First, I tried a Bramley Apple Shortcake because of the interesting crust. It's really kind of a pie but the crust (bottom and top) is a crumbly shortbread crust. Very interesting recipe from a British food writer Nigel Slater from his cookbook The Kitchen Diaries. You have to realize that when you cook from a book written by an Englishman or another book I've used from an Australian, they have different ingredients and name and measure things differently. I am not sure if we can find Bramley apples here and he suggests using Granny Smith. I think Pippin apples would even be better if you like tart pies. This one had NO spices so it's just apples and a teeny bit of sugar (i.e. 1 teaspoon of superfine sugar). I loved it, Bill did not...he thought it wasn't sweet enough and too doughy. I gave away half since I didn't want to eat it by myself and gain 10 pounds! My mother loved it as did my neighbor, lucky recipients! It was buttery (it uses 2-1/2 cubes of butter in the crust), tart and simple. I liked the natural taste of this type of pie...apples, a little sugar, butter and flour. Doesn't the photo intrigue you too? If you want the recipe, send me your email and I'll send a doc.file to you.The other dishes I've been trying are: Peanut Orange Crusted Salmon from the CIA Greystone Restaurant in St. Helena. It was surprisingly delicious! It is served with what they call "Green Goddess" dressing but I altered the recipe a bit and used Greek yogurt and added garlic. It's a peanut and panko crusted salmon filet. The crust has olive oil, white wine, chopped parsley, & orange zest. Now does it sound better? And, yes, Bill liked it too.
After Mary introduced us to fried capers at our last dinner I also thought I'd try a Brussel Sprouts with Walnuts & Fried Capers recipe. Now, you have to understand that I do not like Brussel Sprouts but for some unknown reason, I keep looking for recipes that will make me like them. I don't do the same thing for lima beans, another veggie that I avoid...go figure.
The result was that I learned that I can't overcook the sprouts or they become bitter. Cooking them until they are just barely cooked and a little browned on the outside brings out their nutty flavors. Of course, butter/EVO helps too! Bill likes brussel sprouts so that may be why I try to find recipes so I'll enjoy it when I cook them for him. AND, whatever you do, don't send me recipes for lima beans! Friends have told me that I just haven't tried "fresh" lima beans but I have and I still find the odor and taste remniscient of an outhouse...ugh! Slathered in butter even...
Well, my next recipe is a Tri-color Potato Salad that I found in "Bon AppetÃt" magazine that looked healthy and yummy. I think it looks pretty too. Now what to have with it....Don't forget, if you want any of the recipes, email me if you're in the cookbook club or give me your email in the "comments" space below and I'll send it to you!
We're taking a short vacation to Hawaii so look for some photos and reviews of some great Hawaiian restaurants soon. I will also do some cooking since we're staying with some friends at their second home near Hilo on the Big Island and then staying overnight in Oahu to go to Alan Wong's Pineapple Room at Macy's (don't you wish our Macy's had such a restaurant?), and Pah Ke's in Kaneohe on Oahu. Normally, Pah Ke's is a Chinese restaurant but if you call ahead and let Raymond know you would like to have a special dinner and how much you want to pay and you'll get a fabulous dinner that doesn't look anything like a Chinese meal! We'll be back Nov. 17th so the blog will get updated then.
When we travel, we like to gather "local knowledge" that takes us to very interesting out of the way places like Pah Ke's. Then there's always the touristy shrimp trucks on Oahu that serve huge plates of garlic buttered just-caught-island-farmed-shrimp...there isn't any better shrimp...well, maybe wild Alaskan spot prawns...but I digress. Giovanni's shrimp truck is reputed to have the best but we haven't tried that one yet. We go to a beat up old 'roach coach' named Kahuku's. We tried one called Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp but it was just another pretty truck....LOL! Seriously, avoid this one..overcooked shrimp, ugh.Aloha!
Sandi
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