“Baja Fish Fry” — Not a great food photo shot, but it’s my favorite dish at Centro Latin Kitchen. (Trying to take a photo of the food in front of me when I’m hungry is not a good idea.) Fried rock cod with seared greens and hot corn salad. Poblano tartar, spicy vinegar and habanero dipping sauces. The fish is crispy, and the corn salad bursts with flavors. The habanero dipping sauce is my favorite. A great deal for $16. Shot for @dailyshoot #ds277 for a meal. (Photo via my Flickr)
“StrEatChefs.com” — My colleague and friend Jenny organized a field trip outing for lunch today to the StrEat Chefs location for the day. It’s a gourmet food truck, started by a team headed by the Season 5 winner of Top Chef, Hosea Rosenberg. The truck parks in different places in and around Boulder to serve lunch. The food was amazing. I got the grilled cheese, “loaded” with pork belly and apple jam ($6), and it was an excellent combination of flavors. I also got a taste of homemade golden tater tots with green chile and cheese ($4), and the sauce was flavorful, but two orders of the tots themselves were cold. My colleagues raved about the tomato and watermelon gazpacho with mint ($4) and the cherry limeade ($2). Chef Hosea was present himself and served food to customers out of one of the trailer windows. StrEatChefs is a great idea, well executed, and I can’t wait to go back in the future. Shot for @dailyshoot #ds275 for a sign. (Photo via my Flickr. More here, here and here.)
“Cookie Monster Cupcakes” — By the baker extraordinaire (among many other things) Jenny for Xander’s birthday party yesterday. (Photo via my Flickr)
“Transparent Beans” — I haven’t had to buy coffee beans for several weeks. During my weekly grocery shopping today, I bought a bag of sumatra and noticed the new coffee bean bags at Sunflower Farmers Market. Instead of the single line on which people write in the name of the beans, now the bags have a see-through window. Of course, being a coffee connoisseur that I am, I can tell that these beans are sumatra simply by looking at them through the window. (photo via my Flickr)
“Apple-Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie” — Also by Sarah, after the delicious pizza dinner. A runner-up for the @dailyshoot #ds243 assignment. (photo via my Flickr)
“Yum” — One of many pizzas that Sarah made for dinner tonight. I like this pre-bake shot (well, the crust was pre-baked a little) because of the story it tells with all the things surrounding the pizza.
Basic recipe:
- Part-wholewheat flour dough
- Grilled asparagus
- Grilled tomatoes
- Chorizo (vegetarian)
- Mozzarella and herbs
(photo via my Flickr for @dailyshoot #ds243)
“Shortcake” — Jaime made these over the weekend for a little get-together at our house. Here’s the recipe she wrote up for me:
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) - chilled and cut up into small cubes
- 1 tbs vanilla
- 1 cup whipping cream
In food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt for 5 seconds. Add butter, pulsing quickly until mixture resembles course meal. Add cream and vanilla. Process just until clumps begin to form. Gather dough into a ball. Either roll out and use a round biscuit cutter to form shortcakes OR (as I did) form shortcakes by hand.
Place on greased (or parchment lined), baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes - until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Shot for @dailyshoot #ds225 (Photo via my Flickr)
“Grilled Veggies” — From a pre-July 4th BBQ at home.
Yellow and orange bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and red pearl onions. Olive oil, salt and pepper. (Photo via my Flickr)
“White Sangria” — The recipe was loosely based on Emeril Lagasse’s online.
- Fruit (nectarines, peaches, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- Splashes of riesling
- 1/4 cup of pear juice
- 1.5 liter of dry white wine
Chill this base for a while. To serve, put a few frozen raspberries in each glass, fill the glass about 2/3 full with the base, including some fruit, and to off with a dry sparkling wine. (I study the politics of international trade—I don’t use the label champagne inappropriately.)
(Photo via my Flickr)
Stuffed peppers I made for dinner Thursday night, mostly based on Madison 2005 recipe for “Yellow Peppers stuffed with quinoa, corn, and feta cheese.”
I substituted in wild rice instead of quinoa, because I forgot to pick it up at the grocery store. I threw in a bunch of herbs—basil, marjoram and dill. And I included caramelized onion in the stuffing rather than serving that on the side.
“Resting Eggplants” — @dailyshoot #ds190 assignment for color purple.
Best. Bakery. Ever. Pasticceria Rocco.
“Cod Fillets in Coconut Spinach Sauce” — Random dinner creation tonight. I don’t think it worked as well as I imagined it might.
- Sauté garlic and onions. Add baby spinach and pour a bit of light coconut milk to wilt the spinach.
- In a baking dish, place the cooked onion and spinach on the bottom.
- Place three pieces of cod fillets (salted and peppered lightly). Pour the rest of the can of coconut milk.
- Top with chopped parsley and sliced mini peppers.
- Bake in a 375º oven, covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for additional 10 minutes.
“Sprinkles!” — Rocky road ice cream on the bottom. Home-whipped heavy cream in the middle. Rainbow sprinkles on top! @dailyshoot #ds152 for vivid colors
