Month: July 2011 (Page 4 of 5)

Photo Tips for Shutterbugs

July 7, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By Ray Pearson

It’s summertime in America, and the open road beckons. Whether you prefer wandering quaint country roads, rushing down interstates, or tracing Route 66, one thing is certain – the trusty camera is a wonderful co-pilot on such adventures.

Fast forward a bit, to when travel season is but a fond memory, and those friendly (but in all honesty—frightening) invitations to “C’MON OVER AND LOOK AT OUR VACATION PICTURES!” start filling up the voicemail box. Really, why didn’t they just buy post cards? I don’t care how cute your kid is eating a drippy ice cream cone; 12 pictures of the experience is excessive.

Here are ten suggestions to make your photos the most sought-after show in the neighborhood:

  1. Photograph in less-than-ideal weather – oncoming storms are awesome

 

 

2.) Photograph at dawn and at night – immediately “something different”

 

 

3.) Include people you encounter – especially if they are doing something exciting

 

 

4.) Photograph especially colorful food or restaurants 

 

 

5.) Photograph from different perspectives – get down to kid level

 

 

6.) Be willing to pull over when something unusual pops up – road trips are great for this

 

 

7.) Include an interesting foreground – this leads the eye to the main subject

 

Interesting foreground gives the picture depth of personality

 

Uninteresting foreground

 

8.) Photos do not have to be tack sharp to be interesting – blurring conveys action

 

 

9.) Include special activities from your vacation – it’s an exciting world

 

 

10.) Include details from unusual accommodations – rustic B&Bs are great for this

 

 

About Ray

Ray is a nationally recognized single malt Scotch expert. He recently retired after 16 years within the spirits industry, including four as Glenfiddich U.S. Ambassador. Ray currently presents educational whisky seminars and tastings for corporate events, destination management companies, and national whisky shows. He is a photographer and member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association.

For more articles from Ray, you can visit his blog:

whiskymeister.wordpress.com

And of course check out all of his Whisky 101 articles right here at intotheSoup.com.

Chef Kelly Fletcher’s Grilled Corn Vichyssoise with Haboob Corn Dust and Ancho Powder

July 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Heidi has a new friend and his name is Kelly Fletcher.  Kelly is the Executive Chef at one of my favorite spots in town–“House of Tricks“.  We met formally (or rather, very informally) when I hosted the ‘Challenge to the Chefs’ at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival last April.  While soup wasn’t on the menu that day, he prepared a recipe especially for us and the “Biblical Proportion Dust Storm” that rampaged through Phoenix last week.  

Grilled Corn Vichyssoise with Habub Corn Dust and Ancho Powder

Ingredients:

  • 5 ears of summer corn (shucked and silked)
  • 3 leeks julienned (white part only, washed thuroghly)
  • 2 med. yellow onion julienned
  • 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
  • 8 cloves minced garlic cloves
  • 2 T. sherry vinegar
  • 1/2 lb unsalted butter
  1. Grill the ears of corn until a few of the kernels have taken color on every side of the cob. Remove from the grill and allow to cool to the touch.
  2. With a serrated knife remove the kernels from the cobs and place the cobs in a med. stock pot and add water to cover the cobs by a few inches, bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 20~30 minutes. Reserve kernels for later..  Meanwhile in a seperate pot melt 4 oz. of butter over medium heat and add the onions, leeks, garlic and corn kernels and sweat for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are transluscent.
  3. To this pot you can now add your potatoes and prepared corn stock from the previous pot, discarding the cobs, they won’t be needed any longer. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a medium heat and simmer until the potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.
  4. When your potatoes are ready use a slotted spoon to place about 1/3 of the soup solids into a blender and add enough of the soup liquid to cover then add 4 oz. of cold butter, place the lid on and tightly hold in place while you buzz the soup to the desired consistency. Pour the soup into a large bowl and the continue this process until you have blended all of the solids and the soup is the consistency you want. Fold the sherry vinegar in and add salt and white pepper to taste.. place the bowl into the fridge and chill over night. Adjust the thickness with a touch of milk the next day if the soup is to thick.
  5. Prepare your favorite cornbread recipe and allow it to cool all day so that you can crumble it into a fine powder.. use this to garnish your chilled vichyssoise with a touch of ancho chili powder and snipped chive.

 

 Click Here for More Soups of the Week

 

 

Grilled Ahi Tuna Steak with Wasabi Butter

July 6, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I received a press release about the Honolulu Fish Company and their new Poke Packs a while back and asked if I could sample some of their product and “play with their food.”  They graciously sent me 5 pounds of their  highest grade sashimi Ahi and boy did we have fun in the kitchen!!  While we did whip up a tasty little bowl of Poke, I went for an 8 oz. steak on the grill with a sweet little side of Wasabi Butter.  Amazing product and so great for summer BBQ’ing.  To learn more about their products, click here.  www.honolulufish.com

Grilled Ahi Tuna Steak with Wasabi Butter

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Tuna:

  • 2     6-8 oz. Ahi Tuna Steaks from Honolulu Fish Company
  • 1 T.    Olive Oil
  • S&P to taste

Sauce:

  • 1T.    Olive Oil
  • 2 T.    Minced Shallot
  • 1T.    Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 C.    White Wine
  • 1/2 C.    Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/2 t.    Sesame Oil (optional)
  • 2 t.    Wasabi Paste
  • 4    Pats Cold Butter
  • S&P to taste
  1. Pre heat grill to medium high.  Liberally salt and pepper the tuna steaks.  If possible, cut steaks to about 1 1/2 inches thick.  Sear on both sides for approx. 2-3 minutes for medium rare.  Set aside and immediately start making your sauce. Unless you can do it BBQ-side simultaneously… (this makes you Chef material, indeed, or just a damned good BBQ’er)
  2. Heat sauce pan to medium and add the olive oil, shallot, and garlic; cook until just translucent.  Increase heat and add the white wine, reducing until pan is nearly dry.  Add the heavy cream, sesame oil and wasabi paste and reduce by half (add more wasabi if you like it hot).  Adjust seasonings, reduce heat and add pats of butter.  Drizzle over steaks and serve with miso salad and sticky rice.

