A blind comparative tasting during “Dairy 101″ at Darigold

Yesterday, one of my articles entitled, “Strength in Numbers,” ran in The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine. It featured Darigold, a Seattle-based dairy co-operative that is made up of more than 500 regional farmers and has been in business since 1918.

“Dairy 101″ class at Darigold

There is also a recipe for Dill Compound Butter that is really worth trying, and a gorgeous photo of compound butters by award-winning local photograph E. Jane Armstrong.

Cottage cheese is the most artisan product made in the dairy

My latest article for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine–Good Grub–was really fun to research, write, photograph (and, I hope, to read). It highlighted one of the monthly Saturday-morning cooking classes for kids and their parents offered in partnership by Premera Blue Cross and Tom Douglas Restaurants.

Here are some photos that Spencer took during the class I chronicled on a sunny-bright day in early March at the Palace Kitchen in downtown Seattle.

The two young men in the class watch intently as garlic sauce whirls in the commercial-sized food processor

The fruits of our labor. . .a groaning-board buffet of all the dishes prepared that day

A special shout out to all the mothers in the world. Today is your day to shine!

And to commemorate this special day, here’s my latest story for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine.

It features a very special mother and woman–Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian–cooking with her two twin daughters, Margaux and Ocèane, and was quite a fun one for me to write and for Spencer and Seattle Times staff photographer Ken Lambert to shoot. (These are Spencer’s adorable shots.)

Here’s the beautiful Pain Perdu (Chocolate French Toast) that mère (mother) and the girls whipped up the morning we visited.

And here’s the final product fresh out of the oven with unsweetened whipped cream oozing over the top. Très magnifique!

Yesterday my article on Emmer Farro, an ancient grain that’s winning new respect in modern kitchens, came out in The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine. The article included a wonderful recipe for Butternut-Squash, Black-Currant and Blue-Cheese Farro Risotto created by executive chef Angie Roberts of BOKA Kitchen + Bar, located at the Hotel 1000 in downtown Seattle.

My latest post for Amazon.com’s Al Dente blog is a book review of The Culinary Institute of America’s wonderfully written tome, “WineWise: Your Complete Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Enjoying Wine.”

My latest article, a Valentine’s Day Taste column entitled, Cupcake Love, was published today in The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine. It profiles Jody Hall, founder of Seattle’s four Cupcake Royale shops, who creates “cupcakes with conscience” thanks to her efforts in behalf of sustainability, waste management, and health-care reform, among other worthwhile causes.

My recent story on Meyer lemons for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine elicited lots of interesting feedback in various online posts and e-mails. Here an excerpt from an e-mail from orchardess Karen Morss, who owns an organic Meyer-lemon orchard in California.

“That was a great story on Meyer lemons! I like them so much I planted 40 trees in my backyard and started my own orchard, Lemon Ladies Orchard. I sell these beautiful organic lemons online. Meyers are sometimes hard to find–especially organic lemons. In the Seattle area, Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream uses my lemons in their products.”

And, a few weeks ago, winter citrus (including a recipe for Petrale Sole with Meyer-Lemon Beurre Blanc) was the focus of Georgeanne Brennan’s article in the San Francisco Chronicle.

In yesterday’s Pacific Northwest Taste column, I profiled two Willamette Valley, Oregon-based businesses that are giving the Italians a run for their money in the production of truffle oil and balsamic vinegar. I hope you’ll enjoy reading Truffle Troves + Balsamic Barrels.

My latest Taste column for The Seattle Times Pacific Northwest magazine was published on Sunday, and since then it’s garnered some interesting commentary in the blogosphere thanks to a Facebook tag. Here’s the link to the article, and here are some of the comments with additional serving suggestions:

Nathalie Dupree: I pick my own Meyer lemons every December. I do roast chicken, lemon curd, lemon soufflé pudding, and everything else I can think of. Then I freeze them flat on a tray and move to a plastic bag and use them all year round. (Even I can’t use 30 Meyer lemons.) I do not give them away willingly.

Paula Lambert: I LOVE Meyers lemons! They make everything better!!

Linda Sendowski: Use the lemon zest in everything you bake or even in salad dressing, on grilled meat or chicken. Meyer lemons brighten apple anything or is also great in sweet-and-sour dishes like stuffed cabbage.

While researching my latest Pacific Northwest magazine Taste column on Savory Desserts (that was published in yesterday’s Seattle Times), I received this very interesting cookie recipe from Heather Earnhardt, pastry chef at the Volunteer Park Café in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

My article was running long (as usual!) and we weren’t able to print the recipe in the magazine, so I am very pleased it’s finding new life online here in my blog. Many thanks to Heather for sharing her recipe.

And my article was timely. . .a few weeks ago, NPR featured also featured an article on using bacon in desserts.

Bacon Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

This creative cookie recipe comes courtesy of Heather Earnhardt, pastry chef at the Volunteer Park Café in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. It adds a savory element (bacon) to a traditional cookie dough with delicious results. At the Café, the cookie is whimsically called the Miss Piggy Chip and is the size of your hand!

1/2 pound dry-cured, thick-cut bacon

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, plus 1 egg white, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 pound best-quality semisweet chocolate chips, such as Guittard

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

2. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon, turning once or twice, until crisp and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, chop and set aside. (Alternatively, you can microwave the bacon until crisp or bake it in a 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.)

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and soda.

4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

5. Add the eggs and egg white one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

6. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour until thoroughly mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gently mix in the chocolate chips, then the bacon.

7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through cooking time, until the cookies spread slightly and turn light golden brown.

Cook’s Hint: Pastry chef Heather Earnhardt uses a two-ounce ice cream scoop (slightly larger than a golf ball) when making the cookies at home. At the café, she makes four-ounce balls to create larger cookies.