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reesek

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Everything posted by reesek

  1. for me, value = getting to spend time cooking rather than cleaning up or doing some of the prep. (i love the zen of mise en place...but not stoning cherries - $12 for a sturdy one was well worth my money) my favorite cheapy is old aluminum pie tins - sometimes danish comes in them, sometimes i buy them empty - they cost almost nothing, but if i want to broil cheese on bread - i don't have to worry about cleaning the cheese off - i can just re-cycle them. they also last a while, can be put through the dishwasher and are a great size for baking, marinating or broiling fish.
  2. talk about poetry...mongo - you're my hero. back to topic - GG Mora - this is a great topic...consensus seems to be the cliche is something one either doesn't like, or that seems dated or overdone. i suppose i'm comfortable not being on the cutting edge, as i love many things (without shame) that are arguably passe - like erm, mango salsa on salmon. however - to bring up balmagowry's point of classic v. cliche - isn't creme brulee a classic that's been over-exposed to the point of absurdity? i'm by no means a great cook - but my first attempt at creme brulee was 3x better than what i've had in most restaurants. caprese salad and bruschetta seem to have suffered a similar fate from their ubiquity...the next time i'm served a "bruschetta" on cold, ungrilled bread - it's not going to be pretty. i wonder if what seems cliche varies dramatically by region...in seattle - i'd say seared sesame crusted ahi with some sort of soy glaze and bok choy is cliche...simply because it shows up a lot on menus and no longer seems innovative. it can be good though...but i feel like a tourist when i order it.
  3. tsquare - how tall are your peas? how tall should they get before they start to flower?
  4. girlchow - can you post a pic/link of a stacking stone? sounds lovely - we'd love ultimately to have a terraced yard with stacked stones - i wonder if they're similar. i'm with you on the manual labor too...i'm walking like the aged, and i have a "fanny pack" shaped sunburn on my lower back that's killing me but it's worth it. thanks for the advice on the tomatoes...what a great problem to have though - hundreds of tomatoes...the ones we planted last year never got that big, though the sungolds were very prolific...we have herbs in between the tomatoes, so maybe that will help - i don't expect the basils will get in the way - last year we didn't even need tomato cages - just stakes. is there a fertilizer that works better for tomatoes? we used steer and lots of fresh garden/topsoil over the turned dusty weedy stuff i compulsively raked. can i transplant them if they get huge?
  5. we sat where we wanted to -- at the bar. it was about 7 or 7:30pm - the restaurant was full. edited for spelling & clarity
  6. i'd love to resurrect this thread... we went to tilth on saturday (1pm was too late for many varieties of tomatoes, so we supplemented with PCC purchases) we did this yesterday: i am in serious pain today...fortunately it will all be worth it come august. the large bed has: 3 kinds of basil "italian" "genovese" and thai, 2 thai chili plants, a jalepeno and 2 cippolini onions as well as 20 tomato plants. the smaller bed behind and to the right has arugula & spinach in the front and peas (sugar snap and shelling) in the back - which we planted from seeds. boxes of strawberries are behind the photographer...they haven't done much yet...but i remain hopeful. does anyone know about peas? mine seem so tall, and while we have loads of leaves, and thickish vines, we've got not one flower...this is by far the most ambitious planting we've done. last year we planted tomatoes around memorial day - should i cover these with some sort of makeshift tarp? girlchow - how was your greenhouse last year?
  7. reesek

