michael pollan looks like larry david. for serious.

i got a chance to see michael pollan in person tonight! he gave a talk at uc berkeley, where he's a professor @ the journalism school, about his newest book, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. (thanks, alicia, for telling me about it!)

the first thing i noticed was, if you looked around at the audience (which i did many times while we waited for the talk to start), you would have realized mp's fan base (at least at this particular shindig) skewed old. like...yo' mama old. like, i was younger by some of these people by at least 30 years (and no, i'm not 5 ;). which is completely fine. just a bit disappointing, i guess, that more people my age (early 30s, if you were wondering) aren't into what michael pollan advocates. now, granted, mixed in with this older crowd were some 18-25 year olds, but after all, we were on a *college campus* at a completely FREE event. (ergo, mean age = 40; median age = 60)

if you read his book before going to the event (which i had), you wouldn't have heard anything really new: mostly everything he talked about was just a rehash of the book. which was also completely fine, since the reason i wanted to go was to get the chance to see what the person who wrote the book that changed my food life is like. what i learned was that michael pollan is not only well spoken (which i expected), but also seems to have a decent sense of humor. (then again, for all i know he's a raging egotist with a fantastic public persona ;)

he also looks a lot like larry david. for reals.

check it out, tell me what you think:

seriously, let me know if you see it, too. now, michael pollan is taller and thinner than larry david, so i'm not saying they're identical twins, but there was definitely a resemblance. at least, alicia's "husband" (maybe one day i'll get around to telling you why that's in quotes) aaron agreed he saw some similarities. but then again, maybe he was just humoring me...who knows...he does that a lot.

i'm also not saying michael pollan sounds or acts like larry david; if anything mp seems to be the complete opposite: rational, articulate....likeable... (sorry, but i think larry david is waaaaaaay annoying.)

in fact, to be honest, after the talk i realized i sorta wanted to stick around afterwards so i could get my copy of In Defense of Food signed (the book signing was part of the event), but 1) i didn't *bring* my copy b/c i had decided beforehand that it was dorky (and i wasn't about to buy another one there just for the sake of getting it signed; i mean i like his stuff, but not that much); 2) i still thought it was pretty dorky and couldn't get over it all the way no matter how much i enjoyed the talk; and 3) i could only imagine what the line looked like, and i really hate standing in line. i mean really really hate it. reeeeeally hate it.

the one thing i would have liked to have asked mp about how much a factor does he think exercise (or rather, lack thereof) has played in the current health pandemic?

cars, computers, video games, etc. etc. - all of these things (and more that i've obv forgotten) have made us, especially americans, lazier and lazier...and fatter and fatter. [my friend nicolas believes humans will one day evolve into cube shapes, as we'll use our arms and legs less and less frequently until they become vestigal...] remember how as kids (at least, if you were a kid when i was a kid) we would FOR FUN do things like jump rope, ride our bikes, play tag, and in general run around and get, well...exercise? today, a lot of kids seem to stay indoors and play video games and/or surf the interwebs. doesn't this lack of exercise play a significant factor to the current obesity/health problem? i'm not saying diet isn't one of the biggest factor (i've changed the way i eat, haven't i?), but not nearly 100%.

i imagine neanderthals probably "exercised" a LOT, whether it was from running *away* from something to stay alive, or running *toward* something to kill it to eat it to stay alive. compare that to what we do now, and it's no wonder our bodies don't know what to do with all the calories, processed or not. mp only superficially mentions it in his books, and never mentioned it once tonight. not a big deal, but it was just something i would have liked to have asked him.

anyway, i digress. bottom line is i had a good time and i'm glad i had the chance to see michael pollan speak in person.

un-f-up-able (ineffable?) roast chicken

for the last 3 weeks, i've roasted a chicken on sunday nights. the first weekend, we had it for dinner (with herbed red potatoes and sugar snap peas); these past two weekends, i've used the chicken during the week for lunch (sandwiches, salads, etc.) and for dinner (pot pie, enchiladas, panini). all 3 times, i've used the leftover carcass (with wings still attached... imo, wings don't have enough meat to make it worthwhile to wrestle off) to make stock.

