David Ross

I have a treasure trove of hand-written recipe cards to draw from past generations of my family and I've vowed to someday honor the wonderful women who left them to me by writing a cookbook of some of these precious recipes. Most of the recipe cards, (all written in "cursive" in ink with a fountain pen), have come from my two Grandmothers, Mildred Lura Ross and Edna May Yount Pink. I also have a good collection of recipe cards from my dear Great Aunt Bertie who was my Mother's Aunt. Some of my Grandmothers and Bertie's recipes go back to at least the late 1800's and quite possibly were handed down to them by their Mother's. Both sides of the family trekked West in the mid-1850's, so I imagine the recipes are very, very old. My Mother, Janet Edna Pink Ross, 85 years old, still has her own collection of recipe cards, magazine and newspaper clippings and old cookbooks at home and will most likely bequeath them to me someday. I get very nostalgic this time of year over the wonderful recipe cards that Aunt Bertie left because most of them were for the delicious pickles and canned fruits that she put up every summer. Many of the recipes used fruits and vegetables that came from Aunt Bertie's backyard of the small farm she lived on with her parents, Max and Jennie Pink. Aunt Bertie's brother, my Grandfather, Ralph Pink, would drive from Twin Falls every Summer to Oregon to visit our family in The Dalles, Oregon. On the way home, Grandpa would stop in Hermiston, Oregon, to buy some big fat watermelons,(a prized crop grown throughout the Columbia River basin around Hermiston). One of the giant watermelons would be used in Bertie's Watermelon Rind Pickles. Bertie's Watermelon Rind Pickles were a family favorite and to this day I dream of the taste of those tart, sweet, crisp pickles. Now fast forward 45 years later. What a delicious way to preserve what is typically discarded into the waste bin-watermelon rind. And wouldn't that sound trendy on the menu of an upscale bistro today? "Grilled Spice-Rubbed Chicken with Bertie's Watermelon Rind Pickles." Now who even preserves Watermelon Rind today? I wish I had the hands and tricks for getting Bertie's recipe right. I'm still working on the recipe, but somehow, even with her hand-written card in front of me, I just haven't gotten the sugar to vinegar ratio right yet. But when I do pull out that recipe card every summer, when I go buy a ripe, Hermiston watermelon, I can still hear Aunt Bertie's voice. I still see her thick black hair woven into a bun on top of her head and I still remember those Watermelon Rind Pickles. That's what I remember when I think about preserving family recipes and I consider myself quite fortunate to be the heir to many recipes that are over 100 years old.

Back on July 25- Not much news to report since my last photo update on July 25--still a lot of blossoms, a lot of growth and a lot of little green tomatoes. Yet I seem to be at a standstill in the past week. Not a lot of new growth and the green tomatoes don't seem to be getting bigger or ripening. We had a few days of thunderstorms. Other than that, our temperatures have been 85-95 with little humidity. I've backed off the watering a bit, but not to the point of the plant getting weary. Am I in a late summer tomato growing funk? Is this normal?

I just buy cheap plastic spray bottles at the Dollar Store. I use them for spraying fruit juices on meats when I'm slow-cooking outside in the summer. One of the main uses is for spraying peach nectar and apple juice on baby back ribs--both for flavor and the glaze they give to the meat. The sugars in the juice can clog up the spray nozzle, and if you leave it out in the heat that compunds the problem. If you end up throwing out the bottle, you've only lost a few bucks since it isn't an expensive kitchen gadget.

I suppose that might work, but the Topsy-Turvy planter only cost me $9.95 and it spared me the cost and labor involved in constructing my own upside-down planter. I do like your idea of planting an herb on top of a planter with the tomato dangling out of the bottom. It wouldn't work with the Topsy-Turvy though, as it's designed with a top that is primarily closed with only a hole for watering. The setup you describe would work though with an herb plant on top and a tomato on the bottom. As far as the ugly design on the tube, I don't care so much what the Topsy-Turvy looks like as long as it produces some nice tomatoes in about a month or so.

