Carrot mousse topped crackers

Last year, we got a pasta machine for Christmas.  We've used it once, and made some delicious butternut squash/goat cheese raviolli. Since then, we haven't even taken it out of the box.  With Erin in Thailand, I needed something to do, and I've been discussing using the pasta machine to make crackers with my father for a while now.  I finally got off the couch and tried it.  Turns out, it was quick and easy.  But, I wanted more than just crackers, and having just made the roasted red pepper mousse, I had some extra gelatin.  I also had some carrots from the parents' garden.  I then thought, why not make a roasted carrot mousse.  We also had leftover goat cheese and smoked salmon.  And, voila, my dish was decided.

Roasted Garlic and Chive Crackers

2 C Flour
6 Tbsp butter, room temperature (can use less, or substitute olive oil?)
1/4 tsp salt
1 C milk (about, and I used almond milk)
1 head of garlic, roasted,
1/4 Chives, minced

Preheat oven to 300°F.

In a food processor, using the chopping blade, mix flour and butter until the mixture is finely mixed, add all of the garlic.  Switch blades to the mixing blade, and add chives.  Add milk a small amount at a time until the mixture balls up, and but doesn't stick to your hands.  Roll out the dough until it is very thing, alternatively, use a pasta machine to roll out dough.  I used setting 6. Place the dough on cookie sheet, and into 1" squares. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy.

Roasted Carrot Mousse

3/4 pound carrots
1 shallot
1 serrano chile
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt (or more)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 C Milk
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 egg whites

1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp water

Chop the carrots and shallots.  Mix the chopped carrots and shallots in a bowl with serrano (with the top cut off), olive oil, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper until the carrots and shallots are coated with the olive oil and spices.  Place carrots, shallots and serrano on a cookie sheet and roast on 350°F for about 45 minutes or until the veggies are cooked.  Remove from oven, let cool, and puree in a food processor with olive oil.  Slowly add milk until the puree is creamy.

While the carrots are roasting, beat the egg whites  until the have hard peaks.  Set aside.

After pureeing the carrot mixture, in a one quart pot on the stove, add the gelatin to the water until the gelatin  absorbs the water, about 2 mins.  Then heat for a few minutes until the gelatin dissolves.  Remove from heat, slowly whisk in the pureed carrot mixture until it is all added.

Fold carrot mixture into egg whites and refrigerate until the mixture has thickened, about 1.5 hrs.

Toppings

Smoke Salmon
Bleu Cheese
Chives

Assemble the appetizer

Place a slice of smoked salmon on each cracker, topped with the mousse, bleu cheese, and chives.

Pumpkin Bread

This recipe is adapted from one I found on Epicurious.  I quadrupled the recipe to make four loaves.  They turned out to be a little too moist, and were difficult to remove from the pans.  They were, nonetheless, delicious.

Ingredients 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil Scant 1 cup canned pumpkin puree, not flavored pie filling 2 large eggs Preparation 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch loaf pan. 2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a small bowl. 3. Beat the butter, sugar, and oil on high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl a few times, until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. 4. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just incorporated. Mixing on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and 2/3 cup water and mix until just combined. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Pumpkin-Bread-367512#ixzz2HcmgpE7k

Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Red Pepper Mousse

This recipe was born out of our laziness.  We were hosting a Thai woman for a professional exchange program over Halloween and thought it would be fun to carve pumpkins with her for the celebration.  Turns out we never carved the pumpkins and ended up having two carving pumpkins that we didn't want to waste. So, the most obvious solution was to puree the pumpkins and make something delicious. We ended up making two somethings delicious.  Pumpkin soup and pumpkin bread.  See the subsequent post for the pumpkin bread.

I found this recipe on Epicurious.com, and thought it was good enough to share.  I didn't make any additions, but I think it would be better to add some hot peppers or sriracha pureed with the roasted red peppers to spice it up.  As it was, the combination of soup and mousse was very intriguing and tasty!  The pumpkin soup provided a thicker, heartier base that, when combined with the lighter, fluffy mousse, created the perfect airy yet robust soup.

Recipe

The soup and mousse lasted about 5 days in our fridge, but were definitely better the earlier they were consumed.

