Pepper Steak

Well, it's been a while since I've written. That's because the nasty flu bug has come down upon our home. Most of the family members, including the dog, have been sick. It's hard to write about food, when you can't keep it down, and you're cleaning up after every one around you who can't keep it down.

Thankfully that is over.

After getting past all of that I started thinking about what has inspired me to love cooking so much.(Obviously my appetite was returning) I really didn't consider myself much of a cook, or interested in cooking as a kid. Then I had a flashback of Chun King Pepper steak.

Why did this come to me? Well, I was craving beef after being drained by the flu. I probably needed vitamin B. I happened to have some carne asada meat in my fridge and thought that a stir fry would taste better than Mexican food right now. All of a sudden, pepper steak popped into my head. Then I remembered how much I loved pepper steak as a kid, and then it came to me. That was one of the first dishes I ever cooked, and I cooked it for the family. It was just meat, and a packet of Chun King spices and bell pepper if I remember correctly. It tasted good and I made it, all by myself. My parents ate it! Mom didn't even criticize my cooking. I think that was where it started for me. I found out I could make something yummy and others would eat it and enjoy it.

So I made my adult version of pepper steak for dinner. Actually it was tomato beef enhanced. I have a wonderful Chinese cookbook called The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, by Grace Young. Many of the recipes are complicated and difficult to make because I can't find the ingredients where I live, but I discovered the tomato beef recipe. A very simple and delicious recipe. I of course messed with it and added my own things, bell peppers being the main addition, since I felt the need to relive the "pepper" steak meal I had made as a kid. The main difference from my childhood dish was the salt. Far less salty then the Chun King version. But it was beautifuly simple and so soothing to eat. The sauce was a subtle reminder of my pepper steak dish from 30 years ago, but so much better. Less salty, smoother and simple. The bell peppers were a good addition. The only thing missing were the crunchy egg noodles on top. That would have really taken me back to my child hood meal.
So, now that I'm feeling better, and I have recalled my first official cooking experience, I am excited to be planning a trip to Oakland's Chinatown. We're having a little family vacation, and on the way home we're stopping to visit a good friend who hopes to take us to Oakland's Chinatown. I am so excited. I'm pulling out my Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen cookbook, and I'm making a list of all of the ingredients I can't get here, and I hope to get as many of those ingredients as I can while we're there. My other big hope is to visit a truly authentic Chinese restaurant. A place that serves the true Chinese food that they would eat in China. Not the over salted, sweet and sour, Americanized stuff we usually get. I'm talking the real thing. The scary stuff, the suckling pig, the Shark fin soup (yes I know that's not eco groovy), the roast duck, jelly fish and octopus. You can't find any of that in a Chinese Restaurant where I live.
This is the place I hope to dine at:






And they serve this:

Yummy! Suckling Pig and Dim Sum! I can't wait!!!!!

So, somehow the flu has taken me to my original cooking experience, which was Chinese influenced, all the way to planning a trip to enjoy real Chinese food. I've always loved Chinese food. My mom use to tell me she thought I must be part Chinese the way I loved it. Now, to have the opportunity to try "real" Chinese food is so incredible! I can't wait! I'll be letting you know how it goes.

Lime Semifreddo with berries

Once again I bought a Bon Appetite Magazine that I do not need, but I have an addiction to them. As I thumbed through it I spotted a wonderful looking desert called meyer lemon semifreddo with summer berries. Well, I didn't have any meyer lemons, and I didn't have all of those berries, but I did have a bunch of whipping cream I needed to use up, lots of eggs from our chickens a few strawberries from the local strawberry farmer and a few blueberries from the market and a whole wad of limes that my husband bought, and I wasn't sure what I was suppose to do with. Ding Ding Ding! That's it, make this desert with limes! If it's good with lemons, it will be good with limes right? Boy! was I right!
Here's what it looked like, almost straight out of the freezer. I couldn't get a picture of it before half of it was gone.
And this is what a single serving looked like served up with berries:
You can find the meyer lemon version of this recipe in June 2008 Bon Appetite magazine, or you can probably pull it up on www.bonappetite.com or www.epicurious.com

My version used about a 1/2 cup of slivered almonds (sliced would be better, like the original recipe calls for, I was just working with what I had)
1 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp grated lime peel ( went light on this, as lime zest can be more bitter then lemon zest.)
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups strawberries and blue berries, and a few raspberries I had left before my daughter ate them all.

