I suppose now that the cat’s out of the bag I can let you all in on a not-so-little secret.  I say that since there is apparently a preview currently airing on Fox for Gordon Ramsay’s new show, MasterChef. I haven’t seen this preview, but my facebook denizens are coming forward asking if by chance they can expect to see me on national tv due to a split second sighting of me in this preview. Curious, I asked a few people to describe it. Well folks, it’s not pretty. Apparently in my big tv debut I am a’ cryin’.  The horror. Since I don’t own a television it is unlikely I will actually witness this clip, so I guess that’s a good thing.  At first I was quite perturbed, but now I’m fairly over it, choosing to adopt the all-publicity-is-good-publicity approach.  Hopefully I’m one of those hot-bawling types, but I doubt it.

So yes, come next Tuesday, July 27^th, 2010, you can watch yours truly on MasterChef. I’m only a master of my own shoe collection and a chef for my kind-hearted friends, but it was a fun experience in which to be a part. I met some hugely talented, over-the-top, fabulous people like Charmaine, Kat, Holly, Azmina, & Emme (along with a slew of others without blogs but who are equally as remarkable) with whom I hope to have lifelong friendships, so for that it was certainly worth it.

Casting for the show was quite an arduous process in itself. Initially I created sous vide duck confit three ways to impress the folks judging the Seattle casting call.  I made sous vide purple Peruvian potatoes and homemade sea salt, which serve as backdrop to three aspects of the duck confit.  There was the confit itself, in its elegant, undressed glory flanked by a touch of rendered duck gras on one side, completed by a glistening cube of geleéd mirepoix.  In the Le Creuset cocotte I made a four day cassoulet de canard.  I confited Moulard duck legs in a sous vide water bath for many hours so that their unctuous umami would present itself, then showcased them in a cassoulet where everything was homemade, from the bacon to the stock to the sea salt, which I collect and distill from the waters of the North Pacific Ocean.  Finally as a palate cleanser I composed a salad of homegrown maché and delicate baby carrots that served as foil to marbles of duck confit mixed with my secret recipe quince pureé.  When I finally got the call stating, “Linda Miller Nicholson, pack your Seattle bags!  You’re going to Los Angeles to be a part of MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich,” I was shocked beyond belief.

Once it came time to head to LA for filming, I reprised a slightly different version of these Dungeness crab cakes.  You’ll have to watch the show to see how they were received; all I can share with you is that I required a drill to make them.  So that’s my secret, now back to the regularly scheduled programming of cooking up deliciously esoteric food for this prized, beloved blog of mine. If you happen to catch the show, let me know what you think!

I’m applying for a patent on this one. It is going to be very difficult to describe the extraordinary nature of this dish without employing the use of exuberant expletives, but I will try.  It all started with a strawberry picking and tasting adventure a mere one hour from Seattle and yet worlds away.  As my city-slicking Mercedes rolled through the gentle flats of the Skagit Valley, signs encouraged drivers to “slow down and follow your nose” which I did with aplomb.  The fertile flats of Skagit produce some of the finest grown goods in Washington, and stellar strawberries are no exception. Our small group had the great pleasure to tour and visit Skagit Sun berries as well as listen to the insightful musings of Farmer Don on the history of his berries and cucumbers (that sentence was not meant to sound dirty, but upon rereading it, I suppose it could be misconstrued).

Photo courtesy of Luuvu Hoang

We participated in a blind tasting of eight varieties of strawberries; I had no idea there would be such a vast difference in flavor.  In the end, I preferred two varieties: Shuksan and Hood. Shuksan berries are sweet and red throughout, with uniform flesh, a short shelf-life and unbeatable versatility in terms of complementing sweet and savory dishes as well as being great fresh or cooked.  The Hoods were piquant and almost candy-like in flavor with a thorough, intense sweetness that lingered on the palate for ages.  It is the height of Shuksan season right now, so get them while you can. Farmer Don was kind enough to let us pick our own flats of Shuksans so my mental wheels got to turning whilst we were out there under the haze-laced sun plucking away.  I love jams and jellies as much as anyone, but I was not about to preserve these precious plumpies for posterity.  I decided on both a sweet and a savory application, and somehow the divine inspiration of the strawberry gods put the idea of chocolate pasta into my head (well that and a conversation with my friend Luuvu).