For mousse 1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained, rinsed, and patted dry 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar (we used red wine vinegar) 1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope) 2 tablespoons water 1/3 cup chilled heavy cream For soup 5 carrots, chopped (1 1/2 cups) 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf (I didn't have one, and it still tasted good) 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound pumpkin or butternut squash, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (9 cups) 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (40 fluid ounces) 3 1/2 cups water Preparation: Make mousse: Purée peppers, oil, vinegar, paprika, and salt in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a 1-quart heavy saucepan and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Heat mixture over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in pepper purée 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat cream in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until it just holds soft peaks. Fold in pepper mixture gently but thoroughly, then cover surface of mousse with plastic wrap and chill until set, at least 2 hours. Make soup while mousse chills: Cook carrots, onion, garlic, and bay leaf in oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add pumpkin, salt, cumin, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until pumpkin begins to soften around edges, about 15 minutes. Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Blend soup in batches in cleaned blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. Just before serving, return soup to pot and reheat over low heat. Ladle soup into bowls and top each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons mousse.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Pumpkin-Soup-with-Red-Pepper-Mousse-230968#ixzz2HcdLF1of

Moroccan Birthday Dinner

We created this dinner for my Dad's birthday.  My mom was out of town so we thought we'd treat him to something good for his big day.  The menu consisted of fresh dungeoness crab legs with a butter pesto dipping sauce, Moroccan carrot slaw, Moroccan chicken pot pie, and salad.  The dungeoness crab was fresh from Oregon, and it was amazing.

Recipe - Morrocan Carrot Slaw (really easy and full of flavor)*

2 C carrots, shredded
3/4 C Golden Raisins
1/2 C Fresh mint torn into small pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar, pour over carrots, golden raisins, and mint.  Add salt and pepper.

*I think this recipe came from sunset, but not sure.

Recipe - Moroccan Chicken Pot Pie (from epicurious.com)

Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 lemon 3 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 cup imported green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup golden raisins 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 cup low-salt chicken broth 1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package) Preparation  Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix chicken cubes with paprika, cumin, and cinnamon in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half; remove seeds. Using small spoon, scoop out enough pulp and juice from between membranes to measure 2 tablespoons. Add to chicken mixture; stir to blend. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, olives, and raisins. Sauté until onion is almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken mixture and stir 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Add broth and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Transfer filling to 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Place pie crust over dish and seal dough edges to rim of dish. Using small paring knife, cut several slits in pie crust. Bake pot pie until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 20 minutes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Moroccan-Chicken-Pot-Pie-240752#ixzz2HcjyI0lu

Stuffed Beet Confit with Cranberry Apple Gastrique

It all started with one beet pining for company in the fruit bowl; it was empty inside.  The potatoes, bread and garlic tried their best to keep the beet from withering away, but with no success.  Molecule by molecule, the beet released its tears into the air.  It refused to hydrate, slowly dying.  Each day the beet reached out for help, rolling closer and closer to the precipice that is death.  Just as the beet was about to take the step from which it could never return, a strong, full-of-life tuber grabbed the beet, saving it from certain doom.  The tuber reasoned with the beet, convincing it that rehydration was possible, not with water, but oil. 

The beet, however, was still empty; it needed something the tubor could not provide.  It had a wild side that needed to escape.  It had a sweet side that needed to be loved.  It had a rich side that needed to be shared. It had an earthy side that needed to be expressed.  And, most of all, the beet had colorful side that needed to be seen.  Little did the beet know, just outside its bowl, hidden from view, were companions that would soon fill its hollowness. 

For the next two days the beet lamented that it would never be full of life. On the third day, the beet's depression broke.  All day the beet rehydrated in a warm bath of olive scented oil.  The bath removed the beet's old, scaly, grumpy shell, revealing its soft and tender side.  Feeling rejuvinated, the beet opened its heart to the world around it, finding friends in all places; the frigid arctic, the shallow streams, the chthonic undergrowth, the kazakh mountains, and the herbacious wood.  Together with these new friends, the beet rejoiced, feeling warm inside. 

Yet, over the beet a cloud still hung, it was warm and happy, but needed more.  As the beet pondered its last desire, a torrential downpour began.  The rain covered the beet and its friends, soaking them win their own desire.  As quickly as the downpour began, it ended.  Leaving the beet and its friends with rich rewards.

