Bánh Mì Canapés with Cinnamon Pâté
Toasted Baguette, Chili Aïoli
Pickled Daikon, Carrot & Cucumber
Sliced Jalapeño, Cilantro Garnish

“There’s no reason to be intimidated by the idea of making pâté.
You can just think of it as meat loaf.”
Julia Child

Our sage advice: Don’t wait for your next French or Vietnamese event to serve these canapés. In fact, they would most definitely be a hit at any gathering, perhaps even at your Superbowl Party?

Not only were we crazy about them as an appetizer on New Year’s Eve, we also thoroughly enjoyed them the next day at our New Year’s Day Brunch.

For our fabulous NYE French-Vietnamese Repas du Soir, we passed Bánh Mì Canapés and drank Champagne while we prepared the next five courses for dinner.

Banh Mi Canapés were the perfect introduction to our meal – a blend of French and Vietnamese cuisines. We took the wildly popular Vietnamese Baguette Sandwich and transformed it into a colorful, spicy, exotic canapé.

Cinnamon Pâté Recipe

• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1/4 lb. lean ground pork
• 2 T. fish sauce
• 2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. corn starch
• fresh ground pepper, a generous grinding

In a large bowl combine fish sauce, cinnamon, brown sugar, corn starch, and black pepper. Add ground beef and mix well. Fit beef mixture into a small loaf pan.

Take the ground pork and tuck it in along the middle of the beef mixture. This technique will give the pâté its jazzy two tone coloring. Compact and shape the meat into a smooth loaf, pressing down on the edges to form a slight dome shape. Bake uncovered at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, let come to room temperature before slicing.

While the pâté is cooking, thinly slice seedless cucumber and daikon. Use a vegetable peeler to slice thin strips of carrot. Place all three vegetables separately in a pickling liquid. They will be slightly crisp and perfectly pickled in less than an hour.

Mix Vietnamese chili garlic sauce with mayonnaise and extra minced garlic. Spread sauce on sliced toasted baguette. Top each slice of bread with pâté and pickled vegetables. Garnish with sliced jalapeño and cilantro.

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• 

The Ultimate Vegetable Stir-Fry Tower
Pea Sprouts, Shiitake, Soybean Sprouts, Pickled Japanese Cucumber & Red Jalapeño
Chinese Chives, Tofu, Ginger, Cilantro
Over an Organic Short Grain Rice Timbale
With Three Psychedelic Sauces: Cilantro Juice, Chile Oil, Miso Sauce

JANUARY

Truffle Heaven Crostini

Fresh French Black Winter Truffle, Italian Truffle Cheese, Truffle Oil
with Shiitake and Frisée

FEBRUARY

cholesterol-free eggs benedict:

heart-healthy hollandaise
olive oil tarragon garlic poached tomato “egg yolk”
meatless canadian bacon
rustic whole grain toast with herb oil

MARCH

Lacquered Brisket of Beef

Anise Ginger Garlic Tamari Glaze
Served with Pickled Fennel

APRIL

Chicken Soup with Saffron Matzoh Balls

Beyond the beautiful rich color, these matzoh balls taste exotic, mysterious.
Do I dare serve these at Passover?

MAY

Gourmet Picnic

Spicy Cold Soba Noodles with Peanut, Scallion, and Cilantro
Radish, Tofu, Shiitake, Carrot, Cucumber, Edamame, Shrimp

JUNE

Hello Summer!
A Meal with Edible Flowers in Every Course

Baby Lettuce and Mache Salad with Meyer Lemon Wheels, Slivered Pistachios, Violas
Meyer Lemon Cream Dressing, Shallot, Thyme

JULY

8-layer farmers’ market fantasy

curried fresh carrot juice sauce with blanched okra & mitsuba
grilled green & yellow patty pan squash
sautéed spinach with sesame, garlic, soy sauce
crispy polenta cake
fire-roasted anaheim chile
fresh goat cheese & asatsuki
cumin dusted grilled beet
spicy smoky heirloom tomato & thai basil
roasted japanese eggplant, maldon smoked sea salt flakes

AUGUST

Wood-Fired Pizza & Pink Wine POOL PARTY

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.
When the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore.

SEPTEMBER

Grilled Baja Fish Torta

Grilled Fresh Swordfish with Grilled Nopalitos, Pineapple, and Avocado
Caper Cumin Aioli, Pickled Jalapeño, Cilantro
On a Bolillo (Crusty Mexican Oval-Shaped Roll)

OCTOBER

An autumn affair! Oh, I am in love. He is fresh, sensuous, healthy, and playful.
He is simultaneously familiar and exotic; simple and complex.
His diverse tastes always reflect the season. And he is absolutely gorgeous.
He is New Nordic Cuisine. 

NOVEMBER

All GREEN Grilled Zucchini Tacos

Prickly Pear Cactus Tortillas
Butter Lettuce, Avocado, Shredded Green Cabbage, Cilantro, Serrano Chile
Lime Garlic Cilantro Sauce

DECEMBER

♡ heart-healthy olive oil oatmeal walnut cranberry blueberry raisin cookies ♡

Best Wishes for a Creative & Inspiring 2012!
Your friend, Lori Lynn

P.S. Feel free to share links to your favorite dishes of 2011.

