Eggs done right.

I was thinking the other day that I rarely, if ever, really enjoy eatings eggs out. Granted, unless I'm on vacation (which I recently was in Hawai'i -- more on that in a later post), I just don't go to the kind of place that would take the time to serve me eggs the way I like 'em. Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily knocking all the fine diners and breakfast spots out there. I just like my eggs (especially scrambled) done a particular way, and I prefer to forgo the eggs while out in favor of something more... healthy... how's that?

So without further ado, here are some tips on egg cookery.

Scrambled
First and foremost, learn to be patient. The pan should never, and I mean, never be on anything other than LOW heat. That's right, boys and girls, the perfect scrambled egg is one where the egg coagulates at a very slow pace. I've been know to spend 30 minutes or more sometimes on a batch of eggs for brunch.

Take your eggs and beat them. Now melt a pat of butter in a pan set on low heat, and add the eggs. Every so often, stir the eggs with a spatula. The pan should be low enough that there should be almost no noticeable coagulation in a pan of three eggs for over 10 minutes. Don't over stir either. You want large fluffy curds here. Once the eggs start to set up, add some cream or milk to the pan to make them even more smooth. Stir until almost set, then remove to a plate.

Keeping the eggs slightly runny is important here. Remember the old adage: eggs that are done in the pan are overdone on the plate.

As much as it's a pain in the bum to go through the trouble, you'll be rewarded with the most sublime scrambled eggs you've ever tried. And what's interesting is that they taste more "eggy" than scrambled eggs cooked too quickly.

Season the eggs to taste, and add some grated parmesan or even better, truffle bits (truffle oil works great too), for your decadent treat.

variation:
There's one version that cooks up really nicely if you want even more "egg" taste. I saw this technique a couple years back in a cooking magazine (no, I don't remember).

Using the same heat setting as above, add the eggs without beating them into the pan. You want to break the yolks and start mixing once the whites have started to set up. The texture is not as smooth as the original method, but it's got a nice and interesting taste. Try it sometime to change up your scramble game.

Fried Eggs

So, why does one need to be told how to fry an egg? Because there are a couple different ways to do it! And yes, there's even technique involved.

First things first. True "fried eggs" are just that... they're fried in oil, rather than heated in a pan with little or no grease. For a truly decadent experience, try rendering an in or two of lard and/or bacon fat in a pan, bring it up to temperature, and dropping a couple eggs straight from their shells into them. It's quick, and oh so tasty. At the point in which the eggs are immersed in the oil, they naturally cook more like an egg that's been flipped over so both sides are cooked. Again, with this kind of egg, don't overdo it. The point is to be able to sop up the yolk with a piece of bread (buttered rye for me please).

Wanna be a "fried egg" geek? Try this: Use a circle mold (or a tuna can with both ends cut off) to make perfectly round eggs. Better yet, if you're entertaining, take the time to not only use the mold, separate the yolk from the white, and gently place the yolk directly on the center of the egg once the whites are already starting to set. Beautiful!

Again, even with the standard pan fried egg, you want the pan to be on low heat. That way the egg has time to cook to the right consistency.

variation
How about this Japanese technique for pan fried egg? Take the egg and slowly pour it into a pan on low heat (get out that circle mold again!) then add a couple tablespoons of water in the pan, and put lid on it. This is a technique called steam frying. You'll end up with a much softer egg white with this method.

Hard...soft...semi...Boiled Eggs

Boiled eggs... We all have different tastes here for doneness, but here's a general guideline. Add eggs to a pot of cold water with about an inch or so water to cover. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.

Leave the eggs in for 10-11 minutes, you'll get a perfect hard boiled egg.

Going down from there you can gauge the consistency of the egg you want. I like mine with a little more give in the yolk, so I usually take mine out around 7 minutes. Just take a bunch of eggs and try this. It's fun. You can get anything from a barely cooked egg all the way to a hard boiled with the yolk uniformly yellow. Just watch a clock or timer, and pull out the eggs after 5 minutes in one to two minute intervals, and then line them up, peel them after rinsing in cold water, and see what you like best.