When I got home, I promptly made a custard of Shuksans and lavender that would become ice cream the next day.  I also whipped up a crema pasticcera (pastry cream) infused with lavender with which to fill the chocolate pasta sheets.  The next day, the real work began.  {INSERT TERRIBLE CONFESSION HERE} Regular readers of my blog will know that I’m a primadonna pasta purist. I do not crank out sheets of pasta, I gently roll them with an old wooden pin, then cut whatever pasta I’m forming using a pastry cutter.  As far as tools go, I’ve always been happy (to make pasta 3+ times a week) with my pin, cutter and a glass of wine.  Well, the universe conspired and produced a gift certificate and a HUGE sale I couldn’t refuse, so long story short, I’m now the proud recipient of a pasta attachment for the Kitchenaid.  This chocolate pasta is the second I’ve made with it, and the most unfortunate part is that I no longer seem to need the glass of wine while pasta-making. You see, the wine acts as a thirst-quencher between rolls, but when a machine takes all the work away, you no longer require parch-abatement.  I suppose the pasta machine will help cure my excessive wino-ism, but it has also taken a little piece of my soul along with it.  I’m vowing to hand-roll at least once a week- we will see how it goes.

For the pasta, I made a typical dough of flour and eggs, to which I added Dutched cocoa and a touch of sugar.  I was worried about the consistency, but it rolled out beautifully and crimped together perfectly to form round discs filled with pastry cream.  I made the pasta around noon and did not boil them until 9pm, so they sat on a parchment-lined sheetpan for many hours with no refrigeration. There were no ill-effects of this, as they boiled up nicely and the texture was perfect.  Since my pasta would not be complete without a sauce, I boiled down Shuksans into a compote with butter, sugar and Grand Marnier.  I put it through a sieve to remove the seeds, then drizzled the sauce over intermittent rounds of ravioli and scoops of ice cream.  This is the part where I would use some holy s3*TTTT expletives to describe the wow-factor of all the complementary flavors and textures in this dish, but I promised not to, so I’m going to have to go stuff my gullet full of sweet sweet bliss aka chocolate ravioli and bid my adieu to you. Until next time, keep it super real out there in the spectacular sunshine.

Duck Confit gets an Olive Oil Drizzle

I found myself in a very fortunate situation at The Spotted Pig in NYC’s hip Meatpacking District a few days ago.  Because of Electrolux’ generosity  I flew to NYC along with 14 other food bloggers to help Kelly Ripa and Cake Boss Buddy Valastro raise awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research.   Electrolux launched their US line of kitchen appliances two years ago, and they wanted us to see them in action, so they put together a dinner at The Spotted Pig. 

Not only that, but they convinced head chef April Bloomfield to demonstrate the appliances while she cooked for us in a private open kitchen at the restaurant.  I think the shutterflash descent of 15 foodbloggers into the cozy demo space probably startled the chef and her crew just a touch, but they didn’t let it phase them and proceeded to whip up decadent delights perfect for showcasing Electrolux’ versatile appliances. 

The first thing that resonated with me about the Electrolux appliances was oven racks that pull out using a track and caster system.  My current oven racks make jangling clanging noise everytime I pry them from their chambers and I’ve gotten so sick of the sound waking the baby that I simply shove everything in without pulling the racks out at the risk of third degree burns.  Their racks glide out like a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance- all smooth, elegant and perfect-like.  Another amazing feature on their gas cooktop was the ability for a single burner to go from 450 btu to 18,000 btu.  This is especially crucial when you want to crank something up high (if you’re cooking in a large-volume pot for instance) but once it’s cooked it needs to simmer on warm for a long time. 

The design is unparalleled in the industry and their sleekness and function proves it.  They are styled in Italy and engineered in Germany, so you truly have the best of the Old World in the heart of your kitchen.  Have I mentioned their induction cooktops? Many people say that once you go induction you never go back, and I’m tempted to jump on the bandwagon. You can boil a pot of water in under a minute, the surface is smooth and easy to keep clean, and the heat is even-Steven unlike the peaks and valleys of gas cooking.  I’m still a gas girl, but I sure would love to have both! 

April made a hearty root vegetable soup for us to get a good idea of just how fast the heavy-hitter burners reduce parsnips and rutabagas to a tender state, and wow was it ever good. 

She followed up with duck confit, which was of special interest to me since I recently made my own confit. 

I loved how salty and crisp she was able to get the skin, and I noted with pleasure the flavor difference of the duck species she used (Peking) versus mine (Moulard).  I still think moulard breasts are better to confit in the sous vide since they have so much more fat, but the Peking legs had a great, musky flavor. 

Our stalkerazzi flashbulbs were going off left and right yet April never wavered in her competence, and I was very impressed with her calm hands, even keel, and hearty creativity in the kitchen.  She had made an assortment of passed appetizers for us to nibble on when we arrived, and I’m only sad we didn’t get to see that process as well. 

