Chicken Thighs with Asian Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 boneless chicken thighs with skin

For the Sauce:

• 1 cup dried sour cherries
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup dry red wine
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

 Directions

Prepare a hot, cleaned and oiled grill. On a plate, mix together the garlic powder, black pepper and sugar and salt. Roll the chicken in the spice mix. Place on the grill and cook on both sides for a total cooking time of only 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

For the sauce:

Combine remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until reduced. Serve on top of sliced chicken thighs. Goes great with a spatzel or rice.

The CSA Conundrum

I received a message from a fellow Facebooker, Viktoria Chaiko Risis, with a common question. I've signed up for a CSA, now what do I do with all the produce? 
One of the greatest attributes of a CSA is that you will receive some items that you are not familiar with, in turn, forcing you to try some new recipes, and possibly fall in love with a new vegetable or fruit that you would not have had otherwise. This was the case for me with kohlrabi, now one of my favorite veggies.
Hereare some of the items Viki received this week from Rogowski Farm in New Jersey:
Verdolaga (Purslane) - 1 bunch 
Scallions
Cipollini Onions
1 pound Fun Choi 
1 pound miniature mixed Choi 
1 head cabbage 


1.Purslane
This is an antioxidant rich weed, commonly found on the side of roads and in sidewalk cracks, but don't be turned off, it's delicious and very common in the middle east as a side dish. Here is a simple recipe:
Purslane Salad
1 bunch Purslane, removed from stem
1 large seedless cucumber, sliced, salted and drained 
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
3 Tbl chopped fresh mint
salt/pepper


Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, serve as a side dish.


2. Fun Choi
This is similar to a baby bok choy.Awesome in soups or stir fried.
Sweet Hot Fun Choi
1 bunch fun choi sliced
2 Tbl vegetable oil
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl honey
1 tsp dried chili pepper


Heat the oil in in a pan over medium high heat. Meanwhile combine the soy, honey, and chili pepper in a bowl until incorporated. Add the choi to the pan, and saute until softened, about 4 minutes.
Add the sauce mixture to the pan and let caramelize around the choi for about 1-2 minutes.
Serve with toasted sesame seeds.


3.Cipollini Onions 
A huge favorite of mine, especially with a roasted chicken...
Glazed Cipollini
1 large bunch cipollini onions, skins removed, but tops on
couple dashes olive oil
1 Tbl chopped thyme
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt


This is so easy...combine all the ingredients in a bowl toss, place in an oven proof dish, roast at 450 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, check them half way and toss again, the balsamic will create a wonderful sticky coating.


For the remainder of the ingredients (cabbage, scallions, mixed choi) I would do an asian coleslaw. Add some snow peas, onion, carrots...an asian vinaigrette and toasted almonds or peanuts, and voila, perfect summer side! 



I'm always to happy to help with recipe ideas, if any readers need some help, please let me know!

Watermelon Radish Salad

Finished product.

I recently received yet another box from The Chef's Garden. One of the bountiful ingredients in the box was a true favorite of mine: watermelon radishes. For those of you who have not tried one, imagine a delicate, almost sweet, buttery version of a regular radish. I decided to make a large salad to go with some grass-fed skirt steaks.
Recipe
3-4 large watermelon radishes, sliced thin (I recommend using a mandolin)
1/2 cup thinly sliced vidalia onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 Tbl. good olive oil
3 Tbl. champagne vinegar
salt/pepper
Couple handfuls of greens (I used celery shoots, watercress, and bibb lettuce)

Toss all ingredients, except the greens, in a bowl, let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. Serve on top of the greens.

Market Garden Brewery

Being that this past Saturday was a perfect day for a bike ride and I had 2 hours to kill, I threw a spaceman looking helmet on my toddler, loaded him in the bike carrier and off we went for a ride around the Tremont neighborhood. After sharing (read: I got one bite) a broccoli croissant at Civilization, we continued back to Ohio City, using a different route than the one previously taken.

