Cuisine: Summer Corn Salad

I created this recipe as part of The S. Kitchen presents...Coming Home, which was on Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 3pm at Clare Housing Midtown. The S. Kitchen presents...Coming Home featured Debbie Wyman, my mom, as the guestpert telling her story about why she works at Clare Housing, and organization that provides affordable housing to those living with HIV/AIDS. (To listen to a 15 minute podcast with Debbie about Clare Housing, please click here.)

The food theme was "your favorite childhood foods re-imagined." One of my all time favorite foods is/was roasted corn. I have incredibly fond memories of Minnesotan corn roasted on the grill and eaten right off the cob. The memory still warms me to this day.

For The S. Kitchen, I wanted to do something that incorporated my favorite childhood food while also updating it to include the flavors I love now. I still love simple roasted corn. But I didn't just want to throw it on the grill and call it a day.

A dear friend, Kristine, RSVPed for Coming Home. I met Kristine while I was at the University of St. Thomas, and we worked together for a summer running a summer camp for the YMCA. I will never forget how much Kristine changed my flavor palate. She is the one who introduced me to Puerto Rican food, and ever since I have had a love of all foody things spicy, lime-y and Caribbean/Latin American.

Knowing Kristine was coming I knew that all I had to do was turn corn into an amazingly refreshing Corn Salad that hinted at Caribbean and Latin American flavors. And hey...I live in San Francisco, so it is a fabulous nod to where I call home now as well.

***
What you need:
4 ears of corn (I used yellow corn)
1 jicama (small to mid-sized, peeled
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 sweet onions (I used Vidalia)
2 (largish) tomatoes (I used orange heirloom tomatoes)
2 jalapenos, cored and seeded
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
3 cloves garlic
2 lemons (I used Meyer lemons)
2 limes (I used key limes)
1 tsp paprika
salt, to taste

What to do:
Roast the corn on the grill on in the oven. It is best to roast the corn and not boil it. I have tried it both ways and the corn tastes best when roasted in its own husk. To roast it on the grill, soak it in a tub full of water for about 15 minutes. Then, roast it on the grill over a medium flame until the husks start to turn deep brown turning occasionally. To roast it in the oven, heat the over to 375 degrees. Place corn in the husks in the oven and roast until the husks start to turn yellow (about 15 minutes). Make sure to turn them over occasionally.

Dehusk the corn and cut the kernels off the corncob.

For the tomatoes, onions, jicama, and red bell pepper it is important to dice everything into really small pieces. They should be slightly smaller than a kernel of corn. Finely dice the jalapeno. Roughly chop the parsley making sure there are both slightly large pieces as well as some finely minced pieces. Crush the garlic. Juice the lemons and limes.

Combine everything together and season with salt and paprika. Let sit refrigerated overnight and enjoy either as a salad, a salsa or as an accompaniment to a main course.

If you would like to kick up the heat a bit, you can add your favorite hot sauce, more jalapenos or a touch of chipotle pepper adobo.

Cuisine: Banana Chocolate Brownie Bread

It's been rainy and dreary here in San Francisco, and I love it. Nothing makes my heart melt quite like the damp winter we get here. It is far better than the below zero temperatures of my Minnesota upbringing, especially the temperatures of this past winter. I love reading books, plotting with comrades and baking warm sweet treats in winter.

This past Tuesday was a particularly dreary day, so I set out on a little adventure: find rotten bananas. I just had to make banana bread.

I found some and brought them home. I was all ready to make a traditional banana bread when suddenly, I got an urge to throw in cocoa powder. Then, I ransacked my cupboards and found half a bag of mini chocolate chips. In they went, and then this banana chocolate brownie bread was baked.

It was enjoyed that evening with a lovely cup of chai tea.

***
You will need:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
5 ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
2 1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 extra large eggs
1 cup mini chocolate chips

What to do:
Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch by 9 inch baking dish.

In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder together until thoroughly combined. In another bowl, mash bananas, milk and vanilla together. There should still be large chunks of banana remaining. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar over medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time until mixture is airy.

Add 1/2 the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stir to blend. Add 1/2 the banana mixture. Stir to blend. Add 1/2 the flour mixture. Stir to blend. Add 1/2 the banana mixture and the chocolate chips. Stir to blend. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.

Bake for about 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Enjoy either warm or let cool overnight. Excellent with coffee and/or tea.

Cuisine: Whole Roasted Citrus Chicken

I was inspired to make this recipe on a whim. I ran to the produce stand and saw a lot of fresh citrus. The colors of the oranges and key limes called out to me begging me to buy them. As I was heading back out into the rain and cold, I wanted to be swept away to someplace tropical, as tropical as the oranges and limes in my bag.

As I walked home from the market, I started brainstorming a recipe. This is what I came up with.

