Easter Dinner – The Saga Continues

12 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Food, Food Prep, Photos

Most holiday dinners around here are a “saga”. But now that we have a New Kitchen, the “Saga” is far more fun and efficient. The Lamb Roast is marinating; The Angel Food Cake is prepped; The Panchetta Wrapped Asparagus is prepped;

The wines are standing …… The 1988 Indian Creek (ID $189.00) Pinot Noir, an awesome wine from an awesome winery is standing and getting “more happy”. Too bad this is our last bottle and I don’t think Indian Creek has any more either.
The 2007 Bedrock Winery, Rachael’s Vineyard (Sonoma CA $45.00) is also standing. This should be an interesting comparison.

And then the Challah is ready!! This is really a fantastic Jewish Celebration bread. And I have had some questions on the bread, so here are some photos of the process.

Here is the dough getting ready for the first rise. Give it plenty of room. Notice the buttered sides of the bowl. You can place it in the oven with just the oven light on and it will maintain a good rising temperature.

Here is the Challah dough after the first rise, about 1 1/2 hours.

After the second rise, one must “braid” the dough after dividing it in half. The loaf in the rear has been braided, buttered and sesame seeded. The loaf in the front is about to be braided. The loaf weights each are about 2 lbs, 2 oz. Your batches may vary.

Here are the two loaves braided, buttered and seeded.

And here we have the “fruits of your labors”! But don’t cut it until it cools.

The making of the Challah is not hard. It does, though, take some time and patience. The recipe is posted elsewhere on these Easter postings. Try making the bread before you try it for friends. If you do make it, let us know how it went for you. Try it plain and buttered and try it toasted with butter. It has a wonderful flavor! Oh, and the crumb is tight and not open, as in a French baguette. Experiment with this bread and have fun with it! I have had several questions about this bread, so I hope I have answered them for you. Cheers!

Easter Dinner – Updated

11 Saturday Apr 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Celebrations, Food

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Well, the season is upon us. It’s time for our Lamb Dinner and here is how it is shaping up.

Roasted Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Green Salad

Pancetta Wrapped Asparagus with Citronette

Dried Corn

Challah

Along with the Entre, we will have

1988 Indian Creek Winery Pinot Noir ($189.00) (The last one we have!)

2007 Bedrock Winery Pinot Noir Rebecca’s Vineyard ($45.00)

We thank Jerri Nelson, Idaho Hotel, Silver City, Idaho, who sent us the recipe for the asparagus, so Robin and I decided to revise the menu for Easter. That asparagus dish really looks good. And the Challa, such a wonderful celebration bread!

Scallops and Asian Slaw

05 Sunday Apr 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Recipe By: Robin Young, Wine Dinners

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Scallops and Asian Slaw

Buddy, like Mama Cass, “Singing For His Supper”

The Scallops, Sea Scallops, were broiled with salt, pepper, garlic sliced thin, Old Bay Seasoning and Paprika. The slaw was Robin’s and the recipe is listed below. It was super with the scallops. Both were excellent with a 2005 Moscato D’Asti, an Italian bubbly wine, full of fruit and slightly sweet. It went extremely well with the dinner.

Asian Slaw

8 Servings

Cabbage is chock full of nutrients including vitamin C and indoles, important cancer-fighting compounds. In addition, red cabbage also contains anthocyanins, the purple pigment with strong antioxidant activity commonly found in blueberries. In the winter months, cabbage is an abundant nutritional resource when other fresh produce is either expensive or unavailable. This recipe calls for a lot of salt, but it is used in this dish to soften the cabbage. Then it is thoroughly rinsed off so the recipe doesn’t provide too much sodium. This coleslaw is colorful and makes a delightful accompaniment to any meat, fish or vegetarian main dish. The garnish of minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds brings out the flavor of the slaw and adds additional crunch.