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• 

Best friends, great memories, stellar food – that’s how we celebrate the New Year! The old gang is together again, this time we take A Trip To Little Saigon & cook a NYE Repas du Soir together! My old dear friends, dating back to our restaurant days in the 80′s, are visiting for the holidays.

It was Tori’s idea to spend the day in Little Saigon. Eating lunch, laughing, taking photos, getting massages, and shopping. It was her idea that led to the inspiration to cook French/Vietnamese for dinner. We picked up authentic ingredients for our repas du soir and returned to my home in LA in the late afternoon to drink Champagne and create a six-course meal together.

The dinner table was pre-set in a casually elegant Southeast Asian style with orchids, bamboo, and the color red to symbolize wealth and prosperity. We cranked up the holiday music and started cooking; everyone participated in the creation, photography, prep, and execution of the menu. We had a blast!

I had no intention of submitting this outing for the Foodbuzz 24X24 event until I read that the folks over at Foodbuzz were interested to see how Featured Publishers would be spending the last day of 2011. We had terrific culinary/cultural plans that turned out to be a fantastic way to ring in the New Year.

Extending a very special thank you to my friends FA, Al, Kirk, Tori, and Tom for your love & friendship and sense of humor & adventure! Thank you to Foodbuzz for choosing A Trip to Little Saigon & The NYE Repas du Soir as a participant in December’s 24×24 event. Foodbuzz 24×24 showcases posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers, highlighting unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period.

Little Saigon, Orange County, California

There are several Little Saigon’s in the US but none as old or large as the one in Orange County, California.

After a pit stop at Tapioca Express for Bubble Tea, we were ready for our massage. Bubble (or Boba) tea is a unique drink which originated in Taiwan, with gummy balls made of sweet potato, cassava root and brown sugar. The balls settle at the bottom of the hot or cold tea, or smoothie and are slurped up with an over-sized straw. Flavor choices range from fruity  to exotic, sweet, and even sour.

Tapioca Express
9922 Bolsa Ave. Westminster, California
714-839-3655

We all give kudos and thanks to Tori and Tom for arranging our one-hour massage. The rest of us had never experienced this type of massage. It is a fully-clothed full-body massage. We were all in the same room together, a terrific group event. And we were all relaxed, happy, and a bit sore (in a good way) when were were handed our tiny cup of tea at the end. Ready to greet the New Year!

Olala Reflexology
9950 Bolsa Ave. Westminster, California
714-775-8588

 Vietnamese Lunch in Little Saigon

Luc Dinh Ky
9812 Bolsa Ave. Westminster, California
714-839-6813

#24 House Special Meat & Shrimp Soup, Rice Noodle

Theresa, the delightful owner of the Olala Reflexology recommended that we have lunch at Luc Dinh Ky, and gave us her list of top dishes. We took her advice 100% and were pleasantly surprised. Meat & Shrimp Soup with Rice Noodles, Hot Pot Rice with Salmon, House Special Chow Fun, Chinese Vegetable with Beef, Deep Fried Tofu, House Special Fried Rice…

#38 House Special Chow Fun

In addition to the great food, being restaurant alumni, we were also super-impressed with the service. This has got to be the fastest service we have ever had. No sooner that we finished ordering the last dish, the first dish was practically on the table.

We had tea to accompany our meal…Champagne and terrific wines to come later in the evening.

After the Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, a huge wave of Vietnamese refugees settled in the United States with the largest concentration in Westminster, California. Little Saigon evolved when many refugees were airlifted to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, stayed and settled in the area because of the climate and the prospect of reunions with friends. But many lacked American job skills and command of the language, and had few options to make a living. Except, many could cook! And they did. Opening hundreds of successful restaurants in Westminster and Garden Grove since the mid 1970′s.

Shopping in Little Saigon

This three-square-mile area is the home of more than 4000 Vietnamese-American businesses. Huge shopping centers and strip malls offer a range of ethnic boutiques, orchid florists, bakeries, cafés, Phở shops and high-end restaurants, fresh handmade tofu stores, jewelry stores, and large and small food markets, and more.

We, or course, love the supermarkets where the selection of herbs is unparalleled.

Historic Sources:
The Little Saigon Cookbook by Ann Le
Westminster Chamber of Commerce

The New Year’s Eve Repas du Soir

Le Menu

Banh Mi Canapés
Summer Rolls
Spring Rolls
Hot Rock Soup
Black Cod en Papillote
Vol-au-Vent, Coconut Sorbet

There are more than 700 orchid species found in Vietnam. Cymbidiums thrive in cooler areas and some of the Northern provinces.

When it was time to sit down to dinner, Kirk lit a fire in the fireplace and moved the huge cymbidium orchids to the coffee table.

