Latkes Here, Latkes There, Latkes Everywhere

Why make one kind of Latke when you can make four!

I made three from this months Bon Appetite and then added in another for good measure.
1. Rosti Style w/Rosemary Applesauce aka the big Latke. This is apparently a Swiss style latke/potato pancake

2. Butternut Squash Latke w/Sage and Pinenut Yogurt Sauce
3. Spicy Cauliflower Latkes with Za'atar Aioli
4. Gingered Sweet Potato Latke with Spicy Sesame Sauce.


To round out the menu
Salad with just a touch of bitter greens, pears, candied walnuts and a choice of blue or goat cheese on the side.

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

Pomegranate Holiday Sparklers. (Basically pom, a touch of lime and any sparkling wine-I used Prosecco but a Cava or any domestic would work just as well. Don't use the really good stuff though-or at least leave out the 1st two ingredients if you do)


I also made a vegan version of all the latkes by leaving out the egg and adding a touch more flower. Also left the butter out of the applesauce recipe and made a few other little adjustments. I did not find a good sour cream substitute though-if anyone has one let me know.

Everyone had a different favorate. I think I liked the Rosti style best followed by the Spicy Cauliflower.

No need to save these for once a year. Latkes are an somewhat easy and fun party food.

December's Wine Recommendation

I have tried a lot of wines during December, including the great sampling from Canlis, so picking just one is tough but I think my favorite has been Zachary's Ladder by Gorman Winery. This is another Washington wine, right across the bridge in Woodinville. This red is actually a blend of Merlot (65), Cabernet Sauvignon (25), and Petit Verdot (10). The label says 400 cases.

Some people would tell you all the tastes and smells from the wine wheel but I'll just say: It smelled great, was big and yummy and I had two bottles and now that both are gone I'm just a little bit sad.

Christmas Morning Breakfast.

Perfect time for an all out breakfast... Extra energy for opening gifts or lazing on the couch and watching the snow fall.


Puffed apple pancake

Baked eggs w/white cheddar

4 color baked hash browns

Smokey pepper bacon
Christmas cheer drink

Leave a comment if you'd like a recipe. Happy Holidays

Two Potato Recipes

#1 Sweet Potato Fries... This is an easy and very popular dish. Much healthier than recipe #2

Preheat Oven to 400

2 bags of cut sweet potato or yams from Trader Joes. (of course you can cut your own, but the easy part includes the bags).
Olive Oil
Orange Juice
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan Cheese grated (pre grated for the easy part-but please people the cheese must be from the cold section not the green shaker)

Put potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and add about a generous tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 cup orange juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed. Add cheese and toss (maybe 1/2 cup) the potatoes should have good coverage but not looked dredge or fully coated.

Cook on baking sheets turning a few times. You can cook until just done or let roast down until more crispy and brown. If I remember correctly cook about 30 min.

(PS as you can see the recipes I make myself are missing some of the details-feel free to improvise and I will get better about jotting things down when I cook)

#2 Crack Potatoes (Aka Mashed potatoes with White Cheddar and Sage). Okay this is really a lovely recipe from Bon Appetite. The nick name I am afraid is due to the highly addictive nature of this dish.

4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 1/4 cups (packed; about 9 ounces) coarsely grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Preparation Butter 8- to 10-cup baking dish. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons sage; stir until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add cream and milk; bring to simmer.

Drain potatoes; return to pot. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates. Add cream mixture; mash potatoes. Stir in 1 3/4 cups cheese. Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and 1 teaspoon sage. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with plastic; chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake potatoes uncovered until heated through and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

There are 100's of recipes for this on-line, but none were exactly what I wanted to so I made up my own. Most called for a white sauce but I liked the idea of a kind of smokey red. This version is vegetarian.

This is not a quick to make recipe but perfect when snowed in.