Ingredients:
1 medium head green cabbage
1 medium head red cabbage
3 tablespoons sea salt
3 large carrots
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Dressing:
2/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons dark-roasted sesame oil

Instructions:
1. Discard the outer leaves of cabbages. Cut heads in quarters; remove and discard cores. Slice cabbage thinly or shred in a food processor. Layer the cabbage in a large bowl with the sea salt. Toss to distribute salt evenly and let cabbage sit for 1 hour to soften.

2. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and grate them into thin shreds.

3. Drain off any liquid produced by the cabbage and rinse the cabbage well in several changes of cold water to remove excess salt. Taste the cabbage; if it is still too salty, rinse it again.

4. Add carrots to the cabbage and mix well.

5. Whisk the rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil together in a small bowl.

6. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and mix well. Let chill. Garnish with minced scallions and toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Nutritional Information (Per serving)
126.8 calories
3.7 g total fat (0.5 g sat)
0.0 mg cholesterol
23.7 g carbohydrate
3.6 g protein
5.7 g fiber

Bob’s Birthday Dinner

02 Thursday Apr 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Food, Recipe By: Bob Young

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It’s not always that someone reaches the age of 67, but I did today. Actually, it’s a celebration that has lasted since Sunday and may go through this Friday.
On Sunday, Sophia, Carlynne, Robin, Mac and Marnie and I all went to Brick 29 in Nampa for a Birthday Brunch.

The selection is always great. But do make reservations – They get extremely busy!

(Robin was really laughing at something!) But then on 1 April, Robin and I fixed dinner in our NEW kitchen! Please note the Fresh bread and the 2004 Ravenswood Teldeschi Zinfandel from the Dry Creek Valley (CA). An awesome wine! Rich and full; deep, dark purple color.

The wine went very well and stood up to the Roasted Potatoes and Onion with Garlic, Sage and Thyme; the Asparagus with Lemon and Garlic; the Rib Eye Steaks. Such an awesome dinner. Did I mention that we made this here, at home, in our NEW kitchen?

I tried a new marinade with the Rib Eye before I grilled it.

Big Red Marinade

1 1/2 c Red Wine
1 1/2 Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 c Olive Oil
4 t Rosemary, dried
5 Garlic cloves, minced
3 t Thyme, dried
Rib-Eye steaks

The night before grilling, combine all ingredients of the marinade and blend with an immersion blender. Place the Rib-Eye Steaks in a zip lock bag. Place in the refrigerator and turn at least twice. Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before grilling. Grill on a hot grill.

What an awesome couple of days! Thank-You everyone for such a great time!

Garden Cafe, Twin Falls, ID

27 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos, Restaurants

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It isn’t often that I wait so long to write a critique on a restaurant. But this one, the Garden Cafe in Twin Falls, Idaho, is an exception. Usually we rate a restaurant on a 1 to 5 star basis, 5 stars being superb. With that in mind, the rating for the Garden Cafe is -1 Star!!!
And here is the reason why the rating is so poor. (1) The floor manager, Tom, needs some schooling in intra-personal relationships, (2) The floor manager should never be so arrogant as to tell customers, “No, you can not sit there because that area is used for large groups (the area is photographed below)”, or “No, we can not turn on the lights because this is the ambiance we like at this time of day (lunch time)”. “If you want to sit in a better lit place, go sit over by that wall”. “What are you doing? You can not take photos in here”. The photos that I was taking was one of the dining area above – which, by the way, is the area we wanted to move to. I don’t see any customers there, so I can not imagine why he was so offended and offensive. We have taken photos at many, many restaurants, but have never been refused the opportunity to photograph the interior.

But on the plus side, and there is one, the waiter we had was fantastic. Well schooled in how to treat a customer and attentive to our needs. Polite. The food was good, nothing really exceptional, but good. Since the floor manager, Tom, is the one in charge, the responsibility has to land squarely on his shoulders for such a poor experience. There is just nothing more that I can say about this experience. It was worse than bad.

