TrelayneNYC

Chicken liver páté with port and thyme




Minestrone

Roasted fennel, red onion and Meyer lemon salad




Warm crushed potatoes with anchovy




Creamy scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, leeks

oh that sounds divine.

They won't be in season in this part of the country until around June or July.

Don't worry though, I have them on my radar.  They're just an excuse to visit the blog more. 

Thanks!

A little history for folks:

My blog began life as a personal journal back in 2006. I talked about LGBT rights, U.S. Supreme Court cases and occasionally, the adventures of the second Bush administration. There were, unfortunately, not very many posts about food. In 2008, I decided to transform my corner of the Internet into a foodblog and the result is what you see today.












Seasonality is important to me. It frames the rhythms of our lives. We are in a more perfect harmony with nature when we are attuned to the beauty of the world around us, as reflected by the passage of time and in the food we eat.













This is the story of Simple Kitchen Seasons, a food blog devoted to the beauty of food, cooking seasonally and eating well. Most of the recipes are fairly simple, uncomplicated dishes that anyone can make. Many are vegetarian or vegan. Some are gluten-free. All feature produce sourced directly from farmers markets in New York City.

Some recent posts:

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/02/20/meat-snapshots/ -- a selection of photographs from meals for the period 11 February 2014 to 17 February 2014.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/02/19/heirloom-bean-soup-with-mussels-and-winter-vegetables/ -- on the decline of cooking in America, and a recipe for bean soup with mussels and vegetables, and a watercress pesto

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/02/15/winter-greenmarket-snapshots/ -- a selection of photographs from Union Square Greenmarket

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/02/14/garlic-soup/ -- on one mainstay at my table all year round: garlic soup

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/02/08/forest-snapshots/ -- photographs taken during a day trip to Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, California.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/01/18/chana-masala/ -- on food resolutions for 2014, and a recipe for chana masala.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/01/17/creamy-fennel-soup-with-parsley-scallion-pesto/ -- on childhood food dislikes, and a recipe for creamy fennel soup, with parsley-scallion pesto. This soup is vegan; the creamy texture and flavor was achieved without the use of dairy.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2014/01/14/migas-con-huevos/ -- on the tradition of making something from nothing (in this case, with stale bread), and a recipe for migas con huevos.

http://kitchenseasons.com/2013/12/26/hummus/ -- on my search for edible hummus (which, in a weird way, parallels the story of my blog).

http://kitchenseasons.com/2013/12/15/2013-in-review/ -- a gallery and slideshow of photographs from posts during 2013

http://kitchenseasons.com/2013/12/11/potage-crecy/ -- carrots were the "in" vegetable in 2013, like brussels sprouts and kale were a few years ago. also included are a recipe for potage Crécy and some ideas for carrot cookery.

"Winter garden" salad -- sautéed heirloom carrots, caramelized fennel, baby mesclun, fennel greens, Meyer lemon vinaigrette




Cappelletti en brodo (stuffed pasta ("little hats") in chicken broth)

The cappelletti were from Eataly; they're stuffed with mortadella, nutmeg and Grana Padano cheese






Sea scallops, watercress cream

Inspired by this Food52 recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/4080-seared-scallops-with-spring-onion-and-tarragon-cream (although my adaptation has a more streamlined procedure; I skipped making a roux altogether)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 head watercress, trimmed and blanched, then chopped coarsely
2 spring onions, minced
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt unsalted butter in a sauté pan, add the watercress and spring onions. Sauté for 5 minutes, then taste for salt and pepper. Add water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour mixture into a blender. Process until smooth. Return sauce to pan; whisk in heavy cream. Simmer watercress cream for 2-3 minutes; taste for salt and pepper, then use as needed.

Very simple dinner last night mostly b/c I didn't get home until after midnight.

Creamy scrambled eggs, mesclun salad w/ white wine vinaigrette.

you could always make your own, Don.

this version uses garlic CLOVES and dark brown sugar, but if you don't like sweetness, you can reduce the amount or ditch it altogether.

I do like Tabasco and don't see it as overrated.

Ditto for sriracha.

Pat -- thanks.

