My Kitchen My Table

MKMT Goes to France

MKMT is on the way to France to spend 4 days in Paris followed by a week long culinary tour in Provence with Culinary Getaways, a culinary travel company that specializes in cooking tours in France, Italy, and the Napa Wine Country operated by my friend and MKMT cookbook club participant, Sherry Page.

While in Provence, our small group will be staying at a farmhouse in the heart of the Luberon for a week of cooking, visiting markets and learning about making cheese, growing olives, and tasting wine. What could be better than that?

Here are some of the highlights of what I’ll be doing….

 A visit to a wine cave with a notable history in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
 Lunch at acclaimed Chef Daniel Hebet’s restaurant Le Jardin du Quai in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
 A day in Avignon with Chef Julien Charvet that begins with shopping at the Les Halles market followed by a return trip to his atelier where we will cook together using fresh, local ingredients.
 A visit to the Wednesday market in St. Remy (one of my personal favorite places in Provence)
 Exploring the chocolate creations of local chocolatier, Joel Durand, salt tasting, and seeing how the famous soap in Provence is made.
 A tour of an olive mill near Mausanne les Alpilles followed by an olive oil tasting.
 Cheese tasting with Claudine Vigier, a Master Cheese Affineur, who owns the best cheese shop in Provence.
 Lunch at Chez Serge, in Carpentras. Last year, Serge Ghoukassian was named 2008 Sommelier of the Year for France by Gault-Millau. The plan is to spend time in the kitchen with Serge where he will make a special lunch paired with regional wines.

A Bientôt!

Luscious Little Cheese Balls

These luscious little goat cheese balls with lavendar honey were my late afternoon snack at BarnDiva in Healdsburg.

Laura Chenel goat cheese is mixed with dices of heirloom tomatoes, rolled into balls, breaded with panko, then popped into the deep-fryer and salted when they came out. The outside was crisp and crunchy and the inside warm and creamy – and light pink thanks to the tomatoes.

They were the perfect bite – sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy with a lovely presentation on a rustic board with lavendar honey and scattered blossoms.

Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland

The line for Voodoo Doughnuts that Sunday morning at 10am went around the block.

It was a dilemma to stand in line for 20-30 minutes for a doughnut which I certainly didn’t need after a weekend of eating… oh yeah, and just having breakfast….

But there we were in the line, not able to say no to what some doughnut aficionados consider to be the best doughnuts around. Plus, the fast would begin on Monday so why not fill my pie hole with a doughnut.

The line moved quickly and before we knew it we had entered the inner sanctum and would have to order within minutes.

The pressure was on; there were so many options.

I selected the namesake voodoo doughnut, a doughnut in the shape of a person covered with chocolate, filled with cherry goo with a pretzel poking out of it’s belly button.

My travel mate and buddy, Beemer selected the Arnold Palmer, a cake doughnut covered with lemon and tea powder with a fruit loop in the center.

They say that the doughnuts must be eaten immediately so we popped them in our mouths and were silent. In less than a minute, they were gone and there was a consensus that our doughnut diversion was indeed a good idea.

MKMT Cookbook Club Does Brunch

The next MKMT cookbook club will be on November 1st and will be taking a break from our traditional format. After several years of meeting at 4pm on Sunday afternoons and cooking from a single book, we will meet for brunch at noon.

Everyone has been challenged to bring their favorite brunch recipes to share along with the book they are from and copies of the recipe for everyone. In the end we will have a collection of the best of the best brunch recipes; ready to head into the holiday season armed to serve the best brunch ever to friends and family.

The change in format has been so well received that several people have already weighed in with what they’re planning to bring. And let me tell you, people are cooking to impress… while there may be a fruit salad and a scone or muffin, I have a feeling that most of the dishes will be creative and competitive.

At this point, I’m hoping to come across a fabulous, must share recipe on my trip to France. If that fails, two cookbooks that I have recently added to my collection are A Table in the Tarn and Celebrating with Julienne. Both have brunch recipes and while they’re not tried and true to me, they might be given a try.

Cheers to brunch!

MKMT Cookbook Review – A Platter of Figs

It was another day of good cooking and eating as the MKMT Cookbook club gathered to share recipes from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. The timing was perfect for the summer menus and all but a couple of the recipes that were made came from these menus which meant a lot of seasonal produce and several duplicate dishes.

Overall feedback about the book was positive. The package is beautiful with gorgeous photography and it is well written with thoughtful anecdotes interspersed throughout the pages. We liked how the book was laid out by season and then by menu and how simple most recipes were with the focus being quality of ingredient. The author writes an introduction to each menu that includes information about how to think like a cook, use your instinct around the kitchen and improvise in addition to following a recipe. Reading and cooking from A Platter of Figs can make us all more comfortable in the kitchen and better able to stare into the refrigerator and pull out a few ingredients and whip something up on our own.

