Recently in culinary creations Category

This coming Friday morning I depart for Raleigh and will spend about 11 days out in North Carolina to cat-sit for John while he is doing some ASM training in Tampa. Meanwhile, back at Chateau Pearl, someone will watch the cats here. Don't ask me to explain this geographical musical chairs for cat-sitting. The bonus is that by Saturday John and I will be sitting in The Angus Barn and I will be hoping to spot Chef Royal.

My heart flutters just thinking about going to what I've come to call The Steak Barn, although it is The Angus Barn. On the menu is chateaubriand. This is by far the best cut of beef to savor. That initially drew me under the Angus Spell, but then I noticed on the appetizer menu that there was an oddity: Ostrich Satay with Peanut Sauce. The description noted that it's Chef Royal's Iron Chef creation. What?!?!?

Then I did the research. Chef Royal was invited to challenge Iron Chef Cora and the secret ingredient was ostrich. He was the winner! Now this has me fallen into a culinary fantasy: Chef Royal will come to our table to ask us how the chateaubriand tastes, and what do we think of the ostrich satay? I'll swoon and then insist on having my picture taken with culinary greatness, and I'll profusely tremble as I hand him a pen and piece of paper, humbly requesting an autograph. The reality of my little dream is that more than likely, Chef Royal is ensconced in some location not at the restaurant. I'll settle for the privilege of photographing my meal for blogging. I can still dream, though, as they are entirely free of charge.

Other planned dining experiences include returning to NY Pizza, and I found a barbecue joint in Wilson that the Yahoo reviewers claim is "better than Bill's" so I'll have to check that out. It's called Parker's Barbecue. We plan on hitting Steak n' Shake in Raleigh, too. I may explore to find locally owned burger joints, as my quest for the perfect cheeseburger is always in progress.

Stay tuned for photos of food and tales of my upcoming adventures!

Litmus Test

I'm afraid as much as I like the south I'll never quite be an adopted southerner. There is one barrier I will not breech: sweet tea. I love iced tea. I drink it constantly. Here in the great PNW iced tea means brewed tea over ice--no sugar or lemon. You add these embellishments yourself.
I learned quick in North Carolina to ask for "unsweet tea" or else I'd be given what I describe as "caffeinated hummingbird nectar".

One bright Sunday morning we stopped at the local Bojangles for a try of their lunch food since we liked their breakfast biscuit offerings. John got a refill of sweet tea because he didn't want to get the unsweet by going up to the counter. I thought I'd be brave and try a sip of it since people say that Bojangle's sweet tea is one of the best.

I choked. I sputtered. I proclaimed: This taste like a frosted flake with added sugar! Oh my god! It's liquid frosted flakes!

Much to my amazement John agreed! He did say there was a frosted flake quality to the tea.

It occurred to me at that moment as much as I might integrate into the south one day, perhaps even taking on a bit of a drawl, and maybe even acquiring a taste for other such local culinary favorites (everyone says frog's legs are delicious), I do not see in my future any ability to stomach sweet tea.

Local Landmark

I scoured the local reviews on Yahoo to find an eatery with high reviews that caters to my penchant for burgers, hot dogs, or barbecue. I came up with Dick's, a local Wilson institution since 1921. The walls were lined with sports celebrities and movie stars signed photos, and there was a man working the grill who has most likely been with the place since it opened. He might even be the Dick in Dick's.

All dogs are served with mustard, chili, and onions. There is the cheese option which I went for along with minus the mustard and chili. They also serve up burgers and sandwiches. The prices were very reasonable and the meal was filling. The only tick mark against the meal was that only sweet tea is available--no unsweet tea for those of who desire the full taste of tea. Also, the restaurant had a sit-down area that was easily filled up for the lunch crowd. Food service was fast and the waitresses made sure our drinks were refreshed. It's a cash only place, no credit or debit cards, which is typical of these little eateries.

It's not the best dog I've ever had, but it was agreeable. I can see this place being quite the hang-out in the summer. I do appreciate being able to get cheese on a hot dog without it being thought of as strange. I'd eventually like to try one of their burgers or sandwiches.

At my internship I've gotten in touch with my Swedish ancestry through a fellow intern, Stan (aka Sven). He can claim 50% Swedish ancestry whereas I'm only 25% Swede. However, this is enough to engage us in discussing Swedish culture and comparing notes on Swedish culinary creations above and beyond the Swedish meatball.

