Gluten-Free Sandwich Solution!

How do you make a sandwich without bread? After all, bread is the essence of a sandwich. How can something be a sandwich without two surfaces between which to sandwich food? (Unless you’re eating one of those donut bacon sandwiches.)

Eric Ripert this weekend reminded me of the solution, which is of particular interest for those who voluntarily or for medical reasons follow a gluten-free diet. On his PBS TV show, Ripert grilled a couple of heads of romaine lettuce - it was a toss off moment, too, as he was also grilling a couple of incredible looking lobsters.

Have you ever grilled a leafy green? It sounds counter intuitive, like fried ice cream, but it’s excellent. The greens are crunchy and melt in your mouth. I used to eat at a raw food/vegan/local (etc., etc.) restaurant that served a nut paste and veggie sandwich wrapped in a big kale leaf. I copied them at home, wrapping everything from day-old fried pasta to grilled vegetables in them. It’s another dimension of sandwiching. 

Anyway, I watched Ripert’s show on Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening I was to attend a barbecue. I stopped at the grocery store before and bought a package of Field Roast kabobs and, rather than hot dog buns, some romaine. I grilled the kabobs at the barbecue along with the lettuce and combined the two. Try it at your next barbecue; it works with real meat, too. You can even dress up the romaine (or kale or whatever) with soy sauce, salt or oil.

What A Great Foodportunity

This past Monday our owner, our friends at Ritrovo and myself were fortunate enough to attend a food fancier's dream event and what a "food-portunity" it was! Being invited to Tom Douglas' Palace Ballroom was exciting enough, but attending alongside many food writers, chefs and food purveyors from all over Seattle made it a night to remember.

Corky from Ballard Bee Company, Amy Pennington of Go Green Garden and, even Lisa Dupar herself, were all there. Food bloggers like Shirley of LovelyLanvin and Alice of Savory Sweet Life were there in abundance and of course our proprietor herself, Karen of Frantic Foodie did a fantastic job of mingling among the masses. If the attendees didn't have our hearts palpitating from excitement, the nibbles from the hottest restaurants around town had our taste buds exploding!

Chez Shea, Nettletown, BuiltBurger and Emmer & Rye were all there sampling their culinary masterpieces, much to our delight. Foie Gras on a homemade nutmeg hinted cracker with a crisp apple relish on top. Fresh strawberry milkshakes with a strawberry puree garnish. Gluten free cupcakes and granola, that were both delicious, stole our owners heart. And the creme de la creme: a pork and duck terrine atop a lard-fried brioche with slivers of pickled rhubarb on top with a fresh sprig of fennel.

~ To.Die.For! ~ Seriously, the best thing I think I've ever eaten!

But beyond the food, it is always a fun experience meeting new people who are as intrigued and smitten with food as you are. It makes for great conversation and perhaps new lasting relationships. We walked away from an evening and an event we thought was executed perfectly and conceptualized by a foodie genius.

Thank you Karen for a fabulous FoodPortunity event in Seattle, we look forward to taking part in the next one!

See the rest of our photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Meri Meri Sneak Peak

Meri Meri Easter Bunny cake stand

Everyone loves Meri Meri. For real, it’s one of our most popular lines at ChefTools.com. It’s no wonder, since Meri Meri makes well designed, artful party decorations, stationary and tons of other cool stuff. So, I thought I’d let everyone know that we here at ChefTools.com are hard at work readying a couple of new Meri Meri lines for debut on our website later this summer (we have to “build” products, which entails photographing them, writing about them and doing a bunch of insane computer stuff that I don’t know anything about).

First up, we’re introducing a line of Halloween items. I think Meri Meri is pretty well known for its elaborate party centerpieces, but they’ve really reached another level this year. One of the Halloween centerpieces is a gigantic haunted house complete with a blinking light, flying ghosts, a witch with a cauldron, scary trees – and even a scary fence! It is – as Meri Meri’s catalog says – “spookalicious.” Another piece that’s pretty cool is a tarantula cupcake holder; you put a cupcake on his back, and his body (he’s a smiling tarantula) is suspended in the air by 8 big legs. 

