Gordita de Langosta y Mas!

Gordita de Langosta
Lobster with Soft Handmade Tortilla
Maine Lobster, Sweet Corn Polenta, Arugula
Chile & Cilantro Oils

My dear friend of three decades, Rob Fischer, has opened another restaurant! If you’ve been to Palo Alto, you probably have had the best burger and milkshake of your life at the The Creamery, a classic and delicious American diner. In February Rob opened Reposado, fine Mexican cooking in an awesome space on Hamilton Avenue where the the atmosphere is fabulous, fun, and energized. If you find yourself in Palo Alto, California, definitely visit REPOSADO RESTAURANT, say hello to Rob and tell him Lori Lynn sent you!
UPDATE: I just spoke with Rob. Mention Lori Lynn’s blog and he will be more than happy to serve you a complimentary appetizer with your meal! YAY! Oh, definitely take him up on this!

The Best-You’ve-Ever-Had Handmade Corn Tortillas
Cooked to Order on the Comal

Trio of Corn Dishes
Crema de Elote
Cream of Sweet Corn Soup
Fire Roasted Poblano Chile, Habanero Oil
Elote Asado
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Lime Butter, Crema, Cotija Cheese
and
Creamy Sweet Corn with Pasilla Chile Rajas

Huachinango Asado
Achiote & Citrus Marinated Red Snapper
Jicama Mango Pico de Gallo, Green Rice

Tamalitos
Two Handmade Tamales
Chicken Tamal & Salsa Verde
Mushroom Tamal & Guajillo Salsa
Refried Beans

Carne a la Parilla
Adobo Marinate Skirt Steak
Creamy Sweet Corn, Black Bean Quesadilla

What are you drinking?
Handcrafted Margaritas.
Premier Tequila Library.
Their motto: Eat. Drink. Relax.

Commissioned Paintings
By Fine Artist Miguel Cortez, a native of Guanajuato, Mexico

Flan de Coco
Raisin Apple Compote

Taquitos de Almendra
Almond Wafers with Papaya Crema Fresca, Tropical Fruit Salsa
Coconut Tapioca Foam, Mango Sorbet

I spy frijoles…Remember My Legume Love Affair! Por favor, join in the fun and contribute a tasty legume-centric dish to this global event for the month of May. Please visit THIS POST for details!

Daikon Love

Panko Crusted Swordfish
Grated Daikon, Pea Sprouts, Lemon

Is it possible to love radish?
Truffle, Caviar, Oyster, Foie Gras, Beans – – sure, but RADISH?
DAIKON
Refreshing, crisp, spicy, clean, lively, piquant.
Brings a freshness and vitality to so many dishes.

Chicken Soup with Noodles
Cabbage, Tofu, Pea Sprouts
Topped with Cool Grated Daikon

Peel, then simply slice or grate.

Pho Broth:
daikon, oxtail, beef short ribs
charred onion & ginger
cinnamon & spices

In that cute Pho toasted spice bundle above?
garlic, szechuan peppercorns
star anise, whole cloves

As a condiment to sashimi
with ikura (salmon roe) & radish sprouts
Sliced Daikon and Somen Noodle Beef Broth Soup
Cilantro, Scallion, Red Jalapeño
Daikon Love: Such a versatile vegetable! Enjoy raw or cooked, pickled, or in soup, or in salad, stir-fry, baked, broiled…love to hear how you use it! I like the beautiful white color and cool balance of the grated daikon in contrast to a nice crusted piece of fish. It is rich in vitamin C, low in calories, and contains enzymes that aid in digestion.
Happy Mother’s Day

We had an unexpected Mother’s Day celebration. My sweet mom, Joyce, spent the last two days here. You might remember Joyce from her 75th birthday posted last October? She lives in Santa Barbara, California and was evacuated from her home due to the wild fires. She received a phone call at 3 AM Friday from the Fire Department alerting her to be ready to evacuate. Later that morning, she was on her way here to Los Angeles.
We had such a nice time chit-chatting (as she calls it), doing a little sight-seeing at the Port of Los Angeles, watching a movie, and making a big pot of Matzoh Ball Soup together. For me, fixing the soup together was the highlight of the weekend. She just now left to drive back home, about two hours north of here, as the evacuation orders have been lifted and the fires are no longer threatening homes in her area. Thank goodness. Our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been affected by these fires.
Happy Mother’s Day.

French Goat Cheese – Cheese of the Month

Goat Cheese Katsu Salad
Soba Noodle, Edamame, Spring Greens 
Creamy Sesame & Sweet Soy Dressing

Goat Cheese Katsu:

Dip chilled goat cheese medallion in egg white, then in panko breadcrumb/black sesame seed mixture. Fry in hot peanut oil until golden, transfer to paper towel. Season with sea salt.

Soba Noodles with Edamame:

Toss cooked chilled soba (buckwheat) noodles, edamame (shelled boiled green soy bean) and sliced scallions with dressing.

Creamy Sesame & Sweet Soy Dressing:

Heat ½ c. each low-sodium soy sauce and mirin (rice wine) in a sauce pan, with 1 t. each minced garlic and ginger. Reduce by half. Add honey to taste. Let cool then mix with 1/4 c. tahini (sesame seed paste).

Assemble Goat Cheese Katsu Salad:

Place baby leaf spring greens on a platter, drizzle with dressing. Place soba noodles alongside the spring greens, top with warm Goat Cheese Katsu medallion.