***
You will need:
1 whole chicken
6 oranges
8 key limes
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp spicy paprika
1/4 tsp ground star anise
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla

What to do:
Peel skin away from chicken. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, and tumeric together. Rub all over the chicken making sure to also rub it underneath the skin. Poke about 10 holes into the skin of the chicken. Two should be where the thigh connects to the body, and two should be where the wing connects to the body.

Combine the juice of the oranges, key limes, 1 tsp salt, spicy paprika, star anise, cumin, ginger and vanilla.

Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan breast side up. Sprinkle the chicken with some of the juice. Pour the rest of the juice in the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil. Place pan in the oven and bake covered for 20 minutes. Then, baste with the liquid. Add a little water if needed. Flip the chicken and baste again. Cover and bake for another 15 minutes. Uncover the chicken and baste, adding water if needed. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and baste again. Bake for 15-20 more minutes.

Enjoy with citrus bean salad and garlic green beans.

Cuisine: Hot Pineapple Pork Loin

I was inspired to create this recipe after eating at Mission Chinese Food with my husband and dear friend, Victoria. The food brought me to another world: Chengdu. I was reminded of a meal I had there that was out-of-this-world spicy. It started with this pickled dish that numbed the tongue. Then, they brought out all of the spicy food.

Mission Chinese Food also had a pickled dish that numbed the tongue. I loved it. I devoured the cucumbers, peanuts, and cabbage. My forehead was sweating profusely. It was as if I was still outside in the rain, and that feeling of exhilaration that comes from spice rushed over me. I was in heaven. Or more precisely, I was right back in Chengdu at this restaurant of fine dark stained wood and deep red.

The unique flavor that numbs the tongue is the Sichuan peppercorn. I have a ton of it at home, and I have been neglecting it. It isn't for everyone, so I use it sparingly. After dinner at Mission Chinese Food, I knew I had to dust it off and create a new recipe. Thus, the beginnings of Hot Pineapple Pork Loin was born.

I'm not sure how I thought to pare all of the different flavors. It just kind of came to me. Or, the rub did at least. The addition of the pineapple came because I knew I needed to cook it with some liquid at the bottom of the pan. The liquid helps keep the pork loin nice and juicy. I didn't want to use just water, so I ran across the street to the liquor store. My choices were limited to apple juice, orange juice, a small bottle of cranberry juice, some limeade, and there it was...pineapple juice. Yup, the one in the can from Dole. I grabbed it and headed home.

The result is this amazingly tender pork loin that has a hint of heat from the crust of the rub and a nice tart sweetness from the pineapple. Sure it's not a dish you would find in Chengdu or Mission Chinese Food, but both are owed a debt of gratitude for first introducing me to the Sichuan peppercorn and reminding me how much I love it.

***
What you need:
1 tsp caraway seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp black peppercorn
1 tsp pink peppercorn
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
seeds from 4 cardamon pods
1 tsp fried onion
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fried garlic
1 tsp paprika
3 lb boneless pork loin
1 can pineapple juice

What to do:
Make a rub for the pork by putting all the spices in a spice grinder and processing until fine. Rub all over the pork and let sit for at least one hour. Heat over to 500 degrees. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour all of the pineapple juice into the pan. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Base the pork carefully with the pineapple juice. Bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until the pork starts to brown nicely.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour more basting every 10 minutes or so. Turn the pork loin over after about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place pork on a dish, cover, and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the pineapple juice into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer to reduce liquid to about half.

Slice pork loin and pour a little of the juice on top.

Enjoy with roasted yams or sweet potatoes and your favorite greens.

Tip: Roasting the yams or sweet potatoes is simple. Start by slicing them lengthwise into quarters. Toss in oil to coat and sprinkle lightly with salt. Put them into a pan and place in the oven when you turn the pork loin. Bake for about 45 minutes. Carefully turn the yams or sweet potatoes over at least twice to ensure even cooking. The yams or sweet potatoes will be incredibly soft and tender.

Cuisine: Cheeky Curried Cajun Chicken

You Will Need:
2 tsp. The Curried Cajun
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1 Whole Chicken (approx. 4 lbs)
4 to 5 Limes, sliced

What To Do:
Mix spices and salt together. Loosen the skin around the chicken.

Spread the seasoning all over the chicken, making sure to get most of the seasoning underneath the skin. Let sit for 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 350degrees. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down.

Make slits in the skin where joints connect near the wings and thighs. Place sliced limes all over the top of the chicken.

Bake for 35 minutes. Remove lime slices. Bake for 35 more minutes.

Turn over. Place more fresh lime slices over chicken, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lime slices and bake 30 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Cuisine: Banana-y Baked Beauty!