    Dinner! 2004

    i'm still working on my fish taco technique - i'm completely possessed by them. these were the best yet - marinated halibut for about 30 min in olive oil, lime juice, cumin s&p and 2 homemade chili powders (ancho and chipotle) sauteed filet in screaming hot pan - so hot it carbonized some of the spices - somehow this tasted grilled instead of burned. a bonus. served on (disappointing) corn tortillas with tapatio, julienned cabbage and creamy sauce i made by combining creme fraiche, garlic, lime juice and cilantro. we also had chips and fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. i'm pathologically incapable of having 'mexican' food without making guacamole. last night i made fresh rolls - saifun noodles (hopefully now i'll remember it's maifun!) leftover shredded cabbage, thinly sliced jalepenos, prawns, scallions, carrots, cucumber and cilantro and thai basil. still fresh tasting, more substantial and much more flavorful than ordinary fresh rolls - the jalepeno was excellently hot.
  8. thanks for your feedback robyn. i can't speak for all "us people" in seattle - but i do stand by my opinion about seastar - and i'm happy to defend it. i didn't have a huge meal (nor, i think did i imply that i did) but a seafood restaurant (with accolades, no less) should not be serving elderly mussels. as i mentioned in my initial post, i should have said something, but i didn't. and someone in that kitchen should have known. (that sucks) with respect to the 2 other dishes - one i was very excited about that turned out to be missing both it's promised truffle oil and the pear...too many pinenuts and not enough seasoning left the scallop bland and uninteresting. (sucked) i'm happy to pay $9 for one perfect scallop - but i think i have every right to be a little bitter when it's not even good. i eat very well in seattle - we have tons of great restaurants that offer quality, consistently inventive cuisine and great atmosphere. seastar, in my opinion, is just not one of them.
  9. nutella ice cream?? sounds amazing - would you just stir it into vanilla custard base before freezing? i wonder if all european countries have a nutella knock-off. spain's version, nocillo is a pale imitation of the american version (can't speak to the original). it always tasted like the nuts or oil was slightly rancid.
  10. ok - seastar sucked. i have added pogacha to the list of places i'd love to go...it wasn't ever really going to be an option for my friend...and since she was doing me a favor, i wanted to go somewhere that we might both have enjoyed. here is my review of seastar 1) meyer lemon drops. these have thyme leaves in them. that rocks. the bartender, however, said "do you know what that (thyme) is?" prompting my friend to dig her nails into my leg. meyer lemon drops are very good - a good reason to stop at seastar, if you have $8.95 to spend on a drink in bellevue. 2) we split 3 appetizers. first a scallop and pear tartare with meyer lemon (hmm...), thyme (double hmmm) pinenuts and truffle oil. scallop + truffle = good, except that there was no truffle...and no pear either come to think of it. and there were too many pinenuts. scallop was nice and fresh, but conisdering it was likely one diced scallop pressed into a ring mold - and it was again $8.95 - i dearly wanted my truffle oil. second - curried mussels - these were definitely not fresh - i should have sent them back...gutless! fortunately, we're both fine today - but they were definitely a little long in the tooth, as my dad would say. third - seared ahi encrusted with black pepper and sesame - very standard dish, but i'm glad we got it - it was excellent. and nice to eat something that was better than what came in the bread basket. i won't be back. but pogacha and udupi...those sound like reasons to cross the pond again.
  11. you are so right DLC. i'm heading to an edible plant sale tomorrow...can't wait to over-purchase tomato and herb seedlings. the amount of money i have been giving to the packaged herb people lately is making me very cross. only my thyme survived the winter...i've got some scattered (thanks cats) cilantro and italian parsely, but the greek oregano, marjoram and worst of all, my tarragon didn't make it. i crave tarragon. loose in salads, chopped in soup and most especially in mayonaise - it's a lovely flavor bridge.
  12. my current favorite is arugula & spinach (what i happen to have growing right now) with strawberries and goat cheese. i like to dress it with lemon, big crunchy grey salt and greek olive oil. one night we had it for dessert and i added some candied hazelnuts and served it with moscato d' asti. i totally agree that the salty meatiness is delicious on salads. these days, i'm getting that fix from smoked albacore. i pair it with greens (um, arugula and spinach - it's shocking how much i have from what i planted) and dried sour cherries and a smidge of goat's milk feta - impossible to have too much cheese. ever.
  13. hi all, i'll be in bellevue tomorrow (in my own personal hell, actually - trying on bridesmaid dresses). i'm dragging a friend to lend moral support. it's always better to have someone laugh at you when you fall than to have to avoid eye contact while you pick yourself up in silence. we're going to have some dinner afterwards. i've been dying to try udupi but she doesn't like indian food. we talked about i love sushi and i also suggested seastar. i haven't eaten there, but it's in the building where my home loan officer works, and i've had wine to calm shaking hands there - seemed ok - if a bit "eastside." i did a search on this board, but i haven't seen a peep about it in ages - has anyone eaten there? the menu looks good... any other bellevue ideas? i'm going to be tired and (potentially) depressed...nothing like positive thinking, right? so i'd like somewhere where we can drink wine, snack and be well cared for. many thanks in advance
  14. just a tip if you go to vashon - i planted tomatoes i got at the nice-ish grocery store there last year and they were absolutely spectacular...i plan to go back this year. the yellow cherry tomatoes in particular had a great yield and the best flavor.
  15. i went about a week ago - was very impressed - as an east coast girl, even talking about pizza in seattle tends to make me grumpy. we had a special pizza -- aglio olio - very good and garlicky but needed more chili flakes...and their mediteranean pizza which was amazing. they do something divine to the mushrooms...i'm inclined to think they're sauteed with thyme and a little cinnamon... however - i thought their pay system was a little screwy. you order at the counter, pay and then they bring everything out. i paid with a card and the cashier asked if i wanted to put a tip on the card...so i tipped before i'd been served, which is pretty irrelevant, but just a little strange since she said, "ok, how much?" i wasn't crazy about that...also if i'd wanted another glass of wine (and when don't i?) i would have had to pull out my card again. i'd be more inclined to take-out as a result, which is kind of a crime against pizza...
  16. reesek

