Hi All,

I am not in the kitchen this week as I drove up to Seattle for the International Food Blogger Conference and to spend a little time with friends and family. So, while I’m listening to speakers, tasting delicious food, fine beverage and playing dress up with all of my mom’s old jewelry from the [...]]]>

Hi All,

I am not in the kitchen this week as I drove up to Seattle for the International Food Blogger Conference and to spend a little time with friends and family. So, while I’m listening to speakers, tasting delicious food, fine beverage and playing dress up with all of my mom’s old jewelry from the 80’s, I have picked out a small selection of my favorite posts for your reading pleasure. I’ll see you soon!

Cheers,

Erin

Smoked Salmon Potato Salad

Cannelini Bean Parmesan Pancakes

Speck, Nectarines and Quark Three Ways

Fig Truffles

Chevre Cookies with Cranberries and Walnuts

Toasted Almond Cookies

Chilled Yellow Beet Soup

Roasted Red Pepper and Semolina Gnocchi

Sorry I haven’t posted as promised. A very busy week combined with jet lag led to some poor time management on my part. You’ll have to wait a little longer to see the Barcelona roundup, but I will have a trip inspired recipe for you this evening.

Cheers,

Erin

The voting is underway at : http://www.theolivepress.com/blog/entry/cooking_competition/ I would love it if you voted for me, but no pressure.

Thanks!

Erin

Sorry I don’t have a real post for you right now, I have spent the week in a haze of antihistamines and in a bubble of a head cold. Aside from worrying about the status of the kleenex box and contemplating naps, my mind has been utterly blank. But I am better now and [...]]]> Hi Everyone,

Sorry I don’t have a real post for you right now, I have spent the week in a haze of antihistamines and in a bubble of a head cold. Aside from worrying about the status of the kleenex box and contemplating naps, my mind has been utterly blank. But I am better now and hope to have something for you very soon.

Erin

Update: This week has been nuts! I’ll be back on Friday.

You know, I truly believe that beans get a bad rap. It’s true that they are finding their way into more and more gourmet kitchens, but overall beans are still generally treated like the smelly kid who sat in the back of your fourth grade class. Aside from the odd pot of baked beans, I [...]]]>

You know, I truly believe that beans get a bad rap. It’s true that they are finding their way into more and more gourmet kitchens, but overall beans are still generally treated like the smelly kid who sat in the back of your fourth grade class. Aside from the odd pot of baked beans, I never really ate them as a normal part of my diet until a few years ago and I never dreamed there was such an amazing array of shapes, sizes and flavors.

I think one of the coolest things about the bean is the versatility. True the most common way to cook them is to simmer them for hours with various ingredients and served as a stew of sorts. But, it is so simple to take them out of the pot and imagine something beyond the bowl and spoon.  In India dosas have been made for years from gently fermented daal. One of the most beloved of all dips hummus is an amazing way to use beans, and Clotilde Dusoulier has a recipe for a wonderful white bean dip that I highly recommend. Whipped cannelini beans have been making gains against mashed potatoes for sometime now.

When many of you think of potato pancakes, no doubt you think of latkes. Not me. I grew up eating creamy smooth potato pancakes made from leftover mashed potatoes (good excuse to mash a few extra!). I started thinking about them a few weeks ago and the idea of using beans in their place really captured me. After a whirlwind of mixing, testing and tasting I have come up with this weeks recipe.

The pancakes contain a large amount of parmesan cheese, but are not overtly cheesy and it compliments the richness of the cannelini. I added a touch of garlic, but this definitely does not follow my usual trend of the more garlic the better. I really think too much garlic would really detract from the finished product. I decided to make this dish a sort of fun play on breakfast through the addition of warm infused olive oil in place of the syrup most eat with their short stack. I think it is a fun little dish and hope you enjoy it.

Cannelini Bean Parmesan Pancakes

3 cups Cooked Cannelini Beans

1 cup Parmesan, grated and at room temp

3 eggs

1 TBS Fresh Lemon Juice

1 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper, make it a coarse grind

1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 1/2 TBS All-Purpose Flour

Pine nuts, for garnish

Rosemary Sprigs, for garnish

Warm Infused Oil

Combine your ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Heat up a non-stick or other well seasoned  skillet, adding a glug of olive oil to the pan.  Using a small measuring cup or good sized spoon add the batter to the pan, being sure to keep the pancakes relatively small. Think biscuit instead of frisbee. Cook on both sides, being careful when flipping, until they are golden brown. Set on a towel to remove any excess oil.

Arrange on a plate sprinkling with pine nuts sprigs of rosemary and drizzling with the warm infused olive oil.