Here's a tip on getting the yolk centered. Constantly roll the eggs back and forth while they're cooking with a spatula. This'll keep the yolks nice and centered... a must for Deviled eggs! Ok, even I don't bother with that. Get out a small glass (shot glass anyone), and just put it in the pot. Place egg, point side up, and voila! Yolks that are centered.

Of course there's much more in egg land, and I'm sure I will eventually write an entire entry on the omelet alone, but for the time being, hope your egg cooking skills will be better.

Since I actually made all three kinds of eggs simultaneously to write this entry... what did I do with them? Why make an Egg Egg Egg and Cheese Sandwich.


Egg Egg Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Per Sandwich

1 Croissant

1 boiled egg
1 fried egg
2 scrambled eggs (optional drizzle at end with truffle oil)

Cheese -- can be anything you like.
I used grated parmesan, aged white cheddar, and 5 year-old gouda for mine.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Once you have all three kinds of eggs, open up a toasted croissant, add the cheese (melt if desired during toasting), top with the eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and then chomp in. This is a wonderful way of tasting all the different textures and flavors that the eggs have in one dish. It's a bit messy (fried egg runs all over), but it's GOOD!

Happy Cooking and Eating!

Random Recipe: A Tale of Two Oceans

I was showing Puppy around the best fish market around this area... a small Japanese owned family joint we'll call Tuna Queen... actually, it's Fish King. The fish is lovingly showcased, and you can get quite a bit of lovely things here. I left the store with two Chesapeake Bay Soft-Shell Crabs, and half a pound of jumbo Pacific Scallops.


Fish King
722 N Glendale Ave
Glendale, CA
91206-2198

Phone: (818) 244-2161


Here's what I did with them:

A Tale of Two Oceans:

Serves 2


Atlantic:

Soft Shell Crabs with Lemon Butter

2 Soft-Shell Crabs, cleaned
Oil for cooking
Salt and Pepper
Juice and Zest of one lemon
2 TblS unsalted Butter (use good higher fat Euro butter)
2 Tbls Chopped Green Onion/Chives/Negi (Japanese onion)

Heat a pan over medium heat for several minutes until oil goes in easily. When oil is at a slight smoke, place soft shells top side down in the pan. Note: If you're doubling the recipe, remember to cook no more than two soft shells per 10-inch pan.
Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip over and add butter and baste with the melted butter (pour over the exposed side with a spoon) another minute or two until just firm. Plate and then add in the lemon juice and zest. Swirl and pour over the crabs and top with chopped green onions.

Pacific:

Seared Jumbo Scallops with White Wine Chantrelle Sauce

1/2 Pound jumbo Sea Scallops

Sauce:

1/2 Cup White Wine
1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
3 Oz. Chantrelle Mushrooms, sliced in half
2 TblS Shiso Butter (see the recipe for the steak with French-Japanese sauce duo)
salt and pepper
starch and water as needed

Make the sauce: Reduce the Chicken Stock in a sauce pot to a 1/4. Saute the chantrelles in butter in a skillet until browned and tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the reduced stock to the chantrelles and then monte with the shiso butter. Salt and pepper to taste. If needed thicken with the starch and water.

Cook the scallops:

Heat a pan on medium heat until hot. Salt and pepper the scallops and then cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and done.

Plate with the sauce.

I served this dish with whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes.

Happy Cooking!

Random Recipe: Rib-eye Steak with French-Japanese Sauce Duo

I was craving steak for some reason today. I tend not to eat too much beef on a regular basis. Not that I have anything against it, but I tend to eat more chicken and pork than beef. But I did get my steak craving today. I decided while I was at it the I should make something interesting and different. Mmmm this one's good!


Rib-eye Steak with French-Japanese Sauce Duo and Mushrooms

Serves 2:

1 lb. Rib-eye steak, 1.5-2 inches thick, cut into half to make 2 steaks

1.5 cups assorted sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
2 TBls Unsalted Butter
Olive Oil

Soy Demi:

1/4 cup Soy sauce
1/4 cup Sake
1 ts veal Demi-glace
1/2 ts sugar

Shiso pepper butter:

1/2 stick unsalted Butter
2-3 Shiso leaves, chiffonade
Coarse ground pepper


Saute Mushrooms:

Slice the mushrooms into thin slices while heating a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter with half the garlic, when the butter is melted, add half the mushrooms in a single layer and let sear for 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until all the mushrooms are nicely browned and slightly crispy. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and set aside. This step can be done up to two hours before Service.

