Getting back to it!

What’s up, folks? 

 

Ya, it’s been a long time since I posted anything… much to my everlasting shame.  I know some previous readers have been calling for a revival of food and writing, seeing what new and wacky things I can come up with and gross others out with.  This all began as a fun way to share my passion for delicious food and drink, maybe some little life tid-bits like talk of fine cigars and general life musings.  Of course, it kind of went off the rails with how busy life can get.  But, I think it is time to get back to a little creativity and see what we can come up with.

 

It’s time to revamp things and get back into the fun of food, health/fitness, and life!

 

Ok, so here is an update from my neck of the woods:

 

In the past it of time since my writings have stopped, my culinary journey has been a slow one.  I am back to cooking for one, which started this whole thing, so we are getting back on track.  Yes, divorce has reared its ugly head for me, but it’s all good.   Things are better than ever, and I mean that with all sincerity.  I sold my house, I am back to keeping it real as a hard-charging solo act, and I have never been in a better place mentally, spiritually, and physically in my whole life.  I am literally HIGH ON LIFE. 

 

Ok, now that that is out of the way, let’s chat a bit and give you some background on what I intend for these new writings. 
(Continued)

The Black Pearl.....Enter Enlightenment

“Hello Clarice.......”

OK, not trying to be creepy, but I am sure the farther we get into this post, the more you will understand that little “pun”.

Riddle me this, sports fans: what do you get when you mix black pudding (Bavarian Blood Sausage), homemade Ciabatta, sauteed onions and mushrooms, black truffle salt, and a little passion for eating.......wait for it......The Black Pearl........and no sissy pirates in eye liner.

As you may well know, this post comes substantially overdue from my last postings. Truthfully, I am surprised my site wasn’t deleted. Anyway, thought I would pour a little out for my hommies in “Foodie-land” and give them something to chew on.

Inspiration takes on many forms. Some paint, some write, some choose to be walking fashion malls in the clothing styles they choose. My self, inspiration strikes with food. Anyone and everyone knows I love to eat despite being on what some may say as the “lean” side (never trust a skinny chef). Trust me, I KNOW food, I LOVE food.

OK, sorry for the departure. Inspiration hit me today when I realized that my darling wife was probably not going to make home for dinner since she was tied up with her best friend, Kayla, working on Kayla's wedding stuff. Ta-Da, the moment I have waited for to diving into the Bavarian blood sausage ring I have had in the freezer for a while that would never see the light of day with Julie around (I have to sneak the occasion frog legs into my pasta).

Yesterday I concluded the making of a loaf of homemade Ciabatta bread (no-knead version, thanks to Chef John). Check it out here for the video (Chef John's no-knead-ciabatta-bread-you-can-believe-in). This is an absolute must make bread for beginners. You stir the ingredients together, let it ferment for 18 hours, and bada-bing! You have chewy, tender, party-in-ya-mouth Cibatta!

Let's keep things simple here. I've got the bread, I’ve got the black pudding (by the way, the name “Black Pearl” comes from the fusion of Black Pudding with Earl, as in Earl of Sandwhich (legend of where the sandwich came from. And that my friends is how we do it!)), and I've got the other fixings. Let's look at the construction:

-Take your dead-sexy homemade Ciabatta

-Slice your black pudding in half so you have two half links to go across the bun and pan sear.

-Slice up some sweet heirloom tomatoes

-Toss a few sliced onions and some sliced mushrooms in a pan with a little olive oil (I used Organic Tuscan Herb Olive Oil from Drizzle in Bellingham (Drizzle Tasting Room)(A must visit shop in Fairhaven))

-When all the goods are cooked to your preference, start constructing on the bun.

Homemade Focaccia

Ya baby, homemade focaccia bread!  Do not fear, do not worry.  I am privy to the horror stories of those who have attempted to make homemade focaccia bread, only to have it end in disaster, and swear off baking bread forever.  Heaven only knows that when it comes to yeast breads, I just can't figure out what is going on.

Well, that's all over, my friends.  Ya, that's right.  I have found a recipe for making some of the best focaccia bread I have ever had!  I mean this stuff is really bomb.  My fiance likes it, the folks at work totally dig it, so we must be on to something. 

