Abra

This must be a hard day to blog, Lucy, with so many of us cooking all day and not cheering you on. I needed a break while my pie crust is in the oven, and came to see what you're up to. That salad looks delicious. With the meat and olives, it's reminiscent of the rabbhit rillettes with prunes. I wish I'd had time to make that for Thanksgiving. I'm waiting to see how you incorporate vin de noix into your menu!

I just made the celery root and apple puree again, for the fourth time. We like it so much that my husband even authorized it instead of mashed potatopes for Thanksgiving, which is saying a lot. Until today, I have drained the cooked celery root and apples and dumped the milk. Today I happened to taste the milk, found it to be delicious in its own right, and decided to recycle it. Because I have no time to really cook today, unless it's Thanksgiving-related, I just tossed a bunch of rice into the hot milk, put a lid on it, and let it sit on a still-warm burner. Twenty minutes later, voila. Something between a risotto and a savory rice pudding, with that delicious flavor shining through. I'll never toss the milk again, and I'll be looking for even better things to do with it. Try it, it's fun.

Sure, I think speculaas creme brulee would be yummy. Some of the spices drifted up to the top in the gelling process of the panna cotta, making a very slightly crunchy spicy top layer that was really nice.

I want to report that I made a speculaas flavored panna cotta that was fabulous. I did a regular panna cotta with a bit of honey and vanilla, and added a couple of teaspoons of speculaas spices. Since I was serving it with vin de noix, I also added a tablespoon of that, but you wouldn't need to. It made a really delicious, ultra-simple holiday-tasting dessert.

It's so nice to get back from Orcas, and back online, and find Lucy holding court. All hail the Queen of Blogs! I can't wait to see your Thanksgiving dinner.

Good morning! This is what I saw when I awoke this morning. The fog has settled down around the island, warming it up, and softening all the edges. In all honesty, I almost didn't post my breakfast picture. But that would be silly. Why does it look like I eat pizza for breakfast all the time? I guess it's because there's not one decent pizza place on Bainbridge, so whenever we're out of town, we get mad pizza cravings. It's embarrassing to admit to two pizza breakfasts in a week, but hey, I know you understand. Shel, always in need of a good cup of coffee, made sure to bring his moka pot and milk steamer along for the trip. But before I forget, I still want to show you a few shots from our trip up yesterday. The light was beautiful all the way up. I'm out on the ferry deck all alone as we approach Orcas. When we arrive, night is falling and the gulls are waiting to welcome us. Orcas has lots of open valleys and little farmhouses. and not much in the way of public access beaches. Don't you want to jump in this kayak? I think it's a really special place. How could you not love an island where you can see these signs? And now, here I am, wrapping up my last installment, sitting by the window in the public library. Here's my view right now Coming to the library, we saw that the sheep were grazing peacefully, all unaware of my plans for lamb for dinner tomorrow. Too bad they were all walking when I took their picture, blurring and fuzzing all out of focus.. Come to think of it, they were walking away from me. Maybe they know more than I thought. I'm sorry you won't be with us for the dinner that so many of you have helped to plan. Just imagine me cooking here in this beautiful kitchen Here, have a seat at the dining table and join us. Dinner's almost ready. And lets all thank my husband Shel, who has washed every dish this blog generated, made it possible for me to post from land and sea, took a few of these pictures himself, and forgives me for being more devoted to you all than to him for the past week. It's been a blast!

Wow, connectivity is really a hassle here! I always dream of living on Orcas, but it sure would be at the cost of my cyber-life. In any case, the library has a wireless network, and I do have some more photos for you. I know I'm a bit over my time here, but I'm hoping that one last installment will be welcome. Here I go to upload some Orcas shots - for you, RebelRose.

This is the beautiful view from the Anacortes ferry terminal, gateway to the San Juan Islands. That's Mt. Baker in the background. This is the ferry we'll get on. As you can see, it's a lot smaller, maybe only a third the size. You're looking right through it, because it's double ended. You drive on one end and off the other. This ferry stops at Lopez and Shaw Islands on the way to Orcas, so it takes about 80 minutes. The whole ferry system is in a food mess. There were contract issues with the ferry food workers a year or so ago, and so we all went for almost a year without the wine, beer, espresso, popcorn, burgers, pre-made sandwiches, breakfast foods, and clam chowder that ferry riders just don't want to do without. Recently the galley service has been restored on the bigger runs, like Bainbridge, but out here there's still no food on the ferries except vending machines. So this little counter, whose slogan is "Home of the Wedgie" does a brisk business before each sailing. As long as it's taking me to process and upload these pictures, we're definitely not gonna make it to Orcas in the 8 minutes remaining for this connection, before the island's only Internet cafe closes, so I'll just give you one more teaser shot. And then, you're going to have to spend the night adrift in the San Juans. There could be worse things! Here, doesn't this look like a great place to spend the night? Just imagine you're anchored out, it's chilly, the water is almost still, and you have a bottle of great wine out on the deck, while someone you love is cooking something fantastic just for you. Good night.

