Robin’s Birthday Lunch

18 Wednesday Sep 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Bacquet's Restaurant, Basmati rice, Birthdays, Brunch, Brunch with Robin, Capers, Carrots, Chef Bacquet, Classic Herb Blends, Copper River Salmon, Dinner at Bacquet's Restaurant, Dinner For Robin, Dinner with Marnie, Ethnic Foods, Food - French, Food Photos, French - Bacquet's Restaurant, French Foods, French Wines, Green Salad, Greens, Housemade Pasta, Housemade Salad Dressing, Housemade Sauces, Housemade Soup, Pasta, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?, Wines - French

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Bacquet's Restaurant

Bacquet’s Restaurant, Address: 1117 E Winding Creek Dr #150, Eagle, ID 83616, Hours: 11:30am – 10PM. Phone: (208) 577-6238. Easily a 5-Star French (the best in the area and the only one) restaurant and well worth the trip. Suggest you call for reservations, though. Here is some of what we had. Enjoy. We did.

House Salad
organic greens, tomatoes, shallots, parmesan cheese house balsamic dressing

Delicious!

French Onion Soup

Traditional Flatbread
bacon, shallots, Swiss cheese, cream on a cracker-like crust

Salmon with Pasta and Capers

Salmon Champenoise
fresh salmon filet baked in white wine, cream, pesto and crusted with Parmesan cheese and served over vegetable basmati rice

Birthday Lemon Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse

An awesome, 5-Star late lunch. Thanks Chef for a great Birthday meal. Thanks Marnie for treating us.

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

Interesting Meals To Contemplate

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Asian - Spices, Asian - Sushi Joy, Asian Stir Fry, Atlantic Salmon, Avocado, Bacon, Bagel, Beets, Boise Food Adventures, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Cheese, Chicken, Cooking Styles, Cream Sauces, Creamed Spinach, Curry, Eggs, Eggs Fried, Fruit, Greens, heirloom beets, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Pasta, Housemade Sauerkraut, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Sturgeon, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Lox, Lunch For Robin, Mushrooms, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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sturgeon

So much fun in the past month or two. Fun in the kitchen. No particular recipe, just a game of “Chopped”. We have these items, now make something edible. Mostly I did.
Hopefully I found something from breakfast, lunch and dinner. To see any of these photos enlarged, Left-Click them. Lets start with Breakfast. I do hope this stimulates you to prepare something different. Good luck! Most of these ingredients, are available at the Boise Farmers Market at 10th and Grove.

Poached Eggs on a Potato Raft
Fresh Fruit
Bacon
Acme Bakeshop Toasted Sourdough

Alia’s Manhattan Morning
Fresh Everything Bagel
Cream Cheese
Tomato
Capers
Onion
Lettuce
Lox

Strawberry Waffle

Bagel
Salmon
Spinach
Fried Egg
Pico de Gallo

Biscuits and Gravy
Poached Egg
Fresh Honeydew

How about some lunch?

Curry Chicken Salad Sandwich on Ciabatta
Avocado
Heirloom Tomato

Huevos con Salsa
Tomato
Avocado

Deconstructed BLT

And now, Dinner!

Salmon Yakitori
Jasmine Rice
Spinach Salad
Yellow Beets
Heirloom Tomato
White Carrot Threads

Note: Yakitori is mostly a form of skewered chicken. But if you take the sauce, called “… tare, a special sauce consisting of mirin, sake, Japanese soy sauce (Shoyu. Prefered dark but white is also fine), and sugar …” and add it to something like this salmon, you get something completely different and good. No need to skewer the salmon, just marinate it for about 30 minutes and then slowly cook it on top of the stove or bake it in the oven. I do like this sauce and usually have some on hand. Easy to make.

Scallops
Fig Jam Marinated Shrimp
Celeriac Thread Salad
Celeriac, also called turnip-rooted celery, celery root or knob celery, is a variety of celery cultivated for its edible roots, hypocotyl, and shoots.

Lobster Ravioli
Fresh Green Salad
with
Heirloom Tomatoes and Rose Turnip Threads

Braised Sturgeon
mushroom sauce
Heirloom Carrot Thread Salad
Creamed Spinach

From Sushi Joy in Boise
Playboy Sushi Roll
House Salad

Captains’s Shack Housemade Pasta with Prosciutto
Prosciutto is an Italian dry-cured ham that is usually thinly sliced and served uncooked; this style is called prosciutto crudo in Italian (or simply crudo) and is distinguished from cooked ham, prosciutto cotto.

Breakfast and Dinner

21 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Baking, Braising, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Capers, Captain's Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Eggs Baked, Food Photos, Green Salad, Greens, Homemade Lox, Homemade Pasta, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Lox, Meadowlark Farms, Onion, Pasta, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Dinner, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Shaved Fennel, Shaved Onion, Shell Fish, Sourdough Bread, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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eggplant, fennel, fresh pasta, Scallops, squash

Fun times, again, in the kitchen! Fun making our own pasta, and better than some of the store bought “stuff”. Pasta dishes can take all forms and so can breakfast. Here we made two different breakfasts – two days – and a really good pasta dinner. Let’s look at breakfast first. Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Eggs in Pockets

Spray cup cake pan with Pam. Shave – slice thin -potatoes and line cups. Bake off to lightly brown at 350 degrees F. Scramble several eggs and add whatever you want to the mix. Pour into cups. Bake at 350 degrees F until eggs are set. Remove from oven and cool. Remove Pockets and serve.

Eggs in Potato Pockets
Fresh Peaches and Blueberries

Lox and cream Cheese cream cheese, red lettuce, shaved onion, capers, homemade lox

Homemade Lox and Cream Cheese
Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread, cream cheese, red lettuce, shaved red onion, sliced tomato, homemade lox, capers

Here is the recipe for Robin’s Homemade Lox. In the photo above, I added fennel fronds to the process in the refrigerator. You can add any herb you wish.

Homemade Pasta
in
White Wine Reduction
with
braised squash, eggplant, shaved fennel, scallops

Here is the recipe for the White Wine Reduction. This is really a wonderful and rich dinner. We do like to make our own pasta.

Baked Potato with Chives Braised Fresh Green Beans, Carrots and Roasted Peppers Green Salad with Fresh Tomatoes, Fennel and Celery Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Bernaise Sauce

Baked Potato
with
Chives

Braised Fresh Green Beans, Carrots and Roasted Peppers

Fresh Green Salad
with
Fresh Tomatoes, Fennel and Celery

Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin
with
Bearnaise Sauce

This was our dinner tonight

Let’s Make Some Pasta!

17 Sunday May 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Arugula, Bacon, Basil, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Eggs, Ethnic Foods, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Pasta, Idaho Greens, Italian Food, Kitchen Adventures, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Meadowlark Farms, Olive Oil, Pasta, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipe Writing, Recipes, Recipes - Pasta, Tomatoes, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Kitchen Adventures, pasta, pasta machine, spaghetti

Fresh pasta! So very good and cooks so fast. If you make your own pasta – and we’ll show you how in this article – just think of the variations you can make and the ingredient control you have. For instance, we use only local, farm raised and free range eggs from Meadowlark Farms (they are at the Saturday Boise Farmers Market at 10th and Grove.) Even your flour source can be local.
The recipe we use is an adaptation of Chef Anne Burrell’s. We use garlic infused olive oil and semolina. Both of which are not in her recipe. Here is the recipe for Pasta that we have adapted. There are several pasta makers on the market. Some relatively inexpensive and others somewhat more expensive. We have and have used a manual one like at this link – and pictured here – from Walmart, which we still have. About $30.00. Some people have this “thing” about Walmart. No problem. You can get a good one from Bed, Bath and Beyond that is still a manual one and works very well. These sell for about $35. This one is a slightly different construction and design, but you will end up with the same product when you are finished. You can also get one direct from Italy for around $500.00 and others that are commercial grade for around $1900.00. But why when the home Chef can get a good quality product for much less, unless you are into brand recognition.The one we use nowadays is an attachment to our KitchenAid, as pictured here and I love working with it. With this package you get a set of three presses: a flat one for lasagna or the beginning press for spaghetti or fettuccini; a spaghetti die and a fettuccini die. About $150.00. So your choices are wide and varied. Get the one that suits your needs. Now on to making the pasta. Enjoy! I have placed a link to the Pasta Recipe above. Print out a copy and follow along.

