Raw Garden Salad

The best thing about growing your own food is eating it! With this warm weather I swear I can see my zucchini grow. Wanting to stay ahead of the squash downpour about to happen I made Mr. Ramon a raw garden salad for work this week. It was really cool to be able to pull a few of our vegetables together to make this tasty salad. This salad is easy and fresh and crunchy. You can add almost any vegetable you have growing in your garden. 

Open, drain and rinse 2 cans of Cannellini Beans - place in medium bowl

Slice 2 small zucchinis lengthways into 4 pieces then chop into thin bites - place in bowl with beans

Slice three handfuls of green beans on the diagonal - add to bowl 

In a small separate bowl mix well- 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Pour over vegetables and mix until coated. I like to top the salad with crumbled feta cheese. This salad is even better the next day. 

Enjoy!!

Cantaloupe Aguas Frescas

Today it is going to reach 90 degrees in Seattle and here that is hot! Looking for foods to cool us down, I saw a very ripe cantaloupe in the refrigerator staring at me. I immediately knew that I was going to turn that guy into Aguas Frescas!

Aguas Frescas means "fresh waters" in Spanish and that is just what they are. These refreshing beverages are from seasonal fresh fruit, water and sugar. Traditionally the fruit is hand mashed and mixed with water and sugar until combined. I use a blender to make quick business of it. In this case I also made a fresh mint simple syrup to sweeten it with. Less mixing with no granulated sugar to dissolve and a little hint of mint.

This drink is best served ice cold. Refrain from adding ice as to not dilute it. I love to serve one at a summer party for those looking for alcohol free options. Of course I also think that these make a great base for tequila!! 

Cantaloupe Aquas Frescas

• 1 cantaloupe peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 quarts of water - approximately
• 1/3 cup mint simple syrup (see below)
• juice of 1 lime 

Place half of the cantaloupe and half of the water into the blender and blend until pureed. Pour into pitcher and repeat with the other half of cantaloupe. 

Add the simple syrup and lime juice and mix well

Chill until very cold!

Drink!

I love simple syrups. So easy - just sugar and water. You can add any herb or flavor to them and use them for iced tea, iced coffee, mixed drinks etc. So easy to make.

Mint Simple Syrup 

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 handful of fresh mint

Crush the mint and water together in a small saucepan to release the mint oils. Add the sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. Strain mint leaves from syrup. Remove from heat and let cool before use. Will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  

Apricot Jam

Its hot here in Seattle and as much as I would like it about 10 degrees cooler I know my garden needs it and fall is around the corner. So I will not complain. With sun comes stone fruits. My favorite time of year. I still had about 2lbs of apricots left from the box I split with my friend so I decided to make some jam. I got up early before it got warm - sticky jam and a hot house is my kind of nightmare. 

When I was growing up we ate a lot of jam. My mom was an expert PB&J maker. I also love toast and peanut butter and jam on crackers as a snack. Strawberry and raspberry were my favorites as a child. I thought my mom was so weird putting apricot jam on her peanut butter and toast. Weird chunky globs and a more tart than sweet taste. How could that be good. Well times have changed. Some years ago I found that I loved apricot jam. Not sure of the exact moment that happened - but now that tart flavor and hunks of cooked apricots drive me wild. In Paris this breakfast place we went to a few times had the best jam and I think I polished off the whole bread basket myself smeared with their apricot jam. 

I had great success with my strawberry jam this year. I decided to go the route of not adding commercial pectin. The recipes call for more sugar but have a cooked down quality that I love. I went the same route with the apricot and it came out great as well. 

Mr Ramon and I stopped for coffee on his way to work and I picked up a croissant from one of my favorite pastry places Ba Bar. Karen is magical and does things to laminate dough I only dream of. I could not wait to get home and smear this buttery, crispy croissant with my jam. 

Apricot Jam 

• 2 pounds fresh apricots 
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Chop them to your desired size. I like good sized chunks of fruit so I cut them in about 1/2 inch pieces. 

Place the apricots in a very large stockpot, and add the water. Cover the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until the apricots are tender and cooked through. I smash some of the cooking apricots to add more texture to my jam. 

Add the sugar to the apricots and cook, uncovered, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Continue to stir frequently to make sure the jam isn’t burning on the bottom.

A lot of people use the chilled plate test. I go right for the candy thermometer. I like to be precise that way. Jam is ready when it hits 220 degrees. 

Once done, stir in the lemon juice and  ladle the jam into clean jars. This jam will store for 6 months in the fridge. Alternatively you can preserve this jam in clean sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 5 minutes to produce a product that lasts for 1 year on the pantry shelves. If you need support in this process you can go to the Ball canning site. 

Enjoy!

Kiel & Yvonne

I love a party. Birthday, valentines, fiesta, they are all awesome. But the party I love the most is the wedding. This magical time in a couples life - the beginning of a new chapter together. It is magical. So being able to help plan and coordinate this special day with the bride, groom and family is a real treat for me. 