That is the story of my stuffed beet confit with cranberry apple gastrique, and here's the recipe:

Beet Confit (or beet poached in oil):
2 Beets
Lots of oive oil

Stuffing:
1 Medium apple, diced
1 C Wild rice (uncooked)
1/2 C Fresh cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp dried sage
1/2 C Shredded gruyere cheese (I used swiss, but gruyere would be better)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Inexpensive wine pairing
$11/bottle

  Cranberry-Apple Gastrique (buttery goodness):
  1 C Cranberry juice
  1/2 C Apple cider vinegar
  1 Tbsp Honey
  1/2 C Chicken stock
  6 Tbsp Unsalted butter
  1 Tsp Cayenne (optional)

  Garnish
  Apple slices


Preparation

Cook the wild rice and let cool.

To make the beet confit, rinse the beets off and dry them thoroughly.  Place them in a baking dish with sides 2 inches taller than the beets.  Cover the beets completely with olive oil and cook in a 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes until tender with a fork.  Remove from oil and let cool.  Once the beets are cool, remove the skins, they should peel off with relative ease. Using a melon baller, or spoon, hollow out the beets, leaving a 1/8" - 1/4" of beet on all sides.

To make the stuffing, sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil -- you can use the olive oil the beets cooked in.  Let the onions and garlic cool and then combine them with half of the wild rice, the apple, mushroom, rosemary, thyme, sage, gruyere, salt and pepper.

To make the gastrique, place the cranberry juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey in a pan and simmer until reduced to a syrup.  Add the chicken stock, reduce by 1/3.  Without boiling, swirl in the cold butter to thicken to desired consistency.  Add cayenne.

To assemble, use the remaining rice and cover the bottom of a chafing dish.  Stuff the beets with the stuffing and place on the bed of rice.  Cook the beets in the oven, 350°F, until warmed all the way through and the cheese is melty. Add apple slices to one side of the chafing dish for garnish (see picture).  Drizzle the cranberry-apple gastrique over the completed dish and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms - the bacon kind

I have yet to meet a stuffed mushroom I don't immediately develop a rapport with.  So when the opportunity arose to make appetizers this week, I thought why not harken back to one of my favorites.  But, I didn't want to go with the standard bread stuffing; I wanted to branch out, but I didn't have the time to develop my own stuffing.  Fortunately, the epicurious app for my iphone is handy in a pinch.  I scrolled through about six recipes before I found this one, and boy did it look good. And it was!

We also used the leftover stuffing to stuff baked (350°F until tender) sweet potatoes, also pretty tasty.

8 ounces bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 3/4 pounds button mushrooms (about 48; each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), stemmed

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Coarsely crumble bacon. Discard all but 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons bacon fat (adding olive oil if necessary to equal that amount).

Heat 2 teaspoons reserved bacon fat in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and cool; mix in bacon, spinach, feta, cream cheese, and crushed red pepper. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Toss mushrooms and reserved 1/4 cup bacon fat in large bowl to coat.  If you're looking to limit the use of bacon fat, use olive oil instead. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms, rounded side down, in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake mushrooms until centers fill with liquid, about 25 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Bake mushrooms until brown and liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes longer. Turn mushrooms over again. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon filling into each mushroom cavity. (Filled mushrooms can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake mushrooms until heated through, about 10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to platter and serve warm.

I should probably read recipes all the way through before I make them, but that's no fun.  As it turns out, the first time I made this, I only roasted the mushrooms until the centers filled with liquid.  And, since I was in a time crunch, I just filled them with stuffing and did not rebake them.  Still tasted good.

The recipe is from Epicurious.com at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Mushrooms-Stuffed-with-Feta-Spinach-and-Bacon-105655#ixzz1mNif5C5I

Trout Chowder

What do you make with frozen Montana Trout? Well, I've been thinking about that for nearly 6 months.  Last summer I caught, and froze a number of brook trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout for winter eating.  Of course, as with anything I freeze, I tend to forget about it for nearly a year.  This summer, at one of Erin's softball games, her teammate suggested making a trout chowder.  I finally did, and it was pretty good, ask Erin.

