Recipes

I'm always on the lookout for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe, and this one is a winner. It made me very popular at work this week since most of them ended up there. What I love about this recipe is the instructions are to chill the dough for 24-72 hours. I chose to bake up a tray at a time, so my co-workers had fresh baked cookies several days in a row. I also love that these use chocolate baking disks instead of chips.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published: July 9, 2008
Adapted from Jacques Torres

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (see note)
Sea salt

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Note: Disks are sold at Jacques Torres Chocolate; Valrhona fèves, oval-shaped chocolate pieces, are at Whole Foods.

• Chocolate Chip Cookies (New York Times, July 9, 2008)

I have found the Holy Grail of chocolate cookies. Over the years I've searched for a cookie just like this, and I finally found it on America's Test Kitchen. They are extremely rich and chocolatey, but also have a nice thick and chewy texture. This is now my default chocolate cookie recipe

Triple-Chocolate Cookies

The key to the fudgy texture of these cookies is letting them cool directly on the baking sheets. Avoid using bittersweet bar chocolate--the cookies will be too rich and won't hold their shape.

Makes 26 cookies
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate , chopped
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
7 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into pieces
2 teaspoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs , at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Melt unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chips, and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Stir coffee powder and vanilla extract together in small bowl until dissolved. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla-coffee mixture and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Using large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture and semisweet chips into batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until batter firms up (it will more closely resemble thick brownie batter than cookie dough).

4. Meanwhile, adjust two oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 heaping tablespoon batter per cookie, place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (see photo, right). Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool cookies completely, on baking sheets, before serving.

• Triple-Chocolate Cookies (America's Test Kitchen, Cookie Jar Favorites)

We had carnitas again last night. I've made a couple of changes to the recipe, and I have to say I could eat a LOT of these. We had them with Trader Joe's homemade corn tortillas - a mistake, actually. I usually buy flour tortillas for carnitas, but we had corn on hand from tacos that we didn't make. They were really delicious with the slightly warmed corn tortillas. We serve them with chopped cilantro, guacamole and sour cream.

Instead of using the traditional lard to make these carnitas, the meat braises in the oven until it falls apart, then it's crisped up under the broiler.

Carnitas
Serves 4

1 (3 - 3.5 lb.) boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to 1.8 thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
Salt
Black Pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cups water
1 medium orange

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice and water in a large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange, removing seeds. Add 1/3 cup orange juice. Cut spent orange halves in half and add to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours.

Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove oranges, onion and bay leaves from cooking liquid. Place pot over high heat and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (a heatproof spatula should leave a wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. Defat the liquid - there should be about 1 cup reduced, defatted liquid.

Using two forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Season with salt and pepper to taste; fold in reduced liquid. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet, or on a broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until well-browned (but not charred) and edges of meat are slightly crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas and garnishes.

• Carnitas (Test Recipe)
• Black Beans

Amy and I had these sandwiches the first time when she was visiting and we went to the Ferry Plaza farmer's market. Chef Chad Callahan was showing a demo, and we got big samples of the sandwiches. I really like these because they're different. I made these up ahead of time and stored them tightly wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until it was time to eat them.

Saigon Salmon Sandwiches
(makes 4 servings)

Marinade
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 oz. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 scallions
3 large cloves garlic

Sandwiches
4 wild salmon fillets, without skin (about 5 oz. each)
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons tartar sauce or mayonnaise
4 Acme torpedo rolls or solft rolls, lightly toasted
2 cups grated carrots
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree until the aromatics are minced finely. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 5 days to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade. Immerse the salmon fillets in the remaining marinade and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove the fish from the marinade; sprinkle with the black pepper and brush evenly with the oil. Grill or broil the chicken over medium high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or to desired doneness.

4. Spread the tartar sauce or mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Layer the carrots and jalapeno on the bottom halves. Place the salmon on the vegetables, drizzle with the reserved marinade and top with the cilantro.

