Posts tagged ‘Food’

May 12

Happy Mother’s Day!

Thank you to all the wonderful Mothers in the world who make life sweeter for everyone.

Lilac Sugar

To keep the sweet aroma of lilacs after their bloom is done, and around our house that happens quickly, gather some lilac flowers now and layer them in a jar with sugar alternating sugar and flowers. Set the Lilac Sugar in a cool dark place for 2-3 weeks and then you will have a lovely scented sugar to use in tea, baking or sauces! I think using the sugar to make cupcakes with candied lilac flowers would be superb!

Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
Making Life Sweeter Through Food, Travel and Community

Apr 12

5 Comments

Staycation-Mango Spring Rolls

Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are happily in the process of switching our mindset and culinary menus from the thick layers of Winter warm to Spring layers and lighter, fresher fare. It’s at this time when I eagerly await the first bulbs to emerge from their sleep and buds to pop from the trees.

Afternoon walks linger when the warmth of the sun’s rays replace my winter down coat. Our living room view becomes its own Planet Earth series time-lapse moving from once black and white to muted grays and browns and now the Technicolor slowly pours on with vibrant shades of green and yellows.

The song birds are back and I half expect Julie Andrews to burst out from the greening fields with the “Hills Are Alive”. But I don’t think this crosses everyone’s mind like it does mine; all those car rides with my 5-year-old requesting to hear the sound track over and over again, could be the reason for my Spring memory replay.

But Spring is a time to hit the refresh button. Spring cleaning, depending on who you are, can invoke a number of ideas. First the house comes to mind but next my cravings begin to change from rich hearty foods to those that are lighter and fresher. Not much is growing for us yet, and I am aware that mangoes are not “in season” (are they ever here in the Pacific Northwest?) But I know many who traveled south…way south, for Spring break. So, for those of us who didn’t hit the Southern Hemisphere, but rather, enjoyed our staycation; here are mangoes for you!

Staycation- Mango Spring Rolls- makes 6 -10
This recipe was inspired from The Solitary Cook‘s recipe found at Food 52 made with a good friend one afternoon.

Ingredients For Shrimp Steam Bath:
(this might be the spa part of your staycation, lean over to indulge in a steamy facial

3 cups/24 ounces of water (enough to cover mango skins, limes and shrimp)
2 mango peels – washed (use the fruit for sauce and spring rolls 1 each)
1/2 sweet onion- quartered
1 lime- sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper to taste
2 dried japonés chiles – chopped (add more if you like more spice, my kids don’t)
8 ounces shrimp uncooked, washed and deveined ( go for wild caught spot prawns, rock shrimp or US farmed shrimp if possible)

*Have ready a bowl of ice water to immerse the shrimp and keep them from overcooking
For The Shrimp Steam Bath:
In a stainless steel pot add all ingredients but the shrimp and bring to a boil.
Once water is boiling add the shrimp and reduce heat to medium.
Cook until shrimp are pink about 3-7 minutes.
Drain cooked shrimp and immediately place in bowl of ice water to keep them from overcooking.

Shrimp Steam Bath

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients For The Mango Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (we were out so we used Bragg’s Amino Acids and it worked well)
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
2 limes (zest from 1 lime and juice from 2 limes)
1 mango fruit – (from the steam bath) pit removed

For The Mango Sauce:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth
Place in serving a dish and set aside until ready to eat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ingredients For The Spring Rolls:

8 oz Vermicelli Noodles (Beans Thread)
**************************************
1 mango-(from the steam bath) pit removed, small cubes
1 bunch cilantro (20 stems and leaves) – chopped
1/2 a cucumber – peeled, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 cup green onions – diced
All the cooked, now cooled shrimp – tail removed and chopped
Juice of 2 limes
*************************************

8-10 rice paper wraps (spring rolls skin)
9 inch cake pan (for softening rice paper wraps)
1/4 inch hot water (for cake pan and rice paper wraps)

Cooked Vermicelli Noodles

For The Spring Rolls:

Soak Vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes in hot water then drain and set aside.
Combine; mango,cilantro,cucumber, green onions, shrimp and lime juice to a bowl and toss.