Course #1 Appetizer
Banh Mi Canapés

Banh Mi Canapés were the perfect introduction to our meal – blend of French and Vietnamese cuisines. The French introduced the baguette during colonization. Here we take the popular Banh Mi sandwich and serve it as a canapé.

Cinnamon Meatloaf

The beef and pork meatloaf is flavored with fish sauce, cinnamon, sugar and black pepper.

Al spread chili aioli on toasted baguette then topped it with a couple slices of super-thinly sliced cinnamon meatloaf.

Banh Mi Canapés

Pickled daikon/cucumber/carrot, fresh jalapeño, and cilantro are placed atop the meatloaf. This canapé was fabulous – colorful, spicy, exotic. UPDATE: Full recipe now posted here.

Course #2 Salad
Summer Rolls

For our fresh salad-y course we all make our own summer rolls in the family room. We’ve set out all the ingredients, and six plates with (a non-traditional) soy dipping sauce made with soy sauce, chili oil, sesame oil, seasoned rice wine vinegar. I’m fortunate to have 2 large dining tables. The one in the family room was used to prep this meal and is where we composed the summer and spring rolls.

• Spring Roll Wrappers/Water to Soften/ Clean Dish Towels
• Red Leaf Lettuce
• Cellophane Noodles
• Shopped Peanuts
• Julienne Carrot, Cucumber, & Scallion
• Mung Bean Sprouts
• Cilantro, Mint, Rau Que (basil), Rau Ram (Vietnamese coriander)

Summer Rolls, Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

Course #3 “Fried” Salad
Spring Rolls

The next course is spring rolls which we deep-fried in the little fryer out on the patio. The ingredients are similar to the summer rolls but we add the main ingredient, a pork-shrimp mixture. Cooked minced pork/shrimp is seasoned with the ginger/garlic/chili coconut sauce (recipe follows).

Everyone created their rolls then took them outside on the patio to fry.

Spring Rolls, Rau Ram, Nuoc Cham

The traditional Nuoc Cham sauce was served with the spring rolls. Combine 1/2 c. warm water with 2 T. sugar, 1 minced garlic clove, 3 T. fish sauce and 2 T. fresh lime juice. The fried roll is then nestled in a large lettuce leaf with fresh herbs – mint, cilantro, rau que, and rau ram and dipped in nuoc cham.

Course #4 Soup
Hot Rock Soup with Rib-Eye, Aromatic Broth

I had been wanting to make a variation of Hot Rock soup for months. I sent the river rocks through the dishwasher several times just to be safe! Our idea was to combine an aromatic lemongrass-ginger chicken stock with light vegetables, and a small piece of prime thin-sliced rib-eye cooked on a hot rock in the middle of the bowl of soup.

Heat rocks in a 400° oven. Drape a piece of rib-eye over each rock. Place rock in a heat-proof soup bowl and scatter with vegetables such as mushrooms, julienne carrots and zucchini.

Ladle broth around the rock.

Hot Rock Soup: Rib-eye, Lemongrass-Ginger Broth

The beef is cooking on the rock, and the rock is keeping the soup hot. By the time the soup bowls hit the table the beef is perfectly cooked. Garnish with fresh herbs. This soup made a light and whimsical course.

Course #5 Fish
Black Cod in Papillote, Ginger Garlic Chile Coconut Sauce, Fresh Herbs

We made the ginger/garlic/chili coconut sauce to top the fish and also as a seasoning for the spring rolls pork/shrimp mixture. Combine minced ginger, garlic, and green chili in a mortar, grind with pestle. Add fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Use the pestle again to grind all the ingredients together into a rough paste. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in coconut milk.

Cut parchment paper into large hearts. Place fresh herbs, such as cilantro, mint, rau ram, and rau que, in the center of each half heart. Top with a 6 oz. fresh black cod fillet. Place a couple tablespoons of the coconut sauce over the fish. Dust with a pinch of ground star anise.

Bake at 400°F on baking sheets until cooked through. I didn’t realize it until I saw this photo, but the fish course was ready to serve exactly at 11:00 PM, perfect timing for our NYE celebration!!

Black Cod en Papillote - Ginger, Garlic, Chile, Coconut Sauce

Serve the Cod en Papillote with steamed white rice and fresh herbs.

Course #6 Dessert
Vol-Au-Vent with Coconut Sorbet, Fresh Fruit, Chiffonade of Shiso

Cut puff pastry into rounds with cookie-cutter. Use a smaller cutter to cut half-way through the pastry to make a hat. Bake until golden brown.

Vol-Au-Vent, Coconut Sorbet, Fruit, Shiso

Fill pastry shell with coconut sorbet. Serve with assorted colorful fruits and a chiffonade of shiso.

Happy New Year! Bonne année et bonne santé! Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới 

New Year’s Day Fabulous Leftovers Brunch

Le Menu

Krug Grande Cuvée Champagne
Banh Mi Canapés (again, yay)
Fresh Fruit (leftover from dessert course)
Panini (bacon, saint andré, cambozola)
Fried Rice (made with leftover rice, rib-eye, and mushrooms)

Krug Grande Cuvée – intense and complex. This is the Champagne to drink with brunch on New Year’s Day! Golden in color with a creamy texture, slightly fruity, with flavors and aromas of hazelnuts and toast.

