Congratulations Anna! Great party!
Congratulations Anna!
13 Sunday May 2018
Posted in What's For Dinner?
Yea! The BFM is open!
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Sourdough, Alaskan Salmon, Asian Food, Avocado, Bacon, Blue Crab, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Buy Idaho, Crab Cakes, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Eggs Basted, Eggs Fried, Eggs Omelets, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Polenta Roys Calais, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Omelet, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?
Just a little cloudy and cool, but still fun to see all of the “new”, fresh produce. Great to see some new vendors, too. And with new vendors, comes new “kitchen” ideas and menus. And here are just a few. And with that, comes some new products. The first is Lions Mane Mushrooms. CAUTION: Know your wild mushrooms and the distributors before eating. Some are toxic!
Hericium erinaceus (also called lion’s mane mushroom, monkey head, bearded tooth mushroom, satyr’s beard, bearded hedgehog mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus) is an edible and medicinal mushroom belonging to the tooth fungus group. Native to North America, Europe and Asia it can be identified by its long spines (greater than 1 cm length), its appearance on hardwoods and its tendency to grow a single clump of dangling spines. Hericium erinaceus can be mistaken for other species of Hericium, all popular edibles, which grow across the same range. In the wild, these mushrooms are common during late summer and fall on hardwoods, particularly American beech. [Wikipedia]
Common name: Lion’s Mane, Bearded Tooth, Hedgehog Mushroom, Satyr’s Beard, Old Man’s Beard, Unbranched Hericium.
Description: The bearded tooth fungus is white when fresh and yellowish with age. It has long spines. The fungus is 4-10” (10-25 cm) across. It is an oval to rounded solid mass of spines which hang in a beardlike fashion. The spines cover the sides and are formed in lines. This fungus is attached to the tree by a tough, thick, root like structure. The spines are .4 – 1.5 “ (1-4cm) long.
Ecology/associated hosts: The bearded tooth can be parasitic, found on living trees; especially oak, maple, and beech, and saprotrophic, found on decaying hardwoods. The season is from August – November.
Harvest: Harvest of bearded tooth mushrooms can be difficult as often the fungus is growing high in a tree. The best method is to cut the fruit body at the base, close to the tree and thus remove it in one piece.
Many wild picked Hericium mushrooms may house various tiny beetles and/or sawdust, appearing like bits of decayed wood. Thorough cleaning by shaking and hand removal of such nuisances is often needed. If the mushroom has begun to discolor to a yellowish tone, it is too old and likely will have a sour or unpleasant flavor after cooking. [Midwest Mycology Org]
With all of this information in mind, here is one use – A Lion’s Mane Mushroom Omelet!
Lion’s Mane Mushroom and Garlic
Sautéed Lion’s Mane Mushrooms with Garlic
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Omelet
Raspberries and Blueberries
Bacon
Garlic Toast
Raspberries and Blueberries
Bacon
Garlic Toast
And then there is seafood. I grew up on seafood – which I did not particularly like at the time. But it was either seafood or liver. I really don’t care how you cook liver or what you do to it – It’s still liver! If you like crab cakes, and Robin and I do, here is a recipe we came up with. Give it a try. CS Crab Cakes. These are mostly East Coast Style, less the saltine crackers. But still made with Blue Crab (Phillips). It’s an Atlantic thing.
Crab cakes in egg rings and getting ready to cool down. The cooling is important!
CS Crab Cakes
Asian Salad
Asian Salad
But you can not have dinner without breakfast. Here are two to try. Differently good!
Lemon Pancakes
Over Easy Eggs
Over Easy Eggs
Avocado Eggs
Toasted Acme Bakeshop Sourdough Logs
Fruit
Polenta Cakes
(Remove the seed from 1/2 an avocado and place a poached or soft cooked egg in the hole. Top with micro greens.)
Toasted Acme Bakeshop Sourdough Logs
Fruit
Polenta Cakes
(Remove the seed from 1/2 an avocado and place a poached or soft cooked egg in the hole. Top with micro greens.)
