Seattle-y

Last weekend Ashley came back to Seattle to visit and to do all of her favorite Seattle-y things. Which just happen to be all of my favorite Seattle-y things. It's a good thing we're friends. 

We drank bloody marys at Kings.

 

We roamed the Ballard Farmers Market.

And we went back to Max and Alicia's place for a home cooked dinner and drinks.

 Very pretty drinks.

 With very pretty friends.

It was a perfect Seattle-y day. 

A Perfect Morning for Brownies

On Sunday we awoke to warm rays of sunlight slanting through our windows, a rare site for February in Seattle. It was the kind of morning perfect for mulling over cookbooks and drinking long cups of coffee. It was also the type of morning that practically begs you to bake brownies.

Really it doesn't take much to get me to bake. And lately I've had brownies on the mind. The most recent issue of Bon Appétit features a cover promising the "best-ever brownies" and this, dear reader, is a statement that I do not, under any circumstance, take lightly.

So I quickly got to work in my unusually sunny kitchen, and I can assure you that these are some of the best brownies I have ever had. The delicately crackly top gives way to a moist crumb and spine tingling fudgy center. On top of that, the whiff of zesty orange spice nestles with the nutty tones of the browned butter to create a brownie that practically melts in your mouth.

But are they the “best-ever brownies”? Well I guess you’ll just have to make them to find out.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter and Orange Zest

Adapted from  Bon Appétit February 2011

The cocoa in this recipe is important. Be sure you choose a higher quality brand and aim for one that is 100% Cacoa. Bon Appétit recommends not using a brand that has gone through the Dutch-process. It lacks the strong chocolaty flavor found in the real stuff.

The original recipe calls for walnuts rather than orange zest. If you would prefer this route stir in 1 cup just prior to pouring batter into prepared pan.

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder *See Note Above

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of two medium oranges (optional)

2 large eggs

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving a 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits (not black) form at the bottom of the pan, stirring often. This will happen quickly so keep your eyes on the saucepan. You know the butter is ready when it begins to take on a nutty scent.

Remove from heat quickly (the butter will continue to cook in the pan if left too long) and pour into a large mixing bowl. Immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons of water, orange zest, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to blend.

Let cool 5 minutes then add eggs to mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay). Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overlay, lift brownies from pan. Cut as desired once brownies are completely cooled.

Football and the Justification of Cobbler

I'm not a football fan. There I said it. Well, if you know me then you already knew that. It’s not for a lack of trying. In fact, large majorities of my Sunday’s have been spent surrounded by sports fans, beer, and bar food. I try to watch the game, I really do. I take a sip of beer, a deep breath, and look up at the screen. But before I know it my mind is creating to do lists, shopping lists, and pondering the deeper meanings of life. I find football games to be a rather productive time for me.

While I can’t quite wrap my head around football itself, I can get behind a sport whose final game is on par with the stuff that holidays are made of: family, friends, and food. And boy was there a lot of food.

In between Jamie's spinach dip and amazing nutella cupcakes there were hummus appetizers, lettuce wraps, and Ezell's fried chicken. Not to mention the award winning combination of Hana’s delicately crisp cheese biscuits and Jeff's savory chili. I even whipped up a blackberry cobbler for the event.

And so, thanks to Carrie and Jeff, we gathered, and we ate, and after a beer or two (or three), I even watched a little football.

Blackberry Cobbler

I've wanted to try this recipe for awhile but when your household consists of just two, it’s hard to justify cobbler making. 

After making this particular cobbler, it should be noted that I no longer believe cobbler making is something one should ever worry over justifying.

Saveur featured this cobbler after visiting the Round Swamp Farm in East Hampton and after trying this recipe, I would like to visit this family-run farm myself. The toasty cap of flour, butter, and sugar crumbles away to the tangy sweetness of the blackberries creating a cobbler that is easy to make and hard to resist.

Summer in Seattle means a lot of blackberries, much more than can be eaten, and so they get frozen. The original recipe calls for fresh blackberries and you can be assured I will be trying this recipe again in the summer, when Blackberry bushes run rampant over Seattle. However, being that it is winter, frozen blackberries were a wonderful substitute.