You Will Need:
2 Bananas, fully ripe
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Cake Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/16 tsp. Ground Anise
1 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 cup White Sugar
1/4 scant cup Molasses
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter, softened
2 Large Eggs

What To Do:
Mash bananas, buttermilk and vanilla together.

Whisk flours, baking soda and powder, salt, and spices together until thoroughly combined.

In an electric mixer using the the beater blade, beat sugar and butter together until light and creamy (about 4 minutes). Then add molasses and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add 1 egg at a time, making sure each egg gets blended in thoroughly. The mixture should be very light.

Reduce mixer to low speed. Add flour and banana mixtures alternately, ensuring all ingredients get thoroughly combined.

Heat over to 325 degrees.

Pour mixture into a prepared bundt pan and bake for about 40 minutes.

Cuisine: Fresh, Fabulous, Fruity Salsa

You Will Need:
1 Nectarine, diced
1 Avocado, diced
1 Jalapeno, seeded, cored, and minced
1 tsp. fresh grated Ginger
1 tsp. Salt
3 Scallions, minced (including greens)
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/2 Lime, juiced
2 tsp. Grapeseed Oil

What To Do:
Combine all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Cuisine: Amazing Anaheim Pepper Chicken

I was at a loss for what to make for dinner, so I opened up my cupboards, freezer, and searched through my produce bowl. I found a couple of chicken breasts, a can of El Pato Tomato Sauce, some potatoes, and an Anaheim pepper. I tend to keep my kitchen fairly well stocked. (You never know when the zombie apocalypse [or a spontaneous dinner party] is going to happen, and it's good to be prepared.)

Ideas starting swirling in my head, and then I looked at the clock. I didn't want to be in the kitchen for two hours. It was getting late. But I did want to make something quick and easy, something that would still be tasty.

The liquor store across the street from my apartment was still open. I zipped over and got a head of garlic, an onion, and a lime. I set to the taste of being creative in the kitchen. What I crafted was Amazing Anaheim Pepper Chicken.

It is a very simple dish. It is one of those "set it and forget it" type recipes. There isn't a whole heck of a lot that goes into it, but when you take it out of the oven it is to be savored. Each bit has a little heat, a nice sweet tartness, and the yumminess of a fabulously cooked potato. Enjoy.

***
You Will Need:
3 Chicken Breasts
4 Large Yellow Potatoes
1 Yellow Onion
5 Cloves Garlic
1 Can El Pato Tomato Sauce
2 Anaheim Peppers
1 Lime
Salt

What To Do:
Dice potatoes, and sprinkle salt on them. Place in a colander over a bowl. Set aside for an hour, allowing potatoes to drain.

Meanwhile, slice the chicken breasts into thirds. Dice the onion into large chunks. Put garlic through a press. Combine potatoes, chicken, onion, garlic, and tomato sauce and toss.

Spread evenly in a baking dish, making sure the chicken is laying flat. Dice the Anaheim peppers and sprinkle over the chicken/potato mixture. Sprinkle lime juice over everything.

Bake at 350degrees for 40 minutes.

Cuisine: Sinfully Spiced Coffee Cake & Shameful Streusel Topping!

For me, there is nothing more wonderful than a warm piece of coffee cake with a pot of french pressed coffee in the morning. I love biting into a warm piece of moist, spiced cake with a buttery crumbly topping and then sipping coffee mixed with cream. It is my idea of heaven.

I have tasted coffee cakes from any bakeries, coffee shops, and brunch spots across the Bay Area and beyond. All of them love sugar. They tend to be really sweet. Some are light and airy while others are dense almost like a biscuit. While I love these coffee cakes, I wanted something different. I wanted a coffee cake that was, instead of sweet, spicy.

I started with a recipe from All Recipes. But like everything I make I can't follow the recipe per se. I could tell that the recipe was going to be really, really sweet. It called for all sorts of sugars, and I knew I would have to change it p a bit. It did have one thing I didn't expect: actual coffee in the coffee cake.

Using their inspiration of brewing coffee in the milk, I started there. Then, I tossed in a little bit of The Whirling Berliner, a The S. Kitchen spice blend. If you don't have The Whirling Berliner you can substitute cinnamon, ground ginger, black pepper, cardamon, or whatever spices you have in your kitchen. I reduced the sugar a bit and subbed the shortening for butter. The cake batter turned out to be that perfect blend of melt in your mouth and fluffily airy.

Then, I needed to create a streusal topping for the coffee cake. I have a horrible time making streusal topping. For some reason, I can never get the recipes that call for cold butter to really work. I've used my food processor, a stand mixer, my hands, a pastry knife, and a blender throughout the years trying to make it work. And it never turns out the way I want it too: the butter just kind of melts everywhere.

