Long time no post... Sorry for that guys.
In any case... I was reading this tip on a Japanese site and I thought I'd give it a try. It's a very simple way to improve the texture of shrimp prior to cooking it.
The secret?
Baking soda dissolved in water. If you have one of them nifty bags of frozen shrimp, take out a few, defrost them under cold running water, and then dissolve a couple tablespoons of baking soda into a bowl of water. Let the shrimp bathe in this liquid for about 20 minutes before you cook them. Once you're ready, just rinse them off, pat them dry and apply cooking method of choice to the now plumped up shrimp.
When I tried this technique, I just quickly pan seared the shrimp and turned them into a shrimp and avocado salad (recipe below). Honestly, despite the fact that the shrimp were previously frozen, then had a definite crunch that was palpable. It was wonderful. Especially in contrast with the creaminess of the avocado. Still, I would do this every time (given enough forethought that is) I cook shrimp from here on out. I don't know how anyone would go back to soggy shrimp cocktail (you know, the kinda flavors-been-boiled-out-and-clammy stuff?) when you can get the crunch right into the shrimp by just soaking them a tad before boiling/grilling/etc. them in baking soda. I mean, come on? Don't you have a box of baking soda in the back of your fridge?
Apparently, when scientists compared the soaked shrimp with shrimp of the same size that weren't soaked, they found that the soaked shrimp was not only more resistant, but that it had more moisture content. The alkalinity of the soaking solution basically slightly hardens the proteins in the shrimp, making it lose less moisture during the cooking process. Cool!
Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Orange and Lime
Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as an appetizer
6 medium sized (20-25 c0unt) shrimp
2 TBLs baking soda
water
2 ripe Avocados
1/2 English Cucumber
1 navel Orange supremed and cut into small pieces
1 bunch Watercress
8 heirloom cherry/cocktail tomatoes
Seasonings:
2 TBLs soy sauce
2 TBLs Ponzu Shoyu*
1 ts Toasted Sesame Oil
drizzle of Chili Oil*
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
2 limes, juiced
salt and pepper
red pepper (optional)
Peel and devein shrimp, them soak them for 20 minutes in water and baking soda mixture. Rinse and then dry well.
Cut shrimp into thee pieces each, removing the tails. Saute in hot pan until they turn pink, about 1 minute. Place the shrimp into the refrigerator to chill.
Combine chopped avocados, cubed cucumber, orange sections, cilantro, and chilled shrimp in a large bowl and mix with the seasonings reserving 1/4 for plating. Salt and pepper to taste, and add chili flakes if you want some heat. Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, plate in a ring mold or martini glass, top with tomatoes that have been sliced in halves or quarters depending on size, and salted, then toss the watercress in the reserved seasoning mixture and arrange on top.
* Ponzu is a citrus and soy sauce mixture, and is available premixed in most Asian markets, and in some larger markets that have an Asian section. If you can't get it, just mix citrus juice and soy sauce in a 2:1 ratio to approximate the effect.
*Chili Oil is also available in Asian markets. It's not used for cooking but rather as a table condiment. To make your own, just heat up some oil to smoking, and place ground red pepper in a heatproof bowl. When the oil is just about to start smoking, pour into the bowl. It should give off a nice sizzle. For a cup of oil, about 1/2 cup of red pepper would be a good starting point. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil, and let sit covered overnight. You can use just the red oil for flavor, or if you want more heat, use both the oil and the sediment.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Cafe Stella, Silverlake
Cafe Stella ($$$$$)
French
3932 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles 90029
Btwn Sanborn Ave & Hyperion Ave
Phone: 323-666-0265
I took my friend Blondie for a birthday dinner last night. While I've read a lot of people's reviews (many of them not so flattering, mind you) of Cafe Stella in Silverlake, I had to try it for myself. Since we were already at Birdy Bar close by, we walked the couple blocks between drinks to get a meal.
It was about 7:30 on a Sunday night. We walked in and the hostess asked us if we had a reservation. Said, no, and she said that they really were booked and a table may take upwards of an hour. But, they do have a no res bar section that we were welcome to where they did serve the entire menu. Ok, no prob. I like sitting at the bar anyways. Belly up to the corner of the bar, and a very nice lady said that her friend's late, so we could borrow the extra stool we had until she got there. Actually, not too bad a start.
A couple glasses of wine (Zin for me... Pinot for Blondie), and an order of Steak Tartare go in. While it took forever for even the appetizer to come (I counted over an hour), the ambiance was fine, and I was with good company, so I didn't really mind. Definitely not somewhere you want to go if you're in a rush.
