Fast Food: Mustard Caper Pork Chops

This is one of my favorite fast food dinners and a nice way to end a blustery autumn day.  Start to finish, this takes about thirty minutes but looks much fancier.  Sear the pork while the vegetables steam and you set the table.   Dress the squash with a pat of butter and brown sugar.   Enjoy.

Tomorrow night Skogen Lane comes alive with ghost and ghoulies.  Our neighbors host a soup and bread dinner and off we go as witches (2) and a skeleton and Ariel.  I suspect folks will wonder if we’ve kidnapped the little mermaid.  We’ll pillage and trick, prowl and treat and end the night at a bonfire with champagne for the grown ups and a candy free-for-all for the kiddies.

Happy Halloween!

 

Pork Chops with Mustard Caper Sauce

From: Food and Wine magazine. This is a fast and easy weeknight dinner that is impressive enough for company.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 -9 ounce pork loin chops

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 ½ cups chicken stock

1/3 cup drained capers

½ teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat until well browned, 5 minutes per each side. Transfer the pork chops to a large late and cover loosely with foil.

Add the stock, capers and chopped rosemary to the skillet and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about five minutes. Return the pork chops to the pan and simmer until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the chops to 4 plates. Whisk the mustard and butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mustard-caper sauce over the chops and serve.

Most Amazing Ginger Molasses Cookies

Crisp and crinkly on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside.  These are the cookies I’ve been seeking to duplicate since the day I discovered them in a tiny (long gone) French bakery cafe in Seattle.

 

 

 

It was one of those perfect spring days with fresh new buds on all the trees, blue skies and a ticklish wind from Elliot Bay.  Had there been a musical soundtrack an accordion would be playing.  I wore a skirt and boots and a sweater, walking along Western Avenue to Pike Place Market.  This was long before the Harbor Steps, before the high rise apartments. 

A scent, spicy and sweet flooded the street. Helpless to resist, I followed.   I’d never tasted molasses cookies before and that day was a revelation.  Layers of flavor; the initial heat from the ginger, followed by plush sweetness of brown sugar and then the dark richness of molasses.   It seemed exotic as Morocco as comforting as home.  A heady combination.

It took me a long time to find this recipe because I thought I was looking for a molasses cookie when what I really wanted was a ginger cookie.  I present to you the Most Amazing Ginger Molasses cookies.

 

The Most Amazing Ginger Cookie

2 ¼ cups All-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg

3 ounces crystallized ginger, chopped.

granulated sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients (flour-salt) in a large bowl. Whisk until well mixed.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine brown sugar and butter, mix well then add the oil and molasses. Mix well then add the egg and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in the crystallized ginger.

Scoop mixture and shape into a ball then roll in the granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly with your finger. Bake for 10-12 minutes depending on how soft you like the interior. Let cool. These keep well in a sealed jar and taste even better the second day. Enjoy.

 

BBA Challenge #6 Casateillo

It rained so hard yesterday that I, a Pacific Northwest Native, had to actually USE an umbrella.  No swinging it along beside as I stroll jauntily along…this was unrelenting, pounding, bounce off the pavement rain.  And I loved it. 

I love the sound of rain, especially in the woods where it changes from pavement's strident ping to a soft, gentle patter.  The woods come alive with sound and I can almost feel the trees rejoicing and whispering thanks. 

Another thing I love about rain is that it’s an excuse…can’t garden; too rainy.  Was going to make a Costco run…too rainy.  Better just sit here in front of the fire with a good book until the rain stops.

So I grabbed Peter Reinhardt's Bread Baker’s Apprentice and got comfy.  One can only sit so long in front of the fire when thumbing through a gloriously photographed baking book before they leap from the couch, toss off the blanket and head for the kitchen to make bread.

Casateillo, BBA Challenge #6 is an Italian version of brioche.  Traditionally it’s made in panettone wrappers and studded with meat and cheese.  It’s often seen at Easter in Italy and on rainy days here in the Pacific Northwest.  I filled mine with salami and provolone—Mr. Reinhardt says to let it cool for an hour before slicing  (like that’s going to happen?!) but I risked his displeasure and cut it open after about 6 minutes and was rewarded with a steamy cloud of fresh bread goodness and shiny bits of provolone melting on the knife.

If rain brings you down the smell of baking bread will cheer you up.   I tell you this because I just checked the weather and it’s going to rain for the next ten days and we all might want to make some plans.  Hey, don’t shoot the messenger.

 

Pots of Peppers

Pressing Concord Grapes

One of the great things about this island is the way people make room for you in their lives. With a new school come new friendships and  I’ve been so fortunate to meet some wonderful women, two of whom invited me to come watch grape pressing last week. 

