eG Foodblog: Ling & HhLodesign - The cool kids at Belltown Lofts

[scarlett]

Lorna and Henry: You've given us a terrific blog -- great food, great wine, even a lovebird's Iron Chef.  But for me, the originator and Calculatrix of the

How many cookbooks? thread, the peek at heyjude's cookbook library was the icing on the cupcake!  It's the Vatican Library of eG cookbook collectors.

←

It really is! Not only is it massive, but it is a quality collection. It's well-chosen and diverse, and it is marvellous to see how the joy on Judy's face when she shares it with people!

←

Not only that...but a good majority of Heyjude's coobooks are signed copies and first editions. She's got a storage unit off site that is filled with books too and I got to peruse through boxes of those earlier this year. Heyjude's collection is truly a wonder...and right up Lorna's alley since a good portion of her collection is dedicated to chocolate.

Edited August 31, 2006 by scarlett (log)

[heyjude]

Thank you for making the books look so good and making the dust invisible. I enjoyed seeing them through somebody elses lens. I do love sharing them. I am proud to be a part of this fabulous blog.

[tighe]

I had a Henry & Lorna sighting tonight, walking into Union as I was leaving. I think they thought I was some kind of creepy stalker when I asked if they were there for their anniversary dinner.

[Chufi]

the chocolate stash I have at Henry's place

Thanks Klary and Abra for the pistachio chocolate (in the green wrapper)! It is really good...very dark, with a nice long finish.

←

Ah... I think my humble chocolate bar from Amsterdam must feel very proud to be in such great company!

[hhlodesign]

It was our 5 month anniversary tongiht.

Dinner tonight was at Union Restaurant. Ethan Stowell's place just south of the Pike Place Market.

I like the style of the room. Simple, minimal, and elegant.

Ethan was kind enough to comp us a split of Laurent Perrier Champagne.

One of my favorite Champagnes.

I like it when I sit down and the server takes the menus away and says, "You won't be needing those tonight."

We got to have our favorite bread from Columbia City Bakery tonight!

The butter was Plugra

Our first course was fluke crudo with lime, ginger, cucumber, sel gris, and olive oil.

It was very refreshing and a great way to start the meal. I loved the ginger flavor on the fish.

Poached Japanese diver scallops in heirloom tomato soup with organic pea shoots.

Our server, also Ethan, was telling us how they cut the pea shoots at the restaurant themselves, so they are as fresh as possible. this was a wonderful soup. I'd describe it was the same as biting into a fresh, ripe, flavorful tomato but in liquid form. A decadent use of a great product.

Speaking of decadent, look at the size of this chuck of foie gras!

It was served with hazelnuts, figs, and saba (unaged balsamic vinegar.) This was one of the best preparations of foie gras I've had!

Seared Opa (hawaiian grouper) with avocado puree and basil oil.

Makes you wonder if avocado makes everything taste better. The fish was perfectly seared.

Bacon wrapped rabbit loin with Italian pear mustard and red wine reduction frisee.

This was my second favorite dish, behind the foie. Wrap bacon around a hot dog and I'll like it, but a rabbit loin?! It should be illegal! The pear mustard flavors worked so amazingly well with the rest of the dish components.

Hand made cavatelli with brasie leg of rabbit, parsley, and parmesiano.

Beautifully made pasta! Ethan is opening an artisan pasta restaurant 2 blocks from my house in the next month or two. If this dish is any indication of the food he's serving there, I'll be in twice a week. Its going to be called La Tavolata.

Seared Wagyu loin with red wine shallot demi, and chantrelles.

Lorna, "This crust is SOOOOO BUTTERY!"

The cheese was not served with bread, but a lightly dressed green salad. Champagne vinegrette.

I liked the salad at the end of the meal. We had Spanish sheep's milk blue and a triple cream cow called Moule a Affinios. Both were very strong and creamy and worked well with the champagne salad.

dessert was an almond cake with fresh berries and ginger ice cream.

It seems they just got a paco-jet in the kitchen. they made good use of it.

we stopped by the kitchen to say hi on the way out.

