Shrimp n’ Grits, Bacon Dashi, Brussels Sprouts
Quintessentially southern. Yes it was. Yet, the catch was that the recipe was inspired from my new Momofuku cookbook. The liquid used to cook the grits was not your traditional water, but a bacon dashi. Yes. I boiled a half a pound of bacon in water that had previously been steeping with two sheets of seaweed. It was odd, looked disgusting, but the taste…THE TASTE!
Crepe Cakes, Golden Delicious, Maple, Bacon
There is something to be said about large, comforting breakfasts at home. But, I can count on my left hand how many times I have actually cooked breakfast. My versions consist of streaming tap water into a coffee mug and ripping open a brown package of cinnamon flavored instant oatmeal, or pulling cold skim milk out of the refrigerator and pouring it over some sort of sugary cereal. I much prefer to wake up on a Sunday morning, roll out of bed with mascara smudged underneath my eyes, a hat on my head, and probably the clothes I wore sleeping camouflaged with a giant sweatshirt, and go here or here. These women chefs are the masters at breakfast in Seattle. And, for some reason I feel guilty drinking a mimosa at home on a weekday.
But, this morning, I even impressed myself with my breakfast making ability. Read the rest of this entry »
Creme Fraiche Potato Salad with Garlic Spears and Pancetta
As you already know: I hate despise mayonnaise. The texture. The flavor. The consistency. Therefore, my entire life has been spent avoiding delicious foods such as potato salad, California Rolls, Salmon with aioli, or tuna salad sandwiches (well, actually ANY sandwich that mayonnaise has touched).
It is a despairing situation, but mayonnaise has RUINED the first twenty-something years of my life. It has inundated foods that I should love, but can’t because they are coated with that nasty substance. Well, I think I have found a solution for all the mayonnaise haters out there. Read the rest of this entry »
Braised Easter Egg Radishes
One of the most beautiful things about this site is that it has helped me to discover my voice in my writing. I used to hate it. English 101, term papers, and short stories are just not my “thing”. But, when I actually get to write because I WANT TO, it makes a huge difference. Read the rest of this entry »
Gougeres with Arugula, Bacon, and Pickled Onions
Gougere is just a fancy word for cheese puff. Unfortunately, the Cheetos brand destroyed that word for us Americans, so we revert to that fancy word that nobody can say or understand. A gougere is a savory pastry made with Gruyere cheese that is traditionally stuffed and served as an appetizer for a cocktail party. They are supposed to be light and airy. Crispy on the outside and almost hollow on the inside. Mine were nothing of the sort. Actually, they were more just like little biscuits with cheese oozing out of them. Who cares. They tasted amazing, and they were gobbled up as fast as they were put out on the tray. I do need to work on my pate a choux skills though.
Smoky Ham and Corn Chowder
Sunday Night Dinner. A weekly tradition. A bunch of hungry boys over six-feet tall. And me.
This is a recipe from a cookbook that I got from my mother in law, Colleen, for Christmas. I love it because it is titled “Big Night In”, which is of course right up my alley. Every single recipe in the book could be cooked for Sunday Night Dinner. And will be.
What you see to the left of the soup is a popover. Yes. I know, it looks nothing like a popover. I used popover batter and ended up putting it in muffin tins. Delicious, but definitely not “popping” over the muffin tin. Rob, however, made me make a second batch. Read the rest of this entry »
Bacon, Kale, and Hazelnut Pasta
This week, I finally started rehearsing for my performance this weekend. This is slightly abnormal. Usually, you prepare for weeks on a part.
Due to injuries, my partner for Twyla Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs” had to learn another part in the ballet, which made me have to learn the part with a brand new person. Our performance is tomorrow, and we just started rehearsing yesterday. I went from having two hours of passive rehearsal where I was basically observing, to five hours of rehearsal where I was intensely dancing.
At 7:00 when I got home, you can imagine how tired I was. I created this dish from what I had on hand. Bacon, Kale, Onions, Gorgonzola, and Hazelnuts. I loved it, and I was very impressed by my creation. Erik had some improvements he would have made. He is not a huge fan of whole wheat pasta (even though he has given it a chance!), so that is certainly an easy change. He also doesn’t LOVE kale, but I could substitute spinach next time.
The dish felt hearty, yet healthy and was a perfect meal to end a long day of rigorous activity. Whole wheat pasta has tons of protein and omega 3’s, and Kale is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Beta Carotine. Also, hazelnuts are a good source of fiber. The bacon and the gorgonzola….well they are just for flavor.
You will see this dish again. It has not had it’s day yet! Back to the drawing board for me….
Summer Corn Chowder with Crispy Bacon
It officially feels like summer is coming to an end, and fall is sneaking up on us. It does not have to do with the temperature (it has been a solid 70 for about a week in Seattle), but there is a crispness in the air that was not there before. The sun is slowly setting faster each day, and those summer vegetables seen displayed ubiquitously in the grocery store have taken a back seat.
Summer is also over for me as it pertains to work. I have one more weekend left until the start of the new year. I start performing in two weeks and before you know it, Nutcracker will be upon us.
But back to the summer chowder….
This was an excellent example of a summer soup. Zucchini, corn, leek, and potatoes complimented each other beautifully in a creamy, but light chowder.
Penne alla Carbonara with Spring Leeks
Carbonara has been ubiquitous in all of the cookbooks and magazines that I have been reading lately. It seems easy enough, if you know the basic method. It requires pasta (generally spaghetti but I am using penne), some sort of onion (leek or scallion), hard cheese (parmigiano or pecorino), egg yolk (or whole egg), cured fatty pork (such as pancetta or bacon), and cracked black pepper. This seemed like the perfect meal to make on a lazy Sunday, while watching movies.
The origin of the recipe is unknown, but the name “carbonara” is derived from the Italian word of charcoal, and could have been made as a hearty meal for the Italian charcoal workers. Others says that this pasta was named carbonara because of the specks of bacon and pepper that look like charcoal throughout the dish. Nevertheless, it has not been around for a long time, and was thought to have been made up outside of Rome during the second World War.
I have never cooked pasta with eggs before, but it is really a delicious way to make a simple sauce. Just a tip: Keep your pasta hot when you drain it. Do not rinse it with cold water. The pasta cooks the egg yolks to make the creamy, silky sauce.
Mache with Apple, Bacon, and Hazelnuts
After 5 weeks of afternoon naps, a daily walk with Cashew, grocery shopping in the morning, and mini-vacations, I am finally back to work.
It was brutal. I had been taking ballet class over the layoff to stay in shape, but nothing prepares you for an 8-hour day of rehearsal in pointe shoes. Ibuprofen was a staple with the morning coffee.
Coming back to work always starts with a week of fresh dinners. I feel when my body is trying to get back in shape, it just needs light, clean food.
I started out the week with a shrimp salad with mango and glass noodles, and then a farmer’s market style salad with asparagus and new potatoes. But, by the end of the week, I was done with too many vegetables. I needed something satisfying and indulgent.
Enter: Bacon, Hazelnuts, and Goat Cheese.
