Product

Hi everybody -
Sorry for long delay...... We are back in the U.S.A. on lovely Orcas Island. The weather has been beautiful and the air clean. We are missing Paris but life is sweet here.
I can't say I have been visiting any reknowned restaurants in the last month although Orcas does boast quite a few and as time permits I will revisit them and keep you posted ( really no pun intended!)
My time has been spent setting up "Chez Chloe" kitchen and specialty food store - if you want to check it out- www.chezchloe.com. This has consumed 99% of my energy in the last few weeks with another 50% going to our house and potager garden. Wait a minute that doesn't add up you say.....Just sleep less. Kidding aside - I am also gun ho on getting our garden going again. That's something Paris just can't provide. We do have a great farmer's market going again now - tons of fresh veggies, flowers, organic meats , crafts and ready to eat treats.
No, I can't find fresh rabbit , fois gras, lobsters, cheeses but did I mention how clean the air is........

Orcas is a beautiful island and it just takes a little more effort to attain those items. I did want to share a few tasty ideas of late.
Inspired by the River Cafe -(I purchased the River Cafe Blue Cookbook) - I tried the beef carpacchio - a piece of mock tender was substituted for the filet of beef. But, was rolled in fresh thyme and seared. I drizzled "O Olive" crushed meyer lemon olive oil on it with some fresh lemon and arugula found at our market from Maple Rock Farm. I also made some fresh pasta that will turn out better next time. Fresh pasta has to be made once in a while to remember the tricks - like rolling out small portions at a time to keep it moist, and after rolling and cutting - a little flour and hanging to keep it from clumping into rather unruly globs. I also tried the chocolate nemesis, which is going to be a part of my standard repetoire. It's chocolatey, rich and really easy to make - I think a stand up mixer is virtually essential, but I haven't tried a hand beater. It's basically 10 eggs beaten for about 10 minutes until they quadruple, sugar, chocolate and butter baked in a bain marie.
We ate it with the recommended garnish of sour cream. I added a fresh rhubarb compote because it is in season and abundant.
Sorry no photos - we just dove in with the - oh crap- I forgot to take pics in the middle.

Another simple dinner last night was a piece of sirloin seared with rosemary infused grapeseed oil (Salut Sante) and fresh rosemary sprigs. And a rack of lamb I brushed with some LuLu's honey lavendar grilling sauce. Sautéed the potatoes in it too and ate it with some fresh spinach from Brenda - Black Dog Farm- at the market
. Sorry I sound like a commercial - that may not stop for a while because I have so much great product to test! It's easy to pick up a jar/bottle of these things but don't forget they are also great bases to copy from. Make your own!

Until next time.......

Comments

[Willie T]

I would like to attest to the savory results Wendy achieved in making the beef Carpaccio, which I was privileged to share along with the lamb, potatoes, pasta and chocolate delight. What a treat it is having the opportunity to grace my palate with such incredible gourmet food prepared by my favorite cook. Yummm!

[McRoon]

It's good to have you back on line! Your Chocolate Nemesis cake sounds similar to the Fondant au Chocolat that I make from a back issue of Saveur Magazine, I made it yesterday and served it with a strawberry salad which sounds a lot like you serving yours with a rhubarb compote....great minds....
I will be visiting the Seattle area as well as Orcas Island in early August is there any particular restaurant in Seattle that you would recommend?
Good luck with the opening of your boutique!

[KAYTIEADAMS]

Hi Wendy, loved my visit with you in Paris AND the excellent meals you prepared for all of us -- thanks for the creme brulee, loved it! adding the lime made the flavor even better than the traditional recipe.

And the duck you roasted was REALLY good! So good that i wanted to try it myself after i got home and serve it to my family.

However, I've inquired at all the local supermarkets to see if i could purchase some duck without success -- not a single one offers it for sale or even special order. So i guess my next try will be to go online.

What exactly should I ask for? Was it a boneless duck or just the breast, etc.? Any ideas?

[KAYTIEADAMS]

Hi Wendy, loved my visit with you in Paris AND the excellent meals you prepared for all of us -- thanks for the creme brulee, loved it! adding the lime made the flavor even better than the traditional recipe.

And the duck you roasted was REALLY good! So good that i wanted to try it myself after i got home. that i wanted to prepare it myself to serve my family.

However, I've tried to find a supermarket which sells duck here at home without success. What exactly should I ask for? Was it a boneless duck or just the breast, etc.? Any ideas?