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!

A Summer Menu ~ Dualities

I have to say that I haven't cooked a large production meal in a while. Since Zack-I my roommate was leaving for Burning Man on Sunday, I thought I'd make a nice meal at home for him and his sister, and another foodie friend of ours. I wanted the menu to be interesting, yet be something that very much said "summer." Each of the dishes had one key ingredient used two ways. Here's my menu:

From the Garden:

"Tomayto/Tomahto Caprese Tartlet" of fresh and confit tomato served alogside a Chilled Shot of Heirloom Tomato, Cucumber, and Spice Gazpacho


From the Ocean:

Scallop Carpaccio with cedar smoked white peach and yuzu ponzu. Complimented by Seared Scallop wrapped in guanciale and stuffed with summer black truffles.

From the Farm:

Lamb chop served with summer fig and red wine compote, Lamb Shank braised in red wine and porcinis. Both accompanied by saffron cous-cous.

Something Sweet:

Cremes Brulees -- toasted sesame seed, and dragonfruit


The menu was a success, and everyone seemed to love it. I even got Zack-I who normally doesn't do raw seafood not only to try the scallop carpaccio, he actually even liked it. All in all a great meal for all of us.

Happy Cooking!

Heavenly Dumplings at Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung: 4.5/5

I've been hearing about Din Tai Fung in Arcadia for years now. Yes, this is the US outlet of the world renowned (one of the top 10 restaurants in the world according to the New York Times!) Taiwanese dumpling house. For whatever reason, I just never bothered going. I decided the other day to try running in for lunch. I knew that they're always busy, but I wasn't prepared for the extent of that business for Sunday lunch. Given that I was there to quickly grab a bite with Puppy before dropping him off at High End Virgin Grain Food Emporium, we didn't have the requisite hour and a half (!) wait. I gave up but gained a new-found desire, no, NEED, to eat here. If the wait's that long, I just had to see how worth it it was.

Fast forward a day to Monday. I got us up earlier and drove back out 18 miles to sample some dumplings. I went abso-effin-lutely determined to get in. Whatchya know? Even on a Monday, there was a wait. I got a ticket (number 121) and they were still calling the lower 80s. Oy! But since Puppy had the day off and we didn't have anywhere to be, we sucked it up and waited. Besides, I wasn't about to go and be defeated two days in a row. One thing to note here: Din Tai Fung is all about getting you in and out. While you're in line, you get a fill in menu kind of like a sushi card. You fill in the things you want while you wait, and they bring things as they are ready. Great for speed, not too great if you want certain things in a certain order (like we wanted our soup as an appetizer -- it came last).

Our order was the following:

Juicy Pork Dumplings (Xiaolongbao)
Juicy Pork and Crab Dumplings
Vegetarian Dumplings
Shrimp Fried Rice
Shrimp and Pork Won Ton Soup.
2 X Coke


We sit down, and the waitress quickly checks our order sheet. Withing 2 minutes, the first steamer of dumplings (pork and crab) arrive. I smell... I drool... then I pick one up ever so gingerly so as not to break the dough... dip it into the black vinegar, top with shaved ginger and then put in on a spoon... carefully slowly break the dough with my teeth, and then suck up the soup in the dumpling. I'm getting aroused at this point, it's so good. Then I just plop the rest in my mouth and chew. Wow! That's good. Right there, first dumpling, I already know why there's that line here.

Xiaolongbao. Soup Dumplings. Definitely one of those things that have a place in my heart. When I was a teenager and sick, my grandfather used to sneak me out of the hospital once a week to take me to polish off a platter of these soup filled delights. And these here are the best, hands down, that I've gotten here in the US. Not that there are that many places that actually offer them.

The regular pork ones were actually better in my opinion than the crab ones. It was just more meaty and "clean" if that makes sense. The fried rice was a great serving for two or three to share, and the soup was a light chicken broth filled with eight or so giant shrimp and pork dumplings that were heavenly once you got over burning your tongue on them.