We also have a huge line of Christmas items. My favorite is a group of items – cupcake kits, gift bags, greeting cards, party plates, place cards – based on a design Meri Meri found at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The designs are all a beautiful silver/gold and have extremely intricate patterns – these things look like they could adorn wallpaper at Buckingham Palace. 

Meri Meri is also introducing a line of birthday party pieces based on the “Fun With Spot” books. There are birthday cards, cupcake kits, garland, party plates and a lot more. If you do not know Spot – and his friends the alligator, the hippo and the monkey – your kids do; this line keeps alive Meri Meri’s tradition of making cool things with timeless characters, like Peter Rabbit. 

Finally, a Meri Meri contest: Congratulations to the winners! You'll be notified soon. 

Garlic Dill or Bread and Butter? BOTH!

Cucumbers are in season at the farmers markets here in the Seattle area, which makes me crave PICKLES!!!

Do you prefer dill or bread and butter?

I like them both! In fact, I love pickles - go ahead and call me Snooki. (Never mind, please don't!)

I just recently started making my own pickles. The first batch a couple of years ago weren't crunchy enough for me, so when I made pickled green beans, I started experimenting and didn't blanch the beans first. They came out perfect. So I used that same recipe with cucumbers and the pickles turned out crunchy, garlicky and super dilly - just the way I like them.

Last year I headed over to my mother-in-law's house and we tried a new recipe for refrigerator pickles - talk about easy. You just throw all the spices and vinegar together, slice up the cukes, put it all in a jar and voila, Instant crunchy pickles. I think my mother-in-law had yummy pickles all summer long since her cucumber crop last summer was so abundant.

But I've never made my own bread and butter pickles. Anyone have a great recipe? I really want to try to make those and pickled asparagus this year. With all of my cute vintage Ball jars and canning tools, I'm ready to go. Looks like a trip to the farmers market and a sunny weekend of canning is in my future ...

Do you can your own pickles, green beans or asparagus? Post your recipes here and we can start our own Canning Recipe Swap! Happy Canning!

Sweetened or Unsweetened?

We're starting to think there's a special day associated with practically everything out there. Donut Day, Chocolate Ice Cream Day and now Iced Tea Day. But hey, we like all three so why not celebrate?!

How do you take yours, sweetened or unsweetened?

Here in Seattle, the iced tea comes to the table automatically unsweetened, but I'd say more than half of the population adds some type of sweetener at the table, Splenda being quite popular in our 'all-natural' loving city.

I've been to Virginia and the sweet tea was phenomenal. In fact, everyone but my Seattle-transplanted girlfriend ordered it that way. It was funny to hear her actually have to ask for her tea to be plain, unsweetened.

In fact at dinner with family last week we had the "sweetener" conversation and it dawned on me just how particular people are about their tea. My auntie and grandma, both from California, insist on using saccharin. My mom has to have NutraSweet because the Splenda makes her break out in hives. Myself? Well, I'm a naturalist. I use sugar. Raw sugar to be specific. Even white refined sugar tastes like chemicals to me now. (As I sit here and eat Lay's potato chips. HA!)

We also spoke about the Paradise iced tea craze that spread around Seattle in the 1990's. Remember that? Not sure if it was as popular around other parts of the country but you either loved it or you didn't and most restaurants usually carried only one or the other. Wonder whatever happened to that Paradise iced tea.

Then I visited San Francisco a few years back and took a Culinary tour of China Town and my eyes were opened to the wide world of tea. Imported from China and Japan and in every shape, size and form you could ever imagine. Tea rolled into balls, green teas, teas that bloom when you steep them, and every type of tea I never even knew existed. It was quite impressive and that's where I learned that I had been steeping my tea way too long and that's why it always tasted so bitter.

But in my heart I will forever be an iced tea girl. Give me some nice Jasmine loose leaf, a giant pitcher stuck out in the sun for a few hours on a warm afternoon and I'm a happy girl.

So today at lunch or tonight at dinner, grab an iced tea and toast to another National Day of celebration. I'll be toasting with my 'Long Island'!

An attempt at glorious pad ped

A craving for tofu pad ped gripped my mind recently and would not let go.

Pad ped is a Thai dish that I have seen served only in Michigan. I think it translates – roughly – to “spicy stir fry,” and may have origins among the Hmong of Thailand. Michigan happens to have a large Hmong population (have you seen "Gran Torino"?). I have eaten Thai food at many restaurants here in Seattle, and also in New York, New England, Indiana and Colorado, but have not seen pad ped on the menu.

