banana macadamia pancakes with orange butter

One of the things I felt obligated to do (and wanted to do) when my parents were out to visit was take them to a few of the popular tourist attractions. I've already told you about our excursions to Pike Place Market, the Dahlia Lounge (though I certainly wouldn't define it as "touristy"), and the Space Needle, but we also took half-day trips to Snohomish for antiquing, and to Snoqualmie Falls to see, well, the falls. I'm not really an outdoorsy person. Camping and hiking don't interest me much because, though I certainly appreciate the opportunity to admire nature's grandeur, I don't feel the need to hang out in it for extended periods of time. Snoqualmie Falls, however, welcomes impatient visitors like me. When you arrive, you can park your car and then walk just 50 yards to a large covered deck that overlooks the waterfall. If you're feeling particularly motivated, you can also hike one-half mile down to the base of the falls. If not, you can go back to the car (stopping at the gift shop on your way) or walk just another 50 yards to the lovely Salish Lodge and Spa for one of their famous country breakfasts. This, friends, is my kind of outdoorsy experience.

I've got to be honest, I really thought I'd be better at making pancakes. After all, people who don't cook manage to make pancakes from a box all the time. I DO cook, so even homemade pancakes should be a breeze for me, right? Apparently not -- I churned out some pretty ugly pancakes. The ones you see above are the very best of bunch, and even they are misshapen and have wrinkled edges or the occasional slightly burnt section (all made less noticeable with careful stacking for the picture). The recipe, thankfully, needs far less work than my pancake flipping skills. The banana flavor was a little underwhelming, but the flavor of the macadamia nuts really came through and was, I think, spot-on. My favorite part, however, was the orange butter. It took all of two seconds to stir together, but it really made the pancakes noteworthy. Even if you aren't inclined to try the pancakes, at least make the orange butter and use it on toast! (Meanwhile, I will look for another opportunity to improve my flapjack flipping....)

Oh, and I should also note that these pancakes were made possible by my new friend, Tommy, who recently went to Hawaii and was thoughtful enough to bring me back some macadamia nuts. Thanks!

[This recipe was submitted for the second edition of Recipe Remix.]

Banana Macadamia Pancakes with Orange Butter
A recipe from Gourmet - December 2002
Makes 15 4-inch pancakes

Orange Butter
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pancakes
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for cooking
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ripe large banana, mashed
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) salted, roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
Pure maple syrup for serving

To make the orange butter:
Stir together butter, zest, juice, and salt until thoroughly combined.

To make the pancakes:
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and banana until well combined. Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold the nuts into the batter (it will be very thick).

Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with some of remaining tablespoon melted butter and heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches of 3, pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake into hot skillet and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the undersides are golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. Transfer to a large plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with melted butter between each batch. Serve with orange butter and pure maple syrup.

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whole-wheat banana nut bread

My refrigerator is empty. That can mean only one of two things: either I have lost my interest in cooking, or I'm so wrapped up in other things that I haven't had a chance to do anything more in my kitchen than make a bowl of cereal or heat up a can of soup. I think we all know it isn't the former. However, since most of those other things that are keeping me busy are good things, I can't really complain. (Except about that soup, which was terrible.) I really thought about cooking something a little more ambitious this weekend, but life got in the way then, too. In fact, the only reason I was able to make banana bread today is because I bought the bananas -- lime green at the time -- over a week ago. They were starting to reach the use-'em-or-lose-'em stage, so I put down the stack of resumes I was pouring over and mashed up the bananas for my favorite quick bread.

Of the many banana breads and muffins I have made or purchased in my life, this one is the very best. Sure, every baker says that, but I really, really mean it. It's ultra-moist, full of banana flavor, and -- bonus -- not totally terrible for you, thanks to the whole-wheat flour. I usually prefer it in its unadulterated form, but occasionally I'll make a batch with toasted nuts, rum-soaked raisins, or a little bit of coconut. Yes, this recipe will let you have it your way, so go ahead and make a batch. I promise you'll think it is the very best, too.

[This recipe was submitted for the Banana Bread Bakeoff as well as the April edition of Tasty Tools, which celebrates scoops -- excellent tools for making sure your batter is evenly divided between pans.]

