Pancakes, Meetups and the Man in the Mirror

Let's start with something good. The Compote de Pommes leftover from yesterday made for some excellent Cran-Applesauce Buttermilk Pancakes this morning! I usually have yogurt for breakfast, but get a craving for a heartier breakfast like pancakes every now and then. Pancakes with butter only, and a few sausage links. I talked myself out of the sausage and still really enjoyed these on their own - very light and fluffy, sweetened just enough by the chunky cran-applesauce, and a nice tanginess from the buttermilk. I used Martha's recipe for Apple-Buttermilk Pancakes. Trapper scored the stack with syrup.

Okay, now for the not-so-good.

I joined two San Diego Meetup groups recently to get out and meet more people with similar interests. I joined a food and wine group, and a photography group, because I need to get off the island more and explore new restaurants, and I would also like to explore new areas with my camera.

My first 'foodie' Meetup was at Stone Brewing's newest location - Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Liberty Station. I've been sampling a few craft beers since writing my article on Coronado Brewing Company and I thought this would be a good opportunity to sample a few more, meet some people, and try out a new place for dinner.  The "event" was advertised as a celebration party for the publication of The San Diego Brewery Guide, the first comprehensive guide to more than 70 breweries in San Diego County. Our Meetup group was allotted 10 RSVP tickets for only $5 each. We were told we would "walk the tasting together and talk about beer... Stone Brewing would be tapping vintage and barrel-aged versions of Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine dating back to 2004...and after we finished the tasting, we could all have dinner together in Stone's awesome beer garden (I knew dinner was not included in the price)...the perfect night out!" Well, not quite.

I was the first to arrive. I have this thing about being on time to events. The hostess directed me outside to the Astroturf area where there was a rack displaying San Diego Brewery Guides. The author and his female assistant stood behind the table. I chatted with them for a minute and explained I was waiting for my group to arrive. A few others mingled around and I asked one of the men about the event and where the tastings were being held. Somehow, I expected a tour of the brewery and tastings of various beers, included for the price of my RSVP ticket. Silly me. 

The rest of the Meetup group, all five of them, eventually arrived. We were all quite disappointed in what was offered at the "party" and I'm still at a loss about why I had to buy a $5 ticket for this event. Other than being entered in a raffle for who knows what, and being told I would be notified by e-mail if I won, I had the privilege of purchasing the $16.95 guide at a special 3 for $30 price. No thanks. There were tastings of vintage and barrel-aged barley wine offered, but only if you walked up to the main bar, ordered, and paid $5 each. There was no tour, but I was free to walk around the garden like everyone else.

I had a tasting of the 2007 vintage and agreed to go have dinner with the group and talk about beer and food pairings. The menu already had suggested pairings for each food item. Our Meetup leader ordered a few tasting flights with extra glasses. Quite frankly, I wasn't fond of any of the beers. I ordered two items from the Taste section of the menu: Carlsbad Mussels with Stone Cali-Belgique IPA, garlic, chilies and cilantro, and Fried Brussels sprouts with Pedro Ximenez sweet & sour and pancetta. I didn't care for either. The mussels were much too spicy and the Brussels sprouts extremely sweet. "The perfect night out" cost me $50, for average beer and average, overpriced food. 

To cap off the evening, I went to the ladies' room on the way out. When I went to wash my hands, I looked up to where a mirror should have been, above the sink, and met the stare of a man, washing his hands on the opposite side of the sink, in the men's room. Too weird. I think I'll go back to drinking wine and hope I have something more exciting to share after my photography Meetup next weekend.

Missing Diver - Finding Comfort from Friends and Blueberry Pancakes

It was a year ago today, when we received that 1:00 a.m., gut-wrenching call from the vet telling us that Diver, our 3-year-old Newfoundland, had just gone into cardiac arrest. Not knowing how he suddenly became sick, and not being able to be by his side, still breaks my heart.

Our early morning walks to coffee have never been the same, and people still stop and ask, "didn't you have two?"

Diver loved to put his front paws up on the bench in front of Starbucks for hugs

We're grateful to have Dooley, at 12 1/2 years old, and cherish every moment we can spend with him. I know he misses Diver, too.

Dooley, on Saturday, hanging out in the front yard while we worked in the garden

On Saturday morning, I had a craving for blueberry pancakes.  As I stood at the stove, with thoughts of Diver weighing heavily on my mind, Pammy and Archie walked up the back steps. Pammy is Diver's Fairy Dogmother, and her timing couldn't have been better.

We're thankful for a friend like Pammy, and Dooley's thankful for a friend like Archie.

***

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Food Network

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, plus some for the skillet
2 cups fresh blueberries
Warm maple syrup for serving

Preheat an oven to 200ºF. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet and put in the oven.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, incorporating into a lumpy batter. Overmixing results in flat, heavy pancakes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Grease the skillet lightly with butter. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake (three pancakes fit comfortably in my large skillet; the batter is thick, but will spread out as the pancakes cook. Scatter 6-8 blueberries over the top of each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flip pancakes over with a spatula, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Transfer the cooked pancakes to the rack and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Makes about 12 pancakes; serves 4.