Warm Rosemary and Garlic Infused Olive Oil

3/4 cup Olive Oil (use something rich and flavorful)

1 Sprig Rosemary

1 Garlic Clove, lightly smashed and peeled

Place your ingredients in a sauce pan and heat up to a simmer, keep a watchful eye. Reduce the heat to low and allow to sit for 15 minutes before turning off. Allow the ingredients to infuse for 1 hour at the very least. I gave mine overnight. Before serving warm up the oil gently, being absolutely careful not to over heat and burn yourself. It should be warm enough when you can feel warmth radiating off of the pan. Do not, I repeat do not test it on your skin. I am sure most of you know that, but we all know there are a few who don’t.

Serve drizzled over my cannelini bean pancakes.

Note: These can also be used as a base  for a larger dish.  Maybe topped with an herb salad, roasted tomatoes or some sort of seared seafood. As usual, the possibilities are endless. 

Having recently moved all of my worldly possessions  about 900 miles, I spent a good share of this month lifting, unwrapping and arranging. Most evenings I was hot, tired and ready for a drink. I am sure since I moved to America’s wine capitol that many of you would have thought I’d be making a [...]]]>

Having recently moved all of my worldly possessions  about 900 miles, I spent a good share of this month lifting, unwrapping and arranging. Most evenings I was hot, tired and ready for a drink. I am sure since I moved to America’s wine capitol that many of you would have thought I’d be making a beeline towards a bottle of wine, but that was not the case. As much as I love wine, I wanted something refreshing and only mildly alcoholic in this warm and dry climate.

I used lychee as a starting point for this drink. Lychee is a lovely mild fruit with an interesting slightly spongy texture that is incredibly addictive. I am a fan, but I can tell you that every time I bring home lychees from Uwajimaya, Phil motors through them like they are going out of style. His sticky hands always tell the story. My recipe calls for you to use canned lychees, because you need the syrup they are packed to flavor the drink. If you can’t find lychees try your local Asian grocer.

I took the delicate flavor of the lychee and paired it with something a little less wholesome. At first I thought of vodka, but it sort of felt like a fall back option. Then I was puttering around Trader Joe’s wine section when I saw a bottle of sake and I realised it’s delicate flavor and mild punch would be gorgeous with the lychee. That left the refreshing element of the lemonade. I initially used a sparkling lemonade. The light effervescence it adds makes the drink very refreshing, but I think I prefer the more pronounced tang of a still lemonade. I leave that choice to you.

Lychee Sake Lemonade

Ice

1 TBS Lychee Syrup

1/4 cup Chilled Sake (sparkling or still, but I recommend still)

Chilled Lemonade (sparkling or still, it’s your choice)

Lychee to garnish, seeds removed

Hibiscus Flowers, to garnish (optional)

Fill a tall glass with ice, add the syrup, sake and lemonade. Give it a stir and garnish with your lychee.

Notes: You can use sparkling sake for this drink, but it is a tad spendy. I personally enjoy my sparkling sake on it’s own.

You may have taken notice of the straw in the photo, it is a reusable straw I picked up at Starbucks a century ago. I don’t know if they still sell them, but I’m sure you can find them elsewhere.

Hi All, I had initially planned to post a farewell to Seattle here yesterday, but the move has had me too wrecked to think. The moving truck pulled out of town late yesterday afternoon and ever since we have been cleaning, and enjoying what little time we have left in this wonderful city. Yesterday we said [...]]]>

Hi All,
I had initially planned to post a farewell to Seattle here yesterday, but the move has had me too wrecked to think. The moving truck pulled out of town late yesterday afternoon and ever since we have been cleaning, and enjoying what little time we have left in this wonderful city. Yesterday we said goodbye to our favorite restaurant Txori. The pintxo murouno was even more delicious than normal, it was almost as if it knew we were saying goodbye. Tonight we are having pizza with my family at a one of those hip Belltown pizzerias, before returning home to watch the sunset over my mountains, glass of sparkling wine in hand one last time.
Hopefully I won’t be long without internet access and have hopes of being back by Friday. Wish us luck!

I do apologize, but this weeks post is going to be a little late. This has been the craziest week I’ve had in a very long time (more on that later!), and I just haven’t had the chance to make the planned recipe. Actually, I haven’t had much time to eat (you should have [...]]]>  Hi everyone,

I do apologize, but this weeks post is going to be a little late. This has been the craziest week I’ve had in a very long time (more on that later!), and I just haven’t had the chance to make the planned recipe. Actually, I haven’t had much time to eat (you should have seen me hoovering my piroshky yesterday) much less cook. Please check back Sunday in the afternoon or evening for my post.

Thanks,

Erin

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday however and whatever you celebrate! We will be lounging in our pj’s reading books, watching movies (and the snow) and enjoying our individual Beef Wellingtons with a nice bottle of sparkling wine from Oregon. 

Merry Christmas!