David Ross

Well apple season is here in Washington, a very happy relief from this awful summer of wildfires. I always like to start of apple season with my Apple Tarte Tatin. The original recipe comes from Savuer Cooks Authentic French, but instead of puff pastry I use my own recipe for pie crust. In the early years I experimented with different apples, but none has worked as well as the Golden Delicious, the apple from the Sauveur recipe. To make it right, I do it over a two-day process, and year-after-year it always tastes the same. It's very rich and sweet I warn you.

No I just put a little Herbes de Provence in the poaching liquid so it gave just a hint of flavor. Then the dried lavendar flowers on top accented a little more of the flavors.

Wasn't sure if the idea in my head was going to work out-poached peaches, cheese, herbs. I'm not really sure what got me thinking about those three things other than it's peach season. I tasted six difference cheeses to start. Comte-France, Triple Creme Brie-France, Sheeps Milk Basque from the Pyrenees, Feta, Ricotta and Mascarpone. I settled on the triple creme brie because it was soft and would melt during baking and good flavor but not sharp to mask the peaches. Poached the peaches in a late harvest sweet Riesling and Herbes de Provence. Then after baking I glazed it with some reduced poaching liquid and lavendar flowers.

I got really behind this summer with posting some new recipes. I made a new style of strawberry shortcake back in late June when our local berries were starting to come in season. On the west side of Washington we'll have strawberries the first weeks of June if the weather is warm and sunny. June on the east side of the state was wet and rainy, so we didn't start to see them appear at the farmer's market until late in the month and they were good through July. So I cam up with a new way to blend strawberries into a French choux pastry. I'll probably be making this year-round with strawberries from the supermarket, but it's best with your local strawberries in season. I've been fiddling around with my Canon EOS Rebel T7 since I bought it earlier this year, and I think and hope I've finaly gotten the focus settings for my food shots, as long as I quit tinkering with it. The recipe makes about 10 medium size shortcakes. Strawberry Bavarian Choux Bun Shortcakes- For the Strawberry Bavarian Cream- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1/2 cup cold water 2 cups mashed strawberries 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream For the Choux Buns and Garnishes- 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup milk 6 tbsp. butter 4 large eggs 1 cup whole strawberries Make the Strawberry Bavarian Cream- Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Sprinkle in the gelatin powder and stir until it dissolves in the water. Pour into small bowl and let cool to room temperature. Add the strawberries and the sugar in a food processor. Add the dissolved gelatin and mix well. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes until the gelatin starts to set. In a mixer, beat the heavy cream until it’s light and fluffy, then fold in the strawberry gelatin mixture until the cream is fully combined with the strawberry mixture. Keep the strawberry Bavarian cream chilled in the fridge while you make the Choux Bun Shortcakes. Make the Choux Bun Shortcakes and Serve- Heat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the water, milk, and butter to a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour mixture, whisking it fast into the liquid. The choux pastry dough will be thick and look like mashed potatoes. Keep stirring and cooking the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough will be smooth and glossy. Place the cooked choux pastry dough in a mixer bowl. Beat the dough on low speed for 2 minutes to cool it down. Then start adding the eggs, one at a time, until each egg is blended into the dough. When all the eggs are added the dough will be sticky and shiny. Fit a pastry bag with a large piping tip or star tip and fill it with the choux pastry dough. Pipe a 2” round onto the parchment, twisting and raising the tip at the end. (The shortcakes will expand during baking). Brush the tops of each choux bun shortcake with egg wash. Place a pan on the bottom rack of the oven and pour in hot water. This adds steam to the oven while the shortcakes rise and bake. Bake for 10minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 and bake for another 16-18 minutes until the choux bun shortcakes are golden brown and have risen. Place the shortcakes on a rack and prick with a toothpick. This allows steam to release so the shortcakes don’t fall. Cool the choux bun shortcakes to room temperature before filling with the Strawberry Bavarian Cream. Cut the shortcakes in half. Add the strawberry Bavarian cream to a pastry bag and pipe in the bottom half of the bun. Place the top shortcake on top. Dust with powdered sugar. Pipe a little more strawberry Bavarian cream on top and garnish with a whole strawberry.