“Elvis-Would-Have-Loved-This” Ice Cream Terrine

July 5, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Bananas? Peanut Butter? Chocolate? Feeling ‘All Shook Up’ yet?? We think that the King would approve and hope you will, too!!

“Elvis-Would-Have-Loved-This” Ice Cream Terrine

Serves 10

Ingredients:

  • 2-1 pint containers vanilla ice cream
  • 2 small bananas, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 pint chocolate ice cream
  • 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 5 cream-filled chocolate cookies (peanut butter cream filled is even better!)
  1. Line an 8 x 4” loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing extra to hang over the sides. Place 1 pint of the vanilla ice cream into a bowl; allow ice cream to soften slightly. In a food processor, blend the banana and lemon juice until pureed. Fold banana mixture through the softened ice cream until well combined. Spread into the bottom of the loaf pan. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
  2. Place the chocolate ice cream in a bowl; allow ice cream to soften slightly. Swirl the peanut butter through the softened chocolate ice cream. Spread over the banana ice cream layer. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
  3. Place the remaining pint of vanilla ice cream in a bowl; allow ice cream to soften slightly. Use your hands to roughly crush the cookies into the bowl. Fold the cookies through the ice cream. Spread over the chocolate ice cream layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm.
  4. To serve, invert terrine onto a cutting board or serving platter. Remove the plastic wrap and cut into slices to serve.

 

The Arizona Highland Celtic Festival, July 16-17: Activities and Attractions

July 5, 2011 / / 0 Comments

By Ray Pearson with Photos By Betsey Bruner

Overheard at last year’s festival:

  • “C’mon, Dad, I want to learn more about raptors and geology.”
  • “Did you know a labyrinth is a maze?”
  • “That kid over there is younger than me, and she’s playing the bagpipe. Can I do it?”

Nope, the Arizona Highland Celtic Festival is not a super camp for young brainiacs and prodigies. One of the things it is, however, is a once-a-year opportunity for families and folks of all ages to become immersed in “things Celtic”. In fact, the motto of the group presenting the festival is “To present, promote, and preserve Celtic culture.” This is usually done through fun activities, where the learning sneaks in the back door.

 

An exotic bird show is a major educational attraction

For the little ones, The Kids’ Area offers a wide range of interactive situations like digging for potatoes in Ireland (actually a kiddie pool filled with wood chips, hiding real potatoes). For the little- bit-older set, there’s the oatmeal toss, with gallons of the gooey stuff available to lob at ogres and denizens of Celtic mythology (and learn the importance of the humble food in Celtic history.)

 

Get your kids excited about careers in agriculture!

Single malt whisky tastings,  black powder firing re-enactments, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and the straight-backed, shoe-clacking precision of Irish dancers are just a few of the crowd-pleasing activities happening throughout the weekend. Over the years, workshops have become immensely popular. This year nearly a dozen will be offered, including hands-on opportunities to play the musical bones, spoons and the bodhran, learn about Celtic salt and how it’s harvested from the sea in several Celtic regions, and hear tales of Celtic myths, legends, heroes and villains.

A black powder demo for the gun lovers

Jewels in the festival crown include athletic competitions (brawny guys do not throw telephone poles, they toss the caber), Highland dance competitions (did you know the Highland Fling is based on a war dance?), and Piping and Drumming competitions. Clans (families sharing a common ancestry) and Celtic organizations welcome guests to discover genealogy, family history, and modern-day links to the Old World.

 

You’ll never look at another telephone pole without thinking, “How far could I throw that?”

Authentic, high-quality food and merchandise, representative of the Celtic regions, are the mainstays in the vendors area, along with opportunities for such unusual things as printing your personal coat of arms and family history. This year, the insanely popular Wicked Tinkers and the always fun, Knockabouts, will get the crowds into the spirit of the weekend. New entertainers include Bua, a group of Irish singers, and Tramor, a group of pan-Celtic performers, including a Welsh bag-piper.

 

Grilled Tomato & Arugula Bruschetta

July 2, 2011 / / 0 Comments

A great ‘beat the heat’ starter to wow your summer party guests! It’s easy enough to make it a weeknight staple, too!

Grilled Tomato & Arugula Bruschetta

Makes 8 bruschetta

Ingredients:

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 8 medium size vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
  • 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 8 slices of ciabatta or other Italian woodfired bread
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • Balsamic vinegar (good quality), to drizzle
  • Shaved Parmesan, to serve
  1. Finely chop 3 of the garlic cloves, then place in a bowl with the chopped tomatoes and basil. Stir in 1/4 cup of the oil, season well, then set aside.
  2. Brush bread on both sides with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Grill over high heat to mark and toast both sides of the bread. Halve remaining garlic clove, then rub one side of the bread with the cut side of the garlic.
  3. When ready to serve the bruschetta, pile the tomato mixture on top of the grilled bread. Top with arugula, drizzle with extra oil and balsamic vinegar, and garnish with Parmesan.
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