Heirloom Tomato Trio

Heirloom Tomato Trio

 

I love celebrating the arrival of a new ingredient.  And now is the time the Heirloom tomatoes are showing up around farmers markets in the Bay Area. Here is a simple preparation that allows the full flavor of the tomatoes to shine through. For the fried green zebra tomatoes, I sprinkled salt and cornmeal over one side of the tomato, and quickly cooked it under the broiler.

 

 

Heirloom Tomato Trio:

Brandywine Tomato Gazpacho

Fried Green Zebra Tomatoes

Purple Cherokee BLT With Boccalone Pancetta & Avocado Vinaigrette

I had fun doing a photo shoot for Oakland Magazine for the upcoming July issue about chefs and their home kitchens.  After thumbing through so many home improvement magazines about kitchen remodels, it will be rewarding to see our kitchen have its day in the sun.

The last addition to the kitchen has been done. Beautiful new bar shelves done by our friends June and Greg who do great metal work with their company D’vision.

 

Springtime Ingredients

Springtime Ingredients

I always get excited in springtime with the arrival of all the fresh and new ingredients after a dismal winter.  Tonight I wandered over to the Marketplace in Alameda and picked up some fun stuff to play with.

The result of my shopping excursion was a New York Steak With Fava Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, French Fingerling Potatoes, and Sausalito Springs Watercress Sauce.  Yum!

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything on my blog, but with the excitement of the new spring ingredients (click “Current Ingredients” for more details) coming to the market, I have been inspired.  

A lot has been going on.  Their is a possibility of the new kitchen being published in a magazine (stay tuned), and another kitchen (light) remodel (NO!, you’ve got to be kidding!), some pictures of what I have been cooking, and hopefully I can get around to writing reviews on the restaurants I have been eating at.

Lets raise a glass to spring and the return of Chef Neil’s hibernation from the winter ingredients.

I had a busy December with friends, family, and clients.  I’m excited about starting a new year in my new kitchen.  I’ll have some upcoming restaurant reviews of my favorite places I visited in 2007.

 This weekend I finally had some time to play in my kitchen.  My trip to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday gave me Merguez sausage from Fatted Calf, Rapini, and black trumpet mushrooms in which I made fresh pasta.  Also, I made a caramelized onion tart with goat cheese and slow roasted tomatoes.

 

Here’s to a new year!

The kitchen got a work out when I prepped for a party for 12 people.  All burners and countertops were working at full capacity and the kitchen passed the test.  It was great to be able to spread out into four separate work zones (2 prep, 1 dish, 1 pastry) when preparing two passed appetizers, a first course, a main course, and a dessert.

Thanksgiving was a success.  The kitchen was broken in with two days of cooking and it passed the test.  The Aga stove cooked the twenty- pound turkey beautifully and everyone was well fed.

We had an electrician finishing up on Sunday, so without electricity, I was unable to post any pictures.  So without anymore delay, here they are.  I posted a gallery with before and after pictures so you could see the transformation.  

We finished the kitchen just in time to break it in with a twenty pound turkey and a full Thanksgiving extravaganza.

Next Page »