After a long hiatus, the Bistro cats have returned for another glorious go at weekend cat blogging. This time, there’s a new addition to the household, and her name is Evie.

She was a Father’s Day present for Dave, rescued from the Isle of Wight County Humane Society. At just over 7 weeks old, she’s full of kitten cuteness, big purrs, and lots of snuggling.

Luckily, she loves to do many of those things right on Dave’s shoulder.

Evie has been doing her best to make friends with the other kitties in the house, and Sirius has (thankfully) decided to mentor her.

I’m thinking she’s going to have a great life here.

Welcome, Evie, and a big hollah to all my fellow WCB folk- it’s been way too long! :)

Head on over to the ultra-fab Stellaluna, hosting their first weekend cat blogging event.

I considered the dull knife in front of me, which had just barely managed to saw raggedly through a lemon.

Long a lemon bar lover, I wanted to make my own, and without relying on that nasty, Pledge-like artificial stuff.

The recipe required lemon juice, natch, and something called lemon zest. Zest? In a kitchen without proper equipment, my mind reluctantly toyed with the idea of peeling the lemon- with that same, fear-inducing knife- then attempting to mince it into smaller particles.

15 minutes later, I was at the grocery store, searching through the spice aisle for lemon zest. There was some suspicious-looking dried orange peel, but no lemon zest. Coming home with a bag of chocolate chips in hand, I made cookies instead, excitedly envisioning the day when I could make my own zest, no grocery store necessary.

This was, obviously, quite some time again, and in the intervening years, I became the proud owner of not one, but two capable zesters. My love for lemon bars hasn’t flagged in the least, so just about every time a different recipe catches my eye, out they come to transform smooth citrus skin into a neat pile of mince.

This version, from Cook’s Illustrated, is wonderfully tart, not too eggy, and just what the doctor ordered to take the edge off those dog days of summer.

Crispy and Creamy Lemon Bars

For the crust:

• unsalted butter (for greasing pan)
• 1 3/4 cups ap flour
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 Tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, at very cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the Lemon Curd:

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 3 Tablespoons ap flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup lemon juice (from 3-4 large lemons), strained
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the crust: Dot the bottom of a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with butter and line with a sheet of parchment large enough to go up and over the edges of the long sides of the pan. Dot the parchment with butter and line the pan with a second piece of parchment, large enough to go up and over the short sides of the pan.

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and process to blend 8-10 seconds and then pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer on the bottom of the pan and about 1/2 inch up the sides.

(The mixture will be very light and fluffy, almost like cornmeal, rather than like pie dough. Forming the sides may appear difficult, since the mixture is so light, but it will harden during baking. Don’t worry if the sides are uneven either in height or thickness. It will look much better when baked.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While crust is chilling, heat oven to 350-degrees. Bake crust 20-25 minutes, until light golden brown.

For the filling: Whisk the eggs, sugar and zest in a medium bowl. Whisk in the flour and salt and then stir in the lemon juice, milk, and butter to blend well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir the filling one more time and pour into the hot crust. Bake until the filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. (Watch carefully, since once the filling starts to set it will firm up quickly- don’t overbake.)

Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool until almost at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Pull on the long sides of the parchment paper to remove entire bar from the pan in one piece and place on a cutting board. Cut into bars about 2 inches square, wiping the knife as necessary.

-The Dessert Bible, Cook’s Illustrated, Christopher Kimball

Note:  Take it out just before you think it’s done… it’s done, alright!  See the cracks below?  I took it out too late, but thankfully, it still tasted great.

I remember, quite clearly, my first fish taco.

Dave and I headed over to California wine country for our anniversary, six whole days filled with wine, food and gorgeous scenery.

Two of those days were spent in the Napa environs, home to Taylor’s Automatic Refresher. There, good people, is where I delved between the folds of a fish taco.

Grilled Mahi Mahi, in a spicy marinade, was wrapped in two soft corn tortillas, along with Mexican slaw and a fruity salsa. The flavours were perfection, and I couldn’t wait to taste my next one.

Except, somehow, I never had another while wandering on Western shores. Attempting to find one locally was laughable, so we decided to roll our own. A little research revealed the Baja-style of fish taco, where the fish is fried, as opposed to grilled. A simple slaw and cool, creamy dressing complete this harmonious trifecta.

 Any firm-fleshed, mild white fish is appropriate for this.  I used inexpensive tilapia, but you could also try flounder, sole or catfish- or even mahi mahi!