I was gifted some Marionberries a few days back, so it was time to revisit a family recipe that I haven't made in years, Marionberry Crisp. I grew up in Marion County, Oregon, home to the state capitol Salem. Marionberries were first cultivated in the county, but I've never found them much locally. Well some friends had a huge patch, so other friends did the picking and delivering. The berries need a bit more sugar than if I had used blackberries, but it's a delicious and rare treat. We also used to make it with loganberries and boysenberries. For the Marionberry Filling- 6 cups marionberries substitutes blackberries, or peaches, apples or pears 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 tbsp. cornstarch dash nutmeg For the Crisp Topping- 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking power 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 cup butter cut in chunks 1 large egg -Heat the oven to 350. Combine the marionberries, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cornstarch and nutmeg in a large bowl and gently toss to combine. Pour the filling into a Dutch Oven like Le Creuset. -In a food processor, add the flour, sugars, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter and egg. Pulse the mixture until it's just blended. -Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the marionberries to cover. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover crisp topping. -Bake the crisp for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling around the sides. Serve the crisp warm with ice cream.

I need some feedback. If I was going to make a nut and seed bread, would I use your basic dough recipe? Or with the fruit and nuts do I need to change the water to flour ratio?

Most of the time I keep burgers fairly simple, but this lamb burger was a little something more. It's a lamb burger with Greek flavors, then a bed of cucumber raita and I came up with a feta fondue on top. I really didn't want to add just a slice of cheddar or American, pepper jack didn't seem quite right, but I love feta with lamb. Chunks didn't melt right, so I thought about a fondue style of feta drizzled over the top of the burger. The raita and feta fondue are delicious on their own with crackers, bread or pita. For the Burgers- 12 oz. ground lamb 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup minced red onion 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper 1 tsp. American Lamb Spice Blend email American Lamb for the spice blend For the Cucumber Raita- 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 5 1/2 oz. plain Greek yogurt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp. chopped fresh mint 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. lemon zest For the Feta Fondue- 1/3 cup Feta cheese with herbs 1/3 cup cream chese 1 tsp. American Lamb Spice Blend For the Burger Buns and Garnish- 2 tbsp. melted butter 1/4 tsp. poppy seeds 1/4 tsp. sesame seeds shredded iceberg lettuce sliced tomatoes 2 tbsp. French fried onions Make the Cucumber Raita- In a bowl, add the diced cucumber, Greek yogurt and dill and blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can make the Cucumber Raita ahead of time, keep covered in the fridge. Make the Burgers, Garnish and Serve- Heat the oven to 350. Brush the top of each Kaiser roll with melted butter and sprinkle with the the poppy seeds. Brush the bottom rolls with the melted butter. Place the rolls on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Combine all of the burger ingredients in a bowl and thoroughly mix to combine. Form the burgers into thick patties. Heat the olive oil in a heavy cast-iron grill pan over medium heat and cook the burgers until done, about 5-6 minutes per side. While the burgers rest, make the Feta Fondue. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the feta and cream cheese and let it melt. Season with the lamb spice blend and season with salt and pepper. If the fondue is too thick, thin with a little milk. To assemble the burgers, add some shredded lettuce on the bottom bun, then a layer of sliced tomatoes. Spoon some chopped Cucumber Raita on the top of the tomatoes. Spoon some warm feta fondue over the top of the burger, sprinkle with crumbled feta, then garnish with fried onions and add the top bun. I did these burgers on the stove-top in a cast-iron grill pan, but they are even better on the outdoor grill.

The 2020 wild huckleberry season is coming to a close up here, with about 8 more days left. Every season I try and create at least two new huckleberry recipes. This is the newest of the huckleberry recipes. The idea came from a BBC Good Food calendar I've had a few years and the recipe for the month of June was a Elderflower Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Crumble Topping. That was the base of my idea, so I infused the panna cotta with huckleberry juice and oregano flowers. The crumble is just a blend of butter, almonds and sugar. The sauce is a modified version of my huckleberry-cranberry compote I make during the holidays to serve with turkey. This was all huckleberries. I think this panna cotta would work with a lot of different berries. I didn't know where there might be a local source for elderflowers, so I just used the blooming oregano flowers on the pot on the patio. It gives just a faint oregano flavor to the panna cotta. Took some work but turned out tasty. For the Almond Crumble- 5 tbsp. cold butter 5 tbsp. all-purpose flour 3 tbsp. granulated sugar 3 tbsp. ground almonds For the Huckleberry Panna Cotta- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 1 tbsp. oregano flowers substitute 1 tsp. dried lavender flowers or rose petals 1/2" piece of vanilla bean, seeds scraped out 1 packet dry gelatin powder 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup huckleberry juice substitute blueberry juice or juice from the berries you are using Make the Almond Crumble- Heat the oven to 350. Place the butter, flour, sugar and ground almonds in a food processor and quickly pulse to blend. The butter should be the size of tiny pebbles. Spread the almond crumble in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until it turns golden, about 12 minutes. Let the crumble cool, then break into small bits. You can make the crumble ahead of time then keep it covered on the counter. Make the Panna Cotta and Serve- Prepare our recipe for Huckleberry-Cranberry Compote a day ahead. Pour the cream, milk, into a saucepan over medium heat, and add the oregano flowers and vanilla bean seeds. When the mixture starts to simmer, take it off the heat and let it cool. Lightly spray the custard molds with cooking spray. Place the gelatin powder in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir to mix. Strain the cream and milk mixture into a saucepan over medium heat, discarding the oregano flowers. Stir in the sugar and add the gelatin and stir to combine. Stir until the panna cotta starts to thicken, 4 minutes. Take the panna cotta off the heat and pour it into the molds. Chill the panna cottas for at least 4 hours, or covered overnight. Pour about 1" of warm water into a baking dish. Place a panna cotta in the warm water, and gently use the tip of a paring knife to loosen the top edge of the mold. Turn the mold over onto a plate to release the panna cotta. Top the panna cotta with huckleberries, spoon the compote around the plate and sprinkle with the almond crumble.

