DRColby

Served a chanterelle soup last night of acorn squash pureed, chicken stock and slived black Forest ham. I pick chanterelles and lately around the PNW they have been quite soggy. Two suggestions to max your mushroom flavors: In this soup, to the pureed squash I added soggy chanterelles pureed with heavy cream. The "good" chanterelles (they are all "good") I "stripped" rather than cut which I think helps retain more of the mushroom flavor and texture. I picked this up from the Japanese who pull the stems of pine mushrooms apart for use in rice. For a finish I added a spoon of cream defrache and chopped cilatro for a little green. Guests lliked it, asking for 2nds. Dave

If you talk nice to Ethan he might make you a couple, He's heavy into his pasta machines now. Dave

John,you must try Union. I believe Sunday evening they have a Champagne tasting menu with Bernard Dumont of R. Dumont et Fil. I am not sure the cost and you should make a reservation. If that's too much try Matt's in the Market and if that is too much below Matt's, on the ground level of the Market is Jack's, a seafood stand where they will open great oysters for you and you might even be able tosmuggle in a great bottle of wine under the counter to enjoy with your bivalves. Enjoy oyur Seattle cullinary experience. Dave

I noticed both flank steak and flat brisket in Costco yesterday; we like the flank, haven't tried the brisket but in general we find Costco's meat to be quite good. (I buy my brisket from a Mexican butcher in Buien). Dave

Make sure puffballs are white inside, meaning they are frsh amd young. They go well if sauted first and then eggs added and scrambled; few herbs help. I go along with IDing - positive, 100% ID, no guessing - but the worst from must wild mushrooms,other than the deadly and toxic ones, is a bad case of the shits and an upset stomach... Then, there are the mind altering ones like big laughing gompus. The lepeotias are the ones to be careful of in the fall,; they are often falsely IDed as are the deadly ones. Puffballs are genewrally prety harmless in the US. Dave

Interesting happening yesterday: I start way too many tomato plants and disburse among friends; this season one of them was a pink Brandywine. Yesterday a friend broght me one of my Brandywine starts that weighed a pound and a half and asked," when will this get red?" This season, to rest soil I moved my tomatoes 1 bed east and more under a redwood' I haven't had a big tomato all season. All starts sewed same time, put in fround same time (Memorial Day) surrounded by old tires and the Brandywine my freidn show me was his sixth of the season and smallest. The resting of the soil is over, next Summer it's back to more sun. Dave

The scalet runners are towering over the Romanos this year, throwing a lot of shade so we don't have many flat beans. Scalet runner salad for lunch today. Thanks all. dave

Anyone have any input on eating scarlet runner beans before they are to the drying stage? We seem to have full crop but not sure whether to eat in the pod when small, shuck when medium and put in salads or what, suggestions? Thanks, Dave

We pickup food for our local food bank. One of our stops is Trader Joe's; I noticed flatiron steaks in it's contributions so they are probably available nationally now. Dave

The latest: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/273767_bourdain14.html Dave

It's done. Yesterday was the day of "smoke" First somked shrimp, the black cod/hake/sablefish were in at same time. Make smoked shriimp casideas (sp) with widl mushrooms and cheese alnog with black beans, rice and plantains. The black cod/hake/sablefish was brined in a stock fish bring and came out like butter, Tomorrow night I will try it poached with some steamed vegies. After that I did some freezer king from last season with a rub and albacore that turned out to everyone's satisfaction. Here's one for all you fish experts: I was to a grand opening today of the biggest Korean supermarket in Federal Way. Biggest and highest quality Korean store I have ever seen, including in Korea.They were selling live fluke for $19.96 a pound. What gives? Why isf luke so pricy with the Koreans, it's almost trash fish here in the PNW? Dave

Indochine and TJs on 99 at 320th Federal Way exit; short hop to lake Tapps from there. Exit 1-5 at FW, go west on 320th, turn right (north) on 99; Indochine is about 2 blocks from 320th -99 intersection. On way back to I-5. go one block south on 99 and TJs is on top hill on right side (construction proejct going on in parking lot). Easy on, easy off. Dave

Need to revive this thread and see if anyone has some suggestions. This is going to be a weekend a of fish smoking (in a Bradley) and one I am trying is black cod. Can't seem to find any recommendations for brines, times, or temps - suggestions? Dave

Chris, I too recently picked up a Bradley Smoker and so far hae done jsut run with it. some bacon, pork chops and ham. I tried to put about 2 hours of cold smoke on the bacon and ham at the start but couldn't get the smoker to hold at much under 150 degrees even with ice in the pan. Any thoughts or suggestions? Dave O, yes, we were having some yams with the chops so I threw them in for four hours at 200; they didn't acquire much of a smoke flavor.

