Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we also like quietly eating simpler things in our condo -- tuna and vegetable salad, chicken strips, seared lamb chops with broccoli, and always cereal for breakfast. <br /><br />The first time we ate out, we tried a very nice but unremarkable Mexican restaurant called Palapa, which didn't seem very photogenic. I'd be surprised if it's frequented by the Aspen elite either, but one never knows around here.<br /><br />Last weekend, we bicycled to the very quirky Woody Creek Tavern, around 6 miles down the extraordinary Rio Grand Trail. Woody Creek Tavern is known for home-style food in an eccentric atmosphere. The walls are entirely covered with trinkets, photos, notes from customers, and posters -- such as one of their most famous customer, the late Hunter Thompson, who ran for sheriff in 1970.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864672776/" title="aspenrestaurants14 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants14" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/5864672776_690908b95c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864634842/" title="aspenrestaurants 11 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 11" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5271/5864634842_957894975c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We also ate dinner one night at the famous Ajax Tavern at the foot of the Gondola which carries skiers in winter and hikers in summer. I suspect that celebrities do come here but I'm not much good at spotting them. Ajax Tavern's green gazpacho was delicious.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631748/" title="aspenrestaurants 6 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 6" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5864631748_8a227e755e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Here's the Ajax Tavern kitchen/staging area:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078481/" title="aspenrestaurants 5 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 5" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/5864078481_49e5778639.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />The Ajax Tavern has a lot of trendy dishes, such as truffle-oil-flavored french fries and reimagined ice cream bars:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078385/" title="aspenrestaurants 3 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 3" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/5864078385_1b4fb3810c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />For lunch one day, right near our condo, I tried Mezzaluna, a small cafe with a very nice patio and very appealing menu. I love the way the trees cast shadows on the big cafe awnings. My salad was very good, and I hope to go back and try their pizza.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631532/" title="aspenrestaurants 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 2" height="480" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5279/5864631532_355a8d958e_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />For access to the entire Flickr photo set -- lots more photos of each place -- click on any photo here.

Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we ...

