Single Girl Salmon

Despite my best intentions, I just could not bring myself to attend the Stranger's annual Anti-Valentine's Day party. So, instead I stayed home and treated myself to gougeres, champagne and single girl salmon.

Several years ago, I picked up Amanda Hessers' very excellent Cooking for Mr. Latte, a compilation of her columns and recipes from the New York Times, beginning with her first date with "Mr. Latte", chronicling dating stories to engagement, and culminating in their wedding. One of my favorites, and a standby for years, is Single Girl Salmon, a recipe designed for one.

Cover lentils with water (I usually use French green, but only had red, which cook very fast), add a bay leaf and I always add a shallot, and bring to boil. When lentils are done, drain, salt and pepper generously, then fold in olive oil, fresh lemon juice and if you have it, white wine vinegar. Balsamic also works. This should be done to taste...I like mine tart, but that is just my taste, which if you read this blog, know it can be a bit off.

When the lentils are done, heat olive oil and saute a thinly sliced shallot until brown. Salt and pepper a piece of salmon. Center cut works best, and you should probably salt and pepper earlier and let the salmon sit at room temperature. I happen to live in an area that has access to a good supply of salmon, so for Saturday night, I bought a pretty piece of Coho. Once the shallots are done, remove, then cook the salmon, skin side down. Flip at some point and from here, cook to your tastes. I find undercooking preferable to overcooking; it continues to cook as it sits, and really, overcooked, dry salmon is an injustice to the mighty fish.

Note, the recipe provides a few more details, but I think that adjusting recipes for you is always acceptable and encouraged.

Plate the lentils, plate the salmon on top of the lentils, and then sprinkle with the browned shallot. If you have parsley, you can even sprinkle a few leaves on top.

And that was Valentine's Day.



PS: I am currently looking for a permanent kitchen partner, a sous chef if you may. Requirements: must be useful with a kitchen knife, must like eating and wine and football. Send recommendations my way. It would be nice to write about doubling the recipe on Valentine's Day in 2010.

A Thank You Dinner

Pete and Paul spent many hours on the backsplash in my kitchen, so to properly thank them, I cooked. In retrospect, I may have spent about as much time planning, shopping and cooking as they spent tiling, but I'm not keeping track or anything. No, I would not do that.

We started with french onion soup. I used Cooks Illustrated latest incarnation, which was slightly more complicated than necessary, in my opinion. While Pete and Paul loved, I thought it tasted slightly burnt; the recipe called for deglazing the caramelized onions several times, but the deglazed bits turned burnt, a problem that I've had in the Le Creuset soup pot, but that's never made the food taste burnt. I wasn't able to properly bake the soup with croutons and gruyere - someone didn't pay attention to the texts asking for the proper pottery - so I sprinkled the toasted slices with gruyere, melted under the broiler for a few and topped the soup. I also opened up a bottle of 2005 Les Jamelles Chardonnay, a non-oaked varietal that was smooth and somewhat flavorful, although despite reading that it would go well, didn't really match the soup.



The main course featured what was the probably the best piece of beef tenderloin I have ever tasted. I've never been that thrilled about roast...and this cut and recipe completely changed my opinion. I've found that Cooks does a great job with meat, and they did not fail me with this cut. Directions: use a two pound cut of beef tenderloin (note, this is not an inexpensive cut), tie, salt and let sit for an hour at room temperature. Rub with shallot-garlic-parsley butter and bake until cooked to desired temperature. I like my meat on the rare end, so about 35 minutes. Then, sear in vegetable oil, resulting in a tasty, tasty crust, put on a cutting board and rub with more of the butter. Let it sit, ask someone to carve...and enjoy. I kid you not, this meat was melt in your mouth delicious. The butcher tried to sell me on some other cut, telling me that the tenderloin didn't have as much flavor, and she may have been right, but didn't bargain on my Cooks Illustrated directed recipe skills. Many sounds were made the table, and I knew that the meat was perfect when Paul told me that the meal "was totally worth the backplash". Good to know, Paul, good to know.