Whisky Cured Salmon (Lox)
Shepherd’s Pie
And the good thing about all of these meals? 95% of the ingredients came from the Boise Farmers Market or their vendors. (Eggs, lamb, polenta, micro greens, bread, bread crumbs (from Acme Bakeshop sourdough bread), mushroom, etc. We eat well and know where our products come from. Thank-You BFM and vendors!
Awesome Visit to Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro
31 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Beef, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Chef Storm Hodge, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro, Dinner With Family, Food Photos, Idaho Chefs, Northwest Clam Chowder, Pacific Salmon, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Party Time, Photo By: MJ Shaner, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Seafood, Snake River AVA Sojourn, Sous Chef Magan, Syrah, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinner at Parma Ridge, Wines - Idaho
It’s been a while since we were here last. But just to let you know, this is still a superb, 5-Star bistro. Superb food. Superb wines. Superb staff. Our many thanks to Chef Storm and Sous Chef Megan and their staff for a great dinner. Stephanie and her servers were awesome and service and friendliness was super. Chef Storm made a post on FaceBook that shows you how dedicated Storm and Stephanie are. “It’s always exciting when you get a surprise visit from the health inspector. It’s even more exciting when you get 100% and they say they’re going to come back and have dinner with their spouse!!!”
And if you are planning to go to the Parma Ridge Winery and Bistro tomorrow for Easter, and you do not have reservations, I was told yesterday that they are sold out! But if you are going to visit them – and I sincerely hope you will – here is some information that you will need: “We are open Friday,12-9 p.m., Saturday 12-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with wine tasting and our regular menu all weekend long. You can now text us at 208-946-5187 to make a reservation.” And if you still need information, here is their blog post (it changes weekly) on the Snake River AVA Happenings Blog: AVA Happenings at Parma Ridge.
OK. Here is what we had. Enjoy! We did! (Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.)
Robin’s brother Brian came to visit.
Pork Sliders with Rosemary Fries
Storm’s Salmon
Rib-Eye Steak (To die for!)
An awesome Mushroom Soup
Superb “Northwest Clam Chowder”
A beautiful location. “Storm Clouds”.
Good Visit to Deja Brew in Meridian, ID
24 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in 4-Stars, Bistro, Bistro - Deja Brew, Boise Area Food Adventures, Breakfast, Breakfast With Robin, Cobb Salad, Coffee, Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Lunch With Robin, Photos By: Bob Young, Pubs, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Wine and Food
Tags
We did have a good visit to Deja Brew – Laugh A Latte in Meridian on March 23, 2018 at 112 East Idaho Avenue, Meridian, ID 83642. Phone – (208) 957-6442. Hours – Mon: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Tue: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Wed: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Thu: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Fri: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sat: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sun: 6:30AM-3:00PM. Good ambiance with plenty of open seating. It can be a little noisy, though; They need to turn the music back somewhat. You must order your food at the counter, but they will generally bring it to your table. They do have a good Breakfast/Lunch Menu with many varieties of coffee and tea. Their Dinner/Wine/Beer Menu, with a good selection of beer and wine. We will return to this bistro in Meridian. It is definitely a 4-Star restaurant/bistro. Here are some photos. Enjoy!
Their logo on the street side windows.
Robin checking the menu. The interior is very open, but can be noisy.
Virginia Dare Pinot Noir. A really good wine that goes well with my breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Robin’s Cobb Salad. Surprising. And yes, it is made in Virginia with Russian River (CA) grapes.
Robin had a Cobb Salad.
I had Eggs Benedict. The potatoes were good. Different. Just a little salty.
Updating the Recipe File
19 Monday Mar 2018
Posted in What's For Dinner?
The Captain says,
I am currently updating the Recipe File (Boise Foodie Guild Blog Recipes) and adding some photos with the recipe links. Not all links will have a photo due to a total disc failure a while back. But those recipes that have readable graphic files (photos), and ones I can find, will be affected. Thank-You.
Fake Tomatoes? Really!
11 Sunday Mar 2018
Tags
“Much like how Champagne can only be called champagne when grown in the Champagne region in France, San Marzano tomatoes must be grown in the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino region of Italy to be called such. When the tomatoes are canned, they are required to have a DOP emblem on the label to symbolize their authenticity.” [wideopeneats] Here is a link to the full article and it is an eye opener. An excellent read. San Marzano Tomatoes Fake.