“Happy New Year to you, our dear friends, who manage to remain so close to our hearts over the space of time, distance and life changes.”

“Thank you for a wonderful visit, as always. You have comfy accommodations and the best of everything!”

“So, in this new year we send you our love and thanks for your long and valued friendship, and our hopes that your new year brings all of what you wish for and nothing unwanted.”

“Thanks again for your warm hospitality!”

“Thanks for sharing your lovely, warm and beautiful home with us. What fun it was to spend time cooking, eating, and sharing with such wonderful life-long friends.  Your gracious hospitality made it a very special time and the memories and pictures will continue to warm my heart and soul for a long time. Happy New Year!”

 Thank you!
Wishing you all a Delicious and Dazzling 2012!

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Holiday Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Spiced Sweet Potatoes are a seasonal favorite here. Rich with cream and warm spices, it’s a perfect winter holiday dish. And with its ease of preparation, its a great dish to assign to a guest who generously offers, “Can I help you in the kitchen?”

This year my thanks go to Wendy for her flawless execution of the sweet potato recipe. Merci Wendy!

Holiday Spiced Sweet Potato Recipe

• approx. 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
• brown sugar
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• fresh grated nutmeg
• pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, lemon peel, nutmeg, clove, cardamom)
• whipping cream

Butter a baking dish. Form a layer of overlapping sweet potato medallions. Sprinkle the top of each layer with brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice. Repeat layers to fill the dish, leaving an inch at the top so it doesn’t bubble over while cooking.

Pour cream over the sweet potatoes until about half way up the side of the baking dish. Bake covered at 350° until the potatoes are al dente, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue cooking until the potatoes are soft and the top is browned.

May your days be merry and bright…
Merry Christmas!

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• 

Is stuffing the overwhelming favorite Thanksgiving dish? According to the Foodbuzz Poll it is. I had no intention of posting my unfancy traditional stuffing recipe until I saw the poll results tweeted yesterday. If stuffing is indeed the jewel of the holiday buffet, we certainly can’t keep “The Stuffing Everyone Loves” recipe to ourselves…

What makes this stuffing different than the ubiquitous mushroom sage stuffing served on dinner tables all over the country at this time of year? Not much, and that is the beauty of it. It’s just like mom’s, only better. And everyone loves it. Ciabatta, lots of fresh parsley and butter-fried sage, fresh-made rich flavored giblet stock, a higher vegetable to bread ratio, lots of crispy crust, plenty of butter, no “surprise” ingredients – it simply exceeds expectations.

The Poll Results

The Stuffing Everyone Loves Recipe

Remove the crust from two large loaves of ciabatta bread. Cut the bread into cubes about 3/4″ to 1″ thick. Place the cubes on a baking sheet and allow to dry out overnight, or place in a 200° oven until dried. Removing the moisture allows the bread to better soak up the flavorful stock.

Sauté onion, celery, leek, and mushroom separately in butter until soft, season with salt and pepper.

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 large celery ribs, sliced
• 2 medium leeks, sliced
• 6 c. fresh button mushrooms, sliced

There should be almost as much vegetable mixture as bread. Let vegetables cool, then combine gently. This can be made a day ahead, then refrigerated.

Giblet stock: Rinse and dry the turkey neck and giblets. In a stock pot, brown the giblets and neck in a small amount of olive oil. Add 6 cups of purified water along with a chopped onion, celery rib, carrot, a couple bay leaves and a few whole black peppercorns. Simmer for two to three hours. Strain through a sieve and remove the fat.

Place 2 c. of the stock and one stick of unsalted butter in a microwavable pitcher. Microwave to melt the butter. Toss bread cubes with vegetable mixture. Pour stock/butter over the stuffing. Toss to moisten all the bread. Add more stock if necessary.

Fry a bunch of fresh sage leaves in butter until lightly crisp. Remove to a paper towel. When cooled, crumble by hand. Chop a bunch of fresh Italian parsley.  Add parley, sage, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to the stuffing. Toss again then pack loosely in a buttered baking dish. Although I am tempted to use one of my pretty casserole dishes, this is best baked  in a large shallow pyrex dish (for a higher ratio of crispy crust). Bake uncovered 30-45 minutes at 350° until the top is browned and crispy. And keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

Mom approves, along with everyone else.

Holiday Seating  for 20

Living Room: Before the Feast

I always like before and after pictures. And peeking into my virtual friends’ homes. So as long as we’re sharing The Stuffing Everyone Loves, I thought you might enjoy a mini tour of our holiday tables. I’d like to extend a very special Thank You to my precious sister-in-law for overseeing the holiday table setting every year. It’s no small feat arranging the furniture so everyone fits comfortably. And her flair for decorating, design, and color make such a warm welcoming festive room. Thanks, Kristy!

