Touchy-Feely

The culinary theme for Sunday's Concert in the Park with The Mighty Untouchables came down to a few choices: Food you wouldn't want to touch or eat with your fingers; a dish created by playing with your food; or finger food. I offered the group a choice between the second two...

It was hot and muggy Sunday morning, with thunder, lightening and a massive 10-minute downpour. Southern California made the news because we had some weather. I wasn't in the mood to heat up the house too much with cooking, so I decided to make a go of Bon Appetit's Cook the Cover Challenge with the August cover - Tomato, Onion and Roasted Lemon Salad. The only cooking involved was roasting lemon slices tossed with sage, sugar and olive oil, and I was able to "play" with the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, and micro greens in my plating and photography. I wish I could say these tomatoes and herbs came from my garden. I do have a few herbs in window boxes on my patio, but I still needed to supplement with some better looking sage and micro greens. I was able to come up with a few sprigs of homegrown parsley...

Once I got into the zone, spending a good part of Sunday preparing food, styling and photographing, listening to music, hanging out with Trapper, and sipping on some wine, I was reminded of how much I enjoy all of that. I just wish I still had the motivation and time to cook, photograph and blog a few times a week.

The dressing for the salad is an interesting combination of pomegranate molasses, olive oil and allspice. I love pomegranate molasses and also used it recently in Bon Appetit's Sweet and Tangy Hummus.

Trapper just thinks he wants a tomato

***

The Mighty Untouchables played upbeat dance music, we had a good turnout, and the food was easy and fun. Jim & Carmen took the prize with their Spicy Shrimp and Forbidden Rice Wraps! The only thing missing was dessert, and I really had a sweet tooth that night!

Pam played with her food and created Mr. Salad Head

Kai modeled Spicy Grilled Shrimp, Forbidden Rice and Cabbage Wraps
prepared by Jim & Carmen

Kai & Hillari opted for finger food - Kai, you're laggin' in the ktichen! 

And, here's that Sweet & Tangy Hummus mentioned earlier...

Coronado Concert in the Park: Puglia, Italy

One of these days, I'll make it to Italy, and France, and Spain, and all the fabulous places that inspire our Concert in the Park themes! In the meantime, I will accept the joy in reading about regional cuisines and attempting to replicate some of the recipes in my kitchen.  I'm successful most of the time (although I get frustrated tracking down ingredients), but sometimes I crash and burn when it comes to baking. I'm not a very good baker.

The weekend started off well with my first idea...

Orecchiette alle cime di rapa is a traditional pasta dish from Puglia - ear-shaped pasta tossed with pork sausage, broccoli rabe, garlic, red pepper flakes, and grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. You had me at PASTA. Actually, I've made this dish before. However, when I saw my man Tyler's version, with littleneck clams tossed into the mix, I was all over it.

I thought it would be a little tricky executing this dish tableside, at the park, especially with the clams, so I decided to do a test run on Saturday evening. I made half recipe and savored every bite. However, BFF Holli was also thinking along the same lines, and planning on making her version of orecchiette alle cime di rapa for the park, so I switched gears and decided to concentrate on my dessert...that's when it got ugly...

Pasticciotto is a mini short crust pastry/pie filled with pastry cream. I didn't have the oval-shaped molds for these little pies, so I decided to try using my mini muffin pan to make 24 mini Pasticciotto...

I even tracked down a tub of LARD to make the perfect crust. But the dough was crumbly and falling apart as I tried to press it into the muffin tin.  I became increasingly frustrated and threw in the towel before the muffin tin made it to the oven. I managed to salvage enough dough and pastry cream to throw together a few mini tarts. Surprisingly, they came out quite nice with the incredibly flaky, lardy crust and rich vanilla bean pastry cream studded with Maraschino cherries. Watch this video if you want to learn the correct method, but try to ignore the music that sounds like it should go with a porn movie...

