Meal Variations and Other Things

01 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Apricots, Baking, Biscuits and Gravy, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Chutney, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Copper River Salmon, Crème fraîche, Cultural Differences, Curry, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Poached, Ethnic Foods, Food of India, Ham, Hard To Find Recipes, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Housemade Soup, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Pork, Idaho's Bounty, Indian Food, Mirepoix, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes - Sauces, Salmon, Sausage, Seafood, Sofritto, Soup, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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biscuits, country gravy, Hollandaise Sauce, recipes

Such a great weekend again working in the kitchen. Warm enough outside to keep the kitchen door open. We can still find fresh, as such, asparagus but watch the prices. I saw prices vary here in Boise from $2.99 a pound for medium sized spears – which I bought – to $8.99 a pound for the skinny little spears, which I did not buy. It’s either $8.99 a pound for skinny little asparagus spears or my meds for this month. I chose my meds. (This is week #6 past open heart surgery for me. Go Team!) So with that introduction, here are some photos, and recipes, for our culinary endeavors for this past weekend. Enjoy!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Such a good and rather easy soup to make. Here is the Recipe. Enjoy! It is really a good soup.

Homemade, absolutely superb biscuits! And bake them in a waffle iron for different effects. Just don’t cut them much thicker than about 1/2″. They will rise!

Waffle Biscuits

Here is the recipe for these Angel Biscuits. The original recipe came from Trisha Yearwood.

Salmon Benedict on Waffle Biscuits and Country Sausage Patty

Salmon and Ham Benedict on Waffle Biscuit and Country Sausage Patty

Cut those biscuits out. These are thicker – about 3/4″ – than the waffle biscuits.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
Scrambled Eggs with Hollandaise Sauce

Oh yes! The easiest Hollandaise ever. 5 minutes to make and no double boiler. Here is the Recipe – It is also in the recipe file above. And do you need a basic white gravy recipe? Here is my variation – White Gravy. Just add crumbled sausage for Sausage Gravy or sauteed dried beef for Creamed Dried Beef. Or try it over steamed asparagus. There’s a hundred thousand uses for this gravy. Be inventive. And daring.

I don’t have any photos for these recipes, but the plates were delicious. We made a chicken and then prepared a Chicken Curry Salad with some of the left-overs. (The rest are used in chicken stock!) But for the dressing we used this recipe, and it is superb! Chicken Curry Salad Dressing The curry dressing calls for a chutney. We don’t have any in the house. Don’t fret! Here is our own recipe for the Apricot and Cranberry Chutney.

Chutneys, by nature are, “Chutney (Hindi/ Nepali – “चटनी” also transliterated chatney or chatni, Sindhi: چٽڻي‎) is a side dish in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent that can vary from a tomato relish to a ground peanut garnish or a yoghurt, cucumber and mint dip…Major Grey’s Chutney is a type of sweet and spicy chutney popular in the United Kingdom and the United States. The recipe was reportedly created by a 19th-century British Army officer of the same name (likely apocryphal) who presumably lived in Colonial India. Its characteristic ingredients are mango, raisins, vinegar, lime juice, onion, tamarind extract, sweetening and spices. Several companies produce a Major Grey’s Chutney, in India, the UK and the US…The word “chutney” is derived from the Hindi word chatṭnī, meaning to lick. It is written differently in North and South Indian languages (Nepali: चटनी, Gujarati: ચટણી, Bengali: চাটনি, Marathi: चटणी, Punjabi: ਚਟਣੀ, Tamil: சட்டினி chaṭṭiṉi, காரத் துவையல் karathuvaiyal, Kannada: ಚಟ್ನಿ, Hindi: चटनी, Urdu: چٹنی‎, Sindhi: چٽڻي‎, Malayalam: ചട്ടിണി, chattin̩i, ചമ്മന്തി, Telugu: పచ్చడి). Pacchadi, as written in Telugu script, refers specifically to pickled fruits, whilst chutney refers to minced foods, usually made out of coconuts.
In India, “chutney” refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately. Several Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only. A different word achār (Hindi: अचार) applies to pickles that often contain oil and are rarely sweet.” [Wikipedia]

Our chutney, is but one of many variations of chutney. Ours is not cooked. Think of chutney as jerk sauce or sofrito, “…Italian soffritto, the Spanish sofrito, from Portuguese-speaking nations refogado (braised onions, garlic and tomato), the German Suppengrün (leeks, carrots and celeriac), the Polish włoszczyzna (leeks, carrots, celery root and parsley root), the U.S. Cajun and Creole holy trinity (onions, celery and bell peppers), and the French duxelles (onions, shallots, and mushrooms, sauteed in butter). Or Cajun Trinity – they can all vary from kitchen to kitchen. Fun stuff!

