Weekend in Paso Robles...

We just returned from an amazing little trip to El Paso de Robles in celebration of Andrew's birthday. He didn't know where we were going as we drove up the coastline, I imagine he first suspected Santa Barbara and then San Francisco. We stopped in Solvang for lunch on the way and headed up the 101 for a scenic drive to Vineyard Dr., and finally pulled into the Vineyard Cottage Inn, an oasis among the vineyards. It's such an amazing place and perfect location for tasting wine and enjoying the views, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Paso, located on the west side of the freeway known for their Rhone style wines. The place was paradise. From the moment we pulled into the driveway we were in heaven. Mary greeted us and showed us around the estate, the house and cottage are on 30 acres of land surrounded by vineyards, and the pool- the pool looks like it belongs at Hearst Castle.

Our three day stay was absolutely amazing! We woke up each day to coffee and Mary's fresh baked pastries, walked the grounds among the vines, and enjoyed the afternoons by the pool and wine tasting at the local wineries. We visited Jada, Opolo, and Norman's (Peanut came too), and had a delicious dinner at Villa Creek that night. The charming little town of Paso has shops and some great restaurants, but don't blink our you'll miss it. It was the perfect weekend getaway... I can't wait to go back.

Quinoa Cakes

So Andrew has been bugging me to make more vegetarian dishes, he's not a vegetarian just not a huge fan of meat, but since I'm the carnivor and doing most of the cooking I usually win. But this was a nice little dish that was just fine without any meat. I don't remember where I first saw the recipe for these little patties, but we've done similar things with lentils and brown rice in the past, they're very versatile and you can season however you want and throw anything in them. They are super easy and nutritious, quinoa patties bound with an egg and seasoned with a little paprika and touch of cayenne, and baked til golden brown for a crispy crust and moist filling. Made a little south of the border with black beans and jalepeno, and arugula and radish salad. I enjoyed it for a hearty lunch before I ran off to work, and left Andrew with the remainder for his dinner, with this picture for instructional use.

Summer Corn

Weve had some great corn this summer too, and we've been grilling it, roasting it, and adding it's sweet juicy kernels to many dishes. Here I've pureed the kernels, simmered, and added a touch of marscapone to make a melt in your mouth filling for tortelloni. I also made a stock with the cobs and we had these delicious little pods with the nice hot broth and a grating of parmesan. Of course no pic, too busy eating. I froze the other half and we'll have them later in the week with something grilled, maybe pork tenderloin, we'll have to see.

Market Lunch

With the fiasco of Pride going on below our balcony, Andrew and I decided to stroll down to our neighborhood farmer's market and avoid the crowds. We came home with some bright, sweet cherries, fresh chevre, and herbs and made a delicious lunch. Cherry and green apple salad with frisee, goat cheese, and a champagne lemon vinaigrette, with pan fried chicken scallopini. Paired nicely with our chilled rose and the city view. In our opinion- the best restaurant in town, and the best place to be with the hustle and bustle of the parade beneath.

Mmmm, tomatoes...

We are finally seeing some delicious tomatoes this summer, and here are some of my favorite preparations. It doesn't get much better than a juicy ripe tomato, with a touch of salt and pepper. When I was a kid I remember picking tomatoes from my grandparents garden and biting into them like an apple, with just a sprinkle of salt, and that was blissful. I also remember my grandma violently squeezing the tomatoes at the market when the prices got too high, but that's another story. However, add a bit of grassy olive oil, mozzarella, and basil oil, and magic happens. I like to peel the tomatoes for a more delicate texture. it's about as simple as it gets but never gets old.
Another one of my favorites is the Chef Keller inspired tomato sorbet on tomato tartare with garlic tuile. I'm not a huge fan of the amount of sugar he uses, plus I'm kinda old fashioned and like great ingredients to shine without a lot of tampering. So the sorbet is concentrated with ripe tomato flavor, lightly seasoned tomato tartare, and the tuile is amazing and ties it all together with a few drops of balsamic reduction. I've made this dish, or variations of it, many times and it's always a crowd favorite. The sorbet is also great with my rendering of a greek salad with cucumber sorbet, red wine vinaigrette gelee, black olives, red onion, and frozen olive oil shavings. I wish I had the photography skills to capture all of my creations, and I have a great nikon to do so, but all too often I forget to get it out and snap a pic with my iphone or whatever is near. So this is what you get (my apologies in advance). We can't all be Heidi Swanson.

My favorite colored vegetable...

I was going to say my favorite vegetable, but I have a hard time using the word favorite. If you know me, you know I have an issue making decisions. So to choose a "favorite" is just too much stress for me. It is definitely one of my favorite vegetables, and it is my favorite color of vegetable. Here I've roasted and sliced the beets with a small wedge of goats milk brie, and beet vinaigrette. This was part of a dinner for our neighbors Stacy and Muzz, who always appreciate my food and I appreciate their honesty; so they get invited back quite often. i also tried this dish with spaghetti like strands of the beet (from a "spiralizer") and a slice of the brie on top, lightly toasted under the broiler, which was also quite nice but I forgot to take pictures - which i often do.

No Silver Skillet...

Well guys, I didn't take home the coveted Silver Skillet at the AFC competition, but I had a great time and it was a fun experience. There were a lot of great dishes and the winner was a fellow alumni from CSCA, Kristianne Pak. The dish came out well, a little stressful at the end but I was pleased. We were the only two to actually present our dishes on time. They wouldn't reveal our places, but I like to think I was the runner up. Here are a few pics from the event. Congratulations Kristianne, good luck in Napa!

Lunch!

A little snack from the Farmer's Market.

Bonne Anniversaire, Mon Chéri!

Happy Birthday Joelle! To celebrate I made our dear friend a tarte aux framboises with white chocolate. Bisous Joelle!

Practice Makes Perfect, Hopefully

Been practicing my dish for the competition. Since I had never made this recipe when I submitted it, I thought it was about time. The plate consists of Pastis-marinated pan roasted halibut, citrus glazed roasted beets, and crispy potato and creamed fennel napolean with a pomegranate-blood orange reduction. Of course a little horseradish and tarragon oil thrown in for good measure. It came out really nice, but still needs a little work before perfection. i also need to purchase a few new tools- my mandoline gave out on me and I melted my pastry brush on the first trial. The flavors worked well and I am very pleased with the overall dish.

Almost Famous...

Well, I made it to the regionals of the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition. The first round was a mystery box competition last September in which we received a sheet tray with a variety of ingredients and had 2 hours to complete a dish. I created a spinach crusted rack of lamb with herbed israeli cous cous, baby artichoke puree, and lavender oil and won with a score of 89. We had to submit an original recipe upon entering, which I will dish up 8 plates of this Thursday for the Pacific South regionals. I'll let you know how it goes.