capers.

It was divine.

I can't think too long or hard about exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds it will be until I get my next backyard tomato.

(Sob!)

Okay. I'm NOT going to think about it.

I'm just going to tuck into this bottle of L'Ecole 41 Recess Red -- Cabernet, Syrah, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cab Franc ... what could be bad?

Pears + Rosemary = FALL

I had an amazing meal this evening. I have to credit Bon Appetit for the inspiration,

but I changed the recipe significantly and was still very pleased.

Here's my version:

Linguine with Pears and Gorgonzola

Ingredients: 2 T. butter 4 firm pears (about 2 pounds), sliced into 1/3-inch-thick strips 1 tablespoon (chopped fresh rosemary 1 cup chicken broth 2 ounces good quality Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 pound linguine, freshly cooked 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted Preparation: Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium- high heat. Add pears and sauté until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to bowl. Add rosemary to same skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, Gorgonzola cheese, 1 and milk. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes. Return pears and any accumulated juices to sauce. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add linguine and walnuts to sauce. Toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. ADDED BONUS: This was a huge kid-pleaser, at least at my house. :-)

Hamburger Buns

I tried my hand at making hamburger buns for the first time this past summer and was less than thrilled with the results. I used a Bon Appetit recipe that got rave reviews. I'm not sure what I did wrong.

The recipe even said they would freeze well but mine were inedible after a few weeks in the freezer.

I'm not giving up though, thanks to making-dough@blogspot.com for inspiring me with this recipe (and testimonial) Moomies Beautiful Burger Buns.

I, too, yearn for beautiful buns.

I'll keep you posted.

Plenty

It's been way too long since I last posted here. I suppose my personal life sort of got in the way.


I hope to resume posting using a different slant to my entries. The state of the economy has definitely changed the way I view cooking. Although I was interested in eating seasonally before, now it's truly a necessity (it's so much cheaper!) I am also more determined than ever to eat locally and organically (which, sadly, is usually not cheaper).


In an effort to meet these goals, I jumped into gardening with both feet this year. We planted a cornucopia of varieties, and , although some were failures, have successfully harvested tons of tomatoes, arugula, spinach, sweet peppers, fingerling potatoes, onions, raspberries, blackberries, carrots, various herbs and leeks, leeks, and more leeks!


All of this was supplemented by donations from my father's, friends' and my in-laws gardens of peaches, more blackberries, corn, more tomatoes, hazelnuts, more peppers, more onions, eggplant, green beans, haricot vert, bok choy, pears, plums, melons, and beets.

In a panic to preserve this amazing windfall I taught myself to can. I learned both the waterbath method and even fired up my mother's old pressure canner on a nightly basis for a few weeks.


I haven't counted all of the pretty little jars lining the shelves that my husband just built me in the garbage, but it's easily in the hundreds now.


I intend to use this blog chronicle the meals I manage to create with what I have and what I can buy through Idaho's Bounty.


I mentioned before that buying locally and organically can be more expensive and so I have also undertaken a project to offset the extra cost of local foods by couponing for sundry items and stocking up when they are on sale. I am blogging (along with many others) about the deals I discover around the Treasure Valley at Boise Bargain Babes.

I just finished a book called Plenty in which the apartment-bound authors decide to eat only foods produced within one hundred miles of their home for one full year. It is set in the northwest and I found it very inspiring. They referenced another similar project in which participants were required to eat completey local (within 120 miles - or a two hour drive) but they could have a list of twleve "cheat" foods that came from anywhere on Earth. I have already been pondering my own cheat list.


1. Coffee

2. Spices (Oh my. Hopefully this qualifies as one item? Doubtful.)

3. Chocolate

4. Avocados

5. Lemons and Limes (think this can count for one?)

6. Clementines (at Christmas)

7. Coconut Milk

8. SEAFOOD? (Hmmmm, not sure if I can throw the whole ocean into one category...)

9. Salt

10. Olives and olive oil

11. Parmigianno Reggiano

12. ?


Down to the last one already?


Hmmmm, this better be good....

Any Excuse to Grill

I am so frustrated!