Well, the recipe I used for inspiration called for melted butter. It was a new technique that I wanted to try. Every other cooking show and recipe always calls for cold butter. I wondered what would happen if I made it according to the directions. Or more like the recipe instructions than not. The modifications I made were a reduction in the amount of sugar, a slight increase in the amount of salt, and the addition of The Whirling Berliner.

All I can say is, "WOW!" This streusal topping is everything I hope for in a streusal topping: there are small pieces that just pop on your tongue, larger chunks that you can bite into and melt in your mouth. It is a little piece of joy every time you bite into it.

***
Phase One: Spiced Coffee Cake
You Will Need:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Whirling Berliner
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup Butter, softened
3/4 cup Brown Sugar,firmly packed
2/3 cup White Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
6 Tbsp. ground coffee

What To Do:
Sift flour, spices, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.

In a sauce pot, combine 1 cup buttermilk and coffee grounds. Bring to a slow boil. Let steep 5 minutes. Strain through a fine strainer. Should be about 1/2 cup of liquid. Add the rest of the buttermilk to make 1 cup.

Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until the texture is light and airy. Whip eggs with vanilla until frothy. Add this froth to the sugar mixture and mix on medium high until combined and liquidy.

Fold flour, butter, and milk mixtures together alternating between all three until well combined. Make sure not to over stir. Batter will be thick and and slightly runny. It is thicker than pancake batter but not as thick as biscuits.

Prepare an 8" square baking dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Phase Two: Streusal Topping
You Will Need:
1/3 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Whirling Berliner (or combination of cinnamon, clove, ground ginger, etc.)
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup melted Butter, cooled slightly

What To Do:
Mix all ingredients together by hand until crumbly. Pieces should vary in size from sand sized to grape sized.

Phase Three: Assembly and Baking
You Will Need:
Spiced Coffee Cake Batter
Streusal Topping

What To Do:
Pour batter into baking dish. Sprinkle crumble on top, making sure all coffee cake is covered.

Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Cuisine: Cast Iron Apple Pie Crumble

This was made for The S. Kitchen presents...Addictive Abundance at the Intellectuals' Table and was inspired by Kailani Schultz. When Kai and I met to talk about goals for her internship, she said she wanted to learn how to bake. At the time, Mission Pie was having an apple pie contest, so we decided we'd start with perfecting the apple pie.

Making pie crust can be tricky business and apple pie, specifically, is hard to innovate. There are so many great recipes and ways to make apple pie. So we started with listing words that we wanted to use for describing the pie. We came up with flaky, tart yet slightly sweet, a tad spicy, and lots of good crumble. We researched a ton of different recipes trying to find the right one. But we couldn't find any single recipe that seemed to match everything we wanted.

So we started with the pie crust's most important ingredient: butter. I had a recipe for galette dough from the fantastic Daphne Morgan. But I wanted it to have a little something more. I knew messing with the butter to flour to water ratio would not be a good idea, so I added The Whirling Berliner to it. I knew that I would be adding that spice blend to the apples and crumble topping, so I knew it would match nicely with all the other layers of flavor.

Then, we moved on to the apples. I read and read and read about the best kind of apples to use. It seems everyone has a different opinion. So I looked for words like tart, firm, and held their shape. I knew I didn't want a mushy pie. Upon careful consideration and making two other pies, I settled on gala, granny smith, and honeycrip apples. The combination is not too tart and not too sweet. And all of the apples held up nicely in the baking.

To add a little more zest and punch, I added the juice of two limes, a little more The Whirling Berliner, and the zest of one tangerine.

Finally, we needed to come up with a crumble topping. I have tried and tried and tried crumble recipes. I have used cold butter, soft butter, a pastry knife, a blender, a food processor, and a stand mixer. Never has the crumble turned out the way I wanted it to: grainy like sand with occasional larger pieces filled with flavor that melt in your mouth. Then, I found a recipe that called for melted butter, so I tried it. WOW! It was almost there. The addition of oatmeal and The Whirling Berliner knocked it out of the park. This crumble recipe is absolutely my favorite topping.

Last came the baking method. We were making a pie for about 20 people, so I knew that making a simple apple pie in a pie dish wouldn't suffice. Or, more precisely, I would have to make multiple pies. I just didn't want to spend that amount of time making pie. So I looked at my cast iron skillet and wondered, "Can we use this?" And...it worked beautifully!

This pie has it all -- a flaky crust, a deeply spiced and tart flavor with sweet undertones, and a crumbly crumble that melts in your mouth.

And there you have it: Cast Iron Apple Pie Crumble!

****
Phase 1: Pie Crust
You Will Need:
2 Sticks Butter, cold and cubed
2 1/4 all purpose Flour
6 to 8 Tbsp. Ice Water
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Whirling Berliner (or other spice blend)

What To Do:
In a food processor with the blade on; pulse flour, butter, salt, and spices until it looks like sand. Slowly add ice water (2 Tbsp. at a time), pulsing for longer periods of time between each addition. Continue adding Tbsp. of water until the dough starts to hold its shape and gets clumpy.

