use real butter

[Daring Bakers in search of Danish Braid, please jump here.]

On a recent post where I bagged on annoying blog characteristics I got a lot of comments and emails about why I hate Blogger. I’m sorry, I should have been more clear. There are a lot of people who blog on Blogger, and I love those people, I just HATE BLOGGER. Aside from the incredibly stupid and clumsy mechanics of Blogger, it is ass slow. I know this because when you try to visit over 1000 Daring Baker blogs in the course of a few days (where the majority are on Blogger) you start to pick up on how painfully stupid and poorly designed the commenting procedure is. I’m no authority on blogs, I just know what makes me crazy when I go to other blogs - although I do have professional experience on the design, programming, and implementation side (including some user testing).

my avocados ripened too late for the party, but not too late for us

Now I’m going to make a few observations about photography… I usually keep quiet, but every now and again I will let loose and rail. Here is more brain dump. And away we go!

1) A dSLR for you, and a dSLR for you… Everyone is jumping aboard the dSLR bandwagon, it seems. A lot of people feel compelled to drop a wad o’ cash for one of these pretty babies because they want to post pictures on their blog. For most folks, a really nice point and shoot (aka dummy cam) will do just fine. I see a lot of shitty looking pictures that were taken with a dSLR and some expensive glass. Such a waste. Buying a fancy camera doesn’t make you a good photographer any more than buying a slick pair of skis will make you an Olympic class skier. There is actually something to learning how to take a good picture.

2) Don’t take photography for granted. Let’s back up and think about what usually makes a nice photo (and when you get really artsy, all of these rules are out the window). Focus. Composition. Focus. Lighting. Oh, did I mention FOCUS? If you can’t hold a camera steady, there is this amazing piece of equipment called a tripod. They run as little as $25 and won’t shake up your shot like a drunken freshman during rush. I tripod 70% of my photos and of my money shots I tripod about 95%. What you are shooting will have some bearing on what type of lenses and other equipment you want. There is a big difference between shooting food and shooting weddings, for instance.

3) See the light. Lighting is a technical issue, but when you begin to understand the nature of light (natural, artificial, diffuse, offset, reflected, etc.) it becomes an art. Try shutting off your flash. Try using an off camera flash with bounce or diffuser. Try natural light with reflector. Mess around and learn how light behaves and how it interacts with your subject. If you’re outside, try shooting before sun up or after sundown. You’d be amazed at how different a change in lighting can make your shot. Light is a pain in my ass and it was something I avoided learning about for years, but it was worth it. I’m no expert, but I consider myself mildly competent now. It’s definitely a more advanced topic, but it is important.

4) *I’m* driving the bus! Take the camera off auto. Learn to use manual. Learn what aperture is. Learn what shutter speed is. Learn ISO. Learn white balance. Learn to manual focus. And learn to post-process (this is digital we’re talking about). If you leave your dSLR on auto, you have essentially purchased an expensive and large point-and-shoot camera. For shame.

5) Composition is the big one. I think compo is where the signature of the photographer comes through. It’s the translation of the vision in your head into the photograph you produce. What’s the set up? What is the subject? WHERE is the subject? IS there a subject? How is it lit? What are the implied actions/motions? Where are you leading the viewer’s eye? Is there chaos? How does it make you feel? What is the focus? What is the depth of field? Sometimes no matter how I try, I cannot make a shot work because what I see as beautiful with my two eyes doesn’t transition into a good photograph through my lens (usually in the backcountry where, as a rule, I do not move natural subjects). Your brain creates a unique and vast image in your head from the input through your eyes. Your camera - it don’t do that. Ever take a picture of something you saw that was beautiful only to be disappointed later with what the camera captured? Yup. That’s what I’m talking about - the lens and camera are far more limited than your brain and eyes. What you convey through the camera is the true art.

