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A great start to the Valentines Day week long celebration!! (a 5 Hour Roasted Duck for Robin’s Valentines Dinner.) But for now, I know how she likes Idaho trout and Whole Foods here in Boise had a fairly good price on some fresh trout. The photo here is the trout prepped and ready to bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until the center is fork hot. You don’t want to over cook the fish. Here is what we had –
Thyme and Orange Baked Idaho Trout
Steamed Green Beans with Roasted Garlic and Orange
Tomato Salad
Dual Tarts
Here are some photos of the dinner. Left-Click to see enlarged. Enjoy! Sorry there are no leftovers. And, if you would like to try the tarts, go to Janjou Pâtisserie at 18th and State in the Albertsons Center next to Shu’s Running.
Thyme and Orange Baked Idaho Trout
Steamed Roasted Garlic and Orange Green Beans
Tomato Salad
2009 Sawtooth Winery Reserve Chardonnay
Janjou Pâtisserie Dual Tarts
Left – Lemon
Right – Chocolate
A great party and game! Good food! Good friends! Great family gathering. Thank-You Mac, Marnie and Maggie for joining us and partaking in some awesome treats! Great wines, as pictured here. Great beer for those non-wine drinkers. I had a beer or two also. Enjoy theses photos of the Party Fare! Cheers!
The Table
Robin’s Gumbo. The game was played in New Orleans.
Vegies and Fresh Pico de Gallo
Mac’s Brats
Maggie’s Cottage Cheese Dip. YUM-O!
Steamed Shrimp and Fresh Dipping Sauce
Marge’s Eastern Shore Crab Dip. Marge is my sister-in-law. This is an awesome dip. We added some artichoke hearts to it and used Blue Corn Chips.
Marnie’s Tiramisu
So you can see we had a great party! And all of the great food! Almost like Thanksgiving. Or Derby Day. Wonderful!
Happy 257th Birthday Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jan 27, 1756 – Dec 5, 1791)!! We celebrated your party at the Buzz in Boise and it was a great time – it was snowing! A group of 25+ musicians from the Boise Philharmonic and others who just like to jam, were there playing your music all night long. Well, from at least 6:00pm to 8:30pm when we left. I think the party was still going on. Such fantastic talent we have here in Boise. Thank-You everyone who participated and to Tommy and Cristi for opening the Buzz for this fantastic event. Can we do it once a month? That would be great!! The highlight of the evening and to celebrate the birthday, the entire ensemble got together and played “Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525, is a 1787 composition for a chamber ensemble by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The German title means “a little serenade,” though it is often rendered more literally but less accurately as “a little night music.” The work is written for an ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello with optional double bass, but is often performed by string orchestras.” [Wikipedia] The group tonight consisted of many violins, cello, oboe, bassoon, bass and French horn. Superb! It brought the house down! Great acoustics! Here is a small, 16 sec sample of the music. Video provided by Sue O’Rourke –
(If you would like to hear the entire Eine kleine Nachtmusik, about 5:45, Click Here.)
Here are some photos of the artists and musicians who were playing tonight. Enjoy! NOTE: Just in from Cristi at the Buzz – “Next jam is scheduled for April 8. Looking for a Saturday night earlier as well, hope to host them every other month. It was amazing!”
Violin Trio
Quartet
The group performs!
Jen Drake, Violin
Jan Van Atta Beckwith, Violin
Nicole Golay, Oboe
Patty Katucki, Bassoon
And then there were some appetizers and wine. Who could ask for more? Great music! Great food! A superb night.
Here is the recipe for Robin’s Quiche Lorraine. It is super! Enjoy!
I hadn’t made this tart crust before, but was very impressed by how easy it came together and how crisp it remained as a shell without requiring a par-baking. I will definitely use it again.
