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Blueberry Clafoutis

We live in Southwestern Washington, one of the great things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the bounty of berries and other amazing fruits.  We went to a local berry farm it is only about 5 minutes away from our house, the place is Majestic Farms in Brush Prairie, WA. We bought 11 pounds of Blueberries for just over $13. These are wonderfully sweet and have great flavor.

Blueberry Clafoutis (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) is a french desert some say it is a cross between a crepe and a custard, or if you are familiar similar to a German pancake.  It is pretty easy to make and it is very delicious.  I think it makes a desert that looks like you worked hours on when start to finish it is about 30 minutes including bake time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 - 1 lbs or fresh berries, in this case blueberries.
• *squeeze of lemon 1/2 to 1 tbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 425º

PREPARING THE BATTER:

1. Beat the eggs together until they turn pale yellow in color and become very foamy. Can take 3 minutes or so.
2. Add milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and mix until incorporated.
3. Add flour and mix until no lumps, only 1-2 minutes, you don't want to over mix once you add the flour it can make the final result tough and rubbery.

PREPARING THE DISH:

1. Brush your baking dish generously with butter, than sprinkle sugar all over the dish.  I like to use powdered sugar for this but most recipes call for regular table sugar.
2. Arrange the fruit in the dish, you can use as much or as little fruit as you like. I like to have some seperation between the berries.
3. Pour in the batter until the berries are almost covered but still poking out a little.

BAKING:
Bake at 425º, I like to use a pie pan for mine for that size about 15-20 minutes is fine.  It will puff up and can brown on the top.

Some people prefer a more custard consistancy for that let it cook less time 12-15 minutes, some like more solid.  Make one each way and see what you like.

SERVING AND EATING:
You can eat cafloutis fresh out or the oven, warm to room temp, I don't prefer it cold from the fridge.  Cut a piece, plate it and sprinkle with powdered sugar, you can serve with whipped cream or even ice cream. I like it as is.

*I like what the lemon adds to the flavor I put a squeze in the batter, traditional recipes don't call for lemon. I also add some on the slice clafoutis when I serve it and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Time for a change!

Today I saw a documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" it is about an Australian man, Joe Cross, that for various health reasons needed to loose weight.  He had an autoimmune disease that affected his skin and he was dealing with increasing high blood pressure. He was about 300 lbs.  He had tried admittedly with little personal commitment to change he'd loose a little weight and quickly gain it back.  He was to the point were with the extra weight he was carrying made any attempts to exercise difficult and painful.  He spoke about how his taste buds were seemingly brainwashed to like only fast foods and such.

He decided he needed to make a radical change.  He decided to go on a 60 day juice fast, not store bought juice but by juicing fresh fruits and veggies.  That is all he'd consume for 60 days.  To avoid some of the trappings and temptations of being at home and among family and friends he came to the states.

He did a road trip across the country, while doing so met several people. He'd explain what he was doing and introduce them to the juices he'd drink.  He met one man, Phil a morbidly obese trucker, the shared the same skin autoimmune disease and he told Phil that he has been able to stop taking the steroids, Phil thought it was cool, and even though Joe tried to encourage Phil to jump on the bandwagon he gave a list of excuses as to why it wouldn't work for him.

A month or so later Joe got a call from Phil.  "You said you'd help me if I changed my mind, if the offer still stands I'd like to take you up on it." Joe back in Australia, decided to come back.  He set Phil up taught him how to make all the juices and got him going. When we first met Phil in the movie he did not look good, 420 lbs he could barely walk and looked very unwell.

It was amazing to see Phil's progress, he committed to 10 days of the Juice fast, it wasn't easy for him but he did it and the difference was astounding. His change in energy levels and look on his face was remarkable, inspiring.

I was struck by people in the movie that had many excuses why they couldn't make changes in their lives.  Phil's brother was one of them, and during the making of the film he had a heart attack.  For me it was a wake up call.  I am not as bad off as Phil but I am surely bad enough. I need to make a change.