I like doing pasta this way, especially if it will be vegetarian.  Can be brothy or lightly sauced.  Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add your pasta and cook until the pasta is about 2-3 minutes shy of being al dente.  Blanch the vegetables first, then cook them in olive oil with garlic, salt and pepper (or if they're something like zucchini and tomato, just chop them and toss them directly into the pan) until they've started to lose their crispness.  Then, add the pasta directly to the pan and finish as you would if you were making a risotto.

Sautéed chicken livers, with jowl bacon and roasted grapes




Pasta with escarole, carrots and garlic.

Would be vegan except the vegetables and pasta were simmered in Chinese chicken stock.

Also looks ordinary but what you don't know is that the vegetables and pasta were par-cooked first, then finished as if I was preparing a risotto (i.e., by adding the pasta to the pan in which the vegetables were being sautéed, then adding the pasta cooking liquid ladleful by ladleful and letting the liquid reduce, until done).




Turkish figs, with spice-infused port and a splash of heavy cream

Chickpeas, with Greek yogurt and charmoula

Bí¡i qie ji (Chinese white cut chicken), with ginger-scallion sauce and rice

tonight:

Carrots and salsify, with Indian spices, lime and burrata

Heirloom bean soup, with mussels and winter vegetables, served with watercress pesto

Thanks, folks.

Was working through a lot of leftovers; had these in addition last night:

Fennel, burrata, Meyer lemon

Roasted carrots, endive, Greek yogurt, hazelnuts

Is that a poached egg? (Do eggs count as being vegetarian?)

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Contender in TrelayneNYC.

(1) yes, it's a poached egg. the egg was poached separately with 2 ladlefuls of soup as the poaching liquid.

(2) yes, eggs are vegetarian if one is a lacto-ovo vegetarian as I sometimes am.

Garlic soup (vegetarian version -- with water instead of chicken stock, and sage instead of parsley)




Winter greens (fennel, endive, cress), with walnuts and Meyer lemon cream




Olive oil poached cod, cabbage, chickpeas, Spanish chorizo

I understand what Chez Panisse represents to the history of modern American cuisine, but I have been thoroughly unimpressed by their cuisine. They seem to be resting on their reputation, and they have not anything innovative in the past decade or longer. I have had two meals in the dining room, and walked away realizing that I had a very well prepared meal, but nothing truly memorable or worth the hassle.

That's perfectly fine.

One need not constantly reinvent the wheel in order to have a place at the table, in my opinion.

I'm reading, I suppose you could call it, an "authorized" biography of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. It covers the genesis and history of the restaurant all the way to the present day, which was as of the date of publication, 2007, around the time AW issued her cookbook "The Art of Simple Food".

Contrast a menu from the Jeremiah Tower era (for Thursday, June 5, 1975) to the posted menus on the restaurant's website for this week, and the difference in style clear. My preference leans towards the latter.

Gratin de queues d'écrevisses -- shelled crayfish tails, sautéed in Cognac, with a cream and crayfish butter sauce and gratinéed

Consommé de chou rouge -- duck consommé with puréed red cabbage and sliced red cabbage cooked in walnut oil

Selle de porc sur le gril -- marinated loin of pork roasted over a charcoal fire with fresh herbs, served with a fresh herb butter sauce

Salade chaude d'épinards -- salad of spinach wilted in oil and sherry vinegar

Fruit and cheese

Crème Carème -- cherry sherbet

Coffee or tea

That menu was priced at $9 which, if you adjust for inflation, comes out to $40.41 in today's dollars.

B and I visited Chez Panisse during this recent trip. We had a lunch at the café. Other than a touch too much salt in the Provení§al fish stew, it was exactly what I expected -- simple, delicious and well-prepared food with an attunement and reverence for seasonality, cooked and served with care. I completely support the notion of letting the ingredients speak for themselves.

Someone upthread mentioned that meals cost $300 per person; I think that is a gross overstatement. Our bill came out to $136 including tax and service charge for two people. The main restaurant prices its dinners from about $65 to $100 (although for Valentine's Day, the menu costs $150 a head). If you order wine, I could see a hefty price point; $100 per person is quite reasonable, however. Your mileage may vary.

There may be a visit to the main restaurant in the future, but probably not until the end of the year.

Thanks for linking to the post above on Twitter, Don.

Here are some pix from my August/September 2013 trip. I'll be visiting again in June, and possibly in December.













