eG Foodblog: little ms foodie - Sauteing in Seattle

[little ms foodie]

Good morning everyone!

Dinner last night was fantastic!! Not only is it one of my favorite restaurants but my favorite bartender is now working as a waiter there! How does it get better than that??

Della and I arrived about 7:30, they don't take ressies so we had about a 40 min. wait. No problem! We each had a glass of champagne while we waited.

The menu is divided into Vegetable/Grains, Charcuterie, Fish, Meat, Cheese and Dessert. We picked one dish to share from each category. Boy was it hard to choose!!

I had my flash off because it is a small place and very dim, I didn't want to disturb others. I apologize for the dark photos, you'll have to use your imagination!!

We picked 'an all purpose wine' as our waiter stated, a Vacqueyras- rhone style French red.

First up was the Rosti potatoes with clabber cream. I first had rosti in Switzerland last year. They are basically the best hash browns ever!!! They are cooked and served in the smallest of Staub cast iron griddles. It's another one of the things I love about Lark- their use of individual cooking/serving pieces.

Our charcuterie was the duck break prosciutto with Lambrusco wine jelly. Made in house and fabulous!! Looks like a lot but we made quick work of it!

Oh I wish you could see the beautiful colors on our snapper plate! Lemon snapper perfectly crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. Baby leeks poached in some sort of wonderful salty broth, german butterball potatoes and sorrel. The sauce was the most gorgeous green color. It was like a bit of spring!!

Keeping with the duck, after all the breast was good , we had a salad of sekel pears, escarole, duck tongue confit and toasted hazelnut. This was really interesting! Whole duck tongues had the texture of bacon a bit, meaty but some good fatty?? and a smoky duck flavor. Very good!

Our cheeses- a Quillisascut ash tomme from WA, a Thistle Hill Farm's Tarentaise from Vermont and a Le Berger de Rocastin from the Loire Valley. they were served with a bit of honey comb. All were fine but they were a bit boring we thought. We picked them though so it's our own fault

Desser was a wonderful apple tart tatine with calvados carmel and ice cream? hmmm, can't remember what kind cause I was too busy licking the plate. We also each had a glass of dessert wine. No photo, it was beyond blurred

Espresso and the bill

[little ms foodie]

Dayne made me a yummy cafe au lait this morning, I'm sipping on it while I work on the blog

We are going to make breakfast in a bit.

i usually just lurk on blogs, but the wealth of food at the farmers market and at pike's place brought me out! (the photos and commentary are wonderful as well!) did i really see chanterelles for $4.95/lb??? that wasn't some other currency, right? with food like that, i'll move to seattle rain and all. thanks for the great blog!!

mighty quinn it's true although at my local market they are $6/lb. still pretty good hu? Should I admit that I've cooked with them so much this fall that I'm tired of chanterelles! crazy!!

bloviatrix only the vendors selling expensive shellfish, salmon, meat, etc. take credit cards. We don't bring ours...to dangerous!

[little ms foodie]

Hi there, I am trying a new recipe and it's basically a potato foam. The recipe calls for a sheet of gelatin but I can't find it. Can I use an envelope of gelatin and if so how much equals one sheet?

←

My 1997 Cook's Illustrated May/June says that you can use 3 1/2 sheets gelatin to one package powdered geletin (volume = 1 tbsp of powdered)

←

[Della]

Dinner was WONDERFUL last night and as Little Miss Foodies dinner guest I can back up everything she said about the food. Lark is a great spot.

(the ice cream on our apple tarte tatine was MAPLE!) and very good.

[phifly04]

Hi there, I am trying a new recipe and it's basically a potato foam. The recipe calls for a sheet of gelatin but I can't find it. Can I use an envelope of gelatin and if so how much equals one sheet?

←

My 1997 Cook's Illustrated May/June says that you can use 3 1/2 sheets gelatin to one package powdered geletin (volume = 1 tbsp of powdered)

←

Hey Lil Miss Foodie - A sheet of gelatine weighs about 7 grams, it's roughly the equivalent of a packet of knox.

