Coronado Concerts in the Park: A Passage to India

It's the peak of the summer in Coronado, with temperatures hovering in the 80s this past week and Orange Avenue gridlocked from the bridge to the Del. As expected, Spreckles Park was jam-packed for the most celebrated concert of the season - Rockola. Vintage guitars, vintage clothing, and three decades of rock, pop, and soul have earned Rockola eight San Diego Music awards.

John and I made a quick run to the park hours early to reserve our coveted spot under the now bare Jacaranda tree, with Sparks' mammoth canvas tarps, and our tables and chairs. Many locals, also in the know, did the same. You would never guess the music was still 7 hours away.

A large part of our group went sailing for the afternoon on Jada, a classic 63 foot, Philip Rhodes Yawl sailing vessel. It would have been a beautiful day for sailing, but we experienced some extraordinary entertainment earlier in the week. John treated me to a night at the theatre for Fiddler on the Roof, Topol's Farewell Tour, and I whipped out my Il Divo concert tickets for Saturday night! Both shows were powerful and amazing.

Here are the men of Il Divo, who put me in a trance for most of the evening...David, tenor (USA); Urs, tenor (Switzerland); Carlos, baritone (Spain), and Sebastien, pop singer (France)

Sorry, I had to brag!

Back to Challenge India. The steadfast chefs in the group chained dedicated themselves to their kitchens, ovens, and grills, in order to create generous servings of traditional Indian favorites to share with their fellow chefs and the ravenous boat people. Seriously, we love to cook. Some have difficulty understanding the pleasure we derive from cooking. Others get it.

While John added to the summer heat with some Indian spices, I repeatedly frustrated myself with my first Daring Kitchen - Daring Bakers' Challenge. In keeping with our culinary theme, I added a little Indian twist to the Daring Bakers' recipe and it was ultimately a success. Unfortunately, I am sworn to secrecy until the official reveal date on the 27th, so please come back and visit then!

The Shiva Nataraja graced our table as we embarked on our gourmandizing adventure. We received more than a few puzzled looks on our trek to the park, pulling our overstuffed wagon, with Lord Shiva firmly affixed thereto, and our copper chafing dish leaking the tantalizing aroma of garam masala. I know, we're a bit elaborate, with copper chafing dishes, bronze statues, and all (I even found a slinky, vibrant, Indian Summer-ish dress for the occasion), but Concerts in the Park are a huge part of our summer fun and frolic!

John's Chicken Tikka Masala, served over Basmati Rice

The chicken is first marinated overnight in Masala Marinade, then skewered and grilled

John also poured small glasses of Mango Lassi, a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink. There are many versions. John made some slight modifications to Andrea's recipe at Cooking Books, here, and then put the lassi in the ice cream maker to make it the consistency of frozen yogurt. By the time we were ready for a glass, it had thawed to a perfectly chilled and sippable smoothie.

Carmen was able to join us this week, but most of the summer will be dedicated to putting the finishing touches on her play, The Perfect Daisy. Carmen discovered two outstanding recipes on Food Network, courtesy of Guy Fieri: Taj Maholla! Chicken and Bollywood Basmati Rice. She lugged a huge pot of her Taj Maholla, which was more than enough to feed all 35 in our crowd! I even managed to abscond with a Tuperware full of leftovers. Thank you so much - both dishes were unbelievably sensational.!The addition of pomegranate seeds was brilliant and the basmati rice, studded with apricots, currants, and toasted almonds, was flavorful and scrumptious.

Guy's Big Bite episode also included a recipe for Lassi Come Home. Although Brad is enjoying John's virgin Mango Lassi in the photo below, he's acting like he has downed several shots of Guy's Lassi Come Home, made into an adult version with vodka and dark rum...

Kai's Naan was deliciously complemented by Dal and Raita

In addition our chefs' outstanding homemade dishes, we sampled several menu items from Monsoon, courtesy of Alec and Nina, as well as Royal India's Chicken Curry, courtesy of Bradley. Both restaurants are located in the San Diego Gaslamp District.