Prepare rice paper wraps:
Add hot water to 9 inch cake pan
place 1 rice paper wrap at a time, submerged in hot water, for 10 seconds to soften.
*Keep hot water handy to add when water in cake pan cools.

Build your Spring Roll!
Place softened rice paper wrap on your work surface
Put a small amount 20 or so Vermicelli noodles down the middle of the roll/wrap
Place 2-3 Tablespoons of filling(mango, cucumber, green onion etc) down the middle leaving room on the sides to fold
Begin to wrap the spring roll (similar as you might a burrito) starting with the side closed to you, then fold each end and finish by rolling the last over the opposite side ( the only one left) and seal.
Set on a serving platter with the seam side down, I like to use a chilled metal one (Yay, a wedding gift I am happy to use).
Repeat.
I have found that if there are left over Vermicelli noodles the kids love it plain or topped with a little extra mango sauce is a great left over snack.

Enjoy!

Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
“Making Life A Little Sweeter Through Food, Travel And Community”

Mar 21

9 Comments

Bruschetta In Eleven Minutes Tops!

A favorite in our home because we love Italian food anything, it’s healthy and a snap to make.

When my daughter was four she came in from munching sweet cherry tomatoes and basil in the garden and exclaimed ” We have a grocery store in our backyard!” Then she asked…”can we grow a mozzarella plant?” She asked the proper question; can we? If only that were possible. “I wish we could.” was my answer. However, these questions did open the door to researching how mozzarella is made, and where it comes from. I’ve not yet ventured to make it myself, but I hear Mozzarella is pretty easy to produce, so I’ll have to try it and get back to you about that.

Until then, here’s our favorite bruschetta recipe:

Bruschetta

1 Local baguette sliced (I love the Mazama Store’s because it has a wee bit of salt on top)
2-3 Red, preferably heirloom, garden tomatoes (however with snow still on the ground, organic vine-ripened tomatoes have the most flavor)
15 Basil leaves or as many as you have slices of bread
Fresh mozzarella (you can find the pre-sliced kind at some stores) to top the slices of bread
salt for sprinkling
Olive oil (Italian) to drizzle
Balsamic Vinegar (aged has a sweeter flavor, but any will do) to drizzle

Action:

1. Toast the slices of bread, or if you have time put them over the grill or gas burner, to toast
2. Add sliced mozzarella
3. Add Basil face up to catch some of the oil and balsamic drizzle
4. Add sliced tomatoes to each
5. Sprinkle with salt
6. Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Buon Appetito!

* Thank you to Diane, Geof, Linda, Marc, Hannah and Eva for patiently waiting to devour these tasty bites while E.A did his photo dance to capture the bruschetta when freshest.

Rachelle @ Caramelize Life

“making life a little sweeter, through food, travel and community”

Mar 8

6 Comments

It’s A Comfort-Food-Farro Kind Of Day

Spring is here, no wait… it’s not, oh here it comes… Nope. Now it’s snowing. Don’t get me wrong:

I LOVE SNOW.

But I can see grass now. It’s over, I can’t go back, I’ve gone and done it. The potting shed is clean and the seeds are calling my name.

Ok, so it’s mud season; the fifth season (right after Winter; just before Spring) Mud season is when we are thankful for all wheel drive and a high clearance vehicle, when I get to be a little crazy at the wheel, just to get up the mile long road we call a “driveway.” Mud season is when the dogs’ paws are caked with the newly emerged earth and their fur becomes the transporter for all that was outside to now reside inside. My neighbor tells me “You’re out numbered” (kids, dogs, cats, bird, bunny, chickens… oh and our exchange student’s fish-Fishy (guess who’s fish it will be in July?)) she advises to “Just let go.”

I think it will be my new mantra.

This morning I practiced that mantra and put on slippers (dirt goes unnoticed better that way) and made emmer pancakes; a little comfort food for a cold damp day. I was surprised by the fact that breakfast, from egg-crackin’ to clean-up, took little more than 20 minutes. The aroma wafting from the griddle pulled my little sleepy heads out from under their covers and had them at the kitchen bar in no time. I had that Proud Mama moment of knowing that I’m providing a healthy, beginning of the day meal (that they will actually eat) for my active kids. Hopefully they’ll be satisfied until lunch.

