blackberry cobbler: Eylül 2012

30 Eylül 2012 Pazar

Martha Stewart Collection Cast Iron Enamel Cookware

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An opportunity to try out an 8 quart enameled cast iron casserole of cookware from Martha Stewart Collection was an offer I couldn't turn down. I'd seen the line at Macy's, the only place where it is available, and it's very handsome and I wondered how it would compare to my other enameled cast iron from Le Creuset..

I have three pieces of Le Creuset enameled cookware. I have smaller and larger "French ovens" as Le Creuset refers to them in round and oval shapes. I use them all the time and in recipes I refer to them as Dutch ovens or heavy casseroles.

There are some differences between the two lines of cookware. The Martha Stewart Collection cookware is made in China, and the Le Creuset cookware is made in France. The colors and styling of the cookware is slightly different as is the sizing. Le Creuset makes a 7 /14 quart round and a 9 quart round, but not an 8 quart round piece. The interior of the Le Creuset is white, whereas the Martha Stewart is a pale cream color.

I used the 8 quart enameled cast iron casserole to soak black beans and cook them to make black bean soup. I chose black beans because while enameled cast iron is stain resistant, I have found my Le Creuset pieces have stained, and I blame black beans. While the black beans created a tough to remove scale on the Martha Stewart piece, I was able to remove it completely with a gentle cleaner. The 8 quart piece is very heavy, I'd say the same weight as the 7 1/4 quart piece from Le Creuset.

What I like about the Martha Stewart Collection:

The performance. I found the Martha Stewart piece to work just as well as the Le Creuset. It's great for low and slow simmered dishes like black bean soup or braised beef.

On the interior of the lid there are "condensation rings" that help to redistribute moisture. Do they make a big difference? Probably not. But it's a nice feature and certainly makes the lid less drippy when you go to remove it.

The price! Wow! The 8 quart piece is $184.99 and $109.99 on sale. By comparison, the Le Creuset 7 1/4 quart piece is more than twice the price. The list price is $400 and you can get it online for about $294.99. Granted both manufacturers offer a limited lifetime warranty and their products are built to last, but that's a big price difference.

What I don't like about the Martha Stewart Collection:

My biggest issue is with the handle. It's handsome, but it gets hot. I prefer the Le Creuset black phenolic lid knobs, which stay cool.

The colors are bright and appealing but the Le Creuset pieces have a gradation of color that is particularly attractive.

As it is for all cookware, the true test of these pieces is over time, only after several years can you really know how well they hold up. But for the price, I'd say the Martha Stewart pieces are a very good value. I will keep you posted...

This Martha Stewart Collection casserole was provided to me by GigaSavvy for review purposes. I was not paid for this review and the opinions expressed are my own.

Araxi Long Table Dinner July 2012

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One of the highlights of my recent trip to Whistler was the Araxi Long Table Dinner. For a resort town, Whistler has some very impressive restaurants and Araxi is one of them. Whether you want modern cuisine, something playful, a spectacular view or are dining in style you can find it all in Whistler. Although, to be honest, things don't get terribly formal in Whistler and that is certainly part of it's appeal. Araxi is on the high end of the spectrum and has received all kinds of accolades in the press.

The location for the dinner was Rainbow Park in Whistler Valley. With a name like that you just know it's going to be drop dead gorgeous, right? And it was. A meandering path led to an open space with views of Whistler and Blackcombe mountains set on Alta Lake.

The Long Table Dinners are a bit similar to Outstanding in the Field. A multi course dinner is held outdoors in a picturesque location showcasing local ingredients and a percentage of ticket sales go to The Chef’s Table Society of BC, supporting regional chefs, producers and the local food industry. Logistically I can only imagine it must be a nightmare but Araxi really pulled it off wonderfully.

The crowd was a stylish bunch, hip I'd say. I have no idea how many folks were from out of town, but several I spoke to were locals or from Vancouver.

Tofino Dungeness Crab in North Arm Farm Squash Blossoms with Root Down Farm organic greens basil and cherry tomato vinaigrette was the first course and it was so good you I think many would have been happy having it as a main dish. How they managed to fry these enormous blossoms and serve them while still hot in the great outdoors I will never know. But I can tell you they were light and greaseless and had a unique panko crust. The light greens, basil and tomato vinaigrette added notes of freshness to the dish.

