OMG a Recipe: Mochi Resolution

Is it too late to make a resolution for 2009? Because I'd like to resolve that I will make some sort of mochiko-related dessert before the 09 becomes 10. Call it nostalgia, a wistful hope for luck in the new year, or just plain hunger -- the Prime was feeling her Wasabi-roots and wanted to start the year off right with Mochi, a traditional rice cake that is served on New Year's Day.

Yes, it's pretty... and encased in plastic - Photo by Wasabi Prime

The Prime's family has never been sticklers for shogatsu (Japanese New Years) -- with parents who grew up in Hawaii, the Old World ways mixed with the new, and all that mattered was having enough firecrackers to turn the neighborhood into the DMZ and keep all fingers intact. Growing up in California, my parents and I used to gather at a family friends' home with many others and celebrate the Eve with food and drink. My grandparents were really the ones who observed the old customs like having a kadomatsu -- a bamboo and pine centerpiece that represents prosperity and longevity, while welcoming the harvest spirits. My paternal grandfather used to make ozoni, a savory, long-simmered broth, flavored with shoyu and occasionally butterfish, served on New Year's Day morning with a disc of plain mochi in it, to ensure a lucky year. Sadly, his recipe passed away with him, but the rites of food, loved ones, and the renewal of one's luck is a tradition worth hanging onto, and so we do what we can in our own home.

It's tricky to get a fresh kadomatsu, but we put out a kagami mochi -- decorated stacked rice cakes topped with a bitter orange or satsuma, preferably with the stem and leaf still attached. Thanks to the obsessive nature of Japan, I found a kagami mochi centerpiece at Uwajimaya -- it's real rice cakes, but they're hermetically sealed like King Tut. It's a bit silly to display this near-faux food item, but I'd like to believe it would make my grandparents happy to know a little of the past hasn't been forgotten.

To mix some new with the old, the Prime hangs a wreath decorated with different holiday ornaments from Hawaii and Japan that have been collected over the years. You're supposed to make sure the house is clean before the new year to ensure a fresh start, which I'm sure includes taking down all the Christmas decorations. This was done, save for the wreath and some lights, because I still insist on a bit of sparkle for the Eve. Sure, the wreath is a fake pine, but I'm fairly certain the wandering harvest kami would be down with that, as long as I make something mochi-licious!

Because this is a post of good mochi intentions, I hope to make either sweet mochi and/or this treat that I'd like to share the recipe for. It's from my mother's dessert files -- a creamy, sweet custard bar made with rice flour. It has a little of the sticky, gelatin-like mochi texture, but sweeter and probably more successful on palates unfamiliar with the traditional rice cakes. Whatever you do for New Years, I hope it's spent with loved ones and happy times. Kinga shinnen!

Wasabi Mom's Custard Mochi
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
4 cups milk (2% or higher)
4 whole eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups mochiko (rice flour)
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 X 9 pan. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until center is firm. Cool and chill in refrigerator. Cut into squares -- my mom suggests using a plastic knife for easier cutting. Do as Mom says, she knows best.

New Years wishes from the Wasabi household - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Yippie-Kai-Yay Holiday

The holidays are all about tradtion, so for as much holly-jolly spirit as one feels when Charlie Brown gets the pathetic twig of a tree for the Christmas pageant, or hearing Jimmy Stewart scream "Merry Christmas, everybody!!" as he runs through winter streets like a lunatic, or even the many warnings of "You'll shoot your eye out," traditions don't necessarily replace one another, they simply build and become like a collection of memories to call upon when the holidays come calling. This year was a first for the Prime -- after last year's icy-hell travel experience, I skipped traveling to spend Christmas with the parental-sans for the first in my thirty-odd years (I love my family, I know it's weird), and decided to start building some new traditions in my Pacific Northwest home.

Holiday dinner for eight... even though we only had six chairs - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I wasn't the only one staying home for the holidays -- several friends had no definite plans for the evening of the 25th and we opened our doors for another 'Fugee Holiday. Mr. Wasabi and I had a dinner for eight on our hands, so under the watchful eye of Miss Indy, the kitchen went into mad prep mode a few days in advance.

From the First Thanksgiving experience, along with previous large meal preparations, I've come to the same conclusion that many other home cooks probably discovered: it sucks to be sweating over the stove when guests are about. Plus it's no fun when everyone else has a cocktail in hand and you're stuck sweating over a skillet sizzling with hot oil. So despite preparation taking over previous days, it was worth doing as much of the work ahead of time, so all that needed to be done the day-of was warming things in the oven, a quick pan-sear and oven bake, and throwing items together at the last minute.

The dinner prep of Gibraltar, but it's worth doing in advance! - Photos by Mr. and Ms. Wasabi

Despite the UnRecipe header, I relied on two recipe books for the menu, based on their manageable ingredient list, what could be made ahead of time, and then some UnRecipe alterations along the way. The amazing local talent of Chef Jerry Traunfeld's The Herbal Kitchen provided a recipe for a salad of greens with wine-poached cherries, as well as an eye-poppingly rich chocolate pot de creme dessert. The main course was a roasted pork tenderloin with green lentils and root vegetables, by Szmania's Chef Ludger Szmania, from a book and program supporting nonprofit groups called Celebrated Chefs, which includes a collection of Seattle area restaurant recipes. I signed up and got the book months ago, but have only just begun to start cooking through some of the dishes -- for providing email and personal information, it's not a bad tradeoff, as the book is a nicely-bound hardback featuring recipes from good restaurants in the Seattle area. And I haven't been inundated with emails saying I have an inheritence from a long-lost relative in Nigeria, so I figure they can't be totally selling my information off.

Festive swine! Photo by Wasabi Prime

I couldn't help myself from modifying the tenderloin recipe by brining the pork first, using Thomas Keller's poultry brine recipe from Ad Hoc, which perfumes the meat with a nice citrus and parsley flavor. I doubled both the brine and the seasoning rub because I had two pork tenderloins, plus a small chicken. The lentil and root vegetables were cooked a day in advance, so all they needed was a reheat in the stove.

Among the other make-aheads included the decadent pot de creme chocolate custards, which I substituted Earl Grey tea for jasmine (more UnRecipe meddling!). Dried cherries with a bit of red wine and a sprig of thyme were poached a day in advance and kept in the fridge before being sprinkled over the salad. A bit of the holiday mulled cranberry spiced drink was made ahead of time as well. By making and preparing as much as possible, it left the seasoning and searing of the meats for Christmas Day, with a finish-off in the oven, which also reheated the lentils and vegetable side dish.

Getting our snack on with cheese, crackers and booze - Photos by Wasabi Prime

For appetizers, a large wheel of Brie was wrapped in store-bought puff pastry and baked until crisp the day-of. There was a bit of flourish added: I had had steeped balsamic vinegar with dried figs and a vanilla bean for a Christmas gift for Mr. Wasabi. Not wanting to waste anything, I kept the figs and chopped them small, sprinkling over the finished baked Brie with a drizzle of honey. The cheese was served with sliced apples and crackers brought by friend Sassy J. A mix of olives tossed with lemon zest and warmed in the oven were served as a savory snack, and an array of bubbly cocktails, wine from Miss Alice's collection, the mulled cranberry spiced wine, and homebrew beer from Mr. K were served. Let it never be said that the House of Wasabi doesn't like to get their drank on.