OK, lets have a quick look at the origins and background of focaccia:

Focaccia is a flat oven-baked bread, usually topped with other ingredients or herbs.  It is closely related to pizza, but not quite the same.
Focaccia is quite popular in Italy, and usually seasoned with olive oil and herbs like rosemary or sage and topped with course sea salt.  School children in Italy will often purchase a slice from a baker on the way to school to be enjoyed at break time. 
A common practice when baking focaccia is the dotting of the bread.  This creates multiple wells in the bread by using a finger or utensil to poke the unbaked dough.  Olive oil is then spread over the dough to preserve the dough's moisture.  In some northern parts of Italy, lard is added to the dough to give it a flakier texture (did not do it with this one and it came out great).
Focaccia can be used as a side to many meals, as a pizza base, or as sandwich bread.

Alright, let get down to the real nitty gritty:

Chile Rellenos, hard to pronounce, easy to eat!

Chile Rellenos (pronounced "ra-ye-no") is one of those foods that not many people know how to pronounce, especially here in the Great Northwest, but also true back in New Mexico.  I am sure if you have ever been to any self respecting Mexican restaurant you have seen this on the menu, but not necessarily ordered for fear of pronouncing it incorrectly or because you just can't grasp what it is.  Let me break it down for ya.

Chile Rellenos are a dish that originated in Puebla, Mexico.  The name literally means "Stuffed Chile". Rellenos consisted of fresh roasted poblano, Hatch, Anaheim, or pascilla (occasionaly jalapenos, but would actually be considered a "popper" if used) peppers. The pepper is then stuffed with Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack cheese, and sometimes meats with rice in variation.  The pepper is then covered in an egg batter or coating of masa flour and fried.

In my opinion, some of the best rellenos I have had are at Pancho's restaurant (http://www.panchosmexicanbuffet.com/) in Albuquerque, NM.  My Aunt Marion says they taste canned, and she does make some delicious rellenos, but they just make my taste buds rock.

Pork Roulade, Simple and Elegent.

Mission criticle:

You have a pork loin sitting in the fridge.  Questions arise in you mind.  What do I do with this? How Did it get here?  Do I chop it into medallions? Do I grill it as is? Do I toss it in the slow cooker and make pulled BBQ pork (8 freaking hours later and only 1 until we actually want to eat)? WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS THING???

Check it out: Pork Roulade!  Oh ya, nothing to it and satisfyingly tasty!

Pork is one of those tough meats to cook because it has a tendency to come out as dry as the Sahara.  And if I know my environmental studies, that's pretty freaking dry!  Hense the reason I never really liked it growning up except for in tamales or pasole (I've never met a breaded chop that I could cozy up to).

Biscochitos!

FALL IS HERE!!

I couldn't be happier that fall has finally come.  People laugh because each year I go through my own kind of seasonal cycle.  I break out the Reggae, Funk, Rap and Rock music early in the Spring to get in the mood for Summer.  Of course I end up burning myself out fairly quickly and feel that I am totally over Summer 3/4 of the way through.  On the proceeding side, I tend to start my love of Christmas music well before Thanksgiving and go all the way past New Years.  I can honestly say that I rarely burn myself out on Christmas tunes.  But Fall... Fall is that spectacular time when the leaves are changing and falling, the air is crisp, and the sun just seems to shine differently, casting a golden hue on everything it touches.  During Fall, my musical tastes are that of Opera (Luciano Pavarotti, Paul Potts, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, etc.), Classical Symphony, and of course, my un-ending love of Flamenco/Latin music.  There is nothing like putting on Pandora Radio set to Classic Symphony or Flamenco and spending a little time cooking some good food.  It moves the soul and the body.  I can feel the music transcend through me to the movement of the knife or whisk.  There is something zen like, something spiritual about it.

Enter my fall baking and the greatest cookie on Earth.... The Biscochito of Northern New Mexico!

Le Pichet! (Part 2)

Greeting, friends!
In my absence I completely spaced my follow-up to the posting on taking a visit to Le Pichet in Seattle. Well, here it is:

One Thursday evening, after my friend Ryan and I did Happy Hour at the Matador, we decided to get in a real meal. Well, at the thought of this we settled on being adventurous and checking out Le Pichet.

Upon our arrival, Le Pichet certainly portrayed the vision of a true French Bistro. Atmosphere is everything. The patrons were very laid back, chatting over plates of cheese and olives, bottles of wine and bread. I must say, Anthony Bourdain's rule is that eating the bread at a restaurant is a bush league move, designed to keep you full and away from the really good stuff. But what can I say, a good crusty French bread is divine, and we put down two baskets of it with butter and hearty pours of Knob Creek bourbon.

