Two Great Meals

This potato salad,the recipe is located here Chef Lou’s Potato Salad, is full of vegetables. (Pictured above) You can use veggies, or not, or choose your own. The salad has an awesome dressing of mayo, apple cider vinegar and Dejon mustard. I also added some fresh lovage to add to the “celery” flavor. Try it. Easy to make. I chilled the cooked potatoes before adding them to the sauce/vegetable mix. I also cut the potatoes in “bite sized” pieces before cooking them. Try using new potatoes and quarter them.

The second wonderful dish we made was a Shrimp Salad. (Pictured above) This was a great, summer salad and it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. Full of vegetables and shrimp and with a creamy sauce. I added frozen peas and corn to this salad which gave a a nice texture and flavor. I also used some fresh lovage in this, too. You could probably use lobster instead of shrimp, if you are so inclined. We served it with baked Orange Kokanee – salmon – (7 min at 375 degrees F) for 7 minutes. Toasted Sourdough Wedges with butter and garlic.

Well there are two meals you can play with. Have fun and enjoy! Just don’t forget: If it is on a plate, it is edible! Don’t ever put something on a plate that is not edible.

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A Visit To Le Coq d’Or

25 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop Baguette, Boise Restaurants, Chardonnay, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dinner at Le Coq d’Or, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, French Foods, Galaxy 9 Photos, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Main Dish, Mediterrean Foods, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Le Coq d’Or

What a great way to celebrate the birthday of Scottish Poet Robert Burns! An extremely good 5-Star restaurant in Eagle – Le Coq d’Or! 208-947-2840, 176 S. Rosebud Lane, Eagle, Idaho 83616. Tuesday-Thursday: 5:00pm-9:00pm; Friday and Saturday: 5:00pm-10:00pm.

The Restaurant at the Chateau draws upon flavor profiles from around the world: focusing on old-world traditional French and European cuisine, with subtle Eastern and Persian influences. All food served in our restaurant is made from scratch in our kitchen using locally sourced Idaho produce whenever possible. Fresh dining and artful ambiance makes the Restaurant at the Chateau a truly one-of-a-kind, well-rounded dining experience that will continue to enthrall you long after the last bite. Enjoy our house wine Roghani Vineyards or allow Christian Lamotte, our Maitre D’, to suggest one of our 100+ hand-selected wines from around the world.

And a great Truffle and Wine Dinner coming up Saturday, February 23, 2019. Call to make reservations and we will see you there! You will not be disappointed. In the meantime, here is what we had today. (Some of the photos are not the best – first time using the Samsung phone camera. Can only get better.) Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Miss Fisher watches over the dining hall!

Robin in the dinning room.

Always a good wine from their winery. In this case, Shiraz

Green Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I had this awesome Creamy Mushroom Soup. Delicious!

Robin had French Onion Soup

Duck and Truffle Potatoes

Chicken with Mediterrean Sauce and Polenta

I would have any of these items again.Super good!

Great Shellfish Boil

09 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Braising, Brunch with Robin, BSU, Captain's Shack, Clams, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Corn, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Food Prep, Gameday, Garlic, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Potatoes, Kitchen Adventures, Lobster, Made From Scratch, Main Dish, Mussels, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Pasta, Recipes - Seafood, Scallops, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shell Fish, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?

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Since Boise State was playing the University of Connecticut, (BSU 62, UConn 7) we thought it would be fitting to have a shell-fish boil. Just did not have any sea water to boil the packs in nor any sea weed. Nonetheless, it was good. No! It was fantastic!
Per package, we used 1 lobster tail, 9 clams, 6 mussels, 1/2 ear corn and 8 small potatoes that we left whole. That was plenty per person. Wrapped the articles in cheese cloth, tied it into a package and placed it in sea salted boiling water for 20 minutes. Made some brown butter for dipping and some good wine and had a feast. Here are some photos. Left Click them to see enlarged. Enjoy!

Making the cheese cloth packages.

After cooking and plated.

Earlier this week, we had an awesome Scallops and Peas with Garlic Pasta. Here it is. Easy to do – Sear the sea scallops (the large ones), 4 per person, in butter with a little minced garlic. In the meantime, make about 1/4 pound angel hair pasta until adente. Add frozen peas and cook until peas are soft, if using frozen ones. Add to the seared scallops and mix well. Plate and top with chopped Italian parsley. Eat slowly and enjoy!