• Saigon Salmon Sandwiches (Fish, Sausaulito)

I kind of like breakfast for dinner. I'm not a huge fan of scrambled eggs, but these sounded good - and they were. This is a good, easy dinner. It was late so we whipped it up quickly, but it would be nice with a mixed green salad. This recipe is from the Splendid Table web site - I listen to the podcast every week.

Luxury Scrambled Eggs
Keep the eggs tender by slowly scrambling and not overcooking. A heavy non-stick pan is a great help here.

Serves 3 to 4

* 1 large scallion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon curly parsley leaves, chopped
* 1/2 tightly packed tablespoon fresh basil or tarragon leaves, chopped
* 6 large eggs
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 3 ounces cream cheese, cut into about 3/4-inch pieces
* Salt and freshly ground pepper as needed
* 2 tablespoons butter

1. Combine the chopped herbs. In a medium bowl use a fork to loosely combine the eggs and cream. Stir in cream cheese, the herbs, and a little salt and pepper. Eggs do not have to be completely uniform.

2. In a 10-inch heavy non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir with a spatula for a few seconds.

3. Lower heat to medium low and keep stirring, scraping up any egg sticking to the pan, for 3 minutes, or until large curds form. Eggs can be served almost wet, moist yet approaching firm, or quite firm.

• Luxury Scrambled Eggs (The Splendid Table)
• Multigrain Country Loaf with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Sauvignon Republic 2006 Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc (Stellenbosch, South Africa). Sauvignon Republic sells wines locally, but sourced from all over the place. I like this SB - for a white wine, it's nice. Good with eggs.

I'm not much of a meatloaf lover. I'd probably never make it, but Larry likes it. And it's definitely comfort food - something I grew up with. Normally I use a recipe out of The Best Recipe, which uses a mixture of beef, pork and veal and has a ketchup-based glaze.

I used beef, pork and turkey in this version, which also has mushrooms in it (I think they add a nice flavor) but no glaze. Larry said he likes the other one better. I think this one is fine if I just add the glaze next time.

Neither one of us liked the polenta and greens. The recipe is also in Cooking New American and Fine Cooking's Side Dish 2007 special issue, but I only mention that so I can note in multiple places to never make it again.

Not-like-Mom's Meatloaf
Serves 8

1 ounce dried porcini or other mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 minutes
1 cup soft fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound fresh shiitake, porcini or other wild mushrooms, stems removed if using shiitakes; thinly sliced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef round (85 percent lean)
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal or turkey
3 slices pancetta, bacon, or lean salt pork, about 1/8 inch thick

Remove dried mushrooms from soaking liquid. If using shiitakes, remove and discard stems. Chop mushrooms and set aside. (Save soaking liquid for use in soups, stews or pasta sauces.)

In a small bowl, soak bread crumbs in cream while you prepare remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Remove onions and garlic to large bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan and increase heat to high. Put in soaked dried mushrooms along with fresh mushrooms and saute, stirring constantly, until mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms to onions in bowl.

Stir in eggs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well, then add ground meats and soaked bread crumbs with any liquid. Knead gently, using your hands, until everything is well blended. Rinse a large loaf pan (10 by 5 by 4 inches) with cold water and pack the meat into it. Invert loaf onto a flat roasting rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet with (1-inch sides) or a shallow baking dish or gratin pan and remove loaf pan. (Or you can form a loaf on the baking sheet or in the pan.)

Place slices of pancetta, bacon or salt pork on top of the meat and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature is 155 degrees. Remove meat loaf from oven and let it rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 to 20 minutes before slicing.

Per serving: 418 calories, 29g protein, 30g fat ( 12g saturated), 8g carbohydrate, 821mg sodium, 161mg cholesterol, 1g dietary fiber.

From "The Complete Meat Cookbook'' by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly (Houghton Mifflin, 1998)

• Not-like-Mom's Meatloaf (The Complete Meat Cookbook)
• Gratin of Polenta with Greens (Fine Cooking #31, March 1999, p. 27)

Wine: Novy 2000 Syrah (Napa Valley, California). Yum! Novy makes great wines. Peppery with concentrated fruit.

