Le Cafe de Paris Tapas Night

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

After going to the DotDotDot program, BSU Graphic Artists present their Senior work, we drifted down to Le Cafe de Paris and had an awesome Tapas night dinner. Congratulations to our friend Shawn Carman for a successful showing. You are one talented young man. Both events were in the Adelmann building pictured here.And now, our dinner in pictures. Enjoy the photos. We enjoyed the dinner!

Choripan Bites
chorizo, sweet pepper and onion, chimichurri bruschetta

Vegetable Gratin
tomato, zucchini, red bell pepper, gruyere, parmesan, cream

Springtime Hearts of Palm Salad
(Ensalada de Palmitos de Primavera)
lettuce, boiled egg, hearts of palm, tomato, pickled beet, dijon vinaigrette

Ancho Rubbed Tri Tip
fire-roasted tomato salsa, medium rare tri tip

Argentine Mussel Soup
green-lipped mussels, saffron, lemon juice, vegetable stock, rice

Calamari

Seafood and Sausage Paella
andouille sausage, crayfish and saffron rice

Dulce de Leche Pionono
sponge cake roulade, dulce de leche creme filling, caramel icing

Meyer Lemon Steamed Talapia

19 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Talapia, What's For Dinner?

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I know, some of you do not like talapia, a very mild white fish. Replace it with sole or halibut. As for the sauce.Think of it like a beurre blanc (white butter) but without the butter.

Before I get to the recipe. look at the dinner plated.

Meyer Lemon Steamed Talapia

Meyer Lemon Steamed Talapia In Marsala Sauce

Lemon Steamed Rice with Green Onion and Spinach

Winter Vegetable Medley
asparagus, Brussels sprouts, shallots

Lets start with the Meyer Lemon Steamed Talapia.
Ingredients: For the talapia
2 – 5 oz Talapia fillets or sole or halibut
4 T Vegetable oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 c Sauvignon Blanc
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon, reserving the peel
1 c Brown Basamati Rice
1/2 Meyers Lemon cut into pieces
2 c Spinach, chopped
2 Spring onions, diced

Ingredients: For the sauce
1/4 c Marsala
3 t Corn Starch
1/2 c Hot water

Directions:
Place the oil, salt and pepper and lemon juice along with the lemon peel that has been cut into pieces, in a saute pan. Bring to a low simmer. Add the fish fillets and the wine. Cover and steam until the fish flakes. You may have to turn the fish once.

Directions: for the sauce
Remove the fish from the liquid. Mix the sauce ingredients together until the corn starch is dissolved. Lower the heat to medium, if not already there. Add to the pan liquid and stir continually until thickened. Spoon about 2 T of the sauce over the fish.

Steam all of the vegetables together and add to the plate when done. Steam the rice along with the spinach, onion and the lemon until the rice is soft. Add to the plate.

This is really a yummy dinner and served with a Sauvignon Blanc – we had a 2011 Indian Creek Sauvignon Blanc that was awesome! It is also what we used in the sauce and to steam the fish. Enjoy!

Boise City Council Approves Community Farming

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Community Garden, Food, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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This just in from the Idaho Statesman.

Boise City Council approves new rules for urban agriculture, but a vote on river jumping will wait
By ANNA WEBB — awebb@idahostatesman.com
Posted: 12:00am on Apr 18, 2012

The issue has inspired lots of passion and plenty of discussion. During a Boise City Council public hearing, several members of the public spoke in favor of the urban agriculture ordinance. No one spoke in opposition.

• Urban farms are now allowed in all zoning districts, along with community supported agriculture (CSAs), where customers buy shares of produce for pick up during growing season. The new rules also allow such operations to sell small amounts of produce.
• Urban farming retail spaces are limited to 500 square feet. New parking and overhead lighting is prohibited. Business hours are restricted to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Produce stands have been operating with six month permits. Now, they’ll be able to apply for yearlong permits.

Read more here: Urban Agriculture

Boise Food Truck Rally – April 2012

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Buy Idaho, Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do

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It was another great Boise Food Truck Rally at the MK Nature Center on Walnut Street. A good place with lots of room. The crowd looked like another big one. Maybe 1000+? Everyone looked like they were enjoying their selves. Here are some photos I took. Oh. The BBQ pictured here was a brisket, pulled pork and sausage sandwich. Sorry for the bite(s) out of the sandwich. Just couldn’t wait. The Golden Nectar of the Gods is an IPA from Payette Brewery in Garden City. Enjoy!

The BBQ pictured above was made by Big Daddy’s.

The Brown Shuga Soul Food truck. Am sorry Yvonne, I did not make it back. The line was long and you looked very busy. Thank-You, though. Next time!

My friend Yvonne, Owner/Chef of Brown Shuga Soul Food, warning me to stay away from the turkey legs! Oh my, but they sure did smell good!

