Some writers have the uncanny ability to imbue their written words with their own voice. My good friend Greg Atkinson is one such writer. His words, penned or spoken, are thoughtful – measured and weighed as carefully as if he were crafting a recipe. And as the very best writers do, Greg’s words evoke powerful sense memories. His newest book, At the Kitchen Table: The Craft of Cooking at Home, is full of deeply personal stories that invite the reader to relate and connect with him. His essay on borscht calls to mind immediately my grandmother’s kitchen; I can smell the earthy beets and the simmering broth as if I were at her kitchen table awaiting a piping bowl.

Continue reading on Amazon’s Al Dente Blog.

Northwest cuisine is full of iconic flavors, and mussels are an integral part of the profile. I’m pretty equal opportunity when it comes to my love for these delicious bivalves, but I have a special soft spot for Puget Sound–grown Mediterranean mussels. This sweet plump variety is characterized by shiny black shells and easily removable beards. The mussels are super-quick to cook for an easy appetizer or dinner on the fly. Their season peaks in late summer to early fall—around the same time as tomatoes, says Jon Rowley, seafood guru to Taylor Shellfish.

Now, we know mussels are d’lish steamed in white wine, garlic and butter, but Mediterraneans in particular are extremely versatile. Showcase their big, bold flavor with a dish of Pale Ale Oven-Roasted Mussels. Toss them into a big cast-iron skillet with some local beer, garlic and rosemary, then pop the whole shebang in a very hot oven—instant one-bite apps with their own built-in spoons! Don’t forget some bread to soak up that tasty broth!

“Meds” are at their best right now. If you happen to be in Seattle, pick up some of these yummy Northwest favorites at Taylor Shellfish’s new store on Capitol Hill. Or plan a day trip and head out to beautiful Chuckanut Drive to their farm where they have a store on site and learn all there is to know about raising/harvesting mussels and other local treats straight from the Pacific.

Cook up some of these delicious mussels before their season is over! – Kathy

Pale Ale Oven-Roasted Mussels

Makes 4 servings as a shared appetizer, or 2 as a light entrée

2 pounds Mediterranean mussels, rinsed and debearded
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/2 lemon, cut into 4 pieces
1/3 cup NW beer, such as a pale ale
2 Tbsp butter, cut into small chunks, or olive oil
1 large rosemary sprig (optional)

Preheat an oven to 500°F. Toss the mussels, garlic, pepper flakes, tomatoes, and minced rosemary in a large bowl. Transfer to a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet with an ovenproof handle. Squeeze the lemon pieces over the mussels, then drop the pieces into the pan. Pour the beer over the mussels and scatter with the butter. Place the rosemary sprig in the center.

Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mussels are all open. Remove from the oven, and stir gently with a large spoon. Discard any mussels that do not open. Serve in the skillet, set on a hot pad or trivet—being sure to wrap the skillet handle with a cloth napkin or pot holder.

Recipe adapted from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books, San Francisco

From their long and storied history as snake oils and
medical panacea to their modern-day indispensability  behind the bar of any good cocktail program, bitters have been there through the cocktail’s rise in popularity, fall during Prohibition and re-emergence as a key part of today’s thoughtfully-crafted cocktail. Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All by accomplished author Brad Thomas Parsons ushers the reader through the ups and downs of this flavorful favorite. This ultimate guide to the emerging, versatile world of bitters as a cocktail staple is sure to be an enduring resource for bartenders for years to come.

Continue reading on Amazon’s Al Dente Blog.

I’m shaking it up again — Season 2 of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen^™
I am so excited to have just completed shooting the second season of my cocktail show Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen with Small Screen Network! Keep your eye out for these tasty cocktail episodes, which air every Tuesday!

A sneak peek at my Envy cocktail!

If you’ve seen my recent tweets then you saw some of the inside scoop while in mid-filming. This season is full of great cocktail recipes from inspired classics to fun & inventive cocktails, including a DIY raspberry syrup that I use in a Clover Thyme Club as well as a Whole Fruit Strawberry Daiquiri and a Cherry Chocolate Bourbon Spirited Milkshake! To kick-off the first season, I invited world-renowned mixologist Charlotte Voisey to show us how to make her Port of Mischief Punch. Special episodes also include a fun trip to Eastern Washington and Oregon where I demystify the maraschino cherry and take you on a tour of how they’re made from orchard to jar. I hope you will tune in weekly for some Liquid Kitchen inspiration. Cheers!

Imbibing Books!
If you’re a cocktail enthusiast, then check out these must-have new books! Food & Wine just published their Food & Wine: Cocktails 2011 and is available now. I penned the vodka chapter which is loaded with recipes from myself as well as guest mixologists Anu Apte from the Seattle’s Rob Roy and H. Joseph Ehrmann of San Francisco’s Elixir.  Some of my faves for summer include my Tea’Thyme and Pineapple Pico cocktails.

