Going to a French-themed dinner party for 19 tonight...and made the
- Thread starter traca
- Start date
LMF is a friend of mine...and her husband took much better pictures than mine (m)
I was a little too absorbed in chatting (and drinking!) to remember to take photos of all the courses. Here are my pictures from the party:
(Click on individual pictures or click the "Slideshow" option...)
BTW...I post on eGullet and Mouthfuls as scarlett.
I was a little too absorbed in chatting (and drinking!) to remember to take photos of all the courses. Here are my pictures from the party:
(Click on individual pictures or click the "Slideshow" option...)
BTW...I post on eGullet and Mouthfuls as scarlett.
I'm a misplaced New Yorker livingHey Meryl...I just got a lead on some Flechlin....
Check out http://www.petersoncheese.com. Apparently they've grown beyond cheese and they'll sell to non-trade accounts. And they're in the Seattle area!
I'm able to get the Flechlin dark cocoa powder for $5.98/lb and they sell in 1 kg portions. (2.2 pounds.)
So, I'm going to go pick up an order in the next couple days. If there's anything calling you...let me know. I'd be more than happy to be your chocolate runner! (PS. This offer goes to anyone else who wants to jump in as well...)
Contact me at: tsavadogo@yahoo.com with specifics.
Check out http://www.petersoncheese.com. Apparently they've grown beyond cheese and they'll sell to non-trade accounts. And they're in the Seattle area!
I'm able to get the Flechlin dark cocoa powder for $5.98/lb and they sell in 1 kg portions. (2.2 pounds.)
So, I'm going to go pick up an order in the next couple days. If there's anything calling you...let me know. I'd be more than happy to be your chocolate runner! (PS. This offer goes to anyone else who wants to jump in as well...)
Contact me at: tsavadogo@yahoo.com with specifics.
Thanks for the offer, Traca! I'd probably be interested, but will wait until you test it out! Why
don't you do a side by side comparison, using the Droste, Felchlin, and Penzey's? I think the best dessert to test with would be a pudding or a custard - the cocoa would really stand out. What do you think?
don't you do a side by side comparison, using the Droste, Felchlin, and Penzey's? I think the best dessert to test with would be a pudding or a custard - the cocoa would really stand out. What do you think?
I had just the oposite experience. I moved from Peoria, Il. to Seattle (more & long...)
Talk about culture shock! It was like living under a ROCK for most of my life. I was totally blown away by the Seattle food scene...the variety of fresh seafood and fish, the quality of the produce brought my New Yorker chef friends to their knees. And we have a multi-cultural aspect that was totally missing from my experience in the heartland.
And to top it all off...I just recently became a publicist for a chef who not only changes his menu every day, but thrives on funky ingredients. (Food & Wine named his restaurant one of the best in the world.)
Chef has no problem overnighting river crabs from Japan or obscure oysters from France. Just for fun...he'll make fish & chips with...flying fish! He'll get stuff in just because he's never seen it. Like a whole wolf fish.
Every day I'd have them send me the menu and I'd Google half of it! The good thing is, he's very patient most of the time (afterall...he is a chef!) and his chef de cuisine is great too. It was tough getting up to speed and I'm mostly there now, but it took a while. Especially because the menu changes every day. He works with over 100 small purveyors and whatever they get that's fresh, new and unusual, he's the first one to buy it. Talk about food bootcamp. Whoa.
Oh, and he just opened a totally different restaurant. This one is Italian and they're grinding their own wheat to make their own fresh pastas in house. They're one of 3 restaurants in the US that extrudes their own fresh pasta on premise (picture a playdough station). They have 20 different dies for pasta but the name depends on how long you cut that particular shape of pasta. Mama mia! I've been up to my eyeballs in Italian books all summer and know more about making pasta and sourcing small famers for the grain....It's been a hell of an education.
Talk about culture shock! It was like living under a ROCK for most of my life. I was totally blown away by the Seattle food scene...the variety of fresh seafood and fish, the quality of the produce brought my New Yorker chef friends to their knees. And we have a multi-cultural aspect that was totally missing from my experience in the heartland.
And to top it all off...I just recently became a publicist for a chef who not only changes his menu every day, but thrives on funky ingredients. (Food & Wine named his restaurant one of the best in the world.)
