Spring Parade & Special Ingredients

The sun is out and I've got a 'Spring' in my step! Fresh seasonal grown vegetables have hit the markets.

Whats fresh in the market lately? Well, now that you ask...

Big Asparagus (Greg @ Sippitysup posted them) I served with Duck Eggs, chive and truffle oil. Because I had been taught you wanted smaller vegetables, they are sweeter, but reading his post made me decide to give the big daddy's a chance, and you know what- out the window with caution and myth! Peel them about mid-way down, steam them, and then saute them in truffle oil- just say Yummy!

Fresh Fava beans and string beans on mixed greens with a clementine citrus dressing. Hubby brought them home and told me they were 'Spring Peas' (Fava), because it was what the register rang up or the employee told him, but when I looked at them, I informed him they were Fava Beans and we barely had enough- 1 pound = 1 cup, there or about. Oh fresh ones are SO much nicer than dried!

Day Boat 'Fluke' (Summer Flounder) dredged in an organic grain pancake mixture I made (I also blame Greg's 'IHop' series for that craving as well!)- they made these yummy tacos with my handmade tortilla's. Face it, what is better than fresh fish? The fresher the better!

Information: The summer flounder, or "fluke," a flatfish is found in coastal waters from the southern Gulf of Maine to Florida. With warmer weather here off and on lately, we were told this fish normally is caught after May. Fluke prefer eel grass beds and wharf pilings because of the protection they offer. In the summer, small and medium sized adults are found on the sandy and muddy bottoms of bays, harbors and along the open coastline.

May brings Apricots, and so many other things- I will present an Apricot Sticky Rice soon...I received a box of cheese from Black Star Gourmet, have used it for some dishes, and man all I can say is when I opened up each cheese and tasted them, I felt the earth move, well, at least the scent of the earthy goat, sheep, and cow's milk cheeses from around the world on my tastebuds! 

Thanks Black Star, will post recipes next week!

Well, we are heading down to Florida, going fishing at a blog friends (a FSO blog/amateur photography blog) cabin on a private lake in Georgia, deep sea fishing in St. Augustine, then we are off to meet and visit with Velva @Tomatoes on a Vine! for what I am sure, will be a wonderful meal, great drinks (go see what she posts), and great chattering, well on my part any hoo! Her and I decided we are kindred Appalachian Cousins.

I will post trip details next week, and I am sure there will be some big fish tales on this trip...

"F, F, F", and "F F"!

My weekend, well it did not start off so good. I was surprisingly calm when I discovered my car missing from my parking spot after I was done with teaching Friday afternoon. Was it stolen, or did a tow truck haul it away to vehicle jail? I could have been using Gordon Ramsey's 'F'avorite word, but my title stands for "Friends, food, fun, and Fiasco Friday".

Friday was the first day of culinary class at the newly located Isles building. Trenton is not the greatest place to leave your vehicle unattended (we had a parking lot before). My van was taken, and it took me all night to find the thing, and without the help of police "Thank You Very Much"! A big headache, but I will have it back by Monday afternoon, and hopefully all in one piece. Moving on, as I am still unusually calm, maybe shock is a good word...















A Saturday get together challenge with our AWS friends more than made up for 'Fiasco Friday'. Earlier in the week, Adrienne and I discussed how much we enjoy doing progressive dinners. I thought this would be a fun addition to Mommy Gourmet @ My Original Recipes blog challenge of how we each entertain in our own fun ways...~ Here is MG's post...

The plan- to start out at our house with a round of appetizers paired with a wine sampling; move to a restaurant for the main course; then another hot spot for dessert, or after dinner cocktails. I found the time to make one of my appetizers- Scallion Potato filled 'Pierogi's' with Asparagus. This was not quite the spread nor the traditional pierogi I had planned, but I figured all would understand. My class had so much Asian marinade/sauce left from our feast; that I decided to use a little, since I now had time constraints out of my control...

After some great conversation we headed to a new restaurant in our area, J.L. Ivy. We found it quaint and friendly staffed, but not the 'French' infused restaurant it presented itself at launching. Our friends already had guessed it used to be a once popular establishment from long ago, The Rusty Scupper. We shared that it must be a law that every time it is mentioned in the media, The Rusty Scupper appears as well. I have never eaten at a Rusty Scupper, nor does it sound appealing, but they say it was decent.

Word is, J.L. Ivy menu is all over the place, and we agree. The 'BBQ Fluke Rolls' turned out to be the winning dish on this visit, so we would come back just for the sushi bar. Four small plates to share was plenty, and the wine list is wonderful. Three bottles suited our taste buds. Sounds like a lot, but we sat for a long time before moving on.





















When our check arrived, escorted by the manager explaining to us the table next to us got our bill and without question, they paid. We paid for theirs with a discount. This surprised us, but what about the others, as tomorrow they will awake and realize "Hey did we order those three bottles of wine, and martinis"? Who doesn't look at their check before paying?





















'The manager brought over our check that had been paid, but gave us the lighter one...'

Off to the next adventure... Thank goodness we rode in their car, because we were having at great time laughing at each others stories from the past, that I was happy to sit back and relax for once. Elements was chosen as the 'dessert' destination. Sharing the memory of my 'Brown Butter Whiskey' excited them, and Adrienne was looking for a place to take her college graduate son in a few weeks, so this was a chance to check out the establishment.

