Filed under: Food
Shark brand Sriracha
I get why people are fascinated with Sriracha sauce, I love it too! On or in almost anything it can be the perfect condiment. The list of applications is endless and that’s precisely why it has captured everyone’s fancy stateside. It really is wonderful stuff, but the stuff that most people love is the wrong one.
Rooster brand Sriracha is made in Rosemeade, California and contains preservatives (sodium bisulfite) that I can taste and leave me with MSG-ish sensations in my mouth. I don’t touch the stuff. I want the real thing, I want the Sriracha that’s actually made in Thailand (named after the port town of Sri Racha.)
Shark brand Sriracha is the perfect balance of heat, salt, sweet, and vinegary tang. The label even shows you the percentage of each ingredient, and there are only six: chili, water, sugar, garlic, salt, vinegar. It’s lighter and less assaulting than the Rooster and is more of an accompaniment (as it should be) and less of a bomb of willy-nilly heat and vinegar (and sodium bisulfite).
Next time you find yourself out of your go-to Asian condiment try a different brand…any brand…just not that one again.
To find it head to your nearest Asian grocery store or check it out here.
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I’ve been having a blast here lately! Really. Just so much fun. I hope you’re enjoying things as much as I am and I wanted to be sure send lots of love and thanks for coming here to visit me. I’m also quite an Instagrammer so if you’re looking for more pics of food, bubbly and the occasional shot of shoes and house stuff, find me there too @natirasu.
Kiss!
(Happy weekend to you and don’t forget about mom on Sunday.)
A decadent mid-week lunch & dessert & bubbly. You can see by my robot strength grip on the fork that I mean business with the Gateau Basque at Sitka & Spruce. (A huge and well-deserved congratulations is in order for Chef Matt Dillon and his new Best Chef Northwest James Beard award. There is no one in Seattle more deserving of this title.)
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A no-recipe spring potato salad. This was the highlight of my day off. Seriously, no recipe needed just boil 6 potatoes, toss in olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, scallion, spring onion, cornichons, capers, 2 boiled eggs, and 3 strips of bacon. (I think my guy also snuck some bacon fat into the olive oil, vinegar mixture. Do it!) My advice: don’t be shy with the olive oil and vinegar.
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A bit of bookshelf rearranging. Spring cleaning is underway but I always, somehow, get lost in my bookshelf. I could (and do) spend hours on it. (‘The Goodness of Garlic’ from Foodie Friend Brian, and my very favorite mug from @christinengo!)
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Lilac ice cream. Candied lilacs.
It almost seems like once you’ve been drunk off springs first cherry blossoms that it’s easy to take the consequent lilacs for granted. With the craziness at the restaurant last year I made this mistake, and there was no way I was going to do it again. In fact, after our cherry blossom cream & candied lemon verbena leaves at The Willows Inn we were inspired to celebrate the season with the lovely lilac in ice cream with candied blossoms to top it off. I’m giddy to report that it was UH-MAY-ZING!
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Candied Lilacs
We tried a few different methods for candying the lilac blossoms, but really the only real winner is painted-on egg whites dusted with caster sugar. While it was the most time intensive I should also say that it was the most rewarding, and even therapeutic. Add together fragrant flowers, a delicate paint brush, silky egg whites, and crystally caster sugar and there’s no way you could not have a good time.
Ingredients, tools, and mise en place
- Fine tip paint-brush (made of food-grade materials or cleaned really well before use)
- Wax paper dusted with sugar
- 1 egg white slightly beaten, just until there is a collection of small bubbles at the top
- Lilac blossoms, pluck the individual flowers from the bunch selecting the best ones to be candied and leaving the rest for the ice cream
- Caster sugar in a shallow bowl or plate
- Optional: tweezers. (I quickly found the lilacs were sturdy enough for my fingers, so the tweezers may not be necessary for you either.)
1. Hold each flower by the stem and lightly paint the front and back of the petals with the egg white.
2. Dust each side with caster sugar, lightly shake off any excess
3. Set on the sugar-coated wax paper and let dry overnight. No cheating here! They must be completely dry before storing in a container with sugar.
Some notes
- Only use blossoms that you know have not been sprayed…from your neighbors yard.
- Only use egg whites if you’re comfortable with this method. We use local, organic, and untreated farm eggs that we love. Other candy methods include simple syrup in place of egg whites. If you’re more comfortable with this give it a go.
- Washing the blossoms was a difficult call. After some research we found some washed the flowers while others didn’t in order to preserve the fragrance. It’s your call.
