Recent NPR Event at the Store

Our local NPR affiliate - KRWG recently held a community coffee at our Cafè. Here are a few pics with my random comments...


This is me making sushi - actually making my wasabi balls. Its the one time that I allow myself to weep openly even in front of strangers. A few others notables (this is kind of like the old Highlights magazines in the doctor's office:
-The skillets hung on the walls: Why can't my staff figure out that they only fit in one direction? When they are about to fall off the wall, that's probably not where they go!
-The poster on the wall near the door is the bread manifesto from the Art of Eating
-The red dust buster on the wall never gets used - why do I take up space with it?
-All of our door covers are actually curtains from Wal-Mart.
-In the right side of the pic, cut off on the table is my $300 scale...she's my baby.
-See the two certificates - one is my facility license, the other is my caterers license. I'm probably the only business in town that follows the law and has both...makes me the fool.
-Three clocks in the kitchen (above the door, on the stove, on the microwave) and none say the same time.

My big moment! Well sort of. They asked me to do a testimonial, but I blew it because I only talked about the radio station - we don't watch TV so I never see PBS. The spot obviously was meant to run on TV.

Obligatory mug shot. Could we be any more boring..."Showing that Kumquat spirit!"

That's my resident tamale expert front and center, and for regular blog readers - the up the street- down the street neighbor. She's spending 2 months in Spain later this year...very jealous.

Nocino: Day 1

From Wiki:

Nocino is a sticky dark brown liqueur from the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is made from unripe green walnuts steeped in spirit. It has an aromatic but bittersweet flavor. It may be homemade, and is also available commercially in bottled form. Commercially available Nocino is typically 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof.

Nocino is believed to have originally been produced by the Celts, and, during the Middle Ages, Italian monasteries used nocino for its medicinal properties and also as an alcoholic treat.

I've been hearing about this liqueur for so long and inevitably I think about it right after the short window for green walnuts closes. But not this year! I pre-ordered my walnuts and when they arrived at my doorstep on Friday the jar was washed, booze bought, and off I went. I'll do monthly updates on this process, but don't expect to really enjoy it for a year. Here is the recipe that I am following:

30 Walnuts, green & unripe
1 liter of 100 proof vodka (or Everclear)
1 Lemon zest - about a quarter of the lemon
2 Cinnamon sticks
5 Cloves
2 1/2 C. Sugar

Wipe down the walnuts with a wet rag and cut them in quarters. Toast the cinnamon and clove until aromatic. Place in a jar with the remaining ingredients and cover. Shake the jar daily for a month, taste, adjust and keep going. When you're satisfied, filter out the nuts and spices and continue aging until you're happy as an Italian clam.

You can also play with the spices, the sugar (think muscovado or brown), and even the liqueurs. I'm also playing with the fruit. I followed this base recipe with some green apples and chiogga beets.

Random Recent Desserts

From Dessert Fourplay - beet mousse

The latest variation on my peanut butter pie - I think the best variation:

An interesting dessert that didn't execute or photograph well, but worth mentioning - pistachio Pâté with morello cherry gelee, pistachio daquoise and pistachio shortbread.

And a rhubarb, strawberry custard tartlet

Summer Pot Luck Contest: Embutido

There comes a time every person's life when you have to suck it up and just do the job. And that brings me to Mark's recipe in which all I saw was VIENNA SAUSAGES! Eegad man, what kind of blog do you think I'm running here!?

But I didn't start this contest by saying, "Give me your best recipes that don't include processed pig parts stuffed into tiny little cans." Maybe I should have. But I didn't. And that brings us to Mark's odd and oddly good recipe:

Embutido
500g Ground pork
50g Dry unseasoned bread crumbs
60g Whole milk. 100g vienna sausages
1 egg. 50g Grated cheddar cheese
2 T Sweet pickle relish
2 T Raisins
1 Carrot, grated
1 Onion, minced
Salt and pepper
Hard-boiled eggs (quail eggs are probably prettiest)

Start by hard boiling your eggs. We do the now famous method of putting your eggs in cold water, then as soon as it boils count 15 minutes. Turn off, cover for 10 minutes (15 minutes at our elevation), cool completely under water. In a large bowl, smoosh everything together.