Line a 9x5x3 loaf pan with plastic wrap and leave a generous overlap. Sprinkle the almonds over the bottom. Beat whipping cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form and refrigerate while making custard.

Whisk 1 1/4 cups sugar, egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest and salt in a large metal bowl until blended. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick and fluffy. It should read 170 degrees with an insta read thermometer. This should take about 4 minutes. Remove from simmering water and beat until cool, thick and doubled in volume with an electric mixer (6 minutes). Fold in the chilled whipped cream. Put the mixture in the loaf pan, smooth the top and tap lightly to get rid of air bubbles. Fold the plastic over the top to cover. Freeze until firm (8 hours or overnight).

Mix the berries with 2 tbsp of sugar.

Unfold the plasticwrap and invert onto a platter; remove plastic wrap. Slice with a knife that has been dipped in hot water; cut crosswise into 1" slices, place on a plate and spoon berries over. Eat and enjoy!!!!

What's for breakfast?

Bacon -Wrapped Eggs with Polenta!

I love polenta, but my family pretty much despises it. So this morning when I was trying to think of something to fix myself for breakfast (everyone else had already eaten) I ran on to this recipe on Epicurious (from the April 2005 Bon Appetite Magazine). This was my chance to have some polenta and not have to worry about anyone complaining about me serving it, because it was all for me and only me. YUM!

I changed the recipe to suit me, what I had in the fridge, and garden. I think this would be a great recipe for a brunch because you can do a lot of it ahead of time, then just pop it in the oven as guests arrive. That is if you are lucky enough to have people in your life who like polenta. If you want the original recipe you can find it here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BACON-WRAPPED-EGGS-WITH-POLENTA-231872

Here's my version:

Polenta (this can be made up to 2 days ahead and you can assemble the final dish an hour before guests arrive):

This is for eight people, I modified it for one.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter (for one - 1/2 tablespoon)
1/4 cup minced garlic chives (for one - a couple of tablespoons)
4 cups water (for one - 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt (for one - a pinch)
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal) (for one - 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese (for one - 1/8 cup)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme - from my garden (for one - 1/2 tsp)

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic chives and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add 4 cups water and salt; bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Stir in cheese and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to lukewarm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate; polenta will become firm.)

Baked Eggs:

20 thick slices bacon (for one - I used 2 slices of our bacon from the pig we butchered a few months ago.)

6 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated (for one person I eyeballed it. I would have preferred extra sharp cheddar, but didn't have any)
6 ounces Winey Goat cheese, grated (again, I eyeballed it for one) (*refer to notes at the end of this post)

8 large eggs (obviously 1 egg for one person - fresh from our chickens)
1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic chives (a tablespoon - straight from my herb garden - yes I'm gloating.)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (a pinch, again, straight from my garden)

Fry the bacon until beginning to brown but still pliable, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly.

Line sides of eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups with 2 slices bacon each, forming collar. Place 1/2 slice bacon on bottom of each cup (I just used one slice to line mine, but 2 would probably have been better). Divide polenta among cups, a generous 1/3 cup each. Press polenta over bottom and up sides of bacon. Mix cheeses in bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese mixture over polenta in each cup. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Crack 1 egg into center of each cup. Sprinkle eggs with remaining cheese, garlic chives, thyme, and black pepper and a scant amount of kosher salt. Transfer cups to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until egg whites are set, about 20 minutes. Depending on your oven, this is if you like your eggs cooked hard. They were too hard for me, I like a little runny yolk and would cut the time down to 10 to 15 minutes, keep in mind all of the egg warnings, they can carry salmonella and other bacteria, so make sure your eggs are fresh and clean if you aren't going to cook them thoroughly. Let eggs stand at room temperature 5 minutes (eggs will continue to cook).

Run small sharp knife around edge of cups; tilt cups and slide bacon, polenta, and egg onto plates and serve.



This was so good! The polenta was warm, buttery and the parmesan added a wonderful pungency and saltiness to it.. The garlic chives and thyme added a mild garlicky taste and perfuminess. The bacon brought in a smoky element (everything is good with bacon!) and the egg, even though it was over cooked for me, was velvety and smooth in contrast to the grainy texture of the polenta (oh how yummy it would have been with some egg yolk to moisten the polenta a bit more!). The goat cheese gave it a slight earthy flavor and the cheddar gave it that creamy cheesiness that the child in us loves. I can only imagine how much better this would have been with a good sharp cheddar.

