eG Foodblog: FrogPrincesse (2011) - From tartines to tikis

[FrogPrincesse]

I just had lunch at home.

I had the last sweet Italian sausage link (sorry Darren!).

Then, a salad with the arugula from my CSA, Chino Farm raspberries and grilled peaches, almonds, and an olive oil & sherry vinegar dressing.

Very tart and refreshing.

Lastly, an espresso (also had one for breakfast as usual).

[FrogPrincesse]

I began one more project last night.

Inspired by mkayahara, I started making orgeat, so I would have something better to use in tiki drinks than a bottle of Torani (I know, the shame…).

I bought some sliced blanched almonds at Bristol Farms.

While we were having our Test Pilots last night, I soaked the almonds in water for about 30 minutes.

Then I drained them, and ground them in the food processor.

After that, I soaked them in water again for a few hours, drained them in cheesecloth, and repeated this step once.

In the recipe that I am following from Beachbum Berry Remixed, it says that you can repeat this process one more time.

I will finish this project tonight

[FrogPrincesse]

I just received an email detailing the contents of my farmers' basket tomorrow:

Yellow Wax Beans – Gloria Tamai

Purple & Black Bell Peppers & White Bell Pepper – Jaime Farms

Black Kale & Romaine Lettuce – Coleman Family Farms

Black Emerald Grapes – Murray Family Farms

Valencia Oranges – Suntreat

Peewee Mix Fingerling Potatoes – Weiser Family Farms

Mini Mixed Plums – Fitzgerald Farm

First wax beans of the season for me!

I am thinking the bell peppers will do a wonderful piperade.

[heidih]

One word - formidable! Your cooking enthusiasm is inspiring. I really like the raw kale salad I described here using the Cavalo Nero.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks heidh, it means a lot coming from you. I really enjoyed your blog a few months ago.

That raw kale salad looks delicious. I will try it and maybe make a few baked kale chips as well. These are really addictive and great with cocktails too!

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is the arugula, grilled peach, raspberry and almond salad I made for lunch today.

[FrogPrincesse]

After work tonight, I did the last few steps of the orgeat recipe.

Since yesterday it settled in the jar.

I added sugar and dissolved it at low temperature. I did not have to wait very long; it dissolved almost instantly.

The orgeat's color changed at that point from milky white to pale yellow.

Then I added the vodka and the orange flower water.

Here it is. Time to upgrade from the Torani. Our cat approves!

[FrogPrincesse]

Tonight we went to Bali Hai for dinner. Bali Hai is a tiki restaurant that opened in the 50s. It's located on Shelter Island.

On our way to Bali Hai, we drove past Trader Mort's, a small liquor store with a great tiki decor.

We used to come to Bali Hai for the classic tiki cocktails, however the food was less than memorable in the past. Over a year ago, the restaurant underwent a major renovation. The owners also brought in a new chef that completely revamped the menu and transformed it into his version of modern Hawaiian fusion cuisine. The chef, Chris Powell, worked in the past at Roy's and Rancho Valencia, a local restaurant. The menu is based on local and seasonal produce. Dishes are based on classical French techniques with an Asian or Polynesian inspiration.

We were greeted at the door by Mr Bali Hai himself.

Immediately, the wonderful Polynesian decor surrounds you. The tiki artifacts were preserved in the renovation. The onyx bar at the middle of the main room is a beautiful feature, especially at night. And the view is incredible.

[FrogPrincesse]

We settled in at a table outside on the patio (it looks like we may have scored the best seats in the house!), and ordered a couple of drinks from the menu.

The view from our table

The drink menu

He ordered the Mr Bali Hai, and I got the Goof Punch (warning: STRONG !!!).

Actually the Goof Punch is a very well-balanced drink, which makes it all the more dangerous.

Our appetizers arrived.

His was a deconstructed dynamite steak roll with grilled steak, onions, sesame rice, and a dynamite crust.

Mine was the blackened local albacore with papaya, lemon, ponzu, pickled mustard seed, and tobiko.

We were both very happy with our appetizers and our drinks, and the gorgeous view.

For the main course, he had the char siu glazed duck with cauliflower, lup cheong sausage, snap peas and plum wine syrup.

We instantly fell in love with that dish as we are both duck lovers, love char siu and Chinese sausage. What a great combination!

I had the pan roasted striped bass with shrimp, mussels, bacon, peas, bok choy, and a lobster white corn coconut broth.

My favorite part of the dish was the broth and the combination of the freshly shelled peas with the bacon and bok choy.

This was lovely evening. We always have a good time there.

[YSL]

Thoroughly enjoying your blog. Again, beautiful pictures - Especially the last one which I was convinced was a postcard.

[FrogPrincesse]

As promised, I would like to give you a tour of the kitchen.

We bought our house 7 years ago. It was built in the 1950s and, after living in it for a few months and realizing that it did not meet our needs, we decided to remodel it, including the kitchen. We expanded the kitchen area by including part of the space that used to be a family room.

The idea for the kitchen design was to have most of it out of sight. Since the kitchen can be seen from our living room, dining room, and patio, we did not want it to be too intrusive. So we needed cabinets where we could hide everything when we were not using the kitchen area, hence the wall of roll-top cabinets. Also, I hate top cabinets so I did not want any in my kitchen

To stay within a reasonable budget, I decided to get good appliances and Ikea cabinets. Ikea cabinets have the advantage of being cost-effective but with good-quality hardware (with blum hinges if you are into that kind of thing, including soft-close dampers on some of them). My husband and I assembled all of the cabinets ourselves, and the contractor installed them.