Try This For Breakfast!

02 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Alpicella Bakery, Bearnaise Sauce, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Breakfast With Robin, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Eggs, Eggs Poached, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Béarnaise, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Eggs, Local Harvests, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes - Breakfast, Recipes - Sauces, Salmon, Seafood, Spinach, What's For Dinner?

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Béarnaise, classic sauces, Poached eggs

Now this is a great twist on Eggs Benedict. Instead of Hollandaise Sauce, use a Béarnaise Sauce. This is one of the sauces that you should have in your recipe box, or book, or file or pocket. Basically a Hollandaise Sauce, but with the addition of tarragon – lots of tarragon – and diced shallots. Hollandaise Sauce on Eggs Benedict or fresh steamed asparagus. Béarnaise Sauce on beef, salmon or these eggs. Enjoy! The photo here is to Parma Ridge Winery Bistro entrance. I bet if we talk nice, Chef Storm could/would try this. Hmmmmm!

Eggs Béarnaise with Fresh Baby Spinach and Salmon on Sourdough Toast

Swimming Eggs Béarnaise Florentine
with
Fresh Baby Spinach and Salmon
on
Sourdough Toast

Enriques Mexican Restaurant in Kuna.

28 Friday Aug 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Avocado, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Robin, Enriques Mexican Restaurant, Ethnic Foods, Green Salad, Idaho Greens, Idaho Pork, Idaho Trout, Mexican Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salmon, Seafood, Shrimp, Tilapia, What's For Dinner?

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Enriques Mexican Restaurant, Mexican food

Enrique’s Mexican Restaurant,482 W Main Street, Kuna, ID is by far one of the best, if not The Best, Mexican restaurant in the Boise/Kuna area. The name has changed from El Gallo Giro. Same people are operating the restaurant, just a name change. And I think the food has gotten better! Every bit of a 5-Star restaurant! A great place for the entire family. But be aware – They get very, very busy, so it might be best to call for reservations, especially if you are going to be there on Friday or Saturday or Sunday around 4:00 in the afternoon and later. (208) 922-5169. Look at what we had. Enjoy! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The change-over explained

If you are lucky, you just might hear and enjoy a Mariachi Band. This one was awesome!

Some of the Mariachi players.

Maybe you would like some fresh guacamole made right at your table. This young man had great knife skills!

Maybe you would like some fresh guacamole made right at your table. This young man has great knife skills!

Start dinner with a good Watermelon Cosmojito

or maybe a Corona!

Awesome House Salad with an Olive Oil and Honey Dressing. The salad had walnuts, and other nuts in it. Super good salad! These salads change periodically.

An appetizer of Cabeza Pork Taco. Superb pork.

Coconut Shrimp appetizer. Delicious and just what you would expect.

Robin had Idaho Trout for dinner and all the trimmings for sides – fresh vegetables, pico de gallo, tortillas and sour cream.

I had this spot on, out of this world, shut the front door Mojarra Doreda - Tilapia! I'd drive the 12 or so miles from Boise and fight the I-84 construction - or find a "country route" - just for this entree! Absolutely loved it.

I had this spot on, out of this world, shut the front door Mojarra Dorada – Whole Tilapia! I’d drive the 12 or so miles from Boise and fight the I-84 construction – or find a “country route” – just for this entree! Absolutely loved it.

Churros for dessert with an good coffee.

Churros for dessert with an good cup of strong coffee.

Will we go back? Absolutely! The quality of the food is far better than it was. Well worth the trip, folks! Let us know when you are going and we’ll try to join you.

Asian Grilled Salmon

26 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alaskan Salmon, Captain's Shack, Copper River Salmon, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipe Flop, Recipes, Recipes - Marinades, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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Asian marinade, copper river salmon, marinade

Well, not all attempts at “kitchen craft” are successful. This is just one case …. there are many. I just wanted to post this one so you know that we do fail, sometimes! This recipe, Asian Grilled Salmon and Marinade, inspired by Ina Garten, to us is way to salty. I used Shoyu Soy Sauce and I think she used Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I added 1 more Tablespoon of mustard than she had. Those are the only differences. Potentially really a good recipe. I will have to work on it to lower the salt.

Copper River Salmon marinating in the mustard/soy sauce marinade.