After we left The Spotted Pig we converged upon the rooftop lounge at Hotel Gansevoort for a blogger foodie gift exchange.  We were all from different parts of the country, so each of us brought food-related gifts reflecting our geography.  Being from Seattle I brought coffee (NOT Starbucks!), smoked salmon, a tin of my homemade salt, and some locally-made fudge.  I received some very authentic-looking chili and Texas caramel candies from Megan from Texas who has this blog. 

look at that smoke

The main reason for Elextrolux bringing us lucky souls out to NYC was to raise awareness for ovarian cancer research.  I’ve already written about the amazing cake decorating event we participated in along with Kelly Ripa and Buddy Valastro, but I wanted to remind you to go out to the Kelly Confidential site and vote on your favorite cake (mine is “Here Comes the Sun”).  It’s free and easy to vote, and every time you do Electrolux will donate a dollar to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

The last few days have been a whirlwind of jet-setting and a true taste of la dolce vita for yours truly.  Electrolux appliances requested food blogger submissions to win a trip to NYC and help raise awareness for ovarian cancer research via Foodbuzz a while back.  I have reasons close to home for entering the contest, and I was over-the-moon when I found out I would be amongst the pool of 15 bloggers selected to go.  As details of the event unfolded, my excitement grew.  Hang with Kelly Ripa? Check.  Stay at the über-chic Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking district? Check.  Get ferried from place to place by an amazing chauffer service during our entire stay? Check.  Attend a private demonstration at the Spotted Pig by their world-renowned head chef  April Bloomfield? Also check!  A couple of days before the event it was revealed that TLC’s Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro, would give us cake decorating tips, choose themes, and help us to decorate five cakes that YOU can vote on for free, and every time you vote Electrolux will donate a dollar to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  What an adventure! 

The event day run of show reads just like something out of a trendy novel about a girl getting whisked into the NYC adventure of her dreams for a day.  I woke up at 6:45am (mind you after a night cavorting with meatpacking glitterati at the Spotted Pig and Gansevoort rooftop lounge) which is 2:45am Seattle time.  After sloshing on a few strokes of makeup and munching a hurried breakfast hosted by Electrolux, a fleet of SUV’s shuttled the 15 of us to the “Live with Regis and Kelly” studio to attend a taping.  By a stroke of dumb luck, I happened to get the best seat in the house, front and center, and thoroughly enjoyed watching Kelly Ripa make chocolate-dipped strawberries and Regis do his comic thing.  After the taping we had two free hours before we were required for cake decorating, and what’s a girl to do with extra time in NYC? You guessed it, I hit up the divine shops peppered about the Meatpacking district.  Sales abound since apparently someday soon winter will give way to spring, so I managed to pick up three dresses in 10 minutes flat at Scoop.  I was really on a mission for boots since winter blizzards were all anyone could talk about and I’d only packed Manolos and Louboutins, but a few new dresses couldn’t hurt, right?

I grabbed a quick NY slice, changed into my lucky Etro dress that I love to wear when I teach cheesemaking classes, and regrouped with the posse for the journey to the Chelsea Market where our event would take place.  We were ushered into a private space atop the market filled with more photographers, videographers and studio equipment than I’ve ever seen.  A state-of-the-art Electrolux kitchen provided the perfect backdrop for the affair, and we got to hobnob with Electrolux engineers, designers and even the CEO while Cake Boss Buddy readied his team for the blogger onslaught.  Electrolux launched its kitchen line in the US two years ago, and let me tell you, I am drooling. They have thought of everything from roll out oven racks to hyper-induction cooktops all the while maintaining a sophisticated stainless style.  Their gas cooktops have close to a 20,000 btu range on a single burner (!) enabling you to crank up the heat but then turn something waaaay down if you need to go into coast mode.  If you are in the market for a kitchen upgrade I strongly suggest you check out this line- I was a Bertazzoni loyalist until I saw these babies in action, now you can consider me a convert. 

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor from drooling over Electrolux’ stunning kitchen, Buddy Valestra and Kelly Ripa took the stage.  They explained that the 15 of us would break down into five teams, and each team would get a cake theme.  I was part of Team Awesome along with Katherine and Meghann and our theme was “Here Comes the Sun.”  Buddy offered us a ton of assistance because he said our theme was by far the hardest, employing lots of crazy piping techniques.  I learned the “squeeze and pull” approach to piping, and while your mind may go directly to the gutter upon hearing that, it’s actually fairly innocent!  Buddy and his crew were amazing teachers and could not have been more kind, genuine and helpful.  Kelly was also a peach- she strolled from team to team heckling us and offering words of encouragement alternately.  I accused her of deliberately messing up on her demo while making a buttercream rose with a piping bag, so we got into a little rose-off.  I discovered that it’s actually much harder than it looks to pipe out those lovely flowers you often see on wedding cakes.  In fact Kelly’s turned out better than mine; though none of ours were quite nice enough to top a Cake Boss cake, so we ate the rejects! 