Winter salad where even the cherries were drunk on wine - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Once everyone had some snacks and a frosty beverage or three, salad, meats, and lentils were laid out. I will say having the oven keep everything warm and just setting everything out, already done, is a nice thing. When I watch cooking shows and the celebrity cooks and chefs flipping food in skillets to the amazement of their guests, I'm always kind of baffled. My friends like to sit, eat, drink, and relax -- and dammit, so do I, especially at my own home. So with some minor salad construction and plating the main courses on serving platters, it was time to get our grub on.

Pan-seared and baked pork tenderloin and chicken - roast beast was not available. Photos by Wasabi Prime

This was probably the largest sit-down dinner the Wasabi Household had hosted. We'll either do small dinners with friends or a big twenty-something gathering where it's more of a stand and wander while you snack. I much prefer smaller gatherings these days, but seating can be tricky when you only have six chairs. Mr. Wasabi solved this by creating the new tradition of casually gathering around the warmth of a large television to watch what we would like to consider a new Christmas classic. Nothing says "holiday" like watching Bruce Willis, circa 1988, with a lot more hair, running from Severus Snape and his band of Euro-terrorists in Die Hard.

Semi s'more dessert, way better than Twinkies - Photos by Wasabi Prime

With the power of  John McClane's action hero wit, we Mystery Science Theater-ed the hell out of this movie, calling out its holiday movie relevance at every turn: "Ho-ho-ho, now I have a machine gun," written on a recently deceased terrorist -- totally a Christmas movie. We balanced the wine and food with a wicked sugar high brought on by baked treats provided by good pal Miss SJBe and the chocolate pot de cremes. I had also made a batch of homemade marshmallows, not wanting the Epic Fail of a previous attempt to haunt my holiday steps forever. These mallows from Alton Brown's recipe were nowhere near perfect, but plopped atop each custard and hand-torched with the force of an explosive Nakatomi Tower, who the hell cares, as fire truly made it better. There was so much sugar being eaten, I think we could see into another dimension -- yippie-kai-yay, indeed.

Bruno wants to roast marshmallows - screencap from Die Hard/photos by Wasabi Prime

Sometimes traditions are just as much about breaking with the old and starting anew, even if they're a little off-kilter... and violent. While the holiday was tinged with a bit of sadness over missing Christmas with Wasabi Mom and Dad, creating new traditions with much beloved friends made for a very special holiday the Prime will not soon forget. Many, many thanks to the fabulous friends who made it out to the homestead to join us for a holiday dinner -- you made this Christmas at home so very special and happily memorable.

OMG a Recipe: Holly Jolly Holiday Beverage

Holiday cheers to one and all! *clinking of virtual glasses* It's getting down to the wire for Christmas of 2009. No matter how you celebrate this time of year, I think it's fair to say, everyone's tired and in need of a long winter's nap. So give yourself the greatest gift: a spare moment of quiet and perhaps a warm, spicy drink to pass the time with a bit of reflection on the year that almost was.

Mulled cranberry spice drink? That's hot. - Photo by  Wasabi Prime

I was trading emails with one of my bestie BFFs with the funny nickname, Ms. Angry Peanut, and she brought up a really good point. We have this picture in our mind of the holidays -- a cozy chair in front of the fireplace, holiday decor festooned about the room, a good book, and a warm cup of something tasty in hand to enjoy for the evening. But the picture is more like standing in long lines at the Post Office, white-knuckled rage while inching through a gridlocked mall parking lot, or just the general agonizing over gifts, cards, and all the extra stuff that ends up clogging up what this time of year should really be about: family, friends, and hopefully a satisfying food coma.

The Prime can't promise a Masterpiece Theatre-worthy setting to enjoy this toasty drink, but I hope you have the chance to take a moment of quiet and find a little peace for yourself this winter.

Wasabi Prime's Mulled Cranberry Spice Drink
(approx. 6 servings, unless you're real thirsty)

You will need: 1 medium-sized pot, cheesecloth and string, or a tea infuser ball
6 cups of cranberry-apple juice (can use plain cranberry and add sugar to sweeten)
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange, plus the peel
2 star anise
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg and/or allspice
* Optional: 2 cups of red wine of your choice, with a splash of grand marnier or other orange liqueur

Wrap whole spices in cheesecloth and tie a string around the top to make a little bag, or place spices in tea infuser ball. Place all ingredients in a medium sized pot and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Do not allow to bring to a boil. Remove spices and orange peel, and pour into glasses to serve. Drink in front of a roaring fireplace or at least a television playing the DVD of a roaring fireplace.

Holiday wishes of good cheer, peace on earth, and safe travels to everyone!

Spicy holiday magic - Photos by Wasabi Prime

OMG a Recipe: Have an Om-Nom-Nommy Holiday

The Power of Cookie Monster compels you to OM NOM NOM NOM some baked goods for the holidays, and this year, the Prime strayed from her traditional iced sugar cookies to try out some newer recipes, several appropriately inspired by foodie bloggers. It's not too late to bake up a homemade gift of one of these delicious treats for a loved one. Don't forget to save at least one for yourself and a tall glass of milk! The 2009 Wasabi Prime holiday cookie roster included: Earl Grey Tea Cookies, Peppermint Sandwich Cookies, and the Prime's own mad-scientist creation of Peanut Chai Spice Cookies. Let the omming and nomming commence.

Homemade peppermint Oreo cookies , twist-tested, taste-approved. Photo by Wasabi Prime

Okay, okay, so let's be totally honest: these "chocolate sandwich cookies" are clearly Oreo cookies. At the risk of MIB's from Nabisco's legal department swooping in with tranq guns and a "cease and desist," I'm going to call a spade a spade -- these little morsels are homemade Oreos, and that's that. They are also freakin' delicious. Baking during the holidays is not only a nice way to create lovely handmade gifts for others, they are a great way to try new recipes and come with an opportunity to cast these sinful treats out out of the house to others' tables. For realsies, I'd have eaten the whole lot of these guys, despite the near three sticks of butter it took to make a single batch. Be still my barely-beating heart.

The homemade peppermint Oreos were adapted from one of my favorite baking bloggers, Brown Eyed Baker, aka, the lovely Michelle, who always creates beautiful goodies and her site never fails to inspire and get me off my lazy baker bottom. Her recipe was originally adapted from Gourmet Magazine, and I added a holiday tweak to it, adding pulverized candy canes to the vanilla creme filling. To make this at home, please pay a visit to Ms. BBB's site to see her recipe.

