Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Feb 7, 2012, 10:50 pm
The first time I bit into the airy pillow of dough known as ebelskiver (pronounced ay bil skee ver), I could not quite categorize it. Was it donut, beignet, popover? Or something else entirely? The only thing I knew for sure was that I loved them—whatever they were.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jan 30, 2012, 11:12 pm
Mostarda has been showing up with some frequency on restaurant menus of late and after tasting it for the first time with a succulent grilled pork chop at Nel Centro a couple of years ago, I was smitten. It was LOVE at first bite.Imagine fresh or dried fruit glazed in a sweet, spicy syrup with a sub...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jan 19, 2012, 9:33 pm
Over the years, I have eaten this much-lauded soup in every restaurant and café I could find it. I love the concept—toasted chiles, tomatoes, garlic, corn tortillas, and cumin soup base with fried tortillas, avocado, and sour cream embellishments—but not always the execution. Restau...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jan 12, 2012, 11:18 pm
Do you remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine and Kramer were kibitzing about Mulligatawny Soup? I bet that episode sent thousands of people to the web in search of the recipe. The name alone is an inducement.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jan 9, 2012, 12:19 am
Wet, bone-chilling Northwest winters demand a repertoire of inspired, nourishing, soul-lifting soups. So this January, LunaCafe OtherWorldly Kitchen is all about soup. I’m challenging myself to create four new meal-in-a-bowl soups by the end of the month.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Dec 31, 2011, 7:01 pm
With New Year’s parties coming up, it’s time to corral all your favorite appetizer recipes and decide which ones will make the cut this year. If you’re planning a standing-room-only cocktail party, tasty tidbits that can be finished off in one or two bites are de riqueur. Since ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Dec 7, 2011, 12:49 am
Christmas is the season of giving, and no gift is more welcome than something personal from your own kitchen. Pack your creation in a pretty holiday tin, canister, or gift jar, and you’re ready to make merry. The following are some of my favorite holiday treats, all perfect for giving.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Nov 22, 2011, 11:24 pm
This Thanksgiving, I give thanks to Zuni Café culinary goddess, Judy Rodgers, for turning me on to dry salt curing. had wet brined poultry and pork for years before trying the salt curing process Chef Rodgers describes in The Zuni Café Cookbook. To compare the two methods, I conducted several test...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Nov 22, 2011, 12:33 am
I’ve been making roux since I began to cook our weekday meals in the second grade. In my family, a light golden roux was the base for pan gravy, which was the mandated accompaniment to mashed potatoes. Many years later, I learned about a darker version, which is the base for French brown sauces an...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Nov 20, 2011, 11:16 pm
The most important element of Thanksgiving preparation in the OtherWorldly Kitchen is Brown Poultry Stock. I say this unequivocally, because it is essential to my Thanksgiving 24-Hour Gravy. Without this luscious, silky gravy, it’s just not Thanksgiving.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Nov 2, 2011, 12:25 am
I was at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago and spied a perky little jar of Pumpkin Butter. I must be years behind on this, but that was my first encounter with this luscious spread.
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Oct 23, 2011, 10:45 pm
A "tian" refers to a large number of French layered vegetable dishes, some of which include rice and a binder of some sort (as typified by Julia Child’s Tian de Courgettes au Riz, featured in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2).I enjoy both styles but admit a particular fondness for the...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Oct 11, 2011, 1:40 am
Northwest pumpkin season is in full swing, and I have new recipes ready to roll out in the weeks ahead. Get ready for Spiced Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Butter Gingerbread Beignet, Pumpkin Chocolate Torte, and Caribbean Shrimp & Pumpkin Chowder. And while I get those ready for you, here are my pumpkin F...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Oct 7, 2011, 11:16 pm
Suddenly, Green Goddess Dressing is showing up everywhere. I’ve encountered it on four menus in the past month. And I can’t stop ordering it, even though restaurant versions pale by comparison to what you can make in your own kitchen. Restaurants invariably hold back on the herbs, perhaps to con...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Oct 2, 2011, 10:40 pm
There is something magically transforming about this particular combination of flavors. Wow is the only word I can think of to describe it. The buttery richness of flaky pastry, sweet tartness of apple, mellow bite of onion, deep savoriness of cheddar, and intense sharpness of blue cheese create a w...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Sep 17, 2011, 10:56 pm
Every year about this time, I start craving salads. And by craving, I mean intense, must have it, primal longing. It’s as if my body, as well as my mind, knows that fresh local produce will soon be a fading memory. I find myself at the farmers markets overloading my trusty, ever ready Metro Kart ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Sep 11, 2011, 4:38 pm
