1st Annual Idaho Truffle Dinner

24 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Chardonnay, Chateau des Fleurs, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Crème fraîche, Dinner at Chateau des Fleurs, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Idaho Truffles, Idaho Wines - Roghani Vineyards, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Scallops, Sea Scallops, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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This was a fantastic event and I do hope we are able to enjoy it next year. It was hosted by the Idaho Truffle Association and you can get more information about Idaho truffles by clicking Here. The event was located at the Chateau des Fleurs located at 176 S. Rosebud Lane, Eagle, Idaho 83616, Phone 208-947-2840. And yes, this is a high-end, 5-Star restaurant. But worth every penny. Here is the exquisite Menu. Enjoy your meal. You can Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The menu for this event.

One of the wines we had. 2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Pan Seared Chicken Breast
Cipollini and Shimengi Mushroom Risotto
Shaved Black Perigord Truffles
2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Confit Idaho Yukon Potato
Truffle Pommes Puree
Infused Crème Fraîche
Shaved Bianchetti Truffle
2014 Roghani Vineyards Un-Oaked Chardonnay

Chef Jimenez Inspired Truffle Ravioli
Ravioli Filled with Brie and Parmesan
Binachetti Truffle and Moral Mushrooms
Bianchetti Nage and Beurre Noisette Bread Crumbs
2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Truffle Infused Sweet Breads
Sweet Breads with Seared Scallop
Foie and Celeriac Puree
Celery Gelee
Parmesan Truffle Essence
Fresh Shaved Bianchetti Truffle and Shimengi Mushroom
Petit Herbs
2013 Roghani Vineyards Riesling

Truffle Almond Bread Pudding
Bianchetti Infused Ice Cream
Truffle Crème Anglaise
2014 Roghani Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling

And then for breakfast on Sunday morning, I made us Potato Benedict using Air Fried potato slices for the English muffin. Really good.

Potato Benedict

Because Inquiring Minds Need to Know

23 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in Asian Foods, Food - Japanese, Japanese Food, Recipes, Recipes - Japanese, Sake, Salmon, sashimi, Seafood, Soup, Special Events, Special Information, Sushi, Sushimi, What's For Dinner?

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Hina Matsuri, Japanese recipes

I found this to be interesting. That’s probably because of my Cultural Anthropology background.

Hina Matsuri in Japan

Source: https://matcha-jp.com/en/753
Although it is not a national holiday, March 3rd is a special day for girls. Families who don’t have young daughters might not do anything special on this day.
March 3rd is Japanese Girls’ Day or Hinamatsuri. Ornate dolls are displayed in the family home to mark the beginning of spring and to wish good health and good fortune for all of the girls in the family.
However, a tradition of this festival is still passed down until now. Actually, how people celebrate Hina Matsuri is different from place to place. We will introduce here what the Japanese people usually do on this day.
Hina Dolls represent what the imperial family was like in the ancient times. The dolls on the top tire of the platforms represent the emperor and the empress. The rest of the dolls are three court ladies, five musicians and the minister of the Right and Left who used to support the government in the old days. There are some decorations such as Gissha (oxcarts), small cupboards, Japanese paper lamps called “Bonbori”, and orange and peach tree branches displayed on the tire of platforms.
The facial expressions and costumes of each doll are also different depending on their personality and position.
The special meals for Hina Matsuri are Amazake (sweet drink), Chirashizushi (a style of sushi) and Hina Arare (sweet colorful rice crackers).
Amazake is a traditional Japanese sweet and thick drink made from fermented glutinous rice. Amazake literally means “sweet alcohol” but it has less than 1 percent of Shirozake alcohol in it. So children are also able to drink it.

Shirozake

Drinking Shirozake, which is a traditional sweet sake, was one of the customs to get rid of bad things out from your body. But Shirozake is an alcoholic drink, so Amazake was made with the children in mind.
Hina Arare are colorful and cute small rice crackers. The colors of these rice crackers have meanings. White represents the earth of the winter, pink and red represent life, while green represents the green shoots in the spring. Hina Arare is a snack showing our expectations toward the arrival of spring after the long cold winter. People also say that you will live healthy for this coming year if you eat each color of Hina Arare.
Chirashizushi is a type of Sushi which has lotus roots, shrimp and thinly shredded egg omelet on the top of vinegar rice. It has been a dish enjoyed widely at celebrations.
The ingredients in Chirashizushi have meanings as well. The lotus root is said to give one the power to see what will happen in the future, shrimps are a symbol of longevity and so on.

Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/japanese-girls-day-hinamatsuri-party-dishes-2031057
As with almost all holidays, food and drink play a role on Girls’ Day, with rice wine and rice cakes taking center stage, along with flower blossoms. Hinamatsuri is also called Momo no Sekku, which means a festival of peach blossoms. Peach blossoms, shiro-zake (white fermented rice wine) and hishi-mochi (diamond-shaped rice cakes) are placed on the stand with the hina dolls. Hishi-mochi are colored pink representing peach flowers, white representing snow, and green representing new growth.
Traditionally, girls in Japan invited their friends to a home party to celebrate this festival. Many people prepare a special meal for girls on this day, including savory dishes such as chirashi, which is sugar-flavored, vinegared sushi rice with raw fish on top; clam soup served in the shell; and edamame maze-gohan, mixed rice usually consisting of brown rice and soybeans.
Other popular dishes to serve at a Girl’s Day celebration are inari sushi—rice-stuffed tofu pockets—with miso grilled salmon and cabbage ramen salad. Sweets are on the menu as well, incorporating a feminine shade of pink, like chi chi dango, which are pink pillows of mochi (glutinous rice flour and coconut milk), a favorite among children, and sakura-mochi, a pink, sweet rice cake. Some families include an impressive edible centerpiece, such as the layered chirashi sushi cake.

Some recipes for Hina Matsuri
(The recipes listed below can be found at the link above.)

Chirashizuchi

Easy Seafood Chirashizushi: Use a shortcut of packaged sushi seasoning to quickly season steamed rice and add pre-cooked gomoku vegetables for this delectable dish. Add your favorite toppings of choice.
Edamame Maze-Gohan (Mixed Rice): Is easy to prepare, especially for large crowds. Steamed rice is mixed with furikake seasoning, bottled nametake (seasoned mushrooms), and shelled edamame for a delicious rice dish.
Inari Sushi: Preparing a dish for a large crowd doesn’t need to be complicated. Find out the secrets of making quick inari sushi with impressive results.
Cabbage Ramen Salad: This spin on the traditional Chinese chicken salad recipe uses crunchy dried ramen noodles, cabbage, and shredded chicken to create a zesty Japanese-fusion salad.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings: Let your slow cooker do all the work to whip-up a batch of delicious teriyaki chicken wings with just a few ingredients, and use the free time to prepare a few other dishes.

Miso Ginger Marinated Grilled Salmon

Miso Grilled Salmon: Miso-grilled salmon can easily be prepared by making the marinade ahead of time and then letting the salmon marinade for a few days in the fridge. All you need is an oven or a grill to cook up delicious fillets in under 40 minutes.
Clam Soup: A traditional soup that is often enjoyed on Hinamatsuri is clam soup. This clear style soup is known as sumashijiru and is simply seasoned from the broth of the clams.
Chi Chi Dango: These pillowy soft bites of mochi are made of glutinous rice flour and coconut milk. These pink, soft mochi are an absolute favorite among children.
Sakura Mochi: Sakura mochi is a glutinous rice dish that is often enjoyed during Hinamatsuri. This slightly sweetened, pink mochi is filled with sweet red beans (koshian) and wrapped in a salted sakura (young cherry blossom) leaf.

What’s the Difference Between Stock and Broth?

24 Wednesday Jan 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Captain's Shack, Classic Sauces, Food Prep, Herbs, Homemade Stock, Idaho Beef, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Information, Stocks and Soups, What's For Dinner?

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broth, making stock or broth, stock

Roasted Beef Bone Stock with fresh grated Turmeric and Ginger, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

This has been a question that I get quite often. It’s time to post a response. From Emma Christensen at thekitchn.com our answer seems to be quite clear. And non-complicated.

For years I assumed that “stock” and “broth” were interchangeable terms for the same thing: liquid flavored with vegetables, meat scraps, and bones, used as the base for soups, sauces, and other dishes.
But is this actually the case? It turns out there is a slight but significant difference between stock and broth.

The Primary Difference Between Stock & Broth
Often stocks and broths both start off the same way: scraps of vegetable, meat, and bone are slowly simmered to extract as much flavor as possible. But there is technically a difference between the two.

