Sunday, February 1, 2015

The last week has been a full week of work, trying to stay ahead of the game and travel. Whew!

As I wrote in my last post, I now work full time at Creme Cafe in Reno. Not only do I bake (a FABULOUS chocolate bundt cake recipe from www.food52.com. I did take the liberty however, of adding some chocolate ganache frosting to it for even more chocolate goodness.) but I am planning menu changes, formulating daily specials, and making up the catering menus monthly based on what is available with seasonal produce. AND, I am working to update and make contemporary the Creme website. So as you can see, there is a lot involved in this job, lol. The owner is in the process of hiring a CIA-grad chef to take over as the lead line cook, so I will be working with him in the future to update and stay on top of menu changes. I have also been trying to teach staff new techniques and showing them how to execute the new menu.

With all this going on (plus I still bake desserts for Gas Lamp Restaurant) suddenly it was time to leave for Maui and my two week gig as a private chef. All expenses paid, time in paradise and all I have to do is cook lunch and dinner? Who wouldn't go?!

I arrived on Maui on Friday, January 30. Slightly cloudy but some sun, lush landscaping and of course, the beautiful Pacific ocean all around. I got here about mid-day, unpacked and just relaxed! We had dinner at Merriman's (how nice not to have to cook on my first day here!)--wonderful as always. Good food, good wine, good company!

Saturday morning there was coffee and toast on the deck at the condo-gorgeous view here in Kapaula!

Then off to the beach. Such a peacefulness at this beach and not many people come here! You often see surfers out on the water, trying to catch a wave. Some are good, some not so good! But they all look like they are having a good time. We even saw a few whales jump out of the water, although it seems you have to keep a constant vigil in order to see this happen. This time of year the whales swim freely through the channels between islands. An amazing site, but hard to catch in a picture..

I sent the picture of my feet at the beach to my boss at GIC (nursing job)-she texted back that she wished she were here. :)

After the beach, it was time for shopping so I could begin preparing all the great meals I was brought here to create. Sometimes the produce here on Maui is the same as back in Reno, sometimes there are things here we don't even see back on the mainland. It is pretty cool to wander the isles, although I was told to "focus on the mission", lol.

Lunch was a Greek-inspired salad with chicken (from EatingWell.com), which instantly "beefs up" the meal and makes it more satisfying.

We only shopped for a couple of days so part of the afternoon was spent formulating a shopping list for Sunday so we could buy food for the rest of the week. We weren't sure how many people would be out shopping for Super Bowl Sunday! More fun to food shop when the place isn't packed. I also baked a coffeecake to last the week for what my employer calls "second breakfast", a joke but an apt description, lol.
A good old-fashioned coffeecake with cinnamon, sugar and nuts on top and in the middle of the cake. And just so you don't think professional chefs make mistakes--I forgot to add the sour cream to the batter, and didn't remember until I had it almost all in the baking pan!! I scraped it back into the bowl, added the sour cream and fortunately or unfortunately, had to mix in the first cinnamon sugar layer with the batter. It darkened the batter but the taste is still fabulous and it did not seem to affect the texture at all. I just kept on going....

Dinner is timed so that we sit down to eat right about the time the sun is setting. Both lunch and dinner was out on the veranda/deck. How lovely is that? You can't do that back in Nevada in winter!

For dinner, I made Filet Mignon with a Maple-Balsamic Reduction, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Parmesan Potato Croquettes. A recipe from Nadia G, the talented chef from Bitchin' Kitchin' (yes, she really is a culinary-graduated chef, lol). SO yummy! I am attaching links to the recipes so I do not have to write them all down. You, too, can enjoy these great meals at home (she says tongue in cheek)!

Of course, the rest of the scenery needs no explanation......

Today is Sunday and there is more shopping to do. We have food for today's meals but I usually only buy what is needed for each meal so there is really nothing extra here (besides cereal, bread, milk, half'n'half, cream and butter). Lunch today is a Zucchini Quiche served with a side salad. Better than a restaurant!

I will be blogging daily, so hope you'll join me for this cooking vacation-I have my Zen on!

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Oh my......two months since I last posted! And so much has happened in that time! Mostly good things, lol.