Composition is not so much a technical issue as a personal preference. It comes with practice and the beauty of digital is that you can practice a lot without going bankrupt! I shoot daily and when I am shooting, particularly in the backcountry, I see the world in two views: from the perspective of my eyes, and what that would look like through my camera and lens. I know them so well that I can consider a gorgeous span of wildflowers and know what I can and can’t get with the camera without even removing it from my pack. That comes from a lot of practice. So practice, damn it. Practice. And vary your shots to see what works and what sucks.

6) Zoom the hell in. Whether it means zooming in with your lens or getting up close and personal with the subject (I’m assuming food here, but yeah - other subjects too). Not all shots need to be macro shots, but people are usually too conservative and are zoomed out too much. My friend E was complaining how people who take “snapshots” for her with her camera wind up making the people subjects teensy tiny so that you don’t even know who is in the picture. Do you NEED to include their shoes? A lot of things can be implied even if they aren’t in the picture. You can get the idea of a bowl of berries across without showing the whole bowl.

7) Move your ass. If you insist on taking pictures always standing at full height - you are boring and so are your photos. Perspective is crucial. Get on your belly! Crouch low, shoot up, angle sideways, turn the camera, shoot directly down. Try SOMETHING different. It may not always work, but you won’t know until you do it.

8) And my pet peeve that is addressed directly at food blogs: multiple shots of the same frakking thing (with the exception of the end product, but that can go too far as well). I mean, how many pictures do you really need to post of a hand sprinkling brown sugar over cake batter? Six? Seven? What a waste of my bandwidth. That’s what VIDEO is for, durrrrrr.

Well, that’s my two cents and with the decline of the dollar, it’s worth less now than it was when you started reading. I’m just tossing out what works for me which may or may not mean anything to you.

Kathy had asked if I could post the sangria recipe earlier. I actually went searching online at various food blogs for a good sangria recipe because I typically prefer the tried and true recipes I see on food blogs rather than the standard online collections. I came across this one at Andrea’s Recipes and decided to give it a try.

citrus slices

strawberry and peach to add before serving

The beauty of sangria is that you don’t have to buy expensive wines - cheap wines work perfectly here. I don’t know how to shop for cheap wines, but my local liquor barn employee had excellent recommendations and pointed me to some good affordable picks. Toss in some sugar and seasonal fruits and you are good to go.

pour the wine

Sangria is one of those drinks that will knock me to the ground because I love fruit and will drink a lot of sangria just trying to get to the floating peach in my glass. So deceptive, this adult fruit punch… It’s perfect for combating the summer heat.

put up your dogs and cool off with some of this

Sangria

1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1 (750 ml) bottle dry white wine
1 (750 ml) bottle dry red wine
2 peaches, sliced
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

Combine orange, lemon, sugar and wines in a large glass bowl or pitcher and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. Add peaches, strawberries, and Grand Marnier before right before serving. Serve over ice.

A yellow dusting of pine pollen appeared on *everything* just two days ago. Pine tree sex has begun in earnest. Before long, nothing that remains outside will be safe from a plastering of yellow pollen - NOTHING! I don’t mind the pollen powder getting all over the place as long as I don’t think of it as a major orgy going on in my yard… But it does wreak havoc on my allergies. It didn’t seem to bother Kaweah much while she sprawled out on the deck this afternoon.

what, is there something on my face?

We were all chilling out on the deck this afternoon because our second visitor P.C. (post chemo) arrived at noon. My dear friend was in the state for a wedding and dropped by our mountain abode for lunch and a short stroll before flying home. Neither of us considers ourself to be an emotional creature, but we could not help a few tears when we greeted and embraced.

a lovely friend on a lovely day

I prepared a simple, yet incredibly satisfying and happy-making menu for this, the second day of summer. It was almost as delightful as the company!


orange and toasted almond salad with citrus dressing
grilled asparagus
yukon gold potato galette
grilled marinated flank steak
lychee panna cotta

salad

yukon gold potato galette with gruyère, parmesan, and shallots

slicing the flank steak

After lunch we went for a quick walk on a local trail to drink in the burst of blooming wildflowers and the lush forest and understory. The bloom is in full swing at our house elevation and we loved it! We also happened upon the mystery flower from the last post (I know it’s been driving poor Diane crazy). I think I’ve identified it now.

