Coconut Macaroons- 2010 holiday cookie of the year.

Coconut Macaroons...not really a macaroon, per se, but people seem to know what we mean when we call them that, so there you go. These are so gooey and sweet and SIMPLE (and gluten free! YAY!), they are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie list. They are so popular this year we have had a hard time keeping them in the case!

1/2 cup sugar
4 cups sweetened coconut
3 egg whites- beaten lightly
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt

Beat egg whites while slowly pouring in the sugar. beat til just barely holding a peak when whisk is removed. Fold in remaining ingredients.
Drop spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Use fingers dipped in water to neaten the shape.
Bake in 325 dgree oven for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
cool well before moving. To totally guild the lily, drizzle melted chocolate in a fancy design on top.
Yield 24 to 36 cookies, depending on how big you make them.
Keeps in airtight container 1-2 weeks. perfect for mailing.

Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is here! All of my pies are made...40 of them to be exact. 5 different kinds. The most popular by far? That's right. 

Pumpkin

makes 2 - 8" pies

2 cups pureed cooked pumpkin, butternut squash works well too! (good to puree to remove any stringyness)

1 cup brown sugar

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or heavy cream

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t clove

1 t ginger

1/4 t finely ground black pepper (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together, pour into two chilled unbaked pie shells and bake in preheated 350 degree oven

For 40 minutes until center jiggles only slightly when shaken.

Here is a crust recipe, too:

For 2 - 8" pies

2 1/2 cup unbleached flour

7 ounces cold butter, cut into little pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup ice cold water

1 egg yolk

splash lemon juice

Cut cold butter into flour, working the mixture with your hands and rubbing between your fingers in a sheeting motion. When it is well combined add sugar and salt and mix together wet ingredients... Add to flour mix and work to form a ball of dough, using more flour or water as needed to keep it from being too dry or too sticky. Wrap tightly and refridgerate for an hour or up to a week. Will freeze for one month.

Pistachio Thumbjams with raspberry filling

It's no denying the time for holiday baking is upon us...too soon you say? Never too soon around here, where we began making our little cookies a couple of weeks ago. We'll be in full swing with them by the end of next week. To get myself warmed up I decided to take on the Holiday Cookie Challenge put forth at ruhlman.com by Emilia Juocys. As we all try to get through this time with no Gourmet Magazine (thank goodness for my stack of back issues!) this will be a fun diversion. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make and finally decided to use the bakery's very first holiday cookie recipe, pecan thumbjams, and give it a festive makeover. So here we have rolled the brown sugar dough in ground pistachios and used my homemade raspberry jam (perfect for it's bright red hue) to create one very merry cookie!

 

Pistachio Thumbjams with raspberry filling

yield 2 1/2 dozen 2" cookies

ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup of ground pistachios*

1 cup of raspberry jam- seeded

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and mix well. 

Add the flour, salt and lemon zest and mix until fully combined. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in the ground pistachios. place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and press your thumb into the center to make a well for the jam. Spoon a bit of jam into the dent and bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan half way to ensure even browning. Cookies are done when edges are slightly browned. Let cool completely before eating...be carefull, the jam is HOT! These will keep for quite a while (4 weeks) in an airtight container, hidden away (this part is very important if you have a husband with a sweet tooth). Otherwise they are soo good, they won't last at all!

*the pistachios, I have to admit, were a little fussy. I could not find shelled nuts anywhere in my little town, so I shelled, then blanched, peeled, toasted, cooled and THEN ground them in a food processor. Good thing it is a holiday cookie, right?!

Soup of the day: Potato cheddar Beer

I wake up every morning and listen to the local public radio station to get the weather and local goings on. this morning as I drank my coffee and got my morning update, I could hear the wind and the sea raging outside my window. Winter is definitely here and the gale warnings the gal on the radio predicted for this morning are proving to be true as we watch the waves crashing on the beach behind the bakery. It's a good day for this soup, but then, it always is, gale or not.