From the Cento website, (Cento Tomato Products)
Cento is the only United States brand that owns its production facility in the Sarnese Nocerino area of Italy, literally in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. The rich volcanic soil, high water table and ideal Mediterranean microclimate all combine to make San Marzano tomatoes the premier choice for any recipe.
And why are the Cento San Marzano tomatoes so popular in many of the larger professional kitchens?
SAN MARZANO TOMATOES
San Marzano tomatoes are widely recognized by top chefs, foodies, Italian cooks and food aficionados as the gold standard for taste, but what makes them so special? San Marzano tomatoes get their name from the town where they were born, San Marzano sul Sarno, which is located in the Campania region of southern Italy. Characteristics of San Marzano tomatoes include a thicker tomato wall, less seeds and less acidity than other tomatoes, making them ideal for authentic Italian cuisine. San Marzano tomatoes thrive in the designated area of Italy because of the Mediterranean microclimate, high water table, and fertile volcanic soil. Truly authentic San Marzano tomatoes from Italy adhere to strict conditions and guidelines in terms of their growing, selection, and processing. Certified San Marzano tomatoes must be obtained from plants of the same ecotype, grown within a specific territory allowed in Italy, and contain characteristics that comply with standards set in Italy. [Cento]
Watch some of the Food Network Italian and Tuscan chefs, and you will see that they use Cento products. There is a reason and it is stated above. We always have some on our shelves.
Valentines Dinner at Parma Ridge Winery Bistro
12 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in 5-Stars, Appetizers, Beef, Bistro, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Buy Idaho, Classic Cuisines, Cream Sauces, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Lobster, Mushrooms, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork Belly, Risotto, Seafood, Special Dinners, Special Events, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinner at Parma Ridge, Wine Dinners, Wines - Idaho
We have been to several 5-Star restaurants in Boise – Richard’s, Chandler’s, Cottonwood Grill, Andrae’s (when it was open) and Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, FL – and the dinner that Chef and Winemaker Storm Hodge and Sous Chef Megan Hartman prepared for us, and 50+ others, last night at the winery, gives any of these restaurants a very serious challenge. This dinner was every bit a 5-Star dinner. It was amazingly delicious. Kudo’s to the Chefs, their kitchen staff and the wait staff! I sincerely urge any of you who are in the area, to visit the Bistro on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday Brunch and have superb meal. (Here is more info at Parma Ridge Winery – Snake River AVA Happenings) Look at what they prepared and we enjoyed! (Left-Click any of the photos to see them enlarged.)
Let’s start with the way the butter, for bread, was presented. Beautiful.
Saffron Risotto
with
Butter Poached Lobster and Chive Oil
Parma Ridge Quattra
(super wine paring)
with
Butter Poached Lobster and Chive Oil
Parma Ridge Quattra
(super wine paring)
Fried Gnocchi with Char-Grilled Smoked Pork-Belly
and
Kalamata Gouda Cream
2016 Parma Ridge Issac Storm
(The gnocchi was made in-house and the pork belly was smoked 8 hours in-house! Good wine paring.))
and
Kalamata Gouda Cream
2016 Parma Ridge Issac Storm
(The gnocchi was made in-house and the pork belly was smoked 8 hours in-house! Good wine paring.))
Fillet Au Poivre with Crispy Caramelized Onion Polenta
Cognac Tarragon Mushroom Sauce
and
Lemon Grilled Asparagus
2016 Parma Ridge Big Red
(Chef Storm came up with the sauce. Delicious! Robin had some steak this morning for breakfast with an over easy egg! And yes, the asparagus went with the wine! Superb paring with the wine.)
Cognac Tarragon Mushroom Sauce
and
Lemon Grilled Asparagus
2016 Parma Ridge Big Red
(Chef Storm came up with the sauce. Delicious! Robin had some steak this morning for breakfast with an over easy egg! And yes, the asparagus went with the wine! Superb paring with the wine.)