Spirit Industry icon Gary Regan recently published his Annual Manual for Bartenders, 2011. After careful research and testing, “Gaz” picked his top 101 mixologists recipes!  It’s an amazing book for any mixologist or budding bartender – I’m honored to have my Bollywood cocktail recipe included. If you love cocktails, make sure to sign up for Gaz’s Ardent Spirit newsletter – it’s one of my faves!

More Cocktails at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic
In May, I traveled to New York and imbibed with some of the best mixologists, bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic! Along with famed mixologists Charlotte Voisey and Jamie Boudreau, we led an informative and interesting seminar called “Three Mixologists, Three Cocktails, Three Ways or Cocktail Menage a Trois!” We each took three classic cocktails and put our special spin to them. You can see a video of our demonstrations on Small Screen Network.

IACP—International Association of  Culinary Professionals
This past June my Culinary Associate Heather Jones and I  traveled south to Austin, Texas for this annual conference. This is a worldwide industry event inviting culinary experts from all areas (chefs, restaurateurs, photographers, etc.) to come together, attend seminars and dish out tasty offerings. This year I led a specialty seminar called “Better to be Bitter.” People loved the hands-on a tasting and learning just what bitters are as well as how to use them… it really is better to be bitter!

The IACP cookbook awards are always a must attend event. I am so excited for chef pal Lisa Dupar whose cookbook Fried Chicken & Champagne won Best First Book – a great honor! Congrats Lisa!

After a week of seminars by legends like Shirley Corriher (making her famous lighter-than-air biscuits and teaching us all about baking science) to some fine Texas cuisine demos by luminary Chef Stephan Pyles, it was time to check out Austin’s food trailers (trucks) with chef gal friends Danielle Custer and Lisa Dupar.

My new friend, a Texas Armadillo!

Lisa Dupar and Danielle Custer checking out the East Side King Food during our Austin food trailer foray!

The Local Yolk food trailer … so cute!

The temperature was HOT for these NW gals … but we trekked on to taste quite a few of the city’s best street grub.

Gourdough’s was my fave — and the naughtiest! Giant doughnuts topped with crazy and oh-so-tasty things! Funky Monkey: grilled bananas and cream cheese icing. Porkey’s: Canadian bacon, cream cheese & jalapeño jelly. Mother Clucker: fried chicken and honey butter. Yes, quite a gut bomb, but oh-so-good!

Gourdough’s BIG FAT DONUTS!

Other food venders ranged from Korean barbecue to fish and chips with curry sauce to killer Texas-style BBQ. I’m full just thinking about it!

Tales of the Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail is probably the biggest of the cocktail events this year. Every July, mixologists, spirit producers and enthusiasts from all over the world convene for a week of amazing parties, liquor tastings, spirited dinners and seminars. This year I did a seminar with internationally renowned Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim on H2O Cocktails. We discussed the how’s and why’s of water–based cocktails using flavor–infused waters with complex–character vodka. Master Distiller Thomas Kuuttanen from Purity Vodka joined us to answer all those geeky questions that we couldn’t. TOTC is open to the public so you don’t need to be a pro to party with the professionals. Stay tuned for my next newsletter to hear all the imbibing details. In the meantime, check out an episode of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen to see how to make a Purity Watermelon Habanero H2O Cocktail — so perfect for summer sippin’!

On-Air with Kathy Casey! Dishing with Kathy Casey on KOMO New Radio
I’m excited to announce that you can catch me on Seattle’s KOMO News Radio AM 1000/97.7 FM! Art Sanders will be Dishing it up with me every weekend. I’ll cover what’s hot in Seattle from seasonal treats (cherry mojitos, anyone?), new restaurants and festivals (check out this lavender lemon soda) to entertaining at home. Catch me throughout the day and evening every weekend on KOMO!

Buzzin’ Around Town
As the summer months take over, I’m happy to announce that my bees are back with the addition of another hive! That’s right, I have two hives now! The bees love zooming around our urban garden and deliciously feed off the wild fennel blossoms and blooming edibles.  I can’t wait to taste this year’s batch of yummy honey. You too can have a taste for yourself and order yourself a jar of my special Liquid Kitchen 5130 Honey!

Don’t forget to check my column D’lish with DList Magazine, my posts on Amazon’s Al Dente blog and keep your eye out for my upcoming column in in the new Sip Northwest Magazine, where I’ll be covering the newest NW Spirits and Bars!

I’ll be headed out California soon for the Flavor Experience then off to Canada for the Canadian Club Whiskey distillery tour! Stay tuned with my tasty tweets.

Wishing you a wonderful and d’licious summer! – Kathy

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Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@KathyCaseyChef), Dishing with Kathy Casey Blog or find Sips & Apps on Facebook for all my tasty travel tidbits.

If you haven’t signed up for my Newsletter, you can sign up here.

Lavender has been used in the culinary world for centuries and is enjoying a bit of a renaissance, with today’s creative chefs looking to this member of the mint family to spice up cocktails and savory dishes as well as add delicate elegance to sweeter offerings. You can dress up a summery pitcher of lemonade with lavender simple syrup – one part water, one part sugar and fresh lavender flowers brought to a boil and cooled. Pretty lavender flowers are also fantastic to freeze into ice cubes. Or how about making a super easy lavender sugar – deliciously sprinkled on fresh fruits or as an elegant gift dressed up in a jar. Just toss lavender flowers in sugar, let it dry out, then process in a CuisinArt! Don’t forget – lavender is a favorite for busy bees… plant some in a pot and help out our native pollinators!

