Rotisserie and Wine

I'm a huge fan of PBS cooking shows, but Food Network shows are hugely lost on me. I find them more about the star than the food, and I have trouble trusting many of the stars after disappointing experiences at restaurants they gave raves and attempting recipes they've created.* So I had no clue who Tyler Florence was when someone suggested his new restaurant when we asked for a dinner recommendation in Napa.

Well, I know who he is now and have complete confidence in his abilities. Wow. I say again, wow.

Tyler Florence's Rotisserie & Wine is about a year old and is right next door to another favorite Napa eatery, Morimoto.** My takeaway - fresh, simple ingredients perfectly prepared. I repeat, perfection. And totally reasonably priced considering this was a completely 5 star experience. Allow me to share with you this perfection as best I can without you tasting it yourself.

Complimentary Cornbread Sticks with salted honey butter: Warm, soft on the inside, just crisp on the outside, salty, sweet, and buttery. I mean, they left no stone unturned, nailing every aspect of such a dish you could want. Quite possibly my favorite item of a night filled with fantastic items. My southern family would weep from the beauty and simplicity.

$4 Happy Hour Deviled Eggs: Smooth yolk filling topped with chives and red onions for flavor and crunch. Very good, but possibly my least favorite dish simply relative to it's stellar neighbors. But I may just be spoiled by the crab deviled eggs with housemade Old Bay seasoning at Nettie's. The husband man loved these.

$4 Happy Hour Spiced Snap Peas: Warm in temperature and seasonings. The first snap peas to make me doubt my own sesame soy recipe. How can something so simple be so delicious, and so difficult to recreate? I have no idea how to even begin to crack this recipe. But I will try.

Heirloom Tomatoes with pickled red onions and basil in vinagraitte: Perfection. I can't say it enough. Such ripe tomatoes need little help, and this dish managed to compliment them without overpowering. The ultimate in summer freshness.

Mac & local cheeses: Do you all know of my deep, abiding love for a well-created mac & cheese? I am a snoot of the highest order on this point. It's not about fancy cheeses or oils, it's about balance. Fancy cheese and oils can add a lot, but only if wielded properly. Other than being the only dish on the table that required the addition of a sprinkling of salt, this mac accomplished that balance. Creamy cheese sauce that hasn't separated, coating the noodles with CHEESE instead of OIL. And it remained a sauce rather than turning into a loaf. The local cheeses chosen for the sauce also hit the right flavor balance - not too simple, nor too complex. The pasta not overcooked. Even the breadcrumbs were just right, adding crisp texture without adding too much flavor or starch to overwhelm what should be at center stage - the CHEESE, and the pasta.

Roasted Duck: The husband man and I have both eaten a lot of duck in our lifetimes. We started at a young age, with his father studying classic French culinary arts and my dad shooting many a waterfowl straight out of the sky. We both agree this dish is one of the best, if not THE best we've ever had. The seared breast so exceptional it even stood up to the tender yet charred confit leg. The lentils had me again lamenting my own attempts at similar dishes which pale in comparison. Savory, salty, cooked through without becoming mush. Such a concentration of pure, earthy flavor. Nothing in this dish muddled - the ingredients each highlighted individually. I almost want to cry thinking about it.

Peanut Butter Crisp: So not my usual dessert order, but a conversation about peanut butter had sparked a craving, and there this was on the menu. Oh, how thankful I am for that random craving. The husband man delighted in the wafery, chocolate covered "crisp" portion, but I found myself in utter disbelief over the housemade peanut butter ice cream. Never in my life has such a frozen dessert crossed my lips. A texture unbelievably creamy, and yet somehow at the same time chewy. It was like they creamed and then froze peanut butter fudge. Any preconceptions I've had about what makes a good ice cream have been shattered.

And, according to Wikipedia, this is Tyler Florence's fast food restaurant? I can't even begin to grasp the conceptualization that makes that statement possible. But if it's true, I can't wait to try his San Francisco slow food joint, Wayfare Tavern. Heck, even if it's untrue. I just want more of his food. In my mouth. Now.

*I've had successes, too, especially from Giada di Laurentiis and Ina Garten. Maybe it's more of a production style preference. 