I also made Cooks' rustic dinner rolls, which are quickly becoming a Sunday night dinner mainstay, artichoke and leek potato gratin, and roasted asparagus with lemon. Oh, and a bottle of 2007 A to Z pinot noir. The wine was a bit syrupy, but opened up nicely and did well with the meat.



For dessert, a long-time go to recipe: lemon cheese with a hazelnut crust. Delicious, not too rich and just the right type of dessert to end a rich meal.



By the way, it may not be too noticeable, but that's a brand new table. Yes, after a several month absence, I now have a real life kitchen table. Four chairs, a beautiful finish, a built-in leaf, it is absolutely perfect.

The Herb Farm

Ok, so this blog should have been written about three weeks ago. But it's a tough one; writing about a foodie's dream is not easy. I tried for witty, I tried for intelligent, I tried for humorous, and nothing worked. So...you are getting this entry, which tries to do the meal justice. If you were present and I missed any details, feel free to add to the comments.

In just a few words, the Herb Farm was amazing, a meal that just about equaled the French Laundry, Michael Minna and De Kas. I had heard the stories, and the Herb Farm delivered. The quality of food, the combination of ingredients, the "you don't even know the servers are serving you" experience, the atmosphere, one of the best wine pairings I have ever experienced. And, the monthly theme - truffles - had me salivating two weeks before the dinner. My only complaint: the d/(c)cor is more country than suits my taste, but really, it's ok.

The Herb Farm serves a set 9-course meal every night. The food changes with the season, and the chefs take great pride in using local ingredients. Really, it's a formula for success. So, knowing that, read on for my descriptions of the meal and the details, the very important details:

Arrival: Socialization in the waiting room, with wine or a pinot noir champagne (which I chose, because I love pinot noir and think that its use in champagne is absolutely brilliant) and spiced cider for the non-drinkers. I should also point out that they do well by the non-drinkers, pairing infused juices and teas with the meal.

On the New Tide: A Kumomoto oyster pan-fried with a dusting of cornmeal, served with aioli studded with char roe. The roe were good sized, and when bit, spurted a fabulous brine flavor in my mouth. It's also worth noting that this is the second time I've had char (the first was in Sweden last April), both times with colleague Char. Coincidence or conspiracy, I'm not sure which. A small bowl was filled bite-sized scallops,similar to ceviche, with leeks and a few slices of white truffle. And, a piece of flatbread with wild mushrooms, winter savory and pancetta. A glass of Capitello Oregon Brut was served along with, infused with juniper simple syrup (my other choice was bay simple syrup). Schelley's Opinion: I love, love, love oysters on the half shell, so was only slightly disappointed that the oyster was cooked. But, it was all delicious, and I have to admit, the spurt of briney char roe with the silky, slightly sweet aioli was a delightful surprise. And well, scallops any way is always a good thing, especially with leeks and a bite of truffle. (Sadly, the picture only shows the cup, not the scallops inside).



Crab Nebula: Ravioli's stuffed with Dungeness crab, salsify and mustard greens, topped with a delicious cream sauce and more white truffles. The wine was a tender 2007 Love and Squalor Riesling from Eola Hills in Oregon. Schelley's Opinion: This course marked the first time that I really got the wine and food pairings - for some reason, it worked like no other that I've had in the past. And the ravioli was delicate and rich and delicious. I could have had seconds...but I knew more was coming my way.



Chicken and its Egg: Shredded chicken was molded in a circle, wrapped with spinach and topped with a poached egg. A few spoonfuls of bonito truffle broth accompanied; the broth had flakes of truffle and perfectly cubed pumpkin. The wine, a 2007 Ponzi Vineyards Arneis from Willamette Valley. Schelley's Opinion: The egg was amazing - the yolk was bright yellow and creamy and rich. The egg came from a real chicken, one that spent its life happily poking around the dirt for bites and mites and bugs and other delicious chickeney things, running around, squawking and having fun with roosters. And the spinach and dashi broth were delicious. Sadly, the chicken just didn't impress me, but I think it had nothing to do with the quality, rather, my well-documented "meh" opinion of chicken. (The first picture is before I broke open the egg, the second shows off the bright yellow yolk).





