Birthday– Wednesday, February 1

-Salsify from Path Valley Cooperative, Pennsylvania

We were thrilled to host a birthday celebration for a friend of ours we met years ago at our former restaurant, Ruppert's. American wines were requested, not usually the origin of wines at our table. Tom, the wine importer who we count on to help us match food and wine did an outstanding job as always.  We enjoyed tasting wines that were all new to 1508.

Passing

Shiitake Soup, Kale with Sesame and Watermelon Radish, Parsnip, Celery Root and Shallot, Egg and Sorrel, Sweet Potato and Candy Onions, Guinea Hen and Parsley

(Illahe Vineyards) Pinot Gris Willamette 2010

Titos (Austin TX) Bay Leaf Vodka Cocktail

Seated

Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Savoy Cabbage, Butternut Squash, Tiny Potato– Farm Bread

(Porter Creek) Zinfandel Sonoma 2009

Fennel, Black Walnut, White Lima Beans, Beets, Turnip, Carrot, Black Truffle– Rosemary Whole Grain Roll

(White Rock Vnyds) Chardonnay Napa 2009

Rockfish, Salsify, Saffron, Pea Shoots– Spelt Focaccia

(Porter Creek) Pinot Noir Russian River 2008

Harbison Cheese, Cracker

Carrot Cake, Coconut Sorbet, Toasted Coconut, Almonds, Pineapple

(Red Newt) Finger Lakes Riesling 'Circle' 2010

 Mini Chocolate Cakes, Tonka Bean Crisps, Chocolate Mint Drops

Take Home: Chocolate, Fig, Walnut Bread

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Mid-January Wedding Flowers

Just got these images back this morning.  Anemone, hyacinth, tulip, ranunculus, muscari... Ceremony at the Sidwell Friends Meetinghouse, followed by a celebration at the Women's Museum.  Bouquets and the second floor of the museum were filled with deep saturated color flowers,  the main floor was all silver and white blooms.  Thanks Paul Morse for the photos and Alexandra Kovach for putting it all together!

Carrot Muffins

Martin-Lane's favorite breakfast of the moment is a carrot muffin.  We make the dough in advance and bake the muffins while she is getting dressed in the morning. 1/2 cup pureed silken tofu, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons olive oil,  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup coarse wheat bran, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 cups shredded carrot, 3/4 cup walnuts

Mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Cook in a 350 degree oven until a knife inserted in the middle tests clean, about 20 minutes.  Good hot or room temperature.   Makes 12 muffins, the rough nutritional analysis below is for an individual muffin.

Sprouted Quinoa Granola

Over the years we have made lots of different versions of this granola recipe... this is my favorite of the moment with sprouted quinoa substituted for cooked quinoa that we have used in the past.  Also we have added more seeds in place of some of the nuts in other versions.  This recipe is only moderately  sweet so you may choose to make it a bit sweeter by adding a few fresh dates or additional maple syrup.

3 cups quinoa, 1 cup raw walnuts, 1 cup raw almonds, 1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, 1 cup raw sesame seeds, 1 cup sunflower seeds, 2 cups dried figs tip of stem removed, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup,  2 cups raw coconut flakes, 1 tablespoon salt

Place quinoa on a large sheet tray, thoroughly moisten with water and cover with a sheet of parchment paper.  Let sit until you see the quinoa has sprouted, little white tails will grow on the end of the grain and will be about the same length of the grain when it is ready.  Check every 8 hours of so to make sure the quinoa is still moist but not sitting in a large amount of water.  The whole process should take about 24 hours.

After the quinoa has been soaking for approximately 16 hours fill a large bowl with walnuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and figs– cover with water and let sit at room temperature for about 8 hours or until the quinoa has sprouted.

Once everything has soaked and sprouted drain the liquid from the nut mixture and place into a food processor, add maple syrup and pulse on and off until the ingredients are chopped but still coarse, you may need to do this in a few batches depending on the size of your food processor.

Thoroughly mix the quinoa (which should not have any extra liquid but if it does drain before adding) with the chopped nut mixture and toss in coconut flakes and salt.

Spread the granola onto two large sheet trays and place in a 120 degree oven to dry. There seems to be some debate about what temperature you need to stay below for food to be considered raw, many experts agree that most food enzymes will not be destroyed if you do not go above 120 degrees.  I find that many ovens can be set as low as 120 degrees and the process of drying at this temperature can happen in 12-18 hours.  If your oven does not go that low, no worries, just dry at a low temperature.  While the granola is drying stir it every several hours and leave in the oven until there is no moisture left and it is crunchy.

The rough nutritional analysis below is based on 1/2 cup servings.  I often eat it with almond milk.  Store in an airtight container.

Helleborus

Winter through April one of my favorite flowers, helleborus are available.  Right now I am getting them through the Dutch auction in Holland, I can already see buds just starting to form on the plants in my garden and I will be able to get them from a favorite local flower farmer, Bob Wollam, in April and March....These are delicate flowers and generally only have a few day life span after they are picked but they are without a doubt worth it!  I used them as part of the centerpieces at a small wedding at the Tabard Inn yesterday.

Looking Back to a December Party...

Just before the holidays we co-hosted a party to celebrate a major accomplishment of a couple friends.  The whole event was very relaxed with food to graze on, bay leaf vodka cocktail and rose champagne to sip.  In the kitchen we had a big pot of white lima bean soup on the stove and guests filled themselves bowl and topped them with arugula, black walnuts and black truffles... Lucky for us Abby Jiu documented the event.

Hario Ceramic Skerton Manual Coffee Mill

Old electric coffee grinder needed to be replaced and after some online research we decided to go manual.  Loving the Hario Hand Mill we chose. What do we like– the smell of fresh crushed beans, the sound of coffee beans cracking instead of our old loud grinder in the morning, the feel of grinding the coffee, we are using less coffee because we have to work for the grinds and whether true or not the coffee tastes better!

Design Army, One Show

I have known Pum and Jake of Design Army for years, am a huge fan of their work, am indebted to them for my website, appreciate their unique perspective and always jump at the chance to collaborate on any project with them.  When asked if I would be part of their team, helping with flowers and plants, for a promotion of One Club's, One Show competition the answer was immediately yes!  Here is the result–  once again I am inspired by their creativity, attention to detail and energy.

Creative: ★ Design Army Photography: Cade Martin Hair/Make-Up: Janice Kinigopoulous Stylist: Polly Spadavecchia Flowers/Gardner: Sidra Forman Producer/Scout: Carol Flashier Model: Seth Callaway