Ragnar - NW Passage Relay

Completed my first relay run this weekend, Ragnar NW Passage -- 12 people, 200 miles -- Blaine, Washington to Whidbey Island.

We completed it in about 28 hours, and I'm relieved that I was able to keep up a pace the whole time and never walk. My running practice has been dreadful over the last few months, but I guess the adrenaline and pressure of wanting to do good for the team helped keep me going.

My legs:
1) 6.3 miles - 1 hour, 1 minute - 9:46 pace (9am Friday)
2) 3.5 miles - 31 minutes, 15 seconds - 9:07 pace (9pm Friday)
3) 4 miles - 39 minutes - 9:54 pace (6am Saturday)

I definitely had really easy legs (minimal hills, not super long distances), so none felt particularly horrible, though the third leg is the worst because you haven't had any sleep at that point. These type of relays are a bit of a production with all the coordination involved, I wouldn't go out of my way to do one again, but it was fun to try it once.

Taste duplication cooking attempts

After my previous ice cream success I was feeling confident enough to try and re-create Salt & Straw's "Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbon" flavor. I think I was close, but Salt & Straw's version is still better, every bite of their version has a nice salty kick without being too overpowering.

The salt flavor in mine was uneven (only shows up on certain bites where I have a caramel praline piece), and if I just try adding some flaky fancy salt after it's scooped into a bowl, it's too strong. (I relied on David Lebovitz's Sea Salt Caramel ice cream recipe on his web site--though I purposefully made less caramel for the base custard because I didn't want a dark brown colored ice cream.)


I am bit happier with my lightweight version of a manakish. I made a quick flatbread using the approximate recipe below. I would add more Zatar spice next time, but overall found this extremely satisfactory of replicating manakish but not as heavy on the dough and oil as one you'd get in a restaurant.

1 c. almond meal
1/4-1/2 c. cake flour (not sure how much, just threw this in because I had a bit left that I wanted to use up)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. egg whites (I would have used one egg, but I have a bunch of whites leftover from the ice cream)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
(Mix all ingredients, then place between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out thinly. Bake at 350 degrees--maybe 10 min?, brushed with olive oil and Zatar spice).

It's finally summer, creme fraiche ice cream

Work's been keeping me busy so I haven't posted recently. I'm on an ice cream kick lately and on a whim tried the Creme Fraiche flavor I found at the grocery store (local brand called Snoqualmie), and then discovered it would be really easy to make my own. This is officially the best flavor ice cream for me; really plain yet slightly weird.

David Lebovitz's Creme Fraiche Ice Cream Recipe:
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. sugar
Pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
2 c. creme fraiche

1. Place a large bowl in an ice bath and set aside (have a strainer next to it).
2. Whisk egg yolks in a separate bowl.
3. Warm milk, sugar, and salt over medium heat until just heated through in a saucepan.
4. Slowly add warm milk mixture to the yolks, whisking constantly.
5. Return egg-milk mixture to stovetop in the saucepan, stirring constantly over medium heat until it reaches a slightly thick consistency (coats the back of spoon).
6. Then pour this mixture over strainer into the bowl sitting in the ice bath, and stir it for a few minutes and let it cool down. Chill in refrigerator.
7. Add creme fraiche to the chilled mixture.
8. Put mixture into ice cream maker and voila.