Chef has no problem overnighting river crabs from Japan or obscure oysters from France. Just for fun...he'll make fish & chips with...flying fish! He'll get stuff in just because he's never seen it. Like a whole wolf fish.
Every day I'd have them send me the menu and I'd Google half of it! The good thing is, he's very patient most of the time (afterall...he is a chef!) and his chef de cuisine is great too. It was tough getting up to speed and I'm mostly there now, but it took a while. Especially because the menu changes every day. He works with over 100 small purveyors and whatever they get that's fresh, new and unusual, he's the first one to buy it. Talk about food bootcamp. Whoa.
Oh, and he just opened a totally different restaurant. This one is Italian and they're grinding their own wheat to make their own fresh pastas in house. They're one of 3 restaurants in the US that extrudes their own fresh pasta on premise (picture a playdough station). They have 20 different dies for pasta but the name depends on how long you cut that particular shape of pasta. Mama mia! I've been up to my eyeballs in Italian books all summer and know more about making pasta and sourcing small famers for the grain....It's been a hell of an education.
Thanks Joe. I got really lucky landing in this group of avid food folk. (m)
They plan dinners or work parties every few months and it's always an adventure. You know how Food & Wine will do a tapas issue or an Asian issue? Occasionally we will do dinner parties based on the magazine. Everyone brings a dish from it. Or one time they all wanted to make sausage. So we gathered at one woman's house and each couple or individual made one kind of sausage. We made a big picnic out of it and each person took home some of each kind of sausage. Another time we had a mac n' cheese cookoff. And my favorite was the pig roast. The chef I work with donated the pigs and about 50 people came out with a bunch of sides. It was really fun.
The cool thing is, it's the passion for food that brings everyone together. Beyond that, we're as diverse as it can be. One retired dentist, a bunch of computer folks, some professional food writers, etc. etc. It's always interesting to hear what other people's sideline interests are and where it takes them. One guy goes every year to the World Pastry Forums. A couple other folks are really into cocktails (designing new ones for each party). Others are into wine. I make my own cordials, etc.
Here's photos from the pig roast:
http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=5586&st=360
(Scroll down)
http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=5586&st=360
They plan dinners or work parties every few months and it's always an adventure. You know how Food & Wine will do a tapas issue or an Asian issue? Occasionally we will do dinner parties based on the magazine. Everyone brings a dish from it. Or one time they all wanted to make sausage. So we gathered at one woman's house and each couple or individual made one kind of sausage. We made a big picnic out of it and each person took home some of each kind of sausage. Another time we had a mac n' cheese cookoff. And my favorite was the pig roast. The chef I work with donated the pigs and about 50 people came out with a bunch of sides. It was really fun.
The cool thing is, it's the passion for food that brings everyone together. Beyond that, we're as diverse as it can be. One retired dentist, a bunch of computer folks, some professional food writers, etc. etc. It's always interesting to hear what other people's sideline interests are and where it takes them. One guy goes every year to the World Pastry Forums. A couple other folks are really into cocktails (designing new ones for each party). Others are into wine. I make my own cordials, etc.
Here's photos from the pig roast:
http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=5586&st=360
(Scroll down)
http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=5586&st=360
Peoria!! I grew up over east of you on 30 over the Indiana border. PM me with restaurant info.
My Step son and DIL would love to experience either of those restaurants, and next visit I'd like to go too. We couldn't fit much more in this last trip. But I would love to visit with you next time.
My Step son and DIL would love to experience either of those restaurants, and next visit I'd like to go too. We couldn't fit much more in this last trip. But I would love to visit with you next time.
Ang, I had the pleasure of meeting Traca
for the first time a few years ago, and then again when she visited San Francisco last year. She's delightful and very knowledgeable about foodie and other Seattle things to see and do. I hope you two get to meet one another. And if you like dining out for breakfast, I highly recommend the place Traca took me to, though right now the name escapes me. Traca, help me out here, was it The Dish?
for the first time a few years ago, and then again when she visited San Francisco last year. She's delightful and very knowledgeable about foodie and other Seattle things to see and do. I hope you two get to meet one another. And if you like dining out for breakfast, I highly recommend the place Traca took me to, though right now the name escapes me. Traca, help me out here, was it The Dish?