After savoring one of the most successful challenges of the concert season, we delighted in the music and danced a few songs.

Olivia persuaded daddy Kai to take her for a twirlWhile Max and mommy Hill hammed it up for the camera

When the sun sets at the end of the day, in India or in Coronado, this inspirational couple on the picnic blanket next to us reminded us what life is all about... I hope you dance


Chicken Tikka Masala
Slightly modified from Food & Wine

Masala Marinade

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken

4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons garam masala
1 tablespoon smoke paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Two, 28-oz cans peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
Pinch of sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare gas or charcoal grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade, cut into pieces, (approximately 1 inch wide and 2 inches long), and thread on skewers. Grill the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and golden brown. Remove from skewers and set aside.

In a small skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve with Basmati rice.

Coronado Concerts in the Park: Sailing the South Seas

Oh, how I dream of Sailing the South Seas...better yet, Cruising the South Seas, on a mega yacht. Dooley and Diver would love it too! Yeah right, dream on! At least Sunday's Concert in the Park Culinary Challenge provided us with a taste of the South Seas.

Diver settled for a romp in the fountain.

There were so many choices this week. I knew I wanted to create something with seafood, and maybe something with pineapples or mangos.

Mom spends some time surfing the net these days and has been able to join us for most of the Concerts in the Park since moving back to Coronado. Now that I have the food blog bug, she also spends a good amount of time looking at recipes and photographs of food. During her surfing, she came across a blog post by Carolyn Jung, author of Food Gal, who was one of the lucky ones to receive a promotional brochure for the upcoming “Ad Hoc At Home” cookbook (Artisan) by Thomas Keller, including the recipe for his rendition of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. I wonder how one gets on that mailing list?

Mom also found a blog post by Elaine, of The Italian Dish, featuring her beautiful Cheesecake with Roasted Rum Pineapple and Pineapple Flowers, inspired by the April Daring Bakers' Challenge.

We combined Thomas Keller's cheesecake (recipe on Food Gal, here) with Elaine's pineapple flowers, and voila!

My favorite part of this recipe is the "schmear” of softened butter, light brown sugar, honey, dark rum, and vanilla

The recipe makes enough schmear for three cakes, so I decided to make two

The schmear is spread over the bottom of a silicone cake pan, and then sprinkled with a little salt

Next, quartered rings of fresh pineapple are overlapped in the pan before the cake batter is added.





True to Food Gal's word, the cake is inverted "onto your serving platter — with no fuss, no bother, and no dialing 911."

Of course, I couldn't stop at just one dish for our gourmet picnic in the park. I couldn't resist the sound of this recipe either, from Food Network...

Macadamia Crusted Halibut, Oven Roasted Asparagus, Spicy Mango Salsa, Ponzu Sauce, and Coconut Sticky Rice
by Ming Tsai and Budi Kazali
Show: East Meets West With Ming Tsai
Episode: Hawaiian Halibut

I've made macadamia-crusted halibut and a similar salsa before, but I liked the addition of the coconut rice, garlic chips, and ponzu.

The Spicy Mango Salsa is composed of pineapple, mango, papaya, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice

The Coconut Rice was fun to make. Glutinous rice, also called sweet or sticky rice, is soaked in water overnight, steamed on top of a banana leaf, and combined with coconut milk and unsweetened coconut flakes


For plating, the recipe states: Form the rice into a small flat disk in the center of the plate. Spoon some of the Salsa on top of the rice. Lean the fish against the rice and drizzle the sauce around the plate. Place the asparagus against the fish and garnish with the garlic chips. I did not make the full Ponzu sauce because I wasn't able to find Dashi. I did drizzle a little bottled Ponzu sauce around the plate prior to serving. Here is it prior to the Ponzu drizzle.

Chris made his way over the bridge to join us. He showcased this magnificent platter of Grilled Colossal White Mexican Shrimp & Tropical Salsa (mango, pineapple, coconut, jalapeno)

Here's Kai's Hamachi Poke and Hamachi Ceviche, served on tasting spoons. Poke (pronounced "PO-keh") is a Hawaiian fish salad, usually raw, served as an appetizer.