In the Belly of the Pig: The pork belly was cooked for 18 hours, a very fine length of time in my opinion. The generous slice of pork was veined with fat, which may sound disgusting to a few of you, but was really, truly an out of world experience (I'm not sure why the pork is out of focus, but if you look closely, the fat is there). This came from a pig that was allowed to get fat, not the super engineered lean pork we get today. A few other tidbits accompanied the pork, including savoy cabbage, squash, potato and black truffle. Really, this dish incorporated so many of my favorite things. the biggest surprise: a glass of 2006 Mannina Cellars Sangiovese from Walla Walla. Schelley's Opinion: My FAVORITE course. Ok, you are probably thinking - a sangiovese with pork? Yeah, I was skeptical too, until I tasted and discovered that the flavors worked very, very well. Seriously, they could have stopped the dinner right there and served me another helping or two of the pork belly. Although, on second thought, I'm glad that they didn't because next we had...



Duck, Duck, Goose!: Three creations looked up at me from the plate. First, a chunk of succulent duck breast with shallot marmalade. Second, a pave (fancy French word for square) of duck confit with a pickled Montmorency cherry. And third, a little cannoli-type pastry filled with goose liver and duck tongues (!) and topped with foie gras froth and rested over a bed of black truffle-parsnip fondue. Schelley's Opinion: My second favorite course, despite the liver. Both iterations of the duck were rich and succulent and all that I want when I eat duck. The paired wine, a 2005 L'Herbe Sauvage Pinot Noir, Grapes of Wrath Cuvee from Oregon was perfect. I took a bite of the duck confit with the pickled cherry, then a sip of the wine, and I kid you not, the flavors danced in my mouth. And about the goose - I am not a fan of liver, but found the taste slightly muted by the foie gras. And, the truffle-parsnip fondue was simply delightful, creamy and rich and a nice contrast to the liver. As for the goose tongues, well, luckily, they were chopped up and mixed with the liver, so I really couldn't taste. I have a feeling that they served as filler (much like oysters in Ed's Thanksgiving stuffing). And I can't rave enough about how perfectly matched the wine was to the food. Plus, foie gras...mmm...foie gras.(I'm not quite sure how the picture ended up so art deco. Hmmm)



Say Cheese: Ahhh, the cheese course. A healthy chunk of Mt. Townsend Trailhead Cow's Milk Tomme. The creamy, grassy flavor of the cheese was offset perfectly by the nice crust. And if you don't eat the cheese crust, you are missing out (yes, that means all of you who scoop the brie cream and leave the crust. Eat the entire piece, dammit). A nice piece of poached endive and pair and sprinkled with pine nuts, all folded in truffled vinaigrette, went very well with the cheese. Wine was a 2005 Bella Vallee Pinot Noir port. Schelley's Opinion: I wish I had a slice of that cheese right now. And, really, as you're nearing the end of the meal, what is better than a glass of port with the cheese? (Look at the picture and note the carefully placed greenery on top of the "salad". The kitchen is open, and we watched the sous chef carefully choose and plate the best pieces).



Beet Sorbet with Straw: Just as billed, beet sorbet with "straw", a parmesan cracker. Oh, plus mascarpone and chestnut-truffle puree. I swear there was some chocolate on the plate, but considering the food and wine, things may be just a tiny bit blurry. Schelley's Opinion: Despite knowing that beets are sweet (beet sugar, beet syrup, etc.), this dish didn't really fly. I still ate, but I really think I prefer my beets with a tangy, non-sweet dressing. (Sorry, the picture was too sorry to post).