The good life in little things

Good day, ladies and gentlemen!

Well, it has been a while since I posted.  For that I am profoundly sorry.  "Life gets in the way." a very wise woman once said (Mom).

When I began writing this blog, I did so out of my passion for good food, cooking, and eating.  Since its incarnation, I have expanded to tasting and talking about good, reasonably priced wine as well.  Soon to come this will probably encompass other spirits I enjoy such as scotch and whiskey, bourbon, vodka (the key ingredient to pie crust, to be explained later), etc.  I began this blog also with the intention of speaking to what some may deem "The Good Life" stuff.  With that said, I would like to segawy into a new discussion on one of those "good life" creature comforts I am passionate about: good cigars.

**I hope that those of you who do not partake in such things will not be lost on me (More great food items to come). 

Le Pichet! (Part 1)

I am so excited I am literally ready to jump out of my skin! But I digress.... It has recently come to my attention (Thank you Kim Glidden) that there is such a place in that ever so close emerald city, Seattle, that specializes in the French bistro fare I have been searching for.  A place were I will be free to pursue my gastronomic adventures in discovering and enjoying the foods and many cultures that makes up our strange and awesome world.  Enter Le Pichet.

Going Rustica!

It's often the simple things we overlook.  I know I have said that before, but it bears repeating.  Good food can be simple food.  You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen whipping, chopping, sauteing, braising, basting, or julienning vegetables for a meal to taste good.  You don't need to over spice or flambe your dishes. Simple food is what the best chefs in the world like.  Food that reminds you of home without pretense.

Last night I finally got around to cooking the last of the Butter fish I had in my freezer.  They are such small little things, yielding such little meat, but with a very delicate and rich taste if prepared correctly.  I wanted to try something other than grilling, or baking them, so I salt crusted and roasted them! 

Make no bones about it, these are delicious!

Please do not let me loose you right off the bat, but this posting is about a very taste, not often thought of consumable that may be a little out there for some people.  Today we discuss roasted beef bone marrow!  Now, when you make your own stock, be it chicken, veil, beef, etc., you do so by roasting bones (For that nice taste) basted with tomato paste and sliced vegetables.  You then cook these in water for an extended period of time, at which after many reductions, you are left with a delicious glace de viande, or super concentrated stock that is used in small quantities, along with butter to finish sauces and add an amazing richness to food.  During the concentration process, the natural pectin (The stuff that makes makes jello act like jello) is released from the bones, or specifically, the marrow. 

This time around we are not making stock.  No my fellow foodies, we are roasting the bones and going to utilize the roasted marrow as an appetizer, removed from the bone and spread on baguette with sea salt and parsley.  I know this seems a but strange to some people, namely my friends and family, but I assure you it is fantastic!  Humans from the dawn of time have actually been scavengers, thus consuming tasty morsels like this for centuries.  Today, such well know chefs as Anthony Bourdain (My culinary and foodie hero), Marco Pierre White, etc., enjoy this dish with full hearted enjoyment.

If you can find it in yourself to push the envelope of your ordinary boundaries, this dish will make you hear color, it will make you see sound! Dine with Chutzpah, my friends!

Let's do this:

Exciting dinning!

Remember the person who first tasted the oyster?  What would our world be like if all we consumed was what we were taught and what our mothers made?  Sure we would still have a great diversification of foods culturally and geographically, but we would not break our bounds, there would be no color to our pallet, culinary epiphanies, shock and amaze to our taste buds.

I write this today from the stand point of a person who grew up in a fantastic home were typical "American" food fare coincided with the culinary diversity of my Hispanic heritage.  Sure we had our household staples: Frito pies, tamales, cheeseburgers, BBQ chicken, orange roughy, etc.  On the other hand, I did have something unique my grandfather and I enjoyed together: sardines! 

One of life's simple pleasures.

It's funny how sometimes we loose site of our true joys.  Friends, family, going out and spending a little money to have some stories for back at the office.  The past few weeks have been so busy that I have neglected one of my simple joys in life, cooking.  I have been simply throwing things together that are nothing to write home about just to be fed.  It's time to stop thinking about cooking and get back to it.
Bruschetta! Yes that's right, bruschetta.  In my opinion, one of life's simply pleasures is a good bit of brushetta.  A slice of tasty and crusty bread mounded high with all those tasty toppings and heated to perfection.
Like I said before, I have been on a bit of an Italian kick lately.  This Sunday, I had some tomatoes sitting on my counter ready to turn when I thought to make bruschetta.  It is so easy and makes a great starter or snack.