Oh! Lunch! I plan the day from one meal to the next. Last night I tried something new; the farro boldly went where only basmati rice had been before…the rice maker. Yup, hoping it would transform our long stove top cooking times to that of a care free slow cooker experience. I am happy to report: <<genius!>> It worked! And today I have fresh farro for lunch, via my rice maker. (Enter celebratory music and little happy dance that you really don’t want in your head).

Spinach and Blue Bird Grain Farro Salad:
serves 2 for lunch

1 cup farro
3 cups washed baby organic spinach
A handful of sweet cheery tomatoes halved
1/4 cup goat cheese(Sunny Pine Farm)
dash of lemon pepper
pinch of salt

Stove top method: Add the Farro to a medium pot with 3 cups or so of water and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for 45-50 minutes.When farro grains are plump, soft and still chewy remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Or
Rice Maker method: I use a 1 cup grain to 1 cup liquid and set it to gaba (longer time but great for more nutrients) brown rice mode. But follow your rice makers directions for brown rice.

~Saute baby spinach with a little water and a dash of lemon pepper and a pinch of salt, until it wilts then remove from heat
~fill warmed bowl with farro
~crumble goat cheese onto the farro
~top with wilted baby spinach and halved tomatoes

Enjoy!

Rachelle Weymuller @ Caramelize Life
“Making Life Sweeter Through Food, Travel and Community”

Feb 14

RKW_0062 Eva hand rock Harts Pass HIke 2012

We

We at Caramelize Life wish you a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled will all that matters most to you.

Cheers!

Rachelle @ Caramelize Life
“Making Life a Little Sweeter through Food, Travel and Community”

Feb 9

9 Comments

Blueberry~Beet Winter Salad

‘Florescent fuchsia’ would be a great name for this salad. The sweet pink and purple juices of berries and beets brighten a winter meal and recall us to the tastes of summer. And their florescent colors nearly scream healthy nutrients.

A little ode to the beauty of the beet… Often underestimated, the beet is many things—an early and hearty grower, edible from root to leaf, beautiful and versatile. And if you believe that color content really does indicate vitamin content, then the beet is at the top of the list for nutritional value.

It takes winter for me to cultivate a desire for pickled items. The palate matches the season in that sprightly pickled beets compliment winter main dishes, often heavy with starch or fats. Beets from the summer garden were preserved for just such a salad at this time (canning recipe below).

2012 garden beets

The work involved with pickling beets is truly worth the effort. The vegetable is good shredded raw on salads or roasted in the oven, however, the pickling process adds sugar and spice to the benefit of the beet. I tried this recipe with oven roasted beets and it was good, but not nearly what it can be when the veggie is pickled.

Preserved, the beets in this pickling recipe are seasoned to perfection, through and through. A jar can be pulled for topping salads, as a vegetable side for just about any meat dish, or eaten as a coveted appetizer.

baby beets ~ perfect for salad greens

Rachelle and family gathered and froze bountiful blueberries 2012

2012 garden spinach

~ Blueberry-Beet Winter Salad ~

1 large head spinach, washed and torn

1 pint jar pickled beets, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups blueberries

3/4 cup roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup feta cheese (I use Sunny Pine Farm chèvre feta)

fresh ground pepper to taste

1 recipe Sherry Vinaigrette (optional, recipe below)

~NOTE: If you are using pickled beets, I find a dressing unnecessary to this salad; alternatively, if you are roasting the beets, the sherry vinaigrette or another similar dressing is required.

~The presentation of this salad is best plated individually, so begin with beds of spinach.

~Combine chopped beets and blueberries in a bowl and set aside; roast walnuts and chop.

~Assemble salads by topping each spinach bed with approximately 1/2 cup beet and blueberry mixture; sprinkle with nuts and cheese; dress with vinaigrette or not as desired and serve.

Yield: about 6 servings

~ Sweet & Spicy Pickled Beets ~

10-12 medium sized beets, or 4 pounds

3 cups onions, sliced long and thin

3 sticks cinnamon, broken

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoons sea salt (to taste)

1 Tablespoon allspice, whole

1 teaspoon cloves, whole

2 1/2 cups cider vinegar

3 cups water

4 cayenne peppers, whole and preferably fresh

4 cloves garlic

~Wash beets and trim stems and roots to about 2 inches (this will allow easy skin removal); boil in water until tender, remove and drain; when cool enough to handle, remove peel and trim ends if necessary.