And also met up with Rockdoggydog at the bar for a drink.

He shared with us his snack of fried rabbit flank.

these were awesome! Just when i thought I couldn't eat another bite, stick some fried rabbit in front of me and I can find room!

It was really a beautiful evening.

thanks Ethan and Ethan!

Edited August 31, 2006 by hhlodesign (log)

[Ling]

i know i can check out henry's last blog to see what his kitchen looks like, etc., but lorna, this is your first blog, right?  can you tell us a bit more about yourself as much as it can relate to food?

←

Hmm...what can I say about the role food plays in my life?

I grew up around great food. My parents are huge "foodies" (ack, I hate that word! ), as long as it pertains to Chinese cuisine--or should I say, Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine. (I should mention that I grew up in Richmond--a suburb of Vancouver--and we have a huge Chinese population up here. When Henry first came to Richmond, I took him to one of the Asian malls and he thought the experience was so surreal, because it was just like being in Hong Kong.) I have always eaten very well at home, and until I was old enough to have dinner at my friends' houses, I thought everyone else ate as well as we did. My parents raised me on chicken and abalone congee when I was a baby. I got bird's nest soup in exchange for good report cards. On our birthdays, my mom would take two days off work just so she would have time to cook the 15 or so different Chinese dishes she wanted us to have on our birthday. And yes, she used to take pictures of the food too--so perhaps that is where I get it from!

I have never eaten much American fast food, not even when I was a kid. Fast food for our family was going for wonton noodles (well, my favourite was beef tendon noodles.) So to this day, I don't care too much for pizza or burgers...of course, I will have some if it's from a place that's known for a particular pizza or burger, but it's not something I usually go out of the way for.

I remember going grocery shopping with my parents on the weekends when I was a kid. And grocery shopping would be a whole day affair, because my parents buy their vegetables from the farmer's market (when in season), and then hit up at least another three grocery stores getting only what they think is the "best" at each market. A stop at the Chinese seafood counter would always be last, so the fish would be freshly killed and we would have it for dinner two hours later. Of course, growing up around all this, I was never afraid of killing any live fish my parents would bring home. I remember killing and gutting a huge salmon in the backyard when I was maybe 10, and then spraying the driveway with the hose to wash away all the blood.

I touched on this in an earlier post, about how I started baking from my mom's Five Roses cookbook when I was in grade six or so, and partly it was because she no longer had time to bake as often for us kids. Another reason was because I wanted to try other cuisines that my parents never really attempted--I remember one of the first things I chose to make for lunch out of that cookbook was a cheese souffle. I guess I must've been 11 or 12 by this time. These are dishes that I saw cooks on TV preparing, that I have never tasted. So naturally my childish curiousity took over and I knew the only way I would be tasting a souffle anytime soon would be to make it myself.

My first (western) fine-dining experience was when I was 17. My then-bf took me to The William Tell in Vancouver for a Valentine's Day gift. And for every special occasion after that, I would ask for dinner at a nice restaurant in lieu of a gift. During the five years we were together, I ate at many of Vancouver's best restaurants. I also began reading online menus and cookbooks during much of my spare time, to learn more about cooking techniques and flavour combinations.

In the last year and a half, I have been especially fortunate to have experienced a lot more good food than I have ever thought possible. And I also find it extremely flattering that a lot of culinary students and home bakers PM me for help on dessert ideas or recipes. Andrew Morrison, a local food writer, has also recently given me my first online food column, which will be launched next month on UrbanDiner.ca

Ultimately, I do think that there is no greater pleasure than sharing food you've made with people you love. I do think that what I post online is a greater extension of that, as I hope to pass on a bit of that same passion towards food that my parents instilled in me.

Edited August 31, 2006 by Ling (log)

[Ling]

I just wanted to chime in on the praise for tonight's dinner. Everything was absolutely beautifully prepared--just simple, clean flavours and impeccable quality.

The foie does deserve a mention--it was one of the best foie dishes I've ever had. There is something extremely hedonistic about biting into a piece of foie that is over an inch thick!