The Goods
-2 medium vine ripened tomatoes
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-4 or 5 basil leafs, chiffonade
-salt and pepper to taste
-a dash of good extra virgin olive oil.
-Slices of Jarlsberg cheese

The Maneuver
-Remove seeds and dice the tomatoes into 1/8" cubes.
-Mince garlic and add to tomatoes
-Chiffonade the basil and add along to the tomatoes with garlic
-Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil
-Toss the ingredients together and spread it on a toasted slice of bread

What can I say, this is divine dinning.  You can always add a few things like shredded Parmesan cheese for kick, perhaps a smear of foi gras or even pate.  Enjoy these simple starters or like meals.  the key is always in the simplicity.

Once again, thanks for reading and wishing you best eating,

Bon Appétit

Mangia Bene!

Mangia Bene!

(It eats well!)

I don’t know what it is lately, but I have been battling this undying craving for Italian food and pasta in savory red sauce. Not only are pasta dishes so easy to make, they are also so versatile in flavor! Perhaps with the stresses of work and personal life I have just been seeking some comfort food to take solace in. Whatever it is, here is something I whipped together that brings really hits the spot.

Marvelous Meringue!

Let me tell you something my friends, there is nothing like wrapping up a family meal with a nice slice of homemade pie to really cap off the gathering. Rarely do we save room for dessert when dinning out, but when it come to the holidays, there always seems to be one more button we can loosen just to get that little slice of heaven in. This holiday season, I final had the opportunity to work with my future mother-in-law, Patti Harris to learn her secrets to a making a fantastic and oh so flakey pie crust.


As I am sure you can imagine, I was a little hesitant, coming from a background of baking with substitutions to make things healthier, when she pulled out the white sugar and Crisco! Oh ya, Crisco. But, I was dying to know how she does it when she makes her delicious lemon meringue pie (An absolute must have if my "soon-to-be" father-in-law, Bob Harris is around. Throughout my culinary journey I have learned that there is just no substitution for good old fashioned sugar and butter, or shortening in this case. Funny because the next day I spoke with my Uncle Paul in Ireland who relayed to me that the real secret to amazing pie is lard! I know he speaks the truth since I come from a Hispanic heritage were my grandmother made the most amazing baked goods, all with the help from her can of lard.

Now, if you air on the healthier side like me, do not be put off by all this. It is once a year we get to indulge (maybe a few other times too), so don't worry about it. Life is way too short to flip out about the small stuff and miss out on these amazing treats (I just need to practice what I preach right there).

Check this out--->

Comming back strong.

Good morning my fellow foodies and once again, Happy Holidays! Today I would like to take the time to apologize for my recent inability to write and bring new and exciting dishes to your attention. The past few weeks have been a little crazy at work as new and exciting events are taking place. Currently we are in transition from one employer to another. Our company’s contract was not renewed, but the company we contract to would like to take our technology team on as part of the organization that oversees a larger majority of Microsoft’s conferencing technology. Some people are moving out, some are moving up. Change is a good thing and I look forward to new tasks, responsibilities, and opportunities.

I am certainly looking forward to this weekend as I have plans to make up some chicken piccata in a white wine sauce, experiment with Israeli couscous, and begin a little holiday baking perhaps for some of my coworkers here at the Microsoft Conference Center (of course manage to squeeze in a few holiday parties!).

With great hope I will be able to take on my new position at work and find some more time to get back to my cooking exploits. Cooking is my means of releasing the pressure that life and work brings, a joyful experience as I taste and try new things, almost Zen-like. As you can see I am very anxious to resume my culinary adventures, so I will not bore you with anymore dry talk and let the food do the walking and talking for me. Stay tuned for more great food to come.

Thanks for reading and wishing you best eating,

Bon Appétit

"I Gotta Have the Piccatta!"

Lately I have been really craving some good Italian food.  I recently watched a DVD titled "Cooking and Cursing with the Grandsons of Italy" were they made some fantastic looking dishes.  One of which was chicken picatta.  Lucky for me I had all the ingredients I needed right in my cupboards.  If only I could find the time.  Saturday, whilst I waited for my partner-in-crime, Brandon to get off work so we could go hit Seattle for a Christmas outing, I decided there was no time like the present to make this dish.  Let's jump into it...