Just me for dinner tonight, but I was craving this dish. With garlic bread, of course. I'm posting the recipe here since I keep having to look it up on Cooking Light every time I make it.

White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (4-ounce) links chicken sausage, cut into (1/2-inch) slices
1 zucchini, quartered and cut into (1/2-inch) slices (about 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 cups chopped trimmed kale (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup water
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and sausage 4 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add kale and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

• White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale and Zucchini (Cooking Light, January 2005)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

I continue with my granola obsession. We gave some of the previous batch away to neighbors, so I decided to try a different granola from the article. This one has brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and smells heavenly. It's a looser cereal but just as yummy as the version with almonds and honey.

Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola

Yields 4 to 5 cups

Vegetable oil spray
3 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled oats
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP canola oil
1 TBSP pure vanilla extract

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F. Spray 2 rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar and water; bring to a simmer over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar is melted. Stir in the oil and vanilla. Remove from the heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir with a spoon until well mixed.

Divide the mixture evenly between the oiled baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, stire, and switch the positions of the pans, and then bake until the oats are golden brown and the nuts look well toasted, another 10-15 minutes. (The oats may feel soft but will crisp as they cool.) Let cool completely in the pans.

• Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p. 34)

I first made this a couple of weeks ago, but didn't thing to post about it here. This is my second batch. My first batch mostly went to Jay for his trip to Park City, and Larry got a bit of it too. They both loved it. I finally had some yesterday morning and I really liked it too. It's not too sweet, and I like that it's got some oat brand and dry milk powder so it has some fiber and protein. Larry likes to add a handful of dried blueberries when he eats it. It's really easy to make, so I'm going to post the recipe here. I make mine without raisins.

I used agave nectar instead of honey in this batch, and I couldn't tell the difference.

Honey Almond Granola

Honey Almond Granola
Yields 9 to 10 cups.

Vegetable oil spray
4 cups old-fashioned (not quick-cooking) rolled oats
1 cup oat bran
2 cups whole almonds, coarsely chopped
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup honey
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ tsp pure almond extract
1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
½ tsp table salt
1 cup raisins (optional)

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Spray two rimmed baking sheets with vegetable oil spray. In a large bowl, mix the oats, oat bran and almonds. In a small bowl, whisk oil, honey, vanilla, almond extract, dry milk powder and salt. Pour mixture (it will be gloppy) over the oats and stir with your hands or a spoon, until well combined.

Divide mixture between the two oiled baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, and switch the positions of the pans. Bake until the oats are golden brown and the nuts look well toasted, another 10 to 20 minutes; don't overcook. Let cool completely in the pans. The oats may feel soft but will crisp as they cool. When completely cool, stir in the raisins, if using.

• Honey Almond Granola (Fine Cooking #75, Holidays Winter 2006, p. 34)

I'm in Austin visiting Amy for a long weekend, and one of our favorite traditions is to make a batch of fondue together and eat it for lunch. We went back to the original recipe we used for our first fondue. Amy bought good cheese (Guryere, Appenzeller and Emmentaler) so it was especially tasty. We also made homemade Ciabatta, which turned out excellent - perfect texture, with big holes for the cheese to hide in. We made a whole recipe, and had leftovers, but half would have been fine.

Classic Swiss Three-Cheese Fondue

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 Cup dry white wine
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
8 oz Guyére chees, rind trimed and discarded, and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
8 oz Emmentaller cheese, rind trimed and discarded, and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
3 oz Appenzeller cheese, cut into small cubes (about 1/2 cup)
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp kirsch
A few gratings fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Rub the inside of a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the garlic; discard the garlic. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss the Gruyére, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller cheeses with the cornstarch. A handful at a time, stir the cheese mixture into the wine, stirring the first batch until it is almost completely melted before adding another. The fondue can bubble gently, but do not boil. Stir in the kirsch and season with the nutmeg and pepper.

Transfer to a cheese fondue pot and keep warm over a fondue burner. Serve immediately, with dipping ingredients of your choice.

