David Ross

I had never made Panna Cotta before yesterday, and now I'm glad I did. I've been looking for some new ideas of how to use the season's first crop of fresh Huckleberries. This year, with the supply of Huckleberries so low-and the price so high-I wasn't sure if I should risk using the berries in a new recipe or go with one of my old standby's. I came to a compromise and paired my Huckleberry Compote with a Sour Cream Panna Cotta. It was delicious. I used a recipe from Chef Laurent Tourondol as the basis of the Panna Cotta. But instead of cream fraiche I used sour cream, and instead of gelatin sheets, I used 1 1/2 tsp. of powdered gelatin. The result was a smooth, silky, creamy Panna Cotta with just a hint of sour tang. It paired beautifully with the Huckleberry Compote, which is a simple mixture of berries, sugar, wine, vinegar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I typically use red wine and balsamic vinegar, but this time I used champagne vinegar and late harvest riesling. The champagne vinegar was lighter than the balsamic and the late harvest riesling accented the sweetness of the Huckleberries. Enjoy.

In the early years of my airline career I worked as a Flight Attendant. This was in the pre-9/11 days and we could basically bring anything through in our suitcase. I always carted my college days hot pot with me, a can opener, and cans of meat chili or even better-a can of Mary Kitchen Corned Beef Hash. Heated up in the hot pot it was cheaper than eating hotel food or ordering room service, albeit a fatty, salty option. And I still eat it today. When you open the can be prepared for what looks like a compressed log of Alpo Dog Food-chunks of potato pressed together with pinkish globs of meat product. But put it in a frying pan and the magic begins. It fries up to a crispy, golden crust and juicy, hashy insides. Cover that with a sunnyside up egg and you have a pretty decent breakfast.

Tasteless? It seems to me that canned tuna is anything but tasteless. I can easily understand those who don't like the taste, I think it's quite strong. And if the canned tuna you are buying is dry, stringy, and/or tasteless, I'd suggest finding a better brand! I have to agree with Chris. Canned Tuna has a particularly "fishy" aroma and taste--and that's what I like about it.

I highly doubt a reputable fine dining restaurant would use canned meat or fish, but I'm often wrong. Now personally, in the confines of your own home, I think that if Underwood Deviled Ham or Fried Spam suits your taste buds, (as it does mine), we shouldn't feel guilty at all about using a canned meat product. (Albeit canned meat that is the butt of jokes). It's really no different than Julia Child having a penchant for Cheetos. I've been thinking some more today about how I really do like Canned Meats: -There is a Hawaiian restaurant in the SEA-TAC terminal just above my office. Their Spam, white rice, fried egg and biscuit breakfast is delicious. -Canned anchovies qualify as a canned meat (protein) product, and what kitchen would be without them? -While technically not in a "can," Hormel dried beef is packaged in glass jars using a "canning process." If you are a Traditionalist like I am, it's still a good product to use in that old-fashioned dish "Creamed, Chipped Beef on Toast." -Our local fair is going on right now and every year there is a category for "Canned Meats." The stuff they put in the canning jars alwasy looks like High School lab experiments to me, but given the fact we live in the upper reaches of Eastern, Washington in the Pacific Northwest, canned wild game is plentiful. There are jars of canned salmon, canned venison, elk, and the odd sampling of canned bear and moose meat. I'll venture into the canned salmon, but I've had roasted bear and it was awful. I can't imagine how horrible canned bear meat would taste given my naive palate.

Canned Meat is often derided as the food of the poor. Yet the derision by some falls on deaf ears when it comes to SPAM-the oft-maligned canned meat product that statistically is selling better than ever, especially in Hawaii. So it raises the question of how good canned meat can be. Tonight I prepared some toasted garlic baguette slices spread with a fancy pork pate covered in black peppercorn aspic. As I tasted the trendy toast, I immediately thought of my favorite canned meat product-Underwood Deviled Ham-that salty, spicy spread that my Mother used to slather on Wonder Bread for my school lunch. In fact, Underwood Deviled Ham is every bit as good, even better in fact, than the expensive, hand-made pork pate I bought at a local delicatessen. So can it be true? Is canned meat really all that bad?

Great cooks think alike. I just made a salad for work tommorrow including tuna, small white beans, diced tomato, capers, rosemary, thyme and basil, dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. It's quick and easy and far better than eating at the fast food shops in the building where I work.

I'm incurable. I have an addiction to Fair Food. Our Fair starts tommorrow and I'm so excited, I've printed off the PDF file of all the food vendors, highlighting the places I plan on visiting and the foods I plan on eating. The list reads: -Greek Food -Crab Cakes -Deep-fried Cheesecake -Prime Beef Burgers, Cougar Gold (from Pullman, WA) Cheese Fries, Cougar Gold Mac'n Cheese -Huckleberry Cheesecake -Huckleberry Ice Cream -Ecuadorian Pork, Red Beans, Rice -Fresh Local Cream Butter Fudge Should my list be bigger?

How does the fish-tamarind combination actually play out in a recipe? Is it a fish stew? Fish glazed with tamarind paste?

I do a salad of shaved pear, candied hazelnuts, bleu cheese, red onions and greens. Usually I do a simple vinaigrette. I'm thinking smoked trout may work well, but I'd probably just toast the hazelnuts and maybe change up the cheese so it's not too strong.

Oysters and Grits with Fresh Corn, (and a little Spanish Chorizo and Chorizo Oil)-

The offensive pairing of Grilled Sardines and Melon...

Tonight I did a dish of Grilled Sardines paired with Watermelon, Tuscan Cantaloupe, Olives and Feta. The garnishes were Mint, Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil. All nice ingredients on their own, but.....the end result wasn't very palatable. Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Mint, Basil and Lemon are beautiful in a late summer salad. The Feta adds a nice salty tang. Maybe a touch of Melon Liqueur? But throw oily Sardines into the mix with sweet melon and it equals=YUCK. Grilled Sardines and a hint of Lemon are all I needed. Just not fruit. So in the right combination, maybe a pineapple salsa with Hawaiian Ono, it could work. But I can't imagine a filet of Salmon with Sauteed Apples. What do you think?

What a terrible waste. The outer edges of the crust, if it was cooked properly, are the best part. All crackly, creakly and burnt, bubbly edges. Ummm.

The local fish market has expanded into a new store and they've got about three times the space. As a result, they are offering a much larger variety of seafood, including this wonderful monkfish. I roasted the monkfish and served it with a Provencal-style relish of black olives, tomatoes, red onion, orange segments, basil, rosemary and lavendar. Served with mashed potatoes.

Rumors have been swirling for months and now it's confirmed, Bradley Ogden restaurant in Caesar's Palace is closing. And one of the worst-kept secrets in the Las Vegas culinary world is finally, painfully, revealed-where will Gordon Ramsay land in Vegas? In the former Ogden space in a concept unsurprisingly called a "Gastropub."

Up until last year Nero's was a forgotten place that actually did a good job. Unfortunately, a few months back they announced it would close and would reopen as a "steakhouse," which it already is. I suppose it will have some celebrity Chef name over the door. My guess is that they've pretty much given up, as your experiences tells us, until they shutter the place, redecorate and then reopen. Very sad.

I think you've made good choices. Chef Richard Chen left Wing Lei a few years back, but I hear it is still good, especially the Peking Duck Tasting Menu if it's on offer. Robuchon should not disappoint from the service to the food to the wine. A memorable place indeed.

Our local Safeway currently has Hatch Chilies on special. I was surprised that a chain grocery store would have them because we can usually only get them at a local Mexican specialty market. They roast hundreds of pounds of them in a huge roaster out in the parking lot, (the specialty market, not Safeway). The aroma is wonderful. When I got to the checkout stand at Safeway the checker didn't know what they were. I told her, but she couldn't find the bar code numbers in her computer. When the Manager came over he said "green chilies." The checker said, "I know, I know, but he (meaning me), said they were 'special." I got them for a ridiculously low price since Safeway thought I was buying regular green chilies. I made a fresh salsa with the chilies I roasted, local tomatoes, red onion, lots of cilantro, cumin, olive oil and lime juice. Served on top of a wonderful beef tenderloin with sage-roasted potatoes.

For these eggs I used mayonnaise, (bottled store-bought), champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard, chopped dill and chopped capers. I typically use homemade mayonnaise which isn't as thick and pasty as the store-bought stuff. I like the suggestions above about using a bit of horseradish for some extra kick.

Ever since we had a wonderful dish of "Bacon and Eggs" at AMP 150 in Cleveland, (see the report here), I've been craving more deviled eggs. Tonight I did Deviled Eggs with some Lox-Style Smoked Salmon, (Sockeye from Alaska). Delicious.

