UnRecipe: Be My Valentine, Truffle Butter

It's no big secret that truffle butter is magic. Serious Hogwarts stuff. Rich, fatty butter that's whipped with bits of rare, earthy truffles -- it's a m-effing sorcerer. And it makes all food better, especially the simplest, most humble dishes. It's like a Cinderella fairy godmother. That you can eat. I daresay it even improves one's mood during the darkest, most depressing days of winter. So bibbity-bobbity-truffle butter, let's get it on with how truffle buttah makes everything bettah, plus what better way to surprise your sweetheart for Valentine's Day with something extra-rich and homemade?

Pasta Carbonara alla Truffle Butter Badassery - Photo by Wasabi Prime

It's a common mistake to assume women are the consummate shoppers and subscribers to Retail Therapy. Someone needs to take that saying off bedazzled pink t-shirts and figure out a way to emblazon that mantra onto manly canvas bags or bacon-scented cologne because dudes like to shop as much as the ladies. The retail yield may not be the same -- no boxes of shoes and twenty versions of the same blouse in multiple colors, but there's definitely an economy being stimulated. The Mister has steadily been upgrading and building his beermaking gear over the last couple of months with much unusual and customized equipment. Granted, no beer has actually been made over this time, but the regular UPS/FedEx deliveries of odd sized boxes are sure to make the neighbors thing we're slowly building a WMD, one part at a time, in our garage. But I know when he's online browsing, he's not immune to the odd impulse purchase. And it's not a pack of gum or a candy bar he's buying, he's getting duck fat and truffle butter.

I knew I was with my soulmate when he said as an aside, "Just so you know, I bought a bunch of duck fat and truffle butter, so make sure you're home to sign for that." No real intention or grand plan, it just sounded good. And of course, he's right -- it does sound good. Freakin' majestic, even. I can credit Woot for this purchase, their daily deals are the most wonderfully weird mix of random stuff that you never knew you'd need, and they inevitably tempt you and your credit card in unexpected ways. And that's how we wound up with a chilled box of duck fat and truffle butter set upon our doorstep like some marvelous food stork delivery.

Take that impulse-buy-chewing-gum! - Photos by Wasabi Prime

I hadn't made any plans with the duck fat (posts to come on, that, worry not), but I had my sights set on the truffle butter. It's one of those ingredients that sound so luxurious you feel silly to buy it, but when you have it, it's a constant source of inspiration because you can't stop thinking about what it can get added to. I wouldn't drown anything in truffle butter, it's like a finishing salt, something added towards the end of a dish's preparation for an added layer of complex flavor. It blesses food with that distinctive earthy umami that truffles have -- slightly pungent and made all the more rich by being whipped into butter. Smearing a little pat on a prepared steak or a piece of fish, letting it melt and the flavor meld with the already cooked meat, or in my most recent makings: pasta.

Simple, simple, simple. That was how I wanted to test drive the truffle butter. Pasta is a neutral vehicle to carry its flavors, so I did a couple of quick pantry pasta dishes that were finished with a pat of this wizard-like butter. I made a basic bechamel and added the butter in the final stage of tossing the already-cooked noodles with the creamy sauce. A few shavings of Parmesan and it was thoroughly enjoyed on a cold midweek night. But pale as an albino -- if I had fresh parsley it would have perked it up for a photo-op. Maybe a chiffonade of fresh basil and a sprinkle of freshly toasted pine nuts. Meh -- mental notes for another time. The best use for the truffle butter so far, both in flavor and looks department was the classic pasta carbonara. A light, buttery rich sauce thickened with egg and flavored with pepper and garlic, the savoriness of bacon or some kind of pan-crisped fatty meat -- it holds up nicely with the truffle's distinctive unctuous quality. In this case, I had extra charcuterie of all sorts, so I fried those odds and ends up until crisp, set them aside and toasted some garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil before whipping up the quick pan sauce that lightly coats the noodles. Truffle butter goodness was added last, right as the cooked pasta was added. I like sprinkling the crispy meat over the top as a garnish, and reserving the egg yolk to top it. It makes for a very pretty presentation, that lovely golden yolk and browned meat crisps over a pile of lightly sauced pasta. Happy Valentine's Day to me.