Make Shiso Pepper Butter:

Combine softened butter with the shiso and pepper. Set aside.

Make Sauce:
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce slightly. Set aside.

Cook steak:

Remove steak from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking, and bring up to room temperature.

Heat a pan over medium heat until oil slides into the pan easily. Add in the steak and sear 3 minutes on the first side. Salt and pepper the steak. Flip and sear another 3 minutes. Then sear the sides 1-2 minutes each until nicely browned all over. Return the steak to the pan on the first side and then Cook 1 minute. Add in a pat of butter into the pan. Baste the exposed side with the hot butter for 1-2 minutes. The steak should be a nice medium-rare. Remove and put on a cooling rack, cover lightly with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Reheat the sauce and mushrooms, then make whatever sides you need here -- I sauteed some pre-blanched shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), and had rice cooking in the rice cooker.

Place rice or starch on the plate, arrange the veg on the plate, and then top the starch with the steak, add the soy demi sauce, top with the shiso butter, then top the steak with the mushrooms.

Mmmm... yum!

Happy Cooking!

Rillettes, anyone?

Rillettes
[ree-YEHT, rih-LEHTS]
Meat, usually pork but also rabbit, goose, poultry, fish, etc., that is slowly cooked in seasoned fat and then pounded or pulverized (along with some of the fat) into a paste. This mixture is then packed in small pots, RAMEKINS or other containers and covered with a thin layer of fat. Rillettes can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator providing the fatty seal is not broken. This mixture, resembling a smooth PÂTÉ, is served cold, usually as an appetizer spread on toast or bread.

~ © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Rillettes, lovely and homey, and always reminiscent of a picnic in the French countryside. Although I live in a neighborhood (Silverlake) of a city (Los Angeles) where there are plenty of gourmet purveyors out there that carry rillettes (let's see, Say Cheese, Silverlake Cheese, The Gourmet Market at the Alcove Cafe, among others), I decided that as a self-proclaimed foodie, I had to make them myself. Come on, it's not like I don't have half a dozen cookbooks that have them listed in them.

Well, my take was to look at a couple (Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, and Brian Polcyn and Michel Ruhlman's Charcuterie) and to compose one for myself.

Right off the bat, I hit a snag... the recipes call for pork belly. Puppy-white-boy , my long-term house guest just got a job as a butcher at Virgin Grain High-End Food Emporium so I thought I'd drop him off for work and pick up a couple pounds.
Apparently, gourmet market or not, it's not likely I'm getting pork belly here. Fine, if that's not going to work, I'll Plan-B it.

Off to Glorious Filipino Mart that popped up in the basement of Eagle Rock Shopping Center a little while back. I know I can get it there, and for cheap at that. Sure enough, I walk in, and there's the pork belly staring right up at me. And at $1 per pound, I'm not about to complain. I pick up a pork shoulder roast for good measure, and off we go.


Rillettes:

Makes quite a bit, so have a lot of ramekins or containers to put them in!

2 lb Pork Belly
1 lb Pork Shoulder
4 Cups Water

Herbs (I made my bouquet garni out of thyme, oregano, sage, and bay leaf along with a handful of peppercorns)

Salt and Pepper to taste
1 TblS Veal Demi-Glace
Pork Fat, cut thin


Cube up the pork. Line the bottom of your slowcooker/Dutch oven with the pork. Cover with water. Add the herbs.

Cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove pork from the slow cooker and place in a large bowl. Carefully shred the meat with forks until no chunks remain. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add in demi-glace and some of the cooking liquid and mix until it holds together.

Separate out pork into ramekins, top with fat, cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for 3 days.

If you've made a lot, you can freeze the extras. According to most all sources, rillettes will keep for about a month in the fridge as long as the fat covering is intact.

