Happy hour: chilled asparagus soup and Mt. Tam cheese

Whenever my mom comes to visit, we inevitably have a home-cooked happy hour–code for “Mom has worn me out from shopping all day, so I will distract her with snacks and wine until I have the energy to make dinner.”  This works quite well, and sometimes gets me out of cooking dinner altogether.

This is the ultimate make-ahead “happy hour” selection – a chilled asparagus soup and a hunk of the creamiest and most delicious cheese ever to make its way into my life.  The soup, which comes from Bon Appetit, tastes and feels like it was made with cream, but it’s only asparagus, onions, broth, and spinach–so it’s healthy, too.  (I garnished with a little sour cream, smoked salmon, and dill – three things Mom and I will never turn down.)   This was a huge time-saver–it looks fancy, but I made it a day ahead.  When the time came, it took me all of five minutes to put together and serve.  The soup has enough zest to stand up to a red wine, but I think a tart white or a dry sparkling wine would complement it even better.  Especially with warm spring weather (that existed in San Francisco for all of a week).

The cheese is Mt. Tam, from Cowgirl Creamery, a Bay Area institution.  If you like cheese (and boy, Mom and I do) I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but if you haven’t tried it, you’re in for a treat–it’s semi-soft, with an edible rind and soft, velvety innards.  The almost-herbal flavor is so delicate that I prefer to eat it without bread or crackers.  Why complicate a good thing?

Chilled Asparagus Soup

Adapted from Bon Appetit

 I changed the proportions here – less onion and asparagus – added some dill, and didn’t strain the soup.  It turned out beautifully.  Make sure you use low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 8 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• Smoked salmon, sour cream, and dill springs for garnish

Preparation

Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 8–10 minutes. Add ½-inch asparagus pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cook until asparagus is bright green and tender, 4–5 minutes. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until asparagus is tender, 8–10 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add dill and remove from heat.  Let mixture cool slightly.

Working in batches, purée soup in a blender until very smooth. Stir remaining 2 tbsp. oil into soup; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold.

To serve, ladle into bowls or ramekins.  Float a scant tablespoon of sour cream in the middle, then place a small slice of smoked salmon on top of the cream, and finish with a dill sprig.

February Kitchen Play: tart and sweet and boozy all over

Why is this picture tilted? Because this is how you'll look at the world after a couple of these drinks.

I love cherries, and cherry-flavored anything (except cough drops).  If you describe a dish, an ingredient, or a drink as being tart and sweet, sign me up.  It is my favorite flavor profile, and I can probably blame that on having a Queen Anne cherry tree in my backyard when I was growing up.  Once I figured out how to eat around the pits, cherry season was the best season.  Except for related gastrointestinal distress, but I digress. (Side note: The Ice Cream Bar, located in the Cole Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, makes an amazing sour cherry ice cream and sour cherry soda.)

When I saw Kitchen Play was hosting a cherry-themed Progressive Party this month, I might have been a tiny bit excited.  The Cherry Marketing Institute is sponsoring, and their site is full of information about the health benefits of cherries.  Who knew that they were quite so good for you?  Really, this just means I’m drinking to my health!

(I might have also been excited to see that part of the giveaway includes an Anthropologie apron.  Be still, my heart.)

All six dishes, of course, prominently feature tart cherries.   I am starting with my adaptation of the Tart Cherrytini from uTry.it, which brings together two of my favorite things: cherry juice and fancy (strong!) cocktails.  Recipe after the jump.

99 bottles of air on the wall

"repurposed" tequila bottle on left. I like to pretend it has a purpose at all, other than oooh shiny color pretty object more please.

I have a thing for containers.  It’s a bit of a fetish: no decor in my home will be complete without some sort of container that I don’t actually use for containing things.  Luckily, my mother has the same affliction, so I can blame it on her.  Bad mommy.  Bad.

Things you can do with an awesome, yet empty tequila bottle (the full bottle having been a gift from my uncle): wash it out, take the paint off with acetone nail polish remover, and display it in the window along with all the other pretty empty containers.

I could use it as a vase, I suppose, but that would defeat the non-purpose.  We don’t need no stinkin’ practicality around here.

Crispy pork medallions; raw asparagus salad

I’ve ended up cooking more on my days off, in the grand hopes that somehow I will come home from work and want to eat the exact same thing I’ve been eating for the last two days (provided there’s any left, that is).

So far, no luck, but I’ve stumbled across a few great recipes in my quest to Use What’s Already In The Fridge.  Hence Friday afternoon’s lunch: crispy pork medallions with a caper cream sauce, and a shaved raw asparagus salad.  The advent of new produce in the supermarket (and on sale, to boot) is a harbinger of warm spring days, I hope.

(Who am I kidding?  I live in San Francisco, where sweaters can be year-round necessities.)

(Except for the last few days, where, between the beach and volunteer-stewarding at the World Cup of Beer, I am quite sunburned in mottled patterns.)

(The things we do for free, delicious home brews.)

(Oh, and that sour nectarine beer that I blogged about a few days ago? Andrei took first in his category!)

Recipes after the jump.