Truffle butter makes you actually welcome cold, miserable days like this - Photos by Wasabi Prime

The real magic behind truffle butter's sorcery is that it lessens the effects of the insufferable Seasonal Affective Disorder that hangs over our heads once fall kicks in and the sun Peaces-Out for the next five months. The fall leaves were beautiful, but there were days where the rain was so heavy and hard, you could barely see out your window -- and it tore that autumnal beauty to shreds. I saw skies that made me pretty sure the Deatheaters from Harry Potter were about to attack, they were so scary-dark and ominous. Dishes that are rich and comforting -- with just a touch of luxury -- make for a wonderful shelter from the winter storm. You almost look forward to the worst of the gloomy days, as it justifies your desire to bust out the truffle butter and flip Old Man Winter the bird. Count that as another plus in favor of having something as luxe as truffle butter being a staple in your refrigerator, and an easy indulgence to make every day (even Valentine's Day) a special one.

Mixed Plate: I'll Get You, Valentine... and Your Little Dog, Too!

It's just a quickie post for today, but I had to ask -- how was everyone's Valentine's Day? Broke-as-a -joke from paying $50 for roses that are now a quarter of the price? Stuffing your face with 60% off chocolates shaped like little hearts? Ahh.... l'amour!

Indy says: Won't you please be my Valentine...? I'm ever so pitiful-looking - Photo by Wasabi Prime

If you spent your February 14th in Western Washington, you're likely cleaning up the crud from the latest winter storm. Pouring rain one second, howling wind the next and LOOK OUT -- falling tree crashing into roads, homes and whatever else is foolish enough to get between that century-old Douglas Fir and terra firma. Stay frosty, Marines -- this week ain't over yet. Amid the flickering lights, I hastily cooked up a simple meal of lamb chops in a red wine sauce, served over a potato galette. Which is to say, meat n' potatoes. It was a noteworthy first as I've never really prepared lamb up until recently and these were the first chops I'd cooked. My thoughts on preparing lamb? Delicious. Searing in a hot pan for a few minutes and then letting the oven finish off the cooking -- with a meat thermometer probe inserted to prevent any over/under cooking, of course. This seems simple to so many others, but this was my first tussle with lamb chops, so I was especially glad they turned out tasty.

Hot damn, it's lamb! And I didn't ruin it, so Happy Valentine's Day to ME - Photos by Wasabi Prime

Proving yet again that taking photos of red meat is difficult to have it not look like a fresh kill, I instead ply the fair readers with the humiliation of our dog, Indy, who was good enough to pose for Mr. Wasabi's Valentine's Day card this year. I assure you that she was not harmed in any way and she was compensated for her time and emotional suffering with her favorite Peanutter doggie treat. I was also blessed with several Valentine cards from friends, most of them handmade, so as to make me feel even more of a slacker for not making any this year. Thanks, guys. But I will say the sweetest thing this Valentine's Day was feeling more at ease with cooking something new, and sometimes newfound confidence with unfamiliar ingredients and not destroying a special occasion dinner the best gift of all.

Mixed Plate: I'm Just a Love Machine

The Prime has never been one to fully embrace Valentine's Day as a full-on holiday, but maybe being around a lot of restaurants and food-related work, it's hard not to get swept up in the lace-trimmed, pink hearted wonderland of L-O-V-E. This year, I found myself making homemade sweets for friends using a recipe from Alexandra Hedin's sweetheart of a book, Entertaining at Home,  and trekking around Woodinville, to get some sweet and savory inspiration at the seasonal chef's demos at Willows Lodge.