Hey I don't mind, I didn't want to toss the darn thing or leave it to the squirrels I figure I at least should attempt something. When I was a kid and worked summers in a cannery they were chunked up for a frozen vegetable blend, which was horrible.

My gosh the bread sounds good as do the latkes. Might do some quick pickles too.

Our monthly dinner club hasn't gathered since March, but now a few of us are doing a weekend morning coffee club outside at someone's home. Last Saturday I took half a wild huckleberry pie and I received some wonderful jams, relish and other canned items. And then I got this beast! About 20 inches long and weighs 13 pounds, a monster zucchini. I'm not big into canning, so I need some suggestions on how you freeze it and use it later. I know freezing and then thawing will probably make it mushy, but that's ok, I'll be using it over the winter in stews, soups and probably a sort of succotash or something. A slice of huckleberry pie traded for this giant.

I don't know about anyone else, but I take a bit of a different turn when it comes to ribs. I've been grilling and smoking ribs more this summer than in past years, but I've grown really tired of the standard recipes I use, dry-rub, low and slow on the outdoor barbecue, so on. Then I remembered one of my favorite Asian-style rib recipes. Took me right out of the rib doldrums I was in. For the Ribs- 1 2 1/2 lb. rack of baby back pork ribs 1 cup Shaoshing Chinese rice wine 2 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns 6 thick slices of fresh ginger 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds for garnish 1 tbsp. sliced green onions for garnish For the Maltose Glaze- 6 tbsp. hoisin sauce 4 tbsp. ketchup 4 tbsp. Shaoshing Chinese rice wine 4 tbsp. maltose substitute honey 4 green onions, roughly chopped 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1 tbsp. Sambal Oelek substitute Chinese chili paste 4 cloves minced garlic 1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger Simmer the Ribs- Trim any fat off the ribs and remove the silver skin from the underside of the rack. Place the ribs in a wide stockpot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and skim any foam off using a small wire strainer. Add the Shaoshing rice wine, Szechuan peppercorns, and ginger and turn the heat down to a simmer and cover the stockpot. Simmer the ribs for 90 minutes or until a knife inserts easy into the meat. Make the Sauce, Glaze the Ribs and Roast- Pre-heat the over to 375. In a small saucepan, add the hoisin sauce, ketchup, Shaoshing rice wine, maltose, brown sugar, garlic and sambal oelek. Stir the sauce to combine the ingredients and turn off the heat. Place the rack of ribs on a cookie rack over a baking sheet, and brush with some of the glaze. Roast the ribs in the oven for 15 minutes, then brush again with some of the glaze. Roast the ribs for 15 more minutes until the glaze is thick, caramelized and bubbling. Take the rack of ribs out of the oven and brush with more glaze. the rack with more glaze then cut the ribs between the bones. Garnish the ribs with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Serve extra glaze on the side for dipping the ribs.

This morning a memory came up on my Facebook page about our Empanada Cook-Off back in 2011. I had almost forgotten the empanada and realize how delicious it is with one of our salsas.

I am so fortunate that we have some really good Mexican markets where I live in Eastern, Washington, also in Central Washington. The annual Hatch Chile roast is at DeLeon Foods which owns two large markets and a number of cafes. It's been going on for at least 10 years as far as I remember and so they've built up a large following that turns out each August. They are shipped in by the crate, hundreds of boxes, fresh from New Mexico. I buy the "mild" which are still a little too hot for my tastes. Most people buy the "hot" and skip over the mild and medium. Rarely, but I do see folks buy the "extra hot" which I can't imagine. The mild Hatch roasted chiles I bought were $3.98 a pound. A few local supermarkets carry them fresh if I want to roast them at home. I plan on using them in my roasted tomatillo salsa up thread. I think I'll cut back on the tomatillos to let the Hatch chiles come through, and probably not put in any jalapeno. Although it's a salsa I think I'll put it on a cheeseburger. Not the traditional Hatch chile cheeseburger but a variation I guess.