~Combine remaining ingredients, besides peppers and garlic, in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

~Add beets and simmer until heated throughout; remove cinnamon sticks.

~Using sanitary, hot pint jars, add one garlic clove and one cayenne pepper to each; pack beets into jars and ladle hot liquid over beets, leaving 1/4 inch headspace; remove air bubbles and adjust two-piece caps; process in boiling water canner for 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 pints

Sherry Vinaigrette

If canning or pickling doesn’t suit your fancy, simply roast the beets on 400 degrees for about 25 minutes and make up a sweet vinaigrette. I love working with sherry as it seems to pick up flavor complexities in a wide variety of foods. You may easily substitute other vinegars.

1 shallot, finely minced

1-2 cloves garlic to taste, finely minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

salt

pepper

~ Carefully sauté shallots in 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil until transparent and just beginning to brown; remove from heat and cool.

~Combine shallots, garlic, vinegar and mustard with whisk or food processor; emulsion is the key to a good vinaigrette, so proceed slowly with olive oil, pouring in a steady, small stream while mixing until smooth (it is far easier to use a food processor for this step); add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

The Beet as Food Coloring

One of the niftiest uses for beets is as a natural food coloring. For those attempting to avoid synthetic food coloring (often containing unnatural or toxic chemicals), the beet is the ticket. Simply slice the root into chunks, cover with water, and simmer down the liquid into a thick, fuchsia sauce.

This natural food coloring is virtually tasteless and is great added to frostings or desert sauces on special occasions. My daughter knows it well as her signature birthday cake coloring.

Love from our kitchen to yours! Georgina @ Caramelize Life

2012 garden beets

Feb 1

L to R: Jalapeño-Tomato, Salsa Verde & Red Cayenne Salsa

8 Comments

Salsa Mia ~ Beat the Chill with Garden Spice

This weekend we will enjoy a community salsa and chili contest: “Beat the Chill Chili & Salsa Cook-Off.”

And the chill must be beat. Until this week, the temperature has not crested zero in about three months. I begin to wonder if the garden was all just a dream…

The pantry proves that the sweet dream was in fact real. Seven varieties of tomato and tomatillo salsas still stock the canning shelves, some made with orange and yellow heirlooms, others packed with fresh cilantro and lime, still others combining smoked peppers with dark brandy wines. One of these lucky salsas just may enter our community cook off. (For our readers local to the Methow Valley, enter the contest to benefit our Methow Valley Community Center, February 2.)

Of all the salsa recipes created and tested through the years, above all I’d like to share the tried and true tomato salsa. I’ve landed on this one as solid and adaptable ~ the ratios are reliable for water bath canning and depth of flavor is guaranteed.

Heirlooms of Autumn

2012 garden tomatoes & tomatillos

Left to right: Jalapeño-Tomato, Salsa Verde & Red Cayenne Salsa

~ Tried & True Tomato Salsa ~

Some prefer a thick and chunky salsa, in which case, seed the tomatoes. Others prefer a thinner salsa for which you can leave the seeds. This recipe works for either.

The instructions are for a “max batch,” designed to fill the water canner with 7 full quarts or multiple batches of pints. Cut the recipe in half for smaller amounts of vegetables.

Hopefully your garlic is plentiful and punchy for this recipe. I find the spicyness of garlic to be one of the most important flavors in good salsa. Our garlic was happily bedded down in the fall, and last summer’s crop is still in use, but I’ve found that the garden garlic we dried is also workable and very punchy.

Cilantro is easy to grow on a constant basis. It grows very quickly, and can be reseeded throughout the year indoors. Cilantro is entirely useful, roots, stems, seeds, leaves and all!

When in comes to cumin, purchasing fresh seed is necessary. Pre-ground cumin is always disappointing and a recipe like this takes the full-on flavor of the spice to stand up to competitors like onion and vinegar.

The same is true of sea salt ~ an area where the cook should not skimp. Especially in canning recipes, the stronger sea salt is vastly different from standard table salt.