I catered five large Holiday parties in December. Interestingly enough, four of these dinners were exactly the same!!! One man threw four different parties throughout the month for different reasons. There was Roasted Turkey, Holiday Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Bourbon Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions, Stuffing, Gravy, appetizers and two different Slab Pies for dessert. That's a LOT of food! At the end, he was happy, so that's good.

My Mom, sister Michele and nephew Dylan drove up from LA for Christmas. My sister Corie and her husband Stu drove down from the Portland area to spend Christmas here as well. Although family time can be both wonderful and frustrating at the same time, it was nice having everyone here.


Right around Christmas, the owner of Creme Cafe here in Reno approached me about coming back to work for her. She offered more money and regular hours, plus a chance to do menu development, build the baking portion of the business and help with catering. We are also talking about offering what we call "The Supper Club". We would offer monthly dinners, much like the Farm-to-Table dinner I do each year in September. Moving Creme Cafe across the street to a larger facility was much harder than she thought it was going to be so she was feeling overwhelmed. Hence the call for help. In the two-three weeks since I have been back, business has picked up, I am posting on Facebook for the cafe and am developing menu options for the catering we do. A lot of work! I've been enjoying it though. Today I went in for a couple of hours so I could bake cookies for Sup (couldn't add the German symbol that changes the pronounciation from sup-like supper to soup), a wholesale account she has for baked goods. I made Cinnamon Apple Turnovers while I was there. I tucked 6 inch squares of puff pastry into large muffin tins, then filled them will chopped apples tossed with brown sugar, cinnamon, a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and a small amount of cornstarch, folded the corners inward, brushed the pastry with an egg wash, then baked them at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Once they were cooled, I drizzled them with a confectioner's sugar glaze. Voila! Done!


And now, in only a week-I will be flying to Maui for a two week private chef job. A rough life, I know, but someone has to do it, lol. I'll be posting more during that time (with more free time there than I've had in a while, lol). How cool is that? :-)

I'll also post more from the adventures at Creme Cafe so you can come along on the journey. Welcome to 2015!!

Sunday, November 23, 2014

It must be a month since I written, as I seem to get the itch to write about every 3-4 weeks. So let's catch up!

I am working on getting a printed version of my ebook-"Farm-to-Table Dinner Recipes". I have had several requests for it and so am waiting for a printed copy to come so I can make sure I like it before I actually release it on the public! I have changed a bit of the text and added a few more pictures. The cover will be the same, however I then needed a spine and back cover. So many things to consider! I'll post again once it is available in print.

November has been kind of slow, business-wise. I have had a few catering jobs and been to a couple of networking events. Have I mentioned how important networking is to a business, especially a small business? No one will hire you if they don't know you exist! Reminds me a little of being a politician, out meetin' and greetin' and kissing babies, lol.

I was working on making my Simply Crackers Toffee gluten free and tried it last week with a cracker (oddly a GF cracker from France!) made with quinoa and millet. I had one of my friends in mind for this, but I am also doing a bakeshop for the Holiday season and wanted something that anyone could eat. Little did I know how successful this new version would be! I took a portion of the toffee to work with me (nurse job) and it was a HUGE hit. The doctor that bought 2 pounds of toffee last year using the saltines, thought this was better. Who'd have thought? So I am switching to the quinoa cracker for the crunch in the toffee. I am also working on a new list of goodies, using some of the cookies, candy and granola from last year's Bakeshop. Please feel free to order!

I had some apples to use up so today I made a Russian cake called "Apple Sharlotka". Should difficult (just because of the strange name) but it really is easy! I get all kinds of food and recipe related emails and received this recipe from a Food and Wine email. The Rrecipe is from Chef Matt Danko, who uses his father’s recipe to make sharlotka, a deliciously light and fluffy Russian apple cake. Here you go!

Apple Sharlotka

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of kosher salt
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond extract and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar at medium-high speed until thick and pale yellow and a ribbon forms when the beaters are lifted, 8 to 10 minutes. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.

Spread the apples in the prepared pan in an even layer, then pour the batter evenly over them. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the batter to sink in a little.

Bake the sharlotka for about 1 hour, until it is golden and crisp on top and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack and let rest for 15 minutes. Unmold and transfer to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

MAKE AHEAD The sharlotka can be made up to 4 hours ahead.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

So here I am, another month gone by! How are all of you?

Guess what? I published an ebook about the farm-totable dinners I've done over the last four years. I am SO excited about this! It just came out on Amazon.com as a Kindle ebook. If you are interested in downloading it (you do not need a Kindle device to download it, just the Kindle app which can be downloaded onto your computer, smartphone and all tablets), here is the link: "Farm-to-Table Dinner Recipes". The ebook is still in the promo stage so is $0.99 for another day, then goes up to $1.99 for another week. It has gotten about 9,000 downloads,so a big thanks to all of you who have already downloaded it! (Think big smile here!)

I've decided what I really love doing is--DINNER PARTIES! I am planning on refocusing most of my business to dinner parties and small group catering. I've done three dinner parties in the last six weeks and really have had a great time, met great people and made some really great food!

One of the appetizers I made for the last party that was a HUGE hit, was Proscuitto-Wrapped Pears with a Maple-Black Peppercorn Glaze. It's easy, fast and the taste is heavenly! So here's the recipe:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns, divided
12 slices (6 ounces) prosciutto, halved lengthwise
2 Bartlett pears--halved, cored and each half cut into 6 equal slices (24 slices total)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and 1½ tablespoons black pepper. Add the pears and toss to coat.

2. Remove the pear slices from the maple syrup mixture and wrap each with a slice of prosciutto. Place the prosciutto-wrapped pears on the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining ½ tablespoon black pepper.

3. Bake until the prosciutto is crisp and begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.

I am cooking today for one of my personal chef clients. Today is a short menu day as he is getting ready to leave town. I'll be making Oven Fried Chicken with Classic Cole Slaw, Couscous, Lentil and Arugula Salad, Creamy Asparagus Pasta, Chicken Salad Veronique, Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce and Chocolate Pots de Creme. Don't those sound great?

That being said, guess I better get busy and cook! Ciao for now!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

The last Saturday of September!! And it is much cooler, overcast and rainy today. I guess Fall is officially here if we did not think it was earlier in the week!

Life has been SO busy lately. I look back and see that it has been a month since I last posted. My bad! Time continues to fly by.

The Farm-to-Table dinner on September 13 was a HUGE success, for which I am very thankful. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and raved about the food. Jan and I are truly blessed that people continue to want to come back and that we sell out weeks before our event. People have asked that we go back to having two dinners in September, so we will have to think about that. Here are some pictures of the Farm-to-Table event:



We have three servers this year-Jessica and her husband Eric and Alice. Great people! You can see our menu at
www.theold1862ranch.com, as well as more pictures.

No sooner than the dinner was over and the dishes were finished being washed the morning after, I had to return home (we stay at the Old 1862 Ranch overnight because it ends up being such a late night) and frost a wedding cake and 36 cupcakes! The wedding was up at Northstar in Truckee, CA. The wedding was at 3pm and the cake and cupcakes needed to be set up by 3:30pm. Even though the cake is considered a "naked cake" (meaning no frosting on the sides), it still took time to put together all three tiers of three layers each. The cake was a coconut cake (I used Ina Garten's recipe because I think it is the best coconut cake recipe out there) with cream cheese coconut frosting. So moist! There were three different types of cupcakes: almond, strawberry and lemon. The cake rested on a wooden round and the cupcakes were set up by flavor on boards supported by mason jars. Very rustic!

The only sad thing about this is that when we were leaving, we noticed smoke blowing in. A fire had started by Lake Tahoe-always worrisome to the landscape and air quality. Hopefully it did not affect the wedding!

Once the cake was delivered, Jordan and I drove on to the Bay area where I dropped him off in San Jose so he could take the train down to LA. I then drove on to the San Francisco airport and took the red eye to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I was there for a women's solos entrepreneur retreat-the culmination of a six month course in Business Miracles. This was the view from my hotel room. Not bad, aye?

I flew home on Thursday about mid-day but did not get into Reno until almost 10pm. Jordan arrived much, much later, having flown from LA to SFO to pick up the car (a long trip).

Friday, September 19, I was contracted to provide a dinner party for 14 in a development south of Reno called Montreux. It is very swanky and exclusive. The woman who hired me, Lisa, found me on Thumbtack, an online service that will show you personal chefs around the country. This is the first time I have actually gotten a job off of Thumbtack. I usually end up giving quotes but not hearing from people again. This was a very nice surprise!!