Hers were of course perfect little gems with the elegant scalloped edges. I didn't roll out the dough for these, instead cutting the wafers from chilled logs of the mixed chocolate dough. You don't get the pretty decorative edges, but I'll admit, I was on a short time schedule that day, and dough logs make for quick circular cookie shapes. I used up the extra time going totally medieval on three candy canes, going through two plastic baggies while wielding a meat mallet to reduce them to a sandy consistency ensuring the filling's consistency would stay smooth during spreading.

Baking under the watchful eye of Miss Indy D. Pupple - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Yes, the ever-present Miss Indy watched on, with a look of cookie-longing throughout the several days' worth of holiday baking. The power of Cute was strong with this one, but the Prime does not give in, as Indy's vet would most certainly not approve. Although I was almost tempted to share a bit of an Earl Grey Tea Cookie with the pup, as it's not as heavy of a cookie as the decadent peppermint Oreos.

Cookie, Earl Grey, hot. Photo by  Wasabi Prime

I was forwarded this recipe from a friend; it was originally on The Kitchn's site. You can take a look at their recipe here. A beautifully light-flavored dough, speckled with bits of Earl Grey tea leaves, it bakes into crisp little wafers that are perfect to enjoy with tea or coffee. The dough is mixed in a food processor to both pulverize the leaves and gradually incorporate the ingredients. I have baked this cookie with other teas like a spicy chai and I've found that the stronger tea flavors hold up best during the baking process. We drink a lot of the Stash teas at home, and I tried incorporating my favorite tea, lemon ginger, in a batch of these cookies, but the flavor just got lost in the oven's heat. If you decide to give this recipe a try and want to swap out the tea, definitely go big with the tea flavor.

The Spice must flow... into these cookies. Photo by Wasabi Prime

The last cookie to share is somewhat of a Wasabi Prime original. Inspired by the use of tea in cookies and a craving for the childhood favorite of fork-smooshed peanut butter cookies, Peanut Chai Spice Cookies were born.

Possessing all the familiar flavors of peanut butter cookies, these have the added warmth of chai leaves. It wasn't any particularly fancy or expensive tea -- just a few bags of Stash's chai were torn open and the contents were mixed right into the dough. The warm cinnamon flavors mixed nicely with the rich peanut butter, and a dash of cayenne pepper is also added for a subtle hint of heat. People get nervous or confused when an element of spice heat is added to desserts, but I hope this is soon overcome, because it can be a really pleasant nuance that just adds something beyond straight sweetness. As a visual reminder that these aren't the typical peanut butter cookie, a light sprinkle of paprika was added right before baking, to give a slight rouge to each cookie. I was pleased with the final result, as it was both sweet, savory, and had multiple flavors to keep the cookie interesting beyond just the straight sugar rush.

Wasabi Prime's Peanut Chai Spice Cookies
1/2 cup softened butter
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup crunchy peanut butter (preferably unsweetened)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 teabags' worth of chai (approx 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tsp cayenne powder
Paprika powder to dust tops of cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix softened butter and brown sugar together until combined and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract, chai, baking soda and cayenne. Add the peanut butter and mix until fully incorporated. Slowly add flour to dough until it's fully mixed, but do not overbeat. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm slightly before using a spoon or cookie scoop to place rows of dough balls on parchment-lined or silicone mat-covered baking sheets. Use a fork dipped in flour to create the criss-cross pattern that flattens dough balls slightly. Dust each cookie with some paprika before placing in oven. Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops are golden and the bottoms are slightly browned. Set cookies on cooling racks until fully set, and give them away before you eat them in one sitting, because that will totally, totally happen.

Homemade gifts baked with love... and butter. - Photos by Wasabi Prime

An extra-special thanks to Mr. Wasabi, as I was very, very, very glad (emotionally so!) to have gotten the early Christmas present of a new camera recently. I'd been wanting a DSLR for a while, and this very special gift is something we will both use. So, no, it's not like the bowling ball Homer Simpson got for Marge that said "Homer" on it. This post is a mix of photos from both the new camera and the Old Faithful point-and-shoot that has been my stalwart blog companion for almost a year; I look forward to more photographic adventures for Year 2 of the Prime. Much love and thanks to Mr. Wasabi (aka Brock), as his thoughtfulness, love and support have been the greatest gifts, all year-round.

FoodTrek: The Weather Outside is Frightful, but the Sorrento is So Delightful

All I have to say about Seattle's early winter chill is, Baby, it's freakin' cold outside. I was meeting up with Mr. Wasabi to attend one of the last Night School classes at Seattle's historic Sorrento Hotel and lo and behold, I came upon a beautiful glass-like sculpture of icicles wrapped about the fountain in the entry roundabout. I thought, wow, what a smart way to decorate the hotel for the holidays. Only it wasn't decoration. It truly has been that cold in the city to pull a Mr. Freeze on the fountain and make two-foot long spindles of icicles hanging from its tiers. Holy freak-nasty, indeed. The only remedy for such a chill is to spend an evening with Night School's guest bartenders Anu Apte and Zane Harris, as they took an eager class of drink nerds on an international tour of sherries.

Sherry Baby at the Sorrento on a cold winter, er, fall night - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I've mentioned it many times before and you'll forgive me for sounding like a broken record, but we really are blessed to have the Sorrento celebrate its centennial with events like Night School, and twice as blessed that this series will continue into the new year (woo-hoo!). Partnering with One Pot has been a unique way to present cultural events that truly enrich as well as educate. This latest session was no exception, as it was a festive way to showcase the bartending talents of Rob Roy owners, Anu and Zane. This dynamic duo has a long history of spirited excellence in Seattle and if you're lucky enough to have them mix you a drink, you'd be wise to let them take the wheel and tell you what to have, as they truly know best. The Prime was fortunate to meet Anu a few months back when she was a guest at Chantanee's Naga for a night of fabulous celebratory cocktails, so it was well-assured it would be a grand evening.

Old Fashioned with sherry, care of Anu Apte and Zane Harris - Photos by Wasabi Prime

So what do we know about sherry, other than its Spanish origins? Like port, vermouth and Madeira, it is a fortified wine, that is to say it's a wine that has a distilled spirit like brandy introduced to it to stop the fermentation process, preserving it. Most of us have a dusty bottle of sherry sitting in the pantry that gets pulled out to deglaze a pan every once in a while. We don't think about drinking it, probably because, as Zane explains, if we've only known less than stellar experiences with a drink, we tend not to explore it much further. That would be a shame, as much like the wide range of flavors in other spirits and wines, sherries are no less complex in flavor and usage.

The first lesson in sherries started with one of the younger varieties, a Fino. Crystal-clear and dry in flavor, Finos were a happy accident discovered in the mid 19th century by winemakers when a particular type of yeast grew in barrels having more leftover space for the air-thriving strain to develop. The blanket of yeast, or flor, provided a protective airtight seal for the sherry to develop a lighter, crisp flavor. It also makes the Fino one of the more delicate sherries, and should be consumed shortly after the bottle is opened, as the careful nature of its creation mirrors its fragile state of freshness.