When the tartare finally came, I tried it, and was definitely pleasantly surprised. It was creamy and not too overly spiced, and I could actually taste the quality of the meat itself. It was simple and delicious. Second only to the Kobe Tartare I had at Tom Colicchio's craftSteak a while back. So far, I was enjoying good company and the food was fine.
Again, the wait was long, but when the entrées came, I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I had Skate served in an olive brown butter, and Blondie had pork chops with a dijon dipping sauce. Both dishes were simple but extremely competently executed. The skate was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, and flaked perfectly. The pork chop was well rested, juicy, and hot all the way through. Wonderful.
We had another couple glasses of wine and chatted with the bartender (very nice guy), and paid up and left. Cafe Stella is definitely not an "everyday" restaurant given the rather high prices (two glasses of wine each, one app, two entrees, 130 +tax/tip), but I'd definitely recommend it for a date or an occasion. I've eaten at many bistros in the States, and it stacks up as a good authentic recreation thereof. It's got a sort of "gathering house" feeling which is nice, and unlike the experiences of others who've posted reviews on Zagat's and Yelp, I found the service to be good, and not at all "rude." The only complaint I had was again, the time it took for our food to come out. Still, the staff was accommodating enough to make sure that we had enough bread to keep up happy, and even let us try a taste of wine before ordering the glass. If you decide to go, make sure to make a reservation -- I bet that the service would be quicker at a table rather than at the bar.
I'm trying something new with my reviews. I'm going to start posting "inspired by" recipes. This may be my take on something I had, or just something that I was inspired to create on my own with the theme of the restaurant in mind. It's sort of a mini-game for me to play, and you guys to be able to play along with if you want.
So... Café Stella inspired me to make...
Rib Eye Steak with Porcini Bordelaise and Frites Trufées
2 Servings
One Rib Eye Steak per person, cut 1.5 inches thick
1 8oz. tub duck fat (available at gourmet markets including Whole Foods)
Sauce:
1/2 bottle good bold red wine such as a Cabernet, Shiraz/Syrah, or Zinfandel
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in 1 cup warmed red wine and chopped fine
2 medium shallots, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbls prepared beef or veal demi-glace
1 small handful of chopped Italian Parsley
1 Tbls unsalted butter, room temperature
salt and black pepper to taste
Potatoes:
2 large Russet potatoes, cut into steak fries, and then soaked in water for 30 minutes
3 Tbls unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Drizzle black truffle oil
Remove steaks from fridge and pat dry, and let come up to room temperature, about an hour.
Preheat a heavy skillet on high heat to sear the steaks well. I like to heat an oven to 500º F and place a heavy cast iron skillet in there for 10 minutes, then blast it for another 5 on high heat on the stove top. This will make a huge difference in the crust that forms.
Meanwhile, melt the entire tub of duck fat in a pot wide enough to hold both steaks but not too wide that they'll be sitting in shallow fat. Once the entire tub is rendered down, leave on very low heat... you should just see a bubble every now and then.
Salt and Pepper the steaks, then add fat to the pan and sear 2-3 minutes per side without moving so a good crust forms. Take the seared steaks out of the pan and submerge in the warm duck fat. Remove fat from heat, and let steaks rest there. About 25 minutes will give you a rare steak (for a 1.5 inch thick cut), and 35 will be closer to medium. To ensure correct temperature, just use an instant read thermometer -- 120º for rare, 125º for medium-rare. Because the meat is resting in warmed fat, it will forgive a little more than if you were heating the meat directly. Just let the meat sit for a couple minutes before serving.
While the steaks are resting, prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan, melt 1 Tbls butter and add the shallots and garlic. Sweat them over medium heat until translucent. Add in the wine, the reconstituted porcinis and their soaking liquid as well as the demi-glace. Reduce by about half, and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Finally, mount the sauce with the remaining butter until shiny. Add in the chopped parsley just before serving.
Frites:
Dry the soaking potatoes very well. Heat oil to 325º F and fry until cooked through. They should be a pale color at this point. Remove frites from the oil and raise the temperature to 375-400º F and fry a second time to get a crispy crust. Drain, then toss in a pan with melted butter and drizzle of truffle oil. Salt to taste.
Serve the steak and fries with the sauce.