Whole-Wheat Banana Nut Bread
A recipe from Williams-Sonoma: Baking
Makes two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaves

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (4 large bananas)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the banana and then beat in the eggs until completely mixed; don't worry if the mixture looks lumpy and curdled. Stir in the nuts. Fold in the combined dry ingredients until just incorporated.

Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Allow to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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steamed crab with drawn butter & roasted fingerling potatoes

Tom Douglas is a Seattle icon. Even those of you from other parts of the country (or world) might be familiar with him because, in addition to being the driving force behind multiple famed Seattle restaurants, Tom also makes occasional appearances on the Food Network. Having already experienced the glory of his culinary prowess, I couldn't not take Mom and Dad to one of his restaurants while they were in town. Though I truly wanted to try one of his other restaurants, when I was perusing the menus online, I once again succumbed to the tantalizing offerings of the Dahlia Lounge. It was, thankfully, everything I expected. In addition to the highly regarded Tuscan grilled bread salad (which I will soon attempt to replicate), I enjoyed their red dahlia cocktail, which is made with St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. (For those of you who are a little behind on your culinary news, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur is *the* thing in cocktails these days.) After our outstanding entrées and even though we were really too full, we all sampled the Lounge's most popular desserts: triple coconut cream pie, for which Tom is rather famous, and the doughnuts with seasonal jam. The seasonal jam turned out to be rhubarb, and it was so fantastic that I'm still thinking about how I can make some of my own or...*ahem*...when I can just eat his again.

Unfortunately, one can't revel in the savory and sweet delights of Tom Douglas's cooking on a daily basis (at least not without a sizable pocketbook). On these many occasions, one can -- and should! -- take matters into one's own hands for a true Pacific Northwest culinary experience. After spending a few sunny hours atop the Space Needle, Mom, Dad, and I headed down to Pike Place Market to pick up a bouquet of seasonal flowers, a loaf of crusty bread, and, of course, some fresh seafood. I'm sure it would make sense for me to show you a picture of the steamed crab we feasted on that evening. However, I feared that it would all be devoured before I sat down to eat if I stopped to take a picture, so all you get to see is a big bowl of the remains: crab shells that have been sucked clean of every last morsel of delicious meat. The entire meal (what you see here plus this fried goat cheese salad) was a glorious, coastal delight. Who wants to come visit next?

Steamed Crab with Drawn Butter & Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
Potato recipe adapted from a recipe from Bon Appétit - March 2007
Serves 3-4

2 whole, fully cooked Dungeness crabs, about 2 - 2.5 pounds each, cleaned*
2 sticks plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces unpeeled fingerling potatoes, scrubbed clean
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Table salt

To make the potatoes:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place potatoes in medium saucepan; pour enough cold water over to cover. Add 2 thyme sprigs and a few dashes of table salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until potatoes are just tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes. Drain.

Transfer the hot potatoes to a greased 9" x 9" baking dish. Top the potatoes with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Once the butter has melted, stir the potatoes to coat them with the butter. Sprinkle the potatoes liberally with the sea salt and the leaves from the remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

To make the butter:
In a small saucepan, melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter over medium heat. Cook until it begins to boil and the fat solids settle to the bottom of the pan. Skim the foam off the surface and then pour the clarified butter into a separate dish, leaving the fat solids in the pan.

To make the crab:
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a high-sided stock pot.** Add the crab and steam for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately with drawn butter and roasted potatoes.

* Your fishmonger can clean AND crack the crabs for you if you prefer.

** Use a pot with a steamer insert if you have one, but I prepared my crab without and it still came out perfect.

Elliott Bay & the Olympic Mountains
as seen from atop the Space Needle on a partly cloudy day
(click the image to see the enlarged, much better version)

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orange layer cake with strawberries & amaretto pastry cream

As much as I love cupcakes, I think there are still occasions that are better served with layer cakes. Layer cakes are, by nature, celebratory desserts. They most often preside over birthdays and weddings, but they are just as appropriate for lesser occasions. In fact, it seems to me that the only real requirement for a layer cake occasion is that you want the recipient(s) to feel special. For my purposes this week, the layer cake said, "Welcome! I'm so glad you're here!" And my recipients were, of course, my parents.