Basically four ingredients: Flour or semolina as pictured here and eggs with oil and water. You will need a clean and fairly large working area.

Basically four ingredients: Flour or semolina as pictured here and eggs with oil, salt and water. You will need a clean and fairly large working area. I like to pre-mix the eggs, water, oil and salt in a bowl. Then I don’t “splash” the eggs mixing them in the “well”.

The semolina “well” The process is the same if you use flour.

Pulling the semolina into the egg mixture using a fork. Work carefully.

The dough is starting to form.

The pasta dough is ready to knead. Notice the pastry knife used to help in the kneading process.

The pastry dough is kneaded and ready to rest for at least 1 hour.

Spaghetti noodles from the dough. Dust with flour to keep them from sticking.

Spaghetti Carbonara made from the pasta dough we made. Except for the pancetta, most of the other ingredients are all from the Boise Farmers Market./

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe and pictured here, made from the pasta dough we made. Except for the pancetta, most of the other ingredients are all from the Boise Farmers Market. Serve this with a 2012 Sawtooth Winery Trout Trilogy Petite Sirah. Awesome!

Breakfast Follows Dinner

13 Monday Apr 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Coconut Milk, Coconut Milk Bechamel, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Healthy Eating, Idaho's Bounty, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Meatless Monday, Mock Fried Eggsa, Mushrooms, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Sourdough Bread, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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bechamel, coconut milk, fiddlehead ferns, mock fried eggs, Shiitake Mushrooms

Anyone for a waffle?

Well, maybe not this luscious Strawberry Waffle with Whipped Cream at the Boise Farmers Market, but then again ……. Maybe so! The dinner below, mixed some very good Chicken Meatballs with rice and the side of coconut oil sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns.
Breakfast then was a bechamel made with coconut milk and steamed spinach. The coconut milk added a rich and a little sweet component that went very well with the astringency of the spinach. Add some sourdough toast and a mock fried egg, and your breakfast will stick to your ribs. Enjoy these photos!

Housemade Maranara with Chicken Meatballs Acme Bake Shop Garlic Rubbed Sourdough Toast Coconut Milk Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

Housemade Marinara with Chicken Meatballs
Organic Pasta
Acme Bake Shop Garlic Rubbed Sourdough Toast
Coconut Oil Sauteed Shiitake Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

Coconut Milk Bechamel with Spinach Sourdough Toast Mock Fried Eggs

Coconut Milk Bechamel with Steamed Spinach
Sourdough Toast
Mock Fried Eggs

Sorry about the poor quality of this photo of the eggs as above. But it shows the layers of the breakfast.

A Visit To Da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle

06 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 3-Stars, Boise Restaurants, Capers, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, da Vinci's Italian, Dinner With Robin, Green Salad, Italian Food, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Salt, Tuscan Cuisine, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners at Da Vinci's, Wines - Idaho

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Da Vinci, Tuscan cuisine, veal, veal marsala, veal picatta

Overall, a good visit and meal at da Vinci’s Italian in Eagle, ID last night. Overall good flavors in the food and good wines. My only negative comment is that there seemed to be an overuse of salt. Things were salty. But the layers of flavors – after you got by the salt – were very good. Had it not been for the overuse of salt, we would have rated da Vinci’s a 4-Star restaurant. Instead, we rate this as a 3-Star (out of 5-Stars) restaurant. You can see their menu at Yelp. From their website, “All Full Size Entrees Include Our Bottomless House Salad Bowl With Da Vinci’s Homemade Italian Dressing And Freshly Baked Tuscan Bread, Or Substitute A Caesar Salad For An Additional $2.95.all Chicken And Veal Dishes Are Complemented With A Side Of Angel Hair Pasta With Aglio Olio Or Tuscan Tomato Sauce. Add Extra Chicken $2.50 Add Extra Veal $4.50” Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy!

The “party” area.