Broth: Technically speaking, broth is any liquid that has had meat cooked in it. Of course, now broth really is a catch-all for any flavored cooking liquid, including broths made by simmering fish, vegetables, or even legumes.
Stock: Stock, however, always involves bones, simmered for a long time to extract their gelatin and flavor. The thick, often-gelatinous nature of stocks is only possible when bones are present. Roasting the bones makes for a richer, more deeply colored stock, but it’s not essential to the process.
Seasoning Makes a Difference
There are other differences as well; chief among them is seasoning. Stock is a liquid that is left unseasoned for cooking with. But broth is usually seasoned and can be drunk or eaten on its own.

For the most part, a stock should be an unseasoned liquid. Broths, on the other hand, get some seasoning. We add salt; some other spices, like black pepper; and perhaps a splash of wine — all for the purpose of making this neutral stock taste delicious and drinkable on its own.

So, a more technical definition for broth would actually be “seasoned stock.” Now that the salt and other seasonings are added in, broth is tasty and satisfying.

It might seem like stock will always end up salted and seasoned once it’s used, and therefore saying there’s a difference between the two is really just splitting hairs, but the point of stock is that you have control over how it gets salted and seasoned from dish to dish. Maybe the stock will be used for poaching fish, so you only want a little or no salt. Maybe you’ll be reducing it down to a sauce, so starting off with a salted broth will make the reduction taste too salty. The point is that stock is a blank slate, while an already seasoned broth is not.

(Image credit: Emma Christensen)
A New Way of Doing It
Culinary schools and passed-down kitchen wisdom say that broth is made from meat and stock is made from bones. Meat gives flavor, which is why it is necessary in a broth that can be eaten alone. Bones, cartilage, and skin have collagen, which when heated, turns into gelatin that gives a stock body and a thicker, richer texture in the mouth.

However, whether you’re making a meat-based stock or broth, it’s always best to include as much raw material as possible. While you can skew the proportions in either direction, depending on what scraps you have or what flavor and body you’re going for, having both will ensure that your stock or broth is flavorful yet has body and isn’t thin. And if your liquid is cloudy, don’t sweat it — flavor is the important thing here.

Are Store-bought Stock and Broth the Same?
All of this said, this difference between stock and broth is fairly confined to the restaurant and professional culinary world. In our home kitchens, the terms are generally interchangeable.

I also see “stock” and “broth” both used to describe the same product in the grocery store, sometimes salted and sometimes not. Personally, if I’m not making my own, I prefer to buy brands with the least amount of sodium (salt) since that gives me the most control with my own seasoning.

What do you think? In your everyday cooking, is this a technical difference, or do stocks and broths both have a place in your cooking?

Robert Burns Night Coming Up!

08 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Birthdays, Bobby Burns, Cooking Styles, Ethnic Foods, Food of Scotland, Haddock, Haggis, Hard To Find Recipes, Interesting Information, Lamb, Potatoes, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Turnip, Turnips, What's For Dinner?

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Bobby Burns, Haggis

The Bobby Burns Supper Night is coming up on the anniversary of his birthday on January 25. He was born on January 25, 1759. The supper night is celebration of his poetry and songs.
“Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 in the village of Alloway, two miles south of Ayr. His parents, Willian Burnes[s] and Agnes Broun, were tenant farmers but they ensured their son received a relatively good education and he began to read avidly. The works of Alexander Pope, Henry Mackenzie and Laurence Sterne fired Burns’s poetic impulse and relationships with the opposite sex provided his inspiration. Handsome Nell, for Nellie Kilpatrick, was his first song. [robertburns.org]”
According to Wikipedia,

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known as Rabbie Burns, the Bard of Ayrshire, Ploughman Poet and various other names and epithets, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.[robertburns.org]

He died July 25, 1796 at the age of 37. So why is he so famous?
“The Ploughman poet. Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect – The Kilmarnock Edition. The main reason Burns is so popular today is because of the themes and language of everyday life that he used. His poems were humorous and he used small subjects to express big ideas. [robertburns.org]
So, you say, what prose or poetry did he write that I might know? Try Auld Lang Syne But the poetry that I like best is,

A Red, Red Rose (1794)
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ ’twere ten thousand mile!”

You can find a list and links to his works at Robert Burns Works.