Least we forget: salmon cheeks which are also delicious and can probably only be found with wild fish since farmed seldom get large enough to be worthwhile (they probaby go into a can for cats along with the other waste parts). Dave

Add: "Eat This New York". Dave

Does Canlis still have service using only men as waiters and Asian, or Asian-American, women in kimotos doing all the table work? I thought this was a little unusual, maybe either sexism or something brought back from their Hawaian restaurant when they still owned it. The whole scene was a little strange. The few times I've been there it reminded me of a Frank Sinatra-Ava Gardner movie setting., or better yet North by Northwest. My business partner's wife grew up in the northend in the '50s and Canlis was" the place" to go: after the prom, for the wedding reception, etc. I guess not any more. Dave

This cold smoke subject keeps popping up and how to best hold at 90 degrees or less so I have been reading and watching the thread and been through a number of things trying toarrove at a reliable cold smoking method. First, and this was a year ago, I tried doing lox in the closed roaster-smoker. The mfgr recommended get it smoking - with the lox iin - and then shutting off the heat and letting it steep in the smoke... cooked lox. Then, somewhere on eGullet a guy in NYC mentioned Japanese smoke sticks. Ordered a couple and used one a few weeks ago on the cold smoking part of a pastrami. Seemed to work prettywell on that, but I am wondering what's in these sticks, which burn for an hour with little or no heat and seem more like an incense. I don't read Japanese, but I gather there are used where lots of people live in crowded quarters and fire regulations are tough. The way I used them was to let a couple of brics burn down in a Webber smoker and then add the Japanese smoke stick to smolter in the coals. I have a Bradley Smoker order with the hopes doing a better cold smoking job and getting cleaner hot smoke but after reading Bombdog's latest post, I am scratching my head again about holding 90. Michael, can you add light on the Japanese smoke sticks? Dave

I just sprung for a Bradley stanless on e-Bay for a little less than I would pay locally because of taxes. I noticed there are several local outlets like GI Joe's that sell the pucks for the same price as on the net. I am interested in others experiences with the Bradley, especially with cold smoking fish, and namely old fish out of the freezer. I have some albacore fillets, some kokanee (sp) - freshwater sockeye, and king that I want to cold and hot smoke. Perhaps we have a small advantage being in the Pacific NW as it never gets to hot here and therefore it's easier to cold smoke. I have big plans to fill up the Bradley one weekend with 20 pounds of pork (ribs, belly, bacon, some hocks) next weekend with a nice brisket..... Am I dreaming? Maybe we should start a Bradley threat and exchange, alothough there are soem pretty good ones going like, http://www.susanminor.org/ Input,please, about all my wild spectulation. Dave

Great architecture and food makes for a great city, your observations of Seattle and especially the Belltown-Market area are new and refreshing. While on small spaces, food and architechue, I'd like you to share your observations on Lark (small, well done, and I tink great food) and the space across 12th, Seattle U's Small Chapel, which to me - little as it is - over shadows the new library. Dave Keep writing, I love to keep reading your blog.

I am curious about any opinions or input about Morton Salt;s Meat cures. While researching salts I came across its site http://www.mortonsalt.com/consumer/products/meatcuring/. and purchased the sugar cure and tender-quick at a local grocery. Is there something wrong with using these? (I also got some pink salt from the butcher and am using it in an attempt at Lardo.) Dave

We're currently on a cruise arround the Pacific and just spent a week in Australian ports. We have dinned twice on what the Aussies call "bugs" and never got a very good answer as to what they are. Whatever they're good. A crustation, that seems some what between lobster and scampi in taste, we have had them grilled and sauted. I think what "bugs" probably are is a freshwwater scampi raised is SE Asia and Australian that is about as the size of a lobster. dave

My wife and I are about to leave on a two month cruise and I wanted to take a case of mixed wine with us. What I didn't have in my cellar, which was mainly lacking in whites, I asked a friend with a high end restaurant in Seattle to help me fill. This guy's wines rock. I come out with a Tabalis Creek (sp) Rhone white, couple of great German Rieslings a central coast pinot noir and a Burgundy. But my buddy has a Dutch stewart and his matches with food are perfect. Would I rather have this than the $15 of "house wine" on the cruise ship? You bet! it's the people, not the area or the wines. Dave

As I look out at a garden full of green tomatoes and watch it rain, I'll second the request for recipes. Dave

Ellen, I think it was after your departure from the greater PNW, Cathy and I did a mushroom hunt with a picnic attached to it as an auction item. Three women, who will remain nameless, bought the event. All went well until we had a flat tire while hunting mushrooms. The three women chatted up a storm while I larbored away changng the tire on an old back logging road. As I recall we feature all mushroom dishes for the picnic. Pickled chanterelles, a pate' a soup, nice French wine etc. It went over well and I would have done it again execpt I failed UUism. Maybe I'll do one for Habitat. Anyhow, you're in a nice-weather part of the country, why not a picnic at Balboa Park or somewhere around the ocean? Dave