The menu for this dinner party had two appetizers--Archtichoke-Parmesan Cups and Broiled Brie with Apple-Cranberry Chutney. The brie was served with sliced baguette. The salad was Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette. The salad was topped with candied Marcona almonds (a variety of almond from Spain-it tastes quite different from California almonds). The entree was Grilled Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce, individual Potato Gratin and Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and caramelized garlic. Dessert was Mascarpone Cheesecake with a Roasted Cashew Crust and Passion Fruit Caramel Sauce. THAT was a huge hit!

Saturday morning was a working nurse day as GI Consultants opened on Saturday morning to help the doctor's catch up with their backlog of patients. NO rest, lol.

I did finally get to rest on Sunday, then worked as a nurse Monday morning, had my personal chef day Tuesday and stayed for dinner (what a nice client to invite me to stay for dinner and a nice glass of wine!)! We had a small bowl of Potato Leek Soup topped with Creme Fraiche and chopped parsley, Sweet-Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes and Vichy Carrots (glazed carrots, yum!). Two desserts were ordered: Roasted Pineapple Shortcakes with Cinnamon Whipped Cream and Moelleux of Chocolate (translates to chocolate lava cake). A great meal, if I do say so myself, lol. :-)

Did I mention I was not done with cooking on Tuesday?! Wednesday evening I was contracted to do another dinner party, this time for only six people. AND in the same house as the Friday before, but this time my customer was Lisa's brother (I think I may become the official vacation chef for this family, lol), Paul. He was up here with his wife and baby daughter and entertaining business clients. They ordered Roasted Asparagus wrapped in Proscuitto for an appetizer. The salad with a Caprese Salad with tomatoes from my own garden :-). Dinner was Roasted Tuscan Pork, Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Southern Italian Ratatouille. Dessert was Creme Brûlée. Deb from Gas Lamp restaurant let me borrow her small torch so I could finish the creme brûlée without buying a torch of my own (a $35-40 minimum investment). Needless to say, they loved it (and I love it when people enjoy my food, she says grinning)! Hopefully I can do more dinner parties because it is a well-paid gig. Plus it gives me some variety in what I do and what I can offer to people. Time will tell!

Not done yet! Thursday evening, I was contracted to do appetizers for 120 at a networking event at iMortgage here in Reno. I had to work as a nurse both Wednesday and Thursday, but on Thursday, my supervisor was kind enough to let me off early so I could prepare and plate all these appetizers! Yay, Amy!!

They wanted five different appetizers, about 100 pieces of each type (holy cow!) all delivered by 5pm. I made Cucumber Roulades with smoked salmon There was also Green Chile Roll ups (kind of retro: cream cheese, chopped canned green chiles, cumin, chopped red bell peppers and Mexican cheese blend all rolled up in a flour tortilla), Mediterranean Starter Sticks (essentially olives, oil-packed sun dried tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese cubes on a skewer) Spanikopita Bites (instead of wrapping the filling in phyllo dough, I used phyllo cups, pre made) and last but not least--Texas Caviar with Scoops Tortilla Chips!

As far as I know, these were all a success. I did not stay for the networking event (called a BizTalk Blender sponsored by the Reno Chamber of Commerce)-by this time I was too tired, lol!

Oh! I almost forgot!! I finished writing my cookbook on the first two Farm-to-Table dinners. It should be available in the next two weeks. For a short time, you will be able to download it free before it actually goes on sale. They only thing I ask is that you write a review of the book for me. You can catch the link to sign up to be notified when the book becomes available for download on my facebook page-April Woodward.

This weekend I am resting some, although I'd like to make some granola and oven dry some of the tomatoes out of my garden. We either have no tomatoes or too many! Go figure! So thank you all for reading about my adventures the last month. Again, I will try being more faithful to writing at least weekly! I appreciate you checking in with me. :-)

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Hard to believe summer is coming to an end. I have already seen a few trees with leaves that are changing!! I had this discussion recently with someone from work, that the old you get the faster time goes. Sure seems true!

I finally got my first "real" tomato from my garden! WooHoo! I was afraid the local squirrels were going to eat everything! I've been able to get some small Japanese eggplants, some red and yellow red bell peppers and a few cherry tomatoes. The tomato is from one of the plants we got from Janell's friend DeeDee-so it's either Italian or French.