When all was said and done, this was one of those concerts that turned out just perfect (I never know who is going to show up and what dishes will make it to the picnic table). We had the right number of people, a nice balance of dishes, great weather, fun music...it was just another beautiful, relaxing, summer evening at the park!

Saturday Night Test Run with Tyler's
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Clams and Sweet Italian Sausage

Mary and Bryan Kicking off Concert with
The Star Spangled Banner 

Holli's orecchiette alle cime di rapa

Dusting with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Kelley, Holli and Michele

Nina & Alec plating their gorgeous platter of Stracciatella di burrata,
slow-roasted roma tomatoes with garlic and thyme, and fried eggplant
breaded in panko, garnished with basil 

LOVED THIS!

Kelley's Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Carrots

Our other Kellee, who shared a lovely antipasti platter

When I decided to abandon my orecchiette alle cime di rapa with clams, and after my dessert kind of flopped, I threw together a last-minute Puglia SeaCake - one of my savory cheesecakes - with hot Italian sausage, clams, broccoli rabe, garlic, red pepper flakes, cream cheese, sour cream, and Parmesan cheese, served with toasted baguette slices. Another keeper!

Another SeaCake Flavor Combo - SeaCake Puglia!

In addition to her chickpea, tomato and carrot salad, Kelley also made this gorgeous Torta Caprese — Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte. She cracked me up when she said she was started sipping on some of the liqueur used in the torte, just before noon, as she was trying to get through all of the steps. That's when hubby Bryan wandered into the kitchen and asked what the heck she was doing?!!

Kelley was worried the torta would be too dry inside, but it was quite the opposite...very moist and decadent.

 Torta Caprese

Sonoma was proud to present her favorite orange cake from The Silver Spoon for Children: Favorite Italian Recipes. She used a gluten-free flour and it tasted incredibly yummy.

Sonoma's Orange Cake

Cute Girlie Girls

I made Kai pose with one of my Pasticciotto Tarts

Good food, wine, and friends!

We're off to another fabulous summer in Coronado! Stay tuned...

French Fridays with Dorie - Tuna Rillettes

Pleasant surprise...this was much better than I expected!

These days, it's usually Thursday morning when I consider participating in French Fridays with Dorie for the week. I check out the recipe over coffee and decide if it's something I can eat on my own or share, so it doesn't go to waste.

This morning, I was all set to run to the store, grab a few cans of tuna and a baguette (I had everything else), and make Tuna Rillettes for lunch. I grabbed a few other things I needed to survive for the next few days, got through the checkout stand, and then realized I didn't have my bank card or any cash...*&#?*%!!

I went back home, traced my misplaced card back to a restaurant a few nights before, returned to the restaurant when it opened at 4:00, and ultimately retrieved my ingredients from the store in time for a light dinner.

Frankly, what I imagined was something similar to tuna cat food. I like tuna sandwiches, but I always use Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore, packed in water. Dorie's Tuna Rillettes calls for chunk light tuna packed in oil because albacore is too firm and dry for this recipe. The tuna is pulsed in the food processor with a sliced shallot, curry powder, quatre épices, crème fraîche, lemon juice, and salt & pepper, until the mixture achieves the consistency of cat food a nice just-right-on-a-cracker paste. It's then packed into a ramekin and refrigerated for at least an hour before serving. Dorie suggests offering the rillettes as a nibble with wine or cocktails, as it is designed to be spread on crackers or toasted baguette slices.

It worked for me, very nicely, with a glass of white wine. Meow ;-)

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

Happy Birthday to My Peeps

April is Happy Birthday Month in Coronado with friends Hillari, Pam, Julie, and Mary all celebrating another year with get-togethers and parties. Mine is coming up in June, and we usually celebrate it at Concert in the Park - I'll have to think of a good theme for the third concert of the 2014 summer season with Cool Fever.

For Hillari's party, I did a test run on a new flavor for my SeaCake side business. I've been making savory appetizer cheesecakes with different seafood combinations and they are gaining momentum and making their way to open houses and dinner parties. The Big Easy features shrimp, andouille sausage, sauteed vegetables and Cajun spices. Another popular one, The Clam Dipper, showcases clams and bacon. The Smoked Salmon SeaCake is yet another.

