Furikake Butter

Living in Japan for four years taught me a lot. One of the earliest things I learned was that food speaks volumes about our experiences. When we first moved to Japan my cooking repertoire was quite limited. I had a few Midwestern comfort food classics up my sleeve and some simple Italian dishes from some of the first cookbooks I owned as an adult. Other than that, I was at a bit of a dead end. It took me some time to realize that even the small, seemingly insignificant food items that we purchased on a regular basis would leave a noticeable mark on what comes out of my kitchen. This furikake butter is a perfect example.

Whether you make your own furikake or purchase it at an Asian market, it's a great condiment to have in your pantry. I love using it in compound butter because it adds a nice umami flavor. You can top a grilled steak with this butter, use it to add flavor to grilled fish, or even just spread it on a piece of toast topped with avocado slices. I promise you, if you make this butter you will find countless ways to use and enjoy it!

Furikake Butter

Makes 8 tablespoons

Total time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons furikake
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. Scoop the butter onto a piece of parchment paper that is about 8 inches long.
3. Roll the parchment around the butter and use your hands to mold it into a log about 6 inches long.
4. When the butter is completely rolled up in the parchment, twist the ends and transfer to the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 2 hours.

Rustic Honey Nectarine Tart

This Rustic Honey Nectarine Tart saved me a little. Let me explain...

I spent an entire day in the kitchen on Friday, which is not unusual for me, testing a recipe for Japanese Cheesecake. Everything had been going perfectly all day so I was feeling rather confident and pleased with myself. The egg whites were a perfect consistency, light and airy with stiff peaks. The cream cheese mixture was a beautiful pale yellow from the addition of egg whites and had a lovely fragrance thanks to delicate vanilla extract. Yes, everything was going just as planned. 

I folded the egg whites into the cream cheese, then scooped the whole lot into a prepared spring form pan. It was gorgeous, sure to come out perfectly after a little over an hour in the oven. About 5 minutes after plopping the cheesecake in the oven I realized that I completely left out a very important ingredient: flour. There was not a trace of flour in my cheesecake. There was no fixing this mistake. The time I had put into this somewhat intimidating recipe was tossed out the window with the dishwater, so to speak. Mistakes happen in cooking but it rarely gets easier, especially when it is something so completely ridiculous like leaving out an ingredient. Ugh.

When I got myself back in the kitchen on Sunday I was a tad apprehensive. I began with a simple slow cooker summer lasagna soup, which seemed like the easiest way to begin. Chop lots of vegetables, dump in some tomatoes and water, and set the timer. Easy. Next, I worked on this tart. Making the dough was therapeutic. I'm learning to really pay attention to how the humblest of ingredients come together to form something simple yet indulgent and comforting. Arranging the nectarines, drizzling them with local raw unfiltered honey, and folding the edges simply around the fruit made me so content. It's a little ridiculous, I know. But that's why I love what I do. It speaks to my soul.

I love rustic tarts because they are more relaxed than their more manicured counterparts. They don't require fancy pans, just a sheet of parchment and a sheet pan. And when they come out of the oven with that lovely golden crust that is perfectly imperfect, it makes me feel the way I want all food to feel: homemade, comforting, and authentic.

I added one final flourish to the crust before I popped it in the oven by mixing a little vanilla with the egg wash. The vanilla added just the right amount of sweet flavor without adding additional sugar. The fruit was not tossed with anything at all, just drizzled with honey I bought at the farmers market a couple weeks ago.

Failing with my Japanese Cheesecake inspired me to take a step back and revisit recipes that made me feel truly happy in the kitchen and at the table. I'll share the summer lasagna soup with you later this week (even the 2 year old ate every last bite not once, not twice, but THREE times!) but for now I hope this rustic nectarine tart brings you a little joy and comfort on this Monday morning the way it did for me.

Happy Summer my friends!

Rustic Honey Nectarine Tart

Makes one 9 inch tart

Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons furikake
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. Scoop the butter onto a piece of parchment paper that is about 8 inches long.
3. Roll the parchment around the butter and use your hands to mold it into a log about 6 inches long.
4. When the butter is completely rolled up in the parchment, twist the ends and transfer to the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 2 hours.

Cocktail Friday: Spiked Lemonade

My sister, Rebecca (who also blogs here), will be taking the reigns on Fridays for a while and I am SO excited about it! Armed with her trusty iPhone and lots of Happy Hour experience, I know she will be bringing some great stuff to Set the Table! This spiked lemonade is perfect for summer, which officially starts tomorrow.