I read about this method of cooking fresh corn some time ago, but the idea really took hold when one of my personal culinary goddesses, Cindy Pawlcyn, of Mustard’s Grill and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen fame (both in Napa, California), described the process in her truly wonderful book, Big Small P...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Sep 1, 2011, 10:53 pm
If there is an easier, quicker, more elegant, more economical, more versatile, more satisfying dish in the world than risotto, I can’t think of what it might be.As long as you keep a premium-quality risotto rice on hand, you will almost certainly have something in the frig to complete the dish. Th...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Aug 27, 2011, 2:12 am
I used to make ratatouille (an aromatic vegetable mélange of eggplant, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs) the classic way (AKA the Julia Child way), sautéing each vegetable separately in copious amounts of olive oil. Julia says that her recipe is the only one she knows in...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Aug 18, 2011, 12:39 am
This salad is the happy result of a recent early morning meander through the Portland Farmers Market. In mid-August, the market is full to bursting and the choices are almost overwhelming. A huge variety of sweet and chile peppers overflow baskets onto large bunches of just picked basil and mint. P...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Aug 7, 2011, 10:42 pm
When I was a wee bonnie lass, I tolerated raw carrots, but cooked carrots were the kiss of death to my usually robust appetite. In fact, since MauiJim shares my aversion, I began to experiment tenuously with cooked carrots only recently. I usually saute them quickly or add them at the last minute to...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jul 28, 2011, 11:30 pm
We explored the umami (oo-MA-mee) phenomenon in the previous post, Umami: The Fifth Taste. Now it’s time to make a little umami magic of our own. But, as I mentioned in the earlier post, an umami paste with the predominant taste of anchovies (Taste #5 Umami Paste) is not as useful as it might othe...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jul 18, 2011, 12:27 am
There has been a lot of talk lately about the discovery of the fifth taste, umami (oo-MA-mee), also described as savory, meaty, or deliciousness. The elusive taste is created on the tongue when carboxylate anion of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid common in meat, cheese, stock, and ot...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jul 7, 2011, 1:25 am
Clafouti (pronounced klah-foo-tee), a simple French custard-cake, is the perfect foil for the fresh fruit and berries of summer. Formulas vary wildly from one end of the spectrum (custard) to the other (cake). I love trying them all, and I shared the following two versions with you already: Fresh Ap...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jul 6, 2011, 12:21 am
This past Saturday, I walked through the Seattle University District Farmers Market with–gasp–no goal. I let the season’s bounty and the culinary muses set the agenda. The muses, aroused by my atypical lack of planning, whispered sweet nothings in my ear: “cherries, cherries, cherries.” L...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jul 2, 2011, 12:35 am
Fourth of July festivites are just a few days away, so for this roundup, I selected the dishes most suitable for an All-American summertime barbecue. These are tried-and-true recipes that I have made again and again to rave reviews. I hope they will become your faves as well. Wishing you and you...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 28, 2011, 12:51 am
My Mennonite Grandma Mary would have loved homemade chutney, but alas, I doubt she ever tasted true chutney, even though her cellar walls were lined yearly with row upon row of pickled and candied veggies and fruits. She preserved everything she could get her hands on. Her large yard boasted mature...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 26, 2011, 4:44 pm
Have you ever had a dish haunt you for years and years? Or perhaps one particular component of a dish? Have you tried repeatedly to reproduce that dish and failed miserably every time? Have you feigned innocence with one after another server to see if you could wheedle out the EXACT instructions for...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 25, 2011, 8:16 pm
One of the easiest and most effective ways to elevate a simple dessert to epicurean heights is to add a brightly colored, brightly flavored dessert syrup. Top notch dessert chefs frequently use this strategy. One of the most memorable examples of this for me was the following dessert served at Q...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 19, 2011, 8:31 pm
Panna Cotta is a chilled, softly gelled, silky smooth, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth Italian dessert that translates as “cooked cream.” I mentally put it in the pudding and flan category because of its creamy, set quality, but unlike most flans and puddings, it usually contains no eggs (for an inte...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 16, 2011, 12:49 am
Nothing says summer more convincingly in the Northwest than the first baskets of local, incredibly sweet strawberries. The temperature may still be in the 60’s most days, but when the strawberries hit, IT’S SUMMER BABY. The Northwest produces world-class strawberries, unrivalled in sweetness. T...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 4, 2011, 1:32 am
When I happened upon the inspiration for this cake (Gourmet Traveler Magazine, Yoghurt & Almond Cake with Orange-Caramel Peaches & Vanilla Yoghurt), I puzzled over the ingredient proportions and procedure. Was there enough fat to produce a moist cake? Was there enough flour to produce a cake that co...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Jun 2, 2011, 6:05 pm