Scallops and Peas with Garlic Pasta

And then tonight, we had an awesome Baked Salmon with Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Israeli Melon. Simply delicious and quick and simple.

Baked Salmon with Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Israeli Melon

Good Snowy Weather To Make Sauerkraut! Here’s How.

04 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Cabbage, Canning, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Food Photos, German Food, Homemade Sauerkraut, Idaho Pork, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Local Markets, Main Dish, Oktoberfest, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Pork Tenderloin, What's For Dinner?

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There have been many people asking how to make their own sauerkraut. Well here is a great link – Kraut In A Jar or the entire site by Holly Howe, Make Sauerkraut. Both resources are superb and chock full of some great information from recipes to keeping the kraut from going bad.

This photo is from Holly’s site and some kraut she made in a jar.

Shredding the cabbage using a mandoline. See the belnd of red and white cabbage. 4 heads of white cabbage to 2 medium heads of red cabbage. Nice color blends.

Shredding the cabbage using a mandoline. See the blend of red and white cabbage. 4 heads of white cabbage to 2 medium heads of red cabbage. Nice color blends.

Enjoy the links I have listed and have some fun and make some sauerkraut. Let us know how it comes out! Make a pork roast in the oven. Add to that some mashed potatoes – Idaho potatoes of course – and some of your fresh made sauerkraut and you’ll have a great meal. Wash it all down with a good Spaten. Think of this dinner for Oktoberfest. We just put up 14 pints of kraut. Cheers!

Pork mit Kraut

Korean BBQ Beef

12 Saturday Nov 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asian Food, BBQ Beef, Beef, Bok Choy, Captain's Shack, Dinner For Robin, Food Photos, Idaho Beef, Idaho Greens, Korean BBQ Beef, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Well, I thought this BBQ was good, but then, I like grilled meats. The recipe is in the file above, if you want it. Takes about 2 days, counting the marinating time. Very short to grill on a screaming hot grill.

The beef

Marinating

Grilling

Plated with a dipping sauce and Sautéed Bok Choy.

Yummy Beef Short Rib Borscht

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bakery, Beef, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Family, Idaho Beef, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Russian, Russian Food - Borscht, Stew, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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beets, borscht, Carrots

You say you don’t like borscht? Or beets? The addition of the beef short ribs and the carrots, sure does sweeten the flavor of the shredded beets. The red color is still there for the soup, but the beet flavor is very mild. Robin and I think it is a superb alternative to an “official” borscht. Here is the recipe, if you want to try this – Beef Short Rib Borscht. Print one out. It takes a while to cook, we use the CrockPot, but it is well worth the effort. Left-Click any of the following photos to see them enlarged. Enjoy and let us know how you liked it. Notice that there is no cabbage in this borscht. Cheers!

Onions are caramelizing in the beef fat.

Braised – caramelized – beef short ribs, beet stems and potatoes are waiting for the beet cooking liquid.

Oh my. The finished product! And as the recipe says, “Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the scallions, dill and a dollop of crème fraîche [or sour cream]. Serve with spicy mustard and slices of dark bread.” The diced scallions and dill or fennel will really add to the flavors.

Birthday Dinner at Alavita in Boise

18 Friday Sep 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, Alavita, Arugula, Birthdays, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Buy Idaho, Chevre, Classic Cuisines, Cocktails, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Cream Sauces, Dessert, Dinner At Alavita, Dinner For Robin, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Robin, Fennel, Feta Cheese, Food Photos, Green Salad, Homemade Pasta, Idaho's Bounty, Lobster, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Seafood, Shell Fish, Special Dinners, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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Alavita. Italian food, feta cheese, Heirloom Beets, Italian restaurant