The only miss here was the vegetarian dumplings. It was filled with a combination of things that was at once bland, but also had a mealy texture. It was edible, but I won't be ordering that one again.


All in all this was an amazing experience. Definitely worth the wait... The best part here is how inexpensive it is. After eating all that, the bill came up to less than $40. Really, not that bad considering that every dumpling order is for 10 pieces, and the most expensive one, the crab and pork dumplings come in at $8.50. You've heard rumors about Din Tai Fung... yes, they're all true. Don't think. Just go.

Happy Eating!

Canele in Atwater Village... the verdict is in...

Canele: 2.5/5 Stars

I love a great neighborhood restaurant. And I definitely love supporting them. Since I live in the Atwater area, I've gone to Canele (Mediterranean Cuisine) four times now over the past several months. While there are great things about it, I still have some reservations on the consistency of the food.

Let's start though, with the good here. I love the space and concept. The idea of a restaurant catering to the community with a (guess what?) communal table and a no reservation policy really does jive with me. I don't want to go to the restaurant down the street and not be able to get a table because some Westside snob decided to throw their name around to facilitate a last minute res for herself and 20 of her closest friends. Ok, I know I'm exaggerating, but, hey... At Canele, everyone's equal. If there isn't a table, you can make one of two choices: a) wait like a normal person, or b) choose to leave and go somewhere else. Pretty simple and democratic. No problem.

In terms of the food, I have to give them credit for doing fish well. Both times I've had fish here (trout once, branzino another time), it's been served whole (head and all) and been lightly but deftfully seasoned and wonderful. Maybe it's the Japanese in me, but I'm definitely not one to be squeamish about fish staring me in the face, and in fact, I am the one who loves to poke at the cheek meat. I almost yelled to the couple sitting next to us at the communal table earlier, "no, give it to me!!!" when they sent back the beautiful branzino to be decapitated to better serve their morals or well, I guess, tastes. I say kudos to the Mediterranean restaurant that actually, gasp, serves fish like they do, gasp, in the Mediterranean.

I also love that despite the small scope of the menu (6-7 appetizers, and 8-10 entrees with daily specials), that the chef here does try some interesting ideas. One of the dishes that I've tried that fits this bill is a dish that was served last winter. It was lamb chops with a grapefruit sauce served with Israeli couscous. I honestly would never have though to pair lamb with grapefruit, but this was a decent dish if only for the novelty factor. I guess my problem was that once you got over the combination, it was boring after the third bite, and the couscous was totally lackluster. I'm imagining that the Israeli couscous was trying to emulate the texture of the individual juice sacs of the grapefruit.

The flan here, voted as LA's best by LA Magazine, does stand up. It's a sinful delicious, oozy blob of YUM. Save space for it. If you don't, just share one with the table. It's really THAT good. Oh yeah, not to make it and afterthought, but the other desserts I've tried, like the cheesecake, are good as well.

The nicest touch, and one that definitely screams "neighborhood restaurant" is the fact that you get a fresh two bite canele on your way out. What's a canele, you ask? It's a baked custard similar in taste to a flan or creme caramel, but much denser and chewier. Can't get the idea? Refer to the picture to your left. Mmmmmm... if their flan wasn't as good as it is, I would skip dessert altogether just 'cause of this.

Ok, onto the things I didn't like. As much as Canele does a great job with fish, I'm not a big fan of the way most other animals are prepared. I ordered the summer iteration of their rack of lamb today (herbed rack of lamb with eggplant and tomato ragout) and got a tepid and rubbery trio of chops instead. The flavors were ok... I mean, how do you screw up some good lamb with a mixed herb pesto, really? But the texture just said that they didn't care. Tepid and chewy (not a good thing here like with the canele) is not medium-rare in my book. We all know that most of the food that we eat in a restaurant is pre-prepped to some degree, but this felt like they just weren't trying with this one.

