Memento - A Literary Feast

Tonight was the final round of our current season of Memento - the meal planned backwards and eaten forwards. This round was hosted by Lizzie at Carolyn & David's house, with a theme of "A Literary Feast". Each of us picked a favorite book as the inspiration for our course, and read a bit from it when presenting our dish.



The first appetizer course was from Lizzie herself, inspired by Christopher Moore's novel "A Dirty Job", in which the protagonist realizes he's death. Her Hell inspired dish was Deviled Cheese Toasts - featuring white and yellow sharp cheddar cheese, mayo, peppers, pickles, and Franks red hot. It was accompanied by a Bloody Mary with a Bacon swizzle stick. A wonderful, playful start to the night.





Dan & I were up next, taking inspiration from a favorite book of both of us, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chomsky. It's a coming of age tale about a lonely high school freshman who finds friends in some seniors and begins to participate in life for the first time. It's a very sad story that taps into some of my own memories in ways that make me cry just thinking about it. Dan read a piece from the book that spoke to him, then I cried my way through a particularly moving passage for me.

As I read the book a second time on my Kindle, I highlighted ever reference to food in the book, hoping for inspiration. Unfortunately, it's mostly french fries and pot brownies, so not quite what we were looking for. But in true literary style, we used a pun playing off the book's title:

Faux Porks of Bean a Wallflower - two types of vegan bacon bits (Frontier Vegetarian Bits Bac'uns, 2.7-Ounce Bottle and homemade sunflower bacon bits) atop a Cannellini bean garlic parsley purée, with a homemade gluten-free cracker covered with edible bibiscus, lavender and brassica flowers.



Because it comes up a few times in the book, we served our dish with a bottle of brandy.

Inspired by the pot brownies in the book, (which is the chapter my passage was from), we also served everyone an edible flower called a "Buzz Buttons" that makes your mouth tingle and your salivary glands go into overdrive. We all had fun trying them out and then inviting the kids to try them, too. They're not a drug or narcotic, but have a similar effect as Szechuan peppercorns.





Next up was the Salad course from Marcy & James, which James had taken the lead on using his favorite Hemingway novel as his inspiration, "The Old Man and the Sea".

Their salad of butter lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and tomato was topped with pancetta, grapefruit, and some wonderful tuna (a fish referenced many times in the book), with a bright white vinegar, mustard, garlic and olive oil dressing.



Taking inspiration from a book neither had read, Anna & Jason's Entree course was courtesy of "Lolita".

The decadent dish was a Pork tenderloin with sweet spicy rub, roasted potatoes and a bacon wrapped fig with goat cheese, all drizzled with Sriracha aioli. And in her signature plating style, Anna included a strawberry and a sprig of rosemary on the plate.
Strawberry rosemary

They served it with a hearty red wine.





Although she couldn't be with us due to a friend in need, Nancy inspired the book Linda chose for the second entree course's inspiration: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".

Playing off the many food references in the book, and sharing some of the stories themselves, Linda served a vegetarian Meatball with Coffee Sriracha glaze, and Arugula salad with pumpkin butter vinaigrette, pumpkin seeds and creamy goat cheese, and Smashed potatoes. To accompany it she had coffee stout beer.



Carolyn & David, along with Logan & Zoe presented the final course, a dessert inspired by "The Hunger Games".

We were each presented with a plate with something under a piece of paper with the Mockingjaylogo on it, from the book. We were then invited to light the paper on fire. It turned out to be Flash Paper, resulting in a show stopping presentation to the dish (and lots of fun with fire).



Under the paper was a delicious Goat Cheese Cheesecake with a Pistachio crust and "Nightlock" berries (actually blueberries).



Tonight was also Anna's birthday, which we celebrated with a champagne toast before the meal, and then she received a 'cake' near the end of the meal with a candle to blow out. The cake turned out to be made from mashed potatoes.