Whole fillets are dredged in a spicy batter, then fried to golden perfection.

As Dave wrangled the fry-pan, I put together a very simple cilantro cream sauce.

Meanwhile, pre-shredded lettuce was mixed with a dollop of apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt.

 Right on time, the fish was finished. Dave turned it out onto a plate, roughly chunking it for easier taco insertion.

Mmmm… such delicious, crunchy fish!  With great restraint, we managed to not gobble away the pile before loading up our tacos.

Yep… Mamma Baja would be proud!  

Classic Baja-Style Fish Tacos

For batter:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer (not dark)
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

For sauce:

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For fish and tacos:

• about 8 cups vegetable oil for deep-frying
• about 1 cup AP flour
• 1 (1-pound) cod fillet, cut into 3 by 1/2-inch wide strips (or other firm white fish, such as tilapia)

12 corn tortillas

accompaniments: finely shredded cabbage, lime wedges, guacamole, and salsa

Make the batter: Combine beer, flour, salt, garlic powder, dry mustard, oregano and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered, for 1 hour.

Make the sauce: Stir together mayonnaise, yogurt and salt in small bowl. cover and refrigerate.

Fry the Fish: Heat 2 inches oil in a 4-quart deep heavy saucepan until it registers 350-degrees on thermometer. Put flour in shallow dish. Dredge 10 strips of fish in flour, shake off excess, then coat in batter, letting excess drip off, and add to hot oil. Fry, stirring, until pale golden, 2-3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining fish, returning oil to proper temp between batches. Set pan of oil aside.

Heat the tortillas and refry the fish: Wrap tortillas in stacks of 6 in foil, and heat in oven until hot, 12- 15 minutes. Unwrap tortillas and transfer to a cloth lined basket, folding cloth over to keep warm.

Meanwhile, reheat oil until it registers 375-degrees. Refry fish strips in batches of 10, stirring, until golden brown, 1-2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain again.

Top tortillas with fish, cabbage and sauce. Squeeze limes over tacos and serve with guacamole and salsa.

-The Gourmet Cookbook, 2004

Cilantro Cream For Fish Tacos

Shelley’s Notes: 

• I only used the batter from the “classic” recipe. Keep in mind that if you don’t have, or don’t want to use beer, soda water is an acceptable substitute.
• I also forgot to dredge the fillets in flour, and they turned out fine.
• Pre-shredded, bagged coleslaw was doused in cider vinegar and a pinch of salt, then mixed well.
• If you have a good mango salsa on hand, use it!

It’s almost Memorial Day weekend. In the States, we honour the many brave soldiers who have given their lives defending our country.  Oddly enough, most of us seem to celebrate by pulling out the grill, flaming up a stack o’briquettes, and smoking/grilling/barbecuing meat and veg with equal enthusiasm.

That’s all well and good: who doesn’t like a perfectly lovely grilling session at this time of year?

I certainly do, but Dave isn’t going to keep the grill a-goin’ for the next three days straight. For those other times, I like to tuck away something substantial to sate any lost souls who may come wandering ‘cross our threshold.

I make a sandwich. Not just any sandwich, mind you. This is affectionately known as “The Sub… The Almighty Sub of Ultimate Power!”  Or ’sup for short, followed by a quick nod of respect.

A sturdy loaf of French bread is bisected, then slathered generously with an onion-hot pepper relish. Both halves are then plied with Swiss cheese, and four different kinds of luncheon meats.

(sadly, the photos accompanying this post were a quickie lunch time version, utilizing a mere two meats.)

It’s not surprising that this behemoth comes from the teen-raising years of my mother-in-law. After construction, its wrapped tightly in saran wrap, then placed in the fridge. It can live there up to a week, although in a highly teen-trafficked kitchen, two days seems to be the norm.

While it can be eaten cold or hot, I definitely lean towards hot. The cheese goes melty, the sodium-laced luncheon meats give off some of their grease, and the bread turns into a golden sponge, sucking up all of that zesty, delicious flavour.

The Sub: it’s definitely whats for lunch!

The Almighty Sub of Ultimate Power

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 small onion, minced

1 loaf good quality French bread
1/4 pound each: garlic bologna, salami, olive loaf, summer sausage

swiss cheese
hot pepper spread

Marinate onion in dressing mixture.
Slice French bread into two parts lengthwise.
Add hot peppers, then onion-dressing mixture, then cheese (so it bonds to bread).
Place two meats on one side, other side gets two different meats.