Pork chop... again, boring. It was definitely well brined, but it seems that whoever was at the oven reheating this chop... (no sear whatsoever here), forgot to reseason it. Bland and boring. Somewhat overcooked (aren't we glad it was brined?) No sauce to boot. Eh...

Look, I live in this neighborhood, and I love to support a good neighborhood restaurant. But if I'm in the mood for good Mediterranean food, give me that, ok? And while I'm willing to overlook quite a bit in terms of perfection, give me what I pay for. See, the big issue here is that for the dishes that aren't great, the price tag really seems high. Higher than usual high. The Cuban place down the street, with its rustic home cooking, I believe is a much better bang for your buck. Sure, you won't get fancy pretty food there, but the prices make you feel that it was worth more that it is.

Bottom line. If you go to Canele, which you should, order a fish dish (and PLEASE don't let me catch you getting it guillotined), and get the flan with a cup of coffee to wash it down with. If you do that, you'll be happy since the fish dishes tend to be less pricey than the pork, lamb, beef, or other land meat. You'll get more, it'll taste better, and you'll want to go back. And do sit at the communal table. Serious dates aside, what's better than eating good food in a neighborhood restaurant than being able to meet your neighbors while doing it? This is Canele at its best. You should go for it.

Happy 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!

Macrobiotic Eating at M. Cafe de Chaya

My model sister (hello, size -2) and her mate, Brazilian Tatoo Guy asked me out to lunch today. Given that I'm in Atwater Village, and they're in Westwood/Sawtelle, we decided to meet up somewhere in the middle at M. Cafe de Chaya at La Brea and Melrose. Of course, they're the healthy people, so they chose the place, since I didn't know any veggie/vegan/macro/raw/etc. kind of place in my area (ok, so I do, but I didn't want to go). Given that I've heard some amazing things about the food at both Chaya Brasserie and Chaya Venice, I thought this might be interesting. Since puppy-white-boy had the day off from his butchering job, I took him along. I do admit though, I did tell him to take a look at the menu on the website before we went just to make sure that he could find something that was appetizing sounding -- while puppy-white boy is making huge strides on his palate (he'll try just about anything without complaint), he's just not used to the whole vegie-macro-designer-sprout-model diet, so I thought I'd make sure he was ok with it all.

Basically, the mantra at M. Cafe is:
M Café de Chaya introduces Contemporary Macrobiotic Cuisine — featuring balanced, nutritious, creative cooking which can be enjoyed daily by everyone, not just vegetarians or people with dietary restrictions. Building on the foundation of Michio Kushi, our chefs prepare each item fresh daily, using only the finest ingredients without any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry.

Not exactly Motor City food fare like Puppy's used to.

We get there, and yes, it's a cafe... Order at a counter (most of the food is pre-prepped and wrapped for easy egress), and if you can, sit down and eat once they plate the food for you. I got a Falafel and Hummus wrap with a side of Sesame Soba noodles, and puppy-white-boy got the panini provencale with a side of Chickpeas with Red Rice (I ordered that when I was told that the sandwich came with a side), we both had a couple OJ's, and I had an extra side of Spicy Tuna Rolls. With tip, it's a whopping $40. This food might be designery and healthy, but it sure ain't cheap!!! Damn!

Food comes... it's ok. I mean, the ingredients are all great and it tasted fine. That being said, I don't know if it was the sticker shock, but I really didn't much think that the flavors were great. Like they were trying so hard to make something macrobiotic and good for you that they forgot that the food itself had to more tasty at the prices they're commanding. Don't get me wrong, I love falafel and hummus -- you'll even see a hummus recipe of my own in the archives -- but for close to $12 with a side, I've had much better variants for much less. Maybe it's because the falafel was cold? Who knows? There was just something missing.

The soba side that I had was fine. Bland, but fine. The same sesame oil tossed cold soba salad you can get anywhere at a chi-chi deli.