[1 3/4 cups diced leeks, white and light green only – from about 2 large leeks, although I think you can get away with one super-big leek]
3/4 cup diced onion – I used 1/2 chopped red onion
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (I needed a tad more)
Crust:
1 1/4 cups AP flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
1 egg
2T cold water
Custard:
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream or 1 C half & half
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch pepper
Filling:
1 1/2 cups diced ham (1/4 -inch dice; I used about 1/2 pound) I used thick cut Falls Brand bacon – crisped and drained
3/4 cup [1/2 lb grated Gruyere] Swiss cheese
Directions: 1. Heat a large sauté pan over low heat. Sauté the leeks and onions in the olive oil 30 to 40 minutes until caramelized, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat and cool. 2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg (a fork works great for this) and mix it until a dough forms. I made crust Dough in the Cuisinart food processor. 3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in an 8- 9-inch deep tart pan – press to remove any air bubbles. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 4. While the quiche shell chills, mix the heavy cream and sour cream in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining three eggs. Add a pinch each nutmeg, salt and pepper and combine to form a batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 5. Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator and spread the leek and onion mixture evenly over the base. Sprinkle the ham or bacon and then the cheese over the onions. Pour in the batter and place the quiche in the oven. 6. Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes (a deeper pan, such as the one I used, will require up to 30 min. extra baking time). Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack until egg sets up. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I the previous post, I stated that Robin was making a Quiche Lorraine. Well, here it is! It is delicious, especially when we had it with a Fresh Green Salad and Sliced Peaches from Hells Canyon, Sunny Slope. Yum-O! Here is the brunch plated. Enjoy! We did. Love the paper plates.
Well, there was no Haggis! (If it’s made well, it’s really pretty good!) So instead, we Raised Our Glasses with Whisky and Saluted the poet! Probably not an acceptable party in Scotland, but the best we could do here in Boise, at least at our house. (As I write this, Robin is baking a Quiche Lorraine and it smells soooooo good!) But now for our menu for this party. And don’t forget to Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Check the label on the Buchannan’s Scotch Whisky. Cheers!
Focaccia rising. Olive Oil, Meyer Lemon, Rosemary, Red Onion, Salt and Pepper
Römertopf Roasted Chicken and Roasted Root Vegetables
What can I say? Except that the biggest problem with Janjou Pâtisserie is that they are just 1 1/2 blocks away from our front door! That’s jogging distance. A slow jog! If you have been following these posts, and many of you have, then you can see the absolutely delicious, landlocked cruise food that they offer! Here is some more that we photographed this morning. Oh, and that is the other reason we need to go back – I need more photos. Enjoy these. We will see you at Janjou Pâtisserie the next time. The Chocolate Tartlet is super awesome. And so is the Quiche Lorraine. Cheers!
Chocolate Tartlet
Espresso
Mocha
Mocha gone!
Quiche Lorraine and Green Salad
Look at the photos enlarged – Left-Click the photo – and grab a fork. Yum-O! This is way too much fun.
OK! We’re hooked! We had Marnie join us this morning at Janjou Pâtisserie in the Albertson’s Shopping Center at 18th and State Streets in Boise. Oh such a delight! It is soooooooo good! The last time we were there, we rated it a 4-Star and it was well worth it. Now that we have been back, it is a 4+-Star and headed for the top 5-Star rate. The food is awesome and they try very hard to keep the ingredients local and all natural. They succeed! We urge you to try them out and let them know that you heard about them here on this blog. In the meantime, enjoy these photos! Cheers. You can Left-Click any of the photos to see them full screen.
We tried to wait for you.
Yea right!
Goat Cheese and Onion Quiche. I love this. They are also preparing today a Quiche Lorraine!
From the cooler.
Have not tried any of these …. Yet!
Next time. Hmmmm. One of each?
See what you are missing? When – not IF – you go, let us know you are buying. We’ll meet you there. Cheers!
Scallops Sauteed in Garlic Butter and Lemon Juice
with Angel Hair Pasta, Gremolata and Cilantro Topping
Spring Green Salad and Kumquat Dressing
Question now is: What is a Gremolata? Gremolata, an Italian condiment, is made from finely minced parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Traditionally served with veal, it is also an excellent accompaniment for fish and seafood dishes. Ingredients:
Zest of two large lemons
2 lg or 4 sm cloves Garlic, crushed
4 T finely chopped Italian Parsley
2 t Olive Oil
½ t Salt
¼ ground Black Pepper Preparation:
Thoroughly combine all in ingredients in a small bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.
Try it sometime. Easy to make and quite good! Cheers.
Personally, I think this was one of the best Pot Roasts I have ever tasted. The Demi-Glace Sauce hit the spot and makes a wonderful gravy that the roast and the vegetables cook in. The sauce thickens as the roast cooks. The original recipe came from Whole Foods here in Boise, but we changed it somewhat. Here is a link to the recipe. You might be surprised as to what we have added. Enjoy! Boise Crockpot Pot Roast. Serve this dinner with a good Pinot Noir wine, such as a 2010 Castle Rock Sonoma County Pinot Noir. That is only a suggestion as there are some other very good Pinots that will go just as well with this dinner.