These are organic Concord grapes grown in Eastern Washington.  My hostess, Rhonda made grape pressing look easy.  When I arrived the pressing pot was already steaming away as she dropped in the washed grapes.

Then she made lunch and tea for us, all the while looking like a million bucks in a kitchen apron.  It’s hard to like a gal like Rhonda but she’s so very nice that we have to overlook her stunning looks and kitchen cool and be friends.  I decided this before she gave me three bars of freshly made soap—yes; the woman makes her own soap and it looks and smells like something you’d be happy to pay a fortune for at a pricey boutique. 

The grapes have steamed for about 15 minutes and are beginning to sweat and split.  Juice has appeared in the spigot at the base of the pressing pot. 

The final product is midnight purple, so dark it’s almost black.  Rhonda poured the hot juice into hot jars, fitted with hot lids.  She inverted the jar for 15 seconds to seal.

We tasted the juice fresh from the steamer.  Rich and deeply concentrated it tasted just like a grape warmed by the sun.  I have three jars of this precious stuff and I’m making grand plans for grape jelly, grape popsicles and grape sorbet.  Thank you Rhonda and Carlyn for including me in your afternoon.  Cheers!

Foolproof Pie Crust with Vodka

Is there anything more stressful in baking than pie crust?  After years of making truly awful pie crust I decided to take the bull by the horns and learn from an expert. 

I realized, after being barked at by the drill sergeant of an instructor who, by the way, hadn’t ever heard of a food processor and made us cut the fat and flour together with table knives!,(which may be useful if I become a contestant on some sort of reality show set in a 1950’s kitchen), where my problem(s) lay (or lie…or lies?):

1.  Your ingredients must be stone cold.
2.  You must work fast! (lest your cold ingredients get too cozy and melt together like two starlets in a bad film).

Doesn’t that seem a teensy bit stressful?

Now, I’m not one to embrace stress and pressure while I bake and you shouldn’t either so take my advice and try this:

Measure all of your dry ingredients, including the fat into the bowl of a food processor.  Then put the whole thing, bowl and all into the fridge.  Make yourself a cup of tea, browse the internet…update your Facebook…relax.  Baking pie should not be stressful.  When a good half hour has passed pour yourself a shot of vodka and a glass of ice water and get your chilled ingredients out of the fridge and back onto the food processor. 

Now, I know you think I’m taking the relaxing too far with the booze and you’d be wrong; I heartily believe in cooking with booze but sometimes, like now,  it’s not for me…It’s for the crust.  Vodka adds liquid without adding water, making your crust supple and then it bakes up flaky as a redhead at the beach, when all that alcohol evaporates.  I learned this from Cooks Illustrated magazine and if you want all the scientific hoo-ha that explains this miracle of baking then read this.

Anyhow…Put the lid on and pulse 9 times.  Toss in the water and the vodka and pulse four times or until a ball forms,  Do not overwork!  We want to see fat pearls in the dough; if it is all one uniform color it’s been processed too long.


Lay some plastic wrap on the counter, plop the dough onto the wrap, form into a ball, wrap and return to the fridge.  I like to split the dough into two balls, press each into a 5 inch circle and then wrap and chill.  This will give you a head start on rolling nice circles later.  Total time out of the fridge…about thirty seconds. 
Take that Sergeant Major.

The dough can rest thirty minutes to a week depending on your schedule.  Now, does it get any more relaxing than that?

Foolproof Pie Dough

Adapted from:  Cooks Illustrated Magazine
2 1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup  shortening, cut into 6 pieces
1/4 cup vodka, chilled. Extra for you if needed.
1/4 cup ice water

Measure flour, salt and sugar into food processor bowl and whirl once or twice to blend.  Add butter and shortening but do not process.  Place in fridge for minimum 30 minutes.  You can leave it as long as you want or until you can’t stand working around the humongous food processor bowl in your fridge.  Then follow the instructions above.(feel free to pour a shot for yourself if you’re having a bad day.)

Beach Weekend Wild Mushroom Bleu Cheese Tart

On beach weekends we all get to do what we want and for me that means lots of cooking.  The trip to our family cabin at Copalis Beach takes about three hours but we break it up with lots of stops including the Farmer’s Market coop in Hoquiam where we buy what's fresh and local.  This time we got Chanterelle mushrooms, Bosc Pears, elephant garlic and greens.  If you visit Grays Harbor County stop for some fresh baked pies and bread, artisanal sausage from local razor clams and all sorts of hand crafted food and wearables. From there we headed beachward noting the reds and golds of autumn along the way.