Keller's Farm -- strawberry ice cream, crème fraí®che ice cream, strawberries, rosemary syrup, cornmeal shortbread cookies

Ice Cream Bar
815 Cole Street (Frederick Street)
Cole Valley





Ricotta pancakes, honey butter, maple syrup, fresh fruit

Kitchen Story
3499 16th Street (Sanchez Street)
Mission Dolores









Duck páté salad, peaches, petite garden greens, Spanish sherry

étoile restaurant at Domaine Chandon Vineyard and Winery
1 California Drive
Yountville

I met my boyfriend (let's call him "B" for now) in May last year when he was visiting NYC; we've been in a long-distance relationship ever since. 
 
We keep in touch by the power of Greyskull the wonders of modern technology and a lot of patience.  Every couple of months, one of us flies out to see the other for a couple of weeks.  There'll be a move to the left coast in the future, but one step at a time....
 
Anyway, that's background for you.  Here are pix from my January/February trip:







A mushroom vendor inside the Ferry Building.





Someone on Facebook said that this was a boring menu. What do you think?

Brenda's
652 Polk Street (Eddy Street)
The Tenderloin



We had brunch at Savor.

Savor
3913 24th Street (Sanchez Street)
Noe Valley

Below: Crab cakes on english muffin with poached eggs topped with spicy cajun hollandaise; home fries; fruit cup.





Grilled pork loin with basil, cilantro, cucumber, tomatoes & jalapeno Dijon aioli on a French roll; beer-battered french fries; mixed green salad.



Chicken breast on sourdough with smoked bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes & mayonnaise.



Never been in one; have to check them out eventually.



Would you pay $32 for a bowl of cioppino even if it had crab in it?

Brunch pix from Greens (204 Bay Street, #A (Powell Street)).



Yellow Finn potato griddle cakes with leeks, manchego, parsley and chives; romesco, crème fraiche and herb salad.




Corn tortillas with roasted butternut squash, poblano chilies, peppers, grilled onions, Rancho Gordo beans, cheddar, cilantro, napa cabbage, avocado, tomatillo salsa and crème fraiche.

Quivira Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Dry Creek Valley



Wild mushroom and leek pizza with asiago, grana padano, thyme and arugula




Warm cauliflower salad with crisp capers, pine nuts, mint, tarragon mustard vinaigrette and shaved pecorino fiore sardo.




Orecchiette with Knoll Farm rapini, Juliet tomatoes, spring onions, green garlic, olive oil, pepper flakes, bread crumbs and grana padano




Butterscotch pot de crème, with whipped cream and pecan shortbread cookies.





Flourless chocolate torte, espresso ice cream, cocoa nibs.










One thing that shocked B and I was that an Applebees is located right in Fisherman's Wharf. So annoying.

And predictable.

Roasted baby carrots, burrata, watercress, pistachio

Lamb and mushroom hash, poached egg

should I?  oh, what the hell, that never stopped me from eating shoe leather.

steak tartare is basically ground beef with spices and a raw egg mixed in.  charging $15 for less than a mouthful of food ... essentially 10 minutes of labor and less than $10 food cost takes balls.  all of the foregoing is grossly oversimplified, and I realize that the hefty check is mostly paying for overhead, expenses and so forth.  when judging against expectations and coming face-to-face with execution, while everything is dazzling, brilliant, etc. -- and perhaps you missed the part where I said that it's very good for what it is -- it's not impressive [to me].  for that amount of money, I want to be touched in the right places; I want to be made to squeal.  this boy loves to squeal.

also, as I recall, I immediately wanted a pizza a couple of hours afterwards.  on the other hand, the "garden" (a pot of perfectly cooked, carefully curated (no doubt) vegetables) was a dream and I still think about it from time to time.

but what do I know?  clearly I am a philistine masquerading as a hobbit.

Garlic soup




Spiced shredded lamb, with heirloom beans and winter vegetables


BTW, the reason why you haven't heard from me since the end of January was because I was on vacation, in Austin for 2 days and in San Francisco for a little over a week.

I'll have some pix to share tomorrow.

Endive salad, with Castelvetrano olives and Meyer lemon cream, adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.




Lamb shanks, with apricots, cardamom and raisins
Israeli couscous

Dry-fried parsnips, with lime, coconut and dates




Dal, lemon rice, apple raita, carrot and green chile pickles

The pickles were store-bought (from Kalustyan's), but everything else was made from scratch.