Tuna and I Make Amends

I've had a love-hate relationship with tuna. As a kid, I loved tuna - pure, unadulterated tuna. I remember being in a restaurant with my family on a road trip. I was probably 6 or 7, and looking at my options on the children's menu. Among the bland, kid-friendly options, I saw a tuna sandwich. But, I knew it would be tainted with dreaded mayonnaise. So, when the waitress came, I ordered "a tuna sandwich, without the mayo and bread, please". Now, I should point out that I was a very shy child, and to this day, am considered the "strong, silent type" by some of my more boisterous friends. So, the fact that I ordered for myself, and made a special request, no less, was kind of a big deal. I'm sure my sister appreciated the fact that she didn't have to order for me. But, the waitress didn't have these details about my personality. If she did, she probably wouldn't have looked at me like I was a weird kid, and said, "So, hon, what you're askin' for is just a can of tuna?" She took one look at my now bright red face, and then turned to my mom for confirmation. I got my small bowl of flaky tuna, and enjoyed every bite as the heat in my flaming red cheeks subsided. And yes, I made my sister order my next meal for me.

Somewhere along the way, I began to hate tuna. The smell and the taste both fell somewhere between very fishy and very metallic. I could barely stand to be in the same room as a can of opened tuna. And don't get me started on the mushy and unappetizing texture. There seems to have been a gradual and steady decline of the quality of tuna in my lifetime. Sure, we are all concerned about the rising mercury levels, and the serious problem of overfishing in certain areas of the world. There are plenty of morally sound reasons for avoiding tuna. Who needs the guilt? But, no one talks about the aesthetic problems. Tuna is no longer a thing of simple beauty. Most commercially available tuna looks, smells, and (though I can't necessarily attest to this one), probably tastes like cat food.

I had pretty much given up on tuna when I ran across a woman selling cans of tuna at the Saturday Market in the quaint seaside town of Astoria, OR. Her husband runs a local fishing vessel, the F/V Sonja. They have a small, family run business packing and selling their tuna, which, by the way, has been tested and found to have low levels of mercury. I had to give tuna another chance. Guess what? It is the BEST TUNA I HAVE EVER HAD! It is firm, and meaty, and flaky, and it tastes like the sea, not like a fishy metal can. It is, as the British would say, gorgeous. I raved about it to family and friends when I got back into town with my treasured cans of tuna. I've since ordered a case. If you live in the Pacific Northwest area, you should give it a try. It's not cheap, but it is well worth the price for such high quality tuna. Need more convincing? You are supporting a local business with good fishing practices, buying a product that doesn't have to be shipped 2,000 miles before reaching your doorstep, and due to the low mercury levels, you can enjoy it more often without feeling guilty. If you still aren't convinced, invite yourself over to my house on Tuna Casserole night, and you might change your mind.

This recipe for Tuna Casserole was originally published in Bon Appetit. It's a bit more work than the usual version made with canned cream of mushroom, but you can taste the difference. I've modified the recipe to my liking, with the addition of cheese and peas. I also use a lot of pepper.

Tuna Casserole

• 9 T butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups whole milk (no low fat or non-fat)
• 1 cup sliced, stemmed fresh shitake mushrooms (opt)
• 1 cup sliced, trimmed button mushrooms (up to 2 cups if not using shitake mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 T chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried
• 1 T chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup grated gouda or smoked gouda, (or white cheddar cheese, or whatever favorite cheese you have on hand)
• 8 oz egg noodles
• 2 7-oz cans tuna, packed in water, and drained well
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 cups fresh white breadcrumbs (I usually make small bread crumbs in my food processor. The ones pictured were an experiment with large crumbs. I prefer the smaller size).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9x13 in glass or ceramic dish. Cook noodles, drain and rinse in cold water. Drain well, and set aside.


2. Melt 4 T butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir over medium heat until sauce thickens a little, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
   
3. Melt 1 T butter in medium skillet over med-high heat. Add mushrooms, green onions and celery. Saute until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in rosemary and thyme. Add thawed peas. Stir mushroom mixture into milk sauce. Add grated cheeses to sauce and stir until well combined.
   
4. Return noodles to pot they were cooked in. Add tuna, breaking into flakes, and toss to distribute. Add cheese mixture and stir to evenly coat noodle mixture. Season with salt and (lots of!) pepper. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.


5. Melt remaining 4 T butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir continuously while browning, approximately 10 minutes. Sprinkle over casserole.
   
6. Bake casserole for about 30 minutes, until bubbly around the edges and nicely browned on top. Let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

If you are like me, you might have a hard time resisting seconds, and thirds, of this comforting meal. I think next time I'm going to divide and cook the casserole in individual serving sized dishes.