Happy Eating!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Selecting Chicken and making broiler chickens taste much better
I thought I'd quickly explain how you should select chicken at the market, since I just talked about pork and trichinosis. Unlike other meat products, chicken is the animal that you're most likely to pick up a bug (E. Coli... Salmonella...) from. While I've been know to eat raw-ish (!) chicken at certain Japanese restaurants I trust, I wouldn't do that with a store-bought bird. Now that I've sufficiently scared you off...
There are three things to look for when selecting chicken parts. The fresher the chicken, the better the flavor, and the less the risk of getting sick.
a) how it looks through the plastic
b) how firm the meat feels
c) whether there are drippings in the tray
Simple enough. The chicken should look fresh and bright colored when you've look at it. It should be slightly shiny. The "slightly" is important here, since old chicken is very shiny. When felt, the meat should feel firm to the touch. If it feels mushy, it's a sign of meat that's aged. You really shouldn't buy chicken in a package that has drippings collecting in it. If you see that, it's been at least 2 days since the chicken was fabricated or more. Still, given the possibility that the product was repackaged (common practice), look and feel the meat if you can. If you don't feel that it's fresh, move on... there are plenty of other things that you can get.
The best policy here though, is to get to know a butcher or poultry purveyor that you trust. Even the butchers at most supermarkets will be happy to help you out if you ask them nicely.
If you've read this far, I'll share a trick to make the average supermarket broiler chicken taste and have a firmer chewier texture much more like a full-flavored free-range bird. The secret is salt and plain yogurt.
1) rub your chicken pieces well with Kosher salt.
2) place in the fridge on a plate sprinkle a bit of sake or white wine, then cover with another plate and weight it down. leave for 2-3 hours, and wipe off excess moisture with a paper towel.
3) place chicken in a covered container with enough plain yogurt to just cover the pieces. let marinate for at least 3 hours. In this state, the chicken can be held for 1-2 days (salt and yogurt increase the shelf-life of the chicken)
4) when ready to cook, simply rinse the chicken under cold water, and dry well and cook as usual.
There are three things to look for when selecting chicken parts. The fresher the chicken, the better the flavor, and the less the risk of getting sick.
a) how it looks through the plastic
b) how firm the meat feels
c) whether there are drippings in the tray
Simple enough. The chicken should look fresh and bright colored when you've look at it. It should be slightly shiny. The "slightly" is important here, since old chicken is very shiny. When felt, the meat should feel firm to the touch. If it feels mushy, it's a sign of meat that's aged. You really shouldn't buy chicken in a package that has drippings collecting in it. If you see that, it's been at least 2 days since the chicken was fabricated or more. Still, given the possibility that the product was repackaged (common practice), look and feel the meat if you can. If you don't feel that it's fresh, move on... there are plenty of other things that you can get.
The best policy here though, is to get to know a butcher or poultry purveyor that you trust. Even the butchers at most supermarkets will be happy to help you out if you ask them nicely.
If you've read this far, I'll share a trick to make the average supermarket broiler chicken taste and have a firmer chewier texture much more like a full-flavored free-range bird. The secret is salt and plain yogurt.
1) rub your chicken pieces well with Kosher salt.
2) place in the fridge on a plate sprinkle a bit of sake or white wine, then cover with another plate and weight it down. leave for 2-3 hours, and wipe off excess moisture with a paper towel.
3) place chicken in a covered container with enough plain yogurt to just cover the pieces. let marinate for at least 3 hours. In this state, the chicken can be held for 1-2 days (salt and yogurt increase the shelf-life of the chicken)
4) when ready to cook, simply rinse the chicken under cold water, and dry well and cook as usual.
Making Pork Juicy
Here's a quick Kitchen Cheat for you guys.
Don't you hate dry, chewy pork chops? There's are a couple of simple ways to get it to not dry out.
1) Brine the pork for several hours in a 3% salt brine. The basic brine here, is one teaspoon of salt to 200 ml (3/4 cup) of water. Most measuring cups have the metric equivalent, so just look at that. Place your pork chops (or roast or whatever) in enough brine to completely submerge it. I find that a zip bag works wonders for this purpose. Just do this in the morning before leaving the house and remove them from the bag when you get home and pat dry with paper towels.
In addition to getting moisture in the meat, it will also get the salt uniformly into the center of the meat as well. This means that the meat will be much more flavorful. Using this theory, you can add anything to the brine that you want to scent/flavor the chops. I like to use some brown sugar, bay leaves, and thyme. One thing to remember here. Don't put anything acidic in the brine, or you'll "cook" the meat, the results not being as good. If you want citrus in the brine, use the zest and not the juice.