OK. But what about the party? The dinner or supper?
“The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard’s birthday, January 25th, Burns Suppers range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honoured form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard.

Every Burns Supper has its own special form and flavour, though there are probably more similarities than differences among these gastro-literary affairs. Individual tastes and talents will determine the character of your Burns Supper. Some celebrants may contribute the composition of original songs or poems; some may excel at giving toasts or reciting verse; while others may be captivating storytellers. A particular group of celebrants will, over time, develop a unique group character which will distinguish their Burns Supper celebration from every other.” [robertburns.org]
Let’s start here –

A Bottle And Friend (1787)
There’s nane that’s blest of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man,
Fal, la, la, &c.

Here’s a bottle and an honest friend!
What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o’ care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,
And use them as ye ought, man:
Believe me, happiness is shy,
And comes not aye when sought, man.
__________
from Burns Night: My Supper With Rabbie

Is there that o’re his French ragout,
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi’ perfect sconner,
Looks down wi’ sneering, scronful’ view
On sic a dinner? [robertburns.org]

Here is one recipe for the traditional supper.

BRIDIES

Pastry
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. shortening
5-6 T. ice water

Meat Filling
1 and 1/2 lean steak (flank or round)
4 tsp. butter (or suet)
1 onion- finely diced
1 carrot- finely diced
salt and pepper

1. Sauté vegetables in the butter until soft
2. Slice meat into very long thin slices, on the diagonal. Cut into pieces 1 inch long. Mix with sautéed veggies. Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Roll out pastry and cut into 4″-5″ circles. Arrange meat on top, brush edges with egg wash, fold over and crimp together. Slit a hole in each pie. Egg wash tops if desired. Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 10-12 small pies.

For the rest of the Bobby Burns Supper Menu, including Cullen Skink (haddock), Bridies (recipe above), The (Bagless) Haggis and Neeps and Tatties (turnips and potatoes), follow this like – Burns Supper Recipes [robertburns.org].

Question – What is sriracha?

20 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chef Michael Symon, Chicken, Condiments, Special Information, Spice Blends, Spices, Spices of Thailand, Spicy Food, Sriracha Chili Sauce, What's For Dinner?

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Michael Symon, sriracha, sriracha chicken

Actually, a very good question and I thank Wendy Haight Scribner, on FaceBook, for asking, “What is “sriracha” and how do you use it when you cook??I just saw a video for pork chops and I’m wondering what this is made of?”
Well, Wendy and others, generally speaking sriracha is a red, spicy sauce a lot like hot sauce, but not as hot as jalapeno or tobasco sauce, at least in my opinion. It really is a good one and we keep a jar in the refrigerator all the time. I’ll get you a better definition. Inquiring minds need to know, so from Wikipedia we learn,

Sriracha (Thai: ศรีราชา, Thai pronunciation: [sǐː rāː.t͡ɕʰāː]; English /sᵻˈrɑːtʃə/) is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in Chonburi Province of eastern Thailand, where it may have been first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.
Sriraja Paniche
Sriracha “Rooster Sauce”
Sriraja Panich chili sauce by Thai Theparos Food Products and Tương Ớt Sriracha (“Rooster Sauce”) by Huy Fong Foods.
In Thailand, sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particularly for seafood. In Vietnamese cuisine, sriracha appears as a condiment for phở, fried noodles, a topping for spring rolls (chả giò), and in sauces.
Sriracha is also eaten in soup, on eggs and burgers. Jams, lollipops, and cocktails have all been made using the sauce. and sriracha-flavored potato chips have been marketed.

Matt Bush, on FaceBook, tells us,

Amazing story of a Vietnamese refugee who fled South Vietnam when the communist took over. Became one of the boat people. Was rescued and picked up buy a Chinese ship named Huy Fong…He named his company after the ship that saved him. He and his family eventually made their way towards LA and started making his sauce for the local Asian market. He established a factory near Bakersfield. A truly great success story. I love the sauce, although spicy, it is really flavorful.

