Day 3 - Mushrooms

I forgot to take pictures tonight as Cafe Davis moved back inside the house. I spent the few days prior trying to figure out how in the world I was going to fit a bunch of people in my house now that we no longer have a dining room. The dining room/sun room switcheroo is a great way to provide better play space for the kiddo and family time for us, but it doesn't do much for entertaining. My solution was to move around all of the living room furniture and to set up folding tables smack in the middle of the living room. And since hindsight's 20/20, I can confidently look back and say that the set-up, although unconventional, worked just fine.

This particular night I set way too many chairs at the table because the weather outside was FRIGHTFUL. We still had some great guests who were willing to brave the icy elements, however, and enjoyed a really great evening with Chase Milner and Rebecca Heselmeyer, John and Erica Cavanaugh, and Justin Grandinetti. The fact that we lost a number of guests due to various weather and sickness-related issues, however, meant that I had a surplus of mushrooms on hand. Lots of fungus among us, if you will. We did our best, though, and got to chow down on some hearty fare on a chilly night while at the same time having great conversations about a really wide array of topics, including hearty congratulations for Chase and Rebecca's newly announced engagement!

The menu was another (mostly) veggie-friendly night, with French onion soup stuffed mushrooms, creamed mushrooms on chive butter toast, polenta with wild mushroom sauce, and green beans with wild mushrooms. I love polenta, and I'm calling out that recipe, which originally hailed from Cooking Light, as my fave for the evening:

Polenta with Wild Mushroom Sauce

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 polenta slices, 1/3 cup mushroom sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons parmesan cheese)

• 1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups water
• Vegetable cooking spray 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 6 1/2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1 pound mushrooms)
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine 
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh grated Parmesan cheese 
• Thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Place the cornmeal and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Gradually add water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon the polenta into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly. Press heavy-duty plastic wrap onto surface of polenta, and chill 2 hours or until firm.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprig; cook 3 minutes or just until garlic begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms and next 5 ingredients (mushrooms through pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Add parsley; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside, and keep warm.
3. Invert polenta onto a cutting board; cut crosswise into 12 slices. Place slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
4. Arrange 2 polenta slices on each of 6 individual serving plates. Top each with about 1/3 cup of mushroom sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Day 2 - Eggplant

It's technically another year, the Christmas tree was officially delivered to the curb tonight, and I figured I should get around to actually posting stories about Cafe Davis before they fade into my memory. So I'm back to Day #2 - eggplant. Cafe Davis had a change of venue that night when we ventured into the "Annex," our former garage-now family room. My original plan was to have all of Cafe Davis out there, but this one foray into that bright idea left me feeling like I was waiting tables in a VERY LARGE restaurant. I henceforth had a change of heart.

I do appreciate our guinea pig guests who braved the journey across the backyard for the one and only Annex dinner - Nick Lepp, Erin Hadi, and Leah Webb, pictured in the fuzzy picture below, Paula Davis and Evelyn Button, pictured with the cute kiddo below, and Fannie Hutton and Misty Newman, pictured in the last picture below.

The menu was a veggie night featuring eggplant, and included roasted eggplant dip with crudite, rigatoni with eggplant puree, and grilled eggplant stacks with tomato and feta. Dinner was lovely because of the company, but I really didn't feel like any one dish stood out that much. I'll share the eggplant stacks recipe because I think it has the potential to be the best, but I wonder if lightly breading and frying the eggplants would have been better. Or maybe I just needed to toss them in more oil/grill longer. I dunno - I just don't feel like they lived up to their potential, and I'll leave them at something worth tinkering with again. Regardless, the stacks had tomato and feta, and that alone is yummy enough. Without further adieu, heeeeeeeere ya go! The recipe is originally from Gourmet magazine.

Grilled Eggplant Stacks with Tomato and Feta

• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium eggplants (1 3/4 to 2 lb total)
• 1 large tomato (about 4 inches in diameter) and 2 medium tomatoes (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
• 3 oz feta, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)

• Garnish: finely shredded fresh basil leaves

Blend basil with oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in blender until finely chopped. Pour into a paper-towel- or coffee-filter-lined sieve set over a bowl and let drain 20 minutes. Gather together sides of towel or filter and press gently on it to extract more oil. (You will have a generous 1/3 cup oil.) Reserve 1 tablespoon basil oil separately for serving. Scrape basil solids into a small bowl and reserve.

Prepare grill for cooking over medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas); see "Grilling Procedure," below.

While grill heats, cut off bottoms of eggplants, then cut 6 (1/2-inch-thick) crosswise rounds from each, starting from cut end. Reserve remaining eggplant for another use. Cut 4 (1/3-inch-thick) rounds from large tomato and 2 center slices (1/3 inch thick) from each medium tomato, reserving remaining tomato for another use.

Lightly brush eggplant rounds on both sides with basil oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill on a lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over occasionally, lightly brushing eggplant with more basil oil occasionally if it looks dry, until eggplant is very tender, 6 to 10 minutes. (Leave gas grill on.)

Make stacks:
On baking pan, arrange 4 largest eggplant rounds side by side and spread each with a generous 1/2 teaspoon of reserved basil solids, then top each with 1 of 4 largest tomato rounds. Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and top each with about 1 tablespoon feta. Make another layer with medium-size eggplant rounds, basil solids, medium tomato rounds, salt, pepper, and feta, then top with remaining eggplant and feta.

Set baking pan on grill and cook stacks, with grill cover closed, until heated through and cheese on top is softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer stacks to 4 plates and drizzle plates with reserved basil oil.

Day 1 - Masa

Cafe Davis is off to a great start! I, of course, forgot to take pictures of any of the guests. Lack of photographic evidence aside, we were pleased to have Sarah and Greg MacDonald, Janell Bauer, and Heath Dewey join us. Tonight's menu was built around masa, an ingredient suggested by Sara Ardrey-Graves (who will be joining us later on... on coffee night? Perhaps - my memory isn't what it used to be.) The menu was crispy potato sopes (masa boats) with salsa, goat cheese and herb salad; chicken enchilada soup; and green chile tamale pie. 

