Sunday, November 29, 2015

Back at it again, my friends!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We decided (gasp!) to out to dinner for Thanksgiving this year.  I've been cooking a lot lately and wanted to be waited on for a change.  :-).  I can't remember the last time we went out for Thanksgiving dinner, although I know we have.  We went to a restaurant called Bricks that has been open for many years now.  Jordan, Janell (my sister) and I dined on turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans.  Janell and I had butternut squash soup as a started (quite good) and finished with pumpkin pie.  Jordan had short ribs-not much of a turkey guy!

My family is coming up from Southern California for Christmas so I'll be doing plenty of cooking then.  Haven't decided whether to have beef or ham or turkey for Christmas.  I am leaning toward a New York roast......

I have a large catering job on Friday, December 4th for one of the medical offices here in Reno (their Christmas party for 50+).  They have ordered appetizers, turkey AND ham, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots and two different desserts.  Quite the party!  This particular doctor is very generous!

The next week I have a catering job for a Ladies Book Club.  I made them dinner last year and they asked me to do it again this year.  I was asked to cater a dinner party the same night but had to turn it down!  Hard to believe I was asked to do two events in one day.  (I know, a good problem to have!)

I am working on a new project that involves making filled waffles out of puff pastry-good stuff!

The fillings so far have been Baked Italian Omelette, ham and gruyere with a spot of strawberry jam and of course, chocolate.  The filling possibilities are endless!  I'll keep you posted.  

I made another Rose Frasier cake for a client.  Not difficult to do but it has many steps to it.  Apparently the women in his office LOVE this cake, lol.  I've made it several times for them and it is generally gone before lunch!

  

You take a sponge cake flavored with rose water (or rose extract), split it in half, fill it with fresh strawberries (notice the decorative placement of halved strawberries around the edges) then fill in the excess space with a pastry cream and a voile!)  The blueberries are an added request from my friend.

It's a recipe out of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, "Baking Chez Moi".  I was gifted this book last Christmas by a friend.  I must admit, on looking through the cookbook for the first time, I felt like Julie in Julie and Julia, the movie about the woman who took a year and made every recipe in Julia Child's French cookbook, blogging about it the entire year.  I wanted to make EVERYTHING in the book!  It all looks so yummy.  And how can you go wrong with Dorie's recipes?!  Needless to say, I have not baked everything but have made quite a few things out of "Baking Chez Moi."  I'll keep working ont it-lofty goal that it is.  

I am about to begin baking for Christmas, both cookies and candy, both of which I sell during the Holiday season.  I make a toffee I call "Simply Crackers Toffee" and currently it is being carried by Wedge Cheese Shop here in Reno.  Part of the crunch comes from crackers.  I originally used saltines but had many requests asking me to make it gluten free, so came up with a recipe using quinoa crispbreads.  Even the people who eat gluten thought it was better with the quinoa!  So, now that's all I use for this toffee and people seem to love it!  Who'd have thunk? 

I finished a new cookbook called "Crepes," which I hope to publish soon on Amazon Kindle.  It's at the editors right now.  Wish me luck!  What do you thing of the cover so far?  I think I am going to move the word "crepes" up to the top so it can be better seen.  I sent the .pdf to my niece to look at since she's the reason I wrote this in the first place and she loved it.  She read it in one sitting, lol.  I'll let you know when it's published.  

That's all for now-see you soon!  Bon Appetit!

November 15, 2015

Yikes!  I have been duly chastized for not keeping my blog up to date, so here I am, my friends!

Many changes over the last several months.  We bought a house, I took a part time nursing job in nearby Carson City but am still catering, and I have one personal chef client I still cook for weekly.

I spent the summer working away as a nurse, still in my per diem status, but working almost full time as there have been lots of staff changes at GIC.  They then offered me a part time job and I took it.  Nice people in Carson at GIC.

In August, I finally made a trip to Denver, Colorado to see all my culiinary friends.  I stayed at the Capitol Hill Mansion B&B where I lived while I was in culinary school (you can check out that adventure in my earlier blog entries).  Loved staying with Carl again!  I played guest chef for two days, making breakfast for the guests.  I had a blast!

In September, Jan, Jim, Jordan and myself (hmmm...I'm the only non-J name!) hosted our fifth (!) annual Farm-to-Table dinner at the Old 1862 Ranch.  We sold out again, which is always a relief but surely a blessing that after all this time, people still want to come out.  The first night got really cold once the sun went down.  No one stayed very late that night!  Unusual weather for September.  The second weekend we had gorgeous weather, and guests stayed and talked and talked.  It was just like having friends over for dinner!