Alright now....who's going to be the tie breaker??? 

Thanks to both of you, I will start experimenting!

←

4 sheets=1 envelope(1/4 oz.)powdered

      Dave s

[little ms foodie]

For breakfast we are making apple donuts with one of the huge apples we picked up yesterday.

Super easy.....core and slice and apple, mix up some pancake batter- make it a little thin and add some fresh nutmeg and cinnamon....

Our weapon of choice, the DeLonghi cool touch fryer

A little batter, a bit of hot oil.....

Drain, cool and powdered sugar! Apple donuts!!!

[reesek]

seriously girl - you are doing all us PNWers so proud!! i know you have good taste because i too am addicted to the wonderful tuna at the market - have you tried her jerky? amazing! and the strudel lady could NOT be cuter...mm, flaky strudel. i think i'll go now!!

[Mayhaw Man]

I'm stuck at work today and, although I am sure that I can find something else to do, just read through your whole blog and really enjoyed it. Great job and so many small details! Thanks for taking the time .

Brooks

[bleudauvergne]

Hi there, I am trying a new recipe and it's basically a potato foam. The recipe calls for a sheet of gelatin but I can't find it. Can I use an envelope of gelatin and if so how much equals one sheet?

←

My 1997 Cook's Illustrated May/June says that you can use 3 1/2 sheets gelatin to one package powdered geletin (volume = 1 tbsp of powdered)

←

Hey Lil Miss Foodie - A sheet of gelatine weighs about 7 grams, it's roughly the equivalent of a packet of knox.

Alright now....who's going to be the tie breaker??? 

Thanks to both of you, I will start experimenting!

←

4 sheets=1 envelope(1/4 oz.)powdered

      Dave s

←

Hey Wendy - so glad you caught that before you made the potato foam, I guess sheets of gelatine here in France run slightly bigger... Please pay my equivalents no mind. Can't wait to see the foam!

[ludja]

There's a previous egullet discussion here .

[little ms foodie]

Thanks all for the gelatin info! The experiment is under way......

[little ms foodie]

hmmm...that foam isn't looking quite right to me but it's suppose to chill for a few hours so I will wait and see!

Lunch, quesodillas and Pacifico's. Dayne whipped this up while I was finishing the foam. Pepper jack cheese, extra sharp white cheddar, black olives and sour cream.

Edited November 14, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[eunny jang]

For breakfast we are making apple donuts with one of the huge apples we picked up yesterday.

←

I continue to be totally awed by this blog. Those apple doughnuts look amazing - how do you pipe them into the oil to achieve the "ring" shape?

But..but....do ALL Pacific-Northwesterners eat their pancakes and waffles dripping with BLOOD, as it indicates on the package?

[little ms foodie]

I continue to be totally awed by this blog.  Those apple doughnuts look amazing - how do you pipe them into the oil to achieve the "ring" shape?

But..but....do ALL Pacific-Northwesterners eat their pancakes and waffles dripping with BLOOD, as it indicates on the package?

←

LOL!!! Too funny eunny!!

The apple slices are just dipped in the batter, then tossed in the fryer. Ok, I guess tossing things in a large pot of boiling oil isn't the best idea, lets say they are placed in the fryer.

[little ms foodie]

So I'm prepping dinner for tonight and since I'm just working around the house all day I have my glasses on vs. my contacts. YEOWWWW! How can all of you non contact lense wearers stand to chop onions and peel shallots???

That stings!! gotta go throw my contacts in!

[little ms foodie]

I've got dinner in the oven. It takes a while so I've started it early! Full menu later but here is my meez (as Bourdain puts it!)

I know you are all VERY smart so I'm sure you can guess at what I'm cooking up tonight!

[jsolomon]

Oooh! Oooh! I know! Hansel and Gretel!

[little ms foodie]

Oooh!  Oooh!  I know!  Hansel and Gretel! 