When you're ready, just bring the rillettes up to room temperature, and smear it on some bread and munch on. Add some cornichons and we're definitely in business!

As Anthony Bourdain put it in his cookbook:

Jesus, this dish is easy. Don't tell your friends. Let them think you're a genius, a master charcutier, while they're busy cooing and gaping.

Happy Cooking!

Craving Udon

Ok, food craving time again. This time it's udon. Although I tend to keep dried udon noodles as a pantry item in my house (it's not like it goes bad), I thought of trying something different and actually making my own noodles. I mean, how hard can combining FLOUR, SALT, and WATER be?

Well, this isn't difficult, but it is somewhat time-consuming. It's worth it though, since the end product has much more body than a dried out commercial one does.

Udon Noodles:

Serves 8-10

1 KG AP flour
450 g water
50 g salt

potato or corn starch for kneading

Equipment:

Large bowl
scale
plastic bag
large knife


Mix salt into water and stir until completely dissolved.

In a bowl combine water with flour. Mix thoroughly with hands and place the mixture in a sturdy plastic bag. remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal.

Step on the dough slowly using both feet (and entire body weight) in a circular manner (go around the dough clockwise or counter-clockwise slowly) until you have a disc that is about 1/8 inch thick.

Remove the dough from the bag, and fold as many times as possible, return to the bad and repeat the stepping process.

Collect the dough into a ball, and leave in the plastic bag to rest (1 hour in summer, 2-3 in winter)

Throw starch on a board and roll the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick (adjust the thickness to taste). Throw starch on the dough and then fold the dough loosely twice lengthwise to a third and then cut thin and EVEN slices.

With hands that are starched, separate the individual noodles before cooking to prevent sticking. At this point, noodles can be saved for later use.


To cook:

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and boil the udon for 10-13 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodles. Rinse the noodles under cold water to remove the starch from the surface and then drain well.

Serve in a hot tsuyu-broth, cold with sesame sauce, or however you like it.

Happy Cooking!

Tomato-Garlic pasta from Capricciosa Tokyo

I woke up the other day with a hella craving for a dish that I last had probably 14 years ago. It was one of those things that friends and I would go eat when we were in high school and had no money. There was this great Italian chain in Tokyo called Capricciosa that served all their pasta dishes family style in giant portions. If I recall, their signature spaghetti with tomato-garlic sauce went for about 1700 yen ($16-ish) at the time and easily fed four hungry teenage boys, or two REALLY hungry boys. Add a cheese filled rice croquette with meat sauce and you're all set. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

The dish, while by no means high brow or fancy, is just one of those guilty pleasures that's tangy, garlicky, spicy, and oh so yummy. It's actually seasoned well enough that you really don't need meat in it to make it good, although you most certainly could add some in there if you prefer a richer taste.

So, off to cyber-land to see if I could recreate the dish. After about 20 minutes of looking around, I found a couple Japanese blogs/postings that had different opinions on how it's made. Given that this is a "corporate recipe" of sorts, I did find out from a site where former employees of restaurants give out "forbidden recipes" that there were some interesting things that go into it. I'll go through the method -- it's easy and fun, and easily adaptable. Try it and see if you like it.

Capricciosa-style Tomato-Garlic Spaghetti

Yield: 4 Servings

8-10 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
1 Medium Onion, diced
2 dried Japanese Chiles, sliced, OR 1 TBLS Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (adjust up or down depending on heat level desired)
1 ts Dried Oregano
3/4 TBLS Chicken Base or 2 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
1 ts MSG (this is a corporate chain recipe, what did you expect... omit if you're squeamish about this)
1 24-OZ Can Whole Peeled Whole Tomatoes
2 cups + extra Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Powdered Cofee Creamer (really)
3 TBLS Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste




Slice Garlic into thin slices and place into a cold pan over medium/medium-low heat along with Chiles/red pepper and oil. Carefully toast the slices until crunchy and golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. DO NOT BURN THEM. Remove and reserve on paper towels.