5 10" Montana Trout
1 Can (12 oz) chicken broth
1 Medium onion
4 Cloves garlic, minced
3 medium red potatoes chopped
1 Can (12 oz) corn kernels
1 Red bell pepper
1 small jalapeno, diced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp cayenne
2 C milk
2 Tbsp butter

Start by sauteeing the onions and garlic in the butter until they just start to brown in a large pot Add the potatoes and chicken broth to the onions and garlic, turn the heat to medium.  Cook until potatoes are almost done.  Add the remaining ingredients, except trout, and let simmer.  Cook the trout, on the grill, in a pan, or any other way. Remove the skin and bones, and break up the trout.  Add the trout to the soup and simmer for  20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool overnight, allowing flavors to mix.

As a side note, I may not have listed all the spices, as I tend to forget what I added if I don't write it down immediately.  So, add whatever you think will taste good!

We enjoyed this with Gin and Tonics, I would recommend the same.

Baked Oregon

Being from the land of berries, we were always finding different dishes to whip up in appreciation of our local fruits.  With raspberries, I love to jam; with blackberries, I prefer milkshakes.  However, given the abundance of fruit we pressed to utilize fresh berries even during instantaneous sweet tooth eruptions. In moments in need of last minute desserts, my mother would throw together a crisp.  And, despite its simplicity, the fruit crisp is by far my dessert.  In fact, it’s unfair to both my waistline and my dinner guests that it is perhaps the easiest dessert to make.   Having permanently moved to Montana, I found myself somewhat homesick in the fall.  Rather than the celebration of colors that the changing deciduous offer in my native Oregon, Montana’s fall is a quick and brutal transition to a very long winter.  To ease my nostalgia, I crafted this cozy recipe in tribute to my favorite season.  Baked Oregon is named as such, not only because it’s the season wherein its ingredients are the ripest, but because it is composed of essential Oregon produce.  The pear is the Oregon state fruit; Hazelnuts, the Oregon state nut; and many of the worlds cranberries are produced naturally along the southern Oregon coast.   



I can't believe Rob didn't even put ice cream on it!



Recipe:

8 Bartlett Pears

2 C Flour

2 C Rolled or Quick Oats

2 C Brown sugar2 Tbs Cinnamon

2 Sticks butter½ tsp Nutmeg

¼ C Warm Water
1 tsp Lemon Juice

1 C Hazelnuts (also called “Filbert’s”)

½ C Dried Cranberries

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.Lay whole hazelnuts on a baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shells start to crack and nuts begin to brown.  Hazelnuts will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.  I tend to prefer mine well toasted, but it’s up to you.Peel and slice pears about a ¼ inch thick.  Place pears in bottom of 6 x 9 inch baking pan.  Combine cranberries with the pears and fold in warm and lemon juice. Combine flour, oats, sugar, nuts, and spices.  Melt butter and mix with all dry ingredients.  Although my mother took the no measure approach, I decided on increments of 2 that seem to provide a decent topping ratio (seriously, could this be any easier!).  Cover the fruit with the topping and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbling through.  Serve warm with Tillamook vanilla ice cream J

Chicken Roulade with Pineapple-Beet Salad

For some reason, I'm addicted to shows like Iron Chef or Chopped.  I'm not an addict in that I have to watch them all the time, or even that regularly.  I don't even have cable or internet, so I can't really watch them at all.  Yet, when I get the chance...I am stuck.  It's not those ingredients, or necessarily the ability of the chefs, that grab my attention.  It is the challenge of using something unknown to create a tasty and edible dish.

Last week, while we were in Kalispell, I watched more Chopped and Iron Chef than I had in a long time. The Food Network is gracious enough to air Chopped nearly every night, right around dark.  Those chefs inspire me to be creative, and use whatever ingredients I have lying around.  In Kalispell, we had an odd assortment of food stuffs: pineapple, yams, vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, zucchini, green beans, sour cream, cilantro, an assortment of Chili Lime Spices, cheese, garlic, beets and cucumber. We had originally decided we were going to have a pizza, which we did, but we still had all of those ingredients left over, and I had told Erin I would make dinner.

Summoning my inner Chopped chef. I decided to create something unique: a pineapple vinaigrette, a rolled chicken breast (which is apparently also called a roulade), and a beet salad.  Later, I recreated the pineapple vinaigrette to put on a beautiful 16" rainbow trout Erin and I caught near Helena. See “Grilled Trout” for specifics on that menu. 

The Beet Salad recipe is an effort to cater to Erin’s recent obsession with beets.  As Erin will iterate, beets are tasty and a healthy source of vitamins and minerals, including iron.