FYI: This is a great technique for chicken too! Breasts greatly benefit from a brine.
2) If you forgot to brine in the morning, here's a quicker method of getting pork chops juicy.
Use Store-Bought Mayonnaise!
Simply take your pork chops and rub them well with mayo, and place in the fridge, covered, for one hour. When you're ready to cook the chops, simply wipe off the mayo. If you want to guarantee that the juices don't leech out of your chops, lightly dust them with flour before grilling/sauteeing/baking. Easy, right? This is especially good for very lean cuts like loin chops or tenderloin medallions. Don't worry, once the mayo is wiped off, you won't really taste it in the cooking.
One more note:
Remember, commercial pork is very lean, so don't overcook it. Contrary to popular belief, pork should be served at about medium (145°F) or slightly pink in the center. Don't worry, Trichinosis is very rare in the US where commercial pork products are concerned.
Happy Cooking!
Don't you hate dry, chewy pork chops? There's are a couple of simple ways to get it to not dry out.
1) Brine the pork for several hours in a 3% salt brine. The basic brine here, is one teaspoon of salt to 200 ml (3/4 cup) of water. Most measuring cups have the metric equivalent, so just look at that. Place your pork chops (or roast or whatever) in enough brine to completely submerge it. I find that a zip bag works wonders for this purpose. Just do this in the morning before leaving the house and remove them from the bag when you get home and pat dry with paper towels.
In addition to getting moisture in the meat, it will also get the salt uniformly into the center of the meat as well. This means that the meat will be much more flavorful. Using this theory, you can add anything to the brine that you want to scent/flavor the chops. I like to use some brown sugar, bay leaves, and thyme. One thing to remember here. Don't put anything acidic in the brine, or you'll "cook" the meat, the results not being as good. If you want citrus in the brine, use the zest and not the juice.
FYI: This is a great technique for chicken too! Breasts greatly benefit from a brine.
2) If you forgot to brine in the morning, here's a quicker method of getting pork chops juicy.
Use Store-Bought Mayonnaise!
Simply take your pork chops and rub them well with mayo, and place in the fridge, covered, for one hour. When you're ready to cook the chops, simply wipe off the mayo. If you want to guarantee that the juices don't leech out of your chops, lightly dust them with flour before grilling/sauteeing/baking. Easy, right? This is especially good for very lean cuts like loin chops or tenderloin medallions. Don't worry, once the mayo is wiped off, you won't really taste it in the cooking.
One more note:
Remember, commercial pork is very lean, so don't overcook it. Contrary to popular belief, pork should be served at about medium (145°F) or slightly pink in the center. Don't worry, Trichinosis is very rare in the US where commercial pork products are concerned.
Happy Cooking!
Friday, February 15, 2008
And the Grammy's go to...
Ok, I was lucky enough to get to go to the Grammy's this is past Sunday. My buddy EditorCub won tickets at Local Gay Bar, and we drew lots to decide who would accompany him. The show was amazing, and I got to see legends like Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Little Richard perform live. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience it was!
But, this isn't a blog about award shows... it's about the food. The tickets we got came with passes to the industry after party which was to be catered by none other than Wolfgang Puck. To be honest, I wasn't exactly thrilled, given my general lack of respect for him (my friends know me for referring to him as the "whore"), but went, thinking "what the hey?" It was the Grammy's and it was free food, so why not?
For one, I didn't expect it to be amazing food. I know the logistic nightmare of trying to feed thousands of people. Still, I was hoping for Puck's sake that his company could produce decent buffet fare.
We walk into the hall (the party was being held at the LA Convention Center) and quickly get into line at the first buffet table since we didn't get anything to eat during the ceremony itself. We were explained that it was the Latin table, and that there were also English (WTF???), Thai, and Seafood buffets. First off, there were shotglasses filled with what looked to be different kinds of salsas. I picked out the yellow one just to test it. Then salad. Some mystery meat in a glaze... Ok, I'm not getting the Latin part of this really... Oh, wait, then some hot crab guacamole with chips. A bacon wrapped something with a toothpick. And that's all the space for round 1.