To be honest, I feel rusty to this whole blogging thing. It's been a number of years since I actually tried to remember to write posts about our Cafe Davis meals. In retrospect, I kick myself for slacking in that department because the memories start to fade. This is an example of a conversation I have with Mike: How many times have so-and-so been to Cafe Davis? Two? Three? Oh, you know - they were here that time with those other people. Riiiiight.

That's no good. I'm trying to be better y'all. Hang in there.

So anyway, back to the meal. I love food made with masa. I will eat me some tortillas like they are going out of style. Tamales? Yes, thank you. But I've never actually cooked anything with masa harina from scratch. And that's reason number 1 why Cafe Davis is awesome - you lovely people get me out of my comfort zone. No more cheese and crackers for dinner - we shall have sopes!

And yes, you too should have sopes. These things are dee-licious and pretty easy to make. Here's the recipe that inspired our appetizers for the evening. It's from Williams Sonoma. Sure, they would probably taste better if you made them in a fancy cast iron sopes pan, but a deep skillet will do just fine.

Crispy Potato Sopes (Masa Boats) with Salsa, Goat Cheese and Herb Salad 

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatoes, about 8 oz. total, peeled and cut into large pieces

• Salt, to taste, plus 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1 cup fresh smooth-ground corn masa for tortillas, or 1 cup powdered masa harina  mixed with 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. warm water

• 1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, plus more as needed (optional)

• 3/4 cup fresh salsa, such as red chili-tomatillo salsa

• 2 generous cups loosely packed torn herb leaves, such as watercress, arugula, mizuna  and/or basil

• About 1 cup crumbled goat cheese (chèvre), ricotta salata or Mexican queso añejo

• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the potatoes with water to cover by 2 inches and season with salt. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool for 15 minutes. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill into a mixing bowl. Discard all but 1 cup of the potatoes and return the 1 cup to the bowl. Knead in the masa and the 3/4 tsp. salt to form a soft dough, similar to a soft cookie dough. 

Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, roll into balls and transfer to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. 

One at a time, shape the balls into disks about 1/4 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches wide. Using your thumb and index finger, pinch up the edge of the dough to create an upstanding border, about 1/2 inch high, all the way around the disk, forming the sope ("little boat"). Transfer the sope, flat side down, to the heated griddle and cook just to set the bottom, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, continue shaping and then cooking the remaining portions of dough. As you remove each one from the griddle, prick the bottom without penetrating the sope and transfer to a plate. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. 

Preheat an oven to 175°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set in the oven. Stir the balsamic vinegar into the salsa and set out the herbs and goat cheese.

In a deep-fry pan or heavy fry pan over medium heat, pour in oil to a depth of 1/2 inch and heat to 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. (If you don't have a thermometer, dip the side of a sope into the oil—if it sizzles vigorously, the oil is ready.) Fry the sopes a few at a time until they are a rich golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain them upside down on the paper towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. 

When all the sopes are done, arrange them on a serving platter. Spoon about 1/2 Tbs. of the salsa into each one, top with a tuft of the herbs and sprinkle generously with the cheese. Serve immediately. 

Makes 18 sopes; serves 8 or 9 as an appetizer.

My thoughts on the recipe:

1. It didn't make anywhere close to 18 sopes. Maybe 12. I'm sure I could have made them smaller, but it was tough and I fear things falling apart in hot oil, so I went with the bigger size. 
2. I think it's ridiculous that it says to discard all but 1 cup of the potatoes. Since I was essentially making mashed potatoes, I kept those things to give to my 2 year old. Add some frozen broccoli and a maybe a chicken nugget and dinner's done.  Waste not, want not.
3. I made the sopes recipe super easy. As you see, there are a lot of steps listed above. My version: after cooking the sopes, top each one with a dollop of salsa verde (from a jar), a dollop of ricotta cheese, and some torn mixed salad with herbs from a package. Quick, easy, and yummy.

That's it for day 1! Day 2 involved more people and a change of venue, but there will be a couple of days delay before I'll be able to post about it. Until then, stay glued to the edge of your seat for the eggplantastic details! 

It's that time of year again!

Friends, I've done a terrible job blogging the past few years. I'm tempted to say that this year I'll be better, but don't hold me to it. The fact of the matter is that I go to bed pretty early these days, and 12 days of rabble-rousing and food comas will probably not make me more productive in the PM. But Cafe Davis has always been about so much more than this blog - this is just a place for you to come and make your dinner reservation, really. Cafe Davis is about you - our lovely friends and friends-to-be. I can hardly wait to see who will show up this year.

Cafe Davis 2012 - The 12 Days of Cafe Davis!

Cafe Davis will soon be open! As you know, we didn't have Cafe Davis last year with the wonderful introduction of Emme to our family. Mike and I talked about how we wanted to move forward with this event - we love the opportunity to sit around the table with old and new friends, but a solid month of summer-time entertainment seemed impossible. And while we were talking about it, pulling off our typically massive holiday party seemed out of reach as well. So we decided to combine the two - holiday entertaining with a Cafe Davis twist! Click on the 2012 Menu page tab to see this year's menu.

To accommodate Emme's bedtime and meal preparation duties, meals will now be served at 8pm. We will serve cocktails, however, beginning at 7:30. We'll have a few festive libations on rotation during the 12 days to help you keep your holiday season jolly. One other significant change - since the December dates mean that it will be difficult for us to spill over to the great outdoors in case of large parties, we're going to have to limit seating each night to only 10 guests. That means that you'll need to RSVP early - all reservations will be first-come first-served.

I think that's it! For those of you unfamiliar with how Cafe Davis works, feel free to scroll through this blog to get a glimpse of meals in years past. Here's a quick primer:
1. We invite you.
2. You make a reservation based on your availability and your food preference.
3. On the day of your reservation, show up for dinner with friends. We don't provide dessert, but we surely appreciate it if you choose to bring some to share.

2011 Cafe Davis

The Cafe is closed for 2011, given the birth of the best and most beautiful baby in the world!

Planning is in the works for 2012, however. Given that the little stinker above will be barely over a year old, I'm thinking simple. The theme will be gourmet on 5-ingredients or less. All of you busy folks out there are intrigued, aren't you? :) No worries - I'll share some ideas as the planning commences. See you next year!

