Bar Crudo

I get really excited when I discover a new restaurant that is creating food that’s truly unique. It’s even better when it’s in a charming space with, with great service. Last night we went out to Bar Crudo. The menu features a large variety of seafood prepared in some classic methods and then some incorporating a fusion of styles and flavors.

We started of with a plate of Kushi and Ninigret oysters with a classic mignonette . That was followed with the crudo sampler platter. Crudo is an Italian style sashimi, or as I like to describe it Italian sushi. My favorite was the Artic Char set on a creamy horseradish sauce and topped with wasabi tobiko. The other stand out was sea scallop on corn puree topped with lobster mushroom. With each of the crudo you got to experience a different flavor and texture of seafood. After the crudo we got two amazing dishes. The San Sebastian was my favorite of the night. This dish was sort of like a Spanish reinvention of a nicoise salad. Arranged beautifully on the plate were roasted red peppers, asparagus tossed in a orange vinaigrette or agramato oil, olives, capers, manchego, a slice of grilled bread and soft boiled egg. All of this was the base for an incredibly succulent piece of tuna confit. This dish incited a fork fight for every last morsel. This dish was the perfect example of being sophisticated without being fussy. We finished off the meal with a bowl of seafood chowder. I can only describe the chowder as pure perfection.

Bar Crudo is everything I love in a great restaurant, inventive, sophisticated, unpretentious and charming.

Bar Crudo

603 Bush st.

San Francisco, CA 94018

415 956 0396

That Cowgirl Cheamery is a very fine cheese

This morning I met up with my foodie friend Kent from Portland. He just happened to be in San Francisco on the same weekend. We thought it would be fun to go check out the Ferry building farmers market. It was a great combination of produce stands that set up each morning and permanent food stalls selling cheeses, bread, olive oils and such. One of my favorite cheese producers had a large stall. I love the smell of a cheese shop. They smell kind of gross and seductive all at the same time.

You can order their cheeses online. So next time you're having a party order some up.

Tartine Bakery and Cafe

I'm in San Francisco this weekend for a much needed vacation. My friend Jeff has been gracious enough to let me crash at his apartment on Balboa overlooking the bay. I’m only here for a couple of days so I really want to take advantage of my time and hit as many restaurants and bakeries as I can. I have a feeling this weekend is going to be like my last trip to New York; 5 restaurants in 15 hours. Don’t worry I’m a pro…

Going in I had really high expectations. We’re lucky enough in Portland to have some incredible bakeries so I was ready to compare Tartine with Kens and The Pearl. I’m here to say that Tartine is magic. Getting there was a little tricky. It’s located near 16^th and Mission, which is where I got off the BART. That is a stop I would recommend avoiding. I’m down with methadone clinics, but even I was scared for a minute. Anywho… One block over and the neighborhood is charming. If you’re from Portland, just think Hawthorn Blvd.

Lets get down to business. Tartine is amazing! I got there around 11am and the line stretched out the door. That is a good sign. Inside it felt very comfortable and the place was running like a well oiled machine. The display case was beautiful and I had a hard time narrowing it down. I decided on two very different items. The first was the Croque Monsieur, which I thought would be a great way to compare it with other bakeries or bistros. The second item I got was the Coconut Cream Tart. This item was suggested to me by a member of Portlandfood.org. Oh, and not to be ignored was a perfectly prepared latte, which was served in what I might describe as a cereal bowl. It worked…

The Croque Monsieur was great. They use a tender country bread layered with béchamel, gruyere, thyme, Niman ranch ham and seasonal vegetables. This dish is so popular at Tartine that they make entire sheet pans filled with them and they are devoured within minutes.

Now for the Coconut Cream Tart. All I can say is that it was one of the loveliest things I have every eaten. .!. This crust was impossibly crispy and flakey. The crust was then coated with a thin layer of chocolate which gave it a crunch like a dipped cone from dairy queen. It also served as a protective barrier to keep the coconut cream from turning the pasty soft. I think there was some caramel in there as well, but it’s not part of the official description of the tart. It was topped with whipped cream and large shavings of toasted coconut. This tart is what it’s all about. They took something great and made it lovely and ephemeral.

If I’m lucky I will make it back a couple more times this weekend. If not I’ll be taking a hard look at the cookbook and replicating some the dishes myself.