Tiramisu Trifle with Espresso Rum Caramel
2017 Parma Ridge LaRea Dolce
(Super wine paring – almost a TBA! The tiramisu Chef Storm made from scratch without egg yolks. Amazing!)
2017 Parma Ridge LaRea Dolce
(Super wine paring – almost a TBA! The tiramisu Chef Storm made from scratch without egg yolks. Amazing!)
Weekly News From BFM
09 Friday Feb 2018
Posted in What's For Dinner?
Seeds are going into the ground, meetings are being held and funding is being sought and distributed. Winter is so busy it’s starting to feel like Spring!
Boise Farmers Mobile Market Expansion
Grant Received – and More!
We are thrilled to announce that the Boise Farmers Mobile Market has received a St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund grant!
This $8,000.00 grant will help expand the Mobile Market to 4 days each week during the season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and assist with better marketing of our Double Up Bucks and SNAP programs. We are happy to work in concert with St. Luke’s mission “to improve the health of people in our region” and do our part, here, in our Boise neighborhoods.
We have also received $1,200 in Individual Support already this year! We have another $4,000 to raise to fund the summer. If you haven’t read about last year’s success, you can read about it here: 2017 Mobile Market Impact Report.
We would love to have your support. If you feel inspired you can donate any amount, big or small, here: DONATE
Help us get produce and eggs out into the neighborhoods to community members who don’t have access to healthy food!
Earthly Delights Farm The Seed of the Week
Rossa di Milano!
Allium cepa
These gorgeous, long-keeping hotties will be the star of many meals! Excellent Italian heirloom variety, flat-heart shaped and rosy pink. Good storage onion with a hint of hot spice. Perfect for northern latitudes. Long day type. 114 days. Brought to you by our friends at the Snake River Seed Cooperative.
They sell heirloom, non-gmo, open-pollinated seeds grown by 29 small, family farmers around the Intermountain West.
On stage this week is Rossa di Milano Onion! We love this beautiful, rosy pink, flat-heart shaped onion for its petite size and its flavor! It’s an Italian heirloom variety which stores well over winter.
For any gardeners who have been stirring with this warm weather, go full steam ahead with starting onion seeds now! You can plant many seeds together in a small pot, then separate the onion sprouts when transplanting outdoors in early April.
These seeds were saved right here in Boise, Idaho by Earthly Delights Farm! You can’t get much more local than that! You can find them on the Snake River Seed Coop website: http://snakeriverseeds.com/product/rossa-di-milano-onion/
Register Now and Get Involved!
9th Annual Soil Health Symposium
Bringing Our Soil Back To Life
Thursday, February 15, 2018
7:30 am to 4:30 pm
Four Rivers Cultural Center
676 SW 5th Ave., Ontario, OR
The 9th Annual Soil Health Symposium is coming up! If you are interested in Soil you will want to attend the 9th year of this incredibly informative symposium, offering useful farming practice information, and to hear what improvements other local producers have added to their routines.
Attend the Soil Health Symposium this winter. Registration and other speaker information can be found at http://www.payetteswcd.org.
Boise Farmers Market is Coming Soon!
02 Friday Feb 2018
The weather outside right now is cloudy and 60 degrees! It’s Springtime in the Rockies. And with Spring, comes the Boise Far,ers Market. Here is the latest news from them.
Even though it’s winter, there is a lot going on in the world of local food and local sustainable farming!
The Babies are Growing Up at True Roots Organics!
Kaimana, the youngest farmer at True Roots Organics, and his side-kick Nala are checking the seedlings to make sure all is well.
These were planted in early January and are already sprouted, but we couldn’t pass up on this darling pic!
With biodynamic innovation and some large black barrels that absorb the heat of the sun, the inside temperature in the green house is 60 degrees plus. Perfect for spring seedlings.
Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled Cress
We can hardly wait to enjoy the fresh produce from the True Roots Organics booth come April!
The Seed of the Week
Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled Cress!
Brought to you by our friends at the Snake River Seed Cooperative.
They sell heirloom, non-gmo, open-pollinated seeds grown by 29 small, family farmers around the Intermountain West.