Leftovers as far as the eye can see...

So you say you are swamped with all those Thanksgiving leftovers? You have no idea what to do with the mountains of mashed potatoes, tons of turkey, heaps of stuffing, and as much cranberry sauce as the day is long? Not to mention the mass amounts of pies and desserts. Those I can’t help you with, you are on your own.


What I want to do is give a few ideas of what you can transform some of those leftovers into rather than eating and re-eating Thanksgiving meal over and over again.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

I am going to make this an open-ended blog today. By that I mean I invite anyone and everyone to share their favorite Thanksgiving recipe, story, tradition, etc. Whatever you like, we want to hear about it.

This year I assisted my mother in making our family's Thanksgiving meal. While she took the helm when it came to sides and desserts, I took over the turkey task.

Get your snack back on track!

To sum things up, we all get tied down with so many things going on, especially as we gear up for the holiday season. This chaotic running around can often lead to mindless eating and rifling through the fridge to throw together a mish mash of food that would make a Billy Goat sick. I speak from experience as this past weekend was so busy that we didn’t have anything to eat almost all day on Sunday. Of course, this led me to bust open the fridge and eat just about everything that wasn’t stuck to the shelves. With a small measure of prep ahead of time, you can whip together a snack bar that is not only tasty and supper easy, but actually healthy in a pinch! No more Snickers Marathon Bars to get you through a tough spot.


For the past few years I have been working on a nutritional bar that would give me the quality protein, slow digesting carbohydrates for extended energy, health fats, and not some astronomical calorie count. Remember, it is not necessarily fats that make you fat, but excess carbohydrates, especially the fast digesting type (Ex. White bread, white rice, candy, etc.). These carbohydrates cause a spike in insulin levels, which is an enzyme created in our bodies to combat sugar levels. Insulin is also a fat storing enzyme. When too much insulin is created, that food energy begins to be stored as fat. Another interesting bit about insulin is this: when you consume a ton of sugar, your blood sugar levels spike and you get that sugar rush. Insulin is then put into production and this fast acting enzyme is what brings the sugar levels down, thus causing the crash. So keep in mind carbohydrate choose. They are not all created equal, but the only fuel our brain uses to work is carbohydrates. So this other factor is important. I know what you are thinking: There is just no winning. IF I have said it once I have said it a million times, portion control and moderation are king.

Ok, enough of that. Let’s get to cooking!

Come on by for Sheppard's Pie.

There is nothing like a hearty meal to warm the heart and warm the stomach, especially when you have a large crowd to feed. Lately I have been frequenting this little Irish pub in Bellevue called Paddy Coyne’s for after work drinks and snacks. The place has great atmosphere and the food is pretty good too. I tell ya, sometimes there is just nothing like the first sip of a Guinness with all that creamy foam and body to it. Something that has always intrigued me on menus at many restaurants has been “Sheppard’s Pie”. Of course the instant turn off was usually the fact that it has peas in it (which I have always been very anxious to avoid). However, as I grow older and wiser, I hope, peas no longer hold that same “Yuck” factor for me. In the days of my childhood, my mother would often make a meal called “Peas and Corn Dish”. This was one thing I always hated. I just could not get used to creamed corn, mashed potatoes, beef and peas mixed together. It all took a further departure from my liking when we started eating more lean ground turkey that became the substitute for the beef. Once again, I have gained a new appreciation for this dish.


This weekend as I was sitting around recuperating from Saturdays “Mud Fest” as known as the annual “Turkey Bowl” football game in Shoreline WA, I decided to try my hand at Sheppard’s Pie.

I had a flank steak in my fridge marinating that I intend to cook, but I also had an extra ¼ of it that I cut off before marinating to do something else with, so that is what I used since I didn’t have lamb at my disposal. I also made a quick switch for the mashed potato covering that is traditionally used. I opted for mashed acorn squash since I had a large squash I needed to use up. Here is what I did:

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A Marvelous One Pot Wonder.

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention.  Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say I was in great need of more food to fill my refrigerator, but with my off the wall work schedule, it doesn't hurt to have something tasty and hearty waiting in the wings.
This was merely another one of my attempts to use various ingredients at my disposal and free up a little room in the pantry.  What it turned into was a keeper recipe that was great to have on those late work nights this week.