Some of the crowd who was there.

More of the crowd.

Even the little ones were having a good time.

And then the Gray Goose tried to make a landing in the parking lot. I don’t think it did, though. I love the diffused sunlight through the clouds lighting the Canada Goose. It was trying to be a stormy, spring night.

It’s Time To Start The Garden!!!

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Gardens, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Information

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Well, yes! Start those plants indoors or in a small portable greenhouse or any where where the seeds and plants get plenty of sunlight and air movement. Keep them damp, not wet! And here is some information for planting using Household Food Left-Overs. The article, lists 5 Foods You Can Grow From Left-Overs. Foods like celery, ginger root, cloves, sweet potatoes or onions. The web site is called Garden Swag. Another place that you may be interested in is City Girl Farming which has this information to share. (There is a link in the sidebar, too.) Enjoy these articles and the information that can be found on the links. If you have any comments, please let us know. Cheers!

Growing Food From Kitchen Scraps

There’s all sorts of growing experiments you can do with your kids just by using food from your kitchen. The possibilities are nearly limitless…take some time to take stalk of the food supplies you have, and decide which ones you’d like to experiment with. To give you an idea of the kinds of things you can plant, here’s a quick list:

(Graphic: City Girl Farming)

1. Whole seed spices (like coriander seed, mustard seed, etc.)
2. Seeds from fruits and vegetables (like potatoes, green peppers, apples, etc.)
3. Snack food seeds (like popcorn and raw nuts, etc.)
4. Fresh herbs and spices (like garlic and ginger root, etc.)

Most of these seeds and roots will grow best by starting them in water. Also, many of them can be transplanted out into the garden, if you’d like. (Here is one suggestion. There are several more on the links above.)

Potato
Keep a potato around until some eyes start growing on it. Slice a piece of the potato off where the eye is, and put it in a cup with water covering the potato, but not the eye. Soon, you’ll have a potato plant sprouting up and you can plant it in the garden, or just watch it grow in the cup (no potatoes will grow in the cup, but the plant will grow and look good.)

Enjoy these two garden resources – there are many more on the web, just search for them – as it is starting to look a lot like Spring! (I noticed our Forsythia is in heavy bud. It will bloom in the next several days) Cheers! And thanks to Barbara Joan Mayhre for sharing this information, although I don’t know that she realizes it as the link above is on a FB post she made. You never know, Barbara.

Sawtooth Winery Wine Dinner at the Boise Hotel

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Boise Hotel, Food, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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On February 18, the Boise Hotel and the Castle Ranch Steakhouse, held a fantastic and delicious Wine Dinner featuring wines from the Sawtooth Winery, an Idaho winery located in Nampa, Idaho. The Castle Ranch Steakhouse is by far, the best place in Boise to get a fantastic steak. They use only local beef from the Double R Ranch.
The wine pictured here is their award winning 2010 Gewürztraminer. This is definitely a great wine. Make sure you have some in your cellar. Look what we had for dinner. Enjoy the photos!

Seared Winter Spiced Scallops
cranberry jam, beurre blanc

2010 Gewürztraminer
The scallops were awesome and the paring of this wine with the appetizer was well done, as were the parings of each course prepared by Chef Jack Charles. Winemaker Bill Murray did a great job in selecting the wines. They make a great team! Thanks to both for a job well done. The wine is $8.00, if you can find it.

Poached Garlic Soup
balsamic reduction and chives

2009 Chardonnay
The soup was made from chicken stock, poached garlic and then reduced. Potatoes were used for thickening and then a reduction of balsamic was added. The soup was then finished by a sprinkle of fresh chives. Tended to be a little spicy, but delicious. And no, the garlic was not over powering. The only drawback that I found with this dish, I had no bread to “clean” my bowl. That’s a German thing! Bread was lacking with the meal. The soup and the wine were both well balanced. Cost of the wine is $10.00.

Mixed Green Salad
pickled cucumber napkin rings, blue cheese crumbles, roasted beets, apple cider vinaigrette

2008 Reserve Chardonnay
The little yellow beet in this salad were delicious.Great blends of the vegetables with the wine, which had overtones of dark chocolate and a slight bitterness. However, the earthiness of the beets, even though they were small, did tend to over power the wine.

Duck Breast
pomegranate walnut sauce with quinoa.

2008 Reserve Tempranillo
Great paring!! This dish is actually the Mid-East version of the Asian sweet/sour. Quinoa is a complete and very ancient food. This was delicious. Sawtooth Winery makes only 200 – 300 cases of this wine, so if you want some, and you should look hard. $22.00 per bottle.

Champagne Grapefruit Sorbet
Great for clearing the palate. An awesome dish.