Grilled Asian Salmon
Macaroni Salad
Steamed and Buttered White Asparagus

Potentially a good dinner. Way to much salt in the recipe. The asparagus, while flavorful, tended to be woody. Will have to trim more of the stems.

Good Visit to Pho Nouveau in Boise

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Asian Food, Beef, Beer and Food, Bistro, Boise Adventures, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Coconut Milk, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Friends, Food Photos, Grilling, Hard To Find Foods, Herbs and Spices, Main Dish, Oriental Food, Party Time, Pho Nouveau, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Restaurant Reviews, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Shell Fish, Shrimp, Vegetables, Vietnamese Food, What's For Dinner?

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Pho, Pho Nouveau, Vietnamese food, Vietnamese restaurant, Vietnamese spring rolls

We had a great experience and meal last night at the Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Nouveau, 780 W Idaho Street, Boise; (208) 367-1111 and they do take reservations. Really a superb meal. Good to meet our friend, Patty Dorr there and to have a meal with her. Good ambiance in the restaurant; good service without being “pushy”. Here is their website. Just Click This Link. There are downloadable menus on their website for you to printout or just look at. You will get a good idea of what they offer. Weather permitting, they do have a patio for your use. The parking garage is right across the street. Here is what we had and it was all good. Cheers! We will return to Pho Nouveau! On TripAdvisor I rated this restaurant 5-Stars. Which was the best appetizer or entree? Actually, they were all good – I would have any of them again!

A very good Vietnamese beer. Light and refreshing on a hot summer day. Goes great with the meal. They also carry Ravenswood wine.

Crispy Spring Rolls These are the classic, deep fried Vietnamese spring roll filled with ground pork, carrots, onions, cellophane noodles.

Crispy Spring Rolls
These are the classic, deep fried Vietnamese spring rolls filled with ground pork, carrots, onions, cellophane noodles. Wrap in a lettuce leaf and herbs and dip in the non-spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce that is served with it.

Fresh Summer Roll
Soft rice paper wrapped with your choice of pork and shrimp, grilled salmon, grilled pork or shrimp, onion and bean sprouts. Wrap in a lettuce leaf, bean sprouts and herbs. Served with a peanut dipping sauce that is very good.

Sizzling Saigon Crepe Oversized crisxpy crepe made with coconut milk, tumeric and rice flour, filled with chicken, shrimp, onion and bean sprouts. Wrap in lettuce and herbs. A non-spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce is available.

Sizzling Saigon Crepe
Oversized crispy crepe made with coconut milk, tumeric and rice flour, filled with chicken, shrimp, onion and bean sprouts. Wrap in lettuce and herbs. A non-spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce is served with it.

Beef Pho
The traditional Vietnamese beef soup. This soup was not salty and the beef was done perfectly. The herbs and spices were served separately so you can add as much as you like. This is a huge serving and probably could serve two or more.

Grilled Chicken and Shripm Boneless chicken breasts and shrimps marinated in lemongrass, white wine and hoisin sauce. Served with steamed jasmine rice and cucumber salad.

Grilled Chicken and Shrimp
Boneless chicken breasts and shrimps marinated in lemongrass, white wine and hoisin sauce. Served with steamed jasmine rice and cucumber salad. A sweet/sour sauce is served with it.

Grilled Pork and Crispy Spring Roll on Rice Noodles Spft rice vermicelli noodles, skewered grilled pork and crispy spring rolls. Served with shredded lettuce, beansprouts and cilantro. A sweet/sour dipping sauce is served with it.

Grilled Pork and Crispy Spring Roll on Rice Noodles
Soft rice vermicelli noodles, skewered grilled pork and crispy spring rolls. Served with shredded lettuce, beansprouts and cilantro. A sweet/sour dipping sauce is served with it.

Crab Strudel – A Different Strudel

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Blue Crab, Captain's Shack, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner For Robin, Dungeness Crab, Hard To Find Recipes, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Greens, Photos By: Bob Young, Prep Work, Salads, Salmon, Seafood, Shell Fish, Strudel, What's For Dinner?, Wines - French, Wines - Idaho

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Blue Crab, crab, dungeness crab, garlic scapes, phyllo, shell fish, strudel

Oh yes! ‘Tis the season for crab. At least the season for Blue Crab – if you can find them. (see photo below) No, that is a Dungeness crab pictured here. I suppose if you had to, you could use the Dungeness. So a little twist on the standard apple, or fruit, strudel. Let’s try a Crab Strudel with a Salmon Pasta Salad. Robin directed me on how to make the salad. It’s one she “dreamed” up. There is no recipe as such.
For the strudel, probably the most difficult part is finding the garlic scapes. What? From Mother Earth News,

…The scapes are the flower stems that garlic plants produce before the bulbs mature. Growers often remove the scapes to push the plant’s energy toward bigger bulbs, and when harvested while they are young and tender, the scapes are delicious.