September 17th will always be a special day – It is Robin’s Birthday. This year we celebrated the 43rd anniversary of her 29th birthday at Alavita, a good Italian restaurant. Actually a solid 4-Star Italian restaurant. On their webpage, they say, “ALAVITA is all about fresh pasta and local ingredients—from Agnolotti to Tortellini to Garganelli, Linguini to Pappardelle—created freshly every day. A restaurant whose name means “to life,” (Well actually two words– ‘alla’ ‘vita’ –that we put together to create one) ÀLAVITA is a great place for celebrating life with good friends and family alike.
What we believe: great food need not be too convoluted or overwrought, but rather fresh, uncomplicated, relatable and well executed in order to get out of the way of the local ingredients and find the pleasure in their innate flavors and qualities. In the vein of a traditional Italian osteria as a casual, local gathering place (An Italian Joint) to discover food, friends, wine, and creative libations, our menu reflects a new twist on Italian fare that is inspired by local, regional ingredients. As we do at Fork (Our big brother concept located next door by same creators), we firmly subscribe to our mantra of being ‘Loyal To Local.’” And they adhere to these words, rigorously. Enjoy these photos of our visit. We will return.

Robin enjoys her Birthday Dinner!

We have known Kerry, the Floor Manager, for many years – we go back to the Andrae days – and it is good to “find” her again.

The open kitchen area.

How about a

Barrel Aged ÀLAVITA
Crater Lake gin + St. Germain + sweet vermouth + bitters (aged for six weeks in charred oak bourbon barrels). Salute To Life!

Yummers, but drink it slow!

A good white wine goes with seafood.

Alois Lageder Riff Pinot Grigio (12.5%)… Veneto, Italy

Potato, Leek and Fennel Soup

Robin had this really very good soup as an appetizer.

I had a very good –

Heirloom Beet Salad
rainbow beets, shavel fennel, arugula, Rolling Stone goat cheese feta, toasted pistachios and champagne vinaigrette

Tuxedo’ Linguine {gf}... squid ink & orange zest infused linguine, ÀLAVITA clam sauce, chili flake & Manila clams

Tuxedo Linguine
squid ink and orange zest infused linguine, ÀLAVITA clam sauce, chili flake and Manila clams

Robin had this and the clams were so very fresh – gout la mer!

Black Ravioli... stuffed with West coast lobster & fontina, butter poached shrimp & lemon-fennel-thyme infused local Cloverleaf cream sauce

Black Ravioli
stuffed with West coast lobster and fontina, butter poached shrimp and lemon-fennel-thyme infused local Cloverleaf cream sauce

I had this and basically, I would get it agin. But I did not get much lobster flavor.

Robin’s Birthday Cake. Kerry had this done for her.

ÀLAVITA Tiramisu
espresso lady fingers, Grand Marnier and orange zest

I finished with a

Dark Chocolate Mousse
hazelnut cream + crushed vanilla-maple spiced hazelnuts

Sinful!

It’s Been A Long Time – Salisbury Steak Time!

31 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alley Gardens, Backyard Garden, Basque Bread, Beef, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Herbs, Idaho Beef, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Main Dish, Mushrooms, Onion, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Vegetables, Weston On The Lake Winery, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Comfort Food, salisbury steak

Every so often, one has a yearning for “things from the past”. In this case, comfort food. A Salisbury Steak and Baked Potato. Not much more basic than that. Add a good and hard to find Idaho wine, and you are in ecstasy!

Salisbury Steak with mushroom dark gravy Baked Potato with butter and chives Toasted Basque Bread

Salisbury Steak
with
mushroom, garden fresh thyme, onion and bacon dark gravy

Baked Idaho Potato
with
butter and garden fresh chives

Toasted Basque Bread

2012 Weston Winery and Vineyards Murray Hill Estate Malbec

How easy was that? Yum.

Corn Pie and Sliced Tomatoes. Corn What?

19 Sunday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Corn, Corn Pie, Ethnic Foods, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Lunch With Robin, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipe Writing, Recipes, Things To Do, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Vegetarian Foods, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Boise Foodie Blog Recipes, corn, corn pie

I went to the Boise Farmers Market on Saturday to get my weekly supply of farm fresh products: eggs, carrots, squash, eggplant, tomatoes, string beans and almond croissants. When I bought my tomatoes, big, wonderful beefsteak ones that actually smelled like a tomato, the lady said, “These will be great in a salad.” I said, “Yes, but they will be much better with a Corn Pie. Sliced tomatoes and corn pie for dinner! Yum.” To which she aked, “Corn what? How do you make corn pie?” So I told her and she seemed amazed. I bought the tomatoes and walked by some other booths, when a lady came up to me and asked, “Are you the one who makes corn pie? How do you make it?” So I told her. Now I will let you know how to make a Corn Pie. It’s not hard. Why all you need is some fresh corn, pie crusts, milk – or half and half or cream – flour, butter, salt and pepper and a little (just a touch) nutmeg or cinnamon. A 9″ pie pan. An oven at 350 degrees F. And about a total of an hour and a half. Here is the recipe. Enjoy! And as a note: This is probably better at the end of the season with older corn.