Enjoy!
Heather

The Making of a Baker

Some of you already know this, but once upon a time, I was married. As far as marriages go, this one was pretty short indeed. Okay, not as short as the marriages of Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez...but not that long either. I think they're what people are now referring to as "starter" marriages, which seems like a strange term to me. What does this mean exactly? I'm thinking that in food terms, it would be like I made an unlucky selection from the appetizer menu, got food poisoning and never made it to the entree course... Hmm... that does sound about right... Anyway, this man that I married had actually gone to culinary school and worked as a chef. When I met him, he had worked in some really nice restaurants in Seattle, where we were both living at the time. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking... this sounds like a match made in heaven! How perfect that a person who loves food as much as I do, would find and marry someone who had a culinary background. And on the surface, you'd be right. We were a pretty good match in some respects. He loved to cook and I loved to eat. He was one of those people who could whip up a fabulous gourmet meal with only those ingredients that are left behind in your cupboard. Those ingredients that never seem to go together and that you can never figure out what to do with. Dinners like salmon with a coconut milk sauce, or chicken over a mushroom risotto... But alas, our love of food did not a good marriage make.

The man I am with now...my sweetheart, my love... is not a food lover. In fact, he will proudly tell you that if it were possible to get his nutritional quota from a daily pill, he would take it, and dispense with meals altogether. Every meal we have ever eaten out, comes with specific instructions to the waiter about what to add, or more likely remove, from his carefully selected menu choice. His idea of a gourmet meal is a burger with a fried egg on top. Our first date was at Red Robin... I think you get the idea. But I do have to give him a little credit... he can make some killer barbeque chicken! So, some of you may be thinking that I went from one extreme to the other. Where's the happy medium here, between the guy who loves food and the guy who eats only to survive?

I'll tell you what... It's me. I'm the happy medium... because now I get to be the star of my own kitchen. My ex-husband had a rather large ego when it came to cooking, and the result of this was that there was no room for me in the kitchen, literally and figuratively. I know that if we had stayed together, my culinary skills and dreams would have gone untapped. With him around, there was only room for one chef in the house, and unfortunately, it wasn't me. But now... I can putter around my kitchen, experimenting and creating to my heart's content! And my sweetheart, my AJ, is my number one supporter. Though he is most certainly not a foodie, he does love a good dessert every now and then, and willingly tastes all of my creations.

When I bring desserts in to work to test out on my co-workers, he brags about my dishes as if he were my paid marketing director... which I'm guessing is how I got "volunteered" to bring dessert to a party this past Saturday night. He is currently in school working on a Masters degree, and he and his program cohort were celebrating their last day of classes on Saturday. When AJ first mentioned the party to me, he sheepishly said that he hoped it was okay, but that he had volunteered me to make the dessert for the party... thought it was a good venue to test out some of my recipes. And of course, he was right. Part of me wanted to jump for joy that he thought I was up to the challenge, and part of me wanted to run and hide and tell him that I wasn't ready yet. So after some last minute panic and second thoughts, I did it. And it was a success! I got wonderful compliments from the guests and I left there on Cloud Nine. Oh yeah, and did I mention that the husband of the woman hosting the party is a trained chef? And not just any old chef, but a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, the most prestigious culinary school in the U.S....ummm... AJ forgot to mention those details when he signed me up for this gig... But Chef John was a great guy, totally supportive of my culinary attempts, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him and perusing his extensive culinary book collection... all in all, a magical evening.

One of the desserts I brought on Saturday was a new one for me. While it's not usually a good idea to bring a "never-been-tried" recipe to a party, this one turned out to be a hit. It is a Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting. The recipe was one I found in the "Art and Soul of Baking" book by Cindy Mushet. This first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly, though when I make it again, I will most likely tweak the frosting a bit. It came out too runny and kept wanting to slide off the cake (it didn't help that I ran out of time and didn't actually level the cake!). The recipe calls for using maple syrup, which has a nice flavor, but I plan to cut back on the amount used. I would start out with half the amount, so a quarter cup, and then add more if needed. The other thing I might try is a little bit of maple extract to bring out a stronger maple flavor. I will list the recipe as it is originally written, and you can modify it as I've suggested or not. Without further ado, here it is...

Pumpkin Spice Cake
with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temp.
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 cups sifted cake flour*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp.

Frosting:

• 12 oz cream cheese, room temp.
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup, preferably grade C
• 1 3/4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 cup pecan pieces, toasted and finely chopped**

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center of oven. Butter 9 inch round cake pan, and fit with a round of parchment paper. (Note: If you are using a dark or non-stick coated pan, you will need to turn the heat down by 25 degrees, otherwise your cake will cook too quickly on the outer edges but will not get done in the middle.)

2. Beat the butter and brown sugar with mixer on med-high until very light in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down bowl with spatula.

3. Beat the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. With the mixer on medium, add the eggs to the butter mixture about 1 Tbsp at a time, allowing each addition to blend before adding the next. Halfway through, scrape down the bowl, then continue adding eggs as before. Add the pumpkin and blend well.

4. With a fine-mesh strainer, sift the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves into the bowl and whisk to blend. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately. Begin with 1/3 of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, then another 1/3 of flour, then the rest of the buttermilk, then the final amount of flour. Scrape the bowl and finish blending by hand.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the top is firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to rack to cool completely.

6. Make the frosting: Place the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl and blend with a mixer until smooth. Add the maple syrup and confectioner's sugar and mix thoroughly. Scrape bowl down and blend again briefly.