Pour onto a floured surface and form into a ball. Use the palm of your hand to gently massage the dough together. As the dough gets bigger, fold it in on itself. Press gently and fold three times. Then mold the dough into a square and place it in the fridge.

Refrigerate for an hour (or more). Take out of fridge and place on floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large square.

Prepare your 12" cast iron skillet by rubbing cold butter all over it and dusting it with flour. Place dough over the skillet, making sure the crust reaches all the way up the sides. Cut off excess and pinch dough around the top edge. Refrigerate for an hour.

Phase 2: Apples
You Will Need:
13 Large Apples (A Queerly Complex person might use: 2 gala apples, 5 granny smith apples, and 6 honey crisp apples...but get creative with your apple mingling!)
2 Limes
1/3 cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Whirling Berliner (or other spice blends you like)
1 cup Brown Sugar
Zest of 1 Tangerine or Orange

What To Do:
Peel, quarter, core, and thinly slice the apples. Mix with lime juice and set aside.

Meanwhile, stir the salt, spice, brown sugar, flour, and zest together. Toss this mixture in with the apples and set aside.

Phase 3: Crumble Topping
You Will Need:
1/3 cup White Sugar
2/3 cup Brown Sugar
2 1/2 tsp. Whirling Berliner
Dash of Salt, depending on taste
3/4 cup melted Butter cooled in fridge for 30 minutes
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 1/8 cup Oatmeal

What To Do:
In a food processor with the blade knife on; combine sugars, spice, salt, flour, and oatmeal. Pulse three times.

Slowly pour butter in while pulsing until all butter is added and the mixture begins to hold its shape. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

The Final Phase: Assembly & Baking!
You Will Need:
4 Tbsp. cubed Butter

What To Do:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Take pie crust/cast iron skillet out of the fridge. Toss butter with the apples. Pour the apples into the crust. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake 35 minutes.

Remove and put crumble all over the top of the pie. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Cover with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, and bake for 15 more minutes.

Cool overnight, and enjoy in the morning!

Cuisine: Cowboys in India Crock Pot Roast

This recipe comes via The S. Kitchen fan, Tina M. She bought Cowboys in India in late November and was wondering what to use it for. She decided to make a pork pot roast in a crock pot. It's a simple recipe with a lot of punch. It's almost like those infomercials: "Set it and forget it."

I hope you enjoy the recipe. And please share your own recipes.

****
You will need:
Cowboys in India
Pork roast
Green bell pepper
Onions
Barbecue sauce

What to do:
I used the delicious seasoning with a pork roast, cooked it for 8 hours in a crock pot, and when it fell of the bone I shredded it, sauteed it with green bell peppers and onions, added barbecue sauce, combining all ingredients and served it on a bun. YUMMY!! It made the best bbq pork sandwiches ever with a spicy twist!! Thanks again!!

Cuisine: Three Cheese, Twice-Baked Sage Scalloped Potatoes

I crafted this recipe for xmas dinner. I was serving pork, and I knew I wanted some potato-y goodness to go along side it. I love potatoes, so I am pretty much a whiz when it comes to cooking them in any form. Still, I wanted something truly special, something that would blow the socks off of my dear family coming for dinner.

This recipe is what I came up with, and boy is it a little piece of heaven. The potatoes are firm and give when bitten. The cheese all blends nicely together. And the sage...well... just WOW! It brings in just the right amount of flavor thanks to its double treatment in the buttermilk and the clarified butter.

These potatoes are perfect for the cook that is serving something special and doesn't have a big kitchen or stove. The fact that they are twice cooked means that you can set it in a low heat oven the next day along with your roast. (Hey that's what I did!) And just to note: milk will separate a little, but don't worry it tastes fantastic! And the buttermilk is waaaay better than cream for this recipe. The tart is just right.

***
You will need:
4 large russet potatoes weighing about 4 pounds, peeled and sliced thinly
1 stick butter
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
20 sage leaves, separated
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 quart buttermilk
8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese
8 ounces gorgonzola
5 ounces parmesean
salt
paprika
cider vinegar

What to do:
Put the potato slices in a large bowl with cold water, ice, about 2 TBSP salt and 2 capfuls of cider vinegar. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt stick of butter in a small heavy bottomed sauce pot. Keep temperature low so as not to brown butter. Skim foam off of butter. Add thinly sliced onion, crushed garlic, and 10 chopped sage leaves. Cover pot and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally to make sure onions cook. Continue to keep temperature really low, almost below a simmer. You don’t want to brown the onion, garlic, and sage as well. Think of it almost as steaming in butter.