The Big Easy SeaCake

The next morning, the ultimate hangover-cure breakfast: Leftover Shrimp Étouffée.

Clam & Bacon SeaCake

Smoked Salmon SeaCake

Pam was off on her annual birthday weekend getaway, so I baked her a batch of Chocolate Cayenne Cocktail Cookies for the road. These are extremely addictive, and the dough freezes well for easy slice and bake satisfaction.

I wasn't able to make anything for Julie's surprise party because my invite went to the wrong e-mail address and I ended up at the party last minute. However, there was no shortage of great food, including Pam's Kale and Pear Salad that I must recreate and blog soon!

Here's a pic of Pam and me dressed in cowgirl attire for the country theme. I wore my favorite little pink tee from Tennessee which says on the front: "Tan-legged Juliet looking for my Redneck Romeo" and then on the back: "But I'll settle for a one night rodeo" (lyrics from Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party). Any party where I can wear my Stetson is my kinda party! Unfortunately, Romeo was no where to be found, and rodeo tickets were in short supply ;-)

For Mary's pool party at The Shores, I made more luscious, buttery shortbread cookies. I was inspired by My Baking Addiction's Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies and Lavender Shortbread Cookies posted recently by The James Beard Foundation. I didn't get a photo of my Lavender Lemon version, but definitely plan on adding them to the Cocktail Cookie Collection since they paired so nicely with bubbly!

It's been so long since my last blog post (Pam scolded me), so I have to keep looking back at Newf in My Soup's Facebook Page to see what else I've been up to this month....

In addition to making SeaCakes, I photographed another wine dinner at Leroy's and several dishes at various Coronado restaurants for Coronado Lifestyle magazine's annual Taste of Coronado Dining Guide. The cover photo will feature Nicky Rottens "Bad Ass" BBQ Burger...not exactly what comes to mind when I think of Coronado dining, but I'm excited to have another cover photo!

Trapper and I continue to take our early morning walks, in addition to Jolly Ball outings on a strip of grass by the Marriott and play dates with Cocoa. On one of our morning coffee walks, we were able to get close to this beautiful heron we see out fishing almost every morning. Today, we saw it catch and swallow a fairly large fish on the little beach by Il Fornaio!

Easter Sunday afternoon was spent by the pool at Mary's party. Easter dinner was fairly simple, but very Spring-appropriate with Bon Appetit's Ricotta Gnocchi with Asparagus, Peas and Morels. I made the fresh ricotta for the gnocchi and substituted Shiitake mushrooms. Brian and Kelley stopped by with more bubbly and I baked up a fresh batch of Lemon-Lavender Shortbread Cookies for dessert.

Speaking of Easter and Facebook, Trapper sort of went viral on Easter with one of his carrot photos. He often receives close to 100 "likes" and several comments, but this photo was shared 74 times! Once again, I'm tempted to throw him in the convertible and set out on a "Trapper on the Road" trip.

That pretty much sums up the last few weeks...the Coronado Flower Show will be going on this weekend and I'm photographing one of the Chef Celebration dinners next week. I may get around to cooking this afternoon or tomorrow, but Trapper's bath is long overdue and I must get that done this morning!

Enjoy your weekend...

Cooking on a Whim - Nutella Granola, Corned Beef Hash and Happy Hour Cookies

Cooking and blogging continue to be sporadic…lately, the mood strikes when I see something on one of the blogs I follow or in my Facebook newsfeed. I really wanted to Cook the Cover of Bon Appetit this month (Savory Short-Rib Beef Pies), but had just made Natchitoches Meat Pies and wasn't motivated enough to track down boneless beef short ribs after striking out at the local market.