He mentioned one day a cookie his grandmother would make and how no one bothered to master the recipe. Grandma didn't write anything down so the actual recipe is lost. Nothing is ever truly lost, so I said I could probably track down a variant recipe of this long-lost cookie and see if I could replicate it.

After endless detailed questions on my part, and Sven going so far as to consult a cousin who supposedly assisted grandmother in making the cookies, I came up with the above treat. They are called "kringla" and I flavored these with a hefty amount of cardamom and gave them a light sugar glaze.

What is interesting about these cookies is how they are more like a cake, almost a cinnamon roll. In some variations from the Norwegians the cookie is transformed into a roll and is made into a spiral instead of a pretzel shape. Some recipes call to shape the cookie not as a pretzel but as a figure-8. Some recipes use buttermilk while others use sour cream. There are about 2-3 unique variations on this cookie recipe and I shall experiment to see which one I think works best. My next attempt will be to use the sour cream recipe.

There is also another variation on this where the cookie is more crisp. This is no ordinary cookie, having each Scandinavian culture and region do its own adaptation of it.

I fondly recall my dear friend Pibb with another cookie story. She was raised by a non-biological grandmother who was Swedish. She said at the holidays her grandma would make a special Swedish cookie and that she'd give me the recipe. I was so excited to finally get in touch with my Swedish heritage, to experience something truly "ethnic". When I got the recipe and read through the ingredients list and saw how the cookies were prepared, I started laughing. I had known the recipe all of my life, just by a different name, and assumed it wasn't Swedish at all since no one had ever indicated it as such. Small world syndrome strikes again.

Real Pizza

Sure, there's pizza here in the northwest, but it's not "real" pizza. What is real pizza? Real pizza is crust, sauce, and cheese, but done in that magical way that is unique to the east coast. Sorry, Chicago, what you call pizza is more like a casserole with it being deep dish (think of Bis-quik's magic crust pizza). And yes, California, a nod to you for showing the world that pizza can be topped with barbecue chicken, or with Thai peanut sauce and chicken, which is very delicious indeed.

Yet, real pizza to me shall always be the kind of simple pie found in the northeast. We stopped at Sunny's Pizza where we used to frequent about once a week. Sunny's is a typical pizza restaurant with more than just pizza on the menu: cheesesteaks, hoagies, pasta dinners, fried foods, calzones, and strombolis. Sunny knows the Jarvis family, being that most of the clan lives less than half a mile from the restaurant. Sunny recognized Pooky and welcomed him back home for a visit.

We enjoyed a second meal on our last day from Sunny's, this time eating some cheesesteaks, meatball sub, onion rings, deep fried pierogies, and more.

Cow Cloud

We stayed with Ann and Rich, Pooky's sister and BIL. Rich works for a restaurant and knows how to cook delicious food. Ann invited us to have dinner on Sunday night, saying Rich would be making filet mignon. I thought she meant steaks, and was undecided about having them, but as Pooky and I discussed it, we realized to turn down a steak dinner would be silly, plus we wanted to spend more time with family.

When we arrived for dinner after visiting family, Ann showed me the roast—the filet mignon roast—which is also known as chateaubriand, or tenderloin of beef. I about died because this cut of meat is the prime cut, better than prime rib roast, and it is melt-in-your-mouth tender delicious beefy meaty goodness! We ate chateaubriand for dinner on our wedding night and still rave about it.

I announced to Pooky that we were going to be served "cow cloud" our personal nickname for the tenderloin. Our eyes got big. Holy cow! (No pun intended) We were being treated royally and I then realized that I almost had considered not coming for dinner since Ann presented it as somewhat optional. Chateaubriand is never optional, at least according to my stomach.

Real Chinese Food

We have missed good Chinese food. It has long been a mystery to us why Chinese food in the northwest is of lesser quality and taste than in the northeast. Example: here if you order "fried wantons" you get a dozen for $.395 and all they are is a wanton wrapper deep fried. Back in PA you order 12 for $2.25 and they are stuffed with a savory meat and then deep fried. Also, the fried rice served around here has no meat in it and seems to be old and stale. The main dishes are served with a ton of bean sprouts or other cheap vegetable and have no savory sauce.

We went to our favorite eatery and we were pleasantly surprised to see that the menu and prices hadn't changed in four years! The boneless sparerib combo platter was only $6.50 and was loaded with meat and rice and enough to serve 4 people! I totally forgot how in the northeast you can order by the pint and quart. And I forgot what having real fried rice is like that has real pieces of meat in it!