What to dip:
- Crusty mixed grain bread, French or Italian bread, cut into bite-sized cubes (leave a piece of crust on each cube)
- Cooked chicken breast, skin and bone removed, cut into bite-sized cubes
- Cooked garlic sausage or knockwurst, cut into bite-sized wedges
- Boiled new potatoes
- Asparagus spears, broccoli florets, or cauliflower florets, prepared for dipping

Variations:
French Gruyére Fondue: Substitute an additional 11 ounces Guryére cheese, rind trimmed and removed and shredded (about 3 1/4 cup) for the Emmentaler and Appenzeller cheeses, and Cognac or brandy for the kirsch.

Fondue Dionnaise: Stir 1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard into the fondue. Substitute COgnac or brandy for the kirsch.

American Swiss Cheese Fondue: Domestic Swiss cheese is not as fully matured as imported Swiss cheese, but it can make a fine fondue. Substitute 1 pound domestic Swiss cheese, cut into tiny cubes, finely shredded, for the Gruyére, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller cheeses.

Wine Free Fondue: Substitute 1/2 cub chicken stock, preferrably homemade, and 1/2 cup milk for the wine. Do not add the lemon juice until the chicken stock and milk have come to a simmer.

Serves: 4-6

• Classic Swiss Three-Cheese Fondue (Fondue, Rick Rodgers, p. 18)
• Ciabatta (No Need to Knead, p. 49)

Jay was here for dinner tonight, and this meal was easy, easy easy. The trout can be prepared in about ten minutes, and so can the potatoes. Larry loves these potatoes. The trout ended up with some sunflower seeds on top because the bread I used was whole wheat with sunflower seeds.

Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout
1 1/2 (1-ounce) slices sourdough bread, torn
2 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place bread in a food processor; pulse until crumbly. Place the trout, skin side down, on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Combine mustard and tarragon; spread over top of fish. Sprinkle fish with breadcrumbs and paprika; lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 fillet)

• Mustard and Herb-Crusted Trout (Cooking Light, December 2003, p. 208)
• Skillet-Roasted Rosemary Potaotes (Fine Cooking #62, January 2004, p. 18)
• Sautéed Spinach with Garlic

Wine:
- Sapphire Hill 2002 Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). Unremarkable. More of a weeknight wine.
- Rosenblum 2003 Rosie Rabbit Late Harvest Zinfandel (California). Yum, yum, yum! We had this yesterday at a Rosenblum open house (they have one every quarter). Jay brought this over and it's really yummy.

Amy and I made tapas for eight tonight - we had Les, Katie, Rafael, Mark and Catherine over. Rafael is from Spain, so the pressure was on. We had a fairly ambitious menu, but we were well prepped and everything came together easily.

- I've made Patatas Bravas in the oven before, and I may try that method next time, but with the same Bravas salt and red sauce from this recipe.
- The mushrooms and mini-chorizos were both a big hit. The Sausages in Sherry, not so much. We got the mini-chorizo at The Spanish Table.
- The cava sangria was excellent (recipe follows). The recipe is from Jaleo, a tapas bar that Larry and I visited in Washington, DC last year. It called for a Spanish liqueur called Licor 43. It's made with vanilla and spices and is excellent. We used an very reasonably priced cava that a staff member at The Spanish Table recommended, called Parxet Cuvée 21 Brut Cava.

Jaleo Cava Sangria

Makes 1 Liter

1 bottle of cava sparkling wine from Spain, chilled
3 oz. Licor 43
3 oz. Brandy
3 oz. White Grape Juice
500 cl. Ice
3-4 Fresh Strawberries
1/2 of a Fresh Peach
4-5 White Grapes
1 bunch of Fresh Mint

Cut the fruit into bite-size pieces (or smaller). Pour the ice into a 1-liter pitcher (or larger). Slowly pour the chilled cava down the inside of the pitcher and not directly overthe ice (to keep the bubbles from fizzing away). Pour the Licor 43, brandy and white grape juice into the pitcher. Add the fruit and mint.

- We thought we would cook the shrimp in the oven. We both agreed it would have been better on the stove (according to the recipe).
- The pudding cups were excellent. I love orange-flavored chocolate. And the small ramekins were perfect.

