Panna Cotta with Cumquats & Stewed Rhubarb

In keeping with my adventures in new dishes, I decided to make my very first panna cotta. I did my research and was drawn to David Lebovitz's "Perfect Panna Cotta" recipe . . . but knowing that I was going to be eating most of this by myself I was a wee bit scared of all that cream so I decided to put off the big splurge and concoct a 'healthier' version.  

First I combined two tablespoons water, the juice of one lemon and 1 packet (about 1.5 teaspoons) gelatin in a little bowl. Stir to combine and then let it sit. (Below is a photo of me holding the bowl vertically and the gelatin kindly does its thing and stays in the bowl - very entertaining.)

In a medium sized bowl combine a heaping 2 cups of plain lowfat greek-style yogurt and 3/4 cup half and half. Stir and set aside. Next, in a saucepan combine 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup half and half and a skimpy cup of sugar. Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add in your gelatin mixture. To complete, add the warm cream mixture to the yogurt mixture. Here's where I got a wee bit creative - owning no fancy molds or ramekins, I got out the ol' muffin tin, greased it up, and poured in my panna cotta (worked like a charm). Et voila! Je suis fini! Pop the panna cotta in the fridge and chill for 6 - 36 hours (whenever you finish 'em off).

To serve, my lovely mother made some stewed rhubarb (she put 4 stalks of rhubarb, in chunks, 1 cup of sugar and enough water to just about cover the rhubarb; simmer for 30-40 minutes until it is tender but not complete mush) and I popped out the panna cotta added some freshly sliced cumquats and drizzled with the stewed rhubarb. I thought it turned out pleasantly delicious - the panna cotta was creamy but not too heavy and it contrasted nicely with the flavorful rhubarb and tart cumquats. Next time, I will try the heavy-duty full cream version but this was a successful alternative if I do say so myself.

PIGGIE! - Thai-Style Ribs

I made ribs for the first time! (It was very exciting.) As a ribs-lover I don't know why I have never made ribs myself, I guess I have always had my favorite ribs joints and it always seemed like something difficult to perfect. One of my favorite aspects of writing a blog is that it provokes me to try lots of new and different recipes that I might not otherwise have thought to attempt. Thus, I had a craving for ribs and ribs I set out to make! Onward!

I arrived at Safeway (I am usually a Trader Joe's devotee but this called for a super market) eager and well-prepared, list in hand. I happily trotted over to the meat section and began the search for spare-ribs. My first quandary arose when I looked at my recipe (c/o Lobel's Meat Bible) which clearly stated that I should have my butcher cut "across the bone into 2-3 inch 'racks,' each rack cut" into individual riblets. Well, if you've ever been to Safeway (no offense to Safeway) you would know that when you look around for a butcher there is nary a one to be found and unfortunately, the Local Butcher Shop is not yet open. So, I decided to make the most of it and forge forth as my own butcher with a 3-pound rack of spare ribs. 

For the marinade: Combine 1 cup sliced shallots, roughly one head of garlic (peeled and chopped), 1 cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, a 3-inch piece of ginger chopped, 2 stalks of lemongrass, 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a blender - oh and a good dollop of sriracha. The marinade is ready to go!

*Side note - I tinkered with the original recipe a bit, throwing in lemongrass and sriracha, etc.

At this point I realized I had to "butcher" the ribs. Which ended up being more like a rib massacre, but the result was fine, there were individual ribs . . . definitely not uniform in size . . . and there may have been a few pieces of meat that didn't seem close enough to any bone to truly belong to the rib so I just cut those off and made little boneless ribs. Cut to the chase - I threw the random meat bits into a ziploc bag with the marinade and stuck it in the fridge for 7 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. Spread the ribs out on a baking sheet (I needed two). Put the ribs in the oven for an hour. Eat up! The recipe calls for a dipping sauce which I didn't make, but it sounded lovely. I served the ribs with rice that I cooked with lemongrass and a little cucumber salad (sliced persian cucumbers, a handful of chopped cilantro and mint, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar).

Lunch at Artisan, Paso Robles

On our way back to the city we stopped for a nice lunch at Artisan in Paso Robles. We jumped right in with an order of the jalapeno cornbread accompanied by honey lavender butter. The cornbread was served in a cast iron mold shaped like mini corn (the actual bread just looked nothing like corn but it was a cute idea and I liked the pan). The cornbread was nice, clearly there was some butter involved (not complaining) and I loved the hint of jalapeno flavor.

We also shared a bowl of black bean lentil soup with shredded tortilla crisps on top. The restaurant kindly gave us a taste of the soup which promptly convinced us to order a bowl of it (we couldn't stop ourselves at just a cup).

For our entrees we had the chopped salad with Point Reyes blue cheese. As you can see above the egg was PERFECTLY  cooked (I know this is subjective) but I am often wooed by oozy yolk-y goodness.