I don't think you can have a signature British Columbia dinner without serving salmon. It's such a delicacy and so abundant this time of year. The second course was Hot Smoked BC Sockeye Salmon with Root Down Organic Ruby Streak (a green herb) with Lemon Verbena Dressing local baby golden beets and shaved radish. This was just a stunning dish. Perhaps my favorite, because the salmon was smoky and yet retained that lovely custardy creamy texture. Overcooked salmon is a pet peeve of mine. The colors remind me of some swank wedding--all pink, and yellow and red and well, salmon with touches of green here and there.

Whistler sits next to Pemberton a very agriculturally rich area. There are scenic farms, ranches and even a distillery using local potatoes, all well worth a visit by the way. So it should be no surprise that beef from Pemberton was the next course. Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef, Rosemary roasted loin and agnolotti of beef cheeks and short rib with Pemberton baby carrots and red wine jus. My partner in British Columbia eating adventures, food blogger Mijune of Follow Me Foodie and I loved this dish, but agreed, as fabulous as the beef was, the stuffed pasta was our happy place. I could have passed up the loin in favor of more pasta please! The agnolotti were super large and the fresh homemade pasta was al dente, plump with tender shreds of beef cheek and short rib. Oh I'm sure you can imagine how good it was!

For dessert fresh strawberries in many forms. Pemeberton Strawberries with Honey lavender meringue and Okanagan goat cheese mousse, Mini strawberry tarts with Lillooet Honey Pastry Cream, Strawberry Basil ConsommÃ©. If the salmon dish reminded me of a wedding the dessert was like a sweet sixteen birthday party. Again, so pretty but bursting with the bright acidity and sweetness that only comes in Summer. Strawberry consommÃ© is something I must remember to make in the future...

And to gild the lilly, Petit Fours - pÃ¢tÃ© de fruits, mini madeleines and French macarons.
I definitely recommend coming up to Whistler in the Summer and if you can get to one of these annual outdoor affairs, by all means, do it. If not, check out the restaurant or the James Beard Nominated Araxi Seasonal Recipes from the Celebrated Whistler Restaurant.

More posts on the dinner:

Follow Me Foodie

Eats, Shoots and Maple Leaves

Vitamin Daily
My thanks to Tourism Whistler for sponsoring this trip and inviting me to be their guest. I was not compensated to write this post.

Taste of Israel

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What is the cuisine of Israel? I will soon find out! I've been invited by a group of students from Taste of Israel to experience the food of Israel. I will be visiting wineries, restaurants, a dairy, markets and more. Food is always a lens through which I see the world and learn about people and culture. I know very little about Israel so I'm looking forward to an eye opening experience.

I will be in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Tiberias, Dead Sea and Caesarea. I'm especially excited to stay with a friend Anne Kleinberg, author of the cookbook, Pomegranates at Casa Caesarea, her B&B. It's through my blog that I met Anne and eight years later I am finally meeting her in person.

My trip is the second in recent months that will bring food bloggers to Israel. My fellow bloggers Pille of Nami Nami and David Lebovitz have shared wonderful posts about their trip (albeit with a different organizer). My thanks to them for their recommendations and advice.

David's Israel Posts (lots of posts and great photos as usual)
Pille's Post (Pille tells me there are more coming)

If you have any recommendations of things I shouldn't miss, or suggestions of what I should bring back, or travel tips, feel free to leave me a comment.

Chefs on Beef

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When it comes to beef, the kind of you choose is truly a matter of taste and personal preference. There are different cuts, different preparations and of course different breeds. Me? I care about humane treatment of animals and healthy eating, but first and foremost I want something that tastes really good. And so do chefs. One the last day of the Certified Angus Beef conference in West Virginia I got to hang out with chefs at the bucolic Ironside Ranch. It was a great opportunity to eat, talk and learn what cuts and types of beef they serve and sell.