May 30th - Barley and The End

Cafe Davis came to an end. I would say it's bittersweet, but I think my waistline and my arteries really needed the break. So I guess it's good that we ended on what I would characterize as a semi-healthy note. Or at least barley has the potential to be healthy. It certainly is filling. I don't think that people are supposed to eat this much barley in one meal, but we all were troopers and kept slugging through. The menu was wild rice and barley stuffed mushrooms; French barley salad; lentil-barley burgers with fiery fruit salsa; and golden-crusted brussels sprouts.

We had two Minnesota natives at the table, so I was somewhat pleased with my inadvertent overture to Minnesota agriculture with the wild rice in the stuffed mushrooms. The mushrooms, however, were not the stand-outs of the meal... not even close. That prize goes to the lentil-barley burgers.When I said last time that the pork kabobs were the thing you should make from this month, I may have lied. These burgers are better, or at a minimum, a tie. And, they were almost a disaster.

I find that vegetarian nights are a little more challenging to cook because they often involve an inordinate amount of food prep - cutting, dicing, slicing, cubing, even chiffonade-ing. Plus this one required cooking a bunch of grains that take a while. So there I was, toiling along, trying to get everything done on time when I realized that it was 6:30 and I hadn't even started the burgers yet. I called Mike in off the bench to help me get that done (thank goodness he is such a whiz in the kitchen - I can always rely on him to make deliciousness happen). He got to work - cutting, dicing, slicing... you get the idea - and I was reading ahead in the menu, trying to make sure I was one step ahead of him in the prep process. It was about 6:45 when I had my "oh nooooooooooooooooooo!" moment. Apparently, after the patties were formed, they were supposed to chill in the refrigerator for an hour until firm. Why am I incapable of reading recipes in advance? Like, oh say, the day before? This is a persistent problem with me. Luckily, Mike kept an even head. He threw in some additional panko, vowed not to flip the patties too often, and hoped for the best. And the BEST was exactly what he achieved. Here is the amazing recipe - purveyors of sub-par veggie patties, you're on notice.

Lentil-Barley Burgers
Serves 6 (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups waqter
1/2 cup dried lentils
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup grated carrot
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt, divided
3/4 cup COOKED pearl barley
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)=
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
3 Tbsp canola oil, divided

Preparation
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups water and lentils in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain. Place half of lentils in a large bowl. Place remaining lentils in a food processor; process until smooth. Add processed lentils to whole lentils in bowl.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot; saute 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add tomato paste, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to lentils. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, barley, and next 5 ingredients (through egg); stir well. COVER and REFRIGERATE 1 HOUR or until firm.
3. Divide mixture into 6 portions, shaping each into a 3/4-to-1 inch-thick patty. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook each patty 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Note - the recipe says to serve with the fiery fruit salsa. I thought the salsa was just okay. My advice: treat this like any other burger and serve it with whatever makes you happy, even if it's bacon. I don't know why more people don't go the veggie burger/bacon route. It sounds delicious to me.

Last but not least - my commentary on the guests. Joining us this night were Miriam Dickler, Jenny Schumi, Meris Mandernach, and Suzi Carter.

(From L to R: Miriam, Jenny, Suzi, and Meris)

Except for Mike, it was Ladies' Night at Cafe Davis, apparently. It was a nice, subdued, laid-back crowd for the last night. We stuffed ourselves barley-silly, ate too much delicious dessert (amazing cookie bar thingies that Miriam made, plus Kline's ice cream and a rhubarb masterpiece from Meris), drank some tasty wine (thanks Suzi!), and called it an early night. Thanks to everyone who participated in Cafe Davis this year - we had a blast, and we're grateful that we have an entire year to digest. I'll try to blog more regularly - first a little retrospective Cafe Davis by the numbers, a little bit on my plans for next year, and maybe some healthy recipes that fall more in the weight-loss category than in the over-indulgence category. We'll see. Regardless of whatever I end up writing, thanks again for coming along for the ride.

May 29th - Pineapple

To be honest, I was kind of dreading this night. Not  because of the guests, mind you, but because I was worried that I had an unbalanced menu that would be too heavy on the pineapple, and much, much too sweet. The menu was pineapple-mango salsa with homemade tortilla chips; tropical salad with pineapple vinaigrette; pork kabobs with tequila and pineapples; and pineapple rice. It turns out that my fears were unfounded. Despite the ubiquitous pineapple, I really thought this was manageable and not over the top. In fact, the pork kabobs turned out FANTASTIC. If you make one thing from this month, this perhaps should be it.

Pork Kabobs with Tequila and Pineapples
Makes 4 servings (from www.foodreference.com)

1/2 pound pork loin, in chunks
5 chili peppers, finely chopped
1 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup tequila
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 bell peppers, chopped in chunks
2 cups pineapple chunks, freshly chopped
12 cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice


Preparation
Mix chili peppers, garlic, ginger, oil, and tequila, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Place pork in a deep dish. Add the marinade and place in the refrigerator for 6 or more hours. Take out the pork chunks from the marinade and insert them onto metal skewers, alternative between bell peppers, pineapples, and cherry tomatoes. Place marinade in a pot and cook for 8 minutes to thicken slightly. Place over the grill until golden and pour marinade over the skewers continually.

Yum. I also was a fan of the homemade tortilla chips. Instead of frying them like usual (see pictures from earlier this month), I made them from flour tortillas this time around and baked them. Super easy: Brush both sides of tortillas with melted butter. Cut each tortilla into quarters and place on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees until crisp and light brown.

The guests included some old friends and some new ones. Amanda Phillips, one of Mike's old students and a wonderfully creative person, brought along her boyfriend Matt Leech, who turned out to be equally wonderful. Also joining us was Josh Baugher, the only person in Cafe Davis history to randomly find us on the internet (four or so years ago) and charm his way into a standing invitation. Josh also brought along his lovely girlfriend, Jamie Rae, who I hope to see around again. Definitely great people, and lots of great pineapple. Kudos to Josh for his delicious pineapple upside-down cake and to Amanda for her tasty pineapple cupcakes. Great bakers in our midst, folks.

(From L to R: Jamie, Josh, me, Amanda, Matt)

By the way... in case you're wondering where the food photos are, I forgot to take them. That's why Matt is posing with the extra pineapple. Just imagine its potential.