A final note about jalapeño peppers: gauge their spice level partially on their maturity. A pepper of full maturity will have “veins” of white stretching vertically from base to stem. Without these, you may still have a spicy pepper, but a taste test is advised.

Tomato Salsa, Max Batch

24 large tomatoes

6 cups onions

30 cloves garlic

12 + jalapeño peppers

1 ½ cups red wine or cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh ground cumin seed

1 teaspoon dried red pepper to taste (optional)

2 teaspoons ground sea salt (more or less to taste)

Bunches of fresh cilantro, at least 1 1/2 cups, preferably 3 cups

~Dice all vegetables in batches in a food processor; use gloves when handling peppers if you find it necessary, and be careful not to touch face or eyes.

~Combine all ingredients besides cilantro in a large sauce pot; bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes; then add chopped cilantro (its delicate construction loses flavor if boiled much, but more benefits flavor).

~Taste for spice and salt content; adjust with dried red pepper.

~Process in a boiling water canner 25 minutes for quarts, 15 minutes for pints.

Note: the ratios in this recipe are specific to preserving. If you wish to eat your salsa fresh, use less vinegar, some to taste or none at all.

Yield: 7 quarts or 14 pints

Stay warm and enjoy!

Love from our table to yours, Georgina @ Caramelize Life

Salsa Trio

Dec 20

Sweet & Spicy Venison with Root Vegetables

Deer populate our Methow Valley year round. Whitetail and mule deer are as common as robins. Houdini deer scale our ten foot garden fences in summer and occasionally square off with our dog in the yard. In autumn, the deer provide a staple meat for many families, and this year we are fortunate to have ample venison from my husbands successful whitetail hunt.

This recipe is a modified creation of the first meal that my husband ever made for me. As a deer hunter, he calls himself “religious,” and that is no exaggeration. Since childhood in Vermont, he has tracked and hunted by long family tradition and methods. He is also excellent at butchering the animal, ensuring fresh tasting, lean red meat without gamy flavor, essential for good venison.

The combination of sweetness in the root veggies and onions, and the spice used to sear the roast warms heart and belly in the cold of winter. There is a large portion of butter in this recipe, but it is absolutely needed for richness of flavor, as venison has almost no fat content. When making the meat into burger or sausage for instance, a large amount of pork fat is added. This recipe does not work well with oil substitutes, but not to be concerned, for even with the butter, the fat added is minimal given the leanness of the meat.

Potent, large chunks of onion infuse the entire stew and sweeten nicely while baking. The recipe is tasty if seasoned to searingly hot, but it is just as good a little milder which is my preference. Topped with zingy feta, which browns to perfection atop the veggies and meat, this is a delectable one pot winter meal.

From the garden vegetables to the lean wild game, to the cheese topping made just down the street, this recipe is satisfyingly sustainable and harvest to table.

Cayenne peppers redden in the summer sun. I dry them and store for recipes such as these.

Garden onions for the stew, keeping us stocked all winter~

~Spicy Venison Stew with Sweet Root Vegetables~

1 1/2 – 2 lb. Venison (roast meat works great, or a choice cut)

1/3 cup butter

1-2 Tablespoons dried hot chili flakes (such as cayenne)

1 large sweet potato

1 large yam

2 large onions

ample salt and pepper to taste

½ cup brown sugar

¾ cup crumbled feta (I use Sunnypine Farms chèvre feta)

~Begin by trimming the venison roast of any tendons and excess fat; chop into large chunks, about 1-2 inches square.

~In a large fry pan, melt butter on medium high and add dried pepper; when chilies flakes are sizzling, add venison to the pan and seer on medium high on all sides, stirring frequently, until meat is browned; note: do not cook through—venison cooks quickly and is easily over done.

~Remove from heat and combine with brown sugar, salt and pepper; place meat in a covered casserole or Dutch oven.

~Chop onions in quarters and root vegetables in 2 inch chunks; cover meat with vegetables, but do not mix; top with feta and cover.

~Cook at 250 for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until root veggies are soft when stuck with a fork; for last 10 minutes of baking, remove cover from dutch oven for browning of onions and cheese.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Love from our kitchen to yours! ~Georgina @ Caramelize Life

A cast iron dutch oven is the best way to cook this stew for consistent heating and melding of flavors.