The secret is in the beer:

Potato Cheddar Beer Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

4 ribs of celery, roughly chopped 

1 bottle of beer

6 medium potatoes (i use red, with the skins on, but any kind will work) roughly chopped

6 cups of water or vegetable stock

salt to taste

8 ounces cream cheese

3 cups cheddar cheese- shredded

In the bottom of your soup pot, with a little oil, saute the onion and celery until translucent, even a little carmelized. Add the beer scraping up the brown bits off the bottom of pan. Cook 2 minutes to burn off alcohol. Add the potatoes, water and salt. Cook over medium high heat until potatoes are soft. drop in cream cheese and let sit 10 minutes to soften. Blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. Whisk in the cheddar while it is still hot. Serve immediately. If needed, reheat verry carefully. Garnish with shredded cheddar and chopped scallions. If your feeling really spicy top with chopped jalapenos. 

Serve with fresh bread and butter and...you guessed it, a nice cold beer! 

Ginger Pickled Salmon

This is a great way to use frozen salmon and an awesome pantry item to have for the holidays. Quick and festive, what can be better?


When life gives you salmon...lots of salmon, you get pretty creative as to how to prepare it. This has turned into one of our favorites! We make for special catering events here at the bakery and at home we always try to have a jar in the fridge just in case we have to wow company on short notice. The appetizer we created by shredding it and putting it on cucumber rounds with wasabi and a cilantro blossom has become a crowd favorite...gets them every time!
To pickle 1 1/2 pounds of salmon (this is red salmon, but any kind works):
cut fish into little 2" strips about 1/2' wide...coat very thoroughly with kosher salt and place in a nonreactive container, covered in the refrigerator for at least overnight or up to 2 days (soak a little longer in clean water if it is salted more than 24 hours).
To make your pickling liquid:
in a medium saucepan stir together:
2 cups water
2 cups cider vinegar
1/2 pound fresh ginger- sliced thin
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 T salt
1 1/2 T black peppercorns
2 t brown mustard seed (optional)
bring mixture to a boil, let cool and refrigerate overnight to chill completely.
Rinse salt from salmon letting the fish soak in cold water for a few minutes. drain well. put salmon into clean glass jars to two thirds full and top off the jars with the picking liquid. fit with a tight clean lid and refrigerate to cure for 3 days.
serve as shown above or just put it in a bowl and eat with your fingers like my 10 year old does...it's his favorite TV snack...such a good Alaskan boy!

King Salmon with honey cayenne glaze

 John went trolling for salmon today with his friend Harry. Harry is half of the wonderful couple that sold us the land on which the bakery now proudly calls home. He and his wife Shirley were very flexible and amazing when it came to doing the land deal, carrying the loan themselves at a time we were hard pressed to get credit from a bank. (The bank kept wanting to refinance my 10 year old car...they put more trust in the car than my business, which is window into the difficulties the super-small start-ups go through) We faithfully made our payments and saved our money, and eventually...thanks to the fact we had an asset that was tangible, we were able to design and build our dream bakery. We have worked hard to live up to the town's needs and expectations and we are grateful to all those who helped us along the way. Today, this one is for Harry and Shirley...Thank You! And Thanks for taking John out so he could bring home something that's a little rare this time of year. Fresh King Salmon. This particular fish is what's referred to as a 'feeder' king. King Salmon spawn after 5 years or so, until then they roam the oceans building up fat reserves for their harrowing journey upstream. Where we live, on a bluff about 500 feet above the shores of Cook Inlet, we have a very fine and expansive view of a particularly popular spot for these feeder kings and we watch all winter as, at times, a dozen boats or more are making the slow movements back and forth indicative of trolling. John came home with two fish, one a white king salmon (I sadly did not get a photo of before it was processed for the freezer). The other was a fine light pink gem, very fatty and beautiful pale color due to the cold temps and season.

To cook it, I decided to keep it simple and sear it skin side down and then finish it under a broiler with this super simple honey cayenne glaze. 

To make the glaze:

1/4 cup honey- any kind- go crazy!

a pinch of cayenne pepper 

stir it up in a little dish and set aside.

