We are on our second day of sun. Well, dry and partly sun at least. It has been a very long rainy season- like for reals not just “seems like the wettest year EVER!” We have all been sloshing through mud and we are over it. #Mudzen.
Here’s a glimpse of most of the farm fam… Click here to see where this began.
Add some chickens in there and our land mates’ Blue Healer, Jasper.
This dish has been floating in my thoughts since Feb 2014 when Chloe and I visited Irving Street Kitchen in Portland and I ate their, quote “Moroccan Slow Poached Eggs and Grilled Garlic Rubbed Toast”.It was spicy, simple yet had depth and very good.
The house smoked Tasso side of bacon also rang my bell. I basically searched online tomatoes and baked eggs and Shakshuka popped up. But really it’s not a name that’s going to stick in my overcrowded mind. I also reached for the wonderful Jerusalem Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. They have a fantastic website as well.
I drew, as always, from a combination of recipes- Jerusalem, David Liebowitz’s Shakshuka and a simple version in the NYTimes.
I left Seatac airport over two hours late last Friday, due to the arrival plane’s mechanical difficulties. Under the notion I’d be spending the night in Chicago, IL left me a) disappointed to think I wouldn’t even have time to make it downtown for a look around and b) that I truly wished to have a dash more enthusiasm for the Super Bowl in which case I could have at least been able to partake in the mass craze of blue and green jerseys and paraphernalia. Go Seahawks… and we all now know they did.
Flying out of Seattle and over the mountains…
Incredible patterns we never consider when we are within them. Such a different perspective.
Here’s a little sweet treat you can make ahead for New Year’s Eve
Chocolate Mousse* in all it’s divinity
It’s really a simple feat that can be done in less than an hour. Continue reading
Pavlova from Nigella Lawson’s, How to Be a Domestic Goddess…
Twice in four weeks has this delicate, GF I might add, delicacy graced our table. I find it to be the perfect summer dessert. Well actually it’s perfect year round, but topped with fresh picked summer berries it is hard to beat. When searching Nigella and pavlova for a recipe link, I also came across this wonderfulness in chocolate.
Cascade Lake, Moran State Park, Orcas Island WA 1-1-13
Polar bear plunge. Three very descriptive words. I see a white polar bear in full throttle sinking into an exposed patch of the ice. It is an adrenaline rush that has yet to seduce me.
I’ve got peaches in the freezer, peaches in the fridge, peaches on the counter… and what about the plums? Got them too. And a few fruit flies having a PARTYYYY! The sun just won’t quit which is warm, wonderful and scary at the same time. I prefer to think Indian summer rather than global warming.
We got a 1/2 case of these beauties. If you look closely, James might peek around the corner.
Ok… did you leave a little room for dessert? These posts are short on story and long on taste. The third course for our dinner for two will be a Coffee and Kahlua Pots de Creme featuring Nielson Massey’s coffee extract, yet another treasure hidden in the black cotton goodie bags at Plate to Page. I can only imagine what it’s like to partake at the Emmy’s!
I’ve been on a pots de creme kick as they are just too easy and their flexibility in taste is exponential. Basically, this little dessert will take on the personality of your choice. Here we’ve got a grown up combination that doesn’t even require any infusion.
{Print Recipe} for Coffee and Kahlua Pots de Creme
Ingredients:
You will heat your milk and cream and whisk in the chocolate. Beat your yolks, sugar and salt till a little lighter in color. Then add coffee, Kahlua, and vanilla. Slowly pour heated cream and chocolate into yolk mixture, tempering the yolks, not scrambling. Gently whisk together. Pour into ramekins and skim the foam off the tops or go all out and use a sieve.
These ramekins are a little on the small size at 4oz. They are recycled pudding cups from the grocery store. I love that. I have a collection of lovely terra cotta yogurt pots from France too! Europe still sees their fair share of paper and plastic containers, but I prefer to purchase glass when possible.
You can see here a bit of foam here that I didn’t skim.
The only downside, which is really minor, is a little sponginess on top. NO BIGGIE! But if you want extra smooth. SKIM.
And there you have it…. Short and sweet. In real life these got ate up quick. Not a lot of hanging around for a photo shoot!
You’ve got now a fabulous three course dinner that is perfect for summer, garners a sense of sophistication, and is ‘doable’!
Goat cheese Salad with Candied Pistachios and Citrus vinaigrette followed by Seared Scallops and creamy goat cheese polenta with a light citrus sauce, ending with a coffee & Kahlua pots de creme. And don’t forget the honey pots de creme might also be a nice fit in here. Enjoy.
On Saturday we head to the states for our summer US of A fix, spending a majority of time on Orcas Island, a little time in Seattle and a visit to Atlanta where I’ll have a little real time visit with Jodi from Biscuits and Bobbins. In the meantime, stay tuned for a blueberry treat from Jodi in a few days time.
Tschüß for now,
P.S…..Here’s a couple photos I took flying into the San Juan Islands…
Walking through my local market yesterday, iPhone in hand, Epicurious on my screen, I struggled to flip through recipes while pushing my cart at an unacceptably slow pace. Searching for a good recipe that featured honey, I perused options …
This was a popular item on our menu at Chez Chloé. Deep dish savory torte. Deep dish quiche. Let me know if you think of the perfect name. Honestly, I can’t remember where I saw this the first time or if I made it up. I don’t think I can take the credit for the original idea but this is my recipe.
This is a great dish to serve for a Sunday brunch or to bring to a gathering. I brought this last week to my choir rehearsal…. and I was an hour late. 30 minutes because I had the start time wrong and 30 minutes because I forgot how long this monster needs to cook. So give yourself a break and do it the night before. You can warm it up in the morning. Or if you insist on baking it fresh… have your crust ready in the springform, your veggies sautéed, and your egg mix ready to pour. Then just put it together and bake. Or how about make it for dinner.
What I love about this is you can really use what’s available in your fridge for the garniture (filling). Leftover veggies, sausages etc. Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta is a great combo too.
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