Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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When it comes to feeding a crowd, few things can satisfy like a bubbling creamy casserole. Green Bean Casserole is a retro dish from an era when canned and frozen foods were elevated to symbols of prosperity. The original recipe was developed in 1955 by Dorcas Reilly, who was the Test Kitchen Manager at the Campbell's Soup company, as a way to sell more cans of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. Hugely popular, it has since risen to the ranks of an American classic. For many, the Thanksgiving...
The beauty of autumn is in full colorful display, and the countdown to one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving, has officially begun. A celebration of the season in the form of a lovingly prepared feast, shared with friends and family, is a tradition dear to my heart. The menu served over the years has slowly morphed, the result of trying new recipes and perfecting those passed through the generations. Whether you are hosting the big meal, or you are a guest tasked with bringing a side, having...
Among my most memorable dining experiences is of enjoying a bowl of perfectly sauced handmade pasta paired with a glass of humble house wine. This was a decade ago, at a little pop-up lunch counter tucked inside a tiny gelato shop along the Pike Place Market Hill Climb, those steep stairs that climb from the Seattle waterfront into the heart of the market. Only open for weekday lunch, with a small menu that changed daily written on a chalkboard, this was Il Corvo, a hidden gem that quickly...
Biscuits and Gravy is a dish that can swing wildly from utterly delicious to painfully disappointing. Seemingly on every breakfast and brunch menu across the country, this comforting classic often feels like an afterthought. Lifeless, dry biscuits covered in sad runny gravy can often taste bland and pasty. Run away! Once mastered, this recipe will make you never want to order this southern breakfast staple in a restaurant again. Beautiful flakey biscuits, scrumptious with or without the gravy,...
To say that Texans love their food is an understatement. As a kid, most of my summers were spent visiting my beloved grandparents and extended family in the great Lone Star State. Born and raised on the west coast, these trips never lacked in uniquely Texan culinary discoveries. Whether at a favorite restaurant, a smokey barbeque joint, or sitting around the table at a cousin's house, every family gathering was centered around sharing good food, and lots of it. It was at such an event that I...
Autumn, with its crisp sunny days and frosty nights, such as we have had this past week, is my favorite time of year. Watching the leaves change color, donning cozy sweaters, and tending bubbling pots of soup, are how I celebrate this season. Of all the ingredients used in the fall kitchen, winter squash is probably the most versatile. Sweet or savory, there are countless ways to enjoy the many shapes and colors of the squash family. Here the squash is roasted before being pureed into a silky...
This past summer, with its long dry heatwave, was difficult on several plants in our kitchen garden. I had lost all hope for our row of basil plants in August, as they looked quite sad and limp. Now, after a month of less severe temperatures, the garden has rebounded and we have a giant crop of perfectly fragrant basil, just in time to coincide with the abundance of late season ripe tomatoes that have piled up. Though summer is technically over, the season has been extended in our house with all... Full story
The season for sweaters and comfort food has arrived, and I couldn't be happier. While autumn is my favorite season for many reasons, fall cooking is at the top of that list. Few vegetables are more comforting than the humble and versatile potato. Baked, mashed, roasted, or fried, I am always experimenting with ways to elevate the much-loved starchy tuber. One recipe that I have come back to time and time again, is Julia Child's Gratin Dauphinois. Thinly sliced potatoes scalloped with milk,...
Summer is over and after what felt like forever, our tomatoes have finally ripened. To celebrate, this week ripe tomatoes have made an appearance at every meal, in salads, on sandwiches, tossed in pastas, or simply sprinkled with salt as an afternoon snack. We have bowls of tomatoes set aside to be turned into sauce, jars of which will add some sunshine in the kitchen through winter. When tomatoes are fresh, ripe and in-season, I find it best to pair them with just a few choice ingredients, to...
At the age of twelve, I attempted my first risotto. I stirred and stirred, carefully following the instructions in a copy of Bon Appétit magazine. Slightly panicked that it wasn't looking right, I darted back and forth between staring at the stove and rereading the recipe, until magically I had a sumptuous pot of creamy, savory rice. That stressful half-hour taught me a little bit about culinary science, and a lot about perseverance in the kitchen. Ingredients: 2 pounds acorn or butternut...
When I lived in Seattle, one of my favorite spots for relaxed dining was Le Pichet on First Avenue, just up the hill from Pike Place Market. Watching traffic pass by, while enjoying refined bistro fare, I felt transported to a Parisian sidewalk café. This time of year, as late summer moves into fall, I would anticipate the return of a favorite menu item, their French Onion Soup. With sweet, caramelized onions melded into a rich stock topped with country bread and melted cheese, this comforting...
Last week, we were gifted a bountiful bowl of fresh local peaches. Few summer treats are as special as the first juicy bite of a perfectly ripe peach at peak season. With a family birthday coming up, I wanted to create a special dessert to highlight the beautiful plump stone fruit. This tart combines French sugar crust (pâte sablée) and a pastry cream (crème pâtissière) with a hint of cardamom to create a delicate backdrop for the vibrant fresh fruit. Ingredients: For the crust: 1 ⅓ cups all-pur...