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The Picnic Game from Louise

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2kOnDyXSc9VXV4l3g321nPDd8jXP8irbfJS8Df31szP_IlhrxO1wphLBJYZEePrnMFcbqXoGCMU1WxYFDpcgBVg9dficxSeARR4wIEcFGwdTg27-hae7Mwr5VBsg0VSNjFfiCOhK6fgn/s1600/PicnicGame2011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619573889644827186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2kOnDyXSc9VXV4l3g321nPDd8jXP8irbfJS8Df31szP_IlhrxO1wphLBJYZEePrnMFcbqXoGCMU1WxYFDpcgBVg9dficxSeARR4wIEcFGwdTg27-hae7Mwr5VBsg0VSNjFfiCOhK6fgn/s400/PicnicGame2011.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 325px;" /></a><br />Louise at the blog <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/">Months of Edible Celebrations</a> is <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-international-picnic-day-time-to.html">hosting a picnic</a>!! She just announced this game today, inviting bloggers to celebrate by bringing a full alphabet of picnic treats. Louise assigned me the letter A: I'm "baking" for the picnic even though my reality right now is a condo in Aspen, Colorado, where I have no pantry supplies whatsoever. I'm looking forward to getting home in a few weeks, and baking in my own kitchen where I keep flour, baking powder, and where I have many baking dishes!<br /><br />Well, I'm going on this virtual fantasy picnic, and I'm bringing:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-size:180%;" ><br />A -- APRICOT COBBLER<br /></span></span><br />Other bloggers will be bringing foods <span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">from <span style="font-weight: bold;">B</span> to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Z</span></span>.<br /><br />Here is a photo and recipe:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXAH-30A-XK-yfTuiBgT7bf2Hsi3spvpP_O7V0UD3TukFKaNz-D926L49DBuQCIUte6bCs1H6yJFCb_P3a6QK2KvUawxVCAPxyIizHd-vZ1mFl633zKBoQBqivnacWkahTPwCuEI52Zzj/s1600-h/peachcobbler.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240022911491573362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipXAH-30A-XK-yfTuiBgT7bf2Hsi3spvpP_O7V0UD3TukFKaNz-D926L49DBuQCIUte6bCs1H6yJFCb_P3a6QK2KvUawxVCAPxyIizHd-vZ1mFl633zKBoQBqivnacWkahTPwCuEI52Zzj/s400/peachcobbler.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 51);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apricot (or Peach) Cobbler</span></span><br />Preheat oven to 400 F.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Make the filling first:</span><br />1 1/2 lb ripe apricots or 9 to 10 ripe peaches<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (2 for peaches)<br />1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon or lime juice<br />3/4 teaspoon almond extract<br /><br />Cut apricots in quarters. (Or peel the peaches and cut in 6-8 slices each). Toss all the ingredients together in a 9-inch round or square glass or ceramic baking dish. Let stand until juicy, about 30 minutes or as long as it takes to make the topping.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For topping:</span><br />3/4 cup all-purpose flour<br />3/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon salt<br />1 teaspoon sugar mixed in<br />2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits<br />1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk OR 1/2 c. milk plus a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar<br />2 or more teaspoons of cinnamon-sugar for sprinkling.<br /><br />Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl. Blend in the butter with your fingertips or a knife until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the buttermilk with a fork just until combined. Do not overmix.<br /><br />Drop rounded tablespoons of dough on top of the filling; leave spaces in between the blobs to allow topping to expand. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon-sugar.<br /><br />Bake cobbler in 400 degree oven until fruit is tender and topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, about 15 minutes, and serve warm with ice cream.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 153, 51);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">APRICOT CAKE</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67U8Js4gbl_WudBKbD3VLjF6S_2g2jYxYn4bDzHxPNsmQPUIXwj4tU2wXY_T2rByn8PiNJnKq6XtcIzLdiVGHYwyGPh3Zv08ME3Yq2PpZidlIQycxiaQSC4RoeX6nEyEZ_mbjsW1lAci2/s1600-h/cake.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237003500832075730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67U8Js4gbl_WudBKbD3VLjF6S_2g2jYxYn4bDzHxPNsmQPUIXwj4tU2wXY_T2rByn8PiNJnKq6XtcIzLdiVGHYwyGPh3Zv08ME3Yq2PpZidlIQycxiaQSC4RoeX6nEyEZ_mbjsW1lAci2/s400/cake.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a>While I'm thinking about apricots and what I could do with them -- another good picnic dish with apricots would be a traditional Polish fruit cake. Similar recipes appear in many traditional Eastern European cuisines -- I always knew it as a Jewish tradition before friends gave me a Polish cookbook a couple of years ago.<br /><br />I include a scan of the cake recipe, with my notes on how to make the depicted cake:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-v3TiApuPAclV2UZJRDOo1qYdP2-n0j_g8OKBJFSU7YBY2F3OJnbAupUMEr2pWirJ92xhXmzBttY31HwYHaVtB3TldXjwM8IMU-oOKOqaLUuxsEkXTDkuXnlj1bo85uwmW8xVI9rEqAg/s1600-h/cake.recipe.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237014415579031810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-v3TiApuPAclV2UZJRDOo1qYdP2-n0j_g8OKBJFSU7YBY2F3OJnbAupUMEr2pWirJ92xhXmzBttY31HwYHaVtB3TldXjwM8IMU-oOKOqaLUuxsEkXTDkuXnlj1bo85uwmW8xVI9rEqAg/s400/cake.recipe.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" /></a>Click on this copy of the cake recipe with my notes to see a full-sized version.

The Picnic Game from Louise

Louise at the blog Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a picnic !! She just announced this game today, inviting bloggers to celebrate ...

