caramel sauce

In the photo above, there are several jars of Pear jam which I will get too shortly. But that jar on the bottom left? BEST Caramel Sauce EVER. My favorite recipe to use. The one I always have in the refrigerator. The sauce that is served with apples, and pears, and cookies, and cakes, and sometimes enjoyed with a spoon, secretly, when no-one is looking (not so much of a secret anymore is it?) 

What else can I tell you about this? I feel caramel sauce - as is the case with many other things but especially my favorite caramel sauce - is a matter of practice, and may take a couple of attempts. As you are cooking it, it will seem like it's taking forever. Then all of a sudden you start seeing that gorgeous amber color and you're all excited. Then within the next nano-second you smell it burning. And then it's a mad dash to get the heavy cream (carefully) in there and calm things down. But then that cream bubbles up like a creature out of Star Trek and you're wondering why you didn't just purchase the cute little jar at the grocery with the gingham checked lid.

Does it still smell like it's burning? You probably burnt it. And the family is going to ask "why does it taste like it's burnt?" And then they may refuse to eat it. And then you're going to toss the entire thing in the trash. And then a few days later you're going to try again and it's going to be perfect. Moral to this little peek into my first few attempts? Practice. It is completely worth the effort and expense to make your own caramel sauce. There will be no turning back after you do this. And the fresh vanilla beans that will require an entire week's paycheck? Just do it.

Here's how.

YOU WILL NEED:

2 cups of sugar

1/2 cup water

1 vanilla bean - split - seeds scraped 

1 cup of heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon good salt - preferably fleur de sel

TO DO:

Sugar into a large saucepan - pour the water around it.

Add the vanilla bean and seeds and cook over medium high heat.

Stir only until the sugar is dissolved.

Continue to cook without stirring until you get a deep amber color.

Should only be 7 to 8 minutes.

Swirl the pan occasionally to even out the color (cooking).

Remove from the heat and add the heavy cream.

Let the bubbling calm down.

It might look like one big glob of weirdness at this point.

It's okay.

Return to the stove and cook over medium heat stirring constantly.

That big glob will go away.

Cook until smooth.

Remove from heat.

Discard the vanilla bean.

Stir in the fleur de sel.

Let cool.

Sneak as many tastes as you can before anyone gets home.

OR...serve over this pear cake

Here's a link to the cake above (click here for Gateau de Poire)

note:

there is a post-it in my recipe binder that says this caramel sauce was found in an old issue of Epicurious magazine...okay...good luck if you go searching for it :-)

red onion flowers

These are GORGEOUS.

One of those dishes that makes you stop for a moment when you are reviewing your photos.

And taste? Delicious! Just as good as it looks. Super easy to create and quite the show-stopper when you bring it to the table.

recipe found in a special edition of Epicurious magazine.

plate by rae dunn clay

YOU WILL NEED:

6 medium red onions.

6 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Fresh Rosemary and Thyme stems.

Salt.

Pepper.

TO DO:

oven to 350.

Make 4 cuts through the top of the onion leaving the base intact (as best you can) Creating 8 wedges.

I also left most the skin on. It was easier to remove these little pieces after I sliced the onion.

Place all the sliced onions onto your baking tray.

Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each onion.

Add a few turns of salt and pepper over each onion.

Insert herb sprigs into each onion - careful you don't break the root ends here.

Add extra herb sprigs around the onions.

Into the oven for 30 minutes.

At this point carefully slide the tray out and press open the leaves to create your flowers - again being careful to not snap the root base.

Scoop some of the juices from the baking tray and spoon onto the tops and centers of the onions.

Back into the oven for another 30 minutes or so.

Until the outer petals are dark and crispy (these are the BEST pieces)

Remove.

Sprinkle with a few more turns of salt and pepper.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

figs & prosciutto

This combination of figs and Prosciutto might be one of my favorite summer bites.
Quick to come together and easy to serve.  Every chef and cook I know is making some variation of this at this time of year. The only difficulty I usually have, is grabbing them at the Farmer's Market in the short window of time they are available. This summer it seemed they were only around for a couple of weeks - and only being sold by a few farmers. 
I, of course, scooped up whatever I could get my hands on and served them every chance I had. 

This appetizer started our most recent TK dinner.

I did some with Goat cheese and some with Parmesan cheese. I like both although usually I prefer the hard cheese. These were pan fried in the one non-stick pan I own (was just easier) Then finished with a drizzle of wildflower honey, fresh pepper and thyme.

Easy.

Delicious.