Junk Food

On Monday we had a pleasant lunch at Granny McCarthy's Tea Room, located in the historic downtown Bethlehem. I had the pastie of the day and Pooky enjoyed a tasty serving of beef shepard's pie. We ended the meal with some goodies from the dessert case.

Being that Entennman's crumb topped donuts are unique to being only sold in the northeast, I bought three boxes of them, two of which came home with me, the first one being devoured during our stay. I also brought back some potato chips that aren't available here. It's the donuts that have me happier than a clam in muddy water!

More pictures of the food so that you might find yourself drooling:

Please, someone contact Red Lobster on my behalf and let them know I am weak, dying, and struggling to live another day! Each moment that passes that it isn't Shrimp Fest my life force drains away. I NEED Shrimp Fest. I've this terrible need to salt and butter myself into scampi oblivion.

Yes, when the AYCE Shrimp Fest happens, I only care for one kind of their shrimp: the scampi.

Sure, the popcorn and coconut shrimp are good, but scampi wins over all shrimp preparations. The garlic, salt, and buttery goodness is the perfect way to eat a shrimp.

Lately when I do watch TV I've been artificially excited when a Red Lobster commerical comes on. Will they announce it is Shrimp Fest? No, they do not. My heart sinks. My spirits dampen. My tummy rumbles with consternation.

How much longer must I endure?

I can't take all of the credit for these recipes that I'm about to share. I have this way of adapting someone's recipe to suit my preferences and tastes. Often my adaptations come about because I don't have a specified ingredient, or I think a substitution would work better. Without further delay, here's the recipes for the pear chicken.

Pear Chicken Marinade

Adapted from Unbelievable Chicken by Ruthie Crickmer

Ingredients:
½ cup pear vinegar
3 Tablespoons dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
½ cup maple syrup or honey (whichever you have available)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil
Boneless skinless chicken cut into large pieces

I mix all of the ingredients together in a deep baking dish, then I take the chicken breasts and cut them so they are even thickness and size. I then put the chicken in the marinade and let it sit overnight. I then grill it until cooked. I place it on a platter and then dust it with either gorgonzola cheese crumbles or feta cheese crumbles.

Glazed Pears

Adapted from Grilled Peach Halves with Savory Ginger Glaze

1 pear per person
The variety of pear you use for this depends on what type you like best, but I think the Bosc works best
3 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons minced shallots
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or orange juice (whichever you have available)

I skin and slice the pears and cut them in half. I then soak them in the sauce so they are nicely covered. I then grill them on low heat, just until they get some nice carmelized marks on them. I cook both sides. I then arrange them around the chicken on the platter of chicken.

Snail Butter (It's not just for snails!)

Snail butter is the flavored butter used for making escargot, but it's good for many other things, too!
The snail butter recipe is easily found all over the Internet.

4 ounces of softened butter
½ cup finely chopped shallots
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 Tablespoons of parsley if using fresh; if using dried use only 1-2 teaspoons

The recipe calls for the addition of salt and pepper to the butter, but since salt is already in the butter, I don't add it. But feel free to season to taste.

Simply cream together the softened butter with the ingredients. Grilling corn is a lot of fun. Pull back the husks on the ears without removing them and pull off the corn silk. Pull the husk back over the corn. Then grill the corn on medium heat. The husks have a way of catching on fire as they dry out, but don't panic. Just keep an eye on them.

When ready to serve the corn, brush with the snail butter. Delicious!

Yesterday we accompanied my sister and BIL on a tour of wooden boats in downtown Olympia, and once our stomach alarms went off we discussed where to eat dinner. My sister had a list of places to choose from, and when an Italian restaurant was mention&mdash&a real Italian restaurant—came up, I said I was interested. I know Pooky isn't fond of pasta, but real Italian food is much more than pasta, and the way that my BIL talked of this place, it sounded like a place to try. The owner, he said, was an import from Italy. Yes!

So we go there. It's a small place, nicely decorated, and upon entering we are greeted by a middle-aged man, obviously Italian by birth and upbrining, and he greets us with such friendliness, as if he knows us personally (I like that kind of treatment) and seats us at a table where we're tucked a bit out of the way.

Each table has a bottle of oil filled with garlic and other fresh particles of something. It is for the bread, I am told.