Furnishing a living room on a budget

My first apartment – all to my own darn self! – happened when I was 23.  I moved to San Francisco for law school, I managed to live on my own, and I have never looked back.  (Some people weren’t meant to have roommates.  As a perpetually early riser, I realize that I am one of them.  LET’S GRIND COFFEE AT 4AM!  Whee!)

When I moved out, I – quite literally – had no money.  I had no furniture, other than the stuff at my dad’s home.  And definitely no dishes, no appliances, and no linens.  What was a girl to do?  Call upon the power of her family, that’s what (with your powers combined, I am Captain Decorator!).

My mom is pretty brilliant at shopping for bargains, then refurbishing (if necessary) so that things have a cohesive theme.  Which is exactly what she did for me: she took her extra lamps and furniture, and refinished them so that they would fit my color scheme.

Whereas my mom decorates in primarily warm colors, I had a turquoise-and-white theme in mind for my living room.  So mom took three completely different pieces, and with one or two cans of silvery-pewter paint, fixed it so I had three matching pieces (four, if you count my silver-and-wood-desk!).

This funky lamp was a thrift store find, and used to be a metallic gold/bronze.  I had always loved the shape and the shade – I mean, talk about a statement piece – but the color wasn’t anything I could see myself using.  With some silver paint, the bronze lamp became significantly more subdued, and now it resides behind my couch as a focal point.

My coffee table used to be the glass pictured, but the metal was in shades of pink.  It had been painted with a ”granite” sort of paint, where you paint one color and then spackle a stucco-esque coat on top.  It worked well in one room of my mother’s house, but not for my apartment.  With the same silver paint, all of a sudden it matched the lamp.

Finally, the bistro set (one other chair not pictured) used to be black metal with floral yellow/orange/red tiles.  Again, all Mom did was paint it silver, and poof – I had my very own matching table and chairs, that also match my coffee table, lamp, and desk.

Throw on a plush seatcover, add a lamp (Marshall’s, a $70 splurge, but so worth it) and a Subversive Cross-Stitch, and you have a matching set of furniture that would make any student proud.

The moral of the story?  Go to thrift stores and yard sales, and don’t be limited by what the piece looks like at the time.  With minimal effort and cost, my mom provided me with a set of “matching” furniture that I may not have been able to acquire myself.  It’s also a heck of a lot more eco-friendly than trashing your old stuff and buying something new – and that is never a bad thing.

When three cheeses just aren’t enough: amped-up margherita pizza

Vast fields of mozzarella, amber waves of melted fontina, all studded with roasted tomatoes, feta, and torn basil leaves: is there anything better?  (Maybe money.  Money would be nice.)

This was yesterday’s dinner (and today’s breakfast/lunch, naturally): a margherita pizza on phyllo dough.  It’s loaded up with four cheeses, but the phyllo crust makes it seem somewhat less artery-clogging.  Add that to the sharp-sweet taste of the roasted tomatoes, and while the caloric content is probably astronomical, you can convince yourself it’s almost healthy.  Or you can try.

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine – here’s how I made it.

Hipster Cupcake and a pluot tart

I got a cake-decorating kit a couple days ago (Amazon Prime is a dangerous thing), and when Tara mentioned something about the “hipster cupcake trend,” I realized that the mini-cupcakes I had just made had some humor (and deliciousness) potential.  This one is dedicated to anyone who can pull off skinny jeans and plaid, ’cause I certainly can’t.

This is the only evidence left to suggest hipster cupcake ever existed, save for an empty-but-jaunty purple wrapper in my garbage.  RIP hipster cupcake, 09/23/10-09/23/10.  You only lived for about five minutes, but your legacy will continue.

Let’s hope my icing skills get better, though.  The ones that didn’t involve writing turned out pretty well.

Thrift Store Find: vintage turquoise pitcher

Thanks to my mother and one of her roadtrips to the Pacific Northwest, I am now the proud owner of this vintage (late 60′s, early 70′s) turquoise glass pitcher.  This came from a thrift shop in Oregon, and cost less than $5.

It’s particularly timely because I was looking for a pitcher of this shape and size a week prior, when Mom asked if I’d like her to keep an eye out for one.  I said yes, because everything I was finding was smaller, $15+, and clear.  (Clear is nice, but turquoise is the best color ever/the color of my apartment, so…)

One thing I have observed about my mother is that she possesses Shopping Magic.  That is, every time I want something, all I have to do is say aloud, “You know, I’m looking for this particular item…” and it will appear at a ridiculous sale price.  This has worked for everything from designer handbags to vintage Barbies to makeup to vodka to houseplants.  It’s inexplicable.  When Mom goes shopping, stores seem to sense it and roll out exactly what we’re looking for, 90% off.  If she lived closer, I’d be broke(r).

So I wasn’t exactly surprised when she called and said she bought it for me–more envious, really.  How do I get the Shopping Magic, dammit?

Thrift stores are a great place to supplement household items or decor with funky statement pieces like this one.  (In my opinion, items made in the 70′s tend to be hideous when you put the olive, gold, and  burnt orange tones together, but on their own, the gold looks great with turquoise, or the orange looks good with white dishes.)  I have plenty of clear glass and silver serving dishes, so when I have a dinner party (and have the time), I like to pull out big colored glass bowls and stands to add some color.  Definitely shabby-student-chic, but it’s fun to be able to mix and match without spending a lot.