While the onions are cooking, pour buttermilk in a large heavy bottomed sauce pot. Add 10 whole sage leaves and a dash of salt. Cook over a very low heat until it almost comes to a simmer. It should be about the same temperature as the butter. Cook for 20 minutes. Turn off and let the sage leaves seep for 30 more minutes. Remove sage leaves and discard.

As the buttermilk cools, strain the butter. Set aside onions, sage, and garlic. Pour butter into a small bowl and let it come to room temperature. (It won’t be solid yet.) Put saran wrap over it and put it in the freezer. Freeze for about 20 minutes or until it turns to a solid on top. There will be liquid in the bottom.

Shred all of the cheeses together. Set aside about 2 cups and place in the fridge for the second baking.

Heat the over to 325 degrees. Drain, thoroughly rinse, and dry the potatoes. Grease a 13 X 9 inch pan. Put one layer of potatoes in the bottom of the pan. As you lay the potatoes down, make sure they overlap. There will be about four rows. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Next sprinkle a layer of cheese (This should be the layer with the most cheese for this first baking.) Then spread a layer of onions and drizzle the liquid from the bottom of the butter. Then drizzle about ½ cup of buttermilk. Lay another layer of potatoes down. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Sprinkle with cheese. Spread out the remaining onions. Drizzle a cup and a half of buttermilk over everything making sure to get buttermilk into the sides of the pan. Lay the last layer of potatoes. If there are a bit remaining that is okay. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Using about 1 TBSP of butter, cut it up into small pieces. Dot all over the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese. Drizzle about 1 ½ cups of buttermilk over everything. You can use the remaining slices for a row around the edges. Sprinkle with salt and paprika. Drizzle with a little buttermilk. (There will be butter left over and a little buttermilk as well.)

Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Put in fridge to be cooked the next day.

The next day, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Decorate the potatoes with some whole fresh sage leaves. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn up heat to 375 degrees. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes or until top begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Cuisine: The Whirling Berliner

Spices rule my life. Whether it is the rub you smear all over a pork shoulder or the kick of a stimulating debate or the comforting warmth of good friends, spice adds depth, flavor, and robustness to every aspect of life. It is what brings life to cuisine, conversation, and camaraderie!

Unfortunately, building up your spice rack in your kitchen is expensive! It takes a good amount of skill and coins to get every ingredient you need for the perfectly spiced recipe. Luckily, The S. Kitchen is here to help for the holidays with three unique flavor combinations that will enhance any spice rack (or lack there of)!

The Whirling Berliner is inspired by my trip to Berlin and the amazing Turkish cuisine I found there. It is the sweetest of the bunch and brings out the earthiness of any meal. It has no salt, so it is perfect for baking. Substitute it for any recipe calling for cloves, nutmeg, or cinnamon.

It is made with black peppercorn, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, corriander, hot paprika, nutmeg, spearmint, and star anise.

The Whirling Berliner will be available for limited sales over the holiday seasoning. It can only be purchased in person in San Francisco at The S. Kitchen events. The cost is $9 for 2.5 ounces. And you can feel FABULOUS! purchasing them because all proceeds directly benefit the FREE The S. Kitchen events!

Recipes that use The Whirling Berliner will also be posted for free on this website, so your not just buying a spice blend, you are also getting a whole bunch of recipes to use it on!

Cuisine: The Curried Cajun

Spices rule my life. Whether it is the rub you smear all over a pork shoulder or the kick of a stimulating debate or the comforting warmth of good friends, spice adds depth, flavor, and robustness to every aspect of life. It is what brings life to cuisine, conversation, and camaraderie!

Unfortunately, building up your spice rack in your kitchen is expensive! It takes a good amount of skill and coins to get every ingredient you need for the perfectly spiced recipe. Luckily, The S. Kitchen is here to help for the holidays with three unique flavor combinations that will enhance any spice rack (or lack there of)!

The Curried Cajun is a mixture of blacked Cajun seasoning and Thai flavors. It has a bit of heat mixed with a tangy sweetness that brings out bold flavors. It is a perfect blend for any recipe calling for curry powder or Cajun seasoning.

It is made with annatto, bay leaves, bittersweet paprika, black peppercorn, chile arbol, cinnamon stick, cumin seed, dried chili pepper, fried garlic, fried onion, ginger powder, lemon herb, oregano, sage, salt, spearmint, thyme, and tumeric.

The Curried Cajun will be available for limited sales over the holiday seasoning. It can only be purchased in person in San Francisco at The S. Kitchen events. The cost is $9 for 2.5 ounces. And you can feel FABULOUS! purchasing them because all proceeds directly benefit the FREE The S. Kitchen events!

Recipes that use The Curried Cajun will also be posted for free on this website, so your not just buying a spice blend, you are also getting a whole bunch of recipes to use it on!