Well, they say you should try the road less traveled and I agree. Were it not for our detour, I would not have known that Market Garden Brewery had been open for a full 36 hours, way too long in my book to not enjoy a cold brew during our less than stable Cleveland summer.

After perusing the menu, I rode back to the house, anxiously awaited the new babysitter, pawned off my child, and my husband and I trekked it on foot back to the brewery. I will be the first one to admit, I am a sucker for al fresco, and Market Garden, in my opinion, has one of best patios I've seen as of late. Though the view is mainly the alley behind the west side market, the design and people watching more than makes up for this.

Long communal tables made of re-purposed wood line the left and right hand side of the courtyard, with delicate trees growing right through the middle. The crowd mostly made up of 30-somethings with a passion for beer, was abuzz with chatter, all with a knowing look that they are one of the first at this brewery. Andy Tveekrem, of Dogfish Head Brewery fame, and Akron native, is now the brewmaster at Market Garden. That alone is tempting.


On this particular night, Kirk and I got the last 2 seats available and settled in for a couple handcrafted brews and an appetizer of homemade fries with aioli and a side of fresh pickled vegetables. My wheat beer was refreshing, and complimented the salty, thin, crisped up fries perfectly. Kirk had an IPA, and honestly I lost track after that. We both thought the pickled vegetables, while a great idea and normally one of our favorite things to order as a side where available, were truly lackluster.I was expecting something interesting when it said seasonal house made pickled veggies, but instead we were given a few pickle slices and few slices of green tomatoes. We already had plans to eat dinner at Momocho later that evening, so we did not get to indulge in further noshing, but we will certainly return.

15 Tons: The amount of weight I gained after visiting wine country.

"I need to get out of here." Famous words that began a planning extravaganza for an 8 day adventure in northern California.The first couple days were to be spent in Napa, the middle 3 in Sonoma, and the remaining days in Point Reyes. This was not my first time out in the area, but I researched like crazy none the less.

Here is the problem: When you go to a culinary wonderland, like this particular area, there is no possible way to eat at every place you have wanted to experience. Let's just shove French Laundry aside for a moment, since I failed to successfully get a reservation, I was still left with a myriad of options, one more enticing than the next.

So here is what we finally ended up with with:

Ad Hoc: Our first dinner was a true success. As you may know, Ad Hoc only serves family style dinner, with the menu changing daily. On this particular day we were treated to a modern version of a wedge salad as our appetizer. As far as wedge salad go, it wasn't anything noteworthy, but very fresh, and the bacon on the salad was exceptional.
Our next course was a rabbit roulade with arugula and pancetta, served in a light cream sauce with fresh sliced radishes. This was my husband's personal favorite, he devoured every bite.

The main course was a roasted spring chicken with baby peas, young carrots, new potatoes, large gulf shrimp, and spinach in a light garlic au jus. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked, the vegetables still had their bite, and the sauce was used as a sauce should be, an accompaniment, not overwhelming the dish.

The dessert was a perfect brownie with popcorn ice cream. I paired the meal with a glass of sparkling wine, and left full and happy.

1st night was a success, and we happened upon an authentic Mexican taco truck pulled up near our hotel. BEST TONGUE TACO EVER.

Zazu: Well.....they ended up having a kitchen fire moments before we were supposed to dine there. So that didn't happen.

Estate: We were able to get last minute reservations at Estate, the new endeavor of Sondra Bernstein, owner of Girl and the Fig. This was a pleasant surprise. We started with the Salumi plate, a lovely and generous assortment of house cured meats. A huge wood board arrived at our table with 6 different varieties of sliced charcuterie, served with flatbreads. Each had it's own unique flavor, spicy, gamey, smoky...but all were crafted with love.
We then moved on to a heart of romaine salad with the most delicious pickled beets and caper berries. The salad was crisp and slightly salty.
We both wanted to eat one more thing, but were not hungry enough for a full dinner plate. Our friendly server mentioned that one of the best things on the menu was there house made wild boar sausage. The thought of putting more meat in my mouth didn't sit that well with me, but after looking at the gleam in my husband's eye, I couldn't deny him his carnivorous way. I'm so happy I gave in, the sausage was moist, perfectly flavored with fennel, and rested on a bed of the most heavenly, soft polenta with fava beans. 2nd dinner, also a success.

