Tennessee

I've been in Tennessee for the past few days. My grandmother has been sick, so I flew here on Saturday to see her and to help by cooking food and sharing the joy a toddler can bring to even the saddest of times. I don't often make it to Tennessee and it seems I am just now beginning to appreciate it. Perhaps it's because Riley is here, helping me to see things through toddler eyes.

Toddlers and Trains // Set the Table

This trip has been better than I expected. When I bought my ticket on Friday for a flight that left on Saturday, I was preparing for a difficult week. My grandmother has been very sick and her condition was not promising. Thankfully, my amazing, strong, stubborn grandmother pulled through. She is being released tomorrow morning. I'm convinced that the apples my mom peeled and cooked with butter and brown sugar have something to do with that (no, not on the hospital menu).

Peeling Apples in Tennessee // Set the Table

Isn't my mother beautiful? I watched her peel these apples like I have a hundred times before. But this time, as she sat by a window at my grandparents' house with the hazy Southern light shining on her, I wondered how I could bring more moments like this into my own life. Moments where Riley can watch me sit down with a bowl of apples, peeling the skin away and then transforming them into delicious fried apples or applesauce (that doesn't come from a jar). I'm hoping for more moments that are slower, quieter, less hectic, and less electronic (says the blogger).

Anyway, I wanted to stop by and let everyone know that my blog posts will get back on track very soon. This week, I won't be around here much but I will make up for it later. I promise.

Until then, enjoy this lovely gift from my friends, Tim and Jenn, in Minnesota who understand my obsession with eggs...

If you like it then you should have poached an egg on it.

Cocktail Friday: Brown Butter Old Fashioned with Peach + Sage

Brad and I were watching the news last night and there were so many terrible things in the headlines. Someone brought a gun into a school and open-fired. A mother and her toddler son were stabbed (fortunately they are both OK) while out walking this morning. After those stories came images of abused pets. All of that happened within approximately 5 minutes. Sorry, I know that was a lot of heavy stuff. I try not to do that, but occasionally I get a little overwhelmed and it all just feels like too much. This is why I watch a very limited amount of the news.

Brown Butter Old Fashioned with Crispy Sage & Peaches :: Set the Table

So where's the joy, you ask? Where are the people who restore our hope in humanity? This week, I found them at my church helping a huge number of people in need. I found them at the grocery store with kind smiles on their faces and stickers for my son. They were the teachers at my husband's school who are pouring their souls into their students before they've even met. Good things happen. It's hard to see the good out there sometimes. But I've been thinking that sometimes we need to acknowledge the bad to truly appreciate the good.

Crispy Sage Leaves :: Set the Table

So there's that. There's all of that good vs. evil talk that I think inspired Friday evening happy hours where conversations around politics and people and travel and food launch us into the weekend. This cocktail is perfect for sipping between confident statements that could be wrong or offensive or right on the money. It's also perfect for savoring during these last weeks of summer. However you chose to enjoy this nutty and fresh spin on the Old Fashioned, I think you'll love it.

Brown Butter Old Fashioned Recipe with Peach & Sage :: Set the Table

My inspiration for this cocktail came from a recipe for Peach Shortbread from Smitten Kitchen. The shortbread is made with brown butter and topped with fresh peach slices. It's amazing and so worth making. Even if it is a million degrees in your kitchen. Just suffer through the heat because it's worth it. Anyway, I made the short bread and fell in love all over again with brown butter. Between that and the fact that I'm up to my ears in peaches, I felt the need to make a cocktail with the same flavor profile.

The brown butter-infused bourbon (or whiskey) is the warm and comforting. The sweet, fresh peach juice and sage compliment the cocktail perfectly. Serving crispy sage leaves alongside the cocktail add to its charm and elegance. So, if you're as overwhelmed as I am with the world and life and all of that, maybe it's time to slow down and sip on one of these sophisticated cocktails while watching clouds float by in the late summer sky.

Brown Butter Old Fashioned with Peach + Sage

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz brown butter bourbon
• 2 tablespoons fresh peach juice (Allow fresh peach slices to sit in a bowl for 15 minutes and scoop out the juice from the bottom of the bowl. If the peaches are not juicy enough, add a little sugar to the peach slices.)
• 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Splash of club soda (optional)
• 4-5 sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter

1. In the bottom of a high ball glass, combine the peach juice, sugar and bitters. Stir to combine.
2. Place 1 or 2 large ice cubes in the glass (I used an ice ball mold. Ultimately you want something that will melt slowly.)
3. Pour the whiskey over the ice and stir with a stir stick.
4. Top with club soda if desired.
5. Garnish with a peach slice and serve with crispy sage leaves on the side.
6. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the sage leaves and fry for about 30 seconds, turning once. Watch carefully to make sure they don't burn.
7. Transfer the leaves to a paper towel lined plate until ready to use.