Gifts from Friends

Our good friends John and Dennis gave us a beautiful King Bolete mushroom that they foraged up at Mt. Hood. The King Bolete is like a giant porcini mushroom. Giant! Peter and I were so excited we couldn’t wait to make something with the giant mushroom. We were up at our friend Terri’s cabin this weekend, and being up in the forest inspired us to make Papardelle pasta with mush King Bolete mushrooms sauce. Thanks to the great gifts from our friends, we and a really incredible dinner up at the mountain. We were really fortunate to have the King Bolete mushroom, but you could make this same dish with store bought porcini mushrooms.

We didn’t have our food processor with us so we rolled up our sleeves and made the pasta by hand. Fresh handmade pasta is so incredible that I really want to encourage you to try it for yourself. It’s just as fast as using hard pasta and its so much better. My first time wasn’t perfect, but after making it a couple of times with Peter I really got the hang for it and now I’m never going back. I know that everyone isn’t as fortunate as I am to have Peter as an in house kitchen coach, but I’m telling you pasta is pretty easy and learning how is well worth it.

Basic Pasta Recipe

3 ½ C flour
4 eggs
1 ½ T olive oil

Mushroom Sauce
2oz dried wild mushrooms
1 C hot water
¼ lb cut into lardoons
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 shallot, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
½ C red wine
1 C reserved mushroom water
1 ½ C chicken or beef broth
1 C heavy cream

½ C parmesan cheese, grated

Make a well with the flour, crack the four eggs into the center and add the olive oil.

Using a fork slowly pull the flour in from the sides of the bowl and mix it with the eggs. Once it starts to come together start kneading it. Here is were you want to inlist a dinner guest. You need to knead the the dry dough for about ten minutes untill it becomes a seemless single ball that is soft and pliable.
After kneading it wrap it in some plastic wrap and let it rest while you get everything else ready.

We ran the pasta through the pasta machine to the thinnest setting. I cut the sheets into 12" sections, rolled them up and then cut the rolls into 1/2" noodles. Use a little corn meal or flour to keep the noodles from sticking. At this point we started the water and salted it well.

In a large saute pan you are going to start the mushroom sauce.

Peter will fill this section tomorrow.

mmmmm.

Sunday Dinner Spectacular

Well I’m off for a soul crushing week in Las Vegas. I have a trade show to go to. The trade show doesn’t really bother me, it’s the week of club sandwiches and buffalo wings that I hate. So Peter and I decided we needed a extra special Sunday night dinner. Tonight we’re having grilled leg of lamb, roast beets with orange and fennel, grill radicchio treviso with apple cider vinaigrette, fingerling potatoes roasted in duck fat and pear hazelnut upside down cake. I think this meal just might just hold me over till next weekend.

Duck Fried Potatoes

Duck fried potatoes are just mind blowing. If you go to a good butcher or deli they should have duck fat available. They might not advertise it so just ask. You just need a little bit so it’s really quite cheap and it can take a dish to a whole new level.

¼C duck fat
4 cloves garlic
1 medium yellow onion sliced
2 lbs fingerling potatoes

heat the duck fat on high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, garlic and potatoes; spread into one layer. Sauté 5- 10 minutes until they start to caramelize. You’ll be tempted to stir them, but don’t. Don’t fuss with them, just let them be. Walk away. After 5-10 minutes they’ll begin to caramelize. Add 2 cups beef stock. Cover the skillet and leave the lid askew so the liquid can evaporate. Leave on medium high heat until the liquid evaporates. You will start to hear the potatoes start to fry again. Continue fry until a deep dark caramelized crust forms. Finish with sea salt , pepper, parmesano reggiano, and minced Italian parsley. Quack..That’s Duck for mmmmm.
When it came time for dessert someone asked for more potatoes instead of ice cream …

Roasted beats with orange and fennel

5 large beets
2 oranges
1 small fennel bulb
1T kosher salt

dressing
1 shallot diced
1 T Dijon mustard
4 T red wine vinegar
3 T orange agrimato you can substitute olive oil
salt
pepper

shaved parmesan for garnish.
Preheat oven to 400. In a baking dish dowse the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and roast for 1 and ½ hours until tender. Once they have cooled, rub the skins off and cut them into bite size pieces. Segment the oranges. Thinly slice the fennel. Season with salt. Dress with the vinaigrette and garnish with parmesan.

While I’m in Las Vegas I’m going to go searching for some amazing pastries. Las Vegas has become a Pastry Mecca in the US. The combination of lots of hotels and low humidity makes it a great place for pastry chefs. I’ll let you know what I find.

Farms Market Update Sept. 15th

This week there was a chill in the air as I headed to the market. It’s the first hint of fall. I’ve been thinking about making a pear upside down cake all week. Well I lucked out this week because I found the first Bartlett pears of the season. So I’m off to the kitchen to whip up some magic.