This past week the weather in Eastern, Washington, has been typically hot for late July--highs in the upper 90's. The tomato plant still is developing a lot of blossoms and in the past week fruit has started to develop. I'm still watering everyday, but I've drawn back a bit on the amount of water. I've read that the inside of the Topsy Turvy planter can get really hot during the heat of summer and if you water too much, the soil gets so hot it can basically cook the roots of the tomato plant so some people recommend drawing back on the water. Another traditional tomato grower I spoke to in Oregon last week recommended pulling back on the amount of water once the fruit started to set because she said that over-watering leads to mushy, tastesless tomatoes. We'll see if she's right when and if we get to do a taste test in a month or so. In the meantime, here's another photo progress report: July 10: July 17: July 25:

Just an update on my progress. One week since the last photo and I have considerably more growth and blossoms. No sign of fruit yet, but we've only had about three weeks of hot weather here in Eastern, Washington. The planter soil base was Miracle-Gro and I fertilized it once with a liquid fertilizer and then once today with a granular tomato plant food. Here's hoping that fruit will start to bear soon. July 10: July 17:

I'd really like to try the frozen candy bar/twinkie thing. We don't venture that far in Spokane. Maybe this year.

Fried foods at State Fairs have become very popular in recent years, moving beyond the days of Elephant Ears, Corn Dogs and huge mounds of twised french fries. Today all manner of sweet and savory, even pickled, foods are deep-fried and served from booths at local and State fairs. Our local fair has plenty of good food to choose from, including bison burgers and wild huckleberry shakes and sundaes. One thing we don't venture into much is a variety of exotic fried delicacies. Fair season is around the corner, so get you stomachs and cameras ready, and show us and tell us what delicious bites you can find at your local fair.

I had a taste for grilling some lamb last weekend. I really don't care for those boned, rolled and tied leg of lamb roasts that you find in the supermarkets. I just have some sort of problem dealing with those darn nets the meat is wrapped into and I often find the meat is broken into uneven chunks. I prefer to buy a bone-in leg of lamb and butcher it myself. Takes some work but then I get two roasts-the one I boned and butterflied and grilled on the barbecue, a bone for the stockpot, then a small bone-in leg of lamb I put in the freezer to roast this fall. I marinated the roast in a mixture of mint, cilantro, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil and pepper. Just before grilling I seasoned the roast with some salt, that's it. I used regular charcoal briquets and grilled the lamb for about 20 minutes per side over indirect heat. To accompany the lamb I simply cut some heads of romaine in half and dipped them in water to rinse off any dirt, then brushed them with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and grilled them for about 5 minutes a side. I served the romaine with some of the same, (yet fresh), marinade used on the lamb.

I’ve never considered growing tomatoes. I suppose it’s mainly owing to the fact that I really don’t care that much to eat tomatoes except in pasta sauce. I don’t like raw tomatoes, tomato, basil and mozzarella salad, and I don’t care much for a BLT sandwich. My Father is quite a good gardener, but over the years I’ve watched him struggle with all manner of dusts, sprays and powders to fumigate his tomatoes and fight off crawling, creeping and flying insects. He’s crafted wire barricades and small white picket fences to ward off neighborhood cats and other small creatures, who in spite of his efforts still found ways to burrow under or crawl over his barriers and get to his tomatoes. I’ve watched him launch this never-ending, decades-old war without ever winning. He’s produced hundreds of delicious fruit over the years, but I’ve always thought there had to be a better and cheaper way to grow tomatoes. Then I was watching TV one day….. As a rookie tomato gardener I was looking for the fastest, most economical, maintenance-free method for my first large foray into tomato harvesting. Other than an occasional dose of liquid fertilizer or pre-mixed bug-spray, all I wanted to do was water my tomato plant(s). Nothing else. And given my lack of knowledge into the intricate nuances of the delicate taste variances between the different breeds of tomatoes, I didn’t want to fuss with turning plants at 7am for maximum sun, or setting Italian heirloom tomatoes in Tuscan organic compost or anything complicated like that. Something that “I had seen on TV” would work just fine. I purchased a “Topsy-Turvy Tomato Planter” at my local Home Depot for $9.95. Now if you choose to go the Topsy-Turvy route of cultivation, you are only purchasing the hanging planter device-the nylon hanging planter and the wire hanger and wire hook. You must buy the tomato plants, (2-3 are recommended), the dirt and fertilizer, separately. I purchased 3 tomato plants-1 cherry tomato, 1 yellow tomato and 1 full-size tomato. Unfortunately, I threw out the plastic plant stakes so I can’t report the exact plant breed I purchased. The tough part of the getting started with the Topsy-Turvy is the delicate part of threading your tomato plants through the “bottom” end of the planter. You have to be very gentle and weave the tomato plant through the hole in the end of the planter then secure it with a small sponge. This sponge is what secures the stem of the tomato plant when it hangs upside down. The dirt in the planter, and the weight of that dirt when it gets wet, is what holds the tomato plant “upside-down” and holds it in place-really an ingenious invention. The planter has been up since mid-June and the only task is a daily watering. The planter takes about 1 gallon of water a day. We had record rain in June in Spokane, but the heat came in July and my first blossoms came this week. The plants are growing about 1-2” a day and the stalk is thick and green. Now the tests await. Will the “Topsy-Turvy” produce fruit? Will the weight of the tomatoes pull down the plant and the planter? And the true test. Will the tomatoes taste as good as tomatoes grown the natural way in soil? Do you have a “Topsy-Turvy” tomato planter? Has it worked for you?