We decided to have a large island so we could use that area for informal meals and parties. The island includes the sink, the dishwasher and the electric stove top. Because of the view, it did not make sense to have an updraft hood. The downdraft hood is a compromise because it's not as efficient as an updraft one. It was also a pain to install as a trench had to be dug under the kitchen floor. But I am happy to have a hood, especially during my heavy duty cooking projects (e.g., incinerating maple-cured bacon!!! ).

Against the wall, we have a Miele oven that I am very happy with (I do a lot of baking and it's great), and a warming drawer which is very handy to warm plates or to keep things warm.

Tomorrow I will show you what is behind the cabinet doors.

[FrogPrincesse]

Thoroughly enjoying your blog. Again, beautiful pictures - Especially the last one which I was convinced was a postcard.

Thanks YSL.

My husband took that photo, along with all the others, except for a few that I took.

[Anna N]

Loving your blog and what an amazing kitchen! I am green with envy.

[Kerry Beal]

Loving the kitchen - so California!

[mkayahara]

I've been away from the computer for a few days, but I've been enjoying catching up. Glad to see you made a batch of orgeat! I'm looking forward to seeing how you use it. I'm loving all the Tiki drinks. Do you have an ice crusher? (I'm in the market for a new one...)

Your kitchen is beautiful, as is the photography. The Bali Hai looks like a wonderful place to visit; I'll have to add it to my list.

I realize this is coming a bit late, but when I make sausage, I try to find the right level of stuffing so that the casings are full, but have enough leeway to twist off links after the fact. It just takes a bit of practice to find it. Personally, I think twisting off links as you go sounds like too much trouble.

Your fromage blanc looked good, too. Now you've got me trying to track down a source for cheese-making supplies!

[FrogPrincesse]

Thank you, Anna and Kerry.

I'm enjoying reading about your cooking adventures in Manitoulin.

[FrogPrincesse]

I've been away from the computer for a few days, but I've been enjoying catching up. Glad to see you made a batch of orgeat! I'm looking forward to seeing how you use it. I'm loving all the Tiki drinks. Do you have an ice crusher? (I'm in the market for a new one...)

Your kitchen is beautiful, as is the photography. The Bali Hai looks like a wonderful place to visit; I'll have to add it to my list.

I realize this is coming a bit late, but when I make sausage, I try to find the right level of stuffing so that the casings are full, but have enough leeway to twist off links after the fact. It just takes a bit of practice to find it. Personally, I think twisting off links as you go sounds like too much trouble.

Your fromage blanc looked good, too. Now you've got me trying to track down a source for cheese-making supplies!

Matthew,

Thank you for your comments.

I don't have an ice crusher. My fridge has a crushed ice option, so that's what I use. It may not be perfect , but it's really convenient!

I will keep your tips in mind when I make sausage next time. I realize my sausage was overstuffed.

I am glad that I got you interested in cheese-making. There will be more on that topic soon!

[FrogPrincesse]

Last night we had a little dessert before going to bed.

Chocolate chocolate-chip cookies from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert, and raspberries from Chino Farm.

[bmdaniel]

Love your blog! Wish I could take pictures like that.

[kalypso]

FP, The Bali Hai was a totally unexpected stop on yoru blog, but what fun. A friend and I have been talking about going there for a long time but don't quite ever seem to get there. But she LOVES duck so your duck photo may push us over the edge. It's always had some of the best views in town and their Mai Tai is pretty legendary. When my sister and I were little we used to pester our parents to drive us by the Bali Hai so we could see the Tiki out front, we thought he was so cool Were you in town when the tiki out in front of Trader Mort's got stolen? Oh my god, the neighborhood went beserk. Not a well received prank.

I love your kitchen remodel, it so fits that California mid-century modern feel. Very much looking forward to seeing the rest of it.

[FauxPas]

Chocolate chocolate-chip cookies from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert, and raspberries from Chino Farm.

I love the contrast of the "Hawaiiana" items with the ultra-clean lines of your kitchen. Beautiful kitchen and home. Also, love the way your cat is starting to work his/her way into the pics.

I don't suppose you have any "Before" pics of your kitchen, do you? Would be interesting to see what you started from. Hope that isn't too much of a tangent... I don't want to take away from the cooking!!!

Edited July 7, 2011 by FauxPas (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Thanks FauxPas. I am sure that I can find a picture or two showing the old kitchen, to give you a better idea of the extent of the renovation.

Frimousse, our cat, seems to like the fragrance of the freshly-made orgeat!

_{Corrected typo}

Edited July 7, 2011 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[kayb]

Absolutely stunning kitchen, FP. And my next trip to San Diego will absolutely include a trip to Bali Hai -- I love Polynesian/Hawaiian cuisine.

Am also enjoying very much the look into your cooking. The marvelous assortment of fruits and vegetables available to you is almost enough to make me want to move to Southern California! I can almost taste the freshness and the play of the flavors in looking at those gorgeous photos.

In short, wonderful blog.

[Shelby]

Just wanted to tell you how much I'm enjoying this peek into your life!

I've been immersed in another matter and have neglected eGullet for too long....I've logged on every day to catch up and then I get interrupted --so irritating lol.

I love how open and airy your home is.

[johnnyd]

We have an open floor plan with a kitchen island as well. My tools, condiments, vinegars etc are all within reach of the main prep area so when things are just right, I feel like a drummer on stage that's hitting all the cymbals and toms.