Hurray, I'm on Orcas! I have a connection for the next 34 minutes, so I'll get as many pictures uploaded as possible. Thanks for hanging in there, y'all!

Ok, this is the ferry I'm on. It holds about 2500 people and 220 cars. On the Bainbridge side you can't really get a good view of the boat from the dock, but believe me, I'm there. It sails about every 50 minutes, one from Bainbrige, one from Seattle, and the trip takes 35 minutes. It runs about 21/7. Before getting on the ferry I ran into this little pasta shop to get some Pea, Leek, and Parmesan ravioli to take up to Orcas. THe dinner isn't until Sunday and my blog will be finished, but I'll post the pictures somewhere for you all on Monday. We're coming into Seattle, so that's all for now. It'll take us several hours to get up to Orcas, and I might not be able to post tonight, depending on connectivity when we get ther. But I'll be back as soon as possible with some beautiful shots of the islands, and food along the way. History has now been made!

This is a test of the Washington State Ferry Wireless Networking System. Do you read me? Woohoo, I'm posting from the ferry setting sail from Bainbridge's Eagle Harbor, headed for Seattle. If all goes well, over the next half hour I'll even post some pictures from here. Kep your paws crossed! And hey, don't mistake SobaAddict70s pictures for mine - I can only dream of those pastries!

Sorry to be so absent this morning, but I'm in a frenzy of packing to go. No good morning picture, because, well, it looks just like yesterday, only more so. I'm behind on answering questions too, I know. One key one that I've let slide for far, far too long is: how do I pronounce my name? Sure it's like abracadabra, only the way I say it, it's ahbracadahbra. Don't you say it that way too? Why not??? Usually I tell people to pronounce it like candelabra, because that's the easiest way to remember. And yes, it's my first name. It comes from East of Eden, and as far as I know, John Steinbeck made it up. When I joined eG I came from another food community where people all used their real names. Now that I see all of the cool screen names you guys have, I'm totally jealous, but it seems weird to change at this late date. Hmmm, I wonder what I'd choose. Anyone want to give me a new name? And yes, Riley crosses his paws like that all on his own. I've never seen a dog do that, and I find it endlessly endearing. Do any of you have paw-crossing dogs? Riley can't be the only taste-testing paw-crossing dog, can he? On the taste front, I love and adore the canonical eG roasted cauliflower, and have never considered including it in a risotto. Yum! And absolutely to orange zest in the Lillet. Double yum! I've decided to steep a little of my speculaas spices in the cream for the panna cotta, and also include a tablespoon or so of the vin de noix. The flavors were awesome together the other night. Then I'll plate it in a little vin de noix puddle. It needs some sort of garnish - any suggestions? I think I'll do it in my silicone pyramid pan. And today might be a first in eGullet history. There's a wireless network on the ferry, and if all goes well, my next post will be from the boat itself. I'm not too sure how easy it will be to post during the day today, but I will whenever I can. And I'll be taking lots of pictures. If you've never seen the beautiful San Juan Islands, you're in for a real treat. Gotta run, all aboard!

What I really appreciate about your recipes in terms of authenticity is that you always explain any deviations from the original technique or ingredients. For me, authenticity of flavor is paramount, and I don't mind adaptations to achieve that, but I do like to know when I'm making them!

Hey Michelle, it is not too late to change presentation ideas! I'm now thinking about this phyllo format, using my original filling, which is similar but also included turnips and rutabagas, instead of the galette shape. Thanks for the idea! Jack, I love the sound of your risotto, but I hesitated over serving ravioli and risotto in the same meal, and a bit over cauliflower with a lot of oak. Am I wrong? Can you tell me how you make it? I'm not really even supposed to be up yet, but my mind is racing with all the things I have to do this morning, so I just dropped by for inspiration.