Saute onions in the same pan until translucent, then add the entire can of tomatoes with juices into the pan. Bring to a boil and add back in the garlic. Turn down the heat to low, add in the chicken base and MSG, then simmer for 20 minutes, making sure to not let the sauce burn. Once the tomatoes are cooked through, smash them into chunks with a mixing spoon, and then add the grated cheese and coffee creamer to the pot. Mix, cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down a bit further, and the cheese and creamer have melded with the sauce.

Serve on top of freshly boiled spaghetti (slightly thick spaghetti works really well here), top with more grated cheese and enjoy.

Happy cooking!

Experiment with Monkfish

I had a craving for monkfish the other day. I wanted to do something interesting with it though. What I ended up coming up with was something a bit Japanese, a bit Thai/SE Asian, and definitely wonderful.

The Japanese component? The fact that I fried the monkfish with a starch crust (ok, I guess it could be a more Chinese technique, but oh well...), and then the SE Asian part was the flavoring of lemongrass and Green Curry with coconut. Yum...

Lemongrass flavored monkfish with coconut curry creme

2 4-ounce Monkfish fillets -- cut to about 1 1/2 inch thick
1-2 Tbls lemongrass paste
Potato Starch to coat
Sea salt and white pepper to taste.

Sauce:

1 Cup chicken stock
1 Tbls Thai Green Curry paste (powder works fine too)
2 Tbls coconut milk
Fish Sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam) to taste

Optional:
Thai bird chiles as needed
small dice of carrot, potato, and mushroom
Dash of heavy cream

Preheat frying oil to 360 degrees F.

Salt the monkfish on all sides slightly on the heavy side. Let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes, then pat dry.

Heat chicken stock in a sauce pan and add the diced veg if you're using them to once it's at a boil of you want the curry broth spicier add come chiles that you have made into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Turn down and simmer until the veg is tender -- about 12 minuts. Add the green curry paste and mix together until well incorporated. Turn down to a nare simmer and add the coconut milk. Stir everything together and add the fish sauce to taste -- it should have a slightly tangy, sweet, and spicy taste to it now. Finish with a drizzle of heavy cream to bring the flavors together. You can use a starch slurry to thicken the sauce if you want something a little more thick. Reserve sauce.

Pat the monkfish dry, then lightly pepper the fillets. Rub lemongrass paste all over the fish and dredge to coat in potato starch. Drop the fish into the oil and let fry for about 6 minutes. The fish should come out just about to flake, with a nice crunchy exterior and a moist, lobster-like interior. Plate over white rice that's been sauced, then drizzle more sauce over it. Garnish with cilantro if you like.

Between the creamy firmness of the relatively bland fish and the fiery green curry sauce, you get a nice contrast. This one's easy, so give it a try.

Oh, and if you really want to just to the monkfish fritters Japanese style, omit the lemongrass, and serve the fritters with a yuzu ponzu sauce, or better yet, yuzu kosho -- a fiery paste make out of green chiles, yuzu rind, and salt.

Happy Cooking!

Risotto

Risotto... it's one of things that I find relatively easy to do when I'm not inspired to go to the store. The ingredients are simple, and the basic recipe can be made from things I tend to have in my fridge or pantry.

Not only is it easy, the basic recipe can be adjusted in any number of ways depending on what ingredients you have, or what you want to do with it.

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Basic Risotto

Serves 2 as a main course, or 4 as a side dish

1.5 cups short grain Rice (I actually like to use Japanese short-grain rice or CalRose because of the texture and starch content, but Arborio and Carnaroli are the traditional rices used)
1 quart Chicken Stock, kept hot in either a pot or thermos
1/2 medium Onion, diced
1 cup white Wine
1/4 cup Heavy Cream or Milk
1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozarella
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
salt and pepper
optional White Truffle Oil
optional 1/4 cup Orzo Pasta


In a saute pan, melt the butter and sweat the onions until translucent. Remove and reserve. Melt some more butter, and saute the rice for 2-3 minutes, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Once the rice looks uniformly pearly, add back the onions and stir together. Add in the orzo if using and white wine, and stir over medium heat until it is completely absorbed. Then in small batches, add in the heated chicken stock, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula to break down the starch in the rice, and wiating each time until the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid. It should take about 25-30 minuted total until the rice is creamy and soft. The correct consistency should be rich and creamy, with just a hint of a bite left in the rice.

