visual gastronomy

I recently realized that every search through iPhoto leads me on a gastronomic tour - my minds eye blurs details of what we ate and with whom so it makes me happy that it is documented.

Sometimes we love a recipe so much we make it again and again, each time attempting to recreate the magical first bite.

Every preparation is a little different.

We begin to trust ourselves with the familiarity of a recipe or technique.
Refining it, we might have decided something is important or can be omitted because we don't have it on hand.  Maybe we don't quite measure the olive oil, salt and pepper or decide we might chop too much of one herb and decide to throw in the extra.  Omitting heat for a flavor with a pepper.

Our love of The Jerusalem Cookbook and Plenty have entertained many dinner parties.  Certainly Mario Batali has his greatest hits at our table so has Nancy Silverlton's Mozza recipes.

Our tried and true old standards still amaze and gratify us every time we prepare them.  Grilled steak rubbed with salt and pepper, grilled Ahi Tuna with a rub of rosemary, sugar salt and pepper with the  grilled artichokes from The Hitching Post drizzled with lemon, salt and olive oil replacing the butter.

Savor some blasts from our past year of cooking

Roasted chicken with clementine and arak
served with saffron rice  with barberries, pistachio and mixed herbs

Jerusalem Cookbook chicken with clementine and arak has become one of our favorites served with  the saffron rice recipe. We always make this recipe with brown rice a simple substitution that we adopted.

Little Gems with a bit of whatever was on hand doused in a vinaigrette 

Simple salads dressed in Nancy Silvertons perfect vinaigrette are a staple.

Olive Oil bread 

As is her Olive Oil bread, which I make in huge batches for holiday gifts.

Breakfast or lunch

Poached eggs over frisee or on homemade sourdough toast

A mix of what was on hand 

Grilled toast with blistered tomato served with Grilled Ahi on top of cabbage salad

mostly for color

Arugula salad with roasted red peppers fresh buffalo mozzarella drizzled with balsamic and olive oil
don't forget to finish with a sprinkling of Maldon salt and fresh pepper

Mushrooms with marjoram over toast

Potato crusted chicken on a grill

Tomato+ tarragon= YUM!

Lemon zest on anything and pretty much everything as a special finish

Homemade ravioli with ricotta and tarragon finished with lemon zest

And for desert

Poached Pairs cooked in a reduction of saffron and and cardamom pods were sticky and delicious

Bon Apetite!