The Panini Provencale was ok. It's a panini of "seasonal grilled vegetables, arugula, balsamic vinaigrette, pesto aioli and creamy tofu cheese on our house baked focaccia, grilled hot & crisp to order." Asked to describe it, Puppy thinks for a long while, says, "Ok... it was flavorful, but just not satisfying." Aha! See I was right! He added, "the chickpea salad was much better."

I think my sister got it right. She ordered the Bi-Bim Bop Rice Bowl. A bowl of brown rice topped with pan fried tofu, veggies, sprouts, shiitakes, etc, and served with a Kotchu-Jyan-ish sweet and spicy miso sauce. I had a bite and I think if I were to go back, I would try this for myself instead.

If you're into the whole vegamacro thing, I guess this is good. Since I don't though, the fact that it's healthy doesn't give it the right to not satisfy me (I don't eat to get full, I eat to enjoy), especially when it costs as much as it does. Give me less healthy full flavored food any day of the week. I'd rather enjoy mo good food in moderation than live on this kind of food only. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that one eat a cheeseburger for every meal, but don't get on my case if I choose to every now and then.

All in all... why does healthy food have to be so bleh? I went vegan for a week while my daughter was here (she's vegan), and I was able to come up with some pretty good stuff. Don't just call a place "macrobiotic" and set up a pretty space in a nice neighborhood and expect me to love it. Make real good food that also healthy? Great!!!

Yeah sure, I'll try this place again... if I'm stuck with a bunch of vegamacros and I don't know where else to go. Otherwise... give me my full flavored good food. And... I'll take the falafel from the Israeli take out down the street next time.

M. Cafe de Chaya
7119 Melrose Ave. (@ Detroit)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-525-0588


Happy Eating!

Yakitori... redux

Yakitori the other night was so good, I had to make it at home. My friend Rice-eating-lanscaper-guy complained several times that he was bored, so I invited him over for a little "dinner party" after dropping puppy-white-boy off at Metro to get to Virgin Grain High End Food Emporium.

Side note: I live in the Atwater Village/Silverlake area and have found that Super King (real name) supermarket on San Fernando just past the 2 Freeway is an excellent market. Got lots of ethnic things, a huge deli counter, and a butcher that has a lot of fresh things. To top that off, it's CHEAP!!!

Armed with a 5-lb whole chicken ($4.58) I get home and start dismembering it for parts. Breast... Breast... Skin... Thigh... Thigh (not THAI like the girl spelled it at Kokekokko on the sold out board).. Drum Stick... Drum Stick... Wing... Wing... Carcass. Whew! That was some work. Next time, just get pre-dismembered chicken and proceed directly to skewering.

Basically, the means here are simple. Cut up chicken into small parts and thread onto skewers.

I ended up this time making the following out of my whole dismembered chicken.

2 x Skin
4 X Breast
2 X Breast Tenders
4 X Thigh
2 X Negima (thigh and Japanese onion)
2 X Wings
2 X Thin Sliced Breast wrapped around Okra (stole that one from Kokekokko)
5 X Tsukune (chicken meat balls: Take 2 knives and chop the hell out of a chicken breast until it's "ground" Mix in one egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt, pepper, dried yuzu peel, 5-6 shiso leaves julienned and chopped, and mix with hands until it comes together -- put on skewer)

Not too bad for a single chicken. I didn't bother with the drum sticks today, so those went in the fridge for me to use for dinner another day.

The rest is simple... cook the skewers over charcoal until done. Better yet, put charcoal into a table-top grill (Konro -- look at pics, or MacGyver one out of a small terracotta pot and some wire mesh or a metal cooling rack or something) so you don't have to get your lazy ass up and you can be a host. Do them a few (of the same) at a time and enjoy a beer with friends. Place just a teensy bit of a condiment or two (my list below) just before serving and keep your guest(s) dazzled with your ability to put flavors together. Continue for several hours until all the chicken runs out.