Northwest blueberry season is still weeks away, but I’m already waiting and primed. There’s a notebook full of recipe sketches to develop in the OtherWorldly Kitchen. A recipe sketch is a rough idea, such as, blueberry lime compote + white chocolate panna cotta + candied ginger gelée; verrine s...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 30, 2011, 11:47 pm
There are few dishes in the world more deeply satisfying than a perfectly made Potato Gratin. And by perfectly made, I mean the potatoes are cooked just until tender (not falling apart), are enveloped in a creamy (not curdled) sauce, and are well-seasoned (not bland). Of course, it goes without sayi...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 28, 2011, 5:32 pm
I was flipping through my well-worn copy of The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz, flagging the pages of interest, when I saw a recipe for something called a Congo Bar and realized that I didn’t know what a Congo Bar was. Then, as I read through the recipe, it started to coalesce in my he...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 26, 2011, 1:28 am
Croque Monsieur  is the ultimate ham and cheese sandwich. It’s just the kind of indulgent, comfort food you start yearning for when spring is on hiatus somewhere else and you suspect summer may never come. And yet, for all it’s decadence, it’s a simple sandwich really—bread, ham, cheese, a...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 22, 2011, 4:54 pm
The Northwest farmers markets are overflowing with field-grown rhubarb. And the bounty will extend well beyond the time the large commercial growers call it quits for the season. This is because small local growers have taken up the cause and have discovered that they can keep rhubarb growing about ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 21, 2011, 8:04 pm
On the LunaCafe Facebook page recently, I bemoaned the fact that this is an atypically chilly and dreadfully dreary May in the Northwest. By chilly, I mean most days are in the 50’s, which forces me to put on three layers of everything just to step out the door. This is not the kind of weather tha...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 20, 2011, 1:08 am
I’m in love with the flavors of Morocco: exotic spice blends, sensual floral notes, fruit and honey, briny olives, preserved lemons; fiery Harissa; moist, tender braises; charcoal grilled kebabs, silky sauces, couscous. If there’s one thing that is the hook for me though, it’s the spices. My...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 18, 2011, 11:42 pm
 
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 16, 2011, 12:20 am
I think of myself as a component kind of cook. Just as I prefer a wardrobe full of separates that I can mix and match as fancy strikes, I also like to mix and match culinary components. What I learn from one dish always has ramifications to another dish later. Take this new salad for instance. I am...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - May 13, 2011, 10:12 pm
Years ago in Sedona, Arizona, a dish titled Fire-Smoked Lemon and Herb Marinated Artichoke caught my attention. I asked the server how it was prepared, and she said the artichokes were marinated for days in a lemon, garlic, olive oil, and fresh herb vinaigrette, then grilled over mesquite. She said ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Apr 29, 2011, 12:29 am
Pesto season is upon us once again. Hallelujah! Last year, I hit the test kitchen for several days and developed a balanced, sure-fire formula and five wonderful pestos: Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto, Cilantro Ginger Pesto, Herb Garden Pesto, Basil Arugula Pesto, and Basil Olive Pesto. I thought those rec...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Apr 12, 2011, 2:34 am
Can you say Tzatziki (za-ZEE-kee)? Honestly, it’s more difficult to say it than to make it. Which is a good thing, because it’s the magic potion that sends this Greek-inspired sandwich into the flavor stratosphere. And I promise, after one bite, no one will care if you bungle the pronunciation. ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Mar 25, 2011, 2:30 am
Chef Ana Sortun is one of the most inventive and adventurous chefs in Boston. What she does at Oleana and Sofra with spices, herbs, fruit, chiles, and nuts is incomparable. Each dish is a revelation of taste, texture, and color–even a simple dish, such as Spiced Carrot Puree & Dukkah. Who knew tha...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Mar 12, 2011, 2:28 am
I know the first day of spring is just around the corner and Daylight Saving Time launches in the Pacific Northwest next week, but it’s still hanging in the low 40’s most days, so until the sun actually returns, creamy, rich pasta dishes are still keeping me warm. And for whatever reason, I hav...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Mar 6, 2011, 3:04 am
I can still remember my first dreamy mouthful of Spaghetti Carbonara. It was later in life, because my family knew jack squat about pasta. Meat sauce (made with the help of a seasoning packet) heaped over spaghetti was the only pasta dish I ever ate as a kid, and it was a very occasional treat. And ...
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Susan Bradley posted an article on LunaCafe - Feb 25, 2011, 12:34 am
Over the past year, I sampled Coconut Cream Pies across the Northwest restaurant/bakery   landscape and kicked around the tenants of the perfect custard cream pie with dear friend and culinary maven, Rosalyn Rourke. One thing led to another, as the saying goes, and the next thing I knew, on Roz’...
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