i brine it overnight with whatever i happen to have on hand, which works out well when there are random extras (e.g., kumquats...don't ask - an "impulse" buy at the farmer's market. no, i *said* don't ask.) that i'm not sure what to do with. i then roast it with a cut up lemon (or, um, kumquats like i did this past weekend...no, DON'T!) tucked inside. brining pretty much not only guarantees you can't f*** up the chicken, but it also gives it great flavor. recipe is below.

feel free to have fun with what you put into the brine. like i said, i just throw in whatever "aromatics" i think might make the meat tasty. this also works really well with turkey (you just need to make ~4x more of it and use a bucket [i'm serious! i have one expressly for turkey brining. ok, i'm kidding, not like that one; like this one.] instead of a large bowl).

Caroline's Favorite Honey-Brined Roast Chicken
1 chicken (i usually get one that's just under 4 lbs)
1 quart hot water
1 quart cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup honey (or sometimes i use dark brown sugar)
1 lemon, quartered
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with flat of knife
1-2 sprigs thyme
1-2 sprigs rosemary
handful of whole rainbow peppercorns

1 lemon, quartered
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp olive oil

Rinse chicken and place in bowl large enough to hold both it and 2 quarts of water (remember the chicken displaces the water, so make sure the bowl is big enough). Add quart of cold water to bowl. In quart of hot water, add honey and salt; stir until completely dissolved. Add this brine to bowl. Place rest of the ingredients into bowl, squeezing lemon quarters before adding to brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 deg. Remove chicken from brine (discard brine) and pat dry. Place in small roasting pan (I actually use an Emile Henry oval baker; it fits perfectly and cleanup is really easy.); squeeze lemon juice and place lemon rinds and onion into chicken cavity. Tie legs together and tuck wing tips under to prevent scorching. Drizzle olive oil and rub evenly over whole chicken (although don't worry about the underside).

Roast chicken for half hour at 450 deg. Reduce heat to 375 deg and bake until thickest part of thigh reaches 170 deg. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes if serving right away, or let cool completely and then take apart (as this is a good way to avoid working with super hot chicken that burns burns burns). Serves 4.

grass-fed corned beef sure is diff'rnt

tonight for dinner we had corned beef from marin sun farms. they raise their cattle on mostly grass, which apparently results in pretty lean beef. i can't speak for every other cut msf has since this is my first time eating any of their beef, but i can say this: pastured corned beef is definitely different than grain-fed corned beef. at least in the [giganto-'cuz-there-are-only-two-of-us] piece that i bought this past saturday at the sf farmer's market. specifically, there was NO fat on it. none, zero, nada, nil, zilch. are you sensing a theme here? if not, feel free to let me know ;)

to be honest, i actually enjoy a little fat on my corned beef; i think it's pretty deeeelish. (ok, you all can stop with the disgusted noises! hello, i'm RIGHT HERE and i can HEAR YOU.) that aside, the beef was pretty darn tasty. it was extremely lean, and the texture was a bit different than i'm used to: it had a little bit more of a...grained...feel to it? i'm not really sure how to describe it. all i can say is this was a *solid* piece of beef. and by that, i don't just mean it tasted "solidly good"; i mean it was *all* beef. (you know how corned beef has that stringy connective tissue or something in it...this piece didn't have any.) i think they may not put insta cure into their brine, 'cuz the meat didn't stay pink, but to be honest, i'm not 100% sure.

i made it "irish style," meaning with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and...beer. mmmmmmm, beer. i served it with some slices of grilled country bread, which was a nice contrast to the super-tender beef. there were plenty of leftovers, meaning for lunch, i can look forward to a corned beef sandwich! i'll have to find me some organic rye bread, first, though. yum yum yum. recipe below.

