For awhile I have been wanting to start writing a series of reviews of delicacies that have crossed my path. In part as a fun way to share with Sophia fun new culinary discoveries while we are so far apart, and partly to encourage and celebrate good quality items.  Review is not a perfect word because I am not critiquing, I wouldn't take the time to write about something I didn't enjoy, unless my dis-enjoyment was so profound and thought provoking that I had to share (or warn)... And finally the accumulation of new discoveries has reached a point that I must begin.

Up in Smoke- Rivers Edge Chèvre

This delicious cheese came over the bridge to me one rainy night. As soon as I unwrapped the packaging I knew I was in the midst of something special. The fresh goat cheese is smoked in maple and then delicately wrapped in a smoked maple leaf, the smoky flavor is just right... present in every bite, but not overwhelming and the cheese still feels fresh. It's made on the Oregon Coast, visit their website to order some, it looks like they ship! Or, if you live in the Northwest, you can try any of these retail stores that carry Provvista products.

* Photo Credit: I had to use the photo from the Rivers Edge website because I accidentally ate all the cheese before I could photograph it!

Sophia's Notes: 

I spotted this recipe in Food and Wine not too long ago.  As an avid lover of Mediterranean dips and meze, it easily grabbed my attention.  For some reason celery root had escaped my mind for the past couple of years.  I am quite fond of this Fall root vegetable, which can be eaten in a myriad of ways, cooked or raw.  I bought the celery root at the farmers market and had sliced almonds in the cupboard.  The result was a rich, creamy dip with a slight nutty flavor.  Celery root has a reminiscent taste of artichoke, and is easy to pair with steaks.  I had my dad pick up lamb kebabs, and we ate this with black hummus, and an eggplant pomegranate dip.  It turned into a huge meze feast.  I will make this again for sure, but I am also curious to try skordalia with sunchokes and other root veggies this Fall.  

Emma's Notes: 

I was really excited when Sophia suggested a skordalia variation... I love skordalia, my boyfriend makes it for me all the time (we eat it with beets). I had never heard of putting almonds in it, I've only ever had it with potatoes and garlic... unfortunately Iam going to have to wait a little longer to try skordalia with almonds because that was the change I had to make to this recipe. I was staying at my friends' house and we only had an immersion blender, which I didn't think could handle the nuts, so it was just garlic and celery root. Really tasty though!

We apologize for the delay in our latest Twice is Nice. Between weddings and family visits, we got a bit caught up. Last week's Twice is Nice was my choice, and I picked an Espresso Rubbed Steak with Green Chile Pesto from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. My mom is in the midst of a huge decorating project, and there are tons of home decor magazines around our house. Of course I love to flip through them, but it is usually just for the recipes. I especially like to read Daniel's Dish in Elle Decor and Ina Garten's recipes in House Beautiful. I had come across this recipe a few times when flipping through the magazine on several different occasions, and for some reason it appealed to me. I say "for some reason" because I am not a huge steak eater, and almost never cook it myself. But that being said, I love espresso rubbed anything, and the recipe seemed like a good choice for this theme.

Notes: I used real espresso ground up super fine, and not the instant espresso that the recipe calls for. The recipe also says 2 teaspoons of red chile powder for the spice rub. I used 1 teaspoon of chile ancho powder, and 1 teaspoon of chipotle. I loved the combination of the two. They were both earthy and smoky, and am glad that I had them both on hand. I also added a teaspoon of cumin. I always add cumin with chile powders, especially when cooking meat. I left everything the same for the pesto sauce.

I invited a friend over to eat it with me and see what she thought, and we both loved it. The spice rub was deep, rich, and smoky, but in no way overpowering. The sauce was delicious and added a nice cooling counter flavor to the steak. The next day we were both salivating at the thought of it. I served it with black beans, and might have added some rice or tortillas had I had the time.

Emmas Steak

Emma's Notes: The remote upstate grocery store that supplied my ingredients for this recipe forced me into a bit of improvisation... I couldn't find any cotija cheese, so I ended up using plain goats cheese, whichI know wouldn't even be a true substitute but it tasted really good. Also, no poblano or anaheim peppers, so I used a small green chile that I was told wasn'ttoo hot (it didn't have a name). Back at the house I couldn't find any pine-nuts so I used pumpkin seeds for the pesto instead and it was really tasty... For the steak, I was afraid the pesto would be too spicy with the smaller peppers so I didn't add chile to the rub, I also used finely ground coffee beans instead of instant, since that's what we have... we fired up the grill and cooked the steaks for less than 10 minutes so they were a bit rare inside-- super tasty. We also made some lemon parsley potatoes that we ate with the steak... it was a nice combination, and the next morning we ate the potatoes with the leftover pesto.

Recipe link: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/espresso-rubbed-steak-with-green-chile-pesto/

My friend John and I have been discussing mozzarella a lot lately. We love good mozzarella, and John will often go out of his way to Caputo's for some of their freshly made cheese. The other night we were at dinner and watched an Insalata Caprese pass by. The style of the dish looked great, but we were baffled as to why restaurants insist on serving tomatoes in the Winter. When tomatoes are not in season, there is really no point to ordering them; they are not fresh and have no flavor. We are both very strong proponents of the local movement, and tomatoes in the New York Winter are an affront to seasonal eating. So we started brainstorming what foods could match a good mozzarella in the colder months. There really are no vegetables that have the same sweet/acidic flavor and juicy texture of a tomato. I suggested a good balsamic vinegar that has been reduced and rid of some of its pungency, which brings out a similar acidic sweetness. John agreed- a reduced balsamic really is the only appropriate Winter match for a good mozz.

I started thinking of other similar condiments/sauces that were similar to balsamic, and I got to pomegranate molasses, one of my favorite things. However, what is nice about the Caprese are the layers of tomato and cheese, so I felt like I still needed something else besides the balsamic. What I came up with was sliced oranges (peeled of all pith and cut horizontally) that I cooked in a pan with balsamic vinegar. I sliced the oranges beforehand and let them marinate with the vinegar and a pinch of salt. I then put them in a pan and reduced everything together. The oranges took on a caramelized flavor and texture, without becoming too sweet, and the balsamic reduced with the orange juice. I then layered the slices of fresh mozzarella with the orange, and garnished it with fresh pomegranate seeds (also sweet and acidic), and drizzled it with Tondo reduced balsamic vinegar, pomegranate molasses, and extra virgin olive oil. You can just use a bottle of regular balsamic vinegar and reduce some with the oranges and then some by itself for the drizzle. I have been eying that Tondo balsamic "cream" for a while and couldn't help myself. If you are into foodie indulgences, you should check it out for easy drizzling and garnishing.

I would be curious to know what other vegetables and condiments you would want to pair with mozzarella this time of year. Let us know!