7. Once cake has cooled, run a thin flexible knife or spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a cake cardboard or large plate on top of pan and flip over so that the cake is on the plate. Lift the cake pan off, leaving the parchment paper on the cake. Flip again so the cake is right side up. Level the cake if necessary. Using a serrated knife slice the cake horizontally into two layers. (Note: Or you can do what I did, and make two batches of the cake recipe so that you have two 9" layers, for a larger, taller cake.)

8. Place the top half of the cut cake on a serving plate, with the cut side up. With an icing spatula or thin flexible knife, spread a generous 1/2 cup of frosting evenly over the surface. Flip over the bottom half of the cake on top of the frosting with the parchment side up. Remove the parchment and use the remainder of the frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake. Press the toasted pecan pieces into the sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.

Storing: The cake will keep refrigerated for 3 days. It is best served at cool room temp. and should be taken out of the fridge 30 to 45 minutes before serving.

* The cake flour should be sifted first, then measured. An easier way to do this is to use a small kitchen scale if you have one, and sift out 7 ounces of flour (which equals 2 cups of sifted flour). You could also sift the flour directly over a large glass measuring cup until you get to the 2 cup line.

** The pecans should be toasted first before chopping them into small pieces. You can toast the pecans on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes.


I hope you enjoy this recipe. And as always, let me know what you think!

- Colleen

Maggie's Buns

My sister and I have had entrepreneurial aspirations for as long as I can remember. As children, much of our playtime centered around creating a "business" and then acting it out. Sort of like dress-up, but with a business plot line. One of our first creations was a circus, but without the animals, so really more like a fair. We "employed" the two younger kids who lived next door to us. (They served a dual purpose, in that they were our customers and our free child labor!) We spent most of our time creating carnival games, like a ring toss, a spin-the-wheel game, and a bean bag toss. As I remember it, many of our mother's cooking beans went to making homemade bean bags, and a good number of those beans ended up all over the backyard, when we didn't quite sew those little bags closed all the way. As you've probably noted, this early business dream does not translate well to an actual paying occupation. I'm guessing my parents are relieved that we didn't grow up to be carnies...

We also had a real estate firm, where we spent most of our time sitting at desks talking on old rotary dial phones, and setting up appointments to show people houses for sale. Oh, and most importantly, planning our dates for when we got off work! Then I went through a Nancy Drew phase, and we posted signs hiring ourselves out as detectives to anyone in the neighborhood who might need our services. Surprisingly, no one ever took us up on this! I can't begin to imagine why... I mean when you've read every Nancy Drew book ever written, you're bound to have better than average detective skills, right?

The business I remember being most "successful" was the C&H Diner. Heather and I would make our parents sit at the dining room table, while we whipped out our tablets and scribbled down their orders. We then spent an enormous amount of time in the kitchen totaling up how much this wonderful meal would cost before presenting them with the bill. We were some pretty tough waitresses and our customers weren't allowed to leave the dining room until they had paid up! Luckily for them, my sister and I had no concept of the cost of food, so they usually escaped having lost only the change in their pockets. I'm thinking this little diner game had more to do with making some quick cash for some toy we wanted to buy, and less to do with starting our own food-related business. But I'm pretty sure I saw an Oprah show once where she asked her guests what they remember enjoying most as a child and encouraging these people to turn this childhood passion into a dream. I'm on it, Oprah!

So then, it appears that we were always destined to work in the food business. Thank goodness, we have finally grasped the concept that to be successful in the food business, you actually have to serve some food! Which is exactly what the mother daughter team do at Maggie's Buns, a bakery and cafe, in Forest Grove, OR. A real-life, grown-up version of the "diner", where not only do they take your order and give you a bill, they actually feed you too. My friend Amanda introduced my sister and I to this lovely little spot this past week for lunch, and I'm so glad that she did. The place is very bright and cozy, and is decorated in a Bohemian, eclectic style, with multicolored chandeliers, mismatched tables and chairs, and a plastic set of Maggie's "buns" right at the front counter. Oh, and did I mention the fake deer head wearing a hat on a side wall? I think you get the idea....

But what this cafe lacks in polish, they more than make up for in friendliness and charm. And though the decorations might be a little "out there", the food is not. Think homey, comfort food, just like mom or grandma would make. (Well, if they were good home cooks, that is.) They have a whole display case of wonderful things to choose from, such as buttermilk baked chicken, turkey bacon wraps, Greek gyros, pasta dishes, and at least 6 different salads. And the prices won't break the bank. I chose the Sante Fe Quiche...



Heather got the Portabella Feta Crepes...



And Amanda got the Homemade Macaroni and Cheese...



And don't even get me started on the pastry display case... There was so much to choose from... cookies, muffin tops (exactly what the name says!), several different kinds of brownies, lemon bars, and fruit cobblers. I got a rasberry shortbread bar for the road. Mmmm.... a little piece of summer in the middle of winter... delightful!

If you're ever in the area, you should definitely give this place a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed...

- Colleen