If memory serves me, there were many tomatoes just like this at the French farmer's market.

A friend of mine asked me to make a birthday cake for her now, 18 year old daughter, Megan. What do you think? She wanted a cake with a Hawaiian theme. I can't say that I am much into fondant and all that fancy stuff. Give me buttercream any time! :-) I am planning on taking some cake decorating classes from Craftsy. I don't remember if I wrote in an earlier post, but I am baking for Creme Cafe in Reno, now. Just a part time job. Beth Carter is the owner and has pretty much turned me loose in the kitchen to bake what I want. How sweet is THAT? (OK, bad pun, lol) I am also helping with her catering. She'd like to offer cakes (wedding cakes and other fancy cakes) for catering, and while I think I can do nice cakes, I'm not into the fancy-shmacy cakes you see on TV. Still....I like pushing myself and I enjoy learning new things. All I need is practice!

The farm-to-table is coming up, Saturday, September 13. The Menu is set, We have almost everything set up and ready to go. Interested in hearing the menu?

Appetizers: Cheesy Summer Spirals
Grilled Flatbreads with Carmelized Onions, Sausage and Manchego
Roasted Red Pepper Soup Shooters

Salad: Mixed Green Salad with Aged Raspberry Balsamic and Toasted Almonds

Entrees: Braised Lamb Shanks with Gemolata and Baked Polenta
Pimenton Roast Chicken with Crispy Potatoes and Delicata Rings with Sage
Farmer's Market Papparedelle

Cheese Course from Wedge-a Cheese Shop

Dessert: Peaches and Vanilla Panna Cotta
Cantucci di Prato (little biscotti style cookies)

Sounds yummy, yes? We sold out weeks ago-I still can't believe it! People hear we are having a farm-to-table dinner at the Old 1862 Ranch and they want a ticket! Yay!

Life is about to get a whole lot busier!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Life is certainly never dull. And here summer is in its last month-August. I am still wondering where the time goes!

I am baking at Creme Cafe in Reno now, just once or twice a week. Creme serves breakfast and lunch, but they also do quite a bit of catering. The owner,Beth Carter, and I are very similar. We both changed careers later in life, we're about the same age and same personality type. I think we'll make a good team. The nice thing about this job, is that I pretty much have free range of what I want to bake each week. I could get used to this. AND, for me, a glimpse of what it would be like to own my own bakery/cafe. Would it be a good idea or not? Stay tuned!

I still have my personal chef business, which I am trying to grow. I am working with several coaches who are helping me learn about marketing and running a business. So much to learn! This past week, the dessert my Tuesday client wanted for was Chocolate Fudge (no nuts). Easy! I love Martha Stewart's fudge recipe:

EASY CHOCOLATE FUDGE WITH PRETZELS

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 cups roughly chopped miniature pretzels

VARIATIONS
Swap It: Use trail mix, your favorite chopped candy, or crushed cookies in place of pretzels.

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

STEP 2
Place butter, chocolate chips, condensed milk, vanilla, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pot of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate just melts and mixture is combined and warm but not hot, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups pretzels. Transfer mixture to pan and smooth top; press 1/2 cup pretzels on top. Refrigerate until set, 2 hours (or up to overnight, wrapped). Using parchment, lift fudge from pan and cut into 36 squares.

Now keep in mind-I did not put nuts or pretzels into this particular batch, I left it plain. It is still the best fudge I have ever tasted. Really creamy! Easy peasy!

Tuesday night dinner (the day I go cook for my client) was Steak Oscar-Beef Filet topped with Roasted Asparagus, Bernaise Sauce and Shrimp. A truly elegant meal!

I am still working as a nurse 1-2 days a week, although for the month of August I am not working much. (Maybe the Universe is trying to tell me sometning....). I still bake desserts for Gas Lamp restaurant-only when they run out, so irregularly. I am trying to cut down on all my many activities (that's why I took on another job, hahaha). I recently asked Jordan what it was that I did (for a living). His first response was, "Well, that's complicated." That was not what I wanted to hear! So, time to focus more.

Our annual Farm-to-Table dinner is coming up September 13. We are only doing one night this year. You can check out the menu at www.theold1862ranch.com. We are already sold out!! Truly a beautiful setting!

Well, now you know everything I know about what's going on. I am still working on blogging more regularly, so stay tuned! :-)