Fino Vesper, stirred, not shaken - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The spirit of 007 himself visited us on this night in the form of a Vesper cocktail. Made with the refreshing Fino instead of the traditional vodka, Zane peppered the drink mixing with quotes from Ian Flemming's original 1953 novel, Casino Royale. A cocktail taking on hints of love gained and lost, the traditional drink combines gin, vodka and Lillet (Kina Lillet, to be persnickety), but the swap of the Fino with the vodka produced no less of a cool, winter-crisp cocktail that even Bond himself wouldn't be able to resist.

The bar discussion couldn't resist lingering on the communal love of 007 when the discussion of shaken versus stirred was brought up. Bartenders know best that when a drink is shaken with ice, it can add up to thirty percent of water to a cocktail. To stay on top of his superspy game, Bond of course would be aware of this fact, and that's probably why he preferred his drinks slightly watered down to ensure his deadly aim and razor-sharp wit rang true. However, unless any of us attain International Man/Woman of Mystery status, ask for the drinks to be stirred, not shaken.

Much like the Fino, other sherries can be replaced for distilled spirits in cocktails. We were treated to a finely-made Old Fashioned, with a darker, richer Amontillado used in place of the traditional whisky. Anu used a honey syrup, explaining how it provides a nice rich, deep flavor versus the more commonly used simple syrup. The resulting drink with the same dashes of Angostura bitters and the natural oils of a fresh orange peel produced a smooth, warm comfort that made one wonder how the cocktail could be made any other way. A great note about replacing distilled spirits with sherries is the fact that sherry has a lower alcohol content. This is a helpful hint for cocktail parties where both hosts and guests can keep the holidays jolly, but not flat-on-their-face hammered.

Oloroso sour holiday magic - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Anu and Zane truly decked the halls with holiday magic with their Oloroso Sour cocktail. Using the darker, nuttier flavored Oloroso sherry, this Boston-style sour featured a lovely froth of eggwhite on the top, with dashes of bitters to provide both aromatic and flavor complexity. Pleasantly sweet, balanced with the tartness of fresh lemon juice, and the creamy finish of the dense foam, this was probably the crowd favorite. People who had not experienced the divine magic that is eggwhite cocktails were clearly charmed by this alcoholic version of a protein shake. While not as simple or quick as pouring a bit of Scotch over some ice, this cocktail is a beautiful reminder that the artful method behind making a well-crafted drink is as important as taking the time to really savor it. Zane and Anu shared their anecdotes of bartender wisdom, how more than once they have had the chance to "save" the drinker from truly terrifying concoctions. After having a creation like the elegantly festive Oloroso Sour, it's hard to think of anyone not wanting to embrace this conversion to a new gospel of cocktails.

The final sherry of the evening had no mixed drink accompaniment, as its deeply rich flavor took center stage. The caramel-colored Pedro Ximenez swirled in the small cordial glass, releasing a heady aroma that spoke of sun-dried grapes sitting out in the arid heat of a Spanish afternoon. A concentrated sweetness of raisins and molasses resides in the sherry, making it ideal to savor with a square of good chocolate or at least a cozy spot by the fireplace. Its complex solera aging process makes it a rare delight, requiring up to eight barrels of fractioned ages to make a single barrel. An extremely time consuming method, it creates a truly unique flavor that combines sherries of varying ages, from one to eight years old.

Holiday cheers with PX to keep us warm during the chilly nights - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I have to say I had not thought much of sherries before, which was why I was excited to have my eyes and palate opened to more possibilities with this truly delightful and accommodating drink. Having it work so well in traditional distilled spirit cocktails was just as much of a treat as experiencing it on its own to really appreciate the intricacies of its flavor. Head over to Foodista to read their posts over this event and find recipes for the drinks served at this event. Much thanks to the very talented duo of Anu Apte and Zane Harris. Seattle is fortunate to have their skills behind the bar at Rob Roy. Thanks also to the fabulous Sorrento Hotel for stoking the cultural fires in Seattle to keep us warm on these chilly winter nights.

FoodTrek: Family Values With Thomas Keller

"Treat it like it's yours and one day it will be" -- this is the working motto behind the way Thomas Keller the businessman, keeps his restaurants successful and in loving, capable hands. His respected name, while well known in the culinary world and public at large, tends to be nearly invisible on his restaurants, and that is most certainly by design. When you hear about French Laundry, Bouchon, and Per Se, you don't need to see his name in lights because the food and the experience speaks for itself, and all-around éclat is the rare currency with which they navigate the restaurant world. That fortune is as a result of Thomas Keller the chef, who has such a clear understanding over ingredients and the importance of complimenting fresh flavors, never straying from the food's sincerity. It is that earnest pleasure from the synthesis of quality ingredients that Keller discussed when he visited Seattle to promote his new book of recipes based off his latest restaurant, Ad Hoc.

Sssh... the book is resting - Photo by Wasabi Prime

A group of diners, well-wishers and media gathered at Bastille, to listen to the wisdom of Sir Thomas, nibble on some samplings from Ad Hoc's recipe book, and experience the foodie fangeek moment of saying they got to talk to Thomas Keller. Don't lie -- I know I couldn't have been the only one totally giddy to be there. Organized by Kim Ricketts Book Events, they couldn't have picked a more ideal location: beautifully detailed French bistro surroundings and Bastille's executive chef Shannon Galusha worked at French Laundry for three years. The warm glow of candles and dimmed lighting cast a golden glow throughout the restaurant and private bar area where the media event was being held. Plates of warm, comforting food were laid out for people to sample, all made from Ad Hoc's menu. Of all the appetizers, the rich, deeply-flavored oxtail and mushroom crostini was probably my favorite item, and then the savory crab cakes.

Oui, chefs! Sir Thomas alongside Bastille's Executive Chef, Shannon Galusha - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Nestled among Keller's existing family of Yountville, California restaurants, Ad Hoc is a more casual dining experience, offering a prix fixe menu of flavors designed to evoke memories of meals at home, amongst loved ones. Ad Hoc simply means provisional or temporary, which was what Thomas Keller's family-style restaurant was meant to be, but it settled so nicely into the dining groove of the neighborhood that it became a permanent resident. The food is distinctly comfort-based, with all-American roots. Keller said he had always wanted to do a hamburger restaurant. It seems like an odd thing for someone with such a prestigious career to move towards something as humble as a quarter pounder, but he spoke of a collective food memory that everyone has. The meals we all grew up on were less likely to be gourmet, more like a family dinner that was put together with simple comforts and shared. It was less about the food and more about the way a meal encouraged interaction with its diners. The process of choosing something on a menu is private, but when the whole meal is laid out for everyone to experience, everyone becomes involved. Keller admits he didn't experience the traditional family dining experience, that his brothers were the ones who took care of meals to notably mixed results, but he clearly understands the function of the family table, and Ad Hoc is a reminder that food isn't always about the prestige of luxury ingredients, simply the immeasurable value of something made with earnest skill.