5-6 cups ripe blackberries: fresh or thawed if frozen

2 tsp. lemon juice

Grated rind of one lemon

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

2 ¼ cups flour

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 ¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ lb. chilled butter, cut in small pieces

¼ cup milk

2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Put berries in a large mixing bowl, then add lemon juice, lemon rind, 3⁄4 cup of the sugar, 1⁄4 cup of the flour, and 1⁄4 tsp. of the cinnamon and mix together by tossing gently. Spread fruit mixture in a deep baking pan and bake until berries are hot and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix together remaining 2 cups flour, 1⁄4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Use two knives or a pastry cutter to work butter into flour mixture until it is the consistency of coarse meal.

3. Beat milk and eggs together in a small bowl, then add to flour mixture and stir with a fork until just mixed. Spread flour mixture evenly over berries.

4. Mix together remaining 2 tbsp. sugar and 1⁄4 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over top of cobbler. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve warm and top with vanilla bean ice cream (optional).

For the Hopelessly Nostalgic

Returning from vacation is never a wholly pleasant experience.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my city of residence, but when you spend your days with sandy feet and a whole lot of sun it can be hard to return to reality.

On top of that, I find myself to be hopelessly nostalgic. While unpacking, the slightest scent of coconut tinged sunscreen still lingering on our clothing and the stray grains of sand at the bottom of our suitcases practically had me running back to the airport. 

I know what you’re thinking: “Poor Sarah and Jimmy had to go away to Hawaii for a week in January”. And really, it’s not so bad. While a majority of the country seemed to be covered in ice and snow, Seattle welcomed us home with a few cold but sunny days to help ease the transition.

To me, Hawaii was pretty much perfect: we watched the sun set over neighboring islands; we sat on our balcony and sipped coffee in the morning and wine in the evening; we watched whales from the shoreline; and we ate fresh pineapple everyday. It was heaven.

Despite one adventurous morning, Jimmy and I spent the majority of our vacation lying on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and eating, eating, eating. And let’s face it: a girl can really get used to a life of sunning, swimming, and eating. We even branched out to a new beach one day:

But it didn't take long for us to return to our comfortable (and shark free) white sand beach that we came to love at Black Rock.

On our last day, before heading to the airport, Jimmy and I made one final stop in Lahaina.

While soaking up those last rays of sun, we came across a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that we must have walked by several times without ever noticing. Set back from the main strip, the Sunset Cafe housed a small kitchen and shady orchid laced patio where they served standard fare Hawaiian cuisine. Here, at the Sunset Cafe, I found the perfect souvenir: a recipe for Kalua Pork, a traditional Hawaiian dish that I would immediately introduce into our Seattle kitchen.

Eventually we had to get on that plane and come home.

And I'm happy we did.

Kalua Pork with Cabbage and Onions

Adapted from our meal at the Sunset Cafe in Lahaina

I adapted this recipe from the dish we ate at the Sunset Cafe in Lahaina. Pulled pork is super easy to make if you have a few hours to spend at home.

 

While this dish definitely lacks photographic appeal, it makes up for its appearance in taste. The smoky sweetness of the pork melts with the earthy flavors of the cabbage and onions. We ate ours with rice but I imagine it would also be good on its own with a green salad or even with a poached egg on top. If you try it, please share.

3-4 pounds pork butt

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Sea salt

1 head green cabbage sliced into thin strips

2 medium onions sliced into thin strips

1 cup chicken stock or broth

Preheat the oven to 325. Rub the pork with the liquid smoke and salt. Wrap pork tightly in aluminum foil and place in a shallow roasting pan. Roast in the oven for 4-5 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 170. Remove the pork from the oven and let it cool until it reaches a temperature in which it can be handled.

While the pork is cooling, place the cabbage, onion, and chicken stock in a skillet and saute on medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft but not brown and the chicken stock is mostly gone. 

Pull the pork into thin shredded strips and combine with the onion and cabbage in a baking dish. Place in the oven (still heated at 325) and let cook for an additional 30min-1hour until the flavors have combined. 

Serve as desired.