If you love lavender as much as I do, be sure to check out The 15^th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival, happening Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th. Vendors will be serving up lots of lavender inspired eats such as crab cocktail with lavender spiked salsa, lavender wine, Little O’s Mini Donuts sprinkled with Lavender Sugar, lavender dessert crepes, hand-crafted funnel cakes with lavender infused honey and cream and  lavender cotton candy! There will be a street fair as well as lovely walking tours of seven different lavender farms! Sounds sweet to me!

There’s  so much you can do with this fragrant flower.  Have fun experimenting and I hope you will try out the recipes below for Lavender Lemon Soda from lavender queen Kathy Ghert and my recipe for Succulent Summer Stone Fruits with Lavender Infused Honey Syrup! –Kathy

Photo by Brian Smale, from Discover Cooking with Lavender

Lavender Lemon Soda
This recipe is from Kathy Gehrt’s book, Discover Cooking With Lavender, it’s great to make for a crowd and is excellent with a splash of vodka or gin for those that imbibe.

Makes 4-6 Servings

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp fresh lavender flowers

1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
25.3 fluid ounces sparkling mineral water
Ice cubes

Combine water, sugar and lavender in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over gentle heat. Remove pan from stove and let mixture steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain out flowers and chill the syrup until you are ready to use it.

Combine lavender syrup with lemon juice and pour 1/2 cup of this liquid into an ice-filled glass. Fill the glass with sparkling mineral water and stir. Serve immediately.

© Kathy Gehrt, Discover Cooking with Lavender, Florentia Press

Succulent Summer Stone Fruits with Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup
A great way to use up that lavender from the big plant in your yard. This syrup is easy to make and is just the thing to give fresh fruit a special touch, Make extra lavender infused honey syrup to give as pretty gifts. Seal in small bottles and tie a fresh lavender flower to each bottle.

Makes about 6 servings

Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup
1/2 cup high-quality honey, preferably local
1/2 cup water
8 fresh lavender flowers, unsprayed, and rinsed (or use 1 tablespoon dried)

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About 4 cups assorted fresh, ripe stone fruits, prepared as follows before measuring:
Peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedge
Large apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
Plums, pitted and cut into wedges
Nectarines, pitted and cut into wedges
Dark or light sweet cherries, pitted

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh lavender flowers for garnish, optional

To make the Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup: In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the honey, water, and lavender flowers. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, being careful that the mixture does not foam up. Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is like thin pancake syrup. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Strain into a glass jar, cover, and reserve. The syrup will keep, covered, at room temperature for 2 weeks.

To assemble and serve: In a large bowl, toss the fruit first with the lemon juice, then with the Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup. Serve in pretty glasses or fruit dishes, garnished with fresh lavender flowers if desired.

Recipe © Kathy Casey

Northwest chef Becky Selengut knows a thing or two about fish and in her new book GOOD FISH, she shares some of that wisdom with more than a little light-hearted humor and lots of insightful anecdotes. Selengut cares as much about the delicately balanced flavors in her recipes as she does about the denizens of the deep and being a thoughtful steward of them and their home. Addressing everything from seasonality, raising and harvesting methods to buying tips and questions buyers should ask their seafood seller, Selengut is handing the home cook the ultimate guide to sustainable seafood cooking.

Continue reading on Amazon’s Al Dente Blog.

The Frantic Foodie Keren Brown shares the inside scoop in the Food Lovers’ Guide to Seattle. With delectable recipes from Seattle’s iconic eateries, this is the ultimate resource for food lovers to use and savor!

A bounty of mouthwatering delights is in this engagingly written tome, as well as a rich array of other, indispensable food-related information including:

• Favorite restaurants and landmark eateries
• Specialty food stores and markets
• Farmers’ markets
• Food festivals and culinary events
• Recipes from top Seattle chefs

To commemorate Keren’s book, she will be hosting a faboo book launch and signing on July 25, 2011 from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Shilshole Bay Beach Club. A bevy of bites will be provided by Apulent Events & Catering as well as a wide range by local establishments from restaurants to specialty shops. Make sure to mark your calendars!

Tickets for this event must be purchased in advanced and are available through Brown Paper Tickets. With the exception of the ticket processing fee, all proceeds will go to FareStart.

Hope to see you there! – Kathy

My good friend Gaz Regan has spent his fair share of time behind a bar, so he knows a good cocktail when he sees one. Luckily for us, he’s compiled his top picks from bartenders the world over into Gaz Regan’s Annual Manual for Bartenders 2011. Part bar-tested philosophy, part recipe book, the Annual Manual will not only give you an idea of what some of the world’s top mixologists are making, it’ll keep you well entertained with Gaz’s quirky ruminations and insights into the world of libations.

Continue reading on Amazon’s Al Dente Blog.