To the point of Keller's fatherly quote, he runs his restaurants in a parental way, willingly passing on the stewardship to others, once they've proven they can run the business successfully. His corporate and cooking philosophies have a similar theme of self-sufficiency. He spoke of a reliance on culinary skills, that it was crucial to have a thorough understanding of methods and ingredients. He implied that recipes are a bit of a double-edged sword; they can guide people towards recreating a dish, but it doesn't always encourage people to step outside of the printed words and gain a deeper knowledge of how the dish works and why it is successful.

The weather outside was frightful, but Bastille was quite delightful - Photos by Wasabi prime

The topics of home comforts and independence in the kitchen led to a question that I asked Keller when he was signing books. Anthony Bourdain calls it his Death Row Meal, which is to say, it's the thing you crave if you know it is your last meal to enjoy. Inevitably, even the most famous of chefs always name something their mother used to cook for them or some simple, humble dish that no one would have guessed in a hundred years.

I wanted to know what Keller ate when he was in the comfort of his own home, when he can tuck away his celebrity and he only needs to satisfy his own palate. I'm sure it was an idiot question to ask -- he only lives in the same city with all his restaurants as neighbors -- but this wasn't about restaurant dining. Our sense memory comes from a place before we understand what "gourmet" means, and whether we are aware of it or not, we keep those early memories of food close to our hearts, and stomachs. If one truly loves food, it is a blind affection that is not swayed by status, cost or other outside perceptions.

The UnRecipe power of Thomas Keller! Photo by Wasabi Prime

Thomas Keller said his go-to pantry cooking is often some fresh broccoli cooked up with canned tuna, drizzled with olive oil. Incredibly simple, with basic staple ingredients found in most homes. It wasn't until stepping into his food memory shoes and making this same combination in our kitchen that I wondered if some of this was from those childhood days of his brothers cooking for the family. The warmed tuna and greens were reminiscent of the old beloved standby, tuna noodle casserole. The quick meal's simplicity and efficiency spoke to the needs of a busy adult, but the flavor made me think that it spoke to the child finding comfort in a home-cooked meal with family. His answer was perfect, even at the risk of myself looking like a total moron -- I really think he was irritated at me for asking it! But his off-the-cuff answer completely supported the mentality behind what Ad Hoc is, and what its recipes seek to do for people inspired by them: rediscover the family meal, and do so with respect to ingredients and methodology.

Yet another Christmas present come early for the Prime, having the chance to see Thomas Keller and purchasing a copy of Ad Hoc as a gift for myself. I'm hoping the book is a way to give the gift of a good meal to my loved ones in the near future, so that we may continue that philosophy of food with friends and family.

Many thanks to Kim Ricketts Book Events, the fantastic team at Bastille, and Lissa Gruman of Gruman & Nicoll for extending the invitation to the media event. I look forward to future events with guest chefs and food authors visiting Seattle and sharing their thoughts and words with us. Cheers!

FoodTrek: Cheers to Winter Beers

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... when you've got a beer in-hand...What...? You mean that's not how the song goes? Well let me put down my frosty beverage and convince the disbelievers how Winter Beer Fest 2009 was plenty festive and brought a good deal of joy to world last weekend at Hale's Ales Brewery and Pub. You'll be wanting to leave a plate of bittersweet dark chocolate and a frosty nitro-poured pint of porter for Santa this year. Don't worry, Rudolph is cool about being the DD.

Beering it up with Pike Brewery - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Held in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, this annual event presented by the Washington Beer Commission is designed to showcase late-season beers from Washington beermakers. We are very fortunate, as there are a lot of breweries in the Pacific Northwest, many award-winning, and even more independent hidden-gem breweries that create some truly well-crafted brews. Winter beers tend to be dark caramel or smoky in color, with a malty rich flavor. Much like the way late harvest foods take on the distinctive notes of rosemary, juniper, coriander and other strongly-flavored botannicals and spices, beers will do the same, along with infusing the distinctive smokiness of oak and peat, like in a scotch ale. Heavier-flavored beers like stouts, porters and bocks often take on bitter notes of chocolate or coffee. This worked out perfectly, as hometeam favorites, Caffe Vita and Chocolate Box were a couple of the prominent sponsors of the event, providing decadent sweets and delicious java to pair with the beers.

Hale's Palladium - Thunderdome was already booked that day. Photos by Wasabi Prime

The Prime received an early holiday gift this year -- fellow food blogger The Hungry Dog was kind enough to bestow an Honest Scrap Award to Wasabi Prime. It's a kind and thoughtful way of passing along the blessings of kudos and support, of which I am totally honored to receive! I raise a glass to fuzzy Frances' food-bloggin' mama, who not only has a great blog that lets readers follow her delicious cooking adventures, she has a writing style that has a great deal of heart and it's easy to become very connected to this person's world. Plus, she loves her dog like crazy, and for all those who have fuzzy children of their own, what's not to love about that?

Fern latte, holiday lights, happy discoveries and hey -- I got a beverage here, man! Photos by Wasabi Prime

Instead of a general list, here are Ten Honest Things about my thoughts on beer and this festival in particular:

1. Porters are probably my favorite kind of beer, so the Winter Beer Festival was like a frothy nirvana, topped off with chocolate samples and lattes. So this is what heaven looks like!

2. Black Raven Brewing Bourbon Barrel-Aged La Petite Mort really does give you the "O" face. This was my surprise favorite for the day. I had tried Black Raven's brews before, and they had good flavor, but this special beer was a real gem, having the barrel-aged flavor of whisky and a nice bitterness to keep you savoring it and wishing you were wearing a silk smoking jacket in front of a giant fireplace.

3. Lebowski Fans Love the Lebrewskis. If you love beer, get to know The Big Lebowski, the Cohen Brothers' operatic bowling-themed film that stumbles through a haze of pot smoke. Naked City Brewery made a beer called The Big Lebowski, an Imperial cream stout aged on Kahlua-soaked oak -- the beer equivalent of a White Russian, or I should say, the Caucasian, which is the preferred nomenclature of the Dude's favorite beverage, man. Nice marmot.

4. I love fancy-drawn things in lattes, because they remind me to slow down. So when the nice folks at Caffe Vita drew the lovely little feathery fern in my latte, I made sure to take the time and really enjoy it amidst the drunken chaos around me. And they were most kind to be handing out bags of delicious coffee beans -- thanks Caffe Vita!

5. There's never enough time or tokens to try everything. Granted, you can purchase more sample tokens, but by the time you whittle through them, your palate is hosed. That's the one thing about beer festivals; you're drinking, not sampling. It's not a bad thing, but make sure you have your must-try choices first, to really enjoy them with a fresh and sober palate. By the time you're down to the last samples, all you want is a cheeseburger to soak up the alcohol.

6. Holiday decorations are my Prozac. All the holiday lights and general festoonification made for an all-around happy mood -- for serious, this was even before my first beer sample!