"Best Happy Hour?" I do get happy about hamburges, fries and soda, but not really at Sonic--and I thought the term "Happy Hour" involved booze?

I happen to like the "cottage-cut" fries. Maybe that's just an oddball fry that they do at our local franchise. The limeade is good and so is the cherry cola (and sticky sweet for sure). And of course watching their 2010 version of a car hop on roller skates is pretty entertaining. I have to say they were really fast and really adept on those skates at the Sonic Drive-In I went to--albeit I've only gone twice.

I originally created my recipe for mayonnaise to work it into my potato salad recipe. You can see my rendition of potato salad here, but I also use it as a spread for sandwiches, in deviled eggs and a spread on hamburger buns.

Sunny weather has finally decided to come to Eastern, Washington after the third wettest Spring in recorded weather history. And with the arrival of Summer, I thought it might be a good idea to re-generate our discussion of your best Potato Salad recipes. My potato salad starts with homemade mayonnaise. You can find my recipe at the mayonnaise topic here. My potato salad has a Mediterranean accent. I use baby red potatoes, dry-cured Nicoise olives, haricot vert, diced red bell pepper, chives, basil and oregano. I prefer raw red bell pepper because I found roasted red pepper too soft in texture and I didn't like how it turned the color of the mayonnaise red. I toss the potato salad with a good amount of the mayonnaise. This is definately not the traditional mayonnaise and vinegar-based potato salad my Mother made when I was a kid. This potato salad is also good with grilled zuchinni, tuna, grilled chicken and as a side dish for grilled flank steak.

I'm so glad we're back discussing mayonnaise! This is the perfect time to have your best homemade mayonnaise recipe at the ready. It's perfect for slathering, (literally), on hot dog and hamburger buns, turning into lobster salad and into a lobster club sandwich. It's delicious in all manner of Summer salads-tuna, chicken, egg, potato and mixed into your favorite deviled egg recipe. I'm quite fond of my mayonnaise recipe, but I'm also particular about the oil. Some may not agree with me, but for my tastes I only use extra-virgin Greek olive oil when I make mayonnaise. I prefer what I find is the spicy, herbal and peppery taste of Greek olive oil. Some say it's a bit overpowering, almost metallic tasting for mayonnaise, but I like the bold taste of Greek olive oil--and it gives the mayonnaise a rich, deep yellow color. I use a Cusinart food processor and it makes perfect mayonnaise every time. Here is my basic recipe: 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper Fresh ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups Greek olive oil Pulse the eggs, salt, lemon juice, mustard, cayenne and black pepper until combined. Then slowly start to add the olive oil in a steady stream until the mayonnaise starts to emulsify and thicken. You may not need to use the full 1 1/2 cups of olive oil. Refrigerate the mayonnaise until ready to use. As you can see, homemade mayonnaise is not your "Best Foods" white, creamy, smooth out of the Supermarket deluxe. It is thick. It is yellow. It is delicious.

My gosh, I would have flown the 3,000 miles just to get BBQ mutton in NYC! Looked pretty good!

Chris, I believe what you describe as the other "pointed butter knife" was in fact a fish knife for an additional fish course. Just an assumption on my part, but that is most likely what the knife was for. The tiny two-pronged oyster fork was probably intended to do just what you did--to separate the oyster from the bottom shell. But I would think at Le Bernadin they had already shucked the oyster from both shells and tenderly placed it back into the bottom shell, no? In any case, all manners aside and with consideration for the decorum of the place (and if Chef Ripert had been standing next to me), I would have approached this sweet little creature as I always do--which is to down the poor little devil with one swift, natural movement of my hand. No utensils or silly sauces needed. A simply squeeze of cold lemon juice would have been the only accompaniment needed. I would have done my best to respect the other patrons at the tables nearby, but I can't guarantee that my slurpy pleasure would not have been heard. A temple to seafood should be a temple of pleasure indeed. You are not a rube if you are respectful but still enjoying your oysters.