May 28th - Wasabi

We didn't have anyone signed up for wasabi night for the longest time, and I admit that I was a bit disappointed. The reason I was disappointed was because I once had this great smoked salmon and wasabi salad at The Lafayette Inn in Stanardsville, Virginia, and I wanted to try and recreate it. On Wednesday of this week (an off-night for Cafe Davis) we went over to Julie and Kevin Caran's house to help them baby-proof in anticipation of the new member of their family. While we were sitting around, supervising Kevin's screen replacement skills, we started talking up wasabi and bemoaning our lack of guests. Thankfully, Kevin and Julie were willing to step in and help us out.

The menu for the night was panko fried green beans with wasabi cucumber ranch dip; hot smoked salmon with herb salad and wasabi vinaigrette; fried grouper sandwich with wasabi coleslaw; and sweet potato fries with wasabi mayonnaise dip. I'll start with the salad....

As far as my re-creation efforts go, I don't think this was a success. Maybe I need to return to The Lafayette and give their salad another whirl, because I couldn't quite remember what was in the original. This didn't taste, to me, like a faithful reproduction. It was, however, still pretty darn tasty. Oddly enough, the salad had three different salad dressings on it - each one contributing something important that gave the salad a nice balance of flavors. This picture isn't great - I promise it tasted better than it looked.

Hot Smoked Salmon with Herb Salad and Wasabi Vinaigrette
(from Global Chef)

Ingredients
10 slices smoked salmon (3 inches long)
20 ounces herb salad containing mizuna, frisse, cilantro, flat parsley, and snipped chives
20 cherry tomatoes
2 peppers (red and yellow)

5 ounces Red Pepper Vinaigrette
- 1 Roasted Red Pepper (skinned and seeded)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 ounce red wine vinegar
- 3 ounces olive oil
- salt and pepper

3 ounces Wasabi Vinaigrette
- 1 ounce wasabi mustard
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 ounces salad oil
- 1 tsp honey
- salt and pepper
- a touch of sesame oil

3 ounces Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 ounces salad oil
- salt and pepper

10 pieces of chives

Preparation

• Wash the herb salad and cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters
• Slice the red and yellow peppers into rings and place into iced water.
• Create the red pepper vinaigrette. Roughly chop the red peppers, place in a blender with the mustard and red wine vinegar. Blend into a paste and incorporate the oil, season to taste and strain through a fine strainer.
• Create the wasabi vinaigrette. Blend the mustard, egg yolk and lime juice. Incorporate the salad oil and season.
• Make the lime vinaigrette. Whisk the lime juice and oil, season to taste. 
• Toss the herb salad, cherry tomatoes, and sliced peppers with the lime vinaigrette. Plate the salad in a tight, neat pile.
• Flash grill the salmon. Sit the salmon on top of the salad. Drizzle the red pepper vinaigrette around the plate and streak the wasabi vinaigrette across the place. Garnish with a long cut chive.

Finally, a note on the guests. Kevin and Julie once lived in Atlanta where they were friends with my friends Dely and Gail, former Cafe Davis guests. I love this small world. Because of our Atlanta connection, Kevin and Julie brought over an Atlanta-themed Monopoly game. Kevin destroyed us. Teaching chemistry isn't his calling - he really should be a slum lord. Here are the victors (1st and 2nd place). They look like they're taunting us with their spoils, don't they? 

May 27th - Eggs

Egg night at Cafe Davis got so crazy that it derailed my blogging for the weekend. Cafe Davis 2010 is now officially over, but I need to catch up on my blogging so that the last weekend doesn't drift off into memory unrecorded.

I was a little reluctant about egg night. I like eggs, but it seemed like an entire meal centered around eggs would be overwhelming. The menu was caviar creme fraiche canape; romaine salad with back and hard-boiled eggs; tomato pasta frittata; and roasted asparagus. I'll start with the canape...

I've made creme fraiche before. It's not difficult, but it does take a bit of time - 7 or more hours, to be exact. I knew that I've seen creme fraiche in the grocery store, though, so I figured I would just buy it and save me the effort. I give you this preface as a segue into what I like least about Cafe Davis. I HATE grocery shopping. It's not buying the items that's the problem; it's the oblivious people that wander aimlessly around the aisles, and even worse than them, it's the fact that grocery stores seem incapable of stocking what I need. I routinely hit up two or more grocery stores shopping for a Cafe Davis night, looking for random, everyday things that grocery stores should have... like cucumbers. I know creme fraiche might be a little "out there," but I was 100% sure that I'd seen it at Martin's in the past. But in the present, there I was in the dairy section, demoralized at the lack of creme fraiche and the fact that I had only 5 hours until dinner was served. That's not nearly enough time to make it from scratch.

What to do? I wandered over to the gourmet cheese section, hoping that creme fraiche might randomly be stocked there. Then, what to my wondrous eyes did appear? Krinos Taramosalata! This is a Greek caviar spread made with carp roe, lemon juice, herbs, and bread crumbs. It's not the quite the same thing as creme fraiche with caviar, but I thought it was a reasonable alternative. And this, friends, is why the Cafe Davis menu says that ingredient substitutions are sometimes necessary. Plus, the jar of taramosalata was under $4! To make the appetizer, I cut rounds out of Italian bread with my handy, dandy biscuit cutter (gotta love the cheesy slogan - when I saw this at a yard sale, I couldn't resist it!):

Then I toasted them lightly, spread on the taramosalata, and topped it with diced red onions and red peppers. Easy, and delicious!

If you're looking for a hearty frittata for main entree, I recommend the one I made tonight. Here's the recipe, and a pic:

Tomato Pasta Frittata
(From About.com)

The recipe says this serves 4 - that's a lie. I think it could serve 6 or more, easy.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup leftover cooked fettucine or spaghetti pasta
- 2 red tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup shredded Muenster cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
In bowl, combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and lemon juice and mix. Add eggs, milk, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Melt butter in large cast-iron skillet. When butter is sizzling, add egg mixture. Cook, lifting edges of frittata occasionally to let uncooked mixture flow underneath, until bottom is light brown and eggs are almost set, about 5-8 minutes.

Sprinkle with Muenster and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and place 4" from broiler. Cook, watching carefully, 8-12 minutes until frittata is puffed, set, and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes, then cut into wedges to serve.