7. Chocolate beer can be misleading. I don't want to give chocoholics the wrong idea -- these beers aren't like a mocha. I had Lisa's Chocolate Stout from Georgetown Brewing, and it was made with Theo Chocolate, but it had more of the true cacao flavor, which is to say it was bold, and the malt helped round out the bitterness of pure chocolate. Give chocolate-flavored beers a try, but don't think you're getting a Snickers Bar; enjoy it like you would savor a good coffee.

8. I am a sucker for pumpkin ales. Elysian Brewery's pumpkin spice has always been my favorite, but that was an Oktoberfest beer and that season has passed. I indulged in Diamond Knot's holdout stash of pumpkin ale that they were serving up at the festival. Not as pumpkin spice-sweet as Elysian's, and tasted more true to the pumpkin's flavor.

9. I hate letting beer go to waste. While I didn't pick any duds at this festival, I've been at other beer festivals where people's reactions to the beer was, "Did it go bad?" I'll still drink it, even to much squinchy-face making. I'm not sure if that makes me a trooper or an alcoholic.

10. I have more fun at beer festivals than wine festivals. Not that I don't enjoy wine or being amongst other winos, I just feel more at ease with the hop-heads. Sure, there's a higher likelihood of frathouse hooliganism, but that's kind of fun, too. And there is always the inevitable sighting of The Admiral, this guy that is at every beer festival wearing aviator sunglasses, a Navy cap, videotaping everything, and kind of looks like Stan Lee. If you've been to any of the festivals here, you know what I'm sayin'.

To round out my duties as the recipient of an Honest Scrap Award, I am to list seven other blogs to recommend. Given the subject of this post, I would like to list several sites that are hearty supporters of frosty beverages of all sorts:

Wine and Beer of Washington State
Washington Beer Blog
Caskstrength
Mark Sexauer's Cocktail Blog
LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails)
Foodista - Night School at the Sorrento Hotel
One Pot - Experiments in Table-Making

Cheers to beers - yes, we all Tweeted/Facebooked while we were there. Photos by Wasabi Prime

FoodTrek/OMG a Recipe: Dessert and Drinks with LUPEC Seattle

To the haughty fellows who insist that ladies only drink girly-drinks with sugared rims and "tini" stuck at the end of the cocktail names, they clearly haven't met the ladies of LUPEC. And they'd better be wearing a cup if they dare say it in the company of these saucy birds. Started in Pittsburgh just shy of a decade ago, the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) was a spirited society created to spread the word about lesser-known libations, preserving their heritage, and promoting the art of a properly-made drink. There are chapters of LUPEC across the country, so it's no surprise that in the foodie-verse of Puget Sound, there would be a Seattle chapter. The Prime attended their December meeting, hosted by the delicious folks at Spur.

Inspired Bellini and some not-too-dark photos from LUPEC meeting at Spur - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I had heard recommendations from other bartenders in the area that the ladies of LUPEC would be a fun crowd, and they were not mistaken. Meetings are held every month at a different spot around Seattle. This band of cocktailians and foodies gather to drink, eat, and discuss all things spirit-related. The mood is convivial and welcoming, with members coming from both corporate cubicle life, as well as the food/drink industry, bound together by the love and respect for quality drinks. This is a knowledgeable bunch, and I guarantee you will learn something new. I discovered you can replace the water for making pie dough crust with vodka -- amazing! It was like being at school. With alcohol.

Spur was a great place to have the December meeting, and I had been meaning to try it out, so it was a win-win for me. They had two tables set up for LUPEC and passed around several plates of easy nibbles, like creamy truffle gougeres, salmon crostini, and a delicate butternut squash soup. They had a menu with two drinks made especially for the meeting -- I sipped on a light, fruity punch that packed quite a punch. I should have called this post: Why I Need to Get a New Camera, because sadly, most of the photos I took at the LUPEC meeting were too dark to post. Curses! My apologies, so I wanted to make it up to everyone with a drink and dessert.

Persimmon, you're such a tart - Photo by Wasabi Prime

I was inspired by LUPEC to play around with cocktails and put the advice of a liquored-up pie dough crust to work. Taking a cue from seasonal ingredients, I made a Persimmon Rosemary Bellini, and a dessert version of the drink, a Persimmon Rosemary Tart with a Gin Crust. Since these are somewhat Wasabi Prime-created, I put the recipes below, to much OMG-ness, as I rarely list such things.

The classic Bellini, created in Venice, Italy by Harry's Bar founder Giuseppe Cipriani, uses a peach puree with Champagne, commonly served at brunch and commonly getting one tipsy as all get-out. Stone fruits are long gone with summer, but I thought the sweet and tart flavor of a persimmon with rosemary would combine nicely with a bit of bubbly.

Autumn has delivered the seasonal blessing of fruits like the persimmon, a brightly-hued berry that looks a little like a tomato with its taut, shiny skin, and is pleasantly sweet when ripe. If it's picked too early, it can be a bit tart or bitter. I found a handful of soft, ripened persimmons and wanted to try pairing its almost melon-like sweetness with the fragrance of rosemary. I thought of the Bellini because it uses a fruit puree, and the color would look good against the sparkling wine. Because the persimmon isn't as sweet as a peach, the fruit puree was combined with a bit of simple syrup, infused with fresh rosemary. Topped with bubbly, it made for a fall-themed cocktail that was both refreshing and flavorful.

Pushing the same flavors further, the lightly sweet persimmon and pine flavor of rosemary seemed a good pairing for a dessert. Par-boiling and skinning the persimmons, they were cored and sliced thin, drizzled with some of the rosemary simple syrup. Taking the advice from the LUPEC meeting, I mixed a sweet piecrust dough, swapping alcohol for water. I wanted to keep the pine theme going, so I used gin instead of vodka, assuming it was a clean enough spirit to use for wetting the dough. I was warned that the alcohol would make the dough oddly moist, but simply push through the weird sensation and have faith in the spirit. True enough, while the dough was a bit sticky and required more flour to roll out, the evaporation of the alcohol produced a marvelously crisp and flaky crust and a heck of an alcohol vapor as I was opening the oven door to check on the baking dough. The resulting dessert was a freshly flavored treat that seemed more summery than autumn, and it was a nice break from all the heavier holiday foods that seem to be around us at every turn.

I raise a Persimmon Bellini to the ladies of LUPEC Seattle for a fun night out, and thanks to organizers Wendy Miller, Stevi Deter and Anu Apte for keeping the spirits alive every month. Thanks also to Spur for their hospitality and delicious food -- I look forward to visiting again! I will keep my eye out for the next LUPEC meeting. For those interested in more information about LUPEC Seattle, and if you have a Facebook account, you can access the latest updates on their Facebook group page.