I’ve been experimenting with pie crust, my latest effort tightly wrapped in the cooler along with some leftover crème fraiche and a chunk of blue cheese.  I’d planned for a caramelized pear tart when I packed, but the mushrooms inspired a savory custard topped with blue cheese sprinkles.  It turned out better than I could have imagined and sliced pears were the perfect palate primer.

Try these with your favorite Merlot or a great big Cabernet.

 

Wild Mushroom Tart

makes four mini tarts

 

Pastry dough

1/2 pound fresh Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced

1 small shallot, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup crème fraiche

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons Blue cheese sprinkles

salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Press your favorite pie crust into four mini tartlet pans.  Chill for fifteen minutes then remove from fridge, pierce bottom crust with a fork, line with foil and fill with pie weights (I use rice) and bake for fifteen minutes.  Remove foil and bake ten more minutes or until golden brown.  This is called blind baking.

While your crusts are baking prepare the tart filling.  Sauté mushrooms, shallot and thyme over medium high heat.  Add a bit of salt and the mushrooms will release their liquid.  Cook until liquid has evaporated, reducing heat as needed (five to seven minutes).  Set aside and make custard.

In a separate bowl whisk crème fraiche, cream and egg until blended.  Add parmesan cheese. 

Layer 1/4 of the mushroom mixture in each crust and cover with 1/4 of the custard mix.  Sprinkle each tart with 1/2 tablespoon of blue cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes until custard is set and puffy. 

Cook top Smoked Salmon and Salmon Chowder

I’m off to the beach to dig some some razor clams.  My family has a small cottage in Copalis Beach and this weekend is the first tide of the clam season.    Oyster stew is already on the menu and I can’t wait to see what else...  But before I go I promised I’d tell you how to smoke salmon on your cook top.

Yes, you can smoke salmon even if you don’t have a smoker.  This summer I was at EVOO Cooking School in Cannon Beach Oregon enjoying a wonderful smoked salmon chowder.  The smoked salmon was so perfectly cooked and seasoned, I knew it had to be smoked in house so I asked to see his smoker set up.  Chef Bob swept his hands across his cook top and there it was…the method by which all of us can smoke our own salmon.

  

Here’s how he does it:

Chef Bob suggesting using a roasting pan with a lid but any high sided pan will do. 

Line the bottom of the pan with smoker chips.  Place your brined, glazed-over salmon on a wire cooling rack on top of the chips.  Cover. 

if you don’t have a pan lid, you can use foil as long as it does not touch the fish; the smoke needs to be able to circulate. If using foil, press tightly around the edges of the pan leaving a small opening in one corner so you can tell when the chips begin to smoke.

Set heat to high and watch carefully.  When you see smoke, reduce heat to low and count to ten.  Turn heat off and count to ten again.  Take pan outdoors and remove lid to release smoke.  Yep, that’s it…twenty seconds.

Place salmon; still on wire rack, on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator for two hours.  Do not cover.  This allows the flavor to develop and any bitterness from the smoke to dissipate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook salmon for 10-15 minutes until the inside registers 145 degrees.  (Don't take it out at 140 intending for the temp to rise on the counter as you would with meat).

By the way, Chef Bob does all the catering for Northwest Women’s Surf Camps.  A little extra planning and you can learn to surf and have a cooking lesson too.   My Food Friday mates and I are planning a road trip to Cannon Beach to do exactly that in the spring (right, H?).  Want to come along?

Here’s Bob’s recipe for Smoked Salmon Chowder.  I had this last summer and just writing about it makes my mouth water.  Really, how could he go wrong?  He’s put all of my favorite things; butter, cream and smoked salmon together for a luscious chowder that was as perfect on a sunny day in July as it will be on a stormy afternoon in October.   The coriander delivers a pleasant but surprising tap on the taste buds and sets this soup apart from all others.

 

Smoked Salmon Chowder

4 ounces butter (one stick)

6 ounces onions, fine mince

3 ounces celery, fine mince

3 ounces carrot, fine mince

6 ounces potatoes, small dice

1 ounce ver jus*

1 ½ cups half and half cream

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces smoked salmon, flaked

to taste: sea salt, ground pepper and coriander

3 tablespoons chives, minced

Place butter in a large sauté pan and cook until melted and frothy; add onions, celery, carrots; cook until translucent; add potatoes and ver jus; cook for 5 minutes, stirring well, being careful not to break up vegetables; add both creams and bring to a simmer; cook for 15 minutes on moderate heat, being careful not to boil; adjust seasonings; fold in salmon and cook for 5 minutes; finish with chives and serve.