1 big butternut squash. Peeled and cut into pieces (roughly 2-3 inches).
Olive Oil
3 Garlic cloves
1 Onion (chopped)
2 tbsp basil
2 tbsp oregano
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Bay leafs
2 28oz cans tomatoes (can do both diced or one diced and one puree)

1-2 Onions (sliced thin)
1 tsb Sugar

1 15oz container ricotta
1 egg
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley
1 tsp nutmeg
Salt and better

2 cups shredded cheese
1 ball fresh motz

9 lasagna noodles (cooked per box)

Squash
Heat oven to 450.
Drizzle olive oil over squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until tender and some pieces browning. (30-40 min). Check and turn a couple times.

Sauce
Heat 2 tbsp oil in sauce pan and add garlic and chopped onion, cook until onions are soft. Add next 3 herbs and cook 1 min. Add vinegar and cook another minute. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for at least 40 min. Stir a few times.

Caramelized Onions
In saute pan heat tbsp of olive old over high heat. Add onions. When browning starts add 1 tsp sugar. Continue to cook over high heat until caramelized.

Filling
In large bowl add ricotta, 1 cup shredded cheese, egg, parsley, nutmeg, salt & pepper and mix.

Take 3+ cups roasted squash and put in food processor, pulse until partially smooth but not pureed. Add to ricotta mixture.

Assembly
Spoon tomato sauce in bottom of pan
Add 1st layer of noodles (3 across)
Cover with ricotta mix and sprinkle with cheese and cover with sauce
Sprinkle with 1/2 the onions (I forgot the onions until assembly was done so I just added them on top.
Repeat.
After final noodle layer top with cause and top with sliced rounds of motz.

Bake 30-40 min at 450.

For this posted recipe I decreased the amount of squash from what I used yesterday. I had an extra layer of just squash, but it might be a little much. The leftover squash can be a side dish in another meal or used to make ravioli filling.

How to get ready for a winter storm

Just a start


Record Snow on the Deck



Flashlight-Check
Charge cell phone and computer batteries-Check
Firewood on hand-Check
Candles-Check
Water-Check
Car has full tank of gas (not sure the point of this)-Check


Trays of Toffee and Chocolate Candycane Bark-Check



Smell of slow cooked tomato sauce-Check


Freshly made Pasta w/a nice glass of italian red... Check Check

It's starting to look a lot like christmas

Nope no snow in Ballard today. Another sign of Christmas-Time to make treats.

A Dinner to Remember

Last night I was treated to a spectacular meal at Canlis. I have only been to Canlis one other time in my life and that was over 20 years ago. It used to be that Canlis was one of a handful of "Fancy" Seattle restaurants. Over the last 20+ years there has been such an amazing number of great new restaurants that I tended to think of Canlis as old school. After all they have been open since 1950. To me it's one of those places that I've glad we have and don't want to see close, but never really makes my "must try" list.

So is Canlis still a GREAT restaurant or just living in the past? Well I have to say I'm impressed. The space had a major, multi million dollar remodel in the late 90's and a recent redesign in 2005,It has a very tranquil feel and of course the view is stunning. We were lucky enough to have a window seat and had our first drink served to us just as the moon start rising over the mountain. Due to our dark Seattle days the color of the moon had a sun like reddish glow and the rising was pretty dramatic against the dark skyline. I think it's possible the Canlis staff have paid to make the elements perform for their diners. Add the piano player and it's possible to think you are in a Hollywood movie.

When you first arrive you are seated, handed a wine BOOK and asked if you'd like a cocktail. Dinner menus are for later when you've had time to relax and settle in. Turning over tables is not part of deal here... I'd love to pretend I could judge the wine menu and tell you where it ranked but as much as I love drinking wine-most this menu was well beyond my knowledge base. The list is over 100 pages. They apparently have a wine costing over 10k-French of course. They have 3 cellers, 2 on site and one off site. Not sure who you have to know to get a tour, but that would be fun. Browsing the wine list is enjoyable if not a little intimidating. Of course they don't really expect you to make a decision without the help of one of the 3 sommeliers on site. Prices were high, but looking at a few wines I knew the markup seemed pretty standard at 3-4x retail. They also have a reasonable corking fee of $35.