I spoke with three outstanding and award-winning chefs--Govind Armstrong who has been involved in a variety of different restaurants including a chain of burger joints, Keoni Chang, a corporate chef with a supermarket from Hawaii, who has a CIA culinary degree and a restaurant background and Matt Hill, a steak house chef who has also worked in fine dining and also has a CIA culinary degree. I learned while they each have their personal preferences, ultimately they all believe in offering variety to their customers.

Govind Armstrong, Post & Beam (and 8 oz Burger Bar), Los Angeles CA
I was excited to meet chef Govind Armstrong, especially after enjoying a fantastic meal he served the night before. His beef preparations included a sous vide then seared dry aged filet of strip and crisp smoked beef bacon. Govind told me he has been using Certified Angus Beef for many years, he first learned about it when he worked with chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. He was impressed with the quality and has used it ever since. He appreciates the consistency and though he uses different cuts at the different restaurants he is affiliated with, he's a fan of the culotte. The tenderness and consistency mean "it's one less thing I have to worry about."
He enjoys good quality meat and told me he has spent time in Argentina where all beef is strictly grass fed and finished. The beef is a different texture, but one he appreciates saying it's grassier but that it's not what he wants everyday. He uses the middle meats such as the strip loin and barrel cut (a marbled part of the rib eye). He's a fan of cooking beef sous vide and adds seasonings and clarified butter to add flavor and richness. He noted different in some places like Mississippi and Louisiana, everyone tends to want their beef well done and that affects his choice of beef as well.

Keoni Chang, Foodland Supermarkets, Honolulu HI
Keoni, a chef with a fine dining background told me he was brought on board at Foodland to improve the quality of the perishable food in the supermarket from the bakery through to the deli. The store was offering mostly Select grade beef and he felt it was important to expand the options. He likes the Choice grade and tried another company's product before settling on Certified Angus Beef. His stores also carry local and grass fed beef. The population in Hawaii is used to often using thinner cuts for Asian preparations but he says they are starting to want more thick steaks they can grill too.
Which is best? He says it comes down to a lifestyle choice for most people and he wants to satisfy as many customers as he can. He focuses on the sub primals such as the top sirloin, rib eye, strip loin and one of his favorite, the boneless short ribs off the chuck which he says has great marbling. When it comes to the Choice grade, he points out there is a lot of variation from beef that is just a cut above Select to beef that is almost Prime. With Certified Angus Beef, he says "we are getting close to the Prime experience."

Matt Hill, Charlie Palmer Steak, Washington DC
Matt told me he chooses Certified Angus Beef for the consistency it provides. He appreciates the higher level of marbling and tender product. In taste tests he preferred Certified Angus Beef dry aged strip loins to American wagyu beef, referencing the mouthfeel in particular.
He also buys locally raised grass fed quarters and whole animals and enjoys breaking down the product in his restaurant. For grass fed he prepares carpaccio and charcuterie, while for Certified Angus Beef he is particularly fond of the culotte. He also admitted that farm to table is easier to do with pork than with beef.
Note: Matt was one of StarChef's Rising Stars in 2010 and has just left Charlie Palmer Steak to work at a new concept. Stay tuned!

Disclosure: I was a guest at the Certified Angus Beef conference and my travel expenses were covered, however I was not paid to write this or any other post.

Beef Trends

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As I mentioned in my last post, I'm just back from West Virginia where I attended the Certified Angus Beef conference. It was a great opportunity to meet with chefs, talk to butchers and learn more about beef--the trends, the choices and what's on the horizon. When it comes to beef, just like chocolate or wine or coffee, the more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn.
First a few common misconceptions, when it comes to beef:
Only some beef is grass fed. Actually all beef is grass fed. It's just a question of how it's "finished" Certified Angus Beef is finished on a feed lot and eats grain to bulk up in size and improve marbling of the meat. If you want to buy grass fed, pay attention to how it's finished. Some beef being sold as grass fed is not the same as "grass finished."
Grass fed beef is healthier. I used to think so, but it turns out the evidence is mixed. While grass fed beef does have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, it's not a great source of them. And as an article in the New York Times concluded, " it’s not clear whether the nutritional differences in the two types of meat (grass fed versus conventional) have any meaningful impact on human health." Meanwhile other research challenges the benefits of grass fed over grain finished. I think the jury is out on this one.
Fresh beef is better than frozen. Not really. Freezing actually improves the tenderness of beef, since ice crystals penetrate muscle and research shows there is no real moisture loss difference between fresh and frozen meat. Beef, like chicken and pork are expected to go up in price in the coming year and since meat prices vary throughout the year, take advantage of the cost savings and consider buying frozen beef. You won't be sacrificing quality.
And the trends….