I suppose I should be more specific. I’m talking about tofu pad ped from Lamai’s Thai Kitchen in Lansing, Michigan. Lamai’s is a locally famous little spot inside a narrow building that used to be a bank … that used to be a diner. Lamai serves a lunch buffet every day on a different theme. I used to go on Thursdays, which was vegetarian day. At the end of the buffet table: a big mess of pad ped.

Jalapeno peppers help spice this dish

Lamai’s pad ped was extremely spicy and the sauce was thick. She tossed in sliced jalapeno peppers AND red chilies. She mixed in whole sprigs of Thai basil, which complemented the slightly sweet sauce with a hint of earthy licorice flavor. The tofu was cut into thin rectangles and was cooked just enough so it was firm, but still open to absorbing all of the flavors of the dish. 

My mouth is watering and my brow sweating just thinking about it ...

I have tried unsuccessfully over the past few years to replicate Lamai’s pad ped. But the effort is more urgent now that I live thousands of miles from Michigan. Last Friday, I set out to Seattle’s Uwajimaya grocery store – it’s a huge, famous Asian grocery store in the International District neighborhood. I bought a bag of jasmine rice, 2 jalapeno’s, a can (yes, a can) of red curry, a bunch of basil, a red pepper, a package of tofu and jasmine rice. It turned out to be my most successful pad ped attempt. Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients:

-1 regular size package of tofu

-1 tablespoon of brown sugar

-1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar (or any kind of vinegar)

-1-1/2 cup of Thai basil

-2 tablespoons of red chili paste

-1 white onion

-2 cloves of garlic

-2 jalapeno peppers

-1 red pepper

-1 can of red curry, preferably the kind pre-mixed with coconut milk

-1 teaspoon of corn starch

-1/2 cup of soy sauce (or less – enough for taste)

Start by cutting the tofu into thin rectangles. I usually cut the block in half lengthwise, which makes 2 rectangle shaped bricks, then slice from one end to the other. (Tip: freeze your tofu overnight for a meatier texture; defrost before cooking and squeeze out the water like a sponge.) Cook the tofu in a nonstick pan until brown (or blackened, which is how I like it), using a tiny amount of vegetable oil. Use rice wine vinegar to deglaze, if necessary.

While the tofu is cooking, chop the onion and red pepper into similar-size pieces, preferably squares half the size of the tofu. Chop the jalapeño into wheels, mince the garlic and chiffonade the basil. In a separate pan from the tofu, sweat the onions and garlic. Then add both peppers, cook for a few minutes, and pour in the can of red curry, the soy sauce, red chili paste and the rice wine vinegar. Cook until it starts to simmer, then add the brown sugar, corn starch and basil. Stir until just slightly thick, add the tofu and serve over a heap of jasmine rice.

Easy, right? The trick I’ve found is the red curry with the coconut milk already mixed in. In the past, I’ve used red curry paste plus a can of coconut milk. The milk overwhelmed the dish and made it too soupy. And, of course, you can substitute the tofu for any kind of meat.

My version is not as complex, wonderful and spicy as Lamai’s, but it’ll do. If you have a pad ped recipe, please let me know.

Yay! It's National Donut Day!

National Donut Day is not just about sweet, doughy, round treats. It’s a holiday (how come we don’t get off from work?) that began in 1938 as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. It’s also a remembrance of women volunteers during World War I who delivered donuts to soldiers. It’s also where the term “Doughboy” came from, which was what American troops were called during that war (I’ve also heard, however, they were called doughboys because of the color of their uniforms …).

So check out your local donut shop and scarf down a few treats. Depending on where you live, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering free donuts, as is Krispy Kreme. Or, you could make your own at home.

Whatever the reason for National Donut Day, it’s always nice to have an excuse to eat a donut …

Plate replaces food pyramid - what do you think?

Discovering that Americans do not generally plan their meals with geometric shapes in mind, the U.S. Department of Agriculture unveiled a new food “pyramid” on Thursday. Obviously, it’s not a pyramid at all, but a plate and a glass (and a lonely looking fork). According to media reports, your average Joe is supposed to relate to this better.