These peanut butter and chocolate treats should come with a warning: Highly Addictive - Photo by Wasabi Prime

Getting straight to dessert first, Alexandra's book is a great mix of both lifestyle and recipes, which I think they should almost have a new category for books simply called Hostessing with the Mostessing. Is it grammatically correct? Heck no, but it kind of covers it all, as her book, Entertaining at Home, is one of those where you really take in the full experience of each meal, not just the individual dishes. You look at where a meal is held, how the food is presented, and the little decorative details that aren't necessarily edible, but provide a satisfying experience for the whole occasion. I have to give mad props to a local food and lifestyle talent having a book published and much mad propitude to her peanut butter and chocolate squares recipe, which I made a double-batch of. When I was done stuffing my face with the irregular-shaped end pieces, I cut everything down into little bite-sized rectangles and put into Valentine-themed candy cups, stacked in celo bags and decorated with a strip of red and white polka dot fabric. It's not the typical heart-shaped box of chocolates, but it was a little sweet thing to give to friends to let them know how sweet they are. The book is available at bookstores, or you can order directly through Alexandra's site - I'm sure she'd love to hear from you!

Barking Frog's Chef Bobby Moore cooking up savory dishes at Willows Lodge chef demos - Photos by Wasabi Prime

You know what goes really well with peanut butter and chocolate squares? Sea bass with carrot ginger beurre blanc and oysters! Maybe not. But switching gears and puttering over to the Willows Lodge hotel in nearby Woodinville, there are chef demos the hotel graciously hosts at seasonal times of the year. I went to the holiday demos, which included presentations on cocktails, appetizers and desserts. They hold these events midweek, right in the Willows Lodge lounge area, past their big fireplace as you walk into the main entrance. They usually start around 5 or 5:30, but you really have to get there as early as possible -- 4:30 is adviseable, as the lounge area becomes standing room only. It's like the best kept secret in sleepy Woodinville-town... and I just let the cat out of the bag!!

Flourless chocolate cake, flavored with raspberry by Pastry Chef Matt Kelley - Photos by Wasabi Prime

It's a really nice treat, as you're sitting there with a happy hour glass of wine, maybe one of their tasty appetizers (I love their lamb burger with sweet potato fries), while Chef Bobby Moore or Pastry Chef Matt Kelley at the neighboring restaurant, the Barking Frog, prepare something right in front of you, recipe cards are passed out, and you get to sample everything they make. For the Valentine-themed presentations, Chef Moore prepared an appetizer of oysters topped with an herbed mascarpone and brioche crumbs, a lighter twist on the typical Oysters Rockefeller, and then seared bass with a sweet carrot ginger sauce over a fennel risotto. Pastry Chef Matt Kelley made a rich flourless chocolate cake with a raspberry truffle center, topped with raspberry chantilly cream -- divine, no? On the night of Chef Moore's savory demo, there was the added treat of sampling wines from Dusted Valley Winery, who co-hosted the presentation. While they don't have these every week, they generally hold these special cooking demos around holidays, and I believe there's another one coming up in March - check the Willows Lodge events page for updates.

Whatever you decide to do for Valentine's Day, whether it's going out for a special dinner, staying in and making a special meal, or getting one of those heart-shaped pizzas from Papa Murphys, have a heart-shaped day, and hugs n' kisses to all!

Sweet and Savory Valentine Wishes to ALL - Photos by Wasabi Prime

UnRecipe: Happy Valentine's Day, Tiger

Yeah, yeah, I know -- it's not Valentine's Day, Rip Van Wasabi! True, but sometimes it takes a few days to get my shinola together after a busy week, so forgive the belated post to honor sweethearts and overpriced roses. The weekened celebrated Lunar New Year as well as heart-shaped lovey-doveyness, so the Prime prepared an Asian-inspired dinner for Mr. Wasabi: Sake Marinated Steak with Kimchee, Pork Dumpling Ravioli with Mushrooms, and Pork-filled Potstickers. For dessert, we had Coconut Vanilla Rice Cakes over Seared Mango Slices, drizzled with a Peanut and Coconut Sauce. But for the main "beauty shot" of the post, I'm showing all the leftovers shoved into a baked bun or ju bao, made from Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings book.

