Jar-B-Que II

Wines:
Bugey Cerdon methode ancestrale Sparkling Rose (Cliff & Cathy)
Saracina Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (Bea)
Ramian, Mt.Veeder-Napa Valley and there was something on the label About the year 2003 (Bea) an exceptionally good wine!


We had Bea over on this very warm night. Perfect night for eating on the deck.

Since corn was in season we made Corn Soup from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Basically it is a LOT of Corn and chicken broth. We made medallians of butter and chopped herbs to which we added edible flowers that we chopped up. The butter was then placed back into the refrigerator to harden and sliced over the soup at serving time. It was very good.

While I was out in front of the house preparing the fire for the pork chops, Ester another neighbor, originally from Denmark, was on her nightly walk. I stopped her, invited her to the patio for some wine. She enjoyed her self, but didn’t stay for dinner. Memo to myself – Never invite someone from Denmark to have corn soup, apparently in Denmark corn is only fed to pigs. Who knew?

Once again we followed the recipe for Char Sui Pork Chops Jar Restaurant uses. We had purchased the pork chops on Saturday at whole food, had them custom cut to be 1 ½ inches thick and had been marinating them for 3 days turning them in the marinade every 12 hours. It is a great recipe. I bar-b-que them on the grill about 5 minutes each side, then put the lid on and let them smoke for another 5 minutes or so.

We had purchased a Japanese rice maker with our neighbor Kazue's assistance. She showed us how to repeatedly wash Japanese rice until the water ran clear.
She had taken us to a Japanese market and showed us packets of vegetables with seasoning that you can add to the rice while it is cooking. Rice with Vegetables cooked this was is exceptional.

Once again our favorite German Chocolate Cake from Perfectly Sweet that we buy at Whole Foods.

It was a great warm night that was highlighted by a Rocket being shot off from Vandenburg Air Force Base, It streaked through the sky and left a beautiful con-trail. I read in The Los Angeles Times the next day that the rocket was a new Spy Satellite. Hopefully it isn’t looking at us!

The wines were all Great!

We walked Bea home on the night night.

Farmer's Market Brunch

In summer when the weather cooperates we love to have Sunday Brunch on our deck. We first go to the farmer’s market and then usually go to the Cheese Store of Silverlake to purchase accompaniments for the fruit.

We saw the first black mission figs of the season so we knew we have Figs and Prosciutto. We also saw the first Heirloom Tomatoes. So we had to have a salad with Tomatoes, Buffalo Motzorella Cheese, Olives, Pesto and onions macerated in vinegar.

A perfect Summer brunch!

Corn Pasta

Wines:
Canalgrande Barbera & Bonarda Vendemmia 2004
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille” Sparking Wine Methode Ancestrale
Maison Joseph De Bucy Meursalult Narvaux 1999



When we went to Campanile on Saturday night, Jay the General Manager had a taste a sparkling red wine. It is very low in alcohol and excellent on a warm summer evenings. We purchased a bottle at Silverlake Wine. It was a perfect aperitif!

When we ate at Campanile we had some extra Green Beans that we brought home. We had made a Salad with Sun Gold Tomatoes, Buratta Cheese from the Cheese Store of Silverlake, Lettuce, Pesto, and the green beans. We eat salads like this all summer, based on what is freshest at the market.

We had purchased corn (tasting it raw first this time, to get the sweetest corn at the market. We then made Corn Pasta with Pancetta from Cheese Store of Silverlake. The recipe is from the Zuni Café Cookbook.

We had fresh Cherries once again for dessert. They claim they are almost at the end of the season. An article in The Los Angeles Times food section said the cherry harvest this year was very poor. We didn’t notice it. There were always lots of cherries at the farmer’s market.

Pork Corn-Corn

Wine: Canalegrande Vendemmia 2004 Jay at Campanile had served us this wine. We really liked it. He told us we get it at Silverlake Wine. We did. Expect to read about a lot of dinners where we serve this wine.

I guess we are on a Mario Batali run. We made his Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Porchini Mushroom Rub. Very interesting and good preparation, Cathy cut down the red pepper flakes. A rub is made out of Red Pepper Flakes, Ground Dried Porcini mushrooms and brown sugar. The dry rub is allowed to marinate in the refrigerator with the pork over night then scrapped off before grilling. We grilled outdoors. The flavor of the meat is great. I really liked the way brown sugar caused the meat to get very crispy on the outside while pink inside.

We made Corn Sticks from a recipe from Bradley Ogden's Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. We have old (or at least they look old) cast iron molds. Each mold creates 7 fat bread sticks in the shape of an ear of corn, including the outline of the individual cornels. We had a dozen ears of corn for a side dish (we plan on leftovers) and Cathy added a cup of un-cooked corn to the bread stick batter. The recipe is great, crispy sticks of corn bread. Unfortunately we learned a lesson. The corn was not as “corny” tasting as we wanted, we won’t buy corn again at the market with out actually tasting the uncooked corn. You can’t tell by sight. These were good looking ears that even Murakami would like. (That is a joke, if you have read anything by Haruki Murakami.)

Cathy sauted the rest of the Corn with Bacon and shallots and served it a side dish with the pork.

For desert once again Cherries from the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

Lamb on Fire

Wine: Chateau Maris Minervois 2003

We had the leftover Zucchini Pasta as an appetizer.

For the main course we made Mark’s Peels Rosemary Lamb from Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton Cook at Home. We harvested a lot of rosemary from our back yard. The lamb is studded with garlic. Then it is left in the refrigerator tightly covered with plastic wrap. When it is ready to cook, the lamb is completely surrounded by rosemary (lots of it!). The lamb is roasted in the oven, uncovered, untill it is done. The roasting pan with the lamb and rosemary are taken outside. With a match you ignite the very hot and crispy rosemary in the pan, and poof, the entire pan explodes in flame as the rosemary ignites. When it is flaming and smoking (in about 10 seconds) you put the cover on. That extinguishes the flame, and keeps the smoke in the pan to flavor the meat. It is quite a show, and an easy excellent preparation.

We made Pea Puree with Mint and Parmesan from The Babo Cookbook by Mario Batali. I must have spent an hour shelling fresh peas from the Farmer’s Market, but it was worth it! The peas are par boiled, then blended with Mint and Parmesan Cheese. Another dish that is easy to prepare (if you have an hour to shell peas!) and features fresh market ingredients.

Once again we had Cherries from the market. The cherry season is only about a month, so we eat a lot of the in Late May / Early June.

Pasta with Zucchini and Mint

Wine: Chateau Maris 2003 Minervois

We had some Indian Candy (made from Salmon) and Smoked Mussels that we had bought from Santa Monica Seafood. We had them as appetizers. They are both great. The Salmon is sweet and thick. You really can’t eat a lot. It keeps well in the refrigerator. The mussels are very smoky.

We had Vignole they we had previously made from the River Café cookbook. We decided to serve it as a side dish.

For the main course we made a very simple pasta that is a great favorite of ours:
Pasta with Zucchini and Mint and Parmesan Cheese. It is from Mark Bittman’s The Minimalist Cooks at Home. Thin zucchini slices are sautéed until they are dark and almost crisp. They are then combined with the pasta, mint and Parmesan cheese. The combination is great. We love pasta that is made from fresh vegetables!

For desert we had Fresh Cherries from the Hollywood Farmer's Market. Cherry season is in full flight!