Lilac Ice Cream
Here’s a glance at our recipe for the ice cream. In addition to the lilacs we wanted to add as much springtime flavor as possible so we added an additional egg yolk and chose to use goat milk. It was a good call.
Be sure to read your ice cream machines instructions and adjust if needed.
Lilac Ice Cream
- 2 cups organic raw goat milk
- 1 cup organic heavy cream
- 5 organic egg yolks (initially we planned on 4, but 5 was better.)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 cups lilac blossoms
- 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
In a heavy saucepan mix the cream and goat milk thoroughly and add the lilac blossoms and maple syrup. Bring to a high simmer, but below a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside for five minutes.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and add the combined the sugar and arrowroot powder. Whisk until the color pales and the mixture is creamy.
Strain the lilacs from the milk and cream mixture and bring the liquid up to a simmer again. Temper the mixture by gradually adding it to the egg yolks. Batches of 1/3 worked well. Add the entire combined mixture back to your pot and gently heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and strain again if needed (in the case you notice any gobules of fat that have formed). Chill the mixture for a few hours or until it is cold enough to add to your ice cream maker (my machine recommended 12 hours, but we didn’t need to wait quite that long).
From here, your ice cream maker takes over, so be sure to read the instructions.
One thing I can share is that once you see the consistency you like, don’t wait! Turn off the machine, sneak a taste or two, and freeze overnight (or as long as you can wait).
To Serve
The ice cream is mildly fragrant with the lilacs and has a lovely, faint taste on the back-end. If you’re looking for a more punchy lilac flavor, that’s where the candied blossoms come in. I’d say aim for one or two in a bite, but also be sure to enjoy a few bites without.
Voila!! Lilac ice cream.
I love that Portland is just a few hours away; it’s such an easy jaunt from Seattle whether by train (my fave option) or car. For me, the food scene (overall) trumps Seattle any day, and really…it doesn’t hurt to do some tax-free shopping. I was lucky enough to tag along with my sweetheart at the last minute, so while he’s at work I’m able to get into some trouble on my own. I covered quite a few stops, but unfortunately some of the best shops don’t allow photos to be taken. I’ll throw together a little list once I finish exploring, so in the meantime here are some things you might want to check out the next time you have the chance to escape. Happy, happy weekend to you!
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The sweetest room key ever. Our hotel has me feeling all sorts of old-Hollywood glamourous. It’s a lot of fun, and the room is great. (I’ve heard some of the rooms can be quite small so be sure to ask about the types of rooms when you book.)
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The little touches at Little Bird. Solo lunch in a city that’s not your own can be so romantic. If it’s something new for you add a glass of bubbly and a magazine, then just sit back and watch. You learn a lot about the locals (and yourself too). By the way, don’t skip dessert at Little Bird. I mean it.
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The endless aisles at Powell’s Books. The most amazing maze of a bookstore. After floating through the cookbook section I did the same in puzzles and games. Leave it to me to buy a game (Big Boggle!) from a bookstore. This is a “must-do” in PDX.
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Domaine de Canton as a champagne cocktail & margarita
Lately I’ve been deep in cocktail testing mode for the restaurant and have been reading about Domaine de Canton, a ginger infused liqueur distilled from cognac. I was super excited to start playing with it, and with the bottle as lovely as it is I figured I couldn’t really go wrong.
Of course, my first test was to try it with champagne. I chose a cuvee brut and added small amounts incrementally hoping to get a nice balance of the ginger with the dryness of the champagne. The problem here was that the sweetness curve rose much more dramatically than the ginger did, so it wasn’t really possible to get the ginger taste I wanted without making it too sweet. While it is aromatic and gingery, the fragrance is just not as exciting or as enticing as St. Germaine; which by the way, I have been referring to as Domaine de Canton’s cousin throughout this process.
Next I tried it as part of a vodka soda and still wasn’t able to get it to successfully take center stage. The sweetness overpowered any chance of true ginger intensity to come through.
Finally realizing it could best be used as a supporting ingredient I tried a margarita and used it in place of Triple Sec or Cointreau. I thought the salt would be a nice balance against the sweet and perhaps it would serve as a ”secret-secondary ingredient”; something that you wouldn’t necessarily recognize but could identify as something special. The margarita application was the best so far, but it was still so far from the fresh gingery cocktail I’d been craving.
Here’s the thing:
- It’s far too sweet. The texture has a viscous quality that is more slippery and syrupy; and aside from the initial fragrance, the first, last, and most predominant taste was sugar. Cloyingly so.
- While there are hints of ginger in the aroma and taste (and not at all artificial, by the way) it completely lacks that ginger punch and spiciness that, as a ginger-lover, I dearly missed.
