Eggplant Caviar

With a plethora of Japanese eggplant in our produce box, I created this easy dip, with a few technical pointers from chef Scott. The trick is blackening the eggplant on the grill, wrapping each one in plastic wrap, and squeezing the innards out like toothpaste.

Eggplant Caviar

1 pound (more or less) Japanese eggplant
2 cloves minced garlic
Chopped parsley
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper

Get your grill nice and hot. Put whole eggplants on grill and blacken on all sides. Remove from grill and wrap each eggplant in plastic wrap. Let sit 20 minutes (so inside will steam and separate from the skin.) Using kitchen shears, snip off the stem end of the eggplant and squeeze out the fleshy innards into a bowl. Mash with a whisk, and add the garlic, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Adjust flavor to your liking (by adding more salt/lemon/etc). Serve with pita chips or veggies. Enjoy =)
ps--I made this bowl at Becca's in Claremont like a million years ago!

Boys will be Boys

This is what happens after all the ladies exit the swimming pool:

My dad, husband, and brother revert to being 10 years old!

My grandma Marianne invited us over for swimming and dinner last Sunday...a perfect way to lounge and fight the heat.

Tomato Tart Recipe

As requested by Courtney, here is the tomato tart recipe:

2 large servings

3/4 lbs heirloom tomatoes
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt
1/4 lb chilled puff pastry dough (in the frozen section at the grocery store...I used 1 sheet)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon chopped basil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the tomatoes until the skins start to curl, 30 seconds; transfer to a plate and let cool*. Peel the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle the tomatoes on both sides with the sugar and season with salt. Transfer to a rack and let drain for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or a silpat). On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry 1/8 inch thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 2 desired free form shapes (or use a circular cutter...but its much more rustic free form!). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 5 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed.
Pat the tomato slices dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the baked pastry puffs with 1/2 of the grated cheese and arrange the sliced tomatoes on top, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Dot the tomatoes evenly with the butter and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake the tarts for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer, until the pastry is richly browned and the tomatoes have shrunken slightly. Let the tarts cool for at least 5 minutes, garnish with basil and serve. Enjoy =)
I topped the tarts with a little arugula, ricotta salata, olive oil and lemon juice, so it was like a salad on top.
* You can skip the whole blanching step for the tomatoes if you invest in this nifty serrated peeler. Looks just likes a veggie peeler, but it has a serrated blade, which lets you peel fresh tomatoes and peaches just like you would a carrot! I never have to blanch again with this little puppy.

Happy Birthday, Bon Voyage!

Me and my brother Jason

My brother Jason quit his job last week in LA, and drove up to the Bay Area with all his worldly goods stuffed into his Saturn. Next week he embarks on a solo backpacking trip through South America. He flies into Ecuador, where he plans to immerse himself in a language school, and then has scheduled 10 months to visit every country in South America.
But before he begins his journey, we celebrated his birthday at my parent's house! It seems to be that every time my parents host a bunch of us for dinner it is in the middle of a scorching heat wave. This time we cooled ourselves with French 75 cocktails in the cool (relative term here) house, and then dined on cedar plank grilled salmon, steak, watermelon tomato & pepper salad, grilled garden green beans, and Nana's potato salad. We waited for it to cool down a bit before we ventured outside to grill and eat, but it was worth the wait, dinner was delicious, as was conversation with family and friends.

Little brother Max with girlfriend Victoria (look! Max cut his hair!!)
Beautiful watermelon, arugula, tomato, pepper & goat cheese salad

For dessert, I experimented with ice cream cake for the second time (the first time I made it was for a xmas party 2 years ago...chocolate cake with peppermint ice cream filling, topped with crushed candy canes). This time I made a fudgy chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream filling, topped with fresh strawberries and blackberries. I highly discourage anyone from making an ice cream cake during a heat wave...its a pain in the butt...but the final product is sure nicely enjoyed in the heat!

Happy Birthday ice cream cake!

Peppermint ice cream cake (I don't have any good pics of the strawberry one...but it looks very similar)

Georgie & the goat

Sounds like the title of a new nursery rhyme, but no, it was our dinner Monday night! Read on...
Georgie:
Georgie is the endearing nickname we gave to our BV Georges De Latour 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon. Georges De Latour is the premier BV wine collection. They release it every year, and it is one of those wines you put down for a good 10 years prior to drinking. We bought our Georgie about 5 years ago, and it has spent its time aging under precise temperatures in our wine fridge (except for the 2 times the fridge broke, and the 3 years before we bought the wine fridge...in fact, Georgie was the reason we invested in the wine fridge...gotta protect your investments!) So a few weeks ago when we were in Napa, we stopped by BV and learned that the 1997 is at its prime drinkablity right now, so started brainstorming the perfect meal to pair it with.

The Goat:
As many of you recall, Scott and I attended a goat cooking class last year. We bought a goat sirloin, and like the Georgie, it has spent its time "aging" (err, freezing), under precise temperatures in our freezer =)
We could never find the right time to cook it. But with the Georgie news, it was like the planets aligned, and the perfect meal fell into place...

