Citrus and Sweet!

Mother's Day was last Sunday and I thought I'd share a recipe inspired by my Mama. Key lime tartlettes!!!! My mother and I have many things in common, but two of those things is our love for citrus and making whipped cream. Coolwhip was outlawed in my family because my mother's whipped cream was so delicious! Why eat hydrogenated oils and preservatives when you can have the real thing!?!?! She can whip up a batch of deliciousness in a matter of minutes. Defending the fluffy goodness from our sneaky fingers took more time than making it. I have not perfectly duplicated my mother's whipped cream, but then again I don't have the experience it takes to so lovingly provide for a family the way my mother does. Here is my closest version:

Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled

2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp powdered sugar (optional)

1.) Chill a large metal bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Add cream to the bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and sugar and beat until stiff peaks. Serve!

I often call my mother when I'm needing inspiration for a recipe or event. Craving something with citrus, my mother suggested making key lime tartlettes. Instead of making the traditional sweet condensed milk version, I opted for something lighter. Combining key lime curd (or lemon curd) and whipped cream makes for an instant fluffy "custard." If you like a sweeter custard, add more powdered sugar to the curd, but I prefer to leave them a little tart.

Key Lime Tartlettes

1/2 jar key lime curd

1 Tbsp powdered sugar (or to taste)

1 recipe whipped cream

2 boxes mini phylo tartlettes or pie crusts

Toppings (lime zest, toasted almonds, raspberries)

1.) In a large bowl combine curd with powdered sugar. Fold in 1/4 to 1/2 recipe of whipped cream to desired consistency. Pipe filling into mini tartlettes and top with extra whipped cream. Sprinkle toppings and Enjoy! Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Mmmmm Ceviche

Opposites attract, so they say... But what about opposite vacation styles? Seth loves to plan out the days by tourist site, restaurant, and bus stop in a very methodical manner. I prefer the "Underwood Style Vacation" which usually consists of running ourselves (and feet) ragged trying to visit every bakery, WW II plaque, and neat little shop. There is no plan with the Underwoods, we just go! We eat when we're hungry and find wonderfully out of the way restaurants. Last weekend Seth had his first taste of an "Underwood Vacation" (although it doesn't truly count because my dad wasn't there) with my sister in San Francisco and no clashing of vacation styles!

Seth side note: While it is true that we Harbin's are far more likely to tour in a more "methodical" manner, it is due to a simple, ingrained philosophy of what a "vacation" should be: relaxation to the max! Underwoods need a vacation after they get back from their vacation. I say quality and not quantity is the way to go! Not that the other technique doesn't yield much quality. Far from it! In fact, many of the most interesting places I have been with Katy (and I'm sure many traveler's would agree) were found when we were either completely lost or simply enjoying being outside. Needless to say, our travel styles have blended perfectly while we both retain our preferences for travel styles: Katy and marathon adventures laced with innumerable discoveries and myself with a book, cool drink, and comfy lounge chair.

Now back to my blog...

I wish I could talk about all of our foodie finds, but I'll just start with this wonderful little restaurant named Fresca that specialized in "nouveau Peruvian cuisine." Although our entree was delicious, we couldn't stop raving about their ceviche. Now I've had some good ceviche (or seviche) before, but this stuff was absolutely incredible! The dish was very simple, just lump halibut and slivered purple onions in a cilantro (and I mean a LOT of cilantro) lime and rocoto aji chili sauce. Plantain chips were served on the sides as well as corn nuts, whole garlic cloves, and a sweet potato. This was not a bland fishy ceviche, but a perfect balance of sweet, tang, and herb. We gobbled that appetizer up and I scribbled the ingredients down in hopes of recreating my own version.

Ceviche is a Latin American dish composed of raw white fish that has been "cooked" in a citrus juice to become firm and opaque in color. Seth and I found some great halibut cheeks in Seattle, although fillets will work great too. Its very important to get super fresh fish for this dish. We couldn't find the rocoto aji chile, so I substituted Sriracha chili sauce instead. Serve with a watercress salad and you have an appetizer fit for a sunny spring day!

