Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen

28 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Interesting Information, Restaurants

“To our friends and family,

As some of you may already know, Chris was recently named a semi-finalist for the 2009 “Best Chef Northwest” award by the James Beard Foundation. It is a tremendous honor to be considered and came as quite a surprise to us. We at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen are humbled to be listed among so many of Seattle and Portland’s great chefs and restaurants.

This news has given us a moment to reflect on how grateful we are to be in Walla Walla and to have supporters both locally and nationally. Walla Walla has and will continue to build a reputation for having amazing wines and restaurants that highlight many of the Valley’s rich agricultural gifts. We are blessed and proud to be apart of this valley.

Since our opening, we have been fortunate to have talented people working with us. Some of them have come, gone, come back and most have been with us since day one. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dear restaurant family, Justin Anderson, Henry Baumgartner, Jenna Bicknell, Robert Brannon, Guillermo Corro, Ryan Crane, Michael Espinoza, Kimi Galasso, Rex Grigg, James Guzman, Brandon Hardy, Rudy Hernandez, Benjamin Humbert, Hannah Israel, Lindi Kauer, Noe Martinez, Luana McKinley, Kimberly Nemeth, Sandra Perez, Julia Russell, Jamil Scherief, and Boe Stevenson. Thank you for inspiring us in your pride and dedication to your work.

It’s been nearly two years since we’ve moved our family (our two beloved Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Alabama and Bahari) and opened Saffron’s doors, with Pho Sho following six months later. In that time, we’ve made many friends and developed wonderful working relationships within our community. This incredible recognition has every thing to do with the love and support you show us, in your words and in your presence. We thank you sincerely.

Chris & Island Ainsworth

—
Have a great day!
Red Dog Productions, LLC dba
Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen & Pho Sho
125 West Alder Street
Walla Walla WA 99362
P 509-525-2112
F 509-525-2909
http://www.saffronmediterraneankitchen.com
http://www.phoshowallawalla.com”

If you have never eaten at the Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen you really need to make the commitment to go. But make your reservations! You absolutely will not be disappointed. It was really great to receive this email from Island and to know that Chris was “… named a semi-finalist for the 2009 “Best Chef Northwest” award by the James Beard Foundation.” Chris is to be commended! Kudos to you Chris!

Shrimp Etouffee

27 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Guy, Recipe By: Guy

≈ 1 Comment

Here’s the recipe for the Shrimp Etouffee. It’s from the cookbook Le Bouche Creole by Leon Soniat. The only thing I did differently was to poach the shrimp shells in the beef broth before adding that to the dish for more shrimpyness. Also, I cooked the shrimp only for a minute at the end, not the 20 minutes in the menu. (The key to reading this recipe is to Left Click where you can get a full screen version and then print it.)

Shrimp Etouffee

Taste Testers. No, this is not our kitchen —– Yet!

Garden Cafe, Twin Falls, ID

27 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Photos, Restaurants

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It isn’t often that I wait so long to write a critique on a restaurant. But this one, the Garden Cafe in Twin Falls, Idaho, is an exception. Usually we rate a restaurant on a 1 to 5 star basis, 5 stars being superb. With that in mind, the rating for the Garden Cafe is -1 Star!!!
And here is the reason why the rating is so poor. (1) The floor manager, Tom, needs some schooling in intra-personal relationships, (2) The floor manager should never be so arrogant as to tell customers, “No, you can not sit there because that area is used for large groups (the area is photographed below)”, or “No, we can not turn on the lights because this is the ambiance we like at this time of day (lunch time)”. “If you want to sit in a better lit place, go sit over by that wall”. “What are you doing? You can not take photos in here”. The photos that I was taking was one of the dining area above – which, by the way, is the area we wanted to move to. I don’t see any customers there, so I can not imagine why he was so offended and offensive. We have taken photos at many, many restaurants, but have never been refused the opportunity to photograph the interior.

But on the plus side, and there is one, the waiter we had was fantastic. Well schooled in how to treat a customer and attentive to our needs. Polite. The food was good, nothing really exceptional, but good. Since the floor manager, Tom, is the one in charge, the responsibility has to land squarely on his shoulders for such a poor experience. There is just nothing more that I can say about this experience. It was worse than bad.

Foodnetwork Is Coming To Boise!!

25 Wednesday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Cooking Programs, Interesting Information, Local Markets, Restaurants

≈ 1 Comment

Harken, all ye who love food! On 3 March from 9:00am until 5:00pm, the Foodnetwork and Diner’s, Dive’s and Drive-In’s with Guy Fiere will be at the Westside Drive-In, 20th and State Streets for a filming. Want some great food and be on TV? Chef Lou saw me at home and relayed this info to me. He also said that the Westside Drive-In was the Number 1 Requested Restaurant in the state of Idaho for this program. I am happy to say that I was one of those people who contacted the Foodnetwork for this purpose. They wanted to come last November, but Chef Lou Aaron told them that they did not want to come to Boise in November. Hope to see some of you there. If you have time, you may want to walk down the alley – east on Madison Ave or Tin Pan Alley – and say Hi, if we are not there! You can find a review of Westside Drive-In that Robin and I made at Restaurant Review. You can also look at their Web Site.