Valentine’s Day Dinner, 2009

15 Sunday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Food, Food Prep, Photos, Vegetables

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It never ceases to amaze me as to how exciting it is to prepare a meal for family and then have friends drop in and eat with us. So it was this Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Of course, the dinner is in honor of Robin and Marnie!
And Mac was there too. But to our delight and surprise, Geno and Debra arrived – to try some of his bread and to return a paella pan he had borrowed. When they called, I didn’t tell them we were about to eat dinner. But then I knew they both liked wine and lamb. We were glad to have them.

And some of the wine. A 1977 Diamond Creek, Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, on the left. And on the right, a 1973 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel. Both of these wines from our cellar.

Crown Roast of Lamb with a 1992 Moscato d’Asti Tintero. An awesome combination.
Lamb with Red Wine and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Brown Rice with Scallions and Mushrooms and Mashed Root Vegetable Combination. Such an awesome dinner and easy to prepare. It just takes some time.

But then, Robin made this terrific and succulent Chocolate Torte. This went well with a 1970 Croft Porto Vintage Port.

Such a great day and dinner! Great women! Great friends! Great food! Thank-You to everyone who participated. Wonder what we’ll have for Easter Dinner. It’s a little way to go before Easter is upon us, so we have time to plan this dinner out.

Perfect Prime Rib

13 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Main Dish, Photos

≈ 1 Comment

Hi all,

If you’re looking for that perfect romantic food splurge, for Valentine’s Day or other special occasions, you can’t beat a perfectly roasted prime rib. Here’s a recipe that is guaranteed to result in one of the best prime rib’s you’ve ever eaten.

Start with the best quality prime rib cut that you can afford. I personally like to cut the rib bone portion from the rest of the roast and then tie them back together for cooking. This allows more surface area for the rub to penetrate the meat and makes it easy to enjoy the rib bone portion after cooking.

Make a rub with 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme. You can add up to 2 teaspoons of rosemary if you like the rosemary taste (I personally don’t use any rosemary).

Mix this with one tablespoon kosher salt and two teaspoons of coursely ground black pepper. Rub this over the entire surface of the roast and then refrigerate (as much as overnight). Before cooking, let the roast come to room temperature (about 2 hours).

Preheat your oven to 450 (yes…this is hot hot) and lay the roast, bone side down, in a shallow baking pan (it can get messy so line your pan with foil). Roast at 450 for 15 minutes. This will sear the outer portion of the roast….sizzling good.

Turn the oven down to 350 (don’t open the oven door) and then bake for about 45 minutes. The doneness of the roast will not be determined by time, but by internal meat temperature. (get out your meat thermometer and check it about every 10 minutes after 30 minutes or so)

Tent the roast in foil and allow it to rest 15 to 30 minutes before carving. The meat continues to cook and heat during the resting.

For “rare”, remove from heat at internal meat temp of 115-120F. The internal meat temp should be 125-130 after resting.

For “medium rare”, remove from heat at 125-130F. Temp should be 130-140 after resting.

For “medium”, remove from heat at 130-140F. Temp should be 140-150 after resting.

I used my charcoal BBQ grill (with lid) for my most recent cooking. I added some hickory chips for the final lower temp part of the cooking for a slight smoky flavor that added a new dimension to the flavor….and was GREAT. I simply tried to duplicate the temps in the recipe by adjusting my heat in the BBQ.

Fasnachts

13 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes

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OK, you say, what is a “Fasnachts”? And as my Dad or his Mother would say, “You get to soon oldt and to late schmart!” so here is some information on Fasnachts. (It’s really a family tradition for me – Robin does not like to make the ones with mashed potatoes because it takes a long time. This recipe does not take as long.)

