They Are Finally Here!!

Yippee!!! The 2012 London Olympics are here! Us ladies here at Haute Papier, have been watching the trails and putting in our favorite votes. As the world watches, we'll be watching for our favorite events. After an afternoon of chatting while letter-pressing, I asked some questions to the team. Here are our answers!

Sarah responded with the following.

Which is your favorite sport to watch and why?   Gymnastics   

What one are you most excited for? I love love love watching the Open Ceremonies to see all of the performances and I love watching the finals of any sport.  From rowing to the marathon to the beach volleyball, I've got them all DVR'd!

If you could participate in one sport what would it be and why?  I'd say the marathon.  Having been a distance runner, it would be the ultimate for me in terms of competing in an Olympic event!

Erin was up next!

Which is your favorite sport to watch and why?  Overall I like swimming.  The athletic ability of Olympic swimmers is amazing!  And the male swimmers have the nicest bodies in all of athletics so that's not too shabby of a reason to tune in :)

What one are you most excited for?  I love the opening ceremonies!  I love seeing the world come together every four years to celebrate national pride in a positive way.  I also can't miss the women's gymnastics finals.

If you could participate in one sport what would it be and why?  Probably women's soccer or field hockey.  I played both growing up and so the learning curve might not be too terrible!

Purnima your turn.

Which is your favorite sport to watch and why?  I would have to agree with Erin and say the swimming!!!

What one are you most excited for? I find all the sports to be wonderful! I am going to stick with swimming.

If you could participate in one sport what would it be and why? I would have to say participating in the floor routines for the gymnastics events!!

Kate, last but not least!

Which is your favorite sport to watch and why?  I have a few favorites! If I had to pick one it would be volleyball! I played in high school and it was wonderful to see the teamwork play out!

What one are you most excited for? I love the gymnastics events!! It is unbelievable how they focus and balance on such a small beam. I am just amazed in their strength.

If you could participate in one sport what would it be and why? I would love to participate in the equestrian events! I have no horse riding skills, however I would find it enjoyable learning.

Good luck to all the competitors and we will be routing on the good old USA!

Low and Slow in the Kitchen

With the sweltering heat that DC's been melting under, there isn't much incentive to turning on the oven, but I promise, this recipe will make it worth it!  And you can cook a whole large fillet at a time and have plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.  Add a farro, wheat berry or similar salad as a side, top with tzatziki sauce got a light and protein-filled dinner without too much effort! Slow Roasted Salmon with Tomatoes and Herbs

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 bunch dill fronds
  • 1/2 bunch thyme sprigs
  • 1 3-pound piece center-cut skin-on salmon or steelhead trout fillet, pin bones removed
  • Sea salt
  • 8 ounces small cherry tomatoes on the vine

Preheat oven to 325°. Pour 4 Tbsp. oil in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon. Make a bed of herbs in bottom of pan; top with salmon, skin side down. Drizzle salmon with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and season with salt. Top with tomatoes, if using. Bake until salmon is just cooked through in the center (a small knife will slide easily through flesh), 25–30 minutes.  Use a large spoon or fork to serve salmon, leaving skin in pan. Serve with yogurt sauce and couscous.

The original recipe, with sauce and salad can be found on Bon Appetit here.

Hot off the grill!

The lovely ladies of Haute Papier love letterpress.  We also love to eat!  And it doesn't get much better than grilling come the dog days of Summer here in D.C.  That's why we were so excited to receive these grilling reminders from Chef Scott Jenkins at Extra Virgin:

  • Foods that will be barbecued should always be marinated in the refrigerator, rather than on the counter.
  • The healthiest way to barbecue your food is to place it in the center of the grill, and put the coals off to the side. This will keep the juices from the food from dripping onto the coals.
  • Cut the vegetables to allow for maximum surface area on the grill; this allows for easy turning and flipping with minimal slip through the grill grate. You can cut the vegetable down to a smaller size if needed when removed from grill.
  • Use the smallest amount of oil when tossing vegetables with oil spices before grilling. The oil coating the vegetables is what causes flash fire and leaves a black soot residue on your grilled vegetables.
  • Try and arrange the heat (whether that’s gas or charcoal) into two separate sections of the grill providing both a direct and indirect heat source. This allows you to move your food to a cooking section and resting section.
  • Providing a rest period is a secret key that is mostly overlooked. Allow for 5-8 minutes before cutting into any meats or vegetable when they come off the grill.

We're also excited to try Chef Jenkin’s special marinade for your next barbeque!  Here goes ... 

the marinade 
1 cup merlot
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c olive oil
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs fresh rosemary
1 tbs dry oregano
 
Mix all together and submerge your favorite beef or lamb and marinade for 3 hours; unbelievable flavor and ease. Adds a lot of flavor and tenderness to BBQ cuts from the butcher.