Chocolate and Truffles: Our second dessert was a delicious bittersweet chocolate and star anise milk chocolate terrine and a scoop of truffle ice cream nestled on a bed of malted-gianduija sauce (also known as hazelnut and chocolate, one of the best flavor combinations ever). Around this time, a bottle of 2004 Feather Cabernet was opened...which I happily drank way past the end of dinner. Schelley's Opinion: Um yeah, not sure what else I can say here. I loved the combination of bittersweet chocolate and star anise milk chocolate - I would have never paired the flavors - and was delighted that they worked so well. And the ice cream with gianduija sauce, I could only describe as truffle ice cream, already delicious, and a confection quite similar to Nutella, but much, much better. And the wine...well, I found my new favorite wine. It was rich and complex and full of oak and everything and more than I could ever want in a Cabernet. A few days later, I asked the wine guy at QFC to see if they had Feather, and after he laughed at me, told me that it's fairly rare and if I find any I "should snap it up".



A Selection of Small Treats: We shared little plates of confections. Bay-fig shortbread, Alaskan sea salt caramels (different from Fran's, just as delicious), and three types of truffles: dark chocolate cognac, pink peppercorn white chocolate and smoked tea milk chocolate. A tiny dessert glass of 2007 Bonny Doon Late Harvest Roussane accompanied, although I have to say that as delicious as I know the wine must have been, I'd had a lot to drink, and really, my attention was completely focused on the Feather Cabernet. Schelley's Opinion: Not much more to add at this point.



A Few Last Notes: In order to get to the bathroom, I had to make my way through the well-stocked wine cellar. A few bottles of Opus One caught my eye, and I wondered, what would happen if I took one? Of course, I decided against, but that one example does illustrate the Herb Farms' amazing wine cellar, if the Opus One is out for the taking and they stock the hard to find Feather, what else lurks? On a related topic, after reading about the food and wine, you are probably wondering how I felt the next day. Well, it was a rough day. Pete gave me a ride (my car was in Redmond), making a few snarky comments about my appearance and speech difficulties (he still had to listen to a long description of the meal, so payback was joyful). I may have moaned out loud a few times (sorry Char!) and definitely took advantage of the comped Office Advil. I felt mildly better when a colleague who also attended replied to my email at 4:30 with the statement "I'm surprised that I can even write an email at 4:30." I didn't admit to him that at 3:00, it took me 30 minutes to write the single paragraph email.

And that, friends, is the Herb Farm. Perhaps not my best or most eloquent blog, but this was a tough one to write. I apologize for the overuse of words such as "amazing" and "fabulous", and especially, I apologize for the pictures - the lighting was bad and there are some limits to my food photo skills. If you want to see and experience the Herb Farm in person, well, you'll have to visit. And yes, Nilay, I'm talking to you.

Finally, Some Decent Airline Food

A few weeks ago, I got to bust out of the cold and drear of Seattle and head to LA for a quick trip. Two notable food moments: La Salsa, a Cali taqueria chain, where I ate tacos and sat outside; and airline food. Why write about airline food? Because Virgin Air America rocks.

Look at the picture below - it's a fruit and cheese box lunch. Yes, that's fresh fruit. Yes, that cheese is not an overly processed piece of who knows what preservatives its' filled with wrapped in plastic cheese attempting to pass as cheese. For $7, I had generous hunks of cheddar, brie and manchego. A bunch of grapes. Walnuts. Dried apricots. Delicious.



I should note that not only was the food tasty, but the service was impeccable and friendly, the planes were clean (as in scrubbed regularly), they even had Method soap in the bathrooms. I hope that Virgin survives, because it's a damn fine airline. I can't wait to fly them again, and for the first time in years, my airline choice is not made in an attempt to maintain status.

And, to clear up any misconceptions, I absolutely do not mind paying for airplane food. My objections are really about the high price of mediocre food. Seriously, give me decent, non-processed food that warrants the cost.

PS: While I was slaving over a hot stove, cooking an absolutely fabulous dinner, my dinner guest inserted these lines into entry: BTW - My friend Pete totally rocks. There isn't a better friend out there.. Hmmph.