Bone in steaks! I saw this when I dined at Sidecut at the Four Seasons Whistler where a 52 ounce porterhouse, a 36 ounce rib eye and a 36 ounce strip steak are all served bone in and carved table side. This is a fun way to dine! I haven't done a side by side taste test of steak cooked on the bone versus off the bone, but generally speaking, meat on the bone tastes better.

Signature grinds are a trend that is due to the popularity of gourmet burgers. It's not just the coarseness of the grind, but the very mix or meats such as short rib, prime rib, brisket or strip steak. What makes some burgers taste better than others? One secret is oleic acid. Oleic acid is the primary mono- unsaturated fatty acid in beef and accounts for about 33% of the fatty acid in beef (it's also found in olive oil) research shows that monounsaturated oleic acid does not raise cholesterol. It's this fat that is partly responsible for making meat taste so good and is found in higher percentages in very marbled beef. There is some very interesting research on this topic. Other ways burgers become "gourmet" include seasonings, fillings and toppings. My favorite to date has to be the marrow burger which is off the menu at Luella. But burgers with bacon, cheese and caramelized onions (and ground bacon in the grind), like the one at Marlowe are pretty spectacular too.

Smaller portions. Hallelujah! When I go to a steak house I typically order the smallest steak, or hope someone will share a large one with me (bone in perhaps?). Frankly I get tired of eating beef after about three to four bites. And I really get tired of having filet mignon be my only option for something more petite. As demand grows for smaller steaks, different cuts are showing up such as the culotte or top sirloin cap, filet of rib, cap of rib, sirloin end, chuck eye and they are very flavorful unlike the less flavorful yet tender filet mignon. For me good quality beef is a treat and a little goes a long way.
New cuts. The way beef is butchered or fabricated, is constantly evolving. Some cuts you may not have seen yet include the braison and merlot, also known as "heel" of the beef round. Both will be less expensive cuts, the braison is best for braising and the merlot can be grilled or cooked whole.
It strikes me that there is something for everyone whether you want a big hunk of meat on the bone a gourmet burger or just a smaller portion. Which trends are you most excited about?

Disclosure: I learned about the trends at the Certified Angus Beef conference where I was a guest and my travel expenses were covered. I was not paid to write this or any other post. Special thanks to Kyle Miller and Michael Ollier for their terrific educational session and meat cutting demonstration.

29 Eylül 2012 Cumartesi

The Girls | Sam & Emma at Moo Moo's House

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Over the Fourth of July weekend, my friend (and our wedding photographer) Claire Ryser came out to my Mom's house (aka Moo Moo) to take some photos of the girls and our family. It was an early morning and Emma was a little shy, but Claire was able to capture some really cute moments from the girls. I love this sweet blushing Emma above - it is one of those sweet little looks that I might have never thought to shoot.

All photos by Claire Ryser.

The girls are being silly on their Moo Moo's chenille baby blanket. Sam was saying "I'm going to get your nose, Emma!"

Sweet babies.

Classic Baby in a basket.

It is amazing how much more hair she has now - just a month later than this photo... and the teeth that have come in that she seems to be working on in this pic!

We were telling Sam to give Emma kisses.

We close on our house tomorrow morning! I'm headed to pick up paint and painting supplies. The search for area rugs and light fixtures continues over the weekend - wish me good luck!

Our New House | Our Real Estate Agent Mary Carol Schriefer

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We're officially home owners (again)! This morning we closed on our new house... let the work begin. As you know, I've been busy making design plans and pinning inspiration photos and products for what we hope to do with the new house, but a lot has had to happen for us to get to this point, including finding, negotiating and actually buying the house. Details, details!