The shot glass turned out to be a white fish (tilapia? flounder?) ceviche in a mango salsa. Was ok, but nothing to write home about. Salad was Boston lettuce with almonds and pears with some parmesan on top. Ick, the pears had the consistency (and sweetness) out of a can, the almonds were limp, and the leaves weren't dressed. It needed some sort of binding vinaigrette, and a more aggressive cheese to counter the sweet, like a bleu or something. Mystery meat turned out to be a dried out beef slice with a sauce that tasted... brown... for lack of a better word. The bacon thing. I bit in, and it was sweet and mushy and ew... Puck, what were you thinking? I think it was a fig or a date with cream cheese filling or something like that. Way way way too sweet.
Onto the bar for a palate cleanser. Ah vodka. Ok, next. Seafood.
The seafood bar was basically a table with a mound of ice, tangles of seaweed that attacked you while you were using your tongs (and it wasn't even the nice appetizing kind of seaweed!) shrimp, some crab legs, and mini Tabasco© bottles (product placement, anyone?). I got some shrimp and crab. Got some cocktail sauce. It was just preboiled shrimp from a bag (in this case, I'm sure it was more like a box that was forklifted into the prep area) that you can get in any megamart. Actually, it was watery, so low-end supermarket. Cocktail sauce? Bottled!
Ok... next??? Looking at the English table (why would you do English at a buffet when it's not exactly a country with an exalted culinary past??? "I'll take the pigeon pie please."), and the Thai table, and consulting with EditorCub... we decided that the food wasn't good enough to go back for more, even though it was free. A sad statement to make.
So, I tried to like your food, Woflie... but I guess it was over conceived crap that I would have served to anyone ever. Granted, I know that Puck was probably nowhere near the kitchen for this, but still. It was pretty hardcore shite to be English here myself.
Happy Eating!
But, this isn't a blog about award shows... it's about the food. The tickets we got came with passes to the industry after party which was to be catered by none other than Wolfgang Puck. To be honest, I wasn't exactly thrilled, given my general lack of respect for him (my friends know me for referring to him as the "whore"), but went, thinking "what the hey?" It was the Grammy's and it was free food, so why not?
For one, I didn't expect it to be amazing food. I know the logistic nightmare of trying to feed thousands of people. Still, I was hoping for Puck's sake that his company could produce decent buffet fare.
We walk into the hall (the party was being held at the LA Convention Center) and quickly get into line at the first buffet table since we didn't get anything to eat during the ceremony itself. We were explained that it was the Latin table, and that there were also English (WTF???), Thai, and Seafood buffets. First off, there were shotglasses filled with what looked to be different kinds of salsas. I picked out the yellow one just to test it. Then salad. Some mystery meat in a glaze... Ok, I'm not getting the Latin part of this really... Oh, wait, then some hot crab guacamole with chips. A bacon wrapped something with a toothpick. And that's all the space for round 1.
The shot glass turned out to be a white fish (tilapia? flounder?) ceviche in a mango salsa. Was ok, but nothing to write home about. Salad was Boston lettuce with almonds and pears with some parmesan on top. Ick, the pears had the consistency (and sweetness) out of a can, the almonds were limp, and the leaves weren't dressed. It needed some sort of binding vinaigrette, and a more aggressive cheese to counter the sweet, like a bleu or something. Mystery meat turned out to be a dried out beef slice with a sauce that tasted... brown... for lack of a better word. The bacon thing. I bit in, and it was sweet and mushy and ew... Puck, what were you thinking? I think it was a fig or a date with cream cheese filling or something like that. Way way way too sweet.
Onto the bar for a palate cleanser. Ah vodka. Ok, next. Seafood.
The seafood bar was basically a table with a mound of ice, tangles of seaweed that attacked you while you were using your tongs (and it wasn't even the nice appetizing kind of seaweed!) shrimp, some crab legs, and mini Tabasco© bottles (product placement, anyone?). I got some shrimp and crab. Got some cocktail sauce. It was just preboiled shrimp from a bag (in this case, I'm sure it was more like a box that was forklifted into the prep area) that you can get in any megamart. Actually, it was watery, so low-end supermarket. Cocktail sauce? Bottled!
Ok... next??? Looking at the English table (why would you do English at a buffet when it's not exactly a country with an exalted culinary past??? "I'll take the pigeon pie please."), and the Thai table, and consulting with EditorCub... we decided that the food wasn't good enough to go back for more, even though it was free. A sad statement to make.
So, I tried to like your food, Woflie... but I guess it was over conceived crap that I would have served to anyone ever. Granted, I know that Puck was probably nowhere near the kitchen for this, but still. It was pretty hardcore shite to be English here myself.
Happy Eating!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