As we sat at the bar, the bartender, or should I say 'Mixologist' was shaking around a few unfamiliar cocktails. We decided to sample. Mommy Gourmet, you would have loved his truffle infused cognac martini made with their home made grape fruit bitters. What a refreshing drink that was! After more laughter and good conversations with the staff at Elements, we knew the magical midnight clock was about to strike. Off we rode in their chariot into a Sunday morning twilight; then hubby and I drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Food, fun, and good friends are a great way to end the week!

















Scallion Potato filled Pierogi

Dough

2½ cups of flour, or more if needed
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 tbs. sour cream
½ cup lukewarm water

Sift the flour, and then mix all the other ingredients together, and knead a few minutes. The dough should not be very smooth, and it should be quite sticky. Let stand covered with an inverted bowl for 1/2 hour before using. Take a portion of the dough, and roll it out until it is 1/16" thick, using round 2" molds make about a dozen or more for filling.

Filling

2 1/2 lbs of red bliss
2 bunches of scallions, chop small to medium
salt/pepper to taste

Finely chop the onions and fry in butter until golden brown. Peel potatoes and cut them into thirds; cook until tender. Once cooked, completely drain potatoes and mash with no liquid. Add fried onions, salt and pepper to taste, and blend together.

Fill each round and then refrigerate over night covered, so filling may cool.

Isles Culinary Class- Asian Marinade/Sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon grass paste
1 tablespoon cilantro paste
1 teaspoon chili paste
3 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock, or chicken stock

In a hot saute pan, add oil and asparagus cooking for about seven minutes, or so, to brown, remove and set aside; add the remaining ingredients together in the same pan over the medium-high heat, reducing by half. When ready tuck in pierogi, and simmer for a few minutes. Serve over asparagus.





















'A squeeze of orange, and a lighter, our mixologist at Elements dazzled everyone with his magic...'

Gordon Ramsey Update: The staff working at Elements (our last stop this post) knows someone who works at 'Flamangos Roadhouse' and filled me in on the same info I had gotten last week, and confirmed the new info from my friend Robert C.- I spotted the Gordo today lacing into some people in front of the restaurant. He was dramatically leaning towards them when I snapped a phone pic- nothing. The car was going too fast. I noticed he highlights his hair. Good job though. Looks very natural. He has a good stylist. He's also remarkably fit looking- and tall.

I am hoping to go back, and between Elements staff and Robert C., I will get into that re-launch party to meet Gordo! I am enamored by his whole persona now...

Monday Mouthful- Mini Flammkuchen

Mindy @ Mindy's Mouthful and I decided to do a little ping pong recipe challenge. She picks German dishes, and I pick French dishes. Some we have made, but most we have not. You are welcome to join in. Email her, or me your dish link, and the two of us will post them along with ours. You are also welcome to mention us if you like.

Last week we did 'Rustic French Meatloaf', and this week we are doing 'Tarte flambée' (French), or as she called it 'Flammkuchen' (German). Mindy does live on the border of Germany and France, and that must be exciting for her. I might have to go visit and try the real thing!

When you hop on over to Wikipedia you will see that the photo for Flammkuchen/Tarte flambée is pizza, a white one at that! Speaking of which Reeni @ Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice does not realize it, but she too made a version of this I saw on Sunday, Tomato, Onion, White Pizza, and like they say if we could lick the screen to enjoy it as much as looking; then we would have it made!

Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning "baked in the flames".














'I admit the beer worked better with the flammkuchen at meal time than in the crust, but it tasted great'!

The key ingredients to making this dish are only four ingredients- one is making the crust; which I made a gluten-free version like I have before, but this time used a splash of Bavarian beer to the dough ; Crème fraîche, onion, and bacon (oh how I love this ingredient). Hubby gave me a look when he saw how bare his mini's were, so I steamed some asparagus and added tips for the flat ones, and the other pieces stuffed inside the flammkuchen calzone/pockets.

I made my own Crème fraîche this round. This is very easy to make, and will keep well in the refrigerator. However make it the night before as I have done in the past, so it can sit out; otherwise if it is not at least 70 degrees in your kitchen the bacteria will not cooperate for you.

Crème fraîche can be made at home by adding a small amount of cultured buttermilk (2 tablespoons) or sour cream to normal heavy cream (1 pint), and allowing it to stand for several hours until the bacterial cultures act on the cream. Mindy is right this dough is not as easy. Mine still puffed up a bit more than it should have. Also, my pizza stone finely bit the dust recently. Happens when you drop it when cleaning the oven.

Can I say totally spudalicious? Our first entry this week is- Aoife (aka The Daily Spud) submitted a might tasty looking The (Almost) Über Tuber version of this dish. I love the name, and called first dibs on the leftovers!

Then you have to go and check out Mindy's tasty Flammkuchen. I think hers came out perfectly! I love thin crust pizza, so I know I might be eating this as often as I could if I took a trip to her area...

That pizza stone would have made it look and cook crispier like hers!

Next Monday's Mouthful is 'Champignons de Paris'- Champignons- refers to dishes made with mushrooms or served with a mushroom sauce, and is French for mushroom. Unfortunately Wikipedia does not recognize the actual dish; only gives you the definition of mushrooms. I felt this would leave it wide open for a variety of dishes for us to make... I have chosen to make a savory version I call 'Crepe Suzette Champignon'...