I'm still watching and searching for nuggets of shows that I might like and I agree, I also like "Chuck's Day Off." Last week I saw him do a segment with fish that he got from the fishmonger's that supply his restaurant in Toronto. He prepared a couple of dishes and then had them come in and sit down for a meal with him. It was really a quality show-instructive and informative and he's got some class and style in his delivery that I think is attractive to today's audience. Hats off to another quality food show produced and delivered via a Canadian Chef. I've enjoyed some other Canadian cooking shows, (some produced for and aired on Food Network CAN), which in many instances are light years ahead of Food Network US in terms of quality. Hopefully the Cooking Channel will share some more Canadian, (and BBC), cooking programs if they can get their hands on them.

Well, I'm agreeing here...and I never checked in with what the Internet told me--I've just always made "salt potatoes" by taking a good Northwest-grown Russet and packing it with a mixture of wet Kosher salt, wrapping it in foil and then baking it in a 375 oven for about 1-1/2 hours or so. Been doing it long before it was probably trendy in restaurants. Gives the potato a soft skin that takes on the salty flavor. Sort of a classier, and tastier, version of that 60's foil-wrapped spud you got in steakhouses of the day.

I work with a lady who brings me fresh halibut that she and her husband catch out of the Puget Sound waters around the Seattle area. Last week they caught a 42lb. beauty and brought me some beautiful filets. The cost per pound that I paid...priceless, (no cash was exchanged but as the saying goes, nothing beats fresh fish just off the boat). I used a very traditional and simple recipe from the "Le Bernadin" cookbook written by Chef Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze. The recipe was written using "Salmon with Buerre Blanc," but I adapted it for Halibut. It's basically fish poached in a court bouillon and then served with a butter sauce. In the recipe Chef Ripert calls for using red wine vinegar in the court bouillon, but I substituted white wine vinegar because I wanted a milder flavor for the halibut and I didn't want the red wine vinegar coloring the natural beauty of the white flesh of the fish. Other than that, I didn't change a thing to the recipe. This technique is very easy--you simply place the filets in a casserole dish and ladle the stock over the top. Then the fish is poached in a 550 oven for about 12 minutes. It is incredibly moist and tender when it's pulled from the oven. The only garnish was a sprig of thyme to accent some of the flavors of the court bouillon and a few steamed English spring peas. Very simple, easy and delicious.

Please do! I liked the idea of adding anchovies to the Gougeres to give them a bit of a salty/fishy taste. I think swiss cheese and marjoram would be a good combination in Gougeres to pair with the gravlax. I've also made the Gougeres with smoked cheddar, but that may be a bit much for the mild flavor of gravlax. But what the heck, you could make four or five varieties and let your guests choose which combination they thought tasted best.

This past weekend I crafted some Salmon Gravlax with the last of the Copper River Salmon I'll use for the season. For curing, some of us in the Northwest prefer the Sockeye because it tends to have a thinner filet and more oil in it's flesh than the King which has a much thicker filet and more fat, (which as I mentioned above, I prefer to grill and roast). I bought this Copper River Sockeye at a local large grocery store. The salmon was fresh and sold for $12.99 a pound on a special. No doubt this large retail market had procured a large contract and was able to buy fresh fish on a large scale at this price. But when it was gone it was gone. I was at the market at 7am on Friday morning, June 4 and the fish had just been brought in the night before. It wasn't in the display case yet and at first the guy wasn't going to bring it out when I asked. I think he thought I was probably the typical stupid shopper who wanted the salmon on special. After a few moments of breaking the ice so to speak, he got the vibe I knew what I wanted and that I know my salmon and so he was more than happy to go in the back. I couldn't belive what I saw. Racks of fresh Copper River Salmon. Whole salmon. And really to my amazement they looked and smelled so fresh. What a pleasant surprise for a large, mass-market fish counter. After the sockeye cures, the natural red color of the flesh deepens to a hue that is almost unbelieveable. You almost think it is soaked in fluorescent red paint the color is so intense, yet it is just Mother Nature taking its normal course. I started with Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for Gravlax out of his "Aquavit" cookbook. The basic cure calls for 1 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of salt. I found this mix far too sweet for my tastes, so I think next time I'll tinker with it a bit and go with a ration closer to 1 cup sugar and 1 scant cup of salt. The recipe called for 2 tbsp. of cracked white peppercorns but I used a mix of white, green, pink and black peppercorns. I also used a blend of both Aquavit and sweet white wine that I had on hand. Some recipes call for brandy, but I like the anise and herbal flavor of Aquavit. I could do without the sweet flavor of the white wine next time. Rather than the normal "bagel," I served the salmon with tiny little "Gougeres" which are basically a savory puff pastry dough. In this version I added chopped anchovy, chives and grated parmesan cheese. I wanted something light to accompany the salmon rather than the typical accompaniments of capers, red onion and cream cheese so I made a whipped cream and added some Dijon mustard, chopped capers, chives, fresh dill, lemon juice and white pepper. It was light and refreshing and the mustard gave the cream a bit of tang yet didn't overpower the salmon. Copper River Sockeye Gravlax, Anchovy-Parmesan "Gougeres," Dijon Whipped Cream-