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It's been stormy in the Midwest this week. In Minneapolis, the Mississippi is getting a little too mighty. Minnehaha Creek is rolling up and up and up into the backyards of South Minneapolis and strong winds have knocked down trees and caused power outages almost every other day.

We've heard the power is out at home. I'm in Chicago for a few days though and here, the power is definitely ON.

Generally, I don't mind when the power goes out for a little while. It's not like we live in a loud place (we're basically in the country). Still, there is the tug of the iPhone, the hum of the appliances, and the lure of the television. But when the power goes out? Quiet. Quiet like you never knew it was so loud in the first place. Nothing beeps or blinks or hums and time stretches out like taffy. It's a mini wake up call.

Lemons to Lemonade | Set the Table

This weeks cocktail is a version of lemonade that will make you rethink how you make lemonade forever. I promise.

The ingredients are the same but instead of juicing the lemons, you use the entire fruit. The lemons are chopped and puréed and the sugar is added through a filtering process that is a little labor intensive but ultimately makes a beautiful, soft, smooth, and almost 'milky' drink.

Spiked Lemonade | Set the Table

I stored the leftovers in a pitcher in the refrigerator for a few days and it kept perfectly - just the thing for a summer party.

Spiked Lemonade

Yield: Makes about 5 cocktails

This intensely lemony spiked lemonade is perfect to make for summer parties. The recipe has been barely adapted from The Guardian (here) and the amounts have been halved. Double it for a large group. The lemonade keeps well in the refrigerator if you'd like to make it ahead of time.

Ingredients

• 4 unwaxed organic lemons, cut into small pieces (see photo above)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup gin
• Fresh sage leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. In a blender or food processor, pulse the lemons and 2 tablespoons sugar until pureed.
2. Pour the puree into a strainer set over a pitcher and let the liquid run through.
3. Transfer the remaining pulp back to the blender and add another 2 tablespoons of sugar along with the water. Pulse a few times and strain again.
4. Repeat this process until the you have used all the sugar.
5. Throw the remaining pulp away. Add the gin to the pitcher and stir to combine.
6. Pour into ice filled glasses and garnish with a fresh sage leaf.

Potato Salad + Preserved Lemon & Dill Vinaigrette

Before I get into this beautiful, sunny potato salad, I'd like to confess something to you all: I married a picky eater.

Let's backup just a bit. The first time Brad had ever eaten a salad was on our first date when he took me out for dinner. He didn't want me to think he was weird so he choked down every last bite of the most lackluster salad ever. When he told me how difficult that was for him, I was simultaneously stricken at the sweetness and cracking up because I, a salad-lover, was choking down every wilty iceburg bite as well. Since that date almost ten years ago, my husband has truly branched out. He actually asks for salad these days.  He's a fancy cheese loving foodie, whether he wants to admit it or not.

You're welcome honey.

While his tastes have refined immensely, there is still one dish I cannot get him to come around to: potato salad. He won't touch the stuff. He doesn't like the heavy mayonnaise, the occasional bite of pickle, or the hint of mustard. Traditional potato salads are basically his worst nightmare when it comes to flavor and texture.

So, like a good wifey, I've worked diligently to come up with a recipe that he might not despise.

Truthfully, he hasn't been around to taste this one yet (and I may have eaten most of it myself) but I'm feeling good about my chances at a win. I used mini Yukon Gold potatoes for their creamy, buttery, but firm texture and dressed them with a bright vinaigrette featuring preserved lemons and dill. This potato salad is pretty bare bones. No celery, onions, hard boiled eggs, or pickles in sight. The good news is that this recipe is a blank canvas of sorts. You can add your favorite potato salad add-ins and it will be lovely. The next time I make this I'm definitely going to add some thinly sliced celery for crunch, but other than that I love the simplicity of it all.

Potato Salad with Preserved Lemon & Dill Vinaigrette

Serves 4-6

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons preserved lemon rinds, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons dill, roughly chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the potatoes:

• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 lbs mini yukon gold potatoes, washed and quartered
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar, cover with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.
2. To cook the potatoes, place them in a pot and fill with cold water so it covers the potatoes by 1 inch.
3. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, add the salt, and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender.
4. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the potatoes and toss gently to combine.
5. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.