I made fresh bao - just call me YoSaffBridge! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

It seemed like all signs were pointing towards a meal like this for Valentine's Day, as the Prime was fresh off the delicious high from the luncheon hosted by Monsoon East, for Andrea Nguyen's book. I have to admit much Epic Shame that I didn't make the dumpling skins from scratch, even after her very easy tutorial over how to make them, and the fact that I had the book in-hand. I had already bought a package of premade wrappers and just promised myself, "next time, I swear." I made a filling that was used in all the dumplings, which included ground pork, chopped mushrooms and peppers, garlic and ginger. Not a typical mix, but I had made the mistake of getting mushrooms from Costco and if of course meant I had to put 'shrooms in everything that week to use them up. I hate letting food go to waste -- you know how I roll.

Hello, my little dumplings! Photos by Wasabi Prime

I used the large package of dumpling wrappers to practice a few different shapes. Everything was cooked the same way, potsticker-style -- seared in a pan with oil, add a bit of water, cover to steam, and hopefully you don't eat them all before they get plated. I had mixed results with the open-topped pork-stuffed satchel-shaped dumplings. I didn't use enough oil, so many just stuck and had to be torn up and scraped out of the pan -- FAIL! But they were still cooked and edible, so they became ugly lunch for the following week. But lesson learned, either use a nonstick pan with a little oil or just add more oil and let our arteries figure it out later.

The flank steak was marinated in a mixture of seasonings and sake, which gave it a nice hint of sweetness. Seared and left to rest, the pan was deglazed with kimchee, and served together. With the different-shaped dumplings and the kimchee beef, it was defnitely a pretty dinner to have for Valentine's Day. All the flavors were fairly similar between the three options, since I used a lot of the same ingredients, but after taking so long to take the photos of the food, we were too hungry to be picky about flavor profiles and just ATE.

Like rice pudding, on crack! - Photo by Wasabi Prime

For dessert, I had been inspired by the pancakes served at Wild Ginger for brunch -- spongey flapjacks with a peanut and coconut sauce. I wanted to do something similar, so I made a batch of rice, steamed in coconut milk and vanilla, with a bit of sugar. It was pressed in a mold to form compact little squares which were then oiled and pan-fried to give a nice crispnness to the outside. Fresh mango slices were seared and the cakes were placed over the fruit, sprinkled with toasted macadamia nuts and more mango chunks, and a sauce of brown sugar, coconut milk and peanut butter was poured over. It kind of made me think that Elvis would have liked it, as it was reminiscent of his famed cravings for peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Just call it an Elvis Goes Hawaii dessert. It was a nice mix of sweet, fresh, and a little savory.

As for the ju bao, this was both a solution for finishing off the leftover dumpling filling and penance for using store-bought wrappers. No, no, I shouldn't say penance, because that implies it was a chore to make the dough -- it totally wasn't and the results are worth the effort! It was simple enough to make, although I'm a clumsy baker, so I had to add more flour to keep the dough from being too sticky. It didn't affect the final result, as the finished pork-filled buns were a heavenly bite of springy dough and a crisp outer shell. I made giant-sized ones because I knew they would be like ready-to-eat meals and added a little flourish of sesame seeds on top -- kind of makes it look like a fluffy hamburger bun. The dough is simple enough to make and neutral in flavor to where you could fill it with anything. It makes for a great solution of getting rid of any odd leftover bits that aren't enough for a full portion.

This was the 10th Valentine's Day for Mr. Wasabi and I, and we've never gone out for a Valentine's dinner. I'm certainly not sad about it, as we've always liked making it a more personal holiday instead of going out and being in a busy restaurant where everyone else is there for the same reason. The first Valentine's Day, Brock took the whole day off from work and made an amazing meal, with a big bouquet of roses waiting for me. A couple of years ago, he literally made a portrait of me out of different kinds of chocolate, and put it on a creme brulee -- for reals! I don't think I can ever match some of his amazing and thoughtful Valentine's Day capers, but the 14th definitely makes me thankful for his sweet, creative heart.