I gave Buddy and Kelly (along with some fellow-bloggers) a tin of my homemade salt to try- I sure hope they like it.  The event itself took upwards of three hours and in the end all our cakes were photographed and uploaded to the Kelly Confidential website.  This is where the generosity of Electrolux comes in again (you can tell I LOVE these people!).  You, my lovelies, each and every one of you, can go to the website and vote on your favorite cake.  Every time you vote (which is FREE and EASY) Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  I would love it if you would vote for my cake “Here Comes the Sun,” but I understand it’s a touch wonky looking and in the end this is all for a GREAT cause, right? 

I will be posting more about this enchanting trip to NYC in the coming days, specifically about the Spotted Pig, the giant blizzard that necessitated the purchase of a new pair of silver boots, and likely a lot more Electrolux love, so stay tuned and GO VOTE!

Sometimes I can be a bit daft.  When a last minute opportunity to head to Vegas complete with a built-in babysitter/Grandma and a reservation at the coveted Atelier de Robuchon jumps into your lap, the least you could do is remember the damn camera, right? Not I so consider yourself warned: the photos in this entry were all lovingly taken with the very best in iPhone technology, sorry for my forgetfulness. 

It just so happened that last week when Jonas and I were trying to cobble together a plan for New Year’s Eve that didn’t involve driving, hanging with 18 year olds or hanging with 80 year olds, but did involve Grandma’s babysitting assistance, a fair amount of imbibing, and a bit of reveling thrown in for good measure, the phone rang.  A good thing too, as we were in the middle of a heated discussion regarding the merits of an aquarium versus a bowling alley on the biggest amateur night of the year- two options I’m glad we didn’t have to explore.  It so happened that my sisters’ boyfriend of several years had hatched a plan to propose to her in Vegas on NYE (since they live there) and at the last minute he decided it might be fun to have her family around.  I think his secret motive was to ensure she would have a heart attack one way or another- if the shock of the engagement didn’t do it the fact that her sister who she hasn’t seen in a year popping up at their table five minutes later yelling “surprise” surely would. 

Long story short, we headed down to the sleepless city with Grandma and baby-in-tow and got to be the first people to congratulate the couple on their fresh engagement.  The newly minted couple and Jonas and I hit the town hard, making it truly an eve to celebrate and remember.  The engagement night was so much fun in itself that we were pretty destroyed the next day, so luckily our reservations at Robuchon were not until 9pm.  Around 5ish, Jonas decided he couldn’t drum up the intestinal fortitude to get after it another night, so he graciously agreed to watch Bentley so that my mother and I could enjoy the dinner reservation to its fullest potential. Even though I wasn’t feeling 100%, I always seem to find a second wind when truly fine dining and great wine is involved.  It was great to have an evening with just my mother too, since we hadn’t properly hung out just the two of us since before Bentley was born. 

We sashayed into the joint at 9 sharp and bellied up to the communal bar ring that surrounds the chic and orderly open kitchen.  Five minutes later we were sipping an ’03 Haute Medoc eagerly awaiting the onslaught of courses that comprised our reasonably priced ($85/pp) tasting menu.  I later confirmed that the amuse bouche was in fact an indication of how deliriously my palate would be tickled all night, but when it was served, I felt nothing short of utter inspiration. It’s so frustrating when you choose to spend your dining dollars at an untested location and you come away knowing you could have made something five times as delicious in your own kitchen plus had lots of moolah left over to splurge on a fancy bottle’o red. That was certainly not the case in L’Atelier.  The amuse bouche consisted of a fois gras parfait in a port wine reduction with parmesan foam and golly lolly did it make me want to get back to the damn kitchen asap just so I could attempt to duplicate it! 

Post amuse bouche I had opted to alter my changing menu somewhat and replace a mussel course for a torchon of fois gras and the chef generously allowed it with no increased price adjustment.  It was a heaping dollop of delight as far as my mouth was concerned, though I was curious what the mussels were like since I have no problem with them, just wanted something more of the terra since in Seattle we have such an abundance of la mer. 

