Culinary Concoctions by Peabody

There has been a lot of talk lately in the culinary world about the 100 mile diet. For those who don’t know what it is, it is basically only eating food that has been grown or made within 100 miles of where you live. It all started from a book, Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B Mackinnon. Now if someone had asked me a few years ago if I could do this I would have laughed in their face. Arizona is not known for it’s bounty of food. I could never have seafood again and I would be living on citrus. Moving to the Pacific Northwest is a whole other story. My first spring here was overwhelming to me, all this beautiful produce grown right here in my state, nothing I had seen in Arizona. Up until we moved here I had thought little of Pacific Northwest cuisine. I took a one night class on it and that was about it. We made salmon, pasta with Tillamook cheese and hazelnuts and something with Dungeness crab.
The local chef up here are very good about using what is around them and it shows in the freshness of their cuisine. One of my favorite chefs, Kathy Casey, wrote a wonderful cookbook about the flavors of the Northwest. It not only has fantastic recipes but it also has a wealth of information about food in the Pacific Northwest. I chose to make the Cheddar Ale Spread with Overnight Rosemary Flatbread because I was in search of a new party appetizer…I found one. Trying to stay true to the 100 mile rule I used Tillamook cheese, Redhook Ale, hazelnuts my friend gave me from her dad’s tree, and parsley and rosemary from a friends garden.
So could you do it? Could you do the 100 mile diet from where you live?

Cheddar Ale Spread

8 oz cream cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 ½ cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
2 TBSP heavy cream
¼ tsp Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup flavorful Northwest beer( I used Redhook)
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, skinned and coarsely chopped

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, Cheddar, cream, Tabasco, and salt in a food processor. Process for about 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley and hazelnuts until just dispersed.

Can be stored in fridge for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refridgerate.

Overnight Rosemary Semolina Flat Bread

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water(110F), plus more if needed
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 ½ cups flour, plus more for dusting
2 TBSP finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup semolina
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for topping

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and the 1 cup of water. Add the oil and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, rosemary, semolina and  a tsp of salt.
Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture, stirring with a large spoon to combine. Then, using clean hands and working in the bowl, mix until the dough comes together. If needed, add another 2 TBSP warm water and continue mixing dough into a a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Drizzle the bowl with ½ tsp oil and return the dough ball to the bowl, turning the dough to coat well with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night or for up to 24 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat an oven to 425F. Meanwhile, cut the dough into 8 wedges, then over with a damp towel and let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out each wedge into a 5 by 10 inch rectangle. Brush or drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt to taste. Arrange on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy but not over browned.

Source: Adapted from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table by Kathy Casey, 2006

I actually made these around New Year’s but didn’t put them up because of the fact that I was sticking to a French pastry theme and these just didn’t seem to fit the bill. I had told myself at the time, I would post about it at Superbowl time…then I realized today…it is Superbowl time. This recipe comes from Kathy Kasey, a Pacific Northwest food maven. Before coming to the PNW I had never heard of her but I am glad that I discovered her. Kathy doesn’t have a restaurant but a studio where she hosts classes and events. This recipe comes from Dishing with Kathy Casey, the first cookbook I owned by her, and my favorite out of the ones I have. These are pretty spicy for me but others seemed to enjoy them. Much better than just some mayo and egg yolk smooshed together.
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. My foot still hurts, sadly more than I anticipated…I had hoped to be back at hockey on the 13th, but alas I do not see that happening. I get off of crutches on Monday(I hope). I did try baking brownie cupcakes which my foot thought was a horrible idea, but it was nice to bake again.

Thai Curry-Spiced Stuffed Eggs with Shrimp

1 dozen eggs
2 tsp Thai yellow curry paste
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp Dijion mustard
1/4 tsp Tabasco
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 ounces bay shrimp, well drained and chopped
1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
1 TBSP chopped fresh mint

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cool water to 1 inch above the eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then time 10 minutes. After eggs have cooked for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and run cool water over them. When they are cool, carefully peel under running water.
Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and move yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover and refrigerate.
Place curry paste in bowl with yolks and whip until smooth. Add the garlic, ginger, Dijon mustard, Tabasco and mayonnaise, and mix until smooth. Mix in half of the chopped shrimp.
Spoon the yolk mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tp and then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. If you don’t have a pipe bag, simply spoon the mixture in.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining chopped shrimp, cilantro and mint. Top each egg half with a bit of the mixture, dividing it evenly among the eggs.