I used the delicious Ile de France Goat Cheese. It is an indulgent, fresh, tangy, snowy white rich cheese made from milk of goats grazing in the French Alps. Looking for ideas for the next time you serve goat cheese? There are many creative cheese recipes in the Ile de France Spring Follies here.

The inspiration for this cheese served with an Asian-style twist came from my favorite local restaurant, Gina Lee’s Bistro, owned by my dear friends Scott & Gina Lee. They serve a delicious Chicken Katsu over Soba Noodles with Asian Vegetables. And if you are a fan of chèvre chaud you might enjoy this pumpkin seed crusted version as well.

Calling All Bean Aficionados!

My Legume Love Affair 11th Helping is officially underway! It is my honor and pleasure to be your hostess for this month’s edition of the wildly successful event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook. I hope you will join us by sharing your awesome legume-centric dish this month. The event round-up will be posted the first week of June. So, come one, come all, show us what you bean cooking!
Join In the Fun!
  • Create a dish where the LEGUME (beans, lentils, pulses, and/or the edible pods that contain these seeds, and derivative products like tofu) is the STAR ingredient.
  • Post this dish on your blog during the month of May. Link to this announcement and to Susan’s MLLA Host Line-up. Feel free to use the MLLA 11 Badge.
  • Email your name, name of your blog, the link to your legume dish, your location, description of your dish, and a photo (350 pixels wide) OR recipe, to tastewiththeeyes AT cox DOT net by May 31st. If you like, please include one or two sentences describing the inspiration for your entry.
Let’s Get This Party Started!
Here are links to some previous Taste With The Eyes legume dishes:

Fagioli al Caviale

Anasazi “baked potato” Beans

Cilantro-Scented Navy Bean Mash, Smoked Trout

Cannellini Asian Slaw, Miso Sesame Dressing

Black Calypsos and Epazote

Mélange de Haricots, Parmesan Sage Breadcrumbs

Yellow Eye Beans With Garlicky Salsa Verde, Cotija Cheese

Grilled Swordfish, Lentils with Truffle Oil

White Miso Soup, Tofu, Edamame, Nori Heart

Poached Egg, Lentils, and Béarnaise

Heart Healthy Wild Salmon, Cannellini Bean Basil Broth
Eleventh Helping
Legume Lover’s Prize
 

As a special treat to one of the participants, Susan will be giving away this darling cookbook: A World of Dumplings: Filled Dumplings, Pockets, and Little Pies from Around the Globe by Brian Yarvin.

We are more than happy to accept multiple recipes for this event, however only one will be included in the random drawing for A World of Dumplings.
To my non-food-blogging readers, we encourage your participation too! It is your opportunity to share your delicious cooking but more than that, it is our unique opportunity to sample your creativity! What do you say?
Leah? Lauren? Gail? Allison? Kirk? Sally? Lori ann? Abby? Tash? Juliet? Kelly? Merisi? Carol? Liz? Father Adam? Tori? Tom? Gary? Vicki? Charlotte? Molly? Heather? Deanna? Val? Bob? Noramae? Pat? Gina? Peggy? Davida? Susan? Judi? Judy? Sandy? Alex? Anyone else?
We look forward to virtually savoring all your marvelous legume creations!
Lori Lynn

Cilantro-Scented Navy Bean Mash, Smoked Fish

Cilantro-Scented Navy Bean Mash
Smoked Salmon Rosette

Cook navy beans in chicken stock with smashed garlic cloves. Add cilantro sprigs for the last half hour of cooking. Let cool. Remove the sprigs and garlic.

Mash the beans with a potato masher, add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Fold in crème fraîche and rough chopped cilantro leaves.
The Navy Bean is a mild-tasting, smaller-sized dense white bean that got its name from being a staple food for the US Navy, as they do not spoil and provide excellent nutrition.

Courtney of Chicago’s Coco Cooks blog is hosting this month’s My Legume Love Affair, a wildly successful event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook. April is its tenth incarnation, and one of which I am excited to participate in once again. Next month’s host will be yours truly, Taste With The Eyes.

Courtney’s challenge was to create a starter or dessert with legumes. For this party, I am serving a starter of cilantro-scented navy bean mash on spoons topped with a rosette of smoked salmon or a morsel of smoked trout.

My friends Heather and Abbi, stopped by during the creative stage. I served them the cilantro-scented navy bean dip with toast points brushed with olive oil. Cooking the beans with garlic cloves, stock, and cilantro imparts a wonderful depth of flavor to the beans. My vegetarian friends would love this too, just use a rich vegetable stock in place of chicken stock.

Another post, another thank you to my brother. This one, to my brother Don. You see, he waited in a not-so-short line last December to get an autographed cookbook by Charlie Trotter. Those of you who have been following Taste With The Eyes may recall that my birthday gift from Don & Kristy last year was Guest Chef For The Day in Charlie Trotter’s kitchen. I am a big fan of Charlie, and this cookbook, Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter, is a favorite; with casual recipes for the home chef, focusing on crisp flavors and straight-forward presentations. That’s where the idea for cilantro-scented navy beans came from!
Next up for MLLA 11, Three Bean and Potato Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette, inspired by Charlie, too.  Bean aficionados, won’t you please join us in May and share your favorite legume recipe?