Halibut Cilantro Ceviche:

1/2 lb fresh white skinless fish fillets (halibut, red snapper, sole)

Juice and zest of 2 limes

1/4 tsp Kosher salt

1 garlic clove, minced

3-5 squirts of Sriracha or other chili sauce, to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (more if you dare)

1/4 purple onion, very thinly sliced

1. Slice fish into 2 inch by 1/4 inch strips. Mix rest of the ingredients and let fish marinate in fridge for at least an hour or until fish turns opaque white.

2. Serve over lettuce leaves or watercress salad. Or pair with some plantain chips or crackers. Serves 2 as light dinner or 4 as a small appetizer.

Add ins: 

You can also serve with sliced roasted sweet potatoes, or mix with fresh corn, mango, avocado, chopped peppers, grapefruit, etc. The possibilities are deliciously endless!

The picture at the top of the post was Fresca's ceviche. The shot above is my recreation.

Nutritious Yogurt

Remember the quirky things that your parents did that would slightly embarrass you? Well my dad would cook extra vegetables at pizza parties (because tomato sauce doesn't count as a veggie), and make homemade yogurt. Hmmm I wonder where I got the inspiration to be a dietitian? This home made yogurt wasn't the sweet store-bought goodness with fruit on the bottom. It was plain yogurt- tart and boring. Trying to make the yogurt more appetizing, my dad would add jam, honey, or fruit.... but to this little girl, plain yogurt was still weird. When I went off to college I saw an abundance of overly sweet yogurts including pina colada flavors and yogurt with sprinkles?!? I became unsatisfied and craved the creamy texture and soft tart flavor of my father's concoctions. Either my taste buds changed or the prejudice against my father's yogurt was finally wearing off. The simplicity of plain yogurt also appealed to my husband who later received a yogurt maker (from who else... my dad) Since then we have been making yogurt every week and I have a small reminder of my father's wonderful quirks that turned out to be delicious! Now I need to work on making homemade fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt :)

Now for the nutrition side: Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium and Vitamin D which help build stronger bones and teeth. This yummy dairy product also contains probiotics or 'good' bacteria: L. acidophilus, S. thermophilus, and L. bulgaricus. These probiotics can help promote intestinal health, aid in digestion and boost the immune system by fighting 'bad' bacteria in the gut. The bacteria in yogurt produces the lactase enzyme that helps digest lactose, making yogurt a great dairy product for lactose-intolerants. Oral antibiotics can kill all the bacteria (good and bad) in your GI tract and can cause some unpleasant symptoms. If you are wanting to re-populate your intestines with good bacteria try some yogurt, but make sure that it does contain probiotics or the bacterial species listed above.

Making your own yogurt may seem complicated but if you've got a yogurt maker, it's very simple! All you need is milk and yogurt culture, which can be purchased online or at most nutrition stores/Whole Foods. (We use the Yogourmet brand.) Depending on the type of milk you use, plain yogurt can contain 100-130ish calories per serving, 5 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein.

Homemade Yogurt:

1 quart whole or 2% milk

5 gram packet of yogurt culture

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until milk starts to boil or reaches 180 degrees. Remove from heat.

2.When temperature drops to 115 degrees, stir in culture and pour into glass jars. Place jars into yogurt maker and incubate for 6- 10 hours (8 hours for my taste). If you prefer firm yogurt then I would increase the boil and machine time for your yogurt.

3. Remove jars from machine and chill in refrigerator before serving. Yogurt lasts around 2 weeks (although it never lasts more than a few days at my house).

Since a yogurt maker is essentially an incubator, you can make yogurt without the machine. Use recipe above, but after stirring in the culture, pour mixture into a large bowl and cover with a towel. Keep in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours (Examples: oven on warm setting, heating pad, or a double boiler over warm water). The yogurt needs to maintain a temperature of 110-115 degrees for proper development. This is the more difficult method, so if you intend on making yogurt often, the machine is worth the investment.

