IMBB #14: Everything's coming up orange!

or a day in the life of the color orange. Since orange is one of my favorite colors and the orange family one of my favorite citrus, instead of cooking one dish and posting one recipe we decided to make a day of it by playing an I Spy Orange game of sorts and later on, an orange focused--in both flavor and colors--dinner.

So we headed out to one of our favorite Seattle neighborhoods where we spent the better part of what has been one of the most amazingly gorgeous days in the last 5-6 years in Seattle, shopping for orange color foods and noshing our way through Ballard.

Therefore, my entry for Foodgoat's orange themed IMBB is a compilation of tastes experienced today while out and about and later on at home, while preparing and eating a few very orange scented, flavored and colorful bits: drinks, dinner and dessert.

Here is the orangey breakdown in the order of consumption:

1. Yam and Pinto Bean Tamale from one of the food vendors at the Ballard Farmers Market
2. Orange cup of coffee at Café Besalu
3. Café Besalu's Quiche Lorraine with a gorgeous homemade golden crust
4. Splendiferous Organic Golden Beets purchased for tonight's dinner, along with Grilled Frenched Rack of Lamb marinated in garlic, Moro blood oranges and extra virgin olive oil served with a fresh baby Spinach Salad
5. Small glass of Vintage 1993 Lillet (Réserve Jean de Lillet)--purchased at Fauchon's Caves de Paris a very tasty souvenir from last year's Parisian holiday--on the rocks with a twist of Minneola, enjoyed while cooking above mentioned IMBB dinner. ;-)
6. Taylor Shellfish Farms Mussels --purchased at Ballard Farmers Market earlier today-- steamed in fresh garlic, 2003 St.Chapelle Riesling, red pepper flakes and Maldon salt for our first course.
7. Roasted Yams & Golden Beets (nothing but extra virgin olive oil and Maldon salt). Simply amazing.
8. Very small glass of intensely honeyed, redolent of apricots, unctuous and utterly decadent 1998 Far Niente Dolce with dessert.
9. Dessert: Homemade chocolate covered (with tempered Scharffen Berger 62% Semisweet) Australian Candied Apricots, Australian Candied Orange Slices and Orangettes.