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Even Simpler

Continuing to report on how I cook in condo with good cooking equipent, but starting with a completely empty pantry and frige -- last night, I made the least-demanding dish there could be: scrambled eggs with red peppers, mushrooms, and chopped cilantro, seasoned only with salt. On the side: a salad and some French bread. As I've mentioned, the oil and vinegar for the salad are the basics that I always get for a temporary kitchen. Instead of mustard I used some Colorado goat cheese -- a very nice cheese that I've not seen outside the state.

Even Simpler

Continuing to report on how I cook in condo with good cooking equipent, but starting with a completely empty pantry and frige -- last night,...

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Water

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7-HCibAaTqYYvS0yfr2G6RsDXB9psRxhYuuOQJZKDZSoYgD3yrImuon8ceHNKS8b7XJpToSUZNAS3lWCmlVXnrkH3QW75rKVlda7Tp2ynOU0gtlIAsArMHjuWfY6i51vbttKGcqj__nJ/s1600/water6964.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618969719960713874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7-HCibAaTqYYvS0yfr2G6RsDXB9psRxhYuuOQJZKDZSoYgD3yrImuon8ceHNKS8b7XJpToSUZNAS3lWCmlVXnrkH3QW75rKVlda7Tp2ynOU0gtlIAsArMHjuWfY6i51vbttKGcqj__nJ/s400/water6964.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" /></a><br />As I walked around the streets near our condo, I noticed this Fiji water being delivered to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. Several drums of it stood under a huge semi-truck -- one of many delivering supplies to the big tents in several locations. All over Aspen, I see preparations for this event, which is happening this weekend. I'm not a food professional: no one would pay the $1200 admission fee for me to attend. So I'm outside the big tents.<br /><br />Fiji water in Aspen: this is apppaallling!!!! Think of the energy this big truck expended bringing the water up to the Rocky Mountains, and the energy expended bringing the water by boat from Fiji. I know the owners of Fiji Water are really good at promotion, and sometimes questioned about its ethics; but really, how did they sell this...<br /><br />Aspen has the most delicious pure water I've ever tasted running out of the taps. It wells up in fountains in the streets:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvcNz7jkEeV47SirlWl2t-IWJNFw4uturOmf98v50TzWGtU46EnJmO3xgPuS0Eq0Ca-Ua5v1-BMbDAF1VGK4T1ZWrIRwJ05sGsUT2yreEBYTYed4fX_flkAsjWt9qjxFXb_nMOr7tP2PB/s1600/water6970.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618969719280020546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsvcNz7jkEeV47SirlWl2t-IWJNFw4uturOmf98v50TzWGtU46EnJmO3xgPuS0Eq0Ca-Ua5v1-BMbDAF1VGK4T1ZWrIRwJ05sGsUT2yreEBYTYed4fX_flkAsjWt9qjxFXb_nMOr7tP2PB/s400/water6970.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYGMXeJvzNN6_EC4oqLRxC48PNAP7eZ_5CNzP-2Eu_urVmLFxSHBQXhMkusyi3wvksj9zONahgqvSLYOkFtfUuI5QvWMOhe-SwqpM-p2wdCkF0ZVsTT2V1y1OJRpF91cwikrynVJIO_Cq/s1600/water6971.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618969714482293026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYGMXeJvzNN6_EC4oqLRxC48PNAP7eZ_5CNzP-2Eu_urVmLFxSHBQXhMkusyi3wvksj9zONahgqvSLYOkFtfUuI5QvWMOhe-SwqpM-p2wdCkF0ZVsTT2V1y1OJRpF91cwikrynVJIO_Cq/s400/water6971.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />All around us are high mountains, and the snow is melting and pouring down in little rushing trickles, rivulets and bigger streams. I'm sure it's purified a bit before going into the city water system, but probably needs very little.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfKQE49f2LBIrMEFub7xj9Hs9cwzJUIQ0W4kVONT6HBxThyphenhyphen26UMIYyNPfnJ-sGgMdg9rlMJS47ME6OBTwlKPbYCCZL6-t5_QSViRRQYo-DWhlf6pLVSfU7Jf4FcNmJB1xYZ7QK8UyW1st/s1600/water7018.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618969712644672594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfKQE49f2LBIrMEFub7xj9Hs9cwzJUIQ0W4kVONT6HBxThyphenhyphen26UMIYyNPfnJ-sGgMdg9rlMJS47ME6OBTwlKPbYCCZL6-t5_QSViRRQYo-DWhlf6pLVSfU7Jf4FcNmJB1xYZ7QK8UyW1st/s400/water7018.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />Thursday morning we took a long hike to the Maroon Bells, where water was running through the meadows and coursing through the little mountain lakes. Water everywhere -- and somehow they are bringing it from Fiji. Maybe it's emblematic of the type of thing that's going on at the Food and Wine Classic, but I'll never know.