]Jan - this is a pasture on Highway 1 somewhere between Hearst Castle and Cambria.

The reuben with red cabbage and housemade russian dressing. The sandwich was yummy (although my favorite reuben is still from the La Brea Bakery take out counter).

I chose the burger. It is a rare occasion that I meet a burger that I don't like, and this was no exception. Quick observation: I think the trend of the moment is to serve a burger with a large serrated knife stabbed through the center of it -- very dramatic. Anyways Artisan's burger was served with white cheddar and housemade thousand island-y dressing. It was tasty and actually served medium rare (yay) but the patty was of the baseball-variety (extremely thick and not that wide across) and I thought the meat was just meh. When I make burgers at home I like to add spices or a little something extra into the meat (cilantro or cheese or Worcestershire) to give it flavor and flare and I found their meat a bit boring for the snazzy $13 presumptions. One last important note - the fries were perfection, golden and crusty exterior, melty buttery interior - yes please.

Jan - this is Moonstone Beach.

For Artisan's recipe for their Cuban sandwich with housemade zucchini pickles click here.

Pork Tenderloin with Gremolata over Corn Polenta

 To make the polenta: Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add in 1 cup polenta (I used cornmeal which is apparently a finer grind than 'real' polenta) and season with salt. Whisk the polenta frequently until the water is absorbed and the polenta cooked and creamy (about a 1/2 hour).  Once the polenta is cooked stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 cup corn kernels (I used canned), and . . . for the guilty-pleasure 50's throwback add in one small can of creamed corn (optional but highly recommended).

Gremolata: Mix the zest of 3 lemons, 3/4 cup finely chopped parsley and 1 minced garlic clove. Add in a couple drops of nice olive oil and season with a hint of salt. Toss it all together and let the flavors marry.

Now, for the pork: Season two 3/4-pound pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Rub the tenderloins with 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic and 3/4 cup peach jam. Set the meat aside and let marinate for however long you have (2-8 hours . . . for me it depends on how far in advance I'm able to plan, usually not very).

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. You can sear the tenderloins at high heat before putting them in the oven to give them a nice crispy exterior and seal in the juices. Place the pork tenderloins in a roasting pan and pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees. Once you take the pork out the temperature should climb up to around 145-148, bringing it to a lovely pink on the inside. Let sit for 10 minutes. Slice up the pork and sprinkle with gremolata. Dig in.

I served it with fresh baby asparagus, lightly steamed and drizzled with a touch of olive oil.

Lunch on the Coast - Moonstone Beach

In a pleasant turn of events I got to spend this week not working, not exercising, not running errands but . . . ON VACATION! I am visiting the central coast of California this week and testing out some new recipes, some local haunts and one or two tourist-y traps. Driving from San Francisco the weather did not bode well for a beach vacation, but after about 18 hours of serious rain (even a dusting of snow on the tops of the hills!) things turned around and we  have enjoyed sunny, mid-50's weather - perfect for beach strolls with a well-loved sweater.

After some serious tourism we went to lunch at Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill. This isn't the height of cuisine by any stretch of the imagination but it was tasty and exactly what you would want sitting across from a big ocean view framed by bright yellow blooming oxalis. Being beachside, I decided fish was in order and tried the grilled salmon sandwich. It was pleasantly delish - standard french roll, out of season under-ripe tomato (yah yah), yum yum YUM tartar sauce, and very moist perfectly cooked salmon (hallelujah!).

(I want this - It is roughly 1/3 the size of my apartment)

We also couldn't resist the burger (I have had more burgers and fries in the last eight days than I care to/is healthy to admit). The burger was pretty standard as burgers go - nice pink in the middle, once again good sauce ("secret sauce" - aka Thousand Island). In addition I snuck in a few bites of fish tacos that were really good and accompanied (on the side - so thoughtful) by a "spicy" (a certified spice wimp, I deemed it spice-less, but scrumptious) crema.

The meal was a good, slightly overpriced, moderately touristy, immensely worth it lunch. More Cambria ramblings to follow . . .

The Citrus Goes On - Scallops with Blood Orange Gastrique (Gastrique!)

In the midst of my citrus kick, I plopped down on my couch on Sunday morning and flipped open an old copy of Bon Appetit (it takes me a few months to feel like I have really not missed any recipes that I NEED to try) and on the very first page I found a recipe for scallops with blood orange gastrique. The very term gastrique intimidated me and I was quite sure that gastriques were something that could only be concocted in restaurants, by professionals. I quickly moved on but, by the end of the magazine, realized that I couldn't resist it any longer and decided to make my very first gastrique!