←

YES!!!!

btw, happy birthday jsolomon!

[little ms foodie]

Yeahhh!! The foam worked! I'm trying a recipe out of my Amuse Bouche book for vanilla foam with fingerling potato chips.

The foam is made up of potato and vanilla. These vanilla beans I brought back from the island of Moorea while we were honeymooning. Tahitian vanilla right from the source!

I used the new food mill I picked up at Crate & Barrel this week- only $10!

Sliced the fingerling potato to make teeny weeny chips!

After frying....they are so cute!!

I need some practice foaming but arn't they sweet? Garnished with mint and sea salt! They are sitting on a teacup saucer so you can get an idea of how little they are!! I also got the foamer at C&B.

Having a kir while I finish off the main course!

Edited November 15, 2004 by little ms foodie (log)

[little ms foodie]

Since I totally consider you all guests in my house this week, dinner tonight is being served on the china. We actually use it a few times each month.

The dinner menu is......

amuse (you saw it earlier)

salad frisee with lardon and quail egg (thanks to Susan, Russ and Anthony Bourdain for the inspiration!)

beef bourguignon

poached pears with marscapone and carmel (my husband the dessert guy! )

I started the beef bourguignon early in the day, it takes about 5 to 6 hours with marinating time (this is best done overnight but I forgot. )

saute veggies with bouquet garni. this bouquet garni I bought in the big farmers market in Barcelona this summer!

Once the veggies were soft I drained and browned the meat really well to get lots of crispy carmelation.

then the pan got deglazed with the reserved marinade and boiled for a few minutes.

everything else was in the pot waiting.....everything combined ready to go in the oven for a few hours.

Once it was just about done the mushrooms, bacon and shallots got sauted and added to the caserole

back in the oven to finish while I make some salad. The salad consists of frisee with a bacon, onion, mustard, red wine vinegar dressing. Here is everything in the pan getting cooked up.

then I toss the warm vinegraitte with the frisee and get ready to lightly fry the quail eggs.

Holy crap these little guys are soooooo cute!!!! this pan is a small omelet pan to give you an idea of the size.

First course served!

I broiled some baguette with a bit of really good roasted garlic butter that fellow eGullet member Della made and brought me. This went into the bottom of the bowls and we spooned the beef over it.

mmmmmmmmm.........................

[little ms foodie]

wine for the night (cooked with and served with dinner)

Candlelight for the night provided by the Bellagio Hotel and Casino Las Vegas

[TPO]

Great blog! Thanks for inviting us into your house.

So I'm prepping dinner for tonight and since I'm just working around the house all day I have my glasses on vs. my contacts. YEOWWWW! How can all of you non contact lense wearers stand to chop onions and peel shallots??? 

That stings!! gotta go throw my contacts in!

←

I don't know how they do it either. I love having that little layer of protection between my eyes and the world. Although once I went straight from chopping onions to throwing my contact lenses in, and... ouch!

[little ms foodie]

Dessert....my husband rocks!!!!

James McNair recipe- Wine Poached Pears Filled with Mascarpone in

Caramel Sauce

Damn I'm full!!!

[little ms foodie]

seriously girl - you are doing all us PNWers so proud!! i know you have good taste because i too am addicted to the wonderful tuna at the market - have you tried her jerky? amazing! and the strudel lady could NOT be cuter...mm, flaky strudel. i think i'll go now!! 

←

hmmm, I haven't tried the jerky! Next week!

One time I bought a mushroom brioch from the new Bella's Buns and I felt so guilty about not buying strudel that I couldn't stand it!!

[ludja]

Thanks ms foodie for the lovely pics and food. The dinner looks stunning. Neat idea to serve the beef bourgignon on top of the garlic toasts.

You and bleu d'auvergne definately share some wonderful style and taste when it comes to menu selection, cooking and presentation. To me this is a big compliment to both of you!

So--were you sufficiently happy with amuse to make it again? It sounds like a intriguing combination; I haven't much had vanilla in a savory prep like that.