use real butter

One of our favorite meals in Boulder is Community Night at The Kitchen. It’s a brilliant concept and so much fun. Every Monday night at 7 pm, diners who have signed up for Comm Night arrive and sit at a long table in the center of the dining room. There are usually 2 dozen people and reservations need to be made a few weeks in advance. No one knows what the menu is. You don’t order the food. The chef decides that day. When everyone is seated and has ordered drinks, the courses begin to parade out. Usually there will be three or four plates of one course passed around the table. You dine family style. It’s a social setting and you usually wind up chatting with your neighbors and getting to know other folks. You know… “community”. But more than just the community - people are there to sample some pretty amazing fare. All told, there will be anywhere from 9 to 13 different dishes that pass under your nose by the end of the evening. The best advice I can offer anyone going to Community Night: wear an elastic waistband.

a neighboring cocktail

mixed olives to start: picholine and niçoise

I made a reservation for Comm Night so my ILs could experience it this past Monday. It was our (mine and Jeremy’s) fourth time - we absolutely love it. And while Comm Night is just about my favorite meal to have in Boulder, it is also my least favorite to shoot. Even in summer, Comm Night doesn’t begin until 7 pm and the lighting inside the dining room of The Kitchen suuuuucks. I understand that some food bloggers have rules about not using flash, yadda yadda and yadda. Whatev. Shooting at The Kitchen is a pickle, but Comm Night is so bloody amazing that I always want to capture it.

chicken and pork pâté with cornichons and mustard

prosciutto with cheeses, apple slices, and candied almonds

Restaurant shooting is probably the most stressful part of food photography that I encounter. Not only is it generally more technically difficult, but the social circumstances can make it awkward if not impossible. But I love to photograph what we eat in restaurants because it’s different, it’s (sometimes) plated, and it usually looks good. Most of my dear friends Don’t Touch their plates when they are set down at the table. They even turn the best side of the plate to face my camera. I suppose that is a sad statement about me… and it also means my friends are pretty frakking awesome.

flatbread with duck confit, corn, onion, and chèvre

tazmanian salmon belly wtih corn salad and sautéed greens

Most people don’t photograph what they are eating in restaurants, so when I want to shoot my food, I am already doing something out of the norm. There are three groups I consider: 1) my party 2) the restaurant and 3) other diners - not necessarily in that order! I generally don’t shoot if the people I’m with are going to be annoyed or offended. I typically okay it with the restaurant if I’m using flash (more on that below) and I also politely check with fellow diners around me if using flash. Amazingly, some of the fellow Comm Night guests have gotten into it and offered to hold a plate for me or search around for the prettiest presentation. I have never had anyone tell me “no” except a cupcakery in Pasadena who refused to let me photograph their cupcakes (which was odd because I bought 10 of the damn things and took them outside to photograph and by the way - they were pretty mediocre for the price I paid). If anyone tells me no - I refrain, period. Oddly enough, on some occasions when I’ve asked other diners if my flash will disrupt their meal, they reply no, then smile, then ask me if I’m Kylie Kwong. What a hoot.

grilled calamari in red pepper peppronata and diced tomato

farm greens with apples and gorgonzola

Ideally, when I shoot in a restaurant, I will be seated by a window where good natural light is available and there is no need for anything but my camera and a steady hand. Ideally. Life, as we know it, is rarely ideal. I shoot with the Nikon D200 because all of the smaller cameras are either on the fritz, out to pasture, or full of pictures of national and international telescope facilities (don’t ask). Shooting with the D200 is a pain in the ass. Why? It is big and heavy. Plop one of two huge lenses on it and you get Bigger and Heavier. As light diminishes (which it always does in the restaurants), shutter speed slows down and well - you need a table-top tripod. I can hand hold my shots down to about 1/8 of a second with decent results and then we enter the realm of pain where it’s too much trouble to bring out the tripod, but the potential for camera-shake increases and risks tanking the shot (see the cocktail shot - 1/6 sec). I don’t tweak my ISO. It stays on the lowest setting *always*. I’ve tested a handful of smaller tripods and the only one that doesn’t buckle under the weight of my camera/lens is the gorillapod zoom. Don’t get too excited though, the G-pod zoom barely handles the configuration and most of the time I have to steady the tripod with my hand to pull off exposures anywhere from 1/8 to 1 second. Oy!

roast pork tenderloin with potatoes, carrots, celery, fennel, onion

creamy polenta with grilled onions

When the tripod doesn’t cut it, it’s time to bring out the flash (and put tripod away). When I cross the line to flash photography, things become more complicated on several fronts. First off - I am now infringing on the ambiance and dining experience of the people around me. That’s why I ask first. Again, no one has EVER had a problem with it so far. One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of the people dining at the finer establishments are there for celebratory reasons and they wind up taking a lot of photos for the occasion and use… flash. I’ve even taken photos for some folks. For some reason, if you are taking snappies of the whole gang at Grandma’s 75th birthday, you don’t need to ask permission of the other diners to use your flash, but if you want to shoot some sexy prosciutto at your table, it is enough to get some folks’ panties in a wad (according to comments on a few food blogs).