• Fried Squid (César, Oliver Said, p. 161)
• Patatas Bravas (César, Oliver Said, p. 124)
• Alioli (César, Oliver Said, p. 195)
• Catalan Mushrooms with Garlic and Parsley (Fine Cooking #46, September 2001, p. 37)
• Gambas al Ajillo (Tapas, Penelope Casas, p. 13)
• Sizzling Sausages with Sherry (My Kitchen in Spain, Janet Mendel, p. 261)
• Manchego Cheese with Membrillo
• Istara Cheese
• Pau Goat Cheese
• Piminetos de Padron
• Mini-Chorizo
• Crema de Chocolate (César, Oliver Said, p. 191)

Larry harvested basil and peppers from our garden today. I couldn't help but use both - pesto made from just-picked basil can't be beat. Larry is doing a great job cultivating the basil and it's starting to take over the barrel it's planted in. Everything was very good, even the squash. I usually don't like squash if it's cooked too much, so I sautéed it at very high heat.

- We ate these peppers at a tapas bar in Barcelona, Spain a few years ago. We were addicted, and were disappointed to find out that the peppers were only grown in the Galacia region of Spain. We were thrilled when we found a local farmer selling the peppers - Pimientos de Padron - at our farmer's market. I believe Happy Quail Farms is still one of the few (if not the only) farmers growing these peppers. Picasso's in San Jose buys the peppers from Happy Quail Farms as well and will serve them if you ask (in season). Yum! They are also available at Tienda.com. Lucky us, we found out that the plants were being sold at the Santa Clara County Master Gardner's Tomato and Pepper sale this spring. We are now the proud owners of three thriving Pimientos de Padron plants. Tonight we picked our first crop - only eight or so. I fried them in hot olive oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt. So good! Just like in Spain. We got a few spicy ones too - usually about a quarter of them are spicy.
- I'm pretty picky about how I like my salmon. Grilled with our soy marinade, or pan-fried or broiled. I like it to have that caramelized crust on it. I liked this, though. The pesto was just so good. I was out of bread for the bread crumbs, so I used an english muffin instead. It came together pretty quickly.
- Berries are all over the farmer's market right now. The raspberries I got were okay, but the blackberries and strawberries are fantastic. I had leftover blueberries from Costco (big and juicy), so I made these mixed berries for dessert instead of a blueberry pie like I had planned. This was a nice, refreshing dessert.

• Pimientos de Padron
• Pesto-Crusted Salmon (Fine Cooking #33, July 1999, p. 82)
• Summer Squash with Garlic and Herbs (Chez Panisse Vegetables, Alice Waters, p. 311)
• Haricots Verts with Lemon Brown Butter (Gourmet, November 2002)
• Mixed Berries with Vanilla Bean Syrup (Fine Cooking #65, July 2004, p. 52)

Wine: David Bruce 2001 Windsor Gardens Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, California). When we first opened this, we weren't sure about it. It was kind of closed and didn't knock our socks off. However, it opened up nicely and was good with the salmon. Well-balanced.

Jay was here for dinner tonight. We had excellent tuna tacos when we were in Zihuatanejo this month. George at Amado's (on Las Gatas Beach) gave me the general idea of how they make theirs, so here's my formalized version:

----------
Tuna Tacos
Yellowfin or albacore tuna, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup minced garlic (minced in a food processor)
Corn or grapeseed oil
3 T soy sauce

Heat 1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed) in a small skillet over low heat. Add the minced garlic to the oil and cook about 20 minutes, until the garlic flavor mellows.

