Brick 29 Bacon Feast

I received this from the Brick 29 in Nampa this morning. If you have never been to this restaurant, you really should go. Well worth it.

Hi Bob and Robin,

I wanted to let you know about the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour that is coming to I'm Treasure Valley on August 1 at Brick 29 Restaurant. The event is making a stop in Nampa to celebrate local blogger Bacon Unwrapped and author of Bacon: A Love Story, Heather Lauer.

There will be lots of bacon themed food and drinks featuring bacon prepared by celebrated local chef Dustan Bristol. The event will also feature a bacon eating contest.

Representatives from Bacon Salt and Bakon Vodka will also be in attendance and serving samples of their products.

There will be lots of fun, eating and drinking. We would love to have you at the event and if you could mention the event on your blog linking to Bacon Nation.

Please let me know if you have any questions, would like to speak to Heather or need more information.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Nina Simmons

So there you have it. I guess it really is a "pork fat thing!" Cheers.

26th Anniversary Menu

Yes, it really is a celebration! Here is the menu from Cafe de Paris on 9th Street in Boise. Anyone who would like to join us for dinner must make a reservation. We are also bringing a 1983 Chateau de Sales Pomerol to share. Auction price $162.00. Did I mention this is a magnum? Well, it is! Here is the menu:

First Course
Foie Gras
brioche crouton, pickled cherries

Butter Poached Lobster Tail
local field greens, tarragon vinaigrette

Two Course Dinner
Champagne Aperitif
Main Course
choice between
First Course or Dessert
$29/person

Three Course Dinner
Champagne Aperitif
First Course
Main Course
Dessert
$35/person

Main Course
Filet Mignon
potato puree, haricot verts,
truffle compound butter

Halibut Papillotte
roasted mushroom consomme,
saffron potatoes, petits pois
Dessert

Chocolate Soufflé
berry jus, white
chocolate sauce

For Reservations
Call 208-336-0889

Hope to see you there and to share some fantastic wine with you! Let's celebrate!! Cheers.

Our 26th Wedding Anniversary

Yup! 26 years! 26 Great Years! 26 Fantastic years! And all on Bastille Day, 14 July. We usually go to Silver City, Idaho, but this year we must stay around Boise. So what is Bastille Day? Here is a brief explanation:

Bastille Day, the French national holiday, much like our Independence Day, is celebrated on July 14th each year. In France, it is called Fête Nationale ("National Celebration in official parlance, or more commonly le quatorze juillet ("14 July"). It commemorates the1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities are held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic.

The parade opens with many cadets from the École Polytechnique, Saint-Cyr, École Navale, and so forth, then other infantry troops, then motorised troops; aviation of the Patrouille de France flies above. In recent times, it has become customary to invite units from France's allies to the parade. Traditionally, the students of the École Polytechnique set up some form of joke. Fireworks centered on the Eiffel Tower mark the close of the festivities.

Bastille Day falls during the Tour de France and is traditionally a day when French riders try to take a stage victory for France, working harder than they might on other days. During this day, the President gets authority to pardon offenders, and since 1991 the President has pardoned many petty offenders (mainly traffic).

Happy Anniversary, Robin, and Thank-You for 26 great years!!!

Night All!

Zimo's Blog

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2009/07/01/outdoors/peregrine_chicks_cause_stir_downtown_boise

Thanks for the note. Will include some of your stuff in my blog. ZIMO

Zorba's Favorite Tomato Soup

Bistro Jeanty is a French restaurant in Yountville, California. I had their tomato soup once and simply had to ask for the recipe — which they gave me!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lb. tomatoes - ripe, cored and quartered
1/2 cup butter - unsalted
1/2 lb. yellow onions - sliced
6 ea. garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 ea. bay leaf
1/2 tbl. whole black peppercorns
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 cup water (use only if tomatoes are not ripe and juicy)
4 cups heavy cream
1-2 tbl. butter
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1 lb. puff pastry - defrosted if frozen
1 ea. egg - beaten with 1 tbl. water
Directions:
Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Do not let the onions color. Add the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and water if needed. Simmer over low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes and onions are very soft. Puree in a blender (working in batches) or use a hand-held immersion blender; strain. Return the soup to the pot. Add the cream, salt, white pepper and the remaining 1-2 tbl. of butter to taste. Bring soup back to boil.
Let the soup cool for 2 hours or overnight (in the refrigerator).
Divide among six 8-ounce soup cups or bowls. Roll out the puff pastry to 1/4 inch. Cut 6 rounds slightly larger than your cups or bowls. Paint the dough with the egg wash and turn the circles egg-wash side down over the tops of the cups, pulling lightly on the sides to make the dough tight like a drum.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Lightly paint the top of the dough rounds with egg wash without pushing the dough down. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is golden brown. Do not open the oven door in the first few minutes or the dough will fall.
Serve immediately.

Food Watch

Ah! Many thanks to Paul and Helen (Kate) for bringing us these beautiful kokanee! Awesome and just look how they prep out? A nice brine with tarragon, basil and English thyme.




And then after smoking at 225 degrees F for 4 hours over hickory with some alder added in ..... fit for a King!




But wait, can't have these delicious morsels without some fresh bread and Strawberry/Rhubarb Jam! Such a treat!!




A dinner such as this makes one dream of rich, blue skies with whipped cream clouds and a sprig of mint or basil.







So there you have an awesome meal! So much fun to do. So many thanks to friends Kate and Paul! Cheers!