Kitchen Remodel Floor Plan II

21 Saturday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

OK. Monday, 23 February, is the start of this major project! Below are some drawings of the project.

Overhead view of the kitchen.

Elevation view of the major appliances: Stove, Microwave, Exhaust Hood (West Wall) and Refrigerator (South Wall)
.
The Sink (North Wall) and the placement of the Dishwasher. Note the cabinets and drawer space.

These last two views are overhead views and placement views.

What you don’t see is the Sky Light, LED lighting under the cabinets, the Ceiling Lights , the new flooring and the Pot Rack.

It is said that it will be completed in one week. I hope so, but one must always be ready for the unexpected in a house that was built 104 years ago – it’s one of the “perks” of owning an old house. We are trying very hard to keep the design and appearance in the ambiance of the early 1900’s. Joe Levitch, our contractor, is working very hard to keep this in mind and to keep us in line. He is succeeding! Wish us luck! I had promised some Fasnachts for Shrove Tuesday, but I really don’t think that will happen this year.

Valentine’s Day Chocolate Tart

15 Sunday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Dessert, Recipe By: Robin Young, Recipes

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Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate Tart
Adapted from Luscious Chocolate Desserts by Lori Longbotham (Chronicle Books)
Parisian in spirit, this elegant tart is best served with a tiny dollop of crème fraîche on the top or side of each wedge.

Perfectly Simple Dark Chocolate Tart

(Serves 12)

Crust
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup toasted walnuts, cooled
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling
14 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cocoa powder for dusting
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 11-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

2. To make the crust: Process the sugar and walnuts in a food processor until the walnuts are finely ground. Add the flour, cocoa, and salt and pulse just until blended. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture begins to come together when a small amount is pressed between your fingers; do not overprocess—the mixture should not form a ball. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork.

3. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the crust begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.

4. To make the filling: Melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the eggs and sugar until well blended. Whisk in the vanilla. Transfer the filling to the warm crust.

5. Bake for about 12 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center; the top of the tart will look a little blistered, and that’s okay. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 1 1/2 hours.

6. To serve, remove the pan rim. Lightly dust the tart with cocoa powder and serve cut into wedges.

Valentine’s Day Dinner, 2009

15 Sunday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Celebrations, Food, Food Prep, Photos, Vegetables

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It never ceases to amaze me as to how exciting it is to prepare a meal for family and then have friends drop in and eat with us. So it was this Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Of course, the dinner is in honor of Robin and Marnie!
And Mac was there too. But to our delight and surprise, Geno and Debra arrived – to try some of his bread and to return a paella pan he had borrowed. When they called, I didn’t tell them we were about to eat dinner. But then I knew they both liked wine and lamb. We were glad to have them.

And some of the wine. A 1977 Diamond Creek, Volcanic Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, on the left. And on the right, a 1973 Joseph Swan Vineyards Zinfandel. Both of these wines from our cellar.

Crown Roast of Lamb with a 1992 Moscato d’Asti Tintero. An awesome combination.
Lamb with Red Wine and Balsamic Vinegar Reduction, Brown Rice with Scallions and Mushrooms and Mashed Root Vegetable Combination. Such an awesome dinner and easy to prepare. It just takes some time.

But then, Robin made this terrific and succulent Chocolate Torte. This went well with a 1970 Croft Porto Vintage Port.

Such a great day and dinner! Great women! Great friends! Great food! Thank-You to everyone who participated. Wonder what we’ll have for Easter Dinner. It’s a little way to go before Easter is upon us, so we have time to plan this dinner out.

Perfect Prime Rib

13 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Main Dish, Photos

≈ 1 Comment

Hi all,

If you’re looking for that perfect romantic food splurge, for Valentine’s Day or other special occasions, you can’t beat a perfectly roasted prime rib. Here’s a recipe that is guaranteed to result in one of the best prime rib’s you’ve ever eaten.

Start with the best quality prime rib cut that you can afford. I personally like to cut the rib bone portion from the rest of the roast and then tie them back together for cooking. This allows more surface area for the rub to penetrate the meat and makes it easy to enjoy the rib bone portion after cooking.

Make a rub with 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme. You can add up to 2 teaspoons of rosemary if you like the rosemary taste (I personally don’t use any rosemary).

Mix this with one tablespoon kosher salt and two teaspoons of coursely ground black pepper. Rub this over the entire surface of the roast and then refrigerate (as much as overnight). Before cooking, let the roast come to room temperature (about 2 hours).

Preheat your oven to 450 (yes…this is hot hot) and lay the roast, bone side down, in a shallow baking pan (it can get messy so line your pan with foil). Roast at 450 for 15 minutes. This will sear the outer portion of the roast….sizzling good.

Turn the oven down to 350 (don’t open the oven door) and then bake for about 45 minutes. The doneness of the roast will not be determined by time, but by internal meat temperature. (get out your meat thermometer and check it about every 10 minutes after 30 minutes or so)

Tent the roast in foil and allow it to rest 15 to 30 minutes before carving. The meat continues to cook and heat during the resting.