Snacking With Some Authority

A while back I was into my typical daily routine of surfing all the food and cooking websites I like that are updated with new recipes each morning.  I came across a recipe for a fig and goat cheese pizza that caught my eye.  Finally this morning I had a little time before work and some pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe's.  This unique and exciting taste makes the same old dull pizza look like bore.  It is great as an addition to a bread basket, by the slice with a salad, or as an simple appetizer.
So let's start this thing:

DIY Debone And Stuff That Bird!

Let’s face it folks, it is so nice and easy (though not always affordable) to go pick out some already prepared chicken fillets or boneless and skinless frozen chicken pieces. But were the heck is the fun in that? I have always been one for convenience because of a chaotic work schedule, so I can’t bash the rummaging through the frozen food isle for some flash frozen meats. I did however discover that it is actually a lot easier and less expensive to debone your own chicken. I had the brilliant idea one night to attempt this as I was watching “Jacques Pepin’s Complete Technique” series. He seemed to whip right through and made a fantastic looking Galantine (galantine is a deboned chicken stuffed usually with ground meats like veal, pork, etc. so it comes out looking like pimento or pickle loaf). So here we go I thought. How much trouble can I get into anyway? This is also perfect for weekday meals, not only holidays.
I purchased a small chicken the next day at Safeway and set to the task. It really isn’t as bad as you my think. Check out what ensued. -->

Gearing Up For Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all the readers of my page.  May I just begin by saying thank you again for reading my blog and wishing you all best eating.  I am excited because this blog will give me an opportunity to talk a little bit about what we all adore during the holiday season.  This all equates to sharing time with friends and family, the exciting chill in the air, but mainly the food!  I will continue to talk about my culinary adventures and creations, as well as throwing in some neat tips and tricks I have been picking up for food prep and holiday cooking/baking.  So, stick around and see what goods we pull together as the days grow a little darker outside, but warmer with the love of good friends, family, gifts, and of course... great food!

Dinning With Elegance.

Last night I finally had the opportunity to start on a menu from the "Le Cordon Bleu at Home" book I spoke about in an earlier blog.  I wanted to begin utilizing this book to develop my culinary prep skills, but alas, life, and work, gets in the way.  Since I had all day yesterday (when I wasn't cleaning my apartment), I picked up what I needed from the store to start lesson one in the book.

Lesson One from "Le Cordon Bleu At Home"
Concombre a la Menthe- Cucumber Salad with Mint
Poulet Roti- Roast Chicken (I made a tapenade stuffed chicken breast instead)
Petits Pois a la Francaise- Spring Peas with Lettuce, Chervil, and Onions
Salade des Fruits- Fresh Fruit Salad with Cointreau (I chose to make Jacques Pepin's Apricot Popover instead)
Follow the "Read More" link to see what transpired!

The First Course Made Easy!

Today I am taking some time to discuss an easy first course for the fall season.  A fantastic starter for a fall menu that is quick and easy is Butternut Squash Bisque.  The flavors of this soup are extraordinary when simmered together and really give you that warm fall feeling.  Let's be honest, we all love the summer, but that cozy fall atmosphere is very hard to beat when transitioning from shorts and sandals to hot cocoa and sweaters!  Let's check out how to whip this bisque up quick and faster than a hurry:

In search of a legend.

Vin De Constance.  The wine sought after by European aristocracy in the 18th and 19th century, enjoyed by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 during his exile to St. Helena, celebrated by authors Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, this drink is culitivated in the prized wine region of South Africa.  I mentioned this wine in a previous blog I wrote regarding my search for it, and by some strange twist of fate, came into possession of a bottle this past weekend.

Trouble with Truffles.

Yes, you read that title correctly. These little darlings are rich, tantalizing, and borderline sinfully delicious. Chocolate truffles made of the darkest chocolate, Italian balsamic vinegar, cream, and then rolled in pure organic cocoa powder. They are not for the faint of heart or those with a lack of strong will to only indulge in a few.
Try them out. I find that "One size fits all" with this treat:

The Sophisticated Savage!

Well, not so savage, more primitive, or Primitivo I should say.  Last night I found myself at the store before going home from work looking for something to drink with dinner.  I was preparing a steak goulash with roasted tomatoes, garlic, onion, and beef stock to be served over a bed of blanched cabbage.  More so I just wanted to try out the new wine and food pairing application I just downloaded on my iPhone.  According to my little electronic somonie, there were several wines for my paring I could choose. I decided a bold and powerful red wine was what I should go for, per my preference to full bodied reds.   A "Primitivo" was what I was on the hunt for.