This is going to be one for many a mixologists arsenal, but I just can’t jump on the bandwagon. As much as I wanted to love it and share some killer recipes, the level of sweetness and lack of true ginger zing limits its applications.
- Salt for rimming the glass
- Ice
- 1 lime
- 1.5 oz. Tequila blanco (I used Don Julio)
- .5 oz Domaine de Canton
- Float of soda water to top-off
- Slice the lime in half and from one of the halves slice one small wheel. Cut in half and set aside.
- Salt the rim of the glass by rubbing half of the lime and dipping into salt.
- Place the small pieces of lime in the bottom of the glass and add the Domaine de Canton. Muddle gently.
- Fill with ice.
- Add the Tequila, juice from the lime halves, and top with a small float of soda.
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Spice kit essentials
Over the past few months I’ve become increasingly interested in learning how to work with spices in the kitchen. I’ve always been intimidated by their pep and intricacies, so it’s only recently that I’ve started to appreciate how much depth they can add to a dish. My fascination started after becoming a regular at Sitka & Spruce and only continued to gain momentum as my guy started experimenting with some of his own blends at home.
Far beyond the initial intimidation you can feel when working with spices are the endless health benefits. Spices like Turmeric paired with black pepper can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Paprika, an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant can lower the risk of cancer. Cinnamon used daily can help to lower blood pressure and overall cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes.
With just those few spices promising (yes, promising) healing properties like that it’s no wonder eating a spice-y meal can leave me feeling energized and sometimes even tingly. Seriously! I noticed that quarterly detoxing over the past few years has helped me become more aware of the effects of food on my body. Call me crazy if you want, but it’s a wonderful thing to feel your body being nurtured as you eat.
In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing some of our favorite recipes so you can give it a go too, but in the meantime I wanted to show you my favorite place to stock up, and I’ll likely be referring back to it here and there. Check out World Spice Merchants.
World Spice Merchants is located just “below” the Pike Place Market on Western Ave.
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It’s a killer shop filled with the freshest teas, herbs, and spices from all ends of the earth. They’ve also got some great custom blends so be on the look-out for anything that sounds good to you.
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Walk in, browse, smell, ask questions. The spice guru’s are really helpful, and they know their stuff. Who knew there were so many different varieties of a single spice. I had no clue, but it was great to learn about the different types and flavor profiles of cinnamon the last time I was there.
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When you’re ready just grab a clipboard and start writing your order. Pass it along to a spice guru and they’ll start filling your order. It’s a sweet set up!
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I can’t wait to share our early favorites, and while I’m still in the novice stages I like the idea of sharing as I’m learning. In the meantime, check out World Spice, even if it’s just to poke around. It’s a great addition to a weekend out and about.
PS- I should also note that if you’re not Seattle-based you can always order online or call and have them help you place an order to be shipped anywhere.
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The setting. Willows Inn. Lummi Island.
We had the meal of a lifetime at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island. One year earlier, venturing into Stumptown Coffee’s Seattle roastery, frazzled, trying to get coffee set for the restaurant that was days away from opening, I met the guy that would tell me about this hidden gem, and eventually, one year later take me away for the meal of a lifetime. So yeah, it was an anniversary of sorts…the restaurant had just turned 1, I had three days off, and it was the “the first day we met” kind of celebration.
Really it was completely serendipitous that Chef Blaine Wetzel would be awarded one of Food & Wine magazine’s best new chefs only days before. Although to be honest, to me this title can in no way encompass the forward thinking and talent that Chef Wetzel and his entire staff possess…especially when considering the other Seattle chef that was also honored. This restaurant and the team behind it are in a class alone.
So mushiness and a touch of cattiness aside, let’s look at some food porn!
First, here are a couple of quick notes that elevate this experience:
- Nearly every element that was on our plate was hunted, fished, foraged, or gathered from Lummi Island. Really something to be celebrated.
- As sad as it makes me to hold back, I’m only going to share the photos that photographed best. The meal was so beautiful that I just can’t bear to post the crummy photos I took after sunset. It just wouldn’t do justice to the team that worked so hard to create this meal for us. Trust me, it’s hard not to share but what I do have will still keep you satisfied, I’m sure of it.
- The first and final courses were each served by the chefs, including Chef Wetzel.
- My guy had the wine pairing and I had the juice pairing. More on that below.
The welcome. A tiny cedar box filled with moss, smoke, and smoked sunflower roots. A perfect way to set the tone for the rest of the meal. Inventive in it’s core ingredient but so basic in how it was prepared. So much meaning in this first course–history in a single bite.