Pear Hazelnut upside down cake

This cake has a great savory taste and a delicate crumb. This cake combines all of my favorite flavors into a truly satisfying dessert. The nice thing about this cake is that is perfect for after dinner, the next morning for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but I wouldn’t count on it lasting that long.

¾ C unsalted butter
2 bartlett pear, cored and cut into ¼” slices
1 ¼ C sugar
1 C hazelnuts, toasted and chopped.
1T thyme
1/3 C bourbon
½ C brown sugar
3 eggs
1T vanilla
11/2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 C flour
3/4C plain yogurt


Preheat oven to 350.
In a buttered 9” cake pan arrange the pear slices in a pattern and set aside.

In a 10” pan (no non stick) bring the1 cup sugar and ½ cup water to a boil. Lower the temperature to simmer and let it boil away until it turns to a nice caramel golden color. Stir in half of the nuts, thyme and salt. With the pan off the heat stir in the bourbon. Pour over the pears.
Cream the butter, brown sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour and the yogurt. Stir in the remaining hazelnuts. Spoon the thick batter over the pears and bake for 45 minutes. When it’s done let it rest for a couple of minutes and flip it onto a cake platter.

Tell us what you think

We don't even know who is reading this blog. We're just getting started, so feel free to let us know what you think in the comments. Have you tried a recipe and found something better? Are we full of crap? Was it good? A comment from a reader helped us settle the crisp, betty, buckle conundrum, who knows what else can be done...let us know!

Chiles Rellenos are a Gift from the Goddess

Sunday dinner this week featured some of our precious tomatoes. I took some of the fresh tomato sauce and dressed it up with sauteed onions, garlic, and serrano chilies given to Keith from his brother-in-law Bruce. I added some Mexican dried oregano, cumin and cayenne, and voila! Mexican tomato sauce. It was great with chiles rellenos.

8 pasilla (or anaheim) chiles
2 lbs. shredded cheese, your choice
10 eggs
lots of canola oil for frying

First, you need to roast and peel the chiles. Scorch them on a gas flame, or broil 2" from element, turning until all sides are blackened.


Remove pan from oven, cover with a towel, parchment, or foil and allow to steam for at least 10 minutes.


Once the chilies have cooled, peel them very carefully, making sure to leave the stem intact. I found that not picking them up helps to achieve this. After peeling, carefully cut a small slit in one side and scrape out the seeds. If there's a couple seeds left in there, no worries. Don't dig to get them all out. You want the chile to keep its integrity, since you will be stuffing it and frying it.


Stuff each chili with the cheese, as full as you can make it with out it losing its shape. If the chile has broken, grasp the whole thing and squeeze together to make a seal. Set aside.

To prepare the batter, separate eggs and whip the whites to soft peaks. Whisk the yolks in a separate bowl until they begin to thicken. Fold the whites in until incorporated. Keep in refrigerator until it's time to fry.

Heat oil in a large pan to 350-375 degrees. I used a large electric skillet to help regulate the temperature. In batches, dip stuffed chiles in batter until coated. The coating should be about 1/4" thick. Fry until golden brown, turning as necessary. Remove to a pan lined in paper bags or paper towels, and keep in low oven (180 degrees) until all are done. Ladle tomato sauce onto a plate or platter, and lay chile rellenos on top, garnishing with more cheese, minced red onion, scallions, cilantro, or whatever suits your fancy. Make a lot, because they go fast!

Fresh Tomato Sauce

I always plant Roma tomatoes in the garden, because they are so versatile. They also have a high yield, so they lend themselves to making sauce. I picked about ten pounds of tomatoes out of the garden yesterday, and it's impossible even for piggies like us to eat all of them before they go bad. Last year, I peeled them and froze them, and I just threw them out because I never used them. This year, it's all about fresh tomato sauce.

To make the sauce, you need to peel the tomatoes. In French technical terms this is called concasse (kon ka say). To start, remove the stems, wash, and cut an X on the bottom of the tomatoes.


Put tomatoes in rapidly boiling water in batches for 1 minute.


Remove to an ice bath to cool and shrink the skins.


Then, the skins come right off.


Once you have done this, you can simply can them, or chop them and put in pasta or in a salad. In this case, I pureed them in a food processor, pressed them through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and simmered the sauce in a heavy bottomed dutch oven for 3 hours until it had reduced by 2/3. The resulting tomato sauce bursts with fresh tomato taste. Tonight we'll be using this sauce as a base for chile rellenos. Stay tuned!