Water

As I walked around the streets near our condo, I noticed this Fiji water being delivered to the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. Several drums o...

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Cooking with basic ingredients

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptIbxvlD2TBDM977aabG63p2ovGhnb8NINQ9RBCcH2BeXD5wIKP8FmGvq-27MFQxkjUwcuS7zX9XD0nbFnvN4XxMCNUFikZckHkr6PgA-XqiRF7XF5kxpkY2o1Y1F1d0RlQcffOaZxGqd/s1600/basicfood6976.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618966945618833746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjptIbxvlD2TBDM977aabG63p2ovGhnb8NINQ9RBCcH2BeXD5wIKP8FmGvq-27MFQxkjUwcuS7zX9XD0nbFnvN4XxMCNUFikZckHkr6PgA-XqiRF7XF5kxpkY2o1Y1F1d0RlQcffOaZxGqd/s400/basicfood6976.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a><br />Last night I cooked two dishes: baked chicken with Spanish smoked paprika (I brought it with me from Santa Barbara) and Gratin Dauphinoise, my favorite potato dish. I learned this Alpine dish when I was in Grenoble, France, so it's appropriate to make it here in the Rocky Mountains, I think. Also, it requires no special condiments or spices. It's made of sliced potatoes, a chopped shallot (could be onion or garlic), milk (I discovered long ago that it's good with skim milk though the authentic version uses cream), real gruere cheese, and butter. I heat the milk with a bit of salt and pour it over the vegetables, cheese, and butter, which are layered in the baking dish. After baking it for an hour at 300, I turned it up to 425 and put the chicken in the oven. That's it: very basic.<br /><br />So far, here are the only condiments I have:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-wQ2aAZyouVtE_pUGD1mcAnB05NXYFAWqTTVolkey878vivoamTIxM8CAAYkD25EgPG7AeqDEEHWZupwRdUFFWkPfBvida6o2kl37m2Vt0vZBVyDigsNEJCNv8_5tS8SVEGZxvKu40Cc/s1600/basicfood6961.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618966951257868498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-wQ2aAZyouVtE_pUGD1mcAnB05NXYFAWqTTVolkey878vivoamTIxM8CAAYkD25EgPG7AeqDEEHWZupwRdUFFWkPfBvida6o2kl37m2Vt0vZBVyDigsNEJCNv8_5tS8SVEGZxvKu40Cc/s400/basicfood6961.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 301px;" /></a>Mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine viengar, Dijon mustard. And you can see my temporary kitchen.

Cooking with basic ingredients

Last night I cooked two dishes: baked chicken with Spanish smoked paprika (I brought it with me from Santa Barbara) and Gratin Dauphinoise, ...