Kohlrabi, with its funny name and alien appearance, is the type of overlooked vegetable that can seem intimidating to most home cooks. Originating from northern Europe, kohlrabi is in the brassica family, related to kale, broccoli, and cabbage. Both the bulbous stem and the sprouting leaves are edible, with a sweet crisp flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. This past week, the first kohlrabi of the season was ready to pick in our garden, a welcomed change from the recent endless bounty of z...
Often, my kitchen inspiration is based on what is ripe and ready for picking in the garden. Our backyard has provided an abundance of tomatillos and chili peppers this week, which instantly had me thinking about Salsa Verde. A versatile sauce that blends the piquant brightness of the tomatillos with cilantro and fresh green chilis, Salsa Verde is wonderful served cold or hot. Here, I have used it as a braising liquid for chicken, which is then finished in the oven with cheese. A satisfying dish...
America has a love affair with cheeseburgers. From fast-food to fine dining, there are different versions of this national favorite in every region. Inspired by the bounty of green chilis ready for picking in my back yard, I found myself craving a burger with flavors of the desert Southwest. Opting for flavorful ground bison spiced with garlic and coriander, I created a green chili "special sauce" to compliment with just the right amount of heat. Creamy pepper jack cheese and smokey bacon were...
Included on my cookbook shelf is a small well-worn paperback copy of Elena's Secrets of Mexican Cooking by Elena Zelayeta. Originally published in 1958, this 1973 edition of the cookbook was a gift to my recently married parents from my father's sister, Vicki. The recipes inside are brief, easy to follow, and clearly designed for a mid-century American audience using mild, often canned, ingredients that were readily available in the grocery stores of the time. As an adult, my interest in the...
Every summer, without fail, I am surprised by how productive the zucchini plants are in our garden. With new zucchini sprouting up every night, there is always an abundance of the striped, green summer bounty in our kitchen. This leads to my annual exploration of creative ways to use this prolific garden ingredient. With options ranging from bread, fritters, pasta, and casseroles, the recipes, thankfully, seem endless. Last week, I looked for zucchini inspiration and found it in southern...
Living in wheat country, I feel a deep connection to the fields of grain that surround me, even though I'm not a farmer myself. The rolling hills give us a colorful reminder of the changing seasons: from vibrant spring green to the golden hues of summer. Watching the combines and grain trucks during the busy harvest season, I am always reminded that our farmers, with the help of modern machinery, are continuing an agricultural tradition started many millennia ago. According to the...
My two favorite things about summer are enjoying home-grown produce and that time of day when the sun sets, and the temperatures finally start to cool down. The back porch is my favorite setting for dining al fresco, where I can watch swallows zip across the yard as the sky erupts into electric golds and pinks. This pasta, full of my favorite summer vegetables, is creamy without being heavy, and perfect for elegant backyard entertaining. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more 1 small...
For a brief moment, my mother worried that I was a future sociopath...at the age of four. The discovery of a notebook full of drawings featuring a giant knife wielding woman in pearls would alarm any parent. Thankfully, before seeking out a pediatric psychologist my mother caught me in front of the TV, doodling while attentively watching the great Julia Child. Before I knew how to write, drawing was my way of documenting the recipes and techniques. Realizing my PBS viewing went beyond Mr....
As a child in Los Angeles, I often spent weekends with my father who lived a block from Echo Park Lake, many years before it became the gentrified hipster neighborhood of today. We would walk around the park people watching, feeding the ducks, while searching for the perfect bench to sit and draw. As a future foodie, these visits to the park were full of gastronomic discoveries. On top of the omnipresent taco trucks parked around the perimeter, there was always an array of food carts to choose f...
Sometimes, after a long night serving $200 dinners (see my article about tasting menus on page 12) I would stop at the Aladdin Gyro-cery, in Seattle's University District, for a cheap late-night meal. Inside, the aroma of heavily spiced chicken shawarma or beef gyros, are instantly enticing, however, the menu item I've ordered the most is the falafel. Crispy on the outside, fragrant and soft inside, stuffed in fluffy pita bread with a zingy tahini sauce, these vegetarian delights always...
Having worked as a server at some of Seattle's best restaurants, I've had the honor of working for some of the finest chefs in the city. The more time you spend with great chefs, the better you become at identifying a chef's culinary signature, especially when it is your job to sell their creations. Beyond mastery of technique and selecting favorite ingredients, a good chef must develop a distinct point of view to help them stand out in a very crowded field. I am quite positive that in a...
In recent years the term farm-to-table has been overused and even parodied. As a server at some high-end farm-to-table restaurants in Seattle, there were some moments I felt as though I was living in an episode of Portlandia. However, at its core, the movement to encourage the consumption of local seasonal foods is one dear to my heart. My culinary journey has led me to seek out relationships with the makers, farmers, and producers of the ingredients I use. The more I have honored the regional...
Admittedly, behind the scenes of a perfectly styled food photo can be a little chaotic. While testing my recipe for Linguine Vongole, featured in the April 29th edition of The Times, I managed to use every single dish (and then some) at the family beach cabin. Thankfully, my aunt was more than happy to wash a few dishes in exchange for taste testing the bivalve feast....
