a bit peckish and a vacancy

There are some days when I just don’t feel like cooking. I would rather be lollygagging around in the garden keeping up on what is blooming or in need of a little pruning. On one of those days I stumbled upon a hummingbird nest that had been vacated, and now the branch that supports that little work of love is proudly displayed in a glass of water by my kitchen window.

I was getting hungry after my foray in the garden and just not in a mood to make some big production in the kitchen.

While rummaging around in the pantry looking for something to satisfy I came upon some Carr’s wheat crackers. I also had a few dates hiding behind the pickle jar in the fridge and just enough French Brie in the cheese drawer to justifiably smear on a handful of the crackers.

It may sound like a quirky combination, but rest assured it was delicious. Brie when properly ripened and brought to room temperature is soft and creamy. The flavor is rich, and savory with a slightly salty note. Dates, with their extraordinary sweetness and chewy texture, when paired with the Brie make for a toothsome snack.

So even though the little nest I stumbled upon in my garden had been empty and deserted, my hunger is now satisfied by that tasty tidbit.

Now…what to make for dinner.

Enjoy!
Shannon

a guilty pleasure

In as much as I consider myself a pretty serious foodie, I have to admit that when my hubby offers to take me out for dinner what inevitably sounds the best is a killer blue cheese burger with some seriously skinny fries (not skinny in the low-fat sense just to clarify). And while that combo is hard to beat, for me it’s all about the fries. Yes the fries. I have made it a personal mission to locate the best places for these slim, salty jumbles of crunchy finger lickin’ good potatoes in Orange County.

On a recent outing to a favorite local dining spot, the hubby and I were working our way through a plate of these little lovelies. He looks over at me and says “I bet you could make these.”

Hmmm.

So after a little experimenting, I think I came up with a pretty darn good recipe. So good in fact, that after making up a batch, we ate almost the whole pile before the rest of dinner was plated. The trick for these is in the double frying. Fry the potatoes once to sort of get them going, take them out to drain. Raise the temperature and fry again. This insures that they come out perfectly crisp and cooked all the way through. Although a sprinkling of salt and pepper is perfectly fine for serving, I decided to make a Meyer Lemon Gremolata to serve on top. The fresh parsley, garlic and lemon zest mixed with the warm fries looks, smells and tastes great.

They were wicked good!

Enjoy!
Shannon

Wicked Good Fries with Meyer Lemon Gremolata
should serve 4 if your lucky

4 Russet Idaho Potatoes
Peanut oil for frying
salt & pepper

Meyer Lemon Gremolata

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 Meyer lemons, zested
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

To make the Gremolata, mix together the chopped parsley, grated Meyer Lemon zest and the finely chopped garlic cloves. Set aside until ready to serve.

Attach a candy thermometer to the side of large heavy deep pot (do not let tip touch bottom). Add enough peanut oil to pot to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat oil over medium heat to 300°F.

While the oil is coming up to temperature, peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Toss into a large bowl with very cold water until ready to fry. When oil is up to temperature, take the potato strips out of the water and place on 2 large baking sheets lined with paper towels, pat dry with additional paper towels.

Working in batches, add potatoes to oil and cook until potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally and maintaining heat at 300°F, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer potatoes to 1 prepared baking sheet to drain. Heat same oil until temperature reaches 360°F to 365°F. Working in batches, add same fries to oil and cook until golden brown, maintaining temperature between 360°F and 365°F, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to second prepared baking sheet to drain. Transfer french fries to serving dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper and then top off with the Gremolata.

at long last

This quince saga has come to a close. Thank goodness. The lesson learned: patience. You cannot rush the cooking of a quince, waiting for it to turn that lovely blood orange red color. I must tell you that out of the four different recipes I found they all said the final cooking time of the puréed mixture would take 1 hour. Well, mine took a little over 3 hours. Yes, it was a labor of love. I didn’t have to hover over the stove, but I didn’t go very far…checking email…load of laundry…etc.

So my ruby red squares of deliciousness have been packaged up neatly in parchment paper ready to be shared. The simplicity of this sweet treat paired with the traditional Manchego cheese is a wonderful beginning to a meal or even as a dessert course.

So for those of you that might be in possession of some quince or that are interested in giving this a whirl, here is the recipe I ended up using.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Quince Paste
From Simply Recipes

4 pounds quince, washed, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
1 vanilla pod, split
2 strips (1/2 inch by 2 inches each) of lemon peel (only the yellow peel, no white pith)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
About 4 cups of granulated sugar, exact amount will be determined during cooking

1 Place quince pieces in a large saucepan (6-8 quarts) and cover with water. Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (30-40 minutes).

2 Strain the water from the quince pieces. Discard the vanilla pod but keep the lemon peel with the quince. Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill. Measure the quince purée. Whatever amount of quince purée you have, that's how much sugar you will need. So if you have 4 cups of purée, you'll need 4 cups of sugar. Return the quince purée to the large pan. Heat to medium-low. Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the lemon juice.

3 Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1-1 1/2 hours (or up to 3 in my case), until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color.

4 Preheat oven to a low 125°F (52°C). Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt!). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even. Place in the oven for about an hour to help it dry. Remove from oven and let cool.

To serve, cut into squares or wedges and present with Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small slice of the membrillo and spread it on top of a slice of the cheese. Store by wrapping in parchment paper, foil or plastic wrap, and keeping in the refrigerator.

Eureka!

I don’t know if I can count how many times that I’ve been to Ramos House Café and have seen this Bloody Mary delivered to some other diners’ table.  It seems to always get the “oohs” and “aahs” when it goes by.

Now it’s very rare for me to have alcohol of any kind…so you know I’m not a big drinker. It’s the whole presentation of this drink that I think is so cool. They make their own pickled green beans and have those along with an herb salad and a crab claw stuffed in the top of the glass.

I’m usually content with either the typical iced tea with lunch or the yummy latte with breakfast, or on those “I really need some sugar” days, their amazing mocha topped with a torched homemade marshmallow, I haven’t had the Bloody Mary. But this particular day when having a sit down with a friend, I reached into my coat pocket and found some cash I had unknowingly put in there who knows when. I was so excited; I think I may have clapped my hands (to the shock of my lunch date). I determined because of this fortuitous find it was the day to order that Bloody Mary for myself. No more living vicariously through those other diners.
Thankfully because I’m so obsessed with taking pictures of my food (also, probably to the chagrin of my lunch date) I had my camera with me to capture it in all it’s glory.

So, here it is kids that amazing looking Ramos House Bloody Mary.

Cheers!
Shannon

Bloody Mary
From the Ramos House Café
1 liter Clamato
Vodka or Soju
1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp. wild hot sauce
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. Worchester sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon, blanced
1 clove garlic
¼ cup pitted green olives, chopped
Salt to taste

Except for the vodka, place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree. Fill a glass with ice and add desired amount of vodka. Fill remainder of glass with Bloody Mary mix.

Garnish with: Pickled green beans, Crab claw, Herb salad, Diced bell peppers.