One cook at the table commented that he thought “the introduction was a little arrogant, but since the author is the chef at Chez Panisse gives him justification to be opinionated”. Another cook commented that “the quality of the ingredients is so important to the recipes that it is a bit pricy for every day cooking”.

The recipes are all supposed to serve 8-10 people and some of us halved them to make smaller portions, making them more realistic for a family meal or dinner for 4 vs. a larger dinner party.

Menus and Recipes that were made included:

Too Darned Hot, Alors! Menu Eight
Lavender Honey Ice Cream three of us made this ice cream and each was quite different. Mine had the least amount of lavender flavor and was the lightest in color despite the fact that I picked the lavender that morning fresh from the garden. The two others had more intense and pronounced lavender and honey flavor and were also darker in color. We all used plain honey as the lavender honey suggested in the recipe was spotted at $15 for a jar.

Slightly All-American Menu Eight – we made this whole menu.
Sliced Tomatoes with Sea Salt – it doesn’t get much more straight forward than this and with the heirloom tomatoes at their peak this dish couldn’t have been easier to make or tastier. Grilled Chicken Breasts were succulent and packed with flavor.
Corn, Squash, and Beans with Jalapeño Butter was the most time consuming of the recipes in this menu and the jalapeno butter packed a punch.
Blueberry-Blackberry Crumble – there were 3 of these so one we didn’t cook and put in the freezer! The two we ate were both delicious, although as expected, there were subtle nuances between them.

Yellow Hunger Menu Nine
Shaved Summer Squash and Peaches in Wine were both made and both wonderful – how can one go wrong with squash and peaches both in their prime.

Feeling Italian, Part I Menu Ten
Cherry Tomato Crostini with Ricotta is addicting and incredibly easy – a must make several times in the peak of tomato season.
I made the Roast Pork Loin Porchetta Style and needed to adjust the recipe a bit as well as cook slightly longer that the recipe calls for. The menu was finished with the Nectarine and Raspberry Macedonia - peaches and nectarines and stone fruit and berries oh my!

The final recipe from the summer menus was the Cold Pink Borscht in a Glass from Hot Day, Cold Chicken Menu Twelve. There seems to be a trend developing around the table that there is usually something made with beets that is fuchsia! As a non-beet eater ( I think they taste like dirt but keep trying to acquire the taste) I loved this soup and slurped it up.

One of the recipes that fell outside of the summer menu, was Mustard Rabbit in the Oven - spring and a whole lesson about how to cook rabbit. This dish was so savory with Dijon mustard, Crème Fraîche, and pancetta, how could be a bunny be bad? This is a must make for romantic dinner or small dinner party entree. It is unique and flavors unparalleled. Chef Tanis even includes a recipe for home made crème fraîche for those so inclined. He is convinced that commercial product is sub-par – this recipe is also referenced in the Lavendar Honey Ice Cream.

It is far to say that this cookbook should be a staple on the cookbook shelf. It makes an excellent gift for a favorite seasoned home chef. Since many recipes are guidelines and leave some finessing up to the cook, I wouldn’t suggest it for someone who isn’t comfortable in the kitchen. Because of the organization by season it is fair to say that we will likely pull it out again for a winter MKMT cookbook club so we can dive into recipes like Green Chile Stew, Walnut Cigars, and Osso Buco with Orange, Lemon, and Capers.

Roast Pork Loin Porchetta Style

One of the dishes that I made for A Platter of Figs cookbook club was the Roast Pork Loin Porchetta Style from the summer menu – Feeling Italian, part I. I also made the Cherry Tomato Crostini with Ricotta from this menu. I was excited to be able to use wild fennel and rosemary from my garden and bought my humanely raised pork from the Berkeley Bowl West – my new favorite grocery store.

The recipe itself was straightforward, like most of the recipes from this book. I rubbed the pork a day in advance and wrapped him in saran wrap for close to 24 hours before cooking. I halved the amount of pork but kept the amount of the rub the same and it was fine. I also added some chopped garlic and chopped rosemary to the rub. I cooked it in a Le Creuset pot and found that it needed a little extra time to make the 130°F internal temperature.

Here is the recipe to make as is or modify to your own taste.

6 pound pork loin roast with 1/4 inch fat cover
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
Salt
Olive oil
Rosemary sprigs
Fennel fronds

Turn the pork roast upside down and insert the garlic slices into the loose flesh. Sprinkle the roast with the fennel seeds and black pepper. Season the meat generously with salt and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Strip the leaves from a rosemary sprig or two, chop them roughly, and sprinkle them over the pork. Massage the seasoning into the roast.

Line a roasting pan with rosemary sprigs and fennel fronds. Set the roast on top. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two, or better, overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast the loin for about an hour (about 45 minutes for a boneless roast), until the internal temperature reads 130°F. For a smokier flavor, cook the roast outside over coals to the same interior temperature. Remove the roast, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest for 15-30 minutes before carving.