At this point, add in the cream, and remove from the heat. Then in batches, add in the shredded cheeses and then stir until completely incorporated. Taste and then season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like, drizzle a little white truffle oil over it, and enjoy.

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This is the master recipe. While the base technique is always the same, adding different herbs, vegetables, cheese or meats makes it a completely different dish. One of my favorite ways to work with risotto is to do a wild mushroom risotto.

All you have to do for that is to soak some dried porcini in white wine, saute up a variety of mushrooms in olive oil and some garlic, and then mix into the rice mixture at the point you would add in the white wine. It's delicious.

Another idea is to do an asparagus risotto, with both asparagus chunks and puree. It comes out green, and awesome.

Or add in saffron for a Risotto Milanese to go with your next Osso Bucco.

Your imagination is the limit. You could even try to do a vegan version if you like with soy milk and cheese instead of the dairy.

Happy Cooking!

Hummus, a mi moda

I like hummus. It's one of those things that I like to keep around along with some pita bread or pita chips to munch on while I idle away in front of the TV or computer. I know that it's readily available these days in most supermarkets in a variety of flavors, but I decided that I needed to try making my own. Really. As long as you have some key ingredients, it's actually not that difficult, and you can flavor it as you see fit. So here's my home-made version of Hummus, and with one little change (the lemon confit I added), it's a very traditional hummus. Change it, add more things into it, or even change the kind of beans you use (edamame works great for this, and it's so pretty!)

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Hummus with Lemon Confit

1 1/2 cans of Chick Peas (ok, use fresh and soaked peas if you have the patience)
3/4 cup of Tahini (white sesame paste available at your local Middle Eastern market or Trader Joe's or Whole Paycheck, er, Whole Foods)
10 slices Lemon Confit* with some of its oil
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Peeled Garlic (start with 3, then ramp up if you like it more garlicky)
Sea Salt
Cayenne
Smoked Paprika
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Boil drained chick peas in a pot of salted water for about 20 minutes. They should be very soft at this point. Set aside.

In a food processor, add the tahini, lemon confit slices (remove the rind from half of them), lemon juice, and some of the oil from the lemon confit. Puree over high heat until it's incorporated together. Pass the chick peas thought the fine setting of a food mill into a bowl. If you're lazy, just add the beans into the food processor and buzz with the tahini mixture. Mix everything together, and thin out with the water you boiled the beans in until it reaches the consistency you like. Season with sea salt to taste, and then sprinkle the cayenne and paprika over the top. Drizzle the olive oil on top as well.

Serve with warm pita bread wedges.

Lemon Confit

5 lemons, thinly and evenly sliced, preferably with a mandoline
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Shallots, finely diced
5 Garlic cloves, finely diced
Sea Salt

Arrange a single layer of lemon slices in a non-reactive storage vessel that has a lid. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and then top with a layer of shallots and garlic. Repeat this process until all the components are used. Pour olive oil over top until the top layer of the lemons are just covered in oil. Cover and refrigerate. The lemon confit will be usable after about three days, and will keep for about a month or two in the fridge. When needed, just let sit on the counter until the oil becomes liquid again, and remove lemon slices as needed. The oil will also be fragrant and nice for use in sauces and dressings, or even to saute with.

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In about 30 minutes of little work, you have wonderfully rich home-made hummus. It'll make you not want to buy the prepackaged stuff again... It's also great with a good rich Feta cheese (I love the Garden of Eden brand Israeli feta they sell at TJ's -- it's so buttery and rich without being overly salty).

Something easy and oh my... VEGAN. Shout out to my girl Shelby on that one. :X

Happy Cooking!