The guests tonight were Sarah Smitherman, Tom Robinson, and Clayton Johnson. After dinner we played games into the wee hours. Good, clean fun! We'll leave it at that... this isn't a gossip blog. ;)

May 25th - Basil night

Tonight's guests were Katie Sensabaugh, one of Mike's debaters, and her boyfriend, Ryan Wolz, as well as four people I did not know. One of the four was Kelsey Dayton, one of Mike's former students. She brought along her sister, Natalie Dayton, her boyfriend Caleb Reed, and her best friend, Emily Schloff. Dinners like this are one of the reasons that I love doing Cafe Davis. Sure, I get annoyed and stressed out quite a bit during this month-long entertaining fiasco, but then nights like this come along and I feel like I have the unique opportunity to get to know cool people that I would probably never come in contact with otherwise. I'm really glad that there are adventurous guests out there willing to take a chance on dinner with a complete stranger. No offense to all of you that I know already, but I love the interesting dynamics that come sharing Cafe Davis with new friends!

(From L to R: Ryan, Katie, Emily, Natalie, Caleb, and Kelsey)

Now on to the meal... tonight's ingredient was basil. Thinking ahead, I made sure we bought a number of basil varieties and planted them in the garden well in advance. In tonight's dishes I included spicy globe basil, run-of-the-mill sweet basil, lettuce leaf basil, and purple basil. The menu consisted of baguette with goat cheese, roasted peppers and sweet basil; green tomato, purple basil and shaved Parmesan salad; grilled tilapia with lemon basil vinaigrette; roasted garlic and fresh basil mashed potatoes; and savory green beans. I've been pleasantly surprised this entire month because, even though each menu centers around the repetition of one ingredient, the meals have seemed relatively balanced. The basil meal was definitely basil-y, but not overwhelmingly so.

The tomato salad made me really look forward to the tomatoes ripening in the garden. Salads like this are a staple during the summer months at our house, and I thought this one was interesting because it included a couple of green tomatoes in the mix. The green tomatoes didn't alter the flavor, but changed the texture a bit with a nice periodic crunch. I have a very limited imagination when it comes to using green tomatoes, so I think this will encourage me to try new things more often. Here's the SIMPLE recipe:

Green Tomato, Purple Basil and Shaved Parmesan Salad
Serves 4 (from www.readysteadycook.ten.com.au)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 red tomatoes
2 green tomatoes
1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, chiffonade
1/2 cup purple basil leaves, chiffonade
Shaved Parmesan, to serve

1. Combine olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper in a bowl. Cut tomatoes into wedges and add to the dressing. Add basil and toss gently to combine.
2. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan.

Hmmm... what other recipes should I share? I thought that tonight's tilapia was good and that the mashed potatoes were just the right amount of bad-for-you to be tasty, but in all honesty, I really enjoyed this green bean recipe. They were easy (hallmark of a good recipe in my book), but had a nice flavor and were a good break from boiled/steamed/boring beans. I think I will definitely make these again, and just as a note, I think that using sea salt was a better choice than table salt. I probably used less than the recipe called for, but I think the result was more savory (the goal) and less salty (like I was afraid they would be).

Savory Green Beans
Serves 4 (from About.com)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
- 1 pound green beans, washed and trimmed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic, cut in half
- 1 Tbsp chopped onion
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried leaf basil, crumbled
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup boiling water

Preparation:
Snap green beans in halves. Heat oil and butter in a skillet; saute onion and garlic until softened. Remove garlic from the skillet. Add green beans, salt, basil, sugar, pepper, and boiling water. Cover and cook over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Add a little more water, if necessary.


Finally, in some non-cooking news, I finally got around to making the aloe face cream. For those of you interested in that particular experiment, the ratio seems to be two large aloe leaves to one cucumber, plus 2 cups distilled water. I first peeled and diced the aloe, yielding this appetizing cutting board of slimy jiggle:

I was curious about what it tasted like, so I tried a piece. It wasn't unpleasant. It had a slight cucumber flavor, and the slimy coating didn't even seem like that big of a deal. Maybe I will be more adventurous some day and give it a try in a real recipe. Maybe...

The end result of the facial mixture is still pretty slimy. I strained it through a fine sieve to get all of the cucumber chunks out of it because the food processor didn't puree it finely enough. Surprisingly, it dries on the skin pretty quickly, only had a faint cucumber smell, and wasn't annoying to sleep in at all. I got Mike to try it too, and he seemed pretty happy about the results the next day. I didn't notice quite as much of an effect as he did, but I'll keep up the regimen for a week. Except for last night, I didn't. You have to store the aloe mixture in the refrigerator, and it was way too cold for me to slather on my face. Tonight, I'll let it warm to room temperature before I give it a whirl.

Cafe Davis is winding down! In the homestretch now... if you plan on making reservations, do it now!

May 23rd - Squash

Finally... the last blog entry I need to catch up on. Mitch left in the morning after we hit up brunch at Union Station. Then, after running some errands, I went home and passed out until 3:30. This weekend wore me out! I got a groggy start to cooking, but managed to get my act together in time. And good thing too, because we had the largest group of the 2010 season yet.

The menu ingredient was squash, and I have to admit that it kind of killed me a little on the inside to buy summer squash and zucchini at the grocery store. In just a mere few weeks, both will be so abundant in our yard that I will probably be giving it away. Alas. Despite that consumer discomfort, the meal was pretty tasty: butternut spread with pepitas and garlic pita chips; candied walnut gorgonzola salad; acorn squash stuffed chicken breasts; and summer squash risotto with crispy fried sage and Parmesan. The menu on the website also listed roasted zucchini with garlic, but I didn't make that. I didn't realize that the "summer squash" part of the risotto really just meant roasted squash and zucchini on the side. Additional roasted zucchini seemed redundant.

That said, I think that the risotto was delicious, as well as the salad. I'll share both recipes below.

Summer Squash Risotto with Crispy Fried Sage and Parmesan
From the Ann Arbivore blog

Ingredients:
- 4 summer squash
- 4 zucchini
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1/4 bunch fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch fresh sage sprigs, leaves only
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 750-milliliter bottle dry white wine
- 2 quarts reduced sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 stick butter, cut into thirds
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash and zucchini into circles and slice onion. Set out on a roasting try and scatter with thyme leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

While the vegetables roast, start the risotto. Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot and fry the sage leaves until they are crispy and crackly. Drain the leaves on paper towels and set aside. Add onion to the pot and saute until fragrant and slightly translucent.