Tonight was dinner at Madoka, which calls itself a Pan-Pacific restaurant. I was actually prepared not to like it, because it replaced an old favorite of ours that we really miss. But the food was, in fact, exceptionally delicious. Well-conceived, deftly executed, thoughtful and creative food. A bit too expensive for regular dining, but good for special dinners. I didn't want to use a flash in the restaurant, so forgive the light in these pictures. We started by sharing American Kobe Beef Quesadilla with queso fresco, caramelized onion, and charred tomatillo salsa. The beef was meltingly tender, although it was a bit eclipsed by an excellent fresh salsa. For a main course I had Red Curry Risotto Mixed Grill with white gulf prawns, the smallest mussels (in terms of shell/mussel ratio) that I've ever seen, and white king salmon, with basil oil. Every bite was delicious, and that's saying a lot. It went perfectly with a glass of Yellow Hawk's brilliant Muscat Cannelli. Shel had Sake Braised Lamb Shank with roasted garlic Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, crispy parsnip chips and scallion gremolata. The meat and sauce were out of this world. It looks a bit prehistoric in this shot, but honest, it was luscious. Shel has Manners, and so would never dream of picking up a bone in a restaurant. I, on the other hand, have none. Want to see how good his lamb shank was? I hope Madoka makes it. Just for comparison with prices in your town, this dinner was $75 with tip, for one starter, two mains, and one glass of wine. That's more than we like to spend on a weeknight dinner on the island, but there's lots of money here, and I hope those folks keep the place in business. I'm off to bed now. Sleep tight.

Well, with that super-oaked Cab, I really don't think it can be summer vegetables. I'm thinking that parsnips, squash, rutabaga are the way to go. So, here's what I finally settled on. I thank you all for your suggestions, and if I didn't take them, please know that I considered them all seriously. Lillet course: Homemade Membrillo with Manchego, Herb and Spice Roasted Nuts Chardonnay course: Ravioli with Dungeness Crab Sauce, Pan-Roasted Corn and Chanterelle/Shiitake Garnish Pinot Noir course: Salad of Duck Confit, Red Cabbage, Chestnuts, and Watercress Cabernet Sauvignon course: Galette of Roasted Root Vegetables with Stilton, and a tapenade garnish Syrah course: Paula's Fall-Apart Lamb Shanks with Chocolate-Almond Picada, and Celery Root and Apple Puree Vin de Noix course: Speculaas-Spiced Panna Cotta Sound good? As soon as I make a grocery list, we're off to eat someone else's cooking. I'm really looking forward to it.

Amazingly enough, I made it out of the garage alive. For those of you that wondered what I schlep about with me when I'm working, here goes. A hideous sight greeted me in the garage. Stuff tossed everywhere. This is always what happens at the end of a party, you toss it all in there any which way, in order to get out of there as soon as possible. Ideally you clean it all up that same night. More likely a nice glass or two of wine seems like a better idea. This is extreme, though, to haul such a mess 300 miles and then let it age in the garage for several days. Ugh. I hold my nose, toss the laundry into the washer, and face the music. These are the things that I take with me every time I go to any sort of work Just ask questions if you're curious about any of this stuff. There's actually nothing exotic, it's just the stuff I can't live without if a client doesn't already have it. I always have my own herbs and spices. I only have one client that cooks on a regular basis. The others have jars of dust in their spice cabinets. The pressure cooker doesn't go with me 100% of the time, but usually in cold weather it really gets a workout. Here's the additional stuff that I needed for Walla Walla. For each party, I pack only what I need, to minimize the load. But sometimes that backfires, like the time I forgot the baking powder, it was a house I'd never been in, it was a surprise anniversary party, there was nobody home, and guess what? They never bake. What kind of people have no baking powder? Because of the distance to a store, I was reduced to running out in my apron and knocking on neighbors' doors. Fortunately, a nice lady took pity upon me and loaned me her baking powder. I'd say "never again" except that this sort of shit really does happen, no matter how careful you are. So now I have one bin repacked to take to Orcas and as soon as my towels and aprons are dry, and I get the menu finalized, which had better be in the next half hour, I'll pack the other one. Cutting it kind of close, aren't I? Because I still need to shop for whatever take-alongs there are before we go out to dinner. I've been hearing really good things about this new restaurant. Just today someone whispered "sake-braised lamb" to me, so I'm really looking forward to it. If you have any last menu suggestions, now's the time. I've got to make a shopping list. And yes, if there's one thing I'm sure of it's that I love Lillet. I'm hoping the other people will too. But I have no truffle! The roasted root vegetable tart is eluding me, even with Gini's helpful ideas. I might need to reboot on that one. Maybe it's not a tart, maybe it's just a heap of vegetables. Seems kind of underwhelming for a $100 bottle of wine, a big pile of vegetables.

I've got the answer! Look here.