It was great hearing about some books I've not read that friends really love, and enjoying a wonderful meal together. This turned into the longest Memento ever, with Dan & I getting home after midnight - a good end to a fun season.

Food Truck Friday - Box Nature Sushi

For this week's Food Truck adventure, Hilo and I wandered around a bit before finding Box Nature Sushi parked across from the Firestone in South Lake Union. In addition to their mobility, they also differentiate themselves from other Seattle sushi restaurants by offering multi-grain rice in their sushi, as well as using only sustainably caught fish.



I went for the signature sushi roll - the BN's Spicy - with multi-grain rice, for $4.50. It combined salmon and tuna, plus cucumber and greens, and claimed it had a spicy sauce. The rice added a little nuttiness to the dish, and perhaps more importantly made me feel like I'm making a good choice. The fish was super fresh tasting, and the greens were a nice addition. Unfortunately, the promise of spiciness wasn't delivered... even after I added a bunch of wasabi. I do like things on the spicier end of the spectrum, but didn't get any heat whatsoever from the roll. The wasabi was also oddly bland. (I didn't give their special blend of lower salt soy sauce a try.)



Thinking I couldn't possibly be satisfied with just $4.50 of food, I also ordered the 'Greens' salad ($6). The menu says it's a mix of kale, local greens, asparagus, cilantro, mango, tomato and edamame, but I don't recall (nor can I find in my pictures) any asparagus or edamame, nor was their much dressing. After the first few bites, I was left with a pile of dry greens. The mango gave it a bright, sweetness, but otherwise it fell short.



I would go back for the sushi, especially at that price point, but won't repeat the mistake of paying $6 for a dry salad lacking two key ingredients.

Suprise Lunch w/ Dad @ Bad Monkey Bistro

Dan & I were stuffed after our brunch yesterday, so I ended up not making the lamb chops for dinner we'd planned on - meaning I had no leftovers for lunch today.

By some cosmic-synergy-coincidence, my Dad happened to call today to see if I wanted to grab lunch. Turns out he was working in a building about 1 block away! We popped across the street to Bad Monkey Bistro.



Our server, Kit, got us seated right away and let us know the special: a French Dip sandwich with house-made, reduced jus ("not the powder stuff"). My Dad was sold, and reported it was delicious, and that the layers of meat were cut paper thin, making it really tender.

My indulgent weekend pushed me toward the Asian Salmon Salad - which turned out to be a generous portion, but still not the gut bomb a burger or buffalo chicken sandwich might've been. It had plenty of salmon, a zesty, tangy vinaigrette (a word I have to spell check every time I write it), and lots of crispy "exploded noodles". It was definitely something I'd order again.

Bad Monkey looks like it might be a great happy hour spot - as the piano in the corner suggests they might do live music? I'll have to find out.



Dad & I had a great talk - as always - and then I took him to check out my new office, the spectacular view, and my office mates Darla and her Jack Russell, Taco, before he had to head back to work. I guess the 2 hours of commute each day has some upside, huh? Sounds like Dad's in the 'hood pretty often, so hopefully we'll get to grab lunch again sometime soon.

Green Papaya Salad

Dan & I have acquired a taste for the classic Thai Green Papaya Salad, and it's even helping us warm up to papaya (which I used to think tasted like feet). It was no surprise that Dan put it on our meal plan for this week. The only problem was finding green papaya, red chilies and shrimp paste, which wasn't available from our usual source.

But while we were down at Southcenter yesterday for lunch, we swung by Seafood City (a Filipino Superstore) and they had everything we needed.

I ended up using 3 red chilies, and thought it could still use some red pepper flakes. But we tend to like things spicy.

