Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

Earlier in the week David and I traveled to Sarasota for a quick visit with a good friend from Lake Lure.   She is preparing her new villa for Winter rentals.  Sarasota is a charming Gulf Coast town with a wealth of interesting things to do.  Carole took us to Saint Armands circle on St. Armands Key to do some Christmas shopping.  It is absolutely beautiful.

Another sight on Sarasota’s bayfront is the 26 foot tall “Unconditional Surrender” kissing couple.  The famous photograph from the World War II event of Japan’s surrender was made into a statue and donated to the town by a World War II veteran.  We did our best in striking the same pose but were giggling about the pain in our backs.

Back home I have been busy wrapping presents and baking cookies.  We are looking forward to the family visiting next week.  I wanted to share with you the bow making technique that I learned from Better Homes and Gardens.

I bought all of my Christmas ribbon from Michael’s at a 70% off sale.

This is a very easy technique once you get into the rhythm and I like the way the gifts look.  You can find the instructions here.

I will be back with some recipes soon.

My blog will be undergoing some technical changes over the next week or so.  Therefore, I will be taking  a short break to recharge my batteries and come back with new and fresh ideas.

The part of Thanksgiving that has real meaning for me is the giving of thanks.  Thank you for following my blog for the last four years.  My life is so much fuller for all of the friends I have made.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I will see you back here to kick off the month of December.

While visiting our kids in Cary, North Carolina recently, we were treated by them to dinner at [One] restaurant in Chapel Hill.  It was their birthday gift to the two of us.  Kristen’s brother David is the sous chef there, shown above.  My David is conferring with David and our able server about wine pairings.  [One] is an open concept restaurants where the best seats in the house are at the bar.  All of the action in the kitchen is visible.  It is a fascinating orchestrated dance that produces seemingly effortless works of art on a plate.

Watching the interplay in the kitchen was great entertainment.  It was obvious that executive chef Sean McCarthy and his staff act as a well oiled machine.  The food was not only innovative, but beautiful to behold.

I fell in love with foie gras while in France this year.  One of the first courses at [One] was Hot and Cold Foie Gras with Mexican Chocolate.  Wow, what a concept;  foie gras with chocolate.  The presentation was amazing.  In the front you see a pan seared duck liver with spiced mole’ along with a smear of the mole’ chocolate and nibs of chocolate.  In the back is a cold tin of foie gras pate with a dark chocolate gelee on top served with toast points.  I dug in with gusto.

David started with Smoked Cobia Filet with Wild Mushroom and Apple.  Cobia is a firm-fleshed flavorful fish that is favored by many well known chefs.  Thomas Keller of The French Laundry has Cobia on his tasting menu.  The presentation, done on a slate board, was stunning.  It was garnished with meyer lemon puree, fresh herbs, shaved pear and ginger sorbet.  I can still taste those harmonious flavors.

We had expected to go directly to our entree choices, but the kitchen gave us a gift from their tasting menu.  I received a Snapper Consomme with Honey Thyme-Glazed Shrimp.  It came with crab and asparagus stuffed agnolotti, brown beech mushrooms, scallions and smoked paprika oil.

David received Spicy Pork and Shrimp Laarp Salad with Mango.  It was garnished with rice dumplings,chili foam cilantro oil, toasted rice and roasted peanuts.  What a bright combination of ingredients.

Are you getting full yet?  I certainly felt that way.  Here is my main course.  I am a sucker for cassoulet.  [One] featured a deconstructed version of the dish.  A casserole of rosemary scented cannelini beans was served along side crispy skinned duck pieces with boudin blanc sausage.  It came with 5 chutneys, two of which I remember, raisin and onion.  They were all delicious.

David’s main course was Potato Crusted Red Snapper with Artichokes, Shell Beans and Saffron.  It was garnished with butternut squash puree, roasted tomato jus and shaved cucumber salad.  Everything in this dish was stellar, fresh and good for you.  To me it is an example of celebrating all that can be good about cooking and dining well.  We celebrated our birthdays very well indeed.

No room for dessert for us, but the kitchen presented us with this chocolate birthday wish with sorbet.  Thank you [One] Restaurant, David, Michael and Kristen for a perfect birthday dinner.  If you are ever in the Chapel Hill area you must try this amazing restaurant. Try to sit at the bar for an evening of great entertainment.  You won’t be disappointed.

Cherries have hit the Farmers’ Markets in Western North Carolina recently.  Cherries hold a special place in my heart.  I grew up in Michigan where we were surrounded by orchards full of them.  The lovely sour cherries made delicious pies.  There are so many desserts you can make with cherries, but I have never before used them in a savory dish.  When I found this cherry and strawberry pizza recipe on Ambitious Kitchen’s blog, I knew I had to try it.

Roasting cherries and strawberries softens them and concentrates their flavors.  Also included on the pizzas are onions which are caramelized and then splashed with balsamic vinegar.  The pizzas can be assembled on a pita bread crust.  I actually used purchased Indian naan rounds.  The crusts are first sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and then the other ingredients are added.

After the pizzas are baked you can top them with arugula or baby greens and drizzle them with more balsamic vinegar.

Nothing could be easier.  I love fresh cherries. The pizzas made a lovely lunch.  Thinking outside of the box is always a surprise.

Speaking of Farmers’ Markets, my good friend and blogging buddy Penny has just begun publishing a food blog called From Harvest to Table.  She has had a wonderful lifestyle blog called The Comforts of Home for several years now.  Because of her interest in local food sources, she has thrown her hat into the ring of food blogging.  Please visit her wonderful new blog and make her welcome.  She is a fabulous cook.

  
ROASTED BALSAMIC CHERRY AND STRAWBERRY PITA PIZZA

3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbls. balsamic vinegar, divided
1/4 tsp salt
10 Strawberries
10 dark red cherries, pitted and halved
2 to 3 whole wheat pita breads or naans
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup arugula or baby greens
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Toss strawberries and cherries in 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Spread on  a baking sheet and place in oven for for about 10 minutes.

Heat medium saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Add onion and stir frequently until onions begin to brown.  Reduce heat to medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Cook 1 more minute and then remove from heat and set aside. 

Place whole wheat pitas on a nonstick baking sheet.  Brush pitas with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Evenly distribute roasted strawberries and cherries, cheese. and onions onto pitas.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees F or until edges of pitas begin to turn golden brown.

Top each pizza with arugula and cut into triangles.  Drizzle with additional balsamic vinegar and top with salt and pepper.

Printable recipe  

I have been busy . . . so busy lately.  A childhood friend came for a visit.  We had a wonderful time catching up with our respective lives.  We are now in Florida visiting with our friends here.  Because our computer access is tied to our Bright House connection and we will only be here for five days, it did not seem worthwhile to establish a connection.  So David and I are at Starbucks catching up on our emails and blogs.

When I return this week I will be trying to duplicate this wonderful Salmon dish that we had at Fig, a French Bistro in Asheville.  I’ve had it twice now and was told by our Parisian waiter how it was made.  The Salmon is salt crusted on the top and flaky when cut.  The greens are varied, depending on the season.  The starch is either farro or couscous.  But what remains the same is the lemon chive beurre blanc that pulls the whole dish together.   I have made it once and although it was good, I know I can do better.  Will let you know.  I look forward to catching up with everyone soon.