Double R Ranch Fillet Oscar
petite filet with béarnaise and Dungeness crab
butternut squash gratin
asparagus bundles

2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
There are not many wines that hold up to asparagus – among some other vegetable – but this cab certainly did without overpowering the delicate flavor of the asparagus. The beef and the crab also pared extremely with the wine. Another great job in matching the food and the wine. A bottle of this wine will cost you $12.00.

Thomas Keller’s Molten Chocolate Tart
raspberry sauce with crème anglaise

2006 Gewürztraminer Ice Wine
Sink your taste buds into this one, but don’t burn your mouth. Rich and awesome warm chocolate tart with the tartness of the raspberry hidden in the background. Then add to that a fine glass of the Ice Wine and you have an epicurean delight! This is one of Chef Jack’s favorite desserts and it shows.

There is just not much else I can say. Except that it was a well deserved and spent $118.00 meal for two. And then they gave us an option of spending the night in the hotel for $39.00 a room, which we gladly accepted. A great finish to the Valentine’s Week celebrations. Left-Click any of these photos to see them larger. And when you are in Boise, be sure to visit the Castle Ranch Steakhouse. Look for the link in the sidebar. It is a 5-Star restaurant along with Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. There were others there at the dinner that agreed with our assessment. Cheers!

Food Truck Rally

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Food, What's For Dinner?

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So you say you need something for dinner? And you don’t know what to make? And, if you went out to eat, you don’t know where to go? Well here’s a great suggestion!! The Boise Food Truck Rally at Chinden Blvd and Maple Grove in Boise from 5:00 – 9:00pm Tonight! It looks like it is going to be an eating adventure! Come out and try some new treats. Meet some new people. And remember: Eat, Drink and be Merry! For tomorrow you might be dieting! Cheers and see you there.

Great Party! Look What We Had!

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chicken, Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, What's For Dinner?

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The Super Bowl Party was loads of fun and some great food! Thanks to Bob and Gail Parker who opened their home to us. Bob, Gail and Robin are pictured here. Loads of snacks, carrots, celery,special dip and beer – several types! Here is a link for our Chicken Hot Wings that we made. They were good!

Gail always does such a great job at setting the table. Here is her place setting.

Chicken wings (drumlets) getting ready for the oven. They’ve already been steamed.

The Pork Soup that Gail made. I hope she sends the recipe.

The Spicy Drumlets
4T Unsalted Butter
¼t Garlic Granules or 1 med garlic clove minced
¼c Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce, Mild
½t Kosher Salt

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a saucepan. Do Not Brown The Butter! Place the garlic in the melted and cook until soft. Add the enchilada sauce and heat through. Taste for salt. Add if necessary. When the drumlets are cooked, toss with the sauce and serve hot.

The BBQ Drumlets
2c Chefs Review BBQ Sauce, Salsa de Barbacoa
4oz Tomato Paste
¼c Honey
¼c Jack Daniels Bourbon

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir to mix. Taste and adjust as necessary. The sauce should be slightly sweet, yet tangy. Microwave until bubbly, about 1 minute on high. Toss with wings and serve hot.

Have plenty of napkins and beer ready for these drumlets! The sauce, but I think particularly the BBQ sauce, would be great on pork ribs! Either the drumlets or ribs would be great for any tailgate party.

Fettuccine Forum Boise.

02 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Local Markets, Locavore, Special Events, Special Information

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Ground Hog Day brings us to the Fettuccine Forum to be held in Boise in the Rose Room.
“The February Fettuccine Forum will look at the Year of Idaho Food at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at the historic Rose Room at 718 W. Idaho St. in downtown Boise. Doors open at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. A no-host bar and free appetizers are available. For more information, call 433-5670.Amy Hutchinson, Guy Hand and Janie Burns will lead a conversation about the “Year of Idaho Food — and What’s on the Menu for the Future.” ”

Here is a link to the rest of the article, BSU Campus News by Kathleen Tuck. This is always an informative program and lots of fun. I have heard Guy Hand and Janie Burns speak before and they are good speakers. Guy has a program on NPR here in Boise, “Edible Idaho”. Janie owns “Meadow Lark Farms” in Nampa and supplies us with fresh and local produce, including eggs and lamb. Come out and meet the Stars! Cheers and see you there.

Aero Vin at the Buzz!

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners

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Another very good Wine Dinner at the Buzz. The featured family winery was Aero Vin with vineyards in Spain, Chile and California. A good pairing of wines with dinner. Again, scored based on [20] being a perfect score.

If you look at The Buzz – Meals-To-Go article, you will see some of the new services that the Buzz is offering and the schedule of upcoming Wine Dinners. And on Friday, November 11, the Buzz is offering their exclusive Wine Club Recipe Book for $15.00 a copy. We looked at the “mockup” copy last night and it is fascinating. Cristi even used some of our photos! Order yours by visiting the Buzz or by calling them (208) 344-4321 or via email at Buzz Wine. Enjoy these photos of tonight’s dinner. Cheers!