COLD SOBA NOODLES WITH GREEN VEGETABLES

Inspired by this Bon Appetit recipe.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

7 oz. soba noodles
1/2 c. frozen peas
8 stalks of asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1" pieces
4 cups (small bunch) of frisee or mache
1/2 c. shaved daikon radish
1 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks
1/4 c. kimchi, sliced into matchsticks
4  6.5-7 minute eggs
1 avocado

optional:
3 c. kale
1 c. shredded green cabbage

Dressing:
1/4 c. kimchi juice
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 t. sugar
3/4 t. grated ginger
1/2 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. chili oil, optional
1/2 c. vegetable broth


Methodology:

Boil eggs: 
Bring water to boil, add eggs slowly and cook for 6.5-7 minutes, draining and chilling in a cold bath before peeling.

Make dressing:
Mix all ingredients together in a small pot.  Heat to boiling and poach the cabbage and kale for 3 minutes.  Remove the vegetables and thoroughly drain the sauce, putting it in a separate bowl.

Cook vegetables and noodles:
Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add asparagus pieces (except tips) and cook for 3 minutes.  Add asparagus tips and cook for another minute.  Add peas and cook for another minute.  Remove vegetables from pot with a spider and briefly transfer to a cold bath, then drain.
Bring water back to boil, then cook noodles following directions on the package, keeping them al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water until noodles are cold. 

Plate:
Place noodles onto the center of each plate.  Place cucumber, daikon, avocado, frisee, kimchi and asparagus/peas around the noodles.  Place kale/cabbage braise on top of the noodles, and drizzle sauce onto all of the vegetables.  Place egg onto center of plate and sprinkle with shredded nori or furikake seasoning.

LATE WINTER / EARLY SPRING ORECCHIETTE

Ingredients:

6.5 oz. orecchiette pasta
7 cups of kale
8 asparagus spears

Sauce:
3 garlic confit cloves
3 pieces of shallot confit, chopped
4 oz. creme fraiche
4 oz. greek yogurt
2 t. Penzey's Fox Point seasoning
1/2 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste


Methodology:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and add pasta. 1 minute before the cooking time has elapsed, add the kale and asparagus to the pasta pot.  Cook for an additional 3 minutes, then drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat the garlic confit in a large skillet and mash it with a fork.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and heat carefully, without allowing it to boil.  When pasta is drained, add it to the skillet and cook, mixing constantly, for 1 minute.  Top with grated cheese, taste for seasoning, and serve.

MIREILLE'S MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT REDUX

Ingredients:

225g dark chocolate, in small pieces
2 T milk or cream
60 g butter
100 g sugar, divided
4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
2 egg whites

Methodology:

Melt the chocolate with the milk and butter in a double boiler.
Beat the 4 egg yolks and pour the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture slowly, whisking until thoroughly mixed. 
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, add 100 g sugar and beat to stiff peaks. 
Mix 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate to lighten.  Then fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture until just blended.
Chill overnight.



Edited to add 3/29/17: the below is not the chocolate mousse I remember.  It is oddly chewy, and not at all light and airy.

Ingredients:

225g dark chocolate, in small pieces
2 T milk or cream
60 g butter
100 g sugar, divided
3 eggs, separated, at room temperature
pinch of salt
1 t vanilla

Methodology:

Melt the chocolate with the milk and butter in a double boiler.
Beat the 3 egg yolks with 50 g of sugar until pale and smooth.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture slowly, whisking until thoroughly mixed. Whisk in the vanilla and chill.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, add 50 g sugar and the salt, and beat to stiff peaks. 
Mix 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate to lighten.  Then fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture until just blended.
Chill overnight.

OLIVE AND ROSEMARY SOURDOUGH BREAD

Recipe from my school chum Daniel Martin, of Wild Oven fame

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. cold water
1 1/2 c. starter (bubbly and active, resulting from 1/4 c. starter + 1/2 c. water + 1 c. flour + 3-5 hours at room temperature)
5 3/4 c. flour (Daniel suggests that using 75%, or 3 3/8 c., whole wheat flour, is acceptable)
1 T Himalayan virgin-elf-harvested sea salt
1 1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives
2 T. chopped fresh rosemary
(2 t. chili flakes, optional)


Methodology:

Combine water and starter.
Add enough flour so that the dough comes together, but doesn't clear the sides of the bowl.
Cover and rest 20 minutes.

---after 20 minutes---

Add salt, knead.  The dough will feel very runny, basically un-kneadable.  Add just enough flour so that you can knead it, but still have a fairly wet, sticky dough.
Add remaining ingredients, and mix them through the dough.
Cover with oiled plastic wrap and a dampened dishcloth.  Ferment until not quite doubled (6-12 hours).

---after 6-12 hours---

Divide dough in half, cover and rest 10 minutes.
Form loaves.  Proof in baskets, on cornmeal dusted dishcloths in bowls, or on a cornmeal dusted baking sheet.
Chill 12-18 hours.

---after 12-18 hours---

De-chill / proof 2-3 hours at 68-74°F.  Uncover, slash 3 times 1/2" deep.

---after 2-3 hours---

Bake in hot-ass oven (450°F)
- Spray oven with water, close door.
- Slide loaves in, bake 3 minutes.
- Spray again.  Repeat twice more.
- Bake 10 minutes more (20 minutes total at 450°F)
- Reduce heat to 400°F.
- Bake until internal temperature reads 205°F on thermometer, or the bottom of the bread sounds hollow when thumped.

To have bread on the table at 5 pm on Sunday, start dough between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday.