blue_dolphin

Congrats for trying something new! I came upon a good reminder when I was consulting Samin Nosrat's recipe for Kuku Sabzi in her great book Salt Fat Acid Heat. There's a whole little pep talk about flipping the Kuku and then she says, "If something goes awry....don't freak out! It's only lunch. Just do your best....." Wise words to remember in the kitchen!

Corn and Tomato Salad with Torn Croutons from Six Seasons p 225. Leftover kuku sabzi (not from this book) in the background. This is very similar to the Farro with Tomatoes, Raw Corn, Mint, Basil and Scallions that I shared a few posts back. While the farro made that version a one-bowl meal, this is much lighter and more of a side salad. I like the addition of pistachios and grated Pecorino Romano cheese in this version. In all of the raw corn salads this book, after cutting the corn off the ears, they are scraped and the milky pulp in included in the salads. I've always scraped the cobs and saved the pulp aside for a soup but it becomes a nice part of the dressing in these salads. Spaghetti with Small Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil and Chiles from Six Seasons p 269. In this recipe, the garlic, half of the tomatoes and basil get cooked down into a sauce while the rest are added to the pan as the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce so you get both cooked and fresh flavors. It's finished with a sprinkle of dried breadcrumbs p 30 and grated Parmesan Romano. I can't say it's head and shoulders better than other versions of I've made but it was very good.

My first pass at El Diablo pops, based on the El Diablo cocktail as it appears in the Nopalito cookbook: Tequila, lime juice, ginger beer and just a few dashes of cassis. Not bad. I added a little cassis to the mix, then added 2-3 drops to each mold to get sort of a gradient effect and that worked pretty well. They are kind of icy since there's no fruit pulp, just juice. I think I'll try adding some cucumber purée to the next batch to see if that helps.

The name might more properly be Cocchi Americano Rosa, not really sure. I'd say it has more in common with Cocchi Americano than with the vermouth. which is also my favorite vermouth for a Negroni. Rosa starts with a red wine (not white as in Cocchi Americano) but the herbs, etc. used to infuse it are light and floral rather than warm and woody like in a vermouth. The website identifies gentian, ginger, rose and citrus, all of which I can taste. Not sure what else is in there. I've read that it's a little more bitter than Cocchi Americano but I haven't tasted them side by side. I quite like it. On its own, over ice, or with soda, tonic or as a spritzer with a brut rosé.

It was indeed very herb-y. I've also seen it in various places, been curious and had the fridge contents to make it a good idea today. I liked it with the tomato chutney - it needs a punchy accompaniment, I think. I'm glad I tried it. The leftovers will determine whether I make it again or not.

Kuku Sabzi (Persian vegetable & herb omelet) from Tartine All Day with tomato chutney and fresh tomato I used Swiss chard and arugula for the greens and cilantro, parsley, dill, basil and mint for the herbs.

Tomato-Rubbed Grilled Bread Topped with Tomato Salad from Six Seasons p 263. Bread is grilled or toasted, rubbed with garlic, olive oil and tomato, spread with whipped ricotta and topped with more fresh tomatoes that have been marinated in red wine vinegar. I added a little confetti of basil because I thought it should be there.

I resisted Modernist Cuisine. I used the $10 from Whole Foods and the $5 book off promo code on a cookbook.

I do like that cocktail. It is indeed very refreshing and goes down way too easily. Some of the published versions call for more cassis, which can become cloying. I recommend a light hand, as in the recipe I linked to.

The Bourbon Decay sounds like it might be just the ticket. I'd put in a plug for the El Diablo which also calls for cassis and works beautifully with Chambord but I'm guessing the requirement for ginger beer would be a deal breaker on your island. Too bad. I'm working on some El Diablo popsicles at the moment and you are sure to see them someday soon.....

Today's breakfast was 2 ears of corn. Yesterday, I made Grilled Corn with Alla Diavola Butter from Six Seasons. The header notes suggest serving the corn with several of the compound butters in the book so that's what I did. Not-grilled corn with Cacio e Pepe butter and Pecorino. Peppery and delicious. A couple of those big chunks of peppercorn certainly woke up my taste buds! Not-grilled corn with Pickled Vegetable Butter: This one looked pretty but I'd just as soon have a dish of pickles on the side.

Me, too. For the last few years, I told myself that if it went below $400, I'd spring for it. On the other hand, I've gotten along without it thus far. Two more hours.......

Understood. I'm somewhat relieved as I secretly want an ice cream maker but I really, really shouldn't have one 🙃 Here are Amazon.com prices over the past year. The current price isn't bad, but not the best, either.

Is there a reason to purchase it during this Prime Day promotion? It doesn't seem to be at a particularly low price. Or maybe it was a lightning deal and I missed it?

I've been making a Negroni-ish cocktail with Cocchi Rosa subbing in for sweet vermouth. Equal parts with a little wedge of orange squeezed in to go with the fruitiness of the Rosa. Light and summery.

With extra tonnato made for the recipe above, I repeated the Radishes with Tonnato, Sunflower Seeds and Lemon from Six Seasons p 112. Still the best way I've found to eat a bowl o-radishes! I also tried the Grilled Corn with Alla Diavola Butter and Pecorino p 229 I really like the Alla Diavola butter p 33 and this was very good but grilling fresh, tender sweet corn seems to take some of the "pop" out of the kernels - they don't quite burst when your teeth hit them they way they do if you just steam or microwave them lightly. The idea in the header notes of serving several different butters from the book with corn on the cob is very appealing. I will try the Cacio e Pepe butter p 34 next but probably won't grill the corn.

I checked out the Prime Day kitchen listings over at the Wirecutter. Prices I see (US Prime Member) as of ~ 1PM PDT Instant Pot Duo60 @ $58.99 Anova WiFi @ $69.99, Bluetooth is $74.99, Nano is not showing any Prime deal and is still priced @ $99. Joule @ $130 Edit: Now up to $150 Vitamix 5200 @ $279.95 These prices seem to be shifting up and down over time. In some cases, you don't see the "Prime Day" prices unless you are logged in as a prime member. All seem like good prices but nothing I need so far. I've got $10 to spend from using the Whole Foods app and may apply it to a cookbook, along with promo code PRIMEBOOKS18 to save $5.00 when you spend $20.00 or more on Books

Interesting. I wonder what starting price that 20% discount is calculated from. Modernist Cuisine has a list price of $625 and is currently listed on Amazon at $495.47 or 21% off list and was selling at 437.50 for a good period time, from Nov 17 thru mid-Mar 18. Modernist Bread has the same list price and is currently listed at 11% less or 558.35. I guess I can see for myself tomorrow AM!

They're pretty clear about the products not needing refrigeration so I didn't complain about it and chalked it up to a learning experience. Given the shipping cost of close to $35, I sort of expected a insulated shipping box or cool packs might have been involved but I didn't ask ahead. The hocks and bacon seasoning seemed to fare the best so if that's what you're after, it may be OK.

If others are inspired to order Father's products and live somewhat distant from them, I'd recommend waiting until cooler weather. My order, placed in May, was shipped promptly but was in transit for over a week. It wasn't hot here, but the uninsulated box had clearly been exposed to very warm temps. Everything inside ws quite warm to the touch and the bacon had that translucent, liquidy appearance you get when you try to warm a pack in the microwave and way overshoot the time. The shipping box was soaked through in several areas with fat that had leaked out from 2 poorly sealed bags. Nothing was actually rancid but I'm sure this sort of handling can affect the quality and shelf life of the products.

Thanks. They were excellent! These were "June Lady," apparently running a little late this year. From Tenerelli Orchards where they grow a slew of varieties that ripen from the end of June into November with the latest variety, "Autumn Lady." My favorite, "Oh Henry" comes sometime mid-season.

Has anyone seen Bao? It's an animated short film (~ 10 min) from Pixar. It's apparently showing ahead of Incredibles 2, not a film on my must-see list. It's set in Toronto's Chinatown and features an empty-nest mother who gets another chance at motherhood when one of her homemade dumplings comes to life. I listened to an interview with the director on Evan Kleiman's Good Food podcast yesterday where she described how she had her mom come into the studio to make dumplings so the crew would know how to animate the process. She also describes some of the process in this LA Times article: How 'Bao' director Domee Shi stayed true to her 'weird' idea and created a specifically Asian story and there's a photo of the director and her mother making dumplings in this NYT article: The Creator of ‘Bao’ on That Twist: ‘Part of Me Wanted to Shock Audiences’ Linking to this YouTube clip because it shows the the bao-making process, though it's also choppy and full of spoilers, so beware: In this interview from the Toronto Sun, the director talks about some of the Toronto-specific images used to set the scene:

Nothing terribly exciting, just a few small items from Goodwill to entertain me. Google tells me the oblong, navy plate in the back is from Frankoma Pottery in Oklahoma and is the tray portion of a soup & sandwich set. I returned to the store to see if the soup mugs happened to be displayed with the coffee mugs, in which case, I might have picked up more of the plates as well. Alas, they were not but I'm happy to use the plates as is. A dollar for each of the plates and 69 cents for the glasses.

Of this, I have no doubt!

More peaches. A little simpler peaches-on-toast version than yesterday's breakfast that I posted over here in the Deep Run Roots topic. Toasted ciabatta, homemade ricotta, fresh peaches, drizzle of Mike's Hot Honey and mint.