The celebration of the miracle of the lights illuminated new culinary discoveries at ChezHelvetica on this second night of Chanukah. For a change, Sweet Potato Latkes with Scallions took center stage, embellished with homemade Applesauce accented by harvested Saigon Cinnamon and Sour Cream. An Endive and Escarole Salad (made with Satsuma Tangerines instead of the called-for oranges) and a Dijon Mustard Tangerine Vinaigrette burst through the rich, fried dishes providing the perfect balance. Happily, Gravlaks plucked from the freezer were still wonderful two weeks later. Macaroon Tarts filled with Apricot and Raspberry were the final blessing of the evening. And Dreidel, Dreidel we shall play thanks to this cherished gift from our friend Matisse.
Tag: Epicurious
Syber Saturday & Sunday
This magical weekend started at Fisherman’s Wharf with the much anticipated opening of crab season. The fishmonger cracked and cleaned our crab as the luscious fried shrimp on display also called out to our empty stomachs. With the addition of succulent barbecued short ribs, the Surf and Turf feast at ChezHelvetica began! Baked russet potatoes with horseradish and slow roasted green beans with scallions, garlic and herbs were the perfect sides along with whole wheat bread baked by our friend Mamie. Naked Wines Da Da Da chardonnay from Lodi provided the ha ha ha’s for the evening. Sweet red raspberries (just purchased at the Ferry Plaza Farmers market that morning), delicious apricot rugelach from the House of Bagels, crowned with vanilla Haagen Dazs a la mode, concluded this segment of our sojourn. In the morning over breakfast in the dining room, we watched the delightful dance of the ravens and hawk in the trees of East Fort Miley. A lunch of leftovers followed later in the day including mashed potatoes made from the aforementioned russet potatoes and earlier barbecued sweet potatoes. Surf and Turf, Savory and Sweet, Old and New, Yin and Yang – Thanks Giving.
Independence Day!*!*!
Celebrating freedom this Fourth of July with the incredible bounty of our country! With a nod to the diversity of this nation, flavors were All-American, Mexican and Italian. The American component was a Lemony Potato Salad, a recipe from Epicurious, offering the zing of Meyer Lemon juice and zest, crunchy celery and buttery Yukon Gold Potatoes. Luscious creme fraiche enriched the dressing. Guacamole and chips, a natural segue from the U.S. to Mexico, took a twist with the use of cumin along with sweet red onion to flavor the organic avocado. Primavera Butternut Squash Tamales, filled with corn and Jack Cheese, paired with a new partner –Dave’s Gourmet Roasted Red Pepper Chipolte Hot Sauce. This delicious sauce delivered smoky soft fireworks! Savory Aidell’s Italian Sausages completed our entree and sweet ripe strawberries completed our holiday meal. With a salute to the Armed Forces and my Father, the folded flag was used to adorn the table.
Skewered
It’s Summer Solstice! As apropos, this evening’s entree featured something grilled – Grilled Oregano Prawns, an inspiration from Epicurious. With fresh oregano from our garden, sweet red onion and succulent prawns (from local market, AK Meats), this first of the season venture was off to a great start. A French Fingerling Potato Salad was the perfect complement with its buttery potatoes from Zuckerman Farms (purchased at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market) and a piquant sherry, shallot vinaigrette. Warm multi-grain bread from Grace Baking sopped up the dressing as we enjoyed a golden Chardonnay from BR Cohen. Ya gotta have ice cream as your dessert on an occasion like this and Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream was the ultimate choice!
The Wishbone
Thanksgiving ’10, a dazzling clear and chilly day, provided the perfect ambience for creating a feast. Tradition met innovation with the dishes served, from the organic turkey – painstakingly prepared on a Weber grill by my husband – to Green Beans with Blackened Sage, an Epicurious recipe advising “forget that green bean casserole”. Cornbread stuffing with fresh herbs, cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries and dried bing cherries and a yam roasted along with the turkey continued the holiday ritual of incredible aromas and flavors. The 7 Deadly Sins Zinfandel and Pecan Pie heightened the excitement of the occasion and fueled us for an after dinner walk under the Starry Night (better than Van Gogh’s). Now there is a wishbone beckoning, filled with hopes of dreams come true!