Spring in a Jar

From the view outside my kitchen window, it's clear to see that spring hasn't sprung on Whidbey Island. In an attempt to satisfy my spring fruit cravings, I found some half-decent looking strawberries at the commissary. Fruit at the commissary seems to come in large containers and spoils quickly. What do I do with excess fruit? Make jam and can it! This brief sense of enlightenment was interrupted by practicality. I lack the proper canning equipment and knowledge to successfully produce a decent jelly. But that shouldn't stop me...

After a little research, I found that making freezer jam is quick and easy. Not that I'm always a fan of quick and easy, but the thought of sterilizing jars gives me nightmares of botulism contamination and sick friends, not good! One day I'll learn to can properly, but I need my spring fruit fix now, so I'll stick with quick and easy. At our local Ace Hardware store, I found an entire section dedicated to canned goods and I picked up a packet of No Cook Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin (what a mouthful). Side note: Pectin is a soluble fiber used as a gelling agent in preserves. Many fruits naturally contain pectin, but by adding more, the jam stabilizes without heating to condense the fruit. By not cooking the fruit, you get a fresher tasting result!

I tweaked the recipe on the back of the packet and it turned out delicious! Not being a fan of super sweet preserves, I only added half the sugar the recipe called for. If you're looking for a diabetic version, you can replace the sugar with Splenda. I also squeezed some fresh lime juice because I love an acid combination with sweet berries. Slather this jam on toasted country bread and you've got a yummy snack! My fruit-loving taste buds were sated (for a little while).

Strawberry Lime Freezer Jam

4 cups fresh ripe strawberries

1/2 to 1 cup sugar

zest and juice from 1 lime

1 (1.59oz) packet Freezer Fruit Pectin

-Slice strawberries and pulse in a food processor (or use a potato masher) until desired consistency (I like mine chunky). Add lime juice, zest, and sugar to taste and zest. Stir in pectin packet, and mix for around 3 minutes.

-Ladle into glass or plastic jam jars. Chill 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let pectin set and thicken. Makes about 5 (8oz) jars. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to a year. Enjoy!

Odd Veggie in my Fridge: Daikon

As I was rummaging the aisles of my local commissary, my eyes spotted a root vegetable that you don't see too often... Daikon. I've tried this yummy Asian radish in restaurants before, but I've never actually cooked with it. Becoming more intrigued by the daikon, I placed one in my cart and happily continued my shopping in hopes of finding some inspiration. A stir-fry maybe? Or a salad? Oh the possibilities... Several days passed and the white root screamed at me from my crisper. Despite the frigid temperature outside, I was craving the snappy texture and the sweet-spicy flavor of raw daikon. (Because I was feeling too lazy to actually cook something that day) My fridge also contained some seasonal red cabbage, thus my colorful winter slaw was born! Although it's not seasonal, I did add a bunch of peppery watercress to give the slaw a nice kick. To tie it all together, I made a vinaigrette with fresh ginger to add a punch of heat since it was chilly outside. Bake up some sesame crusted salmon and you've got a complete dish!

From a nutrition perspective, daikon is packed with vitamins and minerals. One 7 inch daikon contains 61 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 124% of your Daily Value (DV) of Vitamin C, and 24% DV of folate. It's also a great source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and copper! No excuses, go pick up a daikon today!

                         

Winter Daikon, Red Cabbage, and Watercress Slaw-

Ginger Vinaigrette:

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 inch fresh ginger gut into small chunks (optional)

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

Kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste

3 drops Sriracha chili sauce (optional) 

-Squeeze the ginger chunks thru a garlic press to juice. Whisk all ingredients together and add chili sauce and seasonings to taste. 

Slaw:

3 cups chopped daikon (about one medium sized radish)

4 cups chopped red cabbage

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups watercress

-Add first 3 ingredients in a large bowl and combine with 3/4 cup vinaigrette. Gently toss in watercress. Makes 4 servings. 

                         

Love Thy Coffee

Eat fresh, eat local.... blah blah blah. I never gave local eating much thought before living on Whidbey Island. Then again I've never lived this close to farms, wineries, and AMAZING coffee. It's so much easier to buy local, so I am! And I've fallen in love.... with Honeymoon Bay Coffee. (The shop is behind Safeway and across from Papa Murphy's, for those Oak Harbor residents) Roast Master Mike Donohoe sells only Certified Organic and Fair Trade beans that he roasts each day. Talk about fresh! You can sit in the cozy chairs and enjoy a cup while you watch Mike use the giant vintage roaster to produce small batches of specialty beans. Words can't express the intoxicating aromas.

