Compound Butter and the glory of it.....

Today I was remembering on of the most basic things I learn in cooking school and thinking how helpful it had been over the years. The thing being compound butter. Compound butter is made by softening a good quality (preferably unsalted) butter and then blending in herbs, cheese or spices. It is great put onto a steak after it is cooked when you have no sauce. Here is a good creative example but feel free to do it with what ever floats your boat.

Grilled pork chops with lavender honey compound butter

for the butter:
1 stick good quality butter room temperature
1 TB dried or fresh lavander blooms (you can buy them at a health food store in the herb section)
1TB honey (good quality local if you have it)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of these together until creamy. Drop the mixture onto a piece of wax paper, plastic or foil. Roll it in to a tube shape and twist the ends, freeze it until needed. You can save it for months as long at it is tightly sealed and slice off a piece to put on to grilled or baked meats.
To finish making Grilled pork chops with lavender honey simply grill up a pork chop with salt and pepper when it is cooked to your desired doneness you can put the compound butter on. A 1/4 inch thick chunk of compound butter on each portion and let it melt.

Here are some other ideas for compound butters
Blue cheese and parsley
Pink pepper corn and coconut
Fresh herb (with anything you can get your hands on)
Toasted hazelnut and sage

These could go on steak, pork or even veggies. The sky is the limit.
Have fun and let me know if you come up with any good combos.

Word of the Day

Del Giorno [dehl-ZHOHR-NOH] italina for "of the day" referring culinarily to a menu item made especially for that day.

The best asparagus......

Not that long ago I was told, I was living a European life style. I guess this means I spend my time enjoying what I do. My time is spent surrounded by food, wine and friends. It must be true. I take great pleasure in spending absurd amounts of time picking out just the right bunch of slender, bright green spring asparagus for roasting and when its time to grill I insist on going across town to the little butcher shop for the best meat I can afford. Living abroad for years has taught me that life can be short and it should be about quality not quantity. Why have lots when you can have the best your circumstances allow? I look at people filling shopping carts with massive amounts of highly processed, low nutritional value foods. That scares me, how did our country become about faster and more. One of the greatest pleasure in life is taking the time to prepare food you enjoy with someone whose company you value. Of course a nice glass of wine is always a good addition. Think about your quality of life, is it what you want it to be? Is it possible to take more pleasure in the small things? What are the little things you take pleasure in? I am sending my hopes that you have or can make time to enjoy the small things, be it a bottle of wine you like or the people around you. Thank you Buddy for reminding me to be thankful for my strange lifestyle.

Squirrel Gumbo

A few months back I to took a road trip with my oldest friend, Cheri. She was moving form Louisiana back to Washington and needed a driving buddy, at first I was reluctant to agree to drive cross country in the dead of winter, even with the southern crossing she was planning. One can only be so delighted with the idea of a cold road trip. The deal was sealed however when she informed me that if I joined her on the journey she would ask a friend to make me squirrel gumbo (yes squirrel as is small rodents usually seen eating nuts in your front yard) upon our arrival in Ruston. What food loving west coaster and good friend could have missed such a chance. She made the call and we were invite to a friends house for dinner. In fact an entire evening was planned for the Yankee who wanted to try squirrel. They were fabulous, welcoming and very excited to share the ritual and time honored tradition of squirrel hunting and cleaning. The time that went into boning a dozen squirrels in quite a commitment (remember they are rodents and small ones at that). The flavor, well I would say it fell somewhere between snake and quail. Tender, rich and very poultry like. Our little friends were cooked up with some smoky sausage, okra, onions, garlic,tomatoes and a tasty brown roux. Served over rice and with fresh baked farm bread. It was well worth 4 days spent sleeping in a car.

Word of the Day

Claret-[KLAR-eht]1. A term used by the English when referring to the red wines from Bordeaux. 2.Elsewhere, the word claret is sometimes used as a general reference to light red wines. It has no legal definition when used in labeling.

Whats fresh in Seattle???

Farmers Markets are Seattle's best places to find locally-grown, seasonal (and delicious) farm-fresh food. In early spring, you'll find new young greens, lettuces and shoots, including wild greens, Brussles sprouts, sunchokes, radishes, celery, cabbages, carrots, shallots, garlic, turnips, beets of many hues, plus farmstead cheeses, pasture-raised meats and poultry (including goat, chicken, beef, pork), local seafood, eggs, honey, jams, ciders, wild mushrooms, dried fruits, pickles and TULIPS.

University District (Saturdays, 9am - 2pm, Year-round!)

West Seattle (Sundays, 10am - 2pm, Year-round!)

Lake City (Thursdays, 3pm - 7pm, returning June 5, 2008 to NEW LOCATION in park next to library at NE 125th & 28th Ave NE)

Magnolia (Saturdays, 10am - 2pm, returning June 7, 2008)

Phinney (Fridays, 3pm - 7pm, returning May 16, 2008)

Columbia City (Wednesdays, 3pm-7pm, returning April 30, 2008)

Broadway (Sundays, 11am - 3pm, returning May 11, 2008)

Word of the Day

Linguica (lihng-GWEE-suh) A slim, garlicky Portuguese sausage that is used in Portuguese and Brazilian cooking.