Table #1: Aunt & Nephew Table

Aunt Wendy, Aunt Gee Gee (me), Stone, and Jett

I’d also like to thank Stone for inscribing the place-cards in his fine cursive handwriting.

Table #2 for 8

Chip, Pat, Michael, Mary, Steve, Darlene, Tori, and Tom

Table #3 for 8

Joyce (Nana), Judi (Grandma), Don, Kristy, Bill, Troy, Al, and Sally

Living Room: After the Holiday

The week after Thanksgiving is always bittersweet: memories of a magical week spent with family and friends mix with a bit of sadness that we won’t be seeing each other for a while. I hope your home is all put back to normal and you are left with wonderful holiday memories too…

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After a decade of sharing our Thanksgiving gratitude on place-cards, we have a spiffy new ambassador for sharing our thankfulness! It’s a Gratitude Tree. In the past, we would put a place-card and pen on the table at every setting. During the beginning of the meal everyone was encouraged to write their sentiments on the card. We saved these cards year after year so each guest could reflect on past years’ appreciation.

This year everyone gets a personalized paper leaf on which they can express their gratitude. Then after dinner, the leaves are hung on the tree. Guests can read and share tributes throughout the week. We’ll save the leaves, which will re-appear on the tree in years to come…as our tree blooms with an abundance of joy, thankfulness, and gratefulness.

“I am especially thankful for love…because I love my family and friends and Aunts.”
Jett, age 7

(Thanks Jett, that makes me, your Aunt Gee Gee, especially happy.)

“I am thankful for food, air, family, love, video games, electronics, friends, and the arts.”
Troy, age 11

“Yo le doy gracias a Dios por todo bueno que me dio este año – nietos, trabajo, salud, y mucho cariño de todas personas que me rodear.”

“I give thanks to all of our troops for protecting us.”

“I am grateful for my life, my health, my food, my wine.”

“I am thankful for my beautiful family.”

“I am grateful for so many things but today I am thankful to spend Thanksgiving with my dear friend in her warm home with her lovely family and friends.”

“We are Blessed.”

 ”I am thankful that all of us can be here tonight.”
Stone, age 9

The Holiday Appetizers

I’m sure my fellow cooks would agree that it’s quite a feat getting Thanksgiving dinner on the table – with hot dishes hot, and cold dishes cold! So the appetizers need to be uncomplicated, while still unique and festive. Their preparation cannot utilize the oven while the bird and side dishes are cooking. Assorted crostini make a fabulous holiday appetizer. They are easy to prepare, very popular, and not too filling.

I enlist my Brother Bill’s help to lightly brush a couple loaves of thinly sliced ciabatta with olive oil and take it outside to grill.

Three Crostini Recipes

Truffle Mousse Pâté with Raspberry Jam, Fresh Raspberry, Fleur de Sel
Apple and Onion Confit with Thyme, Cana de Cabra
Suprême with Fig Jam

Truffle Mousse Pâté with Raspberry Jam, Fresh Raspberry, Fleur de Sel

Made with turkey and chicken liver, sherry, truffles, wild mushrooms and spices, the store-bought truffle mouse pâté is rich, creamy, and perfect for the holidays. Spread pâté on crostini and sprinkle with a few grains of fleur de sel. Top with a small dollop of raspberry jam and one fresh raspberry.

Apple and Onion Confit with Thyme, Cana de Cabra

Sliced onion and apple, with salt and pepper are sautéed in a half butter/half olive oil until softened. Apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and fresh thyme are added and the confit is cooked over low heat until the apple and onion are very soft. This highly-recommended recipe from Giada De Laurentiis can be found here.

The confit is prepared the day before, and simply heated before serving. Spread Cana de Cabra or your favorite goat cheese on the crostini and top with the warm confit.

Suprême with Fig Jam

A warm grilled slice of ciabatta is topped Suprême and fig jam. That’s it. Simple and simply delicious. Suprême is an irresistible soft-ripened white rind, French cow’s milk cheese that is enriched with crème fraîche. It pairs wonderfully with that slight char on the bread and a high quality fig jam.

Prosciutto & Burrata, Minted Peas

This colorful appetizer is also easy to assemble. Frozen peas are microwaved then drained and let come to room-temperature. They are dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, Parmesan and fresh chopped mint. Super-thin prosciutto slices are placed in little mounds on a serving platter then topped with a slice of burrata. Minted peas are generously scatted over the top. The dish is finished with freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with small appetizer plates and forks. This recipe originally by Nancy Silverton is adapted from the Harvest to Heat cookbook.

BBQ Oysters, Sriracha Butter

The BBQ grill is a Thanksgiving cook’s best helper. My dear friends, Chip and Tori, both oyster-shuckers extraordinaire, grill 3 dozen Hope Ranch Santa Barbara oysters for the guests. Everyone huddles outside around the grill (and out of the kitchen) for a hot spicy oyster, our annual traditional Thanksgiving appetizer.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan and add a generous squirt of sriracha hot sauce. Whisk briskly to create a smooth sauce. Place sauce pan on the side of the grill to keep warm while grilling the oysters. Oysters hot off the grill are topped with a drizzle of warm spicy sriracha butter. While we adore cold briny oysters as much as anyone, the hot ones are a sublime addition to this holiday feast.