Close sandwich and wrap tightly in aluminium foil or saran wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To enjoy hot: spread it open, and cook in a hot oven at 375-degrees, until meats begin to curl and cheese has melted.

Have you noticed?  There seems to be a distinct lack of posting ’round here these days. Don’t worry, we certainly haven’t stopped eating- much to the detriment of our waistlines!

What has been going on is an almost complete re-visitation of favorite foods, most of which have been previously posted. Not so interesting to re-hash again and again.

Then, I remembered 26 Things.

This was a passion of mine for some time, and the concept is simple: a list of 26 words is yours to photographically interpret as you wish.  One month to shoot, then post it up online.

The newest edition is already halfway over, but I need a kick in the arse to get photographing food stuffs again. When I saw that the 26 things were letters of the alphabet (i.e., A is for Apple), it seemed well-suited to a food-centric theme.

So, if you wish, join me over the next two weeks, and share your visual dictionary of “all things culinaria” with the world.

Since this is a late start, I’m not going to worry about going in order. Here is my first, “V, for View from a Wineglass.”

…time to hop onto the ST-4, and head up 64W towards Williamsburg.

Sure, we certainly enjoy going up there just about any time of year, but as of last weekend, one of my favourite Saturday excursions has returned.

The Williamsburg Farmers’

Market est arrive!!!

There was only one small stand with fresh vegetables, and it had sold out by the time we made our way down to it. But all was not lost.

There was fresh seafood:

Hampton Roads favourite mushroom vendors, Dave & Dee:

Straight outta Richmond were Cavanna Pasta, home of the freshy-fresh pasta, handmade with love:

Spring plants made a showing, along with a plethora of fresh herbs and baby vegetable plants. Being on the motorcycle, we weren’t able to take any of those home.

Our happy beekeepers, Bees ‘n’ Blossoms, were back with another fine season:

We came across Double A Farms, those fine purveyors of pork products:

Unsurprisingly, the strawberry line stretched long and far:

There were also plenty of mutts and pups scampering around, some decked out in a most interesting fashion:

Homemade country ham & cheese biscuits? Yes, please!

Our goat cheese guy, from Goats “R” Us was back, too:

There were also some new kids on the block:

While we certainly love the Greeks, I had to bypass them for something a little more French:

We quickly ascertained that lunch had been procured:

Back at home, we did indeed enjoy a fine little tart of prosciutto, parsley and parmesan on the patio, along with a few glasses of pure evil:

Support your local farmers’ market! Check it out tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, from 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bring your own bag, shop around, talk to the vendors, and load up on some tasty goods. If you’ve time, stop at either The Blue Talon or The Cheese Shop for a nice bit of lunch.

If you haven’t time for that, stop by Chocolate Cravings, handmade chocolate, where they pay extra to get that challenging government certified “organic” label. Organic or not, the chocolate-coffee bar gets huge bonus points for its intensity, complexity and utterly addictive quality.

Community is hard to come by these days, so good people: hit up the farm market, support the locals, and enjoy the fruits of their labour throughout the week.

Disclaimer: No worries, good people: this ain’t any kinda Sandra Lee crap!

The semi/sorta refers more to the ingredients used, rather than the authenticity of the recipes.

At any rate, this all came about one afternoon as Dave and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch over a fine little cheese & sausage platter.

“I’d like to begin branching out into different things this year,” he said, as we bandied about thoughts of dinner.

“Something completely different for me… Asian cuisines!”

I love Asian food, even though the recipes are also unfamiliar to me. An auspicious smile crept round my mouth as images of tofu, seafood and vivid greens began to parade through my head.

Of course, we began with an Asian-ish spin on ribs ‘n’ slaw, just like any good Southern (Asian-ish) boy.

We broke, and I quickly gathered all the ingredients necessary for a slaw, a “super slaw”, if you will.

With all the fresh, colorful veg, and intensely flavored components, I can indeed see why this gained “super” status.

Dave rassled together the ribs, along with a garlicky marinade of hoisin, ginger, soy and honey. Epicurious swore up and down that, in an hour, one could have delectably tender, juicy, awe-inspiring ribs.

They were good, please, don’t get me wrong! But tender, like a lovely rack o’ribs slow-smoked, slow-cooked over several hours time? Maybe if you’re a Northerner. :)

We’ll definitely utilize the sauce recipe again, but cooked proper: low ‘n’ slow, just like nature intended.