Green Papaya Salad
1 small green papaya, or 1/2 large (your papaya should be very firm, the flesh white to light orange in color)
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1-2 cups bean sprouts
1 to 2 tomatoes, cut into long thin strips
1 red chili, minced (seeds removed if you prefer a milder salad)
3 green onions, sliced into long matchstick-like pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped if leaves are large
1 lb peeled, cooked shrimp

DRESSING:
1/2 tsp. shrimp paste
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. liquid honey

Prepare the dressing by mixing together all dressing ingredients together in a cup. Make sure shrimp paste and honey dissolve fully. Set aside. Peel the green papaya, then slice it in half and remove all the seeds. Using the largest grater you have, grate the papaya (or you can use a potato peeler to create thin, ribbon-like strips). Place in a large bowl. Add the sliced tomato, onion, chili, bean sprouts, and basil. Add the dressing, tossing to combine. Add the peanuts and shrimp. Toss again. Taste-test the salad. If not sweet enough, add a little more honey. If not salty enough, add a little more fish sauce. If too sweet or salty, add more lime juice. If you prefer it spicier, add more fresh-cut chili or dried crushed chili.



(Recipe courtesy About.com)

Memento Meal - Old School

Tonight's Memento Meal brought us back to the original premise - no theme, no gimmicks, just a great meal planned backwards. Okay, I suppose that's a gimmick... but it's the ORIGINAL gimmick.



Our hosts, Carolyn & David, kicked things off with a subtle and elegant Potato Leek Soup, topped with Creme Fraiche, Bacon and Parsley. It was flavorful and had a wonderful creamy mouthfeel, despite having a chicken stock (not cream) base.



The trio of toppings payed homage to our next dish...



Created by this month's guests, Lizzie and Jay, it was a sophisticated appetizer titled "Proscuitto filled with Happiness" - with happiness in this case being provided by pine nuts, goat cheese and arugula. The goat cheese and proscuitto were the stars, with pine nuts providing a little crunch and arugula lending a little spice.



Both the goat cheese and arugula mirrored the next dish...



Marcy & James followed with the salad course, inspired by a salad they enjoyed while in NYC. Mixing arugula, endive and other greens, tossed with shallots and a delicious vinegar dressing, the salad provided a beautiful base for amazing fritters of panko breaded goat cheese that Marcy and James fried a la minute. As my fork broke into the little pillows of cheese, it's melted goodness became a second dressing for the salad, balancing the bite of the vinegar and spice of the greens.



And that fritter was a hint at what was to come next...



Beginning a second act of sorts (as noted by Memento founder, Jason), the first entree was created by Dan & I. Titled "Bombay Bar Crawl", the plates featured a generous heap of homemade curry mustard, with a homemade Indian duck sausage corn dog nestled into it. This was our first time making sausage from scratch, and although we had a few minor struggles, they turned out great. We seasoned the meat with garlic, ginger, salt and fresh garam masala (made by toasting cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, cumin seed, corainder, grated nutmeg, and black peppercorns). Unfortunately, the mustard flavor in the mustard masked all the curry powder I included - something I worried about and then forgot to check - but that didn't stop the corn dogs from being a hit. I made sure to save an extra jar of the mustard for our group's resident condiment expert - Marcy (aka Condiment Girl).



The spices used in our dish, the protein, as well as the bar food nature of it, were all inspired by the next dish...



Our inspiration came from the second entree, concocted by Anna & Jason: Middle Eastern Lamb Sliders with mini gerkins and homemade fingerling potato chips (in purple and yellow). The sliders featured a delicious aioli, lettuce and tomato, and sat atop homemade brioche buns. My favorite dish of the night, it was also clearly the main dish - providing the most bulk (in a very good way). Their dish also featured a unique technique for making potato chips that I'm eager to try out. The fingerling potatoes were sliced paper thin, brushed with olive oil, placed on a plate and microwaved. They turned out perfectly crispy, perfectly browned, and perfectly flat (which gives this technique a leg up over deep frying in terms of presentation possibilities, in my mind).



The simple, classic nature of their burger and chips transitioned perfectly to the final dish...