All that aside... what truly changed my habit of buying "whatever is on sale" (that sat on the shelf who knows how long) was the taste of freshly roasted and brewed coffee. It actually tasted like coffee should taste. What a difference! Sometimes I drink it black, just to enjoy the smooth richness that I missed with grocery store coffee. Drinking is the easiest part. Deciding which blend to buy is a difficulty. I usually go for the darker variety (like French roast), but their Reveille Reveille blend has enough kick to get ya going any rainy Whidbey morning without tasting burnt. We've also tried Buzz Bomb and Oak Town Decaf, which are lighter roasts but full of flavor. (For a full list check out the website: http://www.honeymoonbaycoffee.com/)

The only bad thing about buying local and being in the Navy is that you become attached to your favorite spots, then the Navy makes you move. I guess the upside is that you can find more fun local spots. So even if you don't live near Honeymoon Bay Coffee, try to find a local roaster and experience fresh roasted coffee for yourself. You'll never go back!

Red Wine and Chocolate

Last weekend the Whidbey Island Vintners hosted a Red Wine and Chocolate tasting. Chocolate??? Wine?? Two of my favorite food groups! I had no problem tempting Seth to join me on an excursion to the south end of the island, plus we've been pleasantly surprised about Washington State's wines. I can't begin to go into all the details of the wines we tasted that day, so I'll just list our favorites. (Disclaimer: Seth and I are relatively new to the wine tasting world, so I apologize if I don't use the correct descriptive terminology. We have our own crazy wine language)

First stop: Greenbank Farm Wine Shop. They featured wines from Fish Talk and Blooms of Whidbey. But I would have to say that the best wine there was (no surprise) the Loganberry wine. It is definitely great for dessert, and it blended with the Loganberry chocolate truffles in a tangy rich perfection. An excellent excuse to host a chocolate party!

Next up: Greenbank Cellars. What a spot! The tasting room has a gorgeous marble top bar that is totally unexpected from the rustic barn exterior. I was very interested in trying their Cabernet Franc because I've usually only seen it in blends with stronger reds. On its own, it was very mellow and almost earthy. Their Sangiovese was quite good, but our favorite was the Cab Sauvignon. The only problem with these wines was that we were expecting something a little more bold and everything seemed very light. Maybe my tongue was confused with the many varieties, but we noticed that many of the wines made with Whidbey Island grapes tasted almost.... watered down? If anyone has insight into this please let me know!

Third on our list: Holmes Harbor Cellars was just the place we were looking for! Greg Martinez selects his grapes and crafts his wines like a chef carefully selects ingredients for an intricate gourmet meal. Each tasting was a piece of art. We started out with their fabulous Pinot Noir which took to the milk chocolate better than the dark chocolate (to my sad dismay). All other wines were forgotten when we tried his Walla Walla Valley Syrah. When I think of comfort I usually play a scenerio in my head that consists of many things, including a leather sofa. This Syrah was like drinking a leather sofa. Not only did it smell like a tack shop, but its rich smoothness warmed me in a way no hot beverage ever could. We oohed and ahhed over it so long that we bought a bottle to take home. It's a splurge (about $30 a bottle) but well worth it if you need to warm yourself up on a special rainy PacNorthWest day!

Lastly: Whidbey Island Winery was a fun spot nestled away near Langley. Their Sangiovese left me with a spicy anise finish that made me wonder why I hate all things licorice. We ended up purchasing a bottle of their 2007 Primitivo (or Zinfandel) because I'm becoming obsessed with that grape and getting the name "Zinfandel" out into the public without the word "White" prefacing it. (As Seth's sister, Hannah once told me... Friends don't let friends drink White Zin.)

Anyways, I highly suggest going to any of these shops for local wines. The only thing this day lacked was good food to pair with the wine, but I guess that's my job now...