*For substitution ideas check out Chowhound

Smoked Salmon

 

About a month ago a reader requested I post a blog about smoking salmon.  I’ve been wanting to smoke salmon for a while but I got into my head that I had to catch the salmon first.  It just seemed more authentic that way.

I’ve caught salmon before but always with my dad and once by accident on Ellos.  To brush up my skills I attended a fishing clinic at Cabellas where I purchased the right hooks, lines and sinkers (er… downrigger balls) to assure my success.  I learned how to brine herring (something I hope to never have to do in real life), I won (by being the highest bidder but don’t tell my husband he thinks I actually won it) a tackle box filled with gear at my kid’s school auction.  My dad bought me a book and taught me how to tie hooks and set up leaders.  I bought a boat (okay that part’s not really true, we already owned the boat.)

My dad, the guy who can coax fish into the boat like the pied piper, and proof that I caught a fish, once.

 

And then I went fishing.  It was a beautiful sunny morning when we left Port Madison but the further we moved out of the bay the foggier it became.  We fished for about twenty minutes before fog obscured the shore, our signal that we needed to turn back.  In that twenty minutes I lost the downrigger ball ($30!) and the Ferry Wenatchee rammed the dock at Bainbridge (just so you know…it was REALLY foggy).

Next trip; the weather looked dicey but we headed out anyway.  Within minutes the rain was sleeting sideways and we’d zipped ourselves into the cockpit.  I got one bite and by the time I lost the fish I was soaked to the skin.  We turned back…

Next trip; E and J bickered the whole time we navigated Port Madison.  By the time we got to Fay Bainbridge, the bickering had turned to blows and tears…we turned back.

On Sunday my neighbor gave me some salmon, bless his heart.  I still intend to catch the big one, but for now, I’ll just figure out how to smoke them.

This is my dad’s recipe, one he’s used for thirty years.  He coached me through the whole process from brining to preparing the chips to smoking and I’m pretty impressed with the result.  Moist, silky, vibrant orange flesh with a solid flake and great balance of smoke, salt and seasoning.  Delicious.

I used a smoker but Chef Bob at EVOO cooking school in Cannon Beach, Oregon smokes his right on his cook top and in tomorrow’s blog I’ll tell you how.

 

Smoked Salmon

1 quart water, distilled or bottled without chlorine or let sit overnight so the chlorine dissipates

½ cup non-iodized salt

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic flakes

2-3 pounds of salmon, filleted with pin bones removed.

Wood chips for smoking

Prepare brine by mixing all ingredients together until salt and sugar are dissolved. Brine overnight (8-10 hours) for thicker pieces like those at the head of the fish and four hours for smaller pieces like the tail section.

Remove from brine and run under cold water to wash. Let sit, skin side down until the fish glazes over (30 minutes to 2 hours). Prepare smoker racks with Pam spray or brush with oil. Place pieces, skin side down with the larger pieces closer to heat.

Smoke for four hours at low heat (120-150 degrees). You’ll use a pan of chips an hour so prepare four pans of chips.

Rotate after 2 hours. Fish may not be cooked through but can be finished in the oven at 200 degrees for about an hour. Check smaller pieces early.

Let cool in pan to prevent sticking and retain moisture.

 

The sticky matte finish is glazing; this fillet is ready for the smoker

 

 

Slow cooked at low temperature 

Elwha River Bridge Walk and Wine Weekend

Midway along the Olympic Peninsula, just west of Port Angeles the newly constructed Elwha bridge and river walk opened last weekend.  On the last glorious day of our Indian summer we peered down into the clear water from the bridge and watched salmon make their final journey upriver.

The bridge is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail that will one day span the Olympic Peninsula from the Pacific Ocean at Lapush to historic Port Townsend.  For pictures of the bridge’s construction and a scenic bonus, click here.

Now this may be a little known fact…but who knew that Port Angeles hosted some really great wineries? 

If you make the trip to see the bridge you may want to stop for some refreshment along the way. I’ve visited Olympic Cellars many times and can guarantee a warm welcome and friendly tasting room.  On my last visit I bought a rhinestone studded t-shirt from their great, girly boutique.  (Perhaps one should not drink and shop at the same time?)   You’ll find the century old barn that houses the winery on your left just east of Port Angeles.   We missed Camaraderie Cellars on this visit but enjoyed basking by the outdoor fire with a big hearty Malbec on our last visit.  I’ve heard great things about Harbinger Winery and its on the top of our list for the upcoming Passport Wine Tour November 14th and 15th and you’ll pass right by it on your way to the bridge.

