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25/02/2008 March 4: Dine for DarfurLast year's event raised $70,000. This year the number of participating Establishments has increased AND Portland, OR as well as Seattle is represented. Here's the full press release:
Dine for Darfur: March 4, 2008
One Day, One Cause, One Goal
(Seattle WA and Portland OR) – On Tuesday, March 4, 2008, the restaurants, coffee shops and bars of the Pacific Northwest will offer customers a chance to eat and drink for a better world. Patronize a 'Dine for Darfur' establishment on March 4th and 25 percent of your tab will be donated to support relief efforts in Darfur.
Two states are better than one: After last year’s successful event raised $70,000 in Seattle, organizers at Chow Foods Restaurants decided it was time to issue a challenge to their neighbors to the south. Mt. Hood Beverage Company in Portland, Oregon picked up on it, and Dine for Darfur was set for March 4th, 2008 in Washington and Oregon.
How do I pick just one place? From Northwest classic Palace Kitchen to popular doughnut chain Top Pot, to Dine for Darfur founders, Chow Foods, we know it is hard to pick where to eat, so Dine for Darfur encompasses the entire day, from your first coffee through that final pint at the end of the night. Don’t hesitate to buy that second latte or that third pint on March 4th, because just $12 more dollars earned by Dine for Darfur will keep another displaced person supplied with clean water for the year.
Keeping it all in the neighborhood: Dine for Darfur is the result of generous donations by the Northwest’s neighborhood restaurants, cafés and bars. In keeping with their neighborhood ties, money raised through Dine for Darfur will go to a local organization, Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps works to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided more than $1 billion in assistance to people in 94 nations. Headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, the agency's global programs employ 3,400 staff and reach nearly 14.4 million people in more than 35 countries, including the Darfur region of Sudan.
Dine for Darfur will occur all day on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Each participating establishment will donate 25 percent of its sales on that day. For more information and an up-to-date list of participants, visit www.dinefordarfur.org. 14/02/2008 Happy Valentine's Day I treated myself to a little V-day snack this morning. A festively adorned chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting from Top Pot Doughnuts and a cup of tea.
Wishing you a day of sweet treats!
Top Pot Doughnuts
2125 Fifth Aveniue
Seattle
206.728.1966
 13/02/2008 Food & Wine Likes Washington RedsYesterday my March issue of Food and Wine magazine was delivered. I read it last night and was happy to see an article called Terrific Washington State Reds including a list of twenty the writer, Ray Isle, especially enjoyed. A number of the wines listed were on the spendy side but I was really pleased to see the Waterbrook Melange Red ($15), which I've recently used for a couple of large-scale events and one of my all time favorite Washington reds, Hedges Three Vineyards, were also on the list. The Hedges was highlighted as a star selection. This wine is good enough to make an impression but at $22 can also sneak into the "wine I like to have around just for me" category. 12/02/2008 Chicken Noodle Soup Last Sunday I roasted a chicken and it was the perfect main dish on that wintry day. I cleaned the chicken from the bones for storage and then saved the roasted bones and the neck that had been part of the giblets pack.
Today, I made a simple chicken stock with the bones, chunks of sweet onion and celery, garlic, and I tossed in a handful of green beans I had in the fridge for a little additional flavor. Since the chicken had been roasted with lots of rosemary even the bones were full of that flavor so I opted not to add any other herbs or flavorings at this point. I covered the everything with water and then set it so simmer for about 3 hours.
I strained the stock - removing all the solids. I kept some for today's soup and divided the rest and froze it for use another day.
The stock for today was transferred to a clean saucepan, and then I added more chunks of onion, one hot pepper, several sprigs of sage, salt and pepper. Next in were noodles. I let the noodles boil for about 10 minutes and then added lots of chicken meat. I continued heating until the noodles were completely cooked and the chicken was hot. I found I needed a bit more salt at this point.
I scooped the soup into a bowl, inhaled the sage saturated steam and then began to eat a very satisfying lunch. 07/02/2008 Mini Banana My local Central Market carries a wide array of fruits and vegetables, including items you can't find anywhere else in town. Their produce section is housed in what used to be an entire store. The place is huge. I've been eyeing their large banana selection for quite a while and this last weekend picked up a few miniature bananas that are reported to be super sweet. They are so cute! Just 4 or 5 inches long. This variety was yellow. The first one I ate was still a bit green and seemed like any other green banana to me, with one exception. The flesh seemed more dense than normal.
I let the bananas ripen more before eating the next one. This one was very sweet - in fact, so sweet that it tastes more of sugar than banana! And again, the fruit seems very dense. It's almost like a regular banana was compressed to remove any bit of air or space. I like them as a nice little treat. Just a four or five bite snack.
 Please Join Us if You Can It was last year about this time I found out about Moises' stomach cancer. He fought a good fight but in the end lost it. Many of you in Seattle will have known him. Please join us if you can.
05/02/2008 Drink for a Cause!