I've been living in the Pacific Northwest for nearly nine months now without any visitors, so you can imagine how glad I was to see a few familiar faces on my side of the country. And this cake, I think, was the perfect way to show my appreciation. You might recognize the orange cake recipe -- it's the same one I used for the creamsicle cupcakes I made a few weeks ago. It is wonderful and moist on its own, but paired with this amaretto pastry cream and some fresh fruit, it is simply divine. You can use most any juicy, ripe fruit here. I chose strawberries only because I have a 4 lb crate of them in my refrigerator right now (currently on sale at QFC for $5). Don't, however, leave out the fruit because the texture it adds to the cake is part of what makes it so fantastic. Spongy orange cake, smooth amaretto cream, and juicy fruit -- sublime!

Orange Layer Cake with Strawberries & Amaretto Pastry Cream
A Dulcedo original compilation

Cake
Adapted from a recipe by Cheryl at The Cupcake Bakeshop
Makes three 6" cake rounds (enough for 2 layer cakes)
2-3 medium oranges
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh strawberries for assembly

Pastry Cream
A recipe from Bon Appétit - December 2001
Makes enough for one 6" three-layer cake (so double it if you want to make two cakes)
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons amaretto or other almond liqueur
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Peel oranges (removing any seeds and as much of the white pith as possible) and puree in a blender or food processor. Measure out 1/2 cup of the liquidy pulp. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine orange pulp, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, orange extract, sugar, and vegetable oil.

With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until just incorporated.

Spoon the batter into three 6" greased and floured pans lined with parchment* and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

* Trace the bottom of your pan onto parchment paper and then cut out the round. Grease the bottom of the pan and then grease and flour the sides of the pan. Place the parchment round in the pan and then grease the top of the parchment. (And if you're like me, you cheat and use the Pam or Crisco spray that has flour in it for baking.)

To make the pastry cream:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, egg yolks, flour, amaretto, vanilla, and salt (mixture will be thick and pasty). In a medium saucepan, combine cream and milk and bring to simmer. Remove from heat.With the mixer on medium speed, gradually drizzle the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Once the pastry cream is combined, return it to the saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the pastry cream boils, thickens, and is smooth, about 6 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of the pastry cream and refrigerate overnight.

Assembly:
Using a serrated knife or wire cake slicing tool, slice each of the cake rounds in half horizontally. Spread a layer of pastry cream over one half of a round. Place a layer of strawberries on top of the cream. Repeat with remaining cake halves, pastry cream, and strawberries.

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lavender cream-filled cupcakes with citrus cream cheese frosting

My cupcakes have been noticed. In the real world -- somewhere other than my blog. This week brought another board meeting, and with board meetings come cupcakes (or whatever treat I feel inspired to whip up the night before). My homemade edibles are always well received at the meetings, but this meeting was extra special for me. One gentleman, a director emeritus of the board of local orchestra (with a self-described sweet tooth, I might add), was the first to grab a cupcake. After he polished it off, to my utter delight he said the following: "Dana, how would you like to make cupcakes for us to auction off at our gala this summer?" Oh, glory be. Cupcakes are fantastic on their own, but cupcakes that benefit the arts -- is there anything better? Not in my world, so of course, with obvious glee, I said yes. He and I have since worked out the basic details. The orchestra's live auction will feature a Dulcedo package deal: one dozen of my cupcakes each month for a year, with a starting bid of $500. Not bad, huh? I can't wait to see what they actually go for.

These cupcakes are amazing -- auction worthy, even. I'll have to disclose that I don't normally like lavender in my food (it usually makes me feel like I'm nibbling on a bouquet of flowers), but it has magical powers in these cupcakes. I followed Cheryl's recipe exactly because, as she notes, there isn't a single thing in need of change. I will tell you, however, that these cupcakes do NOT work in those cute little white paper cups in which I normally bake my cupcakes. The cupcakes double in size in the oven and then shrink when you take them out, so you really need to use cupcake papers. (The papers will contract with the cupcake; the cups will not.) Also, you will have leftover lavender cream, so plan another use for it in advance. (It would be lovely with fresh berries....)

