I am SO looking forward to seeing what folks have to sell from their gardens. Do you have fennel bulbs? What about radicchio? Berries? Mushrooms? The fresh garlic will soon be ready for harvesting. I absolutely LOVE to cook with freshly harvested garlic.
I've been thoroughly enjoying Maranatha Farms spinach and arugula. If arugula is new to you (it was to me last year), it is a salad green with a somewhat peppery flavor direction. If you like water cress, or any of the cresses, you'll most likely enjoy arugula. I've included it in some of my recent special salads.
Most any time, if you are curious about something on our menu, I am happy to give you a free taste. That is how you learn. Few of us have the extra funds to risk spending it on a meal you are not sure you'll like. So please ask if you can have a taste. If there is any to spare and we aren't in the middle of getting slammed, I'll be happy to share it with you.
One thing I always try to be cognizant of, is that if I make the food sound too far out there or don't explain what a dish is, you'll probably skip it rather than ask questions or simply dive in. My job, if I wish to accomplish my mission of expanding your palate, is to not only introduce new flavor directions to you, but also act as tour guide, explaining ingredients and encouraging you to give it a taste. Last week was a good example of that. I could have done a better job explaining about the chicken tagine. The supper club members already have very developed palates and are adventurous in their food choices. For most of you, tagine would be a new experience. It was for me. It is a Morrocan dish—from the deserts of north Africa. The flavors were quite exquisite, I thought. But they were not ones that normally cross your taste buds in one bite. The most active flavorings, beyond the base of chicken, eggplant, carrots and onion (so far, a fairly basic chicken stew) were cinnamon, cumin and ginger. Plus there was that unexpected combination of sweet and savory in the addition of raisins, cranberries and apricots. It simmered for many hours, allowing the flavors to meld. In culinary terms, they married. This was served with couscous that, itself, had been flavored with almonds, raisins and saffron. Couscous is a tiny pasta, smaller than rice, that soaks up the flavors of the broth and spices cooked with it. Saffron is the most expensive spice out there and is simply the stamens (where the pollen is on flowers) of a variety of crocus. At $10 for 5g, that translates to $10 for a loose half-teaspoonful. Perhaps next time I offer it to you as a special, you'll get excited. I know I will. It has a delicate flavor and gives a golden color to the couscous.
I've been playing with pastries again. I recently discovered whole wheat pastry flour at Meadowbrook. My pie crusts are now made mostly with this flour, along with butter, a bit of salt and sometimes lard. Because it is a lower protein content, it is also lower in gluten. Gluten is what makes bread hold its shape. It is the long molecules that stretch with the yeast and rise. In bread it is vital. In pastry it can make the dough taste, well, doughy. A year ago I used, maybe, 2 flours—unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat. Now I have unbleached bread flour, graham whole wheat, white whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, whole wheat pastry flour, semolina flour, corn flour, potato flour, rice flour and almond flour. That's a LOT of flours. Each has its own distinctive flavor or properties and specialized uses.
I've never been one who habitually ate dessert. Sure, I'll snack on cookies, eat pie or muffins for breakfast. But, unless it was close to someone's birthday or a holiday, we just never kept desserts in the house. So keeping desserts going in the cafe is a new way of thinking. Bruce has often picked up the slack. He not only is very talented and skilled in this direction, he also has more time to devote to it. Along about the time when I am starting to cook the orders coming in, he tackles the sweets. His tiramisu is legendary in these parts. Last week he experimented, quite successfully, I think, with a hazelnut version that utilized Nutella and Frangelica in the flavorings. The term "to die for" comes to mind. This week I'll be on it with some pies. I am also making a batch of fresh strawberry chipotle jam that should be quite interesting. If it comes out okay, I'll have 8 oz jars of it for sale by mid-week.
At the last open mic night we were wowed, especially, by a young pair, Nathan and Tailor. I'm not sure I got the spelling right or the order they call it, but they were terrific and very contemporary. On Tailor's last day of high school she and Nathan will perform for our Friday night. That's is this week. Please join us in welcoming this young group of singer/songwirters. The menu for the night is below. Let us know if you plan to join us and, if you can, what you plan to eat. That way we have plenty for everyone. The cafe number is 505-0302.
Does your office occasionally have lunch meetings? We'd like to know about your preferences. We are making progress in developing our office meeting catering packages and don't want to miss the mark. Pet peeves in meeting foods? Special situations we should plan for? We need your input. We have suggestion cards near the register and also, always, are happy to hear from you via email, comments to blog or facebook. If you give us a suggestion that seems especially helpful, we'll reward you with free food!
Things we are looking for—
- Someone who can mow our lawn regularly (we live in Thayer) in exchange for food from the cafe
- Fresh produce, berries, mushrooms, etc
- Musicians for our Friday nights
- A good-sized used refrigerator
- Information regarding your office menu choices
- Information regarding your Friday night music choices
Now here are this week's flavor journeys and specials—
Monday~Salmon Tacos! Back just for this week. Wood-fired wild Pacific salmon and pineapple salsa served on corn tortillas and accompanied by Italian potato salad or fruit
Tuesday~Chicken gumbo Tamales with rice on the side
Wednesday~Thai Chicken Noodle Salad over Spinach with sweetened rice wine vinaigrette
Thursday~ Pizza! Pesto, shitakes, wood-fired chicken, brie, vidalias
Friday~Sweet summer salad~Jicama, watermelon, spinach, arugula, feta, fresh basil, with balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner~ Pan Seared Salmon, Orzo, Fruit and Arugula Salad, Vegetarian Pizzas with side salad, Wood-fired Chicken Soft Tacos with black beans
As always, we cherish your visits and look as forward to them as we hope you do. We are grateful for your patronage and never take it for granted. You are a big part of what makes this work. Without your valuable feedback, your enthusiasm for what we do and continual support, we couldn't be here. Thank you.
~~Susan
No comments:
Post a Comment