Guests chose from three entrees: Osso Bucco Milanese, Butter Roasted Chicken with Roasted Vegetables or Fresh Papperedelle with Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce (vegetarian).  I am thinking of writing a second book to compliment the first farm-to-table book I wrote last year.  What do you think? A worthy undertaking?  The Farm-to-Table dinners are a lot of work but in the end, we enjoy putting them on.  And it's fun to see both old and new friends!

In October I catered three wedding receptions. (Have I told you how much I hate weddings?) I catered these particular weddings because they were friends and had asked long ago that I cook for their receptions.  Little did I know they were all in the same month!

For the first two weddings, I provided appetizers, salads and main courses.  The first bride's father is a pastry chef, so he made the wedding cake.  The second bride and groom wanted to use "Nothing Bundt Cakes".  Who am I to argue with that?!

I did, however, make the wedding cake for the third wedding reception.  This couple got married almost a year ago but decided to wait to have a wedding reception with their families.  They ran away to Vegas and got married by Elvis (yep, that's how they swing).  The third wedding reception was a Halloween party with a Halloween inspired wedding cake (and now I know why those bakeries charge an arm and a leg for cakes--they are VERY time consuming!!).  Wanna see the cake? (evil laugh here, hahahaha)

Before the blood.....

After the blood was added......

There is a candy coated "brain" from a mold sitting on top of the cake that is filled with chocolate mousse, as requested, I might add.  the cake itself is a marble cake (vanilla cake batter swirled with chocolate cake batter then baked).  I ended up "flinging" the "blood" at the cake and made quite the mess in the kitchen!  The couple was happy with the cake, and that is all that matters.

I have sworn off weddings from now on.  All my nieces are married, so I won't get swept up into any more family weddings!  Weddings are a LOT of work! Whew!

Now the Holidays are fast approaching.  I will be selling my toffee again at Wedge Cheese Shop in Midtown.  I will be selling it online as well.

I'm getting ready to bake a ham and a turkey for one of the local businesses tomorrow.  They will provide their own sides.  That seems fairly straight forward!

I have two Christmas parties booked for this Holiday season.  One for 75 people (office party), and one for ten people (a women's book club).  I'll let you know how they turn out!  

And, I'll be adding more recipes for you to try as well.  

So thanks for tuning back in and for checking up on me.  I'll see you soon!

May 10, 2015

Well, here I am again.  Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  Life has been quite busy--baking full time at Creme Cafe, cooking as a personal chef (albeit only once a week), baking desserts for Gas Lamp restaurant, working as a nurse AND helping Jordan with research on Wikipedia and WOEIDs.  Life has not slowed down much!

And did I mention I was just in Chicago to cater my neice's wedding??  For 240 people!!  The last of my brother's daughters, Ruthie, married JJ on April 25.  It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding (I know, I know, outdoors in April?!? in Chicago?!?) but it rained the day of the wedding and they had to move it indoors.  So there was Ruthie in her tea length wedding dress (a very practical girl) and blue rain boots she borrowed from her sister, lol.  She was beautiful, though!

The menu was almost a picnic type fare, with chips and salsa, deviled eggs, a veggie platter with dip as appetizers, then fried chicken, grilled brats, potato salad, cole slaw and fruit salad.  All she wanted for dessert, though, was waffle tacos!  Belgian waffles spread with Nutella, then filled with your choice of strawberries, bananas and/or blueberries. They were a hit, I must say (and I do make a mean waffle, lol)

It was nice spending time with my family again as well.  Even my Mom got to come out from So Cal (she didn't think she'd be able to make it).  A good time was had by all and I am now officially the favorite aunt (a status my youngest sister held until recently-just kidding).

Baking at Creme Cafe has been both fun and frustrating.  I usually make scones, croissants (plain and/or chocolate or almond), and coffee cake on a regular basis.  Creme also bakes for another restaurant called Sup (pronounced soup as the "u" usually has a German Umlaut over it-two dots).  So that means "Sup cookies", small chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, Lemon bars, Mississippi Mud bars and 7-Layer bars.  I also bake bread for the BLT sandwiches as well as English Muffins for our breakfast sandwich.  And of course, if someone wants just a plain English muffin, they are sold ala carte.  The frustrating part comes at the end of the week when there are baked goods left over because they didn't sell.  I get lots of compliments on my baking but all I want to say is "Then please BUY those great baked goods." (I try not to say that out loud, lol)

Tonight I finished making Zachary Golper's Orange-Bergamot Custard Tart with Rosemary Chocolate Ganache for one of my clients.  It looks lovely, don't you think?  And it's not too difficult.  I had to search for bergamot essential oil, though.  Found it at Whole Foods!  I'll get a chance to taste it tomorrow.  Yum!