The first Copper River King I bought in Spokane was on May 26. It sold at $28.95 a pound at my old-fashioned butcher shop who also happens to sell some fresh seafood. He sources his Copper River salmon directly from a fisherman and doesn't go through any middelemen or processor's-it goes from the river to the airport in Alaska to Seattle to Spokane and then into the butcher shop. Two other local markets in Spokane were selling the King that week. (I'm old-fashioned and still call it the "Chinook"). One upscale market was pricing it at $34.99 a pound on May 26 and the only fishmonger in town was pricing it as high as $45.00 a pound. That's the highest I have ever seen it, $45.00 is really a bit much. Since I only cook the Copper River King once a year I cook it really, really simple and very delicately--quickly sauteed and then finished with a simple roast in the oven. This year I tried a new technique that I learned about from an article in my local newspaper. It comes from from Jon Rowley, a Seattle-based seafood expert who is noted as one of the leaders in bringing the Copper River Salmon to fame in recent years. Rowley recommends searing the salmon in a hot pan for a minute or two and then turning it and placing it in a low oven, 225-250 degrees, for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. I was skeptical as I didn't think such a "low and slow" roasting technique would work. But it did, and when I tasted it I realized why. The low oven temperature keeps those unique oils of the Copper River salmon from drying out. I seared the fish in a cast iron pan with a bit of olive oil and then put it in the low oven. I actually put the oven at 275 and since this king filet was so thick, it roasted about 18 minutes for a medium-rare finish. I served it with a basic butter sauces with some chipotle chile powder and spaetzle with brown butter and toasted hazelnuts. Nothing for my tastes like fresh Copper River King Salmon.

This past weekend I crafted some Salmon Gravlax with the last of the Copper River Salmon I'll use for the season. For curing, some of us in the Northwest prefer the Sockeye because it tends to have a thinner filet and more oil in it's flesh than the King which has a much thicker filet and more fat, (which I prefer to grill and roast). After the sockeye cures, the natural red color of the flesh deepens to a hue that is almost unbelieveable. You almost think it is soaked in fluorescent red paint the color is so intense, yet it is just Mother Nature taking its normal course. I started with Marcus Samuelsson's recipe for Gravlax out of his "Aquavit" cookbook. The basic cure calls for 1 cup of sugar to 1/2 cup of salt. I found this mix far too sweet for my tastes, so I think next time I'll tinker with it a bit and go with a ration closer to 1 cup sugar and 1 scant cup of salt. The recipe called for 2 tbsp. of cracked white peppercorns but I used a mix of white, green, pink and black peppercorns. I also used a blend of both Aquavit and sweet white wine that I had on hand. Some recipes call for brandy, but I like the anise and herbal flavor of Aquavit. I could do without the sweet flavor of the white wine next time. Rather than the normal "bagel," I served the salmon with tiny little "Gougeres" which are basically a savory puff pastry dough. In this version I added chopped anchovy, chives and grated parmesan cheese. I wanted something light to accompany the salmon rather than the typical accompaniments of capers, red onion and cream cheese so I made a whipped cream and added some Dijon mustard, chopped capers, chives, fresh dill, lemon juice and white pepper. It was light and refreshing and the mustard gave the cream a bit of tang yet didn't overpower the salmon. I must say, for a special once-a-year salmon, it turned out quite well-- Copper River Sockeye Gravlax, Anchovy-Parmesan "Gougeres," Dijon Whipped Cream-

My version of Rhubarb Crisp. It's actually just my rhubarb pie filling and then the topping is what I use for Italian-style Crostatta's-a mix of sugar, flour and butter on top of free-form tarts. The difference from the Crostatta is that the fruit is baked in the casserole rather than in a pastry and then the topping melts on top. I served it with a Gooseberry Sherbet. Hope to have the photo up tonight. Old-fashioned, somewhat British-inspired and delicious.