Giving up on Mac&Cheese

I've been trying to perfect my Mac & Cheese technique. For some reason, it seems that no matter what I try, I just can't get it right. Well, I did get it right the other day, but I found out the hard way that baking the dish even to get a little crust can mean the difference between velvety smoothness, and well, an overgrown hockey puck. Dammit, I should have taken it and just eaten it out of the pot, but no, I had to get a crust on it. Well, live and learn. At least I salvaged deep fried mac-fromage out of that one, which actually, wasn't bad once you melted more cheese on top. Mmmmmm

In an effort to redeem myself here, I went back to my roots. I pulled out a dish that I grew up with in Japan that really is similar to a good 'ole American Mac & Cheese although the technique is really much more traditional French.

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Macaroni au Gratin

1/2 lbs. Macaroni or other tube shaped pasta

5.5 oz Chicken or Shrimp
1 medium Onion
1/4 cup White Wine
optional 6 Button Mushrooms

1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter and 1 cup Grated Cheese for topping (I like a combination of parmegiano-reggiano, mozzarella, and gruyere, but anything with flavor that melts is fine)

Mornay Sauce:

3.75 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3.75 tablespoons Flour
3.75 cups Milk or Half-and-half

1/2 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Freshly grated Nutmeg and White Pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Chop up chicken or shrimp into bite-sized pieces and salt and pepper them. Dice the onion and thinly slice the mushrooms if using. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt. If you decide on the shrimp, skip the instructions for chicken and add it once you fold all the ingredients together before baking.

In a large saute pan or skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat, and saute the chicken until it is nicely colored. Remove the chicken and reserve. Add more butter to the pan and saute the onions (and mushrooms) until translucent. Return the chicken to the same pan and add the white wine. Stir and cook until the wine is almost completely gone.

Add pasta to the pot of boiling water at this time. Because of additional baking in the sauce later, you will want to slightly under cook the pasta. If the directions give 9-10 minutes, take them off at 8. The pasta should still be slightly hard in the middle, but not quite al dente yet. If the pasta is done before the sauce, drain and add a little butter to prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, make the sauce mornay. In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat, being careful not to burn it. Once all the butter is melted, remove the pot from the heat and slowly sift in the flour. Both sifting the flour and mixing off the heat help prevent the formation of lumps. Cook the mixture (roux) over low heat while stirring to make sure that the roux is completely cooked through. Do not allow the roux to brown. Once the roux is cooked through and the flour is completely incorporated (it will smell less like flour) remove from the heat and bring the milk or half-and-half to a scald. Placing the roux back over low heat, add in the heated milk and whisk vigorously until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This should take approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the white sauce from the heat. In small batches, add in the grated cheese, making sure it is completely melted before adding more. Place the pot back over low heat if necessary. Once all the cheese is melted in, add in a small amount of freshly grated nutmeg and white pepper.

Fold the components together. Place pasta, chicken and sauce mixture into an oven safe baking dish that has been buttered or sprayed. Top with the reserved grated cheeses and add dots of butter. Place in the oven and bake until bubbling and nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

Let cool for a few minutes (important, it's like napalm right out of the oven!) and serve up.

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Now, folks, I may not be able to make a great American Mac & Cheese that's better than the blue box, but this... just try it once. It's gooooooood. Just don't complain to me when your cholesterol figures go up. :D

Happy Cooking!

Random Recipe: Two Garden Lamb

Two Garden Lamb

I created this recipe on a day when I had the “what the hell can I?” moments of having an ingredient (butterflied leg of lamb) and not having planned anything special around it. I pretty much thought through various flavor combinations and decided on this particular combination. It’s called “two garden lamb” because I ended up going to both the side garden (for the sage and parsley) and the back yard to get some lemons. I wouldn’t recommend using dried herbs in place of the fresh ones here.


2.5 pounds butterflied (boneless) leg of lamb
1 clove of garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the oil rub:

Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
5 fresh sage leaves (medium-sized)
½ cup fresh rosemary
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and Pepper

For the stuffing:

8 oz. cremini (brown) mushrooms
½ onion
2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of rosemary leaves
Pinch of dried porcini powder
1 TS unsalted butter
Olive oil
1 TS pancetta, diced


Preheat oven to 375F

Take out the lamb from the refrigerator and poke slits into it with a sharp knife. Slice the clove of garlic thin and stuff the lamb with the garlic slices. Mix together the oil rub ingredients and rub generously onto all the exposed meat.