Lavender Cream-Filled Cupcakes with Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting
A recipe by Cheryl at the Cupcake Bakeshop
Yields 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large egg whites

Lavender Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lavender flowers (available at Whole Foods)

Citrus Cream Cheese Frosting
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon mixed citrus zest (from lemons, limes, oranges, etc.)
2 teaspoons citrus juice
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

To make the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another small bowl, mix together the milk and vanilla. Set aside.

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter/sugar in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour, beating well after each addition. Set mixture aside.

In a clean mixer bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into cake batter until incorporated. Scoop the batter into cupcake papers, filling each half full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before filling or frosting as desired.

[If you want to know how I fill the cupcakes, you'll find instructions here.]

To make the lavender cream:
Add sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Stir in the lavender and let the mixture sit over the heat for 3 minutes undisturbed. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a small bowl (and discard lavender flowers). Set that bowl in a second larger bowl of ice to cool.

Meanwhile add heavy cream to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the whip attachment until soft peaks form. Once the sugar mixture is relatively cool to the touch (it can be slightly warm) drizzle into the cream while beating on medium high. Continue to beat on high until firm peaks form.

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy and smooth. Add about half of the confectioner’s sugar and citrus juice and zest and beat on high speed until combined. Add the remaining zest and then the confectioner’s sugar in stages until desired consistency and sweetness is achieved.

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swordfish with braised endive

I have apparently reached another milestone in life where something I once found mundane now holds a great deal of interest for me. Yes, once upon a time, things like bed linens, kitchen equipment, and -- gasp! -- antiques bored me to tears. Now, however, I take delight in coordinating my sheets with my duvet cover, in the usefulness of my kitchenware, and in discovering a well-preserved Shiny Brite ornament in an out-of-the-way antique store. Signs of adulthood? Yes, probably. And now I can add one more thing to that list: vehicle maintenance, or, more specifically, vehicle beautification. On Saturday I had my car detailed from top to bottom. I tend to be a bit of a penny-pincher when it comes to things like this, but much to my surprise, I found myself looking forward to the appointment with a great deal of anticipation. And I would be lying if I said I was anything but gleeful when DANA ND2* was returned to me on Saturday afternoon, all shiny and clean and just for me! I can even pretend that the whole package was free...until I get next month's credit card bill, of course.

(*Those of you in the Pacific Northwest with stalker-like tendencies will be disappointed to learn that this is the name of my car, but not my license plate number.)

This recipe sounds fancy, but it is unbelievably simple. I had two swordfish steaks in the freezer that I bought for a song at Trader Joe's and thought this would be a great way to use them up. Even if you don't go for the swordfish (which is rather high in mercury), the endive alone is worth a try. Normally quite bitter, the sugar and braising make it tender and ever so slightly sweet. This was an easy meal to put together, but I will note that it took me longer to braise my endive than the recipe suggests. It only finally began to caramelize when I got impatient and turned the heat up to high. Also, I found it practically impossible to keep the endive in wedge form while braising, but the loose leaves certainly didn't take away from the tasty results. This was a springy, light meal -- one that I would definitely make again.

Swordfish with Braised Endive
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet - October 2003
Serves 2

1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sugar
3 medium Belgian endives (1 lb total), each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
2 (3/4-inch-thick) swordfish steaks (6 to 8 oz each)
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges for serving

Bring water, butter, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper to a simmer in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Add endive in 1 layer, then braise, covered, turning wedges over once, 10 minutes.

Remove lid and increase heat to moderately high, then cook, turning over occasionally, until all of liquid is evaporated and endive is very tender and well caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes.

While endive is braising, pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté fish, uncovered, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 7 minutes total. Serve fish topped with endive.

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apricot & caramelized banana clafoutis

It occurred to me the other day that anyone who has spent more than five minutes with me in the last two years probably knows I like to cook, either because I bring it up in conversation or because I'm pushing a homemade treat under their nose with a hopeful look in my eyes at the first available opportunity. I can't help it. Cooking just brings me so much joy. For me, being alone in the kitchen with a few fresh ingredients a couple of times a week is cathartic. As I stand there chopping, whisking, kneading, and sautéing, the things in this world that burden me most start to melt away. For a short while I can forget about that all-important career path, my progress on the Grow Up--Get Married--Have Babies scale, and those pesky little "what-ifs" that like to hide in the corners of my mind.