Add rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat as you stir with a wooden spoon. Add the wine; cook until mostly evaporated. Begin adding the vegetable broth, a little at a time, allowing the rice to absorb the broth each time before adding more. Continue doing this until the rice is tender but still has a little bite. To finish, add butter and cheese, and top with the roasted squash and sage leaves.


And now to the salad:
Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad 
(From AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup walnut halves
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups mixed greens
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 Tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.

As a side note, I think the candied walnuts would be a nice finger-food for a party - maybe put it into a spiced/candied nut rotation with cheese and wine as well.

The guests for the evening were Mike Barber and Jen Raybin, the Hickerson family (Corey and Laura and their two kids), Sarah Smitherman and Tom Robinson and their daughter, Shannon Johnson and Aaron Noland. Mike Barber is the person we ran into around 2am at Jack Brown's a few days back and invited to dinner. It's good we proactively go out to round up more guests. :) We took pictures of the crowd in two batches - the Hickersons first:

And then everyone else:

And now that I've spent the entire day blogging and watching a Law and Order: Criminal Intent marathon on TV, I think I'll sign off and do some dishes. 11 guests and a couple of toddlers can generate quite a few dirty plates:

Thanks to everyone for the delicious bottles of wine and desserts you all have shared over the past few days. You are all fantastic guests! We're entering our last week of Cafe Davis now - if you haven't made your reservations yet, don't miss the opportunity!

May 22nd - Chipotle and Cinnamon

Another slow start to our day... another brief stress-out moment wondering if I'd get dinner on the table on time. This time, we started with breakfast at the Little Grill Collective. Then we headed out to the Dayton Farmer's Market and the Shenandoah Heritage Market, where we essentially impulse bought random food. It was a good idea to go, though, because I picked up some ingredients for Cafe Davis that I forgot to otherwise purchase - roasted pepitas and herbs de provence. Next up on the agenda - a cave! We headed north to Endless Caverns. I had never been those particular caverns before, and I really enjoyed the tour. The only problem is that we didn't start it until 1:30, which put us back above ground at 3:00-ish.

Of course, again, the boys decided that they needed to pre-game Cafe Davis with a late afternoon snack. So at 3:30 we rolled into the BBQ Ranch. Forty-five minutes, a grilled-cheese sandwich and some fries later, we headed home so I could start cooking.

The ingredient of the evening was a chipotle-cinnamon combo. The menu was chipotle sweet potato soup; baked cinnamon chipotle catfish with sweet pepper slaw;
chipotle-glazed apples; and roasted asparagus. Now I have to come clean.... The guests were Mitch, Brian and Jen Kaylor, and Melissa Aleman and her son V. Melissa suggested the ingredient in the first place, but she also chose the night because V is going through a picky stage and apparently likes catfish. I knew that when I went to the grocery store, but catfish was double-digits per pound and tilapia was much less expensive. I decided to go with the tilapia, with the hopes that V's fish taste buds were not particularly sophisticated. He ate all of his fish, so I think the ol' switcheroo was okay. V, if you're reading this, please forgive me for tricking you. But at least now you know that you like tilapia, too!

As far as recipes to share go, I really liked the soup and the apples for tonight. The soup would be great as a main course with some crusty bread, and I think the apples would be great with pork. Recipes are below, and here are our happy guests:

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup
From the blog HomesickTexan
Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 pounds of sweet potatoes (about 2 large or 3 skinny ones), peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced,
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2-4 chipotles in adobo (depending on your heat tolerance), chopped
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
Sour cream

Cinnamon-chipotle pecans (recipe to follow)
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder
Salt to taste

Directions:
Heat the olive oil on medium low in a large soup pot, and cook the onions, celery and carrot for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth, chipotles, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.

Let the soup cool, and then in batches, puree it in the blender. If you prefer, you can use an immersion blender in the pot instead.

Once the soup has been pureed, stir in the lime juice and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and some of the chopped cinnamon-chipotle pecans.

Cinnamon-Chipotle Pecans
Melt the butter in a skillet on low heat. Add the pecans and stir them until they are covered in the butter. Add the cinnamon and chipotle powder and stir to coat. Cook the pecans, stirring occasionally, for ten minutes. Salt to taste.


Chipotle-Glazed Apples

Serves 6 as a side-dish (From www.epicurious.com)

- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 medium Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored, sliced
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies

Preparation:
Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Mix sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss 1/4 of apple slices with cinnamon-sugar mixture to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil with 1 teaspoon chipotle chilies in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add coated apple slices. Cook until coating caramelizes and apple slices are heated through, turning often, about 4 minutes. Transfer apple slices to prepared sheet. Using paper towels, wipe skillet clean. Repeat with remaining apple slices, cinnamon-sugar mixture, oil and chipotle chilies in batches, wiping skillet clean between each batch. Serve warm or at room temperature.

May 21st - Mushrooms

A small crowd tonight, but still a delicious dinner. But first, let me take a step back. After last night's dinner, we somehow ended up at Jack Brown's, a local beer and burger joint/bar. There, Mike, Mitch and I joined Sarah Smitherman and Clayton Johnson, and stayed until they kicked us out. We also ran into Mike Barber, and got another Cafe Davis reservation on the books for later in the weekend. The reason I tell you this is to give you some insider perspective on Cafe Davis preparation. When we were leaving the bar in the wee hours of the morning, I made the proclamation that we were going hiking at 8:30 am. Instead, at noon upon leaving IHOP, we were finally on our way to the Shenandoah National Park, where I planned a hike on the Stony Man Nature Trail. The speed limit in the park is 35 miles per hour, so after a stop at Big Meadows to check out the visitor center, we didn't actually manage to get to the trailhead until almost 1:30. Oh yeah, and we also had to stop for a while to look at this:

The hike is a little less than 2 miles, round-trip, with amazing views to reward those who put in the effort to get to the top.