Saute the sliced mushrooms with the onion until nice and golden brown in a little butter. Cube the pancetta and add into the pan as well, let cool about 10 minutes once done.

Chop the herbs together in and mix with the sauted mushroom mixture and the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Spread stuffing onto the meat.

Tie the roast back up and tie it into shape with butcher’s twine and then heat a pan to smoking. Sear the roast on all sides, and then let rest for 10 minutes.

Place the roast into the middle of the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 130 for a medium-rare. Remove the roast from the oven, and let rest for 5-10 minutes with a loose foil cover.

Carve and serve!

WCC 3 -- Hanger Steak with Wild Mushroom Demi-Glace Sauce

I'm trying a new format here. Instead of hiding the weekly recipes inside comments, I'm going to make a new entry for them.

Here's my recipe for the week:

Hangar Steak with Wild Mushroom Demi-Glace Sauce

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 Pound Dry Aged Hanger (rib eye) Steak, preferably 1.75- 2 inches thick, cut into two pieces
1/2 cup Brandy to flambe with

For the Mushroom Sauce:

1 oz Dry Porcini Mushrooms
1/2 Pound Cremini Mushrooms, sliced thin
5-6 Fresh Morel Mushrooms, sliced into strips
2 Large Shiitake Mushrooms, cubed
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
4 TS Unsalted butter
4 Shallots, minced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
3 cups Red Wine (I use Shiraz for this, but any bold red -- zin, cab, syrah, etc. would do)
2 TS veal Demi-Glace
Salt/Fresh black Pepper
Oil


Directions

2-4 Hours in advance:

Place 1 cup of wine and the dry porcinis in a zip lock bag with the steak, place in fridge until an hour before cooking, flipping it over occasionally to make sure the wine hits both sides of the meat.

Just before cooking:

Remove steak from fridge and let sit on counter to bring up to room temperature.
Pre-heat your oven to 300F

Sauté the mushrooms:

Heat a saute pan with oil and 1TS butter to slight smoke. Add 1TS each garlic and shallots and allow them to slightly brown.
Working in batches, saute the mushrooms until nice and browned adding some thyme to each batch, and replenishing oil and butter as needed.
Once the last batch is browned, add all the mushrooms back into the pan and season with salt and pepper -- it's important that you don't salt the mushrooms before this point -- they will sweat and not get browned properly!

Reserve the sautéed mushroom.

Heat the same pan to smoking hot. Remove the steak from the marinade and remove any porcinis that may have stuck on them -- reserve all pocinis and the wine in a bowl for the sauce. Add oil, or render some beef fat into the pan (preferable), and then sear the steaks. You only want to flip the meat once, and only when it's got a nice crust about 3-4 minutes per side for a 2-inch thick steak.

Once the meat is seared, place it directly on the rack in your 300F oven with a cookie sheet underneath. You don't want to place the meat on the cookie sheet, since that will let the meat stew in its own juices. Remove the steak from the oven when the internal temperature hits 120-125 for rare, 130 for medium-rare (anything more, don't bother with a dry-aged steak, it's a waste) and place in a clean pan. Pour 1/2 cup brandy over the steak and flambé until the fire dies down. Let the steaks rest on a wire rack with a little foil over them for 5 minutes.

Sauce:

Once the steaks are in the oven, add 1TS butter to the saute pan used for the steaks and mushrooms. Add the remaining shallots and garlic and quickly let them get translucent. As soon as they do (it'll be quick since you're working on a HOT pan), add the porcinis, the wine from the marinade and the other 2 cups of wine into the pan. Lower the heat to medium, and scrape all the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add 2 TS of veal (or beef) demi-glace into the pan and whisk until completely incorporated. Let the sauce reduce by a little more than a half -- you're looking for a deep mahogany color and it should be just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon lightly. Season with salt to taste and whisk in 2 TS butter until the sauce is shiny.

Plate steak with the sautéed mushrooms (reheat if necessary), and the sauce both under the meat and then spooned over.

Serve with some yukon gold heavy whipped (lots of cream and butter, that is) potatos and haricots verts with smoked almonds.

Happy Cooking!