Peach + Hatch Chile Salsa

It's been hot the last few days. Like, so hot that the idea of even moving makes me want to cry a little. And yet, in the midst of all the crazy hot weather, I somehow find the will to turn on my oven. My husband is pretty convinced that I am completely nuts. I actually stayed up really late last night working on some baking because I thought, for some reason, it might be easier. Instead, I picked the one night that it barely cooled off at all. So now I'm just hot and tired. Such is life I guess, right?

Stovetop Roasted Hatch Chiles :: Set the Table

On the plus side, all of my crazy heat-inducing food adventures have lead me to this moment. This moment when I get to share with you the joy of roasted hatch chiles. Last summer, I noticed lots of roadside stands with wooden signs out front that said "Roasted Hatch Chiles". First of all, I had no idea what a Hatch Chile was. Second, I kept wondering why they were such a big deal. So when I saw the pile of Hatch Chiles inside the front door of my grocery store I jumped on the chance to figure out what on earth was going on with these things.

How to Roast Hatch Chiles :: Set the Table

I roasted my chiles on the stove top in a cast-iron skillet. It worked well because I wasn't roasting a large amount and it helped keep the heat down in my kitchen. Yes, it still got hot. But not nearly as hot as cranking up a 450 degree oven would have made it. Roasting chiles on the stove is really simple. Just place them in a heavy skillet (no need for oil or anything) over high heat and let them char and blister. You may want to press down on them with tongs or a wooden spoon to ensure more even roasting. Once the first side is nice and toasty, flip them over and roast the other side. Done and done!

Peach Salsa with Hatch Chiles :: Set the Table

My conclusion is this: Hatch Chiles are delicious. They have a nice amount of spice- not too much and not too little- that works perfectly with things like salsa, chili, and probably countless other recipes. I'm pretty excited to expand my Hatch Chile recipe base. If this hot weather continues I'll be doing that by purchasing pre-roasted chiles because I CAN'T TAKE IT.

Also, I need and air conditioner.

Peach Salsa with Cilantro & Hatch Chiles :: Set the Table

I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to share how delicious Colorado peaches are. I'm obsessed. So is Riley. We are peach eating fools. Fortunately, I can prolong the peach enjoyment by making things like this salsa. The sweet peaches with the heat of the roasted chiles is perfection.

I love this salsa with chips but it would also make a great accompaniment to grilled fish or meat. You could even put it on a sandwich. Yep. I totally went there.

Moral of the story: make the salsa. If you can get Hatch chiles, get them. Lots of them. Roast them, freeze them, can them...whatever. Just get on it.

I'll be sitting in a tub of ice until cooler temperatures arrive, just in case you're wondering where I am.

Peach + Hatch Chile Salsa

Yield: Four 8 oz jars

*Note on handling chiles: Use rubber gloves or ziploc bags on your hands to avoid getting the stingy oils from chile peppers in your eyes, nose, etc. Wash your hands very well after handling, with or without protection on your hands. If you do happen to get burned on your skin, milk is a neutralizer and works like a dream if you soak a cotton ball and place it on the area. For eyes, rinse well with water.

Ingredients

• 4 large peaches, skin on, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 an onion (about 1/2 cup total) chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 of 3 roasted Hatch Chiles, skin and seeds removed, roughly chopped (for how to roast them, see above in the post itself)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times to just combine everything. Don't over mix or the salsa will be more like soup. You still want nice texture.
2. Season as needed with salt and pepper and extra lime juice, if desired.
3. Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Last night I sat with Riley at the coffee table and colored with crayons. He scribbled and mostly wasn't watching what he was doing but somehow managed to make 98% of his markings on paper and not the table. I sat there drawing a picture of Elmo, thinking about how relaxing that moment was. There was a pivotal moment after dinner when I was faced with a fork in the road. One direction lead me to a kitchen full of dirty dishes, while the other lead to crayons. I chose crayons because the dishes will always be there. But Riley will not always be 20 months old with a bunch of crayons saying, "Mama, sit!"

Homegrown Tomatoes & Basil :: Set the Table

I think gardening has taught me something: not everything can happen right this very second. This is something many of us forget with our smart phones and fully stocked grocery stores. But pulling a tomato off a plant in your own back yard after waiting for weeks or months for the perfect color and size is infinitely more fulfilling.

Heirloom Tomato Galette :: Set the Table

Yesterday, I took one of my homegrown tomatoes and sliced it thinly, layered it over homemade ricotta cheese, and wrapped it all up in a flaky whole wheat crust. Just before we ate, I picked some fresh basil from the garden and sprinkled it over the top. It was so perfectly satisfying and just what a summer dish should be. The colors were gorgeous, the flavors were bright and clean, and the ingredients were simple and few.