Persimmons and bubbly -- a fancy way to get your vitamins - Photos by Wasabi Prime

For those wanting to make a persimmon Bellini or the tart, here are the recipes from the pantry files of Wasabi Prime:

WP Persimmon Rosemary Bellini
- 2 oz puree of one par-boiled and skinned persimmon fruit
- 1 tsp or more of a rosemary-infused simple syrup (add more to taste)
- 4 oz Champagne or sparkling wine
- thin slice of persimmon and/or small sprig of rosemary for garnish

To make the rosemary simple syrup, combined one part sugar to one part boiling water over the stove. Dissolve sugar, let mixture simmer for a few minutes with a large sprig of rosemary to impart flavor. Remove sprig and let the syrup cool before using.

For the persimmon, par-boil the whole fruit to soften and help remove the thin outer skin. Rub off as much of the membrane as possible in an icewater bath before coring and slicing it into smaller pieces. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Take a champagne flute or other cocktail glass and spoon the persimmon puree and the rosemary simple syrup into the bottom. Combine and taste for sweetness, adding more syrup if needed. Carefully pour the Champagne over the top. Garnish with persimmon slice and rosemary sprig.

WP Persimmon Rosemary Gin Tart
- One round of chilled pie dough, swapping water with dry gin - recipe for basic crust here, via Epicurious
- 4-5 ripe persimmons, par-boiled, skinned and sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons of rosemary simple syrup
- 1 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp finely-chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll out chilled dough -- the alcohol will make it wet and prone to breaking, so roll it carefully and use additional flour to prevent sticking. Place rolled dough into tart pan and dock the bottom with a fork to help release steam during pre-bake. Place tart crust in the oven for ten minutes to set, and remove to cool slightly before adding fruit slices.

Take the persimmon slices and toss with rosemary simple syrup, sugar, and chopped rosemary. Arrange evenly in cooled tart crust. Brush some of the leftover syrup onto the exposed parts of the crust before placing back into the oven at a lowered temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and let it bake for another 15-20 minutes, until the fruit is slightly browned. Serve with fresh whipped cream, small scoop of vanilla ice cream, or just om nom nom it.

UnRecipe: The Lord of the Leftovers - Thanksgiving Trilogy

Humorist Calvin Trillin had this to say about leftovers: The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. While I can say with certainty the origin of our triple-header leftover saga was the gut-busting feast of Thanksgiving, it's not an unknown occurrence in the Wasabi household to have leftovers stretched to near-infinite meals. For better or worse, my parents never liked to throw out food, and that mentality of "waste not" was forever drilled into my Wasabi brain. Our current surplus of ham, turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce led to this Episode I, II and III of meals: Thanksgiving Skillet Hash, Thanks-for-Giving Savory Bread Pudding, and a Truly Leftover Turkey Ramen.

Seattle Skillet Sensation Club - chances are, you've been a member since college. - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Skillet hash is probably one of the most leftover-friendly meals to make. It's UnRecipe to the tenth power, as no measuring or ingredient-fretting is needed. Depending on how many hungry people are needing to be fed, you just take a bit of protein like a handful of finely chopped ham and turkey, add something starchy, which in our case was the leftover roasted sweet potatoes, and throw it all in a heated skillet. The fat from the ham and the turkey skin melts down a bit in the pan, creating a nice sizzle for the sweet potatoes. I also scattered a bit of cranberry sauce over the hash to give it a little tartness. Once everything is fully incorporated and heated through, make a shallow little well in the hash and crack an egg right in. Depending on how many people it's being made for, one egg per person will do. Turn the heat down to medium and cover the top of the skillet with a bit of tin foil to trap the heat and cook the top of the egg to whatever doneness you prefer. I like the consistency of a poached egg, so I let the top of the egg get a bit opaque but the yolk is still liquid inside. Depending on how large a skillet and how many eggs are being used, this final step should only take a few minutes.

Everything was already well-seasoned from their past life as a dinner, so no salt or pepper required. I do like Tabasco with my eggs, so I added a splash or two right before the omming and nomming. The Thanksgiving Skillet Hash was made across several breakfasts, and more than a couple of times, I made this for a party of one because we have a couple of small pans. Yes, I did eat it right out of the skillet, furthering solidifying my membership with the Seattle Skillet Sensation Club, a secret society of plateless skillet-eaters created by foodie blogger and future chef, Eric Rivera. As Rachel of Laptops and Stovetops fame noted, if eating out of a skillet is wrong, I don't want to be right. Amen to that.

Savory bread pudding -- just throw everything in and bake it! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Thanksgiving Leftovers, the Sequel turned into a savory bread pudding. We wound up with a refugee band of dinner rolls and despite our tendency to leave out breads and pastas in our meals, the voice of my parents' Waste Not wisdom was in back of my mind like Obi-Wan. Or perhaps it was Lord Vader of the Carbohydrate Dark Side. Either way, I wanted to use up as much of the Thanksgiving leftovers as possible. Cubing the rolls and letting them toast in the oven to dry out, I took all the rest of the ham and turkey and chopped it into bite-sized pieces. There wasn't really any measuring involved in this UnRecipe because it was one of those "stone soup" meals that just uses everything available. Savory bread puddings, much like a skillet hash, have that lovely flexibility when it comes to ingredients. If they paired well as a meal of main courses and sides, there's no reason they can't be mashed together as a leftover delight.

I used the remaining half-and-half from the coffee and dessert portion of Thanksgiving to make a loose custard for the oven-dried cubed rolls. It was maybe a half a cup's worth. Mixed with a couple of eggs, the creamy, viscous liquid soaked into the now-crispy breadcubes. I probably could have skipped the oven-drying of the bread, but I like taking all the moisture out of bread first, so that it soaks up whatever new liquid and flavor that's being reintroduced to it. The ham, turkey, stuffing, and remainder of the cranberry sauce was already cooked, so once the bread was fully soaked with the custard, the savory bits were tossed with the bread, and a few slices of remaining cheese from the appetizer course of Thanksgiving was laid over the top to create a melty topping in the oven. Again, because everything had been pre-seasoned, I added maybe a few cracks of pepper and that's it. The oven set up the pudding, leaving the bottom part creamy and fused together, while the top crisped in the dry heat. Sliced into wedges, this made for easy lunches for the week.

Thanksgiving dinner -- good to the last drop. Photo by Wasabi Prime

The final meal that furthered Thanksgiving leftovers into the realm of, "Holy Hell, aren't you sick of this yet??" used the most basic, but flavorful part -- the turkey broth. I still had several cups' worth of a concentrated turkey stock made from the whole bird. Some of it was originally used for gravy, but the rest was reserved knowing it could be used for a number of things. I had seen a number of soups and stew recipes flying around on blogs and Tweets, but at this point, I had been sick with a cold and a craving for ramen won out in the end. Feeling too sick to hit the store and the fact that most of the Thanksgiving remnants were spoken for, it became a resourceful ramen that came together with pantry items and basic ingredients.