The heirloom tomato soup and poached diver scallop was probably my favourite dish after the foie. Just incredible how much flavour was in the soup.

(And yes, the crust on the Wagyu...I have never tasted such a buttery crust on steak! I said this to a server and he says it's seared in Plugra...no wonder. Mmmm....)

I also see how Henry neglected to comment on the dessert this evening. It was delicious--the cake was not too sweet, and had a moist, dense crumb. Lovely.

The service was also flawless. Ethan (both of them!) are really great guys. Thank-you for a beautiful evening.

[rockdoggydog]

It was great to see you guys at Union. It's been a lot of fun watching you guys do your thing!

Rocky

[bleudauvergne]

That did look like a beautiful dinner. Amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us.

So Lorna, how did the souffle turn out, you know, when you were 11 or 12? Do you remember what went through your mind when you first tasted it?

[I_call_the_duck]

heyjude, I love your cookbook collection!!!

Henry, thanks for directing me to your kitchen photos. I absolutely love your kitchen—having major kitchen envy right now.

Happy Anniversary, you two! That dinner at Union looked amazing. Thanks for sharing it with us. You guys look really happy together. Though I have to admit I loved hearing about Lorna's dates, I'm glad that she finally found someone who appreciates food as much as she does.

It’s amazing how much food you two can pack into a day. How has your relationship changed the way you each eat and see food?

[hathor]

I just sat and read thru all 10 pages of this blog! Good lord...what a lot of great food, wine, and writing. Bravi! Bravi! Bravi!

What a treat to watch your appetite for life!

[Daniel]

Wow Henry.. That was really cool of both you and Salumi. Really touching.. Thanks for sharing that..

On a different note, I just received a box of peaches from my fruit of the month someone gave me.. On top of that I have a couple dozen ears of corn left I bought at this farm stand up state.. All the makings for your foie gras dish.. Any pointers to give to improve upon your dish?

Edited August 31, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[hhlodesign]

On a different note, I just received a box of peaches from my fruit of the month someone gave me..  On top of that I have a couple dozen ears of corn left I bought at this farm stand up state.. All the makings for your foie gras dish.. Any pointers to give to improve upon your dish?

←

For the soup I just melted some butter into 6 ears of corn (after i cut the corn off the cobb of course) then added chicken stock to just cover all the corn. Let it simmer for about 40 mins. Then hit it with the immersion blender. Then strained it. I think this would have been great as is, but I had some heavy cream laying around and I couldn't resist.

I'm thinkng if i made the dish again. The only change I would make would be to omit the cream in the soup. Not because I didn't like the texture and the taste of the cream. But only becasue I think the soup is more "pure" with just corn, stock, and butter. Personally, I loved the ginger Altoids with the peach. I know Ferran Adria used peach flavored Smints for his dish. I couldn't find those.

[Pontormo]

Happy fifth-month!

The number five signifies balance especially when combined with numbers such as (you) two. It evokes the five elements of Water, Earth, Fire, Wood and Metal as present in your evening: seafood, grain (bread), seared meats, and the surfaces upon which your food was served and prepared.

What a lovely way to celebrate. Here's to September 30!

* * *

The cookbook collection is indeed mind-boggling. SHELVES devoted to chocolate!

Thanks for the recipe for the corn soup, Henry, and Rachel, for the learned discourse on grits.

Lorna, when you get a chance, I'd love to know more about the gastrique and the avocado foam.

[Chufi]

Happy anniversary! here's to many more months, and years, of love & beautiful food.

(And yes, the crust on the Wagyu...I have never tasted such a buttery crust on steak! I said this to a server and he says it's seared in Plugra...no wonder. Mmmm....)

←

you know, that's the classic Dutch way to prepare steak: sear it in lots of butter. When the steak is done, the pan is deglazed with a tiny bit of water or wine, and the steak (or fillet) is served in a pool of butter gravy

Edited August 31, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[tighe]

On a different note, I just received a box of peaches from my fruit of the month someone gave me..  On top of that I have a couple dozen ears of corn left I bought at this farm stand up state.. All the makings for your foie gras dish.. Any pointers to give to improve upon your dish?

