cheeseandchocolate

Balmagowry, I'm with you. Ahhh, chicken liver pate. Hot damn. Among my other passions: lima beans ("Greek-style"--with olive oil, lots of garlic, chopped flat-leaf parsley, salt, and crusty bread for sopping up the juices ), Brussels sprouts (roasted, hashed, braised, steamed--you name it), cabbage (red, green, stewed, braised, steamed), beets... And a few years back, I got really addicted to hot brown basmati rice with a little cottage cheese (preferably Alta Dena) stirred in...it got all melty and comfort-foody. Sounds weird, but try it.

I'm with the PlayDoh (sp?) eaters out there. My mom sometimes even made homemade PlayDoh, which, as I recall, she actually condoned my eating. Mmmm, salty... Other than that, I was a pretty tame eater. But I did have a few quirks: I was absolutely *terrified* of lumps in food that was intended to be smooth, such as Dannon vanilla yogurt (a staple of my childhood) and Campbell's tomato soup (the thick, canned, concentrated kind, to which you add water). If there was a lump in the bowlful, I wouldn't touch the stuff.

Hmm, I wouldn't necessary agree with the notion that shad roe tastes like liver. I'd describe its flavor as intensely fishy (in good and bad ways, depending on how you feel about fishiness). It is definitely strong, with a remarkable aromatic essence-of-the-sea taste. The texture is reminds me of quite gritty grits, or of exactly what it is: tightly-packed caviar! It is really delicious when pan-fried in bacon fat, nice and simple. Can't say I'd recommend making it at home, though, as it certainly does look *nasty* when raw.

I'm a big fan of the sour ficelle from Macrina, and their Greek olive bread is delicious too, with hints of rosemary and lemon zest beefing up the olive flavor. I also love Tall Grass Bakery's pain au levain, although it is a bit heavy in comparison to Acme's version. Terrific flavor, though.

Ohhhh, this blog is killing me! Kiiiiiilling me, I tell you! How my heart aches! Waaaaaah! Que la France me manque! But... I've got a ticket to France in June! Paris, not Lyon--but luckily, they've got food in Paris too. I'm supposed to be there to do research, though, so I won't be able to follow my stomach *all* the time...

I'm sure someone else would jump in to say this if I didn't, but about La Spiga: do be aware that their bread (a traditional flatbread called piadina, which they make on site) contains lard. Not technically vegetarian. Just so you know. That said, however, they do often have excellent vegetarian soups (mmm, La Spiga soups! ), and they've got a great carrot salad right now with hazelnuts, balsamic, arugula, and fresh mozz. Really, really tasty. Their gnocchi is tough to beat as well, and they almost always have some sort of vegetarian ravioli. La Spiga is a perennial favorite.

My boyfriend's parents are visiting for the weekend, so I offered to make dinner at home tonight, for their last night in town. Yeaaay! An excuse to spend a relaxing Sunday cooking! Plus, I love playing hostess. I did a menu of my greatest hits, plus a trial of a new dessert recipe, just for good measure. Mollie Katzen's "Dreamy White Beans," drizzled with EVOO and balsamic Roasted asparagus with fleur de sel Roasted Roma tomatoes with ground coriander Red-leaf lettuce salad with sherry vinaigrette Shirley Corriher's "Touch of Grace" biscuits (didn't really go with the menu, but I knew our guests would really enjoy them) Chocolate fallen souffle cake (from the February 2004 Gourmet) with loosely whipped, lightly-vanilla'd cream

It ain't fancy, but lunchtime often finds me eating peanut butter and jelly on good bread. I'm currently hooked on Whole Foods' 365 brand regular ole creamy, and I'm working my way through a jar of Sarabeth's strawberry-peach preserves. Dinner fallbacks: mujadara , French lentils with sherry or lemon vinaigrette, simple soups (broccoli or pea) with a cheese rind thrown in...

I've recently hit upon my favorite: Cluizel 85%. Last night I did a little taste comparison between Cluizel and Recchiuti 85%, and the flavor difference was remarkable...the Cluizel was much "darker" tasting, for lack of a better description, more bitter, more toasty. Ahhhh. I'm not so sure about El Rey. I bought a couple bars of the Gran Saman 70%, and it was too sweet, almost milk chocolate-y. Not a fan.

