Recipes
Lemon and Thyme Rhubarb Cake
Tart, sweet and dramatically red, rhubarb never tasted so good as in this rustic cake with lemon thyme. The cake is moist and fluffy on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside edge. The sharpness of the rhubarb combined with the delicate pungency of the lemon thyme make this a most wonderful way to take advantage of an abundant rhubarb harvest.
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Salmon Gravlax with Dill Pollen
I love making gravlax because it is such a versatile dish. The cured salmon slices can be used to make elegant hors d'oeuvres, they can be served with a few simple sides to make a nice cool lunch on a hot day, the scraps are great in an omelette for breakfast, and being "cured-but-not-cooked" makes gravlax perfect for coaxing a timid diner into trying more adventurous raw dishes. Most recipes call for fresh dill and while that works just fine, using Dill Pollen creates explosive "pops" of dill flavor that are hard to imitate with other methods. Using some Beet Powder in the sugar mixture adds a beautiful reddish hue to the outer crust of the filet, and the transition from bright salmon orange to deep beet red allows a creative cook to arrange the slices into stunning displays. So this summer when you come home from your fishing trips, try a salmon recipe that just can't be beet.
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Saffron Penne With Sausage and Arugula
Thanks to its luxurious ingredients, this Sicilian-inspired pasta is fancy and decadent enough for special occasions, but is simple enough to be thrown together quickly. Rather than an elaborate sauce, the pasta is dressed with cream flavored by all of the dishes' components. This makes for a rich-tasting effect that feels far lighter than a traditional cream sauce. It's worth noting that this is one of the few recipes in which I advocate not toasting the pine nuts, because it is my experience that the toasted flavor doesn't complement the Saffron and actually competes with it. You can use any shape of pasta, of course, but I find that penne rigate - the penne with the little ridges - holds the perfect amount of sauce. Each element in this pasta represents one of the tastes detectable by your palate, so the result is a beautifully balanced, crave-worthy dish.
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Aleppo Pepper Basil Lemonade
Now that the 4th of July has passed, summer has truly begun in Seattle. The sun is shining, the BBQ is fired-up, and a wild game of badminton is underway. The players and onlookers are thirsty, and I've got just the thing. This refreshing lemonade is perfect for hot summer afternoons like these. The soothing taste of fragrant basil and the zesty flavor of ruby-red Aleppo Pepper create a delicious, thirst quenching treat. The simple syrup can be used to make wonderful cocktails as well. Many thanks to our good friend Carol Peterman for sharing her recipe with us.
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Sassy Bourbon-Honey Salmon Fillets
We love salmon here in the Pacific Northwest, and never tire of finding new ways to enjoy it. Lemon & dill? BORING. One of our favorite "out of the box"blends to use is our Sassy Steak Spice. It's bold, exotic, and it hits all the flavor highlights - a little bit smoky, a little bit sweet with just a bit of herbs and heat - which perfectly compliments our favorite fish. We used grilling planks for an alder wood accent to finish it off, but you can also use a grill pan indoors. Love smoky flavors? Use our Upper Left Madrona Smoked Honey to add another layer of smoky flavor.
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Chaat Masala Fruit Salad
Want to raise a few eyebrows at your next picnic or BBQ? Try our Chaat Masala Fruit Salad for a wholly unexpected treat. This traditional Indian street food combines pungent, piquant and savory spices with black salt, citrus and fresh fruit for a refreshing summer treat. The flavor combinations are outstanding. Try the party sized recipe below and mix it up with just about any seasonal fruits. We were wishing we had some watermelon....or mango....or....
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Smoky BBQ Pork
Pork shoulder is one of the most inexpensive cuts of meat, and you can find it almost anywhere. The lean meat is punctuated with ribbons of fat, which self-bastes the pork as it cooks slow and oh-so-low. While the meat is fabulously tender, it doesn't boast much inherent flavor...which is where our Smoky BBQ Rub comes in. This spice blend, combined with beer, forms a marinade that infuses a wonderful smoked flavor deep in to the roast - you won't believe it came from the oven!Banana leaves are a nod to traditional Mexican carnitas, effectively steaming the meat as it cooks slowly, holding in the moisture, while imparting some of their own nutty, grassy flavor. They can be purchased in many Latin and Asian markets. You can sometimes find them fresh, but they'll often be frozen, which works just as well.
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Rooster Grilled Artichokes with Spicy Garlic Mayonnaise
Seattle's local farmers have been showcasing artichokes for a few weeks now, so what better produce to highlight one of our favorite blends, Rooster Spice!! Inspired by everyone's favorite Vietnamese hot sauce, Rooster Spice packs a wallop of heat, but boasts a delicious complexity that will keep you coming back. It's the perfect accompaniment to these artichokes, or really anything else your market basket can throw at it.
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Cinnamon Toast Spice Blondies
Sometimes we just want a little something sweet, but not too heavy. This updated version of a classic blondie fits the bill. Our Cinnamon Toast Spice, featuring Indonesian and Vietnamese cassia-cinnamons with true cinnamon, brown sugar and just a hint of nutmeg, perfectly complements the sweet potato base. These disappeared in moments at our last recipe test, and may need a "re-test" in my personal kitchen tonight. They've got sweet potatoes in them... so they're totally healthy, right?
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