Heat up a cast iron skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. place fish in when it's just smoking and sear the bottom not moving the fish at all...4 minutes. Glaze the fish once or twice while on the stove , putting another coating on right before moving pan to the broiler. Broil another four to 5 minutes. This was a thick filet, so I check it once and glaze it again before giving it two minutes more. Pull from oven and let sit to rest, covered for 3 minutes. Slather on the last of the glaze right before serving. 

We ate ours with crisp green salad and fresh ciabatta bread from the bakery...divine!

Midweek dinner...baby back ribs

I know most people don't associate wednesday nights as rib nights. Ribs are something you have on saturday when you have all day to tend the fire, right? Not so, I say! Need a quick prep, no fuss meal anytime...babybacks are your friend. An hour in the oven is all you really need. One hour of undisturbed alone time for you to take a long hot shower. Or as Ruhlman so gently put it in his roast chicken post, go have sex. I bet there's even time for a shower afterwards. Otherwise you can help the kids with their homework, have a glass of wine...whatever. One winter a few years back, I discovered the true beautiful simplicity of this method, which was introduced by my friend chef Ryan Lee. I had ordered 130 pounds of ribs for a cast party after the local holiday performances of the Nutcracker Ballet. My kids were in it along with half the town and the party, especially the ribs were a huge deal. Usually they are lovingly slow barbecued by our friend, Blake LaRue, but Blake's back went out the night before, leaving him completely unable to perform his 'cuing magic. I knew I could put them in the wood fired oven, but how to know they would be perfect? Ryan suggested I use his method that works for one rack or twenty, in a word, foolproof. We set them up in hotel pans with lots of aromatics in the bottom and baked them as directed. Sure enough, they were beautiful! It is now my go-to rib recipe, with it I have the secret to making a lot of people very happy in a relatively short period of time, and that..on a wednesday night, is priceless!

Here's how we 'do' it:

1 rack of baby back pork ribs (or twenty, if that be the case)

1 oven- preheated to 350 degrees

1 roaster pan, rack in place, with tight fitting lid or foil to cover

Turn ribs to the bone side and make sure the butcher has removed the silver skin. The bones should be clearly visible, but if they are covered by a light silver film, you'll want to remove it. This can be easily done by pulling up a section at the edge and working your fingers to separate enough that you can get a hold of the whole end, it should pull away in one piece, use a sharp boning knife to remove any fragments left behind. Rub your spice blend into the flesh, generously, on both sides. If you don't have a favorite rib rub, try this:

2 Tablespoons Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

2 Teaspoons paprika (smoked would be great here, too)

2 Teaspoons ground thyme

1 Teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

mix all ingredients well and rub away.

lay rubbed ribs on rack in roaster pan 

throw some garlic cloves and chopped onion in the bottom and pour in about a cup of water.

Cover tightly and bake in preheated oven for one hour. This your chance to take a walk, call a friend, or 'you know what'. If you need a side dish, you could throw some scrubbed potatoes on the rack above the ribs.  Put some greens in a bowl for salad and then off with you!

After an hour pull pan out of the oven, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to rest. This is a great time to mix up my favorite bbq sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, the best you have.

Stir until smooth.

If you want to char the ribs on the grill, now is good time, but if your natives are restless and ready to eat, just cut them in between each bone and throw the whole lot in a big bowl, spoon on 1/2 the sauce and toss, coating the ribs evenly. Spill out onto a platter with the extra sauce on the side and your done. Time to pour another glass of wine and sit back and enjoy the quiet, as everyone will be too busy eating to make any noise...ahhh, wednesday!

Raspberry Cheesecake Tarts

The sweet part to the ending of berry season, is we get to make things like this!

To begin: set out 12 ounces of cream cheese in a warm place to soften. 

You will need 2- 8" tart pans or 8- 4.5 inch tart pans

Tart Dough:

2 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

mix all ingredients on low speed in a stand mixer, if that is not available to you, use a handheld mixer and then your hands to rub the butter and flour together very thoroughly. This is like a shortbread. press resulting paste into tart pans. Chill while mixing cheesecake filling.