It may sound like the kind of bogus claim made on late-night infomercials, but trust us when we say it’s true: You really can have juicy ribs ready in an hour! Finishing the ribs under the broiler is the secret to getting a perfectly crisp-moist texture.

…make a lemon fish! 

I began with basic fins and pink peppercorn eyes.

Dave gave the fins a touch more flair, along with more expressive eyes. 

For reasons that are still slightly unclear, the lemon fish became a vampire lemon fish.

Not to be outdone, I de-fanged the little guy, and gave him some shiny grillz.

Let your inner lemon be free!

What better way to say thanks to someone than with a just-from the oven, freshly baked muffin?

There are few, to be sure. I baked a batch recently to thank my lovely contractors for all the spectacular work they’ve put in to make the kitchen so beautiful. Bananas, blueberries and nuts all live in my freezer year ’round, so it was a cinch to decide what type to bake.

The bananas were extra-ripe, and that sweetness went perfectly with a touch of whole wheat flour substituted for the AP. A quick, coffee-cake like crumb, with crunchy pecans, saigon cinnamon and brown sugar, was the perfect final touch.

Although these are great warm from the oven, like most quick bread-style cakes, they get even better over the next day or two.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

• 3 tablespoons melted butter (or neutral oil), plus some for greasing the muffin tin
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts, pecans or cashews
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed, very ripe banana
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (do not defrost) blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a standard 12-compartment muffin tin.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk and butter or oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating, and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick, but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full, and handling the batter as little as possible. If you prefer bigger muffins, fill the cups almost to the top. Pour 1/4 cup water into those cups left empty.

For the crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or cashews
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together, and sprinkle up to half the ingredients on top of the muffins. If, feeling wacky and decadent, sprinkle more on, as well. Otherwise, save the rest for French toast topping.

Bake 20-30 minutes, or until the muffins are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into he center of one of them comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.

Notes: Your bananas not black-ripe enough? Add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

adapted from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman

Dave and I have an agreement. I take care of all the little, detail-oriented things, and he takes care of the big ones.

Like, for instance, having surgery.

Just before we got married, he had his hip replaced. It was a brash and exciting time, one we both hoped not to repeat for quite a while.

Almost six years later, Dave began having major shooting pains and numbness in his right arm. Long story short, he had to have ACDF, or anterior cervical discectomy with partial fusion.

Basically, bad, degenerating spinal disc gets cut out, a cadaver bone shunt gets put in, and the whole thing gets fastened together with a fancy new titanium plate.

Totes fun, right, especially for a landscaper/water features builder/stone-work craftsman. :)

Some folk resort to prayer, some with a slew of angry curse words. We dealt with it best as we could: with a smashing lunch at The Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg.

Dave had one thing on his mind, and that was the decadent deliciousness of a Blue Talon Bistro Burger ($10.95).

Practically hidden at the bottom of the menu, this little indulgence is an oft-longed for, seldom-gratified, lunch time treat.

Where else could you find a carefully formed burger cooked just right, placed on a lightly toasted bun, with crisp lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced red onions, and- oh, yes!-melty American cheese straddled by a softly poached egg.

Squish the two halves together, and witness the exploding yolk that elevates a mere griddled sandwich to pure French genius.

Had I mentioned that it has bacon, as well?

No? Then, how ’bout the perfect pommes frites?

You can certainly see why a man would want to indulge in such a fabulous dish before such a tumultuous day.

While the Bistro holds many favourites, I can’t help but return to the simply named Grilled Asparagus Salad ($8.95) many times over. Upon first look, it’s just that, along with fresh greens, and a sturdy, Brie-encrusted “crouton.”

Once again, a simply poached egg makes a dazzling appearance, its pierced yolk mingling down into the crouton, the salad, and the minimalist chunks of lardons.

Yes, this is indeed a salad to soothe the savage, angsty beast.

Obviously, there was wine, and also a little comfort food to take home. Who could know for certain if such cheesy deliciousness can be sucked down a wounded throat, especially when it’s been coated with meaty chunks of Virginia ham?

Recovery, if all goes well, should only be a few weeks. It’s amazing what they can do with new hardware these days, and I’m thankful he found a fantastic surgeon.

Since the remodel, we’ve worked on re-filling the freezer with vats of Italian Love: Bolognese and Sausage Sauce, and even some of that lovely lasagna.

I’m thinking the kids will be alright.