Oysters!

I never used to like oysters on the half shell -- I think they are definitely a required taste that comes as we age and our palates mature (wow, could I sound more pretentious?). My dad attends the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival every year and has for what must be decades now. It is a swell time, full of delicious Cajun and Creole food and, of course, really fantastic music. When I was younger he'd always come home talking about what a blast he'd had. During my pre-teens and early teenage years I used to beg him to take me with him, always to be denied. Finally, I was promised that I could go when I was 16 -- or earlier, if and only if I ate a raw oyster first. I guess this was somehow dad's test that I was "ready" for New Orleans and all it had to offer. Dad loves oysters and I used to be so grossed out by them when he'd order some. So one evening during my fifteenth year, we're out to eat, just the two of us, and he orders oysters. I decide that this is my moment -- I just need to get one down and this could be the year I get to go to Fest! I bring the shell to my lips, tip the oyster into my mouth, give it a chomp as instructed by dad, and proceed to gag and spit it out. I couldn't do it, and I really, really tried. When I finally did get to go to New Orleans the next year, I tried frog's legs, alligator sausage, and had duck for the first time -- but no oysters.

All things wine

Let’s see, last…September (so wow, a year ago…can you believe how fast the time goes?) Danielle and I took an epic trip to Napa, including a stop by Chateau Montelena in Calistoga, where I am a member of their wine club. If you’re not already familiar, Chateau Montelena has an awesome back story. Basically, back in 1976, they were invited to participate in a blind taste test in France that put French wines up against California ones, which at the time did not have much international acclaim. This event became known as the Judgment of Paris. The French wines were expected to win, hands down, and to everyone’s surprise, a California wine won in both the red and the white category – and for the white, it was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay that won. This event helped put Napa Valley wines on the map and is a historical moment in wine history. There’s a lot more to the story, and I’ll get to that in a minute.

Before our last fall, Netflix had recommended a movie called Bottle Shock and I watched it one afternoon, not expecting too much. Well, I loved it – it tells the (fictionalized) version of the Judgment of Paris and the role Chateau Montelena played. Even if there was creative leeway given, the story is great, the soundtrack is great, the cast is awesome, and the whole film is filled with beautiful scenes of Napa. Prior to seeing the movie, I hadn't even heard of Chateau Montelena (this was clearly before I became the wine snob I am today). My dad was going to be visiting and we were going to head up to Napa for some wine tastings, so I had him watch the movie (he loved it too) and we made sure to hit up Chateau Montelena during our tour of Napa. During that trip, I became a club member at Chateau Montelena…and dad did as well.

Danielle’s visit came shortly after dad’s. I learned that as a club member, I had the opportunity to do a special Cellarmaster tasting at the Chateau, so I signed us up. Honestly, it was one of the best experiences I have had in Napa, and that’s saying something, as they've all been pretty epic. It was a seated tasting with cheese pairings, plus we got to go out into the vineyards and taste some grapes right off the vine, all in an idyllic setting. That trip also marked my introduction to Midnight Moon cheese by Cypress Grove, a truly life changing event (best. cheese. ever).  Anyway, while I was there I picked up an autographed copy of Judgment of Paris by George Taber, the journalist who covered the original event. The book is a more thorough look at the events leading up to and including the tasting, and the lasting impact it had on wine globally.

So fast forward almost a year, to earlier this month. In preparation for an upcoming trip to Napa, I finally picked up the book to read. I guess I thought that despite the interesting subject, it might be a bit dry (ha...a wine pun...a bit dry) – wrong again. It was really fascinating, and I learned a lot about the history of wine, wine making, and the global wine market. And that finally brings us to the point of today’s blog post. Each chapter heading includes a quote about wine, so I thought it would be fun to pull together some of my favorites – from the book and elsewhere.

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food. ― W.C. Fields

Give me books, French wine, fruit, fine weather and a little music played out of doors by somebody I do not know. ― John Keats

As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans. ― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast 

his lips drink water

but his heart drinks wine ― E.E. Cummings

Beer is made by men, wine by God. ― Martin Luther

Men are like wine - some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age. - Pope John XXIII

Wine is bottled poetry. - Robert Louis Stevenson

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars. ― Benjamin Franklin

Hilarity

As both a literary nerd and a food lover, I find this highly amusing:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/katieheaney/imaginary-food-diaries-of-famous-authors

Also, I made this:

Notice the lovely filter?

This, my friends, is a flatbread from Target (Archer Farms brand, FYI), covered in a layer of Parmesan, and then topped with prosciutto, sliced nectarines, ricotta, and basil, and finished with a balsamic reduction and a drizzle of olive oil. It was delicious. Notice to lovely board that my dad made me for Christmas last year -- gorgeous, isn't it?