Que Vive La Pizza!

In my opinion, pizza gets a pretty bad rap.  When we think of pizza, it congers thoughts of frat boys scarfing it down with cheap beer, cardboard tasting crusts with over greasy meat atop it, and all the other horrible things that have been done to it (stuffing more cheese in the crust, as if what was already on it wouldn't stop our heart).

This weekend I was at Trader Joe's and came across their dough in a bag.  So, we decided to pick up 2 bags of the herb dough and make some homemade pizza.  The day before I made some of that delicious marinara sauce (Read "Mambo Italian"), so we decided to utilize that since there was so much.

We're just a "Scone's" throw away...

Today we are rocken a batch of tea biscuits, also known as "Scones".  The scone name origins are unclear and can be chalked up to being lost in the pages of culinary history.  Some say the name originated from the Dutch word "schoonbrood" where "shoon" means "clean" and "brood" meaning "bread".  Others say the name comes from where the Kings of Scotland were crowned, the Stone (Scone) of Destiny.  Either way, as long as they end up on our plates, sometimes with lemon curd, a nice big dollop of Devonshire cream, or just plain, I have no objections.
So let's stop messing around and get to it!

You had me at Merlot!

The other night I had the opportunity to try Lindemans Bin 40 Merlot, Vintage 2008.  Actually it was a left over bottle from my sister's wedding reception.  This weekend I went to visit my parents in Bellingham Wa, and noticed that there was an open bottle of Merlot on the counter (I won't even begin to describe what my parents were using it for).  Be it far from me to pass up a tasting opportunity, as I know no food or drink prejudice and have the least experience with Merlots.  However, I did have some reservations as in the past I tended to associate a rather distasteful wine experience with Merlot.  I must say, I was surprised at what this inexpensive bottle of wine had to offer.  A bright bouquet with nice and easy tannins of light pepper, berries, and a perfect jammy sweetness.  This was certainly a wine with more body and viscosity, but certainly in a good way.  I am finding that I am more partial to a full bodied and rich red wine rather than something lighter like a Pinot Noir that is more delicate.
After tasting this wine, I decided to swing by Trade Joe's last night after work and grab a bottle for the week.  Total cost: $6.99.  Not too shabby if you are just getting into wine tasting and drinking with your meals, or for your heart health (Wink!).

Le Cordon Bleu for me and you.

Le Cordon Bleu is the premier and most famous culinary school in the world. Located in Paris, France, Le Cordon Bleu has been producing some of the world's best chefs and cooks for almost 115 years!
Recently I stumbled across a book that was written as the first English publication of recipes, menus, and techniques taught by the school, "Le Cordon Bleu At Home".  The book is broken into 3 sections: beginner, medium , and advanced.  From there it is broken into lessons that are full dinning menus. Essentially the book follows the culinary outline of the school's syllabus.  I can't believe this was out there and I didn't even have a copy!
This book is a fantastic bit of reading.  It teaches the reader basic skills of the kitchen from roasting, to utilizing a Bein Marie (A Bein Marie is a water bath used for cooking delicate foods in the oven), and many, many more.  True, it is not entirely illustrated with every single recipe in the book, otherwise it would be even bigger and heavier than what it already is (553 pages), but it does have some fantastic photos as well as a great catalog in the back that is fully illustrated on how to accomplish certain tasks.  I fully plan to buy this book for myself when I get the chance, and recommend you pick it up, or at least check it out from the library.

Manicotti and Chianti... That's Amore!

This is the first installation of our "Weekly Wednesday Culinary Conception"!  As my dear friends Kevin, Mandy, and myself gathered once again, with higher aspirations than the "Chriscotti Incident", we decided to whip together an old Italian favorite that would both satisfy our cravings for pasta, vino, and a good time (Since those two will be dinning at "Vince's" in Renton without me this weekend).
We began this weekly food and friends meeting in hopes of relieving a bit of the preasures from the doldrums of the week.  Monday is mearly the beginning, and we all have the weekend to look forward to on Friday, but nothing to give us hope at the middle of the work week.  Thus, an idea for this gathering is born.

At this "meeting of the minds" (ya right!), we are working on Mandy's interpretation of Manicotti.  Please bear in mind that because we are getting a later start this evening (rough work schedules this week), that we are making this utilizing the "Semi-Homamade" method.  Believe me, the baked ziti competiton between Mandy and I is in the making, but we really need a weekend for it to make the homemade pasta.