Ok, the one, the only, the ultimate, Treacle Test. Here you can see regular dark U.S. molasses, and black treacle. They're not the same, but I think they're probably interchangeable. They're about the same color, although the treacle is a bit darker, and the treacle is a lot more viscous, as you can see. Regular molasses won't stay on my finger at all. To me, the taste is similar, but the treacle has something of a burnt licorice with a whiff of burnt rubber sort of thing going on. I find it a little more interesting, more toffee-like. But in a completely unbiased taste test Riley absolutely prefers the treacle. I offer him treacle first, then molasses. He laps up the treacle, then reluctantly licks the molasses and seems dejected, ears drooping, looking at the other finger, hoping for more treacle to appear. I reward him for his participation with another blob of treacle, which perks him right up. This is undoubted proof that he's an Old English Sheepdog, and not an Old American Sheepdog. All that was by way of avoiding going into the garage to get my kit together. But the time has come. If I'm not back in an hour, send out a posse.

That cute guy is several hours from here. And unfortunately, even Salumi is too far away at the moment, since we will be heading north first thing in the morning, before they're open. But we might have something here, and we definitely have Marcona almonds to go with the membrillo and Manchego. Does anyone have thoughts on my roasted root vegetable question?

Blanc. Maybe brandade de morue? I have the cod.

Ok, it's starting to take shape: Lillet course: I don't think I can pull off the rabbit dish today, so what would excel with Lillet? An herby gougere would be good, but too much last minute prep. This dinner needs to have lots of make-ahead elements. Some of my quince paste and Manchego, for sure, but I need something else, more of a presentation appetizer. Chardonnay course: some sort of pasta with Dungeness crab sauce and corn in there somehow Pinot Noir course - Duck Salad with Red Cabbage, Chestnuts, and Watercress Cabernet course - I think I want to do a roasted root vegetable and rosemary tart with a cornmeal crust, but I'm not sure about what to use as a base or a binder, and whether it might need a little sauce. Maybe a verjus glaze? Or olivada on the side? This wine is the biggest deal of the dinner, so I want to do it justice. Syrah course - something lamb, and that awesome celery root and apple puree Vin de noix course - something spicy, maple or gingerbread flavors would be great, or maybe Klary's ginger butter cake? Some kind of maple ginger mousse? All small courses, of course. Please, more ideas! Just toss 'em at me.

Good morning! Nah, just kidding. That's Mt. Rainier, and because our own morning was relatively dreary, I just took a picture of the newspaper page. It really does look like that, but we can't see it from our house. Here's the real deal Pretty uninspiring, huh? And here's breakfast Just as I'd thought, this is a LOT better at room temp than it was warm. I'm with you, mrbigjas, on the unnatural predilection for leafy greens. I could eat them every day, and often do, even for breakfast. But it's the crust that makes this tart special, I still do think. I want to catch up on all your great comments: Genny, when you ask about "the usual suspects" for non-blog meals, I'm stymied. I really do make a different food almost every night, and probably don't repeat anything in a month of dinners. However, this summer we've had a passion for what we call "Which Came First?" salad, for lunch. A green salad with some leftover chicken shreds, topped with poached eggs and fig balsamic. That is just about a perfect summer lunch around here. Thanks for all of the great recipe suggestion, Fred2fred, Pan, hzrt8w, and Tepee. I'll be trying some of them for sure. That Penang rojak looks fantastic! Littlemsfoodie, I can't believe you've never eaten a persimmon! You've eaten at some of the most famous restaurants in the country and you've never eaten a persimmon? Persimmon lovers, help me out here. She asks how a persimmon tastes. To me, an ultra-ripe Hachiya persimmon tastes like sex. Or, it tastes like sex ought to taste. Shall I just leave it to your imagination from there, or shall I get more graphic? And no, Riley doesn't eat persimmons. He's neutered. Now that Jack bumped up that treacle thread, I see that I'm going to have to settle the question of whether treacle and molasses are the same thing with a taste test. I have black treacle, I have molasses, I have a tongue and a camera. Sometime this morning the truth will be revealed! Johnnyd, I've only seen matsutake here once, at Uwajimaya, which is our enormous Asian supermarket in Seattle. They were about $25 a pound, so I didn't dare get any, for lack of knowing how to prepare them perfectly. We do get a pretty steady supply of maitaakes, and in this season, chanterelles. The $7.98 is about an average price for chanterelles. They were down to $3.98 for a couple of days, but those were broken and dirty. Chanterelles can't be cultivated, so they come to the store with a lot of pine needle debris on them. I don't love them enough to buy them when they need a ton of cleanup work. Ok, I'm getting into my day. I have to get everything ready to go to Orcas tomorrow. In this case that means spending a chilly hour in the garage, rescuing my kit from the aftermath of Hurricane Walla Walla. I promise I'll post Before and After pictures, if you promise not to turn me in to the Neat Police. And I have to get my menu for the wine pairing dinner up there finalized. It suffered a major blow this morning when I looked at the oxtail recipe that I was planning for the Syrah course and discovered that I should have started marinating it on Monday. Oops! Ms. Organization Freak bites the dust. Now what? Here's what I'm working from, and please, your suggestions would be so helpful! Chardonnay course - some sort of creamy risotto, needs an acid element to go with Kistler Chard, might include saffron, might include seafood Pinot Noir course - that's nailed, the duck confit salad I made the other night will be awesome for this course Cabernet Sauvignon (Leonetti) course - was going to be a roasted root vegetable thing (before the oxtail debacle), maybe some sort of roasted root veggie tart Syrah course - this was going to be the oxtail, and now I don't know. Should I make the Cab course be the "main", do beef or lamb, and let this course be something lighter? Vin de Noix course - I'm totally open to dessert suggestions Lillet appetizer course - I might make the Rabbit Rillettes from Paula's book for an appetizer, if I can manage it today, or again, I'm totally open to suggestions. This isn't a pro forma request, I really do need help! And then, I'll cook today anything that might need a long, slow cooking and would benefit from resting for a couple of days. In this case, the meal is a gift to people we know, they're not paying me, and we're having the dinner with them, so I can do some prep at home, unlike a regular paying gig where the Health Dept. Just Says No to home cooking and prep. I'll also need to shop for any ingredients that I think I won't find up on Orcas. The grocery store up there used to be really nice, but the last time I was in, during the summer, it looked like a lot of the more upscale ingredients had faded from their shelves. I'll take you shopping with me when I get there, so you can see how an island that's an hour from shore by ferry, and where the "shore" is not anywhere with major shopping, keeps itself stocked. Ok?