Pat and I have a great time together...and I look forward hanging out again!
And yes, good memory Pat. The Dish is one of my absolute favorite breakfast spots. It's over between Fremont and Ballard on Leary Way.
Shesh...Pat and I have quite a history. She's the one who nurtured me through my budding interest in food. Who knew it would turn out like this, huh Pat? I'm still amazed.
And to think...two years ago this week, I *almost* moved to Alaska. Wow.
And yes, good memory Pat. The Dish is one of my absolute favorite breakfast spots. It's over between Fremont and Ballard on Leary Way.
Shesh...Pat and I have quite a history. She's the one who nurtured me through my budding interest in food. Who knew it would turn out like this, huh Pat? I'm still amazed.
And to think...two years ago this week, I *almost* moved to Alaska. Wow.
Your pictures are great Traca. It's like the process that leads to the beautiful plating.>>>
That steak looks wonderful. Do you have a recipe of how it was cooked that you could share? Cut, seasoning, pan seared or grilled? Just looks fantastic! Oh! And that sauce....?
That steak looks wonderful. Do you have a recipe of how it was cooked that you could share? Cut, seasoning, pan seared or grilled? Just looks fantastic! Oh! And that sauce....?
You're so sweet! That steak dish was my friend Lauren's and she
typed up her notes. The sauce was so good, people were trying to sop it all up. At one point, the host just tipped the plate to his mouth! More than a few followed suit. smileys/smile.gif
Here's Lauren's notes:
I have to say, Paul and I were thrilled about the way the steak turned out - we were so nervous that it would end up over done! The steaks were
rib eye medallions (without the lip) about 3" think, tied in the center.
Early on Saturday we seasoned them with salt and pepper, then seared them in duck fat over very high heat. Into a 425 degree oven they went -
4 minutes for the thickest ones and 3 minutes for the thinner ones. We transferred them to a sheet pan and placed them on our marble counter in
front of an open door to cool them quickly.
At Steve's, we reheated them, uncovered, in a 225 degree convection oven for a half an hour or
so. I pressed on the meat every so often to make sure they weren't getting too done. After a short rest, we carved.
For the sauce, we soaked dried morels in madeira and brandy for about 30 minutes. After frying the steaks, I added a bit more duck fat and some
chopped shallots to the pan. To that pan, we deglazed it with the mushroom soaking liquid (straining it first). We cooked that a bit to
burn off the alcohol then seasoned and strained it again. We chopped the morels and added them to the sauce. Then we added about 8 cups of brown
veal stock to the sauce and started reducing it. After tasting again, we added about a teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg. At Steve's, we added about a cup of whipping cream and gently reheated before serving. In my opinion, the sauce was too thin and we should have reduced it much, much
more before adding the cream. Next time........
typed up her notes. The sauce was so good, people were trying to sop it all up. At one point, the host just tipped the plate to his mouth! More than a few followed suit. smileys/smile.gif
Here's Lauren's notes:
I have to say, Paul and I were thrilled about the way the steak turned out - we were so nervous that it would end up over done! The steaks were
rib eye medallions (without the lip) about 3" think, tied in the center.
Early on Saturday we seasoned them with salt and pepper, then seared them in duck fat over very high heat. Into a 425 degree oven they went -
4 minutes for the thickest ones and 3 minutes for the thinner ones. We transferred them to a sheet pan and placed them on our marble counter in
front of an open door to cool them quickly.
At Steve's, we reheated them, uncovered, in a 225 degree convection oven for a half an hour or
so. I pressed on the meat every so often to make sure they weren't getting too done. After a short rest, we carved.
For the sauce, we soaked dried morels in madeira and brandy for about 30 minutes. After frying the steaks, I added a bit more duck fat and some
chopped shallots to the pan. To that pan, we deglazed it with the mushroom soaking liquid (straining it first). We cooked that a bit to
burn off the alcohol then seasoned and strained it again. We chopped the morels and added them to the sauce. Then we added about 8 cups of brown
veal stock to the sauce and started reducing it. After tasting again, we added about a teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg. At Steve's, we added about a cup of whipping cream and gently reheated before serving. In my opinion, the sauce was too thin and we should have reduced it much, much
more before adding the cream. Next time........