Yes, for me, the culinary arts have restorative powers. Occasionally I'll take on a task that is a bit too big given other constraints, but even those frazzled moments are forgotten as soon as the next successful dish comes out of the oven. As time passes you'll not only see more successful dishes on Dulcedo, but also more original recipes, evidence of my natural progression on the culinary learning curve. However, I'll seldom venture off the recipe-following path without having tried a similar recipe by a more experienced cook first. Kitchen failures can be disheartening, so this is my way of preventing them.

Donna Hay, like Martha, Ina, Dorie, and others, is certainly a master at her craft. I've been wanting to try one of her recipes for quite some time. Coincidentally, I've also been waiting for spring to try my hand at a clafoutis (pronounced klah-foo-tee), so when the 19th round of Hay Hay it's Donna Day (hosted by Bron Marshall) was announced as the clafoutis edition, I figured there couldn't be a better time to cross both of those tasks off of my to-do list. I made some significant changes to the original recipe because I desperately wanted to use apricots and caramelized bananas together. (One of things I'm getting pretty good at is knowing what a finished dish will taste like before I actually make it.) I think my alterations worked out well. The finished clafoutis was dense but not heavy, with hints of caramel and juicy bites of fresh fruit. It was pleasantly sweet and pleasing to the eye -- successful on all fronts!

Apricot & Caramelized Banana Clafoutis
Adapted from a Donna Hay recipe and a recipe from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
Serves 6

4 medium bananas, ripe but still firm, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup cream
3 ripe apricots, peeled, halved, and pits removed
Fresh raspberries for serving

Place 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a large skillet. Cook over high heat, shaking skillet occasionally, until sugar just begins to caramelize. Remove from heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of butter. Add bananas to skillet in a single layer and cook until bottoms are browned, 1-2 minutes. Flip banana slices over and cook until bananas are caramelized on both sides, another 1-2 minutes. This is what your caramelized bananas will look like. Transfer bananas to a separate plate and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and superfine sugar. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, and cream. Whisk in the flour mixture until combined.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to a 10" oven-safe skillet and cook over medium heat until melted. Pour half the batter into the pan and then place 3/4 of the caramelized banana slices in a layer on top of the batter. Pour the remaining batter mixture into the pan and top with the apricot halves. Bake until puffed and cooked through, about 40 minutes.

Top clafoutis with fresh raspberries and remaining 1/4 caramelized banana slices. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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asparagus & gruyere tart

I've talked often on this blog of Seattle. However, most of the time -- and especially when discussing its many fantastic amenities -- I'm actually referring to the greater Seattle area. In fact, I'm rather partial to the area known as the "Eastside" -- all the cities on the east side of Lake Washington. (Here is a map; Seattle occupies nearly the entire western shore of the lake.) The Eastside is perhaps most famous for being the home of Microsoft, but recently it has garnered national attention for another reason. In only a few short years, the Eastside city of Bellevue has grown from a sleepy suburban business community to an amazingly urban technology hub with a thriving cosmopolitan lifestyle. I love Bellevue for all the same reasons as everyone else who spends time in this area. Fantastic restaurants, unbeatable views (two mountain ranges and the Seattle skyline), a wide variety of things to do, and -- the one thing downtown Seattle can't offer -- an abundance of free parking. I was quite pleased and proud, therefore, to see that Fortune just named Bellevue the #1 place to live and launch a business.

This ranking is much deserved, in my opinion. There are businesses, restaurants, and entertainment options pouring into Bellevue at an unbelievable rate, with the 19 or so cranes that dot the skyline serving as proof. (If it wouldn't have been so cloudy on the day I shot this picture, you would be able to see both the cranes and the mountain range behind them.) Even Microsoft, which has outgrown its own campus in Redmond, is moving in. The company occupies a significant portion of the much-lauded Lincoln Square, and they have already snapped up every square inch of office space available in the Neiman Marcus building that is currently under construction. If the aforementioned perks aren't reason enough to believe Bellevue deserves the top spot, it also has a practically nonexistent crime rate, a school system that is routinely recognized as one of the very best in the country, and a diverse population, thanks in large part to local employers like Microsoft, Expedia, and Amazon. Sounds like a pretty nice place, right? I feel awfully lucky that I get to spend time there almost every day, but luckier still to place a role in the city's growth.