anemone multifida: ranunculaceae (buttercup family)

drummond’s rockcress

gorgeous green gentian

the tiniest orchid, a spotted coral root

i love aspen stands throughout the year

not a fan of the color orange, but i love orange wildflowers

Clouds had moved in and made for very pleasant walking conditions, adding a light and cool breeze. That is my kind of weather, and E was happy to have a break from the heat since she lives in So Cal. I missed an opportunity to shoot a red-winged blackbird (with my camera) because Kaweah was acting up…

finishing off the dandelion

e and the blinker

Once back at the house, we had enough time left to indulge in little shots of lychee panna cotta (recipe to come later). I won’t go on and on about what a phenomenal, brilliant, adventurous, creative, kind, deep, and utterly hilarious woman E is, because it will just make you sad that she’s not a part of your life ;) We had such a wonderful 4-hour visit with her. She is one special chica.

The recipe for the marinated flank steak is super duper easy and mucho mas mejor rico (delicious)! Another keeper I got from my ILs… along with my guy. If you have 24 hours to let it marinate in the refrigerator, you have the makings of a Great Meal.

i recommend fresh lemon juice and parsley

flank steak is a great cut for grilling

I like to drop the flank steak and all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag. It is a more efficient way to marinate and it takes up less space in my refrigerator where real estate is at a premium in the summer!

piling everything into the ziploc

After 24 hours of sitting happily with the likes of soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, and other friends - the flank steak is ready for the grill. While it grills, I like to pour the marinade into a pot and bring it to a boil. I stir up some cornstarch and water to add and thicken it into a lovely sauce. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d make a small amount of roux for thickening… but I get lazy at times.

let the flank steak rest a few minutes before slicing

slice and serve to the adoring applause of your guests

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

1-2 lb. flank steak
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate for 8-24 hours in refrigerator. Grill the steak on high heat to desired doneness (we find 3-4 minutes a side gives us a nice medium rare to rare color). Pour the marinade into a pot and bring to boil. Thicken the marinade by adding 1 tsp of cornstarch mixed with a tbsp of water. Once sauce is bubbling, remove from heat. Let the flank steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain. Serve the flank steak with the sauce.

We hosted a little ol’ chocolate tasting yesterday with four friends. It’s the first half of a two-part project I planned. We have done wine tastings in the past on several occasions, but never a chocolate tasting. I know some people think a chocolate tasting involves shoving loads of chocolate down your gullet. Please… it is nothing so crass as that - you may as well go sit in a corner with a few pounds of cheap Hershey’s bars if that is your aim (and not set foot in my dining room!). In fact, this chocolate tasting was quite a bit of work.

the players: round 1 - chocolove

the players: round 2 - dark ~70%

I took a cue from Fine Cooking’s issue #83 on hosting tasting parties. There they discuss how to conduct tastings for cheddar, olive oil, and of course, dark chocolate. Sounded like fun. The issue of my wankered taste hovered in my mind, but I was more than 2 weeks out from the last chemo, so my taste was probably operating on par with most folks. In general (and Jeremy will back me up on this one), I have a discerning and sensitive palate. I’m curious to take that super-taster test. We decided on two flights of chocolate: one flight of Chocolove in varying degrees of cacao (55%, 65%, and 70%), and then a flight of dark chocolates with 70% cacao (New Tree, Valrhona, Green & Black’s, and Lindt). Tasting all of that dark chocolate can be tough on an empty stomach and go straight to your noggin. So we served appetizers and a light dinner beforehand.

crudités, pita, hummus, soft asiago, olives

greek salad with yogurt-tahini dressing or balsamic vinaigrette

We opted for a nice Shiraz to go with the appetizers and a smooth Zin for dinner. The salad is a meal in itself and I adapted it from my favorite souvlaki/chicklaki plate at Aladdin’s in Ithaca, NY. Fresh greens, tomatoes, greek olives, young cucumbers, grated feta, and hunks of grilled marinated beef or chicken. I personally love the yogurt-tahini dressing, but offered up the vinaigrette because I like for my guests to have choices.