Well, once again, I hope to be better at this blogging.  I really do enjoy writing, just don't seem to have as much time anymore!  Thanks for checking in on me!  

Bon Appetit!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Well I am back in Reno after two restful weeks on Maui.  When I left on Saturday, it was raining quite hard.  Makes it seem not so bad to have to leave, lol.

Sunday I caught up on some rest (it's the time differences that always get to me!) and worked on my book some more-editting.  Jordan and I stopped by Gas Lamp for a drink in the evening, more to see if they needed anything baked this week.  They said they were ok on desserts.

Today I was back at Creme Cafe, baking.  I made English muffins (the recipe on the King Arthur website is the best).  Wolferman's muffins here I come!

Then it was on to slider rolls (which are really dinner rolls but they are just the right size).  Beth says these slider rolls have become so popular that we are going to start marketing them in the near future.  You'll be able to by them by the dozen.  

Next was the no-knead bread I make from Jim Lahey's book "My Bread".  Really the best recipe I have found to date.  And so easy!  Just four ingredients-flour, yeast, salt and water.

Next on the list was Coconut Macaroons.  Always a hit-and they are gluten free!  I drizzled chocolate over the top just to dress them up a bit. 

I had three meetings in the afternoon (Creme related), then it was time to go home.  I am a nurse tomorrow, so I will sign off now so I can get some sleep!

Friday, February 13, 2015

As I went to bed last night, I heard such a ruckus outside.  Turns out the resort across the street decided to have fireworks!  I always enjoy them so got up to watch for a while.  Too noisy to go to bed anyway.

Tomorrow I go back to Reno-which is a good thing-but also said as my time on Maui has been very relaxing and quiet.  No demands.  Ah well.....back to reality, lol.

It was cloudy this morning but cleared enough to go to the beach today (likely my last trip there as it is raining as I write this and that rain is suppose to continue through tomorrow).  You can usually tell when a storm is coming to the islands-the wind picks up quite a bit.  If you happen to be sitting on the beach and the wind is blowing hard-you can get "sandblasted," or as we joke, you can have a microdermabration sesstion at no cost.  Still, a gorgeous day.  Lots more people here because of the long weekend.

Upon returning, it was time for lunch.  Chinese Chicken Salad today.  The recipe is from EatingWell. I've given you the link here so you can check it out if you are interested.  A nice sald for lunch anytime, a nice dinner salad in the summer.  

I spent the afternoon making one last meal for tomorrow (it will be after I leave).  Maple-Chili Pork Tenderloin with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.  An I made 2 dozen chocolate chip cookies.  Always good!  Did I take pictures? No, I forgot!  Not much of a food blogger, am I, lol?

I thought you'd like to see where I have been staying and see me working in the kitchen.  It really is a nice condo.  These are shots of the living room, dining area and kitchen.  There is a bedroom upstairs and then another one down on the first floor (where I stayed).  I am very lucky to have been able to come here these last two weeks!

Nice kitchen, aye?  It must have been remodeled because I have been in other kitchens in this complex and most of them are pretty dated.  The buildings are likely 30 years old (give or take).

We went out for dinner for my last day here to Montage, a lovely restaurant.  Everything was delicious!  From the Tempura Goat Cheese Balls to the Poppyseed Pound cake with Baisl Ice Cream. Wow!  Very cool.  I will leave you now as it is time for bed.  Here are some shots from tonight at Montage....

The Kapalua Butterfly

The view from our table looking out toward the ocean.

And of course, the Maui sunset......

Wish me safter journeys back to Reno tomorrow!  Aloha!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

We awoke to a cloudy day-guess you never know what is going to happen.  It's winter and there always seems to be a storm lurcking out there somewhere.  We are, after all, in the middle of the ocean.

After breakfast, we went to the beach (not a hard decision, lol).  I have yet to check out the pool area here.  I decided I was going to try boogie-boarding.  I haven't done it in a long time and although I was scared (have you seen how big some of those waves are?!), I decided I did not want to skip anything just because I was afraid.  So out came the boogie board and I carried it down to the beach.  I sat on the beach a good long while until I realized I shouldn't put it off any longer.  I walked across the beach and into the water....