If that doesn't look like a winning recipe, I don't know what does.

Form into 2-3 inch diameter logs (or use 8x3 loaf pans), with the eggs in the middle so the cross section shows when you cut the log later. Wrap each in foil (or cover the loaf pans with foil) and steam for an hour.

While this boils I'll mention that we are so unaccustomed to Vienna Sausages that Tyler actually bought Lil' Smokey's (which we're equally unaccustomed to) so we had a slight variation to Mark's recipe.

Having watched Mark's cooking for a few years I know that in the Philippines ovens aren't used so much, and steaming is common, so this technique makes a lot of sense. In our case, we just don't really have the setups to do steamed foods easily. For this loaf, I used a silicon measuring cup which was closer to 4" across. Covered in foil as directed, and then because I didn't want to cook the bottom too fast, I placed some stainless steel chopsticks on the bottom of the pan to lift the measuring cup off the bottom and allow for water circulation. With the additional diameter, we steamed for nearly two hours, but at sea level and a smaller container this should go much faster.

We let it rest about 10 minutes and dumped (I use that word purposefully).

We were having quite a laugh at Mark's expense at this point (for those of you who aren't regular readers, know that we wouldn't make fun if we didn't know Mark well enough).

Back to his instructions. Can be served cold/ at room temperature/ or pan-fry the log until the exterior is brown and crusty and it's heated through (my preferred method). Slice and serve.

We served this with some yellow rice and a nice salad. The verdict...you'll have to wait. In the meantime, hunt down the Vienna sausages and give this a try.

Summer Pot Luck Contest: Steamed Chicken Breast in a Pocket

The next entry is from Pimp That Food. Pimp's entry is an easy, quick and very tasty chicken breast made in a foil pouch. I couldn't find foil pouches at the store so I made my own in seconds.

1 Chicken Breast, split
1 Lemon, juice & zest
1 Small onion, sliced into rings (we used shallots)
3 Basil leaves
Pinch of ground ginger
1 T. Sweet chilli
1 T. Soy sauce
1 T. ExV Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in bowl and let marinate for a couple of hours.

Then make a foil pouch, add chicken and fillings and seal super well. Oven to 400F (200C) and bake for 25-30 minutes. The pouches will puff a bit.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes, open and serve.

We enjoyed ours on jasmine rice with a nice salad. Oh yeah...and the best beer I've had in 2009!

This beer reminds me of the flavor you get in Europe - not the typical "made for export" flavor, but the real deal - it was very, very good.

Hang on if you submitted a recipe to the contest - we're gonna get through these last ones soon so we can pick a winner.

Recipe: Ceviche

Here is another recipe from the recent cater - Parrotfish Ceviche with Sweet Potato Puree and Banana Blossom


1 C. Coconut WATER (not milk)
1 Kaffir lime leaf
1 T. Galanga, ground
1 Lemongrass stalk, bruised, chopped

Combine these ingredients and let them sit overnight. The next day strain them to remove the solids.

1/2 C. Lime juice, freshly squeezed
Coconut water mixture
2 T. Garlic oil
1 Thai pepper, chopped
1/4 C. Cilantro, chopped
1/2 C. Yuzu sake (optional)

Combine these ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, then add 1 lb of cubed fish of your choice - something not too fatty, and a 1/2 C. of thinly sliced red onion. Toss to coat very well and let sit about 30 minutes - not too much longer so you don't "overcook" the fish.

Recipe: Chimichurri

One of the hits from the recent cater was the beef chimichurri, so here's the easy recipe for you all to enjoy.

1 C. Fresh parsley
3/4 C. Olive oil (I used a peppery Spanish oil)
3 T. Vinegar (I used apple cider, but red wine is more common)
2 T. Dried oregano
2 t. Ground cumin, toasted
1 t. Salt
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. Crushed pepper of your choice (depends on how much heat you want)

Put all in a blender or processor and make into a rough paste. Slather on your meat and marinate at least one hour at room temp. Grill and enjoy!