And Kai's Pani Popo, a Samoan dish that literally means “buns in coconut milk.”

I think I'll blame Jim's shots of Hang Loose Pineapple Rum, but my photography skills were severely lacking and I did not come home with many decent photos.

Use your imagination and envision the rest of our impressive Sailing the South Pacific menu. It would not have been complete without...

Sandra's encore performance of Alton Brown's Cuban Sandwiches, which we all loved when she made them last summer. Although technically not part of our theme, we'll let her slide because they were so delicious ;-)

Alec's & Nina's Lamingtons, a sweet treat very popular in Australia, consisting of a small square of white cake (sponge, butter, or pound) that is dipped in a sweet chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut;

Pam's Shrimp Coleslaw Salad, with Ginger-Sesame Vinaigrette, taken up another notch with her addition of diced pineapple, mango, papaya, almonds and coconut;

Brad's dessert of Grilled Pineapple, first marinated in a little coconut milk and cinnamon, topped with Coconut Ice Cream and a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes; and

Madeleine's Fruited Pizza, a cookie crust brushed with apricot preserves, topped with cream cheese frosting, and embellished with blueberries, kiwi and strawberries.

I'm all blogged out after my Daring Cooks' reveal post this morning, and finishing up this post this evening! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Coronado Concerts in the Park - Challenge All-American Fare

It was a busy weekend in the kitchen for me. On Thursday and Friday, I prepared my Daring Cooks' Challenge of the month, to be revealed on July 14; on the 4th, I was up early baking Raspberry-Balsamic Scones; and on Sunday, I spent a good part of the day baking tarts for our Concert in the Park Challenge - Whew!

We decided on All-American Fare for the 5th of July Concert in the Park theme, and I initially selected two American favorites: Banana Cream Pie and Lemon Meringue Pie. However, I wanted to do something a little different from the traditional versions. I ran some recipe searches and stumbled on the beautiful Tartlette blog post for Banana Cream Pie...with Chocolate and Caramel. Helen created her version by adapting the recipe from the Tartine Bakery & Cafe cookbook, using her own salted butter and caramel sauce, omitting the whipped cream topping, and making tartlettes, of course. I was instantly sold after drooling over her photo and reading the recipe. For the recipe, please visit Tartlette. Spend some time while you're there and enjoy an impressive collection of recipes and photographs.

Here are the photos of my tart. I used a rectangular tart pan and drizzled some extra chocolate ganache over the top. Just look at those layers of chocolate ganache and salted caramel, followed by banana slices buried deep within vanilla pastry cream, and a finale of drizzled ganache. Truly a slice of heaven and one of my new, favorite desserts.

A few more photos during the preparation

Pie weights, or dried beans, both work well. Scrunch up the parchment paper first, so it fits easier into the tart pan over the dough

The cooked tart shell

A layer of chocolate ganache

Followed by a layer of salted caramel

Topped by a layers of pastry cream and sliced bananas. I covered most of the bananas with the pastry cream because it was going to be a few hours before I could serve it at the park and I didn't want the bananas to turn brown. After plating, I drizzled the chocolate sauce over the top.

Next up was my Lemon Tart, also sporting a layer of chocolate underneath the silky lemon curd. I did find some fabulous lemon meringue pies, but I stayed with the tart theme

This recipe, Jessica's Favorite Meyer Lemon Tart, can be found in Susan Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table. It's a wonderful cookbook to add to your collection.

Prior to demolishing the tarts, we savored John's Quack-Mac & Cheese (chicken confit disguised as duck confit), Sandra's rendition of Tyler Florence's Mac N' Cheese with Bacon, Kai's two potato salads and fried chicken, and Pammy's Macaroni Salad...

John's Quack-Mac

Sandra's Mac N' Cheese

Olivia eating daddy Kai's Fried Chicken

The food was wonderful, the band was lively, and it was a great ending to a long, holiday weekend.