Next up were the lovely langoustines, wrapped, fried and perched at a jaunty angle on a rectangular plate with not a small amount of plate dapples and daubs of dip.  The presentation was fine, the taste divine, though sometimes I like my food slightly less fussy in terms of plating- shouldn’t the flavor be the true showcase instead of constructing a mini Frank Gehry building on the plate?  About this time we made fast friends with a couple sitting next to us acting equally stalkerazzi with their iPhone cameras angled at their plates.  We clinked glasses over mutual foodie photographdom, but the conversation quickly veered into the late night dining territory of stag parties wherein cars are totaled by tanks, roasting chicken legs on car radiators, and god knows what other cockamamie tales.

Next up, beef cheeks for me, and salmon for mom.  It’s too bad about the iPhone photos, because the beef cheeks were so unctuous and succulent you’d never know it looking at that brown blob in the middle of the plate.  Take my word for it; this time the food stands alone- no fancy droppers or foaming wands needed to adulterate the superb quality of the food on this plate.  My only teensy observation: there were bacon lardons in the sauce, cut to perfection, but savory bacon with a smokier flavor would have better complemented the umami richness of the dish as opposed to the cloying hints of mild maple that kept creeping through.  

The world-famous pomme puree accompanied our main courses, served in the traditional little Staub coquettes. There is a reason these potatoes are known around the globe- they are induplicatably delicious beyond your wildest potato dreams, oh yes, baby! 

Now we have the cheese course, and as my glass dwindles down to the dregs I begin to ponder which substance I will choose as my digestif.  I stray from the French and order a 20 year tawny, in this case I have to play favorites hoping it will stand up to my dessert of tarts.  The standout cheese was a young goat coated in billowy ash; unfortunately I could only take a few meager bites as complete gustatory satisfaction had already settled in.  Same thing with the five-tart dessert course- all plated and prepared to perfection, but wrapped straightaway to bring upstairs to the boys so that someone with more room could enjoy it in its entire splendor.  My 20 year tawny treated me well, however, and was a pleasing end to my only Michelin-starred dining experience of the holiday season.

I had the wonderful fortune to attend the Foodbuzz Festival in San Francisco this past weekend.  It was the most well-organized event I have attended in recent memory; watch out online world of food, Foodbuzz is THE force to be reckoned with and after the festival I know why.  Can you imagine hosting an event for 250 discerning, top-shelf food and drink bloggers from across the world? I would be quaking in my boots knowing that each and every one of them was calculating, composing, photographing and judging everything you put before them in order to head back home and shout about it from the (virtual) rooftops to all their readers.  If you think of the viral networking aspect of that, 250 people could conceivably reach half the population of the world pretty quickly considering the 6 degrees of separation.  Every event I attended- from a street food dinner composed of a dozen stalls of local cult eating establishments distilled down to their very best item or two to a dinner put on by Outstanding in the Field conisting of a single table set for 250 people- was beyond spectacular in its own right.  The oyster in the shot above is from the street food extravaganza, and was the single best oyster I have ever eaten.  It was from the Hog Island Oyster Company- an establishment that deserves high praise.  The other standout from the street food faire was the steak and gruyere mini pie from The Pie Truck. 

The most informative portion of the festival was a Farm to Table discussion led by Chef Paul Arenstam and the amazing spreadsheet cowboy Brian Kenny of Hearst Ranch.  Kenny is a picture-perfect cowboy upon first glance, but the second he opens his mouth you can tell he mixes in a bit of street and book smarts with his affected Western drawl.  He has been helping the Hearst family (of publishing fame) convert their gargantuan cattle ranch to free-range, grass-fed and finished beef, and boy does the man know his stuff.  He’s the kind of public speaker college commencement commitees lust after- presence, humor and the ability to command the room in an unassuming way all contribute to his trademark charm.  More importantly, he’s on a proselytizing mission to create a truly sustainable model of agriculture that other ranchers can mimic in order to improve the health of the overall industry.  The Hearst Ranch sells their products online, and for a limited time they are offering my readers 30% off their beef.  Just type in the coupon code “foodbuzz” upon checkout and enjoy the taste of superior-to-Whole Foods beef at less than Safeway prices!

The title is erroneous right off the bat, but Clippertrip just doesn’t have the same ring to it as roadtrip.  The Clipper is the nautical vessel one takes from Seattle to Victoria. It is essentially a high-speed shrunken version of a ferry, though it feels eerily like an airplane inside.  In any case, the whole fam hopped the Clipper for the two hour jaunt up to Victoria for the weekend as I had a half marathon to run on Sunday.  We spent Saturday tooling around Victoria- this is a city I could really get into.  I pictured it as a quaint little burg lost in time. It actually was very cosmopolitan and wore the inevitable rustic charm that comes with being a seaside tourist town known for High Tea with understated cool.  Off the main drag, the shops were edgy and on-trend and the locals could not have been nicer. 