YOU WILL NEED:

Figs

Prosciutto

Goat cheese or Parmesan cheese

Honey

Fresh thyme

Pepper

TO DO:

Slice all the figs in half lengthwise.

Slice all your prosciutto so you have long thin pieces.

Pick your cheese then put a small piece right in the center of each fig.

Wrap each fig/cheese segment with Prosciutto.

Pan to medium/medium high heat.

Place several bites in the hot pan with the seam side down.

Doing this side first helps to keep the fig wrapped and everything looking pretty.

Cook just until the prosciutto is crisp. 

Then flip and cook the other side.

Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.

When ready to serve, arrange as many pieces as you can onto your serving platter.

Drizzle with a scant amount of honey.

Add pepper then finish with the thyme leaves.

Enjoy.

The following photo I am adding because these were the tiniest, cutest figs I've ever seen! Probably about the size of cippolini onions. So cute!

TK dinner ~ July 2014

A while back I was told "you live a magic life". I can't remember who said this to me but I didn't really give it much thought beyond my reply of Thank You. Then this past weekend we had the monthly dinner and this photo was taken.

I have named this the Clown Car photo since it looks like "how many people can we cram into that itty bitty kitchen?!" And I love this moment. I can't tell you what was said, or what might have been so funny, but this was one moment during the dinner service where we all decided we needed to stop for two seconds and finish our laughter. Perfect. There have definitely been many moments in my life that I would wholeheartedly title "magic" - the above is one of them.
So, on to what we were all doing in the kitchen to begin with! 
July dinner was a larger group than normal with the usual amount of kitchen incidents and shenanigans.  (always shenanigans - see above photo)
We started the evening with little fig, prosciutto bites - some of these were stuffed with goat cheese and some had a little square of parmesan cheese. Finish with fresh thyme and a drizzle of wildflower honey.

Next were these little pluot crostini bites with ricotta cheese and basil. Nice and easy. Quick and simple.

We then served some fresh fruit before starting entree.

Main course for this meal were lamb chops served on a bed of greens. The greens were sauteed with onions, garlic and bacon. The lamb chops were seasoned with cumin, allspice and a lot of mint. DELICIOUS.

Confession time here - during the Sunday dinner I completely massacred one of the racks of lamb and of course THAT plate was served to the one person who photographed and posted to Facebook ( I cannot apologize enough to Greg for serving him such an ugly dish) The above photo is from the Thank you dinner I served last night to part of my kitchen staff. I guess it's sort of a redemption photo? Believe me, if you saw the original pic you would understand.

Anyway, the lamb chops were finished with pepper, sliced onions and cilantro.

With the lamb we served some roasted fingerling potatoes spiced with paprika.

We also had the most amazing looking red onion flowers.

These were gorgeous! And delicious. And super easy.

Finally dessert.

What can I say here? Have you ever made Piroulines?

I told everyone to enjoy these because they will most likely never see them in my kitchen again. Holy Hell! An entire day dedicated to rolling these little creatures. They were originally being served with chocolate mousse so I opted to not fill them - thought it might be too much richness. But, my stand mixer seems to be having some issues therefore chocolate mousse did not make an appearance. We had brownies instead.

Served the above brownie tart with raspberry coulis, some fresh berries and a semi-sweet chocolate sauce.

I did actually serve the Piroulines alongside the above. And they got rave reviews. And I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed them and knows where they might find them in their local grocery.

I mentioned above I had a little thank you dinner for part of my kitchen staff.

Here are a couple photos from last night. They totally deserved this. This is an awesome group of friends who tolerate me a great deal.

And the carcass.

I really love the carcass photo - it makes me happy to see people loved the meal.

I even made them the official dessert - sans Piroulines.

Whew!

Now on to the next project right?

I know I say this every time - but I will get many of these recipes posted to share with all of you soon.

Tremendous Thank Yous to all the people who have been attending these dinners. It's sort of frightening and hugely humbling all at the same time. The response to these invitations blows my mind every time I send it out. Thank you.
And my absolute FAVORITE part? Standing in the kitchen and listening to all the chatter and tons of laughter floating in from the dining room. That part is magic.

TK dinner ~ June 2014

Another dinner done. Whew!
We recently took a little trip to the Oregon coast and camped for a few days so I thought it would be fun to serve a few standard "camping fare" items at the next TK. 
Silly? Probably. 
Fun! Yes.

There was an oyster farm about ten minutes from our campsite, so of course, we had oysters. Two nights actually.

(i have ugly toes)

Tk dinner started with fresh oysters from Sunh Fish Market.

We had some raw, and then some with a sweet and spicy sauce. 

Add lemon and fresh parsley. 