Cherry Tomato Confit

So now that we have tomatoes coming out of our ears, it's time to start doing something with them. This year, we have three heirloom tomatoes for slicing and eating: green zebra, West Virginia hillbilly, and German yellow. Two roma plants are going to provide great tomatoes for sauce and a gargantuan Sweet 100 cherry tomato plant has yielded about three gallons of cherry tomatoes so far. Once we have eaten all the cherry tomatoes we can handle, the next step is to preserve the cherry tomatoes, since they go rotten pretty fast.


I prefer to roast them in the oven in about 1/4" of olive oil to "confit" them. Arrange washed cherry tomatoes on a sheet pan, generously season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over some fresh herbs (I used thyme and oregano from the garden), and pour over olive oil until you have about 1/4" in the pan. The tomatoes and herbs will also flavor the oil, which you can use for cooking. Roast in a 300 degree oven until they are starting to carmelize, 2-3 hours.

These will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. Use them on everything: toast, in pasta, a spoonful on your mouth, anything! When we were sailing, we grilled some shrimp in the shell until they were rare, peeled them, then finished sauteeing them in a pan with these tomatoes and oil, and they were to die for!

Easy Shredded Pork for Tacos

So, we've talked up achiote as a magic spice mixture (see pulled pork from last May). When we bought the achiote for cinco de mayo, Keith also picked up some green achiote, which is made from pumpkin seeds instead of the bright red annato seeds in the red achiote. I used it to make some slow-cooked shredded pork in the crock pot. The result was magical. Achiote can be picked up at your local Mexican market, and comes in a small brick.

5 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 2" pieces
canola oil
1 package green achiote
1 c. water

Heat oil on hight heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add pork in batches, taking care not to crowd pan, and saute until well-browned. Remove pork to crock pot. Add water and achiote to pan, deglaze, and stir until achiote is dissolved. Pour liquid over pork, stir, and cook on low heat 6-8 hours. Stir pork to shred, allowing the shredded pork to absorb excess liquid. Serve on tacos with your favorite garnish.

Bountiful Harvest!

This is the third round of tomatoes from the garden, and they are just getting started. This is my favorite food item of the summer!

Potato Salad

Forget mayonnaise-laden, boiled egg, celery and crappy paprika-dusted potato salad. Sure it has its place, but this version is bright, simple, and tangy. Tarragon takes center stage to give this potato salad a perfumy fragrance. The liberal use of vinegar makes it tangy. I used to make this potato salad at the Gotham Building Coffee Shop, so props to them for such a versatile salad that goes with anything!

2 lbs. new potatoes
1 cup pickled red onions (see below)
1/2 to 3/4 c. sherry vinaigrette (see earlier post)
red wine vinegar
several sprigs picked tarragon leaves

Halve or quarter potatoes to make 3/4" bite-size pieces. Cover with cold water by one inch, add a generous 1/4 cup of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let sit until potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes. Arrange on a sheet pan, and while potatoes are still hot, sprinkle over red wine vinegar until they have absorbed plenty of vinegar. Pour vinaigrette, onions, and tarragon over potatoes and mix together.

For pickled red onions:
1 large or 2 small red onions
1/4 c. sugar
2 T kosher salt
1 cup water
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. pickling spice

Cut onions in half and slice thin, less than 1/8". Reserve in a large bowl. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, salt, water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and pour over onions. Put pickling spices, in a tea strainer, in mixture and let sit at least 30 minutes. Use to top sandwiches, salads, or anything else that needs it!

Chilaquiles (chee la kee lays)

If you have some leftover salsa and tortilla chips, this is the best breakfast. The chips soften slightly in the eggs and topped with some sour cream and scallions, it comes close to perfection. They are very filling, so a little goes a long way.

leftover salsa
leftover tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
olive oil

for garnish:
sliced scallions
diced red onion
sour cream
cilantro
hot sauce

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet until quite hot and smoking. Add several large handfuls of chips and toss to coat. Push the chips to the edge to reveal a small hole in the middle of the pan. Add the eggs, and stir to scramble until about halfway done. Begin mixing and tossing into the chips, coating and softening some of them. When the eggs are just cooked, toss in some cheese and pile onto plates. Garnish with more cheese, scallions, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and hot sauce. Serves two.

The Portland Public Market

There is a great need in Portland for a year round indoor public market. We are so blessed to have beautiful fresh produce, artisan bakeries and incredible restaurants in Portland, but one thing that is missing is a permanent public market to showcase our wonderful bounty. Right now there is a movement to bring a market to the Union Station downtown. This is the time that it really needs support in order to get off the ground. I would encourage all of you to check out their website and go to their upcoming events.