Culinary Adventures with Camilla

It's Pi Day today. 3/14 = 3.14159265359 or pi. Also known as a great excuse for Cam to make pie. So, for dinner tonight I made a biscuit-topped chicken pot pie. The filling: chicken thighs, carrots, kale, and mushrooms. Sauté the chicken thighs in a splash of olive oil till they are completed cooked through. Add the kale, carrots, and mushrooms and cook till softened. Add in 1 T of corn starch dissolved into 1 C of chicken broth, 1/2 C of heavy cream, and a splash of soy sauce. Once the sauce begins to thicken, stir in 2 t ground cumin. Spoon the filling into your baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make biscuit topping, whisk together 1-1/2 C whole wheat flour, 1 t baking powder, and 1/2 t baking soda.  Using a pastry blender, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 1 C buttermilk and 1/2 C shredded parmesan. Stir until just combined. Bake till the biscuits are golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Serve hot.

When we received the invitation for Anna's 40th birthday party, the boys were dancing around the house: "We're going to La Balena, we're going to La Balena!" Then I told them that we needed to bring a potluck item and Dylan announced that he was going to make it. What are you going to make? I asked. "Whatever looks good that day." Oh, you are soooo my child. So, yesterday was the day and we were at the market. He spied some plump berries and decided on a fruit salad...with mint...and cardamom. Okay! He washed, he sliced, he tossed, and he garnished with bee pollen to make Anna's birthday fruit salad. This is so easy, I almost loathe to call it a recipe. But it is repeatable and it is delicious. Fill the bowl with whatever fruit you want to use. Dylan used strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and grapes. Dress it with 1 T honey, 2 t vanilla, a dash of ground cardamom, and 2 T of chopped fresh mint. Toss and sprinkle with bee pollen for...

I love Pi Day...almost as much as I love pie. And instead of last year when I only realized it on 3.14, I'm planning ahead. Looking for inspiration. What's your favorite pie? Here are some possibilities for my table on Pi Day... Savory Pies Seafood B'stilla Cypriot Olive Pie Sweet Pies Chocolate Silk Pie Apple Pie with Gingerbread Crumbles

Okay, I didn't make this, but I will...and soon! After a morning hike, we stopped for a lavish lunch - and to use up a gift certificate friends had given us. When I write 'lavish' I mean a meal replete with mimosas and three desserts! This was Riley's pick and it was inspiring. A large scoop of Valrhona chocolate mousse was served with a puddle of arbequina olive oil, black salt, pink salt, and a crisp piece of bread. Wow.

I am not a very gadgety cook, but I do love specialty pots...and I am now quite enamored with a reverse hump comal that my friend had on the grill for his wife's birthday dinner. A reverse hump comal is a large, flat pot with a raised hump in the center. Meat and tortillas can be seared on the top while sauce simmers in the outer rim. Mike had beef and chicken braising in stock with spring onions and hot peppers when we arrived for Jenn's 40th birthday dinner...and it was going until long after the sun went down. Jenn tracked this down in Texas. I think a paella pot still tops my list. Besides, I don't need a reverse hump comal...I just need to invite myself to dinner at Jenn and Mike's!

Is there anything better than a bowl of soup on a drippy, drizzly grey evening? I don't think so. And it doesn't hurt that it's so easy to whip up. 2 C cooked lentils (I had leftovers, but they cook in about 30 minutes anyway) 1 lb 96/4 organic, grassfed ground beef 2 shallots, finely chopped 1 T crushed garlic 1 C fresh tomato sauce 5 C organic chicken broth 1 bunch kale, chopped into 2" pieces optional: parmesan cheese rind In a large souppot, caramelize the shallots and garlic in a splash of olive oil. Add in the ground beef and cook until completely browned. Add in the liquids and bring to a boil. If you're using the parmesan rind, add that in as well. Drop in the kale and lentils, simmering until the kale stems are fork tender. Serve hot with slices of crusty bread. Do not serve the cheese rind; it's just there for added flavor. Enjoy!

Bleus, beautiful bleus...we tried a handful of different bleus before picking a favorite. Bleus are created by introducing a mold from the genus Penicillium - either  Penicillium Roqueforti  or  Penicillium Glaucum during the cheesemaking process and an additional step in the aging process called “needling" that gives the bleus that distinctive veining. Here's what we tried... Point Reyes Blue : This was sweet with a strong punch of bleu. Rogue River Blue :  Rogue River blue cheese is wrapped in grape leaves that have been macerated in pear brandy. Yes, it is as divine as it sounds. I loved the creaminess that was dotted with some crunch though I'm still not sure what that was - exactly. It reminded me of the forest with hints of evergreen, sweet berry notes, and some musty nuttiness. Cambozola: This German cheese combines the richness of Camenbert with the sharpness of Gorgonzola.  It's one of the mildest blue cheeses and just about won my boys' ...