More Fun With TK

Last month it was my turn again to select the cookbook for our monthly cookbook club at work.  I knew immediately what it would be: ad hoc at home.  I've been making recipes from the book since last fall and haven't made a dud yet, so it seemed like a good bet for the foodies I work with.  I mused for a bit about whether to choose a recipe I've made before or go with something untried.  I decided on the latter and, it being summer and all (I know this to be the case because of the month portrayed on my calendar, NOT because the weather in any way indicates it to be so), I decided on gazpacho.

Of course, Thomas Keller's gazpacho is different.  Why? Because he's Thomas Keller.  He uses Sun Gold tomatoes for their sweetness, yellow bell peppers for their mild flavor and complementary color, English cucumbers (because I couldn't locate the preferred Armenian cucumbers) for their minimal seeds, piment d'Espelette (which I also couldn't find) because it's hard to find, sherry vinegar because it's expensive......  You get the idea.  And yet, as anticipated, the greatest challenge ended up being the process.

Cut everything up, let it rest in a bowl with some water.  Put it in your $400 Vita-mix (or newly purchased $60 Oster) blender and puree in batches.  Then, because you don't own a fine mesh conical strainer through which to quickly and efficiently strain the fruit from the skins, scoop medium amounts of the puree into your mesh sieve and slowly and laboriously press, press, press the veggie slushie with your silicone spatula until you are left with a pulpy mess in the sieve and a golden liquid in the bowl.  Repeat about 13 times.  Return the golden liquid to the blender and emulsify with copious quantities of extra virgin olive oil, a little vinegar, seasonings (in this case substituting New Mexico red chile powder for piment d'Espelette), and chill.

Just for the fun of it, because you accidently bought 4 loaves of brioche and you have tons of time on your hands, make some cumin scented croutons to add to the garnish.  Don't forget to trim the crust from the bread, of course, because who wants sloppy corners on their croutons?!

In the end the soup was delicious and the texture unlike any gazpacho I have had or made; silky, rich and creamy.  It got rave reviews at the lunch and I was happy that I'd doubled the recipe so that I could serve it alongside TK's grilled cheese sandwiches (note: I did not trim the crusts because who makes crustless sandwiches other than TK for god's sake!) and slightly charred sweet potato chips for dinner the following night.

Chicken Clay Pot!

Well, I've only had my clay pot for probably 10 years and I don't think I'd ever used it before.  I bought it at some little Asian-inspired market on Clement Street in San Francisco with the full intent to use it immediately.  I mean, what's not to love about meat cooked in brothy goodness?  Then I realized that I would need to soak it in water for at least 12 hours before using it (that was the clerk's recommendation), and suddenly it became a time challenge that just didn't seem to find the right time. So it sat at the back of the cupboard gathering dust until I recently ended up with some boneless skinless chicken thighs (not my favorite cut) that I was determined to find a use for.

So I got on line in search of one of my all time favorite clay pot dishes - compliments of Charles Phan, God of Slanted Door.  I found it here.  Of course I would also be making a tofu version.  After prepping the chicken/tofu and getting it into the fridge in its spice mixture, I slowly melted the brown sugar:

Once it was burbling away I added the fish sauce (watch out - it bubbles up quickly and hardens the sugar almost immediately until the heat re-melts it), followed by the soy sauce mixture and chicken.  In a short 8-10 minutes the chicken and tofu were ready.  And though it's been a little while since I ate at Slanted Door, I think my version bore a distinct resemblance to the original.  Yay!

But for the time I had to soak the pot, this ended up being a delicious meal that came together really quickly.  Definitely something you can make on a weeknight, IF you remember to soak your pot. I'll be making it again, though I'll probably bastardize it (please don't tell Chuck) by using all chicken breast so I don't have to deal with cutting up those gross fatty little thighs.

Fan-freakin'-tastic Focaccia

Last spring I attempted focaccia for the first time.  I used a recipe I found in Savuer and thought it turned out pretty well.  Given my relative lack of experience working with yeast (I don't count the many times I've dumped all the ingredients into my bread machine as "working" with yeast),  I was really pleased with the results.  But I could see there was room for improvement.  I was a little stingy with the tomatoes and olives, and the sea salt too...   It looked a lot like this:

Fast forward to this summer and my recent wine country excursions and I found myself inspired to try it again.  What was the cause of this inspiration?  A trip here.   This rustic little store down the road from Tra Vigne - still one of my all time favorite restaurants - is a gem.  A crazy hodgepodge of imported Italian treats and unusual condiments, all surrounding a low-slung platform with various size bottles of extra virgin olive oil, produced from olives grown on the property by the family that has owned the business for over thirty years.  I've been dropping in now and then since sometime in the late '90's probably, but this last time they had something new to offer: infused olive oils.  Meyer lemon, chili, Tuscan herb, and more.  I was tempted to grab a small bottle of each (maybe 6 or 7 in all), but I was on a budget and what I really needed was just your basic, delicious extra virgin olive oil.  So I settled for two infused oils: chili (of course), and Tuscan herb.  Oh yeah, and a bottle of aged imported balsamic vinegar.

I used the Tuscan herb oil in the recipe, and added a sprinkling of magic from Whole Spice.  If you haven't been here, go.  If you don't live near enough, I'm sorry because the fun is in getting to pick out your own spices and put them in small bags or jars to take home.  You can order on-line, which is good because you can still get the magic Pizza Blend.  I went tomato crazy and added thinly sliced red onion, and a generous dash of course sea salt.  This focaccia was PERFECT and will definitely become a family favorite - in fact, I may make it again today.