So on to the food. After the moon was properly positioned for us, it was time to make a decision about the food. I confess I went with the tasting menu mostly so I could choose the wine paring and not have to make a decision on just one wine. Before the tasting menu started we shared some of the freshest oysters I've tasted (and I've had oysters right from the "farm" on Samish Island). They were so good my dining companion had to order a second round.

The tasting menu was good although a little on the conservative and safe side compared so some of what is out there these days. The wine parings were prefect and of course we had the fun of the sommelier's explanation with each course. They also have a vegetarian tasting menu.

Here was Sunday nights menu:

Alaskan Sea Scallops w/cauliflower shellfish emulsion and mushroom vinaigrette. Served with a 2002 Soulez "Chateau de Chamboureau" Savennieres, France.
Sooo good. This one I'm going to try to find out in one of our wine stores.

House Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast w/Apple goat cheese salad and caramelized onion dressing. Served with a 2006 Craggy Range "Te Muna Road Vineyard" Pinot Nior, New Zealand.
This wine was served in the biggest wine glass I've ever seen. I guess they are designed for tasting Pinot. A full bottle of wine would fit in the glass (of course that would defeat the purpose of the glass).

Fomage Blanc Sorbet

New York Strip Steak w/Walla Walla Sweet Onion Salad. Served with a 2006 Buty Syrah called "Peter Canlis". They have worked with Buty (a great local Washington winery) to make their own wine. They did have this one on the menu for $32 a glass.

Chocolate and Chocolate and more Chocolate. There were better names, but basically we had chocolate and who can go wrong with that. Served with a 1966 Porto Kopke Colheita, Douro.

I asked if I could have a list of the wines we were having as I knew I'd forget the minute they walked away. Again this place is all about service, before the 1st course was served I had a printed mini menu with the meal and the wines.


The staff has that well honed skill of being there exactly when needed, but never intrusive. The final service trick might be the best. As we walked out to get the car, 4 hours after arriving, I said I'd wait inside due to the cold but the car pulled up just as we walked to the door. They have this down so well there is actually a post in the Q&A section of their website.

Q: How do the valets do it?A: They never hand out tickets, and yet more often than not, your car is waiting for you before you make it to the door! We’ve been accused of never telling the secret. The truth? You wouldn't believe us if we told you.

Gone are the days of Cigar smoke and Kimono wearing waitress (neither were missed by me). Despite our falling economy the restaurant was busy with a wide verity of people including "date night" couples, special occasion family dinners and a few old school business "old guys in suits" which I remember from my first visit. I was surprised to see some families with kids (maybe 11 and older).

The web site says you can not over dress. A slight point of stress for me, but with the help of a good friend I picked out a snazzy new dress that I would normally not wear around our town. This blog is about food not food issues so we'll keep this part short, but picking out a dress when you need to shed 30lbs can be torture. On the other hand, it is fun to dress up and Canlis is a really good excuse wearing something pretty.

While I doubt Canlis is going to be my top regular celebration restaurant (I've still not made it to the Herbfarm), it does have that special something and is a dinner to remember.

From a week of menu's for under $100 to dinner Canlis all in a week. Almost like watching the ups and down of the stock market.

Tabitha's New Food Blog & Esquin Recommendation.

Well over the years I have been writing my party menus in various places, which at times I tend to lose or can no longer read. I decided it is time to move my cooking artifacts to the computer age and even try to take some pics now and then. As long as I'm at it, I thought I'd make it a blog. No idea who really wants to read about someones menu's but heck here it is.

I have added a few things in the archives, lots missing but take a look if you are so inclined I recommend the Black Bean Chili on the <$100 menu (December). Another recommendation is the Equine Wine Holiday Sampler Case. I purchased it yesterday and it was like opening a great present. It's $80 for the case and you get a nice sample of different wines. I've not tasted any yet but the mix seems fun and good for holiday parties.