I am changing this blog at least for now into a journal of my progress.

Pambazos - Mexican Sloppy Joe?!?!

Pambazo my wife made 12/31/10

I guess you can say that Pambazos are similar to a Sloppy Joe, but only in the sense they are both messy to eat and the both are a sandwich but I think at that point the similarities stop and the Pambazo is much better!

Pambazos are very regional in Mexico, in my experience only people from certain areas are familiar or ever had a Pambazo.  It differs from area to area.  I think Mexico City aka "DF" or as they'd pronouce in Spanish (Deh Efy) for Districto Federal.  Is the most typical version and the one my wife and her family makes.  They are all from the DF. :-)

The bread is a Mexican style roll called bolillo (bo-LEE-yoh) , it is similar to baguette but it is shorter, fatter, doesn't have a crisp of a crust and the inside is doughier.  They cut the roll in half as you would to make a sandwich, dip the crusts in a sauce made from re-hydrated Guajillo chiles that are blended with some of the soaking liquid and some salt to make a smooth sauce. The bread is then fried on a griddle with a little oil both the crust side and the inside of the roll


Then it is filled with a mixture of potato and chorizo sausage, then garnished with salsa verde, crema mexicana (sour cream more similar to creme fraiche), lettuce and queso fresco.

Hands down Pambazos are better than any Sloppy Joe.  If people are interested and let me know I will but the recipe on my other blog http://canjohncook.blogspot.com/

My favorite restaurant - Pok Pok

I have never been to Asia, Thailand or any other place, but I am in love with Asian food, I much prefer to eat a bowl of tripe soup with Huyet (Vietnamese steamed pig's blood.) than a plate of sticky sweet orange chicken from your local mall.  Don't get me wrong I have eaten my share of Asian mall food, where they have the orange and teriyaki sauces in gallon jugs in the storage room and frozen battered chicken and rice that is microwaved in 5lbs bags.

While I was working in Pasadena three colleagues and I went to lunch several times a week. One was from Hong Kong and had only been in the US for a couple of years, one from Korea and two white guys, Jim and I. They would take us to some amazing restaurants, many where none of the staff spoke English. I came to think that the less English spoken by the staff and the fewer non-Asians eating there the better the food was going to be. In most cases that is a rule to live by. I remember one Chinese place we went to and after my friend ordered for us I asked what we got an he said the dish is called "internal organs".... "awesome!" I said, and I loved it, steamed sliced kidney, heart and liver in a hoisin ginger garlic sauce.

With them I had some awesome Korean food too, Korean BBQ where you cook the meats on a grill in the middle of your table, some Korean noodle shop, with this amazing spicy tofu soup and a buckwheat noodle soup in a cold onion broth, surprisingly addicting. The pinnacle experience was Seoul Jung Restaurant in the Wilshire Grand Hotel.  They have a meal there that is a 12 course plus desert, it follows some Royal protocol in was exquisite.

I have eaten my share of Thai food, but mostly the standard Thai dishes Pad Thai and Curry, most very good.  Before moving to the Portland area I had heard of this place Pok Pok and wanted to try it.  Finally after being her for about 6 months my wife and I tried it.

We looked like the typical first timers, looking around taking in the atmosphere and looking at the menu trying to make sense of it.  There was no Pad Thai, there was no section of Curries with your choice or Yellow, Green or Red, and Chicken, Beef or Shrimp. When I looked around the place, there were no Asians on staff and only a few as dinners. 


Pok Pok is headed up by Chef Andy Ricker, he has a mission to bring authentic Northern Thai Street food to Portland.  When I asked our waiter for suggestions he said something I hate, "um everything is good" well that wasn't much help and often isn't true. I found out later that was very true, you can basically throw a dart at the menu and you'd be happy.  Most of the dishes are small meant to be shared, here is what we got.