And from About (dot) com,

Many gardeners simply toss their scapes in the compost, but garlic scapes are both edible and delicious, as are the bulbils. Along the same lines, young garlic plants that are pulled to thin a row are referred to as “green garlic”. Used in the same manner as green onions, these too make excellent eating.

Here is how we made the Crab Strudel. You can get the recipe above. Cheers and have fun with this.

The Green Onion and Garlic have been diced. The garlic scapes are going to be diced.

The crab has been mixed with the parsley, lime juice, sea salt and Tellicherry pepper.

Cooking the green onion/garlic scape mixture.

Mix the crab mixture with the cooked green onion/garlic scape mixture.

Brush the phyllo dough – single sheet – with butter and lightly dust with fresh bread crumbs. Handling the phyllo dough can be a challenge. Take your time and make sure the sheets are cold, but not frozen.

1″ wide row of the crab mixture is placed on the phyllo dough. Roll into a “tube” carefully.

The strudel is rolled, placed on a parchment lined baking sheet and sliced, but not sliced all the way through.

Crab Strudel
Salmon Pasta Salad

The final product of all your hard work. Hope you like it! With the strudel, we had a 2009 Cold Springs phren/ology Riesling and a 2014 Domaine Saint Nabor Gris de Gris. Both wines went very well with the strudel.

And if you wanted to know more about strudel – inquiring minds need to know, Wikipedia says,

The best-known strudels are Apfelstrudel (German for apple strudel) and Topfenstrudel (with sweet soft quark cheese, in Austrian German Topfen), followed by the Millirahmstrudel (Milk-cream strudel, Milchrahmstrudel). Other strudel types include sour cherry (Weichselstrudel), sweet cherry, nut filled (Nussstrudel), Apricot Strudel, Plum Strudel, poppy seed strudel (Mohnstrudel), and raisin strudel. There are also savoury strudels incorporating spinach, cabbage, pumpkin, and sauerkraut, and versions containing meat fillings like the (Lungenstrudel) or (Fleischstrudel).

Traditional Hungarian, Austrian, and Czech strudel pastry is different from strudels elsewhere, which are often made from puff pastry. The traditional strudel pastry dough is very elastic. It is made from flour with a high gluten content, water, oil and salt, with no sugar added. The dough is worked vigorously, rested, and then rolled out and stretched by hand very thinly with the help of a clean linen tea towel or kitchen paper. Purists say that it should be so thin that you can read a newspaper through it. A legend has it that the Austrian Emperor’s perfectionist cook decreed that it should be possible to read a love letter through it. The thin dough is laid out on a tea towel, and the filling is spread on it. The dough with the filling on top is rolled up carefully with the help of the tea towel and baked in the oven.

This is an East coast Blue Crab.

Copper River Salmon is Here!

08 Monday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Basque Bread, Basque Foods, Beet Greens, Captain's Shack, Comfort Food, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Greens, Idaho's Bounty, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Photos By: Bob Young, Red Chard, Salmon, Seafood, Spinach, Spring Greens, What's For Dinner?

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copper river, copper river salmon, wild salmon season

Here comes the salmon! Copper River salmon notes the start of the wild salmon season. “Barb Knivila – Copper River signals the start of the fresh wild salmon season. Keep your eyes peeled for wild king and wild sockeye out of Bristol Bay and other west coast fisheries!” Copper River salmon is just such a succulent type of salmon. Sweet. Not at all “fishy”. Very red meat. Great for steaming …. especially packet steaming. Add a little lime, lemon, French tarragon, sea salt and fresh Tellicherry pepper and you’ve got an awesome dinner. Better yet, let the fish marinate in this citrus over night in the refrigerator. Then add a little riesling wine for the fish to steam in. Yummers!

The packet emerges from the oven. It smelled so very good! Let it cool slightly before serving.

Copper River salmon plated with Steamed Beet, Spinach and Red Chard Greens. Add some toasted Basque bread and you’ve got a Heavenly dinner.