Aidells Sausage Minis, Three Sauces

Don’t forget the kids! Oysters, prosciutto, peas, and pâté are probably not high on their list of appetizer favorites. But sausage minis are! Aidells makes terrific mild chicken apple and spicy andouille little sausages that we steam and are ready to serve in 5 minutes.

My nephew and budding chef, Stone, created the accompanying sauces:

#1: He mixed mayonnaise with minced garlic and yellow mustard. Big hit! Nice color too.
#2: He thought that some people might just want plain ketchup.
#3: He mixed BBQ sauce with a small amount of  Korean gochujang. Creative!

Before: Stone & 23 lb. Turkey

Thank You

“It is my absolute pleasure to host Thanksgiving in my home year after year.
I am grateful that my family and friends can travel from near and from far -
Chicago, Arizona, Florida, Las Vegas, Redlands, and La Jolla
to share this meaningful holiday together.
Nothing makes me happier than cooking with you and for you.
Thank you. I love you all.”

After 5 Hours

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Fuyu Persimmon Tarte Tatin

Persimmon is a most understood fruit. Those who “hate” persimmon probably do so as a result of a confusion between fuyu and hachiya varieties.

If you attempted to eat an unripe hachiya, that is certainly the cause of your disgust. An unripe hiachya is super-tannic and can taste like chalk or bark. Or worse. Its astringency makes it totally unpalatable. A fully ripe hachiya, however, has the consistency of jelly and is sweet and rich. And a ripe fuyu has a firm texture and tastes like a honey-flavored apple. Now, who “hates” that?

Persimmon has the pizzazzy color and flavor of autumn and makes a great fruit for a tarte tatin. Be sure to use fuyu persimmons and save the RIPE hachiya for something else.

Persimmon Tarte Tatin Recipe

• 1/3 + c. sugar
• 1/3 + c. butter
• 3 – 4 fuyu persimmons, cut into quarters or sixths
• a couple pinches each, ground cinnamon and sea salt
• 2 T. cognac
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Heat butter and sugar in a tarte tatin pan or oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat until caramelized. Add persimmon in a symmetrical fashion, splash Cognac over the fruit, sprinkle cinnamon and sea salt, then cook an additional 5 minutes. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into a round slightly larger than the pan. Turn off the heat and lay the pastry over the fruit. Tuck the edges under the fruit and cut a few steam holes in the pastry.

Bake in a 400° oven on the top shelf for 20 + minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Allow to rest for 5 minutes Loosen the edges with a small heat-resistant spatula and invert onto a platter. Serve immediately.

Here we have the irresistible color and flavors of Autumn on a plate. Serve slices of warm persimmon tarte tatin with crème fraîche. Its slightly sour, nutty flavor and velvety texture make it the perfect accompaniment.

Jett’s Cinnamon Sugar Puff Pastry “Corners” with Chocolate Sauce

One of my greatest joys of the holidays is cooking with my nephews. So…once we trimmed the puff pastry sheet into a circle, we had four corners left over. We placed the “corners” on a small un-greased baking pan. Jett brushed the pastry with melted butter and sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon.

We baked the corners along with the tarte tatin until they were puffed and golden too.We served them with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Persimmon tarte tatin with crème fraîche for the adults, “corners” with chocolate sauce for the kids. Perfect.

Jett and I send best wishes for a perfectly warm and wonderful holiday from our family to yours.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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• 

An autumn affair! Oh, I am in love. He is fresh, sensuous, healthy, and playful.
He is simultaneously familiar and exotic; simple and complex.
His diverse tastes always reflect the season. And he is absolutely gorgeous.
He is New Nordic Cuisine.

wild carrot flowers

We are experimenting with New Nordic for the first time. My fellow passionate cooks, Lauren and Gail, join me in the kitchen to create this titillating dinner. Ingredients for the six-course meal include Norwegian goat cheese, wild herbs and flowers, berries and seeds, smoked fish, quail, grainy breads, root vegetables, and fresh fruits from the farmers’ market. Each dish is inspired by nature. We’ve attempted to present and garnish the plates in the sensual & earthy New Nordic style.

The setting is natural-organic-minimalist. White china, set on a large mahogany table sans cloth. The centerpiece and decoration is created from foraging…sticks, twigs, fruit from the vine in our gardens, and rocks and driftwood from the beach.

Our goal was to transport our dinner group of five, as well as Taste With The Eyes’ readers, to experience the essence of Fall in Scandinavia, Finland, and Iceland via my home in Los Angeles. We were inspired by the beauty of New Nordic Cuisine, by the distant land’s cutting-edge chefs’ pure artistry and commitment to local, seasonal, and sustainable.