Chicken Roulade*

2 boneless, skinless, organic chicken breasts

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 C sour cream,

1/2 C flour

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Stuffing

1 handful, organic, green beans (apparently you can call them Haricot Verts) grown in Helena.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro

2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

*Roulade = a fancy term for rolling meat around stuff.  Roulade originates from the French word "rouler" meaning "to roll".

                                                                                                                                 

Pineapple Vinaigrette

See Grilled Trout with Pineapple Vinaigrette recipe

Beet and Pineapple Salad

1 Beet

1/3 Pineapple (diced), discard core and peel.

1 English cucumber, peeled - home grown, in Kalispell, by your friend's mom, the infamous Harriet from Harriet's Naughty Pavlova (good luck finding that one, talk to Norm, he can hook you up)

1 tsp Vinegar

2 Green onions

To make the chicken, butterfly the chicken breasts and pound them down to 1/8" thickness.  Set aside.  Warm the olive oil in a pan and sauté garlic.  After garlic is soft, but before it is brown, add beans, salt, pepper and cilantro.  Cook until the beans turn bright green, but are still al dente. Place five or six beans in each chicken breast and roll.  Place a dollop of sour cream where the breast wraps over itself to act as an adhesive.  Mix sour cream, flour, salt, pepper and garlic together. Roll each stuffed breast in the flour mixture.  Cook on a stove top in olive oil until the chicken is done, rotating to cook each side thoroughly.

To make the beet and pineapple salad, cut the beet, pineapple, and cucumber into 1/2 bite size pieces and mix well in a bowl with green onions.  Pour vinegar over the top and mix well. 

Grilled Trout with Pineapple Vinaigrette and Tomato Puff Pastry Tart

Our main dish was caught in one of the many small streams that drain into the Missouri River. However, this wasn’t just any fish….this was my nemisis.

The story begins about a year ago, when, never having fished around Helena before, I decided to test the waters of local streams.  I drove up and down this one before settling on a bridge access point.  I get excited when accessing small creeks from public easements, maybe it’s the lawyer geek in me appreciating how cool the legal argument for public recreational access is, or, maybe, I just like fishing a whole lot.  At first, the stream proved to be tougher than I'd expected; no strikes on a hopper in 100 yards on a meandering stream. To this day I still haven't even seen a fish rise in the first 100 yards.  My spirits were down until I dead-drifted my hopper right along some overhanging roots...and voila, fish on!

The first catch was a small brook trout.  Moving upstream, the fishing became amazing, at least one strike in every three casts.  After a while, the foliage got too thick to fish.  Putting my rod up, I hiked a bit and found a nice deep hole, where a culvert had piled up water.  I cast three times along the inside stream edge when, right next to the eddy line, a large fish slowly rose in one smooth motion to take my hopper.  Setting the hook, I stripped the monster in.  To my demise, as I was about to grab it, the fish leapt off my hook.  That was my first encounter with the elusive trout.

This year, I wanted vengeance. And, I got it, but not without missing the beast two more times.  On my next encounter, I was fishing a Madam-X, for no better reason than I’d never fished one before.  This trip was much different than my first, the water, even in mid-July was still nearly twice as high and fast as last year.  And, unlike the previous year, I had no luck from my access point up to my hole.  Even in the hole, the water was too fast for an effective drift.  To accommodate, I reached my 9’ rod and let my fly drift around in the eddy.  As it drifted up against the culvert, whack…fish on.  Once again, it was me vs. fish, and once again, I lost.  I had my archenemy all the way on the bank, only to have it slip out of my grasp as I took it off the fly. 

At last, a few weeks ago, I was showing Erin the hole.  She had already pulled a fish out and had a couple more strikes.  Being the sweet person that she is, she then gave me a shot.  I cast right up to the culvert, and lost the fly underwater.  As I went to strip in the line, there was a big fish on.  Who knew you could nymph with a parachute adams?  I brought the fish in, but as soon as Erin was about to net it, I lost it.  On the next cast, my adams stayed on the surface and the fish took it once more.  This time, I got the fish to Erin and her net.  As she had the fish in the net, the fish popped off the fly.  My nemisis was vanquished. 

Having noted that my adversary was not only attractive; it also appeared tasty, she suggested we call it a day and break for the grill.  It was a short trip, but a victorious end to a much longer fishing story and the beginning of a delicious meal!