Out of the oven comes my souffles, looking puffy and lovely. Then there is a knock on the door, which I ignore, even though I know it is the UPS man. I quickly bring it to the “photo” area and set it carefully down. Then an oh too familiar sound…my dog is in the corner throwing up…I ignore this too and set up. I whip out the camera, which is already to go and get two pictures taken…and the camera freezes(which means I am out of batteries…point and shoots just take double A’s). Frantically running through the house and using language that I usually only reserve for playing hockey I find two batteries and thrust them into the camera as quick as I possible can. The sinking had already begun so I just went ahead and put the sauce on and took pictures. It still had a little puff but had life not intervened(once again) I could have gotten a few more “good” ones in.
I chose to do a cheese souffle for HHDD(Hay Hay It’s Donna Day), hosted this time around by Running with Tweezers… Tami is a repeat winner of HHDD so she knows how to pick a theme :). I love them so and they are such a classic. I did go cheese crazy mostly to use up the plethora of cheese that was in the fridge…gosh I love cheese. I went with the cherry sauce because I wanted a little something sweet to cut through all of the cheesy goodness.

Six Cheese Souffle with Cherry Black Pepper Sauce

Souffle
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely grated white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated balarina goat gouda cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyère cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Generously butter one 10-cup soufflé dish or six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to coat. (If using 1 1/4-cup dishes, place all 6 on rimmed baking sheet.) Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, pepper and nutmeg. Cook without browning until mixture begins to bubble, whisking constantly, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, then wine. Cook until smooth, thick and beginning to boil, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix yolks, salt and pepper in small bowl. Add yolk mixture all at once to sauce and whisk quickly to blend. Fold in the cheeses (cheeses do not need to melt). Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold 1/4 of whites into lukewarm soufflé base to lighten. Fold in remaining whites. Transfer soufflé mixture to prepared dish.
Place soufflé in oven; reduce heat to 375°F. Bake soufflé until puffed, golden and gently set in center, about 40 minutes for large soufflé (or 25 minutes for small soufflés). Using oven mitts, transfer soufflé to platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit

Cherry and Black Pepper Sauce

3/4 cup black cherry jam
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Melt jam in a saucepan on medium heat and add pepper. Cook until it starts to bubble and has a smooth consistancy. Remove from heat.

You throw enough bacon and cheese in anything and you can get a man to eat it. And what is more important is that quiche taste good, too good. Why oh why, must everything I love to eat be bad for you. Cream, check. Eggs, check. Bacon, check. Cheese, check. Cholesterol pills, check. I’ve never actually had a flavor combination of quiche that I didn’t like, but my favorite is always some version of quiche Lorraine. This quiche falls into that category.

Quiche is so versatile. It can be an appetizer, your breakfast/brunch, or even your main meal with a nice salad. There aren’t that many foods that can say that. And it can be made ahead of time to boot.  The only problem I find with quiche is that it never quite feels me up and I end up eating more and my four hundred calorie piece ends up being a thousand….sigh. I highlight quiche this week because I think it makes an excellent Christmas morning breakfast. You could make it ahead of time and have one less stressful thing to do. Plus, it is soooo simple to make.

I didn’t include a pie crust dough because the one I tried from allrecipes.com was horrible…there was nothing flaky about it. Luckily the quiche still was wonderful.

Hope all your holiday who-ha is in full swing and you are enjoying this time of year.

Pie crust for one 9-inch pie(use a recipe of your own or buy store bought)
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (or “lardons”)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated manchego cheese
 
 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
 
Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
 
In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.
 
Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.
 
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and cream. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.