This variety is not easy to harvest commercially due to its small size, so it is perfect to grow for your home garden! In addition to offering a unique, lovely floral-spice flavor for salads and dishes, it can also be grown as an ornamental plant in your garden! The seed stalks are a beautiful filler in bouquets and can be dried for fall and winter wreaths.
This cress comes from well known plant breeder Frank Morton, located in Philomath, Oregon. Frank Morton has bred many varieties of delicious greens in the Willamette Valley of Western Oregon. We enjoy trialing these greens to see which grow well in our high altitude desert climate. Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled Cress is one of those varieties that have been a success!
tHe FuNkY tAco!
Another BFM Vendor Gets a Storefront!
The Funky Taco is going brick-and-mortar! We’re sure you’ve seen the construction on the corner of 8th & Bannock. That’s Funky Taco’s new location!
Below is a short interview we did with co-owner, Sheri Archambo.
How long has the Funky Taco food truck been around?
We started in April of 2013 in step with the Boise Farmers Market.
What made you decide to create it?
We decided to create the food truck for a number of reasons. One of those being our passion to create interesting and delicious food that is sourced as locally as possible. We thought the food truck would be a great platform for us to develop our concept and provide us with valuable feedback that would allow us to establish a brick and mortar location in the future. Being part of the Boise Farmers market allowed us to develop relationships with local farmers who has provided us with education and product that you can’t get anywhere else.
Funky Taco
Owning our own restaurant is a dream for us, we have taken the time to during this process to assure long term success. There have been numerous tipping points. We’ve had many repeat customers who have encouraged us to build a restaurant so they could enjoy our food more than just Saturday mornings at the Boise Farmers Market or special events around the valley. There have been several locations that were considered for the brick and mortar but nothing felt “right” until 8th and Bannock presented itself. We knew deep in our hearts this was the right decision.
Has the Boise Farmers Market had any role in your success?
Yes, of course! The Boise Farmers Market has allowed us to grow in may different areas of our business. We have developed personal and working relationships with our farmers and other speciality food vendors at the market. We’ve learned a lot from the vendors about farming, food, and our overall business. They’ve been valuable in shaping our concept and our mission as restauranteurs.
In addition, we have also developed a loyal repeat customer base who come back each week bringing their friends and family to share in “the food” and “the experience”. We will continue to develop our existing relationships with the Boise Farmer Market producers and wish to also forge new relationships as well. These relationships have been a big part of our success and we will count on them being a big part of our success in the future.
When will you be open for business?
We are hoping that the restaurant will be open at the end of February. We are thinking our hours will be from 11 – 9 Monday to Wednesday, 11am – 11pm Thursday Saturday, although that’s not final just yet.
What “insider” info can you give us?
The restaurant is going to be an exciting and comfortable place to enjoy creative and nutritious food. We have an elevated stage where we will have live music with a state of the art PA system. With such a great location in downtown we’ve made the space something that we know our customers and the Boise Farmers Market will be proud of.
tHe FuNkY tAco will be opening late February at 801 West Bannock in Downtown Boise. Locally sourced healthy taco-licious grub. We can hardly wait!
Marsala Sauce vs Madeira Sauce
30 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in What's For Dinner?
Just in case you missed this post in 2010.
Two very, very classic sauces!! I told Robin that I have posted and article and recipe from Rudy’s – A Cook’s Paradise about Marsala Sauce. And she said that there is a difference between Madeira Sauce and Marsala Sauce. I know. But the question is: How many others are not aware of the differences? I have the book, The Sauce Bible: Guide to the Saucier’s Craft by David Paul Larousse. If you are into cooking and sauce variations based on the classic sauces, this is the book for you. But for now, look at the basic differences between these two awesome sauces.
Madeira Sauce
(Sauce Madère)
Ingredients:
1 T Butter, unsalted
1 Shallot, Minced
1 c Madeira wine
1½ c Demi-Glaze
2 T Butter, unsalted and cut into ¼ –inch cubes
Directions:
Sauté the shallot in the butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Madeira and simmer until reduced…
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Boise Foodie Guild 