Weekend in Crested Butte, Colorado

A few weeks ago, Brad and I realized that we weren't taking enough time to breath. We weren't spending quality time together as a family as much as we needed to and that was making other areas of our lives suffer. We were in a rut and decided rather quickly that we needed a weekend in Crested Butte, Colorado. A day or two later, we dropped Riley off with the grandparents and drove the 4 hours to our favorite mountain town for three uninterrupted days to hit the reset button.

That was almost 2 months ago now. I can tell you, without hesitation, that those three days were life-changing. Brad and I were able to joke and laugh together in a carefree way that had alluded us thanks to "life" happening all around us. It's not like we were unhappy, we had just forgotten to take some time to be "us".

This past weekend, we went back to Crested Butte as a family (Riley and Decorah the dog included) to have a little change of scenery. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing the entire trip with a toddler and 60 lb black lab in toe, but it was full of joy. I had to work a bit while we were there, but doing it from a different location was refreshing in its own way.

We drove over Kebler Pass on our first full day in CB looking for Lake Irwin. After a couple wrong turns and a lot of asking for directions, we were finally on the right path when we encountered some piles of snow that were just high enough that we couldn't clear them in our trusty little Ford Escape. So, we headed back to town and instead enjoyed a picnic under a tree surrounded by picturesque mountains after a drive that brought us through a gorgeous aspen grove, fields of flowers that are looking ready to bloom, and a few deer wandering here and there.

It was all worth it.

Even the pup thought so after sprinting through the woods at full speed, as you can see in the photo below.

The next day started with a father-son kind of morning. Brad and Riley rode the chairlift to the top of Mt. Crested Butte. It's probably best that I wasn't there because wow were they high up without seat belts or protective bubbles keeping them safe from all of the things. They made it back safely after some rock throwing and a manly lesson of how to...ahem...make yellow snow. While all of that excitement was happening, I enjoyed a few quiet moments to get some work done and eat raspberries with my favorite weekend food shows on in the background. Bliss.

After a simple lunch of caprese bruschetta, we relaxed back at the condo while Riley took a long but rather restless nap. I stretched out on the couch facing the windows and watched rain clouds move into the area, slowly erasing any sign of the mountains surrounding us. That's one of my favorite things about being in Crested Butte. Watching the weather move in and out is stunningly beautiful whether it is rain or snow or a little of both.

Our last night in Crested Butte was spent at one of our favorite restaurants: Secret Stash. Their pizza is absolutely incredible. The crust...the CRUST. It's chewy and crispy in all the right places and the lemon pepper variety is so full of flavor I can hardly contain my excitement but I will. Just for you.

All in all it was a fantastic family weekend perfectly balanced with work, naps, good food, and plenty of laughter.

If you are feeling the need to reconnect with your friends or family or maybe just yourself, I want to encourage you to do it. Don't wait.

Cocktail Friday: The Rose

My sister, Rebecca (who also blogs here), will be taking the reigns on Fridays for a while and I am SO excited about it! Armed with her trusty iPhone and lots of Happy Hour experience, I know she will be bringing some great stuff to Set the Table! This elegant drink called The Rose is everything a summer drink should be.

I think I have a pink drink problem.

Since taking over Cocktail Friday, I’ve done a Cherry Vodka, a Rhubarb Martini, and today I'm introducing you to another pink drink called the Rose. You may already know about the Rose - especially if you were hanging around with our hometown hero, Scotty Fitzgerald, in Paris in the 1920’s. But, just in case you weren't, here's a nice writeup about the Rose by mixologist David Wondrich over at Esquire:

Light, dry, suave, enigmatic -- Johnny Mitta, barman at Paris's Chatham Hotel, knew what he was doing when he put this one together, back around 1920. The cherry-pit notes of the kirschwasser blend perfectly with the nuttiness of the vermouth, and the touch of syrup colors it the palest Art Deco pink. By 1925, when all those Yank literary types were flooding the city, Mitta's creation was all the rage. Signature cocktail of the Lost Generation? Perhaps a little on the, ah, gentle side for a Hemingway or a Fitzgerald, but you know what that means. Doubles.

Light and dry is exactly right. This isn’t a sweet drink. The raspberry syrup works more like food coloring and, if there was a fruity taste, I couldn’t detect it.

The Rose

Ingredients

• 2 ounces French vermouth
• 1 ounce Kirschwasser
• 1 teaspoon raspberry syrup

Instructions

1. Combine with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake for about 15 seconds and strain into chilled glass. Garnished with a maraschino cherry (traditional) or fresh raspberry.