A Salute to Memorial Day
Our Memorial Day celebration embraced both the traditional significance of the day in acknowledging war veterans (in this case, the folded flag holding bullets fired at my father’s funeral) and the always fun summer barbecue with friends. Real Simple Magazine’s June feature on finger-licking fare inspired me to head to Marin Sun Farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market where I purchased baby back ribs. Using the classic barbecue sauce recipe in this issue, it was my first foray into making barbecue sauce. I tweaked it by adding some Worcestershire sauce.
A Caesar Salad recipe from Epicurious provided the perfect combination of delicate hearts of romaine (from Star Route Farms) and savory garlic croutons, a wonderful accompaniment to sweet corn. Vanilla ice cream with honey-poached nectarines and toasted coconut, crowned by a strawberry, was the dessert of choice, also adapted from Real Simple. Then there was the wine brought by our friends from their well-stocked cellar …. all I can remember now is that it was wonderful. And there was a lot!
 |
 |
 |
|---|
Sugar Snap Peas
I don’t really like peas. Yet the overflowing table of sugar snap peas at the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market, and my husband’s urging, prompted me to buy these “pod fruits”. A great Epicurious recipe combining the sweet peas with a pungent garlic paste and parmesan cheese yielded an explosion of juxtaposing flavors. The luscious sauce drenched delicate garlic and parsley fettuccine. As an embellishment, I added sauteed baby shiitake mushrooms and Aidell’s Chicken and Apple sausage. As oft stated, “give peas a chance” now made imminent sense!
Snap Judgements
The intended fish course for this meal was to be salmon, but one look at the beautiful, fresh red snapper at Safeway, that was it – I was off in a new direction. Quickly looking online for some cooking instructions since I hadn’t made snapper in a while, I found a recipe on Epicurious for a Roasted Red Snapper, Lemon and Artichoke dish. The original intention for the glorious artichokes from Castroville (found at Pezzini’s) was to simply steam them. Yet once again, finding I could roast them under the snapper, this lead to one more change in direction. Yam fries completed our meal with everything getting a dollop of garlicky basil aioli. Sometimes, things just fall into place!
Dinner before Phoenix
With my husband’s impending departure for a business trip to Phoenix, this was the perfect opportunity to have a special farewell dinner. Artichoke risotto and grilled halibut were the featured dishes this evening. The purchase of a huge jar of artichoke hearts from Costco propelled my search for a recipe which I found online through a surprising source – the Junior League of Tulsa, Oklahoma! Wild halibut (which I actually ended up broiling) was dressed in lemon juice, lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, capers and basil, a great recipe presented on Epicurious.com. A delightful Edna Valley Chardonnay accompanied this meal. Thanks to the current issue of Martha Stewart Living, we enjoyed a blueberry crisp for dessert. Delicious! P.S. I heeded the advice in the recipe about making extra topping and freezing it so that it would be ready for quick assembly when we next have fresh fruit on hand.
Cold Weather Comfort Food
Panzanella, an age-old Italian recipe for using stale bread, is still very much in the 21st century as it appears in my new “Everyday Italian” cookbook by Giada de Laurentiis. This delicious recipe was the perfect solution for some of the Mediterranean pita bread left over from the recent Rex Foundation 25th Anniversary Benefit (what a wonderful evening of great music!). Organic tomatoes ( purchased from both the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market and Safeway) olives, capers, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil are also key ingredients in this recipe. In addition, I used some sun-dried tomatoes (since I didn’t have the peppers called for) which gave the dish some extra flavor. Fragrant cream of cauliflower soup with saffron paired wonderfully with this salad. Baby cauliflower from the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market was transformed by this recipe from Epicurious. I use an immersion blender when I make soup. I love this but learned to put the pot with the soup and blender into the sink so it doesn’t splatter all over the kitchen! Our wine this evening was a gift from a visiting daughter of a college roommate – a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the R Collection. We were truly warmed and comforted by this meal!