Cheesecake filling:

12 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

This can be mixed by hand, if the cream cheese is room temp. mix in the order listed, blending well between ingredients. pipe or spoon into chilled tart shells. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 20 minutes or until shells and filling are slightly golden. Cool thoroughly.

Glaze: 

1 cup raspberry jam

1/2 cup red wine

Heat over medium heat in a heavy bottom sauce pan.

Let boil briefly, whisking the whole time, until slightly thickened. 

Chill.

Assemble tarts by placing dry berries on top of cheesecake filling in fully chilled tart shells, arrange in a pleasing pattern. Very carefully brush glaze over fruit...any extra care you take during this step will be greatly rewarded! Serve all alone or with whipped cream, whatever your choice, it's gonna be awesome!

Crack chips

Early on in my restaurant career, when I was living in Driggs, Idaho for a short stint as a wanna be ski-bum, I worked as a line cook at a mexican restaurant called Machos. It was a funny place for an ethnic restaurant in the early 80's. Driggs being a tiny town of about 250 people back in 1983 populated with a curious mix of mormons and hippie telemark skiers, this little mexican place was down right exotic, though not run by actual mexicans. Which is sad, because the food was mostly the americanized version with which we are all too familiar. One thing I learned in my short time there, besides the fact that I don't want to come home smelling like a chimichanga, was how to make my own tortilla chips. I've been making these chips for years at home because they are so easy and sooo good. Then, not too long ago, my son and I spent a rainy evening watching a silly new show on the food network about celebrity chefs in Beverly Hills. At one of their parties they made 'Crack Chips' - simply, deep fried flour tortilla triangles sprinkled with salt. that's it, nothing else. So easy and so addicting, I had to share how to do it:

Carri's Crack Chips

Cut flour tortillas into triangles (I used whole wheat ones here)

heat about 4 cups straight up olive oil (no it will not smoke, I swear...and you can strain the oil and reuse over and over!) in a heavy bottom 3 quart saucepan fitted wth a candy thermometer to 360 degrees. Toss in a few of the triangles, using tongs to move them around in the oil. fry till golden, about 2 minutes, max.

transfer to paper towel lined cookie sheet and immediately sprinkle with salt.

That's it, really. except for eating them. And if your making them ahead for a party, be sure to hide them from the family or they will be gone before the guests arrive!

Roasted eggplant and the mediterranean focaccia...meatless monday love!

Layered with pesto and roasted tomatoes and peppers, this sandwich has become the star of meatless mondays.
To begin, we roast the eggplant:

cut the ends off of your eggplant and peel with a sharp knife, holding eggplant on it's end and running the knife down the sides, as close to the skin as possible. Slice peeled eggplant lenthwise into 1/4 inch thick slabs. assemble dipping station: 1/2 cup flour per eggplant in an oblong container with a little seasoning like salt, pepper and basil. in another oblong container, blend wet mixture: 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk per eggplant plus salt and pepper to taste whisked thoroughly to very smooth consistency. Oil a sheetpan lined with parchment with a generous layer of olive oil. Then, forming an assembly line, dip the eggplant slices first in the flour and then the egg and arrange on the sheetpant and bake in a preheated 400 F degree oven and 15-20 minutes till slightly golden.
For Tomatoes and peppers:
Slice veggies into 1/4 inch slices and place on sheetpans lined with parchment and brushed generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until edges are brown.

Assemble the sandwich by slicing the focaccia bread length-wise. On the top crust sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese and put back in hot oven to melt. On the bottom crust, spread freshly made pesto and then layer the eggplant, and the tomatoes and then the peppers. Top off with a pile of fresh cleaned spinach ;eaves and the melted cheesy bread layer. To really do it up right, you'll want to wetght this by putting and overturened sheetpan on top and then setting domething nice and heavy on top for 15 minutes or so...it will then be ready to be cut and enjoyed!