Cuisine: Cowboys in India

Spices rule my life. Whether it is the rub you smear all over a pork shoulder or the kick of a stimulating debate or the comforting warmth of good friends, spice adds depth, flavor, and robustness to every aspect of life. It is what brings life to cuisine, conversation, and camaraderie!

Unfortunately, building up your spice rack in your kitchen is expensive! It takes a good amount of skill and coins to get every ingredient you need for the perfectly spiced recipe. Luckily, The S. Kitchen is here to help for the holidays with three unique flavor combinations that will enhance any spice rack (or lack there of)!

First up is Cowboys in India, which brings south India into the American southwest. It packs a punch and ends with the tasty zest of mango powder and the smoky smoothness of fenugreek. It is a wonderful substitute for any recipe calling for Southwest Seasoning or Garam Masala.

It is made with black peppercorn, black salt, chile arbol, cumin seed, fenugreek, fried garlic, hot paprika, mango powder, oregano, salt, and star anise.

Cowboys in India will be available for limited sales over the holiday seasoning. It can only be purchased in person in San Francisco at The S. Kitchen events. The cost is $9 for 2.5 ounces. And you can feel FABULOUS! purchasing them because all proceeds directly benefit the FREE The S. Kitchen events!

Recipes that use Cowboys in India will also be posted for free on this website, so your not just buying a spice blend, you are also getting a whole bunch of recipes to use it on!

Cuisine: Coming Soon: The S. Kitchen Spices

I love, love, love spices. When John and I went to Berlin to visit our friends Daniel and Tomas, I bought so many regional spices that we had to buy an extra suitcase just to fit everything. There was a Turkish turmeric that just danced on my tongue, five different varieties of paprika (my absolute FAVORITE spice because most folks just brush it off -- I always love the underdog), a white pepper that is better than any black pepper I have had in the United States, and a dried leafy green coriander, which I've never found stateside either (you can find coriander seeds and fresh coriander -- aka cilantro). When you visit our home the second thing you notice (after the 1000s of cds adorning our apartment) is the shelves and shelves of spices. Spice rules my life and my cooking palate.

I also know that building up your spice rack is expensive. So for the holidays, I am starting a new enterprise, The S. Kitchen SPICES, that will bring the complexity of my spice cabinet into your home for a reasonable cost.

I am crafting three unique flavor combinations based on my love of blending global cuisines to create new taste palates. The first is The Curried Cajun, a mixture of blacked seasoning and Thai curry flavors. It has a bit of heat mixed with a tangy sweetness that brings out bold flavors. The second is Cowboys in India, bringing south India into the American southwest. It packs a punch and ends with the tasty zest of mango powder and the smoky smoothness of fenugreek. The last is The Whirling Berliner, inspired by my trip to Berlin and the amazing Turkish cuisine I can't find here. It is the sweetest of the bunch and brings out the earthiness of any meal.

The S. Kitchen flavors will be available for purchase starting on Sunday, November 21st at The S. Kitchen presents... Addictive Abundance at the Intellectuals' Table. (Click the link to RSVP! It's the only way to get the hidden location!) They will be $9 for 2.5 ounces. I know it seems a little expensive, but all proceeds directly benefit the FREE The S. Kitchen programming. (A girls gotta find some cash somewhere to keep these event going!)

Additionally, recipes using all of The Spiced Kitchen combinations will be available online starting November 22nd. There will be everything ranging from vegan dishes to meat stews to spiced desserts. And it will continue to grow through the years!

The S. Kitchen Spices makes a lovely gift for the holiday season. All jars are beautifully designed and come wrapped ready to give.

More information will be coming soon (including a list of ingredients -- but not the spice recipe!) If you would like to learn more or would like to purchase one of The S. Kitchen Spices blends, please contact my at queerlycomplex@gmail.com.

As of now, The Spiced Kitchen will only be available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are hopes that if this goes well, it will expand through online sales.

Cuisine: Pork Fried (After a Long Weekend) Rice

I love all types of fried rice. Whether it is curried Vietnamese fried rice or Mongolian beef fried rice or fried rice and beans. All of them are wonderful, especially as a comfort food on cloudy, foggy days.

The key to perfectly cooked fried rice starts with day-old cooked rice. If you don't, it will turn out okay. But it will not be as crisp with the tiny charred bits that make fried rice so delectable.

This recipe seems involved, and it kind of is. But it is broken out into three phases to make it a little more understandable and sequential. Follow this recipe as is, and you will have perfectly spicy pork fried rice.