Now THAT was a spectacular meal. Last night the $25 menu at Union consisted of: An amuse of several paper-thin slices of beet, placed atop a couple sprigs of some sort of leafy green (ScorchedPalate, can you help here?) and dressed with fruity olive oil and a good little sprinkling of crunchy salt Two Stellar Bay oysters with Meyer lemon and Casa Brina olive oil: I can't comment on these, since I don't eat oysters. (I know, I know.) But anyway, my friend happily ate both hers and mine. Watercress soup with a quenelle of smoked-salmon mousse: This was absolutely delicious. The soup was wonderfully smooth and just warm, and the mousse was just this side of cool, sitting atop a tiny little raft of crouton. The temperature and flavor contrasts were really spot on for me in this one. Seared ahi tuna with seaweed salad and soy vinaigrette: Although I don't get so excited about seared ahi tuna in restaurants these days, this was pretty spectacular. They'd taken a small triangle of filet and seared it on the bottom, so that when it was presented, the top was still perfectly deep pink, sprinkled with aforementioned crunchy salt. The seaweed salad underneath it was no different than I've had in sushi restaurants, but no complaints here. That tuna was exquisite. Muscovy duck with celery-root puree and port reduction: This was the highlight of the evening. Three little slices of duck breast fanned on top of a small mound of celery root puree, with a slighly-sweet deep-burgundy port reduction surrounding it. Each slice of duck breast had, over the top of the meaty portion, a little crown of fat, which was at once melty and crispy . We were really, really quiet while we ate this. That duck was exquisite. Bleu de Gex with frisee and almonds: A delicious, creamy raw cow's milk blue with a little-bit-too-small tangle of frisee, served with raisin-pecan (I think it was pecan?) bread. Really, really tasty. Wild blueberry sorbet with creme fraiche: To steal a phrase from Girl Chow, this was a blueberry bomb. It was so deeply blueberry-y, so dark purple and smooth. And the little teensy weensy (maybe too teensy weensy) bit of creme fraiche underneath it was a wonderful contrast. Jasmine tea and lime parfait: A little upside-down custard resembling an unmolded pot de creme, sitting atop slices of some fruit I couldn't identify. Had I not known from the menu that the flavor was jasmine tea and lime, I'm not sure I would have been able to place it, but it was really delicious nonetheless. Not having a whole lot in the wallet, we each had only one glass of wine--the Goisot sauvignon blanc from Chablis, which was excellent and got us though to the tuna course. Our waiter, who also happened to be the wine director Reinier, was extremely knowledgeable and courteous--and this was even BEFORE he spontaneously brought us two glasses of Muscat Beaumes de Venise, on the house, with dessert. Oh, and the bread they serve is indeed excellent, a detail that makes a big difference to me. We were, to say the least, extremely happy with our evening.

Thanks!

A friend and I are going to Union for the "screaming bargain" tonight. Girlchow et al., thanks for your detailed reviews--we can't wait to try it ourselves! One question: I'll be racing to get downtown after classes in time for our 7pm reservation, and I'm wondering if Union has valet parking. I don't think I'll have the necessary 30 minutes to drive around downtown looking for street parking, and if I'm going to pay for parking, it might be nice to treat myself. Ahhh, a girl's got to celebrate the end of the quarter, after all.

I couldn't seem to get warm today, even though it was pretty mild out. Dinner was warming, though... Lentil-and-chestnut soup Greek-style lima beans (from Gourmet a few months back) Macrina Bakery baguette Afterwards, a bit of Neal's Yard Stilton and thin slices of mimolette, with more baguette And finally, a few squares of Cluizel 85% dark chocolate

Ooooh yeah...Le Pichet! Mmmm. Oh, how I love that brandade. And all the other things too, of course. But the brandade...

Wow--thanks for all the great suggestions! Ah, eGullet. I knew I could count on you guys! Now off to present the options to the boyfriend, since he knows his family best...

My boyfriend's parents are coming to Seattle to visit us in late March. It'll be their first time here, and they're both from the Midwest. They're not big foodies and are mainly meat-and-potatoes folk, but they do like good seafood. And since this is Seattle, after all, we'd like to take them for some great PNW seafood--relatively casual and at a moderate price. Can anyone offer suggestions? I'm tempted to aim for something with a view, although I know that good views often mean not-so-good food. Maybe near Pike Place? I don't want to take them to a tourist-trap place with a great view and mediocre food--hell, if I'm going to be spending my money, I want to enjoy what I'm eating! To complicate this request a bit, I should mention that my boyfriend is a vegetarian, so we're looking for a place with at least a couple of veggie options. I'm mulling over Etta's, having read good things about it here and perused the menu online. Any ideas? Thanks!