Delicious.

Next up were the arancini with an lemon, asiago and pepper dip.

I then let everyone rest for a minute and we served a grilled pluot salad. The pluots were all over the farmers market this past weekend so I figured I should take advantage of them while I could - they are usually gone pretty quickly.

Here are the grilled pluots.

Here is the salad.

Thank you to elizabeth d. photography for this fantastic shot!

Entree this evening were mussels done with white wine and garlic (the usual) and served with slices of a spiced walnut bread.

There was also this lemon cinnamon butter to go with the bread.

Finally it was time for dessert.

We had been camping so of course s'mores had to make an appearance!

The s'mores above are homemade marshmallows rolled in graham cracker dust then drizzled with an orange, chocolate ganache.

Holy Hell.

I also made jello.

Or, you could call it a fresh peach and raspberry gelee.

I called it jello.

And that was IT. Whew!

By the way, I did do TK dinners in April and May.

April was all Korean food. May was a spin on some classic Cuban dishes. As soon as I locate the photos I will share those dinners.

Until next month...see you all soon!

artichoke bread

One of the appetizers from the last dinner@Tate's Kitchen event.

It's ridiculous. 
I was going to make it again and take a few more photos - but the demand for this recipe was so great so quickly I figured I should get it up and let you all take your own photos!

Make this.

Keep in mind I was feeding 10 people.

YOU WILL NEED:

1 loaf of good french bread - or sourdough
(I used french bread but use whichever you prefer)
couple tablespoons of butter
3 cloves of finely minced garlic
2 14oz cans artichoke hearts packed in water - drained - squeezed to remove more water - chopped
1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 or 2 shallot (depending on their size) - chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chives
olive oil

parsley for garnish
salt
pepper

TO DO:

oven to 375
middle rack

slice the bread lengthwise.
set aside.

in a saute pan - melt your butter.
add the shallot and garlic - cook just until fragrant.
remove from heat.
let sit a few minutes to cool.
stir in the artichokes and everything else in the above list.
(except the parsley)
taste for seasoning and add if needed - those cheeses can be pretty salty so I barely used any.

drizzle olive oil over the bread slices.
spread the mixture over the top of the bread slices.

into the oven about 10 minutes - just until everything is gooey and oozing.

once out of the oven grate some fresh pepper.
garnish with chopped parsley.

let cool 5 minutes or so then slice and serve.
(seriously - let it cool - it's too hot right now)

ENJOY!

dinner @Tate's / september 2013

It just occurred to me that I have not shared the September dinner@Tate's event.....oops.....
And since the October table is already full I figured I would get the photos up here real quick and then try to share some recipes. Good idea?

We started with a warm artichoke bread done with artichoke hearts, two kinds of cheese and fresh herbs.

My husband would like for me to make this bread every day! (.....no.....)

Followed by these little stuffed mushrooms filled with Boursin then topped with crisped Prosciutto and Chives.

I then served a seafood soup filled with cod and mussels and homemade croutons.

Next up was a main course of what my family calls "Special Mash". This is buttery mashed potatoes with artichoke hearts, fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese. This pile of goodness was served alongside slices of a spiced, grilled tri-tip.

I think there was a salad somewhere in here as well...hmmm......

This next photo was a gift to ME!

No reason for it being in this presentation other than I love beer! It was good! No - I don't remember what was in this bottle! Yes - it is empty!

Lastly, dessert. Of course.

Homemade fresh Mint and Chocolate thread ice cream.

Served with everybody's favorite - bittersweet chocolate Beignets!

Might I add...that chocolate that has oozed out and gotten all crispy and almost burnt tasting is the BEST part of this tray.

I also made these - quiet little unassuming shortbread cookies with Lays POTATO CHIPS! 

Holy Hell I love these.

Okay.....I think that was it! 

Fall/Winter menu is officially upon us.

And yes - everyone tells me they need to roll out the front door then go sit in their cars for a bit before driving home.

That's a good thing right?

Looking forward to seeing you all at our table.

cherry and plum bruschetta

One of the appetizers at the last dinner @Tate's Kitchen. Fresh cherries and plums from my morning Farmers Market visit. A loaf of good bread. A little sweetened ricotta. Salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil. 
Serve it up!