***
Phase One
You Will Need:
4 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked and set aside
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 White Onion, diced
3 Carrots, peeled and diced
2 Serrano Peppers, cored, seeded and diced
5 cloves of Garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 to 2 Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil
2 Tbsp. Water
Salt to taste

What To Do:
Melt 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. oil in a pan.
Add onions and carrots, and saute 10 minutes.
Add serrano and garlic.
Add butter, and if needed - more oil.
Saute mixture for 10 minutes.
Add water.
Saute 5 to 10 more minutes - or until water evaporates.
Set Aside.


Phase 2
You Will Need:
3 Pork Chops, diced
1/2 tsp. White Pepper
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 Tbsp. Oil

What To Do:
Melt butter and heat oil over medium heat.
Combine ALL ingredients (from this phase - pork, pepper, salt, etc), and saute until the pork is slightly crispy.


Phase 3:
Add the onion mixture (Phase 1) to the Pork Mixture (Phase 2), and add the Jasmine Rice.

To this mixture, you will add:
1 tsp. Soy Sauce Paste
2 Tbsp. Chili Paste
2 Tbsp. Butter

What to do:
Mix ALL INGREDIENTS and cook, covered, over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure the bottom browns, but doesn't blacken!

Cuisine: Queer-licious Tomato Sauce

This recipe is simple and divine. I can't remember how I was inspired to create it, but I think it had something to do with looking in the fridge, seeing what was there, and then just crafting from the ground up. The key to this delicious recipe is removing the tomato skins. The best way to do this is to boil them as mentioned below and then take the skins off of them over a bowl. That way you can catch all of the juices squeezed out as you handle the tomatoes. You can also use this as the base for any recipe that calls for tomato sauce.

***
You Will Need:
7 tomatoes
2 cups Water
1 White Onion, finely sliced
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 to 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh Sage
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper

What To Do:
Core tomatoes, and place inside a pot with water. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove tomatoes from water, peel, discard skin, and put tomatoes back in the water.
Add ALL other ingredients.
Simmer for an hour.
Mash tomatoes, and simmer for another hour.
Serve over pasta!

Cuisine: Jason's Simple Salsa for Queerly Complex People... (draft)

I love tomatoes, especially any of the heirloom variety. I didn't used to like them. Growing up I always had to eat them with a little sugar sprinkled over the top just like my grandpa, or they had to be in a spaghetti sauce or in a salsa.

Then, I grew up and my palate changed. I now love tomatoes. Love them. They are perfect raw or cooked; in salads, on sandwiches, or in soups. If they are an heirloom variety, I can just take a giant bite out of them and eat them like an apple. I absolutely can't get enough of them.

Tomatoes are the main reason I love, love, love salsa. This recipe takes a simple salsa and spruces it up with some nectarine. Now, you maybe thinking, "Why in the world is a nectarine doing in salsa?" The answer is,"It tastes damn good. That's why!"

You're just going to have to trust me on this one. Go out and buy a tasty nectarine, a beautiful tomato, and enjoy this very tart, sweet, spicy, and salty salsa.

***
You Will Need:
1 Nectarine
1 large Heriloom Tomato
1 Serrano Pepper, cored and seeded
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Yellow Pepper
2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Sugar
Grape Seed Oil

What To Do:
Dice nectarines and tomatoes.
Slice the pepper thinly.
Thinly slice yellow onion length-wise.
Chop yellow pepper in thin, short slices.
Combine ALL ingredients.
Let sit 30 minutes or longer.
Serve!

Cuisine: Jason's WILD Fruit Salad!

I think fruit salad is underrated. I remember the fruit salads of my youth, the kind with Cool Whip, maraschino cherries, canned fruit cocktail, and possibly jello. Now, that kind of fruit salad is definitely not underrated. I can't really put a spoonful of it in my mouth today.

But that isn't the only kind of fruit salad. As I grew older and grew a deeper appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables, I started making loads of fruit salads with different combinations of flavors and fruit. Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes, it needs the compost bin. (In one failed attempt, I combined potatoes and citrus. Totally disgusting!)

This fruit salad is a winner. I hated figs growing up, and I am still not the hugest fan of their slimy texture. But they are perfect, absolutely perfect, in this salad. I could get enough of them. They add the right amount of sweetness to the rest of the tart, salty, and spicy from the other flavors. Enjoy!

***
You Will Need:
All the following fruits should be cut/cubed in equal parts/the same size
5 Figs
2 Pears
3 Nectarines
2 large Heriloom Tomatoes

4 long, dark green Chilis (not cerranos) diced, with a pinch of Salt
1/2 large Red Onion -or- 1 small onion
4 Limes
1 Orange
1 bunch Basil, chopped with the rinds
**use 1 orange rind and 1 lemon rind to chop up with the Basil

What To Do:
Mix all ingredients (except for Limes and Orange) together, and squeeze the limes and orange on top of mixture. Let sit for 2 to 3 hours, stiring every 30 minutes.