As a tribute to his father (who passed away on this date), Gerald & Diana's dessert course finished the meal with beautifully executed comfort, and plenty of booze. Our plate featured two homemade cookies of chocolate chips, cocao nibs and hazelnuts, perched next to homemade vanilla bean ice cream, and a dish of homemade chocolate syrup. But before we dug in, we raised our pint glasses of Guinness, dropped in a shot of Bailey's and Jameson, and chugged our Irish Immigrant Car Bombs in honor of the late Mr. Sexton.



Bringing Memento back to it's roots was a great experience, and something I expect others will repeat in the future. It reminded us all of how well the premise - planning a meal backwards - can create a unique story with food, with each course introducing the next in it's own way. Sometimes we aim to create balance with the next dish (as in the subtle soup setting the stage for the bold proscuitto & goat cheese). Sometimes it's the repetition of a technique (such as the fritters and the corn dogs). Sometimes it's flavors (like the Indian and Middle Eastern spices). And sometimes it's echoing a concept, like elevated comfort foods. Tonight's unique story took us from a simple and elegant soup to a bold, down-home dessert - with twists and turns along the way, and around the globe.

And around the globe will be taking center stage in the next round of Memento. Marcy & James gave us a preview of what they have in store - a night honoring the ancestry of their daughter Penelope. With bloodlines from Germany, Ireland, Italy, French Canada, Luxumburg and Spain, they will be assigning each of us a different country to represent in our course. Taking one for the team, they'll be doing Luxumburg themselves. Dan & I have the salad course, and have our fingers crossed for Italy or Spain... and not Ireland, where I recall salad wasn't exactly exciting.

Homemade Mustard
3 Tbspn yellow mustard seeds
2 1/2 Tbspn brown mustard seeds
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced (about 2 Tbspn)
3/4 tspn salt
Additional spices to taste

In a non-reactive bowl, combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight, covered. Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until mustard has obtained the desired texture and thickness. It will be very thin at first, then thicken as the mustard seeds become ground and the mustard begins to emulsify.

(Based on Emerille Lagasse's recipe on FoodNetwork.com)



Homemade Indian Duck Sausage
2 lbs duck meat, boned and trimmed of skin
1 lb pork shoulder
1 lb pork backfat
2 cloves garlic
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
2 Tbpsn kosher salt
4 Tbspn Garam Masala (recipe follows)



Cut the duck, pork and backfat into pieces your grinder will be able to handle. Add garlic, ginger, salt and Garam Masala to meat and cover. Refrigerate overnight. Grind meat/fat mixture together on course setting. Hand mix the ground meat to ensure consistency. Take a small sample and pan fry to taste for seasoning, adjusting accordingly. Stuff meat into casings, tie and store.

(Adapted from this recipe, courtesy Beerotter)



Garam Masala
1 large cinnamon stick, coursely chopped
1 Tbspn whole cumin seeds
2 Tbspn coriander seeds
1 tspn cardamom pods
1/2 tspn whole cloves
1 tspn fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 Tbspn black peppercorn

Roast each spice individually in a cast iron or heavy metal pan on the stop top, until you smell the aroma of the spice. They should each take about a minute each in a hot pan, but the nutmeg will roast very briefly and the peppercorn should be roasted last and quickly. Cool the spices and gride coursely (for use in sausage) or finely for use in traditional recipes.

(From Blue Ribbon Cooking School's Introduction to Indian Cooking)

Microwave Potato Chips
(From Jason) Slice potatoes very thin. Coat them lightly in olive oil. Since I was doing so many, I poured plenty of oil in a wide flat serving dish and got a bunch of them coated all at once. Place them on a plate but don't let them touch unless you want them to bond together in crunchy goodness. I microwaved them on high for 3 minutes, turning them over half way through. You may have to experiment with the time and turning and plate. One plate fried them much faster than another.

I tossed them in a little bit of salt and pepper, but you could do anything you wanted. Did someone mention truffle oil?

Happy chipping!