We're Sailing the South Seas next Sunday, so stay tuned.

Cheers!
Denise & John

Coronado Concerts in the Park: Challenge BEER Featuring Bass Pale Ale & Hoisin Braised Buffalo Short Ribs

Finally, the sun emerged in Coronado and we were able to bask in the late afternoon rays while feasting on a gratifying mélange of beer-inspired cuisine. What more could a dad ask for on Father's Day?

Our day commenced with our morning walk, followed by most of the day in the kitchen. Around 4:30, we packed up the wagon for our trek to the park. We had a rather full load this week and the wagon totally collapsed, with the sound of snapping metal, about a half block from the house. John walked back and retrieved Big Ugly, his poor old van from his Navy deep sea diving days, which has now been converted to our NUV (Newfy Utility Vehicle). We quickly transferred the wagon contents into the van and continued to the park unloading zone, where we emptied the van and proceeded to lug 4 tables, 4 chairs, a Dutch oven full of ribs, a chafing dish full of mashed potatoes, an ice chest full of ice cream, our picnic basket, wine, et al., ad nauseam, across the park to our spot under the Jacaranda tree.

Once set up, and settled in with a large glass of wine, I was able to chillax and await the arrival of our fellow chefs.

Everything was so delectable, I don't know where to begin!

Kai outperformed once again with "Pork & Beer." OMG...German sausage, boneless leg of pork, and slab bacon, all cozily nestled in Amber Ale cabbage. Just look at that seductively-scored pork fat...eat your heart out, Emeril! Kai even included homemade Beer Mustard as an accompanying condiment.

Kai's son Max approved wholeheartedly!

Alec & Nina graciously offered Beer-Braised Pork Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa Verde and the most incredible Boilermaker Brownies I've ever tasted. Nina added beer to the brownie batter and whiskey to the chocolate ganache, but the sprinkling of finishing salt really cinched the deal.



I must say, my man has become quite the Ice Cream Maker Extraordinaire! He created a very special Beer Ice Cream by incorporating Bass Pale Ale in the custard. He then reduced his new favorite beer, Speedway Stout, with some sugar, to create Caramel-Stout Syrup. Can you say "liquid sex?"





Jack & Sandra shared fantastic Beer-Simmered Brats with Grilled Onions and Peppers; Pammy whipped up a pitcher of her most-requested Trailer-Trash Margaritas, made with Tequila, Beer, and Limeade; Mom baked Double-Chocolate Stout mini cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cocoa powder; and Bradley, the one-hour chef, managed to have time for a matinee and grace us with his presence and offering of Gooey Beer Cheese smeared on Garlic Bread.

Yours truly, aka Miss Blogsalot (John's new pet name for me since I've plunged into the food blogsphere), managed to sweet-talk the butcher into some meaty buffalo short ribs for my Bass Pale Ale and Hoisin-Braised Short Ribs, served over creamy mashed Yukons.



Ok, they weren't really buffalo short ribs...I just wanted an excuse to share one of our Yellowstone National Park buffalo photos from our incredible Yellowstone and Jackson Hole vacation last year! Soon, I will figure out a way to incorporate one of our moose photos, most likely with a recipe for a bar appetizer we enjoyed in Jackson Hole, lovingly named Moose Mix.

Bass Pale Ale & Hoisin Braised Short Ribs
(Inspired by Fine Cooking's Barbecued-Braised Short Ribs with Sweet Vinegar Glaze and Dave Lieberman's Braised Hoisin Beer Short Ribs with Creamy Mashed Yukons)

Ingredients:

4 lbs. beef short ribs, about 10 ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil for ribs, plus 3 tablespoons to saute the garlic, ginger and vegetable spice mix
10 garlic cloves, smashed
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
3 tablespoons It's Delish Vegetable Mix
18 ounces Bass Pale Ale
3 tablespoons Chinese Black Vinegar, or rice wine vinegar
1 cup hoisin sauce
5 tablespoons Chili-Garlic Sauce

Directions

Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the oil. Tie each rib with an 8" piece of cooking twine. Sear the ribs on a hot gas grill, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and saute the garlic, ginger, and vegetable spice mix, for about 4 minutes. Add the beer and vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the ribs, meaty side down. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Remove the ribs to a clean plate and strain the sauce. Remove the fat from the sauce using a fat separator and return the sauce to the Dutch oven. Add the hoisin and chili-garlic sauces and let the sauce reduce over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes. Put the ribs back in, meaty side down, and move the pot to the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Serve the succulent, fall-off-the-bone, meaty ribs with mashed potatoes and a sprinkling of minced chives or green onion.