Filling - but light and refreshing all at the same time.

adapted from a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine

YOU WILL NEED:

2 plums - halved, pitted, thinly sliced
1 cup cherries - halved, pitted, sliced if desired
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 of a fresh vanilla bean 
(you can use vanilla extract - but the bean is so much better)
1 cup whole milk ricotta
1 tablespoon lavender honey 
(if you have - if not use a good regular honey)
1 teaspoon (or so) herbs de Provence
fresh mint

a loaf of really good french bread 
(you're not going to use it all for this but who buys a half loaf? not me...)
sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

TO DO:

oven to 350

halve and pit all that stone fruit.
(and if anyone has a magic way to do this with cherries without using some fancy device please let me know)
all fruit into a large bowl.
scrape the vanilla bean and add the scrapings to the fruit. 
add the 1 tablespoon sugar (I actually used a little less - but taste and see what you think) and a pinch of salt.
mix well.
set aside.

in a medium bowl add the ricotta, honey, herbs de provence and a little salt and pepper.
mix well.
taste.
add salt and pepper as needed.
i would now leave this in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
and By The Way - this can be made a day ahead of time - just wrap and cover well and store.

slice the baguette.
brush with olive oil.
bake until top is golden brown and edges are just getting crispy.
about 10 minutes or so.

let the toast cool for a few minutes then assemble.

toast.
spread some ricotta cheese mixture on top.
gently place some slices of plums and cherries.
drizzle very little extra virgin olive oil across the top.
couple turns of pepper.
sprinkle a bit of freshly chopped mint.

serve immediately.

pan seared scallops with raisin caper sauce and cauliflower puree

My summer of seafood continues. This past dinner at Tate's Kitchen featured these buttery, pan seared scallops served on a bed of roasted cauliflower puree with a golden raisin and caper sauce.

Yikes that is quite the mouthful when I say all of it out loud. 
Anyway, I got this idea from a very late night episode of Iron Chef - very late. One of the chefs made a cauliflower puree and this sauce and served both over some sort of fish. I knew I wanted to make scallops for the next dinner so I figured this would be a fun experiment! Yes, a rather pricey experiment, but why not right? Let's try something new!
Totally worth it!
I hope you can give it a go.

YOU WILL NEED:
roasted cauliflower puree
scallops
raisin caper sauce
fresh parsley for garnish

roasted cauliflower puree - 
Here's the link since I've posted this before - but I'll do a quick review below.

1 head of cauliflower - washed and broken apart
1 red onion - very large chop
5 cloves of garlic - sliced
fresh thyme
pecorino cheese - grated - you will need about 1/2 a cup
(you could also use Parmesan - but I actually prefer Pecorino)
1 cup milk or heavy cream
olive oil
salt 
pepper

oven to 425

chop everything and spread out on a baking sheet.
drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.
toss in 4 or 5 thyme sprigs.
into the oven for about 20 minutes.
remove - carefully toss all this and add the cheese.
back into the oven about 15 minutes - or just until the vegetables are tender.
let cool.
when ready - add all the cauliflower, a couple chunks of onion and 2 large garlic slices to the food processor.
pulse 5 or 6 times.
add 1/2 cup of the milk or cream.
pulse a few more times and see if you like the consistency.
add more cream as needed.
add salt and pepper as needed.

golden raisin and caper sauce - 
1/4 cup golden raisins (do not use regular raisins - only golden raisins)
1/4 cup capers - rinsed
2 tablespoons water

all of this goes into a small saucepan.
bring to a gentle simmer.
once it is simmering let it cook just until the raisins are plump.
let cool.
dump all of it into the food processor.
pulse until you are happy with the consistency.
add a few turns of salt and several turns of pepper.
set aside.

scallops - 
couple things about this...
- I don't think it should be done in a non-stick pan - you just do not get the same crispy caramelization thing happening as you do when using a regular ol stainless steel pan 
(in my personal opinion) (and what a horrible sentence)
- Everything else needs to be done and pretty much ready to serve before you do scallops. They are definitely a cook and serve immediately type item.
- Do not add too much butter and oil to the pan - again, you will not get the crispy browned sides. They are still tasty but they are now poached instead of seared (another horrible sentence...sorry) I only add a pat of butter then a tablespoon or so of oil and just add more butter and oil as needed.

okay.....the scallops...
gently pat them dry.
salt and pepper both sides.
sprinkle a scant amount of sugar on them as well - sugar helps with the whole 'crispy caramel outside edge' thing

in a saucepan heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil until bubbly and browned.
sugared side first - gently lay the scallops in the pan - no one should be touching.
if you purchased the large scallops they will be ready to flip in two or three minutes - as soon as you see a lovely caramel color forming around the edges.
flip and cook the second side - adding a little more butter if needed.

little cauliflower puree on the plate.
the scallops next.
drizzle with the raisin caper sauce.
garnish with some fresh parsley and a lemon wedge if desired.
serve immediately.