Taste of Israel

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.

Roasted Radishes with Vanilla Salt and Basil

Donuts are red, donuts are blue.  I like donuts.  How about you.  These were the lines uttered over and over and over and over again by my sister on the way home from the city one day.  For 2 1/2 hours.  My mom did indeed get us some donuts to placate her.  I have no idea why I thought about that right now, perhaps beause radishes are so vibrantly red, and that red color is such an important part of it.  Radishes are red, the basil is, well, I hope it's not blue...  I like radishes, how about you?  And while I adore radishes...  I now really want a donut.

And on that note, here we have another dish this week where radishes pop up.  I guess in this case it is more than "popping up," it is the raison d'etre.  And vanilla salt as well!  I sometimes fear that the radish is a lonely vegetable.  Oftentimes, it is just sliced and then relegated to a platter of crudites to be half-heartedly and mindlessly dunked in ranch dressing or some ranch look-alike.  Also, my gram had come into an abundance of radishes (I say it as though it is an inheritance), and was wondering what she could do with them.  I have a serious soft spot for this vegetable, but radishes can only take so much exclusion from other ingredients, so much rawness, and so much ranch.  Only so much boredom and ennui and unappreciation from the people who munch on it.  Though this veggie is known for its bitterness, it has a vulnerable and sensitive soul.  Once you char it in the oven, of course.

Ingredients
2 bunches radishes, halved
1/2 teaspoon vanilla salt*
1-2 tablespoons walnut oil

1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon walnut oil

*Vanilla Salt
1 cup kosher salt
1 vanilla bean, split in half

Instructions
*For the Vanilla Salt:  Place in an airtight container, and leave to mingle for a couple days before using.

For the basil orange mixture: Pulse in a food processor until blended.

Coat the radishes in walnut oil and vanilla salt.  Roast at 425 for about 30 minutes, until they have some caramelization and have softened.

Coat the cooked radishes with the basil and orange mixture, then serve.

Araxi Long Table Dinner July 2012

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 Consommé.  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 consommé is something I must remember to make in the future...

And to gild the lilly, Petit Fours - pâté 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. 

Martha Stewart Collection Cast Iron Enamel Cookware

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. 

Amy's Southwestern Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Thanks to Nate Pollack for the photo

Sharing original recipes here on the blog led to writing a cookbook and doing recipe development for corporate clients. But this is the first time (that I know of) that I've ever had an item on a menu. It's my Southwestern Grilled Cheese Sandwich and it's available at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. I don't know how long it will stay on the menu, but for this week, 20% of the proceeds of the sandwich go to support one of my favorite non-profits in San Francisco, La Cocina. 

So what's in the sandwich? 

• Artisan Bakers sourdough
• Chipotle butter
• Tillamook Jack
• Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
• Fresh Jalapeños and Hatch chilis (from New Mexico)
• Roasted tomatoes
• Sweet white corn
• Black beans seasoned with garlic, cumin and bay leaves

Do give it a try and let me know what you think! 

American Grilled Cheese Kitchen

1 South Park

San Francisco

415.243.0107

Open 7 days a week: 

Mon-Fri 8am- 3 pm

Sat-Sun 10am - 4 pm

My thanks to Tillamook for sponsoring the contest using their cheese.

Avocado and Salmon Crostini with Vanilla Salt

I feel as though I have disappointed these crostini.  They look all gussied up and festive with their creamy green spread, vibrant red and purple radish slices and that pink salmon.  They totally thought they were going to some swanky coctail party, to be nibbled on between sips of wine and cheerful cocktail chatter.  But instead we made these on a Sunday afternoon, greedily keeping them all to ourselves and in an atmosphere of pure comfort.  They were disappointed.  But not us.  

Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced
olive oil
vanilla salt*
freshly ground black pepper

1 ripe avocado, pitted
3 tablespoons grapefruit juice
1/2 teaspoon grapefruit zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla salt
dash black pepper

handful of radishes, sliced thinly
6 ounces smoked salmon
1/4 cup chopped chives

*Vanilla Salt:
1 vanilla bean, split in half
1 cup kosher salt

Instructions
For the vanilla salt: Place salt and vanilla bean in airtight container for at least a week.

Heat oven to 375.  Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet (I used a Silpat to line mine).  Pour olive oil in a bowl, and brush the oil on each slice.  Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden-brown.

Mash the avocado, grapefruit juice, grapefruit zest, salt, and pepper together in a bowl.  Spread on each toasted baguette slice.  Then top with one or two slices of radish, smoked salmon, then a sprinkling of chives.

Kale, Walnut, Plum Salad with Plum-Walnut Dressing

So I thought I was going to be all smug and self righteous this summer and not post a salad.  Since salads weren't really floating my boat these past few weeks...  For some reason, I apparently thought this made me rebellious.  I am unable to account for how I got this notion.   I picked up some kale at the farmers market recently, and thought to myself, I'm going to make some fresh pasta and then toss it with the kale and some other things.  That sounds yummy!  Then it got hot.  And stayed hot.  Like, oh my god, I wish I had an air conditioner hot.  We live near the ocean; we're not supposed to get hot like this!  Come back ocean breeze!  My tolerance for heat must have plummeted since moving here...  But anyway, I realized that rolling out some homemade pasta would be like a mild form of midieval torture, which cooking really shouldn't be.  So I made a salad to use up the kale, and surprisingly (or not surprisingly), I really liked it!

Ingredients
For the salad:
1 bunch curly kale, stem removed and chopped
2 pieces of bacon
1 scallion, chopped
1 plum, pitted and sliced
bit of shaved Parmesan cheese
bit of shaved carrots
handful of toasted walnuts

For the dressing:
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 plums, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup canola
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions
For the salad: Fry up bacon slices on a griddle over medium heat.  Once both sides have crisped, remove from griddle and place on a paper towel. Place kale, scallions, plums, Parmesan cheese, carrots, and walnuts in a medium-sized bowl.  Chop the bacon pieces, and those into the bowl as well.  Toss everything together.

For the dressing: Place everything in a food processor and pulse a few times until it all comes together.  Then drizzle over the salad and mix together.