I think I may use this the next time I have a brunch, served with a sparkling wine and a salad of spring greens and a vinaigrette. Anyone out there who thinks this sounds good is free to steel it and modify as they please. Please share your modifications and let me know how they turned out so I can steel back. Hmmmmm the thought of blue cheese worked into this somehow seems like a potential....

*For those of you who may not be familiar with Winey Goat Cheese. I just want to let you know, it's not like the chevre you are mostly likely familiar with when it comes to goat cheese. If you want to use chevre, go for it, but it won't have the same affect at Winey Goat, which is a semi soft goat cheese that has it's rind washed and rubbed in wine during its curing. It's delicious!

La Petite Maison

Friday I had a rare opportunity to have a lunch date with my husband, sans children. I decided to go to La Petite Maison in Ferndale. I had purchased their fresh made bread from the Farmers Market in Fortuna several times last year, and once again this year. I always get the lemon rosemary French bread. Absolutely delicious! Of course fresh bread is always good, but the lemon and rosemary combination just took it over the top. Since I've tried the bread, I've been wanting to try the restaurant.

I ordered the grilled cheese. No ordinary grilled cheese. It was made with bread made fresh that day in their bakery, mozzarella and Cypress Grove Chevre goat cheese, tomato and basil leaves. Very basic and simple. The flavors were very subtle, but the melted mozzarella was comforting, and the chevre added a layer of texture and flavor. The basil took it over the top. The only thing I would have added to the sandwich would have been some prosciutto or crisp pancetta. The small house salad that came with the sandwich was incredible. The spring lettuce mix was so fresh it tasted like it had come straight out of the garden. There were small pieces of pear in the salad that added a nice mild sweetness that was a great contrast to their homemade blue cheese dressing. They don't use dressings out of bottles at La Petite.

John had the BBQ pork tenderloin and cilantro coleslaw sandwich. This sandwich is served on cheddar cheese bread made fresh that day. I didn't get a chance to try the cilantro coleslaw, but as much as I love cilantro, I'm sure I'd like it. I did get one small bite of the pork tenderloin. Very good. The BBQ sauce had a nice spiciness to it.

I was pleased enough with my lunch that I hope to go back and try dinner soon.
Here's a sample of their dinner menu:
La Petite Maison Bistro Dinner Menu

Bistro Dinners, Tuesday - Saturday, 5-9 pm.
Phone Orders Welcome! 707 786-4301

Soups

From the garden into the bowl, LPM’s soups are fresh and hardy. Accompanied with fresh bread, they can make a light meal all by themselves

Potato with cheddar cheese and Niman Ranch bacon… $7

Roasted pepper and tomato cream with cilantro oil and lime crème fraiche… $7

Soup by the cup… $5

Salads

All of our salads are served with LPM’s freshly baked breads. No bottles or mixes here, all of our dressings are made from scratch (bleu cheese, ranch, seasoned white balsamic vinaigrette)

House salad… $7
Organic Greens tossed with white balsamic vinaigrette and topped with pears and gorgonzola

Buffalo chicken salad… $14
Buffalo style chicken breast, romaine, bleu cheese crumbles, buffalo sauce and bleu cheese

BBQ chicken salad… $14
Organic chicken breast, fire roasted corn, tomato & cilantro with LPM’s BBQ sauce and ranch

USDA Choice New York steak and blue cheese salad… $16
New York strips, romaine, purple onions, blue cheese crumbles tossed in balsamic vinaigrette

Pastas

Chiopotle Chicken and Penne…$18
Grilled Petaluma Farms organic chicken breast, roasted corn, chipotle cream sauce, and asagio cheese

New York Strip with Balsamic and Penne… $20
USDA choice New York steak strips, penne pasta, wilted arugula tossed in a Dijon and balsamic sauce and asagio cheese

Gourmet Pizzas

12” Homemade Organic Flour Thin Crust Pizza Dough

Marguerite with tomato, basil, garlic, mozzarella and goat cheese… $15

Organic chicken, purple onion, cilantro, mozzarella and LPM’s homemade BBQ Sauce… $18