    Dinner! 2004

    cheese puffs. not lovely warm from the oven sharp gruyere and buttery puff pastry...these were some kind of low fat yellow spray cheese thing. i'm cheetos fan despite it's status as a "food thing" or "food product" or whatever other scary thing. these aren't good enough to qualify as imitation cheetos...these were a disgrace. i was too tired to care though. i still feel cheated. i want that dinner back!
  17. Lucy, I just wanted to chime in too with accolades for your blog - your photos are exceptional, and your meals look wonderful...even the "failure!" thank you so much for sharing with us - it's always amazing to see how other egulleteers relate to food, but somehow it feels like you're truly sharing your lifestyle with us.
  18. great article brooks. i went to jazzfest my senior year of college - santana made the rain stop (or um, something like that...grannies were getting high around me - way cooler than watching the concert) and my favorite show was inside the gospel tent. i can't even remember the food since i played it all wrong (not having gotten the memo from brooks in advance) and chased my bud lights with yards of fruity headache in town. i did eat something wonderful at the fairgrounds...i believe it contained potato. i do love NO though, it's a sticky good time.
  19. i use it for referencing specific amounts - ratios for mayonaise or hollandaise. i tend not to cook much from recipes and like my cookbooks a little pornier (prettier pictures) when i'm looking for inspiration. baking is another story...i made his chocolate sorbet which is absurdly easy and very good. i've also made ice cream base with his recipe and creme brulee and a fruit tart with pastry cream - a proud moment and one of the prettiest thing i've ever made.
  20. Bourough Market, Fridays and Saturdays. An amazing covered market full of stalls with the finest of artisanal foods,, Try the stall that sells a grill l toasted bun with a barbqued choritso split sausage, grilled pepper and a bunch of rocket drizzled with olive oil, the whole thing cooked for you and ready to eat (the queue stays all day at 30 or so people, but its worth it). Just near the market entrance there is Niels Yard, with the cheese shop of your dreams, sampling encouraged. i second borough market...everything there looked and smelled amazing. i bought some jarred tomato and cumin jam and some lemon curd there - both fantastic. have a cup of tea from the ladies just outside - they're lovely and call everyone honey - familiar and yet exotic...wonderful. Marks & Spencer has the best potato chips - avoid walker's - but the M&S coriander and lime are very good - there's also one flavor - apple thyme i think that seriously tastes like thanksgiving stuffing. i know it's silly to go to london and eat potato chips...but they're worthwhile. i was recently there and loved Moro and Levantine - the whole city is mezze crazy. the anchovies at Moro, the setting, the service and the wine were all great - Levantine is a trip - the most amazing setting - with a fixed price enormous meal...by paddington station. check out Time Out London - very useful guide. have fun!
  21. thank god i moved off capitol hill...frites of all varieties are my most consistent weakness...tighe - what sauce did you get? do they serve anything else? (belgian waffles...belgian beer...?)
  22. i am a recent convert to beets - in the last year i've really grown to love them. beet salads are wonderful and i've made the sara moulton recipe mentioned above (or something very similar) as well. thyme, butter and sweet balsamic vinegar are wonderful with warm beets - and i agree that goat cheese balances well. my favorite preparation is roasted with the skin on - it does (kind of) slip off after they're tender. i like to marinate the still warm beets in whatever my vinagrette is - usually tarragon vinagrette - if i'm not using a sweet vinegar like balsamic, i might add a touch of sugar. i'll let them cool to room temp and serve a composed plate of marinated beets (love the yellow/red striated variety) with dollops of goat cheese and more fresh tarragon. dignan - the flavor (and color) of beets is quite strong - i think adding beets to a stew would result in a muddy colored and flavored end product. i like to cook the greens (on another occasion) the way i do kale or curly endive - sauteed in a scorching pan with olive oil, garlic, kalamata olives, golden raisins, chili flakes and anchovies.
  23. reesek

    Dinner! 2004

    saturday dinner - fresh linguine with arugula, prawn, chili flakes, wine, grape tomatoes, lemon zest and garlic arugula and strawberry salad with chevre...dressed with nice 8 year balsamic. (we're growing arugula in our garden...i'm a relatively new homeowner, and am just loving having a vegetable garden.) friday dinner - fresh pea soup (in anticipation of our pea harvest) with mint, cream and leek - topped with dungeness crab have to add - though a bit off topic - i made tapas a week or so ago, and one thing i served was radishes with grey salt - thanks to jinmyo - so simple, but truly outstanding - brought out all elements of the radish in distinct layers.
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