So, we ate our tomato galette and then colored with crayons. It was the perfect end to a lovely summer weekend.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5T unsalted butter, placed in the freezer for 30 minutes-1 hour
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 medium heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 recipe whole wheat pastry dough
• chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and butter. If you froze the butter (which I highly recommend) use a medium-large sized cheese grater (not a microplane) to grate it into the mixing bowl.
2. Using your fingers, combine the dry ingredients with the butter until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
3. Using a tablespoon, slowly add the ice water 1 scoop at a time. Do this until the mixture holds together well and is not dry or crumbling.
4. Gently knead the dough until it comes together completely. Gather the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour and up to 2 hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough in a circle that is about 10 inches in diameter. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta with the egg. Season with a little salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture in the center of the dough, leaving a boarder of about 2 inches. Layer the tomato slices over the ricotta. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the outer edge of the tomato slices, pressing lightly to seal. Brush the top of the crust with a little heavy cream.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the tomatoes look just barely cooked. Sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Cocktail Friday: The Smokey Spicy Lemon

Apparently I'm in a throwback kind of mood this week. Throwbacks with a twist, anyway. A few years ago I posted a recipe for The Spicy Lemon on Tokyo Terrace. It is still one of my favorite cocktails but I've allowed it to evolve slightly since its inception. This version is made with a chipotle-honey simple syrup and can be mixed with vodka, tequila, or even rum (National Rum Day is today, by the way).

The Smokey Spicy Lemon Cocktail Recipe :: Set the Table

In my fit of nostalgia, I've been thinking of how recipes, like life, can be changed and improved as time goes on. This cocktail reminds me of life in Japan in our second apartment. We could see the river and would often watch the crowds of people who would camp out for the weekend, grilling and drinking and laughing together. Sometimes I would just sit on our balcony and watch people run or cycle up and down the riverside trail. A few of those times this cocktail was in my hand. Life was great then, but it has certainly changed over the past couple of years. Japan to Colorado...family of two and now three... There's always something worth toasting to.

The Smokey Spicy Lemon :: Set the Table

The Smokey Spicy Lemon is nothing fancy, but the clean, spicy flavor balanced with sweet honey and lemon juice is impressive for entertaining and simple enough to make any time you like. I've got approximately 1 million peppers growing in my garden right now and I will likely use those to make this cocktail when they are ready. For now, I've used chipotle chile powder. The recipe is versatile so you can play with it using different peppers, a combination of lemon and lime juice, etc.

Smokey Spicy Lemon Recipe :: Set the Table

The Smokey Spicy Lemon

Makes 1 cocktail

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka, tequila or rum
• 1 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. chipotle-honey simple syrup (recipe follows)
• Dried chiles for garnish

Combine the vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake for 30 seconds and pour into an ice filled cocktail glass. Garnish with the dried chile and serve.

Chipotle-Honey Simple Syrup

• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water

Combine the chile powder, honey and water in a small pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow the syrup to cool. Transfer the syrup to a small container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*Alternate version using fresh peppers: In place of the chile powder, use thinly sliced jalapeno peppers (about 1/2 to 1 whole small pepper, depending on how spicy you want it) or other chile pepper. Use the seeds for extra heat. Omit them for milder heat.

Easiest Fig Jam (with Rosemary + Vermouth)

It's been a strange couple of days. I've been spending most of my time mulling over the past year, noting the ways life has changed. For 4 years, Brad and I would fly to the U.S. from Tokyo where we would spend an equal amount of time with his family in Colorado and my family in Minnesota. We would fly from Minnesota to Tokyo mid-August and would step off the plane ready to face another year exploring Japan. It was strange flying from Minnesota to Colorado the other day because it was on the exact day we would have needed to fly back to Tokyo. For some reason, it's been hard to wrap my head around that.

Fig Jam with Rosemary & Vermouth :: Set the Table

It's not uncommon, when I'm feeling nostalgic, for me to look back at some of my early posts on Tokyo Terrace. Starting that blog was the best thing I could have done for myself after moving to Japan. It helped ground me in a place where I didn't think I could grow roots. It helped me discover new things that I love to do. Now that I've "graduated" from Tokyo Terrace to Set the Table, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of my early recipes and revamp them a bit. One of the most popular recipes from Tokyo Terrace is for Fig Jam. This recipe is almost exactly the same but I've added rosemary and vermouth (in place of white wine).

Black Mission Figs :: Set the Table

I maintain that this is the easiest fig jam recipe ever, which was my claim back in 2009. It has never failed me and always results in a vibrantly colored, flavorful jam perfect for serving with cheese plates, adding to grilled cheese sandwiches, or as an accompaniment to grilled pork. Another great idea that I'll be sharing with you on Friday is using fig jam in a cocktail. Yessir.

Fig Jam Recipe :: Set the Table

Easiest Fig Jam :: Set the Table

Easiest Fig Jam (with Rosemary + Vermouth)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped figs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup dry vermouth
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 sprigs rosemary

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the figs, sugar and lemon juice. Let the figs sit for about half an hour.
2. After the figs have been sitting in the sugar and lemon juice, pour them into a large pan over medium heat. Add the vermouth, rosemary sprigs and the water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning until the sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to simmer until the jam is thick, about 15 minutes. If the jam starts to seem more like a paste (very thick and sticky) add water 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it slightly.
3. Transfer to jars, cover and let the jam cool. The jam will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2 months.