←

For the soup I just melted some butter into 6 ears of corn (after i cut the corn off the cobb of course) then added chicken stock to just cover all the corn. Let it simmer for about 40 mins. Then hit it with the immersion blender. Then strained it. I think this would have been great as is, but I had some heavy cream laying around and I couldn't resist.

I'm thinkng if i made the dish again. The only change I would make would be to omit the cream in the soup. Not because I didn't like the texture and the taste of the cream. But only becasue I think the soup is more "pure" with just corn, stock, and butter. Personally, I loved the ginger Altoids with the peach. I know Ferran Adria used peach flavored Smints for his dish. I couldn't find those.

←

I follow Ethan Stowell's technique of using Pellegrino instead of stock in making vegetable puree soups. To my taste, the flavor ends up much clearer and purer. I also soften some diced onion in the butter before adding the main ingredient.

[little ms foodie]

On a different note, I just received a box of peaches from my fruit of the month someone gave me..  On top of that I have a couple dozen ears of corn left I bought at this farm stand up state.. All the makings for your foie gras dish.. Any pointers to give to improve upon your dish?

←

For the soup I just melted some butter into 6 ears of corn (after i cut the corn off the cobb of course) then added chicken stock to just cover all the corn. Let it simmer for about 40 mins. Then hit it with the immersion blender. Then strained it. I think this would have been great as is, but I had some heavy cream laying around and I couldn't resist.

I'm thinkng if i made the dish again. The only change I would make would be to omit the cream in the soup. Not because I didn't like the texture and the taste of the cream. But only becasue I think the soup is more "pure" with just corn, stock, and butter. Personally, I loved the ginger Altoids with the peach. I know Ferran Adria used peach flavored Smints for his dish. I couldn't find those.

←

I follow Ethan Stowell's technique of using Pellegrino instead of stock in making vegetable puree soups. To my taste, the flavor ends up much clearer and purer. I also soften some diced onion in the butter before adding the main ingredient.

←

I've also found that simmering the cobs in the cooking liquid for a bit gives extra corny taste, have you ever tried that?

[tighe]

On a different note, I just received a box of peaches from my fruit of the month someone gave me..  On top of that I have a couple dozen ears of corn left I bought at this farm stand up state.. All the makings for your foie gras dish.. Any pointers to give to improve upon your dish?

←

For the soup I just melted some butter into 6 ears of corn (after i cut the corn off the cobb of course) then added chicken stock to just cover all the corn. Let it simmer for about 40 mins. Then hit it with the immersion blender. Then strained it. I think this would have been great as is, but I had some heavy cream laying around and I couldn't resist.

I'm thinkng if i made the dish again. The only change I would make would be to omit the cream in the soup. Not because I didn't like the texture and the taste of the cream. But only becasue I think the soup is more "pure" with just corn, stock, and butter. Personally, I loved the ginger Altoids with the peach. I know Ferran Adria used peach flavored Smints for his dish. I couldn't find those.

←

I follow Ethan Stowell's technique of using Pellegrino instead of stock in making vegetable puree soups. To my taste, the flavor ends up much clearer and purer. I also soften some diced onion in the butter before adding the main ingredient.

←

I've also found that simmering the cobs in the cooking liquid for a bit gives extra corny taste, have you ever tried that?

←

No, but it sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a whirl next time.

[Kouign Aman]

I also got robbed by the judge who didn't like fresh mint ice-cream, but likes the GREEN STUFF you buy at the supermarket! 

←

Vegetables are good for you.

I'll give ya an extra 0.125 point for including a green vegetable in the dessert course. Shame there wasnt another one anywhere to be found in the entire meal.

[Daniel]

And I deducted points for no one having any meat in there desserts!

[Ann_T]

Happy Anniversary you two. A match made in food heaven.

I'm so enjoying this blog. I've gone back a few times to look at all the wonderful photos.

Ann

[Ling]

That did look like a beautiful dinner.  Amazing.  Thank you for sharing it with us. 

So Lorna, how did the souffle turn out, you know, when you were 11 or 12?  Do you remember what went through your mind when you first tasted it?