Most notably, vegetables and fruits dominate the plate, with protein (as you can see, "meat" is not specified – leaving room for other protein-rich meat alternatives like soy, nuts or more vegetables) taking up a small portion. Actually, vegetables appear to be the largest share of the plate, with grains in second.

One problem I see is that the plate does not get too specific on portions. How much dairy is that glass supposed to represent? The bird’s eye view gives you no indication of volume.

Luckily, the actual Ag website behind the graphic is filled with good information.  They have links to recipes and diets specific to your condition – pregnant, trying to lose weight, etc. There’s a food search engine where you can find out how many calories are in a specific item, and plan how to fit it into your diet.

What do you think? Is this helpful to you? Will you use this graphic and the accompanying website to better plan your meals? 

Ketchup Salt? Bacon Rub? Weird? Definitely!

Our offices are located in South Seattle, in a warehouse, with a lot of cool neighboring businesses. Over the years we've made great friends with our neighboring peeps and have even come to do business with a few of them, which has been both fun and an honor for us here at ChefTools. One of our favorite neighbors are J&D's Foods - the makers of Baconnaise and BaconSalt.

A month ago they brought over some new products to sample and let me tell you, it was a buzz of excitement here in our offices. If there's one thing us chefs, cooks & foodies love, it's product samples to get excited about and share with the world and these new products filled with Baconny goodness were right up our alley.

Let's start with the Bacon Rub - um, hello?! It's absolutely fantastic! They nailed this one, it's all natural, Kosher, vegetarian and pretty low in the sodium department. But the taste? Well, let's just say that it will be going in my Father's Day gift this year because I know he is gonna love it! I can't wait to taste the goodies he'll be grillin' up on his trusty 'ol Traeger. Ribs, chicken, burgers - I'm thinking a brisket would be fantastic rubbed down in some good 'ol bacon lovin'!

Next up is the Ketchup Salt. For those of you who have traveled and eaten in Canada or parts of Europe, you'll understand this love for ketchup flavored goodness. Ketchup flavored potato chips are the norm there and they are delicious. For the rest of us who just so happen to love ketchup on everything and anything, then this salt's for you. It's light, not overly powerful and adds just a hint of the vinegary ketchup taste you might not think you're looking for, but will be pleasantly surprised to find.

As J&D's founding fathers put it:

"Is Ketchup Salt kind of weird? Absolutely. Is it weird that we dared to dream of a seasoning that would give us bold ketchup taste while keeping our fries crispy and our eggs smoking hot? Sure, it might be weird, but it's also innovative, forward-thinking, and dare we say patriotic?"

These two wonderful new products are being launched just in time for your BBQ filled summer. So, try them out and be weirdly surprised!

Let's get you grilling (safely!)

I doused the charcoals with lighter fluid and threw on a match. A tall flame exploded from the grill, striving to reach the wooden ceiling of my porch. Within a few seconds, the flames died down. I peered at the charcoals; they were black, as if they had never been lit. Guess I have to light it again, I thought.

I paused as I reached down to pick up the bottle of lighter fluid, wondering whether I should hold off. Would it be safe to re-light these so soon? The thought left my mind as quickly as it came. I tipped the bottle upside down and squeezed.

Boom.

The flames climbed the stream of lighter fluid quicker than my brain could process. The bottle exploded in my hand, flying across the porch; an explosion of hot air blew ash and dirt in a 10-foot radius around me. I stood stunned, wiping dirt off my face and checking to see if my eyebrows were still there.

A dumb grilling mistake that I shall never repeat. Good news is, the rest of the barbeque went fine, and, since no one was around to see me explode the grill, I kept it a secret. (And here’s a link to some good safety tips on grilling.)

I feel the need to retell it, though, because we are at the beginning of grill season. I hope all your barbeques went well over the Memorial Day weekend, and I hope they continue to go well for the rest of the summer. Grilling is one of the most enjoyable ways to cook (and we can cook virtually anything on a grill thanks to improvements in grill tool technology). There are a million great websites out there for grilling; here are two: Saveur’s newest issue is dedicated in part to grilling; also, CNN (of all news outlets) has put together a couple of simple, science-based grilling tips.

Good luck, and hang on to your eyebrows!