Uh, make that HER blog! I have molasses and black treacle, and tomorrow I'll open them both, take a picture, and we can settle this one.

Here we are at Central Market, where everything is large. They have more of everything, especially produce, than any other market this side of Seattle. It's the food mecca of the Kitsap Peninsula. Does this logo look familiar? Is this like those other Central Markets? Here's just a tiny glimpse of their cool wares. Of course, they have mountains of Eggo frozen waffles and breakfast cereals in unnatural colors, just like any store, but they really have a lot of the good stuff. and even and, my favorite, Nice market, eh? So. Dinner. That was crazy. I mean really nutso, to do that with so little time, for just the two of us. Well, I guess I knew you all were coming over and wanted to show off a little. I can say here and now, this took me 2 hours and 10 minutes of balls out cooking to accomplish. Don't make these three things together unless you have a whole leisurely afternoon, or want to give yourself a stress test. I didn't get to take a lot of pictures, since I was so late getting started. We normally eat early, and get up early, since Shel telecommutes to Ohio and has to be at his desk at 7:00 a.m. Here's the mise for the chard filling I used ruby chard, and I diced the stems into the saute, even though the recipe calls for leaves only. I like the stems and their beautiful red color. Here's the mise for the root vegetable mash The dough for the tart, being made with leaf lard, was incredibly supple and easy to work with. I had no trouble rolling out a 14" circle with no rips or holes, and my pastry skills aren't that great. Then, things got too busy to even pick up the camera. Here's the chicken plated with the mash I would have liked the chicken a little less sweet. Next time I'd reduce the honey that goes into the vin cotta that gives the dish its name. The mash was subtle, not wham! pow! like the celery root puree last night, but it was interesting to eat. The chicken was rich and a bit startling, but it grew on both or us with each bite. The Sicilian olives, against the honey and raisins, and the sweet-tart wine, meant that each bite was different. It really wanted to be served with a bitter green, and believe me, I tried. But the tart took about 15 minutes longer than the recipe suggested, so we ate it in courses. The tart was kind of homely and unphotogenic and I think it'll be better cold, or at room temperature, but it was simple and satisfying even warm. The crust is shatteringly crisp and light, and the filling is pleasant. This is a fair amount of work for a decent result, so I probably won't make this one again. The crust is a keeper, though. Here's Riley, helping unload the dishwasher. We really need to teach him to wash the floor. And so, here we are, at the end of the day. I am so ready for bed, flannel sheets, down comforter, warm cat cuddle, let it be!