When the sniffles hit, some people crave chicken soup or grilled cheese sandwiches -- mine is either miso soup or ramen. More to the point, I crave a Hawaii-style saimin, which uses a thinner shoyu broth and yes, Spam is involved. Be it ever so humble, there's nothing that eases my sickly aches and pains like a savory, salty broth with chewy noodles, shredded fried egg, and slices of fried Spam on top. The ramen dashi came together with all the remaining turkey stock, water to thin it out, a splash of vinegar, several splashes of soy sauce, and a stalk of lemongrass (I keep them in the freezer; you'll be thankful if you do the same). The resulting flavor was a salty, sour broth that isn't necessarily traditional, it was just what my flu-riddled palate needed. I had the fortune of finding a few packets of fresh noodles stashed in the freezer. They weren't the firm, wrinkly Hilo-style saimin noodles I love best, but given my state of health, I wasn't about to complain.

Maybe waving the banner of Team Leftovers makes the Prime seem extra provincial, but I don't think it's too shabby a thing to think fast in the kitchen and cook by the seat of one's pantry. Given my newly-minted status as a Lady of Leisure, I anticipate many more at-home meals of UnRecipe inspiration.

FoodTrek: Grape Expectations at Barrio

"Don't drink to get drunk. Drink to enjoy life" - Jack Kerouac. In the same whiff of a Beatnik quote, an equal sentiment could be said for food. In a perfect world devoid of overly-processed meals within more degrees of Kevin Bacon than actual bacon, we could sit atop ivory towers and preach quality over quantity. But the truth is, food fuels us, and we don't always have the luxury of choice -- a slice of cold pizza more often than not becomes the breakfast of champions. When it comes to the topic of alcoholic beverages, because they are not nutritionally crucial, they exist within that rare luxury of choice. And for that, Kerouac's witticism has a relevance worth considering the next time you sidle up to the bar and you're asked, "What's your poison?" The Prime decided to fully enjoy that luxury of choice by letting the bartender call the shots, and that night it happened to be at Bellevue's Barrio, via their mixologist of ceremonies, Mark Sexauer.

Putting the "man" back in Manhattan - Photo courtesy of South Sound Garden

I was lucky to have made the acquaintance of Mark through the Plymouth Gin dinner at Crush, as familiar names and favorite places were bandied about the table. I got a chance to read his blog, and his post about making vegetable powder for drinks waves the awesome freak flag of cocktail nerd-ness, and compliments a notable appreciation for using fresh herbs and other blessings from the garden in drinks. Given Wasabisaurus Rex's interest in craft cocktails, the amazing experiences at Chantanee's Naga, and the Sorrento's Drinking Lessons events, letting Mark create an omakase-like experience with frosty beverages felt like a wise choice.

The theory of cocktail evolution - just keep drinking! Photos by Wasabi Prime

Fellow cocktail-weenie and gardening blogger, Ms. South Sound Garden (aka Ms. Picket Fence) was in attendance, with her own twist on the drink-mixing. Ms. SSG had two whole quarts of pressed Concord grape juice to present as an Iron Chef-like challenge to Mark. This wasn't some factory-made, chemical-laden fruit juice -- the grapes were grown and harvested from SSG's impressive garden, and the juice was hand-pressed to much crime scene-like results. Like all valiant efforts, the reward was a near opaque, gem-hued liquid that truly tasted like the nectar of the gods. While not an ideal grape to make wine out of, the Concord juice speaks of so many flavors familiar to everyone's palate: childhood days of PB and J sandwiches and lingering on those last summer days of fresh grapes plucked right off the vine.

Mark composed a revival of warmer days and less-gloomy nights, pairing several different spirits and fresh herbs with the grape juice to explore the way it would react with flavors. The grape juice was both ally and opponent; in lesser hands it would have been watered down or used as a cloak to hide larger quantities of potent spirits. Instead, much like the way a chef would build a dish, Mark understood the importance of guiding the palate's reaction to such a prominent flavor. The juice's distinct sweetness was balanced by bitter and sharp flavors, and softened with creamier additions like egg whites.

Befitting of an UnRecipe raid in the Wasabi pantry, no printed drink menus or cocktail sourcebooks were used, just a thorough understanding of flavor elements. One of the first drinks incorporated two types of gin -- sloe and dry, with a bit of citrus to enhance the grape's floral quality. This drink evolved into a revised 2.0 version, swapping the gin for pisco, an appropriately grape-based liquor from South America. Topped with a cloud of egg white foam and a decorative swirl of bitters, we suggested that it should be called a Pisco Valentine, not that anyone was really making official names. Because of the pleasant sweetness, a color befitting February 14th, and a sneaky dose of alcoholic whoop-ass, it felt like it would make for a dreamy -- or bleary --eyed Valentine's date.

Aquavit and grape - behold, the Water of Life! Shai' Hulud and stillsuits not required - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The frosty beverages evolved into more summery notes -- there was a bright-flavored drink that used tequila with some amaro and bitters to add some depth and cut the heavier grape flavor, and then there was a twist on the caipirinha, using cachaça, Brazil's answer to rum that uses fermented sugarcane juice instead of molasses, with Mark adding a bit of lemon thyme for freshness.

The cocktail Force continued to be strong with this one, and Mark finished out with what everyone agreed was the best of the bunch, an aquavit-based creation that used the caraway seed flavor of the popular Norwegian spirit to impart almost an herbal, fennel-like undertone with the grape's sweetness. The final drink had a velvet texture from the egg whites, but it wasn't dessert-sweet, which made it easier to savor. A truly enjoyable cocktail is one where you immediately get a sense of its complexity with room for nuance, and makes you want to take the time to really experience it with all the senses. That is to say, don't chug it, you frathouse punk.

Comparing all the cocktails, the grape juice's color is as distinctive as its role in the drink's flavor, so no one's putting this Baby in a corner anytime soon. Mark made a version of Ms. SSG's favorite drink, the Aviation, with a bit of the grape juice, and while tasty, there was no mistaking the difference. The magenta beet-like coloring of the grape juice is as dominating as the taste, and yet, mixed in cocktails, its moments of Valentine pinkness belies its potency. Similar to other libations on Barrio's menu which incorporate fresh fruit and vegetable extracts, pastel-innocent drinks saunter out with a hidden roundhouse kick. The curse of the Cosmo has left too many in a false sense of Girl-Drink-Drunk-security. If there is to be any lesson learned, in capable bartending hands, never judge a drink by its seemingly delicate exterior, as they are all like an icy Hitchcock blonde, a femme fatale lying in wait.

Developing cocktails really is as much of a culinary art as its solid-food counterpart. Too many recent cocktails rely on overly-processed sweeteners, and sugar in general, not allowing the natural flavors and botannical hints of liquors to fully develop in a mixed drink. The green thumb efforts of Ms. South Sound Garden were truly appreciated, as were the creative talents of Mark Sexauer and the team at Barrio. What a treat it was to sit back and let the ingredients guide the way. But since this is a food blog and one should have solids with potent liquids, I'm happy to say a plate of fried hominy is a tasty snack to nibble on while you're taking a spirited tour. If you get the chance to visit Barrio, let the power of Jack Kerouac lesson for life's enjoyment compel you to let someone else choose your poison for the night.

Oh fried hominy... I just can't quit you. Photo by Wasabi Prime