I want to give a big THANK YOU to our realtor Mary Carol Schriefer from Mary Carol & Reed Premium Real Estate Services. In the spirit of full discloser, Mary Carol happens to be married to Pops (my grandpa), but the benefits of her services greatly surpass her family ties. Mary Carol is an absolute expert in all things Residential Real Estate - from having great taste (like when I ask her her thoughts on window treatments and paint colors), a keen investment sense (she and her business partner/son Brian own investment properties themselves) and insight to the financial side of buying a house (her 30+ years of experience as being a mortgage broker helps!).

When we walked through houses Mary Carol and I would talk about how perfect a Christmas tree would look in the front picture window or how perfect the french doors were that lead from the dining room to the side porch, and in the same breath, she would turn around and answer all of Mike's questions about the condition of the windows and foundation. I knew she would be the perfect agent for us because not only is she is a very smart (and self-made!) business woman, but she knows the importance of living well and how crucial a gracious home is as a part of a comfortable life.

Besides Mary Carol's experience in the business, Brian (her partner, as I mentioned) owned an appraisal business before he partnered with his Mom to start their agency and he was able to share with us his knowledge about the true value of various homes we considered. Talk about full service! Thank You, MC and Brian for helping us find our new home!

Visit Mary Carol & Brian's website, marycarolandreed.com, for more information about their services.

Another big Thank You to Melanie Reed (Brian's wife) for doing a wonderful job as our mortgage broker. You made it painless! Visit Melanie's page for more information about her services.

The New House : Progress... and Painting Prep 101

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I'm sorry to have been out of touch for the last couple of days... we've been busy sanding, scraping, spackling, filling and sanding. Last night we finally got some paint on the walls.

I documented the process for you so you, too, can have the pleasure of spending hours repairing your woodwork and trim.

It is tedious work. So much so, that Mike and I did the living room, prepped the dining room... and called a painting company the next day to finish. Oops. We really wanted to do it ourselves, but it was just taking us too much time to do it right.

Before we started most of the woodwork looked like the photo above. Ick.

Step 1 : Sponge down all of the woodwork with soap and water.

With the bad comes the good, as do these really pretty glass and brass door knobs.

Back to the woodwork.

Step 2 : Sand the trim. I sanded all of the spots that had dings and chipping paint. Then I wiped it clean with damp rag.

Step 3 : I filled the woodwork that was chipped away with wood filler.

Using a putty knife I filled the spots...

Then used the putty knife to form a new sharp clean edge.

Step 4 : Patch the walls by filling any holes with spackling.

We used this spot light to bring out all of the imperfections so we could repair the walls perfectly... or as perfectly as we could.

Step 5 : Sand. Sand all of the filled walls and trim.

Step 6 : Finally, paint. We rolled first, then trimmed. around the edges.

Paint : Benjamin Moore in Manchester Tan
*You can see my design board (including colors and layout) for this room, here.

As I rolled, Mike used caulk to smoothly seal the seams. We waited for the caulking to dry before I went back and filled in with paint to the trim.

Painted walls! The house is feeling fresher already. The color is a really soft warm grey, creamy color... even though this photo was taken at night in bad lighting. I'll try to get a more accurate photo later this week!

The paint crew started their part of the house (the rest...) today and should finish tomorrow. I'll be traveling the next couple of days, but will follow up with a "before" photo tour of the house.

*You can see my design board (including colors and layout) for this room, here.

The Journey There & Back | Our Time in New England

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I'm writing this post from the air on my way to my first overnight stay away from Emma. This is my first significant amount of time away from my baby (24 entire hours... 7 was the previous record). Only after leaving her for 3 hours (and counting), I'm already nostalgic about our time together so far. I have spent most of the flight watching vidoes of her grow up on the ipad.
Through my video journey, I realized I hadn't properly brought our time in New England to a close for the blog - and maybe for myself. I think I will always think of our journey to Massachusetts as our journey to get Emma.