Mmmm...Valentine's Day picnic on a blanket on the floor: Gruyere souffle Sauteed swiss chard with EVOO and lemon Maple butternut squash puree Touch of Grace biscuits (amen, Shirley Corriher!)

Redfox, could you elaborate a bit on how you put together the cauliflower, red onion, and chickpeas? At what point did you season, and with what, exactly? And did you roast it all together? How did you cut the onion? Must. Replicate. That. Dish! Edited to say: oops. Just noticed that someone--nutcakes, I think--describes this in detail earlier in the thread. Nevermind!

Hi Pim-- Is the Boulangerie on Pine related to the one on Polk? Great blog, by the way--the photos are terrific. And as someone who used to live in the Bay Area (1997-2001) and now misses it terribly (Seattle just ain't the same), I'm lapping up all the details!

Alsatian onion tart (a NY Times recipe by Andre Soltner) Six-hour roasted roma tomatoes Braised Brussels sprouts Macrina sour ficelle And a few chocolate-chocolate-fleur de sel Korova Cookies, from Dorie Greenspan's "Paris Sweets"--I made them to take to a seminar tomorrow, and we had to make sure they wouldn't kill anyone. Mmmm...

I'm a big fan of Burdick's chocolates, as mentioned by docsconz. Really intense, deep chocolate flavors with unusual spices thrown in--but not gimmicky or overwrought. Plus, they're gorgeous. I just the other day finished the last of a little 1/4-lb box I bought myself. Now I'm sad.

Sunday night, a little French meal: Gruyere souffle (from Julia Child's The Way to Cook) Roasted cherry tomatoes Green salad with lemon vinaigrette Macrina Bakery baguette "Gateau de Mamy"--a simple, moist, buttery apple cake, "Grandmother-style"

I'm playing last Friday's tune again, with minor variations: Roasted carnival squash with fleur de sel Stoneground grits Sauteed red chard with olive oil and lemon Edamame (mixin' up the ethnic picture here) And for dessert: A plum torte (Marion Burros') I made back in November and froze, with Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream

yum that sounds good...i had grits on friday at a wonderful new seattle hot spot - i'd never had them like that (by like that i mean "good") sunday dinner was black bean chili from the greens cookbook. definitely the best chili i've ever had...lots of toasting and grinding - i used some smoked spanish paprika and finished it with rice vinegar. made cornbread/pudding to go with - corn meal, roasted poblano, carmelized shallots and frozen cuisinart-ed corn. i think i should have compensated for the extra liquid in the corn - it was a little wetter than i would have liked, and not quite as sweet. still very tasty with the smoky chili. Reesek-- Was that "Seattle hot spot" Lark, by any chance? I've been dying to go there, but I'm waiting for a little boost to the bank account first. This grad school/part-time job thing doesn't leave much wiggle-room in the ole wallet... And I LOVE that black bean chili recipe from Greens! I interned--very informally-- in the kitchen there for a couple weeks during college, and I always snuck the black bean chili leftover from lunch service home with me in empty plastic yogurt containers. I've made the recipe at home many many times, and as you noted, it's really worth the effort. I usually serve it with brown rice, chunks of avocado tossed with lime juice, and crumbled sharp cheese (such as feta or queso fresco). Your cornbread/pudding sounds really terrific too, and I'll have to try something like it next time. Our dinner tonight: Two old Martha Stewart Living stand-by recipes-- Chana masala Cinnamon basmati rice with golden raisins And braised fennel from the Zuni Cafe cookbook...mmmmmmmm Finished it all off with some chocolate from L.A. Burdick, leftover from Christmas in Cambridge...

Sunday dinner: Friday's leftover stoneground grits, sliced 1/2-inch thick and "toasted" in the oven on a pan brushed with olive oil Red chard sauteed with garlic and olive oil, finished with lemon juice Shelled edamame, nicely salted Tall Grass Bakery pain au levain, with EVOO for dipping About to have some chocolate for dessert...