And from thrillist.com, more lessons on sriracha to contemplate,

1. You’re pronouncing it wrong
See-rotch-ah. Sriracha
2. Sriracha is the type of sauce; Huy Fong is the brand name
Accept no substitutes, even if they’re emblazoned with dragons.
3. It’s actually significantly less hot than a jalapeño
According to the benchmark of all things spicy, the Scoville scale, Sriracha scores 2,200 points. The red jalapeño peppers used in the sauce lose nearly half of their spiciness in processing, which puts the sauce on par with Fresno and Anaheim peppers — both of which are about as hot as their namesake cities.
4. They’re not just cocky
The rooster is the Chinese zodiac sign of the sauce’s founder.
5. Some dumbass drank 3lbs of the stuff
Spoiler alert: this video ends in a bathroom.
5a. Spice stack: Sriracha Pringles do not disappoint
6. The brand name comes from the ship that carried Huy Fong’s founder to the US
The founder, who was of Chinese descent, made the original version of Sriracha in Gerber baby food jars before immigrating to the US aboard the Huy Fong and restarting the business. (Yes, there is a Sriracha Cookbook!)
7. You can cook really good food with it. Bon Appetit came up with 25 delicious recipes, including Sriracha fried chicken. And there’s also a cookbook dedicated entirely to the condiment.
8. They produce over a ton of it every hour
The assembly line cranks out 3,000 bottles an hour, 24 hours a day, six days a week. That’s roughly 200 tons per week. They sell about 20 million bottles a year.
9. It totally got Lay’d
The rooster took an honorable mention in a Lay’s flavor design contest. Pringles and Kettle chips have also rolled out their own Sriracha flavors, and you can grab a Sriracha Quesarito from Taco Bell.
9a. Taste-Test: Sriracha Kettle chips
10. There is a documentary. No thanks to you. But luckily, 1,315 other people shelled out the money for a film via Kickstarter.
11. A hot sauce by any other name would smell as sweet
The name comes from the small coastal Thailand town Si Racha, population 19,221.
12. It is ranked the #1 hot sauce in the entire universe!

So after reading all of this, would you like to try Chef Michael Symon’s (The Chew) recipe for Twice Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey? Aw be brave. The link is highlighted.

Happy Hour at Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beef, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Boise Adventures, Boise Area Food Adventures, Buy Idaho, Chardonnay, Chef Storm Hodge, Chicken, Comfort Food, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Dinner With The Winemaker, Green Salad, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Greens, Idaho Wine, Locavore, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rib-Eye, Salmon, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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Parma Ridge Restaurant, Parma Ridge Winery

We’ve not been out to Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant for their Friday Happy Hour until last night. Glad we went. They are very busy, so if you have a crowd of more than four, it’s best to call ahead. The patio is open and a large part of it is covered.The menu may also be somewhat different than the Saturday or Sunday Brunch menus. Check the link above for the available menus or look at This Weekend at Parma Ridge to see the menu varieties for at least one of the weekends. Whenever you go, and I highly suggest this 5-Star winery and restaurant, you will be treated to some awesome wines and definitely some awesome food as prepared by Chef Storm and Sous Chef Megan. The Staff in the restaurant has grown! They have added Sous Chef Megan and service Staff. Our server Tammy was excellent. Thank-You! Here is some of the Happy Hour food that was at our table. We did not eat all of this as Fred and Dottie Christensen joined us. Good to see friends there. Enjoy! We did.

Chicken Pesto Sandwich – $9.95
Grilled Chicken and Homemade Pesto with Prosciutto and melted Swiss Cheese on a Toasted Ciabatta Bun with Fresh Cut Truffle Fries

Fred had this.

Parma Ridge Pear Salad – $8.95, with Grilled Chicken $11.95
Mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese and Poached Pear with Grilled Bread

Dottie had this. The salad is huge!

One-Inch Cut Char-Grilled Ribeye Steak – $16.95
Topped with Bleu Cheese Butter and accompanied by Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes with Cabernet Beef Demi-Glace, Grilled Asparagus and Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

Robin had this and took half of it home! It is a large portion.

Storm’s Famous Salmon – $16.95
Brined, Lightly Smoked and Pan Fried with Rosemary Truffle Butter and Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes accompanied by Grilled Asparagus Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

This is what I had. Delicious and moist!

We did have wine. A wonderful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that paired wonderfully with asparagus. (Robin tried the newest rage of vanilla ice cream in red wine. She tried it with this blend. Wasn’t bad! If you like Guinness and Ice Cream you will probably like this.) And then we had some –

2015 Chardonnay, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Everything you would expect from the terroir of the area, this dry Chardonnay is made with Chardonnay grapes from Fargo Farms and a touch of Gewürztraminer from Parma Ridge Vineyards. This wine has been created to preserve the intense flavors and aromas without any manipulation. Hints of grapefruit and rosemary compliment the tart finish to be enjoyed any time of the year.