It all started with a little twist of fate... almost two years ago on our honeymoon flight to Italy, I was browsing through the October Martha Stewart Living (seriously... how MUCH has this magazine influenced my life) and was reading an article about a little town in central Massachusetts - Deerfield. So charming and quaint. Knowing Mike was thinking of exploring new job opportunities, I said, "You know, if you found an opportunity someplace else, I think I'd like to move someplace - just for a little bit. Let's go have some fun someplace. Look at this adorable town in the middle of Massachusetts. We could live there!" My comment to him was half joking and half serious. But when we arrived in Italy, our minds really started wondering as we explored the hills of Tuscany. Mike was convinced that we needed to just stay in Italy and by a little villa. It was official, after our trip we had been stung by the exploration bee.

When we arrived home from our honeymoon, Mike (who had not yet reached out to anyone regarding a job search) had an email in his inbox from a recruiter about a job... in Boston.

After a couple of months of interviews and negotiations, we put our house on the market and went to visit New England to look for a new place to live. I had a vision for what I wanted in a new location - something in a small quaint town similar to what I had seen in the Martha Stewart Living. Through my research came across a little town called Concord. It was only 10 miles from Mike's future office and looked to be very cute. I booked a room for us at the Colonial Inn at the beginning of February.

Concord's Colonial Inn when we came for our first visit - 5ft of snow!

You might recall that the Winter of 2010-11 was a doozie in New England. There was 5 feet of snow on the ground when we went on our visit. As we drove the 20 minutes outside of Boston to the country, I instantly fell for the white-covered pristine country side. It was almost surreal as we drove around on the winding country roads, seeing all of the colonial houses tucked into the woods. We arrived in Concord - such a charming and idyllic little town settled into the country.

The Main Street Market & Cafe in Concord, Ma.

With the heavy, heavy blanket of snow, the town was so so quite and peaceful. But, that night we had dinner at the Main Street Market & Cafe - sort of an old-time general store. Mike and I chatted about what we thought about the town, how we envisioned our life there and if it was what we were looking for in a town. We started talking about when we wanted to start a family and decided that we wanted to start trying - guessing it would take a little while.

As we were chatting about our future plans and while the snow had quieted the rest of town, there was a crowd packed into this charming glowing little restaurant. The band started up and people were kicking off their snow boots, stripping of their stocking hats and dancing their tails off. We loved it. I am not sure if it was the music, or the fact that it felt like a glowing and bustling party in the middle of a snowed-in town, but whatever it was in that moment it had the "it" we were looking for.

A month later we had sold our house and drove ourselves and Mr. Darcy across the country. Going into it we knew we probably didn't want to stay there forever, but we were open. We were free to explore and experience for as long as we wanted.

We are pretty sure that I got pregnant sometime during the first week we were there. Yes, one month from when we decided to start trying - Emma was with us during our entire journey... we just didn't know it yet! Almost instantly our need for exploring turned into my natural instinct to nest. I felt myself wanting to find a home asap and settle in. We did just that in a house we rented in Concord, Ma.

During my pregnancy we still kept our adventurous spirit and went exploring every chance we got (as you have seen). We did our best at filling every spare moment with a new trip or experience. But as Emma got closer to her arrival date, our love for exploring started to fade into a yearning for setting up a more permanent life for us.

In December, Emma was born at Emerson Hospital in Concord. Our families came out for her birth and for the Holidays and when it was time for them to leave I knew it was time for us to start making our way home. While we had loved our time on our own, growing as a newly married couple and a new family, I knew that I wanted Emma to grow up with the rest of her family

We didn't want to leave too soon though, we still wanted a little more time out on our own and to check some things off our list. We loved living in Concord and frequenting our new favorite places- Verrill Farm, Barefoot Bookstore story time and Mr. Darcy's favorite walking route through the historical town center. When I would get anxious about wanting to get back home, I would (try) to remind myself that this was just our little life vacation- and that is how it felt.

Though short lived, I will never forget or regret our time in New England or the spirit we enriched from having gone out to explore on our own. While I don't know that our experience was exactly what I thought it would be in some ways, it was so much more in others. I can't wait to go back to some of our favorite spots someday with Emma and the rest of our family to show them that life is exactly what you make of it. I hope that we can teach her that life is about getting out there and living and never being afraid to come home... especially now that we're the parents.