Espresso Pots de Creme with Pistachio Biscotti

For those of you following our Coronado Concert in the Park Culinary Challenges, yesterday’s Challenge was “Nuts & Balls”…food containing nuts and/or shaped like balls. I didn't come up with this one, but there were many options. However, with my recent Gyoza "reveal" for The Daring Cooks' June Challenge, I decided to take it easy this week with a fairly simple, but delectable dessert headlining pistachios.

The June gloom burned off by noon, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and Breez’n played a great mix of music. The Nuts & Balls offering included: Two varieties of Cheese Balls rolled in nuts; Chicken Meatballs sprinkled with almonds; Grilled Chicken, Sausage and Vegetable Salad with pinenuts; Floating Melon Balls in vodka aka Ballaritas, Apple and Blueberry Crumble with pecan and granola topping; and...

My Espresso Pots de Crème with Pistachio Biscotti

Espresso Pots de Crème

Egg yolks and strained coffee cream and vanilla before tempering the egg yolks and sugar mixture

I have a set of 12 of these little cups, from Crate & Barrel Outlet, and they are perfect for miniature desserts. I drizzled a little more strong coffee over the tops before baking. They look like baby lattes!

After baking, they look like this - sort of Crème brûlée-ish

Pistachio Biscotti

Make the dough and stir in the pistachios

Divide the dough and form into two logs

Bake the logs, slice diagonally into 1" pieces and bake again briefly on both sides. Here they are plated at the Park

Espresso Pots de Crème with Pistachio Biscotti
Slightly modified from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen

Espresso Pots de Crème

3 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole black coffee beans
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brewed espresso coffee, cold

(Notes: I didn't feel there was enough espresso flavor, so I added a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the saucepan as the cream, vanilla and coffee beans simmered. Crushing the coffee beans slightly would also help enhance the flavor)

Pistachio Biscotti

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup pistachios, toasted

Directions

Combine cream, vanilla, coffee beans [and espresso powder if using] into a saucepan and bring to a brief simmer over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and strain into medium bowl to remove coffee beans.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until egg yolk is light yellow, about 3 minutes. Temper the yolks by gradually adding and whisking the cream mixture into the egg yolks and sugar mixture. Whisk in the the brewed coffee.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Transfer the custard into a glass measuring cup and pour the custard into ramekins (my custard filled 11 small ramekins). Carefully place the ramekins in a large, shallow baking pan and fill with 1/2 inch of hot water (to prevent the ramekins from sliding around, put a thin dish towel on the bottom of the baking pan). Bake about 35 minutes. The center should jiggle slightly. Remove from oven and let cool, with the ramekins still sitting in the water, for 10 minutes. Take the ramekins out of the water and transfer to another holding container and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

For the biscotti, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, gradually add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla, and mix until creamed. Gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the pistachios.

Put dough on lightly floured surface and cut in half. Roll each half into a log, about 12 inches long and 1 inch high. Place logs on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Let the logs cool for 5 minutes, transfer carefully to a cutting board, and slice each log diagonally into approximately 12, 1 inch-thick pieces. Put the cookies back on the baking sheet and bake again for 5 minutes; turn the cookies over, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve the Espresso Pots de Creme with the Pistachio Biscotti on the side for dipping.

This dessert is so luxurious, light, silky and creamy, and relatively guilt-free in small portions. It also reminds me of another dessert favorite, Thomas Keller's Coffee & Doughnuts!