There were no dearth of dining options; however it being marathon weekend I knew I wanted to steer clear of the herds clamoring for plates of linguine in all the Italian joints, so I chose French.  This may not have been the wisest meal to consume the night before running 13.1 miles, but I was very happy with my time so I’ll leave carbo-loading to those who wish to indulge in bland potatoes and limp noodles.  We selected Matisse based on its reputation as one of the finer French restaurants in town, and we came away quite pleased. 

The first thing you need to know about Matisse is that John Phillips is the heart and soul of the place.  From the moment you walk in the door and he personally removes your jacket, it is obvious he is not a lackluster waiter whittling down the hours until his shift ends.  Despite the fact that he owns the place and has plenty of laurels to rest on (Exxon Mobil 4 star rating, et cetera), he works the room like a new president on his first day in office.  No detail is too small, and his perfectionist tendencies translate to an unbeatable meal you’re not likely to come by easily elsewhere.  He started us off unprompted with an aperitif called Pineau; if you have not had this amazing drink, go out and find it!!! Pineau accidentally originated in the sixteenth century when some daft servant wrongfully put grape juice in some old Cognac barrels.  The grape juice fermented, became naturally fortified from the cognac, and ultimately went on to be one of the most popular aperitifs from the Charentes region in Southwest France.  It comes in both a white and a red version, and oddly enough I preferred the white, which NEVER happens.  I should clarify that the “white” is actually a lovely caramel color, and the taste is like a perfect blend of passito, vin santo and amontillado thrown in for good measure.  What a scrummy way to start a meal!

Next off was a delectable amuse bouche of smoked albacore tuna with tobiko roe and crème fraiche- Damn the size of these amuse bouches, give me a tray of these babies to nosh on, already.  Because John had proven to “get” us wine-wise when he brought out the Pineau, we let him pair wines for the rest of the meal.  I rarely if ever relinquish my wine-rights, especially after having known someone for five minutes, but the man is solid.  He kept the white stuff away (I hate it when you say you don’t like white wine and someone spends the rest of the night trying to prove that there is a decent white out there!) and the red flowing freely, nailing nearly every course.  At this point my tasting notes falter in terms of wine- everything was just so good I had to stop madly pecking into my iPhone and sit back and enjoy what was in front of me.

Next up, elegant escargots presented beautifully in a small Le Creuset Cocotte.  They were divine, in a shallot-y, herbed buttery smooth sauce that I plan to recreate at home. 

The only course that was just so/so was the lobster bisque I had next.  I was oscillating between that and some greens, so perhaps I was latently craving roughage, but the soup did not blow me away.  The filet mignon erased any hint of a misstep, however; one bite and I was back in Matisse bliss.  Jonas had venison and he could not stop talking about how melt-in-your-mouth tasty it was.  He offered me a nibble toward the beginning and I’m glad I got in while I did because his plate disappeared in a few short and satisfied moments. 

At that point no dessert was really necessary and I was starting to think about all those kilometers I’d be running the next day- 21, whew.  John would not have any of our hemming and hawing, however, and he brought us out the two specialties of the house, mousse au chocolat and crème brulee. 

 Classic, yes, but presentation and execution are what matters and Matisse certainly did not disappoint.  Fresh, amusing, lovely on the plate and palate, both takes on French tradition soared.  I do hate to cut a good evening short, but alas, dear readers, 5 am comes rather too early for me, so we rolled out of Matisse fat, happy and ready for bed.

You may have noticed that here at Salty Seattle, we have a wee obsession with- you guessed it- SALT.  I pretty much think it’s the salt of the earth, I want to be its Salty Dog, and I sometimes don’t know if I’m worth(y) of my salt.  I know there are other saltophiles out there, however unfashionable it may be to admit it in our Atkins-crazed flavorless society, and I say, let’s unite! We should join together as exemplars of the movement back to good taste and simpler times, and what could be simpler than salt-making?

It was one of those AHA! moments I had a few weeks back that I just couldn’t shake- “Linda- must make salt. Must make salt soon.” What started as a little tickle in the back of my cerebellum quickly grew into a full-blown mania- the chanting voices in my head would not be calmed until a cauldron of oceanwater was brewing on my Bertazzoni.   I did a fair amount of research on water quality of various points of the Pacific Ocean, and decided that my collection point should be at Ocean Shores- some three hours drive from my humble abode perched atop Mt. Baker in the heart of Seattle.  I thought long and hard about how to coerce Jonas into spending more than six hours in the car on a rare day off (with a teething baby Bentley and a mother-in-law who won’t admit to hearing loss, no less) and I decided that AMBUSH was the best tactic. 