Pineapple Vinaigrette

1/3 C Sour Cream

1/3 C Pineapple Vinegar - see below (pineapple, vinegar, sugar, reduced from 1 C)

1/4 Olive oil

1 Tbsp Fresh cilantro

1 clove Garlic (minced)

1 tsp Pepper

1/8 tsp Cumin

ONE MONTANA RAINBOW TROUT (Grilled).  Best caught around 16”, or, almost too big for the net and the stream that once held it.

1/4 C diced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

To make the vinaigrette mix all the ingredients together and whisk with a fork until it is emulsified.   If you don’t have the vinegar which most people don’t, it is easy enough to make.  In a pan, place ½ C diced pineapple, with 1 C vinegar, and a pinch of sugar.  Reduce to 1/3 and strain off the liquid.  Now you have pineapple vinegar.

To prepare the trout, gut it and fill the body cavity with the pineapple chunks left over from making the pineapple vinegar, the diced onion, garlic and salt and pepper.  Grill the trout whole until it is flaky and done.

Tomato Tart:

2 Cups Fresh cherry tomatoes or 2 large heirlooms.  Cherry tomatoes may be halved while larger tomatoes should be thinly sliced.

1 Cup Fontina Cheese (grated)

1 Tbs Fresh thyme

1 tsp Lemon zest

1 Puff pastry sheet

1 Egg

*We used cherry tomatoes because they were fresh in the garden at this time of year.  Heirloon tomatoes also worked well and provide great color.  The taste of the tomato is essential to this dish.  Therefore, the tomatoes must be fresh.  If you wouldn’t want to eat the tomatoes raw, they are probably not fit for this dish.

Thaw the puff pastry sheet.  Be sure to set the sheet out with enough time to thaw and to check on the sheet throughout the thawing process.  As pastry sheets are packaged in a tri fold, you want to peel the pastry apart as it thaws.  If you forget about the pastry, the sides might stick together.  After thawed, the puff pastry dough can keep in the fridge until you’re ready to fire up the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roll the puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper until the pastry sheets expands about an inch on every side.  If, like me, you do not have a rolling pin, you can make due with a full bottle of wine.  If, also like me, your bottle is less than full, be certain the bottle is tightly corked.  Line the puff pastry sheet with a butter knife to establish a “trim.” Mix the egg and brush egg mixture on the puff pastry trim. Place pastry sheet and parchment paper on a cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes.

Once the pastry sheet has “puffed” (not yet browned sufficiently), remove the sheet and position the toppings: cheese, tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest.

Return to oven for 3-6 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the puff pastry trim has browned.  Remove from oven.  Top with fresh cracked black pepper and serve immediately.

Grilled Elk Zucchini Boats

In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Barbara Kingsolver describes zucchini season as an invasion of the Italian dirigible. Stores are filled with a horde of these foot long zeppelins; home gardens are overflowing with even larger blimps. It is always a challenge to use every zucchini.  When my parents first introduced me to this invasion, our home-grown zucchini were all at least a couple feet long.  After 20 years, they've finally figured it out, harvest the zucchini young and repelling this armada is much less daunting.  Now we harvest them when they are only about 12 inches.  Even so, the number of zucchini five plants produce is outlandish.  From July through August, every dinner includes zucchini, yet, I've never gotten tired of it.

My favorite way to prepare zucchini is simple: slice it in grillable sized pieces, coat with olive oil and grill until tender.  

This summer, Erin reintroduced me to stuffed zucchini and it was amazing.  Here's her recipe:

Stuffing

1lbs elk, preferably Montana wild game, possibly inherited from a delinquent ex roommate

1/2 C onion (diced)

1/2 C bread crumbs

2 Tbsp fresh thyme

2 Tbsp fresh basil

1/2 C diced brown italian mushrooms

1 egg

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
1/2 C pine nuts (toasted)
1/2 C feta cheese

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers
1 can diced red tomatoes
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped basil
(Optional: spice up the sauce with red pepper flakes or Siracha)

3-4 12" Zucchini, also preferably inherited or home grown.

Prepare the zucchini boats by slicing each zucchini in half lengthwise and hollowing out each half. A melon baller works great and also makes it possible to saute the melon balls with salt and pepper for a tasty app!  Leave 1/8" to 1/4" of flesh. Set aside. To make the stuffing, place the elk burger in a large bowl.  Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Stuff each zucchini half with an equal amount of elk burger.  Grill/bake each boat until the zucchini is tender and the meat is cooked all the way through.