And finally, can I just say that summer in California is the absolute best, food-wise? We had corn on the cob at the market this weekend, and it was awesome. I am surrounded by stone fruit, cherries, strawberries, fresh herbs, and early tomatoes. It is kind of what I imagine heaven to be like.

That is all.

Some little updates

So, one of the reasons that my blog posts have been so few and far between lately is that work has been totally chaotic. Why, you may ask, has it been so much busier than normal? Well, I'm really excited to say that my company has recently launched a pre-sale for our new line of products. My co-workers and I have been working toward this goal for the last 18 months or so, so it is really thrilling for it to finally be a reality. You can check out our new website at www.saleae.com -- we reached our 30 day pre-sale goal in a week, and now we're just raising extra money to go toward the first production run of the new products. Yay!

A favorite food poem

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams   

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Cookbook challenge update

Remember, I don't know, a year and a half ago when I decided to cook my way through Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris? I naively thought that this would be a fairly easy, straightforward endeavor that would take a couple months, tops.

Well, here we are, 18 months later, and I'm still not done. My interest/enthusiasm/dedication to the project has gone through waves -- there'll be times when I'll whip out three recipes in a week, and then I won't make another one for a month. BUT. There is a light at the end of the tunnel! I've recently tallied my remaining recipes, and I am getting closer...so close...which has really motivated me to get 'er done, as they say. As of today, I have four appetizers, seven lunches, six soups/salads, eleven dinners, eight vegetables/sides, and six desserts to go. With coconut madeleines on the menu for tonight, that number will be down to five desserts tomorrow. I have a few recipes reserved for Easter dinner in a few weeks, too. My game plan is to finish up the chapters I'm furthest on -- appetizers and then desserts, and then tackle the rest in as efficient way as possible.

I'm really excited about finishing this project (I already have my next challenge in mind, but we'll get to that later). I've learned a lot so far, and the biggest take-away has been a rush of confidence in my kitchen skills. This is going to sound immensely immodest, but so many things I make just turn out right, the first time, which is always incredibly validating -- a good thing, too, since I saved some of the hardest recipes for last. I'll need that confidence to carry me through the rest of the project!

My hope is to post an update relating to this every time I finish a chapter, so be on the lookout for that.

Thanksgiving 2013

I forget what I've told you about Thanksgiving plans for this year, so let me recap quickly. Basically, my parents aren't coming to town and I'm not going out of town, so I ended up inviting some friends/co-workers over for the occasion. We ended up with nine guests -- myself included -- which is the largest meal I've ever made for anyone! If I do say so myself, the whole event was a smashing success.

The menu was fairly basic, but delicious. I started with a cheeseboard appetizer made of local cheeses along with some persimmons, local honey, olives, and crackers. The main course was, of course, turkey, which I brined. This was my first brining experience, and both my brother and I agreed that it may have been the best turkey I've ever cooked. I also invested (a whooping $12) in an instant read thermometer, which may have been the best thing I purchased in months. I was able to set an alarm so that as soon as the turkey reached the right temp, I could pull it out of the oven, virtually eliminating the chance of over cooking. Sides included gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, two kinds of cranberry sauce, classic green bean casserole, glazed carrots, rolls, herbed butter, and sweet potatoes -- all the basics, really. I asked guests to bring dessert, which was great because then I didn't have to cook it! We ended up with pumpkin pie, chocolate cheesecake, and a classic Indian dessert that unfortunately I forget the name of (oops). What made menu planning especially interesting is that one of my guests is a vegetarian. I thought it would be more of a challenge then it ended up being, actually. I made everything with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock (except for the turkey and gravy, which I made with homemade turkey stock) and it turned out perfectly!

A vat of dressing!

A locally-sourced cheeseboard.

The meal was served with a variety of red and white wines, plus mulled wine with dessert. Have I mentioned that I'm a member of the Chateau Montelena Cellarmaster wine club? Anywho, I am, and their zin was the star wine of the day, in my opinion. Side bar: if you haven't seen the movie Bottle Shock, see it! I have vague future plans for some kind of Bottle Shock viewing party involving Chateau Montelena wines, but nothing concrete yet.

Buzz buzz, plus some

So, this may seem totally random, but I took a beekeeping class last Saturday -- and it was awesome! It all started a couple of months ago when I went on a Groupon spree and bought a few different classes to try out (pottery, sewing, etc.). After purchasing one of the classes, a recommendation came up for this beekeeping class. It wasn't very expensive and I figured, why not? In one of the silly life coincidences, I'd just watched Queen of the Sun and The Vanishing of the Bees, which had piqued my interest. Furthermore, my mom had visited shortly prior to that and talked about some grants she'd heard about for new beekeepers, so beekeeping was kind of just on my radar at that point. And then, voila! This class shows up. Almost like fate, one might say.