If you go:  It takes about an hour and a half to get to Port Angeles and the leaf peeping is lovely. This is an easy day trip but if you want to stay over both Port Angeles and Sequim have a wide variety of B&B’s and hotels.   Olympic Cellars is open daily from 11-5; Harbinger Winery is open daily from 11-6 pm and Sunday from 11-5 pm.  You’ll need to make a reservation to visit Camaraderie.

To get to the bridge travel from Port Angeles on highway 101 west.  Take a right on Laird Road go about 1/2 mile and take a left on Elwha River Road.  Turn left onto Crown Z Water Road for parking.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay.  The glamour just never ends.  I am officially a soccer mom.  Today it’s our turn to bring a snack and these were J’s request.  Would write more about how fabulously moist and flavorful these are but must go find missing soccer shoe.  Enjoy.

 

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips. Fill greased mini-muffin pans with one tablespoon of mix.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until done.

Makes 48 mini-muffins. 

BBA Challenge #5 Brioche

These are amazingly, deliriously, fabulous.  Three minutes before the first batch emerged from the oven, the house was suffused with irresistible smells…my mouth actually watered and it was all I could do not to snatch them right off the baking sheet.

  

I lasted the three minutes until the timer went off but then all bets were off.  I thought the half pound of butter that went into this dough was sinfully decadent but somehow I got seduced but the thought of butter melting into a piping hot brioche and popped open a fresh jar of strawberry balsamic jam:

 

Better than any brioche I have ever eaten… in a bakery… in France…anywhere.  Really.  Truly .  Rich, buttery, flaky and light.  The recipe made 16 brioches a tête (that’s French for mini-brioches) and I’m just not sure that’s going to be enough.  I’ve already given away half of them ‘cause I’m so darn proud and such a show off.

It’s night and the kids are in bed.  I’m tempted to make another batch so I can have warm brioche in the morning.  Hold on there… Reality check.  I’ll have to get up at 4:30 to give them time to rise before breakfast…but still…

All right.  This is the fifth bread in the BBA Challenge.  We’re using Peter Reinhardt's wonderful book The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread as a text.  If you want the recipe you’ve got to buy the book.  If you’ve got the book and want some cliffs notes, read on:

 

First I made a sponge and let it sit for 45 minutes.  When it was ready, it looked like this:

I added five lightly beaten eggs and whirled them round in my Kitchen Aid until they blended:

Then I added the flour.  Usually my mixer starts to whine about now but this is a sticky and light dough and my KA handled it easily.

After adding butter the dough takes on a silky texture. 

The dough is so full of eggs and butter it has to be quite cold to form.  Refrigerate for four hours before shaping your brioche.

These brioche pans are so pretty I just had to add a gratuitous picture.  Mostly I was glad to find them after storing them for two years in anticipation of making brioche someday. The small print says MADE IN FRANCE which helps me pretend I’m Julia Child.

I recommend shaping the dough into balls then refrigerate again before the final forming.  Peter Reinhardt has a great picture tutorial in his book on shaping.  I used method number two to get this signature form.

Let rise for an hour and a half then brush with egg wash.  My dough had trouble keeping a perky ball on top.  I tried three different methods but the result was the same each time.  Still, it’s so pretty I could kiss it!

 

Smoked Salmon Cornmeal Blini with Homemade Crème Fraiche

My daughter’s preschool just had the annual back to school parent social that we call Autumn Gathering.  For the past few years I’ve helped create the dinner menu and then a team of talented cooks from the parent community prepare and present the food.  The salmon blini were just a small part of the wonderful dinner.

Autumn Gathering 2009

 

Homemade Crème Fraiche

The key to this luscious appetizer is the crème fraiche.  I make mine at home by mixing 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup of sour cream.  Cover and let sit overnight or until thick, then refrigerate.  The longer it sits in the fridge the more flavorful it becomes.  For this recipe I used tangy Mexican style sour cream, a new product from Darigold.

Makes 2 cups.

Cornmeal Pancakes

You can use either Kathy Casey’s Cornmeal bites recipe or spend fifty cents on a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix and follow the directions for corn pancakes on the side of the box adding a tablespoon of chopped chives. You can make the pancakes in advance just make sure they’re cool before you store them in an airtight container.  Separating the layers with wax paper is a good idea.

Makes 25 blini

Smoked Salmon Cornmeal Blini

makes 25 pieces

1/2 pound smoked salmon, broken into bite sized pieces

25 capers

Fresh dill

1/2 cup crème fraiche

25 half dollar sized pancakes

Assemble on the serving tray:  Place a dollop of crème fraiche on the pancake, center a piece of smoked salmon then garnish with a caper and a dill sprig.  Serve immediately.