Oct 10

5 Comments

Saucing the Whole Tomato

The tomato is truly one of the finest edible creations. And the succulence of the garden ripe heirlooms we’ve been picking urges me to use every little bit of the fruit.

Finding a way to use seeds, skins and all is also my preference in terms of nutrition content. Peel a tomato, and the best nutrients are thrown away.

When faced with an enormous quantity of tomatoes, it takes some good recipes to accomplish the goal of wasting naught. From this year’s garden harvest I’ve done everything from sun dried, to salsas, bruscetta toppings to gespatio.

But the vast majority of the tomatoes are getting roasted in the oven for plentiful sauce through winter.

Heirlooms

In previous years, there were many hours spent peeling, seeding and cooking that marinara base down until it reduces by half, watching, monitoring, stirring and waiting. But, no more.

This year I have cut my marinara production time by about 1/4 with this easy, slow roast oven method that turns out a delicious sauce every time.

It seems that the reasons for this sauce’s success lie in 1) the use of the entire fruit and 2) a slight caramelizing of the tomatoes on low temperature that lends the roasty flavor and yet preserves the fresh tomato taste.

~ Oven Roasted Tomatoes ~

5-7 lb.s tomatoes

8-10 cloves garlic

small bunch of fresh basil

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Tomato roast complete and ready to blend

Crush garlic easily by using the palm against the flat side of a chef’s knife, pressing to release the oils.

Note: The ratios of this recipe are designed for two standard sized baking sheets.

1~ Preheat oven for 225F. Wash and drain tomatoes; remove stems and any large imperfections.

2~ Cut tomatoes in 1/2 inch slices and lay flat, packing tightly on parchment lined baking trays.

2~ Crush garlic slightly and place atop tomatoes.

4~ Drizzle olive oil over all and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

5~ Bake for 2 1/2 hours and remove from heat.

6~ You may 1) add the roasted tomatoes with fresh basil as is to your favorite pasta or 2) do the additional step of blending for a marinara. If 2, then wait for tomatoes to cool enough to handle and blend with fresh basil until smooth in a blender or food processor.

7~ Serve and enjoy fresh, or store by freezing or boiling water canner for 25 minutes at full boil.

Yield: about 4 quarts

Love from our garden kitchen to yours! Georgina @ Caramelize Life

Sauce with a serious thickness

Oct 2

Smoked Kind Salmon, Chèvre and Apricot Date Chutney Crostini

2 Comments

Caramelize Life Cooking Class @ Sun Mountain Lodge

It was quite a joy teaching garden to table, Methow based cooking to visitors from around the country this month.

We were invited by Methow Arts Alliance to beautiful Sun Mountain Lodge where I taught original recipes and methods while Rachelle took fabulous photos and video while we prepped. Our attendants asked for full recipes and photos published on our site, so this article includes methods for all that we made in class.

Luckily for us at the time, the garden was at it’s height, so most all of the ingredients we used were pulled straight from the backyard. Heirloom tomatoes, hericot vert, fresh herbs, a chèvre selection from Sunny Pine Farm and my husband’s Columbia River King Smoked Salmon received praise all around for a delightful light-fare meal we all enjoyed.

About Sun Mountain Lodge

Honored for many years with it’s five star, four diamond status, Sun Mountain draws visitors to the Methow from around the globe. Exquisite natural beauty as well as world class skiing and trail sports make the mountain a prime destination. The best in fine dining is guaranteed at Sun Mountain, but what we particularly appreciate is the chef’s use of local, organic ingredients in their culinary creations. Check out their menu for great inspiration.

~ Introduction to Gourmet, Garden to Table Methow Cooking ~

A Collaboration of Caramelize Life, Methow Arts and Sun Mountain Lodge

We are Caramelize Life: Making Life Sweeter through Cooking, Travel and Community

We are Methow Valley mothers, cooks, gardeners, photographers and writers publishing original recipes and bringing the magic of Methow foods to readers and students around the world.

We write realtime narratives, methodologies and recipes weekly in articles showcasing locally grown foods, heritage and community ~ each of them organic and self-sustaining in philosophy and heart. In everything we write, photograph, teach and create, we’re seeking to make life a little sweeter.