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Food and Art in Spain

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTVVxB0xx4mjtcKSi-zc24LE7EXhepjn5d3DlC65DNS5-0gYzJGqD0o1Ji4Qw8WEOzv8nxk2M8ex90C2P7Kdu8JQO8V207uDb1xk7RWnxIebLxHDcCDq7gwxeaRTdbav38sMxlo544FhT/s1600/mondrian.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618271900558993586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeTVVxB0xx4mjtcKSi-zc24LE7EXhepjn5d3DlC65DNS5-0gYzJGqD0o1Ji4Qw8WEOzv8nxk2M8ex90C2P7Kdu8JQO8V207uDb1xk7RWnxIebLxHDcCDq7gwxeaRTdbav38sMxlo544FhT/s400/mondrian.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" /></a>In today's <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> I read an article about Spanish restaurants: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/dining/el-bulli-is-closing-but-spain-looks-forward.html?_r=1">After El Bulli, Spain Looks Forward</a>. The description of Spanish restaurants that may become famous or popular after El Bulli closes included a description of a dish called <span style="font-weight: bold;">the Mondrian</span>. It intrigued me with its intersection of food and art.<br /><br />The Mondrian comes from a restaurant called Sant Pau where: "dishes like a gorgeous, lightly jelled Mondrian made from green almonds, red peppers and olives, and a juicy chunk of roasted foal (horsemeat is not unusual on local menus) are jammed with flavor."<br /><br />Obviously I'm not among the few hundred people per year who have eaten at El Bulli during its long season of fame (or notoriety), and I'm not really that interested in its closing. However, it was an example of the most extreme gap between restaurant food and what I am tempted to call <span style="font-style: italic;">real food</span>. I'll get back to blogging about my basic, limited-ingredient, not-at-all-like restaurant cooking tomorrow. Today was the group picnic for the workshop Len is attending -- to which we brought some quite good sausages and crisp rolls. The organizers supplied us with relish and catsup -- not even those are currently in my small larder.

Food and Art in Spain

In today's New York Times I read an article about Spanish restaurants: After El Bulli, Spain Looks Forward . The description of Spanish...

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Back to Basics

Well, here we are in a condo in Aspen for 3 weeks. As is normal for such rentals, the kitchen is pretty well-equipped but NO food at all is left between occupants. I've done this in temporary condos before -- stocking a pantry and frige without spending a fortune on stuff that will be thrown away when I leave.<br /><br />This is a real challenge. How can one make simple meals with only a few ingredients. Home cooked food can use better materials, as I discussed in the <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2011/06/excellent-point.html">previous post</a>. But how to give them full-scale flavor? I thought I would keep track of what I did to try to make food that we'll like better than restaurant food.<br /><br />The nearest market (half a block from here) is called City Market, but it's really a Krogers. Last night when we first arrived, I bought some flavored rolls, sliced beef (of my preferred brand, Applegate), gruere cheese, a tub of whipped butter, and prepared potato salad. For dessert: strawberries and cookies. I also bought a box of cereal, coffee, milk, and orange juice. Somehow I brought my Trader Joe's Himalayan salt grinder with me.<br /><br />Tonight I needed to start cooking. Happily, City Market had a special on wild-caught Alaska salmon that they said came in today. I bought a pound of the salmon, various vegetables, a sour-dough bread, and three basics: olive oil, vinegar, and mustard. In the apartment's handy no-stick pan, I seared the salmon in a bit of olive oil, salted it a little, and covered it til done. Then I swirled in a spoonful of my butter and a splash of wine from my glass. (We had one bottle of Santa Barbara white wine that we babied in the hot car for the whole week on the way here!) Salad: avocado, lettuce, fresh cilantro leaves, tomato, and classic vinaigrette I made from the oil, vinegar, and mustard. The bread was good with a sop of the butter sauce -- after all, we're at home.<br /><br />Yes! The flavor of the simply-prepared never-frozen Alaska salmon beats every piece of fish I've recently tasted in any restaurant. The salad is fresher. And the total dinner is lighter and more enjoyable -- at least I think so. I'll be using the oil, vinegar, mustard, and cilantro in lots of ways.

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Well, here we are in a condo in Aspen for 3 weeks. As is normal for such rentals, the kitchen is pretty well-equipped but NO food at all is ...

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