In keeping with our New Nordic Style concept, we purchased most of the ingredients at our local farmers’ market. Both the scallops and sturgeon on our menu are sustainably rated “best alternative” by Monterey Bay Seafood Watch. We found imported Norwegian cheese, Icelandic butter, and Swedish vodka. We pickled our own onions and wild blueberries, and incorporated unique seasonal ingredients including matsutake mushrooms and fresh jujubes into the menu.

menu

herring & beet
scallop & seaweed
gjetost & wild greens
sturgeon & blue potato
quail & matsutake
panna cotta & plum

homemade caraway infused svedka vodka

handley 2010 gewürztraminer, anderson valley
paul hobbs 2008 pinot noir, russian river valley
merryvale antigua dessert wine, napa valley

welcome to an autumn affair, new nordic style!

välkommen! (swedish)
velkomin! (icelandic)
velkommen! (danish)
velkommen! (norwegian)
tervetuloa! (finnish)

course #1

herring & beet

herring & beet:  dill marinated herring sashimi style, roasted beet & boiled potato,
horseradish creme fraiche, beet gelée, brined peppercorns,
pickled red onion, rye toast with icelandic butter

course #1 served with caraway infused vodka in a pine needle ice block

*infuse 375ml svedka vodka with 2 T. coarse ground caraway seed,
2 T. whole brined green peppercorn, one thick lemon peel
for 20 minutes then strain, pour back into the bottle and freeze

course #2

scallop & seaweed

scallop & seaweed:  sliced smoked sea scallop, wakame,
sesame oil, soy sauce, seasoned rice wine vinegar, black & white sesame seeds,
shiso gremolata with preserved meyer lemon zest and garlic, red pineapple sage blossom

*the wakame has a silky texture and tooth similar to fresh pasta

course #3

gjetost & wild greens

gjetost & wild greens:  mixed wild greens tossed with olive oil sea salt & pepper,
shaved gjetost, toasted pumpernickel crouton,
dried cranberry, sprouted pumpkin seed, cranberry vinaigrette, chive flower

*gjetost is a sweet, brown, firm cheese, made from goat’s milk
which is boiled under pressure until caramelization occurs

course #4

sturgeon & blue potato

sturgeon & blue potato pancake:  smoked sturgeon fillet over dressed wild greens,
crispy fried blue potato & onion pancake, fried egg,
yu choy flowers & mustard green garnish

*place the egg on the pancake, puncture the yolk and taste a bite of all three elements together

course #5

quail & matsutake

quail & matsutake:  herb stuffed roast quail,
spelt berries tossed with icelandic butter, salt and pepper, thyme,
pickled wild blueberries

*try combining spelt with pickled blueberries, feel free to use fingers to enjoy the whole quail

matsutake (pine mushroom) en papillote:
butter, fresh rosemary leaves, sake, sea salt, cinnamon

*the aroma is intoxicating/upcoming post on this recipe later in the week

update: matsutake en papillote recipe now posted here

course #6

panna cotta & plum

panna cotta & plum:  cardamom-yuzu panna cotta,
poached plum and jujube with kaffir lime, red currant jelly glaze,
apricot jam, plum balsamic vinegar reduction, toffee “soil”

new nordic dinner scenes

Extending a very special thank you to my friends Lauren, Gail, Barry, and Steve for your enthusiasm with the New Nordic adventure! And to the folks at Foodbuzz for choosing An Autumn Affair, New Nordic Style as a participant in October’s 24×24 event. Foodbuzz 24×24 showcases posts from 24 Foodbuzz Featured Publisher bloggers, the monthly Foodbuzz 24 highlights unique meals occurring around the globe during a 24-hour period.

lastly,  a few recipes

cranberry vinaigrette

8 oz. frozen whole cranberries
1/2 c. olive oil
2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper
2 T. sugar/brown sugar
1/2 c. seasoned rice wine vinegar

Purée in food processor until smooth.
*try this vinaigrette for thanksgiving/recipe compliments of chef shafer

smoked scallop & seaweed

Rehydrate cut dried wakame seaweed in water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the moisture (I use a salad spinner). Place wakame in a bowl and season with a splash each of soy sauce, seasoned rice wine vinegar, and mirin. Toss with a sprinkling of white sesame seed. Slice smoked scallop into thirds. We got these marvelous smoked sea scallops from Petrossian. To make the gremolata: mince shiso leaves, garlic, and preserved meyer lemon rind then combine. Top scallop with gremolata.

herbed roast quail

Season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper. Stuff with a pat of butter and a mixture of fresh herbs. Tie the legs together with string. Brush melted butter on skin then season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 500° oven over a bed of rosemary for 15 minutes, or until the quail is cooked through. Be careful not to overcook.

poached late-season plum and jujube

Bring 1/2 c. water, 1/2 c. sugar, and 1 T. balsamic vinegar to a boil. Add quartered plums, halved jujubes, one yuzu – crushed and quartered, two whole kaffir lime leaves and the scraping from 1/2 vanilla bean. When soft, about 3 minutes, lift out the fruits and chill. To serve, arrange fruit and drizzle with warm red currant jelly.

thank you!
tack! (swedish)
þakka þér! (icelandic)
tak! (danish)
takk!(norwegian)
kiitos! (finnish)

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Natasha, the 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! host the 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group, an outstanding monthly event for sharing ideas and creating gourmet makeovers of selected classic dishes or flavor combinations. It continues to be a great source of inspiration and my absolute pleasure to be a part of their fabulous Cooking Group.