After the hike, we exited the park, at 35 miles per hour, and hit the town of Luray around 3:30. That's when the boys decided some food was in order, so we stopped at McDonald's. Don't forget, Cafe Davis starts at 7pm. By the time we got home around 4:15, I started cooking, and kinda freaking out a bit about whether I could get everything done by the time the guests showed up. Luckily, the menu wasn't very complicated. Long story short (too late): I got everything done, but wasn't remotely hungry by dinner time. Of course I still ate (ha ha), but I think the food would be better without a cheeseburger appetizer.

The menu was warm mushroom spread and homemade bread; warm baby spinach and wild mushroom salad; and mushroom and butternut squash lasagna. I forgot to tell Mike about the homemade bread - I think we realized that when Mitch looked up the menu at McDonald's. And you all think I'm on top of things...

I think that the lasagna was the best part of the meal. It had really nice flavors that would nicely complement a fall meal, so maybe I'll revisit this dish again once the leaves start to change colors. The good thing about the lasagna, too, is that it is much lighter than a typical meat-based lasagna. There's no ricotta in it, only light cream cheese.

Mushroom and Butternut Squash Lasagna
Serves 8 (from www.eatingwell.com)

Active time: 55 minutes
Total time: 2 hours

Ingredients:
12 ounce dried or 1 pound fresh lasagna noodles, preferably whole-wheat
10 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (3/4 ounce)
1 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (3 tablespoons)
1 cup prepared marinara sauce, divided
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces mushrooms (wild and/or cultivated), sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced (4 cups)

Preparation:
1. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender (8 minutes for dried, 1 minute for fresh). Drain and rinse under cold water. Spread the noodles on clean kitchen towels, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. Combine sun-dried tomatoes and dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Add boiling water, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes and mushrooms to a cutting board with a slotted spoon and chop. Strain the soaking liquid through a fine sieve and set aside.

3. Heat 1 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Meanwhile, put 3 tablespoons flour in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup milk until smooth; whisk into the hot milk and stir constantly over the heat until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens. Continue cooking and stirring for 1 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in cream cheese, then 2/3 cup marinara sauce and vinegar. Season the sauce with salt and pepper; set aside.

4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add fresh mushrooms, rosemary and the reserved tomatoes and porcini; cook until the fresh mushrooms are just wilted, about 2 minutes longer. Stir the remaining 1 teaspoon flour into the vegetables. Add the reserved soaking liquid and the remaining 1/3 cup marinara sauce and cook until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Smear the bottom of the prepared dish with 1/2 cup of the sauce. Line the bottom with a single layer of noodles. Spread half of the mushroom mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan. Add another layer of noodles, arrange butternut squash on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread another 1/2 cup sauce over all. Add another layer of noodles, followed by the remaining mushroom mixture; sprinkle with 2 more tablespoons of the Parmesan. Finish with the remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
7. Coat a large piece of foil with cooking spray and tightly cover the baking dish. Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly browned and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The guests for the evening were Mitch, Shruti Chaganti, and Clayton Johnson. I remembered to take a picture!

After dinner, we headed out to Blue Nile for a Friendly City Food Coop celebration party. We stayed there for a bit, got some free herbs (basil, to be specific... we'll add that to the collection in the yard), and then headed to Clementine Cafe. We were there until they closed, and then finally we rounded out the night at the Artful Dodger, where I photographed Clayton and Shruti again:

And that, I think, is a good final note for mushroom night. We're now at two 2:30am nights in a row. I'm not as young as I once was....

May 20th - Cornmeal

I'm behind on blogging because I had a big weekend of Cafe Davis, plus a house-guest, and plenty of late nights. I spent the 20th doing some work for my Gender Issues in Science class, then started cooking around 4:00. The afore-mentioned house-guest, Mitch Carlsen, arrived around 6:00, just in time to see all of the last minute cooking. That's when I'm at my cooking best... making dirty dishes like it's my job, running around, spilling things. I've known Mitch since 1989, however, so hopefully he knows me well enough not to expect much gracefulness on my part.

The dinner theme that night was cornmeal, and the menu was sundried tomato tapenade on polenta triangles; wilted bacon and arugula salad; cornmeal-crusted roasted ratatouille tart; and fried okra. I completely forgot to take any pictures at all on the night of the dinner. However, I made the polenta and tapenade the night before and did manage to get  a couple of pictures of that. Lucky, too, because I thought it was one of the standouts of the meal, and something that may make a reappearance at the annual Davis Christmas party. Here's the recipe:

Sundried Tomato Tapenade and Polenta Triangles
Makes 24 (from www.pepperfool.com)

Tapenade:

- 12 black brine-cured olives (like Kalamata), pitted
- 9 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil - well-drained - coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 small garlic clove - minced


Polenta:

- 1 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 3/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Chopped fresh parsley

For tapenade:

Combine all ingredients in processor. Using off/on turns, process until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 


For polenta: 
Combine cream, water and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir until polenta is thick, about 10 minutes. Mix in hot sauce. Season with pepper. Pour into an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Chill until cold, about 1 hour. 


(Tapenade and polenta can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill).


Cut polenta into 12 squares. Cut each square in half diagonally, forming 24 triangles. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy large non-stick skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add polenta triangles and saute until golden, adding remaining 2 Tablespoons oil as necessary, about 2 minutes per side per batch. Transfer polenta to paper towels, drain. Divide tapenade among triangles. Arrange on platter. Garnish with parsley. Serve at room temperature. 


While I enjoyed this entire meal, I think that the ratatouille tart was another great dish that seems pretty versatile. It would be great for a light dinner with salad, but equally at home at brunch with a pitcher of mimosas. My only suggestion for cooking it is to make sure that the eggplant slices are cut thick enough to roast well, and to make sure the roasting pan is well-oiled. I cut mine kind of thin and it was difficult to scrape them off. I also planned to make two tarts because we had a big crowd on hand, but I only had one tart pan. It was a bit of an endeavor to get the first tart off the removable bottom of the tart pan (I'm sure Mitch enjoyed watching that fiasco). So a tip for aspiring entertainers: read the recipe and make note of any specialized equipment you'll need in advance. Then, make sure you have all that you need before you get in the middle of cooking two hours before the big event!


Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart
Makes 8 servings (from Food Network)
Cook time 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
Crust:
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/3 cup whole-grain pastry flour
-1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons water

Filling:
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant)
- 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)
- 3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:
For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.