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Mini crepes filled with herring roe, crema, and chives. It’s going to be hard to choose, but this was definitely one of my favorite bites: the wafer thin crisp of the crepe, the salty and slippery roe, the richness of the cream, and the punch of the most fragrant chives I’ve ever had.
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House potato chips and sauerkraut with smoked wild halibut. Doesn’t hurt that the halibut was caught that morning. Truly, an amazing bite. For the super finicky gastronomes out there, I’m sure you’ll be expecting one or two gripes, so if I MUST say anything I’d say the chip was a tad soggy. But really, as it was it, and if I had a hundred afterward, it really was splendid. The tartness of the kraut with the rich, smokiness from the halibut was truly dreamy.
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Shigoku oysters marinated in sauerkraut juice, tapioca pearls, sorrel. Heaven! Never would have guessed it, but the addition of the tapioca (underneath each oyster) was a brilliant touch. I had initially thought that they were the ones with the vinegar taste, serving as a mignonette of sorts, but it was actually the oyster that was marinated, lightly. A truly thoughtful and elegant dish. Also be sure to note the presentation: beach stones, iced. Muah!
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Charred kale, truffles, bread crumbs. Light with the crisply toasted kale leaf, but slightly decadent with addition of the truffled breadcrumbs. All I could think was: “If I had a tub full of this I’d pop it like popcorn.”
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Fresh scallop, milk, island arugula. This dish was DIVINE. Like the chives with the crepe, the arugula was more fragrant and peppery than any I’d ever had. This was a subtle dish for sure, but elegant in its simplicity. The milk was just beyond; a delicate touch that was just so sexy.
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Fried scallop roe. Alright, so we’ve had conflicting stories of which part of the scallop anatomy this actually is, but regardless it’s another one of my favorite courses. To be clear we did not ask the chef to clarify, but in recent weeks here in Seattle we’ve heard different stories from different restaurants. Male or female organs…no one knows right now (and a super quick google search revealed nothing of much help), but regardless, this was slippery and buttery. Taste and texture-wise, think uni or monkfish liver. I feel like this course might seem out of place or odd to some, but for me the importance lay in the fact that this amazing piece of sea life is most often thrown out. Decandent to the very end.
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Geoduck sashimi, organic grains, watercress. Geoduck has to be one of the most unpleasant things to look at, but it’s quintessentially Northwest and when it’s done right it’s amazing. I loved this dish. The briny and tender geoduck (not chewy at all) was the perfect accompaniment to the mix of grains and watercress juice.
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Venison heart tartare, house capers, island greens. I will never get enough tartare of any sort, but this was truly stellar. There wasn’t an iron-y heart taste here as I’d expected, but somehow I was able to taste the venison (Psychosomatic? Perhaps.) The homemade capers really stood out here also. Again, I could have popped these endlessly.
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Smoked salmon. This was the most intensely amazing bite of salmon I have ever had, and growing up with a hobby salmon fisherman, in Seattle, I’d like to think I know a thing or two about salmon. Here’s the scoop: Chef Wetzel sampled the locals take on smoked salmon. He took the best components of each and created this masterpiece.
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One other important piece to note here is the use of Reefnet fishing. Along the shoreline we noticed large platforms with four towers at each corner. These pontoons of sorts are rolled out to the bay where each tower has a fisherman with a corner of the net. They trap the salmon and pull uniformly to raise the catch. Can you imagine the muscle this takes?
Reefnet fishing is a historical method that allows for a more humane and sustainable way to catch the salmon, but it also allows the fisherman to select the best catches and set free those that don’t meet culinary standards with minimal shock. I firmly believe that similar to cattle, toxic shock has everything to do with how our food tastes.
For me the skill here goes beyond the smoking, but lies in where he knew how to let the fish be what it is.
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Local squid, kohlrabi, oyster emulsion. The charred bits of squid with the decadent pistachio-colored oyster emulsion was unbelievably good. The addition of the raw kohlrabi added a great bit of crunch and freshness. This was “the second” of the five listed courses.
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Stinging nettles, fresh cheese, young pine needles. For me this dish sums up the importance of eating local and seasonal. Nettles are incredibly healing but also a culinary delight. The young pine needles, so clean and only lightly fragrant. These are the things we’re meant to eat at this moment in spring. We both agreed that we felt very “connected” to the island, feeling clean and almost euphoric after this course. This was the first tasting I’ve had where I wasn’t gorged (yet sluggishly happy). Instead I felt nourished, gastronomically* inspired (and happily envigorated).
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The remaining courses (the unphotogenic):
- House bread and butter. The bread was very Tartine-esque, and the house churned butter was unbelievable.