MENU

~Methow Harvest Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Lemon-Pepper-Almond Pesto Dressing and Handcrafted Twisp River Feta

~Crostini with Columbia River King Smoked Salmon, Local Goat Cheese & Apricot-Date Chutney

RECIPES

~ Tomato & Baby Green Bean Salad with Lemon-Pepper-Almond Pesto & Feta Cheese ~

3 lb.s Tomatoes, seeded and diced

2-3 lb.s Hericot-Vert, flash boiled and diced

1 head Romaine or other hearty green

1 cup Crumbed Feta Cheese

Lemon-Pepper-Almond Pesto Dressing (see below)

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Heirlooms, basil and beans for the salad

~ Lemon-Pepper-Almond Pesto Dressing ~

1 Recipe Pesto Sauce

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 Tablespoons E.V. Olive Oil

Fresh Basil Leaves

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

~Chiffonade basil (stack 7-8 leaves, roll them in a tube and fine slice, 1/4- inch, at a diagonal) and set aside.

~Juice lemon into a jar or small bowl and add olive oil, pesto, salt and pepper.

~ Combine with basil and serve.

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Pesto Sauce

2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves & Flowers

3+ Cloves Garlic

1/3 cup Roasted Nuts (we recommend almonds, walnuts, pine nuts or sunflower seeds)

1/2 cup Parmasean Cheese, grated

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, to taste

~Blend nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely ground, but not sticking.

~Add cheese, salt, pepper and basil and blend until smooth.

~With machine running, slowly pour olive oil through feed tube to emulsify.

~Serve on salads and pastas, in marinaras, soups, dressings or sandwich spreads.

Yield: about 6 servings

~ Smoked Salmon Crostini with Goat Cheese & Apricot-Date Chutney ~

1 Baguette (we used the Mazama Store‘s superb french style)

2 Tablespoons each, melted Butter & Extra Virgin Olive Oil, combined

Soft Goat Cheese, about 8 oz.

6-8 oz. Smoked Salmon

1/2 pint Apricot Date Chutney

Fresh Italian Parsley

~Slice baguette on the diagonal into 1/2 inch pieces and place on a sheet pan; drizzle olive oil and butter mixture over bread and toast in the oven at 350 F for about 7 minutes; remove from heat and set aside to cool.

~Spoon about 1 teaspoon spreadable goat cheese on each piece of bread.

~Top each crostini with 1/2 teaspoon smoked salmon.

~Garnish with a 1/4 teaspoon chutney and a sprig of parsley or serve with chutney on side.

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Georgina’s preserves, and the nectar rules. See our index of recipes on our page, Canned and Preserved 2012

~ Apricot-Date Chutney ~

6 1/2 cups Fresh, Ripe Apricots

2 1/2 cups pitted Dates

2 1/2 cups Golden Raisins

1 Tablespoon Salt

2 teaspoons ground Ginger

1 teaspoon ground Coriander

2 cups White Wine Vinegar

2 cups Water

Pint or Half-Pint Canning Jars

New Lids, Bands

~Wash, pit and chop apricots in 1/2 inch pieces.

~Combine apricots and remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer and allow mixture to thicken, stirring frequently.

~Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/4-1/2 inch headspace; clean rims, adjust hot lids and bands.

~Process for 10 minutes at a rolling boil in a boiling-water canner.

~Remove from canner and tighten bands; let sit for 12+ hours to seal.

~Shelve your chutney for three weeks at a minimum, 6 ideally.

Yield: 12 half-pints or six pints

~ Columbia River King Salmon ~ Smoked & Preserved ~

Recipe coming soon on caramelizelife.com

Love from our kitchen to yours, Georgina @ Caramelize Life

Making life a little sweeter through food, travel and community

Posts tagged ‘Food’

Happy Mother’s Day!

Staycation-Mango Spring Rolls

Bruschetta In Eleven Minutes Tops!

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Blueberry~Beet Winter Salad

Salsa Mia ~ Beat the Chill with Garden Spice

Sweet & Spicy Venison with Root Vegetables

Saucing the Whole Tomato

Caramelize Life Cooking Class @ Sun Mountain Lodge

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