(oh CRAP! i just realized i forgot to serve the beef with the sierra nevada stout mustard i bought expressly for this dinner! #$%^!!! $+*@!!! [yes, that's two different 4-letter words] arrrrrgh, i hate it when i do that!!!!

hey, so when you make yours, don't forget to put out the mustard like i just did. and if you happen to make it soon, lmk, 'cuz...i, uh...*just happen to have* some brand-new, never-opened mustard that would go great with it that i would gladly give you.)

Corned Beef & Cabbage
3 lbs corned beef
2 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut in half
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 yellow onions, quartered
1 cabbage, cored, cut crosswise and quartered
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups water
1 bottle Sierra Nevada stout

Place everything in slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until meat is very tender. Discard the bay leaf. Thinly slice beef; divide beef and vegetables into shallow bowls, and ladle broth from slow cooker into each. Serve with a stout mustard and crusty bread. Serves 6.

mint (too many?) chocolate-chip ice cream

well, the ice cream came out pretty well, except for the fact that - and i didn't think this was possible until today - it has too many chocolate chips in it. live and learn. it could have been worse, and had too FEW chocolate chips in it. [*shudder*]

at any rate, we now have about a half gallon of organic, raw-milk ice cream. (crikey) turns out ice cream is actually really easy to make, so i'm looking forward to trying out lots of other recipes. for this batch, i used organic pastures raw whole milk, straus family creamery organic heavy cream, marin sun farms pastured eggs, jacobs farm organic peppermint, and scharffen berger bittersweet chocolate.

[btw, it was pretty cute. kevin was super interested to witness the ice cream churning ("don't start without meeeeeeee!") ...sorta like a little kid...ok, FINE, yes, i was pretty fascinated with it, too.

picture this: two adults side by side in the kitchen hovering over the ice cream maker, intently staring at it for about 20 solid minutes while it did its thing... yikes...we need to get out more...]

recipe below. (and yes, adjusted to reflect there's too much chocolate in my batch.) fyi, the custard will taste a lot sweeter than you may like before you turn it into ice cream, but don't worry, it'll taste less sweet once it's frozen.

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
10 medium egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
3 cups loosely packed fresh peppermint leaves, patted dry and chopped coarsely
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Ice cream maker

In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 2/3 cup sugar.

In heavy medium saucepan add milk, 1 cup of the heavy cream, the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, and the mint leaves. Heat over medium heat until mixture is steaming hot (just before it starts simmering). Remove from heat.

Temper yolks by slowly whisking in about a 1/2 cup of the hot milk. Make sure to whisk constantly to prevent yolks from scrambling. Once tempered, slowly whisk the yolk mixture back into the rest of the hot milk, whisking constantly. Over low heat, cook custard until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon - make sure to stir constantly - about 5 minutes (don't let it boil, or the custard will curdle).

Strain custard through fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; press on and discard the solids. Whisk in the rest of the heavy cream; cover and chill until cold, at least 8 hours.

Churn custard in ice cream maker; add chocolate during the last minute. Transfer to airtight container and freeze until hard, about 2 hours. Yields about 2 quarts.

orson: smells mostly like roses, bud

tonight we went to dinner at orson, elizabeth falkner's new restaurant. it describes its food as "edgy californian"...well to be honest, i don't know what that's supposed to mean, but i can tell you this: the food was pretty good. good enough that i'd go back. (my main barometer.) but, if you've ever been to her other restaurant, citizen cake, this place is completely "other" compared to it, so be prepared.