everyone seemed to enjoy it

the beautiful flowers Beth and Marianne brought us

Once we had a chance to digest dinner, we set out the water glasses and the chocolates. To clear your palate between tasting, cool (not cold) water and neutral bread or crackers is recommended. Don’t be drinking booze (port or big cabs pair well with high content cacao chocolates) or else you’re going to fuck up the tasting - sheesh. I placed pieces of each chocolate in their own bowl and labeled the bowl accordingly. Each piece should be big enough to be broken into two bite-sized pieces.

starting the chocolate tasting

Everyone got a sheet of paper and a pen for taking notes. The group evaluated one chocolate at a time, passing the bowl around for everyone to take a piece. First we smelled it (1), then snapped it in half (2), then placed one half in our mouths and allowed it to melt - assessing for taste (3) and texture (4). Then we ate the other half and chewed it (5) and evaluated the finish (6). Swish with water and proceed to the next chocolate. In hindsight, I would have switched the order and tasted all of the 70% chocolates first, then tasted the Chocoloves. We were more sensitive to the breadth of flavors in the 65% and 55% Chocoloves upon revisiting after the 70% chocolates. And have napkins on hand, this can get messy.

one of the big winners of the evening

Our guests had assumed the chocolate tasting was their dessert, but that isn’t my style. The chocolate tasting was the main event, but it was also hard work and not what I would classify as satisfying or a proper finish to a meal. No no no, we closed with a Torta di Ricotta and heaps of good conversation.

ricotta cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries

In the end, the lighter Chocoloves won out overall. As far as eating chocolate goes, I am a huge fan of Chocolove, especially as it is based right here in Boulder, Colorado. It is a beloved local brand with hints of vanilla, hazelnut, and caramel. I don’t tend to be a fan of the bittersweets for eating - but that’s just me. I was disappointed in how the Valrhona 71% fared because the brand is my favorite chocolate for pastries and confections. I just tasted the Valrhona 64% Manjari that I used to make chocolate-dipped strawberries and compared it to the Valrhona 71% - a world of difference! The Manjari is much smoother, fuller, and pleasant. Even the Guanaja (Valrhona 70%) block that I have tastes much better than the eating bar. Curious. Well, we all found Green and Black’s to be consistently near the bottom. Makes me wish that I had selected a bar of Scharffen Berger instead. The exercise was certainly educational and I hope our friends came away from it with a broader appreciation for chocolate and all of her complexities. Most of all, it was a lot of fun. You can find all of our notes in the tables below. The number below each person’s name is the rank they gave that chocolate.

#2 Chocolove 55%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth #2	sweet, raspberry, slight burnt	clean	caramel, vanilla, slight bitter	smooth, creamy	smooth, creamy	slight bitter, mild linger
Jen #1	mild rubber	clean	caramel, vanilla	creamy, smooth	no change	light linger, clean
Jeremy #3	chocolate, milk	clean, nice snap	caramel	smooth, creamy		long clean finish
Kellie #1	milk, mild	clean	caramel, vanilla	creamy, smooth		quick finish
Marianne #3	berry, sweet, nutty, milk	slightly soft, smooth	raisin, sweet, caramel, vanilla	creamy, smooth	same	lingers w/o sweet nasty taste, not super long
Tom #1	burnty	perfectly square		smooth, creamy	not as flavorful	quick, clean

#1 Chocolove 65%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth #1	mild rubber	clean	slight burnt, slight caramel, slight bitter, hazelnut	a little waxy		bitter
Jen #2	mild rubber	clean	mild coffee, hazelnut	smooth	sweeter, tastes better	longer finish, dry aftertaste
Jeremy #1	mild rubber	good snap	caramel, coffee	smooth		nice hard finish
Kellie #2	mild tobacco	clean	smokey	waxy, creamy	creamy
Marianne #1	sweet, berry	clean	raisin	silky, smooth	failed due to melting from hands	very little aftertaste
Tom #3	less burnt, more tobacco	clean	darker	smooth, creamy, slightly grainy	sweeter, flavorful