Art on the walls.

Table ambiance.

Robin had,

Veal Piccata
Veal scaloppini sauteed with lemon, white wine, capers and garlic

Bob had –

Veal Marsala
Veal scaloppini sauteed with sweet marsala wine and mushrooms

The 2010 Terra Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon went very well with this veal. The wine was light enough that it did not overpower the subtlety of the veal and the marsala sauce did not interfere with the wine. Good paring.

We shared –

Homemade Tiramisu
Coffee and rum-soaked chocolate sponge cake layered with mascarpone cream, dusted with cocoa, and garnished with chocolate pieces

The “Buzz” Remodel and Italian Wine Night

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Buzz Monthly Events, Buzz Special Events, Buzz Wine Club Dinners, Dinner With Friends, Herbs and Spices, Italian foods, New Buzz, Party Time, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Remodel, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, The Buzz, the Buzz Bistro, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wine Dinners at the Buzz, Wines - Italian

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Buzz remodel, growler, Italian food

Yes! Yea! Hallelujah! (Cristi looks like she is ready for the completion!) The remodel at The Buzz is complete and it looks awesome! New floors! New seating arrangement! New wine area! And a brand new Growler station! Bring your growler ….. Fill it up! Bring in your favorite stein or mug and Tommy will keep it for you on a display shelf for your use when you come in. Novel idea for this area.
But before we look at the new Buzz through the camera lens, lets look at the July Wine Club, Italian Wines. These wine dinners are a full 5 course dinner and 5 or 6 wines. All for $20 a plate! Look at what you get for that, not counting of course, the awesome friends and company. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers!

The announcement!

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes ( I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.) 2010 Mandarossa Fiano 13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes
(I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.
2010 Mandrarossa Fiano
13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Piedmont Autumn Soup (Super good!) 2011 Piemonte Barera 13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Piedmont Autumn Soup
(Super good! A little dab of fresh pesto in the soup would be good.)
2011 Piemonte Barbera
13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Abruzzo Salad
2011 Niro Pecorino
13% alc. good match with is delightful and refreshing salad. $19 [17]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato 2011 Badiola Toscana 13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. $18 [19]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato
2011 Badiola Toscana
13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. a super Cab and Sangiovese blend $18 [19]

Pistachio Chocolate Cannoli
2012 Mandrarossa Nero D’avola
13.5% alc. super good Tuscan wine. loved it. can’t get a better score. $12 [20]

Ed and Mary enjoying the new look at The Buzz.

Now look at the New Buzz! Great atmosphere. Love the new look.

The new sign on the building by the entrance. There is also a very bright red and green sign on State Street.

The beer steins we have on “The Shelf”.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or steim.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or stein.

The new Growler Fill Station and location of the wines. Just inside the State Street door and to the right.

The new look just inside the State Street door. Wide open spaces! Great shiny floor. Bright and colorful. You did a great job, Cristi and Tommy. And I know Austin and Bailey helped.

Pasta Salad For Dinner

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Avocado, Bacon, Boise Farmers Market, Captain's Shack, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Garlic, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Salad, Tomatoes, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Tuscan

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avocado, Bacon, heirloom tomatoes, pasta salad, salad

Last night we had this wonderful and light Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad that Robin found. We only drifted from the original recipe a very little. The type of pasta used, heirloom tomatoes and garlic. Look at the recipe. Try it. The recipe is also permanently listed in the recipe file above. Serve it with a good Tuscan wine.

Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad

Lasagna Tonight

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Basil, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Carrots, Comfort Food, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Herbs, Italian Food, Lasagna, Local Farmers Markets, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Salad, Tomatoes, Trader Joe's, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian, Wines - Tuscan

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Collazzi Toscana, lasagna, Trader Joe, Tuscan wine, Tuscany

Yes lasagna! And summer starts Saturday! Light snow around the Sun Valley area. 66 degrees F and light rain here today. So it really did taste good. Actually, we had to try some Trader Joe’s lasagna and it was pretty good. Add a nice glass of 2004 Collazzi Toscana and the meal was complete. Here is a photo of what we had. Enjoy, we did!