2015 Dry Riesling, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Made with 100% Riesling, this dry wine features melon with citrus notes and touches of honey crisp apple. This smooth wine is a perfect complement creamy pasta and sharp cheeses. This also pared very well with asparagus. Hard to find a wine that pares well with asparagus or artichoke and maybe avocado.

Such a great evening at the winery and restaurant. Definitely 5-Stars!!!

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!

Great Sunday Brunch at Parma Ridge Winery

08 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Appetizers, BBQ Sauce, Bistro, Braising, Brunch, Brunch with Robin, Buy Idaho, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Coffee, Comfort Food, Dill, Eggs, Eggs Poached, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Pork, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Rollingstone Chevre, Salads, Sliders, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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bistro, brunch, Parma Ridge Winery

Yea! Parma Ridge Winery, 24509 Rudd Road, Parma, ID has re-opened! Under new owners Chef Storm and Stephanie Hodge, the venue has changed also. They are now serving a wonderful Sunday Brunch from 12 noon to 5:00pm. The space indoors is limited in the winter season to about 25 seats. The deck is open in season. Wonderful owners. Wonderful location. Wonderful food. The wine pictured is really a good Rosé of Merlot. Not too sweet and with a little spice to it. It was named after their daughter. You might want to call for reservations if you have 4 or more people. Or visit their website at Parma Ridge Wine and Spirits. From their website, “Tasting Room hours are 12-5 p.m., Friday – Sunday. Now open for Happy Hour Friday from 4-7 p.m. Join us for a glass of wine, a bite of food and take in the amazing view!” Enjoy the creations of Chef Storm and/or the artwork of Stephanie. Here is what we had and some photos of the area. Enjoy! Ranks very high for winery food – 5-Stars! It’s that good! I have also listed it on TripAdvisor.

The sign at the entrance.

The tasting room and restaurant.

View from the patio at the tasting room.

There is a variety of herbs from the garden for the kitchen.

Artist Stephanie Hodge at the tasting counter.

Chef Storm Hodge in his kitchen.

The seating area in the restaurant.

Happy Hour menu.

Sunday Brunch menu in addition to the Happy Hour menu.

Cheese and Salami Platter
smoked provolone, Boursin, dill Havarti, muenster, fresh mozzarella, warm brie and bleu cheese with dry salami and fresh baked bread

Parma Ridge House Salad
mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu cheese and poached pear with grilled bread

Sliders and Rosemary Garlic Truffle Fries choice of Ground Beef with smoked provolone, bacon and mesquite aioli "Triple B" Ground Beef with bacon, bleu chees and BBQ Braised Pulled Pork with black cherry BBQ sauce

Sliders and Rosemary Garlic Truffle Fries choice of
1. Ground Beef with smoked provolone, bacon and mesquite aioli
2. “Triple B” Ground Beef with bacon, bleu chees and BBQ Braised
3. Pulled Pork with black cherry BBQ sauce

Best Ever Biscuits and Gravy with a Fried Egg

Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs
rosemary mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, homemade bread

Yummy Breakfast

30 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in Banana, Basque Bread, Bread, Breakfast With Robin, Captain's Shack, Cooking Styles, Eggs, Eggs Basted, Ethnic Foods, Pennsylvania Dutch, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, White Grapes

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Apple Scrapple Festival, Basque bread, huckleberry jam, Pennsylvania Dutch, scrapple, wikipedia

………… and very easy to do. Only thing is, you must have scrapple. What? Scrapple. Wikipedia explains scrapple as,

Scrapple Fresh Grapes and Bananas Toasted Basque Bread Basted Eggs

Fried Scrapple with Ketchup
Fresh Grapes and Bananas
Toasted Basque Bread and Huckleberry Jam
Basted Eggs

Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name panhaas or “pan rabbit,” is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, not used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a rural American food of the Mid-Atlantic states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia). Scrapple and panhaas are commonly considered an ethnic food of the Pennsylvania Dutch, including the Mennonites and Amish. Scrapple is found in supermarkets throughout the region in both fresh and frozen refrigerated cases.

The roots of the culinary traditions that led to the development of scrapple in America have been traced back to pre-Roman Europe. The more immediate culinary ancestor of scrapple was the Low German dish called panhas, which was adapted to make use of locally available ingredients, and it is still called “Pannhaas,” “panhoss,” “ponhoss,” or “pannhas” in parts of Pennsylvania. The first recipes were created by German colonists who settled near Philadelphia and Chester County, Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries. As a result, scrapple is strongly associated with rural areas surrounding Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, eastern Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula. Its popularity on the Delmarva Peninsula is celebrated the second weekend of October during the annual “Apple Scrapple Festival” in Bridgeville, Delaware.

In composition, preparation, and taste, scrapple is similar to the white pudding popular in Ireland, Scotland, and parts of England and the spicier Hog’s pudding of the West Country of England.

“State and Lemp” – Awesome

17 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Anniversary, Appetizers, Apricots, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Bread, Buy Idaho, Carrots, Celebrations, Chardonnay, Classic Cuisines, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Friends, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Squash, Idaho Greens, Idaho Potatoes, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, State and Lemp, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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State and Lemp

I could, and probably should, fill up this page with the word awesome, but that would be boring! If you are in Boise and have been here for awhile, do you remember Andrae’s? That definitely was a 5-Star restaurant. And so is State and Lemp. It is every bit as good as Andrea’s was; If not better. But I can only give 5-Stars and State and Lemp earned every one of those stars. From the local art on the wall, as pictured here, to the outstanding service. Also outstanding was the plating of the different food offerings. We eat with our eyes first, and as you will see, the presentations were super good! The seating is limited to about 28 people, so call for a reservation. We did like the way they have the tables set, it gave us time to chat with our table “neighbors”. Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy! We will return for another special celebration, whatever that may be!

Robin at our seating.

The seating arrangements.

The menu and our place card. Yes, it is that formal!

It is great to see that they use as much local products as possible. Here is Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread. For a complete list of their farmer suppliers, check their web site.

It is great to see that they use as much local products as possible. Here is Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread. For a complete list of their local farmer suppliers, check their web site.

Sardine
with
Micro Greens and Flowers

Strawberry & Cucumber Scallop. Cilantro. Shiso Patrick Bottex – “La Cueille” Gamay / Poulsard

Strawberry and Cucumber
Scallop. Cilantro. Shiso
Patrick Bottex – “La Cueille” Gamay / Poulsard

Summer Squash & Fava Beans Black Cod. Sea Beans Nasturtium Taft Street – Chardonnay

Summer Squash and Fava Beans
Black Cod. Sea Beans. Nasturtium
Taft Street Chardonnay

Carrot & Apricot Goat. Sesame. Fried Rice Maxime Magnon – “La Démarrante” Carignan / Cinsault

Carrot and Apricot
Goat. Sesame. Fried Rice
Maxime Magnon – “La Démarrante” Carignan/Cinsault

Intermezzo – Huckleberry Sorbet

Beets & New Potato
Pork. Gooseberry. Sorrel
Domaine Gayda – “Flying Solo” Grenache/Syrah

Currants & Cherry Ginger Ale. Vanilla Cream. Mochi Taylor Fladgate – “LBV” Port

Currants and Cherry
Ginger Ale. Vanilla Cream. Mochi
Taylor Fladgate – “LBV” Port

Those little ginger ale “balloons” just “popped” flavor in your mouth. I intentionally did not pick a “favorite” dish – they were all superior. The wines also were paired perfectly. Here is a little more about State and Lemp from their web site.

In our effort to showcase local and regional farmers, ranchers, and artisans we have utilized the following…
Purple Sage Farms /purplesagefarms.com – Waterwheel Gardens /waterwheelgardens.com – Rice Family Farms / ricefamilyfarms.com – Sweet Valley Organics / sweetvalleyorganics.com – Peaceful Belly / peacefulbelly.com – Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters / dawsontaylor.com – Malheur River Meats / malheurrivermeats.com – Ohana Farm Inc. Frostenson Farms – Acme Bread Co. – Double R Honey Farm – Cloverleaf Creamery …. Ownership and management will maintain a constant presence on the floor as we interact with guests to ensure an unforgettable experience. We provide continuing education and training for all team members in order to better enable them as they assist guests with decisions. Additionally, we seek to advance all team members and enable their growth as hospitality professionals.