Carmel Sauce

What smoothes the rough edges like a spoonful of carmel. Drizzled over ice cream, tucked into a cupcake or adding the goo factor to an otherwise perfectly staid cheesecake square, nothing satisfies quite like a smooth buttery carmel sauce. My partner in all things carmel- Sharon, and I have been intrigued by sugar in all of it's forms and trying to understsnd the science behind the conversions. She figured out that glucose is sugar with an acid added (honestly things get fuzzy for me from here on out, science is one thing, molecular science a whole 'nother...that Sharon, she's one smart cookie!) She adapted this recipe from Alice Medrich 'Pure Desserts" which calls for golden syrup. Since we do not always have access to this product and don't like the results we get from corn syrup, a conversion was in order. in this case, more sugar, cream of tartar and a little water are added to sub for the glucose. One very important thing to remember when working with sugar crystals is that one small grainl on a spoon or the side of a pan can infect the whole batch and rob you of that smooth amazing creation that is...

Carmel Sauce

3 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 t sea salt
2 cups heavy cream, heated to scalding
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter- cut in chunks
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, water, honey, cream of tartar, and salt in a heavy bottom 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth and mixture bubbles around the edges. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook 3 minutes (steam will help melt the sugar crystals) Uncover and, using your wet pastry brush, wash down the sides of the pan again. (do not skip these steps, or you will not have smooth carmel!) Attach a candy thermometer and cook uncovered, and unstirred until the mixture reaches 305 degrees. Turn off heat and stir in butter chunks and slowly pour in hot cream, mixture will bubble like crazy, be careful, but keep stirring. Turn heat back on medium-high and stir until mixture resumes a healthy boil. Cook til it reaches 225 degrees for a thin sauce and up to 230 for a thick carmel like the one above. And for Carmel Apples - take it all the way to 250 degrees. (Sharon keeps a glass of ice water next to the stove to test droplets of carmel for the texture she wants. This is also a good thing to dunk your fingers in should you burn yourself!) Store in glass jars. Keeps a month or more in the refridgerator...except at my house! To reheat, place jar in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Marinara Sauce

"In the depths of winter I have found there lies within me an invincable summer." -Albert Camus
No, we don't have tomatoes growing fluently in our greenhouses at this time of year. In fact, we rarely do ANY time of year! (though there IS a local grange project in the works that could supply fresh tomatoes and greens to Homer year round....we'll keep you posted on that one) We are all for going local as much as possible, but when it comes to tomato sauce, well, let's just say it's very unrealistic. At the bakery, we have always made our own marinara using canned tomato products (thank you Sean Maryott) but at home, for the longest time, I bought jarred sauce. (I know, right?) Until I saw on some food detective show how much sugar is in one of those jars....whoa. So now, I make it at home, just like at the bakery, only I can it into 16 ounce jars. This batch will get you 6 of them, plus you'll have ample left over for supper that night. perfect.

Marinara

1 whole head of garlic...peeled and crushed
2 medium onions...roughly chopped
4 ribs celery...chopped
4 medium carrots...chopped
/2 cup red wine
1- #10 can diced tomatoes (6# 6oz or 12 cups)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
4 cups water
2 T salt
2 T sugar
2 T dried basil
2 t oregano
2 t thyme
2 t marjoram
2 T balsamic vinegar

In a large 8 quart heavy bottom pot heat 1/4 c olive oil over medium heat, add onions, saute 2 minutes, then add garlic, celery and carrot...continue to saute until onions are translucent. add wine to pan and stir to deglaze and cook off alcohol, about 4 minutes. add tomato products and water, stirring well to combine. add salt sugar, spices and vinegar. bring to gentle simmer, turn heat to low and cook gently for at least an hour, longer if you have time. Puree using an immersion blender (or a standup blender, but for the love of god...BE CAREFUL!) once it is the consistency you love...return to the stove and bing to a very low boil.
Prep jars by washing them and boiling in your canning pot covered with water...10 minutes. put lids and rings in a smaller pot covered with water and gently bring to simmer. Ever so carefully, remove the jars using tongs and set on a clean towel spread on the counter. Ladle in sauce to bottom of band. wipe the rims of each jar with a very clean cloth. then put on lids and bands...only screw on enough to hold lid in place. lower jars back into canning pot and add more water to cover jars by 2 inches. Bring to boil and hold at that temp for 35 minutes. remove from water and let sit undisturbed to cool. do not tighten rings. check seal (a tap in the center should not make a sound) any that have not sealed, refridgerate and use with a week. The rest can go in the pantry or any cool dark spot.
For more on canning:
'Putting Food By' is one of my favorite go to books for cannin' or jammin'!
canningpantry.com also has great online info...