#4 Chocolove 70%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth #3	leather, wood	clean	cigar	smooth, dense
Jen #3	mild leather	clean	coffee, caramel	buttery, silky	sweeter	medium linger
Jeremy #2	rough leather	good snap	less caramel, more coffee	less melty		lingering, mucus-making
Kellie #4	burnt, tobacco	clean	smokey	waxy, creamy	stronger after bitten	stronger aftertaste
Marianne #5	smokey	clean snap	raisin, ashy	smooth, silky	sweeter when chewed	no linger
Tom no rank	smokier, ash tray	clean		smooth	sweeter	quick finish

#3 New Tree 73%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth no rank		clean	bitter, mushroom	dry, chalky
Jen #4	earthy, raisin	clean	caramel, coffee, acid, smokey	smooth, dry	sweeter, slight fruit	long finish
Jeremy #4	raisin	good snap	no caramel, dark taste, bitter up front	tiny crystals
Kellie #3	raisin	clean	smokey	smooth	sweeter upon biting	went away quickly
Marianne #2	smokey, raisin	mostly clean	smokey	creamy, chalky	drier
Tom no rank	burnt, ash tray	clean		creamy, smooth	sweet, nice

#6 Valrhona 71%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth no rank	subtle earth, scotch	soft	olives, sour, acidic	chalky, dry	butter, acid	slight bitter, dry linger, quick finish
Jen #6	earthy, fruity	clean	olives, acidity, coffee	smooth, dry	more acid, sharper up front	quick finish, lingering dry
Jeremy #6	earthy, aromatic	sharp break	olive, sour	pasty	a little soft	smooth, dry finish
Kellie #6	raisins	clean snap	olive, sour, acidic	drier, cotton mouth	sharper when chewed	dry linger
Marianne #7	sweet, scotchy, earthy	smooth	olives, scotch, acid, sour, butter or butterscotch	lightly chalky	chewing has more kick	dry and bitter lingers, flavor goes quickly
Tom no rank	peat-like	clean, but not as clean as others	slightly sour	smooth, no grit	least favorite	lingers more than others

#7 Green & Black’s 70% (organic)	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth no rank	fruit	mostly clean, a little powdery	bitter, acid-coffee, tangy	chalky	worse, strong burnt, muddy	dry
Jen #7	fruit	clean	smokey, bitter, acidic, rancid coffee, mud	chalky	sweeter, more sour	cigarettes, long finish
Jeremy #7	fruity	brittle	bitter	chalky		crumbly, sour, dry
Kellie #7		clean break	smokey, olive, bitter, acidic	drier	cigarettes	long, bitter
Marianne #6	ashy, berry	breaks	smokey, tangy, strong flavor	very dry	less smokey
Tom no rank	tea, black tea	clean	bitter	slightly chalky	least favorite (again)

#5 Lindt 70%	smell	break	taste	texture	chew	finish
Beth no rank	malty, sweet, milk, bananas	clean	bitter, smokey, acid	chalky, smooth	woody, bright bananas	acidic, dry
Jen #5	caramel, sweet	clean	acid, light fruit	creamy, dry	more fruit, banana	acidic finish, medium linger, abrupt end
Jeremy #5	malty, caramel, milk	nice break, sharp	fruity	gluey	sweet, acidic	fast finish
Kellie #5	sweet, malty	clean	fruity	drier, chalky	fruitier when chewed	mild finish
Marianne #4	caramel, malt	good snap	tangy (more than G&B), slight caramel	dry	sweet up front, ends with tang	dry on aftertaste, fast finish
Tom #2	malty	cleanest	slight sour-milk	smoothest, creamy		dry