Thursday, March 10, 2011

Beware the Ides of PIE!

Friends,

It is almost that time again! The month of March not only brings the Ides, but alas, the national holiday for all bakers, 'Pi'e day!! This is the second annual 'pi'e extravaganza I'm hosting, and I can't wait! This Monday, March 14th, I along with several of my dear friends will celebrate the numerical value of pi. 3.14 (get it?). But more importantly, we will consume large quantities of the greatest dessert ever invented by human kind.

Until that post arrives, I'll share a few other foodie adventures from the last few weeks. This first picture is of kambucha butternut squash soup with roasted pumpkin seeds brought to you by Outerlands. This lovely little cafe on 45th and Judah lives in the Outer Sunset. The restaurant makes all their bread in-house, fresh everyday, and every dish is served with or on this delightfully warm, chewy loaf. They also purchase most of their produce from local farmers, including a fellow named Toby who is my brother's age, who also grew up in Davis! The world is small...


The below photo is turkey chili I made last weekend. The best thing about chili is you can put whatever you want in it, and usually it still tastes great. I browned the turkey with garlic and onions, added four kinds of beans, and canned roasted tomatoes. I think using the roasted variety is the trick to good base flavor on chili because it gives it the sort of smoky flavor. Naturally, I also seasoned with cayenne, tapatio and chili powder. It was perfect for the end of a rainy, cold weekend, and of course I made corn bread to accompany it. So comforting and delicious.


Last night, a few friends of mine that I met early on as a freshman at Santa Cruz were in town, and I hadn’t seen them in almost 2 years. In honor of our reunion, I decided to make a rather festive meal, and the following two dishes were featured in the meal. I don’t know why I never thought to do this, but if you take a date, stuff it with blue cheese, and wrap it in bacon, and bake in the oven until the bacon is crispy, voila! It’s heaven on earth. Sweet, salty and fatty. All in one. Can’t go wrong.

Lastly, I made a fruit compote with crème fraiche and chopped up some gingerbread I’d made to sprinkle on top. It was the perfect ending to a very filling meal.











I apologize for the quality of the pictures. I’m in the market for a new camera, actually. Hopefully I’ll employ a friend’s camera for ‘pi’e day, so that your mouths will water with pure jealousy!

Happy cooking, I hope you all have a fun, food-filled weekend!