The class was organized by Round Rock Honey, who work with beekeepers all over to put together these classes. This particular class was held in Redwood City by Golden Harvest Bees, run by Janet and Richard Baxter. They run the apiary in their backyard suburban home, and Richard also has hives throughout the Bay Area. They sell honey, beeswax candles, and soap that Janet makes (if you're in the area, check them out -- they're both super-nice and their products are great -- and no, they didn't pay me to say that).

And now, Bottega in pretty pictures

My dear friend Danielle, whom you may recall from the origins of this very blog, flew all the way from Vermont to visit me last week. We had such an epic adventure, I don't even know where to begin. We started with touristy San Francisco stuff, and finished with an absolutely amazing weekend in Napa. I'm sure I'll be back with all the details and play-by-play, but for now, here are some pretty pictures of dinner at Bottega. Enjoy!

Pasta Fritta -- basically a deconstructed salad of figs wrapped in prosciutto (the undisputed king of meats), Parmesan puffs, and wine foam.

Ricotta gnocchi

Duck! And roasted grapes...

A finale of olive oil cake with macerated raspberries and fig gelato.

New Chipotle ad

Check this out -- incredibly poignant and haunting, especially considering the source...

Thoughts? And to think, this is barely an exaggeration of reality.

Dinner at Bouchon (in pretty pictures)

Early last month, my dad came for a visit to the Bay Area -- and hence commenced several days of cooking, eating, and sight-seeing. We had a great time, which culminated in a day trip to Napa (dad had never been before and since has been known to say, "That may have been the best day of my life." I could ramble on for a bit about the trip, but instead, I'll just share these pictures from dinner at Bouchon (one of Chef Thomas Keller's Napa restaurants). Enjoy!

As promised

Long overdue after my cryptic comment about tilapia -- check it out:

Tilapaponics

Read the blog, it is pretty self-explanatory.

I know, I know. Like I needed another project. I can't even handle the ones I've already self-imposed upon myself. But oh well -- this has been a really interesting and educational endeavor, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes!

Speaking of projects -- two more recipes down! Zucchini gratin and plum cake tatine. I've just ordered some special baking dishes from Amazon so that I can proceed with some of the other recipes. So, progress!

An All Over the Place Update

Busy, busy times these days – you gotta love summer. There is just so much going on, so much foodie-ness to bask in. Often times it seems like it is just flying by, but the good news is that I’ve been doing my best to take advantage of it, and I have a ton to update you on.

So, first things first – the cookbook project. I know many of you probably thought I’d abandoned said project, but I haven’t. It was on hold for a while (work has been out of control busy), but I’m back in the game. As I mentioned before, I’m kind of trying to take in chapter by chapter, starting, of course, with desserts. I’ve managed to complete three recipes lately – Coeur la crème, plum-raspberry crisp, and meringues Chantilly (pictured below).  A useful hint about Coeur la crème – when the recipe calls for heavy cream, it means heavy cream. Half and half will not be an adequate substitute and the Coeur will not set up. Not that I speak from experience…ahem. So anyway, making good progress there and I’ll be back with another update soon (I hope).

In other news – I saw Michael Pollan speak last week! It was awesome – he’s a fantastic speaker – funny yet obviously incredibly well-versed and knowledgeable. I found his talk to be both incredibly entertaining and inspiring. He was speaking as part of the Contra Costa County library summer reading festival, and to celebrate the library’s 100^th birthday. As such, the tickets were incredibly cheap ($12!) and the venue was very cool – the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek – which, by the by, apparently has great shopping and was a surprisingly cute town.

Proof that my cookbook addiction has merit

(At least in one author's opinion...) -- Why printed cookbooks still matter

After 10 days in New England

I drank seven of these...

Dunkin Donuts medium French Vanilla iced coffee with cream. My life's blood. (Especially when served with a Boston Kreme doughnut on the side...)

I ate three of these...

The Clam Shack's lobster roll, served with sweet potato fries, for $6.95. It literally does not get any better than this.

 And I made this cake from scratch, thanks to Martha Stewart...

Vanilla cake with creamy vanilla frosting, to celebrate grandpa's 85th birthday.

It was good to be home.