it was opening weekend, so our bar was low on the service (good thing, too :). the food was unusual and unexpected, as promised. the menu is split into "teasers" / "naughty" (read: tiny plates) and "explore" / "nice" (small plates). here's what we ordered:

drinks
1. "touch of evil": bulleit bourbon, mint, lemon juice, st. george absinthe verte, rhubarb syrup
2. "tomorrow is forever": square one organic vodka, pages vedrenne verveine velay, sparkling moscato, lemon

wine
1 glass each Côtes Du Rhône, 2005, Eric Texier

savory
"teasers":
1. tempura-battered, soft-boiled egg rolled in nori with black trumpet mushrooms and broccoflower in a scallion broth
2. parmaggiano pudding with piquillo pepper jam and cocoa-nib explosion
3. duck-fat french fries with brown-butter bearnaise
4. light-fry tofu with house-made kimchee
5. house-made charcuterie (rye salami, bologna, spiced tri-tip, and peppered shoulder)

"explore":
1. pork bun with fresno chili and cilantro
2. butterfish brulee with grapefruit and caviar
3. short rib dusted with espresso, with spinach

sweet
"naughty":
1. pigwich: pizelle maple-bacon ice-cream sandwich
2. new york, ny: cheesecake crema, seville orange marmelade, macademia nuts

"nice":
invisible: almond, pine, bergamot, white chocolate, truffle

not surprisingly, the alcohol broke down as follows: kevin: a glass of the wine; me: the rest of it. :D (what, you're surprised? hellooo: "touch of evil"? ring any bells? mouwahahahahah--hunh, what? uh, *no*, i'm not DRUNK.)

for dinner, we loved everything except the butterfish, which was pretty bland. (not even sure it was butterfish; tasted more like haddock.) kevin liked the pork buns the best. (there's probably a joke in there somewhere.) my favorite was the tofu. (i may be mostly twinkie, but there's a little yellow in me, yet.) having said that, the kimchee - it was the tongchimi [white] variety - definitely tasted like it wasn't a korean in the kitchen making it. [insert haughty *sniff* here] the most unusual dish was the parmigianno pudding: the "cocoa-nib explosion" was what pushed it over the edge - they were like chocolate pop rocks. seriously! good thing i didn't have a soda with it (just kidding).

as for dessert. kevin really enjoyed the "new york, new york," which was just a deconstructed cheesecake. i had a couple bites; it was pretty good.

the other two desserts...well, kevin thought the maple-bacon ice cream was gross. i thought it was interesting (it definitely tasted like bacon), but the texture wasn't so great. it tasted like there were tiny beads of fat in it...which considering this was a *bacon ice cream*, there probably were. i don't regret trying it, just for the one-time experience, but if/when we go back, i won't be ordering it again.

the invisible dessert was...well, it was just...aight. it's called "invisible," i guess, b/c the candy was clear and the sauce was white, and the whole thing was served in a white bowl. it tasted mostly of almond and had, well, unexpected textures to it: crunchy candy on one side, gelatin rubbery (sorta like a thinly sliced turkish delight, but w/o the nuts) on the other, surrounded by a white-chocolate sabayon-y sauce. won't be ordering that again, either, but not upset to have had the experience. (kevin was definitely not a fan.)

the bill came to $190 for two, incuding tip; $45 of the bill was for alcohol. yeah yeah, i'm not a cheap date, but it's too late, he already married me, folks.

so overall, i'd rate orson a...well, first, i should probably set it up so you know how my scale measures. here are some restaurants that i've rated between 1 and 5:

1 = would never go back again: sauce [blech]
2 = would reluctantly go to again: ad hoc
3 = solid: jackson fillmore [LOVE their gnocchi]
4 = tasty: isa
5 = yummy!!!: quince

now that you get where i'm coming from, i'd say orson is between a 3 and 4. in other words, i'd be more than happy to go again and i'd recommend it to friends to give it a shot. (i'd tell them not to bother with those two desserts, though.) are they trying too hard to be original and unusual? yeah, probably. i wouldn't be surprised to see the menu become a little less precious over time.

