Another Tuamotu go round...

Well hello all friends and family that are quickly becoming super-duper fans of my blog! I'm off again, flying into the sunset to the Tuamotu atolls, where I will be cooking for a couple different groups. There are a few new atolls to add to my list, including Rangiroa and Hao(pron. How), along with some that I don't yet know the names of. Rangi actually has a winery, which I hope to check out. The picture that I have posted on this blog is black pearl farm on the lovely atoll of Fakarava, another stop on our trips. You can find these atolls on www.oceandots.com. So that is what is going on- now a bit of a jump to the past.

On the 13th of the month I did a lovely dinner for some lovely people in the Newberg, OR area. It is the third year in a row, and it just keeps getting better. Here is the menu, check it out and tell me what you think. The dessert is something that I started doing a few years ago to pair with Syrah, and usually I serve it with a slightly sweet, slightly salty Blue cheese mousse. It seems to pair very well with the wines. So until next time, everyone be safe in this crazy X-mas weather, and watch out for that new year! Cheers!

Hors D’oeuvres

Lamb and rosemary skewers with crumbled feta

A savory crème puff of Alder smoked salmon, with crème fraiche, red onion and capers

Goat cheese and wild mushroom tartelettes

Starter
Dungeness crab wrapped in fresh herb crepe, topped with a horseradish béchamel broiled and served with fried leeks and Yukon gold potatoes

Entrée
Duck two ways- Confit of duck leg, served with roasted duck breast, served on a sweet potato gallette with a dried cherry and orange compote, roasted haricot verts

Intermezzo
Blackberry and lemon sorbet

Dessert
Red wine poached pear with a black pepper shortbread cookie

Great Balls of Fire!

Hello Faithful Blog-followers!

Last night, I spent the night at a fun restaurant in Beaverton, OR called Salvadore Molly's. I was there to watch the filming of a nationally televised TV show called Man vs. Food. It involves a guy buy the name of Adam Richman, who goes around to different foodie competitions and pits himself against the food of choice. Last night was 'balls of fire'. They are very similar to hush puppies, but are spiked with cheese and habenero peppers. I had one, dipped in the 'salsa' which seems to be not much more than habenero peppers, and perhaps a bit of vinegar and carrot. I had one, and though it started quietly, it became very hot, very quickly. But as Mr. Richman suggested in his piece on them, though they are quite hot, they taste very good as well. I enjoyed my one... Adam ate 5 in 5 minutes. These tasties that were created for a charity event to benefit Oregon Heat, a non profit dedicated to getting much needed heating assistance to the elderly, sick and underpriveleged, have been burning people up inside for years. I am to understand that a few years ago, a person ate 45 of them in competition. Bravo I say! My one was excellent. Until next time, be safe and watch out for those great balls of fire- they will getcha!

Turduckens, Thanksgiving and Tahiti...

Sitting here in LAX, just getting back from French Polynesia, and another successful trip. Thanksgiving saw me making my first ever homemade Turducken, the Louisianna classic. It was very well recieved by the guests, along with all the other fixin's. T-day was spent in Huahine, a 10 hours Northwest of Tahiti. It was a quick trip, four days, but we caught a beautiful wahoo, and a couple of equally beautiful Trevalley. That wahoo was sashimi'd, sushi'd, grilled, oven roasted, and deep fried, with filet to spare. The trevalley was tempura'd and enjoyed immensely.
the weather was nothing to write home about, unless it was to say that it sucked. It was rainy and overcast every day, with big gusts of wind that did minimal damage, but damage just the same. getting ready to hop on a flight to Portland, but will write more later. Peace!