Roasted garlic with pepperoni, gorgonzola, basil, tomato and mozzarella… $14

Entrees

Niman Ranch pork tenderloin cooked to medium with mustard tarragon sauce And mashers… $24

USDA choice14 oz. New York steak with blue cheese and sweet potato sticks… $27

Crispy pan seared duck breasts with plum & port sauce atop soft Cypress Grove goat cheese polenta… $26

Creole style Petaluma Farms Organic half chicken with mashers… $20

Ferndale Farms sirloin burger topped with smoked cheddar, fried shallots, lettuce, tomato and aioli relish…$15

Ferndale Farms tri-tip sandwich tossed in fig and onion jam with sweet potato sticks…$17

USDA choice 10 oz. filet mignon with mashers and chardonnay cream sauce…$34

Ferndale Farms grass fed lamb chops cooked to medium rare served with mascarpone polenta…$24

You can find La Petite Maison and explore their wonderful lunch and dinner offerings at 619 Main St. Ferndale California.
Bon Appetite!

Here's a fun way to play with your food

This video makes me hungry:

Chop Chop - Cutting Boards Safety

Wood or plastic, that is the question. Which is best? Which is safest? There doesn’t seem to be a lot of agreement here. But, with my recent brush with E Coli 0157 (my daughter was very ill, apparently picking this nasty bug up at a local food market) I’ve been doing a lot of reading about food safety and, of course, cutting boards are an issue.

I was unable to get definitive answers on which is safest, so I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s best to be careful about cross contamination and to clean, clean, clean.

Which do I use? Wood. I like wood. I prefer the way it feels when I’m chopping vegetables. I feel like I have better control of my knife using wood. Plastic seems too slippery to me. Also, when you use good German blades like I do, you want to be good to your knives. Wood is the best surface for your knives. Wood is soft enough not to damage the cutting edge of your knife. If you’re a major germaphobe and you just can’t bring yourself to use wood, use plastic. It’s the next best thing for knives. Don’t use glass or marble. Those surfaces are just too hard for knives and will quickly dull them.

So, back to the bacteria. Who says what? The FDA has recommended plastic over wood for many years. They say plastic is easier to clean, and can be put in a dishwasher and sanitized. Good point, but..... Now we’re hearing that plastic may not be all that much easier to clean. When plastic gets beat up from the use of knives over time, the bacteria can live down in the little nooks and crannies and it thrives there. It turns out that studies have shown that wood is more resistant to bacteria build up. Check out this site for information on these studies: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm. For an opposing view point check out the Agriculture Research Service of the USDA at this site: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_fnut/_timely/WOODVP.HTM

So what to do? Keep your cutting surface clean and safe. Use hot water and soap to clean after every chopping session. Don’t submerge your wood cutting boards in water, as this will damage the board. Use full strength white distilled vinegar to disinfect your cutting surfaces. The acetic acid is effective against E Coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus. Use Hydrogen Peroxide. First wipe down the cutting surface with a paper towel and white vinegar, than use another towel to wipe it down with hydrogen peroxide. And there is always trusty old chlorine bleach. I know a lot of people don’t like to use it, but the fact of the matter is, it kills bad bugs. Flood the surface of your cutting area with a diluted bleach solution (1 tsp per quart of water) and let stand for several minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Always keep your cutting boards dry. Water breeds bacteria. After washing, pat dry and set upright so no water sits on the board. Avoid cross contamination by using a different board for cutting raw meats then the one you use for chopping vegetables. And keep in mind that you can run some wood cutting boards through a dishwasher. You just need to keep the board treated with a mineral oil to extend the life of your cutting board. And when your board starts to get beat up and old, replace it. All those cracks, nooks and crannies are breeding grounds for some nasty bacteria.

So with that, happy chopping and safe eating!

The Gordon Ramsey Omelette

Wow! It's some kind of record. Two posts in one day! My friend from the land of Kiwi's down under sent me this, and I just had to post this here. Too funny!

THE GORDON RAMSEY OMELETTE:

You will need:
Two fucking eggs
Some fucking salt and pepper
fucking chives
one fucking knob of fucking butter

The method:
Heat the fucking butter in a fucking omelette pan
Fucking break the fucking eggs into a fucking bowl
Fucking whisk the fuckers and add some fucking salt and fucking pepper to taste
When the fucking butter is hot, add the fucking mixture to the pan.
When cooked take the fucking things out.
Eat the fucker!