Yvonne and I met about 5 years ago and I was immediately drawn to her. She makes everyone feel special when they are around her. She moved to Chicago to go to law school, then she graduated, passed the bar exam and is now a real deal lawyer. She met her beloved, Kiel in Seattle before moving and after managing a long distnace relationship he moved there to be with her. I don't know Kiel as well as Yvonne - but I do know he is a real deal hunk of a man in love with this beautiful girl. 

When they started planning their wedding I reached out to Yvonne to let her know I would love to help her in any way possible. Planning a wedding is hard but being in another state while planning your wedding is harder. I wanted to make sure her day went smoothly and was everything she wished it could be. 

The wedding ceremony was held in the Seattle Chinese Garden. They were the first couple to be married in the courtyard. It is a beautiful spot and if you are looking for an outdoor location this may be it. 

We repurposed some old cabinet doors to make signs for the wedding. Mr. Ramon was nice and offered his hand lettering skills for this project. They turned out really pretty. 

The reception was held at House of Hong in Seattle. A favorite location for parties and receptions. Me and my team hung over 150 paper decorations to transform the restaurant. Over 100 tissue pom poms on the ceiling over the dance floor and paper mobiles over the dessert buffet and bar. 

I set up the cookie bar with take away bags and hand stamped tags. The family had all pitched in and baked their favorite cookies. The sister of the groom had little cookie cookbooks printed as takeaways. The sister of the bride baked over 20 pies as well. 

At the reception they had a traditional Chinese lion dance at the reception. Something I have never seen - it was really awesome. 

It was a beautiful day made even more so with the bringing together of these two familes. 

Fresh Apricot Galette

My dad preferred pie over cake for desserts and occasions like birthdays. This is something I knew from a very young age and I am sure my mom told me this on many occasion. Kids usually expect cake so "why pie?". My mom knew from early on in her and my dads relationship that he liked pie. I don't think my grandmother could have made it any clearer when she gifted my mom with the "Farm Journal's Complete Pie Book" 1969ish. The inscription is priceless "Hope you have a lot of fun. Really read this book - and read the index thoroughly". Clearly the message was "my son likes pie - so you better make a good one".

Some of my fondest memories are in the kitchen with my family. One stands out more than most and although the details are a little fuzzy the facts remain the same. I remember watching from the sidelines as my parents made pies. I think it was for thanksgiving and I am pretty sure there was pumpkin involved. None the less - sitting back and enjoying that memory makes me feel happy inside. 

While some people love throwing together a batch of cupcakes, I love throwing together a pie, or a pie like dessert. For me crust is what my hands love to make and no freezer is complete without a crumble topping awaiting its fruit! Fruit pies are my favorite. That sweet ripe fruit baked until it is soft, wrapped in buttery crust. Fresh fruit doesn't stand a chance in our home and these apricots were no exception. 

I was excited to see the beginning of stone fruits in the local markets. How could I say no to splitting a case of local, organic apricots with one of my customers. Sweet fragrant dumplings of love these were! I have jam on my mind but it seems like a sin to not use some in a dessert. I decided to go rustic and make a galette. A galette is a rustic free form tart. Consider her the low maintenance sister to a pie. No fluted edges here. Just a crust folded up around fruit. Yum!

Pate Brisee

This recipe will make 2 crusts. You need one for this recipe. You can freeze the other for up to 2 months. I say make another galette!!  

• 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour 
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup of cold butter cut up into small pieces
• ice water - 1/4 cup or so

Combine flour and salt in the bowl of your food processor - pulse to combine. Add butter, pulse for about 10 1 second pulses until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender or your fingers.)

With machine running, slowly pour  1/4 cup ice water through feed tube. When dough comes together press a small amount together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. We do not want wet or sticky dough. Do not process more than 30 seconds.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Gather together then divide in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into disks. Wrap with plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. 

Apricot Galette

• 1/2 recipe Pate Brisee
• 1 1/2 pounds apricots - about 10
• zest and juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup + sugar
• salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Pre heat over to 425 degrees

Half and pit your apricots. Slice each half into 3 sections. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice/zest, sugar, cornstarch and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat. Taste your apricots and see if they need a little more sugar. 

Roll out your Pate Brisee using a little flour to a 13' circle. Place on a parchment covered baking sheet. Place apricot mixture in the middle of the pastry leaving a 2 inch edge of pastry all the way around. Start folding up the crust over the apricots creasing as necessary to keep in the juices. 

Brush the outer pastry edges with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in over for 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 375 degrees and bake an additional 20 - 25 minutes until pastry is golden and apricots are bubbling. Serve warm with ice cream or my favorite at room temperature with a cup of coffee for breakfast! 

Is it bad I had some for dessert and then breakfast the next morning?