Spicy Fishsauce Wings, they are one of there most famous dishes. They are awesome, in 2007 they were voted one of the top 10 dishes in the country by Food and Wine Magazine. They are marinated in fish sauce and palm sugar, then deep fried and the marinade is reduced and the wings are then tossed in the sauce. They are salty slightly sweet and if you order them spicy they have a great kick.  My wife and I love these. We got this flank steak salad with lime, chilies, lemongrass, shallots, cilantro and mint, spicy herbations and delicious.

Then there is this Northern Thai mild curry noodle soup "Khao Soi Kai", this amazing soup coconut curry soup with chicken thighs and drum on the bone, the broth is so good you wish they'd put it in to go cup and so you could sip it all day long. It is served with a sides of roasted chili paste, fresh shallots, pickled turnip greens. It is an amazing dish.

I have eaten many times at Pok Pok, every time I left very satisfied.  Everyone that works there believes in the vision or the restaurant and they all seem to love where they work, it shows. Service is excellent the food is always amazing.  I can not recommend Pok Pok enough.

Please check out my other blog http://canjohncook.blogspot.com/

Intro: Can John Eat?

I love to eat, my waist line shows it.  I am working hard to remedy that not at the expense of eating delicious food, first step is to cut out the junk and make some good choices in most of my meals.  Then every once and a while I can go wild.

Foods I love? In the past couple of years I have become passionate about Thai food, thanks to a local Portland eatery Pok Pok.  One of the best restaurants I have ever been to.  You can bet I will thoroughly cover Pok Pok in this blog. 

My wife is from Mexico City, food and family is what life is all about for people there.  We have been to Mexico several times together and love going of food expeditions.

I was a missionary for my church in Brazil.  I lived there for a couple of years, and lived in one of the culinary meccas of Brazil, the state of Minas Gerais.  Amazing stews, cheeses, snacks, sweets, you name it.  I had some of the most amazing meals of my life in the most humble of homes.  I have a deep love and appreciation for the wonderful people of Brazil.

Germany, while I wasn't an Army brat per se, my father worked for the Dept. of the Army as a civil servant and we lived in Germany from age 4 to 10, I was young but I took in a lot, I'd dare say more than most American kids that lived overseas.  Not only did I have the rare priviledge of having two parents fluent in German but they loved the culture and while many American Expats longed for McDonalds and Pizza Hut we got to dive in the deep end of the German culture.  As a young boy I'd get my weekly allowance hop on my little bike go to the base exchange it for Deutsche Marks and head to what we expats ignorantly called "German Town" and hit all the local pastry shops and toys stores.  From what I remember I was quite the novelty among the German Merchants, this cute (I was cute, make that awesomely adorable) American kid coming into the German Stores speaking broken German.  I had no fear, I have had the blessing that Language or lack there of has never been an obstacle to me.

Southern Food and BBQ.  From 11 - 20 I lived in Northern Virginia, while there wasn't a lot of BBQ or collards served in our house I acquired a love for that at friends local eateries. I remember our local convienince store, Highs Dairy Store had a crock pot of pulled pork behind the register, when ever I saved up a buck and change I'd walk down there and get a BBQ Sandwich and Mellow yellow.  I'd sit on the curb infront of the store and be in Nirvana for about the next 7 minutes. And, that was terrible BBQ would be a while before I got introduced to the good stuff. Biscuits and gravy, real mac and cheese I love it all. I now have a smoker that cranks out a lot of BBQ, and I have passed on the love of Q to my boys.

Mom, well I think many of us long for those foods our mothers made for us growing up.  My mom was Iowa born and raised and it showed in her food.  My Dad was an early bird my mom was a night owl, she while the rest of us were in bed she'd start to make all kinds of goodies, one of my all time favorites was her Cinderella Cake and Coffee butter icing.  I have had more than one dream about that!

I have a varied and eclectic taste in food, so I thought I'd document some of the foods I love, some new things I'll try and any good places to eat I find.  I love to talk food so if there are any comments, corrections criticisms or questions let me have them, post them in the comments or email me.  Visit my other blog Can John Cook? for recipes and preparation techniques.