I think I was waiting for the most opportune time (which was not going to happen, lol, as the waves just kept coming), but eventually got the courage to put the board into the water and get on it.

After several attempts to balance myself on the board, I finally got out a little ways into the water.  It's a little frightening when one second you are in ankle deep water and the next the water is up to your waist because a wave rolled in!  I let the water carry me out but I was tossed around a lot and ended up scraping my toes on the rocks that run in ribbons in the sand under water.  I can't imagine walking on those volcanic rocks.  I was finally out deep enough that I could turn around and glide back to shore.  The undertow here is SO strong.  There are no lifeguards on any of the beaches here so you enter at your own risk.  

So in I rode.  I tried boogie boarding and lived to tell about it (she says very dramatically).  Don't have to do it again.  The beach in this section is very wild, not calm like the beach in Ka'anapali, which is why it is lovely to come and sit on the beach but never really get in the water.  Still, I was quite pleased with myself that I hadn't chickened out!

Back to the condo and time for a shower and lunch.  Lunch today was a Shrimp and Cucumber Salad.  Boil some shrimp (3-4 jumbo shrimp per person) and let it cool.  Dice 1/2 a peeled, seeded cucumber.  Toss both the shrimp and the cucumber with a lemon vinaigrette (very simple: lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper), place it on salad and serve.  What could be easier?  I was feeling particularly artistic today and so made a flower out of my spinach before loading up the plate with shrimp and cucumber.

I spent the afternoon chosing photos and wording for the back of my print cookie cookbook.  I chose a saying from the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street.  I thought a little humor might be appropriate, lol.  A monster after my own heart!  :)

I also looked at recipes and otherwise just put my feet up.  I was looking for a dessert recipe using coconut milk.  I found one for Coconut Chocolate Mousse.  I had all the ingredients and beat the coconut milk the appropriate time, but it never really whipped.  The author said that might happen and to just try another brand.  Maybe I will try again, maybe not.  Like I said yesterday, I am not sure why I have this facination with alternative milks, etc.  The mix still tasted really good, so I decided to put it in the freezer and call it a frozen dessert.  Sounds good, doesn't it?

Dinner was Caramelized Wild Mushrooms Ragu with Pecorino Polenta and Truffled Mascarpone.  OMG good, guys!

For the Polenta:

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup dried polenta

1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a simmer in a heavy 6 quart pot.  Slowly whisk in the polenta.  Cook on low. stirring frequently, for approximately 25-30 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and olive oil.  Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

For the Mushroom Ragu:

 3 cups of assorted fresh while mushrooms

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine, such as an extra dry Prosecco

1 cup chicken stock

2 tbsp minced flat leaf parsley

1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Salt and pepper to taste

While the polenta is cooking, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium high in a large 12 inch saute pan.  Add the cleaned, dry mushrooms to the pan.  Cook until the mushrooms caramelize and become crusty golden brown.  Add the shallot and salute for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add the wine and deglaze the pan of any brown bits and reduce by half.  Add the stock and simmer until the stock is reduced by half.  Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if desired.

For the Truffled Mascarpone:

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1 tsp white truffle oil

Stir the truffle oil into the mascarpone.  Serve the wild mushroom ragu over the hot polenta.  Add a dollop of the truffled mascarpone, a sprinkle of pecorino cheese and a pinch of minced parsley.

I cannot tell you have good this is!  I am planning on making this the vegetarian dish for the next Farm-to-Table dinner!  Mmmm, mmmmm, good!

Before you know it, the sun goes down and another is ending in paradise......

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Today was a surprise field trip (as I call it-restaurant research!).  We had breakfast out at the Westin Hotel in Ka'anapoli.  Stunning views, and really, pretty good food.  They have renamed the restaurant since I was there last.  It is now the Relish Burger.  Hmmm....  Anyway, we had Eggs Benedict-very, very nice!  There was even talk about a road trip to one of the local wineries.  Imagine-wine making on Maui!  What a surprise!  All in the name of research, I say.  :)

I was trying to buy new Crocs but apparently the Crocs store at Whaler's Village has closed.  Too bad.  I did not realize this, but the main business on Maui used to be whaling.  And Lahaina on Maui was the state capital.  The royal family used to come on a regular basis to Maui because it was such an important source of local income.  It was in the late 1800s however, when the capital of the Hawaii was changed to Honolulu.  Lots of history here!  Whaler's village has a lot of information on whales as well as a whale skeleton on display.  The size of the vertebrae are astounding!