I spent a bunch of time yesterday afternoon detailing all the goodies I got from Idaho's Bounty on Wednesday night and what I planned to do with them but when I uploaded the blog Blogger was experiencing a scheduled outage (hat I somehow missed) and all was lost! I will try to recreate it later today or tomorrow.

On the brighter side, I made steak sandwiches last night using some Alderspring Ranch flat iron I found in the freezer. Granted, steak sandwiches are really hard to screw up, but this endeavor turned out especially good and I didn't use a recipe. I thought I'd record the basic idea for posterity and share it here:

Steak and Arugula Sandwich

Servings: This served my husband, me and our four-year-old for dinner.

Ingredients/Directions (seasoning proportions can be adjusted to your taste):

1. Rub ~1 lb. flat iron steak with with cumin, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dried oregano, and brown sugar, then grill until medium rare. Make sure your fire is pretty hot - the sugar caramelizes nicely.

2. Split two sourdough baguettes (I used Alpicella Bakery baguettes) in half lengthwise and toast on the grill or in the oven. Spread one side with garlic aioli (put ~2T light mayo, 2 cloves garlic and a squeeze of lemon in the food processor and puree). Drizzle the other side of the baguette with a little balsamic vinegar.

3. Thinly slice the steak and layer it into the sandwich with jarred roasted red peppers (or fresh ones if you have the time) and lots of arugula. I used beautiful baby arugula from Fair Mountain Farm and then made a side salad out of the remaining leaves.

4. Eat.

(These were inhaled too fast for me to get a picture, but they are kind of pretty. I'll try harder next time. And there will be a next time.)

"Envy is Thin Because it Never Eats." -- Spanish Proverb

I discovered this Seasonal Ingredient Map on the Epicurious site.

I selected "March" and clicked on Idaho. I'm not sure what I expected to find, but this little window pops up and says,

"The growing season is currently dormant here; opt for items from storage such as apples, pears and root vegetables."

It might as well have just said, "NAH, nah nah, NAH, nah NAAAAAAH!!!" (...and stuck it's cyber-tongue out at me.)

I clicked back one month to February ... then January -- same story.

April looks more promising with apples. asparagus and potatoes being listed -- but -- Potatoes?

I'm supposed to get excited about potatoes? We have been eating potatoes for what feels like a decade now and ... oh, GOODY, I only have one more month to wait for spring POTATOES.

And apples? I'm still satisfied from the bumper crop last fall.

Thank God for the asparagus. (weeping...) I do have something to live for.

Hmmmm.

Let's see...

Maybe I'll select 'March' again ...

... and just mouse over and down a little bit and click on 'California'. You know, just to see?

(I'll stop blogging about this now, though. My reaction is bound to be ugly...)

Breaking News: Ground is Broken for a White House 'Kitchen Garden'

Did anyone get to see Alice Waters (of Chez Panisse fame) discussing the Slow Food Movement on 60 Minutes last Sunday night?

She mentioned in the interview that it was her greatest dream to see a kitchen garden established at the White House.

Check this out.

Wow. That was quick.

Homemade Coffee Creamer

I was so relieved when, a little over a year ago, my all my beloved non-dairy liquid coffee creams jettisoned the trans-fats from their recipes. Bravo!

Lately, though, I've begun feeling a little bit like a fraud for promoting fresh, local foods when I'm dumping a bunch of chemicals into my coffee every morning.

I've tried to force myself not to think about it. It was my dirty little secret.

(I have another chemically derived food I can't seem to live without but that will be a subject for another blog. I have to keep some secrets!)

In an attempt to realign my coffee-whitening routine with all of my eating related ethics and values I ...

...tried Splenda (more chemicals) and half-n-half.

(Boring)

... tried sugar and half-n-half.

(Bad.)

... tried Splenda and skim milk.

(Worse.)

... tried black coffee.

(Just. Plain. Awful.)

At this point I was getting desperate, and when I'm desperate I usually go to the Internet.

(That works out better for me some times than others.)

I found pages and pages of recipes for homemade coffee creamers.

Some looked so rich that I might as well have just had a piece of cheesecake instead of my morning cup 'o joe.

Some had so many ingredients and steps that I knew I could never manage to throw them together in the right proportions my early morning state of half awakeness.

