Just stopping in for a second to breathe. It's been a while, sorry about that. It's been a long, hot, sweaty summer. Two months of race season directly followed by two weeks of Restaurant Week, mixed with a little Fruit of the Soul is enough to make anyone's head spin, but I try to keep my cool. That said, I hope you all had a chance to come in and check us out during San Diego Restaurant Week. I'm still trying to figure out why they call it Restaurant Week when really it's two weeks. I guess Restaurant Weeks doesn't have as nice of a ring to it as the alternative.
Judging from some of the menus I've seen, some restaurants view Restaurant Week as a chore or something they have to do to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak. At Market, we see it as an opportunity to feed people that may not normally come into the restaurant, and hopefully along the way develop some new relationships with repeat customers. Our menu is ever changing, though we do have a few staples that stay throughout every season, with the accompianaments changing depending on the which fruits and vegetables are in season. We use Restaurant Week to highlight some of these staples, along with whatever else is freshest and available to us.
Our blue cheese souffle is one of these "signature dishes". Understandably, a lot of people are intimadated by the thought of making a souffle at home. I can recall old TV shows where a woman is baking one and someone slams the door and POOF! the souffle has fallen and all that work was for nothing. That's not the case with this recipe. Because these light, tangy souffles are made with a bechamel base, they are stable enough to be made head of time, cooled down and reheated later, right before serving. Perfect for an appetizer or a light dinner served with seasonal fruit, greens dressed in your favorite vinaigrette and some toasted nuts, this is the least intimadating souffle recipe around. Let your friends think you were slaving away all day, tip toe-ing around the kitchen.
Point Reyes Blue Cheese Souffle
My favorite cheese for these is the Point Reyes Blue, but you can also use Gorgonzola or any other full flavored blue.
Makes 12 (4-ounce) souffles
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cold milk
3/4 cup crumbled Point Reyes Blue Cheese
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
Kosher salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour, stirring briskly with wooden spoon until incorporated. Add cold milk slowly to make a thick cream sauce, whisking continually. Cook for about 10 minutes over moderate heat.
Remove mixture from heat and add to work bowl of a stand mixer. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Allow to cool slightly. Attach the whisk attachment and at high speed add one egg yolk at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese-egg mixture.
Spray souffle cups with nonstick cooking spray. Fill cups 1/2-inch from top. Bake in a water bath at 300 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes and lightly brown on top. Remove from oven, let cool and unmold onto buttered parchment paper.
The restaurant serves this souffle right out of the over with a green salad, fresh seasonal fruit, and candied or toasted nuts.
The souffles can also be cooled and reheated slowly in a 300-degree oven. To reheat, place souffles in an ovenproof dish in a small amount of cream (to prevent sticking) until warm.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Juxtaposition of Carl
Carl won’t tell you this, but his 41st birthday is this week. I know he’s dreading the big Four - One, thinks it makes him an old man, but the truth is he’s a whole lot healthier than a lot of people half his age. I almost said he leads a healthier lifestyle than most people, but then I remembered the 80 hour work weeks he’s been pulling off for the last 15 years. Some may say this isn’t so healthy, but when you take Carl’s neurosis and obsession with putting out “perfect food, every time” into consideration, it seems pretty normal. For him, anyway.
Throughout high school and college Carl played football, worked out way more than the rest of us, and would consume something like 15 hard - boiled egg whites for an afternoon snack. He was a big, scary looking guy with a mullet, a fu-manchu and some unfortunate fashion choices. You didn’t want to mess with him.
Luckily, Father Time eventually aided in his ability to make better decisions when it came to dressing and grooming himself. But his eating habits haven’t changed much. Despite the fact that he is no doubt preternaturally talented when it comes to putting together flavors, some of the things that he actually feeds himself are nothing more than stomach wadding.
Take for instance his breakfast. I kid you not I have seen him put an entire bunch of swiss chard, almond milk, and protein powder into the blender along with a few other ingredients (wheat germ anyone?) and puree it to a drinkable consistency. No glass necessary; he will then chug it directly from the blender. Or how about his lunch on the go? A hot sauté pan is filled with egg whites, salmon scraps, and a few handfuls of spinach. Mmmmm, I know you’re getting hungry just thinking about it.
Despite his sometimes hilarious eating habits, Carl still has a sweet tooth. Lucky for him, I can bake. It has become somewhat of a tradition that I bake the boys in the kitchen a German Chocolate Cake on their birthdays. I knew however, that if I made one for Carl, he might have a tiny sliver, and then leave the rest up to Scotty, his sous chef, who can eat anything and still looks like the Million Dollar Man. Scotty could knock that thing out in one sitting, followed by a glass of milk.
I wanted to make something that Carl would eat and enjoy so I began looking for bran muffin recipes. After reading and trying what seemed like a trillion of them I came up with the following delicious, super healthy, and sugar free version of whole wheat oat bran blueberry muffins. These things are not only delicious, they are also chock full of protein, fiber, and vitamins.
Whole Wheat Oat Bran Blueberry Muffins
makes 12
oven 325
1/2 cup all purposr flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds or flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 banana, mashed
1 cup fat free greek yogurt
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a blender, add the banana, egg, yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla. Blend until just mixed. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add all of the wet at once. Using a rubber spatula mix to incorporate. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Do not overmix. Divide among 12 sprayed or lined muffin cups. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Cool before eating. Store at room temperature in a ziploc bag for up to 2 days.
Throughout high school and college Carl played football, worked out way more than the rest of us, and would consume something like 15 hard - boiled egg whites for an afternoon snack. He was a big, scary looking guy with a mullet, a fu-manchu and some unfortunate fashion choices. You didn’t want to mess with him.
Luckily, Father Time eventually aided in his ability to make better decisions when it came to dressing and grooming himself. But his eating habits haven’t changed much. Despite the fact that he is no doubt preternaturally talented when it comes to putting together flavors, some of the things that he actually feeds himself are nothing more than stomach wadding.
Take for instance his breakfast. I kid you not I have seen him put an entire bunch of swiss chard, almond milk, and protein powder into the blender along with a few other ingredients (wheat germ anyone?) and puree it to a drinkable consistency. No glass necessary; he will then chug it directly from the blender. Or how about his lunch on the go? A hot sauté pan is filled with egg whites, salmon scraps, and a few handfuls of spinach. Mmmmm, I know you’re getting hungry just thinking about it.
Despite his sometimes hilarious eating habits, Carl still has a sweet tooth. Lucky for him, I can bake. It has become somewhat of a tradition that I bake the boys in the kitchen a German Chocolate Cake on their birthdays. I knew however, that if I made one for Carl, he might have a tiny sliver, and then leave the rest up to Scotty, his sous chef, who can eat anything and still looks like the Million Dollar Man. Scotty could knock that thing out in one sitting, followed by a glass of milk.
I wanted to make something that Carl would eat and enjoy so I began looking for bran muffin recipes. After reading and trying what seemed like a trillion of them I came up with the following delicious, super healthy, and sugar free version of whole wheat oat bran blueberry muffins. These things are not only delicious, they are also chock full of protein, fiber, and vitamins.
Whole Wheat Oat Bran Blueberry Muffins
makes 12
oven 325
1/2 cup all purposr flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds or flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 banana, mashed
1 cup fat free greek yogurt
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a blender, add the banana, egg, yogurt, olive oil, and vanilla. Blend until just mixed. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add all of the wet at once. Using a rubber spatula mix to incorporate. Fold in blueberries and nuts. Do not overmix. Divide among 12 sprayed or lined muffin cups. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Cool before eating. Store at room temperature in a ziploc bag for up to 2 days.
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