but, if you're looking for a restaurant that serves overall solid food and tries to keep its ingredients "local, organic and sustainable when possible," take a much-needed break from the kitchen and give orson a try. (dudes, believe me when i say that trying to eat as wholesomely as possible is a lot of f'n work :)

when a stick blender ain't a good idea. enchilada sauce strikes back!

so...a tip for those of you who think you can use a stick blender instead of a normal one all the time. yeah...just so you know, this doesn't always hold true, as i unpleasantly found out tonight.

i decided that the rest of our leftover chicken would make great enchiladas. this involved making the sauce from scratch. which, in and of itself, would have worked out just fine, had i just sucked it up and used the normal blender. but nooooo, i used the stick blender. because i love my stick blender. it blends things so well, so easily, with so little mess. what's not to love?!?!

*i'll* tell you what's not to love about it. when you need to blend a bunch of spicy peppers in hot broth. THAT'S when! listen, when i say it's a bad idea, i mean it's a baaaaaaad idea.

ok, here's what happened:

after the dried peppers had simmered for about 20 minutes, i put them into a pyrex quart measuring glass, added the cooking liquid, the onion, roasted pepper seeds, and garlic. turned on the previously unreservedly-loved stick blender, and proceeded to unleash unholy, sweet hell not only unto myself, but also unto about a 5 foot radius around it. (maybe even more than 5 ft. i'll have to get back to you on that.)

first, it started to splash. it was hot. it was RED. it got all over my shirt. (my poor shirt. i is so sorry...) then, it got into my EYE, and that's when things went from a slightly bad / stupid idea to a what-the-#$%&-were-you-thinking-are-you-a-complete-idiot-?!?!?! situation. my eye felt like...well it felt like it was on FIRE. i propped the stick blender as best as i could with it still in the measuring cup (yes, this is why things went majorly south), ran over to the sink, and started to rinse out my eye. (my poor eye. i is so sorry... get it..."i" is so sorry. hahaha. ok, forget it.) maybe about 10 seconds later, i heard a loud thud.

by then i had managed to wash my eye out enough to be able to look over to the source of the noise. the stick blender had FALLEN OVER out of the measuring glass on the counter and landed on the floor. and...well it looked like something had been murdered in our kitchen. which is what i felt like doing to the sauce when i saw what it had done. how dare it?! the sauce - i mentioned it was red, right? - had arc-ed onto the cabinets, the floor, the walls, the counter, the floorboards. it was EVERYWHERE. and it was RED. i mentioned it was red, right? no? well it was. it was red. very very red. with evil, spicy hot seeds. and it was EVERYWHERE.

i cleaned it up as best as i could, but dudes, my eye was killing me, so it *looked* to me like i did a good job. (well i found out it wasn't so good, but more on that in a second.) and then i went to take a much-needed shower, since i looked like sissy spacek at the end of prom. (ok, maybe i'm exaggerating. but only a little. 'cuz i wasn't wearing a prom dress. j/k)

a little while later, i emerged, only to be greeted by a completely incensed kevin (he had been in another room on a phone call while the whole thing went down). i don't remember *exactly* what he said over the course of the next half hour when 1) he realized the sheer magnitude of the mess; 2) as he (graciously) cleaned (kevin, i love youuuuuu); and 3) after he was done, but they were along the lines of: "what the fudge [not sure if he said fudge or the *other* f word] happened in here?"...."what do you mean you 'cleaned it up.' it's ALL OVER THE PLACE!"..."i've been on my HANDS AND KNEES cleaning up YOUR MESS!!!!"

jeez. didn't he realize that i had gotten some of that unholy fire in my eye? i was half blind! in pain! covered in sauce! i thought under the circumstances, i had done a great job cleaning up. guess not. *sigh*

anyhow, moral of the story is...the stick blender is a wonderful tool, but not always the right choice. ok, so i haven't been able to come up with a single other time to not use it, but a word to the wise: definitely do NOT use it on hot peppers in hot broth.

other than that, the enchiladas were great. the sauce could have used a little more salt, but i'll know that for next time. recipe is below. enjoy! and back awaaaay from that stick blender! ;)


Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Red chili sauce
3 oz dried New Mexican red chilies, stemmed, with seeds reserved
1 large onion, cut in half
3 large garlic cloves
6 cups water
1 cup chicken stock

Enchiladas
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
6 oz grated, extra-sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (i personally hate cilantro, so i just leave it out. yuuu-uck.)
6 6- to 7-inch corn tortillas
Red chili sauce

Red chili sauce:
Dry roast garlic and then pepper seeds until fragrant (don't breathe in the fumes, otherwise you'll start behaving like a victim of whooping cough). Place chilies and onion in a medium saucepan with water and simmer for 20 minutes, or until peppers are tender.

Transfer into a standard blender the chilies, onion, garlic, and pepper seeds with the chicken stock and 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Puree until smooth. Force puree through a fine-mesh sieve, discard solids. Discard rest of cooking liquid from saucepan and place puree in it. Simmer on low (don't let it boil) for about 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. Sauce freezes well, but can be kept chilled in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

Enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 350 deg. Heat a skillet on high heat until hot. Cook tortillas, 1 at a time, a couple seconds a side, so they become soft. On one end of each tortilla, put about 1/4 cup chicken, 3 tbsp cheese, 2 tbsp onion, and 1 tsp cilantro. Roll up the tortillas and place them, seam side down in an 8" square baking dish. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the chili sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the rest of the chopped cilantro and serve. Makes 2 servings.

damn good chicken pot pie

we just finished eating some of the best chicken pot pie i've ever had or made. (my arm is going to be tired tomorrow from patting myself on my back so much ;)

the crust was *yummy*: flaky and buttery tasting of rosemary and thyme; the filling was just right: the vegetables were tender yet crisp and the sauce was creamy yet light. together, they formed the perfect amount of rich tastiness. actually, i don't really want to use the word "rich" to describe this dish, as it makes it sound like it was heavy. not at all. the best way to describe it is "wholesome deliciousness."

this is an awesome way to use leftover chicken (in this case, i used the stewing chicken from marin sun farms that i slow-cooked on saturday). i also used claravale farm raw whole milk and straus family creamery organic half & half and butter. i'll be making this dish many times in the future! (guess what i'm going to have for lunch tomorrow! i'm so excited.) recipe is below. enjoy!


Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Herb Crust
Filling
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large celery stalk, cut lengthwise and then chopped coarsely
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, quartered and sliced finely
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (I like to use rainbow peppercorns)
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (frozen works fine, also, no need to thaw)
1/4 cup fresh peas (frozen works fine, also, no need to thaw)
2 cups diced cooked chicken

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup half & half
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Pie Crust
3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3-4 tbsp ice water

Preheat oven to 400 deg.

Filling:
Place peas, corn, chicken into a medium mixing bowl. Melt 2 tbps of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots, and onions and saute until onions start to soften and celery turns bright green (~5 minutes). Remove from heat and place into bowl with peas, corn, and chicken; add salt and pepper and stir until well combined.

Melt remaining 2 tbsp butter in same saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once and stir quickly with wooden spoon. Continue cooking for a minute. Reduce heat to medium, add broth, milk, half & half, and thyme. Bring to a boil, while whisking to break up any clumps. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce becomes thickened, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in salt. Pour sauce over vegetables and meat in bowl and mix to combine. Taste to see if needs more salt and pepper and add if necessary. Pour into an 8" square baking pan.

Crust:
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and herbs in a small bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. Add ice water and mix with a fork until dough just begins to hold together (you may not need all the water). Gather the dough into a ball, place on a well-floured surface and roll out to a little bit larger than an 8" square.

Top filling in pan with crust. Fold down edges inward to fit crust inside pan. Pierce with a fork in a few places to allow steam to escape. Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cut into quarters, spoon filling from underneath crust into bowls and top with crust. Serves 4.