For “rare”, remove from heat at internal meat temp of 115-120F. The internal meat temp should be 125-130 after resting.

For “medium rare”, remove from heat at 125-130F. Temp should be 130-140 after resting.

For “medium”, remove from heat at 130-140F. Temp should be 140-150 after resting.

I used my charcoal BBQ grill (with lid) for my most recent cooking. I added some hickory chips for the final lower temp part of the cooking for a slight smoky flavor that added a new dimension to the flavor….and was GREAT. I simply tried to duplicate the temps in the recipe by adjusting my heat in the BBQ.

Fasnachts

13 Friday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes

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OK, you say, what is a “Fasnachts”? And as my Dad or his Mother would say, “You get to soon oldt and to late schmart!” so here is some information on Fasnachts. (It’s really a family tradition for me – Robin does not like to make the ones with mashed potatoes because it takes a long time. This recipe does not take as long.)

“Fasnachts, Fastnachts or Faschnachts are a fatty doughnut treat served traditionally on Fastnacht Day, the day before Lent starts. Fasnachts were produced as a way to empty the pantry of lard, sugar, fat and butter, which were forbidden during Lent. Some English-speaking Protestants tend to refer to the day as Shrove Tuesday, and many consume pancakes as an alternative.
The German word Fasnacht literally translates as “chamfering night”. Authentic fasnachts are typically cut into squares or rectangles, producing a chamfered edge, as opposed to doughnuts which are round with holes in the center.
In parts of Maryland, the treats are called Kinklings, and is only sold in bakeries on Shrove Tuesday. The German version is made from a yeast dough, deep fried, and coated or dusted in sugar or cinnamon sugar; they may be plain, or filled with fruit jam. Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts are often made from potato dough, and may be uncoated, or powdered with table sugar or dusted with confectioner’s sugar.
The term now is synonymous with the Carnival season in southern Germany, Switzerland, Alsace and Austria. Although usually written “Fastnacht”, there are many local spoken varieties Fasnacht, Fassenacht, Fasnet etc.

Depending on where you are from the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday has different celebrations but one thing they all have in common is food. Fausnaught is the German word for Donut, Paczi is the Polish equivalent, Pounchki (punchki) is also Polish Version, but in any event we all go out and get our Carb load before the fasting associated with Lent. What any of this has to do with Sexy Girls taking off their shirts I don’t know, but if you load up on Paczki’s you will be quite large, as a traditionally made Paczki Calories can run you well over 800 a piece. More modern versions may actually be better for you as they would not be made with Lard, and Egg Yolks only. So “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” which is cajun/French for Let the Good times Roll. Or in this case Donut.

Fasnacht

Makes 50 fasnacht

¼ cup warm water
1 pkg. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
2½ cups lukewarm milk
4½ cups flour
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup lard, melted
1 cup sugar
dash of salt
5 ½ cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water.
Mix next three ingredients together, then add to yeast mixture. Set in warm place and let rise overnight.
In the morning add next four ingredients. Add last batch of flour slowly; it may not all be needed. Dough should be sticky but able to be handled.
Let rise until doubled, approximately 2 hours.
Roll out and cut with biscuit or doughnut cutter, with or without a center hole. Let rise 1 hour.
Deep fry in hot oil at 375 degrees for several minutes, turning until brown on both sides.

Among the PA Germans, Shrove Tuesday (day before Ash Wednesday) is known as Fassnacht Day (night before the fast). In a symbolic effort to rid their homes of leavening agents and to feast before Lent, many PA Germans cooks spend part of their day making Fassnachts. The cakes are made of yeast dough, and tradition requires that they be shaped in squares or rectangles, with slits cut in them.”

I think this year I will make some.

La Cantina Sociale and Pottery Gourmet Kitchen

12 Thursday Feb 2009

Posted by Bob and Robin in Interesting Information, Local Markets, Restaurants

≈ 2 Comments

After the Mr Lincoln Birthday Party and unveiling of his statue in downtown Boise – and in the snow, I might add – we rode our bicycles to La Cantina Sociale, a delightful Italian produce shop and wine bar at 707 W Bannock (across from the old main post office). A quaint establishment owned and operated by Giuseppe Veneziano, a really delightful character who is full of exuberance and tales. A wide selection of Italian wines – one, and only one, from Idaho – and Italian cheeses and grocery items. An interesting place where you can purchase a bottle of wine and sit down and enjoy it with a fresh made Italian sandwich or cheese platter. Here is a link to their Web Site, well worth looking at. I have also placed a link in the sidebar. Visit the store and let us know what you think.

Somewhere between the two shops and painted on a wall. Look for it if you are walking East on Bannock.

But then at around 811 W Bannock, one comes across the Pottery Gourmet Kitchen. The closest store like this is probably Rudy’s – Cooks Paradise in Twin Falls. Only, this one is smaller. Lot’s of pottery items here with a Polish and German influence. There are some really great kitchen utensils, also. Look at their Web Site to get an idea of the resource. Really a fun day doing the Lincoln Birthday Party and Statue Unveiling here in Boise. And yes, it snowed! But V President Joe Biden still made it! Such an aircraft, Air Force 2!