creme fraiche, pickled radish, yellow current tomato

fried green tomato, slow-roasted pork shoulder, home-made balsamic mustard barbecue sauce

herb cracker, sweet mascarpone cheese, local oregon peach, fleur de sel

black pepper crostini, roasted sweet corn puree, fiery hatch pepper salsa

cherry tomato, feta and thyme tartlet

cold-poached peruvian potato, seared sirloin, carrot green and walnut pesto

amidst school, work and each of our fabulous spring vacations, we are still able to find time to spend with each other and with our friends.  just after we got back from las vegas, we threw together some plans for a quick hang-out.  since the sun was just barely peeking through the clouds for the first time in about two months, we thought a lite summer smörgåsbord was appropriate.  dave was in charge of bread and beer (of course); laura heeded the responsibility of homemade hummus, salad and wine; and kris and i were to bring a salami and cheese plate.

i was able to scour the shelves at work to find some fantastic deals on some salumi salamis, and some swiss cheeses, but we felt our meal was lacking.  kris was thinking on her feet and threw together a simple balsamic vinaigrette and marinated some asparagus that was crunchy, tangy and oh-so-delectable.  now, i know that we’re not the first people to use balsamic vinegar to dress vegetables.. but who are we to deny the flavorful callings of cool crunchy vegetables with that sweet, but tart kiss to our tongue.

this is such a simple side component that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes as a completing component to a picnic in the park.  or, if you want to give the salad a little more girth, throw a few different types of vegetables in – carrots, broccoli, red bell peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms – you name it!  we liked it so much we had it again the very next day.

marinated asparagus

1 lb asparagus spears – trimmed
1 medium yellow onion - julienne
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs very finely minced garlic
1 1/2 tbs dry italian seasoning
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. submerge the asparagus spears in a large pot of salted, boiling water for about a minute (more time for fat spears, less time for skinny spears).  immediately move the asparagus into a bowl filled with ice and water to chill.

2. to make the marinade – combine all remaining ingredients except the onion in a bowl whisking in the olive oil a few drops at a time.

3. toss asparagus and onion in the marinade and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

why is it that usually the foods that taste the worst are the best for you? spinach, brussels sprouts, fish, and of course.. asparagus.  i’ve had a lot of this stuff growing up and i’m glad to say that i’ve learned to love all of them for different reasons, except asparagus.  maybe it’s the stringy texture, maybe it’s the way it makes your pee smell, maybe it’s the sulfuric smell it gives off.. but it’s probably a combination of all of these things that made me avoid it like a winter pageant filled with up-do poofs.  from a kids perspective, asparagus was as bad as the plague.

fast forward to six months ago, my parents had recently moved into their new house in bend which houses one of the greatest residential kitchens known to mankind (turns out the owner who originally built the house was a chef) and i was on a mission to prove to my dad that risotto could taste different than just creamy and mushy rice.  what better way to make it more accessible to him than by adding his favorite vegetable.. that’s right – asparagus.

i stole a couple of ideas from a culinary friend to help heighten the asparagus flavor and went to town.  the result was one of the best risottos that i’ve ever made.  creamy and smooth with hints of pepper and parmesan, and an undeniably sophisticated asparagus flavor… one that i couldn’t get out of my mind.  since that night, it’s been a whirlwind of using asparagus every chance i get learning how to draw the most from this wondrous plant… which leads us to the soup.

roasted asparagus and sweet onion soup

yield – 4 servings

8 – 10 stalks asparagus, snapped bases reserved
1 vidalia onion, roughly diced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs bacon fat (or butter)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh thyme, minced
1/8 c dry white wine
6 c high quality chicken stock
1 1/2 c heavy cream
8 oz giant croutons (3/4″ – 1″)
1/4 c grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat oven to 375 degrees. snap the bases from the asparagus and reserve for later use. chop the spears into 3 pieces and toss with the onion, olive oil and salt and pepper.  spread over a sheet pan and roast until onions and asparagus just begins to brown.

2. meanwhile, bring stock to a simmer and add asparagus bases and simmer for 10 – 15 mins. fish out bases and discard, keeping stock on very low heat until needed.

3. in heavy bottomed sauce pot, heat bacon fat (or butter) and lightly sauté garlic for 1 minute and add roasted asparagus, onion and thyme.  sauté for 3 mins and deglaze with white wine.  add chicken stock and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. using an immersion blender or an upright blender, puree the mixture until smooth (you may need to do this in batches if you have a small blender). strain back into the pot using a fine strainer and bring back up to a simmer, adding the cream.  add salt and pepper as needed keeping in mind that adding the parmesan at the end will add additional saltiness to the soup.