←

The souffle came out great, if I remember correctly. By that point, I had already been making chiffon cakes for awhile, so I knew how to fold the egg whites properly without deflating them too much, so it did rise nicely. I remember feeling proud of my little accomplishment! And it must've tasted great, because I wouldn't have remembered it 12 years later if I didn't enjoy it thoroughly.

[Ling]

I had a Henry & Lorna sighting tonight, walking into Union as I was leaving.  I think they thought I was some kind of creepy stalker when I asked if they were there for their anniversary dinner. 

←

Forgive me, I was so rude to forget that we had met before. I was kind of surprised when an apparent stranger came up to me at Union and asked us if we were here for our anniversary. Of course, I will never forget you now, tighe!

[hhlodesign]

Porcella Urban Market

We had lunch today with Charles and Melissa Walpole at Porcella Urban Market in Bellevue. Porcella is about 3 months old and I have yet to stop in until today. Mostly becasue I would have to go across the bridge to Bellevue.

Bellevue is a bedroom community of Seattle just across Lake Washington. I describe it as a city designed around a mall. Chain restaurants and strip malls dominate the landscape. Bellevue does not contribute much to the culinary landscape of the Seattle area (with the wonderful exception of Holly Smith's Northern Italian oasis Cafe Juanita.) I'd say Bellevue is to Seattle what Orange County is to LA.

That being said, we were extremely excited to go to Porcella as we'd heard only great things about the food Kelly and Noah had been preparing.

Not only is it a sit down eating establishment, they have a wonderful gourmet foods market attached.

Truffle, fennel , and saffron salt! These should be in every kitchen!

I liked the fact that they had samples out fo the bags so you could see and touch the product.

"Better Than Butter!"

Most baked goods are made on site with the exception of some breads and pastries.

Kelly, one of the owners, recognized us from eG and offered us a drink before lunch. I remarked about a wine that a friend of mine is making, and Kelly asked if we'd like to taste it.

Very generous "tastes"

Alas, the rotisserie was empty today.

The deli case contained all sorts of wondrous offerings.

But we opted to have the kitchen make us something.

I love the open kitchen design. Everything is completely visible from all over the store.

We had mentioned that we saw a blog post about making head cheese at Porcella so Noah brought some out for us to try.

I loved the flavor, espescially with the stone ground mustard, but the texture took some getting used to.

For lunch Melissa had the warm lamb with fennel pepper relish and herbed aioli

Charles had the Spanish braised pork with piquillo peppers, manchego, and arugula

Lorna ordered pork rillettes

and assorted house cured meats

On the plate are chorizo, duck prosciuto, finocciono, lardo, copa, sopressata, and saucisse sec.

I had teh prosciutto di parma with warm frisee, lardonetes, truffled aioli , and a fried egg (sufficiently runny!)

They also gave us two sides of truffles gaufrette chips.

I can honestly say that I will be crossing the bridge to Bellevue more often now. The food was all very tasty, and you could tell these guys really cared about the products they were producing.

The charcuterie was very nicely done. Very good fat content, which made for great flavor!

I love the look of this slicer.

We even picked up a little dessert for the drive back across the bridge.

Edited September 1, 2006 by hhlodesign (log)

[Ling]

This is one of the best lunches I've ever had!

In case you were wondering how Porcella's charcuterie compares to Armandino's at Salumi, I would say that Salumi products are more heavily spiced, and have a slighter coarser texture. Also, it is much leaner than the Porcella products. I was really won over by Porcella's charcuterie.

My favourites were the pork rillettes, the saucisse sec, and the coppa.

Lorna ordered pork rillettes

and assorted house cured meats

On the plate are chorizo, duck prosciuto, finocciono, lardo, copa, sopressata, and saucisse sec.

15567.jpg

←

I also got a nice piece of rabbit and foie gras pate to go. We just had some for dinner, along with a domestic blue cheese and I also had a bowl of the mint ice-cream I made.

In a few hours, we'll be checking out a new wine bar in Ballard.

Edited September 1, 2006 by Ling (log)