“Fasnachts, Fastnachts or Faschnachts are a fatty doughnut treat served traditionally on Fastnacht Day, the day before Lent starts. Fasnachts were produced as a way to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat and butter, which were forbidden during Lent. Some English-speaking Protestants tend to refer to the day as Shrove Tuesday, and many consume pancakes as an alternative.
The German word Fasnacht literally translates as “chamfering night”. Authentic fasnachts are typically cut into squares or rectangles, producing a chamfered edge, as opposed to doughnuts which are round with holes in the center.
In parts of Maryland, the treats are called Kinklings, and is only sold in bakeries on Shrove Tuesday. The German version is made from a yeast dough, deep fried, and coated or dusted in sugar or cinnamon sugar; they may be plain, or filled with fruit jam. Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts are often made from potato dough, and may be uncoated, or powdered with table sugar or dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
The term now is synonymous with the Carnival season in southern Germany, Switzerland, Alsace and Austria. Although usually written “Fastnacht”, there are many local spoken varieties Fasnacht, Fassenacht, Fasnet etc.

Depending on where you are from the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday has different celebrations but one thing they all have in common is food. Fausnaught is the German word for Donut, Paczi is the Polish equivalent, Pounchki (punchki) is also Polish Version, but in any event we all go out and get our Carb load before the fasting associated with Lent. What any of this has to do with Sexy Girls taking off their shirts I don’t know, but if you load up on Paczki’s you will be quite large, as a traditionally made Paczki Calories can run you well over 800 a piece. More modern versions may actually be better for you as they would not be made with Lard, and Egg Yolks only. So “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” which is cajun/French for Let the Good times Roll. Or in this case Donut.

Fasnacht

Makes 50 fasnacht

¼ cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2½ cups lukewarm milk
4½ cups flour
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup lard, melted
1 cup sugar
dash of salt
5 ½ cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Mix next three ingredients together, then add to yeast mixture. Set in warm place and let rise overnight.
In the morning add next four ingredients. Add last batch of flour slowly; it may not all be needed. Dough should be sticky but able to be handled.
Let rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.
Roll out and cut with biscuit or doughnut cutter, with or without a center hole. Let rise 1 hour.
Deep fry in hot oil at 375 degrees for several minutes, turning until brown on both sides.

Among the PA Germans, Shrove Tuesday (day before Ash Wednesday) is known as Fassnacht Day (night before the fast). In a symbolic effort to rid their homes of leavening agents and to feast before Lent, many PA Germans cooks spend part of their day making Fassnachts. The cakes are made of yeast dough, and tradition requires that they be shaped in squares or rectangles, with slits cut in them.”

I think this year I will make some.

Whole Wheat Bread #2

07 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Food, Food Prep, Photos

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Well, the taste is good – earthy wheat taste, slightly sweet (from the honey), soft interior, fairly dense crumb, and slight crunch to the crust.

The bread getting ready to perform the 2nd rise. The next time, however, I think I will use the smaller loaf pans instead of the larger ones.

Loosely wrapped in foil.

Cooling.

Sliced a sampled.

When I make the corrections, this should be a better formed loaf. I think because of the wheat flour and the lack of rise, the smaller pans will be better. Such is the process of perfecting the bread and correcting the mistakes.

Whole Wheat Bread

07 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Food, Recipes

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Hi! It seems as if it has been awhile since I last posted. Haven’t heard much from folks. Here is a very healthy Whole Wheat Bread that Robin has me making, but with a twist – it also has flax meal in it. (The recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour) It is healthy – as bread goes! 171 gms Sodium (roughly 50 gms less than normal bread), 15.5 gms Carbs and very low in fat, 0.23 gms per serving. If you would like the complete breakdown, let me know and I will post it. Anyway, enjoy it – I know you know how to make bread! And don’t forget the Paella Class coming up in March at the Basque Market here in Boise.

Oh well, here is the nutrition for this bread.

Whole Wheat Bread Nutrition

Calories 108.6 gms
Total Fat 0.23 gms
Saturated Fat 0.15 gms
Monosaturated Fat 0.06 gms
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01 gms
Protien 10.85 gms
Water 533.66 gms
Sodium 171.17 gms
Sugar 15.59 gms
Total Carbohydrates 15.59 gms
Calcium 387.77 mg

Serving Size: 1 Slice, 16 slices per loaf, yield: 1 loaf