Secondly, there is more equipment involved: external flash and diffuser. I lug all of this junk in a compact photo bag which I try to tuck under my table or seat. Juggling photography gear is a nightmare for me - just not what I want to be dealing with at dinner. I usually set up, take a quick shot (just one when using flash), disassemble, put away. This got particularly awkward at Comm Night because my ILs were probably wondering what sort of freak married into their family 11 years ago… The place was so dark though that just trying to focus (manually, always manually) on the edge of the chocolate cake was nigh impossible. Toward the end of the meal, people around us forgot that I was shooting and tucked into the plates straight away. At that point, I did my best guess, fired one shot, and accepted whatever would come of it. There is no time to spend more than 1 second setting up and taking the shot. Maybe if the world were full of food photogs it might be different, but it isn’t. Wow, that’s a neat concept - a world full of food photogs. I’d love it.

chocolate nemesis cake (flourless chocolate cake)

yogurt panna cotta with raspberries and blackberries

The dinner was fantastic as always. The Kitchen NEVER disappoints me as food goes. And even though the photos were less than satisfactory, they at least convey how much and how varied the food was. Would I be happier to leave the camera at home and just enjoy the meal? I don’t think so. Sharing food is such a part of my daily life that I would be sad not to drag everyone along and tell them what a great meal this was. Plus I have this documentation problem (I document and archive just about everything). At least Jeremy puts up with me and even holds the flash or hands me a lens to switch out when necessary. Anyway, I just thought I’d share the consistently toughest meal for me to shoot in Boulder (logistically) for the curious.

This past Saturday marked three years since we moved to Colorado. In celebration, we did nothing. We celebrate living here every day, folks. As if the ski and flower porn weren’t enough to convince you of how much we love it… Actually we did something this weekend, but it had nothing to do with the 3-year mark and everything to do with the summer bloom in the mountains.

yeah, puppy came along too

Talk to people around Colorado and many of them will swoon when you say the words Crested Butte. The skiing is phenomenal, the mountain biking world class, the wildflowers are some of the best in the country. The mountains and forests will take your breath away with dramatic expanses of wilderness in every direction. The town is charming, quaint and high end. Everyone has their reason for loving Crested Butte. It’s also a favorite for nature photographers.

poor air quality due to a wildfire 30 miles away

I called this trip a vacay in the previous post, but it was really work. Anytime I plan to actively shoot it becomes work. We woke up at 4 am in the mornings and weren’t done shooting until after 9 pm (and driving past 10 pm). It’s all dictated by the light and we were exhausted when we got home today. Jeremy commented that he gets much more sleep when I shoot the fall colors ;) True dat.

flowers abound

Probably not a one of you would have considered this a relaxing trip. It wasn’t relaxing, but it was rewarding.

So I have another savory recipe in my archives here… It’s a good recipe because it has bacon in it. Precious, lovely, beautiful bacon. I always double the recipe because it actually tastes better the next day after the flavors have had 24 hours to blend together, but we’re too impatient to wait that long when it comes out of the oven smelling like the dinner you so want to eat.

cutting the shortening

pressed pie crust dough

While I abhor those pre-made pie crusts you can buy at the store, I am just about the laziest pie crust maker ever. I probably overmix my dough and it’s too crumby and not flaky enough. Maybe one day when I start to care, I’ll start to improve my technique. I guess I just add more bacon to the filling, because bacon masks any deficiencies in a quiche.

mixing milk, eggs, and the goodies

toss the gruyère with flour

The gruyère adds a lovely dimension to the flavors. I used to use any old Swiss cheese when I first starting baking quiche. Then one night I had leftover gruyère from a party and used that instead. We have never looked back.

fill the pie shells

baked and ready to serve

The biggest problem I have with serving quiche right out of the oven is the ooze factor. You know what I’m talking about - cut one slice and the rest of the quiche seems to slo-mo vomit into the space you just vacated. This last time I made the quiche, it came out of the oven and we rushed off to… shoot some wildflowers. We were back within 20 minutes, but that 20 minutes of rest time for the quiche set it up nicely and no one was vomiting anything after the initial slice. Nice.

perfect with some salad on the side

Quiche

1 pie crust
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 medium onion, minced and sautéed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 head broccoli, chopped and blanched
1 1/2 cups gruyère, shredded
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt

pie crust
from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening or lard
3-4 tbsp cold water

Mix together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening until it is in pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of water over the mixture and toss with fork. Repeat until all is moistened and form dough into a ball. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface, rolling from center to edges until about 12 inches in diameter. Press and form into a 9-inch pie plate.