I ended up trying several and, the good news is, I met with some success. It isn't an exact duplicate for a non-dairy creamer but it's super-easy to make, has about the same fat and calories, costs less and is infinitely better for your health.

Mix one 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk (make sure the ingredients only list milk and sugar) with about the same amount of skim milk in a medium sized container with a lid. Add a few drops of a flavoring extract like vanilla or peppermint or, my favorite, banana and coconut. Shake very well. That's all there is to it!

(I know the flavoring agent are chemicals, especially the imitation flavors, but this recipe calls for such a minuscule amount that it doesn't really bother me. It's a vast improvement over the additive laden non-dairy creamers.)

So far I've tried cherry, cinnamon, banana/coconut, vanilla and chocolate/ peppermint (just added cocoa powder to get the chocolate-lyness).

Cuban-Style Burgers

Trying to eat fresh local produce in Boise in early March can present a bit of a challenge.

Why? You ask?

There simply isn't any.

I have spent the past few weeks using up all of my stored potatoes, onions and winter squashes and sorting though the mysterious cans in my cupboards and bags in my freezer.

But yesterday, I decided, HECK with it. Who needs produce?

In a mood to and throw calories and caution to the wind, I made Cuban-Style Burgers. The closest thing to produce in the recipe is roasted garlic and pickles. Bingo! A perfect late winter comfort food.

I used ONE pound of local bison (I didn't have ground beef -- and one pound was plenty for four burgers) and a single slice of Swiss on each one. Otherwise, I prepared them as directed.

These are a veritable orgy of fat and calories ... but most importantly FLAVOR.

Incredible.

I don't regret a single bite.

Appliance Angst

We received an unusual gift from my in-laws a few Christmases ago - a garbage disposal.

Not just any garbage disposal, mind you. It has one full horsepower of grinding ferocity.

I wasn't able to fully appreciate the significance of all of that power until I accidentally lost my STONE pestle down it the other day.

The damage inflicted in less than three seconds was sort of terrifying.

I'm considering installing a remote control sensor so that the garbage disposal can be operated from a safe distance away.

Say...

... about 300 feet.

Idaho Riesling on National Public Radio!

Follow this link to listen to Joshua Wesson discuss the resurgence of food-friendly American Rieslings (and mention Ste. Chapelle!) on this weeks episode of The Splendid Table.

Little Miss Muffett ...

Thursday night I took a stab at making homemade ricotta. I must admit I was growing weary of reading things like "every serious cook should have a decent ricotta recipe in their repertoire".

And now I do.

I have arrived.

I was inspired to try buy Barbara Kingsolver's new book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle ...

She devotes a portion of the story to inducing readers to Ricki Carroll (a.k.a. The Cheese Queen) of The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company . I checked Ricki's book ...

... out of the library and was instantly hooked. I ordered some basic supplies, like citric acid and animal rennet, from her company and they arrived yesterday! I can't wait to try my hand at chevre, kefir and mozzarella. Homemade ricotta doesn't require any special supplies. All I used was a stainless steel pot, a thermometer, two limes, cheesecloth, a strainer and some salt. It's pretty hard to screw up.

STACY'S SEAT-OF-PANTS RICOTTA RECIPE: Mix the salt into 1/2 gallon of whole milk and then heat the gallon of whole milk to 185-195 degrees (be careful not to boil it). Add about 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice. The milk should begin to separate into curds and whey and the curds will fall to the bottom. Wait until the whey on the top doesn't look milky any longer (just a few minutes). Turn off the heat and let the concoction set for about ten minutes.

Line your strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and dump the curds and whey in there. I just drained the whey down the sink (I know there are other cheese making applications for pure whey and in the future I will reserves it for experimentation, but I just wanted to keep things simple this time) for about 30 minutes. My ricotta came out less like ricotta and more like ricotta salata - meaning it was rather dry and more appropriate for tossing with pasta or sprinkling on salads than for using in lasagne. If you want a moister ricotta simply drain it for less time.

Dryness be damned -- I used it in Deborah Madison's recipe for
Lasagna with Chard, Ricotta & Walnuts.

Yum!