This is what ensued:

There's No Reason for Bad Food!

It is a little funny how we have such a distorted view of food these days. What is OK to eat and what should be off limits is constantly changing in regards to our health.
Since the beginning of 2006 I have been on a journey of self discovery with my two great passions, health/fitness, and cooking. I've done it all: the the bodybuilding workouts and way of eating, low carb/low fat, cooking with substitutions to the point of where the original recipe is almost completely gone, high protein, low protein, trying fad diet tips, "Men's Health" tips, etc. In the course of this time I have lost 80 lbs., created shortcuts for cooking and simplified food all together. I also managed to loose a bit of that punch that makes food exciting and amazing by looking for ways to make healthy, no fun, and quick meals for my busy lifestyle.
A few words to the wise about making good that is easy and healthy, but still has that "WOW" factor:

Mambo Italiano

Marinara sauce. We love it for it's complex and wholesome taste. We hate it for the stains it leaves when that whole in our bottom lips seems to appear.
The other day I tried my hand for the first time at making Italian Biscotti with my friend Mandy, who just happens to be born and bred Italian. Needless to say it wasn't exactly "like Nonna (grandma) used to make". I think she is just being tough on our little creation, lovingly deemed "Chriscotti".
That's when I decided to beat her at her own Italian game. This is me striking the first blow...

Hooch du jour!

So lately I have been getting into drinking a bit of wine (Strictly for the purpose of reporting to you good people).

Wine just happens to be chalk full of all sorts of healthful stuff (Resveratrol, antioxidants, etc.). It also happens, in my opinion, to be a bit easier to put down, sometimes, than mixed drinks (full of sugar) or beer (a little heavy, but great after sweating in the sun or with Mexican food). And for all those beer drinking tough guys who shun wine, it has a higher alcohol content per glass than even that heavy dark stuff, sans the bloating!

A bit of wine advice from a novice who has been doing his research:

-Try out a lot of variety. Occasionally I indulge in a cigar and rarely smoke the same one twice unless I truly like that one. Same goes for wine.

-The sweet spot price wise for buying wine is between $9 and $29, but flexible. Currently I am looking for a particular South African wine, "Vin Di Constance", which last time I checked online to have a bottle shipped to me was around $75, so every now and then a splurge for a nice occasion seems acceptable. This wine was coveted by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had 15 cases a year shipped to him during his exile to the island of St. Helena. If it is good enough for Napoleon, it's good enough for Chris!

OK, sorry for the departure, on to the wine...

Madeleine Who?

Madeleines, also know as “French Butter Cakes” are a treat for anyone who likes sweet and lightly cakey cookies (let’s see a show of hands out there! Don’t be shy.)
My inspiration for these little darlings actually came one day a few years back when I was watching “Le Transporteur”, “The Transporter” for us Americans. The woman who was saved in the movie made these little cakes for her hero one morning. At that point I knew I had to find out what these were. It took me 2 weeks just to track down the special molds for them. You can find them online, or were I did at “The Pacific Chef “in Bellingham, WA.

Madeleines hail from Commercy, France. Louis XV named these petite cakes after his father-in-law's pastry chef, Madeleine Paulmier and were soon introduced to the court of Versailles by Louis' wife. Needless to say the swept all of France off it's feet in a short time. It is a mystery to the French, and myself, why these little cakes have never truly caught on here in the states. They are everything you could possibly ask for in a cookie: light, sweet, and distinctively classy!

Crepes With "Latin Panache"

Last night I came home from work with a determined mindset to clear out some room in my freezer and cabinets. According to some friends of mine (Kevin and Mandy), I have more food than any one person can eat (Funny for two people whom live the "Mother Hubberd's cupboard's are bare" scenario day in and out). Lately I have been in a "French" sort of mood after a fantastic book I read by Mireille Guiliano and the Julia Child reruns I have been watching. What follows is the creation, born from leftovers and whatever was in the freezer and cabinets, that I have yet to come up with a catchy name for, so if you may have one, please do not hold back.

Creativity In Bloom

Today I begin a journey. This is not an adventure of a thousand steps, but more of a thousand tastes. Growing up I have always loved food. I do not shy away from the many culinary treasures this world has to offer in it's vast reaches. In fact, if it is even remotely edible, I will try it at least once. Thank you for joining me on this culinary trip and we shall see were it takes!