Quiche: Line the pie crust with foil and bake at 450°F for 5 minutes. Bake another 5-7 minutes with the foil off. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, onion, bacon, broccoli, muhsrooms, and salt. In a separate bowl, toss the cheese and flour together. Add the cheese to the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into pie crust and bake 35-40 minutes. Let quiche rest out of the oven for 15 minutes before serving. The flavor really improves if eaten the next day (which is why I make two quiches at a time).

Tartelette told me she couldn’t keep up with my posting! It’s true, I have been posting daily since the calendar flipped to July because there is just so much going on that if I don’t write them up - posts will get buried! Not to mention, I’m on my steroid regimen again and I am running with the overflow of energy. I’ll probably crash and burn in 24 hours, but I’m okay with that. After feeling like complete crap for several months, it’s hard to take for granted the improvements I now feel. I can finally get out to see the mountains I love, find energy to cook wonderful food (and even taste and digest them!), and have the patience to capture the beauty of our summer season with my camera. These are happy times. I’m also wired and exhausted, but I relish it - I really do.

This morning we took another hike up to a lovely lake nestled in an alpine basin at roughly 11,300 feet. Invigorating! There was still plenty of snow, which is a good thing because it has been so hot here lately. Several more varieties of wildflowers were beginning to bloom, but the lake is still under a lot of ice and snow. I’m crazy for the mountains.

marmots out and basking in the sun

marianne captures some delicate wildflowers

above the lake from our snack stop

kaweah cools off on the snow

It has been a hot holiday weekend, but this afternoon we finally got a nice thunderstorm to deliver much needed rain. The temperature plummeted from 85 to 55 degrees in an hour. Lovely! Good thing I barbecued yesterday :)

all-purpose red rub

Even though I love barbecue, I am no barbecue expert. I’m a faker to some degree because we use a gas grill and oven instead of charcoal grill (fear of burning down state of Colorado). Most of what I’ve cobbled together in the past few years has been from reading/researching all sorts of recipes from various regions and sources. I lived in central New York for more years than I care to recall, but I still never got around to dining at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse - a place many of my friends swear by (one even had them cater her wedding!) I did manage to pick up a copy of the book before we moved back West.

mix the rub with olive oil

The one thing I cannot stand about barbecue chicken is when someone takes a boneless, skinless chicken breast and wipes barbecue sauce on the thing while it turns to rubber on the grill. That is disgusting. People who cook chicken like that should be smacked about the head with that piece of rubber. I know people who do this. I have to squint my eyes and keep my hands by my side when I witness this atrocity being perpetrated on chicken in this manner. The best barbecue chicken has the bone and skin still on it. You don’t have to eat the skin, but you need to cook with it on the meat. The recipe I quite enjoy for barbecue chicken comes straight from my Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cookbook. Good stuff.

rub the rub on the chickie

I am partial to chicken leg quarters. It’s a nice honking piece of chicken and it doubles as a weapon to boot. Little pieces get dried out too quickly. I find the leg quarters remain juicy and full of flavor during grilling - far better than their breast counterparts. Dark meat is where it’s at. When applying the oil and rub mixture to the chicken, I like to get a little of that under the skin for some extra seasoning and flavor. Just be careful that you don’t tear through the skin. I let my chicken sit for at least 8 hours, covered in the refrigerator, after the rub is put on.

brushing mutha sauce on the chicken at the end

The chicken is grilled and then in the last ten minutes, a nice brushing of barbecue sauce ensures a decent glaze. I personally like to serve extra sauce on the side with the finished chicken. We had this for our fourth of July dinner. This is a great recipe to make that doesn’t require much preparation - just a little planning ahead of time and lots of napkins when you eat it!

hot off the grill and ready for the party

Barbecue Chicken
modified from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que by John Stage and Nancy Radke

8 chicken quarters
2/3 cup olive oil
7 tbsps all-purpose red rub
2 cups mutha sauce

all-purpose red rub
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated garlic
6 tbsps granulated onion
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

All-purpose red rub: Mix all ingredients into a bowl and rub them together with your hands. Store in plastic or glass container until ready for use. Makes 2 3/4 cups.

mutha sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, puréed
2 tbsp garlic, minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
28 oz. tomato sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp allspice, ground

Mutha sauce: Sauté onions and garlic in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer for ten minutes and let the sauce cool. This makes a ridiculous amount of sauce - something like 10-12 cups.

Chicken: Mix the oil and the rub together in a bowl and massage it into the chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate the chicken until you are ready to grill it (I gave it 8 hours). Over a 325° to 350°F temperature grill (when lid is down), position the rack as high above the coals as possible. Arrange chicken, skin-side up, directly over the coals. Close and cook for 25 to 30 minutes then flip the chicken over and cook covered, for another 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°-165°F. Flip all pieces skin-side up and slather on the Mutha Sauce. Close the lid of the grill and cook for 10 more minutes to glaze the chicken. Serve with extra sauce. Feeds 4-6.