That looks delicious and thanks for the tips on how you made it. Yesterday I went to an annual Hatch Chile roast at a local Mexican store and cafe. It's an annual event in the summer held in the parking lot. The aroma of roasting chiles is unmistakable. I'm thinking of using some of them, char bits included, in a salsa verde.

Thanks i've always covered my fruitcakes in cheesecloth and poured booze over them every few months. I'm going to try this method of soaking the fruits in booze, sounds like it would give really good results.

It's so difficult to find really good fruit for the cakes. Takes some online searching as the grocery store stuff won't show up until November and most of it isn't all that good. Many of you have heard me tell the story before, my Great Aunt Bertie's fruitcakes were the best. I seem to remember about 10 years of aging was the best, probably because by then it had been soaked in plenty of rum and whiskey. She kept them wrapped down in the cellar of their home in Idaho where they would keep nice and cool in the summer and cold in the winter. I've got so many family fruitcake recipes written in cursive with a fountain pen, all on small recipe cards, that I can't tell which go to which Great Aunt or Grandma!

Ok, I know, is August really the time to talk fruitcake? For those of us who follow this topic, I think it is. I've gotten behind in recent years and don't have a fruitcake waiting in the wings for this holiday season. I prefer to have one about five years old ready to cut into for the holidays. But I am going back to a traditional recipe for the upcoming holiday season and will get going on it in the next couple of weeks so it has a little time to soak in the brandy cloth before Christmas. I'll be doing it with venison this year based on an old recipe from Oregon, similar to what my Grandmother would have made. Anyone out there already planning for getting going on a fruitcake?

Thanks! Surprisingly so far this year we haven't heard of any bear sightings up in the high alpine areas. In some seasons the bears are everywhere, but maybe this year with such a good huckleberry season they're sticking to their normal eating spots. I bought more berries yesterday and there are more weeks to go. Tommorrow I'm doing a hucklberry panna cotta for the first time.

This year's summer cop of huckleberries in the region of the Pacific Northwest where I live are fabulous. June was wet and mild, then the heat didn't come until mid-July resulting in big berries. The man I buy them from at the farmer's market told me yesterday he's still got more than he can pick waiting for him in the mountains. This is a huckleberry cobbler recipe from last year, and so far this summer the most popular recipe I've shared with friends. The same basic recipe works with other summer berries like blueberries and blackberries. Cast-Iron Skillet Huckleberry Cobbler- For the huckleberry layer- 3 tbsp. butter 4 cups fresh wild huckleberries (substitute frozen huckleberries or blueberries) 1/2 cup granulated sugar dash of salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon For the cobbler layer- 1/3 cup Crisco shortening 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup heavy syrup from a can of pineapple slices make sure to use heavy syrup rather than 100% pineapple juice so the cake batter is the right consistency. 1 large egg 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt Make the huckleberry layer- Heat the oven to 350. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat on the stove-top. Add the butter and melt. Add the huckleberries, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once the huckleberries start to bubble, turn off the heat. Make the cobbler batter and bake- In the bowl of a mixer, add the shortening and sugar. Beat at low speed to combine. With the mixer running, add the pineapple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Beat until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the creamed mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add some water if the batter is too thick. Spoon the batter over the top of the huckleberries and smooth the top so the batter seals over the huckleberries. Place the skillet in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the skillet cool on a cookie rack for 10-15 minutes. Serve the cobbler with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

This is an updated photo of this salad that I posted when we launched the cook-off. It's the same basic recipe using homemade mayonnaise and instead of leftover roast potatoes I used fresh potatoes. I love the salty flavor of the olives and sometimes some mashed anchovies are blended into the mayonnaise.

I'll be interested in how it goes. The mandoline just has one blade so seeing the three blades in this one I'm wondering if that causes the cabbage to get jammed.

Wow the Napa cabbage with egg noodles sounds good.

I use a mandonline to get it really thin. This morning I was searching on Amazon and came across this Polish cabbage shredder and slicer that looks like it would do the job.

Broasted chicken used the same basic cooking technique that Colonel Sanders used. Deep-frying chicken in a pressure cooker. Years ago I had a pressure cooker I bought from a company that sold them for deep-frying, but it was pretty crude. An old fashioned pressure cooker with just a rubber ring around the lid and the steam release on top. They discontinued making it for safety reasons, but it sure makes moist and juice chicken.