Enough recipes, now on to the guests. Along with Mitch, we were graced with some other fantastic people that I totally forgot to photograph: Chase Milner and Rebecca Heselmeyer and their friend Warner, Paul and Erika Mabrey, and Julie and Kevin Caran. Chase graced us with some hilarious stories, complete with YouTube search terms. I only wish I took notes so I could remember them all here. Oh well... next time.

May 18th - Nopales night

When Julie Caran suggested nopales for Cafe Davis, I had never heard of them. When she told me that they were cactus pads, that didn't really help. I put them on the menu without scouting the local grocery stores to see if I could even buy nopales in Harrisonburg. Luckily, they are available in jars at all of the grocery chains. I specifically chose recipes that would work well with canned or jarred nopales, but I was still holding on to the hope of finding some fresh ones... at least for tonight's salad recipe. So, Mike and I headed to the Oriental Food Market in search of nopal pads. (The Oriental Food Market, by the way, specializes in both Latino and Asian fare. I know the name is misleading.)  We wandered in, and I was immediately transported back to one of my favorite places - the International Farmer's Market in Chamblee, Georgia. The last time I was in Atlanta, I did a drive-by to reminisce, only to find that the farmer's market is now closed. My theory is that the new Walmart across the street drove it out of business. Stupid mega-stores. I digress, but if you want to read about the magical place that  used to be conveniently located around the corner from my house, go back in the archives on this blog to 2006. International fare - that was a fun Cafe Davis year.


Back to the Oriental Food Market. At the end of the first row, there was a section of refrigerated cases. I peered in and saw a cardboard box filled with fleshy succulent pads. Score! I grabbed what looked like a pound and a half of them, and after wandering the rest of the aisles, we checked out. I came home, put the succulent pads in the refrigerator, and sat down to dissertate for a while. Only something was bothering me about my purchase - they just didn't look like what I thought cactus pads should. I took a glance of the receipt and realized my terrible mistake:

Yep. That there is aloe. NOT nopales. You'd think I'd know that since I grow aloe in my sunroom. Oh well. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, I guess. But now I have a pound and a half of fresh aloe on my hands. What should I do with it? That question occupied the next hour or so of my time. The internet is replete with aloe recipes - juice, smoothies, poached aloe cubes in yogurt. None of that sounds particularly good to me. But this recipe does:

Aloe Vera Night Cream

Place in a blender equal amounts of aloe vera gel, peeled and chopped cucumber, and distilled water. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Store this night cream in your refrigerator for up to a week. To use this natural, healthy night cream, smooth it over your face at bedtime and leave it on overnight, rinsing it off with warm water in the morning. 

I plan to whip up the night cream in the next few days. I'll report back on how radiant my face looks in a week or so.

I never did find the fresh nopales, but the jarred variety made for one terrific meal. The menu was cactus salad; nopalitos with tomatoes and onions; nopalitos with pork loin ribs with chile coronado; and Spanish rice.   I think tonight's offerings may have been my favorite so far - particularly the salad and the ribs. That's quite a statement, too, since I generally harbor great disdain for meat with bones in it. 

First, the ribs - Here's a picture of them early in the cooking process. Obviously, I cut the rack into serving-size pieces so it would fit in my skillet.

Nopalitos with Pork Loin Ribs with Chile Coronado

(from http://www.mexgrocer.com/533-nopalitos-with-pork-loin.html)

2 Tbsp oil

1 large onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 pounds pork loin back ribs

32 ounces jar of nopalitos

28 ounce can of Red Chile Sauce*

1/2 cup water

Season to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat oil. Fry ribs until golden brown. Add onions and garlic to mixture and saute for 2 minutes. Pour in red chile sauce, water, and seasoning to taste. Continue to cook over medium to low heat for 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add nopalitos and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. 

* Again, I was unsure what red chile sauce was. After some sleuthing on his phone while standing in Kroger, Mike figured out that red enchilada sauce is the same thing. Or, you can make it yourself with a bunch of dried ancho chiles and some garlic. 

Here's a picture of the finished product. It doesn't look as appetizing here as it did on our plates. Oh, I also slow-cooked this for way longer than the recipe called for - maybe 2 hours or so. The meat was really tender, so I don't think that was a bad call.

In a remarkable change of events, I was way ahead schedule preparing tonight's dinner. Here's a pic of me cooling my heels in the kitchen, enjoying some seltzer and waiting for the busy stove to work its magic.

Busy stove:

The one recipe not on the stove was the cactus salad. It was so delicious that I absolutely must share. For anyone who lives in the 'Burg and enjoys the coleslaw at Jalisco, I think this is a satisfactory and much healthier alternative. (It's not the same, mind you... so don't get all worked up if you make this and still think the coleslaw crack at Jalisco is better. I'm just saying that if you want to keep your tortilla chip indulgence under 2000 calories, this might be a good way to go.)


Cactus Salad
(from the Morsels & Musings blog - follow the link for lots of interesting info on nopales. Did you know, for instance, that they are featured on the Mexican coat of arms?)


Ingredients
1 jar nopalitos
1/2 head of cabbage, thinly shredded
1 Tbsp cilantro
4 pickled jalapenos, chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper


Directions
1. Drain and rinse the nopalitos. Soak in water bowl for 2 minutes to remove any slime/gel residue.
2. In a bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil.
3. Drain the nopalitos and pat dry.
4. Toss together all the ingredients with the dressing, season and serve.




Now on to the guests this evening. Tonight we were graced with Ken and Jillian Young, Toni Whitfield and Scott DeVoe, and Louise and Fritz Temple. The conversation was lively, and spanned a wide range of topics. And, despite the fact that the majority of these folks are associated with JMU, there was surprisingly little "shop talk." I also want to thank everyone for the amazing desserts - a cheesecake sampler, chess pie, and lemon cookies. Wow. All around this was a great meal, and I want to thank Julie for suggesting an ingredient I would likely never use on my own. I don't know if I'll go so far to say that nopales will be a staple in my diet, but it will definitely make more appearances in the future. 

From left to right: Toni, Louise, Fritz, Scott, Jillian, and Ken.


Cafe Davis is entering into its final stretch - only about a week and a half left! Be sure to make your reservations today if you haven't yet done so!