To make the sauce:
Blend all ingredients on high until saucy.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauce may be made a day ahead and keeps for about a week.  Stuffed zucchini boats also freeze well and offer a tasty winter reminder of warm summer days long gone.

Baseball Birthday Bash

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
Dean is turning two -- Scott and Annie hit one out!

Baseball Birthday Cake

Erin found this recipe on Epicurious and decided it should be tailored to meet the needs of a baseball themed 2-year-old's birthday party!  Erin hit a home run and decided to make a baseball cake with a red, white, and blue layers.

For red velvet cake layers:

• 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising (sift before measuring) 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa (such as Hershey's; not Dutch process or extra-dark cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (1-ounce) bottle (2 tablespoons) red food coloring
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1/4 cup water

For white & blue cake layer:

• 2 2/3 cups sifted cake flour, not self-rising (sift before measuring)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon grated lemon zest (best done with Microplane zester or grater)
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For cream cheese frosting:

• 2 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (20 ounces total), softened
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Make red velvet cake layers:

Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, then line bottoms with rounds of wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until batter is smooth.

Divide batter between pans (about 3 cups in each) and smooth tops. Rap pans on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles. Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from sides of pans, 25 to 30 minutes. Keep oven on.

Cool layers in pans on racks 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pans. Invert layers onto racks and peel off wax paper. Cool layers completely.

Make white cake layer while red velvet layers cool:
Butter two 9-inch round cake pan, then line bottom with wax paper. Butter paper and dust pan with some additional flour, knocking out excess.

Resift cake flour together with baking soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk egg whites in another bowl with sour cream mixture until combined.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle attachment if using stand mixer) at medium-high speed until combined well, then add oil and beat until very pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in zest and vanilla extract.

Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and sour cream mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is smooth. Transfer batter to pan and spread evenly. Rap pan on counter a couple of times to expel any air bubbles.

Bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick comes out clean and cake begins to pull away from side of pan, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan. Invert layer onto rack and peel off wax paper. Cool layer completely.

Make the Frosting:

Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixture until creamy and s

mooth. Beat in lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt.

Sift confectioners' sugar into a bowl and add to cream cheese mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Separate about a 1/2 C of the frosting.

Frost cake:

Brush loose crumbs from cake layers with a pastry brush.

Put a red velvet layer, bottom side up, on a cake plate or stand. Spread 1 cup of frosting over layer. Cover with white layer, bottom side up, and spread with another cup of frosting. Top with second red velvet layer

, bottom side up.

Spread a thin layer of frosting around sides and over top of cake. (This is called crumb-coating. It tamps down any loose crumbs to keep them out of the top layer of frosting and fills in any crevices. This is particularly important with red velvet cake layers.) Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.

Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Chill or briefly freeze cake just until frosting is firm.  If you are running low on frosting, take some from the 1/2 C you set aside, however, leave some for decorating.

Add red food coloring to the frosting you set aside.  Add enough so the frosting turns red, like th

e stripes on a baseball.  Mix well.  If you have a pastry bag, then add the red frosting to the bag and decorate the top and sides of the cake to look like a baseball.  If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a ziplock bag.  To do this, add the frosting to a ziplock bag, and cut off the corner.  Squeeze the frosting through the corner of the bag to draw the baseball lines.

Cracker Jacks

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

1-12oz can of Spanish Peanuts
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 (or 2 or 3) large cookie sheet, greased

 In an air popper, pop the kernels according to your machine’s manual. My machine only allows you to pop 1/3 cups at a time, so make sure you follow your machine’s capacity instructions. You should have almost 4 quarts of popped popcorn using 1/2 cup of kernels. Dump the popcorn and the Spanish peanuts in a clean tall paper grocery bag. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a medium sauce pan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter,and salt over medium heat and allow to gently boil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Carefully and immediately pour caramel sauce into the paper grocery bag and stir the sauce, popcorn, and nuts with a wooden spoon until the sauce is evenly distributed. Take the popcorn mixture and evenly scatter it between both greased cookie sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes. Allow to cool and break up the pieces (if desired). Store in zip lock bags or airtight containers. Enjoy! *