I remember attending a discussion of Food Writers at Uncork'd in Las Vegas about 5 years ago. On the Panel were John Curtas, aka EatingLV.com, Max Jacobson, Las Vegas Food Writer, Barbara Fairchild, at the time Editor of Bon Appetit, and Alan. John, Max and Alan all remarked that they didn't really place much emphasis on service, at least not when they reviewed a restaurant and put it in print. It was more about the food. A review either lacked the space for remarks about service or it barely merited a credit. Barbara was somewhat surprised that such experienced Food Journalists wouldn't have been more concerned about the importance of service. Mind you, John, Max and Alan value the importance of service, but based on what I heard that day, it sounded as though service was as far down on their list of priorities as the quality of the toilet paper in the restrooms. Unfortunately, the words Alan and his comrades spoke about service at that panel discussion caught up with him. Yet I give Alan credit for self-disclosing that service does matter and a poor service experience can't be forgiven. A gentleman with his influence can have an impact on the service at a restaurant regardless of whether it's at the level of Le Bernadin or the local Mom and Pop Chinese dumpling shop. We cannot forgive rude, unprofessional, unpolished service and we can't forgive restaurant owners who hire poor servers and don't give them appropriate customer service training.

I like the idea of a mix of experiences, from a Cheesesteak and a Chocolate Malt up to fine dining. I really enjoyed the Westside Market in Cleveland-we just don't have that type of old-style market on a large-scale in the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to the markets in Philadelphia-and maybe a good Italian bakery. I've never eaten Italian-American "gravy" and spaghetti so that sounds tempting.

If you enjoyed the Pork with Sweet Bean Paste and Crispy Rice Stick Noodles, here's the recipe: Noodles- 1 package dried rice stick noodles Canola Oil Heat the oil to 350 in a deep pot or deep fryer. Break the rice stick noodles into pieces about 4" long. Drop a small bunch of the rice stick noodles in the hot oil and let them deep fry until they fully puff up, about 15-20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. I season the fried noodles with Togarishi seasoning. Pork- 6 green onions, cut into fine julienne 1 pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips 2 tbsp. Chinese rice wine 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1/3 cup water 1 tbsp. sesame oil 1 tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 cup canola oil Fresh ginger, minced Fresh garlic, minced Dried red chilies Place the julienned green onions in a bowl of ice water and cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Place the pork in a large bowl. In another bowl, add the rice wine, soy sauce, water, sesame oil and cornstarch and stir to combine. Add the marinade to the pork and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, letting the pork marinate for at least two hours. Sauce- 1/3 cup sweet red bean paste 1/2 cup Chinese rice wine 1 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tbsp. sugar Chinese black vinegar Toasted Sesame Seeds Combine the bean paste, rice wine, cornstarch, sugar and Chinese Black Vinegar to taste in a bowl. Heat the canola oil in a large wok over high heat, add the ginger, garlic and dried red chilies and quickly stir-fry. Add the marinated pork to the wok and stir-fry until the pork is just done. Stir in the sauce and let the pork continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper and more Chinese black vinegar to taste. To serve, place a small mound of the fried rice stick noodles in the center of a plate. Spoon some of the pork on top of the rice stick noodles. Garnish the pork with toasted sesame seeds and some of the julienned green onions.

I use tomatillos in salsa, but I will roast them first to get some char on the skins or I'll put them in a vegetable basket and roast them on the barbecue to get both char and some smoke flavor. It boosts the flavor of your salsa verde just a bit.

Our final meal was brunch this morning with Chef Jeff Jarrett at AMP 150 at the Cleveland Marriott. This is not your typical branded hotel restaurant. There is a focus on local, seasonal ingredients and many of the dishes incorporate vegetables and herbs from the large,on-site garden. And what hotel do you know of that has it's own beehive on the roof so that the bee's can pollinate the vegetables in the garden? This last meal of our Heartland Gathering was for me, the most cohesive menu and the best meal I had in Cleveland. Each dish sang the praises of the bounty of Ohio in 7 delicious courses. Local Watermelon Shooter, with Local Honey and Citron Vinegar- "Bacon & Eggs," Deviled Egg, Benton's Bacon, Creme Fraiche, Chives- Chef told us that the kitchen has about 100lbs. of Benton Bacon, (Tennessee), on hand at all times. "Bacon & Eggs," Sous Vide (2hour) Egg, Lardoons, Frisee, Broken Red Wine Vinaigrette- Squash Blossoms, Housemade Ricotta, Green Tomato Jam with Mint- "Chicken & Waffles," Buttermilk Fried Livers, Chive Waffle, Kimchee Kraut, Ohio Maple Gastrique- The Gastrique was made from a mixture of Ohio Maple Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Vanilla and Star Anise. "Bacon & Eggs," Braised Pork Belly, Cremini, Fingerlings, Smoked Gouda and Fried Egg- This was Chef's take on Eggs Benedict, with the Pork Belly serving as the "Bacon" and the Smoked Gouda worked into a sauce as the "Hollandaise." Peach, Local Goat Cheese & Jalapeno Bavarian, Peach Caramel, Pine Nut Shortbread, Honey-Baked Peaches-