5. place 2 oz of croutons in bottom of bowl, ladle soup over croutons and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

we’re finding ourselves challenging each other more and more about how far we can stretch the few dollars that we have here and there.  just the other day, kris sent me to the grocery store with $10 in hand to stock our fridge with veggies and the like.  i came home with 2 crowns of broccoli, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 large yellow onion, 6 small shallots, a head of green leaf lettuce, a head of bibb lettuce, 1 bunch of parsley and a 10 pound bag of russet potatoes.  somewhat of an accomplishment if i say so myself.

i know, i know… what does this have to do with the appetizer that you’ve all been dying to hear about?  i guess i feel accomplished when i can come up with a classical, gourmet and flavorful dish that i don’t really need to shop for.  our seared kobe beef carpaccio was an excellent addition to this fresh ingredient menu and since we already had some meat and accessories in the fridge it was easy on the wallet too!

classically, the appetizer is meant to wet the appetite so that the guest is not so hungry that they rush through the entree.  food is meant to be enjoyed and a guest should be able to enjoy 4 things about an appetizer – a main item, a dressed salad, a sauce and a garnish.  it’s when all these come together that you find something so tantalizing that it’s why tantalizing is called tantalizing.

seared kobe beef carpaccio

2 oz lean cut, fresh, high quality beef
1/4 cup micro greens
3 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs reserved
2 tsp capers, chopped
1 sprig (1 tbs) fresh rosemary
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. season 4 sides of beef cut with salt and pepper (not top and bottom) and sear in oiled pan until just brown on 4 sides – refrigerate

2. in small saucepan, cover rosemary with 2 tbs olive oil and bring to 110 degrees – hold between 110 and 150 for 25 minutes. (it helps to do more of this than just 2 tbs.. as it can be used in cooking and in salads to give a nice rosemary flavor to any dish).

3. slice beef 1/8 inch thick and place between layers of plastic wrap and gently pound to 1/16 inch thickness being careful not to tear the slice.  place slices on plate as desired.

4. whisk together balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil and lightly dress greens and place on top of pounded beef.

5. finish by sprinkling chopped capers, shaved parmesan, salt, pepper and drizzled rosemary-olive oil.

dave and i met at 8 to scope out the new booths, new locations, best prices and to grab a coffee before the bell rang at 830, chiming in the new season’s beginning.  there was an enormous amount of beautiful produce and a lot of buzzing activity – i wish i’d brought our camera to photograph some of the stuff that stood out.

dave and i agreed that the chard was some of the most beautiful with flashy red, pink and yellow colors.  i grabbed a couple bunches for some braising, also picked up some carrots and mushrooms for the braised tri-tip for dinner tonight.  there was a lot of good looking rhubarb, so i picked out 3 bright stalks to fix up a little rhubarb vanilla granita for dessert tonight.  …can’t wait to eat it all!

while waiting around for the granita to start freezing, i decided to use some of my carrots for a pickling experiment.  i used smitten kitchen’s pickling liquid proportions as a base and added some of my own flavors – a pickling spice mix we had, some tarragon, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, bay, garlic, etc.  i’ll let you know how they turn out in a couple of days!

enjoy your weekend!

• I went grocery shopping and kept the total under $30
• At said grocery trip one of my-all time favorite beers was on sale! (so i bought it)
• I cleaned the kitchen AND took out the trash
• I made home-made chips from our copious amounts of corn tortillas
• I made chipotle hummus to free a canning jar for..
• I made 2 types of pickled onions (plain-ol’e-herb and fiery chipotle)
• I cleaned the kitchen.. again

And now I’m sitting down to finish a post I started (in my mind) nearly a month ago. Take THAT Christmas break laziness!

here’s my beer: yum.

Ever wander into your local UPS store and ask someone to help you ship a CD you made for your long-distance love interest? Only to find that the 10 seconds it took the employee to wrap and stamp your CD turned into a $10 processing fee. How about those simple online orders.. we’re already buying the item from them! Why are we forced to pay someone to put it in a box and pay AGAIN to ship it!? (I know why.. I’m just being dramatic)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how those small processing, labor and convenience fees are built into so many parts of our life and how much we could save if we didn’t have to pay them. Based on my own experience, the reason we choose to pay instead of handle things ourselves is because we don’t have time… well, since I don’t have a job, time is one thing I have plenty of. Yes – the ‘nonjob’ is dwindling the cash in the bank, so the question became, “How can I use my time to better mitigate this unstoppable loss of funds?”

Naturally.. chickens seemed like the perfect place to start.
I use stock a lot while cooking dinner, making general foods and while practicing sauces. We also eat a lot of chicken at home, so paying extra to buy it already butchered seemed like an ideal area to cut back.

The challenge: Pay less to buy whole chickens and utilize them than the cost of buying everything i am able to get out of those not-so-hairy hens.

I started with 2 whole chickens – each weighing between 3 and 5 pounds.

The cost: $9 for the chickens and about $3 for other misc. items (mirepoix and herbs). totaling $12.

After a lot of slimy slicing, a splatter of marrow or two, and a house that smelled like chicken for 2 days straight..

The harvest: 4 breasts, 4 tenderloins, 4 leg/thigh pieces and a full gallon of stock!

After scouring my local Fred Meyer looking for the hottest deals on my above reaping the results were delightful.

Convenience costs: 4 breasts – $6; 4 tenderloins – $3; 4 leg/thigh pieces – $6; 1 gallon (near equal quality) chicken stock – $12; all this totaling $27!!

Can you believe it!? Not only was I stunned at how cheaply I was able to get the same products, but I was excited about how much I could save by taking time to do it all myself. I get tremendous satisfaction going through this process.. maybe that’s why I’m in school to be a chef. Now, I understand that many of you don’t, in fact, have time to separate the meat from two full chickens, or have the time to make a gallon of chicken stock – and that’s fine. But, I challenge you to find areas in your life to quit paying convenience fees. Join the slow food movement and look for inconvenience foods that you can fit into your life.

meanwhile, the beasts are sleepy and i’m settling down with a giant glass of ninkasi’s oatmeal stout.

happy holidays everyone!