**Do we count Morimoto as a PBS food guy from the original Iron Chef showings or as a Food Network guy from the Iron Chef America showings? Or as neither since the original predates showings on any American network? Or am I over thinking this?

Things to Keep Around

Have you seen Molly Shannon and Ana Gasteyer's Delicious Dish spoof of NPR? When I was really young my parents listened to the show that must have been the inspiration for this sketch. It was truly infuriating, listening to this oddly low-key woman discussing the merits of different types of bagels. We couldn't stand her, but listened anyway, just so we could roll our eyes and snort derisively at the inanity. Once she did an entire show on the merits of always keeping a tub of toasted sesame seeds in the house. An entire show! I mocked this episode relentlessly. But I'm old now, very very old - almost 30! - and I'm humiliated to admit that I find I agree with her completely. I adore having large quantities of toasted ingredients on hand whenever I need them. Almond slivers, shredded coconut, and, of course, sesame seeds. Especially sesame seeds. Not only do they come in handy, but boy they sure do smell nice when you're toasting up a big batch on the stove. I reach for these yummy ingredients quite often.


I grab my tub of sesame seeds for one of my favorite munchies: Sesame Soy Snap Peas. I used to stop in at Bryan's, a superior market down the street, when I wanted my fix, but their deli carries them only intermittently, often leaving my craving unfulfilled. And, honsetly, I can eat such embarrassingly large quantities it only made fiscal sense to start making it at home. De-string snap peas, toss them with soy sauce, drizzle with sesame oil, and shake on lots of toasted sesame seeds. Toss it all together and you get a crisp, salty vegetable dish of which I just can't get enough.

Another of my favorites for these nutty little treasures is Sesame Soy Garbanzo Beans. I'm really creative with these names, huh? My mom actually invented this one, though I'm not sure she'd remember. This random combo just stuck with me because I enjoyed it so much the first time. You can use store bought Soy Ginger dressing, but it's so simple to throw together - Smart Balance Mayo or peanut oil, freshly grated ginger (store the roots in the freezer and you don't even have to peel before you grate!), sesame oil, soy sauce, and sugar or other sweetener. It's a cinch! Pour over garbanzo beans, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped onion, and, of course, copious amounts of toasted sesame seeds.

Both slivered almonds and toasted coconut add a pick me up to dull salads and cereals. You can toss the almonds in with a batch of green beans or a bowl of crispy napa cabbage slaw, or sprinkle coconut on top of fish tacos or fruit and granola parfaits. They're both so versatile! But there's one dish I find myself making over and over again that uses both: Coconut Curried Brown Rice Salad.


Since I always have brown rice either leftover in the fridge from a Thai outing or in the freezer from Trader Joe's, I make this often and with many variations, depending on what currently occupies my cupboard. Start with 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice. Into the rice, mix just about any combination of fruits, nuts, and vegetables you desire: toasted coconut shreds, toasted almond slivers, peanuts, or cashews, fresh or dried cranberries, apricots, mango, and/or grapes/raisins, fresh apple chunks, pineapple, or pomegranate seeds, green onion, bell peppers... Get creative! I often even make this with the plan to add shredded chicken breast, but I find I almost always end up sticking to the fruity vegan version. For the dressing, mix about 1/2 cup coconut milk, roughly 1/4-1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, and curry powder to taste. I've seen recipes call for as little as 1 teaspoon of curry, but I throw in as much as 1 whole tablespoon, so it must be a personal preference thing. I usually go with the light version of the coconut milk to save calories and fat - coconut milk is good for you and all, but with all the coconut curry and Tom Kha I eat, I think I may already surpass the bounds of its nutritional benefits vs. its saturated fat content. In a pinch you can even skip the coconut milk and use oil or SmartBalance mayo, instead. Then it's just "Curried Brown Rice Salad." In this case, I recommend replacing a couple tablespoons of your fat of choice with extra vinegar plus agave nectar or sugar to reclaim lost sweetness.

So now I've become one of those wacky Delicious Dish gals in real life, babbling on and on about toasting vast quantities of ingredients in advance so they're always at the ready. But with so many wonderful things like this to eat, can you blame me?