The Meal:
Scott was in charge of the goat. And I used my masterful skills of perusing cooking magazines to find a seasonal side dish...a rustic tomato tart. The goat rested in a beautiful marinade of lemons, limes, and spicy peppers, and then was grilled on the charcoal grill and served with a simple jus. I constructed my tarts with puff pastry, heirloom tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and topped them with a fresh basil and arugula salad. Oh, and we finally pulled out our wedding china for its inaugural meal (we used the new pieces Nana...they were more conveniently located than the older ones).It was a simple dinner, as the star of the night really was Georgie. Ahhh, Georgie was HEAVEN! From the moment we popped the cork to the last drop of wine, it was truly amazing. We knew we were in for a treat when we sipped it prior to letting it breathe, and then throughout the evening the flavors of the wine subtly changed with the air, goat, and tart. Although, I must admit that the meal may have been a little too acidic for the wine...but now we know that for our next bottle...

Sauce on a stick

Monday nights have turned into our BBQ night, as Scott is off. We open a bottle of wine. grill some food, and enjoy the company of our neighbors in our shared backyard. Here's our spread from a few weeks back:
Grilled pork chops (super-sized!)
Pineapple Pepper Salsa
Grilled corn on the cob

Here's how you make the grilled salsa:
1 small onion, quartered
1/2 lb cherry or roma tomatoes
1/2 lb fresh pineapple, cut into 8 pieces
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
4 peeled garlic cloves
Thread the ingredients onto skewers and grill until charred in spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from grill and transfer ingredients to a blender.Add:
12 mint leaves
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Mmmm, it was superb with the pork chops, and the next night I used it as a sauce with my orzo...delish!
Here's some other grilled sauce on a stick ideas (courtesy of Food & Wine)

Skewer & Grill: 2 slices bacon (rolled up), 1 small onion, 1 portobello, 2 plum tomatoes, 4 prunes, 4 garlic cloves, 1 large ancho chile....Puree with: 2 TBSP white wine vinegar, 2 TBSP brown sugar, 1/2 cup water...great with steaks!

Skewer & Grill: 1 avocado (halved or quartered, pitted skin left on for grilling, peel off before blending!), 1 small onion, 2 tomatillos (husked, cored, halved), 4 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeno, 1 poblano...Puree with: 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup water, 2 TBSP lime juice...great with chicken!

Here's a little skewer tip for the grill: soak wooden skewers in water for 30 min. before using them, that way they won't catch fire on the grill!

The Case of the Missing Peppers

This year we have a lovely garden in pots on our patio. We are growing tomatoes, peppers, basil, oregano, mint, parsley, lettuce, thyme, chives, and borage (an edible blue flower). So far, our garden has been thriving, with beautifully healthy tomato plants bursting with green tomatoes, and pepper plants drooping with baby poblanos...until 3 days ago...

Thai Red Dragon Pepper Plant & Poblano Pepper Plant

Our poblanos starting disappearing! We used to have 6 or 7 young peppers, and a few days ago, it looked like we were missing some, but I put that thought in the back of my mind, thinking that I miscounted or something. Then the next day, there were only 3 remaining...now I KNEW we had more than 3! There were no remains, it was as if someone had picked them and taken them away. Thinking our culprit might be a nocturnal friend, I left the patio light on all night as a deterrent, only to awake to 2 remaining peppers! Our little friend is not scared of the light...

I left for work, and when I returned home, there was only 1 lone pepper left.

The lone survivor

I stood at the window, trying to figure out what could be stealing my peppers, when the culprit appeared! Ha! Caught him red pawed!

He makes his entrance...
Not my last pepper!!! That's when I scared him away (from inside my house, I'm not going out there!)

I think it says somewhere in my marriage license that it's the husband's job to take care of all rat issues, so my detective work is over, and now I leave the rest to Scott.

1st Anniversary

Last Sunday Scott and I celebrated our first anniversary. All I have to say is thank goodness it was not that hot a year ago at our wedding...it was 105 degrees Sunday!
We began our day with mimosas and breakfast cooked for us by Kelly, and a beautiful bouquet of orchids from Scott (and 1 for my ear for our Hawaiian dinner). Then we retreated to the pool, where we spent the rest of the day escaping the heat by floating on rafts (which explains my tan lines in all the pictures). By 6:00, the heat had not subsided at all, and we headed to my parents house for a Hawaiian anniversary dinner.

Mmmmm, what a dinner it was! We had mai-tais and a pupu platter in the air conditioned house (if you can even call it air conditioned...my parents have the weakest air conditioner known to man!).

Our pupus were cheese stuffed dates wrapped in proscuitto, and Hawaiian style ribs with guava glaze. Then we lazed outside trying to catch the tiny breeze while my mom dunked in the cold hot tub in order to stay cool enough to cook in the kitchen (yes, she was cooking in her swimsuit....see, just like Hawaii!) Scott, Kelly, Max, and Victoria

Finally, we sat down to eat dinner at 9:00pm, when it was barely cool enough to sit outside.
The dinner was delectable: grilled sturgeon with macadamia nuts, tropical fruit salad a la Mama'a Fish House (restaurant in Maui), coconut rice, Kalua pork, and a salad of crisp greens, fennel, and fried ginger strips. It was paired with a wonderful 2002 Chardonnay from Livermore. Delish!
Dessert was none other than our wedding cake which sat in my parent's freezer for the last year. Somehow it got frozen complete with the orchids on top...they didn't quite defrost. So take a look at our cake cutting ceremony...we were so civil at the wedding that we let loose this time!