The Orchard House and Williamson Vienyards

07 Saturday Mar 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Brocolli, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Trout, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Locavore, Meatloaf, Orchard House, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salmon, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, The Orchard House, What's For Dinner?, Williamson Vineyards and Orchards, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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Idaho Trout, idaho wineries, The Orchard House, trout, Williamson Vineyards, Williamson wines

What a great time last night at The Orchard House for dinner and Williamson Vineyard and Orchards serving their wines. The Orchard House is a favorite of ours when we are in the Snake River wine area. And Williamson Vineyards have some fantastic wines and their fruit in season is awesome! We highly recommend these two businesses. Here are some photos from the evening. Truly a Homestyle meal! Enjoy.

Patrick Williamson, Orchardist, explains to the Orchard House customer about the Williamson wines.

Patrick Williamson, Orchardist, explains to the Orchard House customers about the Williamson wines.

(L-R) 201o Williamson Viognier and a 2012 Williamson Blossom. Both are delightful wines.

(L-R) 2010 Williamson Viognier and a 2012 Williamson Blossom, a rosé of Sangiovese. Both are delightful wines.

More wine offerings.

A flight of Williamson wines.

Chicken Nugget Appetizer. Breading was a little heavy and they are spicy.

Some really good Onion Rings.

Some of the best Idaho Trout in the state!

I know. No one makes a Meatloaf like your Mother. And you can not find a good meatloaf when traveling. Until now. Outside of my kitchen, and my Mother’s kitchen, this has got to be the best anywhere. And if you are here for lunch, try the Meatloaf Sandwich!

What else can I say? The meal was a Plus 4-Star dinner (out of 5-Stars) and the wines went extremely well with the dinner. If you are in the area, stop in at both places. You may need reservations at The Orchard House – they get very busy for dinner. And try their breakfast or lunch. And don’t forget the appropriate wine with dinner. Say Hi to Kris for us! Cheers!

Salmon En Croûte

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alaskan Salmon, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Classics, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, French Foods, Green Peas, Hollandaise Sauce, Pastries, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Sauces, Salmon, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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Boeuf en Croûte, Copper River Salmon fillets, en croûte, puff pastry, Salmon En Croûte

Table ambiance.

We saw this reccipe on a competition on the Foodnetwork. Decided we needed to make it. Think of it like a Beef Wellington, only made with salmon. We adjusted the recipe for the two of us. That is, I used 2-4 ounce Copper River Salmon fillets instead of a 2 pound side of salmon. Here is the basic recipe. Adjust it as necessary. Salmon En Croûte. Here are some photos of the cooking and prep process. Take your time and all will come out just right. Have fun with the recipe. The recipe for the Hollandaise sauce is in the recipe file on this blog. Here it is, too: Hollandaise Sauce. Cheers!

In the culinary arts, the term en croute (pronounced “on KROOT”) indicates a food that has been wrapped in pastry dough and then baked in the oven. Salmon en Croûte is a popular recipe. Pâté and brie cheese are also frequently prepared en croute.
One of the classic en croute recipes is Beef Wellington, or in French, Boeuf en Croûte.
Traditionally, the type of pastry used for making Pâté en Croûte is a simple straight pastry dough called pâte à pâté, or pâté pastry. But today, puff pastry is frequently used for most en croute recipes.[http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/En-Croute.htm]

The salmon packet is ready to go into the oven at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes.

The packet is cooling after baking.

The plated Salmon En Croûte. Yum!

Fresh Alaskan Salmon 2 Ways

10 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alaskan Salmon, Asian Food, Captain's Shack, Classic Cuisines, Classic Herb Blends, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Robin, Grilling, Heirloom Carrots, Herbs, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Marinades, Salad, Salmon, Seafood, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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Asian marinade, Asian salmon, food photos, Grilled Salmon, recipes

Wow! This salmon was super good and fresh! It should be. Our neighbor, Cary White, returned from an Alaskan trip and brought us a side of fresh salmon. Thank-You so much, Cary, this was superb. We made Asian Grilled Salmon, a new and awesome recipe that we tried, and Robin’s Icebox Lox from the side. I know the Asian Grilled Salmon was wonderful – we had some last night – and I know the lox will be superb. Here are some photos of our endeavor. Enjoy and Enjoy the recipes! Cheers.

Robin’s Icebox Lox getting ready for the refrigerator and the weight.

Asian Grilled Salmon getting to know the marinade. Just remember to use a hot grill and 3 – 5 minutes per side. Cook just long enough so the salmon releases from the grill or grill pan easily and is slightly “marked”.