Since Bentley had stayed the night with Grandma the night before so that we could dine at Sitka and Spruce and get up to some crazy post-dinner antics, I chose a weak, hungover moment to strike.  I lured Jonas into the car with promises of espresso and bacon sandwiches to soak up the alcoholic remnants of the previous evening.  He barely noticed the canning pot and plastic buckets I placed in the trunk.  “How about a Sunday drive?” I asked, the picture of innocence while he sipped his Iced Mocha.  He’ll agree to anything when he’s plied with coffee, so I took his tacit yes and ran with it- all the way to pick up Grandma and Bentley and then all the way to Ocean Shores. 

We found a great locally-owned butcher shop along the way in Aberdeen called Michael’s Meats where I bought Jonas an eight pound prime rib roast that was literally still mooing for the amazingly low price of $50.  The thought of Prime Rib and Yorkshire Puddings for dinner did quite a bit to alleviate any misgivings he may have felt about being duped into a salt-collecting mission, and by that time he was really starting to get into it too.  We drove the last half hour to Ocean Shores in good spirits and parked on the whitest, sandiest beach you’ll find in Washington State.  Placing Bentley in the care of Grandma, Jonas and I went out to sea, buckets and drums in hand.  As it turns out, you have to get pretty wet to collect a proper sample of ocean water, but hey, October is still technically at least Indian Summer, right?  We all (Jonas, Bentley and I, at least) had a bit too much fun traipsing out into the surf- thoughts of hangover completely washed away by then- but we paid for it by driving home in the buff since I had neglected to bring dry clothes in my haste to skip town.   Was it uncomfortable to spend three hours in the car, husband, child and self nude next to a fully-clothed and scowling mother/grandmother? Yes, yes it was- well, for Jonas at least :) 

The really fun part commenced the next day when I enlisted the assistance of my friend Lily to help me filter all the water we had collected through tea towels several times and then put it all in the giant canning pot.  I would estimate that we started with about five gallons of pristine Ocean Shores water once I put the pot on the burners to begin the boil.  I left it on a low boil to reduce away slowly for, oh, about 12 hours.  At that point, and this occurred over a two day period, I only had about 6 cups of water left and quite a bit of salt had already collected at the bottom of the pot.  I decided to put the whole thing in a baking dish in order to simulate true salt flat conditions and bake down the rest of the water.  Once I put it in the oven on 200°, it probably only took another 3 hours (stirring roughly once an hour) for the water to evaporate completely.  When it was all said and done, I was left with five cups of the most gorgeous substance- pure as the driven snow. 

I let it air dry for a couple of days, marveling at my creation.  I couldn’t take the wait any longer last night, so I sliced up some homemade duck breast prosciutto, ground up Spencer steak and pork tenderloin in the Kitchenaid meat grinder, and threw together a rich Bolognese sauce featuring two prominent tablespoons of my precious-s-s, precious-s-s salt.  The sauce was so good that baby Bentley insisted upon lapping it up straight out of the Le Crueset Bouillabaisse pot I had simmered it in all day.  Who knows? It may just be finally time to solidify that salt party idea I have been stewing on for several years.  Everyone brings salt-loving food like edamame, mozzarella, aubergines, and a chocolate tart (soo good with salt), and we taste test the salts of the world to see which matches best with what.  Yes, I think it’s high time.

Whew, that title is a bit of a mouthful!  Almost as big a bite as you’ll want to take of the lamb and risotto cakes once they’re in front of you on the plate.  I knew I wanted to create something really special to nosh on during our “glamping” trip since all the apple-wood we could ever use would be provided for our campfire pleasure and food cooked over apple-wood is a rare treat.  I figured a muskier meat would take on the smoked flavor of the wood, so lamb was the natural choice given that my brother-in-law Paris hasn’t yet sent over any venison from his bow-hunting spoils this season.   

I wanted to create something that would be elegant in a rustic setting, yet relatively simple to pull together without the arsenal of my kitchen at hand, so lamb on risotto cakes fit the bill.  As it turns out, supplies for “glamping” turned out to be much the same as supplies for regular old camping, so I wanted a one-stop-shop where I could pick up everything from toilet paper to parchment paper.  Normally in anticipation of a big feast I head down to the market, but because I needed such a variety, Seattle’s best grocery store fit the bill better. 