Hard to believe today is already Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras. But it is! All over the world people are celebrating and partying. Here in the US the biggest party, of course, has always been in New Orleans. Mardi Gras, New Orleans; the words are nearly synonymous. And, as you are probably aware, the city continues to struggle to get back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina. The good news is that the city has not been forgotten and there are many grass roots movements that continue to raise money for those most affected. Starting today and running through the end of the month, Tini Bigs is featuring the "Hands On" martini and this drink packs a double punch! First, $2 from the sale of each martini will be donated to the Seattle Works’ effort to rebuild New Orleans. And, this cocktail is made with Absolut New Orleans vodka. 100% of profit from sales of this fruity mango and black pepper vodka go to Gulf Coast based charities. For more information about which charities and the projects Absolut is sponsoring see their website. Also, on February 21, 2008 from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Tini Bigs will be hosting a party to allow martini lovers to mingle with volunteers from Seattle Works. So come to the party to hear about the work first-hand or just slip in after work to enjoy a quiet Hands On martini with friends. Never has drinking felt so good! Tini Bigs
04/02/2008 Gruyère Gougère (Cheese Puffs) I distinctly remember the first gougère I tasted. It was at one of Kathy Casey's cocktail classes, that she offers now and then. As the students arrived and seated themselves, small silver-colored buckets lined with parchment and filled with gougère centered each table. The class was a lot of fun with each round of cocktails (most were shared so that we didn't become intoxicated) accompanied by some creative bite. While all of them were tasty and whimsical, as Kathy's creations often are, the gougères were the one thing that really fired my imagination.
Soon after, I started making the recipe from that night (also found in Kathy's cookbook, Dishing with Kathy Casey: Food, Fun, and Cocktails from Seattle's Culinary Diva
 ) and it has been a winner for me every since. My friends love her recipe and would probably revolt if I held a party and didn't offer them. And I received the ultimate compliment one evening when Thierry Ratureau, chef/owner of Rover's and sometimes known as the Chef in the Hat, tried one at a charity event he was judging and nodded his approval as he reached for a second. Hot out of the oven, they are the perfect cheesy, light bite with champagne or a cocktail. As with many things, Kathy's recipe is a twist on the original, traditional version of gougère. I had been planning to make the more traditional version for some time and two recent events were just the impetus I needed.
The first was the opening of Quinn's, Scott Staples gastro-pub on Capitol Hill. On their menu they offer "warm, cheesy, gougères". The twist to their offering is that the gougère is filled with melted cheese - similar to a jelly donut. They were good but I was actually a little disappointed they were filled that way.
The second event was my recent stop at Café Campagne for their Happy Hour. They offer a beautiful version of the original. Adding a bit of extra flair to the little puffs, they pipe them through a star tip so the resulting gougères have swirled ridges decorating the tops. They are quite beautiful. While the gougères were very good, they had not been warmed and eating a warm gougère is, for me, what makes gougères not just good but great!
This past Friday night I had some friends over for dinner and I decided this was the perfect time to make the traditional Gruyère gougère. While all were very similar, my recipe search turned up several variations and so I pulled bits and pieces from three or four recipes and came up with my own version. I was very pleased with the result and so were my guests - the gougère were inhaled in a heartbeat!
Many people are afraid of this sort of recipe and I'm not exactly sure why. I find these very easy to make. You do need to follow the steps without variation - at least until you learn your way around puffs - but it's a pretty straightforward process.
 Gruyère Gougère (Cheese Puffs)
¼ cup water
¾ cup milk
8 Tbsp butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 ½ cups grated Gruyère
Place water, milk and butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir often until mixture boils. Add flour all at once. Stir until dough is smooth and has come together in a ball. Stir one more minute to slightly dry the dough.
Put dough in mixer bowl. Using paddle attachment, mix the dough at medium high speed. Add eggs one at a time, making sure each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next. Beat until the dough is smooth and a little glossy. Once all eggs have been incorporated, let dough rest about 5 minutes.
Add ¾ - 1 cup of the Gruyère and mix until incorporated. Let dough rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. (Will keep for up to 3 days.)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line baking trays with parchment. Place dough by rounded teaspoonful on the sheets or use a pastry bag with large tip to create more uniform gougère.
Press a little of the remaining Gruyère on top of each gougère.
Place sheets on upper rack in oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. You may also want to place a second sheet under the first to keep the bottoms from over-browning. The gougère should be golden brown. 01/02/2008 Support Pike Place Market Foundation I probably really shouldn't tell you about this because it will just mean I'll have more people bidding against me! But it's such a great cause I want to spread the word.
Pike Place Market Foundation's annual online auction event opens today and runs through February 28. Currently there are about fifty items up for auction but more will be added throughout the month. Many of the items are food or Market related but there are also non-food items like holiday packages and a day with the NFL Instant Replay Crew at Qwest Field! There's something for everyone.
Proceeds from the event support the Market Senior Center, Child Care & Preschool, Medical Clinic and Downtown Food Bank, all great organization worthy of your support.
To find out more about the auction and to participate you can check out the auction home page. Good luck! |
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