• 1 French Sparkling.
• 4 whites including: Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and something from Portugal that does not fit a category I know.
• 7 Reds including: Grenache, Cab, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Pinot, Malbec and one of those Italian reds (love their wines, but I still have issues with their grape names)

The world was well represented with wines from France, CA, Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Australia, Chile & Argentina

Bon Appetit-Week of Menu's Under $100

Well I still have two more dishes to make, but here is the update so far.

• Price. They did the week for 87.94. My total was about $91.00 but I had a couple things at home. I would say it does come to under $100, which is good for Seattle


• Ease. These were nice easy recipes and a number can be made ahead


• Servings were for 4 people, so this menu also covered lunch for me and sometimes Sophia all week.

Made

• Fish Cakes w/Coleslaw. Pretty easy, might try a different fish next time.


• Beef and Bacon Meatloaf. Okay, not a big meatloaf fan, but next day sandwiches were good.


• Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin. Easy, healthy and good. Even Vegan before that little dollop of soup cream.


• New England Clam and Corn Chowder w/Herbs. Good and easy. I would leave out the bacon next time. Not needed and healthier.


• Beer and Onion-Braised Chicken Carbonnade. Would have been better if I had not burned the onions while catching up on e-mail... I used chicken breast as I already had some at home.

All the recipes can be found at http://www.bonappetit.com/ but don't hesitate to mix it up a bit if you don't have these same ingredients. For example I was out of onions for the black bean chili and I used shallots (and far fewer), the dish was still great. These seem to be pretty forgiving dishes.

Thanksgiving Dinner

This is one of my two favorite big meals I love to plan for (the other is the annual summer party). This year it was a smaller crowd (10) so I thought I'd try a few fancier things.

The meal came mostly from Gourmet and Bon Appetit. although I changed a few things here and there.

• Roast Turkey with Black Truffle Butter and White Wine Gravy (The truffles I brought back from Italy


• Wild Mushroom, Spinach and Turkey Sausage Stuffing


• Citrus Glazed Carrots


• Scalloped Yukon Gold and Yam Gratin with Fresh Herbs


• Green beans with Pickled Onion Relish


• Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Oil and Fried Sage


• Wild Mushroom Bundles


• Homemade Cranberry Sauce (and from the can-the only non homemade good)


• Seckel Pear Tart with Poire William Cream


• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour cream topping

Thanksgiving Day Desserts.

Pumpkin Cheese Cake with Marshmellow Topping. From Bon Appetit with minor modifications

Seckel Pear Tart with Poire William Cream: From Gourmet with a few modifications.

Wendy's Mostly Vegan Baby Shower

So the challenge. Make a fun vegan menu that everyone, even meat eaters, likes. I decided it could not be standard vegan food (although there was some hummus served). I bought a big fancy plated meal book with menus from many well known chefs.... Beautiful book-NOT very practical for 20 people. However I got some ideas and made a few things of my own as well.

Menu (I have forgotten some of the menu already, proving the need to start writing things down)

• Crispy Tempura Tofu
• Vegetable Carousel. Really pretty before it was cut into... Advise making these in individual servings in the future.
• Melon and Tomato Skewers
• Artichoke heart bruchetta
• Sun dried Tomato & Goat Cheese on French Bread (not vegan)
  
• Vegan Chocolate Cake
• Pears poached in white wine w/vanilla "ice cream" and chocolate soup

No pics of the food or the baby shower. Found my camera sitting unused after the party.

Dinner with Strangers

This was a school event to have the new parents meet. I offered to host and of course did away with the potluck idea and made the below menu

• Green Salad with Pears and Blue Cheese
• Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Port Reduction
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Oven Roasted Polenta
• Pear Custard "Pie"

Sorry no Pics

2008 Summer Party

Coming Soon

Foods from Italy

I may come back and add more posts from Italy (including some non food posts). What can I say about food in Italy, it's GREAT. Everything was fresh, simple and wonderful. It's hard to replicate even if you have the same ingredients, as Italy just has that special something

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