I like to walk the aisles of Metropolitan Market for inspiration, and since there was a sale on mozzarella, I decided the best way to serve the risotto I had already planned to make in a way befitting the outdoor setting would be to wrap it around mozzarella balls.  That way I could simply fry it up over the campfire, and the gooey ooze of mozzarella peeking out would add to the ambience. 

You may have noticed from previous posts that I have had a bit of a problem with tomatoes this year- it’s the best problem you can have though- there are just so many of them!  A few days ago we set about to reduce our stocks by oven-drying them, since we live in Seattle and there really is very limited opportunity for sun-drying.  I could not have been happier with the result, and plan to dry another batch the next time it’s really chilly.  My fresh bounty of oven-dried tomatoes provided the glue between the lamb and the risotto- I think it’s important to have a little complementary flavor in the starch and protein on the plate.  For this reason I used the tomatoes in the lamb jus as well as in the final stirring of the risotto, much like you use fat from the prime rib in Yorkshire pudding or chicken drippings in dumplings for chicken and dumplings.  As a final touch of color to the plate, packets of haricots verts wrapped in leek greens (à la Chris Kastner of CK’s fame) make a lovely addition. 

Since we were cooking by campfire and good smells travels almost as fast as good news, we attracted the attention of some fellow “glampers” Cath and Beth from the Olympic Peninsula.  It was wonderful to share a meal with them by campfire and starlight as they regaled us with tales about Cath’s crazy in-laws.  They were in the Yakima Valley collecting hundreds of pounds of fruit so they could take it all back home, can for days, and lock themselves in the kitchen so as to minimize interaction with said in-laws.  Well played! 

Rack of Lamb with Sun-Dried Tomato Balsamic Jus

Note: While I cooked this over an apple-wood campfire on a cooking grate, you could also pan sear it then pop into a 400° oven for 10-15 minutes for medium rare. 

Serves 2

• 1- 6 bone frenched rack of lamb (slightly more than a pound)
• fleur de sel and pepper
• 2- 3” sprigs of rosemary
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves peeled
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup chicken stock plus ¼ cup additional reserved
• ¼ cup red wine

1.  Pat lamb dry and rub with salt and pepper.  Blend rosemary, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and ½ cup chicken stock until well-combined.  Pour over lamb, seal, and marinate at least 12 up to 24 hours. 
2. Remove the lamb from marinade reserving marinade.  Sear the lamb on all sides over a high flame in a sautee pan.  Place the lamb directly on the cooking grate over a medium flame, cover with a shield or pot large enough to fit the lamb but small enough to retain some of the smoke of the fire, and grill slowly to allow the smoke from the wood to impart its flavor into the lamb.  This will take about 15-20 minutes for medium rare, but you’ll want to check frequently as woodfires are difficult to regulate consistency.  Allow the lamb to rest five minutes while you’re finishing the jus, then carve so that each person gets 3 medallions. 
3. Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small sauce pan, and reduce over  medium heat for five minutes.  Add reserved chicken stock and red wine, and continue to reduce an additional 10-15 minutes until you have a slightly thickened jus. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and pour over lamb and risotto cakes. 

Mozzarella Risotto Cakes

Serves 2 with ample leftovers

• 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves chopped fine
• 1 cup washed arborio rice
• 3-4 cups chicken stock kept in a saucepan on a low simmer
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes chopped fine
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
• 8-10 balls of mozzarella- ciliegine- sized (It is important that you use ciliegine so the risotto cakes will be the right size and the mozzarella will not ooze out. If you cannot find ciliegine and you are slicing mozzarella, bear in mind that ciliegine are the size of cherries.)

1.  Heat oil and butter in a medium  heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and arborio and stir vigorously until each rice grain has been thoroughly heated and coated with oil- about 3 minutes.  Take care not to let rice grains burn on bottom of pan.
2. Add reserved chicken stock one cup at a time, stirring constantly.  After adding each cup, stir and wait for the stock to be completely absorbed by the rice before adding the next cup.  This process should take 15-20 minutes, and once you are between 3 and 4 cups, you will want to check the consistency of the risotto.  You want to stop adding stock once your risotto is al dente. 
3. Remove from heat.  Stir in cream, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and parmigiano and allow to cool completely.
4. Once cooled, take a ball of mozzarella in hand and wrap it in 3-4 tbsps of risotto, enough that a round cake forms without any mozzarella peeking through.  Repeat until you have used all yor risotto.
5. Fry on both sides over medium heat in buttered fryng pan until heated through- about a minute per side.   Serve under rack of lamb with sun-dried tomato jus.