My latest whim was inspired by David Lebovitz' Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Granola. I like snacking on granola occasionally, but I thought it would be fun to make a special batch to ship to Tennessee to take on the road for an out of town baseball tournament. I adapted the recipe to include a few of his favorites - Nutella, bananas, coffee, and pineapple. Unfortunately, since this was a last-minute whim, and without thought to overnight shipping cost, two pounds of granola will now be waiting on the doorstep when he arrives home! Sorry FedEx, not paying $90!

I have quickly become addicted to my Nutella version, but would like to try David's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip version. Please consult his blog for the original recipe and preparation method, but this is a list of what I used in my adaptation (I added the coffee to the pan when I warmed the Nutella, orange honey and brown sugar):

Nutella Granola 

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, very coarsely chopped
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup banana chips
3/4 cup dried pineapple
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground coffee
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 cup Nutella
1/2 cup orange honey
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

A few other recent whims included Bon Appetit's Corned Beef Hash, which I made for St. Patrick's Day dinner….

And Bon Appetit's Savory Black Pepper and Parmesan Cookies, to share at our community's weekly happy hour. 

Walking back from the clubhouse, after happy hour, I caught a glimpse of crisp white sails against the dark sky, and ran inside to grab my camera…Spring was here last week, but has been a no-show this week!

Coronado Concert in the Park: Feeling a Little Blue

Liquid and/or Blue was our culinary theme of the evening for the return of Liquid Blue, a high-energy dance band. It was a challenge to think outside the blueberry box, but we did and there wasn't a blueberry to be found.

Bluefin Tuna Nigiri beautifully prepared and styled by Holli

We don't really judge other people by their picnics because we're too busy being our own worst critics. There's always a little competitiveness in the group, but it keeps us striving to excel in our cooking, plating, and photography.

Of course, Holli lived up to her own high standards with blue everything...fish, cocktail, platter, tablecloth, napkins, blouse and husband.

Blue Hawaiian Punch

Nice try Kai with your ahi disguised as bluefin sashimi...even your daughter and her friends were on to you in no time. Kidding, your dishes always rock. But don't be surprised when Olivia starts begging you to take her to Saiko Sushi when the toro comes in on Thursdays...and please invite me to join you ;-)

Kai's "Bluefin" Sashimi

Discriminating palates

Glazing the Bluefin with a little Shoyu

I contemplated various dishes with blue cheese, blueberries, or blue corn chips, but I had a craving for jambalaya. Like Kai, I took the easy way out by inserting Blue in the name of my dish: Blue Bayou Jambalaya. It's not really Blue Bayou Jambalaya, as in the jambalaya served at Disneyland's Blue Bayou restaurant, but this one from Donald Link's Real Cajun. I will keep making this incredibly flavorful jambalaya again and again (layers and layers of flavor with holy trinity, roast chicken and homemade broth, Cajun-style andouille, and a kick-your-butt spice mix), but my only complaint is that the rice never gets cooked quite enough trying to cook it in the pot with everything else. Next time, I think I'll cook the rice separately until al dente and then throw it back into the big pot to finish cooking. This jambalaya is really better the next day and I'm glad there was a little left over for breakfast!

"Blue Bayou" Jambalaya

Blue Cheese was represented well in the remaining dishes with Alec's Mushroom and Blue Cheese Stromboli, Hillari's Apple, Blue Cheese and Walnut Tartlets, Kellee's Blue Corn Chips served with Trader Joe's Blue Cheese Roasted Pecan Dip, and Crostini.

Alec slicing the Stromboli

Nina chilling with a Blue Hawaiian

Hillari's Tartlets

Alec showing off his new hairdo

Chips and Dip

Random Cuteness

Hillari's Toes

Dogs hanging out on "Dog Row"

Liquid Blue

If you're still feeling a little blue and in search of a blueberry fix, you can find it here with Blueberry Pumpkin Seed Energy Bars, here with Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes, or here with Thomas Keller's Blueberry Cobbler.

Blue jeans are the most beautiful things since the gondola. - Diana Vreeland

Cheers,
Denise & Trapper