***

We think of you all the time, Goofy-boy, and miss you so much

Daybreak at Del Mar, Pumpkin Waffles for Breakfast, and Coffee for Dinner

Daybreak at Del Mar, truly one of the highlights of the Del Mar racing season. Early risers have the opportunity to watch the morning workouts while enjoying breakfast, track side, on the Clubhouse Terrace.

On Saturday morning, John and I left the Island a little past 6, and arrived at the track just as the sun was breaking through the marine layer. Although I love the glamour of the Turf Club, the thrill of the race, and the excitement of cashing in a winning ticket, it's a very unique and special experience to watch these incredibly beautiful and magnificent thoroughbreds in the early morning calm of this picturesque seaside track.

After taking over 700 photos, we returned home and made our own breakfast...Pumpkin Waffles, a recipe from Gourmet, and made famous locally by San Diego's Cafe 222.

Pumpkin Waffles
Gourmet, November 2000

Measure all of the following ingredients into a medium bowl

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Whisk to combine

In a large bowl, whisk 4 eggs until blended. Then, whisk in 1 cup milk, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup canned solid-packed pumpkin, and 6 tablespoons butter (melted) until smooth.


Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron, spreading quickly. I was a bit overzealous with the batter on this one!

And this one was a little shy on batter.

Transfer waffles to rack in a 250 degree F oven to keep warm and crisp. Serve waffles with butter and warm, pure maple syrup, sausage patties, and orange juice. I didn't use them this time, but a sprinkling of toasted pecans is also a nice topping for the waffles.

Our Sunday didn't go as well as our Saturday.

Unfortunately, Diver, our 2-year-old Newfoundland, became suddenly ill on Sunday morning. We spent most of day at an emergency veterinary hospital and, as a result, did not make it to Concert in the Park for our scheduled Challenge Coffee culinary battle.

The veterinarians have been unable to come up with an answer as to why our boy's rear leg and foot became severely swollen and infected. The first impression was a snake bite, but we don't have snakes in Coronado. The latest suspicion is a spider bite, maybe from one of the Recluses found in CA.

Thankfully, he is doing much better with high doses of antibiotics, pain killers, and daily vet re-checks. Poor boy, it's just heartbreaking when he looks up at you with his soft brown eyes and you can feel his pain.

After things settled down a little on Sunday evening, I went ahead and made my Espresso Crusted Filet Mignon and Gorgonzola Crostini. I found this recipe, by Marc Bruzzio, for Espresso Crusted Filet with Gorgonzola Sauce, and planned on adapting it for something more suitable for a picnic in the park. It turned out quite nice and would have been perfect. Sorry gang, I would have loved to share it with you.

Espresso Crusted Filet Mignon and Gorgonzola Crostini

2 8 oz. filet mignons
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 cup instant espresso
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 French baguette, thinly sliced

Season filets on both sides with salt and pepper. Mix together espresso and cayenne pepper. Coat all sides of filet with mixture.

In a sauce pan, saute minced shallots in about 2 tablespoons olive oil, until translucent and fragrant. Add thyme and stir for about 30 seconds. Add wine and stir for 1 minute, and then add the crumbled Gorgonzola, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir constantly until thick and reduced by half. Transfer to bowl and let cool, then refrigerate until ready to use.

To prepare the crostini, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the bread on both sides with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until crusty and brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Turn once about halfway through cooking.

For the filets, add 4 tablespoons olive oil to saute pan. Heat the oil, add the filets, and sear about 1 minute on each side. Place the filets on a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes. Tent with foil, let rest 5 minutes, and slice.

To serve, spread the chilled Gorgonzola on the crostini and top with a slice of filet.

For dessert, I made David Lebovitz' Tiramisu Ice Cream, from The Perfect Scoop

This would not have traveled very well to the park as it's a very soft ice cream and should be eaten directly out of the freezer. The flavors are wonderful, especially the brandy! I cooked my Espresso Ripple a little too long, and it was slightly crunchy in the ice cream. I also added some leftover caramel when I layered in the ripple.

Tiramisu Ice Cream with Espresso Ripple

2 cups Mascarpone cheese
1 cup half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur, such as Kahlua
3 tablespoons brandy or dark rum
Espresso Ripple (recipe below)

Puree the Mascarpone, half-and-half, sugar, salt, liqueur, and brandy together in a blender or food processor until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. As you remove it from the machine, alternate layers of Mocha Ripple with the ice cream in the storage container.

For the Espresso Ripple:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup strongly brewed espresso
6 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, corn syrup, espresso, and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to bubble at the edges. Continue to whisk until it just comes to a low boil. Cook for 1minute, whisking frequently. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let cool. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

The Espresso Ripple should be thoroughly chilled. Just before you remove the ice cream from the machine, spoon some of the espresso ripple onto the bottom of the storage container. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, layer generous spoonfuls of the sauce between layers of ice cream. Avoid stirring the Ripple, as it will make the ice cream muddy looking.

Get well soon, Diver Dog. We love you.