Valentine's Day 2011 with Isa's Chocolate Berry Creme Tart

The featured post up over at at the Post Punk Kitchen for the last two weeks or so is the Berry Creme Tart With Cocoa Olive Oil Crust and I have been drooling over the damn thing since it was posted on the 2nd. But I needed an excuse, and I'm really not that into Valentines Day, in fact, the only thing you can count on from me during the holiday is to wear a shirt that has "fuck hallmark" stenciled on it. I also don't have a tart pan, but when I was invited to a pie party (in which I had to bring a pie) the party and the pan became the excuse I needed.

So I walked my happy ass down to the market and into my most favorite kitchenware store where purchases are far and few between, and picked out an 11" tart pan. Oh, the joy that filled my heart at the prospect of not having to make a tart in a pie pan. Plus, I found little heart shaped sprinkles for a whopping 50% off, so you know those went into the bag.

Isa's recipe was easy to follow and worked like a charm (though, because I was making an 11" tart instead of tartlettes, I upped the Agar Agar powder to 1 Tbs. I also used dutch cocoa powder and the crust was a much richer, dark chocolate). It takes a fair amount of time, and maybe the swirl in the tart isn't as clean as it could be, but it's worth the commitment, and the result is a smooth and creamy berry filling with a rich crust. bar far one of the best things that I have made, dessert-wise, in a long long time. Thanks PPK, for always being totally brilliant and trustworthy.

Spaghetti and Meatball Amore

In 1987 a TV special by the name of Frog aired. In my fuzzy brain, Fred Savage starred in what I thought was a full length movie involving frogs falling from the sky over a first kiss while "That's Amore" played in the background. Well, fortunately, someone threw the whole 50 minutes of it up on youtube, and I discovered I was wrong about everything except for the kiss and the song. Oh, there's frogs alright, but not falling from the sky, and there's definitely no Fred Savage. That's ok, I've got Little Monsters and Wizard to get my Fred Savage fix.  

Then, in 1991, when I was in 4th grade,our school performed a "Musical Olympics," in which pairs of students had to dress up in a country's traditional garb and sing the national anthem. Leave it to my father to convince me Italy's national anthem was "That's Amore," resulting in me to making a complete idiot of myself on the first day of rehearsal when I insisted I knew the whole song and broke into "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..." A rendition that ruined my social status and my classmates eardrums for years to come, but that's ok, 'cause I got to rock a pink shawl, some plastic flowers in my hair, and a kick ass floral apron.

That's about the extent of my history with the 1950's classic. Well, accept that insist on singing it every time I make spaghetti and meatballs (which isn't that often) but I did get a chance to make them last weekend, and what meatballs they were! So throw a red gingham table cloth on your kitchen table, stick some carnations in a vase, put on some accordion music, light some candles, and serve your sweetie a very Americanized vegan version of an Italian classic.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tropical Icey Pops!

I've been on a cooking hiatus lately. This tends to happen when my wife goes a traveling (which she tends to do on a regular basis, fighting the good fight for equality and all) and I tend to get lazy about the whole cooking (and shopping) thing and end up living on rice and beans or lentils for a few weeks. Lindsey returned just in time for our kitchen to get torn up (on the bright side, I now have new granite counter tops. yay!!!) and during the shuffle of the last week I have misplaced my card reader. So, while i have spaghetti and vegan meatball total awesomeness to share, as well a soup featuring my newest favorite vegetable: choy sum, they will all have to wait until I find the damn card reader. Sigh.

But don't fret! In the meantime I wanted to share an awesome product find I stumbled upon yesterday at my favorite northwest Asian market. First of all, I love Uwajimaya: the store is a vegan's dream come true. There's about 20 different kinds of water packed tofu, the best selection of fresh vegetables I have come across at any supermarket in the Seattle area, and a bazillion treats waiting to be found. Ok, that's a hyperbole, but I do love constantly finding treats made with agar agar instead of gelatin.

So, what is my treat of the day? An icey creamy frozen treat called Smooze. Apparently they also sell it at whole foods, so if you don't live near any awesome Asian supermarkets, you could try there... At any rate, Smooze is basically a push pop made of fruit juice, coconut milk, and pectin. They come in 4 flavors: mango, guava, pineapple and passion fruit, which are not only refreshing, but makes one feel like they are sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Plus, they are packaged in those paper triangle type push pop packages that you have to cut open, and those make me feel like I'm a little kid again. All in all, it's a pretty good find.

I seem to not cook when my wife is away...

I have however, been out playing with friends and chowing down at the Highline, meeting new people, running into old friends, and going off to catch some shows this weekend (with my boy Joey who just rolled into town! holla!!!). I've been skiing and listening to tons of music and ever since I started taking vitamin D, I have energy! It's been good. Also, I finished a quilt for a friends wee baby that I started a few months ago and I am stoked about the whole thing. It's the third one I've made, and the largest. Not bad, eh? What better way to remind people to eat their veggies? Got two more quilts on my plate right now and I can't wait to start 'em and share 'em!

Rice and Beans with Hedgehog Mushrooms

I love hedgehogs. They are just so cute with their little snouts, and prickly quills, and when they yawn it's irresistible. They also belong outside, romping around in the grass and getting into peoples gardens, or sometimes washing hankies and making cups of tea, but only on their own terms. There is another kind of hedgehog though, which I gladly welcome into my kitchen, is luscious orange-brown, has soft little "quills" on the underbelly, is light and peppery and goes excellent with rice and beans, making it a perfect light dinner addition. And that is the hedgehog mushroom, my newest favorite find and a staple of late in my kitchen.

Cook rice, seasoning with chipotle chili pepper, garlic, salt, and cracked black pepper. Cook cranberry beans, seasoning with salt and cracked pepper. In a medium pan, over medium heat, saute 1 cup hedgehog mushrooms in 2 tsp olive oil, salt to taste and 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley until mushrooms are sift and cooked combine 1/2 cup rice with 1/2 cup cooked beans in a bowl and top with mushrooms. a very simple yet satisfying meal.

“Cheesy” Potato Gratin

I finally fed my craving. See, I've been craving scalloped potatoes since Thanksgiving. The warm cheesy bubbles that pop with steam on the way from the oven to the table, the crisp browning edges that crunch, the perfectly laid rows of thin potato slices that are soft when you bite down, yet not mushy... yeah, that's what I've been craving. 

I fought the craving off for a while until Christmas rolled around and we had dinner with my wife's family and my mother-in-law served up a potato gratin, looking like the angels had made it and placed it down right beside me to tantalize my olfactory senses. And it was made with bacon. As quickly as the angels had laid down this dish beside me, the Devil was there to enforce the steadfast law that if you want something done your way, you better just do it yourself. So I begged for the recipe, veganized it, and bestow upon you the holy grail of potato gratin.

“Cheesy” Potato Gratin

Portuguese Bean Soup

If you wanted to try my linguica seitan "sausage" recipe, but weren't sure what in the world to do with said "sausage," don't fear! you can make this awesome cabbage stew. It's a true "peasant stew" americanized by generations of mothers passing down to their offspring, and it was a favorite of mine when I was small during the winter months.

On a completely different, yet slightly related note, I blame Michael Scott and Ricky Gervais for my 4th grade stifled laughter over the last two days. Trust me, I know it's stupid, and immature, but I can't, for the life of me, read or type the word "sausage" without immediately thinking "that's what she said!" Even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Thanks, pop-culture, for taking over my brain. Again.

Portuguese Bean Soup