He hands us menus to review. I see an appetizer of shrimp scampi wrapped in prosciutto ham. I imagine the salty, garlicy goodness, but realize then realize an appetizer of $10 was a lot and the entrees were $15.95 and above. I scan the meat dishes and let my mind imagine what the chicken parmesan would taste like when the owner returns to tell us about the day's specials.

Between the noise of the restaurant and his slurred English I am not really certain what he is telling us. I hear a few words like "veal" and think not, but then at the very end he says "cheese ravioli" and I am there! So was my sister. We each got that, and Pooky the veal, and my BIL went with a pork in some kind of reduction sauce.

I like cheese ravioli and this was in a cream sauce with a light lemony essence with a suggestion of crab meat floating in the white, creamy goodness. I think I started eating and didn't stop until I was done, and then I was wanting seconds, perhaps thirds!

We were all inhaling our food. But, the funny part of it all is, about 10 minutes into our being at the restaurant, it is revealed that this is the first time my sister and BIL have eaten at the restaurant! I had been under the impression they had eaten there before.

We ended the meal to die for with shared slices of tiramisu. Drool. Marscapone cheese and espresso soaked lady fingers....

And Pooky had some pasta on his entree plate and guess what? He ate it! Yes, the pasta they served with a basic red sauce was divine! We all fought over the extra plate of pasta the owner brought to us.

Today I looked to find if the restaurant had a website and I couldn't find it listed. I'm not even sure of the name. For all I know the food was simply a very nice dream we shared, one in which I hope to repeat again some day.

Being that I no longer live in the northeast, such things as Fish on Fridays during Lent is no longer part of my awareness. So this bit of news caught my attention: Corned Beef and Catholics. I'm sure without this special exception that some may have short circuited like those androids on a couple of Star Trek episodes when Captain Kirk managed to put them into a logic loop that fried their robotic brains. This is why I'll never fit in well with religions: I wouldn't need a bishop, pope, or other cleric give me special permission to eat meat or other dietary no-no's, ok's, or maybe not's. Hopefully I'm not coming across as disrespectful toward those who do follow dietary guides via an organized religion. My intent is to acknowledge that I couldn't follow the rules. If you can manage to follow them, more power to you, because it does take self-discinpline, self-denial, determination, and believing in that you are doing.

These are the Lucky Charms pants I am wearing today. It's the only green clothing I own. A little personal trivia. Though Pooky comes from mostly Irish heritage, he didn't have a family recipe for corned beef and cabbage. His grandfather's Irish stew was what he had, but not the traditional CB&C. What is funny is the recipe I use was one that I learned from my previous SO who hadn't a drop of Irish blood in his body (his heritage was eastern European). This year I'm making it in the crock pot (see above) because I want to see if it cooks the vegetables less harshly than the stove top method. For accompaniment I thought of making Irish soda bread but then discovered a box of sour dough bread for the breadmachine. Thus, I'm letting the appliances do all of the work. (Tee-hee)

I discovered Mr. Patty O'Doo shedding his fur on the burgundy winged back chair. He twisted himself into a very peculiar yoga position, I think it is called the praying mantis or devotional rabbit.

He is actually upside down. I didn't distort the perspective. He is pressed against the back of the chair. Odd little monkey that his is, I'm sure he got better reception that way from the Mother Ship. I'm sure he telepathically communicates with space aliens.

I should have dyed his morning tuna green. There is still time for me to color up a can of Bumblebee. That would be rather weird looking—green tuna! Well, if it can be done to beer....

Tonight is the big store party at HD. I'm entered into two different culinary categories: best dessert and best side dish. The prize is a $20 gift card to the new Applebee's that opened across from the HD, but since neither of us are Applebee's fans, Pooky thinks he can sell them to coworkers if I win. And I hope I'm a contender even though this is a small town ruled more by who you know than what you know.

The first of three carrot cake rounds is baking. My oven is too small to fit more than one pan—technically I can fit two of the pans, but then they don't cook properly.

My side dish will be a seven layer dip. It fills up a 1½quart casserole dish. So there should be enough to feed many people. It's a really good recipe and easy to make.

There's also going to be other prizes awarded, and the goal is to send everyone home with some kind of gift, even if it is just a $5 gift card for the store.

I'm looking forward to meeting Pooky's coworkers, etc. I've met a couple of them, and so far everyone seems pleasant.

We awoke to it being 15°, and we watched the local news to see when this cold spell will end. It has gone on far too long for my bloodstream. I have perpetually cold hands and feet, and in my head I keep hearing the "I'm Mister Freeze Mister" lyrics.