Then back to Kapalua. Time for a trip to the beach!  After all the rain and clouds yesterday, the sun shone brightly today.  About six surfers in the water as far as I could tell.  The waves were not all that large, still a great time to practice, I suppose.  I was nosing around the condo this morning and found beach chairs, umbrellas and boogie boards. I am thinking I will try to boogie board before I leave this lovely place.  My friends think I am crazy!  Still, I do not like the thought of getting to the end of my life, feeling like there were things I didn't do just because I was afraid.  Life is too short.  

Lunch today was Lentil and Couscous Salad.  Very nice.  Two salads in one really.  A tossed green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with a vinaigrette.  The lentils and couscous (same amount of each) are both cooked separately, cooled, then tossed with the same vinaigrette as the green salad.  The lentil and couscous salad are then placed on top of the greens, then topped with feta cheese.

The afternoon was filled with editing my cookbook and dealing with finalizing a wedding we are doing in October.  The couple are friends of mine so I really want to cater the reception and having Creme Cafe behind me will make the job much easier.  And so it is settled for now.  It's a nice feeling to have friends who want you to be a part of their wedding because they love the way you cook.  :)

Dinner tonight was Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Salad.  Both lunch and dinner were fairly light meals.  The pork tenerloin was browned on top of the stove (just salt and pepper) in an oven-proof frying pan (you could grill this as well), then finished off in the oven.  About 5 minutes before the pork was done, I brushed the pork tenderloin with apricot jam.  The salad is either arugula (which I could not find at the grocery store), watercress or spinach.  In my case, spinach was the easiest thing to find.  The dressing: equal parts olive oil and white wine vinegar, apricot jam (a tbsp or so), finely diced shallots (1-2 tbsp), then salt and pepper.  It makes an unbelievably good vinaigrette.  Toss the salad with the dressing, plate it, top with sliced pork tenderloin and top with roasted apricots.  Now there are no fresh apricots available, which is what should be used in this recipe, so I used dried apricots and just plumped them up with hot water.  I roasted them in the oven as well.  A rather tasty dish, if I do say so myself.  It would be a great summer evening dish.  

Another recipe from the EatingWell.com files.  

Dessert was rice pudding made with Almond Milk.  Don't ask me why almond milk, but I have experimented with using almond milk and coconut milk off and on for the last year.  I do like the way it tastes in some things, although I would not want to drink it by the glass neccesarily.  Still, it was tasty!  No dessert picture tonight.

After dinner we watched "The Mind of a Chef" on PBS with David Chang, narrated by Anthony Bourdain.  What a pair!  Still, it was better than I thought.  David Chang, though extremely talented as a chef, can be annoying cocky at times.  

After that-blogging, then reading a bit, then bed.  Another gorgeous day in paradise.....

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

It was cloudy and rainy today. Guess that happens even in paradise!

I did end up making Cream Scones this morning. They turned out lovely! The recipe is one a friend gave me from the NY Times. I am even considering making it for Creme Cafe when I get back! I could not find currants so used golden raisins instead. You could use any dried fruit and they would taste just as good! Here it is:

Currant Cream Scones

Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar, plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling
1 1/3 cup dried currants, or any other dried fruit
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in the currants or whatever dried fruit you decide to use. Mix together by hand until the ingredients are just blended.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly. Roll the dough out to a one inch thickness. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out the scones, rerolling the dough as needed. Place the scones one inch apart on a baking sheet coverd with parchment.

Use a pastry brush to paint the tops of the scones with meltd butter, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the scones are golden, about 12-15 minutes. Let the scones cool on a baking rach. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and jam.





This was a lazy kind of day so I worked mostly on the computer, did some more editing on my book. No beach today!

Lunch was a Croque Madame, the French version of a grilled ham and cheese. Only most of the cheese is on the outside of the sandwich. Top it with a fried egg and you are set!

The afternoon was spent trying to find a picture for the cover of my cookie book, at least until I got a call from my boss at Creme to discuss a wedding we are suppose to cater in October. Sometimes it is difficult to get people to understand how much it really costs to cater an event-any event. One thing to do it yourself, another to ask someone to do all the work for you. Anyway, we'll see what happens.

When it was near time for dinner, I made rice pudding (in anticipation for a dessert for tomorrow evening). Then started in on dinner, which was Bell Peppers Stuffed with Coconut Rice and Shrimp. SO good!

Dessert was Pineapple Foster over ice cream. Yum!

So other than eating good food, not much happened in paradise today so I will leave you with another Maui sunset picture...