The only problem is that, as it turns out, a gastrique is really shockingly easy to make, much less complicated than stock, so it takes away, a bit, from my triumph, but here goes anyways. I began by heating three tablespoons of granulated sugar in a sauce pot over medium heat. As instructed I stirred until it dissolved and, once dissolved, I left it alone until it turned golden (I have burnt sugar in the past and tried very hard to not do that again). Once the sugar was a deep golden color, I gradually poured in one tablespoon red wine vinegar and, as the recipe warned, the mixture hardened. It slowly melted and then I poured in 3/4 cup blood orange juice and 1/4 cup tangerine juice. From here it was easy, boil for five minutes until the mixture has reduced a bit. Then add in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and bring it back up to a boil. Let it boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup, this took me about 20 mins and I might have even let it go a little longer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Finally, for the scallop - as the recipe instructed I rinsed the scallop, dried it thoroughly, and then seared it at high heat with out moving it around until it was ready to flip. I did it scallop by scallop just to give myself multiple attempts. My first scallop, pictured above, started to sear nicely and then, the pan began to burn, aggressively. It smelled horrible, the scallop seemed to secrete water causing the burning to spread across the pan - it was a bit of disaster. I removed the scallop and the scallop seemed to have come out okay (not great but intact), but the pan was in a bad way. Long story short, I continued to practice but I still do not have my caramelizing tactics down - I will forge on.
         All in all, the meal was a success. The scallop had a nice crispness on the outside and was creamy and tender in the middle, accompanied by the gastrique which, if I do say so myself, turned out quite nicely - a pleasant taste of acidity with a sweet finish.

Citrus "week" continues - Lemon Risotto

I am still working on perfecting my risotto, and in an effort to practice I decided to make a lemon risotto. I tried to employ a very basic method and incorporate a little lemony lightness.

I began by warming six cups of good chicken stock in a pot on the stove. In a separate, large pot, saute 2 cloves garlic and 3 large shallots in a pat of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. Saute until the shallots are translucent. Toss in a few sprigs of fresh thyme and marjoram. Add in two cups of arborio rice and 'toast' the rice for about 3 minutes, adding a little more olive oil as needed.

Once the rice is evenly toasted, deglaze the pan with 1/3 cup dry white wine. Let the alcohol burn off. Now, the fun begins -- it's time to start adding in the stock. Add a ladle-full of stock to the rice and stir over medium heat until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Repeat this until you have used up all the stock -- it will take 15-20 minutes.

It's all downhill from here: turn off the heat BEFORE the last ladle-full is completely absorbed. Apparently, and I just had this knowledge impressed upon me care of Top Chef, "proper" risotto is supposed to be creamy but a bit runny. It is not supposed to sit up in a heap. As I said, my risotto is a work in progress. To finish the risotto, stir in 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest and the juice of one lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste and dig in while it's hot.

I riffed on this recipe, thanks to Bon Appetit magazine.

Citrus Week - Blood Orange Polenta Cake

While much of the country has been experiencing chillingly cold temperatures and aggressive snow storms we have had an unseasonably warm week here in sunny (?!!) San Francisco. I took advantage and went down to the Ferry Market - where I can really only afford to look and get ideas - which I did! The weather felt like corn on the cob and juicy peaches but it is still citrus season so I decided to celebrate with a blood orange dessert.

I love the gritty crunch of cornmeal in my cakes and luckily I located this recipe for blood orange polenta cake in Bon Appetit. To begin you combine 3/4 cup plus three tablespoons flour, 3 heaping tablespoons corn meal (I put in extra), and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder in a bowl. Set aside.
Now this is the part where I, to put it nicely, diverged from the recipe. I, sadly, do not have a cast iron skillet (sniff sniff), nor do I have any sort of pan that can bake in the oven (notice the black plastic handle), so I made the caramel sauce in a pan and was prepared to transfer it to a cake/pie pan. Begin by putting 6 tablespoons granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat, bring to a boil and don't stir. Let it cook until the sugar mixture turns a light caramel color but BEFORE it turns dark and burns.

Here's the part where I may or may not have screwed up - remove from the heat, quickly add in 2 tablespoons butter and then hurriedly dump it into the cake tin before it hardens and becomes unmanageable (I may or may not have been on the phone while doing this and at the same time been trying to take photos and then I may or may not have forgotten to add in the butter . . . it all worked out). Thinly slice two blood oranges and arrange them neatly on top of the caramel mixture. Set aside.

Batter time - Beat 3/4 cup sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a bowl. Once combined and fluffy, beat in two egg yolks (reserving the whites) one at a time. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the addition of 6 tablespoons of whole milk (start and finish with the dry!).
Once all that is combined, beat your egg whites until they form soft peaks, throw in 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and beat until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites.

Spoon the batter on top of the blood oranges. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. It recommends serving it with whipped creme fraiche. I bought the creme fraiche but then, in my excitement/exhaustion, I completely forgot about it, though I managed to still thoroughly enjoy the cake sans creme.