- Smoked local shitake mushrooms (whole).
- Octopus
- Baked oyster, brown butter, tequila.
- Fried halibut skin with abalone.
- Chicken drippings as a dip to accompany the bread. SERIOUSLY. This actually happened.
- Halibut, bone sauce, house capers. This was the final savory course. The perfectly cooked halibut was incredibly juicy and toothsome. (Yup, toothsome.) The bone sauce, from what we could tell, was the result of extracting the fatty marrow from the halibut bones. It was incredibly flavorful and creamy, and when paired with the house capers again it was magical! Once again the best I’d had.
- Wild flowers, lemon verbena granita, cherry blossom ice cream, elderflower meringue. The single best dessert of my life. Cherry blossom ice cream? I mean, come on! It was gorgeous.
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The little touches that meant so much:
- The juice pairinings. GENIUS. The sommelier is in the process of relocating to Lummi Island, and while my guy thoroughly enjoyed his wine pairing we both agreed that my juice pairing was beyond brilliant. The selections are made and created by Chef Wetzel and to sum it all up, his decision to pair huckleberry juice with the last course of halibut and bone sauce was the pinnacle of the evening. There really are no words.
- Coffee & tea. With this course we got the most incredible mini chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.
- The first and final courses: With the chefs serving it created the most wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. They were genuinely interested in sharing their food and conversing with each table. A lovely and meaningful touch!
- The service team was unparalleled. Relaxed, genuinely happy, and in turn the dining room atmosphere was the same. Unlike other tastings this dining room was quietly abuzz. Not a touch of stuffiness anywhere (just a note this was aThursday night).
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In Conclusion
The meal for us was epic in its execution and in its message. Northwest cuisine finally has a place, a face, and a name. Until now, we’ve been lost: Seattle as a gastronomic* destination is lacking and with cities like San Francisco and Portland leagues ahead, I’m happy that Chef Wetzel is poised to help shape our culinary culture. I truly can’t wait to go again.
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*Soap Box Moment: I am purposefully avoiding the word “foodie” here. This is another post for another time; but for now, I feel like this experience cannot be summed up, in anyway by that term.
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Bellwether Farms Sheep Milk Yogurt
I used to see commercials for yogurt and shake my head when they’d try to sell it as a dessert. Seriously, who closes their eyes and slowly licks the lid and then continues to make out with each subsequent spoonful? It has the same amount of sugar and calories as a candy bar, but come on, no one actually ever enjoyed yogurt in lieu of anything with chocolate. In fact, let’s be honest and talk about how overwhelming the yogurt section is: filled over-processed sugar bombs and dozens of different brands. No thanks.
I’d pretty much given up on yogurt as a desperate snack let alone a dessert substitute. That is…until I had Bellwether Farms sheep milk yogurt. This my friends is the best yogurt out there. I crave it. And when I’m on a health kick this is the best dessert ever. The texture is silky and rich with the perfect amount of sweet (sugar, not high fructose corn syrup) and fruit to balance the tang from the milk.
Sheep’s milk is naturally thicker than cow’s milk, so there are no added stabilizers. It also has twice the amount of calcium and is also often digestible by people who are lactose intolerant. And yes, I do make out with the lid and make sure to get every bit of the cream that’s risen to the top. Promise me you’ll do the same when you give this a go.
Tip: Use the plain instead of mayo or sour cream in salad dressings and dips.
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Avocado & Ak-Mak crackers for breakfast
Check out my new favorite breakfast/snack courtesy of my guy. We don’t do much shopping at Trader Joe’s except to get the ingredients for this, but the avocado, lemon, and Ak-Mak crackers are all organic and quite the deal when compared to other stops. Seriously, the avocados come 4 to a bag and are perfect every time, and that’s hard to come by. Oh how I love cutting into a perfectly creamy and smooth avocado, but conversely how much does it suck to have to salvage bits from a bruised and battered one. Just be sure you make time to sit on them for a few days, by about day three or four there should be at least one for you to dig into.
(Be sure not to skip the olive oil. It may seem like gilding the lily, but it’s essential.)
Ingredients:
- Avocado
- Finely chopped shallot, scallion, or garlic
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- Sprinkle of sea salt
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Ak-Mak crackers
Throw in a bowl and mix lightly.
Variations or additions
- Finely chopped cucumber
- Organic micro-greens (From TJ’s too)
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Obol – The Original Crispy Bowl. Ridiculous, and yet so awesome. I truly could have used this back in my Oreo days. (BPA-free too.)
Available here.
[via HolyCool]