Serves 8-10

Cherry Tomato Crostini with Ricotta Cheese

Two people made this appetizer for the cookbook club. The results were equally delicious and both cooks used tomatoes picked that morning from their gardens. Aren’t they pretty?

Make this crostini as much as you can for the next few weeks before the tomatoes have petered out. It is essential to use a high quality fresh ricotta to maximize flavor and be sure to use the red pepper flakes, the heat they give adds a nice surprise and depth.

I’m addicted… it’s been on the menu just about every night since the first time it was made.

1 large shallot, finely diced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
½ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt, plus another peeled garlic clove or two
2 pounds cherry tomatoes, halved
1 loaf Italian ciabatta
½ pound fresh ricotta
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
A handful of basil leaves

In a medium bowl, macerate the shallot in the red wine vinegar with a little salt. After a few minutes, whisk in the olive oil. Ass the pounded garlic and the cherry tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and toss gently. Leave to marinate for a few minutes.

Cut the ciabatta into ½ inch slices. Spread the slices on a baking sheet ans toast on both sides under the broiler until golden. Swipe the toasts very lightly with a peeled garlic clove. Don’t push too hard on the garlic – you want the bread to have just a hint of garlic flavor.

Spread a tablespoon of fresh ricotta on each toast, them put them on a platter. Sprinkle with a little salt and a little red pepper. Spoon the marinated tomatoes over the toasts. Sliver or tear the basil leaves and strew over the crostini.

A Platter of Figs from the summer menu – Feeling Italian, part I

A Platter of Figs

The next MKMT Cookbook is A Platter of Figs and other recipes by David Tanis, long time leading chef at Chez Panisse.

A truly gorgeous book; it is impossible not to page through and be hungry to get into the kitchen and cook up one of his seasonal menus then invite your favorite people over to gather around the table to nurture with food, wine and conversation.

The photography jumps off the pages and the styling is simple and rustic. The book is printed on matte paper – a trend I’ve found in the last few cookbooks I’ve bought.

Since it just arrived I haven’t had a chance to cook from it yet, but I’ve read through and love how each season is organized by menus. David Tanis is thorough in the forward explaining his methodology about food and cooking and each recipe is full of thoughtful instruction and how to wisdom. Throughout the book there is enlightenment about techniques (How to cook a rabbit) and ingredients (Parsnip Epiphany) making it both a pleasure to read and a volume to learn from for cooks of all levels.

And, as expected from the chef at Chez Panisse, all menus are driven by fresh and seasonal food and created to maximize the flavors of the ingredients.

I plan to try menu nine tonight. Shaved Summer Squash with Squash Blossoms, Grilled Halibut with Indian Spices and Yellow Tomatoes and Peaches in Wine. How’s that for a seasonal summer menu?!

Dinner Tonight

I am so enjoying my dinner tonight. It is the perfect blend of fresh, seasonal, and easy. I took the rosemary focaccia that I bought at the Alemany farmers market yesterday and topped it with fresh mozarella, sweet 100 tomatoes and basil from my garden and drizzled some McEvoy Ranch olive oil over the top. Popped it in the oven @425 degrees and while it cooked for 12 minutes tossed together arugula and the last of the lettuce from the garden with olive oil and balsamic sprinkled with s&p. When the focaccia came out of the oven I put the salad on top and poured a glass of chilled Sauvignon blanc and was good to go. Here is what it looked like half way through. The iPhone photo won’t do it justice so you’ll just have to believe and try for yourself. Buon gusto.

Boccalone Friday Food Cart

The food cart phenomena is sweeping the nation… well at least the last two cities I’ve traveled to, NY and Portland, OR and where I live, San Francisco.

Appropriately so, the Boccalone cart arrived in front of my office, – how adorable is the delivery dude in his red hat and Boccalone bike shirt?!

Several of us queued up in anticipation a good 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival time knowing that supply is limited and the previous week, the goods were gone within 5 minutes. My image of what I was waiting for was quickly squelched when the retro red bicycle rode up the sidewalk with a metal cooler attached like a basket. (I was either expecting the roach coach to putter up the street and park curbside or the push cart with grill and bell that I knew from living in LA years ago.)

Packed in the cooler were 30 mortadella sandwiches with spicy mustard on fresh Italian Bread accompanied with a few sliced pickles. The first 10 people got lard chips. Sadly, I was the 14th person in line but I heard that the lard was good. Is that the same as everything tastes good with bacon? Not sure, I’ll have to try the chips at the Ferry Building and get back about that. The crunchy pickles and sandwich were scrumptious and the excitement of the food cart was a welcome break to the monotony of the average lunch hour.

To find out where the Boccalone cart will show up next follow their Twitter feed @boccalone