Cyrus: My sincere apologies in advance....I did not take pictures of the 12 course extravaganza that was my meal at this lovely spot in Healdsburg, part of me felt embarrassed, looking back, who cares, I should have done it. The front is unassuming with a simple understated script monogram on the front window. We were greeted by the gracious hostess and were shown to our table. Cyrus has clean lines, plush seating, and warm romantic lighting. The servers, while not showing much personality (this may be a requirement), are spot on with service, and timing. I wish that I had the time and room to write about each course as each one deserved its own page. What stands out in my mind is the trout, wrapped up like a little gift within a soba noodle package, with the most velvety miso broth, the milk poached chicken in sous-vide style that fell apart like butter in my mouth, the beef cheek and foie gras in veal consommé, and the cheese, oh the cheese. At Cyrus, a cart is brought around the room before your dessert course, and youare asked to select 3 cheeses from a cart of approximately 10. The server was extremely knowledgeable about the regions and methods under which each cheese was made and helped with the final decision by asking what we look for in a cheese. I left this eating adventure full, happy, drunk, and with a complimentary brownie in my purse.

Marshall Store and Hog Island: On the way down to Point Reyes, the sun was beginning to win it's 3 day long battle with the clouds.We had breakfast in Santa Rosa at Dierk's Parkside Cafe, a cozy neighborhood joint with incredibly fresh and inventive breakfasts. I had the Chicken Benedict (deep fried chicken, bacon, tomato, eggs, hash & hollandaise on a baguette no less). Having had this, lunch time was skipped over, and we set out sights on oyster tasting. Driving along Highway 1, we encountered Hog Island Oysters, well known, as you may have had them flown in to your local restaurant. But...nothing compares to these babies fresh from   the bay, with a squeeze of lemon juice, and a cold glass of pinot grigio. I successfully ate 2 dozen.
Just down the road about 2 miles, is the Marshall Store, lesser known, but equally as good. At this location, we decided on trying some of the cooked varieties: Barbecued oysters and Bacon Oysters. Let me start by saying, I'm an oyster purist. I like 'em raw, a little lemon or mignonette, possibly tobasco...so this was quite a departure for me. I LOVED the barbecue oysters, they were not the least bit overcooked, tender, plump,  and flavorful. The bacon oysters...mmm...not so much. A little too overwhelming, the bacon and onion took over the flavor of the oyster. We sat on the side deck with 2 cold beers, had a great conversation with a long distance couple spending the weekend together, and left relaxed and prepared for 2 days of hiking.

Some other places to check out:
Fremont Diner
Dry Creek General 
Vladimir's Czech Restaurant - no website, old school, cash only
Bouchon

On the subject of food...

I've been cooking since I was able to reach the knobs on an oven. Food conveys memories for me that nothing else has ever been able to match. I associate my first real date with the plate of calamari that hit my table at Joey's in Chagrin Falls. My family conjures up memories of lamb fat, rice, and summer ripened tomatoes. The birth of my son brings tastes of cherry jello to my mouth (unfortunately).
I see dining out as a sport at which I excel and love. There is nothing more enjoyable to me than to see a plate of food arriving at my table, sharing it friends and family, and spreading the word of our amazing meal.
I am known for throwing dinner parties, creating new recipes, and having a son who will eat just about anything.

Though my social schedule has lessened considerably after becoming a mom, my passion for the local food scene, traveling in search of great eats, and sharing recipes has never wained. For this reason, I thought it high time I start a blog about my life in food. I present, the Brunette Gourmet.