Where's the recipe for my sauce, you ask? I took a page from the grill master at Kokekokko, and did a purely salt based menu. All you have to have is some good sea salt ready to pinch or grind over the chicken while it's cooking. The rest is in the condiments. I had:

Lemon
Pepper
Sansho Pepper
Shichimi Pepper
Yuzu Peel Powder
Grated Garlic
Grated Ginger
Wasabi
Yuzu Kosho
Butter

Most of these go on alone.

Lemon with sansho is one of my favorites. The acid blends well with the numbing flowery-ness of the sansho. The wings got a Lemon-shichimi combo which works well too.

Although not very "Japanese," a combo that really worked was Grated garlic, pepper (I used a 5-pepper blend here, but regular black would work fine), and butter. Sinful I tell ya, sinful!

The art of yakitori -- Little Tokyo

Server: Have you been here before?
Guest: No
Server: Do you know that we don't make sushi here?
Guest: Yes
Server: You know there is minimum order of 5 skewers per customer?
Guest: Yes
Server: Counter or table?
Guest: Counter
Server: Please wait for a minute.

This is the exchange that happens upon entering into Kokekokko, a small Yakitori restaurant on Central Ave. Yakitori is Japanese for "grilled chicken." Every part of the chicken is skewered and grilled to perfection over charcoal, and you eat sort of tapas-style, where a skewer or two show up every 10-15 minutes, and you wash it all down with a nice frosty beer.

Kokekokko is a very authentic experience if you remove the above exchange first -- if you're in Japan and enter a Yakitori joint, you know that they don't do sushi. The grill master here is a middle-aged Japanese guy (well, the whole staff is Japanese) who almost seems like he could have spent some time in the Yakuza once you hear him yelling at the staff... Definite Grill-Nazi potential here. But then again, once you're eating, he'll come over and ask how you like things done, if you're enjoying yourself, and will adjust seasonings and condiments based on whether he thinks you're worthy, or not. But I get ahead of myself.

I think a funny thing here is that I'm in this Japanese restaurant, speaking Japanese, and the entire staff take about 20 minutes to realize that I do the lingo. Granted, I had puppy white-boy next to me that needed some explanation ("No fork for you!"), I was amused that these people had such a hard time looking at me and hearing native Japanese coming out of my mouth. You'd think that in LA of all places, they'd be used to a not-so-Japanese looking guy speaking Japanese. The Oyaji (grill master) finally got it and asked "Sansei?" (third genereration Japanese immigrant), and I explained that I'm first generation (i.e. born and raised in Japan) but half. The service got MUCH better at this point.

The first skewer up was breast. It's actually the breast tender that in Japanese is called "sasami." Once the above exchange was completed and Oyaji understood that I was native, he tells me, "I'm doing this more Japanese style, medium-rare." Yes, I said that. Yes, chicken, yes, medium-rare. Actually it came out more raw than not. I trust a place like this, and if I actually were in Japan, I could have gotten the chicken completely raw. He tells expediter-boy to season our "breast" with wasabi and ginger. The first two bites with that sinus clearing blast of wasabi, the second two with the warmth of ginger. At this point, I'm in heaven. Expediter-boy still things I only speak English though...

The whole meal was really masterful, each piece perfectly seasoned and served with the perfect condiments. We had chicken balls (soft and salty and sinful), gizzard (crunchy and no offal taste whatsoever), quail eggs (yum), and a couple other pieces.

Finally, it gets through to expediter-boy that I'm Japanese, so he leans over the counter and asks me if there are any "specials" I'd like to have. I ask what's available, and go for neck meat (yippy-ki-yay! that was good), and cartilage (mmmmm, meaty... crunchy...).

All in all wonderful experience. I felt like I went back to Japan for a little while and I was so happy. I was also happy that puppy-white-boy that I went with didn't pull what some others around me have in the past... he not only let me enjoy the wonderful food, he tried everything end enjoyed it too.

Go, it's worth it!

Kokekokko
203 S. Central Ave., Little Tokyo
(213) 687-0690

Happy Eating!

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!