[Before I move on, I think it's worth noting that the recent Bellevue transformation was started almost singlehandedly by developer and philanthropist Kemper Freeman, Jr. It just goes to show you what one person can do with a desire to better his community.]

Bellevue has a Williams-Sonoma, and at Williams-Sonoma you can buy the same tart pan I have for only $9. (That transitional sentence deserves an A+.) The tart pan is one of the great, hardworking tools of the kitchen. My first tart pan was, unfortunately, one of the few casualties of my move to Seattle (which you now know is actually the greater Seattle metropolitan area). UPS squashed the box, which gave my once round tart pan a sort of oblong shape. (I think UPS employs a very large man to sit on every fifth box that comes through, but that is beside the point.) Tarts are delightfully all purpose. They can be sweet or savory, diminutive or wagon-wheel-esque in size, and served as appetizers, sides, main dishes, or desserts. Indeed, there must be a tart to suit every occasion.

Asparagus is a great addition to savory spring tarts because it doesn't require much fussy preparation and, when arranged properly, it can dramatically enhance the aesthetic value of the tart. It also pairs well with numerous cheeses and spices. For this particular tart, I matched it with thyme and one of my favorite cheeses, Gruyere. My tart looks a little underfilled because I only made half of the filling. However, I used the full amount of cheese and really like the way the Gruyere's flavor stood out. If you make the tart with the specified amount of filling (and you should), you may want to consider using more Gruyere than the recipe calls for. I would also recommend that you grate the Gruyere directly onto the tart because finely grated Gruyere tends to get soft quickly and clump together, which makes it difficult to sprinkle. I was happy with my adaptation of the original recipe. I'd like to try it again with the inclusion of a layer of sautéed onions before the filling for additional texture and flavor.

[Postscript: This post was submitted for the first edition of Tasty Tools, hosted by Chicago blogger Joelen at Joelen's Culinary Adventures.]

Asparagus & Gruyere Tart
Adapted from a recipe from Gourmet, March 2001
Makes one 10" - 13" tart

Black Pepper & Sour Cream Pastry Dough
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon sugar
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/3 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into bits
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1-2 pounds thick asparagus, washed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fat-free half and half
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup finely grated Gruyère (about 4 ounces)

To make the dough:
You can follow Gourmet's instructions, or you can use my "I hate rolling pins" version:

Add the flour, salt, pepper, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the butter and shortening and pulse a few times until they're broken down into pea-size pieces. Add the sour cream and, with the processor running, add the three tablespoons of water. Turn off the processor when the water and cream are just incorporated (it only takes a few seconds).

Dump dough mixture into the tart pan. Working quickly, press the dough flat into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. (Don't worry if it isn't perfect; the dough will still be pliable after chilling.) Chill for 1 hour. If necessary, refine your "flattening and pressing" job and chill for another 30 minutes. Otherwise, proceed with making the tart.

To make the tart:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prick the bottom of the tart shell all over with a fork. Line the shell with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake in middle of oven until sides are firm, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and weights carefully and bake shell until golden, about 10 minutes more, then cool.

Trim the asparagus spears to measure a little less than half of the diameter of your tart pan. Layer asparagus on a steamer rack, sprinkling each layer with kosher salt to taste. Steam, covered, over boiling water until completely tender but not mushy, about 8 minutes for green asparagus or 12 for white, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels. [Alternatively, you can cook the asparagus for a few minutes in the microwave, checking it periodically to be sure you don't overcook it.]

Whisk together cream, half and half, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and thyme, then season lightly with pepper. Pour custard evenly in tart shell.

Sprinkle custard with two-thirds of the cheese, then arrange spears in custard, tips out (like the spokes of a wheel). Be sure the asparagus spears are short enough for the tips to touch the tart filling; otherwise they will singe. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.

Bake tart in middle of oven until custard is set, about 20-30 minutes.

Shoot. At least you can see that my crust was nice and flaky.

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