In a separate skillet, heat 3 T oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until soft and golden. Add 2T of the garlic paste (save the rest for another use) and cook for 30 seconds. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sliced tuna and cook until no longer raw. Add the soy sauce and stir to combine. Sauté for three minutes. Serve with fresh corn tortillas.
----------

- When we had the tacos at Amado's, they served them with a spicy salsa that had chunks of avocado in it. Yum. they used yellowfin tuna. I just used frozen albacore steaks from Trader Joe's. I was unsure about the texture as I was slicing - I'm not a fan of frozen fish, but it worked fine for this.
- We also had black beans tonight - I sautéed some onion and added some of the garlic paste, a couple of diced roma tomatoes and a couple of cans of black beans and a tablespoon or so of chile powder. I like the onions to get kind of golden so the beans have a bit of a smoky flavor. I cook them for a half hour or so to let the flavors meld.
- I used some cherries tonight in the crisp, in place of some of the blueberries. Larry liked Friday's crisp better (more blueberries). I added a cup of oats to the topping, and I really liked the result - it held together better and was a bit more rustic.

• Tuna Tacos
• Corn Tortillas
• Black Beans
• Guacamole
• Triple Berry-Cherry Fruit Crisp with Oatmeal Crunch Crisp Topping (Fine Cooking #51, July 2002, p, 52)

Margaritas

I've added a link to this page, pointing to temporary storage for recipes I've scanned to PDF (here).

I received my new Alton Brown Salt Cellar today. Finally, I have a place to store kosher salt, and no more trying to pour salt into measuring spoons from the big box!

Jay came for dinner tonight. This is a good summer dish, even though it's a soup. It uses fresh vegetables, and I wanted to use up the last of the corn. It's my favorite tortilla soup. It can be made ahead and put together at the last minute. It's best when made with homemade chicken stock.

Draeger's San Mateo store used to sell a fresh mint gelato that I loved. I decided to try to duplicate it tonight. I didn't have a recipe, but I did find something on Epicurious. I followed my own basic gelato recipe, then looked to the Epicurious recipe to figure out how I should do the mint. Larry thought it was too minty. Jay and I liked it, and thought it was very refreshing. It's much more earthy than using mint extract. I have a Cuisinart electric ice cream maker, the kind with the cylinder that you freeze. It works really well. It's basically the same as my manual Donvier that I started out with years ago, but now I don't have to do anything but press "on".

• Tortilla Chicken Soup Ole (Hot Chicken, Hugh Carpenter, p. 23)
• Chicken Stock (Fine Cooking #48, January 2003, p. 94)
• Fresh Mint Gelato

For the gelato, I used two recipes as a reference:

- Cinnamon Gelato (How to Make Ice Cream, Cook's Illustrated, p. 83)
- Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (Gourmet, August 1998)

Fresh Mint Gelato
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh mint, chopped
4 large egg yolks

Combine the milk, cream, 1/2 cup sugar and mint in a heavy 2.5-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Bring mixture to 175 degrees, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar.

Meanwhile, beat remaining 1/4 cup sugar and yolks in medium bowl, scraping down sides as needed, until mixture turns pale yellow and thickens so that it falls in ribbons, about 2 minutes with electric mixer on medium-high or 4 minutes with whisk.

Remove about 1/2 cup hot milk-cream-mint mixture from pan and slowly whisk into beaten yolk mixture. Gradually whisk thinned yolk mixture back into saucepan. Reduce heat to low and bring mixture to 180 degrees, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Custard should be thick but not curdled or boiled.

Remove saucepan from heat and let mint steep in milk mixture for 10 minutes. Pour custard through a fine-mesh strainer and into nonreactive bowl or container. Chill custard, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Stir will and then pour custard into ice cream machine. Churn until frozed but still a bit soft. Transfer ice cream to nonreactive container, seal, and freeze until firm.

I found Tombo Tuna at the store (it's hard to find anything but ahi tuna) today and poached it in olive oil for tuna salad and sandwiches. I saved the olive oil (strained) when I was done to use in a remoulade for tuna salad. This tuna is far superior to what you find in a can.

The poaching method is from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book:

Lay sliced lemons (1/4" thick), a sprig of rosemary, and two bay leaves at the bottom of a medium saucepan. Lay the tuna (12 oz.) on top of the herbs and lemon and add olive oil to cover. Add a couple of teaspoons of salt and some pepper. Cook on low until the first bubble appears. Turn the tuna over, remove from heat, and cover. Leave until the tuna is cooked through.