12 ears of corn off the cob. Salt and pepper to taste. About 1 cup of whole milk and about 2 Tablespoons of butter broken up. About 2 Tablespoons of flour. All mixed together in a large bowl then poured into a partial baked pie crust.

12 ears of corn off the cob. Salt and pepper to taste. 1 cup of whole milk and about 2 Tablespoons of butter broken up and 2 Tablespoons of flour. All mixed together in a large bowl then poured into a partial baked pie crust.

A second pie crust is put on top. Pierce it with a fork and butter the top liberally.

After 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, check the pie. Smell it. Drool a little. Dinner is in about another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes at 350 degrees F, check the pie. Smell it. Drool a little. Put it back into the oven and wait. Dinner is in about another 30 minutes.

After 1 hour at 350 degrees F, this is what you end up with. A luscious, splendid, delicious Corn Pie. Bubbling with a creamy mixture of whole milk (or cream) and butter and wonderful fresh corn.

One piece has been devoured!

Corn Pie

Farm Fresh Sliced Yellow and Red Tomatoes
with
basil threads and Hawaiian sea salt

This is a family traditional summer or late summer meal. Simple. Corn Pie and Sliced Tomatoes. I like this recipe, but here is one recipe that we have used. It calls for you to also make your own pie crust. Corn Pie Recipe. The recipe also calls for a 400 degree F oven, but that always seemed a little high to me. I like the lower temperature better. I may have to re-write the recipe. Pre-bake the bottom pie crust – it will not be soggy.

32nd Anniversary Dinner

15 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Anniversary, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Classic Cuisines, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Fennel, Food Prep, Fruits, Ginger, Green Peas, Green Salad, Harissa, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Olive Oil, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Raisins, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes -Tagine, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Spices of Morocco, Tagine, Tagine Cooking, Tagine of Lamb, Tomatoes, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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fennel, lamb tagine, tagine, tajine

A happy 32nd anniversary dinner tonight! Thank-You Robin for all that love and those many years! The gardenia pictured here is on our front porch. Last century, when Robin and I would go to a formal dance, I would get her a corsage of gardenia. This plant is fitting and brings back many fond memories.
The dinner tonight, Tagine of Lamb with Peas and Fennel, is a very traditional Moroccan dish and tonight we prepared it in a traditional way – in a tagine.

A tajine or tagine (Arabic: طاجين‎ tajin from the Arabic: طاج‎) is a historically North African Berber dish that is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish known as tavvas is found in Cypriot cuisine. The traditional method of cooking with a tajine is to place it over coals. Use of the tajine can be compared to stewing.

Ceramic tajines.
The traditional tajine pot is made of pottery, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides and a large cone- or dome-shaped cover that sits on the base during cooking. The cover is designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. Tajines can also be cooked in a conventional oven or on a stove top.
Tajine is traditionally cooked over hot charcoal leaving an adequate space between the coals and the tajine pot to avoid having the temperature rise too fast. Large bricks of charcoal are purchased specifically for their ability to stay hot for hours. Smaller pieces of charcoal are reserved for cooking brochettes (barbecue) and other grilled meats.
Other methods are to use a tajine in a slow oven or on a gas or electric stove top, on lowest heat necessary to keep the stew simmering gently. A diffuser – a circular piece of aluminium placed between the tajine and burner – is used to evenly distribute the stove’s heat. European manufacturers have created tajines with heavy cast-iron bottoms that can be heated on a cooking stove to a high temperature. This permits the browning of meat and vegetables before cooking.
Tajine cooking may be replicated by using a slow cooker or similar item; but the result will be slightly different. Many ceramic tajines are decorative items as well as functional cooking vessels. Some tajines, however, are intended only to be used as decorative serving dishes. [Wikipedia]