Things have gotten a bit out of control

Now, I've never been one to be ashamed of my love of Starbucks, as you all know (a certain poem comes to mind...) However, recently things have spun wildly out of control. I got two of my co-works -- we'll call them N and J -- hooked on the stuff too. J is especially bad -- he gets a venti latte (I usually stick with a grande). Recently we've taken to making Starbucks a daily trip. I'll even admit that there have been days that it has happened twice. I'm officially a gold member with my gift card. Not good for our wallets or our waistlines. So, we collectively decided that Wednesdays would be 'no Starbucks' day. And I have to tell you, I'm jonesing hard right now. I understand that it is just because I've been told (even if just by myself) that I can't have any, but it is all I'm think about. My brain is going "Starbucks...Starbucks...STARBUCKSSTARBUCKSSTARBUCKS!" My hands are jittery. I can barely type.

It doesn't help that today I got an e-mail that a free drink has been loaded onto my gift card.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

Now is the time...

...when farmers everywhere are purchasing chicks from their local tractor supply. I really, really want some chickens. And ducks. And a cow. That is all! (Cluck cluck)

CSAs and Monterey

Yes, I’m still here. No, nothing terrible has happened – I’ve just been super busy, as usual. I went to Florida for a quick trip a couple weekends ago and I am still wiped out from it. But, life must go on.

In any event, here are some updates, random thoughts, and so on.

A lot of my “food attention” has been spent lately on the idea of sustainable eating and what that means and how to achieve it. Have you ever done one of those online carbon foot print calculators (like this one: http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm -- this is just one of many, many out there)? They can be quite depressing. I did a couple recently and was dismayed by my results! I realize that I’m not perfect, but hell, I thought I was on the right path – shopping at the farmers’ market, making my own cleaning supplies, recycling – all that jazz. Apparently not. Sigh. Actually, I took this quiz as part of an online class I was participating in through Coursea (you should definitely check this out, there are a ton of free, interesting courses you can take). This particular course was a six-week course about the US food systems, and it was absolutely fascinating and enlightening (I got an A, in case anyone was wondering). The professor was actually very reassuring about the poor results from the quiz, and just how overwhelming these topics can be in general. I mean, no one can ever eat perfectly, even if you’re a vegan, or follow a raw diet, or only eat organic, local produce. There is always room for improvement, and even just making an effort counts for something. In that vein, I joined a CSA out here! I’ve been looking for one for a while now, and it finally all fell into place. This particular one is with Farm Fresh to You, and they deliver to my office, which is super-convenient! It’s all organic and locally grown, and I’m getting a delivery every other week, which is perfect, because in the past I’ve had trouble keeping up with weekly deliveries (I mean, that is a lot of produce). So far I’m really happy with it! I also finally joined Slow Food USA. So, good things happening in that department.

I’ve been kind of all over the place with my cookbook challenge – a recipe here and there, but no real direction. To that end, I’ve decided to focus on one chapter at a time, starting, naturally, with desserts. Yum. I’ll keep you posted.

Completely fascinating

Take a scan through this article: http://www.thedailymeal.com/50-most-powerful-food-folk-america. I found it to be really, really interesting. There were some staples on the list, but also a few surprises -- and I've met one of them (Alice Waters, I'm looking at you)!

Seriously, though, what I thought was most interesting about this endeavor is that it really opens one's eyes to what influences what we eat. Sure, Food Network or your favorite food magazine (or other media outlet) are obvious choices -- although in those cases, the viewer/reader is already interested in food and taking the initiative to expose themselves to these influences. For the "other" eaters -- those that may or may not care about taste or nutrition, and do not have a strong interest in cooking or food culture -- the big influencers include fast food chains, Wal-Mart and other retail stores, commercials on TV...Maybe it is just me, but I found it quite interesting to think about what influences me and what I cook and eat and think about food. Anyway, the article stuck with me for a while after reading it, and I just wanted to share!

P.S. How awesome is it that Pinterest is on this list?!?! I am soooo addicted -- and in fact, I do get a lot of random food inspiration from the site (for example, the no-bake Nutella cheesecakes I whipped up last night). Don't forget, you can follow me on Pinterest and check out my boards at http://pinterest.com/asheardy.

An Evening at Baker and Banker

I’m not sure why it took me so long to churn this post out (its already two weeks overdue). I’m sure there’s an excuse of how busy I am, I’m still not over this cold, blah blah blah. Regardless, here (finally) is the recount of dinner at Baker and Banker (http://www.bakerandbanker.com).

And what a dinner it was! I forget where I first heard about Baker and Banker – Tasting Table? Food and Wine? The SF Inside Scoop? All plausible possibilities. Anyway, the restaurant had been hanging out on my “places to go” list for months when the opportunity to eat there finally presented itself a couple weekends ago. Some friends and I – the roommate among them – were going shopping to the city, and naturally, dinner plans fell to me. I actually tried to get a table at a couple other places first, and then when one at Baker and Banker was available, I snatched it up – and I’m so glad I did!