Cream of Potato and Garlic Soup

Amazing how a few simple ingredients can come together in something so perfect for a quick meal when the cupboard is sorta bare and the roads are too icy to go to town. This is my kids favorite and one of the easiest soups to learn how to make. An immersion blender makes pureeing it a snap. (and at $20 bucks even in our alaskan hardware store, no reason to not have one) Also, We like red potaoes for this, leaving some of the skin on for extra texture and color. You could also add purple potatoes to the mix...or sweet potatoes...yum!

Cream of Potato and Garlic Soup

1 lg onion roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 whole head of garlic, about 10 cloves, peeled and smashed
7 cups red potatoes, washed and eyes trimmed, but not neccessarily fully peeled, then cut into chunks
7-8 cups water
2 T Kosher Salt
8 ounces cream cheese

Saute onion and celery in 2 Tablespoons olive oil heated in a heavy bottom 6 qt. soup pot...after 2 minutes add the garlic and continue sauteeing until onions are translucent. add potatoes, water and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Turn off heat and drop cream cheese into soup and let it sit for 10 minutes to soften. Puree with immersion blender (or smash with a potato smasher, you won't have a perfectly smooth soup, but it will be tasty) Check spice, adding more salt if needed. Garnish with chopped fresh rosemary, or scallions or bacon or cheddar cheese or pretty much anything!

Granny T's veggie Soup

I had a special request for this recipe today and I totally thought I had it up...but no!
So, Amber...here it is!

! medium onion chopped
2 cloves Garlic minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
4 medium potatoes chopped into chunks
1 cup frozen peas
1 12ounce can stewed or diced tomatoes
4 Tablespoons tomato paste (honestly, my grandma used ketchup for this)
1 Tablespoon dried Basil
1 Tablespoon Balsalmic vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste

Saute onions and celery in a soup pot over medium high heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil
after 2 minutes add carrots and garlic and a couple of pinches of Salt
Continue sauteing until onions are translucent. Add potatoes, Tomatoes and paste and dried Basil, then add enough water to float all the vegetables, about 4 cups. Bring to a simmer and cook slowly until potatoes are done. Add Peas, vinegar and sugar and check for salt. then cozy up with a nice hunk of bread and say hi to my grandma while your at it...enjoy!

Ginger Beet Soup

Our local farmer still has just a few root veggies for us...beets. potatoes, rutibagas, even some cabbage!
the beets, particularly inspired me yesterday, along with the need for something cleansing and hearty at the same time, this soup definitely delivered! The briliant color also helps to brighten up even the darkest of days...
Ginger Beet Soup
1 lg onion, roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
6 cloves fresh garlic
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 cups peeled red potatoes cubed
4 cups raw, peeled beets, cubed
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups water
1 - 12 ounce can coconut milk
Kosher salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Saute onions and celery together in bottom of a soup pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat...after 2 minutes add garlic and ginger. Cook until onions are translucent and add white wine to deglaze pan and cook off alcohol, about 3 minutes. Then add potatoes, beets and water and throw in a few generous pinches of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft. Pull from heat, add coconut milk and puree with an immersion blender. Taste for seasoning, add lemon juice and more salt if needed. Serve with a little creme fresh, if you feel indulgent...as I usually am! Top with scallions for an extra bite and enjoy to the last crimson drop...