For October’s event, to celebrate the beginning of football season, they are hosting a 5 Star Makeover Tailgate Party. The theme: “Whether you watch American Football or the World’s Football, pick your favorite pre-game dish and give it a gourmet spin.”

Micro-thin sliced natural angus prime beef ribeye is wrapped around fresh scallions then grilled with a soy, sake, mirin, sugar, black pepper glaze. It’s served with mitsuba leaves and extra sauce for dipping.

For our cooking group challenge, I’m taking the concept of “game-day meat on the BBQ” and serving it up in this fabulous Japanese style. And I’ll give 21:1 odds that those in front of the TV on game day will gobble up these umami nuggets before anything else on the buffet.

Grilled Scallion Beef Recipe

Prepare Scallion Beef glaze/dipping sauce:

• 1/4 c. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 T. mirin
• 2 T. sake
• 1 1/2 t. sugar
• fresh ground black pepper

Stir ingredients together until sugar dissolves. Divide mixture for glazing and dipping.

Overlap thin slices of natural angus prime beef ribeye to make a bed.  I purchase this meat from the Japanese market, where it is labeled sukiyaki beef.   Scallion Beef is a popular snack (known as gyu negi maki) in Japanese pubs. Place 2 trimmed scallions (alternating direction) atop the meat. Roll the beef tightly around the scallions then secure with toothpicks.

Grill scallion beef over high heat on a well-oiled grate or a non-stick grilling skillet. Turn frequently. Grilled shishito peppers make a fine accompaniment too.

Baste the meat with the glaze as it cooks.

The rolls take about 5 to 7 minutes to cook depending on the heat and desired doneness. Remove the cooked scallion beef from the grill and let them rest a couple minutes. Remove toothpicks and slice into bite-sized rounds.

Serve scallion beef with the soy dipping sauce.

Scallion Beef with Sushi Rice and White Miso, Hot Chile Oil for Dipping

To make this version, prepare the beef and scallion as above, then  spread some warm (not hot) cooked sushi rice alongside the scallions. Mix 1 t. white miso paste with 1 t. warm water, and stir to dissolve. Brush white miso sauce on the rice, then roll it up and grill in the same manner.

Serve with fiery chile oil.

Touchdown Scallion Beef

Be sure to visit 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro Cooks! here to score some winning Tailgate Party recipes!

“Hey Guys, check out this scallion beef!”

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Will you be entertaining anytime soon? May I suggest this dish as a pasta or main course, it’s a show stopper. A twist on Louisiana’s gumbo, but with fettuccine and pickled okra. The depth and complexity of the gumbo sauce made from a golden brown roux will WOW your guests, as, of course, will generous morsels of fresh Maine lobster. Pickled okra counterbalances with a refreshing zing. Those not too fond of okra will be impressed, there is none of that usual slipperiness.

Spicy Gumbo Sauce Recipe

Gumbo Sauce

• 3 jalapeños, chopped
• 1/2 c. yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. carrots, chopped
• 1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped
• 1 c. celery, chopped
• 1/2 c. grapeseed oil
•  4 T. flour
•  5 c. chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Caramelize the vegetables in oil over medium-high heat. Add flour, stir with a wooden spoon until the roux is a golden brown, about 20 minutes. This sauce recipe yields eight portions.

Slowly whisk in chicken stock and continue to cook at least 30 minutes until the sauce is just starting to thicken. This elegant dish must have an elegant sauce. The texture of the sauce is crucial to the dish, it must be thick enough to cling to the pasta and lobster, but must not be too heavy or gloppy…

Strain sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, return to a clean sauce pan. Reheat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pickled Okra Recipe

Fresh Okra

Pickling Juice

• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 T. Pickling Spice Mix
• 1 jalapeño , chopped

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Strain out solids and return juice to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and add fresh okra. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let okra come to room temperature in the pickling juice.

Using a sharp knife, slice okra into small pieces on the bias.

Assembly

Brown butter in a sauté pan. Add lobster meat and gently heat through. Toss al dente fettuccine with lobster and sliced okra. Serve each portion in a shallow bowl. Ladle the hot sauce on top, ladling enough sauce that it slightly pools at the bottom of the bowl.

Serve Gumbo Filé on the side. This powdered sassafras adds a distinctive, earthy flavor to the dish. Guests can sparingly dust their pasta with the spice to add an authentic New Orleans gumbo note.

Pale celery leaves make a pretty garnish while accenting the celery flavors in the gumbo sauce.

Although this dish is nothing like his “Crayfish Lasagne with Duck Rillette,” Charlie Trotter’s original creation is most definitely the inspiration for my dish. He’s my hero. His sauce pairs beautifully with seafood pasta.

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